Mueller's new book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

NPR - interview! You can listen to it here

Mueller's new book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, chronicles how resellers have added lower-priced, lower-grade oils and artificial coloring to extra-virgin olive oil, before passing the new adulterated substance along the supply chain. (One olive oil producer told Mueller that 50 percent of the olive oil sold in the United States is, in some ways, adulterated.)

The term "extra-virgin olive oil" means the olive oil has been made from crushed olives and is not refined in any way by chemical solvents or high heat.

"The legal definition simply says it has to pass certain chemical tests, and in a sensory way it has to taste and smell vaguely of fresh olives, because it's a fruit, and have no faults," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "But many of the extra-virgin olive oils on our shelves today in America don't clear [the legal definition]."

Extra-virgin olive oil wasn't created until stainless steel milling techniques were introduced in the 1960s and '70s. The technology allowed people to make much more refined olive oil.

"In the past, the technology that had been used had been used really by the Romans," says Mueller. "You grounded the olives with stone mills [and] you crushed them with presses."

The introduction of stainless steel milling techniques has allowed manufacturers to make more complex and flavorful extra-virgin olive oils, he says. But the process is also incredibly expensive — it costs a lot to properly store and mill extra-virgin olive oil. Mueller says that's why some people blend extra-virgin olive oil with lower-grade, lower-priced products.

"Naturally the honest people are getting terribly undercut," he says. "There's a huge unfair advantage in favor of the bad stuff. At the same time, consumers are being defrauded of the health and culinary benefits of great olive oil."

Bad or rancid olive oil loses the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of olive oil, says Mueller. "What [good olive oil] gets you from a health perspective is a cocktail of 200+ highly beneficial ingredients that explain why olive oil has been the heart of the Mediterranean diet," he says. "Bad olives have free radicals and impurities, and then you've lost that wonderful cocktail ... that you get from fresh fruit, from real extra-virgin olive oil."

Your Olive oil may not be as virgin as you think it is.

The next time you reach for a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil, beware. A new study from the University of California- Davis claims more than two-thirds of random samples of imported so-called extra-virgin olive oil don't make the grade.

The Olive Oil Chemistry Lab overlooks many of the 2,000 olive trees on the Davis campus.

"It's like we have our own CSI: Olive Oil lab here," says chemist Charles Shoemaker, who manages the lab's forensics.

To be extra-virgin, olive oil can't be rancid or doctored with lesser oils. Shoemaker wasn't all that surprised that many of the 14 major brands failed certain tests.

"It's become a very sophisticated practice, the adulteration of olive oil throughout the world," Shoemaker says. He says the lab can prove defects, degradation and dilution in olive oil beyond what human taste buds can figure out. The lab testing zeroes in on specific flaws.

"We do spectroscopic studies looking for oxidation," he says. That means the oil's old or spoiled. Shoemaker also tests fatty acids "to make sure the oil is all from olives and not from soybean, sunflower or other types of oil."

The UC-Davis Olive Oil Report


No molecule can hide. Shoemaker revs up a small vacuum that removes solvents and isolates chlorophyll, which is always in oil made from green olives, but never in lesser-grade seed oil. As it sucks a sample, he's patient.

"It takes about 25 minutes per sample to do just this one step," he says.

The UC-Davis study was funded in part by the California Olive Oil Council. Oils were tested by some methods not yet recognized by international standards. For that reason, Bob Bauer of the North American Olive Oil Association, which represents importers, disputes the Davis study.

"It's irresponsible to create the misperception that they've done based on unrecognized tests," he says. "These results directly contradict our 20 years of more extensive sampling than what those results show."

There's never been a legal definition in the U.S. for any grade of olive oil, but mounting concern over truth-in-olive-oil-labeling has drawn in the USDA, and new American regulations will conform to international standards. Starting in October, olive oil from every olive oil-producing country, including America, will be subject to random sampling off retail shelve.

Viruses in the Human Gut Show Dynamic Response to Diet

ScienceDaily (Aug. 31, 2011) — The digestive system is home to a myriad of viruses, but how they are involved in health and disease is poorly understood. In a study published online August 30 in Genome Research, researchers have investigated the dynamics of virus populations in the human gut, shedding new light on the gut "virome" and how it differs between people and responds to changes in diet.

 

"Our bodies are like coral reefs," said Dr. Frederic Bushman of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, senior author of the study, "inhabited by many diverse creatures interacting with each other and with us." The interactions between viruses, bacteria, and the human host likely have significant consequences for human health and disease, especially in the delicate ecosystem of the gut microbiome.

In this work, lead author Sam Minot, Bushman, and colleagues investigated the dynamics of the gut virome during perturbations to diet. The group studied six healthy volunteers -- some received a high fat and low fiber diet, others a low fat and high fiber diet, and one an ad-lib diet.

By analyzing DNA sequences from viruses and bacteria present in stool of the volunteers over the course of eight days, they found that although the largest variation in virus diversity observed occurred between individuals, over time dietary intervention significantly changed the proportions of virus populations in individuals on the same diet, so that the viral populations became more similar.

"The study provides a new window on the vast viral populations that live in the human gut, demonstrates that they vary radically between individuals, and shows that dietary changes can affect not just bacterial populations but also viral populations," Bushman said.

What is Organic Foods

The USDA currently has a program for certifying organic foods. On their website, they answer the question, "What is organic food?" in this way:

Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones. Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic," a Government-approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.

It is my position that organically grown foods offer Americans a healthier alternative to conventionally grown foods. So let's examine the evidence for organic food.

