Today’s blog is republished from my friends at PaleoHacks, a leading publisher of alternative health tips that I personally read every day…

An honest look at the actual difference between wild and farmed salmon, the benefits of this popular dish and how to cook it to perfection with a one-pan salmon dinner recipe.

Salmon can be one of the best things you can eat for your health, but not all salmon are created equal. There are big differences in quality between farmed salmon you typically find at the grocery store and the wild-caught stuff.

Wild-caught, sustainably-raised salmon is packed full of nutrients and healthy fats. A lot of people eat it multiple times a week to reap the most benefits. Yet others tell you to watch for things like exposure to contaminants and environmental harm.

What gives?

Sorting through this information can be confusing. It’s easy to get comfortable with the standard rotation of beef, chicken, and pork and stop worrying about seafood completely. But finding the right salmon (one that’s as nutritious as possible and ethically-sourced) is worth the trouble. Keep reading to see why.

The Natural Health Benefits of Salmon

Here are some of the most important reasons why you should make wild-caught salmon – the kind you can order direct from suppliers like Alaska Gold Seafood a major part of your Paleo diet:

Extremely High Omega-3 Fatty Acid Content

Salmon is loaded with the long chain omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA. We need a balanced ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids for optimal health. Yet the typical modern diet leaves us with multiple times more omega-6s than we need. (1) With the balance so out of whack, you end up with an increase in all inflammatory diseases, everything ranging from diabetes and obesity, to metabolic syndrome or autoimmune disorders. (2)

Wild-caught salmon can help. It has many times more omega-3s than farmed salmon. That makes it the best choice to fight inflammation, improve brain function, protect your heart, and reap all the other awesome benefits that come from balancing your omega-3:omega-6 ratio.

Just a single serving of wild-caught salmon has over 500 mg of DHA and EPA! (3)

Loaded with Hard-to-Find Vitamins and Minerals

Salmon is also high in vitamins and minerals which are: 1) critical for your health, and 2) hard to find in other foods.

Vitamins B12 and D are key players here. Vitamin B12 is essential for proper red blood cell formation, synthesizing DNA, and a lot more. (4) Vitamin D supports healthy bones and teeth, your immune system, brain function, and mental health. (5) These vitamins are tough to find in other foods, but salmon is absolutely loaded with them. Just a single 100-gram serving contains more than the recommended daily value of both vitamins. (6)

Salmon is also high in the mineral iodine, which is essential for thyroid and immune system function. (7) Common table salt is enriched with iodine to overcome iodine deficiencies, which are extremely common.

But Paleos typically eat fewer salty foods, and many of them switch to sea salt (which isn’t iodized). So it’s critical to make sure you’re getting enough iodine in your diet.

Finally, salmon is also packed with selenium. This antioxidant mineral has been linked to decreased joint inflammation, as well as protecting brain against oxidative damage. (8) Selenium also counteracts any adverse effects of mercury exposure, so you don’t have to worry about that when you’re eating salmon. (9)

High in Protein, with a Balanced Profile of Essential Amino Acids

Salmon is also high in protein. Just one 100-gram serving (around 3.5 ounces) contains 23 grams, which is slightly less than a steak or chicken breast of comparable size but certainly nothing to sniff about!

Research also shows that the amino acids in salmon are more “bioavailable” (easier for your body to absorb and use) than amino acids from beef, pork, or chicken. (10) Salmon has an extremely balanced quantity of essential amino acids. It’s especially high in taurine, a powerful antioxidant. (11)

Wild-Caught Salmon vs. Farmed Salmon: Why It Matters

Unfortunately, the vast majority of salmon sold in the United States today is “farmed salmon” – the seafood equivalent of a factory farm. In terms of nutrition, ethics, and sustainability, wild-caught salmon is light-years ahead of the farmed stuff.

Here are some of the most important differences and why they matter for your health.

WILD
– High in vitamin B12 and vitamin D
– Loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids
– Wild-caught salmon can be sourced sustainably and ethically
– High in mineral iodine
– Packed with selenium
– Naturally fights inflammation

FARMED
– Only has about 1/4 the vitamin D of wild-caught salmon
– Exposed to more toxins and contaminants
– Salmon farming creates unhealthy, unnatural living conditions
– Fed corn and grains, which aren’t part of their typical diets
– Fed synthetic pigments to turn flesh pink
– The first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption

Wild-Caught Salmon Contains Vastly More Nutrients

Wild-caught salmon has multiple times more omega-3 fatty acids than farmed salmon. One study found that wild salmon had 12.4 times as many omega-3s than omega-6s, while the farmed salmon only had 2.9 times as many. (12)

Wild-caught salmon also has a lot more vitamins and minerals. One study found that farmed salmon only had about one-quarter the vitamin D of wild-caught salmon. (13) This is critical because salmon is one of the few foods that offers sizable amounts of vitamin D. Eating it wild-caught makes the most of it.

