LE BLOGUE DES EXERCICES,DU CONDITIONNEMENT PHYSIQUE ET DE L'ALIMENTATION-DE L'HYGIENE DE VIE/EXERCISES-CONDITIONING AND PROPER FOOD DIET BLOG.
SOYEZ LES BIENVENU(E)S-YOU ARE WELCOME
Tout dans la vie est une question d'équilibre d'où la nécessité de garder un esprit sain dans un corps sain.
Discipline-Volonté-Persévérance
Everything in life is a matter of balance therefore one needs to keep a healthy mind in a healthy body.
(NaturalNews) As the truth is beginning to tumble out about diet and health care, the milk myth is deserving of a closer look. The world at large has been brainwashed into thinking that milk and dairy are the ultimate (and only) source of calcium, not just for growing children. However, not only is dairy indigestible to many, it is also a source of disease.
Milk is For Babies
Mother's milk is the ultimate source of food for a growing baby. However, not only is that particular mother's milk unique, and so best suited, for that particular baby, her species produces the most suitable milk for her baby.
Species differ widely. For example, cows reach physical maturity in a single year. Humans take in the order of sixteen years to reach physical maturity. This means the components of the milk must be different to suit the needs of the species. For example, the calcium/protein ratio varies with each species.
Once a baby is weaned, their stomach environment changes. Mother's milk is an easy food to digest. Now, more complicated foods are being eaten, so these must be catered for. The need to digest milk, and so the process, tapers off. Now milk becomes indigestible. Lactose intolerance is rife, showing this to be so.
The Best Source of Calcium
Babies grow very quickly. This leads to the assumption that milk is responsible. However, when you consider that a cow, or any large herbivore, reaches physical maturity about sixteen times faster than a human, with bones which are three to four times bigger, then one has to question this assumption.
Cows eat grass and other plants, both low lying and from bushes. Given free access, they roam and eat according to what they need. This then gives us a clue as to the food responsible for strong bone growth.
Green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables are a powerful source of nutrients including all the macro minerals, trace elements, amino acids, omega 3 and more. Green leafy vegetables are the best source of the macro minerals (calcium and magnesium) responsible for good bone growth.
Many believe that the oxalic acid in greens inhibit the uptake of the macro minerals. If the greens are varied each day, this is not a problem, as greens contain an over abundance of the minerals that oxalic acid leaches out. Other common foods that contain high levels of oxalic acid include tea, coffee, chocolate, grains, beans and some nuts.
You only need to look as the body parts of a human to realize that, although an omnivore, humans are much closer to herbivores than to carnivores.
For example:
Human teeth are blunt, similar to that of a herbivore
Human finger nails are blunt, making it impossible to grasp a prey, as only a carnivores claws can
The human face profile is straight, making it impossible to hold a prey - only an extended jaw can achieve this
The human intestines are long as plant food takes longer to digest than raw meat
Human saliva contains ptyalin, common to all herbivores, but absent in carnivore saliva
The stomach acid of carnivores is much stronger than that of herbivores - human stomach acid is similar to that of herbivores
Carnivores perspire through their paws and by panting - herbivores perspire through skin pores
This means human health will fare better on a diet that is similar to that of a herbivore.
Processed Milk Causes Disease
The common practice of pasteurizing and homogenizing milk is the cause of many diseases, according to an increasing number of health therapists. Milk is pasteurized in an effort to prevent the spread of tuberculosis. However, in a study where 70 children were given a pint of raw milk every day over a five year period, only one case resulted. In a similar study involving pasteurized milk, 14 cases resulted.
Dr. Kurt Osler is a cardiologist in Connecticut. He has been researching the effects of homogenized milk for over 20 years. His findings indicate that homogenized milk is responsible for high cholesterol. Dr. William Ellis, an osteopath, links cows milk to many diseases in both children and adults such as chronic fatigue, anemia, arthritis, cramps, obesity, allergies and heart problems. Dr Frank Oski, a pediatrician, cites cows milk as being linked to iron deficiency anemia, cramps, diarrhea, multiple forms of allergy, atherosclerosis and heart attacks.
If milk was such a great source of calcium for the body, then osteoporosis should be minimal in countries which consume the most dairy. Instead, it's the opposite.
There are so many common myths that are harmful to your health. Don't accept them at face value.
Children with healthier diets are smarter, research proves
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Most parents want to do whatever they can to ensure they give their children every advantage and opportunity to succeed in life. According to new research, that also includes making sure they have a healthy diet.
According to a new study led by University of Adelaide, public health researcher, Dr. Lisa Smithers in Australia, children fed healthier diets early on have slightly higher IQs, while those with heavier junk food diets have slightly lower IQs.
"Diet supplies the nutrients needed for the development of brain tissues in the first two years of life, and the aim of this study was to look at what impact diet would have on children's IQs," Smithers said.
Researchers compared a range of dietary habits from more than 7,000 children, including traditionally prepared food at home, pre-prepared baby foods, breastfeeding and "discretionary," or junk foods. They looked at a link between the eating habits of children at six months, 15 months and two years, and their IQ at eight years of age.
Breastfeeding also helps
"We found that children who were breastfed at six months and had a healthy diet regularly including foods such as legumes, cheese, fruit and vegetables at 15 and 24 months, had an IQ up to two points higher by age eight," said Smithers.
