Now you can add salt to the long list of “killer foods” that doctors have been absolutely wrong about.

A new study shows doctors have been mistaken

For years, doctors at the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC) have been demonizing sodium, scaring us with lectures about how our salt cravings were causing high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease, and premature death.

They scolded us to unhand the salt shaker and slash our total sodium consumption to 1,500 mg per day (which is about a half-teaspoon of salt).

This will lower our blood pressure, they promised — and save us from stroke and heart attack.

They were so sure that salt is a killer that they banded together in an international organization called World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) to force food manufacturers to reduce the sodium in their products.

Yuck! I do not know about you, but I can’t stand the taste of low-sodium foods. I once took a sip of low-sodium V8 vegetable juice and practically gagged.

No science to support this scare

Given the strength of the salt scare, you’d think there were tons of scientific studies demonstrating the dangers of sodium.

But the truth is: there is not a single double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to back up these warnings. Not one.

This was publicly acknowledged back in 2003 by Dr. Michael Alderman, a sodium expert at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a past president of the American Society of Hypertension when he went on record to say: “… there is no scientific evidence relating sodium restriction to cardiovascular benefit.[1]

In fact, a recent review of the existing research — including six randomized clinical trials on the effects of sodium — shows that the recommendations to reduce our salt intake do not reduce mortality or the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

This review was performed by the Cochrane Collaboration, a highly-respected nonprofit organization composed of international scientific experts.^[2]

The research shows that decreasing salt consumption by 50 percent only reduces blood pressure by a single point. [3]  Yet, it produced no reduction in overall fatalities or the risk of heart attack and/or stroke.

The Cochrane review stated that “Cutting down on the amount of salt has no clear benefits in terms of likelihood of dying or experiencing cardiovascular disease.”[4]

All of these facts are thoroughly documented in my soon-to-be-published new book, The 30-Day Blood Pressure Cure, co-written with Dr. Roy Heilbron, MD, co-creator of the world-famous South Beach Diet. (Look for it next month.)

Hooray!  The scientific community has finally come to its senses.

In a news release yesterday, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and the CDC admit there is no medically-sound reason for consumers to reduce their sodium consumption below 2,300 mg per day, based on a review of the available research.

“As you go below the 2,300 mark, there is an absence of data in terms of benefit and there begin to be suggestions … about potential harms,” said Dr. Brian L. Strom, chairman of the committee and a professor of public health at the University of Pennsylvania. He explained that the “possible harms” included increased rates of heart attacks and an increased risk of death.

Yes, Dr. Strom said that current recommendations about salt restrictions can kill you.

This has been known and documented for years.

Researchers in Belgium tracked nearly 4,000 people 60-years-old for eight years and found a higher death rate from heart conditions among those with the lowest sodium intake, compared to a much lower mortality among those with the highest intake of salt.

This means that patients with the lowest salt intakes were more than five times more likely to die of cardiovascular disease than those who consumed the most, according to the study which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

These findings were further confirmed by a study that analyzed seven years of diet and health data from nearly 9,000 people. The researchers found that those with a lower intake of salt did indeed have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

A 2008 Italian study found that patients who consumed a diet containing 1,840 mg of sodium per day experienced three times the number of hospital admissions (and twice as many deaths) compared to patients who consumed a diet containing 2,760 mg of daily sodium.

How less salt equals more deaths:

Dr. Alderman explains how this is possible: “Lowering salt to reduce blood pressure has other effects. It stimulates the renin angiotensin system and raises the pulse rate. Both of these things adversely affect the heart. And it decreases insulin sensitivity — that’s bad for you, too. [5] And in a few people, it actually raises blood pressure.” [6]

Of course, the American Heart Association (AHA), a physician’s group notoriously guided more by dogma than science, will have none of it.

“The American Heart Association is not changing its position,” Dr. Elliott Antman, a spokesman for the AHA association who said the group “rejects” these new findings.

In other words, don’t confuse them with facts.

This means you can expect your doctor to continue to browbeat you about reducing your salt consumption and lowering your blood pressure (probably with drugs) — in just the same way he will badger you about lowering your cholesterol.

Despite numerous studies to the contrary, doctors will continue to “believe” that dietary fat causes heart disease and salt consumption is responsible for hypertension and stroke.

Dogma, defined as a blind belief unsubstantiated by facts, will continue to drive these two health issues.

Meanwhile, doctors remain oblivious to the real cause of both of these conditions – even though it is hiding in plain sight.

Too much sodium – or too little potassium?

The irony here is that “the salt crisis” may have less to do with sodium and more to do with the mineral potassium.

Here is why: Sodium attracts water, so when there’s too much sodium and not enough potassium in your body, your cells become over-hydrated, or “bloated.” This raises the volume of the blood, and in turn, raises blood pressure.

Normally, adequate levels of dietary potassium would prevent – or even reverse this situation by pumping out the sodium, thus lowering your blood pressure. But the typical American diet is dangerously deficient in potassium, and therefore prone to hypertension.

Nutritionists have known for years that raising potassium levels will lower blood pressure.

Dutch researchers reported in the September 13, 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (AIM) that raising potassium levels in the body significantly decrease mortality from stroke and heart disease.

Confirming this finding, a 15-year study found that people with the lowest ratio of potassium-to-sodium in their diets had a significantly higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease compared with those with the highest ratio. These findings were published in the July 11, 2011 issue of AIM.[7]^,[8]

So, how to boost your potassium intake?

Eat fewer processed foods. Processing completely removes or significantly diminishes potassium from foods. So, when manufacturers add extra sodium, it is a double-whammy that spikes your blood pressure.

Eat more whole foods. Increasing your potassium intake is easily accomplished by consuming more fresh fruits and vegetables, plus dairy products and whole grains. All are excellent sources of potassium.

Avoid potassium-robbing drugs. Certain medications are “potassium-muggers” that flush the mineral from your body. Ironically, several blood pressure drugs produce this effect. Yes, the very drugs doctors are prescribing to help control hypertension can deplete the body of the potassium, thus making blood pressure more difficult to control.

The secret cause of heart disease and hypertension

But there is a much bigger and more widespread cause for all the hypertension we are seeing today.

While doctors have been blaming high blood pressure on obesity, stress, dietary fat, and excess salt, the real troublemaker has gone unnoticed – even though it is right under their noses.

Incredibly, researchers identified this risk factor as far back as 1860 – and it appeared in medical textbooks up until about 60 years ago.

How and why it doesn’t appear on modern medicine’s radar screen is one of the most disturbing mysteries of our time.

60% of Americans have uncontrolled blood pressure

Nevertheless, the evidence pointing to this single cause is so strong that it may be responsible for the 90 percent of hypertension that doctors maintain is idiopathic (“has no known cause”).

The facts show that something in our modern diet — and it isn’t fat or sodium — is responsible for today’s high rates of hypertension, heart attack, stroke, and heart disease.

That “something” is the refined carbohydrate.

My new book, The 30-Day Blood Pressure Cure, explains this connection.

In it, Dr. Heilbron and I describes how today’s carbohydrate-centric diet is raising our population’s blood pressure to dangerous levels — and is single-handedly responsible for our soaring rates of cardiovascular disease and sudden death.

You will also discover the startlingly simple dietary solution to high blood pressure — and you will meet real-life people who conquered their hypertension and got off all their medications simply by making a few modifications in their diet and lifestyle.

The solution to hypertension is easier than you realize

Dr. Heilbron and I are putting the finishing touches on The 30-Day Blood Pressure Cure right now.

As a member of MyHealingKitchen.com, you will be the first to be notified when it is ready for publication.

So keep watching this space. Till next time…

“Keep getting better!”
Jim Healthy

Sources:

I’ve known Mike since he was 10 and can honestly say he is one of the “good guys.”  He has a kind heart, keen intelligence, a solid work ethic and a strong passion for health and fitness.  Even though he grew up in a gritty section of Los Angeles, he has steadfastly distanced himself from the drug-and-gang scene, despite powerful peer pressure.

Here is Mike’s email to me:

Hi, Jim.

I just got a job at a commercial gym and I’m biting my tongue at how disappointed I am by their view of “health” — but I need the money so I’ll stay reserved, make my money and leave to get my own business up and running.

