Countdown to Fitness

Although it has been delayed many times, the Food Safety Modernization Act (S.510) continues to be a threat. This bill greatly expands FDA’s authority over both processed foods and fresh fruits and vegetables, and would give FDA authority to impose extensive, burdensome requirements on even the smallest processing facilities and farms who sell to local consumers.

While the latest version of the bill included some provisions for flexibility and scale-sensitivity, the provisions do not go far enough to protect the small-scale local food businesses that could be destroyed by the new federal regulations. (more…)

Shrimp Is High in Cholesterol, But Is It Healthy?

This article is dedicated to my friend whom I was talking to today about her doctor’s visit.  Her new doctor wants her to go on a 1500 to 1600 calorie, low-carb diet.  Wow, I’m impressed that her doctor realizes that carbs cause major health problems!

I was discussing cholesterol with her.  So is it bad?  If you listen to conventional wisdom, you would think so; however, the truth is that cholesterol is not the problem.  Insulin (which is released into the blood during carbohydrate metabolism) is the problem.  It is responsible for synthesizing cholesterol. (more…)

Do you have high blood pressure, cholesterol, or triglycerides?  Are you diabetic?  Do you want to lose weight? Maybe you have arthritis or some other auto-immune disease.  Perhaps you are just looking to eat healthily.  Maintaining good health and a healthy weight is all about managing your insulin levels.  The master hormone insulin is key to regulating energy and glucose metabolism, which comes from eating carbs.  Insulin, when dominant in your body, tells your body to store food as fat, to make cholesterol, and to do other functions, which, when working properly is fine.  However, our Western diets, high in carbs, create an overabundant amount of insulin in the body, leading to health problems, like an overabundant amount of body fat, cholesterol, triglycerides, among the other health problems mentioned above.  Therefore, managing your carbs is key. (more…)

Orange Juice - Could It Kill You?

“That orange juice will kill you,” said a French waitress to my husband’s boss years ago, when the boss was in Paris on business, eating his normal breakfast at the hotel. Later, the boss related the incident, and we all thought that was really funny.  How could orange juice kill people?  (The French have a lower incidence of heart disease.  Is there a connection?)

Well, the joke was really on us.  I related this incident about a week ago to a visitor as we talked about nutrition and she mentioned drinking orange juice and eating oranges, thinking she was eating healthily.  Yes, I used to think this way too, until I realized how much sugar and carbohydrates were in one orange 2- 7/8″ in diameter.  According to NutritionData.com, there are 18 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and 12 grams of sugar in that orange. If you ate it, you just consumed about 2 1/2 teaspoons of sugar.  OUCH!  The American Heart Association is suggesting no more than 6 teaspoons of sugar per day for women and 9 for men, although I now think these values are way too high, as these numbers will probably promote insulin resistance. (more…)

Live Springs Farm Pasture-Raised Pig

I was inspired to make this wonderful recipe after seeing the Baked Pork Chops with Swiss Chard; however, I made a few modifications, the main ones being the type and amount of fat used.  (I didn’t have Swiss chard, so I used spinach, but this is minor since the two are interchangeable.)

The original recipe used 3 tablespoons of olive oil, which not only was excessive, but also wasn’t healthy since olive oil breaks down into harmful fats at high temperatures, as this recipe requires.  Instead, I substituted lard.  Contrary to popular opinion, lard does not cause heart disease.  Please read “Reversing Heart Disease without Drugs.” (I’ve read plenty of evidence that verifies this physician-authored article.)  It’s the carbohydrates, especially refined carbohydrates, that cause high cholesterol and heart disease. (more…)