Natural Health Remedies

The information contained on this site is not presented by a medical practitioner and is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read.

"Amazing Secrets To Fantastic Health"

Alternative Health Newsletter

Your Success Links.com, Inc. - 11424 - 115th Street N - Largo, FL 33778

Natural Health Experts

Meet the experts and read eye-opening articles that will help you become and stay healthy.

Acid Reflux

Acupuncture

Alternative Medicine

Arthritis

Back Pain

Blood Pressure

Cancer

Dance & Movement Therapist

Feng Shui

Fitness

Heart Health

Headache

Holistic Health

Ingredient Safety

Nutrition

Self-Esteem

Resilience

Weight Loss

More To Come!!!

Efficient Digestion

by Dr. Herbert M. Shelton

Reprinted from Dr. Shelton's Hygienic Review

A view frequently expressed by medical authors and apparently held by the whole profession, is that if two foods may be digested separately, they may be digested together. They extend this principle to cover the whole menu: if each article of food in a bill-of-fare is separately digestible, then they are digestible if eaten. in a twenty-one course dinner, with the diner partaking of everything from soup to nuts.

Conventional diet causes digestive problems

In a limited way, this view is true, else would conventional eaters die from lack of food. Instead of dying, they thrive after a fashion, many of them even growing fat on the conventional diet with its haphazard mixtures. That digestion is not very efficient, is shown, however, by gas, sour eructations, discomforts, foul stools and the presence of large quantities of undigested food in the stools. At least half of the food eaten by most people is passed out undigested.

It is commonly held that foods may be taken into the digestive tract in the most indiscriminate and haphazard manner, in any possible combination, and in whatever amount the eater may desire will be well and efficiently digested. This view is not based upon physiology, but upon the determination of the profession that the customary practices of the people shall not be disturbed. Every student of physiology is well aware that the digestive enzymes have certain well-defined limitations and that different digestive juices are secreted for use in digesting different kinds of food substances. These limitations should be respected in our eating habits.

Proper food combining does not cause digestive problems

The inhibiting effect upon protein digestion of acids, sweets and fats makes it important to avoid combining these three types of foods. Good digestion depends upon a number of factors, but simplicity of meals with combinations of foods that do not overstep the known enzymes limitations is one of the most important of these factors.

Vinegar retards digestion

Experiments have shown that as small a portion of vinegar as one in 5,000 appreciably diminishes the digestion of starch by its inhibiting or destructive effect upon the salivary amylase. One part in 1,000 renders starch digestion very slow and twice this quantity arrests it altogether. From these facts it becomes evident that vinegar, pickles (saturated with vinegar), salads on which vinegar has been sprinkled and salad dressings containing vinegar, are unwholesome substances to take into the human digestive tract, especially when taken with starchy foods such as cereals, bread, legumes, potatoes and the like.

Vinegar is not an evil merely because its highly toxic acetic acid content destroys ptylain (salivary amylase), but it also contains alcohol, which precipitates the pepsin of the gastric juice and retards or prevents gastric digestion of proteins. What wonder then that pickles and vinegar have been found useful in reducing weight. They cripple the first two stages of digestion. My readers should know that apple cider vinegar, which is so much lauded today as a "wonder drug" in folk medicine contains both acetic acid and alcohol and is unfit for use, not alone because it impairs digestion, but also because it contains these two virulent poisons.

Acids destroy digestive enzymes

All acids destroy salivary amylase, the starch-splitting enzyme in the saliva, and thus arrest starch digestion in the mouth and stomach. Even those acids that are valuable as food, such as the acids of pineapples, grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, lemons, limes, tomatoes, apples, grapes, peaches, cherries, etc., destroy the amylase of the saliva and arrest the digestion of starch. For this reason, such foods should not be eaten at the same meal with starches-potatoes, bread, cereals, legumes (beans and peas), Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, cauliflower, parsnips and similar foods.

Acids inhibit the secretion of gastric juice, hence they suspend or retard protein digestion in the stomach. These fruits should not be eaten with protein foods-such as eggs, flesh, cheese, nuts, etc. They make a better combination with nuts and cheese than with flesh and eggs for

the reason that the cream in cheese and the oil in nuts also inhibit gastric secretion, and the taking of acid foods with these foods does not inhibit the secretion of gastric juice more than does the fat. Nuts and cheese still combine better with green vegetables.

Alcohol and cooking ingredients interfere with digestion

I have mentioned above that by precipitating the pepsin of the gastric juice, the enzyme that initiates protein digestion, alcohol impairs protein digestion. There are many other substances that destroy pepsin. Extensive tests have shown that the residues left in bread by baking powders retard the digestion of protein. Although most of these tests were made with cream of tartar powders, no powder seems to be exempt from this effect. Baking soda also destroys pepsin and retards gastric digestion. Many drugs both acids and alkalies, have been used with which to reduce weight because they retard digestion.

Anything that either inhibits the secretion of the digestive juices or that alters their chemistry, or that destroys their enzymes, will retard or suspend the process of digestion. It is important, therefore, that we take nothing with our foods that either alters the acid-alkaline reactions of the digestive fluids, inhibits their secretion or destroys their enzymes. It is also important that we refrain from taking foods at the same meal that either directly or indirectly interfere with the digestion of each other.

Tea, coffee and condiments cause indigestion

Tea and coffee, not alone because of the toxic substances which they contain, but also because of the sugar that is commonly taken with them, inhibit the digestion of foods in-the stomach. They are common causes of indigestion. Condiments of all kinds also, because of the irritation of the stomach which they occasion, inhibit stomach digestion. As they are indigestible and occasion irritation throughout the whole length of the digestive tract, it is likely that they also inhibit intestinal digestion. Salt inhibits stomach digestion, also. There are a number of products widely sold in health food stores, that consist of powdered vegetables, some of them containing highly salty sea weeds, others with salt added. They are used with which to make broths and they are sprinkled on salads and other foods as seasonings and supplements. They inhibit stomach digestion, sometimes for hours.

