Mar
31
Foods with Scary Surprises
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The FDA has established guidelines for a number of contaminants that it will allow in our food supply. Mainstreet.com has assembled a list of some of the most common products for which the FDA has set contamination thresholds. Here's just a taste of what they found:
Potato Chips The FDA only takes action when 6 percent or more of chips show rot from pre- or post-harvest infection.
Tomatoes Acceptable levels of mold contamination go as low as 15 percent in canned tomatoes to as high as 45 percent for ketchup. And the FDA allows up to 30 fly eggs per every 100 grams of tomato sauces, or up to two maggots per every 100 grams of tomato juice.
Raisins The FDA won't mandate action unless 10 or more whole or equivalent Drosophila flies and 35 of its eggs are found per 8 ounces of raisins.
Macaroni To take action, the FDA must find either an average of 225 insect fragments per 225 grams in six sub-samples, or an average of 4.5 rodent hairs per 225 grams in six sub-samples.
To learn more about what Mainstreet.com found, you can click on the link below.
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
According to the article above, there are acceptable levels of maggots found in US canned tomato juice, up to two whole maggots per 100 grams, before the FDA sees a problem and gets involved. Up to 45 percent of a company's ketchup samples can contain mold before the FDA cares. And if you're eating raisins, you better be on the lookout for flies and fly eggs, because they're also allowed in small amounts according to the FDA rules.
These aren't even as bad as the acceptable levels of mammalian feces allowed in peanuts or sesame seeds (up to 5 mg per 100 mg). Folks, that means rats are crawling around in your processed peanuts and sesame seeds and leaving behind feces that end up in your food.
Processed Food Manufacturing Requires Leeway with "Defects"
The problem here isn't so much the pests in the field, or "defects" as the FDA calls insect and animal invaders (along with invader feces). In fact, a few bugs on your food from the fields probably means your produce has been grown organically, and is not saturated in pesticides as is so common today with Monsanto's pesticide resistant genetically modified crops that are sprayed with double or possibly many multiples more of normal pesticide levels because they are genetically altered to resist pesticide.
And some strains of GE (genetically engineered) corn and soybeans produce their own pesticide internally, which can actually turn your gut into a pesticide factory!
No, the real problem here is food storage and processed food production. Because let's face it, processed food is not fresh food. It sits around in storage facilities to the point of potatoes rotting before they're transformed into salty, oily potato chips and to the point of mold overtaking the tomatoes waiting to be canned or pureed into sauces or juices.
And while these whole, fresh foods wait around to be processed, the flies and the rats get to them and leave eggs and hair and feces behind.
As the article above points out, most people would say the acceptable level or mammalian feces or fly eggs in your food is zero.
But not according to the FDA! I encourage you to read the entire list of acceptable "defects" that the FDA allows into your processed food in the article above, and then try eating some processed food without thinking about how many rats have walked across your peanut butter or how many pus pockets are in your frozen fish (from the acceptable number of parasites that have burrowed deep inside the fish flesh, and while this last example isn't necessarily a "processed food" problem, an acceptable number of "pus pockets" in fish really is quite disgusting).
Isn't it?
Processed Food is Not Fresh Food, and Labels May Deceive You
The food labels found today on everything that's canned, packed, packaged or wrapped fall into a realm of "anything goes". While the FDA does check food labels, they only check to see whether or not the Nutrition Facts panel is present, rather than whether or not it is true and accurate, and of course the label will never mention the "acceptable" number of rat hairs that may be found in the food.
Beyond this, the FDA also does not look for deceptive "0 trans-fat" claims (when serving sizes are so small they escape the need to label these dangerous fats) and they don't do anything about misleading "made with real fruit" (used to describe added-sugar fruit pastes) or "all natural" statements.
The FDA also doesn't check very often for mammalian feces, rat hairs or fly eggs in your food. When they do check it's usually a small batch, and in the case of tomato ketchup a full 45 percent of samples are allowed to contain mold before the FDA considers action necessary. Does this mean we can assume that 44 percent of all tomato ketchup contains some traces of mold? It wouldn't surprise me, given the track record of processed food companies caring about your health.
Folks, you shouldn't be eating French fries anyway, but if you're putting processed tomato ketchup on your fries you can add mold to the list of problematic ingredients in those fries.
And let's not forget about acrylamide.
Acrylamide, Your Baked and Fried Food Nerve Poison
Acrylamide was once believed to be only a product of industrial waste; it was not until 2002 that it was discovered to be almost everywhere in the human diet. It is a tasteless, invisible chemical byproduct formed when foods -- particularly high-carbohydrate foods -- are fried or baked at high temperatures.
The chemical is present in 40 percent of the caloric intake of most Americans (in the form of fried and baked processed food), although French fries and potato chips contain the highest concentrations.
So why is acrylamide a problem?
High-level exposure to acrylamide has caused cancer in lab animals and neurological problems in workers handling the substance. Avoiding acrylamide comes down to avoiding fried and baked carbohydrates, like potato chips, French fries, pork rinds and all manner of backed and fried snack products.
But What About "All Natural" Labels on Processed Foods?
What does an "all natural" label really mean when it comes to processed food?
Zero. Zilch. Nada. Zip.
The natural food label on a processed food has no standard definition and really no meaning at all. The term is only regulated on meat and poultry, for which an item labeled natural may not contain any artificial flavors, colors or chemical preservatives. But in the processed food arena, a "natural" product can be virtually anything -- genetically modified, full of pesticides, made with corn syrup, additives, preservatives and artificial ingredients.
It is because of this very vagueness that 7-Up is able to claim it's "100% natural" and is still within its legal rights. It's also due to this misleading label that many consumers are fooled into buying foods labeled as "natural" in the belief that these foods are better for your health, when in reality these processed foods are more or less complete junk and are most likely filled with "acceptable levels" of fly eggs and rat feces.
But you can expect that food manufacturers will continue to use the "All Natural" label claims for as long as possible. Products labeled as "natural" or "sustainable" account for $50 billion in sales annually, or 8 percent of total retail grocery sales, so don't expect them to disappear from your grocery store anytime soon.
Now, you may be asking how an "USDA Organic" label is any assurance there won't be feces or fly eggs in your food? That's a fair question and I'll just point out that USDA Organic farmers (and many small, local organic farms working without certification) must use different standards when growing their vegetables.
