tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60547829924316719742024-03-13T23:08:04.825+05:30Metabolically ChallengedYou are what you eat, so eat wisely.Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-11471409950635122142014-07-31T15:45:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:47:59.347+05:30Chit-Chat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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20<sup>th</sup> June 2014</div>
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Starting the Chit-Chat page on my 3<sup>rd</sup> anniversary
of a drug free life. This page will be devoted to general subjects, although
health related, but not particularly restricted to metabolism or disorders of
it. I wonder if there is any illness not connected to metabolism.</div>
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Three years ago, this day, I was in Istanbul, Turkey, pretty
badly struck down by my familiar “allergic bronchitis” and was merrily sucking
in on puffs of a steroid powder prescribed by my Dr, here in Mumbai. Along with
that were handsome doses of anti-biotics & baby aspirins just for the heck
of it. Am I glad, that that phase of life is over for me. My very dear friend Shirish, is following me closely and has
completed his 2 years of a drug free life. His doctor had prescribed him pills
for his blood sugar & a statin for his high cholesterol. Thankfully Shirish
is someone who completely trusted my advice & followed me very strictly
& faithfully. within months of him making these lifestyle changes he didn’t need these pills either. </div>
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It was not that I resolved that day, that I would no longer
take any drugs. It was just that I was on a healing curve with my system and it
has never asked for any medicine since then. Many of us pride ourselves on our
knowledge of drug names & can rattle off a few of them along with the
symptoms for which they are prescribed. In hindsight, I can also hold myself guilty
of this crime. Believe me, this is not something to be
proud of. The sooner we can give up this means of showing off, the better – for
our own health & that of near & dear ones. We are just giving
in to the desires of the drug companies, who can fly in their fancy private
jets at the expense of global good-health.</div>
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Changing subjects, the world was witness to the launch of a
new medical product this week – <b>The Bionic Pancreas.</b> Wow, what a name. I wonder
who coined it, and what bonuses he/she got for the service. Many a diabetic
life has been made easy with a product called an Insulin Pump which also acts
as a CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor). The pump monitors a user’s glucose level
24/7 and injects need based insulin whether the user is asleep or awake.
However, if the user’s sugar is running low he has to feed himself some glucose
tablets or a sugary drink to correct. </div>
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The Bionic Pancreas fixes that problem. It contains 2
chambers, one for the glucose & the other for the insulin. The scientists /
technicians who thought of the product & improved on the pump are very
gleeful & the pharma giants who are going to market it are happier still.
But have they replicated the human pancreas ? Nowhere near it. In many posts I
have mentioned that the pancreatic mass is 95% covered by beta cells that
secrete insulin. The remainder alpha cells secrete glucagon, and the gamma
cells secrete somatostatin. These are the 3 principal secretions of the
pancreas, but there are many other secretions, playing equally important
roles.</div>
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New research into the roles of insulin, it’s cell receptors,
the transport pathways and the communications signaling has led to new insights
into Insulin & Insulin Resistance. It is simply not just the glucose
transporter that it was thought off for all these years. Insulin & Glucagon
have a 24 hour on/off and counter reactive relationship with each other (please
don’t confuse glucagon with glucose). Neither’s secretion is completely shut off
at any given time. It’s more like a 95 - 5 % constant pattern. Pumping glucose in
place of glucagon can have detrimental effects. If you refresh yourself with the post on “<b>glucotoxicity</b>”,
you will remember that I talked of <b>glucose throughput</b> and resulting damage. </div>
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Certainly the Bionic Pancreas will make life easier for the
uncontrolled diabetics, who lack the self discipline to monitor their levels
for their own good. Agreed, that this type makes up the majority of the
diabetics in the world, and that is the reason, we see poor health reign
supreme. This product therefore holds a lot of promise for some diabetics, until a better one
comes along. </div>
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Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-25003453575799936012014-07-31T15:30:00.000+05:302014-07-31T15:04:55.452+05:30Newsworthy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here we shall post items from the daily press that warrant our attention.<br />
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<b>ToI, Mumbai 13.08.2013</b><br />
A 50 day old boy (Rahul) born to manual labourers Karna & Rajeshwari in Tamil Nadu is suffering from - <b>Spontaneous Human Combustion</b>. The little baby suddenly "catches fire" by himself without any apparent reason. Rahul has caught fire four times since he was born. Naturally the village elders have proclaimed that he is possessed by evil spirits. He is being observed by The Kilpauk Medical College & Hospital, where his tests have shown no abnormality. <br />
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<b>Yahoo News 19.09.2013</b><br />
A Texas man went to the hospital complaining of feeling
drunk -- but he hadn't imbibed any alcohol. He had, however, been eating carbs.<br />
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Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a type of yeast used in beer, wine
and bread making, was discovered in a man's system, making him drunk without
actually consuming alcohol.</div>
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It turns out the 61-year-old had "auto-brewery
syndrome," or "gut fermentation syndrome," described as a
condition where yeast is present in the stomach and ferments carbohydrates into
ethanol. This alcohol product then enters the blood stream and causes the
person to feel drunk.</div>
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Been there, done that - I've spent a good couple of years in a "drunken stupor" before "WAKING UP". </div>
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<b>Times of India - 24.10.2013</b><br />
I've put up an image of the article, so I don't need to say much. You can read for yourself.<br />
But I must point out, I saw this on BBC News yesterday, and it clearly mentioned "Meat" as a "good for the heart" Saturated Fat. I don't see it in the Times. Well, this is how things work. I've also added the<span style="color: blue;"> <a href="http://www.examiner.com/article/stunning-reversal-more-cardiologists-say-saturated-fat-is-good-for-you" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">link</span></a> </span>to the news in the International Press. You can click on the image for a larger print.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zlsBVQgm5Xo/Umi8A_yzUsI/AAAAAAAAANY/dM3gaQcSb9g/s1600/ToI+241013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zlsBVQgm5Xo/Umi8A_yzUsI/AAAAAAAAANY/dM3gaQcSb9g/s320/ToI+241013.jpg" height="320" width="294" /></a></div>
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Well, we're not following this lifestyle because some cardiologist says it. We do it because the science says it. It's not true because it works, It works because it's true.<br />
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There's a follow up article on the above. Finally, they are waking up, or at least for the time being. You can read it <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2472672/Is-high-fat-diet-GOOD-heart-Doctors-say-carbs-damaging-arteries.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>.<br />
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Finally they are waking up. From The Times of India 5th Feb 2014<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6bQEbl7gLb8/UvM2eKzs9wI/AAAAAAAAASI/K-ISc2snZIQ/s1600/ToI+050214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6bQEbl7gLb8/UvM2eKzs9wI/AAAAAAAAASI/K-ISc2snZIQ/s1600/ToI+050214.jpg" height="320" width="91" /></a></div>
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The following article was first reported by The New York Times & run by The Economic Times on 20.03.2014<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pgDA-EKbAO8/UywshSklWuI/AAAAAAAAATY/e2jAKHuPv-M/s1600/ET200314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pgDA-EKbAO8/UywshSklWuI/AAAAAAAAATY/e2jAKHuPv-M/s1600/ET200314.jpg" height="125" width="320" /></a></div>
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Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-53778616345569937052014-07-31T15:00:00.000+05:302014-08-26T14:53:28.265+05:30Good Practices<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Although the entire blog and all
the posts are devoted to “good practices” there are certain things and
precautions that go a long way in helping to improve health. Here I will list a
few that I indulge in and will keep adding to the post from time to time. You
can make your own suggestions using the comments option. These are little things
that go a long way in health benefits. So here we go.</div>
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<b>BREATHING</b> is a very important aspect of good health. A good deep
breath ensures that a good amount of oxygen is supplied to the lungs for onward
transmittal to all the cells. Remember that oxygen is required by every cell in
the conversion of nutrients to energy (ATP). Oxygen is absorbed and Carbon
Dioxide + water are released (ref Nutritional Pathways). Therefore do make it a
point to remind yourself to take deep breaths (as deeply as you can) whenever
you can. Hold your breath for as long as you can and then exhale slowly. Start
with a few as and when you remember and build up to at least a 100 a day. It
will make a substantial difference to the quality of your life. This practice
is also a great stress buster.</div>
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<b>STOPPING BREATHING </b>is as important as deep breathing is. In many
emails I have stated that our bodies are “Bionomes” of living cells &
organisms. Our body consists of trillion of cells, each of which is alive. Apart
from that we are also home to over 400 varieties of bacteria inside of us. Some
of these are beneficial and some are harmful. Apart from these, we are
surrounded by bacteria, viruses and several invisible organisms on and around
our body, very much like an aura. The outer organisms are more than 10 times
the number of cells within the body. All of this put together constitutes our
individual bionome. It lives with us and moves with us. During seasonal changes
when the temperature or humidity changes, our bionomes also change, possibly
due to magnetic field changes. Sometimes a particular bacteria crosses the
threshold of a formidable number and is able to attack and afflict us. This is
how viral infections take root. In light of this it is therefore a good
practice to stop breathing (for some time) when in environmentally hostile
situations, such as crossing an open garbage dump, or carcass of dead dogs,
cats or mice on the street.</div>
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<b>PERFUMES, </b>deodorants or sprays are another source of foreign bodies
and dangerous chemicals that enter our body when used. These are vaporized under
high pressure with chemicals that are known carcinogens (cancer causing
compounds). The sprays that are released from these pressurized bottles are
very fine and while most of it lands on the intended target like the body, some of it enters our system through the nose. It is therefore a good practice to (a)
use these sprays on your clothes and not your body and (b) to stop breathing
while spraying. Ideally spray in one location without breathing, and then move
a few paces away before breathing again. At least the potential harm can be
minimized this way. The same is also true of talcum powders in our day to day use.</div>
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<b>WATER </b>for drinking and bathing should be as close to the body
temperature as possible. That is how nature intended it to be and that is how
it should be. People with sinus problems and some allergies will find immediate
relief by following this practice. Some believe that cold water drops the
temperature of cells that come in contact with it and the body needs to expend
some energy to raise and maintain its own temperature, thereby aiding in weight
loss. However, I think that the cold water sends a shock wave into the
epithelial cells in the esophagus & the stomach, sending these cells into
momentary remission. There are no studies that I could find on this, but my gut
feeling is that this shock & recovery frequently during the day is
avoidable. </div>
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<b>ADULTERATION </b>in foodstuff is a problem that we all have to deal
with repeatedly. Most of the times this is done by repacking adulterated goods
into disposed wrappers, boxes or bottles. One way to avoid becoming a
contributor to this evil is to destroy packaging before disposal, in a manner
that it cannot be reused. Especially plastic bottles containing water. These
are reused more frequently than other containers.<br />
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<b>DON'T EAT & SHOWER </b>immediately afterwards. This is a practice that I inculcated from my Grand Father. At the time we never questioned anything our elders said. In retrospect there is a lot of value in this advice. When we eat, our stomach & intestines rapidly go into digestion mode. This generates a lot of heat within the body, also known as "The Thermogenic Effect of Food". If you shower immediately after that, you actually interfere in the digestive process. I have done it a few times, in cases of urgency, but I always feel a lot of discomfort afterwards. </div>
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Here's another Good Practice. Cover your mouth / nose when coughing or sneezing. Here's proof<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9eYyo5nU-sI/U0ZokkXZH2I/AAAAAAAAAT4/jQXhJrPdil8/s1600/ToI100414+Sneeze.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9eYyo5nU-sI/U0ZokkXZH2I/AAAAAAAAAT4/jQXhJrPdil8/s1600/ToI100414+Sneeze.jpg" height="320" width="138" /></a></div>
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So let me know if you have other
ideas that can help in this endeavour. </div>
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Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-43333714370920509222014-07-31T14:30:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:49:09.135+05:30Low Carb Recipes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Many people have been asking for LCHF food ideas. We find it tough making suggestions for vegetarians. But here are a few ideas that we have struck upon or found from other sources. More recipes will be updated from time to time. We are open to your ideas as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<b>GREEK YOGURT</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>
Since full fat Greek Yogurt is not available here, we recommend a 50/50 mix of homemade yogurt with cream. Add grated nuts of choice, and a tsp of sugar free syrup like chocolate or strawberry. Chill & serve.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">CAULIFLOWER FRIED
(RICE) WITH CHOICE OF MEATS OR VEG (for 4)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 lbs. trimmed cauliflower</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 Tbsp. vegetable oil</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 cloves garlic, minced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3-4 cups diced, cooked meat</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 eggs</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp. salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 green onions, thinly sliced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Grate the cauliflower using the medium sized holes of a
grater. Grate the core too. With your hands squeeze out as much water as you
can. This may not be necessary for some cauliflower as they vary in degree of
wetness.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Over high heat, heat the oil (bacon fat can be used here
too) in a wok or large heavy frying pan and add the garlic. Stir-fry until pale
gold. Add the meat and fry until lightly browned. Break in the eggs and fry
until softly scrambled. Add the grated cauliflower, sprinkle with salt and stir
and fry until it’s tender-crisp, about 5-8 minutes. The length of time will
depend on the cauliflower. Stir in the green onions and the pepper. Check the seasoning and serve.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">CREAMED SPINACH WITH
GARAM MASALA (for 8)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 lbs. fresh spinach, stemmed, washed and dried</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 Tbsp. unsalted butter</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 cloves garlic, minced</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 Tbsp. finely chopped shallots</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 cups whipping cream</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp. salt</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 tsp. fennel seeds</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp. garam masala</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A pinch of cayenne pepper</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Coarsely chop the spinach
and set aside. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large, heavy, preferably
nonstick pot. Add the garlic and shallots and sauté until the shallots are
translucent. Add the whipping cream and salt and bring to a simmer. Stir in the
spinach by handfuls, adding more as it cooks down. Turn to low and cook,
stirring frequently, until the spinach is extremely soft and the cream is
almost absorbed, about 20 minutes. Heat a small frying pan over high heat. Add
the fennel seeds and roast, shaking the pan, until the seeds turn one shade
darker. Add to the spinach along with the garam masala and
cayenne. Mix well.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">CAULIFLOWER BREAD<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Preheat oven 325 degrees<br />
1 head of cauliflower, just the florets shredded<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 package Italian seasoning<br />
1/4 Cup Parmesan cheese</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Mix all together and place on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.
Flatten it out with a spatula but firm up the sides. It should be 1 1/2 to 2
inches thick.</span></div>
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Place in preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and place new sheet of
parchment on top along with a new inverted cookie sheet and flip it over.
Remove first sheet of parchment and place back in oven for another 15 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool 10 minutes. cut into 9 equal pieces with </span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: inherit;">Low Carb Bread in 70 secs<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">1 egg (beat well)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">1/2
teaspoon baking powder (beat into egg mixture)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> 2
Tablespoons Flax Meal (beat into egg mixture)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> 1/4
shredded cheddar cheese (beat into egg mixture)<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Ok! Find something that looks like a piece of
bread to cook in the microwave... I just use a little square Tupperware
(plastic container).<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"> Melt
butter to coat the bottom and sides.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> Put in
the microwave for 1 minute.<span class="apple-converted-space"> Turn over and cook for about 10 more seconds.</span></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cream Cheese Muffins</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b>
450 gms of cheese</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 a cup of Sweetener</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 eggs</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 tsp vanilla powder</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Soften cream cheese about 40 seconds in microwave. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Add other ingredients. Beat with mixer till </span><span style="background-color: white;">smooth. Pour into 12 muffin pans lined with the papers. </span><span style="background-color: white;">Bake at 350 deg F for 20 min.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b>Fat Chicken</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Boil chicken as much as required, chop into small
pieces.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Take a 1/2 stick of butter, lots of
garlic, minced onion and let it simmer around under low heat for a while. Add about a cup of heavy cream, lots of pepper and all of the chicken.
