CROSS OF PHYSICAL HEALTH
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 07:23 — admin
If you choose to get your protein from animal sources, you need to be sure it is lean, lean, lean. And you will need to supplement. Animals are the source of the bad fat that causes high cholesterol and obesity, not to mention artificial hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides. Examples of the best lean animal protein are wild salmon, tuna and game (elk, buffalo, etc.). Also on the list are free range or pasture-raised turkey and chicken. Grass fed Longhorn and Scottish Highland beef are also naturally lean, similar to wild game. Today the majority of commercial animals are raised in high density feed lots and cages that promote stress and disease requiring that they be pumped full of drugs, hormones and unhealthy food. So it is important to know where your animal protein is coming from. Non-fat dairy products such as egg whites and whey are also sources of lean animal protein.
The average American, on the other hand, consumes less than 12 grams per day. Naturally found in whole plant foods, fiber is completely missing, or nearly so, from all animal food sources and refined plant carbohydrates. So it’s easy to see that unless you are consuming an all vegetarian all natural unprocessed diet, you are going to need to supplement your intake of this nutrient.
The list of “miracles” that have occurred simply by adding these eight essential sugars to the diet is absolutely unbelievable as well as very well documented. Research in this area is taking the scientific community by storm. Top physicians around the world have embraced this exciting breakthrough. At the same time though, stung by a history of nutritional “snake oils” and indirectly blinded by a lack of support from the pharmaceutical giants, many doctors have yet to discover the amazing benefits this seemingly “simple” supplement can provide.
Sunlight
· If you are an American male, you have a 47% chance of getting cancer (38% for females)
· 33+% of Americans are obese
· The incidence of diabetes is skyrocketing (over 70% increase among 30 year olds)
· Heart disease will kill 1 in 3
THIS DOESN’T HAVE TO BE
IT IS ALL TOTALLY PREVENTABLE!!!
But don’t go looking for the answer at the hospital or your doctor’s office. Due to misdiagnosis, medication error, and adverse events from drugs or surgery our health care system kills 225,400 people per year making it the third leading cause of death! Only heart disease and cancer kill more!
Good health is not something that can be handed to you in a bottle. No one can do it to you or for you. But it is completely attainable, and relatively easily too – if you are willing to be different. In every facet of life, the only way to achieve different results is to be different. And good health is no exception.
Do you want to -
· Look great, and feel even better
· Live an active lifestyle, regardless of your age
· Preserve of even increase your mental acuity
· Stay out of hospitals
· Get rid of your pills
· Keep up with your children and grandchildren?
You can.
Good health is dependent on four basic “needs”. These physical needs make up what I call the Cross of Health.
NUTRITION
EXERCISE SAFETY
LOVE
Cross of Health
Let’s examine these needs one at a time.
NUTRITION
In the largest and most thorough study of nutrition ever done, Dr. T. Colin Campbell discovered that all of the modern diseases we suffer and die from can be prevented with a proper diet. People who eat “right” rarely get –
- Cancer
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Arthritis
- Alzheimer’s
- Stroke
- Osteoporosis
Not only is this “miracle” diet great for your health, but it is extremely environmentally friendly and economical as well. It is high in fiber and low in sugar with just a trace of fat. You can eat all you want, and even get to splurge once in a while. On this diet your body automatically adjusts to its optimal weight with no starving or calorie counting. You look good, you feel good, and you live a long time.
According to this landmark study, the perfect diet consists of 95%-100% whole plant foods. Unrefined and unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, and roots. Apples, oranges, melons, berries, salad, tomatoes, broccoli, beans, walnuts, filberts (hazelnuts to you easterners), whole wheat, brown rice, onions, and carrots. The only rule is that you need to really load up with the bulk of your diet being vegetables and fruit while being sure you get a wide variety of all the plant types. 95% seams to be just as good as 100%, which means that once a week you can splurge with some refined or animal based food. Ice cream, eggs, milk, steak, fish – whatever you want.
One of the most common misunderstandings about food revolves around our need for protein. So let’s take a quick look at that. Your body makes protein by assembling chains of amino acids. Of the many amino acids needed, you can make all but eight. These eight must be in your diet and are called essential amino acids. You can get them by eating other animals, or by eating what they eat.
You can get all of the essential amino acids you need from any combination of grain and bean; for instance rice and black beans, corn and peas, or wheat and soy beans. The big advantage of getting your protein from plants is that it is high in fiber, low in calories (if your grains are hydrated or fresh) and cholesterol free.
