No Artificial Sweeteners, Please

Taking the No-Grain Diet means having to eliminate artificial sweeteners from your system, and top health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola says that getting rid of these sweet, “healthy” messiahs in colorful packets will definitely work in your favor.

Backed by cunning marketing minds, these artificial sweeteners entered public consciousness with claims of being a healthy, no-calorie substitute for sugar, a helpful aid for diabetics, and, on the surface, a good additive for anyone on a weight-loss program like the No-Grain Diet. The buying public has been smitten, and remains so through the years.

Splenda, for instance, was warmly received and quickly stole the limelight from then-dominant artificial sweetener brands like the aspartame-based Equal and the saccharin-based Sweet ’N Low. The brand name for sugar-derivative sucralose, Splenda surpassed Equal’s dollar-market share in January 2003, with the percentage of US households using its products rising from 3 to 20 percent between 2000-2004.

The Real Score on Artificial Sweeteners
Not unlike other artificial sweeteners in the market today, Splenda banks on its “healthfulness” and support of weight control. The important tales on its safety and real health value, however, are yet to be fully told.

Converted from cane sugar to a no-calorie sweetener, Splenda (with its marketing call “Made from sugar so it tastes like sugar”) has the ability not to be recognized by the body as sugar, and is therefore not metabolized. While derived from sugar, it has an entirely different chemical structure, one that is more similar to the fat-soluble substance DDT. Sucralose itself is a synthetic chemical.

Its makers McNeil Nutritionals haven’t also fully established long-term safety, given that there have been only six human trials to date, the longest lasting for three months. Dr. Mercola asserts that what the public doesn’t know is that most of the over 100 studies they claim to have been done on Splenda are mostly on animals.

Dr. Mercola also refutes claims that these artificial sweeteners – aspartame on your diet soda, for instance – contribute significantly to weight loss. Why take it, he asks, if it will increase your appetite and worsen your cravings?

He says that even while aspartame and other artificial sweeteners can truly contribute to dieting, will they be worth risking your health? Mercola adds that there are more adverse reactions to NutraSweet, for example, that are reported to the FDA than all other food and additives combined.

The No-Grain, No-Artificial Sweetener Way
Committing yourself to a grain-free diet means eliminating ALL artificial sweeteners from your meals.

Dr. Mercola, however, also doesn’t recommend natural sweeteners in the No-Grain Diet. Even the natural ones such as corn syrup, fructose, sucrose, and molasses, as soon as they hit your palate, make you respond and succumb to the addictive cravings again. The reaction, he says, could be likened to Pavlovian dogs, which salivate at the ringing of a bell because they have associated it with food.

You can start tasting them again when sustaining the No-Grain Diet, but only in minimal amounts so as not to stimulate an insulin surge. Of all the sweeteners, raw honey is most accepted by Dr. Mercola because of its live enzymes aiding your body to digest it.

He adds that you can take the No-Grain Diet as an opportunity to explore spices and fresh organic food, which will sustain you well on your way to optimal health.

The trick, after all, is always going after natural, not the artificial goods that promise you all kinds of sweet encounters.

Why You Should “Sleep” Your Weight Blues Away

Trying to maintain your weight? Get a good night’s sleep.

This statement may sound a bit preposterous, but do you know that you shouldn’t underestimate the power of a good sleep in managing your weight and staying on the road to optimal health?

Top health expert Dr. Joseph Mercola says that while good food planning forms the groundwork for the No-Grain Diet, other vital factors such as sleep should be integrated into your weight loss efforts. Thus he proposes the Weight Loss Trio, or “three indispensable measures for reversing the insulin cycle and losing weight”: taking on a grain-free diet, exercising, and getting a good night’s sleep.

This stress on the importance of sleep is supported by other studies. A recent one reveals that your risk of obesity increases when you sleep less than six and a half hours a night, while another conducted by a University of Chicago research team shows that chronic sleep deprivation increases insulin resistance as aging exactly does.

But given the collective pressure, stress, and anxieties in this modern world, how do you fight the tyranny of wakefulness? How do you attain the ideal eight hours of sleep a day?

Dr. Mercola says that in itself, the No-Grain Diet supports a restful sleep pattern. The regular exercise that it espouses, for instance, prepares your body to relax when bedtime comes.

There are other tools useful for attaining a good sleep, including the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) for addressing tension and avoidance of habits that can negatively affect melatonin production.

Dr. Mercola says that following the No-Grain Diet religiously also means mastering lifestyle basics. The success of this weight loss diet should not be pinned on good, healthy food alone; often-neglected factors such as sleep, drinking habits, smoking, and exposure to sun, electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and light sources should also be taken into account.

This synergistic approach to shedding those extra pounds, says Dr. Mercola, will spell so much difference, and it will make weight loss efforts such as the No-Grain Diet an embodied goal for the rest of your life.

Achieve Weight Loss with Coconut Oil and the No-Grain Diet

Saturated fat and cholesterol have been erroneously linked to coronary heart disease even though there is little evidence that a low-cholesterol diet can reduce your risk of heart disease and increase your lifespan.

The landmark Framingham Heart Study showed that those who ate more saturated fat and cholesterol were more physically active and weighed less.

This is not hard to believe because many saturated fats provide outstanding health benefits, Dr. Joseph Mercola, the proponent of the no-grain diet, explains. Contrary to popular belief, saturated fats are actually crucial to your good health because:

• At least 50 percent of your cell membranes are composed of saturated fatty acids, which give your cells structural integrity, strengthen cell walls and protect the inside of the cells.
• To maintain good bone health, at least 50 percent of your fat intake should be saturated fats for your body to be able to effectively use calcium.
• They lower lipoprotein, a substance in your blood associated to heart disease.
• They protect your liver from alcohol and other toxins
• They are essential for your body to properly use omega-3 fats

For Dr. Mercola, coconut oil is the most special saturated fat as well as the heart healthiest oil in the world. It is also one of the few fats that can actually help you achieve weight loss.

When you go on a diet to lose weight, is it not that the foods you immediately restrict are those that contain the most fat? Fat is high in calories and because of the way your body digests and uses this food, it contributes the most to body fat.

When you eat fat, it is broken down into individual fatty acids and converted into smaller units of fat and protein called lipoproteins. These lipoproteins are circulated into the bloodstream where the fatty acids are deposited directly into our fat cells. Carbohydrate and proteins, on the other hand, are broken down and burned immediately for energy or used to build tissue.

It is only when you eat too much are the excess carbohydrates and proteins converted into fat, so as long as you eat enough to satisfy your body’s energy requirements, the fat you consume always ends up as fat in our cells. Fat is only used by your body and burned for fuel in between meals, when your body taps into its reserves to provide energy for your physical activities

The saturated fat found in coconut oil is composed of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs), which are digested and used differently by your body. MCFAs are not converted into lipoproteins and are not circulated in the bloodstream like other fats, but are sent directly to your liver, which immediately converts them into energy, much like what happens to carbohydrates.

When you consume coconut oil, your body uses it immediately to produce energy rather than put it in storage as fat. This means you can you consume much more coconut oil than other types of oil before the excess is converted into fat.

And because they are easily absorbed by your body, the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil also help rev your body’s metabolism in high gear, allowing you to burn more calories, and encourage your body to burn long-chain fatty acids (the fatty acids found in traditional sources of fat) as well.

In the no-grain diet, Dr. Mercola recommends the use of coconut oil for cooking as a healthier alternative to canola oil and other vegetable oils. But don’t settle for ordinary coconut oil; choose extra virgin coconut oil to ensure that you’re getting a pure, natural, unrefined and highly stable product.

USDA-certified organic Fresh Shores Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is one of the best coconut oils available today. This premium coconut oil is extracted from the freshest coconuts, opened less than 48 hours after harvesting, grown without fertilizers, and processed organically without using additives, chemical solvents and heat.

How Fiber Contributes to Weight Loss

Fiber, also called roughage or bulk, is the term for the parts of plant foods that we cannot digest. Unlike proteins and fats, fiber cannot be digested and absorbed by your body, as it is composed of sugar and starch and passes unchanged through your stomach and intestines.

Fiber is classified into two types: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber absorbs water and turns to a gel-like substance which traps food, sugars, cholesterol and fats in your stomach, leads them to your digestive tract and slows their absorption into your body.

Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, passes through your digestive system largely unchanged and helps it function better.

Because fiber just passes through your system, eating fiber-rich foods helps keep you feeling full longer and traps cholesterol and fats, helping you achieve weight loss and lower the risk of obesity, Dr. Joseph Mercola explains.

