This latest study on the effects of high blood sugar is yet another great reason to use GTF Complex.

“High blood glucose levels are one of the most common killers of Americans, according to new research from Harvard researchers. In a study that assessed 12 dietary, lifestyle and metabolic factors risk factors in causes of preventable death, high blood glucose levels came out as the fifth most deadly killer, after tobacco, high blood pressure, overweight/obesity, physical inactivity.

“High blood glucose levels were more perilous than high LDL cholesterol, high levels of dietary salt, low omega-3 levels, high levels of trans fatty acids, alcohol use, low levels of fruit and vegetables and low levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids.
“According to the mathematical model used by the researchers, there were between 163,000 and 217,000 high blood glucose-related mortalities in 2005 that could have been avoided.”1

When it comes to sugar consumption, Americans eat their weight’s worth every single year (about 140 pounds worth!). “Over time, it is believed that the pancreas just can’t keep up with the need for increased insulin and the individual develops diabetes. Reversing insulin resistance through dietary means can greatly help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.”2

What can you do?
1. Take GTF Complex (helps block sugar uptake naturally, and takes some of the stress off your pancreas)
2. Get rid of refined sugar in your diet.
3. Eat more vegetables and good fats (Evening Primrose Oil, Fish Oils, Coconut Oil)

Sources:

1. Starling, Shane, “Blood glucose control ranks high in US death causes,” Jun-2009

2. Goodarz Danaei, Eric L Ding, Dariush Mozaffarian, Ben Taylor, Jurgen Rehm, Christopher J L Murray, Majid Ezzati, ‘The Preventable Causes of Death in the United States: Comparative Risk Assessment of Dietary, Lifestyle, and Metabolic Risk Factors’ Public Library of Science Medicine Journal, Vol. 6, April, 2009

Is the ADA is duplicitous? Are they about nutrition, or just about their brand of nutrition, which dances around the issues that offend their sponsors. Go to their website and you’ll see which companies sponsor them. It’s appalling: CocaCola, PepsiCo and more. CLICK HERE.

…From Organic Consumers Assn. — The American Dietetic Association Buries Organic Nutrition Facts

The American Dietetic Association (ADA) is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. Its opinions influence health care professionals, the media, and state and federal policies. While ADA claims it is committed to “improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy,” its perspective is clearly being influenced by corporate agribusiness. Although the ADA has nothing to say about the abundance of scientific studies exposing the dangers of genetically engineered foods , the organization’s own Marianne Smith Edge has been giving anti-organic keynote addresses at meetings of state dietetic associations across the nation.

The ADA’s own studies in 2007 and 2009 revealed that plants cultivated in organic systems contain higher levels of nutrients, yet the ADA’s website claims, “nutritionally there is no evidence that organic produce is better or safer than conventionally grown produce.” It’s time to expose the ADA’s bias. Use OCA’s handy online tool to click and send a pre-written “letter to the editor” to your local media outlets.

From zestycook.com

Cranberry Sizzler

In honor of the cranberry, I thought I would make you my version of what I call the cranberry sizzler.  This high impact drink contains frozen cranberries and gives off a lot of attitude.  The tartness  of the cranberries really wake you up.

Use Organic Ingredients

• 1 Cup frozen cranberries
• 1/2 Cup Apple slices
• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1 Tbsp. Flax Seed
• 1/2 Cup Raspberries
• 1 Scoop of Protein Powder

Method

1. Add all ingredients to blender and mix until smooth
2. Pour into your favorite glass
3. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When blending frozen fruit it is best to put liquid at the bottom of the blender if possible to avoid the fruit from stopping the blender and getting stuck.  If you have a high powered blender you have nothing to worry about.

GREENPEACE — The Amazon rainforest is one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. But destroying the rainforest for cattle products does more than destroy the ecosystem — it’s also a major source of global warming pollution.

Deforestation causes 20% of the world’s global warming emissions. That’s more climate pollution than all of the world’s cars, trucks, trains, planes, and ships combined. The Brazilian cattle industry is responsible for 80% of deforestation in the Amazon, making it the largest single driver of deforestation in the world — and therefore the largest single driver of greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation in the world.

Brazil’s cattle industry is producing leather that could end up in popular shoe brands like Nike, Adidas, Reebok, and Timberland.

WATCH GREENPEACE VIDEO HERE.