Farmed Salmon Is Exposed to More Toxins and

Contaminants

Farmed salmon has much higher rates of contamination and exposure to toxic chemicals. One study found that farmed salmon had higher levels of 14 different contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, and DDT (an insecticide). (14)

It’s exposure to toxins like these that causes people to hesitate before eating seafood and drives health professionals to recommend limiting intake of it, when in reality, you could be eating it much more often as long as the quality is high.

Wild-Caught Salmon Can be Sourced Sustainably and Ethically

Just like factory farming for chickens and cows, salmon farming creates unhealthy, unnatural living conditions for salmon before they are harvested.

You end up with thousands (or even hundreds of thousands) of large, carnivorous fish trapped in small, crowded nets. Living in such close quarters in salmon feedlots makes farmed salmon more vulnerable to bacteria and viruses, which can spread through the population quickly.

There’s also the diet to think about. Farmed fish are fed corn and grains, which aren’t part of their typical diets. This changes the very makeup of the fish, forcing farmers to use synthetic pigments to turn the flesh pink just so things “look right” (otherwise their salmon would be pale gray!)

Farmed Salmon Could be Genetically Modified

Farmed salmon also has the dubious title of being the first genetically modified animal approved for human consumption. Late last year, the FDA approved a specific type of Atlantic salmon genetically modified to grow twice as fast as natural salmon, considering it “as safe to eat” as non-GMO salmon. (15)

This raises all kinds of concerns about ethics, food safety, and the effects on local ecosystems. Because we don’t fully understand the potential for long-term health effects, many people will choose to stay away from this stuff.

Where Can You Find High-Quality Salmon?

Salmon is easy to find. You can find it in practically every grocery store under the sun… even in landlocked areas (though it can be more expensive in those).

You can also find salmon online through websites like Alaska Gold Seafood, which is a great way to source wild-caught, sustainably-fished salmon without having to worry about quality.

The truly important issue to consider: where did the salmon come from before it got to the store?

The vast majority of salmon we eat comes from:

1. Atlantic ocean. There are only a few wild salmon runs in the Atlantic left. Because these runs are too small to fish commercially, all Atlantic salmon found in grocery stores, restaurants, and elsewhere is farmed.
2. Pacific ocean. More salmon is wild-caught in the Pacific, though there are serious concerns about sustainability. (16)
3. Alaska. All Alaskan salmon is wild-caught because Alaska law prohibits salmon farms. Alaskan laws also ensure salmon is fished in a sustainable way. There’s actually enough wild-caught salmon produced in Alaska each year to feed the entire population of the United States!

Salmon caught in Alaska offers the best balance of nutrition and sustainability, thanks to strategic conservation efforts and strict sustainability laws. But Alaskan salmon can be hard to find at the grocery store, especially if you live far from the state.

It’s much easier to buy salmon online from a reputable source and have it sent straight to your door.

Look for Alaskan salmon rated as “green” or “best choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, an organization that helps consumers choose seafood fished in a sustainable way that respects sea life and habitats. (17) Ideally, salmon should also be certified as a sustainable seafood by the Marine Stewardship Council. (18)

A few suppliers use hooks and lines to deliver the highest-quality wild-caught salmon in a sustainable way. Using the right combination of lines, lures, and boat speed, fishermen are able to minimize stress on the fish and “bycatch” (other marine life caught unintentionally).

Less than five percent of Alaskan seafood comes from hook and line fishermen, as most operations use other methods to maximize their catch. But what hook and line fishermen lack in quantity, they make up for in quality and care in handling.

Finally, look for salmon that comes direct from the producer. Buying direct ensures maximum freshness, and it helps you save money that would have gone to a middleman. It’s even more cost-effective if you have a large freezer and order in bulk!

Here is link to the original article.

Eating fish, especially salmon can help reduce heart attacks, but our friends at PhysioTru want to share something on how you can predict a heart attack before it happens.

Can you really predict a heart attack?

According to America’s #1 heart nutrition expert, Dr. Sam Walters… this 7-second “feet test” can reveal if your heart is dying.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Just sit on a chair.
2. Touch your right foot.

If THIS happens… then your heart is desperately starving for oxygen (but most people only realize when it’s too late).

>> 7-second “feet test” can predict a heart attack (this could SAVE your life).

The post How to Eat Safe, Healthy Salmon + One-Pan Salmon Dinner for Two Recipe appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

Honey has been a popular part of humans’ diet since hunter-gatherer days, as far back as 10,000 years ago. In fact, some researchers believed that primal man often ate large amounts of honey. Even today, some primitive tribes, like the Hadza, consume copious amounts of the golden gooey stuff and are considered super healthy, lean and fit.

Isn’t honey just sugar? And in that case, is honey bad for you? Although honey does contain plenty of fructose and glucose, honey is actually a real food with plenty of nutrients in it. Honey contains over a hundred different compounds including minerals, amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants. Entire colonies of honeybees thrive on the stuff. So, honey is MORE than just sugar–it is actually a health food.

