BBQ's. Good For You?

“If your summer plans include a backyard barbeque, you could get burned – and not just by the sun. You probably know that grilling produces cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (HCAs), but did you know that foods cooked at high temperatures are loaded with harmful chemicals called advanced glycation end products (AGEs)?

…AGEs form when proteins react with sugars during cooking, and the higher the temperature and the longer the cooking time, the greater the number of AGEs. AGEs accelerate the aging process by interfering with cell function. And it doesn’t take years to see the damage. A study of diabetics found that eating a diet high in AGEs for six weeks increased blood levels of inflammatory compounds linked to cardiovascular disease and diabetic complications by 28 percent and raised harmful LDL cholesterol by 32 percent.

Following a low-AGE diet for six weeks reduced inflammatory markers by 40 percent and LDL cholesterol by 33 percent. Similar trends were seen for blood pressure and blood sugar levels. To protect yourself from AGE-related damage, prepare foods by steaming, boiling, poaching, and lightly sautéing rather than broiling, microwaving, and deep frying. And see Drwhitaker.com for marinades that will reduce HCAs and add a safe sizzle to your backyard barbecue.” (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2002; 99:15596-601)

~Health and Healing

Spirulina. What Is It? Why Would You Want It?

Spirulina is an algae, and is considered a superfood. Why? Spirulina has been in use as a food since the 9th century, B.C., that we know of for sure. Spirulina has a wide array of nutrients, including the B vitamins. It is high in very useable protein, unlike beef, which is only partially useable. It is loaded with all the essential amino acids we need for survival and repair.

According to Wikipedia, Spirulina is a rich source of potassium. It is very high in chlorophyll, which is much needed by the human body.

Spirulina is known by healers to be very helpful in treating illness. It is alkalinizing to the blood, and because of it's makeup, will help create more elasticity in your skin, help your hair and eyes, and help prevent blood sugar spikes in diabetics.

If you look at the governmental website on this product, they do their best to appear they are helping give you good information, but in fact, they are doing the opposite, and this is most likely intentionally. If you notice on this site, they are telling you that if you have an autoimmune disease, not to take Spirulina, as it may cause the immune system to become more active. While this is a true statement, we also have to consider the cause of autoimmune diseases. They are always caused by toxins in the body. Spirulina, like Chlorella, will help remove those toxins.

From the Journal Of Medicinal Food, we find that they are telling us that Spirulina is a valuable therapeutic food. You can read that story here.

I personally consume, on average, about 10 grams of Spirulina per day. While most people will buy it in already formed tablets, I prefer to buy in bulk for two reasons. One is that tablets and capsules are more likely to have toxins added, and the other is that buying in bulk is less costly, even to make your own capsules, which is how I use this most of the time. You can also mix into a drink such as a fruit smoothie if you like, just be sure to start off with small amounts to get used to the taste.