On August 22, 2002, Dr. Erik Steen Kristensen of the Danish Research Centre for Organic Farming presented data on food safety from an organic perspective at the 14th International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements Congress in Victoria, Canada. Dr. Kristensen offered the following reason's to consider organic foods:

* Discovery of animals with BSE
* Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, aka, mad cow disease
* Increased occurrence of Salmonella in meat and eggs
* Increased occurrence of campylobacter in meat
* Listeria in dairy products
* Increased occurrence of dioxin in food and fodder
* Too high amounts of pesticides, antibiotics, additives etc. in food * Toxic fungi in food from stocks

Indeed, various data indicates that compared to conventionally grown produce, organically grown produce has:

* Higher vitamin C levels
* Lower nitrate levels (less carcinogenic potential)
* Higher phenol levels (protection against cancer and cardiovascular disease)
* Lower levels of heavy metals
* Lower or zero levels of food additives (less food intolerance and carcinogenic potential)

Likewise, Dr. Kristensen presented data indicating that compared to conventional animal foods (e.g. meat), organic animal foods have:

* Higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid or CLA (preventive against cancer and arteriosclerosis)
* Higher levels of vitamin C
* Higher levels of fat-soluble vitamins
* Higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids
* Zero myotoxins (less potential problems for liver, kidney, nervous system)
* Lower residues of medicines (less transfer of resistance genes to human pathogens)

In addition, animal studies show higher fertility and less morbidity in animals fed organically. Furthermore, when given a choice, animals prefer organic to conventionally produced fodder. At this point, however, similar studies have not been conducted on humans.

Collectively, all of this data makes a pretty good case for recommending that the public make organic foods choices whenever possible, especially when trying to detoxify and avoid additional sources of toxins.

Protein Powder Basics

The fact of the matter is that protein supplementation works and does so with a great deal of efficacy with regards to stimulating muscle protein synthesis (MPS). In other words, protein supplementation helps the fitness enthusiast increase muscle mass, muscle tone and definition, and therefore aids in the process of fat loss; exactly what we want from it. If you aren't taking enough protein in during a diet, it won't make a difference what form you're using, you will still lose muscle tissue.
In one study published by the Journal of Nutrition researchers did note that casein protein is especially of a higher quality when compared to soy, making it an important source of protein to be getting. If you happen to be following a vegetarian diet where meat is limited (another high quality source of protein), then adding in casein if you're okay with dairy products will be your next best bet.

There are numerous brands of protein powders out there, and of course, there are numerous sources of protein from which to choose, whey and casein being the most popular. The one question being common to all: Which is better, whey or casein?

What is it and where does it come from?

Casein

Casein is dairy protein and accounts for almost 80% of all proteins found in cow's milk. It has a very rich pool of amino acids, almost identical to whey protein, which is a byproduct of cheese. This pool of amino acids is high in essential aminos, which are responsible for muscle protein synthesis, or MPS.

When ingested, casein forms a clot in the stomach which slows down the rate of gastric emptying, which affects the rate at which amino acids are absorbed into the blood stream. In other words, because of this clot, the casein takes longer to be digested in the stomach, which slows down the amount of amino acids being released into the small intestine where they are absorbed.

This slow and steady flow of amino acids creates a prolonged yet low rate of MPS. This makes casein the ideal protein supplement to take when going to bed, or when you know you will be going prolonged periods without the opportunity to refuel.

Much like whey protein, there are numerous standard choices when it comes to casein supplements. The most common casein supplements are milk protein and calcium caseinate. However, the most effective is micellar casein.

Micellar casein is to slow release protein supplements, what hydrolyzed whey is to fast acting proteins. These are the pinnacle of protein supplementation.

Disadvantages

Slow digestion can be a negative before or after training when you are trying to get amino acids into the system quickly. People who have problems with lactose may have gas, and some people are allergic, which can cause bloating. The sodium content can cause bloating.

Whey protein

Out of the many protein sources out there, whey protein is the ultimate. Whey is a natural byproduct of the cheese-making process (from milk). Approximately 20 percent of the protein found in milk is whey protein. Whey is rich in branch chain amino acids, lactose, minerals, and vitamins and contains lactalbumin (similar to serum albumin) and traces of fat.

Ionic whey protein has the highest value in providing branched-chain amino acids, which result in building and retaining muscle tissue.

Whey protein has been shown to increase protein synthesis. Some studies have also indicated that whey contributes to immune function among others.

Whey has also shown powerful antioxidant effects as it enhances glutathione levels. Glutathione is a tri-peptide that contains one amino acid residue from each of the following: glutamic acid, cysteine, and glycine. Glutathione occurs widely in plant and animal tissues and plays a major role in protecting skeletal muscle and other body tissues from oxidative damage.

Glutathione helps maintain compounds such as iron in its proper oxidation state in hemoglobin. Protein sources containing high levels of cysteine (whey contains 2-2.5 percent cysteine) may be effective in maintaining or replenishing whole blood glutathione.

Whey protein isolate is the most pure and concentrated form of whey protein available. It contains 90 percent or more protein and very little (if any) fat and lactose. Whey protein concentrate has anywhere between 29-89 percent protein depending upon the product.

As the protein level in whey protein concentrate decreases, the amounts of fat and/or lactose usually increases. Another type of whey protein supplement is whey protein hydrolysates, meaning that the whey is predigested into peptides (small chains of amino acids). These supposedly help the protein be absorbed better.

What does it do and what scientific studies give evidence to support this?

Whey protein provides the body with the necessary building blocks to produce amino acids that are used for building muscle tissue. Studies have been conducted that compare whey protein to other sources. They have found that whey protein contains the perfect combination of overall amino acid makeup... and in just the right concentrations for optimal performance in the body. Both hormonal and cellular responses seem to be greatly enhanced with supplementation of whey protein, not to mention the benefits whey protein has on the body's immune system according to documented scientific research. Whey protein also plays a role as an antioxidant and an immune system builder. Most importantly, consistent whey protein intake coupled with exercise will result in consistent muscle building.

Who needs it and what are some symptoms of deficiency?

