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Food
High protein and low carb diet: The Right choice or not?

Even though the body consists mainly of protein, our protein requirements don’t come from protein alone. They come from an interchange between proteins, carbohydrates, and fat within our body. That said, plant-based proteins are the highest quality proteins. They can be supplied by whole cereal grains and various beans and their by-products. In terms of food requirements in our daily life, we need one part of a protein, for body construction, versus seven parts of carbohydrates, for energy. Consequently, we need much less protein than has lately been publicized by some food theories. A recent study was made to evaluate the effects of a high protein diet. In the study, 34 post-menopausal, non-diabetic, obese women were divided into three groups — each with a different meal plan. 1. The first group of women ate a diet that would maintain their current weight. 2. The second group ate a weight loss diet that limited their protein intake to the RDA (recommended dietary allowance) of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For a woman who weighs 154 pounds, that is about 56 grams of protein. 3. The third group also ate a weight loss diet but increased their protein intake. They ate 1.2 grams of protein for each kilogram of body weight. For a 154-pound woman, that would be 84 grams of protein. The women were monitored for 28 weeks. The researchers provided all of the meals, so the protein, carb, and fat intake were tightly controlled. One of the promises of a high-protein diet was that the cells would become more sensitive to insulin, which would mean that the cells would uptake and utilize sugar more efficiently – rather than storing the sugar as fat. While both the RDA-limited protein group and the higher-protein group lost the same amount of weight, the RDA-limited protein group saw a 25-30% improvement in insulin sensitivity, which is linked to a reduced risk for diabetes and heart disease. Surprisingly, the high-protein group saw zero improvements in insulin sensitivity, and while they lost the same weight, there were no metabolic improvements and thus no decreased risk for diabetes or heart disease from the high-protein diet. In other words, the study found that the group that ate a high-protein diet did not achieve the same metabolic benefits as the group that ate a diet with the recommended protein levels. Yet another side effect of a high protein diet is that it makes the body, and therefore the blood, more acidic. In order to neutralize blood acidity in the body, minerals, such as calcium, are being taken away from the bones, leaving the bones weak and susceptible to developing osteoporosis. In conclusion, it is sometimes very dangerous to blindly follow a certain fad diet that takes you to extremes, which even your body will not be able to handle for long. Our body needs a balanced nutritional plan, adapted to our body constitution because health without balance is not health and that is what we need to focus on.

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February 07, 2019
Eupepsia Medical Clinic
Health & Wellness Partner
Food
Let's Rethink Health

On the heels of the season of giving and receiving, it is important to understand that there is a very close correlation between the way we eat and the way we give and receive in our life, resulting in either poor mentality or prosperity consciousness. When we eat more than what we need, we create stagnation, greed, blockages and the energy stops flowing in the proper way. The digestive system will be overloaded and ultimately break down. Our psyche will shift and become greedy in life, always wanting to get more and more, and finding ways here and there to cheat the system, to fulfill our ever growing desired objectives, resulting in huge karmic debt and poor mentality. But on the other hand, eating less than what your body needs will have the same end result, because your mind is restraining your body from its daily need by not giving it the right nutrition and care, causing an impasse in the alchemy of giving and receiving, thus negatively affecting the digestive system and rejuvenation process, first at a physical level but very soon at an energetic, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels as well. The outcome of such extreme behavior leads to major blockages, resulting in a poor mentality that will affect ultimately all aspects of your life, starting with the physical body, blocking the good absorption of food. As a result, the list of intolerances will increase for each individual to a point that they will end up being very scared of the food itself - eating fewer and fewer choices until serious health problems will surface, making them feel bad and hopeless. This is the new eating disorder of the century: it’s called orthorexia nervosa, where people, on their way to wanting to become healthier and healthier, affect dramatically their physical, mental and emotional bodies; an obsession which could lead to death. It is important to rethink the way of health. Health is not deprivation; health is a balance. A balance that makes you feel good not because of how the physical body looks, but because you feel good at all levels, and even more so inside. Prosperity comes from a balance that is unique for each individual. A balance cannot be the same for two different people. Each person, depending on the characteristics of their body type, will need to understand how his/her body functions, and give it what it needs to be healthy, thus allowing the energy to flow smoothly and opening the door to prosperity consciousness. And that’s ultimately the purpose of Eupepsia, to make you find your own balance through health management in order to achieve your highest potential.

