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

You may have heard in the news in the last couple years that “carnivore diets” have been growing in popularity, and have some surprisingly powerful health benefits that often shock a lot of people, since this way of eating is so contrary to what you hear in the mass media.

In fact, you may have even heard that the famous Joe Rogan (comedian and most popular podcast host in the world) tried a full month of a carnivore diet last year in 2020 and said it was the “best he’s ever felt” while also losing 12lbs of body fat and losing his love handles that he could never get rid of previously. He also reported that his energy was perfectly stable for the month that he ate carnivore. He felt so good eating an all-meat diet that he did it for 30 days again this past January, and reported similar results again.

As you read today’s newsletter, I’d encourage you to be open minded and realize that most “gurus” out there that you hear from in the media actually don’t have much depth of nutrition education, and most powerful food companies that sell ultra-processed “plant based” junk food actually have a lot of influence on spreading propaganda trying to blame all health problems on meat, eggs, and other healthy animal foods because they know that you’ll buy more highly profitable “plant-based” junk food if you eat less animal food.

But when you dig into the real science, and explore it with an open mind, you actually find that most information about nutrition that’s preached in the mainstream isn’t necessarily correct, and I’ll explain some of my findings in this email.

If you’ve never heard of the “carnivore diet”, it’s basically a way of eating that focuses either entirely or mostly on healthy meat, fish, and eggs, while avoiding most plant-foods, or choosing only small amounts of plant foods based on a scale of plant toxicity… for example, with leafy greens, nightshades, grains, and beans being the most toxic plant foods, and fruits generally being the least toxic types of plant foods (I’ll explain more on that concept of plant toxicity levels in a bit)…

I’ve been intensely studying the science of carnivore and carnivore-ish (animal-based) diets for several years now, and have been fascinated by the impressive health benefits that thousands of people are getting from this way of eating. However, as with any way of eating, there are some types of people that get a lot more benefits than others.

The biggest categories of people that seem to benefit the most from animal-based diets are people with these conditions…

1. Autoimmune conditions — a very high percentage of people with autoimmunity see a dramatic reduction in symptoms, and many times, and full resolution of symptoms by following either a carnivore diet or a mostly carnivore diet that contains only the simplest and least toxic plants. For autoimmunity, it’s basically the most efficient type of elimination diet, since there’s so many types of plants that trigger autoimmune symptoms.

It’s fairly common for people with autoimmune conditions to get triggered by plant foods such as gluten-containing grains, beans (very high in lectins), nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and white potatoes), oxalates from leafy greens, and other problematic compounds in plants.

2. Gut/digestion issues — since excessive fiber and excessive plant-based antinutrients and plant toxins can worsen digestive conditions, a mostly meat diet can actually be really healing for the digestive system in a lot of people, even though that statement surprises most people. Even the world-renowned digestive doctor Dr. Michael Ruscio stated in an interview that somewhere around 60% or more of his patients need less fiber, not more. Too much fiber can cause overgrowths of certain types of bacteria that can cause more digestive distress. Too much fiber can also irritate the digestive tract in a lot of people as well.

I personally know a LOT of people that are using carnivore diets and experiencing dramatically improved digestion. I also know several people with Crohn’s disease where carnivore is the only thing that has worked for them to control their Crohn’s, and they had tried everything before that. It won’t work for everyone, and most conventional doctors have never even heard of carnivore diets, so don’t expect your doctor to know anything about it if you ask. In fact, most conventional doctors (I’d say 95% of them) don’t know much at all about nutrition since there’s almost zero nutrition education in medical school. So the only MDs that know a lot about nutrition are usually just the small percentage of them that are self taught.

3. Diabetes and obesity — although carbs aren’t “bad” necessarily, especially for metabolically healthy people or people that do intense exercise, low-carb diets (including carnivore type low-carb diets) can be particularly powerful for at least some time frame for getting type 2 diabetics back to normal blood sugar and insulin functioning in the body. If you’re diabetic or pre-diabetic, I’d highly recommend reading this natural method for reversing Diabetes here.

Also, weight loss gets pretty darn easy when you’re eating almost entirely meat, because meat is the single most satiating food you can eat, and it’s basically impossible to overeat on calories with a meat-only or mostly meat diet. Think about how hard it is to overeat on steak. You just simply stop when you’re full. But think how easy it is to overeat on mac n cheese, cereal, bagels, bread, pizza, ice cream, and other carb/fat combos that are highly addicting. I know personally when I have pizza, bread, or pasta in front of me, I can’t stop eating it because it’s so addictive, and I end up over-stuffing myself with thousands of excess calories. But with a juicy grass-fed steak, I just eat until I’m satisfied and then naturally stop.

As for me personally, I’ve done about an 85-90% carnivore diet for about 3 years now (I’d call it animal-based, with only carefully selected plants such as fruit that I know does well with my body)… For me, this has been the absolute easiest and best diet for me, and I’ve never felt so good. My digestion is basically almost perfect since cutting out most veggies, beans, nightshades, etc., and my energy and body composition have improved as well. And my bloodwork has been nearly perfect too for these last few years on a mostly meat-based diet.

And no, despite the false belief by outdated doctors and the mainstream media that cholesterol causes heart disease, nothing could be further from the truth… in fact, the biggest causes of heart disease are actually plant foods like vegetable oils and sugar, but NOT meat. Meat, fish, and eggs actually contain important nutrients that can help prevent heart disease, such as vitamin K2, carnosine, carnitine, DHA/EPA, stearic acid, etc.

As for what I personally eat… I eat mostly red meat almost every day (grass fed beef, bison, lamb, and yak), fish and shellfish a couple times a week, eggs, and the only plants I eat are small amounts of squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, avocado, cucumbers, coffee, wine, and sweet fruit only during the local fruit season, but not during winter. I also enjoy a small spoonful of honey a few days a week as a dessert replacement.

I personally choose to avoid chicken and pork mostly, since they have about 10x the inflammatory omega6 content of red meat (red meat only contains 2-3% omega6, while chicken and pork contain about 15-20%, since chicken and pork are fed almost entirely grains and soy, whereas red meat like beef, lamb and bison eats mostly grass and forage for the majority of their lives)… I explain in more detail why RED meat is healthier than chicken or pork in this article, and also why red meat is more environmentally sustainable too, which surprises most people.

The best diet change I ever made that had the biggest impact on improving my health was cutting out most veggies and beans over the last 3-4 years. I actually intentionally avoid almost all veggies and beans now, and this had the most dramatic improvement on how I’ve felt on a daily basis.

I personally don’t think veggies are an ancestrally consistent food source for humans, and a study of over 300 hunter-gatherer tribes showed that the average diets of hunter-gatherers around the world was about 80-85% meat, fish, and fruit, and the other 15% was basically small amounts of nuts and roots… But hunter gatherers really didn’t eat much of what we’d call “vegetables” in our modern day food supply. Leaves and stems were only 1% of the average hunter-gatherer diet, even in tropical areas.

After all, 99% of leaves in the wild are toxic, and why would hunter-gatherers have wasted time and energy gathering something that has no calories…it just makes no logical sense. The majority of plant foods our ancestors ate was actually fruit mostly (the only part of the plant that wants to be eaten so we can spread the trees seed elsewhere), along with a little bit of nuts and roots, since those are the more calorically-dense plants that would have made sense to gather.

I also think that about 50% of vegetables are actually harmful to a lot of people based on genetics and other health conditions… For example, brassica veggies can be bad for people with thyroid conditions, nightshade veggies can be bad for people with arthritis, leafy greens can cause oxalate issues such as kidney stones, and certain other vegetables can often worsen digestive issues. So as you can see, veggies can often have more detriments than benefits.

Another thing I have noticed over the years is that the majority of men in general seem to do fantastic on carnivore or mostly carnivore diets, whereas women seem to be more 50/50... some women feel amazing on carnivore, and other women feel the need for more fiber and more plant foods in general. This is actually ancestrally consistent too, since hunter-gatherers generally had the men as the main hunters and the women more frequently as gatherers, and the men had access to more frequent meat than the women in a lot of these tribes. So it’s possible that men are built for a slightly higher protein diet than women as a generalization.

Another good example is my friend Dr Paul Saladino, who wrote the popular book The Carnivore Code… he’s been mostly carnivore for 3 years now too, and eats nothing but meat, organs, honey, and a small amount of fruit, and the guy is one of the healthiest people I know, whereas when he was vegan I think 6 or 7 years ago, he destroyed his health eating that way.

Lastly, I’d recommend people have an open mind when researching things like carnivore vs plant-based diets, as there’s a LOT of closed-mindedness from the plant-based community to even consider or research anything other than what the biased information they currently believe. I’ve come to the conclusion that most humans can thrive just fine on either a meat-based diet or possibly even a plant-based diet as long as those plants are considered on a scale of plant toxicity and chosen carefully, while also getting at least some animal-based foods to balance out the micronutrients that simply can’t be obtained from plants only. And some people (if you have northern genetics) might even consider being more animal-based in the winter and early spring, when our northern European ancestors would have been mostly carnivore, and then switching to a higher plant diet in the summer and fall when fruits, nuts and roots would have been more plentiful.

