Old graves send us a message about how we should be trying to live and eat

One of my clients wrote:

"In December, while out riding round New Plymouth, we discovered a beautiful cemetery, we've never seen such old graves in such perfect condition, all the very old ones had beautiful gardens on them, it all covered a huge area, we were intrigued and wandered for ages. 

What intrigued me, besides the beauty and tranquillity of the park/cemetery, was that the graves were very old - most had died 150-200 years ago. Apart from a small no. of infant deaths, all the others were in their late 80's and upper 90's, all those years ago, when living conditions here were harsh and just natural remedies! The only younger deaths were during the war years. 

I thought that sends a huge message about the way we live, more importantly how we should be trying to live/eat."

If we were to take out deaths from infections, industrial accidents and wars I don't think we are much better off than we were 50 or 100 years ago health-wise.  When I look at our family's living conditions during the 1950's, the standard was appalling as compared to now - long drop toilet outside, no insulation at all in the house, just one open fireplace and bedrooms so cold that ice would form on the insides of the house.  Talk about cramped living during our early years: The kids slept top-tail in the same beds.  We walked to school in the frost, sometimes barefoot.  However, all five of my brothers and sisters are still alive and in excellent health.

Im my opinion, the professions of modern medicine and nutrition, including their research and education, has been hijacked by "for-profit" interests.  We may be living longer, thanks to no massive world wars, fewer industrial accidents and less infection; but are we actually healthier?  I don't think so.  We may actually be less healthy, being preserved by drugs that ruin quality of life as we get old.

Here is the best article I have send to date that explains how we have lost our way with nutrition science and what we need to do to regain good health.

By Dr. Mercola

Three decades ago, the food available was mostly fresh and grown locally. Today, the majority of foods served, whether at home, in school or in restaurants, are highly processed foods, filled with sugars, harmful processed fats, and chemical additives.

During that same time, obesity rates have skyrocketed, and one in five American deaths are now associated with obesity. Obesity-related deathsinclude those from type 2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, liver disease, cancer, dementia, and depression, as nearly all have metabolic dysfunction as a common underlying factor.

The featured1 article contains 11 telling charts and graphs, illustrating how the modern diet has led to an avalanche of chronic disease. As its author, Kris Gunnars says:

"The modern diet is the main reason why people all over the world are fatter and sicker than ever before. Everywhere modern processed foods go, chronic diseases like obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease soon follow."

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/02/24/modern-diet.aspx?e_cid=1stBestOfNL_art_1&et_cid=DM53019&et_rid=819440480

About this website 

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation. Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Candida and Fungal Infections? Gary Moller recommends you explore this programme: Click Here!

Comments about "A study on the mineral depletion of the foods available to us as a nation"

Our backyard vegetable plot in Central Wellington.
Rhubarb, brocolli, zuchini, cucumber, spinach,
beans, beans and more beans!
We are expecting a bumper crop this summer.
Note the rotting seaweed.

Rick of Rick's Running sent me this document "A study on the mineral depletion of the foods available to us as a nation over the period 1940 to 1991"which shows how the mineral content of vegetables in the UK has plunged over that period.  Looks shocking, while hardly surprising.

Hair Tissue Analysis indicating a diet that has been
seriously deficient of minerals.

I am not at all surprised with the findings because they sit comfortably with the Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis reports of which I have completed hundreds.  These reports consistently show that our modern diets are falling terribly short when it comes to supplying nutrients other than calcium (in gross excess in most cases).  This is most apparent in vegetarians who do not have the benefit of concentrated nutrients from animal sources.

The source of the problem is this:

• The faster the rate of production/growth, the lower the concentration of nutrients.
• Modern fruit and vegetables have been selectively bred to produce more sugar and less bitter nutrients.
• Soil is continuously over-cultivated by the use of pesticides and herbicides, perilously depleting minerals.
• What is replaced is only what makes plants grow fast; nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium fertiliser (NPK) and loads and loads of lime (calcium).  Humans need over a hundred different minerals to thrive.

The solutions are to:

Unhealthy products such as tobacco and alcohol like to
associate with "healthy" activities.  Note the irony of
the slogan for this nutrient-poor product!

• Grow your own vegetables in your back yards as much as you can, composting all your organic materials and adding sources of minerals such as seaweed.  Kill any bugs with your fingers, rather than smothering your plants with pesticides (Press-gang your kids into this job - wee fingers are perfect for the job!).
• Buy the rest from organic sources, if you can afford it.
• Avoid processed foods, especially breakfast cereals, including the ones that claim to make you strong and healthy.
• Eat fresh meat, milk and eggs from free range sources - not from factory farms where the animals are raised on a combination of grains, antibiotics and hormones.
• Take supplementary vitamins and minerals.  Best guided by an annual Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis.

_______________________________________

About this website

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

Problem with stomach acid, bloating, leaden legs and loose bowels while mountain biking

"Hi Mr Moller Looking for a bit of advice on a problem I am experiencing while mountain biking.

