by Adin on February 24, 2011
According to the Organic Farming, Food Quality and Human Health Organization there is an astounding difference in food additives!
More than 500 additives are permitted for use in non-organically processed foods, compared with around only 30 permitted in organic processing.
Why would you need to be concerned about this? Is buying non-organic foods really that bad?
Some food for thought:
1. Environmental carcinogens have the ability to turn on genes that can initiate cancer.
2. If you have low antioxidant status (contact us if you want to test your antioxidant status through our risk assessment technology) your body may not be able to fight off the free radicals created by some food additives.
3. There is an unknown cocktail effect of the variety of chemicals present in non-organic foods. Testing for pesticide cocktails in humans yet to be done and currently remains unknown.
4. The human genome has evolved less than 0.02 percent in the last 40,000 years. This means that our genetics haven’t really evolved at all! It’s not our slowly adapting genes that are killing us; It’s the chemicals that we are being exposed to that the genes are not designed to handle.
5. Cancer Prevention: All of the chemicals and additives allowed in non-organic foods places signifigant oxidative stress on our bodies. If we do not have enough antioxidants to protect our cells from being damaged from the chemicals and additives (which create free radicals) in non-organic foods. Cancer can become a more likely result over time. This is one of the reasons we recommend that all our clients get their antioxidant levels tested in our office periodically. Mention his post and your antioxidant scan is Free! Call to schedule your appointment today! 650-858-1213
How can free radicals contribute to cancer?
Free radicals are produced by the body to aid in the metabolic processes, such as digestion and the conversion of food into energy. The human body is designed to both produce and handle free radicals, however:
Excess free radicals may build up, destroying enzymes, proteins molecules or complete cells; This process is known as oxidative stress. Unchecked oxidative stress can compromise the immune system and cause damage to the DNA.
I hope this article has made you think twice about purchasing non-organic foods and the importance of measuring your level of protection (testing for your antioxidant status).
Located on: 744 San Antonio Road Suite #2 Palo Alto, CA 94040
Premier Personal Training: Expert Personal Trainers serving Palo Alto,Los Altos, Mountain View, Menlo Park, Atherton & vicinity.
Weight Loss, Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Fitness Services. Lab Testing and BioSignature available through clients only.
by Adin on February 19, 2011
Soil Degradation Causes Increasing Need for Vitamins and Minerals
Many of the foods that we consume today have far fewer nutrients than they did a century ago due to poor soil quality (this does not exclude organic soil, sadly). Foods grown from organic soil certainly contain greater levels of vitamins and minerals and reduced levels of toxins when compared to foods grown in non-organic soil.
The Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine, 2001 published an astounding study of conventional versus orgainc fruits, vegetables and grains.
A 21 year field trial (literally- sorry couldn’t help but see the pun) in Switzerland comparing organic and non-organic farming systems show dramatic differences in soil microbiology. The mass of micro-organisms responsible for soil fertility and delivering nutrients to the roots of crops was up to 85 percent higher in the organically managed fields than in the non-organically managed fields.
In 2007 a CNN news report discussed a study showing that organic ketchup had 57% more lycopene (a type of carotenoid and powerful antioxidant) than conventional ketchup.
A recent study showed that organic ketchup had 57 percent more of the antioxidant lycopene than regular ketchup.
- April 13, 2007, CNN HEALTH Alan McHughen, Ph.D., professor of botany and plant sciences at the University of California, Riverside
Do you still need to take supplements even if you eat organic foods 100% of the time?
As discussed above, even our organic soil has degraded enough so that many of us do not get the optimal levels of nutrients we need. The average number of food types the typical American eats every year is only 12! This means that Americans are eating too much of the same foods day in and day out. In order to get enough nutrition, you need a well-rounded diet consisting of a lot more than only 12 food types. The toxic world we live in places more stress on your body which in turn requires it to have more antioxidants and other nutrients to combat the toxins. In the not so distant past our bodies did not have to rely on supplements; today we do. We also need to know if our supplements are effective.
In my practice we use 2 methods to measure and validate your supplementation program:
1. A method called BioSignature determines which supplements are needed for a specific individual and is used to measure the effectiveness of your current supplementation program .
2. Another way to validate if your supplements are working is through a comprehensive blood panel. If vitamin and mineral deficiencies show up it could mean the quality of the supplements is poor, or the quantity is not sufficient.
