cancersurvivorx2

Another year above ground!

2012-01-12T22:06:00.008-05:00

Hello to all of you - may you all be focused and disciplined so that you will manifest your dreams this year.........I have been busy having a good time, Christmas came and went quietly ,the New Year came in with a bang as usual and life is treating me well although this drug Arimidex is giving me hell. I wake in the morning with joint pain......what's that? Back pain........is it cancer? Miserable, sad, just feeling out of sorts.......I like nothing to rain on my parade and this is certainly a heavy downpour......don't think I'm going to make 2 years of this treatment Drs Walters and Plummer...........looks like I'll only be taking this girl for 2 months!
Well this past Christmas I did everything that was bad - my son even stopped talking to me as I had ham skin and ham and a lot of it too.
Guess what it tasted good but made me feel awful so I'm back on the green juices and food.....they might not be delicious but you feel good and look good...I now have a dark line in my face which I understand means my liver is toxic..well when you're taking chemicals that will happen wont it? So milk thistle and lots of chlorella is the order of the day.
Why are the doctors loading me up with this drug when I took off both breasts?
I've decided that this year whatever I feel to do I'm going to do, life is going to be lived full steam ahead ,my party won the elections in a massive landslide showing that it's not money but people that do this thing, and if they do a 1/4 of what they say they are going to try to do life in Jamaica is going to be a better place so I'd better start behaving myself as I certainly want to be around to see it!
I have been getting my usual dose of calls re:mothers,sisters friends etc that are facing off with this terrible disease....please remember people its easier to prevent than trying to fight it, for 2012 try and remember without your health you have nothing!

Choice of Treatments

2011-12-07T16:15:00.001-05:00

Ah well another famous face announces she is having a double mastectomy and her husband sitting beside her looks more scared than she does......good luck girl you are going to need it as it's not a walk in the park - I'm sure you will be at the ball drop in New York on New Year's eve without a doubt but at what cost ? Is having your own child so important that you will continue to try at all costs, is adoption that bad?
As cancer continues to gobble us up what a toll it brings - have all of us not had a friend or family member who died, was fighting, is trying to fight cancer?
Are we all predisposed to this thing now? Do u realize once u get it ,your life is spent waiting on it to comeback!
I was reading about the GERSON therapy and noticed that it clearly said you must be able to eat, drink and eliminate normally or you cannot benefit from this alternate cancer treatment. Most people wont try the therapy until chemo has knocked everything out of them then its too late. So many people over the years have fought cancer with only chemo......... if you keep burning out all your good cells what is going to happen to you...what is your quality of life going to be like? If you have chemo and keep the same lifestyle aren't the same cancerous cells going to grow back ? Isn't it better to have 6 good months than 6 years in and out of hospitals in terrible pain?
Steve Jobs tried his alternate remedies first and then was too late getting the surgery - I always believe surgery first get that thing out then make sure it doesn't grow back by using any means possible that will keep you up and about and able to fight
I always give thanks for another day above ground, but trust me I don't need to be above ground at all costs..........

The company that manufactures flavours .......Givaudan

2011-11-28T11:32:00.000-05:00

Bad diets and bad thoughts. Nothing causes more acidity than that and we do know what acidity causes don't we? But do we have a chance or are we eating in a food carnival where the flavours hijack our brains and we become addicted and can do no better ....we then are eaten up by stress in our relationships, jobs, money matters etc and what happens we can't find any part of us that is alkaline...........
I watched 60 minutes on CBS this past week and learned about a company called Givaudan that is making any flavour you desire but with chemicals...strawberry, raspberry, roast chicken you name it they manufacture it. When this ends up in a package, jar or can what are we to do? We eat it merrily proclaim it delicious and next week we run and buy some more.........
The company's chief chemist, who is a woman, said in her interview "I create thousands of flavours, 750 citrus flavours alone......I can mimic the smell and taste of anything .........."
Are we eating food? When they put taste in powder form and we have it as our favourite frozen dinner what's to become of us?
People like me whose genes obviously cannot take the onslaught of these chemicals what do I do? Please remember even the fruits in the groves are now being genetically modified so what do I eat, grow it myself ?
Life is just getting too hard........ the easier they make it,the sicker we become!

top 5 national dishes

2011-11-19T23:02:00.007-05:00

As the Jamaican saying goes "If is egg we inna the red" - no surprise then that this article from the National Geographic book "Food Journeys of a Lifetime" includes one of my favourite dishes - Ackee

Hamburgers, U.S.
Although the origins of the hamburger are disputed, there is no argument over the popularity of this classic dish. Toppings and accompaniments vary from region to region, but for an original version visit Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Connecticut, which has been serving hamburgers since 1900 and claims to be the oldest hamburger restaurant in the U.S.
Planning: Louis’ Lunch is open most days for lunch and some days until the early hours of the morning.

Ackee and Saltfish, Jamaica
Despite ackee’s unhappy origins as slave food, Jamaicans have reclaimed it as part of their national dish. A nutritious fruit with a buttery-nutty flavor, ackee resembles scrambled egg when boiled. Jamaicans sauté the boiled ackee with saltfish (salt-cured cod), onions, and tomatoes. Sometimes the dish is served atop bammy (deep-fried cassava cakes) with fried plantains.
Planning: Jake’s, Treasure Beach, is renowned for ackee and saltfish and also offers cooking classes.

Coo-Coo and Flying Fish, Barbados
A polenta-like cornmeal and okra porridge, coo-coo pairs perfectly with flying fish, which is either steamed with lime juice, spices, and vegetables or fried and served with a spicy sauce.
Planning: The Flying Fish restaurant overlooking St. Lawrence Bay claims to be the Barbadian national dish’s home.

Bulgogi, Korea
Beef bulgogi (fire meat) is a dish of thinly sliced, prime cuts of meat marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, onions, ginger, sugar, and wine and then grilled. It is often eaten wrapped in lettuce or spinach leaves and accompanied by kimchi (fermented vegetable pickle). Many Korean restaurants have miniature barbecues embedded in tables where diners grill the meat themselves.
Planning: Seoul’s upmarket Byeokje Galbi chain is a bulgogi sensation.

Kibbeh, Lebanon/Syria
Dining well Levantine-style often means sticking to the delicious mezes (appetizers). Kibbeh, a versatile confection of ground lamb, bulgur, and seasonings, is a core component of mezes. It is often fried in torpedo or patty shapes, baked, boiled, or stuffed, but is tastiest raw.
Planning: Aleppans in northern Syria are kibbeh’s greatest innovators, flavoring it with ingredients like pomegranate or cherry juice.

THANK YOU SUNSET FAMILY

2011-11-10T15:34:00.008-05:00

You know I have a lot to be thankful for and every day , when I listen to other people, little things I take for granted I have to keep giving the Father thanks over and over....I have the greatest group of friends who are always there at my beck and call to help. I have my children and those that I just call mine that are there every step of the way. I have never had to have a fund raiser, my man didn't leave me because I have breast cancer, and last but not least my work place didn't retire me ....Last night they had a November birthday party for 3 of us and when my boss got up to toast me he said "We couldn't do without you". That makes me feel so special....they at all times try to keep me rested and loved. Even though I have been feeling that due to my absences from work since July as a result of my 2 surgeries, I need to be back at work, I have never been pressured to do so - it has been all on my terms....it doesn't get any better than that. Thank you IK and Cathy, it's been a pleasure working with and for you these past 11 years!
I would like to believe that what you give out comes back to you so those of us battling, try and come out of the "woe is me" if even for a day .........see the good in cancer, it's not all bad .......you have been warned - if you are thinking of malicing someone - there is no time for that so don't bother with the petty things, you wake each day giving thanks and you savour every moment that you are above ground, you say I love you more and you pamper yourself today instead of tomorrow.
I remember my friend Barbara asking me if she would ever drive again, I promised her she would..." Why not?" I exclaimed. She never did! She got diagnosed in January and was dead by April......I was diagnosed in 1978, I'm still here. Hers was aggressive mine is slow moving so I give thanks for that too.
I could have missed out on a black man being President of the United States of America - I didn't......
I could have missed out on my granddaughter - I didn't ......but most of all I could have missed out on raising my son Sajato who was under a year when my first cancer was diagnosed so he would not have remembered his mother......what a miss that would have been and what a lot of stories wouldn't have gotten told.
Those of us who are under the gun , remember it's not the beginning or the end of the race..... hasn't Usain shown you enough times it's how you run the race?

My cancer treatment

2011-10-28T07:29:00.005-04:00

I need to inform all of you who watched my TVJ Smile Jamaica interview and left with the impression that I did nothing for my first cancer as that's not so.......Neville kept asking about my reaction at being given 2 weeks to live - at no time did we touch on my surgeries during the interview and when I said I had nothing after that cancer I meant chemo or radiation , however, I HAD SURGERY TO REMOVE THE MASS IN MY COLON IN 1978 FOR A CANCER THEY THOUGHT WAS ABOUT 6 MONTHS OLD AND WHEN THEY WENT IN IT HAD BEEN SITTING THERE FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS ....in fact in total I've had 25 surgeries but that's another story for my book!
Sorry if I mislead any of you into believing I did NOTHING for my first cancer and as I said on the show I had radiation for the bone cancer.

Everything happens for a reason

2011-10-26T10:30:00.011-04:00

So yesterday was one of those days that you know for sure that everything happens for a reason.....I have been making jokes around the place that I cannot find my breasts not knowing that the implants were truly lost .... my husband had called me in a panic saying 'Pat I've tracked the shipment as far as it can go - check with Dr. Arscott to see if he has gotten them if not you have to go to the general sorting office and clear them as they must have been shipped in your name...." well since that's what I didn't want to hear I did nothing but when I visited the goodly doctor last week I too started to panic as surgery is set for this coming Saturday the 29th and he told me no the implants had not yet arrived. I couldn't believe this as my stepson who is a plastic surgeon in Philly had confirmed that he had shipped them so I expected it to go as smoothly as when he had sent the expanders - he sent them to the Doctor and that was it.

Well no such luck this time so I decided that I would visit our general post office the next time I was in Kingston which was yesterday when I was booked to appear on the early morning TV show "Smile Jamaica" to do an interview about living with cancer. Well after the interview off I went to the general sorting office to what I thought would be certain hell but as usual I put a smile on my face and entered...well first thing was the man at the counter says ..."Is that the smile I saw on TV this morning?"....I said " same one , I'm here looking for my breasts"
and he said "and vibesy too".... by that time at least 3 women who had seen the TV show gathered around and happily set out to help but my breasts couldn't be located - they went upstairs, they went in the vault, they told me to take a seat - which I did (please bear in mind this is a huge place which has not reached the year 2000 yet ....I tried to count computers and reached the sum of 2 with one looking like a broken down TV ) finally my happy helpers broke the good news - the paper work was found, however, I needed an invoice, I needed a Tax Compliant Certificate(TCC) and most of all I needed a friendly face from customs as no TCC meant tons of duty plus the shipment turned out to be in the Doctor's name not mine .....they nonetheless persevered informing the customs officer "this lady is the vibesy lady from 'Smile Jamaica' this morning".....the goodly customs lady, however, broke the sad news - she couldn't let the breasts out without me going and getting permission from the Doctor to whom it was addressed. Well since I am in the year 2011, I whipped out my Blackberry and called the Doctor's office, made the arrangements with them telling them what the letter should say and that an ID must be attached and off I went to pick it up with the post office workers promising that as soon as I returned with the required documents they would release said package. Knowing Jamaica as I do , I knew that if I didn't make it back by lunch time a whole new crew would be in place knowing nothing about my situation so I had to move fast.

Thankfully letter as requested was waiting for me at the Doctor's office and so I quickly returned to the General Post Office where true to their words they pulled out of the mountain of packages, a box half my size that looked like it had enough implants in it for every woman at the post office not just me ....then they went through their routine of signing what seemed like endless ledgers (also half my size) and volumes of papers that could easily deplete all the remaining trees left in Jamaica .....So off I went walking out of the general post office the box with my new breasts in one hand, saying thanks and waving goodbye with the other I realized that I was crying........now what is that about?

YES TO COFFEE

2011-10-17T19:38:00.000-04:00

Oprah talks about her aha moments - well I had one this morning. A friend who exports coffee sent me a bag of Blue Mountain coffee..I looked at it and put it up to give my husband as he dies for coffee.......last time I went to the supermarket I bought a tin of evaporated milk which I always drink my coffee with but I hadn't touched either as I'm trying to stick to my strict diet....woke up this morning and had an aha moment..I HAVE NO BREASTS and the reason why I couldn't drink coffee is because I had Fibro Adenoma which means my breasts were cystic and coffee made it worse..... I literally ran to the kitchen perked my coffee and enjoyed my first cup of coffee in years... IT WAS SO GOOD . If we would only take the time to count our blessings we would realize that every cloud has a silver lining............

PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE

2011-10-16T16:51:00.004-04:00

Reading DR MERCOLA's Tips for Cancer Prevention it occured to me that WHEN YOUR MOTHER USED TO SAY PREVENTION BETTER THAN CURE SHE WAS SURELY TALKING ABOUT CANCER ! Check out Dr.Mercola's take on the matter:

Rather than put your health in the hands of cancer researchers willing to do just about anything to discover the next cancer drug breakthrough, take control of your health by following the cancer-preventive lifestyle changes:
Avoid Fructose and Sugar
It's quite clear that if you want to avoid cancer, or are currently undergoing cancer treatment, you absolutely MUST avoid all forms of sugar -- especially fructose -- and this is largely due to its relation to insulin resistance. According to Lewis Cantley, director of the Cancer Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center at Harvard Medical School, as much as 80 percent of all cancers are "driven by either mutations or environmental factors that work to enhance or mimic the effect of insulin on the incipient tumor cells," Gary Taubes reports.
Some cancer centers, such as the Cancer Centers of America, have fully embraced this knowledge and place their patients on strict low-sugar, low-grain diets. But conventional medicine in general has been woefully lax when it comes to highlighting the health dangers of this additive.
As a standard recommendation, I strongly advise keeping your TOTAL fructose consumption below 25 grams per day including fruits. But for most people it would also be wise to limit your fructose from fruit to 15 grams or less, as you're virtually guaranteed to consume "hidden" sources of fructose if you drink beverages other than water and eat processed food.

Optimize Your Vitamin D Level
There's overwhelming evidence pointing to the fact that vitamin D deficiency plays a crucial role in cancer development. Researchers within this field have estimated that about 30 percent of cancer deaths -- which amounts to 2 million worldwide and 200,000 in the United States -- could be prevented each year simply by optimizing the vitamin D levels in the general population.
On a personal level, you can decrease your risk of cancer by MORE THAN HALF simply by optimizing your vitamin D levels with sun exposure. And if you are being treated for cancer it is likely that higher blood levels—probably around 80-90 ng/ml—would be beneficial.
If the notion that sun exposure actually prevents cancer is still new to you, I highly recommend you watch my one-hour vitamin D lecture to clear up any confusion. It's important to understand that the risk of skin cancer from the sun comes only from excessive exposure.

Exercise
If you are like most people, when you think of reducing your risk of cancer, exercise doesn't immediately come to mind. However, there is some fairly compelling evidence that exercise can slash your risk of cancer. One of the primary ways exercise lowers your risk for cancer is by reducing elevated insulin levels, which creates a low sugar environment that discourages the growth and spread of cancer cells.
For example, physically active adults experience about half the incidence of colon cancer as their sedentary counterparts, and women who exercise regularly may reduce their breast cancer risk by 20 to 30 percent compared to those who are inactive.It's important to include a large variety of techniques in your exercise routine, such as strength training, aerobics, core-building activities, and stretching. Most important of all, however, is to make sure you include high-intensity, burst-type exercise, such as those described in my Peak Fitness program.
These exercises activate your super-fast twitch muscle fibers, which can increase your body's natural production of human growth hormone. For detailed instructions, please see this previous article.

Get appropriate amounts of high quality animal-based omega-3 fats.

Eat according to your nutritional type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.

Engage in activities that help you reduce your stress levels, such as exercise, meditation, journaling, music, gardening, etc. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed.

Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. Cruciferous vegetables in particular have been identified as having potent anti-cancer properties. Remember that carb nutritional types may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than protein nutritional types.
Maintain an ideal body weight.

Get appropriate amounts of high-quality sleep.

Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.

Reduce your use of cell phones and other wireless technologies, and implement as many safety strategies as possible if/when you cannot avoid their use.

Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.

Better yet eat as many of your foods raw as you can.

STEVE JOBS

2011-10-05T22:46:00.005-04:00

My son,Saj, is an Apple genius, which means my household is all things Apple new and old Ipods of all sizes, Ipad, Imac, Mac Pro, Mac Book, Iphones - you name it we have been through it in fact as we speak I'm sure Saj is finding a way to sell his Iphone4 to get his Iphone 4s. He has respected and loved this man in a far different way from me ....I too respect this man's creativity and for giving us a whole new world to communicate and play in, but another reason I have loved and respected him is something far greater...HIS ABILITY TO SURVIVE...he had the # 1 killer in the cancer family and he gave it a ding dong knock out fight ..... no matter how sick he was how thin he looked he was always presenting his newest piece of engineering that we were eager to run off and buy.
In August this year when I heard he had turned over the reigns of APPLE to Tim Cook my stomach went into knots as I knew that would never happen if he was still able to fight and tonight when I saw his face and 1955-2011 on the screen of my Imac the tears flooded freely.........cancer devouring as always no matter how strong we are how much money we have and how long we survive it always wins out in the end...........
my fight has lasted longer but I haven't had pancreatic cancer now have I ? Steve you were simply AMAZING!

thoughts on my latest dance with cancer

2011-10-01T01:48:00.000-04:00

As I now prepare myself for the surgery to put the implants in and take out the expanders, I find all kinds of things running through my mind...why am I listening to everyone and putting myself through such pain and expense ? Do I know how long I'm going to last ? As I focus on my breast will the colon come back ? Why is it there are so many things for breast cancer? There is a breast cancer month, there is a run, a walk every country is so consumed with breast cancer how come there is no colon cancer anything?????? The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 230,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year. Nearly 40,000 of those women die. Need to check the stats on colon cancer
They even have drugs with minimal side effects for breast cancer...my one round of colon cancer chemo nearly killed me......now I'm being offered a treatment called Arimidex and everybody who has taken it says I must do it as it works and no one has told me they have had any side effects for 2 years or 5 years..really?
I just watched a friend eat curry crab and resisted the urge..does this mean I will eat lettuce leaves for the rest of my life..and not just any lettuce leaf as iceberg has no nutrients so romaine lettuce ,broccoli spinach..good green stuff is that my meal and drink of choice from now on?
As these thoughts run through my mind I realize I'm really tired......33 years is a long time.....extremely tired of Mr Cancer, all forms of him..maybe I've been too welcoming over the years why he thinks he can come visiting anytime...... he thinks we are friends!
I need to get serious and say no you are not welcome here anymore.....

PAIN

2011-09-26T17:52:00.006-04:00

PAIN........my latest background thought.......I've heard of people having to go to pain clinics saying they are always in pain, I always thought it was in their mind until I met breast surgery with expanders installed to stretch the skin.
Now don't get me wrong, I understand what is happening ,I look at my poor little chest wanting to tear apart at the middle seam, BUT I am not going to take oxycodon, oxycotin, morphine etc etc to relieve the pain NO none of those are for me....if panadeine cant help - tough - I have to bear it, so bear it I will as I understand this pain is going to stop when I take out expanders and put in implants so I'm not risking getting addicted to painkillers , but friends I now know why people DO get addicted to prescription pills. I go to bed which means no sleeping if I try to turn - waking in the morning and trying to raise myself with all sorts of stabbing pains across my chest, trust me it's not easy....I keep asking myself if a concave chest wouldn't have been easier , my friends tell me easier on the pain but not easier on the eyes and "ms. vain" me might not be trying to push past this bout of cancer with a concave chest.
I who have had 23 surgeries can easily tell you that # 24 has been the absolute worst.I am depressed ,I am in pain, I feel deformed no matter how I'm reassured, I feel old, I feel as if life is passing me by!
I will certainly let you all know after my surgery to put in implants, how I feel as one thing I know for sure is that it must get better as it cannot get any worse!

THE CONTENT OF REFRIGERATORS

2011-09-09T16:44:00.006-04:00

A friend said to me this morning "do you know we are the only specie that drink another species' milk".......try telling people that cows milk not good for them they look on you like you are crazy, but there must be a reason why so many black people are lactose intolerant ...just not good for us people! Check out this interesting article from one of my favourite raw food teachers NOMI SHANNON.

Observations Made while on a Road Trip: What I learned about the content of Refrigerators
While on a road trip awhile back, I learned a lot about what the average person has in their refrigerator. It is sad to see so many people (non raw food people) eating in such a limited way in both quantity and variety in order to keep their weight in check when they could be eating a lot and enjoying it so much if they were 50% or more raw.
The Worst Offenders
Low Fat anything such as yogurt, pudding, cheese, milk, margarine, cookies, etc Little containers of fruit in liquid: is it really that much easier to peel the top off than to simply peel and eat a tangerine or an orange. This stuff has a very long shelf life which means: dead food.
Canned Goods (any): soups, pudding, beans, fruits, vegetables, spaghetti-o's. These items belong in a bomb shelter, not your kitchen! Most items that come in a can, a jar, or a box are not good for you.
Food not fit to Eat: Be willing to throw away old produce and be willing to shop more often. Shop more; buy less.
Out-dated food: I do not believe in bottled salad dressing, it is so easy to make your own and you can be pretty sure most store bought dressings use inferior oils which have a good chance of being rancid anyhow. But if you do use this type of thing, do not use past the date on the jar, this goes for your dried herbs and spices as well. One kitchen I visit from time to time has a noxious chemical mix of many outdated items both in the refrigerator and the pantry. It's not good to use packaged foods but it's even worse to use old, outdated, rancid packaged foods.
What I learned about how the average person uses their refrigerator.
Most people I visit have fairly new refrigerators. But I didn't see anyone utilizing their refrigerator well. For example highly perishable food like milk (shouldn't be there if you are raw anyhow) should not be kept in the door. Keep items in the door that will be OK with frequent exposure to room temperature. Always close the door right away all the time. Utilize the drawers! Many times I saw produce piled high on the refrigerator shelves rather than in the drawers that were designed to keep fruits and vegetables fresh. (One friend who juices daily has a mess of a refrigerator with no room to put anything because all her juicing produce is piled high on the bottom shelf, but the drawers are totally empty!) The smallest drawer is colder and meant for meat and cheese, I keep the most perishable items in there like basil, baby greens and seed cheese, and the larger drawers hold the rest of the produce. This leaves the shelves free for many other items, like that huge nut loaf you are making for dinner or the giant platter of zucchini pasta with pesto and marinara you are bringing to the church pot luck. Or the watermelon or the jug of water....
Spend a few minutes one day each week getting rid of almost spoiled produce, left- overs, outdated items and organizing the refrigerator. My day for doing this is Sunday night, because Monday is trash pick up day. It can't hurt to wipe off any spills or dirt either.
There are so many kitchens without a blender. Wow. What a way to live! And, where is the lemon/orange/citrus squeezer/juicer? Without exception all homes I have been in that do not own one or both of these items, are homes where the people have a poor diet. A highly unscientific but nonetheless accurate observation. Invest in a decent blender. Not only will it save you a lot of time, you will be able to make things you can't even dream about now.

A raw food kitchen or even a healthy life style kitchen is a very different place from the average kitchen - when I moved recently I bought the smallest stove ever and even now only one burner is used and it's usually to heat water or for the kettle ..........the smells are different too, I wake during this season to the smell of ripened guavas and avocados - purple and green are everywhere ...

NONI - GOOD FOR YOU

2011-09-07T18:30:00.007-04:00

Check out this interesting piece on Noni Juice from Sigrid Gaffga-Ribbe. My suggestion is that you should have it fresh as you have to be strong to take the smell of the fermented version and that is coming from someone who tries to drink it everyday no matter what! Sometimes when I walk around and watch the Nonis lying rotting on the ground while the people pass with a soda in their hand I could cry ....

Here are the Top 5 out of 1000 Health Benefits Derived from fresh extracted NONI Juice:

Anti-inflammation – Researchers from the University of Hawaii found Noni fruit juice to have inflammation-reducing constituents and the ability to suppress the COX-2 enzyme responsible for inflammation and pain.
The immune system – Noni juice is a powerful natural food supplement to add to your diet because of its ability to stimulate your immune system into action. By drinking Noni juice daily, your body’s immune system is optimized to respond against the invasion of outside bacteria, germs and viruses as it fights them off and protects you from infection.
The circulatory and cardiovascular systems – Noni fruit juice contains scopoletin, which has been shown to lower high-blood pressure by dilating constricted blood vessels. Noni also stimulates the body to produce nitric oxide and it relaxes and expands blood vessels, alleviating stress on the arteries and the heart providing valuable benefits for improved health.
The digestive tract - Noni aids the digestive enzymes to efficiently break down food more thoroughly to absorb nutrients taken into the body from the foods eaten.
Emotional and mental well-being – Noni is believed to boost serotonin in the brain that has been shown to aid in clearer thinking, better focus and concentration and an elevation in mood and sense of well being.

A little info on Okra

2011-09-03T18:46:00.002-04:00

Now that I'm back rigid on raw foods ....I will give you a little info on why people like me eat like this. Okra is one vegetable that to me is so much nicer raw as it's not slimy (the reason why most people don't like it)it's crisp as the slime is to do the marvels inside not outside the body........
The superior fiber found in okra helps to stabilize the blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract. Okra's mucilage binds cholesterol and bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. Okra helps lubricate the large intestines due to its bulk laxative qualities. The okra fiber absorbs water and ensures bulk in stools. This helps prevent and improve constipation. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, okra's mucilage soothes, and okra facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic. Okra binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids). These, if not evacuated, will cause numerous health problems. Okra also assures easy passage out of waste from the body. Okra is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming, has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most individuals unlike over-the-counter drugs.
Okra fiber is excellent for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics). This contributes to the health of the intestinal tract.
Okra is a supreme vegetable for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression.
Okra is used for healing ulcers and to keep joints limber. It helps to neutralize acids, being very alkaline, and provides a temporary protective coating for the digestive tract.
Okra treats lung inflammation, sore throat, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Okra has been used successfully in experimental blood plasma replacements.
Okra is good for summer heat treatment.
Okra is good for constipation.
Okra is good in normalizing the blood sugar and cholesterol level.
Okra is good for asthma. Okra's vitamin C is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, which curtail the development of asthma symptoms.
Okra is good for atherosclerosis.
Okra is believed to protect some forms of cancer expansion, especially colorectal cancer.
Eating okra helps to support the structure of capillaries.
Some information shows that eating okra lowers the risk of cataracts.
Okra is good for preventing diabetes.
Okra protects you from pimples and maintains smooth and beautiful skin. We understand the reason why Cleopatra and Yang Guifei loved to eat okra.

WORST FOOD?

2011-08-24T17:36:00.000-04:00

Check this out from COACH JOSH............

I get a lot of questions from my loyal readers about what I think is the absolute WORST food of all time.
Is it Twinkies? Maybe McDonald's French fries? Biscuits and gravy? Soft drinks stuffed with high fructose corn syrup? Lard? Cheese-stuffed crust on a meat lovers pizza? (Really? We need cheese in the crust, too?)
Hmm... although all of these foods are at the top of my "bad" list, they aren't the WORST.
Nope. The worst food ever is ... drum roll please ... any food that you can't stop eating. (That's so important take a moment to read that sentence again.) I'm talking about your personal "trigger foods." You know, that one food that you'll eat until you make yourself sick.
For me it's ice cream. For others it's chocolate or something crunchy and salty like chips.
If it's in my house ... I'll come up with dozens of excuses on why it's okay to eat it. "I'll workout extra hard tomorrow." Or, "I ate really healthy today so it's okay to cheat." Or, "I don't care ... give me that darn ice cream scooper!" =)
The key to getting (and keeping a flat belly) is recognizing these trigger foods and keeping them OUT OF YOUR HOUSE.
Really. This tip alone can save you thousands of calories every week.
So today's take home message is this: make a list of your top three trigger foods and "send them packin

I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW TRUE THIS IS, LET'S SEND ALL OF THEM PACKING AS LET'S FACE IT HOW YOU GOING TO EAT IT IF IT'S NOT THERE?

YES IT IS CANCER CALLING AGAIN

2011-08-14T23:35:00.006-04:00

Well it seems like forever since I last blogged on June 26,but I've been busy with my latest round of cancer........this time breast cancer came a-calling and I don't know why I thought I would never get breast cancer but I have to tell you this one hit me for 6. I have asked myself why did I react to it like that but I think it is because I feel , no I KNOW , I brought it on to myself......on reading my list of what I ate in a day (when Vanessa asked) before this last bout it was so different from the list I recently made for NOMI SHANNON'S new book so it's no wonder cancer raised its ugly head again - not only was the head raised but the hands and feet had latched on and was eating me up. Looking back I realised that when my friend Norma Shirley died I came off my diet and really came off everything including life, why I don't know as Norma was 75, I haven't reached 60 yet.
My "children" especially Sandor really had it out with me as I was quite prepared to give up and I thank you Sandy for shouting me back to reality as everyone wondered how come I who had fought 4th stage cancer twice, was quite prepared to give in to 2nd stage breast...........I had lost my verve, my need to live, I was no longer spiritually tuned, I couldn't even remember the entire 'Our father' as I tried to pray - I had lost it! Thanks to Rev Sheila and Dr. Marcia for getting me back on my spiritual path so I could face the medical Drs and there the pain started again biopsies, bone scans ending with breasts going - only one was in trouble but why risk the other one coming back to haunt me so here I sit with 2 breasts gone and 2 new girls being groomed to take their place.
Of course its back to the oncologist soon to hear if my receptors will receive chemo , matters not whether they will or not as I'm not walking that way the little memory I've retained from 2 rounds of chemo in 2006 I will not chance it being taken away from me so the answer is no, no chemo just back to my strict lifestyle and GOD'S grace..............

