… not have research on specific supplements, as they pertain to angiogenesis, I suspect that whole-food, freeze-dried extracts of fruits, vegetables and herbs will provide a spectrum of concentrated …

Blood pressure medicines
Tinnitus
Neck problems
Effects of statin drugs
General anxiety
Alternative to xanax
Food allergies
Arthritis
Addictions
Curve in back
Xanax and anxiety
Phobias
Silica

To summarize, when the government required that the amount of harmful trans-fatty acids be labeled on the package of prepared foods the food industry decided to replace trans-fatty acids with a more harmful equivilant called interesterified fatty acid. The reason? Because most people do not know what interesterified fatty acids are and the government does not require that the company label the amount of these harmful fats. So how do you know which food products contain the interesterified fatty acids? Look under the ingredient list, if the product contains “interesterified soy bean oil” or “stearate-rich oil” then the product contains interesterified fatty acids. This is not entirely fool-proof but at least allows us to weed out some foods with this oil. We will keep you up-to-date as more information comes to light.

To summarize, when the government required that the amount of harmful trans-fatty acids be labeled on the package of prepared foods the food industry decided to replace trans-fatty acids with a more harmful equivalent called interesterified fatty acid. The reason? Because most people do not know what interesterified fatty acids are and the government does not require that the company label the amount of these harmful fats. So how do you know which food products contain the interesterified fatty acids? Look under the ingredient list, if the product contains “interesterified soy bean oil” or “stearate-rich oil” then the product contains interesterified fatty acids. This is not entirely fool-proof but at least allows us to weed out some foods with this oil. We will keep you up-to-date as more information comes to light.

First, I want to talk about the two most fundamental forms of essential fatty acids.

Parent Essential Fats (PEFs) – These are primarily vegetarian sources and are made up of the true essential fatty acids that cannot be made by the body. Examples of PEFs are alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid from flax, chia and other nuts and seeds. Another example would be linoleic acid which is an omega-6 fatty acid from nuts and seeds. Neither can be made by the body and thus must be consumed. They are primarily used as building blocks for the second fundamental form of essential fatty acids—Essential Fatty Acid Metabolites (EFAMs).

Essential Fatty Acid Metabolites—EFAMs are the fatty acid metabolites that are made from the parent essential fatty acids. These are commonly found in animal sources such as meat and eggs because the animal has converted the PEFs into the active metabolites. The two most famous omega-3 fatty acids are EPA and DHA from fish, shrimp and wild game. These two are the most abundant essential fatty acid metabolites but are not the only important EFAMs. These can be made in the body and thus are not considered true essential fatty acids; however, if the body cannot produce sufficient amounts then these fatty acid metabolites become conditionally essential and thus must be consumed. There are a number of reasons why these fats may become conditionally essential. One big change in paradigm for me has been how we look at these EFAMs. We would often talk about how fish oil was the only omega-3 fatty acid supplement you needed because the fish has converted the PEFs for you; however, perhaps the body wants the ability to make the EPA, DHA and any other metabolites as it sees fit. As you will see, the new approach focuses on providing the body with higher levels of PEFs and smaller, supportive doses of the EFAMs such as the EPA and DHA found in fish oil. This will prevent an excess of active metabolites while allowing the body to decide how much EPA, DHA, and other metabolites it wants depending on need.

Why Can’t Some People Make Enough EFAMs?

There are a number of reasons why some people have difficulty converting the parent essential fatty acids into active essential fatty acid metabolites.
Genetics – Some people’s bodies just do not produce the necessary enzymes to convert the parent essential fats into the active metabolites. These people must include the EFAMs in their diet.

Trans fat consumption—I don’t need to preach the evils of trans fats, let me sum up the topic of trans fats by just saying this, “Trans fats are the devil.” They poison the system by occupying the membrane of the cell, crowding out healthy fats and inactivating the enzymes needed for proper conversion of PEFs. They have been linked to cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and other diseases.

