There was an interesting article on Mercola that cited a study in the British Journal of Cancer that shows the correlation between vitamin D levels and prostate cancer. Men with prostate cancer were as much as seven times less likely to die if they have high levels of natural vitamin D (from sunlight).

Being that most men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime… this is pertinent to… well, most men. Having appropriate levels of vitamin D is an important thing you can do in fighting or preventing many different cancers.

The best way to obtain vitamin D is through sunlight. By getting plenty of sunlight you can get your vitamin D without overdosing and creating vitamin D toxicity (easily done by taking too many pills).¬† If you are unable to get enough sunlight, then taking a vitamin D3 supplement makes sense… it is just hard to know your blood levels of vitamin D unless you get tested… so it is much more advisable to spend time in the sun.

And no, you do not need to worry about getting skin cancer from the sun. In fact you are more likely to get it by avoiding the sun and using toxic sunscreens on your skin. That doesn’t mean you should go outside and fry yourself candy apple red, but it does mean you should gradually increase your sun exposure till you can regularly be in the sun without worrying of getting burnt. In fact, chances of melanoma decrease with greater sun exposure.

Related Articles:

Fun In The Sun

Part 6 is really about putting it all together. The first thing to note is that all of the things mentioned in the series (parts 1-5) are things to do for anyone. They are excellent food choices and will help to maintain a healthy body. Sure, they are especially for those who are trying to lose weight and therefore they must be stricter on some points. On the other hand, those who do not need to lose weight but want to maintain a healthy body should be doing the same things. Also if you are trying to gain weight, you would do the same things just with an altered eating pattern and amount.

So many people look to one thing… that is, they look to one pill, one area of nutrition, one doctor, and think they can have a miracle cure or weightloss. While results may vary they are not the kind of results that satisfy. Living healthy and being healthy is a lifestyle. It is the way you eat, the foods you eat, the exercise you get, the faith you have, the thoughts you think, and the relationships that you foster.

It takes time to put changes in place, but you can do it one step at a time. I know how overwhelming it can be to change so many things in your eating habits. Just start somewhere and each day or week or month add something new. So maybe you start increasing the amount of vegetables that you eat and the quality (local and/or organic)… and then you change where you buy your dairy from… and then what grains you buy and how you prepare them… and then where you buy your meat from… and then the products that you put on your skin… and then on and on… you grow.

Where To Find? Where to Find?

It can be frustrating when looking for many food items which you are not used to consuming. Especially since the typical grocery store has so many processed items in it. The internet can be a very valuable tool in connecting with other people who can provide high quality food. Also stores like Whole Foods Market, Wild Oats (which was bought by Whole Foods), and Trader Joes focus on Natural and Organic Foods. In addition, many other national grocers have small natural food sections and carry some organic produce. One of the best sources is to find a local farmers market and/or contact local farmers. Buying locally is good for the local economy and enables you to get fresher foods. ¬†(I am not against importing by any means either… it is nice to be able to get a wide variety of foods internationally as well).

So if you are looking for something like buckwheat flour, most likely you will not find it at a typical grocery store. You have a good chance of finding it freshly ground at a farmers market, and you most definitely will find it at a store like Whole Foods… which you hope it is not too old

I Don’t Know What To Do or Make With This Food!

What? Are you kidding me? The options are not that limited! There are a gazillion things you can do with all of the food items mentioned in this series. You should be creative and test all sorts of things. Something I frequently do is take random recipes and substitute almost all the ingredients in them for better (or the same but higher quality) ingredients and create something new but similar.

So one day you should make:

Breakfast:

Buckwheat pancakes (you can mix buckwheat flour with spelt or whole wheat)
Blueberries
Real Maple Syrup or Honey

Lunch:

Mexican Quinoa
Fruit

Dinner:

Wild Caught Alaskan (or Pacific) Salmon
Green Beans (fresh)
Faux potatos (cauliflower mashed potatos)
Salad (Use all different types of lettuces – romaine, green leaf, red leaf, arugola, spinach, endive, etc)

What Now?

