Mirror Athlete Enterprises Articles

March 19, 2010

Best Cooking Oils, Smoke Point is Important Why?

Filed under: Anti-Aging, Diet, Environmental Toxins, Nutrition, Prevention, Super Foods, cooking, remedies — Marc Woodard @ 14:52

Fish Cooked in the right oil provides much needed nutrients with fantastic flavor

There are many cooking oils to choose from when considering oils used to cook meals.  Also, when selecting oils it is important to understand how overheating the oil can ruin the health property benefits the body might receive otherwise.

 There are top cooking oil contenders rich in Oleic acid adding a greater health benefit to the diet (read the full story, Wisdom of Consuming Oleic Acid.  In short, Oleic acid is a mono-unsaturated omega 9-fatty acid found in animal and vegetable.  Olive oil, like a few other cooking oils is “highest” in this healthy heart, anti-oxidant and other disease curing properties; for example a principle ingredient in Lorenso’s oil.  When considering cooking oil, one should think about quality of taste, cooking Smoke Point (SP) and health benefits.  Smoking point is important why?  Because high cooking temperatures denaturizes the oil.  Meaning the good stuff in the oil like oleic acid can be ruined by the heat and also change the taste of the food you consume.  The food itself when overcooked can also become denaturized by reducing the health benefits of vitamins and minerals.  Smoke point is a cooking temperature when reached begins to burn the oil.  Smoke is a byproduct of burning oil and denaturizing begins at this point.  Smoke point should be considered when selecting your cooking oils for baking, sautéing and frying.  Also select cooking oils that are unsaturated fats with good omega acid properties to benefit lowering and balanced cholesterol maintenance. 

 When oil begins to burn it begins releasing carcinogens in the environment.  When this happens, open the windows dump the oil and start over.  So when cooking between 225 – 510 degrees requires knowledge of the right oil for the right dish to gain the health benefit without reaching smoke point and unknowingly subjecting those in the space to carcinogens.  I personally love the taste of Virgin olive oil and use it for just about everything I cook, except when frying.   Olive oil has a medium smoke point of 325degrees (which I rarely cook over this temp) and is high in monounsaturated fats, omega-9, and used for light sautéing.  It is also very good for fish, chicken, lean beef, pesto and salad dressings.  Olive oil adds a very flavorful taste to all dishes.

 The following represents the top healthy cooking oils with SP Temperature listed, etc:  Canola (SP425, good for diabetics, baking and sautéing); walnut (SP400, omega 3, good for diabetics, good for baking); grape seed (SP420, polyunsaturated with low fat, all purpose grilling); sunflower & safflower (SP 450-460, polyunsaturated with low fat, all purpose and high heat oil); Almond (SP495, monounsaturated fat, high heat cooking);  Avocado  (SP510, monounsaturated fat, for frying);  peanut (SP350, monounsaturated fat for light sautéing); Flaxseed (SP225, omega 3, good for diabetics, do not cook over heat, mix into dishes). 

 One also needs to be aware that when reducing saturated fats too much also lowers the good HDL’s when attempting to lower cholesterol.  High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease…  Read the full story, Successful Weight Loss Based in Blood Chemistry Fuel.  In short, “too little” saturated fat in the diet replaced by carbohydrates is causing an epidemic of obesity and secondary health issues.  Baking with healthy cooking oils and reducing animal products in diet is not necessarily the “complete” answer to the epidemic of obesity and high cholesterol.  Extreme measures in shifting diet from proteins to predominately a high carbohydrates diet appears to be creating other health problems.  It would appear moderation; balanced nutrition and exercise once again seem to be the silver bullet to optimum health.  Cooking oil knowledge is just one ingredient to overall body-mind health that can make a big difference in how you look and feel daily.

Author:  Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, USA Medical Services Officer, CPT, RET2010 Copyright.  All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Publishing @: www.mirrorathlete.com,  Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.

January 23, 2010

Wisdom of Consuming Oleic Acid

Wisdom is Passed on Through Generations of the Wise. One Would Be Wise to Seek Council

Oleic acid is a mono-unsaturated omega 9-fatty acid found in animal and vegetables.  It is considered a healthy source of fat and is commonly used to replace animal saturated fats in the diet.  One of the chief sources of oleic acid comes from olive oil.  Those that consume, or recommend consuming oleic acid should be considered wise by knowing something that all of us should carry in our centurion war chests.  Or, maybe many were fortunate enough to be weaned on specific dietary products from day one based on their geography.  Like Europe, where the Mediterranean diet uses olive oil, “emblematic of the region.”  Where the diet mainly consists of fruit, vegetable, legumes, cereal, meat and fish with moderate consumption of red wine and “tasty” olive oil is the main grease. 