Patients who undergo fractionated carbon dioxide laser treatment can expect a more even skin tone, as well as results that last years, not weeks or months.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—When she looked in the mirror, 48-year-old Margaret Miglia didn’t like what she saw. To combat the fine lines and brown spots that began to appear on her face with age, she sought help at the University of Michigan Cosmetic Dermatology and Laser Center. There, she received a new, non-surgical skin resurfacing treatment using a fractionated carbon dioxide laser.

“Previous laser treatment for wrinkles and other textural issues like acne scarring used to create significant wounding,” says Jeffrey Orringer, M.D., director of the U-M Cosmetic Dermatology and Laser Center. “While results were terrific, the downtime for patients was substantial, and the risks were significant. Then, as technology improved, the pendulum swung the other way, providing lower risks, but with less pronounced results. This new treatment offers both improved results with much fewer side effects.”

In developing this new treatment method, traditional carbon dioxide lasers were modified into what is known as a fractional format. The carbon laser beam is broken into numerous microscopically thin beams that strike the skin and vaporize sun damaged or scarred tissue. This causes the skin to tighten, and during healing, produce collagen – the protein responsible for skin structure and appearance.

“The little micro-beams vaporize small columns of tissue that take about two to three days to seal back up,” Orringer says. “During that time, as the skin heals, the lost volume creates a tightening of the skin. In addition, around the columns of skin where the beam delivers heat, a very reproducible wound healing mechanism is created, which leads to the formation of new collagen in the skin.” Read more…

by Vic Shayne, PhD

Americans are spending billions of dollars to find out how they can lose weight. That’s a lot of money, but the most ironic thing is that all this obsession over HOW to lose weight is met with the SAD FACT that the United States is AN OBESE COUNTRY.  USA Today reports that 20% of preschoolers are obese. That’s one in five children who are only four years old. MSNBC reports:

The number of obese American adults outweighs the number of those who are merely overweight, according to the latest statistics from the federal government. Numbers posted by the National Center for Health Statistics show that more than 34 percent of Americans are obese, compared to 32.7 percent who are overweight. It said just under 6 percent are “extremely” obese. More than one-third of adults, or over 72 million people, were obese in 2005-2006, the NCHS said in its report.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and San Diego State University say that a lack of physical activity was the most significant risk factor contributing to obesity in 11- to 15-year-olds.

So how can it be that we as a nation are so diet-conscious while at the same time so miserably overweight? My hunch is that the problem lies anywhere in between these facts:

1. People gain weight then lose it and then gain it, so they become lifetime customers of the swelling (pardon the pun) weight loss industry.
2. Obesity continues to go up, creating an ever-new source of weight loss industry business and customer base.
3. People are more weight conscious than they are health-conscious. It’s an image thing and not a health issue.
4. It’s easier (so it is rationalized) to cycle in and out of weight loss than stay on a steady, healthy course.
5. People are addicted to bad foods.
6. People are less and less physically active.
7. Our federal government allows makers of bad, sickening food to advertise as if they are offering something worth eating

If you want to lose weight, remember these FIVE FACTS first and you’ll be on your way to success:

1. Eat fewer calories (if you eat less, you’ll burn more)
2. Exercise daily: an activity that keeps up your heartbeat and respiration.
3. Eat fewer carbohydrates because carbs that are not used are stored as sugar and fat.
4. Think about health first, weight second.

by Vic Shayne, PhD

Every once in a while a new “report” comes out saying organic foods may be no better than non-organic. Really? So it’s better to eat pesticides and chemicals? Is this really a believable position? Personally, I’d rather not consume pesticides and other toxic chemicals from a variety of sources and let them enter my bloodstream and internal organs. This goes against any semblance of logic.

It’s also rather tedious to continually hear reports by dietitians working for medical centers speaking off the tops of their heads without any proof or substantiation. Go to the dietitian’s website and see who their financial backers are and you’ll get an idea why they are so down on organics. It’s beyond obvious. Certainly, not all dietitians subscribe to the political bias shown by the American Dietetic Association. Consider their corporate sponsors by going to their website. When dietitians like the person cited below come up with anti-organics statements, it’s more than suspicious to the logical mind.

Consider this load of nonsense (note that there are no studies cited):

“Organic foods are grown without the use of chemical fertilizer or pesticides and have not been processed using irradiation or added hormones,” says Ashley Mullins, R.D., L.D., CNSC, a registered dietitian at Baylor All Saints Medical Center. “As with any product, it’s important to check the label to determine exactly what you’re getting.” Products labeled “100 percent organic” must contain only organic ingredients with the exception of water and salt, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Products labeled “organic” must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients. Products that are made with at least 70 percent organic ingredients are allowed to be labeled “made with organic ingredients.”