Too little saturated fat intake—That’s right, you may not be getting enough saturated fat in the diet from clean sources. I am not talking about hydrogenated oils, I am talking about natural saturated fats from such sources as organic butter and coconut oil. It turns out that saturated fats are essential in the conversion of PEFs into EFAMs.

Certain metabolic health problems—Diabetes and Syndrome X cause a deficiency of certain enzymes needed for the conversion of PEFs into EFAMs. Other conditions and medications may also effect the ability to convert PEFs, especially omega-3 fatty acids, into the active metabolites. If you consider yourself to be in bad health then it is recommended that you take special care to get the EFAMs from omega-3 fatty acid sources such as fish oil, free-range egg and fish.

The omega-3 fatty acids are still considered one of the most important nutritional supplements that one can take. There are four reasons why this supplement is so high on our list of priorities:

Our diets are dangerously deficient in healthy, undamaged omega-3 fatty acids.
The way that we cook and process foods destroy the healthy qualities of the omega-3 fatty acids

We consume far too many omega-6 fatty acid containing foods
Our diets and lifestyles contribute to an inability to convert precursor essential fatty acids into active fatty acid metabolites. More on this later…

In a nutshell, there are many different fatty acids that are important to our health. Although we have a tendency to focus on the EPA and DHA, two fatty acids found in fish oil, it is important to note that there are many different types of fatty acid metabolites that are also important to the body. This is why we were never big fans of fish oil supplements that claim to “concentrate the omega-3 fatty acids and throw away the rest.”

When we evaluate the work of researchers who study the diets of our hunter/gatherer ancestors we find some pretty interesting stuff.

Our bodies appear to be built to function on a diet that contains an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of between 6:1 and 1:1. This means for every 1-6 grams of omega-6 fatty acids we should be getting 1 gram of omega-3 fatty acids.
The primary source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, in our ancestors’ diets, was from plant sources. Wild game was more of a treat and thus the PEFs were likely the primary source of omega-3 fatty acids with small doses of the EFAM omega-3 fatty acids when available.

Our body is very efficient in absorption of polyunsaturated essential fatty acids and appears to have no system for controlling essential fatty acid uptake into the cell. This means that the concentration of PEFs and EFAMs in the cell are proportional to the intake. This likely stems from a relative scarcity of PEFs in the diet and a relative importance to health as we evolved. This means that if 10% of our fat consumption comes from essential fatty acids then our cell membranes will contain close to 10% of the fatty acids as those same EFAs.

Why Our Efficiency at Absorbing EFAs May Be Killing Us

As I have researched essential fatty acids and their impact on our health, I have concluded with more certainty than ever, that a healthy balance of proper fats is essential to the achievement of optimal health. On the flip side, the consumption of the wrong fats and/or damaged/oxidized fats is one of the most important contributors to disease. The reason for such a negative impact on our health seems to stem from the efficiency with which our body seems to absorb and utilize the fats that we consume.

Over the past century, our fat intake has changed dramatically. Whereas the consumption of essential fatty acids was somewhat scarce in our diet, now they are abundant. This abundance of essential fats, omega-3 fats included, can result in too much of a good thing as we started to cook, fry and otherwise process these fats in such a way that results in damaged/oxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids. These damaged fats take advantage of our efficiency in absorbing healthy fat and end up entering the membranes of our cells. These oxidized fats ultimately cause dysfunction in the cell that seems to be a major player in the development of disease, especially heart disease, obesity and cancer. In addition, the abundance of omega-6 fatty acids, also oxidized, throws the balance of omega-3 fatty acids further out of whack. With the combined effect, we have the perfect storm for disease:

Unbalanced ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids which can reach a level of up to 20:1 in many diets.

