May 2012 Spring is
in full bloom now. We are enjoying some really incredible weather here in the
desert of southwestern Utah. Our city hosts one of the most challenging Ironman
Triathlon courses around and this year showed no mercy. The day was very warm
and the winds challenged even the most veteran of competitors. Even though I
enjoy participating in triathlons I did not do the Ironman but I take my hat off
to all the competitors in this and every other Ironman race. The training for
one of these events is like a full time job. I hope that as many of you that can
get out and walk, bike, run, swim or whatever your choice of activity might be,
will go out and take control of your own health care and strengthen your muscles
and improve your endurance. One of the keys to a long and healthy life is
activity. In this newsletter you will learn about our Dr. Tim’s Sonoran Red
Nopal Special, find out 5 key things that will help you lose weight and live
longer, be able to arm yourself with 7 cholesterol fighting foods, understand
that drinking nopal juice can provide you with some serious health benefits,
read about my adventures on one of my recent trips to South America and see why
red meat does to your colon and what you can do to fight it.
 |
5 Key Simple Things That Will Help You Lose Weight |
EAT BREAKFAST
This one is hard for me from time to time. I usually use the
excuse that I am too busy and if I start to eat breakfast I will gain weight.
Well, it does matter what you eat so bacon, eggs and orange juice (fat, salt and
sugar) may not be the healthiest of daily routine breakfast choices. However,
eating the same kind of healthy breakfast routinely has shown to be vital in the
battle to lose weight. Oatmeal with raisins or bananas, fresh fruit smoothie
using only the fruit for your sweetener or a bowl of fresh fruit with whole
grain bread is a great way to start your day.
EXERCISE
Yes, folks this is
unavoidable! One of the secrets to a long and healthy life, not to mention the
most obvious reason of which is weight management is exercise. Some of my
favorite activities is to take an evening walk with my family or to go for a
sunrise bicycle ride. Activity burns calories. Even simpler is the truth that
calories are indiscriminate: regardless of the source of your calories you must
still burn more than you take in. Stay vigorous throughout your life.
LOVE
What? Yes, Love! Many credible sources claim that one of the
secrets to a long and healthy life that helps with weight management is through
developing deep and meaningful relationships both physically and emotionally.
Of course we recommend that this be done within the bounds of your legal and
moral commitments. Some studies show that a sex life that is frequent and
regular extends your life span.
IT'S MY TURN Take some time out for
yourself, in other words get some “me time”. We live in a very fast paced world
with so many different demands on our time. Now research is demonstrating that
taking a few moments to read a book, ponder, sit quietly or otherwise stepping
away momentarily from the race of life is not only emotionally therapeutic but
also adds to improving your quality of life and aids in weight loss.
STRESS MANAGEMENT
To put it succinctly: Stress = fat accumulation. I know what you
are thinking: Oh great, now I am getting fat from just thinking about getting
fat! How do I get off the merry-go-round? When you are stressed certain
chemicals from your pituitary gland and hypothalamus (both located in your
brain) send chemicals to your adrenal glands (located at the top of your
kidneys) to secrete cortisol. Cortisol is a steroid hormone that creates and
stores fat in your - wait for it - BELLY! Our bodies are designed to react to
stress much like we would react in the case of an impending storm. We stock
pile supplies. Well, this is hour your body stock piles energy for the
impending storm or in this case the stress from whatever is worrying you. By
the way, exercise also works as a great way to reduce stress and pinch off that
flow of chemicals from your brain to your adrenals. (yeah, I know, I just
dispelled another reason to not exercise).
| |
7 Easy To Use Cholesterol Fighting Foods! |
Almonds: There is
some amazingly powerful stuff found in the skins of the almond called
flavonoids. It turns out that these flavonoids help prevent LDL (the bad
cholesterol).
Acai: Acai is full of anthocyanins the same thing that is found
in red wine and other purple skinned fruits. The anthocyanins of the acai are
particularly potent and help reduce the LDL (bad cholesterol) and increase HDL
(the good cholesterol).
Avocados: The monounsaturated fats found in avocados
have been found to lower bad LDL and raise the good HDL.
Barley: Eaten as a
grain it is a great substitute for rice and can be eaten with dried fruit as a
snack. Barley in the liquid form (beer) does not provide the same benefits.
Barley decreases the bad LDL.
Beans & Lentils: Are the musical fruit, the more
you eat the more you - lower your LDL. (sorry, I couldn’t resist)
Oats: Oats and
oat bran have tremendous ability to decrease the bad LDL. Blueberries: Like the
acai have anthocyanins that lower the bad LDL’s.
| |
Diabetes and Red Nopal |
Nopal juice or Opuntia is the juice that comes from the prickly pear cactus
that grows throughout the southwestern United Sates and Northern Mexico. It has
been used over the years locally as a home remedy of sorts for many things
including diabetes. There is a rich history of the use of this plant in the
Mexican culture. The cactus pads and the fruit (prickly pear) are used in many
different ways. The pads are utilized in local culinary dishes and are often
referred to as nopalito. It can be boiled, fried and pickled. It has a very
earthy flavor. The prickly pear is called such because of the tiny hair like
spines that grow out from the skin ( I have first-hand experience with this)
that you want to avoid touching. It is very important to clean these off before
consuming. The prickly pear is not particularly sweet in taste but when mixed
with agave or honey has a delicious flavor. When the pads and the fruit are
mixed together they provide an interesting effect on blood sugar levels. Below
is a list of known medicinal and health benefits of Nopal with their respective
scientific citations: The Medicinal Benefits of Nopal.
