Our biological need for protein is not very high, but its ability to slow
down the absorption of sugar and carbs, makes it an important addition to
meals as it assist with stabilizing blood sugar levels.

However, one important thing to know about protein is that it “burns
dirty”… it is not an ideal main fuel source for the body.

On top of that, animals accumulate toxins over the course of their life. he
faster their metabolism, the longer they live, and the higher they eat on
the food chain, the more toxins they will have accumulated. In general
smaller and slower animals (eg. chicken and sardines) are cleaner than
bigger, higher metabolism animals (eg. pork or tuna)

The good news is that protein can be obtained from both plant and animal
sources.

Plant protein is less dense and balanced for our needs, but it is cleaner!

·  Tempeh

· Fish (lesson 10)

·  Wild game

·  Protein-rich nuts

·  Seeds

·  Eggs

·  Low-fat ricotta cheese

·  Whey Protein

·  Low fat feta/goat Cheese

·  Tofu 1-3 times per week

·  Lamb 1-2 times per week

·  Lean organic chicken and turkey

·  Lean red meats, 1-2 times a week

Plant proteins like beans and grains compliment each other, but are less
concentrated than animal sources, and care must be taken to assure adequate
supply at every meal. Most vegans must include legumes or nuts at every meal
to maintain steady blood sugar, supply the full amino acid spectrum, and to
avoid health risks.

Nuts and seeds: Nuts and seeds provide an excellent source of protein and
fat in a convenient package. Seeds are higher protein than nuts, except
almonds which are high also.

Raw nuts are alive and maintain the quality of the oils within them for long
periods of time. Once roasted or ground, they become rancid more quickly.
However, roasting can improve the digestibility for some. For this reason it
is best to get raw nuts and roast them yourself in a skillet. A small amount
of maple syrup and sweet spices can be added to make a healthy sweet snack.

Peanuts tend to be contaminated with a mold that produces a mild toxin.
Valencia peanuts are grown in dry climates and are much less prone to this
contamination, and should be used exclusively.

Animal  proteins are important to include in the diet for many people,
especially those with blood deficiency syndromes like anemia or blood sugar
dysregulation. However, extra care must be taken to get higher quality
products, as animals concentrate the toxins they are exposed to in their
fat. I recommend you choose wild, organic, and free-range animal proteins
without  hormones and antibiotic exclusively! . If you can’t find them
organic meats, get lean cuts from a local grocer and remove the fat and skin
because toxins are stored in the fat.

Beef

Aside from the ethical concerns about eating animals, there is a lot of
evidence that red meat is bad for you. However, most of this research refers
to grain-fed beef. There is a significant difference between grain and
grass-fed.

GRASS FED
——————————————-
4 times more CLA than grain-fed beef.
CLA Benefits include:
Anti-Carcinogenic
Increased Lean Body Mass
Prevents Arteriosclerosis
Slows or halts diabetes

Ideal Omega 6:3 Ration of 2:1 is equal to fish without mercury

High in Branch Chain Amino Acids

Risk of E. coli bacteria is minimal due to low pH of first stomach

2-4 times more Vitamin A and E than grain-fed beef – reduces risk of cancer
and heart disease

1/3 fewer calories than grain-fed beef

No Antibiotics fed

No Hormones

Starch free diet

Non-irradiated

No animal by-products

No Solutions Added

______________________________________________________
GRAIN FED:
—————-
Insignificant amount of CLA

Omega 6:3 Ration of 20:1 is very adverse to health
More total fat and higher percent of Saturated fat

Acidic digestive system from grain diet leads to greater risk of E. coli
bacteria presence

Less Vitamins A and E than grass-fed beef

1/3 more calories than grass-fed beef

Antibiotics fed daily to feed ration

Growth stimulating hormones routinely used

Very high starch diet

Irradiated meat sold in most meat cases

Risk of Mad Cow

May contain various preservatives, etc

The idea that zinc might be effective against the common cold came from a study carried out in 1984, which showed that zinc lozenges could reduce how long symptoms lasted. Since then there has been considerable research conducted in this direction.

This study published earlier this year included data from over 15 trials and 1300 people and showed that zinc   taken within a day of the onset of cold symptoms reduces the severity and length of illness. At seven days, more of the patients who took zinc had cleared their symptoms compared to those who took placebos.

Click Here to buy Zinc Supplements from our online store!

Magnesium Deficiency - Chocolate is high in magnesium, the lack of magnesium is a very common reason for this craving. Magnesium is needed to relax nerves and muscles.When someone is low in magnesium they often suffer from several of the following symptoms:

Muscle cramps, nervous irritability, menstrual cramps, tension headaches, constipation, muscle tightness, and feeling uncomfortable around big crowds of people.

