This Scale Helps Track Your Heart Health

I've always been a fan of empowering people to manage their health.  This sounds like a positive step forward to me!  If it gets someone out walking and eating better, it's well worth the bucks, in my opinion.  I have no interest in Withings, by the way - just using it as an example of useful new health tech.

Consumer electronics company Withings has launched two new high-tech scales that sync with an app and offer information ranging from the day's weather to your weight and heart rate. One of them is a seeming game changer that measures your heartbeat variations – a recognized indicator of heart health.

The $179 device, called Body Cardio, measures pulse wave velocity, produced by the heating of one’s heart and can correlate with high blood pressure. This measurement can only normally be done in a clinical setting, according to Withings.

“Body Cardio redefines how people use connected scales,” said Cedric Hutchings, digital health VP at Nokia Technologies. “It is like getting information from your annual physical every day.”

Nokia just recently acquired Withings for $191 million, putting the French health and wearables company in charge of its digital health business.

Body Cardio is said to offer its users a “holistic” look into their health via measurements of 

weight, body mass index (BMI), body composition, standing heart rate and pulse wave velocity (PWV), which has been linked not only with hypertension but also cardiovascular risk.

PWV is the speed at which heartbeat vibrations spread out along one’s arterial wall. The stiffer the arteries, the more quickly blood moves through one’s body – and a low PWV indicates more flexible arteries as well as a lower blood pressure.

This means that the scale does not measure one’s blood pressure per se – but better gauges heart health, according to co-founder Eric Carreel.

"This blood velocity measurement normally requires an expensive device (called a sphygmometer) that only cardiologists usually have, and now it's available to anyone as a household device,” he told Endgadget.

Body Cardio works in tandem with its app Health Mate to interpret the measurements of one's PWV over time, and show whether it is normal, optimal, or at risk.

Withings, too, will anonymously collect health data from users who gave consent, aiming to refine its data analysis. The information will be shared with researchers and hospitals to see the influence of PWV on cardiovascular risks on a bigger picture.

If you are wondering how the device looks, it’s 0.7-inch thick and boasts of a flat aluminum base, footless design, and tempered glass. Its built-in battery is rechargeable and can last up to one year in total.

The device, part of the company’s fourth-generation wireless scales, is sold exclusively at Apple Stores and Withings.com. Withings’s other new smart scale, Body, is available at $129.95 and sold at different retailers.

See more at: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/163939/20160609/withingss-body-cardio-scale-can-also-track-your-heart-health.htm#sthash.5ItVA6Y4.dpuf

Weight Loss: The Failure of Moderation

Great article about moderation and overeating.  As someone who's battled a lifelong weight problem and won - I've been in my target range for over six years now - I highly recommend putting some of your trigger foods on your "not in my house" list and then sticking to it.  If you were good at controlling how much of those foods you ate, you wouldn't be struggling. Keep those foods out of your life, and you'll be amazed how your palate resets itself to healthier flavors!

One of the biggest problems I have with nutrition education is the “everything in moderation” approach... We were taught that unless you told people that no foods were “off limits” and that all foods are healthy “in moderation”, you could be doing people a disservice.

The problem is, people don’t want to hear the truth…

I think this mentality largely comes from the fact that many dietitians are themselves recovering from disordered eating. My instructor, while drinking her diet coke in-between powerpoint slides, would tell us how limiting food groups could lead to “orthorexia” and this led to an eating disorder. I remember raising my had and saying, “Don’t you think a certain level of orthorexia might be important in our modern food landscape with hyper-palatable foods everywhere we turn?”. The entire class gasped and stared at me. I hear whispers among the students. This challenge to what we were being taught was blasphemy. I would clearly induce anorexia by suggesting someone avoid processed sugars. My professor stood behind her statement.

Someone recently told me she had bariatric surgery a few years ago. Clearly the moderation thing is working for her.

People going on crash diets often gain the weight back. Frustrated with this, many are gravitating to the “everything in moderation” theory, and simply trying to maintain their weight. This is supported by dietitians, our government’s advice and by the food industry (of course)!

Chick-fil-A’s to-go paper bag states suggests that you “Stay Balanced” so if you splurge during the day, balance it with more exercise. Oh, and eat their 8-count chicken nuggets every three to four hours.

A new study, published in the journal Appetite illustrates how “moderation” means different things to different people. The researchers hypothesized that people’s own food preferences would have a huge influence on what they consider “moderation”.

When considering their own food intake, people like to “favor themselves” and are notoriously poor judges of how much they’ve just consumed, both in volume and in calories. They can’t seem to remember what  they just ate, but often feel that they’re doing well with their food choices, regardless of their weight.

Proving their hypothesis, the researchers found that the more people consumed of a particular item, the larger their sense of “a moderate amount” was. Furthermore, people tended to view their own consumption as “better than moderate”. Meaning, what they ate was less than what they consider a “moderate intake”. This was regardless of their BMI, so both healthy and obese participants answered the questions in a similar manner.

The University of Georgia’s Michelle vanDellen, an assistant professor in the department of psychology, led a study that found that the more people like a certain food, the more forgiving their definitions of moderation. 

