Poultry and Penis Cancer

One of the reasons it’s so difficult to study the relationship between diet and cancer is because many dietary behaviors are associated with non-dietary behaviors. For example, one of the reasons we used to think coffee-drinking caused cancer was because people who drink coffee are more likely to have a cigarette in the other hand, which led to spurious conclusions. When you factor in those considerations, we find that coffee consumption may actually decrease cancer risk. The reason it was so difficult to study cancer among coffee-drinkers is the same reason it’s so difficult to study cancer among meateaters. Historically, those eating vegetarian have been noted to have lower cancer rates, but maybe it’s just because they exercise more, or smoke less, or inhale less diesel fumes because they all own a Prius :) In my up coming post Vegetarians Versus Healthy Omnivores I profiled new data that attempts to control for non-dietary factors by effectively comparing vegetarians only to meateaters who are as slim as vegetarians, exercise as much, smoke as little, and even eat roughly the same amount of fruits and vegetables. After all, maybe the reason vegetarians have been shown to be healthier is less about eating less meat, and more about eating more plants. Though these rigorous controls undercut key vegetarian advantages, such as lower obesity rates, even when vegetarians were compared in effect only to healthy meateaters with healthier diets, researchers still found “the incidence of all cancers combined was lower among vegetarians.” The most striking difference between the dietary groups was in the risk for cancers of the blood and bone marrow, such as non-Hodgkins lymphoma, various leukemias, and myeloma. Chicken consumption appeared the most hazardous, associated with up to triple the cancer rates for every 50 grams of daily poultry consumption—that’s just a quarter of a chicken breast worth! Why was there so much more lymphoma and leukemia risk among those eating just a small serving of chicken a day? Chicken Dioxins, Viruses, or Antibiotics?, the association between poultry and cancer may be explained by the presence in chickens’ and turkeys’ flesh of drugs that were fed to the birds, industrial carcinogens such as dioxins, and/or the presence of oncogenic (cancer-causing) viruses. In my Poultry and Penis Cancer post I present the largest study to date on poultry workers and cancer mortality, which found a whopping 8-fold increased risk of dying from penile cancer compared to controls, a finding thought due to chicken virus exposure, raising broader food safety concerns. If chickens can be infected with viruses linked to cancer in consumers, then what about eggs? Find out in Carcinogenic Retrovirus Found in Eggs. These cancer-causing viruses found in chicken and eggs are utterly destroyed by proper cooking, so the primary risk of infection would presumably be associated with cross-contamination, such as when mixing cake batter, handling raw poultry, or even just touching meat in the supermarket. This month we have free one hour session to the first 10 likes. Until next month be plant strong.

Breakfast: Hearty or Heart-Healthy?

At the end of this month I will embark on a breakfast tour with a corporate health company and it got me thinking … what do Australians class as a healthy breakfast?
You know how your mother used to say breakfast is the most important meal?
Well, she was right! Most of us were brought up hearing about the importance of a good breakfast, and if we wanted to be big and strong we needed a hearty breakfast every morning.
Most Australians use the phrase “hearty breakfast” to describe what they believe is a healthy first meal. Let’s take a look at a typical hearty breakfast consisting of 2 eggs, 2 rashers of bacon, 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of strawberry jam, 2 of slices toast and 500ml of frozen orange juice. Here is its nutritional profile:

Total calories 1511 (4834 kilojoules)
Total fat 116g
Saturated fat 34g
Calories from fat 69%
Cholesterol 546mg
Carbohydrate 78g
Dietary fibre 3g
Protein 43g

