How to Live to 100

Health Tips

After Mom died the kids talked a lot about when I will die (or rather when am I leaving for heaven).  They have decided that I can go when I am 140 years old and they will go when they are 100 years old.  Of course, for this to come even close to happening some major changes will have to happen in Mommy's diet.  While we continue to focus on eating healthier we still aren't close on eating enough vegetables ... and I am not close to getting into a regular exercise routine.  But I guess that is why I titled the blog Health Quest ... we have lots of room for questing!

Beginner Core Exercises

Beginner Core Exercises

Have not tried these yet but I wanted to keep them for future reference.

Exercise Types

Exercise Types

Top 10 Foods Gone Bad

http://www.livescience.com/health/top_10_good_food_bad-1.html

1. Pizza
   
2. Commercial Organic
   
3. Breakfast Cereal
   
4. Sliced Bread
   
5. Popcorn
   
6. Russet Potatoes
   
7. Packaged Green Tea
   
8. Canned Soup
   
9. Yogurt
   
10. Fishsticks
    

Anticancer: A New Way of Life

I am just finishing reading the book Anticancer. I highly recommend it. It not longer gives recommendations for eating healthier (and other tips) but it also tells you why. We are aggressively moving to a healthier life style ... this week I am giving up coffee and moving to Japanese green tea. The benefits of green tea are higher in Japanese green tea versus Chinese green tea due to the levels of EGCG which reduce new vessels needed for tumor growth, its a powerful antioxidant, detoxifer and facilities the death of cancer cells by apoptosis. Yeah, you'll have to read the book to understand that last sentence. Bottomline ... we all have cancer in our bodies and the goal is to keep it from rearing its ugly head. And to beat it back when it does.

Bolthouse Farm Juices

We discovered Bolthouse Farms which makes carrot juice, vegetable juice and smoothies.  They use flash pasteurization which appears not to kill all the good enzymes in the juice (but who really knows).  I guess the very best thing to do is to juice fruit and vegetables at home ... and we do ... but sometimes you just need to grab something on the run and the Bolthouse products appear to be good.

Healthy Peanut Butter & Jelly

Jelly without sugar and it tastes fantastic!  It is sweetened with grape juice.  Our favorite is strawberry but we are working on trying all of them!  The jelly is about half way down the jelly isle below your belly.  We combine this jelly with the peanut butter made at HEB ... the peanut butter that you can actually make yourself right in front of the bulk section ... then surround it with sprouted whole wheat bread.  We have a classic sandwich made a healthy way!  Very cool!

Sprouted Wheat Bread

HEB now carries sprouted whole wheat bread.  It is really good!  From their website you can read about how they process the bread -- below is a description of the sprouting process.

This really is the most commonly asked question from customers from coast to coast. Our sprouted grain breads, bagels, buns, pizzas, and tortillas are truly unique in that they are made with "Sprouted Whole Wheat" as opposed to flour. Most bakeries get up in the morning, open up a bag of flour and make something. At Alvarado Street Bakery, our process is quite a bit different. We take whole, organic wheat berries and soak them in filtered water until they "sprout", until they actually begin to grow. When the excess water has been drained, we grind the "living sprouts" into dough. What comes out of our grinder is not a dry powder, but a wet and mushy dough that becomes the basis for all of our recipes. Add a little fresh yeast, some sea salt and a bit of sweetness (natural honey, organic raisins, organic dates, pure barley malt) and there you have it, the ultimate whole grain bread! The concept of baking bread with sprouted grains is not a new idea. In fact, it dates back to biblical times when sprouted spelt (what we now know as wheat) was combined with sprouted lentil beans and sprouted soybeans. The sprouting process naturally converts starchy grains into easily digested maltose and other complex sugars. There is enzyme activity created during germination that begins to "pre-digest" the grains, thereby making the grains and their nutrients and vitamins more readily assimilated by the body. The addition of the sprouted legumes (soybeans/lentil beans) provided the essential amino acids necessary for acomplete protein. This mixture was then crushed, formed into ovals and slow-baked. Centuries later, our recipe is basically the same.

