Healthy by Nature radio show this week: Dallas area integrative practitioner, Alfred Johnson, DO will be in the studio to co-host. We will discuss allergies and chemical contamination with Doris Rapp, MD. She is the world – renowned author of a number of books including: 32 Tips That Could Save Your Life; Is This Your Child?; and Our Toxic World. By the way, I’ve added a new section at the end of this letter to give announcements and a heads up about coming events. Call the live show with questions at 1-800-281-8255. Click here to find podcasts, show archives and how to listen nationwide.
 ACTION ALERT FOR TEXANS
TODAY we must urge State Rep. Lois Kolkhorst to schedule a hearing in the Public Health committee on a Health Freedom Bill. The session is ending and he will decide by this Friday. The bill gives citizens the right to choose treatments and protects alternative practitioners from monopoly moves by the mainstream trade groups. The link I give has details and is an easy way to take action. Just type in your zip code at the bottom of the page and you will be forwarded to a page with some suggested copy (you can edit that to personalize if you like). Fill in your name and address and click the button. Your very own Texas representative will receive your message. Support bill HJR 125. LINK.
 
Red Meat–Pros and Cons
As a follow-up to last week’s newsletter on carnitine, from a Mayo Clinic review of studies, here is more good news that the amino acid can be heart healthy. LINK.
Red meat is a current dietary whipping boy of the media and many experts. (Please do remember that many “experts” told us for decades that fat was horrible and that we should fill our plates with lots of starch. How did that work out for us? That bit of dogmatic bad advice resulted in an entire country bulging with obese folks and millions of diabetics.) I recommend eating a great variety of foods because all of them come with pluses and  minuses. One exception is refined carbohydrate-based junk food. The only meaningful benefit of these starch and sugar indulgences is their taste and easy availability. Here are some factors to consider about read meat:

PRO–Red meat is:

A source of complete protein (meaning that it has all the amino acids required to build enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, muscles, hair and other tissues)
Satisfying – keeps us from being hungry between meals
Does not raise blood sugar levels like carbs do (e.g. the bun and ketchup on that hamburger)
Source of important nutrients such as CoQ10, CLA and vitamin B12
Happy Food? A study showed that NOT eating enough red meat might lead to depression. LINK. (Note, the study was done in Australia where the bulk of beef is grass-fed.) Another study hints that a mineral, Rubidium, found in red meat may be a factor in improving mood. LINK.
Cholesterol-lowering? The basic idea that cholesterol in food raises our cholesterol has largely been debunked. (Most cholesterol is made in the body, so when we eat more, our bodies just produce less.) One study showed that lean beef might even lower cholesterol. LINK

CON
The word “con” is appropriate here in both of its meanings. As you will see below, there are reasons that beef probably shouldn’t be on every plate every day, but we have also been “conned” by misleading studies. (By the way, that whole thing about Pork being “the other white meat” was just marketing talk, not nutrition fact.)

Studies showing negative results for meat are usually flawed in that they don’t separate the stats on processed meats (such as hot dogs, baloney and Spam®) which have lots of chemical additives. Nor do most studies eliminate the charbroiled and smoked meats which have their own issues caused by the preparation method. Studies almost always focus mainly on commercial meat raised in factory settings where the animals are fed an unnatural grain-based diet that increases the inflammatory fats (omega-6) and decreases the anti-inflammatory fats (omega-3).

The cheap feed used in big agribusinesses is not organic and therefore may contain pesticides which end up in the meat. Of course, the feedlot businesses also pump their animals full of hormones and antibiotics which clearly have a proven downside and accompany the meat to the grocers’ case. Cattle raised on a natural grass diet have none of those problems and provide greater amounts of CLA (thought to be slimming and cancer-protective) as well as fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin K2 (which helps build bone while it reduces hardening of the arteries).

That said red meat is:

Not as beneficial for some blood types as others (e.g. type O may respond better than type A).
A source of saturated fat? Half of the fatty acids in beef are the same monounsaturated fats found in olive oil. One third of the saturated fat in beef is stearic acid which is neutral regarding cholesterol. The amount of the type of saturated fat anyone is concerned about is actually similar to that of fish and chicken. Also, the evidence against saturated fat has weakened after a more thorough review of the original studies that started the furor.
Of course, there are calories. But, since red meat doesn’t raise blood sugar, those calories aren’t as likely to generate fat. Meat isn’t as addictive as say potato chips, so we are more likely to stop eating when we are full. Obviously portion is a choice. Do we savor a 6 ounce or order an 18 ounce rib eye?
Even clean, lean, pasture-fed beef is high in iron. Herein lies the biggest problem for a sizeable portion of the population. Next week I’ll explain why iron can be a life-saver for some and a problem for others. I may discuss vegetarianism.

No, I am not on the payroll of some cattlemens association. I just hate to see diet dictocrats spread misinformation. Catherine Collins, a dietitian at the U.K. nonprofit Science Media Centre, said in a Business Insider interview on the carnitine / meat eater issues: “There’s no need to change our dietary recommendations from this [study]…A Mediterranean style diet with modest meat, fish, dairy and alcohol intake, coupled with more pulses [beans], vegetables fruits, whole grains and mono-unsaturated fats [e.g. olive oil and macadamia nut oil], remains the nutritional blueprint for a healthy and healthful life.” Great advice for most readers.
 
Last Week
LINK to Archive. We talked about eye health and reversing eye diseases with Stuart Richer, OD, PhD, FAAO who is Director of Ocular Preventive Medicine at the James Lovell Federal Health Care Facility and Associate Professor of Family and Preventative Medicine at Chicago Medical School as well as Assistant Clinical Professor, UIC Dept of Ophthalmology and Visual Science. WOW. To sign a petition to get FDA approval for a study on Longevinex for reversing Macular Degeneration, follow this LINK. (DO NOT be fooled by other resveratrol products–they don’t have the same effect as Longevinex.) We also talked at the end about strategies for cellular health with John Young, MD.
 

What’s Up?
For those in the Dallas Fort Worth area, there will be an Ezzi-lift Spring Party (Mother’s Day too) on May 4th, 11:00 AM-1:30 PM at the Holiday Inn Express at Beltway and Midway in Addison. Come and go as you please. There will be refreshments, special deals and other neat stuff to be announced next week. For those not in the area, visit this LINK to find Avazzia and Ezzi-lift opportunities in your area and online.

Please help spread the good word-forward this newsletter to friends and family.
My first book : Natural Alternatives to Nexium, Maalox, Tagamet, Prilosec & Other Acid Blockers. Subtitle: What to Use to Relieve Acid Reflux, Heartburn, and Gastric Ailments.

My latest book: Aloe Vera-Modern Science Sheds Light on an Ancient Herbal Remedy

The information contained in this newsletter has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The contents are for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice.

Copyright 2013 Martie Whittekin, CCN