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by Monique N. Gilbert
Protein is a vital nutrient, essential to your health. In its purest form, protein consists of chains of amino acids. There are 22 amino acids that combine to form different proteins, and 8 of these must come from the foods we eat. Our body uses these amino acids to create muscles, blood, skin, hair, nails and internal organs. Proteins help replace and form new tissue, transports oxygen and nutrients in our blood and cells, regulates the balance of water and acids, and is needed to make antibodies. However, too much of a good thing may not be so good for you. Many people are putting their health at risk by eating to much protein. Excessive protein consumption, particularly animal protein, can result in heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, and kidney stones. As important as protein is for our body, there are many misconceptions about how much we really need in our diet, and the best way to obtain it.
The average American eats about twice as much protein than what is actually required. Some people, in the pursuit of thinness, are going on high-protein diets and are eating up to four times the amount of protein that their body needs. Protein deficiency is certainly not a problem in America. So exactly how much protein does your body really need? Much less than you think. According to the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health, as little as 50-60 grams of protein is enough for most adults. This breaks down to about 10-12% of total calories. Your body only needs .36 grams of protein per pound of body weight. To calculate the exact amount you need, multiply your ideal weight by .36. This will give you your optimum daily protein requirement in grams. Since the amount of protein needed depends on the amount of lean body mass and not fat, ideal weight is used instead of actual weight. Infants, children, pregnant and nursing women require more protein.
People on high-protein diets are consuming up to 34% of their total calories in the form of protein and up to 53% of total calories from fat. Most of these people are unaware of the amount of protein and fat that is contained in the foods they eat. For instance, a typical 3-ounce beef hamburger, which is small by American standards, contains about 22 grams of protein and 20 grams of fat. You achieve quick weight loss on these diets because of this high fat content. High fat foods give you the sensation of feeling full, faster, so you end up eating fewer total calories. However, this type of protein and fat combination is not the healthiest. Animal proteins are loaded with cholesterol and saturated fat. Many people on these diets also experience an elevation in their LDL (the bad) cholesterol when they remain on this diet for long periods. High levels of LDL cholesterol in the blood clog arteries and is the chief culprit in heart disease, particularly heart attack and stroke. So while you may lose weight in the short-run, you are putting your cardiovascular health in jeopardy in the long-run.
Another reason weight loss is achieved on these high-protein diets, at least temporarily, is actually due to water loss. The increase in the amount of protein consumed, especially from meat and dairy products, raises the levels of uric acid and urea in the blood. These are toxic by-products of protein breakdown and metabolism. The body eliminates this uric acid and urea by pumping lots of water into the kidneys and urinary tract to help it flush out. However, a detrimental side effect of this diuretic response is the loss of essential minerals from the body, including calcium. The high intake of protein leaches calcium from the bones, which leads to osteoporosis.
Medical evidence shows that the body loses an average of 1.75 milligrams of calcium in the urine for every 1 gram increase in animal protein ingested. Additionally, as calcium and other minerals are leached from our bones, they are deposited in the kidneys and can form into painful kidney stones. If a kidney stone becomes large enough to cause a blockage, it stops the flow of urine from the kidney and must be removed by surgery or other methods.
Plant-based proteins, like that found in soy, lowers LDL cholesterol and raises HDL (the good) cholesterol. This prevents the build up of arterial plaque which leads to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and heart disease, thus reducing the risk heart attack and stroke. The amount and type of protein in your diet also has an important impact on calcium absorption and excretion. Vegetable-protein diets enhance calcium retention in the body and results in less excretion of calcium in the urine. This reduces the risk of osteoporosis and kidney problems. Interestingly, kidney disease is far less common in people who eat a vegetable-based diet than it is in people who eat an animal-based diet. By replacing animal protein with vegetable protein and replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat, like that found in olive and canola oils, you can avoid the pitfalls of the typical high-protein diet. You will be able to improve your health and regulate your weight while enjoying a vast array of delicious, nutritionally dense, high fiber foods. Remember, eat everything in moderation and nothing in excess. Also, the only healthy way to achieve permanent weight loss is to burn more calories than you take in. Anything else is just a gimmick.
To learn more about the health benefits of soy, visit the Virtues of Soy website at http://www.virtuesofsoy.com/.