"Those children who had a diet regularly involving biscuits, chocolate, sweets, soft drinks and chips in the first two years of life had IQs up to two points lower by age eight," she added. "We also found some negative impact on IQ from ready-prepared baby foods given at six months, but some positive associations when given at 24 months."
She went onto say that the study reinforced the need for parents to ensure their children eat right at an early age, to aid in their physical and mental development.
"While the differences in IQ are not huge, this study provides some of the strongest evidence to date that dietary patterns from six to 24 months have a small but significant effect on IQ at eight years of age," Smithers said. "It is important that we consider the longer-term impact of the foods we feed our children."
More on higher IQs
Along these lines, a separate study found that children with higher IQs at age 10 tended to become vegetarians by the time they reach 30.
The results of that study, published in the British Medical Journal, involved a study of 8,179 men and women. Researchers found that 366 (4.5 percent) of them said they were vegetarian, and of those, nine (2.5 percent) were vegan while 123 (33.6 percent) said they were vegetarian but ate fish or chicken.
On average, vegetarians had a higher childhood IQ score than non-vegetarians, said Britain's Metro newspaper.
"Vegetarians were more likely to be female, to be of higher social class (both in childhood and currently), and to have attained higher academic or vocational qualifications, although these socioeconomic advantages were not reflected in their income," the researchers said.
"Higher IQ at age 10 years was associated with an increased likelihood of being vegetarian at age 30," they added. "IQ remained a statistically significant predictor of being vegetarian as an adult after adjustment for social class, academic or vocational qualifications, and sex."
They concluded: "Our finding that children with greater intelligence are more likely to report being vegetarian as adults, coupled with the evidence on the potential benefits to cardiovascular health of a vegetarian diet, may help to explain why higher IQ in childhood or adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in adult life."
(NaturalNews) The approach of western science is usually totally mechanical. So the inclusion of that which is not tangible is often excluded. Neuroscience delves into the brain's pleasure points according to what areas "light up" in the brain during sex and during meditation.
This type of research tends to oversimplify meditation while honoring sexual pleasure as an ultimate attainment. However, some writings from that quarter of neuroscience do acknowledge that meditation practiced regularly is a more pragmatic practice for steady mood enhancement and opening to pleasurable moments in all facets of life.
The brain and the mind
But does this imply that pleasure is derived from brain function? There are those who would argue that the brain is not the mind, but a cellular switchboard connecting subtle realms to physiological activity. In other words, they consider the brain to be a physical manifestation of the mind, which is not material.
Some adventurous scientists do get into subtle energy, especially with energetic medicine. Though often applied with contrived technological apparatus, they do usually appreciate that they are taking a western approach to what Eastern health practitioners and mystics have understood centuries.
Furthermore, there have been studies performed by western scientists and MDs who have gathered information from so called near death experiences. Many are actually bodily death and returning to a re-enlivened body experiences. Those who had the experiences accurately reported what they were seeing from outside the body.
A woman was pronounced dead in an operating room while heavily anesthetized. She was brought back to life and was able to accurately describe everything that had gone on in the operating room, to the doctors' and nurses' astonishment. She had calmly observed it all, including her lifeless body.
These can be considered inexplicable, even fictitious. Many materialistic scientists bring it down to chemical reactions and neurological electrical activities in the brain.
Those who describe witnessing other parts of the physical universe or experiencing a blissful eternal light that touches the source of all life are dismissed by materialist scientists as having hallucinations from within the brain.
Yet those who have those experiences from near or actual death come back with a sense of inner calm and renewed purpose. All this came from the fatty cells, nerve synapses, and electrical currents within the brain? Eastern mystical and spiritual masters say no, we are not our bodies.
Out of body experiences (OBE) and near death experiences (NDE) indicate this. We are souls temporarily in bodies to experience and live out karma. Real bliss transcends bodily pleasure.
Comparing and contrasting meditation and sex
Many who constantly pursue the pleasures of sex come to realize there's more pain and angst than pleasure in that pursuit. The orgasm comes and goes. Then it's time to play games again instead of pursuing something more productive. That creates more karma.
Marriage traditionally involves the duty of creating offspring while hopefully enjoying a physical relationship with the spouse. Then comes the challenge of child rearing in an ever increasingly dangerous and unhealthy world.
Meditation practiced daily is available to help one experience a calmer mind and mood with a happier heart for dealing with life's travails. You don't need a cooperative partner, and by meditating well often you'll be creating less karma.
The ultimate meditative experience is blissful oneness with the source of all life, regardless of what you name it. All religious labels refer to this same awareness, according to a few western philosophers, scientists, and mystics both western and eastern.
Meanwhile, we mortals can carry on better by meditating often to unravel some karma toward the ultimate goal of enlightenment, if not this life, then maybe a later one.
As much as a beastly set of quads can really set you apart from the chest and arms crowd, training the quads hard and heavy can be problematic. Many of the best quad exercises put a lot of stress on the knees, hence their "knee dominant" classification.
That's not necessarily a bad thing if you've got healthy knees, but if you don't, well, your quest to build tree trunks for quads will be an uphill battle.
You essentially have three choices: Option 1: Ignore your knee pain and train through it. Better yet, just get some knee wraps and wrap em' up as tight as possible. Buy your ibuprofen in bulk from Costco. You won't feel a thing. Woot!
