Do You Struggle with Healthy Food Ideas?

Here is a list of delicious options to help you plan for a healthier breakfast, lunch and dinner: 

BREAKFAST IDEAS

• Steamed apple slices and cinnamon. Cut a green Granny Smith or Gala apple into slices and boil or steam in one cup of water. Drain the water, and sprinkle in one teaspoon of cinnamon. Eat as slices or puree into applesauce. You may want to add some coconut butter, a mixture of coconut oil and coconut meat that you can get online or in the health-food store. (Look for organic brands like Artisana and Wilderness Family Naturals.)
• A bowl of fresh berries. If you need a protein fat to keep your blood sugar strong, have some almonds or coconut butter with it.
• Eggs. For the easiest-to-digest options, try slow scrambled, poached on low heat, or soft-boiled eggs.
• Soup. This is a great way to start eating vegetables for breakfast! Some great breakfast-soup options are: Kale Carrot Soup, Louise’s Favorite Bone Broth or Veggie Broth, or Delightfully Sweet Zucchini Squash Soup.
• Leftovers from yesterday’s meal. This is the true “fast food” in that you just heat it up and enjoy! Please avoid your microwave, though, as it radiates the food and decreases the nutrient value. You can get a better quality heated food almost as fast by heating it up on the oven in a saucepan or skillet. 
• Grain-free waffles or pancakes with raw butter (or ghee or coconut oil) and maple syrup, honey, or berries.
• Grain-free bread with organic raw butter, coconut oil, or ghee.
• A bowl of quinoa flakes, buckwheat kashi (groats), cream of buckwheat, or gluten-free whole oats (not quick-cooking oats). You can buy these in packages at the health-food store or online and follow the package instructions to make a breakfast that is like oatmeal. We recommend you soak the grains first and then follow the package instructions, reducing the amount of cooking water by ½ cup. You can make this slightly sweet or savory; or just add a little organic coconut oil, raw organic butter, or organic ghee.
• Sweet Quinoa Bread. Using the recipe in Loving Yourself to Great Health, you can also skip making this into bread and just make the pilaf and enjoy as a nice replacement to oatmeal.
• Sweet Buckwheat Bread. This breakfast cereal is similar to Cream of Wheat, only gluten free!

LUNCH OR DINNER IDEAS

• Chicken, turkey, lamb, or beef burgers with Carrots and Greens Veggie Mash and a chopped romaine lettuce salad
• Crock-Pot Lamb Shanks with Green Beans and Leeks and Pickled Pink Cultured Vegetables
• Whole Chicken with steamed broccoli and Celery Root Veggie Mash
• Mahi Mahi Salad with steamed zucchini and yellow squash
• Short Ribs One-Pot Crock-Pot Meal
• Haddock and side salad or steamed chopped collards
• Kale Carrot Soup with Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Rosemary Bread
• Creamy Cream of Buckwheat with sautéed brussels sprouts
• Quinoa, Broccoli and Leek Pilaf with Millet Pilaf—Super Thyroid Booster
• Outstanding Collards and Butternut Squash with Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Rosemary Bread

SNACK IDEAS

• Celery Basil Crackers with Pickled Pink Cultured Vegetables (or purchase cultured vegetables at your local health-food store; be sure to look for real, raw cultured vegetables made in brine and not in vinegar) or Mild Salsa
• Savory Beet Chips
• Savory Sweet Walnuts and Dates
• Tahini Crackers with coconut oil or dipped in leftover Carrots and Greens Veggie Mash
• Sunflower Granola Bars
• Almonds rolled in a piece of soft dulse. This one needs no recipe because you just use as much dulse as you like with each almond. Dulse is a slightly salty, slightly sweet seaweed that is full of vitamins and minerals and wonderful for your adrenals and thyroid. You can get organic dulse at: Theseaweedman.com.
• A scoop of your favorite nut butter sprinkled with a little sea salt
• Apple slices with almond butter and a little sea salt
• Carrot and celery slices dipped in tahini and sprinkled with sea salt
• A piece of Grain-Free, Gluten-Free “Rye” Bread or Grain-Free, Gluten-Free Rosemary Bread with coconut butter, coconut oil, raw butter, or ghee
• Toasted nori. Nori seaweed is full of healthy minerals. Make sure to get it in its natural state, which is more like small strips and not in sheets—there are some who feel that the nori sheets have arsenic and is best avoided. Once you’ve bought the nori in its natural state, place it in the oven on a cookie sheet, and bake at 200° F. The nori will get crispy and turn a slight green color. This will make it more like chips and is a delicious snack! We love TheSeaweedMan.com as a source for organic seaweed, including nori.
• Real raw green olives. Choose a brand of cultured olives that uses real brine and not white vinegar (white vinegar acts as an excitotoxin in sensitive people and indicates a pickled product instead of a probiotic-rich fermented product). Divina brand and Essential Living Foods brand are two good options. Or try real, raw, dehydrated olives, like those made by Essential Living Foods.

