10 Reasons to Love Avocados

Hippocrates Health Institute posted about the health value of avocados, one of the most nutrient-rich and versatile fruits that can be eaten daily to enhance a person's health. Originally native to Central America, for hundreds of years avocados have been cultivated. Now they are used in numerous recipes: appetizers, salads, desserts, and even eaten alone. This fruit versatile in meal presentation can play a big part in the health journey by providing the body with nutrients and other healing properties. Externally used, the natural oils in avocados can also penetrate deep into the skin, making it a great addition to skin and hair care routines.

Book title "An Avocado a Day" as posted on Amazon

Here are 10 reasons why a person should love avocado: 

Regulates blood pressure

High source of fiber

Helps absorb nutrients from other foods

Contains more potassium than a banana

Loaded with heart-healthy, mono-unsaturated fatty acids

Can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels

Helps promote weight loss

Repairs damaged hair

Moisturizes skin

Treats sunburn

These are certainly some beneficial reasons to introduce avocado to the diet or as an addition to body care products.

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Just an aside for those struggling with severe systemic candida. During the early days of my hell-fight with severe systemic candida, I couldn't eat avocados ... maybe because I was having a hard time digesting fat, but those early days I was close to starving and could basically only eat chlorophyll-rich foods. Bone thin but after starting to feel better, I found that avocados were the go-to food for helping to regulate my weight, mood and energy. Without organic cold-pressed coconut oil and then avocados in those early days of acute sickness, I think I probably would have melted away. 

One more important point, after I started eating avocados regularly, I noticed that my vitamin A issues were being alleviated. Although I was eating as many vitamin A-rich foods as I could, my vitamin A was extremely low, causing all kinds of problems with my eyes, cartilage and throat. For the body to absorb vitamin A into the blood and gain benefit from the vitamin, fat is necessary. I very much believe it was the fat from avocado much more than the coconut oil, which was good to prevent acute weight loss and heal the GI tract, that helped reach a more stable health plateau. 

That said, I also noticed that if I ate avocados after 4pm, I couldn't fall easily to sleep that night. I usually eat a whole one in guacamole form: avocado, fresh squeezed lemon juice, Himalayan salt, maybe black pepper. Hmm, never heard of that before, but I do know that foods have different effects on the body. Would be nice to know if anyone else has experienced this strange phenomenon.

The Nutrition of Sprouts

Sprouts are truly a miracle food! They have 10 - 30 times more concentrated nutrients than even the best vegetables. Imagine the plant in its youth before the ravages of age have caused it to age and decrease in nutritional value. In its youth, in fact, in its first seven or so days of its sprouting, the seed has all the nutrients it needs to survive for those few days. All it needs is water and the right temperature with sunlight to help it grow. Otherwise, the plant is self-sustained. Now imagine yourself eating this powerful load of nutrients rather than the fruit of the plant in its older age or eating the food that has its nutrition steamed, fried or baked out of it. This perspective really makes one realize the power of sprouts! Those small sprouts have more nutrition than their harvested fruit or veggie parents! 

an entry from WHATINSPIRESU blog

Following are a few sprouts and their nutritional benefits:

Adzuki 

• lowers LDL cholesterol
• regulates insulin
• fights breast and colon cancer

Broccoli

• fights colon, prostate, rectum, esophagus, lung, bladder, and stomach cancer
• effective for inflammations and hot swellings
• effective for hangovers
• best among the sprouts for treating breast cancer: 1 - 2 T a day 

Clover

• relaxes the nervous system
• settles the stomach and treats throat and stomach cancer
• as an excellent expectorant, treats whooping cough
• promotes fertility

Fenugreek

• treats blood poisoning, failing eyesight, fevers, palpitations, liver and kidney troubles
• treats anemia
• increases mother's milk production (therefore people with breast cancer should avoid)
• notable as a treatment for diabetes

Lentils

• lowers LDL cholesterol
• regulates insulin
• fights breast and colon cancer

Mung Beans

• prevents prostate problems, glandular dysfunction
• breast cancer
• treats premature balding and graying

Radish

• cleans the blood
• as an excellent expectorant, treats whooping cough
• facilitates digestion

Sunflower

• excellent source of balanced amino acids for building protein
• activates every cell in the immune system
• builds skeletal, muscular and neurological systems

This information was presented at Hippocrates Health Institute. For further studies, the health benefits of 44 different types of sprouts are very well articulated in chapter 11 of the book Lifeforce by Dr. Brian Clement of Hippocrates Health Institute, a raw food lifestyle center. Scientific data about nutritional value in sprouts is published by the USDA in the National Agricultural Library at http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/list, the USDA Food Composition Database.

