FOOD SIGNATURES

I went to a health talk to hear Don Tolman. He is from the US, and is very informative about food and nutrition, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables and the body parts they resemble. Here are some examples:

AVOCADO:

When you open an avocado, it looks like a 'womb' and the stone looks like 'the baby'. The avocado is good for these organs, and for nutrition for the newborn.

CARROTS

The carrot, when chopped in half, looks like an eye. They are eye food.

CELERY:

Celery, which is 21 % sodium, looks like a bone. The bones also have 21% sodium. Eat more celery to have strong bones.

BANANA:

Bananas look like the obvious. This fruit is good for men...and it makes you smile.

LEMONS/LIMES/ORANGES

These fruits look like breasts. Have them for breast protection.

BROCCOLI

This green vegetable looks like a brain. It is in fact brain food.

CABBAGE

Cabbage is good for the lungs. They look like lungs.


So, that is a taste of how fruit and vegetables have a place as to the body parts they correlate with. Enjoy.

FOOD MATTERS

The TRUTH on AGEING

How we all look is by our lifestyles. We all want to stay and feel young. Well you can. Before I tell you how, here are the top five (in order from most damaging to least damaging) things that age you.

5. TOBACCO SMOKING/TRAFFIC CONGESTION

I have put smoking as the most damaging and ageing thing a person can do. Traffic and exhaust fumes are another. But sometimes that can't be helped. Second hand smoke (exhaust and from cigarettes) are the most damaging when it hits oxygen and hydrogen. To combat the ageing effects of these, eat more leafy greens, carrots, beetroot. You can also drink green tea and enjoy the tastings of Miso soup. Take plenty of vitamin C (minimum of 2,000mg per day) and eat apples.

4. SUGAR (also in the form of Cane Sugar (Sucrose))

Sugar is the most addictive and ageing food. It is more addictive then heroin (according to The World Health Organisation), and is the most used ingredient in food manufacturing. Cane Sugar (sucrose) is damaging to the body. It increases the insulin response and the pancreatic actions. It ages the cells in the body. Sucrose (Cane Sugar) is food for cancer and candida. It is acidic, and is detrimental to all parts of the body's systems. However, a teaspoon of 'raw sugar' cleans the liver, but this is only a small amount compared to the 500ml of can sugar an average person has per day. If people started to cut down on their sugar intake, it would make them more youthful and decrease the chances of getting diabetes. So the next thing is to switch to an artificial sweetener? No, that is worse. If you have to have sugar, go for honey, sultanas, and organic cane sugar (1 teaspoon minimum). Most of the sugar in processed foods is bleached and too processed for the body to recognise it as 'cane sugar'. To counterbalance the effects of sugar, drink Green Tea.

3. ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS (ASPARTAME, EQUAL, NUTRASWEET)

Aspartame was created accidentally in a laboratory between two amino acids. The scientist tasted this new powered substance, and noticed it was sweet. Many decades later, it is used in millions of products around the world, mostly in 'diet' foods and drinks. Aspartame is a neurotoxin (a neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells(neurons), usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels). Aspartame if heated can turn into formaldehyde (a known carcinogen). It is an ageing ingredient and can cause headaches, brain tumours, nervous disorders etc. The jury is out on aspartame, but it is not hard to find the millions of studies and papers on the negative aspects of it. If you want to counterbalance the aspartame, don't have it. If anything is sugar free, it probably has aspartame in it.

2. SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE/SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (SLS)

SLS is used as a sudsing cleansing agent in body and face cleansers. It strips the good oils of the skin, and can make it dry. Some medical people think it plays havoc with the kidneys, as it does go to the bloodstream. SLS is ageing for the skin, even though it is used in anti-ageing products. There are natural based cleansers out on the market that are not so ageing and don't contain SLS.

1. MINERAL OIL

Mineral Oil is made from petroleum and is used in skin care products because it is cheap. It is often an ingredient in moisturisers from the cheap to the expensive. Even Sunscreens have mineral oil in it. Mineral Oil acts like plastic. It blocks the pores of the skin, and can cause havoc with the excreting organs of the body. For a nice moisturiser, use the natural ones, or just use Jojoba Oil, which is similar to the skin's own sebum. Much better than putting petrol all over your face.

You may be asking how come I haven't listed the Sun. Well comparative, it's not that ageing, and it is beneficial. But of course, only in moderate amounts.

HEALTH MATTERS

FAT, IT'S GOOD!

I often get asked about fat. How good or bad is it? Fat is needed. Without it, you would look old, you would have problems with natural joint and skin lubrication and you would not be able to assimilate the vitamins A and E in your diet. It's the kind of fat that is the issue. Let's start with Butter.

BUTTER

Butter is a dairy product and is high in saturated fat. Other 'experts' may say it causes heart disease and cholesterol problems. Actually butter is very nourishing to the body (in moderate amounts) and can be used in cooking without going rancid (within use by date). If you are allergic to dairy, you may want to steer clear, but maybe, as it is just fat, it may be fine. The butter I am talking about needs to be 100% butter and organic preferred.

COCONUT OIL

Coconut oil is excellent, especially with it's fatty acid profile. It may be saturated fat. But this saturated fat is not like any other saturated fat. This fatty profile warms the body and is very productive with weight loss (with moderate amounts). The amount to use would be a table spoon in smoothies, per day. As the fatty profile is saturated, it has a high smoke point without going rancid or carcinogenic in cooking. Other 'experts' say coconut oil and milk could cause heart problems, elevated blood pressure, and cholesterol issues. This is just scare mongering and is not true. Coconuts (coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut juice) are beneficial for the body. However, it has to be 'virgin', organic, or close to nature as possible.

NUT SEEDS SPREADS & MARGARINE

Nut Seeds Spreads and Margarine are always advertised as being beneficial for health, as they have 'heart loving' polyunsaturated oils. Margarine is actually black, when made, then finished with food dye. The nuts and seeds have been heated and therefore, are already rancid and possibly carcinogenic. Polyunsaturated oils have a low smoke point. The free radicals and trans fatty acids are created. This basically is one molecule away from being plastic. This "stuff" goes into the bloodstream and can cause plaque in the arteries amongst other things.

So the best oil to have for cooking is coconut, sesame, butter and ghee (glorified butter). The best for salads are, olive oil. As I have said before, Olive oil (extra virgin) is fine when slightly heated, but only on low heat. If you are cooking on high heat, add Celtic or Himalayan sea salt to the food afterwards.

There is a lot of recent media on Trans Fats. They are in baked goods, ice cream and everything you can think of. The use of them is cheap, and therefore better for the manufacturer. Trans Fats are nothing new and have been in your favourite foods for decades, since the 60's. If you see in the ingredient listing, "Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil", "Vegetable Oil" or "Vegetable Fat", then it contains trans fat.

To reduce your consumption of trans fat, cook with better oils, read ingredient listings, and research. Take responsibility for your own health, your doctor won't.

HEALTH MATTERS