The mainstream notion of what constitutes a healthy breakfast is skewed. One of our clients who have just been though the ‘12 week Life Transformation Program’ who describes herself mostly now vegan commented on how much energy she now has. She thinks of me as a dynamo and said she could never have hoped to keep up with me in training even though she is half my age. She thought there was no way she could ever do high-intensity exercise - she now outdoes any of her male counterparts. Previously, she always felt sluggish first thing in the morning and had no motivation at all.
Skipping breakfast: a losing proposition
Even though breakfast is considered by most nutritionists to be the most important meal of the day, four out of ten Australians skip it. Some believe it will help with weight loss; however research indicates that skipping meals - especially breakfast – can actually make weight control more difficult. Several studies suggest we tend to accumulate more body fat when eating fewer large meals than when eating the same number of calories in frequent smaller meals. Additionally, eating first thing in the morning may help stabilize blood sugar levels which in turn regulate appetite and energy.
When skipping breakfast, the body runs lower on resources, making one more likely to be tired and less productive. One is also more likely to snack on high-calorie snacks to ward off hunger and make unhealthy choices at lunch, such as eating a larger than normal meal, thereby defeating the purpose of skipping breakfast.
People who eat a nutritious breakfast are more likely to maintain balanced weight, be more productive, and make healthier food choices throughout the day. That’s because skipping breakfast keeps your body in starvation mode, while eating a good meal gives your metabolism a boost. If your last meal is at 7 p.m. and you don’t eat again until noon, you have been fasting for 17 hours.
Not eating for this extended period of time can cause your metabolism to slow down. If the goal is to lose weight, one must keep the metabolism fast to burn fat.
What makes a healthy breakfast?
A healthy breakfast should contain carbohydrate, fibre, some protein - mainly plant, and only a small amount of fat, comprising about 25% of daily nutrient requirements. Whole grains, vegetables, leafy greens, and fruits fit the bill perfectly.
At Transformation, we stress the importance of a healthy breakfast to keep all of our clients mentally alert. We like to start them with 5 grains or buckwheat cereal - this will be in their plan for the first 3 weeks. It is also very important they all start the day with chlorophyll (25mls) followed by a green smoothie with kale or other leafy greens and Juice Plus. Mid-morning brings a second breakfast: ‘green juice’ packed with dark leafy greens, cucumber, celery, apple, and lemon. This keeps our clients energetic and productive and easily carries them until lunch at 1p.m. This breakfast provides a minimum of 18 grams of protein, nearly half the daily requirement for calcium, plenty of fibre and very little fat.
Children also need a good breakfast
While eating breakfast is important for all ages, breakfast is especially important for children and teens. According to the Australian Dietetic Association, children who eat breakfast are more likely to behave better, concentrate, solve problems and have improved hand-eye coordination. They are also more likely to be alert and creative and less likely to miss school. Studies show that kids who skip breakfast are tardy and absent from school more often than children who eat breakfast on a regular basis.
Steer clear of sugary cereals, syrups, pastries and white breads which are digested quickly and will leave the body hungry and tired in a couple of hours. Whole fresh fruit is a healthier alternative to fruit juices which contain mostly sugar. Carbohydrates, protein and fibre satisfy hunger and keep one feeling satisfied until lunchtime. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach also provide a substantial amount of important micronutrients.
Here are a few of the positive results one can expect from eating a low fat, produce-rich breakfast:
Mental clarity: A healthy breakfast refuels the body and provides better concentration and higher productivity throughout the day. Researchers believe this is due to replenishing glucose, the brain’s main energy source.
Weight control: Researchers suggest that eating breakfast may reduce hunger later in the day and that it may cause eaters to choose less-dense foods at later meals. Studies have shown that people who eat breakfast every day are a third less likely to be obese compared to those who skip the meal.
Strength and endurance: People who eat breakfast have higher energy levels, allowing them to engage in more physical activity than people who don’t eat breakfast.
A sample Living Light breakfast
This powerful, nutrient-dense juice is especially valuable as part of a weight-loss program. It provides 200mg of calcium per serving (as much as 2/3 cup/160ml of milk), 9 grams of protein and less than 1 gram of fat. In fact, the calcium present in kale is twice as bio-available to the body as that in cow’s milk. Juice all ingredients and serve immediately.
1 bunch kale, including stems or about 220g or 1/2 head romaine lettuce
1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise
1 apple
4 stalks celery
1 lemon, peeled
So to all those mums who nagged us, we say thanks - and yes, you were right!
For more healthy breakfast ideas make a booking with the team at Transformation.