Home Sprouting: All You Need to Know

Vitamin A: Necessary Growth Factor

Vitamin A is an absolutely vital vitamin for maintaining health, and unfortunately people with systemic candida often have deficiencies of the vitamin. In the early period of my systemic candida, I kept having weird eye, neural and other symptoms, and because of my horrendous eye problems, decided to get a vitamin A test. Sure enough, a deficiency! And it kept getting worse, not better, even with supplementation, which I then read in Supplements Exposed that supplements didn't boost vitamin A levels at all. So I tested out that theory, and sure enough, my vitamin A levels didn't budge even though I was taking powerful daily doses of vitamin A. Even now, in 2017, I still have a big vitamin A deficiency. My diet was ultra-strict before to control the systemic candida, and now that I'm a lot better, I'm really trying to eat as much vitamin A-rich foods ... the numbers have improved a bit, but I'm still deficient.

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Vitamin A: Information and Facts

Vitamin A was identified as a necessary growth factor in 1915 and was the first vitamin to be discovered. It is obtained from food in a combination of two different forms: as pre-formed vitamin A and as pro-vitamin A, which the body can convert to vitamin A as necessary. Pre-formed vitamin A, often in the form of retinal or retinal [sic], is found in foods of animal origin while pro-vitamin A, of which beta-carotene is the best known form, is found in orange, yellow and dark green vegetables and fruits. Both forms are fat soluble.

What does it do for your body? 

EYES - Vitamin A is essential for eyes to function effectively. It is involved in the growth and repair of the eye and in the production of a chemical called visual purple, which helps in night vision.

EPITHELIAL CELLS - Vitamin A is involved in the growth and repair of epithelial cells. These cells cover the internal and external surfaces of the body and are found in the skin, lungs, developing teeth, inner ear, cornea of the eye, sex organs, glands and their ducts, gums, nose, cervix and other areas. This growth and maintenance role is vital for many bodily functions. For example, the good health of the digestive tract lining is important in protecting against ulcers and maintenance of the lining of the vagina and uterus which are important in fertility.

PREGNANCY - Vitamin A is necessary in pregnancy for the development of the embryo.

NERVES - Vitamin A is involved in the production of membranes and of myelin, which coats the nerves.

GLANDS AND HORMONES - Vitamin A plays a role in the maintenance of the adrenal gland and synthesis of certain hormones such as thyroid hormone.

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM - Vitamin A is known as "the anti-infective vitamin" as it is vital for the development of the body’s natural defenses. It stimulates and enhances many immune functions. This immune enhancing function promotes healing of tissues and increases resistance to infection.

Adequate vitamin A intake, either from diet or supplements, is very important especially for children. Many studies have found that vitamin A supplementation reduces the risk of infectious diseases in areas where vitamin A deficiency is widespread. 

A recent research review of several studies found that adequate vitamin A intake in children resulted in many health benefits. Children in developing countries are often at high risk of vitamin A deficiency. In developed countries, ensuring adequate vitamin A intake is particularly important for immune support.

GROWTH AND BONE FORMATION - Vitamin A is necessary for growth and the formation of bones and teeth, collagen synthesis, cartilage synthesis and wound healing.

ANTIVIRAL ACTIVITY - Laboratory experiments have shown vitamin A to have antiviral activity.

Absorption 

The presence of fat and bile in the intestines is necessary for vitamin A absorption. Around 80 to 90% of vitamin A in the diet is absorbed although this is reduced in older people and those who have trouble absorbing fat, such as pancreatitis, celiac disease and cystic fibrosis sufferers, who may run the risk of vitamin A deficiency. 

Vitamin A is joined to fatty acids in the intestinal lining, combined with other substances and transported to the liver, which stores 90% of the body’s vitamin A. 

Deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency is relatively rare in developed countries and is usually limited to those who have absorption difficulties, liver disease or who drink a lot of alcohol. Vitamin A deficiency is common in alcoholics and contributes to some of the disorders of alcoholism such as night blindness, skin problems, cirrhosis of the liver and susceptibility to infections. 

Vitamin A deficiency symptoms: 

EYES - One of the first symptoms of deficiency is night blindness due to lack of visual purple. Prolonged deficiency leads to xerophthalmia, a condition in which eyes become dry, ulcers appear on the cornea, the eyelids become swollen and sticky and which eventually leads to blindness. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading preventable cause of blindness in developing countries.

SKIN - Prolonged deficiency leads to thickened dry skin which is prone to infections. Small hardened bumps of a protein known as keratin may develop around the hair follicles.

GROWTH - Deficiency causes growth retardation, weight loss, diarrhea, thickening of bone shafts, congenital malformations, impaired hearing, taste and smell, wasting of testicles and reduced sperm count. Inadequate vitamin A intake may lead to improper tooth formation in children and to gum disease.

IMMUNE SYSTEM - Epithelial surfaces are adversely affected by vitamin A deficiency causing increased susceptibility to skin and respiratory infections. Immune cells and antibody functions are also affected which may lead to an increase in pre-cancerous cells in the epithelial tissues of the mouth, throat and lungs.

THYROID GLAND - A deficiency of vitamin A can contribute to lower levels of active thyroid hormone with symptoms of low body temperature, depression, difficulty in losing weight, headaches and lethargy.

