Meet the naturopathic doctor

We are surrounded by chemicals. In fact, toxic chemicals have been detected in EVERY American tested in recent years. And it’s no wonder, in the US alone, we produce over 500 billion pounds of synthetic chemicals each year – that’ s more than four pounds of man-made chemicals for every person in the country EACH DAY. This post will give you some natural alternatives to use to cut down on you and your family’s exposure to toxic chemicals.

Continue Reading »

Including something new in a food isn’t always a good idea, especially when it comes to your health. Here are 12 additives to subtract from your diet:

1. Sodium Nitrate (also called Sodium Nitrite) – This is a preservative, coloring, and flavoring commonly added to bacon, ham, hot dogs, luncheon meats, smoked fish, and corned beef. Studies have linked eating it to various types of cancer.

2. BHA and BHT – Butylated hydroxyanisole and butylated hydrozyttoluene are used to preserve common household foods. They are found in cereals, chewing gum, potato chips, and vegetable oils. They are oxidants, which form potentially cancer-causing reactive compounds in your body.

3. Propyl Gallate – Another preservative, often used in conjunction with BHA and BHT. It is sometimes found in meat products, chicken soup base, and chewing gum. Animals studies have suggested that it could be linked to cancer.

4. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) – MSG is an amino acid used as a flavor enhancer in soups, salad dressings, chips, frozen entrees, and restaurant food. It can cause headaches and nausea, and animal studies link it to damaged nerve cells in the brains of infant mice.

5. Trans Fats – Trans fats are proven to cause heart disease. Restaurant food, especially fast food chains, often serve foods laden with trans fats.  They are also found in highly processed foods. You should also be careful with polyunsaturated fats. They are very easily damaged with heat and light, turning rancid.  The following oils are examples of polyunsaturated fats: soy, canola, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, grapeseed, walnut and flaxseed. Only use these types of oils for cold applications; don’t cook with them. Even if the oil is sold for cooking it’s still dangerous!

6. Aspartame – Aspartame, also known by the brand names Nutrasweet and Equal, is a sweetener found in so-called diet foods such as low-calorie desserts, gelatins, drink mixes, and soft drinks. It may cause cancer or neurological problems, such as dizziness or hallucinations.

7. Acesulfame-K – This is a relatively new artificial sweetener found in baked goods, chewing gum, and gelatin desserts. There is a general concern that testing on this product has been scant, and some studies show the additive may cause cancer in rats.

8. Food Colorings: Blue 1, 2; Red 3; Green 3; Yellow 6 – Five food colorings still on the market are linked with cancer in animal testing. Blue 1 and 2, found in beverages, candy, baked goods and pet food, have been linked to cancer in mice. Red 3, used to dye cherries, fruit cocktail, candy, and baked goods, has been shown to cause thyroid tumors in rats. Green 3, added to candy and beverages, has been linked to bladder cancer. The widely used yellow 6, added to beverages, sausage, gelatin, baked goods, and candy, has been linked to tumors of the adrenal gland and kidney.

9. Olestra – Olestra, a synthetic fat found in some potato chip brands, can cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and gas. Olestra also inhibits healthy vitamin absorption from fat-soluble carotenoids that are found in fruits and vegetables.

10. Potassium Bromate – Potassium bromate is used as an additive to increase volume in some white flour, breads, and rolls. It is known to cause cancer in animals, and even small amounts in bread can create a risk for humans.

11. White Sugar – Watch out for foods with added sugars, such as baked goods, cereals, crackers, sauces and many other processed foods. It is unsafe for your health, and promotes bad nutrition.

12. Sodium Chloride – A dash of sodium chloride, more commonly known as salt, can bring flavor to your meal. But too much salt can be dangerous for your health, leading to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

Resource: MSN Health Link

13. Carrageenans or carrageenins – Carrageenan is a polysaccharide extracted from seaweed.  It is used as a thickener in many products such as: cheese, ice cream, desserts and beer. Degraded carrageenan is a known carcinogen in animal models. There is evidence from studies performed on rats, guinea pigs and monkeys which indicates that both degraded and undegraded carrageenan (poligeenan) may cause ulcerations in the gastro-intestinal tract. Guar gum is found in similar foods and can have the same irritating affects to the digestive system.

Resources: Wikipedia link

Houston, we have a problem

Not only do sweet foods increase dopamine levels, but over-consumption of sweet foods can actually cause a breakdown in brain chemistry. According to a study published in Nature Neuroscience, “common mechanisms may underlie obesity and drug addiction.” (3) Researchers found that when animals were given a diet of high calorie foods, there was a significant reduction in the activity of their dopamine receptors. This is very similar to the affect that cocaine or heroin has on the brain. (3)

What does decreased receptor activity mean? It means that the brain becomes tolerant to dopamine signals. This is similar to what happens when you go to a concert. When you first get there, the music seems very loud. But as the concert goes on, you get used to the noise level, and it no longer seems as loud as it did when the band started playing – you become tolerant to the noise level. That’s exactly what happens with dopamine in the brain. If you are constantly eating or seeing sweet, high-calorie foods, your dopamine levels are always high, just like the music at the concert is always loud. Your brain gets used to the high dopamine levels and starts tuning them out. The signal does not seem as strong anymore. This means that you will need more dopamine to feel any effect, just like the music would have to be turned up for you to notice any change in volume.

