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Why Bother With Breakfast?

They say ignorance is bliss but there are times when ignorance of people makes me sad. One such instance is when people do not think breakfast is important and chose not to include it in their routine. It is said that one should eat like a king for breakfast, queen for lunch and popper for dinner.

Unfortunately for many people, for reasons of their own, dinner happens to be the biggest meal and breakfast is the first one to be skipped. I have always believed that to a large degree, you are what you eat so I think food plays an important part in one's life, especially the quality of life. That is one of the reasons why I take time and effort to not just prepare good food but also to write a lot about it so I spread some awareness in whatever little way I can. Reason I say it makes me sad is because the effects of skipping breakfast may not be seen immediately. But over time one will have to face the consequences. When some of my friends say they do not have breakfast I feel bad because they are not doing any good for their body. In this article I hope to summarise what I have read and understood about the importance of breakfast and also some simple yet quick breakfast ideas to make it easier for you.
Let us look at the impact of having or not having breakfast to better understand why bother with breakfast
1. Weight management - many believe that skipping breakfast so they reduce calories would help them lose weight. It cannot be farther from the truth. When we sleep during the night, our body slows down, so metabolism slows down. When we have something to eat in the morning, we are effectively giving the signal to the body that the day has begun and metabolism should increase. However, people who skip breakfast deny their body of this signal so they feel sluggish as they continue until lunch with slow metabolism. When one feels sluggish and tired, one tends to work less, physically and in turn burns fewer calories. Also, when the body is deprived of food for a long while, cravings begin, especially sugar cravings. This is when we feel like snacking on a chocolate bar or a big fat muffin or cakes etc. This effectively increases the calorie consumption. In summary, a slow metabolism, tired body burning lesser calories and high calorie/fat snacks effectively contribute to weight gain and not weight loss. We all keep hearing about the numerous health problems that can come with being overweight, especially risk of heart diseases and skipping breakfast can potentially lead to being overweight.
2. Lowered cognition - studies have said to have shown that children who have breakfast fare better in problem solving than children who skip breakfast.

Remember that it is not just the rest of the body that gets energy from digested food but also the brain. When the brain is low on energy, one cannot expect it to function effectively. Some studies also show that children who skip breakfast are more likely to have problems concentrating and also have problems with memory when compared with children who have breakfast.
3. Type 2 diabetes - skipping breakfast is said to increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. If one is already diabetic, it is all the more important to keep sugar fluctuations low which means the body has to be fed at regular intervals. Diabetes is a state of the body that is not particularly easy to manage as the complications of diabetes can be very serious from losing eye sight, heart attacks, having to be amputated. If one is already overweight, the complications get even worse. The effect of diabetes may not be known immediately but the body will be deteriorating gradually. Keeping the blood sugar under control is absolutely important while living with diabetes and skipping meals, that too breakfast will be highly counter-productive for diabetes management.
4. Menstrual irregularities - some studies are said to have shown that girls/women who skip breakfast are likely to have irregular periods.
5. Poor mood - low glucose is said to be responsible for irritability fatigue and tiredness. Some studies show that people who skip breakfast snap at others more easily.
To me the risk of weight gain (and all associated health risks due to being overweight) and risk of diabetes alone are enough to make me run for my breakfast. When it comes to children, it is very important to set up healthy eating habit at an early stage and for that, having breakfast is important. With children getting less and less playtime and exercise these days it is all the more important for them to eat healthy. There is no point in sending them to school to learn stuff if they cannot concentrate and as parents, we need to give them adequate support to enable them to learn. Hopefully, by now you are at least thinking about having breakfast.
I come from a tamil Brahmin family and Brahmin meal plan is quite well known because most of them have a big mid morning meal, later in the afternoon a tiffin or lighter meal is consumed while dinner sometimes is liquid intake or fruits or some cereals, if not curd rice. Reason I mention that is that although some people criticise them for having a heavy meal that early, what modern day dieticians are advising is pretty much similar - have a big breakfast. The meal would normally consist of rice (carbohydrates), dal (protein), vegetables (vitamins and minerals) and ghee (fat) and unless I got it all wrong, this is what constitutes a balanced meal. At this day and age, we barely have the time to make all these before we walk out of the doors to work and neither would our working hours allow such a schedule. So, what are some quick breakfast solutions you could try.
1. Oats porridge - boil a couple of tablespoon of oats in water until it is done (regular oats is better than quick cooking and honestly does not take much time to cook anyway). If you like it sweet, add some milk, sugar or honey or any other sensible sweetener of choice. If you like savory, then add some buttermilk and little salt and consume. Either way, have a banana or any other fruit of choice.
2. Breakfast shake - milk shake or smoothies make great breakfast. Blend a banana sweetened with date syrup or any other natural sweetener (avoid synthetic sweetners or refined sugar) along with some milk. Top with crushed nuts and drink. Adding oat milk instead of cow's milk can help reduce calories and fat and also lend to fibre intake. You could try the same with apple too. You could also use a spoon of wheat germ as topping.
3. Muffin - having a low sugar, bran loaded muffin is a great way to fill you up for the morning. Top a healthy muffin with berries and eat along with a glass of juice. Plenty of healthy muffin recipes are available, try making enough over the weekend itself. I would say it probably takes about 10 minutes to make the muffin batter and about 20 minutes baking time and that would be your breakfast sorted for a week!
4. Breakfast sandwich - you could make these with leftovers too. You could use chapattis or pita breads or wholemeal breads and stuff them with left over sabjis or any vegetable of choice. Over the weekends I tend to quickly sauté grated courgette, spice it with cumin, chilly and coriander powder and make a grilled wholemeal sandwich. This helps me get one of my five a day vegetables as well. You can try the same with paneer or grated cauliflower, cabbage etc. Peanut butter sandwich is a good option as well.
5. Toast and beans - beans also contribute to one of five a day. This option is okay if you have the time to sit down and have your breakfast.
6. Low fat flapjacks - I make my own flapjack which is a bit more chewy than regular ones. I use very little brown sugar but add dry fruits and dates syrup to sweeten instead. Believe it or not small portions of these oats rich almost no added fat flapjacks are a great start to the day.
7. Multi grain porridge - back home it is common practice for moms to make a multi grain powder. It usually consists or wheat, barley, finger millet, sago, almonds and cardamom for flavouring. One can add couple of heaped spoons of this to water, bring to boil while stirring, add jaggery or sugar and milk.

