Well, not exactly. Eggs may look like one size, one shape fits the bill, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Your typical grocery store dozen will generally be white on the outside with a pale yellow yolk. The chickens who laid the eggs are generally kept in cages their entire lives, usually indoors in overcrowded conditions.
Keep in mind that the richer the color of yolk – the higher the nutritional value and protein content. A yolk that is pale is well, exactly what the color indicates, weak and not a good choice, whereas a yolk that is golden yellow to almost orange is generally your the best bet.
The cage free variety eggs are from birds raised without cages, but what isn't clear is whether or not the birds were raised indoors or out. The difference between a crowded metal building and a small pasture or outdoor lot can mean the difference between pale yellow yolk or a protein-rich golden yolk.
Free range eggs come from an animal that had some access to the outdoors each day. However, the label “free-range” does not necessarily mean that the animal actually spent any time outside. As long as a door to the outdoors is left open for a period of time, the animal can be considered free range.
Pasture raised eggs come from a traditional farming technique that means the animals were raised outside in a humane, ecologically sustainable manner and eat the foods that nature intended for them. Animals raised on a pasture generally deliver the dark golden yolks that are the highest in protein much more than their counterparts who are being fattened on a feedlot or in a confined facility. The non-confined label can also fall under this heading, and that means the animals were not confined in a feedlot and had continuous access to the outside throughout their lifetime.
When you see an egg with “No added hormones” on the label, don't waste the extra money. According to the American Pastured Poultry Association, by law, hogs and poultry cannot be given any hormones so the label is misleading.
Another common label is “No Antibiotic Use” which means exactly what it says, no antibiotics were administered to the animal during it's lifetime. If an animal becomes sick and requires antibiotics, it will be taken out of the population and treated, but not sold with this label.
100% Vegetarian Fed is another common label which simply means that the animals were not fed any animal by-products (think Mad Cow). This label however does not guarantee that they were raised outdoors or on pasture.
Last but not least, comes the egg that is labeled “Organic”. What that means is that the product, it's producer and the farmer have met the USDA's organic standards are are certified by a USDA-approved food-certifying agency. Organic poultry must be fed only organically grown feed without any animal byproducts and cannot be treated with hormones or antibiotics. In addition, the animals must have access to the outdoors and have access to pasture.
So many eggs, so many choices, but I know in my book, I get farm-fresh pasture raised eggs when they are available, and organic when they are not. Local in my book is king and organic a strong contender. To find a member of the American Pastured Poultry Producer near you, go to www.apppa.org/producers.htm
Special thanks to the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association – www.apppa.org
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Pesticides and Parkinson's
Summer has arrived, at least in my part of the country, and along with the warmer temps are the first blooms of perennial and annual flowers and the home gardens are underway. The farmer’s are tilling, planting and doing their farmer things and with all of the beauty and growth also comes the weeds, fungus, pests, and other growth-choking invaders.
Before you break out the pesticides or call in the professionals, there is something you should know. Well, let me take that back, there are a million different things you should know before you break out chemicals and pesticides, but there is one thing you should know that is currently in the news – pesticides have been linked to Parkinson’s disease.
Just this week Reuters writes that after a meeting of experts, evidence that pesticides can cause Parkinson’s disease is stronger than it has ever been. The experts have put together links between pesticides and Parkinson’s in animals and people, scientists say.
One study shows that farm workers who used the common weedkiller paraquat had two to three times the normal risk of Parkinson’s, a degenerative brain disease that eventually paralyzes patients.
A second study shows that animals exposed to paraquat have a build-up of protein called alpha-synuclein in their brains. This protein has been linked to Parkinson’s in the past.
Last but not least, this buildup of protein cells kills the same brain cells affected in Parkinson’s.