Aside from helping you manage your weight, a fiber-rich diet also:

• absorbs water and adds bulk to your stool to enhance intestinal health and regularity
• encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) in your intestinal tract, helping boost your immune system and overall wellness
• helps lower the risk of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and diabetes
• slows down the absorption of sugar to improve your blood glucose

The National Fiber Council recommends a fiber consumption of at least 32 grams of fiber per day for a healthy adult. Unfortunately, most people aren’t getting enough fiber in their diet.

The average American barely consumes half of the recommended amount of fiber per day. Many are even clueless as to what fiber is. Fifty-three percent of Americans believe that steak is a good source of fiber when meat actually contains little to no dietary fiber, while 42 percent believe potato chips contain a significant amount of fiber.

But it’s not that difficult to incorporate a healthy amount of fiber into your diet. Sources of soluble fiber include apples, carrots, dried oranges and peas. You can get insoluble fiber from cauliflower, green beans, potato skins and from fruit and root vegetable skins.

If you’re on the early stages of Dr. Mercola’s no-grain diet, your intake of grains, fruits and vegetables will be significantly reduced and you may struggle to meet the optimum daily fiber intake. You can try taking a quality fiber supplement to help you compensate.

Mercola recommends Fiber Harmony Organic Psyllium, which is certified 100% organic by the USDA and is guaranteed to provide your daily soluble and insoluble fiber needs. This premium product is available in four fantastic varieties: Organic Psyllium Whole Husk, Chocolate, Orange and Peach.

Why You Should Avoid Aspartame

Aspartame, more popularly known by the brand names Equal and NutraSweet, is one of the first artificial sweeteners.

At first glance, artificial sweeteners may seem like a heaven sent for diabetics, dieters and the health conscious because artificially-sweetened products are marketed as low calorie and sugar-free.

More than 6,000 products containing aspartame, including soda, gum, desserts, chewable vitamins, gelatin and tabletop sweeteners, are sold in over 100 countries and consumed by over 250 million people around the world.

Did you know, however, that aspartame may actually cause weight gain instead of helping promote weight loss? Aspartic acid and phenylaline – the two main ingredients of aspartame – stimulate the production of insulin and leptin, which signals your body to store fat.

But weight gain would not sound bothersome compared to the other possible side effects that come with aspartame consumption. Aspartame accounts for more reports of adverse reactions than all other foods and food additives combined.

Aspartic acid and phenylaline are amino acids, which, when broken down by your body into their free forms, produce neurotoxic effects such as dizziness, headaches, mental confusion, migraines and seizures.

The aspartame you consume, from a can of diet soda for instance, will ultimately be fully absorbed by your body. Ten percent of aspartame’s metabolic product, methanol, can spontaneously break down into the carcinogenic chemical formaldehyde, which is associated with an increase risk of breast and prostate cancer.

Also, data from the National Cancer Institute showed that there was a 10 percent increase in malignant brain cancer in 1985 – two years after aspartame-sweetened diet beverages hit the market.

Young women who drink large quantities of aspartame-based diet drinks have been found to be at risk of developing alioblastoma, astrocytoma and primary lymphoma – three specific types of brain cancer.

There is also evidence that women of childbearing age who consumed aspartame during their pregnancies were delivering babies with an increased risk of brain and spinal cord cancer.

These are the reasons why aspartame and other artificial sweeteners have no place in Dr. Joseph Mercola’s weight loss program, the no-grain diet.

If you’re fond of consuming products laced with artificial sweeteners, this could probably be traced to your cravings for sweet foods and beverages.

The no-grain diet will help you kick the grain and sugar habit which has been causing the ups and downs of your weight management issues without having to resort to artificial sweeteners.

Cravings often have emotional components which also need to be addressed. Dr. Mercola recommends the Meridian Tapping Technique (MTT), also known as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), for this purpose.

Keep Your Gut Healthy with Probiotics and the No-Grain Diet

"Death begins in the colon.” Has a morbid ring to it but it’s close to the truth. Coroners often encounter colons which are almost 80 percent clogged with waste when they perform their autopsies.

According to independent U.K. organization Royal Society of Medicine, gastrointestinal tract infection leads to 90 percent of all chronic diseases.

You are exposed to countless of toxins and chemicals every day through the air you breathe, and in particular, the food you eat, the water you drink and the pharmaceutical drugs you take. You are giving your gut the heavy burden of having to process harmful substances it was never meant to process, such as artificial sweeteners, flavorings, sedatives and other toxic offenders.

Several of these toxic substances are highly active and can produce profound effects, even at very small quantities. The cumulative effect of these poisons is an unhealthy body and serious disease.

For example, a study conducted by UCLA researchers links exposure to maneb and paraquat, two pesticides used to protect dry beans, potatoes and tomatoes, to Parkinson’s disease.

Aside from being contaminated with pesticides and other hazardous chemicals, conventionally-grown produce tends to have lesser nutrients.

Eating “regular” beef, chicken and fish, on the other hand, also has its share of risks. Beef and chicken may contain antibiotics and growth hormones, while a lot of the fish available on the market today are caught off mercury-polluted waters.

The no-grain diet helps you take good care of your gut by emphasizing the importance of consuming organic fruits and vegetables and choosing healthy meat, including grass-fed beef, organic poultry and mercury-free fish.

Organic foods are “gentler” on your gastrointestinal tract because they contain less (or no) pesticides and provide higher levels of vitamins and minerals.

Most people also don’t know that 80 percent of the immune system lives in the gastrointestinal tract. That is why your gut is counting on you to keep it healthy, for your own sake.

For Dr. Joseph Mercola, taking a quality probiotics supplement is a simple and effective way to help maintain the balance between the good and bad bacteria in your intestinal tract.

Good bacteria began “colonizing” your gut the moment after your birth, with the first immune-building bacteria “settlers” coming from your mom’s breast milk, Dr. Mercola explains.

As you grow older, however, poor diet and lifestyle choices gradually poison your gut, feeding the growth of bad bacteria.

When the delicate balance between the good and bad bacteria in your gut is disturbed by antibiotics, an inadequate and flawed diet, environmental toxins and other foreign invaders, it can lead to digestive problems and stomach illness. Recurring gastrointestinal disturbances can even result to more serious conditions such as Crohn’s disease and colon cancer.

To help you avoid these problems, Mercola recommends New and Improved Complete Probiotics, a specially-formulated probiotic supplement containing 10 good bacteria strains. This probiotic powerhouse contains almost 66 billion beneficial bacteria in every capsule, helping you maintain the ratio of good to bad bacteria in your gut, supports normal immune response, enhances the breakdown of toxins, and promotes appropriate bowel transit times.

Aside from helping keep your gut healthy, New and Improved Complete Probiotics helps support the production of B vitamins and vitamin K, promote mineral absorption, support protein and carbohydrate digestion, produces lactic acid to support digestive function and colon pH balance, helps maintain healthy serum lipid and blood pressure levels, and even helps promote oral health.

A clean and normal gut means a healthier and happier you. Death doesn’t have to begin in the colon if you decide to take control of your health. The simple act of taking a probiotics supplement can greatly enhance your life.

Why You Need to Stay Away from Trans Fats

Trans fats are fats that are formed when vegetable oils harden into margarine and shortening. Hydrogen atoms are added to the fat to make it more stable at room temperature. This process is known as hydrogenization.

Trans fats are used to enhance food, like make peanut butter creamier, and to extend the shelf life of food products by decreasing grease.

But that is about everything that trans fats are good for because this type of fat is one of the most dangerous things you can consume!

Numerous studies have revealed that trans fats increase LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels while decreasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol, increase the risk of heart attack, heart disease and stroke, and contribute to increased inflammation, diabetes and other health problems.

If you add just 2 percent of trans fat-based calories to your diet, you’ll increase your risk of heart disease by 23 percent, the Harvard School of Health warns.

And to make matters worse, trans fats are known as phantom fats because they can be found in a variety of different processed food products, including French fries, donuts, biscuits, pizza dough and a lot more.

Since Americans spend almost 90 percent of their food budget buying processed foods, the average person eats about six grams of trans fats per day.

Because trans fat is basically an industrial product, there are no safe levels of consumption. The American Heart Association recommends limiting trans fat intake to less than two grams per day, or zero, if possible.

Dr. Mercola’s no-grain diet will help you avoid trans fats by eliminating processed foods from your diet and introducing the right kinds of fat to consume, like butter and coconut oil or olive oil for cooking.

Not all fats are bad for you. There are no studies which directly correlate the consumption of fatty foods and increased health risk. As long as you consume the right type of fats, you need not worry.

Shatter the Saturated Fat Myth with the No-Grain Diet

The no-grain diet, aside from being an effective weight loss program, also helps shatter some unhealthy and potentially dangerous myths, including that on saturated fat.