8. Healthy pancakes - make your own pancake mix by adding either the above mentioned porridge powder or wholewheat powder along with some millet powder. Add mashed banana or pureed apple or blueberries, if you want it sweeter, add syrup like dates syrup to make a batter. I tend to skip the baking powder or soda bicarb as it inhibits nutrition absorption. You could add little all purpose flour to ease flipping the pancake. Pour the batter on hot tava and drizzle oil/butter/ghee. Cook both sides, eat.
9. Bread omelet - beat an egg and add salt and required vegetables like tomato, onion, mushroom etc. and make an omelet. Grab couple of toasts and a glass of juice. Having protein earlier in the day is said to be better than later.

10. Museli - combine wheat flakes, oat flakes, rye flakes, barley flakes with some dry fruits like raisins, currants, seeds like pumpkin seed. Serve with seasonal fruits and milk.
11. Quick French toast - cut couple of bread slices into four triangles each. Dip them in beaten egg (season it as needed) and cook on hot tava. Drizzle some oil or butter while cooking. Cook both sides and that's a good breakfast on the go.
12. Millet gruel - Millet is usually considered poor man's food but truth is many people who work hard physically have ragi gruel often for breakfast. It keeps them full for long although they are involved in intense work. One way of preparing is similar to multi grain porridge mentioned previously. Another method is to mix it with some buttermilk and let it sit overnight. Next morning add little water if needed and cook while stirring, until it is shiny. Season with salt and drink. Millets are low fat protein sources.
I hope at least one or two of the above options suit your taste and timing. On weekends one can indulge a bit more by making cooked breakfast and a number of such recipes are available on my blog as well.
Make healthy choices for your life, remember, prevention is better than cure. One can skip any meal, but not breakfast regardless of whether one is hungry or not. For the other meals you can go as per your body, eat when hungry but breakfast is an exception. Do not wait for the 'right' day to start having breakfast, there is no bad time to do the right thing. Live long, live happy, live healthy!

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Keeping Children Healthy!

Keep them healthy! Providing a healthy life-style for your children is easier than you might think! With 3 simple steps we can achieve the "healthy family" status!

Step One: Fruits and vegetables
I know how hard it can be trying to convince your 7-year-old that spinach is better than crisps, or that fish doesn't taste like cardboard... But it can be done! Nowadays, you can find numerous recipes for "picky eaters" on the internet. If you don't feel like looking for new recipes, do something different! Put some carrot sticks out when they are hungry and dinner is not ready, or use balsamic/rice vinegar on steamed broccoli... Be creative!

Step Two: Cut Sugar
Children don't need sugar on top of their already sweetened cereal, do they? Sugar is okay in moderation, but as we all know we tend to consume a lot more than the recommended daily amount. Research shows that children who consume too much sugar have a higher chance of developing paediatric obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Tip: Try giving them low-sugar drinks, and watch out for the amount of sugar in cereals. The ideal cereal would have less than 10 grams of sugar per serving.

