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VITAMIN AND MINERAL FOR OUR BODY

2008-11-16T04:43:00.000-08:00

Breakfast cereals advertise that they’re packed with vitamins and minerals. Sports drinks claim they can rev up your flagging energy with a jolt of vitamins or minerals (sorry, but even powerful vitamins and minerals can’t act that fast!). You know vitamins and minerals are good for you. But which ones does your body really need? And is it possible to get too much of a good thing?
What Are Vitamins and Minerals?

Vitamins and minerals make people's bodies work properly. Although you get vitamins and minerals from the foods you eat every day, some foods have more vitamins and minerals than others.

Vitamins fall into two categories: fat soluble and water soluble. The fat-soluble vitamins — A, D, E, and K — dissolve in fat and can be stored in your body. The water-soluble vitamins — C and the B-complex vitamins (such as vitamins B6, B12, niacin, riboflavin, and folate) — need to dissolve in water before your body can absorb them. Because of this, your body can't store these vitamins. Any vitamin C or B that your body doesn't use as it passes through your system is lost (mostly when you pee). So you need a fresh supply of these vitamins every day.

Whereas vitamins are organic substances (made by plants or animals), minerals are inorganic elements that come from the soil and water and are absorbed by plants or eaten by animals. Your body needs larger amounts of some minerals, such as calcium, to grow and stay healthy. Other minerals like chromium, copper, iodine, iron, selenium, and zinc are called trace minerals because you only need very small amounts of them each day.

What Do Vitamins and Minerals Do?

Vitamins and minerals boost the immune system, support normal growth and development, and help cells and organs do their jobs. For example, you've probably heard that carrots are good for your eyes. It's true! Carrots are full of substances called carotenoids that your body converts into vitamin A, which helps prevent eye problems. Another vitamin, vitamin K, helps blood to clot (so cuts and scrapes stop bleeding quickly). You'll find vitamin K in green leafy vegetable, broccoli, soybeans, and oatmeal. And to have strong bones, you need to eat foods such as milk, yogurt, and green leafy vegetables, which are rich in the mineral calcium.
Fuel for Growth

People go through a lot of physical changes — including growth and puberty — during their teenage years. Eating right during this time is especially important because the body needs a variety of vitamins and minerals to grow, develop, and stay healthy.

Eating a variety of foods is the best way to get all the vitamins and minerals you need each day, as well as the right balance of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and calories. Whole or unprocessed foods — like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, lean meats, fish, and poultry — are the best choices for providing the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and grow properly.

It's OK to eat foods like potato chips and cookies once in a while, but you don't want to overdo high-calorie foods like these that offer little nutritionally.

To choose healthy foods, check food labels and pick items that are high in vitamins and minerals. For example, if you're choosing beverages, you'll find that a glass of milk is a good source of vitamin D and the minerals calcium, phosphorous, and potassium. A glass of soda, on the other hand, offers very few vitamins or minerals — if any.

You can also satisfy your taste buds without sacrificing nutrition while eating out: Vegetable pizzas or fajitas, sandwiches with lean cuts of meat, fresh salads, and baked potatoes are just a few delicious, nutritious choices.

If you're a vegetarian, you'll need to plan carefully for a diet that offers the vitamins and minerals found primarily in meats. The best sources for the minerals zinc and iron are meats, fish, and poultry. However, you can get zinc and iron in dried beans, seeds, nuts, and leafy green vegetables like kale.

Vitamin B12, which is important for manufacturing red blood cells, is not found in plant foods. If you don't eat meat, you can find vitamin B12 in eggs, milk and other dairy foods, and fortified breakfast cereals. Vegans (vegetarians who eat no animal products at all, including dairy products) may need to take vitamin supplements. If you're thinking about becoming a vegetarian, talk to your doctor or a registered dietitian about how to plan a healthy, balanced diet.
Common Concerns

Lots of teens wonder if they should take vitamin or mineral supplements. If your diet includes a wide variety of foods, including whole-grain products, fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, nuts, seeds, eggs, and meats, then you are probably getting the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

But if you're skipping meals, dieting, or if you're concerned that you're not eating enough items from a particular category, such as vegetables or dairy products, then talk to your doctor or to a registered dietitian. These professionals can help you create an eating plan that includes the nutrients your body needs.

Check with your doctor before taking vitamin or mineral supplements. Some people think that if something is good for you, then the more you take in, the healthier you'll be. But that's not necessarily true when it comes to vitamins and minerals. For example, fat-soluble vitamins or minerals, which the body stores and excretes more slowly, can build up in your system to levels where they could cause problems.

If you do take supplements, you should be careful not to get more than 100% of the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for a particular vitamin or mineral. The RDA is calculated to provide 100% of the dietary needs for 98.6% of the population. Chances are that's all you need.

There are hundreds of supplements on the market and of course their manufacturers want you to purchase them. Beware of unproven claims about the benefits of taking more than recommended amounts of any vitamin or mineral. A healthy teen usually doesn't need supplements if he or she is eating a well-rounded diet.

Your best bet for getting the vitamins and minerals you need is to eat a wide variety of healthy foods and skip the vitamin pills. You'll feel better overall and won't run the risk of overdoing your vitamin and mineral intake.

Updated and reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: November 2006
Originally reviewed by: Jessica R. Donze, RD, CDE

FOOD POISONING

2008-11-16T04:34:00.000-08:00

The leftovers in the fridge smelled a little weird, but you went ahead and ate them. You were so hungry, you didn't even heat them up. A couple of hours later, though, you started to feel sick. Powerful waves of pain rumbled through your stomach. They went away, but not for long. Then you even threw up!

That sounds like a case of food poisoning. No one put poison in your food, but bacteria probably grew in the food in the fridge and those bacteria made you sick. Food poisoning can be mild and last just a short time or can be more serious. Let's find out how to avoid it.
What Is Food Poisoning?

Food poisoning comes from eating foods that contain germs like bad bacteria or toxins, which are poisonous substances. Bacteria are all around us, so mild cases of food poisoning are common. You may have had mild food poisoning — with diarrhea and an upset stomach — but your mom or dad just called it a stomach bug or stomach virus.

You might think the solution is to get rid of all the bacteria. But it isn't possible and you wouldn't want to do it, even if you could. Bacteria are all around us, including in food, and sometimes they can be good for you. It's confusing, but one thing is for sure — the bacteria in the rotten leftovers weren't good for you. But you can learn how to avoid those bad germs in food.
Which Germs Are to Blame?

Foods from animals, raw foods, and unwashed vegetables all can contain germs that cause food poisoning. The most likely source is food from animals, like meat, poultry (such as chicken), eggs, milk, and shellfish (such as shrimp).

Some of the most common bacteria are:

* Salmonella (say: sal-meh-nel-uh)
* Listeria (say: lis-teer-ee-uh)
* Campylobacter (say: kam-pe-low-bak-ter)
* E. coli (say: ee kole-eye)

To avoid food poisoning, people need to prepare, cook, and store foods properly.
Do I Have Food Poisoning?

Someone who has food poisoning might:

* have an upset stomach (called nausea, say: naw-zee-uh)
* have stomach cramps
* have diarrhea (say: dy-uh-ree-uh), which may contain blood
* have a fever

Sometimes feeling sick from food poisoning shows up within hours of eating the bad food. At other times, someone may not feel sick until several days later. With mild cases of food poisoning, you will not feel sick for very long and will soon be feeling fine again.

It can be hard to tell if you have food poisoning or something else. You might do a little detective work and see who else gets the same sickness. Did they eat the same thing you did? If only people who ate that food got sick, food poisoning could be the problem.

It's one thing to get food poisoning from something in your fridge, but imagine how many people could get sick if a restaurant served food that had these bad germs in it. When that happens, people from the health department might get involved and try to figure out what happened and make sure everyone gets the medical care they need.
What Will the Doctor Do?

If you go to the doctor, he or she will ask you a lot of questions about how you're feeling, when you first felt sick, what you ate in the past few days, and if anyone else you know is also sick. The doctor might also take a sample of your stool (poop) and urine (pee) to test for possible germs that might have caused food poisoning.

The type of treatment you'll get for food poisoning will depend on the specific germ that is making you sick. The doctor might give you medicine, but most of the time someone who has food poisoning doesn't need to take medicine.

It's also rare that a kid with food poisoning would need to go to the hospital. Usually, only people who get really dehydrated have to go to the hospital. Being dehydrated means your body has lost too much fluid due to diarrhea and vomiting. A dehydrated person can get fluids and medicine through an IV at the hospital. To keep from getting dehydrated, try to keep drinking fluids when you are sick.

You may also need to go to the hospital if you have blood in your poop. If you do see blood in your poop, you should definitely tell your parents about it.
How to Fight the Germs

Many things can be done to prevent food poisoning. These precautions should be taken at every stage a food takes — from preparation to cooking to storing leftovers. A lot of this responsibility falls on grown-ups, but kids can help fight germs, too. One of the best ways is to wash your hands if you're helping to prepare foods.

When should you wash? Before you start helping — so germs from your hands don't get on the food — and after so you don't pass along germs from the food to yourself or anyone else. If you don't, here's how germs can travel:

1. You help make hamburger patties.
2. You get bad bacteria from the raw ground beef on your hands.
3. You hold your little sister's hand.
4. She uses that hand to eat a snack.
5. Now the bacteria have made it inside and can make her sick.

Other steps you can take to keep your food safe include:

* Wash fruits and vegetables well before eating them.
* Only eat foods that are properly cooked. If you cut into chicken and it looks pink and raw inside, tell a grown-up.
* Look at what you're eating and smell it, too. If something looks or smells different from normal, check with an adult before eating or drinking it. Milk is a good example. If you've ever had a sip of sour milk, you know you never want to taste that again! Mold (which can be green, pink, white, or brown) is also often a sign that food has spoiled.
* If you're going to eat leftovers, ask a grown-up for help heating them up. By heating them, you can kill bacteria that grew while it was in the fridge.
* Check the date. Lots of packaged foods have expiration dates or "sell by" dates. Don't eat a food if today's date is after the expiration date. Use it before it expires. Some of these dates are "sell by," which means that the food should leave store shelves by that time. Ask an adult for help deciding if it's past the sell by date.
* Cover and refrigerate food right away. Bacteria get a good chance to grow in foods that sit at room temperature. By putting food in the fridge, you're putting the chill on those bad germs!

Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: May 2008

Junk Food's So Tasty, But Where Is It Leading Me?

2008-11-04T05:57:00.001-08:00

Junk food refers to fast foods which are easy to make and easy to consume. They are zero in nutritional value .They have only fats lying in it causing ill effects on the health of the consumer. The taste is the most attractive feature in junk foods. But is there at least little use of junk food to our body and health. Find out the harmful effects of junk food to our body.This article covers

* Why Junk Food And Diet Is So Appealing?
* Why Does Junk Food Lead To Adverse Effects?
* Harmful Effects of Junk Food

Michael Jacobson aptly coins the phrase junk food in 1972 as slang for foods of useless or no nutritional value. Their contents are rich in sodium salts and/or sugar and fats which provide high calories yet useless in value. A quick look at junk food facts tells us junk food and diet does not go hand in hand. Perhaps this is the reason why junk foods are also called as empty calorie foods. Of late, junk food producers claim to have made improvements to nutrition junk food can provide.

Nevertheless, junk foods are popular because of their simplicity to manufacture, consume and of course, their taste. People have their own notions about a certain food being listed as junk. However, chocolates, burgers, pizzas, potato wafers and fries will surely find their way into everyone's list.
Why Junk Food And Diet Is So Appealing?
The Time Factor:
Junk food addiction is so high because of its simplicity. They are easy to prepare and are very tasty. Junk foods such as potato wafers and Cheetos® do not even need cooking or heating. You prefer to eat them when you watch TV. You save yourself a lot of hassles and time when you are in a hurry eating pizzas and burgers as they are served at your door step hot and ready to eat.
The Taste Factor:
If time constraint is one reason that pushes you to eating junk food, great taste also, to an extent influences you to opt for junk food. But junk foods get their taste owing to lavish usage of oils, salts and/or sugar. Once you are caught in junk food addiction, you find it hard to think about the loss of nutrition junk food pushes you into.
Junk Food Advertising:
Foods prepared out side the home and restaurant foods have a great attraction for food buffs. One estimate tells us Fritto Lays is selling a billion bags of Cheetos® per year. It is an altogether different story that junk food advertising has a major role in this.
Why Does Junk Food Lead To Adverse Effects?
If ingredients make junk foods appealing, it is the same reason that makes them health hazardous too. The fat contents, barring a few manufacturers, have high cholesterol levels. Secondly, the sugar and sodium salts have their effects on health. High calorie content with sugar can lead to obesity. Cholesterol and salt are known to setoff blood pressure, stroke and heart diseases in a chain. Excessive salts can affect functioning of kidneys too.

New Year's Diet Resolution Recipes

2008-11-04T05:41:00.000-08:00

Part 1: Taming the battle of the bulge

More of this Feature
• Part 1: Diet balance and moderation
• Part 2: Dieting tips and Hints
• Part 3: Healthy Diet Recipes
Related Resources
• Cooking with Sugar Substitutes
• Low Calorie Snacks
• Low-Fat Sausages
• The Skinny on Fats
• A to Z Recipes and Food
Recipes
• Ceviche
• Low-Fat Fettuccine Alfredo
• Pita Crisps
• Pork Tenderloin with Cinnamon
• Cocoa Sponge Drops
• Main Recipe Index
Related Cookbooks
• The New Sugar Busters: Cut Sugar to Trim Fat
• Suzanne Somers' Fast & Easy
• Low-Carb Comfort Food Cookbook
• South Beach Diet Cookbook
• The Everyday Low-Carb Slow Cooker Cookbook
• Zone-Perfect Meals in Minutes
• The Good Carb Cookbook
• More Cookbooks

How many of us make a resolution to either lose weight or travel the path of a more healthy diet? Statistics indicate that a full 90% of us have such good intentions for the new year. Unfortunately, the thought of dieting or changing our eating habits makes us groan.

However, changing our eating habits is easier than ever today, with just a little effort. We now have food products that make it much easier than just abstaining. With the advent of fat-free dairy products, sugar substitutes, and even a fat substitute product, we can change our daily diet and not feel like we suffer any real loss in intake or taste.

Don't miss these diet recipes that are not only low calorie and heart healthy but also tasty!

The Food Pyramid
The United States Department of Agriculture instituted the Food Pyramid Dietary Guidelines in a simple chart. This link will give you guidelines for each of the six food groups in the chart.

Diet Balance and Moderation
Of course, the best diet is controlled intake of a balanced diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with moderated intake of protein fats and a good regimen of daily, not necessarily strenuous exercise.

The body life cycle is amazing indeed. Some are blessed with a fast metabolism, eating constantly and never gaining an ounce. Others are not so lucky and must count every calorie. The body also goes through age cycles. Younger bodies tend to shed calories faster, partly due to the higher activity rate. As we age, we become more sedate, and there is a metabolic change in many, even those who once were always thin. Exercise should be an important part of your daily routine.

Consult Your Physician About Your Diet
The first step in any diet plan is a consultation with your physician. A surprising number of weight problems are due to diseases or conditions that need to be treated, such as diabetes. Fad diets are not the answer. They may work in the short run, but it's not worth taking risks with your health. Common sense dictates the advice of your physician before embarking on any diet, particularly if you have diabetes, heart problems or other physical ailments. Don't forget to consult your physician about any exercise plan. Be sure to proceed from a beginner's pace and then slowly increase to a more advanced level as you get used to exercising more.

The American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association guidelines are good recommendations even for those who do not suffer from diabetes or heart disease.

How to lose weight the healthy way

2008-10-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

Reviewed by John Pillinger, GP

The healthiest way to lose weight is neither crash diets nor bursts of exercise. The body likes slow changes in terms of food and exercise.

For example, someone who has not exercised for years should not rush into running miles a day or pounding the treadmill. Not only will the struggle to do so leave you feeling disheartened and demotivated, you're also far more likely to injure yourself and set your fitness levels back further.

The same goes for people who suddenly start starving themselves. Diets that severely restrict calories or the types of food 'allowed' can lead you to be deficient in the nutrients and vitamins that your body needs.

So if you need to lose weight, what should you do?

Energy needs and weight loss

Your body uses food for energy. It stores any excess energy as fat. This means if you eat more food than your body needs for daily activities and cell maintenance, you will gain weight.

To lose weight, you need to get your body to use up these stores of fat. The most effective way to do this is to:

* reduce the amount of calories you eat

* increase your levels of activity.

This is why experts talk about weight loss in terms of diet and exercise.

Introduce changes gradually

Small changes can make a big difference. One extra biscuit a week can lead you to gain 5lb a year – cut that biscuit out of your diet and you'll lose the same amount.

You are also more likely to stick to, say, swapping full-fat milk for semi-skimmed or making time for breakfast each morning than a diet that sets rules for all foods.

You should think of weight loss in terms of permanently changing your eating habits. While weight-loss goals are usually set in term of weeks, the end game is to sustain these changes over months and years.

Increase your activity levels

Someone who increases the amount they exercise, but maintains the same diet and calorie intake, will almost certainly lose weight.

No matter if you hate gyms - even light exercise such as a short 20 minute walk will be beneficial if done most days of the week.

Every single time you exercise more than usual, you burn calories and fat.

There are lots of ways to increase the amount of activity you do. Team sports, racket sports, aerobics classes, running, walking, swimming and cycling will all improve your fitness levels.

Find something you enjoy that's easy for you to do in terms of location and cost. You are then more likely to build it into your routine and continue to exercise, despite inevitably missing the odd session through holidays, family commitments, etc.

* Get out and about at the weekend. Leave your car on the drive and walk to the shops. Try to incorporate longer walks into outings to the park, coast or countryside and take a picnic so you are in control of what you are going to eat that day.

* Every extra step you take helps. Always use the stairs instead of the lift, or get off the bus a stop before the usual one and walk the rest of the way.

* Use commercial breaks between TV-programmes to stand up and do exercise, or consider using an exercise bicycle in the living room while watching your favourite programme.

Reduce your calorie intake

What is overweight?
Doctors use BMI to assess weight.
A BMI of 18.5-25 is healthy.
If you have a BMI of more than 25 you are overweight.
Over 30 is obese.
Over 40 is morbidly obese.
To calculate your BMI, you'll need to know your weight in kilos and your height in metres, then follow the example below.
1. Multiply your height by itself, eg 1.7x1.7= 2.89.
2. Divide your weight (eg 80kg) by this figure.
3. 80 ÷ 2.89= 27.7.
27.7 is the BMI.
If you are overweight, you can't continue with your current eating habits.

It's not possible to reduce body fat while eating lots of food, cakes and sweets. This doesn't mean you can never have any treats, but you need to learn how to limit these foods to small quantities - say, for special occasions.

In terms of weight-loss, you can get your body to use up existing stores of fat by eating less and making healthier choices.

This doesn't mean crash diet (anything less than 1500 calories), which usually ends up with you either getting weaker or giving up in desperation. Quick-fix diets can lead to a yo-yoing effect of drastic weight loss followed by weight gain, resulting in a vicious cycle.

There are no shortcuts to losing weight in a healthy and reasonable way.

Eating 300 to 500 calories less per day should lead to a loss of between one and two pounds per week. This is a realistic target. It may seem slow, but would add up to a weight loss of more than three stone in a year.

Fat contains the most amount of calories out of all the food types (protein, carbohydrates), so a good way to achieve this is to cut down on fatty foods and eat more wholegrain bread, fruit and vegetables.

Below are ways to reduce calorie intake without having to alter your diet significantly.

* Replace fizzy drinks and fruit cordials with water.

* Swap whole milk for semi-skimmed, or semi-skimmed for skimmed.

* Eat less lunch than usual. For example, make your own sandwich and limit the use of margarine/butter and full-fat mayonnaise (store-bought sandwiches often contain both).

* Stop taking sugar in tea and coffee.

* Have smaller portions of the food you enjoy.

* Avoid having a second helping at dinner.

* Cut out unhealthy treats such as confectionary, sugary biscuits and crisps between meals.

* Cut down on beer and alcohol.

All these things will influence your health in a positive way.

Finally, don't be tempted to skip breakfast – or any meal to lose weight. While skipping a meal will reduce your calorie intake for that hour, it will leave you much hungrier later on.