“These results suggest people evaluate their own consumption as moderate. If anything, people seem to define moderation as greater than their current consumption, indicating that they do not actually think of it as limited consumption of an item. Moreover, definitions of moderate consumption are related to levels of personal consumption: the more people consume of a food or beverage item, the more of that item they consider to be moderate consumption. In contrast, people’s perceptions that they consume an item moderately were unrelated to the amount of each item they actually consumed and the amount of that item they consider moderate… That is, people may implicitly endorse their reported consumption as appropriate because the typical amount they eat is less than what they define as moderate.” The researchers concluded. 

Additionally, in “Better Than Before“, author Gretchen Rubin describes how moderation usually fails most dieters, but also mentions that most nutritionists are moderators. Her book is a fascinating look into what motivates people, and what works in order to change habits. If you haven’t already read it, I recommend it highly.

A few months ago, I was allowed to sit in on an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, to learn what they were like. It was really eye opening. People were describing how they would go to the store and buy cake mix, bake themselves a cake, and then EAT THE WHOLE THING. Others would talk about how they would have to take the junk food in the house and toss it in the garbage, then cover it with water so they wouldn’t go back into the garbage, dig it out, and binge on it. One woman reported that her car was her “vehicle” and that she could never make it home from the store without devouring and entire package of cookies. You know what worked for all of them? Abstinence. Nearly all said they were only successful when they cut out wheat and sugar, which were “trigger foods” for them.

The more I work with people, the more I realized that people are looking for clear answers. Most people really like to hear, “eat this, don’t eat that”. This is why paleo works as a weight loss tool. The reason why people sometimes gain wait following their 30-day challenge is because 80/20 is very hard to self-regulate. I’ve noticed it quickly becomes 60/40, then 30/70. I personally am blessed to have Celiac disease, because I am automatically abstaining from a large group of foods that most people have no “off switch” for. Sugar doesn’t really do it for me – but salt does! I know that I can’t go near potato chips and even gluten free pizza can be an issue for me.

It’s also completely NOT YOUR FAULT that certain foods can trigger overeating. Our brains are designed to seek out calorically dense foods. During our hunter-gatherer times, berries were hard to come by, so our receptors are highly stimulated by sweet and or salty foods. That’s what kept us alive. Today, however, our brains have not caught up to our modern 24/7 access to junk food. This food bypasses our normal satiety signals and we can’t help but overeat it. The only solution is to develop a mild form of orthorexia and eliminate certain foods from your lunchbox, pantry, diner plate, and dessert tray. If you know that you can’t have just one bite of ice cream, then it’s probably not a great idea to keep it in your house.

A note on paleo treats like cookies, brownies, cakes and everything in that category: I don’t have an issue if people eat them, but please don’t consider them in your first 30 days if you’ve had issues with overconsumption of hyper-palatable foods. A paleo brownie is still a brownie. If you’re trying to reset your palate, then do yourself a favor and abstain as you’re getting used to eating “normal” foods like meat and veggies. I don’t keep baked goods in my house, I don’t “bond” with my kids over making cookies, and I advise my nutrition clients to do the same.

Now, if you’re in the 1-4% of Americans that happens to have an actual eating disorder that requires you to view “everything in moderation”, I’m not speaking to you in this post.

Maybe you’re one of the few healthy, successful moderators. If so, great. But if you’re in the position of giving out nutrition advice, then it’s time to reconsider the “everything in moderation” stance, as it’s likely going to fail the majority of your clients. I know for many of my nutrition clients, if I tell them “a little bite won’t hurt”, they would eat the whole damn pie.

original article:
http://robbwolf.com/2016/06/07/a-little-bite-wont-hurt-the-failure-of-moderation/

study on moderation:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019566631630099X

Better than Before, by Gretchen Rubin
http://www.amazon.com/Better-Than-Before-Habits-Procrastinate/dp/0385348630?ie=UTF8&keywords=better%20than%20before&qid=1465415295&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Some of you know that I have a son with autism.  Once you raise one of these children, life is never the same again.  I cannot unsee what I have seen in my own child, or unhear what I have heard from literally hundreds of other parents.  The vaccine safety issue is way too complex to be handled in headlines and news bytes.  It's not just about vaccines or autism, and it affects all of us.  

Here is one of the best explanations I've seen.  Hang in there, it's long, but worth it, if you really do wish to understand why this issue will not go away.

- Terri

Problem: How to explain the issue of synergistic toxicity in vaccines...

Importance of the problem: There are many who believe "The Problem" is Thimerosal. There are many who believe "The Problem" is the MMR vaccine. It's neither. It's both. And SO MUCH MORE.

A baby is born. On day one, that baby receives the Vitamin K shot (not a vaccine), which contains quite a lot of alcohol (9 mg. Benzyl Alcohol in Hospira) and many times the level of vitamin K that any infant would take in during a 24-hour period naturally. Alcohol is detoxified by the liver. On that same day, that baby receives the Hepatitis B vaccine - which contains 250 micrograms of aluminum. The FDA safety limit for aluminum in other injected medications (not vaccines - never been studied) is 5 micrograms per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight, administered over a 24 hour period. The reason for the FDA limit is because before it was set, adults who received doses above that limit had such problems as kidneys shutting down and brain damage from too much aluminum.