Whey protein is very, very important for bodybuilders, dieters, and just about everybody. Since athletes and bodybuilders work out often, protein levels become depleted. By being a direct precursor to building muscle and essential amino acids, such as glutamine (a muscle enhancer, endurance builder, and muscle deterioration reducer), the content from high quality whey protein not only can, but will help one's muscles recover and grow faster by bring up the levels of protein. With dieting and those wishing to lose some extra fat, whey protein can be very useful because a good intake of protein balances blood sugar levels, while carbohydrates cause blood sugar levels to fluctuate. When the blood sugar levels stay balanced, one is not as prone to rampant eating and has more energy and greater fat loss. Whey protein allows a person to control his or her diet effectively. Most people who want to change their body for the better could benefit from whey protein supplementation.

How much should be taken? Are there any side effects?

Training athletes often consume 25 grams of whey protein per day. Bodybuilders who want serious gains (and are burning serious calories), generally consume 150 grams per day. Extremely high doses of whey protein is not recommended, as this will cause the body's liver to be overloaded and you won't get the same benefits as with a consistent lower amount taken three to five times per day.

Casein vs Whey

There seems to be a great deal of controversy over which one is better. I get the question all the time. From the information above, you can see that each offers distinct advantages and disadvantages. Below is information that directly compares casein and whey.

A study conducted by Yves Boirie looked at healthy subjects with a normal protein intake. They fasted for ten hours then were either given 30 grams of whey protein or 30 grams of casein (milk) protein.

The study showed blood leucine levels peaked in one hour after ingestion of whey or casein. However, the whey group peaked at higher levels and returned to baseline after four hours. The casein group peaked at a lower level but didn't return to baseline until seven hours later.

Whey protein enhanced protein synthesis (postprandial protein synthesis was stimulated by 68 percent with the whey protein), but did not effect protein degradation. Casein decreased protein degradation, (protein breakdown was inhibited by 34 percent after casein ingestion) but did not effect protein synthesis.

Postprandial whole body leucine oxidation over seven hours was lower with casein. Leucine intake was identical in both meals. Therefore, the net leucine balance over the seven hours after the meal was more positive with casein.

Recent Studies

December 2001 - Consuming Protein Supplements Can Help Deter the Effects of Overtraining.

Protein intake of approx. 0.88 grams per pound of body weight resulted in increased prevention of overtraining. This study was conducted at Ball State University on 17 weight-trained men. They were put on a four week "overtraining" program were they did 8-12 rep maxes for three sets, eight exercises for the first two weeks, then five sets, five exercises for 3-5 rep maxes for the next two weeks. The men were chosen to receive either an amino acid supplement or a placebo for the duration of the four weeks (0.88 grams/lb body weight/day). Those that were given the amino acids had measureable positive changes in total testosterone, the ratio of testosterone to the protein that transports it, and hemoglobin compared to those given a placebo. This proves that adequate protein consumption is the key to making gains! Be sure to get enough (approx. 1gram per lb. of body weight).

December 2001 - Protein Taken With Carbs is Better than Protein Alone for Building Muscle

This study, conducted at University of Texas Medical Branch, measured the amount of uptake of the amino acid L-phenylalanine into healthy leg muscle tissue in one of three protein shakes. The shakes were consumed one and two hours after intense leg training and provided about 6 grams of protein, 34 grams of carbs, or both per shake for a 150 bodybuilder. The L-phenylalanine uptake in the protein and carb shake was measured as being three times higher than the carb shake and roughly twice as great as the amino shake! So, there you have it! As you know, the postworkout shake is the most critical meal for your increased anabolism. Make sure you're getting some carbs in your postworkout shake for best results.

Total fat loss when subjects either took casein protein hydrolysate in comparison with a whey protein hydrolysate

One study performed out of Boston tested the variations in lean muscle mass gains as well as total fat loss when subjects either took casein protein hydrolysate in comparison with a whey protein hydrolysate, while also eating a hypocalorie diet and performing resistance training.

While both groups did show fat loss, the group using the casein protein showed greater mean fat loss and higher increases in strength for the chest, shoulders, and legs.

In addition to this, it was also noted that the casein group came out of the study with a higher total body percentage of lean mass compared with their previous measure. This indicates a greater lean body retention rate, demonstrating casein to be especially effective at maintaining muscle.

It also should be mentioned that both protein groups did bump their protein intake up to 1.5 per kilogram of body weight per day, so that must be in place for any of these factors to come into play.

Study that was conducted by the International Journal of Obesity

Since casein protein is a form of protein that is higher in calcium content that also proves to be a benefit in terms of total fat loss. Many individuals are quick to turn away from dairy products while attempting to lose body fat because they feel it will slow them down.

This is completely opposite from the truth. One study that was conducted by the International Journal of Obesity observed that those who combined a high calcium intake over a twenty four hour period with a normal protein intake showed increased fecal fat and energy excretion for that day of approximately 350 kJ greater than those who either took in a low calcium, normal protein intake or those who consumed a high protein, high calcium intake.

This study makes mention of the importance of total protein intake with this factor, stating that it appears as though moderate levels of protein create this effect with the calcium greater than very high protein intakes do.

It appears from this research then that it's best to find a good balance between calcium and protein intake, rather than just increasing protein up higher to promote fat loss.

Casein protein powder will help you accomplish both goals of having a higher calcium intake as well as boosting your protein intake, allowing you to maximize your fat loss benefits.

Part II

Whey Pro Complete – Gluten Free

Proprietary Blend: 20 g per serving

Nondenatured whey protein concentrate (milk), nondenatured whey protein isolate (milk), colostrum (bovine), inulin (chicory), and soy lecithin.

Whey Pro Complete supports weight management, muscle tissue, immune function, and gastrointestinal health.

• Protein supplement to increase protein intake

• Supports healthy epithelial cells in the bowel

• Helps promote satiety

• Provides antioxidants

• Supports muscle growth and repair

• Contains colostrum and inulin for gastrointestinal-based immune support

• Can be mixed in a supplement shake or added to foods

You will not find this in other whey products. When I spoke with other suppliers to get a product with colostrum in it they said they could not due it because it would raise the price so drastically that they could not be competitive in the whey protein market place. The colostrum is what separates our product from the rest! It improves immune function as well as promotes maintained of lean muscle mass.

