Food

There are two main areas of understanding food that people are unaware of. Most people simply do not understand how drastically food has changed in the last few decades. And the environment has also changed drastically in the past few decades. Synthetic chemicals surround us. They’re in our takeout containers, children’s toys, furniture and clothes. There’s BPA in our receipts and flame retardants in our children’s car seats. Many times a day we are exposed to small amounts of toxins.You might think the government has carefully reviewed every chemical for safety before it hits the market. But it hasn’t. More than 60,000 commercial chemicals were allowed on the market without safety testing. In fact, there are more than 80,000 chemicals registered for use today, many of which haven’t been studied for safety by any government agency. It could take centuries for EPA to test all the unregulated chemicals. Every day and every hour we are exposed to so many man made products that add to health hazards. And we have a huge increase in death amongst the supposed healthiest portion of the American population. Glyphosate is  used as av herbicide but also an antibiotic drug. The amount of GBHs sprayed in the U.S. increased from about 40 million tons in 1990 to 280 million tons by 2014 and rising. Studies found that the children who had higher levels of glyphosate in their urine at age 5 had increased evidence of obesity, high blood pressure, and precursors of cardiovascular disease and liver inflammation by as early as age eighteen,   Factory Farms have increased crop yields by using chemicals that  are usually toxic to humans. Chemical farming, soil erosion, deforestation, overgrazing and over-cultivation have drastically deceased soil fertility, resulting in reduced food quality and rising food prices. So much water has been taken either from underground aquifers or directly from rivers that water scarcity is ever more problematic. Higher temperatures and unreliable rainfall make farming difficult. Improvements in technology have increased the amount of food available, but have also decreased food quality in various ways. Most fresh fruits and vegetables will last only a few days after harvest and may nutritionally compromised after shipping. Globally, more than 800 million people are undernourished. And ordinary people are being under nourished unknowingly by factory foods. It is estimated that more than 90% of food on supermarket shelves has little or no nutritional value, and some may even be toxic. Factory farming has lowered the price of food but uses up finite resources without replenishing them. And the cells in our bodies are being weakened to such an extent that we end up with a weakened immune system resulting in susceptibility to infection, which is leading cause of death. Reductions in food nutritional value are routinely concealed with added ingredients such as sugar, salt, fats, and flavor enhansers. And there is much controversy over food labeling laws, especially since former employees of the food industry are usually in charge of the FDA. Apparently there are over 150 food ingredients that may not be on food labels. Convenience foods are more toxic that you might imagine. The human digestive and immune systems are simply unable to keep up with these huge changes. Our microbiome assists in the digestion of food, regulates immune function, and produces essential nutrients for the production of over 200,000 unique proteins ranging from detox enzymes to neurotransmitters. In essence, our well being is dependent on a well-functioning, balanced, and diverse microbiome. Its no big surprise that unhealthy eating is top cause of death. And to make matters worse a Medical Doctor may have had little or no training in nutrition. On top of that Big Pharma is the most profitable industry and they don't want to heal but prefer ongoing maintenance medications. The bottom line is that our bodies need to make about millions of cells every second just to keep up with the rate of cells that are dying. The cells are made of parts such as amino acids which are the building blocks of protein. Whether we eat plants, or we eat animals that eat plants, the cell parts still come from plants. And if the plants were raised in depleted soil the cells will be inferior. Or of the plants have had only chemical fertilizers, or have been been shipped from afar and are no longer fresh, the cells will be somewhat desiccated, dying and literally falling apart. . The human body is intelligent enough to create a whole new human and it can heal itself if given a chance. Fifty-quadrillion coordinated biochemical events take place in your body each and every second. The engine of these events is about 100 trillion bacteria and other microbes, collectively known as your microbiome. If gut microbes are starved of probiotics and fermentable fiber, some will die and we begin to get sick. Fermentable  fiber supports probiotic bacteria by supplying them with nourishment and energy. If you get just these two things right you chances of illness will be greatly reduced. If changing your eating habits it inconvenient you some people have had good results by replacing one meal a day with a product like Garden of Life nutritional supplement. A diet rich in vegetables and fruits can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, prevent some types of cancer, lower risk of eye and digestive problems, and have a positive effect upon blood sugar, which can help keep appetite in check. Regularly eating the widest possible variety of fiberous vegetables keeps your immune system functioning well.microbiome. There is an increasing awareness of the role the gut microbiome plays in overall health. We can definitely strengthen the immune system through diet. The bacteria in the gut help to regulate the immune system. With a good diet, the gut microbiome becomes more diverse, providing a better health foundation. Links Microbiome   Probiotic foods   Fiber    Dr. Joel Fuhrman  Keto    Debunking the Keto Diet  Dr. Mark Hyman on Probiotics    Lewis Howes Interview Fermented cabbage recipes Probiotic Smoothie The Chicken Industry Cowspiracy Antibotic Overuse Genetically Modified Foods Gut Health Huffington Post healthy food 1 Minute Probiotic  Miso Soup Food, Part 1 Food, Part 2 Food - you are what you eat Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot

Links of the Year

Links of the Year Informative - controversial  Barbara Marx Hubbard - Conscious Creation YouTube Belruth Naperstek -Guided Imagery and Health YouTube Bill Moyers -Ending Political Silence  -  Moyers audio only Youtube Brené Brown -The Power of Vulnerability YouTube Bruce Lipton -Spontaneous Evolution, "A true visionary" YouTube Chris Schweitzer -The Anthropic Principle YouTube Climate Change Crisis - The ICE is rapidly melting YouTube Cognitive dissonance -Conflicting Beliefs YouTube Crop Circles -Clues to New Energy Technology and more YouTube Daniel Dennett - The Magic of Consciousness YouTube Daniel Goleman -Emotional Intelligence YouTube David Icke -Who really controls the world? YouTube David Wilcock -Consciousness science, matter and energy.  YouTube Dean Radin -Entanglement and Extraordinary Abilities YouTube Deepak Chopra -Mind-Body Balance YouTube Dhamma Brothers - Transformation for prison inmates YouTube Dr. Friedemann Schaub -Cellular Wisdom YouTube Duane Elgin -Deeper trends transforming our world YouTube Energy Psychology and Energy Medicine YouTube Entanglement -The quantum world, new frontiers of physics  YouTube Ervin Laszlo -Science and the Akashic Field; Co-creator’s Guide YouTube Evelyn Underhill -The Life of the Spirit, Mysticism YouTube Jesse and Jeane Stern -Meditation made easy Podcast John Gray - Relationships, Marriage, The Examined Life YouTube Karen Armstrong  -Charter for Compassion YouTube Karen Hudes -World Bank Whistleblower YouTube Michael Dowd -The Universe Story YouTube Robert Moss -Soul, Dreams, and Dreaming YouTube Wayne Dyer -The power of  mind creates your world YouTube Links  More Links Media Guide to Finding Enlightenment on the Internet Pearltrees Cutting Edges DMOZ entanglenment The Truth About Our Food Genetic Chili Grinning Planet  .

Food - you are what you eat

The human body is performing millions of life giving tasks with each passing second - constantly building new cells to replace old ones, at the rate of millions of cells per second - 300 billion new cells are produced every day. Proper nutrition is important.

Most people seem to be unaware of the drastic changes in food during the past decade or so.

Several factors have come together that affect food. Among these are:

• Overpopulation - now over 7 billion people
• Soil depletion-erosion, salinization, deforestation, over-tillage, synthetic chemicals.
• Water depletion - only .007 percent of all water is potable
• Toxic chemicals -over 75,000 synthetic chemicals invented since 1940
• Total pesticide use in the United States is about 1 billion pounds per year.
• Factory Food - big business takeover of of small farms and food production
• Climate change- drastic affects on food supply

These factors are inter-related and have been accelerating to such an extent that, combined the effect is alarming. A few decades ago we ate mostly real food that was grown on many small farms. Increasingly we are eating factory products that only appear to be food. Huge supermarkets are filled with thousands of products in slick packages that are attractive and convenient but deceptive.

Almost all of the food in these supermarkets now has little or no nutritional value and may be addictive or even toxic. Usually the expensive packaging actually costs more than the contents which are essentially worthless. Avoid food that is packaged. Just eat real food. Nutrition has been sacrificed for convenience and artificial flavor. Even the so-called fresh vegetables loose most of their food value a few days after being harvested.

As soil depletion worsens, the plants grown in it are become increasingly undernourished and sickly, so ever more chemical intensive means are being employed to get marketable crops. Most people don't really understand this or just assume incorrectly that food in the supermarkets is being monitored for harmful substances. Due to soil depletion, dwindling clean water, monocropping and pollution, most food in the regular grocery stores has so little nutritional value, it leaves us chronically hungry, malnourished, and increasingly vulnerable to illness and obesity..

One out of every two people in most industrialized countries is expected to get cancer and one out of three to contract diabetes. If someone was mugging you and taking your money, you would put a stop to it. But if they were secretly cooking the books and robbing you blind, you might go broke. The analogy here is that we need to wake up and take a defensive health posture before illness takes it's toll.

