For those of you living in/near Five Dock, the gym opposite KingsWilliam Chiropractic - where I offer massage therapy - has a free 7 days pass promotion at the moment.
Download your pass here:
http://www.kapowadvertising.com/members/sydney/sydney_files/nsw011.php
Friday, May 22, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Fruits and vegetables yielding fewer nutrients
I think this has been "common knowledge" for awhile now and certainly there's been plenty of argument between the 'supplements' vs 'good diet' camps, but seems there's now evidence of the fact that our fruit 'n' veg ain't what it used to be:
Of the 13 major nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, six have declined substantially, according to a study by Donald Davis, a biochemist at the University of Texas at Austin.
Using data from the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, Davis claims the average vegetable found in today’s supermarket is anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in minerals than those harvested just 50 years ago. His research finds that recently grown crops have shown decreases of up to 38% in protein, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, phosphorus, iron, zinc and riboflavin when compared with produce from past decades.
What accounts for this negative trend? Like any other competitive industry, farmers’ attempts to drive up profits have led them to use new techniques to increase production, Davis said. The faster-grown fruits don’t have as much time to develop the nutrients.
“Farmers get paid by the weight of a crop, not by amount of nutrients,” Davis said. He called this the “dilution effect”: As fruits and vegetables grown in the United States become larger and more plentiful, they provide fewer vitamins and minerals.
“It’s a simple inverse relationship: The higher the yield, the lower the nutrients,” he said. Today’s jumbo-sized produce contains more “dry matter” than anything else, which dilutes mineral concentrations. In other words, when it comes to growing food, less is more. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides may help speed the market-readiness of produce, but slower-growing crops have more time to absorb nutrients from both the sun and the soil.
“Lots of agricultural scientists don’t know about this, and the public doesn’t know about this,” he said. However, scientific papers have cited one of the first reports of this effect, a 1981 study by W.M. Jarrell and R.B. Beverly in Advances in Agronomy, more than 180 times since its publication, “suggesting that the effect is widely regarded as common knowledge.”
Davis does note that historical data can sometimes be misleading, if not altogether inaccurate. Take early measurements of iron in foods: because scientists failed to sufficiently remove clinging soil, iron levels appeared unusually high in certain vegetables like spinach. Then again, good historical data provides the only real-world evidence of changes in foods over time, and such data does exist — one farm in Hertfordshire, England, for example, has archived its wheat samples since 1843.
Modern monoculture farming practices have also led to soil-mineral depletion, which, in turn, affects the nutrient content of crops.
In addition, there is a “genetic dillution effect,” in which selective breeding to increase crop yield has led to declines in protein, minerals and amino acids.. Because nearly 90% of dry matter is carbohydrates, “when breeders select for high yield, they are, in effect, selecting mostly for high carbohydrate with no assurance that dozens of other nutrients and thousands of phytochemicals will all increase in proportion to yield.”
Wheat Also Being Examined
Davis is currently researching the dilution effect in 14 varieties of wheat. His findings already suggest that, once again, the larger the yield of wheat, the lower the nutrients.
Jeff Cronin, at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said scientists and the USDA often overlook farming practices.
“Breeding plants to improve crop yield at the expense of all other things seems to be the problem, as well as depleting soil and not rotating crops properly,” he said.
While Davis is not pleased about the decreasing levels of nutrients in produce, he still encourages people to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
“Even though amounts of nutrients have declined, fruits and vegetables are still the richest source of protective nutrients, much better than eating highly refined foods such as white flour, sugars and fatty foods,” he said.
This research suggests that local community farming initiatives and backyard vegetable gardens using organic gardening methods may produce fruits and vegetables higher in nutrients while enriching the soil for future crop production.
Resource:
Written by Greg Seaman and posted on 1 May 2009 at
http://www.eartheasy.com/blog/2009/05/fruits-and-vegetables-yielding-fewer-nutrients-than-in-the-past/
Of the 13 major nutrients found in fruits and vegetables, six have declined substantially, according to a study by Donald Davis, a biochemist at the University of Texas at Austin.
