New Age Organic

‘Dietary Health’

 

Ammoniated Beef Treatment Questioned

Despite being linked to repeated incidents involving potentially deadly E. coli and salmonella, a major U.S. meat treatment method continues to be used with government approval, The New York Times reveals.

Beef Products, Inc., which supplies processed meat to McDonald’s, Burger King and the U.S. school lunch program, developed a process eight years ago that involves injecting beef with ammonia to banish the gastrointestinal bug E. coli bacteria from burgers. A study by the South Dakota-based company showed the process also killed salmonella, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture endorsed the idea, enabling the company to use fatty trimmings previously limited to pet food and cooking oil for humans.

The ammoniated trimmings are processed into “a mashlike substance frozen into blocks or chips” and used in a majority of hamburgers nationwide, the story says.

The USDA exempted Beef Products from routine testing of hamburger meat begun in 2007, The Times reported.

But government and industry records obtained by The Times show that in testing for the school lunch program, “E. coli and salmonella pathogens have been found dozens of times in Beef Products meat, challenging claims by the company and the U.S.D.A. about the effectiveness of the treatment,” the newspaper said.

We find it quite interesting that the beef industry thinks that refuting this story on the basis that their “ammoniated beef” is E. coli free is going to convince the public to eat their beef.  In our opinion anyone who was not aware that the beef industry is injecting beef with ammonia should take note.

There is also the widespread practice of packing processed meat with carbon monoxide to hold the red color. Consumer reports found that the common process of packaging meat in a mix of toxic gases including carbon monoxide maintains the red color for a month or more, long after the meat has spoiled and would have been thrown out.

While we don’t advocate a strict vegetarian diet, at very least buy only butcher shop fresh cut beef and cook it well. The common methods of “cleansing” mass produced processed beef products are not fit for any healthy diet, and you can easily avoid these food born toxins by visiting your local super market and only buying butcher cut fresh lean beef for your family.

 

You are what you eat!

It is undeniable that if you eat a natural and healthy diet, you can reduce the effects of aging on your body and physical well-being.  Key nutrients such as antioxidants and essential fatty acids (EFA) help to keep your body and mind fit and ready to prevent many of the illnesses associated with aging such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Adding more whole grains, fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses to your diet can add years not only to your life but also to your quality of life in dramatic ways.

There is no doubt at all, that eating a healthy, varied and balanced diet plays an important role in looking and feeling younger, adding essential nutrients that will enhance your health and wellness on all levels.  Choosing fresh organic produce, and adding supplements to make up for dietary shortages of key vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, make sure that you will feel full of energy and look great well into your later years.

Fruits and Vegetables

FACT: Fruits and vegetables provide us with the majority of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients our bodies need to stay healthy. Many of the nutrients found in fruits and vegetables play more than one role in helping to keep us healthy. They are essential to our day-to-day health and also to our long term resistance to illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. They affect our skin, our energy levels, our metabolism and virtually every body function, but perhaps the most crucial element of fruit and vegetables is the fact that they are rich in antioxidants – widely recognised to have anti-aging properties.

What are Antioxidants?

Antioxidants are nutrients that help protect cells from the aging effects of free radicals in the body.  Free radicals are molecules that are produced when the body breaks down food, or when the body is exposed to toxins such as smoke, or alcohol, over exposure to the suns rays, and radiation. In the aging process it is free radicals driving deterioration of cells that play a key role in cancer, heart disease, and other degenerative effects of aging such skin breakdown and arthritic conditions.

Antioxidants are founds in all bright colored fruits and vegetables, as well as in whole grains, and may often be identified by their distinctive colors. The dark red of cherries and tomatoes, the orange of carrots, the yellow of corn and mango, the rich hues of blueberries, blackberries and grapes. These antioxidant rich foods also provide other key nutrients such as vitamins A, C, E, and beta carotene, the minerals selenium and zinc, and the anti-aging compound lycopene.

Creating Balance

Research shows that eating a variety of fruits and vegetables in a range of colors is the best way to ensure that you are getting the correct balance of antioxidant nutrients, as well as other key vitamins and minerals that your body needs to stay healthy.

Five servings of fruit and vegetables per day are typically recommended. It is not that difficult to eat more fresh produce, throwing a handful of mixed berries into a salad, choosing a fruit snack over other sugared carbohydrates, drinking plenty of natural fruit juices, and snacking on raw carrots, celery, cucumber, peppers, and apples you will easily surpass this goal.

The Best Fruits and Vegetables

Which Fruit?

• Dates - provide an excellent range of vitamins, minerals and amino acids that are essential for healthy skin.
• Avocados - a wonderful anti-aging food with an abundance of youth-boosting agents.
• Tomatoes - the best source of the anti-aging compound lycopene
• Grapes - a powerful detoxifier providing polyphenols (antioxidants), vitamins, and minerals.

Which Vegetables?

