Sunday, August 21, 2011

I have always been told it’s the Fat

Over the years of Study I have now come to understand now that the protein in milk can be potentially more harmful than the fat WHAT THE I hear you scream. For example research has linked consumption of cow’s milk by infants to increased risk of juvenile diabetes and the causation is in relation to the creation of antibodies for cow’s milk protein. The amino acid chains constituting this protein resemble the amino acid chains on the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. And it is believed that one of the causes of juvenile diabetes (Type 1) is that the anti bodies to the milk proteins attack these pancreatic cells. It is a biochemical phenomena known and molecular mimickery although it is not responsible for 100% of the cases of juvile diabetes population studies show that the introduction of cow’s milk consumption into a culture is usually followed by a upward spike in the juvenile diabetes rate.

Additionally Dr Campbell’s research again the China study shows a cause and effect relationship between animal protein and a development of cancer in his laboratory experiments because the utilized Casein a milk protein. Recently data was examined from the nurses’ health study to determine whether there’s a relationship between the consumption of dairy products during high school and the development of acne. The high school diets of 47355 women were examined and correlated with Dr diagnosed acne. Participants were asked how many servings per day of milk they consumed the dairy foods group include milk, instant breakfast drinks, sorbet, ice-cream, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, hard cheese and butter. 61.2% drank whole milk, 20% drank low fat milk, 7.4% drank skim milk, and 2.1% consumed powdered milk. Only 7.7% didn’t drink any milk at all proof that the dairy industry has done a fine job of marketing its products this can also be said about Australian dairy. The researchers concluded that intake of milk during adolescence was related to the development of teenage acne. The association was more marked for those drinking skim milk than those drinking other forms. Which confirms the accretion that the dairy protein is a major problem rather than the fat content of milk being the only culprit. And that means that a low fat milk product is actually far worse for you than a fully fat milk product but there aren’t any milk products that would be considered health foods in my opinion.

Now organic milk or dairy foods can be better from the stand point that they don’t contain contaminants such as bovine growth hormone and antibiotics, but they still contain the milk protein. And research has shown that the link between cow’s milk and cancer, anemia, juvenile diabetes (Type1), and infections and all the other things we’ve talked about is the milk protein, your still going to have that in an organic milk product.

For many years, let’s talk about osteoporosis for a minute because this bone health issue is the principle marketing technique for the dairy industry, you must get calcium from milk products, there great for your bones excreta. For many years attempts to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis have focused on increasing calcium consumption. The RDI for calcium has been steadily adjusted upward without any reduction in osteoporosis or bone fracture rate, in fact it is going up not down. It appears that maintaining bone health is actually dependant on issues other than calcium consumption. And one of them is discontinuing calcium draining lifestyle habits and obtaining calcium from the proper food sources. The standard Australian diet and lifestyle continues, includes a lot of habits that drain calcium from the bones and these include the consumption of alcohol and caffeine containing beverages, tobacco use, soft drinks, over consumption of meat and dairy foods, refined salt, ant acids, excess protein consumption in general, insufficient exercise, lack of sunlight, you know so there are all kinds of issues. This bone health issue is not as simple as just increasing your consumption of dairy products or calcium. And the studies that I referenced earlier alluded to that as well. So by now I hope I have help you understand a little that dairy products are not only unnecessary but detrimental to bone health and health in general and you can be armed with the right information and hopefully stop consuming them. You will need to consume calcium however and plant foods are the best source of it since the body can make better use of the calcium contained in these foods. Taking into consideration the bioavailability of calcium and available calcium in consideration of calorie content of foods. And that’s just as important. If you what to know what plant foods are the best why not make an appointment with Transformation you never know you just might get well.

Until next time stay well

Monday, August 1, 2011

Digestive Enzymes

Digestive Enzymes

I was with one of my clients last night Jane. Hi Miss Jane she was reading last month Blog and asked the question what is an Enzyme? We’ll Miss Jane I am going to talk about digestive enzymes this month and I hope this will clear up any concerns

  • Enzymes can be grouped into three categories: metabolic enzymes, digestive enzymes and food enzymes.
  • Enzymes are proteins that function as 'catalysts' or 'accelerators' in the body.
  • All biochemical reactions within the human body, including energy production, metabolism, reproduction, the immune system, and the digestive system utilize enzymes.
  • There are thousands of different enzymes that regulate bodily functions and these body functions would not be possible were it not for enzymes. Simply put, without enzymes, life could not exist.
  • Metabolic enzymes are the enzymes made within the cells of the body to perform specialized tasks required for life and health.
  • We must be sure that nothing interferes with the body making enough of these highly-specialized metabolic enzymes by minimizing exposure to toxins and providing the body with all the nutrient co-factors necessary for these enzymes to function optimally.

This article is dedicated to the topic of digestion and the specialized digestive enzymes that make this happen. No matter what we eat - whether it is vegetables, pizza, fruits, salads, chicken or any other food - we consume essentially three basic bulk food materials: protein, carbohydrates and fats.