These standards include never using:
- Pesticides
- Synthetic Fertilizers
- Sewage sludge
- Genetically modified organisms
- Ionizing radiation
So first of all, you are avoiding those unwanted and unhealthy things when you buy organic. Beyond this advantage, I would advise you to wash your fresh produce to remove any bugs or dirt that may have traveled from the field to your kitchen.
A properly washed organic fruit or vegetable presents the most nutritious and least harmful food item you can put into your mouth, and is certainly better for you in so many ways than any processed food or conventionally grown fruits and vegetables available at your grocery store.
How to Choose High-Quality Foods for You and Your Family
Processed foods containing cheap, chemical-laden ingredients (and bugs and feces) will eventually take their toll on your body, and you'll pay for your dietary choices with both your quality of life and your pocketbook when you get ill.
As I'm fond of reminding you, 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food is spent on processed foods, which is a disaster for your health even if you're buying "natural" processed foods. And these processed foods are filled with acceptable levels of bugs, eggs and feces besides all of the nutritionally void ingredients as well.
When it comes to raisins, whether organic or conventional (especially golden raisins according to the article above) your best bet is to carefully inspect those raisins for flies or fly eggs!
Of course, most raisins are perfectly fine, but a quick visual inspection of that handful of raisins might save you from a surprise in your mouth!
And again, how healthy can you really be if you're routinely ingesting pesticides, antibiotics, hormone-disrupting chemicals, genetically modified organisms, chemical additives, colors and preservatives, and an untold amount of other chemically-derived byproducts and toxins that are routinely found in processed foods, regardless of a label on the package that may say "All Natural"?
First and foremost, you'll want to avoid these processed foods by purchasing items that have no labels at all ? namely fresh vegetables, preferably organic and locally grown. Grass-fed, organic meats and raw dairy products are also staples your family can safely invest in.
Next, whether you're shopping at a supermarket or a farmer's market, here are the signs of a high-quality, healthy food:
| It's grown without pesticides and chemical fertilizers (organic foods fit this description, but so do some non-organic foods) |
| It's not genetically modified. You can get your free GMO shopping guide here. |
| It contains no added growth hormones, antibiotics, or other drugs |
| It does not contain artificial anything, nor any preservatives |
| It is a whole food, and this means it will not have a long list of ingredients (for instance, high-quality almond butter should contain almonds (preferably raw) and maybe sea salt -- no added oils, sugars, etc.) |
| It is fresh (if you have to choose between wilted organic produce or fresh local conventional produce, the latter is the better option) |
| It did not come from an Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) farm |
| It is grown with the laws of nature in mind (meaning animals are fed their native diets, not a mix of grains and animal byproducts, and have free-range access to the outdoors) |
| It is grown in a sustainable way (using minimal amounts of water, protecting the soil from burnout, and turning animal wastes into natural fertilizers instead of environmental pollutants) |
By educating yourself on what 'healthy food' really is, you'll easily avoid the myriad of processed foods on the market, allowing you to put your family's food money toward purchases that will not only satisfy your appetites but also nourish your health.
Related Articles:
The Best and Worst Vegetables to Eat How to Wean Yourself Off Processed Foods in 7 Steps Many 'All Natural' Foods Are Actually Heavily ProcessedMar
31
How Not to Get Sick from a Flight
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A researcher who took swabs of various surfaces on planes in 2007 found the surfaces contaminated with the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), norovirus, and E. coli. Norovirus and E. coli can cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms and illness, including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
While no data exists suggesting that people are more likely to get sick on a plane than elsewhere, it still is a confined space that can facilitate transfer of germs like this, as well as diseases such as influenza. So what can you do to protect yourself while you fly?
While numerous devices and germ-fighting concoctions can be purchased to disinfect surfaces you might touch on a plane, perhaps the best defense is simply washing your hands, experts say.
USA today also offers a few tips to help travelers avoid bacteria and viruses that could make you sick:
- Be wary of the airplane lavatory. Numerous studies have shown that these are teeming with E. coli on almost every surface.
- Sanitize your seat. Pack disinfectant wipes and wipe down any surface you're using.
- Protect yourself from sick passengers. Don't rub your eyes or touch your nose or mouth -- that's how many diseases spread.
- Don't go barefoot at security checkpoints. Wear or bring socks to avoid athlete's foot and other fungal infections.
For more of their suggestions, click on the USA Today link below.
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Modern conveniences are awesome and it is just amazing that we can fly across the country in hours rather than having to drive for days or months. However there is a price to pay for this convenience and it could be your health.
Since I travel regularly I thought you might appreciate how I have been safeguarding myself while flying and being exposed to radiation at 35,000 feet that humans were never designed to be exposed to. Remember the highest mountain in the world is 28,000 feet yet most of us think nothing of spending hours at higher altitudes.
There is some serious radiation exposure at 35,000 feet and that is your greatest danger. Here are some principles I use to help protect me when I fly.
#1 Fly at Night
This one doesn't cost you anything except some potential convenience and sleep. It might even save you money as night flights are typically less expensive.
Since a large percentage of the radiation is from the sun it is best to fly at night when the earth is blocking most of it. Just like you won't get sunburned at night you will have less risk of radiation at night.
#2 Use Astaxanthin
This is clearly the most amazing antioxidant that I know of. We have seen radical improvements in people's ability to tolerate sun exposure by using it. If you do get burnt the burn is much less severe and virtually no peeling occurs. It also is a powerful fat soluble antioxidant that will protect your cells.
The downside is that you really need to be on it for several weeks for it to work; you will get very little benefit if you only take it before you board the plane. Typical dose is 4 mg a day for three weeks prior to boarding the plane.
#3 Use an Earthing/Grounding Pad
It is now thought that EMFs and other ambient electrical interference can disrupt your body's bio-electrical communications, leading to weak electrical currents within your body. WiFi on many flights only worsens the problem.
Traveling on airplanes is a suspected cause of weakening bio-electric currents, as it disrupts the natural ground your body would receive when you're connected naturally to the earth through your feet.
One way to counter this bio-electrical disruption caused by airline travel is to use an earthing pad, also known as a grounding pad. I have been using one for the past six months. They are still in beta testing, but we hope to have them out later this year. They are also good for your car.
#4 Stay Hydrated with Water NOT Soda
Most airlines will offer you bottled or canned sparkling water. This is fine if you don't purchase water after you get though security. The LAST thing you want to do is drink one of the sodas they offer you as that will add insult to injury and serve to synergistically worsen the damage from the radiation.