Therapeutic uses 

Vitamin A supplements are used in developing countries to prevent or treat deficiency and to protect immune system function.  

SKIN DISORDERS - The vitamin A derivatives etretinate and isotretinoin are used topically to treat psoriasis. These compounds inhibit the formation of some of the toxic compounds which may be responsible for the high rate of cell division causing the scaly build up on the skin.

Other Uses

Vitamin eye drops have been used to treat dry eyes.

Creams containing vitamin A have been used to heal wounds in patients taking corticosteroid drugs.

Interactions

Vitamin E and zinc are necessary for vitamin A metabolism, including absorption, transport and release from the liver. Vitamin E may protect against some of the effects of excess vitamin A.

Vitamin A is necessary for calcium metabolism in the formation of healthy bones and teeth.

Vitamin A absorption is reduced by mineral oil laxatives, which bind it. Antacids, the anti-gout drug colchicine, and the cholesterol reducing drug, cholestyramine inhibit vitamin A absorption.

Alcohol irritates the digestive tract and inhibits the absorption of vitamin A while also depleting the body’s tissue stores.

Cautions

Pre-formed vitamin A supplements in doses of more than 3000 mg RE should not be taken by women who may become pregnant. Pro-vitamin A, or beta-carotene are safe for pregnant women. 

Vitamin A supplements should not be taken with isotretinoin or etretinate for skin disease or in cases of impaired liver or kidney function. If vitamin A supplements are taken with large amounts of alcohol, liver damage may occur.

Broad spectrum antibiotics should not be taken with high doses of vitamin A.

Sources of Vitamin A

• in leafy green vegetables
• in yellow fruits and vegetables
• in the liver oils of the cod and other fish
• in milk, cheese, butter and egg yolk

Eat Lots of Sweet Potatoes

A few years back, I received this email on the relationship between food and certain aspects of health. At the time, because of my extreme reactions to anything starchy (sweet potatoes for one), I drooled over being able to eat sweet potatoes again. Well, now I've added them in moderation, and wow do they make me feel better. They're also rich in vitamin A and I have an extreme deficiency in that vitamin because I had to avoid vitamin A rich foods for so long because of reactions. Well, now I'm posting. Eat sweet potatoes ... if you at all can!

EAT LOTS OF SWEET POTATOES 

This is interesting ... old but a good reminder... It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish. He did all of of this before making a human.  He made and provided what we'd need before we were created. He made many kinds of food - fruits, vegetables, grasses and grains, and intended for them to be eaten raw. They are best and more powerful within the body when eaten raw. 

We're such slow learners. God even left visual devices for us to associate certain kinds of foods to benefit certain functions and areas within our bodies.  Many many visual clues! God's Pharmacy! Amazing! 

A sliced carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye. And, yes, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes. 

A tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food. 

Grapes hang in clusters that have the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food. 

A walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrum and lower cerebellum. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function. 

Kidney beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the

human kidneys. 

Celery, bok choy, rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body. 

Avocado, eggplant and pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods. Modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them.

Sweet potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics. There are many kinds and shapes of sweet potatoes and they all have different nutrients but they all provide many essentials for good health.

Figs are full of seeds and hang in pairs when they grow. Figs increase male sperm mobility and increase the numbers of sperm as well as help overcome male sterility and fertility issues.

Oranges, grapefruits, and other citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body. 

Not only did God create man in His own image (Genesis 1), He designed a whole garden beforehand to feed and nurture His ultimate and last creation. Nothing else was created on the 6th day of creation week, and nothing was created afterwards. God and man rested on the seventh day, enjoying the beauty of the garden and all that God had made. King David marveled at the smallness of human and yet at the great regard that God had for man when He created him: Psalms 8:3-4 (KJV): 

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

While I still can't eat all of these foods that God provided -- e.g. figs are very glycemic -- I'm still blessed to have so many natural resources, the real medicine, to slowly get better. And I've come a very very long way in improving my health because of whole foods, many of them. God's resources has been the secret for my getting better!

Vitamin K2, Vitamin D and Calcium

Doing more research on the bones, I discovered the new vitamin that everyone seems to be suddenly talking about -- Vitamin K -- is very important for bone health and interaction with other dependent vitamins and minerals. Vitamin K is fat-soluble, and I'm deficient in fat (triglycerides this past summer dropped to 25, which is very low and a little dangerous as it's under 40). My Vitamin A, a fat soluble vitamin, has been very low for a long time, so perhaps my Vitamin K is too. Hmmm. 

Vitamin K is broken into three vitamins actually: K1 from green leafies and other similar sources, K2 from animal-based and even fermented food and is bacterial so especially vegans (am nearly vegan) with candida struggle with getting this one adequately, and then K3 is synthetic so avoid. 

Anyway, to have a better understanding of the importance of this little-understood vitamin, read Dr. Mercola's article:

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin most well known for the important role it plays in blood clotting. However, many do not realize that there are different kinds of vitamin K, and they are completely different.

