Longevity and Digestion
by Harold J. Kristal, D.D.S.
The focus of much nutritional research these days is in the fascinating area of longevity and life extension. There is much discussion of human growth hormone (HGH) and its precursors, as well as special amino acids, glandular formulations, and various exotic combinations of vitamins and minerals. Though the use of HGH products should be seen as strictly experimental at this time, due to a lack of knowledge about long-term side effects and interactions with other hormones, judicious use of other longevity products can indeed provide beneficial effects for many people. However, what is missing from most discussions on this topic is the primary importance of a properly functioning digestive system. All the cutting edge products in the world will you do you little good if your system is unable to properly assimilate them, not to mention the nutrients from your food that are vital to your very survival. The humble act of digestion is itself a primary key to a long and healthy life.
Traditional Chinese medicine teaches us that as much as ninety percent of all disease can be traced to digestive malfunction. The Chinese have been advocating this concept for 5,000 years, yet it has never found much acceptance in mainstream western medicine. However, Metabolic Typing does embody a similar principle in its admonition to eat the correct foods for your Metabolic Type. Our primary reference point, or baseline, is blood pH: when the blood pH is optimized, the body is able to perform its various metabolic functions much more effectively. Primary among these functions is the multi-phase process of digestion.
There are three basic supplements that I recommend to all my clients: a metabolically appropriate multi-vitamin (Formula I, II or III); essential fatty acids (usually in the form of Essential Balance Oil); and Kristazyme digestive enzymes, which I feel are essential for everyone over the age of 35, or anyone of any age with digestive issues. Taking one Kristazyme at the beginning of each meal will greatly help both the stomach and small intestines to properly break down the macro- and micro-nutrients in our food, so that our bodies can derive the full nutritional benefit offered by our food.
We may never be able to completely stop the aging process, but we can slow it down. Our body requires about 60 different nutrients to function properly. These include amino acids (the building blocks of protein), fatty acids (the building blocks of dietary fats), carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. If these nutrients do not successfully cross the intestinal lining into the bloodstream, we are short-changing ourselves and compromising the integrity of all of our physiological systems.
It is widely observed that, as we age, we produce less stomach acid (hydrochloric acid). Stomach acid is essential to create the right pH in the stomach, without which we are unable to break down our foods (especially proteins) and properly utilize their nutritional content. For example, it is a well-established scientific fact that calcium and vitamin B12 cannot be properly assimilated unless they have been adequately acidified in the stomach. It does not matter how much comes in through the mouth if it is not properly processed in the stomach. Digestive problems tend to increase exponentially with age, with heartburn, bloating, gas and constipation being foremost among them. Eating a poor quality diet only exacerbates the problem. No wonder that some of the best-selling medications and over-the-counter (OTC) products are antacids and other digestive aids. Unfortunately, these only mask the symptoms; they do nothing to address the underlying problem, and, in some cases, they may actually make it worse over time.
For over 100 years physicians would address most digestive problems by prescribing supplemental hydrochloric acid (HCl) and pepsin (a protein-digesting enzyme produced in the stomach). Although this strategy was often effective, these natural products cannot be patented, and so drug companies sought more lucrative products, leading to the development of antacids and acid blockers. Because these drugs can often provide symptomatic relief, the science was inverted to fit the pharmaceutical companies' marketing agenda, so it now widely claimed that acid reflux and other digestive disorders are the result of too much, not too little stomach acid. While this is occasionally true, the much more common scenario is that declining stomach acid is the problem. Accordingly, the use of antacids and acid blockers only exacerbates the underlying problem, even while providing short-term relief (which 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of baking soda in a little warm water can usually provide as effectively and more safely).
HCl supplementation can indeed be helpful, but, at least in some cases, it can make the stomach lazy over time, so that it comes to rely on the supplement, further reducing its own acid production. A breakthrough occurred in 1971 when Dr. Edwin Howell developed the first plant source digestive enzymes. These enzymes (such as the ones used in Kristazyme) operate in a wide pH range, both helping to directly break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the stomach, and assisting the stomach to achieve its desired acidity. When the food in the stomach is properly acidified, it is then released into the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine), where its acidity stimulates the release of digestive enzymes from the pancreas.
So, not only is stomach acid needed for the stomach itself to properly function, it also needed to stimulate the pancreas to release its own enzymes, which are crucial to complete the digestive process in the small intestine. Some of the plant enzymes themselves survive the stomach's acid bath, and arrive intact in the small intestine to contribute their proteases, amylases, lipases and other enzymes to the next phase of the digestive process.