Monique N. Gilbert is a Health Advocate, Recipe Developer, Soy Food Connoisseur and the author of "Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook" (Universal Publishers, $19.95)
E-mail: monique@chef.net - http://www.virtuesofsoy.com/.
by Richard Thomas
End disease, suffering, expose corruption, put hundreds of billions back into our pockets (estimated $ 5,000.00 to each individual and an annual tax savings of $3000.00 per taxpayer. That’s $8,000 to each of us.
The intelligence campaign if executed has the ability to destroy the medical industrial complex, as we know it. It has the power to put hundreds of billions of dollars back into your wallets to spend on the better things in life.
We currently have the knowledge to eliminate the cause of most diseases. The medical establishment, the current approach to disease, and the desire for profits are preventing the elimination of disease on this planet.
By increasing individual awareness of this flawed and corrupt approach and exposing the truth about the medical industrial complex you will initiate a process that will in the end be very positive for both animals and humans.
In summary, the medical establishment focuses on high profit methods of treating the symptoms of disease. They ignore low profit optimum methods of preventing and regressing disease. Most, but not all doctors are simply sales people for the pharmaceutical industry, they are ignorant of the physiological processes in the body. Doctors that break from the norm or "established" profitable practice are ostracized and intimidated by their conforming peers.
Vitamins, herbs, minerals, amino acids and other supplements found in nature are not patentable and do not require prescription (with the exception of Europe, which is trying to change US law to give the medical industrial complex control). These items prevent disease have a low cost, low profit margin and virtually no side effects. These items threaten the sales of pharmaceuticals and the entire medical industrial complex itself.
This campaign in itself will create dramatic economic upheaval and is a threat to many in multiple industries. Which is the more reason to cut paste post and e-mail this message.
The media itself is a benefactor of our flawed and corrupt medical system. It is this reason that the media is biased in favor of the medical establishment and promoting its ignorance. The media is indirectly participating in sustaining the need to do testing on animals. In the past the media received substantial revenue from over the counter medicine advertising. Then not to long ago legislation passed allowing pharmaceutical companies power to advertise prescription drugs, this bought them great power and influence over the national media as it relates to heath related reporting. The media has motive to be biased against the elimination of disease because it would result in a dramatic reduction in revenue.
The insurance industry is a major benefactor of the medical system. It is the high cost of medical treatment and the need to be insured against disease that generates large premiums for them. The elimination of disease would dramatically reduce their revenues. While one might think that this would not be true because their pay out would be less, the reality in the long run is you would not require to be insured against disease (the risk of disease would decrease and would result in decreased requirements for insurance coverage.
Researchers and research institutes that depend on attempting to find "cures" and treatments for symptoms have an interest in blocking the flow of information, or least failing to promote.
The people, supporting contractors and companies, of government institutions and programs that earn their livelihood performing functions related to health care and treatment have a vested interest in promoting the current flawed and corrupt system.
Politicians receive substantial contributions and perks from those in the medical industrial complex and therefore benefit from supporting a corrupt and flawed approach to treating disease.
Individuals in the food and drug administration often receive lucrative jobs in the medical industry after leaving this regulatory body. The need for, and the number of functions (the size) of the FDA is greatly enhanced by supporting our corrupt and flawed system of dealing with disease.
5 things to understand and educate others on...
The medical industrial complex is in business to make a profit. The medical industry may be biased against those methods that are not profitable and threaten (through disease prevention) almost 1 trillion dollars in medical/pharmaceutical industry revenues.
The most profitable approach to medicine is the treatment of disease and it's symptoms through surgery, patented drugs and treatment with patented medical devices. Generally these methods require the paid services of medical doctors and technicians.
The most optimum approach to disease is the prevention or regression of disease through biochemical supplementation with unpatentable, herbs, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and other molecular structures occurring naturally. This methodology does not require the services of medical professionals although it does require self- education.
The current conventional "medical authorities" in the United States have, due to influence by the pharmaceutical industry, and the circumstances under which they derive the greatest revenue, a definite conflict of interest as it relates to providing information regarding health and disease. The fox is guarding the hen house.
Can we expect the medical industry to commit suicide? Can we expect them to inform us how to eliminate their source of revenue? Think about it.