Step Three: Get Active
Now, that you have managed to sneak some vegetables into their diets and have cut down on sugar, all we need to do is move! Most children love playing outside and being active. But as all children are individuals, we also have those who would spend all day in front of the telly, if given a chance. To get children active we usually have to be creative and get involved! They love it when grown-ups "come down to their level" and act silly.

Some great ways of getting him/her to move:
- Improvise a treasure hunt
- Charades
- Dress up relay
- Long jump
- Dance
- Talent show
- A walk in the park

Get creative! Get moving!



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Magnesium

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant cation in the body. Almost 60% is found in bone and the rest stored intracellularly.
Magnesium has an effect on many cellular functions, including transport of calcium and potassium, DNA and protein synthesis, energy metabolism, and blood sugar maintenance. It is also important for normal neurological and muscular function, including key involvement in cardiac and smooth muscle contractions (Groff, Gropper et al., 1995).
Most Americans consume less than the estimated average requirement for magnesium. This comes as no mystery when examining the standard American diet - refining foods has removed magnesium from many foods that would have otherwise provided it while fortification practices have not included magnesium when adding back some of the lost nutrients.
For example, olive, corn and peanut oils are all devoid of magnesium, while their whole-food predecessors are rich sources of this mineral.
Similarly, white flour contains far less magnesium than whole-wheat flour (Seelig 2003).
Other significant food sources of magnesium include green leafy vegetables and legumes, which are low in the standard American diet. Additionally, people are consuming less “hard water” (water that contains magnesium and calcium), and more “soft water” or distilled bottled water, shorting them on another historical source of magnesium (Seelig 1980). 

The Magnesium Website (www.mgwater.com) highlights this concept with a quote from Groundwater Resources of British Columbia, Canada:

"According to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (1977) there have been more than 50 studies, in nine countries, that have indicated an inverse relationship between water hardness and mortality from cardiovascular disease. That is, people who drink water that is deficient in magnesium and calcium generally appear more susceptible to this disease. The U.S. National Academy of Sciences has estimated that a nation-wide initiative to add calcium and magnesium to soft water might reduce the annual cardiovascular death rate by 150,000 in the United States." ( Dr. Harold D. Foster, " Groundwater and Human Health," Groundwater Resources of British Columbia, Ministry of Environment, Lands, and Parks and Environment Canada, pp 6.1-6.3 (reprint), 1994. 

Though only negligible amounts of magnesium are lost in sweat under normal conditions, there is still some evidence that prolonged exertion in hot and humid environments can decrease serum magnesium, which could prove to be clinically significant in individuals with marginal magnesium status.
Additionally, although magnesium levels may return to normal after some training sessions, over a prolonged period of regular exertion, magnesium levels may remain suboptimal. One theory is that elevated metabolic activity, such as that found in prolonged exertion, increases the requirement for magnesium. A plausible mechanism could be increased lipolysis, or the breakdown of fat, which has been shown directly relate to a decrease in plasma magnesium (Rayssiguier, Guezennec et al., 1990).
Dr. Whang, in his paper entitled “Electrolyte and Water Metabolism in Sports Activities,” makes the argument for the addition of magnesium to sports beverages to support healthy circulation, blood sugar control and potassium levels (Whang, 1998).
Furthermore, some researchers have even implicated magnesium loss (and not the traditionally assumed sodium loss) in the pathogenesis of “miner’s cramps” (a condition, also known as “heat cramps,” in which minors, after prolonged exposure to a hot environment, would experience painful cramps when attempting to rehydrate with plain water) (Rayssiguier, Guezennec et al., 1990; Berning and Steen 1998).
Even at the 2008 Superbowl, played at a moderate temperature of the mid-70’s indoors, numerous well-conditioned athletes had to leave the field of play due to muscle cramping.


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Balanced Diet

Healthy Low Calorie Foods

'Calorie' is unit of measurement for energy. 1 calorie is the amount of heat needed to raise 1 kilogram of water 1 degree of centigrade. Which means, the higher the calorie contained in food, the more energy it will release when burned. Low calorie food is the main key to lower body weight.
The fact is, high calories are caused by high amount of fat in foods. The order of macronutrients of food is separated into 3 types (protein, carbohydrates, and fat). Out of these 3, for every gram of fat, 9 calories are produced while for every gram of carbohydrates and protein only 4 calories are produced. Fat itself are separated into 3 different types: saturated, polyunsaturated, and monounsaturated.