Well, I hope that this series has helped you get an idea of the foods that you can learn about and change in your diet especially if you are looking to lose weight, but also for healthy living in general. I also hope that these foods have given you ideas for incorporating them together and creating simple dishes and meals that you can be thankful for. Fast food is out, slow food is in. Dig it.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me: tim (at) ettlt.com.

Foods For Weight Loss – Part 1
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 2
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 3
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 4
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 5

Part 4 is here and we are going to talk about meat. Yeah, now we are getting to the meat of it. I did talk a little bit about meat in Part 1 when referencing fats. Remember how we talked about omega-3 fatty acids being very important in weight loss?

Meat is the best source of omega-3 fatty acids. Now wait wait… I am sure you are thinking “No, Tim, flaxseeds and walnuts are better sources”. Actually plant and nut sources contain omega-3′s in the form of alpa linoleic acid or ALA which then must be converted in the body to EPA and DHA. The conversion rate is not that great mind you… I have seen numbers all over the board from 1% to 35%… either way the omega-3′s found in fish are not only in high amounts but are also more readily available to the body as EPA and DHA.

Most people have an aversion to eating meat often and say “everything in moderation”. While it is true that we need to have things in balance in life and with moderation (everything can be overdone), with healthy meat this saying makes it seem as unhealthy. In fact, most people would be healthier if they had meat everyday and more than once a day… it all depends on the meat and the quality… which most people cannot get at the grocery anymore.

Overall the best foods are vegetables and animals that eat vegetables and fish. Having access to meat from grass-fed animals (cows, bison, lamb, chickens, turkey, etc) and wild caught fish will do wonders for the health of the body. Meat from grass-fed animals has over four times the amount of Vitamin E, two to four times more omega-3′s, and three to five times more CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) than meat from modern day grain-fed diets. Remember the discussion in Part 1 about CLA and omega-3′s? Good. All products from animals that are grass-fed are better for it… eggs, cheese, milk, butter, and meat.

There are numerous examples of people and farms that are going back to traditional methods and raising grass-fed animals. At the end of the series I will provide some examples of where you can get each type of food in the series (if you have trouble). One example that I would like to note for those in the Nashville area is: www.gourmetpasturebeef.com. There are places like this all over the country now. One key thing to look for is to make sure that the meat is truly grass-fed and “grass-finished”. Some farms say grass-fed as a marketing tool but they finish (prepare for butchering) with grain and it is the “finishing” period that is among the most important for the quality of meat.

Eating high quality grass-fed meats and fish will provide excellent nutrition as well as tremendous weight loss potential as they are packed with CLA, omega-3′s, and equally important, they will not cause massive insulin swings and raise your blood sugar and thereby cause weight gain that way.

Look for:

–Grass-fed (and grass-finished) Beef, Bison, Lamb, Goat, Dairy (raw)

–Pastured Chicken & Turkey (not just “free-range”, pastured chicked will eat grass, bugs which eat grass, and also be given some grain). Eggs from cage free hens are much better (these are an easy find in most groceries now, although eggs from pastured chicken and turkey will be better).

–Wild Caught Fish (preferably Pacific side and smaller fish because they have less mercury contamination) Examples are Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon, Wild Caught Sardines, Herring, some Halibut. ¬†

Avoid:

–Pork, Ostrich, and I don’t have to say cat, dog, and all that stuff do i?

–Shellfish, Shrimp, Catfish, Shark, Lobster

Stay tuned… next week we are going to talk about water. And you thought water was water.

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Foods For Weight Loss – Part 1
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 2
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 3
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 5
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 6

If you haven’t read the earlier posts, you can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.¬†

Part 3 is about grains, carbs, and starches. Of course, if you ever read this blog you already know that I am already referring to whole foods and not processed and refined foods. So, if you are on a mission to lose weight and are wondering what grains or carbs you should eat to help your mission, then you are in the right place.