Another thing is that it seems more important for longevity that we’re careful about avoiding the WORST foods that are causing most disease… with the absolute worst foods that are killing most people being vegetable oils (aka seed oils like soybean oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed, canola, etc) and sugar, and possibly too much refined grains too. And for people that try out eating a more meat-based diet (with smaller amounts of carefully selected plant foods), they often find that it becomes really easy to avoid the worst foods like vegetable oils and sugar because they don’t need to eat any processed food and also don’t have cravings for unhealthy food anymore either since meat is so satiating.

To read more about how eating a fun and delicious carnivore style diet can potentially dramatically improve your body composition, energy, digestion, and more, don’t miss this article below about my friend Ross and his experience…

How my friend Ross lost 72lbs of fat, packed on lean muscle, and ignited his sex drive by throwing out vegetables and eating more meat

The post The Meat Diet: Better than Vegetarian for Fat Loss, Diabetes, Autoimmune Issues, Digestion and More… appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

By: Mike Geary
Environmental Scientist, Hydrogeologist, and Nutritionist – co-author of the best-sellers:  The Fat Burning Kitchen, The Top 101 Foods that Fight Aging & The Diabetes Fix

I’ve been receiving a lot of questions lately about differences in nutrition between various meats such as beef, chicken, and pork, as well as questions about my assertions that vegetable oils and excess omega-6 fats in general (mostly from linoleic acid omega-6) are actually WORSE than even sugar for us.

So in today’s article, I’m just going to dive into the dramatic differences between the nutritional aspects of beef vs chicken vs pork, and also which one is the best from an environmental perspective. I also plan to get a full article on the topic of the dangers of vegetable oils coming soon.

Ok, so first let’s look quickly at both the nutritional and environmental differences between the 3 most popular meats that most people eat, which are chicken, pork, and beef.

I’m going to show you why BEEF is actually significantly more nutritionally healthy for us (AND environmentally healthy and sustainable too) than any type of chicken or pork.

First of all, the vast majority of chicken and pork in the US are raised in indoor operations where the animals never see any sunlight or fresh air, and are fed a diet that is usually 100% grains and soy. Because of this 100% grain and soy diet that chickens and pigs are fed in the US, the omega-6 linoleic acid content of chicken and pork is extremely high at around 18-20%

(Note: that you DON’T want more omega-6, as most Americans already get about 8-10x too much, and excessive omega-6 is one of the main causes of most degenerative diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and is even a main contributor to the cancer process and Alzheimer’s too).

Compare that omega-6 % in chicken and pork to even the worst feedlot finished beef, which is only about 2-3% omega-6 linoleic acid. This is a huge WIN for beef, and shows that chicken and pork contain about 7-10x more inflammatory omega-6 than beef. So when it comes to fat profiles, beef wins big time! And it’s not just solely about omega-6 being bad…

Beef fat is also one of the richest sources of a particular healthy saturated fat called stearic acid, which studies show reduces your appetite (provides a strong satiety signal so you automatically eat less calories), while also having a direct relationship to losing abdominal fat… In fact, one study on rats showed that the rats that ate more omega-6 fats GAINED body fat, whereas the rats that ate a lot of stearic acid (which is high in beef) actually LOST a significant amount of abdominal fat.

This doesn’t surprise me at all, as I personally have noticed that during time periods when I eat a lot of beef consistently (1 to 2 lbs of beef per day), I get significantly leaner in the abdominal area with a more visible six pack in the lower abs area.

Another win for beef is that it is estimated to have approximately 25-30% more nutrient density (vitamins and minerals) than chicken or pork, mostly due to the healthier feed that cattle get for most of their lives compared to the 100% grain and soy based diets that chickens and pigs get for most of their lives.

In addition, ALL cattle raised for meat live their entire lives OUTDOORS in fresh air and sunshine, and ALL cattle are grazed on pasture for about 80-85% of their lives, even if they’re finished on an outdoor feedlot for the last few months of their lives. Again, chickens and pigs generally spend their entire lives in US factory farms indoors, but this does NOT happen in the cattle industry for beef production.

Check out the book Defending Beef, written by a vegetarian turned rancher if you want to truly understand the reality of the cattle industry and how superior it is both nutritionally and environmentally compared to the chicken and pork industry.

And while grass-finished beef is better in my opinion for both environmental reasons and slightly more nutrient density than feedlot finished beef, if you had to make the best decision at the grocery store, and can’t afford grass-finished beef (or can’t find it near you and don’t want to order online), then any form of conventional beef is still superior to chicken and pork both nutritionally and environmentally.

Also, I think I need to clarify what happens with “feedlot finishing” for beef when you choose conventional beef vs grass-finished beef… For one, in conventional beef, the finishing feedlots are OUTDOORS, so cattle are getting fresh air and sunshine (unlike what happens in indoor factory farms with chickens and pork)… Not only that, but while chickens and pigs are fed 100% grains and soy, even grain-finished cattle are only fed a ration of approximately 40-50% grains in most cases, while the rest of their feed in a feedlot may be materials such as hay, alfalfa, crop residues, and other inedible plant materials that humans can’t eat, but cattle miraculously turn into nutrient-dense calories for us through their fermentation process with their multiple chambered stomachs.

So although grain-finished feedlot beef is inferior both environmentally and nutritionally to grass-finished beef, it’s still better than most chicken and pork.

Note that all of the benefits of beef that I’ve mentioned in this article also apply to any other “ruminant” red meat, such as bison, elk, yak, deer, lamb, etc. It should also be noted that most ruminant animals (red meat) are raised on land that cannot be used for crops anyway, because either the land is too steep, dry, rocky, etc. So cattle produce incredibly nutritious food for humans on mostly land that couldn’t be used for crops anyway.

Also, from an environmental standpoint, rotational grazing of beef, bison, and lamb is THE #1 most environmentally sustainable and beneficial form of farming there is… period! What most vegans don’t understand is that most plant farming is actually quite destructive to soil, groundwater, surface water, and ecosystems. Think about those thousands of acres of corn, soy and wheat fields (or any grains or bean fields for that matter)… all of that plant-based monocropping is essentially DEAD ecosystems, where not only are birds, rodents, and other wildlife harmed or pushed out of the area, but even the soil bacteria and fungi are significantly harmed from plowing, pesticides, herbicides, and other common aspects of plant-based farming.

And it’s not just the growing of grains and beans that are destructive to the environment and ecosystems… Other examples of destructive plant-based farming would be tropical fruits where in many cases rainforests were destroyed to grow those tropical fruits. Or how crops like almonds and rice are the biggest water hogs of any type of agriculture. Or how rice is one of the biggest producers of methane in all of agriculture. Or how avocado farms have destroyed ecosystems in Mexico.

The examples of destructive plant-based agriculture could go on and on, yet vegans conveniently forget about all of that, and try to blame all of the worlds problems on meat. And as you can see in this article (at least in the case of beef, bison, lamb, and other red meat), I contend that grass fed RED meat is actually the #1 most environmentally friendly and sustainable type of agriculture there is, significantly more sustainable than almost any type of plant-based agriculture.

With the rotational grazing of cattle, bison, sheep and other ruminant animals, grassland ecosystems are preserved, soil is protected from erosion, groundwater and surface water is protected, and ecological diversity remains high in areas that are grazed by cattle and other ruminants. And proper rotational grazing also sequesters a massive amount of carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in the soil, making grass-fed RED meat one of the best solutions for climate change as we move forward.

In fact, grass-fed beef is generally carbon negative in most cases, even after factoring in the methane produced by cattle, making cattle, bison and sheep the #1 most important type of agriculture for reducing carbon in our atmosphere. I know this isn’t what you hear in the media and in vegan propaganda documentaries, but that’s because vegan film makers and activists aren’t soil scientists and generally have no environmental education whatsoever.

This is a nuanced science of why cattle and bison are so beneficial for carbon capture in the soil, and I may expand on the detailed science of this topic in future emails, but it basically has to do with the way that ruminant animals interact with grasses (improving the growth and decay cycles of grasslands), root shedding, and also bacteria and fungi in the soil creating stable soil carbon that was pulled from the atmosphere.

In fact, one glowing example of a nearly perfect farm is White Oak Pastures in Georgia on 3200 acres, which has proven through soil analysis to have increased soil carbon 10x in the last 20 years (from 0.5% soil carbon 20 years ago, up to 5% soil carbon currently), all due to the magic of rotational grazing of animals on grasses. There are other incredible farms like this too that are sequestering massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and putting that carbon into soil, all while protecting soil and water supplies, and providing healthier food… a couple other great examples are Polyface farms in Virginia, Belcampo farms in CA, Roam Ranch in TX, and lots more. Another great source of grass-finished meats is US Wellness meats, and I personally order from them frequently and love their meats!