I'm kidding. Having gone this route many times before, I can tell you it's a losing proposition. Never train through pain. It may seem cool at the time, and some of your lifting buddies might say you're "hardcore," but when you're hobbling around and struggling to go up and down stairs, it's not so cool. Option 2: Stop training your quads altogether and resign yourself to a lifetime of sweatpants and chicken legs. I mean, let's be honest, by the time someone of the opposite sex sees your quads, you should have already sealed the deal.
Again, I'm kidding. Option 3: Get creative and find ways to blast your quads without hurting your knees.
That sounds best to me, so let's roll with that. Here are some exercises to help.
1. Landmine Reverse Lunges
Landmine reverse lunges are a great knee-friendly alternative to regular lunges, or even regular reverse lunges.
Start by putting one end of a barbell in the landmine unit and holding the other end in your left hand, 1-2 inches in front of your thigh. Keeping your chest up, take a big step back with your left leg while simultaneously reaching your left arm slightly forward.
In the bottom position, your left hand should be approximately in line with your right shin. From there, push through the heel of the right foot and return to the start position.
Repeat with your other leg.
It should look like this:
The barbell functions as a counterbalance, allowing you to take a much bigger step back than what would normally be possible with traditional loading methods, thereby encouraging you to maintain a completely vertical tibia, which in turn helps take stress off the knee joint.
If you try keeping a vertical shin in a standard lunge or reverse lunge using standard loading methods, it's extremely difficult to execute. Using the landmine, it's no problem at all.
Moreover, this variation provides offset contralateral loading, which increases glute recruitment and helps to build hip, core, and pelvic stability while also developing grip strength (since you're forced to hold the thick part of the barbell).
I don't recommend loading the bar up with too much weight because it can be tricky to handle heavy loads so far out in front of your body, and you don't want to risk a lower back injury. This is a tough exercise to begin with so you probably won't need a lot of external resistance anyway, but if you do, try adding a weighted vest.
Note: If you don't have a specialized landmine unit, just place a towel around one end of the barbell and carefully position it in a corner with a heavy dumbbell over the tip so it won't slip out of place.
2. Valslide Landmine Reverse Lunges
To make landmine reverse lunges even more knee-friendly, try adding in Valslides or a slideboard for the reverse lunges.
Do the reps in a slow and controlled fashion and focus on keeping your weight on the heel of the working leg as you slide back as far as you can go, all without losing your balance or having your chest collapse forward.
When you reach the bottom position, think about pulling through the glute of the front leg rather than pushing with the quad. Don't worry, your quads will still get plenty of work.
Here's what it looks like in action:
If you watch the video, you'll notice that the shin of the front leg hardly moves at all during the set and the tibia stays completely vertical throughout. Being that our goal is to deload the knee, that's a good thing.
If you continue watching, you'll also notice that I'm able to slide way back; much farther back than you can step in a regular reverse lunge and even a little farther back than you can go in a landmine reverse lunge without the slide pad.
Along with making for one hell of a hip flexor stretch, this encourages a posterior weight shift to take pressure off the knee of the front working leg. Better still, it also limits knee flexion in the rear leg, which again is great for folks suffering from knee pain – sometimes the rear leg experiences pain during lunges when forced to bend excessively and absorb the impact of stepping backwards.
3. Rear Foot (Slightly) Elevated Split Squats
Rear foot elevated split squats (RFESS), a.k.a. Bulgarian split squats, are one of my absolute favorite exercises for building the quads. That said, they aren't always tolerated well by those suffering from knee pain.
Sometimes the pain is in the front leg, which can usually be cleared up by taking a longer stride and focusing on keeping as much of a vertical tibia as possible.
Interestingly enough, most complaints of knee pain during this exercise are usually related to pain in the rear leg. If that's the case, the issue can often be ameliorated simply by not elevating the rear leg quite so high.
Most of the time you'll see RFESS done using a standard weight bench, which depending on the manufacturer is typically somewhere between 17-19 inches. While that height is fine for most people, those experiencing knee pain in the rear leg should try using a 9-12 inch box instead and see if that helps.
Make sure to plantarflex the rear ankle and set up "laces down" on the box to avoid pushing through your toes. Do the reps in a slow and controlled fashion and focus on keeping your weight on the heel of the front foot, like so:
With the shorter box you can clearly see that knee flexion of the rear leg is dramatically reduced as compared to doing them on a full-sized bench. In that regard, it's very similar to doing a regular split squat with the back leg on the floor.
I like split squats too as a teaching tool, but I don't like loading them heavy because there's a strong tendency to cheat and use the back leg too much as the weights get heavier.
I'd much prefer to progress to a RFESS with laces down and just limit the height of the box if need be, focusing on keeping the majority of the weight on the front leg.
Make sure you're stretching and foam rolling your quads and hip flexors too, as that should also help a lot. In time you should be able to go back to using a full size bench, but until you can do so completely pain-free, don't push it.
4. Eccentric One-Leg Squats
I'd always thought of eccentric single-leg squats as an effective learning progression to work towards full single-leg squats (which it is), but I learned from Mike Boyle that it can also be a fantastic alternative exercise for individuals dealing with knee pain. After trying it out extensively, I think it works well in both scenarios.