I know you’re busy … but have you ever felt that people just don’t give a crap about their health or the planet? Like people and wildlife are dying, but all you get are blank stares? It’s an uphill battle and the media in the fitness and health industry are just concerned with feeding the masses “the next big secret to six-pack abs.”

I’m scared that I don’t KNOW enough, don’t DO enough, and am NOT big enough to make a difference. Maybe I should just follow the rest of the herd, eat the poison crops, and die a slow death. I know it’s just the beginning of my career and I’m just over-reacting. But seriously: if mankind stays ignorant, not only are we bound to fail and die, but maybe we deserve it. Rant over. Thanks for reading Jim … and Godspeed. Mike

How would you respond to Mike?

Like many young people in their 20s, Mike is keenly aware of – and pained by — the damage being done to our environment and collective health.  This is the world that he and his generation will inherit.

Mike’s email touched me deeply because his concerns are very real, but routinely overlooked by our leaders and the media. He is being more open and honest than most kids his age when he admits to being “kind of scared.”

Like many of you, I have grandchildren and am concerned about the world we are leaving them.  While most people would agree it is our duty and obligation to leave things better than we found them, there is a greedy element in society that seems obsessed with grabbing all they can now and “the future be damned.”

How can we make things better?

I sometimes shudder to imagine the world our children and grandchildren will inherit.

This why those of us who care are doing all we can to improve what we can in the limited time we have left to be alive.

Now is the time to “give back” to this beautiful life that has treated us so well – and to “pay forward” an investment/contribution toward a future world that will be (at least) as good as our past.

How are you helping?

What is your contribution to the future? How are you helping to make things better?

Please share your actions and ideas in the Comments section below to inspire other readers to action.

I look forward to reading how you are getting involved.

Here is my response to Mike:

In case you are interested, here’s what I wrote back to my young friend…

Don’t give up, Michael.

We are not going to turn the current situation around overnight. Americans have developed some bad health and eating and environmental habits since the 1950s. Food corporations and the agribusiness industry make billions of dollars every year by marketing unhealthful foods to the public, even though we have plenty of studies to show that these processed food products are directly responsible for obesity, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease. After these foods and beverages make us sick, the medical and drug industries make billions more off of medical procedures and prescription drugs that merely manage our symptoms, but never get us truly well.

So much money is being made from treating these conditions that no one seems interested in preventing them — even though studies show that prevention is the best “medicine” we currently have. I find it shameful that doctors don’t speak out about this. They see the shortcomings of most medical treatments for chronic and degenerative diseases every single day in their sick patients. Yet, they remain ignorant about the power of diet and lifestyle to prevent these conditions. We have a sick, broken system.

There is an entire generation of people in this country who have never been taught how to take care of their bodies and their health properly. Instead, a barrage of advertising advises us what to eat and drink. Close to 90% of all health-related pain and suffering is a result of what we do to ourselves. The sad thing is that when these diseases really began to take their toll, there is very little that folks can do to turn things around.

It is an uphill battle, Michael. Sometimes I, too, feel ours is a lost cause. But what else are we going to do? All we can do is become shining examples of good health, honesty, integrity and selfless service so that others might be inspired. We aren’t going to change the world overnight. But I believe if we stay true to ourselves and to our commitment to help others, the changes we desire will happen. They already are happening.

Perhaps you are only able to touch one life out of 100 right now. Maybe you are only making a small difference in a few people’s health. The important thing is that you stay true to yourself, remain committed to your own health and remember that there is no freedom without physical and mental well-being. We are surrounded by selfish forces that are trying to monopolize all of life’s essentials and then will sell them back to us at a premium. This is true for food, energy, information access, travel, water and perhaps one day the air we breathe. But what they can’t ever take from us is our personal health. This must be surrendered –- and we can never allow ourselves to do this.

I know you have chosen the health and fitness profession because you truly want to help people. Never surrender this intention. Dedicate every meal decision you make, every exercise you undertake, and every thought and prayer you send out to the welfare of others and all life on our planet. Strengthen your body, mind and spirit because without strength and love, you will have little to give to others. Make this your mission in life and God will come to your aid. For the past 35 years my daily prayer has been: “Lord, make me an instrument of healing, peace, harmony and well-being.” What higher calling can we have? What greater reward is there?

Yes, it is scary to be alive today and to witness what human greed has beset upon our world. But this should only strengthen our resolve to live with integrity, do what is right and help wherever we can.

You do know enough, Michael. You do do enough. And you already are big enough to make a difference right now. You may not realize it, but your life is already having a positive effect. Don’t be attached to the fruits of your labors. Don’t be discouraged by the amount of impact you think you’re having. Just keep training. Just keep trusting and believing. Just keep trying, Michael. This is all we have. Trying is our true power. One day soon, we will join with enough people who are trying as hard as we are (and even harder) — and we will find ourselves in a different world, awakened from a terrible dream.

Keep going, my friend. Keep asking for help and guidance. Keep knowing that you already are making a difference. You are an inspiration to me –- and your commitment gives me hope for the future.

You are not alone in this.

Jim

According to new research recently published in The Annals Of Internal Medicine, consuming oily fish such as salmon adds years to your lifespan and lowers your risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by a whopping 35%.

Higher blood levels of omega-3 fats are the reason

This new study examined how fish consumption affected health and longevity over a 16 year period. It investigated 2,700 US seniors, none of whom had cardiovascular problems at the beginning of the research.

Instead of relying on questionnaires (as most dietary studies do), researchers at Harvard School of Public health and the University of Washington actually measured blood levels of omega-3 in the participants (none of whom will took fish oil supplements).

More omega-3 meant less heart disease and death

The researchers found that, on average, adults with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had a 35% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease and lived 2.2 years longer.

Participants with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fats were:

• 27% less likely to die of any cause
• 40% less likely to die of coronary heart disease, and
• 48% less likely to die of an arrhythmia (abnormal heartbeat).

Most amazing was that these will spectacular benefits resulted from consuming only one to two weekly servings of oily fish such as salmon, sardines, anchovies, trout and herring.

Do these benefits outweigh the dangers of contamination?

I love fish – this one of my very favorite foods. But lately I’ve cut way back on my consumption because almost all fish are contaminated by dangerous levels of mercury.

I have also abandoned tuna salad, once a lunchtime favorite of mine.

What you’re not hearing from the medical community or the mainstream media is that practically all fish are so contaminated that they shouldn’t be consumed (with the exception of smaller seafood such as sardines, anchovies and shrimp).

Aside from these, the only fish I still consume is salmon – but it must be wild Alaskan salmon, either sockeye, King or silver.

And the only source I trust these days is Vital Choice.

“Wild” salmon scams abound all over the US

This past Monday my wife served us a home-cooked dinner, featuring “wild-caught” Alaskan salmon she purchased at our local natural foods supermarket (the largest franchise of natural and organic foods in the country, though I won’t mention their name directly).

One look at the faded pink flesh and I could tell this was farmed salmon, regardless of what the label claimed.

After my first taste, I was sure of it. The filet meat was mushy, with an overly fatty texture and absolutely no flavor.

“This is farmed salmon,” I said. “I’m sure of it.”

A bit defensively, my wife fished the label out of the trash. Sure enough, it read “Wild-caught Alaskan salmon” – yet it was anything but.

The temptation to cheat today is great because the price difference between the farmed salmon and truly “wild” can be $5 to $7 per pound or more.

Recent investigations have revealed that as much as 80% of fish marketed as “wild” is actually farmed. And many of the high-end, upscale supermarkets and delis have been caught in the sting.

Even bigger offenders are restaurants, where 90-95% of salmon is farmed, even though it is listed on the menu as “wild.”

What’s so bad about farmed salmon?

Plenty. Here are three good reasons to avoid it…

It is nutritionally bankrupt. For one thing, farmed salmon is nutritionally inferior. Instead of being a rich source of omega-3 fats (which fight inflammation in your body), farmed salmon is loaded with omega-6 fats (which cause inflammation and other health problems).

This is because farmed salmon are fed pellets made from genetically-modified corn and soybean pellets, which are high in omega-6 fats. This is primarily what gives farmed salmon its mushy, fatty texture.

Wild salmon, on the other hand, feed on plankton, algae and krill, both of which are rich in the antioxidant astaxanthin, which gives its flesh such a deep orange and bright red color. (Fish farmers try to fool shoppers by adding artificial color to fish pellets to imitate the hallmark hue of wild salmon.)