Another aspect that is rarely talked about is the importance of bees. As you’ve probably heard, bees are dying at unprecedented rates across the world in recent years, and the biggest destroyer of bee populations is plant-based monocrop agriculture, which destroys diversity in an area, while also using harmful pesticides that poison the bees. In terms of diversity, think about the millions of acres of corn, soy, wheat, oats, canola, etc with zero diversity, as opposed to the hundreds of species of flowering plants in a diverse pasture ecosystem where cattle, bison and/or sheep are grazing. This is yet another reason why supporting veganism and plant-based foods only harms our ecosystems and environment even more, while supporting grass-fed meats actually improves our ecosystems and environment. Once again, vegans are doing MORE HARM to the environment without even realizing it. I understand they think they’re doing the right thing (and I admire the fact they want to do the right thing), but a lack of true scientific education about ecosystems and soil science leads vegans and vegetarians to inadvertently do more harm to our environment and ecosystems by supporting plant-based industrial monocropping which devastates our soil, water supplies, and yes, our bees too.

If you want to be TRULY healthy, while also protecting our environment, grass-fed red meat from beef, bison, lamb, etc. are THE healthiest foods we can eat for both us and the planet! If you want to dig into this topic more, please grab a copy of my friend Diana Rodgers book Sacred Cow, which does an incredible job at explaining why well raised red meat can actually save your health and the planet.

Another fantastic book that explains in detail why we NEED well-raised grass-fed meat to save our environment and sequester carbon from the atmosphere into soil as a solution to climate change is called Cows Save the Planet by Judith D Schwartz.

In addition, I’d highly recommend my friend Paul Saladino’s book, The Carnivore Code, which is fantastic, and explains all of profound health benefits and environmental benefits of eating a largely meat-based diet, and minimizing plant toxins that can be triggering autoimmunity, poor digestion, and many other health problems.

Although I described the differences between chicken, pork, and beef in this article, we also have an in-depth article on our blog here about chicken vs beef that you can read in more detail too.

Here are a few more articles on these related topics…

1. If you eat vegan, here’s how you could be destroying your digestive health

2. Why Vegans actually harm the environment MORE than grass-fed meat eaters (most vegans don’t understand this aspect)

3. Why vegetarians and vegans can AGE faster (controversial, but true)

4. Fake meat vs Real meat (don’t be scammed by all these fake meats that are just complete junk food)

Also, please SHARE this article to any of your friends and family that would enjoy this little rant today, or gain benefit from it, and the articles I linked to as well. It very well could SAVE someone’s health all while improving our environment!

The post Pork vs Beef vs Chicken: Why BEEF Wins by a Landslide over Chicken and Pork for Health Benefits and Environmental Benefits appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

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

Back when I was growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, there was a new so-called ‘health’ breakthrough that dictated that “saturated fats” should be crossed off the list of foods we should eat. Steaks and hamburgers were bad news, and in order to fight heart disease we were told to avoid all animal fats, or “saturated fats” and only use vegetable oils like Crisco, soybean oil, canola oil, corn oil, sunflower oil, and cottonseed oils.

Everyone started using margarine, made from partially hydrogenated seed oils, and vegetable oil for cooking, frying, baking, etc. And there was Crisco—a baking wonder! I even remember doctors telling patients who had had heart attacks to avoid all saturated fats, red meat, eggs and butter; and eat only chicken and fish, vegetable oils and margarine. Foods and cooking oils that were vegetable-based were advertised as ‘heart-healthy’. Including Crisco.

But now, everything has changed. Many health experts are now discovering that vegetable oils are significantly worse for us than sugar and grains. Vegetable seed oils are considered to be one of the primary root causes of many inflammatory degenerative diseases including heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes and even cancer.

“I wonder how many people who followed the mistaken advice of eating vegetable seed died too early. This dietary change has likely killed millions of people prematurely and still continues to do so because most people just don’t understand this concept, or blindly buy into the mainstream medical paradigm.”

However, there exists a huge disconnect between what nutrition science has found and what official dietary guidelines tell us we should be doing. The nutrition scientists say that vegetable oils, which are a type of omega 6 fatty acids, are extremely toxic because they are connected to many chronic diseases. Meanwhile, the government and the FDA tell us to consumption of these oils are healthy.

Many people–including many health experts–believe that omega 6 fats are considered an ‘essential fat’ and necessary in our diets. The fact is, omega 6 fats, which are polyunsaturated fatty acids—or PUFA’s, are made up primarily of linoleic acid, which is actually very harmful to our health.

Now stay with me here—although it’s a bit involved, the following information is something I highly recommend you read all the way through. Your life and your health are at stake and it’s important to understand this information on vegetable seed oils.

Omega 6 fats have increased in the human diet from only about 2-3 grams a day, a 150 years ago, to over 30-40 grams a day in current times. Omega 6 fats now make up almost 20% of our diets.

This huge increase in omega 6 fats, combined with the toxic end products from these fats, cause damage that many scientists now believe to be one of the primary causes behind the massive increase in chronic disease including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

By simply lowering your omega 6 intake to what your great-great grandparents used to eat, you may be able to essentially eliminate most chronic disease that are now prematurely killing us.

We used to mistakenly believe that it was the ratio of omega 6 fats to omega 3 fats (the anti-inflammatory fats found in fish and grass fed meats) that was healthy or unhealthy. It was thought that you could just eat more omega 3 fats to ‘balance’ out the omega 6 fats, but we are now coming to the realization, through scientific research, that it is the total consumption of omega 6 fats—regardless of the ratio—that damages our health.

Much has been discussed about sugar and processed grains being incredibly harmful, but little is actually known about the dangers of processed omega 6 fatty acids in vegetable oils.

Vegetable oils are considered a processed, industrialized seed oil. Vegetable oils are a fairly new addition to our diets, replacing the traditional fats that have been used for hundreds of years such as ghee, butter, olive oil, coconut oil and lard.

How are Industrial Seed Oils Made?

While these vegetable oils are labeled as ‘natural,’ they are most definitely not natural. I invite you to Google the making of industrial seed oils and watch the process for yourself. It’s not an appetizing operation.

Soy, corn, cotton, safflower and rapeseed (for canola oil) plants are grown (mostly GMO and heavily sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals) for vegetable oil. Once the plants are mature, the seeds are harvested from the plants. Next the seeds are heated to extremely high temperatures, oxidizing the unsaturated fatty acids, and creating harmful byproducts. Then the seeds are processed with a petroleum-based chemical solvent such as hexane, which maximizes the oil that can be extracted from the seeds.

More industrial chemicals are added to deodorize the terrible smell that this chemically extracted oil contains. The deodorizing process yields trans fats (yes, the ones that can kill you). Lastly, the oil has even more chemicals added to it to improve the color. All of this very UN-natural processing creates a high calorie, nutrient-poor, inflammatory GMO oil with leftover pesticides, chemical residue, trans fats and oxidized byproducts.

Because the fatty acids in industrial seed oils are so unstable, synthetic antioxidants are added to help prevent oxidation and rancidity. However, these synthetic antioxidants are not healthy either. Synthetic antioxidants such as BHA, BHT, and TBHQ have endocrine-disrupting, carcinogenic, and immune-disrupting effects. And additionally, TBHQ has been found to trigger an IgE (immunoglobulin E) response to some foods, which may promote the development of food allergies.

How is this oil considered ‘healthy’???

The History of Vegetable Oil

Before the turn of the century, two soap makers named William Procter and James Gamble, created a new type of soap from cottonseed oil, which at the time, was considered a toxic waste product that no one wanted. Previous to this, soap was usually made from lard or beef tallow. The breakthrough came when it was discovered that when cottonseed oil was chemically altered and hydrogenated, it became a solid fat that resembled lard (a.k.a. Crisco). A new market for vegetable ‘lard’ was created.

Soybeans became a popular crop in the United States in the 30’s, and soon much of it was made into soybean oil. Canola, corn and safflower oil came soon after. These cooking oils were very popular due to an excellent marketing and advertising campaign.

In the 1940’s, the newly formed America Heart Association received a large donation from Procter & Gamble and then endorsed vegetable oils as a healthier alternative to animal fats. The icing on the cake, however, was when scientist Ancel Keys presented his flawed “lipid hypothesis”, suggesting a link between animal fat, cholesterol and heart disease. Keys of course, pushed vegetable oils as the preferable choice to use, and the medical society and the public soon followed.

As we now know, Keys’ hypothesis was flawed, he cherry-picked the studies he wanted to use, and his ties to the sugar industry helped to further exaggerate his claims against saturated fat. Soon the entire industrialized world was using vegetable oils and demonizing animal fats.

How Are Different Types of Fats Classified?

For the purposes of this discussion, we will be talking primarily about omega 6 fats, linoleic acid, and PUFA’s. All of these are components found in industrial seed vegetable oils.

