Shake Baby

Eat Less Rice!

In some parts of Asia , rice forms up to 85% of the plate. Actually, rice and other grains like wheat and corn are actually worse than sugar. There are many reasons:

Rice becomes sugar – lots of it! This is a fact that no nutritionist can deny: rice is chemically no different from sugar. Rice is digested to become sugar. One bowl of cooked rice is the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. This does not matter whether it is white, brown or herbal rice. Brown rice is richer in fibre, some B vitamins and minerals but it is still the caloric equal of 10 teaspoons of sugar. To get the same 10 teaspoons of sugar, you need to consume lots of kangkong-10 bowls of it.

Rice cannot be digested before it is thoroughly cooked. However, when thoroughly cooked, it becomes sugar and spikes circulating blood sugar within half an hour-almost as quickly as it would if you took a sugar candy.

Fruits come with a sugar called fructose. However, they are not empty calories as the fruit is packed with a whole host of other nutrients that help its proper assimilation and digestion.

Rice has no fibre.
The fibre of the kangkong fills you up long before your blood sugar spikes. This is because the fibre bulks and fills up your stomach. Since white rice has no fibre, you end up eating lots of ‘ calorie dense ‘ food before you get filled up. Brown rice has more fibre but still the same amount of sugar.

There is no real ‘ built in ‘ mechanism for us to prevent overeating of rice:
How much kangkong can you eat?
How much fried chicken can you eat?
How much steamed fish can you eat? Think about that!

In one seating, you can not take lots of chicken, fish or cucumber, but you can take lots of rice. Eating rice causes you to eat more salt.

As rice is tasteless, you tend to consume more salt-another villain when it comes to high blood pressure. You tend to take more curry that has salt to help flavor rice. We also tend to consume more ketchup and soy sauce which are also rich in salt.

Eating rice causes you to drink less water.
The more rice you eat, the less water you will drink as there is no mechanism to prevent the overeating of rice.

Rice, even when cooked, is difficult to digest.
Can’t eat raw rice? Try eating rice half cooked. Contrary to popular belief, rice is very difficult to digest. It is ‘ heavy stuff ‘ . If you have problems with digestion, try skipping rice for a few days. You will be amazed at how the problem will just go away.

Rice prevents the absorption of several vitamins and minerals. Rice when taken in bulk will reduce the
absorption of vital nutrients like zinc, iron and the B vitamins.

Barry Sears, author of the Zone Diet, advises ‘ eating rice like spice ‘. Instead, increase your fruits and vegetables. Take more lean meats and fish. You can even take more eggs and nuts.

Have ‘ riceless ‘ meals.
Take no rice or wheat at say, breakfast. Go for Herbalife healthy breakfast shake!

Go on ‘ riceless ‘ days.
Go ‘ western ‘ once a week.

Take no rice and breads for one day every week.
That can’t be too difficult. Appreciate the richness of your food. Go for taste, colours and smells. Make eating a culinary delight. Enjoy your food in the original flavours.

Avoid the salt shaker or ketchup. You will automatically eat less rice.

Eat your fruit dessert before (Yes! No printing error) your meals.The fibre rich fruits will ‘ bulk up ‘ in your stomach. Thus, you will eat less rice and more veges..

It ‘ s your life.
Decide what you want to eat! Go on “Rice-Less, if not Riceless” days!

Protein is essential for the body and functions as enzymes, hormones, antibodies as well as transport and structural components.

Amino acids

There are 20 amino acids in human proteins, 12 are manufactured by the body and are known as “nonessential amino acids”. The remaining 8 are obtained from the diet and are termed “essential amino acids”.

Protein nutrition is based on a balance of essential amino acids and sufficient intake of nitrogen so the body can produce nonessential amino acids.

Complete protein foods

The nutritional quality of food protein varies and depends on essential amino acid composition. For example foods that contain essential amino acids at levels that facilitate repair and tissue growth are known as complete protein foods. These foods are also classified as having high biological value, which refers to an index in which all protein sources are compared with egg whites which provide the most complete protein and have the highest biological value of 100.

In general, foods with the highest biological value are from animal sources, such as eggs, milk, meat, poultry, and fish. However plant protein form a large part of the human diet, and are mostly deficient in 1 or more essential amino acids and are therefore regarded as “incomplete proteins”. Their protein quality however can be upgraded, by combining them with foods that are higher in protein quality or contain what ever essential amino acids are deficient.