To do them, simply lower down to a parallel box on one leg and come back up on two legs:
The key here is to control the eccentric portion of the rep and not just free-fall down to the box. If you're unable to control it, raise the height of the box until you can and then slowly increase the depth over time.
If you're new to single-leg squats and just can't seem to get the hang of them, try doing these to a standard bench using 5-pound dumbbells in your hands to serve as a counterbalance.
[Insert Pic Ben Single Leg]
Once you can do five reps with 4-5 second eccentrics, you should be all set to do full single-leg squats.
If you're more advanced and can already do single-leg squats but find they irritate your knees, the eccentric-only version may allow you to do them pain-free. Using a box allows you to sit back farther and keep a more vertical tibia than doing them without the box.
I'm using a front squat grip in the video above because I've done these for a long time and have progressed quite a bit in weight, but I recommend starting by holding 5-10 pound dumbbells in your hands and raising them straight-out to shoulder level as you descend. Having your arms out in front helps tremendously with balance so do it that way first until you're completely comfortable and need to add more load.
5. Deadlifts
You know those people that say a deadlift is just a squat with the weight in your hands and cue you to get your butt way down low before you pull? As someone who loves to deadlift – and deadlift heavy – that advice always used to annoy me because it's clearly not the best way to pull heavy weights.
I also think it can be dangerous to pull in this manner because almost every time I see someone set up for a near-maximal deadlift with their hips too low, they almost invariably shoot up before the bar breaks the floor and the person ends up rounding his lower back something awful.
So if your goal is to move as much weight as possible, a low hip position isn't the best way to go.
But this article isn't about the best way to deadlift as much weight as possible. We're talking about working the quads here, and if that's the goal, a lower hip position deadlift where you try to visualize squatting the weight up can be a pretty damn good exercise that's much more knee-friendly than squatting.
Start by getting your butt down and your chest up with your weight on your heels. As you break the bar off the floor, it's imperative that the hips and shoulders stay in sync in order to protect your back and keep the stress on your legs.
You're going to have to drop the weights significantly to do this correctly. I'd even start with 30-40% of what you think you can deadlift normally as you adjust to the new technique. It's important to be strict with these, both for the health of your back, and to make sure the stress stays on the quads.
I know that seems extremely light, but if you're doing it right, your quads will feel it. You don't have to stay super light forever and your numbers should climb quickly, but don't add weight at the expense of form. The devil is in the details with these.
From time to time I also like to do them from a slight deficit to increase the range of motion. If doing so causes you knee pain, or you don't have the requisite mobility to get that low with a flat back, avoid pulling from a deficit and just pull from the floor.
My favorite stance is what I'd call "semi-sumo" with my feet slightly wider than shoulder width. If you remove the bar from the equation and just look at the movement, this really looks more like a parallel squat.
You can also pull conventional, but I think the low hip conventional deadlift can be a bit riskier on the lower back, and I don't feel it quite as much in my quads. Interestingly, I actually pull weight more conventional style than I do sumo, but sumo just feels better. If you choose to pull conventional, be extra careful not to let the hips shoot up as you initiate the pull.
If you're lucky enough to have a trap bar at your gym, that's another option too. I like the trap bar a lot, but I find that when my knees are bothering me it can be problematic, so keep that in mind.
Experiment with all the different variations and find what you like best.
6. Reverse Sled Drags
Reverse sled drags have been my biggest staple quad exercise for the past eight months and I've managed to add some muscle to my legs, despite not doing a ton of other heavy "quad" work. I'm certainly not advocating ditching all heavy lifting in favor of sled drags, but I do think it's a great way to finish your lower body workouts, or even as a standalone on days when your knees just aren't up for the task.
I'm not talking about taking a leisurely stroll at the end of the workout, though. In order for the sled drags to be a viable way to build muscle, you've got to push them (or pull them, rather) hard, just like you would any strength exercise. If you aren't hating life while you're pulling, you ain't doing it right.
I'm hesitant to give specific recommendations on how to implement sled work because so much of it depends on the surface you're pulling on and the space you have available.
As a point of reference, I've pulled up to 1,100 pounds on one indoor turf surface I use. On another outdoor turf surface, I top out around 650 pounds, and when I pull on rubber I struggle with 300 pounds. Don't worry about the amount of weight you use – just worry about increasing that number over time.
Distance will vary depending on your space limitations. If possible, start with heavy drags of about 25-30 yards each. Start with four trips and gradually work up to 6-8 trips.
If that's not specific enough for you, here's a good general rule: go as heavy as you think you can go – plus a little bit – for as far as you think you can go (plus a little bit).
I'm not saying to get reckless, and you obviously need to exercise a certain degree of caution, but too many people wuss out at the slightest sign of a quad burn. Sorry, there's no way to get around that – but the cool thing about sleds is that while they burn like hell while you're doing them, they won't leave you too sore the next day, so remind yourself of that while you're pulling.
You need to push past your comfort zone to get results, but that goes for just about anything worth doing in life.
Closing Words
If knee pain has kept you from training your quads like you know you should, or the current exercises you're doing are making your knees bark at the moon, give some of this stuff a shot and see how it goes.
And it should go without saying, but if any exercise hurts, stop doing it. Don't try to be a hero.