For someone with constantly high dopamine levels, more and more sweet, high-calorie foods are needed to get the same kind of pleasure. This sets many people up for a catch-22 situation – they remember how great something a certain food made them feel and expect it to bring them the same amount of pleasure. However, when they eat the food they aren’t as satisfied as they expected to be, so they eat more and more in hopes of regaining that original feeling (or ‘high’). This often becomes a cycle of constantly elevated dopamine levels, leading to decreased dopamine receptor response, causing decreased pleasure and constant attempts to achieve more pleasure (by raising dopamine levels even higher) by eating more and more super-sweet, high calorie foods. (4) This should start to sound a lot like addiction.

Sugar addiction

Studies have shown that people with addictive-like eating behaviors – which includes addiction to sweet, high-calorie foods, insatiable cravings and binge eating – have greater brain activity in regions associated with substance dependence and abuse. They also have increased activity in their reward circuitry and less activity going on with inhibitory regions of the brain (5). This means that they are more prone to seek out pleasure-inducing experiences and less likely to be able to stop themselves in the process. Their reward systems are being triggered at a higher rate than people who don’t have addictive-like eating behaviors, and they are less able to keep themselves from acting on their desires.

Some professionals have questioned whether sugar addiction, and addictive behavior in general, is due more to willpower or genetics. We know that there are a decreased number of dopamine receptors in the brain in both drug addicts and in obese people. The question is whether the decreased number is due to the brain trying to compensate for the abnormally high levels of dopamine or just because those people were born with lower levels of receptors. (2) The evidence to date seems to indicate that it could be a bit of both, with the compensation piece playing a much larger role. For instance, research has shown that the more obese a person is, the fewer dopamine receptors they have (2). This seems to suggest that the brain has built up a tolerance to the high levels of dopamine. Regardless of cause, a person with a decreased number (or function) of dopamine receptors would require more stimulation than the average person to feel the same amount of pleasure, putting them at greater risk for addictive behaviors. (6)

Withdrawal

The final criterion for addiction is evidence of withdrawal. Withdrawal symptoms from sugar addiction can occur within a few hours to several days after discontinuation depending on the person and severity of sugar use. Carvings, often moderate to severe, are the most common withdrawal symptom; people often also have an increased appetite, especially for sweet foods. However, some people have much more severe symptoms, including depression, anxiety, mood swings and an extreme drive to continue eating sugar despite the significant harm it is causing them. People that experience these types of symptoms usually have very low levels (or very low functioning) of dopamine receptors due to years and years of sugar use. Once the sugar is discontinued, there is not enough dopamine to help them feel ‘normal’ and they can feel like their world is crumbling around them. This is why many people need guidance and support to help them break their sugar addiction.

The final part of this three part series will detail how you can break your sugar addiction and free yourself from the daily cravings and binges that can thwart even the best-laid intentions.

Sources

1. “Can sugar be addictive?” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 16 Jan. 2006.
2. Leutwyler Ozelli, Kristin. “This is your brain on food.” Scientific American Sep. 2007: 84-85.
3. Daniells, Stephen. “Food addiction: Fat may rewire brain like hard drugs.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 29 Mar. 2010.
4. Gardner, Amanda. “Compulsive Eaters May Have ‘Food Addiction,’ Study Finds.” healthday.com. Health Day, 4 Apr. 2011.
5. Gray, Nathan. “Food addiction has similar brain response to drug addiction: Study.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 5 Apr. 2011.
6. Hyman, Mark MD. “Stopping Addiction to Sugar: Willpower or Genetics?”
7. Scott-Thomas, Caroline. “Animal study suggests existence of sugar addiction, says scientist.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 11 Dec. 2008.
8. Scott-Thomas, Caroline. “Sugar addiction ‘unlikely in humans,’ says scientist.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 9 Jan. 2009.

Many people feel like they are ‘addicted’ to sugar. New research is providing clues as to how this may happen and what can be done about it. In this three part series, we will look at the reasons why some people can’t seem to help themselves when it comes to sugar/sweets and exactly what you can do to break the sugar addiction cycle.

There has been a lot of research and disagreement in the health/medical world lately about sugar and whether or not a person could be truly “addicted” to it. Sure, we all like to eat sweets, and sometimes we find ourselves craving and overindulging in sweet treats. But there are people who have an insatiable sweet tooth; people who “can’t live without chocolate” or it ends up affecting how they feel, their mood and their actions. Could these people actually be addicted to sugar? New research indicates that they could.