Onion family causes digestive problems

There is no reason to doubt that all the members of the onion family-onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, chives, etc. -as well as radishes and all other foods containing appreciable amounts of mustard oil, because they occasion irritation of the stomach and intestines as they occasion irritation of the mouth and throat, inhibit digestion. Horseradish and mustard are especially strong in occasioning irritation, but ordinary white and red radishes occasion considerable irritation. There seems to be no good reason why we should eat such items.

It seems that it is the part of wisdom to refrain from eating practices that retard, inhibit and impair digestion, rather than to eat in the indiscriminate and haphazard manner that is common and then resort to drugs to palliate the resulting discomfort. To avoid discomfort by avoiding its cause is certainly preferable to deliberately inviting trouble and then seeking to palliate it with drugs that are worse in their damaging effects than the foods, food additives and combinations that are responsible for the initial trouble.

Nature does not mix foods

The eating of complex mixtures of foods is not seen in nature. Animals not only stay strictly with the foods to which they are constitutionally adapted (those to which their digestive secretions and processes are specially adapted) but they refrain from mixing these indiscriminately.

Man mixes foods from all sources. He will combine in one meal the diet of the tiger (carnivore), that of the pig (omnivore), that of the sheep (herbivore), that of the bird (graminivore) and that of the primate (frugivore), and expect such a combination of foods to be as speedily and as efficiently digested in his stomach as the tiger's diet is digested in the tiger's stomach and the sheep's diet is digested in the stomach of the sheep. On the face of it, it would seem that however great is the adaptive capacity of the human digestive tube, it would not be capable of adjusting its digestive secretions to so many different types of diet at one and the same time.

Why should we expect the human digestive tract to be able to efficiently digest such meals? It is often asserted that "normal (human) digestive tracts have been coping with such combinations for centuries without a whim per," but such a statement is based, not on fact, but on ignorance of the history of mankind's eating practices as well as upon an ignoring of the facts of contemporary human suffering. Present-day eating practices are not centuries old. The meals of man, until very recent times, have been very simple and have consisted of but two or three articles of food. With several notable exceptions, even the meals of the wealthy classes have been very simple when compared to the eating practices of today.

Mono meals ideal

That the human digestive tract copes with such combinations today without a whimper is simply not true. Indeed, the whimpering assumes the proportion of a loud national groan. Viewing the eating practices of the lower animals, we observe the utmost simplicity. "Every animal keeps to one dish-herbs are the food of this species-fish of that- and flesh of a third," wrote an early Hygienist, who advised: "Be content with one dish at a meal, in the choice of that consult your palate."

Certainly the human digestive tract, like that of the lower animals, can make a far more complete and efficient adjustment of its secretions to the character of the food eaten if but one food is eaten at the meal. It may turn out in the long run that all of our efforts to work out compatible food mixtures is an effort to stray away from the simple path of nature without suffering.

Carrot Juice Is Dangers for Diabetics

by Chet Day

A reader sent me an article by one of the vegan health gurus who bases many of his conclusions on the insights and dated "science" of Norman Walker, another health guru who would never give his true age but who supposedly died somewhere between 104 and 119, depending on who's telling the story.

Inexcusably, in my opinion, the author of this article pretty much concluded that straight carrot juice was just great for everyone, including diabetics and those with other blood sugar sensitivities.

Wrong.

Baloney.

Ridiculous.

Dangerous nonsense.

I don't know why some of these natural health gurus so often promote misinformation based on a handful of anecdotal testimonies and by citing "authorities" like Norman Walker --much of whose "science" would appall an intelligent sixth grade biology student -- but they do.

I do know enough to set the record straight on 100% carrot juice being appropriate for Type-1 diabetics.

It's not appropriate, and straight carrot juice for insulin-dependent diabetics can be downright dangerous in many, if not most, instances.

Since my wife has been taking multiple insulin injections every day of her life for over thirty years as well as being a serious natural health student for over a decade, if you asked her, she'd tell you unequivocally from both her personal experience and her extensive reading that straight carrot juice can screw up a brittle diabetic's blood sugar faster than a hare with a cheetah snapping at its heels.

And any credible voice in medicine, physiology, or even the natural health field will tell you the same thing.

Since the author of this flawed article tried without success to make sense of the glycemic index and its relation to carrot juice and blood sugar, I decided to go to someone who understands the glycemic index with the simple question, "Is drinking raw, freshly-extracted carrot juice a healthy thing to do?"

Here's the answer I received from Dr. Ann de Wees Allen of the Glycemic Research Institute:

Dear Chet,

Per your e mail:

Raw carrot juice is a great source of phytochemicals and flavonoids and carotenoids. If the carrots to be used are not organic, peel them to avoid concentrations of herbicides and pesticides.

Though carrot juice is indeed healthy, it should not be used by persons with blood sugar disorders, such as diabetes, insulin resistance, Syndrome X, and hypoglycemia, etc., as carrot juice is high glycemic.

Persons with blood sugar disorders may consume small amounts (1/4 cup per person) of raw carrot juice if it is mixed into soups or added to foods (stews, recipes, etc.).

Dr. Ann de Wees Allen Chief of Biomedical Research Glycemic Research Institute

http://www.glycemic.com

http://www.glycemicfoodlist.com

Thanks to Dr. Allen for taking the time to reply. Of course, she's not alone in condemning straight carrot juice as being counter-productive for those with blood sugar sensitivities. In fact, other than the strict vegan guru who promotes carrot juice for everyone, I don't know a single reliable authority in (or out of) the natural health movement who would advocate straight carrot juice for diabetics.

Not one.

