Food Inc. to be shown PBS

The following link will take you to www.pbs.org to find out what time your local listing will show this awesome documentary.  If you haven’t seen Food Inc., you should.  Food should not be industrialized, it should be personalized.  This documentary walks you through the hazards of industrialized foods.  Watch it with your family and friends and spread the word.  We highly recommend it!

Food is not Medicine

Or is it?  The article does not address the benefits of whole foods.  However, it is good to see this subject matter becoming more mainstream.

Don’t be misled by these food label tricks.

CoQ What?

What is it, why the weird name and why do we need it?

First CoQ10 really means Coenzyme Q 10 and has other names like ubiquinone and ubidecarenone, these names refer to the substance’s ubiquitous appearance throughout the body. Coenzymes are a subgroup of what are generally known as cofactors. Cofactors are chemical compounds that bind to a protein and are integral to the proteins function.  Coenzymes are a type delineated by its loose fitting bond with their protein.  And what that jargon means is that proteins in our bodies have cofactors and actions that they carry out and by extension coenzymes activate those proteins so that their role is fulfilled.

CoQ10 plays a significant role in something called the electron transport chain or ETC.  This pathway is an important one in the production of cellular energy.  CoQ10 is also a potent antioxidant which is something we all could use a bit more of. The tissues with some of the highest metabolic rates and thus the highest requirements for energy like the heart and liver also have the highest concentration of CoQ10. As we age our natural production of CoQ10 declines and not surprisingly our metabolism and general energy level decline as well. That may be enough to warrant a small supplemental dose in order to help deal with our daily stresses.  However, the people with marked deficiency of this critical nutrient are those on statin drugs for lowering cholesterol.  Statin drugs stop a particular enzymatic pathway (HMG CoA Reductase) from producing cholesterol, unfortunately that same pathway is used to produce our endogenous CoQ10. Also the CoQ10 precursor “mevalonate” is inhibited by some beta blockers, so blood pressure and cholesterol meds have shown to drastically reduce the endogenous quantity of this vital metabolic nutrient with the intention of improving heart health.  But as we referenced earlier the heart requires more CoQ10 than almost any other tissue. This is obviously not the smartest way to improve heart health and protect sensitive tissue from damage. Simply lowering cholesterol has not been effective in protecting the heart and the vast majority of high blood pressure is idiopathic… meaning no identifiable cause (which really most often means lifestyle).

So is the answer these two drugs or developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle based

Infomercial!

Our infomercial is set to air this weekend and for the following days thereafter.  Please check to see when you are able to view it.  It is great!

National
WETV          WED,  16-Sep @ 6:30 AM
FIT-TV        TUE,  15-Sep  @ 5:00 AM

Regional
FOX SPORTS NET SOUTHWEST         MO, 14-Sep @ 9:00 AM

Local Market
PHILADELPHIA - WMCN   FRI, 19-Sep, 10:00 PM
MILWAUKEE - WMLW   SUN, 13-Sep, 7:30 AM
DES MOINES – WOI  SAT, 12-Sep, 6:30 AM
DALLAS - KFWD   SUN, 13-Sep, 10:00 AM
BEND - KBNZ   SAT, 12-Sep, 4:30 PM
HARTFORD - WTXX   SAT, 12-Sep, 11:00 AM
LOS ANGELES - KHIZ   SAT, 12-Sep, 2:30 PM
NEW YORK - WRNN   SAT, 13-Sep, 1:30 PM
CHICAGO - WJYS   SUN, 13-Sep, 10:30 AM
FT. MYERS - WZVN   SUN, 13-Sep, 6:30 AM
BOSTON - WBPX   SUN, 13-Sep, 9:00 AM
DALLAS - KTXA    SUN, 13-Sep, 11:00 AM
HOUSTON - KTBU   SUN, 13-Sep, 1:00 PM
SALT LAKE CITY - KPNZ   SUN, 13-Sep, 9:30 AM
TAMPA – WTSP    SUN, 13-Sep, 6:30 AM
FARGO - KVRR   SUN, 13-Sep, 9:30 AM
BANGOR – WABI  SUN,  13-Sep, 8:30 AM

C’mon, fill your lungs with free radicals.

We have all been bombarded with advertisements and media reports about antioxidants in various forms being heralded as everything from the fountain of youth to protection from our own bad habits.  Along with the news on antioxidants comes the message that free radicals (what antioxidants neutralize) are evil and we should do everything we can to stop their production.  Stopping the production of free radicals in your body is easy.  So easy in fact, that all you have to do is stop breathing forever… it’s that easy.  Obviously we are not supposed to completely stop the production of free radicals, so this must be one of those situations where a delicate balance must be achieved.

So why all the hype?  First, free radicals are substances that have an unpaired leectron which enables them to be highly reactive and in some biological situations, highly damaging.  Antioxidants are substances that have reduction capability and thus end the free radical chain reactions and in effect neutralize the radical intermediates of oxidative reactions…blah blah blah.  All that big chemistry talk means is that if free radicals are a fire spreading out of control, then antioxidants are the water used to control and eventually put the fire out.  Free radicals happen every day during normal chemical reactions in our bodies; their production is accelerated during times of stress, illness, exercise or toxic exposure.  A healthy, varied diet of whole, raw, live foods, espeically with a rainbow of colors, should be all that is needed to provide an ample dose of antioxidants to combat a normal production of free radicals.  Few of us however, live a life devoid of stress, illness, and exercise or toxic exposures.  These necessitate a supplemental increase in our antioxidant intake.  Most of us also do not consume a rich and varied diet of brightly colored raw foods on a regular basis.  The market is saturated with the next big miracle antioxidant.  What we have to realize is that certain antioxidants work in certain circumstances and under certain conditions to neutralize certain free radicals.  We need a variety of antioxidant nutrients from a variety of sources to combat all the free radical variables (i.e., ones we ingest, breath, absorb, etc).  It’s not enough to take a big load of Resvertatrol and think that it is taking care of all your antioxidant needs.  As the saying goes “variety is the spice of life.”  An antioxidant supplement that is whole food based and provides many different types of antioxidants is the best bet to combat the free radical onslaught of daily life.