Because magnesium is so important to so many functions in the body, there are several more serious symptoms associated with magnesium deficiency as well:

• Diabetes or hypoglycemia
• Low HDL cholesterol levels
• Gallstones
• Mitral valve prolapse
• Migraine headaches
• Heart problems
• Chronic fatigue
• Fibromyalgia

If you crave chocolate and suffer from several of these symptoms it is likely you would benefit from magnesium supplementation. Click Here to Order

Echinacea is widely used to fight infections, especially the common cold and other upper respiratory infections. Some people take echinacea at the first sign of a cold, hoping they will be able to keep the cold from developing. Other people take echinacea after cold symptoms have started, hoping they can make symptoms less severe. The people who use echinacea to treat symptoms have the right idea. Research to date shows that echinacea can help treat a cold, but it won’t prevent one.

Echinacea is also used against many other infections including the flu, urinary tract infections, vaginal yeast infections, genital herpes, bloodstream infections (septicemia), gum disease, tonsillitis, streptococcus infections, syphilis, typhoid, malaria, and diphtheria.

Other uses not related to infection include chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), rheumatism, migraines, acid indigestion, pain, dizziness, rattlesnake bites, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Sometimes people apply echinacea to their skin to treat boils, abscesses, skin wounds, ulcers, burns, eczema, psoriasis, UV radiation skin damage, herpes simplex, bee stings, and hemorrhoids.

About 76 million Americans are stricken with a food-borne illness every year — often when they least expect it.

Food-borne diseases cause an estimated 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In all, about 200 diseases can be transmitted through food, including via viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxins, metals and prions. Most deadly, however, are bacteria, which account for 72 percent of food-related deaths, followed by parasites (21 percent), and viruses (7 percent). And though there are countless organisms that can make you ill, just five pathogens are responsible for 90 percent of food-related deaths each year. These include:

1. Salmonella (31 percent)
2. Listeria (28 percent)
3. Toxoplasma (21 percent)
4. Norwalk-like viruses (7 percent)
5. Campylobacter (5 percent)

E. coli O157:H7 accounts for an additional 3 percent of deaths.

Which Foods are Riskiest?

It’s possible to get food poisoning from virtually any food in today’s modern food system, and with the mass production of food nowadays it’s common for a batch of contaminated food to quickly get spread across the entire country.

Not only does this make it difficult to trace the pathogen back to its source, it often takes longer to determine where the contaminated foods were distributed — which means more people may get sick.

Often, the foods that are most likely to be contaminated may be those you least suspect. In fact, the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which analyzed data from foodborne-illness outbreaks from 1990 to 2006, revealed exactly which FDA-regulated foods are most often contaminated … and their findings may surprise you:

1. Leafy Greens – 363 outbreaks

Responsible for nearly 30 percent of the illnesses linked to the Top 10 Most-Contaminated list, leafy greens were found to contain varying pathogens, ranging from E. coli O157:H7, which caused several deaths, to Norovirus and Salmonella.

Leafy greens can become contaminated from contact with wild animals, manure, contaminated water, or poor handling during harvest, according to CSPI. They can also be contaminated during the pre-wash process used for bagged lettuce, as the washing systems themselves can transfer bacteria from one batch of lettuce to the next.

2. Eggs – 325 outbreaks

As you might suspect, most cases of egg contamination were due to Salmonella, which can reach eggs via animal feces or directly from an infected hen’s ovaries. While cooking and proper storage can destroy Salmonella, about half of the outbreaks occurred in restaurants where eggs may have been served raw or runny, or left on buffets at improper temperatures.

3. Tuna – 268 outbreaks

You’ve likely heard of the warnings regarding heavy metals like mercury in your tuna, but you may not be familiar with scombroid poisoning, which is caused by the Scombrotoxin in tuna. This toxin is released when fresh fish are stored above 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and can cause headaches, cramps, nausea, diarrhea, palpitations, and loss of vision in humans. Scombrotoxin caused the most illnesses related to tuna, however Norovirus and Salmonella were also implicated.

4. Oysters – 132 outbreaks

Even though oysters comprise only a small amount of the American diet, they rank highly on the food-contamination list. Norovirus, which can live in waters where oysters are harvested, is common in oysters, as is Vibrio, a bacteria that’s in the cholera family.

Eating food infected with Vibrio causes diarrhea, abdominal cramping, nausea and headache. In people with weakened immune systems, certain varieties of Vibrio can infect the bloodstream and be life-threatening.