Indicative of the sloppy thinking and poor scholarship of the article in question, I also want to point out that the author misrepresented the Gerson Institute as giving eight glasses of carrot juice a day when, in reality, they use, to quote from their website at http://Gerson.org: "Thirteen glasses of fresh, raw carrot/apple and green-leaf juices prepared hourly from fresh, organic fruits and vegetables."

To summarize my position, as well as the position of many authorities in the natural health movement, freshly extracted vegetable juice is a great thing for health, but straight carrot juice for those with blood sugar sensitivities... no way, Jose.

In my opinion, anyone who states or even implies that straight carrot juice is appropriate for brittle, Type 1 diabetics and for those with blood sugar problems needs to spend some serious time educating him/herself to the truth.

In closing, I urge you to research this straight carrot juice question (and all health questions) for yourself. Don't give both ears to those who make wild, unverified claims about what's good for your health. Instead, do your homework. Investigate many sources so you can then make an educated and thoughtful decision about what to do.

And if any so-called expert tells you straight carrot juice is good for Type 1, brittle diabetics, lace your sneakers tight and run away as fast as you can from this kind of down-right dangerous advice.

The Cat's Purr for Health

by Chet Day

Because my wife likes them, cats are also part of my life, and, for many years, as a thoroughly pragmatic and practical man who prefers lint to cat hair and dust to cat litter, I've been seeking a rationale that will allow me to live happily with four cats while also justifying the expense of cat food, neutering bills, feline toys, claw-trimming bills, carrying cases, and yet more vet bills.

Well, thanks to a fascinating article in the 18 March 2001 edition of the UK's Electronic Telegraph, I think I'll now start house-sitting cats gladly because they may well contribute to longevity and skeletal health

You see, researchers have discovered that cat purrs are the secrets to their nine lives. And if the purrs are healing our feline friends, then those wonderful little sound engines that turn on so nicely when a cat snuggles into a lap must also be sending good healing vibes into the bodies of those who pet and hold them.

According to the Telegraph article: "Wounded cats --wild and domestic -- purr because it helps their bones and organs to heal and grow stronger, say researchers who have analyzed the purring of different feline species. This, they say, explains why cats survive falls from high buildings and why they are said to have 'nine lives.' Exposure to similar sound frequencies is known to improve bone density in humans."

As soon as I read the above, I immediately thought, "Ahha, that helps to explain the studies about pet therapy that show senior citizens feeling happier and living more healthfully in retirement homes when cats are brought in for them to hold and pet."

Of course, others far smarter than me have already thought about how the cat's purr may be of benefit to humanity. According to the Telegraph article, "Other scientific teams are researching whether 'sound treatment' could be used to halt osteoporosis and even renew bone growth in post-menopausal women. Dr David Purdie, from Hull University's centre for metabolic bone disease, said that the human skeleton needs stimulation or it begins to leak calcium and weaken. 'Purring could be the cat's way of providing that stimulation for its own bones.'"

I'm sure scientists will monitor cat's purrs and break them down into a zillion different pieces and spend millions of dollars before eventually announcing to the world that holding a purring cat will benefit human health.

Well, you don't have to wait for your favorite news anchor to share this scientific breakthrough on the nightly news. Instead, take in a stray cat this week or visit the local animal shelter and save the life of a feline that would otherwise be put to sleep.

There really aren't many things in life more satisfying than a cat that has turned its purr machine up to loud while dozing happily in your lap.

And, who knows, that furry bundle of love may even strengthen your bones and stave off osteoporosis.

Vegetarian Diets - The Pluses and the Pitfalls

Many people are attracted to vegetarian diets. It's no wonder.

Health experts for years have been telling us to eat more plant foods and less fat, especially saturated fat, which is found in larger amounts in animal foods than plant foods. C. Everett Koop, M.D., former surgeon general of the Public Health Service, in his 1988 Report on Nutrition and Health, expressed major concern about Americans' "disproportionate consumption of foods high in fats, often at the expense of foods high in complex carbohydrates and fiber-such as vegetables, fruits, and whole-grain products--that may be more conducive to health."

And, while guidelines from the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services advise 2 to 3 daily servings of milk and the same of foods such as dried peas and beans, eggs, meat, poultry and fish, they recommend 3 to 5 servings of vegetables, 2 to 4 of fruits, and 6 to 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta/ in other words, 11 to 20 plant foods, but only 4 to 6 animal foods.

It's wise to take precautions, however, when adopting diets that entirely exclude animal flesh or dairy products. "The more you restrict your diet, the more difficult it is to get all the nutrients you need," says Marilyn Stephenson, R.D., of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. "To be healthful, vegetarian diets require very careful, proper planning. Nutrition counseling can help you get started on a diet that is nutritionally adequate."

Certain people, such as Seventh-day Adventists, choose a vegetarian diet because of religious beliefs. Others give up meat because they feel that eating animals is unkind. Some people believe it's a better use of the Earth's resources to eat low on the food chain; the North American Vegetarian Society notes that 1.3 billion people could be fed with the grain and soybeans eaten by U.S. livestock. On the practical side, many people eat plant foods because animal foods are more expensive.

"I'm a vegetarian because I just plain enjoy the taste of vegetables and pasta," says Judy Folkenberg of Bethesda, Md. Reared on a vegetarian diet that included eggs and dairy products, Folkenberg added fish to her diet five years ago. "I love crab cakes and shrimp," she says.

Just as vegetarians differ in their motivation, their diets differ as well. (See box on next page.) In light of these variations, it's not surprising that the exact number of vegetarians is unknown. In a National Restaurant Association Gallup Survey in June 1991, 5 percent of respondents said they were vegetarians, yet 2 percent said they never ate milk or cheese products, 3 percent never ate red meat, and 10 percent never ate eggs.

Risks

Vegetarians who abstain from dairy products or animal flesh face the greatest nutritional risks because some nutrients naturally occur mainly or almost exclusively in animal foods.