Man has been consuming saturated fats for thousands of years. All animal products, like meat, eggs and dairy, contain saturated fats as well as plant fats like coconut oil and palm oil. However, in the early 1950's, saturated fats were suddenly vilified due to a single flawed study from one Ancel Keys, who used selective data collected from six countries to spread the word that these fats contribute to heart disease and obesity.

As a result, western cultures propagated the saturated fat myth, which gradually brainwashed the public. Many doctors and dietitians have been taught this myth and they unwittingly convey it to their patients.

The food industry branded all saturated fats as unhealthy and in turn, promoted polyunsaturated fats such as vegetable, canola, soybean, safflower, corn, and other seed and nut oils – the very oils that you should be avoiding – as healthy.

These polyunsaturated fats quickly turn rancid when oxidized and produce large amounts of harmful free radicals, damaging agents that accelerate aging, cause clotting, increase the risk of cancer and promote inflammation and weight gain.

Before 1900, people hardly consumed vegetable oils. Currently, the average American consumes nearly 40 pounds of fats that were originally not part of the human diet. Ironically, the increased consumption of these so-called “healthy oils” is actually making people unhealthy, Dr. Joseph Mercola points out.

The proof? Two out of three adults and one out of five children in the U.S. are obese due to grains and sugar and consumption of unsaturated fats while Mediterranean and Asian cultures who eat diets high in saturated fats have lower rates of heart disease and longer life spans.

The truth is that saturated fats are essential for optimal health, Dr. Mercola explains. Fat soluble nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E, K, and B12 are best absorbed by your body in the form of saturated fats, which are converted into energy almost straight away and are not stored as fat. You can consume these saturated fats hot or cold, since they're heat resistant and can be used for cooking.

So don’t be surprised if eating a sunny side up egg fried in butter along with a thick layer of raw milk cheese and full-fat yogurt results in weight loss, while your friends on a low-fat diet laden with artificial sweeteners are struggling to get results.

Aside from weight loss, no-grain diet benefits include correcting dangerous misconceptions like the saturated fat myth. The no-grain diet will help introduce these healthy fats back into your daily menu because it’s not the amount, but the type of fat you eat that matters.

Lose Weight with L-Carnitine and the No-Grain Diet

L-carnitine is an amino acid synthesized from the essential amino acids lysine and methionine. Studies show that l-carnitine, which was discovered in 1905, is important in burning fat and providing energy to the body as it transports fatty acids to the mitochondria, your cells’ powerhouses, where they serve as fuel for energy.

L-carnitine is found in asparagus, avocado, beef, breast milk, chicken, dairy products, fish, lamb and tempeh (a fermented soy product).

Due to its fat burning effect, l-carnitine is a popular ingredient in many diet pills and weight loss supplements. Because your heart derives about 70 percent of its energy from fat, l-carnitine may help protect against some cardiovascular diseases like angina, cardiomyopathy and high blood pressure.

L-carnitine may also help:

• Improve insulin sensitivity for people with type 2 diabetes
• Promote muscle growth and bone health
• Protect against kidney and liver disease
• Improve the antioxidant effect of vitamin C and vitamin E
• Improve the overall feeling of wellness
• Alleviate chronic fatigue syndrome
• Support erectile function and improve sperm count

Pregnant women may also benefit from an l-carnitine supplement because carnitine levels are depleted due to the high carnitine requirements of the fetus.

Because it facilitates fat burning and boosts energy levels, l-carnitine can help reduce food cravings and help you exercise longer to increase your chances of losing weight, Dr. Joseph Mercola explains. Dr. Mercola’s no-grain diet enhances l-carnitine’s effectiveness because it helps normalize your insulin levels. Eating a lot of grains hinders the effects of l-carnitine because high insulin levels disrupt carnitine enzymes.

L-carnitine tartrate is a highly active and stable form of carnitine. Exercise, follow the no-grain diet and take as much as 1,000 mg of l-carnitine tartrate daily for faster weight loss results. Take it early in the morning to help jumpstart your day.

Eat More Vegetables with the No-Grain Diet

Dr. Joseph Mercola’s no-grain diet, in a way, is similar to a protein diet, but the no-grain diet is different due to its strong emphasis on vegetables. You’ll be making a big mistake if you focus solely on carbohydrate content as the measurement of a food, without considering the type of carbohydrate and its effect to your body.

Avoiding grains means avoiding simple carbohydrates to normalize your insulin levels. However, you don’t need to avoid complex carbohydrate foods that don’t trigger an insulin reaction because you’ll be missing out on vital nutrients. These complex carbohydrates come in the form of vegetables.

For Dr. Mercola, eating more vegetables is as important to a healthy nutrition plan as reducing/eliminating the consumption of grains and sugars, drinking more water, or consuming vitamins and omega-3 fats.

Studies show that eating vegetables help prevent cancer, lower blood pressure, and lower the risk of heart disease and stroke, among other health benefits.

But in the same way that not all carbohydrates are the same, vegetables are not created equal. While almost all vegetables are good, some are clearly far better, from a nutritional standpoint, than others, Dr. Mercola explains.

The rule of thumb for vegetables is the greener the better, though there are a few vegetables that are not green but are also very nutritious.

Here’s a list of Mercola’s highly recommended vegetables

Asparagus	Endive
Avocado (actually a fruit)	Escarole
Beet greens	Fennel
Bok Choy	Kale
Broccoli	Kohlrabi
Brussel sprouts	Lettuce (romaine, red leaf, green leaf)
Cabbage (green and red)	Mustard greens
Cauliflower	Onions
Celery	Parsley
Chicory	Peppers (green, red, yellow and hot)
Chinese cabbage	Spinach
Chives	Tomatoes (also a fruit)
Collard greens	Turnips
Dandelion greens	Zucchini

Avoid starchy vegetables like beets, carrots, eggplants, jicima, parsnips, peas, potatoes and winter squashes because they are high in carbohydrates.

It’s best to eat organic, locally-grown vegetables that are in season raw (as you should eat at least one-third of your food consumption raw). If you can’t find an organic farmer, make sure to carefully wash your vegetables and remove peels and cores to minimize your exposure to pesticides and other chemicals.

Juicing is an important component of the no-grain diet because it’s the easy, convenient and delicious way to regularly consume large amounts of nutrients – vitamins, minerals, enzymes and antioxidants – in a form that is easily digested, absorbed and assimilated by your body.

Whether you eat a salad or drink vegetable juice, there’s no doubt that vegetables are good for you. The no-grain diet puts a premium on vegetable consumption to help you get as healthy as you can possibly be.

Get Grain-Free Recipes from the No-Grain Diet

Have you ever imagined eating a grain-free meal? Americans are so used to consuming grains that many people will feel unsatisfied if they don’t get to eat bread, pasta or dessert with their meals.

It also doesn’t help that the USDA Food Pyramid recommends generous servings of bread, cereal, pasta and rice per day.

Eating a diet loaded with grains will increase your insulin levels and impair your body’s ability to burn fat, leading to weight gain, at the very least.

Your so-called “grain addiction” stems the "high" that you get from eating grain products. Grains are essentially comfort foods and produce a spike in your blood sugar, which comes with a corresponding insulin release to compensate for the blood sugar surge.

Eating grains also releases serotonin, a “feel good” neurotransmitter that induces relaxation and a state of wellbeing

Aside from weight gain, your habit of eating grains in every meal will impair your body’s ability to function properly – sapping your energy, give you digestive problems and leave you prone to disease.

That is why you should limit or even entirely eliminate grains from your diet based on your Nutritional Type.

You can break free from this addictive cycle by not eating grains for three days, Dr. Joseph Mercola, DO, explains. The first step is by giving the no-grain diet a shot. You’ll be surprised at the number of delicious and nutritious grain-free recipes you can try.

Here is a sample grain-free menu:

• Breakfast – no-grain pancakes with cinnamon butter, homemade sausage patties (grass-fed beef or bison) and Dr. Mercola’s green juice (the beginner’s juice consists of celery, cucumber and fennel)
• Lunch – energy soup (composed of herbs and vegetables), Asian salad, hearty stew (turkey)
• Snacks – Chicken and vegetable wrap using Romaine lettuce with walnut garlic sauce
• Dinner – Squash spaghetti with tomato meat sauce

At the beginning, you may feel hungry after eliminating grains from your meals. This means you will likely have to adjust the ratio of protein, fat and carbohydrates in your diet. Try eating more protein and lesser carbs, or more carbs and lesser fat.

Grain-free recipes are just one part of the no-grain diet. Understanding the no-grain diet principles will help you continually adjust the program so it can work for you. Grab a copy of Dr. Mercola’s No-Grain Diet to get more grain-free recipes and learn how to eat the no-grain way.

