Sulfur (What’s That Smell?)

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Sulfur

OK, who let one rip? That smells awful! Ugh! This comes from a compound of hydrogen and sulfur, which smells like rotten eggs. Somewhere in the digestive system was an excess of sulfur and in forming a compound with hydrogen, because we always have hydrogen (the water element), it came out and probably came close to dropping everyone to the floor like a bad habit. Sulfur is a very unique element in that it is extremely expulsive. If I say sulfur, what comes to mind first? Probably volcano or sulfuric acid. When talking about volcanic eruptions, sulfur is a key element during this type of reaction. It is an element in the Earth’s crust and by nature it is eruptive. If we take this same concept and stick it inside the body, the result is exactly the same. This element can be found in many foods, including meats, eggs, garlic, onions, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts to name a few. During the process of cutting onions, it is part of a chemical reaction that causes many humans to secrete tears. Our body’s natural defense to this chemical reaction is to cry in an attempt to flush out the sulfuric compound the onion releases. Sulfur can reach to the deepest of cells throughout the body and cause each individual cell to “erupt” and eliminate whatever toxins are being stored within the cell. After this occurs the toxins are met by other cells in the bloodstream that are able to attach to the toxins to shuttle them to our elimination channels. Many times excess sulfur will cause too many eruptions and the result is a volcano on our skin, which we all know as pimples, pustules, and acne and it ain’t pretty! Ever look closely at a pimple – it forms a mound, and when enough pressure is built up underneath, it can be squeezed and erupt – sounds pretty damn similar to a volcano doesn’t it? My point is, everything on Earth is interconnected and many things have similar concepts that can be viewed on different scales ranging from microscopic to macroscopic. Sulfur is known as a heating element and is part of how the nervous system sends electrical signals. Electricity obviously releases heat due to its high temperature, so every time we send signals through the nervous system, which is constantly, we are using this critical element. Most “winter vegetables” are high in sulfur due to the heat. These are the vegetables we need to eat to maintain a healthy brain and nervous system. In addition to what I named earlier, other “winter vegetables” are cauliflower and asparagus. This does not mean, you can only get these foods in the winter season, it simply means it allows many of these foods to survive a cold and bitter environment. Sulfur and Phosphorus are two elements, or minerals, that are attached to many proteins throughout the body. These two elements plus Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen, and Hydrogen, are why life on Earth exists and is able to sustain itself for a certain length of time, since everything seems to have a beginning and an end. At the end of the day, without Sulfur, the brain and nervous system will deteriorate and the physical body will degrade back into the dust and minerals of the Earth.

Iodine (Iodine-ing On Seafood Tonight?)