Sugar Addicts

First, some background. Medically speaking, an addictive substance is something which induces a pleasant state or relieves distress, leads to adaptive changes in the brain that triggers tolerance, physical dependence and uncontrollable cravings and causes dependence to such an extent that abstaining is difficult (1). Using these criteria, it doesn’t sound so far-fetched that sugar addiction could exist. People are usually happy after they eat cake or some other treat. Some people will eat sweet things to relieve distress; think stress eating or eating chocolate to ease PMS symptoms. And, there are people out there who have such intense cravings for sweets that willpower is literally not enough to abstain – they have to have something sweet every day or they have a very, very bad day. So what are these ‘adaptive changes in the brain that trigger tolerance, physical dependence and uncontrollable cravings’? The answer lies with brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

“I gotta have that!”

Before we get into the science of neurotransmitters and brain responses, we need to talk about some biology and evolution. Back when humans were hunter-gatherers, food was not always in abundance. You could go through a food-drought at any time, so our bodies were designed to build energy stores out of excess calories whenever possible. That way, when there was an unexpected period of time without enough food, we could survive off of what our bodies had stored as fat. Sweet, sugary foods are often high-calorie foods. So when we are presented with something sweet our body says, “That tastes good. Eat a lot of that so I can build up energy stores for the food-drought.” We are biologically wired to enjoy and seek out sweet, high calorie foods because from an evolutionary standpoint, they provided us the best chance to survive a food-drought. We can’t help it.

However, in today’s world we very seldom (never!) experience a food-drought, as there is an abundance of food (and processed goods that slightly resemble food) wherever we go. This causes our own instincts to lead us astray and be drawn to sweet, high calorie foods when we, from a biological standpoint, don’t need them.

Now, on to brain chemistry. When we eat sweets, our brain levels of dopamine increase. (1) Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that controls the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. In essence, when our dopamine levels are high we feel happy. Dopamine also tells you to get into action to achieve a goal that will bring a reward or pleasure (such as eating a cookie). It motivates us to do things that bring us pleasure and it is a very powerful neurotransmitter. This means that the signals it sends can be very hard to overcome with willpower. (2)

It gets worse. Research shows that we don’t even have to eat these high-calorie foods to rev up our motivation to have them; all you have to do is see a high-calorie food and your dopamine levels will rise. (2) This means that just looking at a picture of an ice cream sundae will get you thinking about how much you want to eat it and wondering where you can get one – right now. For others, simply thinking about a food can elicit a rise in dopamine and increase their desire for immediate gratification. For many people, this urge is enough to make them feel like they have to act on it, so they run out and get the food or some other high-calorie alternative.

Marketers know this; why do you think that every TV, billboard or magazine ad has beautiful pictures of tantalizing high calorie foods? They know that just by seeing those ads, you’ll want that food, and want it now. This is also the reason so many fast food ads run at night and during sporting events – people see them and order.

This is just part of the story however; the next post will detail how eating sugar and highly sweetened foods can actually change how your brain processes information, making you crave and eat more, setting up a cycle that is hard to break.

Sources

1. “Can sugar be addictive?” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 16 Jan. 2006.
2. Leutwyler Ozelli, Kristin. “This is your brain on food.” Scientific American Sep. 2007: 84-85.
3. Daniells, Stephen. “Food addiction: Fat may rewire brain like hard drugs.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 29 Mar. 2010.
4. Gardner, Amanda. “Compulsive Eaters May Have ‘Food Addiction,’ Study Finds.” healthday.com. Health Day, 4 Apr. 2011.
5. Gray, Nathan. “Food addiction has similar brain response to drug addiction: Study.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 5 Apr. 2011.
6. Hyman, Mark MD. “Stopping Addiction to Sugar: Willpower or Genetics?”
7. Scott-Thomas, Caroline. “Animal study suggests existence of sugar addiction, says scientist.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 11 Dec. 2008.
8. Scott-Thomas, Caroline. “Sugar addiction ‘unlikely in humans,’ says scientist.” foodnavigator.com. William Reed Business Media, 9 Jan. 2009.

The media has been buzzing about the negative health impact that trans-fat (a.k.a. partially hydrogenated oils) can have on the human body. Some cities, such as New York have even gone as far as to require all restaurants to go trans-fat free. This is a very drastic measure and upon further investigation it seems necessary to protect our health.

Trans-fats are produced when a hydrogen molecule is added to vegetable oil. The hydrogenation process makes liquid oil solid at room temperature. Companies choose to use trans-fats because they are cheap, increase shelf life and create flavor stability.

The increased intake of trans-fats does not come without a price. Trans-fat consumption is directly related to increased LDL (less desirable form of cholesterol) and decreased HDL (the “good” cholesterol) cholesterol. This can be linked to the increase in heart disease over the last 30 years.

Other chronic conditions such as cancer and diabetes are also related to high trans-fat intake. Hydrogenated oils interfere with the insulin receptor sites on cell membranes that can trigger type II diabetes. They also interfere with the enzymes the body produces to protect itself against cancer. If this information is not convincing enough, one study showed that women who consume trans-fats weighed more than women who did not consume any trans-fats, even though their caloric intake was the same.