The abundance of oxidized/damaged omega-3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

In a nutshell, the average American’s cell membranes are full of oxidized fats and even if they were not oxidized, the imbalanced ratio alone would be sufficient to cause disease and dysfunction. We are in real trouble here. Did you know that scientists dissected the plaques of arteries from people who had died from heart disease and discovered almost no saturated fat in the arteries and plaques of these unlucky people? You know what they found plenty of? That’s right, oxidized omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Yet we spend so much time and money attacking saturated fats when in essence it is the intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically oxidized omega-6 fats, that are to blame for many of our health problems. Saturated fats appear to be benign at worst and helpful at best!

Changing the Paradigm for Fats & Oils

I started the article by saying that I have been rethinking my approach to supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil. Let me now discuss my conclusions:

What we eat is more important than what we supplement with. We must first stop consuming oxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids which means we want to avoid fried foods, especially those cooked and fried in oils which are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids such as: Canola oil, grapeseed oil, walnut oil, corn oil, safflower oil and soybean oil.

If you do cook, use extra virgin coconut oil or organic butter as these contain saturated fats that will not oxidize nor will they through the omega-6:omega-3 ratio out of balance. Do not worry about the saturated fats in these oils as they will not cause heart disease as the authorities report. I also like to snack on a combination of organic coconut flakes and chia seeds called CocoChia by a company called Living Fuel Rx. I consume s couple tablespoons daily, it is a delicious treat and provides both healthy saturated and omega-3 PEFs.

For many people, fish oil cannot be called an essential fatty acid because the body does have the capacity to make the EFAMs, EPA and DHA, that are found in fish. It should be considered conditionally essential in those groups who I discussed earlier in the article, however, for most of us these fats should be taken in as natural a form as possible and used in smaller quantities. They should also be used in the context as support for a lifestyle and diet that is low in cooked polyunsaturated oils, as described above. For general maintenance, we are recommending a new, whole food fish oil product that is called WholeMega by New Chapter . This formula is a brand new form of fish oil that is standardized to more than just EPA/DHA. In fact, it contains many different EFAMs that exist in smaller quantities but play critical roles in the health of the body. In addition, this product has a natural antioxidant that is built into the fish oil so as to prevent oxidation within the capsule and body. The recommended dose for many people is 2-4 capsules daily. In some people, higher doses of this or another fish oil may be needed.

Supplement with PEFs. The majority of the essential fatty acids should come from the parent essential fats, this will permit the body to make its own EFAMs as it sees fit. We should consume these fats raw and uncooked and they should compromise only a small percent of our caloric intake. According to fatty acid expert, Mary Enig, Ph.D., omega-3 fatty acids should compromise 1-1.5% of our caloric intake. If your daily caloric intake is 2,000 calories, you should consume 2.2-3.3 grams of PEF omega-3 fatty acids. In addition, we should consume 2-3% of our caloric intake as omega-6 fatty acids which means someone who eats 2,000 calories daily should consume 4.4-6.7 grams of omega-6 fats. This consumption can come from diet and/or supplements but it should be in an unadulterated form. I recommend the formula called Udo’s 3-6-9 Oil Blend which can be used as a liquid on top of prepared food or in capsule form as a supplement to prepared food.

Trans Fats should be avoided entirely. These fats are not naturally found in the diet and wreak havoc on the health of the body. Trans fatty acids will short-circuit our the efforts above. The government now requires that foods list the quantity of trans fat within prepared foods, however, the food industry has found creative ways to mask the trans fat content of food by making the serving size of food so small that it can legally say “Contains 0 grams of Trans fat”. In addition, the industry has replaced trans fats with a new kind of fat called interesterified fatty acids that may turn out to be worst than trans fats. We will talk more about this in the future.

Make sure that you eat plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables and supplement with plenty of antioxidants in order to protect these fats from unwanted oxidation.

Don’t be afraid of saturated fat or cholesterol in the diet. In fact, eating a free-range egg a day is a good practice to provide the body with important EFAMs, PEFs, antioxidants, amino acids, and phospholipids.