#5 Walk Around on Long Flights
Being immobile on a plane and having a limited space in which to move increases the risk that blood clots will develop and then lodge in the lungs, an event called a pulmonary embolism. Over the last 30 years, about 100 cases of pulmonary embolism after air travel have been reported.
To reduce risk of pulmonary embolism, you should avoid alcohol, wear loose clothing, avoid crossing your legs, and engage in minor physical activity while flying, such as walking or moving your legs frequently during the flight.
#6 Avoid Junk Food
If you're unlucky enough to arrive hungry to the airport, most of your options are junk food or processed food. My advice to you is avoid these choices. This goes for any in-flight meal options that are often nothing more than processed food.
Junk food is loaded with salt, sugar and feedlot animals (animals that present a number of health problems of their own when you consume them), and these three things will do more to impair your germ fighting abilities than they will to ward off any disease.
The truth is that fasting is much better than eating junk food when you travel. Fasting does less to impair your body's natural disease fighting mechanisms.
Other Dangers of Public Places, Including Airplanes
In case you missed my recent article about how to avoid getting sick from your hotel room, you can view it here. Today we're talking about airplanes and other public places where a lot of people congregate and touch things. Let's face it, people are dirty. They touch things they shouldn't be touching, they don't always practice proper hygiene and worst of all they bring these germs with them wherever they go and spread them by touching things.
As the article above rightly points out, you can't let the prevalence and ubiquity of germs make you go crazy to avoid them, but you can take steps to reduce your exposure to the one to two percent of germs in public places that can actually make you sick. The superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), norovirus, and E. coli are certainly three strains you don't want to become infected with as they cause some nasty negative health consequences if they overpower your immune system.
The NY Times article above details some devices you can purchase in your fight against invading germs, like personal air purifiers worn around your neck, or seat covers for airplane seats, but the article also points out that your best defense when traveling on an airplane is to frequently wash your hands.
It is also important to not touch your mouth, nose or eyes after touching common public surfaces in airplanes like door handles, seat-back trays and water faucets or toilet handles (before your hands have been washed) because this is how the germs get from your hands into your body.
Cold and flu viruses can last up to 72 hours on plastic surfaces and the nasty norovirus can survive for two to four weeks ? so chances are that you're very likely to touch a surface with some germs on it while you're in a confined space with many other people, like on an airplane (or in public places general).
While some airlines like American Airlines and Southwest tout their thorough deep cleaning requirements for their fleet of planes, including scrubbing and de-sanitizing nooks and crannies every thirty days, you can still bet that many surfaces like arm rests, seat-back tables, magazines and lavatory toilets receive at best minimal cleanings after most flights.
So do yourself a favor and wash your hands when you touch anything on an airplane that other people have also touched in the last 72 hours. And there's actually no need to ever use antibacterial hand soap, as there's plenty of evidence showing that nothing works better to cut germs than simply washing your hands with plain soap and water!
For the Best Protection of All, Keep Your Immune System Healthy
Hand washing is an excellent preventive tool against the germs lurking anywhere on an airplane or on public surfaces in general, but a strong immune system will always be your best defense against any pathogenic bacteria you come across anywhere, and will serve you well if you nourish it with the proper tools.
You can support your immune system by:
- Getting a good night's sleep.
- Minimizing stress in your life.
- Exercising regularly and effectively.
- Getting enough sun exposure in order to optimize your vitamin D levels.
- Avoiding sugar and grains, and instead eating plenty of raw foods including raw vegetables, raw milk and raw eggs.
- Taking a high-quality probiotic (good bacteria) and eating plenty of fermented foods like kefir and natto, which are natural sources of probiotics.
When you follow these steps you can have peace of mind that any germs that do enter your body will be no match for your well nourished and highly capable immune system, which will always be your best line of defense against disease of any kind.
Related Articles:
How Airplane Cabin Air Can Get You Sick The First Thing to Do When You Stay in a Hotel Room A Simple Trick to Keep You Healthy On AirplanesMar
30
What are the 10 Things that Can Pack on Pounds?
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By Dr. Mercola
In today's world it's harder than ever to keep your weight under control, as evidenced by the fact that over 2/3 of all American adults are now overweight or obese.
In fact, an alarming bit of information came to my attention in 2009, when CDC statistics revealed that in the U.S. the number of obese people actually outnumber the amount of merely overweight people. And in 2011, one in three children are now overweight or obese; nearly triple the rate from 1963.
The plain, unvarnished truth is the US has predominantly become a nation of fat and obese citizens.
And any time someone voices an objection to the predominance of the high sugar and highly refined carbohydrate foods, the food manufacturers, politicians, and media shills who represent them, scream loudly and irrationally that any attempt to restrict nutritionally worthless junk food is an assault on American's freedom of choice.
Really?
What about the billions of dollars spent marketing these foods to Americans using subliminal triggers along with the use of secretly hidden chemicals in food that are actually designed to distort your brain's sensation of flavor (senomyx)?
Isn't this also an assault on American's freedom of choice through manipulation?
At any rate, I think we have become a nation that for the most part made the choice to trade convenience for its health. Indeed, the proverbial piper has been paid when we examine our expanding waistlines that we have willingly exchanged for the sake of "convenience". The following 10 guidelines can help you prevent packing on extra pounds.
#1: To Lose Weight You MUST Eliminate Fructose from Your Diet
You've gone to all the trouble of getting some exercise. But despite sticking to your new plan you discover the pounds are not coming off.
You ask yourself, "Why?"
It is important to understand and know that while exercise is important and crucial for weight loss and I am a major fan, the foods you choose to eat are THREE times more important for controlling your weight than your exercise. It's very easy to sabotage yourself with sugary foods and exercise beverages. Especially beverages containing HFCS.
These drinks include "vitamin water", energy drinks, and similar types of recovery drinks.You need to avoid these drinks and ignore the slick marketing messages that suggest you need them because you workout.
There is a myth in our culture that any exercise removes vital nutrients from your body that you must replenish before, during and after exercise. However, chances are you're not exercising long enough to deplete your body of very much of anything! And sugar consumed just before or during exercise will only lead to a spiking and crashing of your blood sugar and insulin levels, most likely resulting not in increased hydration, but in reduced athletic performance.