Foods to avoid when travelling

2011-06-26T13:13:00.007-04:00

Since I'm eating raw food 90% again, I don't have problems with unhealthy eating habits anymore, as the cravings go once u r on track, but all of you out there, please stop killing yourselves. We have to be so alert! Check out the following tips from Coach Josh

I've been traveling a lot for business in the last year, and I've noticed that most people totally fall off their fitness routines while traveling...
In fact, eating out at restaurants frequently is one of the biggest reasons why so many people fatten up while traveling. It's almost damn near impossible to eat healthy when you dine out, UNLESS you follow a couple simple tricks that I use to make every restaurant meal healthier, reduce calories, and not lose control.
Here's a few tricks you can use to eat healthier and stay lean even while traveling on business or eating out any time for that matter...
The 3 most important things to avoid that are EVERYWHERE at restaurants are:

- the deep fried foods
- the refined starchy foods and
- any sodas, juices, or other sugary foods (except whole fruits, which are great)
This eliminates the major food sources that do the worst damage in our food supply - the evil trans fats, the inflammatory refined vegetable oils, refined starches, and processed sugars.
This means trying to skip the table bread, skipping the french fries (that come with every single sandwich on every menu known to man), and reducing all of the heaping portions of rice and pasta that are often loaded on the plates as well.
Instead, try to order just meat, side vegetables, and a salad, asking for the vegetables or salad as a substitute for the typical fries, rice, or pasta that the meal probably comes with.
Almost every restaurant I've ever been to will always allow me to substitute veggies or a side salad for the fries or chips that almost always come with sandwiches or burgers.
Side note: It always amazes me how many people scrutinize me because I substitute veggies for fries by telling me that I'm "not living" because I won't eat fries...
Yet they are always the first to complain that they are overweight and have "tried everything", yet can't lose weight. I'm not sure why so many people think eating french fries equals "living it up"... I'm all for moderation with many things, but if there's 2 things that should be almost totally removed from every one's diet because these foods are simply that evil... it's fries and sodas!
Take a look at the typical difference this simple substitution makes between choosing smart and doing what most people do...
Most people will eat a meal out such as this:
- Sandwich or burger
- fries or chips
- soda or other sweetened drink
A MUCH smarter alternative for a leaner, healthier body is very simply this:
- veggies or salad
- unsweetened iced tea or water with lemon (and no diet drinks -- unless you enjoy drinking carcinogenic poisonous artificial sweetener chemicals).
These 2 simple substitutions save at least 400 - 900 calories EACH time you dine out (depending on drink refills and fries portion sizes)... AND you're cutting out the most harmful foods to your body as well by avoiding the trannies and high fructose corn syrup.
Also, it may be rare to find this in most restaurants, but if you can find some that offer much healthier grass-fed beef burgers, it's a much smarter decision compared to grain fattened beef.
Side note: a little-known way to eat full portions of rice, pasta, and breads and actually get away with it without packing on the bodyfat is to make sure to schedule a high intensity full body resistance training workout before your scheduled meal time.
Sometimes it may be hard to fit the workout into your schedule right before the meal event, but if you can, the meal can be your "post-workout meal", in which case, your body can handle a higher amount of carbs than normal to help replenish the muscle glycogen depletion you had during the intense workout.
A cardio workout WON'T cut it for this... it must be high intensity resistance training to deplete enough muscle glycogen to handle restaurant portions of carbohydrates.

What foods SHOULD you avoid?

2011-06-12T08:11:00.004-04:00

How many of us are really aware of what we are putting in our mouths......we go to the hospital to look for our friends and drink a soda on the way home..........we need to start thinking health. A recent article in Food Matters asked seven experts a simple question: “What foods do you avoid?” Here are some of their eye-opening responses:

Canned Tomatoes
An endocrinologist won’t go near canned tomatoes -- the cans are lined with a resin containing BPA, and tomatoes are especially dangerous because their acid breaks the BPA down in dangerous amounts.
Conventional Beef
Conventional cattle are fed grain, corn and soy to make them fat, even though studies show that grass-fed beef is higher in important vitamins, minerals and heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory fats.
Microwave Popcorn
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) lines microwave popcorn bags, and when they are heated the compound, which has been linked to infertility, leaches onto the food.
Conventional Potatoes
Non-organic potatoes are heavily sprayed with herbicides, pesticides and fungicides -- many potato growers don’t eat the potatoes they sell, but instead grow their own separate plots without all the chemicals.
Farmed Salmon
Farmed salmon are stuffed into pens and fed chicken feathers and pellets. A scientific study on fish contamination showed high levels of carcinogens such as DDT and PCBs.
Conventional Milk
Dairy cows are fed growth hormones to maximize milk production, which results in increased incidence of udder infection and pus in the milk.
Conventional Apples
Apples are heavily and frequently doused with pesticides -- pesticides that have been linked to Parkinson’s.

Without our health we are nothing, I'm here to tell you!

Most authoritative ever report on bowel cancer and diet: Links with meat and fibre confirmed

2011-05-31T08:16:00.002-04:00

THIS SPEAKS FOR ITSELF........
23 May 2011
The most authoritative ever report on bowel cancer risk has confirmed that red and processed meat increase risk of the disease and concluded that the evidence that foods containing fibre protect against bowel cancer has become stronger.
The report, released as part of World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research’s (WCRF/AICR) groundbreaking Continuous Update Project (CUP), has examined the links between bowel cancer risk and diet, physical activity and weight, and updated the bowel cancer findings of the WCRF/AICR’s 2007 Expert Report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective.
A systematic review of the evidence was carried out by WCRF/AICR-funded scientists at Imperial College London, who added 263 new papers on bowel cancer to the 749 that were analysed as part of the 2007 Report. An independent Expert Panel then reviewed the results and made judgements.
For red and processed meat, findings of 10 new studies were added to the 14 studies analysed as part of the 2007 Report. The Panel confirmed that there is convincing evidence that both red and processed meat increase bowel cancer risk.
WCRF/AICR recommends that people limit consumption to 500g (cooked weight) of red meat a week - roughly the equivalent of five or six medium portions of roast beef, lamb or pork - and avoid processed meat.
The Expert Panel behind the CUP’s judgements also concluded that the evidence that foods containing dietary fibre reduce bowel cancer risk has become stronger since the publication of the 2007 report. They considered the evidence sufficient to strengthen the conclusion that foods containing fibre protect against bowel cancer from “probable” to “convincing”.
The analysis for fibre included adding seven more studies to the existing eight from the 2007 Report, and the result was that the evidence became much more consistent.
This strengthens WCRF/AICR’s recommendation for people to consume a plant-based diet including foods containing fibre, such as wholegrains, fruits, vegetables and pulses such as beans.
The Panel also confirmed that the evidence published since 2007 did not change the judgements that there is convincing evidence that being physically active reduces risk of bowel cancer and that excess body fat – especially around the waist – remains a convincing cause of bowel cancer. There is also convincing evidence that alcohol consumption increases bowel cancer risk in men and it also probably increases risk in women.
Professor Alan Jackson, Chair of the WCRF/AICR Continuous Update Project (CUP) Expert Panel, said: “Our review has found strong evidence that many cases of bowel cancer are not inevitable and that people can significantly reduce their risk by making changes to their diet and lifestyle.
“Because our judgements are based on more evidence than ever before, it means the public can be confident that this represents the best advice available on preventing bowel cancer.
“There has been a lot of debate over the last few years about the strength of evidence that red and processed meat increase risk of cancer. We hope our review can help give clarity to those people who are still confused about the strength of the evidence.
“On meat, the clear message that comes out of our report is that red and processed meat increase risk of bowel cancer and that people who want to reduce their risk should consider cutting down the amount they eat.”
Teresa Nightingale, General Manager of WCRF, said: “Many people feel confused about cancer prevention because it can seem like a new study is published every week that suggests that a new substance either causes or prevents cancer.
“But the CUP takes the latest scientific findings and adds them to the existing body of evidence in a way that ensures our advice takes the latest research into account. This means people can be confident that our recommendations are up-to-date as well as being the most evidence-based information on cancer prevention available anywhere in the world.
“This latest report shows that there is enough evidence to recommend that people can reduce their bowel cancer risk by consuming less red and processed meat and alcohol, having more foods containing fibre, and by maintaining a healthy weight and being regularly physically active. This report confirms that bowel cancer is one of the most preventable types of cancer and we estimate that about 43 per cent of bowel cancers cases in the UK could be prevented through these sorts of changes. That is about 17,000 cases every year.”

MY MEALS.....A TYPICAL DAY : FOR VANESSA

2011-05-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

I used to be far more rigid in my eating habits, but since my son who is a raw food chef quit his catering business and started working full time because he couldn't earn enough from the amount of people wanting raw food, I have found it far harder to eat how I would like , which is 90% raw...I went off at Christmas eating fruit cake and ham, chicken, drinking rum - you name it I had it...I felt so awful, meaning lethargic, skin changes, body bloat etc, I detoxed , called my holistic practitioner opened up my chakras and went back to the eating routine that I have no doubt has kept me healthy for the last 5 years.
My typical day is like this - I always wake at 6 am every morning - my eyes pop open no matter the time I went to bed .....usually I try to stay in bed till 7 am then I start with my water - I always start with a bottle of water - always purified - no spring water or water that I don't know where it comes from......sometimes I finish the bottle, sometimes half - if you want an instant visit to the toilet drink minimum 3 glasses (8 oz) of water as you wake before brushing your teeth. While I watch my favourite morning program Smile Jamaica I start my fruit eating, yesterday it was Otaheite apple so I ate 2 then 2 honey bananas the only bananas I like and then drank my tea ...... yesterday it was pau de arco and lemon grass mix .......after that I had an East Indian mango at around 9 am...........I usually leave for work at 10 am so before I left home I had a glass of chocho juice.
I try to keep kale chips in the fridge for snacks so I buy organic kale whenever it's available...it is right now. I bought a large bag of lychee en route to work so water, kale and lychee kept me till I finished work and came home then had another glass of cho cho juice and after that the cauliflower cous cous that my son made , later I had another cup of tea. Yesterday I was particular good and drank a bottle of water before bed with my glyconutrients in it.
I`m addicted to cheese so that's something I have not given up so I eat that from time to time - real cheese though not plastic cheese, gruyere being my favourite.
I try and buy ackee when in season to take around with me and eat as snacks - I buy my ackee myself to make sure its properly opened (raw ackee is a favourite of mine when in season).
My other favourite foods include sardines (tin food is a no no but I love sardines and it does have nutrients) and brown rice and split peas and brown rice with lots of onion garlic and turmeric and curry goat (the only alkaline meat there is)so once per week I usually have curry goat.
I have lots of fruit, I drink lots of tea, guinea hen weed being by favourite...... all loose tea no tea bag tea and I take my supplements and hope for the best.........every once in a while like once every 3 months I eat a steak, my favourite meal of all times, and I'm sure the reason why I got sick as I used to eat it every day of life from early teens with nothing but onion (although I'm trying to keep cancer away, I'm not dead yet so I have to have some enjoyment). Another thing I miss is crusty bread, so whenever I'm bad I make sure I'm bad all the way then detox the next day. If I eat steak this week I have no cooked food till the following week as steak is a definite no no to my diet ....I've found since I started eating this way as soon as I eat wrong it flies out, as my body is not used to it.
I try not to have any bottled juices like cranberry also no yogurt (all those so-called healthy foods I stay away from as they all have too much sugar) I love fresh fruit like mangoes, pineapple, banana, papaya once you peel the skin you don't have to fear herbicides and insecticides that much, I try to grow my rosemary, mint, peppers etc so I can pick those from my garden, my teas are there too guinea hen weed grows wild and so does lemon grass.......
People say it's an expensive way to live but I spend J$6000 per week on average for my fruits and veggies from the organic lady and the market, I see my friends spending some large, LARGE double digit sums at the supermarket........I also use special detergent, dishwashing liquid, house cleaners etc....I do not burn mosquito destroyers or use Vape mats or have those deodorants in my car......I read makeup labels, those longlife lipsticks not good for you, check your bath soaps, body products etc it's a whole change of lifestyle not only food.
I have no diabetes, no hypertension, no cholesterol issues but I think how I ate in my early years caused my cancer gene to stand up fully:)
I've been battling this disease from I'm 24 , I'm 58 now and I know mine is tied in to stress and food, but I give thanks as if I didn't have to eat this way I wouldn't look as young as I do now would I ?????

EIGHT FOODS YOU MUST NEVER EAT

2011-05-21T20:26:00.008-04:00

We just cant win,no matter how hard we try, big brother not only watching us but trying his best to make us sick so we can live on his drugs...it's a real catch 22. My favourite Doctor "know", not OZ, Dr. Mercola is here to tell us that we need to know that GM does not mean General Motors! Check out his take on the Eight Foods You Should Almost Never, Ever Eat:

Most soybean, corn, cotton and canola crops in the U.S. are genetically altered. Some experts argue that these crops could pose serious health and environmental risks, but the scientific picture is currently incomplete -- deliberately so.
Agricultural corporations such as Monsanto and Syngenta have restricted independent research on the crops. They have refused to provide independent scientists with seeds, or else have set restrictive conditions that severely limit research. This is legal because under U.S. law, genetically engineered crops are patentable.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
"Agricultural companies defend their stonewalling by saying that unrestricted research could make them vulnerable to lawsuits if an experiment somehow leads to harm, or that it could give competitors unfair insight into their products. But it's likely that the companies fear something else as well: An experiment could reveal that a genetically engineered product is hazardous or doesn't perform as promised."
Even if you don't want to eat genetically engineered foods, you most likely already are doing so. Corn and soy are two of the most common food ingredients, especially in processed foods, and over 90 percent of both these crops in the US are now from GM seeds.
Organic food companies and consumer groups are stepping up their efforts to get the government to exercise more oversight of engineered foods. Critics of current policy argue that the genetically modified (GM) seeds are often contaminating the nearby non-GM crops.
ABC News reports:
"The U.S. government has insisted there's not enough difference between the genetically modified seeds its agencies have approved and natural seeds to cause concern. But Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, more so than his predecessors in previous administrations, has acknowledged the debate over the issue and a growing chorus of consumers concerned about what they are eating
You can also avoid GM foods that are not found in processed foods, if you know what to look for. There are currently eight genetically modified food crops on the market:
Soy
Sugar from sugar beets
Corn
Cottonseed (used in vegetable cooking oils)
Canola (canola oil)
Crookneck squash
Some varieties of zucchini
Hawaiian papaya

Try and remember the last time I told you about about canola oil - you can look it up in my blog post - 'Cooking with Plant Oils'

BOTOX AT 8 YEARS OLD ?

2011-05-12T11:37:00.001-04:00

I just saw the most amazing thing on TV - there was a little girl and her mother talking about how she gets Botox injections given by her mother to iron out her wrinkles....yes you heard me and did I tell you how old this little girl is? She is eight years old!
There is the mother proudly sitting beside her and when the person interviewing her asks "why do you get Botox ?" and she answers "I don't know" the mother chimes in"to get rid of your wrinkles".
Now if we really allow this aren't we are condoning child abuse?
No wonder the mad people are running around saying the world is coming to an end on May 21st!

Makeup tips

2011-05-10T09:52:00.000-04:00

I have told you all about using makeup that has expired, well recently I learnt something new about makeup - I used an eye cream that gave me a swollen eye and I thought it was an infection but it was just an allergy to all the fancy things in it that promised to make my eyes look younger...........It was frightfully expensive which means nothing these days as the ingredients were just not for me, but can you imagine what the cheap ones do? Here are some makeup tips that you should take note of :

Choose lipsticks without lead: Tests by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics found that 61% of name-brand lipsticks contain detectable levels of lead. Check out their website for brands without this toxic ingredient. EXPIRATION: Throw out anything over 6 months old.
Choose mercury-free mascara: In mascaras and other personal care products, mercury comes from an ingredient called "thimerosal." Look for that or for "mercuric" on the label. EXPIRATION: Throw out anything over 3 months old.
By the way you know Maybelline mascara in the pink container with the green top no matter what new comes out it still holds firm at # 1.
Be cautious with micronized mineral makeup: Tiny particles called nanoparticles and micronized particles make makeup look smooth and flawless, but they can also be a health risk, especially for those with allergies and asthma. Reduce the chances of particles floating about in the air by working the powder into the brush, or wetting it down to reduce airborn particles. EXPIRATION: Throw out anything over 6 months old.
Read labels on foundations and concealers: Read the ingredient list, and avoid things like parabens, talc, and mineral oil. Choose natural formulas that actually contain good ingredients for your skin. EXPIRATION: Throw out liquids over 3 months old, and powders over one year old. If the product changes color or texture, toss it.
Avoid chemical sunscreens: We know that UV rays can contribute to skin cancer, wrinkles, and premature aging. Manufacturers have capitalized on our concerns by producing products full of sunscreens, from moisturizers to foundations to blushes. Unfortunately, many of these sunscreens are made with potentially harmful chemicals like oxybenzone, PABA, and cinoxate. Choose instead safer options like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, then use sunscreen-free or safe-sunscreen makeup products. EXPIRATION: Check for an expiration date on the package. If there isn't one, discard anything that's over 3 years old.
Go for safer nail products: Avoid nail products with toluene, Dibutyl Phthalate (DBP) and formaldehyde, all linked with health effects. EXPIRATION: Throw it out if the container is damaged or if the polish had started to separate or turn colors.

And please, please, please stop putting on those acrylic or gel nails and destroying your nail bed and your lungs while you are applying them!

Question of the month -DOES PROCESSED MEATS CAUSE CANCER?

2011-05-05T01:58:00.000-04:00

Every month THE CANCER PROJECT has a question of the month and I think this one is good for us as pepperoni seems to be the pizza topping of choice and now everything these days seems to be smoked! Can you imagine smoked chicken? That's what you call a double whammy..........it is simply delicious and a favourite of mine before my last bout with cancer. It's so delicious you know it can't be good for you.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH
I’ve heard that certain preservatives like sodium nitrites/nitrates found in processed meat can cause cancer. If that is true, what about the nitrites in vegetables?
ANSWER
Processed meats are preserved by smoking, curing, or salting, and by the addition of preservatives such as sodium nitrite to increase the shelf life. These additives also bring about the “pink” color seen in canned and luncheon meats. When processed meat digests, nitrites link up with other degraded proteins to form N-Nitrosamines, which are known carcinogens. Researchers know there is a link but they can not be certain that nitrites/nitrates are the cause.
Some vegetables are naturally high in nitrates, but fruits and vegetables are not linked to cancer, and it appears to be because of the high vitamin C and antioxidant content found in produce. Vitamin C can block the process of nitrates converting into nitrosamine compounds, at least those found in plants. Processed meat is a different story. Manufactures add ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to preserve meat, because like fruits and vegetables, the antioxidant helps neutralize the toxic effect of nitrosamines. However, studies on processed meat continue to show increased cancer risk. As expected, foods in their whole form are always best.

To learn more about processed meats visit CancerProject.org/Media/CNA.php

MSG shows up everywhere!

2011-05-01T06:35:00.000-04:00

I learnt something new today..... .MSG is considered a SPICE! Really?
TAKE THE CONTAINER OF ACCENT OUT OF YOUR KITCHEN PEOPLE! After reading the following article from Coach Joshunder on the 7-Day belly Blast Diet - I'm sure you will heed my call.

A Common Spice That CAUSES Fat
If you’re like most people, when you think of monosodium glutamate (MSG) you think of Chinese food. But this innocent sounding additive also lurks in a surprisingly lengthy laundry list of food products and ingredients.
MSG is a flavor enhancer, one of the most common food additives, and a staple in the Standard American Diet, which has a very fitting acronym (SAD).
It shows up in all sorts of places, both obvious and hidden. For example, MSG is often disguised on food labels as “natural flavors”). MSG is also one of the biggest enemies to those who are trying to attain (and maintain) an ideal weight. Numerous studies have linked MSG intake with unhealthy weight levels and obesity.
Animal studies show that MSG can cause lesions in the hypothalamus region of the brain and leptin resistance (meaning tested animals don’t respond to the hormone signal letting them know they’re full), which leads to unhealthy weight gain. Then there are other studies that show mice become overweight when injected with MSG.
Still more research demonstrates that in a study where calorie consumption and exercise were equal, the group of men and women who used MSG were more likely to be overweight than the group that did not.
Another study performed by the University of North Carolina showed a correlation between MSG intake and obesity in Chinese adults. They found that the study group who used the most MSG was three times more likely to be overweight than nonusers.
Need more proof that you should avoid MSG at all costs? In addition to being tied to obesity, MSG is likely associated with numerous other serious symptoms and health conditions including: diabetes, depression, heart disease, cancer, celiac, migraines, digestive upsets, infertility, ADD, inflammation, and possibly even asthma.
MSG may also be addictive. It affects a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) called GABA, which stimulates the brain.
A desire for this sensation can, in turn, cause MSG addiction.
Convinced yet?
Despite these studies and scientists’ warnings to “…abstain from adding the popular flavoring agent MSG,” this obesity additive keeps popping up in many processed foods.
Now that you’re in the know, the next step is to avoid MSG; unfortunately, this isn’t always easy. As we’ve already discussed, not only are tons of foods loaded with MSG in obvious ways (meaning a food label clearly states that MSG or monosodium glutamate is included), but MSG is also HIDDEN in many foods.
To save you from the detective work necessary to hunt down these ingredients, here’s a list of some culprits. (Keep in mind that some of the following items always contain MSG, while others may or may not contain it. To be on the safe side, you should consider eliminating these items from your diet altogether.) Suspect ingredients include: monosodium glutamate, MSG, glutamate, yeast extract, hydrolyzed protein, glutamic acid, autolyzed yeast, and maltodextrin. There are others, but this is a good start.
Processed foods are much more likely to contain MSG, so steer as clear of them as you can. Also, try to avoid non-organic produce, because MSG-containing products are sometimes used as sprays and fertilizers for those fruits and vegetables. If nothing else, be sure to wash all produce carefully.

HOW CAN WE ESCAPE?? I overheard 2 men discussing their children and how they were just too fat.......one said his five year old was the weight of a 9 year old the other one said well what am I to say as mine is bigger than yours... she was also five.......well folks it's the food they are eating - plain and simple!

HERBS !

2011-04-26T10:41:00.000-04:00

And here I was , thinking the difference between the flat leaf parsley and the curley leaf parsley was the curl! So for all of you who also need a quick refresher course in herbs - check this out :

Herbs are not only great in meals for spice and added flavor but are key to the nutritional density in the foods you eat. Herbs can protect you against diseases, clear toxins from your body, and provide you with vitamins and minerals.
Here are some examples of such, from a list of nine assembled by Planet Green:
Basil
Basil provides Vitamins A, C, and K, along with iron, manganese, magnesium, and potassium. Loaded with flavonoids, basil helps prevent cell damage from radiation and oxygen.
Ginger
Treat nausea and an upset stomach with ginger; prevent and treat the common cold with its antiviral components.
Fenugreek
This Mediterranean herb is good for menstrual cramps, menopause symptoms, cholesterol, and diabetes.
Flat Leaf Parsley
Parsley is renowned for containing high levels of antioxidants and is full of vitamins, minerals, and dietary fiber that help balance cholesterol and ward off constipation.
Turmeric
The Cork Cancer Research Centre's test results show that turmeric can kill gullet cancer cells in 24 hours!

LEAD ME TO THE TUMERIC!

GOOD OLD DAYS

2011-04-18T10:31:00.008-04:00

A friend asked me yesterday why he doesn't see any little boys out flying kites as in previous years, and I said, they are in their homes playing with their video games and texting on their cell phones.......
It's so sad to see lots of our children nowadays...most of them are chubby - many overweight and although most are bright and can type a million words a minute..take them outside and they can't run, they are full of allergies, they do not eat this or that,like how in our childhood days we would pick a berry or a plum oh no they can't eat that.....if it doesn't come from KFC or McDonald's it can't be eaten.........
It was such fun for me the other day to take my granddaughter and godson to a wedding and there they got into hauling down a banana tree.........my godson didn't stop till a bee stung him which stopped all of them actually - I don't think they knew like we did that you had to be wary of things like bees ... well when the mother called to ask what had stained up her son's Burberry shirt I took great pleasure in telling her "banana stain" .....
Do you remember those days lying on your back watching the cloud formations float by -an elephant - no a man on a horse, oh there goes a dog.........what fun we had till we got up and couldn't stop scratching because of course rolling in the grass will do that to you, not to talk about picking cherries from the cherry tree - but did that stop us? Oh no,it just made us more careful next time.....
I need to ask all of you that walk around with your phones attached to your ears like earrings please be careful.....I don't know what's coming out of them so I will stay texting and please when we go to dinner, ladies can we leave the phone in our bags and men in your pockets do we need to be at a party texting ?
Is that how we have fun now ?

Urinary Tract Health

2011-04-14T11:08:00.005-04:00

Recently as I watch our younger folks choosing rum and cranberry juice as their drink of choice ..it dawned on me that they were getting a double whammy of sugar - sugar is the simple reason why I don't drink supermarket juices especially apple........so I did a little research on it and of course Dr. Mercola had the info I was looking for and here it is:

Less-than-Optimal Urinary Tract Health Is a Fact of Life for Many Women
New and Improved D-Mannose is not a drug. This nutritional supplement occurs naturally in cranberries, peaches, apples, other berries, and some plants.
At some time in their lives, one out of every five women will experience less-than-optimal urinary tract health. And, it’s not just women who are concerned with urinary tract health – men are, too.
It’s entirely possible that your urinary tract health could be less than optimal… and you don’t even know it. You’ve probably heard of a number of ways to promote optimal urinary tract health naturally. And I bet cranberry juice is one of the things you think can do it the best…
But What's the Scoop with Cranberry Juice … Does It Really Work?
Cranberry juice is NOT my recommended choice for promoting urinary tract health because it is high in fructose that can potentially lead you to health issues.
The D-Mannose found naturally in cranberries, other fruits, and some plants, however, is exceptional for helping you promote a healthy urinary tract.
Cranberry juice has long been thought to help boost your urinary tract health. And, you’ll be happy to know that studies do indeed show that drinking cranberry juice can help support a healthy urinary tract.
But, this will come as a surprise to many- drinking blueberry, peach, or apple juice could theoretically have the same beneficial effects, too.
However, there’s a BIG problem with cranberry juice as well all of these other juices: SUGAR.
To be more specific, these juices, including cranberry juice, are loaded with fructose, a monosaccharide (simple sugar) that can potentially cause many health problems, including impacting the normal way your urinary tract functions.
You see, if you eat sugars and grains (which also rapidly break down to sugars), it becomes more difficult to maintain a healthy balance of flora. As a result, you’re much more likely to experience less-than-optimal urinary tract health.
So, although cranberry juice can assist your efforts, I would not advise using it in its juice form. It simply has far too much sugar in it. In a moment, I’m going to expose another way you can get all the benefits of cranberry (and a lot more) that I think you’re going to love.
But, first, here are a number of…
Simple Things You Can Do to Support Your Urinary Tract Health
The D-Mannose for New and Improved D-Mannose comes from a simple sugar found naturally in birch and beech trees.
Is it all bad news? Of course not.
There are simple things you can do to help promote a health urinary tract, including:
Drink plenty of water every day – this dilutes your urine and helps you regularly flush your system.
Urinate when you feel the need. Don't resist the urge to go.
For women, wipe from front to back, and use unscented and unbleached toilet paper as many women react to the dyes and chemicals in other toilet papers.
Take showers instead of baths.
Cleanse your genital area prior to and after sexual intercourse, or better yet use a bidet.
Avoid feminine deodorant sprays, douches, and powders that can lead to irritation of the urethra and genitals.
Only use natural cotton sanitary napkins and tampons. 97% of women believe they are made of cotton, but the truth is LESS THAN one percent actually is.
By following these simple, but effective suggestions, you can help support your urinary tract health

And tell me how many of us have this problem on a monthly basis and stock our refrigerators with cranberry juice to help.........

THINK!

2011-04-10T17:22:00.005-04:00

I don't watch the news on TV as I believe that whatever I need to hear will come to me and over the years I have always found this to be true ....well I was happy to see that Dr Robert Anthony feels the same about the value of the news we get from TV ... he also sees like me that people are not reading enough just like how people aren't really dancing - my books are all piling up by my bed......I guess it's a different time, but is it better for us?
Just like how food today is instant are we going to wake up one day and realize that not everything that is instant is good for us and maybe if we read a little we could learn a little more instead of following what our favourite celebrity ate or wore yesterday?
Just like how I'm monitoring my TV time, I've been tracking my food intake ever since my raw food chef son went back to work in a hotel kitchen (as not enough of us want to eat raw or "live" food, so he could not make a living doing it) and I'm here to tell you that eating cooked food no matter how much vegetables you eat gives you fat pockets, saps your energy, causes mucus to form, lowers your immune system and I could go on and on - I now have an eye infection ....I haven`t had things like that since before my last bout of cancer in 2006........it's amazing how many nutrients we cook out of our food.......
So here is Dr Robert Anthony again - trying to get us to think about the important things in life!

My goal is to get you to THINK! To really THINK about what you are doing with your life and why you do not have all the abundance you
deserve. Awareness is always the first step to change. The lessons I am sharing with you are about awareness. You get to choose what you want to do with your new awareness.
If you look at socioeconomic studies for low income households, you will find that they may have a copy of the National Enquirer or a Bible in their homes. If you go to a medium income household you will find a few books (usually by the toilet!) with a glossy gossip magazine in the family room. But what do you think you will find in high income household? A library of non-fiction books.
So the question we must ask is this: is the socioeconomic status determined by what people read or does what people read bring the status? I will guarantee you it is the latter.
All great leaders are readers. You will never grow spiritually, emotionally or financially by watching TV news and reading the tabloids. Remember there are only two things you can do with your brainpower as it relates to time. You can either spend it, or invest it. Time spent (wasted) is gone forever. Investment in the
form of learning creates a lifetime of payoff not only in knowledge, but in income as well. Decide right now that you are going to invest your greatest asset, which is your time, in learning and studying things that will bring you closer to your desires.

But what are our desires?

PLUG -IN DRUG!

2011-04-06T13:17:00.009-04:00

I`m going to test the following advice from Dr.Anthony as I am a doer but I relax watching General Hospital/ American Idol /Dancing with the Stars ...you name it but I`m going to put my TV time into doing time and see what happens and report to you at the end of the year!
THIS IS DR ANTHONY'S TAKE ON TV WATCHING:

Statistics tell us that 85% of North American households last year did not buy one non-fiction book. Not one! If that amazes you,here is something even more amazing. 90% of those who bought a non-fiction book did not read it! Yet during that period of time these same people spent 85 BILLION DOLLARS on movies and watched television over 6 hours a day or 42 hours a week!
Now I can hear you say, "But Dr. A, that's not true in my household". Perhaps. But look around and add up how many hours the TV is running in the background, or you are flipping the remote "just to see what's on". Compare that to how much reading you do.
Are you addicted to the "plug in drug"? Both men and women are highly addicted to this powerful drug. Men will often criticize women for watching TV soap operas or other mindless TV programs, but they are not immune to this drug either. Watching TV sports is the most mindless, time wasting non-activity ever conceived by man.
Watching a group of men high on testosterone running around and throwing a ball and screaming at the TV for hours on end is absurd.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to watch a special game or playoff, but to spend your nights and weekends watching these games is nothing short of being brain dead.
The problem is we have become a nation of "watchers" instead of a nation of "doers". We watch people entertain, play sports and do other activities but we rarely participate in these activities ourselves. It wouldn't be so bad if you wanted to actually PLAY sports and get some exercise, but to watch others do it for hours on end is wasting thousands of hours of your life that could be used to bring you everything you truly desire.
Here is my point. If you don't have the riches you desire in your life, it is a clear indicator of how you are spending your time. I know. You need to relax, your friends are doing it, you need to know the "score", you need to know who is winning American Idol.
Get serious!
Now please don't write to me and argue the point. If you want to do it, then be my guest, but you are "watching" your life away. If you want more money, consider converting the time you watch TV - probably 40 hours or more a week - into a part time business and your income will jump through the roof. And the best part is you will break your addiction to the "plug in drug.