The health benefits of vitamin K2 go far beyond blood clotting, which is done by vitamin K1, and vitamin K2 also works synergistically with a number of other nutrients, including calcium and vitamin D.

Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue, a naturopathic physician with a keen interest in nutrition, has authored what I believe is one of the most comprehensive books on this important topic, titled: Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life

"I tuned in to the emerging research about K2 early in 2007," she says. "Not long before, I had read Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price. When I learned about vitamin K2, I thought:

"Hey, you know what? I'm sure Price talked all about this in his book." I went to the book, looked through it, and didn't find any reference to vitamin K2. I was really stumped.

A little bit later in 2007, I read a brilliant article by Chris Masterjohn that links vitamin K2 to Price's work on Activator X.

Once I realized that link, the light bulb went on about how important this nutrient is, and how overlooked it's been for so long. It really provides the missing piece to the puzzle of so many health conditions, and yet it was being completely overlooked, despite the overwhelming amounts of modern-day research."

What's So Special About Vitamin K2?

Vitamin K is actually a group of fat-soluble vitamins. Of the two main ones, K1 and K2, the one receiving the most attention is K1, which is found in green leafy vegetables and is very easy to get through your diet. This lack of distinction has created a lot of confusion, and it's one of the reasons why vitamin K2 has been overlooked for so long.

The three types of vitamin K are:

1. Vitamin K1, or phylloquinone, is found naturally in plants, especially green vegetables; K1 goes directly to your liver and helps you maintain healthy blood clotting
2. Vitamin K2, also called menaquinone, is made by the bacteria that line your gastrointestinal tract; K2 goes straight to your blood vessel walls, bones, and tissues other than your liver
3. Vitamin K3, or menadione, is a synthetic form I do not recommend; it's important to note that toxicity has occurred in infants injected with this synthetic vitamin K3

It also plays a role in removing calcium from areas where it shouldn't be, such as in your arteries and soft tissues.

"K2 is really critical for keeping your bones strong and your arteries clear," Rheaume-Bleue says.

Now, vitamin K2 can be broken into two additional categories, called:

1. MK-4 (menaquinone-4), a short-chain form of vitamin K2 found in butter, egg yolks, and animal-based foods
2. MK-7 (menaquinone-7), longer-chain forms found in fermented foods. There's a variety of these long-chain forms but the most common one is MK-7. This is the one you'll want to look for in supplements, because in a supplement form, the MK-4 products are actually synthetic. They are not derived from natural food products containing MK-4.
   The MK-7 – these long-chain, natural bacterial-derived vitamin K2 – is from a fermentation process, which offers a number of health advantages:
   1. It stays in your body longer, and
   2. It has a longer half-life, which means you can just take it once a day in very convenient dosing

How Much Vitamin K2 Do You Need?

The optimal amounts of vitamin K2 are still under investigation, but it seems likely that 180 to 200 micrograms of vitamin K2 should be enough to activate your body's K2-dependent proteins to shuttle the calcium where it needs to be, and remove it from the places where it shouldn't.

"The most recent clinical trials used around those amounts of K2,"Rheaume-Bleue says. "The average person is getting a lot less than that. That's for sure. In the North American diet, you can see as little as maybe 10 percent of that or less. Certainly, not near enough to be able to optimize bone density and improve heart health."

She estimates that about 80 percent of Americans do not get enough vitamin K2 in their diet to activate their K2 proteins, which is similar to the deficiency rate of vitamin D. Vitamin K2 deficiency leaves you vulnerable for a number of chronic diseases, including:

Osteoporosis	Heart disease	Heart attack and stroke
Inappropriate calcification, from heel spurs to kidney stones	Brain disease	Cancer

"I talked about vitamin K2 moving calcium around the body. Its other main role is to activate proteins that control cell growth. That means K2 has a very important role to play in cancer protection," Rheaume-Bleue says.

"When we're lacking K2, we're at much greater risk for osteoporosis, heart disease, and cancer. And these are three concerns that used to be relatively rare. Over the last 100 years, as we've changed the way we produced our food and the way we eat, they have become very common."

Researchers are also looking into other health benefits. For example, one recent study published in the journal Modern Rheumatology1 found that vitamin K2 has the potential to improve disease activity besides osteoporosis in those with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Another, published in the journal Science2, found that vitamin K2 serves as a mitochondrial electron carrier, thereby helping maintain normal ATP production in mitochondrial dysfunction, such as that found in Parkinson's Disease.

According to the authors:

"We identified Drosophila UBIAD1/Heix as a modifier of pink1, a gene mutated in Parkinson's disease that affects mitochondrial function. We found that vitamin K(2) was necessary and sufficient to transfer electrons in Drosophila mitochondria. Heix mutants showed severe mitochondrial defects that were rescued by vitamin K(2), and, similar to ubiquinone, vitamin K(2) transferred electrons in Drosophila mitochondria, resulting in more efficient adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Thus, mitochondrial dysfunction was rescued by vitamin K(2) that serves as a mitochondrial electron carrier, helping to maintain normal ATP production."

