What is Wrong With Soy?

A few years ago, soy was considered a ‘miracle food’ or a ‘superfood’. But is soy good or bad for you?

No soy. Vector sign.

A few years ago, soy was considered a ‘miracle food’ or a ‘superfood’. Dedicated health fanatics everywhere were slugging down soy milk, soy protein bars, tofu, tofurky and soy everything. But is soy really good for you?
Only a few decades ago, the soybean (unfermented) was considered unfit to eat–even in Asia where it originated. In western civilizations, it has been touted as a “health food”.

The soybean was not even considered edible until the discovery of fermentation techniques. Soy was only eaten as food in a fermented form like tempeh, natto, miso and soy sauce.

Unfermented soybeans contain large quantities of natural toxins which are actually “anti-nutrients”. These anti-nutrients block enzymes that are necessary for digestion and absorption of nutrients.

The natural toxins in soy can also produce serious digestive difficulties digesting proteins and amino acids. Some of the natural toxins in soybeans are growth inhibitors, and since they block nutrient absorption, soy should never be fed to children and babies, even though soy based baby formula has been used for years as a milk substitute.

Soybeans and other legumes contain large amounts of a substance called phytic acid. Phytic acid can be found in hulls of many beans or seeds. It blocks essential minerals–calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and especially zinc from being absorbed.

Soybeans typically contain one of the highest phytate levels of any legume, and even long, slow heating or cooking will not get rid of this substance. Only certain fermenting techniques will remove this nutrient blocker. Phytate content can also be reduced by eating meat with the soy. In many oriental dishes, soy is often consumed in a meal that has meat as a part of the menu.

So then, if you are a vegetarian, eating tofu and soy products as a substitute for meat and protein will most likely cause you to have nutritional deficiencies. Not only does the risk of B12 deficiency go way up, but mineral deficiencies are very common as well. Zinc, calcium, magnesium and iron deficiencies are all very common, but zinc deficiency is usually the worst.

Mineral deficiencies may show up as unnatural cravings for foods like chocolate, and other less-than-healthy foods, like.
Zinc is necessary for a strong immune system and also plays a role in intelligence and behavior, because it is needed for proper functioning of the brain and nervous system. Zinc is very important to protein synthesis and collagen formation; it is involved in blood-sugar control, and it is needed for a healthy reproductive system.

Soy is now the number one Genetically Engineered crop in the US. In fact 90% of the soy in the food supply is genetically modified soy. GM soy causes major issues like infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, and scary changes in the cellular structure of major organs. And the antibiotic resistant genes in soy may be responsible for contributing to to new ‘superbugs’.

Children are the most susceptible to the harmful effects of soy and GMO foods. GMO soy has been tied to an increase in allergies, asthma, and a propensity to get antibiotic resistant infections.

Soy protein isolate, (SPI) is the often primary protein component in many soy foods, or protein supplements, as well as baby formulas and some brands of soy milk. What is soy protein isolate? Don’t be fooled, this is not a naturally occurring part of soy. Soybeans are made into a slurry and combined with an alkaline solution to remove the fiber, and then separated using an acid wash and,  finally, neutralized in an alkaline solution.

The acid washing process is done in aluminum tanks, which leach aluminum into the soy products. Soy curds are spray-dried at high temperatures to produce a protein powder. This high temperature, high-pressure process then creates TVP or textured vegetable (or soy) protein. The high temperature processing actually denatures the protein, making it virtually useless.

Nitrites (a potent cancer-causing agent–the same ones that are in processed meats like bacon and salami) are created in the spray drying process, and a toxin called lysinoalanine is formed during the alkaline processing. Does soy still sound like the healthy super food you thought it was?

Soy protein isolate used be a waste product of soy processing. Now, it is transformed from unappetizing by-products into something that will be consumed by human beings. Added flavorings, preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers and synthetic nutrients change soy protein isolate, into a seemingly delicious manufactured food.

Experiments using soy protein isolate created deficiencies of vitamins E, D, B12, calcium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum, copper, iron and zinc. The test animals also developed an enlarged pancreas and thyroid gland, and fatty livers.

You don’t have to be a vegetarian to be eating soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein. These products are heavily used in school lunch programs, commercial baked goods, diet foods and fast food products, as well as meat substitutes, protein powders, meal replacement shakes, and energy bars. Many third world countries use soy as a main part of food giveaway programs to starving people.

Soy also contains plant estrogens that disrupt the natural balance of hormones in the body. And if you are a man, do you want to be eating or drinking soy products loaded with substances that mimic female hormones, and lower testosterone? High soy consumption an actually contribute to male breast growth, aka – “man boobs” (gynecomastia). Soy’s phytoestrogens can be potentially harmful to women as well, upsetting the delicate natural balance of female hormone.

Excess amounts of soy given to young children and babies can also actually disrupt their sex hormones creating feminine traits in males and females. Unfortunately soy based baby formulas are frequently given to babies as a substitute for milk based formulas.

Soy also interferes with the body’s ability to process the thyroid hormone, a key hormone in metabolism, energy. and fat burning ability. In studies of women who consumed even small quantities of soy, thyroid function was shown to be greatly reduced.

Soy is one of the top ten food allergens, and some rate it fifth or sixth highest of allergenic foods. Allergic reactions to soy are increasingly common, ranging from mild to life threatening, especially due to the fact that most all soy is now genetically modified.

Soy is still being marketed to health-conscious consumers, although it is beginning to lose some of its popularity. While the media and soy producers have created an image in the public’s mind of soy as a healthy ‘natural’ superfood, and a supposedly healthy way to escape the so-called evils of saturated fat and cholesterol, in reality, it is far worse.

Don’t be deceived by clever marketing, soy is not a healthy addition to your diet. Avoid soy!

Addicted to Food?

Are you addicted and don’t know it? From time to time, we all stray off of our normal ‘healthy’ or weight loss diet. It’s not a big deal unless you have trouble getting back on track…

doughnut-junk food lgAre you addicted and don’t know it?

From time to time, we all stray off of our normal ‘healthy’ or weight loss diet. It’s not a big deal unless you have trouble getting back on track. Did you know you can have hidden addictions to foods that you eat on a regular basis? These addictions can be as strong as nicotine to a smoker or heroin to a junkie.

For most people, it’s foods containing sugar, grains (especially wheat), and dairy products. While these foods seem to be everywhere, they are also actually highly addictive. And don’t be fooled for a second in thinking that food manufacturers don’t know this little factoid, and do their best to put sugar, wheat and dairy in as many things as they can.