The Zone Diet: Just Another One-Size-Fits-All Diet

The Zone Diet, is an eating program popularized by former MIT and University of Virginia biochemist Barry Sears. According to Sears, a person can stay fit if he/she eats meals in which 40 percent of the calories are from carbohydrates, 30 percent from proteins and 30 percent from fats.

Putting it simply, the Zone Diet preaches: eat the butter but don’t spread it on the bread.

Sears' 1995 book, The Zone, sold some 1.5 million copies and has been translated into 14 languages. The Zone promotes “hormonal thinking” when it comes to food, rather than thinking of calories, and blames insulin, not dietary fat, for making Americans obese. According to Sears, people should think of food “not as a source of calories but as a control system for hormones.”

The Zone Diet’s 40-30-30 ratio was designed to control the body’s insulin production and restricts certain carbohydrates which rapidly release glucose – grains, bread, pasta, rice and other starches – in favor of more protein, in the form of lean meat, egg whites, poultry and fish; and includes fats like olive oil, canola oil, macadamia nuts, almonds and avocado.

Sears believes that the human body is genetically programmed for his 40-30-30 carbohydrate-protein-fat ratio. But while the Zone Diet did provide weight loss results for a lot of people, it’s far from being a healthy eating plan.

Here are the reasons why the Zone Diet is just another one of those fad diets:

• The Zone Diet is a one-size-fits-all diet – To become optimally healthy, one has to eat according to his/her unique Nutritional Type, Dr. Joseph Mercola explains. Meaning, some people thrive with more carbohydrates on their diet; others on eating more proteins. Dr. Mercola’s no-grain diet is designed to help people get to their weight ideal weight and prepare them to eat according to their Nutritional Type.
• Faulty nutritional suggestions – While the Zone Diet appreciates the value of omega-3 fats and limiting grains, it has its share of questionable recommendations. For one, canola oil is not best oil. Soy isn’t the healthiest food either. Ice cream, as we know, is loaded with sugar, one of your main obstacles to good health. Eating too much fish exposes people to the dangers of mercury. Also, without fat, the Zone Diet is bound to leave you hungry.
• The Zone Diet is too structured – Many dieters will find it hard to stick to the 40-30-30 ratio when they’re not at home or eating out. If they do find a Zone Diet menu in a restaurant, it’s not gonna come cheap – a five-course Zone meal goes for around $50.The Zone Diet sets specific time intervals for eating, like breakfast within an hour after getting up and dinner within two and a half hours of the prescribed afternoon snack. In the long run, the more structure a dieter has to follow, the more confusion and temptation he/she has to deal with.

Dr. Mercola’s no-grain diet will provide dieters with a totally new dieting experience that is based on time-tested principles. By helping you eliminate cravings, yo-yo dieting and confusion, The No-Grain Diet is the last diet book you’ll ever need.

Low-Carb Diets: Culture Fixture or Food Fad?

At any given moment, 25 percent of adults are on a diet. In the battle to lose weight, carbohydrates have been singled out as the main enemy. That is why low-carb diets like the Atkins diet, South Beach diet and Zone diet have become so popular.

At first glance, a low-carb diet seems to be a God-send for obesity-plagued America. But what you need to remember is that carbohydrates are NOT unhealthy. Carbs give your body energy and are found in highly nutritious foods like fruits, milk and vegetables. Like all nutrients, carbohydrates get stored as fat if you consume too many of them.

If you don't consume enough carbohydrates, your body will turn to its stored energy in the form of muscle or fat cells. In a low-carb diet, only about 15 to 20 percent of calories come from carbs, meaning the other 75 to 80 percent of energy must come from proteins and fats.

Proteins and fats are important in a balanced diet, but if you are cutting down on carbs, you may consume more protein and fat than what your body actually needs to keep you full. Digesting protein gives an extra work load to your kidneys and takes calcium from the body. A high-protein diet may also have you eating too much saturated fat.

It can’t be denied that a lot of people have lost weight while on a low-carb diet but will it help dieters keep the weight off in the long run and keep them healthy?

A growing body of medical evidence supports the notion that short term low-carb dieting will help achieve weight loss and would be beneficial in fighting heart disease and diabetes. However, studies on long-term effects have barely started.

Dieters on a low-carb diet lose weight because they don’t have too many food choices and end up eating less. They achieve weight loss not because they are avoiding carbs but simply because they are consuming less food.

American obsession with dieting is ironic because we are still the most overweight population in the planet. As such, there is no end in sight anytime soon for the prevailing “low-carb culture” because it would take years before conclusive long-term studies on low-carb diet health risks would be available.

Dr. Joseph Mercola agrees that it is primarily carbohydrates that contribute to increased weight again and lead to a number of illnesses and disorders. His revolutionary no-grain diet is designed to help dieters beat carbohydrate addiction to stay slim for life.

The no-grain diet includes:

• The 3-Day Diet – a food plan for eating every 2 hours to help you get rid of grains, sweets and starches from your system
• The 50-Day Diet Plan – a longer food plan for eating 4 to 6 meals a day to help you normalize your cholesterol levels
• The Lifelong Maintenance Plan – Specific food guidelines that allow you to introduce certain grains back to your diet
• The Emotional Freedom Technique – a psychological acupressure method which will teach you how to beat carbohydrate cravings and addiction for life

Dr. Mercola stresses that the key to a successful weight loss program is understanding that what may work for you may not work for others because we all have different dietary needs based on our unique Nutritional Types.

The no-grain diet is not a quick fix; it’s an eating plan that you can follow for a lifetime.

13 Reasons Why You Should Skip the South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet, much like its predecessor, the Atkins diet, has helped promote the merits of a low-carb diet and also helped debunk the dangerous myth that low-fat dieting is safe and effective.

But for Dr. Joseph Mercola, the South Beach Diet’s benefits ends there. An osteopathic physician with over two decades of clinical experience, he minces no words when he says, “I would never recommend the South Beach Diet to any of my patients.”

Dr. Mercola says he can write a whole book to explain just how misguided Dr. Agatston’s eating program is but here are the 13 main reasons why you should skip the South Beach Diet:

1. Gets the "good" carbs wrong – Dr. Agatston promotes the concept that there are good carbs that you should be consuming and bad carbs you should avoid. But he gets the "good" carbs wrong and promotes both whole grain breads and fruits – which can seriously impair the health of millions of Americans with sub clinical gluten sensitivity. Unless a person has normal insulin levels, it’s best to avoid ALL grains and sugars.
2. Dangerous levels of mercury and PCBs in the diet – Eating a lot of fish is a major part of Dr. Agatston’s regimen, which means you could potentially be ingesting dangerous levels of mercury and PCBs that can cause neurological disorders and other serious diseases. It would also cost over $90 a week for a dieter to follow the South Beach Diet’ recommended fish intake.
3. Commercially pasteurized milk is good – Many people are unaware that they have problems with food allergies caused by pasteurized casein from commercially pasteurized milk, problems which usually disappear completely, if they switch to raw, organic milk.
4. The saturated fat myth – Dr. Agatston still believes in the dangerous myth that saturated fat is bad for you. The truth is, some high quality saturated food, such as virgin coconut oil, needs to be part of a truly healthy diet.
5. Artificial sweeteners are good for you – The use of aspartame/NutraSweet, which has been associated to a number of diseases like cancer and diabetes, is encouraged by the South Beach Diet.
6. Misguided advice on trans fats – Dr. Agatston clearly contradicts himself when he states that trans fats are dangerous but says that French fries and potato chips are healthier than baked potatoes because of the "fat in which they're cooked." These foods tend to be very high in trans fats and are among the unhealthiest foods you can consume.
7. Synthetic margarines are better than real butter – The process of producing synthetic margarine completely distorts the physical structure of its fats, making it nearly as dangerous as margarines that contain trans fats. As mentioned above, some saturated fat, such as those found in raw organic butter and virgin coconut oil, are necessary for optimal health.
8. Lack of nutritional insight can cause cancer – Dr. Agatston further displays his lack of nutritional awareness by promoting peanut butter as a good source of monounsaturated fat and the antioxidant resveratrol, when peanuts are probably the crop most heavily-sprayed with pesticides, and are very susceptible to contamination by afflatoxin, a carcinogenic mold spore.
9. The use of statin drugs to lower cholesterol – Dr. Agatston actually takes a statin drug to lower his cholesterol levels, apparently unaware of the many dangers associated with cholesterol-lowering medication, when there are natural ways to lower cholesterol.
10. The South Beach Diet is another one-size-fits-all diet – Dr. Agatston ignores the fact that we have different genetic requirements for optimal health. Some people thrive on a high carb diet while others need the low-carb, high-protein diet that Dr. Atkins advocates.
11. Too little exercise requirement – Dr. Agatston's advice on exercise, an important part of any weight loss program, is highly debatable. He says 20 minutes of exercise per day is enough, which is only applicable if one is already in shape. Many Americans have developed a serious exercise deficiency and will need higher levels of exercise to significantly produce a metabolic response that will continuously burn fats, especially while one sleeps.
12. Lack of guidance on the glycemic index – Like the Atkins diet, the South Beach Diet promotes the use of the glycemic index, which is too flawed to be of any value.
13. Does not address the emotional issues associated with weight gain – Most people on fad diets like the South Beach Diet will not permanently lose weight because they do not tackle the emotional challenges that come with dieting, such as cravings, food addictions, self-image issues and the other self-sabotaging behavior.