Now this “news” isn’t necessarily NEW, but it is news nonetheless. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center began reporting on the pesticide/Parkinson’s link in January, 2001. Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., professor of environmental medicine and dean for research at Rochester reported her team’s findings in the December 15, 2001, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
Cory-Slechta’s team studied the effects of a mixture of two very common agrichemicals, the herbicide paraquat and the fungicide maneb. Each is used by farmers on millions of acres in the United States alone. Maneb is applied widely on such crops as potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce and corn, and paraquat is used on corn, soybeans, cotton, fruit, and a variety of other products.
“The environmental reality is that several of these chemicals are used on the same crops and in the same geographical locations,” Cory-Slechta said. “You’ve got to get rid of the weeds. Then the insects. Then funguses. These are different chemicals that do different things, but they’re often applied in the same fields.”
Maneb, paraquat, and many other pesticides are used in the agriculture-rich areas of the country, including the Midwest, California, Florida and the Northeast. The map of their use mirrors areas of the country where people are more likely to die of Parkinson’s disease.
If anyone close to you has ever suffered the ravages of Parkinson’s disease, you will know without a doubt that Parkinson’s disease is not something you ever want to personally experience. Having watched not one but both of my grandmother’s succumb to the disease I will do whatever it takes to insure that I don’t walk their final path.
Just as we avoid known carcinogens and detrimental habits, we also should avoid at all costs any direct exposure to reduce the pesticide/Parkinson’s link. Don’t use it on your crops, gardens, etc. Don’t purchase food that has been grown in treated fields, and once again, I would suggest you buy only locally grown, organic produce. It’s the safest bet around.
Before you break out the pesticides or call in the professionals, there is something you should know. Well, let me take that back, there are a million different things you should know before you break out chemicals and pesticides, but there is one thing you should know that is currently in the news – pesticides have been linked to Parkinson’s disease.
Just this week Reuters writes that after a meeting of experts, evidence that pesticides can cause Parkinson’s disease is stronger than it has ever been. The experts have put together links between pesticides and Parkinson’s in animals and people, scientists say.
One study shows that farm workers who used the common weedkiller paraquat had two to three times the normal risk of Parkinson’s, a degenerative brain disease that eventually paralyzes patients.
A second study shows that animals exposed to paraquat have a build-up of protein called alpha-synuclein in their brains. This protein has been linked to Parkinson’s in the past.
Last but not least, this buildup of protein cells kills the same brain cells affected in Parkinson’s.
Now this “news” isn’t necessarily NEW, but it is news nonetheless. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center began reporting on the pesticide/Parkinson’s link in January, 2001. Deborah Cory-Slechta, Ph.D., professor of environmental medicine and dean for research at Rochester reported her team’s findings in the December 15, 2001, issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.
Cory-Slechta’s team studied the effects of a mixture of two very common agrichemicals, the herbicide paraquat and the fungicide maneb. Each is used by farmers on millions of acres in the United States alone. Maneb is applied widely on such crops as potatoes, tomatoes, lettuce and corn, and paraquat is used on corn, soybeans, cotton, fruit, and a variety of other products.
“The environmental reality is that several of these chemicals are used on the same crops and in the same geographical locations,” Cory-Slechta said. “You’ve got to get rid of the weeds. Then the insects. Then funguses. These are different chemicals that do different things, but they’re often applied in the same fields.”
Maneb, paraquat, and many other pesticides are used in the agriculture-rich areas of the country, including the Midwest, California, Florida and the Northeast. The map of their use mirrors areas of the country where people are more likely to die of Parkinson’s disease.
If anyone close to you has ever suffered the ravages of Parkinson’s disease, you will know without a doubt that Parkinson’s disease is not something you ever want to personally experience. Having watched not one but both of my grandmother’s succumb to the disease I will do whatever it takes to insure that I don’t walk their final path.