Other healthier choices of oils include monounsaturated fats like olive oil and saturated fats such as lard, butter and coconut oil. Fish oil contains healthy omega 3 fats including DHA and EPA.  For an in-depth discussion on how fats are classified, I recommend you click here.

Discussing fats can get somewhat complicated, but generally fats are divided up into these three groups:

• Saturated fats— have a full complement of hydrogen atoms. Examples of these types of fats include coconut oil and animal fats like butter, beef tallow and lard.
• Monounsaturated fats—are missing a single hydrogen atom. Examples include olive oil, avocado oil and nuts.
• Polyunsaturated fats or PUFA’s–are missing multiple hydrogen atoms. Examples include vegetable oils like canola, soybean, corn, sunflower, cottonseed, safflower, etc.

These missing hydrogen atoms make PUFAs much more likely to oxidize, and the fat breaks down into harmful metabolites. Omega 6 vegetable oils contain a large portion of linoleic acid. OXLAMS (oxidized linoleic acid metabolites) have a profoundly negative impact on human health. When you hear of oxidization in your blood vessels or plaque buildup that causes heart attacks, OXLAMS are often a contributing cause.

Note: Do not confuse linoleic acid (LA) with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA is found mostly in grass fed beef, while linoleic acid is found in vegetable seed oils. Many people think CLA and LA are interchangeable, but they are definitely not. CLA has many potent health benefits and will not cause any of the problems that LA does.

The truth is that the TOTAL amount of omega 6 you eat is detrimental to your health and as long as you eat fish a 2-3 times a week, you will get plenty of omega-3. So, you mostly want to pay attention to your omega 6/PUFA/linoleic acid intake.

Paul Saladino, author of “The Carnivore Code”, also discusses a lot of research that shows that it’s the ratio of saturated fat to omega 6’s that he thinks is actually MORE important than the omega 6 to omega 3 ratio, with higher saturated fat being protective, and higher polyunsaturated omega 6 fats causing the majority of health problems.

Why are seed oils so bad for us?

First and foremost, highly processed industrial seed oils are something our bodies do not recognize. As Chris Kresser states, industrial seed oils are an “evolutionary mismatch.” Up until the 1900’s humans never consumed industrial seed oil. However, beginning in the 70’s, the average consumption of just soybean oil went from 4 pounds per person a year to 26 pounds per person! As a result, these high levels of industrial seed oil consumption are ruining our health.

The primary reason seed oils are so detrimental, however is that they contain large amounts of linoleic acid. When we talk about omega 6 fats, we are referring primarily to the linoleic acid, or LA in those fats. LA makes up about 60% to 80% of omega 6 and is the primary ingredient that appears to spark the disease process.

Seed Oils, Covid-19 and ARDS (Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome)

Seed oils are suspected to play a role in the development of ARDS, especially in Covid-19. One of the primary causes of death in Covid-19 is the development of acute respiratory distress, often brought on by an overreaction of cytokines, an inflammatory immune reaction of the body.

One of the key toxins that contributes to the development of symptoms of ARDS is called leukotoxin, and leukotoxin is made from linoleic acid by the white blood cells to kill off pathogens. However, leukotoxin is toxic to humans as well as pathogens. Leukotoxin is toxic enough to kill animals in minutes if you inject high amounts of it.

ARDS can brought on by many different pathogens, including viruses like influenza or pneumonia. You can also get ARDS from smoke inhalation or other toxic substances in the atmosphere as well.

Doctors started noticing that patients being fed liquid diets in the hospital (which are high in seed oils such as soybean oil) were developing ARDS. While the fatality rate from ARDS is generally 30% to 60%, according to one researcher, Tucker Goodrich, feeding seed oil-based liquid diets increases the rate of ARDS in patients 700%.

Seed Oils and Cancer

Each of the cells in our body contain a tiny powerhouse that generates energy, called the “mitochondria”. On this cellular level, excess linoleic acid consumption impedes the body’s ability to generate energy in our mitochondria. But, energy is necessary for most all body processes.

Depending on the body part, the cell’s mitochondria work best with specific types of fatty acids. These fatty acids can include LA, palmitic acid (another type of fat) or the fatty acid components from fish oil, such as DHA and EPA.

The appropriate fatty acids in cells can be compared to a cellular alarm system that triggers cell death when something goes wrong with the cell. If those fatty acids are full of linoleic acid, they are unable to signal, and the damaged cell is not killed. As a result, dysfunctional cells continue to grow, which then turn into cancerous cells or tumors.

Animals typically develop cancer once the omega 6 fats in their diet reaches 4% to 10% of their energy intake, depending on the cancer. In fact, scientists can actually induce cancer in animal models by feeding them seed oils.

Most humans today are eating 15% to 20% of their calories from omega 6, so you can see there can be a correlation. Our ancestral human diet is believed to be made up of only about 2% to 3% omega 6 fats, and when intake increases above that level, you will see significant health problems start to happen.

When you consume too many omega 6 fats, you make it far more susceptible to oxidative damage, which damages the cells, and in turn relates to higher risks of cancer. However there is some research showing that when the omega 6 linoleic acid is replaced with the oleic acid from olive oil, the cells become resistant to oxidative damage.

Seed Oils and Diabetes

Other research shows that mice fed a diet high in omega 6 fats, versus a high carbohydrate diet, developed diabetes. The mice became insulin resistant, leptin resistant and obese. Contrast this with mice who were fed a diet high in carbohydrates–which we generally associate with the development of diabetes. These mice did okay. On the other hand, the mice whose diet was high in omega 6 fats had a breakdown in the mitochondria in their hearts. So, the conclusion one can make here is that just by adding in seed oils, heart damage occurs because of a change in the fatty acids of the cells.

Seed Oils Age Your Skin and Increase Risk of Skin Cancer

There is even plenty of evidence showing eliminating seed oils from your diet will dramatically reduce your risk of sunburn and premature aging. People with a high intake of seed oils and omega 6 fats have increased inflammation which in turns shows up as sunburn and sun damage.

Susceptibility to UV radiation damage is controlled by the amount of omega 6 consumption in the diet. Higher omega 3 consumption and lower omega 6 consumption has been shown to control how fast or slowly one can get skin cancer. High omega 3 consumption slows down or eliminates skin cancer, while high omega 6 intake increases the risk of skin cancer.

In addition, the inflammation and oxidation from sun exposure and high omega 6 intake also increases the breakdown of collagen and speeds up the aging in the skin. Studies show people with a higher intake of saturated animal fat have less photoaging of the skin, compared to those who have a higher intake of vegetable oils in their diets.

Chronic Disease and Vegetable Oils

High intakes of omega 6 fatty acids increase the pro-inflammatory mediators associated with asthma, autoimmune diseases, infertility, macular degeneration, and osteoarthritis.

One of the most notable takeaways is that seed oils are especially harmful to the brain. Too much omega 6 fats can make people much more susceptible to depression, anxiety and dementia, due to the increased inflammation in the brain. Canola oil, which we’ve been told is ‘healthy’ is linked to poor memory, cognitive decline and a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

The trans fats in vegetable oils, which are a result of the heat and processing, are also associated with a higher chance of dementia, as well as increased aggression.

Other research in mice shows that high levels of linoleic acid increases food consumption and encourages weight gain and obesity. Further research shows a diet with high intake of soybean oil in particular, brings on obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes, and fatty liver disease.

Even a mother’s diet high in omega 6 fats is associated with a higher risk of obesity in her children. And children who eat high levels of omega 6’s often have insulin resistance, prediabetes, and obesity when they grow up.

What About Heart Disease?

We’ve had it drilled into our heads for the past 50 or more years that vegetable oils are “heart healthy” and help us prevent heart disease. Nothing could be further from the truth!

In fact, oxidized fatty acids from industrial seed oils appear to play a pivotal role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

Researcher James DiNicolantonio has been working on a theory called the “oxidized linoleic acid theory of coronary heart disease” that presents a link between consumption of linoleic acid-rich industrial seed oils and cardiovascular disease. His theory includes these points:

• Linoleic acid from our diets from gets into blood lipoproteins (triglycerides and cholesterol).
• The instability of linoleic acid causes oxidization.
• Oxidized lipoproteins activate macrophages which initiate foam cell formation, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease.

Industrial seed oils are also a causative factor in cardiovascular disease by increasing the omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. This high omega 6 to omega 3 ratio creates excess inflammation and dangerous clotting effects in the heart and blood vessels. And LDL, the part of cholesterol which we’ve all been taught is the ‘bad cholesterol’ is only dangerous when it is exposed to high levels of omega 6 fats, which cause it to oxidize in blood vessels

Industrial seed oils are also harmful to our gut health, making conditions like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and IBD (Irritable Bowel Disease) much more likely. This information leads us to the conclusion that high levels of omega 6 fats can alter our gut microbiome and increase GI inflammation, contributing to the development of IBS and IBD.