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February 07, 2019
Eupepsia Medical Clinic
Health & Wellness Partner
Food
Frozen foods: Knowing the good from the bad

To anyone with a busy life, frozen food can feel like a gift. If we’re honest, most of us could probably confess to slipping a frozen meal into the oven or microwave after a long day when we don’t have the energy to cook from scratch. And not only is cooking from frozen convenient, but those frozen pizzas and chicken drumsticks can hit the spot too – there’s definitely something about them that makes our brains light up. But trust me … that’s not a good thing. The reason we get such a kick out of them is that most are packed with ingredients that our brains have been conditioned over the years to love: Fat, salt, added sugar and more. Such is the impact of many of these foods on our brains that a 2015 study published by the Public Library of Science concluded that ‘highly processed foods, which may share characteristics with drugs of abuse (e.g. high dose, a rapid rate of absorption) appear to be particularly associated with “food addiction”.’ But is all frozen food really so bad for you? And if not, what’s okay and what should you avoid? The frozen food debate First, the good news. Frozen food itself is not inherently bad. On the contrary, in 2014 two independent studies by the University of Chester and Leatherhead Food Research found that in two-thirds of cases, frozen fruit and vegetables actually contained more vital nutrients than those that were refrigerated from fresh for just three days. The researchers concluded that this was likely to be because fresh foods of this type are frozen at the point when they are most nutritious, whereas fresh produce may have spent days or even weeks in transit and on supermarket shelves, gradually losing nutrients. Other studies have found that vegetables lose their valuable nutrients more slowly, the lower the temperature at which they are stored. In 2007, a large two-part review conducted by the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California found that by the time a consumer eats fresh goods bought from a shop, the frozen equivalent may be nutritionally similar due to the loss of nutrients during handling and storage. (Of course, eating fruit and veg fresh from your garden or allotment will always be the most nutritious option). It seems that the story is similar for meat products as well. So what’s the problem with frozen food? Let’s be clear, We’re not attacking the freezing process here. The problems come down to the types of frozen foods designed purely to be put straight into the oven or microwave, with little to no prep. I’m talking about pizzas, processed ready meals, chicken pieces, fish sticks – and anything else pre-packed that bears little resemblance to the food in its original form. As a 2014 study published in the journal Food Chemistry recently highlighted, those foods are bad news. The study reported that at least half of such meals commonly found on the European market are nutritionally imbalanced. To make matters worse, some of the nutritional information on the food packaging was shown to contain inaccuracies. Sodium content It’s also not uncommon for processed frozen foods to be packed full of sodium – a component of salt. While sodium is an essential mineral, the problem is that most of us consume far too much of it, often from processed food. The reason for these high sodium levels in processed frozen foods is two-fold. First, sodium reduces what’s known as the water activity of food. This serves to draw water out of any bacteria that may be present in the food, slowing the decaying process and preventing your meal from turning into a soggy mess when thawed. Sodium is also added to enhance the flavor of such meals. As most frozen meals are relatively inexpensive, sodium comes in handy for food manufacturers as a cheaper alternative to higher quality flavorings such as herbs and spices. Dangerous fats Another common ingredient in processed frozen foods is trans fats, which are particularly bad news for our health. They are made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. Their use in processed foods became popular because they provide a cheap and easy way to enhance taste and texture. Not so sweet And of course there’s sugar, which is often added to processed and frozen foods, not just for flavor but to maintain texture and prevent discoloration in some foods. Eating too much added sugar is a known cause of obesity as well as being strongly linked to increased risks for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, so it’s important to keep levels down. The AHA recommends limiting added sugar to no more than 25g a day for women and 36g a day for men. Fresh v froze – settling the debate In truth, the fresh-versus-frozen debate misses the point. By the time food reaches the consumer’s plate, there are no more nutrients lost from freshly frozen food than the fresh equivalent – and fewer in some cases. As with most matters concerning diet, it really comes down to the quality of the produce. If food is healthy before it is frozen, in most cases, it’ll be healthy afterward too. Equally, if a dish is packed full of sodium, trans fats and added sugar before it even hits the deep freeze, these ingredients will still be waiting for you when you take it out of the microwave. It makes sense to peruse the frozen aisle with the same mindset as when buying any foods: avoid anything high in salt, added sugar and trans fats – and always read the label. So, should you eat frozen or should you eat fresh? Ideally, a mixture of the two is best, but what’s most important is that you’re getting enough of the good stuff – vegetables, fruit, lean meats, and fish. Let’s aim to keep it simple, folks.

