Monthly Archives: June 2014

Corn Syrup destroys Your Brain, and Your Ability to use it.

Some foods you are probably eating on a daily basis can actually cause DAMAGE to your brain over time.

In this article, we’ll explore the foods that HARM your brain vs foods that PROTECT your brain.

This article is based around an article by Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist
Co-author of the best seller: The Top 101 Foods that FIGHT Aging

First, the BAD NEWS…

Certain foods your eating can do a lot of harm your brain, both by impairing learning ability as well as impaired memory response. Even worse, the wrong food and drink choices throughout your life can even lead to the terrible and deadly disease called Alzheimers.

A friend of mine just told me that her father died of Alzheimers, and it was just a terrible disease where he didn’t even know who she was anymore towards the end of his life. It’s time our society started to take degenerative diseases like Alzheimers, cancer, and heart disease more seriously throughout our lives, and not just once it becomes too late. Even in our 30’s, 40’s, and even our 50’s, the choices we make with our daily food can PREVENT these terrible diseases from starting.

So let’s get on with the topic of foods that harm your brain, and what you can do about it…

Food No.1 that HARMS your brain: Fructose

In 2012 UCLA published a study in the Journal of Physiology, researchers found that a diet high in fructose over time can damage your memory and learning ability.

Beyond the harm to your brain, it’s well known in the research world that a diet high in fructose can also cause insulin resistance in your body over time, and can lead to type-2 diabetes and extra body fat. Also it has been found, a high fructose diet also adversely affects your triglyceride levels in your blood as well as small dense LDL particles that cause plaque in your arteries.

So what we have here is high-fructose intake = impaired memory and learning in your brain, increased risk of diabetes, and increased risk of heart disease. Oh, and we forgot to mention extra abdominal fat too… Yum – so who wants another can of soda pop or a large bowl of corn syrup sweetened ice cream!

The average person eating a modern western diet of processed food consumes a LARGE quantity of fructose without even knowing about it, from all of the soft drinks (high fructose corn syrup typically), sweetened juice drinks, orange juice, processed junk foods such as cakes and candies, as well as the High Fructose Corn Syrup that’s added to store-bought salad dressings, breads and cereals, and even condiments like ketchup.

Also many sports drinks, even though marketed as “healthy”, can have large amounts of corn syrup or even crystalline fructose as their main sweetener. Sports drinks can be equally as bad as a soda for your body and your brain. Don’t be fooled by the clever marketing showing pictures of pro athletes guzzling this stuff, they get paid for it. It does not mean that they drink it.

Please note that agave syrup which is marketed as a “healthy” sweetener, is one of the most concentrated forms of processed fructose in sweeteners as well. I would personally stay away from agave sweeteners as much as possible unless the amounts are very small.

All of these fructose-laden foods and drinks are easy to avoid though if you choose to eat consciously… for example, make homemade salad dressings from your favorite olive oil and vinegar with added spices, or choose to drink unsweetened iced tea with lemon instead of sweetened drinks or juices. If you have to use a lot of ketchup (which is usually full of sugar), try to reduce the quantity by mixing with mustard or hot sauce, which typically don’t contain HFCS sweetener in any significant quantities.

Last thing to note about Corn Syrup also known as fructose… Yes, natural whole fruits do contain fructose, but generally they contain smaller quantities of fructose than you would consume in a sweetened juice drink, soft drink or sweetened junk foods. The phytonutrients, antioxidants, and fiber that’s contained in most whole fruits counteracts any negative effects of fructose. I personally try to eat no more than 1-2 pieces of fruit a day due to the sugar and fructose content of larger amounts of fruit.

Here’s a trick: Did you know that limes and lemons contain virtually zero fructose, and there is only about 3-4 grams of total carbs in a whole lemon or lime, whereas a typical orange can contain upto 6 grams of fructose, and 25 grams of total sugar per fruit. I squeeze lemons and limes daily into either water or teas for a healthy flavorful drink. Fresh lemon juice has even been shown to control blood sugar response from a meal… another great bonus.

Other Foods that HARM Your Brain:

As you probably already know some of the harmful health effects of these foods, but long term effects on your brain are yet another…

Trans fats — are strongly inflammatory in your entire body including damage to cell membranes throughout your body. You must avoid hydrogenated oils in processed and deep fried foods. Eating too much trans fat can harm your cell membranes… but eating more healthy fats can help reverse that harm. We’ll show you 11 of the healthiest (and delicious) fat sources that can balance your hormones and protect your cell membranes.