Seeing RED ... NingXia Red

David and I are drinking an ounce of NigXia Red each morning -- and WOW! We can really tell a difference. We no longer have the afternoon crash that sends us rushing off for soda (which we gave up about 2 months ago). We can tell that we are thinking clearer and have more energy! Way cool!

http://www.naturalnews.com/022639.html

Negative Agave Press

Some friends shared this article about agave. It looks like (just like everything else) there is good quality agave and agave that ain't so good.

http://www.naturalnews.com/024892.html

Carrot Juice

We have discovered carrot juice and WOW!  It is so good and so good for you!  Below is a link to one of the many articles we have read on the benefits of carrot juice.  

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/carrotjuice.html

Hallelujah Diet

There is a company called Hallelujah Acres (www.hacres.com) that talks about Biblical nutrition.  I agree with most of it ... but I think they fall down on the moderation portion -- meaning I think they go a bit over board.  But the material was interesting and they publish a good recipe book.  The basic principles are as follows:

Stay away from ...

1. Animal source foods
2. Refind sugar
3. Refined grains
4. Refind table salt
5. Caffeine

Plus ...

1. Breath correctly
2. Exercise
3. Get sunlight

I tried their BarleyMax product which tasted horrible.  So it may be good for you but there is no way that we would be able to "sell" it at our house.

What does MDA have to say??

We met with the complementary medicine doctor at MD Anderson.  Interestingly enough he basically told us what we were already learning ... no conflicts.  Here are some of the notes I took during the appointment.  He confirmed everything we have been researching on sugar and flour -- bascially it ain't good for you. We need to focus on staying hydrated, eating mostly fruits & vegetables and getting 30 minutes of sunlight a day. He recommended agave nectar to replace sugar. Other items on the list of recommendations included Brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, garlic, onions, hallots, organic spinach, watercress, soy, freshly ground flax seeds, tomato paste and olive oil, turmeric, black pepper, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, dried cranberries, organic dark grapes, fresh orange juice, fresh tangerine juice, green tea and dates. We have all heard about eating a rainbow ... and he focused on that as well. So Mom is now the proud owner of a flaxseed drinder and citrus juicer. Hopefully all his suggestions will have a positive impact.

10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know

10 Things the Food Industry Doesn't Want You to Know
By Adam Voiland Adam Voiland – Mon Oct 20, 5:31 pm ET
Two nutrition experts argue that you can't take marketing campaigns at face value

With America's obesity problem among kids reaching crisis proportions, even junk food makers have started to claim they want to steer children toward more healthful choices. In a study released earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that about 32 percent of children were overweight but not obese, 16 percent were obese, and 11 percent were extremely obese. Food giant PepsiCo, for example, points out on its website that "we can play an important role in helping kids lead healthier lives by offering healthy product choices in schools." The company highlights what it considers its healthier products within various food categories through a "Smart Spot" marketing campaign that features green symbols on packaging. PepsiCo's inclusive criteria--explained here--award spots to foods of dubious nutritional value such as Diet Pepsi, Cap'n Crunch cereal, reduced-fat Doritos, and Cheetos, as well as to more nutritious products such as Quaker Oatmeal and Tropicana Orange Juice.

But are wellness initiatives like Smart Spot just marketing ploys? Such moves by the food industry may seem to be a step in the right direction, but ultimately makers of popular junk foods have an obligation to stockholders to encourage kids to eat more--not less--of the foods that fuel their profits, says David Ludwig, a pediatrician and the co-author of a commentary published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association that raises questions about whether big food companies can be trusted to help combat obesity. Ludwig and article co-author Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, both of whom have long histories of tracking the food industry, spoke with U.S. News and highlighted 10 things that junk food makers don't want you to know about their products and how they promote them.

1. Junk food makers spend billions advertising unhealthy foods to kids. According to the Federal Trade Commission, food makers spend some $1.6 billion annually to reach children through the traditional media as well the Internet, in-store advertising, and sweepstakes. An article published in 2006 in the Journal of Public Health Policy puts the number as high as $10 billion annually. Promotions often use cartoon characters or free giveaways to entice kids into the junk food fold. PepsiCo has pledged that it will advertise only "Smart Spot" products to children under 12.

