This week for several days I tested my pH level. pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity. It is measured on a scale of 0-14, the lower the pH the more acidic, the higher the pH the more alkaline. 7 is neutral. I used pH strips to test my urine in the morning and the late evening. If urinary pH fluctuates between 6.0 and 6.5 in the morning, and 6.5 to 7.0 in the evening, your body is functioning at a healthy range. My test results for morning and evening were basically the same at 6.5.
The restults of the urine testing indicate how well your body is assimilating minerals, especially calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. These are called the "acid buffers" because they are used by the body to control the acid level. If acid levels are too high, the body will not be able to excrete acid. It must either store the acid in body tissues, or buffer it; that is borrow minerals from organs, bones, etc. in order to neutralize acidity. For example, the body borrows calcium from the bones in order to balance pH, which can lead to weak, brittle bones. Other imbalances include cardiovascular damage, weight gain, obesity, and diabetes, bladder and kidney problems such as kidney stones, joint and muscle pain, lack of energy and chronic fatigue.
To keep a healthy pH level, foods such as vegetables that have a high mineral content should be eaten. Acidic food such as white flour and sugar, sodas, coffee, chemical sweetners, should be avoided. I am in the normal healthy range, and I believe the bumped up consumption of vegetables, and the lowering of sugar intake is the reason.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Interesting Facts About Fiber
I had been unclear for some time of the differences between soluble and insoluble fiber, so I found this information to be very educational. I also found it interesting that fiber can only be found in plants, not meat products, which lead me to the realization that people who fill up on eating a lot of meat are probably not getting enough fiber in their diet. I also needed to know how much fiber I should be consuming, so I found that information to be very helfpful as well.
Soluble fiber is soluble in water. When mixed with water is forms a gel like substance and swells. It has many benefits, including moderaing blood glucose levels and lowering cholesterol. Good sources include oats and oatmeal, legumes ( beans, peas, lentils), barley, fruit and vegetables, especially oranges, apples, and carrots.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. It passes through our digestive system in close to its original form. Friendly bacteria that live in the large intestine can ferment them. This fermentation produces butyric acid, which is fuel for the large intestines, and helps maintain the health and integrity of the colon. Insoluble fiber offers many benefits to intestinal health, including a reduction in the risk and occurance of colon cancer and constipation. Most of this fiber comes from the bran layers of cereal grains.
Fiber is found only in plant products, such as nuts, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. The average American significantly falls short of the recommended amount of fiber, consuming on average only 12-17 grams per day. The recommended amout is 20-35 grams per day, or 10-13 grams for every 1000 calories in the diet. This recommended amount should come in a combination of both soluble and insoluble fiber, since each provides different benefits.
Soluble fiber is soluble in water. When mixed with water is forms a gel like substance and swells. It has many benefits, including moderaing blood glucose levels and lowering cholesterol. Good sources include oats and oatmeal, legumes ( beans, peas, lentils), barley, fruit and vegetables, especially oranges, apples, and carrots.
Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. It passes through our digestive system in close to its original form. Friendly bacteria that live in the large intestine can ferment them. This fermentation produces butyric acid, which is fuel for the large intestines, and helps maintain the health and integrity of the colon. Insoluble fiber offers many benefits to intestinal health, including a reduction in the risk and occurance of colon cancer and constipation. Most of this fiber comes from the bran layers of cereal grains.
Fiber is found only in plant products, such as nuts, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables. The average American significantly falls short of the recommended amount of fiber, consuming on average only 12-17 grams per day. The recommended amout is 20-35 grams per day, or 10-13 grams for every 1000 calories in the diet. This recommended amount should come in a combination of both soluble and insoluble fiber, since each provides different benefits.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Five Intersting Facts About Protein
1. Daily protein/amino acid intake is required to maintain a healthy body. Without sufficient protein, the body either lets cells die or breaks down other muscles and tissues to get the protein it needs for repair and other functions.
The body may actually "eat itself" to acquire the necessary amino acids, or borrow the amino acids from the immune system or body functions to meet its protein needs.
