FDA Approved: Toxic Decayed Meat Being Sold As “Fresh”

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There have been many accounts when people have lost hope in FDA, but here’s another one that will crush your reality. Corporate chain groceries have a practice of making decayed meat look fresh just so that consumers would buy it. It’s a practice that was banned in Japan and Europe.

These corporations hide the fact that over two thirds of all the chicken and beef sold in Canada and the US is toxic because it is treated with FDA approved carbon monoxide gas. The FDA is aware of the risks thereof, but still won’t do anything.Rancid-Meat-Is-Sold-Everywhere-around-US-620x330

The Congress was going to make groceries label their meat that was treatedwith carbon monoxide by enacting a bill about it, but obviously the corporate lobby groups were stronger. The bill was introduced in 2007 by the name H.R. 3115, but it never saw the light.

The carbon monoxide gas helps in making meat look fresh even when it is rancid and infested with bacteria such as E-coli, Campylobacter, and even Salmonella. The gas reacts with the meat’s pigment and makes it look bright red as if fresh. Even the rancid smell is eliminated so there is no knowing if the meat is any good.

The irony behind this is that the FDA has warned against reduced oxygen packaging because that way the bacteria is inhibited, thus the signs by which people can tell if the meat is decaying are eliminated.

Even if you try and cook a meat that was swarmed with the above mentioned bacteria and made look fresh with carbon monoxide gas won’t help, because some of the gas toxins cannot be eliminated.

Another illegal move by the FDA is the acceptance of the Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) notifications. By accepting them it ignores existing regulations and Federal statutes, because by letting corporations use carbon monoxide it helps them deceive consumers. Even though the FDA has evaluated this issue on several occasions it still claims that carbon monoxide is GRAS.

Many European countries have banned this practice because of safety concerns. For example, the Scientific Committee on Food of the European Commission concluded that not only the carbon monoxide masks the spoilage, but that it is toxic because it sticks to hemoglobin and takes the place of the oxygen that this molecule carries in the bloodstream, thus causing disorder in the body. The more the body is exposed to carbon monoxide, the more the risk for death occurs due to CO poisoning.

My recommendations:  Shop your local farmers markets.  Create relationships with local farmers.  Look for meat that’s been raised responsibly, grass fed and organic.  You might even look into a local CSA.  If any of these aren’t an option, check out US Wellness Meats for online delivery.

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Original Source: http://www.dailynutritionnews.com/rancid-meat-is-sold-everywhere-around-us-and-it-is-approved-by-fda/

Braised Local Kale with Sorghum Bacon

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I’m super excited about this post today with Holistic Lifestyle Coach and NBA Celebrity Allstar Chef  Rose Bigelow.  I caught up with her at the East Atlanta Village Farmers Market where she was drawing in the crowd and working her magic! -Enjoy

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“I had the good pleasure of doing the chef’s demo at our local Farmer’s Market last week. I was tasked with purchasing all my items at the market and then making a favorite recipe. THIS is what followed. There wasn’t an unhappy sampler in all the market!” -Chef Rose

Braised Local Kale with Spotted Trotter “The Original” — Sorghum and Cracked Black Pepper Bacon

4-6 Slices of Spotted Trotter “The Original” — Sorghum and Cracked Black Pepper Bacon diced
1 tbs Olive Oil
1/2 Onion Diced
3 Cloves Garlic Minced
4-6 Cups Chopped Finely
2 tbs Apple Cider Vinegar
Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper to Taste

In a deep cast iron skillet cook bacon in olive oil until the bacon is slightly cooked to crisp. Add onions and garlic and cook at medium until translucent. Add the Kale and braise on med high for 10-15 min. Add Vinegar and braise 10 min longer. Season with salt and pepper.

Creative Ideas: Substituting Leeks or Ramps for Onion and Garlic, adding Golden Raisins for a sweet touch, using Balsamic Vinegar instead of Apple Cider Vinegar, and including fresh Red Cabbage in the braise mixture.