• Mushrooms - rich in chromium, protein, and prebiotic fibre.
• Carrots - these contain antioxidant carotenoids for healthy eyes, skin and mucous membranes.
• Broccoli - powerful nutrition supporting the liver, helping to detoxify the body.
• Garlic - a potent antioxidant and natural antiseptic, supporting the blood, cardiovascular and immune systems.

More Super Foods

Beyond fruits and vegetables - beans, peas and chickpeas are from a family vegetables called pulses or legumes.

Beans and Pulses

These are also an extremely important part of a healthy diet. Not only are they a major source of complex carbohydrates (completely unrefined), but they also provide an excellent source of fibre, protein, and minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and zinc. In addition they are low in fat and an inexpensive addition to any diet.

Chickpeas are known to be adaptogenic (meaning they support the adrenal gland, which is responsible for our response to stress) and are rich in protein and iron which is essential for healthy blood.

Lentils are also a rich source of protein and iron. They are known to aid circulation and heart function, as well as supporting the kidneys.

Soybeans are a wonderful complete food that is rich in protein, unsaturated EFAs, lecithin (good for brain cells) and many more valuable nutrients. Soy also acts as a phytoestrogen or natural source of the hormone oestrogen, which is essential for women in particular, in whom the production of oestrogen declines with age.

There are many kinds of pulses including adzuki beans, black-eyed beans, kidney, lima, and borlotti beans. Try them in stews or pasta, cold in salads or eaten raw as a snack at least three times a week.

Whole Grains

Whole grains or foods made from them contain all the naturally occurring nutrients and parts of the entire grain seed. The principal health benefits of whole grain come from the complete package of nutrients that are perfectly balanced and synergized by nature. It is impossible to duplicate these benefits by taking single nutrients alone. These nutrients include vitamins B and E, the minerals magnesium, selenium, and zinc, fibre and other valuable nutrients including flavonoids, oligosaccharides, inositol, phytates, phytoestrogens and protese inhibitors.

These balanced nutrients have been shown to protect against many chronic health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. What’s more, whole grains also encourage healthy digestion, which means that the food you do eat is better assimilated by the body.

Cold Water Fish

The Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) known as omega oils 3, 6, and 9 are found in oily fish (cold water fish), which include salmon, herring, sardines, mackerel, pilchards and fresh tuna.  Some experts consider wild salmon (farmed salmon should be avoided due to high levels of pesticides) to be the best all-around source of key EFAs and other nutrients. In addition to salmon you may also consider tuna, anchovies, halibut, sardines, mackerel or trout – all of which will do the job quite well. If you are not a fish-lover, then a quality natural supplement may be the answer.

Do I Need Supplements?

The healthy diet outlined above should be sufficient to provide all the nutrients you need for optimum health, however because of the way our food is farmed and processed today, even the best products may not contain all the necessary vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. What’s more, as we age our bodies may not assimilate food as efficiently as in our younger years. We also know that certain nutrients play key roles in encouraging optimum health and vitality, and supplements can ensure that we get good levels of these. There are also leading physicians who promote the use of supplements in the management of certain pre-disease conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and of course vitamin deficiencies.

The health of your cardiovascular system is crucial to living a long, vigorous life, and its overall condition will affect the way you look and feel, and of course how long you live. Looking after your heart, blood, and the blood vessels that supply it is absolutely essential for anyone wanting to live a long and healthy life. This means getting plenty of exercise, eating a healthy diet, reducing stress, and taking heart-boosting supplements to treat and prevent cardiovascular conditions.

Cardiovascular conditions such as angina, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke and heart attack, are all preventable and treatable by making healthy nutrition choices and lifestyle changes.

We have already discussed the nutritious foods you should be eating, but what about the vitamins and supplements you should be taking to boost your health and wellness?

Which Supplements

Co-Enzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
CoQ10 is a vitamin-like substance used by the heart muscle for energy. CoQ10 has been shown to strengthen the heart muscle, relieve angina, and regulate blood pressure. Taking Co-Q10 as a supplement can boost stores of CoQ10 lost due to aging, stress, and prescribed drugs. CoQ10 is primarily found in fish, lean meat, eggs, spinach, broccoli, peanuts, wheatgerm, and whole grains.

While our bodies typically produce the CoQ10 we need, this is diminished as we age and it’s worth noting that cholesterol lowering prescription drugs (statins) and drugs that lower blood sugar counteract and reduce the CoQ10 in our bodies, making the need for this important nutrient even greater.

Recommended dosage is 30mg to 100mg per day. Here is an excellent doctor recommended C0Q10 supplement.

Policosanol
Greatly reducing blood levels of unhealthy cholesterol (LDL) is well established as an effective strategy for preventing cardiovascular disease. The typically prescribed statin drugs used to lower cholesterol have a number of negative side effects, including a high risk of Parkinson’s disease. Policosanol is a newly discovered, all-natural supplement that has been shown in studies to significantly lower cholesterol levels. It is also a powerful antioxidant.

