Our members only Facebook group – graduates of the NTA programs – Nutritional Therapy Association has been shut down by Facebook! Facebook & Google are aggressively targeting for censorship any integrative/holistic groups and websites.
For many years, graduates of the NTA courses – like myself have been working with individuals to help them to improve their quality of life and as well to resolve their health issues.
George Orwell’s worst fears have unfortunately come true…
People who regularly consume soft drinks have a higher risk of an
early death, researchers have found, with the trend seen for both
sugared and artificially sweetened drinks.
While experts say the study cannot prove soft drinks are a driver of
an increased risk of death, they say the work – which is the largest
study of its kind – supports recent public health efforts to reduce
consumption of soft drinks, such as the UK’s sugar tax.
“Our results for sugar-sweetened soft drinks provide further support to limit consumption and to replace them with other healthier beverages, preferably water,” said Dr Neil Murphy, a co-author of the research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization.
A recent diet “fad”? – craze has been the increasing popularity of the Carnivore Diet. I think the reaction of most practitioners like myself who work with patients and provide them with guidance on personalized diets is that the Carnivore Diet is probably extreme and potentially unhealthy. I think most individuals think of plant materials as inherently healthy: vegetables and some fruit content are considered to be part of a healthy diet. The fact does remain however that plants incorporate into their make up anti-nutrients which are designed to help prevent animals from eating them. Giving the GI tract a temporary break from exposure to antinutrients can be very beneficial to some individuals who are dealing with GI inflammation, leaky gut and related conditions. And this seems to be one of the potential benefits of the Carnivore Diet, and it may in fact prove to be a temporary dietary intervention worth considering for individuals dealing with some of the mentioned GI issues. This is probably also the case with the Ketogenic Diet: there is still some question as to whether long term adoption of the Low Carb / High Fat diet is beneficial: I think what is key with this type of diet is transitioning into keto adaptation so that one’s metabolism is metabolically flexible so it can easily transition between utilizing the sugar as well as the fat – ketone energy burning pathways. One of the best sources for patient education about the Low Carb / High Fat (Ketogenic) Diet is the website: DietDoctor.com. Following is a well balanced – and referenced article on the Carnivore Diet from DietDoctor.com. One of the key issues regarding the Carnivore Diet at this point in time is the fact that there is very little published research on the topic. Key considerations / takeaways from my perspective include the following: – organ meats should be included in any diet as part of a healthy diet- deficiencies such as folate and other micronutrients may result from the long term adoption of the Carnivore Diet- there is some question as to what changes might occur in the microbiome by adopting this type of diet- not all people achieve complete success on a low-carb, high-fat ketogenic diet that is rich in vegetables- anecdotal evidence suggests that the Carnivore Diet may be beneficial in reversing or improving challenging health issues such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, depression, migraines and others- “there is no clear scientific proof” that we need to eat vegetables at all- Dr. Steve Phinney is concerned about potential electrolyte deficiencies in sodium, magnesium and potassium in the carnivore diet
Sinking our teeth into the carnivore diet:what’s known, what’s not
More alarming news about glyphosate, a key component in Monsanto’s herbicide Roundup: its effects may harm several future generations beyond the individual exposed to it
“A new study published today finds a variety of adverse health impacts
in second and third generation offspring of rats exposed to glyphosate.
It is the first of its kind to look at transgenerational effects and
shows how descendants of exposed offspring were more likely to develop
prostate, kidney and ovarian diseases, obesity and birth abnormalities
[1].
The study suggests that risk assessments need to take into
consideration the ability of chemicals to impact future generations
through transgenerational effects, instead of only looking at the health
impacts of direct exposure [2]”.
“This study provides alarming
new evidence supporting our public health call to take glyphosate off
the European market,” says Génon Jensen from the Health and Environment
Alliance (HEAL). “If a pesticide is showing harm which only occurs
generations down the line, surely this is an opportunity for the
European Commission to take more precautionary measures to protect our
health.”
This article is based upon an article written by Loren Cordain:
“It was actually Loren Cordain, Ph.D., author of the Paleo Diet, who (to our knowledge) first pointed out the inherent cardiotoxicity of wheat. In the March 2008 edition of The Paleo Diet Newsletter, Cordain explains in an article titled, “Whole Wheat Heart Attack Part2: The Role of Dietary Lectins,” how dietary lectins, as found in wheat, promote the formation of fatty streaks and mature atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries”.
The prevailing attitude – one that I personally agree with that I have gathered by discussing this topic with many individuals within the practitioner community is that yes lectins can be important, however it is not something that everyone needs to be fanatical about in terms of avoidance.
It may be a factor to consider in individuals that are dealing with such conditions as autoimmune conditions, gut health etc. and short term elimination from the diet is worth considering to remove one potential causative agent.
Cordain’s hypothesis – echoed by Sayer Ji, the founder of Green Med Info is that lectins consumed with whole wheat products may be involved in the progression or acceleration of athersclerosis.