Using data from the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, Davis claims the average vegetable found in today’s supermarket is anywhere from 5% to 40% lower in minerals than those harvested just 50 years ago. His research finds that recently grown crops have shown decreases of up to 38% in protein, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, phosphorus, iron, zinc and riboflavin when compared with produce from past decades.
What accounts for this negative trend? Like any other competitive industry, farmers’ attempts to drive up profits have led them to use new techniques to increase production, Davis said. The faster-grown fruits don’t have as much time to develop the nutrients.
“Farmers get paid by the weight of a crop, not by amount of nutrients,” Davis said. He called this the “dilution effect”: As fruits and vegetables grown in the United States become larger and more plentiful, they provide fewer vitamins and minerals.
“It’s a simple inverse relationship: The higher the yield, the lower the nutrients,” he said. Today’s jumbo-sized produce contains more “dry matter” than anything else, which dilutes mineral concentrations. In other words, when it comes to growing food, less is more. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides may help speed the market-readiness of produce, but slower-growing crops have more time to absorb nutrients from both the sun and the soil.
“Lots of agricultural scientists don’t know about this, and the public doesn’t know about this,” he said. However, scientific papers have cited one of the first reports of this effect, a 1981 study by W.M. Jarrell and R.B. Beverly in Advances in Agronomy, more than 180 times since its publication, “suggesting that the effect is widely regarded as common knowledge.”
Davis does note that historical data can sometimes be misleading, if not altogether inaccurate. Take early measurements of iron in foods: because scientists failed to sufficiently remove clinging soil, iron levels appeared unusually high in certain vegetables like spinach. Then again, good historical data provides the only real-world evidence of changes in foods over time, and such data does exist — one farm in Hertfordshire, England, for example, has archived its wheat samples since 1843.
Modern monoculture farming practices have also led to soil-mineral depletion, which, in turn, affects the nutrient content of crops.
In addition, there is a “genetic dillution effect,” in which selective breeding to increase crop yield has led to declines in protein, minerals and amino acids.. Because nearly 90% of dry matter is carbohydrates, “when breeders select for high yield, they are, in effect, selecting mostly for high carbohydrate with no assurance that dozens of other nutrients and thousands of phytochemicals will all increase in proportion to yield.”
Wheat Also Being Examined
Davis is currently researching the dilution effect in 14 varieties of wheat. His findings already suggest that, once again, the larger the yield of wheat, the lower the nutrients.
Jeff Cronin, at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said scientists and the USDA often overlook farming practices.
“Breeding plants to improve crop yield at the expense of all other things seems to be the problem, as well as depleting soil and not rotating crops properly,” he said.
While Davis is not pleased about the decreasing levels of nutrients in produce, he still encourages people to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables.
“Even though amounts of nutrients have declined, fruits and vegetables are still the richest source of protective nutrients, much better than eating highly refined foods such as white flour, sugars and fatty foods,” he said.
This research suggests that local community farming initiatives and backyard vegetable gardens using organic gardening methods may produce fruits and vegetables higher in nutrients while enriching the soil for future crop production.
Resource:
Written by Greg Seaman and posted on 1 May 2009 at
http://www.eartheasy.com/blog/2009/05/fruits-and-vegetables-yielding-fewer-nutrients-than-in-the-past/
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
The time to exercise
Yes, we all know that exercise is a necessary part of your good health regime, but when's the best time to exercise?
Well, one option is when it works for you eg before/after work etc. If you're a "first thing" exerciser I'd like to highlight some information for you to take into account when planning a routine.
The spine needs bed rest and bed rest reduces the applied (hydrostatic) load below the disc osmotic pressure, resulting in net inflow of fluid. This is how the disc receives nutrients and in fact your spine will "grow" during the usual eight hours of bed rest per day. Diurnal variation in the fluid level of the intervertebral (spine) discs changes the stresses on the disc: they are highly hydrated upon rising from bed. The annulus (core of disc) is subjected to much higher stresses during at this time and the end plates fail at lower compressive loads as well.
Discs will lose 90% of the fluid they generally lose over the course of the day within the first hour after rising from bed.
Thus, performing spine-bending maneuvers first thing in the morning is unwise and it is recommended to avoid full-range motion under load shortly after rising from bed eg. spine stretches, sit-ups, rowing.