Honey benefits include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, apoptotic (kills cancer cells), and antibacterial properties.

Honey has the ability to raise antioxidant levels in the body, helping you fight off chronic diseases, including cancer. Several studies have also found that buckwheat honey, in particular, significantly increases serum antioxidant capacity.

In one study, men and women followed a controlled diet for two weeks, then followed that same diet for 14 days but also consumed honey daily. Honey consumption increased participants’ blood levels of vitamin C, uric acid, glutathione reductase, and beta-carotene.

Although regular sucrose (table sugar) and high fructose corn syrup are very pro-inflammatory, studies have shown that honey is anti-inflammatory. Honey can reduce inflammation in the digestive tract, lowering the incidence of digestive disorders. Honey has also been shown to reduce inflammation in the airways helping to manage asthma as well.

Honey also has antibacterial properties and is known to help heal wounds and infections. Honey has been shown effective against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecium—all antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. Honey also inhibits the growth of H.pylori, the bacteria that causes ulcers.

Real Honey vs. Fake Honey

Huge differences can exist in the amount of nutrients honey can contain—even within the same types of honey and the same flowers. Wildflower honey tends to have higher amounts of antioxidants than clover honey, and buckwheat honey seems to have the most phenolics and flavonoids. Manuka honey has some of the highest antioxidant, antiviral, antibiotic characteristics and is considered “medical grade” honey.

Honey is labeled as: raw honey, organic honey, or pasteurized honey. Always buy raw, unfiltered local honey if possible. One of the key characteristics of genuine honey is the presence of pollen, which is also the source of honey’s many health benefits. Raw, unfiltered and unpasteurized honey contains vitamins, minerals and enzymes, whereas most of that is lost once honey becomes heat-treated and filtered.

The conventional honey you find in a conventional grocery store in the plastic bear is most likely fake. According to research from Food Safety News, up to 76% of honey options found in US grocery stores are either fake honey, or have been processed to the point that the majority of food laws around the world would prevent them from being labeled as “honey”.

Darker colored honey seems to be higher in bioactive compounds and shows greater antioxidant activity. Darker honey has more flavor.

1. Honey Improves Seasonal Allergies

Seasonal allergies can happen in any part of the world, but here in the U.S., they usually begin in February and can last until the first frost. Seasonal allergies are generally the result of pollen being released by plants and trees and can be especially irritating to sensitive people. Allergies can cause sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose, sore throat, earaches, coughing, headaches, wheezing and asthma.

Over the counter medications often cause unpleasant side effects such as drowsiness, agitation, dry mouth, confusion and dehydration, so many people opt for natural allergy treatments such as honey.

The idea of treating with honey is this: when a person eats local honey, they ingest small amounts of the pollen they are allergic to. This may help them become desensitized to the pollen and react less.

In this study, participants allergic to birch pollen (a common tree allergy) were given birch pollen honey. The BPH patients reported a 60% lower total symptom score, twice as many asymptomatic days, 70% fewer days with severe symptoms, and they used 50% less antihistamines compared to the control group.

Pollen levels in local honey vary widely, but it seems that local honey may help ease symptoms of allergies and desensitize allergic individuals.

2. Stabilizes Blood Sugar

You wouldn’t think that eating honey would stabilize blood sugar, but it can. Keeping blood sugar level is the primary goal of people with diabetes. Even if you don’t have diabetes, keeping your blood sugar stable helps to control food cravings and helps you avoid gaining weight.

In the Journal of Medicinal Food study, researchers found that natural honey lowers blood glucose levels in healthy, diabetic, and hyperlipidemic individuals. In the diabetic group, honey caused a significantly lower rise in blood sugar than other types of sugar at 60, 120, and 180 minutes after consumption. This study also showed that honey helped to increase levels of insulin, which helps to remove glucose from the blood. This may be why honey decreases blood sugar.

3. Lowers Cholesterol

Total cholesterol is divided up into LDL cholesterol (often referred to as ‘bad’ cholesterol), HDL cholesterol (‘good’ cholesterol), and triglycerides. Honey has been found to help lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, while increasing (this is a good thing) HDL cholesterol.

In a study of 55 overweight individuals, those who ate honey instead of table sugar experienced significant reductions in their cholesterol. LDL was reduced, while HDL increased. One other study, published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, found that honey decreased LDL and increased HDL in people of healthy weight in just 15 days.

These studies also showed that honey improved other important biomarkers for cardiovascular health including lowering inflammatory C-reactive protein (CRP), lowering overall blood glucose and decreasing triglycerides.

4. Honey for Colds

Honey has been found to be effective at killing bacteria, yeasts and even some viruses. Honey is also effective at helping to control coughs that accompany colds. This study, along with another study found honey to be effective for relieving coughing, especially nighttime coughs. In fact, it was found found that honey was even more effective at taming nighttime coughs than common cough suppressants.