Certainly, cutting out carbs does a lot for losing weight, controlling blood sugar, and reducing inflammation in the body. In fact, many of these things are tied together and one impacts the other. So if you are focusing on losing weight, then you definitely want to be careful which carbs you are eating, but I think you can effectively lose weight while keeping carbs in your diet.

Some stellar winners in the carb category that you should become acquainted with are buckwheat, quinoa, millet, and amaranth. 

When it comes to carbs, Buckwheat is the number one recommendation for people trying to lose weight as it has so many benefits. It is actually the seed of a fruit and not a true grain, but it can be used like one. Buckwheat’s protein characteristics and minerals make it a low glycemic food that helps to control blood sugar levels (very important when trying to lose weight). Buckwheat is also unparalleled in its ability to lower bad cholesterol (you should already know that I am a fan of good cholesterol and saturated fat). There is more, buckwheat actually has a fair amount of antioxidants as well and studies have been done combining it with traditional wheat and wheat breads to boost the antioxidant value. Also, buckwheat is virtually gluten free which makes digestion easier for most people (even people who are not allergic to gluten will digest it easier).

So. You can see why I am such a fan of buckwheat… besides, it tastes so good. Buckwheat pancakes and crepes are so good. You can experiment in all sorts of baked goods and the inclusion of it in even partial amounts boosts the nutritional aspect of the food and will help you in your quest. Now, I know we are talking about controlling blood sugar and losing weight, but I just have to say that I have made buckwheat chocolate chip cookies that totally ruled! Some of the best cookies that I have made. Of course I used unrefined cane sugar. You can find buckwheat flour in health food stores or in the “natural” section of several grocery stores. Read the ingredients and make sure that it is just buckwheat flour… as different things can be added… and it is good to always read the labels.

Quinoa is the next carb I would like to highlight. It contains all nine essential amino acids (buckwheat contains 8 of the 9) and so it is a complete protein. Quinoa also is not a true grain, but is the seed of a plant… although it is used as a grain. It is especially high in the amino acid lysine which is essential for tissue growth and repair, and thus, quinoa is the choice of many athletes and those with heavy workout routines.

Prone to migraines? Well, first you should probably be drinking a lot more plain water. BUT, you can also eat more quinoa. Since quinoa is high in magnesium it helps to relax blood vessels and can reduce the frequency of migraines and hypertension. You can use quinoa in so many different ways… just like you would use rice.¬†

Well that’s all the space I am going to devote to highlighting better options for grains and carbs. In general, if you are trying to lose weight, substitute all of your wheat products for something like buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, and millet. Spelt flour is also better than wheat (it’s basically an older form of wheat). If you have spelt and wheat products it is best to have them either soaked or sprouted (sprouted grain breads)… or fermented (sourdough breads). However, it will be easier to lose weight if you use buckwheat and quinoa.

Now a quick word on what to avoid. Avoid the whites! Ha. Avoid white flour, white sugar, white salt… etc. In general all of these have been processed and refined and many times bleached to look pure when in reality the good stuff has been taken out. Flour is not pure white. Sea salt usually is a little gray or has some speckles in it (depending what area/ocean it is from), and real sugar is definitely not white.

Stay tuned next week for part 4. I’m out.

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Foods For Weight Loss – Part 1
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 2
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 4
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 5
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 6

If you haven’t read part 1, you can read it here.

Now, moving on. Let’s talk about vegetables. Of course whenever you are writing about foods for weight loss you should be writing about vegetables as well. Surely by now you have grown up all of your life either having someone tell you to eat your vegetables or hearing all over the place how vegetables are sooo good for you. So, I will spare you… considering that it is common knowledge that vegetables are good for you.

In general, vegetables are great for weight loss because they contain so many different vitamins and minerals which support a healthy functioning body in every way. Many vitamins and minerals aid in detoxification by binding to toxins in the body and then in turn being eliminated. Also, many vegetables burn more calories in digesting them than there are calories in the vegetable itself (aka negative caloric foods).

