Archive for the 'Nutrition 101' Category

Healthy Habits

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on March 16, 2013
in Aging, Cincinnati Chiropractors, Nutrition 101 and Wellness 101
. Closed

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”

Do you really know what makes an apple so special? Why is it that we never hear an orange or a banana a day keeps the doctor away?

Apples have properties that no other fruits have and its benefits have been proven overtime. You will be able to get the benefits of these properties individually with other fruits, but an apple combines everything and makes it simpler. It has been shown over and over that if it’s not simple, easy and fast, people won’t take care of their health.

1-Apple contains Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps greatly your immune system. A lot of people who lack Vitamin C in their diet have poor healing, bruise easily and have bleeding gums.

2-Prevent Heart Diseases. The reason it can prevent both coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease is because apples are rich in flavonoid. Flavonoids are also known for their antioxidant effects.

3-Low in calories. A regular size apple has between 70-100 calories. Eating an apple when craving for candy or chocolate can make the desire disappear since apple in itself contains sugar, but gives you only ? of the calories.

4-Prevent Cancers. Notice the plural. We all know that cancer comes in several forms and in different places. Apples target multiple cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer in women.

5-Apples contain phenols, which have a double effect on cholesterol. It reduces bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. They prevent LDL cholesterol from turning into oxidized LDL, a very dangerous form of bad cholesterol which can be deadly.

6-Prevent tooth decay. Tooth decay is an infection that seriously damages the structure of your teeth, which is caused primarily because of bacteria. The juice of the apples has properties that can kill up to 80% of bacteria. So there you have it, an apple a day also keeps the dentist away!

7-Protects your brain from brain disease. This is something many people don’t know, and when you consider that your brain makes the person you are, it gives a whole new perspective. Apple has substances called phytonutrients, and these phytonutrients prevents neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinsonism.

8-Healthier Lungs. A research at the University of Nottingham Research shows that people who eat 5 apples or more per week has lower respiratory problems, including asthma.

9-They taste great! And not only that, they also come in many flavors and colors. Not in a mood for a green apple? Why not get a red one, or a macintosh! Their taste can vary greatly, but still give you all the apple benefits. Variety is an important element to maintaining your health.

On average, Americans consume around 20 pounds of apples a year, which comes to around 1 apple a week. Unfortunately, while an apple a week is better than nothing, it is nowhere close to being able to extract all the advantages apples have to offer. Eating apples is part of balanced and healthy diet than will increase your longevity, so why limit yourself to only 1 per week?

Low-Carb is Heart Healthy

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on January 28, 2013
in Aging, Baby Boomer Issues, Cincinnati Chiropractors and Nutrition 101
. Closed

Anybody following the discussions in these pages know that: Limiting carbohydrate intake reduces risk for coronary heart disease and heart attack.

First of all, why do conventional diets advocate restricting saturated and total fat? From the standpoint of surrogate markers of cardiovascular risk, cutting saturated and total fat reduces total cholesterol; reduces calculated LDL cholesterol; and may reduce c-reactive protein modestly (an index of inflammation). It also increases blood sugar and HbA1c (reflecting the prior 60 days blood sugars), increases glycation of the proteins of the body leading to cataracts, arthritis, and hypertension.

Problem: Total cholesterol is a combination of HDL cholesterol, an estimate of VLDL cholesterol (triglycerides), and LDL cholesterol. It is a composite of both “good” things (HDL) and “bad” things (LDL and VLDL). Cutting saturated and total fat results in reduced HDL, increased VLDL/triglycerides, and a reduction in calculated LDL. Pretty weak stuff. The last item, i.e., reduction in calculated LDL, is not even a real phenomenon. In fact, the net effect in most genotypes (genetic types) may be negative: increased heart disease risk.