Following are some simple steps you can take to cut the trans out of your fat intake:

• Eat whole foods – this means choosing food as close to nature as possible. The most common foods that hydrogenated oils are found in are highly processed (margarine, cookies, candy, cakes, crackers, baked goods, breads, fried potatoes, chips, microwave popcorn, peanut butter, and salad dressing) and restaurant foods that are cooked in hydrogenated oils, including all deep fried foods. Focusing on eating fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and high-quality proteins will greatly reduce exposure to trans-fat.
• Read labels – check the back of food packages for the words ‘partially-hydrogenated’ oil or ‘hydrogenated’ oil. You can not count on the new labeling law to tell if a product is trans-fat free because the government allows 0.5g per serving to be considered trans-fat free. Many companies are simply changing their serving sizes to get below this limit. In other words, just because the trans-fat number is “0″ on the label does not mean that the food is free of trans-fat.
• Home cook’ in – try to prepare as many meals as possible at home. This allows control of the products and oils that are used.
• Ask – when dining out, ask the server what type of oil is used for cooking various dishes or if there is trans-fat in their baked products. If they don’t know, don’t eat it. Trans-fat can also be avoided if food is cooked in chicken or vegetable broth instead of oil. Most chain restaurants provide ingredient information on their website.

The bottom line – reducing intake of trans-fat not only helps your heart and waistline, it will also increase YOUR shelf life.

Resources:

Trans fatty acids in the food supply: A comprehensive report covering 60 years of research Enig, Mary G, PhD, 2nd Edition, Enig Associates, Inc, Silver Spring, MD, 1995.

Our post today comes from Dr. Mark Hyman.  The full original post can be viewed here.

The current media debate about the benefits (or lack of harm) of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in our diet misses the obvious. The average American increased their consumption of HFCS (mostly from sugar sweetened drinks and processed food) from zero to over 60 pounds per person per year. During that time period, obesity rates have more than tripled and diabetes incidence has increased more than seven fold. Not perhaps the only cause, but a fact that cannot be ignored.

Doubt and confusion are the currency of deception, and they sow the seeds of complacency. These are used skillfully through massive print and television advertising campaigns by the Corn Refiners Association’s attempt to dispel the “myth” that HFCS is harmful and assert through the opinion of “medical and nutrition experts” that it is no different than cane sugar. It is a “natural” product that is a healthy part of our diet when used in moderation.

Except for one problem. When used in moderation it is a major cause of heart disease, obesity, cancer, dementia, liver failure, tooth decay and more.

The Lengths the Corn Industry Will Go To

The goal of the corn industry is to call into question any claim of harm from consuming high fructose corn syrup, and to confuse and deflect by calling their product natural “corn sugar”. That’s like calling tobacco in cigarettes natural herbal medicine. Watch the slick ad where a caring father walks hand in hand with his four-year-old daughter through a big question mark carved in an idyllic cornfield.

In the ad, the father tells us:

“Like any parent I have questions about the food my daughter eats – like high fructose corn syrup. So I started looking for answers from medical and nutrition experts, and what I discovered whether it’s corn sugar or cane sugar your body can’t tell the difference. Sugar is sugar. Knowing that makes me feel better about what she eats and that’s one less thing to worry about.”

Physicians are also targeted directly. I received a 12-page color glossy monograph from the Corn Refiners Association reviewing the “science” that HFCS was safe and no different than cane sugar. I assume the other 700,000 physicians in America received the same propaganda at who knows what cost.

In addition to this, I received a special “personal” letter from the Corn Refiner’s Association outlining every mention of the problems with HFCS in our diet – whether in print, blogs, books, radio or television. They warned me of the errors of my ways and put me on “notice”. For what I am not sure. To think they are tracking this (and me) that closely gives me an Orwellian chill.

New websites like www.sweetsurprise.com and www.cornsugar.com help “set us straight” about HFCS with quotes from professors of nutrition and medicine and thought leaders from Harvard and other stellar institutions.

Why is the corn industry spending millions on misinformation campaigns to convince consumers and health care professionals of the safety of their product? Could it be that the food industry comprises 17 percent of our economy?

But are these twisted sweet lies or a sweet surprise, as the Corn Refiners Association websites claim?

What the Science Says about HFCS

Let’s examine the science and insert some common sense into the conversation. These facts may indeed come as a sweet surprise. The ads suggest getting your nutrition advice from your doctor (who, unfortunately, probably knows less about nutrition than most grandmothers). Having studied this for over a decade, and having read, interviewed or personally talked with most of the “medical and nutrition experts” used to bolster the claim that “corn sugar” and cane sugar are essentially the same, quite a different picture emerges and the role of HFCS in promoting obesity, disease and death across the globe becomes clear.

Last week over lunch with Dr. Bruce Ames, one of the foremost nutritional scientists in the world and Dr. Jeffrey Bland, a nutritional biochemist, a student of Linus Pauling and I reviewed the existing science, and Dr. Ames shared shocking new evidence from his research center on how HFCS can trigger body-wide inflammation and obesity.

