By Julie Fidler | Natural Society

In the massive spending bill unveiled Wednesday morning on Capitol Hill, 2 small paragraphs contain language that may force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to finalize guidelines for the labeling of the recently-approved genetically modified (GM) salmon, or “Frankenfish.”

Related Article: What Does FDA-Approved GMO Salmon Really Mean for Our Health?

In the $1.1 trillion bill to fund the government through September 2016, the agency is instructed to ban the sale of GM salmon until it can complete labeling guidelines and “a program to disclose to consumers” whether a fish has been genetically altered. The FDA is expected to spend a minimum of $150,000 of its funding to develop these guidelines. [1]

The directive comes a month after health regulators made salmon the first GM animal approved for human consumption. The AquaAdvantage salmon, produced by AquaBounty Technologies, claims to meet the statutory requirements for safety and effectiveness under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

The Alaskan salmon contains a growth hormone from a Chinook salmon and a gene from the ocean pout that makes the fish grow large enough for consumption in 18 months instead of the normal 3 years. Deep concerns have been raised by opponents of the product and commercial fisherman over whether the fish is indeed safe to eat and whether it would be dangerous to the environment if it ever made its way into ocean waters and mated with wild salmon.

Related Article: 44 Reasons to Ban or Label GMOs – by Gary Null, PhD.

AquaBounty claims the fish are all sterile females that are raised in land-locked facilities, but at one point, the FDA actively sought to release the mutated creatures into the wild.

“There’s a question as to whether this fish should even be called a salmon,” said Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who pushed for the additional language. “The FDA made no mandatory labeling requirement. Instead, they said it could be labeled voluntarily. But no manufacturer of a ‘Frankenfish’ is going to label it as such. … At least now people will have the opportunity, the chance, to know what it is that they are purchasing.”

It’s unclear where the AquAdvantage salmon might show up for sale, but consumer and environmental activists alike have convinced some of the nation’s largest retailers – including Target, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and Costco – not to sell it.

While most Americans support the labeling of GMO foods, industry groups are not happy that the Frankenfish will have the GMO label slapped on it.

Related Article: Monsanto’s DARK ACT Stopped Dead in its Tracks in Congress

“It is unfortunate that Congress has failed to take action this year to stop a patchwork of costly and misleading state labeling mandates, an issue of tremendous importance to consumers, farmers, food and beverage companies,” Pamela Bailey, president and CEO of the Grocery Manufacturers Associations said in a statement. “In January, food manufacturers will face exponentially increasing costs totaling hundreds of millions of dollars to comply with Vermont’s GMO labeling mandate.” [2]

Read more great articles at Natural Society.

By Stephanie Santiago & Elliot D. Cohen | * Project Censored

By Adam Hart | PowerOfFood.com

Do you feel like your best friend in the morning is the snooze button on your alarm clock? I used to feel that way too! Sometimes I’d push that thing half a dozen times, right up until the very moment I had to get out of bed to make it to work on time. That often meant a quick stop at Tim Hortons for a muffin or my other favourite back in the day, a McDonalds sausage egg McMuffin, 2 hash browns and of course, a coffee. And if I was really short on time, I would forget about breakfast all together.

Who needs breakfast anyway. You can always grab something on your coffee break, right?

Well hold on a second there. I need to fill you in on a little secret. Yes, my overweight, highly caffeinated, pre-diabetic past is the perfect example of why breakfast is actually something we need to pay closer attention to if we want to live a long and healthy life.

I’ve since learned that out of all my bad habits, skipping breakfast was one of my worst. Research is increasingly showing that missing the most important meal of the day leads to a whole host of serious health problems! This week, I want to share a few of them with you.

1. Breakfast Helps Control Your Weight

A long term study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people in the habit of skipping breakfast in both childhood and adulthood had a larger waist circumference, higher insulin levels and higher levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol than breakfast eaters. In plain English, that means skipping breakfast screws up your metabolism big time, resulting in weight gain.

2. Skipping Breakfast Increases the Risk of Heart Disease

The Harvard School of Public Health recently published a study that found men aged 45 to 82 who regularly skip breakfast increase their risk of heart attack or death from coronary heart disease by a whopping 27 percent! The large study controlled for the impact of smoking, exercise, diet, and many other factors and the deadly effects of skipping breakfast persisted.

