Anitbiotics and hormones in your meat and milk.

HORMONES-A GROWING PROBLEM.

Most meat today, whether chicken, beef, pork or lamb, have received hormone treatment of one kind or another. Milk too, is a rich source of hormones, particularly estrogen. Some hormones used widely in the US are banned by Europe! These hormones, including synthetic estradiol and testosterone, are used to force growth rates and milk production. These are the same chemicals found in men and women with   hormone related diseases. So far, breast cancer, fibroids, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, prostate and testicular cancer and endometriosis have all been linked to high estrogen levels.

Antibiotics are also in widespread use in both humans and animals. Unlike human medicines, antibiotics are routinely added to animal feed to prevent infection and enhance growth, so the consumer is hit with the result as well.

MILK---> Milk and other dairy products are a staple of the American diet. The truth is milk is not a very good source of many minerals. Manganese, chromium, selenium, and magnesium are all found in higher levels in fruits and veggies. The most important is magnesium, which works alongside calcium. The ideal calcium to magnesium ratio is 2:1- you need twice as much calcium as magnesium. Milk's ratio is 10:1, while cheese is at 28:1.
Besides nutrient imbalances in milk, hormones play a large part in human diseases and cancers. Prostate and breast cells are stimulated to grow by hormones. Hormone sensitive cells go into overgrowth when exposed to too much estrogen (milk), or estrogen like chemicals. Its scary to read that US cows are treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH), which is a growth hormone capable of forcing more milk production by 12%. This means a cow's daily milk production has gone from 3 to 30 quarts..yes, you read that right.

Milk allergies.
Milk allergies or intolerance is very common among kids and adults. Sometimes its the result of lactose intolerance, since many adults lose the ability to digest lactose (milk sugar). Symptoms include bloating, abdominal pain, gas, and diarrhea. The most COMMON symptoms are a blocked nose and excessive mucus problem. These are inflammatory reactions produced by the bod when it doesn't like what you're eating.

In conclusion to this article, i think from the evidence, meat (beef in particular) nor milk should be staple foods if you really want to improve your health. For meat lovers, i say eat it 3x a week but substitute more veggies, beans, legumes, nuts and fruits on ur plate.

A great documentary to watch that will explain this more in depth is FORKS OVER KNIVES
and a great book to read is THE CHINA STUDY

THE FATS OF LIFE

Fat is good for you. The right kinds of fat!

Essential fats reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, allergies, Alzheimers, arthritis, eczema, depression, fatigue, infection and PMS! If you are "fat phobic" you are depriving yourself of essential health giving nutrients and increasing your risk of bad health. The same is true if the fat you eat is "hard", meaning fat from dairy products, processed foods, meat and most varieties of margarine ... you better believe it's not butter...
 The human brain is 60% fat and 1/3 of the fat in your diet should come from essential fats. Saturated and monounsaturated fats are not essential nutrients, however, polyunsaturated fats are good!
Almost all foods that contain fat have a balance of the three. A piece of meat will contain mainly saturated and monounsaturated fat with little polyunsaturated. Olive oil has mainly monounsaturated, while sunflower has mainly polyunsaturated. Interesting.

Nuts provide great amounts of good fats for your diet! Eat these a lot

The benefits of olive oil
While olive oil really doesn't provide good amounts of essential nutrients, much of it being cold pressed and unrefined makes it better for you than refined veggie oils like sunflower. The use of cold pressed olive oil contain small amounts of phytochemicals which result in fewer trans fats being consumed.

Cook with coconut oil or olive oil
Using nut oils to sauté or fry in actually are not that good! If you do fry, sauté or bake foods, it's best not to use polyunsaturated fats because these make oxidizing free radicals. Its best to use a saturated fat, the best being coconut oil or olive oil, which do not generate these free radicals.
Coconut butter/oil is much better for you than regular butter or lard (meat fat).


QUICK REVIEW FOR GETTING THE RIGHT KINDS OF FAT IN YOUR DIET

*eat seeds and nuts-the best seeds are flax, hemp, pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame. You get more goodness out of them by grinding them up first and sprinkling them on cereals, soups and salads.

*eat cold water carnivorous fish. herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines or occasionally tuns 2-3x a week (provides good omega 3 fats)

*minimize your intake of fried food, processed food, and saturated fats from meat and dairy products.

*supplement fish oil for omega 3 fats and borage or evening primrose oil for omega 6 fats!

The Protein Controversy

What foods do you associate with protein? ... Meat, eggs, cheese, ,muscles, growth. You have to eat these foods to get enough protein to grow big and strong. The protein in meat is more usable than the protein in plants. If you do muscle building exercises than you need more protein.... RIGHT OR WRONG?        read on...