The Bottom Line While organic food can cost up to two or three times that of regular foods, it may not be any better for you, Mullins says.
“From a nutrition standpoint, there isn’t enough research to show that organic foods are more nutritious than regular foods. The levels of pesticides currently used haven’t been found to be harmful,” she says. “Of course, there may be other benefits to buying organic, such as it being more environmentally friendly and, in some cases, fresher.”

It really comes down to personal preference and budget, adds Mullins. [No, it comes down to whether you want toxins poisoning your body and your children's bodies and the planet]. Whatever you do, don’t let your choice inhibit your ability to get the nutrients you need. “The most important thing to consider is the health benefit of consuming five servings of fruits and vegetables every day—whether or not they’re organic,” says Mullins. “That’s the biggest payoff.” (Is Organic Overrated? ScienceDaily, May 23, 2009)

AND NOW FOR THE FACTS:

After £12M and four years of study, it has been announced that organic fruit, vegetables and milk are more nutritious than non-organically produced. They may also contain higher concentrations of antioxidants which ward off cancer and heart disease.Apparently, “the health benefits were so striking that moving to organic food was the equivalent of eating an extra portion of fruit and vegetables every day.”

Researchers on the European Union study grew both organic and regular fruit and vegetables side by side on a site in Northumberland and compared factors such as nutritional quality. Produce compared included cabbages, lettuces, carrots, potatoes and wheat. The early results of the study carried out by Newcastle University show that organic fruit and vegetables have up to 40 per cent more antioxidants than non-organically grown produce. Also found in greater quantities in organic produce were vitamin C, and trace elements such as iron, copper and zinc. Even greater contrasts were found for milk, with organic milk containing between 50% and 80% more antioxidants and healthy fatty acids. The Food Standards Agency has so far refused to acknowledge any benefits of eating organic, but have now said that they will review the evidence.

The Real Bottom line: If you are logical and intelligent then it doesn’t take much to come to the conclusion that manmade poisons do not belong in your body, and that food should not be irradiated or altered in any other way from its natural state.  Further, not all organic food costs two to three times more than nonorganic food. This nation has serious health problems that parallel the introduction of chemical farming. Cancer and other diseases have risen. The cumulative load of eating a diet full of chemicals toxic enough to kill bugs will certainly adversely affect your body. The last point to consider certainly shows that the above-cited dietitian is out of touch with reality. Why? Because she somehow fails to realize that if something is poisonous to the environment than it is also poisonous to us humans who are dependent on the environment. How can non organic be bad for the environment but good for you to eat?

by Vic Shayne, PhD

What came first, the egg or the barage of negative press about them? The latter. Eggs have long been a source of food for man and beast alike. But over the past few decades eggs have been beaten, whipped, fried and boiled over comments that they may provide a health risk. But before delving into this yellow topic, here’s one item of truth: Factory farmed eggs are bad for you because they contain drug residues, pesticides, hormones and other chemicals. Plus, chickens are treated inhumanely at these factories to such a degree that if you saw your neighbor treating his pet in the same way, you’d call the police without hesitation! It’s worse than brutal, it’s psychopathic. Now for the health of the matter…

Who is down on eggs? It seems to be the same people who are down on other fats despite the fact that fats are essential to human life, health and healing. The truth is that BAD fats are bad for you, but GOOD fats are essential. Eggs fall into the good fat category. Much of the slandering of fat foods is politically motivated. Read more…

by Vic Shayne, PhD

Astragalus is an herb that has grown in popularity as of recently, though it has been in use traditionally for thousands of years. It’s an ingredient within the whole food supplement CellPower and ImmuneSupport, both of which are used to support the immune system and energize the body.

