Safe superfoods....

Today's post: Thursday, 9-11-2008

When I heard that salmon was actually good for my health to eat as it was low in saturated fat & high in omega 3 oils I was delighted. It’s got a mild but rich flavor and is so tender you can cut it with your fork.

So, for a couple of years I always ordered salmon when I ate in a nicer restaurant. Unfortunately, as I learned about two years ago, that was likely NOT a good idea. It seems virtually all those salmon dishes were farmed salmon. And, unfortunately, farmed salmon is closer in its oil content to the grain fed beef that tends to give people heart disease; and the farmed salmon has considerably MORE health harmful pollutants than the grain fed beef.

As some of you remember, we did a post earlier on why NOT to eat farmed salmon. But some of you have not yet seen this information.

Today’s Early To Rise email has that information & similar information on how to get the superfoods and foods that are both good for you AND safe to eat. And, it explains what you tend to get if you don’t get the wild caught, grass fed, &/or organic foods instead.

Even with superfoods such as salmon and strawberries your net health benefit is completely positive instead of at least partly negative only if you get the OK kinds.

“This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

By Kelley Herring

How much is your health worth to you? For most people, the answer is quite simple: Everything.

But in this age of "pill and procedure" medicine, many wait until it's too late to make an investment in their health. And with the rising cost of food, it's tempting to scrimp and save wherever you can.

I have two important messages for you: (1) The time to invest in your health is now! Not when your quality of life has become compromised. And (2) the good news is that eating high-quality food - the finest Mother Nature has to offer - doesn't have to break the bank.

Food, like anything, tends to be less costly when it is mass produced. Producing it the right way - with care and attention to the environment - often costs more. Still, there are many conventional foods that give you the same nutritional bang for the buck as organics. At the same time, there are some "superfoods" you should be eating - and willing to pay a little more for.

Here's the scoop on five of them...

#1: Wild Salmon

Salmon has been heralded for its many health benefits (and deservedly so). The popularity of this fish has created wide demand. And to satiate consumers' appetites, thousands of fish farms have arisen on the world's coasts. Unfortunately, in this case, Mother Nature has not been successfully mimicked.

What was once touted as a health food for its robust levels of essential omega-3s has become a fishy substitute at best. At worst, farmed salmon will do you more harm than good. And that's why I urge you to buy only wild salmon.

How does this superfood turn from friend to foe? Here are the facts:

Farmed salmon contains endocrine-disrupting PCBs. Farmed salmon are fed fishmeal pellets that concentrate known cancer-causing pollutants called PCBs. While all salmon have some level of PCBs, farmed salmon have seven times higher levels than wild salmon.

Farmed salmon are lower in powerful antioxidants. Wild salmon dine on krill, which contain a carotenoid called astaxanthin (pronounced: asta-ZAN-thin) - one of the most powerful antioxidants ever discovered. Astaxanthin is also the nutrient responsible for wild salmon's beautiful red-orange color.

Farmed salmon are treated with artificial coloring. Because farmed salmon are fed cornmeal, soy, and canola oil - not their natural diet of krill - they are gray in color. They turn pink only when given chemically synthesized astaxanthin or treated with artificial coloring agents.

Farmed salmon promote inflammation. As a result of their diet, the flesh of farmed salmon contains up to four times the amount of inflammatory omega-6s than the flesh of wild salmon... and far less essential omega-3s.

Farmed salmon are loaded with antibiotics. Due to the cramped quarters in fish farms, lice and disease spread rapidly. And, in fact, farmed salmon are administered more antibiotics by weight than any other form of livestock.
You can't afford not to eat wild salmon. It is one of the few fish that is still remarkably unpolluted, it is sustainably harvested, and it's one of the healthiest proteins you can put on your plate.

The additional cost per serving of wild salmon ranges between $0.50 (Target, Archer Farms brand) to approximately $2.00 (Vital Choice)... a very small price to pay for a huge improvement in quality.

#2: Coffee

If you love coffee, you'll be glad to know that you can indulge yourself and promote your health too. Coffee is a rich source of age-defying antioxidants, and recent research even suggests it helps prevent Parkinson's and fight diabetes.

But I have some jolting news. If the coffee you drink is not organic, you're exposing yourself to cup after cup of high levels of pesticides. Some of the many chemicals commonly used against the "coffee borer" include highly toxic endosulfan, dursban, basudin, and disulfoton.

