Nutrition

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will educate his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease.”
~ Thomas Edison

Basic steps  to improve your health – right away!

1. Hydrate with Pure Water: Drink minimum of 1/2 your body weight in ounces of pure water (H2O) per day. For example: 160lbs / 2 = 80 ounces per day
2. Balance pH and Alkalize Your Body: When the body is too acidic as a result of acid-forming foods, high fat, mucus-forming foods, and toxic food residues, disease and infections proliferate. This is especially true in cases of arthritis and rheumatic situations.Most foods are alkaline by nature, but manufactured processed foods are acidic. It is important to balance each meal with 75% alkaline to 25% acidic to maintain health. Perfect body pH is 6.4, above is alkaline and below is acidic. It is important that your daily dietary intake of food naturally balances your body pH.
   Normal to Abnormal pH Ranges
   Healthy pH Values: Urine 6.7 – 7.5 Saliva 6.4 – 6.8
   Slight to Medium Acidosis: Urine 5.0 – 6.0 Saliva 7
   Highly Acidic: Urine 4.5 – 5.0 Saliva 7.5
3. Add Natural & Healthy Food: Although “natural foods” are often assumed to be foods that are minimally processed and do not contain any hormones, antibiotics, artificial sweeteners, food colors, or flavorings,[1] in reality, neither the FDA nor the USDA has rules for “natural.”  The FDA discourages the food industry from using the term.[2] Fundamentally, almost all foodstuffs are derived from the natural products of plants and animals and therefore any definition of natural food results in an arbitrary exclusion or inclusion of food ingredients; likewise, since almost all foods are processed in some way, either mechanically, chemically, or by temperature, it is difficult to define which types of food processing is natural.[3] Because there is no legal criteria for natural foods, food manufacturers will often place a “natural” label on foods which contain heavily processed ingredients such as vegetable glycerin, soy lecitin, monocalcium phosphate, and mixed tocopherols.[4] The poultry industry has come under fire by the Center for Science in the Public Interest for labeling chicken meat “all natural” after it has been injected with saline solution up to 25% of its weight, but there is no legal recourse to prevent this labeling.[5]
   Informal definitions:
   Although there is no legal U.S. definition for natural foods, there are numerous unofficial or informal definitions, none of which is applied uniformly to foods labeled “natural”. Some of the more common definitions: Oxford English Dictionary: “food that needs little or no processing; (in later use also) a food which contains no additives, a health food.”[6] Merriam Webster: “food that has undergone minimal processing and contains no preservatives or artificial additives.” [7] Encarta: “unprocessed food: food that has undergone no or minimal processing and contains no additives such as preservatives or artificial coloring.”[8] Answers.com: “A term widely used but with little meaning and sometimes misleading since all foods come from natural sources. No legal definition seems possible but guidelines suggest the term should be applied only to single foods that have been subjected only to mild processing, i.e. largely by physical methods such as heating, concentrating, freezing, etc., but not chemically or ‘severely’ processed.”
4. Add Good Fats and Eliminate Bad Fats: Healthy fats are essential to good health: The human body uses fatty acids to do everything from building cell membranes to performing key functions in the brain, eyes, and lungs. The functions of fats include:
   1. Brain – Fats compose 60% of the brain and are essential to brain function, including learning abilities, memory retention and moods. Fats are especially important for pregnant women, since they are integral to fetal brain development.
   2. Cells – Fatty acids help your cells stay moveable and flexible, as well as being responsible for building cell membranes.
   3. Heart – 60% of our heart’s energy comes from burning fats. Specific fats are also used to help keep the heart beating in a regular rhythm.
   4. Nerves – Fats compose the material that insulates and protects the nerves, isolating electrical impulses and speeding their transmission.
   5. Lungs – Lung surfactant, which requires a high concentration of saturated fats, enables the lungs to work and keeps them from collapsing.
   6. Eyes – Fats are essential to eye function.
   7. Digestion – Fats in a meal slow down the digestion process so the body has more time to absorb nutrients. Fats help provide a constant level of energy and also keep the body satiated for longer periods of time. Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K) can only be absorbed if fat is present.
   8. Organs – Fats cushion and protect your internal organs.
   9. Immune System -Some fats ease inflammation, helping your metabolism and immune system stay healthy and functioning.
5. Replace “Whites” (refined grain baked goods) with “Whole” (whole grain baked goods):Eating whole grains provides important health benefits (from the American Heart Association):
   • Whole grains are generally good sources of dietary fiber; most refined (processed) grains contain little fiber.
   • Dietary fiber from whole grains, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease.
   • Fiber-containing foods such as whole grains help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories and so may help with weight management.