There is currently a major flaw in the current approach to dealing with disease and poor health in this country and abroad. That flaw is that there is minimal financial incentive to promote the most optimal methods of dealing with the prevention and treatment of disease.
The human body is very advanced bio-chemical machine. It is very capable of processing and eliminating environmental toxins, bacteria, damaged cells, and viruses. It is also very capable of self-repair. In fact it can repair damaged DNA which can lead to cancer.
Like any machine, if the human body does not have the quantity of chemicals needed to properly perform various functions and build functional mechanisms to perform life sustaining tasks the machine will malfunction, operate inefficiently and may even result in the machines destruction. We call this disease.
The body requires an external source for the many chemicals needed by the body. What we normally call food is a collection of these chemicals that are ingested to provide the materials for processing. These chemicals to maintain itself and function in it's environment. Shortages of these chemicals (we call this nutritional deficiency) results in poor health and brain function, also falling under the category of disease. Food is not the only source of these chemicals and chemical helpers.
Supplementation is providing the required chemicals necessary (in your environment) to meet your bodies demands for the chemicals it must get from external sources. Over the last 200 years the environmental demands on the human body have changed. Toxins and manmade chemicals deluge us. We no longer live in a natural environment therefore we can longer expect to be healthy on a "natural" diet. Even the food we eat is no longer natural but contains chemicals and is grown in mineral depleted soils.
From Living With Crystals
A Newsletter of Beyond the Rainbow
http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/
Have you ever taken one of the stress tests which frequently appear in a magazines and books? For years, whenever I took one my stress level was always about twice the level needed for total collapse, and I usually felt rather proud of myself for carrying on despite my innumerable burdens.
Then the rewards of being able to survive a variety of disasters began to lose their charm. At the same time I was becoming drawn to metaphysics, and I realized that life wasn't necessarily supposed to be a struggle. In looking for ways to both change my beliefs and reduce emotional stress levels I began to explore the worlds of crystals, flower and other essences, essential oils, Reiki, and whatever else happened to attract my attention. As I practiced Reiki and did flower essence counseling I kept on learning more about stress.
All of my stress tests agreed that the holidays are a time when one can accumulate high scores on the stress index. It seems like a good time to share some suggestions for relieving stress (and a good reminder to me).
Some General Suggestions
Stress often begins in your mind, as you think about all you have to do, but it can all too easily become physical. You may feel tired when you contemplate the many tasks to be done; you may get nervous or physically tense.
It's vital to to interrupt the escalating stress syndrome. The easiest way is to stop what you're doing and breathe deeply at least ten times. As you do so focus on the path of your breath through your body. Imagine it beginning at your feet and going up to your head as you inhale, then going back down on the exhale. (For more information about deep breathing see the article on rhodochrosite at http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/crystal/gems/rhodo.html)
It can also be helpful to get up (especially if you spend your days at a desk or computer) and stretch and walk around.
Regular exercise, such as treadmill work, stationary bicycling, walking, or swimming will keep your stress level down, and can be a lifesaver when you are feeling severely stressed. You may think, "But I have so much to do. How can I take the time to exercise?" Trust me, it will leave you feeling relaxed and more able to handle your various situations.
If you have learned Reiki give yourself a treatment or at a minimum Reiki your solar plexus. If you are Reiki II send distant healing to all stressful situations and also use the mental/emotional balance symbol. If you haven't learned Reiki consider learning this system. For more information about Reiki please see http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/reiki/reiki.html
Ask For Help
That many of us have issues about asking for help was confirmed by the response to September's Rainbow Reflections article, "People Who Need People." You can read it at http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/news/vulnerability.html
A responsibility shared is a responsibility lightened, and working together to solve problems creates a warm feeling which in itself reduces stress.
Do You Have To Do It All At Once?
Successful (and calm) managers know how to set priorities. Make a list of everything you have to do (while trying not to gasp). Decide what's most important, and make a schedule of completion for what is less important.
A schedule will also help you to avoid procrastinating, which is a common source of stress. There's an article about procrastination at http://www.rainbowcrystal.com/news/pro.html
Last, but far from least, seek the help of of crystals and flower essences.