The Alarming Effects of Microwave Apparatus on Food and Humans

WILLIAM P KOPP / Perceptions May96

Microwave cooking ovens were originally researched and developed by German scientists to support mobile operations during the invasion of the Soviet Union. Had they perfected electronic equipment to prepare meals on a massive scale, the Nazis could have eliminated the logistical problems connected with cooking fuels while producing edible products in far less time than they could using traditional campfires. After the war, the Allies discovered the medical research and documentation concerning these apparatuses. The papers and experimental microwave equipment were transferred to the US War Department and classified for reference and scientific investigation. The Soviet Union also retrieved some of the devices and began to experiment on them separately.

The Russians - who have done the most diligent research into the biological effects of microwave ovens - have outlawed their use and issued an international warning about the biological and environmental damage that can result from the use of this and similar-frequency electronic apparatus.

Medical research summary

The most significant German research concerned with the biological effects of microwaves was done at the Humbolt-Universitat zu Berlin in 1942-43, during the Barbarossa military campaign. Beginning in 1957 and continuing up to the present, Russian studies in the field have been conducted at the Institute of Radio Technology. In most research, the foods were exposed to microwave propagation at an energy potential of 100 kilowatts per cubic centimetre per second, to the point considered acceptable for sanitary, normal ingestion.

The observations made by the German and Russian microwave researchers will be presented here in three categories: cancer-causing effects, destruction of nutritive value and biological effects of direct exposure of humans to microwave emissions.

1. Microwaved Foods Cause Tumors

The following effects have been observed when foods are subject to microwave emissions.

• Effects on the foods themselves
  Meats: Heating prepared meats sufficiently to ensure sanitary ingestion creates d-nitrosodiethanolamine, a well know cancer-causing agent.
  Proteins: Active-protein, biomolecular compounds are destabilised.
  Increase in radioactivity: A "binding effect" between the microwaved food and any atmospheric radioactivity is created, causing a marked increase in the amount of alpha and beta particle saturation in the food.
  Milk and cereals: Cancer-causing agents are created in the protein-hydrolysate compounds in milk and cereal grains.
  Frozen foods: Microwaves used to thaw frozen foods alter the catabolism (breakdown) of the glucoside and galactoside elements.
  
  
• Resulting effects on the human body
  Digestive system: The unstable catabolism of microwaved food alters their elemental food substances, causing disorders in the digestive system.
  Lymphatic system: Due to chemical alterations within food substances, malfunctions occur in the lymphatic system, causing a degeneration of the body's ability to protect itself against certain forms of neoplastics (cancerous growths).
  Free radicals: Certain trace-mineral molecular formations in plant substances - in particular, raw root vegetables - form cancer-causing free radicals.
  Increased incidence of stomach and intestinal cancers: A statistically higher percentage of cancerous growths result in these organs, plus a generalised breakdown of the peripheral cellular tissues and a gradual degeneration of digestive and excretory functions.

2. Microwaves Reduce Food Value

Microwaves exposure caused significant decreases in the nutritive value of all foods studied. The following are the most important findings to date.

• Vitamins and minerals made useless: In every food tested, the bioavailability of the following vital nutrients decreased: vitamin B complex, vitamins C and E, essential minerals and lipotropics.
• Vital energy fields devastated: The vital energy field content of all tested foods dropped 60-90%. Digestibility of fruits and vegetables reduced: Microwaving lowers the metabolic behaviour and integration-process capability of alkaloids, glucosides, alactosides and nitrilosides.
• Meat proteins worthless: It destroys the nutritive value of nucleoproteins in meats. All foods damaged: It greatly accelerates the structural disintegration of all foods tested.

3. Biological Effects of Microwaves

Exposure to microwave emissions also has a negative effect upon the general biological welfare of humans. This was not discovered until the Russians experimented with highly sophisticated equipment and discovered that humans can be adversely affected without even ingesting the food that have been subjected to microwave emissions. Merely entering the energy field of the food causes harmful side-effects that the Soviets outlawed all such microwave apparatus in 1976.

Here are the effects observed in humans having "direct" exposure to microwaves, that is, without their having consumed the irradiated food substances:

• Life-energy field breakdown: Persons near microwave ovens in operation experience a breakdown of their life-energy fields which increases relative to the length of exposure.
• Cellular energy decreases: The cellular-voltage parallels of individuals using the apparatus degenerate - especially in their blood and lymphatic serums.
• Destabilized metabolism: The external-energy activated potentials of food utilisation are both destabilised and degenerated.
• Cell damage: Internal cellular-membrane potentials during catabolic processes into the blood serum from the digestive process degenerate and destabilise.
• Brain circuitry destruction: Electrical impulses in the junction potentials of the cerebrum degenerate and break down.
• Nervous system: Nerve/electrical circuits degenerate and break down while energy-field symmetry is lost in the neuro-plexuses (nerve centres) in both the front and rear of the central and autonomic nervous systems.
• Loss of bioelectric strength: The bioelectric strengths within the ascending reticular activating system (the system which controls the function of waking consciousness) go out of balance and lose their proper circuiting.
• Loss of vital energies: Humans, animals and plants located within a 500-metre radius of the equipment in operation suffer a long-term, cumulative loss of vital energies.
• Nervous and lymphatic systems damage: Long-lasting residual magnetic "deposits" become located throughout the nervous system and lymphatic system.
• Hormone imbalances: The production of hormones and the maintenance of hormonal balance in both males and females becomes destabilised and interrupted.
• Brainwave disruptions: Levels of disturbance in alpha-, delta- and theta-wave signal patterns are markedly higher than normal.
• Psychological disorders: Because of the disarranged brain waves, negative psychological effects also result. These include loss of memory and ability to concentrate, suppressed emotional threshold, deceleration of intellective processes and interruptive sleep episodes in a statistically higher percentage of individuals subjected to continual range-emission field effects of microwave apparatus, from either cooking apparatus or transmission stations.