MCT Fats Found In Coconut Oil Boost Brain Function In Only One Dose

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Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs), the primary type of fat found within coconut oil, have been found to boost cognitive performance in older adults suffering from memory disorders as serious as Alzheimer’s — and not after months or even days of treatment,but after a single 40 ml dose!

A groundbreaking 2004 study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging found that the administration of medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), the primary fat type found in coconut oil, almost immediately improved cognitive function in older adults with memory disorders.

The study involved 20 subjects with Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment who, on separate days, were given either emulsified MCTs or a placebo.  The researchers observed a significant increase in blood plasma levels of the ketone body beta-hydroxylutyrate (beta-OHB) after only 90 minutes of treatment, and depending on the apolipoprotein E genotype of the subject tested, beta-OHB levels either continued to rise or held constant between the 90 and 120 minute blood draws in the treatment condition. Remarkably, cognitive testing revealed that this brief MCT treatment facilitated improved performance on the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale (ADAS-cog) in 4 subjects within the study group. Moreover, “higher ketone values were associated with greater improvement in paragraph recall with MCT treatment relative to placebo across all subjects .”

coconut_oil_brainHow Medium Chain Triglycerides Work

How could a single dose of MCTs (40 ml or 2.7 tablespoons) cause an almost immediate improvement in cognitive performance in those suffering from cognitive impairments as serious as Alzheimer’s disease? The explanation is found both in the unique metabolic needs of the brain and in the configuration of MCTs themselves. Whereas the primary fuel source for the energy-hungry brain is glucose, when insulin resistance and suboptimal metabolism (hypometabolism) develops in the brain, both the brain’s structure and function are compromised. Ketone bodies provide a much needed alternative fuel source to glucose that can recharge metabolic processes within the brain, resulting in an almost immediate improvement in cognitive function.

MCTs are not like most fats we consume. For instance, due to their smaller size they do not form micelles and are not stored in adipose tissue. Whereas up to 97% of the dietary fats we ingest are made up of long-chain triglycerides (LCTs) which have been 14 and 18 carbons, MCTs have relatively shorter chain lengths of 5 to 12 carbons, making them easier to absorb and utilize. They are preferentially oxidized by the liver, and when provided in large enough quantities, they give rise to ketone bodies.

Also,, try incorporating MCTs into your diet in a way that displaces less healthy fats. For instance, replace that rancid, pro-inflammatory ‘vegetable oil’ (e.g. soy, grape seed, peanut, canola oil) you are using to fry an egg or bake with, with sublimely saturated, rancidity-resistant coconut oil.

Or, enjoy a delicious curry with coconut milk as a base. Because 25% of coconut milk is fat, and about 66% of that fat is MCT, you are still getting a healthy dose. It is always better to eat smaller amounts of truly therapeutic foods, enjoyed in the context of sharing, preparing and enjoying good food, so that you will ideally never have to use the heroic “food as medicine” approach after a serious disease has had the opportunity to set in.

Think: use food so that medicine never becomes necessary.  ________________________________________________________________________

Original Source: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/mct-fats-found-coconut-oil-boost-brain-function-only-one-dose?page=1

Get Out The Crayons, Coloring Isn’t Just For Kids

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Coloring is an activity that we tend to associate with children. As we grow older, we put aside our crayons and colored pencils in favor of more respectable writing utensils like pens and highlighters. However, it turns out coloring can be beneficial for adults — namely for its de-stressing power.

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The practice generates wellness, quietness and also stimulates brain areas related to motor skills, the senses and creativity. In fact, publishers have lately been launching coloring books specifically for adults. The trend is alive and well in countries in Europe and North America. Most recently, in Spain, the publication Espasa published Coloréitor, with illustrations by well-known cartoonist Forges.

One of the first psychologists to apply coloring as a relaxation technique was Carl G. Jüng in the early 20th century. He did this through mandalas: circular designs with concentric shapes similar to the Gothic churches’ rose windows. They have their origin in India.