Crystals
In my years of working with and selling crystals I have noticed that, after clear quartz, amethyst is probably the most popular crystal (rose quartz follows very closely). Amethyst is known as a stone which helps to eliminate nightmares and to aid meditation, thus helping to reduce stress on an around-the-clock basis. Wearing, carrying, and meditating with amethyst are good ideas if you are feeling stressed-out.
Sometimes people feel stressed because they aren't grounded. In other words, they are all over the place, their energy is erratic, and they just don't know how they can go on. Grounding stones are needed for this condition: smoky quartz, hematite, black tourmaline, tiger's eye, and obsidian.
Hematite is also helpful if you are taking on the emotions of others. It helps to form a protective shield. If you are feeling bombarded by general negativity (such as in the workplace), black tourmaline is a helpful stone.
Carnelian is a useful crystal if you're not feeling present and are having trouble making decisions (always an act with great stress potential).
Procrastination is very stressful (I speak from extensive personal experience). One of the best stones to get me in motion is rutilated quartz.
Another source of stress is conflict between the rational mind and the intuition. Moss agate can help to balance these forces so that they can work together instead of arguing.
Fear is a major stress producer, as it will consume just about all the energy you have, as well as create minor-to-major energy blockages in the being (and often in the body). Charoite is the crystal which helps to dissolve both known and unknown fears.
Guilt and resentment will also create considerable stress. The most useful crystal for these emotions is sugilite.
Essences:
The feet which are connected to the ground are most likely to follow the path towards completion of responsibility. I highly recommend Turtle (Wild Earth Animal Essences). Turtle travels very close to the earth and is attuned to its slow, deep rhythms.
Elm (Bach) is ideal for those who feel so overwhelmed by their responsibilities that they don't know where to begin; while Oak (Bach) can help people who take on more than any one person can be expected to accomplish—particularly those who are reluctant to ask others for help.
Sometimes, out of overabundant enthusiasm, we take on projects to singlehandedly save the world (or our particular part of it), and also do our best to enroll our friends in our projects. Please note: I am not trying to suggest that enthusiasm, saving the world, or enrollment are negative, but if you are feeling stressed out by what you've taken on consider Vervain (Bach).
On the other hand, if you need a jump start to get going on what needs to be done Cayenne (FES) is a useful essence.
When you stay awake at night worrying about everything which needs to be done reach for the White Chestnut (Bach).
A Meditation for Stress Relief
Note: Though I have recommended particular stones for this meditation please feel free to substitute your favorites.
First Chakra (place at feet): Hematite. In my experience this is one of the most grounding stones.
Second Chakra (pelvic area): Red Jasper. This stone helps to connect us to earth energies.
Third Chakra (navel): Tiger's Eye. This stone teaches patience in the pursuit of a goal.
Solar Plexus: Rhodochrosite. The solar plexus is actually part of the third chakra, but since rhodochrosite is perhaps the best stone to assist us in deep breathing, I have included it as a separate area.
Fourth Chakra (heart): Green Tourmaline. All tourmalines help to relieve stress, and green is the appropriate color for this chakra.
Fifth Chakra (throat): Aquamarine. This stone helps us feel the relaxing rhythms of the sea.
Sixth Chakra (forehead, above and between the eyes): Amethyst. This is the stone of tranquility.
Seventh Chakra: Clear Calcite. This stone will help you view your situation from a different perspective.
I also suggest that you hold a clear quartz point of any size in either hand (or both).
Begin by inhaling and exhaling slowly and deeply, about 10 times. Imagine the muscles in your body relaxing.
Spend as much time as you need to in each of the following crystal positions.
First place your quartz crystal over the hematite. Imagine yourself being deeply rooted in the earth and protected from all negativity.
Next, place the quartz crystal over the red jasper. Feel the earth's rhythms flowing through you, calming and relaxing you.
Place the crystal over the tiger's eye. Imagine that you are a cat sleeping in the sun, totally relaxed and comfortable.
Then place the crystal over the green tourmaline. Imagine grass and leaves growing, slowly and surely.
Next, place the crystal over the aquamarine. Imagine that you are at the ocean, hearing the song of the surf, breathing the healing air, feeling warm and relaxed.
Now place the crystal above the amethyst. Feel the quiet hour of twilight and the soft colors of sunset. Feel yourself unwinding from the day's activities.