Six Reasons Not to Go On the Atkins Diet

The late Dr. Robert Atkins first introduced his popular low-carb diet, the Atkins diet, in 1972. At that time, his low-carb approach clashed with the popular low-fat, low-calorie diet fad.

The Atkins diet helped correct the misinformed and potentially dangerous “fear-of-fat” mentality and helped many people achieve their weight loss goals.

When you consume too many carbohydrates, you burn some of the carbs for energy while the rest get stored as fats. Eating fewer carbs will force your body to use fat as its primary energy source. The Atkins diet aims to transform your body to burn fat for fuel instead of carbs.

But while Dr. Atkins’ work with nutrition is groundbreaking, it has its share of shortcomings because low-carb diets are bound to fail at some point. Aside from promoting a “one-size-fits-all” diet, labeling all carbohydrates as bad and using the glycemic index, here are more reasons why the Atkins diet is not an optimal eating program:

1. Ketosis – In almost all cases, the Atkins diet induces ketosis, which means that the body mainly uses fats for energy because it doesn’t have enough carbohydrates to burn as fuel. As a result, the body produces ketones – breakdown molecules generated during fat metabolism. Patients on the Atkins diet often develop a strange breath odor that can be mistaken as alcohol because of a type of ketone called acetone. Prolonged severe ketosis is potentially dangerous because it can affect a dieter’s blood acidity, which can lead to kidney and liver damage.
2. Unnecessary Counting of Carb Calories – The Atkins diet asks dieters to use a "carbohydrate gram counter" to monitor their carb calories, which is unnecessary if you’re eating the right type of carbs and foods for your unique Nutritional Type. Your body naturally tells you when it's time to start and stop eating. Counting carbs is also inconvenient and time-consuming.
3. Recommendation of Sucralose (Splenda) – Dr. Atkins advocates reduced sugar intake but he recommends the use of sucralose-based artificial sweeteners like Splenda. Splenda side effects range from headaches and digestive issues to serious kidney and liver problems.
4. Nut Intake – Low-carb diets like the Atkins diet and the South Beach Diet recommends that you eat nuts, which provide health benefits but are high in omega-6 fats. An omega-6-rich diet is a big contributing factor to many chronic degenerative diseases.
5. Insufficient Exercise – Dr. Atkins’ program only allots 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise. Most overweight people need an hour to increase the mitochondria levels in their muscles, which in turn, will speed up their metabolic rate, allowing them to continue burning calories while at rest and even while sleeping.
6. Food Quality – The Atkins diet does not give enough importance to the quality of food. Steak and burgers from factory-farmed animals are fine, as well as commercially-pasteurized milk and common fish, which are often contaminated with mercury and other dangerous chemicals. For Dr. Joseph Mercola, grass-fed beef, organic raw milk, and mercury-free fish like wild Alaskan salmon, are superior food choices.

But while the Atkins diet has its flaws, it doesn’t diminish the fact that Dr. Atkins is one of the foremost nutrition pioneers of the 20th century.

Dr. Mercola attempts to refine Dr. Atkins’ groundbreaking work to the next level with his revolutionary No-Grain Diet, which would help you eat healthy, burn excess pounds and overcome the post-diet “yo-yo” effect that prevents you from keeping the extra weight off.

Why Low-Carb Diets are Bound to Fail You

A low-carb diet is an eating program that advocates a drastically reduced consumption of carbohydrates. In order to achieve weight loss, you must burn more calories than you consume. Depriving your body of carbohydrates will force your body to reach out to stored fat for energy, causing you to lose weight.

The late Dr. Robert Atkins almost single-handedly educated Americans about the low-carbohydrate diet concept when he introduced the popular Atkins diet, the most well-known low-carb diet. The main principle behind the Atkins diet is that carbohydrates increase the rate of insulin in your body, which promotes the storage of fat.

While Dr. Atkins work helped establish the link between obesity and insulin, here are 4 reasons why the Atkins diet won’t help you keep off weight in the long run, nor help reduce your risk of diseases:

1.       The Atkins diet is a low-carbohydrate, high-fat and high protein diet. However, it’s a single program designed for the entire population and is basically a “one-size-fits all” diet. But one man’s food may be another man’s poison. One-third of Americans actually need a high carbohydrate diet, and, following the Atkins diet means they would be depriving their bodies of the ideal fuel that they need.

2.       Dr. Atkins labeled all carbohydrates as bad. Vegetable carbohydrates are different from the carbohydrates that come from grains, and as such, do not need to be restricted to effectively achieve weight loss. Some people actually need two-thirds of their food to be vegetable carbohydrates; so in essence, they are on a high-carbohydrate but no-grain and no-sugar diet.

3.       The Atkins diet and the South Beach Diet make the same mistake of advocating the use of the glycemic index, a tool which helps you select foods that would have a minimal effect on your blood sugar levels. However, it is an unreliable and inconsistent tool because glycemic index values just have too many exceptions. Fructose, for example, has a low glycemic index, when in reality, too much of it is a prescription for obesity.

4.       Low-carb diets like the Atkins diet, will not address the emotional factors behind a person’s poor eating habits. For Dr. Joseph Mercola, one of the keys to effectively losing weight and living a truly healthy life is by overcoming the emotional challenges that are sabotaging your food choices.

The No-Grain Diet is a healthy way to achieve weight loss. It explains why restricting grains and sugars is one of the most important things you can do to achieve good health. But before trying any specialized diet, here’s a reminder from Dr. Mercola: there is no perfect diet for everyone or every condition. Diet needs to be modified to fit a specific person based on his or her own unique genetic requirements.

The Link between Carbohydrates and Obesity

There is a popular belief that overweight people eat more carbohydrates than those without weight issues. But on the contrary, it’s the kind of carbohydrates you consume, not how much, that matters when it comes to weight management.

The results of a study on obesity showed that people with a higher body mass index – which takes into account both a person’s height and weight – tend to eat carbohydrates with a higher glycemic index.

Glycemic index ranks carbohydrates based on how they affect our blood sugar levels. Low GI foods only cause small fluctuations in our blood sugar and insulin levels while high GI foods do the opposite.

The height and weight of around 600 healthy participants were measured and they were asked to record the kind of carbohydrates they ate for a year.

The researchers noted two key findings: 1. as mentioned earlier, those with a higher body mass index ate more carbohydrates with a higher glycemic index; and, 2. the amount of carbohydrates they ate did not influence body mass index.

The results of the study suggests that a low-carb diet like the Atkins diet, which asks dieters to cut back on all carbohydrates, is missing the mark, when it’s actually the kind of carbohydrates you eat that determines your risk of obesity.

That’s because not all carbohydrates are created equal and because one-third of Americans need a high-carb diet.

Dr. Joseph Mercola explains that your body prefers the carbohydrates found in vegetables rather than grains because they are converted into simple sugars slower and decreases your insulin level.

However, if you’re addicted to refined carbohydrates like white bread, pasta and sugar-rich processed foods, don’t be surprised if you don’t like what you see when you step on the weighing scale.

How Refined Carbohydrates Increase Your Obesity Risk

Everyone needs to eat a certain amount of carbohydrates but your body’s ability to store carbohydrates is limited, so if you consume more carbohydrates than what you need, they are converted, through insulin, into fat and stored as fat, thereby increasing your risk of obesity, bloating, depression, fatigue, frequent sleepiness, and almost all chronic degenerative diseases.

Eating a meal or snack high in grain and sugar carbohydrates will typically generate a spike in blood glucose. Your pancreas compensates for this surge by secreting insulin into your bloodstream, which lowers your blood sugar. Increased insulin levels will suppress two other important hormones – glucagon and growth hormone – which are responsible for burning fat and sugar and promoting muscle growth.

While many dietitians consider the glycemic index to be an important tool, Dr. Mercola explains that is not very reliable because it contains many exceptions that render it ineffective.

For example, if you would follow the index standards, you will find that fructose is acceptable because it has a very low glycemic index, when in reality, fructose (especially in the form of high fructose corn syrup) is one of the main reasons why people are overweight. If your goal is weight loss, you should also avoid other low-glycemic-index foods like apple juice, chocolate and cherries.