Not only that, but sugar or HFCS eaten after a workout will completely shut down your body's production of Human Growth Hormone!
The truth is, you don't need to chug a sports drink unless you are severely dehydrated and are losing more than a quart of water in sweat in 30-45 minutes. Most people don't work out this long with any sustained intensity, they also don't lose anywhere near a quart of sweat!
So when it comes to sports-related hydration and athletic performance, what do I recommend?
Clean, pure water. If you're doing a heavy workout you could supplement with a quart of pure clean water that has a quarter teaspoon of himalayan salt and a teaspoon of baking soda in it. This will more than replenish any electrolytes you are likely to lose during moderate exercise.
The ticket to optimal athletic performance and recovery is in eating whole, biodynamic and organic foods. So next time you need a quick snack before or after a workout, forget about that energy bar or sports drink and go for these beneficial sources of carbs and protein:
| Any vegetable (with the exception of carrots and beets, which are high in sugar), particularly dark, green and leafy varieties like spinach, kale or Swiss chard | Organic free range chicken and eggs |
| Lean, grass-fed red meat | Fruits that are low in fructose like apricots, cantaloupe, lemons, limes, passion fruit, plums and raspberries |
| Whey protein | Raw nuts and seeds |
# 2 You MUST Plan Your Meals
It's said that failing to plan means you're planning to fail. When it comes to meals designed to promote your health and eliminate unwanted calories, you're going to have to heed this advice.
The problem is, if you fail to plan your meals you are basically eating according to either your emotions or whatever whim may come over you around mealtime. Both of these can mean added calories, poor nutritional choices and a growing waistline.
I do advise some general principles to follow when planning your meals, but the takeaway message to this nutritional no-no is you need to think independently of your shifting moods about what you will be consuming for up to the next week in advance -- in order to keep your plate free of unnecessary calories.
This means shopping in advance with specific meals in mind and it means putting your intended meals down on paper and sticking to your meal schedule.
You've probably discovered that both of these things are much harder in practice than they are in theory. There's a reason for that. Processed food manufacturers are spending a lot of money, billions and billions of dollars each year, to convince you that their food will satisfy you emotionally.
Processed foods are not the answer.
Processed foods are part of your growing waistline problem. Remember this truth as you take on the billion dollar advertising industry while you take control of your health!
#3 Avoid All Sodas, and Especially Diet Soda
Soda, in my opinion, is the one of the primary health threats. Did you know that just one can of Coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar?!
This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake (which is more than double my recommended daily allowance to begin with). Within 20 minutes of drinking that soda, your blood sugar spikes, and your liver responds to the resulting insulin burst by turning massive amounts of sugar into fat.
It is a proven fact that sugar increases your insulin levels, which leads not only to weight gain, but also high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, premature aging and many more negative side effects. In fact, sugar is so bad for your health in so many ways, I've created an entire list outlining the ways sugar can damage your health.
But diet soda is even worse!
Billions of dollars worth of advertising tells you that diet soda gives you all the pleasure of a sweet beverage without any of the calories. But is the marketing too good to be true? Are the makers of diet sodas actually lying to you?
In a word, yes. In fact, just the opposite now appears to be true. Drinking diet soda actually is positively linked to weight gain. It turns out the latest research shows that your brain can tell the difference between real and artificial sugar, and not only are artificial sugars less satisfying to your brain at a cellular level, they also increase your craving for the real thing. So artificial sweeteners, and diet soda in particular, must be avoided if you don't want to crave sugar.
By the way, craving sugar is one of the surest ways to add extra calories to your diet. So avoid diet soda if you care about keeping your weight in check.
#4 Be Sure to Eat PLENTY of Organic Vegetables
One of the best ways to improve your health is to make sure you're eating plenty of fresh, minimally processed high quality vegetables, ideally locally-grown and organic, with a majority of them consumed raw. One simple way to boost your vegetable intake is to juice them. Juicing organic vegetables is something that I highly recommend to anyone working to restore or improve their health.
I am firmly convinced that juicing is one of the key factors to giving you a radiant, energetic life, and truly optimal health. I simply do not know of any other single nutritional intervention that has a more profound influence on health than eating and/or juicing fresh, organic vegetables. And for every vegetable you pack onto your plate, you'll have less room for all those other simple carbohydrates that can expand your waistline.
You can review my comprehensive approach to how to juice on my vegetable juicing page.
Whether you're munching them raw or juicing, some vegetables contain more health building nutrients than others. This list details some of the best and worst vegetables for your health.
| Highly Recommended Vegetables | |
| Asparagus | Escarole |
| Avocado (actually a fruit) | Fennel |
| Beet greens | Green and red cabbage |
| Bok Choy | Kale |
| Broccoli | Kohlrabi |
| Brussel sprouts | Lettuce: romaine, red leaf, green leaf |
| Cauliflower | Mustard greens |
| Celery | Onions |
| Chicory | Parsley |
| Chinese cabbage | Peppers: red, green, yellow and hot |
| Chives | Tomatoes |
| Collard greens | Turnips |
| Cucumbers | Spinach |
| Dandelion greens | Zucchini |
| Endive | |
| Use sparingly due to high carbohydrate levels | |
| Beets | Jicima |
| Carrots | Winter Squashes |
| Eggplant | Most fruits except for limes and lemons |
| Vegetables to Avoid | |
| Potatoes | |
#5 Make Sure You Do Peak 8 Exercises Once or Twice a Week
Your body has three types of muscle fiber: Slow twitch, fast twitch and super fast twitch fibers. A major problem with conventional exercise is its inability to engage the fast and super fast twitch muscle fibers. Conventional exercise merely engages your body's slow twitch muscle fibers, which is your preferred mode of muscle engagement. To produce dramatic results when it comes to exercise you simply have to engage your fast and super fast muscle fibers.
The best way to do this is through something we are calling Peak 8 exercises.
Peak 8-style exercise has many benefits, the biggest being it naturally increases your body's production of human growth hormone (HGH), which plays a significant role in the aging process.
I recently featured an interview with fitness expert Phil Campbell, in which he further expounds on this important topic. Phil is the author of the book Ready Set Go, which explains how exercises that engage your super-fast muscle fibers can increase your HGH levels. We call it Peak 8 because if you graph your heart rate, you will see that it peaks eight times during the workout. This technique is exponentially superior to regular cardio workouts and you're doing yourself a great disservice if you ignore it. The nice thing about Peak 8 exercises is that you can perform them with many types of exercise; with or without equipment. So, while having access to a gym or exercise equipment will provide you with a larger variety of options, you don't require either. You can just as easily perform Peak 8 by walking or running outdoors.