Potential Use In Mind Control

Due to the creation of random, residual magnetic deposits and binding within the biological systems of the body (nervous and lymphatic systems damage) which can ultimately affect the neurological systems (primarily the brain and nerve centres), longer-term depolarisation of tissue neuroelectronic circuits can result.

Because these effects can cause virtually irremissible damage to the neuroelectrical integrity of the various components of the nervous system, ingestion of microwaved foods is clearly contraindicated in all respects.

Their residual magnetism effect can render the psychoneural-receptor components of the brain more subject to influence by artificially induced, microwave-radio-frequency fields from transmission stations and TV relay networks.

Soviet neuropsychologists at Uralyera and Novosibirsk have theorised the possibility of psychotelemetric influence (i.e., affecting human behaviour by transmitting radio signals at controlled frequencies), causing subjects to comply - involuntarily and subliminally - with commands received through microwave transmissions acting upon their psychological energy fields.

For this reason, and due to the 28 other contradications listed above, the use of microwave apparatus in any form is definitely ill-advised. Present scientific opinion in many countries clearly opposes them, as exemplified by the mentioned Soviet ban.

Many thanks for reprinting this article to Truth Campaign Magazine 1/2 Microwave Madness
source: http://www.vegan.swinternet.co.uk/articles/health/mw_madness.html 7nov02

Is Goat Cheese Good for You?

• Goat cheese contains less lactose than cheese made from cow’s milk, so it is typically well tolerated by those with lactose intolerance
• If you have an allergy to milk protein, you may be able to tolerate cheese made from goat’s milk because it’s formed with shorter amino acid protein chains than cow’s milk
• Goat’s milk has a chemical structure that’s similar to that of breast milk, and it has smaller fat globules than cow’s milk, which tend to make goat cheese easier to digest than cow’s milk cheese (even for people with a sensitive stomach)
• Goat cheese has fewer calories and sodium per serving, and more vitamin D, vitamin K, thiamine, and niacin than cheddar
• The goat cheese you select should be made from high-quality milk, ideally raw organic milk from pastured animals; since goats are “browsers,” they also need access to natural “browse” (or woody plants, such as shrubs) from which to eat leaves

18 Healthy Reasons to Sip Kombucha

article by: Margie King, Health Coach

Fermented tea known as kombucha has been rapidly growing in popularity among health food lovers.  But it's actually been around for thousands of years.  It originated in China in the third century B.C.  Then it made its way to Russia, India, and Japan where it became a staple among Samurai warriors.  Today it is also popular in Poland, Germany, Bulgaria, Indonesia and many other cultures. 

Kombucha – or "the booch" to its fans – is made from green, black or white tea.  It's fermented for at least a week with sugar and a fungal culture consisting of a mixture of bacteria and yeast.  The starter is called a "SCOBY," which is an acronym for "symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast."

The culture, also sometimes referred to as the "mother," resembles a light brown, tough, gelatinous disk, which is a living, growing organism. With each batch of the tea, the organism can regenerate and create a new culture called the "baby," which can be shared with a friend much like the sharing of a sour dough starter.

Sometimes called "mushroom tea," kombucha has been associated with a long list of health benefits.  It's a probiotic drink with helpful bacteria that support digestion and the immune system. It also contains enzymes, amino acids, antioxidants and polyphenols.

But relatively little scientific evidence has confirmed the health claims of traditional cultures drinking the tea.  Recently, researchers from the University of Latvia gathered 75 studies attesting to the proven health properties of kombucha.[1]

Here are 18 healthy reasons they suggest to raise a glass of kombucha. 

1.  Detoxification

Kombucha contains substantial amounts of glucuronic acid (GA).  GA is well known as a detoxicant.  In the body it combines with toxins like pharmaceuticals and environmental pollutants.  It then converts them into compounds that are soluble and the body can excrete.   Drinking kombucha may also help prevent tissues from absorbing industrial toxins in the environment. 

2. Antioxidants

Kombucha contains abundant antioxidants including vitamins E, C, beta-carotene, and other carotenoids.  Like black tea, kombucha also contains polyphenols and other compounds with antioxidant powers.  But because it is fermented, kombucha is much more powerful than plain tea.  Its antioxidant activity has been found to be 100 times higher than vitamin C and 25 times higher than vitamin E.[2]  For that reason drinking traditional kombucha may help cure chronic illnesses caused by oxidative stress. 