The "Everything in Moderation" Diet Trap

Welcome to 2012. Question: what is the one thing everyone wants to lose at the beginning of a new year and you would be so happy to never find it again ... but come March it finds you?

We’ll leave that answer to the end of the Blog.

I hear this so many times – “moderation in everything". It used to end nutritional discussions before they begin, as if it were a "universal law." And in most areas of life, it is pretty good advice. But when it comes to what you put into your body, it is a huge diet trap.

Some substances are harmful, even when taken in moderation. In fact, there are substances and foods of which even a miniscule portion can kill you - arsenic, for example, or mushrooms. I have just read that two people in Canberra died just this weekend eating wild mushrooms. Of course these are extreme examples, but both demonstrate - immediately and emphatically - the inaccuracy of the phrase. This trap is particularly effective at snaring the unwary eater because it is regularly passed off as a principle.

"Moderation in everything" is not a principle.
This phrase is an untruth (what my mum would call a "lie"). It is a rationalization promoted by people who have a vested interest in maintaining the nutritional status quo and our addictions to junk foods.
When you eat "everything in moderation," you may experience a number of negative consequences - being overweight is just the most immediately visible.

Here's what nutrient rich expert advisors Alan Goldhamer, D.C. and Doug Lisle Ph.D. write in their landmark book, The Pleasure Trap:
"A little bit of coffee is only a little bit toxic and results in only a little bit of increased blood pressure, and thus is responsible for only a little bit of an increase in stroke probability. "A little bit of refined flour is likely to be the cause of only a little bit of excess body fat, and is therefore only a little bit aesthetically displeasing, and is only associated with a little bit of an increase in all-cause mortality."A little bit of alcohol only kills a little bit of the brain with each use, only slightly reducing cognitive capacities, and results in only a small increased risk of death from liver disease or hemorrhagic stroke." You don't need to be some sort of idealist when it comes to food and drink. There will be plenty of times when you will eat some small amounts of nutrient poor food, and enjoy it thoroughly!

Don't sweat the small stuff. "Don't major in minor things," as Tony Robbins says. Instead, focus on eating a diet that is 80-90% nutrient rich. Consume nutrient poor foods as the exception, not the rule.
If you're eating 50-60%, 60-70%, 70-80% nutrient rich, that is all good for you too. What you will realise is that the more nutrient rich you eat the more nutrient rich you will want to eat, because over time, you'll want more of good thing, and only want to eat first class foods.

Unfortunately, here is how we interpret "everything in moderation": "It's OK if I eat pastry, muffins, animal products and drink Pepsi and coffee all day. I'll just make some attempt to have a salad later to get my vitamins."
Who doesn't know this trick? Your mind remembers the last thing you ate and the "vegetable chaser" makes you feel better - as if your body doesn't still have to deal with the large steak or bacon.
When you make these "everything in moderation" decisions over and over each day, your diet basically consists of junk food.
Of course, "moderation in everything" is a central tenet of the Food Pyramid nutrition training and the food marketing practices in which almost all of us have been immersed since kindergarten, or even preschool.
This principle, packaged into the Four Food Groups, is still the basis of how schools are training our children today and how we as dietitians are trained as well and it continues to form the basis of what most Australians believe about nutrition. And this is so, despite the fact that thousands of studies have shown that consumption of a balanced diet based on the Four Food Groups will do nothing for you, except make you fat and more likely to die of heart disease, cancer or stroke.
"Moderation in Everything" (often called "a balanced diet") is not a successful way for you to eat if you aren't striving for extra weight, disease or early death. Half of the people who die in Australia this year will die of a heart attack or stroke. Most of them would not be on this "Preparing to Terminate" list if they weren't basing their diets on the faulty "wisdom" of the "everything in moderation" trap.

We at Transformation will teach you how to get through the ‘Pleasure Trap’. Why not give yourself a great start to 2012 and unlock your hidden force.
Oh yeah, the answer is weight. Have a great 2012 and we’ll see you in Feb.