Anyone with any type of inflammatory or autoimmune disease should avoid processed vegetable oils and instead consume only natural fats from olive oil, coconut oil, wild seafood, nuts and seeds, and healthy animal fats.

How to Avoid Linoleic Acid and Omega 6’s

The difficult task is to avoid omega 6’s altogether. Omega 6 fats are not just in the vegetable oil you buy in a bottle at the store. These harmful fats are in most all processed foods, salad dressings, sauces, chips of all kinds, crackers, cookies, bread and more.

Most all fried food—unless it is specifically labeled, is fried in vegetable oil (strike one!) and repeatedly heated (strike two!). Restaurants and even home cooks often reuse vegetable oil to fry foods. When vegetable oils are heated over and over again, it further magnifies the toxicity of the oil.

Repeated heating also depletes vitamin E which is a natural antioxidant. It dramatically increases the free radicals that damage DNA, proteins and lipids in the body. This helps to explain why fried foods are associated with high blood pressure, heart disease, and liver damage.

Even meat, such as commercially-raised chicken which is fed high LA grains is high in this dangerous fat. And eating more foods high in omega 3 fats may help but will not avoid the problem. As noted researcher, Tucker Goodrich states, “The ratio is not really what’s important. What’s important is [totally] avoiding the omega 6 fats…”

Avoiding all processed foods, especially fried foods and chips and only eating saturated fats or monounsaturated fats like olive oil is the best way to avoid omega 6’s.

What About Olive Oil?

Yes, olive oil also contains LA, but it also has other healthy fats that help to offset this. Olive oil contains oleic acid, which is one of the best fats for your body. Oleic acid is highly resistant to oxidation, which is why olive oil is much healthier to cook with. However, olive oil can contain varying amounts of linoleic acid, and many olive oils are cut with cheaper seed oils, raising the LA content even more. So just be aware of how much olive oil you are consuming. It can be detrimental in higher amounts.

Other Healthy Fats

Beef fat—even conventionally-raised beef — is a combination of monounsaturated and saturated fats, and only has trace amounts of PUFA’s. Grass fed beef is higher in CLA (a healthy fat) and DHA (an omega 3 fat). On the other hand, chicken and pork have ten times as much omega 6/LA content of beef, bison or lamb, so if you want to be as healthy as possible, choose grass-fed RED meat instead of chicken or pork.

Coconut oil is another healthy saturated fat, and olive oil is monounsaturated, as is avocado oil and the oil from nuts. And butter, my favorite, is mostly all saturated fat, some monounsaturated fat and very little polyunsaturated fat. Grass fed butter is also very high in vitamin K-2, another essential nutrient valuable for heart health.

I hope you stuck with me on this important article. Many people underestimate the tremendous value a healthy diet has on every aspect of their lives. From health, to energy, to body composition, to your moods—diet matters. Making sense of conflicting information is the hardest part, so following the science is what matters most.

As my colleague Mike Geary says,

“…many people make statements like “just live a little and eat a donut”. And, honestly, I don’t equate “living a little” with eating donuts or chips or any other stuff that harms my quality of life. I’d rather eat a delicious steak or grass fed burger, and know I’m nourishing my body instead!

I’d rather have amazing energy, brain clarity, and LOOK & FEEL great every day instead of whatever 10 seconds of pleasure that a donut or chips might give to you. Plus, there are always better alternatives for a treat that doesn’t contain vegetable oil.”

I am 100% in agreement!

Our good friend and one of America’s top Heart Doctors, would like to share some amazing insights with you. His research over the years on heart health has lead him to this amazing find from this one food we ALL are not getting enough of.

NASA Doctor Reveals: #1 Heart-Healthy Food 89% of Americans Aren’t Eating Enough

Did you know that astronauts rarely have heart problems?

Surprisingly, it all comes down to one specific food they eat in outer space.

“This food works to clean your arteries and support your heart health by dissolving the sticky protein building up inside them,” says Dr. Sam Walters.

Dr. Sam Walters is a former nutrition consultant to NASA. He’s also a leading “heart doctor” whose natural solution has helped thousands of people enjoy a healthy heart without living on drugs.

He recommends his patients add this food as a staple in their diets… because multiple studies have shown that it can:

– SLASH your risk of heart attack & stroke by nearly HALF
– Lower “bad” LDL cholesterol & triglycerides
– Keep your blood pressure under control
– Unclog your arteries

Yet, up to 89% of Americans aren’t getting enough of it in their diets!

Fortunately, Dr. Walters has released a short video revealing the #1 heart-healthy food you should start eating today.

Watch it here:

>>> Former NASA Doctor Reveals The #1 Heart-Healthy Food 89% Of Americans Aren’t Eating Enough

References
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/12/13/linoleic-acid-health-effects.aspx?ui=91e4943fb31272c2cf6bf823f245f818b8eba68082a47a5a743f980f03272d6c&cid_source=dnl&cid_medium=email&cid_content=art1HL&cid=20201213_HL2&mid=DM746090&rid=1033766169
https://chriskresser.com/all-about-the-carnivore-diet-with-dr-paul-saladino/
https://chriskresser.com/how-industrial-seed-oils-are-making-us-sick/?fbclid=IwAR29gPfOPGm2JCdif0_Npayr3aekSD8koUX82yr8lIhgoRH9U4uCd7xMjjM

The post This Type of Oil Can Cause Cancer, Heart Disease, Obesity and Diabetes appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Who doesn’t like bacon? That crispy, sweet, salty, crunchy flavor is hard to dislike or duplicate. Even my favorite meat counter guy tells me that’s the first thing vegans buy when they start eating meat. I sure can’t fault that!

But headlines and health organizations have warned us of the dangers of processed meat. The World Health Organization classifies processed meat—including bacon—as a carcinogen. Another study from the British Medical Journal found increased consumption of processed meat is associated with higher mortality rates.

Turkey Bacon

So, many people turned to turkey bacon. The lower fat content and the general ‘health’ appeal of turkey to the fat-conscious folks has made turkey bacon an alternative choice.

“The problem with traditional pork bacon is typically two-thirds of the calories come from fat,” says a registered dietitian. And, she says, “Half of that is saturated fat which has the bad reputation of being responsible for heart disease.” Of course, most of us now know that saturated fat is not so bad. But the question remains—is turkey bacon really a healthier alternative?

First of all, turkey bacon is not really bacon. Bacon is meat and fat from a specific part of a pig which has been cured. Turkey ‘bacon’ is actually just simulated bacon since it is not from a pig, and not any specific part of a turkey.

Turkey bacon flavor runs a distant second to real bacon and even then, it obviously does not come off the bird looking and tasting the way it does when you fry a slice of it in the pan. Turkey bacon is more for when you don’t care about the real taste of bacon but want something crisp and ‘ham-like’ to complement your eggs, and want to feel like you are being ‘healthier’. The point is, you aren’t really eating anything that is truly healthier.

Turkey bacon doesn’t even really taste like real bacon. It does contain less fat, but to make up for that, it contains a lot of other ingredients—some of them not so great—to make up for the flavor loss. Turkey bacon actually tastes more like ham or some kind of lunchmeat, quite frankly.

Here’s a list of ingredients from a package of typical turkey bacon:

– Turkey
– Mechanically Separated Turkey
– Water
– Salt
– Sugar
– Canola Oil
– Sunflower Oil
– Natural Flavor
– Sodium Phosphate
– Sodium Erythorbate
– Sodium Nitrite

Turkey bacon is really just processed lunchmeat. It’s turkey scraps, plus other flavorings shaped to look like bacon. A poor substitute for real bacon.

Turkey bacon also generally carries a higher amount of sodium added to it. While turkey bacon claims it contains less fat, the fat it does have is nothing to brag about. Canola oil and other highly processed vegetables are NOT healthier than real, saturated fat from a pig.

Real Bacon

How about REAL bacon from a pig? There is a wide range in both quality and health benefits or unhealthy benefits of
real bacon, depending on the source of the bacon (conventionally raised or humanely raised/organic).

Bacon is cured meat, which means it is soaked in a solution of salt, sugar and sometimes preservatives like nitrates. Then it is smoked to get its delicious flavor.

The fats in bacon contain about 50% monounsaturated fat and oleic acid, which is the same healthy fat that olive oil contains. The rest is mostly saturated fat, which once was thought to be ‘bad’ for us and for our hearts, but the latest research shows saturated fat is a necessary fat for our bodies to function well. And truthfully, once you fry bacon up in a pan, most of the fat is cooked out of the bacon and left in the pan.

Both real bacon and turkey bacon contain fairly high levels of sodium which is used to cure the meat. While some people may be sensitive to added salt in foods, it’s not bad unless you are eating large quantities of foods with added sodium which is in many packaged and processed foods.

Both real bacon and turkey bacon often contain nitrates — unless the bacon you purchase is ‘natural’ or ‘uncured’ bacon. Heat, from cooking causes these additives to form compounds called nitrosamines which can be carcinogenic. However, antioxidants like vitamin C and erythorbic acid are added to the bacon to offset the risk of the nitrosamines.