Let that cook so the fat would start coming out of the chicken. Pour a cup of
Parmesan cheese shreds on top and cover. Stir it when it is all melted
together.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Now the best thing which seems to get me on
these types of dishes is what to pour this wonderful fat laden stuff over. A pile of lightly cooked Green Beans are wonderful</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: inherit;">Low Carb Ice Cream<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 egg yolks</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened organic cocoa powder</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3/4 cup powdered sweetener </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 13.5 oz cans full fat coconut milk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 Tbsp gelatin</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Add the gelatin to a medium size bowl and pour one can of
coconut milk over it. Allow to sit for 2-3 mins or until gelled.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Place the egg yolks a mixing bowl.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pour the other can of coconut milk into a sauce pan over
medium-low heat. Add the gelatin mixture to the pan and whisk to combine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Whisk in the cocoa powder and sweetener.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Heat the coconut milk in the sauce pan just until it starts
to bubble.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Slowly add 1/4 cup of the hot coconut milk to the egg yolk
mixture and continuously whisk to combine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Add the remaining coconut milk, a little at a time, whisking
to combine (don't add the hot coconut milk too quickly or you will end up with
scrambled eggs).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pour the mixture into the sauce pan and cook over low heat,
stirring constantly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cook the mixture for 5-7 minutes or until thickened (it
should coat the back of a spoon).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once thickened, remove from the heat and add the vanilla
extract.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pour the mixture through a fine metal strainer over a bowl.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Allow the mixture to cool down and then cover with plastic
wrap (I place it directly on the custard so that a skin doesn't form) and
refrigerate for 2 hours or until cooled.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Add the mixture to the bowl
of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spinach salad </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br />
</b>Put
in large bowl Spinach leaves / Sliced strawberries / Blueberries / glazed nuts
/ cheese if desired<br />
grilled chicken strips / Sugar Free Raspberry syrup or crush- mix n eat </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">TOFU VEG SOUP<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Boil tomatoes and blend and
keep aside. In a pan, saute mushrooms, peas, onions and garlic. Add the
tomatoes and add dried basil, dried oregano, salt and black pepper (crushed).
Add silken tofu and mix. Blend it again in the blender and bring to boil. Add
some of the green peas, mushrooms (or any vegetables that suit you) at the end
and bring to a boil if you like whole vegetables in the soup. Its amazingly creamy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>EGGPLANT LASAGNA</b> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 eggplants (about 400 gm each) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1/4 cup oil, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Salt </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2 cups Marinara Sauce (or you can make tomato based sauce /puree with masalas) </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">16 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese, </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">shredded 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">grated </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Trim the ends off the eggplants and slice lengthwise into 1/2" slices. You should get 6 slices from each eggplant. Brush both sides of the eggplant slices with oil to coat. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil about 5 minutes per side until tender and a little browned. Watch them closely because they can burn quickly. Lightly sprinkle them with salt after removing from the oven. Layer everything in a greased 7x9x3" baking dish in this order: 4 eggplant slices, 1/3 of the sauce, 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the layering two more times then sprinkle with the parmesan cheese. Bake at 350º about 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Makes 6 servings</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>MUSHROOM & SPINACH OMELET </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">2 tablespoons butter, </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">divided 6-8 fresh mushrooms, sliced, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">5 ounces Salt and pepper, to taste </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Pinch garlic powder </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">4 eggs, beaten </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 ounce cheese, shredded </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">1 handful fresh baby spinach, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">about 1/2 ounce Chives, chopped, optional </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">In a very large skillet, sauté the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon butter until tender; season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and keep warm. Heat the remaining tablespoon butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Beat the eggs with a little salt and pepper and pour into the hot butter; swirl the pan to coat the entire bottom of the pan with egg. As soon as the egg is nearly set, place the cheese over half of the omelet. Top the cheese with the spinach leaves and hot mushrooms. Let cook a minute or so to start wilting the spinach. Carefully fold the empty side of the omelet over the filling and slide onto a serving plate and sprinkle with chives, if desired. Alternately, you could make two omlettes using half of the mushroom filling spinach & cheese in each</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<strong style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mozzarella/Almond Flour Pizza Bread</span></strong><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong style="background-color: white;"><br /></strong>
<span style="background-color: white;">1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">¾ cup almond flour</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2 tbs cream cheese</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1 egg</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Garlic salt</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Parchment paper and cookie sheet</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2. Microwave the mozzarella and cream cheese until smooth.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">3. Mix the cheese with the almond flour and egg. Add a few dashes of parsley, fennel and oregano.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">4. Flatten out the dough on the parchment paper/cookie sheet. Use a sandwich bag for covering the hands so that nothing sticks.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">5. Liberally sprinkle the crust with garlic salt. Poke the dough a bit with a fork to prevent bubbles.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">6. Bake for 8 minutes, and poke any bubbles.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">7. Bake for another 4-6 minutes until it is slightly brown on top.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">8. Add any ingredients for your topping and then pop back into the oven to melt the cheese on top.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">In all it takes me less than 20 minutes to make and is the best homemade low-carb, gluten-free </span><span class="highlight" style="background-color: white; font-weight: bold;">pizza </span><span style="background-color: white;">yet. It's much easier than the cauliflower crust and holds up better too.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">LOW CARB PANCAKES<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The recipe below takes one
egg and makes 2 pancakes. Double or triple it to make more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2.5 table spoons of whey protein powder (vanilla is best)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3/4
teaspoons baking powder<br />
1 egg<br />
1 teaspoon vegetable oil<br />
1 tablespoon Sugar Free Syrup, flavor of your choice. I use Vanilla, Caramel or
English Toffee. (You can substitute 1 teaspoon Natura with 1/2 tsp vanilla and
1/2 tablespoon water)<br />
2 tablespoons water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mix
dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the egg, oil, Syrup or Splenda, and water. If
batter is too thick to pour easily, add another tablespoon or two of water to
thin out. Stir. Fry in a pan or griddle as you would<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->regular
pancakes. Turn when bubbles appear at edges.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">STRAWBERRY CRUSH<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">About 300g Strawberries,
blitzed to pulp in food processor/blender.<br />
250g roughly Full-Fat Greek Yogurt (or 50/50 fresh yogurt & cream)<br />
300ml Double Cream (whipped into soft peaks) <br />
Approx. 2 teaspoons of Stevia or basically add sweetener of your choice to taste</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Some completely vegetarian recipes.</u> Substitute local
or available ingredients where required.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Baked Cabbage Wedges
and Cauliflower Mash</b></span><br />
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/4c. olive oil (approx.)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">2 tblsp balsamic vinegar<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Juice of 1 lemon<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">3-4 cloves garlic, minced<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 tblsp (approx) sun-dried tomatoes,
minced<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Fresh Herbs (basil, rosemary, sage); minced<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Fennel Seeds, a dash<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Dried Thyme, a dash<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Salt + Pepper, to taste<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Optional: grated Parmesan Cheese (about 1/2
tablespoon)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Heated your
oven to 425 <sup>o</sup> F and cut the cabbage into 4 wedges. Lay the wedges
on to individual pieces of tin foil large enough to totally encompass them and
drizzle the marinade evenly onto the wedges before wrapping them tightly in the
foil. Cook the wedges for 40minutes, but turn the oven off with about
15minutes left to go on the timer. When the timer goes off, remove and
serve! Easy! Top the cabbage wedge with about 1/2 tablespoon of finely
grated Parmesan cheese, but it's definitely not necessary.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">For the
Cauliflower Mash the following "wet" ingredients are used :<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">4oz block of herbed goat cheese <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/3c. 0% plain Greek Yogurt<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">3 tblsp olive oil (in place of cream and
butter while cauliflower cooks in microwave)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">4 cloves garlic, minced (added to cauliflower
while it cooks in microwave<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">When the
cauliflower mash was done cooking in the microwave (10 minutes in microwave
safe bowl that also contained the olive oil and minced garlic) transfer the
cauliflower, the goat cheese, and the Greek Yogurt to the blender. Blend
until a pretty smooth texture. The mash will be a little grainier than
the mash if butter, heavy cream, and copious amounts of cheese are used. So if
you want your mash to be super soft and silky you might bump up the fat content
some to achieve that texture.</span></div>
</div>
<ul type="disc">
</ul>
<ul type="disc">
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Rg4KJsKPgg/U1Y0gO5VuxI/AAAAAAAAAUM/s3l6p8UnLq0/s1600/cauliflower+mash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Rg4KJsKPgg/U1Y0gO5VuxI/AAAAAAAAAUM/s3l6p8UnLq0/s1600/cauliflower+mash.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><br /></span></div>
----------<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Creamy Curried Broccoli Soup<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Ingredients<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 medium to large broccoli (stem too!),
roughly chopped <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 tbs Coconut Oil</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75"
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 tsp Black Mustard Seeds</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2"
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<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 white onion, roughly chopped <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 serrano pepper, roughly chopped <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">10 Curry Leaves</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1027"
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00914BS6G" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_3" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 inch ginger, roughly chopped <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">4 c broth (vegetable, or whatever your heart
desires) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 tsp Coriander Powder</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4"
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style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001VNEC68"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001VNEC68" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_4" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">½ tsp Turmeric Powder</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_5"
o:spid="_x0000_i1029" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001FVLLK6"
style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001FVLLK6"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001FVLLK6" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_5" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">½ tsp cumin powder <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">¼ tsp crushed red pepper, optional <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 cup to 1 can Organic Coconut Milk</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_6"
o:spid="_x0000_i1030" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001HTJ2BQ"
style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001HTJ2BQ"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001HTJ2BQ" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_6" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">, full fat - you can make your soup as thick
or thin as you’d like <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">freshly ground salt and pepper, adjust to
taste<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Instructions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Chop up the broccoli and stem. You can remove
the end or any tough/woody portion of the vegetable. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">In a large saucepan, add coconut oil and
mustard seeds. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add the onions, curry
leaves, green chilies and a pinch of salt. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Saute until the onions turn golden and then
add garlic and ginger. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">After a couple minutes, add broccoli, stock
and a pinch of salt. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Bring it to a boil then lower the heat and let
it simmer for 20 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">----------</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Fatty Mirchi<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Baked Jalepeno Poppers
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">• 12 jalapeno peppers
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">• 6 oz softened cream cheese
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">• 1/8 teaspoon salt </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">• Bread crumbs/Parmesan cheese (optional) </span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">• Bake at 425 for 15 min</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SYznOypnxD0/U1Y062c8kwI/AAAAAAAAAUU/osTPvlAMbGc/s1600/fatty+mirchi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SYznOypnxD0/U1Y062c8kwI/AAAAAAAAAUU/osTPvlAMbGc/s1600/fatty+mirchi.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
----------<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Vanilla Fat Bomb<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">This
recipe makes something along the lines of a basic cheesecake flavored
"mousse". It's soft, sweet and tasty. This is quick, delicious, easy
to make and holds well in the fridge for a few days. Usually one can make a
batch and divide it into little plastic cups in the fridge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Ingredients<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">8 ounces</span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 6.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">
(227g) </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">full fat
cream cheese, preferably warmed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/2 cup</span><i><span style="font-size: 6.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">
(100g) </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Natura or
other sugar equivalent<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 dash</span><i><span style="font-size: 6.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">
(0g) </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">salt<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 tsp</span><i><span style="font-size: 6.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">
(4g) </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">vanilla
extract<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/2 cup</span><i><span style="font-size: 6.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">
(119g) </span></i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">cream,
heavy whipping<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Add the first
4 ingredients to a food processor. If you don't have one, you can do this with
a whisk and a bowl.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Turn on
the food processor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">With the
processor running, add the cream in a medium-slow and deliberate steady stream.
This will "whip" the cream with the cream cheese. This will add air
and will result in something like a cheesecake "mousse", once it
chills. </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Portion
into cups and eat when chilled</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HcIIKPjaywk/U1Y1FuGN40I/AAAAAAAAAUc/uObL2HFLCTY/s1600/vanilla+bomb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HcIIKPjaywk/U1Y1FuGN40I/AAAAAAAAAUc/uObL2HFLCTY/s1600/vanilla+bomb.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><br /></span></div>
----------<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Paleo Paratha<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Paratha Bread <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">½ cup </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00473RWXY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00473RWXY&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Almond Flour</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75"
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<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
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style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00473RWXY"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00473RWXY" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">½ cup </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019GZ87Y/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0019GZ87Y&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Tapioca Flour</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_i1026"
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style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0019GZ87Y"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0019GZ87Y" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 cup </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LKVIEG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000LKVIEG&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Coconut Milk</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1027"
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style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000LKVIEG"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000LKVIEG" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_3" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">, canned and full fat <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">½ tsp </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005P0UQS6/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005P0UQS6&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Fine Sea Salt</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1028"
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style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005P0UQS6"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005P0UQS6" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_4" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0032RPLSY/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0032RPLSY&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Grassfed Organic Ghee</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_5"
o:spid="_x0000_i1029" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0032RPLSY"
style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0032RPLSY"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0032RPLSY" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_5" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">, enough to grease pan and to serve with bread</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Cauliflower Filling: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 head cauliflower, florets <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 tsp </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005P0UQS6/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005P0UQS6&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Fine Sea Salt</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_6" o:spid="_x0000_i1030"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005P0UQS6"
style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005P0UQS6"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005P0UQS6" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_6" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">, adjust to taste <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">½ cup onion, finely chopped (i used white) <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 serrano pepper, minced <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">¼ tsp freshly cracked </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WR8TN6/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000WR8TN6&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Black Peppercorns</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_7"
o:spid="_x0000_i1031" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000WR8TN6"
style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000WR8TN6"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000WR8TN6" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_7" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">½ tsp </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VNEC68/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001VNEC68&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Coriander Powder</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_8"
o:spid="_x0000_i1032" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001VNEC68"
style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001VNEC68"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001VNEC68" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_8" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">½ tsp </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000WS3AJS/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000WS3AJS&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Cumin Powder</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_9" o:spid="_x0000_i1033"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000WS3AJS"
style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000WS3AJS"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000WS3AJS" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_9" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">½ tsp </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GFWRFG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004GFWRFG&linkCode=as2&tag=wwwmyheartbee-20"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Amchur (Dried Mango) Powder</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_10"
o:spid="_x0000_i1034" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004GFWRFG"
style='width:.75pt;height:.75pt;visibility:visible'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\SKBali\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtmlclip1\01\clip_image001.gif"
o:title="ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004GFWRFG"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img alt="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=wwwmyheartbee-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004GFWRFG" border="0" height="1" src="file:///C:/DOCUME~1/SKBali/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_10" width="1" /><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"> (optional) <o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">¼ cup cilantro, chopped</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Instructions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Making the Stuffed Pratha: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">In a bowl combine bread ingredients to form a
batter. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Ladle ¼ cup of the batter onto a greased
frying pan on low-medium heat and allow the flat bread to cook until the
bottom firms slightly, then remove and place on a large pan/plate. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Repeat until batter is done. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">You should now have 6 little half-cooked
naans/tortillas (if you have more… just eat one. You will need two
naans/tortillas to make one stuffed flat bread). <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Place 2 tbs of cauliflower mixture on one
piece of bread. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Brush melted ghee around the naan (see the
picture above) - then place another piece of naan on top of the
cauliflower mixture - pressing the two pieces of bread together. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Repeat until you’ve made about 3 stuffed flat
breads. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">To Make Cauliflower Filling: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="9" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Clean the cauliflower by soaking florets in
warm water, pinch of salt and pinch of turmeric. After 30 minutes, dump
out the water and rinse. Drain and let the cauliflower dry completely. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">When the cauliflower is dry, put it into the
food processor. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Place cauliflower in a bowl with salt and let
it sit for 10 minutes. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
</ol>
----------<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Garlic & Ginger Bok Choy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">2 tablespoons coconut aminos<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">2 tablespoons veg broth (preferably home made.