When coloring, we activate different areas of our two cerebral hemispheres, says psychologist Gloria Martínez Ayala. “The action involves both logic, by which we color forms, and creativity, when mixing and matching colors. This incorporates the areas of the cerebral cortex involved in vision and fine motor skills [coordination necessary to make small, precise movements]. The relaxation that it provides lowers the activity of the amygdala, a basic part of our brain involved in controlling emotion that is affected by stress.”

In simplest terms, coloring has a de-stressing effect because when we focus on a particular activity, we focus on it and not on our worries. But it also “brings out our imagination and takes us back to our childhood, a period in which we most certainly had a lot less stress.” This leads us immediately and unconsciously to welfare, exposes the specialist.

“I recommend it as a relaxation technique,” says psychologist Antoni Martínez. “We can use it to enter into a more creative, freer state,” he assures. We can also use it to connect with how we feel, since depending on our mood we choose different colors or intensity. “I myself have practiced that. I recommend it in a quiet environment, even with chill music. Let the color and the lines flow.”

 

Johanna Basford, a Scottish illustrator, has sold more than 1.4 million copies of her coloring book for adults, “Secret Garden.” Such books are being marketed as a creative, meditative pastime.
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Original Source:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/13/coloring-for-stress_n_5975832.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/30/business/media/grown-ups-get-out-their-crayons.html?_r=0

 

Are We Allergic To Food Or What’s Been Done To It?

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  • From 1997 -2007 there has been a 265% increase in hospitalizations related to food reactions.
  • Today 19% of school kids have food allergies.
  • 1 out of 3 kids have allergy, autism,  ADHD, or asthma.
  • According to the CDC cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in American children.
  • “What our grand-parents called ‘food’ we must give the label ‘organic’.
  • Check out this Ted X with Robyn O’Brien who’s been called food’s “Erin Brockovich”

 

How Your Brain Reacts To Emotional Information Is Influenced By Your Genes

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Your genes may influence how sensitive you are to emotional information, according to new research by a UBC neuroscientist. The study, recently published in The Journal of Neuroscience, found that carriers of a certain genetic variation perceived positive and negative images more vividly, and had heightened activity in certain brain regions.

“People really do see the world differently,” says lead author Rebecca Todd, a professor in UBC’s Department of Psychology. “For people with this gene variation, the emotionally relevant things in the world stand out much more.”

The gene in question is ADRA2b, which influences the neurotransmitter norepinephrine. Previous research by Todd found that carriers of a deletion variant of this gene showed greater attention to negative words. Her latest research is the first to use brain imaging to find out how the gene affects how vividly people perceive the world around them, and the results were startling, even to Todd.

“We thought, from our previous research, that people with the deletion variant would probably show this emotionally enhanced vividness, and they did more than we would even have predicted,” says Todd, who scanned the brains of 39 participants, 21 of whom were carriers of the genetic variation.

Carriers of the gene variation showed significantly more activity in a region of the brain responsible for regulating emotions and evaluating both pleasure and threat. Todd believes this may help explain why some people are more susceptible to PTSD and intrusive memories following trauma.

“Emotions are not only about how we feel about the world, but how our brains influence our perception of it,” says Adam Anderson, professor of human development at Cornell University and senior author of the study. “As our genes influence how we literally see the positive and negative aspects of our world more clearly, we may come to believe the world has more rewards or threats.”

Todd points out there are also benefits to carrying the gene variant. “People who have the deletion variant are drawing on an additional network in their brains important for calculating the emotional relevance of things in the world,” she says. “In any situation where noticing what’s relevant in the environment is important, this gene variation would be a positive.”

Todd says a prime example of a carrier of this variation was French novelist Marcel Proust: “He bit into the Madeleine cookie and then wrote seven volumes of memoirs,” she says. “He probably was emotionally sensitive too and he was certainly creative. He’s a classic deletion carrier.

Study participants were asked to estimate the amount of “noise,” or pixelation, applied to images that had either positive, negative or neutral emotional content.

Compared to non-carriers, carriers of the ADRA2b deletion variant gene estimated lower levels of noise on positive and negative images, relative to neutral images, indicating emotionally enhanced vividness, or EEV.