Meet Meat: A Killer

Fortunately for all of us, there have been volumes of good science that have spotlighted and confirmed that we were all meant to consume a plant-based diet. In this article, I will name a few exceptionally credible sources of revealing information.

Diet for a New America, by John Robbins (of Baskin-Robbins fame), and its sequels were brilliantly researched and unquestionably documented. His work effectively informs and surprises even the most inquisitive minds. Robbins forged a new dimension in the meat debate when he revealed the catastrophic environmental effects the industry has on the global environment. He states that meat cultivation is the single biggest contributor to the devastation of our natural resources. The erosion of our topsoil, the poisoning and depletion of our water systems, and air pollution largely created by flatulence from farm animals along with the vapors emitted by the decomposition of carcasses contribute to furthering septic planetary conditions.

Although not a pinnacle of interest to most, these poor animals are terribly mistreated and housed in inhumane, unnatural environments. They are force-fed parts of their own kind to fatten them and injected with steroids, hormones and antibiotics to keep their weakened bodies alive until slaughter. This alone would prevent any compassionate, thinking person from ingesting the decaying flesh of these helpless creatures. Knowing that most people have blocked this from their minds, the most relevant reason not to consume meat is the fact that it presents unbearable health consequences to all consumers. This false food contributes deadly bacteria, viruses, parasites, amoebas and spirochete, even after cooking. These are the least problematic assets of meat. The animal fat/cholesterol is directly linked with every major disease known to man: cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. All are partly or greatly manifested from this inedible “food.”

I was lucky enough to work on Forks over knives and in my research I come into contact with the DVD Eating. Eating also scientifically establishes that the diseases plaguing mankind are inadvertently animals’ revenge. We eventually reap what we sow and the consequence of the misery and ill health we bring upon these creatures finally allows them their day in court. This documentary confirms that more people die from overeating than from starvation; eating is the largest cause for disease, disabilities and death and kills two out of three North Americans and Australians. An animal-based diet is the number-one killer of its consumers. We are, sadly, seeing heart disease in schoolchildren, along with a shocking rise in diabetes. Brain cancer is the number-two killer of children, superseded only by accidents. Among adults, 85 percent have hardening of the arteries due to animal food consumption and 40 percent will endure a life-threatening cancer. In North America, half of those 55 years of age and younger will contract some sort of cancer and all of these alarming statistics are rising exponentially we are also seeing this rate increase in Australia. Cholesterol is the major factor in these and other diseases, even those that are not heart-related. Cholesterol is a substance that is only in and received from animal products. Plant-based foods contain no cholesterol. We human creatures also manufacture our own cholesterol for healthy body function and are never in need of consuming it from any outside source. The producer of this work points out that, globally, cholesterol has contributed to more deaths than all the wars of the 20th century, natural disasters and car accidents combined! Prior to the mid-1900, most people did not eat meat daily or even weekly, many not at all. It was the diet of the wealthy and it was the wealthy who acquired all the “exotic” illnesses. In the 1800’s, people did not often die from diet-related diseases. In the early 20th century, heart disease was not prevalent nor was it included in medical textbooks. Cancers, diabetes, arthritis and other diseases were so rare that it was only the elite who suffered from them. Tragically, as meat-based diets became affordable due to government subsidies and shrewd advertising, these diseases crept into the population and now have stunted humanity’s future. With the increased consumption of animal products came an unnatural decline in proper vegetable and fruit consumption. Over the last century, factory farms have virtually eradicated small family farms, causing meat production and distribution to boom. As it has boomed, our disease rates have exploded. Most believe that humans are carnivores and have always been so. This defies a present-day statistic that 60 percent of the world’s population is vegetarian. Our ancestors ate more than 800 varieties of fruits and vegetables. We can eat an abundance of vegetarian foods with life-enhancing benefits, but it takes only a small amount of animal-product consumption to be injurious and even fatal.