Animal studies and preliminary human clinical studies suggest that astragalus may improve functioning of the immune system and might possibly enhance the effect of conventional immune therapy for some cancers. The scientific evidence for the ability of astragalus to enhance the immune system and fight diseases, including cancer and heart disease, comes mostly from laboratory and animal studies. Researchers at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center found that astragalus extract enhanced the cell-destroying ability, or cytotoxicity, of the conventional immunotherapy treatment interleukin-2 by improving the immune system’s response. It also partly restored the immune function of cells in test tubes. Astragalus has also been found to reduce the length of colds and stimulate the production of interferons, a group of substances produced by the body as part of the normal defense mechanism against viral infections. — American Cancer Society

University of Michigan researchers state:

Astragalus contains numerous components, including flavonoids, polysaccharides, triterpene glycosides (e.g., astragalosides I-VII), amino acids, and trace minerals.3 Several preliminary clinical trials in China have suggested that astragalus can benefit immune function and improve survival in some people with cancer.4 Given the poor quality of these trials, it is difficult to know how useful astragalus really was. One Chinese trial also found that astragalus could decrease overactive immune function in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease.5 Further trials are needed, however, to know if astragalus is safe for people with SLE, or any other autoimmune disease. Read more…

by Megan’s Munchies…

This salad, in my mind, screams summer.  It basically consists of three main ingredients – tomatoes, feta cheese and pasta.

It is dead easy to make, has a great flavor combination and really hits the spot.

Ingredients (use organic)

• Grape Tomatoes  (roasted )
• Feta Cheese
• Roitini Pasta ( cooked )
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Parsley

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a medium size bowl, add tomatoes, olive oil and salt and pepper; toss to coat;
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and add tomatoes; bake until soften and roasted.
4. Cool tomatoes and then coarsely chop.
5. In a large bowl add pasta, tomatoes, feta cheese, parsley and toss gently.
6. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When adding dressing to salads, even as simple as olive oil – it is a great idea to dress it warm to enhance the flavor and have the flavors amalgamate quicker.

nutritionresearchcenter.org — Drinking cola can literally make your body come unglued in a short period of time. Scientists have linked excessive consumption of soft drinks to deterioration of teeth, loss of energy, and, more recently, muscles and bones.

Dr Moses Elisaf from the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Ioannina, Greece, shows that symptoms can range from mild weakness to paralysis, much of which comes from a depletion of potassium from the body. Case studies looked at patients whose consumption ranged from two to nine litres of cola a day. Unfortunately, this is not an unusual quantity to drink.

Two examples are: A 21-year-old woman who was drinking at least three litres of cola a day and developed fatigue, appetite loss and persistent vomiting. “An electrocardiagram also revealed she had a heart blockage, while blood tests showed she had low potassium levels. The second also had low potassium levels and was suffering from increasing muscular weakness.  It turned out she had been drinking up to seven litres of cola a day for the last 10 months.”2

Bottom line: Among other things, cola drinks wipe out your potassium levels. Between this and the sugar, the health impact is horrific, with cavities, heart problems, inflammation, slow wound healing, acne, diabetes, osteoporosis, attention deficit, nervousness and more.

1. Tsimihodimos V, Kakaidi V, Elisaf M. Cola-induced hypokalaemia: pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical implications. The international journal of clinical practice 2009; 63: 900-902
2. Science Daily, Excessive Cola Consumption Can Lead To Super-sized Muscle Problems, Warn Doctors, May 20 09

SuperGreens PhytoFood contains important minerals such as POTASSIUM, which are depleted when drinking sodas, eating sugar and consuming junk food and processed food diets. Sugar is known to deplete many important nutrients from the body and may lead to a variety of diseases and symptoms. It is important to eat green foods (vegetables) and rid the diet of all artificial ingredients and refined sugars. SuperGreens PhytoFood contains more than 21 real, whole foods with antioxidants, flavonoids, carotenoids, chlorophyll and other valuable constituents.

Rather than drinking cola, doctors of nutrition recommend that the best drink is purified water. Secondly would be organic teas. It is preferable not to add sweeteners, but if you must, honey or stevia is preferable to the white, refined sugars commonly found in most commercial drink preparations.

by Vic Shayne, PhD

Let’s take a look at two distinctly different breakfast drinks. First is a glass of juice that was just squeezed out of two oranges. The second is something out of a carton called pasteurized orange juice. Are they the same nutritionally speaking?

Pasteurization heats juice, but what else does it do? Critics claim that it kills valuable nutrients, but our federal government says nutrients are not lost through this process.

Alissa Hamilton, author of Squeezed: What You Don’t Know About Orange Juice, states: “In the process of pasteurizing, juice is heated and stripped of oxygen, a process called deaeration, so it doesn’t oxidize. Then it’s put in huge storage tanks where it can be kept for upwards of a year. It gets stripped of flavor-providing chemicals, which are volatile. When it’s ready for packaging, companies such as Tropicana hire flavor companies such as Firmenich to engineer flavor packs to make it taste fresh. People think not-from-concentrate is a fresher product, but it also sits in storage for quite a long time…”

Even though the USDA claims that pasteurization does not ultimately harm juice, it’s true that air can destroy vitamin C and affect other nutrients by virtue of oxidation. It’s better to squeeze your own juice then drink it right away.