Aluminum also targets mitochondrial function. At each of the 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 month "well-baby checks" infants who are vaccinated according to The CDC's Childhood Schedule receive up to 1,200 micrograms of aluminum in a matter of seconds. Those babies also receive (through injection or ingestion) multiple viruses, bacteria, and toxins, including, but not limited to: Thimerosal, aluminum, formaldehyde, polysorbate 80 and MSG.

Stop. Concept time.

Have you ever heard of the terminal complement immune system? If not, you should look it up (LIU). In short: The Terminal Complement Immune System contains three different arms: one to deal with viruses, one to deal with bacteria, and one to deal with toxins. Each part responds like a designated army going after whatever invader happens to be identified on the horizon (your infant's blood stream - after everything injected goes through the capillaries...)

Okay. Re-orient your attention here... At each of the 2, 4, 6, and 12-15 month "well-baby checks," infants are injected with viruses and bacteria (Hepatitis B, Rotavirus, Polio, multiple strains of streptococcus in the prevnar vaccine, Haemopholis B, Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, 3 strains of influenza [beginning at six months], and possibly multiple strains of meningococcus). Obviously, those parts of the terminal complement immune system are going to be VERY BUSY during the first couple of years of your child's life.

Reorient again...

Thimerosal is 49.5% mercury. Mercury is toxic. Period. It is toxic to the brain and it is toxic to the immune system.

Mercury is not the only toxin in vaccines. Compared to the Childhood Vaccine Schedule of the 1990s, there is far less mercury in vaccines today's children are receiving. However, it is NOT true that it's gone. There are still "trace amounts" of the second most toxic substance on the planet in vaccines given to infants and children every day in the United States.

How much of a poison is safe to inject into your children?

So glad you asked... The answer depends on how much aluminum your child receives at the same time.

Aluminum is an adjuvant. Its purpose in vaccines is to ramp up the immune system. Aluminum increased in childhood vaccines at the same time when mercury (Thimerosal) was being reduced. These two things are not mutually-exclusive events. They are directly related. Here's how... Thimerosal (mercury) is a preservative and an anti-microbial. It was used (and still is) in multi-dose vials of vaccines because it helps to prevent contamination. In multi-dose vials, each time the seal is pierced, it increases the chance that the remainder of the vaccine inside the vial will be contaminated. Thimerosal helps to prevent that.

Multi-dose vials are cheaper to produce than single-dose vials of vaccines. When the U.S. government agencies finally made the recommendation for mercury to be taken out of vaccines for American children, vaccine manufacturers were faced with the problem of losing profits because single-dose vials are more expensive. What to do? Well... they figured out a way to use smaller bits and pieces of viruses and bacteria, but they needed an adjuvant to be sure the weaker vaccines were able to stimulate the immune system response. That's why the amount of aluminum has increased so much since Thimerosal was "removed." (It wasn't)

Aluminum makes single dose vials of vaccines cheaper.

Okay... Like mercury, aluminum is also neuro-toxic and immuno-toxic (remember The FDA safety limit? It was set for a reason.) But... aluminum is a very good adjuvant, so it ramps up the immune system and makes it respond to even smaller bits and pieces of viruses and bacteria... AND TOXINS.

The reason why aluminum is used in vaccines in the first place, is exactly why aluminum is SO DANGEROUS when combined with even the smallest amounts of OTHER TOXINS - including Thimerosal (still present in "trace amounts"), formaldehyde, polysorbate 80, MSG and others.

Aluminum ramps up the immune system - and just think about what that does when food proteins are injected along with aluminum... Do you think it's any great coincidence that those proteins used in vaccines for infants and children (milk, egg, yeast, peanut) are among the most frequently diagnosed and the most serious food allergies in children?

So.... Gather your thoughts for a moment. Here's what happens...

Infant is vaccinated with hep B (virus) containing 250 mcg. Aluminum on first day of life. Liver is already overwhelmed from alcohol in the vitamin K shot. Infant develops jaundice (or worse). Infant receives 6-9 vaccines simultaneously at each of his/her "well-baby checks" at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. At each appointment, infant receives way more than the FDA "safe" amount of aluminum and mercury (since there is no safe amount of mercury), along with multiple viruses, bacteria, food proteins, animal proteins and DNA. Infant starts having signs of immune-system problems, usually within a short time of the 4 month vaccinations (if not before), and is then started on multiple rounds of antibiotics for ear infections and upper respiratory infections. Infant also starts having weird rashes ("viral") and "fevers of unknown origin."

What parents and physicians don't realize or take into account is what happens to the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) and the lining of the gastrointestinal tract as a result of the repeated injection of aluminum and mercury.

Nutrition time! There are certain things that are ESSENTIAL in the human body. Among those that are most important are Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc. These, along with Elemental Lithium, are "ESSENTIAL MINERALS." They are essential because when they are out of whack, nothing works right. (Technically, they are "essential" because the body can't manufacture them and they have to come from dietary intake or supplementation.)