3.  Energy

Kombucha sets iron free from black tea.  That helps increase levels of blood hemoglobin, and improves oxygen flow to tissues.   It also improves the body's absorption of other non-heme (plant-derived) iron. 

4.  Immunity

Oxidative stress suppresses the immune system but kombucha's high levels of vitamin C support immunity.  Its antioxidant power also protects against cell damage, inflammatory diseases, suppressed immunity, and tumors.

5.  Gastric Illnesses

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are toxic to the gut.  They can lead to gastric ulcers.Indomethacin, a popular NSAID, can disrupt blood circulation to the stomach's mucous membrane.  Kombucha has been shown to effectively heal gastric ulceration.  The researchers believe the fermented tea protects the mucin content of the stomach.  Its antioxidant activity also protects the lining of the gut.  Kombucha also reduces gastric acid secretion that can damage the mucous membrane.  In fact, kombucha has been found as effective in healing ulcers as prescription omeprazole (brand name Prilosec).[3]

6.  Obesity

Kombucha helps balance the metabolism.  Animal studies show the tea may cause weight loss by encouraging calorie restriction.

7.  Diabetes

Research dating back to 1929 found kombucha can decrease blood sugar levels.  More recent animal studies report that kombucha significantly reduces blood sugar levels in diabetic rats.[4]   Another study suggested kombucha may be considered a candidate for the treatment and prevention of diabetes.[5]

8.  Kidney Toxicity

Kombucha may help eliminate kidney damage caused by environmental pollutants and may be beneficial to patients suffering from renal impairment.[6] Kombucha has also been used to prevent calcification in the kidney and may prevent the formation of kidney stones.[7]

9.  Endothelial Function

Oxidative stress can damage the lining of blood vessels.  That damage is a precursor to atherosclerosis, and a threat to heart health.  Antioxidants in kombucha help promote regeneration of cellular walls in blood vessels.[8]

10.  Atherosclerosis

In clinical trials involving 52 atherosclerotic patients with high cholesterol, kombucha helped lower levels to normal. In studies involving ducks, kombucha significantly reduced levels of LDL cholesterol and simultaneously raised HDL levels after just 10 days.  Other animal studies show kombucha may decrease total cholesterol as much as 45–52%.  It may also significantly decrease triglyceride and LDL levels while increasing HDL.[9]

11.  Hypertension

Kombucha has been used to prevent headaches and dizziness caused by hypertension.  It's been recommended for treating high blood pressure.

12.  Anemia

Organic acids found in kombucha convert trivalent iron compounds from plant sources to divalent iron ions.  This makes iron from plant sources more available to the body.  And vitamin C in kombucha enhances iron absorption.   Researchers suggest kombucha is particularly recommended for elderly people and vegetarians because it enhances the absorption of iron and helps prevent iron deficiency.

13.  Liver Function

Kombucha protects against liver toxicity in animals from overdoses of acetaminophen (Tylenol).[10]  Researchers suggest it might provide a useful therapy for humans as well.[11]

14.  Nervous System

Kombucha contains several amino acids, methylxanthine alkaloids (caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and B vitamins (including folic acid-B9), necessary for normal metabolism in the nervous system.  It can help with headaches, nervousness, and epilepsy prevention.  It may also prevent depression in the elderly.

15.  Asthma

Daily kombucha may help asthma patients.  It contains significant amounts of theophyline, a bronchodilator.[12]  The treatment dose of theophyline is 0.18–1.0 g daily.  Just one cup of kombucha contains about 1.44 mg.

16.  Joint Problems

Glucuronic acid in kombucha can be converted by the body into glucosamine, chondroitin-sulphate, and other polysaccharides and glucoproteins associated with cartilage, collagen, and the fluid that lubricates joints.[13] It may also help relieve arthritis, rheumatism, and gout.   

17.  Cancers

Consumption of kombucha has been associated with lower cancer rates.  Researchers believe it increases the immune system's anticancer defenses.   It may prevent cancer proliferation at early stages of tumor growth due to its glucuronic, lactic, and acetic acid content, as well as its antibiotic compounds.  It may have anticarcinogenic effects especially for hormone-dependent tumors.

Cell studies suggest it may be useful for prostate cancer treatment and prevention.[14]  It's also been studied as an anticancer agent against human lung, osteosarcoma, and renal cancer cell lines. 

18.  Antibiotic Resistant Infections

Kombucha contains strong antibacterials to combat infectious diseases such as diptheria, scarlet fever, influenza, typhoid, paratyphoid fever, and dysentery.[15]  Its high total acidity makes it effective against Helicobacter pylori, Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus.  It's been suggested that kombucha may be an effective alternative to synthetic antimicrobials that are becoming increasingly ineffective.[16]  

How to Enjoy Kombucha at Home

Kombucha is widely available in health food stores.  When you buy a bottle you'll notice a thin layer of the SCOBY at the bottom.  The instructions may caution against shaking the contents. That's because it should be a little effervescent. 