The human body contains approximately 65% water and 25% protein. Protein is made out of nitrogen containing molecules called amino acids. 25 different amino acids are pieced together in varying combinations to make different kinds of protein, which form the material for our cells and organs. The general consensus of protein consumption on average is 36 grams for women and 44 grams for men. If the quality of the protein is high, less is needed to be eaten. At the other end of the spectrum are very high protein diets (100-200grams)  which is an unwise recommendation for weight loss.
Typically, you want your diet to consists of 10% protein.
Most people are in danger of eating too much protein and not enough. Excess protein is a contributor to osteoporosis, over acidity, and many other health probe. Protein rich foods, including dairy, produce acid when broken down by your body. Our bodies freak out and try to neutralize or "buffer" this effect through two main alkalinizing agents-sodium and calcium.When body reserves of sodium are used up, calcium is taken from the bone. Therefore, the more protein you eat, the more calcium you lose...scary huh?!
Protein produces breakdown products that are hard work for the kidneys.
Protein is acidic. Consumption of low carb/high protein diet for 6 weeks delivers a major acidic load to the kidneys, increasing the chance for stone formation...yikes.



ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE..

 Probably the highest quality protein is quinoa, a grain from South America which was a staple food for the Incas and Aztecs. Quinoa is actually called the "mother grain" because of it's sustaining properties, it contains protein of better quality than meat!
Soybeans are also really good, but remember, they effect estrogen levels in the body.
check this out: A lamb chop provides 25% of total calories as protein and 75% as fat, much of which is saturated (the bad stuff). In comparison, beans and lentils half the calories come from protein, so they are actually a better source of protein than the lamb, but the real advantage is that the rest of the calories are a complex carb! (the good carbs).

Now don't get me wrong, I do love to eat my fish and turkey which is a leaner meat choice, but don't be scared to cook with grains. Nuts and seeds are also an excellent source of protein and good fats that your brain needs to stay sharp! I always make my own homemade granola bars out of the seeds and turkey muffins as a staple in my fridge!

Veggies do carry lots of proteins, especially broccoli, and don't cause an acidic residue in the body like meats do.

on that note...enjoy dinner!

Viva La Cioppino!

I loveee seafood! here is a yummy treat if you have some time to spend in the kitchen for a lovely meal! Tweak to your liking, but you can't go wrong. I added squid and octopus to mine!

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 large shallots, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine
• 5 cups fish stock..i used low sodium chicken broth
• 1 bay leaf
• (seafood mix in frozen section of costco)
• OR...
• 1 pound manila clams, scrubbed
• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed, debearded
• 1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 1/2 pounds assorted firm-fleshed fish fillets such as halibut or salmon, cut into 2-inch chunks

Directions

Heat the oil in a very large pot over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion, shallots, and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and saute 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add tomatoes with their juices, wine, fish stock and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the flavors blend, about 30 minutes.

Add the clams and mussels to the cooking liquid. Cover and cook until the clams and mussels begin to open, about 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and fish. Simmer gently until the fish and shrimp are just cooked through, and the clams are completely open, stirring gently, about 5 minutes longer (discard any clams and mussels that do not open). Season the soup, to taste, with more salt and red pepper flakes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Making the Choice

We all have the choice. In health, relationships, attitude, food... whatever it may be.
What I want to focus on is the choice to make better health choices. The idea of making a change in your diet or fitness lifestyle may sound easy, but doing so is quite another story. I encourage you all to be honest with yourselves. Look at what you eat during the day, are you staying active? why or why not?
The obvious factors come into play such as work, kids, obligations, laziness, intimidation... but you know what??!! you don't have to prove anything to anyone but yourself. You must take control of your life while you are still able to. It all starts with baby steps, having a paradigm shift about the way you perceive food and exercise. The minute you label it a chore, you are setting a negative connection to it, and therefore will hate it. Think of it as rewarding yourself, your body! The hardest part is getting to the gym, once you are there, put your headphones on and zone out! That is YOUR time. Once the endorphins start flowing you will start to feel great! Over the course of a few weeks, once you see results from your cleaner diet and your consistent work in the gym, you will start to feel more confident and willing to amp up your fitness routines to see more results! It really is awesome!
Remember to be patient with yourself. Everyone is different in their capabilities to drop weight or add muscle, but consistency is key! I promise you. YOU will start to be the envy and/or motivation for the people closest to you in your life!

Make the shift now. With all the processed foods ridden with sugar, fat, chemicals, preservatives..you should really have no choice!  Commit to yourself for even just ONE WEEK that you will switch up your normal routine and let me know how you're doing!

The program which launched my passion is this: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer.html

In Health,

       Steph Coats