2. The studies that food producers support tend to minimize health concerns associated with their products.In fact, according to a review led by Ludwig of hundreds of studies that looked at the health effects of milk, juice, and soda, the likelihood of conclusions favorable to the industry was several times higher among industry-sponsored research than studies that received no industry funding. "If a study is funded by the industry, it may be closer to advertising than science," he says.

3. Junk food makers donate large sums of money to professional nutrition associations.The American Dietetic Association, for example, accepts money from companies such as Coca-Cola, which get access to decision makers in the food and nutrition marketplace via ADA events and programs, as this release explains. As Nestle notes in her blog and discusses at length in her book Food Politics, the group even distributes nutritional fact sheets that are directly sponsored by specific industry groups. This one, for example, which is sponsored by an industry group that promotes lamb, rather unsurprisingly touts the nutritional benefits of lamb. The ADA's reasoning: "These collaborations take place with the understanding that ADA does not support any program or message that does not correspond with ADA's science-based healthful-eating messages and positions," according to the group's president, dietitian Martin Yadrick. "In fact, we think it's important for us to be at the same table with food companies because of the positive influence that we can have on them."

4. More processing means more profits, but typically makes the food less healthy.Minimally processed foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables obviously aren't where food companies look for profits. The big bucks stem from turning government-subsidized commodity crops--mainly corn, wheat, and soybeans--into fast foods, snack foods, and beverages. High-profit products derived from these commodity crops are generally high in calories and low in nutritional value.

5. Less-processed foods are generally more satiating than their highly processed counterparts.Fresh apples have an abundance of fiber and nutrients that are lost when they are processed into applesauce. And the added sugar or other sweeteners increase the number of calories without necessarily making the applesauce any more filling. Apple juice, which is even more processed, has had almost all of the fiber and nutrients stripped out. This same stripping out of nutrients, says Ludwig, happens with highly refined white bread compared with stone-ground whole wheat bread.

6. Many supposedly healthy replacement foods are hardly healthier than the foods they replace.In 2006, for example, major beverage makers agreed to remove sugary sodas from school vending machines. But the industry mounted an intense lobbying effort that persuaded lawmakers to allow sports drinks and vitamin waters that--despite their slightly healthier reputations--still can be packed with sugar and calories.

7. A health claim on the label doesn't necessarily make a food healthy.Health claims such as "zero trans fats" or "contains whole wheat" may create the false impression that a product is healthy when it's not. While the claims may be true, a product is not going to benefit your kid's health if it's also loaded with salt and sugar or saturated fat, say, and lacks fiber or other nutrients. "These claims are calorie distracters," adds Nestle. "They make people forget about the calories." Dave DeCecco, a spokesperson for PepsiCo, counters that the intent of a labeling program such as Smart Spot is simply to help consumers pick a healthier choice within a category. "We're not trying to tell people that a bag of Doritos is healthier than asparagus. But, if you're buying chips, and you're busy, and you don't have a lot of time to read every part of the label, it's an easy way to make a smarter choice," he says.

8. Food industry pressure has made nutritional guidelines confusing.As Nestle explained in Food Politics, the food industry has a history of preferring scientific jargon to straight talk. As far back as 1977, public health officials attempted to include the advice "reduce consumption of meat" in an important report called Dietary Goals for the United States. The report's authors capitulated to intense pushback from the cattle industry and used this less-direct and more ambiguous advice: "Choose meats, poultry, and fish which will reduce saturated fat intake." Overall, says Nestle, the government has a hard time suggesting that people eat less of anything.

9. The food industry funds front groups that fight antiobesity public health initiatives.Unless you follow politics closely, you wouldn't necessarily realize that a group with a name like the Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) has anything to do with the food industry. In fact,Ludwig and Nestle point out, this group lobbies aggressively against obesity-related public health campaigns--such as the one directed at removing junk food from schools--and is funded, according to the Center for Media and Democracy, primarily through donations from big food companies such as Coca-Cola, Cargill, Tyson Foods, and Wendy's.