Just as we avoid known carcinogens and detrimental habits, we also should avoid at all costs any direct exposure to reduce the pesticide/Parkinson’s link. Don’t use it on your crops, gardens, etc. Don’t purchase food that has been grown in treated fields, and once again, I would suggest you buy only locally grown, organic produce. It’s the safest bet around.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Systems of Belief
One of the most challenging issues I deal with on a daily basis in working with people, and their health and nutrition, is the dreaded “belief system”. Now I know that belief systems are like a certain part of our backside anatomy, we all have one and they all stink. Having said that, I know that there are things that we can do to minimize the stink. Follow me for a minute.
I have a client who has a pet that has responded better to the therapy that I recommended than she has, and she even knows why. She began giving the enzymes and minerals to her pets when she first came to see me because she was skeptical, and even though the pet has had nothing short of a miraculous recovery, my client is still having limited success. You see the animal has no belief system to get in the way. Read the last line again, because it's real important. Somewhere in the back of my client's mind there is a program running that says “this won't really work”, where as the pet's body simply responds to being fed, and it's quality of life increases because we are putting much needed energy into the system. My client has, what all of us have to some degree, a preconceived idea of what the world is and what happens in it. But are we are seeing it through rosy colored glasses?
It has been scientifically proven that our brain edits as much as 50% of the information coming to it from the visual cortex. And what it is using to do the editing is your experiences. All the traumas from birth to the present, the ones you remember, and the ones you don't, are always running in the background. Every time something happens in the outer world that is similar, that old loop or program is reactivated. This conditioned response is how most of humanity operates on a daily basis.
Another example, I have a close friend that started doing everything with me when I first began studying about health, and we have had almost identical results. We have both rebuilt our fallen arches with mineral therapy, solved chronic digestive issues using enzymes, no more back/joint pain thanks to proteolytic enzymes, got our thyroids functioning again with hormone therapy, the list goes on. We both knew we were getting better, so that became our reality. As a side note her dog has is experiencing great benefits too, at almost 17, this dog is jumping into the car again, something it has not done in years.
Anyway the point is - the closer we come to an understanding that the world is what we make it, the closer we get to reality. Molecules under a dark field microscope change from particles to waves depending on whether or not we are looking at them so the jury has given it's verdict, thoughts become things. We create every minute, so if we can learn to look at things as they are rather than what they appear to be, have a glimpse behind the curtain, if you will, it can only make a difference for the better in our lives.
I have a client who has a pet that has responded better to the therapy that I recommended than she has, and she even knows why. She began giving the enzymes and minerals to her pets when she first came to see me because she was skeptical, and even though the pet has had nothing short of a miraculous recovery, my client is still having limited success. You see the animal has no belief system to get in the way. Read the last line again, because it's real important. Somewhere in the back of my client's mind there is a program running that says “this won't really work”, where as the pet's body simply responds to being fed, and it's quality of life increases because we are putting much needed energy into the system. My client has, what all of us have to some degree, a preconceived idea of what the world is and what happens in it. But are we are seeing it through rosy colored glasses?
It has been scientifically proven that our brain edits as much as 50% of the information coming to it from the visual cortex. And what it is using to do the editing is your experiences. All the traumas from birth to the present, the ones you remember, and the ones you don't, are always running in the background. Every time something happens in the outer world that is similar, that old loop or program is reactivated. This conditioned response is how most of humanity operates on a daily basis.
Another example, I have a close friend that started doing everything with me when I first began studying about health, and we have had almost identical results. We have both rebuilt our fallen arches with mineral therapy, solved chronic digestive issues using enzymes, no more back/joint pain thanks to proteolytic enzymes, got our thyroids functioning again with hormone therapy, the list goes on. We both knew we were getting better, so that became our reality. As a side note her dog has is experiencing great benefits too, at almost 17, this dog is jumping into the car again, something it has not done in years.