Don

Digestive Restoration: A Simple Plan

Digestive health is the ability to break down, absorb and use nutrients, and to eliminate waste products from our food and beverages in a way that optimizes health and vitality. The better your digestive health is, the better your overall health is. It is your first line of defense against toxins and infections from harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites. It is a critical part of our immune system. Not to mention that when our digestive system isn't functioning properly we experience heartburn, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, constipation/diarrhea and other symptoms that are uncomfortable, unpredictable and embarrassing.

While, as you follow the plan outlined below, you should begin seeing some fairly immediate improvements, you should commit to following this plan closely for at least 3 months in order give your system an opportunity to significantly begin to heal.

First, here are a few DON’Ts:

• Immediately eliminate all fried foods, period. Absolutely none during this healing time.
• For the time being, avoid dairy products, including milk, ice cream, and soft cheese. You MAY eat real high quality butter, yoghurt and hard cheeses.
• Immediately eliminate all high gluten foods – wheat, barley, rye, and oats. No bagels! No cookies. No boxed cereals. No breads. No oatmeal. You MAY eat whole grain rice and millet. At the end of 3 months, it may be possible for you to occasionally eat gluten foods. But only try them out gradually and occasionally until your digestive system is completely healed.
• Eliminate ALL processed simple carbohydrates and sugars. No cookies, cakes, pies, or the like for the time being. No soft drinks or processed/packaged fruit juices. You MAY eat limited amounts of raw honey and fructose. No “high fructose corn syrup” which is mostly sucrose.
• Eliminate alcohol.

DOs:

• eat plenty of greens, vegetables and fruits, cooked or raw. [Hold off on very much raw initially until you digestive system gets calmed down enough to handle the fiber. Increase raw fruits and vegetables gradually.]
• eat good soups, especially good home made vegetable soups. Home made soups with real chicken or beef broth made from boiling down the meat and bones, plus fresh vegetables cooked down in the broth, are rich in good fats, essential fatty acids, and fat soluble vitamins that are restorative to the digestive track.
• eat good clean fish – salmon, perch, cod, etc. These are rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are essential to the healing of the intestines and colon.
• rest and get adequate (or extra) sleep during this healing period.
• laugh as much as possible. This release endorphins into the blood stream that are natural relaxers and pain relievers. [Endorphins are complex hormones that are 10 times more powerful than morphine.] Endorphins are also involved in the regulation of contractions of the intestinal wall.
• get exercise several times per week, like walking, swimming, bike riding, weight lifting.
• listen to classical music and meditate. This has a natural relaxing effect on the digestive track.
• drink plenty of clean water

The Plan
We’re going to start off gently and build up over the course of several days.

This is your Basic Regimen:
4 Cyrofood tablets
1 Scoop Whole Food Fiber
1 Prosynbiotic
1 Enzycore
2 Zypan
2 Omega 3 Tuna Oil
2 SP Green Food

Go to http://www.standardprocess.com/ to see more on these products.

• On the first two days, take this basic regimen one time each day – such as at dinner time.
• On the third and fourth days, take the basic regimen two times – such as in the morning and at supper.
• Beginning on the fifth day, start taking the basic regimen three times per day – morning, noon, and night – and continue at this level for at least 60 days.

If you are not seeing significant improvement by the end of the first 2 weeks, you may need to add mor digestive support - either Enzycore and/or Zypan.

At the end of 60 days, if you have made significant improvement, try cutting back by one round per day – that is, try cutting back from 3 rounds to 2.

Also, at the end of 60 days, now that your digestive system is healing and getting stronger, I’d like to see you start using the basic health building program – Energizing Whey Pro and/or SP Complete along with your digestive regimen – if you are not already doing so.

What the Supplements do:

SP Whole Food Fiber
Whole Food Fiber is a good source of fiber from nutrient-rich whole foods.

Proprietary Blend: 6 grams
Oat fiber, beet fiber, rice (bran), carrot (root), beet (root), apple pectin, and carrot fiber.

• Contains both soluble and insoluble fiber Supports healthy bowel function
• Promotes regular intestinal motility and elimination
• Supports healthy epithelial cells in the bowel
• Provides food for beneficial micro-organisms in the lower gastrointestinal tract
• Contains nutrients which support the immune system.

Prosynbiotic

• Delivers live culture of the “good” bacteria directly to the colon.
• Contains research supported strains of lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria), and Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii.
• Contains inulin, a non-digestible, soluble fiber from chicory root and galactooligosaccharide (GOS), a non-digestible carbohydrate, both of which are used by probiotic bacteria as food.
• Useful in maintaining a healthy gut microbial environment.
• Improves nutrient digestion/absorption.
• Supports normal bowel regularity and consistency.
• Supports the body's natural immune response.

Enzycore
Enzycore is a comprehensive blend of microbial enzymes and whole food ingredients designed to support healthy digestion and maximize nutrient absorption.

• Provides natural plant-derived enzymes necessary for proper digestion.
• Helps eliminate digestive stresses like lactose intolerance and legume sensitivity.
• Improves overall digestion.
• Supplies a comprehensive blend of enzymes that break down protein, carbohydrates, and fat.
• Includes bromelain, an enzyme complex from pineapple stems and juice that helps break down protein.
• Includes l-glutamine, an amino acid used as a building block for other amino acids; also provides energy to cells with high energy needs (like those in the intestines).

Provides kale and beet powder to support healthy digestion.

Vegetarian Enzyme Blend: 46mg
Acid maltase (1MaltU), alpha-galactosidase (45 GalU), amylase (1,800 DU), bromelain (32,880 FCCPU), glucoamylase (3 AGU), invertase (170 SU), lactase (325 ALU), lipase (230 FIP), peptidase (820 HUT), protease 3.0 (3 SAPU), protease 4.5 (4,930 HUT), protease 6.0 (1,640 HUT).