These foods can stimulate opiate-like receptors in the brain, and your body actually responds to these foods just as it would heroin or morphine. The opiate-like ingredients in dairy and wheat are proteins, which coincidentally are also known to be highly allergenic. In dairy, that protein is casein, and in wheat, it is gluten.

These proteins trigger the release of exorphins (very similar to endorphins) that go straight to the brain and create a feeling of instant comfort and pleasure. Think of all the combinations of dairy and wheat that people love and consider as comfort foods, or foods they can’t live without: macaroni and cheese, pizza, bagels and cream cheese, cookies and milk, grilled cheese sandwiches, and on and on.

Are sugar, wheat and dairy your weakness? Think about it. Maybe you weren’t even aware of that addiction.

The tough thing about straying off your diet and eating foods with wheat, dairy or sugar makes it especially difficult to get back on track. You become addicted. And just like the heroin junkie who thinks he can have “just a little”—once you’re off track, it becomes exceptionally difficult to break free from these foods’ grasp.

The interesting thing about wheat and dairy is that most often if you find you have a hard time living without, or staying away from these foods, you most likely are allergic to those proteins—the gluten and the casein. And I don’t mean the kind of allergy that makes you break out in hives, and or makes your throat swell, but it is often an allergy, nonetheless.

What do these allergic reactions cause? Inflammation in the form of stuff like bloating, weight gain, (usually excess water) stomachaches, sinus and nasal drainage, earaches, irritability, depression, fatigue, brain fog, ADHD, acne, joint pain, headaches….and non-stop eating.

This vicious cycle of allergy and addiction can interfere with digestion and your body’s ability to extract nutrients from food. It also affects the immune system, helping to magnify allergies, and weaken it’s defense system, so you become more susceptible to viruses, bacteria, and yeast overgrowth.

Ironically, the very foods that you just cannot live without are usually the same foods that cause some of the worst reactions, and cause you to overeat. So you are caught in an allergy-addiction cycle.

Think about it.

Have you ever eaten a bowl of cereal and as you are eating it, you get hungrier and hungrier? Next thing you know you’ve eaten three bowls of cereal. Have you ever said, “I just can’t live without my bagels? Or “My pasta”? You need bread and butter at every meal, or just can’t stop when you eat crackers and cheese? Is your favorite comfort food ice cream or pudding?

Take a look at what you are eating…addiction often lurks in your daily habits.

Does this mean you’re weak? Do you lack willpower? No. It’s just that these addictive substances are wreaking their havoc on you and your best laid dietary plans.

Many ‘diets’ actually contain a built-in plan to fail if they contain dairy, wheat or sugar. How many times have you heard the standard “Eat whole grains and lots of dairy” instruction? Some of the most popular diet plans like Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig all contain moderate amounts of the big three addictive allergens—wheat, dairy, and sugar. This should come as no surprise. They want consumers to keep coming back and buying more of this stuff.

Having an allergy-addiction to any one or more of these substances is a little like an alcoholic thinking it’s ok to have just a small glass of wine or beer, instead a big one. What would you guess is going to happen at some point? That small portion grows or becomes more and more frequent.

The best solution to break free of the addiction/allergy cycle is to eliminate wheat, sugar and dairy from your diet altogether. While may sound somewhat extreme, you will be amazed at how much easier it becomes to stick to a healthy diet that keeps you at your optimal weight.

If giving up bread or milk makes you feel anxious and deprived, I can sympathize. I too, was once addicted to bread, milk and sugar as well. I’d try to cut back and cut calories to lose weight, only to end up on a (coffee cake, cookie, bagel, cinnamon toast) wheat binge after a few days.

I tried to eat less only to be on that same Merry-go-Round of addiction and overeating. I gained weight, and I felt awful. It wasn’t until I actually tried a two-week elimination diet, that I realized how fantastic and energetic I felt once I had gotten totally away from those foods.

This blog will go into the details of an elimination diet, but basically you totally remove wheat, dairy and any other foods you feel you just can’t live without. Then you re-introduce them, one at a time, and observe your reactions over a period of 24-48 hours

I’ve kinda developed and evolved a dietary strategy that helps me get back on track after a few days of this type of dietary disaster. I’d like to share that with you and hopefully you will be able to adopt this and find success as I have.

First of all, the best thing to do is to go ‘cold turkey’. Take the offenders out of your diet, totally. Remember the alcoholic with the small glass of wine? It doesn’t work. Take it all out—the sugar, the wheat and grains (other grains contain addictive gluten-like substances as well), and the dairy.

Then plan out your meals for the next couple days. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but make it super healthy and high fiber. You’re doing a mini detox basically.

Surround yourself with awesome superfood veggies that are brilliant and brightly colored and will make you feel so spectacular that you won’t want to go back to those addictive foods. Add in some top quality protein and good fats and you’re golden. Cravings go away when you give your body what it truly needs.

So the idea is to load your body up with a ton of powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, powerful nutrition to overcome the toxic load you’ve put in your body. And you want to have a lot of veggies in there that will feed your body what it needs and help to clean house as well.

So I generally plan on a few humongous salads with a good portion of healthy protein added in—free range chicken, grass fed beef, or some wild-caught fish, like salmon.

TAKEAWAY #1

Wheat, Dairy and Sugar are addictive substances, and for many people they produce an allergic, inflammatory reaction in addition to the addiction, making it extremely difficult to eat ‘just a little’. Meanwhile, you make it harder to lose weight and mess with your health.

TAKEAWAY #2

AVOID Wheat, Dairy and Sugar all the time. Avoid all processed, packaged foods and especially avoid “Diet” foods. Just an alcoholic cannot drink once in a while, neither can you eat this stuff “once in a while”.

TAKEWAY #3

When you get off track, quit the grains, sugar and dairy, COLD TURKEY, and arm yourself with a healthy diet plan for the next few days. Load up on veggies and healthy proteins and let your body detox this crap out. You’ll feel better quickly! Have a plan, and have some healthy meals lined up and you will feel satisfied and ‘clean’ again in no time.

Stay healthy and lean, my friends!!

cat

 

 

 

Find out what foods age you the fastest and how to reverse aging here.

The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging

Cat profile close upSM Paleo Carrot & Apple MuffinsCatherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. 

Cat’s  book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

                           Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.

                                Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hidden Food Addictions Can Make You GAIN Weight

Think—what foods do you eat day in, and day out on a regular basis? Foods eaten daily can often cause chronic health problems. Would you believe that the majority of people have some hidden food sensitivities?

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Think—what foods do you eat day in, and day out on a regular basis?