And if you have a sore throat, honey is an excellent soothing remedy for sore throats as well. Honey acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, along with killing off bacteria and viruses to get a sore throat under control.

“Honey is one of the best remedies for a sore throat due to its natural antibacterial properties that allows it to act as a wound healer, immediately offering relief for pain while working to reduce inflammation. Honey can also kill bacteria and help fight off viral infections,” explains a physician at Penn Urgent Care in Philadelphia.

Even the CDC and the World Health Organization recommend honey to relieve sore throats for adults and children at least 1 year of age or older.

People can try stirring some honey into hot water to soothe a sore throat or cough. Adding lemon provides extra flavor and vitamin C. Manuka honey is also highly effective for germ-killing and medicinal purposes.

Note: Children younger than 1 year should not have honey due to the risk of infant botulism.

5. Soft Glowing Skin and Shiny Hair

Honey is considered a ‘humectant’, which means that it attracts moisture from the surrounding air and helps your skin hold moisture better. And, since it has antibacterial and antiviral qualities, it can also help to fight acne, heal blemishes, stop redness, and even help herpes sores heal faster.

You can help your skin become glowing and soft by massaging a half teaspoon or so of honey into your face. Leave on your skin about 10 minutes and then rinse off.

Want a natural exfoliator? Just stir a pinch of baking soda, salt, or sugar into some honey and rub it on your skin in circular motions. Leave it on for 2 minutes, then rinse off with warm water for smoother skin.

Honey can help your hair look more shiny and less frizzy. Add honey to hair in the shower after your shampoo. Let it soak in a few minutes, then rinse. You can also help your hair look shinier by adding a teaspoon of honey to a quart of water. Rinse with the honey water after you’ve shampooed and dry your hair. Enjoy your shimmering tresses!

Remember to always purchase and use raw, unfiltered honey for the best results. You can find raw honey in your favorite health food store. If you’d like local honey, check your community farmers’ market for the best results.

Speaking of all of the powerful health benefits of honey… My good friends at TheAlternativeDaily wanted to offer you a FREE copy of their new book, The Honey Phenomenon, which details dozens of ways to use honey to heal and revitalize your skin, hair, teeth, and even help improve your heart health, brain health, fight aging, and help with coughs or allergies too! It really is a miraculous substance.

Don’t miss your FREE copy of The Honey Phenomenon before they run out of copies.

References
https://chriskresser.com/here-are-the-top-5-health-benefits-of-honey/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/20-unusual-uses-for-honey_b_949475
https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/honey-remedy
https://www.healthline.com/health/allergies/seasonal-allergies#TOC_TITLE_HDR_1
https://localrootsnyc.com/blogs/news/how-to-spot-the-imposter-real-honey-vs-fake-honey
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/manuka-honey-could-help-strengthen-the-bodys-immune-system-defenses-301030943.html
https://www.karger.com/Article/Abstract/319821
https://wholisticfamilycare.com/local-wildflower-honey-protocol-for-seasonal-allergies/
https://www.marksdailyapple.com/is-honey-a-safer-sweetener/
https://www.mybeeline.co/en/p/us-76-percent-is-fake-honey#:~:text=According%20to%20research%20commissioned%20by,from%20being%20labeled%20as%20honey.
https://localrootsnyc.com/blogs/news/how-to-spot-the-imposter-real-honey-vs-fake-honey
https://www.pennmedicine.org/updates/blogs/health-and-wellness/2018/february/sore-throat
https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/community/for-patients/common-illnesses/sore-throat.html
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/honey-for-sore-throat
https://www.healthline.com/health/honey-for-sore-throat

The post 5 Odd Uses for Honey appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling, BSN,co-author of the best-sellers: The Fat Burning Kitchen,The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging&The Diabetes Fix

Headaches, skin rashes, skin breakouts, brain fog, depression, anxiety, ADHD and even anemia may be sly symptoms of gluten intolerance–even if you have tested negative for celiac disease. And even if you’ve never had any of the digestive discomfort that most people recognize as the primary symptom of gluten intolerance.

You see, conventional tests done by your doctor may only be showing you a small part of the picture. While the standard gluten lab test may turn up negative, you can still be having a serious physical and mental reaction to gluten and other components in wheat, rye and barley.

Here’s the reason–

Wheat contains more than just the ‘gluten’ that you react to. Wheat contains several proteins including gliadin, alpha gliadin, glutenins, agglutinins, and prodynorphins that can cause reactions.

When wheat is eaten, the body begins to break down these proteins in the digestive tract. Enzymes called tissue transglutaminases (tTGs) are produced. During this process, additional proteins are formed called deamidated gliadins and gliadorphins. Yes, I know that is a lot to ‘digest’, but stay with me on this–

Celiac disease does major damage to the small intestine and destroys its sensitive lining that absorbs nutrients from food. When you are tested for celiac disease, you are tested for only ONE specific gliadin, alpha gliadin and tissue transgluaminase, tTG-2.