Magnesium and Zinc are each involved in more than 300 enzymatic processes in the body, so when either one of them is depleted, or bio-unavailable, enzymes don't work. When the enzymes don't work, the body doesn't work. Period. And here's another fun fact - the essential minerals have to be in the right ratio in the body and if they aren't, they don't work. So if you have zinc, but you don't have the right amount of magnesium, zinc doesn't work (it's bio-unavailable), and vice-versa.

Aluminum and mercury deplete magnesium and zinc.

Here's a little information about zinc: ZINC is essential to maintain the integrity of BOTH the blood-brain-barrier AND the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Read that again. The linings of the GI tract and the protective covering of the brain both contain something called "zinc fingers." Zinc fingers are like the weaves in a very well-constructed basket. Native Americans used to make baskets with weaves so tight they would not leak when filled with water. That's what zinc fingers do for the brain and the gut. They keep the weaves tight. They keep good things in and they keep bad things out. When zinc is either depleted or bio-unavailable, due to displacement by aluminum and mercury, those weaves open up. The GI tract and the BBB become "hyper-permeable." As in... intestinal hyper-permability ("leaky gut syndrome") and increased permeability of the blood-brain-barrier, which allows the passage into the central nervous system (CNS) of things like viruses and bacteria which should NOT be there.

Some of the research regarding MMR vaccine and "autism" involves the finding of active measles virus in the gastrointestinal tract and in the central nervous systems of children diagnosed with "autism."

Those researchers who are looking at MMR vaccine may say, "Aha! MMR vaccine causes the GI problems and brain problems that lead to the behaviors and then the diagnosis of 'autism!'"

Some of the research regarding Thimerosal/mercury and "autism" involves the finding that symptoms of "autism" are identical to symptoms of mercury toxicity, and children who regress into 'autism' after receiving vaccines containing mercury tend to have problems with the excretion of mercury. Those researchers may say, "Aha! Thimerosal in vaccines causes "autism!"

Both are correct.

Neither is exclusively correct, and neither is wrong.

Let's invite the 800-pound Aluminum Gorilla to the discussion and start talking about the fact that the amount of aluminum injected in vaccines has never been studied for safety or efficacy. And while we're at it, let's talk about the fact that those 6-9 vaccines given at each of the "well-baby checks" have never been studied as they are being administered.

Next, let's talk about The Nuremberg Code and how medical experimentation on human subjects without their consent or knowledge is against international law.  

This week in Autism 8/3/13

From time to time, we see some really significant news in the autism world.  This week was one of those times!  For more autism news, all the time, see my Autism Page on Pinterest, where I pin important Autism artcles the moment I find them.

Courts Quietly confirm MMR causes autism - Austin. After decades of passionate debate, parents probably missed the repeated admissions by drug companies and governments alike that vaccines do in fact cause autism. For concerned parents seeking the truth, it’s worth remembering that the exact same people who own the world’s drug companies also own America’s news outlets. Finding propaganda-free information has been difficult, until now.   READ MORE

Asperger's and Autism: Brain Differences Found - Children with Asperger's syndrome show patterns of brain connectivity distinct from those of children with autism, according to a new study. The findings suggest the two conditions, which are now in one category in the new psychiatry diagnostic manual, may be biologically different. READ MORE

And the really BIG news - we may soon have an objective way to diagnose autism, and maybe even a way to detect it early on...

Chemical Changes in Brain Identify Autism - Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have brain chemical changes between the ages of 3 and 10 that distinguish them from children with other forms of developmental delay, researchers reported. 

In particular, concentrations of N-acetylaspartate, which plays important roles in several brain functions, rises over time to near-normal levels in ASD children, according to Stephen Dager, MD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues.

In contrast, the compound remains at a low concentration in children with non-autism developmental delays, Dager and colleagues reported online in JAMA Psychiatry.   The pattern of changes of several other brain chemicals also differed between the groups, and between both groups and children with typical development, in a study that combined longitudinal and cross-sectional features, the investigators reported.   READ MORE   PUBMED REF

Sleep Hygiene

What is sleep hygiene?

Sleep hygiene is a variety of different practices that are necessary to have normal, quality nighttime sleep and full daytime alertness.

What are some examples of good sleep hygiene?

The most important sleep hygiene measure is to maintain a regular sleep and wake pattern seven days a week. It is also important to spend an appropriate amount of time in bed, not too little, or too excessive. This may vary by individual. Research tells us that it is best to spend between 7 and 9 hours a day sleeping.