What About the Dangers of Processed Meats?

We’ve heard several times lately that red meat and processed meat can cause cancer.

As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) actually classified processed meats as a carcinogen, which puts it in the same category as asbestos, cigarettes, benzene, nuclear fallout, plutonium, and x-rays, among other things. But is this a bit of an overreaction?

So what is the actual risk of eating red meat or processed meats? For every 100 g of red meat eaten, the risk increases 17%, and for every 50 g of processed meat, the risk goes up 18% for colorectal cancers. This means that processed meat carries about twice the risk of eating red meat. However, in this report from May 2011, shows there was no significant connection found between red meat and colorectal cancer, so the jury is still out on this.

While 17% and 18% increase in risk sounds significant, you also have to look at relative risk of colon cancer overall. Your chances are about 1 in 33,000, or three extra cases of colorectal cancer per 100,000 people who may develop bowel cancer from eating cured and processed meats.

Most importantly, in these studies on processed meat dangers is that the lifestyle variables of the people in the study have not been considered. Most people who eat a diet high in processed meat have unhealthy lifestyles: not enough vegetables or fruit, lots of highly processed foods, sedentary, and possibly cigarette smokers. In this article, red meat is shown to have numerous health benefits, especially if you choose pasture raised.

The bottom line on turkey vs. real bacon is this: real bacon is not that bad, tastes better, and if you purchase real bacon made from humanely raised/organic pigs, cured naturally without nitrates or nitrites, you have made a better, more natural choice than processed turkey bacon. You can now even purchase ‘Paleo’ style bacon without added sugars as well.

On the other hand, even if you purchase so-called ‘natural’ turkey bacon, you are still getting processed meat made of odd parts of the turkey, highly processed vegetable oils, sugar and lots of sodium.

And of course, real bacon tastes so much better! So have a couple of delicious slices of bacon and enjoy—without guilt!

References
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/turkey-bacon-how-healthy-is-it-really/
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/is-bacon-bad-or-good#section7
https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/nutrition-questions-tips?slide=142486#142486
https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/bacon-vs-turkey-bacon-which-is-healthier-for-you
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26633477
https://thenutritionwatchdog.com/bacon-cigarettes-really-the-real-story-on-red-meat-and-processed-meats/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/turkey-bacon_n_5266398

The post Turkey Bacon vs Real Bacon appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

Many hard-core environmentalists, celebrities and even doctors are advising us to eat a “plant-based” diet—or at the very least to give up eating “red meat”.  And if we’re going to eat meat, we’ve been told to eat chicken. But is that actually BAD advice?

Chicken is often considered by many a “clean” meat, and it’s usually boneless, skinless and hardly resembles something that comes from an animal at all.  It’s just…chicken.

The consumption of chicken has risen about 400% worldwide over the past 50 years while beef production has remained the same or decreased. Can we really save the world and our health, by eating more chicken and less red meat?  The answer, as you’ll see below, will surprise you.

People often say they have given up eating red meat out of concern for the animals, the environment, and their health. Those sound like good reasons on the outside… But while cutting out (CAFO) conventionally-raised red meat seems virtuous, eating chicken instead doesn’t do much to address those issues, and can even be worse in most cases.

Most all conventional meat and chicken is produced in Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs). CAFO meat production is deplorable and we should all definitely do our best to not support this type of agriculture! Animals raised on these factory farms are overcrowded and raised in filthy conditions where the animals have to wallow in a sea of their own feces. CAFOs house anywhere from hundreds to thousands of animals. CAFOs can include open feedlots for cattle and large windowless buildings where chickens are confined in boxes, cages, large crowded areas, or pens.

CAFOs also cause massive pollution to our groundwater and surface water supplies within miles of their operations. CAFO’s produce huge amounts of urine and feces that drain off into the water supply. And because these animals are given antibiotics, growth hormones, and other medications, these chemicals are present in the sewage and runoff the animals produce—which then soaks into the ground or runs off into our water supply.

Don’t Chickens Have a Better Life?

On the surface, eating chicken and eliminating red meat may SEEM like the healthier choice for our bodies, the animals and the planet, but it is not. Chicken is not actually healthier for us to eat, nor are the chickens treated any better, and there’s all of that air, land and water pollution.

Sure, many of us think that chickens run around a farm pecking their feed, clucking and crowing, but unfortunately the vast majority of chickens we eat come from large scale indoor operations. It’s difficult to find pastured, humanely raised, organic chickens to eat, unless you live on a farm or have access to local, outdoor farm-raised chickens.

Animals raised in CAFO’s are treated very badly, especially chickens. Most chicken comes from a CAFO where they are raised their entire lives (On the other hand, even beef finished in CAFO’s spends at least the first year or more of their life outdoors on grass). Chickens are packed into cages or on a filthy floor, where they can barely move around. The poor birds usually have their beaks seared off with a hot blade to avoid pecking each other to death, because they are so packed in so closely. These chickens are bred to grow breasts so big and heavy, they literally can barely walk, are often crippled, and many of them get trampled to death. Most never get outside to breathe fresh air or see the sunshine or eat their natural diets. Large scale organic chicken farms are not much better, unless they are actually pasture-raised, which is rare.

What About Salmonella, etc?

Because CAFOs are so filthy and overcrowded, these chickens are routinely given antibiotics just to prevent all the disease that flourishes in these dirty living conditions. This practice is a big reason there are antibiotic resistant bacteria. And when we eat those chickens, we can often ingest some pretty powerful and nasty bacteria ourselves.

More than 100,000 people were sickened by food-related illness outbreaks between 2009 and 2015, according to a new analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). And the food that made more people sick than any other? Chicken.

Chicken is most associated with salmonella poisoning, which causes some pretty serious food poisoning in humans. In addition, the CDC reports that chicken also carries these lovely pathogens as well—which can make you very sick if not killed during cooking:

• Campylobacter bacteria
• Clostridium perfringens bacteria

Then what about consuming “antibiotic-free, vegetarian fed, no animal by-products and cage free” chicken? …Not necessarily any better. This does not solve the problem either. Cage-free does not mean much, because these chickens are all crowded together wing to wing in a windowless facility where they never see the light of day. They may see the light of day through a small open window, but never actually make it outdoors. And, many chicken producers are now promoting antibiotic-free chicken, which is a step in the right direction, but there are many different meanings to the “no antibiotics” sales pitch.

Isn’t Vegetarian Fed Better for Me and Chickens?

Does that conjure up images of happy chickens pecking at their cracked corn in their pen? Chickens are not actually vegetarians; their natural diet includes things like grubs, worms and bugs. Chickens fed a diet of only grain will produce meat high in unhealthy, inflammatory omega 6 fats. Not healthy for anyone—not even chickens.

On top of that, grain for chicken feed is most times genetically modified and grown on huge, mono-cropped farms sprayed heavily with pesticides and herbicides. And many grain crops are doused in cancer-causing glyphosate just a week or so before harvest. So, your chicken is eating glyphosate-laced GMO grain, which you end up ingesting as well–with the all toxic effects on your body.

Mono-cropping for CAFO feed also destroys biodiversity by eliminating the habitat of small animals including birds, toads, insects, worms, rabbits, mice, rats, etc. to clear fields for planting and producing grain.

Did you know that sheep, pigs and cows have regulations for humane slaughter, but not so with poultry… They are killed in pretty inhumane ways. They are often stunned by being run through a vat of electrified water, then their throats are slit. Quite often, however, the electrified water is not effective, so the birds are awake and alert right before they die. At least half of the birds we eat have experienced intense stress and suffering before they reach our kitchen table.

But It’s More Ethical to Eat Chicken, Right?

Some people who are attempting to eat ‘ethically’ say they want to cause the least amount of animal deaths to support their diet and health. OK… So, a typical cow produces almost 500 lbs of edible meat. One person could live off the meat from one cow for almost 2 years if that’s the only meat they ate.  A chicken produces only about 50% edible meat from their 3-5 lb weight. To arrive at the same amount of meat, approximately 250 chickens have to die. That’s about 250x as much suffering and death. Do we really think it’s more “ethical” to kill 250 chickens vs just 1 cow?

What about Nutrition…Isn’t Chicken the Healthier Choice, as most think?

Let’s talk nutrition. Dietitians and misinformed doctors often scold us for eating red meat and try to tell us it’s linked to cancer, heart disease and diabetes, and advise us to eat skinless (white meat) chicken breasts instead. BAD advice!

Chicken contains protein and some vitamins/minerals, but beef (especially grass-fed and finished) has a LOT more healthy omega 3 fats, and far less of the inflammatory omega 6 fats. (Unless you can find true pastured-raised organic chicken, which does contain a good amount of omega 3 fats, collagen and protein.)

