How to take personal responsibility and be Independently Healthy

We take pride in the United States for having the abundance of food but the question is do we make good use of them? Do we read the label before buying a product?

We already heard that too much processed food is not good for us.

Yet some of us are so conscious of our time that we rather sacrifice our health for the sake of saving time by eating processed food and beverages!

Processed food and beverages may contain following:

Trans fat, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Artificial Sweetener, Artificial Preservatives and Artificial Coloring.

Most of the grocery products specially Salad dressings, Cocktail Sauce, Fruit Juice, Fruit Paste, Vegetable Juice, Ice Cream, Jelly and other sweet dishes contain these products including high levels of high fructose corn syrup.

http://www.thetruthabouttransfat.com/safari.html

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/health/2008/10/high-fructose-c.html

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/artificial-sweeteners

http://ezinearticles.com/?Artificial-Preservatives---Not-Good-For-Health&id=1990369

http://www.diet.com/g/artificial-preservatives

http://www.chem-tox.com/pregnancy/artificial.htm

http://somd.com/news/headlines/2009/9355.shtml

We can all choose to use safer, better and economic way to formulate supplements, drugs, food and beverages to make this planet a healthy and greener one!

A lot of our chronic diseases can be prevented today or minimized by better education, changes in diet, exercise and life style alone! It may take some time to recover especially if you have been abusing your body and mind with so called junk foods and thoughts for many years! So give it some time to heal to allow the healthy habits to do their work for you starting NOW!

In this blog I will cover following information from my research with current links and references for you to easily look up and review:

What is Nutrition? Why Nutrition? What is RDA? How to get reliable and trusted quality vitamins? How to evaluate your needs for specific nutrition?

• What is nutrition? Why Nutrition? Simple Wiki answer

Nutrition is the study of the body and the study of food and how food affects the body. The goal is to make healthy choices so that we get vitamins, minerals, fiber, water and other food components so that we stay healthy. See following link for more details:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_role_does_nutrition_play_in_lifev

• What is RDA?

The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of each vitamin is the standard guideline put forward by the Food and Nutrition Board, National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council. It is based on the nutritional needs of an average, healthy person.

See link below for more details:

What is the RDA?

• BMI -To calculate the number of calories that you burn, your body mass index (BMI) and how to read label and many more click the link below:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/

http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=12-35-45-00

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

• What is FDA definition of dietary supplement? Is dietary supplement regulated by FDA?

A dietary supplement is a product taken by mouth that contains a "dietary ingredient" intended to supplement the diet. The "dietary ingredients" in these products may include: vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, and substances such as enzymes, organ tissues, glandulars, and metabolites. Dietary supplements can also be extracts or concentrates, and may be found in many forms such as tablets, capsules, softgels, gelcaps, liquids, or powders. They can also be in other forms, such as a bar, but if they are, information on their label must not represent the product as a conventional food or a sole item of a meal or diet. Whatever their form may be, DSHEA places dietary supplements in a special category under the general umbrella of "foods," not drugs, and requires that every supplement be labeled a dietary supplement.

See links below for more details:

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/ds-oview.html#what

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/supplmnt.html#about

http://blog.nutritiondata.com/

• Evidence-based decision making on micronutrients and chronic disease: long-term randomized controlled trials are not enough

“In most cases, a simple way to improve

micronutrient status is to take an MVM. However, even if one eats

an ideal diet and takes an MVM, some vitamins can remain below

recommended concentrations in some subgroups. For example, the

efficiency of absorption of vitamin B-12 decreases with age, and

supplements containing more than the Recommended Dietary Allowance

are needed to correct the deficiency (12). The ability of the

skin to use ultraviolet light to synthesize vitamin D3 also decreases

with age and is inefficient in dark-skinned people. Because dietary

sources of vitamin D3 are not plentiful, supplements are recommended

for those groups (13).”

Please see following link for more details:

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/86/2/522

• Clinical Review Not enough vitamin D Health consequences for Canadians

“Low levels of VTD are considered a major public health problem in Canada, especially during the winter. Those with risk factors should be screened for low 25(OH)D levels and repletion therapy instituted if needed. Researchers have estimated that the oral dose of vitamin D3 to attain and maintain 25(OH)D levels >80 nmol/L is 2200 IU/d if baseline levels are 20 to 40 nmol/L, 1800 IU/d if levels are 40 to 60 nmol/L, and 1160 IU/d if levels are between 60 and 80 nmol/L.⁶⁴

We need to ensure that patients have healthy blood levels of 25(OH)D to prevent levels of parathyroid hormone from rising and to maximize absorption of calcium, magnesium, and phosphate. Positive effects on bone are marginal at best unless patients consume at least 800 IU/d of VTD. The emerging and exciting role of the VTD receptor and the actions of VTD in maintaining health in other cell types have become more apparent during the last decade. ^“

Please see the link below for the full article:

http://www.cfp.ca/cgi/content/full/53/5/841

• NEW INFORMATION ON Vitamin D and Breast Cancer LINK

“Vitamin D Found To Stimulate A Protein That Inhibits The Growth Of Breast Cancer Cells”

ScienceDaily (Feb. 5, 2009) — Calcitrol, the active form of vitamin D, has been found to induce a tumor suppressing protein that can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells, according to a study by researcher Sylvia Chistakos, Ph.D., of the UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School.