Lastly, these exercises aren't just for those of us with bad knees, nor do you have to wait until you have bad knees to start doing knee-friendly training. Even if your knees are feeling good at the moment, it might still be wise to sprinkle some of these exercises into your program to give your knees a little break so they stay healthy for the long haul.
It may require a little bit of imagination to find exercises that don't hurt, but one way or another, almost anyone can build a set of wheels they can be proud of if you're willing to put in the work.
Remember, friends don't let friends skip leg day.
A film documenting the historical and current production of quinoa.
12 Backers, $600 in Week 2! A great start to a long road ahead...thanks so much to those who've supported so far: Erica, Samantha, Bridget, Stephanie, Stefan, KG, Mike, Chris, Morgan, Nick, Elana, and Megan!
2013 has been designated the “International Year of Quinoa” by FAO and the UN. PROINPA, an organization that works in agricultural development, has united with us to tell the story of quinoa production in Bolivia to create a new book and series of international exhibitions.
But why quinoa, and why is there a need for such organizations to create a resolution declaring a year long celebration of the food? While we capture content for the celebratory book and events, we take a closer look at the history of quinoa, its rising international popularity and position in the marketplace, and the benefits of a food that is also known as "The Mother Grain."
Completely self financed to this point and with significant assistance from PROINPA, we traveled to Bolivia during harvest season, visiting and photographing many of the famers that work with PROINPA. Currently, quinoa crops are nearly, if not fully, grown and many farmers have begun the harvest of the crop. A second trip scheduled for September is being planned and organized with PROINPA to revisit some farmers as they sow the ground in preparation for next years' harvest.
ABOUT QUINOA
Translated, quinoa means "The Mother Grain." It is a grain with outstanding and intrinsic characteristics. It has an amazing ability to adapt to adverse conditions of climate and soil where other crops cannot grow, especially at high altitudes. Unlike other grains and cereals, quinoa provides a complete protein, containing all the essential amino acids, making it an ideal food for all diets. Traditional and nontraditional industrial innovations have improved crop yields over the last five years. The cost of production when compared to traditional crops such as potatoes and maize is significantly lower because the harvesting is less labor intensive.
In 1996, the FAO deemed quinoa as a “promising crop of humanity” due to the aforementioned characteristics and the global need to find and identify alternative food products. This global need emerges as a result of growing population and climate change in many countries, and quinoa is viewed as a potential solution due to its adaptable nature. It fulfills the “four pillars of food,” as identified by the FAO (availability, access, utilization, stability). In recent years, the number of quinoa fields in varying countries has significantly grown, where quinoa has not traditionally been harvested (i.e. England, France, Sweden). Exports has also significantly risen in countries that have traditionally grown quinoa (i.e. Bolivia, Peru, Chile).
THE PROJECT
The Mother Grain asks why an entire year has been dedicated to celebrating a tiny grain and examines the countless positive benefits of quinoa production as an answer.
The story to be told dates back to the Conquistadors and traces itself through many agrarian reforms in South America to the 1980's, when the first farms in the United States began growing quinoa, to next year, the "International Year of Quinoa." The story goes beyond Bolivia. Now more than ever, there are more people outside of Bolivia beginning to produce and consume quinoa. Not only are there farms in England, France, and Sweden producing quinoa, but in Italy and the United States as well. There are even farms in some African countries, like Kenya, sustaining quinoa. And there are more markets and groceries carrying quinoa as its international consumer base has significantly risen over the past decade.
Part of the narrative includes the comparative benefits of quinoa growth and consumption versus our 'staple' foods such as corn, rice, and soy...and despite the obvious advantages, how the industrialization of food makes it difficult for an emerging food like quinoa to thrive.
A final part of this story is examining to Millennial Goals of United Nations, of which one is to cut world poverty and hunger in half by 2015. We examine what steps are being taken to achieve this lofty goal, how dedicating an entire year to quinoa helps, and ask why some countries are not making enough progress to achieve the 2015 goal (countries like Bolivia).
THE CREW
Bear Witness Pictures is comprised of Michael Wilcox and Stefan Jeremiah, both of whom made the original trip to Bolivia this past spring.
We are photojournalists who are interested in exploring, and visually showing, the far reaching and extended affect every story line or issue possesses. We are using quinoa to not only explore larger issues like world poverty and hunger, but to look at the agricultural history of our world as a means of determining how we've arrived to our current situation of food production and distribution.
We are raising funds to support all of the production for "The Mother Grain" outside of Bolivia. Filming has already begun on a farm in Upstate New York, but a production budget is for crew, travel, and filming in other farms on location afar.
We need to complete the story we've set out to tell, we need to travel to and meet with farmers, producers, importers, exporters, buyers, sellers, consumers...anyone in the world who is supporting the growth of quinoa. We have also reached out to and are planning to meet with experts in Incan, Andean, and Bolivian history in order to glean a better understanding of how culture and society in general affect quinoa and food production. All of this in an effort to determine if a tiny grain is worthy of such a lofty title as "The Mother Grain."
(NaturalNews) Record heat and drought conditions across much of the country make it pretty difficult to think about the approaching winter, but once it gets here why not supplement your diet with a little cocoa?
Not only does it taste good, new research shows it could be very good for you as well.