It is a “dirty” fish. Farmed salmon are raised in overcrowded pens in the ocean. As on cattle feedlots, conditions are deplorable and disease is rampant. As a result, antibiotics are usually added to the fishes’ diet — in addition to pesticides and chemicals such as flame-retardant and persistent organic pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB’s) and dioxin. This is to control fish lice, which attach themselves to the salmon’s underbelly.

This is what the unassuming consumer is getting when she picks up a piece of salmon because it is “the healthful choice.”

It is ruining the environment. All those chemicals which are so necessary to control disease and salmon pens are ruining the health of the oceans and local watersheds. In addition, farmed fish pens are a breeding ground for infectious salmon viruses which are attacking and killing wild salmon and other indigenous fish varieties. (Farmed salmon imported from Canada are the worst offenders.)

Coming soon: the Frankensalmon

Last December, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) all but approved the first genetically-engineered (GE) animal for human consumption – a salmon designed to grow unnaturally large and abnormally fast.

No tests have been run to determine the long-term health effects of consuming this fish. Nevertheless, it is scheduled to reach your supermarket by next year, unless strong consumer opposition is raised.

This Frankensalmon could turn out to be an environmental disaster, as well. In preliminary tests, when the GE fish was placed in a tank with wild salmon, it devoured them. This means that if some of these supersized GE fish escape their pens and bred in the wild, it could be the end of wild fish species, including salmon.

Given that the current law states that genetically modified foods do not have to be labeled, it is doubtful that most consumers will be able to spot these nutritionally-deficient beasts among the others on display in the fish department.

How to spot farm-raised salmon:

It’s relatively easy to tell wild salmon from farm-raised. Wild sockeye salmon has flesh that is bright red, due to its natural astaxanthin content. The fish is also very lean because of all the swimming it does. Any fat streaks, the white stripes in the flesh, are very thin.

Farm-raised salmon displays pale pink flesh with wide fat marks. All that omega-6 fat is what makes the fish taste mushy and greasy.

Don’t believe labels that say “wild.” And avoid fish labeled “Atlantic salmon.” Truly wild Atlantic salmon is long gone – so anything labeled “Atlantic Salmon” is a farmed fish.

Buy only “Alaskan salmon” and “sockeye salmon”

Alaskan sockeye is not allowed to be farmed, so it’s always wild. Even canned salmon labeled “Alaskan Salmon” can be a good buy (depending upon your supplier).

But what about mercury contamination? Well, that’s another reason I like sockeye. Because it has such a short life cycle (about three years), the risk of it accumulating mercury and other toxins is small. Another thing: the sockeye is a vegetarian, so it doesn’t feed on other fish that may already be contaminated.

Still, it’s getting so dicey and tricky to find the real McCoy that I only purchase my salmon and other fish from one place: Vital Choice Wild Seafood and Organics.

This unparalleled freshness of Vital Choice seafood is a big reason why they are my main go-to source. Just as soon as their sockeyes are hauled on deck they are filleted, vacuum-sealed in air-tight packaging (to protect the delicate flesh from the air and oxidation) and then flash-frozen at 20-below. As soon as I place my order, these giant filets are delivered overnight to my home in the Santa Fe high country.

 “Doing fish right”

Vital Choice contracts with local Alaskan fishermen who must meet the company’s demanding specifications for quality and sustainability practices. (Only 1% of all salmon caught in Alaska meet these standards.)

The fishermen are happy to comply because Vital Choice pays a premium that’s well above the market price. Having such a contract is a sweet deal that means a fisherman doesn’t have to haggle in the marketplace and can always count on a good income.

In return, Vital Choice is assured the highest quality salmon — and can be sure that fish stocks are managed sustainably. For instance, they specify that their fish are only taken from pollution-free waters. It’s a great policy, one that’s unique in the fishing industry.

And I’m happy to support this practice by being a regular customer.

In our bite-to-bite taste tests here at My Healing Kitchen against the premium wild salmon available in Santa Fe, Vital Choice has blown-away the fish from our local markets — including the most expensive ones found at Whole Foods, Albertson’s and Smith’s. The only fish that’s better is the fresh-caught salmon you buy off the boat in the Pacific Northwest and grill that night.

But what about price?

For all these reasons, I’m happy to send my salmon dollars to support Vital Choice’s commitment to excellence.

You might expect their salmon to be prohibitively expensive, but get ready for a pleasant surprise…

There isn’t that much difference between the price of Vital Choice’s premium sockeye salmon and what you’d pay at the big natural food supermarket chains.

But with Vital Choice, you can be sure you’re getting “the real deal.” And that’s worth a lot.

For my money, the Vital Choice folks are absolutely the most reliable year-round source of five-star wild Alaskan salmon that I’ve ever come across.

I can honestly say I’ve never had a Vital Choice shipment that has disappointed me. If it did, Randy Hartnell, the founder and CEO, would promptly send me a free replacement. Not because I know him — but because he built his reputation on doing business like this with everyone. That’s the way he is.

Special Introductory Offer from Randy:

If you love great-tasting salmon, but haven’t tried Vital Choice yet…

…here’s a great opportunity and invitation from Randy to try a Wild Alaskan Salmon Sampler Pack so you can sample three different varieties of Alaskan salmon (sockeye, King and silver – two 6 oz. filets each) to see which you like best.

Or, if you’re on a budget right now, you can order Canned Wild Sockeye Salmon that contains the same health-boosting, life-extending omega-3 content.

I love both!

The salmon filets are perfect from the grill or broiler – as a full meal or atop a crunchy garden salad.

And the canned salmon lends itself to a variety of yummy recipes that boost your omega-3 intake in some surprising ways. Here are two of my very favorite meals (developed here at our MyHealingKitchen Test Kitchen) that utilize Vital Choice Wild Sockeye Salmon as the star ingredient:

Salmon Meatloaf with Balsamic Tomato Sauce

Salmon Meatballs with Spicy Asian Barbeque Sauce

Whether you’re dining for good health or great flavor, you won’t find a more perfect food than wild Alaskan salmon.

Especially when the quality is as excellent as Vital Choice!

Tragically, the vast majority of these superstars don’t seem to give a fig about the quality of the products they throw their influence behind.

How celebrity endorsements influence kids’ eating habits

A study by the University of Liverpool has found that celebrity endorsement of a food or beverage results in children consuming more of the endorsed product.

In the study, eight to eleven-year-olds watched a 20-minute cartoon embedded with one commercial video clip. The clip showed one of four subjects: a toy commercial, a famous soccer player pitching a specific brand of potato chips, general footage of the same athlete, or an unrelated snack ad.

The researchers then offered the children two bowls of chips to eat, one branded and one generically labeled – although both bowls actually contained the brand-name chips endorsed by the soccer star.

The researchers measured the chips eaten from each bowl by every child. They found that after watching the celebrity footage or chip commercial, the children ate far more of the branded chips than did the children who watched the other snack commercial or the toy ad.

Role models are letting kids down

Celebrities and superstar athletes wield tremendous influence over children and should carefully consider the effect of their behavior and endorsements.

But this isn’t happening.  Instead, the health of the boys and girls who look up to these public figures is being sold out to the highest bidder.

How many of these superstars investigate the health consequences of the products they are considering attaching their names to?  Very, very few.

But the scientific evidence is obvious

You’d have to be living in a cave not to realize the harm that sodas, sugary beverages, refined carbohydrate snacks and fast food are doing to our children’s health.

>> A new study has positively linked the amount of sugar in our modern food supply with the spiking rates of Type 2 diabetes. This, however, is old news – we’ve known this for decades, despite food industry denials.

>> A 2012 Harvard study found that people who drank one sugar-sweetened beverage daily had a 20 percent higher risk of coronary heart disease than those who drank none. This finding mirrored a similar study of women conducted in 2009.

>> Your risk for obesity goes up a whopping 60 percent if you drink soda. That’s because your body converts the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) used to sweetened sodas into fat.

>> According to a 2010 analysis from the University of California-San Francisco, Americans could have avoided 6,000 deaths due to diabetes and heart disease over the last decade if we drank fewer sugary beverages.

And I can go on and on because the scientific evidence against these junky beverages, snacks and fast foods is overwhelming. (As for the dangers of soft drinks, see my past article on Why You Shouldn’t Give Sodas to Children.)

Where are the celebrities who will protect our children? 

