Food (6)

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If you are a person that pays attention to your health you should know we are in the middle of a health war and it looks like the enemy is winning. Cancer is now the number one cause of death in the United States, obesity is at an all time high, and we are identifying diabetic teenagers on a regular basis.  Young adults with heart disease are the norm. We are taking medications that are supposed to help us (which they do) but they have side effects which are breaking down our bodies and preventing us from achieving optimal health.

The food we eat is a mess as well. You need to look into high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, MSG and you’ll see what I mean. There’s a reason you can’t eat just one French fry or one potato chip, these chemical laced foods are designed to keep you eating. Your body doesn’t recognize chemicals, it cannot properly digest them  so it stores it as fat, which may lead to the accumulation of free radicals which could be one of the reasons cancer is killing so many of us. I also feel these chemicals are the catalyst for our obesity issues. As I stated before, your body stores these chemicals as fat. Your body pulls these chemicals away from your major organs and surrounds it with fat and water.

These days so many people have trouble losing that last 10-12 lbs. When we are eating food that has more chemicals than nutrients there is no wonder we are obese and full of disease.

As bad as all this sounds there is good news. We can rid our bodies of toxins, we can fill our bodies with nutrients, we can lose those stubborn 10-12lbs. Nutritional cleansing is the key. Many of you may not be familiar with Nutritional Cleansing.

Many cleanses deal with cleansing specific organs. Nutritional cleansing works at a cellular level, so we’re talking about cleansing your entire body from head to toe. Many cleanses require you to fast.  Nutritional cleansing programs REQUIRE you to eat. Many cleanses help you to lose weight but in the process you may lose muscle. With nutritional cleansing you may lose the weight while you gain lean muscle. The most powerful component of nutritional cleansing is the replenishing aspect. ALL cleanses remove toxins from your bodies; however, when your body is still lacking the proper nutrients your body is not capable of truly taking care of itself. What nutritional cleansing does is not only cleanse the body but it also provides the body with vital nutrients which also enables the body to function at its highest level, which in turn helps the body to fight off disease and stay healthy and keep you feeling great.

I interviewed former World Series Champion Sean Wooten, listen as he discusses the powerful benefits of nutritional cleansing.

 