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February 05, 2019
Novomed Integrative Medicine
Health & Wellness Partner
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Food
Vitamins and supplements: The good, the bad and the ugly

When it comes to medical information, half the truth can be a dangerous thing. And there are a lot of half-truths when it comes to vitamins. Want a clear story? Here is what an intelligent consumer should know. Toxicity China is the largest source of vitamins on earth and Hebei Yuxing Bio-Engineering is the largest source of B vitamins in the world. Yet a lot of these vitamins are contaminated with lead, a heavy metal that seriously affects your brain and bone. In late 2016, the company was also slapped with an FDA warning for persistent microbial contamination of its products and for falsification of test results. Mercury is another heavy metal that poisons your heart, your bones, your hormones, and your brain. When it comes to heavy metals, I personally do not believe in such a thing as “negligible amounts”. It takes 30 years for your body to get rid of half of the amount of any mercury that you ingest. Cancer risk and vitamins The studies that show that vitamins may increase cancer risk are misleading. They included heavy smokers who were taking vitamins with a high dose of Vitamin A. Vitamin A does increase the risk of lung cancer in smokers. An honestly designed study should exclude smokers who are taking Vitamin A. High dose Vitamin C can positively affect the success of treating cancers. However, high doses are not tolerated as they produce severe diarrhea. That is why it is advised to use a high dose of Vitamin C intravenously. Dosage Frequently, the bottle displays in large print “1000 mg” of fish oil, for example. But when you read the fine print it says something like “of that 1000 mg, only 200 mg of EPA and DHA are found per softgel”. EPA and DHA are the primary components by which the majority of studies focusing on benefits are based on. That claim of “1000 mg” is in fact simply window dressing in order to catch your eye. In this case, 1000 mg of EPA/DHA would require taking 5 softgels. So unless you are taking 5 softgels, you are not getting the 1000 mg of Omega 3 fatty acids. Patients with cardio-metabolic issues should get one-to-two grams per day of EPA / DHA depending on their weight. Because you wouldn’t actually take 10 softgels, you simply won’t get what you need. The same applies to memory-enhancing pills which contain phosphatidylserine. The dose is 300 mg a day. Most “memory formulations” contain only 25-50 mg, as a serine is an expensive ingredient. This means you have to take 10-20 pills to get the memory-enhancing dose. Certain formulas contain 100 mg per pill but then they would be judged as “too expensive” compared to other brain-enhancing formulas. But are we comparing apples to apples? Again the studies conducted by pharmaceutical companies to discredit supplements are conducted on the products that most consumers use, which contain inadequate dosages. Truth in labeling The global vitamin and supplement sales reached 122 billion USD in 2015 and are growing at more than 10% per year. The FDA in the US does not regulate this enormous industry. Their limited inspectors are busy monitoring the more critical drug industry. When a manufacturer’s label states that a pill contains 100 mg of CoQ10, the pill may or may not contain that much. Some may contain as little as 30 or 50 mg. It is the Wild West. Bioavailability Sophisticated consumers are now aware of the critical importance that the microbiome and friendly bacteria play in their gut health, psychology, immune system, and lipid metabolism. They also know that they should choose pills that contain at least 20 billion colonies from a variety of bacteria strains. What they do not realize is that many of these labels state in fine print “20 billion at the time of manufacturing”. When the product leaves the factory, the count goes down due to inferior manufacturing and packaging. When the consumer opens the bottle and exposes it to humidity and heat, these live organisms die off to a negligible level within two weeks. Furthermore, one strain of bacteria may represent 90% of the total count of the advertised 18 different strains. The bottom line: Unless you choose a stable formulation which has strain identity and is ensured by finished goods assays, you are mainly consuming dead bacteria that no longer hold therapeutic value. Individualized medicine and bar codes as a solution Some patients have inherited difficulty absorbing certain vitamins or ingredients, hence need much higher levels, different formulations or different administration routes. When using vitamins and supplements to reduce or eliminate your need for high blood pressure medications, we recommend checking the vitamin and nutritional status with a special blood test that your integrative medicine doctor can send to a specialty lab. They can prepare the vitamins and supplements that your body specifically needs. The future of medicine is here albeit not covered by your insurance yet. In 2015, a large randomized European study proved that it is safe to treat acute appendicitis with antibiotics alone. Yet 95% of surgeons in the US and Europe continue to operate on every patient. Reputable providers of food vitamins and food supplements can be found. They use a barcode that you can scan that ties through their website the batch number on your bottle to the outside independent certified laboratory essay that shows toxicity levels and dosages. That is the kind of professional supplements and vitamins that should be recommended to patients.