Get the most out of your morning java by choosing organic, shade-grown coffee. You can find it in most food stores, or buy in bulk online from a company like Cafe Altura. Expect to pay about $11 per pound for organic whole beans versus $7 for conventional whole beans.

#3: Grass-Fed Beef

Beef was once believed to be harmful due to its saturated-fat content. However, research now shows that the real culprit is the extremely high level of inflammatory omega-6 fats that are created when cattle are fed a steady diet of corn. Not to mention the hormones used to hasten the trip of mass-produced beef to the butcher.

Way back when, cattle ate grass. Not corn. And they weren't pumped full of growth hormones (rBGH) and antibiotics and packed into pens. These few changes have turned a healthful food into one of your body's worst enemies.

But there is a way to have your beef and stay well too. Choose grass-fed! When cattle graze on their natural diet of grass, they have a healthier lipid profile - with much higher levels of healthy omega-3s and very low levels of inflammation-causing omega-6s. These animals are also naturally healthier, which means they are given antibiotics sparingly and only when necessary.

You can expect to pay about 50 percent to 100 percent more per pound for grass-fed beef, but the higher quality of the meat and many health benefits are worth it. For amazingly sumptuous cuts of the finest naturally raised beef, go straight to the appropriately named source - U.S. Wellness Meats. The company is managed with the same dignity and honesty as the folks who did it "way back when."

Looking for a bargain? Try buffalo! These animals aren't kept in pens (Would you want to try to put a buffalo in a pen?) and it's illegal to give them hormones. That makes buffalo a natural alternative to grass-fed beef that is relatively inexpensive (about $7 per pound) and available in stores nationwide through Maverick Ranch.

#4: Berries

It's hard to believe that sweet and juicy berries are so chockfull of age-defying, disease-fighting substances. And despite their taste, they are very low in sugar and score low on the glycemic index.

But I do have some bad news to share. Berries are one of the crops most highly contaminated with pesticides. In fact, cherries, strawberries, and raspberries are on the top-12 list of contaminated crops (a.k.a. The Dirty Dozen) that you should always buy organic.

Escaping harmful pesticides isn't the only reason to choose organic berries. Research shows that organic strawberries, for example, boast 25 percent more antioxidants and more cancer-fighting power than their conventional counterparts.

Expect to pay about $1 to $2 more per pound for frozen organic berries.

#5: Cocoa

The news that cocoa is good for you has folks gobbling it up... like candy. And as long as the cocoa products they choose aren't packed with sugar or artificial ingredients, they're probably doing their bodies a big favor.

In addition to its many mood-boosting and heart-healthy compounds, organic, natural cocoa has an antioxidant score higher than that of almost any other food. Measured in ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) units, cocoa's is around 80,000. Compare that to "antioxidant-rich" blueberries, which have an ORAC of around 6,500.

But before you grab the first box of cocoa you see on the shelf, here's something you need to know. Most cocoa is "alkalized" - treated with alkali, a harsh chemical base that cuts its considerable antioxidant capacity in half. The solution: Choose organic, non-alkalized cocoa.

NOW Foods makes a delicious organic, non-alkalized cocoa that's easy on the wallet. At only $5.50 for 12 ounces (versus $3.15 for 8 ounces of Hershey's), you'll enjoy higher quality and a more valuable product for less than a dime more per ounce. Mix it into your coffee, whirl it in a smoothie, or add it to low-glycemic dessert recipes.

The Bottom Line

When you invest in your health by spending a little extra on the above superfoods, you'll get many of the rewards - like more energy, a better mood, glowing skin, and a youthful vibrancy - almost immediately. Later, this investment will pay off by not only increasing your lifespan but your health span too.

Well worth the money, don't you think?

[Ed. Note: Health should be your top priority - even if that means spending a little more on your food. Fortunately, keeping your body in tip-top condition doesn't have to be expensive... or difficult…]”

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Note on salmon: Canned Alaskan salmon is wild caught & available year round. So, you don’t have to buy it fresh at high cost or take a lot of prep time to eat wild caught salon. Eating right doesn’t always cost more.

Also, I’ve found that a store that tends to stock many of the safe kinds of foods and superfoods from organic berries to wild caught salmon to grass fed beef is Whole Foods Market. Some of these foods are a bit more expensive than the less safe versions. But some are about the same price. And some even cost less. Check it out.