Chicken if you like)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 tablespoon rice or white wine vinegar<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 medjool date, minced<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">3 tablespoons coconut oil<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">4 baby bok choy, each head halved length wise<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a
garlic press<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">sesame seeds (optional)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Instructions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Combine the coconut aminos, broth, vinegar,
sesame oil, and date in a small bowl and set aside.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Heat 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large
skillet over high heat.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Place the bok choy, cut-side down, in the
skillet in a single layer. Cook without moving until lightly browned
(about 2 minutes).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Turn the bok choy and cook until lightly
browned on the other side, about 1 minute.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Remove bok choy to a plate and set aside.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Add 1 tablespoon coconut oil, garlic, and
ginger to pan and cook for just a few seconds, then add the coconut aminos
mixture and simmer for about 30-60 seconds or until thickened.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Return bok choy to the pan and cook, turning
once, until glazed with the sauce, about 1 minute.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Sprinkle with the sesame seeds, if using, and
serve immediately.</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tVq22RH7nU4/U1Y1YcCqZEI/AAAAAAAAAUk/YexyT_Qvuwc/s1600/bok+choy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tVq22RH7nU4/U1Y1YcCqZEI/AAAAAAAAAUk/YexyT_Qvuwc/s1600/bok+choy.jpg" height="166" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
----------<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Ginger Snap Cookies<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Makes about 12 cookies<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/2 cup
almond flour <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/3 cup
coconut flour <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">2 tbsp arrowroot<br />
3 tbsp ground flax seeds soaked in 3 tbsp warm water<br />
1/4 tsp salt<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1/3 cup coconut sugar<br />
1/4 cup coconut oil<br />
1 tsp cinnamon <br />
1 tsp ginger<br />
1/2 tsp clove<br />
2 tbsp molasses (chachni)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°. In
a small separate bowl mix together the ground flax seeds and warm water and let
sit until it thickens and gels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">2. In a large mixing bowl or food
processor mix together all the dry ingredients.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">3. Melt the coconut oil, then
place it along with the flax mixture, into the bowl or food processor and mix
well. The dough will be thick.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">4. Take a small bit of the dough
and roll it into a ball then press down to make a cookie shape. Place it on a
cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat until all of the dough is
gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">5. Bake at 350° for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool
before serving</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLSCrEetShc/U1Y1m0SQRgI/AAAAAAAAAUs/nlh8YJ2BoQA/s1600/ginger+cookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sLSCrEetShc/U1Y1m0SQRgI/AAAAAAAAAUs/nlh8YJ2BoQA/s1600/ginger+cookies.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><br /></span>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Roasted Tomatoes with Cheese<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">12 medium tomatoes <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 2/3 pounds fresh cheese <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">2 garlic cloves, minced <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">2 tablespoons finely chopped basil <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 teaspoon kosher salt <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil <o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Preheat the oven to 425°. Slice off the top
1/2 inch of each tomato and reserve the tops. Scoop out the tomato cores
and seeds. Cut a very thin sliver off of the bottom of each tomato to help
them stand up straight. Arrange the tomatoes in a 9-by-13-inch glass or
ceramic baking dish. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">In a bowl, combine the cheese with the garlic,
basil, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Spoon the cheese
mixture into the tomatoes, mounding the filling 1/2 inch above the rim.
Cover with the tomato tops and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of
olive oil. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Bake the tomatoes for 35 minutes, until tender
and browned in spots and the cheese is hot. Let stand for 15 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiFfOpBmwCI/U1Y2Bk026zI/AAAAAAAAAU0/9Lh-84l3KeE/s1600/tomato+cheese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GiFfOpBmwCI/U1Y2Bk026zI/AAAAAAAAAU0/9Lh-84l3KeE/s1600/tomato+cheese.jpg" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Zucchini Chips with Smoked Paprika<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Ingredients<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 medium zucchini <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/2 tsp salt <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">2 tsp olive oil <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1 tsp smoked paprika <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">1/4 tsp ground pepper<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;">Instructions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
</div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Slice zucchini crosswise
into 1/4 inch thick slices using a mandolin slicer or a sharp knife. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Place zucchini in layers
into a colander or sieve, sprinkling with a little salt with each layer.
Let drain one hour. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Preheat oven to 250F and
line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush parchment with 1 tsp of
oil. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Pat zucchini slices dry with
a paper towel and place on prepared baking sheet. Brush tops with
remaining oil and sprinkle with paprika and ground pepper. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;">Bake 45 minutes, then turn
off oven and let chips remain inside until crispy, about 1 hour</span></li>
</ol>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-so_aaID6c9g/U1Y2YsVam6I/AAAAAAAAAU8/jHnWjbjhxPk/s1600/zuchini+chips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-so_aaID6c9g/U1Y2YsVam6I/AAAAAAAAAU8/jHnWjbjhxPk/s1600/zuchini+chips.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cereal alternative</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">1/2 cup ground flaxseed,</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, almond, or hemp milk, </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2 tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes, </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">1/4 cup chopped walnut or sunflower seeds. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Mix in bowl and microwave for 60 seconds. Top with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and fresh blueberries (or berry of choice). Top with additional milk, if desired. Can add stevia to sweeten if you like.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For many other Low Carb recipes you can refer to <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/fraklein/eat-lchf/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">this link</span></a></span></div>
</div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-69495859063186275662014-07-31T14:15:00.000+05:302014-10-27T15:19:19.458+05:30Fasting & Autophagy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In Nutrition, I studied that there
are 11 possible processes that enhance longevity but only one out of the 11 had
been studied scientifically. <b>Fasting</b>
is the only proven method of improving our chances of longevity. Now newer
research has begun to throw light at why that is so. Before we get into the
process itself, it’s important to understand the term “<b>Autophagy</b>”. Derived from the Greek, it means – “to eat oneself”
though in a natural, benign and healthier way. Scientifically it is defined as </span>“the
basic catabolic mechanism that involves cell degradation of
unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components”<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Think of Autophagy as a natural
housekeeping process at the cellular level. It is a cell’s defense mechanism
that enables it to remove the trash, recycle the contents and enable an
efficient energy management system. It begins with the identification of
damaged intra-cellular components. This activates autophagy genes and a double
membrane “<b>autophagosome</b>” is pressed
into service. This organelle engulfs the damaged cell component and within it,
enzymes start to break away the damaged component into basic amino & fatty
acids to be used elsewhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #242424;">A recent study found that autophagy
is “strongly induced” by starvation (fasting) when cells begin to adapt to the
nutrient deprived state. I’m not getting into the mechanisms at play, but if
you are interested in further information, you can read the study</span> <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2990190/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">here</span></a><span style="color: #242424;">. The
body’s intelligence ensures that the autophagy is very selective in nature. It
will begin with devouring the unessential at first, and keep the ultimate aim
of survival topmost in mind. It is also believed that selective autophagy comes
into play as a protective mechanism during inflammatory stress & more
serious diseases like cancer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I delve deeper into nutritional
science, our old traditions start to make so much sense. I remember growing up with
my grandfather fasting on two days a week. On those days he would only consume
fruits during the daylight hours. I’ve never seen him with any excessive weight
and it is little wonder that he lived to be a robust 91. With knowledge of
autophagy, the Jain and the Ramzan fasts start to make sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #242424; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Somewhere at the back of my mind, I
had the inclination to start <b>Intermittent
Fasting (IF)</b>. In IF one has to allow the digestive system some rest to
repair itself. It is believed that our food remains in the alimentary tract for
about 12 hours after eating. <b>Peristalsis</b>
(the movement of food back and forth) ensures that our body digests all there
is to digest before discarding any waste. So the idea behind IF is to give an
extra 4 hours in the least for the digestive system to repair and heal itself. That’s
a total of 16 hours of enforced fasting when only water is permitted. For best
results the eating window is restricted to between 12 noon & 8 pm. Trying IF
only a couple of days a week will also show all round health improvement
immediately. It looks like, that I’m going to be fasting intermittently sooner
than later. Autophagy, here I come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-44083365033072564302014-07-31T14:00:00.001+05:302014-07-31T14:51:05.307+05:30Exercise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a very widely and hotly discussed topic in all walks of life. Since we are a blog devoted to metabolism let's also sneak in a few thoughts about exercise. Some of the views expressed may not be what you have always believed. Here are some facts about exercise.</span><br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exercise has lots of benefits. It is very important for health and fitness and everyone must indulge in it to the best of their capability.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><u>Exercise has no role to play in weight loss</u>. Exercise alone does nothing to burn fat. Exercise uses energy and therefore increases the body's energy demand. You need to be able to release fats in supply to this demand. Feeding this demand with sugary and/or energy drinks will keep the fat stored.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">On a normal high carb diet it would take </span><b>40 days of running an hour a day to lose just one pound of bodyfat.</b></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exercise makes us sweat. In the process, it helps immensely with detoxification. It has been observed that many toxic elements are preferentially excreted through sweat. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Athletes are not immune to disease. Marathoners have a very high rate of heart disease.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exercise doesn't provide us with more energy, in fact we consume energy when we exercise. There are other mechanisms at play for the energetic feeling.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stephen B Thacker of The Center for Disease & Prevention who conducted a study for The American College of Sports Medicine says <i><b>"We could not find any evidence of a benefit from stretching before exercise"</b></i>.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exercise<b> <i>may probably</i></b> reduce (mental) stress.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exercise <b><i>may</i> </b>help to strengthen muscles & bone. Stronger muscles and bones come from diet.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exercise <b><i>may</i> </b>help us sleep better. Again this happens due to damage to the body during exercise. We do need some downtime for repairs.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">One study found that the minimum amount of time required to reap benefit out of exercise was 13 minutes. So don't exercise less than that. Another study has indicated that <i><b>Intensity Interval</b></i> exercise is the most beneficial. In this form, the exercise needs to be paced at varying and opposite intensity for a standard amount of time. You have to go slow/fast/slow for equal amounts of time.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another study observed that exercise in the evening is more beneficial than exercise in the morning. "Metabolically challenged" persons should exercise 45-60 minutes after a light snack or meal.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exercise everyday is not required. 4 to 5 days of exercise in a week works pretty well for the body maintenance.</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-88314398305349248512014-07-31T14:00:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:50:49.373+05:30Modern Wheat<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Modern Wheat – and other grains.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the post ‘Basic Nutrition Tips’, I have mentioned that
“hybrid seeds and genetic modification has ruined the nutritional value of our
agricultural produce”. Let’s have a closer look how, by looking at modern
wheat. More than 99% of the wheat that is grown today is not the wheat that was
available 50 years ago. It’s not what our forefathers had, and told historic
tales about. Please don’t confuse the two.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr. Norman Borlaug is known as the father of <b>The Green
Revolution</b>. This revolution ‘greened’ parts of the world and ensured food supply
for many starving nations. A notable and praise worthy cause, for which he was
conferred The Nobel Prize in 1990, and also The Padma Vibhushan by the Indian
government in 2006. He also made it to the cover of the "Times" magazine for this worthy
cause. His revolution meant that wheat output more than doubled in countries
like India, Pakistan and Mexico. Not just that, wheat surpluses were available
for export. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dr. Borlaug did that by developing newer wheat hybrid
varieties. Varieties that had greater uniformity, improved colour, resistance
to pests and disease, ability to withstand changing weather patterns and above
all substantially increased yield per acre. Farmers became richer, people had food and everyone was happy. I’m sure he did not foresee the health
problems that these newer wheat varieties would introduce. Mind you, the term
“Genetically Modified” was not even born then.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Hybrid varieties are developed by cross-pollinating
different varieties of plants. And then you have newer varieties which can
again be cross bred with the older varieties, and so on and so forth. You could
keep this up for a long time, and end up with varieties which have no
resemblance to either of the original parent. The result is that modern wheat
has 73 new proteins never earlier known in the human diet. Besides, all grains
contain toxic anti nutrients like lectins, gluten, phytates and other harmful
stuff.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After a meal, in a normally metabolic person, it is leptin
that signals the brain that the person has been well fed. The nutrients are then ‘partitioned’ by the liver which sends about 40% of the calories to
the peripheral tissues and the muscles. The remainder is kept as a reserve for
energy to be used between meals. Leptin and Insulin play a role in this
partitioning and delivery and it is imperative that the cells be leptin and
insulin sensitive to receive and consume this energy. <b>Lectins</b> bind to the insulin receptors and the stomach and
intestinal lining and cause leptin and insulin resistance. Welcome metabolic
syndrome.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Gluten </b>is made
out of the proteins <i>gliadin</i> and <i>glutenin. </i>Gliadin works like an opium
substrate and binds to opiate receptors in the brain that stimulate appetite.
It is estimated that this increased appetite results in the consumption of
approximately 400 more calories a day. More and more people are reportedly become
gluten intolerant and afflicted by ‘celiac disease’. Gliadin can compromise
Vit D3 and calcium absorption, and result in thyroid problems. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wheat also contains a carbohydrate <i><b>amylopectin</b></i> which is rapidly broken down by the salivary juices,
even before it hits the stomach. The result is rapid shooting high blood sugars. Over
time this results in a diminished response to the insulin secreted, causing
Insulin Resistance and Inflammation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Phytates</b> are esters of phytic acid. These are humanly
indigestible and also capable of forming insoluble complex substances with minerals
like Calcium, Iron, Zinc and other nutrients. The end result, your body cannot
absorb and use the essential minerals and vitamins contained in your other
foods. An unending supply of carbs causes repetitive high blood sugars. We have
already examined the damage this causes in the post ‘Glucotoxicity’. The high
carbs in diet also push the liver in making more fats by a process known as <i>de novo lipogenesis</i> (as explained in The Lipid Hypothesis). The
resultant excess of lipids and triglycerides in the blood can have lipotoxic outcomes and all sorts of complications ranging from cardiovascular disease to tumors. <b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-61676651103599343102014-07-31T13:30:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:51:40.209+05:30Alcohol<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Frequently I keep getting questions pertaining to alcohol.
Most of the questions come from men, because guys like a tipple, every now and
then, at least in the Indian sub-continent. Since health is an important issue
the most frequent questions relate to type of alcohol and the quantity and
frequency permissible. Let’s look at some of the things that are generally
known and not known about alcohol.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Alcohol has been consumed by humans since ages for a variety
of hygienic, dietary, medicinal, religious, and recreational reasons. Metabolically
it is known to contain “empty calories”. That because alcohol provides 7 cal/gm
but it does not provide any energy. In fact one becomes sluggish after
consumption. If it did provide energy, more and more people would have been on
an alcoholic diet. So let’s take a brief look at what happens to alcohol once
in the body.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Let’s face it guys, alcohol is toxic (poisonous). As a toxin
it takes metabolic priority in the system as the body must immediately get rid
of it and out of the system as soon as the sin is committed. The liver gets
down to the job with the first sip and is completely busy until the last of the
toxin has been metabolized. So one of the preliminary problems this causes is
that a lot of the other nutrients get bypassed and will exit the system without
getting absorbed, because the system was busy. This is the primary reason that
diabetics find their BG numbers lowered with alcohol, because most of the carbs
get bypassed as above.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">‘Drinking-alcohol’ contains ethanol or ethyl alcohol and is
also sometimes referred to as ‘grain alcohol’. As mentioned in several places
on the blog, our nutrients get broken down to a 2-carbon substance known as
Acetyl-CoA which enters the ‘Krebb’s cycle’ of reactions where it is converted
to ATP, the form of energy we use. This cyclic reaction is made possible by
oxidation-reduction reactions and continuous electron transfer which utilize
oxygen, hydrogen and micro nutrients like vitamins & minerals. To get
converted to Acetyl-CoA, the ethanol must first be converted to acetaldehyde. Hereon, the conversion to Acetyl-CoA uses either of 2 pathways. ADH (alcohol
dehydrogenase) if consumption is moderate or the more rapid MEOS (microsomal
ethanol oxidizing system) if consumption is more. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In the Krebb’s cycle process a vitamin B3 (niacin)
derivative is constantly changing form from NAD to NADH (oxidation / reduction) & vice versa. With
ethanol (alcohol) the cells tend to build up a large amount of the NADH &
the reconversion to NAD and the cyclic reaction stops or slows down. Thereafter
the incoming Acetyl-CoA starts getting diverted to conversion into TGs (triglycerides).
