Countdown to Fitness

Photo courtesy of Jenny Downing

We’ve all been led to believe that fluoride is good and that it prevents cavities.  However, I’ve recently read quite a few studies that exposed the dangers of fluoride.  It is actually an industrial pollutant, and sodium fluoride, which is used in drinking water and toothpaste, is used as a rat poison.  So how did an industrial pollutant and rat poison make it’s way to our drinking water?  Journalist Christopher Bryson wrote a book The Fluoride Deception that talks about how this nuclear waste by-product became a standard additive to drinking water across the U.S. (more…)

Gwen Olsen, according to her video and website spent 15 years as a sales rep in the pharmaceutical industry working for several different well-known companies.  She is now speaking out about the dangers of this industry and the dangers of some of the prescription medications.

You may want to reconsider eating that piece of bread or sandwich. While most everyone knows that white flour is not healthy to begin with, the bleaching agent, itself, creates a dangerous by-product that actually causes diabetes.

It’s well known that refined flour is not healthy because it is bereft of most nutrients.  In the refining process, the bran — outer layer of grain, which contains dietary fiber, essential fatty acids, starch, protein, vitamins, and dietary minerals — is removed. Also, the cereal germ, or reproductive part of the plant that contains many nutrients, is also removed to prevent the flour from going rancid. What’s left, the endosperm, is a simple carbohydrate that quickly converts to sugar in the body, which spikes insulin.  It’s almost as bad as eating table sugar straight from the bowl. (more…)

Are you performing a simple test to see if your fish oil is rancid and storing it properly to reduce the chances of it causing disease?  Most of us take it for granted that our fish oil is safe and providing the many touted, wonderful benefits we often hear about.  However, fish oil is harmful to one’s health if rancid and releases large amounts of free radicals in the body, which can cause cancer and other diseases.

Typically fish oil is very beneficial.  It contains essential omega-3 fatty acids, which are labeled “essential” because our bodies don’t make this substance, so we must get it from the food we eat or supplements we take. Omega-3s not only reduce inflammation, but they also have many other possible health benefits.  These fatty acids have been shown to reduce blood pressure and blood triglyceride levels and may be helpful in reducing the inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis.  There is also some evidence that omega-3s can reduce depression and anxiety, ischemic and thrombotic strokes, and cancer risks.  Additionally, there is some evidence that it boosts immune function. (more…)

Fatty fish such as salmon are natural sources of vitamin D - Photo by Ayako

I read an interesting article which references a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.  Researchers found a link between low Vitamin D levels and the onset of allergies in children.

The article says, “While no specific correlation in this particular study was observed between vitamin D and allergens in adults, children and adolescents with low levels of vitamin D were found to be sensitive to an average of 11 of the 17 allergens, which included environmental allergens like ragweed and oak, and food allergens like eggs and peanuts.”  This conclusion confirms a Harvard study from 2007 that concluded the onset of allergies and asthma in children could be reduced by increasing sunlight exposure. (more…)