Lead Poisoning Risk From Venison

The reason animal products trigger inflammation in the body within hours of consumption is thought to be due to the residual bacterial toxins that survive the cooking process. This is all detailed in my Care2 article Why Meat Causes Inflammation. The saturated animal fat then helps ferry these endotoxins across the gut wall into our bloodstream. As concluded in a 2012 review, “while the most obvious solution to metabolic endotoxemia appears to be to reduce saturated fat intake, the Western diet is not conducive to this mode of action, and it is difficult for patients to comply with this request.” Thus, researchers have looked to wild animals for less inflammatory meat options.

Wild pheasants, for example, have been found to have significantly less saturated fat than farmed pheasants, so one would assume wild pheasant meat would trigger less inflammation. This concept wasn’t put to the test until recently. In my 3-min. video, Modern Meat Not Ahead of the Game, I profile a study performed by a group of Australian researchers that compared the amount of inflammation triggered by domesticated animal meat to wild kangaroo meat.

They found that eating kangaroos did trigger an inflammatory response, but not as much as the store-brought meat. This would suggest that venison, for example, would cause less inflammation than chicken, but the way in which the deer is killed makes a difference. See my NutritionFacts.org video pick above for the results of a study that raised food safety concerns about conventional ammunition. Note, lead has also been found in protein powder supplements, ayervedic medicine supplements, and other animal products. Like mercury in tuna, no level of lead consumption can be considered safe.

For more depth, the inflammatory effects of animal foods are explored in my 3-part video series:

• The Leaky Gut Theory of Why Animal Products Cause Inflammation
• The Exogenous Endotoxin Theory
• Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia

Most whole plant foods are anti-inflammatory–see:

• Anti-Inflammatory Antioxidants
• Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Purple Potatoes
• Dietary Treatment of Crohn’s Disease
• Fighting Inflammation in a Nut Shell
• Fighting Inflammation With Food Synergy
• Garden Variety Anti-Inflammation

In health,
Michael Greger, M.D.

PS: If you haven’t yet, you can subscribe to my videos for free by clicking here and watch my full 2012 presentation Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death.

Image credit: LouisvilleUSACE / Flickr

Related:
The Real Paleo Diet
Why is Unsafe Meat Legal?
FDA-Approved Virus Meat Additive

Read more: Eating for Health, Health, Vegan, Vegetarian, Videos, Dr. Michael Greger, hunting, NutritionFacts.org, wild game

Source : care2[dot]com

Top 12 Foods that Cause Inflammation

Everyday foods like bacon, eggs, coffee and dairy products are linked to inflammation. That might not sound like a big deal but when you consider that most chronic conditions like cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and obesity have been linked to inflammation. Low grade inflammation is a factor in most health issues.  And if you suffer a pain disorder, you better believe that inflammatory foods will aggravate the condition.

Try reducing your consumption of these foods with the goal of eliminating them completely. The same holds true for alcohol and fried foods – both of these have been known to irritate and worsen arthritis

Many common foods in the Standard North American Diet can cause or exacerbate inflammation in the body.

Here are my picks for the top 12 inflammatory foods:

1.  What I call the “3 Ps”–Processed, packaged, or prepared foods. And, yes, fast food is atop the list of inflammatory foods thanks to the harmful oils, sugar and artificial sweeteners, food additives, and a whole host of nasty ingredients.

2.  Hydrogenated and trans fats found in margarine, shortening, lard or products made with them. That includes baked goods, cookies, pies, buns. Of course there are healthier alternatives to these baked goods but most grocery stores and bakeries are using these harmful ingredients.

3.  Meat (not wild-caught fish). I’m not suggesting that you have to go vegan or vegetarian here although a plant-based diet tends to be much lower in inflammatory substances but meat and poultry tend to cause inflammation so make them the background of your meals not the main dish.

Keep reading to discover more inflammatory foods…

• 1 of 2

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Source : care2[dot]com

High Fiber Diet IS NOT Only for Weight Loss

Fiber is a very useful piece of food products and if we use them correctly, they can only bring us benefits

Plants are richest in fiber. There are animal products in which they are non-existent, so fiber diet focuses mostly on fruits, vegetables and cereals. And without being on a special diet, our menu has to be rich in fiber. Positive qualities are that food present fiber has fewer fats.

6 Benefits of Oatmeal

Do not increase the amount of fiber extremely from the first day.

