Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Addiction drug reverses obesity in rats (Reuters)

An overweight patient is seen at a weight loss hospital in a file photo. (Andrew Wong/Reuters)Reuters - An epilepsy drug being tested for use natural dhea treating addiction can help obese rats shed weight, government researchers said on Wednesday.

Why am natural co-q-10 promoting a whole food nation?

Lots of reasons but they all start with me. It started because of my picky eater husband purchase coenzima q10 son. I know a diet of junk food grows a junk body. I'm not a "health nut," yet but I do care about keeping us healthy and alive. What's more important than that? Nothing, for me.

The SAD, Standard American Diet is very different than it was a hundred years ago. The biggest change is generally how it's prepared. Years ago food was prepared and served more simply. Thanks to food-processing technology, we've seen the development of convenience foods, quick fix packages, frozen, canned, boil-in-bags, and of course microwavable foods that get us in and out of the kitchen quickly. Generally, few people cook in the traditional way, at least on a regular basis. It's become easier and more convenient to open a can, nuke prepackaged meals, stir water into the contents of a one skillet meal and heat and serve a frozen dinner.

Highly processed junk food has become a billion-dollar-a-year industry. Grocery store shelves are packed with candy, packaged baked goods, cookies, sugary dry cereals that also have artificial flavors and colors, just add water dinners, snacks loaded with sugar, fat and salt. Too many sodas and juice cocktails blends made with more chemicals and additives than actual fruit.

Average Americans are in need of a diet overhaul. Most of us are eating too many empty calories, and too much fat, too little fiber, and our diets are lacking in vitamins and minerals. One of the most significant things we can do to feel healthier, improve our energy, sleep better and reduce our risks of disease is to improve our diet. We can do this by making a real effort on five basic diet goals:

1. Eat fresh veggies and fruits.

2. Cut back (or cut out) refined and processed sugars.

3. Cut back on cooked fats and make sure most of the fats you eat are healthy ones, like olive and coconut oils.

4. Limit the salt you eat.

5. Eat adequate amounts of quality protein.

Food provides our body energy. Without good food our body is too tired to function. Food provides the nutrient base necessary for building, repairing and maintaining a strong and healthy body. Food also makes us feel full and energized, or tired, jumpy, and crabby. The breakfast we eat, the lunch and snacks we choose, the dinners we prepare - all provide the fuel required by every cell in our body.

Food was a primary form of medicine in ancient cultures and has continued to be used through the ages. Warm teas and soups for colds, toast and crackers for upset stomachs, prune juice for constipation - all well-known and time-tested "medicines."

Food is important for preventing illness and has shown to cure it. Today the importance of diet in maintaining health and also in contributing to the development of disease, is increasing evident. A healthy diet with whole grains, whole fruits and veggies, good protein is useful in treating acute and chronic illness, as well as in promoting and enhancing optimal health.

In my family, we are not perfect eaters, we don't eat fast food anymore but our diet doesn't include near enough fruits and veggies. It was a battle trying to get my son and husband to even try veggies. I tired trick cooking, you know hiding veggies in other food, didn't work. I researched "picky eaters" tried lots of new things, still never found anything that worked for us. I hated that it was junk food or nothing.

Trying to do the right thing, I bought vitamins for us. I never knew if they helped us because I never knew what we needed. I knew for certain our diet was lacking whole foods, like fruits and vegetables. When I first heard about this new supplement with whole food fruits and veggies, I wanted it. This is what we needed.

So here we are about 6 months later and I've learned so much about the effects nutrition has on our energy, sleep, health and feeling good. I've also learned about what to look for in a supplement or vitamin. In fact I stopped giving my son a gummy bear type vitamin because of the corn syrup in it. He gets enough sugar without it being in a vitamin.

Okay, on to a whole food nation. When we started on this supplement my goal was to stop the battles over food and maybe get some good stuff in my picky eaters body. What I've found is we don't want fast food anymore. Six months ago it was McDonald's, Burger King or KFC at least once a week. Now we don't crave cookies, chips, candy, sweet rolls, Little Debbie snacks, etc. as much.

Our son wants whole grain everything and likes it. I'm still amazed at how he went from the white bread culture to whole food in less than 6 months. Nutrition with whole foods made a huge difference in our health, how we feel, what we want to eat, our energy to do more family things, our moods and the most important thing is we are staying alive.

So with all the science, history and research behind whole foods in our daily diet, are you on the Whole Food Train? If not - what are you doing to stay healthy and stay alive?

Here's what we use now because we aren't perfect.

Robin Plan -
Uptown Naturals -
Whole Food And More Blog - Whole Food Multis