Calcium is not only an important mineral that is essential to strengthen and build our bones. Calcium also

• calms the nerves
• relaxes the liver and
• benefits the heart.

Absorption and Utilization of Calcium

When we want to improve our calcium status to maintain a healthy bone mass it is not only crucial to eat calcium rich foods. We need to make sure that we absorb and utilize the calcium from foods effectively. As all the minerals in the body are in a delicate and dynamic balance, an improvement in calcium absorption will also improve the effective use of other minerals in the body. Calcium absorption requires adequate dietary magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin A, C and D. Without certain of those nutrients, it appears that calcium can not be absorbed at all.

Dairy Foods as the Synonymous for Calcium

Calcium in our diet is perceived as almost synonymous to the use of dairy products. Unfortunately, dairy foods are generally not of good quality and this is perhaps one of the main reasons that so many people in the Western World, who consume large amounts of dairy (25% of the average diet), still have widespread calcium deficiency problems such as osteoporosis and arthritis. In China and areas of Southeast Asia where diary consumption is minimal, arthritis and bone deteriorations are not the major health problems as they are in the wealthier countries.

Seven tips to increase your calcium absorption:

1. Get sufficient vitamin D from sun light
2. Eat calcium-, magnesium-, chlorophyll-, and mineral-rich foods, especially grains, legumes, leafy greens (including cereal grasses and micro-algae), and seaweeds.
3. Avoid calcium inhibitors (chocolate, coffee, alcohol, sugar and excess consumption of any sweetener (e.g. honey, rice syrup, etc.), excess meat consumption)
4. Exercise regularly and moderately to halt calcium loss and increase bone mass.
5. Presoak grains, legumes, nuts and seeds before cooking/consumption to neutralize their phytic acid content, which otherwise binds the calcium, zinc, iron and other minerals in these foods.
6. Use oxalic acid foods sparingly – rhubarb, cranberries, plums, spinach, chard and beet greens
7. If dairy is used, they fermented forms are easier to digest – kefir, etc.

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Calcitonin is a hormone which increases calcium in the bones and keeps it from being absorbed into the soft tissues. Magnesium increases calcitonin production and therefore increases calcium in the bones while drawing it out from the soft tissues. A magnesium-rich diet of whole foods is generally the cure for most forms of calcium deficiencies.

The food groups in order of their magnesium content are:

1. Dried seaweed (dulse, arame, wakame, kombu, kelp, hijiki and most others)
2. Beans including mung, aduki, black and lima beans
3. Whole grains, particularly buckwheat, millet, wheat berries, barley, rye and rice
4. Nuts and seeds, especially almonds, cashews, filberts and sesame seeds
5. High chlorophyll foods such as wheat and barley grass products
6. Micro-algae including spirulina and chlorella (beneficial for calcium utilization)

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Do your vegetables and fruits contain the nutrients you need?

Purchasing and eating vegetables and fruits does not guarantee you that you will provide your body with all the essential nutrients it needs on a daily basis.  This is due to the majority of our soils being depleted in nutrients (selenium, zinc, etc.) and most of the fresh produce containing high levels of pesticides.

By choosing organic and biodynamic foods you can obtain the essential nutrients you need from your fruits and vegetables without exposing yourself to harmful chemicals. You can truly nurture your body and enjoy the health benefits when choosing organic.

Below is a list of vegetables and fruits which are most likely to contain high levels of pesticide residues:

1. Carrots
2. Garlic
3. Celery
4. Bell Peppers (Capsicum)
5. Leafy greens (e.g. kale, spinach, silverbeet and bock choy)
6. Lettuce
7. Peaches
8. Apples
9. Nectarines
10. Grapes
11. Cherries
12. Pears
13. Strawberries

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Chia Seeds

1. Are an endurance foods
2. Are the highest source of omega-3 fatty acids next to flax seeds
3. Lubricates dryness
4. Relieve constipation
5. Reduces nervousness
6. Treat insomnia
7. Improve mental focus

