3 Foods You Already Love that Promote Eye Health

For most of us, our eyes do not get much attention unless and until we have a problem with them. Perhaps you visit the optometrist every few years for new glasses or to update your contacts. Maybe you have gone the Lasik route and rarely see an eye professional at all. Yet our vision is our primary way of experiencing and interacting with the world around us. Maybe you should think about seeing a real ophthalmologist every 2 or 3 years (more often as you get older).

In the meantime, here are three foods that you probably already consume that are known to provide health benefits for your eyes.

Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a rich source of beta carotene (your body converts it to vitamin A), which helps prevent "dry eye" and night blindness. It may also help to slow the progress of macular degeneration - the #1 cause of new blindness. Other foods with high concentrations of beta carotene include carrots, butternut squash and spinach. Milk and eggs are also a good source of vitamin A.

Strawberries
Strawberries are vitamin C powerhouses. Vitamin C is a strong antioxidant that can help reduce your risk of cataracts. Bell peppers, broccoli, cantaloupe and citrus fruits also contain lots of vitamin C.

Salmon
The Omega-3 fatty acids in this oily fish offer protection against "dry eye", while the vitamin D helps avoid or slow macular degeneration. Other good sources of Omega-3s include walnuts and flax seeds, while milk and orange juice can help ramp up your vitamin D.

"See" you again soon!

Non-drug Approaches to Managing Arthritis

About 12% of the US population suffers from osteoarthritis, a degenerative and often painful joint problem. The hallmarks of the condition are chronic inflammation in the joints that occurs when the cartilage that cushions them wears away. It manifests itself in stiffness and joint pain that, over time, can become disabling.

Standard treatment recommendations may include losing weight, maintaining physical activity, physical therapy, drugs to manage pain (which include NSAIDs and steroid injections) and in some cases surgery.

The non-drug approaches are gaining in popularity, even among doctors, as they offer significant symptom relief without any side effects. If you suffer from osteoarthritis, here are some things you can try.

Lose Weight

This can have a large impact on the amount of pain that you feel. Less weight means less stress on the joints. And losing weight has a multitude of other health benefits as well.

Stay Active

Regular movement helps maintain the flexibility of the joints. You need not be forcing yourself to run or walk. Try low impact exercise such as tai chi, yoga or swimming. Or take a water aerobics class. The important thing is to keep the joint moving.

Hot/Cold Therapy

Nothing too complex here. Long, warm showers in the morning and a heating pad at night can ease stiffness. Joint pain and swelling are often relieved by use of an ice pack or cold compress.

Diet and Nutrition

You knew I would get around to this. But the truth is that, while not a quick fix, your diet can have a significant positive effect over time.

The Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil have been shown to reduce joint stiffness and pain. Another helpful fatty acid is GLA (gamma-linolenic acid) that is found in the seeds of certain plants such as hemp, primrose and black currant. You can buy the oils of these seeds as a supplement.

Turmeric, the yellowish spice that is a staple of Indian and southeast Asian foods, contains curcumin, a chemical that has been shown to reduce inflammation. You would have to consume an awful lot of turmeric to get a dose of curcumin that has been shown to be therapeutic, but what can it hurt to add this tasty spice to your food?

There are many herbal supplements on the market that claim to reduce joint pain. Their effectiveness is not necessarily proven although many offer anecdotal evidence. Buyer beware. Do your research. And if you are taking any medication for anything, arthritis or otherwise, check with your doctor or pharmacist before adding any supplement to your routine. (Even mine!)

With arthritis, as with any disease or health condition, you will do best if you take control, use a variety of traditional and alternative therapies and keep a positive and determined attitude.

5 Foods that Help Lower Blood pressure that You Haven't Thought Of

If you are trying to manage your blood pressure with diet, you probably already know that bananas and other high potassium foods such as beans, sweet potatoes and leafy greens. But to really get the maximum benefit from diet, you should consider these other lesser known foods. By eating the right combination of foods, many people can achieve blood pressure drops comparable to those achieved using medication.

Here are five lesser known options that you can add to your hypertension-fighting diet.

1. Beets
    Nitric oxide (NO), on the other hand, acts as a signaling molecule,
    one that is typically beneficial to health. It gives signals to the
    cells in your arteries, telling them to soften and relax. This action
    greatly improves vasodilation, which reduces blood pressure. For
    this reason, nitrate-rich foods that are not exposed to very high
    heat are beneficial because they can become nitric oxide. Beet
    juice and beet greens are an especially rich source of nitrates.

2. Figs
    Figs are one of the most potassium-rich fruits, with about 232mg
    of potassium in just two small figs.

3. Pistachios
    Pistachios are a healthy way to decrease blood pressure by
    reducing peripheral vascular resistance, or blood vessel
    tightening, and heart rate. One NIH study found that a diet
    with one serving of pistachios a day helps reduce blood
    pressure.

4. Pomegranate Juice
    Despite Pom Wonderful's recent kerfuffle with the FDA over the
    health claims made for its pomegranate juice product,
    pomegranates are a healthy fruit that you can enjoy raw or as
    a juice. Several small studies have concluded that drinking a
    cup of pomegranate juice once a day for four weeks can help
    lower blood pressure over the short term.

5. Olive Oil
     Olive oil is an example of a healthy fat. It contains polyphenols,
     which are inflammation-fighting compounds that can help
     reduce blood pressure.

When combined, the nutrients in these foods can work synergistically to lower your blood pressure. The benefits are often noticed quickly and can be as much as a 5 point drop for some people.

Dairy No Magic Bullet for Weight Loss

Have you heard recently that dairy might help boost weight loss? A study funded by the Danish dairy industry concluded that it did after randomly assigning people to low calorie diets either low or high in dairy products.

They forgot to mention that after 6 months there was no difference in weight or body fat loss between the groups.

