2. Replace table salt with sea salt. A lot of the sea salt you find at grocery stores is really just processed table salt. Generally, if salt is white and pours easily, it’s probably processed. Natural sea salt is darker in color – because it’s dried in white and brown layers (and the brown layer has most of the nutrients).
Your safest bet is to buy sea salt from a health-food store. There are many kinds such as Mediterranean, Himalayan and Pacific and they all have slightly different tastes.
3. Boost your levels of potassium. The best food sources are orange-colored fruits and vegetables like apricots, cantaloupe, oranges, nectarines, peaches, sweet potatoes, and butternut and acorn squash. Other good sources are black and kidney beans, spinach, Swiss chard, artichokes, bananas, kiwi, fish, meat, poultry and milk.
http://www.acnecurenaturally.info
http://www.thenaturaldiet.info
Friday, 19 November 2010
Sunday, 9 May 2010
Dark Chocolate
Health By Chocolate: Why Dark Chocolate May Be Good For You
Tags: chocolate, sweets, diet, health, candy
It’s that time of year when giving and indulging in the sweetness of sweets (especially with your sweetie) is seen as perfectly acceptable.
But, new research shows that there are more reasons than ever to NOT avoid or deny your chocolate cravings all year long.
According to some studies done in Italy, dark chocolate has many of the same benefits as vitamin C helping the body use insulin more effectively and lower blood pressure.
The research examined two out of three chocolate varieties, dark chocolate and white chocolate. Dark chocolate is made up of cocoa solids and sugar but no milk solids (prevalent in milk chocolate) and white chocolate, although referred to as chocolate had no cocoa solids, but instead is made of cocoa butter (the fat in chocolate), mil solids and sugar.
According to the study, participants who enjoyed 100 grams of dark chocolate daily for 15 days had reduced blood pressure and become more sensitive to insulin than they were prior to the “experiment”.
Researchers believe that the benefits of dark chocolate are because of the flavonoids it contains, which are associated with the ability to lower the risk of heart disease and some cancers. However, white chocolate exhibited no effect on patients since it is free of cocoa solids, where the flavonoids are found.
So what does this mean for you and me? Is it time to replace the celery and carrot platters with chocolate samplers and related goodies? Is it time to switch from “an apple a day” to “a chocolate bar a day”? The answer to this is probably a big “no”. Nonetheless, knowing this little titbit and what other discoveries it may lead to in the future sure won’t inhibit a healthy person from treating themselves to the oh-so-desirable rich goodness of a nice piece of dark chocolate on occasion.
www.myretrosweets.info
Tags: chocolate, sweets, diet, health, candy
It’s that time of year when giving and indulging in the sweetness of sweets (especially with your sweetie) is seen as perfectly acceptable.
But, new research shows that there are more reasons than ever to NOT avoid or deny your chocolate cravings all year long.
According to some studies done in Italy, dark chocolate has many of the same benefits as vitamin C helping the body use insulin more effectively and lower blood pressure.
The research examined two out of three chocolate varieties, dark chocolate and white chocolate. Dark chocolate is made up of cocoa solids and sugar but no milk solids (prevalent in milk chocolate) and white chocolate, although referred to as chocolate had no cocoa solids, but instead is made of cocoa butter (the fat in chocolate), mil solids and sugar.
According to the study, participants who enjoyed 100 grams of dark chocolate daily for 15 days had reduced blood pressure and become more sensitive to insulin than they were prior to the “experiment”.
Researchers believe that the benefits of dark chocolate are because of the flavonoids it contains, which are associated with the ability to lower the risk of heart disease and some cancers. However, white chocolate exhibited no effect on patients since it is free of cocoa solids, where the flavonoids are found.