Watch your intake of refined carbohydrates. When you consume excessive levels of carbohydrates, the way that your body processes fats gets disturbed. We have discussed this in detail in previous articles and radio shows, so I will spare you today.

Get a copy of Know Your Fats by Dr. Mary G. Enig. This book, although quite technical, really does a good job of answering the questions around consuming healthy fats.

This discovery opened the minds of scientists as it now became apparent that it may be possible to lengthen our lives by simply cutting back on the amount of food that we eat. After the discovery of the connection between caloric intake and lifespan, researchers set out to discover why animals that ate between 25% and 50% less than normal enjoyed such significant improvements in longevity. What they discovered gave them great hope that they could discover a drug that ultimately could lead to longer lives, possibly adding 10, 20 or even 30 or more years to our lifespan. Fortunately, it appears that nature had already produced such a product…
Enter Dr. David Sinclair of Harvard University

Dr. Sinclair pioneered the work that led to the discovery of a longevity gene called the sirtuin gene. They discovered that a special enzyme called “SIRT1″ is normally responsible for guarding and regulating the activity of certain genes associated with longevity and youth. It turns out that SIRT1 is also called into action when the DNA is damaged by everyday free radical stress. When this DNA damage occurs, the SIRT1 must devote its attention to repairing and regeneration and in turn ignores its role of promoting longevity and youth. The result is an unwanted acceleration of aging!

Food is potential energy and the role of digestion and metabolism is to turn the food material into energy. During this conversion, oxygen is used and free radicals are released. When free radicals are released in excess, this can result in damage to the DNA. The more food that your body has to metabolize the more free radical stress will be produced. Other things like toxins, exercise, stress and poor food choices can result in even more free radical stress. Controlled fasting appears to decrease the oxidative stress and thus allow SIRT1 to promote longevity and youth rather than be dedicated to repair of damaged DNA. In addition, the controlled fasting or calorie restriction could possibly result in an activation of the genes that promote the production of SIRT1.

What if we could promote more SIRT1 enzyme with a drug?

This is precisely the hope of scientists, to discover a drug that could be marketed as the fountain of youth. However, as I mentioned previously it appears that nature is way ahead of us. A natural compound known as resveratrol, appears to activate the SIRT1 gene thus promoting the production of more SIRT1 enzyme! This was a breakthrough discovery which has led to the development of resveratrol supplements which may help us live longer and healthier lives.

So how do we know that resveratrol will slow aging?

Well, we don’t know. Resveratrol’s benefits are still in the theory stage. Scientists have been able to genetically engineer mice to produce more SIRT1 enzyme. These mice live longer and appear to be protected from cancer when scientists inject mice with cancer-causing compounds. We also know that normal mice who are fed resveratrol also appear to achieve the same degree of protection and longevity as the mice who are genetically engineered to produce more SIRT1. Other animal studies have confirmed that resveratrol supplementation protects against other diseases such as heart attack, stroke, cancer, diabetes while also promoting longevity. Do, these results translate to benefits in humans? We hypothesize that they will, but given the evidence available we cannot be sure. Human trials are underway to help answer some of these questions.

Do I take resveratrol?

In short, yes, I do. I wrote an article about the benefits of whole food antioxidants and talked about the antioxidant formula that I use in my own program called Botanical Treasures by Natura Health Products. This formula contains 20 mg of resveratrol per two capsules and I take six capsules daily which will provide 60 mgs of resveratrol daily. In the animal studies, it has been determined that a human dose as low as 2 mg and as high as 2432 mg is considered safe and effective. As you can see, there is a wide discrepancy in dosage between the studies. Many of the studies found that a human-equivalent dose between 30 and 300 mg would be sufficient to have a therapeutic benefit. As human trials are completed and more light is shed on human dosing I may change this recommendation, however, for now it stands at 30-300 mg. Within the next month, Natura Health Products will be releasing a new resveratrol formula that will combine a pure resveratrol formula with other synergistic nutrients. We will alert you when it is released for those who want to supplement with extra resveratrol.