Contact us to schedule your scan today (650)858-1213.
Located on: 744 San Antonio Road Suite #2 Palo Alto, CA 94040
Premier Personal Training: Expert Personal Trainers serving Palo Alto,Los Altos, Mountain View, Menlo Park, Atherton & vicinity.
Weight Loss, Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Fitness Services. Lab Testing and BioSignature available through clients only.
by Adin on February 4, 2011
In order to get a good shave, you’ll need three things:
- Water
- Shaving Cream
- Shaver
Would you agree that if any of the above shaving items were missing, it would make it impossible to achieve optimal results?
In order to be successful in long term weight loss you’ll need three things:
- Custom built fitness program
- Custom built nutrition program
- Balanced hormonal system
If you eat healthy, exercise on a regular basis and have not been able to achieve desired results – you are not alone. Why does this happen to so many of us? Most of us are not under the guidance of a practitioner with a comprehensive approach to weight loss. Attempting to get a “quick fix” by seeking one of the latest fads in diet or exercise franchises often set you up for failure because all of them have cookie cutter programs to maximize profits (not in your best interest!).
1. Custom built fitness program
Since your biology and physical makeup is changing over time, your diet and exercise type may need to change respectively. For example, the exercise type that worked for you five years ago may not work for you now. Have a professional tweak your program based on who you are now. I cannot tell you how many people have entered my office in a state of physical agony after trying out a boot camp type program. I’m not saying boot camps are bad, but many entering in those camps do not have the physical foundation to handle such a program. Isn’t it amazing how many of us in our mid 40′s or even 30′s think that we can simply pick up where we left off in our high school workouts?
Custom built nutrition program
The foods you ate five years ago many not have bothered you, but may bother you today or tomorrow. Food intolerance or sensitivities may surface due to your system changing or due to excess exposure (eating the same foods too frequently). For example, lactose is only digested properly through the aid of lactase. As you age, lactase production typically declines, making you sensitive or in some cases intolerant. Testing for food sensitivities through both lab and functional testing is done in my office all the time. If you are exhausted, due to food sensitivities, your work outs are not going to very productive. In my practice I have a medical food detox available to all enrolled clients (click here to read more about detox strategies and about my medical food detox)
Balanced hormonal system
If you are eating/exercising properly for your body and are still not losing weight, your hormonal status must be explored. Ideally it is best to attack a weight loss program from all of my three success points listed above – simultaneously. Comprehensive/holistic weight loss is the best strategy for long term success. Unfortunately many people gravitate toward a less comprehensive, fad – type weight loss program. Worse yet, there are many private, for profit hospital based weight loss programs prescribing a one size fits all method. For example, a local hospital has magically come up with an 800 calorie weight loss program – for everyone! – irrespective of height and weight and activity levels. This to me is extra scary because most people trust the medical system without doing any research. I am not saying that all medically based weight loss programs are 800 calories, but I know of three major ones in the area that prescribe this. Starving yourself will always throw your hormones out of whack!
Hormones must be checked on both a systemic (lab/serum testing) and cellular level (through use of BioSignature technique) if you are still failing in your weight loss goals. My clinic offers comprehensive lab blood testing using the same labs you would if your Doctor had ordered them (I use LabCorp locally). The trouble with having your doctor order a comprehensive kitchen sink blood panel, is that it will typically not be covered by insurance. I have partnered up with the lab using an intermediary party so that pricing is about 50% less and 90% of the time it is cheaper than going through insurance. Additionally, when you do “kitchen sink testing” many people like to keep those results off of the insurance radar (in the event you get an abnormal result). Our clients then bring the results to their doctor(s) for opinions.
Comprehensive personal fitness and weight loss programs (suggested, but not required to become a customer of ours) involves greater commitment and discipline, but is far more time efficient and results friendly than isolated-one size fits all programs. Do not hesitate to contact us – we can work with both locally on site and non locally as consultants if you are not within driving distance.
Premier Personal Training: Expert Personal Trainers serving Palo Alto,Los Altos, Mountain View, Menlo Park, Atherton & vicinity.
Weight Loss, Rehabilitation, Nutrition and Fitness Services. Lab Testing and BioSignature available through clients only.
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