 So what is the big deal with oleic acid and why should this be part of your centurion preventative ill-health war chest?  Oleic acid is highly concentrated in specific types of cooking oils, where much health benefit can be gained from consuming these oils.  Grape seed, Canola, sesame, poppy seed and peanut oil also have high concentrations of Oleic acid.  Olive oil, like the other oils high in oleic acid have many health benefits, such as:  May boost memory, reduce blood pressure,  lower cholesterol, reduced risk of diabetes and other suspected disease curing properties, while promoting antioxidant production in the body.  Oleic acid is the principle ingredient in Lorenzo’s oil.  Developed for young boys that came down with adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) a disease similar to MS (multiple sclerosis) where the nervous systems integrity of the myelin sheath becomes compromised.  In 1992 the movie “Lorenzo’s oil” was produced telling a true story about the powerful health properties of oleic acid.  See the link below if interest in watching the movie. 

 “At the age of 7, Lorenzo Odone was a normal child.  Strange things began to happen to him.  He would have blackouts, memory lapses and other strange mental phenomenon.  Eventually, he was diagnosed suffering with ALD, an extremely rare incurable degenerative brain disorder.   Doctor’s were not helping so his father decides to learn all about it and tack the problem himself.  Lorenzo’s oil does not cure, but slows the worsening, or progression of the disease.  Just like consuming olive oil can slow down the progression of heart disease.” 

 Five thousand years ago, Crete a Greek Island began production of olive oil that has a heritage tied to our fine California olive orchards where much of the olive oil you purchase today comes to your local supermarket.  California is a major producer of Tuscan oil based on centuries-old ratio of Frantoio, Leccino, Pendolino and Maurino olives providing those that consume the oil with many health benefits.  Oleic acid is also used in a number of soaps and cosmetics.   The Cancer Society states your skin is the largest organ in the body and should not be neglected during the winter.  Tip – Olive oil has been used as a natural moisturizer practiced in Italy and Greece for centuries. 

 Recommendations:  Use cooking oil high in oleic acid and moisturize like the Greeks.  Get a Mediterranean cook book and prepare meals for your family where health benefits and centurion active lifestyles are realized.  Be sure to read “Ikaria Lifestyle Boasts Longest Living People.” 

 References: 

  1. Oleic acid  http://wn.wkipedia.org/wki/oleic_acid
  2. What is Oleic Acid?  http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-oleic-acid.htm
  3. History of Olive Oil  http://www.lykovouno.com/History-s/32.htm
  4. California’s Gold Nector http://www.insidebayarea.com/bay-area-living/ci_14050501?source=rss
  5. Lorenzo’s Oil Movie,   http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104756/

 Author:  Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, USA Medical Services Officer, CPT, RET2010 Copyright.  All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Publishing @: www.mirrorathlete.com,  Signup for your Free eNewsletter.

December 24, 2009

Ikaria Lifestyle Boasts Longest Living People

Roman Culture is Interesting Even in Vegas

Realizing the importance of super foods, clean environment, exercise, healthy lifestyle choices, work load balance, pain management benefits on overall health, etc., it is interesting to note longevity cultures are alive and well without the medical resources that are plentiful here.  How is it with all of our medical resources we can’t boast of achieving the longest living people?  Yet a small Greek island people can boast of many that live well past a hundred years in age.   Our dilemma in the land of plenty, it is difficult to discipline oneself with healthy activity and lifestyle habits when greed, power and control, control us!  I recently read an article by Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones: “Lessons for Living Longer” from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest (National Geographic, 08).  This article captivated my attention which I thought was important to share with you.

 The Ikaria, Greek Island people’s longevity lifestyle has interesting attributes that can be duplicated within almost any culture to receive the same healthy longevity benefits.  I say, “Almost any culture” because there are third world countries that simply do not have the resources that Westernized cultures do.  Our nation, like other similar cultures have no excuse for many illnesses and disease pain placed upon ourselves because of our unwillingness to change lifestyle habits.  Much of our poor health and fitness levels occur because of our quick fix and results expectations, convenient and plentiful transportation, jet set lifestyle, fast pace society, family and value system(s) breakdown, drug and alcohol addiction, nonorganic-fast food diets, etc.  This is a very simple comparison of differences within our two cultures.  But by no means is a total list of lifestyle differences to make my point.