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Iodine

Iodine is quite possibly the most important element for all humans. It is only necessary in very trace amounts and can be found in algae, seafood, eggs, tropical fruits, and in varying amounts in many other green leafy vegetables, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and carrots. Regardless of how you get, I would obtain it from seafood, eggs, and algae to make sure we are getting plenty of it. One must reduce their toxic load, or else this element will get used up quickly and never get replenished. The thyroid is a gland located in the cervical region of the body (where the larynx is located just below the jaw). The thyroid produces two secretions, Triiodothyronine and Thyroxin (T3 and T4 on a blood test) as a way to regulate the metabolism. Manganese is another element that works closely to maintain an efficient Thyroid gland, but let’s keep this about Iodine. Iodine helps to break down toxins before they can cross over the Blood Brain barrier, which obviously protects our brain and nervous system from toxins. Clearly, Iodine is an important element. Our emotional and physical stresses from daily living require significant amounts of Iodine to break down the toxins produced by excess stress. To be blunt about it – if you don’t get enough of this every day, you are screwed! We become fatigued, prone to infection, have a poor healing ability, a slow metabolism, and live in a constant state of fear. Not my idea of fun! When the Thyroid becomes depleted of this element it must enlarge itself to filter more Iodine out of the bloodstream in order to keep the body running as effectively and efficiently as possible. The enlargement of the Thyroid is known as a goiter. As you can tell, when you deplete these Iodine stores and fail to replenish them, you begin to break down at an alarming rate. As the Thyroid speeds up to find more Iodine in the blood, it is called Hyperthyroidism. Over time, if it is not replaced, Hyperthyroidism turns to Hypothyroidism, because the gland gets tired of working over time and finally decides it is just easier to slow down the metabolism and immune system. Another reason why Iodine is crucial to our health is that it regulates the Calcium in our body. In addition to obtaining Vitamin D from the Sun’s energy and having enough Cholesterol in the body for this process to occur, Vitamin D and Iodine allow Calcium to perform it’s role in the body. Calcium, under tight regulation of the Iodine from the Thyroid, is then allowed to combine with Phosphorous to make bones dense and strong. Calcium is also secreted from the nervous system to cause a contraction of our muscles thereby keeping our posture in a fully lengthened position against gravity. Speaking of a fully lengthened posture, let’s discuss the importance of this on the Thyroid, and therefore on Iodine. If we lose our posture and our spinal extensor muscles cannot activate then we will flex forward in the upper body and put pressure on the cervical spine. This process will compress the Thyroid causing it to work harder and pump out more Iodine. Until you correct your posture, this is a vicious circle. It is relatively easy to stay away from this circle by eating plenty of seafood (or some other whole food source) and strengthening the muscles that aid in the full extension of our posture. Iodine is able to combine with many of the elements, which means it helps in the transporting of Oxygen via the Iron-centered protein, Hemoglobin. The more we can reduce stress levels and the more whole foods (especially some that are raw/fresh) we consume, the more we can conserve this vital element and ultimately protect our health and immune system. As we begin to clean up our eating habits and lifestyles, the quicker we see a turn around in our health and the more we are able to focus on the truly happy things in life. Sufficient Iodine and good posture sounds like a winning combination to me!

Copper, The Human Liver, And Excess Sugar Intake… Your Thoughts?

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Copper, The Human Liver, And Excess Sugar Intake… Your Thoughts?

So, what do these 3 things have in common? Anybody got any thoughts? I do. I am specifically writing this as it pertains to my wonderful and loving mother, but I know many of you all out there will be able to relate to it. My philosophy on food is that all healthy foods in their natural state, meaning untouched by humans and coming straight from the Earth (meats, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, the occasional whole grain), will give us the vital chemical minerals in the correct ratios. When we want a quick fix and reach for supplements, synthetic chemicals, injections, processed foods, etc. we interfere with our body’s ability to absorb these crucial minerals. The 16 major chemical minerals are Calcium, Carbon, Chloride, Fluoride, Hydrogen, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Phosphorous, Potassium, Silicon, Sodium, and Sulfur. There are also additional trace minerals that are necessary for these 16 minerals to work efficiently. Some of these trace elements include Copper, Zinc, Chromium, Selenium, Cobalt, Molybdenum, and maybe a few others. Before getting carried away talking about all these minerals, let’s focus on Copper, Iron, Sugar, and the human liver.

Let’s move on to the point of this post – the relationship between Copper, the liver, and excess sugar intake. I don’t want to get too carried away because I know I’ll lose many of you and this is quite simple to explain. Copper is a critical component to many enzymes that are in the human liver. Humans need a certain amount of glucose for energy, but we don’t need all that much. That is a huge myth, so please don’t let someone tell you that we need a lot of carbohydrates (sugar) for energy. You get much longer lasting energy from healthy fats (lipids) and protein than you do from sugars. Sugars only create inflammation throughout the body including in the liver. Beef, veal, and oysters are the 3 highest sources of Copper. Beef will provide a good amount of Iron as well. If you stop eating beef, you will become Copper deficient and probably Iron deficient as well. Humans evolved to eat meats due to their heat producing properties caused by excellent complete protein content. This will help keep you warm during the cold months of the year! It’s why a bowl of chili is a wintertime favorite.

