Tag Archives: Carotenoids

Why Do We Get Sick and Age?

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As you know your body is made of a kazillion cells (give or take a few).

Cells form tissue, tissue forms organs, organs form organ systems, and organ systems form a complete human body. So when we get sick, or age.. it is in fact our cells that are getting sick and aging.  Your health is dependent on the health of your CELLS.

Back to Biology Class for a moment…

Just by breathing and breaking down food, our body creates free radicals, or molecules with unpaired electrons. These unstable molecules make their way through the body, scavenging our cells, trying to snatch up that missing part. The free radical theory of aging says that the damage done by these free radicals to our cells, particularly Oxidative Stress that oxygen-free radicals cause, could be why our bodies age.
Inflammation is a natural, necessary response to fight germs or heal wounds. Our immune system steps in to fight foreign invaders.
Inflammatory chemicals are a by-product which can be harmful to our tissues… antioxidants restore order.
Because free radicals are a natural byproduct of numerous bodily functions, we’re destined to have these molecules running around all the time.

To The Rescue!

Antioxidants have extra electrons that they give to free radicals.  These are your body’s repairmen! We get antioxidants from colorful fruits and vegetables.

What Depletes Our Antioxidants Stores?

  • Smoking
  • Alcohol
  • Fatty Foods
  • Pesticides
  • Pollution
  • Stress
  • Some prescription drugs
  • Exercise

Exercise???  YES! When you exercise you are oxidizing your body… right?  Well, then you are a person who needs MORE ANTIOXIDANTS than the average bear.

The goal is to MAINTAIN a healthy level of antioxidants.  Not to get enough for a few days, and drop your intake for a few days.

“The amount of antioxidants that you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live.”

     -  Richard Cutler M.D., Director Anti-Aging Research, National Institute of Health (NIH).

The FDA used to recommend that we get at least 6500 ORAC (a measure of antioxidant capacity of foods) per day.  This number would equal about 4 cups of blueberries a day. Most Americans get around 2,000 ORAC a day.

Not long ago they raised the number to 8500 ORAC a day.  WHY?

1. Our soil is depleted of nutrients, so the food we eat offers less nutrients

2. Pesticides lower antioxidant values

3. Toxins in our environment deplete antioxidants and those are always on the rise.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO FIGHT BACK?

1. Eat ORGANIC

2. Eat a wide variety of dark berries, colorful vegetables and lots of spices (a 1/4 tsp of Cinnamon gives you approximately 25% of the Antioxidants you need in a day!)

3. Avoid chemical additives in food, cosmetics and containers

4. Take a pharmaceutical grade supplement daily that has the full spectrum of Antioxidants and minerals your body needs since it is almost impossible to consistently maintain a healthy level of antioxidants

Below is an example of a comprehensive antioxidant supplement:

ing_lifepakprime

Send me an email for a list of pharmaceutical grade manufacturers.  All supplements are NOT created equally.  Many pills you buy at the local drug store go right through you before your body is able to break them down.  The supplement sample above has been clinically shown to raise antioxidant levels within 4 6- weeks.

~ Be Well. ♥

First CUTC “Fighting Disease With Food” Info Session a Success!

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On Sunday, I held the first Cooking Up The Cure (CUTC) informational session : Fighting Disease with Food. A good friend of mine who is a Nutritionist joined me.

Since she is closed on Sunday, my sweet acupuncturist kindly offered her lovely offices space to me.

Snuggled amid a forest of trees, and furnished with gorgeous Asian pieces, her office has a wood porch that runs the length of the back of the building bordering the creek. It was the perfect setting for a relaxed and health related talk.

The front entry of my acupuncturist’s office.

The back porch where the squirrels hang out

She scatters  sunflower seeds along the porch railing for the squirrels every day, as does my Chiropractor in the office adjacent to hers.  One squirrel saw the lights on, and stood begging against the sliding glass door as I began my talk, then resorted to jumping on the screen and hanging upside down to get our attention.  It was hilarious, and the squirrel stole the show.