Post by Ken Coward in  on May 26, 2010 at 6:56 pm

http://elev8.com/health/kencoward/its-time-to-give-nutritional-cleansing-a-try/

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The other day while I was making bread, I cracked an egg and dumped it right down the drain. Total mistake. (With a baby who still wakes up multiple times a night, I’m still a little sleep deprived.) There was a time, however, when I intentionally washed egg yolks down the drain—and used only the whites—because I thought that egg yolks were bad for my heart. Here are the details of why you should go ahead and eat the yolks, plus highlights of other food myths that just won’t die. Myth 1: Eggs are bad for your heart. The Truth: Eggs do contain a substantial amount of cholesterol in their yolks—about 211 mg per large egg. And yes, cholesterol is the fatty stuff in our blood that contributes to clogged arteries and heart attacks. But labeling eggs as “bad for your heart” is connecting the wrong dots, experts say. “Epidemiologic studies show that most healthy people can eat an egg a day without problems,” says Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., R.D., distinguished professor of nutrition at Penn State University. For most of us the cholesterol we eat doesn’t have a huge impact on raising our blood cholesterol; the body simply compensates by manufacturing less cholesterol itself. Saturated and trans fats have much greater impact on raising blood cholesterol. And a large egg contains only 2 grams of saturated fat and no trans fats. The American Heart Association recommends limiting cholesterol intake to less than 300 mg daily—less than 200 mg if you have a history of heart problems or diabetes or are over 55 (women) or 45 (men). “That works out to less than an egg a day for this population—more like two eggs over the course of the week,” notes Kris-Etherton. Related: Two Dozen Easy, Healthy Egg Recipes Myth 2: High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is worse for you than sugar. The Truth: The idea that high-fructose corn syrup is any more harmful to your health than sugar is “one of those urban myths that sounds right but is basically wrong,” according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a health advocacy group. The composition of high-fructose corn syrup is almost identical to table sugar or sucrose (55 percent fructose, 45 percent glucose and 50:50, respectively). Calorie-wise, HFCS is a dead ringer for sucrose. Studies show that HFCS and sucrose have very similar effects on blood levels of insulin, glucose, triglycerides and satiety hormones. In short, it seems to be no worse—but also no better—than sucrose, or table sugar. This controversy, say researchers, is distracting us from the more important issue: we’re eating too much of all sorts of sugars, from HFCS and sucrose to honey and molasses. The American Heart Association recently recommended that women consume no more than 100 calories a day in added sugars [6 teaspoons]; men, 150 calories [9 teaspoons]. Related: Delicious Desserts with Surprisingly Low Added Sugars Myth 3: A raw-food diet provides enzymes that are essential to healthy digestion. The Truth: “Raw foods are unprocessed so nothing’s taken away; you don’t get the nutrient losses that come with cooking,” says Brenda Davis, R.D., co-author of Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets (Book Publishing, 2010). But the claim by some raw-food advocates that eating raw boosts digestion by preserving “vital” plant enzymes, Davis explains, just doesn’t hold water. “Those enzymes are made for the survival of plants; for human health, they are not essential.” What about the claim by some raw-foodistas that our bodies have a limited lifetime supply of enzymes—and that by eating more foods with their enzymes intact, we’ll be able to spare our bodies from using up their supply? “The reality is that you don’t really have a finite number of enzymes; you’ll continue to make enzymes as long as you live,” says Davis. Enzymes are so vital to life, she adds, “the human body is actually quite efficient at producing them.” Myth 4: Your body can’t use the protein from beans unless you eat them with rice. The Truth: Proteins—which our bodies need to make everything from new muscle to hormones—are made up of different combinations of 20 amino acids. Thing is, our bodies can make only 11 of these amino acids; we must get the other nine from food. Animal-based protein-rich foods like eggs and meat provide all nine of these “essential” amino acids, but nearly all plant foods are low in at least one. Experts used to say that to get what your body needs to make proteins, you should pair plant-based foods with complementary sets of amino acids—like rice and beans. Now they know that you don’t have to eat those foods at the same meal. “If you get a variety of foods throughout the day, they all go into the ‘basket’ of amino acids that are available for the body to use,” says Winston J. Craig, Ph.D., R.D., nutrition department chair at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Related: Cheap, Quick Dinners Using Canned Beans. Myth 5: Microwaving zaps nutrients. The Truth: This is misguided thinking, says Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, Ph.D., R.D., professor of nutrition at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Whether you’re using a microwave, a charcoal grill or a solar-heated stove, “it’s the heat and the amount of time you’re cooking that affect nutrient losses, not the cooking method,” she says. “The longer and hotter you cook a food, the more you’ll lose certain heat- and water-sensitive nutrients, especially vitamin C and thiamin [a B vitamin].” Because microwave cooking often cooks foods more quickly, it can actually help to minimize nutrient losses. Related: How to Cook 20 Vegetables Myth 6: Radiation from microwaves creates dangerous compounds in your food. The Truth: “Radiation” might connote images of nuclear plants, but it simply refers to energy that travels in waves and spreads out as it goes. Microwaves, radio waves and the energy waves that we perceive as visual light all are forms of radiation. So, too, are X-rays and gamma rays—which do pose health concerns. But the microwaves used to cook foods are many, many times weaker than X-rays and gamma rays, says Robert Brackett, Ph.D., director of the National Center for Food Safety and Technology at the Illinois Institute of Technology. And the types of changes that occur in microwaved food as it cooks are “from heat generated inside the food, not the microwaves themselves,” says Brackett. “Microwave cooking is really no different from any other cooking method that applies heat to food.” That said, microwaving in some plastics may leach compounds into your food, so take care to use only microwave-safe containers. What food myth are you sick of hearing people defend?
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Hundreds flock to Nigeria in search of food