For example, combining corn with beans results in a high quality protein food combination. Thus, the requirement for essential amino acids can be met in a vegetarian diet by mixing foods of complementary amino acids composition.

How much Protein does a body need?

The daily amount of protein your body needs is determined by energy needs, there are many situations in which extra protein is needed for example pregnancy, lactation, growth spurts and endurance training and other forms of physical activity.

Source: www.ralphrogers.co.uk Ralph Rogers

Health is Wealth is a book based upon hard evidence; not one filled with pseudo-scientific speculation and overblown promises about so-called “wonder foods.” Dr. Ignarro was as skeptical as most Western medical professionals are about the ability of food to function as medicine before he began to see for himself the incredibly beneficial effects of NO supportive supplements and foods on the vessels of the cardiovascular system. The old “If there’s a disease, there’s a drug for it…”philosophy was definitely the culture in which he was immersed. But as he observed the growing amount of empirical evidence proving the powerful effects of amino acids, antioxidants, and other key nutrients, he was forced to rethink his position. His is a rigorous, questing, scientific mind, and, when presented with overwhelming evidence of the ability of the 10 Power Nutrients to prevent and even reverse damage and dysfunction, he became convinced of their effectiveness.

This book is a synthesis of our combined 50 years’ experience as a research scientist, and as a naturopathic physician, respectively. Our vision of health and disease prevention is based on our own clinical and laboratory experience combined with knowledge garnered from thousands of published research studies that we have synthesized into our “unified theory” of degenerative disease progression. Traditional research has a narrow field of vision; it looks at a single condition, a single nutrient, or a single drug. Very few studies have been designed to study simultaneously the effects of the many different nutrients that can influence our health. By doing our own meta-survey extraction from a massive body of current research, we have been able to examine nutrient interactions within the body’s biochemical pathways and physiological functions. This work has uncovered vital relationships between specific nutrients and healthy tissues—relationships that demonstrate an unmistakable link between nutrient supplementation and BioWealth.

There are strong scientific facts that support every conclusion we make. As the healthcare crisis deepens, and support grows for the idea that our current “disease-care” system must be replaced with a new, different, better approach, we believe that we may be witnessing the beginning of the age of whole-body, whole-health medicine.

Not getting the message

Over the last several years, the U.S. Department of Health has recommended eating at least five portions of fruits and vegetables a day. Yet, only one in seven achieve this quota. In fact, one-third of American adults eat only two servings of fruits and vegetables a day and are four times more likely to choose a processed snack instead. On any given day, about half the population eats no fruit at all.

A bushel of reasons

There is a rainbow of reasons to eat a variety of colors from the produce aisle. Fruits and vegetables are virtually fat free, low in salt and an excellent source of fiber. Some fruits and vegetables, such as carrots and cantaloupe, provide Vitamin A, which maintains eye health and immunity. Other fruits and vegetables, such as bananas and spinach, contain potassium, which is necessary for proper nerve and muscle functioning. Green vegetables, such as broccoli and asparagus, provide B Vitamins, which are necessary for converting food into energy. But all fruits and vegetables contain phytonutrients, the health-promoting components of plants. Scientific studies show that phytonutrients can help protect seven key organs, including the eyes, heart, liver and skin and they may also serve as antioxidants.

Antioxidant protection

Current research has measured the total antioxidant power of various foods, citing fruits and vegetables at the top of the list. Antioxidants protect our bodies from free radicals that can cause damage to cellular membranes. Antioxidants also boost our immunity, help make our muscles stronger and support bone and skin health. Since eating the recommended daily servings of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables is not always realistic, try supplementing your diet with appropriate products. Herbalife’s Garden 7® dietary supplement protects your health with the powerful phytonutrient and antioxidant benefits found in seven servings of colorful fruits and vegetables. It also supports your body’s vital organs by providing them with key nutrients.

So try to get in the habit of eating plenty of produce each day. It’s one of the biggest favors you can do for your body.

By Luigi Gratton, M.D., M.P.H.

Older individuals with low levels of vitamin B12 are at increased risk of having brain atrophy or shrinkage. Brain atrophy is associated with Alzheimer’s disease and impaired cognitive function. Vitamin B12 deficiency is a public health problem, especially among older people.