Not only are you likely to overeat to compensate, but you'll often make bad choices to fill the gap: a cereal bar is not as healthy as a bowl of cereal or as filling, leading you to 'need' something extra for lunch.

Irregular eating habits also disrupt your body's metabolism, which makes it harder to lose weight in the first place.

Write down your plan

Food diary
If you're not sure what's wrong with your diet, try keeping a daily diary of everything you eat and drink.
You can use a notebook or an online diary.
At the end of the week, review your entries for problem areas.
Look out for processed foods, alcohol, fast food, roasts, creamy sauces and fried foods.
If your diet seems largely healthy, look at portion sizes.
If you're not sure what's meant by 'healthy diet', read our series on nutrition.
Once you've decided on what changes you're going to make, write them down. For example:

Week 1

o Exercise: one 20 minute walk every lunch hour.

o Alcohol: none in the week, two small glasses of wine on Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

o Food: no chocolate or biscuits in the week, choose healthy snacks such as fruit, trim all fat from meat, eat no fried or fast food.

Once you start your plan, weigh yourself once a week before breakfast. Keep a record of this weight and see if a pattern develops.

You could use a table like the one below to keep track of your goals, marking your progress for each day with a tick or a cross.

Week:
Current weight: Alcohol Exercise Food plan
Goals for week

. .
Progress Alcohol Exercise Food plan Mood Comments
Monday

. . . . .
Tuesday

. . . . .
Wednesday

. . . . .
Thursday

. . . . .
Friday

. . . . .
Saturday

. . . . .
Sunday

. . . . .

Be patient and persevere

It might take a week or two before you notice any changes, but they will steadily appear. After the first month you will be able to see the results and measure them in terms of looser fitting clothes.

Keeping your motivation up is one of the most difficult aspects of dieting. There will be days when healthy eating goes out the window and there will be weeks where you may not lose any weight – or put a little back on.

This is normal for everyone – dieters or not – so don't let it undo your plans for a slimmer you. You're not doing anything 'wrong', but you may need to look at your plan. Do you need to increase your activity levels? Make a few more changes to your diet? Put more effort into sticking to your current plan?

The other side of this is to make sure you celebrate your goals. While there is joy enough in stepping on the scales and seeing them dip lower, be sure to mark long-term progress with a reward such as new clothes or a night off from housework.

Celebrating is also a way to involve your nearest and dearest – it's up to you whether you want their encouragement in the form of gentle reminders not to eat certain foods, but support from other people can get you through the bumpy patches.

Health benefits of weight loss

Studies show that overweight women who lose between 10lb and 20lb halve their risk of developing diabetes. For men, the risk of heart problems reduces considerably.

Generally, we gain weight as we age. A few pounds over the years are not a problem, but people who gain more than 20lb compared to their weight as an 18-year-old will rapidly increase their risk of health problems due to that extra weight. In particular, women increase their risk of heart attack and double their risk of dying from cancer.

It may seem like these are problems to worry about in the future, but time flies by and tomorrow becomes today. By keeping your weight in the healthy range, you are less likely to be troubled by illnesses in your later years.

Based on a text by Prof Arne Astrup and Dr Carl Brandt

2008-09-16T02:41:00.000-07:00

2008-09-16T02:30:00.000-07:00

HEALTH BENEFIT OF CHOCOLATE
By Rhonda Parkinson, About.com

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Mmm...chocolate. The product of the cacao tree has been winning fans since Aztec leader Montezuma introduced the beverage (chocolate candy as we know it didn't appear until the 1800's) to the Spanish conqueror Cortez, who subsequently took it home to Spain. (While the original drink was rather bitter, the Spanish made a few creative innovations - using sugar instead of chilies, and adding cinnamon and vanilla).
What is it that makes chocolate so irresistible? A large part of chocolate's allure, of course, lies in the taste - a deliciously rich concoction that satisfies the most intense craving. But several chemical reactions are also at work. For one thing, chocolate stimulates the secretion of endorphins, producing a pleasureable sensation similar to the "runner's high" a jogger feels after running several miles.
Chocolate also contains a neurotransmitter, serotonin, that acts as an anti-depressant. Other substances, such as theobromine and phenylethylamine, have a stimulating effect. However, the truth is that scientists are still not positive how the over three-hundred chemicals contained in chocolate make us feel so good.
Harmful Effects?

With so much going for it, it's unfortunate that chocolate has developed a bad reputation on the health front. Confirmed chocoholics often worry that indulging their craving will lead to everything from rotting teeth to acne, not to mention the need to lose a few pounds.

Fortunately, scientists are beginning to disprove some common myths about the dangers of eating too much chocolate. For example, it is not true that eating chocolate can cause acne or make it worse. Nor is chocolate the threat to healthy teeth that it was once thought to be. While both cocoa and chocolate contain sugar, they also have properties that work against sugar's tendency to produce the oral bacteria that eventually leads to dental decay. In fact, researchers at the Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, New York, have concluded that milk chocolate is one of the snack foods that is least likely to contribute to tooth decay, since it contains phosphate and other minerals.

Furthermore, while chocolate may not be the most healthy snack around, it does contain a number of nutrients. High in potassium and magnesium, chocolate also provides us with several vitamins - including B1, B2, D, and E. As for calories, no one is going to claim chocolate is the quintessential diet food. Still, the average chocolate bar contains approximately 250 calories - low enough for a dieter to enjoy one as an occasional treat. Besides, indulging your chocolate craving from time to time can help prevent the bingeing that is a dieter's worst enemy.
The Asian Connection

Traditionally, Asia has not been known for its high level of chocolate consumption. This isn’t surprising, since the cacao tree is native to the tropical regions of Central and South America (although Filipinos have been able to enjoy their own homemade version of powdered chocolate since the Spanish introduced the cacao tree to the Philippines in the 16th century). However, things are changing. Chocolate consumption in China has increased by forty percent since 1992. And in 1997 Bernard Callebaut, the famous chocolate manufacturer, felt confident enough of Asians' fondness for chocolate to open a factory in Singapore. As a concession to Asian tastes the chocolate is less sweet; it also has a higher melting point.

In 2005, the Beijing Hyatt hosted a chocolate fashion show, where the models were draped in “clothing” made from different types of chocolate (Source: the Asian Times). While chocolate consumption is still much lower in China than in Europe or North America, the market is growing steadily, as the Chinese develop a taste for the sweet treat.

2008-09-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Overweight, Obesity & Weight Management

Backgrounder

November 2006

PDF Version

Rates of overweight and obesity in the United States have grown to epidemic proportions over the last 20 years. In 2005, the Surgeon General estimated that two-thirds of Americans were overweight or obese. The latest data from the NCHS show that 30 percent of U.S. adults 20 years of age and older—more than 60 million people—are obese. The direct costs and indirect costs of overweight and obesity amounted to about $117 billion in 2000. Intangible costs (such as impaired quality of life) have not been estimated, but given the social and psychological consequences of obesity, they are likely to be enormous.

Childhood overweight and obesity rates are especially alarming. According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) report, Health, United States, 2005, 16 percent of children and adolescents aged six to 19 were overweight. The prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents has doubled and tripled, respectively, over a period of twenty-six years (1976-2002). Research shows that overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults and, therefore, are at greater risk for associated health problems. In fact, 60 percent of overweight five- to 10-year-old children already have at least one risk factor for heart disease.

While all children and adolescents are at risk, those belonging to certain ethnic population groups may be more predisposed to overweight than others. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2003-2004) indicated that the risk of overweight among Mexican-American children and adolescents aged two to 19 is 41 percent: more than five and 10 percentage points higher than their non-Hispanic white (35 percent) and non-Hispanic black (30 percent) contemporaries, respectively.

Global in Scope

Overweight and obesity are not just a U.S. issue; its prevalence is increasing throughout the world’s population. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than one billion adults are overweight and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. Levels of obesity range from below five percent in China, Japan, and certain African nations to over 75 percent in urban Samoa.

Worldwide, over 22 million children under the age of five are overweight as are 155 million school-age children. In a 2006 review published in the International Journal of Pediatric Obesity, North America, Europe, and parts of the Western Pacific have the highest prevalence of overweight among children (approximately 20 to 30 percent). Furthermore, the levels of obesity among school-age children in countries undergoing economic growth, such as Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Egypt, are catching up with fully industrialized countries. Based on the current secular trends and the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria, experts estimate that one in seven children in the Americas will be obese by 2010 as will one in every 10 children in the Eastern Mediterranean and European regions.

WHO considers obesity to be one of the top 10 causes of preventable death worldwide. While malnutrition and unsafe sex account for more deaths, high blood pressure, smoking, high cholesterol, and obesity are impacting both industrialized and developing countries. The 2003 Joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation on Diet, Nutrition, and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases estimated that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and various forms of cancer accounted for 60 percent of the 55.7 million deaths that occurred in 2000. If unchecked, NCDs are expected to contribute nearly 75 percent of all deaths by the year 2020.

Definitions and Measures of Overweight/Obesity

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), overweight refers to an excess of body weight compared to set standards. The excess weight may come from muscle, bone, fat, and/or bodily water. Obesity refers specifically to having an abnormally high proportion of body fat. A person can be overweight without being obese, as in the example of a bodybuilder or other athlete who has a lot of muscle. However, many people who are overweight are also obese.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), researchers, and health professionals use Body Mass Index (BMI) as the preferred method for determining overweight and obesity in adults, though other methods exist and are in use. BMI is a calculation that divides a person’s weight in kilograms by height in meters squared (BMI = [kg/m2]). BMI can also be calculated in pounds and inches: BMI = [lbs/in2] x 703. The general guideline currently recommended by the CDC is that individuals with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, and those individuals with a BMI greater than 30 are considered obese. It is important to note that BMI does not use body fat or frame size in its calculations. Therefore, it is possible for an individual with a high proportion of lean body mass (muscle) to have an elevated BMI and not necessarily be at risk for adverse health conditions associated with overweight and obesity. These charts can be found at the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/defining.htm.

For children, gender-specific BMI charts have been developed. Children with a BMI at or above the 95th percentile represented in these charts are considered overweight. Children in the 85th percentile are considered at risk for overweight. These charts can also be found on the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/bmi-for-age.htm.