Lastly, if you eat in a fish & seafood restaurant they can tell you which kinds of the fish they can serve you or are on their menu. Sometimes they have wild caught salmon even though usually they don’t. But they will tell you if you ask. I’ve found Scott’s Seafood quite good about this; but have also had the same experience in other better restaurants. So always ask.

Much better farmed salmon is available ….

Today's post: Friday, 11-2-2007

In a previous post, I listed many of the reasons to totally avoid farmed salmon.

Earlier this week, I found a source of farmed salmon that is close to doing it right; & it’s called Loch Duart salmon. Enough so it might be OK to eat occasionally after you buy & cook it or order it in one of the upscale restaurants that now sell it

Loch Duart salmon is not cheap. (Though it isn’t horribly expensive either.) And, since it comes from Scotland, it’s not a local supplier to people in the United States & Canada.

But, they do most of the things right that the majority of farmed salmon producers do wrong.

They use no hormones or antibiotics. And, instead of using grain feed that lowers the beneficial omega 3 oils & increases the omega 6 oils most people already get too much of, they use fish meal made from sustainably harvested fish. They also treat their salmon much more humanely than other fish farms. As a result, they only need 1.1 pounds of the fish feed they use to grow a pound of salmon. So they may have the most sustainably grown farmed salmon available.

In addition, they divide their farm roughly into thirds & then have each third in turn return to its natural state for a year.

As a result, they are dramatically better for you than other farmed salmon. Particularly in the restaurants that serve them, they are a MUCH better choice than other farmed salmon.

And, I like the idea of buying from businesses like Loch Duart that are making a well thought out effort to provide health OK foods.

They are likely safe to eat once or twice a month. But for eating at home more often, canned or fresh Alaska or other wild caught salmon is probably still a better choice.

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Part Two:

If you have time for other info on foods to eat & avoid, you may be interested in this article that adds some other foods to the list of those many have thought were good for you that may not be.

This article also has a source for fresh wild caught salmon. <<<<<

"This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health Breakthroughs , offering alternative solutions for mind, body and soul. For a complimentary subscription,
visit http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com "

Flush Out the Health Food Imposters By Dr. Jonny Bowden

The reputation of foods seems to go up and down as often as the stock market. Nutrition gurus have reversed themselves so many times it makes my head spin. Take margarine. Everyone thought this was a healthy food when it first came out. But by now most people know that it is loaded with trans-fats and far worse for you than the butter it replaced.

Consider other foods we used to shun but now embrace as good for us: certain fats, coconut oil, whole eggs and even coffee come to mind. But what about foods everyone thinks of as healthy?

Could some of these be health-food imposters?

Canola oil. Here's health imposter number one. It's a highly processed oil that needs to be chemically deodorized, which frequently creates trans-fats. In addition, the omega-3's in it are easily made rancid by heating. Canola oil's presence in the marketplace is a triumph of marketing rather than science. Use pressed organic canola oil only, if you use it at all.

Energy bars. Many "energy bars" are loaded with sugar. Some have trans-fats. And most have a ton of chemicals. Read the label carefully. Healthy choices should have at least 10 grams of protein, no hydrogenated oils and no more than a couple of grams of sugar. The Atkins Advantage bars meet those criteria, as do a very few others. There are good bars that have more than three grams of sugar, but those are specialty whole-foods bars like LaraBars, which are made from nothing but real fruit and nuts. They're fine, unless you're watching your carbs. The other high-sugar bars tend to be only marginally better than candy. If it tastes "too good to be true" it probably is.

Cereal. Many cereals today say, "made from whole grains." So what? The fact that something started life as a whole grain doesn't mean much if it was processed to death. And glycemic index figures from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition show that whole grains can raise blood sugar almost as high as processed ones can. Many "whole grain" cereals have been processed to the point that they have less than 2 grams of fiber per serving, which makes them fiber lightweights. Whole grain cereals with less than 5 grams of fiber per serving are probably no better than the cereals they replaced.