Much of the TG is delivered to the blood supply but some of it is stored within
the liver itself. Over a course of time the TG deposits cause fatty liver and
in extreme cases cirrhosis. That apart, alcohol can cause serious vitamin
deficiencies and a higher consumption increases the risk for cancers anywhere
through the digestive tract as per a Canadian study.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RlnsKRbLZnI/Ul_UiIKMe4I/AAAAAAAAAMs/iSz1I99j1C8/s1600/Alc+Met+B.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RlnsKRbLZnI/Ul_UiIKMe4I/AAAAAAAAAMs/iSz1I99j1C8/s320/Alc+Met+B.jpg" height="286" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Moderately consumed, alcohol is “supposed” to have some
benefits, especially for the cardio vascular system. Moderate has been defined
by medical circles to mean about 45 ml/day. Stacking up a backlog for 6 days a
week and consuming 350 ml on the 7<sup>th</sup> day is also not such a good
idea. Wines are generally preferred as they are made by fermenting alcohol
naturally and not by adding ethanol. Beers are carb heavy and therefore
avoidable by diabetics. </span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As an Ortho molecular nutritionist my final word on the
subject is – Don’t drink, it IS toxic. As a moderate consumer I’d say – Drink
very little, and only the good stuff. </span></div>
</div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-76695367124342041222014-07-31T13:20:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:52:18.889+05:30Inflammation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<i>The
art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: center; text-autospace: none;">
<i>Therefore,
the physician must start from nature, with an open mind.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>
— Paracelsus </i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-align: justify;">We keep hearing
the term ‘Inflammation’ a lot, with regard to health. Each one of us has
his/her own understanding & definition of the term. But I’m sure that most
of us do not understand the complexities of inflammation – it’s nature, process
& damage. External inflammation is easy to deal with (in normal cases), it
is the internal inflammation that we are concerned with here. It goes
unnoticed, is more dangerous and is very difficult to control. Let’s first
understand what inflammation is.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Inflammation is
the first response by the immune system to infection or irritation. It presents itself with the cardinal signs of redness ( Latin: rubor), heat (calor), swelling
(tumor), pain (dolor), and dysfunction of the organs involved. Acute
inflammation is needed to help heal acute trauma, abrasions, broken bones, or
acute invasion of a foreign substance such as bee venom from a bee sting. The
body reacts immediately to acute trauma by increasing substances in the body
that stimulate swelling, redness, pain, and heat. These responses are important
because they keep the body from doing further damage to the injury or wound by
promoting pain and swelling all around the injured area. This causes an
individual to be more cautious when moving the affected part. For example, if
you break your wrist, the pain and inflammation will force you to protect the
wrist from further damage that could occur if you used it or moved it too often
or too quickly.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">However, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">chronic</b> inflammation is an ongoing, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">low level</b> of inflammation, invisible to
the human eye that usually occurs as a response to prolonged or
repetitive injuries. We are now also finding that chronic inflammation is
associated with many diseases. The key words here are “chronic & low
level”. Externally, a good example to understand, would be the way in which
most of us get a pinch from new shoes. We continue to bear it, and ignore it,
and soon the body gets accustomed to it. The blister so formed behind our heel
turns into hardened skin and it soon becomes a part and parcel of our life.
Forgotten. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Internally,
similar things can happen with bad dietary choices. One may experience heart
burn, gurgling, burning, stomach upsets, flatulence and other such effects. But
with repetitive bad dietary choices our systems start to tolerate these effects
more and more and we neglect & ignore these signs and get used to them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Once the core nutritive
components enter into our blood stream some may start to exercise their damage on
our vascular system and that damage goes largely unnoticed. Over years it can
result in serious consequences. I’ve been repeatedly mentioning in several
posts that insulin is a “pro-inflammatory” hormone. In excessive quantities it
promotes inflammation. And what causes a surge in our insulin productivity
& secretion. Short & <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">sweet</b>
answer – Glucose, or in other words, carbohydrates. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">Normally, atoms
have paired (even numbered) electrons, but atoms or groups of atoms with
unpaired (single or odd numbered) electrons are known as free radicals. Free
radicals are formed usually when Oxygen interacts with molecules. <span style="color: black;">Once formed these highly reactive radicals can start a
chain reaction, like dominoes. Their chief danger comes from the damage they
can do when they react with important cellular components such as DNA, or the
cell membrane. Cells may function poorly or die if this occurs. To prevent free
radical damage the body has a defense system of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>antioxidants. </i></span>Antioxidants
are molecules which can safely interact with free radicals and terminate the
chain reaction before vital molecules are damaged. Although there are several
enzyme systems within the body that scavenge and neutralize free radicals, the
principle micronutrient antioxidants are vitamin E, beta-carotene, and vitamin
C. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the delivery
of our nutrients, within our body, many of the delivery molecules become free
radicals. Since most of our diet now does not contain natural or real foods our
bodies lack the amount of antioxidants required to neutralize the free
radicals, thereby allowing the chain reactions (as explained above) to grow unabated.
Thus starts the oxidation of the cells which is known as oxidative damage. This
gives rise to inflammation. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The standard
diet today contains its own set of pro-inflammatory agents. This is so because
most of our food comes either in box, packet, jar or bottle. And to deliver it
to the consumer in a ready to consume state 4 to 6 months after production
(manufacture) a lot of preservatives (chemicals), flavours (chemicals), colors
(chemicals), stabilizers (chemicals) and emulsifiers (chemicals) have to be
added. Even if these were absent, the very process of industrial manufacture
involving so many mechanical processes like peeling, slicing, cutting,
blending, mixing, squeezing, shredding cause the natural death of the good
stuff. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-US">The answer may
lie not just in consuming fresh & real foods, but also in restricting our dependence
on carbs. That should eliminate the need to secrete a lot of insulin and keep our
vascular integrity intact. Healthy endothelial cells in a vessel are able to
resist the interactions of free radicals and do not get compromised ensuring
sound overall function. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-33886240070443859992014-07-31T13:15:00.000+05:302015-01-05T15:01:17.904+05:30Supplements<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I keep getting very promising
feedback from the MaxC users every now and then. Regretfully, very few leave
feedback on the blog. Not all of my blogger friends are net savvy. Even amongst
the more knowledgeable, there is a tendency to think of MaxC as a drug and not
as a supplement which is what it really is. I would therefore, like to put
things in their proper perspective and would love to see a sea change in that
mindset.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Drugs or medicines as they are
called in everyday language are supposed to deliver instant relief in today’s
instant world. Some do but most don’t, and depending on their metabolic action
and pathways they may cause more harm from various side effects. Drugs potentially
target “what” is happening rather than “why” it happens. They do so by
targeting the symptoms rather than the cause of the symptom. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Supplements on the other hand
have a fundamentally different philosophy. They are meant to cover for a shortfall
of key vitamins, minerals or some other substances that may promote the
synthesis and mechanisms of these vitamins & minerals. Usually such
shortfall is the result of dietary imbalances, environmental toxicity or lower
bioavailability of the substance. Bioavailability refers to the amount of
absorption of the substance within the body. Poor bioavailability usually
results in rejection and excretion, which happens all too frequently.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Supplements therefore work in a
very slow manner and in extended time frames. They have to be taken over a long
period of time ranging from months to years depending on the substance &
deficiency both. Most of the times they are very safe if toxic or mega doses are avoided. In many cases any excess is easily
excreted from the body. The presence of the supplement in the body should do no
harm even if it fails to provide the targeted benefit/s.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I started off with believing that
supplements are also avoidable and one must try to obtain everything naturally.
My Vit D3 levels were very poor (9 ng/ml) and I decided to obtain it naturally
from exposure to sunlight. Only about 5% of the UV-<span style="font-family: Symbol;">b </span>rays of the sun are able to penetrate the atmosphere between
1100-1400 hours. So for 3 months I dutifully stood in the sun for 20 minutes
during those hours with more than 40% of my body exposed. By doing so my Vit D3
levels rose to just 14 ng/ml. I now take a 5000 I.U pill every day in the
morning and that has increased my levels to about 48 ng/ml. Still short by
about 20 ng, but I hope to reach there in a couple of months or I will think
about increasing my intake to 8000 I.U. A recent meta-analysis of 167 Vit D
studies has indicated that the deficiency of the Vitamin is not a cause but a
symptom of the problem at hand. Be that as it may, maintaining Vit D levels is
crucial for bone health, improved cardiovascular function, glucose management
and a host of other conditions.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Based on the health issues and
the blood reports and many other factors, dosage & frequency has to be
carefully worked out to specific needs of the individual. Based on my most
recent blood work I now take 2 capgels of Omega 3 rich fish oil, 1 capgel of
5000 IU Vitamin D3, 1 tablet of Chromium Picolinate & at least one 30 ml
dose of our very own MaxC every day. I am also toying with the idea of
importing some good supplements directly from known manufacturers for the use
of my blog friends. That should surely be more cost effective and much cheaper
for all of us. So finally it has to be said that whether we like it or not,
whether it is the right way or not, sometimes it is required to give that
little push to dietary imbalance with the help of supplements. </div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-59945972751730487422014-07-31T13:00:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:53:00.239+05:30Minerals<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Minerals play a vital role within the body. They are a part
of several key metabolic processes. Minerals
in the body are divided into two sub-classes, Major minerals & Trace
minerals. The dividing factor between them is a requirement level of 100 mg/day.
Major minerals are required in higher quantity than that, and trace minerals are required in lesser quantity. As the name suggests ‘trace’ minerals
are required or stored in the body in very tiny amounts. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Major minerals (required) in the body are <b>Sodium (Na), Chloride (Cl), Potassium (K),
Phosphorus (P), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Sulfur (S)</b>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Both <b>Na (Sodium)</b> and <b>Cl</b> <b>(Chloride) </b>are provided by our salt intake,
where Na is approximately 40% in content. They work in maintaining the water
balance within and outside of our cells. They also play an important part in
transmitting our nerve impulses. Separately, Na also participates in glucose
and amino acid absorption, while Cl forms part of the HCl (hydrochloric acid) in
the stomach and thereby helps in maintaining acid-base balance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">While plant sources are the best for <b>K (Potassium), </b>it is also found in meats, milk, grains and dried beans. It has
practically the same functions as Na & Cl in maintaining water balance, imparting
nerve impulses and muscular contractions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>P (Phosphorus) </b>as a part of
ATP (our unit of energy), is an essential mineral required by every cell in the
body. It is also a part of the <b>phospho</b>lipids that form the cell membranes and the cholesterol transport system. P is a major component of bones and teeth as well.
Many hormones depend on their <i><b>phospho</b>rylation</i>
to become activated.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dairy sources are the best for providing <b>Ca (Calcium)</b> to the body. Though plant sources
also contain Ca, the absorption of plant based Ca is very low in the body. Ca
is an important part of our bones and teeth. In the growing years, the
body’s absorption of Ca is much higher than in the adult years. Ca also works
as part of fibrin within blood clots, and also in nerve impulses, and muscle
contractions.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The chlorophyll in plants is the best source for <b>Mg (Magnesium), </b>however, milk and meats can also
provide it. Mg helps stabilize ATP by binding to phosphate groups and is used
by over 300 enzymes that use ATP. It also has a subsidiary role in maintaining
water balance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>S (Sulfur)</b> is provided by
proteins containing amino acids methionine and cysteine. S <span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">is widely used in biochemical processes and
metabolic reactions. S compounds serve as electron donors, and S is an
important part of many enzymes and in antioxidant molecules.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Trace
Minerals are essential inorganic
substances required in very small quantity. All trace minerals even when combined, are less
than 1% of the minerals in the body. The important trace minerals are <b>Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Iodide
(I<sub>2</sub>), Flouride (Fl), Manganese (Mn), and Selenium (Se)</b>.
There are several more, and many are being added to the nutrient list
constantly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Animal sources of<b> Fe (Iron) </b>are preferred by the body over
plant sources.<b> Fe </b>is the most
important of the trace minerals yet its deficiency is very common. As a part of “heme”,
it is an essential part of the proteins hemoglobin and myoglobin. It also works
in oxidation/reduction reactions within cells as a carrier of our Oxygen. It
also plays a vital role in energy metabolism as a part of a co-factor for all
major neurotransmitters. It’s deficiency can compromise Immunity, work
performance and cause anemia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Meat and seafood are the
best sources for <b>Zn (Zinc)</b>, though it can
be provided by alternates like nuts, beans and wheat germ. More than 300
enzymes use Zn. Zn contributes to DNA/RNA synthesis, heme formation, bone
formation, taste activity, immune function, growth & development.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Cu (Copper)</b> is a component of many enzymes
because of its ability to alternate between 2 oxidative states <sup>(+1) &
(+2)</sup>. It is an essential mineral which has vital functions as a part of
many important proteins and enzymes in the body. Organ meats, shellfish, nuts
& seeds are good sources.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>I<sub>2 </sub>(Iodine) </b>is present in foods as iodide. The
sole function of <b>I<sub>2</sub></b> is to
synthesize the Thyroid hormones in the body. Seawater fish, seaweed, iodized
salts & dairy products are good sources for this mineral.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Fl (Flouride) </b>is the ionic form of fluorine. It
helps in fighting tooth cavities and decay. Though it is available in seafood, many
countries are supplementing the water supply with it. Tooth paste also contains added Fl. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Both <b>Mn (Manganese) </b>and <b>Se (Selenium)</b> are a part of many
enzymes and proteins and take part in several metabolic reactions. While Se is
found abundantly in seafood and meats, Mn can be sourced from whole grains,
cereals, nuts and legumes. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-68775525438718511322014-07-31T11:30:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:53:17.485+05:30Max-C<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ever wondered why animals don’t get heart attacks? Simple
answer – They make their own <b>Vitamin C
(ascorbic acid)</b>. With few exceptions all animals synthesize their own
ascorbate by conversion from glucose. These exceptions are Humans, Bats, Guinea
Pigs & Fish. Somehow our ancestors seem to have lost the
ability to make our own Vitamin C some 40 million years ago. This was the
result of a mutation of a gene. As a result of this mutation, we became dependent only on dietary ascorbate
intake. </div>
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<br /></div>
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Recent studies indicate that the Recommended Dietary
Allowances (RDAs) are way off the mark for the vitamin & mineral
requirements today. <b>Dr. James Enstrom</b>
from the University of California studied the vitamin intake of over 11,000
people for 10 years. He found that 300mg of vitamin C a day reduced risk
of heart disease by 50 percent in men and 40 percent in women. <b>Dr G. C. Willis</b> found that people
taking 1,500mg of vitamin C a day for 12 months reversed plaque while those who
didn’t take vitamin C had worsening plaque. It is clear that vitamin C is
necessary for vascular health. A research team at the <b>University of
California, Berkeley</b> (my alma mater) found new evidence that vitamin C can
significantly reduce levels of oxidative stress, which is associated with a
variety of chronic diseases, for people exposed to environmental stress.</div>
</div>
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Here is some expert advice on the subject</div>
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<ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The primary cause of
coronary heart disease and other forms of atherosclerotic disease is a
chronic deficiency of vitamins and other essential nutrients in millions of
vascular wall cells. This leads to the instability of the vascular walls,
lesions and cracks, atherosclerotic deposits and, eventually, heart
attacks or strokes. – <b>Dr. Mathias
Rath – MD</b>.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Ascorbate deficiency is
the precondition and common denominator of human Cardio Vascular Disease (CVD). The invariable
morphological consequences of chronic ascorbate deficiency in the vascular
wall are the loosening of the connective tissue and the loss of the endothelial
barrier function. Thus human CVD is a form of pre-scurvy. Scurvy is a
fatal disease. It is characterized by structural and metabolic impairment
of the human body, particularly by the destabilization of the connective
tissue. Ascorbate is essential for an optimum production and
hydroxy-lation of collagen and elastin, key constituents of the extracellular
matrix. – <b>Dr. Linus Pauling – Ph.D</b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Optometrist, <b>Dr. Sydney Bush’s</b> retinal
artery observations has documented reversal of atherosclerotic plaque with
Vitamin C supplementation. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Richard T. Lee, MD,</b> and his colleagues at the Harvard Medical
School, tested 880 chemical compounds for their effect on embryonic stem
cells derived from mice. The stem cells were pretreated so that they
would emit a green color if they grew into heart muscle cells. Of
all 880 compounds, which are approved for use in people, only one promoted
activity in the stem cells, and that was vitamin C.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Vitamin C is known to
perform many critical functions within the body involving detoxification,
tissue building, immune enhancement, pain control, and controlling or
killing pathogenic organisms. It is known to be helpful for wound and bone
healing, healthy skin and eyes, fighting infections, stress control, toxic
exposure, and repairing damaged tissue of all types. At very high dosages
administered intravenously vitamin C is also known to be able to treat and
bring cancer into remission even with late-stage cancer patients. – <b>Dr. Scott Greenberg – MD.</b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Vitamin C can help curb
the growth of cancer cells, according to New Zealand scientists who claim
breakthrough research to provide the first real evidence of a connection
between the vitamin and cancer remission.- <b>Prof Margreet Vissers</b></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Study from Univ. of Maryland</b> - Vitamin C is a water-soluble
vitamin, meaning that your body doesn't store it. We have to get what we
need from food, including citrus fruits, broccoli, and tomatoes. You need
vitamin C for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of your body.