Beef also contains twice as much iron, selenium, zinc, and phosphorus—and far more vitamin B6 and B12 than chicken. In fact an average serving of beef will give you 45% of bioavailable B12, while chicken supplies only about 3%.

Beef also contains a good supply of heme-iron, the most absorbable kind of iron. Iron is necessary for red blood cells that carry oxygen in your body, and a shortage of available iron will cause anemia, usually in women. The biggest nutritional deficiency in the world is iron-deficiency anemia. Beef supplies TWICE as much bio-available, absorbable iron compared to chicken.

The other big deficiency, especially in vegans, vegetarians and the elderly is vitamin B12. B12 can only be obtained from animal sources. A lack of B12 also causes a type of anemia. B12 and iron deficiencies cause weakness, dizziness, heart palpitations, fatigue, brain fog, nerve problems like tingling, depression, and even dementia, and often a B12 and iron deficiency anemias are present at the same time. A good serving of healthy red meat will quickly fix this situation!

In addition to the nutrient profiles, RED meat also contains a variety of bioactive compounds that infer health benefits, including:

• Carnosine—an amino acid that has anti-inflammatory, immune regulating properties.
• CoQ10–a vitamin like compound that benefits the heart muscle and other muscles, generates growth, repair and maintenance.
• Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)—a natural healthy fat that helps burn your own fat, builds muscle, helps with weight loss, and strengthens the immune system.
• Glutathione–the “Master antioxidant” helps fight oxidative stress, aids in muscle recovery, and overall performance.
• L-carnitine—an amino acid that helps in fat metabolism, glucose levels and muscle building.
• Taurine—an important amino acid that improves insulin release, allows for better glucose tolerance and is a powerful antioxidant. It is vital for the proper function of the minerals potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sodium.

Beef, when compared to chicken, contains more carnosine (an amino acid), more coQ10, twice as much CLA, twice as much glutathione, 20-30 times more L-carnitine, and more taurine.  Overall, it’s been estimated by nutritionists that beef is 30% more nutrient-dense than chicken, providing significantly more of the nutrients our bodies need to thrive in good health.

Grass Fed/Grass-Finished vs CAFO Beef—Which is Healthier?

The demand for grass-fed beef has skyrocketed over the last decade. It’s often listed on menus at restaurants now and is commonly seen in the grocery store.

The term “grass-fed” can be confusing. All beef is generally grass-fed for the first 12-15 months of their life. Grass-fed and grass-finished meat contains the most benefits. Cattle that are grass-fed and then grain finished have a different nutrition profile, as they are typically finished in a CAFO on grain-based food for the last 4-6 months of their lives, which changes the nutrition of the meat for the worse.

Because grain is not a cow’s natural food, it often gives them indigestion, makes them sick, and makes them more likely to harbor dangerous e.coli bacteria. Another study shows that grain-fed cattle have more liver abscesses than grass-fed cattle (11% compared to 0.2%). Grass-fed cattle are overall, healthier and need less antibiotics and medications.

Grass-fed cattle roam around outside all day with plenty of room to eat whatever they wish, and obtain sunshine and a stress-free environment. As a result, they are healthier and happier. Most grain-fed cattle spend their days crowded inside a filthy pen, wading through their own excrement.

Grass-fed beef contains far more healthier fats including much higher omega 3 fats compared to omega 6 fats, and almost double the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) compared to grain-fed cattle.  Grass-fed beef also contains significantly more vitamins and minerals than grain-fed beef.

By opting for grass-fed beef, you are supporting small farms who raise their cows in a natural, humane way and getting superior nutrition from healthier, happier cows. Calorie for calorie, it’s the way more efficient at delivering the highest quality protein in an easily digestible form.

Yes, it’s true that grass-fed beef is slightly more expensive than conventional beef, but given that it’s a more nutrient-dense food, it is worth the small extra cost to protect your health. If your budget just does not allow for grass-fed, even conventional beef does offers some nutritional advantage over chicken.  It seems odd to me that so many people will spend $1000 or more on their cell phone, or over $100 per month on their cell phone bill, but refuse to spend an extra $2 to $3 per lb for grass-fed meat that will protect their health.  Seems like an odd prioritization to me.

Speaking of cost, one of the best quality sources of grass-fed meats that I’ve found at a very affordable cost is called ButcherBox, and I use their service myself every month.  Try ButcherBox grass-fed meats here.

Another great source of high quality grass-fed meats is US Wellness meats here.

What About Red Meat and Cancer?

Some studies have been done on the association between red meat and cancer. While there has shown some association between the two, they are not conclusive. The main problem is that these studies do not differentiate between conventional red meat from CAFOs, processed (CAFO) meat with lots of added chemicals, nitrites, fat, antibiotics and growth hormones vs. naturally raised grass-fed beef. In other words, most of the studies on red meat do not differentiate between a grass-fed steak or a can of spam. All very different meats, with very different effects on your body.

Studies done on red meat and cancer are generally considered epidemiological research or observational studies. In other words, researchers study broad groups of people who eat lots of red meat and attempt to make connections to cancer. Remember that correlation does not equal causation. In other words, the association between the two may not be the cause.

It’s virtually impossible to separate out the variables in an observational study. Many people in these studies who consume red meat and processed meats may also be smokers, non-exercisers, and fast food/junk food/processed food consumers, eating few vegetables or fruits. So again, there is no differentiation between a meal of grass fed steak, organic vegetables, and a glass of water or McDonald’s meal of a (CAFO) Big Mac with french fries and a soda.

In other words, eating red meat in the context of a healthy diet and lifestyle is far different from eating red meat and processed meats in the context of an unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle.

There are no randomized controlled trials or clinical trials of any nature that show links between red meat and cancer.

Systematic reviews have more credulity and also have looked at the effects of red meat and cancer.

• Red meat, processed meat, or total meat is not associated with hepatocellular carcinoma
• There is insufficient evidence to confirm a link between red meat consumption as part of a healthy eating pattern and colorectal cancer.
• Consumption of red meat and processed meat was inconclusive as to overall risk of colorectal cancer.
• There is currently insufficient evidence to confirm a true link between the intake of red meat as part of a healthy dietary pattern and colorectal cancer risk.

Obviously, what TYPE of red meat is eaten (CAFO, processed or grass-fed/organic) is the most important consideration here, and we can’t lump meat-eating in with unhealthy behaviors like smoking, excessive drinking, lack of exercise, etc.

The bottom line is red meat—especially grass fed/organically raised and humanely raised meat will NOT cause cancer. For more information on this topic, click here and here.

And for those of you who are concerned about the latest report concerning a substance called TMAO found in red meat, read this. TMAO is a substance found in peoples’ guts who eat red meat that has been theorized to be related to heart disease. However correlation is not causation, and TMAO is also found in seafood in much higher concentrations than beef, yet we know that seafood consumption is good for heart health.  Therefore, most researchers agree that TMAO is not an issue of concern with meat.

But Red Meat is Bad for the Environment, Isn’t It?

Ok, what about red meat’s carbon footprint? Aren’t we destroying the environment if we eat red meat?  Not necessarily…

I will try to answer this in a short summary—but definitely this topic is worthy of a full article. There are so many factors that go into the footprint of our food, and common belief is that a vegetarian diet—or even a diet that excludes red meat has a much smaller carbon footprint, but there are costs to our health and the environment.

As Diana Rogers RD, said so well,

“The main one being that meat itself isn’t evil, it’s the method by which we farm it (feed lots and CAFOs-Confined Animal Feeding Operations) how we prepare it (breaded and deep fried, or served on a white flour bun), and what we eat alongside it (fries, and a large soda).”

Cattle get blamed for using a large amount of water, but that water is measured differently, depending on its use. When researchers analyze water use for agriculture, it is categorized depending on its use and its source. Green water is water that comes from precipitation; blue water is groundwater from aquifers and rivers used for irrigation; gray water is the water required to dilute pollutants to keep water at or above water quality standards.

All beef, CAFO or not, starts out being grass-fed for the first 12-15 months. Green water used for cattle is about 92%. For grass-fed and grass-finished beef, the green water number is 97-98%. Remember green water comes mainly from natural precipitation. However, when studies look at the amount of water cattle use, they also consider natural rainfall. When comparing water usage to chicken, natural rainfall is compared to the amount of irrigated water used grow grain crops. Having a general understanding of how the footprint numbers are derived makes a better case for the amount of water meat red meat actually uses versus grain-fed chickens.

From Diana Rogers:

“According to this study from UC Davis, which used the blue water methodology, “typical” beef requires approximately 410 gallons of water per pound to produce. A pound of rice production also requires about 410 gallons, and avocados, walnuts and sugar are similarly high in water requirements. In Nicolette Hahn Niman’s book, Defending Beef, she explains that the amount of water for grass-fed beef is closer to 100 gallons per pound to produce.

Once you understand how these footprint numbers are derived, you’ll understand how meaningless it is to use them as a critique of meat production. The equations also leave out a lot of critical information like soil type and health… It should also be noted that the nutrition in grass-finished beef is far superior to [chicken], rice, avocados, walnuts and sugar, so comparing “plant products” to “meat” is not really logical.”