 Following is a list of Ikaria’s habitual lifestyle differences from their culture and a testament to their long and healthy centurion lifestyle.    To get the full story on lifestyle differences Click on the Ikaria’s link above, or comment on your ideals of what you believe to be beneficial to live a long healthy life.  Actually, this would be good exercise before you read the full story.  Post your comments on this blog and compare your thoughts, or knowledge of anti-aging and longevity before you read the Ikaria’s lifestyle differences and why they are living well into their century age mark. 

If active lifestyle and longevity is your goal with minimal pain and aggravation for you and your family while you age; it may be wise to consider living a Mediterranean and/or Ikaria-type lifestyle in part, or fully comparable as possible.   By simply modifying your lifestyle habits and choices a dramatic-positive effect on your overall health and fitness can be experienced?   In our fast pace environment this can be a real challenge but doable.

Author:  Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, USA Medical Services Officer, CPT, RET.  2009 Copyright, All rights reserved.  Mirror Athlete Enterprises Publishing @: www.mirrorathlete.com, Sign up for your free eNewsletter.

December 23, 2009

Defeat Bad Breath

Filed under: Diet, Nutrition, Oral Hygiene, Product Toxins, Treatment, breath, how to, hygiene, remedies, tips — Tags: , , , , — Marc Woodard @ 00:20
Possibly Brushing and Flossing Would Help My Breath

Possibly Brushing and Flossing Would Help My Breath

 Watch our Chow Dogs Play Fight – Very Entertaining  Unfortunately as we age our digestive and immune systems become less forgiving of what we put into our bodies.  If you couple this with poor hygiene, less exercise, poor consumer habits and mismanaged stress in our lives this is the perfect storm for chronic bad breath.  Although many mystery bad breath disorders originate from the intestines and stomach; bacteria in the mouth, back of throat, abscesses in teeth, gum disease are perfect places for bacteria to putrefy.   This purification also caused by certain foods decaying with bacteria between teeth, gums and tongue often has the smell of sulfur.  Much cause of bad breath has a lot to do with good oral hygiene and proper water hydration throughout the day.  Without water the digestive system will not work to your advantage in cleansing your bad breath.  Many digestion, constipation, diarrhea, stomach problems, headaches, sore joints, muscle pain, dry eye-mouth, etc. ,  is the result of dehydration.  When your stomach is empty and you are dehydrated, those that your close to will tend to keep their distance. 

  Natural Cures, Remedies & Advisement.  How to: Tips on Removing Bad Breath. 

To get the tips and the full story click on the link above.  Before you click on the link to get the most popular breath freshending remedies and tips, comment on what works for you, or other recommendations.  See how many remedies you get right, or that you can contribute to this blog summary befor reading the full story. 

 Digestion problems can occur in vegetarian as well as meat eaters causing bad breath for both.  Try combinations of bad breath problem fix tips above.  What works for one, may not work for others.  Research the Internet under key words I’ve provided at the link above.  Get further insight into combination(s) of successful fresh breath hygiene practices and overall health habits that impact and improve breath.

Author:  Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, USA Medical Services Officer, CPT, RET2009 Copyright.  All rights reserved, Mirror Athlete Publishing @: www.mirrorathlete.com,  Sign up for your Free eNewsletter.

August 21, 2009

Alleviate Pain Through Nutritional & Herbal Remedies

For those of you seeking to alleviate pain through nutritional and herbal remedies there seem to be a significant benefit for those with pains and aches caused through degenerative and progressive pathogen illness and disease.  Certainly, it is well founded through scientific studies that healthy and nutrient strong foods (visit our health repository and read MAE articles on super foods) intake contributes greatly as a preventative measure against illness and disease that lead to and cause pain.  If illness and disease can be defeated before it ever gets the opportunity to become a pain disorder within the body then one has a good chance minimizing and managing normal aches and pain while aging.  Healthy cell development and maintenance of the body at the molecular level requires proper nutrients and is of great importance in keeping the body pain free and/or alleviating pain once a pain disorder is present.

In order to determine a nutritional or herbal remedy course of action that would work for you, you first must understand the concept of a customized pain management program.  My premise is “what remedies work for others may only work in part, whole or not at all for what is causing your particular pain disorder.”  That’s right, what nutrients and herbal remedies work for me in my pain management program may not work for you at all, or have insignificant pain alleviation benefits.  Within my chronicles “Mirror Athlete with Chronic Pain” located within the Chronicles Repository, I discuss customized pain management programs in detail and how you can begin to apply this knowledge to your particular “unique” pain program regardless of pain disorder.  You must learn to educate yourself in such matters in order to find natural cures, super food quality supplements and whole foods that will work for you providing a better quality of healthy life experience.  I’ve also written articles, “Man Made Foods Bad, Natural Foods Good,” which you can also find in the health repository.