Recommended dosage is 20mg twice a day.

Hawthorn
This herb has been dubbed “the four corners of the heart tonic” because of its influence on all aspects of heart health. Clinical trials have shown the effectiveness and safety of Hawthorn extracts in early congestive heart failure, mild angina, arrhythmia, and high blood pressure, as well as use in recovering from heart attacks. Hawthorn works by improving blood flow through the coronary arteries and stimulating the efficiency of the hearts pumping activity.

Additionally, it lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, is anti-arrythmic and promotes antioxidant activity by increasing blood flow in the peripheral blood vessels. In this way Hawthorn’s flavonoids help protect small capillaries from free radical damage.

Check with your doctor before taking if you are already using an already prescribed medication.

Recommended dosage is 100mg to 250mg per day

Pycnogenol
Pine bark extract (Pycnogenol) is a natural blood thinner (reduces blood clotting) and can reduce high blood pressure.  Dr. Watson at the University of Arizona states: “Our research shows that Pycnogenol is a safe and natural option, especially for those who cannot tolerate the adverse aspects of aspirin. Here is a completely natural substance with remarkable activity. It may well have enormous health implications for an aging population”

Recommended dosage is 50mg to 100mg per day.

Vitamin E
This vitamin can help prevent excessive blood clotting, damage to the arteries and the build-up of bad cholesterol (LDL). Researchers have found that the risk of heart disease is reduced up to 40% in those who use Vitamin E supplements and that sufferers of heart disease can reduce the risk of heart attacks by up to 75%. Vitamin E is found naturally in many foods, but Vitamin E supplements are a good addition to any healthy lifestyle. 

Flax Seed Oil
Flax seed Oil is rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids. These help prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol and triglycerides (unhealthy fats) and appear to block the action of cancer promoting prostaglandins (PGs).

As a natural blood thinner omega-3 may prevent dangerous blood clots which can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Eating plenty of flax seeds in breads and cereals as well as using flax seed oil in salad dressing or as a condiment is a good way to boost your intake, supplements are also available to help you maintain healthy levels of omega-3.

Recommended dosage is 500mg twice a day or 3 tsp of oil.

The question of whether to cook vegetables or eat them raw is not really a choice you need to make. The arguments on both sides are compelling and you should know the facts to best answer the question for yourself.

Raw food contains enzymes that are required by the body to break down other foods. Cooking tends to break down these enzymes, while raw foods ensure that these enzymes remain intact throughout the chewing process, and some experts believe throughout the entire digestive system.

On the other side of this argument, a key study has shown that the body can absorb up to 5 times more carotenoids (a key antioxidant found in carrots, broccoli, and spinach) when cooked. The research showed that when these vegetables were cooked and mashed the level of carotenoid absorption was dramatically increased.

So when you are considering raw vegetables vs. cooked vegetables for your next meal, don’t take sides. The healthy choice is to have both.  Add raw vegetables to salads and use them as snacks, then cook vegetables in your main dishes such as casseroles, bakes, stews, and soups.

Find balance in your vegetable consumption and your body will thank you.

The American diet though ever present on our televisions and throughout the fast food jungle is just plain unhealthy and just about the worst possible diet on earth. Compared to other countries where diet is limited by resources or just driven by local farms and fisheries we Americans long ago succumbed to the dairy farms and chicken factories for our mainstay diet. We can have it all and more whenever we desire.  This very unhealthy reality is in need of a major rethinking. Scientist have long thought the Mediterranean diet holds the best balance of nutrients and proteins for long life and youthful sustenance. So what does it mean for you?

Essential Fatty Acids
As the name suggests these are essential for the body. Also known as “Omega” oils 3, 6, and 9, they help moisturize the skin from within, as well as feed the heart and blood for optimal circulatory performance. Good sources of Omega oils include:

• Oily Fish
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Walnuts
• Olive Oil
• Leafy Green Vegetables
• Hemp Seeds

Antioxidants
These help protect your skin from premature aging, by wiping away free radicals that accelerate the degradation of cells all over the body. Good sources of antioxidants include:

• Grapes
• Avocados
• Parsley
• Oranges
• Carrots
• Blueberries

Nature’s Organic Cleansers
Clean your body for clear complexion and youthful energy. Good herbs to start with include:

• Milk Thistle – Take a dose before drinking alcohol to support your liver
• Red Beets – Flush the kidneys and enrich the blood
• Nettle – Helps support and cleanse the urinary tract
• Psyllium Husks – Support healthy bowel function and absorb toxins

Take note of what’s missing; beef and dairy products. While a lean steak once a month or a piece of cheese now and then wont be the end of you, the more you can minimize these heavy fat laden proteins in your diet the better off you will be.

See our Nutritious Recipes for more information