Want to lose weight? Don't expect dairy to speed the process along. Consume fewer calories in your diet or burn more through activity.

Bone Broth

Bone broth is a soup stock made from animal bones and cartilage that has become very popular due to its perceived health benefits. According to Tod Cooperman, MD, of ConsumerLab.com, it can in fact be a healthful food. But as often happens, as soon as anything gets a reputation - deserved or not - for being healthful we start to see it on our grocery store shelves and the commercial version often delivers far less of the healthy ingredient than what is needed to have any impact.

The health benefits of bone broth derive from the significant amount of the protein collagen that it contains when traditionally prepared (i.e., when you make it yourself at home). The problem is that store bought versions can vary significantly in the amount of collagen that they actually deliver. Collagen levels are not required to be listed on nutrition labels and so - surprise!! - they rarely are. The nutritional information that companies do provide clearly comes from their marketing departments and is often wildly inaccurate.

What to do if you want to make bone broth a part of your diet? Make it yourself. Its pretty simple, here is a basic recipe to get you started.

If you prefer to buy your broth at the grocery store, do a little research first. There are some good ones out there but you want one that delivers lots of collagen for the price and you want that verified by an independent testing lab.
Here are two that, according to ConsumerLab, you can trust:

Jarrow Formulas Beyond Bone Broth Spicy Beef Ramen Flavor (powder).

Pacific Organic Bone Broth Chicken (liquid).

Sickcare vs Healthcare

Why do we call Health Insurance "Healthcare" when what it does is insure us,  after we get sick? And why do we call it "Health" Insurance anyway when what really is is Sick Insurance? I guess "Sick Insurance" would be a harder sell. No one ever accused the Marketing profession of excessive honesty.

Now I am certainly not making an argument in favor of going without Sick Insurance. Almost all us will be ill at one time or another in our lives. And some of us will become seriously ill, perhaps even contract a life threatening illness or condition. In such cases, our Sick Insurance will be invaluable.

But as we all know, Sick Insurance is not cheap. It is so expensive that many people go without it because of the cost. Health Insurance, by contrast, is free. Yet large numbers of people continue to go without it. Sure, Health Insurance has a cost in terms of your time and effort, but you don't have to pay a dime for it. Unlike Sick Insurance, which helps you with the cost of treating a problem after you have it, Health Insurance greatly reduces the odds that you will ever have a health problem in the first place.

Here is your free Health Insurance Program:

1. Create a balanced, nutritious, healthful diet and stick with it forever.

2. Incorporate regular, moderate exercise into your daily routine forever.

3. Get your head screwed on straight and keep it that way.

Following the free program does not guarantee that you will never need your Sick Insurance. But it will absolutely stack the odds in your favor. No medical exam, application or premiums required. And your pre-existing conditions are fully covered. Do yourself a favor and get Health Insurance today.

Debunking the Paleo Fad

The theory behind the "paleo" diet is that since our paleolithic ancestors ate a diet heavily oriented toward meat and supplemented by whatever plant foods they could find, we are designed to eat that way and will be healthier today if we do. The digestive abilities of anatomically modern humans, however, are different from those of Paleolithic humans, which undermines the diet's core premise. In addition to that, meat today is not what it was then. Even if we accept that we are genetically adapted to eat meat - for the sake of argument, not because it is true, what kind of meat are we adapted to eat? There was no paleolithic grain-fed beef or pepperoni.

According to Dr David Katz, a preventive medicine specialist at the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center in a recent interview in Bottom Line Personal, a typical cut from a grain-fed steer gets about 35% of its calories from fat, much of which is saturated fat. That same cut has almost none of the healthy polyunsaturated fat - omega-3 fatty acid - that reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

In contrast, steak from wild game contains almost no saturated fat and a significant amount of omega-3s.

Conventional grain-fed beef and wild game are both technically "red meat" but are radically different nutritionally. Wild game is free ranging, lives off a wide variety of wild plants and gets the exercise that it needs. The next best thing to truly wild game would be bison, which is nearly always grass feed and free range.

Most of the world's longest living people live in areas - the so-called "blue zones" - where the typical diet includes meat as an occasional part but consists primarily of beans, lentils and fish as their primary protein source. How many of our paleolithic ancestors lived to be 100 years old?

In the Bag

Washed, prepared and prepackaged greens and basic salads have become a popular item among busy people who are trying to get more vegetables into their diets. They certainly offer convenience. But do they have the same nutritional content as whole ingredients that you prepare yourself?

According to Sharon Palmer, a registered dietitian in Duarte, CA, all vegetables lose some of their vitamin content as they age. But the precut, packaged ones lose some vitamins like C, B vitamins and folate faster than whole vegetables and greens. This happens because the leaves undergo chemical changes that deplete vitamins more quickly because of the cut surfaces.

Still, there is nothing "bad" for you in the packaged greens, just less good. And anything that helps you to eat more of them is, on balance, a good thing. So go ahead and buy by the bag if that helps you consume more healthful greens and vegetables. To minimize the nutritional losses, refrigerate them immediately upon returning home and try to eat them within 2 or 3 days. If you intend to do any additional chopping, wait until right before you are going to use them.

Here is one case where you do not have to sacrifice healthful for convenience.

Two Myths That Will Kill Your MLM Business

Network Marketing is like just about any other undertaking. Some people succeed and others will fail and everyone is looking for the magic secret to success. Its the same with advice. There is good advice and not so good advice, and just because everyone agrees about something and it comes from your company doesn't make it good advice.

Here are two pieces of advice that I was given by just about everyone when I started with my MLM business. I heard this advice at every company training and event. Unfortunately, it is wrong. And taking it cost me a lot of wasted time and unearned money.

1. Slow and Steady Wins the Race.

“Just keep working it consistently. Do it in your spare time. Weave it into the cracks of your life.”