Fibers help us to fight with gastrointestinal problems, prevent hemorrhoids and are a good prevention against colon cancer. With regular consumption of foods rich in fiber you will not have problems going to the toilet, which for many people is very disturbing problem.
Fiber can be divided into two types – soluble and insoluble. In foods contain different amounts and ratios of them. More useful to us are soluble because they help us to maintain a healthy cholesterol level and diabetes control.
Soluble fibers form a layer around the food in the stomach and glucose and cholesterol are absorb more slowly by the body. Soluble fiber is abundant in oat bran, beans, lentils, fruit and vegetables in the bark fibers are precisely the crust. Insoluble fibers are useful too. They help to quickly cleanse the colon. Fiber helps us to feel full longer and prevent overeating and weight gain.

Do You Like Broccoli? You should!
Fiber diet also helps you to lose weight and for some health problems, but in all cases it is useful. Foods are rich in fiber and other nutrients and vitamins. In this type of diet you will not feel hunger, typical of some other diets.
How to change your diet?
Eat with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes. Increase the quantity of water intake. It is necessary to reduce and calories. So choose foods high in fiber, but low-calorie. Eat at least 6 times a day at regular intervals, without hurry and chew food well. Your menu should have 35 grams of fiber.
Do not increase the amount of fiber extremely from the first day. Too much fiber in the presence of a sensitive stomach can causing bloating and gas. So forget and any other liquids other than water during the diet because further exacerbate the sensitivity of your stomach. To be effective, the diet must have a minimum duration of one week.
Dried fruits also contain high amounts of fiber; add them to your diet. Avoid dairy products in your diet and choose low-fat ones and combine them with fruits, nuts, bran, seeds. Suitable vegetables to your diet are: tomatoes, onions, peas, beans, carrots, cabbage, broccoli, zucchini, and potatoes (especially fresh and unpeeled). Nutritious foods are pears, apples, oranges, bananas, peaches, allowing them to consume unpeeled. Do not give up meat, but let it be chicken or fish.

9 Foods for Lower Cholesterol
Sample menu:
Breakfast: Skimmed milk with wheat bran may be oats or rye, can only oatmeal without milk. Half the fruit according to your preferences
Between breakfast and lunch, eat oat biscuits and drink water as much as you want.
Lunch: Vegetable soup, no matter what the combination of vegetables, it is important that it is mentioned above, bean or lentil stew with a side of fresh vegetables, a slice of rye bread, a fruit for dessert or a handful of dried vegetables.
Snack: half a fruit on request, oat biscuits.
Dinner: Grilled chicken without oil garnished with steamed rice with vegetables, can boiled potatoes, fresh vegetables might sprouts, slice of rye bread. For dessert you recommended fruit, maybe a bowl of low-fat milk with oat bran.

Do you eat enough fiber?

What do you want to know about healthy eating?

Source : dailyhealtharticles[dot]com

Natural Remedies against BRONCHITIS

Chronic respiratory infections have been one of the main causes of death in the United States

Nowadays pharmaceutical giants produce many different products, with which people can be treated, but we must be aware that for centuries people have used natural remedies to treat respiratory diseases. Here are some of them.

Natural Pharmacy: 9 Herbs You Should Have at Home

Don’t underestimate the power of natural remedies

Warm salt water gargling
Warm water in combination with salt soothes throat as reduce the amount of mucus on sensitive membranes and reduce inflammation. Put a teaspoon salt in a glass of hot water but be careful not to overdo with salt as this can cause burning in the throat.
Almonds
They are rich in potassium, calcium and magnesium, which have very good curative effect against respiratory diseases. Consume them in any form except in chocolate.
Lemons
They help to remove bacteria and mucus from the respiratory system. Add to a glass of hot water one slice of lemon and leave it for 5 minutes. Strain and drink the liquid. For sore throat, add to a cup of warm water a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice and do gargle with liquid.
Savory
Add half a teaspoon in a savory cup of boiling water and drink once a day the mixture.
Thyme
Thyme helps to cleanse the bronchioles and acts as a shield against bacteria. The herb strengthens the lungs and can be used for tea or steam bath.

Garlic is one of the Strongest Healing Products
Laurel
It can be consumed tea and has expectorant action. Shred a few bay leaves and put them in hot water. Another way you can take advantage of the health benefits of bay leaves, like the leaves soak in warm water and then apply them on the chest and paws. Cover the top with a towel to keep the heat longer.
Honey and Onions
To relieve cough cut onion in a bowl and then pour the honey. Leave to stand overnight and then remove the onions from the mixture. Take four times a day, one teaspoon of honey.