Often these may not even be foods you realize you are eating, but exist as ingredients in many packaged foods. Foods and food substances, eaten every day can often cause chronic health problems like weight gain, puffiness, inflammation—and even more serious health conditions like migraine headaches, arthritis, osteoporosis, neuropathy, bladder infections and other illnesses associated with long-term nutrient deficiencies.

One of the most overlooked and least understood parts of diet is food allergies and sensitivities. Did you know that a large percentage of the population has food sensitivities and don’t know it? Many allergies and sensitivities come are actually food addictions.

Food allergies or sensitivities do not always occur as a big, full-blown allergic reaction with hives, shortness of breath and anaphylactic reactions. Often these food reactions can occur on a ‘sub-clinical’ level without obvious symptoms. But not always obvious is the inflammation and reaction on the cellular level.

As surprising as it sounds, it is possible to be both allergic and addicted to a food or chemical substance—and this is often the case. The two things go hand in hand.

This sets up cravings with both physiological (physical) and psychological (mental or emotional) discomfort, withdrawal symptoms and cravings when the offending food is not available.

While there often is a much longer list, the top offenders are usually foods that contain wheat, dairy, corn or soy. And if you think about it, its pretty hard to avoid these foods as they are the ingredients in many, many processed or packaged foods—and often disguised as ingredients you may not recognize.

What happens in a food sensitivity reaction? Foods that are partially digested leak through the cell wall of the intestinal lining. Then the undigested particles of food are attacked by the immune system as if they are foreign invaders.

When the immune system is activated, our bodies react in a similar way to fighting off a virus or bacterial invasion. The ability to fight other infections drops, inflammation in the body goes up and some kind of reaction takes place. Often it is a chronic reaction because the offending food is eaten every day.

When reactions occur to foods that are eaten on a regular day-to-day basis, there is constant chronic inflammation that can manifest as a variety of symptoms.

Part of the weight gained from food allergies is fluid retention caused by inflammation and the release of certain hormones. In addition, some foods do not break down and digest properly–particularly carbohydrate–in the intestines which can result in a swollen distended belly, indigestion, and gas production.

Eating these foods actually creates a physiological reaction in the body similar to way we would react to an addictive drug like cocaine or heroin. Foods can release substances in the body that create an almost euphoric high. This reaction is just like when an addict gets “high”.  Endorphins and other hormones are released, the body reacts and then withdraws.

And guess what? All addictions have the same type of reaction – whether cigarettes, coffee, heroin, corn, wheat, milk or other foods. Both addictive and allergic responses to a food allergy can cause uncontrollable eating behavior. Every hear someone say they just can’t live without their _________ (fill in the blank here–bread, pasta, milk, etc.) ?

And it’s not just hives or a rash that come from the allergy-addiction syndrome. Most any chronic physical problem can come from a low grade food allergy. As Dr. Ellen Grant reported in the medical journal, Lancet, 85% of people who suffer from migraines could be symptom-free if they eliminated common food allergens. And, there is also strong evidence that chronic arthritis, asthma and diabetes may be caused by allergic reactions as well.

Huge numbers of people have hidden food allergies, which are manifested in the form of addictions. And the misleading thing is that food allergy reactions are not always immediate and severe (as in the case of hives, shortness of breath and other life threatening symptoms), but often reactions are very subtle and delayed for 24-48 hours, making it difficult to trace back to a particular food.

Food allergies and sensitivities can cause symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, heartburn, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, sinusitis, irritability, yeast infections, migraines, rashes, psoriasis, acne, anxiety, depression, insomnia, PMS and more. Chronic food allergies can affect virtually any system in the body.

Often one of the best ways to detect a food sensitivity or delayed allergy reaction is to look at the foods that you eat every day, all the time. Can you go without them? Think about it–if you cannot live without your daily bread, bagel, cereal, etc., its highly possible you have a sensitivity to that food and is most likely it is causing an inflammatory reaction in your body.

What’s the solution? Anyone who is trying to lose weight or has any kind of chronic health condition should look at food allergies or sensitivities. Become suspicious if you eat a particular food every day—and that includes most of us—or if you have a favorite food that you eat often or crave. Pay attention when you are eating—are there certain foods you just cannot get enough of?

Since the most common offenders are wheat, corn, soy and dairy products, the first step is an elimination diet.  Remove all the foods that contain wheat, corn, soy and dairy from your diet for a minimum period of two weeks.

That means reading every label and scrutinizing everything you are eating. Most processed or packaged foods contain these ingredients in some form, so eating simple one-ingredient natural foods is the easiest way to avoid the allergens—and it’s far healthier as well. So for example, eat an apple instead of something out of a box.

It’s important to note that wheat is the primary content of most all flours (except gluten free) and prepared items, so that means cutting out most all breads—whether its whole wheat, rye or white; pastas, crackers, cookies, cereals, and more. However, it’s pretty easy now to find plenty of wheat and gluten free items to substitute–but watch out for added corn in gluten free items.

Wheat and corn starch are also commonly used as thickeners in sauces and gravies as well, so beware when eating prepared soups or eating out when sauces are served with foods.

Doing an elimination diet is NOT easy. You may feel intense cravings the first 24-48 hours after you start and you could begin to feel sick as your body detoxes the offending substances out of your body.

But–if you stick with it–4 or 5 days into the diet, you may suddenly feel like a brand new person!  Your energy will rebound, you will have sparkling mental clarity, and smooth glowing skin. Not only that, but many lose 5-10 pounds in 4-5 days! As you continue on the diet, you may also continue to lose weight, since you are not overeating certain foods to get your ‘fix’.

After the two weeks, slowly re-introduce the allergenic foods, one at a time. Try adding wheat back in for one full day, then wait 2 more days to record any delayed symptoms. When you add in a food, eat it at all three meals to get the full reaction. You may be really shocked!

Food allergies and sensitivities have been ignored by most medical doctors. Because no pharmaceuticals are involved,doctors don’t tend to diagnose or treat health conditions with elimination diet.

The simplest answer to food allergies and sensitivities is to eat pure, natural, whole foods like grass fed meats, fresh fruits and vegetables with ONE ingredient, and avoid processed, packaged convenience foods and fast foods with multiple ingredients.

Removing foods that you are allergic or sensitive to can have life changing benefits. You can actually change health issues such as depression and anxiety, improve your sleep, have better digestion, clearer skin, reduce asthma, stop eczema and psoriasis,  and end arthritis and joint pain, and more. It’s really worth the effort.

To get help for an elimination/detox diet, contact me at Cat (at) simplesmartnutrition(dot) com. I can help you–I’ve been there!

