3 important changes to make to improve and take care of the body God gave us.
#1 No Hydrogenated Oils
Oils have been hydrogenated since the 1930s to prolong their shelf life and make the oils more stable. Hydrogenated oil is oil in which the essential fatty acids have been converted to a different form chemically, which has several effects on the oil. Hydrogenated oil is far more shelf stable, and will not go rancid as quickly as untreated oil. It also has a higher melting point, and is often used in frying and pastries for this reason. Finally, the chemical structure of the oil is changed, which scientists in the 1990s began to realize could result in health effects.
Hydrogenated oil is made by forcing hydrogen gas into oil at high pressure. Both animal and vegetable fats can be and are hydrogenated. In general, the more solid the oil is, the more hydrogenated it is. Two common examples of hydrogenated oil are Crisco and margarine. In the 1990s, it was realized that these products might have deleterious health effects, a tragic irony since they were originally produced and promoted as being healthier than conventional oils. Consumption of hydrogenated oil has been linked with diabetes, coronary disease, and obesity in a wide number of scientific studies.
Your Metabolism Slows Worse, most partially hydrogenated oil is partially hydrogenated soybean oil. That's a problem, because soybean oil depresses the thyroid--which lowers your energy levels, makes you feel less like exercising, and generally makes you fatter!
Of course, soybeans have been used for centuries in the Orient--but mostly as the basis for soy sauce and tofu. Asians didn't have soy milk, soy burgers, soy this and soy that. Most of all, they never used concentrated essence of soybean, in the form of soybean oil. And they didn't hydrogenate it, and they didn't use it in everything.
Walking down supermarket aisles in America, you find product after product with partially hydrogenated oil--often in products you would never expect. But why not? After all, it's cheaper than butter. And it's not illegal. As a result, Americans are consuming a lot of soybean oil--partially hydrogenated soybean oil--in virtually everything they eat. It's no wonder that America is experiencing epidemic levels of diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and cancer.
Avoiding Hydrogenation
When you start reading food labels, it is astonishing how many products you will find that contain partially hydrogenated oils. In the chips aisle, there are maybe two brands that don't: Lay's Classic Potato Chips (not their other types), and Laura Schudders chips. Most every other package on the shelf does.
Then there are the cookies and crackers. Most every single one does. Even some items on the "health food" shelf contain partially hydrogenated oils. Can you imagine that?? A product marketed as a "health food" that contains partially hydrogenated oils?
The more labels you read, the more astonished you will be at the variety and number of places that hydrogenated oils show up. Do read the labels and search for the product with out them. In the local grocery store, your best bet is to go to the “Health Food” section. Do not be afraid of it, I know it can be intimidating, but you can find an alternative and often it is NOT more expensive. Kroger specifically often runs sales and puts items on Manager’s Special. Some great brands I have found: Back to Nature, Kashi, and Paul Newman’s. Also, a great place to shop for snacks, crackers, and foods that often have Hydrogenated oils is Trader Joe’s and they are often less expensive than the local grocery store.
#2 No High Fructose Corn Syrup
High Fructose Corn Syrup is a liquid sweetener made by treating starch extracted from corn with enzymes, which convert it to an approximately equal mixture of two sugars, fructose and glucose. (Fructose is much sweeter than glucose but is not as ready metabolized by the body.
The food industry likes HFCS because it’s about 20 percent cheaper than sugar, due to government subsidies on corn tariffs and sugar, and it acts as a stabilizer and preservative in food. HFCS has about the same mount of calories as sugar.
Many recent studies have reported HFCS’s negative effects, elevated triglyceride levels, insulin resistance, which may lead to type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and possible others. I do not think it is a coincidence that obesity rates have risen dramatically since the introduction of HFCS in many products, which began in the 1970’s. Alarmingly, consumption of HFCS has risen by more than 1,000 percent since 1970. Of course, the food industry and corn association says that there is not enough evidence to show that it is bad for consumers. The new marketing tool in magazines and commercials saying it is natural, not bad for you, and the same as sugar is not the whole truth. I encourage you to incorporate alternative items in your refrigerator that do not have HFCS in the ingredients since we do not know the long term health effects of HFCS on our bodies.
#3 Add Omega-3’s to your diet
Most People eat too few foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as fish, walnuts and flax seed, and too many processed foods with excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, including soy, corn, palm, and cottonseed oils. A typical Western diet now contains 20 to 30 times as much omega-6s as omega-3 fats, while a century ago people consumed about equal amounts. This fatty acid imbalance in the diet may have ill effects on mental health. For instance, low levels of omega-3s have been linked to depression and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the prevalence of those conditions has risen as omega-3 content in the diet has decreased. As scientist search for an explanation, more evidence suggest omega-3’s are essential to normal brain development and function.
Joseph Hibbeln, MD , senior clinical investigator at the Laboratory of Membrane Biochemistry and Biophysics at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, found that those countries with the highest fish consumption have the lowest rates of depression, bipolar disorder, homicide, and suicide. One explanation may be the omega-3s found in some fish. The Japanese, for example, have the lowest rate of major depression in the developed world and eat about 145 pounds of fish annually, while depression rates in the US, where people eat about 42 pounds a year, are roughly 30 times higher.
Your body cannot make omega-3 fats, so it relies on diet as its source. For this reason essential fatty-acid imbalance can start before you are born. Mothers transfer to their fetuses the omega-3 fat docosahexaenoic acid(DHA) to support brain development. Research suggests the amount of omega-3s in a pregnant woman’s body may influence a child’s social skills, intelligence, and motor abilities. Pregnancy itself can lower a woman’s blood levels of omega-3’s and shortfalls may contribute to postpartum depression.
For children, it is recommended 15mg of fish oil per pound of body weight to be taken daily. It can be taken by the spoonful or added to salads or shakes. Choose brands that can back up claims to be contaminant free, such as Nordic Naturals and the Weil brand.
Omega-3 Supports:
*Brain and visual Development AND *Memory, learning, and focus
Extra: Organics and Vitamins
Organics are a big fad right now, but in some cases organic reduces toxins in our bodies. In my opinion, you have to research pesticide consumption. When possible buy local produce. It is fresher and in turn will be richer in vitamins and minerals. I have pulled a top 12 organic list from an article in Runner’s World.
Spend Wisely: These 12 fruits and vegetables contain the highest levels of pesticides; buy organic to reduce your exposure.
Apples Peaches
Bell Peppers Pears
Celery Potatoes
Cherries Raspberries
Imported grapes Spinach
Nectarines Strawberries
Don’t Worry(as much): The pesticide levels of these 12 fruits and vegetables are low to undetectable; okay to buy conventional.
Asparagus Mangoes
Avocados Onions
Bananas Papaya
Broccoli Pineapples
Cauliflower Sweet Corn
Kiwi Sweet Peas
In today’s world, it is virtually impossible to get the vitamins and minerals we need to sustain a healthy body. I recommend all children and adults take a multivitamin daily. om
Sources:
Dr Andrew Weil’s self healing magazine
Runner’s World Magazine
2 comments:
Great info!! Speaking of buying organic...you should check out my post on the apples I bought that were not organic. It should be under "That's Disgusting" on my sidebar!!!
Thanks again for the great reminders!
What brand of multivitamins do you & the kids take? My kids usually eat a flintstone vitamin w/ their b-fast but I don't know that it makes much of a difference...
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