Seems like a WIN-WIN-WIN to me!

PARTY TIME 2011

2011-03-30T01:32:00.002-04:00

There are so many things I'm noticing these days..........for example do you know most young people in Jamaica do not drink beer anymore .....they say it takes 5 beers to give them a kick and they urinate too much, whereas one rum gets them going. Are these young people aware how much sugar they are consuming especially when they chase their rum with soda?
Then do you notice how young people - the 25's and under - dance these days ? .... well I went to a young people party the other nite - first of all the DJ said "come closer - remember this is not Stone Love or Renaissance - we use monitor boxes we don't have big speakers so you have to come closer" continued the DJ .....really??????
The best comment of the night was when the slow music started playing the DJ said "rock your arms from side to side and look at the one beside you" - surely he was joking !
These young people can't slow dance, 3 step and 2 step doesn't exist so they 'rock their arms from side to side' - in fact the guys only dance to the girls' backs and they bend down and wine their bottoms in the air while the men mount them doggie style.......WHAT MADNESS !!! I AM TRULY OLD!
The girls walk up and down and model their outfits and the men stand there all bleached so their tattoos glow like Vybz Kartel, digging out the middle of their palms to knead their weed, then they buy a 750ml bottle of vodka or rum and if they really have money a bottle of Hennessy and 6 chasers usually cranberry or Ting and when the bottle is finished next person in the group buys.........the least clothes and the more false hair the girls have on, the more they have arrived....by the way did I tell you that parties are held 7 days a week? And they really say they have no money ? They must be kidding!
What age will these young people reach and how will they look?
I give thanks I was born at a time when we danced from we arrived at the party until we left........ (that means we didnt drink as much) we thought FUN CAN'T DONE! Well I have news for my contemporaries - IT DONE!

COULD THIS BE WHY CHICKEN IS SO DELICIOUS?

2011-03-27T12:46:00.006-04:00

Just some info from Grist for those of you who eat chicken for lunch and dinner - after you read it , think again about starting another week doing same!Its still standard practice on chicken AFOs (Animal Feeding Operations) to dose the birds with arsenic. Arsenic makes the birds grow faster and helps control a common intestinal disease of chickens.
This means, among other problems, an ecological disaster wherever the poultry industry is concentrated. The Delmarva Peninsula, historically one of the most productive fisheries in the U.S., is now nearly an ecological wasteland. Researchers estimate that between 11 and 12 metric tons of arsenic are applied to agricultural land there every year through poultry waste, and arsenic in some household wells reaches up to 13 times the EPA tolerance limit.
But that's far from the only worry. According to Grist:
"Then there's the question of arsenic traces in industrial chicken meat. In 2006, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) tested chicken samples from supermarkets and fast-food joints -- and found that 55 percent contained detectable arsenic."
Dr. Mercola's Comments:It’s chemical name is Roxarsone, and it’s widely used on chicken AFOs (Animal Feeding Operations) to control an intestinal parasite that allows the chickens to feed more productively and grow faster (it’s also used in AFO pig feed, although today I am focusing solely on chickens).
There are also several other reasons why you should avoid conventionally raised chickens in your supermarket, which I will go into below.
Use of “Organic Arsenic” is Common Practice
Roxarsone bills itself as an “organic” form of arsenic, which means it contains both carbon and arsenic, rendering it less toxic. The problem is this “organic” arsenic quickly turns into inorganic arsenic, especially once it passes through a chicken (or pig), and that’s where the trouble really begins.
Inorganic arsenic is a toxic poison that ends up both in the chicken meat and the chicken litter that is commonly used as fertilizer on surrounding fields. (For some reason chicken litter is also routinely fed to AFO beef, thereby contaminating them as well).
This inorganic arsenic “byproduct” created inside the chickens is distributed either to market where you consume it with your chicken meat, or it’s dispersed into the environment (by rainfall and watering) wherever the chicken litter is spread as fertilizer. This dispersed arsenic will eventually end up in your drinking water, and in lakes and oceans which are rapidly losing the ability to support life.
Folks, in 2010, AFOs in the US raised 40 billion pounds of chicken.
This is not a small amount of arsenic we are talking about. According to the article above, 11 to 12 million pounds of this converted inorganic arsenic is going into the environment in the form of chicken litter fertilizer. The people responsible for this massive poisoning of your chicken meat and your environment assure us that the Roxarsone they use is completely harmless, despite the fact that runoff from AFOs has been documented again and again poisoning the environment.
This is just another example of AFOs getting a free pass from the government to do whatever they want to increase both their output and profits, as runoff from AFOs is largely unregulated by the federal laws meant to prevent pollution and protect the quality of drinking water in wells.
Government, especially lately the Republicans in Congress, are always looking for ways to help these large farming corporations avoid regulations meant to protect the environment because they have a fear of upsetting their “client-partners” in industry.
The Problem with Arsenic
Continuous daily or weekly ingestion of arsenic, which could likely happen to you through eating of contaminated chicken meat on a weekly basis (or pig meat or cow meat), or through exposure to drinking water contaminated by high levels of arsenic, has been associated with skin cancer, bladder cancer and lung cancer.
The exact mechanism of arsenic poisoning is not known, but it is thought to compromise your immune system.
Arsenic does occur naturally in groundwater, but is often added to the environment through many other means (besides AFOs) at greater levels than found in nature. For instance, arsenic is used as a wood preservative (and until 2003, was a part of wood treatments for decks and playground equipment), in pesticides, and in special kinds of glass.
Some other problems associated with arsenic poisoning include:
Thickening and discoloration of your skin.
Digestive problems such as stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Numbness in your hands and feet.
If you think you may have been exposed to long-term arsenic poisoning, you should consult your doctor. Arsenic can be measured in blood, urine, hair, or nails. Of these, a urine test is the simplest way to tell if you are being exposed to dangerous levels of arsenic.
Another problem with all this arsenic being distributed is it creates new arsenic exposure pathways for people (especially children) who come into contact with the fertilizer on lawns, gardens or golf courses. So please think twice before applying chicken fertilizer on anything where you allow your children or pets to play."

Japan you are weathering this storm with class

2011-03-13T17:32:00.011-04:00

Has there been any tragedy that makes us know we must live in the moment like the earthquake in Japan?
Enjoy your lives please ...look how prepared Japan was....yearly countrywide drills ...even Tsunami warnings didn't save them,and if that wasn't bad enough here comes the probable meltdown of a nuclear reactor.
I LOVE THESE PEOPLE THEIR DISCIPLINE TELLS ME THEY WILL BE BACK BIGGER AND BETTER as instead of running for their lives some workers stood to hold up shelves as they shook, they continue to stand in lines orderly waiting their turn and most interesting of all they are in debt but not to the outside world but to Japanese investors.......
The strength of the earthquake that hit Haiti last year wouldn't have dented Japan...the one that hit Japan would have wiped Haiti off the map. If any country can go through this mighty slam Japan can!

All I have to say to the West is there will be a lot of cheap Japanese cars flooding the market from about May, BUY WITH CARE!

NOW HERE IS A NEWS FLASH from David Wolfe as we continue to damage the earth -The Most Important Water Discovery Ever!
Did you know… EPA records now show that over 2,100 cancer-causing chemicals have been detected in municipal tap water? (USA)
And what's worse… are you aware that there are over 80,000 manufacturing chemicals currently used in America... and over 1,000 new ones being developed every year?
The scary thing is, these chemicals are so new that we really don't know the long term risks of being exposed to them.
Before you reach for your plastic bottle of water, consider this: the 61 billion dollar bottled water industry uses more than 17 million barrels of oil each year to produce bottles.
That's enough energy to fuel over a MILLION cars for a year!

Aren't we ever going to learn?

ACKEE's BAD RAP

2011-03-03T08:17:00.007-05:00

There is a huge debate going on about the poor ackee and how much it is poisoning people in Jamaica. Ackee always gets a bad rap - the other day it was giving Jamaican men prostate cancer, until they found out by research that the fat they said was causing it did no such thing, now all these silly people who are eating the ackee before it is ripe are saying we mustn't eat ackee...ackee has the toxin hypoglycin in it and if you eat it before it's ripe the amount in it is too much so you will get sick.......because I eat my ackees raw, I always get my ackees myself to make sure they are fully opened.

Ackee is a complete source of Omega 3 and the BEWELLBUZZ team has put together '7 Amazing Benefits Of Omega-3' which I have copied below:

Anyone with even a tiny bit of interest in health matters knows how important Omega-3is.Research studies are published regularly where the scientific community discovers more and more amazing Omega 3 benefits.

Here's a quick look at some of the wonderful ways in which it can help you:
Heart disease - The risk of heart disease goes down significantly with Omega 3 since it helps in lowering LDL, which is the bad cholesterol, and increases levels of HDL, the good cholesterol. Omega 3 lowers the amount of triglycerides and prevents their accumulation as well.

Cancer - Omega 3 is reputed to reduce the occurrence of cancer, curb the growth of tumors, and boost longevity.

Immunity - Better immunity is one of the more well-known effects of Omega 3, and those who consume it regularly will know how wonderful it is to fall ill so rarely.

Improved circulation - Omega 3 also boosts blood circulation in the body.

Neurological effects - Studies are being conducted on the efficacy of Omega 3 in warding off conditions like Alzheimer's and ADHD.

Weight loss - Omega 3 has helped numerous women lose weight, and when taken in one's diet and supplemented with exercise, it can keep the excess pounds from piling up.

Pregnancy - Pregnant women can prevent preeclampsia and premature birth by taking Omega 3. This amazing nutrient can also significantly reduce postpartum depression and helps make the fetus healthy."!

So enjoy your ackee dishes and build up your Omega 3reserves!

'THE GREAT HEALTH DEBATE'

2011-02-14T19:56:00.007-05:00

All the Gurus of Raw Food etc. came together recently to give their pros and cons of eating raw,eating cooked,eating a little, eating a lot......All their views on why we should or should not eat a certain way.Needless to say it was an interesting 7 days and Kevin Gianni who put it together has given us a summary ...........

"So here are my 7 common things for this special Great Health Debate edition…

Eat plants first.

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon for any of us to understand this, but it’s amazing how many people don’t eat enough plant food in their diet.
All experts agree, we need to eat plants.
It is, and should be, the base of our diet.
Think like a vegetarian (doesn’t mean you have to be one) and you’ll be rewarded with good health.
If you don’t eat pounds of plant food every day, tread at your own risk.

2. Eat less meat.

I know, the Maasai and the Eskimos ate a lot of meat…
My question is are you an Eskimo or Maasai?
Probably not.
And if that’s the case, chances are your ancestral heritage ate a lot of plants.

What I’ve come to realize during this event, is that there are a lot of arguments that people use to justify their diet – on both sides!

Many of them don’t make as much sense when you hear them a few times.

This is one of them – “The Eskimo and Maasai eat meat, so that means we can or should as well.” (Or any variation of this statement.)
The reality is if you’re Asian, Japanese, from Central or South America, come from the Mediterranean area, Indian, or African your genetics are engineered to eat a lot of plants.
This doesn’t mean to not eat meat, that’s your personal choice, it means that even if you are omnivorous, your focus should be a plant-based diet first, animal food second.
Every long lived health expert I’ve interviewed eats more plants and less meat. Every single one.
Based on evidence from “The Blue Zones” we can see that the cultures that live the longest in today’s modern world have this in common as well.
More plants, less meat.
It’s a good mantra.

3. When you want to cleanse, you fast.
I think every expert will agree that if you want to cleanse you should fast in some way.
Whether the type of fasting is a raw food diet, juice fast, or water fast, it can be agreed that fasting is a valuable detoxification tool.

4. Avoid excess salt.
Some experts believe salt is something you should never take. Others feel it’s OK in moderation. Others take it all the time.
I’m going to bring my own research and knowledge into this discussion and say that the overwhelming evidence of salt intake on health is negative.
Many of the experts like Dr. Fuhrman, Dr. Goldhamer, Dr. Williams, Charlotte Gerson and others share this opinion.
Maybe the most practical advice about salt is to not use it at home.
When you’re around other people or at dinner with friends, you can relax your rules.
This is what we’ve adapted into our lives and salt rarely is an issue – unless we eat something that is over salted.

Then our hands swell up, our blood pressure rises and we don’t want to eat salt again for a while, which is a good thing.

5. Eliminate processed foods – even the “healthy” ones.
I know you’re saying that you don’t eat processed foods, but what about those raw treats, or that vegan or whole cream ice cream?
Processed sugar (agave included), salt and other boxed foods are one thing that all native cultures do not have in their diet. So you shouldn’t have it either – organic, raw or whatever.

6. Know your food sources.
Whatever you eat, make it a point to get most of it at the farmer’s market or somewhere close to your home.
Knowing who grows your food allows you to trust your own personal food supply.
Buying food locally, also supports the move to bring food growers back into the community. This movement is our only hope to change the food system as we know it now and end monoculture and factory farming.
Leave the health box stores alone, you’re going to pay way too much for non-local produce and food.

7. You must exercise or you can forget about true health.
I’ve always felt that your exercise program is slightly more important that what you eat.
We can argue back and forth about this, but you can’t tell me that it’s not nearly as important – or slightly more as I assert.
If you’re not moving, you’re dying.
Exercise is one of your most potent detoxification systems.
Some people ask me from time to time about cleanses and pills to take to detoxify and I always ask if they exercise regularly.
If they don’t, I tell them that I know a way to detoxify that’s free – exercise.
It’s not a popular answer, but you can’t knock something that works"

He also named one of the people who he thought looked especially good for his age and he felt it was because this man excercised 5-6 times per day.......

What i got from 'the great debate ' is everything in moderation,eat lots of vegetables each day ,make sure raw vegetables is in your diet and no processed foods as they carry too much sugar and chemicals......... But then havent i always told u that?

More great advice from Dr. Mercola

2011-01-22T20:35:00.006-05:00

When I was a younger and heard people who hadn't had a drop of alcohol to drink all their life dying of cirrhosis of the liver I used to wonder how come???? Well Dr. Oz on his programme this morning told all of us it's too much sugar that destroys your liver, not necessarily too much alcohol...... that's why you have women dying from this all the time....now isn't that interesting!
I was kinda off Dr. Oz because I saw him giving people ice water to lose weight and he loved over-the-counter drugs too much, although I forgive him as he's a mainstream doctor, but yesterday when I saw him bring on Dr Mercola and admitted there is so much he doesn't know and wants to learn and expressing a desire for them to work together - he is back up in my good book!
Dr Mercola has the best website I think that helps us cut through all the fake information that the major drug companies want us to believe.
Sometimes when I read his newsletters, which always have the source of the information right there, I just shudder.
He was telling us for months not to be caught up with the swine flu hoax while President Obama ( one of my favourite people ) had his entire family being vaccinated! He really cuts through the bull and today what I learnt about fluoride is giving me hives.
Not to scare you just to let you be aware, I am sharing his great advice on aging gracefully - he tells you here that all the anti wrinkle creams not going to work as anti aging starts at the cellular level.

Feeding Your Skin from the Outside-In
You may not realize this, but a large portion of the toxins you're exposed to on a daily basis comes through your skin, not just through what you put in your mouth. Your skin is actually the largest organ of your body, and it's highly absorbent. Women absorb an estimated five pounds of chemicals a year just from the makeup they use!
Therefore, you want to give your skin the same thoughtful care you give your internal organs. Having a great diet while slathering toxins on your skin is counterproductive, to say the least.

Personally, if I'm not willing to eat it, I won't put it on my skin.

For example, my organic body butter contains the following eight extraordinary food-based ingredients that are both safe and effective:

1.Organic Shea Butter
2.Cocoa Butter
3.Virgin Coconut Oil
4.Jojoba Oil
5.Murumuru Butter
6.Rice Bran Extract (Oryza Sativa)
7.Palm Oil
8.Aloe Vera Juice
These ingredients individually and synergistically contribute to softer, smoother, moister skin, without taxing your body with potential toxins. Along with a nutrient-dense diet and pure water, a truly all-natural, organic moisturizer can help you achieve a clear and radiant complexion.

The food debate!

2011-01-16T14:52:00.001-05:00

The debate rages on about what is good for you to eat and what is not..like how some people insist that a cooked sweet potato is better for you than a baked white potato the reality is - they’re both healthy!
Sweet potatoes have more fiber and vitamin A, but white potatoes are higher in essential minerals such as iron, magnesium, and potassium. As for the glycemic index, sweet potatoes are lower on the scale, but baked white potatoes typically aren't eaten without cheese, sour cream, or butter—all toppings that contain fat, which lowers the glycemic index of a meal.
Put the Truth to Work for You - the form in which you consume a potato—for instance, a whole baked potato versus a processed potato that's used to make chips—is more important than the type of spud. So people it's the process that our foods go through, and nowadays it's hard to find food that hasn't gone through one process or another, so sweet potato chips just as bad as white potato chips depending on what it went through before it reached your mouth....plus we might be having the baked potato and filling it with bacon and "plastic" cheese therefore not getting anything from it.....
Then as I sat down to write this someone asked me about drinking raw milk.....the thing is when the milk man used to deliver the milk to our mothers and they would take it in and scald it and it had that thick cream on top - that's the way we are supposed to drink milk, but we can't do that now - cows not feeding on grass.....they are feeding on all sorts of feed made from corn and God knows what else, do we know what antibiotics or supplements are in the feed to go and have unpasteurized milk ?
We want to go back to eating and drinking the healthy way before fake sugar and margarine were the norm, but unless we put in our little gardens, grow our chickens and cows or eat organically, it wont be possible......as I keep telling you it's not necessarily whether food is raw or cooked - it's the process the foods we eat go through because if we are eating raw and eating vegetables and fruit filled with insecticide and pesticide, it will make us just as sick, maybe sicker, because at least cooking it kills the poisons, it's just that if we cook everything we are just not getting any nutrients to do anything for our bodies.
But as we hear organic I hear you all saying "but that's so expensive".
Really? I think the doctor and the tests costs far more!

New strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

2011-01-09T17:47:00.001-05:00

Animals in factory farms are given doses of antibiotics -- both to keep them alive in stressful, unsanitary conditions, and to make them grow faster. The practice leads to new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as the now-widespread form of staph (MRSA) known as ST398.
Federal regulators have in the past refused to release estimates of just how much antibiotics the livestock industry uses. But recently the FDA released its first-ever report on the topic. And the amount? Twenty-nine million pounds of antibiotics in 2009 alone.
According to Grist:"[T]he Animal Health Institute, a veterinary-drug trade group, estimated total use in livestock at 17.8 million pounds. The industry has been clinging to that number ever since ... [T]he industry figure is woefully off -- about 40 percent lower than the real one."
I can just hear some of you after reading this saying to yourself "Pat start depress me so early in the new year?"
But people forewarned is to be forearmed!
Remember we might have gotten away last year but this year is another 12 months we are doing these things and it adds up...once in a while fine - meat 7 days per week not so fine........a close friend of mine eats chicken twice a day from he has been at school, chicken for lunch and chicken for dinner....TALK ABOUT ANTIBIOTICS in his blood,come on!Remember its not the good old days..............
Wait till that catches up with him!

BEVERAGES THAT CAUSE FAT

2011-01-04T09:36:00.005-05:00

For 2011 you have to be conscious of what you put into your body........we say we are not drinking soda yet we drink grape juice which has even more sugar....we fill ourselves with energy drinks and all kinds of fancy coffee and wonder why we all look like balls and we women, our belly-fat stick out further than our breasts.....as to the men, those are not beer-bellies, those bellies are full of sh__! Check out the following from Coach Josh on Beverages that Cause Fat:

If you’re looking to pack on a lot of belly fat, these products will help you do it. Make sure when you are looking at the supplement facts panel you look at servings per container because the labels are very tricky to read.
Vitamin Water says it only has 13 grams (g) of sugar. However, there are 2.5 servings per container. So there are 32g of sugar in one 20 oz. bottle of Vitamin Water.
Welch’s 100% Grape Juice says there is no added sugar but when you look on the label—just 8 oz., only about half of what somebody will drink in a glass of juice—has a whopping 39 g of sugar. Even worse, it is fructose, which is a kind of sugar that is easily converted to belly fat.
Coca Cola’s second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup and just 8 oz. has 27 g. of sugar. Now I don’t mean to pick on Coke, most other soft drink brands are just as bad. Don’t forget that most soft drinks also contain a hefty amount of caffeine so you keep drinking more and more.
Amp Energy Elevate contains 29 g of sugar per 8 oz and there are two servings in the 16 oz can . That means that you are getting nearly 60 g. of sugar in just one can.
Sobe Cranberry Grapefruit flavored beverage has 26 g of sugar per 8 oz., and the bottle is 2.5 servings, meaning that you are getting over 60 g of sugar if you were to sit down and drink this product. Keep in mind that 4 g of sugar equals one teaspoon. Would you dump 15 teaspoons of sugar into a glass of water and drink it?
If you drink Rockstar Energy Drink, you are certainly not going to look like a chiseled rock star, you are going to look like an overweight couch potato. Each can of Rockstar Energy Drink contains 62 g of sugar.
I was shocked to find out that Gatorade contains high fructose corn syrup as its second ingredient and to think that they market this product towards athletes. What athletes really need is an abundance of fresh water and healthy high nutrient foods to replenish their bodies.
What’s more, Tropicana’s cranberry juice beverage contains high fructose corn syrup and 32 g of sugar per 8 fluid ounces.
Starbucks Doubleshot Energy plus Coffee has two servings per container with each serving containing 14 g of sugar. This means that a can of this “coffee” drink contains 28 g of sugar.
Jose Cuervo Margarita Mix is loaded with high fructose corn syrup. Keep in mind, the average “small” margarita weighs in at a huge 400 calories!
Mr. and Mrs. T Sweet and Sour Mix has high fructose corn syrup as the second ingredient. Yet another reason why mixed drinks are hazardous to your waistline.

Well I`ve been told that one of the ingredients in Lucozade is lethal yellowing, and recently a friend ended up in hospital with caffeine poisoning from drinking too much of that very popular caffeine drink - the same one that Beenie Man's number 1 hit song talks about mixing with rum !!.......another friend told me she doesn't know how more doctors don't get caffeine poisoning because they drink these caffeine-laced energy drinks to keep going........
Take note that 2 energy drinks are on the list in Coach Josh's article above so if you must use an energy drink use XS which is caffeine-free and has 0 carbs and gives you all the energy you are looking for.
One thing I must tell you is that the safest, healthiest way is to eat 80% raw and you will have all the energy in the world without resorting to these things. Too much processed food is the main thing that makes us sluggish!

CHANGE

2010-12-29T03:43:00.000-05:00

You know we don't like change in fact we positively hate change, that's why we can't even move on when our relationships scream to us that they are over, we don't want to move on from our jobs and when they move us out we go on like it's the end of the world!
I keep telling friends and staff about their conciousness and the fact that we can only go where our level of conciousness takes us and trying to think of 2011 the following message from DR.ROBERT ANTHONY says it all..........

Life doesn't come with a money back guarantee and yet many of us
live like it does. People are certain that they will keep their jobs. They are certain of living a long healthy life. Others might be certain that they will lose their jobs or get sick and die young. Certainty comes in many forms but it rarely corresponds to the truth.
The truth is nothing is certain. The need for certainty is the need for safety. It is the basis of all religion. Since we do not like uncertainty, we choose to believe in something that we feel we can be certain about, even though we have no logical proof that it is true.
Some might argue that if nothing can be counted on then why bother trying. In order to move forward in life many people need to have a sense of certainty about the outcome. But this kind of certainty is an illusion.
Certainty is a form of disconnection - from the truth and from ourselves. When we feel certain about something, we are disconnected from the natural flow of life.
Certainty is the perpetual elusive dream of most people.
What in life is certain? There is a part of you - your Authentic Self - that is unchanging. This pure consciousness is certain while everything else is uncertain, impermanent and an illusion. But how do you discover or experience this pure unchanging consciousness ?
Through Inquiry.
If you are certain about something - anything for that matter - you immediately place a lid on that thing. It cannot change. You won't let it change because if you do, you will be wrong in your certainty. But all things, except one thing, do change.
The only thing that doesn't change is WHO YOU ARE - your Authentic Self or what is commonly called consciousness. Consciousness is what remains when all concepts, beliefs, values, habits and ways of thinking are stripped away. In other words, all of your ideas, concepts, beliefs and so on will change over time. If this is true
then why waste time on trying to be certain?
By inquiring how and why you get certain results in your life you learn about your beliefs and patterns that create those results.
Then through the power of your mind, you can consciously form new patterns. The need for certainty is replaced by a relaxed "learning" pattern.
Can you imagine a world in which nothing changes? It would be absolutely miserable. Inquiry is the habit that leads us out of that misery.
Through uncertainty you move from being an expert to being a student. All of life, all experiences, everyone and everything become our teachers.
Today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a manifestation that you are making progress - IF YOU LOOK FOR IT! No matter how large or small.

Let 2011 be your year........KNOW the power of your mind!

continuation ..........

2010-12-24T23:30:00.007-05:00

Did you hear the news today? 50cents 52 room house was broken into.........what happen was it too big to secure??? Thats what I was telling you in the previous blog, this crap needs to stop!
What's this man doing in a 52 room house? What is anyone doing in a 52 room house for that matter ? Not even the family with the 19 children needs that much space....
But on the positive side, the news also said Jamaicans cut their spending by 60% this Christmas far more than the Bank of Jamaica expected.
Yeah Yeah Jamaica lets show how its done for 2011...........
MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS, IT'S TO SPEND WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS NOT TO WASTE MONEY!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T04:43:00.000-05:00

I love the Chinese proverb, "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it ".
As we close yet another year can we allow the young people who have faith in Jamaica and want to try and build it to do so and stop negativing out everything about our country all you old biddies out there.....
First we downed our dollar and expected it to do well. How come I don't hear anybody saying anything since it has stayed at 84J$ to 1US$ for a few months now. We down our education instead of trying to help, yes pay attention to the schools our children attend and who is teaching them and when they're having sex parties on the buses call the police and get them off the %@*#^#*! bus ..I did it the other day....NOT EVERY POLICEMAN IS CORRUPT..don`t assume that!
It begins with one..NO, we don`t have to be Haiti and NO, we do not have to get cholera!!!!!
I went through cancer 3 times and all my doctors come from right here in Jamaica, and the expensive hospital not any better than the free one let me tell you and I have had at least 3 friends go away for treatment and they're not with us anymore.........They make mistakes and there is bad treatment, bad schools and crime all over the world.....You could be sleeping in Heathrow tonight, our version of cold can be taken care of with a blanket and if you're really cold sleep in socks and guess what we still sleeping with our windows open......
2011 is going to be a great year - Mr Obama,keep on trucking ......Jamaica give thanks, we do have a Greg Christie so there are some people left in this world who are not corrupt.........
The world is adjusting to the waste of the past years. Why should a basketball player earn 50 million dollars and live in a 20,000 sq.ft house??? Why does he need 11 rooms when he and his wife and child use 3 ??? Why do they have 7 bathrooms ? Remember the days when a 3 bedroom house only had one bathroom, didn`t everybody bathe and go to school on time? Why do we have a great room, a living room and then a den ....yet we all stay in the kitchen? Have you noticed Candy Spelling's house with her room to wrap presents? It's still on the market.......the age of the MAC -MANSION is OVER!
Simple is best....I notice that shoes that I don`t wear dry rot and leave me on the road.....message is I only need a few.....the need to have 40 pairs of shoes long gone.....
Do for people, that's what we are put here to do and don't let God come knock on our door with Mr. Death to start doing it, then all of a sudden you realize poor people eating badly and have hypertension and diabetes..... YOU are eating badly by choice they have to as they feel that a big flour dumpling will hold them longer than a salad.......instead of giving your child 20 gifts they cannot play with send a needy child to school or better yet feed her or him for the year.......find out how mothers feeding 3 children on J$5000 per week....

Have a healthy Christmas........I have been so bad since my friend Norma died that I even ate ham , I feel so awful...I have eaten Christmas cake, drank white rum and cranberry and just been totally ridiculous...can I tell you I don`t feel like how I used to feel - thank God I've not been that bad to get flu like all around me - that means my immune system still holding up and I've gone back to my normal routine, cause as I told you the other day I found out I was missing nothing.......the synthetic food is awful (the Christmas ham delicious though) but health is best....... next year is ours -We have to be around to enjoy it!

FOOD MATTERS

2010-12-19T16:13:00.000-05:00

There's a lot of conflicting information about healing from degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and more. Most evident is the divide between Western Medicine and Natural Medicine. For some reason or another, many people
in the Western Medicine camp, can't seem to grasp the fact that diet can prevent disease.
And quite the opposite, those in the natural world, can't seem to understand that Western medicine is good for things like a broken arm or acute infection. They feel that raw food is good for all things and they wont even listen when they hear that certain vegetables might be better for you lightly steamed than raw e.g. broccoli.
You can't use voodoo or essential oils to heal a deep cut. You will need stitches....You might even have to take a round of antibiotics, then resort to natural means to get it out your system after it has done its job.
Over the years I've spent hours and hours attempting to discuss why many natural approaches work better than Western approaches with friends, family and co-workers, but still can't seem to always get the message across.
They all run to chemo when cancer calls......and I'm not going to fight them so I preach prevention instead of cure.
You may have had the same experience. So here is the best help I have found..... Share this short 8 min. video clip of a great documentary “Food Matters” with all your friends .....it affected me just the way the 30 day raw video on diabetes did.

As Johnny Coleman famously says "it works if you work it".

DANGERS OF NONSTICK COOKWARE

2010-12-14T06:00:00.000-05:00

I have always thrown away my frying pans that were scratched and you could see the metal showing through the Teflon ...Then I found out the teflon wasnt good....now I use copper cookware the few times that I cook things like curry splitpeas etc but I didn`t know it was this bad.....please read the following article from Dr. Mercola.