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Ingredients

• 1 cup of macadamia nuts (or cashews)
• ½ cup of water
• 4 tsp Succanat (cane sugar)
• ½ tsp ground Wattleseed (Australian bush spice which can be purchased in special spice shops) or use cardamon powder instead
• 100g dark chocolate (85-90% cocoa)
• ½ cup unsweetened, shredded coconut or 1-2 tsp cocoa powder

Method

• Take a pot and fill with 4 cups of water, put a merging glass dish on top of the pot
• Bring the water to boil, brake up the chocolate into the glass dish and melt while stirring
• Blend macadamia nuts, wattleseed (or cardamon), succanat and ½ a cup of water to a fine, fluffy paste
• Add melted chocolate and mix well
• Put in the fridge for 1-2 hours
• Take a tablespoon and roll little balls with your hand
• Finish off by rolling them in shredded coconut or cocoa powder
• They can be stored in the fridge but are best eaten on the first and second day

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Our metabolism slows down as we age which can lead to gaining extra, unwanted kilos. Small dietary adjustments can be very helpful and efficient in minimizing weight gain. Try the following recommendations:

1. Start the day with a healthy breakfast. Your metabolism will be increased when enjoying a warm, fresh cooked breakfast or a vegetable juice in the morning.
2. Eat like a king for lunch. Your digestive fire is the strongest around noon. So make lunch the main meal of your day as often as possible for efficient calorie burning.
3. Eat like a bagger a night. Enjoy fresh made and light soups or stews before 7.00 pm as your metabolism will slow down afterwards. Late night eating results in weight gain and weakens your fat metabolism.
4. Avoid ice cold liquids and foods. Cold beverages or foods weaken your digestive fire and slow down your metabolism immensely, therefore contributing to weight gain.
5. Drink dandelion coffee/tea or green tea. Coffee and black tea make you acidic which weakens your body systems and slows down your metabolism. Antioxidant polyphenols in green tea stimulate the body to help burn calories. Also, dandelion coffee/tea has fat metabolizing properties and can lower cholesterol.
6. Use herbs and spices. Turmeric, coriander, fresh ginger, pepper, rosemary, thyme and fennel aid digestion and generate heat in the body, leading to more calories burned.
7. Choose healthy carbohydrates. Replace refined, high-glycemic-index carbohydrates (e.g. flour products from wheat, corn or rice) with unrefined, low-glycemic choices (e.g. whole grains such as barley, spelt, quinoa, kamut, amaranth, millet, and buckwheat). The latter do not cause the spikes in blood glucose levels that encourage the storage of fat.

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Recurrent cold sores are a problem for a lot of people.  They can be caused by low immunity, candida albicans, a hypersensitive nervous system that may respond quickly to stress, fatigue, sunburn, or the intake of too many pungent, salty, sour or hot foods.

When cold sores are caused by low immunity or candida albicans, it may be helpful to strengthen once immunity by healing and improving once gut flora through following a candida diet, antimicrobal control (intake of antifungal herbs), and increasing the number of healthy gut bacteria through the intake of high quality probiotics and a diet comprised of ‘living nutrient rich whole foods’.

When cold sores are triggered by a hypersensitive nervous system it is essential to mange stress levels before getting overwhelmed. As this is not always easy to implement in our fast paced society, taking a Lysine (amino acid) supplement during these times may prevent symptoms of cold sores.

Foods high in the amino acid L-arginine (e.g. chocolate, gelatin, chicken, wheat-germ, peanuts, rye, corn, barley, soybeans, walnuts, cashews and carob) can also exacerbate an attack in times of stress or fatigue.  Also, heavy and oily foods such as ice cream, high sugar foods, deep fried or fried food can lead to a break out. Sunburn can also trigger cold sores particularly when combined with the intake of too many foods high in L-arginine or pungent, salty, sour or hot foods. Enjoy foods high in lysine and zinc including bean sprouts, fruits, vegetables, sunflower and pumpkin seeds to reduce the risk of developing cold sores.