Earlier this year, pop music superstar Beyoncé Knowles’ signed a $50 million agreement with Pepsi to endorse the soft drink brand. Shortly afterward, she was the headline act at the Super Bowl halftime show (sponsored by Pepsi) which was viewed by hundreds of millions of people.

So we can expect to see a lot more of Beyoncé and Pepsi together in the future. And, as the Liverpool study demonstrates, we can also expect to see a lot more children drinking Pepsi. (I wonder if this will include her new baby, Blue Ivy?)

I’m not picking on Beyoncé. There are plenty of other celebrities and sports heroes who are endorsing brands such as Gatorade, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Vitamin Water, and Snickers candy bars – to name just a few.

These sugary snacks and beverages are making our kids fat and sick. Children as young as 10 years old now have full-blown Type 2 diabetes (once an adults-only condition), plus heart disease and high blood pressure.

Due to the recent spike in adolescent Type 2 diabetes, children born after the year 2000 will be the first generation in human history to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

What can we do about this
serious threat to our children’s health?

Celebrities like Beyoncé and superstar athletes such as Lebron, Kobe and Peyton (to name a highly-visible few) obviously don’t need the money. I wish they all would think twice about the products they attach their names to.

I’m hoping the day will come (soon!) when these superstars form a coalition and sign an oath to only endorse healthful products – and to swear off anything that threatens the health of our children or our environment.  Hey, I can dream, can’t I?

Until that day comes, it’s up to you and me to protect the kids in our lives.

For starters, we can help them see through the glitz and glamour of celebrity endorsements. Here are some tips….

Talk to kids about advertising. Help them realize the difference between persuasion and information – and how the “game” of advertising works. Explain that these superstars are getting paid for “liking” these products – and to make these brands look “cool.” Clarify that these products won’t help them become more attractive, sing better or score more points. Once they know what to look for, kids are adept at spotting attempts to influence them. No kid wants to be a “tool.”

Write letters to the stars. Believe it or not, most celebrities are hyper-conscious about their image. They simply may be ignorant to the health consequences of the products they are endorsing. Help to open their eyes by letting them know how you feel – and by including medical studies with your opinions and protests.

Provide healthful foods. When good foods are available, kids usually eat them — especially when there’s no junk around. Give them brief tips whenever possible about why certain foods are healthful. Kids are eager for both knowledge and control. They enjoy knowing that they are building their muscles, bones and brains with every bite of healthful food they eat.

Play “food association.” Before you take the kids grocery shopping, teach them to notice the products in shopping carts and the people purchasing them. Let them form their own conclusions.

Set a good example. Like it or not, kids are always watching you. Realize that you are a more powerful influence on the kids in your life than any superstar. When you make good choices, kids notice and follow.

What else can you suggest?

What are you doing to protect your kids and grandkids from junky foods and beverages?

What advice can you give the parents and grandparents who safeguard the health of the kids in their lives?

Please share your tips and opinions in the Comments section below, so we can benefit from your wisdom and experience.

Till next time…

“Keep getting better!”™

Jim Healthy

The five-year study called PREDIMED included 7,447 people at high risk for heart attack or stroke, with major cardiovascular risk factors such as being overweight, cigarette smoking, and having hypertension, diabetes and/or metabolic syndrome.

Here’s what they ate…

Participants were divided into a group that ate the standard, doctor-recommended low-fat diet compared to those who ate a typical Mediterranean diet defined as including…

• Fruits – 3 servings daily
• Vegetables – 2 servings daily
• Fish – 3 or more servings weekly; preferably fatty fish
• Beans – 3 or more servings weekly
• Sofrito – 2 or more servings weekly*
• Poultry (in place of habitual red meat)
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) – 4 tbsp daily; or nuts – 3 servings weekly (walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts)
• Glass of wine at dinner (optional)

*(Sofrito is a traditional Mediterranean sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, EVOO, and herbs.)

The Mediterranean diet groups were asked to limit dairy foods, red meats, processed meats and avoid soda and commercial baked goods (cookies, cakes, and pastries).

And the winner is…

After five years, the participants who followed either of the Mediterranean diets (more EVOO vs. more nuts) showed a substantial 30% reduction in heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths, compared to the low-fat group. In other words, the Mediterranean diet saved 30% more lives among the high-risk patients.

Of course, you might also conclude that the low-fat diet killed 30% of the people who consumed it for five years. (Naturally, the mainstream media isn’t spinning the story this way – for obvious reasons.)

The truth is: A low-fat diet is lethal

The US public has been told repeatedly for nearly 50 years that a low-fat diet is good for us, even though there is no credible research to support it. In fact, numerous studies demonstrate no health benefit from a low-fat diet.

As I point out in my soon-to-be published new book, The 30-Day Blood Pressure Cure (co-authored with Dr. Roy Heilbron, MD, co-creator of the famous South Beach Diet), several studies have been conducted in the last 10 years which compare the low-fat diet still recommended to this day by the AHA and the British Heart Foundation to those high in fat — and especially saturated fat.

These trials are considered the best ever done on the effect of eating high-fat diets on risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. In each of these trials, participants were instructed to eat as much fat and protein foods as they wanted — including meat, fish, and poultry — but to restrict carbohydrates to no more than 50 grams. Their results were compared to subjects who ate fewer overall calories and avoided fat and saturated fat.

These results were remarkably consistent across all studies…

1. Their HDL “good” cholesterol went up.

2. Their triglycerides went way down.

3. Their blood pressure went down.

4. Their total cholesterol remained about the same.

5. Their LDL “bad” cholesterol went up slightly.

6. They lost about the same amount of weight as the low-fat group.

7. Their risk of having a heart attack decreased significantly.

Fat is not the problem

The take-home message from these studies — contrary to what doctors still claim — is that dietary fat intake is not directly related to blood fats.

Rather, the amount of carbohydrates in a person’s diet appears to be the real villain in most cases of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, kidney disease and a host of other health problems. (I explain exactly how in my new book.)

This indictment of carbs is slowly creeping into the mainstream mindset – although not fast enough.

Once a loud proponent of low-fat diets, Dr. Walter C. Willett, MD, PhD, MPH and chairman of the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, is one prominent official who has changed his tune: “If Americans could eliminate sugary beverages, potatoes, white bread, pasta, white rice, and sugary snacks,” Dr. Willett advises, “we would wipe out almost all the problems we have with weight and diabetes and other metabolic diseases.

That’s the kind of advice you should be hearing from your doctor.

The science against carbs is overwhelming

Another example…

In a 12-week study published in 2008, Dr. Stephen Phinney, MD, an emeritus professor at UC Davis who has studied carbohydrates for 30 years put 40 overweight or obese men and women with metabolic syndrome on either a low-fat, high-carb diet – or a low-carb, high-fat diet. The low-fat group consumed 12 grams of saturated fat a day out of a total of 40 grams of fat, while the low-carb group ate 36 grams of saturated fat a day — three times more — out of a total of 100 grams of fat.

Despite the extra saturated fat that the low-carb group consumed, at the end of the 12 weeks, their risk factors for heart disease dropped by 50%.

Why aren’t you hearing this from doctors or the media?

Most of us believe that modern medical advice is science-driven and treatment protocols are grounded in solid research. We assume that if a doctor proclaims or prescribes something, then he must be acting on facts. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

Too many times — as we’ve already seen with “official” advice regarding cholesterol, carbohydrates, sodium, “heart-healthy” margarine, and dietary fat in general — the advice we’re receiving from doctors and the government is based on outdated science, medical politics, drug industry influence, oversimplifications (for the sake of public understanding), and/or blind belief.

This isn’t how medical science is supposed to work

In an ideal world, pure science follows the evidence and accepts the obvious conclusions, regardless of whom it offends or which beliefs it upends. But these days, medical and nutritional researchers don’t operate in accord with the dictums of pure science.

The tragic consequences of today’s non-scientific approach are that scientific discovery is slowed considerably. Flawed health advice becomes public health policy.  And millions of people are prescribed dubious pharmaceutical “solutions” that don’t improve their conditions and may make actually make them worse. Here’s an example…

Busting the French Paradox

It is well-documented that rates of diseases which are high in the US are low in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, and other Mediterranean countries. This is true even though these Europeans eat more fatty foods than Americans.

Scientists call this phenomenon the French Paradox and have been puzzled by it since the 1950s. But there really isn’t any puzzle.