10. The food industry works aggressively to discredit its critics.According to the new JAMA article, the Center for Consumer Freedom boasts that "[our strategy] is to shoot the messenger. We've got to attack [activists'] credibility as spokespersons." Here's the group's entry on Marion Nestle.

The bottom line, says Nestle, is quite simple: Kids need to eat less, include more fruits and vegetables, and limit the junk food.

Agave ... yummy!

We are doing more experimentation with agave nectar. Today's adventure includes vanilla bean ice cream -- yum! I was also able to find some conversion data for agave: 1 cup of sugar = 1/4 cup of agave and 1/2 cup of maple syrup or honey = 1/4 to 3/8 cup of agave. Regina and I have selected several recipes to try ... some yummy muffins loaded with veggies.

Benefits of Sprouted Grains

So I started reading about "sprouted" grains and the associated benefits. I was actually able to find sprouted breads in the frozen section of HEB. They are really, really good. Below is a good explanation of sprouted grains that I found at www.naturaltherapypages.com. Sprouted grains, unlike processed grains, are extremely nutritious and provide a valuable part of any healthy diet. But what are sprouted grains exactly and how can they be used?

The Problems with Processed Grains

The health benefits of wheat, rice, and other grains are entirely dependent on how they are eaten. Refined, processed grains are stripped of most of their nutrients, as the brain and the germ are removed. This is done in order to be able to preserve the grain for longer. When making white flour, over half of the vitamins B1, B2, B3, E, folic acid, calcium phosphorus, zinc, copper, iron, and fiber are lost.

Eating refined grains has negative health effects, and they can directly contribute to problems such as obesity, high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, hyperglycaemia, and diabetes. The problems from eating refined, processed grains has only really been well documented over the past one hundred years, but people have known of the problem for thousands of years. Traditionally, all grains and seeds, including rice, were sprouted. As much as ten to twenty times more nutrients are found in sprouted seeds compared to processed seeds. Wheat seeds were processed and eaten 2000 years ago but this was only during times of famine or by armies that were on the move.

Benefits of Sprouted Grains

When grains, seeds and nuts are germinated, their nutritional content changes and, as they are generally not cooked, they retain their natural plant enzymes. These enzymes are beneficial for helping the digestion of the seeds and nuts in the digestive tract. As well as retaining the enzymes, they also retain the nutrients that would otherwise be destroyed by cooking. Sprouted grains, seeds and nuts also encourage the growth of good bacteria, help to keep the colon clean, and are high in protective antioxidants.

Sprouts, as well as being very digestible, are a good source of fibre and protein, and are high in vitamins and minerals. As an example, sunflower sprouts are high in vitamins A and C, while mung sprouts are high in vitamin C, iron, and potassium. Most seeds are high in phosphorus, which is important for alertness, increased mental abilities, and healthy bones and teeth. In its cooked form, wheat can cause mucus congestion, allergic reactions and constipation. In is sprouted form, the starch is converted to simple sugars, meaning that many wheat intolerant people are able to eat sprouted wheat bread without any problems.

Sprouted Grain Breads

Sprouted grain breads are significantly higher in protein, vitamins and enzymes, and the complex starches are converted into natural sugars. They are also low GI, so they are digested more slowly by the body, keeping the blood sugar levels stable for longer, making people feel more satisfied. This leads to snacking less. It is interesting to note that the more highly processed a food is, the higher GI it is. A loaf of white bread is significantly higher GI than a loaf of sprouted grain bread.

Hydrate! Hydrate! Hydrate!

Every source I have read talks about hydration. Basically very few of us are getting the true amount of water we need. Dehydration of the cells can force oxygen out of the cell, block the cell's ability to produce energy, damage the cell's DNA, increase cellular acidity, and cause cellular death. By the time you are thirsty, the damage to the body has already taken place. Per Dr. Brantley you should be drinking at least 50 to 75 percent of your body weight in ounces per day. That means that if you weigh 150 pounds, you need to drink 75 to 112 ounces of pure water per day.

Robert Rodgers published an article at ezinearticles.com that outlines the mind-boggling benefits of water. See below ...

Water means the difference between good health and disease. Consider some of the benefits.