Here are 5 reasons you should stay way from any product containing high fructose corn syrup and why it may kill you.

1. Sugar in any form causes obesity and disease when consumed in pharmacologic doses.

Cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup are indeed both harmful when consumed in pharmacologic doses of 140 pounds per person per year. When one 20 ounce HFCS sweetened soda, sports drink or tea has 17 teaspoons of sugar (and the average teenager often consumes two drinks a day) we are conducting a largely uncontrolled experiment on the human species. Our hunter gather ancestors consumed the equivalent of 20 teaspoons per year, not per day. In this sense, I would agree with the corn industry that sugar is sugar. Quantity matters. But there are some important differences.

2. HFCS and cane sugar are NOT biochemically identical or processed the same way by the body.

High fructose corn syrup is an industrial food product and far from “natural” or a naturally occurring substance. It is extracted from corn stalks through a process so secret that Archer Daniels Midland and Carghill would not allow the investigative journalist, Michael Pollan to observe it for his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma. The sugars are extracted through a chemical enzymatic process resulting in a chemically and biologically novel compound called HFCS.

Some basic biochemistry will help you understand this. Regular cane sugar (sucrose) is made of two-sugar molecules bound tightly together – glucose and fructose in equal amounts. The enzymes in your digestive tract must break down the sucrose into glucose and fructose, which are then absorbed into the body.

HFCS also consists of glucose and fructose, not in a 50-50 ratio, but a 55-45 fructose to glucose ratio in an unbound form. Fructose is sweeter than glucose. And HFCS is cheaper than sugar because of the government farm bill corn subsidies. Products with HFCS are sweeter and cheaper than products made with cane sugar. This allowed for the average soda size to balloon from 8 ounces to 20 ounces with little financial costs to manufacturers but great human costs of increased obesity, diabetes and chronic disease.

Now back to biochemistry. Since there is there is no chemical bond between them, no digestion is required so they are more rapidly absorbed into your blood stream. Fructose goes right to the liver and triggers lipogenesis (the production of fats like triglycerides and cholesterol) this is why it is the major cause of liver damage in this country and causes a condition called “fatty liver” which affects 70 million people. The rapidly absorbed glucose triggers big spikes in insulin – our body’s major fat storage hormone. Both these features of HFCS lead to increased metabolic disturbances that drive increases in appetite, weight gain, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia and more.

But there was one more thing I learned during lunch with Dr. Bruce Ames. Research done by his group at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute found that free fructose from HFCS requires more energy to be absorbed by the gut and soaks up two phosphorous molecules from ATP (our body’s energy source). This depletes the energy fuel source or ATP in our gut required to maintain the integrity of our intestinal lining. Little “tight junctions” cement each intestinal cell together preventing food and bacteria from “leaking” across the intestinal membrane and triggering an immune reaction and body wide inflammation.

High doses of free fructose have been proven to literally punch holes in the intestinal lining allowing nasty byproducts of toxic gut bacteria and partially digested food proteins to enter your blood stream and trigger the inflammation that we know is at the root of obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, dementia and accelerated aging. Naturally occurring fructose in fruit is part of a complex of nutrients and fiber that doesn’t exhibit the same biological effects as the free high fructose doses found in “corn sugar”.

The takeaway: Cane sugar and the industrially produced, euphemistically named “corn sugar” are not biochemically or physiologically the same.

3. HFCS contains contaminants including mercury that are not regulated or measured by the FDA.

An FDA researcher asked corn producers to ship a barrel of high fructose corn syrup in order to test for contaminants. Her repeated requests were refused until she claimed she represented a newly created soft drink company. She was then promptly shipped a big vat of HFCS that was used as part of the study that showed that HFCS often contains toxic levels of mercury because of chlor-alkali products used in its manufacturing.(i) Poisoned sugar is certainly not “natural”.

When HFCS is run through a chemical analyzer or a chromatograph, strange chemical peaks show up that are not glucose or fructose. What are they? Who knows? This certainly calls into question the purity of this processed form of super sugar. The exact nature, effects and toxicity of these funny compounds have not been fully explained, but shouldn’t we be protected from the presence of untested chemical compounds in our food supply, especially when the contaminated food product comprises up to 15-20 percent of the average American’s daily calorie intake?

4. Independent medical and nutrition experts DO NOT support the use of HFCS in our diet, despite the assertions of the corn industry.

The corn industry’s happy looking websites www.cornsugar.com and www.sweetsurprise.com bolster their position that cane sugar and corn sugar are the same by quoting experts, or should we say mis-quoting …

Barry M. Popkin, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has published widely on the dangers of sugar-sweetened drinks and their contribution to the obesity epidemic. In a review of HFCS in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,(ii) he explains the mechanism by which the free fructose may contribute to obesity. He states that:

“The digestion, absorption, and metabolism of fructose differ from those of glucose. Hepatic metabolism of fructose favors de novo lipogenesis [production of fat in the liver]. In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin production. Because insulin and leptin act as key afferent signals in the regulation of food intake and body weight [to control appetite], this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased energy intake and weight gain. Furthermore, calorically sweetened beverages may enhance caloric overconsumption.”