3. Skipping Breakfast Increases the Risk of Diabetes

Another study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that men who skip breakfast had a 21% higher risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. This study found that the effect of skipping breakfast persisted even after considering other factors, like body mass and the nutritional quality of the subjects’ regular diet.

Read the rest of the article…

By Julie Fidler | Natural Society

Good news about coffee is always exciting, so here’s a bit more: scientists have linked drinking 3-4 cups a coffee a day to a decreased risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Related Article: Drink To Your Health: Study Links Daily Coffee Habit To Longevity

Or maybe we should say that scientists have once more linked drinking coffee to a decreased risk for Type 2 diabetes, because this isn’t the first time researchers have reached that conclusion.

In April, a study published in the journal Nature found that “habitual” coffee drinkers who consume more than 1.5 cups of coffee a day cut their risk of developing the disease over a 10-day period by more than half.

And a 2014 study published in Diabetes Care found that coffee drinkers who consumed a single cup of coffee a day cut their relative diabetes risk by 92%. Those who drank 3 cups a day cut their risk by 79%, and the biggest coffee lovers – those who drank 6 cups a day – reduced their risk by 67%.

For the newest study, researchers from Aarhus University Hospital, Denmark, looked at the effects of a number of compounds, including cafestol and caffeic acid, both of which increased insulin secretion when glucose was added. Cafestol was found to increase glucose uptake in muscle cells, matching the levels of a currently prescribed anti-diabetes drug. [1]

Related Article: Just ¼ Tsp. of Ginger Daily Could Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Markers

Other compounds like contribute to coffee’s health benefits, Soren Gregersen from the Department of Endocrinology and Internal Medicine noted in the Journal of Natural Products, because coffee filters eliminate a significant amount of the cafestol in drip coffee. [2]

In Type 2 diabetes, the body does not use insulin properly (insulin resistance). The pancreas initially makes more insulin to make up for the deficit, but eventually this organ can’t keep up with the demand and can’t make enough insulin to maintain healthy glucose levels.

And while coffee may prevent diabetes and offers numerous other health benefits, loading it up with sugar and flavored coffee creamers negates its power to regulate blood sugar. Having a couple of GMO-filled, sugar-laden specialty coffee drinks at Starbucks won’t cut it.

If you can’t stomach black coffee but you want to reap its benefits, Stevia is a great sweetener. Some studies have suggested it could help prevent and reverse diabetes, but make sure you get the all-natural kind.

Related Article: All Natural Stevia Plant: A Scrutinized Solution for Diabetes Sufferers, Obesity

And you can always spice up your java with healthy spices like cinnamon (stabilizes blood sugar, helps improve LDL (bad) cholesterol and is a good source of vitamin K and iron), nutmeg (good source of manganese), cocoa powder (lots of protein, potassium and zinc, and is also a very good source of dietary fiber, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, copper and manganese) and cardamom (plenty of vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc, and it is also a very good source of dietary fiber, iron and manganese).

Sources:

[1] TheNational

[2] Food World News

Read more great articles at Natural Society.

By Trinity | Trinity’s Conscious Kitchen

Video Source: Dr. Barry Sears

By Dr. Mercola | mercola.com

Polyphenols are phytochemicals, meaning compounds found abundantly in natural plant food sources that have antioxidant properties. There are over 8,000 identified polyphenols found in foods such as tea, wine, chocolates, fruits, vegetables, and extra virgin olive oil,¹ just to name a few.

Polyphenols play an important role in maintaining your health and wellness.
Antioxidants as a group help protect the cells in your body from free radical damage, thereby controlling the rate at which you age.

If your body does not get adequate protection, free radicals can become rampant, causing your cells to perform poorly. This can lead to tissue degradation and put you at risk of diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease, for example.