In addition, good sleep hygiene practices include:

• Avoid napping during the day; it can disturb the normal pattern of sleep and wakefulness.
• Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol too close to bedtime. While alcohol is well known to speed the onset of sleep, it disrupts sleep in the second half of the night as the body begins to metabolize the alcohol, causing poorer quality sleep.
• Exercise can promote good sleep. Vigorous exercise should be taken in the morning or late afternoon. A relaxing exercise, like yoga, can be done before bed to help initiate a restful night's sleep.
• Food can be disruptive right before sleep; stay away from eating close to bedtime.  And, remember, chocolate has caffeine.
• Ensure adequate exposure to natural light. This is particularly important for older people who may not venture outside as frequently as children and adults. Light exposure helps maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
• Establish a regular relaxing bedtime routine. Try to avoid emotionally upsetting conversations and activities before trying to go to sleep. Don't dwell on, or bring your problems to bed.
• Limit screen time later in the evening.  Try to “wind down” and do relaxing activities not associated with TV or computers.
• Make sure that the sleep environment is pleasant and relaxing. The bed should be comfortable, the room should not be too hot or cold, or too bright.  You spend a third of your life in your bed... make sure you feel good there!
• Minimize sources of EMF’s in your bedroom, especially near your head.  Use a battery alarm clock.  Don’t sleep with your head near your cell phone, laptop, TV, etc.

  

Why is it important to practice good sleep hygiene?

Sleep is important for everyone, from childhood through adulthood. A good sleep routine promotes healthy sleep, daytime alertness, and has many health benefits, from supporting hormones such as melatonin and cortisol, to allowing your body a chance to recharge and replenish minerals and heal itself.  Good sleep hygiene practices can help prevent the development of sleep problems and mood disorders.

How does someone know if his or her sleep hygiene is poor?

Sleep disturbances and daytime sleepiness are the most telling signs of poor sleep hygiene. If one is experiencing a sleep problem, he or she should evaluate their sleep routine. It may take some time for the changes to have a positive effect.

How do I know the best sleep hygiene routine for me?

If you're taking too long to fall asleep, or awakening during the night, you should consider revising your bedtime habits. Most important for everyone is to maintain a regular sleep-wake schedule throughout the week and consider how much time you spend in bed, which could be too much or too little.

If I still can't sleep well, what should I do?
If you have worked on your sleep hygeine, and continue to have problems getting good sleep, give us a call.  We can discuss other underlying reasons your body may not be able to sleep, such as hormone and adrenal imbalances, and suggest some Functional Diagnostic Nutrition treatment for you.

Are there any danger signs to watch for, with regard to my sleep?
If you snore loudly, and feel sleepy or tired during the day, you should get screened for Sleep Apnea.  Sleep Apnea is a serious medical condition in which your body does not get enough oxygen during the night.  It is associated with elevated odds of heart problems and other serious health issues, up to and including death.  It should not be ignored.

How to Avoid Eating GMO’s

Terri Mykland  May 17, 2013

These days, I hear a people saying things like, “oh, you know, all food is GMO (genetically modified), there’s no way to avoid it”.  I wanted to let people know that it is actually possible and not that hard to avoid most GMO food in your diet.  Knowledge is power, we are in charge of what we put in our mouths, and Monsanto didn’t win the last presidential election, so let’s take back our food, OK?

This may seem obvious, but the main tip I have for you is:

WHEN IN DOUBT, BUY ORGANIC

Organic foods in the US are not GMO.  When you are buying some of the specific foods listed below, please also read labels and prefer products that specifically say they are non-GMO.  More foods are becoming non-GMO certified, which is very helpful to consumers.

The first step is to cut as many processed foods as possible from your diet.  This is also one of the greatest things you can do for your health, and will save you money.  Simplify, simplify!  Look for foods as close to nature as you can get them.   Many hidden junk and GMO ingredients hide in processed foods, and it’s hard to know what you’re really eating.  

Here are some of the main areas to work on in your diet:

• Eliminate boxed meals, breakfast cereals, premade sauces and snacks. You'll often find that it's very easy to make your own or find a less-processed alternative you like just as much!
• Cut down on protein shakes and food bars, and make these a last resort, not a daily part of your diet
• Make your own salad dressing.
• Cook oatmeal or eggs for breakfast, a big salad with protein for lunch, and organic/grassfed meats and vegetables for dinner.
• Do not eat anything that contains high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners or is labeled "low fat" – these kinds of processed foods very often contain GMO's, and are unhealthy too! 
• You’ll find, as you simplify what goes in your mouth, that it’s quite easy to flavor your food with spices   and healthy fats, or make your own sauces.  It will taste delicious, you’ll be healthier, and you'll know exactly what you're putting into your body!

Once the processed foods are at a minimum, here’s the scoop on where you'll find the majority of common GMO's:  

WHEAT, RICE, CORN and SOY

Almost all of the conventionally-grown wheat, rice, corn and soy in the United States is GMO.  This accounts for over 90% of GMO ingredients in our food.  Organically grown wheat, rice, corn and soy are not GMO.   So if you eat foods containing wheat, rice, corn or soy, make sure it’s organic.

My first suggestion to you is to eliminate wheat from your diet entirely.  The many reasons for this suggestion must wait for another article -- read the book Wheat Belly if you are curious. 

A major place that wheat, rice, corn and soy are often found is snack foods.  Please scrutinize your snack foods, and replace the junky ones with organic equivalents.  Yes, that’s right, no more Dorito’s – but there are good alternatives - keep looking!   The main changes I’ve made in my own snacking are to buy only organic tortilla chips and rice chips.  That’s not so hard!  Soy is not a really healthy food, so I actually suggest phasing it out of your diet, other than soy sauce.  One other GMO you might come across is sugar from beets.  

