Health

As I mentioned in Part 4 of my Real Health diet series, I believe that taking green foods, particularly spirulina and chlorella, is very important to your health. This article will focus on why you should take spirulina.

You may have heard these words, spirulina and chlorella before. What are they though? Basically they are green microalgae. They are microscopic plants which grow in fresh water. They are green due to chlorophyll.

It is sold in the form of powder. I take mine in veggie capsules. I believe the best comes from the Nutrex company in Hawaii. They sell under their own label. They also provide the spirulina that I buy from Jenny Lee Naturals, which sells a 580 capsule bottle.

First, spirulina. Spirulina is an amazing food. And it is a food, not a medicine. First, it contains protein. A lot of protein. Three times more protein by weight than beef. And this protein is more digestible than beef, so you take in more of it into your system. And spirulina contains complete protein, all eight essential amino acids.

The research in support of dietary omega-3 fatty acids (such as in fish oils) continues to flood the scientific literature. This is perfectly predictable given our genetic roots. In the wild, eating natural raw foods, we would be consuming large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids daily. But today, on processed, grain-based diets, we get little.

Instead, we have dramatically increased the consumption of omega-6 fatty acids. Although these too are essential in the diet, their excess results in a pro-inflammatory response that lies at the base of a mix of modern degenerative diseases such as arthritis, autoimmunities and heart disease. The natural diet should have a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 of about 1:1, but today is more like 20 or 30 to 1! See a problem?

Certain fish, algae, some vegetables, grass-fed meats, wild meats, high omega-3 eggs, seeds such as flax and supplements help. Variety is always important. Any food may contain toxins, so varying the diet gives the body an opportunity to detoxify.

Fat is fuel. That is basically what it is. A solid concentrated form of fuel. They have more calories than proteins or carbohydrates. Here are the basic forms of fat.

Saturated Fats

This type of fat comes from animals and vegetables. It is only needed as a form of energy and because of its structure it is readily absorbed by our own bodies fat cells.

Monounsaturated Fats

These kinds of fats are found in Olive oil, Peanut Oil, High-oleic safflower oil as well as others.

Polyunsaturated Fats

You can find polyunsaturated fats in cold water fishes, seed oils, and vegetable oils.

Trans Fats

These fats are manufactured fats. You can make these by transofrming unsaturated fats through heat and hydrogenation. These types of fats are thought to cause harm. They can lower your metabolism, decrease your testosterone levels, and raise your bad cholesterol levels among others.

Commercially produced foods contain alot of trans fats. Especially baked foods. To identify if the food you are buying has trans fats, look at the ingrediants and look for the terms hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated.

The word Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words ayur and veda meaning ‘life’ and ‘knowledge’ respectively. Taken together they mean the ’science of life’; in a more limited sense, the term is used to imply the science of medicine.

Legend has it that Brahma, the Creator (a part of the Hindu holy trinity of gods) first perceived it and taught it to his sons, Daksha Prajapati. Subsequently, Lord Dhanwantri, the God of healing and the teacher of the medical sciences passed it on the prominent Hindu sages Atreya, Bharadvaja, Kashyapa, Sushruta, Parashara and Charaka. Sage Atreya’s disciple Agnivesha is said to have written the original Agnivesha Samhita around 1000 BC which has come down to us in the form of Charaka Samhita. This text is considered an authoritative pronouncement of Ayurvedic doctrine.

The universe is made up of the pancha mahabhutas or five primary elements:

Fire (Agni),

Water (jala),

Ether (akasha),

Earth (prithvi) and

Air (vayu).

An individual similarly according to Vedic philosophy, is made up of five layers: the physical body which is the outer layer and four inner layers: the astral body, the psyche, the intellect and the layer at which complete bliss can be felt.

It’s common to respond to stress by distracting yourself with your favorite comfort foods. Here are some ideas for healthier ways to cope when you’re under pressure:

1. Do a preemptive strike on unhealthy eating. Keep unacceptable foods out of the house. If you know a particular food will be irresistible to you when you’re stressed, make sure it is not within your grasp.

2. Keep your hands busy. Find something else to do with your hands besides eat. Keep the daily crossword handy, turn your attention to minor chores, surf the internet, or distract yourself by picking up the phone and calling your friends or family.

3. Reach for healthy snacks. If you have to eat, make sure that any foods you reach for will be healthy ones. Try crunchy vegetables like celery sticks, green-pepper strips, cauliflower buds, and broccoli florets. If you don’t want them plain, dip them in hummus or an eggplant dip. Prepare these snacks ahead of time, and keep them in front of your refrigerator.

4. Avoidance! If you find it hard to stop eating something once you’ve started, your best bet may be to avoid the food completely. Once you give in, it’s all too easy to overeat without thinking about it. Take it from me, the ultimate Peanut Butter Abuser!