You might have heard that non-stick pans were dangerous to use, but I have to tell you that they are perfectly safe... Just so long as you don’t actually cook with them, because the moment you heat them, they start to liberate fluoride vapors that are so toxic they will kill small birds.
Ninety-five percent of Americans, including children, have the perfluorinated compound PFOA in their blood. But that’s not all.
The CDC’s Fourth National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals, 2009(which is considered the most comprehensive assessment to date of the exposure of the U.S. population to chemicals in our environment), detected not just PFOA, but a total of 12 different types of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in Americans tested.
It’s easy to see how such a vast majority of people can be exposed when you consider the most common sources of these chemicals, which includes:

* Non-stick cookware
* Microwave popcorn bags
* Packaging for greasy foods
* Stain-proof clothing
* Carpet and fabric protectors
* Flame retardants, and products that contain them

As you can see, some of the most commonly used household products contain these chemicals

Although it may be quite difficult to eliminate all sources of these toxins since they’re so pervasive, you would likely make a significant dent in your family’s exposure simply by swapping out your non-stick cookware, considering you use your pots and pans to cook almost every day of the week.
So-called “non-stick” cookware is a MAJOR source of PFC’s, particularly perflurorooctanoic acid, known as PFOA, and these pans quickly reach temperatures that cause the non-stick coating to begin breaking down, releasing its toxins into the air.
When your non-stick pot or pan reaches 680 degrees F or 360 C (which takes about three to five minutes of heating), at least six toxic gases are released. At 1,000 degrees F, the coatings on your cookware break down into a chemical warfare agent known as PFIB.
These chemicals are easily absorbed by your body and the food in the pan, turning that healthy, home-cooked meal toxic.

Researchers have already linked various PFC’s to a range of health dangers. Elevated LDL cholesterol levels are just the beginning of the problems these chemicals can cause.

In animal studies, PFOA has been associated with:

* "Significant increases in treatment related deaths" in rat offspring at doses that did not affect the mothers
* Serious changes in the weight of various organs, including the brain, prostate, liver, thymus, and kidneys
* The deaths of a significant number of rat pups of mothers that had been exposed to PFOA
* Damage to the pituitary at all doses in female rat offspring (The pituitary secretes hormones that regulate growth, reproduction, and many metabolic processes. Change in pituitary size is associated with toxicity)

Other studies have shown that PFC’s can cause:

* Infertility -- A study published in the journal Human Reproduction last year found that both PFOA and another kind of PFC, called PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate), dramatically increased the odds of infertility. PFOS increased the risk of infertility anywhere from 70 to 134 percent, while PFOA was linked to a 60 to 154 percent increase in the chance of infertility.
* Thyroid disease -- Another study published in May of this year in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that PFOA can damage your thyroid function. Individuals with the highest PFOA concentrations were more than twice as likely to report current thyroid disease, compared to those with the lowest PFOA concentrations. Your thyroid contains thyroglobulin protein, which binds to iodine to form hormones, which in turn influence essentially every organ, tissue and cell in your body. Thyroid hormones are also required for growth and development in children. Thyroid disease, if left untreated, can lead to heart disease, infertility, muscle weakness, and osteoporosis.
* Cancer -- PFOA has been associated with tumors in at least four different organs in animal tests (liver, pancreas, testicles and mammary glands in rats), and has been associated with increases in prostate cancer in PFOA plant workers. The EPA has ruled PFCs as “likely carcinogens,” and has stated that PFOA “poses developmental and reproductive risks to humans.”
* Immune system problems -- Several studies by scientists in Sweden indicate that PFC’s have an adverse effect on your immune system. As described in the EWG report on PFC’s, PFOA was found to decrease all immune cell subpopulations studied, in the thymus and spleen, and caused immunosupression.
* Increased LDL cholesterol levels – This latest study in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine implicates both PFOA and PFOS. Children and teens with higher PFOA levels had higher levels of total cholesterol and LDL or “bad” cholesterol, while PFOS was associated with increased total cholesterol, including both LDL cholesterol and HDL or “good” cholesterol. Newswise states that “animal studies have identified the liver as the primary organ affected by perfluoroalkyl acid exposure, with potential effects in humans including alterations in cholesterol levels.”
For more information on the studies linking PFC’s with various health problems, please review the Environmental Working Groups extensive report on this topic.
What is Our Government Doing about These Chemicals?
The answer to that question is: not much...
While the EPA convinced 3M, the primary manufacturer of PFOS, to stop producing it about ten years ago, the chemical still continues to saturate the market – and hence our environment, and our bodies."

IN OTHER WORDS THE BIG COMPANIES KEEP GETTING RICH WHILE WE GO TO OUR GRAVES!

FRIENDSHIP

2010-12-09T16:31:00.008-05:00

What can I say?
I haven't been able to blog since my close friend Norma Shirley died,I had no interest in doing anything, and couldn't wrap my head around writing........thanks for all your kind thoughts posted on Facebook - that made me know my words have been missed.
She used to say "if I have to eat like you to live, I would rather die " well, die she did from pneumonia or was it a heart attack or was it a broken heart whatever it was she is no longer here and her space as my friend is large and empty as she was a demanding friend, she showed how to be a friend daily, she was a friend to all her friends 24/7 and demanded the same from you.
If she called and didn't get you 2 calls in a row she was mad,I remember her unhappiness at me texting in her presence, she had to have your undivided attention and she gave you hers.
I remember how she took on your problems - they immediately became hers, but she kept hers to all but a few and even to the few of us she told she tried to make light of it.....the love of her life was her son Delius......so we had that in common and she loved mine as she loved hers....and just as my issues were hers so was my sons hers. My adopted son was a foodie like her so he not only followed her into the world of cooking, he followed her anywhere she chose to eat, regaling me with stories of their exploits- "Ma, Auntie Norms and I went to Hellshire this morning, we had lobster, fish ...." and on and on....they had great fun!
People loved to hear I was having something at my house as she always did the food so my functions were always well attended with people talking about the food months after......
She used to proudly tell me she drank at least 40 glasses of water per day, I used to tell her 40 glasses of ice cold water hurts more than it helps, as I sat down on the Terrace she used to say "you want some green juice?" I used to be very impressed as she always said she was just about to have hers until the day I said yes and wondering how on earth string bean juice was so delicious, walked into the pantry and spoke to the maker of said juice and learnt it was full of GRANULATED SUGAR.....
so much for green juice at Norma's!
She had the most beautiful send off as her love of music and flowers were well in evidence, her Urn a wonderful piece of art..........
I HOPE THE POWERS THAT BE REALIZE THAT HER CREATIVE GENIUS NEEDS TO BE PASSED ON BEFORE WE LOSE IT!
I need to come to terms with the fact that I'm to live on memories and those I have in abundance but people with larger than life personalities leave huge voids and not only in our hearts......miss you Norms!

How long is your food taking to rot?

2010-10-24T21:41:00.000-04:00

Have you ever put what we in Jamaica call an 'American apple' in your fruit bowl and watch how long it takes to disintegrate? Now put a good old Jamaican Otaheite Apple in that same bowl and see if in two days you don`t have to throw it away ...now put both in the refrigerator.......a friend of mine just took an American apple out of her fridge and while inside wasn`t so hot the outside was beautiful and glossy after 3 months......
Don't you wonder what these beautiful glossy fruits are doing to your insides? My mother never ate an apple without peeling it and she didn`t live in these times.The meat is too red the chickens are too plump, you must notice that only organic chicken or what we call 'scratch fowl' are thin or plump, big or small that's because they're not getting artificial help. Same thing happening with fruits, I love the "ugly" fruit grown by our farmers - when they're too pretty they scare me, they should scare you too!
I haven't had a papaya in weeks because all of a sudden I can`t find one with seeds, went through that with grapes now I have to go through that with papayas too......my son who uses papaya seeds for his favourite greens' dressing is having a hard time...things and times are a-changing people.
Then did you all read the article about the McDonald's kids meal of fries and burger that showed no sign of decomposing after 6 months - it was photographed every day by Manhattan artist Sally Davies and did not show a hint of mould or decay after sitting on a shelf in her apartment , looking at the end of 6 months almost as fresh as the day she bought it - check out this report of the experiment called 'The Happy Meal Project'
I rest my case - it's time to go back to the land for our food!

High blood pressure?

2010-10-14T19:22:00.000-04:00

A lot of my readers with issues want to know what not to eat when suffering from high blood pressure......it seems as if everyone now has high blood pressure or diabetes these days.........well if what DR.MERCOLA says is true in the following article, and we know it is, a lot more of you will be walking that way.

It’s important to understand that uncontrolled high blood pressure is a very serious health concern that can lead to heart disease and increases your risk of having a stroke.
The good news though is that following a healthy nutrition plan, along with exercising and implementing effective stress reduction techniques will normalize blood pressure in most people.
So please review the guidelines below if you or someone you know is affected by high blood pressure. It's actually an easily treated condition, but one that can cause serious damage to your health if it's ignored.
Your Diet Will Raise or Lower Your Blood Pressure
Are you on a high grain, low fat regimen?
If so, I have bad news for you, because this nutritional combination is a prescription for hypertension and can absolutely devastate your health.
Groundbreaking research published in 1998 in the journal Diabetes reported that nearly two-thirds of the test subjects who were insulin resistant (IR) also had high blood pressure, and insulin resistance is directly attributable to a high sugar, high grain diet along with insufficient amounts of exercise.
So, chances are that if you have hypertension, you also have poorly controlled blood sugar levels because these two problems often go hand in hand.
As your insulin level elevates, so does your blood pressure...
As explained by Dr. Rosedale, insulin stores magnesium, but if your insulin receptors are blunted and your cells grow resistant to insulin, you can’t store magnesium so it passes out of your body through urination. Magnesium stored in your cells relaxes muscles.
If your magnesium level is too low, your blood vessels will constrict rather than relax, which will raise your blood pressure and decrease your energy level.
Insulin also affects your blood pressure by causing your body to retain sodium. Sodium retention causes fluid retention. Fluid retention in turn causes high blood pressure, and can ultimately lead to congestive heart failure.
If your hypertension is the direct result of an out-of-control blood sugar level, then normalizing your blood sugar levels will also bring your blood pressure readings into the healthy range.
Fructose Can Cause Your Blood Pressure to Skyrocket
The first thing you need to do is remove all grains and sugars, particularly fructose, from your diet until both your weight and your blood pressure have normalized. Eating sugars and grains -- including any type of bread, pasta, corn, potatoes, or rice -- will cause your insulin levels, and your blood pressure, to remain elevated.
A study published earlier this year discovered that those who consumed 74 grams or more per day of fructose (the equivalent of about 2.5 sugary drinks) had a 77 percent greater risk of having blood pressure levels of 160/100 mmHg. (For comparison, a normal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg.)
Consuming 74 grams or more of fructose daily also increased the risk of a 135/85 blood pressure reading by 26 percent, and 140/90 by 30 percent.
This is significant because the average American now consumes 70 grams of fructose EVERY day!
Fructose breaks down into a variety of waste products that are bad for your body, one of which is uric acid. Uric acid drives up your blood pressure by inhibiting the nitric oxide in your blood vessels. Nitric oxide helps your vessels maintain their elasticity, so nitric oxide suppression leads to increases in blood pressure.
In fact, 17 out of 17 studies demonstrate that elevated uric acid levels lead to hypertension.

Grilled chicken not a healthy choice?

2010-10-09T16:20:00.000-04:00

While people who are trying to eat healthy have stopped cooking down their chicken here comes news of the cancer risks from eating grilled chicken - now I`m not suggesting for a moment that you eat raw chicken but we all need to be aware of the carcinogens in our food. I remember as a child when we were told butter was bad for us so my mother changed to margarine and then when I became an adult and everybody had their little tub of Chiffon margarine in their fridge we heard it was plastic and would never come out of our intestines remember that ? So back to butter we went, in fact where is Chiffon margarine now? Then we heard all that milk that the milk man used to bring with the lovely cream on the top was going to kill us so milk became pasteurized and homogenized....do you see where we are heading with that now ? Good old fricassee chicken seems not to be so bad when we are cooking chicken(WHICH WE EAT TOO MUCH OF ANYWAY) take note of the following from The Cancer Project Update

Grilled chicken has long been touted as the healthy choice for consumers, yet this could not be further from the truth. PhIP, a type of heterocyclic amine (HCA), is a well-known carcinogen identified by The National Institutes of Health. Independent tests found the chemical PhIP in 100 grilled chicken samples from seven restaurant chains. Based on this evidence, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) recently filed and won a lawsuit against fast food companies selling unsafe food. The lawsuit was originally filed under California’s Proposition 65, which states that consumers must be warned about products that contain known carcinogens. Fast-food companies will be put on trial for selling products containing a known carcinogen and will be forced to post warnings in California restaurants about the cancer risk of grilled chicken.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, another reminder to stay ahead of the curve and avoid these risky products. In the United States, more than 209,000 cases of breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed in 2010, according the American Cancer Society. Human studies have shown that exposure to PhIP, even at low levels, is associated with increased breast cancer risk. Individuals consuming the most PhIP can have up to a 90 percent increased risk compared to those with the lowest consumption. Other studies found those with the highest PhIP intake had more than a 2.5-fold increased breast cancer risk. Other cancers identified with PhIP and HCA exposure include cancers of the colon, rectum, and prostate.
A common mistake is to consider methods of cooking meat, like grilling, steaming, and boiling to be healthful; however, any method of cooking animal tissue can create HCAs. Meat naturally contains amino acids and a protein called creatine. When heated, the combination of amino acids and creatine form HCAs. Since there are no safe levels of exposure to this carcinogen, it is recommended to avoid the consumption of meats for cancer prevention and survival.
The time is now to create awareness about the ways individuals can take control over their cancer risk. Since environment and lifestyle account for up to 90-95 percent of all cancers, adopting a whole-foods plant-based diet, keeping a positive mindset, and engaging in physical movement are the best tools currently available for cancer prevention. This October help The Cancer Project’s mission and your loved ones by spreading the message of prevention.

When we try to eat right and switch to a healthy plant based diet- one with food free of herbicides and pesticides by buying organic or growing our own- we will stop putting ourselves in harms way.
Once we get the information and know what we are doing to our bodies we can choose not to take heed,but remember life is a choice so choose well!
We are NOTHING without our health!

GMO`s harmless?????

2010-10-07T09:42:00.000-04:00

I always watch the ad where the M&M doesn`t want to be placed in the pretzel with a smirk not a smile as it reminds me of all the sweet peppers and watermelons, tomatoes etc. that no longer know what they really are and also of how I love the flavour of yellow melon but wonder whenever I see it if I should buy it - has it ,in some way, been genetically modified and is it healthy?
Well the results of studies about some Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's)are starting to trickle out - not about genetically modified fruit, but can I wait till the answers come in on that or will it be too late? Here is a report on what has been discovered about some GMO's so far.

Biologist Arpad Pusztai had more than 300 articles and 12 books to his credit and was the world’s top expert in his field. But when he accidentally discovered that genetically modified (GM) foods are dangerous, he became the biotech industry’s bad-boy poster child, setting an example for other scientists thinking about blowing the whistle.
In the early 1990s, Dr. Pusztai was awarded a $3 million grant by the UK government to design the system for safety testing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). His team included more than 20 scientists working at three facilities, including the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen, Scotland, the top nutritional research lab in the UK, and his employer for the previous 35 years.
The results of Pusztai’s work were supposed to become the required testing protocols for all of Europe. But when he fed supposedly harmless GM potatoes to rats, things didn’t go as planned. Within just 10 days, the animals developed potentially pre-cancerous cell growth, smaller brains, livers, and testicles, partially atrophied livers, and damaged immune systems. Moreover, the cause was almost certainly side effects from the process of genetic engineering itself. In other words, the GM foods on the market, which are created from the same process, might have similar affects on humans.
With permission from his director, Pusztai was interviewed on TV and expressed his concerns about GM foods. He became a hero at his institute -- for two days. Then came the phone calls from the pro-GMO Prime Minister’s office to the Institute’s director. The next morning, Pusztai was fired. He was silenced with threats of a lawsuit, his team was dismantled, and the protocols never implemented. His Institute, the biotech industry, and the UK government, together launched a smear campaign to destroy Pusztai’s reputation.
Eventually, an invitation to speak before Parliament lifted his gag order and his research was published in the prestigious Lancet. No similar in-depth studies have yet tested the GM foods eaten every day by Americans.
Irina Ermakova
Irina Ermakova, a senior scientist at the Russian National Academy of Sciences, was shocked to discover that more than half of the baby rats in her experiment died within three weeks. She had fed the mothers GM soy flour purchased at a supermarket. The babies from mothers fed natural non-GMO soy, however, only suffered a 10% death rate. She repeated her experiment three times with similar results.
Dr. Ermakova reported her preliminary findings at a conference in October 2005, asking the scientific community to replicate her study. Instead, she was attacked and vilified. Her boss told her to stop doing anymore GM food research. Samples were stolen from her lab, and a paper was even set fire on her desk. One of her colleagues tried to comfort her by saying, “Maybe the GM soy will solve the overpopulation problem.Of the mostly spurious criticisms leveled at Ermakova, one was significant enough to raise doubts about the cause of the deaths. She did not conduct a biochemical analysis of the feed. Without it, we don’t know if some rogue toxin had contaminated the soy flour. But more recent events suggest that whatever caused the high infant mortality was not unique to her one bag of GM flour.
In November 2005, the supplier of rat food to the laboratory where Ermakova worked began using GM soy in the formulation. All the rats were now eating it. After two months, Ermakova asked other scientists about the infant mortality rate in their experiments. It had skyrocketed to over 55 percent.It’s been four years since these findings were reported. No one has yet repeated Ermakova’s study, even though it would cost just a few thousand dollars.

THEY DON`T WANT TO KNOW!

NEWS FLASH - EXPENDABLE PEOPLE!

2010-10-01T11:59:00.007-04:00

Today U.S. officials apologized for deliberately infecting hundreds of Guatemalans with syphilis and gonorrhea during secret medical experiments in the late 1940s. MSNBC reported the following -

"Between 1946 and 1948, the U.S. Public Health Service and the National Institutes of Health worked with the Guatemalan government to infect 696 unsuspecting Guatemalans—including mental patients—with STDs in order to determine whether penicillin could work as a preventative measure for the disease. "Many of those infected were encouraged to pass the infection onto others as part of the study," MSNBC says. The so-called "Guatemala experiments" were discovered by Susan Reverby, a Wellesley professor who stumbled upon them while researching the Tuskegee experiments, a forty-year study in which the U.S. government also infected black men with syphilis up until the 1970s. NIH director Francis Collins is scheduled to discuss the issue at 11 this morning, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius apologized this morning for the "clearly unethical" experiments.'

How does an apology help? As a Dept.Head I always say to my employees I don`t accept apologies...I`m sorry means nothing to me....Why? The deed has already been done.SORRY CANNOT HELP IT!Of course I believe you may be genuinely sorry but what should have happened is you should not have done it so you wouldn`t be standing in front of me saying you are sorry...damage has been done and 'damage control' is highly over rated!
Didn't the U.S. officials know lives were at stake? But Guatemala and its inhabitants are expendable......who cares? Just like all the fruit that's being exported to 3rd world countries,I see the apples and grapes on the side of the road daily, sorry not buying any why are you flooding my country with them? What are they loaded with? No thank you.......Is it because the population of most third world countries is black ? Why do you think the money promised to Haiti has not gone to them? They are BLACK....therefore expendable!
Can we hear now what experiment-gone-wrong caused Aids? That one came back to bite the US in the butt didn`t it? (no pun intended)...

CT SCANS

2010-09-30T09:14:00.003-04:00

I know I have always been advised to stop running to get x-rays, but the latest revelations are ridiculous......read and inwardly digest the following information about the damaging effects of x-rays - you should also go to
Dr. Mercola's website to learn more especially you guys who every drum knock you are having scans of one form or another.....and for those of us who live in Jamaica , remember we don`t sue at the drop of a hat so you can tell your doctor no!

Despite clear evidence that the radiation from x-rays is damaging to your body, our current medical system continues to promote the careless and excessive use of radiation-based diagnostic scans.
This year, one in every 10 Americans will have a CT scan (computed tomography).
The amount of money spent on medical imaging doubled between 2000 and 2006 to about $14 billion a year—and that is just Medicare alone, according to a study by the Government Accountability Office. More than 70 million CT scans per year are now performed in the US, including at least 4 million on children. This is up from just 3million in 1980.
Nearly 30,000 get Cancer EVERY Year in the US from CT Scans
According to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine last year, CT scans alone will cause nearly 30,,000 unnecessary cancer cases (about 2 percent of cancer cases), which will lead to about 14,500 deaths.
But wait, there’s more bad news.
While 30,000 cancer cases is a large number, a New England Journal of Medicine study from 2007 estimated that overuse of diagnostic CT scans may cause up to 3 million excess cancers over the next 20 to 30 years.
For those slow on math that is 1,000X more deaths over the next 25 years.
David Brenner of Columbia University, lead author of the study, told USA Today: "About one-third of all CT scans that are done right now are medically unnecessary … Virtually anyone who presents in the emergency room with pain in the belly or a chronic headache will automatically get a CT scan. Is that justified?"
Why are so many CT scans being done, when they result in so many unnecessary deaths?
There are several reasons:
* Physicians fear being sued for malpractice if they miss something.
* Some patients pressure their physicians for scans “just to be safe,” especially after hearing advertisements touting the benefits of new hi-tech tests (without disclosure of the risks).
* Physicians are more often using scans to screen “the worried well” (such as scanning former smokers for lung cancer).
* Many doctors have purchased their own imaging equipment for their practices. This adds a financial incentive into the mix and sets the stage for overuse of the technology.
* There’s a trend toward commercially advertised full-body CT scans to “find everything wrong with you.” Consumers with extra cash lying around (in excess of $1,000 in most cases) are being encouraged to undergo a full-body scan as a preventive measure.
While high-tech imaging can be beneficial in certain cases, it must be used SPARINGLY because it exposes your body to dangerous radiation—radiation that is proven to cause cancer.
And you are being exposed to more radiation from your diagnostic test than was previously thought. Studies have recently found that radiation doses from CT scans tend to be higher than the amounts generally reported.
When the diagnostic procedure causes the disease you are trying to avoid, perhaps you should reconsider the procedure!
Becoming aware of the risks of medical scans is part of becoming a smart consumer and knowing your health care options. Research suggests that a dismal seven percent of patients are informed of the risks of CT scans.
Why X-Rays are so Damaging to Your Health
There are four primary reasons that x-rays (and other diagnostic tests that rely on ionizing radiation, such as mammograms and CTs) should be minimized:
1. They cause chromosomal mutations that are often irreparable, and the effects are cumulative.
2. They cause DNA changes that are proven to lead to cancer.
3. They cause DNA damage in your arteries, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.
4. They often result in misdiagnosis and false positives, increasing the likelihood of follow up tests—further increasing your radiation exposure.
X-rays and other types of ionizing radiation have been, for decades, a proven cause of virtually all types of mutations—especially structural chromosomal mutations. X-rays are an established cause of genomic instability, which is frequently seen in the most aggressive cancers.
X-rays act like tiny little “grenades” that are far more damaging to your DNA than the metabolic free radicals, which are routinely produced by your cell’s natural metabolism. Ionizing radiation can damage the genetic material of every internal organ or cell lying within the path of an x-ray beam. Within an organ, even a single high-speed high-energy electron, set into motion by an x-ray photon, has a chance of inducing the types of damage that defy repair.
That is why there is no safe dose of x-rays.
And when such mutations are not lethal to the cell, they persist and accumulate with each additional exposure to x-rays or other ionizing radiation.
On top of the DNA mutation effects, there is the issue of arterial damage and increased risk of blood clots.
How can radiation move you closer to a heart attack?
Radiation damages the DNA in your arteries, which in turn causes the cells lining your arteries to multiply abnormally, decreasing the size of the arterial lumen and effectively “narrowing” your arteries. This radiation-induced tissue inside your arteries is similar to scar tissue, decreasing vessel elasticity and increasing your risk for arterial blockage.
According to John Gofman, M.D., Ph.D., evidence indicates that more than 50 percent of deaths from cancer and more than 60 percent of deaths from ischemic heart disease may be x-ray-induced.

Eating badly on vacation

2010-09-25T11:10:00.000-04:00

Then to another 'aha' moment - I don`t know how many of these moments I need to have till I quit being amazed at how food contributes to our health. While I was away, I again fell into the trap and used all the excuses in the book to fall off the wagon - steak, chicken you name it, I had it - still eating my fruit but less vegetables and adding meat with great glee....... about 5 days into this change of diet I awoke in the morning not as I usually do, bounding out of bed, instead I felt every day of my accumulated years, feet aching and barely moving, the bags under my eyes turning into suitcases and I said to myself "wow, it never fails does it?"
Immediately on landing , I rushed home heading straight to my kitchen yelling out to my live food chef son Peter - "green juice and keep it coming" and I'm now feeling myself again. This time I must say only the Outback steak thrilled me........nothing else, so I craved nothing going back on my raw food diet and I feel so revived - I really need to stop joking around....the reason I do it is the excuses you all use......too much trouble to eat different from everybody else so I ate what everybody else was eating, too difficult to fix something just for me, any excuse I could give I gave myself, really I was just too lazy to fix my food and as I watched everyone around me having a great time eating their way to various illnesses, I joined in laughing all the way, knowing I have a death sentence over my head. It's amazing how we all have a death wish and love playing with fire......I write this to let you know that you are not alone in your struggles even those of us who know better, struggle....... difference is after my vacation I came back to my proper regime and even now while I write this I'm having my almond milk - freshly made - not out of a box so I know how lucky I am, thing is those of you who don`t need to keep as rigid a diet as mine need the support of family and those around you,even covering up the barbeque - not good for you and a reminder to all of you who have aches and pains and look older than your years - a tossed salad with your barbeque chicken/steak/burger - does not mean eating 80% raw. At least I could sense that my family and friends felt guilty enjoying eating those things around me - all except my eldest son who is so happy eating badly I truly hope and pray he has his father's genes......

PRINCESS NAIYAH

2010-09-19T10:33:00.015-04:00

Hi folks for all of you who've been wondering what happened to me, I'm fine - I just came back from 10 days with my granddaughter and eldest son in Orlando, city of the future - what a transformation the Amway centre, a technological marvel, has made to this sleepy-eye town .....I thought I was in New York.....and then wow ! Disney is still organized to a T and a wonderful experience and the 3 o'clock parade is still a delight to kids of all ages. It's wonderful when you see something that has maintained throughout the years.
Space mountain was a revelation though. My son who turned 33 on September 8th and who never met a roller coaster he didn`t love warned me repeatedly that people who had bad hearts or high blood pressure should not go on this ride. I reminded him that absolutely nothing was wrong with my heart or my blood pressure and because I had cancer 3 times in the past and 23 surgeries was no reason for me not going on this ride. Well off I went with him ....he sat behind me and I could hear him whoooing strangely as the ride progressed. When we came out I excitedly thought we would be going back only to hear 'never again' he said 'Mommy do you realize what would happen to us if anything went wrong on that ride they would pick us up in pieces!' My boy now knows his mortality ..... fatherhood will do that everytime, yes hon that's what life is risks and chances......at my age I can go in pieces or one piece, matters not to me, fun is the name of my game and fun I had.
Just looking at Naiyah transform into Cinderella was another precious moment She didn't go back to being Naiyah for 3 days, she ate breakfast went to the supermarket, everything was done in her crown, gown and glass slippers and only succumbed to the hair coming down because she likes swimming more than being a princess.
What an absolute treat!

OUR DIRTY LIVERS

2010-09-06T19:48:00.000-04:00

Recently a lot of people been asking me how can they clean their livers - guess they're not feeling so good and the doctors tell them their liver is in trouble but as usual they do not tell you what you can do to clean your liver as there is no capsule to do so. Every day your liver is on the attack from the following :

* Prescription drugs — EVERY prescribed medication and over-the-counter drug you take must be filtered by your liver! FROM TYLENOL TO YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION

* Alcohol use — More than 18 million Americans abuse alcohol making it the #1 cause of liver disease in America!

* Environmental pollution — From cigarette smoke... automobile exhausts... smog... and thousands of dangerous toxins you breathe, touch and ingest!

* Chemical food additives — Many are known to cause abnormal cell growth—that’s why your liver must be on high alert!

* Water chlorination — Including fluoride, chlorine and heavy metals—all must be neutralized by your liver before they cause you harm! HOW MANY OF US DRINK 6-8 GLASSES OF CLEAN PURIFIED WATER EACH DAY?

* Household chemicals — Aerosol sprays... cosmetics... ammonia... hair dyes... disinfectants—all are loaded with toxins your liver must quickly neutralize and eliminate!

* Pesticides — For lawn care... bug repellents... critter control—can easily get absorbed into your body!

* Overuse of animal protein — If you’re a meat eater, you better believe your liver is working overtime!

THAT'S WHY SO MANY OF US "LIVE FOOD" PEOPLE DON`T SUFFER FROM THESE PROBLEMS IF WE ARE BIG TEA DRINKERS AS WE DRINK MILK THISTLE AND DANDELION ROOT and THINGS LIKE THAT ALL DAY AND WE DON`T TAKE ANYTHING FOR HEADACHES AS WE KNOW THAT'S TOXINS COMING OUT AND WE DON`T EAT MEAT.......
HERE IS A LIST OF THINGS YOU CAN DRINK AND PUT ON YOUR FOOD TO HELP CLEAN YOUR LIVER AND IN TURN YOUR KIDNEYS AS THEY ARE BOTH BEING OVERWORKED TO DEATH :

- N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC) — A Godsend for kidney stones! NAC helps eliminate painful kidney stones. NAC also helps protect your liver from harmful exposure to toxic chemicals!
- Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) — Critical if you’re taking prescription drugs! ALA helps your liver quickly neutralize the damaging effects of over-the-counter and prescription medicines by elevating levels of the liver-supportive enzyme called glutathione. What’s more, ALA can help lower liver enzymes that can lead to serious liver problems!
- Trimethylglycine (TMG) — Helps Improve liver function! In an Italian study, patients taking TMG experienced improved liver function, reduced fat in the liver and diminished abdominal pain. What’s more, several clinical trials show TMG can help repair liver damage caused by alcohol use!
- Dandelion Root — A natural body balancer! This age-old herb helps filter toxins from your liver and kidneys without overstraining or tiring out these organs. Dandelion is a natural diuretic that can increase urine production by promoting the excretion of salts and water from the kidneys. Plus, it helps keep optimal water balance in your kidneys... encourages healthy electrolyte balance in the blood... and helps keep liver and pancreas enzymes in balance. Dandelion is also a rich source of potassium!
- Olive Leaf — A natural infection fighter! Scientists have identified a powerful infection-fighting compound in olive leaf called “oleuropein.” When enzymes in the body metabolize oleuropein, you get a force field of protection from viruses, bacteria and fungi. This is especially important for your liver and kidneys since they are constantly under assault from toxins!
- Milk Thistle — The ultimate liver lover! Your liver helps process some of the 850 million pounds of toxic chemicals released into the environment every year. An overload of these toxins can easily wear out your liver—and leave you prone to developing a host of health problems!
- Turmeric Root — The toxin terminator! This popular spice has been traditionally used to help remove dangerous toxins from the liver and stimulate the production of bile. According to the book, Herb Bible, turmeric can also help reduce liver inflammation!
- Burdock - Purges poisons to purify blood! Noted health expert Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., in The Honest Herbal recommends burdock as a blood purifier. Why? Because this remarkable herb has the uncanny ability to help neutralize most poisons that enter the liver. What’s more, it can soothe irritated kidneys and enhance urine flow!
SO NO EXCUSE GET TO CLEANING YOUR LIVER AND ENJOY FEELING GOOD!!!!!!!