Till next time,

Stay healthy and lean!

 

 

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN,is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

Her mission is to help others prevent disease, lose weight, and live their best life ever.
Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

The Fat Burning Kitchen will get you started on the path to a healthy diet, weight loss and vibrant health.You will notice a difference in the first 24 hours! Learn about the so-called ‘health’ foods you may be eating that are actually ruining your health, and causing you to gain weight. And find out the best, fat-burning super-powered nutritious foods to eat to lose fat, gain boundless energy, and feel better than you ever have!

3 ‘Healthy’ Foods to Stop Eating

 

Historically, humans consumed over 80,000 species of edible plants, animals, and fungi, but in our modern dietary world, the average American gets almost 70% of their caloric intake from THREE foods!

And those foods have been pushed as ‘healthy’ but they are actually leading us to multiple chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes–as well as obesity.

What are these so-called ‘healthy foods’ we need to stop eating?

3 ‘healthy foods to stop eating

You’ll see in that article what these 3 foods are, and why it is NOT a good idea to obtain 67% of your caloric intake from only 3 foods. 

This article also has 7 great tips on how to how to eat to get lean for life from fitness and nutrition specialist, Mike Geary.

 

3 Healthy Foods to Stop Eating

 

Till next time,
Stay healthy and lean!

 

cat A Superfood That Improves Athletic Performance and Recovery, Burns Fat, and Helps Your Love Life Too!

DSC 6815 A Superfood That Improves Athletic Performance and Recovery, Burns Fat, and Helps Your Love Life Too! Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.  

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

 

 

 

 

Never Eat These Fruits and Vegetables!

The Dirty Dozen

We see the organic produce in the grocery store and farmer’s markets, but is it really worth the higher price we have to pay?

Aren’t we just paying for expensive food?

Choosing organic foods is a wise decision not only because these foods are lower in harmful pesticides which can be neurotoxins, lead to cancer and other diseases, and mess up our hormones; but also because organic foods contain more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, and not genetically modified.

A new report issued by the President’s Cancer Panel even recommends organic produce to lower the risk of cancer and other diseases.

Fruits and vegetables can sit in a field for up to six months during their growing phase so that anything that is sprayed on them will actually get soaked up into the roots.

You cannot wash off many of these pesticides and chemicals.

While it would be nice to purchase and eat everything organic, sometimes this can become an expensive venture. For those of us who must stick to a budget, avoiding the worst offenders is a better answer.

The “Dirty Dozen” list is put together every year by the Environmental Working Group shows the fruits and vegetables that are the most highly sprayed. The group analyzes data from the Department of Agriculture about pesticide residue and ranks foods based on how much or little pesticide residue they have.

When conventionally grown, the fruits and veggies on this list showed at least 47 different chemicals, with some having 67 or more.

Do you want to eat poison? No thanks.

Researchers say eating certain types of organic produce can reduce the amount of toxins we consume on a daily basis by as much as 80 percent.

So next time you go grocery shopping, avoid these conventionally raised fruits or vegetables at all costs:

Apples
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Blueberries
Nectarines
Sweet Bell Peppers
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported Grapes
Lettuce and Spinach
Kale and Collard Greens    

However, the following list are vegetables and fruit that are relatively safe if even you purchase the conventionally grown, non-organic type.

Onions
Avocados
Sweet corn
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet Peas
Asparagus
Kiwi fruit
Cabbage
Eggplant
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Grapefruit
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Onions

Buying locally grown produce also helps to cut back on pesticides, plus you get fresher fruits and vegetables.

And buying local and in season is your best bet for the safest, freshest, and best tasting produce, and the least expensive option.

Till next time, Stay Healthy and Lean!

 

 

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled “The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation” that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.  

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

 

 

 

Agave-A Healthy Sweetener or Fat Fuel?

Is Agave the New “Healthy” Sweetener?

Agave syrup has been advertised as a new “healthy” sweetener that is low glycemic, good for weight loss, and better for you than either regular sugar (sucrose) or high fructose corn syrup.

And sales of agave syrup have skyrocketed in the last few years.

But is it really that much healthier? No, not so much.

What is agave?

Agave is an exotic plant that is a member of the yucca family that grows in the tropical heat of Mexico. It has been used for thousands of years by the Mayans in herbal remedies to help with indigestion, bowel irregularity, and skin wounds. Fermented agave juice is the familiar alcoholic beverage, tequila.

The agave industry would like you to think that agave nectar is a very natural product that goes straight from the plant to a jar and is a healthy, natural sweetener great for weight loss, but this is not really the case.

Agave syrup has been deceptively marketed as a ‘health food’ and it most certainly is not.

The truth is, agave nectar or agave syrup is not a natural sweetener at all, but a highly refined type of fructose sweetener—very similar to the common sweetener, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Depending upon where the agave comes from and the way it is processed, agave syrup can be anywhere from 50-90% fructose!

Guess what?? High fructose corn syrup is about 55% fructose, the rest glucose.

Yep, you heard that right–almost the same exact composition as agave syrup! So that doesn’t make agave syrup a good choice if you’re hoping to avoid the high levels of fructose in HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).

Ok, so what is wrong with fructose?

Isn’t that the sugar that is found in fruit? Well yes, and no.

There is a huge difference between how our bodies handle the natural fructose in fruit and the highly refined unnatural fructose in sweeteners. The fructose eaten in the form of fruit is in its natural form along with lots of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, and is way different than the concentrated, refined fructose in agave syrup.

When fructose is extracted from fruit, concentrated and made into a sweetener, it wreaks havoc with your metabolism.

Don’t be fooled by agave syrup’s reputation as a great weight loss sweetener. It is not low calorie—in fact it has about the same number of calories as regular table sugar. And while it is often marketed as “low glycemic”, it still contributes to weight gain.

According to most research, fructose, more than any other kind of sugar, contributes not only to insulin resistance, but it raises blood levels of triglycerides (a risk factor for heart disease) in both obese and healthy people.

Triglycerides are a form of fat in the blood, and are stored in the body as excess body fat.

Elevated triglycerides (a key marker for heart disease), contribute to clogged arteries and increased inflammation. Fructose also has a greater propensity than other sugars to increase abdominal fat, which then elevates the risk for diabetes, heart disease and metabolic syndrome.

And the fructose, like that in agave, is most often linked to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

So, if you need to lose weight, fructose is a sweetener you will definitely want to avoid, especially in its refined form.

And if that’s not enough, here are a few other good reasons to avoid agave:

• Eating sweeteners in the form of fructose (both agave and HFCS) doubles advanced glycation end products, (AGE's), which are harmful chemical byproducts that age (no pun intended) the human body.