Other Sources:

1. Journal of Food Science, Volume 65 Issue 2, Pages 357 – 364, 08

Ponce de Leon in his search for the Fountain of Youth, should have stayed in the Mediterranean.

by Vic Shayne, PhD

Who is Dr. Oz and why is he hammering away at resveratrol as the new Fountain of Youth? Dr. Oz is to millions a  doctor who sits in front of Oprah in his surgical scrubs and explains the meaning of life, visa vis nutrition. And his biggest crusade looks like resveratrol, a substance I’ve been writing about for years. Though I am not alone. Resveratrol is contained within several of the foods best known to the diets of the Mediterranean region, chief of which are grapes. Hence, you’ll find grape seed and grape skin extract in NutriPlex Formulas’ whole food products such as SuperGreens PhytoFood.

Boston Tribute wrote: “Resveratrol, recently featured and recommended on TV and in the mainstream media, is a natural component of grapes, red wine, and other foods and it has also been found to slow down aging process and promote special protection of the heart resulting in a much younger and healthier life. The researchers explored the influence of Resveratrol on the heart, muscle, and brain. Results found that low doses of resveratrol prevented 92% of age-related change.”

Is it a Fountain of Youth? In my humble opinion, from the time we are infants we move slowly (though it seems fast sometimes) toward disintegration. Don’t let this depress you. It’s the way of the world. We continue to age, but when we hit our forties, we start to worry about aging A LOT!. We worry about wrinkles, diseases, stiff joints, heart disease, loss of energy and so forth. And thanks to our vanity-based culture, our primary concern continues to be how we look. In short, though, life marches on and we don’t get any younger. But it does seem that some of the aging process can be slowed down through proper nutrition and lifestyle habits. Read more…

by Vic Shayne, PhD

Some people seem to eat right, get exercise and avoid transfats. They may even do yoga or meditate to relieve stress, but they still are dealing with high blood pressure. What to do? Can coffee be the culprit? Or something else? Or a combination?

Every disease and symptom requires investigation to get to the cause. This is something that most medical doctors don’t bother to do. They either don’t have the time, the interest or curiosity. Possibly all three. So, instead of trying to find a logical action you can take to resolve your problem, the answer usually is an injection, a prescription or even a dismissal. The last item is nothing to scoff at, because it is all too commonplace for doctors to say that they have no idea what’s wrong and “Good luck, and good bye.” This “treatment” is frustrating and enervating.

Back to blood pressure. Sometimes you just have to look for clues. This isn’t always easy because it can be hard to monitor yourself objectively. So get out a journal and write down everything you eat, drink and do. Maybe you’ll see a pattern emerge. It could be that you seem to be doing all the right things, but you are drinking several cups of coffee a day.

The Mayo Clinic states, “To see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30 minutes of drinking a cup of coffee or another caffeinated beverage you regularly drink. If your blood pressure increases by five to 10 points, you may be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine. Regardless of your sensitivity to caffeine’s effects, doctors recommend you drink no more than 200 milligrams a day — about the amount in two cups of coffee.”1

It is my opinion that two cups is WAY TOO MUCH. Switch to organic decaf and if you want regular, drink it rarely.

“Coffee abstinence is associated with a lower hypertension risk than is low coffee consumption.”2 Read more…

by Vic Shayne, PhD

To eat dairy or not to eat dairy. That’s not really a question…But you should know that dairy can cause a number of unpleasant health issues in a lot of people. In fact, I know of a number of doctors whose first line of business is to get their patients off dairy before taking another step.

Of course, the most well-known problem with dairy is lactose intolerance. However, there’s more than meets the eye (or should I say nose?). Pardon the rude allusion.

Anyway, there are more than a few problems that have been reported with eating dairy products, which includes milk, cheese, sour cream, cream cheese and whipped cream. Butter doesn’t seem to cause the same problems. Margarine isn’t a real food, so you should never eat it anyway. If you eat something called I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, then I can’t believe anybody would eat such a thing in the first place.

If you’re suffering from bothersome symptoms, consider that eating dairy can cause these (one or more):

• puffy face and puffy eyes
• sinus headaches
• constant need to blow your nose Read more…