Mercury — studies show that mercury from pollution (coal burning plants are the biggest source of mercury pollution to air and water) and from fish that are high on the food chain such as tuna, shark, swordfish, etc can possibly cause long term negative effects on your brain. Limit these types of fish to a couple times a month and focus more on fish such as salmon, trout, and many other types of smaller fish to reduce your mercury load.

Wheat-based foods — In his groundbreaking book, Wheat Belly, Dr William Davis makes a very convincing argument that wheat has addictive properties that act on the brain. Wheat contains compounds termed “exorphins” that have an effect in your brain similar to opiate drugs. This explains why some people have such a bad time giving up their favourite breads, cereals, pasta, and muffins because these foods are mildly addictive.

I know personally from past experience that if I have have a pasta dinner, I’ll go back for a second helping, and then a third, as I just can’t seem to stop eating the stuff. Then hours after dinner, I’ll get cravings for more carbohydrate based foods or sweets. But if I skip the pasta and just have meat, veggies, and salad, I find myself totally satisfied after dinner with no cravings later at night.

The good news is…

There are plenty of superfoods, herbs, and spices that can protect your brain and your other organs too! Turmeric is one of the highest antioxidant spices that also exhibits brain-protecting effects? In India, where curry containing turmeric and other spices is eaten daily, rates of Alzheimer’s disease are among the lowest in the world, proving some of the brain-protecting effects of turmeric. Theres more on Turmeric in the infographic below.

In addition, the powerful fatty acids DHA and EPA omega-3 fats in fish oil has been proven in countless studies to protect your brain from damage.

Do you want to know more…

I’ll show you how to find dozens of delicious foods, spices, herbs, and unique nutrients that PROTECT your brain, joints, organs, and skin from aging. All you have to do is purchase my book: The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging

Learn 52 brilliant tricks to counteract the 3 most harmful processes contributing to faster aging in your body, glycation, oxidation, and inflammation.

How to use 5 tasty “fatty” foods to protect your skin from aging and give it a more youthful appearance. You’ll also be surprised to know that even some saturated fat sources can be very beneficial for you!

These nutrients and super foods can be found at most food stores, and can help PROTECT your brain from aging, HEAL your joints, reverse or prevent type 2 diabetes, normalize your blood pressure, SLOW the aging of your skin, FIGHT against developing cancer, FIX years of digestion problems, and even help to BOOST your metabolism.

More amazing facts about Turmeric

4 Ways Turmeric May Improve Your Health

Try Wheat free foods for better health

The gluten contained in wheat products can cause or contribute to digestive disorders and joint problems. If you suffer with either of these conditions, a wheat free diet may be just what you need to ease those uncomfortable symptoms. Do you need another reason to consider going wheat free?.

Eliminating this food out of your eating plan can also help you drop those unwanted pounds (I guess that got your attention).

Millet for Gluten Free Diet
Millet is commonly used as a wheat substitute in both gluten free and wheat free diets, as well as foods such as quinoa, brown rice, and sprouted grains.

A wheat free diet is often confused with a gluten free diet. Although wheat products contain gluten, these two types of diets are not the same thing. When you’re on a wheat free diet, you are simply eliminating all foods that contain wheat. When you follow a gluten free diet, you not only give up wheat, you also need to eliminate barley and rye as well.

Digestive problems and wheat consumption

The symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome vary from person to person, and they can come and go. Gluten intolerance has been shown to make IBS symptoms. Since gluten is discovered in wheat, eliminating it from your diet can help decrease the symptoms.

You don’t have to have irritable bowel syndrome, for wheat to cause digestive problems. When you consume wheat, it can clog up the intestines and make digestion difficult. A wheat-free diet can encourage a wholesome digestive tract by allowing nourishment to flow through easier.
Go Wheat-less and Drop a Few Pounds

Wheat is found in bread, pasta, baked goods, pasties, cereal, beer, ice cream, pizza’s, gravies and other processed foods. These types of foods have no nutritional value and they make it hard for you to lose weight. On top of all those empty calories you get when you load up on processed wheat products, you ingest all kinds of unhealthy chemical additives, think insecticides pesticides etc.

