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

Does The Sun Cause Cancer?

While being in the direct sun for too long may impose health problems, it does NOT cause cancer. What the overly long exposures will do over a period of time, is destroy nutrients and dry the skin. I had never truly believed the sun could cause cancer. That just wouldn't make logical sense to me. So I went on a quest a few years ago to find the truth. Some of this truth has not been proven until the last 3-5 years. Put the nutrients back into the skin as soon as possible after exposure, such as fresh Aloe Vera, or the therapeutic quality essential oil of Lavender. Both will help.

Being in the sun during the mid section of the day(10am-2pm), is said to be the ONLY time your body can manufacture vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for health, for life. Taking supplementations can cause harm to internal organs, if you are taking too much for too long. The sun does not have this effect.

I invite you to read the story about vitamin D here, of which every part is clinically verified.