Another benefit is in the time it will save you. Instead of doing an hour-long cardio workout, you'll be done in 20 minutes or so. The actual sprinting totals only 4 minutes!
Keep in mind however that you should only do Peak 8 exercises once to twice a week, occasionally three times.
If you do it more frequently than that, you may actually do more harm than good. Phil Campbell agrees, and also warns against overdoing it. We've found that, more often than not, when people do it more than four times a week they're simply not pushing themselves hard enough. The key to performing Peak 8 exercises properly is to raise your heart rate up to your anaerobic threshold.
Keep pushing at maximum effort for 20 to 30 seconds, and then rest for 90 seconds
Repeat this cycle for a total of eight repetitions. Here is a video showing a demonstration of Peak 8-style exercise:
Total Video Length: 22:17
Remember, ideally you need to use a heart rate monitor and it is physiologically impossible to measure accurately with the precision you need to know if you are over your target heart rate.
#6 Avoid Drinking Fruit Juice
Fruit juice is probably the most requested drink by children of all ages, not because it quenches thirst, but because it tastes good. And fruit juice, it turns out, is not one of the best things you can put into your body, especially for children.
Yes I can hear all the fruitarians screaming that I am wrong and there are unusual situations in which this isn't true. For someone who is normal body weight with no insulin resistance it might not be a major problem, especially if you're drinking freshly squeezed organic juice in moderation.
However, that is clearly a very tiny minority of the population.
Drinking fruit juice is only slightly different from drinking soda. Both deliver a massive dose of sugar to your body unbound by any of the slow-releasing mechanisms provided by nature.
So when you think of fruit juice, you should think of soda.
You should certainly by now be aware of the dangers of high fructose corn syrup, but please understand that simple fruit sugar extracted from fruit has virtually identical side effects and negative effects on your biochemistry. This means fruit juice will cause a major spike in your insulin levels.
This is important because elevated insulin levels are one of the primary drivers for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and weight gain.
This may be why drinking fruit juice has been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, while fructose itself has been shown to increase your triglyceride levels. In one previous study, consuming fructose raised triglyceride levels by 32 percent in men. Forty years worth of research has confirmed that elevated blood levels of triglycerides, known as hypertriglyceridemia, puts you at an increased risk of heart disease. So when it comes to fruit juice, if you are overweight or obese, it's my recommendation for you to avoid it entirely and limit your fruit intake to berries .
#7 Eating Outside of Your Home
There's a reason your favorite restaurant food often tastes better than your home cooked meals: many times it's loaded with extra calories in the form of sugars, hydrogenated fats and artificial flavor enhancers like MSG.
And since most restaurants purchase the bulk of their food in advance, and frequently rely on frozen, pre-cut and pre-cooked foods, the chances are high that your restaurant meal is simply processed food, nutritionally far inferior to anything fresh and organic you can make at home. And unless your favorite restaurant is advertising its free-range meats and organic vegetables, chances are also high that you're consuming feedlot animals and conventionally grown vegetables that have been drenched in antibiotics and pesticides respectively. Neither are good for maintaining optimal health.
I'm not suggesting you never eat outside of your own home; I understand the pleasure and social importance of eating out occasionally. My suggestion is merely to keep eating out to a minimum, and try to frequent restaurants committed to buying organic and serving minimally processed meals.
The other very real hazard of eating out is the temptation to order an innocuous looking dessert that is anything but innocuous when it comes to the caloric punch it packs.
#8 Avoid Excessive Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol is converted by your body into simple sugar, and it turns out the metabolic pathway converting alcohol into its simple sugar components is the same pathway your body uses to convert high fructose corn syrup into its component parts.
If you watch Robert Lustig's video "Sugar:The Bitter Truth" in its entirety you will understand exactly what happens when you put both alcohol and HFCS into your body.
In a nutshell, you are basically ingesting fat. Both of these are converted by your liver into fat.
So any advances you may make by watching your diet will be more or less instantly wiped out by a night of binge drinking. I recommend no alcohol consumption at all, since it is a neurotoxin whose drawbacks far outweigh even the benefits found in a glass of red wine (one of the healthiest options when it comes to alcohol consumption).
But again, alcohol equals body fat (unless you are in the minority and have a super-production of alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH), the enzymes that break down alcohol in your body. Most likely you are not in this minority).
#9 Avoid Consuming Fast- or Processed Foods
This recent article by Time magazine has summed up the problem of fast food nicely, which I expanded on in this recent article. I encourage you to revisit both if you haven't been keeping up to date on all the health problems associated with consuming fast food.
To summarize both of these articles: Avoid fast food if you value your health. It is loaded with sodium, sugar and feedlot animals who have been subjected to the absolute minimums in the areas of feeding and care.
#10 Avoid Condiments and Idle Snacks
According to www.fitsugar.com these are examples of sources of hidden calories you probably never even considered:
One pat of butter on your toast: 36 calories. One cubic inch of feta cheese on your salad: 45 calories. One tablespoon ketchup with your fries: 15 calories.. One tablespoon of grated Parmesan on your pasta: 22 calories. One teaspoon or one cube of sugar in your coffee: 9 calories. One tablespoon of sour cream on your baked potato: 26 calories. One tablespoon mayonnaise on your sandwich: 100 calories. Handful of M&Ms (10 pieces) off your co-worker's desk: 34 calories. One teaspoon each of oil and vinegar on your sandwich: 39 calories.
Cutting all of these things out would save you about 330 calories a day. That translates to a loss of about 1 pound every 10 days, or about 36 pounds a year.
How much weight do you need to lose? How long would it take you to reach your goal by cutting out these unnecessary condiments?
Some Final Thoughts about how to Avoid Packing on Unnecessary Pounds
If you're like most Americans you probably have between a few and several unnecessary pounds you'd prefer not to be carrying around every day. I'm here to tell you that not only is it possible to take off the extra weight with a little thoughtful planning, it is also possible to keep the weight off simply by following a few sensible guidelines above and my more comprehensive ones http://www.mercola.com/nutritionplan/index.htm.