Good nutrition is one of the “key” preventative means to a healthy mind and body in order to have a fighting chance at combating unhealthy cell mutations that cause pain.  In my opinion, stressed cells that cause “pain symptoms” should not be confused with long-term illness leading to “pain disease and disorders.”  This is because sick, or stressed cells that cause acute pain, may, or may not propagate other cells to become permanently damaged leading to chronic “long-term“pain disease.  The point is, don’t let the acute pain get out of hand to become a chronic pain disorder that will not go away.  One of the best ways to combat cell illness causing pain is to feed it God’s natural foods provided on this earth.  Note – When I refer to foods I’m also referring to herbs.

The premise that good nutrition and herbal remedies will stave off increased pain disease in all cases, or cure pain illness, regardless of medical situation is not all inclusive, but certainly can’t hurt for a hopeful health or pain alleviation outcome for a terminally ill patient.  For example, there are terminal pathological diseases, regardless of treatment will not abate the damage done to the internal immune, muscle, skeletal, nerve or organ systems, etc., within the body.  Even if a patient has terminal disease with significant pain a holistic customized pain management treatment approach appears to provide a better quality of life outcome than not implementing such a treatment.  When I refer to customized pain management treatment, I’m referring to treating the mind, body and soul of an individual.  The predominant healthy activity components of a pain management program include, but not limited to:  Nutritional-herbal, exercise, spiritual, physical therapeutic, alternative medicine, social and healthy activities.

You can live a better quality of life as opposed to a never ending treatment program that fills your life with inactivity, or doctor’s visits that only seem to appease the aggravating pain for moments in time.  You can also accept the never ending supply of pharmaceutical prescriptions to dull the aches and pains while battling frequent depression, weight gain and other illness symptoms as a result of medicated body rejection.  Or you can become proactive in your pain management program and expand your pain alleviation efforts by adding good nutrition and herbal remedies to the mix.  Also stop bad consumption habits, e.g., smoking, drinking, consuming enriched package-can foods, drinking diet sodas, to include high fat and other sugar enriched foods (read Aspartame the Silent Killer, MAE Health Repository).

Through much research, pain modality and alleviation experiences; I have treated almost every major muscular-skeletal articulation in my body.  I’ve learned to customize a pain program for myself where I believe anyone that applied my pain management principles would experience a better quality of living while significantly alleviating, or eliminating pain.  Although I’ve been successful at customizing my own pain management program, I cannot guarantee what works for me will work for you one hundred percent.  However, I can guarantee if you apply my principles you will be able to enjoy a better quality of life.  This is because I teach you how to use my 25 years of pain management experience and education to apply to your specific pain program using sound & tried principles!  Some of my techniques use healthy daily nutrition, supplements which include herbal remedies.  Of course, you should know by now proper nutrition is a key ingredient to alleviating pain.  As mentioned, the holistic pain management approach must address the whole being; mind, body and soul.  Proper nutrition and herbal remedies (natural cures and super foods) is a big component of the healing and healthy being maintenance program.

The cold hard truth, “You must learn how to become your own pain management advocate!”  But you don’t have to go it alone.  I can teach you how to do this.  The point here, if a doctor prescribes a specific treatment and you don’t receive a significant pain relief benefit and/or the treatment is impacting your mood… Search for alternative treatments to discuss common sense referrals if possible.  Find a course of pain alleviation that works well for you!  If the mind is depressed so will be the body.  Although your body may receive pain alleviation “at first” regardless of pain modality therapy, if you don’t consider incorporation of a sound nutrient program, your illness, or disease “most likely” will continue to degenerate and may accelerate the disease progression.  This is because the body and mind are complicatedly interlinked (psychosomatic).  Our Western medicine and insurance policies and procedures are so decentralized and complicated in terms of pain modality treatment and practice, it is no wonder chronic pain issues are so difficult for the patient to find resolve.   For example, does the patient advocate for the mind, body, or soul?  Or is the best course of pain alleviation treatment a combination of the entire being?  Do our Western medicine practices treat the whole being when dealing with pain management?  The answer is simple, No.