We can see how essential proper digestion is to the efficient functioning of the whole body. It allows for optimal absorption, assimilation and utilization of nutrients, providing the cells of the body with their required fuel and, along with the correct metabolic diet, helping to balance blood pH and optimize all metabolic processes. Efficient digestion, then, can be seen as perhaps the most important life extension aid of all.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Diet Soda, No Bargain!
Diet Soda is No Bargain
By Dr. Johnny Bowden
The link between soda drinking and obesity is now well established. But what about the diet kind? Two years ago, a study at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that there was a 41% increase in the risk for being overweight for every single can of diet soda a person consumed daily. But how can something with no calories increase the risk for obesity and heart disease?
There are several possible ways. One theory is that the sweet taste works in the brain to create a conditioned response, and the body responds as it usually does to normal sugar with insulin, the fat storing hormone. Those circuits in the brain are pretty primitive. As far as your brain is concerned, sweet means sugar. It's entirely possible that physiolo-gically, you would respond to aspartame in the same way as you would to table sugar. It's only a theory, but it makes sense.
Second, sweetness creates its own cravings. Just as a taste of rum creates an unstoppable craving in an alcoholic, it's entirely possible that the taste of sweet—even if it's fake—creates the same cascade of cravings in a carb addict that regular sugar does, leading to overeating and bingeing and all the rest of the reasons people put on weight.
Third, many people think that by drinking diet beverages they're "saving" calories and they subconsciously allow themselves to eat more, figuring it's not doing as much harm because overall their meal has less calories since they're drinking a diet drink. The diet drink gives them subconscious "permission" to eat more. This isn't conscious, but it's totally real.
Then there's the heart disease connection. Aspartame is primarily made from three ingredients—aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. Methanol—an alcohol—breaks down in the body to formaldehyde, a poison if there ever was one. Exposing children to formaldehyde levels as low as .75 mg daily for several months has been shown to cause gradual toxicity. Plus, diet soda is frequently stored in hot warehouses, causing even more breakdown that went undetected in the original studies that looked at "ideal" conditions.
If you're going to use sweetener, I suggest you try Xylitol. It actually tastes like sugar, can be used for cooking and baking, has some health benefits (like preventing bacterial adhesion which is why it's so good in chewing gums) and as a sugar alcohol, has a very low glycemic load.
Meanwhile, forget about the diet Cokes. They don't help you lose weight and they may be contributing to a host of other problems you don't want or need.
By Dr. Johnny Bowden
The link between soda drinking and obesity is now well established. But what about the diet kind? Two years ago, a study at the University of Texas Health Science Center found that there was a 41% increase in the risk for being overweight for every single can of diet soda a person consumed daily. But how can something with no calories increase the risk for obesity and heart disease?
There are several possible ways. One theory is that the sweet taste works in the brain to create a conditioned response, and the body responds as it usually does to normal sugar with insulin, the fat storing hormone. Those circuits in the brain are pretty primitive. As far as your brain is concerned, sweet means sugar. It's entirely possible that physiolo-gically, you would respond to aspartame in the same way as you would to table sugar. It's only a theory, but it makes sense.
Second, sweetness creates its own cravings. Just as a taste of rum creates an unstoppable craving in an alcoholic, it's entirely possible that the taste of sweet—even if it's fake—creates the same cascade of cravings in a carb addict that regular sugar does, leading to overeating and bingeing and all the rest of the reasons people put on weight.
Third, many people think that by drinking diet beverages they're "saving" calories and they subconsciously allow themselves to eat more, figuring it's not doing as much harm because overall their meal has less calories since they're drinking a diet drink. The diet drink gives them subconscious "permission" to eat more. This isn't conscious, but it's totally real.
Then there's the heart disease connection. Aspartame is primarily made from three ingredients—aspartic acid, phenylalanine and methanol. Methanol—an alcohol—breaks down in the body to formaldehyde, a poison if there ever was one. Exposing children to formaldehyde levels as low as .75 mg daily for several months has been shown to cause gradual toxicity. Plus, diet soda is frequently stored in hot warehouses, causing even more breakdown that went undetected in the original studies that looked at "ideal" conditions.
If you're going to use sweetener, I suggest you try Xylitol. It actually tastes like sugar, can be used for cooking and baking, has some health benefits (like preventing bacterial adhesion which is why it's so good in chewing gums) and as a sugar alcohol, has a very low glycemic load.