Good Hydration Cuts the Risk of Disease

Research studies show that good hydration cuts the risk of breast cancer by 79%, reduces the risk of colon cancer by 45% and slashes the risk of bladder cancer by 50%.

Good Hydration Enhances Mental Clarity

A drop of just 2% in body water causes short term memory problems and significant difficulties with concentration. Good hydration helps you become mentally alert throughout the day.

Good Hydration Improves Digestion

A digestive system without sufficient fluid is constipated. Fluid is essential for nutrients to pass through the delicate membranes of the intestines. If the body is adequately hydrated sufficient fluid is present in the digestive track to distribute nutrients throughout the body.

Good Hydration Softens Skin Texture

Adequate hydration makes it possible for water to move through all the membranes of your body so that the largest organ in the body, the skin, is adequately hydrated.

Skin texture softens. The natural aging process is slowed. Wrinkles vanish. Bagging skin tightens.

Why bother to go through the pain of a face lift when giving your body water is a safe, natural and effective alternative with no complications?

Good Hydration Slows the Aging Process

The reason for poor hydration as we age is the gradual decline of the thirst mechanism in the brain. When we are young and get thirsty there is no stopping us when we are thirsty.

A different story emerges as we age. The thirst signal becomes distorted because we ignore it and because we drink dehydrating drinks such as coffee or alcohol.

Good hydration lowers the surface tension of the water that is ingested and reduces the cluster size of its molecules. Wetting capacity is increased, making water more readily available for transport to each and every cell of the body.

Good Hydration Relieves Back and Joint Pain

A little known fact is that adequate hydration has been shown to relieve back and joint pain for as many as 80% of sufferers.

Good Hydration Helps Control Body Weight

For many people the thirst mechanism in the body is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger in one third of Americans. Instead of drinking water we eat.

Adequate hydration resets the thirst mechanism in the brain so that hunger is not confused with thirst. The obvious benefit is a subsequent loss of excess weight that is caused by eating too much food.

In summary, what are the mind-boggling benefits of good hydration?

* We look and feel younger.

* Mental clarity gets a welcome boost.

* Our digestive system sends nutrients to each cell

* Weight control is restored.

* Ability to handle stress is enhanced.

* Pain from aching joints is reduced.

* Overall flexibility is restored.

All systems in the body function at their peak potential with good hydration. Sound too good to be true?

It is not. As simple minded as it may sound, water is the secret to good health.

Sugar Free Birthday

The kids turned four years old. The traditional birthdays that we grew up with were all about sugar. So David and I tried to see if we could figure out a way to have a yummy, sugar free birthday still making sure that the kids got to enjoy some yummy treats. We found a cookbook with recipes using agave nectar. We tried two different recipes in order to pick the right birthday cupcakes we decided on one with carrots, zucchini, walnuts and raisins ... they turned out really good. We made cream cheese frosting and homemade strawberry ice cream. None of it had sugar ... but it was really sweet! This was not an easy undertaking ... it took five trips to the grocery store plus several "bad" patches but at the end of the day we got it all figured out.

Agave Nectar ... Replacing Sugar

So once we discovered how bad refined sugar was we went on a search for an alternative and several sources including www.vegfamily.com pointed to agave nectar.

What is Agave?
Agave nectar (or agave syrup, as it's sometimes called) is a plant-based sweetener derived from the agave cactus, native to Mexico. Used for centuries to make tequila, agave juice produces a light golden syrup with a sweetness 1-1/2 times that of sugar, so you can use less in cooking. The light variety (there are also amber and dark grades) has a mild taste that won't alter the existing balance of flavors in your recipe as honey or maple syrup might do. It also won't crystallize with age. And it's got only 20 calories per teaspoon!

As with maple syrup, agave juice is extracted from the plant by tapping into it, pouring it off, then putting it through a filtering and heating process. The slight heat allows excess water to evaporate and activate enzymes that convert the existing carbohydrates into fructose, resulting in a sweet taste.

Why Is Agave Good for Me?
Like honey or maple syrup, agave is considered a "natural" sweetener because it doesn't contain any added chemicals as part of processing. This means that agave is a great, safe sweetener for children.