   Grains are also important sources of many nutrients:

   • B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folate) play a key role in metabolism.
   • Folate (folic acid), one of the B vitamins, helps the body form red blood cells.
   • Iron is used to carry oxygen in the blood.
   • Magnesium is a mineral used in building bones and releasing energy from muscles.
   • Selenium is important for a healthy immune system.
6. Eliminate Refined Sugars , Flours, and Grains: For many reasons, we can hear everywhere to cut that sugar from our diet. Well, it is pretty easy to substitute it with artificial sweeteners. However, research shows that sweeteners are toxic as well. Always check ingredients description on the back label of the food to find out if any harmful sweeteners are included, especially in diet products. Here is short guideline on what to avoid and what to use to keep your food sweet and healthy:
   Products to avoid
   • Sugar, white or brown: sugar causes steep spikes in blood sugar that interfere with the liver’s ability to burn fat and break down LDL (bad) cholesterol. It results in excess weight and greater risk of heart disease. White sweetness is also lacking in Vitamins and minerals, so in order to metabolize it the body is forced to take from nutrient reserves, leading to shortage that cause poor memory, low immunity, week bones, serve PMS and menopausal symptoms and more.
   • High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is used in majority of pre-packaged cookies, snack bars and other baked goods. This synthetic sweetener has been proven to not only contain mercury, which is toxic in all its forms, but also to increase diabetes risk, cause systemic yeast overgrowth and lowering immunity. Multiple studies show that number of obese Americans increased dramatically over recent years, so did consumption of high-fructose corn syrup at the same time. Research done on HFCS shows effect on weight and health, and suggests to avoid all products that list “corn syrup” on their label.
   • Aspartame is a sweetener used by many to make your morning coffee sweet. Eventually, it will make you feel sluggish and anxious. Also, as study of University of Texas Health Science Center shows – daily consumption of this artificial sweetener (sold under brand names NutraSweet, Equal and Spoonful) has been linked to 41 percent increased risk of being overweight. Another report by one of the doctors of Washington University says that brain cancer rates in the US increased 10 percent, shortly after NutraSweet was approved by the FDA for widespread use as well as organ-toxicity. While this study does not confirm that aspartame is closely connected to the rise, the increase is suspicious.

   Healthier alternatives

   • Instead of sweeteners containing aspartame, use Stevia, an extract from tropical plant that has very similar aftertaste as artificial sweeteners. This all-natural sweetener has zero calories and provides nutritional benefits with the added fiber. Stevia helps to keep your weight under control by regulating blood sugar so food is burned for energy instead of being stored by body as fat. You can get Sweet Leaf Stevia Plus online or in your local health-store. Replace regular sweetener by using date sugar which is more notorious and weight – friendly option. It is made of very finely chopped dry dates and contains filling proteins and energizing calcium, fiber, iron, potassium and copper.Since this kind of substitute doesn’t dissolve easily, it’s hard to use it for certain types of baked goods or in beverages. It makes great crunchy topping for cereal, oatmeal, yogurt and cottage cheese.
   • Agave nectar is sweet syrup (some say that it’s great alternative to honey), which is made by reducing the juice of the succulent agave plant, doesn’t cause harmful spikes in blood. This syrup is often used by chefs who say that it is ideal for baking because of keeping sweet delights moist and makes the flavor of the main ingredients richer. To replace sugar with agave syrup – simply use half the amount called for in a recipe.
7. Click continue to read part 7