As you may not already be aware we have spoken in the last Blog about the most definitive study on human nutrition ever conducted was researched by the eminent Dr. T. Colin Campbell. His indisputable work was published in 1990 as unchallenged science. The general public is fortunate that this body of evidence was distilled into an easily readable volume, The China Study. As professor emeritus, Cornell University, Dr. Campbell’s renown gave him the opportunity of gathering an international team to conduct this decades-long exploration. Together with Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, they forged an understanding of diet that both surprised them and confirmed that vegan diets are unquestionably the choice for humans. This diligent work very thoroughly and effectively addresses the protein “myth.” The China Study explains that there has been a 100-year confusion that has set the stage for the current and common belief that meat is the best and only source of protein, when in reality it is not an appropriate or digestible food and has devastating effects on our health. We should abstain from it – completely. Comprehensive graphs correlate the consumption of meat with the rise in obesity, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, bone, kidney, eye and brain degeneration and, of course, cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

The negative impact of animal foods on the human condition is overwhelming, but it goes even deeper than diseases and environmental destruction. The steroids and growth hormones that have been injected into these animals greatly affect the sexual maturity of our youth. Children today are experiencing early-onset puberty and a wide array of anatomical changes prior to emotional maturity. A 1997 landmark study of 17,000 girls in the U.S. was reported in Pediatrics. Alarmingly, the findings were that one percent of Caucasian and three percent of African-American girls begin developing breasts and/or pubic hair by age three. By age eight, roughly half of African-American girls and 15 percent of Caucasian girls show clear signs of sexual development. The same trend was found with boys, although data is sparse since early sexual maturation is more difficult to track with males. This premature development fuels sexual promiscuity and violence among children. The central cause of this is, of course, a lack of secure parenting. All of this unfathomable reality is directly caused by following misguided dietary advice from mainstream proponents. The chemicals injected into animals are ultimately consumed by humans and propel such enigmas as menstruation at critically young ages, puberty and hair growth in boys and girls with breast and penal development far before it is expected and even breast cancers and prostate disease in many teenagers. In our adult population, 50 percent of 40-year old men cannot perform sexually and the median age for menopause has dropped by 10 years in the last 30 years. Additionally, one-third of couples are unable to conceive children. Eating meat products does not enhance our sexuality, but, in fact, causes a vast number of negative sexual side effects. It is common for women and men who live a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle to be prolific well into their golden years without the need for pharmaceuticals. It is shocking to realize the far-reaching devastation resulting from animal consumption. If you find it difficult to value your own life enough to make wise and forceful choices, at least consider the catastrophic effect those poor selections have on our planetary environment. Future generations should not be plagued with the same ignorance that we have been bred to believe. For them, we must establish concrete parameters of sane living in this insane and lost world. Every day there is further evidence substantiating the need to adapt a plant-based diet. When you have released yourself from the shackles of “normality” and aspired to embrace truth, you will elevate your well-being to the status it deserves.

This is our mission at Transformation make a booking to find out how and take back your health

Be plant strong!

I call this Lessons from China

Dear friends,

As you may or may not know I have been involved with the team from forks over knifes for the last 3 years in a research role and this Thursday we at Transformation will be showing the ground braking Doco Forks over Knifes it will give you an insight into Dr. T. Colin Campbell's landmark study The China Project and his research career that has spanned nearly fifty years at the highest levels. Dr. Campbell's book The China Study redefines what we have come to know as good nutrition and health. Many of the common notions about the major causes of disease that we have been told are wrong. The truths about optimal nutrition, health and the real root causes of disease lay beneath twisted logic and corporate agenda's. Dr. Campbell has experienced the dark side of science and industry being threatened and told to come to different conclusions regarding his research findings. That didn't stop him. After working in government and policy making and conducting hundreds of original research projects he has decided to step out of the system and let readers know why they are so confused on issues such as diet and health.

Lessons from China

Dr. T. Colin Campbell is a GIANT is the field of nutrition research and has dedicated his life to investigate the relationship between nutrition and disease with a personal and particular interest in how diet effects the cancer process. Dr. Campbell is a Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University. He has authored over 300 original peer reviewed and published projects and has received over 70 grant years of funding mostly by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the research arm of the federal government of the United States.