Vegans, who eat no animal foods (and rarely, vegetarians who eat no animal flesh but do eat eggs or dairy products), risk vitamin B12 deficiency, which can result in irreversible nerve deterioration. The need for vitamin B12 increases during pregnancy, breast-feeding, and periods of growth, according to Johanna Dwyer, D.Sc., R.D. of Tufts University Medical School and the New England Medical Center Hospital, Boston. Writing in 1988 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Dwyer reviewed studies of the previous five years and concluded that elderly people also should be especially cautious about adopting vegetarian diets because their bodies may absorb vitamin B12 poorly.

Ovo-vegetarians, who eat eggs but no dairy foods or animal flesh, and vegans may have inadequate vitamin D and calcium. Inadequate vitamin D may cause rickets in children, while inadequate calcium can contribute to risk of osteoporosis in later years. These vegetarians are susceptible to iron deficiency anemia because they are not only missing the more readily absorbed iron from animal flesh, they are also likely to be eating many foods with constituents that inhibit iron absorption-soy protein, bran, and fiber, for instance. Vegans must guard against inadequate calorie intake, which during pregnancy can lead to low birth weight, and against protein deficiency, which in children can impair growth and in adults can cause loss of hair and muscle mass and abnormal accumulation of fluid.

Vegetarian Varieties

The Institute of Food Technologists, in the July 1991 issue of its journal, Food Technology, describes six types of vegetarians. They are listed here by degree of exclusion of animal foods and by the foods included in the diet:

Semi-vegetarian--dairy foods, eggs, chicken, and fish, but no other animal flesh
Pasco-vegetarian--dairy foods, eggs, and fish, but no other animal flesh
Lacto-ovo-vegetarian--dairy foods and eggs, but no animal flesh
Lacto-vegetarian--dairy foods, but no animal flesh or eggs
Ovo-vegetarian--eggs, but no dairy foods or animal flesh
Legan--no animal foods of any type.

According to the Institute of Food Technologists and the American Dietetic Association, if appropriately planned, vegan diets can provide adequate nutrition even for children. Some experts disagree.

Gretchen Hill, Ph.D., associate professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Missouri, Columbia, believes it's unhealthy for children to eat no red meat.

"My bet is those kids will have health problems when they reach 40, 50 or 60 years of age," she says, "mostly because of imbalances with micronutrients [nutrients required only in small amounts], particularly iron, zinc and copper." While meat is well-known as an important source of iron, Hill says it may be even more valuable for copper and zinc. Copper not only helps build the body's immunity, it builds red blood cells and strengthens blood vessels. "A lot of Americans are marginal in this micronutrient," she says, "and, as a result, are more susceptible to diseases. Children can't meet their zinc needs without eating meat."

Also, vegetarian women of childbearing age have an increased chance of menstrual irregularities, Ann Pedersen and others reported last year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Nine of the study's 34 vegetarians (who ate eggs or dairy foods) missed menstrual periods, but only 2 of the 41 non-vegetarians did. The groups were indistinguishable when it came to height, weight and age at the beginning of menstruation.

Can Veggies Prevent Cancer?

The National Cancer Institute states in its booklet Diet, Nutrition & Cancer Prevention: The Good News that a third of cancer deaths may be related to diet. The booklet's "Good News" is: Vegetables from the cabbage family (cruciferous vegetables) may reduce cancer risk, diets low in fat and high in fiber-rich foods may reduce the risk of cancers of the colon and rectum, and diets rich in foods containing vitamin A, vitamin C, and beta-carotene may reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Part of FDA's proposed food labeling regulations, published in the Nov. 27, 1991, Federal Register, states, "The scientific evidence shows that diets high in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, which are low in fat and rich sources of fiber and certain other nutrients, are associated with a reduced risk of some types of cancer. The available evidence does not, however, demonstrate that it is total fiber, or a specific fiber component, that is related to the reduction of risk of cancer."

As for increasing fiber in the diet, Joanne Slavin, Ph.D., R.D., of the University of Minnesota, in 1990 in Nutrition Today, gives this advice: "Animal studies show that soluble fibers are associated with the highest levels of cell proliferation, a pre-cancerous event. The current interest in dietary fiber has allowed recommendations for fiber supplementation to outdistance the scientific research base.

Until we have a better understanding of how fiber works its magic, we should recommend to American consumers only a gradual increase in dietary fiber from a variety of sources."

FDA acknowledges that high intakes of fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene or in vitamin C have been associated with reduced cancer risk. But the agency believes the data are not sufficiently convincing that either nutrient by itself is responsible for this association.

Pointing out that plant foods' low fat content also confers health benefits, FDA states in its proposed rule that diets low in fat give protection against coronary heart disease and that it has tentatively determined, "Diets low in fat are associated with the reduced risk of cancer."

FDA notes that diets high in saturated fats and cholesterol increase levels of both total and LDL cholesterol, and thus the risk for coronary heart disease, and that high-fat foods contribute to obesity, a further risk factor for heart disease. (The National Cholesterol Education Program recommends a diet with no more than 30 percent fat, of which no more than 10 percent comes from saturated fat.)

For those reasons, the agency would allow some foods to be labeled with health claims relating diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol to decreased risk of coronary heart disease and relating diets low in fat to reduced risk of breast, colon and prostate cancer. "Examples of foods qualifying for a health claim include most fruits and vegetables; skim milk products; sherbets; most flours, grains, meals, and pastas (except for egg pastas); and many breakfast cereals," the proposed rule states.

Dwyer, in her article, summarizes these plant food benefits:

"Data is strong that vegetarians are at lesser risk for obesity, atonic [reduced muscle tone] constipation, lung cancer, and alcoholism. Evidence is good that risks for hypertension, coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, and gallstones are lower. Data are only fair to poor that risks of breast cancer, diverticular disease of the colon, colonic cancer, calcium kidney stones, osteoporosis, dental erosion, and dental caries are lower among vegetarians."