Some good snacking strategies, in order of best to worst, are:  

1. Find simple foods to snack on (carrot and celery sticks in the fridge, olives, cooked potatoes, hard boiled eggs, etc.).  Snacks with a little protein will keep you satisfied longer than empty carbs.

2. Discover ways to make your own.  You'll find that if you google just about any snack food and the word "recipe", someone has come up with a way to make your own homemade version.

SNACK RECIPE: Homemade Kale Chips

3. Buy organic snack foods.  These are still processed, but you can generally assume that the people that made them did not use GMO ingredients and had more care for your health than the ones who made your conventional snacks.  Buying organic does not mean you get to skip reading the label, though.  Look for short ingredient lists that you can pronounce!
 

CHECK THE OIL!

Another hidden area where GMO’s can be found is in cooking oils.  Oils such as canola, corn, soybean and cottonseed are almost all GMO, and even if they’re organic, they are not healthy oils.  Please use organic olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil and avocado oil for your cooking and salad needs.  You can read up on the best ways to use each of these online.

As you can see, avoiding GMO’s takes being conscious of what you put in your mouth, but it is not exactly rocket science.  Pay attention, and keep cleaning up your diet and you’ll be able to avoid eating food that’s been genetically messed with, and avoid eating the vast majority of GMO foods.  

FRUIT AND VEGGIES: The other 10% 

The other 10% of GMO is mostly found on the produce aisle.  Here’s how to work on that:  Get to know the stickers on your fruit and veggies.  Here’s how the codes on the stickers work:

•     Organic:               5 digits, starting with “9”
•     Conventional:    4 digits
•     GMO:                    5 digits, starting with “8”

To determine which fruit and veggies are most important to buy organic due to pesticide concerns, be sure to check out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen, which is released every year on their website.  Apples, Strawberries, thin-skinned fruit, celery and potatoes are some important ones to always buy organic.  There’s a certain amount of common sense here: if a fruit or veggie has a thin skin, pesticides can often get in easier than if it has a thick one.  

FURTHER READING

Jeffrey Smith Interviews Dr. Stephanie Seneff about Glyphosphate

Extreme Toxicity of Roundup Destroys GM/Non-GM 'Substantial Equivalence' Argument

OTHER THINGS TO WATCH FOR

• Salmon – There’s talk about approving GMO salmon – ask at the counter when you buy salmon.  Please buy only wild caught, never farmed.
• Pineapple – GMO Rose strain, in the process of being approved.  Don't buy pink pineapple!
• Sugar Beets -- All U.S. grown sugar beets are now GMO.  Please watch for sugar from beet origins.  Again, when in doubt, buy organic.
• Roundup-Ready -- One of the prime reasons to avoid GMO's in the U.S. is Monsanto's Roundup pesticide.  "Roundup-Ready" crops represent multiple health dangers to humans.  The following "Roundup-Ready" crops are currently approved: corn, soybeans, canola, cotton, sugarbeets and alfalfa.  Many of these are fed to livestock, which is a major reason to buy organic meat.
• Ladies - This gets beyond food, but conventionally grown cotton, used in feminine products like tampons and menstrual pads, is GMO and may have health dangers.  In my opinion, it is worth it to buy organic tampons, since these are used internally.  The case for buying organic pads is less clear, but you might want to stay on the safe side.

Is Gluten bad for Non-Celiacs?

Should a Non-Celiac be gluten-free?  
This used to get you laughed out of a doctors office but the idea that gluten sensitivity is real has recently received some validation the in research.  Which is great news for all the Non-Celiac’s who have been telling their doctors this for years.  This past Sunday a gluten expert panel spent an hour covering these ideas and more common questions about gluten. 

The panel was hosted by an FDN named Ameer Rosic and featured Dr. Tom O’ Bryan, Nora Gedgaudas  and Steven Wright.  Dr. Tom is an amazing doc who founded the Gluten Practitioner Program.   

For those who want some of the most in-depth training available to date on gluten check out this program on gluten sensitivity. 

No Celiac, No Care?
The burning question that so many of us have:  
"I hear that gluten is bad for you, but I feel fine if I eat a little now and then.  So do I need to worry about completely eliminating gluten?   In other words, if my body was having trouble with gluten, would I be able to tell?"

The more you listen, the more it sounds like none of us can really digest gluten, regardless of whether we have noticeable symptoms.   And trying to wiggle around this, by eating other things like sprouted bread or ancient species of wheat, is not going to fool our gut.  It's still wheat.

If you’ve never taken time to read any of the research studies on gluten then this video can save you about 6 months of your life as it covers most of the highlights.

Stress And Aging: 5 Ways Chronic Stress Can Affect The Aging Process

NOTE: At FDN Health, we would add the following note to this great article on stress and aging:  Stress isn't just from outside your body.  There can be lots of underlying health issues stressing out your adrenals without you knowing it.   Work with an FDN, and take extra stress off your body!