• Yucca species, together with other agaves, are known to contain large quantities of saponins. Saponins are toxic steroid derivatives, and should be avoided during pregnancy because they might contribute to miscarriage.

These toxins have negative effects on non-pregnant people as well. They can destroy red blood cells, and are especially harmful to people taking statins (cholesterol medicine) and high blood pressure drugs.

• Poor quality control and pesticides. There are very few quality controls in place to monitor farming and production of agave syrup. Most agave sold in the U.S. comes from Mexico. There is concern that agave producers are using other more toxic species of agave plants due to a shortage of blue agave and the agave is heavily sprayed with pesticides.

• Some agave syrups contain a contaminant called hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF, also called 5-hydroxymethyl furfural), an organic heat-formed compound that forms during the refining process of both agave syrup and HFCS. HMF has possible toxic and carcinogenic effects on humans. HMF is also extremely toxic to honey bees.

• Agave syrup is not a whole food–it is refined and processed; devoid of the nutrients contained in the original, whole plant.

Bottom line—agave syrup or agave nectar is NOT the healthy alternative to high fructose corn syrup or sugar.

Nor is it a good sweetener for fat burning or weight loss.

If you are looking for a low calorie, healthy and natural sweetener, use Stevia, or  use raw honey or maple syrup (although not low calorie) in small amounts.

 

Till next time, stay healthy and lean!

 

 

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled "The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation" that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.

               Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

       Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.


 

Sources:

Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS, Jeannette Bessinger, “Agave Health Claim Doesn't Match Its Hype;

Prickly Health Problems Arise from Agave Nectar Sweeteners” Bottom Line’s Daily Health News, March 8, 2010. Bottomlinesecrets.com

Joseph Mercola, “Agave: A Triumph of Marketing over Truth”, July 2, 2009. Mercola.com Joseph Mercola, “Shocking! This 'Tequila' Sweetener is Far Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup”, March 30, 2010.

Mercola.com Joseph Mercola, “Is this Popular Natural Sweetener Worse than High Fructose Corn Syrup?” July 3, 2010.

Mercola.com Morell SF and Nagel R. , "Agave nectar: Worse than we thought," April 30, 2009.

Weston A. Price Foundation. Westonaprice.org Carr C. "Agave’s sweet spot," January 31, 2009. Time Magazine.

Which is Best: Cows’ Milk, Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Or…?

 

 

“What’s the Best Kind of Milk to Drink?”

I hear this question often, and I know there are a lot of choices out there as far as milk and milk alternatives go, so I thought I would share what my good friend, fitness and nutrition expert, Mike Geary says about this topic. Mike, as you may know co-authored, The Fat Burning Kitchen and is also the author of the best selling ebookThe Truth About Abs”, so I trust his opinion.

Here’s what Mike has to say about milk:

If you have already read The Fat Burning Kitchen, you may already know that drinking regular, conventional pasteurized milk is not the healthiest choice.

We're talking about regular milk (no matter whether it's skim, 2%, or whole) that you get at the grocery store — which is almost ALL from factory farms where the cows are kept in horrendous conditions, poor health, and fed an unnatural diet that makes them sick.

Even if you find milk that is "organic" at your grocery store, it still has the problem that the homogenization process renders the fat molecules unhealthy within your body, and pasteurization that destroys the beneficial enzymes that help the proper digestion of milk proteins and lactose. Pasteurization also radically alters the milk protein molecule, causing allergic reactions in some who may be sensitive to dairy.

Raw, whole milk from grass-fed cows raised in a healthy manner, fed the correct foods, and treated right, is the ONLY healthy source dairy milk. 

And despite the propaganda against it, raw milk is NOT dangerous… not when it comes from a clean grass-fed farm operation certified to produce raw milk with healthy cows.

I'm living proof of that fact… I've been drinking hundreds and hundreds of gallons of raw whole milk for about 8 years now, and never once have gotten sick from it.  Nor have any of the families and friends I know who have been drinking it for years.  Certainly, if raw milk was "dangerous", we'd all be dead by now or at least have been sick multiple times by now.  But the answer to that is, no-not even once!

But for many people, drinking raw milk may not be an option, because they simply can't find a farm in their area that supplies raw milk.  You can search for raw milk near you by going to www.realmilk.com to see if any farms deliver in your area.

For those with dairy allergies or lactose intolerance, raw milk is tolerated much better, but some may still be allergic or lactose intolerant to dairy.

What are the alternatives?

How about soymilk?

Soymilk was the big thing a few years ago, but it's really not the healthy choice it once seemed. It's really just junk! Read this about soy and you may be shocked.

What about Rice Milk?

No!  Way too much sugar and total carbs and almost ZERO protein. It’s not too different from sugar water. If you want to shoot your blood sugar through the roof, rice milk will do the job, and will pack on the blubber just as fast.

What about almond milk?

Actually, I don't have a problem with almond milk as long as it's not heavily sweetened with added sugars or artificial sweeteners.  I've seen almond milk brands that have unsweetened versions and only has 1 gram of sugar per 8oz, just like the coconut milk.  These unsweetened almond milks are actually pretty tasty… I think a bit better tasting than the coconut milk drinks in my opinion.

The only problem with almond milk is that it is very low in protein similar to the coconut milk drink. 

Here's one of the best options I've found…

It's a new "Coconut Milk Beverage" that I've seen recently in the grocery stores here in the US. It seems to differ from the "coconut milk" that you see in cans simply that it's diluted down with water more than canned coconut milk, which usually has more of a thick coconut cream consistency. 

Side note:  try the thick creamy canned coconut milk (organic of course) in your coffee for a healthy creamer alternative… delicious!

As you may already know, coconut fat is one of the healthiest fats you can consume… Yes, it's saturated fat, but research has proven that it is a very healthy form of saturated fat, and is made up of mostly medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are burned quickly as energy–not stored—and lauric acid, which supports a strong immune system.

If you want more info about why saturated fat is actually healthy, here are 2 articles to check out:

Why saturated fat is not so bad after all

The truth about saturated fat (written by a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry)

Back to the healthy milk alternatives…

The flavored "coconut milk beverages" do have some added sugar, but still only have 9 grams of carbs per 8 oz, which is less sugar than a glass of cows’ milk.

There is also an unsweetened version, which only has 1 gram of carbs.

The only problem is that this "coconut milk beverage" only has 1 gram of protein too.  This is one place where this milk is lacking, nutritionally.

