This blog is a place to discuss news and topics related to our health and wealth. My hope is that through sharing information we can create better lives for ourselves and loved ones.
According to a recent report by CNN, obesity is now a bigger health crisis than hunger...IN THE WORLD!
The article states that"the report revealed that every country, with the exception of those in
sub-Saharan Africa, faces alarming obesity rates -- an increase of 82%
globally in the past two decades. Middle Eastern countries are more
obese than ever, seeing a 100% increase since 1990."
Did you see the documentary Food Inc? I did. It changed many of my thoughts and opinions of food in America and the FDA. If you have an extra ten minutes click on the link below to watch the video and see how we as Americans are forced to consume genetically modified soy beans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P1CJ7IEt0c
In an article on LIVESTRONG.COM, Owen Bond writes that "most soy products and powders are made with soy protein isolate, or SPI,
which is a protein-rich powder extracted from the waste product of soy
oil manufacturing." According to the article there are a few components of soy products that may have adverse affects on our bodies.
Phytic Acid
This component can inhibit the body's ability to absorb essential minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron
and zinc. Consuming too much soy protein powder could lead to mineral deficiency.
Trypsin Inhibitors
This is a type of enzyme inhibitor that makes it difficult for the body to digest protein. This in turn creates stress in the gastric system and deficiencies in our bodies use of amino acids. It is possible to remove some of the Trypsin Inhibitors but the high temperatures used in this process may leave the proteins inadequate for human digestion.
Phytoestrogens
This component is a type of plant estrogen. Consuming phytoestrogens and interfere with the hormone producing endocrine glands. The potential ramifications of this interaction are infertitility and hypothyroidism. It can even promote breast cancer. In men it can reduce testosterone.
Aluminum
YES! Aluminum! The addition of Aluminum happens during the production of SPI. The soy products are involved in acid washing in aluminum tanks. During this process aluminum particals attach to the final product. The affects of aluminum include damage to nerve tissue and may be related to Alzheimer's.
Please find more information in the original article at
Did you ever watch the the television series "The Conversation" with Amanda De Cadenet? I remember seeing it and loving the interesting and sometimes strange conversations she had with a wide variety of celebrities. So open and candid. Here is a quick look at one topic she discussed with Gwyneth Paltrow.
In doing some research on the importance of cleansing our bodies, I happily found a website with all of her "conversations" in addition to a huge amount of information on a huge variety of topics.
In terms of cleansing a guest author, Hacer Bozkurt IMD, focuses on the importance of eating vitamin rich fruits and vegetables, and the need to rid our systems of toxins. According to Bozkurt:
"Everything we put in our mouth touches and affects the walls of the
stomach, small intestine and colon. When these substances are toxic,
they damage the intestinal wall and cells, intoxicate the nerves and
glands and can be absorbed through the walls into the blood and lymph
and ultimately to the cells and tissue. These substances also cause
inflammation and damage leading to disease, abnormal brain and nervous
system behavior."
In addition, Bozkurt notes that cleansing provides a break for our gastrointestinal and physiological systems. Such a period of rest allows our bodies to remove unwanted symptoms including weight. Cleansing can also improve immunity, energy, skin, and sleep.
Many doctors have referred to Visceral Fat as fat that can strangle your organs. This toxic fat not can't not only lead to the above mentioned, life-threatening conditions, but it can also drain you of energy and produce a "low"feeling of mild depression.
Visceral fat is dangerously toxic. As Dr David Haslam, clinical
director of the National Obesity Forum, explains: 'Visceral fat may seem
to be an inert lump of lard, but it's actually highly active and
constantly pumping poisons into the bloodstream.'
I don't know about you but with all the other toxins in our food and environment the last thing I need is my own body producing poison.
In my previous post I mention a study that has reported a greater loss in Visceral Fat while using cleansing and nutritional supplements from the company Isagenix. The proof is in the pudding! Using a cleansing regime while consuming nutrient dense foods will rid your body of visceral fat better than the Hear Healthy Diet supported by the American Government.
Feinmann, J.(2010,
March 18). The toxic fat
that can strangle your organs and how to shed it.Mail Online.Retrieved December 11, 2012, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1258185/The-toxic-fat-strangle-organs-shed-it.html.
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)’s study involving Isagenix
products has now been published in a second high-profile, peer-reviewed
publication, Nutrition Journal.
The new article includes magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of a subject before and after use of Isagenix products.
The MRI scans serve to provide visual evidence of visceral fat
reduction in the subject in the Isagenix group during the 30-day study.
MRI scans use radio waves to scan the body and then produce
cross-sectional pictures showing the internal structures of the body.
The figures in this publication include before (figure A) and after
(figure B) cross-sectional abdominal scans of a subject who was in the
Isagenix group of the study. When viewed side by side, there is a
noticeable decrease in visceral fat—the fat that surrounds the internal
organs—in figure B compared to figure A (the white area within the
outlined section). On average, the MRI scans showed that subjects in the
group taking Isagenix products lost two times as much visceral fat as
those who followed a “heart-healthy” diet in the study. A slight
decrease in subcutaneous fat—the thick white outer layer outside of the
outlined section—can also be seen when comparing the before and after
images.