Chronic stress has been shown to have a number of negative health impacts, from insomnia to weight gain to an increased risk for heart disease -- not to mention impairing the immune and digestive systems as well as the central nervous system. And when it comes to aging, we've all heard that worrying will give you wrinkles, but is the science there to back up the idea that stress accelerates aging? Although more research is still needed on the exact mechanisms by which psychological stress contributes to biological aging, what we do know is that stress can be a contributor to premature aging.

“When we’re under ongoing stress, it creates that fight-or-flight reaction in an unrelenting way, and as a result, stress chemicals are released into the body. What we know so far is that the release of those stress chemicals creates biological changes,” Dr. Vivian Diller, PhD, tells the Huffington Post. “It’s very possible that if you have a life filled with that constant stress, little by little the body is breaking down.”

To determine what those biological changes actually look like, Diller explains, we have to go down to the cellular level, and research is beginning to shed light on this process. Scroll through the list below for five ways that stress can impact the aging process. 

1. Job Stress Can Damage Cells, Leading To Early Aging.
A 2012 study, published in the journal PLoS ONE, found that work-related exhaustion can can have a harmful effect on critical DNA in the cells. Researchers measured the length of DNA sections called telomeres, and found that individuals with the most job stress had the shortest telomeres -- and when telomeres become too short, the cells can die or become damaged. Those who did not experience work exhaustion had longer telomeres. Telomere shortening has been linked to Parkinson’s, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, the study notes.
“We know that the telomeres [wear down] over time, but possibly anxiety and stress may expedite that," says Diller. "That is the closest we’ve gotten to understanding the relationship between stress and how our body may age faster.” 

2. Even The Anticipation Of Stress May Accelerate Cellular Aging.

UC San Francisco research found that the mere anticipation of stress can increase an individual's risk of age-related disorders. In the study, 50 women (half of whom were caretakers for a patient with dementia, and therefore presumably deal with daily stress) were told that they would have to engage in public speaking or math problems. The study found that those who felt most threatened by the anticipation of the stressful event exhibited greater signs of aging on the cellular level. The researchers proposed in a university release that greater anticipated threat levels in daily life may promote cellular aging in chronically stressed persons. There's still research that needs to be done ("The science is a little grey here," says Diller), but already it is beginning to pinpoint some ways that stress affects the aging process. 

3. Stress Ages The Brain.
Chronic stress has been shown to contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease, and recent research has shown that greater stress may be the reason that some women's brains age more prematurely than men's. UC Berkeley scientists found that the pattern of gene activation and deactivation that occurs as the brain ages seemed to progress more quickly in women.  "A higher stress load could be driving the female brain towards faster aging-related decline," researcher Mehmet Somel told New Scientist. 

4. Stress Can Lead To Vision & Hearing Loss.
In addition to speeding up heart rate and increasing blood pressure, production of the stress hormone adrenaline can also lead to temporary vision and hearing loss.
"With prolonged and repeated adrenaline production, that’s when we see a constriction of blood vessels, which may relate to a decrease in hearing and vision," says Diller. “We don’t know if these are permanent losses, but we definitely begin to behave and feel less vital if adrenaline is constantly pumping.” 

5. Chronic Stress Can Contribute To An Unhealthy Lifestyle.
"What stress does -- aside from these brain changes, bone changes, and chemical changes -- is that people tend to take care of themselves less," says Diller. "People who are under stress are known to eat more poorly, exercise less, drink more, and probably rely on medication. All of those things are going to show up on your body."

Developing healthy habits is critical to aging well. Regular exercise protects the aging brain, and conversely, sleep deprivation can accelerate aging. And as you get older, good nutrition becomes increasingly important in how the body ages, according to WebMD.

The takeaway? Cultivating a less stressful lifestyle may not only promote healthy aging in its own right, but also by setting the foundation for other habits that are crucial to successful aging.

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Gut Bacteria May be Key to Weight Loss

CBS News 3/29/13
Normally we shudder when we think of bacteria, but a new study reveals that some of these microorganisms may be able to help us lose weight.

The study, published in the March 27 issue of Science Translational Medicine, showed that bacteria in the guts of mice changed after they had gastric bypass surgery, a procedure in which surgeons divide a person's stomach and connect the small intestine directly to the smaller walnut-sized portion. When these different microbes were transplanted in sterile mice who did not have the surgery, those animals lost weight quickly. 

 "Simply by colonizing mice with the altered microbial community, the mice were able to maintain a lower body fat, and lose weight - about 20 percent as much as they would if they underwent surgery," senior author Peter Turnbaugh, a Bauer Fellow at Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Center for Systems Biology, said in a press release.

For the experiment, the researchers performed the gastric bypass surgery on a group of obese mice and recorded their weight loss, metabolic performance and gut microbe levels. They then compared their progress to other obese mice who had placebo surgeries and stayed overweight or had placebo surgeries and then were placed on a lower-calorie food diet.

The mice who had the gastric bypass surgery lost about 30 percent of their body weight in three weeks and had different bacteria in their stools than the other two groups. The mice who had the placebo surgery and didn't go on a weight loss diet regained the weight they initially lost by the end of three weeks. That suggests the surgery, not the weight loss, changed the microbes in the mice.