Related Information

External Resources

2008-09-09T20:31:00.000-07:00

The 'Blood Type Diet:'
Fact or Fiction?

The "blood type diet" theory has gained widespread attention from the public since the release of "Eat Right For Your Type" by Peter J. D'Adamo, N. D. (G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1996). The book's basic premise - that Type O's are the dominant, hunter-caveman type that require meat in the diet, that Type A's are docile vegetarians, while Type B's are dairy-eating omnivores - has become a manifesto for many people to rationalize including regular portions of meat and other animal products in their diet. ("After all, my ancestors did it.") However, the "blood type diet" theory, and the book that promotes it, presents many problems that prevent me from seriously basing any of my dietary choices upon them.

One of the book's most disturbing characteristics is the frightening images that the author calls forth without providing scientific documentation. For example, D'Adamo hangs much of his theory on the action of lectins, proteins found on the surface of certain foods that can cause various molecules and some types of cells to stick together. He blames lectins for serious disruptions throughout the body, from agglutination of the blood cells to cirrhosis and kidney failure (page 24). He even scares the reader about these lectin "boogie men" with the tale of ex-KGB agent Georgie Markov who was murdered with an injection of the ultra-potent lectin, ricin. Then, on Page 53, D'Adamo states that, "...certain beans and legumes, especially lentils and kidney beans, contain lectins that deposit in your muscle tissues, making them more alkaline and less charged for physical activity." This is quite a serious scientific charge, and an alarming thought if you are blood Type O - namely, that after eating a bowl of bean chili or lentil stew, lectin proteins are depositing in your muscles and altering their function, changing their acidity, and diminishing your capability for physical action.

If one is going to make a statement like that - and publish it in a book destined for the New York Times bestseller list and intended to change the eating habits of a nation - I believe the author is obligated to present solid scientific evidence of supporting their assertions, which D'Adamo repeatedly fails to do. (An example of an author who presents credible proof is Dean Ornish, M.D., who published in his book the "before and after" photographs of X-rays demonstrating increased blood flow through arteries which had opened more widely after patients had participated in his diet and lifestyle program.) If an author is going to frighten millions of Type O readers about eating kidney beans, lentils, and wheat, I think they are obligated to provide verifyable evidence. To begin to convince me of the existence of his "lectin gremlins," he would have to publish photographs, taken through a microscope, of muscle tissue biopsied from people with Type O, Type A, Type B, and Type AB blood after they have eaten kidney beans and/or lentils. The photographs should clearly show the lectin deposits in the muscles of people with Type O blood - and not in the tissue samples from the muscles of people with Type A blood. If an author cannot produce proof like this, or clearly cite the scientific references in the text where other people have demonstrated such proof, his credibility, to me, is severely diminished. D'Adamo presents neither photos nor corroborating studies to support his speculations.

As for the rest of his statement regarding lectins changing the muscles, "making them more alkaline and less charged for physical activity," to substantiate that assertion the author would need to publish or cite studies wherein microelectrodes that measure acidity inside the cells were inserted into the muscles of people of various blood types. After they all ate a meal of lentils and kidney beans, if D'Adamo is to be believed, a significantly greater shift towards alkalinity should be seen in the muscles of the Type O subjects. Yet, no such studies are presented. If an author doesn't have this kind of proof, is it responsible for him to make statements that may frighten millions of people from eating high-protein, high-fibre legumes and other potentially valuable foods? It may indeed be best for a particular person not to eat a particular legume - but they should do so for solid nutritional/medical reasons (allergies, colitis, etc.) independent of their blood type.

What finally pushes the "blood type" theory beyond the limits of believability for me is the primary mechanism of physiologic damage that D'Adamo postulates - namely, lectin proteins on some foods causing blood agglutination in certain people of blood types who are "not genetically/evolutionarily suited" to eat those foods. This is a very serious - and potentially life-threatening - phenomenon that he proposes. Agglutination means that the red cells in your bloodstream are irreversibly sticking together and forming clumps. Once they begin to clump together, they don't come apart. (Note that this is very different than blood sludging, or so-called rouleoux formation - a phenomenon seen when the surface of the red cells become coated with fat or other substances to make them sticky enough to temporarily and reversibly adhere to each other's surfaces - but not to become permanently bonded through irreversible intertwining of surface proteins, which is what happens in agglutination.) Having your blood agglutinate as it circulates through your body is not conducive to good health - or to long term (or short term) survival...

What is so bad about little clumps of red blood cells sailing through the bloodstream? Red blood cells deliver oxygen to the cells of vital tissues like the brain, heart and kidneys. To accomplish this delivery, they must flow through the tiniest of blood vessels - capillaries so narrow that the red blood cells must line up single file to get through. If the red cells are being agglutinated by lectins or anything else, clumps of red cells will clog up the capillaries and block the blood flow. Thus, the blood stream will be prevented from delivering its life-sustaining cargo of oxygen to the tissues served by those capillaries. Cells deprived of oxygen become damaged, and eventually die (cell death is called "infarction" of tissue.)

Since most people are unaware of their blood types, let alone what foods are "evolutionarily inappropriate" for them to eat, it is reasonable to assume that on most days most people eat the "wrong foods" for their blood type (e.g., Type O eating wheat, Type A eating meat, etc.). Thus, according to D'Adamo's theory, most everyone experiences repeated showers of agglutinated red cells throughout their bloodstream after most every meal - day after day, month after month, year after year. If the capillary beds in your heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, eyes, and other essential organs are subjected to barrage after barrage of agglutinated red cells, they will eventually begin to clog up. These micro-areas of diminished blood flow would at first cause scattered, then more concentrated areas of tissue damage - with eventually many micro-infarctions scattered throughout these vital structures. The brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and adrenals would soon be irreparably damaged by these processes, resulting in potentially fatal outcomes in millions of people.

Such a syndrome of organ failures due to lectin-induced micro-infarctions of the brain, heart, kidneys, retinas, and adrenals would be well known to pathologists and other medical scientists. It would not be a subtle disease. In the pathology texts, there would be clear descriptions - complete with photographs taken through high-power, optical microscopes as well as electron microscopes - of damage from lectin deposits and blood agglutination in most major organ systems. The existence and intricacies of such a widespread disease would be as common knowledge among physicians and cell scientists as atherosclerosis is today. Yet, I am aware of no such descriptions in the pathologic literature. No pathologist I know has ever mentioned tissue infarction from lectin-induced red cell agglutination as a cause of any disease in humans.

So when I read a "one size fits all" statement like on page 63, "Type O's do not tolerate whole wheat products at all," I have to ask, "What does he mean, 'at all'?" Do Type O's eat a whole wheat cracker and fall on the ground holding their abdomen and vomiting - or worse yet, suffer immediate brain damage due to their blood cells agglutinating throughout their brain? How much wheat can a Type O eat before their blood agglutinates? One hamburger bun? One noodle?

I'm not denying that many people do experience problems when they eat wheat. They do, but they do so because they have a true wheat allergy, gluten intolerance, or some other verifyable mechanism - not because of some sugar and protein molecules sticking up from the surface of their red blood cells. Like D'Adamo, I grant that wheat can be a problematic food for people with colitis, and I often recommend eliminating it from the diet. Lectins may even play a role in the inflammatory process for some people. However, before one tells millions of individuals with Type O blood to never eat whole wheat - many of whom apparently have no difficulty with whole wheat and who rely on breads as a major source of energy and protein - isn't some convincing scientific proof required? I feel that author D'Adamo at least owes his readers a text citation with supporting evidence that wheat-induced colon dysfunction is a condition peculiar to Type O's. Yet, his text is devoid of scientific endnote citations.

To convince me, he would need to show me photographs of intestinal tissue from Type O people who have recently eaten wheat and who clearly have evidence of lectin agglutination clogging up the function of their intestinal cells. I would also need to see pictures of tissue biopsies from Types A, B, and AB whose intestinal walls are seen to be undamaged and far less burdened with lectin deposits than those with Type O blood. As far as I know, inflammation of the intestine, like colitis, Crohn's disease, and gluten sensitivities, occurs in people of all blood groups, not just Type O - and D'Adamo cites no convincing proof to the contrary.

Author D'Adamo also makes three hard-to-believe statements concerning dairy products - two which made me doubt his understanding of basic science and one that raises concerns about the safety of his nutritional advice:

1.) D'Adamo states on Page 23 that, "If a person with Type A blood drinks it (milk), his system will immediately start the agglutination process in order to reject it." If he wants me to believe a statement like that, he had best show me pictures of Type A blood cells under the microscope agglutinating after the person drinks milk, wherein Type O and Type B blood cells are shown not to agglutinate. He again shows no such photos or other believable evidence of the phenomenon. D'Adamo would also have to explain why Type A people who drink milk (sometimes-massive quantities of it) do not suffer strokes and emboli as their blood agglutinates throughout their vascular system. He presents neither proof nor even plausible explanations for the above - very troubling in a book presented as "based on science."

2.) On page 151, D'Adamo states that, "...the primary sugar in the Type B antigen is D-galactosamine, the very same sugar present in milk." Actually, the primary sugar present in milk is not D-galactosamine, but rather, lactose. Lactose is a very different molecule than D-galactosamine, with very different chemical properties. Even if there were significant amounts of D-galactosamine in cow's milk, the antibodies in a Type A person's blood that agglutinate with a Type B person's blood cells do so by reacting not with D-galactosamine alone, but with a molecule of D-galactosamine combined with a molecule of the sugar, fucose, projecting from the surface of the red blood cell. Just because Type A antibodies will agglutinate with D-galactosamine+fucose on the surface of a Type B red cell, does not mean Type A blood will agglutinate with the lactose (or even free D-galactosamine) in cow's milk. (It is recognized that people of any blood type may react badly to cow's milk and other dairy products - for a variety of reasons, but likely not because lectins in the milk are agglutinating their "wrong" type blood cells.)

3.) A statement that causes me great concern regarding the safety of D'Adamo's dietary advice appears on page 37, where, despite widespread knowledge that many non-Caucasians are intolerant of dairy products due to the normal disappearance of lactase enzymes in their intestinal cells, D'Adamo recommends that "Type B's of Asian descent may need to incorporate them (dairy products) more slowly into their diets as they adjust their systems to them." This seems like strange counsel from an author trying to improve the intestinal health of his public. I fear that the consequences for many of his unsuspecting, lactase-deficient readers who follow such advice will be severe bouts of abdominal cramps and diarrhea.