Vegetarians who don't eat dairy foods or animal flesh face the greatest nutritional risks because some nutrients occur mainly or almost exclusively in animal foods.

Death rates for vegetarians are similar or lower than for non-vegetarians, Dwyer reports, but are influenced in Western countries by vegetarians "'adoption of many healthy lifestyle habits in addition to diet, such as not smoking, abstinence or moderation in the use of alcohol, being physically active, resting adequately, seeking ongoing health surveillance, and seeking... guidance when health problems arise."

Slow Switching

It's generally agreed that to avoid intestinal discomfort from increased bulk, a person shouldn't switch to foods with large amounts of fiber all at once. A sensible approach to vegetarian diets is to first cut down on the fattiest meats, replacing them with cereals, fruits and vegetables, recommends Jack Zeev Yetiv, M.D., Ph.D., in his book Popular Nutritional Practices: A Scientific Appraisal. "Some may choose to eliminate red meat but continue to eat fish and poultry occasionally, and such a diet is also to be encouraged."

Changing to the vegetarian kitchen slowly also may increase the chances of success.

"If you suddenly cut out all animal entres from your diet, it's easy to get discouraged and think there's nothing to eat," says lifelong veggie-eater Folkenberg. "I build my meals around a starchy carbohydrate such as pasta or potatoes. Even when I occasionally cook seafood, I center on the carbohydrate, making that the larger portion. Shifting the emphasis from animal to plant foods is easier after you've found recipes you really enjoy."

Because vegans and ovo-vegetarians face the greatest potential nutritional risk, the Institute of Food Technologists recommends careful diet planning to include enough calcium, riboflavin, iron, and vitamin D, perhaps with a vitamin D supplement if sunlight exposure is low. (Sunlight activates a substance in the skin and converts it into vitamin D.)

For these two vegetarian groups, the institute recommends calcium supplements during pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and breast-feeding. Vegans need to take a vitamin B12 supplement because that vitamin is found only in animal food sources. Unless advised otherwise by a doctor, those taking supplements should limit the dose to 100 percent of the National Academy of Sciences' Recommended Dietary Allowances.

Vegans, and especially children, also must be sure to consume adequate calories and protein. For other vegetarians, it is not difficult to get adequate protein, although care is needed in small children's diets.

Nearly every animal food, including egg whims and milk, provides all eight of the essential amino acids in the balance needed by humans and therefore constitutes "complete" protein. Plant foods contain fewer of these amino acids than animal foods.

The American Dietetic Association's position paper on vegetarian diets, published in its journal in 1988 and co-authored by Dwyer and Suzanne Havala, R.D., states that a plant-based diet provides adequate amounts of amino acids when a varied diet is eaten on a daily basis. The mixture of proteins from grains, legumes, seeds, and vegetables provides a complement of amino acids so that deficits in one food are made up by another. Not all types of plant foods need to be eaten at the same meal, since the amino acids are combined in the body's protein pool.

Frances Lappe, in Diet for a Small Planet, writes that to gain the greatest use of all the amino acids, it's best to consume complementary proteins within three to four hours. High amounts of complete proteins can be gained by combining legumes with grains, seeds or nuts.

Replacing Animal Sources of Nutrients

Vegetarians who eat no meat, fish, poultry, or dairy foods face the greatest risk of nutritional deficiency. Nutrients most likely to be lacking and some non-animal sources are:

Vitamin B12--fortified soy milk and cereals
Vitamin D--fortified margarine and sunshine
Calcium--tofu, broccoli, seeds, nuts, kale, bok choy, legumes (peas and beans), greens, calcium-enriched grain products, and lime-processed tortillas
Iron--legumes, tofu, green leafy vegetables, dried fruit, whole grains, and iron-fortified cereals and breads, especially whole-wheat (absorption is improved by vitamin C, found in citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, peppers, dark-green leafy vegetables, and potatoes with skins)
Zinc--whole grains (especially the germ and bran), whole-wheat bread, legumes, nuts, and tofu.

As all plant foods--including fruit--contain some protein, by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains, even vegans probably can get enough of this nutrient. To improve the quality of protein and ensure getting enough:

Combine legumes such as black-eyed peas, chickpeas, peas, peanuts, lentils, sprouts, and black, broad, kidney, lima, mung, navy, pea, and soy beans with grains such as rice, wheat, corn, rye, bulgur, oats, millet, barley, and buckwheat.

There are also foods made to look like meats (protein analogs) such as hot dogs, sausage, and bacon.*

Also available are various protein analogs. These substitute "meats"--usually made from soybeans--are formed to look like meat foods such as hot dogs, ground beef, or bacon. Many are fortified with vitamin B12.

The accompanying chart lists sources of the nutrients of greatest concern for vegetarians who don't eat animal foods.

As with any diet, it's important for the vegetarian diet to include many different foods, since no one food contains all the nutrients required for good health. "The wider the variety, the greater the chance of getting the nutrients you need," says FDA's Stephenson.

The American Dietetic Association recommends:

Minimizing intake of less nutritious foods such as sweets and fatty foods
Choosing whole or unrefined grain products instead of refined products
Choosing a variety of nuts, seeds, legumes, fruits, and vegetables, including good sources of vitamin C to improve iron absorption
Choosing low-fat varieties of milk products, if they are included in the diet
Avoiding excessive cholesterol intake by limiting eggs to two or three yolks a week
For vegans, using properly fortified food sources of vitamin B12, such as fortified soy milks or cereals, or taking a supplement
For infants, children and teenagers, ensuring adequate intakes of calories and iron and vitamin D, taking supplements if needed
Consulting a registered dietitian or other qualified nutrition professional, especially during periods of growth, breast-feeding, pregnancy, or recovery from illness
If exclusively breast-feeding premature infants or babies beyond 4 to 6 months of age, giving vitamin D and iron supplements to the child from birth or at least by 4 to 6 months, as your doctor suggests
Usually, taking iron and folate (folic acid) supplements during pregnancy.