Proprietary Blend: 395 mg

L-glutamine, kale (whole plant), and beet (root)

Zypan

• Supports gastrointestinal pH.
• Provides enzymatic support for protein digestion.
• Zypan combines pancreatin, pepsin, and betaine hydrochloride to facilitate healthy digestion.

Proprietary Blend: 700mg
Betaine hydrochloride, pancreas Cytosol™ extract, pancreatin (3x), fatty acid, pepsin (1:10,000), ammonium chloride, bovine spleen, and ovine spleen.

Omega 3 Tuna Oil

Provides essential fatty acids that are calming and healing to then digestive track. Tuna Omega-3 Oil delivers essential omega-3 fatty acids (including EPA (60mg) and DHA (300mg)).

• Natural profile of tuna oil; not concentrated.
• Supports normal lipid profile.
• Supports the body's natural inflammatory response.
• Provides antioxidants.
• Sustainably sourced and dolphin friendly.
• Third-party tested for environmental contaminants.
• Supports cognition.
• DHA is important for proper fetal eye and brain development.
• Supports the nutritional needs of the mother and baby during lactation.
• Supports healthy skin/hair health.
• Supports emotional balance.

Cyrofood
Provides nutrients important to the healing and restoration of the digestive system, especially vitamins A and D and the entire complex of B vitamins, in a very easily assimilated form.

Proprietary Blend: 700 mg
Carrot (root), nutritional yeast, defatted wheat (germ), date (fruit) powder, oat flour, bovine bone, bovine adrenal, rice (bran), veal bone, bovine spleen, ovine spleen, bovine kidney, bovine liver, mushroom, dried alfalfa (whole plant) juice, dried pea (vine) juice, soybean lecithin, ascorbic acid, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin A palmitate, riboflavin, cocarboxylase, and cholecalciferol.

SP Green Food

• A rich source of trace minerals important to health.
• Helps neutralize excess acidity in the body.
• Soothes and helps heal the digestive system.
• Helps detoxifies the body and bowels.

Proprietary Blend: 480 mg
Brussels sprout (whole plant) powder, kale (whole plant) powder and alfalfa (sprout) powder.

What to Expect:

Expect your body to begin a general house cleaning. As the body is pulling toxins out of the liver and fatty tissue of the body, those toxins can cause temporary effects like mild headaches, low energy, minor aches, etc. Keep in mind that the body is trying to eliminate the garbage. When the “bad” bacteria begin to die off, they release methane gas. Adding Zymex wafers helps the bowel to release built up pockets of gas. So if you experience increased gas and flatulence, this is a sign that good things are happening. Expect gas and bloating. It will eventually decrease and disappear.

If you are not already using the following, at the end of the first 60 days, you should add (if you are already using them, continue):

** Immuplex

** Livaplex

** Folic Acid B12

Immuplex will help you build up your overall health and immunity.

The Livaplex will help restore normal liver functioning and bile flow. It will further detoxify the liver and remove excess bile, which will help the gallbladder.

Folic Acid B12 helps reduce Homocysteine.

Don

Page Diet - Eating Frequency and Supplemmentation

Eat smaller amounts more frequently Eating a smaller amount reduces the stress of digestion on your energy supply. Eating small meals conserves energy. Give your energy generator a chance to keep up with digestion by not overwhelming it when you eat a large meal. Avoid overwhelming your body with too much to do at one time. If you don’t digest your food – indigestion, yeast overgrowth, gas, inflammation, food reactions, etc. result.

Another reason for eating smaller meals is to prevent the ups and downs of your blood sugar level so you end up craving less sugar. As mentioned earlier, you can overwhelm your digestive capacity. You can also overwhelm your body’s ability to handle sugar in the blood. Since the body will not (or should not) allow the blood sugar level to get too high, insulin and other hormones are secreted to lower the blood sugar. Often times, the insulin response is too strong and within a short period of time insulin has driven the blood sugar level down. As a result of the now low blood sugar, you get a powerful craving for sugar or other carbohydrates. You then usually overeat, and the cycle of up and down, yo-yo blood sugar results. Eating a small meal will virtually stop this cycle.

Eating smaller meals also has advantages for your immune response to ingested food. It turns out that a small amount of food enters the blood without first going through the normal digestive pathway through the liver. As a result, this food is seen by the body not as nourishment but as a threat and you will stimulate an immune reaction. Normally, a small immune reaction is not even noticed, but if a large amount of food (or if a food is eaten over and over again), the immune reaction can cause symptoms. Over time, disease develops.

By eating smaller amount, the size of the reaction that occurs is small and inconsequential. A large meal, and thus a large assault of the immune system, could cause many symptoms of an activated immune system including fatigue, joint aches, flu-like symptoms, headaches, etc. This reaction was called the Metabolic Rejectivity Syndrome by the late nutritional pioneer, Arthur L. Kaslow, M.D. Through thousands of his patients’ food diaries, he compiled a list of high-risk foods that is much the same as Dr. Page’s. Dairy and wheat products were at the top of his list.

I realize that eating five smaller meals is not always practical. After all, you do have a life. One concern with eating your meals too far apart is you may tend to get too hungry and overeat when you do get a chance to eat. A small (healthy) snack between the main meals of the day is like an ounce of prevention. If you’re an individual who says "once I start eating, I can’t stop," then you will most likely require additional help with nutritional supplementation, at least initially.