Summary:

Although I would love to say that resveratrol will absolutely prolong life and slow aging in humans, the research is quite preliminary. This places resveratrol into the class of supplement that is what I call a “supplement luxury” which means if money is no object, feel free to add it to the program based on the positive animal research to date. If money is tight, then I recommend that you dedicate those resources to more proven tools such as vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids and whole food antioxidants. If the resveratrol happens to come along with other supplements, such as the Botanical Treasures, well then that is icing on the cake. Admittedly the research is intriguing and resveratrol is considered safe, who knows, it may one day prove to be the discovery of the century.

Examples discussed in the column over the past years include the fact that we are the only animal that drinks the milk of a different animal and drinks milk after we’ve been weaned. This has resulted in numerous health issues that may be hard to directly link to the consumption of milk, but nonetheless are health condition that improve with the avoidance of dairy products.

We are the only animal that artificially extends daylight hours, through the use of electricity and light bulbs, which has a clear effect upon the way our bodies use sugar and store fat. To our body, it is always August (the time of the longest exposure to sunlight) and our bodies are programmed to crave carbohydrates and store fat to prepare for the coming “winter” with less food available and colder temperatures to endure. The spread of affordable electricity coincides with the spread of diabetes, heart disease and obesity in this country.

The topic for this column has to do with a different way that we alter nature’s plan… and the short-term and long-term negative effects of not respecting “the way things were meant to be.”

A ruminant is an animal that is designed to eat certain kinds of foods and digest those foods in a certain way. Ruminants, examples of which are cows and sheep, eat grass. Eat may not be the proper term… they actually eat it, then eat it again, and still again, in a very specific manner that allows for the proper digestion and the ability to create protein from a food source that has very little protein to begin with. Ruminants have stomachs that are vastly different from ours… in fact some people interpret a cow to have 4 stomachs (which technically is not the case, each chamber has a specific name and function).

A cow has a particular relationship with the grass that it eats and the environment that it lives in… a relationship that works perfectly for the animal, the grass, and the ecosystem around them. By grazing a pasture, the cow maintains the integrity of the field by weeding out saplings before they are able to grow into trees that would disrupt the grassland, by planting grass seeds through the digging of their hooves and by fertilizing the grasses as it goes along. The grass provides the perfect food for the cow to grow and reproduce.

If this is the way that nature intended for a particular animal and the environment to interact, in perfect harmony, then why has the cattle industry grown in a way that completely disrupts this process and relationship? That is the question of the day… and the answer is easy… it always comes down to money! But the less obvious concern is the negative ramifications to our health and the health of the world around us as a result of interference with the delicate balance of a complex system.

So… I ask you… what is the true cost of beef?

The fact is that a cow in nature, left to its own devices, would only eat grass. The only grains that it would consume would be very small amounts of grass seeds. But, the beef that we eat is known as “corn-fed” beef, unless you are buying pasture-fed beef, which is more expensive and less available (and don’t be fooled into thinking that “organic” beef is not corn-fed, because it very well might be… just organic corn).

One reason that the beef industry has resorted to using corn as the mainstay in the cattle’s diet is because it is the cheapest, most plentiful, most compact and most portable option available. It allows for the feeding of the highest number of animals on the smallest plot of land.

But maybe the bigger reason for corn feeding is the corns’ ability (along with protein supplements and hormones) to get the cattle to slaughter weight in the shortest amount of time. You see… time is of the essence when you are talking about delivering a commodity that is in big demand. In the early 1900s a typical steer would take 4 to 5 years to get to an acceptable size and weight for “harvesting.” In the 1950s, the time frame was more like 2 to 3 years.

Today, the high-tech business of cattle growing turns a calf into a 1250-pound steer, ready for the butcher, in only 14 to 16 months. Boy… talk about fast food!