So what are the alternatives? When hungry we probably will eat whatever is available. So having nourishing food on hand is essential. Dr. Joel Fuhrman has identified super foods that are the most healthy, and high in micronutrients. A simple way to remember them is to remember the word GOMBS. :

Greens – Green vegetables have lots of different nutrients and systems that put a silicone like slippery coating on the inside of your blood vessels. They activate something inside the blood vessel called the Nrf2 mechanism that prevents plaque from binding to blood vessels and accelerates the rate at which fat melts away from the inside of the blood vessel.     Onions – In The Medical Journal of Clinical Nutrition a large study in Europe showed people who ate onions regularly showed a 60 to 70% reduction in all major cancers. That would be a reduction in prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer just from the higher consumption of onions. When you cut an onion, the gas that is given off creates disulfides and anti-cancer nutrients that are formed.     Mushrooms - A Recent study published in the international Journal of Cancer showed women who regularly consumed mushrooms are 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. That was about 10 g of mushrooms daily. That same study showed that the women who ate 10 g of mushrooms and simultaneously consumed green tea had 89% less likely to develop breast cancer.     Beans and Berries - Beans and berries have high cancer preventive antioxidants levels and promotes healthy brain function.     Seeds - Raw seeds and nuts contain phytochemicals and fats that help reduce inflammation, help reduce cholesterol, and helps the absorption of other important micronutrients. Dr. Fuhrman suggests having nuts as part of your salad or even making a salad dressing from them. .

According to Dr. Fuhrman, most food other than the above falls into the category of macronutrient, which means it is likely to be empty calories if it has any food value at all. A good juicer can break vegetable cell walls and allow nutrients to get into your blood stream quickly. Even if you have organic juice only for breakfast, the micro-nutrients can help keep you healthy and avoid being so hungry later in the day.

If you intend to eat healthier food you need to find ways to make it convent and savory. Frozen food is convenient. Commercially prepared frozen vegetables and fruit usually go quickly from the field to the freezer. Larger packages of them are economical. You can re-package them into smaller sizes at home. If you cook something healthy, make a larger amount and freeze some of it. Small size plastic zip top bags are easy, but if you leave air spaces in the bag the contents will get freezer burn, so fill the bag with liquid and squeeze the air out as you zip up the bag. Vegetable broth or even water will work. A small chest freezer is a wise investment.

To make food taste good you need to think ahead.  Here is a list of some things to have on hand: garlic salt, curry powder, dried mixed herbs, red and black pepper, olive oil, soy sauce or bean paste. Spices in the bulk section of a health food store are usually fresher, better and less expensive than bottled ones in the supermarkets. Mixed dried Italian or French herbs can be used on many foods, but some have too much oregano to be very versatile. Another good tip is to keep some curry powder in a closed container with a shaker top. Just a few dashes will often enliven flavors without turning it into a curry dish. Turmeric is one of the dominant ingredients and it is a powerful anti-oxidant with other health benefits. Nutritional yeast, mushroom powder, herbs and spices, and bean paste are also good to have on hand.

A good Caesar Salad dressing is also a quick and versatile way to perk up left-overs and other dishes. Newman's Own brand is tasty. Hummus is easy to make and is a versatile snack. Find a recipe you like and experiment with variations. Essentially it is a paste of garbanzo beans (chick peas), oil and garlic with a little lime juice, salt and pepper. But you could use just the garbanzos and Caesar salad dressing for a quick snack. Another version is to combine a can of garbanzo beans (drained and rinsed) with a can of hominy and a ripe avocado.

Canned beans are economical and versatile. Black beans and chili beans (vegetarian) can be added to various salads, soups, pasta and other dishes. After opening the can if you drain and then wash them in a strainer you get rid of most of the BPA from the plastic liner of the can and rinse away the bean juice that gives some people gas problems during digestion. Black bean paste gives much more flavor than soy bean sauce. Make your own by mashing or blending the beans with salt and garlic if you like.

Frozen veggie-burger patties and salmon patties make a quick and nutritious meal. Also, individually wrapped frozen salmon fillets cost as little as $1 each when bought in a package of a few pounds. Don't buy it unless it says "wild salmon" on the package.

So the idea is just to eat mostly vegetables, which means you need to learn about beans and rice and other grains. Soaking dry beans in water overnight makes them cook quicker. And in a pressure cooker it takes only a few minutes. It gets more interesting if you experiment by mixing more than one kind of beans with barley and other grains, dried mushrooms, onions, etc. When the beans and grains are almost cooked, you can also add softer vegetables.

Here are a few other very handy and inexpensive kitchen utensils:

Cleaver

Slicer Grater set

Zester/Grater

Spiral slicer

  Facts about the human body:

Scientists estimate that the average adult human body contains between 50 and 60 trillion cells.
The human body replaces 200 to 300 billion cells every day--
a rate of about 200 to 300 million cells per minute! 
Stress consumes the same nutrients that would be used for growth and body maintenance.
 