Anyway the point is - the closer we come to an understanding that the world is what we make it, the closer we get to reality. Molecules under a dark field microscope change from particles to waves depending on whether or not we are looking at them so the jury has given it's verdict, thoughts become things. We create every minute, so if we can learn to look at things as they are rather than what they appear to be, have a glimpse behind the curtain, if you will, it can only make a difference for the better in our lives.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Slow Down, Relax and Breathe
We live in a society that is always on the go. Whether we are jumping out of bed to commute to work, going to pick up the kids at school, running to the grocery store or stopping off for a late dinner, we go...go...go from the time we wake up in the morning until we fall back into bed each night.
Just living in this society can cause a bit of stress because the more we go, the more likely we are to feel tension, worry, irritability, frustration or even hopelessness. The sympathetic nervous system, often called the fight-or-flight response, is almost continually activated because when we get caught up in the go...go...go that continual activity can lead to things like poor concentration, fatigue, poor sleep, restlessness, as well as physical and emotional tension. According to Cathy Wong, N.D., the combination of chronic stress, poor sleep, poor diet and long hours can deplete the body and lead to a condition known as “adrenal fatigue.”
Well, I live in this world and deal with these issues so I turned to the experts and asked, “what can people do to slow down and regroup, even if it is just for a minute or two?” The answers I got were as varied as the experts I turned to, but they were all good and I definitely think a few are worth sharing here -
Relaxation breathing is something anyone can do anywhere – it takes virtually minutes to do and calms you down immediately. Breathe in through your nose, hold that breath and count to five as you concentrate on the position of your shoulders and hands. Now, let the air out through your mouth in one breath. Do this a minimum of three times. Don't hyperventilate, do it slowly and you will notice immediate results.
-Dr. Patricia A. Farrell www.drfarrell.net
1. Focus on taking “diaphragmatic breaths.” Let your abdomen expand with each breath in and notice the sensation of the air in your nostrils, lungs and abdomen.
2. You will note a variety of thoughts. Do not resist the thoughts; just gently let them go. As you let the go, focus back on the breath.
3. Do not resist the physical sensations you may notice. Relax one body part at a time working either up from your feet or from your head down.
4. You can either continue to focus on your breath, or if you prefer, focus on a repetitive phrase like “one,” “peace” or “calm.”
-Dr. Jay Winner www.stressremedy.com
Get moving - Simply standing up and moving will bring more oxygen to your brain and help you think more clearly. Put your work on hold and go for a brisk walk. Chances are good that simply getting away from your desk and taking your focus off your work or your problem will generate a creative idea or two.
- Lynn A. Robinson, M.Ed. www.LynnRobinson.com
Laugh! People will wonder what you're up to. How long has it been since you've had a rolling-on-the-ground laugh? A true belly laugh, that that rises up uncontrollably when you're completely tickled? Too long? Laughter is good for your soul, your mood and (as some studies have shown) your immunity. People who laugh a lot have a more robust immune system than those who don't. So look for funny things around you and take the opportunity to laugh!
- Laura Stack, www.theproductivitypro.com
It's the little things sometimes, that moment in traffic, at your desk, in the school-drop off lane – wherever you are, take a moment, relax and breathe, your day may just go a little bit easier, a little bit slower and clearer - most importantly, you may just enjoy it all a little bit more.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Coughs, Colds and Proteolytic Whats?
Ahhh January – the holidays are behind us and cold and flu season is right on schedule. Coughs, fevers, sore throats and the dreaded cold are making their post-holiday rounds spreading moans, groans and sick days. Vitamin C, chicken soup, throat lozenges and aspirin are always wise choices, and even boosting the immune system with Echinacea, Oregano and Elderberry supplements can take the edge off.
But did you know there is a little something you can do for yourself each and every day that will not only boost your immune system but also greatly improve your overall health? Something that can send a cold or flu bug packing before you even get sick? In a word...or make that two words...think proteolytic enzymes.