Meanwhile, forget about the diet Cokes. They don't help you lose weight and they may be contributing to a host of other problems you don't want or need.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Sample Nutrition and Workout Progam for Donna V
Starting Weight Feb 1 -212 lbs 41% BF
May 20th Weight -176lbs 31% BF
Total Weight Loss- 36lbs
Metabolic Type: Protein Type Fast Oxidizer
Diet-Calorie cycle between workout days and non-workout days
Supplements:
Digestive Enzyme
Phytoganix Super food
Krill oil
Multivitamin according to Metabolic Type
Vit D
Glutamine
L-Carnitine with Chromium
Sample Menu for Workout Day: 1750 calories
Meal 1
Protein Shake -Jay Robb
All Natural Peanut Butter
Psyllium Husk
Fruit
Snack-
2 Whole Cage Free Organic Eggs
Veggies
Lunch
Animal Protein with Avocado and 1 cup raw veggies
Snack-
2%Greek Yogurt with Flax and berries
Dinner-
Grass Fed Beef
Coconut Oil
Stir fry with Wild Rice
Pre/During/Post Nutrition Shake 20g Protein Shot
Monday- 20 min max effort Interval Training
Tues- Strength Work
Wed- off
Thurs- 30-40 min Steady State Cardio
Fri- Strength Work
Sat- 20 min max effort Interval Training
Sun- Strength Work plus Cardio
May 20th Weight -176lbs 31% BF
Total Weight Loss- 36lbs
Metabolic Type: Protein Type Fast Oxidizer
Diet-Calorie cycle between workout days and non-workout days
Supplements:
Digestive Enzyme
Phytoganix Super food
Krill oil
Multivitamin according to Metabolic Type
Vit D
Glutamine
L-Carnitine with Chromium
Sample Menu for Workout Day: 1750 calories
Meal 1
Protein Shake -Jay Robb
All Natural Peanut Butter
Psyllium Husk
Fruit
Snack-
2 Whole Cage Free Organic Eggs
Veggies
Lunch
Animal Protein with Avocado and 1 cup raw veggies
Snack-
2%Greek Yogurt with Flax and berries
Dinner-
Grass Fed Beef
Coconut Oil
Stir fry with Wild Rice
Pre/During/Post Nutrition Shake 20g Protein Shot
Monday- 20 min max effort Interval Training
Tues- Strength Work
Wed- off
Thurs- 30-40 min Steady State Cardio
Fri- Strength Work
Sat- 20 min max effort Interval Training
Sun- Strength Work plus Cardio
Friday, May 15, 2009
Breakfast the Most Important Lie of the Day
Hmmmm...
Know where you can almost always find some unintentional humor? Just give a close reading to processed food packaging. Hilarious!
We'll start off the Nutritional Label fun with that 100 percent reliable source of humor: the FDA.
--------------------------------------------
Comedy central
--------------------------------------------
FDA announced a permanent injunction against two food companies that were making claims such as: "Chemicals found in cherries may help fight diabetes."
Two different studies - one a lab study and one an animal study - have shown that anthocyanins (antioxidant compounds found in tart cherries) may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. But the FDA has ordered the companies to stop making the claims "...until the products are approved by the FDA as new drugs..."
That's right: as new drugs. Cherries.
Meanwhile, if you go to the web site for Kellogg's Smart Start cereal, you'll find these impressive claims, which (we can assume) the FDA is just fine with: "Smart Start® Healthy Heart has ingredients that can help lower BOTH blood pressure and cholesterol, and it tastes great."
Tastes great? Okay, but does Smart Start taste as great as, say, Honeycomb cereal? But that's not fair, because Honeycomb is just a sugar-laden kids' cereal, right? Well, let's compare a few items on the nutrition labels.
* Calories:
Smart Start: 190
Honeycomb: 120
* Carbohydrates
Smart Start: 43
Honeycomb: 27
* Sugars
Smart Start: 14 grams
Honeycomb: 10 grams
* High Fructose Corn Syrup
Smart Start: HFCS appears in the ingredients list
Honeycomb: Zero HFCS
--------------------------------------------
Back up the syrup truck
--------------------------------------------
Now how in the world could Smart Start, a cereal that's pitched to adults with a strong heart health slant, fall short in every one of those categories when compared to a cereal that has cartoon figures on the packaging?
And ESPECIALLY in the category of high fructose corn syrup! Steady HFCS intake has been linked to weight gain, higher triglyceride levels, higher LDL cholesterol, and a decrease in insulin sensitivity - not really what you're looking for when you want to help your heart.
And here's the kicker: All the amounts listed above are for one cup of Smart Start and a cup AND A HALF of Honeycomb. The kids' cereal simply blows Smart Start away!