The truth of the matter is that you were not designed to eat animal protein. All of the major diseases that are killing us today are absolutely and irrefutably caused by the way we eat! In a nut shell, if you don’t want to die of heart disease, diabetes, or cancer, if you don’t want to get fat, osteoporosis, or Alzheimer’s, if you don’t want your teeth to fall out from gum infection, your diet needs to be 95-100% whole plant based. All your body needs and wants are good healthy carbohydrates. These foods are packed with a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals, fiber, antioxidants and glyconutrients that are needed for healthy cellular function and repair.
But What If I Don’t Want To Give Up Meat?
If you have been diagnosed with heart or kidney problems, and you seriously want to regain your health and prolong your life, you really need to just get over it and take this whole plant diet seriously. Your tastes will adjust and you’ll start to really enjoy the rich variety available. But if you are not yet in critical condition, you can probably afford the luxury of making this change a little slower.
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To learn how to easily and tastefully cook a whole plant diet, read Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, and Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn. Both are filled with more reasons to eat healthy and have large sections filled with recipes and tips. |
Supplementation
Fiber
Unless your diet is at least 95% whole plant based, you are not going to get nearly enough fiber in your diet. Both the American Heart Association and the American Diabetic Association, as well as the National Cancer Institute, recommend eating at least 30 and preferably 50 grams of fiber a day. The problem is that this is the equivalent of a wheelbarrow full of lettuce, at least a dozen apples, or over 6 bowls of oatmeal.
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While there are a number of fiber supplements on the market, only all natural Bios Life from Rexall/Unicity contains a patented blend of both essential soluble and insoluble fibers scientifically proven to be effective for lowering serum cholesterol (as well or better than Lipitor) and maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. |
Vitamines
In addition to a lack of fiber, the typical American diet is also lacking in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, all of which are essential to proper cell function, healing, and fighting infection. This is due not only to an unhealthy reliance on animal protein, but also results from the depletion of the nutrient content in our soils. Modern chemical based farming makes big plants with only a fraction of the nutrition contained 100 or even 50 years ago. Consequently, even strict vegetarians can often benefit from additional quality (you get what you pay for) supplementation.
Glyconutrients
An exciting new player in the supplement game is a class of nutrients called glyconutrients. Simply put, they are a group of various sugars that are now known to be essential to proper cellular function and communication. Evidence is rapidly demonstrating that they are extremely effective in supporting the body’s own immune system. As a result, many people are experiencing miracle like cures from allergies, autoimmune diseases, cancer, infections, and many other immune deficiency conditions.
When functioning properly, every cell in your body is covered with a forest of these glyconutrients, or sugars. And it is via this covering that individual cells recognize each other and transfer information to one another. When given the proper tools, our bodies, and the cells that make them up, are extremely creative at repairing themselves, developing alternate pathways if needed, and at searching and destroying internal enemies. But to do these jobs effectively and without error, or “friendly fire”, the communication system must work at optimum efficiency.
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The most complete form of glyconutritional supplementation is found in the patented product called Ambrotose. Manufactured by Mannatech, it, as well as Bios Life, is available through the charitable Peckham Foundation. To learn more, call 208-265-6470 |
A partial list of the many conditions that can benefit from glyconutritional support would include lupus, fibromyalgia, diabetes, arthritis, depression, attention deficit disorder, multiple sclerosis, cancer, viral and bacterial infection, hepatitis, and even Down’s and fetal alcohol syndromes!
Water
Finally, no discussion of diet and nutrition would be complete without at least a brief mention of the importance of good clean water, and lots of it! Your body is over 70% water. Your brain is even more. Dehydration leads to decreased energy, decreased metabolism, and decreased resistance to disease. You need water!
How much water do you need? One half of your body weight (in lbs.) equals the number of ounces of water you need each day. An average glass holds 8 oz. Thus a 200-lb. man would need 100 oz. or 12 glasses of water each day. This would increase significantly if he were also drinking caffeine, alcohol, fruit juice, soda pop, or sports drinks, all of which are or contain dehydrators, taking water out of your system.
EXERCISE
We all know the benefits of regular exercise – improved muscle tone, increased endurance, accelerated fat burning. Few of us, though, know how to exercise properly. Proper exercise maximizes the flow of oxygen through your body, burns excess fat and increases strength. What most of us don’t realize is that you can exercise too much! Too much exercise burns very little fat and retards strength gains. Proper exercise has two main characteristics.
1) Keep your heart rate within the maximum fat-burning range (MFBR). If you exceed your MFBR your body will switch from fat burning to protein, or muscle burning. Not what you want! So what is your MFBR? Here’s how to figure it out.