1. Anti-inflammation: This effect is a result of the cladodes, phytosterols, beta
sitosterol, betanin & indicaxanthins found within nopal.
Ahmad A., J. Davies, S.
Randall & G.R.B. Skinner: Antiviral properties of extract of Opuntia
streptacantha. Antiviral Research 30, 75-85 (1996)
Loro J. F., I. Del Rio & L. Perez-Santana: Preliminary studies of analgesic and
anti-inflammatory properties of Opuntia dillenii aqueaous extract. J.
Ethnopharmacol 67. 213-218 (1999)
Park E. H., J. H. Kahng, S. H. Lee & K. H. Shin: An anti-inflammatory
priniciple from cactus. Fitoterapia 72, 288-290 (2001)
2. Anti-diabetic (type II) effect: Has been demonstrated because of the
betanin, soluable fiber & pectin found in the nopal.
Allegra M., P.G.
Furtmuller, W. Jantschko, M. Zederbauer, L. Tesoriere, M.A. Livrea & C. Obinger:
Mechanism of interaction of betanin and indicaxnthin with human myeloperoxidase
and hypochlorous acid. Biochem Biophys Res Commum 332, 837-844 (2005)
Dominguez Lopez A.: Use of the fruits and stems of the pricly pear cactus
(Opuntia spp) into human food. Food Sci Technol Int 1, 65-69 (1995)
Cicero A.F.G., G. Derosa & A. Gaddi: What do herbalists suggest to diabetic
patients in order to improve glycemic control? Evaluation of scientific
evidence and potential risks. Acta Diabetologica 41, 91-98 (2004)
Ibanez-Camacho R. & R. Roman-Ramos: Hypoglycemic e effect of Opuntia cactus.
Arch Invest Med (Mex) 10, 223-230 (1970)
Ibanez–Camacho R., M. Meckes-Lozoya & V. Mellado-Campos: The hypoglycemic
effect of Opuntia streptaeantha studied in different animal experimental models.
J. Ethnopharmacol 7, 175-181 (1983)
3. Anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-hypercholesterolemic effects: Driven by the
cladodes & sterols from the nopal.
Saenz C: Food products from cactus pear
(Opuntia ficus indica). Food Chain 18, 10-11 (1996)
Sintzing F.C., A. Schieber & R. Carle: Phytochemical and nutritional
significance of cactus pear. Eur Food Res Technol 212, 396-407 (2001)
Gurbachan S. & P. Felker: Cactus: new world foods. Indian Horticulture 43, 29-31
(1998)
Fernandez M. L.E.C. Lin, A. Trejo & D.J. McNamara: Prickly pear (Opuntia) sp.)
pectin reserves low density lipoprotein receptor suppression induced by a
hypocholesterolemic diet in guinea pigs. J Nutr 122, 2330-2340 (1992)
Frati A.,: Medical implications or prickly pear cactus. In: Proc, 3rd Annual
Texas prickly pear council. Eds: Felker P., Moss L.R., 24-25 July Kingsville,
Texas 29-34 (1992)
Lones P., M. Raeini-Sarjaz, F. Ntanios, C. Vanstone, J. Feng & W. Parsons:
Modulation of plasma lipid levels and cholesterol kinetics by phytosterol versus
phytostanol esters. J Lipid Res 41, 697-705 (2000)
4. Anti -Cancer Effect: (further investigations are underway to identify
the potential active compounds responsible for the underlying beneficval
mechanisms)
Zou D.M., M. Brewer, F. Garcia, J.M. Feugang, J. Wang, R. Zang, H.
Liu & C.P. Zou: Cactus Pear- a natural product in cancer chemoprevention. Nutr J
4, (2005)
Supino R., M. Crosti, M. Clerici, A. Warlters, L. Cleris, F. Zunino & F.
Formelli: Induction of apoptosis by Fenretinide (4-HPR) in human ovarion
carcinoma cells and its association with retinoic acid receptor expression. Int
J Cancer 65, 491-497 (1996)
Veeronesi U., G. De Palo, E. Marubini, A. Costa, F. Formelli, L. Mariani, A.
Decensi, T. Camerini, M. R. Del Turco, M.G. Di Muraca, M. Del Vecchio, C. Pinto,
G. D”Aiuto, C. Boni, T. Campa, A. Magni, R. Miceli, M. Perloff, W.F. Malone &
M.B. Sporn: Randomized trial trial of fenretinide to prevent second breast
malignancy in women with early breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst 91, 1847-1856
(1999)
De Palo G., L. Mariani, T. Camerini, E. Marubini, F. Formelli, B. Pasini, A.