No! Slow and Steady is the way to starve in Network Marketing. Airplanes do not get into the air at 20% power no matter how long they keep at it. Success loves speed! If you do not get your business to critical mass, it will never be successful.

2. Just Don't Quit.

This is lunacy. Its not enough to just keep at it. 

Network Marketing is filled with people who haven't quit and never go anywhere. This is why the failure rate is so high in MLM. If you are not doing it

right, doing it more will not change your results!

Things Happy People Have in Common

While I focus mostly on nutrition and related issues, attitude and outlook are also important building blocks of a happy life and a wellness lifestyle.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist at the University of California Riverside studies happiness as a "positive psychology", focusing on what gives people a sense of well being rather than on dysfunction. She has identified five things that people who score highly on tests designed to measure their satisfaction and happiness with their life situation.

1. Happy people devote significant amounts of time and effort to family and friends. They prioritize relationships.

2. They practice gratitude, making a deliberate and conscious effort to focus on what is going well in their lives rather than what isn't.

3. They practice optimism, and have more positive and compelling expectations for what their future holds than less happy people.

4. They are physically active people. They get out of the house, they participate in events and sports, and they keep moving.

5. They savor the pleasures of the moment rather than dwelling in the past or worrying about the future.


Another conclusion of Lyubomirsky's research is that our circumstances account for only about 10% of our satisfaction and happiness, while over 40% can be attributed to our outlook and attitude.

I don't know if all these things make a difference or not. But while some of them may cost a bit of time, none cost you much in the way of money.

If you'd like a measure of your own happiness, you can take the Authentic Happiness Inventory questionnaire from the University of Pennsylvania. Its completely free but you will have to register. The results might surprise you.

Five Menu Items to Avoid

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group that advocates for safer and healthier foods, has just released its 2018 Extreme Eating Awards. Since eating out is such a nutritional minefield, between misleading menus, gigantic portions and limited nutritional information, I though I would share their five "winners".
You've been warned.

1. Worst Way to Start Your Day Award

Restaurant: The Cheesecake Factory

Item: Breakfast Burrito

Main Offenses: 2,730 calories, 3 1/2 days worth of saturated fat and 2 days supply of sodium.

Comparison: Equivalent to 7 McDonnalds Sausage McMuffins.


2. Worst Special Effects Award

Restaurant: Yard House

Item: Vampire Taco Combo

Main Offenses: 2,040 calories, 1 1/2 days worth of saturated fat and 1 2/3 days supply of sodium.

Comparison: Equivalent to eating 9 Taco Bell Beef Tacos plus 3 cans of Budweiser.


3. Worst Cinematic Snack

Restaurant: AMC Theaters

Item: Bavarian Legend Soft Pretzel

Main Offenses: 1,920 calories, 1/2 day worth of saturated fat (a relative bargain so far, but wait for it!) and 4 days supply of sodium.

Comparison: Equivalent to eating 6 Auntie Annie's Original Soft Pretzels.


4. Least Creative Mashup

Restaurant: Chili's

Item: Honey-Chipotle Crispers & Waffels.

Main Offenses: 2,510 calories, 2 days worth of saturated fat, 2 days supply of sodium and a special bonus, 2 days worth of added sugar.

Comparison: Equivalent to eating 5 Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts smothered in 30 McDonalds Chicken McNuggets with 5 packages of BBQ sauce.


5. Worst Adapted Pizza

Restaurant: The Cheesecake Factory

Item: Chicken Parmesan Pizza Style Chicken

Main Offenses: 1,870 calories, a 3 day supply of saturated fat and 2 1/2 days worth of sodium.

Comparison: Four pieces of Popeye's Fried Chicken plus 4 bisquits.


With 1,800 - 2,000 calories being roughly what a healthy human being needs per day, it is no wonder nearly 40% of Americans are obese with items like these being sold every day. And these totals do not count your sugary beverage or desert.

Fewer Hospital Re-admissions = More Deaths

According to a study by Dr Ankur Gupta at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Medicare penalties for hospitals that readmit patients with heart failure have had their intended effect of reducing the frequency of readmission after discharge. Thirty-day readmission rates dropped from 20% before the penalties went into effect to 18.4% afterward. A whopping 1.6 point decline.

Unfortunately for the patients, this came at the cost of a 1.4 point increase in the 30-day mortality rate for heart failure patients - from 7.2% to 8.6%. Worse, the one year mortality rate rose from 31.3% to 35.3% - up 4 points - from before the program to after.

Medicare officials say that they are "monitoring" the readmission penalty program. Government healthcare at work.

Vitamin D and Colon Cancer

Vitamin D has long been known to be a factor in strengthening bones and teeth by acting as a catalyst for calcium absorption. But new research suggests it may also be helpful in preventing colon cancer, the third most common type of cancer and the cause of 50,000 deaths a year in the US.

Current dietary guidelines recommend that adults get at least 600IU of vitamin D daily. Unfortunately, very few foods are good sources (fatty fish such as salmon and trout are two). The body is capable of manufacturing vitamin D itself, but it requires sun exposure to do so, which is problematic for some people and in some places. That leaves supplementation as the best option for many people.

A recent study by the American Cancer Society analyzed data on over 12,000 people in the US, Asia and Europe concluded that people with a higher-than-recommended blood level for vitamin D had a 22% lower risk of developing colorectal cancer. Those with lower-than-recommended levels had a 33% higher risk of developing the disease.

The study's authors recommend that everyone ensure that they are maintaining at least the recommended blood level (your doctor can test this at your next physical) and that people over 70 increase their vitamin D intake to at least 800UI daily.

"What is optimal for bone health may not be optimal for colorectal cancer risk reduction," said study co-author Marji McCullough.

Three Simple Ways to Lose Weight Without Dieting

Why worry about your diet? Just order Lipozene (as seen on TV), the diet pill that "melts away fat" without making any changes in your diet or lifestyle. Just take Lipozene and lose "four times more weight" (they never say four times more weight than what).

