eHealthClinic

Body Detoxification

Impurities are eliminated from the body through the liver, kidneys, colon, lymph, lungs, and skin -- that's way God made us -- our bodies do this naturally. However, when impurities are being put into the body faster than it can eliminate them, the body will store these toxins in tissue until it can get around to eliminating them. Making an effort to fast from processed foods and toxic substances allows the body time to catch up.

Refraining from all processed foods, as well as, other toxic substances like cigarettes, alcohol, sodas, white flours and sugars, and artificial sweeteners is a great place to start detoxing.

Natalia Rose, nutritionist and author of The Raw Food Detox Diet, suggests that eating raw food will help to detoxify the body by flushing out poisons and setting us on course for greater energy and a healthier body. On any given day we can choose to eat ‘raw’ with a big salad, veggies or fruit to allow our bodies cleansing time.

Top Three Acidic Foods

Balancing the alkaline/acid proportion in your body, also known as pH, is important, according to Naturalnews.com.  Blood pH is7.35-7.45; the body needs to be slightly alkaline. Every food product has the ability to change your body’s normal pH and can be classified as acidic or alkaline based on their pH, says Thewolfeclinic.com. Knowing the basic acidic foods will help you maintain that balance.

#1  Meat Products

Animal protein is at the top of the acidic food list. Meat products such as beef, carp, claims, fish , lamb, lobster, mussels, oysters, port, rabbit, salmon, shrimp, scallops, tuna, turkey and venison are all considered acidic according to Thewolfeclinic.com.

#2 Dairy Products

Cow’s milk, cheese and butter, goat cheese, sheep cheese and all hard and/or processed cheeses are acidic to the body, says Thewolfeclinic.com. In addition, cream, buttermilk, yogurt, cottage cheese and ice cream are acidic.

#3 Most beverages and All Artificial Sweeteners

Soda, coffee, cocoa, black tea, beer, spirits, hard liquor, and wine are acidic to the body, says Trans4mind.com. All artificial sweeteners are acidic, according to Trans4mind.com.

So, should you stop eating! Never. Just start making choices that balance your intake of acidic and alkaline foods. If you must eat that cheeseburger, forgo the diet soda and opt for water instead. And if you want your morning cup of joe, no problem . . . just enjoy a huge salad for lunch. Find the balance.

 

Avoid HCAs

Avoid heterocyclic amines (HCAs). HCAs are potent carcinogens, says Cancer Project managing director Jennifer Reilly, R.D.[1] They are produced during cooking from the creatine, amino acids, and sugars found naturally in all meats, including chicken. The federal government added HCAs to its list of known carcinogens in January 2005. HCAs can bind directly to DNA and cause mutations, the first step in the development of cancer.

---

[1] The Cancer Project, http://www.cancerproject.org/media/news/release_grill.php

Eat More Vegetables . . . They Prevent Cancecr

In her book, Waking the Warrior Goddess, Dr. Christine Horner writes, “Plants contain specific cancer-fighting and disease-battling substance called “phytochemicals,” or plant chemicals.[1] Research has shown that phytochemicals can provide protection from cancer in many ways. According to thecancerproject.com, vegetables contain cancer-fighting substances like carotenoids, flavones and indoles.[2] 

How do they work? These powerful plant chemicals inactivate carcinogens and other substances that are damaging to DNA and can lead to cancer.  In addition, other phytochemicals can block one or more of the steps required for cancer to grow.

---

[1] Horner, Christine, M.D. Waking the Warrior Goddess, (Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc., 2007): 227.

[2] The Cancer Project, http://www.cancerproject.org/diet_cancer/facts/foods_prevention.php

Lower your blood pressure naturally . . .

Want to lower your blood sugar naturally? Eat pistachios. A new study at the University of Toronto found that eating pistachio nuts with high-carbohydrate foods can help slow the absorption of carbohydrates in the body, resulting in a lower blood sugar level.

Another Great Reason to Stop Drinking Soda

Prevent kidney damage by giving up sugary sodas. A Georgia based kidney disease epidemiologist, Suma Vupputuri M. D., coauthored a study that found women who drink a minimum of two sugary sodas per day are twice as likely to show signs of kidney damage. Sugary sodas include all those sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup.

Image: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

What to drink instead? Try blueberry juice. Blueberries contain polyphenols known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that combat neurodegenerative diseases like dementia. Dr. Robert Krikorian, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center in Ohio reported that for the first time there is evidence that a few glasses of blueberry juice each day can improve memory.

 

Feeling Gloomy? Check your diet . . .

Reuters Health announced last month that Dr. Felice N. Jacka, at the University of Melbourne, Australia, along with her colleagues, found that women between ages 20 to 93 years old who ate primarily processed, refined, fatty foods for over 10 years were more likely to report mood disorders. Jacka and her team studied diet and psychiatric information from 1.046 women for over ten years. Jacka reported in the American Journal of Psychiatry that 121 of the women showed depressive and/or anxiety-related disorders while 925 revealed no mood disorders.

When they looked closer at diet, they found that eating primarily a "Western" diet (hamburgers, white sugars and breads, chips, beer, milk) was linked with a 50% greater likelihood for depressive disorders.
While those who ate a primarily "traditional" Australian diet (vegetables, fruit, beef, lamb, fish, whole grains) appeared about 30% less likely to exhibit depression or anxiety disorders.

The team did take into consideration the factors of age, body weight, social and economic status, education, activity levels, smoking, and alcohol consumption.

The researchers conclude this tie between diet and mental health seems worthy of pursuit.

So, if you're feeling down . . . start by taking a look your diet!