Fish is one example of low calorie foods. Many types of fish contain less than 1 gram of fat per 100g of meat. Chicken is another good low calorie food. Depending on how you cook it and part of chicken, 100grams of meat may contain as little as 1 to 2 grams of fat.
Did you know that for every time you dine in restaurant, you are eating easily 1000 - 2000 calories! Furthermore, this meal may contain up to 100 grams of fat.
Below is a list of foods that are low in calorie and fat.
Food#1: Nuts and seeds. For a protein boost, eat small unsalted serving. This food however, is nutritional dense.
Food#2: Dairy product. Parmesan cheese, low-fat milk, and yogurt are healthy option to get protein. However it is high in fat and should be consumed moderately.
Food#3: vegetables. Vegetables contain high protein and low in fat. Vegetables are healthy choice for low calorie diets.
Food #4: Tofu. Tofu contains little fat and up to 10 grams of protein per serving. It is also high in nutritional value.

Furthermore, here are some tips that will lower your food calories.
Tips #1: Replace butter, margarine, and hard fats with low fat spreads or polyunsaturated margarine.
Tips #2: Place meat on rack when grilling or roasting meat. This allows the fat to drain.
Tips #3: Use tofu or beans as alternate protein source. They are low in calorie and cheaper.
Tips #4: When cooking meats, always trim away visible fats and skins.
Tips #5: Eats out less often and eat more home cooked meals. Home cooked meals are healthier.

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Caloric Restriction Method

Calorie restriction is an effective method of reducing calorie intake to slow down the process of aging. It is also known as an anti aging diet plan. Recent research conducted into caloric restriction concludes that the life span of several animals like (monkeys, spiders, rats) is extended in case of calorie intake restriction. The problem with this anti aging process is that adequate nutrition must be included in your diet when you start the fasting.

How Does It Work

The purpose of calorie restriction with sufficient nutrition is to improve immunity while increasing the population of T-cells, lowering the level of triiodothyronine and cytokine interleukin-6. The connection between anti aging and calorie restriction may be a result of efficient immunity, which reduces the disease susceptibility. Some people call it fasting process in which they need to limit intake of dietary to an amount of 25-30 percent while eating the diet with adequate micronutrients and lean protein. Recent scientist research has proven that there are some pathways of molecular that influence the process of aging. Fasting also increases immunity performance and inhibit molecular pathways interfering with the process of aging. The reduction of fats, proteins and carbohydrates in caloric restriction may work well by reducing the amount of harmful proteins and glycation like protein molecules and sugar.

While following this anti aging program, nutrition diet should be taken. Nutrient dense, low calorie foods like fruits and vegetables are chosen over high carbohydrate, sugars and other items. A person should seek the assistance of the expert on nutrition and have a daily check-up with their anti aging expert.

Why We Need To Fellow Calorie Restriction Program

Research model on rats shows that such individuals who consume a lot of calories have a short life span. If people restrict their calorie intake over lifetimes, their life span increase from 3 to 7 percent or even up to 20 years achieved by following drastic calorie restriction. There are many benefits of calorie restrictions including improved function of immune system, low blood pressure, improve heath of cardiovascular, improve function of thyroid, increased hormone level and reduced risk of lymphoma, autoimmune disease, certain cancer and kidney disease.

Despite calorie restriction promise to increase life span, it remains a quite misunderstood lifestyle. Some people associated it with constant huger, fasting, near-starvation and malnutrition due to inadequate intake of nutrients. If the calorie restriction food is undertaken correctly, it gives you a healthy living accompanied by weight loss and other health benefits.

Robert Bernard is a antiaging expert who is conducting special anti-aging fasting and cleansing programs in Central Europe.





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Turmeric: Nature's Wonder Drug - Or Not?

Unless you've been living underground, you have likely heard an overwhelming amount of information related to turmeric this past year. Somewhere along the way it was awarded super-spice status and now can be found almost anywhere you look, from supplements, to grocery store products, to even toothpaste!

The benefits of this wonder-spice are mainly anti-inflammatory in nature and for that it has been reported helpful in many diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, and possibly even cancer. In Indian culture they even use it topically to speed wound healing. What can't this spice do?

Recently, however, a report came out saying that we were duped. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, has little bioactive activity in the body. The report pointed out few studies showing curcumin itself to have any health benefits, and that in fact the compound often breaks down before it can elicit any sort of positive health impact.1

Oh no! How could we have gone so far astray, especially regarding an ancient spice that has been used for centuries therapeutically in other countries? Is it simply placebo effect.

Let's hold up for just one second. For starters, before we go dumping all our turmeric capsules down the toilet, let's read the article fully. What exactly are they saying?

Pay careful attention to the wording. The author in this article is mainly discussing the inability to successfully create a drug utilizing curcumin. Essentially they are saying we have been unable to isolate this active compound in such a way that has a positive and reproducible effect in the human body. Instead of acting on a target protein as they had hoped, the compound broke down and apparently produced no anti-inflammatory result. The article then goes on to say that we have very few published studies to show any benefits from turmeric, and specifically, curcumin usage, so in their conclusion, the time and money spent on turmeric is worthless.