Every purchase you make is a vote with your pocketbook about the kinds of food these manufacturers will continue to make.
The bottom line is very simple here, folks.
Think VERY carefully about what you're eating so you and your family can take control of your health before someone else takes control of it from you.
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30
The Root Cause of Cancer Almost Universally Ignored by Doctors…
Filed Under Main Content, Other News | Leave a Comment
In 1971 President Nixon and Congress declared war on cancer. So what's happened in the 40 years since? After weeding out the hype and filling in the actual statistics, it turns out, not much.
"These summary statistics show that the war on cancer has not gone well," says the article's author, Reynold Spector. "This is in marked contrast to death rates from stroke and cardiovascular disease (adjusted for the age and size of the population), which have fallen by 74 percent and 64 percent, respectively, from 1950 through 2006; and by 60 percent and 52 percent, respectively, from 1975 through 2006 (Kolata 2009a).
Cancer therapy is clearly decades behind."
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
One would think that applying all that modern science has to offer over the last 40 years would have brought us far closer to eradicating cancer. Just compare it to other technology areas. Our cell phones now are more powerful computers than the largest supercomputers of the time.
But instead, cancer rates have increased during that span of time, and now surpass heart disease as the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 45 to 74. The odds are now very high that you or someone you know has cancer, is dying or has already died from it.
Why has "the War on Cancer" Failed so Miserably?
Writing for the Skeptical Inquirer, Reynold Spector lists the following six reasons for the failure:
| We don't understand the cause/pathogenesis in most cases of cancer | Most treatments (except surgery are nonspecific cell killers and not "smart" | Clinical trials and the grant system don't foster innovation |
| Screening for useful drugs against cancer cells has not worked | Animal models of cancer are often inadequate | Unproductive "fads" in research come and go |
However, while these may factor into the equation of failure, I believe this list is yet another example of exactly what's wrong with the entire system, which is: ignoring the fact that cancer is likely a man-made disease caused primarily by toxic overload.
Just a few months ago, I wrote about a fascinating study into ancient mummies that determined cancer is not a "natural" disease at all, and genetics are not a primary factor. Tumors were extremely rare until recent times, when pollution and poor diet became issues. So why are the medical and science communities, by and large, ignoring these basics?
Getting to the Root of the Problem
I strongly believe the cancer rates are escalating because they are in no way shape or form addressing the underlying cause of most cancers. Instead, most of the research is directed towards expensive drugs that target late stages of the disease and greatly enrich the drug companies but simply do not prevent cancer.
If ever there was an area in which an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure it is cancer. I strongly believe that if you are able to work your way up to the advanced health plan, that you will virtually eliminate the risk of most cancers.
Environmental- and lifestyle factors are increasingly being pinpointed as the primary culprits fueling our cancer epidemic. This includes:
This is clearly not an exhaustive list as such a list would be exceedingly long. For more specifics on consumer products implicated as contributors to cancer, please review the Cancer Prevention Coalition's "Dirty Dozen" list.
The pharmaceutical researchers would like you to believe they're doing everything they can to come up with a solution. Yet all we see is research into newer drug therapies. Clearly they're not digging close enough to the root of the problem, because if they did, they'd touch on some of these lifestyle issues just mentioned.
From my perspective, you ignore lifestyle factors at your own peril when it comes to cancer... Because, clearly, drug-based "advances" are not making a dent in this progressively prevalent disease.
On the contrary, cancer drugs are notoriously toxic and come with devastating, including lethal, side effects. Conventional medicine is so desperate to give the illusion of fighting the good fight that many of these drugs are used despite the fact that they're not really doing much to prolong or improve the quality of life of those diagnosed with cancer.
The best-selling (and extremely expensive) cancer drug Avastin, for example, was recently phased out as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer after studies concluded its benefits were outweighed by its dangerous side effects. Treating a disease in large part caused by toxins with toxins seems ignorant at best.
We can do better than that.
REAL Cancer Advancements that Need to Become Mainstream Knowledge
In the last 30 years the global cancer burden has doubled, and it will likely double again between 2000 and 2020, and nearly triple by 2030?unless people begin to take cancer prevention seriously. We CAN turn this trend around, but to do so the medical community must stop overlooking the methods that can actually have a significant impact.
Three cancer advancements in particular merit special mention. These advancements have not yet been accepted by conventional medicine, and they must be.
Number 1: Vitamin D?There's overwhelming evidence pointing to the fact that vitamin D deficiency plays a crucial role in cancer development. Researchers within this field have estimated that about 30 percent of cancer deaths -- which amounts to 2 million worldwide and 200,000 in the United States -- could be prevented each year simply by optimizing the vitamin D levels in the general population.
On a personal level, you can decrease your risk of cancer by MORE THAN HALF simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels with sun exposure. And if you are being treated for cancer it is likely that higher blood levels?probably around 80-90 ng/ml?would be beneficial.
If the notion that sun exposure actually prevents cancer is still new to you, I highly recommend you watch my one-hour vitamin D lecture to clear up any confusion. It's important to understand that the risk of skin cancer from the sun comes only from excessive exposure.Meanwhile, countless people around the world have an increased risk of cancer because their vitamin D levels are too low due to utter lack of sun exposure.
The health benefits of optimizing your levels, either by safe sun exposure (ideally), a safe tanning bed, or oral supplementation as a last resort, simply cannot be overstated. In terms of protecting against cancer, vitamin D has been found to offer protection in a number of ways, including:
- Regulating genetic expression
- Increasing the self-destruction of mutated cells (which, if allowed to replicate, could lead to cancer)
- Reducing the spread and reproduction of cancer cells
- Causing cells to become differentiated (cancer cells often lack differentiation)
- Reducing the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, which is a step in the transition of dormant tumors turning cancerous
To learn the details on how to use vitamin D therapeutically, please review my previous article, Test Values and Treatment for Vitamin D Deficiency.
Number 2: Optimizing Your Insulin Levels?Normalizing your insulin levels is one of the most powerful physical actions you can take to lower your risk of cancer. Otto Warburg actually received a Nobel Prize for his research on cancer cell physiology in 1934, which clearly demonstrated cancer cells require more sugar to thrive. Unfortunately, very few oncologists appreciate or apply this knowledge today.
The Cancer Centers of America is one of the few exceptions, where strict dietary measures are included in their cancer treatment program.