I haven't taken Lipozene, but I do understand the appeal. Everyone would like a simple way to lose weight without having to make any effort. I'm not sure that's really possible. But a recent Japaneses study of nearly 60,000 men and women with Type-2 Diabetes published in the journal BMJ Open identifies 3 weight loss strategies that just might come close.

First, just slow down while you eat whatever it is that you are eating. The slowest eaters in the study were 42% less likely to become obese over the next five years than those who ate quickly. Take your time and chew. Savor the flavor.
Put your fork down between bites. I mean really, how hard is that?

Skipping any after dinner snacks and not eating within 2 hours of going to bed also reduced the likelihood of obesity.

It really won't get much easier than that.

Of course, there is always Lipozene.

Do Fasting Diets Work?

Fasting diets, where you consume a normal (normal for human beings not normal for Americans) number of calories one day and then cut back by 70% or more the next, have become increasingly popular. But to they really help people lose weight?

A recent study done at the University of Illinois at Urbana and published in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that fasting diets are no better for weight loss than ordinary restricted calorie diets.

In a controlled study, 100 obese adults were divided into two groups. The alternate-day fasting group consumed 25% of their normal daily calories on fasting days and 125% on other days. The other group reduced calories by 25% every day. After six months weight loss was the same for both groups. Also, there was no significant difference in cholesterol, blood pressure or blood sugar between the two groups.

There is nothing wrong with fasting if it is something that you want to do, and it may well have other as yet unproven benefits. But don't expect it to amp up your weight loss program. As the end of the day, it all comes down to calories consumed vs calories burned.

Who Pays for Self-Inflicted Illnesses?

For the last decade or so, health experts have been warning about the "epidemic" of obesity in America and its troubling implications for the health and wellness of our population. Clearly the message is not getting through the fog of lies and deception perpetrated upon us by those who make, market and sell our food. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2017 Americans of all ages just kept getting fatter.

As of last year 4 in 10 Americans were obese and another 3 in 10 were overweight, the highest percentages ever recorded. Being either is proven to increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and more than a dozen types of cancer. But the biggest danger is diabetes.

According to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine the 10 year risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes is 8 times higher in overweight women and 18 times higher in obese women, compared to women of normal weight. The numbers are similar for men. As of 2017, roughly 46% of adult Americans are diabetic or pre-diabetic.

It is comforting to blame food producers for the problem, but companies simply provide products that people want to buy. The real problem is that we refuse to stop stuffing ourselves with crappy food. According to a famous and widely ignored Tulane University study, only 4% of obesity can be attributed to genetic factors. The rest of it is all due to the lifestyle people choose to live. The amount and type of food they choose to eat and the exercise the choose not to get.

This is everyone's problem now. How, as a society, do we afford to care for a population where 50% plus of us are diabetic? How should we afford it when the disease is nearly always the result of the bad choices that people make for themselves? Should the shrinking portion of people who make the effort to tend to their own wellness pay the cost of the ever increasing portion that does not?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but it is a discussion we as a society need to start having.

Going Med

Yesterday we looked at some of things that the Mediterranean Diet was not, and discovered that it was a long term pattern of eating rather than any particular foods. At its most basic, the diet is primarily vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, olive oil and seafood. Some poultry and diary are staples. And very little meat, sweets or processed foods. The Harvard School of Public Health as created a Mediterranean Diet Food Pyramid that illustrates nicely the types and proportions of different foods that comprise the real Med Diet.

Nobody is perfect and your diet doesn't need to be either. But you can get closer to this healthy way of eating step by step by gradually adapting to the following pattern of eating and just sticking with it.

Daily - eat fruits, vegetables, mostly whole grains, olive oil, beans, lentils and nuts. Go ahead and add whenever herbs and spices you enjoy, just leave out the salt.

Two or Three Times a Week - have fish and other seafood. Enjoy fermented diary products (like yogurt or cheese) and eggs.

Once a Week - Poultry.

Once or Twice a Month - Red meat and sweets.

Avoid - processed meats and prepared foods. Sugary drinks.

Drink - plenty of water. Tea and coffee are fine. If you drink alcohol, favor red wine and have it with your meals.

Exercise - build regular moderate exercise into you daily routine. You don't need to hit the gym. Walking, mowing the lawn and climbing the stairs all count.

Relax - mealtime is family time in most Mediterranean countries. Whether eating with family or friends, or all by yourself, relax, take your time and enjoy the experience. That is part of the pattern too.

You don't have to do this all in one step. That is provably an excellent way to fail. Start with small steps and keep going as it gets easier, as you feel better and as you discover the many ways to make eating this way fun, tasty and easy.

Replace candy, cookies and chips with nuts or fruit for snaking. It's an acquired taste, but so is the crap you are snacking on now.

Replace some of the red meat you are eating with seafood or beans. (Can you say broiled salmon steaks or chili?)

Replace soda and sugary drinks with cold water or tea. This one is utterly painless and in 2 weeks you'll wonder why you ever drank anything else.

Get a cookbook and experiment. You will find dozens of things that you will enjoy and you'll be surprised to discover how easy it is once you make a habit of it. Here are two good ones....

The Oldways 4-Week Mediterranean Diet Menu Plan. Take all the guesswork out of it with a 28 day meal plan.

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook. Over 500 recipes in this one, so you are bound to find some you will enjoy.

As with any change, the hardest part is getting started. Once you do, you can start to plan what you would like to do with the extra years you will be adding to your life and all the money you will save by not being sick.

Five Things a Mediterranean Diet is Not

There is more solid scientific evidence for the benefits of the Mediterranean Diet than any other popular diet in the world. It has been shown to be protective against heart disease and stroke, cancer and obesity, diabetes and even dementia. People who consume a Mediterranean Diet live longer than those who do not.