Photo. Why we love to mountain bike: Alofa and Ioasa Kosena mountain biking the Wairarapa coast

I start my rides generally at a pace of about 20km on reasonably flat terrain and then after about 5km start heading into hills and reasonable climbs. The problem is after about 30mins of reasonably hard riding my stomach turns to acid,bloating occurs and legs etc turn to lead and sometimes end up vomiting. The next day my bowels are very loose and rather smelly. This does not happen all the time but is very frustrating when preparing for an event or in one as it usually means the rest of the ride or event is real struggle."
"W"

In response to questioning from Gary Moller:

"Drinking water before and during ride and as the case yesterday usually had a couple of plain mixed grain rolls about 30 mins before setting out.

The rides are usually about 2 to 2 ½ hours long
My age is 48yrs,75kg and am 1.7m tall.

My health is excellent as recently had a checkup and am on no medication of any kind.

Tea the night before was plain pasta,lunch that day was three plain mixed grain rolls and breakfast was 3 pieces of plain toast and interspersed with 1 pear and 1 apple.

Fluids were about 2 litres of water and 3 cups of tea with 2 spoons of sugar in each and sneaked in small bar of chocolate. Am careful of my food as regards preservatives and try to avoid to many processed foods also.

Not a vegetarian but do not eat a lot of meat perhaps twice a week.

Just plain pasta as in straight out of the packet with a home made sauce made of tomato and onion. Toast with no topping .

Have a theory of my own would like your opinion on. Could it be build up of lactic acid from the exercise and my body not being able to deal with it?
____________________________
Gary Moller advises:
I doubt very much if the problems you describe are due to lactic acid build-up. The most likely cause is a poor diet that is mostly devoid of nutrients. Of course, I am making these statements based on the snap-shot you have given; but I will make the comment that a healthy person, let alone a 40+ year old doing 2-3hr mountain bike rides, needs a consistent daily infusion of thousands of different nutrients. While other days that are nutrient rich may be around the corner, there is a real danger that your diet is leading down a path that will only result in very bad health crash.

The feelings of acidity and vomiting that you describe could be explained by your poor diet. Let me explain why:

Your liver produces bile which is a bitter liquid that is used by the body to emulsify and help digest fats in your diet. The liver produces a steady dribble of bile that is stored in the gall bladder. When a fatty meal is consumed the gall bladder is stimulated to release the bile. If you are on a low fat diet, which you appear to be, then one must ask what happens to the bile that builds up in the gall bladder, especially overnight? Well, it just sits there and does nothing except accumulate more and more. Then you go out riding - heart racing, lungs pumping, smashing your way downhill - and that bile just sloshes about. Eventually, like a child who fails to get to the toilet in time - it releases and you end up with a gut full of bitter bile, some of which is regurgitated because it has no useful purpose at the time. this is a recipe for an eventual health disaster and action must be taken to correct things.

My advice is to consult an experienced nutritionist in your area to help you work out a suitable diet that suits your lifestyle and personal dietary tastes. I will offer the following general comments:

Fat is good for you. You can not live without fat. As an athlete you need more fat in your diet - not less. Fat is also essential for the supply and absorption of many nutrients including the fat soluble vitamins - A, D, E and K. Without these you get sick and die.

Pasta and bread made from white flour are not good for you in anything other than small amounts. There is little nutritional value in them and they only serve to gum up the digestive tract. It is the ingredients that go on them that is nutritious - butter, olive oil, tomato, meat fish, cheese, onions, garlic, peppers etc, etc - all in copious amounts. So go easy on the bread and pasta and big on the toppings.

Sugar and honey are simple sugars that should only be consumed in very small amounts. Too much may set you up for increasing insulin resistance and even type II diabetes. This warning applies, as well, to a diet that is excessively rich in bread and pasta. Digestion is such that the starches in these foods are converted to simple sugars almost from the moment they are mixed with saliva. For carbohydrates, you should seek a wide mix of sources, including root crops such as kumara, taro, pumpkin, bread fruit and potato.

Get more protein (along with fat) in your diet every day. Your body needs protein for a myriad of jobs, including repair following your rides and for building strong muscles.

Get more fresh vegetables and fruit in your diet. Pears and apples are kind of ok; but there must be more variety including plenty of the brightest, greenest and reddest. Berries, peppers, carrots, brocolli and so on. Fresh is best and lightly cooked or raw.

Drink only as much water as you require to replace body weight lost during a ride. Please read my many articles and E-Publications on endurance training which explain the importance of hydration without excess.

An Introduction to Nutrition and Health

Nutrition as MedicineExciting nutrition research developments are occuring by the day, confirming the powerful effect of nutrition on health. Nutrition is perhaps the single most important decision that you will ever make about your health. Along with selection of foods to create a healthy body, advanced nutritional approaches to healthy ageing, energy management, and enhanced performance are crucial in determination of your health over the duration of your life. Nutrition is your first defense against many, if not the majority, of ailments associated with modern lifestyle and ageing. In many cases, nutritional strategies are essential in the treatment of ailments once they manifest and for preventing their progression.