The Interplay Between Vitamin K2, Vitamin D, and Calcium

As I've discussed on numerous occasions, vitamin D is a critical nutrient for optimal health and is best obtained from sun exposure or a safe tanning bed. However, many are taking oral vitamin D, which may become problematic unless you're also getting sufficient amounts of vitamin K2. Dr. Rheaume-Bleue explains:

"When you take vitamin D, your body creates more of these vitamin K2-dependent proteins, the proteins that will move the calcium around. They have a lot of potential health benefits. But until the K2 comes in to activate those proteins, those benefits aren't realized. So, really, if you're taking vitamin D, you're creating an increased demand for K2. And vitamin D and K2 work together to strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.

... For so long, we've been told to take calcium for osteoporosis... and vitamin D, which we know is helpful. But then, more studies are coming out showing that increased calcium intake is causing more heart attacks and strokes. That created a lot of confusion around whether calcium is safe or not. But that's the wrong question to be asking, because we'll never properly understand the health benefits of calcium or vitamin D, unless we take into consideration K2. That's what keeps the calcium in its right place."

IMPORTANT: If You Take Vitamin D, You Need K2

This is a really crucial point: If you opt for oral vitamin D, you need to also consume in your food or take supplemental vitamin K2.

"There are so many people on the vitamin-D-mega-dose bandwagon, taking more and more of vitamin D. And it could absolutely be causing harm if you are lacking the K2 to complete the job to get the calcium where it's supposed to be,"Rheaume-Bleue warns.

"We don't see symptoms of vitamin D toxicity very often. But when we do, those symptoms are inappropriate calcification. That's the symptom of vitamin D toxicity. And it is actually a lack of vitamin K2 that can cause that..."

While the ideal or optimal ratios between vitamin D and vitamin K2 have yet to be elucidated, Rheume-Bleue suggests about 150-200 micrograms of K2 will meet the need for the "average" healthy person.

"My earlier recommendation was not taking into account people who were doing high dose of vitamin D supplementation," Rheaume-Bleue says. "That's where it gets a little bit more technical. It seems that for the average person, around 200 to 280 micrograms will activate your K2 proteins and do a lot of good for your bones and your heart. If you're taking high levels of vitamin D... then I would recommend taking more K2."

The good news is that vitamin K2 has no toxicity. No toxic effects have ever been demonstrated in the medical literature.

"The reason why K2 doesn't have potential toxic effect is that all vitamin K2 does is activate K2 proteins. It will activate all the K2 proteins it finds. And if they're all activated and you take extra K2, it simply won't do that. That's why we don't see a potential for toxicity the way we do with vitamin A or D," she says.

If You Need Calcium, Aim for Calcium-Rich Foods First

For those who are calcium deficient, Rheaume-Bleue recommends looking to food sources high in calcium, before opting for a supplement. This is because many high calcium foods also contain naturally high amounts of, you guessed it, vitamin K2! Nature cleverly gives us these two nutrients in combination, so they work optimally. Good sources of calcium include dairy, especially cheeses, and vegetables, although veggies aren't high in K2.

Additionally, magnesium is far more important than calcium if you are going to consider supplementing. Magnesium will also help keep calcium in the cell to do its job far better. In many ways it serves as nutritional version of the highly effective class of drugs called calcium channel blockers. If you do chose to supplement with calcium, for whatever reason, it's important to maintain the proper balance between your intake of calcium and other nutrients such as:

• Vitamin K2
• Vitamin D
• Magnesium

The Importance of Magnesium

As mentioned previously, magnesium is another important player to allow for proper function of calcium. As with vitamin D and K2, magnesium deficiency is also common, and when you are lacking in magnesium and take calcium, you may exacerbate the situation. Vitamin K2 and magnesium complement each other, as magnesium helps lower blood pressure, which is an important component of heart disease.

Dietary sources of magnesium include sea vegetables, such as kelp, dulse, and nori. Few people eat these on a regular basis however, if at all. Vegetables can also be a good source, along with whole grains. However, grains MUST be prepared properly to remove phytates and anti-nutrients that can otherwise block your absorption of magnesium. As for supplements, Rheaume-Bleue recommends using magnesium citrate. Another emerging one is magnesium threonate, which appears promising primarily due to its superior ability to penetrate the mitochondrial membrane.

How Can You Tell if You're Lacking in Vitamin K2?

There's no way to test for vitamin K2 deficiency. But by assessing your diet and lifestyle, you can get an idea of whether or not you may be lacking in this critical nutrient. If you have any of the following health conditions, you're likely deficient in vitamin K2 as they are all connected to K2:

• Do you have osteoporosis?
• Do you have heart disease?
• Do you have diabetes?