This “paradox” is based on the assumption that fats are bad – not the science. Without this prejudice against fats, the science would lead you to conclude that fat consumption is associated with less disease – and that fat restriction is linked to more of it. N’est ce pas?

So which diet is best for your health? 

The truth is, we don’t know.

Until scientists conduct long-term, head-to-head studies of specific diets, we won’t be able to crown the king of the diets.

But there certainly is sufficient science to identify the worst diets for your health.

These are the ones which our high in added sugars, refined grains, baked goods, greasy processed meats, trans-fats, fried foods, fast foods and refined vegetable oils.

Refrain from consuming these and any diet you choose will improve your health. 

Why I like the Mediterranean Diet

When you kick these disease-causing foods and beverages out of your life, the choice of a diet is simple. Just pick one that tastes best — because food should be about flavor and pleasure.

That’s why I like the Mediterranean diet. It contains lots of delicious vegetables, seafood and poultry, legumes and nuts, meats and healthy fats — especially avocados and extra-virgin olive oil. It also includes drinking red wine in moderation. This dovetails nicely with an emphasis on enjoying leisurely-paced meals with family and friends.

Actually, there really is no “one” Mediterranean diet. You are free to mix these indigenous foods and seasonings as do the Spanish, French, Italians, Greeks and even the Moroccans.

These are very rich food cultures indeed. So you’ll never be bored by lack of variety or culinary challenge. Just buy a cookbook and get started.

The ideal diabetes diet

If you do have a medical condition, the Mediterranean diet presents you with a wonderful menu of “meals that heal.”

According to a report published last month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists in the UK reviewed the results of 20 studies comparing the effects of seven popular diets on adults with Type 2 diabetes. They found that Mediterranean diets, low-carb diets, high-protein diets, and low glycemic index diets all lowered participants’ blood sugar.

The people on Mediterranean diets also lost an average of four pounds. No other diet had a significant impact on weight.

This study, taken together with earlier research, suggests that a Mediterranean diet is good for both healing and preventing diabetes. In a 2008 study conducted in Spain, researchers found a strong association between Mediterranean eating and low risk for diabetes.

Good for your heart and health, too

In addition to the recent results of the PREDIMED Study, other research shows that the Mediterranean diet reigns supreme in the prevention of cardiovascular events. In 1998, the Lyon Diet Heart Study found that heart attack patients eating a Mediterranean diet experienced 70% fewer second heart attacks than did patients who ate a low-fat diet.

This style of eating isn’t just protective against diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It’s also an excellent tool for fighting other chronic conditions.

In 2008, scientists at the University of Florence, Italy conducted a systematic review of 12 studies involving more than 1.5 million participants. The researchers analyzed the links among Mediterranean diet, mortality, and incidence of chronic diseases.

They found that the Mediterranean diet was associated with substantially improved health. Mediterranean eating was linked to 9% reduction in overall mortality, 9% lower mortality from cardiovascular diseases, 6% lower incidence of or mortality from cancer, and 13% reduction in incidence of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

Going Mediterranean

There’s near-universal agreement on the health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. In fact, the diet has no credible detractors — a minor miracle in the world of nutrition.

So why not start eating Mediterranean-style today? You’ll find dozens of delicious recipes loaded with veggies, fish and fowl, legumes, nuts and olive oil right here at My Healing Kitchen. Bon appétit!

Till next time…

 “Keep getting better!”
 Jim Healthy

Now, new research shows that the timing of our meals and snacks may be just as important.

Indeed, when we eat can mean the difference between becoming overweight, developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease — or remaining trim and healthy.

Get to know your body’s biological clock

Scientists have known for some time that the human body operates on an orderly schedule that is in tune with the tempo of nature, called our circadian rhythm.

Circadian rhythms are physical, mental, metabolic and behavioral changes that occur in the human body roughly on a daily cycle. These changes are driven by a network of biological clocks, or interacting molecules in cells throughout your body.

Sunshine and light are the main stimuli influencing these circadian rhythms. Light and darkness activate or inactivate genes which, in turn, affect hormone release, body temperature, fluid balance, cardiac output, metabolism, and other important bodily functions.

The human body evolved with these natural rhythms over more than 200,000 years – so they are deeply ingrained in us. Because of our circadian rhythms, our bodies are best adapted for certain tasks at certain times of the day or night. Take a look at this chart to see how your biological clock affects the optimal functioning of your body…

 Some features of the human circadian (24-hour) biological clock

When your biological clock is upset

With this knowledge under your belt, you can easily see how circadian rhythms are linked to your health – and how any interruption of these rhythms can lead to problems. Sleep disorders, mood disorders, obesity, heart attacks, and diabetes are just a few of the conditions associated with circadian abnormalities.

During the past few years, scientists have been learning a lot about the links between circadian rhythms and the related conditions of diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Here’s a sampling of their discoveries….

>> In 2009, researchers at Northwestern University (NU) found that eating at irregular times — such as in the middle of the night, when the body wants to sleep — increases weight gain.

>> In 2010, a different team of NU researchers demonstrated that the pancreas has its own 24-hour molecular clock. This circadian clock regulates insulin production. If the clock is faulty in some way, this can result is diabetes.

>> Around the same time, biologists at University of California San Diego found that a protein which regulates mammals’ biological clocks also regulates glucose production in the liver.

>> A new study from Vanderbilt University shows that circadian rhythms control insulin activity. During the body’s natural resting time, tissues are relatively resistant to insulin. During the body’s natural active time, tissues are more sensitive to insulin. The researchers concluded that “living against the clock” increases the risks of obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and other diseases.

Cathy Wyse, a biologist at the University of Aberdeen, agrees: “Electric light allowed humans to override an ancient synchronization … and over the last century, daily rhythms in meal, sleep and working times have gradually disappeared from our lives. The human clock struggles to remain tuned to our highly irregular lifestyles, and I believe that this causes metabolic and other health problems.”

Your biological rhythms and weight gain

These biological rhythms play a major role in making our bodies more efficient at digesting larger, higher carbohydrate meals earlier in the day. Healthy bodies are able to process glucose better in the morning or early afternoon, thus using it for our energy needs. Eating later in the day tends to store the glucose as fat.

This was demonstrated by a recent study conducted by scientists in Spain which found that people who eat their largest meal earlier in the day lose more weight than those who eat a large meal hours later. Lunch was the meal the researchers used in the study because it is the largest meal of the day in Spain, accounting for 40 percent of their total daily calories.

Subjects were divided into two meal time groups. One group ate an early lunch every day (before 3 p.m.), while the other group consumed their lunches later after 3 p.m.

The results were surprising. Participants who ate lunch earlier in the day had a 25 percent greater weight loss on average than their counterparts who had late-day lunches. At the end of the 20-week study, the early lunch eaters had lost an average of 22 pounds, compared to 17 pounds for the later diners.

This study demonstrates that you can alter the circadian rhythm of your fat cells simply by eating at the “wrong” time – the time when your insulin sensitivity is low – resulting in extra weight gain.

The Spanish study confirms University of Pennsylvania research performed on mice that became obese when their feeding schedules were altered — even though their food volume remained the same as the control group.

Live your life with a healthy rhythm

Here are a few tips to help you maintain healthy circadian rhythms….

Get plenty of sunlight during daylight hours. Wake with the sun, throw open the windows, and get outside whenever you can. This will give your biological clock an unmistakable daytime/active time signal.

Work during the day. If possible, arrange your work so that you do most — if not all — of it during the day.

Eat your meals on a predictable schedule. Your body’s expecting it, and it functions better when you meet its needs.

Eat your largest meal at midday. Your body will metabolize this meal better during the day than at the beginning of the night, your inactive period.

“Fast” everyday.  Don’t consume anything between dinner and breakfast.

Strive for uninterrupted nighttime sleep. You can promote successful sleep by skipping daytime naps … avoiding caffeine, alcohol, meals, snacks and exercise for three hours before bed … calming your mind and body in the evening … making your bedroom a dark, quiet, distraction-free sanctuary for sleep … and going to bed at the same time each night.

Till next time…

“Keep getting better!”™
Jim Healthy

It is shocking to realize that Americans consumed 130 pounds of sugar and sweeteners last year – and 53 gallons of sodas and soft drinks. This is the equivalent of 22 teaspoons of the stuff every day (and 32 tsps for the average child). This startling infographic drives home the point.