Decensi & U. Veronesi: Effect of fenretinide on ovarian carcinoma occurrence.
Gynecol Oncol 86, 24-27 (2002)
5. Hangover: (Flavanoids)
Wiese J., S. McPherson, M.C. Odden & M.G.
Shlipak: Effects of Opuntia ficus indica on symptoms of the alcohol hangover.
Arch Internal Med 164, 1334-1340 (2004)
6. Effect on Ulcers and Gastrointestinal Disorders: This comes by the way
of soluable fiber, phytosterols & betanins produced by the nopal.
Galati E.M.,
M.T. Monforte, M.M. Tripodo, A. d”Aquino & M.R. Mondello: Antiulcer activity of
Opuntia fica indica (l.) Mill. (Cacteaccea): Ultrastructural study. J
Ethnopharmacol 76, 1-9 (2001)
Park, E.H., J.H. Khang, S.H. Lee & K.H. Shin: An anti-inflammatory principle
from cactues. Fitoterapia 72, 288-290 (2001)
Lee E.B., J.E. Hyun, D.W. Li & Y.I. Moon: Effect of Opuntia ficus-indica var.
saboten fruit on gastric lesion and ulcer in rats. Nat Prod Sci 7, 90-93 (2001)
Lee E.B., J.E. Hyun, D.W. Li & Y.I. Moon: Effect of Opuntia ficus-indica var.
saboten fruit on gastric damages in rats. Arch Pharm Res 25, 67-70 (2002).
Allegra M., P.G. Furtmuller, W. Jantschko, M. Zederbauer, L. Tesoriere, M.A.
Livrea & C. Obinger: Mechanism of interaction of betanin and indicaxnthin with
human myeloperoxidase and hypochlorous acid. Biochem Biophys Res Commum 332,
837-844 (2005)
7. Effect on Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): Jonas A., G. Rosenblat, D.
Krapf, W. Bitterman & I. Neeman: Cactus flower extracts may prove beneficial
in benign prostatic hyperplasia due to inhibition of 5 alpha reductase activity,
aromatase activity and lipid peroxidation.
Urol Res 26, 265-270 (1998)
Palevitch, D., Earon, G. Levin: Treatment of benign prostatic hypertrophy with
Opuntia ficus-indica (L.). Int J Comp Alt Med. 21, 2-8
RED NOPAL SPECIAL
| |
Trip Report |
On my last visit to Brazil I explored the eastern coast south of Belem.
Brazil is a very beautiful country with much to admire. Their rich natural
resources and the pristine country side is amazing. An interesting fact about
this country is that they experience no earthquakes, tornados or hurricanes. On
this particular trip I once again visited our suppliers of acai and spent time
travelling the great Amazon river. I finally caught a glimpse of a one the
famous fresh water pink dolphins of the amazon as it surfaced near the bow of
our boat. It was a remarkable experience as I sat on the bow of our wooden boat
looking over the chocolate milk colored river when suddenly I witnessed this
beautiful pink arching dolphin breach the surface of the water and glide
effortlessly alongside our vessel.
The banks of the river and down along the
coastline are carpeted with green lush jungle vegetation. The cacophony of bird
songs and the squeals of monkeys high up in the canopy tempt the imagination as
to what other wildlife may lei just beyond the river banks. The days were hot
and humid and I used generous amounts of bug repellent. Somehow I must have
missed covering my ankles as they suffered what seemed like a frontal attack by
some voracious near microscopic beasts. My ankles itched for weeks. One thing
that I try to do at night is to cover myself as much as possible with a bug
spray with deet because you never know what is crawling around at night.
At our
final destination we had some time to walk the eerily vacant beeches. The
Atlantic ocean was very warm and served for great diversion as we bobbed up and
down in the waves early one morning. We dined on rice and beans and fish.
Every morning we had our fill of fresh mangos, bananas and papaya. These fruits
taste so rich and are very satisfying. One of my favorite things to do is try
as many of the different local fruit juices as possible. This time I had
graviola and caja. Both very delicious, the graviola was light and fruity while
the caja was very sour. Of course I had my fill of the freshest most delicious
acai.
| |
Green Vegetables, Red Meat and Colon Cancer, Turns Out Popeye Was Right
| 
Colon cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in Western
societies. Various studies show that diet is a major determinant in these cases.
They also show that diets high in red and processed meat are especially
associated with a moderately increased risk for colon cancer. In a study
published in the scientific journal Carcinogenesis by Johan De Vogel Et Al from
the Nutrition and Health Programme, Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences, The
Netherlands it showed for the first time that spinach and chlorophyll inhibit
the stimulation of the cells in the colon from becoming cancerous. This study
demonstrates a direct link from diets that are high in red meat consumption to
the increased risk of colon cancer. It also shows how the consumption of
spinach can help to inhibit the transformation of the cells in the colon into
cancer. This research does not suggest that a diet high in red meat is
justified by the addition of spinach but rather supports previous research that
clearly points to the fact that diets that use meat sparingly are healthier,
result in less disease and that the consumption of green leafy vegetables such
as spinach are beneficial to colon health. So do as the popular cartoon Popeye
and eat more spinach.
|