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Examine.com is a Canadian company that runs an online encyclopedia covering health, nutrition and supplementation. The website collates scientific research using evidence-based practice methodology. Examine.com is led by Kamal Patel, and includes scientists, editors and peer reviewers.

Here are some pertinent films about food. Most are available at Netflix and some at YouTube:

 

Lewis Howes interviews Dr. Mark Hymen - One of the very best overviews of food and health.

DeliciousTV blog

Food, Inc.  Watch Free Documentary Online - Preview
For most Americans, the ideal meal is fast, cheap, and tasty. Food, Inc. examines the costs of putting value and convenience over nutrition and environmental impact.Director Robert Kenner explores the subject from all angles, talking to authors, advocates, farmers, and CEOs.

Food Matters - 2008-NR-77 minutes
With a staggering number of Americans suffering from obesity and other food-related maladies, this film takes a timely and hard-hitting look at how the food we eat is helping or hurting our health, and what we can do to live (and eat) better. Nutritionists, naturopaths, scientists, doctors, medical journalists and more weigh in on everything from using food as medicine to the value of organic food and the safety of the food we consume.

Forks Over Knives - 2011-PG-96 minutes
Focusing on the research of two food scientists, this earnest documentary reveals that despite broad advances in medical technology, the popularity of modern processed foods has led to epidemic rates of obesity, diabetes and other diseases.

The Future of Food - 2004-NR-88 minutes
Before compiling your next grocery list, you might want to watch filmmaker Deborah Koons Garcia's eye-opening documentary, which sheds light on a shadowy relationship between agriculture, big business and government. By examining the effects of biotechnology on the nation's smallest farmers, the film reveals the unappetizing truth about genetically modified foods: You could unknowingly be serving them for dinner.

Ingredients - 2009-NR-66 minutes
Narrated by actress Bebe Neuwirth, this engaging documentary weighs the shortcomings of America's industrialized food system against a rising local-growth movement, whose proponents are shrinking the gap between farmland and dinner table. With chefs Alice Waters and Greg Higgins as guiding lights, growers, restaurateurs and consumers around the country, from Oregon to Harlem, New York, discuss their methods for bringing food production back home.

Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead - 2010 -NR- 97 minutes - Focusing on two men whose bodies have been trashed by steroids, obesity and illness, this documentary chronicles the rigorous healing path -- including a two-month diet of fruits and vegetables -- that both attempt in a bid to rescue their health.

King Corn - 2007-NR-90 minutes
In Aaron Woolf's thought-provoking documentary, friends Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis move back to America's Corn Belt to plant an acre of the nation's most-grown and most-subsidized grain and follow their crop into the U.S. food supply.

How to Cook Your Life - 2007-PG-1392 minutes
German filmmaker Doris Dörrie documents a summer in the life of renowned Zen practitioner and cook Edward Espe Brown as he teaches culinary classes in Zen centers in Austria and California, revealing the role food plays in our bodies and spirits.

The Natural History of the Chicken - 2001-NR-55 minutes
Although chicken is a staple in the diet of most Americans, the history of this tasty bird has yet to be really explored -- until now. Poultry is as popular as ever as an entrée choice, and this tongue-in-cheek documentary sets out to uncover the truth about the bird that has touched the lives, and stomachs, of so many. Included are amusing and often surprisingly touching stories that will forever change your view of the flavorful fowl.

Life Running Out of Control (Leben ausser Kontrolle) - 2004-NR-94 minutes
Since the mid-1980s, the science of genetics has exploded, offering hope for medical researchers and biologists seeking to feed people, as well as deep concerns for proponents of organic foods and activists worried about human gene manipulation. This documentary explores the powerful ways in which biotechnology affects our lives, from the sale of genetically altered salmon to the obtaining of consent for unwitting donors of human tissue.

 Hungry For Change 90 minute documentary exposes shocking secrets the diet, weight loss and food that the industry doesn't want you to know about. Nutritional consultants and documentary filmmakers James Colquhoun and Laurentine ten Bosch have teamed up with the world’s leading experts in nutrition and natural medicine to create Hungry for Change—a groundbreaking documentary film and a practical, prescriptive companion volume to help you transform your eating habits and change your life. A “How-to Guide for Breaking Free from the Diet Trap,” Hungry for Change is based on the indisputable premise that “Food Matters,” as it exposes the truth about the diet industries and the dangers of food addictions, and enables you to take charge of your health and strengthen your mind and body.

The Gerson therapy is a nutritional approach to detoxification and a sophisticated way to strengthen the immune system. The intense detoxification program consists of juices, enemas, food and supplements. The Gerson Miracle examines many of the elements of the Gerson Therapy, explaining why we are so ill and how many people have overcome serious illness that regular medicine failed to cure.

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