Corn Healthy or making you sick and overweight?
Is Corn Healthy or making you sick and overweight?
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist
Contrary to popular belief, corn is a grain, not a vegetable, and is really not appropriate as a dietary staple for several reasons:
1. The problems with “antinutrients” in corn (and other grains too)
2. The inflammatory aspect of excess omega-6 fats in corn products
3. The blood sugar disrupting nature of corn products.
When civilizations such as the Mayans and Native Americans changed their diet to a corn-based one, rates of anemia, arthritis, rickets, and osteoporosis skyrocketed.
Our bodies were not made to exist on such a high quantity of grain-based foods as is present in the modern western diet. This evidence shows up in the archeological records of our ancestors. When archaeologists looked at skeletons of native Americans in burial mounds in the Midwest who ate corn as their primary staple, there was a 50% increase in malnutrition, four times as much incidence of iron-deficiency, and three times as much infectious disease, compared to the more hunter-gather ancestors who primarily ate meats and fruits and veggies as opposed to grains.
Keep in mind that we are not just talking about corn-on-the-cob (sweet corn) here… we are also talking about corn cereals, corn chips, and other modern corn-based foods that are promoted by food companies as “healthy.” There are several reasons researchers give for the nutritional problems and the weight gain caused by a corn-dominated diet:
• Corn contains lots of fast digesting starches and sugar, which raises insulin levels, causes you to be hungrier and causes your body to store calories as fat. Don’t be mistaken, just because corn does not taste obviously sweet, doesn’t mean it isn’t full of sugars. Once eaten, your body quickly turns corn based foods into sugar. Even the starches in corn products can be broken down very quickly by your body spiking your blood sugar levels, and causing cravings for more carbohydrate-based foods.
• Corn is also a poor source of protein, usually deficient in 3 of the 8 essential amino acids: lysine, isoleucine, and tryptophan. The essential amino acids are so-named because they must be obtained from the diet, since the body is unable to manufacture them.
• Corn contains a high amount of phytate, a chemical that binds to iron and inhibits its absorption by the body. So, consequently, a diet high in phytate can make people more likely to have iron-deficiency anemia and fatigue. Phytate is also a nutrient blocker (an antinutrient) and inhibits other vitamins and minerals from being utilized.
• Corn is a poor source of certain minerals such as calcium and some vitamins such as niacin (B3). Deficiencies of niacin can result in a condition known as Pellagra, which is common in civilizations that eat a lot of corn. It can cause a variety of symptoms such as dermatitis, diarrhea, and depression. Since we are now a nation of corn-eaters, it wouldn’t be surprising that this is more common here than we realize.
• Corn oils are also used in most processed foods (along with soybean oils). Both corn oil and soybean oil are excessively high in inflammatory omega-6 fats and low in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats. This throws the delicate balance of omega-6 to omega-3 in your body out of whack and can cause degenerative diseases and weight gain over time. In addition, corn oil and soybean oil are highly refined with high heat and solvents, which oxidizes and damages the fragile polyunsaturated oils, and makes them even more inflammatory when you ingest them in processed foods.
It’s not just people who eat too much corn based foods. A large amount of the nation’s corn crop ends up feeding commercially raised cattle, which are cheaply fattened on corn and other grains before slaughter. Beef from corn-fattened cattle also has much higher ratios of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids than healthier grass fed beef which contains more anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Most meat in supermarkets comes from grain-fed animals and not healthy grass fed animals.
Because corn and other grains are an unnatural diet and difficult to digest, cattle raised on corn develop higher stomach acidity, which is a breeding ground for the dangerous E. coli O157:H7, the deadly strain of the bacteria. E-coli is rare in healthy grass-fed meat.
While eliminating refined grains such as corn and wheat (yes, it seems they are in everything!) can seem a very daunting task, the reward is a return to wonderful health, sparkling eyes, clear skin, clear thinking, and less body fat as the body is once again able to extract appropriate nutrients from food, reduced inflammation caused by grain based foods, and a resolution of nutritional deficiencies from the lack of absorption.
Do yourself a favor, and try at least 2 weeks with no grain products at all. I guarantee you will see some drastic improvements in your weight, energy, and general outlook! This is easier than you may think… For example, instead of having pasta with sauce and meat for dinner, a better alternative would be to have just grass-fed meat, tomato sauce, and veggies, topped with a little parmesan cheese. It’s delicious and no grains!