Salmon. Farm-raised salmon is another problem. Nutritionists have long urged everyone to eat salmon. It is high in omega 3's and it's a wonderful source of protein and vitamins. The problem is, we now get most of our salmon from factory farms, not the open seas. They're kept in pens, fed antibiotics, artificially colored and often contain far less omega 3's than their wild cousins. And according to a study in the journal Science , farm-raised salmon contains significantly higher concentrations of PCBs, dioxin and other cancer-causing contaminants than salmon caught in the wild. Make sure you choose wild Alaskan salmon over the factory-farmed kind. If you can't get it in the supermarket, try a company like Vital Source. They will ship the highest quality wild salmon and other fish directly to your door.

Soy. Soy's not the worst thing in the world for you. But it's been way oversold as a health food. The healthy kind of soy is traditionally fermented, like miso and tempeh, or minimally processed, like edamame. Fermented soy may have real health benefits. But manufacturers slap "soy" on the label of every kind of snack food from chips and nuts to cookies and ice cream hoping that people will believe it's a healthy food. It doesn't become healthy just because it has soy on the label.

Frozen yogurt. The only resemblance frozen yogurt has to real yogurt is that they're both white. Yes, it can be a delicious desert, but you shouldn't fool yourself that there's anything whatsoever that makes it more healthy than ice cream. In fact, the non-fat kind is filled with aspartame, which has been linked to cancer, according to the journal Environmental Health Perspectives . Why not just eat the real thing -- ice cream? Just get the highest quality you can find and eat it less often.

The takeaway point is to consider not just what you're eating but the quality of it -- where it comes from and how it's made or grown. The healthiest foods are the ones that are minimally processed and closest to the state in which they were found in nature. If you could hunt it, fish for it, pluck it or gather it, it's probably not a health food imposter.

[Ed. note : Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He's a board certified nutrition specialist with a Master's degree in psychology. Dr. Bowden is also a life coach, motivational speaker, former personal trainer and author of the award-winning book, Living the Low Carb Life .

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Our comments.

I’ve known for quite a while that it’s undesirable to cook with oils high in omega 6 oils. (They tend to break down into somewhat dangerous compounds I’ve read when you cook with them.) And, it’s not a lot better to cook with oils high in ALA, the plant based omega 3 oil.
Extra virgin olive oil is a much better choice. If you don’t overheat it, the omega 9 oils it’s mostly made of break down less And, even though Canola does have ALA omega 3 oils, it’s a very poor choice as it has too many omega 6 oils to compete with the little bit of omega 3 oils.

A much better choice for added plant based omega 3, ALA, is to eat walnuts if you aren’t allergic to tree nuts. Walnuts are proven to benefit your heart. And, they have fiber, magnesium, & other nutrients. Plus, if they are of better quality, they taste good unheated. Even better, eating walnuts & other nuts has been found to increase longevity. This may be partly because they are a superb & tasty substitute for totally unhealthy snacks you might otherwise eat.

Lastly, I’ve read separately that modest consumption of traditional soy foods that are fermented or tofu is MUCH better for you than soy flour & other forms of soy that have some health negative effects. Many of the energy bars Dr Bowden mentions have this undesirable kind of soy added to them. And, that’s yet another reason to pass on most brands of them.

Why NOT to eat today’s farmed salmon….

Today's post: Wednesday, 8-15-2007

For many years, at special occasions, I liked to order salmon in restaurants.

I don’t do that anymore. Every time I ask if the salmon they use is farm raised, they always say yes. (Hopefully, that will gradually change.)

And, I’ve now learned that farm raised salmon tends to not have the full health benefits of wild caught salmon. This is largely because, like factory farm raised cattle & poultry, farmed fish are fed grain & other processed feeds instead of eating their natural diet.

Even worse, farmed fish are MUCH higher in PCB’s, & pesticides & herbicides, & other organic chemicals.

Monday, I found out, farmed fish today have even worse problems.:

>>> This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

“Why JS Should Avoid Farm-Raised Salmon (and Why You Should Too)
By Jon Herring

Last week, I received an e-mail from an ETR reader helps to illustrate a few important points. JS writes:

"First, I would like to congratulate you on an excellent newsletter. I know you're busy, so I will get straight to the point. I eat [Brand X] Pink Salmon every day. Basically, I want to know is it dangerous to eat that much?"

There should be nothing unhealthy about eating a lot of salmon. However, you shouldn't eat any food EVERY day. It can cause an allergy to that food. In fact, doctors specializing in food allergies report that many people are allergic to their favorite foods for this very reason.