It helps the body make collagen, an important protein used to make skin,
cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is needed for
healing wounds, and for repairing and maintaining bones and teeth. Vitamin
C is an antioxidant, along with vitamin E, beta-carotene, and many other
plant-based nutrients. Antioxidants block some of the damage caused by
free radicals, substances that damage DNA. The build-up of free radicals
over time may contribute to the aging process and the development of
health conditions such as cancer, heart disease, and arthritis. </li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b>Univ of California, School
of Medicine</b> - Vitamin C functions as a regulator of the catabolism of
cholesterol to bile acids. For individuals with high total cholesterol
concentrations, greater than or equal to 5.20 mmol/L (200 mg/dl) and less
than full tissue saturation, increasing the concentration of vitamin C may
have a salutary effect on total cholesterol. Vitamin C's effect on
promoting the production and inhibiting the degradation of prostacyclin is
reviewed, as are implications of these findings regarding thrombosis and
atherogenesis. Evidence indicative of a protective effect on lipid
peroxidation by vitamin C is examined. Analysis of the literature
regarding groups at high risk for coronary heart disease reveals that men,
the elderly, smokers, diabetics, hypertensives and perhaps oral
estrogen-containing contraceptive users have lowered plasma vitamin C
levels. </li>
</ul>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Though, Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits and some
vegetables, it’s bio-availability to the body remains uncertain. Therefore
having supplements for this critical component of good health is not such a bad
idea. Many commercial brands of chewable
Vitamin C tablets are available in the market. However, even these are mostly
excreted from the body. The best method of delivering adequate quantities of
Vitamin C to the body is to do so intravenously. But that is (1) a very
expensive way & (2) it would require a proactive medical establishment,
which is very hard to find.</div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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Recently, a new approach of effective Vitamin C delivery was
achieved by “fat encapsulation of liquid Vitamin C”. The encapsulation is done
by separating the fats & the Vitamin C by means of sound waves. The fat
molecules engulf the Vitamin C and are able to deliver it direct to the blood stream
without it getting absorbed by the digestive system. A guy called Alan Smith from New Zealand was brought out of a coma by the use of this type of lypospheric Vitamin C delivery. This was after the doctors had given up all hope of his remaining alive. You can read his full story by clicking <a href="http://perfecthealthdiet.com/2010/08/nz-man-left-for-dead-by-doctors-cured-by-vitamin-c/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: blue;">here</span></b></a>.<br />
<br />
I have obtained the imported equipment and the ingredients and have started making
the encapsulated Vitamin C. I am taking one dose of this vital
daily requirement. That delivers approximately 1 gm of Vitamin C directly to my
vascular blood supply. This is equivalent to a much larger intravenous and oral intake. Studies have shown that the effects are very beneficial and the
science supports the idea. Let’s see what my next blood panel reports indicate.</div>
</div>
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<br /></div>
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At some point maybe we’ll take the product to a commercial
level. I have thought of calling it - <b>“</b><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Max-</span></b><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">C</span>”.
</b> </div>
</div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-58346894803696703352014-07-31T11:00:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:53:34.673+05:30Vitamins<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some facts about Vitamins. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Vitamins are essential, organic substances needed in
small amounts in the diet. The requirement of vitamins in the body is miniscule
when compared to the macronutrients. Just about 40 gms of vitamins are needed
in 100 kgs of food. The Vitamins A, D, E & K are known as the fat soluble
vitamins. On the other hand, the B Vitamins ( 8 in all ) and Vitamin C are
water soluble. Herebelow is a short note on each of the vitamins.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Vit-A</u></b> pre-formed is available in liver, fish, fish oil and eggs. Compounds
which can be converted into Vit-A are found in yellow/orange fruits and
vegetables and dark green leafy vegetables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This
vitamin is particularly important for pregnant women as it has a big role in
fetal development. It helps regulate
the formation of messenger RNA & proteins in our cell nucleus. In the eyes
it helps with creation of visual pigments. Also helps to keep our endothelium within
the blood vessels healthy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Vit-D </u></b>is synthesized in sunlight, from
a fat under our skin, known as 7-dehydrocholesterol. For this conversion one
needs around 20 minutes of exposure of 40% of the body area between 1100-1300
hours. In foods Vit-D is found in fatty fish, cod liver oil or eggs, but in
very small quantities.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Vit-D has many functions
in the body, but primarily it is responsible for bone health. Supplementation
is very common due to reduced levels of Vit-D in a majority of the population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Vit-E </u></b>is found in many vegetable oils,
seeds and nuts. Fruits like Avocado are also a good source.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Vit E’s principal
function is to stop free radical damage of fatty acids in the body. To accomplish
this it works in tandem with Vit-C. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Vit-K</u></b> is the only fat soluble vitamin
that can be excreted from the body. The others are stored in the liver and
fatty tissue. Vit-K is found in fish oils, meats, and also in dark green leafy
vegetables. It helps regulate
the clotting mechanism within the blood supply. Absorption could be poor in
new-borns and infants due to under formed gastric tracts and low bacterial
synthesis in the intestines. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The water soluble Vitamins
are easily excreted from the body and hence toxicity is relatively unknown. All
these vitamins form some co-enzyme and work as catalysts in energy metabolism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>B1</b> (Thiamin) is found widely in
organ meats, pork, legumes, seeds, peas, whole grains, mushrooms. It works in carbohydrate
& protein metabolism. Excessive alcohol can cause depletion.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>B2</b> (Riboflavin) is found in eggs,
meats, milk products or grains. It works to help in oxidation and reduction
reactions in energy metabolism. Also helps with the Immune system. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>B3</b> (Niacin) The best sources for
this vitamin are poultry, fish, meat, peanuts, mushrooms or protein rich foods.
It works in at least 200 reactions during energy metabolim. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Pantothenic Acid </b>The name is derived from the greek
word <i>pantothen</i> meaning everywhere. It
is found in meat, eggs, milk, many vegetables, peanuts, mushrooms, broccoli and
soy. As a part of <i>co-enzyme A</i> it is
to be found in all metabolic reactions in the breakdown of carbohydrates,
proteins, fats and alcohol. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Biotin</b> is found widely in a variety of
foods like eggs, nuts, legumes, whole grains. Unlike other vitamins in this
class, this is stored in liver and muscles, hence deficiency is rare. It works
in adding CO2 to many compounds in metabolism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>B6 </b>found in meat, poultry and
seafood is better absorbed within the body as compared to plant sources like
carrots, spinach, avocado, potatoes and bananas. It works in over a 100 metabolic
reactions and in the synthesis of hemoglobin and many neurotransmitters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Folate</b> is found in fortified foods or
the bioactive form is found in organ meats or dark green leafy vegetables,
legumes, avocados and oranges. This vitamin is required in synthesis of and maintenance
of new cells and the DNA. Hence deficiency can cause anemia. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>B12 </b>(Cobalamin) is found
predominantly in foods from animal sources. It works in protein absorption and synthesis
of DNA/RNA. It also plays a part in fatty acid metabolism. The absorption of
this vitamin reduces with age. A shortage of this vitamin also leads to anemia
and nerve degeneration. <b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Vit C </b>is available in most fruits and
vegetables, but the best sources are citrus fruits, peppers and green
vegetables. Its co-enzyme works in collagen formation and therefore it plays a
part in bone and <b>tissue </b>health. It also works as a part of the Immune system by
reducing damage from free radicals. In fact it so important to our health, that I have devoted an entire post to Vitamin C<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
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Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-13140508926944435422014-07-31T10:00:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:53:52.689+05:30Water<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today I'll talk about
water. Let's look at some interesting facts. The earth's surface consists of
70% water. Blood contains 70% water. Our body has approximately 70%
water. Don't you think that this 70% water content resemblance is too much of a
coincidence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Water plays several key roles in the body. Water is the basis of
many synthesized fluids like saliva, bile etc. It forms lubricants surrounding
the joints in the body. It is a solvent in many metabolic processes. Water
regulates body temperature by the process of sweating. Sweat is 99% water.
Water is an important vehicle in removal of several wastes through urine and
feces.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, the actual fact is that the body consists of 55-75 % water.
We are born with a higher water content & the figure keeps coming down with
age. Another noteworthy fact, there is more water in lean tissue (muscles) than
in adipose tissue (fat). Therefore the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><u>percentage</u><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>of water by weight, is lower in
obese people than lean people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The water within the
body is either intra-cellular (within cells) or extra-cellular (interstitial).
The ratio of intra to extra is something like 2 : 1. So there is more fluid
within cells than outside. <b>A very important parameter of health, therefore is
"The Water Balance".</b> Whenever this term is scientifically used, it
means maintenance of this ratio. Lay persons use the term water balance to mean
quite a variety of things that they pick up in loose talk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The water balance is
maintained in the body by osmosis and negatively or positively charged
electrolytes inside & outside the cells keep exchanging ions and thus
water. The main responsibility of this recharge / discharge of water remains
with Sodium (Na) and Potassium (K). Hence salt attains a very important role in
maintaining the water balance, but it's role has been severely misunderstood,
and it has been unnecessarily castigated in issues like hypertension.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On a ketogenic diet
your body requires, and will ask for more salt, and that, is perfectly
understandable and required. So give your tastes a good listen, and if you need
more salt, by all means add it to your food. Salt & hypertension have a
connect in a very small minority of the population.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As far as water
intake is concerned, there are 2 opinions to go by. One says that you need to
provide 3 liters of water externally, 1 of which comes from solid food so 2
litres of water or fluids must be had everyday. The other opinion says, listen
to your body, and drink water when you feel like it. I think both are right and
I abide by the 2nd but automatically live by the first because my body demands
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of my water
intake is during the hotter hours of the day, starting at about 11 am and
finishing at about 5 pm. I am particular not to drink any water along with
meals, except a swig or two, to enable the mouth to be cleaned, and the food
pushed down into the stomach smoothly. I drink 30 minutes before a meal or 45
minutes after it, but never within this period. This process has now become
automated in my system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The stomach contains
hydrochloric acid (HCl), which is meant to break down the incoming food into
smaller particles, and then push it further into the intestines. A lot depends
on the pH value (acid/alkaline ratio) of the contents in the stomach, and
drinking water during eating hours, interferes with that and is therefore
avoidable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Since excess water
consumed will just come out of the body as sweat or urine, in turn flushing out
a lot of the wastes, there is absolutely no harm in drinking a lot of water,
just take care of the above simple rules. A healthy water balance plus a bout
of cardio work out during the day will ensure that you are never plagued by
blood pressure issues. The first thing I advice people with hypertension is to
increase their water intake provided there are no other underlying health
causes. That helps a lot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
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Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-57102702207535025932014-07-31T09:45:00.000+05:302015-01-10T08:54:10.387+05:30Hunger & Appetite<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Have you ever wondered what is
the difference between the two. If you thought that they are the same thing,
think again. Hunger is defined as “the physical <b>need </b>for food” whereas appetite is known as “the psychological <b>desire</b> to eat”. That’s right, hunger is
a need, while appetite is a desire. We all follow a clock based approach to
food, which means that we eat because of appetite, and don’t listen to hunger
at all. Back in the day, some thousands of years ago, our hunter gatherer
forefathers would have probably eaten to a mixed need / desire system. Desire
when there was ample food, like for a couple of days after a hunt, and, need
based when food was in short supply and had to be severely rationed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Our eating behavior is controlled
by very complex hormonal signals. Many hormonal secretions control our food behavior
but the two key hormones that regulate our eating habits are <b>Ghrelin & Leptin</b>. Grehlin which is
secreted mostly by the lining of the stomach signals hunger, while Leptin a
secretion of our fat cells, signal satiety to the brain, indicating that we
have had enough. Both of these hormones stimulate the hypothalamus and give
rise to senses of being hungry or well fed. They also play a part in energy partitioning,
making them a very important part of our metabolism. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Since Leptin is a creation of fat
cells, it infers, that the fatter the person, the more leptin he/she secretes,
the fuller he/she should feel. But nature has it’s own ways of working. Obesity
has been strongly associated with insulin resistance and here leptin resistance
also comes into play. You may be secreting enough leptin to tell your brain
that you have eaten enough, but the resistant brain cells don’t listen. Your
brain may even feel that you are starving. Major corporations selling packaged
foods add leptin suppressant chemicals to their wares. Therefore you get
addicted to their stuff, the more you eat, the more you want to eat, till your
stomach starts to stretch and you have to give up. That’s the real reason why a
soft drink will never be able to quench your thirst, as advertised. You will always
want more.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
From the time we’ve adopted a low
carb high fat way of eating, we’ve found our portion sizes gradually
diminishing with time. Now, we need lesser and lesser amounts of food. We’ve
also learnt to listen to our body signals. That soft burp, is leptin telling
you, it’s time to stop eating. Among my 2015 resolutions, is a very important
one concerning regulating my food habits to align with my body signals. Though I’ve
not yet started doing it, very soon I will abandon eating by a clock based
system. Eating breakfast, lunch or dinner at stipulated times will not happen. Rather
I will eat only when hungry and stop the minute my body tells me so. With that
I think my stagnated weight loss will be kick started again, and I will have a
leaner body, that I so badly want.<br />
<br />
Take home message, <b>Feed your hunger, not your appetite</b>. </div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-76377974184353822562014-07-31T09:30:00.000+05:302015-01-05T14:26:05.093+05:30Thyroid<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I’m writing to tell you about
another ‘metabolically relevant’ part of the body, that people talk a lot
about. A majority of the women I’ve known have told me that they suffer from
thyroid problems. The overweight ones try to justify their bulginess, and the
skinny ones, why they won’t put on any weight. Both of these statements could
be true, but in many cases are not. However, two things need to be
acknowledged, it’s mostly the women who get struck by thyroid problems, in the
ratio of something like 4 : 1 as compared to men. And that thyroid issues are
pretty much common, rarely checked & not very well understood.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The thyroid is a small 2 inch
gland which sits in the front part of the neck, just above the larynx or the
voice box. It’s shaped like a butterfly, with two equally sized distinctive
lobes on either side of the food pipe. As a part of the endocrine system it
releases some hormones (T3 & T4) into the body, which then regulate metabolic
activity in target organs or cells. This thyroid action is controlled by the
pea sized pituitary gland, a tiny part of the brain, by the secretion of
another hormone (TSH). Having received this signal the thyroid makes it’s
hormones from iodine in the body.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Analogically, if the body was to
be compared to a car, the liver for sure would be the car engine, and the
thyroid could be thought of as the accelerator. It controls how fast or slow
the car will go. It is the body’s Metabolism Regulator - now that’s a very
important role. Virtually every cell in the body has receptors for the thyroid
hormones, which then regulate how efficiently the cell converts/utilizes
energy. Therefore, many everyday symptoms require a look into the thyroid
functioning first, before proceeding with other tests and analysis. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
So this is how the system works. The
pituitary gland secretes <b>TSH</b> (<b>thyroid stimulating hormone</b> or thyrotropin) to
stimulate the Thyroid to increase/decrease its production/secretion of T3/T4.