Dr. Campbell's legacy The China Project, better known as The China Study was a culmination of a twenty year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. The China project is the most comprehensive study on human nutrition and disease association ever conducted. Gold standard in design, The China Study produced over 8,000 statistically significant associations between certain dietary factors and disease. In particular the project evaluated the influence of animal based protein consumption on cancer progression and heart disease.

The monumental China survey tabulated the death rates for twelve different types of cancer for more than 2,400 Chinese counties and 880 million (96%) of their citizens. The cancer survey formed a large geographical picture (the China cancer atlas) illustrating that certain diseases were localised due to the unique conditions that exist in rural China. There were significant differences in certain disease events from one region to the next. Various cardiovascular disease rates vary by a factor of about 20-fold from one place to another, while certain cancer rates may vary by several hundred-fold. This uniquely presented China as 'living laboratory' to study nutrition, lifestyle and its relationship to degenerative disease in way never seen before.

Dr. Campbell and his team selected 6500 adults from 65 counties (provinces) and the stage was set to collect data in conditions that may never been seen again due to the complex environment within which we choose our foods today. 90% of the people studied lived in the same area their whole lives and due to deeply held traditions and the fact that the transport of external food supply was absent the Chinese people ate locally grown produce.

When The China Project began it was well documented that, at the time in China the Chinese people were not eating refined carbohydrates or excess fat, because China had been a closed society for decades and there were no American or Westernised influences. It was observed that the Chinese people were all eating authentic plant based diets and the only variation in the diet was the amount of animal foods consumed. This was a very important fact, because it allowed the researchers to measure differences in health outcomes based on very small deviations in the amount of animal protein consumed. The results were astonishing, the more animal protein consumed the higher the disease rates, and in particular cancer and heart disease.

This would be an outrageous conclusion, big business meat and dairy in more developed countries have had us swimming in message for decades that animal based protein is the secret to optimal health and vitality! Could the quality of the animal foods be the difference? It was also documented that Westernised farming methods had also not yet been introduced at this time in China and the Chinese people were consuming very pristine animal products, probably would be labelled organic by today's standards and still the relationship held, the more animal protein consumed the higher the disease rates. The same disease events were non-existent in rural China where people ate plant dominate diets, much of it raw with organic animal foods consumed quite sparingly, if any.

Researches have known for some time that genetics actually plays a very small role in terms of health outcomes from diseases such as heart disease and cancer. An individual may have a gene, but that gene need not express. It is evident that certain dietary factors turn genes on and off. Another important fact from China was that 87% of people studied were from the same ethnic group, the Han people, yet they all had varying health outcomes. This finding ruled out genetics influences and narrowed the causative factors down to one very small variation, that was, the amounts of animal based foods eaten.

The China findings were consistent with earlier research conducted by Dr. Campbell and his colleagues in the Philippines. Children were dying from liver cancer (normally an adult disease) thought to be caused by protein deficiency. It was here Dr. Campbell made a dark discovery, that was, the children who were from more affluent families and who were consuming the most animal based protein had the most cancers. These findings turned everything Dr. Campbell had learnt to date upside-down as it was evident that the solution (protein) was actually the problem. Professor Campbell's career took some sharp turns at this point. However, with an opened mind, ethics and the willingness to ask the big questions that truly went against everything he believed and against conventional thinking, it was here that Dr. Campbell began 27 years of animal experiments studying the cause and effect relationship of how protein directly promotes cancer at every stage. In particular animal protein, as he discovered plant protein had NO effect on cancer development.

Dr. Campbell's legacy The China Study is an intelligent book everyone must read on the discoveries and life's work of a man who has been truly at the forefront of nutrition research for decades and who has a genuine desire to inform readers on why they are so confused as to what constitutes the right diet... "After a long career in research and policy making, I now understand why Americans are so confused. As a tax payer who foots the bill for research and health policy in America, you deserve to know that many of the common notions you have been told about food, health and disease are wrong. I propose to do nothing less than redefine what we think of as good nutrition. The provocative results of my four decades of biomedical research, including the findings from a 27 year laboratory program (funded by the most reputable funding agencies) prove that eating right can save your life". So I hope you can get along to this Thursday screening this movie could save your life.