Another example would be breakfast… instead of cereals, bagels, or muffins, try to base most of your breakfasts on cage-free organic whole eggs with lots of veggies and perhaps some bison sausage or other nitrate/nitrite-free turkey or chicken sausage. If you’re very active and need a little more carbs with your breakfast, instead of grains, a small piece of fruit or some tea with a little bit of raw honey can be great additions to the egg/veggies based breakfast. This is a delicious and satisfying breakfast that will control your blood sugar, balance your hormones, and eliminate the problems with antinutrients found in most grains. Those are just a couple examples, but I think you get the point of how easy this can be.
I know it may not be realistic for everybody to give up grains fully, so the most realistic plan for many people is to only eat grain based foods (bread, pasta, cereals, etc) on their one cheat day each week, and save 6 days per week to be grain-free. Your body with thank you!
Natural Pain Relief Discovery
Ssshhhhhh… you’re about to learn about the secret pain reliever that doctors use — but you couldn’t have it until now. This inexpensive natural discovery has been shown to go to work on pain — whether it be back pain… headache pain… joint pain… arthritis pain… knee pain… migraines… pain from sports injuries… restless leg syndrome… or neck pain.
This pain remedy was discovered over 20 years ago — and its astonishing powers have been praised by The New York Times, showcased on 60 Minutes… and shown safe and effective in over 1,200 scientific publications. But information about it was immediately suppressed because vested interests launched a campaign to discredit it.
That was over 20 years ago, and the hush-up was so effective that, to this day, it’s hard to find at any pharmacy or health food store. But now it’s finally back — in a pain breakthrough that’s 12 ways more powerful. It virtually erases pain on contact.
In the time it takes you to open a bottle of pain pills and reach for a glass of water, the pain would’ve already been whisked away just by rubbing a drop or two of the “miracle compound” at the site of your pain. The moment the first drop hits your skin, it’s almost like watching a magic trick. It goes straight to the trouble area — within 45 seconds!
America’s Nutrition Physician, Dr. Allan Spreen, says “Be prepared to be PAIN-FREE in just 45 seconds — guaranteed or your money back!”
Coffee and Diabetes Type 2
Well everybody, It’s been a very busy few days. And that means one thing – Lots of coffee!
There are benefits to that, though. An Australian study that showed a 7 percent reduction in diabetes type 2 risk for every daily cup of coffee.
So each morning, as I fill up the first of several daily cups, I think to myself, “Well, I guess I’m getting plenty of diabetes protection today.” (And if I were a man, there’d be one more: a lower risk of prostate cancer.)
Until now, scientists haven’t known why coffee has the effect it does on diabetes type 2 risk. A new report in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry gets to the bottom of the mystery.
The report explains that people who drink four or more cups of coffee per day have a 50 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who don’t partake. And like I said, every additional cup tacks on another approximately 7 percent decrease in risk.
Coffee’s power against type 2 diabetes could lie in its effect on a substance called human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP). The “misfolding” of this substance is linked to the development of diabetes, which got some scientists thinking: Does coffee do anything to block hIAPP? Yep!
In fact, there are two categories of compounds in coffee that freeze hIAPP in its misfolding tracks. Thus, the benefit enjoyed by regular drinkers of coffee.
So now I don’t feel so bad that I’m on my 3rd cup and it’s not even noon!
P.S. Looking for other proven ways to ward off diabetes type 2?
Look no further. Click here to learn more ways you could stop diabetes in its tracks.
What are some foods a diabetic should eat?
Managing diabetes means not only monitoring blood sugar, but food, as well. Knowing what to eat, how much to eat and what to stay away from will go a long way in controlling the disease.
The right foods should include a healthy mixture of the right fruits and vegetables. Be careful not to overlay broccoli with mounds of cheese. It might help the taste, but the aftereffects aren’t worth it.
Lean cuts of meat are recommended as this cuts down on fat content. Fat interrupts the absorption of insulin, creating the problem that all diabetics despise. Both trans fats and saturated fats should be kept to a minimum- for the sake of your diabetes and your heart.
Remember the fiber. Fiber is an amazing food that bulks food for easier digestion, helps regulate blood sugar and does a great job in helping to process food. The right mixture of fiber will go a long way.
Avoiding certain foods is as important as consuming certain ones. Staying away from foods high in sugar goes without saying. Diabetics know full well that sugar not only ravages the blood, but it does so very quickly. Chocolate serves a double punch since you have to contend with the sugar and the caffeine.