I just want to highlight some specific vegetables that are great for weight loss:

Asparagus, Broccoli, Garlic, Green Beans, Celery, Carrot, Cucumber, Lettuce, Spinach, Onion, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Zucchini.

There are mucho more. Much of the information talking about negative caloric foods have incorrect views on fat. As discussed in part 1, you need fat and it is best to eat fat to lose fat, so you can and should use ¬†olive oil, butter, or coconut oil with your vegetables. Using a good fat also helps the body to digest and assimilate the vitamins and minerals in the vegetable. People say to eat carrots for vitamin A, when really they are high in beta-carotene a precursor to vitamin A. So the body has to convert beta-carotene to vitamin A and the conversion is not 1 to 1… more like 4 to 1… and what helps the process? Bile salts and enzymes… something that butterfat and saturated fats can help with.

So with vegetables you have something packed with enzymes, vitamins, and minerals, that will make you feel full of vitality… vigorous… you will feel very, very vigorous. Then after you feel vigorous it will help to be more active and exercise and lose even more weight.

One thing I highly recommend is to examine a vegetable every now and then so that you know the vitamins and minerals it contains and why it is good for you. For example, a while back I looked up celery and found that it is a good source of vitamin C and vitamin K. I had no idea that it was a good source of either of those previously… sometimes celery just seems like… well, nothing. But it is not nothing… it is something.. ha.

Most people simply do not care for vegetables, most likely they have limited tastes and do not enjoy a wide variety of foods (or cannot). Some people have only had canned vegetables their whole life… which taste like… um… aluminum.¬†

So if you are trying to lose weight, get creative with your vegetables, have a wide variety, and use as fresh of vegetables as you can that have not been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides (most likely organic or locally grown).

Also, if you are trying to lose weight, avoid vegetables that are high in starch… so even though you may love potatoes and corn… when they are cooked they are high in complex carbs that will not aid your weight loss like the vegetables mentioned above. Again, use a wide variety: greens, reds, purples, and whites (cauliflower, cabbage).

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Foods For Weight Loss – Part 1
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 3
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 4
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 5
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 6

A couple of blogs ago I mentioned that I was going to start a series with regard to foods for weight loss. Well here it is. I have given it some thought and decided that 1. I want to start with some foods that you SHOULD be eating if you are serious about eating the right foods for weight loss and 2. I didn’t want to limit any post to a certain format but would just keep adding parts… after all this is not a book, it’s a blog. I will provide links though to all of the parts. Also, I wanted to mention that the series will not only be about losing weight… but more about losing weight from fat, since you can gain good weight from muscle. Now, on we go with part 1.

One of the first things I want to touch on is something I mentioned in that earlier post, and that is CLA. CLA stands for Conjugated Linoleic Acid. After seeing “linoleic” many of you may realize that CLA is a fatty acid. It is found mainly in meat and dairy products from animals that graze. So if the animals do not graze then the amounts are greatly diminished.

CLA is not only an anti-carcinogen (cancer fighting compound) but it also reduces body-fat. I believe it reduces body fat by accelerating the metabolism as well as slowing the body’s conversion of dietary fats into body fat. Animals that graze on grass are leaner and healthier than animals that are grain-fed. The effect is the same on your body when you eat from grass-fed sources. You become leaner and healthier.¬†

It is most important to note that you should not take a CLA supplement. You should obtain it in whole food form from grass-fed meat and dairy products. As I mentioned in an earlier post, grass-fed lamb is an excellent source of CLA. Also, there are non meat sources like whole raw milk from grass-fed cows or goats. Raw milk cheeses like parmesan and eggs can also be good sources of CLA.