But here’s some VERY important points to consider:

• People can and do react negatively to other components in wheat and gluten that are not included in the standard celiac/gluten intolerance test.
• Even if you test negative for celiac disease you can have serious negative reactions to other wheat proteins or transglutaminases.
• For every ONE case of celiac disease diagnosed, 6.4 cases of gluten intolerance remain undiagnosed — many with NO gastrointestinal symptoms at all. That means that only about 15 percent of people with gluten issues are actually diagnosed.
• Gluten intolerance can be a real health problem. This is called Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity or NCGS.

Silent Celiac Disease

The common symptoms that most physicians recognize as being associated with celiac disease are bloating, gas, indigestion and diarrhea. What is less common are some of the other physical symptoms—some of the serious—of gluten intolerance, that may not even include any digestive symptoms at all.

Gluten intolerance can manifest itself in a variety of ways in different body systems, making it a tricky masquerader. This insidious condition can affect nearly every system in the body including brain, nervous system, bones, teeth, skin, endocrine system, liver, blood vessels, and of course the digestive system.

Brain Fog

Brain fog can happen as a result of inflammation, and inflammation is one of the hallmarks of this health issue. Brain fog can occur in the morning when you first wake up, hours after you’ve ingested gluten, or can happen right after eating foods containing gluten. Brain fog makes you feel excessively tired and fatigued, with a feeling of fogginess, making it hard to focus or think clearly.

Depression and Anxiety

At least a quarter of those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance report anxiety or depression frequently. Studies show that those with celiac disease or NCGS have reported that they are much more likely to feel anxious, have panic disorder, social phobias, ADHD or depression.

Another way to look at this is if you have any issues with anxiety, depression, or ADHD, you should strongly consider eliminating ALL gluten from your diet for at least 2-3 weeks to see if you have an improvement in symptoms. It is very possible that these symptoms are a manifestation of either silent celiac disease or NCGS.

Headaches and Migraine

Headaches and migraines have a strong connection to gluten reactions as well. In fact, people with celiac disease and NCGS report having headaches and migraines at a much higher rate than the rest of the population. If you have frequent headaches or migraines, it’s time to consider removing gluten from your diet.

A 2018 review of multiple studies published in Nutrients found that the prevalence of headaches reported in those who had diagnosed celiac disease was 26 percent, significantly higher than control groups without celiac sensitivity. The review also noted that headaches and migraines, were often reported as the first symptom of celiac disease—a far cry from the usual digestive issues.

To back up this up, another study in the medical journal Headache found that 56% of people with reported gluten sensitivity, and 30% of those with diagnosed celiac disease, suffered from chronic headaches compared to only 14% of people in the non-celiac control group.

Skin Rashes and Eczema

People with silent celiac disease (no digestive symptoms) or NCGS can also develop painful burning rashes, psoriasis, or other undefined dermatitis. This occurs after consuming foods with gluten in them, although it may be very difficult to discover the connection if there are no corresponding digestive symptoms to go with this.

The most common skin disorder connected to gluten causes is a painful rash called dermatitis herpetiformis. DH is actually a skin condition closely linked to celiac disease or NCGS.

One of the hallmarks of this skin condition is that the reaction to gluten occurs primarily in the skin, but no obvious intestinal discomfort is apparent. While people with DH are at the same risk for the complications suffered by people with celiac disease, as many as 20% of people with DH may have a normal intestinal biopsy.

DH can be diagnosed definitively with a skin biopsy. If you have odd itchy rashes or scaly skin, eliminate all gluten from your diet and see what happens. You may notice a positive result immediately.

[Personally, I suddenly started having horrible, burning, extremely itchy rashes all over my face and neck in my mid 40’s. I had no digestive symptoms to speak of. Although I went to several doctors no one could find a cause. It took me two full years of eliminating possible irritating foods, lotions, and soaps to figure out a connection. Once I removed all gluten from my diet, no more rashes!]

Anemia

Iron deficiency anemia is a very common trait linked to both celiac disease and NCGS. Some research notes that it may often be the FIRST noticeable connection to celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, and up to 75 percent of those who have been diagnosed with anemia may also be gluten intolerant. Studies show that anemia is reported as the most frequent symptom of adult celiac disease or NCGS.

Gluten disorders interfere with absorption of iron, vitamins and other minerals in the gut and anemia tends to be one of the first signs of malabsorption. Even worse, anemia makes one feel tired and weak, further exacerbating the fatigue that gluten can cause.

