Wellness for the Willing

Why an Acidic Diet is a Direct Threat to your Health

2008-03-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

Just because a food is acidic doesn’t mean that it produces acid in your body. The term 'ash' refers to the result of either an acid-yielding or alkaline-yielding food when absorbed by your system, which leaves an acidic or alkaline ash. An acid-yielding food produces a lower or more acidic pH value, 7.4 being the ideal. Soda for example has an acidic pH of 2. Tomatoes and citrus fruits, for example, are acidic, however they are alkaline-producing once they are processed in the body. There are reasons for this. Fruits and vegetables, some of which can be acidic before consumption, are potassium-rich and therefore a buffer against acidity. A shortage of fruits & vegetables deprives us of potassium, which normally protects against high blood pressure and stroke. In evolutionary terms, we used to eat in a 10:1 ratio of potassium to sodium, but that has changed through the years as processed foods have taken over. Our ratio these days is more like 3:1, and our poor intake of fruits and vegetables adds to the problem greatly.

Moreover, our inclination to consume more animal protein produces greater acidity through the amino acids that come with the proteins. This can be balanced by consuming more fruits and vegetables containing potassium bicarbonate – if we only will. Alas we either don’t or won’t, so the process of acidification continues.

Adding to the onslaught of acidity, we have grains such as wheat, rye and especially corn products which are hidden in so many items on the grocery shelves. White bread, and white everything (sugar, pasta, de-natured grains) overrun our diets. Diary products, falsely credited as the primary source of calcium for us all, heap on the acid.

All of the habits in our daily diets keep us from the real solution, which is balancing our diets with alkalinity. We need to maintain a ratio of 80% alkaline to 20% acid in our food consumption. Each day that we are acidic, which for the majority of us is every day, exposes us to the dangers of degenerative diseases – the ones that flourish in an acidic environment – heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, arthritis and others.

Why people don’t understand this is simple – no one has told them.
Now that you know, make some dietary changes. Consume 9-13 fruits & vegetable portions every day. Since it can be a challenge to accomplish this, yet you have been given several reasons to do so, add this powerful ally to your life and rest assured that you are 'topping up'.

When you're having a BAD DAY, make it a GOOD DAY by choice

2008-03-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hardly a day goes by when I don't view this marvelous video by Brother David. It is not only inspirational and uplifting, but it is universal in its message. Let it speak to your inner being and deliver the message you may be seeking this very day. Enough said.... if you miss this, you miss an opportunity.

Brother David

Fight the Signs of Aging while Promoting Good Health

2008-02-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

Antioxidants from whole foods in capsule form arrived 15 years ago. Are you aware of this?

You have probably heard many great things about antioxidants in the media, and for good reason. Antioxidants play the role of housekeeper in your body. They go around cleaning up excess free radicals before these scavenger molecules get the chance to damage or destroy your body's cells.

In a perfect world, you'd be able to get all the antioxidants you need from a healthy diet alone, but with today's nutrient-depleted foods, it's near impossible. Besides, there are just too many free radicals invading your body, from stress, poor-quality diets, food additives, environmental pollutants and toxins, and from your body's natural metabolic processes. So your body just can't keep up with cleaning up the cell-damage made by the free radicals. The result is degeneration of the body's systems, either slowly or quickly.

Without a plentiful supply of crucial antioxidants your body becomes vulnerable to free radical damage. You lack energy and stamina, and your immune system operates at less than peak efficiency. It's that simple.

You're probably familiar with some of the most well-known antioxidants like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and beta-carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. That's why you've always been told to eat your vegetables (vegetables and fruits are natural dietary sources of antioxidants, which are contained in plant chemicals called phytochemicals).

The bad news is this: eating your veggies is usually not enough these days, especially with the nutrient-depleted soil most vegetables come from.

You need to bring in some outside help to deal with the free radicals, and to avoid:

Injuries to your cell membranes and mitochondria
Damage to your DNA

The good news is -- you can provide your body with life-enhancing antioxidants and powerful nutrients from the same source as our ancestors used for millenium. Not seaweed, not exotic juice from a fruit tree on the other side of the world, but from actual whole food fruits & vegetables. When we know that we need to consume - according to the new guidelines - 9 to 13 servings of fruits & vegetables a day, we know that we have a challenge we're not likely to meet.