Related Article: The 12 Best Foods & Antioxidants to Naturally Cure a Cold or Flu

Antioxidants² can be divided into three major groups:

1) Carotenoids, which are discussed in greater detail in my “Basic Vitamin A Primer”

2) Allyl sulfides, found in garlic and onions

3) Polyphenols^3,4 (also known as phenolics)

Types of Polyphenols

Polyphenols can be further broken down into four categories, with additional subgroupings^5,6 based on the number of phenol rings they contain, and on the basis of structural elements that bind these rings to one another.

As a general rule, foods contain complex mixtures of polyphenols, with higher levels found in the outer layers of the plants than the inner parts:⁷

1) Flavonoids, which have both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, found in fruits, vegetables, legumes, red wine, and green tea

• Flavones
• Flavonols
• Flavanones
• Isoflavones
• Anthocyanidins
• Chalcones
• Catechins

2) Stilbenes, found in red wine and peanuts (resveratrol is the most well known)

3) Lignans, found in seeds like flax, legumes, cereals, grains, fruits, algae, and certain vegetables

4) Phenolic acids

• Hydroxybenzoic acids, found in tea
• Hydroxycinnamic acids found in cinnamon of course but also in coffee, blueberries, kiwis, plums, apples, and cherries

The Role of Polyphenols in Plants and Humans

Polyphenols give fruits, berries, and vegetables their vibrant colors, and contribute to the bitterness, astringency, flavor, aroma, and oxidative stability of the food. In the plant, they protect against ultraviolet radiation, pathogens, oxidative damage, and harsh climatic conditions.

In the human body, polyphenols have diverse biological properties,^8,9 including:

How to Optimize the Polyphenol Content of Your Diet

By far the most studied and understood polyphenol group is the flavonoids — compounds found in red wine and dark chocolate. However, no one polyphenol is necessarily better than the rest.

To optimize the benefits of these natural health boosting agents, it’s important to eat a wide variety of foods that are rich in polyphenols. High-quality seasonings, raw fruits, vegetables, and seeds are among the richest sources.¹²

However, there’s also the issue of bioavailability, i.e. how well your body can absorb the nutrients contained in the food. One of the interesting facts about polyphenols is that they are fat soluble. This means that you should take them with fats in your diet or they won’t absorb as readily.¹³

Eating a diet rich in healthy fats will optimize the amount of polyphenols your body can absorb. How the plant is grown can also influence its healing potential. As noted in a 2004 paper,¹⁴ agricultural practices and industrial processes can reduce the health effects of the polyphenols in the food.

Previous research¹⁵ shows that organically and sustainably grown foods contain statistically higher levels of polyphenols compared to conventionally grown varieties. Also, freeze-drying preserves higher phenol content than air-drying does.

The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition^16,17 has published a list of the 100 richest dietary sources of polyphenols, based on milligrams (mg) per 100 grams (g) or 100 mg of food. Below are 20 foods topping that list:

The Benefits of Berries

As you can see, herbs and spices are as a general rule very high in polyphenols, so you can’t really go wrong by adding them liberally to your cooking. Berries of all sorts and colorful fruits and vegetables are also an excellent source. They’re also ideal as they tend to be low in fructose, and therefore will not significantly raise your insulin level and contribute to insulin resistance. As noted by the Epoch Times:¹⁸

“[B]erries are some of the most disease preventive foods on the planet … their high levels of polyphenols and other nutrients provide health benefits from head to toe … One of the most remarkable gifts from berries is the protection they afford your heart, which results mostly from their anthocyanin content.

Anthocyanins support the endothelial lining of your circulatory system by improving blood pressure, reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, enhancing capillary strength, inhibiting platelet formation, and preventing the buildup of arterial plaque …

A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics involving high-risk postmenopausal women found that consuming one cup of blueberries daily for eight weeks reduced blood pressure and arterial stiffness, possibly due to increased nitric oxide production.

Women who consume more than 3 servings of blueberries and strawberries per week were found to have a 32 percent lower risk of heart attack. One cup of mixed berries per day has been shown to lower blood pressure and raise beneficial HDL. Blueberries offer additional protection from type 2 diabetes by stabilizing blood sugar levels and improving insulin sensitivity.”