This is based on the levels of circulating thyroid hormones <b>T3 (triiodothyronine)</b>
& <b>T4 (thyroxine)</b> & cellular requirement. The thyroid gland mostly
produces T4 & a very marginal amount of T3. T4 contains 4 atoms of iodine,
and most of the T3 in circulation is converted from T4 by removing 1 iodine
atom. T3 is the active form of the hormone which is usable by the cells. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The T4 & T3 in circulation
are known as Total T4 & T3. These are mostly bound to a protein <b>TBG
(thyroid binding globulin)</b>. Until they are bound to the TBG the thyroid
hormones are not usable by the cells. To become usable they are freed from the
TBG & are then known as Free T4 & T3 (FT4 & FT3). Each of these
hormones has a different role in the body & when tests are done; their
levels also mean differing conditions to your medicare team. When a full
thyroid panel is ordered, T4, T3, FT4, FT3, TSH are reported along with the
presence of antibodies to the proteins. This would indicate if there are any
auto immune issues within the body.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When the thyroid hormones are in
excess supply the thyroid is overworking and the condition is known as
<b>Hyperthyroid</b>, and when the hormonal supply is lower, the thyroid is supposed to
be sluggish & the condition is called <b>Hypothyroid</b>. Naturally both the
conditions can have differing causes, symptoms, diagnoses & treatment. If
the thyroid is under attack by the body’s own immune system, then the hypo
condition is termed as <b>Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis</b> & the hyper condition is
known as <b>Grave’s Disease</b>. The thyroid is also susceptible to overgrowth which
can either be cancerous or benign which condition is known as Goiter. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Thyroid problems need a keen eye
to be determined and that is why they generally go unnoticed. The usual
symptoms can run into hundreds with each individual exhibiting maybe a group of
ten out of these. Normally a hypothyroid will give indications of fatigue,
weakness, insomnia, difficulty in weight loss, hair loss, feelings of cold
sensations, muscle cramps, joint pains, constipation, depression among others.
Most of these are also shared by the hyperthyroid people. They can also exhibit
fatigue, weakness, sleep problems, hand tremors, mood swings, nervousness,
palpitations or irregular heartbeat, skin dryness and weight loss. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
This makes proper diagnosis a
team effort between the doctor & the patient. Treatments are trickier as
the proper analysis of a full thyroid panel requires a fair bit of adrenal
& endocrine knowledge. A good treatment plan would involve a lot of trial
and error & a lot of patience is required. If the treatment is on the right
track & proper protocols are followed, thyroid remission is also possible.
That is the reason we find that in many cases the treatment for hyperthyroid
can cause hypothyroid & vice versa. But by and large, though not always,
treatments are easy but lifelong. </div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-59681508667161121282014-07-31T09:00:00.000+05:302015-01-05T14:17:59.563+05:30The Lipid Profile<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cholesterol is a term we hear all too often,
given our beliefs in the ‘low-fat’ propaganda. Let’s have a closer look and
improve our understanding of lipids (fats) and The Lipid Profile – the blood cholesterol
check up that we have to undergo regularly. Some of the terms used in medical
literature and in our reports need a better understanding.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Fats have many vital roles in the body. So much so, that no
fats means no life. Fats (1) form the outer membrane of every cell in the body.
(2) They are a compact dense source of energy. (3) They provide us with fat soluble
vitamins, and are a part of the bile acids & several hormones within the
body. (4) The liver creates most of the fats circulating within the body and
dietary fats have little say in the matter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our blood is made up mostly of water. As you all know oils
(fats) and water do not mix very well. So our fats (lipids) are transported within
special carriers known as lipoproteins. Most of the fats that they carry are in
the form of cholesterols or (TG) triglycerides. The lipoprotein outer membranes
are made up of phospholipids – phosphate on the outside, and lipids on the
inside. These can then freely mix in blood and go on in their buoyant way doing
their duty of distributing fats to our cells. The density of the proteins in the
lipoprotein carriers decides its name – HDL (High Density Lipoprotein), LDL
(Low Density Lipoprotein) & vLDL (Very Low Density Lipoprotein). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">When labs assess our blood for the lipids, they give us what
is known as our Lipid Profile. These reports inform us of – Total Cholesterol (TC),
HDL, LDL, vLDL, TG and the ratios TC/HDL & LDL/HDL. Actually the tests "are supposed to" measure <u>the amount of cholesterol within each type of carrier</u>. But they don't. Much of
this science is assumptive and very outdated. The only actual assays (measurements)
that they carry out are for the TC, HDL & TG. The rest is all guess work. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Decades ago, Dr. Friedewald found that each particle of vLDL
carries typically 5 TG molecules within it. Using that information the vLDL is
determined by TG/5. Then the LDL is calculated thus LDL = TC - (HDL + vLDL). <u>Two
out of 5 of the components within the report are calculated based on assumptions </u>. Improvements in technology
have resulted in newer labs giving us the direct measurement of cholesterol
contained within the lipoproteins. In which case, “direct” is added to the type
of the lipoprotein in the test report. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">In all of the above it is the cholesterol within the
lipoproteins (example LDL-C) that is being reported, not the particle numbers
(LDL-P) of the lipoproteins itself. There is no doubt that the sterols entering
the artery walls and being internalized by macrophages cause atherosclerosis or
plaque. But latest developments in the field have shown that it is the lipoprotein
particle number and the size which is of critical importance. It is only the
smaller and denser particles that can penetrate the arteries. The larger buoyant particles
are largely benign & harmless.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The lipid trafficking in the body takes place within several
lipoproteins, namely (from large to small) Chylomicrons, vLDLs, IDLs (Intermediate),
LDLs and the HDLs. The HDLs are the reverse transporters of the lipids (back to
the liver) and therefore supposed to be the good guys. Chylomicrons are used to
transport lipids from the digestive tract directly through the lymph and have a
very short life of a couple of hours, by which time they have delivered their
stuff. The other lipoproteins wear out in order of their size after delivery of
their goods. The LDLs live for about 3-1/2 days and form the predominant part
of the TC that the lab reports. Therefore they are supposed to be the bad guys. It must be noted that among all health parameters, the <u>lipids fluctuate the most and pretty fast</u>. So they could be affected widely, by a lot of variables.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Newer studies have identified 4 different sizes of the LDL and
as mentioned, it is the smaller denser variety that could cause harm. Hopefully
in sometime this technology will also be available in India and we would
benefit from better details. The ultracentrifugation technique known as the VAP
profile is now probably available with Metropolis. The NMR (Nuclear magnetic resonance) spectroscopy is still a distant dream. But
until then, I guess we’ll keep blaming all the fats equally. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are in Nutritional Ketosis and 'burning' fats for energy, you are bound to have higher fats in circulation. At least for some time. However, the tell tale sign of having the larger </span>buoyant harmless LdL is that your TG levels will drop and your HdL values will go up. According to many prominent cardiologists, the TG/HdL ratio is a much more important cardiac disease risk marker. And the advice is to keep this under 2.0. Any value over 3.0 is of concern and the sooner this is brought down, the better. Unfortunately most doctors do not know of this, don't look at this, and none of the labs give you this ratio. So much so for the standard Lipid Profile.<br />
<br />
Using my favourite tool, the analogy, let's look at lipids in a more common sense sort of manner. Let's equate Cardio Vascular Disease with Pollution in a city. Pollution as we all know is caused by the number of vehicles on the road. More specifically, the number of ill maintained polluting vehicles. Any child can tell you, that the number of passengers in the different types of vehicles is not the cause of the pollution. Similarly our cholesterol (passengers) carrying vehicles (lipoproteins) are the reason for CVD, IF, they are polluting (oxidized) and not the cholesterol content per se. Simple to understand, isn't it ? </div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-67590428837598208882014-07-31T08:00:00.000+05:302015-01-05T13:29:26.065+05:30It's not the fats, Silly<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On a
web blog there was this argument going on between an Indian member and others.
The Indian was scared that if he ate way too many fats, the grease would end up
in his arteries, which would then be clogged up, and he'd die of heart disease.
That is how he had been scared (to death) by his doctors.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Let's
ponder on that argument for a while. Does this line of thinking not lead to something
like, if you drink more water, it'll end up diluting your blood and you'll die
because of that. Nope, nothing could be far from the truth. Nothing that we eat
or drink can or could end up directly in your blood. Survival would be impossible if that were true.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
nutrients are broken down in the digestive tract to their smallest components
and then sent to the liver for re-packaging. By re-packaging I mean, that the
liver uses these base components to make new stuff out of. <u>What we consume does
affect this re-packaging process</u>. A scientific fact, that doctors are aware of is, that if the liver finds less fats in what you eat, it makes more
fats out of the other stuff. Didn't you think that the body had it's own
intelligence ? </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
lipids that we get evaluated for in the blood tests are approximately affected 85% by the
body's own fats production and 15% by the fats in your diet. The 85% fats in blood
come from our own bile juices. The 15% dietary contribution is also a vague
estimate, it could be more like 10%. Wouldn't it be a better idea to control the 85% and
not the 15%. That's why the lipid hypothesis which says the more fats you eat,
the more fats you have circulating in your blood is completely wrong. It's the
excessive carbohydrates in the diet which cause the liver to re-package more
fats in your blood. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It's
not the fats silly.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-----</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Nobody
ever said that the body makes only fats and not proteins or the other stuff. It
makes everything that is needed, in the quantity needed, and when it is needed.
Every part of the body works to maintain ‘homeostasis’ – a state of balance
within. The problems start when this homeostasis is disturbed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
vitamins are not made in the body but come from diet. They are used as catalysts in (1) further
synthesis of other substances and (2) in the actions of several enzymes and co-enzymes that the body
uses in diverse functions. Proteins are what we are made up of, as are all
organisms, including bacteria and viruses. Every cell uses it’s genetic code
within the DNA to continuously make proteins that are required in body for
build-up, repair and many other functions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our blood
supply vessels are lined with a protective inner layer known as the
endothelium. Due to chronic inflammation or for some other reasons as well, the
endothelial cells do get compromised and lesions start to form. What causes
chronic inflammation within the blood vessels – High levels of insulin. What
causes high levels of insulin – High levels of glucose. What causes high levels
of glucose – High levels of carbohydrates in diet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So when
the endothelium is damaged and lesions appear (cracks form up), the smaller,
denser lipoproteins (mostly sdLDL or Lp(a)) are attracted to the injured
portions and enter deeper into the artery for repair to the damage. Once trapped inside the intima (the internal layer) of the vessel,
the cholesterol within the lipoprotein carriers gets oxidized by the action of
free radicals. Free radicals are any type of molecules with unpaired electrons,
which are always looking to join up and react with something or the other. This
sets off a chain reaction as more and more of the cholesterol gets oxidized and
begins to decay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here, the
protective Immune system is asked to step in and respond to the threat/injury.
Monocytes which are a type of white blood cells, meant to fight infection are
sent in for the defence. Monocytes enter the damaged tissue through the
endothelium. They undergo a series of changes in their action, to become a
macrophage. The role of macrophages is to engulf and then digest the cellular debris
or the pathogens. When they become loaded with the cholesterol debris they
acquire a bloated appearance and are now known as Foam cells.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our
body’s intelligence knows that in the vascular interiors, debris if offloaded into the
circulation, may end up blocking some smaller vessel, somewhere. If that
happens in the brain, you’d get a stroke. If it happens in the heart, you’d get
an attack. So not taking that chance, the endothelium grows back over the foam
cells deposited within, thus creating a mound within the blood vessel. Such
damaged portions are then vulnerable to further attack, and over time the
passage could become narrower and narrower. These are commonly referred to as
“blockages” by heart surgeons. <o:p></o:p>The reason why this
happens only within certain arteries surrounding the heart which supply blood
to the heart muscles is that because the blood gushes through these arteries
under tremendous pressure and there are a lot of turns & forks in these
arteries.</span><br />
<div style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">And when
that happens, the blood supply gets restricted causing all sorts of problems. So the
automatic question that follows – Is it the fats in the blood that are
responsible for this damage. The correct answer is Yes & No. Yes because it
is the <u>fats within “some” of the LDL</u> that get oxidized. And
No, because it is the endothelial dysfunction that opens up the intima in the
first place. Again, to control the serum fats, should we target the fats in our
diet – Again Yes & No. Yes because there are ‘good’ fats and ‘bad’ fats, so
obviously you have to choose well. And No because the fats in diet have no
relation to the fats in blood serum. More fats are created and enter
circulation when you eat a high carbohydrate diet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So in a
very nice circle, we have come back to – It’s not the fats silly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">-----<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The question of fats in diet & fats in blood is so
complex that it is very difficult to answer it in totality, while at the same
time trying to keep the matter simple and understandable by </span>everybody. Nevertheless a few points in a rejoinder
were necessary and so here we go ...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Firstly it is important to note that when the
endothelium is damaged and opens up to allow entry within, it's not just the
lipoproteins that can enter and the fats within these lipoproteins that can
cause damage. A whole lot of other stuff also can and does enter and do it's
dirty work. Most known among these are calcium and some other minerals. And all
of them are susceptible to further action of free radicals.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Further, in defence of dietary fats, it should be
told, that most of the fats absorbed in the intestines through diet are too
large in their composition to directly enter into circulation. Therefore they
are packaged within larger lipoproteins known as "chylomicrons" and
are sent into the lymph for circulation and delivery. The lymph is the other
form of circulatory system within our body which is not completely enclosed as
the cardiovascular (blood supply) system.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chlyomicrons have a very short half life of a couple
of hours and they enter into the CV supply via the thoracic duct, somewhere near the
neck. By that time they have lost most of their goods (cholesterol & TGs) and are much
smaller in size and enter the CV system as vLDLs. This short life is the reason
why a 12 hour fasting period is required when taking the lipid count in your
blood tests. The chylomicrons, IDLs & vLDLs are mostly out of the way by
then.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The fats that are packaged within lipoproteins in the
liver mostly come from our own bile juices and leave in the form of vLDLs &
LDLs. That is why we say that body makes it's own fats in a much larger
proportion (approx 85%) than dietary fats.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also want to add a disclaimer here. I started eating
the way I do about 3 years ago and over these years have decreased my carbs
& increased my fats. Assuming that this is the right way to eat, I could
now potentially be preventing any inflammation and further damage within my CV
system. But that does not erase 52 years of damage that I brought about in my
system prior to this. Mounds / blockages once formed within arteries might not be
reversed. The only way of tackling that problem is by either putting in a
"stent" to increase the diameter of the artery or going in for a
by-pass if the blockage is too severe. I have to live the rest of my life with
that knowledge and hope that the past damage is not too severe to cause any
future problems.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% white; text-align: justify;">
<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another notable fact is that there are many risk
factors where heart disease is concerned. Age is the foremost amongst them. As
we age our functions and organs weaken and we are in a vulnerable stage. Added
to that is the fact that by then the growth phase is over and we are now losing
more cells than we are making. For no rhyme or reason, we blame the poor fats.