The glycemic index is not a reliable method to lose weight or improve your health. One of the best ways to prevent your insulin levels from going overboard and your body from storing too much fat is by eliminating grains and sugars, which you can achieve through the no-grain diet.

How the No-Grain Diet Helps in Clearing Up Acne

Acne, pimples or zits, whatever you may want to call it, this common skin condition affects more than 80 percent of Americans, teenagers and adults alike, at some point in their lifetime.

An acne breakout can be a very stressful episode, at whatever age it may strike. Acne comes and goes on its own but some people develop severe cases of acne that warrant medical attention.

Every year, people suffering from acne spend hundreds of millions of dollars on different over-the-counter and prescription acne treatment methods, including antibiotics, drugs like Accutane, and even acne gadgets.

But what is the best way to treat acne?

Many dermatologists will tell you that what you eat has nothing to do with acne but they couldn’t be further from the truth.

Dr. Joseph Mercola explains that some people are predisposed to developing acne lesions. And if your diet is causing an increase in your insulin levels and associated insulin growth factors, it will trigger an acne breakout.

When you consume refined carbohydrates and sugar, it causes a spike in your insulin levels and a surge in an insulin-like growth factor called IGF-1 in your body. This in turn, leads to an overproduction of male hormones, causing your pores to secrete a greasy substance called sebum, which attracts the acne-causing propioniform bacteria.

Some say that acne started in the West because studies show that it is almost non-existent in non-westernized countries where refined carbohydrates and sugar are not widely consumed. No acne cases were found among Papua New Guinea islanders and Paraguayan hunter-gatherers, suggesting the significant role of environmental factors, such as diet, in acne.

So why isn’t your doctor telling you to change your eating habits to treat your acne? Simple: a healthy diet can’t be “sold,” and they can’t prescribe you with conventional acne treatments like topical acne creams and antibiotics.

The no-grain diet will help you radically reduce your insulin production by reducing or severely limiting your consumption of grains and sugars. This will involve avoiding bread, cereal, pasta, rice, potatoes, and corn.

For 40 years, Dr. Mercola had his own struggles with acne but after understanding the influence and dangers of grains on health, acne became a non-issue for him.

But helping prevent acne is just a side effect of the no-grain diet; leading you to optimal health is its main goal.

BioThin: The Healthy and All-Natural Weight Loss Supplement

Still in search of that perfect diet pill? Sorry to burst your bubble, but it doesn’t exist.

Let’s face it: there are no short cuts in weight loss. Sure you can say there’s liposuction and cosmetic surgery, there are all sorts of diet pills, weight loss products and fad diets that come and go, but the fact of the matter is, they may be able to help you shed a couple of pounds, but can they keep the extra weight off permanently?

Obesity has risen to epidemic levels in the U.S. With two out of three Americans being overweight, and one out of three clinically obese, it’s no wonder everyone wants to lose weight. But the problem is not everyone is willing to sacrifice and work hard to achieve weight loss the right way.

In order to effectively lose those extra pounds and keep them off, you need to understand that an effective weight loss program is a combination of having the proper diet and good exercise.

For Dr. Joseph Mercola, having the proper diet means eating according to your Nutritional Type. He believes that different types of food were designed for our genes and unique biochemistry, therefore, eating the foods that are right for your genetic makeup and personal metabolism will help normalize your weight.

If you are not yet at your ideal weight, Dr. Mercola’s No-Grain Diet is a great way to help you beat grain and sugar addiction – two of the main causes of your weight problems.

Getting 30 minutes to an hour of appropriate exercise daily is the second most important thing you need in order to effectively lose weight. Besides weight loss, regular exercise provides you with a host of other health benefits.

The proper diet and good exercise go hand in hand to help you lose weight. But if you want something to boost your weight loss efforts, Dr. Mercola has exactly what you need.

BioThin is an all natural weight loss supplement formulated by Dr. Mercola to help you manage your weight the healthy way. BioThin combines the benefits of seven of the best natural weight loss products – fucoxanthin, pomegranate, hoodia gordonii, ginger root, cayenne, garcinia cambogia and apple cider vinegar – to give you one amazing product that helps you lose weight, improve your metabolism and overall digestion, and provide you with generous amounts of powerful antioxidants and vitamins and minerals.

These seven active ingredients come from real food and botanicals that help enhance the weight loss benefits of eating according to your Nutritional Type and following the no-grain diet.

Start shedding those excess pounds and say goodbye to your old figure by eating right, exercising and taking BioThin. It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself this spring.

The Many Ways Corn is Making Americans Unhealthy

Corn is the world’s most widely grown cereal crop. Yes, it’s a grain, not a vegetable, as many mistakenly assume it to be.

Being a grain, corn has been causing health problems for thousands of years. Based on studies done on excavated bones of some Native American tribes in Florida, renowned anthropologist Dr. Clark Spencer Larsen found that a corn-rich diet contributed to serious and widespread disease.

His team found evidence of anemia, dental cavities, osteoarthritis, bone infections and other problems in the bones of Native Americans who lived after the arrival of Europeans and adopted a more homogenous diet largely based on corn, than in those who lived prior to colonization and had a traditional hunter-gatherer diet rich in animal meat, plants and seafood.

Aside from the fact that corn breaks down into sugar very rapidly to increase insulin levels, Dr. Larsen provides other nutritional problems attributed to a corn-rich diet:

• Corn’s sugar content promotes cavities and contributes to poor oral health.
• Corn is a poor source of protein and is usually deficient in 3 of the 8 essential amino acids: lysine, isoleucine and tryptophan.
• Corn contains significant amounts of phytate, a chemical that binds to iron and inhibits its absorption by the body. A diet high in phytate may increase the risk of iron-deficiency anemia, as well as other problems associated with poor iron status.
• Corn is also a poor source of certain minerals such as calcium and some vitamins such as vitamin B3 (niacin). Lack of niacin or the amino acid tryptophan can result in pellagra, which is common in corn-eating communities and can cause a variety of symptoms such as dermatitis, diarrhea, and depression.

The 'Cornification' of America

We are a nation saturated in corn, says Michael Pollan, author of the The New York Times bestseller The Omnivore's Dilemma, which examines the American way of eating. Pollan explains that our entire food supply has undergone "cornification" in recent years.

In Mexico, people have been eating corn for centuries, but in the United States, we don’t even see most of the corn we consume, having been heavily processed, usually in the form of high fructose corn syrup, or passed through food animals before it reaches us. Chickens, pigs and cows are fattened with a diet of corn, regardless of whether it is good for them.

Even farm-raised salmon are being bred to feed on corn, because it's the cheapest thing you can feed any animal. Because fish aren’t used to eating corn, who knows what kind of effects it could have.

The dangers of high fructose corn syrup have been well documented. It’s probably no coincidence that the obesity and type 2 diabetes epidemics in America started when we switched from sugar to corn sweeteners in the 1980s. High fructose corn syrup was a blessing for soft drink makers (and a bane for us) because it gave them a cheap sweetener, resulting in bigger servings and marketing budgets.

Other beverages, snacks and processed food products then began using high fructose corn syrup, causing an unhealthy spike in the amount of fructose in our diets. A quarter of the 45,000 items in the average supermarket now contain processed corn, often in the form of high fructose corn syrup.

Because corn is such an important crop in America, scientists are constantly looking for ways to increase production, and as a result, genetically modified corn has slowly been introduced in the food supply.

Studies show that the process of genetically altering food can damage the digestive and immune systems of mammals. Rats fed genetically modified corn had smaller kidneys and variations in their blood composition, signs that human health can also be compromised by eating such foods.

These are just some of the dangers of corn and how it is damaging your health. But did you know that our 80 million acres of corn are also causing serious and permanent damage to the health of the environment?

Pollan cites that modern corn hybrids are the greediest of plants because they need more nitrogen fertilizer and pesticide than any other crop. These chemicals find its way into the groundwater and, in the Midwestern corn belt, into the Mississippi River, and all the way to the Gulf of Mexico, where marine life is dying in a 12,000 square mile area.

Vast amounts of oil and natural gas are also needed to produce the chemicals we apply to our cornfields, which is another way that corn is contributing to pollution.

We should stop sacrificing the health of our bodies and the environment by limiting our corn intake. Eliminating corn from your diet will greatly contribute to your good health and weight loss aspirations. The no grain diet will help you break free from corn and carbohydrate addiction and guide you into selecting the right types of food.

Why Use Whey Protein?

Whey protein is one of the most popular dietary supplements for athletes and bodybuilders. Why? Because whey protein is considered as the richest source of biologically active protein, and proteins are important in maximizing muscle growth.