That is all very interesting, however it is also misleading. First of all, just because they cannot isolate curcumin in a stable form suitable as a drug does not mean that curcumin does not work. The body, as we discover daily, works in mysterious ways. Simply because curcumin does not work on one specific target protein does not mean that it is not producing health benefits by other means.

Secondly, we do in fact have some studies to show beneficial effects. Do a quick search on PubMed and you will see what I mean. Some of these studies use the isolated curcumin, and others use the turmeric whole. Both do have research to show some effectiveness. One study, in fact, showed that turmeric was just as effective as ibuprofen in reducing pain from osteoarthritis.2 That is exciting news if you ask me! In fact there are many studies showing positive outcomes with arthritis patients.

Additionally, there are also many in-vitro and rat studies demonstrating the anti-inflammatory benefits this spice can have. While obviously these results are not always directly relatable or applicable to humans, the take-away is that this compound is very active and holds promise for a wide variety of disease states.

On the whole, based on this one critique, I would not be so fast to discount the powerful effects turmeric can have for our health. Ancient tradition and wisdom aside, there are actually studies showing benefit which should lead us to conclude that turmeric is actually doing something, but maybe not in the precise way we are looking at it currently.

Don't forget that like with most things in nature, compounds work synergistically. Another reason why food, not supplements and fortification, is paramount for health. For example, we know that the phytochemicals in fruit are more powerful when eaten together in the whole food. When we try to isolate specific phytochemicals to make a pill, we find that the compound is unstable and frankly doesn't work. But these compounds DO work when ingested in the right form and combination that nature intended.

All that to say, keep up with your turmeric if you find it to be working for you. Consider eating it in the whole form in cooking rather than isolated pill forms. If you do choose a pill, purchase from a reputable company and even consider purchasing the same forms used in the studies. When using the whole spice for the root, combine it with other foods known to enhance the bioavailability such as fats and black pepper.

The use of spices, and especially turmeric, is a great addition to an overall healthy diet. While important to take into consideration, don't let one detracting article like this completely change your viewpoint just yet.

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3 Healthy Breakfasts That Make Your Busy Mornings Delicious

We all know that mornings are breathlessly busy. The plans made up on the night before somehow fail either because of the missing vegetables or the clock ticking way too fast. And, this is how the ready-mix breakfasts have entered our lives. They take just a few minutes to prepare, but the point everyone misses is that they are designed to be cheap, tasty and non-perishable, but not healthy. Named as Convenience Foods, they use corn syrup to make a product taste sweet, use salt to add flavor and the trans-fat usually present in these products make them non-perishable. It's doesn't take a lot of logic to conclude that of these ingredients are undoubtedly inorganic and unhealthy.

Everyone is slowly realizing the options of healthy foods, thanks to the internet. Don't fall behind others in terms of health-consciousness. New varieties of breakfast cereals are now replacing the shelves of ready-made mixes. A few healthy, organic breakfast cereals that fall under the category of 'quickie food' and are also health-boosters are here. One of these is Upma, which is a South-Indian favorite. These organic upma varieties are sure to enthrall your taste-buds:

Sooji Rawa Upma Mix:

Sooji is a coarsely ground durum wheat, a variety of hard wheat. It has a great taste and a crunchy texture. It has a low glycemic index (GI) and is an ideal food that helps with weight loss. One of the best features of Sooji is that it is low on fat and high on carbohydrates. It is also an energy-booster, which makes an ideal breakfast for an active day. It has a good combination of vital vitamins, minerals making it a balanced diet. Most, importantly, it boosts the immunity system. A morning could never get any better when combined a Sooji Rawa Upma Mix with a steaming coffee.

Wheat Daliya Upma Mix:

Daliya is cracked/broken wheat obtained by milling whole kernels roughly. It is usually the next step after its clean-up and husking and hence it is considered as just another form of wheat with all nutrients intact. A cup of Wheat Daliya Upma, everyday lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure by nearly about 21 percent. Daliya is said to have the essential minerals that activate enzymes in our body. So, it is a great source to prevent the attack of type 2 diabetes by 30 percent. Try Daliya Upma with a dollop of coconut chutney, and see it how it melts in your mouth.

Foxtail Millets Upma Mix:

Foxtail Millets is the showstopper among all the healthy foods. It has all the qualities of above mentioned grains. Additionally it is known to reduce the effects of migraine and heart attack. It has a special mineral that calms the mood of the consumer. It covers for the missing proteins in a vegetarian's diet. Foxtail Millets is a superfood and a smart carb with lots of fiber and fewer sugars. Foxtail Millets Upma with organic green tea as a side drink would make your day perfect.