To further confirm the results, lean, germ-free mice received gut microbes from one of 
the three groups. Those that got the bacteria from the gastric bypass mice lost weight and fat, while the others did not.  Turnbaugh said that though the numbers seem high, weight loss could have been even greater.

Because the mice who received the bacteria weren't on a special diet to increase their weight, there could be an even more drastic weight loss if the mice were eating high-fat or high-calorie food, he said.The study shows that gastric bypass may be successful for weight loss for more reasons than just simply making the stomach smaller and shortening the area where the body absorbs calories. But, scientists don't exactly know why or how the bacteria changes just yet.

"We know the effects of bariatric surgery are not just mechanical and we don't know the full reasons why it works so well, especially in the resolution of diabetes," Dr. David Haslam, associate professor of pediatrics and molecular microbiology at Washington University in St. Lewis, told the BBC. "There is more to it than meets the eye."

It's still a long way before this process is replicated in humans, but the researchers hope that one day they will be able to use this method to help dangerously obese people lose weight without surgery. One of the problems with the study is that the bacteria was able to be transplanted in germ-free mice, but it will be hard to do that for humans, Jeffrey Cirillo, a professor with the department of microbial and molecular pathogenesis at Texas A & M Health Science Center, explained to HealthDay.

However, for people who just need to lose a few pounds here or there, Turnbaugh still thinks hitting the gym is their best option.

"It may not be that we will have a magic pill that will work for everyone who's slightly overweight," he said. "But if we can, at a minimum, provide some alternative to gastric bypass surgery that produces similar effects, it would be a major advance."

"We need to learn a good deal more about the mechanisms by which a microbial population changed by gastric bypass exert its effects, and then we need to learn if we can produce these effects - either the microbial changes or the associated metabolic changes -- without surgery," senior author Lee Kaplan, an associate professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, added in a press release. "The ability to achieve even some of these effects without surgery would give us an entirely new way to treat the critical problem of obesity, one that could help patients unable or unwilling to have surgery." 

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Walk, or Run, to lower Heart Disease Risk, Results are Similar

A brisk walk may be just as good as a run for keeping the the heart healthy.
That’s encouraging, considering less than half of Americans meet the government’s recommendation of at least 2.5 hours of moderate to intense aerobic exercise a week. A new study published in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology found that walkers lowered their risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes as much as runners.

Researchers studied 33,060 runners who were participating in the National Runners’ Health Study and 15,045 walkers enrolled in the National Walkers’ Health Study over six years. All the participants were between the ages of 18 to 80, with most in their 40s and 50s. The exercises answered questionnaires about their physical activity, and the researchers calculated how much energy they expended based on the distance the volunteers reported walking or running. They also recorded any doctor-diagnosed heart conditions.
MORE: A Daily Walk Can Reduce the Power of Weight-Gaining Genes

The scientists found that while vigorous running required slightly higher levels of energy than moderate intensity walking, both translated into a parallel drop in incidence of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, or heart disease over the study period. And the more the participants walked or ran, the greater the benefit in lowering their heart disease risk.
Although walking isn’t as intense as running, the study authors say both target the same muscle groups, which could explain why their results in improving heart health are so similar. The results suggest that the type of exercise may not be as important as how much people walk or run.
Here’s what the researchers found:

• Running significantly reduced the risk for being diagnosed with hypertension by 4.2% while walking reduced the risk by 7.2%
• Running reduced the chances of having high cholesterol by 4.3% and walking by 7%
• Running lowered risk of diabetes by 12.1% while walking dropped the risk by 12.3%
• Running reduced coronary heart disease risk by 4.5% compared to 9.3% for walking.

The results are encouraging since walking may be a more appealing and sustainable for more people than running. Because running is a more intense form of physical activity, runners are able to burn more calories and exercise the heart to higher levels within a shorter period of time, but the results support the idea that any physical activity, as long as it’s consistent, can have lasting benefits. Last summer, the Centers for Disease Control released a report showing that more Americans are walking for exercise, and that those who walk are three times more likely to meet the recommended level of physical activity.
The TIME story on the report detailed the benefits:

What’s more, people who walk are significantly more likely — three times more likely on average, in fact — to meet the government’s physical activity recommendations. Overall, the survey data showed, more Americans were meeting that goal in 2010 (48%) than in 2005 (41%), and more walkers (60%) than non-walkers (30%) met the guideline. The more people walked, the more likely they were to meet the exercise requirement: compared with non-walkers, those who walked 10-19 minutes a week were 34% more likely to meet the standard; those walking 20-29 minutes a week were 52% more likely; people who walked 30-59 minutes a week were 80% more likely; and those walking more than hour a week were nearly four times more likely to get the minimum amount of recommended exercise.

MORE: An Easy Way to Get Enough Exercise: Take a Walk

More data will likely continue to compare intense activity such as running with more moderate exercise like walking for everything from weight loss to longevity, but more studies show that for many, particularly those who are relatively sedentary, walking may be a healthy and effective way to start increasing physical activity. And research also supports the idea that for the heart, it’s not the quantity so much as the consistency of exercise that may keep atherosclerosis and high blood pressure at bay.

Thirteen Health Benefits of Walking


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