KANO, Nigeria (AFP) – Hundreds of Niger nationals, mostly womenand children, have flooded into neighbouring Nigeria in search of food, officials and residents said on Friday.capt.photo_1274472362594-1-0.jpg?x=213&y=142&xc=1&yc=1&wc=410&hc=273&q=85&sig=1d_6vQYZcNebsHqYL_qVuQ--

"We are aware of the recent influx of people from Niger into some parts of (southern) Katsina State," Sani Makana, the state agriculture commissioner told AFP by phone from the state capital Katsina.

The number of of Niger nationals in northern Katsina state, which shares a land border with Nigeria, has soared in the past two months, residents said.

Makana said some were so desperate they had been forced to beg door-to-door..

"It is a pathetic sight. They just have nothing to live on and have to beg to eat," said Katsina resident, Abubakar Shehu.

"When you ask them why they came here they tell you that they were starving in Niger... and would die if they stayed," Shehu said.

According to the United Nations around 7.8 million Nigeriens are in need of food, out of the around 10 million affected by a crisis in the Sahel region.

Many Niger men in Nigeria have turned their hand to selling water in order to eke out a living.

Vendors pushing two-wheeler carts laden with 25-litre (five-gallon) jerry cans have become a common sight in Katsina city, said resident Ibrahim Salihu.

A Nigerian immigration officer, who asked to remain anonymous, said there was little his officials could do to stop the influx.

"There is very little we can do... due to the porous nature of the over 1,000 kilometre (63 mile) border stretch," he said.

In anticipation of the influx, Katsina authorities have stockpiled grains for distribution, Makana said.

Niger's transitional government at the weekend announced the launch of a food distribution operation for nearly 1.5 million people facing severe shortages.