With the array of fruits, vegetables, grains, and herbs available in U.S. grocery stores and the availability of vegetarian cookbooks, it's easy to devise tasty vegetarian dishes.

People who like their entres on the hoof also can benefit from adding more plant foods to their diets. You don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy dishes from a vegetarian menu.

As See On TV

How’s your balance?

I want to share with you a short interview with balance and fall prevention expert Mike Ross, author of the new book, “The Balance Manual.” I think you’ll find what he has to say both eye-opening and helpful.

Why should people train their balance?

First and foremost, people should train their balance to help reduce their risk of falling. Each year, 1 in 3 older adults experience a fall, and these falls can result in broken bones, hospital bills, and even a loss of independence. Secondly, having better balance improves your overall quality of life because it allows you to do the activities you want to do while being confident on your feet.

So why aren’t more people training their balance?

Primarily because of a lack of information. Most people don’t know that balance can be trained. Instead they just think that having poor balance is something they will have to deal with as they get older and there’s nothing they can do about it. In fact, we can slow the deterioration of balance and even improve it if we do the right exercises, just like we can improve muscle strength or heart health if we do the right exercises.

Are balance exercises strenuous?

No. Unlike strength and cardiovascular training which tax your muscles, balance exercises are designed to train your brain to coordinate the muscles more quickly and efficiently to keep you upright and balanced. Since we’re exercising the brain more than anything else, we can have a good “balance workout” without sweating or feeling fatigue.

Who should train their balance?

Most people don’t even think about training their balance until after they’ve had a fall. That’s like deciding to get a smoke detector after your first house fire! People should start doing balance exercises on a regular basis in their 50s and 60s to counteract the effects that aging has on their sense of balance and help prevent falls before they happen. It’s easy to do, doesn’t require any equipment, and can make a huge impact on a person’s quality of life down the road.

Mike has prepared a complimentary Better Balance Ecourse for members of our newsletter that goes over exactly why balance gets worse as you age and what you can do to keep your balance in good shape and reduce your risk of falling. He’s even included some video clips of simple exercises you can do at home right away.

You can get your complimentary Better Balance Ecourse Here

Eat this cancer preventing food today

by Sherry Brescia

One of the foods that should be on your table is broccoli.

OK, I can just hear some of the reactions:

"I can't eat broccoli--it makes me too gassy." or

"I hate the taste of broccoli." or

"What's so great about it?"

"I don't eat anything that's green."

Keep reading and I guarantee you'll be rushing out to buy this wonder food...and LOVING it, even if you don't right now.

I'll show you how to make it taste great and with no gas.

Cancer prevention

Broccoli contains the phytonutrients indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane, that research has show to have major anti- cancer abilities.

Indole-3-carbinol helps disable an estrogen compound called 4-hydroxyestrone that encourages tumor growth, while it increases the level of 2-hydroxyestrone, which can help prevent cancer.

It can also prevent metastasis (the spreading of cancer cells to other parts of the body).

Sulforaphane boosts your body's detoxing enzymes, and helps to clear away potential carcinogens (cancer causers) more quickly.

It also can help to stop cancer growth and cause cell death in both leukemia and melanoma (skin cancer) cells.

No drug can claim these benefits.

Those little green "trees" sure pack a lot of punch when it comes to preventing the dreaded "C" word.

More calcium than milk

Just 2 stalks of broccoli contains MORE calcium than a 6 oz. glass of milk.

And the calcium in broccoli can be better used by your body.

Here's why:

Milk is acid-forming to your body. Having an acidic pH leads to pain, inflammation, sickness and obesity, and

inhibits mineral absorption. So that means you can't effectively absorb and use the calcium in milk no matter how much you drink.

Surprise, surprise!

But broccoli is alkaline to your body, helping all of your organs, bones, muscles and joints work perfectly and stay disease-free. Plus when your pH is alkaline, you can better absorb vitamins and minerals from your foods.

My manual "Foods That Create Acid, Foods That Take It Away" gives you the skinny on why you need an alkaline pH, and shows you the alkaline foods you can eat to help keep your body properly nourished and disease-free.

- http://www.greattastenopain.com/great.asp

Goodbye constipation and gas

Broccoli is a great fiber source that can help make constipation a thing of the past.

Imagine not grunting and straining to have a bowel movement any longer! To constipation sufferers, that would be heaven on earth.

Now, oddly broccoli is also blamed for causing gas.

But what most people don't realize is that their overall diet of poorly combined, acid-forming foods is the real culprit, not the broccoli.

Eating an acid-forming diet is THE primary cause of gas, and also leads to waste buildup in your colon.

Now, enter the broccoli. Its fiber acts like a broom and starts to clear out your colon, and even more gas is stirred up as a result.

And you unfairly curse the broccoli when you really should be cursing your acidy food choices!

More great news: My manual "What To Eat With What" will show you what foods are good, low acid combinations so you can avoid that gas and waste build-up.

Then you'll be able to enjoy constipation-free days with no more gas and discomfort. Won't that be a welcome change?

Learn more about it here

Yum-yum

People who say they don't like the taste of broccoli have never tried MY recipes for broccoli.

Here's a simple yet delicious way to prepare broccoli that will leave you (and your kids) fighting for seconds:

Roasted Broccoli

Serves: 4-5

2 bunches broccoli, washed, stalks peeled and cut into 1"

strips, flowers broken into florets

Olive oil

Salt (preferably sea salt or Himilayan salt)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place broccoli in a baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

Roast for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, toss and stir and drizzle more olive oil if broccoli appears to be dry.

Return to oven and roast for another 5-8 minutes or just until crisp-tender. Serve immediately.

Leftovers (if there are any) can be added to omelets, salads and soups.