If you do not have any of those health conditions, but do NOT regularly eat high amounts of the following foods, then your likelihood of being vitamin K2 deficient is still very high:

• Grass-fed organic animal products (i.e. eggs, butter, dairy)
• Certain fermented foods such as natto, or vegetables fermented using a starter culture of vitamin K2-producing bacteria. Please note that most fermented vegetables are not really high in vitamin K2 and come in at about 50 mcg per serving. However, if specific starter cultures are used they can have ten times as much, or 500 mcg per serving.
• Goose liver pâté
• Certain cheeses such as Brie and Gouda (these two are particularly high in K2, containing about 75 mcg per ounce)

"An important thing to mention when it comes to cheese (because this becomes an area of confusion), [is that] because cheese is a bacterial derived form of vitamin K2, it actually doesn't matter if the cheese came from grass-fed milk. That would be nice, but it's not the milk that went into the cheese that makes the K2. It's the bacteria making the cheese, which means it doesn't matter if you're importing your brie from France or getting it domestically. Brie cheese, the bacteria that makes brie cheese, will make vitamin K2," she says.

Fermented vegetables, which are one of my new passions, primarily for supplying beneficial bacteria back into our gut, can be a great source of vitamin K if you ferment your own using the proper starter culture. We recently had samples of high-quality fermented organic vegetables made with our specific starter culture tested, and were shocked to discover that not only does a typical serving of about two to three ounces contain about 10 trillion beneficial bacteria, but it also contained 500 mcg of vitamin K2.

Note that not every strain of bacteria makes K2. For example, most yoghurts have almost no vitamin K2. Certain types of cheeses are very high in K2, and others are not. It really depends on the specific bacteria. You can't assume that any fermented food will be high in K2, but some fermented foods are very high in K2, such as natto. Others, such as miso and tempeh, are not high n K2.

Pregnant? Make Sure You're Getting Enough Vitamin K2

Last but not least, while vitamin K2 is critical for the prevention of a number of chronic diseases listed above, it's also vital for women who are trying to conceive, who are pregnant, and for growing healthy children. "K2 plays a very important role throughout pregnancy (for the development of teeth for both primary and adult teeth, the development of proper facial form, healthy facial form, as well as strong bones), then again throughout childhood to prevent cavities, and through adolescence as the skeleton is growing," Rheaume-Bleue says.

Vitamin K2 is needed throughout pregnancy, and later while breastfeeding. It may be particularly important during the third trimester, as most women's levels tend to drop at that time, indicating there's an additional drain on the system toward the end of the pregnancy. Since vitamin K2 has no toxicity issues, it may be prudent to double or even triple — which is what Rheaume-Bleue did during her own recent pregnancy — your intake while pregnant.

Underactive Thyroid?

Do You Have an Under-Active Thyroid?

By Donna Gates, Body Ecology

What Role Does The Thyroid Play?

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The thyroid gland is a small butterfly shaped gland that sits just below the thyroid cartilage. The hormones secreted by the thyroid help to regulate heart rate, maintain healthy skin, and play a crucial part in regulating your metabolism.

The thyroid also works to:

• Lift your energy
• Regulate your core temperature and warm your body
• Activate your immune system

It can also tell the body to slow down. Sometimes the thyroid slows down so much that it becomes underactive. This is what is known as hypothyroidism. When this happens, the thyroid gland does not do its job, and the whole body suffers as a result. As common as hypothyroidism is, the detection and treatment of it are getting a second look by doctors.

What Symptoms Does An Underactive Thyroid Produce?

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When the gland is sluggish (hypothyroidism), your body will give you some fairly obvious signs.

Some common signs include:

• Edema, or swelling in the legs, arms, or face
• Abdominal weight gain
• Cold hands and feet. Also, check if the nail beds are overgrown with fungus
• Increased susceptibility to the common cold and flu. Or, a respiratory infection that hangs around for months
• Dryness, which shows up in loss of hair, brittle nails, constipation, and achy joints

What Does It Mean When Your Symptoms Persist?

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• You still feel like there is something wrong with your energy levels and basal body temperature?
• You continue to lose hair and gain abdominal weight?
• You begin to feel better and then start to feel just as crummy as before the medication, even though you now take it religiously?
• Do you feel like you're always the first to catch a cold? An increased susceptibility to the common cold and flu is one possible sign of an underactive thyroid.

5 Clues That May Indicate Your Thyroid Is Underactive

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Doctors are now investigating why thyroid tests may appear normal, but the thyroid itself may still be dysfunctional. Seeing a pattern will help you determine if your thyroid medication is properly treating an underactive thyroid, or if more diagnosis is necessary.

1. Edema, which is the abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin. The edema that occurs in hypothyroidism is the “non-pitting” form of edema.

• “Non-pitting” means: You press your finger into the flesh, and it bounces right back and leaves no mark.
• This is called myxedema, which is specifically associated with low levels of thyroid hormones.
• Myxedema is swelling of the arms, legs, and face.

2. There is persistent weight gain, especially around your torso, that you just can’t lose no matter how frugal you are with calories.