You must strive always to improve and make preventative and corrective pain management modifications especially as you age, or pain intolerances and depression occur.  A customized pain management program is “almost always” in a state of flux.  This means you must be proactive with the management of your pain program making modifications to daily activity based on pain tolerance and intolerance.  What I mean by this statement, you must develop a pain program that addresses all changing workloads, exercise, activity, nutritional & herbal requirements for your particular lifestyle while living with pain.  I address this work load pain prescription in detail, see (http://www.mirrorathlete.com/ChroniclesRepos.html ) within “Mirror Athlete chronicles and mentioned within many articles and home site (http://www.mirrorathlete.com/HealthRepository.html).

It’s what you don’t know that creates much more pain and depression than is necessary to experience.  I started out by saying that there are nutritional and herbal remedies that will be of benefit for your pain alleviation.  I’ve also made some presumptions for you.  Such as, with the correct natural super food and herbal remedies it is certainly possible to prevent illness and disease that would cause pain in a progressed state, slow down pain disease, or abate the pain pathology.  It is certainly possible to reverse or mitigate disease and illness through applicable super food and herbal consumption as case studies have been verified throughout the medical community.  Use any search engine on the Internet and type in Natural Cures, or Supplements and/or Herbal pain cures, etc.  I cannot possibly list all the combinations of potential cures for all ailments.  Only that you should highly consider implementing after researching a nutritional super food, or herbal remedy that may help your pain disorder situation if you have not done so.

There are a lot of personal testimonials, medical controlled studies that show positive results by those that have incorporated these super foods and herbs into their diet while consulting their medical providers.  Primary care physicians that don’t subscribe to natural cure herbs or foods may only provide you pharmaceutical prescriptions.  Pharmaceuticals are man-made and not necessarily in your bodies best interest in all cases.  If in doubt as what to do, pharmaceuticals, or natural cures decision…  Have discussions with your medical providers about taking both herbal and prescription medications simultaneously.   In many cases, supplementation of super food and herbs with pharmaceuticals does not create, or complicate pain, or health conditions.  Instead, pain patients state dramatic pain alleviation results where prescription use declined, or were no longer necessary.

It is scientifically proven your body requires specific nutrients to maintain optimum health.  Imagine if you could find a pain treatment that cures what ails you, to include remove your pain regardless of pathology!   Well folks, it is possible and it happens every day.  Some like to refer to terminal disease remission as a miracle, because in most cases, complete chronic pain abatement in my opinion “is a miracle regardless of disease.”  One must never rule out the soul’s spiritual positive power of healing.  To do so would be a grave mistake in the pain healing and terminal illness remission process.  Without necessary nutrients the body begins a degradation phase prematurely regardless of age!  Think of your body like a car engine.  Without a good air, or oil filters (body equivalent – kidneys, liver, lungs) one might experience tenderness, irritability, pain irregularity in the liver, kidneys, intestines, stomach, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, skin discoloration, etc., due to poor eating habits where toxin builds up in the body.  Through time, without consideration to toxic food consumption the body becomes less efficient at removing the toxins.

The car experiences poor performance, iritic operations and poor start, or out of tune characteristic when oil, gas and air filters are not maintained making it more difficult to remove pollutants from the car engine.  The engine parts like the body begins to experience degradation when organs begin to fail due to toxic consumption habits and improper preventative health practices.  Like the body’s internal organs, the car’s engine components eventually break down due to poor fluid filtration characteristics, air and fuel quality circulation, etc., causing erratic operation.  This breakdown uncorrected within the body creates illness and disease, hence pain!  Your car may still run for many years.  But unlike the car you feel pain and discomfort.  The cost of car repairs at some point to keep the vehicle on the road soon outweighs the benefits of corrective maintenance costs and you eventually replace the car.  Since our body is not a car, we simply cannot replace or remove parts in most cases to alleviate the pain and make the body whole!

It is for this reason; you must look to incorporate proper nutrition and possibly herbal remedies into your diet!  At the molecular level regardless of pain disease, or illness one must understand the benefits of a holistic pain management approach while customizing a pain management program.  If your expectation is to reduce pain through a customized pain management program, you also need to consider the body’s molecular nutrient requirement!   Nutrition, herbal remedies and exercise should be incorporated if possible within a pain management program to have optimal chances at cell repair, or win a fight against any illness or disease!  You may also avoid going under the knife and possibly creating a worse pain, illness, or disease scenario while incorporating such practices within your pain management program.  Surgery should be your last recourse!

 

Author:  Marc T. Woodard, MBA, BS Exercise Science, USA Medical Services Officer, CPT, RET.  2009 Copyright, All rights reserved.  Mirror Athlete Enterprises Publishing @: www.mirrorathlete.com, Sign up for your free eNewsletter.

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