So what does this mean for you and me? Is it time to replace the celery and carrot platters with chocolate samplers and related goodies? Is it time to switch from “an apple a day” to “a chocolate bar a day”? The answer to this is probably a big “no”. Nonetheless, knowing this little titbit and what other discoveries it may lead to in the future sure won’t inhibit a healthy person from treating themselves to the oh-so-desirable rich goodness of a nice piece of dark chocolate on occasion.
www.myretrosweets.info
Monday, 5 April 2010
Blood Sugar
The New England Journal of Medicine published a study on blood sugar. The findings contradict what mainstream medicine has been telling us about diabetes for years.
As it turns out, lowering your blood sugar to try and deal with diabetes can increase your risk of death.
The ACCORD study took 10,000 diabetic patients. The initial plan was to study the effects of intensive therapy to lower their blood sugar.
The patients were monitored. In addition, their risks of heart attack, stroke, and death were assessed.
The researchers were surprised by the results. Patients who had lowered their blood sugar levels the most were at higher risk for death. In fact, the study was stopped short. As blood sugar levels dropped, more patients were having heart attacks or dying.1
This goes against what most doctors – including the American Diabetes Association – tell us is the best way to treat diabetes.
That’s because they’re focused on the symptoms and not the cause.
High blood sugar is just a symptom of diabetes. The true cause is spiked insulin levels. This is a result of insulin resistance.
Unfortunately, typical treatments make the problem worse. That’s because they’re designed to increase insulin levels in the body, in order to deal with the elevated blood sugar.
As the ACCORD study proves, this is a mistake.
The best way to treat diabetes is to improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin.
The best way to do that is through your diet. Here are four simple tips you can follow:
Type-2 diabetes can be reversed. And it all starts by changing your diet, starting with the four simple tips I’ve given you here.
As it turns out, lowering your blood sugar to try and deal with diabetes can increase your risk of death.
The ACCORD study took 10,000 diabetic patients. The initial plan was to study the effects of intensive therapy to lower their blood sugar.
The patients were monitored. In addition, their risks of heart attack, stroke, and death were assessed.
The researchers were surprised by the results. Patients who had lowered their blood sugar levels the most were at higher risk for death. In fact, the study was stopped short. As blood sugar levels dropped, more patients were having heart attacks or dying.1
This goes against what most doctors – including the American Diabetes Association – tell us is the best way to treat diabetes.
That’s because they’re focused on the symptoms and not the cause.
High blood sugar is just a symptom of diabetes. The true cause is spiked insulin levels. This is a result of insulin resistance.
Unfortunately, typical treatments make the problem worse. That’s because they’re designed to increase insulin levels in the body, in order to deal with the elevated blood sugar.
As the ACCORD study proves, this is a mistake.
The best way to treat diabetes is to improve your body’s sensitivity to insulin.
The best way to do that is through your diet. Here are four simple tips you can follow:
1. Eliminate heavily processed foods. This means any kind of junk food, including fried and sugary foods. They help fuel diabetes and keep it alive. Practically all of these foods are high-glycemic. Meaning they spike your blood sugar and, as a result, your insulin levels. Also, if it’s packaged and comes in a box or bag, chances are it’s not good for you. This kind of food has multiple ingredients, including hydrogenated oils (trans fats) to give it a long shelf life.Most diabetics think they’re stuck with the disease for life. That’s simply not true.
2. Eat more protein. Your focus should be on eating foods that have one, maybe two ingredients. That means getting the bulk of your calories from protein. Good sources are grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, organ meats, and wild-caught fish.
3. Eat healthy fats. Make sure to get healthy fats in your diet too. Great sources are wild-caught salmon, olive oil, almonds, avocados, and egg yolks.
4. Get plenty of fruits and veggies. The majority – if not all your carbs – should come from fruits and vegetables. Eat fruits with the skin intact, as it provides a good source of fiber. Stay clear of starches, grains, and any other kind of carb that’s been heavily processed.
Type-2 diabetes can be reversed. And it all starts by changing your diet, starting with the four simple tips I’ve given you here.
Al Sears, MD
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