This all came about because of the widespread use of petrochemical fertilizers and the surplus of corn that resulted after World War II. Believe it or not, because of corn surpluses and federal subsidies, the price of corn is actually 50 cents per bushel less than the cost of growing it! What a bargain! Did you know that it takes 1.2 gallons of oil to make the chemicals used as fertilizers to produce each bushel of corn?

The problem, though, is that the cow was not designed to eat and digest grains like corn. Corn-fed cattle certainly do grow fatter faster, but the negative consequences to the health of the cow are numerous and far-reaching… requiring all sorts of “remedies” that further negatively affect the health of those who end up eating the cow… namely… US!

Here is the way it works… the corn causes a marked change in the pH of the gut of the cow… it makes it much more acidic. This causes a significant change in the kind of bacteria that lives in the gut of the cow and in the function of the cow’s immune system. This, in turn, creates the need for the constant use of antibiotics in the cattle-feed. The antibiotics further degrade the proper bacterial balance inside the cow and work to create resistant bacteria that like to live in an acidic environment.

In normal circumstances, when eating grass, the gut pH of a cow is practically neutral… and the bacteria that live there and play a vital role with digestion thrive in that environment. Those bacteria would have a hard time living in an acidic environment… the stomach, say, of a different animal that may be more acidic… like that of a human. But these new bugs that are created and strengthened through the above-described process actually prefer the acidic environment of parts of the human gastro-intestinal tract and can wreck havoc on our health. An example would be the recently described E.Coli 0157 strain, which can be responsible for killing a human with a minimal exposure.

The “feedlot life” of the commercial cattle is much like the life of a major European city of the 1400s… tremendously crowded conditions, constant new arrivals from all over the country, extremely poor sanitation (cattle literally wade a foot deep in their waste)… and the predictable result of unbelievably poor health.

Cattle are also almost universally given estrogen implants to help increase weight and fat in quick fashion. The incentive for the producer is hard to ignore. The implants cost about $1.50 each and the hormones are responsible for a 40 to 50 pound increase at time of slaughter, which translates into at least $25 more dollars for the steer… sometimes that is the only margin that the producers actually make.

Of course, there are the trace amounts of the hormones that show up in the finished product (steaks, burgers, etc) to be concerned about… but what about those of us who avoid the beef? Increased synthetic growth hormones have shown up in feedlot waste, which get into the ground water. Scientists have started to discover fish showing abnormal sex characteristics in waters that are downstream from feedlots.

Is it just a coincidence that conditions like breast cancer, falling sperm counts and premature maturation in girls are more common since these cattle raising practices have been in use?

The entire story above aside, the most insidious result of modern cattle producing practices is that the quality of fats in the cow changes markedly, and that’s why eating beef is unhealthy. Madison Avenue has so successfully marketed us about beef that we actually think that “corn-fed” beef is preferred. And, I guess, from a certain viewpoint, it is… feeding cattle corn certainly does help develop “well-marbled” flesh, which the UDSA grading system actually rewards.

But, the fats are the saturated fats, Omega-6, that promote inflammation and ill-health… things like cancer and heart disease. In actuality, the negative health issues associated with eating beef may really be from eating corn-fed beef. Cattle that eat the way nature intended produce the proper ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 fats that help to prevent ill health instead of promote it.

In essence, we have converted the cow from an efficient, solar-powered protein-producing machine into another machine that requires fossil fuels to run… just what we need in today’s world!

So… what is the true cost of beef? Let’s figure it out… 25 pounds of corn a day… that’s 284 gallons of oil per steer… add the cost of the antibiotics used… and the considerably higher cost of the results of the antibiotic use including food poisoning from rogue bacteria… the cost of cancer and heart disease treatments… sounds a little more expensive than the $1.29/pound special at the local super market!

To be or not to be… Vegetarian?

