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Dear Friends,
What makes food therapeutic?
I guess that depends on where you reside in the food chain. This amazing creature on the right is definately the consumate carnivore; and you wouldn’t want to be on its shopping list, for they seldom miss getting their prey. Their menu varies from gazelles to other antelopes, from warthogs to wildebeast calves and from rats to birds.
When it comes to us human beings, where do we reside in the food chain. Are we herbivores, carnivores or omnivores? There certainly are a lot of dietary choices for us to choose from. What do you abide?
I tend to fall on the side of an amalgum diet combining elements of both the paleothic and neolithic diets, eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, beans, seeds and grains, some fermented dairy (goat), some fish and chicken, but with little or no red meat.
In a most recent study that came out March 12, 2012 in the online issue of Archives of Internal Medicine entitled, Red Meat Consumption and Mortility, Harvard based author An Pan et al, maintain that eating red meat of any kind increases one’s mortality.
The study is creating quite a stir. The LA Times immediately came out with this piece in its March 13th newspaper, All Red Meat is Bad for You, New Study Says, by Eryn Brown, LA Times science writer:
Eating red meat — any amount and any type — appears to significantly increase the risk of premature death, according to a long-range study that examined the eating habits and health of more than 110,000 adults for more than 20 years.
For instance, adding just one 3-ounce serving of unprocessed red meat — picture a piece of steak no bigger than a deck of cards — to one’s daily diet was associated with a 13% greater chance of dying during the course of the study.
Even worse, adding an extra daily serving of processed red meat, such as a hot dog or two slices of bacon, was linked to a 20% higher risk of death during the study.
“Any red meat you eat contributes to the risk,” said An Pan, a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and lead author of the study, published onlineMonday in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Crunching data from thousands of questionnaires that asked people how frequently they ate a variety of foods, the researchers also discovered that replacing red meat with other foods seemed to reduce mortality risk for study participants.
Eating a serving of nuts instead of beef or pork was associated with a 19% lower risk of dying during the study. The team said choosing poultry or whole grains as a substitute was linked with a 14% reduction in mortality risk; low-fat dairy or legumes, 10%; and fish, 7%.
Previous studies had associated red meat consumption with diabetes, heart disease and cancer, all of which can be fatal. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what makes red meat so dangerous, but the suspects include the iron and saturated fat in beef, pork and lamb, the nitrates used to preserve them, and the chemicals created by high-temperature cooking.
The Harvard researchers hypothesized that eating red meat would also be linked to an overall risk of death from any cause, Pan said. And the results suggest they were right: Among the 37,698 men and 83,644 women who were tracked, as meat consumption increased, so did mortality risk.
In separate analyses of processed and unprocessed meats, the group found that both types appear to hasten death. Pan said that at the outset, he and his colleagues had thought it likely that only processed meat posed a health danger.
Carol Koprowski, a professor of preventive medicine at USC’s Keck School of Medicine who wasn’t involved in the research, cautioned that it can be hard to draw specific conclusions from a study like this because there can be a lot of error in the way diet information is recorded in food frequency questionnaires, which ask subjects to remember past meals in sometimes grueling detail.
But Pan said the bottom line was that there was no amount of red meat that’s good for you. “If you want to eat red meat, eat the unprocessed products, and reduce it to two or three servings a week,” he said. “That would have a huge impact on public health.”
A majority of people in the study reported that they ate an average of at least one serving of meat per day. Pan said that he eats one or two servings of red meat per week, and that he doesn’t eat bacon or other processed meats.
Cancer researcher Lawrence H. Kushi of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland said that groups putting together dietary guidelines were likely to pay attention to the findings in the study. “There’s a pretty strong supposition that eating red meat is important — that it should be part of a healthful diet,” said Kushi, who was not involved in the study. “These data basically demonstrate that the less you eat, the better.”
UC San Francisco researcher and vegetarian diet advocate Dr. Dean Ornish said he gleaned a hopeful message from the study. “Something as simple as a meatless Monday can help,” he said. “Even small changes can make a difference.”
Additionally, Ornish said, “What’s good for you is also good for the planet.”
In an editorial that accompanied the study, Ornish wrote that a plant-based diet could help cut annual healthcare costs from chronic diseases in the U.S., which exceed $1 trillion. Shrinking the livestock industry could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions and halt the destruction of forests to create pastures, he wrote.
Next week I want to continue on with this very important discussion. In particular, with the points alluded to in the above two paragraphs regarding Dr. Dean Ornish and his accompanying editorial; for in his editorial, key points are made regarding how to slow down the de-evolutionary process—a process that must be halted if we are to survive.
So my friends, till then.
Sincerely yours,
Seann Bardell
BioImmersion.com
Clinical Note:
Consider the following as a regular part of your diet:
Energy Sustain, Ultra Minerals, Phyto Power and Number 7 Systemic Booster
Dose: Energy Sustain- one scoop (included in container), Ultra Minerals- 2-4 capsules, Phyto Power- 1-2 capsules, and Number 7 Systemic Booster- 1 tsp.
Benefits: Energy Sustain- The power of organically grown millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat and chia, all especially processed to liberate their vital nutrients- high in protein, amino acids, complex carbs, fibers, vitamins and minerals. Ultra Minerals– providing 72 minerals (negatively charged, nano sized, elements) derived from organic plant vegetate of the Mesozoic Era (that is really Deep Time my friends—65 million years ago). Phyto Power– giving you intensive phytochemicals derived from wildcrafted 4 species blueberry, 3 species of rosehips and 4 species of dandelion including the roots and flower. The magnified power of flavonoids from blues, reds, yellows and greens—polyphenol/phytochemical power. And last, but definately not least, No. 7 Systemic Booster provides additional phyto power with organic pineapple, tart cherry, pomegranate and cranberry, not to mention five of our pedigreed Bulgarian probiotic strains and supernatant, carnitine, carnisine, fructo-borate, vitamin D, folate, inulin, and nucleic acid derived from barley sprout that lower high blood suger levels.
Significant amounts of high amount foods turn our body’s genetic potential on.
 The Last Quiz Answer:
This beautiful parrot is a Amazona festiva bodinis—a species of Amazon parrots, of which there are many. Of course we are all very familiar with parrots, and how intelligent they are. Check out this YouTube video on the amazing talking parrot. You’ll be astonished!
The Amazon is a loving and sociable parrot originating from South America. The affectionate and loyal nature of the Amazon make this bird a wonderful pet for those experienced with companion parrots. Amazons are highly intelligent and require a devoted owner who is willing to provide significant and meaningful attention, as well as stimulus such as chewing toys to keep them happy and healthy (Dr. Bob Marshall, parrot expert).
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It is easy to become an activist today. We have the power of the internet and social media. Here are three groups that allow your voice and vote to be heard and counted: CREDO Action– more than a network, a movement; Environmental Working Group– the power of information; and Earth Day Network. |
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