Organic ready-mix breakfast cereals are a boon for the this generation. All the ingredients are organically produced, processed and packed unlike the convenience foods, which completely shoves aside the concept of healthy food. Convenience foods are expensive, high in calories, fat, sugar and salt which are difficult to control once the standard levels are crossed. Choose the healthy way of life with healthy breakfast choices.

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How to Optimize Thyroid Function?

THYROID FUNCTION

The reasons women are so prone to this condition are complex, though one important factor is simply the delicate nature of a woman's hormonal system. The thyroid gland belongs to a group of glands in the HPAT axis. This stands for "hypothalamus, thyroid axis, pituitary, adrenal." The HPAT axis is the locus of all hormonal direction and instruction in the body. All of the glands in it work in synergy. If the body detects a state of stress or starvation, the hypothalamus tells the pituitary and the thyroid gland to slow down. The thyroid gland is yoked to the success and health of other glands in a woman's body, so it's no wonder that it is so sensitive to damage.

There are several different ways that the thyroid gland can malfunction. The most prominent way is due to the autoimmune disease Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which accounts for approximately 90 percent of cases of clinical hypothyroidism in the US.

An autoimmune disease is one in which the body's immune system has gone into overdrive and accidentally started attacking its own cells as a result of poor gut barrier health. In Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the thyroid gland is the victim.

You can find out for certain if you have Hashimoto's (as opposed to other kinds of thyroid malfunction) only through getting blood work done. A quick explanation of thyroid function is helpful for understanding this blood work

First, your thyroid gland works only after it receives a "green light" signal for production by the pituitary gland, which comes in the form of Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). When TSH gets to the thyroid gland, the thyroid gland makes a molecule called T4. That's not the end of it, though. T4 is not used by your body's cells. T3 is. T4 is converted to T3 by the liver. T3 then goes on to be active in the body. It is responsible for delivering energy to all of your cells.

In Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the body receives a TSH signal from the pituitary gland, but the thyroid gland struggles to produce T4. As a result, low T4 is the primary marker most doctors look for on a blood exam to signal Hashimoto's thyroiditis. High TSH is also a potential indicator of Hashimoto's, as TSH levels increase when the body tries to convince the weakened thyroid to make more T4. The final and most definitive test for Hashimoto's thyroiditis is a test for the actual thyroid antibodies (TPO) themselves. When present in high quantities in the bloodstream, you know that your thyroid gland is being attacked.

The way to overcome Hashimoto's thyroiditis is to heal the gut as well as possible. Do so using the recommendations made earlier: avoiding gut irritants such as grains, dairy, and even legumes, focusing on vitamin-rich foods like vegetables, organ meats, and egg yolks, consuming fermented foods or probiotic supplements on a regular basis.

Unfortunately, with Hashimoto's, some or much of the thyroid gland is irreparably destroyed. If that is the case, you will likely need to go on some form of thyroid hormone supplementation to achieve optimal health.

While Hashimoto's may be the most common form of hypothyroidism, it is not the only one. The other primary form of hypothyroidism that affects women is simple thyroid sluggishness. Many women struggle from this regardless of whether their blood thyroid hormone levels are clinically "low" or not. It is entirely possible to suffer from this problem and not test "officially low," but close to it.

Regardless of whether you test "super low," "low," or simply "moderate," nearly all women can benefit from optimizing thyroid function.

Thyroid production slows down in response to stress. This is what I have called thyroid "sluggishness" (and no, this is definitely not a medical term). This includes both physical and psychological kinds of stress. Physical stressors include undereating, a low-carbohydrate diet, excessive weight loss, over-exercise, or an inflammatory diet. Psychological stressors are all the usual pressures that come from adult life. In response to both types of stress, thyroid production shuts down in two primary ways. First, signals from the HPAT axis say, "Stop!" This "stop!" signal shows up on blood tests as lowered TSH production. With low TSH comes a lower T4 level, and often a lower T3 level as well.

The second way that stress impairs thyroid function is to throw a wrench in the link between T4 and T3 production. Stress causes the body to produce something called Reverse T3, which actually blocks T3 from working in your body. Therefore, a blood test that indicates this kind of hypothyroidism will show lower T3, elevated RT3, and possibly T4 and TSH on the low end as well.

The way to overcome "sluggishness" is to reduce stress, sleep more, eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full, and perhaps, most importantly, make sure you eat plenty of carbohydrates. The liver needs carbohydrate in order to convert T4 to T3. Be sure to eat at least 100 grams of dense carbohydrate every day (approximately four servings of fruit or starch) on a low-fat diet, and at least 25-50 grams (1-2 servings of fruit or starch) on a low-carb diet.