So here's the solution… get a good quality vanilla whey protein, preferably grass-fed whey protein (sweetened with stevia instead of typical artificial sweeteners) and mix 3-4 scoops of whey protein into an entire half gallon carton of "coconut milk beverage"… possibly in a blender and then transfer to a new pitcher or container of some sort.

Now you have a milk alternative that's high in healthy fats (fat burning MCTs in this case) and also quality protein, with only 1 gram of sugar per 8 oz serving!

I still won't give up my raw whole cows milk for this (since I do have access to a good raw milk farm)… but this coconut milk mixture would be one of the only options that I would actually drink if I couldn't get my good raw milk.

And one of the newest alternative milk beverages out there now, is hemp milk. So is hemp milk ok? Hemp milk contains healthy fats omega 3 and 6, is low carb and comes sweetened or unsweetened.

Adding the whey protein to hemp milk or almond milk would make a great mixture too and make it more balanced as a good healthy milk alternative as well.

 

If you liked Mike’s information, click below to see more great nutrition and fat burning information from him:

 5 Foods That Fight Abdominal Fat

 

Till next time,

Stay healthy lean and energetic 🙂

 

 

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back to basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled "The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation" that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.   

Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.

What about Frozen Yogurt?

 
 
 
Have you joined the newest frozen 'treat' craze?
 
I'm talking about frozen yogurt. It seems there's a new frozen yogurt place opening on every street corner lately. And, not only do they try to come across as delivering "smart and healthy" treats, some of these places try to sound even healthier with flavors like "Dr. Coconut" and "Dr. Green Tea".
 
The idea behind the marketing of all these places is that frozen yogurt is great as a "diet" food, and it is also good for your health–making you skinnier and addressing health flaws from bad eyesight to wrinkles and more.
 
It even comes as "fat-free", "sugar-free", and infused with vitamins and antioxidants as well.
 
Well, it sounds good doesn't it?
 
Health fanatics have been smugly spooning up the stuff like crazy!
 
Do you know what's really is in frozen yogurt?
 
Well, most people think it is just that. Frozen. Yogurt.  Isn't that healthy?
 
It sounds like it should be…
 
Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this stuff is kinda one of those sneaky so-called 'diet' foods that actually makes you fat…
 
In fact if you look at the ingredients of this frozen concoction offered by some of the bigger chains (and most all frozen yogurt is made with the same basic ingredients), you will see that the primary ingredients are sugar of some form and milk.
 
In spite of all the health claims, frozen yogurt is basically a sugary, processed dairy dessert with some probiotics and yogurt powder thrown in to make it seem healthier.
 
Unfortunately, however, it flunks as a low calorie, fat burning dessert.
 
While specific ingredients and amounts vary from brand to brand, and from chain to chain, most frozen yogurt contains nonfat milk and dried milk, yogurt powder, sweeteners in several forms including corn syrup, maltodextrin (from corn) dextrose (from corn), fructose and more; milk solids, emulsifiers like mono and diglycerides, propylene glycol esters, guar gum and other thickeners, natural and artificial flavoring and coloring (even when the yogurt is white).
 
The tangy frozen yogurt flavor comes from the strains of lactobacillus bulgaricus and streptococcus thermophilous, though the bacteria only makes up about one percent of the ingredients. And, really, ice cream is made from the same basic ingredients as frozen yogurt; it's just that ice cream does not contain the bacteria cultures.
 
As you can see from the ingredients list, frozen yogurt is basically just lower fat ice cream with extra sugar, thickeners, and some yogurt powder with probiotics thrown in for good measure.
 
Do the probiotics somehow make it healthier?
 
Seriously, just because there are probiotics in something doesn't make it a 'health' food!
 
People who wouldn't dare eat ice cream have no qualms about eating massive amounts of frozen yogurt on a regular basis–thinking they are doing their bodies good, when in reality they are just making their blood sugar go crazy–and contributing to weight gain.
 
Yogurt compared to ice cream is basically what "low fat" snacks are to regular snacks.
 
Removing the fat and adding in more sugar does not make it healthier or a better diet food.
 
It's actually worse, since all that sugar raises your blood sugar, stimulates your insulin response, makes you store calories as fat, and makes you hungrier later.
 
The trouble with foods like frozen yogurt, which are sometimes labeled "low fat" "diet" or "healthy," is that people sometimes think they can consume large portions because they APPEAR to be less fattening, and therein lies the problem–this stuff is NOT less fattening!
 
It is very fattening and high glycemic (raises the blood sugar and causes calories to be stored as fat). Even worse, there is a "sugar free" version out there! It's usually sweetened with toxic artificial sweeteners like NutraSweet or Splenda.
 
You're not doing yourself or your body any favors with that stuff.

When an ice cream craving hits, it's probably better to satisfy it with a small amount of the REAL thing and avoid the frozen yogurt craze all together.
 
Truth is, if you are regularly eating a healthy, fat burning diet and eating healthy fat burning foods like you'll find in The Fat Burning Kitchen Program, exercising, and avoiding sugary processed foods 99% of the time, you are better off with a small serving of REAL ice cream. (Just make sure it's the all-natural kind without corn syrup, fillers and preservatives).
 
The butterfat in ice cream gives it that creamy flavor and so a smaller amount should be more satisfying than sugary, processed, low fat, frozen yogurt–probiotics or not.
 
And butterfat contains CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which is a potent anti-cancer and fat-burning type of fat.
 
Just remember, moderation is the key.
 
Better yet, if you are really craving something smooth and creamy, but want to stick to a good fat burning diet, try this instead, and you won't even have to feel guilty a bit:
 
Coconut Cream "Ice Cream"
 
Ingredients
 
1 can unsweetened coconut cream/milk (the full fat kind) 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 tsp cinnamon Small amount of Stevia to taste or raw honey or maple syrup if you prefer
 
Directions
 
Puree in food processor.
 
Make in an ice cream maker according to directions, or pour into ice cube trays and freeze 4 or more hours. If making in ice cube trays, remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving and puree again and serve.
 
This is extra good sprinkled with some nuts or toasted unsweetened shredded coconut. See more delicious fat burning recipes in the new "Fat Burning Kitchen Superfoods Recipe book " coming soon!
 
Take care and stay healthy and lean!
 

America’s Feedlot?

 

Have you ever stopped to think that America is turning into one big gigantic feedlot–but WE are the cattle?

The American public is now living on a diet that consists mostly of corn, wheat, and soy products, very very similar to commercially raised cattle, chickens, and fish.

These industrialized big business agricultural products have been pushed into our food supply in thousands of insidious ways.

