This article is about nutrition.
For a balanced nutrition we need
- PROTEIN to build our cells, organs and muscles. Protein is supplying us with essential amino acids that are the building blocks for the peptide hormones in the brain and ACTH (the major stress hormone). Hormones are important as communication signals between organ systems.
- ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS for information transfer in our system. These essential fatty acids consist of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, which cannot be made by our body. In other words, we must supply them to our body, that is why they have the name “essential fatty acids”.
Continuing items re. balanced nutrition
- CARBOHYDRATES. In response to carbohydrate and sugar intake insulin (the “storage hormone”) is released. It “files” the nutrients into the cells for future use. Contrary to the essential amino acids and the essential fatty acids there is not such a thing as an essential carbohydrate and yet we need carbohydrates as energy source for all our cell function. If no carbohydrates are forthcoming, our body is able to make glucose (the main carbohydrate) from protein or fat that is stored in our cells. Without carbohydrates there would be no smooth functioning of our system. Finally our food has to supply us with:
- VITAMINS AND MINERALS. Both are found mixed in with animal protein sources as well as with carbohydrate sources (Ref. 1, p.276).
Mediterranean diet
As an illustration, a study in February 2014 on a group of young US firefighters showed that a Mediterranean diet insured that they had less body fat content, also their HDL levels increased and their LDL cholesterol levels decreased, both of which is good and made them prevent metabolic syndrome, heart disease and diabetes. Read more about it under this link.
Another key point, the equivalent study for women was presented in a nurses’ study in December 2014 where more than 5000 nurses had been followed for more than 10 years. They stayed younger for longer and were found to have longer telomeres (a sign of slowed down aging). Read more about this here.
Finally, another study showed that telomeres are elongated by a Mediterranean diet, which allows your body cells to multiply more often before they wear out. here is a link to this information.
Detoxification
Notably, whenever you read about good nutrition, there is mentioning of detoxification. The body needs to be detoxified so that the nutrients and supplements can access the cells and do their supportive work. Books like “Breakthrough” (Ref.8) by Suzanne Somers have reviewed newer insights of antiaging medicine. This points out the importance of detoxifying the body from heavy metals like mercury, lead and cadmium. The physician can use chelation therapy with vitamin C and Glutathione, or with EDTA to remove some of these heavy toxic metals.
MSG
Certainly, food additives like MSG (monosodium glutamate) have to be avoided. They belong to the excitotoxins and may be causing dementia, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s decades down the road. The food industry likes to add them into food as “food challenge tests” invariably make the consumer choose products, which contain MSG. Indeed, have a look where you find MSG and avoid it in your daily consumption. According to Dr. Russell Blaylock MSG induced free radicals that last for life and are a powerful stimulus for cancer growth (Ref.9). According to him cancer cells have glutamate receptors, which are stimulated by MSG and cause spread and invasion of the cancer into healthy tissues. Significantly, cancer prevention implies avoiding MSG in our foods.
Nutrition
Organic food
Not only do we have to be cognizant of the composition of our food in terms of avoiding sugar and too much starchy food, while at the same time eliminating MSG; there are also chemical residues of spraying crops and fruit with insecticides or herbicides. In addition the food industry has managed to adulterate our foods by introducing genetically modified organisms to give us the choice to buy GMO food. What is worse, in North America and Canada we do not even label GMO foods in many areas.
GMO foods cause infertility and autoimmune diseases
Why is this important? Because GMO foods cause infertility and autoimmune diseases. MSG burns brain cells and may cause dementia and perhaps contribute to the development of brain cancer. Insecticides and herbicides function as xenoestrogens disbalancing our hormones and contributing to cancer causation of breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and pancreatic cancer. In the US it is still legal to produce cow’s milk with added recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) despite evidence in the literature that it can cause autoimmune diseases in susceptible people.
Buy only organic foods
The solution is to buy only organic foods or buy from a farmer directly who does not use chemicals or GMO foods. You may still get traces of some of these chemicals, but much less so than if you would not consciously make the effort of buying organic (“biologisch” in Germany, “biologique” in France, “organico” in Italy and “orgánico” in Spain or Latin America). By buying organic food you avoid all of these pitfalls and you have taken the first step towards a healthier life.
References
1. B. Sears: “The age-free zone”.Regan Books, Harper Collins, 2000. Also see Dr. Sears’ site.
2. B. Sears: “Zone perfect meals in minutes”. Regan Books, Harper Also see Dr. Sears’ site.
3. B.J. Wilcox, D.C. Willcox and M. Suzuki: “The Okinawa Program.” Clarkson Potter,2001, N.Y., U.S.A.
4. E.L. Rossi: The psychobiology of mind-body healing. Norton &Co., 1986, N.Y., U.S.A.
5. Vitamins and Foods. Audio-Digest Family Practice Vol 49, Issue 29, Aug.7, 2001.
6. P.C. McGraw: Life strategies. 1999, Simon&Schuster Source, N.Y., U.S.A.
7. B. Sears: “The top 100 zone foods”. Regan Books, Harper Collins, 2001. Also see Dr. Sears’ site.
8. Suzanne Somers: “Breakthrough” Eight Steps to Wellness– Life-altering Secrets from Today’s Cutting-edge Doctors”, Crown Publishers, 2008
9.Suzanne Somers: “Knockout” Interviews with doctors who are curing cancer and how to prevent getting it in the first place. Crown Publishers, 2009; Dr. Russell Blaylock, an oncologist, was interviewed on page 155 re. MSG.
10. Rakel: Integrative Medicine, 3rd ed. , 2012 Saunders, an Imprint of Elsevier : The precautionary principle, genetically engineered food.
11. http://www.cban.ca/Press/Press-Releases/Unprecedented-Safety-Study-Finds-Harm-from-GM-Corn (Sept. 2012).
12. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18989835 (Health risks of genetically modified foods, Feb. 2009)
13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22928600 (Mice fed on a diet enriched with genetically engineered multivitamin corn show no sub-acute toxic effects and no sub-chronic toxicity. Aug. 29, 2012).
14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22215564 (Safety assessment of transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis rice T1c-19 in Sprague-Dawley rats from metabonomics and bacterial profile perspectives. March 2012).