You can also bolster thyroid health by making sure you have some iodine and selenium in your diet, as these nutrients are necessary for thyroid function. Include iodized salt in your diet. If you do not consume iodized salt (note that most sea salt does not have iodine in it), consume seaweed once a week if you can. For selenium, you can take a supplement or simply eat Brazil nuts, which are an excellent source of selenium. Seafood also contains selenium. If you have Hashimoto's, be certain to keep iodine and selenium in good balance (or avoid supplementing altogether), as excess iodine for Hashimoto's patients can cause a brief period of intense hyperthyroid activity called a "thyroid storm" and damage to the thyroid gland.

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Food To Body, Nutrition To Health

Health depends to a large extent on nutrition, and nutrition on food. Food, in fact, is the most important single factor in connection with the attainment and maintenance of health. Every drop of blood in the body is conditioned by the food we eat and it is on blood that every tissue, every organ, every gland, and indeed every function of the body fundamentally depends.

By food is meant any material taken into the system that serves to sustain normal bodily processes. It is fallacy of our times to regard that anything and everything called food is good for health.

For any substance to be properly regarded as human food it must be capable of supplying the body with the material needed for the repair of body tissues and maintenance of various functions, while at the same time doing no harm to the body and in no way interfering with its activities. Food in order to replenish the body, therefore, must be food, so in selecting food make sure first that it is really food. We must live on truly nutritious food and not on anything generally considered as food.

To be healthy and in good condition, it is imperative to eat natural, wholesome food making sure that the food supply is in proper proportion and of a character or quality suitable for protecting the body. The chemical elements of the body combine to make brain, muscles, nerve, blood, skeletal tissue and body secretions. The elements of food are spoken of as nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, mineral salts and water. These are often called foodstuffs, indicating that they are stuff from which food is made.

One of the really difficult problems for the present generation is that much of our food no longer reaches us from the field, garden or orchard in the normal state as nature prepared it, to meet man's nutritional needs. Such foods are now very largely collected and taken on the large commercial centres, where they are altered, preserved, pickled, denatured, cooked, sterilized, pasteurized - thus deprived of their most vital elements. Whatever is left which will stand over long distances transportation and keep indefinitely is sold to us in place of the original things which nature provided as food. Such denatured substances have no nutritive value and are far from being satisfactory substitute for natural foods.

By natural food we mean food as provided by Nature containing all the elements, and not flavoured or doctored or devitalized by man. No form of life can be supported wholly upon laboratory products and man is no exception to the fundamental law.

Few people understand the true meaning of natural foods. For they have been fed from childhood on unnatural, artificially prepared and manufactured foodstuffs which are detrimental to the normal functioning of the digestive organs and gradually impair our health. Our food is generally spoilt even before it is gathered.

Plants and trees often suffer from deficiency or excess of certain elements in the soil. Apart from growing mineral starved food we find that much of it is totally altered in composition. Millers have learnt to take from our grain the surrounding skin, the bran, which is extremely rich in health-giving elements, in mineral substances and vitamins.

Many people live largely on denatured, artificial foods. In ever increasing numbers people live on preserved foods. In order to make these artificial foods more attractive to consumers they are dyed with chemical dyes and flavours added. Thus men are made to subsist on scientific abominations totally unfit for the consumption of man or beast. We eat these foods because they are attractive to the eyes and to the palate and are very convenient because they can easily be prepared for the table.

These devitalized and demineralized foods lower the vitality and sap the health of the people who thereby fall a prey to various diseases and epidemics.

On top of it refrigerated, devitalized, denatured and manufactured foodless foods are relished and consumed day in and day out. Yet another menace is pesticides and spraying of vegetables, fruits, and in farms has been taking a heavy toll in the form of organic and blood diseases and even cancer.

We are living in a polluted world. There is poison in the air we breathe, poison in the food we eat and poison in the water we drink. Where does it all lead to? "Back to nature" is obviously not the solution to this tragic problem. A revision to the diet of primitive man is not a viable proposition but we could try and give preference to foodstuffs which retain their full natural properties and elements without which one cannot expect radiant health and resistance to external influences and diseases.

Natural food properly selected, scientifically combined, and judiciously administered has true remedial value and can cure disease by supplying the proper saline elements in organic form. These organic mineral elements in food preserve the tissues from disorganization and form putrefaction. These vitalizing minerals, salts and vitamins are vital to health, ward off disease and premature old age.

The degeneration of the human race has been brought about by the departure from its natural foods. The only basis of possible regeneration is a return to it.

It is undoubtedly true that our eating habits depend upon our economic status as well as the availability of foods. But it is equally true that beliefs, customs, traditions and prejudices influence our food habits much more than we realize. The general food beliefs of any community are a social product deeply entrenched in the minds of the community and practiced almost like a faith. These beliefs, therefore, significantly influence the nutritional status of these population groups, and become a force to reckon with in any nutrition programme.