There is such a thing as having too much Iron in the liver. However, when humans have a Copper deficiency, the liver can no longer regulate its Iron content. This means it basically gets stuck in the liver and has no place to go. Obviously, this is a huge deal because a “heavy” liver with too much Iron will cause the liver to malfunction, therefore creating an inability to regulate sugar levels. This leads to overproduction of insulin by the pancreas, which brings on insulin resistance because our body fails to get the sugars in our muscles for energy. When we fail to utilize these sugars circulating in our blood stream, the results on your blood tests will show up as “diabetic” or “pre-diabetic” with an A1C number over 5.0. For those that don’t know what I’m talking about, a Fasting Glucose number signifies your blood sugar for that particular day in your life. A1C signifies a 3-month history of the sugars in your blood. Many things can cause a spike on a fasting glucose test, so it is important to pay more attention to your A1C since it talks about your blood history, not just 1 day’s worth. Some doctors might say an A1C between 5.0 and 6.0 is OK, but that means its “trending” towards diabetes. Screw that, let’s just go big and get it under 5.0. You’ll feel much better about yourself than if it were between 5.0 and 6.0, which will naturally create stress since you’ll be thinking about it. Simply thinking about it will create higher levels of Cortisol, the stress hormone, which eventually leads to a nervous system that over fires and a brain that never shuts down. Over firing of the nervous system and a brain that never shuts down to sleep is a beautiful recipe for INFLAMMATION, DIS-EASE, and ILLNESS.

I personally feel that there is a reason why humans are supposed to eat meats and this is definitely one of them that I have just discussed. Beef has about 1/3 (for women) and 2/3 (for men) of our daily Iron intake, but it has nearly twice as much Copper than it does Iron. Let’s think about the mathematics of that. If Copper is necessary to regulate Iron, it would be smart to have a little more Copper than Iron in a single source of food. That’s my idea of efficiency. Why try to get these elements in the correct ratio by eating 2+ food sources when you can easily get them in 1 food source. Listen people, I’m all about efficiency and effectiveness when it comes to my foods and my health. If you want vibrant health and a life free of inflammation, then you need to strive for the highest levels possible of both efficiency and effectiveness. Life is both short and a journey, so if I were you, I would do whatever I could to make the most of it. Who wants to live a life of misery and be surrounded by negative energy all the time? NOT ME!

Bottom line… Eat some wild or grass fed beef because humans were meant to do so. And while you’re at it, add some healthy vegetables and fats so that your liver can operate the way it should. At the end of the day the liver is the only organ that will process EVERYTHING you consume, be it foods in their natural state, processed foods, supplements, injections, or synthetic chemicals. Oh, and don’t forget lots of filtered water to stay hydrated too, because this helps the liver out tremendously when trying to process and regulate our minerals and energy.

Remember, these are my thoughts. I have written these posts as a thought-provoking tool to get humans to think outside the box with a focus on the previously mentioned minerals. NOT on “counting calories” or “getting enough protein, carbohydrates, and fats.” That is an old school way of thinking. Clearly, thinking inside the box with old school philosophies is not working! If it was working, then riddle me this… over the last century, humans have seen exponential increases in levels of inflammation and dis-ease, why? People don’t want to think outside the box (probably because they are lazy) and think that Big Brother and Big Pharma can solve all of their problems with a “quick fix” solution. Guess what folks? Our genes (you know, our DNA) are hundreds of thousands of years old and cannot be “quickly fixed.” The Earth has provided all of these minerals and elements for all animals to consume to fuel our energetic needs on a daily basis. These minerals and our genes need time to configure themselves so that we can experience a vibrantly healthy life free of inflammation, dis-ease, and illness.

What are your thoughts?

Resource used: The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry Volume 26, Issue 10, October 2015, Pages 996–1006. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955286315001084

The Age Of Electronics… Your Thoughts?

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The Age of Electronics… What are your thoughts?