Media can harm or help

2010-09-02T07:16:00.000-04:00

I`m learning so much about how the media contributes to our bad eating habits .... watching local TV this morning I learnt that Tastee cheese is having cheese month....They explained in great detail how their #1 cheese was their processed cheese and the person doing the interview asked what's the difference between processed and natural cheese and the marketing manager proudly replied 'It's the additives for example the colouring'. She went on to describe all the cheesy things that they will be showcasing all month "cheesy fried dumplings and cheesy vienna sausages" ...wow... as if their processed cheese can melt!! I shudder when I think of all the people that are going to enjoy this "cheesy" experience because they just don`t know better.
On the other hand there are many ways the media can help to educate us as in the following article from Dr. Mercola's website entitled The Medical Scandal that’s Robbing Cancer Patients of Their Right to Life. Dr.Mercola tells us about how doctors are drugging us to death using as an example a story taken from the Dallas News that helps bring home a real life illustration of what is going on with cancer in the USA.

Leah Siegel fought hard against cancer, enduring blood transfusions and chemical burns and painful sores. She was haunted by the idea that her children would grow up without any memory of her.
From the moment doctors told her she had stage four breast cancer in 2008, she worried most about leaving her children. "I just need 10 years," she told her oncologist. But the cancer had already had spread to her liver and bones. Doctors gave her two to three years.
According to the Dallas News:"Leah told doctors she would try any treatment, no matter the side effects ... doctors seemed to be jumping from drug to drug. 'There wasn't a real plan anymore,' said Leah's husband, Eric ...
Leah agreed to try a powerful drug cocktail that caused the most painful side effects yet. Flaming blisters appeared on her hands and ... The drugs burned sores in her mouth and throat. For weeks, she couldn't eat. She began to worry that she would starve to death".
No one should have to go through this type of pain and sorrow and leave young children behind when their mother dies decades prematurely because of a fatally flawed medical system. Unfortunately, cancer rates are on the rise and the disease is expected to kill more than 13 million people a year by 2030, almost double the number who died from the disease in 2008.
Even with the latest technology and "advances" in medicine, cancer continues to devastate families and kill people far before their time. And through it all the current medical paradigm has remained essentially clueless about the underlying causes of cancer, along with how to effectively treat them.
Most conventional cancer treatments actually add insult to injury by doing more harm than good -- a fact that has been largely swept under the rug by the medical industry.
Are Toxic Drugs Really Helping Cancer Patients?
Drugs, surgery and radiation are typically the only solutions offered by conventional physicians to treat cancer, and upon receiving a cancer diagnosis most people are willing to do just about anything to get better. This includes taking outrageously expensive and dangerous medications that offer little, if any, benefit.
Take Avastin, the best-selling cancer drug in the world, which is used to treat advanced breast cancer in the United States. This drug, which brings in $855 million in revenues each year, costs $8,000 a month even though it has not been proven to improve quality of life or help patients live longer.
Further, the side effects of the drug can in and of themselves be deadly. Potentially fatal risks of the drug include gastrointestinal perforation, hemorrhage, slow wound healing, stroke, severe hypertension, severe kidney malfunction, and the list goes on. Now the FDA is even considering revoking its approval for this toxic drug, citing new studies that show the benefits just do not outweigh the risks.
Unfortunately, this is often the way it works with cancer drugs. The benefits are sparse while the side effects can often kill.
Cancer Drugs Can Actually Cause Cancer, Illness, Death
The drugs conventional physicians use to treat cancer can actually cause cancer in healthy people who are only exposed to small amounts of them, as is often the case among the health care workers who make their livings making, mixing and administering these toxic agents.
Even when used correctly these toxic drugs may end up killing you prematurely or cause other cancers down the line, as they impair your immune system and are capable of causing genetic damage.
The biggest drawback to chemotherapy is the fact that it destroys healthy cells throughout your body right along with cancer cells. So a typical, and potentially deadly, side effect of chemo is the destruction of the rapidly multiplying and dividing cells found in your:
•Bone marrow, which produces blood
•Digestive system
•Reproductive system
•Hair follicles
Despite its reputation as the gold-standard cancer treatment, chemotherapy has an average 5-year survival success rate of just over 2 percent for all cancers, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Oncology in December 2004.
Another study, The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD), found that more than four in 10 patients who received chemotherapy toward the end of life experienced potentially fatal effects.
And after reviewing data from over 600 cancer patients who died within 30 days of receiving treatment, it was found that chemotherapy hastened or caused death in 27 percent of cases.
Chemotherapy drugs are, by their very nature, extremely toxic and typically do not work with your body to modulate and normalize its response to allow the cancer to resolve normally. Natural approaches simply do not have the types of fatal side effects common with cancer drugs because they work by optimizing your body's own natural healing capacities.
Tips for Fighting, and Preventing, Cancer
If you are facing cancer, I strongly recommend you seek the help of a knowledgeable natural health care practitioner experienced in cancer care who can help you use nutrition, emotional healing, and other alternative treatments to help you get well.
This should include a reliable screening of your vitamin D levels.
Calcitriol, the most potent steroid hormone in your body, is produced in large amounts in your tissues when you have sufficient amounts of vitamin D. However, most cancer patients are vitamin D deficient.
Calcitrol -- the activated form of vitamin D -- has been shown to protect against cancer by inducing cell differentiation and controlling cell proliferation. People with a low vitamin D level are less able to make activated vitamin D in an amount sufficient to exert the controls over cell proliferation that are needed to reduce cancer.
Optimized vitamin D levels will work synergistically with virtually every other cancer treatment. There are over 830 peer-reviewed scientific studies showing its effectiveness in the treatment of cancer!
You'll want to elevate your levels of vitamin D to about 80-90 ng/ml, and continue to have them monitored throughout your treatment.
However, even better than a safe treatment is preventing cancer in the first place, and I believe you can virtually eliminate your cancer risk if you follow risk reduction strategies that have not been formally "proven" yet by conservative researchers.
You can help save yourself and your family from a cancer diagnosis by following the lifestyle changes below.
Many of the preventive strategies I'm about to share with you are not only important to prevent cancer, they're also incredibly important to use as part of your cancer treatment strategy if you already have the illness.
11 Top Strategies for Preventing and Fighting Cancer Naturally
1. Optimize your vitamin D levels. It's virtually impossible to discuss cancer prevention and treatment today without discussing vitamin D, as the scientific evidence of its anti-cancerous benefits is truly impressive.
Theories linking vitamin D to certain cancers have been tested and confirmed in more than 200 epidemiological studies, and understanding of its physiological basis stems from more than 2,500 laboratory studies, according to epidemiologist Cedric Garland, DrPH, professor of family and preventive medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine.
Dr. Garland is widely regarded as the leading epidemiologist on vitamin D and its relation to health. He led one of the latest studies on vitamin D for cancer prevention and proposed a new model of cancer development -- dubbed DINOMIT-- that is centered on a loss of cancer cells' ability to stick together.
The model is a departure from the older model of cancer development, which centers on genetic mutations as the earliest driving forces behind cancer.
To find out the appropriate levels of vitamin D for cancer prevention and treatment, please watch my free one-hour vitamin D lecture.
2. Control your insulin levels by limiting your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as possible.
3. Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats, especially those from krill oil.
4. Exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.
Exercise is also an important part of cancer treatment, as Harvard Medical School researchers found patients who exercise moderately -- 3-5 hours a week -- reduce their odds of dying from breast cancer by about half as compared to sedentary women.
In fact, any amount of weekly exercise increased a patient's odds of surviving breast cancer. This benefit also remained constant regardless of whether women were diagnosed early on or after their cancer had spread.
5. Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT).
6. Only about 24 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please understand that, frequently, fresh conventionally grown vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are older and wilted in the grocery store. They are certainly better than no vegetables at all, so don't use that as an excuse. If you are a carb nutritional type you may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than a protein nutritional type.
7. Eating according to your nutritional type has potent anti-cancer effects. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic, this is in fact one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.
8. Maintain an ideal body weight.
9. Get enough high-quality sleep.
10. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.
11. Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them. Better yet eat as many of your foods raw as you can.
The sooner you implement these natural strategies, the better, as they will provide your body with the basic foundational elements necessary for health, healing and wellness

Why do so many of us choose to live an inferior quality of life before death? If somebody is diagnosed with cancer and chooses to not go the chemo-radiation route they are looked on as stupid and the family usually drops into deep prayer for them to come around.
WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE BUT WHY NOT DIE ENJOYING LIFE WHY DIE IN AND OUT OF HOSPITALS EVERYDAY IN HORRIFIC PAIN BARELY KNOWING THOSE AROUND YOU....I will say it again - because we wont prevent we are all going to repent!

ACID REFLUX ?

2010-08-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

My youngest son compiled the following information from research on acid reflux he did for one of his clients and I decided to post it as it can certainly help those of you having these problems......we are always complaining about allergies and food not digesting which is what acid reflux is...and too much acid is caused by what people???? Read on....

'The best way to restore your pH balance to your digestive tract is to eliminate foods that cause acid reflux. This also means identifying and eliminating foods that cause an allergic response.
Certain raw foods and whole foods and the right combination of vegetable juices can heal the digestive tract lining and eliminate further accumulation of acid waste. They can heal and prevent the formation of ulcers.
If you truly want to change and help your body heal itself you need to take a proactive approach. Don’t expect to feed your body processed foods, not exercise, then pop a pill and be all better… it just doesn’t work that way. If you want to bring your body into a pH balance then you need a complete approach.
HERE'S A LIST OF FOODS THAT CAUSE ACID REFLUX - YOU SHOULD AVOID THESE:
1. Fried Food
More challenging to digest, fried foods, and foods high in trans-fats, wreak havoc on the digestive tract. These foods are heavy and slow down the overall digestive process, leaving excess acids that can eventually move upward into the esophagus. Fried fats also remain stuck in the digestive process for longer periods of time, and can create increased pressure in the stomach.
2. Processed Baked Goods
Sweets like brownies and cookies create an acidic environment, especially if they are processed baked goods that are full of artificial colors and preservatives. In general, avoid all forms of refined white sugar and enriched flour, as they rank highest on the “acidic” charts.
3. Coffee
While coffee acts as a laxative, more often than not, the high levels of caffeine in coffee lead to an increased secretion of gastric acid in the stomach which may cause acid reflux.
4. Carbonated Drinks
Drinks like soda pop, tonic water and Perrier increase pressure levels in the stomach, which in turn increases the acidic response. As an alternative, try drinking more purified water that’s not too cold. Stay away from acidic fruit juices, like orange juice, especially before going to bed.
5. Hot and Spicy Foods
It may seem obvious, but spicy foods do not help acid reflux. Avoid chili peppers and hot/spicy sauces. When dining out in restaurants that offer Indian or Thai food, ask your waiter for “no-spice.” For many people, the Indian version of “mild” can still wreak havoc on heartburn.
6. Alcohol
Alcohol not only increases gastric acid in your body, but it also dehydrates you and may cause you to wake up in the crucial part of the night when our body detoxes from the previous day. In this sense, drinking alcohol today can set you up for poor digestion or acid reflux tomorrow.
7. Meat
Plain and simple, meat is one of the hardest things for the stomach to digest. In general, meat that is lower in fat (fish, lean chicken, turkey) creates less acid, whereas a thick juicy steak requires more acid in the stomach. Limit meat intake to 2-3x weekly and chew well before swallowing. Better yet, eliminate as much meat from your diet, and eat plenty of raw fruits and veggies.
8. Dairy
While a cup of cold, creamy milk may provide some temporary relieve to acid reflux symptoms, you may be better off reaching for a glass of water. Milk creates excessive secretion of acid, especially if we drink it when the stomach is full, which will only make matters worse

The things you can eat to help this condition are apples, bananas, soaked almonds, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cucumber,celery, beetroot, so get juicing and blending and stop stressing your poor digestive system.
This morning I saw a fabulous little boy on a cooking show on TVJ (one of our local TV networks in Jamaica) he was doing corn beef balls - now aside from the fact that we don`t know the make up of the tinned corned beef he was using, I know the fatty looking greasy thing in between the-supposed-to-be meat is just that - greasy fat.......his sauce to pour over the balls had ketchup and cornstarch in it....I couldn`t watch, he was too fabulous a child....when they asked him where he got this "fabulous" recipe from the confident answer came "my teacher!" I rest my case!!

KETCHUP ANOTHER NO NO

2010-08-22T08:44:00.000-04:00

What with the recall of eggs and the salmonella on fresh vegetables etc. a lot of people are turning to processed foods more than ever which is an even scarier prospect so if you can`t grow your own, please buy organic remember it's cheaper to spend the money up front than on medication and chemo later......
There are foods that you should try to eliminate from your diet completely..... These foods are so bad for you, they can cause you to gain unbelievable amounts of weight, give you diabetes, increase your risk of heart attack, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and stroke, and may eventually lead to early death!
As I watch a friend plaster on the ketchup over his otherwise healthy meal, I realize I need to talk about this again. We should all know by now that processed sugar is really bad for us. Sugar causes blood sugar levels to spike rapidly, overloading the work the pancreas has to perform to secrete enough insulin, and may eventually lead to diabetes.
Sugar is hidden in all kinds of areas where you may not expect it.
You probably already know you should cut down on things like cake, cookies, ice cream, donuts, and other sugary sweets. You probably also know how bad sugary drinks like colas and other sugar-filled drinks are. Obviously most candy is very high in sugar.But there are many other sources of sugar that you may not be thinking about. Ketchup is a condiment that many people use very regularly,a lot of us especially the younger set don't eat a meal without it.....why is it so delicious? It is very high in sugar. There are sugar-free ketchup varieties available, and while they are also high in sodium, they may be much better for you than standard ketchup, but you know I`m not recommending any substitutes as I dont know what they are substituting with....
Mayonnaise may contain high-fructose corn syrup, which is just as bad for you as processed white sugar. Most people are relatively shocked to find out that mayonnaise contains corn syrup, as it is supposed to be a low-carb food.
Other hidden sources of sugar include salad dressings, pickles, sandwich fillings, many condiments, baked goods including many types of sliced bread, and most canned and frozen convenience meals.
I watch people trying to lose weight and eating their salad with a piece of chicken lathered with ketchup and I have to smile to myself as they don`t know and anybody I talk to tells me "it's tomatoes it's good for you!"
I GUESS JUST LIKE HOW THEY DON`T BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL THEM THAT VEGETABLES HAVE PROTEIN - THEY DON`T WANT TO BELIEVE THAT KETCHUP IS PURE SUGAR.......DONE TALK!

PERSERVERANCE ALWAYS WINS !

2010-08-17T03:22:00.001-04:00

In my many years of business and life, I realize that there are quite a few things that separate the good from the great. But, if you asked me to pick only one reason why some people are more successful than others, I would offer you this - willingness to PERSEVERE.
When I look at those who I respect the most, in both business and in life, I find myself always getting goose pimples by people who refuse to quit, they PERSEVERE, no matter what. And every time I look up, people like these are always in the winner's circle!
This "never say die" attitude is what turns me on and here is one of my favourite people showing you how. Take the time to watch these 2 videos especially if you have been feeling sorry for yourself lately!

CHEMICALS THAT ARE TOO CLOSE TO US

2010-08-12T10:32:00.000-04:00

I have been telling you that makeup, bath soap, detergent, household cleansers etc. will harm you seriously because of the chemicals in them..... a lot of us with asthma and allergies etc don`t realize it comes from the soap we use to wash our clothes, carpet cleaners, mosquito destroyers etc.....its amazing! We are watching our food but sleeping with poisons burning all night in our bedrooms, we never think about those things but check out Dr Mercola's advice below where he warns us that reading the labels won’t always help :

I always advocate reading the labels on the foods and personal care products you buy, but in the case of household cleaners even the most meticulous eye for labels won’t get you very far.
Why?
Because many of the most dangerous chemicals will not be not listed on the label. The manufacturers have conveniently lobbied the government to exempt them from this requirement and can omit any ingredient that is considered a secret formula from its label, and many of these secret ingredients are toxic and carcinogenic.
Household goods are still very much an unregulated market. And, cleaning product manufacturers -- even those that claim to be “green” -- are not required by law to disclose all of their ingredients on their labels.
So while it’s still better to read the label than not, be aware that a lack of ingredient on a label doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not in the product!

We go out into the sun and cover our bodies with sunblock that WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S MADE OUT OF. While we need vitamin D, its called moderation people! You don't need to be in the sun from 9-5 unless you work in the sun.
Lipsticks and lip glosses that we reapply often because we eat and lick it off we have to be extra careful about......we also use mascara and eye shadows that we have had for 12 years.Come on you ever heard the word bacteria? Yes that's why your eyes keep itching.....Read the ingredients for that lovely smelling bath gel and yes that soap that makes your wash whiter than white and brighter than bright not to mention the softeners, bleach etc......we spend a day cleaning and then the next morning we wonder why we feel the way we do but we never attribute it to the cleaners - then sleeping with things plugged into the wall that send out sweet scents to make our rooms smell good OR kill the mosquitoes.....I love to listen to you all. I know you are not going to want to hear this but that's what the lizards and other things we hate like frogs are for, yes if I can say that anybody can (it wasn`t easy working on that though) they eat all the things that annoy us......and there are natural things like lemon grass and citronella that kill mosquitoes without killing you! Carcinogens are everywhere people - it's in our food its in the air so TAKE CARE!

Hormone balance

2010-08-07T10:54:00.000-04:00

From I started menstruating I have had female 'problems'. Every month at that time you would find me in the sick room at school......several surgeries and all kinds of medication later and after not being able to put up with the flooding that came later in life I took everything out, and I mean everything, no cervix, no ovaries and of course no uterus...well thank God for leading me into the direction of a healthy lifestyle - I've found out that greens make me have no hot flashes or lack of sexual urges or lack of sleep and I have tons of energy, so if I had known before what I know now, I would have balanced my hormones and still have all my organs intact!
According to Dr.Ritamarie Loscalzo at www.vibranthormones.com "Hormones are like members of your family. When they’re in sync, everyone is communicating well, resulting in happy and harmonious relationships. When they are out of sync, you’re sunk. Communication gets disrupted and dysfunction results."
I have always been dysfunctional because of the way I ate...7 Pepsi`s during the day with a steak in butter for dinner will throw off every hormone you ever have! No vegetable was ever found on my plate at any time.....
There are foods to avoid, foods to include, environmental factors to clean up, stressors to manage, and simple things like the amount and type of movement you do, how much sun you get and the balance between activity and rest.
As you know we can overdo even when we are doing what's supposedly right.
Here’s a list of seven simple strategies you can get started on right away to get your hormones in balance.They are taken from the dozens included Dr Loscalzo's brand new course The Secrets of Being Sexy and Vibrant at ANY Age". I proved the green drink one with a friend who was having awful hot flashes so I know it works not just for me....

Seven simple strategies for restoring hormone balance

1- Consume at least 32 ounces of green drink daily, made from at least a pound of green leafy vegetables.
This may sound like a lot but the greens are so important and drinking them rather than just eating them helps increase the quality you consume. You can make delicious smoothies, juices or soups. Greens are filled with antioxidants, minerals and the B vitamin folate, which is very important for hormone balance. Be sure to include sprouts and cruciferous vegetables as they're especially potent hormone balancers.
2- Break a sweat every day, even if just for 30 second bursts.
Exercising to exhaustion for 30 seconds at a time,for a total of 4 to 8 minutes is an amazing way to increase testosterone levels, balance adrenal hormones and the
hormone insulin, support your thyroid hormone production and overall strengthen your immune system.
3- Get outside for at least 20 minutes, preferably in the middle of the day, for fresh air and sunshine.
This supports your body in making Vitamin D and excreting the chemicals you breathe from indoor air.
4- Open your windows, even if just a crack, for at least 15 minutes every day.
This brings fresh air in to replace the buildup of hormone disrupting chemicals found in indoor air.
5- Dump the sugar for whole fresh fruits.
Sugar disrupts your B vitamins which are essential for hormone regulation. It also affects the balance between estrogen receptors that are protective and those that promote growth. When these receptors get out of balance, your risk of hormonally induced cancer increases.
6- Drink pure water from glass containers, rather than plastic.
Hydration is vital to production and circulation of hormones and chemicals in the plastic have been shown to be hormone disruptors.
7- Take time each day to appreciate your gifts and the people you love.
Appreciation has profound effects on your immune system, the level of stress hormones in your system and your ability to cleanse and detoxify the toxic exposures that disrupt hormone balance.
You’ll most likely notice changes right away when you
master these 7 simple strategies.

TOO MUCH FRUIT?

2010-08-03T06:16:00.000-04:00

Just thought I would pass on this information about antioxidants from the BEWELLBUZZ team and I want you to take note of the part where it says up to a WHOLE CUP of blueberries is safe for adults to eat each day....not as I do it, a whole box...cherries a whole bag, even now its guinep season in Jamaica and I eat 2 bunches at a time not per day...talk about fruit overdose, am I overdoing a good thing? Last summer I gained 9lbs on 6 mangoes per day....Am I a fruiterian or just a fruool??????? DONT ANSWER!

More Than Just Antioxidants
Blueberries are packed with antioxidant power, but the benefits of blueberries are far more than just the plant chemicals you hear about so often. Blueberries fight disease on multiple levels, and are an underused tool of naturally good health.
Probably you have heard about cranberry juice as a tool for fighting bacterial infection of the urinary tract. Millions of cystitis sufferers are told to drink unsweetened cranberry juice to get rid of the E. coli and Proteus infestations that cause painful urination, abdominal cramps, and even bleeding.
Cranberry juice, as long as it isn’t doused with sugar, really works against common urinary tract infections. The problem is that it sometimes works a little too well. Aspirin-like compounds in cranberry juice trigger allergic reactions in the aspirin-sensitive, and cranberry extracts really aren’t safe in children under three. In fact, infants and toddlers have had to be hospitalized after treatment with cranberry juice extract.
Fortunately, blueberry juice and fresh blueberries also fight urinary tract infections, and they are safe for young children and for people who are sensitive to aspirin. One of the major benefits of blueberries is that they are tasty all by themselves, no sugar added because no sugar is needed, and they also fight the build of sticky biofilms left by infectious microorganisms in the urinary tract.
Blueberries are also beneficial for your brain. On a test tube level, blueberry antioxidants activate two brain-protective enzymes, catalase and superoxide dismutase. These are the enzymes that keep neurons from being “deactivated” after they are attacked by free radicals. Scientists at the Montreal Diabetes Research Center and the University of Montreal in Canada even believe that blueberry juice will be the source of treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and age-related memory problems, and that eating blueberries confers similar benefits now.
There is no downside to eating blueberries, except that if you eat enough to make a black bear jealous, your digestive tract is going to slow down to handle all the pectin. Up to a quarter cup of delicious blueberries every day for kids and up to a whole cup of blueberries every day for adults offers all the benefits of blueberries in a delicious summer package–and you can enjoy all-fruit blueberry conserves and blueberry juice every day of the year.

Stress bunny

2010-07-27T07:07:00.002-04:00

Once you have an active mind and are always juggling many projects you can become a stress bunny......
A stress bunny always feels overwhelmed and is worrying about this or that. No one can do it but them.......is that what they call a Type A personality ? Well guess what when you`re dead and gone someone else is going to do it and maybe better!
Try and heal yourself form chronic fatigue, digestive disorders, chronic sinusitis and debilitating headaches by conquering stress demons. My personal demons were
related to food and attitude. Do you know what yours are ?
Adopting a plant-based mostly raw high-green diet, regular detoxification and learning the attitude of gratitude and forgiveness has allowed me to escape the grip of my stress demons.....listening around especially in the mornings to those of us with major sinus problems I wonder if we are ever going to listen to our bodies talking to us and attend to our demons, like high mucus intake and keeping people up in our hearts...we need to eat less mucus foods(sugar, bread etc) and practice some forgiveness so we can enjoy better health.........
Funny a friend who has been having issues with her spouse just got diagnosed with over-active thyroid and high cholesterol....after months of her friends telling her to just let go and let God.... forgive..... she didn`t, and as always our demons always come and bite us in the butt when we are busy saying "its all your fault". Where is the person who we claim is at fault? Having a great, healthy life!

I came back from a recent trip to Miami sick as a dog one week later and I`m still not 100%. Why?? I ate 2 bags of cherries, 2 peaches, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries for breakfast last Saturday morning. Yes all at one time......good for me you say? Yes, great that's why I had them. So why am I sick?
I thought it was too much of a good thing but no it was because I just rinsed the fruit and didn`t soak the pesticides and insecticides off with 2drops of peroxide in a bowl of water for minimum a hour,as I usually do here at home.I got so carried away with the variety, I forgot that people like me whose insides are relatively clean have to be careful or else we will certainly pay the piper!
Try and always remember to soak your fruit,the ones that u are not going to peel....Very important!

SLEEP

2010-07-24T12:54:00.002-04:00

I found out recently that if we do not get enough sleep, bags under our eyes will be the least of our problems .
According to Matt Monarch "sleeping is one of the most beneficial things for the human body. When we sleep, that is the time of the day when we do the MOST regeneration. In other words, the process of 'becoming younger' happens mostly when we are asleep. When we are sleeping we are not eating, which allows our bodies to cleanse out toxins and conserve energy. Our bodies go into such a deep state of relaxation, that all of our energy can be utilized in healing and regenerating our bodies.
I have heard many people say that you can sleep too much. While this might be the case for someone who has chronic depression, for example, and wants to avoid the outside world, I personally believe that the average person can benefit from all the sleep they can get."
Thought it was just age but when I look around me the people looking their age along with being haggard and drawn are the ones that got too little sleep. After a certain age, living a'rough life' catches up with you, the alcohol, the cigarettes and the lack of sleep starts to show,and sleep is something we cannot catch up on so we can`t bleach all week and think staying in bed all day Sunday will make up for it. Better we do it the other way around bleach one night and go to bed the other nights....Your body will thank you for it......And u will really experience 50 being the new 30!

PROCESSED FOODS

2010-07-19T08:29:00.000-04:00

TRY AND WEAN YOURSELVES OFF PROCESSED FOODS....IT WILL BE THE BEST PRESENT YOU WILL EVER GIVE YOURSELF - try and remember that processed foods have fat, sugar, and salt added to mask the metallic taste of chemical additives.I remember watching a documentary on the Coca Cola Company and they said why they put so much sugar in is to hide the salt....salt i said? Never associated Coke with salt!
Read labels wisely. You can find food with "real" ingredients in the supermarket if you read labels carefully. But shop the outside lanes as that's usually where the fresh food are located in a supermarket, or better yet shop the markets in your area and always eat fruit and vegetable in season.
Relish what's on your plate, making it a small plate,and don`t heap the food into a mountain. Devote time solely to enjoying the pleasures of eating,in other words stay in the moment.And did i say chew thoroughly...remember digestion starts in the mouth.
Wean yourself off excess salt, fat, and sugar.I ALWAYS TELL YOU TO PULL YOUR SWEET TOOTH ,let's not even talk about the salt which makes everything taste better,if you eat fresh fruit and vegetables or cook your own food you will never have the issue of adding too much salt if you use all the great herbs and spices, plus garlic and onion etc to season your food. Avocado is in season enjoy that healthy fat instead of pork fat and beef grizzle...........
Give your palate time to change. You'll gradually lose your taste for excessively sweet and salty foods......believe me you will lose the taste of condensed milk and 2spoons of sugar in your tea if u don`t put it in and just stick to it.
Go for high-quality foods. Look for products that contain the least amount of processed ingredients. I always tell you if you can't pronounce the ingredients,leave it alone...and always leave the white stuff, white sugar, white rice, white flour...white means it had to go through some form of process to get there.....what's wrong with good old brown rice?
Treat yourself well by not skipping meals. Try eating three meals a day at fairly regular times, with a mid -afternoon snack,or graze through the day, 5 small meals.... Remember if you starve yourself the body holds on to the fat as it doesn't know when it is getting another meal and your metabolism slows down, hence all these fat people telling you they don`t eat,they are telling you the truth and also when they do eat they eat lots of meat with gravy and rice and cake or ice-cream for dessert and don`t forget they had several slices of bread and bacon for breakfast.Look around you, it's very obvious at the food-court in a mall.......the fatter the person, the higher the plate is filled and the choices are always wrong.
Save yourself,stay in the stores, shopping never makes me hungry or makes me fat!

Health scare ?

2010-07-12T08:58:00.000-04:00

It seems as if every year I have a health scare...is it a genuine scare or is it that whenever I eat badly I feel I'm going to be punished so all my symptoms return? My back aches, I feel nauseous and I swear my bowel habits change.......well after a major out-of-it feeling, off I went to get my sigmoidoscope...that is what those of us have that don`t have much colon....you other guys have a colonoscopy.
Well my little piece of colon and my small intestines were looking very good, but because some my lymph nodes were blown I immediately say to myself it can be elsewhere, therefore I need a bone scan, as my right leg hurts constantly, so deep down the fear is has bone cancer returned ? I need to return to my oncologist for her to check my stomach but she doesn't want to see me...all of my doctors roll their eyes as they feel nothing is wrong with me because as always, I bound into their office with my limitless energy and everybody saying "you look so good" as if I shouldn`t be looking good because I've had cancer......Well guess what ?I can`t look pop dung no matter how I feel and truth is no matter how i look,they are to check me......whats the use of repenting after the event which is usually my case.
Anyway this time i tend to agree with what my doctor (internist) told me.....He says Pat honestly I feel you are just tired....'U work non stop and dare i say it u r getting a LITTLE older'.....How could he know I wondered that I do not go to my bed till 2am most mornings watching Soap Net because Sonny is up to his usual tricks on General Hospital and then I say let's see what Victor is up to then I watch Erica on All My Children and by the time you say jack rabbit it's way past my bed time and my eyes pop open at 6 am no matter what time I go to bed - a sure sign of old age.........
Well I`m taking some vacation and going to sleep as I will be able to watch the soaps in the daytime so I wont need to sit up all night I'll also be taking out insurance by upping my raw food and Glyconutrient intake.....and I'll see if my aches and pains go away.....
Fighting cancer is not just a physical thing.It's a spiritual thing and if you are spiritually shaky this fight is not for you...Oprah closes her magazines with 'what I know for sure'.... THAT IS WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE! Once my head gets shaky....my body falls down!

PROTECTING AGAINST CANCER

2010-07-05T10:28:00.003-04:00

The best way to beat cancer naturally is to adopt a lifestyle to prevent it. Healthy, nutrient-rich food is an essential part of any anti-cancer plan along with the spiritual work. Here are the top 5 picks that help protect against cancer from CARE2.

