The Skinny on Fats

As awareness of the obesity epidemic began to rise during the 1990’s - the nation’s focus turned towards dietary fat. The advice of the time was to eat a low-fat diet in order to prevent obesity and other diseases. It sounded good – it made sense - so most people jumped on board. An avalanche of low-fat and fat-free processed foods hit the grocery store shelves and the low-fat craze was on.

Some 15 years later, a growing body of evidence is now pointing to the ineffectiveness of the low-fat diet for weight loss or prevention of heart disease and several cancers. The most recent revelation came when the results of the Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial were published in the February 8, 2006 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

After following 49,000 women for eight years, the researchers reported that eating a low-fat diet did not prevent heart disease, breast cancer, or colon cancer, and that it didn't do much for weight loss, either. What is becoming clearer by the day is that too much saturated and trans fats increase the risk for certain diseases while more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lower the risk. The key is to eat more of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, the largest sources of saturated fats are dairy products and red meats. The largest sources of trans fats are processed foods such as margarine, vegetable shortening, partially hydrogenated vegetable oils, deep-fried chips, fast foods and most baked goods.

Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are found in vegetable oils, such as olive oil, nuts, seeds and fish. While these foods do have small amounts of saturated fats, they have much larger amounts of the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats by comparison – and that’s the key.

Wholefood Farmacy foods make it easy for you, your family and your children to enjoy delicious, convenient whole foods that have more of the healthier fats that nature has to offer.

Good Bacteria Probiotics

Probiotics are also referred to as the friendly, beneficial or good bacteria which when ingested act to maintain a healthy intestinal tract and help fight illness and disease. The friendly bacteria can be found in live whole food supplements that have not been processed and found in some dietary supplements. They can help bring back the balance of good bacteria to promote a healthy digestive tract and help your immune system.

Probiotics are not a magic bullet to prevent or cure disease, but they are considered safe since the good bacteria are already a part of the digestive system. These small organisms help maintain the natural balance of organisms (microflora) in the intestines. Probiotics are viable bacteria that colonize the intestine and modify the intestinal microflora and their metabolic activities, with a presumed beneficial effect. Probiotics are vital for our immune system, too. They are valuable health-promoting and disease-preventing agents within your body.

Importance of Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll is vital for photosynthesis, which allows plants to obtain energy from light. Animals maintain life when they eat other organisms, either plants or other animals. They mostly can't make nutritive substances on their own. Plants can make nutrients, such as glucose, protein, and vitamins, by photosynthesis. When they spread their leaves toward the sun, the chlorophyll that colors them green absorbs solar energy and produces glucose from water and carbon dioxide -- an economic method of nutrition productivity.

Chlorophyll bears a striking chemical similarity to hemoglobin, the vital component of blood. Chlorophyll's phorphyrin structure has magnesium as its central metallic element; hemoglobin has iron. When an animal eats grass, a metathesis occurs in its intestinal villi, transforming a large amount of magnesium into iron. Metathesizing chlorophyll creates increased hemoglobin in the blood, which is why vegetarian animals can maintain life by eating only green grass. That's also why some people call chlorophyll "green blood."

Chlorophyll is primarily found in leaves and is responsible for a plant's ability to make food through photosynthesis. It is responsible for transforming carbon dioxide in the air to oxygen and it uses the energy of the sun to manufacture nourishment for the plant.

According to a 1999 study by the Eighth Asia Nutrition Study Board, chlorophyll also helps prevent cancer by defending against harmful variations in meat produced by cooking. But chlorophyll is also easily damaged by heat -- you'll notice that steamed vegetables produce greenish liquid, which contain the dissolved chlorophyll. That's why it's better to eat green vegetables raw.

Phytonutrients Help Promote Health

As the name suggests, phytonutrients exist only in plants. They're usually found in the rinds and other exterior features of plants to defend against outside attacks by insects, etc. To strengthen the immunity of our own bodies, we must consume the immune substances of plants. That's why it's better to eat fruits and vegetables with rinds, leaves, stems, and roots.

Phytonutrients are certain organic components of plants, and these components are thought to promote human health. Phytonutrients are nutrients concentrated in the skins of many vegetables and fruits, and are responsible for their color, hue, scent, and flavor. Four sources of phytonutrients that cannot be ignored if we want to remain healthy and cancer free are berries, cruciferous and dark, leafy vegetables, soy and red wine. Berries, such as blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries offer the highest sources of phytonutrients. Let us put all these phytonutrients to good use.