Many brands of agave are also considered to be "raw", or virtually unprocessed. The raw label benefits those on living foods diets, which require that foods are never heated above 118 degrees F. Anything higher and the natural enzymes in food (which help you digest the food and also provide immune system and other benefits) are denatured and begin to deteriorate. Another bonus: many kinds of agave are available in organic varieties, too.

Finally, agave is considered to be a low-glycemic sweetener, which means it doesn't spike blood sugar levels the way refined cane sugar does. The syrup is about 90% fructose, the same natural sweetener found in most fruits. Fructose is processed more slowly in the body than is glucose (sugar), providing a gradual, steady supply of energy to the body.

Whereas glucose, or white sugar, rates a GI (glycemic index) of 100, agave's GI, considered low, ranges from 28-32 (honey's is 58). This also means that agave is suitable for type II diabetics, the only all-natural sweetener besides stevia, an herbal sweetener, to gain this privilege. It's also often recommended for anti-candida yeast diets. Some brands even bear the Glycemic Research Institute's "low glycemic" label as well.

Progress with Behavior

The change in the kids has been tremendous. The only time we have "fits" (and we rarely have them) is when they are tired. The seem to have more energy yet no "ups and downs" and no hyperactivity. Its true -- you ARE what you EAT!

Refined Flours

So I decided to research what refined, enriched flour actually meant ...

Basically, the nutrients are stripped out, and then a handful are added back in, resulting in too much of some, and too little of others.

When flour is refined, it is not just bran that is removed. The wheat germ, an important part of the grain containing oils and the nutrients in the grain that are responsible for the potential for life and growth in the grain, is removed also. The remaining white starch is relatively devoid of nutritional variety.

What is left of the grain is little more than a bit of simple carbohydrate, which converts so rapidly to sugar in the body that it is not far different from eating sugar directly. Addition of preservatives and chemicals does not help the situation any, nor does the addition of supplementary vitamins and minerals. They are added back in unnatural amounts and proportions, and only a small amount of the total number are added back in. Added nutrients also may not be in the most digestible forms.

This information was written by Laura Wheeler, Owner of Firelight Business Enterprises, Inc. Her explanation made the most sense after reading numerous other sources.

So basically we are eating the sugar that our bodies cannot metabolize which leads to oxygen starved cells.

What Happened to Uncle Bert?

Uncle Bert decided to join Medifast in order to loose some extra weight. He dropped 65 pounds in record time and he feels much better. Now Bo has started the process as well. Bert looks great but more importantly he feels a lot better with much more energy. http://www.medifast1.com

What is Refined Sugar?

What is Refined Sugar?

Sugar refining is the process of extracting out the sugar (sucrose) from the plant materials and then removing other unwanted materials from the extracted raw sugar.

The term "refining" means to remove by a purification process, certain coarsenesses or impurities. Sugar refining is the process of extracting out the sugar (sucrose) from the plant materials and then removing other unwanted materials from the extracted raw sugar. These substances can include remaining stalk fibers, soil, insect parts, molds, bacteria and waxes.

Table sugar comes from two primary sources: sugar cane (60%) and sugar beets (40%). Sugar cane grows in tropical and sub-tropical areas while sugar beets, tuberous white bulbs that are members of the common red beet family, are grown in temperate climates. The plants contain juices from which sugar crystals, syrups and molasses are made.

Sugar cane and beets are subjected to the same refining processes and produce identical products. In the repeated processes of washing, boiling, centrifuging, filtering and drying, nearly all of the plant’s nutritional elements are lost. What remains in the raw sugar product is 95% sucrose along with nutritionally insignificant minerals. "Raw Sugar" is not a raw or natural product at all, but is the highly refined, nutritionally depleted, 95% sucrose product before it is even further refined. IF sanitized by steaming this "raw sugar" can be marketed as turbinado. To produce the white crystals we call table sugar, bleaching agents such as lime and carbon dioxide are added. The sugar is then further "purified" (refined) and whitened by being filtered in a water-added liquid state through beef bone char. This process removes even more minerals. Sucrose in its completely refined stage is more familiarly called table sugar. "Pure" sugar refers to chemical purity, devoid of all nutritional and other elements, and not to a wholesome quality.