But like any good thing, it is victimized by promoters selling diets that are radically different who are trying to bask in its Mediterranean glow. Here are five things that the true Mediterranean Diet is not.

1. It is not low fat.

It includes plenty of fat. But most of it is the healthy monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) found in olive, avocado, nut and seed oils, not the saturated fats found in red meats.

2. It is not low carb.

The Med Diet includes plenty of grains such as pasta, wheat, bulgar, farro and barley. The key is to eat it in moderation.

3. It is not vegetarian.

While beef, pork and lamb are considered luxuries in many Mediterranean countries and are reserved for special occasions, they are certainly a part of the diet. Seafood is a staple as are dairy products and poultry.

4. It is not about the latest "superfood".

The Med Diet is an eating pattern. No single food explains its power. It is about shifting your overall approach to eating and maintaining it for many years.

5. Its not a license to drink.

Alcohol, mainly in the form of red wine, has its place in the healthy Med Diet. But it is, again, a pattern of moderate drinking, almost always taken with meals. Drinking more that that, especially without eating, is the exact opposite of the Mediterranean way.

Now that you know what the Mediterranean Diet is not, next time I will take a look at what is is, and how you can easily incorporate some of its features into your own pattern of eating and begin to enjoy its health benefits yourself.

Labeling Deception

Nutrition labels and various certification seals are supposed to give consumers more information about exactly what they are buying. But the average consumer doesn't have much chance against the lawyers and marketing departments of the companies that produce our food. They are experts at misleading you while carefully avoiding breaking any laws or regulations.

Some examples from the labeling of the meat we buy....


"No Hormones"

This is a good thing but not particularly impressive when found on chicken turkey or pork. It is illegal for growers to treat these animals with hormones. The claim only has meaning on beef.

"All Natural"

Sounds good. But all it means is that no artificial ingredients or color was added to the meat. It tells you nothing about how the animal was raised or whether it was treated with hormones or antibiotics.

"Grass Fed"

A verified seal like "American Grassfed" or "Certified Grass Fed by AGW" means the animals were never fed on grain and and spent their lives on pasture. But most grass fed claims are unverified and offer no guarantee that they are true.

"Sustainably Raised"

This claim has no official or regulatory definition. Anyone can slap it on their meat. Ignore it.

"No Antibiotics"

The FDA has banned the use of "No Growth Promoting Antibiotics" but you will still see the term in use. "Raised Without Antibiotics" and  "No Antibiotics Ever" may or may not be true. The "USDA Process Verified" seal means the claims have been independently verified. "USDA Organic" means that the animals were given no antibiotics, no hormones and only organic feed.


Finally, most meat has no nutrition labeling at all. The USDA does not require it. Instead they permit posting nutrition information on a poster displayed near the meat counter. Can't find the poster? The cut of meat you are buying isn't on it? Too bad for you.

Companies deliberately confusing people about the meat they buy probably isn't a big deal though. Its not as if they were eating it or anything.

Apple Cider Vinegar and Blood Sugar

Apple cider vinegar has gained enormous popularity as a home remedy for just about anything that ails you. From easing arthritis to erasing skin blemishes, apple cider vinegar is said to do it all. There is only a single benefit that is scientifically proven however, and its an important one.

For people dealing with diabetes or prediabetes, consuming vinegar with a meal has been shown to reduce post-meal blood sugar spikes by as much as 40% compared to people having the same meal without the vinegar. Much of the metabolic damage caused by diabetes is caused by these blood sugar spikes so this is significant.

It is the acetic acid in the vinegar that has the beneficial effect, blocking the absorption of carbohydrates and helping to clear excess sugar from the blood. Any vinegar will do this, not just apple vinegar.

It doesn't take a lot to get the benefit. In the studies confirming the effect, a dose of 2 tablespoons was used. Less was not as effective, and more did not seem to have any added benefit. Consuming the vinegar at or near the start of the meal seemed to be most effective.

If you are struggling to manage your blood sugar, try building some vinegar into your meals. Making your own vinaigrette salad dressing is a good way to do it. (Mix 1 part olive oil with 1 part red wine vinegar and add some herbs or a little mustard. This is less oil and MUCH less sodium than a store bought dressing). You can also use a flavored vinegar as a dip for bread in place of butter.

And you don't have to become a fanatic and do this every time you eat (although there would be nothing wrong with doing that). As with most things, even once in a while is better than not at all.

Certification for Aquaculture

Having heard about problems with "farm raised fish" such as the quality of the feed used, depletion of fresh water supplies and issues with runoff contamination, I have passed it by in favor of the "wild caught" label. This costs me significantly more than comparable farm raised offerings, but I care about what I eat and I want to support sustainable wild fishing.

As it turns out, there may be more to the story than that.

"Wild fish supplies are just not there any more," says Aaron McNevin, Director of Aquaculture for the World Wildlife Fund (an eco-friendly organization if ever there was one). "Some 80% - 85% of wild fish stocks are fished out or are at their capacity. To make matters worse, modern fishing techniques are causing damage to the oceans beyond just depletion of fishing stocks, such as damage to the sea floor by trawling or 'bycatch' - species caught unintentionally in the nets which are then destroyed."

I hadn't though about that. But wait! There's more!

Many environmental organizations now recognize that aquaculture -  the breeding and harvesting of marine animals in all types of water environments for food - must play an increasingly important role in supplying seafood to a hungry world. "For aquaculture, just like any other type of farming or ranching, there are good producers and bad producers," says McNevin.

How are consumers supposed to tell the difference? Fortunately, there are certification programs - as we see in the organic farming world - that give us a reliable method of determining if farmed fish is produced responsibly and sustainably. Here are two that you can depend on.

Seafood Watch, a program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, offers a grading system and their web site provides guidelines for choosing safe, sustainable seafood - both wild caught and farm raised.