Other known phytonutrients include carotenoid in carrots, tomatoes, and oranges, soy's isoflavone, and catechin in green tea. Only 10% of functional phytonutrients are known, but as more are revealed, phytonutrients will factor greatly in health plans. And since phytonutrients are more effective consumed fresh and whole, we need to consume them raw.

A Balance Nutritional Diet

We all need nutrients in order to continue to function properly. Nutrition can be found in four basic food groups. Whole Food Supplements can be taken to help a person receive all the nutrients that they need. The Feast InstaFresh Juice made by URI International provides well balanced live whole food nutrition if you not able to have a balanced daily diet.

The four basic food groups that contain the nutritional requirements that everybody needs includes meats, dairy, fruits and vegetables, and grains. Each of these food groups contains all the vitamins, minerals, and other substances that help a body to grow, and to help maintain good health.

Generally speaking meats are the foods that contain proteins and other enzymes that the body needs to help build and maintain muscles. Proteins are also found in a variety of beans, soy products and protein is also found in milk and cheese products.

Various forms of Vitamin B (especially B12) are found in meats and dairy as well, and these are important for red blood cell and/or DNA production to help combat stress. Red meat is also known to produce iron, which is necessary for the blood as well.

Fruits and vegetables are the ones that contain most of the vitamins and minerals that the body needs. For example, carrots contain Vitamin A and Beta Carotene. Some green vegetables contain Vitamin A as well, such as spinach. Fruits, especially many citrus ones and berries, contain a large source of vitamin C.

Vitamin A helps with a variety of functions, especially vision. Vitamin C helps fight against colds and other sickness and helps build a strong immune system. There are other important minerals that the body needs such as potassium, which is found in bananas.

Foods made from grains, such as whole grain cereals, pasta, rice, and others are necessary for producing carbohydrates. This is the body’s biggest source of energy used for daily activity. One word of caution, however, is that eating too many carbohydrates can cause obesity. Only the amount of carbohydrates that a person needs to perform daily tasks should be eaten in a day.

A variety of other nutrients are needed as well, and most people will be able to include these in their diet if they remember to eat a variety of foods a day. Everybody is slightly different, so the nutritional requirements vary from person to person. However, there are general guidelines regarding the amount of each food needed daily.

One of the guidelines for nutrition is the one set by the federal government. That is generally 2-4 servings of grains, 3-4 servings of fruits and vegetables (or even more), 2-3 servings of meats, and 2-3 servings of dairy. The amount of total food needed per person differs, depending upon the overall bodily structure of a person, and depending upon the amount of activity that a person participates in on a daily basis.

Garlic and your Heart

A new study just released in the Oct. 16th, 2007 issue of the prestigious medical journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that garlic causes red blood cells to release hydrogen sulfide in the body thereby causing blood vessels to relax.

When blood vessels relax, they become larger and are able to carry more blood and more oxygen to the brain and other important parts of the body. Blood pressure also comes down when blood vessels relax. It is well known that high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, so this newly discovered health benefit of garlic, once again, is an example of modern day researchers confirming the wisdom of the ancients. Garlic has been used for medicinal purposes throughout all of recorded history.

The lead researcher is Biology professor David Kraus from the University of Alabama. He said that there is also another study in progress that shows "sulfide can protect from cardiovascular damage during a heart attack, it can alleviate various sorts of inflammation, and it can reduce platelet aggregation that would cause a blood clot to form".

When you eat garlic, your body metabolizes garlic's active ingredient, allicin, and produces hydrogen sulphide. The hydrogen sulphide then signals your blood vessels to relax, increasing blood flow, reducing blood pressure and supporting heart health.

You can find garlic in many of your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods such as Corn of Plenty, Veggielicious Spice, V-8 Creamy Bean Soup, V-10 Creamy Yam Soup and V-12 Creamy Vegetable Soup.

Hidden Benefits of Corn

Corn is a wonderful whole grain food that is a good source of vitamin B1, Vitamin B5, folate, fiber, vitamin C, Phosphorous, Manganese and a nutrient called beta-cryptoxanthin.