When you boot wheat out of your diet, there’s nothing left to eat but lean meats, fish, poultry, fruits, beans, nuts, legumes and vegetables. These foods are nutrient rich and are lower in calories than processed foods. When you choose healthier foods, you automatically reduce your calorie intake, so you have an easier time slimming down.

Eliminate the Wheat to Reduce Joint Pain

Gluten can hinder your body’s defenses against joint pain initiated by osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. If you have either of these ailments, a wheat-free diet may help decrease discomfort. Also, when you suffer from joint pains, being overweight will intensify the pain, there’s more pressure on the joints, they wear out faster. The reduction in weight from a wheat free diet will take some of the force off of your joints and help alleviate the agony and increase your mobility.

When you’ve been consuming wheat all of your life, the prospect of eliminating it from your diet can be daunting. If going wheat-free is difficult for you, try taking small steps. Start by cutting your intake by half. After you have done this for a while, continue to reduce the amount of wheat you consume. Before you realise it, you’ll be wheat-free and on the route to better health.
As a treat and delicious meal, try the following wheat free recipe:

MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Serves 6

1 litre of stock-either chicken or vegetable – ensure that any stock cubes are gluten free
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 finely chopped shallots
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
400g risotto rice
255g mushrooms, cleaned and slices.
Small handful of thyme, picked and chopped
1 tablespoon of olive oil
a handful of parsley freshly chopped
100ml dry white wine
25g unsalted butter
50g freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese

First prepare the mushrooms, by heating a tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan. Once hot, add the mushrooms and the thyme. Toss them for about a minute, until cooked, which should take approximately three minutes and then season with salt and pepper. Place to the side off the heat and prepare the risotto.

Heat the stock. In a separate pan heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add the shallot, a pinch of salt and sweat for about three minutes. Add the garlic, fry for another minute and then add the rice.

While you’re slowly stirring the rice so that they’re all warm, add the wine, stirring continuously. When the rice has absorbed the wine. Add the mushrooms and stir until the rice again absorbs the moisture from the mushrooms.

Add a cup of stock and stir continuously, until the liquid is absorbed. Continue doing this until you use nearly all the stock, and the rice is soft, but with a slight bite, rather than mushy.

Remove from the heat and season to taste, add the butter, cheese, most of the parsley, leaving a bit for garnish and stir gently.

Serve with the remaining parsley sprinkled on top.

Butter: Good Fat or Bad?

Is Butter good or bad for you. Most people are often shocked when they see how much butter I use, and consume in one day. But I know the real truth; Butter is a good fat and can actually help you lose weight.

Unfortunately, people are nowadays are thinking butter is unhealthy, this is a very common misconception. People still think that butter and saturated fats are the reason heart disease is one of the top killers in this country (and in the developed world). The truth is that it’s not the natural fats that are causing this epidemic, its the sugar, especially corn syrup (Fructose) used in processed and packaged foods, and the over-consumption of refined oils that are causing so much disease. (you can add Diabetes, High Cholesterol and High Blood Pressure to this list as well).

Butter, is rich in butyric acid, which is a short-chain saturated fatty acid [1] that is produced by our gut flora, and is used for energy by the cells in our colon. It has now been found to be a major contributor to a healthy metabolism, helps to control our blood lipids and our insulin sensitivity. One study found that mice fed with butyric acid supplement had a 300% increase in their insulin sensitivity.

Butyric acid is anti-inflammatory, is anti-cancer,  has anti-stress properties and is being studied to cure all kinds of problems including leaky gut, and a host of autoimmune diseases. In fact, it’s now believed that some of the metabolic problems that are plaguing us today are not only relieved by butyric acid, but could indeed be caused by a lack of that precious fatty acid in the first place.

1. Did you know that during the 60 year period upto the 1970’s, the proportion of traditional animal fat in the American diet declined from 83% to 62%?

2. During this same time butter consumption plummeted from 18 pounds per person each year to 4 pounds per person each year.

3. During the past 80 years, the consumption of dietary cholesterol intake has increased only one percent.

So why all the heart disease?

1. During the same period, the average intake of dietary vegetable oils (margarine, shortening, and refined oils) increased by about 400%.

2. During the same period, the consumption of sugar and processed foods increased by about 60%.

3. In the same period of time 70% of the western world became deficient in magnesium. (But we will talk about this in another article soon).