The completely refined white sugar product is now over 99.9% sucrose and for all practical purposes contains no nutritional elements such as vitamins, minerals, proteins or fibers. This accounts for expressions such as "empty calories" and "junk food".

Molasses is a by-product of sugar refining—a sweet thickened liquid obtained from the second extraction; and black-strap molasses in the liquid left after the third extraction. Light and dark brown sugar are simple refined table sugar to which is added 12-13% molasses. Confectioners sugar (powdered sugar) is pulverized white table sugar.

Sucrose is widely known by a variety of other names including beet sugar, brown sugar, cane sugar, confectioners sugar, invert sugar, powdered sugar, raw sugar, saccherose, table sugar and turbinado. Source is www.becomehealthynow.com.

Got Lazy ... and Paid for It!

Towards the end of the summer we really started getting a bit lazy nutritionally. The kids were getting more sugar than we really intended and it showed in their behavior. The nannies noticed it and so did we. We were seeing more and more "fits" and lots more "whining" ... they basically were no longer our kids. They were becoming little brats. So we decided to cut all juice except what we made ourselves, we cut out sweet snacks ... and basically started focusing on nutrition. The juice habit had started due to a constipation issue when they were smaller and on soy formula due to reflux.

1931 Discovery

In 1931 Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for discovering that cancer could not live in a highly oxygenated body. Basically cancer hates oxygen. So how do we drive oxygen out of our bodies? This is how Dr. Brantley outlines it in The Cure:

1. Incomplete metabolism of sugar created fermentation.
2. Fermentation forced oxygen out of the cell, causing cellular asphyxiation.
3. Cellular asphyxiation led to havoc and death at a cellular level.
4. Oxygen starvation at the cellular level created a fertile ground for cancer to grow.

So what foods are we unable to completely metabolize ... for one refined grains.

Brantley summarizes as "When a person eats too many refined grains or sugars that are not completely metabolized (used) in the cell, fermentation occurs, creating an anaerobic environment, forcing oxygen out. And when there is a lack of oxygen, it enables cancer to grow. Always remember, highly refined sugars and cooked meats contribute to creating an acidic environment, which forces oxygen out, leaving behind it an unbalanced environment, a virtual breeding ground for cancer and most other kinds of diseases."

Now how does this apply to my family ... that is the question?

The Cure

I started reading this book called The Cure. Its written by a man who lost his mother to cancer and his father to heart disease. He basically asked the question "why?". His book it a bit preachy but basically it boiled down to what we put into our bodies. By eating unhealthy foods we are basically sending an engraved invitation for disease to come right on into our bodies. More on this as the blog continues.

Gram's Cholesterol hits 354

With all the trauma going on with Gram no one was paying attention to her cholesterol level and once checked we discovered that it was way, way, way too high. This prompted me to start looking for low cholesterol cook books. I found several and I also picked up a book called The Cure.

Gram has Multiple Myeloma

Another event which fueled our nutritional goal was the diagnosis of multiple myeloma for Gram. It took several months for the reality of the diagnosis to hit us. At first Gram was in complete crisis mode and we were fighting to keep her alive ... once she was stable then we started to ask "now what?". I started asking questions about what she should eat and all we were told was "protein".

Making Baby Food

Up to this point we have been making our own baby food ... sweet potatoes, carrots, avocados, bananas, summer squash. But then we hit a wall -- no more fresh organic produce readily available (argh!). We miss the Whole Foods Market in Minneapolis! We are finding that we cannot find enough organic produce to keep the triplets feed ... at least not much of a variety. So we decided that organic is more important than making our own ... so we have started trying the organic canned baby food. It appears that organic has become more and more important to folks so there is actually a nice variety of organic baby food on the market. Plus we don't have to wear out our steamer and food processor ... we will just make our own when we find some really good lookin' organic produce!

Horizon Organic Milk

The kids move from formula to organic milk. The stuff costs a fortune but we are trying to make sure the kids are getting the best nutrition we can provide.