Sir Robert Mc Carrison said, "The single factor in the acquisition and maintenance of good health is perfectly constituted food which consists particularly milk, milk products, whole grain cereals, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables." These are called protective foods as they protect you against disease and epidemics. He adds that most people do not get enough of protective foods and their diet is therefore incomplete and results ultimately in disease.

Science today is finding in its researches a conglomeration of the truths uttered by Nature Cure pioneers many decades ago.

When studying and discussing food in its relation to the basic or fundamental principles:

We must know what primary elements enter into the composition of the body.
We must have knowledge of the chemical contents of our food.
We must know how to combine food correctly in a meal from the standpoint of the chemistry of digestion.
We must have a correct understanding of the relation food actually has to the body.
We must understand the principles of alkaline and acid forming foods in their chemical reaction on the body.
We must have a correct conception and understanding of the function of metabolism or the "science of nutrition."
My firm belief is: "Finding a cause leads the way to find a cure". So, it is basically important to understand everything from its deepest core. 



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Consume Celery Before Bedtime and You Will Amaze With The Overall Health...

Sweet Potatoes Vs. White Potatoes

People tell me that they know that sweet potatoes are healthier than white potatoes as if it's an accepted fact. Whenever I'm not aware of something that's apparently an established fact, I feel the need to either get caught up on this obvious information or else to find out why this commonly held belief is actually not true.

In order to do this, I decided to do some research.

I needed to find out which potato was actually healthier.

It seemed the easiest way to compare the two types of potatoes was to make a chart to compare them side by side; so here's a handy chart I made to compare the two:

Nutrients... White Potatoes... Sweet Potatoes

Calories... 94... 90

Protein... 2.1g... 2.01g

Carbs... 21.08g... 20.71g

Fiber... 2.1g... 3.3g

Iron... 0.64mg... 0.69mg

Potassium... 544mg... 475mg

Vitamin C... 12.6mg... 19.6mg

Vitamin A... 10 IU... 19,218 IU

Oh, by the way, this is comparing a 100 gram serving of white baked potato with its skin on, to a 100 gram serving of baked sweet potato with its skin on. This information is from the USDA website (Basic Report, Potatoes, white), (Basic Report, Sweet).

You have to be really careful if you're trying to compare these two types of potatoes by the size of the actual whole potato because a medium sized sweet potato weighs 114 grams and a medium sized white potato weights 173 grams. Instead of using size to compare, it's better to use weight.

Breaking it down:

Let's start with the two numbers people want to know first: calories and carbs. As you can see, the calories are almost identical. There are about 3500 calories in a pound of stored body fat so a difference of 4 calories isn't going to matter much either way. How about carbs? One gram of carbohydrates equals about 4 calories, so again, either potato will give you about the same amount.

Now here are the two biggest differences. The first is potassium. If you think of potassium, you probably think of bananas. Well, get this: 100 grams of banana has 358 mg of potassium. Sweet potatoes top bananas with 475 mg of potassium and white potatoes go a step higher with 544 mg! However, most people get enough potassium just from eating a variety of healthy foods so you'll probably get enough of this vital mineral without having to rely on eating potatoes all the time.

And now for the biggie! Vitamin A! What an incredible difference between white potato's 10 IU of vitamin A and sweet potato's 19,218 IU of vitamin A! What does vitamin A do, exactly? It supports your growth and development, helps your immune system, and aids your eye health/night vision. You know how you're supposed to eat carrots for night vision? Well, 100 grams of boiled carrots has 17,033 IU of vitamin A, so it actually has less than sweet potatoes. But before you put them on your list of foods to eat every day, here's something you should know. Most people already get enough vitamin A just from eating a variety of healthy foods. So, with both potassium and vitamin A, if you eat healthy foods, you should be getting all the nutrients you need without having to resort to eating huge amounts of either type of potato. (Vitamin A and Bone Health, 2012).

The Bottom Line:

The calorie, carb, and protein amounts are almost the same in both potatoes. While white potatoes have more potassium and sweet potatoes have more vitamin A, you can get sufficient amounts of these nutrients from eating other healthy foods too. So, don't worry about which one to choose. Both of these potatoes are healthy! Enjoy them both.

References:

NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases. (2012, January). Vitamin A and Bone Health. Retrieved from http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Bone_Health/Nutrition/vitamin_a.asp

USDA. Basic Report: 11357, Potatoes, white, flesh and skin, baked. Retrieved from http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3132?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=25&sort=&qlookup=potatoes

USDA. Basic Report: 11508, Sweet potato, cooked, baked in skin, without salt. Retrieved from ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/3255?fg=&man=&lfacet=&format=&count=&max=25&offset=75&sort=&qlookup=potatoes



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