Related Article: 7 Incredible Benefits of Pomegranate Seeds (#3 Is Life-Saving)

Polyphenol Supplements

Many different extracts from grape seeds, grape skin, or olive pulp are used in the production of supplements. However, just because these supplements are made from natural ingredients doesn’t mean that taking them in large amounts is safe or advisable. Research^19,20 has revealed that taking large amounts of polyphenol supplements may cause:

1) Iron depletion in populations of people who have marginal iron stores

2) Interference with thyroid hormone metabolism

3) Interactions with pharmaceutical drugs, enhancing their biologic effects

Eating a well-balanced diet, rich in polyphenols, reduces the potential you’ll consume more of the micronutrients than your body requires. If you do opt for a supplement, be aware that polyphenol supplements will contain a variety of different compounds, depending upon the supplement you choose. It’s important to trust the company you purchase your supplements from, to read the package directions carefully, and avoid taking excess amounts.

Documented Health Benefits of Polyphenols

There is ongoing research evaluating the 8,000-plus different polyphenols that have so far been identified. The completed studies give you a good indication of how important these micronutrients are to your overall health.

1) Type-2 Diabetes affects 29 million people in the US.²¹ Based on animal models, and some human studies, polyphenols have been found to stabilize blood sugar and fat metabolism, reduce insulin resistance, and lower inflammation in the body. This can help prevent long-term complications from diabetes, including cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, and retinopathy.^22,23

However, please understand that polyphenols are in no way a treatment for diabetes. Reducing your non-fiber carbs to less than 50 grams a day and using high quality fats is the solution.

2) Cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, approximately 40 percent of all men and women will experience cancer in their lifetime. Multiple research studies have demonstrated the usefulness of polyphenols in the prevention of cancer.^24,25,26,27 Researchers believe the antioxidant behavior of polyphenols help protect DNA from free radical damage, that can trigger cancer development.

Polyphenols also reverse epigenetic markers in the DNA and are believed to reduce tumor growth. The fundamental metabolic treatment though that addresses the cause though, is a nutritional ketosis diet that reduces your non-fiber carbs to less than 50 grams a day and uses high quality fats.

3) Cardiovascular disease accounts for 1 in every 4 deaths in the United States, and heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women.²⁸ The research supporting polyphenols in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease is well documented.

Flavonoid polyphenols help to reduce the clumping of platelets in your blood and improve the function of your cells that line your arteries and veins.²⁹ Platelet clumping is one potential precursor in heart attacks and angina.

Polyphenols are also important as antioxidants, by scavenging free radicals and reducing the inflammatory response in your body. They are also a factor in the development of cardiovascular disease.³⁰ Polyphenols inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor, which causes complications with atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries, a factor in cardiovascular disease.³¹

4) Alzheimer’s Disease. An estimated 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, a severe form of dementia,³² and the most recent data^33,34 suggest over half a million Americans die from Alzheimer’s each year, making it the third leading cause of death in the US, right behind heart disease and cancer. Researchers have identified the role polyphenols play in delaying the onset of dementia and reducing your risk for Alzheimer’s.

For example, resveratrol, found in grape skins and red wine, has been found to have neuroprotective effects.³⁵ Other studies have demonstrated a reduction in the progression of dementia when polyphenols were included in the daily diet, by reducing two changes in the neurological system leading to dementia.^36,37

Just as in cancer, the fundamental metabolic treatment that addresses the cause is a nutritional ketosis diet that reduces your non-fiber carbs to less than 50 grams a day and uses high quality fats.

5) Osteoporosis is a condition in which you lose bone density, which can lead to bone fractures.³⁸ Polyphenols, related to their antioxidant activity, have a positive effect on bone metabolism and reduce your potential risk of developing osteoporosis.^39,40

Surprise! Polyphenols Also Affect Your Gut Microbiome

Your gastrointestinal tract plays an important role in your health. Some 100 trillion bacteria, fungi, and viruses make up the microbiome and flora living in your gut, and it has become very clear that these organisms play critical roles in your mental and physical health, from your brain, skin, and internal organs, to your neurological system, weight, mood, and beyond. Doctors and researchers now consider the microbiome as one of the most complex organs in your body.

The microorganisms in your gut outnumber the cells in your body by 10 to 1 and play a role in the protection against, or prevention of cancer, obesity, diabetes, neurological disorders, allergies, and mood disorders. You can improve the variety and performance of your gut microbes by eating fermented foods, which will repopulate your gut naturally, or by taking a probiotic supplement.