High levels of insulin can cause major damage to your body. The most recognized of these is diabetes, but that is far from the only one. As Ron Rosedale, M.D. said in one of my most popular articles, Insulin and Its Metabolic Effects:"It doesn't matter what disease you are talking about, whether you are talking about a common cold or cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis or cancer, the root is always going to be at the molecular and cellular level, and I will tell you that insulin is going to have its hand in it, if not totally control it."
The good news is that controlling your insulin levels is relatively straightforward. First, limit your intake of processed foods, grains and sugars/fructose as much as possible to prevent your insulin levels from becoming elevated in the first place.
Number 3: Exercise?If you are like most people, when you think of reducing your risk of cancer, exercise doesn't immediately come to mind. However, there is some fairly compelling evidence that exercise can slash your risk of cancer.
One of the primary ways exercise lowers your risk for cancer is by reducing elevated insulin levels, which creates a low sugar environment that discourages the growth and spread of cancer cells. Controlling your insulin levels and optimizing your vitamin D level are two of the most powerful steps you can take to reduce your cancer risk. For example, physically active adults experience about half the incidence of colon cancer as their sedentary counterparts, and women who exercise regularly can reduce their breast cancer risk by 20 to 30 percent compared to those who are inactive.
Additionally, exercise improves the circulation of immune cells in your blood. Your immune system is your first line of defense against everything from minor illnesses like a cold right up to devastating, life-threatening diseases like cancer.
The trick about exercise, though, is understanding how to use it as a precise tool. This ensures you are getting enough to achieve the benefit, not too much to cause injury, and the right variety to balance your entire physical structure and maintain strength and flexibility, and aerobic and anaerobic fitness levels. This is why it is helpful to view exercise like a drug that needs to be carefully prescribed to achieve its maximum benefit.
It's important to include a large variety of techniques in your exercise routine, such as strength training, aerobics, core-building activities, and stretching. Most important of all, however, is to make sure you include high-intensity, burst-type exercise, such as Peak 8. Peak 8 are exercises performed once or twice a week, in which you raise your heart rate up to your anaerobic threshold for 20 to 30 seconds, and then you recover for 90 seconds.
These exercises activate your super-fast twitch muscle fibers, which can increase your body's natural production of human growth hormone. For detailed instructions, please see this previous article.
Winning the War Against Cancer Begins with Your Personal Choices
You can do a lot, right now, to significantly decrease your cancer risk. Even the conservative American Cancer Society states that one-third of cancer deaths are linked to poor diet, physical inactivity, and carrying excess weight. So making the following healthy lifestyle changes can go a very long way toward ending the failure-streak and becoming one less statistic in this war against cancer:
- Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin D level. Ideally, monitor your vitamin D levels throughout the year.
- Control your insulin levels by limiting your intake of processed foods and sugars/fructose as much as possible.
- Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats.
- Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
- Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.
- Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.
- Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. Cruciferous vegetables in particular have been identified as having potent anti-cancer properties. Remember that carb nutritional types may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than protein nutritional types.
- Maintain an ideal body weight.
- Get enough high-quality sleep.
- Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
- Reduce your use of cell phones and other wireless technologies, and implement as many safety strategies as possible if/when you cannot avoid their use.
- Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.
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29
Breakfast is Not So G-r-r-reat When Your Only Option is Frosted Flakes
Filed Under Main Content, Other News | Leave a Comment
In the U.S., a quarter of children go without breakfast each morning. Last week, Kellogg started new project called Share Your Breakfast, which involves the company donating up to a million school breakfasts for children in need.
But while this sounds philanthropic, feeding children highly-processed junk foods is not the answer. As part of this project, Kellogg is promoting foods such as Frosted Flakes, which contains 11 grams of sugar per three-fourths cup serving, and Nutri-Grain bars, which contain high-fructose-corn syrup, artificial flavors, and a host of other chemicals.
The Huffington Post reports:
"According to research ... children will eat cereal with less sugar if the option is made available ... [T]he industry strives to reinforce the myth that children will not eat low-sugar cereals ... Make no mistake, Share Your Breakfast is an advertising campaign above all else."
Dr. Mercola's Comments:
It doesn't surprise me that another food industry conglomerate is interested in expanding its bottom line. What does surprise me is the outlandish claims it is making to push its nutritionally disastrous products on unsuspecting children and mothers across the US.
While I am the first to agree that providing underprivileged children access to a healthy breakfast is a noble goal, the Kellogg company's multi-platform marketing blitz featuring its sugar-laden cereals and snack bars is once again resorting to nutritional distortions that border on nonsensical.
What's Wrong with the Standard American Breakfast?
With sugar and carbohydrates being two of the prime causes of the massive childhood obesity epidemic in the US, eating any of the breakfasts involved in Kellogg's recently launched "Share Your Breakfast" promotion is much more likely to add to the number of obese children in the US than giving a single underprivileged child a healthy start to the day.
Because a diet loaded with sugar is anything but healthy.
Additionally, according to Cereal FACTS (Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score), which was developed based on the best available science, in consultation with a steering committee of experts in nutrition, 5 of the top the 10 worst breakfast cereals based on nutrition score are Kellogg products!
If the Kellogg company really wants to do something beneficial for the health of US children, it would immediately reformulate its products to contain a fraction of the sugar currently found in most of its breakfast offerings. But they are unlikely to do that, because according to new content on their website sugar is a "misunderstood nutrient" that "does not cause obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease or hyperactivity."
We'll look at these outrageous claims in more detail below.
Kellogg's "Share Your Breakfast" campaign is nothing but another slick marketing campaign created by the digital advertising agency Biggs-Gilmore, combining online ads with social media marketing, with a 30 second television commercial assist from one of the world's largest advertising firms, the Leo Burnett company.
I just hope that the mothers of America, who these promotions are usually aimed at, are able to look beyond Kellogg's polished marketing and apply some common sense to understand the truth ? massive doses of sugar will never be part of a healthy breakfast.
According to Kellogg, Sugar isn't bad for You! It's Misunderstood!
According to the article above in the Huffington Post, Kellogg's is now claiming on their website that sugar "does not cause obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease or hyperactivity."
If the truth was accepted they would be fined for advertising fraud.
There are tens of thousands of peer reviewed studies that support the harmful effects of sugar on human health and many are listed on this site. Just use the search engine at the top of every page and started reading a few of the thousands of articles I have posted on this topic. You can read the 76 Dangers of Sugar to Your Health.