Source : dailyhealtharticles[dot]com

Peanut Butter Recall, Salmonella Alert

Last month, the New Mexico-based company Sunland Inc. recalled multiple brands of peanut and almond butter products, after a string of salmonella illnesses were linked to one of the brands it manufactures. Now, they are expanding the recall to include cashew butters and tahini, as well as blanched and roasted peanut products.

According to Associated Press and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there have been 30 salmonella illnesses in 19 states, all of which can be traced back to a Sunland brand of peanut butter sold at Trader Joe’s (Trader Joe’s Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter).

Sunland’s products are sold at some of the U.S.’s largest grocery stores, under a variety of different brand names. The recall now includes 101 different products, including all products that were manufactured on the same equipment as the tainted peanut butter products.

Want to check if your nut products are safe? The Sunland recall affects nut products sold at: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, Target, Safeway, Fresh & Easy, Harry and David, Sprouts, Heinen’s, Stop & Shop Supermarket Company, Giant Food of Landover, Md., as well as several other stores.

Some of the recalled, Sunland-manufactured brand names include Target’s Archer Farms, Safeway’s Open Nature, Earth Balance, Fresh & Easy, Late July, Heinen’s, Joseph’s, Natural Value, Naturally More, Peanut Power Butter, Serious Food, Snaclite Power, Sprouts Farmers Market, Sprouts, Sunland and Dogsbutter.

Here’s a complete list of the 101 recalled products.

Related:
Eat at Your Own Risk: The Truth About Tainted Health Foods
The Future of the Embattled Peanut
Can the FDA Protect You From Rotten Food?

Read more: Conscious Consumer, Food, Health, Product Recalls, almond butter, food recalls, nut butter, nuts, peanut butter, peanut recall, peanuts, recall, recalls, Sunland, trader joe's

Source : care2[dot]com

The Worst Sources of Aspartame

Aspartame, the not-so-natural sugar substitute linked to a host of negative health effects from headaches to cancer, is found in a lot of products that you might not suspect. Check out the top 10 offenders below.

Graphic via Natural News

Related:
Scary Sweetener Haunted by Ugly Past
13 Scary Food Additives to Avoid
Dangers of Diet Soda

Read more: Basics, Diet & Nutrition, Drinks, Eating for Health, Food, Health, aspartame, sweetener

Source : care2[dot]com

Gallup Asks Americans if They’re Vegan for the First Time

In a July 2012 Gallup poll, Americans were questioned about whether or not their diets included animal and dairy products, and 2 percent of the population responded that they were vegan. This amounts to about 6 million people in the U.S. alone, an impressive number for the diet’s relatively recent prominence.

As reported by the Wall Street Journal, the poll also asked if respondents were vegetarian, and 5 percent (or 15 million) reported positively. This figure is down 1 percent from 2001, however, overall the number of people reporting themselves as vegetarian has remained steady over the past 13 years.

More surprising, perhaps, than the overall numbers of vegetarians or vegans was the self-reported demographics of those choosing a meatless diet. Stereotypes of typical vegetarians seem to have little basis in fact, as nearly all segments of the population reported similar percentages.

Slightly more women (7 percent) than men (3 percent) said they were vegetarian, while vegetarian individuals were more likely to be unmarried (8 percent) than married (3 percent).

Instances of vegetarianism were very similar whether a person considered themselves politically conservative, moderate, or liberal. This was also the case regardless of what level of education they’d completed. Additionally, older Americans were more likely to be vegetarian than younger adults, although the percentages were close.

More than 1,000 Americans were polled by telephone in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In a larger 2008 study conducted by Vegetarian Times and carried out by the Harris Interactive Service Bureau, 3 percent of the population said they followed vegetarian diets. Of those, 0.5 percent considered themselves vegan.

Do these figures mean more people are choosing a diet free of animal products? Perhaps, although polls always have margins of error. More than anything, the questions about the kind of people choosing vegetarianism show us that there is not a characteristic type of person choosing a meatless diet, but people from all walks of life have embraced it.

RELATED ARTICLES:
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Protein Balls
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Read more: Diet & Nutrition, Food, News & Issues, Vegan, Vegetarian, gallup, vegan, vegetarianism

By Sarah Shultz for Diets In Review | photo via istock

Source : care2[dot]com