That's all there is to it. A few minutes is all it takes, and your body will gain enormous benefit. Put this dish on your table and watch it disappear.

The recipe book in the Great Taste No Pain system contains other delicious broccoli recipes, as well as scrumptious dishes featuring many health-building alkaline-creating foods.

Get it here and I'll show you how to make it so tasty you won't even believe it:

Don't let one more day go by without treating your body to the incredible health benefits and outstanding delicious taste of broccoli.

About the Author

Sherry Brescia is a natural health researcher, president of Holistic Blends, Inc. and author of the mega best-selling Great Taste No Pain Health System.

She has over 20 years experience in the medical research field, and cured herself from IBS in 1992 by changing her diet and eating the way she now teaches in her Great Taste No Pain system.

Sherry has made it her life's mission to help others with digestive challenges by educating them about the role of diet in overall health and the importance of an alkaline pH.

Ways to Combat Fatigue

Fatigue is a sensation we all experience, at least to some degree. It may be the feeling of being wiped out at the end of a busy day at work or a long day at some recreational activity. Fatigue of this kind usually responds to a good night's rest and is gone in the morning. More significantly, fatigue may be chronic, the feeling of being mentally and physically tired all the time. Long lasting fatigue is so overwhelming that sometimes you are all but bedridden. This sort of fatigue may be associated with illness, often with severe illness.

Chronic fatigue is a common medical complaint whose cause is often very difficult to diagnose according to many doctors. And it may be a symptom of countless medical conditions, such as an underactive thyroid gland, diabetes, mononucleosis, lyme disease, or anemia. However, chronic fatigue - a daily lack of energy - is very often a result of circumstances and lifestyle choices. If your doctor has found no underlying reason for your fatigue, taking a long, hard look at those circumstances and choices is in order.

A good night's sleep leaves you energized and alert in the morning and plays a big role in your overall health and well being. No one is certain why this is so. Some researchers suggest that sleep gives your body tissues time to recover from daily wear and tear, others that it restores brain function. A bad night, on the other hand, leave you with slower reaction times, poorer concentration, and a smaller pool of energy from which to draw the next day. People vary widely in their sleeping patterns: Some feel rested after five hours' sleep, others need nine or 10. And sleep-wake patterns change as you age, with elderly people experiencing more wakefulness during the night than they did when younger. If you wake up feeling tired and are not comfortably alert during the day, you are not getting the sleep your body needs.

Exercise also has a bearing on your health and now many experts believe that exercise may be the best way to stave off fatigue. Vigorous activity is energizing because it wakes up the nervous system and speeds up the metabolic rate. A fast metabolic rate ensures a good supply of energy leaving a person feeling less fatigued, not only during the exercise session but for up to eight hours afterward. Over the long term, exercise leads to physical fitness, the stamina to do more and endure more without fatigue.

Another factor that may contribute to fatigue is poor eating habits. What you eat and when you eat it can have profound effects on your energy level throughout the day. Food is our source of fuel and of essential vitamins and minerals. Carbohydrates provide the body's preferred fuel: glucose. A diet rich in complex carbohydrates such as grains, cereals, and starchy vegetables provides the best staying power because these foods are digested slowly. Simple sugars in candy or cookies on the other hand, can cause a sudden surge of glucose in the blood, quickly followed by a drop in blood sugar and a feeling of tiredness.

In addition to providing fuel for the body's cells, food triggers the release of certain chemical messengers, or neurotransmitters, in the brain either to energize or to calm us. You should plan your individual meals to work in your favor. For instance, a good balanced breakfast will boost your energy during the morning. A high-protein lunch lays the groundwork for a productive afternoon, and a high-carbohydrate dinner will prepare you for a sound night's sleep and the replenishment of your energy pool.

Better Breathing Equals Less Stress

by, infocus

Meditation is one of the best, and quite natural, ways to relieve stress. If you like, you can accompany this with breathing techniques as well. This will help you to achieve a sense of serenity but it can take quite a lot of time before you are able to zone out easily.

1. Meditation

When meditating, it is generally best to find a nice quiet, comfortable space to meditate. Buddhists use meditation to reach a state of enlightenment and many Jewish prayers are meditative in nature. Even many Christian religions utilize forms of meditation, such as the use of rosary beads n Catholicism. Meditation does not, Of course, have to be about a spiritual or religious journey. Meditation is even used in professional medical communities.

2. Natural Stress Relief

Meditation is natural stress relief at its best. There are no strict rules regarding body positioning when meditating, but most people who use meditation as a form of natural stress relief prefer to do so in the lotus position. The lotus position involves sitting with the legs crossed while keeping the back straight and the shoulders level. Yet other practitioners prefer to sit comfortably, but with the legs uncrossed. No matter the general position chosen when using meditation for natural stress relief, it is best to keep the spine straight throughout the meditation process. This position encourages circulation and makes it easier to breathe in the deep, slow fashion that is often necessary for meditation.

3. Block Out Negative Thoughts

After finding a quiet place to perform meditation, and after assuming a position that is comfortable, it is time to begin this process of natural stress relief. Some people prefer to remain quiet while meditating. Still others close their eyes and hum or make other repetitive noises to help clear their minds and to block out thoughts and outside noises.

4. Imaging Techniques

In fact, meditation is used often in hospitals with patients suffering from chronic or terminal illness to reduce stress. This is especially important because stress has been shown to contribute to poor health. A 1999 report by neurophysiologist Dr. James Austin from the University of Colorado stated that meditation actually reprograms brain circuitry. His findings were later confirmed using imaging techniques that view electrical activity in the brain.

5. Breathing Techniques

If you plan on breathing easier, you will want to organize your thoughts before you begin. One popular method is to focus on each individual part of the body. Give your self permission to relax until your entire body is relaxed. At the same time, this method calls for taking a few deep breaths. These are called cleansing breaths because they help clear the mind and bring a little extra oxygen into the blood. The best masters of meditation are able to hold their breath for several minutes from strength of will alone.