According to data culled from 20 separate studies over the last ten years, researchers have discovered that consuming dark chocolate or cocoa daily - both of which are rich in plant compounds known as flavanols - could lead to a slight dip in your blood pressure for a short while.
People who consumed flavanol-rich cocoa products daily for a few weeks saw their blood pressure drop by about two or three points. And while that may not sound like much, consider a) cocoa tastes good; b) every little bit helps when it comes to lowering blood pressure because of its long-term, cumulative effect on your cardiovascular system; and c) see answer "a."
Studies examined appear reliable
Medical experts aren't quite ready to recommend cocoa supplementation over medications aimed at treating high blood pressure. But they are saying that the level of blood pressure reduction linked to daily doses of cocoa are the equivalent to the addition of "diet changes or exercise," Reuters reported, citing the researchers.
Wait, though. That doesn't mean you should drop exercise in lieu of eating more cocoa, says Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of MichiganHealth Systems in Ann Arbor.
"If I had to choose between cocoa and exercise, I would take the exercise," said Jackson, who had no part in the new study. "To me this says a little bit of dark chocolate isn't too bad, but you wouldn't want to go overboard with the calories and eat a pound of chocolate," she said.
The comparative study, the results of which were published in The Cochrane Library, researchers from Australia examined a number of online databases to find randomized controlled trials, which are considered the "gold standard" of medical research, comparing people who ate flavanol-filled cocoa products to people eating low-flavanol cocoa powder or products that contained no flavanol.
The researchers could not say flavanols are responsible for lowering blood pressure in participants of the study. But the compounds themselves, which are also found in other foods (green tea, red wine, berries) have been linked to the production of nitric oxide in the body which, the authors note, helps to relax blood vessels. That, in turn, lowers blood pressure.
The American Heart Association says a persons' systolic blood pressure - that's the top number - should be lower than 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), while their diastolic, or lower, number should be around 80 mm Hg or less.
There are some variables, but overall it seems to work
The studies examined followed people who were generally healthy for between two and 18 weeks. Researchers say that of 856 participants, 429 of them ate between three grams and 100 grams of cocoa or dark chocolate that contained anywhere between 30 mg to 1080 mg of flavanols every day.
The remaining 427 people were put in groups that ate low-flavanol cocoa powder and other products that did not contain them at all.
At the end of the studies, the flavanol-rich group saw systolic blood pressure drops of about 2.8 mm Hg and diastolic decreases of about 2.2 mm Hg.
There were some additional factors to consider regarding the results, experts noted.
For one, it's not clear exactly how much of the flavanol-rich cocoa should be consumed daily in order to substantially reduce blood pressure or even if larger doses would have greater effects. Also, not all cocoa products are created equal; Some contain more flavanols than others.
And, experts noted, the effects seemed to be greater in younger adults, a finding that led Jackson to comment that she wasn't surprised since blood vessels tend to become less elastic as people get older.
Nevertheless, the study's lead author sounded a positive note overall.
"Moderate, regular dosages of flavanol-rich cocoa products such as dark chocolate may be part of a comprehensive lifestyle plan to optimizing health," Dr. Karin Ried of the National Institute of Integrative Medicine in Melbourne, told Reuters.
(NaturalNews) Colorectal cancers represent the fourth most prevalent form of the disease with more than 150,000 cases diagnosed each year and more than 50,000 deaths. Forward-thinking nutrition researchers understand that this particular form of the disease is largely preventable through lifestyle changes including healthy diet, exercise and smoking cessation. The newly emerging science of Epigenetics is shining a light on the specific mechanism of food-based nutrients to influence genetic expression helping to prevent many diseases, especially colon cancer.
Researchers from Oregon State University's Linus Pauling Institute have reported the result of their work in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research that demonstrates how spinach consumption neutralizes carcinogens in cooked foods to alter cancer stem cells and slash colon cancer risk. This study adds to the growing body of research that shows the potent nature of fresh, unaltered foods to prevent chronic diseases and the role of Epigenetics in cancer, or the ways in which gene expression and cell behavior can be changed even though DNA sequence information is unaltered.
Regular spinach consumption cuts colon tumor formation in half
The lead study author, Dr. Mansi Parasramka noted "Cancer development is a complex, multi-step process, with damaged cells arising through various means... this study showed that alterations of microRNAs affect cancer stem cell markers in colon cancer formation." The researchers specifically targeted the damaging acrylamides and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that form when meats and other food sources are heated at high temperatures. These compounds influence microRNAs and genetic markers to increase risk of colorectal cancer.
Scientists know that cancer development is initiated by small changes in DNA sequencing, or mutations that result in uncontrolled cell growth. The rapidly emerging field of Epigenetics is showing how dietary, environmental and lifestyle influences can directly influence the expression of genes to promote or prevent many cancer lines and heart disease, diabetes and neurological disorders as well.
MicroRNAs, once thought to be genetic 'junk,' are now recognized as critical components to the Epigenetic equation as they determine which areas of our genes are expressed or remain silent as a result of environmental influences such as diet. The researchers monitored 679 known microRNAs to find out how they responded or were expressed when exposed to different food sources.