This is truly bad news for American health. We have known for some time that sugar is the dietary culprit behind the twin epidemics of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.  Now, two newly-released studies directly link our sugar habit to heart disease and cancer, as well.

Sugar and insulin: the basics

Here’s some background info. Your digestive system breaks down the carbohydrate component of your meal or snack into a simple sugar (glucose) so your small intestine can release it into your bloodstream. Insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, helps the cells in your body take up the glucose for use as energy.

When you consume carbohydrates — especially simple carbs, such as sugar, bread and refined grains — your blood glucose spikes almost immediately. Elevated blood glucose, in turn, tells your pancreas to release insulin. The more simple carbs you consume, the higher your overall blood glucose and insulin levels rise.

When insulin levels are chronically-elevated, your cells don’t respond properly to the hormone (called insulin resistance), which is the precursor to Type 2 diabetes. This occurs when physical activity levels are low and a carbohydrate-rich diet lead to chronically high blood sugar. All that sugar and all those carbs in the typical American diet  trigger a vicious cycle of insulin release, insulin resistance, chronically high blood sugar, and weight gain.

How sugar and carbs make us fat

When your blood contains more glucose than your cells can use, your liver turns the excess glucose into fat (triglycerides). This fat then gets deposited around your belly and hips. Your body calls upon this fat reserve for energy during extended periods of exercise or when food is scarce. But for most people these days, the fat stays right where it has been stored. This is the main reason why nearly 70 percent of our population (including our children) are overweight – and more than one-third of us are clinically obese.

Sugar raises your risk of heart disease

Once you know how sugar spikes your insulin and becomes body fat, it’s easy to understand how excess sugar consumption leads to obesity and diabetes. It might not be quite as obvious, though, how sugar leads to heart disease.

Until a couple of years ago, scientists hadn’t really explored that connection. But when they did, the connection became clear.

Researchers divided more than 6,000 adults into five groups according to intake of added sugars: less than 5 percent of total calories, 5–10 percent, 10–17.5 percent, 17.5–25 percent, and more than 25 percent of total calories. Then they measured the participants’ blood lipids, including HDL (“good”) cholesterol, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, and triglycerides.

The researchers found that the higher intake of added sugars was associated with lower HDL, higher triglycerides, and a higher ratio of triglycerides to HDL. All three of these measures are important risk factors for heart disease. “Our data support dietary guidelines that target a reduction in consumption of added sugar,” the scientists concluded.

Sugar also boosts your risk of cancer

A new study by researchers in Spain shows that sugar can lead to cancer, too.

Scientists have long known that people with diabetes have up to twice the risk of developing certain cancers, such as pancreatic or colon cancer, compared to non-diabetic individuals. Now, Spanish researchers have uncovered a mechanism that may explain this increased risk.

Sugars in the intestine trigger cells to release a hormone called GIP, which enhances insulin release by the pancreas. The ability of the intestinal cells to secrete GIP is controlled by a protein called beta-catenin.

Increased beta-catenin activity is a well-known factor in cancer development. This is because beta-catenin can make normal cells “immortal.” The Spanish study shows that high sugar levels cause cells to accumulate beta-catenin. This, in turn, can lead to rampant cell proliferation and cancer.

Lead researcher, Custodia Garcia-Jimenez, commented, “Changing one’s diet is one of [the] easiest prevention strategies that can potentially save a lot of suffering and money.”

How to kick your sugar habit

If you were looking for a reason to cut back on sugar and other refined carbohydrates, now you’ve got two great ones. Need practical help with this task? Check out my article “How to Conquer Sugar Addiction.”

Yes, sugar is addictive. It creates intense cravings in the same region of the brain as does cocaine, heroin and alcohol.  So kicking the sugar habit isn’t easy – but it’s a challenge you must meet if you value your health.

What’s your experience?

Did you once have a sugar habit that you were able to conquer?  How did you succeed?

Please share your tips and secrets in the Comments section below to help others who may be struggling to break free of an uncontrollable “sweet tooth.”

Till next time…

“Keep getting better!”™
Jim Healthy

The birth of a myth

“Saturated fat is bad for you, and you should avoid it.” This dietary advice has been around since 1953.

Back then, physiologist Ancel Keys compared fat intake with heart disease mortality in seven countries. He found that populations which consumed the most dietary fat also experienced the most deaths from heart disease. Americans led his list – and the Japanese, who ate the least amount of fatty foods, had the fewest deaths from heart disease. Keys made much of this correlation and began to promote the idea that eating fat causes heart disease. In a short time, the US medical community embraced Keys and his theory as “genius.”

Some scientists, however, recognized that his claim was an unwarranted leap in logic. Years later, it was pointed out that Keys “cherry-picked” the countries he selected, based upon rates of heart disease.  Critics determined that if Keys had expanded his analysis to 23 countries, there would have been no correlation at all. Others noted that if Keys had looked for a relationship between sugar consumption and cardiovascular disease, it would have leaped off the page.

By1969, the medical community had swallowed the fat-heart disease link hook, line and sinker. That year, a UCLA study found that men who replaced saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats (vegetable oils) were less likely to die of heart disease and stroke over a five-year period than those who didn’t change their diets. In 1970, Keys followed up with another study specifically blaming animal-based saturated fats for raising cholesterol and causing heart disease.

Both of these studies had serious flaws. But the authors glossed over them, and the saturated fat–heart disease hypothesis became entrenched. Ever since then, doctors have been telling their patients to avoid butter, red meat, eggs, and other animal foods — pushing consumers toward polyunsaturated vegetable oils instead.

But this advice has made us fatter and sicker

There’s just one problem: Keys’ hypothesis doesn’t hold up to scientific scrutiny. Decades of research have failed to produce convincing evidence — much less definitive proof — for the idea that saturated fat causes heart disease.

In the early 1970s, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute spent $115 million on a huge, ten-year trial to test the idea. This study, known as the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT), failed to demonstrate that eating less saturated fat had prevented a single heart attack.

In 2000, a respected international group of scientists called the Cochrane Collaboration conducted a meta-analysis of the available scientific literature on cholesterol-lowering diets. After applying rigorous selection criteria, the group examined 27 studies involving more than 18,000 participants. It concluded that diets low in saturated fat have no significant effect on mortality or on deaths due to heart attacks.

Laying the saturated fat myth to rest

Just last week, the British Medical Journal published a report that may finally lay the saturated fat–heart disease myth to rest. A team of American and Australian researchers recovered and analyzed “lost” data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study (1966–1973), using modern statistical methods to compare death rates from all causes, cardiovascular, and coronary heart disease.

In this study, one group of participants replaced dietary saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats (safflower oil). The other group did not alter their diets.

The vegetable oil actually caused more illness and death

The researchers found that replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat actually increased all-cause mortality, cardiovascular death, and death from coronary heart disease. They concluded that following the conventional advice regarding dietary fats provides no benefit — and may, in fact, result in harm.

“These findings could have important implications for worldwide dietary advice,” the researchers concluded. It remains to be seen whether doctors and public health organizations are listening — and will change their tune anytime soon.

Meanwhile, I wonder how many heart attacks and strokes this mis-advice caused – and is still causing. Ditto for the old Food Pyramid which recommended we eat 6-11 daily servings of carbohydrate foods, such as bread, baked goods, cereals and grains.

Today, many of us realize that a carb-heavy diet – like the one still recommended for diabetics by the American Diabetes Association – spikes blood sugar and insulin, increases our weight, inflames our arteries and is directly linked to heart attacks, stroke and cardiovascular diseases.

Saturated fat is not the enemy

Saturated fat is essential for good health. While it does raise LDL “bad” cholesterol, it simultaneously elevates HDL “good” cholesterol even more. Increasing your HDL/LDL ratio has been shown to protect against heart disease.

It’s worth noting that we humans have been eating animal products for our entire history as Homo sapiens (about 500,000 years). Yet heart disease was rare until the early-to-mid-1900s. In the 1950s, the rate of heart disease began to spike, and by the mid-1970s, it was America’s leading killer. This surge coincided with the rise of polyunsaturated vegetable oils and doctor-endorsed “heart-healthy” margarine, refined carbohydrates, and sugar consumption in our diet.