He states that HFCS is absorbed more rapidly than regular sugar, and that it doesn’t stimulate insulin or leptin production. This prevents you from triggering the body’s signals for being full and may lead to overconsumption of total calories.

He concludes by saying that:

“… the increase in consumption of HFCS has a temporal relation to the epidemic of obesity, and the overconsumption of HFCS in calorically sweetened beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity.”

The corn industry takes his comments out of context to support their position. “All sugar you eat is the same.”

True pharmacologic doses of any kind of sugar are harmful, but the biochemistry of different kinds of sugar and their respective effects on absorption, appetite and metabolism are different, and Dr. Popkin knows that.

David S. Ludwig, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, and a personal friend has published extensively on the dangers and the obesogenic properties of sugar-sweetened beverages. He was quoted as saying that “high fructose corn syrup is one of the most misunderstood products in the food industry.” When I asked him why he supported the corn industry, he told me he didn’t and that his comments were taken totally out of context.

Misrepresenting science is one thing, misrepresenting scientists who have been at the forefront of the fight against obesity and high fructose sugar sweetened beverages is quite another.

5. HFCS is almost always a marker of poor-quality, nutrient-poor disease creating industrial food products or “food-like substances”.

The last reason to avoid products that contain HFCS is that they are a marker for poor-quality, nutritionally depleted, processed industrial food full of empty calories and artificial ingredients. If you find “high fructose corn syrup” on the label you can be sure it is not a whole, real, fresh food full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and antioxidants. Stay away if you want to stay healthy. We still must reduce our overall consumption of sugar, but with this one simple dietary change you can radically reduce your health risks and improve your health.

While debate may rage about the biochemistry and physiology of cane sugar vs. corn sugar, this is in fact beside the point (despite the finer points of my scientific analysis above). The conversation has been diverted to a simple assertion that cane sugar and corn sugar are not different.

The real issues are only two.

1. We are consuming HFCS and sugar in pharmacologic quantities never before experienced in human history — 140 pounds a year vs. 20 teaspoons a year 10,000 years ago.
2. High fructose corn syrup is always found in very poor quality foods that are nutritionally vacuous and filled with all sorts of other disease promoting compounds, fats, salt, chemicals and even mercury.

These critical ideas should be the heart of the national conversation, not the meaningless confusing ads and statements by the corn industry in the media and online that attempt to assure the public that the biochemistry of real sugar and industrially produced sugar from corn are the same.

References

(i) Dufault, R., LeBlanc, B., Schnoll, R. et al. 2009. Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: Measured concentrations in food product sugar. Environ Health. 26(8):2.

(ii) Bray, G.A., Nielsen, S.J., and B.M. Popkin. 2004. Consumption of high-fructose corn syrup in beverages may play a role in the epidemic of obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 79(4):537-43. Review.

Have you ever wondered why some people can eat very little and still not lose weight (maybe you are one of these people)? Or why many people ‘hit a plateau’ during weight loss and can’t seem to lose any more weight?

In this post we are going to tell you why many people can’t lose weight and what they can do to lose the pounds and keep them off by helping the body eliminate toxins that are holding them back.

Toxin Accumulation = Weight Gain

In this day and age, we are constantly bombarded with pollutants, herbicides, pesticides, and a host of other chemicals through exhaust fumes, pollution, and even the foods we eat. If the body can’t keep up with the elimination of these toxins, it must somehow buffer us from them to keep us alive and functioning. Nearly all environmental toxins are fat-soluble. Thus, to keep our brain and nerves from being affected, the body responds to exposure with either a rise in the blood lipids (i.e., cholesterol), deposition of adipose (fat) tissue, or activation of various  immune responses (i.e., allergies). What this means is that many people are overweight because they have accumulated too many toxins and their body is using body fat to ‘buffer’ the body and brain from the harmful effects from these substances.

This is also a reason why people cannot lose weight or hit a plateau while losing weight – the body reaches a point where it cannot lose any more body fat because it is using the fat to protect you from the dangerous effects of these toxins. In these situations, if you were to lose more body fat, toxins would be released into the bloodstream and could cause a myriad of problems.

Detoxification and Weight Loss

If toxic exposure is the reason you are overweight, then for long term success it is essential that the toxins be recognized and dealt with prior to or during a weight loss program, so you don’t risk jeopardizing your health. Now there are many ways to perform a detoxification, and many people use the word ‘detoxification’ to mean a myriad of things.

There are some detoxification programs that cause people to become quite ill, often times ‘purging’ (one way or another) and causing the participant to feel lousy. Why do you think that is? It is sometimes called a ‘healing crisis’, but through my experience, it is more often caused by the release of too many toxins. The body cannot keep up with this onslaught of toxic exposure and expels the substances (often times out both ends of the GI tract) to avoid poisoning. While some may see this as a positive outcome, I think it can cause more damage than benefit. Luckily, there is a better, gentler way that can be sustained over the long term to optimize weight loss.