In a study involving more than 100 volunteers aged 61 to 87, all participants underwent annual clinical exams, MRI scans and cognitive tests, and had blood samples taken. Individuals with lower vitamin B12 levels at the start of the study had a greater decrease in brain volume. Those with the lowest B12 levels had a sixfold greater rate of brain volume loss compared with those who had the highest levels. However, none of the participants were actually deficient in vitamin B12 — they just had low levels within a normal range.

Other risk factors for brain atrophy include high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

“Our results suggest that rather than maintaining one’s B12 at a level that is just above the cut off for deficiency, it might be prudent to aim to keep it higher up than normal range”, the study’s lead researcher said.

This is really important to hear, as most people would assume that if their levels are within the normal range, they’re fine. In reality, you cannot always count on the “normal” reference ranges that come with your blood tests. Vitamin D is another example of a test that lists “normal” ranges that are not nearly adequate to keep you healthy. For many decades the “experts” believed that all you needed was 400 units per day. Now we know that you need about ten times that much or the equivalent amount of sun to produce that in your skin.

To really know if your nutrient levels are where they should be to keep you optimally healthy, you need to do some major research of your own, by seeking out scientific studies like this one, or you need to seek the guidance of a health care practitioner who thinks outside of the box and understands that there is a major difference between “average” and “optimal.”

Getting back to vitamin B12, though, there are many important reasons to make sure you’re getting enough in your diet. Why is Vitamin B12 so Important?

It’s been estimated that 40 percent of the U.S. population is deficient in vitamin B12, a serious public health problem when you consider how important this vitamin is for your health. Vitamin B12:

• Is needed for proper digestion, food absorption, carbohydrate and fat metabolism.
• Helps folic acid regulate the formation of red blood cells, and helps your body use iron.
• Keep your nervous system healthy by assisting the nerves of your body to function and communicate in an optimal manner.
• Helps in cell formation and cellular longevity.
• Helps support female reproductive health.
• Promote normal nerve growth and development by maintaining the fatty sheaths, which play a vital role as they cover and protect your nerve endings.
• Is critical to your circulation and adrenal hormone production
• Helps boost your immunity.
• Supports a healthy mood and feelings of well-being, and provides excellent support for your memory, mental clarity, and concentration.
• Helps to boost your energy levels.

Who is at Risk of Vitamin B12 Deficiency?

The group most at risk is those who do not eat meat or animal products. Vitamin B12 deficiency is VERY common, almost universal, in strict vegetarians and vegans, as vitamin B12 is NOT readily available, if at all, in plants.

Vitamin B12 is found almost exclusively in animal tissues, including foods like beef and beef liver, lamb, snapper, venison, salmon, shrimp, scallops, poultry and eggs. And, the few plant foods that are sources of B12 are actually B12 analogs. Simply put, an analog is a substance that blocks the uptake of true B12. The result being, your body’s need for the nutrient actually increases.

You may also be at risk of B12 deficiency if you have stomach problems. This is because B12 needs the help of a protein in order to be absorbed. That protein is called intrinsic factor, and if your stomach is irritated or inflamed, it may stop producing intrinsic factor, making it nearly impossible for your body to absorb B12.

Other factors also influence your body’s B12 levels:

• Age: People over 50 tend to have a limited ability to absorb B12.

• Drinking coffee: A study in Clinical Chemistry found that people who drank four or more cups of coffee a day had a 15 percent reduction in multiple B vitamins compared to those who drank no coffee.

• Taking medications: Many prescription drugs diminish your body’s levels of B12, including antibiotics, anticancer medications, anticonvulsants, anti-gout medications, antihypertensives, antiParkinson’s medications, antipsychotics, antituberculosis medications, birth control pills, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and potassium replacements.

• Those who have undergone weight-loss surgery, which can impair your body’s ability to absorb B12 and other vitamins.

• Those exposed to laughing gas anesthesia or nitrous oxide.

If you are concerned about getting enough vitamin B12, it is important to know that Vitamin B12 is the largest vitamin known and it is not easily absorbed. Saying that, Herbalife nutrition is Cellular Nutrition and it makes sure that you get the most of the intake of our supplements. You can find adequate and optimal levels of B12 in the following products:

Formula 1 Nutritional Shake Mix (150% RDA of B12 per shake)
Formula 2 Multivitamin Tablet (600% RDA per daily intake: 3 tablets)

These two definitely nicely do the trick!

Sources: U.S. News & World Report September 8, 2008 & Neurology 2008; 71: 826-832
and Dr Mercola’s E-zine & wellnesscoach@wordpress.com