Here’s my advice: Avoid vegetable oils and margarines and seek out wholesome plant and animal fat sources instead. Omega-3 fats found in fish and nuts will nourish your brain and your heart, and extra-virgin olive oil can boost your metabolism.

If you consume animal products, make sure they are free-range, grass-fed, and without hormones or antibiotics. Grain-fed and feedlot animals contain excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, which are highly inflammatory in your body (as are polyunsaturated vegetable oils).

Finally, you should take all dietary advice issued by doctors with a grain of salt (even their recommendations to lower your sodium intake).  Doctors receive no more than two to four hours of nutritional education in medical school.  And more than 40% of them are overweight.

Doctors are probably the last people who should be advising the public about what or how to eat. Not only has their track record been less than stellar, but some of their advice has caused unnecessary illness and suffering.  For instance…

Sodium restriction. Cutting back on salt provides only a modest benefit to blood pressure – and will result in zero reduction in cardiovascular events or overall mortality. This conclusion is a result of a close investigation of six randomized clinical trials on the effects of sodium on cardiovascular disease, performed by the Cochrane Collaboration, a highly-respected nonprofit organization composed of international scientific experts.[i] (I discuss the sodium issue in depth in my upcoming book, The 30-Day Blood Pressure Cure, co-authored by Dr. Roy Heilbron, MD.)

Cholesterol consumption. It is now well known in the medical and scientific communities that dietary cholesterol has almost no effect on blood cholesterol levels. This is because your liver manufactures cholesterol as needed, providing 90% of it — while your diet provides less than 10%. When blood levels are elevated, the liver reduces its output. So the cholesterol in the foods you eat exerts almost no effect on your blood levels of cholesterol. (There is also overwhelming evidence that your cholesterol level has nothing to do with your risk of heart disease.) Nevertheless, the US has been in the grip of “cholesterol hysteria” for nearly 40 years – resulting in more than 40 million adults taking statin drugs daily.

The low-fat diet. This may be the worst medical advice of all. Here’s why: reducing your consumption of any one of the three macronutrients (protein, fat or carbohydrates) will result in an increased consumption of another — or both — unless you also cut calories (which is nearly impossible to sustain successfully in the long term). Therefore, the standard low-fat diet too often becomes a high-carb diet because people tend naturally towards carbs and sugar when other high-calorie foods, such as fat, are off limits.

Consuming too many refined carbohydrates elevates blood sugar and insulin, thus leading to a host of health problems, including inflammation, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, many cancers, and hypertension. So it’s hard to understand why the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and the US government continue to push this dietary advice on patients and the general public, when according to very reliable research, it may be causing the very health problems they are trying to alleviate.

The solar scare. Doctors’ advice to “stay out of the sun” has led to an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency in the US. Recent studies confirm that vitamin D is protective against cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, influenza and many other serious medical conditions. Nevertheless, the official recommended daily dose for vitamin D3 continues to be 600 IU – an amount that many forward-thinking clinicians say is far too low.  (They recommend up to 5,000 IU per day.)

What other dietary mistakes are doctors making?

The above examples are just the tip of the iceberg.

What other dietary mistakes are doctors making that result in poor health?

Please share your observations in the Comments section below so we can all benefit.

Till next time…

“Keep getting better!”™
Jim Healthy

Would you like to get in shape, eat better, lose some weight, improve your health and reverse your diabetes or some other medical condition?

Those sound like big goals, right?  So big, that most people get discouraged by the “enormity” before they even get started. They psych themselves out.

In other words, they forget the answer to the proverbial question, “How do you eat an elephant?”

So I have some good news for you today: New research proves that small efforts can make a big difference.

Baby steps add up

Suppose you want to exercise more to get in shape. Maybe you’re wondering whether you should join a gym. It’s kind of expensive – and it’s hard to find enough time to get there on your schedule. But hey, there’s no better way to burn a bunch of fat than sweating it out at the gym, right?

Actually…there is a better way. And it’s cheaper, quicker, easier, and more convenient that becoming a gym rat. A new research study shows that simply adding small amounts of activity to your daily routine can give you the same rewards.

Scientists at Oregon State University just published a study showing that short periods of extra activity totaling 30 minutes per day can provide health benefits similar to longer workouts at the gym.

In this study, 6,000 people wore accelerometers to assess their daily activity. Participants either exercised at the gym or added short periods of physical activity—as short as one to two minutes each—through routine daily behaviors.

Guess what?  The researchers discovered that the non-gym group reaped health benefits similar to the gym-goers — including lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, smaller waist circumference, and lower risk of metabolic syndrome.

Lead researcher Brad Cardinal concluded: “Making physical activity a way of life is more cost-effective than an expensive gym membership. You may be more likely to stick with it, and over the long term, you’ll be healthier, more mobile, and just feel better all around.”

                                         How to add more activity to your days

Here are just a few suggestions for adding some extra activity to your day…

• Stand up and pace around while you talk on the phone or with a coworker.
• Set an alert on your computer or mobile device to remind you to get up and move around every 30 or 40 minutes.
• Park your car farther from your workplace.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Walk to lunch.
• Stroll with a coworker at break time or for a meeting.
• Consider investing in a treadmill desk – or a “standing desk.”.
• Instead of driving six blocks, try biking or walking to your destination.
• Instead of using a riding lawnmower, use a walk-behind model.
• Use a rake instead of a leaf-blower.
• Watch TV while pedaling on a stationary bicycle.
• Stretch, do ab crunches, or perform a yoga stretch during commercials.
• Instead of sitting at a child’s sporting event, volunteer to help out.
• Take a long hike in the woods every Sunday – and invite your grandchildren.
• Take a stroll around the block after dinner.

How do you sneak more activity into your day? Please share your suggestions in the Comments section below so we all can benefit from your wise ways.

Meal timing is important

Here’s another easy tip that can yield a big payoff…

You probably already know which foods and beverages you should be consuming (and avoiding) to improve your health and figure, right?.

Just in case you need reminding: The best (and easiest) thing you can do to help you lose weight and lower your risk of diabetes and other diseases is cutting way back on sugar and refined carbs. These “food products” raise your body’s insulin levels, which traps fat in your fat cells so your body can’t burn it as fuel.

So here’s some easy advice: Fill your plate with vegetables, high-fiber beans and legumes, plus “clean” sources of animal protein, including fish, meat, eggs, and dairy products. Minimize sweets and completely eliminate sodas and sugary drinks.

But did you know that when you eat can make a big difference, too?

A new study shows that the timing of your main meal can affect how well you lose (and gain) weight.

Researchers in Massachusetts and Spain followed a group of  participants in a 20-week weight-loss program. To their surprise, they found that people who ate their main meal later in the day or evening lost less weight than early eaters—and the late-eaters lost weight more slowly, too.

The take-home message is: Eat your meals on a predictable schedule.  Your body is expecting it — and it functions better when you meet its needs. If possible, don’t eat anything after 7 PM. (And don’t forget to take an after-dinner stroll or get in a little bit of physical activity.)

When having a coach can help

Here’s another “easy does it” tip…

Researchers have known for years that diet-and-exercise programs led by health coaches help reduce the incidence of Type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions.  Reason?  Support is critical when people are trying to change old habits.

The problem most people hve is the lack of access to personal coaching.  Most doctors and healthcare providers simply can’t give their patients that kind of regular encouragement, education and support.

But a new study proves that one-on-one personal coaching isn’t the only way to prevent and reverse Type 2 diabetes and other health problems. In this study, pre-diabetic patients were put into three groups: a coach-led group intervention, a self-directed, motivational DVD, or the usual care (translation: not much care at all).

The results demonstrated that the participants responded similarly to both the coach-led and self-directed interventions.

What a coincidence!

It just so happens that I’m about to launch my new Reverse Your Diabetes Coaching Program.  Based on my super-successful book, The 30-Day Diabetes Cure, this new coaching program will inspire, motivate and educate people to reverse their Type 2 diabetes in a way that my book can’t.

Now that we’ve proven beyond a doubt that Type 2 diabetes can be reversed with a few simple diet and lifestyle upgrades, I’m 100% committed to helping everyone achieve this goal.

Here’s a sneak preview from my new Reverse Your Diabetes Coaching Program so you can see what I am working on…

I plan to launch my new Diabetes Coaching Program later this month.  If you are interested in being one of the first to give it a try, you can add your name to the top of the Waiting List here. I’ll send you regular updates on my progress – and give you the first opportunity to check it out.