Having this first talk at Susan’s office was especially symbolic, since it was in her office 2 years and a month ago, that I discovered the tiny lump in my breast. It was as if I had come full circle to close one chapter of my life, and begin a new one.  I also had the final needed cosmetic surgery 18 days ago, another ending to the 2 year process of healing.

I developed a PowerPoint presentation that included recent studies funded by the NIH (National Institutes of Health) which found that certain foods, spices or vitamins are proving to be just as effective (and in one case MORE effective ) as Chemotherapy in the treatment of Cancer, and others that have linked Autism and Depression to low Antioxidant levels.

I talked Antioxidants, Carotenoids, the Fantastic Foods and Spices and Super Supplements that are being recommended as part of a Complimentary treatment approach to many serious illnesses, and why it’s critical to maintain high Antioxidant levels either by eating the MINIMUM 7 – 10 servings of low-sugar fruits and a wide spectrum of colorful vegetables EVERY day, OR by taking a high quality pure Antioxidant Supplement (click here to learn about Lifepak Nano)* to ensure our body is able to fight back if attacked by disease.

Attendees got their palms scanned by our Biophotonic Scanner, and were either surprised or pleased with their reading. A number of attendants will be taking our Tëgreen* supplement which has the equivalent catechins (the major component of green tea extract, have highly beneficial physiologic effects.) as 7 cups of green tea.
• Tegreen 97(R) enhanced insulin sensitivity
• Improved glucose-lipid metabolism
• Increased fat burning and decreased body fat percentage
• Lowered body weight associated with inhibited angiogenesis.

I baked some Black Bean Dark Chocolate Bars and made a Quinoa Salad which I cooked with Green Tea, as samples of the Anti-Disease Diet. Both were a hit.

Each participant received CUTC Info packets that included the list of Fantastic Foods; a laminated list of Foods and their Antioxidant values; a reusable grocery list to take along when shopping for high antioxidant, vitamin packed foods; excerpts from the book  Beating Cancer with Food; several Anti-Cancer recipes, and more.

It was so successful that I am having another one in Berkeley in a couple of weeks, open to a slightly larger audience.  I want to keep it small enough to engage with attendees and have a meaningful discussion.

We will follow-up with the first group in two months to re-test their antioxidant score and make sure modifications to their diets or new supplements they are adding, are working.

I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to share what I know with this lovely group of people.  It was a happy Sunday for me.

* For more information on these supplements send me an email.  If you are interested in trying them I can offer you a 20% discount from the online published price.

Cheers! ♥

One Aspect of Good Health You Should Not Ignore

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There seem to be a gazillion articles, studies, TV shows and medical abstracts that discuss Anti-oxidants and your health.  And yet we can’t seem to understand why we should pay attention.

Here, in two presentations, is information that will propel you to make a simple change that can have huge health benefits.*

Dr. Robert Needleman is a scientist with a PhD in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from UCSF:

1) Why you need Anti-oxidants and which ones work.  The company offers a money back guarantee if your Anti-oxidant score does not improve in 2 months.

2) Epigenetics and the Unique Science behind the AgeLOC VITALITY product:   Part 1  and Part 2.

And for you ‘scientific minds’ here is a double-blind placebo study showing the effect of Lifepak Nano supplementation on Skin Carotenoid Scores.

Contact me for more info!

Pricing displayed on the NuSkin website is retail. Contact me for access to their wholesale pricing… 25- 30% off. 

To browse the NuSkin site log in with Subscriber ID# usw8636076.

~ Be well. ♥

 * Disclaimer: Before taking any supplements, please check with your doctor.
Caution: Lifepak Nano contains a ‘krill oil’ capsule which is derived from shellfish. If you have an allergy to shellfish you must not take the fish oil capsules.

Avo-Carrot Juice Drink – Immune Booster

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When I spent 3 weeks in an Immune Clinic in So. Cal, this drink was highly recommended as a daily regimen. A doctor who treats cancer patients with Juices made this one a priority on his list.

I found it delicious, even though it takes a bit of work, and investment in a proper Juicer that doesn’t used heat (which kills the enzymes).

I bought a masticating juicer from Amazon, and I love it.  Works for greens and fruits, as well as veggies.