Herbs to take that help to clear the virus from the body include echinacea, hypericum perfoliatum, neem, Indian myrhh, aloe vera juice, and manjishta.

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When you tell people that you are a vegetarian, their first response would be: ‘Where do you get your protein from?’ No one ever asks: ‘Where are you getting your fat or carbohydrates from?’  People only seem to worry about their protein intake.  It would be much more important to ask yourself: ‘Where am I getting my omega-3 fatty acids from?’

High protein diets have been very popular over the last years, especially the consumption of protein bars and protein powders. Protein consumed in excess of the body’s needs for growth becomes fuel that the body burns for energy, and that protein is a relatively dirty and inefficient fuel compared to carbohydrate and fat.

Protein molecules are so complex, the ratio of energy expended to energy gained is dismantling and metabolizing them is less favorable than that for running the metabolic engine on fat or carbohydrate. This may be the reason why many people find high-protein diets help them lose weight.  Because protein molecules contain nitrogen, when they are burned to yield energy they leave nitrogenous residues instead of just producing water and carbon dioxide, the only waist products of the fat and carbohydrate metabolism.

It is important to also consider that a high protein diet may have the following effects:

• increases workload on the liver (ammonia the waste product from the metabolic combustion of protein is converted to urea in the liver before filtered by the kidneys)
• increases workload on the kidneys
• the possible exposure of sensitive organs to toxic metabolic waste
• diuretic effect, accompanied by mineral loss, especially Ca (increase risk of osteoporosis)
• Irritates immune system – keeping it off balance

Ten to twenty percent of calories as protein may be the right general range for the majority of people.  Also, more effort should be placed on consuming vegetarian protein sources which have been neglected for so many years.  Spirulina (68g/100g edible portion), chlorella (55g/100g edible portion (EP)), lentils (25g/100g EP), sunflower seeds (24g/100g EP), quinoa (18g/100g EP), amaranth (16g/100g EP) and many more plant foods have a high protein content when compared to animal protein (Eggs 3g/100g EP, Tuna 29g/100g EP, Beef 17-21g/100g EP).  When vegetable protein sources are combined with the correct foods (i.e. amaranth and brown rice) a complete amino acid profile (equivalent to meat) is obtained as well.

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Ingredients

• 10 ml of Liquid Chlorophyll
• 10ml of Aloe Vera Juice
• 1 tsp of Bee Pollen
• ½ tsp Acai berry powder
• 1 tsp of Barley Grass Powder
• 1 tbsp of sunflower seeds (soaked)
• ¼ cup of almonds (soaked)
• 4 fresh dates
• ½ cup of water

Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until you receive a smoothie consistency.

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• Powdered skim milk is a source of dangerous oxidized cholesterol and neurotoxic amino acids which is added to 1% and 2% milk. Skim milk is devoid of fat and enzymes necessary for calcium absorption.
• Low-fat yogurts and sour creams contain mucopolysaccharide slime to give them body.
• Pale butter from hay-fed cows contains colorings to make it look like vitamin-rich butter from grass-fed cows.

A study that followed 12,829 children ages 9 to 14 years found that weight gain was associated with drinking reduced-fat milk but that drinking full-fat milk was not associated with weight gain (Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, June 2005).

Myth: Children benefit from a low-fat diet

Truth: Children on low-fat diets suffer from growth problems, failure to thrive & learning disabilities (Food Chem News 10/3/1994)

Butterfat in whole milk, particularly butterfat in milk from cows that graze outside on green pasture, provides unique nutrients that support thyroid function and help the body put on muscle rather than fat.

Myth: A low-fat diet will make you “feel better . . . and increase your joy of living”

Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with increased rates of depression, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide (Lancet 3/21/92 v339)

Myth: Low-fat diets prevent breast cancer

Truth: A recent study found that women on very low-fat diets (less than 20%) had the same rate of breast cancer as women who consumed large amounts of fat (NEJM 2/8/96).

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