For more detailed info on why properly raised grass-fed beef actually benefits the environment instead of destroying it, this article explains that topic more in-depth.

A truly sustainable diet, both in terms of the planet, and in terms of our health, includes grass-fed and grass-finished, humanely raised red meat, which is far more nutrient dense than chicken of any type. If you add in organic vegetables, seasonal fruits and healthy fats, you will have the optimal diet—for your health and for health of the planet. Leave the chicken alone unless you can find a local, truly pasture-raised, organic chicken that were not raised in CAFOs.

References
https://sustainabledish.com/meat-is-magnificent/
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chickens-slaughtered-conscious_us_580e3d35e4b000d0b157bf98
https://www.cdc.gov/features/SalmonellaChicken/
https://sustainabledish.com/10-reasons-stop-eating-much-chicken/
http://www.ecofarmingdaily.com/top-10-reasons-raise-eat-grass-fed-meat/
http://www.animalliberationfront.com/Practical/Health/15Reasons2NotEatMeat.htm
https://sustainabledish.com/protein-better-protein/
https://www.sierraclub.org/michigan/why-are-cafos-bad
https://www.nutritionadvance.com/healthy-foods/red-vs-white-meat/
https://www.nutritionadvance.com/is-grass-fed-beef-necessary/

The post Chicken vs Beef: Which is Healthier & Better for the Environment? (Surprising Answer) appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.

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

Falling asleep in front of Netflix again instead of rolling in the hay? Perhaps you need a little boost. Add in a few of these foods to get things rocking and rolling right away, and you won’t care what’s on Netflix!

While some of these foods have aphrodisiac qualities, others are good for your heart and blood vessels, getting blood to those crucial body parts. All of these foods contain numerous healthy ingredients, helping you look and feel better. And when you look and feel better, you are more attractive!

Here is my list of the top ten foods to rev up your sex life…

Figs

Figs have long been considered as a fertility food and they enhance pheromones, those sexy chemicals we secrete to attract the opposite sex. Figs, especially when cut in half, have a very erotic look and shape, similar to parts of a woman’s anatomy.

Figs have been associated with sexuality in almost every culture. In ancient Greece, the arrival a new fig crop actually initiated sexual rituals. Figs are also full of sexy antioxidants, flavonoids, fiber, and potassium.

Celery

While celery may have a reputation for being a bland and boring vegetable, it is anything but boring.

Besides being full of fiber, vitamin K, folate, potassium, and manganese, each stalk of celery is full of pheromones. Pheromones are released when celery is chewed, the odor molecules travel up your throat to your nose and then the pheromones boost arousal. Once aroused, your body sends out more scents and signals, making you more desirable to the opposite sex. Plus, eating lots of celery is said to make certain bodily secretions taste better.

Parsnips

Parsnips also contain high concentrations of androstanol (the naturally occurring pheromone that stimulates desire in females). These long, phallic-looking light brown veggies taste a little like a sweeter, starchier carrot. They are delicious in purees and mashes.

Parsnips have the added advantage of containing boron, which has been shown to help the body metabolize and utilize estrogen well, and also enhance blood levels of testosterone—good for both men and women! These and other root vegetables are rich in folate, as well as vitamins A and C, and studies have found they boost blood flow to the brain and essential body parts.

Avocados

Avocados were referred as by the Aztecs as “testicles”, probably because of their suggestive shape. But avocados are an aphrodisiac beyond just their shape. They are rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, making them great for healthy, soft, smooth skin, and hair.

And internally, they are good for your heart and blood vessels. Keeping blood flowing well is essential for a healthy sex life and healthy blood flow prevents things like erectile dysfunction. Avocados are also high in omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamin B6, both of which help to get you in a great mood, all that much better reason to jump in the sack!

Watermelon

Watermelons are a sweet, luscious, juicy, sexy food. They are also full of vitamins A, B6, and C, as well as lycopene, antioxidants and minerals. Lycopene is also present in tomatoes and is a powerful cancer-fighter. And watermelon, another red-colored fruit, is full of this powerful phytonutrient! Watermelon has some of the highest levels of all fruits and veggies.

Watermelon rind (the white part that you usually don’t eat) is also full of a substance called citrulline. The citrulline in the watermelon is then converted into the amino acid arginine. Arginine is very useful to boost nitric oxide levels which help to open up blood vessels. This is also what Viagra does to treat or prevent erectile dysfunction. And, that folks, is a good thing!

Asparagus

Even the very shape of a big fat asparagus stalk is suggestive. Asparagus also contains a variety of nutrients that boost your sex life. Yes, back in the 17^th century even, Nicolas Culpepper wrote about asparagus saying, “…[it] stirs up lust in man and woman.” In the 1800’s in France, brides and bridegrooms were often served three courses of the sexy spears just prior to their nuptials to stimulate—well, you know. Oh, and by the way, the French word for asparagus is “asperge” which is slang for penis.

Asparagus also stimulates a natural body chemical called histamine. Now, most people think histamines are associated with allergic responses, and that is true, but they serve another purpose as well. Histamine actually improves erectile function and has a positive effect on both male and female hormones. Healthy histamine levels mean easier sexual orgasm, for both men and women. Please pass the asparagus!

Chocolate

We all know chocolate is for lovers, but do you know why? Dark chocolate contains something called phenylethylamine that releases endorphins—you know, those feel good brain chemicals. Endorphins are also triggered by exercise or sex, and they increase feelings of attraction between two people. So, eating chocolate around someone you find attractive—and sharing it, may create some sizzle!

Brain scans from a British study show eating chocolate causes a longer, more intense brain buzz than kissing. Well, I guess that depends on who you are kissing, right? Don’t forget to concentrate your love on dark chocolate that is full of antioxidants and healthy phenols, and don’t forget to share it with someone special!

Oysters and Red Meat

Ah, yes, you probably knew I was going to mention everyone’s favorite aphrodisiac, oysters. But what about red meat? Well, if you haven’t noticed, a nice fat red hunk of grass fed steak is pretty darn sexy if you ask me. But the reason both oysters and grass fed red meat are mentioned is because both are great sources of zinc, the mineral that curbs production of a hormone called prolactin, which at high levels can cause sexual dysfunction.

Zinc is also an important muscle-building nutrient, along with high concentrations of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). Zinc increases levels of testosterone, an important hormone for desire and sexual performance for both men and women. Yes, women need testosterone too! For women, zinc nourishes the ovaries—the source of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, keeping them primed for bedroom action. Research also shows that for men, zinc improves sperm count and swimming ability as well as sexual potency in men. And of course, oysters and steak are full of tons of vitamins and minerals, including iron, which aids in energy and performance.

Honey

Yep, honey is definitely sexy, and it even looks sexy. That thick, sweet, gooey stuff promotes testosterone production in men and women—which we know is essential for desire. And, it also helps to metabolize estrogen in women.

Research shows us that honey can increase nitric oxide levels, opening up blood flow to all important areas! Honey has a long history of an aphrodisiac. This sweet sticky substance has been associated with bliss, romance, marriages, and honeymoons. Indian weddings, use honey as an offering to the groom as a symbol of sweetness in life. And Vikings used honey as a fertility booster, drinking mead (wine made from honey), as newlyweds.

Beets

Beets are considered a superfood and they are beneficial for all parts of the body! Beets not only look and taste sexy (try them dripping with grass fed butter and a squeeze of lemon), but they are full of vitamins and minerals to give you energy and endurance.

Beets are full of nitric oxide which increases blood flow to important body parts in both men and women, enhancing sexual activity, interest and performance. In fact, some studies have compared beets to Viagra, they are so effective. Regular consumption of beets actually opens up blood vessels and has been scientifically proven to be an athletic performance-enhancing food. And as you know, performance enhancement in the bedroom can garner you a first-place award! Enjoy.

There are many foods, herbs and spices that can enhance and improve one’s sex life. This is just a small sampling of some of the top foods that have a positive effect on sex for men and women. Just simply eating healthy foods including organic, colorful vegetables full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, along with wild caught fish and seafood, naturally raised meats, and healthy fats like butter and coconut oil, all contribute to an energetic and enthusiastic interest in sex with your favorite person.

Speaking of sex…

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But the good news is it’s NOT your fault – you’ve been lied to and deceived…

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References
http://www.thehealthsite.com/sexual-health/eat-beetroot-for-better-erection-and-to-beat-erectile-dysfunction-d815/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3987372/
http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20307213,00.html#figs-1
https://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/a19547316/better-sex-foods/
https://www.eatthis.com/what-to-eat-to-taste-good/
https://www.thealternativedaily.com/eat-and-drink-these-9-things-to-increase-your-sex-drive/?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=N1804231.

The post The Top 10 Foods to Improve Your Sex Life & Boost Libido appeared first on thenutritionwatchdog.com.