Because it's a fermented food, kombucha can develop an alcohol content that approaches the FDA's upper limit for a non-alcoholic beverage of 0.5% by volume. Some people report getting a buzz from the drink but others don't notice any effect at all.

The Latvian researchers note that a series of microbiological and biochemical tests on kombucha have repeatedly found it safe for human consumption.  Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, quotes an FDA official as saying that when reasonable care is taken, "you're more likely to find contamination in a cup of coffee than in a cup of properly prepared kombucha."

But there have been isolated reports of sickness after drinking kombucha.  Alternative health guru Dr. Andrew Weil does not recommend drinking the homemade version for fear of contamination with aspergillus, a toxin-producing yeast which he believes would be risky for those with already compromised immune systems, like AIDS patients and cancer patients, as well as for pregnant and nursing mothers.

What to do? If you are healthy, try the commercial brands for yourself. For beginners, a good brand to try is GT's Organic Raw Kombucha.  The founder claims he began making kombucha in 1995 after his mother successfully used the drink in her battle against breast cancer.

It's best to use kombucha in moderation to begin (four to eight ounces a day), even though the bottle may recommend a full 16 ounces per day. And at almost four dollars a bottle, many people may want to keep their intake moderate.

Another reason to start slowly is that kombucha has a detoxifying effect.  If the liver is not functioning properly, it can be overwhelmed by the toxins being released. This may be why some people report an allergic reaction to the tea. For that reason, some experts recommend drinking plenty of water while taking kombucha to help flush toxins from the body.

If you are tempted to make your own kombucha, educate yourself first and follow instructions carefully, including using clean equipment, correct temperatures and glass containers.

Kombucha is not a drug but a traditional drink with many health-promoting properties. As with all foods, moderation is key.  It's important to listen to your own body to determine whether it is a good choice for you.

---

References

[1] Ilmara Vina et al, "Current Evidence on Physiological Activity and Expected Health Effects of Kombucha Fermented Beverage." J Med Food 17 (2) 2014, 179–188 DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2013.0031

[2] Adriani L, Mayasari N, Kartasudjana RA: "The effect of feeding fermented kombucha tea on HLD, LDL and total cholesterol levels in the duck bloods." Biotechnol Anim Husb 2011;27:1749–1755.

[3] Banerjee D, Hassarajani SA, Maity B, Narayan G, Bandyopadhyay SK, Chattopadhyay S: Comparative healing property of kombucha tea and black tea against indomethacin-induced gastric ulceration in mice: possible mechanism of action. Food Funct 2010;1:284–293.

[4] Shenoy C: "Hypoglycemic activity of bio-tea in mice." Indian J Exp Biol 2000;38:278–279.

[5] Aloulou A, Hamden K, Elloumi D, Ali MB, Hargafi K, Jaouadi B, Ayadi F, Elfeki A, Ammar E: Hypoglycemic and antilipidemic properties of kombucha tea in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. BMC Complement Altern Med 2012;12:63.

[6] Gharib OA: "Effects of kombucha on oxidative stress induced nephrotoxicity in rats." Chin Med2009;4:23.

[7] Dufresne C, Farnworth E: "Tea, kombucha and health: a review."  Food Res Int 2000;33:409–421.

[8] Dufresne C, Farnworth E: "Tea, kombucha and health: a review."  Food Res Int 2000;33:409–421.

[9] Suhartatik N, Karyantina M, Marsono Y, Rahayu ES, Kuswanto KR: "Kombucha as anti hypercholesterolemic agent (in vitro study using SD rats)." Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference of Indonesian Society for Lactic Acid Bacteria (3rd IC- ISLAB): Better Life with Lactic Acid Bacteria: Exploring Novel Functions of Lactic Acid Bacteria, 2011, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

[10] Pauline T, Dipti P, Anju B, Kavimani S, Sharma SK, Kain AK, Sarada SKS, Sai Ram M, Ilavazhagan G, Kumar D, Selvamurthy W: "Studies on toxicity; anti-stress and hepatoprotective properties of kombucha tea." Biomed Environ Sci 2001;14:207–213.

[11] Jalil A, Amin D, Mohammad HF, Saeid H: "Protective effect of kombucha tea against acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in mice: a biochemical and histopathological study." Comp Clin Path 2012;21:1243–1248.

[12] Pasha C, Reddy G: "Nutritional and medicinal improvement of black tea by yeast fermentation."Food Chem 2005;89:449–453.

[13] Jayabalan R, Marimuthu S, Swaminathan K: "Changes in content of organic acids and tea polyphenols during kombucha tea fermentation." Food Chem 2007;102:392–398.

[14] Sriharia T, Arunkumarb R, Arunakaranb J, Satyanarayanac U: "Downregulation of signalling molecules involved in angiogenesis of prostate cancer cell line (PC-3) by kombucha (lyophilized)."Biomed Prev Nutr 2012;3:53–58.

[15] Talawat S, Ahantharik P, Laohawiwattanakul S, Premsuk A, Ratanapo S: "Efficacy of fermented teas in antibacterial activity." Kasetsart J Nat Sci 2006;40:925–933.