They have so many important roles in the body No fats = no life, yet they
take a solid beating time and again. As a matter of fact, it is the cholesterol in us that makes us animals different from plants and gives us mobility.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit; mso-ansi-language: EN-IN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s not the fats, silly.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-67134809807236877822014-07-31T06:45:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:55:40.894+05:30Lipophilia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
For the past several decades our
dietary preferences have been largely influenced by two hypotheses, The Energy
Balance Hypothesis & The Lipid Hypothesis. The theory of Energy Balance is
based on the 1<sup>st</sup> law of Thermodynamics which says that Energy can neither
be created nor destroyed but it can only be transformed from one state to
another. In terms of metabolism within the body it has been applied as </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<b><i>Energy Balance (Weight Gain/Loss)
= Energy (calories) In - Energy (calories)
Out<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We have already covered The Lipid
Hypothesis in great detail in another post & I will explore The Energy
Balance Hypothesis also in greater detail in another post. Here we must only ponder
if the 1<sup>st</sup> Law of Thermodynamics can be really applied to living
organisms. If as a scientific truth, it must, then there must be other forces also
at play, because the theory fails miserably to explain many observed facts.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Many writers, researchers,
scientists & doctors agree that ‘a calorie is not a calorie’. Its more
important where the calorie comes from. So basically they agree that the Energy
Balance theory falls way short in trying to explain how & why some people
get fat or some won’t put on an ounce for whatever they may eat. The absence of
scientific & logical answers has given rise to <b>The Lipophilia Hypothesis</b> as a workable alternate. Simply put Lipophilia
means ‘in love with fat’ or ‘fat loving’.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
To better understand the concept
behind Lipophilia it is first important to define obesity. The current
definition of obese is any person having a BMI over 30. The BMI itself is a 2
dimensional measure and does not take into consideration many important factors
like bone density, water and/or visceral or subcutaneous fat or lean tissue content.
It is measured in kg/mtr<sup>2</sup> more or less meaning “mass per unit area”.
I find that a little hard to digest because mass per unit area of say the
ankles is very different to that of the stomach or chest. I simply love the new
definition of obesity given by Steven O'Rahilly of the University of Cambridge,
Metabolic Research Laboratories, Institute of Medical Science - <b><i>“obesity
is most simply defined as a state in which the total amount of triglycerides
stored in adipose tissue is abnormally increased.”</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
To begin, let’s refresh a few
facts. All fat in the body is stored in fat (adipose) tissue which is unevenly distributed
in the body. The area of distribution is largely determined by the sex hormones
and that is why men & women put on fat differently. Males develop more
muscle and the females put on more fat for purposes of species proliferation,
which is Nature working at it’s best. If the individual’s adipose tissue is Lipophilic
(fat loving) then the person has a tendency for weight gain & vice-versa.
That is the theory in it’s simplest form. But let’s look at some pathways to
throw more light on the subject.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Lipophilic mechanisms of
obesity work as follows <b>(1)</b> When you
ingest carbs, more particularly simple or refined or fast carbs <b>(2)</b> It breaks down to its base
molecules of glucose <b>(3)</b> In response
the pancreas secrete Insulin proportionately <b>(4)</b> Insulin helps circulate the glucose for (i) glycogen storage (ii)
energy consumption in cells (iii) conversion to triglycerides & fat storage
in adipose tissue <b>(5)</b> the conversion
from glucose to TG leads to the creation of a byproduct “<b><span style="font-family: Symbol;">a</span></b><b> glycerol
phosphate” </b>or
activated glycerol <b>(6)</b> this substance
disrupts the balance of the TG/FFA (triglyceride / free fatty acid) cycle. <b>(7)</b> Normally TGs are constantly
breaking into FFAs and released into circulation to be further converted to
ketones and used for energy <b>(8)</b> With
the cycle disrupted a large TG bank is created in the adipose cells which gets
locked in and cannot be released unless converted to FFAs <b>(9)</b> The adipose tissue starts to expand with the new TG deposits
and we start to become fatter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Only the FFAs in circulation can enter or
exit the adipose tissue. TGs are normally much larger to be able to do that.
The TG/FFA conversion happens only inside the tissue. On a high fat way of
eating there is a large amount of FFAs in circulation. These can easily enter
& exit the fat cells if and when required. The TG/FFA cycle continues to
work normally and the result is a leaner body. This theory is able to better
explain many of the anomalies observed and surely will find larger audience and
acceptance in times to come. <o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-83002329213794488182014-07-31T06:41:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:57:59.043+05:30The Lipid Hypothesis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lipids are a biological term for
fats, and Hypothesis means a theory. It comes from the English verb ‘to hypothesize’
meaning ‘to theorize’. So, the “<b>Lipid
Hypothesis</b>” is basically a “theory” that proposes that dietary fats result
directly in the increase of circulating fats (cholesterol) in the blood. And
further, that these circulating fats, infiltrate the walls of the arteries and
cause the buildup of plaque (blockages). In medical terms these arterial blockages
are known as atherosclerosis which can result in its known complications –
heart attack & stroke.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The world’s nutritional preferences
have evolved on the basis of this hypothesis. And sadly, so has chronic
ill-health & disease. This hypothesis changed the way we, and our doctors, look
at our health and decide on a course of medication, which most of the times is
completely unnecessary, and many a times causes more harm than good. So let’s take
a brief look into the genesis of the lipid hypothesis, and examine the merits
or demerits thereof.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The first seeds of the
hypothesis were sown in the late 19<sup>th</sup></span><span lang="EN-IN"> <span style="background: white;">century, when Dr.</span> <span style="background: white;">Rudolph Virchow, a German pathologist, performed chemical analyses on
arterial plaques taken from corpses. He discovered that they contained large
amounts of cholesterol.</span> His post mortems could not have ascertained how
and why the cholesterol was deposited there in the first place, since he was
dealing with dead bodies. Then, i<span style="background: white;">n 1925, it was
found that</span> <u><span style="background: white;">the human body
produces 80-90% of its own cholesterol</span></u> <span style="background: white;">and that diet is relatively unimportant. But the ensuing tensions of the
World War II subdued the importance of this revelation, and this vital
discovery was silenced by the guns of the big war.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN" style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">After the war, in 1950, the
hypothesis was revived by Dr. Ancel Keys an American epidemiologist. H</span><span lang="EN-IN">is Six
Countries Study showed that the percentage fat in the national diet of six
countries proportionately correlated with the incidence of death from
coronary heart disease (CHD). His graph showed a near perfect correlation
between the two. Much later it was found out that the same data was,
in fact, available with him, for 22 countries at the time of his study. He
picked the six that fit his theory and omitted the 16 that didn't. <span style="background: white;">This is virtually a text book example of statistical
fraud. In a later article (1997) he said - </span></span><b><span lang="EN-IN">“<em>Cholesterol in food has no affect on cholesterol in
blood and we’ve known that all along.</em>”</span></b><span lang="EN-IN"> But by then, the Lipid Hypothesis juggernaut was
unstoppable. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then came another well known advocate of
the low fat diet called Dr. Nathan Pritikin. In fact what Pritikin advocated was
the complete elimination of sugar, white flour and all processed foods from the
diet. He recommended the use of fresh raw foods, whole grains and a strenuous
exercise program. However, it was the low fat aspects of his regime that
received the most attention in the media. Adherents found that they lost weight
and that their blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure declined. When
Pritikin died of cancer at a young age, many doubts were cast on his dietary
doctrine.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The final proverbial nail in the coffin was
delivered by a U.S Senate Committee on Nutrition headed by Sen. George
McGovern. It was the first time in history for a government to officially advise
its citizens on what to eat and what to avoid. Be that as it may, the Committee
actually recommended an elimination of sugars & fats from diet, but
“somehow” the sugars were erased from the final draft. It is said to have been
the “hard work” of the sugar lobby which ensured that. Thus were born the U. S.
Dietary Guidelines, which continue till today and maintain the same anti
dietary-fats approach.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN">During
the first meeting of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Dr. Eric
B. Rimm from Harvard testified that he is concerned about "the artificial
limit on fat" in the Dietary Guidelines. He mentioned that “there is
some concern” about excess carbohydrates
elevating triglycerides because the <u>ratio of TG to HDL is emerging
as one of the most reliable risk factors for heart disease</u>. Dr. Rimm's
testimony was greeted with silence and he did not bring up the subject again!</span><span lang="EN-IN"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-IN"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In keeping with the guidelines, not just American
citizens, but the world population deviated towards a diet based on High Carbs –
Low Fat foods. The rate of chronic disease skyrocketed inspite of following
this “sound advice”. Heart disease, the core concern of the Hypothesis has also
refused to slow down as it was supposed to. Even though science and technology
have grown by leaps and bounds, they have not succeeded in addressing the acceleration
of the problem. Figures for obesity & chronic illnesses, like diabetes and
hypertension, have also zoomed. Infant obesity has gone up over 6 times. Has infant
diet changed from mother’s milk & formula foods to something new ? Do we
expect them to start exercising more to reduce weight ? And what exercises
would that be ?<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-IN">Study after study, research after research,
has failed to establish any link between dietary fats, cholesterol and heart health.
But the dogma continues. At best, high cholesterol levels in the blood are one
of the 300+ risk markers for heart disease. That is not <b><i>the</i></b> cause
and so reducing those levels artificially, certainly is not <b><i>the</i>
</b>cure, neither an answer to the problem. Arterial plaque has been observed
in 2500 year old intact bodies discovered in the snowy Alps, and in young 25
year old dead soldiers. The real issue is not the cholesterol in the plaque,
but how it gets there, and why. I believe Dr. Rimm is right. I believe that
elevated blood sugar & elevated triglycerides oxidize cholesterol and they
are the real culprits. The cholesterol is just a poor victim – of our dietary
choices. </span><span lang="EN-IN"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Healthy Regards.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-90414394393909891082014-07-31T06:40:00.001+05:302014-07-31T14:56:38.706+05:30Energy Balance<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
We’ve talked about this theory on
a number of pages. Now let’s look at the hypothesis a little exclusively. The
Energy Balance Hypothesis owes its origin to a fundamental principle of physics
– The 1<sup>st</sup> Law of Thermodynamics a.k.a The Law of Conservation of
Energy. This law says that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can only
be transformed from one form to another. Applied to human metabolism it infers
that “Eating more and exercising less, results in weight gain” or more popularly
Calorie In – Calorie Out = Calorie Balance (+ve or –ve). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>A calorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temp of 1 gm of water
by 1<sup>o </sup>C</b>. Food calories are measured in a contraption known as a “Bomb
Calorimeter” where a measured amount of the food item is <u>incinerated</u> and
the resultant rise in the temp of the water surrounding it is taken. But, we
don’t burn or incinerate food anywhere in our metabolism. <b>As early as in 1893 Prof. Fick had shown that a human body is not a
heat engine and therefore the calorie theory does not apply to it</b>. As we move further let's remember that Carbs & Protiens contain 4 cal/gm,
Fats have 9 cal/gm whereas Alcohol provides 7 cal/gm. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Now let’s see, an apple contains
~ 13 % carbs. So if it weighs 100 gms, it contains 13gms of carbs, which would
mean a total of 52 cal. The apple’s journey from the tree to our mouth may take
anything from a week to months if cold storage is involved. Would the time line
not make a difference to the calorie content and would it remain a constant.
Many experts believe that “a calorie is not a calorie”. What that means is that
a calorie in physics (heat energy) is not the same calorie that we think of as
contained in foods.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Dr Robert Lustig, a pediatric
endocrinologist at the University of California, San Francisco gives 4 valid
reasons for this belief. (1) All fibers are not digested, but they are made up
of complex-carb chains which means that they do have calories which we do not
absorb. (2) Proteins contain the same number of calories as carbs, yet their
conversion to glucose via gluconeogenesis itself consumes energy. (3) All fats
contain 9 cal/gm but the different type of fats have differing pathways and
action in the body yet they are all supposed to be equal where calories are
concerned. (4) Table sugar (sucrose) contains equal amounts of the simple
sugars fructose & glucose. Glucose is metabolized all over the body for
energy, but fructose is metabolized only by the liver and goes exclusively to
fat (TG) formation. We cannot assume that they both provide the same amount of
energy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Gary Taubes, in his bestselling
book, “Good Calories, Bad Calories” argues about the absurdity of the theory,
thus. Based on a 2500 cal/day diet, we consume close to a million calories a
year. If we exceed our daily quota by just 20 calories (less than 1% for the
day), theoretically we would put on 20 lbs extra every decade. 20 cal is about
¼ th of a slice of bread. That’s impossible to regulate, and if it were true we
would all be carrying much more than 100 lbs extra weight in 50 years.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The Calorie Balance Hypothesis is
also not able to explain why some naturally skinny people can eat a lot of food
(calories) and never gain an ounce of weight whereas most of us will add weight
even while we watch our intake microscopically. Eating less, exercising more
has also frustrated most of us at some point of time or the other. It has never
worked & never will. The Lipophilia Hypothesis is better able to explain
these observations. On a nutritionally ketogenic way of life, the calories lose
their meaning and are not be counted at all. There are established cases of
people losing all of their excess weight on intakes ranging from 6000 to 10000
cal/day. Go figure !!! </div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-57555247279586423532014-07-31T06:30:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:58:29.872+05:30Ketosis<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I’ve talked about <b>Ketosis
</b>in a number of posts and I felt that a little bit more clarity of this key metabolic process was necessary. More so,
since there are a number of ignorant health care providers, who get scared of
the term, and will pass on their ignorance and their fears to us. If you will
care to note, everywhere I’ve mentioned the term, I’ve referred to it as “<b>Nutritional Ketosis</b>”. That because,
Nutritional ketosis is very different to “<b>Ketoacidosis</b>”
which is what many would confuse this state with - mostly doctors (yes doctors).