Another assertion in this book that make me not want to recommend it to my patients is on page 53, where D'Adamo writes that:

"This condition, called hypothyroidism, occurs because Type O's tend not to produce enough iodine." The reality is that the body does not "produce" iodine at all, any more than it produces calcium, magnesium, sodium, or any other earth mineral. Iodine is a halogen element, related to chlorine and bromine, which is taken up by plants from the soil and in the sea - which are then consumed in the diet. To worry tens of millions of Type O readers that they "may not be producing enough iodine" (which no one does) and are thus at risk for hypothyroidism, is unfounded and, I feel, unnecessarily worrying. The causes of clinical hypothyroidism are complex issues, probably involving autoimmune and other mechanisms of injury to the thyroid tissue. To imply that eating red meat and avoiding wheat (a "Type O diet") will help the Type O person "produce iodine" is unsubstantiated and may not only raise false hopes in the reader, but may also increase the risk of meat-associated diseases.

Beyond the usual association with heart attack, stroke, osteoporosis, colon cancers and other degenerative diseases, animal-based diets foster the growth of pathogenic organisms in the intestine, which can injure the intestinal wall and lead to the "leaky gut syndrome" - a condition of increased intestinal permeability which allows injurious fragments of antigenic food proteins and bacterial breakdown products to leak into the bloodstream (1). These foreign, inflammation-inciting substances can, in turn, exacerbate rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and other autoimmune diseases in tissues throughout the body (2). The bacteria in the colons of people who consume vegan diets are far less likely to cause these kinds of diseases (3).

Repeatedly packing the colon full of meat residue from a high protein diet has been shown to be highly correlated with cancer of the colon - among the leading killers of industrial nations (4). In fact, animal protein seems to be "high octane fuel" for the growth of many kinds of cancers (5). I fear that the apparent improvement experienced by many people who use the "zone" rationale to become big-time carnivores will ultimately be at the cost of damaged vital organs and more lethal and degenerative diseases.

Beyond his views on biology, I was disappointed in D'Adamo's psychological portrayal of people of vegetarian persuasion. In the book, he tells flesh-eating Type O's that they have a "genetic memory of strength, endurance, self-reliance, daring, intuition, and innate optimism...", "the epitome of focus, drive...", "hardy and strong, fueled by a high protein diet" (is he describing a Type O "master race"?), while he paints the "more vegetarian" Type A as submissive tofu eaters, "biologically predisposed to heart disease, cancer and diabetes" (p. 97). He labels Type A's with personalities "...poorly suited for the intense, high-pressured leadership positions at which Type O's excel," (p.142), stating that, in pressure situations, people with Type A blood "tend to unravel" and "become anxious and paranoid, taking everything personally." Finally, on page 143, he saddles the group with the dark image of Adolph Hitler, "...a mutated Type A personality." D'Adamo's system seems to create a "blood type astrology" ("What's your type? O Positive? knew it! So am I!") that imposes strange, limiting stereotypes on very complex human beings.

Remember, there is nothing sacrosanct about the ABO blood typing system devised by Dr. Landsteiner in the 1920's. It is only one system classifying more than thirty proteins on the surface of cells that determine other blood groups, with names like Auberger, Diego, Duffy, Kell, Kidd, Lewis, Lutheran, MNSs, P, Rh, Sutter, and Xg. This means that food selections that may be "right" for the ABO blood group system might be "dead wrong" for someone's Kell or idd antigens. Why are we deifying the D- galactosamine-fucose molecules on the red cell surfaces that determine ABO Type?

In my opinion, D'Adamo has spun an evolutionary fairy tale that leaves many unanswered questions. What exactly is he proposing happened to Type O hunter-gatherers when the Type people began growing wheat, barley and other grains? Do Type O people eat a mouthful of barley and fall down in the dust, unable to work and reproduce? Do they then become warlike and club the agrarian people to death because lectins are clogging their intestines? Do the genetic changes to Type A blood type magically appear just before a society grows new grains (allowing them to eat the new grains in the first place), or did Type A blood types emerge after the grains are grown, as the people with Type O blood died out from their blood agglutinating in their brains? And why would so many of the native Indians of North America, classic Type O hunters, go to the trouble of cultivating high-lectin corn (maize)? Someone talk some science to me, please...

Is the blood type the ultimate determinant of successful adaptation to a particular dietary style? How do we explain the experience of people who say, "I tried to be a vegetarian and it didn't work for me - so I added some meat back into my diet and I feel better. I guess I'm a Type O caveman," or "A practitioner of 'live cell' analysis stuck my finger and I saw my blood agglutinate! He said I must have eaten foods wrong for my blood type!" I hear variations of these two statements several times per year. Do either of these phenomena validate D'Adamo's blood type theory?

First, the red cell clumping on the TV screen... I have walked through many medical meetings and health expos and seen this demonstration set up and performed many times. A subject's finger is punctured and a drop of their blood is placed under the microscope slide with the image projected on a large screen or television monitor. The results can appear quite dramatic as a person often sees on the TV screen their red blood cells, platelets, and other cellular elements apparently misshapen and clumped together. It can then be an opportune time to convince the startled person that their blood is laden with toxins or deficient in vital minerals or some other nutrient - and then sell them the "necessary" supplements that the "live cell analyst" happens to be purveying.

Though the images may be graphically convincing, the unsuspecting subject is probably unaware that they may have just witnessed a biological parlor trick. The "live cell analyst" has probably failed to inform them that the "agglutinating" effect seen on the screen can be produced by a number of factors, most having nothing to do with lectins, blood type, or any other forces beyond the physics and chemistry of a drop of blood on a slide. Remember, that a drop of blood on the microscope slide is very different than a drop of blood flowing through your bloodstream.

While flowing naturally through the bloodstream within the arteries and veins, the blood is shielded from light, is held at a constant temperature of 98.6 F., is under much higher pressure than room air, and is physically moving very rapidly through the "piping" system of blood vessels. These are all factors which profoundly affect the surface characteristics of the red blood cells, making them less likely to stick together. The red cells' rapid motion through the bloodstream also prevents antibody fixation, blood clotting factor activation, and other pro-agglutinating forces from exerting much effect. When the drop of blood is squeezed out onto the microscope slide, all these factors are changed or eliminated. At that point, physical forces - cooler temperatures, lower pressure, exposure to light, physical stagnation, activation of enzyme systems, etc. - begin to affect the blood on the slide in ways that may make it much more likely that the cells may begin to clump together - independent of blood type or presence of lectins.

In addition to the above purely physical influences, other chemical factors may be at work on the slide to create the appearance of clumping - independent of the person's blood group. These chemical agents include:

1. The person's last meal. In particular, the fats from the egg yolk at breakfast or the olive oil in the salad dressing at lunch may be invisibly coating the red blood cells, making them stickier and more likely to adhere together. Fats will make red blood cells of all blood types sticky and more likely to clump together. In my experience, "live cell analysts" seldom ask the subject about their last meal nor analyze it for the fat content.

2. Antibodies (immune proteins that can bind to cells) left over from a recent viral infection or allergic reaction - but not associated with food lectins - can coat red blood cells and make them prone to clump together.

3. Molecules with unknown chemical properties, introduced into our blood from living in the "civilized world" - such as food colorings, food preservatives like BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), hydrogenated oils eaten in fast foods, snacks, and restaurant meals, as well as birth control pills, aspirin, cold medications, and over-the-counter remedies, etc. - may affect the tendency of blood cells to clump, independent of lectins or blood type.

4. The acidity (pH) of the blood, the levels of calcium, sodium, and other circulating minerals - even the concentration of salt in the "saline solution" that the "live cell analyst" mixes with the drop of blood - can all dramatically affect its behavior and appearance on the slide. Add to this the effects of exercise, medications, even a prolonged time since the last drink of water - it's no wonder the blood on the slide might look strange. There are hundreds of unseen forces acting upon the red blood cells, platelets, and suspended plasma proteins.

Under some conditions, the blood cells of some individuals might even tend to clump together when viewed on the television screen. However, this does not mean that individual is ill, suffering from a nutritional deficiency, or is being agglutinated internally from the lectins in their diet. Unfortunately, this is often not the message they receive from the "live cell analyst" about to make a recommendation as to which one of their proprietary supplements to buy in order to remedy the "condition."

(This is not to imply that all people performing "live cell analysis" are unscrupulous, but only that the technology creates a powerful imagery and it is easy to abuse. There seems to be quite a number of people demonstrating the televised technique for the public who are unaware of the subtleties of the blood stream and the body - and thus not qualified to make clinical diagnoses based upon what they are seeing on the TV monitor. Yet, it is very easy for "a live cell analyst " - for reasons altruistic, capitalistic, or otherwise - to issue an ominous-sounding term or diagnosis to an unsuspecting member of the public. I have had several people consult me, worried that their blood was agglutinating inside their arteries, or that their "immune system was shot," based upon comments made at a health expo by a "live cell analyst" - who had received little more than a weekend training course. The public should be made aware of the limitations of the "live cell analysis" technique, so they are not unduly frightened by what they may see on the screen or hear from the analyst.)

What of the people who say they feel better when they resumed flesh eating after intervals of consuming vegetarian or vegan diets? Unquestionably, their experiences have some important messages for us. But what are they? Here are some possibilities...

It is known that, in some people, merely adjusting the proportions of proteins, fats and sugars in any manner significantly new to their body can produce noticeable improvements in the way they feel. Changing the proportion of raw vs. cooked foods can similarly have beneficial effects. Some people who feel that their health has improved after adopting a "zone" or "blood type" diet may actually be benefiting from just eating less carbohydrates, more protein, etc. We plan to investigate whether some of the individuals who re-introduced animal products into their diet could have achieved similar effects by altering their selection and quantities of plant-based foods.

We recognize that there are significant metabolic differences between people. It may well be that some of these differences may propel certain individuals towards flesh consumption. It may be, however, that the cause is not so much genetic, as acquired after birth. Remember, virtually every person who reports adding meat back into a previously vegetarian diet is an individual who was raised on a meat-based diet.