In the six and a half years that I have been doing my radio show I have had the opportunity to interview, and study the works of, the leaders and innovators in the field of nutrition and health… people like Harvey Diamond (Fit For Life), Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw (Life Extension) and Eric Braverman (The Healing Nutrients Within). Over the years I have used myself as the guinea pig to “try out” almost everyone’s theories about health, nutrition and diet.

I tried on several occasions to eat a vegetarian diet. After about 3 days I would begin to feel washed out and low in energy, and invariably, would give up and go back to my carnivorous ways. I just figured that I’m a high protein kind of guy, and that the mix of fuel that my body needed had to include proteins from animals. However, there was one exception… when I was hiking out in the woods (usually on the Apalacian Trail) I could be out for a week, eat a completely vegetarian diet, and my energy would go up and up. I was never able to make any sense of this…

Until, in the summer of 1996 I spent a couple of weeks in the Andes Mountains in Ecuador with a Shaman named Don Alberto Taxzo and the people of his village. I went there to learn about his form of energy healing and way of life. He and his family, like many of the Indians of the Andes, eat a vegetarian diet. Someone in our party asked Don Alberto about being vegetarian and this was what he said:

“If you need to go to war you better eat meat because you will need to have the aggression that you will get from it. But, if you want to be a feeling, thinking, sensitive person, don’t eat meat, it gets in the way.”

At that moment it was like a hammer hitting me square on the head, I finally understood. For me, the life I was living, the life of trying to get ahead in the business world, having a big house and a 2 car garage, was my own little war. How many of us are waging war every single day?

On that day, I made a very important decision for myself. I simply decided that I was not going to be part of that “war” any more. I would not play that game any more. And I have been vegetarian ever since! And my energy just keeps going up and up!

Don Alberto gave me a totally new perspective about diet… energy! His concern was not about proteins and carbohydrates and fats… it was about the energy that we get from certain kinds of food. Long has been the tradition to pray over food. I think that prayer over food and appreciation shown for food helps instill a positive energy into that food so that our bodies actually get more energy, positive energy, from the food.

Now I am not saying that we should ignore what we know about proteins, carbohydrates and fats. In fact, just the opposite is true… and being a vegetarian who requires a lot of protein in my diet, I have to work darn hard to make sure I get all the protein that I need. I know many very unhealthy vegetarians who just substitute pasta for meat in their diets.

There are 8 to 10 “essential” amino acids. Any time you see “essential” before a nutrient it means you must get it from your diet, your body can not make it from other parts. Any animal product (eggs, dairy, red meat, fish, chicken, etc.) is a complete protein, meaning that you get all of the essential amino acids. There are only two non-animal protein sources that give you all of the essential amino acids by themselves. They are soy and a grain called quinoa (which, coincidentally, is native to the Andes). You can also get all of the essential amino acids by properly combining certain foods, like beans and rice.

Being the high protein, high fat kind of guy that I am, I make sure that I get plenty of soy, quinoa, and nuts and seeds in my diet. And what about my sensitive, feeling, thinking side? There is no question that I am 10 times more in touch with my intuition than I was before I gave up eating meat. Just ask my patients that marvel at my ability to tell them things about themselves before they tell me.

In the past, my stock answer to this sticky question has been, “it depends”. There are many factors that would determine which is right for an individual… genetics, metabolism, blood type, ethnic background, health, personal preferences, etc. If I saw five patients in one day that all asked me that very same question, the conclusion drawn would have been that there is a different answer for each one of them.

Herbivore? Carnivore? Omnivore?

Nope… if we really want the healthiest way of eating… for you, and for the rest or us, how about LOCAVORE!!

Factoid: The New Oxford American Dictionary chose locavore as its word of the year for 2007.

A “locavore” is someone that eats food grown or produced locally or within a certain radius of where they live. The distance considered “local” may vary depending upon your sensibilities, but a generally accepted rule of thumb may be within 100 miles.

