Sugar Intake Linked To Gallstone Development

The gall bladder is the storage organ for bile salts, which are a  cholesterol-based substance that help with the digestion and  absorption of dietary fats. Gallstones are crystals or clumps of  cholesterol that cause pain when the gall bladder contracts in response to food entering the  intestines.

A preliminary study conducted in southern Italy found that people who ate 400 calories or more of refined sugar each day were three times more likely to suffer from gallstones as those who ate no more than 260 calories of sugar. Those who consumed at least 600 calories from sugar were six times more likely to develop gallstones.

Refined sugars are contained in foods such as cakes, cookies, soft drinks and table sugar. A 12-ounce can of soda contains 152 calories (all from sugar).

 

 

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Ten Health Benefits of Watermelon

Watermelon is a natural source of most powerful antioxidants provided by nature. It is a good source of the antioxidant vitamins C and A to protect us from diseases. It reduces the risk of dehydration.

Summer and watermelon are inseparable. Watermelons are found almost everywhere in the world. Although we can find watermelons in our markets throughout the year, the season for watermelon is the summer when they are sweet and of the best quality. No other fruit can we find so crunchy and thirst quenching like watermelon.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF WATERMELON

1. The health benefits of watermelon are really great. No matter how it is sliced, it is packed with some of the most important antioxidants found in nature.
2. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A, particularly through its concentration of beta-carotene.
3. The beautiful red watermelon is also a source of the potent carotene antioxidant which is called lycopene. These antioxidants travel throughout the body neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are substances in the body that can cause much damage to us. They are able to oxidize cholesterol, making it stick to blood vessel walls and thicken them which can lead to hearty attack or stroke. The lycopene which gives fruits the attractive red color that we find in watermelon can help reduce the risks of prostate cancer.
4. It is a surprising fact that watermelon is the only fruit that contains higher concentrations of lycopene than any other fresh fruit or vegetable.
5. Watermelon is a fruit that is rich in electrolytes sodium and potassium that we lose through our perspiration.
6. Watermelon is rich in the B vitamins necessary for energy production. Food experts recommend watermelon as a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin B1 and magnesium. Because of its higher water content approximately ninety percent and calorie value it is ranked more valuable than other fruits.
7. Watermelon has a special cooling effect and is exceptionally high in citrulline, an amino acid that our bodies use to make another amino acid, arginine, which is used in the urea cycle to remove ammonia from the body.
8. The antioxidants help reducing the severity of asthma. It also reduces the risk of colon cancer, asthma, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and prostate cancer.
9. Watermelon is a good source of thiamin, potassium and magnesium which protect our body from so many diseases.
10. Watermelon is fat free but helps energy production. It protects against macular degeneration.
11. Watermelon is also considered a natural viagra. Check our recent entry about this subject by clicking here on this link. https://docakilah.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/watermelon-a-natural-viagra/

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Akilah M. El, N.D. is a Naturopathic Doctor and certified Master Herbalist with a private practice in Atlanta Georgia and Berlin Germany. Join Dr Akilah El on Facebook and Twitter

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Corn Refiners wants High Fruit Corn Syrup to be called “Corn Syrup” due to bad rep

Big Sugar is taking Big Corn to court over the name “corn sugar.” Representatives of U.S. sugar farmers and refiners claim that the corn industry’s use of the term constitutes false and misleading advertising. We agree that the name is confusing. But we also think that you should limit consumption of all added sugar, in any name or form.

The lawsuit comes after manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to change the ingredient’s name to “corn sugar” in 2010, and began promoting it as “corn sugar” in advertisements. They want to make the change largely because of the bad rep high-fructose corn syrup has received in recent years as being somehow less healthful than other forms of sugar, which has hurt its sales.

But sugar manufacturers argue that “corn sugar” is already the FDA-approved name of a corn-starch based sweetener; that advertising high fructose corn syrup as a natural sugar is false because it contains no naturally-occurring fructose; and that advertising the nutritional equivalence of sugar and high fructose corn syrup ignores the research suggesting possible health differences.

The corn industry, no surprise, takes issue with those complaints. And we don’t necessarily agree with all of them, either. Most importantly, while some research suggests high fructose corn syrup poses unique health risks, other research doesn’t. Still, Consumers Union, publisher of this website, recently wrote the FDA to argue against the name change, mainly because sugar isn’t extracted from corn.