But recent research shows that plant polyphenols also influence and modulate your gut microbiota. The video presentation above, given by the Canadian Institute of Nutrition and Functional Food, explains the paradigm shift in understanding the effect of polyphenols on diseases by way of modulating gut microbes.

Polyphenols appear to have a prebiotic effect by improving the nutrition of beneficial bacteria living in your gut. Much of the research has been done on green tea, which plays an important role on balancing your gut flora by not only increasing the good bacteria but also reducing the number of bad bacteria.^41,42,43,44 Research has also found improvements in gut flora with consumption of red wine and chocolate in moderation.^45,46

Polyphenols Boost Healthy Bacteria Associated with Weight Loss and Improved Mood

In previous research, obese individuals were found to have about 20 percent more of a family of bacteria known as firmicutes, and almost 90 percent less of a bacteria called bacteroidetes than lean people. Firmicutes help your body to extract calories from complex sugars and deposit those calories in fat. This is one explanation for how the microflora in your gut may affect your weight. As it turns out, firmicutes and bacteroidetes are two types of bacteria influenced by polyphenols.

As noted in a 2013 study:⁴⁷

“[P]polyphenols may be converted by the colonic microbiota to bioactive compounds that can affect the intestinal ecology and influence host health.

There is evidence from in vitro animal and human studies that certain doses of selected polyphenols may modify the gut microbial composition, and while certain bacterial groups can be inhibited, others can thrive in the available niche of the ecosystem. Phenolic compounds alter gut microbiota and, consequently, alter the Bacteroides/Firmicutes balance.”

Bifidobacteria and lactobacillus bacteria are also helpful for weight management, and help keep potentially harmful bacteria in check. One previous study found that children with high numbers of bifidobacteria appeared to be protected from excess weight gain.

On average, the bifidobacteria counts were twice as high in healthy weight children, as in those who became overweight by the age of 7. Certain lactobacillus strains have also been linked to improved mood and reduced anxiety- and depression-related behavior.

The featured study⁴⁸ also notes that:

“[P]roanthocyanidin-rich extract from grape seeds given to healthy adults for two weeks was able to significantly increase the number of bifidobacteria … Vendrame et al. found a significant increase in the amount of Bifidobacteriumafter the consumption of a wild blueberry drink, suggesting an important role of the polyphenol present in wild blueberries on the intestinal microbiota composition modulation …

[R]ecent studies indicate that monomeric flavan-3-ols and flavan-3-ol-rich sources such as chocolate, green tea, and blackcurrant or grape seed extracts may modulate the intestinal microbiota in vivo, producing changes in beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus spp. but inhibiting other groups such Clostridium spp. in both in vivo and in vitrostudies…”

Make Polyphenol-Rich Foods a Part of Your Daily Diet

It is generally recognized that polyphenols are powerful nutrients that protect your health by fighting against free radicals in your body and preventing damage from oxidation. Free radicals are highly reactive molecules that steal electrons from the first thing they encounter, such as a cell wall, or a strand of DNA.

The loss of an electron, in turn, oxidizes these cells, which makes them unstable and easily breakable. As this free-radical damage continues, cells can no longer perform properly, and hence, tissues begin to degrade and disease sets in.

And yet, you still need some free radicals, as your body uses them as vitally important signaling molecules, and if they were all eliminated you would die very shortly. They also play a role in your immune system, attacking foreign invaders and pathogenic bacteria.

Related Article: Discover the 7 Health Benefits of this ‘Secret’ Compound Found in Many Superfoods

Eliminating most of them, or shooting for complete eradication, can lead to the opposite problem of actually creating more damage. Free radicals are a natural byproduct of breathing; antioxidants mop up the excess and leave the rest to fulfill their other functions. This fine balancing act can be easily tipped to the point of either too much or too little.

So what’s the answer? The answer is, “Yes, you do need antioxidants,” but you need to make sure you’re getting them from the right sources — from the food you eat. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and nuts, will usually supply you with the antioxidants needed to walk this fine line. One reason why a varied diet of REAL food works better than simply taking antioxidant supplements is the fact that the isolated antioxidant may not be the exact one your body needs at that moment.