Here are just a few of the links between sugar and various health problems:
- Sugar appears to act on the body the same way as amphetamines
- Diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome are all related to rising rates of coronary heart disease
- Sugar is a prime cause of exploding obesity rates all over the world, especially in children
- Sugar is linked to premature death
- Sugar behaves in your body like an addictive drug
- Sugar elimination can reduce hyperactivity in children
Just How Much Sugar is in Kellogg Breakfast Cereals and Snack Bars?
Unscientifically speaking -- a lot.
Because let's not forget that "grains" of all types are simple carbohydrates and also spike both blood sugar and insulin in your body, just like sugar. So if you take into account the grains in Kellogg's cereals and snack bars, the first four or five ingredients all basically translate into sugar.
From the Huffington Post article above, (supporting the fact that sugar is bad for your health) comes some very revealing recommendations from the American Heart Association:
"One of the most recent studies, reported in TIME Magazine last year, found that consuming added sugars raises the risk for heart disease by raising cholesterol and triglycerides. The American Heart Association's (AHA) Web site states, "High intake of added sugars is implicated in numerous poor health conditions, including obesity, high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease and stroke."
The AHA is so concerned about the amount of added sugars in the American diet that in 2009 it established upper limits for adults (none exist yet for children, oddly enough). The AHA says that women should get no more than six teaspoons a day and men no more than nine.
Most of the Kellogg's products I researched contained an average of 11 grams of sugar per serving, which is close to three teaspoons of sugar. If we assume that the average child weighs about half what the average woman weighs, then three teaspoons is the upper limit of how much a child should safely consume in one day, according to the AHA.
That means the child couldn't eat any other added sugars for the rest of the day (not likely) and that he or she could only eat the single three-fourths cup serving (also, not likely). The AHA says the average American eats an alarming 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day."
In other words, according to no less a source than the American Heart Association, if a child starts their day with a typical Kellogg cereal or snack bar breakfast (the exact breakfast being promoted through Kellogg's slick "Share Your Breakfast" digital online and television marketing campaign) they are putting themselves at higher risk for obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes.
How is this in any way healthy?
And how does Kellogg get away with telling anyone this is healthy?
It is also ironic that Kellogg's partner in the "Share Your Breakfast" marketing campaign is a group called Action For Healthy Kids, who lists on their website that one of their listed associates is the American Heart Association!
All I can say to the Action For Healthy Kids people is, you're busted!
What I Personally Have for Breakfast
For my breakfast I put a scoop or two of the banana Miracle Whey in a one-quart glass mason jar, and then I add two to four raw eggs. These are typically eggs purchased from a local farmer, not from the grocery store, so they're organic, free-range eggs.
Now, I realize that some people don't like the texture of raw eggs. But that's typically due to a stringy consistency of raw egg whites. Fortunately, you won't need to worry about that with this breakfast, because when you mix it up as I recommend, the eggs are dissolved beyond having any texture issues (and they even add a slight vanilla taste to the drink). I challenge anyone to be able to differentiate between a shake that has raw eggs in it, and one that doesn't.
Seriously, you won't be able to tell the difference.
After putting in the whey mix and the eggs, I add one teaspoon of coconut oil. Coconut is a great source of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are the best low glycemic fuel for your muscles after exercise (I also recommend exercising in the morning, before your breakfast).
If you like, you can beef up your morning meal even further. There is fiber in our Miracle Whey, but I add some organic defatted chia seed flour which is high in protein and water soluble and insoluble fibers. I then add two of our probiotic capsules and a vitamin K2.
I fill the jar with water to about half way up and then use a hand mixer to blend all these ingredients (you can get the hand mixer at either Costco or Target for about $30 or so, if you don't have one already). I strongly recommend a hand mixer instead of a blender for the ease of cleanup. You can rinse it clean in under five seconds.
So, if you like banana and coconut, you're going to love this recipe. The Miracle Whey uses digestive resistant maltodextrin which provides sweetness but does not at all raise insulin levels and also serves as a prebiotic fuel source for bacteria in your large intestine.
Other Healthful Breakfast Options
When it comes to a more conventional healthy breakfast, a much better and more sensible option than following Kellogg's "advice" is for you and your children to avoid sugar and grains of all kinds.
Remember, most people are unconsciously exchanging "convenience" for their health, and that's the primary reason companies like Kellogg's exist, because they make breakfast as easy as opening a box found on your grocery store shelf. But real nutrition takes a little more work than opening a processed food box, and you are too smart to make that mistake.
It is very important that you start your day off with a healthy breakfast, as studies have shown that eating breakfast can have beneficial effects on:
- Appetite
- Insulin resistance
- Energy metabolism
One study even found that obesity and insulin resistance syndrome rates were 35 percent to 50 percent lower among people who ate breakfast every day, compared to those who frequently skipped it.
But there's more to it than simply not skipping the morning meal. You need to give your body high-quality fuel. And sugary breakfast cereals and snack bars simply do not qualify as high-quality fuel regardless of the fact that the Kellogg PR machine spends half a billion dollars a year telling you that they are!
I know that I said before raw eggs are nutritionally better than cooked eggs, but I do understand that serving raw eggs or even protein shakes mixed by a hand blender are not always an option when it comes to the tastes of children. But please understand that children will most likely form lifelong eating habits based on the foods you as a parent provide them. And according to the study above, children will even eat less sugary cereals when they are presented to them.
Not that I recommend even less sugary cereal options, because I don't.
So please give some serious thought about what types of foods your child eats for breakfast. Proper childhood nutrition is so important if you want to set the stage for lifelong health that I wrote an entire book on the subject called Generation XL: Raising Healthy, Intelligent Kids in a High-Tech, Junk-Food World.
The book includes 74 pages of kid-approved recipes, brimming with all-natural, healthy choices that will satisfy even your picky eaters. So if you're looking for even more options to wean your kids off breakfast cereal, this book is an excellent place to find them.
You can also download our Nutritional Typing Cookbook for free.
Remember to avoid serving grains or sugars to your children for breakfast in particular, and cutting grains and sugar out of other meals and snacks as well will return healthy dividends.
Serving processed sugary foods to children simply sets up a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits, much to the pleasure of Kellogg's who will increase their corporate profits, but much to the detriment of your and your children's health.
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