5. Potatoes – 108 outbreaks

Since potatoes are always cooked before eating, contamination usually occurs when potatoes are used as part of a recipe, such as potato salad. Salmonella and E. coli in these dishes are often due to cross contamination from raw ingredients, while Shigella may be transmitted from improper handling. Listeria in potato dishes is also relatively common, as Listeria may live in deli areas where potato salads are made.

6. Cheese – 83 outbreaks

Cheese may be contaminated with Salmonella or Listeria, which can get into the product during production or processing. Listeria is especially dangerous for pregnant women, as it can cause miscarriage without the mother experiencing symptoms. For this reason, pregnant women are advised to avoid soft cheeses (feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined and Mexican-style cheese), which are more likely to carry the bacteria, especially if unpasteurized.

7. Ice Cream – 75 outbreaks

Ice cream can contain Salmonella or Staphylcoccus, and most outbreaks are linked to homemade ice cream made in private homes. The ice cream can also be contaminated via cross contamination during processing. Soft-serve ice cream may also be a risk, as Listeria can live on metal surfaces in soft-serve ice cream machines, thereby contaminating batch after batch.

8. Tomatoes – 31 outbreaks

Salmonella, which can enter a tomato plant through its roots or flowers, as well as through cracks on the skin, the stem scar or through the plant itself, was responsible for over half of the tomato outbreaks. Norovirus can also contaminate tomatoes. Most often illnesses occur after eating contaminated tomatoes in restaurants.

9. Sprouts – 31 outbreaks

Sprout seeds can become contaminated with Salmonella or E. coli during storage, then spread under the warm, humid growing conditions. Improper handling during production has also caused outbreaks. Because sprouts pose a contamination hazard, both the CDC and the FDA recommends that people with compromised immune systems, the elderly and young children not consume raw sprouts.

10. Berries – 25 outbreaks

Cyclospora in berries causes a parasitic illness of the intestines that can cause severe diarrhea, cramps and dehydration and requires antibiotics to treat. While this is the most common cause of contamination, one major outbreak occurred in 1997 after frozen strawberries were contaminated with Hepatitis A, likely from an infected farm worker.

What Can You to do Reduce Your Risk?

Even with the best intentions and hygiene it’s still possible to be exposed to a contaminated food. And this is why many natural health experts recommend keeping your digestive system in top working order at all times.

Why? Because 70 percent of your immune system is located in your digestive system, which means that if your gut is overrun with bad bacteria, there’s a good chance your immune system will not be functioning at its best.

On the other hand, if your gut is being fortified with good bacteria, or probiotics, your immune system will be fully functioning and have the best chance of fighting off any disease-causing bacteria it encounters.

In choosing a probiotic supplement for yourself, find a probiotic supplement that provides clinical activities supporting systemic health and wellness through immune-system protection, allergy reduction and effective and enhanced nutrient absorption with 30 billion or more organisms per capsule.

Probiotics not only help to keep your digestive health in working order, but they may also help you to ward off food poisoning if you get it. According to one study by Irish scientists, pigs receiving probiotics had reduced incidence, severity and duration of diarrhea after being infected with salmonella.

So if you suspect you have come down with a food-borne illness, having probiotics on hand and taking a generous dose is a simple, and safe, remedy to try. However, if your symptoms persist make sure to see your doctor.

You can further reduce your food-poisoning risk by following these tips from the Mayo Clinic and other experts:

1. Wash your hands, utensils and food surfaces often.

1. Keep raw foods separate from ready-to-eat foods when shopping, preparing food or storing food.

1. Cook foods to a safe temperature. You can kill harmful organisms in most foods by cooking them to temperatures between 145 F (62.8 C) and 165 F (73.9 C).

1. Keep foods hot or refrigerated until serving.

1. Only eat shellfish, such as oysters, that has been thoroughly cooked, particularly in the warm-weather months when related infections are more common.

1. Refrigerate or freeze perishable foods promptly (within two hours of purchasing or preparing them).

1. Defrost food safely. Do not thaw foods at room temperature. The safest way to thaw foods is to defrost foods in the refrigerator or to microwave the food using the “defrost” or “50 percent power” setting. Running cold water over the food also safely thaws the food.

1. Throw it out when in doubt. If you aren’t sure if a food has been prepared, served or stored safely, discard it.

The American food system is in crisis, plagued with an industrial mentality that puts profits ahead of the people it is supposed to nourish. Take proactive steps to become informed and empowered to make better choices for you and your family