Fruits and veggies, however, are rich in antioxidants such as polyphenols, but they also contain hundreds of other chemicals, creating a synergistic effect where the total benefit is far greater than the sum of its parts. Simple and easy ways to boost the healthy antioxidants in your diet is to juice a wide variety of vegetables, eating fresh berries and nuts, and liberally adding herbs and spices to your cooking.

Read more great articles at mercola.com

By Kaitlin Allerton & Susan Rahman   |* Project Censored

The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) reported in June 2014 that “food and beverage manufacturers along with industry-supported organizations such as trade associations, front groups, and public relations firms” have actively sought to ensure that Americans continue to consume sugar at high levels. The sugar industry has adopted many of the same tactics previously developed and employed by the tobacco industry, including attacking scientific evidence; spreading misinformation through industry websites, research institutes, and trade associations to deceive the public; deploying industry scientists; influencing academia; and undermining policy.

Flickr: Andrea Nguyen, Grilled Crisp Tofu Pockets

Source: Bembu

“Stay away from soy, and soy-based products such as tofu. They cause many health problems and can even KILL YOU!”

Sound familiar? That’s because this type of alarmist message is widespread. All you need to do is type tofu + health in any search engine and you’ll be bombarded with articles touting the harm of tofu and the health dangers of soy. But is tofu really as bad for you as these articles make it seem? Read on to find out.

Related Article: 15 Best Protein Alternatives To Meat (& None Are Tofu)

You’ll recognize the alarmist type of message I’m talking about in any of the following claims:

• Tofu is an unhealthy processed food.

• Soy-based products block the absorption of minerals and injures your insides.

• Soy-based products messes with your thyroid function and slows down your metabolism.

• Tofu will give you breast cancer.

• Soy-based products makes men less manly.

• Soy-based infant formula is dangerous to babies.

That’s enough to scare anyone into never wanting to get close to a block of tofu again!

When a close friend, worried about giving her toddler soy-based products, shared yet another alarmist article of the sort, I figured it might be time to actually take a closer look at the available scientific data regarding tofu and share my findings with her, and, by the same token, you!

A couple of years back, the Agency for HealthCare Research And Quality produced a large (100-page) report in which they soundly reviewed the relevant human data on soy. I’ve included the link to this report here, for those of you interested in taking a closer look at this unbiased, scientific review.

For those of you not interested in an extensive summary of the literature, let me cut to the chase and share with you this report’s conclusion, based on the review of thousands of studies based on rigorous criteria and scientific validity:

There is no conclusive evidence of an effect (either negative or positive) of soy protein or isoflavone based on the evidence that exists today.

In other words, the negative effects of soy are largely overstated!

So what are all these studies and unscientific articles floating around the worldwide web basing their arguments on?

Well, for one, many cite no sources, so it’s hard to tell… A good point to be kept in mind whenever reading a health post (alarmist or not), is to give more value to those who do cite scientific references.

But what about those who do include such citations, supporting pretty gnarly negative effects of consuming soy and soy-based products like tofu?

As for those who do include citations, supporting pretty gnarly negative effects of soy and soy-based products such as tofu, there’s no denying they exist. Yet, an often overlooked fact is that the amount of soy used in many of these studies is much higher than what an average person would normally consume. I’m talking about doses equivalent to as much as one pound of tofu per day! Not many people I know consume that much tofu, consistently, every day…

What’s more, many studies are performed on mice and rats, which, cute as they may be, are quite different from humans. This means that extrapolation of findings from animal studies to humans must be done with particular caution.

That being said, let’s take a closer look at some of those alarmist claims!

Tofu Is High In Toxins, Injures Your Insides And Causes Chronic Deficiencies

Soybeans are an excellent source of iron, calcium, manganese and selenium as well as a good source of magnesium, copper and zinc. Yet, an often-heard anti-tofu argument is that the soybeans used to make tofu also contain a large quantity of toxins and anti-nutrients which can cause a variety of gastric problems and nutrient deficiencies.