The study team found that consumption of spinach can partially offset the damaging effects of many food-induced carcinogens. In tests with laboratory animals, the leafy greens cut the incidence of colon tumors almost in half, from 58 percent to 32 percent. The researchers concluded "The good news about epigenetics and microRNA alterations is that we may be able to restore normal cell function, via diet and healthy life style choices." While spinach was found to exert a powerful effect on genetic expression to inhibit colon tumor formation, a varied diet of fresh, uncooked vegetables will yield a health-promoting shield to protect against many forms of cancer and chronic disease.
About the author: John Phillip is a Health Researcher and Author who writes regularly on the cutting edge use of diet, lifestyle modifications and targeted supplementation to enhance and improve the quality and length of life. John is the author of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan', a comprehensive EBook explaining how to use Diet, Exercise, Mind and Targeted Supplementation to achieve your weight loss goal. VisitMy Optimal Health Resource to continue reading the latest health news updates, and to download your Free 48 page copy of 'Your Healthy Weight Loss Plan'.
(NaturalNews) Evidence shows that humans have been collecting and using honey for thousands of years. Humans have used honey in multiple ways, consuming it as an edible food and also using honey as a topical cream.
The first sign of humans gathering honey is a six thousand-year-old cave painting in Valencia, Spain, depicting a man climbing up a ladder to collect the sticky substance. Since then, honey has had an interesting history.
Honey has made appearances in Judaism, Buddhism, and Christianity, with John the Baptist surviving on only honey and locusts in the Old Testament. When Julius Caesar ruled Rome, honey was used interchangeably with gold as a currency substitute. Honey was quite popular with ancient Egyptians as well, as it was even used in their mummification processes.
Most modern humans stick to consuming honey, although those who are informed apply honey to their skin as well. Honey is most commonly thought of as an alternative sweetener however, used instead of sugar.
Better than sugar?
Honey is a complex substance that is made up of over 100 different compounds. Table sugar is a very different story; literally just made up of sucrose. Sugar has no nutritional value to speak of, devoid of vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients. Honey, on the other hand, contains vitamins and minerals as well as significant levels of free radical fighting flavonoids and antioxidants.
These health properties of honey translate well under scientific examination. Vitamin E blood levels stay higher, blood levels don't spike as high, and triglyceride levels are improved when honey is eaten instead of an artificial sweetener.
Other alleged health benefits of honey include increased calcium absorption and increased hemoglobin count. Honey has also been used to ease arthritis and help with constipation. One clinical trial found that honey improved indigestion, ulcers, and intestinal inflammation. Many allergy sufferers use honey with success, and one study even found a 60 percent reduction in birch pollen allergy symptoms with honey ingestion. A 2007 study by the Penn State College of Medicine gave clout to honey's reputation as a cough medicine. The study showed honey outperforming an over the counter cough suppressant in severity, frequency, and bothersome nature of coughs.
Honey ointment
Honey contains an enzyme which produces hydrogen peroxide, making it useful for cuts and other wounds. Hydrogen peroxide disinfects lacerations and prevents bacteria from growing in the inflicted areas, making honey an excellent topical cut cream. Honey has even shown the potential to combat the notorious staph infection MRSA. Those same antibacterial characteristics give honey the ability to fight acne when applied to skin.
Research supports honey's topical use as well. One study found that honey healed superficial burns more quickly and effectively than the standard medical treatment. Another study found that honey was more effective than the standard medical treatment at healing cesarean sections and abdominal hysterectomies. Honey allowed patients to be free of infection sooner as well as heal their scars faster.
However, not all honey is created equally. As with many foods, getting your honey local and organic will be superior from a nutritional standpoint. Additionally, most honeys have a higher antioxidant content as they get darker, so finding a dark variety of honey such as buckwheat should be prioritized too.
About the author: My name is Ben Hirshberg and I am a student from Seattle. I am very passionate about living healthfully and am constantly learning. Nutrition is a big part of my health philosophy so I am always experimenting in the kitchen with different foods. Physical activity is also something that I believe strongly in, and I am currently getting my personal trainer certification from the World Instructor Training Schools. You can find more of my articles on nutrition, physical activity, recipes, and mental health at www.BenHirshberg.com
(NaturalNews) Breast cancer is the number one cancer that kills women. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation have proved that there needs to be a more comprehensive approach to healing this disease. The answer can only be found when one truly understands that breast cancer is not caused by physical factors alone but like all disease, is holistic - meaning it only manifests when the body, mind, emotions and spirit are out of balance. When these four are in harmony, the stage is set for complete healing to occur.
Breast cancer must be looked at from an environmental and emotional perspective. So what makes cancer cells form and become so aggressive? The answer is found in the environment that the cells are raised in. If a person is laden with chemicals and toxins, if they are deficient in key vital nutrients, if they have had physical trauma or even worse, emotional trauma, all these factors press the button for normal cells to change into cancer cells.
German new medicine protocol
Breast cancer is linked to the emotional shocks of worry, fear and separation. These are not small day-to-day worries but major emotional shocks that usually caught the woman off guard. The first kind of breast cancer is of the mammary gland and is triggered by a worry or argument conflict with a spouse, child, mother or over the loss of the home. The second type of breast cancer is of the intraductal gland and is set off by a separation or fear conflict from a spouse, child, mother or home. In life, the physical is just a manifestation of the mental, emotional and spiritual states. What one sees in their body is a product of their thoughts, emotions and beliefs.