In contrast, what is the effect of reducing carbohydrate without restricting fat? (In the approach I use, we start with elimination of the most destructive of carbohydrates, wheat, followed by reducing exposure to other carbohydrates, especially cornstarch and corn products, sugar, and oats.) If, say, we cut carbohydrate intake into the range of a truly low-carbohydrate diet of 10-15 grams per meal (“net” carbs, or total carbohydrates minus fiber), then we witness a number of metabolic transformations:

  • Reduced fasting triglycerides and VLDL
  • Reduced postprandial (after-eating) triglycerides, chylomicrons, and chylomicron remnants
  • Increased HDL and shift towards large HDL particles (presumably more protective)
  • Reduced small LDL particles
  • Reduced glycation and oxidation of small LDL particles
  • Reduced hemoglobin A1c
  • Reduced c-reactive protein and other inflammatory markers
  • Reduced blood pressure

By slashing carbohydrates, we also witness weight loss from visceral fat, reversal of pre-diabetes and diabetes, and reduced phenomena of glycation. And, if the wheat-free part of low-carb is maintained, you can also see marked improvement in gastrointestinal health, relief from joint pains, relief from leg edema, relief from migraine headaches, improved behavior and ability to concentrate in children with impaired learning, ADHD, and autism, better mood, deeper sleep. You will see multiple inflammatory and autoimmune diseases improve or completely relieved, such as rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis.

Having personally gone down the diabetic path and back by cutting the fat in my diet, now maintaining a HbA1c of 4.8% with fasting glucose 84 mg/d; (without medications), there should be no remaining doubt: Low-carb diets, especially if wheat-free, dramatically reduce the factors leading to heart disease; low-fat diets worsen the factors leading to heart disease.

via Low-Carb is Heart Healthy — Health & Wellness — Sott.net.

Indigestion

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on January 27, 2013
in Digestion 101, Nutrition 101 and Wellness 101
. Closed

So many people in our modern society suffer from indigestion. In a previous post titled “Belching, Bloating & Flatulence” I mentioned Food Combining. In this post, I’d like to give you some background on Food Combining and explain why it is so effective with indigestion and many other health problems.

Correctly combining your foods will eliminate your indigestion.

Yes, I said eliminate your indigestion. It will also help your cholesterol levels and your metabolism. Remember, without complete digestion, the nutrients in even the most wholesome foods cannot be fully assimilated by the body. Conversely, incomplete digestion and inefficient metabolism are the prime causes of of fat and cholesterol accumulation in the body.

In simple terms, here is the science behind proper Food Combining. I think you will find that it makes a lot of sense. It’s a fact, in order to initiate efficient digestion of a protein, the stomach must secrete pepsin. It is also a fact that pepsin can only function in a highly acid environment, which must be maintained for several hours for complete digestion of proteins.

It is a equally known fact that when we chew a piece of bread or eat a potato or any other carbohydrate or starch, ptyalin and other alkaline juices are immediately secreted into the food via the saliva in the mouth. When swallowed, the alkalized starches require an alkaline environment in order to complete digestion.

So far here is what we have learned? We now know proteins require and an acidic environment to digest and starches and sugars require alkaline environment to digest. We have been taught to mix all our foods together. When we do that both acid and alkaline are released. This causes them to promptly neutralize one another leaving a weak, watery solution in the stomach that digests neither protein or starch properly. Instead proteins putrefy (rot) and starches and sugars ferment. Putrefaction and fermentation are the primary cause of all sorts of digestive problems, including gas, heartburn, cramps, bloating, constipation, foul stools, bleeding hemorrhoids, colitis and so forth.

Now that you understand the benefits of proper Food Combining, here is how it is done. There is really only one rule. Never eat a protein with a starch. Example: You can have a protein with a salad or vegetable or you can have a starch with a salad or vegetable. It’s that simple!

Proper Food Combining

Let me know how this helps you.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Gould

Health Habits of the Top Three Percent

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on September 21, 2011
in Baby Boomer Issues, Drug-Free Approach, Nutrition 101 and Wellness 101
. Closed

Often habits of ineffectiveness are rooted in our social conditioning toward quick-fixes or short-term thinking. In school, many of us procrastinate and then cram for tests. I have a question for you, does”cramming” work on a farm? Can you go two weeks without milking the cow, and then get out there and milk like crazy? Can you “forget” to plant in the spring, goof off all summer, and then hit the ground really hard in the fall to bring in the harvest? We might laugh at such ludicrous approach to farming, yet 97% of Americans use this same approach when it comes to maintaining their health.

Habits of the Three Percent

They have a different philosophy than the other 97%.  It’s their belief that it is much easier to stay well than to get well. (What a Concept!)  They constantly look for ways to drive their health upward to the next level.  They understand that medicine has its place, yet they rarely use it.  They have a deep understanding that one’s immunity is “everything” and they work at keeping it strong.  They don’t worry about the Media’s Latest Health Worry. They understand that true health comes from the inside and so does disease.