In addition to preventing birth defects, Folate can also help to lower your risk of heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease. It has been estimated that consumption of 100% of the daily value of folate would, by itself, reduce the number of heart attacks suffered by Americans each year by 10%. Folate-rich diets are also associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer.

Consuming foods rich in beta-cryptoxanthin, an orange-red carotenoid found in high amounts in corn, may significantly lower one's risk of developing lung cancer. A study published in the September, 2003 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention reviewed dietary and lifestyle data collected from over 63,000 adults in Shanghai, China, who were followed for 8 years. Those eating the most crytpoxanthin-rich foods showed a 27% reduction in lung cancer risk. When current smokers were evaluated, those who were also in the group consuming the most cryptoxanthin-rich foods were found to have a 37% lower risk of lung cancer compared to smokers who ate the least of these health-protective foods.

Corn is also a good source of Thiamin which is a nutrient essential to good brain cell health and mental function. The brain uses Thiamin to make a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine which is essential for good memory. In addition, maintaining healthy acetylcholine levels may help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Research reported at the 2004 American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) International Conference on Food, Nutrition and Cancer, by Rui Hai Liu, M.D., Ph.D., and his colleagues at Cornell University shows that whole grains, such as corn, contain many powerful phytonutrients whose activity has gone unrecognized because common research methods have overlooked them. Dr. Liu’s team measured the antioxidant activity of various foods, assigning each a rating based on a formula. Broccoli measured 80, Spinach 81, Apples 98, Bananas 65, but Corn topped them all measuring a whopping 181.

The Wholefood Farmacy has foods that are made with Corn. They are Cornucopia, Cornaborealis, Corn of Plenty, V-10 Creamy Yam Soup and V-12 Creamy Vegetable Soup. If you want to make Corn and other whole grains a part of your food choices each and every day, check them out!

Raisins are a Top Antioxidant

Raisins rank among the top antioxidant foods, according to USDA government tests. Early findings suggest that eating plenty of fruits high in antioxidants, such as raisins may help slow the processes associated with aging in both body and brain.

Andrew J. Dannenberg, M.D. a cancer researcher at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University reports that the antioxidant catechin, found in raisins and some other fruits and vegetables, in the diet of mice genetically predisposed to intestinal tumors reduced the number of tumors by at least 70 percent compared to the control group. This type of study adds to the body of evidence which shows that components of fruits and vegetables have the potential to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, colorectal adenomas and other gastrointestinal tumors.

Carl L. Keen, Ph.D. from the University of California Davis reports that a significant amount of raisins eaten daily for 4 weeks increased the plasma antioxidant capacity. This in turn decreased the level of circulating oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL) also known as the “bad cholesterol”. These data clearly show raisins are an important part of 5-a-day diet and that benefits of eating raisins are similar to benefits seen when eating other fruits and vegetables with these plant antioxidants.

Christine D. Wu, M.S., Ph.D. of the University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Dentistry has found that raisins contain compounds including oleanolic acid that inhibit in vitro growth of Streptococcus.mutans, the bacteria in the mouth responsible for tooth decay. Oleanic acid and other compounds in raisins also inhibit organisms associated with periodontal disease, including Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum. Oleanolic acid is most effective in suppressing in vitro plaque formation by Streptococcus mutans. Prevention of plaque building up on the tooth surface is critical both for preventing tooth decay and promoting healthy gums.
Mary Ellen Camire, Ph.D. of the University of Maine reports that dietary fiber and other components may reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer by binding bile acids and causing their elimination from the body. Camire’s study confirms that eating fibrous foods, such as raisins, stimulates the body to replace the bile acids that have been eliminated by making them from its own cholesterol, thus potentially lowering serum cholesterol and the risk of coronary heart disease. Furthermore, bile acids that are bound by fibers such as those in raisins will not be metabolized to a more toxic form and this may potentially reduce cancer risk.

Gene A. Spiller, Ph.D. of the Sphera Foundation and Health Research Studies Center - Los Altos, CA reports feeding of raisins along with peanuts to 10-12 year old children prior to a soccer game resulted in lower increases in blood glucose and insulin than a snack of a white bagel and jam. This is important because it means a more steady fuel supply to the exercising muscle of the young players. Lower insulin levels are advantageous because high levels of circulating insulin can promote the laying down of fat and may lead to insulin resistance, a concern among US children today, where rates of obesity and type 2 Diabetes are increasing.