Before I move on, I want to first point out one of the keys to losing weight from fat: You need to eat good fat to lose fat. Do not subscribe to the unhealthy lowfat diet. Certain fats are excellent for you and your body needs fat to survive. All fats are not created equal. Just the fact that I am even discussing it shows how far astray our culture has gone in the United States with regard to food.

One of the healthiest fats that you can consume is unrefined extra virgin coconut oil. Coconut oil is a saturated fat that is stable even when cooked with high heat. It does not go rancid easily like so many vegetable oils and has an excellent shelf life. It also is burned very easily by the body due to its medium chain fatty acid makeup. It also contains lauric acid which is anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial. Do I need to repeat that? It is anti-viral! You know how you get sick from the common cold and it is cause by a virus (most of the time). Well, ahem, coconut oil is anti-viral. Point made. It also speeds up the metabolism and is good for digestion. So you can look around but it doesn’t matter if you look at avacodo oil, grapeseed, walnut, olive, palm, peanut, sesame, flax, or any other oil… none of them pack as many benefits into one as does coconut oil.

Having said the above, certainly there are other good cooking oils and fats you can use. Butter from grass-fed cows is not only a great source of CLA but is also an excellent fat that is easily metabolised. If the butter is clarified (the milk solids taken out) it is even better for high heat cooking (since the milk burns at lower temperatures). This is also called ghee.

 Olive oil is another excellent oil. It is a classic oil, used by mediterranean cultures for thousands of years, that has excellent health benefits. One may be more prone to gain weight with excessive use, however it is extremely healthy for the heart and has a high concentration of antioxidants.

Now I am going to tell you one of the most powerful fats for losing fat. Are you ready? Ok, here it is: Omega-3 fatty acids. Most people do not get near enough omega-3 fatty acids and get far too much omega-6 fatty acids. Omega-3′s help your blood circulate and decreases the blood insulin level. High insulin levels not only promotes the storing of excess fat but also negatively affects the lipase enzyme in your blood (lipase is the enzyme that helps to metabolize fat).

By adding these fats to your weight loss plan you will see tremendous differences over time. They must be a part of the rest of your plan though. So to summarize:

INCLUDE:

1. Omega-3′s (naturally occurring, one of the best sources is sardines, then salmon, then other fish)

2. CLA (naturally occuring from animals that graze on grass, minimally processed meat and dairy products)

3. Cooking with coconut oil, olive oil, and butter. Occasionally using avacado oil, sesame seed, flax, walnut, etc.

AVOID:

Vegetable oils like:

1. Canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, soybean oil, corn oil, and rapeseed oil.

2. Heavily processed, refined, deodorized, bleached oils (they will not say but you can tell if you know what to look for, also, the ones that are not refined will say “unrefined” and “extra-virgin” and “unbleached”, etc)

Lastly, I want to mention that when oils are oxidized they become dangerous for plaque buildup Рarterial build-up that can cause heart-attacks and heart disease. Remember that Рoxidized. So many oils oxidize with heat, oxygen, and light. Such is the case with vegetable oils and even good oils like avacado oil can rapidly oxidize when too high of heat is used in cooking with it. Olive oil even goes bad over time or when used with too high of heat. 

Just look at the trend of heart attacks and heart disease over the last fifty years and see how drastically it has increased right along with recommendations to switch to margarine and crap like that. At the same time Mediterranean cultures are using olive oil and butter and are not having near the rates of heart attacks and heart disease.

Sorry this was so long… once I get going… shoot. I will be surprised if you actually made it this far. And this is only part 1…. haha. Later this week I will start part two on more foods for weight loss and sooner than you know it you will be a lean, mean, uhuh.

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Foods For Weight Loss – Part 2
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 3
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 4
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 5
Foods For Weight Loss – Part 6

First I should say that I am not against vegetarians. I used to be a vegetarian for a short time. I have had an interest in eating healthy for around 12 years now, so of course I have studied it. In looking at the issue of food I have found that there are many conflicting sources. From Atkins to The China Study. All over the board… I am aware of this and most likely you are as well. So I will state my foundations and biases as to how I come to my conclusions.