MSG in Your Personal Care Products

by Christine H. Farlow, D.C.

Important! Read this before you buy any cosmetics or personal care products that contain protein or amino acids!

MSG may be hidden in your cosmetics and personal care products. If you know you’re sensitive to MSG, you may be avoiding it in your food but still noticing MSG-type reactions and not know where they’re coming from.

Do you ever get a headache or notice other unpleasant symptoms when you put on your makeup, shampoo your hair or wash your face? Have you ever wondered why? Or do you just shrug it off and pop a pill to mask the symptoms? Maybe you just grin and bear it and don’t give any thought to the fact that there might be a relationship between the product you’re using and the symptoms you’re feeling.

If you try to avoid MSG in your food, just because you believe it’s harmful, you may be surprised to know that MSG is found in more than food. It can be found in your cosmetics and personal care products, like makeup, soap, shampoo and conditioner. You may also be getting a dose of MSG in your daily vitamin supplements. Over-the-counter and prescription medications may also contain it, as well as vaccines that are given to your children.

MSG sensitivity is commonly referred to as Chinese Restaurant Syndrome because it's frequently used in Chinese foods and many people experience symptoms like headaches, dizziness and sweating after eating Chinese food.

MSG is short for monosodium glutamate. It also applies to processed free glutamic acid, which is glutamic acid that has been freed from protein through a manufacturing process or fermentation. MSG is a neurotoxin. It crosses the blood-brain barrier and the placental barrier and excites nerve cells to death. If you’re pregnant, it may even affect your unborn baby.

Even if you’re not sensitive to MSG, these are good reasons to avoid it.

How do you know if MSG is in the products you use?

First of all, you have to read the label. Not just the front of the label that tells you what the manufacturer wants you to believe about the product, but the ingredients list on the back of the label. You know, that tiny print that’s often so small and in a color that blends in with the label that it’s almost impossible to read. The more difficult it is to read, the more important it is for you to read it. Carry a magnifying glass with you and make sure you read every label of every product ... BEFORE you buy. Dying To Look Good is a book that will help you read labels and choose healthy products.

Look out for these ingredients that are hidden sources of MSG:

hydrolyzed proteins
amino acids
yeast extract
nayad (potent yeast extract)
glutamic acid
glutamates

MSG may also be in or be the result of:

processed proteins
enzymes
carrageenan

These are the hidden sources of MSG that are most likely to be found in cosmetics and personal care products. There are many more ingredients that are hidden sources or potential hidden sources of MSG. You can find more information on MSG at truthinlabeling.org.

MSG is not the only ingredient that you need to watch out for in your skin care products. There are many harmful ingredients in the cosmetics and personal care products on the market today. Some are even known to cause cancer. Make sure that the products you use on your skin contain safe and healthy ingredients because what you put on your skin can be absorbed directly into your bloodstream and affect your health.

Christine H. Farlow, D.C., "The Ingredients Investigator" and author of DYING TO LOOK GOOD. Dr. Farlow has been researching ingredient safety since 1991. Learn more about the safety of ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products and find healthy products at DyingToLookGood.com

Request your Free Back Pain Relief guide

Click Here

Request your Free Sciatica Gone in Just Days guide

Click Here

Request your Free Herniated Disc Healing Miracles guide

Click Here

Designed to optimize the health of digestive & intestinal environments.

Learn More

"After 43-Years of Suffering with Arthritis I Shocked My Doctors (Who Predicted I'd Soon Need A Wheelchair) When I Naturally Cured My Arthritis... Without Expensive Medication Or Surgery!" And I Know You Can Do The Same!

- Margie Garrison

Learn More

VIBE is a blend of essential nutrients, powerful antioxidants, concentrated minerals and vitamins, and green tea extracts, ideal for combating free radicals that ravage our bodies every day.

Learn More

The 7-Day Back Pain Cure

Free Book Reveals...

How You Can Get LASTING Relief...

And Finally Get Your Life Back!

Get your FREE copy now

Great Taste No Pain! reveals the 95 year old secret of some of the world's healthiest people. The author promises, what you read will begin to transform your health in less than 24 hrs!

Learn More

The One Minute Cure

Take a look at the Video the Pharmaceutical Industry

Doesn't Want You to See"

Click Here Now

Watch this life-changing video now before it's banned forever.

Rub On Relief

Contains 18 different botanical and organic ingredients combined synergistically to battle pain and inflammation…

Doesn’t cause “icy-hot” sensations or make you smell like a locker room…

Is 100% safe with none of the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal side effects common to prescription meds and NSAID’s…

And best of all… It’s clinically PROVEN to give you rapid, safe and effective pain relief… without side effects!

Learn More

The Every Other Day Diet™

Jon Benson, Holly Rigsby, CPT and Daniel Topkis, M.S.

"The Every Other Day Diet combines the science and the do-ability to deliver outstanding results for everyone"

- Dr. Holly Lucille, author of Creating and Maintaining Balance

Learn More

Lower Cholesterol Naturally and Eliminate Harmful Prescription Drugs.

By Consumer Health Advocate, Frank Mangano

Click Here

Super Omega 9® Premium Cooking Oil is the gourmet "Queen of Cooking Oils" exquisitely blended for taste and health. It is loaded with stable omega fatty acids that contribute to good health, similar to olive oil, so prominent in the healthy Mediterranean diet, without the taste of olive oil. The fatty acids in this product promote heart health, support healthy cholesterol, and aid in improving lipid profiles, brain function, and hormonal balance.

Learn More

Cure Your Restless Leg Syndrome Naturally, Anywhere Anytime With A 100% Success Rate--guaranteed.

Learn about Restless Leg Cure, the author and read the many testimonials of people that have used this method with great success.