You, your family and your children can enjoy all of the health benefits that raisins have to offer with your favorite Wholefood Farmacy foods such as Phi Plus, Cranberry Phi, Fruitalicious, Fruitalicious Plus and Cornaborealis.

Our Body Needs Enzymes

Enzymes participate in all processes of life: birth and death, growth and maintenance. They are the catalytic elements that accelerate chemical reactions by 108 to 1011 times. Some laundry detergents contain enzymes to accelerate the dissolution of proteins and removal of dirt.

No matter how much good food we eat, the food can't become part of our bodies without enzymes. Protein, for example, is too large to pass through our blood vessels alone; enzymes must first dissolve it into molecularly-miniscule amino acid. Enzymes also produce necessary substances, dissolve unnecessary substances, and help eliminate harmful ones from the body.

As we get older, enzymes decrease their production. That's why elders often have more difficulty digesting food than younger people do. For digestive problems, we generally take peptic medicines that contain enzymes, such as amylase that dissolves rice starches, proteolytic enzyme, and fatty lipolytic enzyme.

As stress and environmental pollution increase, so does our need for enzymes. Since cooking and processing food destroys enzymes, you can see why modern urban people with busy lives often lack sufficient enzymes in their diet, and often suffer from digestion, stressed bodies, accelerated aging, and diseases.

Enzymes also need vitamins and minerals to function properly, and these are also damaged and destroyed by cooking. Raw food supplies the enzymes, vitamins, and minerals you need.



To get the full benefit of live whole food nutrition, the foods can not be exposed to high heat because it will destroy many of the benefiicial nutrients our bodies need on a daily basis.

Whole Grain Benefits

Recent research reported in the May 2007 issue of the online journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases, shows that Americans should eat more whole grains like oatmeal, barley and brown rice to help lower their risk of clogged arteries, heart attacks and strokes, according to researchers. The study’s lead author, Dr. Philip B Mellen, of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina commented: "Many consumers and health professionals are not aware of the health benefits of whole grains".

In a review of seven major studies, the researchers found that higher whole grain intake was consistently linked to a lower risk of heart disease and stroke. On average, adults who ate 2.5 servings of whole grains per day were nearly one-quarter less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than their peers who rarely consumed whole grains. Whole grains are believed to benefit the heart in a number of ways. The fiber and other nutrients in whole grains may help lower cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as improve blood vessel functioning and reduce inflammation in the circulatory system. Yet, surveys show that few Americans get the recommended three servings of whole grains per day, according to the authors of the new study. More than 40 percent of U.S. adults say they eat no whole grains at all.

"Years ago, scientists hypothesized that the higher rates of chronic diseases we have in the West, including heart disease, are due, in part, to a diet full of processed foods," Mellen said. This idea has been born out, he added, in the lower rates of obesity, high cholesterol and heart problems seen in people who eat more whole grains.

Whole Grains are the seeds of plants that belong to the grass family. This seed, also known as the kernel, is made up of three key parts: the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. But when a grain is refined, most of the bran and some of the germ is removed, resulting in losses of fiber, B vitamins, vitamin E, trace minerals, heart healthy fats, and about 75 percent of the phytonutrients. Examples of refined grain products include anything made with white flour such as white breads, pasta, and crackers. Other examples include white rice and corn flakes cereal.

A whole grain can be a single food, such as oatmeal, brown rice, barley, or popcorn, or an ingredient in another food such as bread or cereal. Whole grains include whole wheat, whole oats/oatmeal, whole-grain corn, popcorn, brown rice, whole rye, whole-grain barley, wild rice, buckwheat, bulgur (cracked wheat), millet, quinoa, and sorghum. Other less common whole grains include amaranth, emmer, farro, grano (lightly pearled wheat), spelt, and wheat berries. Whole grains may be eaten whole, cracked, split, flaked, or ground. Most often, they are milled into flour and used to make breads, cereals, farinas, and other grain-based foods. Regardless of how they are handled, whole grains, or foods made from whole grains contain the three essential parts and naturally occurring nutrients of the entire grain seed.

The Wholefood Farmacy is proud to offer a wide variety of delicious, convenient meals and snacks that are rich in whole grains. Let The Wholefood Farmacy be the pathway for you, your loved ones, and your children to get three servings of healthy whole grains each and every day.