Dr. Roby Mitchell tells us that thyroid hormones help insulin move glucose from blood into the cells. “When thyroid levels are low, more insulin is needed to maintain normal glucose. More insulin means more fat cell hyperplasia, which shows up as increased fat deposition.” The adrenals lose strength when the thyroid is underactive, which also slows down metabolism.

3. Cold hands and cold feet may mean lack of blood flow.

Lack of blood flow to the extremities, like your hands and feet, can also show up as chronic fungal infections. This is because the essential nutrients carried in the blood do not reach the extremities as frequently. Low thyroid activity is associated with too much homocysteine - an amino acid associated with heart disease, poor blood flow, and stiff vasculature.

4. Nagging infections could point to an underactive thyroid.

Dr. Mitchell points out that because beta-carotene depends on thyroid hormones in order to convert into vitamin A, beta-carotene can build up in the body and cause yellow skin, especially in the hands. The official name for this is called carotoderma.

Vitamin A plays an important role in immune system health. What happens when the body cannot convert beta-carotene into vitamin A? The body may become more susceptible to infections, or it simply may not have the strength to kick a bug.

5. Excessive hair loss, painful joints, and other signs of dryness.

Iodine and Thyroid Function

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Because there are so many pathways to an underactive thyroid, including autoimmune hypothyroid, be careful when supplementing with iodine. Iodine, while central to the production of thyroid hormones T3 and T4, can actually make some hypothyroid conditions worse. This is because iodine speeds up the production of a thyroid enzyme. If the body has developed autoimmunity to this enzyme, which happens in the case of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, then this will increase the inflammatory cascade.

• Iodine is not a cure-all.
• Diagnosis, knowing the mechanism responsible for an underactive thyroid, is paramount.

Using iodine to address a thyroid condition does not take into account autoimmune hypothyroid. It also does not address diet or lifestyle, which can make a tremendous impact on thyroid hormone levels.

Testing for Hypothyroidism Can Be Tricky

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A major issue has erupted in the medical community. Many doctors are now disagreeing over what tests should be done to check thyroid function. Traditionally, TSH, Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone that is released from the pituitary gland in the brain, would be checked along with the two thyroid hormones it produces, T3 and T4.

However, it has become commonplace to only test for TSH, and that is only one part of a very detailed picture. There are many other mechanisms at work in thyroid health.

For example, healthy thyroid activity relies on:

• Stable levels of other hormones, like estrogen and progesterone. Too much estrogen, such as from the birth control pill, will create too many thyroid-binding proteins.
• A healthy immune system. Autoimmune hypothyroid can be missed by TSH blood panels.
• Beneficial bacteria in the gut. Antibiotics wipe out these good microbes, which account for around 20% of the conversion of T4 to usable T3. (1)
• An uncongested and healthy liver. The liver converts over half of T4 from the thyroid into usable T3.
• Good adrenal function. Adrenal fatigue can slow down the function of the pituitary and hypothalamus in the brain. These three glands are a part of what is called the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis). An alert and healthy pituitary is essential for good thyroid function.

Clearly, with so many pathways available for the production and conversion of thyroid hormones, there are a lot of opportunities for something to go wrong.

Many people are diagnosed with this condition and given thyroid medication. Sometimes, this medication will show improvements in lab analysis as hormone levels fall into normal range. But many people still have symptoms.

Tips For Treating An Underactive Thyroid

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1. Work with a qualified health care practitioner
2. Populate your gut with good microbes. Remember, gut flora convert 20% of T4 into usable T3! Eat fermented foods and drink probiotic beverages with every meal!
3. Regulate your immune system
4. Address any blood sugar imbalances
5. Diet and lifestyle can drastically affect your adrenals, the HPA axis, and the health of your thyroid; does your current diet and lifestyle support a healthy thyroid?

This article was taken in its entirety from Food Matters.

"The Hundred-Year Lie" - A Book of Truth

Randall Fitzgerald compiled a powerhouse of information of what governments/individuals are doing to alter our food supply in some monetarily beneficial way to them but at the loss and suffering of the majority. Fitzgerald labeled his book The Hundred-Year Lie because the lie began in earnest in 1906, the year the US Congress enacted the Pure Foods and Drugs Act, the first law of its kind giving the public a false sense of security about the safety of its foods and medicines. He goes on to expose what "natural flavors" really mean, the harm in vaccines, the ludicrousness of supplements as being beneficial rather than the chemical harming substances they really are. He discusses in detail about how fluoride got dumped into our water supply, which resulted in the company getting paid by the government for preventing tooth decay in people rather than paying $8,000 a truckload to haul off and dump their toxic waste somewhere (p. 130-1).