Long Term Damage Caused by Celiac Disease or NCGS

If the above health symptoms don’t get your attention about the possibility of eliminating gluten from your diet, take a look at the list below. These diseases often result from long-term exposure to gluten—whether it is celiac disease, silent celiac disease or NCGS. These include:

• Epilepsy
• ADHD
• Schizophrenia
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Multiple Sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
• Thyroid Disorders
• Fibromyalgia
• Peripheral Neuropathy
• Dementia
• Gluten Ataxia

One study actually found a very strong link to gluten sensitivity and neurological conditions of unknown origin. And for some people with gluten sensitivity, the primary symptom they experienced was neurological dysfunction. The data suggests that nearly 60 percent of people with neurological dysfunction of unknown origin test positive for anti-gliadin antibodies.

What about you? Are you or anyone you know experiencing any of the above health issues? Even if you have tested negative for gluten or don’t have any of the usual digestive reactions to gluten, gluten may still be the root cause for some of your nagging health problems.

There is no ‘for-sure’ test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity, but as many as 1 out of 20 Americans may have this malady. And unfortunately, many doctors still do not believe that NCGS even exists in spite of it being validated as a real clinical condition.

Since conventional medical doctors may still be hesitant to connect gluten to various health issues. I still believe the very best test for gluten reactions is to do an elimination diet for 30 days, and then reintroduce it for 48 hours, eating it at every meal. Record all physical, mental and emotional symptoms ranging from 1 hour after gluten ingestion to 48 hours after the last gluten consumed.

The majority of studies here have investigated whether or not certain health issues are signs of gluten intolerance, and whether or not they can be addressed by going gluten free. And it turns out, these health problems—including the serious health problems—improved or totally resolved when following a gluten-free diet.

According to Dr. Chris Kresser, this test by Cyrex Laboratories offers a comprehensive blood panel that will screen for all wheat and gluten proteins. Even then, it should not totally replace a gluten challenge. Note: this blood test will need to be ordered by your physician or another healthcare provider.

Whether you may have silent or atypical celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, it is important to eliminate gluten from your diet to avoid long term damage to your bones, brain, nerves, digestive system, and more.

If you suffer from celiac disease, NCGS, or just want to AVOID gluten completely and you love bread, I have some NEWS for you!!!

My friend Kelly came up with the most delicious, healthy and most important gluten free bread! Click here to enjoy the world’s healthiest bread!

References
https://celiac.org/about-celiac-disease/related-conditions/dermatitis-herpetiformis/
https://www.verywellhealth.com/gluten-sensitivity-vs-celiac-disease-562964
https://www.verywellhealth.com/surprising-signs-you-may-have-a-gluten-allergy-4147574
https://www.verywellhealth.com/celiac-disease-and-migraine-563110

The post ‘Silent’ Celiac Disease May be Destroying Your Health appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Cat Ebeling RN, MSN-PHN, co-author of the best-seller: The Diabetes Fix

Celery has gone from that boring veggie on the crudité tray to a virtual vegetable superstar overnight! And now celery juice is blowing up social media with all kinds of health claims.

What’s up with celery and celery juice?

Celery and celery juice can be a great way to add concentrated health benefits without a ton of sugar or calories. Celery juice is light, refreshing and enjoyable!

One of the best things about celery juice is that it only has 40 calories. It also contains vitamins A, K, and C, and beta carotene, a powerful antioxidant. In addition, it has calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. Celery is full of powerful antioxidants and flavonoids.

Scientists have identified at least a dozen other types of antioxidant nutrients in celery. The primary antioxidant support we get from celery is largely due to its phenolic nutrients that have been shown to help protect us against unwanted oxidative damage to our cells, blood vessels, and organ systems. These phenolic nutrients include caffeic acid, cinnamic acid, coumaric acid, ferulic acid and flavones and flavonols, apigenin, luteolin, quercetin, kaempferol, and more.

Read on to find out about the health benefits of celery juice.

Celery Juice Health Benefits

1. Quenches Thirst

Celery juice does not contain all that good fiber that celery stalks contain, but the great thing is that celery juice helps you stay hydrated because it is mostly water with lots of healthy electrolytes and antioxidants—so if you are thirsty or dehydrated, celery juice may be just the thing to help you regain your hydration and electrolyte balance.

2. Lowers Blood Pressure

Studies show that celery can have beneficial blood pressure lowering properties. The most effective blood pressure extracts come from celery seed, which contain some specific phytochemicals such as hexanic, methanolic, and aqueous-ethanolic extracts. Celery’s phytochemicals, along with the minerals potassium, magnesium and sodium exist in a perfect balance that relax the walls of your blood vessels. This increases blood flow, lowers resistance and helps lowers blood pressure. We have a full article on how to lower your blood pressure naturally here.

3. Fights Inflammation

As you may already be aware, inflammation is the root of most disease, especially chronic diseases like arthritis, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and on and on. Celery, especially celery juice, fights inflammation with its powerful flavonoids specifically, apigenin.