Whey is a byproduct of the production of cheese. When the milk curdles, and later on, coagulates, the hard portion (casein) and the liquid part, which is whey, are separated.

The liquid turns into a transparent, yellowish-green liquid and is slightly tart in flavor. When the liquid whey dries, it turns into powder, where the nutrients are concentrated.

But whey protein isn’t just for jocks and fitness buffs; it’s a highly-nutritious food that everyone can enjoy. Whey proteins are complex and can provide you with distinct health benefits.

In fact, whey protein is one of the world’s first health foods, as Hippocrates, the Greek recognized as the father of medicine, recommended whey to his patients as early as 420 B.C.

Here are the top reasons why you should include whey protein in your diet:

• Provides more energy by helping you digest and use protein more efficiently – The measure of the efficiency that proteins can be absorbed and utilized by your body is called the Biological Value (BV); the higher the BV, the greater the efficiency. Concentrated whey protein supplements have a BV of around 104 while whey protein in isolated form can reach 170, compared to beef protein (75), milk protein (85) and egg protein (100).
• Contains all the essential amino acids – including glutathione and its precursor, cysteine. Dr. Mercola explains that glutathione is your body’s chief antioxidant and detoxifier. It helps support your immune system, decrease signs of aging, cleanse your liver and support athletic performance. In general, amino acids are important in developing and sustaining new muscle mass.
• Contains immunoglobins, substances that help boost your immune system
• Helps enhance insulin secretion and helps insulin work more efficiently to maintain your blood sugar level after eating.
• Helps promote optimal intake of carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals for your overall wellness.
• May promote weight loss by providing satiety or fullness signals to help you regulate food intake, both short term and long term.
• Helps maintain normal blood pressure levels

A little known fact about whey is that 60 to 80 percent of the protein in breast milk is whey protein, meaning you start experiencing its health benefits as a baby.

A whey protein supplement is an excellent addition to a well-balanced diet – whether you’re a serious athlete or bodybuilder or just want to get fit and healthy.

Whey Protein Powder with Aminogen is an instant, convenient and quality source of protein that gives you that much-needed energy boost to start the day right, sustain you anytime during the day, or help revitalize your muscles after a dynamic workout. It contains an extraordinary, plant-derived enzyme called Aminogen, which helps you absorb amino acids and digest protein more efficiently, promote lean body mass, increase your strength and help your muscles recover after physical activity.

How does it taste? Whey Protein Powder with Aminogen comes in 3 of your favorite flavors – vanilla, chocolate and strawberry – to give you a delicious experience while enjoying the benefits of a “whey” better life.

Make Whey Protein Powder with Aminogen a part of your mornings, workouts or snacks and stay active longer!

Grains and the Dangers of Mycotoxins

There are many types of toxins that can wreak havoc with your health. Most of these toxins are things that you can’t see, smell or feel when you first come in contact with them, including one of the lesser known but dangerous types: mycotoxins.

Mycotoxins are compounds produced by fungi and literally mean “fungus poisons.” Poisoning caused by a mycotoxin is known as mycotoxicosis.

Mycotoxins can cause a wide range of health problems even if you’re just exposed to small amounts over an extended period of time. Mycotoxicosis can even be lethal if a patient has consumed large quantities of mycotoxins over a short period of time.

Mycotoxicosis symptoms depend on the type of mycotoxin, the amount and length of exposure, the age, health and sex of the exposed individual, and many poorly understood synergistic effects involving genetics, dietary status and interactions with other toxins.

This means that the severity of mycotoxin poisoning can be compounded by factors such as vitamin deficiency, caloric deprivation, alcohol abuse and infectious disease status.

Mycotoxins can also increase a patient’s vulnerability to microbial diseases, worsen the effects of malnutrition and interact synergistically with other toxins.

Dr. Dave Holland, co-author of the bestselling book The Fungus Link, is an expert on the harmful effects of mycotoxins on the human body. Dr. Holland’s list of diseases associated with mycotoxins include:

• AIDS
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Amyloidosis
• Anorexia Nervosa
• Atherosclerosis
• Balkan Nephropathy
• Bechet’s disease
• Cardiomyopathy
• Cirrhosis (alcoholic and biliary)
• Crohn’s disease
• Cushing’s disease
• Diabetes
• DIC
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Encephalopathy
• Ergotism
• Familial Mediterranean Fever
• Gout
• Heart failure
• Hyperactivity Syndrome
• Hyperaldosteronism
• Hyperlipidemia (high lipids)
• Hypertension
• Infertility
• IgA Nephropathy
• Kidney stones
• Leukocytoclastic vasculitis
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Mollaret’s meningitis
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Nephritis (kidney inflammation)

That’s quite a laundry list of diseases. And because the most toxic forms of fungi and the mycotoxins they produce have become more common in America’s modern and industrialized food supply, particularly in improperly stored, pesticide-sprayed grains which humans and livestock in large amounts in various forms, there lies the danger.

In 1985, the World Health Organization estimated that 25 percent of the world’s grains have been contaminated by mycotoxins. Today, more than two decades later, we can assume that this figure has increased due to an increase in global imports and exports of grains and cereals and the changes in the environment and weather.

If you want to avoid the dangers of mycotoxins, here are the top 10 foods to avoid (hint: most of them are grains):

1. Alcohol – is the mycotoxin of the Saccharomyces yeast (brewer’s yeast). Other mycotoxins besides alcohol can also be introduced into alcoholic beverages through the use of mold-contaminated grains and fruits. Alcohol producers often use grains that are too contaminated with fungi and mycotoxins to be eaten as table foods, so the risk of mycotoxicosis is higher if you are consuming more than just alcohol in your beverage.

2. Corn – is "universally contaminated" with mycotoxins such as fumonisin, aflatoxin, zearalenone and ochratoxin. Fumonisin and aflatoxin are known carcinogens, while zearalenone and ochratoxin cause estrogenic and kidney-related problems, respectively. It’s difficult to get away from corn because it’s everywhere! For example, a typical fast food chicken nugget comes from corn-fed chicken that is covered by a corn-based batter sweetened with corn syrup!

3. Wheat and wheat products – like bread, cereal and pasta. Pasta may be the “safest” because you can remove certain water-soluble mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin), when you drain the boiling water after cooking it. However, traces of the more harmful, heat-stable and fat-soluble mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin, remain. When it comes to bread – it doesn’t matter if it’s organic, inorganic, sprouted, blessed or not – if the grain used has been stored for months in a silo, it can be contaminated with fungi.

4. Barley – is equally susceptible to contamination by mycotoxins because it can also be damaged by drought, floods, and harvesting and storage processes. It’s used in the production of cereals and alcoholic beverages.

5. Sugar (sugar cane and sugar beets) – is often contaminated with fungi and like other grains and fuels the growth of fungi, which feed on carbohydrates.

6. Sorghum – is used in a number of grain-based products for both humans and animals, and is also an ingredient in the production of alcoholic beverages.

7. Peanuts – A 1993 study revealed that peanuts are colonized by at least 24 different types of fungi. The alarming part was that they were found after the exterior of the peanut was sterilized!

8. Rye – What applies for other grains is the same with rye. Also, when wheat and rye are used to make bread, sugar and yeast are added – two other products that worsen the fungi problem.

9. Cottonseed – is usually in the form of cottonseed oil but is also used in grain form for many animal foods. Many studies show that cottonseed is often highly contaminated with mycotoxins.

10. Hard Cheese – Each time you see a mold growing on your cheese, there’s a good chance that there’s also a mycotoxin present.

Rice, oats and beans, which are also sources of carbohydrates, may also contain mycotoxins but these crops are generally more resistant to fungal contamination.

Killing You Sweetly: The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is also known as crystalline fructose, isoglucose and glucose-fructose. But it doesn’t matter what name it hides under; it doesn’t change the fact that it’s utterly unhealthy for you.

Yes, high fructose corn syrup is a silent killer. And the danger is real because it’s very difficult to avoid.

What is HFCS? High fructose corn syrup is a highly refined artificial sweetener made by processing cornstarch into a thick, clear liquid. The industrial process for making HFCS was developed in the 1970s.

When the cost of importing sugar significantly increased in 1977, producers wanted a cheaper alternative. They found that sugar from corn – corn syrup, fructose, dextrose, dextrine and HFCS – was much less expensive to produce, much sweeter (processed fructose is almost 20 percent sweeter than common sugar) and is easier to transport because it’s a liquid. Thus, corn-based sweeteners were born.

 The result? High fructose corn syrup has drastically altered the American diet since it was widely introduced as a sweetener in the 1980s.

In 1966, sucrose (white sugar) had 86 percent of the market share for sweeteners. Today, more than 50 percent of sweeteners used are made from corn.