Fitzgerald gave data from a variety of valuable sources that I want to follow up on for my own and further knowledge. Some books he cited that are valuable about teaching about man's inharmonious relationship to the environment are Marla Cone's 2005 book, The Slow Poisoning of the Arctic, Schlink's 100 Million Guinea Pigs: Dangers in Everyday Foods, Drugs, and Cosmetics, and the ethnobotanist Plotkin's Medicine Quest. Other books he introduced relate to health, for example, Fitzgerald introduced the The Saccharine Disease by Cleave a British physician, Revolution at the Table by Levenstein who presented a history of food including the complex wizardry of food chemists, and Blaylock's Excitotoxins which exposes the dangers of MSG, aspartame and other chemical concoctions. 

However, the nine-hundred-page book, Diagnoses in Assyrian and Babylonian Medicine (2005), which demonstrated a wise and in-depth knowledge of anatomy and physiology and complementary, holistic medical treatment caught my attention. The author deduces that the following revelations of an advanced society existed 4,000 years ago.

• "Ancient physicians were trained as specialists in dentistry, neurology, gynecology, pediatrics, and other areas of medicine, and they utilized the medicinal properties of more than three hundred Mesopotamian plants in their treatments.
• Careful observation and experimentation produced treatments that evolved over hundreds of years. Some of these ancient treatments are still in common use today within Western medicine, one being the practice of surgically draining fluid from between the lungs and chest of pneumonia patients by making an opening in the fourth rib and inserting a drainage tube.
• These ancient doctors were able to measure pulse rates and used metal hammers to tap below the knee to test reflexes, just as we do today.
• They cleaned surgical wounds using bandages treated with ginger and cedar, both antiseptics; they treated blindness with raw liver, which we now know corrects the vitamin A deficiencies that cause night blindness; they used marijuana to treat pain and nausea, just as we do for cancer patients today; they treated women with irregular monthly cycles using a medicine made from date pits, which we now know contains estrogen."

The ancients had great understanding of healing, and Fitzgerald showed that the Bible's New Testament in "The Gift of the Magi", and that the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh given to Joseph and Mary 2,000 years ago was in total the gift of life, and that these items were the most essential medicines of the ancient world! Myrrh is a tree resin and prized as an antibiotic, which was used by physician healers in Persia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome to clean and dress wounds. Frankincense, another resin, is both an anti-inflammatory and antifungal, and like myrrh, it is also a powerful pain-reliever.

At the end of his journey to discover and write about the chemicals used in our world so blindly today, Fitzgerald ended up at the Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida where he went through their full three-week detox program. Before going to HHI to detox, he had his blood drawn and sent off to Accu-Chem in Dallas for a reading of the chemicals in his body. The test cannot test the occurrence of all the drugs in the world as there are just too many, with thousands more added to the list every year, but the tests Fitzgerald underwent tested a few hundred, and many of them were present in his body, some at alarming levels.

For three weeks, Fitzgerald did multiple therapies - magnetic, hydro, colon cleansing, etc - used no deodorant, shampoos, make up (haha), cologne (perfume, body lotions, etc), and he drank highly purified and then remineralized water, toxin removing wheatgrass, raw fruits and vegies (heat kills enzymes and HHI is a totally raw food lifestyle center). At the end of three weeks, Fitzgerald retested with Accu-Chem and discovered a drastic drop in his toxicity levels in his body.  

He pretty much concludes his book promoting prevention of diseases through lifestyle change and living in harmony with the planet we humans seem so determined to destroy. If we truly want to prevent illness and speeded aging, we shouldn't wait to fix our rooves in the rain ... his astute conclusion.

Feasting on Spaghetti Squash

The only squash that are OK for people with candida are zucchini and spaghetti squash. Sometimes a person can eat yellow squash but for some reason, as it is a summer squash unlike zucchini, it has something (probably more starchy) that messes with people with actute candida. The other squashes are extremely starchy, which is too bad, because they're also full of vitamin A, which most people with candida need more of, myself included.

 

Spaghetti squash is recommended as a diet food, and for some, as a pasta replacement as its calorie per serving is much lower. The spaghetti squash, when baked, forks out of the shell in long strand-like spaghettis, hence its name. As for nutrition, it's not like other winter squash in nutrition but neither is it anywhere near as starchy. According to the US Dept of Agriculture (USDA) nutrient database, 1 cup of cooked spaghetti squash provides 42 calories, 0.4 grams of fat, 1 g of protein, 10 g  of carbohydrate (4 g as sugar - so stop at one cup!), and 2.2 g of fiber. 

 

Fixing Spaghetti Squash

 

Slice them open and dig out the seeds. Firm seeds can be set aside, cleaned, seasoned and then baked in pan for a snack later. Very tasty little buggers!

Put a 2-3 teaspoons of coconut oil in each squash half. Sprinkle the squash with your choice of seasonings.
My choice is definitely rosemary and thyme. I also like a little basil in them too.
At 350F bake them turned upside down in a pan for 1 hour or until tender.

Use a fork to pull the squash out in strands. I like using a spoon because it's faster and easier to scrape the shell, but the appearance is more like a bowl of squash rather than a bowl of spaghetti. You decide which is better for yourself.

A feast to behold!

 

finely chopped toss salad + socca + spaghetti squash + corn ears (not for me) = Paradise