Reference: "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance" (3rd Edition) by Stuart McGill PhD, Professor of Spine Biomechanics, University of Waterloo, Canada. www.backfitpro.com
Well, one option is when it works for you eg before/after work etc. If you're a "first thing" exerciser I'd like to highlight some information for you to take into account when planning a routine.
The spine needs bed rest and bed rest reduces the applied (hydrostatic) load below the disc osmotic pressure, resulting in net inflow of fluid. This is how the disc receives nutrients and in fact your spine will "grow" during the usual eight hours of bed rest per day. Diurnal variation in the fluid level of the intervertebral (spine) discs changes the stresses on the disc: they are highly hydrated upon rising from bed. The annulus (core of disc) is subjected to much higher stresses during at this time and the end plates fail at lower compressive loads as well.
Discs will lose 90% of the fluid they generally lose over the course of the day within the first hour after rising from bed.
Thus, performing spine-bending maneuvers first thing in the morning is unwise and it is recommended to avoid full-range motion under load shortly after rising from bed eg. spine stretches, sit-ups, rowing.
Reference: "Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance" (3rd Edition) by Stuart McGill PhD, Professor of Spine Biomechanics, University of Waterloo, Canada. www.backfitpro.com
Friday, May 1, 2009
It's the flu .... it's the flu
DON'T PANIC - let's look at this rationally.
How many billions of people are there in the world? I know there's 20 millioin in Mexico City and between 7-180 cases of H1N1 Influenza A (aka Swine Flu) - do the math folks.
Ok, in the southern hemisphere flu season is upon us and it's best to take precautions (regardless of the strain of flu about), so as these types of infections are spread by human-to-human or human-to-hard surface contact, we should all try to reduce the risk of getting sick or infecting others.
* Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze (or wear a face mask).
* Throw away any used tissues into a garbage bin
* wash hands thoroughly and regularly, especially before you touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
* Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
* If you’re sick, stay at home and avoid close contact with young children and the elderly.
* eat healthy, fresh fruit and vege to support keep your body "fighting fit"
* if you are immuno-suppressed or work in public health get your flu vaccine soon
Are you looking for a safe healthy alternative for flu immunity?
Rather than hording the pharmaceutical treatments (Tamiflu etc) try the homeopathic option and get 'Flu Immunity' drops: either to support your system against the bugs or help recover from it.
Susceptibility to infections depends upon the status of the immune system. The goal of the treatment with homoeopathic preparations is to activate and support the endogenous defense mechanisms, ie to strengthen the body’s defense against infection.
Biotherapeutic treatments stimulate the body’s own immune system affecting the actual causes of the illness. This is done as a regulation therapy of the defence activity not as a suppression therapy = much kinder to your body.
Stay well!
How many billions of people are there in the world? I know there's 20 millioin in Mexico City and between 7-180 cases of H1N1 Influenza A (aka Swine Flu) - do the math folks.
Ok, in the southern hemisphere flu season is upon us and it's best to take precautions (regardless of the strain of flu about), so as these types of infections are spread by human-to-human or human-to-hard surface contact, we should all try to reduce the risk of getting sick or infecting others.
* Cover your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze (or wear a face mask).
* Throw away any used tissues into a garbage bin
* wash hands thoroughly and regularly, especially before you touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
* Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
* If you’re sick, stay at home and avoid close contact with young children and the elderly.
* eat healthy, fresh fruit and vege to support keep your body "fighting fit"
* if you are immuno-suppressed or work in public health get your flu vaccine soon
Are you looking for a safe healthy alternative for flu immunity?
Rather than hording the pharmaceutical treatments (Tamiflu etc) try the homeopathic option and get 'Flu Immunity' drops: either to support your system against the bugs or help recover from it.
Susceptibility to infections depends upon the status of the immune system. The goal of the treatment with homoeopathic preparations is to activate and support the endogenous defense mechanisms, ie to strengthen the body’s defense against infection.
Biotherapeutic treatments stimulate the body’s own immune system affecting the actual causes of the illness. This is done as a regulation therapy of the defence activity not as a suppression therapy = much kinder to your body.
Stay well!
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