To book with the team at Transformation

Email sean@creatinglifestythatwork.com
Did you know? Sulphoraphane, found in broccoli, cabbage, kale, carrots, and other vegetables, stimulates a cell's production of protective enzymes that inhibit tumor growth.


Sincerely,

Sean Kirsten

Get ready for transformation

Carb Mania

I just got back from the US and just before I returned I was in a restaurant with one of my mates. While looking at the menu, when I noticed a very peculiar low carb meal option. Guess what it was - a massive plate of pasta topped with chicken and vegetables with a tomato based sauce. I stopped to think, hang on the vast majority kilojoules (calories) in this dish clearly came from carbohydrates. How on earth could this be called low carb? Was it a misprint? I don’t think so. At various other times I have noted that salads, breads and even fast food outlets such as Subway have labeled some their range as low carb, even though their ingredients lists demonstrate that in fact the bulk of kilojoules are derived from carbohydrates. What’s doing?
This carb mania is largely the result of the late Dr Atkins New Revolution diet, which lately has been toppled by and replaced by the Dukan and South Beach diet as the king of diet books. Both diets are pitched as being more moderate, easier to follow and - they claim - far safer than Atkins but from what I can tell, the weight loss wolf has just put on a different set of sheep’s clothing.
All of these diets are divided into three stages all three diets severely limit carbohydrate intake during the first phase and all three are heavily based on meat, dairy and eggs. Both the Dukan and South Beach diet for example prohibits bread, rice, potatoes, pasta, baked goods, sugar and even fruit during the first two weeks. After that you can be weaned back onto carbohydrates until you are eating what appears to me to be a fairly typical Australian diet. Perhaps this is why both the Dukan and South Beach diet is such a hot seller.
Now according to the Dukan diet web page and the South Beach diet web page, one quote from a leading Australian women’s magazine wrote the real value of both books is its sound nutritional advice. Both retain the best part of the Atkins regime (meat) while losing the tenet that all carbs should be avoided
Who at this leading Australian women’s magazine reviewed the literature to know whether this is sound nutritional advice or not? And if you have the Atkins diet plus some carbs how different is the diet from the standard Australian diet - the toxic diet that has been shown to make us fat, give us heart disease, destroy our kidneys, make us blind and lead us to Alzheimer’s, cancer and a host of other medical problems? These are merely examples of the current state of nutritition awareness in Australia. Every day, I am reminded that Australians are drowning in a flood of inaccurate nutritional information. I always thought Australians could spot “bullshit”, pardon the swear word, but it appears to me that we are not as good at it as we think.
But I have faith in the average Australian. It’s not true when it comes to the media - we are a becoming a lot smarter. I am starting to see more people asking me what is the truth and keep telling me they just want the truth but have not been able to find it. This because we are so drowned out by media spin and the messages put out by other interest groups (MLA, Dairy, Eggs, etc). Very little nutrition information that makes it to the public consciousness is soundly based in science and we pay a grave price. One day olive oil is terrible the next it is heart healthy. One day eggs will clog your arteries the next they source of protein. One day potatoes and rice are great the next they are the gravest threats to your weight you will ever face.
My goal at Transformation is to redefine how we think about nutrition – provide clear, accurate information, eliminate confusion and make health simple.
The guidance we give is based on evidence generated by peer-reviewed, published research. Publications such as the China study are the very first place you should start.
I want to condense the nutritional lessons learned from this broad range of evidence and from my studies and my experiences over the last 10 years into a simple 12-week program to guide you to good nutrition. I have condensed my knowledge down to several core principles that will reveal over the 12-week program how good nutrition and health truly operate.
Furthermore I have translated the science into dietary recommendations that you can introduce over the 12-week program. Not only will you gain understanding over the course of this time, you will get to see exactly which foods you should eat and which foods you should stay clear of. And the changes you make could be life-changing. Or life-saving.

I’ll end with a line from The Disposable Heroes
“Don’t believe the hype.”

Book a session now.

Stay green.

Sean Kirsten

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