[16] Mo H, Zhu Y, Chen Z: "Microbial fermented tea—a potential source of natural food preservatives."Trends Food Sci Technol 2008;19:124–130.

How Sugar Harms Your Brain Health and Drives Alzheimer’s Epidemic

By Dr. Mercola

Alzheimer's disease, a severe form of dementia, affects an estimated 5.2 million Americans, according to 2013 statistics.1

One in nine seniors over the age of 65 has Alzheimer's, and the disease is now thought to be the third leading cause of death in the US, right behind heart disease and cancer.

A growing body of research suggests there's a powerful connection between your diet and your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, via similar pathways that cause type 2 diabetes.

Contrary to popular belief, your brain does not require glucose, and actually functions better burning alternative fuels, especially ketones, which your body makes in response to digesting healthy fats.

According to some experts, such as Dr. Ron Rosedale, Alzheimer's and other brain disorders may in large part be caused by the constant burning of glucose for fuel by your brain.

Alzheimer's disease was tentatively dubbed "type 3 diabetes" in early 2005 when researchers discovered that in addition to your pancreas, your brain alsoproduces insulin, and this brain insulin is necessary for the survival of brain cells.

Sugar Damages Brain Structure and Function

In your brain, insulin helps with neuron glucose-uptake and the regulation of neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine, which are crucial for memory and learning. This is why reducing the level of insulin in your brain impairs your cognition.

Research2 has also shown that type 2 diabetics lose more brain volume with age than expected—particularly gray matter. This kind of brain atrophy is yet another contributing factor for dementia.

Studies have found that people with lower levels of insulin and insulin receptors in their brain often have Alzheimer's disease. But according to recent research published in the journal Neurology,3 sugar and other carbohydrates can disrupt your brain function even if you're not diabetic or have any signs of dementia.

To test their theory, they evaluated short- and long-term glucose markers in 141 healthy, non-diabetic, non-demented seniors. Memory tests and brain imaging were administered to assess their brain function and the actual structure of their hippocampus. As reported by Scientific American:4

"Higher levels on both glucose measures were associated with worse memory, as well as a smaller hippocampus and compromised hippocampal structure.

The researchers also found that the structural changes partially accounted for the statistical link between glucose and memory. According to study co-author Agnes Flöel, a neurologist at Charité, the results 'provide further evidence that glucose might directly contribute to hippocampal atrophy.'"

The findings suggest that even if you're not diabetic or insulin resistant (and about 80 percent of Americans fall into the latter category), sugar consumption can still disrupt your memory.

Long-term, it can contribute to the shrinking of your hippocampus, which is a hallmark symptom of Alzheimer's disease. (Your hippocampus is involved with the formation, organization, and storage of memories.)

The authors of the study suggest that "strategies aimed at lowering glucose levels even in the normal range may beneficially influence cognition in the older population."

'Normal' Blood Sugar Levels May Still Be High Enough to Cause Problems

Normally, a fasting blood sugar level between 100-125 mg/dl is diagnosed as a pre-diabetic state. A fasting blood sugar level of 90-100 is considered "normal." But in addition to the featured research, other studies have also found that brain atrophy occurs even in this "normal" blood sugar range.

Neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, MD insists that being very strict in limiting your consumption of sugar and non-vegetable carbs is one of THE most important steps you can take to prevent Alzheimer's disease for this very reason.

He cites research from the Mayo Clinic, which found that diets rich in carbohydrates are associated with an 89 percent increased risk for dementia. Meanwhile, high-fat diets are associated with a 44 percent reduced risk.

Download Interview Transcript

Sugar Lobby Threatens Organizations and Buries Science on Health Effects

Compelling research shows that your brain has great plasticity, which you controlthrough your diet and lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, the American public has been grossly brainwashed by the sugar and processed food industries into believing that sugar is a perfectly reasonable "nutrient" that belongs in a healthy diet.  

Without accurate information, it's certainly more difficult to make health-affirming choices. Newsweek5 recently ran an article revealing just how far the sugar industry will go to defend its market share:

"According to a new report6 from the Center for Science and Democracy... industry groups representing companies that sell sweeteners, like the Sugar Association and the Corn Refiners Association... have poured millions of dollars into countering science that indicates negative health consequences of eating their products.

For example, when a University of Southern California study from 2013 found that the actual high fructose corn syrup content in sodas 'varied significantly' from the sugar content disclosed on soda labels, the Corn Refiners Association considered paying for its own counter research.

A consultant suggested that the counter research should only be published if the results aligned with their goal of disputing the USC study: 'If for any reason the results confirm [the University of Southern California study], we can just bury the data,' the consultant wrote, according to the report."

According to the Center for Science report, the Sugar Association even threatened the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO had published a paper on sugar, recommending a 10 percent limit on added sugars, stating that added sugars "threaten the nutritional quality of diets."

The Sugar Association shot off a letter to the director general, warning him that, unless WHO withdrew the study, the Sugar Association would persuade the US Congress to withdraw the WHO's federal funding. The following year, when WHO published its global health strategy on diet and health, there was no mention of the offending sugar study.