West African ministers also met on Wednesday in the Togolese capital of Lome to discuss the crisis, an official statement said.
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Jonathan shuns Aso Rock food, drinks - Beware of ‘Abiola treatment’ - Groups warn VP - Yar’Adua dragged to UN - Nigeria’s challenges not beyond God - Jonathan Donald Ojogo, Bureau Chief, South-South - 04.01.2010 THE raging succession battle arising from the long absence of President Umaru Yar’Adua due to ill-health appears to have taken a new twist, as the Vice-President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, has refrained from taking food and drinks served in the State House, Abuja. Nigerian Tribune learnt authoritatively that the nation’s number two man has only been taking food prepared by his wife, Patience, in the last three weeks. This development is coming on the heels of a warning from the Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG), as well as the Ijaw National Congress (INC), that any attempt to hurt Jonathan would spell doom for the country. The vice-president has maintained a dignified silence amidst calls for his resignation four weeks ago by some northern politicians, even as he has refused to be dragged in as pressure heightens that President Yar’Adua should resign to pave the way for Jonathan to take over in acting capacity. Only three days ago, Jonathan, who spoke at the New Year Service in Abuja, maintained that the ship of state was sailing with Yar’Adua still in charge. But the Nigerian Tribune learnt that behind the public show of statesmanship by the vice-president are very serious issues bothering him to the extent that he has resolved “not to take anything for granted.” According to a highly-placed source in the Presidency, the vice-president’s determination to avoid food and drinks prepared in the Villa became manifest at a state function which was held quietly in the Villa without the prying eye of the press. The event was the visit of a VIP from a tiny African country sharing some common economic links with Nigeria. Jonathan was said to have quietly turned down the request that he should be served food and drink at the event. That, according to the source, was about the fifth time the vice-president would turn down such a request. Also at a political rally in one of the South-East states, Jonathan refused to eat and drink throughout the programme. “ The only thing sure about Oga (Jonathan) is that, he will remain loyal to the president no matter the temptation and pressures from so many quarters; he can never betray him by falling for the temptation of those making moves to spite him and his office. “I can tell you that they know what they are up to and the VP knows this much too, because whatever thing he does in reaction to their actions are capable of so many meanings. “But the man has really decided that nothing should be taken for granted at all; that is why he has refrained from taking anything prepared in the Villa, at least for now till the return of the president, insha Allah, because nothing is impossible in this country and politicians can go to any length to stop anybody from becoming something. It has happened in this country before.” Asked if the action of the vice-president did not have serious implications for mutual distrust, the source said: “Whatever that amounts to I do not know. But I can tell you too that it was distrust and an attempt to ridicule the vice-president that some hawks had to tell to the nation that the president, who they had not seen for over 40 days, had signed the nation’s budget. “It will be in the interest of the nation if the same persons can show us the specimen signature of the president and then present to him again, the National Merit and Honours List for signature too. Meanwhle, the IMG, in a statement by its coordinator, Comrade Joseph Evah, expressed fears that the vice-president’s life could be in danger. “We have said this before and we will continue to say it that the life of the vice-president is in danger, because of the way and manner some powerful politicians are bent on subverting the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “IMG is fervently praying for the president to return home in good health and continue his efforts to change the face of the Niger Delta; but events in the last three weeks show that Jonathan is not wanted by some very influential politicians, who try to do anything to twist the constitution against the collective wish of the people of the country. “In fact, we cannot be oblivious of the fact that this people can go to any extent, including giving Jonathan the infamous (MKO) Abiola treatment, just to have their way. But we must warn that events that will follow such an action will not be in the interest of the nation,” the statement said in part. Meanwhile, Vice-President Jonathan has expressed optimism that Nigeria’s challenges as a nation are not beyond God. Speaking at the Sunday service at the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Central Parish, Abuja, on Sunday, Dr. Jonathan said the challenges “we may go through as children of God and as a nation signify that God is in charge of our lives.” He clarified that when the nation was confronted with the challenge of the swearing-in of the new Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu, God averted the confusion that the country might have found itself. He also disclosed that the provision of the Oath Act, which empowers the sitting Chief Justice of Nigeria to swear in his successor, was evidence of God’s intervention. Dr. Jonathan commended all Nigerians – both Christians and Muslims –– for their tremendous support and prayers for President Yar’Adua and all leaders at different levels and the country in general. In his sermon, Pastor Elijah Daramola, whose message centred on grace, identified seven key roles which he said grace played in the life of Christians. He urged Christians to shun unrighteousness in order to enjoy the sufficient grace, which, according to him, God had provided in 2010. Those with the Vice-President included the Minister of Aviation, Mr. Babatunde Omotoba; former deputy speaker House of Representatives, Chief Chibudom Nwuche, and some other government functionaries.
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National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has sealed off a popular fast food outfit, Sweet Sensation Confectioneries, for operating under a condition considered inimical to the health of the public Director General of the agency, Dr. Paul Orhii, who revealed this at a press conference yesterday, said the eatery located at 14, Town Planning way, Ilupeju, Lagos, was operating under very unhygienic conditions. Speaking on how the closure was carried out, Orhii said a team of NAFDAC inspectors met with officials of the company who conducted them round the entire premises ‘’it was shocking for the inspectors to discover that the source of water of the eatery was a borehole located close to an underground concrete sewage without proper treatment”. “Not only that, the storage condition of the ready food for eating was inadequate, while the company uses a ceramic bath tub for mixing dough for their pastries. He also added that the company’s kitchen windows and doors were not netted to protect the premises from pests such as rats, cockroaches and flies. The general sanitation of the premises was said to be appealing, as plates were said to be stored close to the open drains and exposed to microbial contamination, which could lead to food poisoning leading to stomach-ache, diarrhea and vomiting. The agency warns that the inspection of food joints in the country continues and any company found wanting would be penalized accordingly.
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NIGERIAN STAPLE FOOD…. GOOD OR BAD???