Supplementation
In reviewing the many diets used all over the world, there are pros and cons to each. For example, the vegetarian diet tends to minimize tissue degeneration but may not support tissue rejuvenation due to a lack of complete protein and fats found primarily in animal products. The major concern I have had with the Page program is that most people do not eat enough vegetables and therefore do not get adequate amounts of minerals. Since the fats and proteins tend to promote acid production in the body, it is very important to get enough alkalizing minerals to buffer the acid load. For this reason, minerals that are specific to your needs should be taken to get you healthy…

Final Note:
When in doubt, don’t eat it. If it isn’t on the list, wait and ask the doctor or nutritionist. The diet plan is designed to help you to optimal health just as it has for tens of thousands of
Dr. Page’s patients, many of whom are in their later years without signs of degenerative diseases such as heart disease, arthritis, cancer, osteoporosis, etc. The Page Diet is not intended to make you suffer or sacrifice, in fact quite the opposite. As you attain balanced body chemistry, you will be delighted with the physical and emotional improvements you experience from the food your body was designed to run on optimally. And what you eat or drink at the occasional party or evening out is not going to be significantly harmful to your nutritional balance in the long run, so enjoy it.

Lastly, as with all things that are beneficial to your health, it’s hard to start, but the longer you use this diet, the greater the benefits that you will realize from it.

Don

Page Diet - Liquids

Milk Products: Forget pasteurized cow milk products (milk, certain cheese, sour cream, half & half, ice cream, cottage cheese and yogurt). If you only knew all the potential problems from pasteurized milk, you’d swear it off forever. Dr. Page found out that pasteurized milk was actually more detrimental than sugar for many people. Avoiding dairy will make it much easier for you to attain your optimal level of health and hormonal balance. Raw butter, however, is an excellent source of essential nutrients and vitamins. Raw goat’s and sheep milk products are better alternatives because their genetic code and fat content is apparently more like humans. I’d still be cautious with these, however.

There has been a lot of hype about using soymilk and rice milk to replace dairy. While they sound like healthy alternatives, what they really are is highly processed foods that are primarily simple carbohydrates. You are better off doing without these as well. Of course Vitamite®, Mocha Mix®, and the other dairy substitutes are highly-processed nutrient-depleted products that honestly should not be considered a food.

Liquids: Water is the only substance that qualifies as an ideal liquid. Most diseases could be explained on the basis of dehydration. It should be considered the first and largest part of your food plan. The minimum number of ounces of water to be consumes is ½ your body weight in pounds. It should be consumed in small amount throughout the day rather in large glasses sporadically. You might set your water glass or bottle near you to be sipped frequently. All water consumed should be chlorine and fluoride free. Spring water that has a low mineral content seems to be best for most people’s needs. Tap water, even when purified by charcoal and reverse osmosis, is often not as pure as it should be in terms of mineral content. Nevertheless, it is more important to consume water of even modest quality than it is to substitute it for other liquids.

Avoid all soda and especially those with artificial sweeteners. No coffee until you are fully recovered, and then only in moderation if you have the metabolism for it. For every cup of coffee, you need to drink an extra equivalent amount of water since coffee is a diuretic. Fruit juices are forbidden because of their high fructose content and dumping of sugar into the blood stream. An occasional small glass of vegetable juice with a meal is probable okay, but I hope you’ll feel the difference that using water in adequate quantity throughout the day will be enough to convince you how much better water really is…

The most important life-giving substance in the body is water. The daily routine of the body depends on a turnover of about 40,000 glasses of water a day. In the process, your body loses at a minimum of 6 glasses a day, even if you don’t do anything. With movement, exercise, and sugar intake (that’s right) etc. you can require up to over 15 glasses of water a day. Consider this – the concentration of water in your brain has been estimated to be 85% and the water content of your tissues like your liver, kidney, muscle, heart, intestines, etc are 75% water. The concentration of water outside of the cells is about 94%. That means that water wants to move from the outside of the cell (where it is diluted) into the cell (where it is more concentrated) to balance out things. The urge water has to move is called hydroelectric power. That’s the same electrical power generated at hydroelectric dams (like Hoover Dam). The energy made in your body is in part hydroelectric. I just know you wouldn’t mind a little boost in energy.

If you enjoy wine or beer and still insist, there are some guidelines. First, drink only with meals. Red wine has less sugar and probably more of the beneficial polyphenols than white wines. Most of the good foreign beer is actually brewed and contains far more nutrients than the pasteurized chemicals called beer made by the large commercial breweries in the United States. Trader Joe’s usually has a good selection. Less is better. Occasional rather than regular. Because coffee and alcohol force you to lose water, you’ll have to drink more water to compensate.

Part III ..................

Page Diet - Intoduction

In the book "Why We get Fat" Gary Taubes states that insulin and blood glucose level determine why we get fat and develope disease over time. He suggests a low carbohydrate diet to control insulin and ultimately how fat we get. I suggest using the Page Diet to achieve this goal.

This food plan is designed to assist your body in its ability to create and maintain "balanced body chemistry." Dr. Melvin Page’s food plan is not only extremely helpful but in many cases essential to control blood sugar and hormone imbalances and balance all types of imbalanced body biochemistry. At the famous Page Clinic in Florida, blood chemistry panels were done every three to four days on all patients. Dr. Page based his food plan from the research of Drs. Price and Pottenger, who showed the relationship of diet to health, both physical and emotional. The diet plan was proven true when blood chemistry panels of thousands of patients normalized without any other intervention. Many of today’s popular diets are based on Dr. Page’s work.

Dr. Page emphasized removing absolutely all refined carbohydrates (such as sugar and processed flour) and cow’s milk from the diet. On the food list sheet attached, notice the percentage of carbohydrates is indicated. Dr. Page felt that it was not only important to eat quality proteins and fats, but quality carbohydrates as well.

The longer you are on this program and the more closely you follow it, the easier it will be to stick to it. This will result in your feeling and looking so much better than you did on your old way of eating. As you become healthier, your cravings for those foods that are not the best choices for you will diminish. Old habits are hard to break, so take your time to change your diet habits so you don’t slip into your old way of eating.