Carriers of the deletion variation also showed significantly more brain activity reflecting EEV in key regions of the brain sensitive to emotional relevance.

Image shows increased activity in the brains of ADRA2b deletion carriers.
Credit: Image courtesy of University of British Columbia
About the gene

The ADRA2b deletion variant appears in varying degrees across different ethnicities. Although roughly 50 per cent of the Caucasian population studied by these researchers in Canada carry the genetic variation, it has been found to be prevalent in other ethnicities. For example, one study found that just 10 per cent of Rwandans carried the ADRA2b gene variant.

Further research is planned to explore emotionally enhanced vividness, or EEV in other ethnic groups, and how ADRA2b influences emotional associations related to anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

 University of British Columbia. “How your brain reacts to emotional information is influenced by your genes.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 7 May 2015. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150507135919.htm>.

Breaking Through The Plateau

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Today I want to give you a brief rundown of three very life changing nutritional protocols that I’ve had some amazing success with. Each is powerful on its own as well as collectively, should you so desire. The goal here is to give you a brief overview of each, including guidelines, benefits and generally what to expect.

Have you heard of “Whole30” and thought, “What the heck is that?” Or Metabolic Typing or the term IF and knew you were getting in way over your head? Let’s get somewhat familiar with each of these and then click on the links provided to dive deeper and do some of your own research.

Whole30: Looking for a complete metabolic reset with a whole laundry list of potential health benefits? Then look no further. Whole30 promises improved body composition, higher energy levels, better quality sleep, improved athletic performance, reduced food cravings like sugar and high glycemic carbs, and the list goes on. Beyond the physical benefits that Whole30 provides, it also addresses any unhealthy relationships with food. It will help you discover food sensitivities that could sometimes be less obvious. After personally doing Whole30 on a few occasions, I can honestly say it has completely reshaped the way I look and feel about the food I eat. My journey with Whole30 started first by reading the book “It Starts With Food” by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig. I highly recommend picking up a copy if you haven’t already. For those who just want the hard facts without going into too much detail, then this is for you. Whole30 is quite simply an elimination protocol in which you completely eliminate all inflammatory and gut disrupting food groups (grains, dairy, sugar, alcohol and legumes) for 30 days. This includes all “healthy” versions of old favorites such as banana bread made with almond flour, or muffins from coconut flour or that lovely paleo pizza recipe you’ve had your eye on. Remember, the elimination period is for 30 days solid and there are no allowances for cheats. That means no 80/20 rules here. By removing these foods for 30 days you allow your body to begin the healing process and resetting the metabolism which in turn will help with fatigue, inflammation, allergies and so on. So if you’re looking for a healthy and holistic approach to reset, cleanse and discover what food sensitivities you might have, this is the perfect place to start.

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Challenge Yourself – 5 Tips For Success

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It’s that time of year! Spring is upon us and summer is right around the corner. As we prepare for the season and consider our goals for the next 6-8 weeks there are a few tips I’d like to share that will equip you and keep you moving successfully in the direction you’ve chosen.

Here are 5 tips to keeping forward momentum with the goal at hand:

#1. Be aware of what is happening in the mind! Keep it positive; envision your success; mentally rehearse your winning and be careful not to self sabotage with destructive thinking.

#2. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals! You’ve probably heard this acronym before and I can’t stress enough the importance of this one.  Taking the time to develop your goals is critical and using the “SMART” system will require you to be more specific than “I want to drop some body fat” or “I’d like to gain some muscle”. Specific – Measurable – Attainable – Realistic – Timely goals.  The difference between setting general goals and SMART goals is the accountability as well as solidifying that what you’re asking of yourself is actually realistic in the time frame given. An example of a SMART goal would be; I will drop ___% body fat in 4 weeks by cutting out sugar and 4 days per week of training over the 4 week period. Then, at the end of the 4 weeks, re-assess, check progress and adjust details as needed as well as set new goals for the weeks to come.

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