1.Beta carotene
This precursor of Vitamin A is found in most orange and green vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale and other leafy green vegetables. An amazing nutrient, it has been shown in research to protect the lungs against toxins that are linked to lung cancer. Another study found that ex-smokers who ate green and yellow vegetables high in beta carotene daily decreased their risk of stomach and lung cancer.
2. Vitamin B6
This B-Vitamin is essential to maintain a healthy immune system and helps protect the respiratory tract from pollution and infection. In studies it has helped protect against cervical cancer. Vitamin B-6 is primarily found in carrots, apples, organic meats, bananas, leafy green vegetables and sweet potatoes.
3. Vitamin C
One of the most well-researched nutrients, Vitamin C has shown great promise in the fight against cancer, both in prevention and disease-management. Consider a recent study in which forty patients with cancer of the breast, ovary, uterus, or cervix received large doses of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) and other vitamins.
Another sixty-one patients with other kinds of cancer followed the same regime, while thirty-one patients received no vitamin supplements and served as the control group. The control group lived an average of 5.7 months. Of the others, 80 percent of the patients with cancer of the breast, ovary, uterus, or cervix had a mean survival time of 122 months; patients with other forms of cancer lived an average of 72 months. That translates into a length of life 13 to 21 times longer in those who used vitamin therapy.
4. Folic Acid
In studies, folic acid, also known as folate or vitamin B9, helps protect against cervical cancer and is necessary for the proper formation of the body's own genetic material — DNA and RNA. It is found in beets, cabbage, dark green leafy vegetables, eggs, citrus fruits and most types of fish.
5. Vitamin E
In addition to protecting against bowel cancer, Vitamin E works as a powerful antioxidant that reduces the damage caused by ozone and pollutants on the cells. It is found in eggs, wheat germ, liver, unrefined vegetable oils and dark green vegetables.

Something else that has been found to be important to cancer care is exercise......I have always been told that I must only do Yoga, Pilate's or Tai Chi because things like strength training make our bodies acidic and you all know alkaline is the way to go...according to new U.S guidelines "Cancer patients should not avoid exercise; they can and should find ways to be physically active both during and after treatment." The research of Dr. Kathryn Schmitz, which had already reversed decades of cautionary exercise advice given to breast cancer patients with lymphedema, led an expert panel to developed the new recommendations.
According to Eurekalert:"Cancer patients and survivors should strive to get the same 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise that is recommended for the general public ... Though the evidence indicates that most types of physical activity -- from swimming to yoga to strength training -- are beneficial for cancer patients, clinicians should tailor exercise recommendations to individual patients."

VEGETABLES FOR FAT LOSS

2010-06-30T00:57:00.002-04:00

VEGETABLES......food that I have hated my whole life.I envy people who were brought up to love their vegetables therefore making staying healthy so easy.....I just ate caponata eggplant and a broccoli salad and although delicious, I could have done with a rare steak and baked potato on the side, I would take even some broccoli stuffed in the baked potato smothered with cheese......a cold red stripe light to wash that down and I would be a happy camper instead I had a cup of gravioli and guinea hen weed tea before.........anything to stay alive!
Everyone knows vegetables are good for us, but most people don't realize just how extremely effective they are for fat loss.
Here is an article by Kim Lyons from fasttracktofatloss.com telling us about the #1 fat loss food...VEGETABLES and the reasons you should stuff yourself with them...

1. They are very low in calories and so perfect for creating that necessary caloric deficit. You'd have to eat 20 large bags of spinach,or 5 heads of broccoli, to equal the calories of just 1 cup of pasta or 1 tablespoon of butter.
So, you absolutely do not have to go hungry on tiny portions when you load up on veggies. In fact, it's almost impossible to eat too many. Load'em up!
Compare it to a plate of processed carbs and high-fat foods. You only get to enjoy 1 REALLY small, thin slice of pizza for 250 calories and almost no nutritional value, and none of the energy or protein you need.
But when you focus on veggies you can eat a LOT more food, with less calories and a lot more nutritional value.
2. Veggies are also high in fiber. This is both good for your digestion and fat loss because fiber expands in your stomach, making you feel full and satisfied.
A bowl of spinach has 8 grams of fiber, about 1/3 of your daily requirement. Broccoli, green peas, and other green leafy vegetables are also good sources of fiber.
3. The third reason fibrous carbs are perfect for fat loss is because they have almost NO adverse affects on blood sugar levels. While it's still a good idea to balance veggies out with a protein source, even eaten alone they're okay because they don't cause an increase in insulin.
4. And finally, they're loaded with vitamins and minerals and other very beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants and phytonutrients, that will help you look and feel better, fight off disease, and improve your overall health. If there's any one type of food that is the most helpful for fat loss, it's definitely vegetables.

COMPLICATED FOOD vs SIMPLE FOOD

2010-06-25T00:11:00.005-04:00

People always ask where I get my information, well, information is everywhere if we take the time to read.......to all the people who tell me they don`t know what to eat as I make it sound as if everything is bad for us, here is an article by David Zinczenko from Men's Health (yes I get my information from all types of sources) I hope it helps, I found it a very informative read - have a read for yourself and you'll see THAT NOT ALL FOODS ARE BAD FOR US AND WE DO HAVE A CHOICE.

The Truth About Your Food- Simpler is always better.
Think about it: Would you rather have your job made simpler, or more complicated? How about your relationship? Your finances? Those instructions to assembling your new IKEA bookshelf?
Simpler, right?
Okay, how about your diet? Wouldn't you prefer to make your diet simpler as well? Especially if you knew that simpler was also healthier? Then why do so many of us insist on choosing the most complicated foods we can find, when the simplest foods are always better?
Case in point: Let's say you had a choice between two seemingly similar products. Both had about the same number of calories, and had similar tastes. Based on these ingredient lists, which would you choose?
Beverage #1: Water mixed with high fructose corn syrup; concentrated juices of orange, tangerine, apple, lime and/or grapefruit; citric acid; ascorbic acid; beta-carotene; thiamin hydrochloride; natural flavors; modified food starch; canola oil; cellulose gum; xanthan gum; sodium hexametaphosphate; sodium benzoate; yellow dyes #5 and 6.
Beverage #2: Fresh-squeezed orange juice.
If you picked beverage #2, you'd be getting three times the vitamin C and about one-eighth the sodium, as well as a nice hit of calcium. But if you picked #1, then you'd be getting a nutritional cocktail made up primarily of water and high fructose corn syrup, with a variety of scary surprises. (Canola oil?!)
Yet many of us pick #1 on a regular basis—those are the ingredients for Sunny Delight original, by the way—because we seem dead-set on complicating our diets. And complicated is always bad. Simpler is always better. (Speaking of nutritionally empty drinks, watch out for these gut-busters with ingredients most of us could never, ever pronounce—this shocking list of the 20 Worst Drinks in America. Take them in even as a weekly treat and you could be adding an extra pound or two of belly fat a month.)
Check out the four popular processed foods below. Each violates the Eat This, Not That! cardinal rule—which is to say, they're just too complicated. Wait till you discover some of the junk we found hiding in each.
What's Really In …
NACHO CHEESE DORITOS (11 chips)
150 calories
8 g fat (1.5 g saturated)
180 mg sodium
The concept is, well, sort of brilliant: Nachos and cheese without the hassle of a microwave. Or even a plate, for that matter. You just tear open the bag and start snarfing. And as a parting gift, Dorito's leave your fingers sticky with something that looks like radioactive bee pollen. Now here's the question: Do you have any clue what's in that stuff? Here you go:
To create each Dorito, the Frito-Lay food scientists draw from a well of 39 different ingredients. How many does it take to make a regular tortilla chip? About three. That means some 36 ingredients wind up in that weird cheese fuzz. Of those 36, only two are ingredients you'd use to make nachos at home: Romano and cheddar cheeses. Alongside those are a cache of empty carbohydrate fillers like dextrin, maltodextrin, dextrose, flour, and corn syrup solids. Then come a rotating cast of oils. Depending on what bag you get, you might find any combination of corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, and sunflower oil. Some of those will be partially hydrogenated, meaning they give the chip a longer shelf life and spike your heart with a little shot of trans fat. (The reason you won't see this on the nutrition label is that FDA guidelines allow food manufacturers to "round down" to zero.)
And then, after the fats and nutritionally empty starches, there's a seasoning blend, which includes things like sugar, "artificial flavoring," and a rather worrisome compound called monosodium glutamate. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is the flavor enhancer largely responsible for the chip's addicting quality. The drawback is that it interferes with the production of an appetite-regulating hormone called leptin. A study of middle-aged Chinese people found a strong correlation between MSG consumption and body fat. What's more, the FDA receives new complaints every year from people who react violently to MSG, suffering symptoms like nausea, headaches, burning sensation, numbness, chest pains, dizziness, and so on. Talk about radioactive bee pollen.
What's Really In …
SUBWAY 9-GRAIN WHEAT (6")
210 calories
2 g fat (0.5 g saturated)
410 mg sodium
Okay, so you're probably not in the habit of ordering a la carte bread loaves at Subway, but there’s a good chance you've eaten at least a few sandwiches built on this bread. The good news is that Subway actually delivers on the nine-grain promise. The bad news: Eight of those nine grains appear in miniscule amounts. If you look at a Subway ingredient statement, you'll find every grain except wheat listed at the bottom of the list, just beneath the qualifier "contains 2% or less." In fact, the primary ingredient in this bread is plain old white flour, and high-fructose corn syrup plays a more prominent role than any single whole grain. Essentially this is a white-wheat hybrid with trace amounts of other whole grains like oats, barley, and rye.
So outside of the nine grains, how many ingredients does Subway use to keep this bread together? Sixteen, including such far-from-simple ingredients as DATEM, sodium steroyl lactylate, calcium sulfate, and azodiacarbonamide. But here's one that's a little unnerving: ammonium sulfate. This compound is loaded with nitrogen, which is why it's most common use is as fertilizer. You might have used it to nourish your plants at home. And Subway does the same thing; the ammonium sulfate nourishes the yeast and helps the bread turn brown. What, did you think that dark hue was the result of whole grains? Hardly. It's a combination of the ammonium sulfate and the caramel coloring. Seems like Jarod might frown on that sort of subterfuge.
Of course, in terms of calories, Subway's still one of your best allies in the sandwich game. But here's an even better idea: Whip up one of these 25 best sandwiches in America at home in minutes. You'll save calories, money, and precious time.
What's Really In …
ORIGINAL SKITTLES (1 pack)
250 calories
2.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated)
47 g sugars
They're sweet, chewy, and brightly colored. Now, what are they? Well, the basic formula for each chewy neon orb is a gross mashup of sugar, corn syrup, and hydrogenated palm kernal oil. That explains why every gram of fat is saturated and each package has more sugar than two twin-wrapped packages of Peanut Butter Twix.
So those three ingredients plus a few extra fillers are basically all it takes to get the general consistency and flavor, but to achieve that color spectrum, Skittles brings in a whole new list of additives. When a Skittles ad tells you to "taste the rainbow," what it's really telling you to do is taste the laboratory-constructed amalgam of nine artificial colors, many of which have been linked to behavioral and attention-deficit problems in children. A few years ago the British journal Lancet published a study linking the artificial additives to hyperactivity and behavioral problems in children, which prompted the Center for Science in the Public Interest to petition the FDA for mandatory labels on artificially colored products. The FDA's response: We need more tests.
In the meantime, there's a very large-scale test going on all across the country, and every Skittles eater is an unwilling participant. And that doesn't even factor in the blood-sugar roller coaster you go on when you ingest a Skittles' bag worth of sugar.
Of course, Skittles look like broccoli, nutritionally speaking, compared to the foods on our new must-know roundup of the 20 Worst Foods in America. Read how there could be more than a day's worth of calories, sugar, and heart-harming trans fats—in a single fast-food or chain-restaurant meal! (More importantly, learn what you should eat instead.)
What's Really In …
TACO BELL MEXICAN PIZZA
540 calories
30 g fat (8 g saturated)
1,020 mg sodium
It's Italian, it's Mexican, it's . . . well, it's got a whopping 64 different ingredients, so it's hard to tell just what exactly it is. On the face of it, this meal doesn't look too bad. There are two pizza shells, ground beef, beans, pizza sauce, tomatoes, and three cheeses. Nothing alarming, right? Even the nutritional vital signs, while high, compare favorably to most fast-food pizzas. It only gets scary when you zoom in on what it takes to stitch those pieces together. That's when you see all of those 64 smaller ingredients, including an astounding 24 in the ground beef alone. Yikes.
Now, some of those ingredients amount to little more than Mexican seasonings and spices, but there are also loads of complex compounds such as autolyzed yeast extract, maltodextrin, xanthan gum, calcium propionate, fumaric acid, and silicon dioxide. Any of those sound familiar? That last one might—if you've spent any time at the beach. But chances are you normally refer to it by its common name: sand.
That's right, sand is made from fragmented granules of rock and mineral, and the most common of them is silicon dioxide, or silica. This is also the stuff that helps strengthen concrete and—when heated to extreme temperatures—that hardens to create glass bottles and windowpanes.
So why exactly does Taco Bell put sand in the Mexican Pizza? To make it taste like spring break in Cancun? Not quite. As it turns out, Taco Bell adds silica to the beef to prevent it from clumping together during shipping and processing. The restaurant uses the same anti-caking strategy with the chicken, shrimp, and rice.
Is it unusual to add silica to food? Yes. Is it dangerous? Probably not. The mineral actually occurs naturally in all sorts of foods like vegetables and milk.

WELL IT'S YOUR CHOICE - FOR ME IT'S A NO-BRAINER - SORRY I DO NOT WANT SILICA IN MY FOOD!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY DADDY !

2010-06-22T07:21:00.001-04:00

This father's day made me remember my father more than usual, he died in 1980 but he certainly is always a background thought of my life..........
He was born on the 4th of Nov, I was born on the 6th, my mother used to ask aloud daily what did she do to deserve 2 miserable people like us in her life. She couldn`t do without us though...
I was an adoption and he would tell me in later years how he wanted no children in his life as my mother and himself were childless for 16 years before I came into their lives and he liked it just fine but when mommy decided I was her new toy to dress and look after and carry everywhere with her she brought me home and I wore him down. He said he would be eating his dinner and I would crawl under the table up into his lap and my tiny hands would be in his food....
One thing I have always known for sure without him saying it is how much he loved me I always felt he would give his life for me and when I got cancer he used to wonder aloud how could I at my age get it and not him.......he refused to even call the word.
He used to own a factory that made furniture and the workers used to say to me 'Miss Pat you need to tell your father not to curse so much, it not good for his heart'.
He could cuss you under the table he also drank scotch and water and chain smoked cigarettes. He had a larger than life personality - CR Jenkins - one of a kind. When he was told that his habits were unhealthy he answered that if he had to give them up to live he would rather die. Well die he did from an embolism, and I guess if you can choose a way to die that's a great way, as it's instant, by the time he said he was feeling ill he was dead and he had been fine up to then, but what it does to the family I cannot even now come to terms with 29 years later.......sudden death - easy for the dead, hard for the family........and he was in his bed........Can you imagine the ones that die by accident or by some form of violence ? I cannot come to terms with that. I look on the faces at funerals and shudder.
My Mother died quietly but with warning and it was so much easier to deal with, so those of you that are lucky to say good bye, give thanks and make use of it!

Unhealthy sponsors?

2010-06-18T06:34:00.001-04:00

No matter how frustrated I get, when I read articles like the one recently published in Time magazine captioned "Cancer charity chastises FIFA for "unhealthy" sponsors", I realize all is not lost..........
Little by little we are going to get the message across that things like COCO-COLA, that we love so much, is just not good for us.....
Can you imagine the biggest show in the world without Coke as a sponsor ? I don`t think we will ever see that and they can`t change the ingredients as that will change the taste but we need a choice. Coke has the biggest share of the beverage market so they have the money to sponsor huge events ....Fresh almond milk or freshly squeezed grapefruit juice or a green juice doesn't have even have a small market share so they can sponsor nothing..... Soda cannot be our be all and end all and we have to know this, and we have to have an option that is just as cool and heavily marketed ........I believe that day is fast approaching as more people speak out and popular magazines give prominence to these voices - check out the article from Time magazine -

The World Cancer Research Fund, an international non-profit that works with cancer research organizations and charities, has spoken out against FIFA's sponsor choices for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa, according to the BBC. The group characterized the international soccer authority's partnerships with Coca-Cola, McDonald's (PDF), Budweiser and other "unhealthy" sponsors as disappointing, and said that they send young fans the wrong message.
The general manager of the World Cancer Research Fund, Teresa Nightingale, told the BBC that soccer has the potential to be a significant force in the battle against childhood obesity as it is "a type of physical activity that is accessible to almost everyone," and in the weeks ahead many young children will likely be "inspired by the skills of the likes of Rooney and Messi and try to repeat them in their back gardens and local parks in the same way as their parents and grandparents once tried to emulate Maradona and Pelé."
Nightingale went on to say: "It is disappointing that these companies have been chosen as sponsors and partners... The FIFA website describes sponsorship as an opportunity to promote brands on a global basis and we would argue that it is a real own goal to be giving this opportunity to companies that are known for unhealthy products."
Yet critics of the charity's comments say that they ignore the fact that these sponsorships enable grand-scale international tournaments such as the World Cup to happen in the first place, and that the sponsors being criticized are increasingly offering healthier food and beverage options in addition to their much-maligned products.
Ian Barber, spokesman for the Advertising Association, also told the BBC that the overall impact of advertising on children's diet was likely "marginal" and dismissed the comments as "well-meaning" but effectively "misdirected rhetoric."
Authors of a new study published this week in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association might question whether criticism of ad campaigns and sponsorships by corporations hawking low-nutrition products is in fact off the mark. As my colleague Alice Park reports for TIME, in this recent study, researchers from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga analyzed the nutrition content of foods advertised during one month of prime time and Saturday morning television. Park writes:"When the research team calculated the nutritional content of a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet containing only foods that were advertised on television, they found that it exceeded the government's recommended daily amount of fat by 20 times and had 25 times the recommended daily intake of sugar."
The FIFA World Cup in South Africa kicks off on Friday June 11 and billions of people around the globe are expected to tune in to watch this year's 32 qualifying national teams compete. And, as in every World Cup since 1950, televised coverage will likely feature prominent placement of Coca-Cola logos.
© Eric Renard/TempSport/Corbis

WHOLE FOODS VS 'HEALTH' FOODS

2010-06-15T07:18:00.003-04:00

Watching an interview with an 110 year old lady yesterday was most interesting and confirmed my beliefs that as long as you can eat whole foods you can eat anything....she said she doesn`t eat pork and surprise surprise she doesn`t eat CHICKEN!!!!!
She loves making her meals and took great pleasure in saying how she made run down with her fresh coconut milk not from a packet made in China people.....fresh everything....... she fixed it all herself,no fast food, no not knowing where the food comes from and she loves johnny cake which is a Jamaican fried flour dumpling but she says she only has one - everything in moderation.....
She had such energy and was so alert and reads without glasses and unlike cancer patients, who in their fifties don`t have a memory thanks to chemo, she has A PHENOMENAL MEMORY!!!!! She could quote poems from her school days....
After watching that stimulating interview , here comes this in my mailbox from LUCAS at YogaBodyNaturals.com

When I first got into healthy living, one of my old friends asked me: "Why does everyone in the health food store look so sick?"
I didn't want to admit it, but he was right. Sick people hang out in health food stores, obsess over foods choices,and study labels like scientists.
The world is full of paradoxes like this, and here's what REALLY gets me:
At least ½ of the "health food" on the market isn't actually healthy at all. I'm serious. Sugar-free cookies, bran-filled muffins, fat-free ice cream... this stuff is all seriously toxic.
I know this because I put it to the test in 1999. For 3 months straight, I ate nothing but Balance bars (these little energy bars sold at GNC, grocery stores, and gas stations).
They used to have a flavor called Strawberry-Yogurt, and I ate those damn things like they were going out of style.
Let me whet your palate: each bar had a white cream coating that covered a brown turd nugget with the consistency of a 3-week old brownie. And inside, it
contained the following:
- 15 grams of protein
- 15 grams of carbs
- 6 grams of fat
- 23 essential vitamins & minerals
- 100% daily allowance of Vitamin C & E
- Full B vitamin spectrum
Back then, I used to smoke and drink, so the above nutrients sounded like a jackpot. I was in pathetic shape with a weak and floppy body; but I figured I just needed some better nutrients.
So I gave up all food and just munched on these perfect little "balanced" bars instead.
Surprise, surprise, I felt like crap. My eyes turned grey,I stank like garbage, and I used the toilet about once every 3 days... nightmare!
In the morning, I'd wake up with a coppery taste in my mouth, and my pee was as bright as orange juice (there goes those "23 essential vitamins").
Back then, I couldn't figure it out. Technically, I had everything an exceptionally healthy person needs: the protein, the nutrients, the right amount of fat.
But with food, "technically" doesn't mean squat. Naturally is what matters.
Case and point: do you know anyone who eats meat and potatoes every day and is super healthy? I do. Know anyone who eats "health foods" all day and yet looks and feels
like crap? I do.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying give up your tofu for 2 all-beef patties on a sesame seed bun... but what I am saying is that WHOLE food trumps so-called
HEALTH food 7 days a week.
No packaging. No processing. No additives. No nothing.
Food comes from the earth, and the really healthy stuff arrives on your plate shortly there after. If you're into yoga, if you want to be more flexible, if you're trying to connect with your physical body... then I gotta tell you, food is where it's at!

I REST MY CASE!
Talking about moderation look at this Lady. Guess how old she is? She is 100 years young and this is from a photo shoot done a few days before her 100th Birthday! She says everything in moderation.Her picture and story I`m putting on my refrigerator to remind myself that it can be done....GOOD HEALTH AND GOOD LOOKS AT 100 CAN BE DONE!

EATING RAW IN KINGSTON

2010-06-11T11:37:00.005-04:00

There is much more to Kingston than all the bad news we've recently been bombarded with - there are great restaurants and eating out is now even more of a pleasure for me as vegan chef I-wara has now set up shop in the Market Place ......stopping for nut milk and a fiery green juice whenever I`m there is such a joy.
Here is the review of this raw food restaurant recently published in the Jamaica OBSERVER -

Getting A Raw Deal!
The idea of consuming raw food hasn't quite caught on among the local lunchtime set, but vegan chef I-Wara is determined to change that by providing healthy and attractive uncooked options.
"The benefit of eating raw food is that you get all the enzymes, which are destroyed when food is heated above a certain temperature," says the Rastafarian who operates the new vegan eatery Mi Hungry Whol'-Some-Food at The Marketplace.
I-Wara, a vegan for over 15 years, says he gained inspiration to change his diet after hearing Mutabaruka interview celebrated raw food enthusiast Dr Aris LaTham.
"After going to a presentation featuring Dr LaTham at the Altamont Court Hotel, I just decided to change the way I eat," I-Wara shares, noting that before becoming a vegan chef he worked at the Jamaica Social Investment Fund as a computer programmer. But I-Wara didn't commit to his passion until his friend who suffered from hypertension started to follow his diet.
"He did, ate what I ate, and his blood pressure stabilised," I-Wara quips. And before long I-Wara was using his "Empress' kitchen to fill orders".
The fare became a hit with his early clients, which included legendary music producer Sly Dunbar to whom he would deliver lunch at Tuff Gong Studios.
"I didn't know that it was he who had ordered... and before I knew it word got around," the chef says. Relying on his growing network of friends (or should that be I-drens?), I-Wara made an ambitious leap to set up shop at The Marketplace. The shop has been opened for mere weeks, but it's easy to see that greatness is not far off.
"Yes I, we have a good client base," I-Wara tells Thursday Food boasting of psychiatrists, lawyers and herbal lifestyle devotees who come through his doors daily for a healthy pick-me-upper.
The menu board presents offerings like various seed- and nut-based shakes, natural juices sans sugar and a variety of exciting fruit and vegetable meals.
Here, the traditional garden salad isn't the preferred bite, but rather patrons ask for delights like the 'irie' Nyamburger comprising a mixture of walnuts and almonds ground and dried to form buns that sandwich an ackee or mushroom-based patty served with tomatoes, lettuce and onions. The Mi Hungry Pizza is a burst of colour; laden with bright red, green and yellow peppers, pineapple, onions and lettuce, the crust is a mash-up of berries and pumpkin seeds.
Then, there's the nut cheese which is a paste made from ground nuts. The vegan burger retails for $500, while a whole pie costs $1,000, a half $500 and a slice $300.Mi Hungry Whol'-Some Food offers both savoury and sweet, which this time was the Paradise Pie. The pie crust is made from crushed almonds and coconut, while the filling consists of layers of sliced mango and papaya fused with a ginger-naseberry jam. A sweet slice of this fruity delight goes for $300. Wash it all down with a glass of fruit juice...cherry was the preferred flavour.
I-Wara believes his offerings are comparable to non-vegetarian options.
"Those guys use flour and all the nutrients cook out, here you're getting value and health because we substitute with nuts and fruits...no additives, just freshly prepared food."

Now my review on it is that though the food is good, every day it runs out. By now they must know they can make enough to take them past 3 o"clock. Some of us will want to buy food for the evening......the other thing is if I need somewhere to take a friend to lunch, so I can introduce the food to them ,with all the many i-drens and empresses sitting at the one table selling us food, there is nowhere for me to catch a bite if I'm not doing takeout.
Please put 2 cafe style tables outside so we don`t need to eat in the car.

JAMAICA'S 4 G's - GARRISONS, GANGS, GUNS AND GULLY CREEPERS

2010-06-07T08:52:00.014-04:00

As you know my little island of wood and water has been going through some trying times, so I`ve not been able to blog on a regular basis as following the news has distracted me from fighting cancer because I now need to be fighting for my country.....What I need to remember though is that I need to have health to do this , so it's more important than ever to eat properly but while I remind myself of that I want to share with you some of my thoughts on my beloved country.........For years we have known that Mr Seaga's model community was the "mother of all garrisons", in Jamaica we have 80 garrisons - these are communities where the police and soldiers have to consult the reigning Don if they want to enter, the member of parliament is usually also informed or they tell him/her and he asks the Don - however it works - they can`t just go in there as they like......How can an island this size have 80 such communities and 45 gangs?
How can the Mayor of Kingston (who incidentally is also the councillor for Tivoli) buy a piece of land for JA$20m and build a house worth JA$70m and he was not independently wealthy before he was voted in and no one asks where did the funds come from ???? He is carrying more mortgages than some of our biggest business men- shouldn`t we ask how come ?
How can we launch an investigation into whether ordinary civilians also died in the recent incursion into Tivoli - aren`t gunmen civilians too ? Do they dress in special clothes to come and steal from or shoot you or me ? Those who died innocently are casualties of war!
How come after 1 day so many bodies were decomposing ? Did anybody not think that those people were killed before the armed forces went in ? How come the Tivoli residents who were demonstrating 2 days before in their white T Shirts saying they were going to die for Dudus didn't have food in their houses and were starving 24 hours after the soldiers secured the area ? I guess since they were going to die they didn`t need food right?
Do we really believe that men who have committed crimes are not going to use sewage and storm drains to make their escape ? Last time I checked sewage washes off and where do you think the Gully Creeper dance came from ?? We need to listen more closely to the dance hall lyrics and be educated !!!!
Why are we up in arms when the armed forces leave downtown and come uptown to do their work ? Are criminals only situated downtown ? Dudus didn`t live in Tivoli but in a upscale, uptown , multimillion dollar mansion !!!
How come the 5 per day killings have reduced to 2 every other day since the Tivoli raid ? Could it be that some of the shottas who came to fight for Dudus from all over the island really died there ??? If that isn`t true how come their mothers and wives are coming to identify them from all over the country?
What I learned from this is that the big bad gunmen cannot stand up to the armed forces, what a relief !!! Please Mr. Police and Mr.Soldier don`t stop - please clear all 80 garrison -especially those in Mo-bay.
Please Jamaica stop listening to propaganda...Renato told you this years ago and tried to do the clean up from then and you put him behind a desk.....
We need to make crime a thing of the past in Jamaica we have major problems coming..... The oil from Mr. BP that is going to give many countries no water to swim in for years to come - hopefully it wont be coming this way but If the hurricane season they are predicting manifests this year as they say its going to, I am here to tell you that we will be in deep trouble as who nows where the oil will go then...... I went swimming in the sea yesterday and I was swimming in WARM water That's not a good sign people!

IS IT WORTH THE RISK?

2010-05-31T06:43:00.000-04:00

Every time I backslide where food is concerned I ask myself the question - is it worth the risk ? and the answer is always no.........so why do I do it?
When I can answer that I wont do it again now will I?
Here is what Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo has to say on this topic:

Is it worth the risk ? is a great question to ask yourself when making lifestyle choices that affect your health.
What risks do you take on a regular basis?
Driving or being a passenger without a seat belt?
Riding a bicycle without a helmet?
Going to bed without flossing your teeth?
Life is filled with risk/reward/choices. Are you clear enough about your core values and goals that the choices are easy to make?
Here are 5 risks that most people take on a daily basis:
1. Eating heated oils. The threshold temperature is slightly different for each oil, yet the result is similar. Above the threshold, the heat causes oxidation of the fat,making it damaging to your immune system and antioxidant status. This puts you at risk for cancer, heart disease and a host
of degenerative ailments. Poly-unsaturated oils like safflower, corn, sunflower and soybean are the most risky,and are generally oxidized in the bottle, before you even
open them, due to exposure to light, heat and air.
2. Eating sugar. Sugar not only contributes to poor dental health, it also feeds cancer cells, and its consumption dramatically increases your cancer risk. Sugar also creates hormonal disruption, contributes to a condition called
insulin resistance and its characteristic fat around the waist, and results in impaired energy metabolism and decreased immunity. As if that's not enough, sugar
contributes to focus and concentration, heart disease, and dozens of other health maladies
3. Exposure to pesticides, herbicides and chemicals in the air and water. These tax your inborn detoxification systems, leading to toxic buildup, mental health issues and digestive disturbances.
4. Worrying. Getting yourself in a tizzy about things that may happen, could happen and would be horrible if did happen is a sure fire way of putting yourself at risk for heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic fatigue. It puts your body into 'fight/flight' mode, creating a cascade of chemical reactions that impairs digestion and absorption of nutrients and can contribute to cancer.
5. Eating processed and refined cooked foods. These are deficient in nutrients and usually contain harmful preservatives, additives and flavorings, which disrupt hormone pathways, drain your body of B-vitamins and other nutrients needed for energy metabolism and leave you exhausted, toxic and undernourished
Go through the list and determine how much you're putting yourself at risk. Then ask yourself when confronted with a food or lifestyle choice, “Is this worth the risk? Is the momentary pleasure worth long-term disconnection from what really matters?
Making choices consistent with your higher good takes some effort on your part. You'll need to educate yourself,learn to make different food choices and risk being “different”.As one of my potluck participants said when asked about his
food choices and whether he felt deprived,“Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels".

Well I don`t succumb to most of those risks but I love a good steak and prime rib of beef, so when I succumb that's what I do.....I always eat too much protein....and I must say that although it doesn't happen very often, I consider eating cooked food backsliding as it makes me feel completely different than when I'm eating completely raw....but completely raw comes with its own set of problems like not being able to backslide without being sick so I tend to always have a little cooked in my diet, but a little cooked and eating cooked every day for a week is 2 different things...Is that worth the risk ? NO!