I base my eating first and foremost on the Bible. Of course I realize the world has changed and times have changed but the foundational truths have not. When the Bible mentions change in diet or mentions profitable foods it does so for a reason. That is not to say that we must now eat exactly as the Israelites did or that we are under the Mosaic law. It is however to say that it is beneficial and profitable for us.

So after the fall and as subsequently given to Noah and then Moses, God directed which meats were beneficial for consumption with the understanding that vegetables and grain were good in their proper context. SO of course I am a vegetable lover, and in fact, more so than any vegetarian I have met. Most vegetarians I have met (I will admit they have been in bands on the road) eat very poorly… mostly eating french fries, chips, soy protein bars, tofu, and popcorn.¬†

Now onward. In detailing which meat to be added to the vegetables and grains, God gave specific instructions due to the quality and cleanliness of the animal and meat. There is specific examples of roasting lamb over the fire, and choosing beef, poultry, and certain fish, while eschewing (I like that word, I mean avoiding) pork, ostrich, shrimp, crab, lobster, catfish, and all sorts of other unclean foods. Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14 give the wisdom. 

So starting from that basis we can form a foundation and move forward. For example, today many things that were once ‘normal’, natural, and customary are no longer… like cows grazing in the pasture or unpolluted oceans. So the ramifications of these things should be taken into account. As modern technologies and so called modern wisdom corrupts good food… then beef from cows that are raised stuffed in a barn with 6000 other cattle, fed who knows what, and stuffed full of antibiotics, have their milk heated, homogenized, and then added with fake vitamin A and D and extra powder milk, then they are butchered. That is a far cry from the quality of milk and meat from a cow that is eating grass and hay (it’s vegetables) and is living how God made a cow to live and it’s food to be taken.

Also with regard to fish, because of heavy metal contamination in much of the oceans, many fish contain unsafe levels of heavy metals. Therefore one should continue to seek out, not only wild caught fish (not farmed), but also fish caught where they will not contain unsafe levels of heavy metals like mercury.

So you can see how to have a foundation that promotes health and wellness and have to move forward from that. Foods like grass-fed beef and lamb, pastured poultry, and wild caught fish are excellent for health. 

Vegetarians face the problem of B-12. There is not real B12 in plants… only B12 analogues (similar structure) which can actually compete for absorption and lead to a B12 deficiency.¬†

Also, typically vegetarians stress a low saturated fat diet which is not accurate. In fact, fats like coconut oil and butter from grass-fed cows are extremely healthy and excellent for the body. Unrefined, extra virgin coconut oil is rich in lauric acid and butter from grass-fed cows is rich in trace minerals and fat-soluble vitamins that protect against cancer and infections. Isaiah 7:15 says, “Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.” While they can eat both of these fats, the viewpoint is typically contrary to such fats.

I also do not believe that vegetarians live longer, in fact looking at history not only does it not appear true on the surface, often most of the quality and type of animal sources are taken into account and when they are the people group lives just as long or longer than anyone eating any way. Also, I do not eat for long life but so that if God should allow me long life it will be a means which He has ordained to carry that out as well as, so that I will be able to have a better quality of life in the present to carry out His will.

The whole idea promoted by some vegans and vegetarians that eating meat from animals is inhumane… is simply preposterous (another great word). Animals should be taken care of and raised with care, but they are for our benefit. We have dominion over them. We are allowed to use their skins for warmth and wear. We are allowed to eat them for nourishment. They are not humans. Jesus always noted how much more value humans were than animals. So it is not wrong to save the whales and baby seals… but come on… Americans are aborting human babies and neglecting the poor and elderly.

Some people just do not like the taste of meat. There are good animal products like organic eggs, raw butter, and raw milk from grass-fed sources that can fill the gaps.

Well… I am ready to stop typing for now. As always more can be said. AND as always I will say that high quality sources are important.