Why is this important? The kind of foods one eats in their early years may set biochemical patterns that last for a lifetime. For example, the human body can synthesize from simpler molecules some essential substances like carnitine (required for energy production) and some long-chain fatty acids (EPA, DHA, etc., needed for hormone function, membrane synthesis, etc.). People who eat meat ingest these substances, pre-formed, in the muscles and other animal tissues they consume. It may be that the body of a person raised as a life-long omnivore becomes functionally dependent upon a diet that contains these pre-formed nutrients. As adults, if they suddenly change to a completely plant-based style of eating, where the foods are essentially devoid of pre-formed carnitine, EPA, DHA, etc., they may find themselves in a body with enzyme systems unable to synthesize all the energy-generating compounds, fatty acids, and other molecules they may require.

After months or years on a flesh-free diet, these individuals might experience deterioration of their health or energy - only to feel better upon resumption of meat ingestion. To the person, this may seem like confirmation that they are "natural meat eaters." Rather, it may be evidence of an acquired dependency on flesh-borne nutrients formed through early eating patterns. If this is the case, it may be possible to prevent, repair, or at least compensate for these imbalances through provision of additional nutrients, removal of inhibiting substances in the diet, varying combinations of food, etc., utilizing foods of plant-based origin. There is much to learn about the subject and much research needs to be done.

In my experience, these problems are not encountered in people raised on vegetarian diets from infancy. This effect might be especially pronounced in long-term omnivores who make an abrupt change to a vegan diet, as opposed to those who taper flesh foods out of their diet more gradually. It may be that some "omnivore-from-birth" people who desire to sustain themselves on a vegan diet may have to make a more graded transition to completely plant-based foods, sometimes over several weeks or months, to give the body time to "gear up" its metabolic machinery. In other words, what appears to be a "natural need for meat" may really be the need for an attenuated weaning process from animal products in order to overcome metabolic patterns begun early in life, created largely by cultural practices.

Through the Institute of Education and Research, we plan to study these phenomena in detail and will attempt to identify any nutrients that may be required in larger amounts when consuming vegetarian diets. A goal of our research is to develop science-based guidelines to aid anyone who chooses to nourish their body on exclusively plant-based foods to do so with optimal benefits to their health and well being.

An additional thought: Less than optimal function on a plant-based diet (or any diet) may not stem from a "lack of meat" or a nutrient deficiency at all, but rather from an individual's other health conditions, like digestive dysfunction, malabsorption by the intestine, parasite problems, adverse immune reactions, etc. To me, these are far more likely mechanisms that could explain the "failure-to-thrive" syndrome occasionally seen in vegetarians and vegans - rather than a genetic mandate to consume flesh determined by their blood type. Much more research is needed to obtain the answers to so many questions in this essential but subtle science.

Beyond the "blood type issue," perhaps a deeper question about any book which advocates a meat-based diet for the majority of the population is, "In today's world, is eating meat, in any form, safe?" It appears that to base one's diet around animal foods is becoming a high-risk activity, similar to unsafe sex or driving without wearing a seat belt. Consider the smorgasbord of health hazards available at today's meat counters. It's a safe bet that virtually every cut of "fresh" meat produced commercially in North America today contains:

Residues of hydrocarbon pesticides and herbicides, linked to cancers nd birth defects,

Residues of antibiotics and growth-augmenting sex hormones fed to the animals and stored in their tissues,

Fecal microbes, like the potentially lethal E. coli 0:157 and Salmonella bacteria. (Hamburger roulette, anyone?)

The nightmare specter of the brain-destroying prion protein, the cause of spongioform encephalopathies - "mad cow disease" in bovines - Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, or CJD in humans. (I feel sadly certain that what occurred in England with mad cow disease will probably occur here in North America and other parts of the world within in the next two years. I sincerely hope I'm wrong.)

Given these ever-increasing risks connected to meat consumption, I fear that the theories and books that attempt to justify and promote the eating of flesh - for whatever reason - could be opening the floodgates of ghastly epidemics five or ten years from now. These plagues likely will have a magnitude that will dwarf everybody's concerns about "being in the zone" or eating "right for your type."

Finally, no matter what advocates of animal-based diets might say about the merits of being in the "zone" or "eating right for your blood type," from an ecological standpoint, a meat-based diet for the world's population is non-achievable and, for even a sizeable minority, is non-sustainable. The world's soils, waters, and forests are being decimated to produce meat-based diets. We are destroying the life support systems of our planet - of our children's planet - for a mouthful of flesh. To me, the promotion of diets centered around meat increases the chances of ecological catastrophes and thus jeopardizes each of our futures.

I wish for everyone optimal health, happiness, and longevity. We owe it to ourselves, to our children, and to all who come after them, to see how optimal function and life span can be achieved on diets that are truly sustainable - for individuals, for societies, and for the planet. It is, after all, the food of all our futures.

-Michael Klaper, M.D.

References

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b) Inman, R. Antigens, the Gastrointestinal Tract, and Arthritis. Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America - Vol. 17, No. 2, May 1991.

c) Katz, K. Intestinal mucosal permeability and rheumatological diseases. Bailliere's Clinical Rheumatology - Vol. 3, No. 2, August, 1989.

(2) a) Kjeldsen-Kragh, J. Controlled trial of fasting and one-year vegetarian diet in rheumatoid arthritis. Lancet, 1991; 338:899-902.

b) Mielants, et al. Intestinal Mucosal Permeability in Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases. II. Role of Disease. (J. Rheumatol. 1991; 18:394-100)

(3) a) Peltonen, R., et al. Changes of Faecal Flora in Rheumatoid Arthritis During Fasting and One-Year Vegetarian Diet. British Journal of Rheumatology 1994; 33:638-643.

b) Ling, W. Shifting from a Conventional Diet to an Uncooked Vegan Diet Reversibly Alters Fecal Hydrolytic Activities in Humans. Journal of Nutrition, 122: 924- 930,1992.

(4) a) Bidoli, E. et al (1992), Food consumption and cancer of the colon and rectum in North-Eastern Italy, International Jnl of Cancer v.50 p.223-229.

b) Rao, A V. & Janezic, S A. (1992), The role of dietary phyosterols in colon carcinogenesis, Nutrition & Cancer v.18 (1) p.43-52.

c) Willett, W C. et al (1990), Relation of meat, fat and fibre intake to the risk of colon cancer in a prospective study among women, New England Jnl of Medicine v.323 (24) p.1664-1672.

(5) a) Mills, P. K. (1988), Animal product consumption and subsequent fatal breast cancer risk among Seventh-Day Adventists, American Jnl of Epidemiology v.127 (3) p.440-453.

b) Fraser, G. E. et al (1991), Diet and lung cancer in California Seventh-Day Adventists, American Jnl of Epidemiology v.133 (7) p.683-693.

2008-09-09T20:22:00.001-07:00


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Food Insurance

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Did you know such a thing as food insurance existed? It is otherwise known as food product liability insurance. This type of coverage would provide some protection in the event that food that a consumer purchased did injury to them. Most retail outlets unofficially require that a food manufacturer provide a minimum level of food product liability insurance coverage before they will carry that item. That minimum is normally around $1 million. This is coverage that you won't likely find agents for in the yellow pages.

Unfortunately, there is not standard rate for policy or premium estimates for this type of insurance. Food product liability providers seem reluctant to provide solid estimates. You will most likely have to fill out forms and submit information on such things as production, distribution and marketing plans as well as annual sales and the like. Some other information they might require in order to give you a quote is:

• Level of gross sales or annual payroll

• Prior claims/history

• Level of coverage

• Specialty or standard market

• Type of product

• Type of market

• Recall plan

• Batch system for production

This information and much more is available in an article published in 1998 by Rob Holland of the University of Tennessee for the Agricultural Development Center. The information is still relevant for today but it might be helpful to know that food product insurance might be more easily found under product liability insurance in general. Your insurance agent can help you determine which route would be best in covering your interests in regard to food preparation, marketing and distribution. Some things to consider are topics such as product liability laws worldwide, product liability exposure identification, risk assessment and management, product safety policy and program development and more.

If you are considering starting your own food production business with a recipe handed down in your family for generations there are a lot of things to consider. Check out this article from the Virginia Cooperative Extension, which includes many other things to consider besides food product liability insurance.

2008-09-08T23:09:00.001-07:00

Recent studies show that many rural families are dependent on high-fat food from convenience stores like this one in South Carolina for too much of their diet
By Karen Springen Newsweek Web Exclusive
Dec 11, 2007 Updated: 5:56 p.m. ET Dec 11, 2007