Before the body can utilize the protein, carbohydrates and fat, these large complex macromolecules must be broken down into smaller and simpler substances. This process - the process of breaking down food complexes into the simple nutrient substances the body needs - is digestion. If digestion does not occur, the nutrients in foods remain trapped in the food and never become available to the body for all its various functions - making new cells, tissues, hormones and creating and activating the metabolic enzymes.

The fact that the body can't receive any of the essential nutrients required for metabolic function without proper digestion highlights the critical role of digestion and digestive enzymes in the health and function of the body. Unfortunately, most people take it for granted that the food they place in their mouths will be digested, absorbed and assimilated into the body's cells. Most people are totally unaware that without digestive enzymes, their cells would literally starve. Digestion only takes place as the result of the interaction of enzymes with the complex molecules that make up food. In other words, enzymes make digestion possible.

No nutrient becomes available to or utilizable by cells unless digestive enzymes do their job in transforming the food into a form the body can use. This transformation must result in nutrients that are small enough to pass into the blood through the minute channels of the intestines and are in chemical forms acceptable to, and utilizable by cells and tissues.

The process of breaking down foods into utilizable forms happens in stages and requires different enzymes for each component of the food. The first stage actually begins with the chewing of food. Under the best circumstances (as with eating raw food), the chewing pulverizes the cellular material of the food and releases the enzymes contained in the food. The enzymes immediately begin the process of digestion of the nutrients contained within the food. In addition, as chewing begins, the food is bathed in saliva, which also contains enzymes. Saliva is especially rich in the enzymes that break down starch or carbohydrate, called amylase.

The importance of this feature of digestion is often overlooked. Yet, it is the primary reason behind the traditional wisdom of chewing your food thoroughly before swallowing. Both food and the body's own secretions within the digestive tract contain enzymes and both types of enzymes assist in this early stage of digestion.

Food and salivary enzymes can digest 60 percent of starch (carbohydrate), 30 percent of protein and 10 percent of fat in stage 1 and the beginning of stage 2, even before the body's other secretions become active. To whatever extent enzymes are missing, however, that stage of digestion will be incomplete.

Consequently, the digestive process in the subsequent steps will be slowed down significantly or never take place at all. If this happens, undigested food will be exposed to the small intestine and may not be absorbed, resulting in lower energy levels, less nutrient availability and potential food allergies.

Continuing on with the digestive process, as soon as the food is chewed, digestion continues as it travels to the stomach where the second stage of digestion begins. In the stomach, the food is exposed to stomach juices including hydrochloric acid (HCL). This acid slowly causes the pH to become very acidic and is a vital function in the digestive process. The stomach may require as long as one hour to reach its most acidic condition. During this time, the enzymes from saliva and food continue to digest food. As the stomach reaches its low pH level, the enzymes from saliva become inactive, and another acid-active enzyme called pepsin is secreted.

Pepsin performs a critical role in the digestion of protein, but is only active in an acid environment. Individuals who use acid-blocking medications can inactivate this important enzyme and disrupt digestion.

After the food has been substantially digested, it moves into the small intestine. This is considered the third stage of digestion and begins in the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine). Here, juices from the liver and gall bladder secrete an emulsifying agent called bile. It is the bile and bile acids, as they enter the duodenum, along with enzyme secretions from the pancreas, that continue the breakdown of nutrients. These secretions also contain alkalizing chemicals, known as bicarbonates, which help neutralize acids left over from the stomach and bring food into a slightly more alkaline range. This process is extremely important because pancreatic enzymes are only active when in the slightly alkaline medium that occurs during this stage.

It is in this stage of digestion that the enzymes secreted by the pancreas - lipases, proteases, peptidases and amylases - do most of their work to complete the conversion of food into usable nutrients.

  • Lipases digest fats
  • Proteases and peptidases complete the protein digestion that was started in the stomach.
  • Amylases complete the digestion of sugars and starches.

After the digestive process in the duodenum has done its job and the food is in its simplest form, the digestive process proceeds to the next portion of the small intestine, called the jejunum, where the final step occurs. The jejunum is almost exclusively devoted to the function of nutrient absorption. If digestion has been efficiently performed up to and through this final stage, the only remaining residue should be fibrous material and non-nutritive portions of food.

When all of the stages of digestion are completed properly with all the necessary enzymes, the body receives the nutrients it needs to function. When digestion doesn't occur properly, the body will not receive all of the nutrients it needs. Hopefully, you no longer take digestion for granted and you are now asking yourself, "How can I make sure that digestion occurs properly?"

That question can be answered by making a booking with Transformation and take up the chance to Transform your diet. For the month of August we are offering 12 week transformation pack for just $950 was $1140.

Yours in health

SK

About Transformation

Transformation is a Sydney based holistic training and education business. Our goal is to teach people about diet and lifestyle habits, their health outcomes, health longevity and quality of life. We aim to provide current information that helps people distinguish between advertising and marketing and scientific facts.