But there is a bigger issue here: JS is eating a brand of salmon that I am fairly certain is farm-raised. And that could very well be detrimental to his health.

According to laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group, farmed salmon is the most PCB-contaminated source of protein in the U.S. food supply. These fish are also known to have harmful levels of mercury, DDT, and dioxin.

And that's not all. Farmed salmon are fed corn and soy meal (not exactly the natural diet of a salmon). Because of this unnatural diet, these fish have far more unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids and fewer healthy omega-3s than wild salmon.

And it has been shown that farmed salmon consume more antibiotics by weight than any other livestock.

So, instead of farm-raised salmon, be sure to insist on wild Alaskan salmon. These fish live in some of the most pristine waters on earth. They have extremely low levels (usually not a trace) of mercury and PCBs. And they are rich in heart-healthy and brain-boosting omega-3s. You can find canned wild Alaskan salmon in most grocery stores, and most health food markets will have fresh fillets.”


My comments:
Eating foods with antibiotics added is a sure way to help increase the number of antibiotic resistant or antibiotic proof bacteria. Even worse, it may well guarantee it will likely happen to you personally.

Why eat such foods? And why not eat the kind that benefits your health instead of harming it?

It may be that future farmed fish may be safe to eat & have more of the health benefits of the wild caught fish. But the challenges are considerable.

It may well be more useful to help see to it that we use sustainable methods of using wild caught fish & help protect them from environmental harm with our resources instead.

Why NOT to eat today’s farmed salmon….

Today's post: Wednesday, 8-15-2007

For many years, at special occasions, I liked to order salmon in restaurants.

I don’t do that anymore. Every time I ask if the salmon they use is farm raised, they always say yes. (Hopefully, that will gradually change.)

And, I’ve now learned that farm raised salmon tends to not have the full health benefits of wild caught salmon. This is largely because, like factory farm raised cattle & poultry, farmed fish are fed grain & other processed feeds instead of eating their natural diet.

Even worse, farmed fish are MUCH higher in PCB’s, & pesticides & herbicides, & other organic chemicals.

Monday, I found out, farmed fish today have even worse problems.:

>>> This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.

“Why JS Should Avoid Farm-Raised Salmon (and Why You Should Too)
By Jon Herring

Last week, I received an e-mail from an ETR reader helps to illustrate a few important points. JS writes:

"First, I would like to congratulate you on an excellent newsletter. I know you're busy, so I will get straight to the point. I eat [Brand X] Pink Salmon every day. Basically, I want to know is it dangerous to eat that much?"

There should be nothing unhealthy about eating a lot of salmon. However, you shouldn't eat any food EVERY day. It can cause an allergy to that food. In fact, doctors specializing in food allergies report that many people are allergic to their favorite foods for this very reason.

But there is a bigger issue here: JS is eating a brand of salmon that I am fairly certain is farm-raised. And that could very well be detrimental to his health.

According to laboratory tests commissioned by Environmental Working Group, farmed salmon is the most PCB-contaminated source of protein in the U.S. food supply. These fish are also known to have harmful levels of mercury, DDT, and dioxin.

And that's not all. Farmed salmon are fed corn and soy meal (not exactly the natural diet of a salmon). Because of this unnatural diet, these fish have far more unhealthy omega-6 fatty acids and fewer healthy omega-3s than wild salmon.

And it has been shown that farmed salmon consume more antibiotics by weight than any other livestock.

So, instead of farm-raised salmon, be sure to insist on wild Alaskan salmon. These fish live in some of the most pristine waters on earth. They have extremely low levels (usually not a trace) of mercury and PCBs. And they are rich in heart-healthy and brain-boosting omega-3s. You can find canned wild Alaskan salmon in most grocery stores, and most health food markets will have fresh fillets.”


My comments:
Eating foods with antibiotics added is a sure way to help increase the number of antibiotic resistant or antibiotic proof bacteria. Even worse, it may well guarantee it will likely happen to you personally.

Why eat such foods? And why not eat the kind that benefits your health instead of harming it?

It may be that future farmed fish may be safe to eat & have more of the health benefits of the wild caught fish. But the challenges are considerable.

It may well be more useful to help see to it that we use sustainable methods of using wild caught fish & help protect them from environmental harm with our resources instead.