When we are living and eating from the modern diet – things like white flour, white rice, pasteurized milk, processed cheese, chemically preserved foods, soda pop, candy, TV dinners – well you get the idea, when everything we eat has been cooked and processed, we force our body to divert its production of enzymes away from the proteolytic enzymes designed to govern our metabolic functions into enzymes designed to break down dead protein in our diets.
According to Jon Barron, director of the Baseline of Health Foundation, supplementing with digestive enzymes at mealtime can ease that burden on the body so that it no longer has to divert it's resources. Supplementing with proteolytic enzymes between meals means that the enzymes can go straight into the bloodstream and augment the proteolytic functions that are occurring in your body 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
So what does this mean for your immune system? How can a proteolytic enzyme actually make a difference as to whether or not the cold your kids bring home from school will affect you? Simple. Barron writes that the primary vehicle the immune system uses for destroying invaders is enzymes. Macrophages for example literally digest invaders with proteolytic enzymes and supplementation significantly improves the ability of your immune system to do its job. Not only that, bacteria, molds, viruses and fungi are protein/amino acid based and proteolytic enzymes taken between meals literally go into the bloodstream and digest these invaders before they take hold.
Proteolytic enzymes are available in any and all health food stores. Barron recommends that whatever brand you choose needs to have a lot of protease – at least 200,000 HUT, 300,000 if you can find it. Make sure that your enzyme not only has protease, but a variety of types – allowing it to work optimally in a variety of pH ranges.
Here's to a cough and cold free season!
But did you know there is a little something you can do for yourself each and every day that will not only boost your immune system but also greatly improve your overall health? Something that can send a cold or flu bug packing before you even get sick? In a word...or make that two words...think proteolytic enzymes.
When we are living and eating from the modern diet – things like white flour, white rice, pasteurized milk, processed cheese, chemically preserved foods, soda pop, candy, TV dinners – well you get the idea, when everything we eat has been cooked and processed, we force our body to divert its production of enzymes away from the proteolytic enzymes designed to govern our metabolic functions into enzymes designed to break down dead protein in our diets.
According to Jon Barron, director of the Baseline of Health Foundation, supplementing with digestive enzymes at mealtime can ease that burden on the body so that it no longer has to divert it's resources. Supplementing with proteolytic enzymes between meals means that the enzymes can go straight into the bloodstream and augment the proteolytic functions that are occurring in your body 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
So what does this mean for your immune system? How can a proteolytic enzyme actually make a difference as to whether or not the cold your kids bring home from school will affect you? Simple. Barron writes that the primary vehicle the immune system uses for destroying invaders is enzymes. Macrophages for example literally digest invaders with proteolytic enzymes and supplementation significantly improves the ability of your immune system to do its job. Not only that, bacteria, molds, viruses and fungi are protein/amino acid based and proteolytic enzymes taken between meals literally go into the bloodstream and digest these invaders before they take hold.
Proteolytic enzymes are available in any and all health food stores. Barron recommends that whatever brand you choose needs to have a lot of protease – at least 200,000 HUT, 300,000 if you can find it. Make sure that your enzyme not only has protease, but a variety of types – allowing it to work optimally in a variety of pH ranges.
Here's to a cough and cold free season!
Monday, December 25, 2006
Eating Well in the Modern World
For me eating clean, organic foods is not arrogance, not a statement of “look how PC I am”, or “look how well I eat”. It is not arrogance, unless you enjoy paying seven dollars for a pound of chicken - to me that is not fun at all. It's just plain stupidity. In all truth, eating organic is a pain in the ass. I get so tired of having to filter through all the labels, misleading advertisements, advertorials, and food industry hype coming from both camps. I just wish that it was harder for the people who don't care about their health instead of the other way around. Healthy food should be the norm, not the exception, and it says a lot about our culture that it has gone this far backwards.