The list of bad foods also includes starchy vegetables, with potatoes heading the list. Milk consumption needs to be strictly regulated, as does fruit juices. Limiting white flour is also pertinent to eating healthy, especially when you eat out.
The key to eating is moderation. If you find yourself dying to have a piece of cake, make it small and compensate for it by including something healthy. Regardless of what you eat, space out the carbs and include snacks throughout the day to avoid massive sugar level drops.
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What Foods Should Diabetics Avoid?
Foods that should be avoided are those that cause extreme spikes in glucose levels. So which foods, exactly, fall into this category?
The best way to identify these foods is the glycemic index. This index, developed by Dr. David J. Jenkins and his colleagues in 1981, was designed to indicate which foods are best for diabetics. It ranks all foods based on the effect that its carbs have on glucose levels. The lower the glycemic index, the more likley it is to be slowly digested and absorbed. Therefore, foods that have a low glycemic index are, generally speaking, better for the diabetic diet.
Glycemic index values
The scale uses glucose as a reference point. Glucose has a glycemic index value of 100.
- High GI (55 or less)
- Medium GI (56-69)
- Low GI (70+)
High GI foods
Examples of High GI foods include white bread, white rice, corn flakes and many other processed breakfast cereals, and sugars.
Medium GI foods
Examples of Medium GI fods include whole wheat breads, basmati rice, and sweet potatoes.
Low GI foods
Examples of Low GI foods include most fruits and vegetables, legumes, pulses, whole grains, nuts and fructose.
As you can see, the answer to, “What foods should diabetics avoid?” is often, “Processed foods.” This is because processed foods have been partially broken down before you eat them; this speeds up the digestion of foods to unnaturally high levels, resulting in glucose spikes. All diabetics know the importance and catastrophic results that can be obtained from the high glucose levels.
The quicker the food breaks down and releases into the blood, the higher it ranks on the glycemic index. This means that diabetics want to stay as close to foods with a low number as possible. Foods that rank higher can still be consumed, but they must be monitored very carefully since they dictate such a quick reaction.
By avoiding processed foods and high-carb foods, diabetics can maintain a balanced diet that is low in fat and high in fiber and and nutrients.
Advancing Age, BMI Predictors for Gestational Diabetes
Advancing maternal age and increased body mass index (BMI) can help predict gestational diabetes, especially in South Asian and black African women. That’s according to a new study published last week in BJOG, An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.
Increased BMI is a traditional screening factor for gestational diabetes. However, maternal age is not always included in diagnostic testing for the disease.
“This new research shows that maternal age, alone and in correlation with the maternal racial origin, may also be a significant factor contributing to the development of gestational diabetes,” said Dr. Makrina Savvidou, MD, obstetrics and fetal medicine consultant at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in the UK and the study’s co-author.
Researchers analyzed data on pregnancies in North West London from 1988-2000. The study included 1,688 women who developed gestational diabetes and 172,632 who did not.
Analysis revealed that gestational diabetes increased with maternal age and varied by ethnicity. In women aged 40 years or older, the rate of the disease rose 1.9% in white European women (from 0.5% at age 20-24), 11.4% in South Asian women (from 1.1%), and 21.7% in black Africans (from 0.7%).
In addition, white European women older than 30 years of age had significantly higher risk of developing the disease than their 20-24 year-old counterparts.
When it comes to BMI, researchers found a strong link to maternal ethnicity and gestational diabetes as well. The stakes are particularly high for black African and South Asian women, who had higher odds of developing gestational diabetes in all four BMI categories than the comparison group of white European women with a normal BMI.
Meanwhile, white European and black Caribbean women who were overweight or obese had a significantly higher likelihood of developing gestational diabetes than the comparison group.
Women in the study were divided into four BMI categories according to the World Health Organization’s international classification of BMI: 18.5 (underweight), 18.50-24.99 (normal weight), 25.00-29.99 (overweight), and 30+ (obese).
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 2-10% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. A pregnant woman whose blood sugar remains high has an increased chance of preeclampsia, pre-term birth, and C-section.
Gestational diabetes is diabetes that is first diagnosed in pregnant women. Traditional risk factors for developing the disease include increased BMI, family or personal history of gestational diabetes, delivery of a large baby, and ethnicity with a high prevalence of diabetes.
Source: BJOG, An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
photo by John Nyboer
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