Your MFBR is 60-75% of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). You MHR is 220 minus your age. For instance, let’s say you are 40 years old. Your MHR would be 180 (220 – 40 = 180). Thus your MFBR would be from 108 to 135 (180 x .60 = 108, 180 x .75 = 135). For the most efficient results you should wear a heart rate monitor.
Do this at least 3 times per week for at least 30 minutes each time. Increase the frequency and duration for faster results.
2) To increase muscle mass, do not weight train any muscle group more than once per week. It is a proven fact that it takes 5-7 days for muscles to recover after being fatigued. Working out too soon can lead to injury, overtraining (increased fat!), or lack of progress.
SAFETY
A safe and healthy environment is also obviously crucial to health and wellbeing. In this category are included adequate shelter, freedom from physical harm, and a lack of pollution. While not completely under our own individual control, we should all be doing what we can to help each other with these issues. However, the category of a healthy environment also includes plenty of fresh air and sunlight which we do have a measure of control over.
Fresh air
Oxygen is vital to the operation of your biologic engine. Just as using a turbo charger to inject more oxygen into a puny little 4 cylinder engine can make it run like a big throaty V8, so will turbo charging your body maximize your energy output.
So how do we get more fresh air? Throw open your windows and get outside. Sit up straight and stand up tall. Give your lungs plenty of room to work, and breath from your stomach. At the bottom of your chest cavity is a big drum like membrane called the diaphragm. Its purpose is to pull air into your lungs. When it pulls down, air is pulled into your lungs and your stomach is pushed out of the way. Don’t worry about your chest. As your lungs fill up, they will push your ribs out of the way automatically. Just push your stomach out and pull that oxygen in all the way to the very bottom. Make a habit of breathing like this all the time. This turbo charging will give you 1) more physical energy, 2) more mental energy (your brain uses over 25% of your bodies oxygen), 3) more emotional energy (less depression), and 4) more fat burning. You can’t burn fat without oxygen.
Smoking
Do you smoke? It goes without saying; you’re not going to get much fresh air if your lungs are full of smoke! If you are a smoker, there is nothing better you can do for your body or for your family than to quit! I’m not going to spend a lot of time belaboring this point because everyone knows it’s true. Suffice it to say that the sooner you get this done the better.
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There are a number of programs and theories on how to best quit. And the best one is the one that works for you. If you are serious about quitting, I’ve written a report on how best to do it on your own which I’d be glad to share with you free of charge. Just call the Foundation (208-265-6570) and ask for my 7-Step Stop Smoking Program. We’ll get it right out to you. |
Sunlight is a natural purifier, the best source of Vitamin D and a powerful mood enhancer.
Give yourself a triple treat of oxygen, exercise, and sunlight, by exercising out of doors. Remember, of course, not to let yourself burn!
LOVE
In his book “Love and Survival”, Dr. Dean Ornish chronicles how he discovered that, more important than diet, more important than exercise, more important than temperance, more important than any other life style habit, is the presence of genuine loving relationships in your life.
When you stop and think about it, it makes perfect sense. 90% of all stress has to do with interpersonal relationships (the other 10% usually has to do with money!). And we all know that stress kills, but “a happy heart is better than medicine”. The question is, are we looking in the right spot for happiness, or are we “looking in all the wrong places”.
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In Nature, Nurture, and the Power of Love, Dr. Bruce Lipton presents a fascinating look at the incredible influence a loving environment has on health and development. In one example he relates how pregnant rats living in a fearful and stressful environment give birth to “ratletts” who have much bigger muscles and smaller brains when compared to those conceived and gestated in a safe and peaceful environment!
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Equally fascinating are the studies conducted by Dr. Masaru Emoto. While studying the properties of water he discovered that although he was unable to create snowflakes from city water, it was relatively easy to do with water brought into his lab from a fresh mountain stream. Then he found that he could “convert” the city water by exposing it to classical music, or even a loving conversation! Interesting, considering you’re 90% water!
We all have the same basic needs – the need to survive, to belong, to be free, and to have fun. In one way or another, these needs all require people. In other words, we need people to love us. And we need people to love. When these needs are met, then we are truly happy.
If you are feeling stressed, it is probably because one or more of your needs are not being adequately met. You can begin to remedy this situation by doing the following.
- Take time every day to reflect. Were your needs well met today? How did today’s events and interactions leave you feeling? Are your expectations realistic? What can you do tomorrow to make things better?
- Learn to listen well. The object of good listening is to learn and empathize with the other person’s perspective and feelings. Not to judge. Not to fix. Just to understand.
- Find someone who will listen well to you and allow you to share your feelings.
I believe that the purest example of unselfish love is found in the life of Jesus Christ, and have found that regularly reflecting on His life and ministry has made the above steps much easier to accomplish.
Copyrighted 2009