This can be a very touchy subject for some and for others it’s easily a laughable matter. However you feel about it, humans are beginning to understand its consequences. If you wrote down a list of Pros and Cons for today’s age of modern electrical devices and the technology they provide, it would take you quite some time. It would also spark endless controversial debate. And that’s exactly why it should be discussed on this next installment of …Your Thoughts?

I am not going to break down a list of Pros and Cons for you here, because that would take years to do and I don’t feel like investing years for a simple thought provoking post. Fortunately, there are people out there who have researched countless hours in the study of Electromagnetic Fields and the effects these fields can have on human health. The research of Martin Blank was intriguing enough for me to theorize about the damage my cell phone could be doing to me late at night regardless of whether I was staring at it or was simply within a certain distance of it. In high school physics, I remember learning that electricity had a magnetic field as well as the amplitude of damage it could cause when lightning struck an organic object. Martin Blank’s research logically made sense about keeping all electrical devices at least 6 feet away from you during sleep.

If you move to the Silicon Valley in California, USA, you will find a lot of technology. This means you are going to find a lot of microchips. When you break apart these microchips you are ultimately going to find that they are made of the element silicon, hence the name of this booming place in California. What is so special with silicon? This is where chemistry comes. We all hear of the underdog sports stories where the team had better chemistry even though the opponent was bigger, faster, stronger, but the real gift of chemistry is everything on this Earth. Everything needs the correct “chemistry” if it is going to operate at peak efficiency and effectiveness. It is no different for the human body and for microchips. The only difference between humans and microchips in regards to silicon is the amount of silicon each has. Silicon easily combines with Oxygen to form Silicate, which is a crystallized structure that can produce a spark of electrical current (a signal) due to its chemical properties. Because of this property, it is why solar powered units can run forever as long as there is enough sun light energy striking the object made of silicon. It is why electrical devices, including cell phones, monitors, and data tracking devices can even operate in the first place. Depending on the purpose of the Silicon based device, it could potentially use any type of energy to keep it running, not just from sunlight. As for humans, we have a certain amount of silicon that keeps us healthy and moving, just like a sunlight-powered watch.

Remember, the nervous system sends an electrical signal that forces a muscle protein to contract thereby causing movement. But what if I don’t always want to move? The brain and the body need to sleep during the night and allow plenty of time to eliminate all of the built up toxins from the day’s activities. If we don’t get the required 7-9 hours of sleep every night, we will not have the full amount of time to eliminate all such toxins. Even at our oldest of ages, the body still requires 7+ hours of good uninterrupted sleep in order to fully eliminate all toxins. Think about it this way. If our daily activities combined builds up 1000 toxins, and let’s say it take 7-9 hours to eliminate 1000 toxins, then we would have a break even point for our toxicity levels, right? 1000 in = 1000 out. However, let’s say we only get 5 hours of sleep Night 1, which only allows time for 750 toxins to be eliminated. When we wake up on Day 2 we are starting with 250 toxins still in the body. Then we add another 1000 toxins cause you survived Day 2 and you’re now at 1250 total. If you get 5 hours of sleep again on Night 2, then your count goes from 1250 – 750 = 500 toxins still in the body starting on Day 3. If you continue down this process of being in debt 250 toxins each day/night it will add up significantly over time and you will feel like you are constantly being tormented with illness, inflammation, and dis-ease.

Let’s get back to the effects of electronic devices, especially cell phones, when using them before we go to sleep. If we are looking at the screen we have a constant stream of light particles hitting our eyes, which signals to our brains that we need to “stay awake.” This causes the brain to release neurochemicals, which produces more of the stress hormone, cortisol, throughout the body. This process interferes with our sleep cycle and we will never be able to eliminate all of the toxins completely. Staring at an electrical device’s screen after 9pm will only delay the amount of sleep you can possibly get. It will take roughly an hour or two for a healthy brain to wind down before it will shut down. It is not like we can just flip a switch and our brains cut off for the toxin elimination process to begin. The point here is no type of project or work is worth sacrificing your health. Work performance, be it physical or mental, will suffer greatly with even 1 night less than 7-9 hours. For me personally, I always feel the significant positive difference when I get the required amount of sleep.