It is shocking how many people are not taking advantage of the lessons from 21st Century research on cellular health. The syntax of disease is known by many researchers; and many of them are telling you what you can do to protect yourself. They wonder why so many still choose to age and ultimately die prematurely.

Throughout human history, infectious disease was the leading cause of death. By the 20th Century, non-infectious ailments like heart attacks, strokes and cardio-vascular disease along with cancer replaced it as the leading cause. Furthermore, this occurred among the industrial nations, despite greater wealth, better housing and so-called, better nutrition.

So, whether you live longer and healthier than your parents just may depend, not on your monetary wealth or your medical insurance card, but on how well you know and react to the mechanisms of disease in the modern world.

While the message of ancient wisdom has also spoken clear enough, leaving us clues for the last 6,000 years of mankind’s history, our modern world has equally spoken. In a world that has the greatest scientific research available, men, women and children still die prematurely. Why? Is there a root cause for this effect?

Make sure that no more than a quarter of your calories come from fat.

Cook your own meals at home and avoid eating at restaurants as much as possible.

Eat six to eleven servings of complex carbohydrates (fruits and whole grain breads, pasta and cereals), but avoid white flour when possible.

Don’t go too crazy on the protein. Too much doesn’t add muscle, contrary to popular belief. It just turns to fat.

Boycott mayonnaise and butter (or margarine). Get them out of your refrigerator. Learn to live without them.

Make your own smoothies. Those made commercially usually contain fattening syrups, but your homemade smoothies (without the gunk) are very healthy.

Use all the garlic, oregano, etc. that you want. Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can’t pack your food with flavor.

Pack a sandwich made with whole-grain bread for lunch. Breads with high fiber make you feel fuller than white bread.

Get at least 25 grams of fiber everyday. Not only does it ward off disease, but it actually blocks the absorption of calories.

Don’t be fooled by “fat free” labels. Many of these foods contain a lot of sugar, which eventually turns into fat anyway.

Natural Alternatives: A growing phenomenon across this world which is a very diverse concept yet very divine and instrumental in healing health diseases. It might be thought as any health care which is not a part of the mainstream medical establishment. Despite the tremendous disparity in philosophy, organization, practice, and origins of the myriad types of alternative medicine, the growing acceptance and use of these therapies is part of a single cultural phenomenon. It is also an extremely dangerous and pretty costly too.

Firstly let me deal with the critical differences between mainstream medicine and alternative medicine. And why the latter is cause for concern. In short, prescription drugs are a scientific endeavor, and alternative medicine is not. We know that alternative medicine (Natural Alternative) was being used in ancient times long before conventional medicine came into the scene. Mainstream medicine is finally taking note of the herbal industry.

More and more people are taking note of herbal therapies to treat various kinds of ailments in place of mainstream medicine. Herbal supplements are a type of dietary supplement that contain herbs, either singly or in mixtures. An herb (also called a botanical) is a plant or plant part used for its scent, flavor, and/or therapeutic properties. It is interesting to note that there were not so many mortal pestilence diseases in those days. What has caused this never-ending increase of deadly diseases that is inflicting such havoc on the body today?

If you break the word apart, Nutra has to do with nutrition, and Ceuticals has to do with drug companies ? pharmaceuticals. So what is the big deal? Nutraceuticals are god-given nutrients that are readily available for our good health, but drug companies want to make them illegal to buy and use ? unless they can sell them to increase their bank accounts.

Another word you need to know is CODEX (the European Food Supplements Directive). The purpose of Codex is similar to Nutraceuticals. The government wants to control supplements so that we are made totally dependent on doctors, drug companies and the government.

Your first response is "What the heck does Europe have to do with me? I live in the US." Well, this is one of the first steps in controlling healthy things ? supplements, vitamins, minerals, and healthy foods. If it is successful in Europe, they (multinational governments) will bring CODEX to the US.

I know how difficult it can be do stick to a healthy diet when trying to eat out. Here are some tips that might prevent you from totally "blowing it" the next time you dine out.

1. As soon as your food is served, ask for a box and put half of your meal into it to take home. Restaurant portions are usually twice the size they should be anyway.

2. Don’t ruin a nice, low fat salad with creamy dressing. Go for the vinaigrette or oil and vinegar, and use them sparingly.

3. If you go out to dinner, are at someone’s house for dinner or are generally in any situation where you cannot prepare your own food, do the best you can to choose the healthiest food possible. Scrape heavy sauce off meat, order salad dressing on the side, and eat your salad first.

4. Eat your salad first and, when your dinner is served, eat your veggies first, then the carbs and meat. You most likely will not be able to finish.

5. Request steamed veggies.

6. Don’t let yourself down by getting (or sharing) a dessert. Order some fruit or Jell-O instead, if you must have something sweet.