Foods to Eat and Not Eat

Proteins: Eat small amounts of proteins frequently. It is best if you have some protein at each meal. It need not be a large amount at any one time. In fact, it is best if you eat smaller amounts (< 3-4 ounces of meat, fish, foul, or eggs at a time). Both animal and vegetarian sources of protein are beneficial. Animal proteins contain all the essential amino acids and they do so in the ratios that maximize their utilization to humans. Choose a variety of meat products and try to find the healthiest options available, i.e. free range and organic, whenever possible. This is any meat with the visible fat trimmed away. Meat is a particularly concentrated source of vitamins A, E and the entire B complex. Vitamin D and B12 are found only in animal products.

Wheat contains all the essential amino acids; but to get enough of the ones that are scarce in supply: for a man weighing 175 lbs (80 kg) he would have to eat 3.3 lbs of white bread vs 0.75 lbs of meat to reach the same safe levels of protein.

There is concern about pork because of its similarity to humans and an inability of pigs to sweat that result in an accumulation of toxins that is independent of their diet. About 70% of the chickens grown for meat in the U.S. are fed roxarsone, which contains arsenic. Some of the arsenic is retained in the chicken meat you eat. Organic chicken should be free of arsenic additive. Beef and lamb should be grass-fed and organic - grass provides healthier fat than the grain fed meat (no risk of “mad-cow” either). For most people, eggs are a high quality source of protein. Eat the whole egg; the lecithin and other nutrients in the yolk are essential to lower blood fat and improve liver and brain function. With any protein, the way in which you prepare it is critical. For beef, lamb, and fish, the closer to raw or rare the better it is for you.
Avoid frying. Grilled, broiled, steamed, soft boiled, or poached is best.

Vegetables: Eat more, more, more! While almost everybody can eat more vegetables, it is an especially important for you. Eat a variety vegetables as outlined in the chart you received, although make the green leafy type your preference. This includes spinach, chard, beet greens, kale, broccoli, mustard greens, etc. Sorry, chocolate is not a vegetable.

As above, the quality of your produce (fresh and organic preferred), and the method of preparation is important. The vegetables should be the vegetables that are in season. Raw is preferred with lightly steamed or sautéed as your second choice for the all vegetables. Get your children to have vegetables with a dip if necessary. The goodness in the vegetable outweighs most of the negatives of the dip.

Sauté only in butter or olive oil; or both in combination the oil will keep the butter from burning. Use lettuces with a rich green color, sprouts and raw nuts for salads. Iceberg lettuce is one of the least nutritious types. Don’t make salads your only choice for vegetables. Substitute nuts for croutons.

While vegetable juice does sound healthy, the act of chewing is important. Chewing activates the part of your brain that controls your appetite and prepares your GI tract for digestion. Wheat grass and the "green food" products should also be mentioned. For many people who are depleted in nutrients, these seem to provide a lift. But large amounts of green foods can be irritating to your colon and should be used sparingly as well. Remember that man is not designed to be a grass eater. Trying to outsmart the maker with "super foods" may not only be ignorant but arrogant as well.

When clinicians discussed plant food they would allow in there diets, they typically did so on the basis of carbohydrate content:

• Bread can be up to 60% carbohyrate by weight if toasted 
• Potatoes are nearly 20% carbohydrate by weight
• Green peas and Artichokes are 15% vegetables
• Onions, Carrots, Beets, and Okra are 10% vegetables

 Most of the green vegetables:

•  Cucumbers, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, kale, lettuce are 5% vegetables

They allowed only 6% vegetables; which ruled out All starchy vegetables.

Most importantly ALL forms bread contain large proportion of carbohydrate, varying from 45-65%; and the percentage in toast as high as 60%.

Fruits: In addition to the advantages with chewing your food, there is an even more important reason not to drink fruit juice. Fruit juice is loaded with the simple sugar, fructose, which is shunted into forming triglycerides and ultimately stored as fat. Without the fiber in the fruit, juice sends a rapid burst of fructose into the blood stream. When you do eat fruit, only eat one type of fruit at a time on an empty stomach; second, avoid sweet fruits (like very ripe bananas and the tropical fruits on the food Phase 2 list available at the office); and third, eat only fresh and organic when possible. Wild berries are a good choice for fruit intake.

Carbohydrates: This is a very tricky area. Most people classify carbohydrates as either complex or simple/processed. Unfortunately, for most patients suffering with imbalance problems almost any carbohydrate is a no-no. It is a physiological fact that the more carbohydrates you eat the more you will want. Craving carbohydrates is a symptom of an imbalance; use this craving to monitor your progress. Overall, eat vegetables as your carbohydrate choice and limit grains (even the whole grains can be trouble). When you do eat whole grains, only have in moderation and only at dinner. If you start the day with carbohydrates, you are more likely to crave them throughout the day, and then you’ll eat more and it’s down hill from there. Absolutely stay away from breads (100% rye only bread is the least of the evils), muffins, cookies, candies, crackers, pastas, white rice and most baked goods. All forms of bread contain a large portion of carbohydrate, varying from 45-60 percent.

Green vegetables are the carbohydrate of choice – including lettuce, cucumbers, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, kale; which al constitute only five percent carbohydrates by weight.

There’s another dark side to carbohydrates that isn’t talked about much – the connection to weight gain, elevated cholesterol and triglycerides, and cancer. You don’t even need to know the details to get the idea how much trouble are carbohydrates.

No more than 80-100 calories (20-25 grams) of carbohydrate at each meal coming from green vegetables.

Grains: There has been a tremendous amount of debate regarding grains. Whole unprocessed grains can be rich sources of vitamins and minerals, but with soil depletion and the special strains of grain that modern agriculture has developed, it isn’t clear what nutrients remain. When scholars study disease patterns and the decline of various civilizations, many of the degenerative diseases developed when cultivation of grains became part of their culture. Allergic reactions, chemicals naturally found in certain grains, lack of the appropriate enzymes, and the carbohydrate content of grains make them a source of trouble for many individuals. My opinion at this time is to minimize grains such as wheat and barley. Unprocessed rye, rolled oats, and brown rice can be considered on occasion to give you more variety. Some of the Danish and German brown breads like pumpernickel seem to be nutritious. Sprouting or soaking grain in water overnight seems to alter its character to a more valuable and probably safer nutrient. Reminder corn is a grain.