So let’s look at what is so different between them and why Ketosis is such a
beneficial state for us to be in.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Our chemical energy is derived from the substance known as ATP
(adenosine triphosphate). ATP is mostly produced and used in a metabolic
pathway known as The Citric Acid Cycle or The Kreb’s cycle. This process takes
place within our cell mitochondria. To do that, first, our macro nutrients must
be broken down into a 2 carbon fragment known as acetyl CoA or Acetyl Coenzyme
A. This acetyl CoA can be derived from Carbs (glucose), Proteins (amino acids)
or Fats (fatty acids). However, the pathways of converting either of these
into ATP are quite different and unique from each other. And so are the consequences.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the absence of glucose to be used as energy, our liver
starts to break down free fatty acids into ketones. These are eventually
converted into the acetyl CoA, and further into ATP. This metabolic process
is known as <b>beta-oxidation</b>. When we
use this process (beta-oxidation) for deriving energy, naturally, some ketones
are found floating in blood plasma, and also in urine. The body only has a 24
hour store of glucose and therefore, this is nature’s way of ensuring survival
by utilizing stored fat in times of exigency. This is Nutritional Ketosis,
and we try to deliberately induce it for gaining control on Blood Sugar,
Obesity, Hypertension, Cholesterols and what not.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What ignorant doctors confuse this with is <b>Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA).</b> DKA is a
life threatening diabetic condition for insulin dependent patients. In
this case, if the patient does not receive adequate insulin, the body goes into
a starvation mode, and starts to use ketones for energy. Same as in ketosis,
<b>BUT</b>, the absence of insulin, allows for a continuous production of ketones, without
stopping. Eventually, the cascading process goes out of hand, and the
blood acidity levels rise to critical. If the situation is not corrected
within time, the person will tend to go into a coma or death may result. This
is not possible in people who can produce even small amounts of insulin.</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
So, on the one hand of the spectrum lies, controlled benign
Nutritional Ketosis and on the other extreme is DKA. But do not ever confuse
the two. Such extreme outcomes are true of any process, metabolic or not. Nutritionally,
it is even possible to die with an abnormal excessive consumption of water. DKA
is not possible unless you are a diabetic, only dependent on exogenous insulin, have excessively high blood sugar levels, and lack the insulin dosage as and when required. Any other aberration our body
corrects preemptively. After all it likes balanced homeostasis. </div>
</div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-20150548822961692372014-07-31T06:00:00.000+05:302014-08-11T13:31:07.612+05:30Glucotoxicity<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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In a recent mailer, I referred to
the term – “<b>glucotoxicity</b>” and left it at that, without offering any further
explanation. Literally, it would mean – <b>the damage (or extent thereof) arising
out of the poisonous effect/s of glucose (breakdown)</b>. Surely, in times to come,
we all will hear a lot of this term, at least I hope that we do. And I do hope that
after reading this post, you will take it more seriously and think about how
much of it you are willing to tolerate. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Glycolysis, the breakdown of
glucose, for conversion to ATP (adenosine-tri-phosphate) takes place in the cell
cytosol (fluid within) & partly within the cell mitochondria. The process
of the actual breakdown & conversion to newer substances creates
by-products which are toxic (poisonous). Yes, you read it right. Glycolysis
results in the formation of a glucotoxic substance known as <b>methylglyoxal</b> (hereinafter <b>MG</b>). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
That <b>MG </b>is toxic is a non issue.
Everyone agrees on that. <b>MG </b>can find its way into the body through many
sources. <b>MG </b>in the body exists within cells (as above) and in blood
circulation. <b>MG </b>in serum (blood) is tolerable to certain extent, as is the case
with most toxins. It’s the <b>intracellular</b> <b>MG </b>that we are concerned with here.
That is the problem. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A recent study showed the
directly proportionate link between levels of blood glucose & <b>MG</b>. This was
not an observational or associative study, but relied on direct measurements of
the stuff to propose the relationship. So in other words it proved that if your
blood glucose levels were higher, your <b>MG </b>levels were higher as well.
Diabetics, are you listening ? It also found that levels of MG were much higher
in Type 1s than that of T2s. Probably poor control & roller coaster
fluctuations were at the root of this observation. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The way I see it, the best inference
to be drawn from this is that using medication or artificial methods to control
BG may give us the good numbers & “control” but it is the dependence on
glucose that still remains the problem. Sure enough, anyone relying on glucose
for energy is making a lot of <b>MG </b>& that is bad news.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Non diabetics, where do you see the
harm in this approach for yourself. </b>Your systems are the same as ours.
Metabolize a lot less glucose & save yourself from the harmful effects of
<b>MG</b>, and who knows what else. We should all be thankful that an alternate energy
system does exist, which has none of these terrible side effects. Yes, KETOSIS,
where ketones are consumed for energy from fatty acids. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Almost 95% of the body cells can
rely on ketones and are quite happy making that switch. The other 5% (RBC, some
nerve & brain cells) can find their glucose from many sources other than
carbs. The liver is very happy doing that service for them. So keep a close
watch on your glucose throughput – the sum total of glucose being used up within
the body. <b>Make ketosis your dietary focus.</b> </div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-43406981085467626412014-07-31T05:30:00.000+05:302014-07-31T14:59:07.848+05:30BG Testing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: inherit;">When diagnosed as a diabetic, it becomes mandatory to test your blood sugars at various times during the day. Ideally the tests should be carried out when (1) Fasting (FA) the first thing in the morning upon waking up. (2) Before meals (BL/BD) (3) Postprandial or after meals (PL/PD) (4) Before and/or after exercise (EX). (5) Randomly (RA) during anytime in the day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I keep getting a lot of queries on BG
tests, testing methods and related questions. I'll try to throw
light on some of the things that are important and should be kept in mind
during testing. Obviously, <u><b>testing has to have purpose</b></u>. Even a cheap home test should tell you something that you want to know. It must reveal some meaningful insight into your 24 hour BG profile. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">First, let's begin by talking about
meters. There are many companies who have introduced scores of meters in the
market. This business is also gaining momentum like the cell phone business,
with companies introducing newer models every few months. With an ever
expanding consumer base the business is now worth billions of dollars. <u><b>By
law, meters are allowed to be +/- 20% off accuracy</b></u>. A more accurate system
would be cumbersome to manage in terms of size and costs. Hence we make do with
the next best. At least meters now are very handy, inexpensive and some Nano
models can be carried around in the pocket. But, meters can only keep you
informed of your BG “range” and not the exact number at a given time. <b><u>As the
BG level rises, so does the error margin in the accuracy</u>.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Laboratories test for BG out of the blood
plasma. Plasma is the watery part of the blood, while home meters test the
“whole” blood, which consists of the plasma + everything else (mostly red blood
cells). Science tells us that <u><b>there is a difference between BG of the plasma
& BG of whole blood</b></u>. Some estimates put this at 20 mg/dl, others at 12%, but my
feeling is that even this difference varies at differing levels. The inbuilt
software in the meter converts your whole blood reading into the plasma BG and then displays it. Since the circulating blood within the body is not homogeneous, the <b><u>BG number from different parts of the body will also differ</u>.</b>
Try taking two readings from two different fingers, one from each hand and see
the difference for yourself. <u><b>BG also changes from moment to moment</b></u>, it
is not a static number, as with all the other health parameters and markers in
the body. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Strips are coated with reagents and these
are also highly susceptible to corruption by the environment, especially heat.
Keep them in a cool place in the house, but not the refrigerator. The meter
that I use works by checking for the color change in the strip with
IR light before and after the blood is applied and calculating the BG based on
the color change. <u><b>Use strips before the end of expiry date</b></u>, but
sometimes they do work pretty well even beyond. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Wash your hands before every test. Doctors may use an alcohol swab to wipe
your finger before pricking, but <u><b>soap and water works just as fine</b></u>. If you are
the only user of your “lancet” (the pricking device) there is no need for the
needle to be changed very frequently. Sometimes I forget to change my needle
even after months of use. After extended use the needles do tend to get blunt
and will tell you when it is time to change. Do not use your needle for anyone
else and <u><b>do not use the needle used by anybody else</b></u>. Do not starve the
strip for blood. Give it the drop of adequate size. If you have difficulty in
getting a good blood flow out of your fingers, try snapping them a few times
before the blood draw, or try jerking the hand rapidly, a few times before the
prick.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Coming to
the tests themselves, as I wrote above, every test ought to have a purpose. Let
me tell you how, what and why I tested in the initial stages of my diabetes
education. I would test (1) FASTING (the first thing upon waking up) (2) BEFORE
every meal to know if I had reached my base line BG before I put any food in my
mouth and make it go up again. (3) AFTER meals I would test at 30, 60 & 120
minutes to see what “that” food was doing to my BG. For that I usually had to
limit food menus to a single item or a combination of max 2 things at a time.
(4) I would check for the effect of EXERCISE on my BG before and then 30 and 60
minutes after the work out. I would check for different forms, duration and
intensity of exercise. (5) I even checked the various combinations of foods and
exercise put together. (6) Sometimes I checked at RANDOM times just for the
heck of it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you can predict your BG to within +/- 3
points, it means that you are getting a hang of your own system and becoming
your own master bit by bit. When testing like that, it would be quite OK to
<u><b>carry out 15-20 tests a day</b></u>. “Obsessive” for sure, but you must <u><b>know your
system, before you can begin to treat it</b></u>. Once enough data has been collected
and your BG profile becomes predictable, you need not test aggressively anymore. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you happen to test like that, you will
need a good spreadsheet or logging system to record all that data. Because you
have to collate it and then analyze it, for it to have any meaning. If any of you need, I could send you a sample of my excel
sheet to help you further.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The take home lesson from all of this is that <b>"<u>The meter is your best friend</u>".</b> It will answer most of your questions. If you want to take control of your blood sugar & take charge of your life, <b>"<u>test, test, test</u>." </b></span></div>
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</div>
Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6054782992431671974.post-20847025372881174512014-07-31T05:15:00.000+05:302016-06-01T16:13:29.434+05:30Diabetes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The precursor to diabetes is defined as <b>IGT </b>or<b> Impaired Glucose Tolerance</b>. As the name suggests, in this condition, the body is unable to "tolerate" glucose, and cannot metabolize it in a "normal" manner. The glucose therefore remains in circulation and the result is elevated Blood Glucose (BG). So Diabetes can be thought of as an advanced "beyond the IGT stage" of dysfunctional glucose metabolism. There are many types and forms of diabetes. Unfortunately, in India, many doctors are unaware of some of these types, and often end up with a mis-diagnosis. This can be dangerous because each type has it's own cause, effect and requires a different treatment approach. Treating every diabetic case, the same way without proper investigation, could have drastic consequences. Let's briefly look at each type & their characteristics.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Impaired Glucose Metabolism</u> : </b>The presence of glucose in the body, requires the pancreas to secrete the hormone insulin. Insulin is more particularly secreted by the beta-cells of the "islets of Langerhans" located in the pancreas. The secreted insulin, acts as a carrier for the glucose, and supplies it to all of the body cells, to be used as a source of energy. When there is a malfunction of this normal metabolic process, the pancreas reduce or completely stop creating and secreting insulin. Alternatively, there is some or normal secretion of insulin, but the cells become <b>Insulin Resistant</b>, and refuse to accept the insulin, and in turn the glucose that it is carting. In either case, or even in a combination of the above scenarios, the glucose remains un-utilized and circulating in the blood. This causes the BG (Blood Glucose) to rise and remain elevated in affected individuals. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Gestational Diabetes</u> (GD) :</b> This is the type of diabetes that strikes about 8-10 % of women during pregnancy. The treatment could include preferably insulin or oral pills if the BG (Blood Glucose) does not normalize. High blood sugar in the mother is very dangerous for the growing fetus, as it depends solely on the mother's blood supply for its own nourishment. Usually GD resolves soon after the delivery on it's own. Once the big "D" rears it's ugly head during pregnancy, the woman can be considered to be at potential risk for getting the full blown version later in life. Even the babies born from such pregnancies are considered to be susceptible to the disease during their lifetime.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Type 1 Diabetes</u> (T1) :</b> is also known as Juvenile Diabetes, because it usually strikes during the childhood years. This is an Auto-Immune disease, in which the Auto Immune System of the body, malfunctions and causes the onset of T1. Usually the afflicted children come under some kind of viral attack. The make up of the virus/es is similar to that of the beta cells of the pancreas. In a case of mistaken identity, the auto immune system not only attacks the invading virus but also the pancreatic beta cells. The attacked beta cells degenerate and are not able to make and secrete insulin for the remainder of the life cycle. T1s have therefore to rely on exogenous insulin injections to survive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Type 2 Diabetes</u> (T2) : </b>This form of diabetes is also known as Mature Onset diabetes and normally strikes a person in the middle ages - mostly after the late 30s. This form of diabetes is more common and is mostly a combination of reduced insulin secretion capacity and (IR) Insulin Resistance. Where and which cells within the body have <b>IR </b>and to what extent, determines the person's diabetic imprint, and response to therapy. In majority of the cases, the BG can be well managed with lifestyle changes and sometimes oral medication. In extreme cases, a combination therapy or exclusive use of injected insulin is advised.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Type 1.5</u> (LADA) : </b>Off late, 2 mid-way strains of diabetes have evolved. These forms of diabetes are understood to lie between T1 & T2, and therefore designated as T1.5. LADA stands for "Latent Auto Immune Diabetes in Adulthood". LADA, is also an Auto-Immune disease, but it lies dormant during childhood and begins to appear only late in life. In simpler words LADA is T1 appearing in adult years. As opposed to T2, these persons also cannot secrete any insulin just like the T1s and have to depend on exogenous insulin to manage BG.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Type 1.5</u> (MODY) :</b> Just like LADA, this is a variety thought to lie in between T1 & T2. MODY stands for "Mature Onset of Diabetes in the Young". These cases are that of young people getting afflicted by T2 diabetes very early in life. They suffer from part faulty insulin secretion and part IR just like the T2s. Most cases can be managed by lifestyle changes and oral medication. In some rare cases insulin needs to injected. Due to their young age, these type of patients can many times cause a dramatic reversal of their conditions, provided that their lifestyle and/or medical intervention is maintained. An increasing number of youngsters have been joining the MODY group off late, indicating the fast pace at which diabetes variants are spreading in the global population.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Symptoms</u> :</b> There are many ways that high blood sugars start to show up. The most common symptoms are - excessive thirst and urination. Small wounds not healing well. Fungal and yeast infections on the body. Problems with visibility. Sudden unexplained weight loss. Sensations like hot/cold/tingling/pain or fatigue in the legs and/or hands. Many times there are no symptoms at all. High diabetic levels of blood sugar appear only after years of metabolic damage within the body. After the age of 35, it is a good idea to keep an annual check on your blood sugars.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><u>Diagnosis</u> :</b> In India BG is measured in mg/dL or milligrams per deciliter. Normal levels are 60-100 mg/dL at fasting (morning) or before meals and Postprandial (after meals) levels of 140 mg/dL at 2 hrs after meals. Though <b>all efforts should be made to keep the PP numbers at 140 at 1 hr & 120 by 2 hrs</b>. Fasting readings of 100-125 mean that your metabolic challenge has started and it is time something should be done about it. Doctors may make one undergo an <b>OGTT - Oral Glucose Tolerance Test</b>. A sugary drink containing 75 gms of glucose is to be had and the blood sugar levels are checked over time. At 1 hr one should be below 200 mg/dL & at 2 hr below 140 mg/dL to escape the Diabetic tag. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Insulin is bound with another pancreatic protein secretion known as <b>C-peptide</b>. Insulin secretion capacity can be evaluated by measuring the levels of C-peptide in the blood. T1s & T1.5s who are under constant attack by their Immune system also have antibodies in their blood. These are known as GAD </span>antibodies<span style="font-family: inherit;">, and the </span><b style="font-family: inherit;">GAD-65</b><span style="font-family: inherit;"> antibodies test can determine their presence. These tests help in better type determination. </span><br />
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Shyam Balihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06200858019488926054noreply@blogger.com0