The benefits of Avo-Carrot juice is that it contains Abscisic (a plant hormone) which helps build the body’s immune system.

Avocado contains the highest amount of the carotenoid lutein( for vision), and related carotenoids, including zeaxanthin, alpha carotene, beta-carotene, as well as Vit.E … which is necessary for prostate health and brain function.  This juice combo has shown to inhibit the growth of oral cancer cells.

This juice supports weight loss (48 calories per oz) of monounsaturated fat which burns more rapidly than saturated fat.

Recipe

1/2 an Avocado

8 oz. of freshly squeezed organic Carrot juice (about 6 medium carrots)

Place avocado in non-metal bowl (I use a marble mortar) and mash very well with wooden or marble pestle.  Add the carrot juice and mix with a non-metallic spoon or a straw.

Mix well, and let sit for 30 minutes.  Sip through a straw only.  Alternate your juices every 3 days or so to get the full spectrum of fruit and veggies.

~ Be Well.  ♥

Am I Beating a Dead Horse? Then Why is He Still Twitching?

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Honestly, how many ways do we have to hear a Glaring Truth before we embrace it?
It’s like your Mom telling you to wash your dirty hands before you eat. You know you should, you know she’s going to ask you to, but until she repeats it for the ~nth time, you’re not going to.
Well, it’s the same with that N-word...  NUTRITION!  We know not eating well is going to catch up with us.  If we don’t have a strong immune system we’re going to eventually succumb to diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or a host of other illnesses. SO WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?
I don’t know.. maybe every person thinks..”It won’t happen to me“.. until it does.
 
Last night we had the Biophotonic Scanner session at my house, per my post yesterday. So the range is 10,000 – 60,000+, with 10,000 being a very poor Carotenoid rating. (The patented Pharmanex BioPhotonic Scanner is the world’s first immediate, noninvasive method of measuring overall carotenoid antioxidant activity in a person’s body.)
The two youngest in our family (9 and 12) scored highest of the youngsters! My daughter (25), who has a good diet and cooks a lot of veggies, scored 37,000.  Not ideal. She was shocked.  The nutritionist explained that stress, or prescription medications can lower our anti-oxidant levels, because what we produce goes immediately to address the stress or depletion from meds, so there are no reserves.
Well it wasn’t stress, but it was the birth control pills (which apparently deplete your B vitamins!) So here is a scenario of someone who thought they were ‘uber’ healthy…good food, no stress, yoga and hiking…but had it not been for the anti-oxidant scan would have never known they were vulnerable to inflammation and illness.
She started the taking a high quality, super-absorbable supplement which includes vitamins plus minerals and all the important anti-oxidants, that I bought for her last week.
My son (16) came in at 27,000!  He eats relatively well, but heavy on the carbs.  So he fell in the category that 80% of Americans are deemed to be in. He was shocked, and now thankfully motivated to have both salad and vegetables when I pass them around the table.
Being a think ahead Mom, I anticipated he may have a low reading, so I started him on the well researched Teen Supplement formula from Pharmanex (under $20), since I trust their science and purity.
J came in at 47,000, not bad, but he started taking the ‘Lifepak’ supplement to raise his score.  My reading was a whopping 73,000.  YAY!
It seems like common sense that we should all be eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, but common sense or not―researchers want data from well conducted studies on which to base their conclusions. This is why the findings of several recent studies are so important.
 
According to Steve Wood, Ph.D., Dir Research & Development at Nu Skin, one such study known as the EPIC study (2007), followed dietary and lifestyle factors of more than 41,000 individuals. After 7 years of gathering data, researchers made the conclusion: high intakes of fruit and vegetables are associated with reduced mortality. The researchers went on to explain that the benefits of fruits and vegetables are likely due to their antioxidant content.
 