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February 05, 2019
Novomed Integrative Medicine
Health & Wellness Partner
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Food
Do or Diet – The DASH Edition

Make that change! Whether you’re trying to lose weight or achieve healthier eating habits, the DASH diet is a great way to start. DASH stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. This diet focuses on eating a variety of food, portion control and getting the right amount of nutrients. It is a lifelong approach to help prevent high blood pressure (hypertension) but has been effective in general weight loss and overall well-being. The Breakdown The diet places emphasis on eating more fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and moderate amounts of whole grains, poultry, fish and nuts. Red meat, sweets, and fats can be consumed but only in small amounts. Here are the recommended servings for a 2,000-calorie-a-day plan. Grains: 6 to 8 Servings per Day These include rice, bread, pasta, noodles, and cereal. Serving size would be 1 slice of whole-wheat bread or ½ cup of cooked rice. Opt for whole grains/wheat as they contain more fiber and nutrients. Vegetables: 4 to 5 Servings per Day Carrots, broccoli, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, greens, and other vegetables are loaded with fiber, vitamins, and minerals such as potassium and magnesium. Serving size would be ½ cup of cut-up raw or cooked vegetables or 1 cup of raw leafy greens. Fresh is best but frozen or canned is fine for consumption, just make sure the labels state they are low sodium or without added salt. Fruits: 4 to 5 Servings per Day Just like vegetables, fruits are jammed packed with fiber, potassium, and magnesium. Typically they are low in fat with coconuts as an exception. Serving size would be 1 medium fruit, ½ cup of fresh, frozen or canned fruits or ½ cup of juice. Try having fruits with every meal and snack. Leave on edible peels as they contain healthy nutrients and fiber. Take note that citrus fruits like oranges/grapefruits/lemons/limes may interact with certain medications, so check with your doctor or pharmacist. If you select canned fruits or juices make sure that there is no sugar added. Dairy: 2 to 3 Servings per Day Milk, cheese, and other dairy products are great sources of protein, calcium, and vitamin D. Opt for low-fat or fat-free options as whole fat is often saturated and can lead to a number of health issues. Serving size would be 1 cup of skim/1% milk, 1 cups of low-fat yogurt, 1 slice of part-skim cheese. If you are lactose intolerant, look for lactose-free products or consider taking an over-the-counter product that contains the enzyme lactase which may aid with digestion. You can have regular or fat-free cheese but only in small amounts as they contain high levels of sodium. Lean meat, poultry, and fish: 0 to 6 Servings per Day Meat is a rich source of protein, iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Opt for lean varieties (less fat) and do not consume beyond 6 servings a day. Serving size would be 1 egg or a matchbox size of meat. Make sure to remove any excess fat or skin and rather than fry in fat/oil/butter, it would be better to grill, bake, roast or broil instead. Fish such as salmon, tuna, and herring are high in omega-3 fatty acids which help lower cholesterol. Fats and Oils: 2 to 3 servings per Day Yes, you still need fat. Not all fat is bad and it actually helps you absorb essential vitamins and improve your body’s immune system. It’s only when you have too much fat wherein you increase your risk of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes. Serving size would be 1 teaspoon of margarine, 2 tablespoons of salad dressing or a tablespoon of mayonnaise. Avoid trans fat and limit saturated fat. Nuts, seeds, and legumes: 4 to 5 Servings per Week Beans, lentils, almonds, sunflower seeds, and other food from this family are great sources of protein, potassium, fiber, and magnesium. A serving size is about 1/3 cup of nuts, ½ cup of cooked beans, or 2 tablespoons of seeds. Consume only a few times a week as this kind of food is high in calories. Sweets: 0 to 5 servings per Week Avoiding sweets can be difficult but you and control it. Serving size would be 1 tablespoon of sugar, jelly or jam, 1 cup of lemonade, or ½ cup of sorbet. Choose options that are fat-free or low-fat like sorbets, fruit ices, graham crackers, cookies, hard candies or jelly beans. Added sugar just means more calories without nutritional value. Applying It to Your Life Change gradually and find what works for you. This diet is really more of a guideline to achieve healthier eating habits. Discover new food to try out. If you’re vegetarian there are many options to make up for protein such as soy, tofu, mushrooms and nuts that can be replaced over the lean meat, poultry and fish section. You can’t expect change overnight but once you get started, keep going! Remember, healthy eating is about nutrition and variety to benefit your health. How healthy are your habits? What do you think of the DASH diet? Let us know down below!

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February 05, 2019
Lifeline Hospital
Health & Wellness Partner
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