So how can you heal breast cancer? By healing your entire life. Start first by learning how to let go of being dependent upon others. People are made to be with one another but to not be codependent upon each other. If worry, separation and fear are the biggest triggers of breast cancer, then you must begin to emotionally condition yourself to be able to live a life without a spouse, child, home or whatever else you are so attached to that will trigger a disease in the body if its lost. Loss does cause a grieving period but then that time should be finished and you should move on to the next chapter of your life. A person who is at peace with themselves is a person who is healthy in many ways.
Physically, the way to heal is to get at least eight hours of sleep a night, preferably with four of those before midnight, and to eat a diet high in raw vegetables and fruits. Next is exercise; to move lymph fluid (where two thirds of the immune strength is found) and to increase oxygen levels in the body. Cancer cannot grow in high oxygen. Last but not least, is to live a life of reflection and meditation. Stilling yourself enough to be able to listen to the truth that is being spoken into the heart.
Breast cancer should not be something to fear but rather a call to go deeper in this journey called life. Instead of emotionally reacting, it should be a call to rise to the challenge that life has presented, a time to reevaluate each area of life and to seek where physical, mental, emotional and spiritual improvements can be made to make life better than it ever was. What appears to be the worst is really meant to become the best.
Sources for this article include:
An increase in cancer stem cell population after primary systemic therapy is a poor prognostic factor in breast cancer. Lee, Kim, Choi, Kang, Chung, Ryu and Park. British Journal of Cancer (2011) 104, 1730-1738. Exogenous coenzyme Q10 modulates MMP-2 activity in MCF-7 cell line as a breast cancer cellular model. Bahar, Khaghani, Pasalar, Paknejad, Khorramizadeh, Mirmiranpour and Nejad. Nutrition Journal 2010, 9:62 Summary of the New Medicine- Dr. RG Hamer. Amici di Dirk (August 1, 2000)
About the author: Dr. Keith Nemec is a holistic chiropractic physician who has been treating patients for the last 27 years. Dr. Nemec is the codirector with his wife Laurie of the Total Health Institute, an alternative and integrative medical facility which offers both inpatient and outpatient services. Total Health Institute is a treatment and teaching facility that has both natural physicians and alternative minded medical doctors working together as a team in Wheaton, Illinois. Thousands of people have restored their health at the Institute over the last 27 years. Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec have published two books: “Total Health = Wholeness” and “Seven Basic Steps to Total Health”. They also host their own radio show "Your Total Health" five days a week in Chicago. For more information about Dr. Keith & Laurie Nemec and the Total Health Institute visit www.totalhealthinstitute.com
(NaturalNews) Extra weight around the midsection is not only burdensome, it also sets the stage for serious health issues. From type 2 diabetes to cancer, belly fat contributes to a wide range of disease. Fortunately, certain foods have been found to specifically target abdominal fat. By integrating these foods into a balanced diet, a leaner and more healthful body is possible.
To comprehend the health risks of midsection fat, it is important to understand the different varieties. Subcutaneous fat is found just under the skin of the hips, buttocks, thighs and abdomen; whereas visceral fat is deep inside, surrounding the vital organs in the pelvis, abdomen and chest. This second type of fat can be extremely harmful to health. According to Kristen Hairston, MD, "We know that a higher rate of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes and fatty liver disease."
Belly fat burning foods
Monounsaturated oils are especially effective in diminishing abdominal fat. A study at the Reina Sofia University Hospital in Spain observed a group of overweight individuals who were put on four different diets for a month. All ate the same amount of calories per day, but had varying ratios of carbohydrates and fat. The researchers found that the group who consumed monounsaturated fats had the best results in losing extra weight around the midsection - even without exercise. Good sources of monounsaturated fat include avocados, nuts, seeds and olive oil.
Dark chocolate is also rich in this slimming fat. Research has shown that when men consumed 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate two hours before a meal, they ate 17 percent fewer calories compared with those who consumed milk chocolate. Organic, raw chocolate that contains at least 70 percent cacao is optimal.
Soluble fiber found in vegetables, fruit and beans target abdominal fat as well. According to a study at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, fiber intake directly affects midsection fat. Participants reduced visceral fat 3.7 percent over a five year span simply by consuming an additional 10 grams of soluble fiber per day. Those who also included moderate exercise had a total fat loss of 7.4 percent.
Another belly fat blasting food is coconut. A study in the journal Lipids found that coconut oil reduced abdominal obesity. The double-blind clinical trial involved 40 women between the ages of 20 and 40. Each group received either soy bean or coconut oil dietary supplements during the 12-week period. All participants adhered to a balanced diet and walked 50 minutes each day. At the end of the study, a decrease in total body mass was seen in both groups, but only the women who consumed coconut oil saw a reduction in waistline circumference.
Sources for this article include:
"Delicious, fatty foods that will help you lose weight" Mike Oliva, News Room Jersey, July 19, 2012. Retrieved on July 22, 2012 from: http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com
"Effects of dietary coconut oil on the biochemical and anthropometric profiles of women presenting abdominal obesity" Assuncao ML, Ferreira HS, do Santos AF, Cabral CR Jr, Florencio TM, Lipids, 2009, Jul:44(7):593-601. Epub 2009 May 13. Retrieved on July 22, 2012 from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19437058