Please see link below for details:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090204172437.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515174000.htm

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/may/16/science/sci-breast16

• How to get reliable and trusted quality vitamins?

When Supplements and Vitamins are manufactured in FDA approved manufacturing plants or via cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practice) and inspected by third party for purity and potency or have USP labels are generally safe to take as prescribed dose per label with no additional warning. You can purchase them from any authorized drug store, grocery stores, health food stores, from the internet (with some research about the site, label info and manufacturer before purchasing are some best practices).

• Therapeutic application of supplements?

Effect of Vitamin D on Falls

http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/16/1999?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=vitamin+D&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWFIG

For certain supplements usually higher dose then RDA is needed to have any therapeutic effects-please see links below for details and recommended dosage.

http://www.doctoryourself.com/

WARNING: As always if you are taking any medication or are allergic to certain food or ingredients and not sure what vitamin to take please consult with your doctor before taking any new supplements or vitamins.

For more details please see references AND links below:

A. The Natural Physician’s Healing Therapies Proven Remedies That Medical Doctors Don’t Know About by Mark Stengler, N.D.

B. Prescription for Drug Alternatives- All Natural Options for better health without the side effects by James F. Balch, M.D., Mark Stengler, N.D. and Robin Young Balch, N.D.

C. The Slow Down Diet Eating for Pleasure, Energy, and Weight Loss by Marc David.

D. Food Matters DVD

http://foodmatters.worldsecuresystems.com/AP.aspx?ID=547&EID=5109105

E. Food Matters Cancer

http://foodmatters.worldsecuresystems.com/AP.aspx?ID=565&EID=5109105

F. Food Matters Diabetes

http://foodmatters.worldsecuresystems.com/AP.aspx?ID=566&EID=5109105

G. Food Matters Depression and Mental Illness

http://foodmatters.worldsecuresystems.com/AP.aspx?ID=569&EID=5109105

H. Food Matters Heart Disease

http://foodmatters.worldsecuresystems.com/AP.aspx?ID=570&EID=5109105

Other sites of interest are as follows:

http://www.orthomed.org/

• By Fixing Your Body, You Will Automatically Fix Your Broken Brain.

• Unless You Know the Cause, You Can’t Fix Your Problem

See link below for more details:

http://www.ultramindcoaching.com/launch/offer/126?af=947099

• Part 1 and 2 of Dr. Wayne Dyer and Dr. Bruce Lipton have a discussion about "The Biology Of Belief" on the Hay House Radio Stage at the I Can Do It!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylmwoJDYGjk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DwUunAN0Vs

• Genetically Engineered Food

Do you eat corn or soy? Find out why doctors are now prescribing GM-free diets.

http://bit.ly/15oZW2 via @addthis

http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/index.html

http://www.psrast.org/intro1.htm

http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/geneticall7.cfm

• NEW RESEARCH
  

1. Genes Take A Back Seat

Epigenetics, the molecular framework that controls genes’ expression, takes its cues from both nature and nurture

Ivan Amato

Reference: C&EN, April 6, 2009, Volume 87, Number 14, pp. 28-32

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/87/8714sci1.html

Following article for example can be accessed by subscription to American Chemical Society or via your local library subscription:

2. Peptides Promote Health

Derived from food products, these protein fragments could hold cancer, obesity, and other disorders at bay

Sophie L. Rovner

Reference: C&EN, April 6, 2009, Volume 87, Number 14, pp. 33-35. ACS Meeting News

http://pubs.acs.org/isubscribe/journals/cen/87/i14/html/8714sci2.html

3. Weighing Options

In the wake of drug-trial setbacks, obesity researchers assess what it will take to move forward

Carmen Drahl

Reference: C&EN, April 13, 2009, Volume 87, Number 15, pp. 11-16.

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/87/8715cover.html

4. Devising Healthier Foods

Enhancing the good components and removing the unhealthy ones may prevent disease

Rachel Petkewich

Reference: C&EN, June 23, 2008, Volume 86, Number 25, pp. 12-16

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/86/8625cover.html