Detoxification Program

The following Detoxification Program has helped many of our clients achieve significant, sustained weight loss while helping their bodies eliminate many of the toxic substances causing ill-health.

• Eliminate lifestyle toxins such as smoking, drinking coffee, soda and alcohol.
• Drink water everyday – ½ cup (4 oz.) every ½ hour is ideal.
• Follow the Detoxification Support Program using AdvaClear and one of the following:
  • UltraInflamX – use this product if you have a great deal of inflammation or pain
  • UltraClear Macro – if you are highly sensitive to environmental toxins
  • UltraGlycemX – if you have insulin resistance or  blood sugar regulation problems
  • UltraMeal – if you don’t fall into any of the above categories or if you have hormone related issues.
• Have fun with it! Enjoy trying new foods and adapting a healthier lifestyle!!

The Detoxification Program outlined above will help you lose weight safely, effectively and allow you to keep it off!

We look forward to working with you along your natural path to optimal health (and weight loss!).

Drinking enough water is something that everybody hears about, everybody talks about and we all know we should do, but most of us for whatever reason, do NOT do. In this post we will outline why it is so important to be properly hydrated as well as show you ways you can easily get more water into your daily routine.

Water, Water Everywhere?

We’ve always heard that we need to drink ‘enough’ water; and some have told us that  ‘enough’ is eight 8 oz. glasses of water daily. We are told that if we drink eight 8oz. glasses of water daily and/or if our urine is clear,  we are properly hydrated. While this may be true, it is not necessarily true. What we are not told is that many of our lifestyle and dietary habits induce dehydration.

Consuming caffeine, alcohol, soda, processed foods or smoking will all cause water loss from the body. Once more, exercise, low humidity (winter), sweating, etc., all cause increased water needs. Even minor dehydration can have dire health consequences.

You cannot always see dehydration, but it is crucial you do not ignore it. The reason is that almost every single chemical reaction in the body depends upon water, and in order for the body to perform at its very best, we MUST be properly hydrated.

Functions of water in human body

• Improves oxygen delivery to the cells
• Transports nutrients (very important for healing)
• Enables cellular hydration
• Promotes health mucosal membranes (i.e., GI tract, respiratory tract, urinary tract)
• Cushions and lubricates bones and joints (i.e., arthritis, joint pain)
• Absorbs shocks to joints and organs
• Regulates body temperature (i.e., hot flashes, cold hands/feet, intolerance to hot/cold)
• Removes wastes and flushes toxins (i.e., detoxification)
• Improves cell-to-cell communications (i.e., mental function, coordination)
• Maintains normal electrical properties of cells (i.e., mental function, fatigue, muscle soreness)
• Allows immune system to function properly

If we are not hydrated properly, the body will begin to send us signals, such as:

That is not to say that every one of the conditions listed above is due solely to dehydration (although this is entire possible in many cases); however, every one of the conditions above will be exacerbated by dehydration. And it is VERY likely you are dehydrated.

A Dehydration Epidemic

We have a dehydration epidemic in this country. Your body is approximately 67% water by weight. If your body’s water content drops by as little as 2%, you will feel fatigued. If it drops by 10% you will experience significant health problems, such as those above. Losses of water over time are a real threat to our health, yet Americans don’t drink enough water.

In a survey of 3003 persons in 15 major US cities, participants reported drinking an overall average of only 4.6 – 8 oz. servings of water per day. Once more, 44% said they drank three or less servings of water per day and nearly 10% said they didn’t drink water at all.

In addition, many of the things we do drink actually decrease hydration, including coffee, soda, caffeinated beverages, and alcohol, which are all diuretics – which means they are dehydrating. Soda/pop is particularly damaging becuase it is also very acidic in addition to being dehydrating. Net is that the average American consumes approximately three 8 oz. servings of hydrating beverages daily, which means most of us are in a constant state of dehydration!

So How Much Water Do I Need to Drink?

We lose approximately 2-3 quarts of water every day through normal perspiration, urination, breathing and metabolism. This can change/increase dramatically with increased exertion/exercise, changes in temperature, humidity, stress, body size and altitude. However, a good rule is to drink ½ your body weight in ounces every day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs., you should drink about 75 oz. of water per day.

However, the key to proper hydration is how much water you drink at once and how often. The cells can only absorb a limited amount of water at any given time; any excess is simply eliminated through the urine (making the urine clear). Therefore, you should drink your water in divided doses – about 2-4 oz. every 20-30 minutes ideal. In addition, you should try and drink the purest water available – distilled would be best, reverse osmosis, filtered bottled water, and spring water would be next best. Keep in mind that it can take weeks to months to become properly hydrated due to the fact that the cells can only absorb a limited amount of water at one time, so get your water in throughout the day on a regular basis.