The Aquaculture Stewardship Council, has established measurable standards for responsibly farmed seafood. Look for the green ASC seal on farm raised seafood that meets the standards.

As for me, I plan to give farm raised fish another look.

Six Foods with Proven Health Benefits

Long before there were pharmaceuticals, there was food. Countless cultures have treated illness and promoted good heath using what they found in the world around them. Hippocrates, "the father of medicine", around 400 BCE famously advised, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food".

This is still good advice almost 2,500 years later. Unlike drugs, food contains a symphony of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that can interact to help us fend off disease. Unfortunately, well designed clinical studies are often hard to find because they can be very expensive to do (and there is not much of a return on investment in proving that kale can make you healthier). And evidence or not, marketing departments breathlessly promote the latest miracle food.

Here are six foods for which the evidence of health benefits is convincing, any or all of which you can conveniently add to your diet.

1. Berries.
    Berries of all sorts are a rich source of nutrients and research
    suggests they     they can have a powerful effect on human health
    by reducing chronic inflammation and cancer risk. Plus,
    blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries all taste
    great. Toss some on your morning cereal.

2. Cruciferous Vegetables.
    George H. W. Bush may hate them but you shouldn't. Broccoli,
    cauliflower,     cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy (Chinese
    cabbage) and kale are known to     reduce "oxidative stress"
    which helps with cardio-vascular health, blood sugar
    management and cancer prevention. If you are like me and the
    very mention of these foods provokes a gag reflex, there is
    hope. You don't have to cook them the way my mother did (boil
    them until they could be eaten with a straw). They can be roasted,
    stir fried or tossed raw into salads. Try Google to find recipes
    that you will find appealing.

3. Fish.
    Any fish. Sure some are better than others but all are better than
    meat and poultry. The Omega-3 fatty acids in fish are effective
    anti-inflammatories that help protect your heart.  Find a few
    varieties that you enjoy and then do so once or twice a week.
    (There is more to the Fish Story but that is for another day.)

4. Fermented Foods.
    Unless you are living in a cave without WiFi, you've heard about
    the benefits of prebiotics and probiotics. This refers to the biome
    of healthy bacteria that inhabit our bodies, the digestive tract in
    particular, and which account for about 3% of your body weight.
    Eating fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi,
    tempeh and miso provides a favorable environment for these
    microorganisms which in turn improved digestion and strengthens
    your immune system.

5. Green Tea.
    The epugallocatechin gallate (you can gall it EGCG) in green tea
    has been shown to have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects
    and possible heart-health benefits as well. The only real drawback
    is that you have to drink a lot of it. If you enjoy the taste, try
    making green iced tea to replace the sugary drinks in your diet.

6. Nuts.
    Numerous studies have shown that consuming nuts aids in
    cardiac function, blood sugar management and weight control.
    Use roasted, unsalted nuts to replace less healthy snacks, you
    only need a small handful a day to get the benefits.

As with most all diet advice, you do not need to dive right in to the deep end of the pool. Add some of these foods to your existing meals, try different varieties and recipes, find what you enjoy. Any step forward is progress.

Arsenic in Your Food

Do you remember the film "Arsenic and Old Lace"? This was director Frank Capra's classic 1944 film about two elderly sisters in Brooklyn and their ongoing effort to permit lonely bachelors to die with smiles on their faces - by serving said bachelors elderberry wine spiked with arsenic.

It turns out that here in 2018 you don't have to add the arsenic, you can find it already in your food.

Arsenic is used as an additive in chicken and pig feeds to promote faster growth and a Johns Hopkins study found that the arsenic-based drugs fed to poultry remains in their flesh and is transformed into cancer-causing inorganic arsenic (iAs) when cooked. Manure from arsenic treated birds is often used as a fertilizer which then gets into our ground water and crops.

Arsenic has been found in a variety of crops including apples, Brussels sprouts, beets, carrots and wheat. But rice seems particularly adept at absorbing arsenic from groundwater. Rice and many products made from rice have arsenic levels "significantly" higher than the 5ppm set by the EPA as an acceptable limit, according to Consumer Reports.

More bad news? Men who had 2.5 beers per day had arsenic levels more than 30% higher than nonconsumers, and women who drank five to six glasses of wine per week had levels 20% higher than nonconsumers. The arsenic may be coming from the water used to brew these beverages, but beer and wine producers also use a filtration material, diatomaceous earth, that's known to harbor arsenic.

While the FDA assures us that arsenic levels in our food are safe, you may want to take reasonable steps to limit your exposure.

Don't just cook your rice, rinse it well first. When cooking, double the water to rice ratio to 6::1 and discard the excess after cooking. Brown rice tends to have higher arsenic levels that white rice does. Rice grown in California, India and Pakistan normally has lower arsenic levels than rice grown elsewhere.

Consume less conventionally raised chicken.

As always, you cannot depend on the government, let alone the producers, to keep your food safe. Its on you.

Reducing Cancer Risk

According to the CDC, in 2015 there were 595,930 Americans who died of cancer. Whether it was the standard treatment protocols that killed them or the cancer itself is unknown. The United States declared "war" on cancer in 1971, and nearly 600,000 of us continue to die from its effects each year. It is the second leading killer of Americans after heart disease.

We can argue about how the "war" is going after 41 years, trillions of dollars and millions of deaths. But one thing about which there is no argument is that, in the words of public health expert Graham Colditz, "The real key here is that most cancers are not just a result of bad luck or chance. The majority are preventable."

PREVENTABLE!!!

While some cancers are indeed the result of genetic factors, the vast majority are directly linked to our sedentary lifestyles, high fat, high sugar diets and our consumption of tobacco and alcohol. Not all cancers can be prevented by lifestyle changes, but many can.

What are the most important things that you can do to reduce your risk? None of them should be a big surprise.

Exercise.