Yeah, I really relish going all over town burning $3.00 a gallon gas just to find the spelt bread I like. Oh, and then there's the fact that it's $5.00 a loaf. I really like that too. Wait, then it's over there to another health food store to find the organic cilantro, if they have it, and it's not rotten. And then hit the local big grocer on the way home to get the few things they carry that I can eat, (or they were out of at the health food store) because it's a little cheaper. Oh, and now throw in the Wal-Mart factor. They are starting to carry a lot of good, really cheap organic foods, so I stop there even though it raises my guilt - as well as my stress level - but hell it's $4.99 a bottle for organic olive oil, and it tastes better than the $12.99 bottle from the health food store so what's a budget conscious guy like me supposed to do?
I can't even enjoy a simple, occasional meal out any more, because every time I do I feel like crap for days while my body cleans out all the MSG and other toxins contained in almost all aspects of the food supply. Eating well isn't something I can necessarily afford to do, but it is something I know that I cannot afford not to do. The alternative is to be slowly and knowingly poisoned. Which the dude cannot abide. So at the end of the day, I pray. I pray for a day when healthy food is the norm and not the exception. When people who want to eat unhealthy food have to struggle to find bad-for-you-food like I have to search for the good, clean food. A day when consumer watchdog agencies protect the consumer, and not the corporations.
No sir, eating well in today's world is not fun, not fun at all. And navigating the modern food climate can be a nightmare if you don't have a road map. That is the very reason for this blog. To shorten the learning curve and make it easier for people to eat better, and be healthier, without spending a fortune, or the rest of our lives doing it. So I'll shut up now and go back to my eggs, cheese, and apples. See ya -
Ho, Ho, Hum...
Tis the Season for happiness, togetherness, giving, receiving. Well you get the hint, “great tidings of comfort and joy.” But what if happiness isn't the prevailing theme? What if loneliness, sadness, and even depression are what you are feeling?
Not only is that not good for your mental health, it is also harmful to your physical well being. In Lessons From The Miracle Doctors by Jon Barron, he points out that depression can by as hard on your physical body as stress, which we all know can be a killer. “Your body is a product of your thoughts. The cells of your body have receptor sites for the various neuro-hormones you produce. Your immune cells, to use just one example, have receptor sites for each of those hormones. When you are happy, you produce a set of neuro-hormones that are picked up by the cells of your immune system. These particular neuro-hormones tell your immune system to jack up – which it does. In other words, happy thoughts improve your health. However, when you are depressed, the opposite happens. The neuro-hormones your body produces literally shut down your immune system. In effect, negative thoughts can actually kill you.”
Spend this day focusing on happy. Look around you and be grateful for the things you do have, give no energy to those things you don't. If you are alone, go to a soup kitchen and volunteer, if you are sad write a list of five things that make you happy. Go to the video store, read a good book, be grateful for the moment. If you spend enough time and energy focusing on what you are grateful for, the things that bring you down will lose their strength. Spend this day in gratitude, your body will thank you for it.
Not only is that not good for your mental health, it is also harmful to your physical well being. In Lessons From The Miracle Doctors by Jon Barron, he points out that depression can by as hard on your physical body as stress, which we all know can be a killer. “Your body is a product of your thoughts. The cells of your body have receptor sites for the various neuro-hormones you produce. Your immune cells, to use just one example, have receptor sites for each of those hormones. When you are happy, you produce a set of neuro-hormones that are picked up by the cells of your immune system. These particular neuro-hormones tell your immune system to jack up – which it does. In other words, happy thoughts improve your health. However, when you are depressed, the opposite happens. The neuro-hormones your body produces literally shut down your immune system. In effect, negative thoughts can actually kill you.”
Spend this day focusing on happy. Look around you and be grateful for the things you do have, give no energy to those things you don't. If you are alone, go to a soup kitchen and volunteer, if you are sad write a list of five things that make you happy. Go to the video store, read a good book, be grateful for the moment. If you spend enough time and energy focusing on what you are grateful for, the things that bring you down will lose their strength. Spend this day in gratitude, your body will thank you for it.
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