I love our staple food, and I am lucky enough to eat it on a daily basis. How healthy are they though?In Nigeria, our staple food consists of a variety of yam, cassava and brown rice. These can be prepared in any number of ways. They however, all have one thing in common. Since it makes sense to classify foods based on their highest nutritional content, the one thing they have in common is that Cassava, Yam and Brown rice are all carbohydrates.Carbohydrates however, are the main culprit where weight gain is concerned. This is because; the final break down of carbohydrate in the body is simple sugar. I want to point out that when the supply of ingested glucose (glucose is the only usable form of simple sugar) is too high, the blood sugar level gets too high and the excess glucose must be eliminated from the bloodstream. This increased level of blood sugar triggers the release of insulin (the hormone responsible for regulating blood sugar levels) to transport or make the excess glucose available to the body tissues.Especially after exercise, when energy stores are low, the muscle tissue is the first point of call of the insulin-carried glucose. Glucose however can only be taken up by the muscle tissues at a gradual rate. If too much insulin-carried glucose is present at one time, the liver is the next stop.The liver like the muscle tissue, also takes up glucose at a gradual rate and when the liver stores are full and there is still an excess supply of insulin-carried glucose in the bloodstream, the next stop is the adipose tissue where it is stored as fat. Unlike the muscle and liver, the adipose tissues take up glucose quite rapidly.The rate at which glucose is released into the blood is an important issue as, if the ingested carbohydrates are already simple sugars or low in fibre, the digestion process will be shorter and they will be absorbed too quickly. This causes the pancreatic tissue to release an excess amount of insulin into the blood. Since the liver and muscle tissues only take up glucose gradually, the excess insulin-carried-glucose will by-pass the muscle and liver and be deposited in the adipose tissue where it is rapidly stored as fat.This is where the quality and quantity of carbohydrates we eat comes in. I believe that by now you can see the danger in eating too much simple sugars or food low in fibre. The flip side to the coin is to eat complex carbohydrates as this will result in an intermittent release of glucose into the bloodstream which means that the pancreas will not release excess insulin into the bloodstream; which also means that most of the glucose will be stored in the liver and muscle tissues as opposed to being deposited as fat in the adipose tissue.Our staple foods tend to be complex carbohydrates and that is great news but we definitely do not eat them on their own. Irrespective of how healthy they are, we cannot survive on carbohydrates alone. There are a number of ways in which we eat our staple food. For example, yam can be boiled and eaten with palm oil and pepper soup or yam when cooked, will be beaten to a paste to make pounded yam and eaten with ogbono soup (my favourite) or egusi soup, etc. Cassava can be used to make garri and eaten in a similar way. Brown rice can be eaten with stew, or made into jollof rice, or fried rice.I mentioned above that the glucose we get from complex carbohydrates is slowly released into our blood stream. This is because it takes longer for our body to fully digest them (up to an hour). Well, it takes even longer when these complex carbohydrates are mixed with proteins and fat. In fact, when you eat carbohydrates with proteins, it takes about 3 to 4 hours for digestion to be completed.The Nigerian staple food is clearly healthy to eat as they are complex carbohydrates. However, what we eat them with and how much we eat at any given time, also plays an important role in our weight management and overall well-being.Look out for my future article on THE RIGHT WAY TO EAT TO BURN FAT! Until then, here are a few tips to follow:• Eat moderately, not like there is no tomorrow. It does not matter how healthy the food is, if you eat too much, you will gain weight.• When using Palm oil, choose that with little or no cholesterol and use it sparingly. Avoid palm oil or any other oil that is solid at room temperature.• Eat at regular intervals – 3 to 4 hours and do not skip meals.• Engage in a regular sporting routine so that you can balance out your input versus your output (depending on what your goal is).Tejiri OrugboCertified Fitness NutritionistCertified Personal TrainerFounder - http://www.gymhawk.com
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