Whether due to restricted diets, illness, skipping meals, poor diet choices, and so on, inadequate protein/amino acid intake can compromise your health and affect the following body functions:
Bone cell synthesis
Red blood cell production
Heart cell turnover rate
Neurotransmitters/mood
Sense of well-being/stamina
Immune function/antibodies
Enzymes/hormones
Skin elasticity/muscle tone
Organ function/pH balance
Mobility/joint integrity
Too much protein is as harmful as too little, and is linked with shorter life expectancy, increased cancer and heart disease risk, widespread obesity and diabetes, osteoporosis, kidney stress, and bad digestion
2. On its own, the body can manufacture 14 of the 22 amino acids it needs. But the other 8 cannot be made by the body and must be obtained from the diet. These eight amino acids are called "essential amino acids" and include: Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Threonine, Tytophan, and Valine.
3. Individuals typically need 1 gram of protein daily for each kilogram of their body weight. For example, a 180-pound man would need at least 80 grams of protein a day to meet his body's needs; a 140-pound woman would need a minimum of 60 grams.
4. Protein includes Vitamin B12, which is naturally found in animal products, including fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and milk products. Vitamin B12 is generally not present in plant foods.
Vitamin B12 is required for proper red blood cell formation, neurological function, and DNA synthesis.
5. Protein is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, found in salmon, tuna, cod, shrimp, scallops, halibut, and surprisingly, grass fed beef. This healthy fat helps prevent a wide range of medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, depression, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Food Inc.
Although I personally felt that the video the Future of Food gave more detailed and need to know information about how Monsanto has genetically altered food, I found Food Inc. to be very enlightening as well.
What I learned from this film was the disgusting facts about where our meat comes from. Chickens being injected with hormones so they grow faster, and have bigger breasts. The poor animal can't even support its own weight so it topples over, many of them die in the dark cramped wing to wing standing in its own feces eating genetically modified corn. In fact every animal raised for butchering is feed corn. Cows are not meant to eat corn, they eat grasses. Eating the corn creates e-coli bacteria in their stomachs, so they get fed antibiotics, and that passes over into what we eat when we eat them. The fact that they are adding ammonia to our meat to kill bacteria is mind boggling.
It seems any of the powers that be in government agencies that could protect us from all this are actually affiliated with Monsanto and its subsidiaries. Monsanto controls our food and our farmers. Despite the billions of dollars they have basically having a monopoly on all seeds and pesticide production, they go after the farmers to either comply, or put them out of business. They sue the farmers for patent infringement if any of their seed gets mixed in accidentally with their own seed. It's ridiculous that they get away with everything they do.
From what I understand, the only recourse we have as individuals is to support organic farming. Buy organic foods, ask for organic foods. Our purchases cast a vote for what we will eat. The farmers will provide what we ask for, we need to support those who are still able and willing to farm organic.
What I learned from this film was the disgusting facts about where our meat comes from. Chickens being injected with hormones so they grow faster, and have bigger breasts. The poor animal can't even support its own weight so it topples over, many of them die in the dark cramped wing to wing standing in its own feces eating genetically modified corn. In fact every animal raised for butchering is feed corn. Cows are not meant to eat corn, they eat grasses. Eating the corn creates e-coli bacteria in their stomachs, so they get fed antibiotics, and that passes over into what we eat when we eat them. The fact that they are adding ammonia to our meat to kill bacteria is mind boggling.
It seems any of the powers that be in government agencies that could protect us from all this are actually affiliated with Monsanto and its subsidiaries. Monsanto controls our food and our farmers. Despite the billions of dollars they have basically having a monopoly on all seeds and pesticide production, they go after the farmers to either comply, or put them out of business. They sue the farmers for patent infringement if any of their seed gets mixed in accidentally with their own seed. It's ridiculous that they get away with everything they do.
From what I understand, the only recourse we have as individuals is to support organic farming. Buy organic foods, ask for organic foods. Our purchases cast a vote for what we will eat. The farmers will provide what we ask for, we need to support those who are still able and willing to farm organic.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Future of Food
I watched the video The Future of Food today. Our food crops have been manipulated, altered, and taken over, by big corporations like (mainly) Monsanto, and our own government. From losing the diversity of our crops to literally mutating the genetics of the natural seeds, it has gone from bad to worse. As of now, food companies are not required to label genetically modified and engineered foods as such. We have no way of knowing if we are eating them or not, or the potential harmful effects they could have on our health. If that isn't scary enough, in the future there is such possibilities of "Suicide Technology", a Terminator Gene, which causes the crops to die after one year, or a process that causes the crops to not germinate unless the proprietary "spray" has been used. From what I learned from watching this video, the best way to stop this nonsense is a counter revolution for organics. Support organic farming. Support Community Supported Agriculture, farmer's markets, organic co-ops. The choices we make at the supermarkets influence the future of our food.
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