The Smart Start web site poses this question: "Ever wonder how you can have a healthier breakfast without sacrificing taste?"
Sure. You can choose Honeycomb over Smart Start. Or you could even choose Froot Loops: One cup contains 120 calories, 1 gram of fiber, 26 grams of carbs, 13 grams of sugars, and...zero HFCS.
But of course, I'm not suggesting you choose any of these cereals for breakfast. Fourteen grams of sugars? That's equal to three and a half teaspoons of table sugar! Eat that every morning and you'll be laying the foundation for insulin resistance, which lays the foundation for type 2 diabetes, which lays the foundation for heart disease.
Want a genuine smart start? Eat fresh whole foods with a minimum of processing. And zero HFCS.
While we are at it, can someone also tell me why everyone thinks Oatmeal is so fantastic for lowering cholesterol?? Hmmm....can you say brainwashed?
1-877-Plano-Plan
www.optimal-results.net
Know where you can almost always find some unintentional humor? Just give a close reading to processed food packaging. Hilarious!
We'll start off the Nutritional Label fun with that 100 percent reliable source of humor: the FDA.
--------------------------------------------
Comedy central
--------------------------------------------
FDA announced a permanent injunction against two food companies that were making claims such as: "Chemicals found in cherries may help fight diabetes."
Two different studies - one a lab study and one an animal study - have shown that anthocyanins (antioxidant compounds found in tart cherries) may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. But the FDA has ordered the companies to stop making the claims "...until the products are approved by the FDA as new drugs..."
That's right: as new drugs. Cherries.
Meanwhile, if you go to the web site for Kellogg's Smart Start cereal, you'll find these impressive claims, which (we can assume) the FDA is just fine with: "Smart Start® Healthy Heart has ingredients that can help lower BOTH blood pressure and cholesterol, and it tastes great."
Tastes great? Okay, but does Smart Start taste as great as, say, Honeycomb cereal? But that's not fair, because Honeycomb is just a sugar-laden kids' cereal, right? Well, let's compare a few items on the nutrition labels.
* Calories:
Smart Start: 190
Honeycomb: 120
* Carbohydrates
Smart Start: 43
Honeycomb: 27
* Sugars
Smart Start: 14 grams
Honeycomb: 10 grams
* High Fructose Corn Syrup
Smart Start: HFCS appears in the ingredients list
Honeycomb: Zero HFCS
--------------------------------------------
Back up the syrup truck
--------------------------------------------
Now how in the world could Smart Start, a cereal that's pitched to adults with a strong heart health slant, fall short in every one of those categories when compared to a cereal that has cartoon figures on the packaging?
And ESPECIALLY in the category of high fructose corn syrup! Steady HFCS intake has been linked to weight gain, higher triglyceride levels, higher LDL cholesterol, and a decrease in insulin sensitivity - not really what you're looking for when you want to help your heart.
And here's the kicker: All the amounts listed above are for one cup of Smart Start and a cup AND A HALF of Honeycomb. The kids' cereal simply blows Smart Start away!
The Smart Start web site poses this question: "Ever wonder how you can have a healthier breakfast without sacrificing taste?"
Sure. You can choose Honeycomb over Smart Start. Or you could even choose Froot Loops: One cup contains 120 calories, 1 gram of fiber, 26 grams of carbs, 13 grams of sugars, and...zero HFCS.
But of course, I'm not suggesting you choose any of these cereals for breakfast. Fourteen grams of sugars? That's equal to three and a half teaspoons of table sugar! Eat that every morning and you'll be laying the foundation for insulin resistance, which lays the foundation for type 2 diabetes, which lays the foundation for heart disease.
Want a genuine smart start? Eat fresh whole foods with a minimum of processing. And zero HFCS.
While we are at it, can someone also tell me why everyone thinks Oatmeal is so fantastic for lowering cholesterol?? Hmmm....can you say brainwashed?
1-877-Plano-Plan
www.optimal-results.net
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
You and Your Egg Whites
Marc why are you recommending whole eggs? Shouldn't I be eating egg whites? What about the cholesterol? You know the saying, if I have a dollar for every time I addressed this I would be rich!
If your throwing away the yolk-your throwing ALL the nutrition away. Egg yolks contain Vitamin A, Vitamin D (which is hard to find from foods in general), Vitamin E, B-complex vitamins, minerals like calcium and potassium, and a full array of healthful fats, most of which are unsaturated.
An egg is an egg is an egg....um, No...not at all! Keep reading!