For every five points your body mass index (BMI) exceeds the normal range of 18.5 - 24.9, your risk of colorectal and breast cancer doubles. People who are obese - a BMI of 30 or higher - are at elevated risk for 13 distinct types of cancer. Exercise also strengthens the immune system and speeds digestion. All that is required to start realizing anti-cancer benefits is 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a day - take your dog for a walk. You don't need to become a gym rat.

Fix Your Diet.

This is neither difficult nor complicated. Eliminate most of the crap - soda, sugary and salty snacks, processed "convenience" foods (cancer is really not all that convenient) and white flour. Eat less red meat and more fish. Dial the carbs back a little and fill your plate with vegetables. Snack on fruit. Drink tea or water. The fact is that most people "don't like" eating healthy simply because they don't do it. Force yourself for a month or three and you will find you enjoy it just fine.

Eliminate Tobacco and Scale Back on the Alcohol.

Alcohol is a known carcinogen. Limit your drinking to 1 drink a day. And a drink is 1.5 oz of spirits, 5 oz of wine or 12 oz of beer. Smoking is linked to more than 80% of all lung cancers and raises the risk of 12 other cancers significantly. Just stop doing it.

Wear Sunscreen.

Nearly 90% of all skin cancers are lined to sun exposure. And Colorado (where I live) leads the nation in melanomas, with a rate 30% higher than the national average.

Get a Good Night's Sleep.

Americans are sleep deprived, and that increases your chances of developing cancers. Getting less than 6 hours sleep a night can suppress your immune system and reduce your natural "killer cells" -  cells that can attack cancer cells when they appear in your body - by as much as 70%.

The bottom line is that there is a lot that you can do to lower your risk of joining those who perish in the "war". Even small changes can make a big difference. What are you waiting for? A diagnosis?

Five Foods that Fight Inflammation

"Low-grade" inflammation can be present in your body at the cellular level for years without any notable symptoms. But such constant irritation can eventually manifest itself as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and allergies - among other things.

Here are five foods that you can include in your diet that will help to tame the inflammation threat.

1. Broccoli

The antioxidants in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables like kale and Brussels sprouts are strongly linked to lower levels of cellular inflammation according to the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Don't let the fact that you loathed eating them as a kid rob you of their health benefits. There are ways of preparing them that you mom never heard of that are both easy and tasty. Yes. Even Brussels sprouts.

2. Wheat berries

The "gluten free" fad notwithstanding, whole wheat and the polyphenol antioxidants it contains are an ally in the fight against inflammation. Toss them on salads and into soups, stews and even chili.

3. Extra virgin olive oil

In addition to the proven benefits of its monounsaturated fats, olive oil contains oleocanthal, a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory mimicked by NSAID drugs like Ibuprofen.

4. Salmon

The Omega-3 fatty acids in salmon are well known for their anti-inflammatory power. Plus salmon tastes fantastic.

5. Grapefruit

A Harvard study concluded that women with a higher intake of flavenoid antioxidants from grapefruit had significantly lower inflammation levels than those who ate little or no grapefruit.

Grapefruit can interact negatively with several prescription medications. So if you are taking any, check with your doctor or pharmacist before adding grapefruit to your regular diet.


“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
― Hippocrates

House Guts Restaurant Disclosure Requirement

This past February, in the cynically misleadingly titled "Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act" - a bill that obfuscates disclosure - the US House of Representatives essentially gutted the the requirement that restaurants, supermarkets, convenience stores and movie theaters disclose the calorie content of the items on their menus.

The requirement was imposed as part of the Affordable Care Act and set to go into effect on May 5, 2017. Inexplicably, the Food and Drug Administration delayed the implementation by one year, to May 5, 2018 on the day before the rule was to take effect. This seems particularly illogical given that by May 4th, everyone was prepared to implement it.

But not to be outperformed in hypocrisy by the agency tasked with safeguarding our food, the House bill delayed implementation indefinitely. And just to be sure we were not mislead by being given accurate information about what we are eating, the bill permits serving sizes to be set at any size desired and not disclosed.

So that 100 calorie muffin you just ordered is going to set you back 500 calories if you eat the entire thing. Because the restaurant decided a "serving" was 1/5 of a muffin. Seems like common sense to me!

This monstrosity of a bill could still die if the Senate does not pass it. If you were ever thinking of contacting your Senators to express an opinion, this would be a really good time to do it.

"Common Sense Disclosure" my ass.

5 High Fiber Foods that Don't Taste like Cardboard

Dietary fiber is one of the most lacking components of the Standard American Diet (SAD). It is generally recommended that men consume at least 38 grams of fiber per day and 25 grams for women. On average, men consume about 18 grams and women about 15 grams. Lack of dietary fiber is strongly linked to a variety of serious health conditions such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension and high blood cholesterol levels.

Unsurprisingly, the paucity of fiber in the SAD is a result of the consumption of large amounts of highly processed foods and small amounts of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. So what is someone to do if they are not huge fans of oatmeal or beans?

Here are 5 foods that taste great and add significant amounts of fiber to your diet.

1. Avocados. 9g per medium fruit.

2. Raspberries. 8g per 1 cup serving.

3. Almonds. 6g per 1/2 cup serving. (Go for unsalted ones.)

4. Sweet Potatoes. These nutritional powerhouses give you 6 g of fiber per
    medium size potato. Cook and use them the same way you would use white
    potatoes.

5. Popcorn. 1g per cup, popped. (Go easy on the salt, but who eats popcorn with
    no salt, right?)

Try adding a few of these foods to your everyday diet. You will be doing yourself a big favor.

The Mac & Cheese Burger? Really?

With 70% of adults and 33% of children now classified as either overweight or obese, it would seem to me that the last thing the USA needs is a new 1,710 calorie burger. TGI Fridays' disagrees.

