What Is trans Fat?

Trans fat, also called partially hydrogenated oil, is the first of the "Terrible Two" that I suggest you avoid at all costs!  Even Ancel Keys, one of the founders of the theory that cholesterol causes heart disease, stated in 1958 that trans fatty acids were to blame for heart disease.  Basically, trans fats are manmade fats.  These fats are made when an oil or type of fat undergoes a process called hydrogenation.  During this process, hydrogen is added to the oil which then changes the actual structure of the oil molecule.  This causes the molecule to then change shape from its natural state to a twisted formation.  Through this process, the oil is changed to a solid which is then more stable and gives a food-product a longer shelf life.

So then, what's so bad about that?  Research has now shown that these trans fats cause much havoc in the body.  They have been proven to reduce your HDL (good cholesterol), raise your LDL (bad cholesterol), raise insulin levels (which contributes to fat storage) and make insulin not work as well (causing high blood sugar), negatively affect crucial enzymes in the body, and take the place of otherwise healthy fatty acids that the body needs.   Trans fats in a mother's diet can decrease vision in infants, cause lower birthweight infants and lower the cream content of breastmilk.  Interestingly, trans fats will raise the level of a substance called Lp[a] (this contributes to plaque build-up), yet saturated fats actually reduce this substance!  All this is only half of the list of the negative effects of trans fats that I have sitting in front of me!

Dr. Mary Enig, a world renowned biochemist and researcher in the area of fats and oils since the 1970s, states that the most dangerous fats and oils are those that have been hydrogenated.   As a result of this process, free radicals are formed that are toxic to the body and cause widespread damage. 

The take-home message, then, is AVOID all trans fats/partially hydrogenated oils (and fully hydrogenated for that matter).  The tricky part here is that you cannot rely on the front of the box when it says NO TRANS FAT.  You NEED to look over the list of ingredients, and if you see it, put it back.   Take inventory of your cupboards too!

As I mentioned before, your food should be as natural as possible.  The more processing that is done to make a product, the more damaged it has become.  When you eat or drink this damaged food-product, your body can't use it as well as the real natural food.  Internal injury occurs and with injury comes inflammation (this is response to injury and the start of healing).  Chronic inflammation will lead to heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, thyroid problems, cancer, you name it!

Eat well and have a great week!

Resource: Know Your Fats: The Complete Primer, Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., Bethesda Press, Silver Spring, MD, 2000.

What Is The Sunshine Vitamin?

VITAMIN D!  Traditionally called the sunshine vitamin because your skin can make it, vitamin D is actually much more complicated and extremely important to your health.  New research is showing that vitamin D is actually a hormone involved in bone formation, kidney function, digestive function, and the immune system.  As reported by Gregory Plotnikoff, MD, MTS, FACP, Senior Consultant at Allina's Integrative Medicine Clinic, "Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk for nearly all major human diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in addition to diseases of reproduction and birth."

Studies have shown:

• better insulin function and less resistance with adequate vitamin D, therefore improved blood sugars
• low vitamin D levels are associated with higher risk of heart attack and high blood pressure
• less pregnancy complications with adequate vitamin D levels
• decreased chronic pain with adequate vitamin D levels
• low levels of vitamin D are associated with a recent upper respiratory tract infection, especially prevalent in those with asthma or COPD 
• higher rates of death due to any cause in people with vitamin D deficiency

The process to make vitamin D starts when your skin is exposed to UVB rays (this is midday sun mostly), then to the liver for a conversion, then to the kidneys for another conversion, then finally the active form of vitamin D is in your blood stream.  This occurs if you get midday sun with no sunscreen on in the summer months of May-September.  Minnesota winter sun will not be strong enought to make any vitamin D!

Also, consider that vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which means you need to have a source of fat with your food or supplement in order to absorb it.  How much nutrition then are you getting from your nonfat yogurt and nonfat milk?  If you have no fat, you won't absorb vitamin D, then you won't absorb your calcium!  Be sure your fat source is a natural fat, preferrably an animal based fat such as organic milk, cheese, butter, eggs and nothing processed (low-fat or hydrogenated).  In small portions, this is OKAY!  If you are uncomfortable with this, keep checking in because I will have more on this topic later. :)

So it is very hard to keep your body's level of vitamin D in a healthy range with today's lifestyles, limited sun, slathered on sunscreen, and typical low-fat diet!  You can feel very safe taking 1000-2000 IU of vitamin D daily, then double your dose in the winter months November through March.  Ideally, you'll want to get your vitamin D level checked through a blood test, the healthy range is 50-70, at some point in the summer and the winter months.  Personally, I take 4000-5000 IU daily because I don't get much sun at all.

This is a lot of info to take in, but if you get anything out of it, know that taking vitamin D supplements are necessary and so important for your health and longevity and disease prevention.

EGGS!

Did anyone have to return the eggs they bought because they were recalled due to salmonella?  I just saw a news story on Fox about a gal who returned her recalled eggs and bought some new eggs only to find out when she got home that the new eggs were still the contamintated eggs!  Until she made a fuss, the store was continuing to sell the contaminated eggs.  I have a hard time believing this was a mistake and it confirms my fears that we should not rely on someone else to make our healthy food choices for us.  Don't forget to check your eggs! 

Doesn't it seems that the news is repeatedly reporting on some type of contamination in our food?  Here is one headline from a report I receive in the Medical Watch newsletter published by the American Academy of Physician Assistants: "Leading Carriers of Food-Borne Illness Appear to be Poultry, Beef, Leafy Greens."

All this confirms my decision to buy organic whenever you can and your budget allows.  The more demand, the lower the price will be.  Check out your local farmers' market, ask about how they farm and produce the fruits, vegetables, eggs, meat and poultry that they are selling to you.  A great website that can help you with this is: eatwellguide.org.

DID YOU KNOW?
Grass-fed animals have a much healthier balance of fatty acids, including the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3. Mass produced animals are corn fed, but they were not meant to digest corn so this disrupts their whole system.  Plus, this gives you, the consumer, a higher amount of omega 6 fatty acids.  Research now confirms that a high level of omega 6 fatty acids combined with a low level of omega 3 fatty acids is damaging to the arteries and contributes to heart attack and stroke risk!  This is why fish oils (omega 3s) are now "all the rage" and are proven to help reduce your risk of disease.  They also help decrease inflammation, but more on this later...

WELCOME!

Hello!  I am starting this blog as a way to help educate family, friends, and others about the world of information that I have discovered and feel is so important to share.  There is a lot of misleading information, misunderstood information and just plain confusing information out there.  My goal is to find natual, healthy living in a world of technology, chemicals, and mass-produced food. 

Here is a hint of topics to come:  INFLAMMATION, GOOD CHOLESTEROL AND FAT, VITAMINS, TOXICITIES, HORMONE IMBALANCE, THE TERRIBLE TWO (high fructose corn syrup and trans fats), HEALTHY PROTEIN, ACIDITY VS ALKALINITY, and the list goes on and on and on!!