American consumption of HFCS increased by more than 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990. That’s bigger than the changes in intake of any other food or food group.

HFCS is now commonly found in almost all processed foods, including:

•  soft drinks (Coca-Cola, Pepsi)
• fruit juices (Snapple, Ocean Spray Cranberry )and canned fruits
•  breakfast cereals (Kellogg’s cornflakes)
• ice cream and dairy products (Dreyer’s, Yoplait yoghurts)
• cookies and crackers (Nabisco Ritz crackers)
• soups and sauces (Campbell’s vegetable soup)
• condiments and salad dressings (Heinz ketchup)
•  baking products and baked goods (Brownberry bread)
• candy bars and gum (PowerBar)
• jams, jellies and syrup (Smucker’s grape jelly)
•  even in cough syrups and low-fat diet foods (Robitussin, Vicks)!

If you’re fond of drinking soda and processed fruit juices and any of the above food items, chances are you’re “high” on high fructose corn syrup. HCFS is the number one source of calories in the American diet and is one of the main contributors to the obesity epidemic in the United States.

The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup

You’d be hard-pressed to find something in the supermarket which doesn’t contain high fructose corn syrup but there is no shortage of reasons why you should avoid HCFS because it:

• Travels straight to the liver where it is metabolized to fat. In fact, fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar.
• Contributes to the development of diabetes and tissue damage. A recent study presented at the 2007 national meeting of the American Chemical Society found new evidence that soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup contains high levels of reactive compounds that have been shown by others to trigger cell and tissue damage that cause diabetes.
• Does not stimulate insulin production or enhance leptin, a hormone involved in appetite regulation. Because insulin and leptin act as key signals in regulating how much food you eat, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased food consumption and weight gain.
• Contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals; instead, it takes micronutrients from your body while it assimilates itself for use. The fructose in HFCS is different from the natural fructose you get when you eat a small piece of whole fruit, which contains the nutrients needed for your body to assimilate sugar.
• Increases your triglyceride and LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Triglycerides are the chemical form of fat found in foods and in your body. Studies show that elevated blood levels of triglycerides increases your risk of heart disease.
• Is almost always made from genetically modified corn, which may radically increase your risk of developing corn food allergies. The problem with corn allergies are that once you have a corn allergy from GMO corn you will have an allergy to even healthy organic corn products.

Dr. Mercola’s advice is a no-brainer: if you want to lose weight and drastically improve your health, stop drinking soda and processed fruit juices. These beverages are sweetened with almost eight teaspoons of fructose per serving! Drink pure water instead and you will be well on your way to improved health. You should also severely limit your consumption of food that contains high fructose corny syrup.

These simple steps will help lower your risk of developing metabolic syndrome, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic diseases associated with elevated insulin levels.

Are You Suffering from Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance?

Have you had an upset stomach or felt bloated after eating wheat bread? If this happens quite often, then you might be suffering from a form of food allergy known as Celiac disease.

Those suffering from Celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance, cannot digest gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.

When someone with Celiac disease eats gluten, an autoimmune response is triggered, provoking the body to attack itself and destroy healthy tissues, especially the villi in the small intestine.

All nutrients are absorbed in the intestine through the villi, and if this delicate mechanism is damaged, it can cause all sorts of problems such as chronic diarrhea, gas, bloating, reflux and constipation.

More serious concerns include malabsorption of nutrients (leading to malnourishment) and the “leaky gut syndrome,” wherein undigested proteins and plant toxins called lectins enter the bloodstream to wreak havoc on the immune system.

Celiac disease can also manifest in ways having nothing to do with the digestive system. Other people experience fatigue, joint pain, mouth ulcers, bone pain, and abnormal menstruation and infertility in women. That is why many doctors tend to misdiagnose it or mistreat it. One study has shown that it takes an average of 11 years for patients to receive a correct diagnosis. (Read more about the symptoms of Celiac Disease at Mercola.com.)

A decade ago, it was believed that Celiac disease affected only one out of every 10,000 Americans. But a 2004 report estimated that as many as one in every 133 Americans have Celiac disease. That’s roughly 2 million people!

Celiac disease is believed to be inherited to some extent. The nature of a person’s gluten sensitivity may stem directly from the chemical nature of gluten, but is mostly due to a reaction that occurs in the immune system of individuals who have certain genes that recognize gluten as a foreign protein, and therefore, toxic.

Why Is Gluten Toxic for Some People?

Early men were hunter-gatherers and humans as a species only began consuming grains 6,000 years ago, when agriculture was discovered. It is believed that man’s shift from a hunting and gathering lifestyle allowed the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt to flourish. These two civilizations were among the first to cultivate grains.

The gluten-rich grains that we eat today are actually domesticated and are genetically hybridized versions of what originally were wild grasses. Wheat, barley, rye and oats are genetic derivatives of wild grass, which may explain why eating a wild plant may be toxic for certain people.

For Dr. Joseph Mercola, the prevalence of Celiac disease provides more evidence that modern humans have not evolved mechanisms to cope with foods that are rich in starch and sugars.

Dr. Mercola explains that a diet high in grains causes more serious problems than Celiac disease because 65 percent of Americans are overweight and 27 percent are clinically obese. Why? Because of an addiction to sesame seed buns for that hamburger, French fries and a Coke.

Mercola believes that it’s not the fat in the food that we eat but the excess carbohydrates from our grain-rich and sugar-loaded diets that is making people overweight and unhealthy, leading to epidemic levels of chronic illnesses such as diabetes.

Gluten intolerance can be treated very easily by eliminating gluten and most grains from your diet. If you’re suffering from Celiac disease or simply want to get healthy, then the No-Grain Diet will work wonders for you.

Gene Turns Carbohydrates into Fat; Cure to Obesity Found?

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley have discovered a gene which regulates a process in the liver that converts carbohydrates into fat.

This study offers new clues as to how the body metabolizes carbohydrates and how they contribute to obesity.

The research team, led by Professor Hei Sook Sul of UC Berkeley’s Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology believe that the gene, DNA-PK (DNA-dependent protein kinase ), is critical to a metabolic process scientists have been trying to understand for 20 years.

Your blood glucose levels – the digested form of carbohydrates – go up after you eat a carb-rich food like pizza and wash it down with soda. That spike in blood glucose triggers the secretion of insulin, which helps different cells in your body use glucose for energy.

Glucose in the liver that isn't used up for energy is converted into fatty acids, which then circulate to other parts of the body, primarily to fat tissue.

The process of converting excess glucose into fatty acids occurs in the liver. Scientists have been unable to determine the exact molecular pathway involved prior to the discovery of DNA-PK.

What they did know was that insulin binds to receptors on the liver cells and activates protein phosphatase-1 (PP1), the first molecule of the insulin-signaling pathway inside the liver. Sul's lab had previously shown that upstream stimulatory factor (USF) is needed to activate certain genes, such as fatty acid synthase (FAS), which converts glucose to fatty acids.

The link between PP1 and USF was a mystery until a UC Berkeley graduate student in comparative biochemistry finally connected the dots in Sul’s lab and discovered that DNA-PK, which is regulated by PP1, signals the activation of USF and the process of converting glucose to fatty acids.

The research team determined that DNA-PK acts as a signaling molecule in the chain reaction that begins when insulin binds to receptors on liver cells. This helps explain why untreated Type 1 diabetics, who cannot produce insulin, may experience significant weight loss because without treatment, they have problems making enough fat.

This insulin-signaling pathway is also disrupted in Type 2 diabetes because the body still produces insulin, but the cells have become resistant to its effects.

After the researchers were able to identify DNA-PK, they tested the gene in mice fed with a diet containing 70 percent carbohydrates but with zero fat. A typical lab mouse diet is composed of both fat and carbohydrates. The researchers then disabled the DNA-PK gene in half the mice while the other half served as the control group of normal mice.

They discovered that the DNA-PK disabled mice were leaner and had 40 percent less body fat compared to the control group of normal mice because they had a problem converting carbs into fat.

The DNA-PK disabled mice were resistant to high carbohydrate-induced obesity and had lower plasma lipids, which can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

DNA-PK could potentially play a role in the prevention of obesity associated with the over-consumption of high-carbohydrate foods or carbohydrate addiction, such as pasta, rice, soda and sugary snacks if it is possible to create medication based on the gene.

However, this will only be another quick fix. Yes, such a pill may help you avoid getting fat from carbohydrates but the bottom line is: you’re still eating carbs and carbohydrates have been linked to almost all age-related diseases.

If you want to get fit and maintain your ideal weight, it doesn’t involve waiting for a magic pill. You have to make the necessary lifestyle changes because there are no shortcuts to good health.