Finally, place the crystal over the clear calcite. Imagine that it's a year from now. See how small your problems look from this distant perspective. Relax in the knowledge that all is well.
by Gail E. Steuart and Barry Blumstein
Our understanding of the Emotional System today is still in the Dark Ages. This has its analogy to the time when people's understanding of our Solar System was based upon the belief that the Sun revolves around the Earth, as it certainly appears that way-however, just the reverse is true. The problem was, as long as we believed the Sun went around the Earth, we were limited as to how far we could go in the Solar System.
We find the same condition existing today in regard to the Emotional System. Society believes that our emotional feelings are a result of our experiences in our environment. In essence: something happened and it made me feel the way I do. This belief, as it is certainly the way it appears, is just the reverse of how it really works.
To know the proof of this is to remember the science experiment where you connected the two ends of a wire to the terminals of a dry cell battery. When an electrical charge flowed through the wire a magnetic field was created around the wire. This was demonstrated by the pattern of the iron filings. The nature of any object with a magnetic field around it is to attract to it over a distance of space another object with a similar magnetic field around it.
What happens to us when we embrace an emotional feeling is that our brain converts it into an electrical energy charge, as the fluid around the brain conducts electricity. This electrical charge then flows through and impacts our body by means of the central nervous system. We can often "feel the charge" in our body associated with the experience of emotions. As this occurs an electromagnetic field is generated around our body that attracts to us another person who has an identical electromagnetic field around their body, created by the same emotional feeling in their heart.
For example, if we view the woman who drowned her two children with anger we will then encounter someone, perhaps while driving, who will express their anger towards us. We might think, "What did I do to deserve that?" Now we know.
The emotional feeling really came first, and it resulted in a corresponding condition subsequently occurring in our body and our environment!
Because society has the understanding of this relationship reversed, we have not been able to make much progress in the emotional area. Let's face it, although this age reflects great advancements in technology, the feelings in the hearts of men and women are still plagued by darkness. We need only to look at the world around us.
Believing that something or someone made us feel the way we do gives rise to the concept of victimization. To see ourselves as victims places the responsibility for our feelings on someone or something other than us. The underlying problem that exists when we adopt the view that we are not responsible for creating our feelings is that we are also not able to change them.
This dilemma we now experience greatly impacts the quality of our lives. Although we may externally be struggling with different situations and individuals, the emotional feelings associated with these struggles are always the same--frustration, resentment, anger, fear, etc., etc., etc. The problems in our lives make us feel as if we have fallen into quicksand, gotten stuck, and the only way we know to extricate ourselves is to struggle to get out. What we find is that the more we struggle to get out, the deeper in we sink.
This predicament is exemplified by compulsive behavior. The things we do that we desire to no longer do constitute our compulsive behavior. The characteristic of compulsive behavior is that it is reactive in nature. In other words, we do it before we are consciously aware that we have done it. Since we do not like it, we get down on ourselves for having done it again. This only serves to fuel and increase the intensity of what we did not like so that it now becomes a stronger force within us, compelling us even more to do it the next time. Then we get down on ourselves even more--feeding more energy into it so that it comes back stronger the next time. The more we struggle to get out, the deeper in we sink.
Our understanding is based upon a simple rule: there is an inverse relationship between struggling with a problem and understanding the problem. To now understand how the emotional system really works allows us to resolve our problems in much less time and with much less struggle.
To be in our world today is akin to suffering from amnesia, as we have forgotten who we truly are. Once we again know who we are and understand the process we utilized to get stuck, we can then reverse the process. This understanding is the key to unlocking the emotional doorway to enter into the Kingdom of Heavenly Feelings within us, the creation of happiness in life that we deserve to experience.
Copyright 1999, 2001 Gail E. Steuart & Barry Blumstein
Gail E. Steuart & Barry Blumstein are a married couple living in Arizona. Barry discovered a new understanding of the "Emotional System" by applying his fifteen years experience in the analysis, design, and development of computer systems to solving problems in the emotional area. Gail's expertise is in facilitating individuals and couples by empowering them with unique and innovative problem-solving skills. The synergy that they create is the "Mastery of the Emotions" training program. Their articles have been published internationally, and on the Internet. If you wish to contact them, E-mail: emotionalmastery@msn.com or write: P.O. Box 18913, Tucson, AZ 85731.
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