BE HEART AND CANCER SMART

2010-05-20T14:02:00.001-04:00

There is an ad for Nutrigrain that I saw on TV recently and it is spot on......it shows that if you start the day eating well you usually end the day eating well . I find once we come off track e.g. eating a piece of fried chicken - the cravings start and can`t stop......Once we start with the fruit and vegetables our taste buds get used to it and we adjust to eating that way for the day and as we eat that way we feel good, we look good, all bloat is gone and we continue eating that way....Then comes the day when we don`t prepare the right things to eat or our eyes are bigger than our stomachs and we are right back to square 1.
I saw today that Kentucky Fried Chicken will be donating heavily to the Susan G Komen centre for breast cancer when you buy their pink buckets of chicken.... God help us !! I would never say Kentucky Fried Chicken causes us to have breast cancer , but if you have breast cancer should you be eating Kentucky Fried Chicken??...........
Just asking?
In Jamaica KFC is doing lots of good things for needy communities like their partnership with the Jamaica Library Service to promote literacy among children and the recent opening of another one of their homework centres, but with the rising awareness of the dangers of childhood obesity I would love to see some indication that the ingredients being used in the production of their products are not contributing to this problem.
This talk about fried chicken leads me to another serious health issue - heart attacks - the #1 killer,.....
Even if you eat well and get plenty of exercise, your arteries can inevitably get hard, stiff and full of gunk during your lifetime.
As early as age 10, you may start to accumulate fat in your arteries and by the time you’re 20, you may have up to a 20% closure of three coronary arteries causing poor
circulation. Surely we are always stunned when we hear of young people suffering massive heart attacks..They usually don`t make it!
One tell-tale sign of poor circulation is tingling or feeling cold in your hands and feet - you think you are cold but sometimes there is a deadlier reason.....
As you approach your 40s, unhealthy lifestyle practices like eating your beloved fried foods cause more damage to the arterial linings and a steady coat of plaque may surround your arteries. Left unchecked this arterial plaque may multiply and restrict blood flow…
By the time you are 50, your arteries are likely to be full of thick, sticky plaque and too narrow for optimum blood flow.
At this stage you need to have a by-pass of some sort.
At 60, the linings of your arteries are so full of stiffened and restricting plaque that blood flow is drastically reduced.
At that stage you have a one in three chance of experiencing a heart or brain disaster.
So take the first step to preventing such a disaster - don`t bodda with the fried chicken no matter how much they are donating to a good cause.

CLEANSING AND DETOXIFYING CONFUSION

2010-05-17T18:24:00.000-04:00

Let me share information from someone who I respect a lot, DR. RITAMARIE LOSCALZO , expounding on a topic that is confusing too many of us - cleansing and detoxifying - here is what she has to say -

Have you ever felt like you're on a roller coaster when it comes to your diet and your never ending quest to cleanse and detoxify ?
Fact of the matter is, the information on diets and cleansing programs is very confusing ! And the more you read and study, the more confusing it becomes.
I for one am not a fan of wild claims and miracle cures.
What I've discovered in my almost 2 decades of changing lives through diet and detoxification is a closely guarded secret in the nutrition field....
Are you ready for it?
There is no one plan that works for everyone!...not raw foods, not fasting, not juicing, not medical food powders, not the cranberry juice flush, or liver flushes or
macrobiotics or.....fill in the blank.
As much as I'd like it to be so, 'cause it would make my job a lot easier, I have yet to find any one thing that across the board works for everyone straight “out of he box.
It would be nice if we were all cookie cutter perfect, but the truth is we're not.
Just as you look different than me on the outside, there are subtle differences between us on the inside. What that translates to is simply that even if we follow the same program to the letter, your results will most likely be different than mine.

That's why I preach daily that moderation is the key !
The other thing that this makes me believe even more is that we should eat according to our blood type.
I feel this is why I may react to something that you don't react to. We eat the same thing and have 2 totally different reactions... I feel it's our blood type that contributes big time to us being so different..doesn't hurt to test this theory now does it?

CANCER PANEL SAYS CHEMICALS THREATEN OUR BODIES !

2010-05-10T06:55:00.001-04:00

One day one of my cosmetology students gave me a case with eyeshadow that had to be at least 12 years old and instinctively I told her thanks but no thanks......it went straight into the garbage as should most of the makeup I see friends and foe using ...they are not only old but many of them are filled with carcinogens,the names of the chemicals they contain can`t even be pronounced. That also goes for some of the things we bathe and wash our clothes with....as to everybody walking around with their bottled water in plastic bottles - they are drinking more BPA than anything else.....and forget about the excuse that you "can`t afford it" meaning you can't afford to eat organic or buy soaps and makeup that are made with things that wont add more toxins to our already toxic lifestyle.....Think about this - Can you afford the chemo when the inevitable happens ?
Read this NY Times article by Nicholas D. Kristof and take heed !

New Alarm Bells About Chemicals and Cancer
The President’s Cancer Panel is the Mount Everest of the medical mainstream, so it is astonishing to learn that it is poised to join ranks with the organic food movement and declare: chemicals threaten our bodies.
The cancer panel is releasing a landmark 200-page report warning that our lackadaisical approach to regulation may have far-reaching consequences for our health.
I’ve read an advance copy of the report, and it’s an extraordinary document. It calls on America to rethink the way we confront cancer, including much more rigorous regulation of chemicals.
Traditionally, we reduce cancer risks through regular doctor visits, self-examinations and screenings such as mammograms. The President’s Cancer Panel suggests other eye-opening steps as well, such as giving preference to organic food, checking radon levels in the home and microwaving food in glass containers rather than plastic.
In particular, the report warns about exposures to chemicals during pregnancy, when risk of damage seems to be greatest. Noting that 300 contaminants have been detected in umbilical cord blood of newborn babies, the study warns that: “to a disturbing extent, babies are born ‘pre-polluted.’ ”
It’s striking that this report emerges not from the fringe but from the mission control of mainstream scientific and medical thinking, the President’s Cancer Panel. Established in 1971, this is a group of three distinguished experts who review America’s cancer program and report directly to the president.
The report blames weak laws, lax enforcement and fragmented authority, as well as the existing regulatory presumption that chemicals are safe unless strong evidence emerges to the contrary.
“Only a few hundred of the more than 80,000 chemicals in use in the United States have been tested for safety,” the report says. It adds: “Many known or suspected carcinogens are completely unregulated.”
Industry may howl. The food industry has already been fighting legislation in the Senate backed by Dianne Feinstein of California that would ban bisphenol-A, commonly found in plastics and better known as BPA, from food and beverage containers.
Studies of BPA have raised alarm bells for decades, and the evidence is still complex and open to debate. That’s life: In the real world, regulatory decisions usually must be made with ambiguous and conflicting data. The panel’s point is that we should be prudent in such situations, rather than recklessly approving chemicals of uncertain effect.
Some 41 percent of Americans will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives, and they include Democrats and Republicans alike. Protecting ourselves and our children from toxins should be an effort that both parties can get behind — if enough members of Congress are willing to put the public interest ahead of corporate interests.
One reason for concern is that some cancers are becoming more common, particularly in children. We don’t know why that is, but the proliferation of chemicals in water, foods, air and household products is widely suspected as a factor. I’m hoping the President’s Cancer Panel report will shine a stronger spotlight on environmental causes of health problems — not only cancer, but perhaps also diabetes, obesity and autism.
This is not to say that chemicals are evil, and in many cases the evidence against a particular substance is balanced by other studies that are exonerating. To help people manage the uncertainty prudently, the report has a section of recommendations for individuals:
- Particularly when pregnant and when children are small, choose foods, toys and garden products with fewer endocrine disruptors or other toxins. (Information about products is at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com or www.healthystuff.org.)
- For those whose jobs may expose them to chemicals, remove shoes when entering the house and wash work clothes separately from the rest of the laundry.
- Filter drinking water.
- Store water in glass or stainless steel containers, or in plastics that don’t contain BPA or phthalates (chemicals used to soften plastics). Microwave food in ceramic or glass containers.
- Give preference to food grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers and growth hormones. Avoid meats that are cooked well-done.
- Check radon levels in your home. Radon is a natural source of radiation linked to cancer.

Well after this story was published Dr. Michael Thun, an epidemiologist from the American Cancer Society , responded saying that the report was “unbalanced by its implication that pollution is the major cause of cancer,” and had presented an unproven theory — that environmentally caused cases are grossly underestimated — as if it were a fact. Dr.Thun went on to say that suggesting that the risk is much higher, when there is no proof, may divert attention from things that are much bigger causes of cancer, like smoking.
They never cease to amaze me.........how can we overstate cancer risks? All causes of Cancer need to be OVERSTATED! People need to be aware of these things....Some of us just don`t know that carcinogens are in lipstick and bath soap, worse toothpaste and dishwashing liquid.......Now that someone is trying to make us aware they are saying its excessive!!! COME ON AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY - BY THE WAY I WONDER IF THE JAMAICAN BRANCH IS STILL SERVING PEOPLE JERK PORK AT THEIR FUNCTIONS ?

THE WILL TO LIVE!

2010-05-05T09:43:00.006-04:00

32 years ago , the doctors said I had 2 weeks to live and although I have had 2 recurrences since then - in 2006 I had stage 4 colon cancer-I am here to tell you that no one, no doctor can tell you how long you have left on this earth if you have the will to live........
Here is a fabulous story as told by Katherine Russell Rich another SURVIVOR!

17 Years Later, Stage 4 Survivor Is Savoring a Life Well Lived -
Each year on a day in January — the 15th, to be precise — I go to a Web site and post a message to hundreds of women I’ve never met, saying, essentially, “I’m still here.”
Within days, a thunderous chorus comes back, 200 voices, 300. A few of them ask, “How can this be?” Sometimes they begin, “I’m crying.” Many answer in kind: “I’m here, too. It’s now three years.” “Five years.” “Three months.” “Seven.”
What we’re doing, in a way, is checking for lights in the darkness.
Now there probably aren’t a lot of Web sites where the announcement that you’re around and breathing would cause anyone to take notice, let alone respond. But this is a site for people with Stage 4 breast cancer, something I’ve had for 17 years. The average life expectancy with the diagnosis is 30 months, so this is a little like saying I’m 172 years old: seemingly impossible. But it’s not. I first found I had the illness in 1988, and it was rediagnosed as Stage 4 in 1993. That’s 22 years all together, which is the reason I post each year on the anniversary of the day I learned my cancer was back: to let women know that it happens, that people do live with this for years.
I tell them that when the cancer returned, it came on so fast, spread so quickly, that I was given a year or two to live. Within months, the disease turned vicious. It started breaking bones from within, and was coming close to severing my spinal cord.
Nothing was working, till a doctor tried a hormone treatment no one used much anymore, and the cancer turned and retreated, snarling. It remains sluggish but active. Every so often, it rears its head; when it does, we switch treatments and it slides back down. In that way, I stay alive.
I tell them: you just don’t know.
Two and a half years after the Stage 4 diagnosis, I confessed to my mother that the doctors had said I had two years to live, tops. I’d kept this information to myself because if you say it, it’s true. I told her this laughing, as if we were trading preposterous stories. “Well, I guess you’re going to have to hold your breath if you’re going to make that deadline,” she replied, in her slow Southern drawl when I gave my previously stated expiration date.
I spent the next five years holding my breath, then did the same for another five. I enacted every New Year’s resolution, past and future, all at once. Quit work that had grown stale and became a writer. Wrote a book. Went to India on assignment, fell in love with the language that was swirling around me, went back to live for a year and learn Hindi. Didn’t realize the reason I’d come to dislike that hyperbolically overachieving Lance Armstrong was that his behavior was too familiar. Take a nap, Lance! I’d think to myself, though in truth I couldn’t either.
But if I was verging on radical levels of life consumption, I had a reason: No one had told me I wasn’t going to die soon. About 12 years out, my doctor finally did.
There’s a small subcategory of people with Stage 4 breast cancer, it turned out, who live for years and years. “Twenty. Thirty,” said my doctor, George Raptis. This group constitutes about 2 percent of all cases. Doctors can’t predict who will fall into this category. They can’t say you’re in it till you’re in it — till you’ve racked up the necessary miles.
The reason they can’t is that for all the pink-ribbon hoopla, despite the hundreds of millions that have been poured into breast cancer research, hardly anyone has looked into the why of long-distance survival; not one doctor has specialized in this field.
Here’s pretty much the sum of collective knowledge: People in this group tend to have disease that has spread to the bone (as opposed to lung or liver, say) and feeds on estrogen. They tend to do well on hormone treatments. End of commonly known story.
But as Dr. Gabriel N. Hortobagyi at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston told me, you can also find women whose breast cancer spread to organs other than bone, for whom hormone therapy did exactly nothing, who had their lesions surgically excised and who have been free of cancer for 30 years. None of these women could have expected to live.
You just don’t know, and neither, unfortunately, does the medical field.
One reason, as the breast surgeon Dr. Susan Love told me, is that “many clinical trials are funded by the drug companies to run for five years,” obviously not enough if you’re investigating long-term survivors. But through her institute, the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, she has begun to conduct research.
Dr. Love said she was inspired by a colleague who told her that in World War II, aviation experts focused on planes that went down until someone said, “Why aren’t we studying the planes that stay up in the air?” By no means a reflexive optimist, she thinks there’s hope we’ll find a cure.
On the Web site, I tell the women how deeply I believe there’s no such thing as false hope: all hope is valid, even for people like us, even when hope would no longer appear to be sensible.
Life itself isn’t sensible, I say. No one can say with ultimate authority what will happen — with cancer, with a job that appears shaky, with all reversed fortunes — so you may as well seize all glimmers that appear.
I write to them (to myself) that of course this is tough: the waiting to see if the shadows are multiplying, the physical pain, the bouts with terrible blackness.
“But there can be joy in this life, too,” I say, “and that’s so important to remember. This disease does not invalidate us. This past year, I’ve had the joy of falling in love with my sister’s kids, who live states away and whom I hadn’t had the chance to know. I’ve had a second book come out, one I worked on for eight years, about going to live in India with Stage 4 cancer. I’ve had so many moments of joy this year, but when I’m in blackness, I forget about those.” Then I ask them to write and tell me about theirs, and lights begin to flash.
“Had a pajama party with my oldest friend, laughing through the night in matching pajamas about old times.”
“Came in second in a bridge tournament.”
“I went on a wonderful camping trip with my family.”
“Seeing my older daughter grow taller than me. She’s now 5-9.”
One thing I don’t ever think to say: When I was told I had a year or two, I didn’t want anything one might expect: no blow-out trip to the Galápagos, no perfect meal at Alain Ducasse, no defiant red Maserati. All I wanted was ordinary life back, for ordinary life, it became utterly clear, is more valuable than anything else.
I don’t think to say it, and I never will. The women on the site already know that.

SPICES PREVENT HEART DISEASE AND PREMATURE AGING?

2010-04-29T00:46:00.001-04:00

According to one of my favourite websites (Dr.Mercola) ....THEY DO!!! Check out this article and my comments (in caps) -

Each spice has a unique set of health benefits to offer, but one study, published in the Journal of Medicinal Foods, found a direct correlation between the antioxidant phenol content of many extracts of spices and herbs, and their ability to inhibit glycation and the formation of AGE compounds, making them potent preventers of heart disease and premature aging.
According to this study, the top 10 most potent herbs and spices are:

1.Cloves (ground)

2. Cinnamon (ground)

3. Jamaican allspice (ground) WE IN JAMAICA CALL THIS SPICE PIMENTO

4. Apple pie spice (mixture)

5. Oregano (ground)

6. Pumpkin pie spice (mixture)

7. Marjoram

8. Sage

9. Thyme

10.Gourmet Italian spice

Choosing Spices for Their Medicinal Benefits

However, when it comes to herbs and spices, you really can’t go wrong. You should let your taste dictate your choices, choosing the flavors that appeal most to you. You can also choose spices based on their health effects. For instance, the following herbs and spices are some of the best for building a strong immune system that functions correctly:
Licorice: Buffers the inflammatory response by increasing steroid output by your adrenal glands; a good buffer if your immune system is over responding to the flu.
Turmeric: ORAC (a measure of antioxidant activity) score of 159,277; general immune system booster due to its high antioxidant capacity, and an anticancer agent as well; turmeric is 5 to 8 times stronger than vitamins C and E, and even strong enough to scavenge the hydroxyl radical, which is considered by some to be the most reactive of all oxidant
Oregano:ORAC 13,970; active agent is rosmarinic acid, a strong antioxidant.
Cinnamon: ORAC 267,536; powerful antimicrobial agent -- found to kill E. coli and many other bacteria, and also has anti-inflammatory compounds.
Cloves:The ORAC grand prize winner at 314,446, highest of all foods tested! Contains eugenol and its mild anesthetic benefits are useful for toothaches and sore throats, also a good anti-inflammatory.
The Huffington Post also recently featured a handy list of herbs based on their health benefits:

* Rosemary and basil for their anti-inflammatory power
* Cumin and sage for their dementia-fighting power
* Cayenne and cinnamon for their obesity-fighting power
* Coriander and cinnamon for their sugar regulating powers
* Lemon grass, nutmeg, bay leaves and saffron for their calming effects on your mood
* Turmeric for its cancer fighting power
* Oregano for its fungus-beating power
* Garlic, mustard seed and chicory for their heart-pumping power
* Basil and thyme for their skin-saving power
* Turmeric, basil, cinnamon, thyme, saffron, and ginger for their immune-boosting power
* Coriander, rosemary, cayenne, allspice and black pepper for their depression-busting power

Another Important Reason to Use Spice-Rich Marinades

BBQ season is nearly upon us in the United States, so I wanted to share a quick tip with those of you who plan to fire up the grill soon.
Grilling is really not a healthy way to cook (ideally you should eat your meat raw or very lightly cooked), but for those of you who aren’t ready to give up cooked meat just yet, marinating meats before grilling or broiling them can reduce heterocyclic amines (according to some experts by 90 percent or more).Heterocyclic amines (HAs) form when food is cooked at high temperatures, and they’re linked to cancer. (In terms of HA, the worst part of the meat is the blackened section, which is why you should always avoid charring your meat, and never eat blackened sections). MY FAVOURITE HENCE THE POSITION I`M IN........ NOTHING USED TO MAKE ME HAPPY LIKE SOME BARBEQUED CHICKEN OR STEAK......IN FACT MY FRIEND THAT DIED LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME GOT THE MOTHER OF ALL GRILLS AND HAD A PARTY TO SHOW IT OFF A FEW MONTHS BEFORE SHE DIED.....
So aside from adding some antioxidants to your food, a spice-filled marinade can also help cut down on the harmful substances created during the cooking process. I recommend preparing your own marinades at home, using high-quality herbs and spices and only natural ingredients (and keep the coating thin to avoid charring).

'MERRY CHRISTMAS TO WHO ?' COMES BACK TO HAUNT ME

2010-04-23T08:18:00.003-04:00

I TOLD YOU IN MY 'MERRY CHRISTMAS TO WHO' BLOG HOW DEPRESSED I WAS ABOUT LETTERS LIKE THIS AND PERSONS FIGHTING BUT NOT SURVIVING AS THEY WERE TOO BURNT OUT OVER THE YEARS BY CHEMO, AND TOOK UP EATING A CERTAIN WAY AND USING ALTERNATE MEANS AT THE END WHEN IT'S REALLY TOO LATE...I HAD HOPED THAT MY FRIEND HERE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULE.....BUT IT WAS NOT TO BE HE DIED ON APRIL 22ND AFTER AN UNBELIEVABLE FIGHT !
EVEN AFTER HE SENT THIS LETTER HE HELD ON FOR 4 MORE MONTHS............
IN HIS LAST EMAIL TO US I QUOTE "YOUR HEALTH IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY DAY WHILE YOU ARE ALIVE"

Hello my dear family and friends,

I have reached a point in my illness that has thrown new challenges at me and overwhelming medical conditions to overcome. In fact, the end is rapidly approaching for me due to some serious medical complications. You all know I’m a fighter and I will use the last of my energy over my next days and possibly few weeks to make the best of every last moment I have to live and breathe the sweet air of this beautiful world we live in. You have all been a great source of strength and inspiration for me, and your prayers have been priceless in every way possible to me. My daughter, Tiffany will be helping me tidy up much of my general “day-to-day” computer details that I would ordinarily handle myself.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being in my life whether by choice or otherwise. We are wrapping up all final details of my personal affairs over the next few days. I am not ready to die… and I don’t feel like giving up, however, there comes a time when we have to start making plans in case tomorrow, literally, does not come. I think I am close to that time.
Thank you and God bless you, and may all your dreams come true in this life time. I also wish you a long and healthy and prosperous life…and to remind you, your health is the single most important thing you should pay attention to every day you are alive.

With much love and respect,

P.S. Upon my death, in lieu of flowers or cards, feel free to contact my daughter......., for more details on the non-profit organization of my choice.

Caffeine

2010-04-18T17:43:00.007-04:00

I grew up loving the smell of coffee but not the taste as my mother prepared it with condensed milk so I never discovered its true taste and of course there was always a jar of instant coffee on the table in the mornings and that isn't coffee.....well fast forward to my second husband who says he loves coffee and so I discovered the joys of 'coffee mate' with coffee. What he is, just like my mother is a flavoured coffee drinker.....then Norma Shirley from Norma's restaurants came into my life and showed me what a joy a small cup of well brewed coffee with nothing in it can be .......
I read from time to time the benefits and negative effects of coffee and come back to my favourite mantra "all things in moderation". Nobody should be having 5 cups of coffee per day ,when I finally weaned myself off one cup per day I had headaches for 2 weeks. As to all those caffeine-laced drinks on the market now that have us shaking like we are 100 years old, please be careful people!
Here is what Casey from RawAndFit.com has to say on his addiction to this false sense of energy and what to do about it.

Fast-forward into my college years… Somewhere between exams and partying, I developed a taste for that brown water. It could have been a girlfriend who worked at the coffee shop where I studied who gave me free drinks, or maybe it was the prestige of drinking an espresso after dinner. Whatever the reason, I was hooked.
Over the course of the next 3 years, I was a coffee fanatic! Starbucks, home brewed, McDonalds, double shots of espresso, triple shots of espresso in coffee with heavy cream. It didn’t stop there. Monster Energy Drinks were a favorite of mine when I had to work, then class, then party at night.
Quitting Caffeine for Good! Ever hear of a Monster BFC?
I’d do 2 pounds of sugary caffeine loaded energy soda in the morning for breakfast, then coke with my Jack Daniels at night.
I was a caffeine monster! I couldn’t help myself.
Once I decided to take accountability for my life, I looked into caffeine. Did I really need all that caffeine to stay awake, or was it some sort of cycle that kept me tired and gave me a false sense of energy? Was I just caught up in something that I wasn’t aware of?
Yes. I was addicted.
The next suitable thing to do was to slowly start weaning myself off caffeine. I began to limit my coffee intake to 1 cup a day, slowly dropped out the energy drinks. It took me about a month to be fully caffeine free. It was tough, but well worth it.
That’s something you should do tomorrow. Start focusing on your caffeine intake and start to reduce it.....
We’re talking about giving you REAL, LASTING energy – not some fake alternative.
Trust me, you’ll be a lot happier with the change!

Martina announces she is fighting breast cancer

2010-04-07T09:01:00.005-04:00

Just saw a tired little old lady on ABC Good Morning America........turns out I recognized her by her voice - it was Martina Navratilova and there was no need to ask what she was about to announce, her thinner than usual hair gave her away..... breast cancer had come her way.....Stage 3 but she says a non-invasive kind so after her chemo and radiation she should not have a recurrence.
As I listened to her I heard nothing about change of diet....and she has been a poster child for exercise and fitness for a lot of us, so where does that leave us ? Is it true that too much rigorous exercise makes our body acidic ?
I remember when I went against my Holistic practitioner's advice of no strenuous exercise and kick boxing and weights was my enjoyment during my first recovery year....one day I just couldn`t move...talk about body come-down!
I have not slipped again , I walk, I don`t jog.......
Martina looked so vulnerable and as I listened and looked at both of them, one cancer survivor(Robin Roberts) talking to another struggling to survive, it brought to mind my fight with sugar over the weekend........the whole prevention and moderation in all things came to me again..... I who dont like sweet, had a bun attack...Coronation bakery made the most delicious bun this Easter and I went from having a slice on Good Friday to helping my son eat a bun or two over the long weekend....stupid move.... my body now feels like how Martina looks , so I`m on greens and vegetable juices alone this week, here I go .....always repenting after the event......
Stay clear of this thing called cancer people!

China and obesity

2010-04-01T07:14:00.000-04:00

I hope you have started watching Food Revolution on ABC..remember there are no negatives in watching, you can only learn and when I saw that the producer was Ryan Seacrest my perception of him was raised immediately!
What is happening in the world of food is so serious........ look at the problems China is now facing since adopting the western diet - Obesity : China's Growing Epidemic- they opened up and businesses like McDonald's came in and with that problems galore.... They have more people so their obesity rate is growing faster than anywhere else in the world........Can you imagine so many fat, lazy young people,couch potatoes by the millions......
After you watch this video - please get up and do even a stretch!

BOTTLED WATER

2010-03-26T05:53:00.001-04:00

I have always been amused by people who can drink nothing but bottled water as I have always wondered how do they know what they are drinking and now where I`m presently living as I watch huge water trucks fill from my river daily I`m even more amused........
Buying bottled water is not only the wasting of money but half of the time people say they do it because its easier, easier than what? Carrying your water in a use-again container? Attaching a filter to your tap ? Because of my immune system I drink purified water so I have my water delivered to me in huge 5 gallon containers from the plant where I went and saw what they were doing.
A lot of these waters that say spring water what's in the spring ? When you leave your plastic bottle in the hot car what are you drinking?
I`m amazed at people who come to my country and are so scared of drinking our tap water yet they go to a restaurant and drink the water and they drink the water in the hotels - where do they think that water came from ? Yes some countries you shouldn't drink the tap water but you are told........
Have a look at this video: The Story of Bottled Water and have a good laugh at yourself then promise to do your part to save the planet that we are destroying day by day!

FOOD AFFECTS YOUR MOODS?

2010-03-23T08:45:00.001-04:00

I LOVE THIS COMMENT FROM Dr.Ritamarie "Besides rhyming, do you know what food and mood have in common?" But read more and you'll see she gets down to the real seriousness of the matter and we need to pay attention:

If you suffer from any of the following, it would be a good idea for you to understand the food mood connection:

*Irritability
*Fatigue
*Mood swings
*Brain fog
*Impatience
*Frustration

You may not realize it, but your mood has a lot to do with what you eat. Stimulants like caffeine, chocolate and sugar can trigger mood swings and cause irritability. Other foods slow you down, and leave you feeling depressed and unmotivated. There is a specific link between what you eat and how you feel. Some foods feed your brain, some drain it!
If you're in a perpetual state of brain fog, or find yourself depressed or irritable much of the time, your brain chemistry is in need of a tuneup. Medications may make you feel better temporarily, yet in the long run can lead to further imbalance.

Most of the time we feel a way and can`t understand why, just not able to put our finger on it ....well if we focus we will learn. Sometimes everything someone says to you causes you to fly off the handle good or bad, and another time we are so serene ...just notice how you feel when you eat certain things then don`t eat them and see....bloating especially.... watch what causes your stomach to bloat, watch what causes your sinuses to drain......it's amazing to eat then watch your body react.... when we learn, we know what to do next time!
Not everything we love, loves us....I learnt that the hard way!

NB: My Holistic practitioner says i musnt worry about Indian Food(March 12th blog) as its balanced with great stuff like Tumeric!!!!!!!!

FOOD REVOLUTION

2010-03-19T09:32:00.003-04:00

Please watch Jamie Oliver (he's the chef that is changing how children in England eat) 'Food Revolution' premiering on March 26th on ABC.....there will be a sneak preview at 10pm on Sunday night (ABC). It might be the most important food show you have ever watched ....I love the clip of a man saying "I can`t eat lettuce leaves all day" - nobody is asking you to do that sir!
I really also want to give thanks as I tend to take my health for granted and I have come to realize in a big way how much if you don`t have health you have NOTHING........
I left my house and drove the 120 miles to Kingston on Sunday afternoon to see the Beres Hammond show where I danced from 7pm till 12am as the music in between acts was oldies so my kinda music, went to stay with a friend in Kingston and we chatted till about 1:30 am - woke at 4am and drove back to Montego Bay reaching at 7am as I had a function at 8:15am.....went to my bed at 10pm after being at work all day ........
Father I give you thanks as I know many a person young or old could not have done that and don`t mash up and truly I felt no way, just went to sleep like a baby when I hit the sack on Monday night......is it the food and the supplements???
YES.....and the Spirit.....
Thank you Father!

FOOD INC.

2010-03-16T07:38:00.001-04:00

A friend of mine keeps telling me she is tired of reading what not to eat she wants to know what can she eat?? I thought I had already written about that in my blogs in so many ways, so many times.....
She keeps telling me about her granny who lived to a ripe old age in the country parts of Jamaica and ate yam and chicken etc etc...she is just emphasizing my point. Her granny wasn`t eating processed foods, she grew her chickens, they weren`t being pumped with antibiotics so that they reach fruition in 49 days instead of 70, she went to her land and dug her yam, her plantains and bananas came off her trees.......Her granny wasn't eating a bag of Doritos and dinner from KFC, she never had Pepsi, her lemonade had lots of lime to balance the acidity of the sugar as I can imagine she wasn`t having white sugar either, that sugar must have been brown till it's black.....our grandparents and us are eating two different foods and having two different results.
We can eat all the "junk" food in the world if we make it ourselves......by that I mean if you are a healthy person take the time to do your own fries, your own burgers, buy chicken that's not grown on antibiotics to make their breasts bigger, in Jamaica that means "scratch fowl" chickens that grow in the yard (Americans would call them organic). Eat lean meats and fresh fruit and vegetable that you have soaked or washed properly if you didn`t grow them yourself and they are not organic...I just got a bag of grapefruit and a bag of ortaniques from a the farmer who told me the trees weren't sprayed.....know what you are putting in your food, season from your herb garden not from bottles with chemicals as added ingredients, let no corporation cook for you.....I see they have found salmonella in black pepper....I learnt from my Raw Food teachers after my most recent bout with cancer in 2006 that black pepper musn't be eaten, cayenne pepper is the healthy pepper. And if you are like me and have a compromised immune system whether from cancer, the treatment of cancer or any other disease......eat plant food,80% raw!
We are suffering because it all boils down to convenience......We need to spend more on food and less on health-care......and we really need to watch the documentary FOOD INC.