“Such a change would confuse, if not mislead consumers to believe that ‘corn sugar’ was naturally occurring in corn and simply extracted as a sugar,” noted Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., director of technical policy at Consumers Union. “This is misleading, since there are several chemical processing steps required, with consequent chemical changes that are not reflected in the term ‘corn sugar.’” Other consumer groups, including the National Consumers League and the Consumer Federation of America, have taken similar action.

Bottom line. It’s still unclear whether high-fructose corn syrup is any riskier than other forms of sugar. But all sugars provide empty calories. Most Americans would do well to cut back on all added sugar, regardless of name. So scan ingredient labels for it’s various aliases and do your best to stay clear of them which includes corn sweetener, dextrose, fructose, fruit juice concentrates, invert sugar, lactose, maltose, malt syrup, molasses, raw sugar, sucrose, and syrup.

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Click Here to Learn More About The Harmful Effects Of High Fructose Corn Syrup or go to our website http://www.celestialhealing.net/high_fructose_corn_syrup.htm

Why You Shouldn’t Drink Milk

The Truth about Dairy

According to Dr. Willett, who has done many studies and reviewed the research on this topic, there are many reasons to pass up milk, including:

1. Milk doesn’t reduce fractures. Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk. In fact, according to the Nurses’ Health Study dairy may increase risk of fractures by 50 percent!
2. Less dairy, better bones. Countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.
3. Calcium isn’t as bone-protective as we thought. Studies of calcium supplementation have shown no benefit in reducing fracture risk. Vitamin D appears to be much more important than calcium in preventing fractures.
4. Calcium may raise cancer risk. Research shows that higher intakes of both calcium and dairy products may increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer by 30 to 50 percent. Plus, dairy consumption increases the body’s level of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) — a known cancer promoter.
5. Calcium has benefits that dairy doesn’t. Calcium supplements, but not dairy products, may reduce the risk of colon cancer.
6. Not everyone can stomach dairy. About 75 percent of the world’s population is genetically unable to properly digest milk and other dairy products — a problem called lactose intolerance.

  

Based on such findings, Dr. Willet has come to some important conclusions:

• Everybody needs calcium — but probably not as much as our government’s recommended daily allowance (RDA) and calcium from diet, including greens and beans is better utilized by the body with less risk than calcium supplements.
• Calcium probably doesn’t prevent broken bones. Few people in this country are likely to reduce their fracture risk by getting more calcium.
• Men may not want to take calcium supplements. Supplements of calcium and vitamin D may be reasonable for women
• Dairy may be unhealthy. Advocating dairy consumption may have negative effects on health.

 

If all that isn’t enough to swear you off milk, there are a few other scientific findings worth noting. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently asked the UDSA to look into the scientific basis of the claims made in the “milk mustache” ads. Their panel of scientists stated the truth clearly:

• Milk doesn’t benefit sports performance.
• There’s no evidence that dairy is good for your bones or prevents osteoporosis — in fact, the animal protein it contains may help cause bone loss!
• Dairy is linked to prostate cancer.
• It’s full of saturated fat and is linked to heart disease.
• Dairy causes digestive problems for the 75 percent of people with lactose intolerance.
• Dairy aggravates irritable bowel syndrome.

 Simply put, the FTC asked the dairy industry, “Got Proof?” — and the answer was NO!

Plus, dairy may contribute to even more health problems, like:

• Allergies
• Sinus problems
• Ear infections
• Type 1 diabetes
• Chronic constipation
• Anemia (in children)

Due to these concerns, many have begun to consider raw milk an alternative. But that isn’t really a healthy form of dairy either …

Yes, raw, whole, organic milk eliminates concerns like pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, and the effects of homogenization and pasteurization — but to me, these benefits don’t outweigh dairy’s potential risks.

From an evolutionary point of view, milk is a strange food for humans. Until 10,000 years ago we didn’t domesticate animals and weren’t able to drink milk (unless some brave hunter-gather milked a wild tiger or buffalo!).

If you don’t believe that, consider this: The majority of humans naturally stop producing significant amounts of lactase – the enzyme needed to properly metabolize lactose, the sugar in milk — sometime between the ages of two and five. In fact, for most mammals, the normal condition is to stop producing the enzymes needed to properly digest and metabolize milk after they have been weaned.

Our bodies just weren’t made to digest milk on a regular basis. Instead, most scientists agree that it’s better for us to get calcium, potassium, protein, and fats from other food sources, like whole plant foods — vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and seaweed.