This can be overcome with a 15-year-old established and clinically proven product called Juice Plus, and I would suggest you get on with the show. You can find it at www.NutrientHeaven.com, where you can also find the research and support for it. If you have questions, email me. Otherwise, get 'topping up' with Juice Plus.

"Leaky Gut" Intestinal Protein Linked to Autoimmune Disorders

2008-02-22T06:37:00.000-08:00

The following article appeared in The Lancet, uncovering yet another clue for people with psoriasis. You would be well advised to check your gluten intolerance, although this is not entirely what the article is about, since zonulin is a natural protein in the body. One simple way to check gluten intolerance is to avoid all grain products for a period of time, say 10 days, and see if it makes a difference. You may be surprised at what happens.

Article
The small intestine contains billions of cells, which are packed tightly together to keep bacteria, viruses, and other toxins out of the body's tissues. New research findings may have identified the protein that regulates this protective barrier, holding promise for a better understanding of several diseases.
Researchers report that a protein called zonulin appears to be responsible for maintaining the protective barrier in the small intestine, and that high levels of this protein are associated with disruptions in the barrier that allow foreign substances into the body's tissues. When the researchers purified zonulin from human tissue and tested it on intestinal tissue from monkeys, the protein increased the tissue's permeability, allowing molecules of insulin to pass through the cell barrier. Insulin is not normally absorbed when taken by mouth.
Then the investigators turned their attention to celiac disease, a genetic disorder in which people are unable to eat foods that contain gluten, a protein found in wheat and other grains. If they do, the gluten causes a variety of gastrointestinal problems. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, meaning that the immune system overreacts to a foreign substance, and begins to attack normal cells. In celiac disease, the trigger is the protein gluten. If patients avoid gluten-containing foods, they have no symptoms.
The researchers looked at intestinal tissue from seven patients with celiac disease and six healthy people. Patients with the disease had higher levels of zonulin and zonulin antibodies. When the celiac disease patients followed a gluten-free diet, their antibody levels returned to normal. The researchers believe that zonulin makes the space between cells larger, allowing gluten and other substances to pass through. Once these allergens get into the immune system, they are attacked by the antibodies which can lead to all sorts of problems.

The Lancet 2000 355:1518-1519

A Good Re-Start for Any Day, Anytime

2008-01-27T08:33:00.000-08:00

Resolving to do something about your lifestyle is one thing, but knowing how and where to start is quite another. Here are some simple tips to get you going in a direction that is more attuned to living a longer, better quality life without the aches and pains that everyone seems to be telling you is 'typical for your age'. Rubbish! is what I say...

1) Clean out your pantry and restock with healthy foods
2) Learn to read labels
3) Buy and eat organic meats, fruits and vegetables as much as possible
4) Drink plenty of water a day, half your body weight in ounces
5) Replace colas, diet sodas and sugary drinks with herbal teas
6) Drink an 8-ounce glass of water with lemon juice, to taste, each morning and night
7) Replace sugar with stevia. Never use artificial sweeteners
8) Make sure the oils you use are cold-pressed like olive, safflower, peanut, sesame, grape seed or coconut. Use butter not margarine.
9) Wash all fruits and vegetables with a vegetable wash
10) Supplement with Juice Plus whole food nutrition, available at http://www.nutrientheaven.com/.
11) Soak nuts, seeds and beans overnight for better digestion
12) Chew your foods to mush (30-35 times)
13) Reduce portion sizes, and eat smaller more frequent meals
14) Use Celtic sea salt instead of table salt
15) Add these basic supplements for maintenance: EFA’s (essential fatty acids or Omega oils), probiotics, fiber (The above supplements ensure good digestive health once your digestive tract has healed)
16) Avoid smoking, overweight, alcohol abuse
17) Exercise frequently and breathe deeply

That's it! Now just get started - anywhere will do.