This study shows how apigenin helps to fight inflammation and helps protect you from diseases. Celery contains flavonoid and polyphenol antioxidants that fight free radical damage (or oxidative stress) that negatively alters genes and leads to inflammation and aging.

Scientists have also identified a dozen different types of antioxidants including phenolic acids as caffeic acid and ferulic acid, and flavanols like quercetin. This makes celery beneficial for health conditions associated with inflammation including, acne, joint pain, gout, kidney and liver infections, skin disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, and urinary tract infections—to name just a few.

4. Protects the Liver

One of the biggest problems with our high sugar (especially high fructose corn syrup) is Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. NAFLD is a result of too much glucose in the body, and the liver trying to store it as fat. 17 to 33 percent of Americans most likely have NAFLD. This condition tends to go with obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

This can be a serious health issue and leads to inflammation and cirrhosis . Researchers from Department of Nutrition and Food Science in Egypt studied how a diet that included celery drastically lowered the dangerous fatty acid buildup in the liver. In addition, the celery helped to improve the liver enzymes’ function and blood lipid levels as well.

5. Prevents Ulcers, Helps Heal Digestive Tract

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Biology found that celery contains a special type of ethanol that protects the lining of the digestive tracts.

Certain substances in celery have the ability to actually replenish depleted levels of gastric mucus needed in the stomach lining and digestive tract to prevent tiny holes and openings, as in leaky gut syndrome. Celery’s flavonoids, tannins, volatile oils and alkaloids also help to control gastric acid to protect the mucus lining.

6. Boosts Digestion and Reduces Bloating

Celery also contains powerful health benefits including a substance called NBP which has a diuretic effect (makes you urinate more), which helps the body detox better and is good for the kidneys. Celery also helps digestion and relieves bloating and puffiness from water retention.

The compounds apigenin and quercetin have been found in this study to help improve digestion by inducing gastric relaxation which helps to slow things down as food moves through your gut.

Celery juice helps to stimulate the production of stomach acid, easing heartburn, indigestion, and bloating. Many people have low stomach acid, making it more difficult to break down nutrients from food. Low stomach acid can be caused by SIBO or IBS and also drugs such as proton pump inhibitors.

Celery juice stimulates bile, which is necessary for breaking down fats, and similar to hydrochloric acid, it helps to kill off pathogens that have made their way into your body. It also helps to detox the liver from things such as toxic heavy metals and toxic chemicals, like pesticides, air fresheners, detergents, petrochemicals, and preservatives, to name just a few.

7. Helps to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections

Celery helps to reduce uric acid production (helps prevent gout) and stimulates urine production. It also contains substances that help to fight dangerous pathogens and microbes, making it ideal for fighting bacterial infections in the urinary tract. Celery is a powerful preventative for UTI’s, bladder disorders, and kidney problems.

8. Is a Cancer Fighting Weapon

Celery is in the same family as fennel, parsley, carrots and parsnips. This family of vegetables contain compounds called polyacetylenes. Some early studies have shown this compound helps to reduce toxicity of chemotherapy and fight against new cancer cell formation especially in the breast, intestines, and blood (leukemia).

Polyacetylenes have many immune-boosting effects, including their tumor-fighting abilities that stop mutated cells from reproducing. According to studies at the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the Aarhus University of Denmark, polyacetylenes have shown many interesting bioactivities including anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet, cytotoxic, antitumor activity, as well as activity against bacteria and mycoplasma. Celery’s flavonoid, apigenin, also helps to kill off cancer cells.

Buy Organic Celery to Avoid Toxins

Celery has been listed on the Environmental Working Group’s “Dirty Dozen” list for several years. Over 95 percent of conventionally grown celery samples tested positive for synthetic pesticides. Evaluators found up to 13 chemicals on a single sample. Choose organic celery to minimize exposure to these toxic substances.

What to do with Celery?

Besides everyone’s favorite “ants on a log” with nut butter and raisins, celery sticks make the perfect low-carb dipping stick for any type of dip—guacamole, salsa, hummus, etc. It’s bland taste make it a great addition to stir frys, soups, casseroles, salads, and of course, egg and tuna salad.

It’s great in smoothies, where you get to benefit from it’s amazing fiber or juiced with a little squeeze of lemon or lime for added zing. One of my favorite juices or smoothies is celery, cucumber, green apple and lemon. Add a sprinkle of cayenne or a few sprigs of mint for some extra zing!

As we found celery has all of these amazing benefits for the body: Fights inflammation, protects the liver, helps with digestion and can even help lower your blood pressure. Keeping a healthy heart can be tricky, so our Friends from Physio Tru want you to know this…

If you want to avoid a devastating heart attack, also don’t miss this simple test…

Heart Attack Test: Touch Your Feet Like THIS (for 7 seconds)

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Here’s how to do it:

1. Just sit on a chair.

2. Touch your right foot.

If THIS happens… then your heart is desperately starving for oxygen (but most people only realize when it’s too late).