Whether you view a diet rich in fruits and vegetables as ‘common sense’ or ‘scientific fact’― very few people are actually eating the foods they know they should. In 2008 the Center for Disease Control reported the changes of fruit and vegetable consumption in the United States from 1994 to 2005 (BRFSS). More than 1.2 million people participated in the survey; the results showed that over the course of the 9 years analyzed, fruit and vegetable consumption decreased by 0.22 servings per day.
A decrease of 0.22 servings might not sound bad to you, but Americans weren’t exactly consuming copious amounts of produce to begin with.
Another study base on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey reported that less than 11% of the nearly 24,000 Americans surveyed achieved USDA guidelines for both fruit and vegetable consumption, that means 9 out of 10 people do not consume the recommended two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables each day.
In fact, 2 out of 3 people reported that they consumed less than one serving of fruit per day – and that included orange juice as a serving of fruit!
A shocking 25% of participants reported that they ate no servings of vegetables per day (Casagrande 2007). Despite huge investments in government programs like the 5 a day program, recommendations simply aren’t translating into dietary habits.
Our wide-spread failure to achieve optimal nutrient intake does not mean we ought to abandon all efforts to better our diets.
Supplements should not replace a healthy diet, however a properly formulated nutritional supplement delivers an important and measurable benefit to human nutrition and health. It is interesting to note that the Healthcare Professionals Impact Study (2009) found that 72% of physicians and 89% of nurses used dietary supplements regularly, and a similar 79% of physicians and 82% of nurses recommend the use of supplements to their patients.
Contact me for information on getting the  Lifepak comprehensive, bio-available Supplement, guaranteed to raise your anti-oxidant levels.
~ In Good Health ♥

Make it Colorful!

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Breakfast Buzz

The best possible plate of food is a ColorFULL one.  The more the colors (and I don’t mean food coloring sneaky peak) the better for you.

I posted a Breakfast Idea that included vegetables a few days ago, and mentioned that in Mediterranean countries the lack of fresh veggies at the table is unheard of.  Tomatoes, cucumber, fresh mint, parsley, olives, radish, and yes, even pickles are a common feature.

Since I am off dairy completely(with the exception of Whey Protein which has anti-tumor benefit), I eat Rice or Almond Cheese.

To the right is the yummy and healthy Flour-less Flaxseed Pancake!  I sprinkled mine with cinnamon (anti-oxidant power) and Stevia.

My big bunch of Dandelion greens called me this morning, and they are so good wrapped around an Olive and stuffed in a pita bite that I happily included them on my plate.

Fresh Tomatoes sprinkled with dried mint (I make my own), and half an Avocado with salsa and lemon juice (more anti-oxidant power).

Here’s a tip..

Bright and vividly colored vegetables—such as the ones used in salads and salsas—are rich in carotenoids, powerful plant pigments that reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and cataracts. But here’s a little-known secret: To fully benefit from these disease-fighting compounds, you need to eat them with fat. In fact, Ohio State University researchers found that people who ate a salad topped with half an avocado absorbed five to 10 times more beta-carotene and lutein—carotenoids found in carrots and spinach, respectively—than those who had salads sans the fatty fruit. And eating avocado with salsa boosted the absorption of lycopene—a carotenoid in tomatoes—by almost five times.


“Fatty acids are needed to help carotenoids dissolve in the intestines,” says lead study author Steve Schwartz, Ph.D. “These lipids are also an essential part of creating lipoproteins, which transport the carotenoids in the bloodstream.”

~ Ye-haw! ♥

Dark Green Leafy Vegetables (Organic)

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Mom said ‘Eat Your Veggies’..and we pouted. But Mom was wiser than we ever suspected!
 

Spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, mustard greens, collard greens, chicory, dandelion and Swiss chard are excellent sources of fiber, folate and a wide range of and flavonoids.

Carotenoids are a group of phytonutrients that lend the red, orange and yellow hues to fruits and vegetables…beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, etc..  Carotenoids are present in all living organisms, but humans are not able to make them and must get them from food.

Carotenoids seem to prevent cancer by acting as antioxidants. Some laboratory research has found that the carotenoids in dark green leafy vegetables can inhibit the growth of certain types of breast cancer cells, skin cancer cells, lung cancer and stomach cancer.

The Second Expert Report noted probable evidence that foods containing folate decrease risk of pancreatic cancer and that foods containing dietary fiber probably reduce one’s chances of developing colorectal cancer.