Sweeteners: Use only a small amount of raw Tupelo honey or Stevia as sweetener. Absolutely no Nutra-Sweet, corn syrup, or table sugar. Although Dr. Page did not allow raw cane sugar, it does provide the nutrients to aid in its metabolism. If you cheat, be smart. Use only raw cane sugar (called Succanat or Sugar In The Raw® in the brown bags) in small amounts and only with a meal. Saccharin and Sucralose in small quantities are the lesser of the sugar-free evils, but the “need for sweet” suggests that there is an imbalance in your biochemistry. Aspartame creates more problems than it solves because it stimulates the tongue as being sweet, which in turn stimulates brain receptors for anticipation of sweet. When it does not arrive, you crave sweets to satisfy what the brain expected to receive. It will take 12-18 months to reprogram your brain to stop craving sweets! It is no wonder that studies show that more calories are consumed by those who use artificial sweeteners than those who consume whole foods that are natural sweet.

Fats: You may be surprised that most Americans are actually deficient in fat – specifically fats called essential fatty acids. So please use olive oil (cold pressed, extra virgin), walnut oil, flaxseed, coconut, sesame and grapeseed oils. These are all actually beneficial. Cook only with raw organic butter, sesame oil or olive oil. Avoid all hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats – margarine, crackers, chips, fried foods, etc. They are poisons. Because peanut butter, even if raw and without the typical hydrogenation, is actually 28% carbohydrate, use peanuts and peanut butter sparingly. Eat as many avocados and raw nuts as you wish.

If you think eating fat will make you fat, think again. When you eat fat, a chemical signal is sent to your brain to slow down the movement of food out of your stomach. As a result, you feel full. It is not surprising that recent research is showing that those who eat "fat-free" products tend to actually consume more calories than those who eat foods that have not had their fat content reduced. In addition, fats are used not only for energy, but also for building the membrane around every single cell in your body. Fats also play a role in the formation of hormones, which of course make you feel and function well. It is far worse to be hormone depleted from a low fat diet than it is to over eat fat. The sickest patients I see are the ones who have been on a fat-free diet for a long period of time. Like carbohydrates, choose your fats wisely – this program is not suggesting fried or processed foods.

Part II next...............

The Battle of the Diets: Is Anyone Winning (At Losing?)

This is a 2008 presentation by Christopher Gardner PhD for the Stanford School of Medicine lecture series. He has compelted the largets and longest ever comparison of four popular diets using real world conditions; the lowest carbohydrate diet came out on top.



The main findings of this weight loss study, presented in a previous report, indicated that while all three diet groups lost modest amounts of weight, the Atkins group at 12 months lost approximately twice the weight of the other groups. The findings presented here indicate that weight loss in the lowest tertile [third] of adherence was negligible in all three diet groups, and more pronounced in the highest tertile of adherence for each diet group. It appears that substantial differences in proportions of dietary macronutrients play only a modest role in weight loss success, and that success is possible on any of these diets provided there is adequate adherence. Getting individuals to adhere to whatever diet they choose to follow deserves more emphasis. It remains to be determined to what extent there is a need for dietary weight loss programs that are easier to adhere to vs identifying and addressing individual barriers to adherence, or both.

Regular Exercise and More Protein

Exercise


Regular exercise reduces large number of health risks including dementia and some cancers, study finds

ScienceDaily (2010-11-16) -- Regular exercise can reduce around two dozen physical and mental health conditions and slow down how quickly the body ages, according to a research review summarizing the key findings of 40 papers published between 2006 and 2010. ... > read full article
 
 Health conditions covered by the review include: cancer, heart disease, dementia, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity and high blood pressure.
 
Health benefits identified by the review include:

•Regular moderate to intense physical activity is associated with decreased risk of coronary heart disease and ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke.

•A growing body of evidence suggests that increasing physical activity can also reduce the risk of certain types of cancers, osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity and high blood pressure.

•Evidence of the beneficial effects of physical activity in the primary prevention and management of cancer is growing and there is an association between higher levels of physical activity and lower cancer death rates.

•Research has found that walking or cycling for at least an half-an-hour a day is associated with a reduction in cancer and that when this is increased to an hour cancer incidence falls by 16 per cent.

•Evidence is mixed when it comes to specific cancers. Research has shown a strong relationship between increased physical activity and reduced colon cancer in both sexes. And men who are more active at work -- not just sitting at a desk -- have lower rates of prostate cancer.

•Other cancer studies show that physical activity after diagnosis can aid recovery and improve outcomes.

•Studies have also shown that men who are physically active are less likely to experience erection problems.

•There is growing evidence that physical activity could decrease the risk of dementia in the elderly.

Diet


Eating mostly whole grains, few refined grains linked to lower body fat

ScienceDaily (2010-10-20) -- People who consume several servings of whole grains per day while limiting daily intake of refined grains appear to have less of a type of fat tissue thought to play a key role in triggering cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, a new study suggests. ... > read full article

More protein, less refined starch important for dieting, large study shows

ScienceDaily (2010-11-26) -- If you want to lose weight or avoid gaining weight, you should cut down on finely refined starch calories such as white bread and white rice and instead eat a diet that is high in proteins with more lean meat, low-fat dairy products and beans, large scale study suggests. ... > read full article

The five diet types:

The design comprised the following five diet types:
•A low-protein diet (13% of energy consumed) with a high glycemic index (GI)*

•A low-protein, low-GI diet

•A high-protein (25% of energy consumed), low-GI diet

•A high-protein, high-GI diet

•A control group which followed the current dietary recommendations without special instructions regarding glycemic index levels.

A high-protein, low-GI diet worked best.

Don