The Sugar Lobby Deserves Blame for Fueling Chronic Disease Epidemics

Indeed, despite overwhelming evidence showing that sugar, and processed fructose in particular, is at the heart of our burgeoning obesity and chronic disease epidemics, the sugar lobby has been so successful in its efforts to thwart the impact of such evidence that there's still no consensus among our regulatory agencies as to the "factual" dangers of sugar...

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data,7 13 percent of the average American's diet is sugar. In the UK, a recently published report8 by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) recommends limiting your added sugar intake to five percent, in order to avoid obesity and type 2 diabetes. They calculate this to be the equivalent of 25 grams of sugar (5-6 teaspoons) per day for women, and 35 grams (7-8 teaspoons) for men.

This matches my own recommendations for healthy, non-insulin resistant individuals—with one key difference. I recommend restricting sugar/fructose consumption to 25 grams from ALL sources, not just added sugar. This includes limiting your non-vegetable carbohydrates as well. Crazy enough, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition still recommends you get 50 percent of your daily energy intake in the form of starchy carbohydrates, which will undoubtedly and significantly raise your risk of insulin resistance. If you're insulin/leptin resistant, diabetic, overweight, or have high blood pressure, heart disease, or cancer, I recommend restricting your sugar/fructose consumption to a maximum of 15 grams per day from all sources, until your insulin/leptin resistance has been resolved.

Dietary Guidelines for Maintaining Healthy Brain Function and Avoiding Alzheimer's Disease

It's becoming increasingly clear that the same pathological process that leads to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes may also hold true for your brain. As you over-indulge on sugar and grains, your brain becomes overwhelmed by the consistently high levels of glucose and insulin that blunts its insulin signaling, leading to impairments in your thinking and memory abilities, eventually causing permanent brain damage.

Additionally, when your liver is busy processing fructose (which your liver turns into fat), it severely hampers its ability to makecholesterol, an essential building block of your brain that is crucial for optimal brain function. Indeed, mounting evidence supports the notion that significantly reducing fructose consumption is a very important step for preventing Alzheimer's disease. 

Because of the very limited treatments, and no available cure as of yet, you're really left with just one solid solution, and that is to prevent Alzheimer's from happening to you in the first place. As explained by neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter, Alzheimer's is a disease predicated primarily on lifestyle choices; the two main culprits being excessive sugar and gluten consumption.

Another major factor is the development and increased consumption of genetically engineered (GE) grains, which are now pervasive in most processed foods sold in the US. The beauty of following my optimized nutrition plan is that it helps prevent and treat virtually ALL chronic degenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's. Dr. Perlmutter's book, Grain Brain, also provides powerful arguments for eliminating grains from your diet, particularly if you want to protect the health of your brain. In terms of your diet, the following suggestions may be among the most important for Alzheimer's prevention:

• Avoid sugar and refined fructose. Ideally, you'll want to keep your total sugar and fructose below 25 grams per day, or as low as 15 grams per day if you have insulin resistance or any related disorders. In one recent animal study, a junk food diet high in sugar resulted in impaired memory after just one week!9 Place recognition, specifically, was adversely affected.

As a general rule, you'll want to keep your fasting insulin levels below 3, and this is indirectly related to fructose, as it will clearly lead to insulin resistance. However, other sugars (sucrose is 50 percent fructose by weight), grains, and lack of exercise are also important factors. Lowering insulin will also help lower leptin levels which is another factor for Alzheimer's.

• Avoid gluten and casein (primarily wheat and pasteurized dairy, but not dairy fat, such as butter). Research shows that your blood-brain barrier, the barrier that keeps things out of your brain where they don't belong, is negatively affected by gluten. Gluten also makes your gut more permeable, which allows proteins to get into your bloodstream, where they don't belong. That then sensitizes your immune system and promotes inflammation and autoimmunity, both of which play a role in the development of Alzheimer's.
• Eat a nutritious diet, rich in folate, such as the one described in my nutrition plan. Vegetables, without question, are your best form of folate, and we should all eat plenty of fresh raw veggies every day. Avoid supplements like folic acid, which is the inferior synthetic version of folate.
• Increase consumption of all healthful fats, including animal-based omega-3. Beneficial health-promoting fats that your brain needs for optimal function include organic butter from raw milk, clarified butter called ghee, organic grass fed raw butter, olives, organic virgin olive oil and coconut oil, nuts like pecans and macadamia, free-range eggs, wild Alaskan salmon, and avocado.

Contrary to popular belief, the ideal fuel for your brain is not glucose but ketones. Ketones are what your body produces when it converts fat (as opposed to glucose) into energy. The medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) found in coconut oil are a great source of ketone bodies, because coconut oil is about 66 percent MCTs. In 2010, I published Dr. Mary Newport's theory that coconut oil might offer profound benefits in the fight against Alzheimer's disease. She has since launched one of the first clinical trials of its kind to test this theory.

Also make sure you're getting enough animal-based omega-3 fats, such as krill oil. (I recommend avoiding most fish because, although fish is naturally high in omega-3, most fish are now severely contaminated with mercury.) High intake of the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA help by preventing cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease, thereby slowing down its progression, and lowering your risk of developing the disorder.