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6 Tips for Dealing with Dairy

1. Take your Cow for a Walk. It will do you much more good than drinking it”s milk.
2. Don’t rely on dairy for healthy bones. If you want healthy bones, get plenty of exercise and supplement with 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily.
3. Get your calcium from food. These include dark green leafy vegetables, sesame tahini, sea vegetables, and sardines or salmon with the bones.
4. Try giving up all dairy. That means eliminate milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream for two weeks and see if you feel better. You should notice improvements with your sinuses, post-nasal drip, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, energy, and weight. Then start eating dairy again and see how you feel. If you feel worse, you should try to give it up for life.
5. If you can tolerate dairy, use only raw, organic dairy products. I suggest focusing on fermented products like unsweetened yogurt and kefir, occasionally.
6. If you have to feed your child formula from milk, don’t worry. The milk in infant formula is hydrolyzed or broken down and easier to digest (although it can still cause allergies). Once your child is a year old, switch him or her to real food and almond milk.

Still got milk? I hope not! Remember, dairy is not crucial for good health. I encourage you to go dairy-free and see what it does for you.

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Read More About The HarmFul Effects Of Milk

Eating Eggs Has No Effect on Cholesterol Levels

Eating eggs does not significantly raise the body’s cholesterol levels, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Surrey and published in the Nutrition Bulletin of the British Heart Foundation.

The researchers reviewed the results of several different studies on eggs and nutrition, concluding that eggs did not contribute significantly to the body’s cholesterol levels. Although eggs are in fact a high-cholesterol food, the researchers note that only one-third of the body’s cholesterol comes from dietary sources; the rest is produced by the body from saturated fats. As a consequence, saturated fat intake plays a far more significant role.

“The ingrained misconception linking egg consumption to high blood cholesterol and heart disease must be corrected,” researcher Bruce Griffin said. “The amount of saturated fat in our diet exerts an effect on blood cholesterol that is several times greater than the relatively small amounts of dietary cholesterol.”

The researchers note that other factors, such as obesity, a sedentary lifestyle or smoking also have greater effects on cholesterol levels or the risk of cardiovascular disease than egg consumption does.

“The  public does not need to be limiting the number of eggs they eat,” Griffin said. “Indeed, they can be encouraged to include them in a healthy diet, as they are one of nature’s most nutritionally dense foods.”

Up until 2007, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) recommended that people limit their intake of eggs to three per week, as a way of reducing the risk of heart disease. That advice is now considered outdated.

“We recommend that eggs can be eaten as part of a balanced diet,” said Victoria Taylor of the BHF. “There is cholesterol present in eggs, but this does not usually make a great contribution to your level of blood cholesterol. If you need to reduce your cholesterol level, it is more important that you cut down on the amount of saturated fat in your diet from foods like fatty meat, full fat dairy products, and cakes, biscuits and pastries.”

Once you get past the assumption that eggs are terrible for you, there is room to discover the myriad of health benefits that come with eating them regularly. Eggs are jam-packed with vitamins and minerals in forms that can be easily absorbed. These include vitamins A, B, C, D, E and K in addition to iron, zinc, lecithin and choline. All of these help contribute to brain function, a healthy metabolism and disease prevention.

Eggs are also a great source of protein, especially for those who don’t consume very much meat. It can be difficult to obtain all of the essential amino acids – the ones our bodies can’t produce – if you eat a diet mostly based in grains. An egg contains each of the nine essential amino acids, making it a top source for these nutrients.

Of course, all eggs are not created equal. Commercial eggs are a nutritionally poor substitute for organic, free-range eggs. Chickens that are allowed to roam free provide eggs with a higher protein and vitamin content, while organic practices mean harmful pesticides and chemicals won’t find their way into your breakfast. You can also look for eggs that contain higher levels of essential omega-3 fatty acids. These come from chickens that have been fed a special diet high in those healthy omega-3s.

If you’ve been afraid to commit nutritional sacrilege by enjoying a tasty omelet in the morning or a boiled egg for an afternoon snack, set your fears aside and relish in the wholesome goodness of one of mother nature’s best gifts.

NOTE – It is highly recommended to purchase and consume free ranged eggs with zero hormones and chemicals.

To see our recipe pages that include delicious eggs go to this link http://www.celestialhealing.net/food4.htm