Starting with the thousands of packaged, processed items available at the grocery store, all the way back to the feed for commercially raised meats–it seems that corn, wheat and soy are on the ingredient list in some form if you look long enough.

Our diet is way out of whack.

It's far too heavily weighted with grain, and grain-based food products  and grain-fed meat, poultry, dairy, fish and eggs as well.

At least a third or more of your local supermarket’s 45,000 or so ingredients have corn, wheat or soy products or their derivatives in them.

The tricky part is the derivatives do not always say they come from corn, wheat or soy.

The biggest offender is corn. 

Corn is THE most abundant grain produced in America by far!

There is the ever-present high fructose corn syrup, cornstarch, corn flour, corn bran, dextrose, and much less obvious– leavenings and lecithin, mono-, di-, and triglycerides, the golden coloring added to foods, and even citric acid can all be derived from corn and corn bi-products.

Corn is milled, refined and restructured, and can become an amazing number of things, from ethanol for the gas tank to dozens of edible and not-so-edible food products.

Consider the thickeners in milkshakes, hydrogenated oil in margarine, modified cornstarch that binds the unrecognizeable meat in a chicken McNugget.

And then there is the unavoidable sweetener, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

This sneaky sweetener has invaded every nook and cranny of the food system.

Sadly, the commercial food industry has done a great job convincing the public that those 45,000 different items in the grocery store are real variety in food instead of clever rearrangements of the same basic ingredients with come chemical flavorings and food coloring to make it all different.

We have unknowingly become trapped in our own feedlots, and now are becoming a country of obese, sick  and apathetic people who care nothing about nutritional quality and the source of our food—simply because, “It tastes good.”

Unfortunately this very dysfunctional food system has also supersized appetites and created food addictions for the sweet and starchy artificially flavored 'food' creating big dollars for food companies in spite of the serious cost to our health and well-being.

And in America, most all conventionally raised meat can be traced back to corn: turkeys, chickens, pigs, and even cows (which would be far healthier and happier eating grass) are forced into eating corn.

Even our farmed fish supply is now becoming corn-fed, like the carnivorous salmon.

All of these grain raised meat then lose their natural nutrition and become full  of unhealthy, disease-causing fats.

There is a way to see exactly how much of your diet is from corn:

Corn has a very specific carbon structure which can be traced in any animal that consumes it.

If you compared a hair sample from an average American and a Mexican who eats a diet high in corn, you would be shocked to learn that the American would have a much larger amount of corn-type carbon in their system.

Todd Dawson, a plant biologist at the University of California-Berkeley says, "We are what we eat with respect to carbon, for sure. So if we eat a particular kind of food, and it has a particular kind of carbon in it, that's recorded in us, in our tissues, in our hair, in our fingernails, in the muscles," Dawson says.

In most Americans, the carbon test shows that about 70% comes from corn!!

“North Americans are like corn chips with legs,” says one of the researchers who conducts such tests.

So exactly what is wrong with eating such a corn-rich diet?

The base of the food pyramid is GRAIN–isn't that what we've been told is healthy? 

We are what we eat, but there is plenty of  evidence that this grain-heavy way of eating not only spreads illness, but waste, and ecological devastation around the world.

The other big problem with corn and a grain based diet, is that the average American diet consists of food products heavy in Omega 6. An average ratio would be about 25:1 of omega 6 to omega 3.

However, nutritional scientists state that mostchronic diseases start occurring and are detectable when the omega 6:3 ratio exceeds 4:1.

And, the optimum ratio, seems to hover around 1:1 which is the ratio found in grass-fed animals. 

Since all grains have high omega 6 to omega 3 ratios, it’s obvious to see that a grain-based food system creates a serious omega 3 deficiency!

All the way back in 70's scientists knew that grain-based foods, and grain-fed livestock products were one of the primary causes many of today's big chronic diseases such as:  Cancer, heart disease, depression, ADD, Alzheimer’s, obesity, allergies, and autoimmune diseases such as lupus and arthritis, diabetes, asthma, and more.

Obviously, to win the battle against all these diseases, we are going to have to make major changes to our diets, and no one food product can solve the problem by itself.

It's a HUGE change.

Primitive man lived on a diet of greens, vegetables, some tart fruits, some nuts, and mostly meat–all grass fed and naturally raised of course. 

That way of eating is often referred to as the Paleo diet, the Hunter Gatherer diet, or the Cavemen diet.

Here is a thought: Corn has the ability to fatten up a beef steer much faster than pasture-grazing does–although it makes the cattle themselves unhealthy and sick as well.

Cattle that have spent four to six months in a feedlot eating grain, have four to six times more fat, twice as much saturated fat, and as little as 1/10 the quantity of omega 3 fatty acids compared to meat from grass-fed cattle.

Of course, this does create big, fat cattle that grow in about half the time as grass fed, the cattle become as sick or sicker than we humans from eating corn and grain.

Corn and grain do not agree with cow's sensitive systems and cattle get GERD, ulcers, and other serious digestive issues. Another big issue with corn is that it is also very low in calcium and can lead to broken bones in the cattle.  Farmers then add soybean meal and it makes the problem worse!  The calves grow way too fast with the extra protein and end up with even weaker bones.

I don't know about you, but I am beginning to draw some parallells here… Is it any wonder that we, as people have so many cases of osteoporosis, GERD, ulcers, and digestive issues?

Do we want to follow in their ‘hoof’ steps?

 

Slowly but surely many of us are. Are we turning into a national feedlot of people?

Let's not be cattle but humans  who can think and who want to be healthy, strong and lean like our primitive ancestors.

 

The combination of a wide variety of grass-fed meats, free-range poultry, wild caught fish, and grass fed dairy products would certainly go a long way to help.

Let's be individuals in our dietary choices and make the decision to not follow the herd. The Fat Burning Kitchen Program will show you how to eat well, avoid grain, have effortless weight loss, and exceptional good health.

 

Till next time, stay healthy and lean!

 

References David Kamp, Deconstructing Dinner, New York Times, April 23, 2006.

Michael Pollan, What’s Eating America, Smithsonian, June 15, 2006

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, If we are what we eat, Americans are corn and soy, CNN 9/22/07

Tim Flannery, We’re Living on Corn!, The New York Review of Book

Avoid These Grains!

 

Cave men didn't eat grains; at least nowhere close to the form we eat today.

But our country has been steadily increasing its consumption of grain for the past 30 or more years. Along with that are the rising numbers of obese and overweight people.

In the 1970’s, the average American ate 85 pounds of flour, 84 pounds of sweeteners, 8 pounds of fried potatoes, and 39 pounds of cooking oil.