• Optimize your gut flora by regularly eating fermented foods or taking a high-potency and high-quality probiotic supplement
• Eat blueberries. Wild blueberries, which have high anthocyanin and antioxidant content, are known to guard against Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases. 

Other Helpful Dietary Tips and Valuable Supplements

Another helpful tip is to reduce your overall calorie consumption, and/or intermittently fast. As mentioned above, ketones are mobilized when you replace carbs with coconut oil and other sources of healthy fats. A one-day fast can help your body to "reset" itself, and start to burn fat instead of sugar. As part of a healthy lifestyle, I prefer an intermittent fasting schedule that simply calls for limiting your eating to a narrower window of time each day. By restricting your eating to a 6-8 hour window, you effectively fast 16-18 hours each day. To learn more about intermittent fasting, please see this previous article.

Also be aware that when it comes to cholesterol levels and Alzheimer's, lower is NOT better. Quite the contrary. According to Dr. Perlmutter, research shows that elderly individuals with the lowest cholesterol levels have the highest risk for Alzheimer's. They also have the highest risk for dying. As he says, the war on cholesterol is fundamentally inappropriate and harmful.

Finally, there's a short list of supplement recommendations worth noting for their specific benefits in preventing and treating dementia. So, although your fundamental strategy for preventing dementia should involve a comprehensive lifestyle approach, you may want to take special note of the following natural dietary agents. These four natural foods/supplements have good science behind them, in terms of preventing age-related cognitive changes:

1. Gingko biloba: Many scientific studies have found that Ginkgo biloba has positive effects for dementia. A 1997 study fromJAMA showed clear evidence that Ginkgo improves cognitive performance and social functioning for those suffering from dementia. Another 2006 study found Ginkgo as effective as the dementia drug Aricept (donepezil) for treating mild to moderate Alzheimer's type dementia. A 2010 meta-analysis also found Ginkgo biloba to be effective for a variety of types of dementia.
2. Alpha lipoic acid (ALA): ALA has been shown to help stabilize cognitive functions among Alzheimer's patients and may slow the progression of the disease.
3. Vitamin B12: A small Finnish study published in the journal Neurology10 found thatpeople who consume foods rich in B12 may reduce their risk of Alzheimer's in their later years. For each unit increase in the marker of vitamin B12 the risk of developing Alzheimer's was reduced by two percent. Remember sublingual methylcobalamin may be your best bet here.

Lifestyle Strategies That Can Help Ward off Alzheimer's Disease

Lifestyle choices such as getting regular sun exposure and exercise, along with avoiding toxins, are also important factors when it comes to maintaining optimal brain health. Here are several of my lifestyle suggestions:

• Optimize your vitamin D levels with safe sun exposure. Strong links between low levels of vitamin D in Alzheimer's patients and poor outcomes on cognitive tests have been revealed. Researchers believe that optimal vitamin D levels may enhance the amount of important chemicals in your brain and protect brain cells by increasing the effectiveness of the glial cells in nursing damaged neurons back to health.

Vitamin D may also exert some of its beneficial effects on Alzheimer's through its anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting properties. Sufficient vitamin D is imperative for proper functioning of your immune system to combat inflammation that is also associated with Alzheimer's.

• Exercise regularly. It's been suggested that exercise can trigger a change in the way the amyloid precursor protein is metabolized,11 thus, slowing down the onset and progression of Alzheimer's. Exercise also increases levels of the protein PGC-1alpha. Research has also shown that people with Alzheimer's have less PGC-1alpha in their brains12 and cells that contain more of the protein produce less of the toxic amyloid protein associated with Alzheimer's. I would strongly recommend reviewing the Peak Fitness Technique for my specific recommendations.
• Avoid and eliminate mercury from your body. Dental amalgam fillings, which are 50 percent mercury by weight, are one of the major sources of heavy metal toxicity. However, you should be healthy prior to having them removed. Find a biological dentist to have your amalgams removed.
• Avoid aluminum, such as antiperspirants, non-stick cookware, vaccine adjuvants, etc.
• Avoid flu vaccinations as most contain both mercury and aluminum, well-known neurotoxic and immunotoxic agents.
• Avoid anticholinergics and statin drugs. Drugs that block acetylcholine, a nervous system neurotransmitter, have been shown to increase your risk of dementia. These drugs include certain nighttime pain relievers, antihistamines, sleep aids, certain antidepressants, medications to control incontinence, and certain narcotic pain relievers.

Statin drugs are particularly problematic because they suppress the synthesis of cholesterol, deplete your brain of coenzyme Q10 and neurotransmitter precursors, and prevent adequate delivery of essential fatty acids and fat-soluble antioxidants to your brain by inhibiting the production of the indispensable carrier biomolecule known as low-density lipoprotein.

• Challenge your mind daily. Mental stimulation, especially learning something new, such as learning to play an instrument or a new language, is associated with a decreased risk of Alzheimer's. Researchers suspect that mental challenge helps to build up your brain, making it less susceptible to the lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.