STIFFNESS AND DAIRY

2010-03-12T04:32:00.000-05:00

This little tip from yogabodynaturals.com didn`t make my day as I’m a born Indian food addict. Dhal and roti must be, as far as I’m concerned, the foods of the gods..........well when I read things like this I understand why I’m in my present position...is there anything I truly love that’s good for me?

Well, Indian food tastes amazing, but for yoga and flexibility, it's death!
The Indian diet consists mainly of wheat, rice,and dairy - three of the most mucus-forming foods known to man (think of mucus like glue smeared throughout your body).
Lots of Mucus = Lots of Stiffness
So why do yoga teachers always recommend that you drink milk, eat yogurt, and suck down spoonfuls of ghee every day?
Probably because they've never tried giving it up!
Here's a quick tip: give up dairy for 1 week and see how much more flexible you feel. Most people notice a HUGE difference within 3 days (I'm talking night-and-day difference)
Mucus sucks! That's the straight story. Give up dairy, go deeper in your backbends, and your sinuses will be so clear, you won't believe it.
After 1 week, if you just can't go another day without Ben & Jerry's Chunky Monkey, well then at least you'll know why your hamstrings are so stiff when you wake up the next day.

DIET FOODS & OBESITY

2010-03-10T07:24:00.000-05:00

I want to congratulate Michele Obama on her drive to curb CHILDHOOD OBESITY ! It is not only a problem in the United States it's creeping into every country that has adopted the western diet...the easy way out is killing all of us, most children sit in front of a computer all day , when last have you seen children playing 'hop scotch'? The only thing that gets exercise is their fingers as they send their text messages.
Again my favourite Doctor Dr. Mercola is spot on.......... here is what he has to say about how diet foods and drinks CAUSE weight problems.

In recent years, food manufacturers have increasingly focused on developing low-calorie foods and drinks to help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid obesity. Unfortunately, the science behind these products is so flawed, most of these products can actually lead to increased weight gain!
For example, researchers have discovered that drinking diet soda increases your risk of metabolic syndrome, and may double your risk of obesity – the complete opposite of the stated intention behind these “zero calorie” drinks.
The sad truth is that diet foods and drinks ruin your body's ability to count calories, and in fact stimulate your appetite, thus boosting your inclination to overindulge.
Unfortunately, most public health agencies and nutritionists in the United States recommend these toxic artificial sweeteners as an acceptable alternative to sugar, which is at best confusing and at worst harming the health of those who take their misguided advice.
Non-Acceptable Alternative Sweeteners
I have written a few articles on fructose earlier this year, and I will be writing many more, so please be aware that I am absolutely convinced that fructose ingestion is at the core of our obesity epidemic.
And I’m not only talking about high fructose corn syrup, which is virtually identical to table sugar. The only major difference between the two is HFCS is much cheaper so it has contributed to massive increase in fructose ingestion, far beyond safe or healthy.
Please understand you need to keep your fructose levels BELOW 25 grams per day. The best way to do that is to avoid these “natural” sweeteners as they are loaded with a much higher percentage of fructose than HFCS.

Fruit Juice

Agave

Honey

Please note that avoiding these beyond 25 grams per day is crucial, even if the source is fresh, raw, and organic. It just doesn’t matter, fructose is fructose is fructose…
Acceptable Alternative Sweeteners
For those times when you just want a taste of something sweet, your healthiest alternative is Stevia. It’s a natural plant and, unlike aspartame and other artificial sweeteners that have been cited for dangerous toxicities, it is a safe, natural alternative that's ideal if you’re watching your weight, or if you’re maintaining your health by avoiding sugar.
It is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar and truly has virtually no calories.
I must tell you that I am biased; I prefer Stevia as my sweetener of choice, and I frequently use it. However, like most choices, especially sweeteners, I recommend using Stevia in moderation, just like sugar. In excess it is still far less likely to cause metabolic problems than sugar or any of the artificial sweeteners.
Lo han is another sweetener like Stevia. It’s an African sweet herb that can also be used, but it’s a bit more expensive and harder to find.
So if you struggle with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or extra weight, then you have insulin sensitivity issues and would benefit from avoiding ALL sweeteners.

And here is my take on the matter - PULL THAT SWEET TOOTH !!

SWEETENER UNDERGOES NAME CHANGE

2010-03-05T17:30:00.006-05:00

AMERICA`S DEADLIEST SWEETENER IS PULLING A NAME CHANGE ON US. THANK YOU FOR THE HEADS UP DR. MERCOLA - here is the report from FoodBev 2010 -

Aspartame producer Ajinomoto is launching a new initiative that will rebrand the sweetener as “AminoSweet".
Aspartame is used in many foods and beverages marketed as low calorie or sugar-free. However, its reputation has been clouded somewhat by studies that have investigated reports of ill effects.
Just to remind you, the side effects of aspartame can include:
* Headache
* Change in vision
* Convulsions and seizures
* Hallucination
* Nausea and vomiting
* Joint pain
It can cause many, many other problems as well.

This is what Dr. Mercola has to say on the matter:

Aspartame is the most controversial food additive in history, and its approval for use in food was the most contested in FDA history. In the end, the artificial sweetener was approved, not on scientific grounds, but rather because of strong political and financial pressure. After all, aspartame was previously listed by the Pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent!
It’s hard to believe such a chemical would be allowed into the food supply, but it was, and it has been wreaking silent havoc with people’s health for the past 30 years.
The truth is, it should never have been released onto the market, and allowing it to remain in the food chain is seriously hurting people – no matter how many times you rebrand it under fancy new names.
The Deceptive Marketing of Aspartame
Sold commercially under names like NutraSweet, Canderel, and now AminoSweet, aspartame can be found in more than 6,000 foods, including soft drinks, chewing gum, table-top sweeteners, diet and diabetic foods, breakfast cereals, jams, sweets, vitamins, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
Aspartame producer Ajinomoto chose to rebrand it under the name AminoSweet, to “remind the industry that aspartame tastes just like sugar, and that it’s made from amino acids – the building blocks of protein that are abundant in our diet.”
This is deception at its finest: Begin with a shred of truth, and then spin it to fit your own agenda.
In this case, the agenda is to make you believe that aspartame is somehow a harmless, natural sweetener made with two amino acids that are essential for health and present in your diet already.
They want you to believe aspartame delivers all the benefits of sugar and none of its drawbacks. But nothing could be further from the truth.
How Aspartame Wreaks Havoc on Your Health
Did you know there have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined?
In fact, there are over 10,000 official complaints, but by the FDA’s own admission, less than 1 percent of those who experience a reaction to a product ever report it. So in all likelihood, the toxic effects of aspartame may have affected roughly a million people already.
While a variety of symptoms have been reported, almost two-thirds of them fall into the neurological and behavioral category consisting mostly of headaches, mood alterations, and hallucinations. The remaining third is mostly gastrointestinal symptoms.
Unfortunately, aspartame toxicity is not well-known by doctors, despite its frequency. Diagnosis is also hampered by the fact that it mimics several other common health conditions, such as:
- Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease
- Alzheimer's disease , Fibromyalgia
- Arthritis , Multiple chemical sensitivity
- Chronic fatigue syndrome , Attention deficit disorder
- Panic disorder , Depression and other psychological disorders
- Lupus , Diabetes and diabetic complications
- Birth defects , Lymphoma
- Lyme disease , Hypothyroidism

I remember having an argument with a doctor when one of my female students started having convulsions after she had taken a drug with aspartame in it that the doctor had diagnosed for her skin problems ...Said doctor told me no way could it have been caused by the aspartame. Thank God I have some influence over the young lady and she listened to me and stopped using the drug. The side effects stopped immediately!

CHEESE PLEASE?

2010-03-02T09:14:00.010-05:00

I got a bbm from a friend vacationing and she said "u want to see the cheese every night, about 20 kinds to choose from in this hotel.....the offerings here are unbelievable,indulging big time every night in good food and wine!"
Want to take bets that she comes back sick ?
Did I hear anybody say gout ? Have you noticed that gout is usually a rich man's disease because they can afford to indulge ?
Well it's a good thing I`m not there....20 kinds of cheese ? I would be coming back as a tub of mucus which she certainly is going to be coming back as. Cheese has to be the most addictive foodkind in the world, just think, sprinkling a little cheese on everything doesn't it taste better ? But what kind of cheese are we sprinkling ? What pack did we open ? Don`t start, you will only end up like me not being able to give it up and no matter how clean I get , cheese and bread can get me off track in a second....I dislike lobster but give me lobster thermidor and I`m in heaven. I keep telling you that food addictions are just as bad for us as a lot of the other addictions that we fear so much but we think nothing about pushing all this processed food in our mouths and food, the more delicious the better, makes the world go around......now what I`m talking about is not to be confused with the Mediterranean diet that is one of the healthiest diets ever, goat cheese one of the healthiest cheeses......I`m really talking about indulging in even the best cheese there is combined with the typical western diet which has to be the worst in the world.....plus do we know the difference between real cheese and processed cheese ?
I just don`t know how we are going to fight this battle our taste buds are so addicted. The raw food world is trying to make things as delicious as they can but cashew cheese pales in comparison to a ripe brie, and the ripe brie is usually paired with a salad drowned in ranch salad dressing (my all time favourite )olive oil and cider or balsamic vinegar (NOT white vinegar) is the answer people to what to put on the salad.....
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER so lets make ourselves powerful!

3 SUPER FOODS

2010-02-26T08:14:00.000-05:00

When it comes to fighting and REVERSING premature aging there are 3 super foods. In the case of the first, you need a good quality supplement that gives you massive doses of the ingredients it contains or you risk becoming a drunk!!
1.Red Wine
Not the red wine per say but the resveratrol in it.....resveratrol has extended the life span of every organism its so far been fed to.
2.Dark chocolate
But that doesn't mean you can eat chocolate bars all day!
The real benefit of chocolate comes from the extremely high level of antioxidants found inside the active components. In fact,a Harvard study reviewed 136 scientific articles published between 1996 and 2005 on chocolate and its ingredients. Their analysis found that eating 50 grams of dark chocolate per day may reduce the risk of heart disease by 10.5%. Plus, dark chocolate contains antioxidants universally praised for their ability to fight off free radical damage (which causes aging) and make you look and feel younger. And no substance contains higher concentrations than pure cocoa extract !
3.Green Tea
According to the October issue of Harvard Women's Health Watch, Green Tea's health benefits are largely due to its high content of flavonoids - plant-derived compounds that are antioxidants. Studies have found an association between consuming green tea and a reduced risk for several cancers, including, skin, breast, lung,colon, esophageal, and bladder.
Additional benefits for regular consumers of green teas include a reduced risk for heart disease. The antioxidants in green, black, and oolong teas can help block the oxidation of LDL (bad) cholesterol, increase HDL (good) cholesterol and improve artery function.
A Chinese study published recently in the Archives of Internal Medicine showed a 46%-65% reduction in hypertension risk in regular consumers of green tea, compared to non-consumers of tea.
I`m tired of telling people that drinking teas to help you doesn't mean you only have a cup in the morning or one at night and worst yet it doesn't mean you put milk and sugar in it!!

Food Addicts

2010-02-22T06:09:00.000-05:00

I saw comedian Jeff Garlin from Curb Your Enthusiasm on GMA talking about his lifelong addiction to food and while I listened to him I remembered one of my closest friend saying to me that if she had to eat like me to live she would rather die.....and as Oprah would say I had an aha moment.....YES food is an addiction just as bad as drugs and alcohol because it kills and makes you an outcast in the same way....when you are obese other people don't want to be around you just as when you are drunk or high........they find you disgusting, you snore, have sleep apnea, huff and puff as you walk always blowing hard.......some smell as if their creases are not properly washed and most of all they have lots of health issues!
Watch some of us eat..... we never stop pushing food in our mouths and some of the skinniest ones among us are the guiltiest of this....they eat for eating sake they are always hungry and they eat anything,the good the bad and the ugly at anytime, and 2 minutes later they are eating again. Being slim does not mean being healthy and some of the unhealthiest people surrounding me are the skinniest......
Food addiction makes you indulge in more than the normal daily requirements - you never have enough so you eat double the junk, double the fats, double the pesticides, double the chemicals. By the way just a little piece of important information for you people who drink 6 and 7 cups of coffee per day sometimes more.....coffee is the most heavily sprayed food or beverage commodity in the world, enormous amounts of chemical pesticides and herbicides are used in its propogation.
Those of us who are married to these people who indulge in all kinds of junk foods, our mornings are a horror story.... we have to listen to them as their sinuses drain, their eyes are filled with mucus, some have headaches as they react badly to some food or the other but they don`t know which as they ingest so many things at one go that it's hard to know exactly what they are allergic to. Their digestive system stops working so they repeat all the mess they had the night before and the doctors tell them they have acid reflux, how about telling them not to eat so much acidic food instead of giving them chemicals to cover the cause?
The sad part is we really can`t control our food addictions as our taste buds are shot, everything in our lives surround food, the more the merrier. When we are happy, we have food when we are sad, we have food....going on a date we have food, staying home alone we have food, at weddings, at funerals, it's all about the food. Some of us try but vegetables really can`t replace the taste of Doritos and the double whopper with cheese....can it? And even when coffee drinkers switch to decaf, do you know that it is made from methylene chloride, commonly used as paint remover and known as a cancer causing agent?
Everyday as I talk and watch and fight my own demons, I realize that FOOD is the epidemic of this century...FOOD people, NOT SWINE FLU!

Soft drinks and cancer!

2010-02-16T10:01:00.000-05:00

As I watch the Haitian situation I wonder how come someone who had barely anything before the earthquake is pulled out of the rubble 27 days later only dehydrated not dying........do you think it's because the Western diet didn`t reach them as they couldn`t afford it? Have you noticed old and young there are no fat people in Haiti? If they are there, they are not being shown.
Everywhere in the USA they are saying that the obesity crisis comes from the poor, black people not being able to eat proper food because they can`t afford it....but they can afford to go to MacDonald's and Kentucky Fried , how come ??? Haiti, in this you are so lucky, lets hope they don`t come to save you and bring their carcinogens to kill you!(they are already trying to steal your children)
Ask them not to send you any sodas in the care packages as here is a lovely little article on soft drinks from CancerSupportInternational.com that should open our eyes to why we should avoid them.....

Drinking two or more soft drinks a week may nearly double a person's risk of developing pancreatic cancer, researchers are warning.
Cancer of the pancreas, the disease that killed actor Patrick Swayze last year, is one of the most rapidly fatal tumours in adults; only six per cent of people are alive five years after a diagnosis.
The pancreas makes insulin, and scientists believe high concentrations of insulin can drive the growth of pancreatic cancer cells.
Eating too much sugar increases insulin levels in the body, and one of the leading sources of added sugar in our diets are soft drinks.
The new study, by researchers from the University of Minnesota, was based on more than 60,000 men and women in the Singapore Chinese Healthy Study who were followed for 14 years. During that time, 140 people developed invasive pancreatic cancer. At the start of the study, as part of a food frequency questionnaire, people were asked to report how often they drank one glass of pop. A glass was considered 237 millilitres, or about the equivalent of one cup.
Those who reported drinking two or more soft drinks per week had an 87% increased risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those who didn't drink soft drinks. The pop drinkers were averaging five drinks per week.
The finding held after researchers took smoking, obesity, diabetes, red meat intake, coffee consumption and a "whole myriad" of other nutritional factors into account, said lead author Noel Mueller, now a research associate at the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington.
There was no significant association between juice consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer.
Other studies have looked at the association between pop and pancreatic cancer, but the results haven't been consistent. One of the strengths of the new study is its size.
However, there were only 140 cases of pancreatic cancer, so the finding was based on a relatively small number of cases.
Dr. Mueller also said caution needs to be taken when extrapolating the findings from the Singapore Chinese study to a western population. But other studies in American and European populations have found similar associations.
A study of 88,794 U.S. nurses and 49,364 male health professionals found that women who consumed three or more sugar-sweetened drinks a week had a 57% greater risk of pancreatic cancer than did women who drank no more than one soft drink per month. In that study, there was no association between sweetened soft drinks and pancreatic cancer among men. But a Swedish study involving nearly 78,000 women and men reported in 2006 that high consumption of sugar and high-sugar foods -- including soft drinks -- was associated with a greater risk of pancreatic cancer in both sexes.
An estimated 3,900 Canadians were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year.
The pancreas is a large gland that sits behind the stomach, deep in the upper part of the abdomen. Pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect, because symptoms -- such as nausea, vomiting, pain in the upper abdomen or upper back -- often only develop in the late stages, and once the disease has begun to spread, "which is often the canary in the mine shaft," Dr. Mueller said.
"By the time you do detect this type of cancer, it has often spread to different parts of the body, making it difficult to treat."
Known risk factors include smoking, diabetes and obesity, said Gillian Bromfield, senior manager of cancer control policy at the Canadian Cancer Society.
"There's a lot about pancreatic cancer risk factors that are so unexplained. It's really important to be doing research in this area."
The new study is published this week in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Anemia

2010-02-12T08:56:00.002-05:00

Anemia is usually the result of insufficient iron in the diet which the red blood cells need to do their job. Signs that you might need more iron in your diet are tiredness and shortness of breath. Friends and family may comment that you look pale and flush easily, signs of poor circulation. You may also feel more moody and irritable than usual as well. There are several reasons for iron deficiency.
Women, especially the young ones among us, who don`t realize that a monthly period leads to iron deficiency and that they need to replenish supplies before the next month rolls around again, always suffer from anemia......you come across them everyday at the workplace!
Then you have those among us that for every ache and pain they pull out the Ibuprofen bottle ,I`m here to tell you that prolonged use of anti-inflammatory drugs such as Ibuprofen and Aspirin can sometimes result in bleeding in the stomach, depleting reserves of iron. Other causes of stomach bleeding can be heavy periods and pregnancy. You could have an iron deficiency simply because your diet is low in iron as can be the case with vegans or indeed heavy tea drinkers because tea prevents the absorption of iron from plant sources. Drink orange juice, the vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from the diet
As anemia is often linked to diet, changing the diet is going to be the most effective solution. Lifestyle changes you should consider is to start the day with breakfast. Snack during the morning on nuts and raisins with some orange juice. Eat a normal evening meal but add some herbs and spices if you can because thyme and curry powder are top iron-rich ingredients.
Eating raw foods is the quickest way to get back in tip top shape-just as how raw food is the quickest and healthiest way to lose weight.
Here is some useful information from the art of raw and healthy living website

A raw food diet is already rich in iron and vitamin C which help absorb iron. The following are the best sources:
* Vegetables – green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, green cabbage, spinach, kale and watercress (all rich in iron)
* Fruit contain vitamin C and help the body to absorb iron
o Oranges (rich in vit C)
o Prune juice (rich in iron)
o Guavas (rich in iron)
o Watermelon (rich in iron)
o Kiwi ( rich in vit C)
* Dried fruits
o Apricots (rich in iron)
o Prunes (rich in iron)
o Raisins (rich in iron)
* Nuts (rich in iron)
* Salad vegetables contain vitamin C and help the body to absorb iron
o Tomatoes (rich in vit C)
So the easiest way to absorb iron is to have it with some vitamin C. However here are other things to think about:
Beetroot Juice: As far as anemia is concerned, beetroot increases the uptake of oxygen by as much as 400 percent.Because it is so strong, you should not have it everyday.
Herbs: Herbalists consider nettle (Urtica dioica) as a nutritious plant that is rich in iron, as well as vitamin C, chlorophyll, and other minerals. It is an effective supplement in the treatment of iron-deficiency anemia.
Spirulina, or Blue-green Algae: has been used successfully to treat anemia. The standard dose is 1 heaping teaspoon daily. Sea vegetables are rich sources of iron
So if you have teenage girls in your family, encourage them to have a big breakfast and give them a bag of nuts and raisins to snack on at school. This is probably good advice for us all because the benefits of having a good supply of iron in the body is that more oxygen will pump round your body enabling you to exercise for longer which is a good way to prevent illness and keep your body healthy.
*NOTE* There are many different kinds of anemia caused by several different underlying causes. This information focuses on iron-deficiency anemia and is the most common type of anemia and the most common cause of anemia in the general population,especially teenage girls and young women.

DIABETES

2010-02-09T08:18:00.002-05:00

Watching Oprah's show on Diabetes with Doctor Oz last Wednesday 3rd Feb. was positively frightening and the frightening part was when they wheeled out how much sugar we consume in a year the difference between what we consume and what we used to consume......AMAZING!
Everything we eat now has sugar as long as it's processed.....
It also showed that we just eat for eating sake and poor black people are bearing the brunt of the attack eating processed, nutrition-less food.....nothing in it but junk and sugar so they are obese, hypertensive and have diabetes...Look around you,the other day I stood at the door of a supermarket one of these mega stores waiting on some pictures to be done (they sell nothing in there for me) and while I stood and people-watched I grew very sad and tears came to my eyes....Why?
People were so happily pushing out trolleys ladened with junk.....they had just spent thousands of dollars to make themselves sick and I guarantee if we interviewed all of them at last three quarters of them didn`t know that's what they are doing, it's just sad... only word for it SAD!
Those of you who have this disease please try and watch this show...GO ON OPRAH.COM AND FIND IT! IT'S THAT IMPORTANT.......

MANGOES FOR CANCER ?

2010-02-05T08:17:00.000-05:00

IF THE ARTICLE I RECENTLY RECEIVED CLAIMING THAT MANGOES HAVE BEEN FOUND TO SAFELY STOP CANCER IS TRUE, A LOT OF US HERE IN JAMAICA ARE GOING TO BE VERY HAPPY !
My teachings is that when you are fighting cancer cells too much sweet fruit is NOT THE WAY TO GO.....but I guess as with all things moderation is the key. So take a read and maybe someone would like to do some more research to see if this is indeed true or just hype.

Mangoes have been found to prevent or stop certain colon and breast cancer cells in the lab, according to a study by Texas AgriLife Research food scientists, who examined the five varieties most common in the U.S.--Kent, Francine, Ataulfo, Tommy/Atkins and Haden. Though the mango is an ancient fruit heavily consumed in many parts of the world, little has been known about its health aspects. The National Mango Board commissioned a variety of studies with several U.S. researchers to help determine its nutritional value.
"If you look at what people currently perceive as a superfood, people think of high antioxidant capacity, and mango is not quite there," says Susanne and Steve Talcott, who conducted the study on cancer cells. "In comparison with antioxidants in blueberry, acai and pomegranate, it's not even close."
But the team checked mango against cancer cells anyway, and found it prevented or stopped cancer growth in certain breast and colon cell lines, Susanne Talcott notes.
"It has about four to five times less antioxidant capacity than an average wine grape, and it still holds up fairly well in anticancer activity. If you look at it from the physiological and nutritional standpoint, taking everything together, it would be a high-ranking super food," she says. "It would be good to include mangoes as part of the regular diet."
The Talcotts tested mango polyphenol extracts in vitro on colon, breast, lung, leukemia and prostate cancers. Polyphenols are natural substances in plants and are associated with a variety of compounds known to promote good health.
Mango showed some impact on lung, leukemia and prostate cancers, but it was most effective on the most common breast and colon cancers.
"What we found is that not all cell lines are sensitive to the same extent to an anticancer agent," she says. "But the breast and colon cancer lines underwent apotosis, or programmed cell death. Additionally, we found that when we tested normal colon cells side by side with the colon cancer cells, that the mango polyphenolics did not harm the normal cells."
The duo did further tests on the colon cancer lines because a mango contains both small molecules that are readily absorbed and larger molecules that would not be absorbed and thus remain present in a colon.
We found the normal cells weren't killed, so mango is not expected to be damaging in the body," she says. "That is a general observation for any natural agent, that they target cancer cells and leave the healthy cells alone, in reasonable concentrations at least."
The Talcotts evaluated polyphenolics, and more specifically gallotannins, as being the class of bioactive compounds (responsible for preventing or stopping cancer cells). Tannins are polyphenols that are often bitter or drying and found in such common foods as grape seed, wine and tea.
The study found that the cell cycle, which is the division cells go through, was interrupted. This is crucial information, Suzanne Talcott says, because it indicates a possible mechanism for how the cancer cells are prevented or stopped.
"For cells that may be on the verge of mutating or being damaged, mango polyphenolics prevent this kind of damage," she says.
The Talcotts hope to do a small clinical trial with individuals who have increased inflammation in their intestines with a higher risk for cancer.
"From there, if there is any proven efficacy, then we would do a larger trial to see if there is any clinical relevance," she says.
Source: Texas AgriLife Research

I WILL GLADLY VOLUNTEER FOR THAT TRIAL..........

Frederic's most important health principles

2010-02-03T09:04:00.000-05:00

Here are the Top 10 Most Important Health Principles from Frederic Patenaude....He is who got me excited about raw food! His videos and recipes gave my son the info to place me on the road to health.......take note of his comments about dental health........raw food people eat so much dates and raisins that they MUST clean their teeth constantly as these foods stick to teeth!

I prefer to look at health in terms of principles to follow. Here are the main ones that make the most difference:
1.Eat low-fat — This one took me a long time to understand. At first, I understood that it was important to “not eat too many nuts”, but the low-fat concept took longer to be incorporated. It’s a key principle. Most people eat an overly high-fat diet. For ideal results, keep the percentage of your diet below 15%, and ideally below 10%.
2.Create demand by exercising — Whenever I don’t exercise for several days or weeks in a row, I start feeling like a caged animal. To quote from an article from Parade magazine, by Dr. Henry S. Lodge:“The hard reality of our biology is that we are built to move. Exercise is the master signaling system that tells our cells to grow instead of fade. When we exercise, that process of growth spreads throughout every cell in our bodies, making us functionally younger. Not a little bit younger—a lot younger. True biological aging is a surprisingly slow and graceful process. You can live out your life in a powerful, healthy body if you are willing to put in the work. (…)
Though we’ve moved indoors and left that life behind, our cells still think we’re living out on the savannah, struggling to stay alive each day. There are no microwaves or supermarkets in nature. If you want to eat, you have to hunt or forage every single day. That movement is a signal that it’s time to grow. So, when you exercise, your muscles release specific substances that travel throughout your bloodstream, telling your cells to grow. Sedentary muscles, on the other hand, let out a steady trickle of chemicals that whisper to every cell to decay, day after day after day.
3.Listen to your body and fast when necessary — One of the best things you can do when you feel a bit “out of it” is to skip a couple of meals. It’s amazing how quickly our good mood comes back with a little fasting. You just have to pay attention to your body and avoid eating when you’re really not hungry — but just have an appetite for something.
4.Avoid stimulants — Stimulants are a double edged sword. On the one hand, they appear to give you energy. But on the other hand, that energy is only borrowed, and you have to pay it back later, with interest to boot. The most common culprits are caffeine and Theo bromine (in cacao).
5.Fruits and vegetables are our natural foods — I don’t like the “raw is law” principles. Most raw-foodists have an extremely unhealthy diet because all they try to do is eat raw-foods and avoid cooked foods. A lot of raw foods commonly consumed — such as cacao products, raw cakes with coconut oil, nut bars, and many others — are not really healthy. What we’re designed to eat are fruits and vegetables. Eat only raw fruits and vegetables, and you will be very healthy.
6.Follow a strict dental hygiene routine — I used to think that diet was the most important factor in dental health. I thought that if you have a good diet, your teeth would be healthy. Years later (and 30+ cavities repaired), after lots of research, I understand that this disease called dental decay is actually contagious. It’s a war against bacteria. The bacteria will feed on anything: sugar, carbohydrates, morsels of food stuck in the teeth. If you try to win the battle with food, you will lose.You have to eliminate the problem at the root: by keeping the bacteria to a level where they cannot do much damage. The way to do this is to have a very precise and disciplined hygiene routine. For me, it means 4 minutes of brushing (in a certain pattern) with an electric toothbrush after dinner, followed by flossing, tongue scraping and water irrigation with my VitaJet.
Then I also brush in the morning and before or after lunch. The good thing is once you’ve been able to keep your bacteria level very low for a long time, plaque no longer accumulates. Then if you get lazy one day and don’t brush, the bacteria won’t really be able to do any damage. The problem is when someone has had any problem with their teeth — a standard form of dental hygiene is simply not enough to eliminate the problem at the root.
7.Keep your body hydrated — You need more water in hotter weather, and less in cold climates. It’s very hard to trust our sense of thirst to guide us. The best thing is to actually make a habit of drinking extra water when you think you’ll need it. In the tropics, I have to drink at least 1 or 2 extra liters of water every day. A good habit is to start the day with one liter of water with some lemon juice.
8.Keep your body alkaline — It’s very simple: fruits and vegetables make your body alkaline. Most nuts and grains are acid-forming. Animal products are the most acid-forming of all. To keep healthy bones and low-levels of inflammation in the body, eat alkaline foods at least 90% of the time.
9.Get the right amount of sleep you need — There are different opinions on sleep. Natural hygiene generally recommends sleeping as much as possible. However, it’s also possible to get too much sleep. It’s been found that the one thing all depressed people have in common is getting too much sleep. As soon as they put the alarm clock back on, a large percentage of these depressions go away.
So to me, it’s more a matter of finding the right amount of sleep. I found that in my twenties, I needed more sleep. I could not do well if I got less than 9 or 10 hours of sleep every day. Now at 33, I find that I need less sleep. I also function better on the days I don’t get enough sleep. I do well now with 7 to 9 hours of sleep, depending on my activities for the day. More than 9 hours makes me feel a bit “comatic”, so I avoid oversleeping as well.
10.Eat some blended greens — Eating some greens will make a big difference in your health. But more if you can actually assimilate them. Try to consume some greens in a blended form: either in a blended salad (or Veggie Stew) or as a green smoothie. Once a day, a big bowl or tall glass is about what we need.

GRAMMYS

2010-02-01T09:20:00.009-05:00

WOW so many things happening. I thought I was at cirque du soleil with Pink's performance last night.......Performance Art at its highest.... I must have missed where the water came from??
Taylor Swift - album of the year!!!!! she couldn`t harmonize with Stevie Nicks and that's the future of music???
I keep playing Justine Timberlake's performance from the Haiti telethon - just two men singing how nice and so rare these days...... and BY THE WAY SPEND THE $7:99 AND DOWNLOAD THAT ALBUM TO HELP HAITI WORTH IT AND MORE!
Back on the rock great things are happening on the music scene it's not all fake, fake hair, fake music, lots of smokescreens and costumes and we don`t even know what we are seeing...NO!! Our JAZZFEST went off with oldies but goodies like Gladys Knight, Hall and Oates, Babyface, Maxie Priest singing with live bands no tracks. Music you can feel .... even a group called the Whispers I`m sure most of you never heard of them, yes they were there .....We had Roy Ayers playing the xylophone..anybody know what that is anymore? Makes great music. It was wonderful! Relative newcomer Joss Stone a young woman singing real music was great too.......
All I have to say is thank God for Michael Jackson's tribute at the Grammy's with the little girl and the butterfly in the video clip playing in the background while singers sang real music...He was the master of performance art and none of his music was "covers' like what most of the so-called singers of today do as he had talent!
MISS YOU MIKE!