Do, how do you eat an elephant?

The next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by your new health and fitness goals, take a deep breath. Remember that the longest journey is achieved by taking one step after another – and that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Little steps — such as a little more activity, a little earlier supper, and a little coaching help —can really mean a lot.

So don’t psych yourself out. “Modest” lifestyle changes are easier to make (and easier to sustain) than drastic ones. And they absolutely do make a difference!

Please let me know how this is succeeding in your life in that Comments section below.

Until next time…

“Keep getting better!”™
Jim Healthy

This was about the transferring of stool samples from healthy people into patients infected with a nasty antibiotic-resistant bacteria known as Clostridium difficile – or more simply, C. diff.

C. diff is a very “difficult” bug, indeed. Its native home is the human gut — just one of many different species living inside us.

Trillions of bacteria live in our gut. They outnumber our body’s human cells by ten-to-one. Fortunately, the vast majority of gut bacteria are beneficial. They help digest food and destroy disease-causing microbes. These beneficial bugs are key players in our immune system, keeping us safe from various infections and diseases.

Only a tiny percentage of these gut bacteria are potentially harmful. But when “bad” bacteria multiply to large numbers, a bacterial infection results, and you get sick.

The last germ standing

C. diff is an especially bad hombre. When it overgrows, it causes an intestinal infection with symptoms including severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and colitis (swelling of the large intestine) — and death. C. diff is stubborn, and the disease is debilitating — even deadly. It kills 14,000 people per year in the United States.

C. difficile infection is usually caused by antibiotic use. Too many antibiotics. All antibiotics affect good bacteria as well as bad ones. But when antibiotics kill off too many beneficial gut bacteria, C. diff takes over.

Approximately 500,000 people in the US are infected with life-threatening C. diff each year, usually after taking antibiotics. The bacterium has been rampant in hospitals and nursing homes. It can live on bathroom fixtures and medical equipment — and is spread from contaminated hospital equipment or from the hands of doctors and healthcare providers.

While cases of hospital-acquired C. diff have leveled off, the bacterium is now running wild in communities.

Ironically, the first line of treatment for C. diff is a course of antibiotics — strong ones. But the bacterium is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. So about 20 percent of cases relapse and worsen.

Fecal transplants to the rescue

Fecal transplant involves taking the stool of a healthy person and putting it into the colon of a person infected with C. diff. The goal is to restore the natural balance of good and bad bugs in the gut and eliminate the chronic diarrhea and other symptoms.

“Yuck” factor aside, it works. “Fecal transplantation is a highly effective, well tolerated, and safe form of therapy for this usually difficult infection,” study researcher Lawrence Brandt, MD, emeritus, chief of gastroenterology at Montefiore Medical Center.

It’s not a new idea. A similar practice is well documented in Chinese traditional medicine. About 500 doctors worldwide have used it over the past decade under the radar.

Just this month, researchers published the results of the first scientific study of fecal transplantation’s effectiveness. This study found that 91% of patients who failed to get relief from antibiotics and who were treated with fecal transplant were cured of C. diff infection. By comparison, only 31% of patients who received antibiotics were cured.

The cost of the procedure, which is currently done by a limited number of doctors, is often less than what several rounds of expensive antibiotics could cost.

What’s the message here?

I found this study fascinating – and extremely hopeful.

For one thing, it demonstrates how much we depend on natural systems for our health, wealth and abundance. These systems evolved over millennia, creating an exquisite eco-balance that ensured our perpetuity.

But when these natural systems are disrupted, ill health and calamity often result.

We see this in our infertile topsoil, in our polluted oceans, in the atmospheric changes that now better us — and in our own internal ecosystem.

With the exception of those traditional cultures which strived to live in harmony with nature, man has been an “invader” on this planet, upsetting the natural balance with practically every semi-conscious footstep.

In a recent issue of the science journal Nature, writer Lauren Gravitz observed that lately, we humans “have been messing with the delicate balance between our flora and ourselves.” We eat foods laden with refined carbohydrates, toxic fats, hormones, antibiotics, chemical preservatives, and pollutants. We wash our hands and our homes with antibacterial soap. We misuse antibiotic medications. As a result, our microbiota and our immune systems are out of whack, bacteria are developing antibiotic resistance, and people are suffering intractable infections such as C. difficile.

Some say it is too late for us to repair the widespread damage we have wrought. Perhaps – but that’s no reason not to try. Even if this is our 11^th hour.

Nature is waiting to help us

We are not apart from the natural world. We are part of it.

We humans and our gut microbiota (population of microbes) are intimately connected. Humans and bacteria have evolved together for mutual reward and coexistence. But now, our modern lifestyle is tearing us apart — and making us both sick.

New research is showing us that our health and disease resistance depends on having a healthy gut ecology. After all, the majority of our immune system lives in our gastrointestinal tract — and relies upon a flourishing population of beneficial bacteria.

Be good to your gut. Here’s how….

Avoid sugar and other refined carbohydrates. These trigger unhealthy changes in your gut flora that can weaken your immune system and upset your metabolism.

Eat foods that are as “clean” as possible. Purchase foods that are organically-raised and free from antibiotics, hormones, pollutants, and other contaminants. Eat them as close to their natural state as possible.

Avoid anti-bacterial household products. These kill the good bugs along with the bad ones. So do antibiotics. Take them only when your illness truly calls for them. Follow your doctor’s instructions exactly.

Eat foods that contain prebiotics and probiotics. Both can improve gut health by increasing your population of beneficial bacteria.

Prebiotics are food ingredients that stimulate the growth and/or activity of bacteria in the digestive system in beneficial ways. The Top 10 Prebiotic Foods include: Raw chicory root … raw Jerusalem artichoke… raw dandelion greens… raw garlic… raw leek… raw onion… cooked onion… raw asparagus… raw wheat bran … cooked whole wheat flour … and raw banana.

Fermented foods are packed with beneficial bacteria

Probiotics are living cultures of “good” bacteria. Food sources of probiotics include fermented foods such as yogurt … kefir … miso … sauerkraut … pickles… tempeh… kimchi… and kombucha tea.

One of my favorite books on preparing your own homemade fermented foods is Real Food Fermentation by Alex Lewin. Now you can always have a small crock of sauerkraut … spicy kimchi … or pickled beets fermenting on your countertop. And be sure to check out Alex’s “fermented Carolina-style slaw” on page 79. Yum!

Another great source of fermented food recipes — and old-style traditional foods in general – is the website Nourished Kitchen . Jenny’s recipes are terrific!

For help in choosing gut-healthy yogurt, take a peek at my article entitled “Not All Yogurts Are Created Equal.”

Click here for a handy guide to selecting the Greek yogurt that’s right for you.

And for instructions to make your own inexpensive, delicious, healthful yogurt, see “Better Yogurt Than You Could Ever Buy.”

I also recommend taking the probiotics supplement daily. One of my favorites is Gut Defense.

A word to the unwise

Our modern world teaches us that bugs, microbes and dirt are “icky.” We have been conditioned to make our surroundings ever more sterile, like the conditions inside the space station.

But life doesn’t thrive in a vacuum – or in sterile surroundings.

I’m reminded of the visit I made with my wife to her parents in Germany years ago. One rainy afternoon we stopped in a Starbucks in downtown Düsseldorf. The shop’s entry hall was long and narrow and its carpet was wet and dirty from the foot traffic.

To my disbelief, a tiny toddler was crawling around in the muck as his mother sat nearby in conversation with her cup of coffee.

As we passed the child, I mumbled to my wife: “That’s disgusting. Can you believe that?”

After we got our drinks, I was determined to say something to the mother on my way out.  “It’s very dirty down there. Your baby could get sick.

“It’s okay,” the young mother said with a thick accent. “It’s very good for his immune system.”

I realized in an instant that she was absolutely right – and that the generations of wisdom from her “old world” roots had been transplanted in her.

More than foolish, I felt like an alien. My Sicilian grandparents were smart to let us play in the mud.

How are you boosting your immune system? 

What are you doing to strengthen your natural immunity?

Which foods and supplements do you rely on?

Do you have a favorite recipe or a piece of family wisdom you’d like to share here?

I look forward to reading your tips and secrets in the Comments section below.

Till next time…

“Keep getting better!”™

Jim Healthy