Here are some tips to increase your water intake:

• Have multiple water containers stashed where ever you are during the day so it is always around.
• Use a timer/alarm to remind you to drink water regularly and often.
• Use Emer-Gen-C or other powdered mix (such as Endura) to give the water some flavor.
• Use lemon/lime to flavor the water.
• Use Stevia drops to flavor the water; we have several flavors available at the clinic.
• Mentally connect drinking water to some other activity you are doing regularly throughout the day (i.e., deep breathing, sending email, talking on the phone, people calling your name, etc.).

Other things you can do to improve your hydration is eliminate dehydrating drinks, foods and habits, including coffee, black tea, soda (especially soda!), alcohol, processed foods and smoking.

If you’d like to know or track your hydration status, the Natural Path Health Center has a simple, inexpensive test called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) that will provide not only your hydration status, but also your body composition and basal metabolism (to the calorie). Contact us for more information.

Proper hydration will help with almost any health condition, especially those listed before. In fact, becoming properly hydrated is the least expensive and most impactful thing you can do for your health.

Stay healthy – stay hydrated!

References

1. Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj, MD – wwww.watercure.com
2. Report from Nutrition Information Center at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, May 11, 1998.
3. Cornell University Medical Center, Nutrition Information Center. Survey conducted by Yankelovich Partners. Underwritten by the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA).  Reported in Alternative Medicine Magazine. June 3, 2000

Today’s post was written by Sarah Droege, Nutritionist at the Natural Path Health Center. She describes numerous ways to help you navigate the often (overly) confusing isles at the supermarket along with some great ideas on how to leave with good, nutritious food without making your head spin.

Making the commitment to eat right can be tough enough: getting rid of the junk food, finding balanced recipes that you think you’ll enjoy, setting aside time to cook meals, convincing (or trying to convince) your family to go along with the change. You definitely don’t need to be bombarded by confusing and misleading messages when you’re trying to refill your pantry and fridge with healthy, whole, delicious foods. So here are a few tips to help you understand and avoid a few common traps that many shoppers fall in to.

Really Reduce your Toxic Burden
If you’re trying to go organic, labels can make it very tough for you. Here is exactly what they mean:

• “100% organic” – This designation means that every ingredient in the product has to be organic (besides the water and salt).
• “organic” – This designation means that a minimum of 95% of the ingredients in the product have to be organic.
• “made with organic ingredients” – This designation means that a minimum of 70% of the ingredients in the product have to be organic.

People hear a lot about the dangers of ‘processed foods’ and are often told not to eat them. We’ve been examining many of our client’s diets and are finding that several are still eating these ‘processed foods’! Upon questioning, we found that most of the clients simply didn’t think of the foods they were eating as ‘processed foods’. Therefore, in this post we will explain what we mean by the term ‘processed foods’ and why they are detrimental to your long-term health.

What Are Processed Foods?

‘Processed foods’ include any food products that have more processing than shipping, handling, washing, drying, simple mixing or dehydrating. Through processing, these foods lose many vital nutrients, especially minerals. Some companies try and ‘fortify’ or ‘enrich’ their processed foods with added vitamins and minerals, often times trying to replace some of what has been lost. However, most times two to three times more nutrients are lost than are replaced, and often times, they are replaced with synthetic variants of the nutrients that are far inferior to the original product.

It would be like taking your home from you and replacing it with a large cardboard box – you may be able to live in it, but not nearly as well or as comfortably as before. So it is with processed, fortified/enriched foods – your body may be able to use some of the nutrients, but the original product would be far superior. Therefore, we encourage all our clients to eat whole foods in as close to the natural state as possible. This means eating foods that are grown, shipped to you and eaten in a relatively short period of time and with little else done to them.
So what foods are considered processed foods?

A quick look at the label will tell you if the food you are looking at is processed. If it is fortified or enriched, contains flour or sugar, or has any additives, preservatives, colorings or any ingredient with a number in it (!) it is processed. Here is a partial listing:

A special note on bread:
ALL breads are processed foods. Those containing whole grains are slightly less processed than plain white or wheat bread. Only breads claiming ’100% whole wheat/grain’ and are sprouted are the least processed.

It is not at all unusual to feel some resistance at this point, particularly if you regularly eat many of these processed foods. And we are not talking about totally eliminating these foods (at least not at first); think about processed foods like a condiment, something you have as a side dish in very small amounts to augment or complement your meal. In fact, by focusing more on eating whole, unprocessed foods, you will naturally and easily crowd out and eliminate these processed foods.
So what do you eat?

Raw and cooked fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, and organically raised fish, fowl, wild game and lots of water and herbal tea. You can obviously eat whatever you desire, but the fewer processed foods in your diet, the healthier you will be and the more you will be able to enjoy a vibrant and disease-free life. In addition, making sure you properly digest your food will insure you get the most out of it; chew your food until it is a liquid. For additional support, take Ortho Digestyme – 1-2 capsules with each meal.

See our recipes for some great ideas on enjoying the natural path to optimal health.