This question is two fold. If your talking about a commercially raised chicken that has been farm raised and fed an ill diet, shot up with hormones and antibiotics then the answer is no this is NOT a health food and may have an ill effect on cholesterol and overall health due to the omega 3- omega 6 ratio.
If your talking about a free range organic chicken that lived a natural life by the design of mother nature your talking about a totally different food. A free range Organic Egg will have a ratio between 1:1 and 1:4 Omega 3- Omega 6 ratio while a typical commercially raised chicken will be as high as 1:16-30 This poses a problem for those who eat to many commercially raised eggs as too much omega-6 fatty acid in your diet facilitates the process of inflammation in our bodies.
Inflammation = disease
The ideal ratio of Omega-3:Omega-6 fatty acid is 1:4, the typical American Diet is 1:24, can you say disease?
Note: Your vegetable Oils are extremely high in Omega 6, stop using them immediately and start using an oil like coconut oil to cook with. But Marc, that coconut oil is a saturated fat! What do you think every cell in your body is made up of? We will save this for another lesson....
Since I am on a roll. I might as well talk about things like Wild Salmon vs. Commercially Raised Salmon. Farm Raised Salmon is NOT the same food as wild salmon. The wild kind is loaded with omega 3. It's striking color is from the krill it dines on which by the way provides a highly beneficial compound called astaxanthin, a natural carotenoid that gives salmon it's rich red color. For those of you that work with me one on one I would wager you are already on Krill Oil. For those of you who are not, contact me as I usually stock this supplement at all times. This is a supplement that has medicinal like properties.
Farm Raised salmon have never seen krill-they eat grain, which would be like feeding your dog a plant based diet.... Farm raised salmon have very little to no omega 3 fat and their color is the result of whatever selection of dye the factory farmers decide on that day.
Moral of the story- these are NOT even the same foods.
Some day we will go over meats...and yes RED MEAT can be a Super food -and some can be absolute crap. Yet, we unknowingly use the same words for all these different foods.
"You will attract everything you require - money, people, connections.. PAY ATTENTION to what's being set in front of you"
1-877-PLANO-PLAN
www.optimal-results.net
If your throwing away the yolk-your throwing ALL the nutrition away. Egg yolks contain Vitamin A, Vitamin D (which is hard to find from foods in general), Vitamin E, B-complex vitamins, minerals like calcium and potassium, and a full array of healthful fats, most of which are unsaturated.
An egg is an egg is an egg....um, No...not at all! Keep reading!
This question is two fold. If your talking about a commercially raised chicken that has been farm raised and fed an ill diet, shot up with hormones and antibiotics then the answer is no this is NOT a health food and may have an ill effect on cholesterol and overall health due to the omega 3- omega 6 ratio.
If your talking about a free range organic chicken that lived a natural life by the design of mother nature your talking about a totally different food. A free range Organic Egg will have a ratio between 1:1 and 1:4 Omega 3- Omega 6 ratio while a typical commercially raised chicken will be as high as 1:16-30 This poses a problem for those who eat to many commercially raised eggs as too much omega-6 fatty acid in your diet facilitates the process of inflammation in our bodies.
Inflammation = disease
The ideal ratio of Omega-3:Omega-6 fatty acid is 1:4, the typical American Diet is 1:24, can you say disease?
Note: Your vegetable Oils are extremely high in Omega 6, stop using them immediately and start using an oil like coconut oil to cook with. But Marc, that coconut oil is a saturated fat! What do you think every cell in your body is made up of? We will save this for another lesson....
Since I am on a roll. I might as well talk about things like Wild Salmon vs. Commercially Raised Salmon. Farm Raised Salmon is NOT the same food as wild salmon. The wild kind is loaded with omega 3. It's striking color is from the krill it dines on which by the way provides a highly beneficial compound called astaxanthin, a natural carotenoid that gives salmon it's rich red color. For those of you that work with me one on one I would wager you are already on Krill Oil. For those of you who are not, contact me as I usually stock this supplement at all times. This is a supplement that has medicinal like properties.
Farm Raised salmon have never seen krill-they eat grain, which would be like feeding your dog a plant based diet.... Farm raised salmon have very little to no omega 3 fat and their color is the result of whatever selection of dye the factory farmers decide on that day.
Moral of the story- these are NOT even the same foods.
Some day we will go over meats...and yes RED MEAT can be a Super food -and some can be absolute crap. Yet, we unknowingly use the same words for all these different foods.
"You will attract everything you require - money, people, connections.. PAY ATTENTION to what's being set in front of you"
1-877-PLANO-PLAN
www.optimal-results.net
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