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Orangeburg County
Jim Weill
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Angela Liese
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American Dietetic Association
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Fannie Charles, 46, lives six miles from the nearest grocery store in rural , S.C. She doesn't own a car, so she pushes a cart along the side of the highway. (There are no sidewalks.) It's difficult, since she weighs 240 pounds and suffers from asthma and type 2 diabetes. That's why she usually goes only once a month. About once a week she supplements her grocery-store purchases with pricier, less healthy food from the convenience store, just a mile and a half away. At both places she forgoes fruits and leafy greens. "They're too expensive," she says. Skim milk is often unavailable. "I get the whole milk, or I'll get a little can of Carnation evaporated," she says. Though she often worries about going hungry, she is obese. "I'm stressed. That's why I'm eating a lot," she says. "And I've got to eat what I have."
This is the real world of eating and nutrition in the rural United States. Forget plucking an apple from a tree, or an egg from under a chicken. "The stereotype is everyone in rural America lives on a farm, which is far from the truth," says , president of the nonprofit Food Research and Action Center (FRAC). New research from the of Public Health shows just how unhealthy the country life can be. The study, which examined food-shopping options in Orangeburg County (1,106 square miles, population 91,500), found a dearth of supermarkets and grocery stores. Of the 77 stores that sold food in Orangeburg County in 2004, when the study was done, 57—nearly 75 percent—were convenience stores. Grocery stores, which stock far more fruits and vegetables than convenience stores, are often too far away, says University of South Carolina epidemiologist , lead author of the study, which appeared in last month's Journal of the . "Oftentimes a nutritionist will just say, 'Buy more fruits and vegetables,' when, in fact, the buying part is not simple."
Like other rural areas (and some inner-city ones), Orange County is an isolated "food desert." "You are pretty much at the mercy of what's in your neighborhood," says Adam Drewnowski, director of the center for obesity research at the . Although only 28 percent of all the stores in Orangeburg County carried any of the fruits and vegetables—apples, cucumbers, oranges, tomatoes—that were part of the survey, Liese and her colleagues found plenty of healthy foods in the county's 20 supermarkets and grocery stores. The situation in the convenience stores was decidedly grimmer. Only 4 percent of them carried high-fiber bread, and only 2 percent carried low-fat or skim milk.
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Poverty poses a big barrier to good nutrition in rural areas. "Eating healthier is more expensive," says Jodi Bates, who operates the Compassion in Action food bank in Orangeburg County, where the median household income is just $30,000 and 22 percent of the residents fall below the poverty line. Last year food stamps went to 10.3 percent of rural Americans, versus 7.3 percent of urban ones, and 31 percent of rural grade-schoolers got a free or reduced lunch, compared to 25 percent of urban grade-schoolers.
Rural Americans are at increased risk of what the government calls "low food security," better understood as fear of going hungry. According to new data from the , more than 35.5 million Americans (not including the nation's 750,000 or so homeless people) fell into this category last year. The highest food insecurity rates were in states with large rural populations: Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and South Carolina. Ironically, people with low food security are often hungry—and fat. The reason: they binge on cheap, high-calorie foods that fill them up. "People don't think of people who are obese as struggling with hunger, when of course many of them are," says Weill of FRAC. "Poverty and food insecurity and obesity are often linked not because poor people are getting too much food from programs but because they're not getting enough resources to obtain a healthy diet." And according to a study published this month in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association by the University of Washington, the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables is increasing faster than the cost of other foods.
Nutritionists and anti-hunger activists know what rural Americans should eat. In an ideal world, says Weill, more people would take advantage of nutrition and financial education programs, like those offered by the USDA, that teach consumers how to make a food budget and use recipes. The 2007 Farm Bill would increase food stamp access and benefits and allocate an additional $2.75 billion over 10 years to buy fruits and vegetables for the USDA's nutrition assistance programs, including the national school lunch and breakfast programs. (The USDA now runs a pilot program that gives kids in 25 schools in eight states fresh fruit during the day.) Jan Probst, director of the South Carolina Rural Health Research Center, has hopes that these new measures could help prevent what may be an oncoming health catastrophe in rural America: "If you start now, these people won't be having heart attacks at 40."
With Joan Raymond

2008-09-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

FOOD COMBINING

In order to understand food combining, you first have to understand the reason for combining foods in an orderly fashion. We've learned to schedule our appointments, balance our checkbooks and plan our weekends, but for some reason, most of us never give the same attention to our meal times or what we eat. If you buy a new car and the dealer tells you not to put leaded gasoline in the tank, chances are you won't! However, no matter how many times we're told that certain foods are bad for our bodies, we continue to indulge in them, feel bad and become fat. Why is that? What are our priorities? Not only have we become victims of commercial brainwashing, we've lost the real reason we're meant to consume food -- for nutritional nourishment.
America is unquestionably the greatest country on Earth. It's a land of abundance, of opportunity, of choice and free expression. Yet, every Monday morning, millions of people make the choice of starving themselves, vowing not to eat again until they lose the pounds they hate so much. Thus begins the ridiculous counting of calories, the use of artificial sweeteners, skim milk, carrot sticks, diet pills, diuretics and laxatives. It's a never-ending nightmare, and without the proper education, victims, left and right, are cutting back in areas of nutritional importance without realizing the damage they're causing. You see, America isn't overweight. It's overfat! We are number 1 in cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity! Can you believe that our great country is 65% obese? With all of our education, health food stores, health clubs, infomercials on fitness equipment and commercials on eating light, low and natural, we earned the great reputation of being the fattest country in the WORLD! This is scary, but when you look at how and what we eat and the fact that 64% of the adults do not exercise properly and 25% do not exercise at all, there is really no wonder why! It's about time we take charge of our bodies and make responsible decisions before we eat. Don't let the waiter, menu or elegant restaurant intimidate you into accepting the cheese just because "it comes with it."
My main purpose in writing this article is to teach you the truth about your body's biochemistry so that you'll have control over your health. And health doesn't mean being obsessed with being thin, which is an infinite word. Once you're thin, you'll want to be thinner. You'll never be satisfied.
One of the biggest problems in our health-conscious world is the absurd affair we all seem to share with the bathroom scale. For God's sake and yours, throw it out the window. It's designed to weigh weight, not fat! It's that simple. A weighing device is simply not going to tell you the truth about your health or how much fat you've lost.
Health is balance, and in order to achieve that balance, the key is to spend less time counting calories, and more time considering what the calories consist of. Think about it. What's better for the body: 200 calories of fresh cut pineapple or 200 calories of an artificially sweetened, chemically designed food?
It's pretty obvious we've all become casualties of a world that preys on laziness! We've learned to depend on TV commercials, magazines, the fashion world and what "so and so" says is healthy. You've heard it before. "I don't care what we eat, as long as it's quick and easy."
Well, no wonder you're overfat, underweight and sick and tired of losing control of your health. You've never been given the correct, unbiased information. The result is a continuous state of confusion and lack of focus. The thing to remember is that there's no such a thing as a well-balanced meal. Only a well-balanced day! Gas is not natural, nor is constipation and diarrhea along with bloat and flatulence. Why are we choosing to live with these problems, and why are we continuing to eat the way that we do, momentarily solving the situation with antacids?
The answer is bad conditioning. And so, without further ado, I'd like you to start taking the necessary steps to change your diet which has been so carefully programmed by momentary fads, myths, wives' tales and family patterns. It's time to use your food, not abuse your food.
From now on, when you think of food, I'd like you to think of it categorically. Not whether it's Chinese, Italian, Japanese or Mexican, but whether it's fruit, carbohydrate, protein or fat. To begin the Food Combining, you first have to put foods into their proper food combining group. So let's start with the fruit world.
FRUIT
Your fruit meal (and fruit by itself can be a meal) should be the number one feast of the day. It's a crucial food source first thing in the morning for a couple of reasons: First, after sleeping all night, your blood sugar is low and your body is rested. You need simple carbohydrates to jump start your battery... You've been laying horizontal for a number of hours and expect your warm idle body to hop to it and begin functioning without fuel.
Well, surprise! Your heart, lungs, liver, intestinal tract, gall bladder and every organ in your peritoneal cavity requires an energy supply to operate. After all, if you don't gas and oil your car, it won't go very far, nor will it take long for the engine block to literally crack. What makes you think your body is any different?
Second, fruits (especially tropical fruits) have God-given digestive enzymes that will help to clean out the residue left over from the food you've eaten the night before. Pineapple, for example, is known for its powerful enzyme "bromelain," which amongst other things, is a great fat burner, and papaya, rich in "papain," has a number of medicinal qualities and has proven to be an effective meat tenderizer.
It's really interesting. Fruits seem to have magical healing and cleansing powers. They travel through the digestive tract very quickly (within an hour) which is why it's so important not to eat them with any other food group. When you combine a fruit with, say for instance, cereal or waffles, it ends up getting held up in the stomach, unable to move through the "pylorus" (the exit opening of the stomach) and into the small intestine where it undergoes the little digestion it requires. When this happens, bacterial decomposition follows, and the fruit begins to ferment and turn into wine!
If you can, try to eat fruit, not just drink it. I can't stress enough how important it is to have fruit scrubbing the stomach and walls of your digestive tract, clearing the way for your second meal. Try to think of pineapple as a roto-rooter, scrubbing and cleansing its way through your intestinal tract.
There are absorption sights along the walls of your gut lining that are specifically designed to absorb certain nutrients as your food make its digestive voyage via the miracle of "peristalsis" (the worm-like movement by which the intestinal tract propels its contents). If you do decide to drink fresh fruit juice once in a while, try to at least cut it with distilled water. There's almost 5 to 6 oranges in a glass of orange juice, and without being diluted, they will put undo stress on your pancreas.
There are four different kinds of fruits:
Melons (which are practically all water) are in a world all by themselves. The human body breaks them down immediately and it's important not to mix them with other foods, including other fruits, which is why the expression "Eat 'em alone or leave 'em alone" came about.
Acid (or citrus) fruits have the most fibers and are rich in antioxidants.
Sub-acid fruits are easy to identify because of their stones, pits, seeds and cores.
Sweet fruits have no juice, are more concentrated and take longer to digest. They're not the greatest of cleansers, but do provide minerals and concentrated sugars.
MELON
ACID
SUB-ACID
SWEET
Banana Melon
Grapefruit
Apple
Dried Fruit
Cantaloupe
Lemon
Apricot
Banana
Casaba
Lime
Cherry
Cherimoya
Christmas Melon
Orange
Grape
Date
Crenshaw
Pineapple
Kiwi
Fig
Honeydew
Pomegranate
Mango
Persimmon
Nutmeg Melon
Strawberry
Papaya
Prune
Persian Melon
Tangerine
Pear
Raisin
Watermelon
Tomato
Plumb

All dried fruit should be soaked at least four hours before eating as they will digest and assimilate ten times faster. Approximate digestion time for fruits are:
Melons: 5 to 10 minutes Acid: 20 to 30 minutes Sub Acid: 30 to 40 minutes Sweet: 40 to 60 minutes
CARBOHYDRATES
The second food combining group is made up of the more complex carbohydrates that I like to categorize (depending on their molecular structure) as dress lengths. MINI, MIDI and MAXI.
For example, the loose-knit molecules that hold together a lettuce leaf are a lot easier to break apart and digest than the molecules found in a tighter and more complex starchy russet potato.
The body, amongst other things, utilizes complex carbohydrates to break down protein and absorb amino acids, which is a hard journey to complete without the energy to do so.
The most commonly used are:
MINI (No Starch)
MIDI (Lo-Starch)
MAXI (Hi-Starch)
Asparagus
Artichokes
All Cereals
Broccoli
Beets
Jerusalem Artichokes
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Banana Squash
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Bread
Collards
Corn
Chestnuts
Cucumber
Peas
Chips
Egg Plant
Peppers
Grains
Endive
Rutabaga
Kashi
Garlic
Salsify
Pasta
Lettuce
String Beans
Popcorn
Mushrooms
Potatoes
Okra
Rice
Zucchini
Pumpkin

Carbohydrates have at least a 51% glucose count in their molecular makeup and are the foods that give us not only our fuel and roughage, but also the vitamins and minerals needed to boost our immune system. They are the most important source of energy for the body, and in general, must be available for us to properly digest and assimilate our other food groups.
The amount of time it takes carbohydrates to pass through the digestive tract varies depending upon the amount of carbohydrates eaten, their complexity, and how much of the enzyme "ptyalin" is released in the mouth during the chewing process. However, the general rule is:
Mini: 20 to 60 minutes Midi: 1 to 2 hours Maxi: 4 to 5 hours
Bear in mind that all uncooked grains should be soaked overnight which will convert them to simple sugars and allow you to combine them better with plant and nut protein.