Those are the facts, but there’s never better proof than the results I see with my clients and my readers. When people finally stop eating margarine, refined oils, “fake” butters, sugar and processed foods, their health sky rockets! I mean, it gets better, greatly improves, and elevates to a new levels. Not to mention all the ugly body fat they lose off their body.

It’s important to mention that the butter I use is organic and grass fed. It has this beautiful deep yellow color and is not white like most conventional butters. It has gone through minimal processing and has no added growth hormones and antibiotics.

Now that I told you butter is OK to eat, here is a delicious chicken recipe you can try for yourself:

Chicken with butter dressing

Ingredients:

  • 2 large chicken breasts (approximately 1 lb of chicken)
  • 6 Tbsp of melted butter
  • lemon juice from 1/2 large lemon
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Directions:

Melt 1 tbsp of butter in a large pan. Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook the chicken breasts in butter covered on very low heat. Do not let the butter get brown. Pour the lemon juice in a separate bowl. Slowly stir in the remaining melted butter as you stir the mixture. Then slowly add the olive oil as you stir mixture. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Pour the “dressing mixture” over your cooked chicken breasts.

You can read more recipes such as the one above in Mike Geary’s ebook the Truth about Six Pack Abs which is packed full of nutrition advice, and healthy lifestyle.

Six Pack Abs

 

 

 

 

Ref [1] Short Chained fatty acid formation at fermentation of indigestible carbohydrates: Henningsson, Bjorck, Nyman. Scandinavian Journal oj’Nutrition/Nuringsj’orskning ~ol45:16.5-168,2001

Eating Coconut Oil can help you Lose Fat

Coconut Oil is a wonderful healthy food that has been shown to increase metabolism and assist in burning unwanted fat off your body. It is a wonderful superfood, that has been around for centuries and a great addition to any fat burning meal plan.

Unfortunately, some people have a really hard time believing that coconut oil is not “fattening” or “dangerous”. Including many in the health industry, but thankfully that’s all changing.

We have all been falsely led to believe that fat. Especially saturated fats, are the cause of our weight gain and health problems. This is only partially true. There are some fats like hydrogenated oils and vegetable oils can contribute to heart disease, and weight gain. But good fats, such as coconut oil, butter and olive oil, are actually great fats for our bodies. Just consider how much healthier people were in the late 1800’s and very early 1900’s. Heart disease was almost unheard of over a hundred years ago.

Let’s put some of these bizarre MYTHS about coconut oil to bed right now, once and for all.

Myth 1 – Coconut Oil contains a lot of fat so it must be fattening.

Truth – Not all fat makes you fat (I want to get this printed on a t-shirt). Certain fats do cause you to put on weight, but other good fats will actually burn unwanted fat off your body, and accelerate your metabolism.

Myth 2 – Coconut Oil contains almost all saturated fat so it must be bad for you.

Truth – Saturated Fat is not the cause of heart disease, weight gain and high cholesterol. It has been falsely accused, and it is SUGAR that is Enemy Number One.

(To read more details about how fats can be healthy and the history of dietary fats, read my  post Butter: Good Fat or Bad?)

Myth 3 – Coconut Oil should be avoided by those who are at risk for heart disease

Truth – The fat in coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils you can consume (yes, even for those with heart disease). It is rich in lauric acid, approx 50% of the fatty acid content. Which is well known for its anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties (lauric acid is also contained in cow’s milk). Also it contains no trans fat. The saturated fat in coconut oil is different, in that it is of the medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) variety. The body digests MCFA’s more easily and sends these fats directly to the liver where they are immediately converted into energy. Also the brain loves to use MCFA’s. Now isn’t that great? A fat that is used to make energy instead of storing it on our bodies.

Recently in this update Coconut oil is being used by some people to treat their elderly relative for Alzheimer’s disease, see this UK newspaper report.

I highly recommend everyone use unrefined, organic coconut oil for their cooking. About a single table spoon is more than enough for most cooking. You can even use it raw if you like as I think, it tastes amazing! I usually have about 2-3 total table spoons per day which is a perfect amount for a fat burning eating plan.

If you have a hard time finding coconut oil in your local supermarket, Available here for readers in the U.S.A: http://wildfamilynaturals.com

Now go right ahead and start enjoying your coconut oil and reap the fat burning effects right away.
Why not see what Mike Geary has to offer on such foods whilst dieting in his fat loss program.