Even then, not so good.

Fast forward to the nineties…

By 1997, each of us was consuming 122 pounds of flour, 105 pounds of sugar or other sweeteners, 20 pounds of fried potatoes, and 50 pounds of vegetable cooking oils.

That's almost a pound of knowingly bad-for-you foods per day!

And that doesn’t count a whole lot of other junk food…but clearly, the reason many are overweight or obese today. And today, flours are more refined than ever, missing fiber  and essential nutrients. Processed white flour (alias "enriched wheat flour" or "wheat flour") is missing the two most nutritious and fiber-rich parts of the seed: the outside bran layer and the germ (embryo).

Eating a high starch diets will make you feel fatigued, malnourished, constipated, jumpy, irritable, depressed, and vulnerable to chronic illness.

And, refined/bleached wheat and corn flour fuels high blood sugar levels. High blood sugar leads to insulin release, immediate fat storage, and further hunger.

The more refined foods a person eats, the more insulin must be produced to manage it. This leads to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and weight gain. The refined carbohydrates turn to glucose very quickly once in our systems, stimulating the body to produce insulin.

A vicious cycle occurs: insulin promotes the storage of fat, making way for rapid weight gain and elevated triglyceride levels, inflammation and atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

"Enriched flour,"  is very misleading, because only four vitamins and minerals are typically added back, compared to the 15 nutrients and essential parts of the grain that are removed, along with most of the fiber and other beneficial substances such as antioxidants that are removed.

Eating wheat can cause one to feel lethargic, foggy, groggy, puffy and bloated, irritable and depressed.

Many would never connect these symptoms with eating grains; but weight gain, emotional, physical, and mental symptoms are fairly frequent with gluten sensitivity.

Gluten is the protein portion of wheat, rye and barley. It is so widespread in standard processed food today; it is very hard to escape. Unfortunately gluten sensitivity is on the rise (notice the “gluten free” sections at the grocery store?) and it can cause a host of problems.

Best to avoid processed flours altogether!

The American food supply is also heavily based on corn.

Bumper crops of corn help to keep corn prices low which in turn helps to keep many of the items we buy at the store low-priced. Contrary to popular belief, corn is a grain, not a vegetable, and is really not appropriate as a dietary staple for several reasons—one of them being that corn has a high sugar content.

When civilizations such as the Mayans and Native Americans changed their diet to a corn-based one, rates of anemia, arthritis, rickets, and osteoporosis skyrocketed.

Our bodies were not made to exist on grain-based foods. This evidence shows up in the archeological records of our ancestors. When archaeologists looked at skeletons of native Americans in burial mounds in the Midwest who ate corn as their primary staple, there was a 50% increase in malnutrition, four times as much incidence of iron-deficiency, and three times as much infectious disease, compared to the more hunter-gather ancestors who primarily hunted and did not eat grain.

Keep in mind that we are not just talking about corn-on-the-cob (sweet corn) here… we are also talking about corn cereals, corn chips, and other modern corn-based foods that are promoted by food companies as “healthy”.

There are several reasons researchers give for the nutritional problems and the weight gain caused by a corn-dominated diet:

* Corn contains lots of sugar, which raises insulin levels, causes you to be hungrier and causes your body to store calories as fat. Don’t be mistaken, just because corn does not taste obviously sweet, doesn’t mean it isn’t full of sugars. Once eaten, your body quickly turns corn products into sugar.  Even the starches in corn products can be broken down quickly by your body spiking your blood sugar levels, and causing cravings for more carbohydrate-based foods.

* Corn is also an poor source of protein, usually deficient in 3 of the 8 essential amino acids: lysine, isoleucine, and tryptophan. The essential amino acids are so-named because they must be obtained from the diet, since the body is unable to manufacture them.

* Corn contains a high amount of phytate, a chemical that binds to iron and inhibits its absorption by the body. So, consequently, a diet high in phytate can make people more likely to have iron-deficiency anemia and fatigue. Phytate is also a nutrient blocker and inhibits other vitamins and minerals from being utilized.

* Corn is a poor source of certain minerals such as calcium and some vitamins such as niacin (B3). Deficiencies of niacin can result in a condition known as Pellagra, which is common in civilizations that eat a lot of corn. It can cause a variety of symptoms such as dermatitis, diarrhea, and depression. Since we are now a nation of corn-eaters, it wouldn’t be surprising that this is more common here than we realize.

It's not just people who eat too much corn.

A large amount of the nation's corn crop ends up feeding commercially raised cattle, which are cheaply fattened on corn and other grains before slaughter. Beef from corn-fattened cattle also has much higher ratios of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than healthier grass fed beef. Most meat in supermarkets comes from grain-fed animals.

Because corn and other grains are an unnatural diet and difficult to digest, cattle raised on corn develop higher stomach acidity, which is a breeding ground for the dangerous E. coli O157:H7, the deadly strain of the bacteria.

While eliminating refined grains such as corn and wheat (yes, it seems they are in everything!) can seem a very daunting task, the reward is a return to wonderful health, sparkling eyes, clear skin, clear thinking, weight loss as the body is once again able to extract appropriate nutrients from food, and a resolution of nutritional deficiencies from the lack of absorption.

Once you commit to eating a diet of whole and natural foods, you will begin to eliminate a large amount of these grains.

Although many grocery stores, health foods stores, and online companies are now offering a wide selection of wheat-free/gluten-free foods including breads, bagels, cookies, cake mixes, doughnuts, etc; it is best to avoid these as much as possible. While they are made without wheat, they still contain other refined and process grains and wheat substitutes such as tapioca flour and corn flour.

Best thing to do is avoid grains–especially wheat and corn–all together. Substituting another processed grain may bring about a small improvement, but not the drastic improvement necessary.

Try two weeks with no grain products. I guarantee you will see some drastic improvements in your weight and general outlook!

Till next time,

Stay healthy and lean!

 

 

cat Healing Chicken Soup

 

 

 

DSC 6815 Healing Chicken Soup

Catherine (Cat) Ebeling RN BSN, is a back-to-basics diet and nutrition specialist. In addition to her advanced degree in nursing from a major medical school, she has spent the last 30 years intensely studying diet, health and nutrition. She also has a book titled "The Fat Burning Kitchen, Your 24 Hour Diet Transformation" that has sold over 60,000 copies worldwide, and has helped thousands of people transform their lives, lose weight and improve their health.   

                       Her mission is to help others prevent disease and live their best life ever.    

               Nutrition made Easy. Simple.Smart.Nutrition.