"Casual dining, " says CEO Aslam Khan, "needs to be more imaginative... especially around product innovation." Fridays' latest innovation? The Mac & Cheese Burger!

How did they manage to innovate a burger with 1,710 calories, 38 grams of saturated fat and 4,580mg of sodium? By imagining a 14oz (nearly a pound) burger covered with beer-cheese sauce, bacon and, yes, a hockey puck size slab of deep-fried mac and cheese. That is the equivalent of two McDonald's Big Macs covered with a half pound of melted Velveeta.

Its true enough that they are not forcing anyone to eat this heart attack on a plate. But most people have no idea what they are consuming. And it isn't fair to single out only Fridays'. Applebee's, Ruby Tuesday, Red Robbin and the rest all have their own versions of such absurdly excessive fare.

In the end, its up to you to know what you are eating and make good choices. After all, the chain restaurants will still be imagining and innovating long after you are dead.

Opiod Detox Supplement Scams

As sure as the sun rises in the east, every time there is some new public health issue, the supplement peddling charlatans crawl out from under their rocks to take advantage of people's misery. As if the millions of Americans  struggling with opioid drug addition did not have enough problems to contend with, now they are beset with, at best, unproven and ineffective supplements claiming to ease their transition off the drugs. At worst, these products may cause people to fail to seek help and even cost them their lives.

"There is no credible evidence that dietary supplements can help with the prevention of opiate addiction, detoxification, relapse prevention or recovery," says Bachaar Arnaout, addiction psychologist and assistant professor at the Yale School of Medicine. "These supplement companies are giving false hope to people who desperately need to get better."

The makers of Mitadone Anti Opiate Aid Plus ($40 for a one month supply) claim their product "helps ease withdrawal symptoms" and "helps you quit". The basis for their claims? According to the company, "We don't really have any scientific studies as it currently takes years and millions of dollar to do that."

The manufacturer of Opiate Detox Pro agrees. "Scientific studies are very costly, so no, there is no study."

"It is appalling that companies are profiting from the opioid epidemic by offering untested products whose use does not even correspond to the biology of opioid addiction," said Arnaout. "The heartbreaking thing is that we do have FDA approved medications that do work for treating opioid addiction."

But, hey, which is really more important? A few more dead opioid addicts or a second home for a supplement company CEO?

Full disclosure: My business is helping people improve their lives though lifestyle enhancements, including the use of sensible supplements. So these sort of low lifes really piss me off.

Good Health is the Best Insurance

According to the 2017 Kaiser Family Foundation's annual Employer Health Benefits Survey, over the last 5 years, the number of employers offering health insurance as an employee benefit has declined from 61% to 53%. Why? Because of relentlessly rising costs. The average cost of the employer's share (not counting what the employee may contribute) of a family health insurance plan was $18,764. That's per employee.

Suppose that was your business? Could you as the owner afford to carry that sort of expense? And each year it goes up, with no sign of moderating increases. With more and more Americans chronically ill, there seems no end in sight.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 75% of all US healthcare spending goes to treating preventable chronic diseases, most of which are diet and lifestyle related. This should hardly come as a surprise.

In the US, 34% of us are obese. Not overweight, obese. Despite its many proven benefits, 79% of Americans do not meet the recommended level of physical exercise and 86% do not meet recommended dietary guidelines.

So when your employer announces increased employee contributions, benefit cutbacks or even the elimination of health insurance, reflect for a moment that the very best health insurance is living a wellness lifestyle. And that is really your responsibility. You haven't the time to live healthy? Then how will you afford to live sickly?

Six Foods for Healthier Skin

We sometimes forget that, like the heart, lungs and liver, our skin is an organ. In fact it is the largest organ we have.  A living, breathing barrier between the more delicate organs inside and the harsh environment outside. Changes in our skin are among the first and most obvious signs of aging and of course it is subject to any number of conditions from annoying to deadly - rashes, psoriasis, eczema and cancer, to name a few.

Tory Armul, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, author and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests eating more of these 6 foods to enjoy healthier skin and reduce the risk of skin problems:

1. Yellow Bell Peppers

With nearly twice the vitamin C of an orange, yellow peppers support the body's production of collagen, which declines as we age. Collagen is a protein that  provides strength and elasticity to the skin, as well as assisting in cell repair and regrowth. They are best eaten raw, as cooking causes the vitamin C to leach out of the pepper. (Red and green peppers have less vitamin C than yellow ones, but are still good sources.)

2. Sweet Potatoes

The sweet potato's bright color comes from carotenoids, antioxidants that help keep the skin healthy. They are fat soluble, so go ahead and have a little butter, or, better yet, olive oil on your sweet potato. As a bonus, they are cheap and easy to prepare.

3. Salmon

The amino acids produced when the protein in salmon is broken down are reassembled into different proteins in your body. Some amino acids are called "essential" meaning that they are not produced by your body and must be obtained from your food. Salmon provides all the essential amino acids, which can help the skin to repair sun damage. Salmon is also an excellent source of healthy monounsaturated fats.

4. Walnuts

Walnuts  are rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fats which can help reduce inflammation and reduce symptoms of inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and acne. Like essential amino acids, omega-3 fats are not synthesized by the body so you must obtain them from your diet.

5. Raspberries

A good source if the antioxidant ellagic acid, raspberries reduce collagen breakdown due to exposure to UV light and reduce wrinkles and other skin damage. Other good sources are blueberries, cranberries and strawberries.

6. Chickpeas

Zinc supports the regeneration of new skin cells. As such it is an aid to wound healing as well as other skin problems such as rashes, eczema and acne. Chickpeas are an excellent source of zinc, as are other beans, tofu and oatmeal.

Of course none of these foods prevent or cure skin conditions, diseases or aging. But by routinely incorporating them into your diet you provide your skin with the raw material it needs to maintain its good health. Any why not give your skin every advantage?