Best Nutrition
Although there are very good basic guidelines, there is no such thing as "best nutrition". We are all different (including race, religion, culture and even income) and our needs vary throughout our lives depending on ever-changing factors like activity, illness, pregnancy and age. There is no ‘right way’. Good nutrition is a life-long journey with many paths you may choose to travel with equally good effect - Nutritional paths that lead to the same destination - good health. The nutritional advice that appears on this website and throughout my E-Publications is advice for a sensible, evidence-based journey. I will update these now and then as the journey continues.

The first thing we need to consider is that food is not just fuel, it is what our bodies are made of. It's fashionable to scoff at the cliche "you are what you eat", but it is literally true.

Get back to natural & fresh
It makes sense to start with plants & animals that have been raised in healthy ways (eg. free range and organic). Then we want them to be either fresh, or processed in such a way that the nutrients in them are preserved or enhanced. Look for fresh, minimally processed & organic foods like:

• Fresh proteins - Meats, seafood, eggs, whole milk products
• Unrefined carbohydrates - Whole grains or flours (in small amounts), legumes, vegetables, fruits
• Stable fats & oils – Butter, coconut products, nuts, seeds, extra virgin olive oil
• Natural flavourings - Sea salt, herbs & spices, whole food sweeteners such as raw honey, pure maple syrup, molasses

We all need a balance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, though the ratio is different for each person. So choose something from each of the above groups at each meal.

Foods to avoid
It pays, as much as is practical to avoid foods that are either empty calories or actually harmful to us. Most fast foods, or foods that are processed or pre-prepared, are unhealthy. A good rule of thumb is: the closer the food is to its natural state, the better it is.

If a food comes in a packet or tin, get into the habit of flipping it over and reading the ingredients. These are the main things you want to avoid:

• Sugars – which means sucrose, glucose, fructose, dextrose, golden syrup, corn syrup and concentrated fruit juice. These have been depleted of their minerals, and require us to use our body's store of nutrients to metabolise them
• Refined carbohydrates – such as white flour, white rice, grains that have been puffed or flaked
• Grains that have been processed are like sugars in that many of the minerals have been stripped from them. Cereals that have been puffed or flaked have had their protein altered during the processing
• Soy products such as soy milk, yoghurt or cheese; tofu; vegetable protein; soy flour & protein powders.
• Soy contains anti-nutrients, which are not neutralised by standard processing methods. But fermenting does neutralise them, so fermented products such as tempeh, miso & tamari are fine.
• Dangerous fats – such as margarines and commercial, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. When vegetable oils are procesed these ways, they turn into trans-fats which are detrimental to our health
• Artificial sweeteners – eg. aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), sucralose (Splenda), saccharin, cyclamate, acesulfame-K. These are chemicals, not food, and there is a lot of anecdotal evidence of them being harmful
• Additives – such as artificial flavourings or colourings, MSG (often called natural flavour) and limit preservatives as much as possible. Many children, in particular, are sensitive to food additives and there are many cases where cutting them from the diet has shown improvements in behaviour & learning ability
• Pesticides or GE foods – Organic foods are free of both pesticides and GE materials. If you can't get organic, wash fruit & vegetables thoroughly. Pesticides are poisonous to pests, so can't be any good for us either. And there is still not enough known about GE foods, so stick to the natural stuff in the meantime.

To Supplement or not to Supplement
The Recommended Daily Allowances (RDA) for nutrients is what has been calculated through research as being necessary to keep us healthy. Illness, injury, medications, environmental stresses, adolescent growth, ageing or hard exercise may cause increased needs for various nutrients. Furthermore, our over-worked soils may be deficient in various nutrients, principally the trace minerals. While the RDA may suffice in the case of good health and "normal" behaviour, it may be insufficient if one falls outside of normal. If a person has become depleted, then taking just the RDA for that nutrient will not restore body levels to healthy - it will only serve to keep the current status quo which may be very unhealthy.

I advocate supplementation in cases where need is either demonstrably higher or where it is known (usually through blood tests) there is a deficiency. In many instances, such as with minerals like calcium, magnesium and iron, it may take several months, or even years to fully replenish stores in organs like the liver, bones and muscles.

The Myotec Online Store has fresh quality supplements that are made from natural sources, rather than synthetic kinds and selected for value for money. The only supplements that are stocked are the ones that have good evidence for nutritional benefit and which fit well with the work I do with clients. I support these with ongoing advice.

A little advice to finish:
please don't get too tied up about what foods are right or wrong for you, healthy or unhealthy. My advice to you is to follow some general rules of thumb for a diet that is basically healthy, apply common-sense and relax! If you can't adhere all of the time - and who can - relax! The sun will rise in the morning. Get the basics generally right, exercise regularly, get some sunlight, be productive and enjoy life, including enjoying good food.