So, is this true? After some digging, here’s what I found:

Soy does contain three main “anti-nutrients”; trypsin-inhibitors, phytates and lectins.

• Trypsin is an enzyme needed to properly digest protein which means that trypsin inhibitors in soy can reduce protein digestion in the stomach and small intestine.

• Phytates are naturally present in all grains, seeds, nuts and legumes and are compounds which tie up minerals such as calcium, zinc and iron, decreasing their absorption from the intestine.

• Finally, lectins are a protein also found in grains, seeds, nuts and legumes that that can cause adverse effects ranging from nausea to bloating if consumed uncooked or improperly cooked or in excess.

Eating raw soybeans involves getting a side of these three compounds. Soaking and cooking the soybeans tends to deactivate some of the trypsin inhibitors and eliminate a good amount of the phytates and lectin content.

Sprouting soybean prior to producing tofu can also decrease levels of trypsin inhibitors and phytates by up to 81% and 56% respectively, in addition to increasing protein content by up to 13%.

Related Article: Medical Doctor Sells Practice, Opens Up “Farmacy” Using Food as Medicine

Fermentation also does the trick, which is why you may want to reach for products such as miso, tempeh, natto or tamari (a naturally fermented soy sauce) more often. Natto may be especially healthy as it contains a significant amount of vitamin K2, important for cardiovascular and bone health.

                                                   Gilly Wong, Hong Kong Consumer Council

By Eddie Lee|scmp.com

International fast-food chain McDonald’s and listed company Cafe de Coral are among nine restaurant groups targeted by the city’s consumer watchdog in its latest campaign to tackle a major public health risk caused by the use of meat from animals fed by growth-promoting antibiotics.

In a statement published on the Consumer Council’s website, the watchdog said it had written to nine restaurant chains to inquire about their policies on the use of such meat.

It further urged the companies to set a timetable to stop sourcing meat and poultry from animals that were routinely fattened by the supplements. The request came in an effort to halt the spread of deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacteria posing serious health hazards.

Related Article : Beware: Antibiotic Use Can Have Major Adverse Health Ramifications

International fast-food chain McDonald’s and listed company Cafe de Coral are among nine restaurant groups targeted by the city’s consumer watchdog in its latest campaign to tackle a major public health risk caused by the use of meat from animals fed by growth-promoting antibiotics.

Related Article: These Popular Chain Restaurants Got Fail Rating in Antibiotics Meat Report (Video)

In a statement published on the Consumer Council’s website, the watchdog said it had written to nine restaurant chains to inquire about their policies on the use of such meat.

Related Article : Superbug Resistant to ALL Antibiotics Found in China

It further urged the companies to set a timetable to stop sourcing meat and poultry from animals that were routinely fattened by the supplements. The request came in an effort to halt the spread of deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacteria posing serious health hazards.

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE AND MORE ABOUT MEAT ISSUES IN HONG KONG HERE….

By Sanjana Gupta | India Times

The researchers were inspired by the healing properties of turmeric (haldi) and studied it for 10 years.

Researchers from the Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidyalaya (RGPV), Bhopal said they were inspired by turmeric, because it is a time-tested remedy. “Inspired by the healing properties of turmeric, which is available in every household and is considered to be an effective antiseptic that can be given to almost everyone to treat various ailments, we have studied it deeply for almost 10 long years and discovered two new molecules,” said Vice Chancellor of RGPV, Professor Piyush Trivedi.

Related Article: ‘Super Anti-Cancer Spice’ Turmeric Could Fight Type 2 Diabetes & Fuel Weight Loss

Their research helped them discover two new anti-carcinogenic molecules, code named CTR-17 and CTR-20.

“The molecules elicit anticancer activity through a mechanism that involves obstruction of cancer cell division by inhibiting tubulin, a protein which is important for many important cellular functions, including chromosome segregation during cell division, intracellular transport, development and maintenance of cell shape, cell motility and distribution of molecules on cell membranes,” said doctoral student Dr. C. Karthikeyan.

Related Article: Turmeric Surpasses Mouth Wash for Oral Health: Gingivitis, Mouth Cancer, and More

READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE…

Related Article: Dr Axe’s Top 12 Cancer-Fighting Foods