“The Microbe is nothing. The terrain is everything.”

Louis Pasteur, said the above on his deathbed, finally recanted his germ theory by admitting that the microbe (germs) is nothing. The terrain (your body’s immunity) is everything.  The 3% understand this fact.

The Strategy of the Three Percent

They eat quality foods. Drink pure water.  Exercise regularly.  Get adequate rest.  Exercise stress management. Have their spine’s routinely checked for subluxations. Take quality whole food supplements.  Spend time out in nature.  Read positive literature.

Sounds simple doesn’t it?  However, the numbers suggest that it is not that easy.  It all comes down to a choice.  Your Choice!

Yours in Health!

Dr. Gould

The Best Time of the Day to Exercise?

Published
by
Dr. Edward Gould
on April 23, 2011
in Aging, Cincinnati Chiropractors, Fitness, Nutrition 101 and Wellness 101
. Closed

For as long as I can remember — from the first time I set foot in a gym, actually — I’ve been listening to folks debate the question: When is the best time to exercise?

Now a new study may finally shine some light on the matter. Researchers found that exercising before eating has several beneficial effects, including preventing weight gain and maintaining insulin sensitivity.

Researchers in Belgium took 27 healthy young men and fed them all a horrible diet high in sugar and fat and calories. The particular diet was chosen because it was just about guaranteed to create both weight gain and a reduction in insulin sensitivity. Insulin sensitivity is something good — it’s when the cells respond well to insulin, meaning that insulin does an excellent job of removing excess sugar from the bloodstream and getting it into the cells where it can be “burned” for energy. When someone is said to be insulin resistant, on the other hand, the system doesn’t work well, and the person winds up with high blood sugar and high insulin — a path to either metabolic syndrome or diabetes. Most diabetics are insulin resistant, and most people who are insulin resistant are overweight, since insulin “shuts down” the fat-burning process.

In the Belgian study, the researchers divided the men into three groups. One group did nothing but eat the terrible diet. The second and third group exercised and did the exact same workout, but the second group exercised after breakfast and the third group exercised before breakfast.

The results were both surprising and dramatic. The control group gained a lot of weight and also saw their insulin sensitivity plunge (meaning they became much more insulin resistant — not a good outcome). The group who exercised after eating also gained weight but not nearly as much as the control group. And the group’s insulin sensitivity went down, just as with the control group.

But the group who exercised before eating was a whole different story. This group, despite eating a horrible, weight gain-inducing diet, did not gain weight. Not only that, but the group’s insulin sensitivity remained high and the bad diet did not make the group insulin resistant. “This study for the first time shows that fasted (empty stomach) training is more potent than fed training to facilitate adaptations in muscle and to improve … glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity,” said the study’s authors.

Conventional wisdom holds that it’s always best to eat something before working out. Proponents point out that you need energy for working out — energy that comes from carbohydrates. “Fat burns in a flame of carbohydrate,” they say.

It’s interesting that back in the days of “Stay Hungry” and “Pumping Iron,” when the big meccas of bodybuilding like World Gym and Gold’s Gym in Venice were home to such legendary bodybuilders as Arnold Schwarzenneger and Franco Columbo, everybody trained on an empty stomach. Bodybuilders of that era believed that you were more likely to mobilize your fat stores for fuel if you didn’t have to burn off a whole bunch of carbs that you just scarfed down for breakfast. We now know that they were mostly right.

So should you forgo eating before working out? Not necessarily. “If you’re interested in performing better — like if you’re training for an event — you might want to eat first,” said exercise physiologist and That’s Fit expert Liz Neporent. “But for weight loss, evidence does seem to be trending towards not eating before working out.”

Neporent pointed out that as a practical matter, there are going to be a fair amount of people who don’t do well when they don’t eat before working out. “They get dizzy, sick and even faint sometimes,” she said. “But I’ve also had people eat right before working out that have felt exactly the same way!”

Bottom line: It’s an individual thing, and no one prescription is going to work for everyone.

But for those who want to try it (and who don’t get lightheaded or dizzy), working out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach might be just the thing to stop weight gain in its tracks. It did in the Belgian study, and those folks were purposely eating a really bad diet. It should work even better if you also couple it with a diet designed to help you reach your goals.

via When Is the Best Time to Exercise? – That’s Fit.