References
https://foodfacts.mercola.com/celery.html
https://draxe.com/benefits-of-celery/
https://www.healthline.com/health/celery-juice#recipe
https://blog.bulletproof.com/celery-juice-for-digestion/#ref-3

The post The Real Truth about Celery and Celery Juice appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Have you ever tried prosciutto? This is the Italian version of ham, but it is not sweet and it doesn’t have that maple-y flavor of ham. Prosciutto is actually an Italian dry-cured type of ham that has a better reputation than our U.S. versions of ham and bacon.

Prosciutto is part of the European “Protected Designation of Origin” which means that for it to be true prosciutto, it must come from a particular region in Italy—similar to how wine is produced in France.

Prosciutto is just quality raw ham, sea salt, air and about of year of curing. That is all. No sugars, no nitrates or nitrites, and no other chemicals to preserve it. No artificial anything. This means prosciutto is actually not consider a ‘processed meat’, but merely a dried meat.

If you are following a keto or Paleo diet, prosciutto is the better choice, since it never has added sugar, nor does it contain any carbohydrates.

Prosciutto is sliced super thin and is full of flavor. You certainly do not need to eat a lot of it to taste its presence or to feel satisfied. That is why the prosciutto in this recipe makes it so delicious—and different from your standard eggs and bacon or eggs and ham.

When you compare prosciutto with bacon, prosciutto wins hands down. It is lower in calories, lower in fat, lower in sugar and lower in salt—and it is never made with nitrates or any other chemicals, and it has a BIG taste!

Now, let’s talk about eggs. If you have noticed lately, shopping for eggs has become more confusing—there’s regular conventional factory farm eggs which means the poor chickens are packed into a warehouse under artificial light, given antibiotics and hormones and pesticide laden grain for feed. Their beaks are often cut off so they don’t peck at each other and they are often sickly.

Then there’s ‘free range’ eggs which means the chickens are basically all stuffed in a factory farm like setting and there may be a door open in the big facility where they are raised. They don’t necessarily get to go outside, they are just not kept in cages all the time. Not a lot healthier. They are routinely given antibiotics and hormones and kept under artificial light as well. They are fed grain, often sprayed with Monsanto glyphosate.

Moving up the ladder we get to ‘organic eggs’. These chickens are fed only organic feed, but keep in mind, it’s ‘feed’, not their natural diet. Organic eggs must come from chickens that are only given antibiotics in the event of an infection. No hormones or added drugs are used in organic egg production. Chickens producing organic eggs live in a cage-free environment and must have access to the outside, even if that is just a small pen or enclosed yard.

There are now ‘pastured eggs’, not to be confused with ‘free-range’ eggs—a totally different way of raising chickens and you will notice the eggs look totally different too! Pastured eggs are about as good as you can get, unless you are raising your own chickens! Chickens are omnivores and like to hunt and peck for grubs, worms, and bugs. Pastured raised chickens get to roam around a rich field and are allowed to eat their natural diets—although they may get some organic grain to supplement their diets.

Often pastured chickens are kept in a move-able pasture, with plenty of room to roam, so they get to move to fresh fields on a regular basis. Pastured eggs are full of omega 3 fats and have rich egg yolks full of nutrients. Pastured eggs have twice as much vitamin E, almost 40% more vitamin A, two and a half times as much omega 3 fats and less omega 6 fats, compared to caged eggs.

You will notice the rich yellow-orange color of the yolks and the superior taste when you eat pastured eggs. Bon Appetite!

Prosciutto Spinach Cup Eggs

Easy to make and easy to clean up. Hold off adding salt until you’ve had a taste. Prosciutto is pretty salty, so your eggs may have all the salt they need. Serves 3-6 depending on hunger.

Ingredients

• Butter for greasing the pan
• 6-8 thin slices prosciutto
• 1 cup baby spinach or baby kale
• 6 pastured eggs
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives or chopped green onions

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 6-cup muffin tin with butter.
• Line each muffin cup with a slice of prosciutto, doing your best to cover the surface of the cup with the prosciutto so that it forms a bowl to crack the egg into. Lay a few of the spinach or kale leaves over the prosciutto.
• Crack an egg into each muffin cup and sprinkle the top with a crack of black pepper.
• Bake until the white is set but the yolk still runny, about 18-20 minutes, keeping in mind it will continue to cook a bit after it’s out of the oven.
• Remove from oven and top each egg with a pinch of green onion or chives. Let cool for 1 minute so the egg sets up enough to remove.
• Use a narrow spatula or butter knife to carefully wedge each egg out of its muffin cup. Set on a plate and serve immediately. Taste and add salt if needed.

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References
http://www.brightonyourhealth.com/salt-and-time-why-prosciutto-isnt-really-a-processed-meat/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/pastured-vs-omega-3-vs-conventional-eggs

The post Prosciutto Egg Cups appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.