PROTEIN
Protein, the third food combining group, is divided into four categories (animal, plant, dairy and nut). It's the hardest of all the food groups to digest and has at least a 51% amino acid count in its molecular makeup.
Next to water, protein is the most plentiful substance in the body, and is one of the most important elements for good health and vitality. It's the major source of building material for muscles, blood, skin, hair, nails and internal organs, including the heart and brain.
Chief among them are:
- Animal
ChickenCrustaceans (Clams, Crabs, Lobster, Shrimp)DuckEgg WhitesEscargotFish (Cat Fish, Halibut, Salmon, Sole, Trout, Tuna)GooseLambPork (Bacon, Chops, Ham, Sausage)Red Meat (Hamburger, Liver, Roast Beef, Steak, Veal)Salami (Packaged Lunch Meat)TurkeyVenison
- Plant
Beans (Black, Garbanzo, Kidney, Peanuts, Pinto, Soy)Tempeh (Fermented Pressed Soy Beans)Tofu (Tofu Dips, Tofu Hot Dogs, Vege Burgers)TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)Wheat Gluten (Seitan)
- Dairy
ButterButtermilkCheeseCottage CheeseCreamCream CheeseIce CreamMilkYogurt
- Nut
Nuts (Almonds, Cashews, Filberts, Hazel, Peanut, Pistachio)Seeds (Pignolia, Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower)

The amount of time it takes protein to pass through the digestive tract varies depending upon the amount of protein eaten, its complexity, and how much "pepsin" and "HCL" (hydrochloric acid) the stomach releases to break it down. However, the sample list below will give you a rough idea.
Beans: 4 to 5 hoursEgg Whites: 4 to 5 hoursDairy: Dairy never really digests and will take at least 12 to 15 hours to pass through your systemFish: 5 to 6 hoursMeat: 9 to 10 hoursNuts: 4 to 5 hoursPoultry: 7 to 8 hoursSeeds: 4 to 5 hours
Like uncooked grains, all seeds, nuts and beans (legumes) should be soaked, drained and rinsed several times over a 24 hour period. This helps to convert them, specifically beans, to a more usable protein by pre-digesting their inherent starch that normally cause gaseous bloat. In fact, if you check soaking beans every 4 hours, you'll notice the water full of white foamy bubbles. This is called a "stachyose reaction" (caused by gas being released), and believe me, you'll thank God it's happening in the pot and not in your stomach!

FATS
Fats (also known as fatty acids) are the fourth and final food combining group, made up of at least 51% lipids. When oxidized, they furnish more than twice the number of calories (units of energy) per gram than those furnished by carbohydrates or proteins. One gram of fat yields approximately nine calories to the body. In addition to providing energy, fats also act as carriers for the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. And by aiding in the absorption of vitamin D, they help make calcium available to the body tissues, particularly to the bones and teeth.
The thing to remember is that there are two basic types of fats: saturated (the wrong kind of fat) and unsaturated (the right kind of fat). Saturated fats are found in dairy, meats, coconuts and palm kernel oils. They're very hard on the body and cardiovascular system, not to mention a main contributor to heart disease, obesity, liver disorders, lymphatic congestion and acne.
Unsaturated fats, on the other hand, are found in vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocados and olives. Unlike their counterparts, the body finds them easy to convert into heat and energy, and, when used in conjunction with a workout, they will actually help in the leaning out process.
The right kind of fat helps you "cut up" or "get lean" as they say. There are three things to consider when it comes to picking your favorite unsaturated oils (nut, seed and vegetable). One, always try to buy them cold-pressed, and two, when ever possible, buy organic, and three, always try to keep them refrigerated. When too much oxygen connects itself to the carbons in a fatty acid, its quality degenerates. Just because oil doesn't smell rancid, doesn't mean it isn't.
The most commonly used:
Oils
Fats
Corn
Avocados
Cotton Seed
Butter
Olive
Creams
Sesame
Non-Dairy Creams
Sunflower
Olives
So, now that we've discussed and categorized the four food combining groups, I'd like to talk about how to properly combine them and the reasons why.
When you "mis-combine" (mix incompatible food groups together at the same meal), two things happen: first, the food does not digest properly and ends up rotting and putrefying in your stomach, and second, because the food isn't being absorbed properly, you don't get the nutritional value you need from it.
It's important to note that we process foods in four simple steps: digestion, absorption, metabolism and elimination. And don't kid yourself. We derive no value from foods that are not digested. In fact, to eat and have food spoil in the digestive tract not only wastes the food, it produces toxins and poisons which are injurious to the body.
Digestion, the first step in the digestive process, is the method through which "enzymes" break down food into nutrients.
Potential problems arise because each food group requires its own set of specific enzymes to be properly broken down. That is to say, an enzyme capable of breaking down fats cannot break down proteins and carbohydrates, or vice versa. So, when you have conflicting enzymes present in the stomach at the same time, they are very often antagonistic toward each other, and the presence of one can actually prevent the other from doing its work. In other words, you've got a strike on your hands! Enzymes are very particular substances, and while there are many, I'm only going to mention a few:
Ptyalin: Essential for digesting carbohydrates, it appears in our saliva and is activated when we chew.
Hydrochloric Acid: Not really an enzyme, but when combined with the enzyme "lipase," is essential for the digestion of fat.
Pepsin and Erepsin: When combined with hydrochloric acid, they are the driving forces in the digestion of protein.
I think the easiest way to picture food combining is to try to think of the alkaline digestive juices that break down starch as Alka-Seltzer, and the acid digestive juices that break down protein as stomach acid.
When you mis-combine your meals by mixing animal protein with, say, carbohydrates high in starch (Maxi Carbs), your stomach begins pouring in both alkaline and acid, and unfortunately they neutralize each other. It's a stalemate, and since the stomach maintains a 104 degree temperature, what you end up with is sort of an "oven" where the undigested meat and starch begins to ferment, rot and putrefy, causing the undesirable symptoms of gas, flatulence, headaches, bloat, sleepiness, diarrhea, constipation, etc. We're talking about a real mess, and if it continues over the years, undigested food will begin to pile up and ultimately clog your colon and intestinal tract (your life lines to health).
Also, bear in mind, as important as it is to drink fluids over a 24 hour period, try and remember not to drink liquid during meals since it will dilute digestive juices and impair digestion.
YOU HAVE TO EAT! So many people are convinced that in order to lose weight, they have to skip meals or stop eating totally. This is so wrong. Your body has to have fuel in order to run properly. As I mentioned earlier, the peritoneal cavity alone (which includes the heart, lungs, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, intestines and stomach) requires 700 calories per day to perform it functions. And that's if you're in a relaxed state. Now add to your life the stress of a job, relationships, housework, exercise, an injury, etc. All these extra activities demand even more nutritional support.
If the body doesn't receive the vitamins, minerals, amino acids, glucose, lipids and water it needs to work properly, then it will beg, borrow and steal from other parts of the body. Not only will the skeletal muscles suffer, but the heart and other vital organs will be consumed for nourishment as well. This is often the case in an anorexic death. The myocardial tissue weakens, and under the slightest bit of stress, the heart simply explodes.
To use my favorite analogy, you wouldn't get very far without a full tank of gas in your car. So why would you start out the day with only a cup of coffee? Some people actually exercise on an empty stomach thinking the body will use its fat for fuel. They're living in a fantasy. There is no nutritional value in fat. The body isn't stupid, and after a short period of time, it will recognize the need for real food, and if you don't have enough nutrients floating around, it will dig into muscle tissue for fuel and nourishment.
Think about it. If you were in the desert with only a small amount of food to eat, wouldn't you hoard and ration the little that you had for fear of starving to death? Of course you would, and the body does the same thing. It stores its fat. When you don't feed the body, it thinks it will never eat again and begins to build up a supply just in case. You may be losing weight this way, but unfortunately, it's muscle weight, and your body is keeping the fat for a rainy day!
With respect to vitamins and minerals, they not only carry amino acids to their destination, they also strengthen the immune system, aid metabolism, help convert fat and carbohydrates into energy, and assist in forming bones and tissues. Simply put, skip a meal and you're actually jeopardizing the quality of your life.
With respect to water, it's what holds everything together. More than two thirds of your body weight is water. Besides being the essential constituent of all your cells, it also helps to maintain your normal body temperature and is vital in carrying waste materials out of the large intestines. I suggest you drink a lot of it (never tap), but as I said earlier, not during meals.
So there you have it. Food Combining is not simply a diet. It's a way of life, set up for you to eat all four of your food combining groups twice a day, six to seven hours apart.
It's a fact of life. We live in an energy draining society. Everyday life demands a nutritional program. If you wake up at 6 a.m., chances are you won't return to bed until 9 p.m. That's 15 hours of high voltage output, and without ingesting nutrients at least every three hours, how do you expect to perform up to par? I'm telling you, you won't. And eventually, your body will break down from the wear and tear, and you'll be asking yourself why -- Why don't I feel well? Why am I constipated? Why am I fat? Well, dear friends, the reason is, you've starved yourself from the very supplies you need to survive.
Don't be afraid to eat. It's what you should do! The important thing is to eat the right foods and in the right combinations. After all, you are what you eat. When you adjust to eating smart, you'll not only overcome the gastrointestinal discomfort, but will instinctively know when it's time to eat again (every three hours). All of a sudden, nature's time clock kicks in. It's called control, and it's a wonderful thing. (by spice williams)