This would be taking the question to a whole different level – one that transcends whether you are eating meat or not. And one that eschews the organic vs. non-organic argument. Or, better said, decide to eat locally first – then you can argue about all the rest of it. Vegetarian or carnivore, organic or not – if you are getting your food locally, chances are it will be healthier for you than if it traveled in a truck, boat or plane to make it to your plate. And, just as importantly, it will be healthier for me if you did that too!

The average American meal has traveled at least 1,500 miles to make it to your plate (that is further than the average American family goes for vacation). So what is the true cost of a meal when you consider the fuel costs of transportation and refrigeration, packaging, labor, etc? The cost to the environment and the inflated cost of gasoline (because of supposed scarcity) makes that 99 cent hamburger one heck of a lot more expensive.

Get this – according to Barbara Kingsolver (author of many novels including Poisonwood Bible) and husband Steven Hopp in their book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – if every American citizen would eat just one local and organically grown meal a week, the savings in fuel would amount to 1.1 million barrels of oil every week! How many of us have considered trading in our SUVs for little Hondas? Want to make a real difference, and help yourself in the process… become a locavore… the impact can be tremendous, even if you only partially dedicate yourself to the idea.

Locally grown food makes up less than 1% of the $900-billion food industry. The reasons for this are numerous, including grocery chains & wholesalers and fast-food producers finding it easier and more profitable to buy from huge factory farms. Government subsidies also contribute to the appearance of economies with the large-scale food delivery system.

Imagine what would happen if there were no more local farms in our area. All it would take is one natural disaster between here and the Mid-West, or one ill-timed political decision, or one trucker’s strike to render us helpless.

Here are additional benefits (other than saving gas) that come from encouraging and supporting local farmers…

Eating foods harvested locally also means eating them almost immediately after harvest, which translates into better taste and increased nutritional value, because foods ripen on the vine, not through an artificial process while in a truck.
Keeping local farmers in business helps to control urban sprawl – a family farm going out of business is what leads to the land becoming available to developers.
Eating locally encourages multiple cropping; growing multiple species and a wide variety of crops at the same time and place… this is healthier for the land and also makes the farms less susceptible to the likelihood of an entire crop loss caused by one factor (meaning if all you grow is soy beans and a soy bean virus attacks your crops – you’re done).
Multiple cropping also allows for more efficient use of labor and materials because different plants come in at different times, as opposed to 80% of the work happening in a short period of time.
Local economies are strengthened by protecting local jobs and local suppliers.
You should realize that foods in packages marked as “local” may mean that they were grown locally, shipped abroad for packaging and processing, and then shipped right back to your neighborhood for sale. This would hardly result in the intended outcome or conserving resources, etc. And, it would also mean that too much of the cost of the food would be going to all of the middle-men in that process, not the local farmer. So, when you buy locally, you should be buying from the actual farmer (at a farmer’s market, perhaps) or from a food co-op or local grocer who can certify the source and processing of the goods.

When you go to a farmer’s market to make your purchases, take the time to actually talk to the farmer. First of all, it’s the neighborly thing to do (and he or she IS your neighbor). Also, you can find out about the farming methods used – organic or not – and you can get the opportunity to let your preferences be known. You are the consumer, the customer, after all, and farmers want to grow the things that you are interested in buying.

And don’t forget about restaurants that advertise local foods used in their establishments. Eating at these places has a tremendous trickle down effect in supporting local farmers and encouraging more of them to continue to do their thing.

There are a lot of resources around to help you find local farmers and farmers markets. You can go to www.localharvest.org and click on the map where you live. Bring up www.futureharvestcasa.org for more regional resources and information. Click on www.100milediet.org to read even more about this concept and to get on the road to becoming a locavore yourself.

I really encourage you to think this through very carefully. Think about how simple it would be to make a small change in your habits that could reap huge rewards down the road. One meal a week, that is less than 5% of your total eating activity, can make a huge difference in your health and mine. If you aren’t interested in helping yourself, you could at least do it for me!