Let’s be clear here: It’s not just staring at a screen that can have an effect on the body. If the electrical device can receive or transmit a signal, then the energy coming from the EMF produced by the device can cause damage to the human body. This can and will disrupt our sleep cycle, eating habits, how we think and store memory, and even wreak havoc on our professional and personal relationships throughout your lifetime. However, if the electronic device is far enough away from your body or the device cannot transmit a signal because it is in airplane mode or turned off completely, then there will not be current flowing and therefore no electromagnetic field around the device – a simple solution to a growing health concern.

I’ll leave you with this: If performance suffers greatly after only 1 night of sleep deprivation, what happens when you are 1 hour deprived of the required amount of sleep every day for 20 years?… Based on my above example, your toxic load would be nearly 2,000,000 (20 years x 365 days x 250 excess toxins per day).

Inflammation 1. Body 0. Your thoughts?

Essential Fatty Acids For Human Health… Your Thoughts?

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Essential Fatty Acids for human health… What are your thoughts?

Many humans are well aware that we need the 3 major macro-nutrients of Protein, Fats, and Carbohydrates. However, this is where most humans fall off the knowledge cliff and are left in the dark. At this point, they are forced to listen to what everyone else says about human nutrition. By everyone else, I am talking about Government agencies, Health organizations, dietitians, nutritionists, etc. You might even feel like a trapped wild animal at this point and feel as if others are making decisions for you. I don’t know about you, but I’m trying to make my own decisions about MY life. I was given one shot at life and I want to make the most of it. I do not want to listen to a bunch of bullshit from people, most of whom don’t even know what they are talking about. Newsflash to all humans out there who are reading this: pull your head out of your ass and start doing your own research. Don’t let anyone else control your destiny by telling you what to do. Unless of course, you just want to be spoon-fed your whole life. If that is the case, then please stop reading and do your thing. If you are like me and take matters into your own hands and aren’t afraid to say “No” to people, then please keep reading and make your own decisions. This is strictly informative. It is an attempt to break through all the confusing research. So let’s get this straight, I AM NOT TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO!

Let’s move on and discuss the importance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. What the #$%* am I talking about, right? Good question!

I am talking about the essential, or necessary, fatty acids that humans must consume in their daily foods to protect their health. There are a few fatty acids that exist in human nutrition, but there are 2 that humans cannot manufacture and must obtain from food sources. Hence why they’re called ESSENTIAL fatty acids (EFAs). These 2 are Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. To date, there are 2 others known as Omega-7 and Omega-9, both of which are non-essential and can be manufactured by humans.

A quick break down of these 2 EFAs. Omega-3 is also known as alpha linolenic acid (α-linolenic acid) and is considered to be anti-inflammatory by nature. Omega-3s are produced in foods where 18 carbon atoms have formed a chain. 3 of these carbon atoms have a double bond with the carbon immediately next to it in the chain link. Whenever you hear that carbons have a “double bond,” it means 2 carbon atoms have a bond that can only be broken by heat (cooking). What does this have to do with its importance? A lot. Because most humans do not understand biochemistry however, I’ll keep this simple. Omega-3 fatty acids are obtained through fish, eggs, and other lean meats. Humans need Omega-3 fatty acids for brain, heart and nervous system health. If you do some research on the Internet, you will find that EPA and DHA are Omega-3s that are critical to our health. These can only be obtained through single food sources of fish, eggs, and lean meats, NOT through supplements that are made in a chemistry lab. Please do not go running to your nearest grocery or health food store to buy supplements after reading this – you’re wasting your money! I like to call it “expensive urine.”

Omega-6 on the other hand is known as linoleic acid and is considered to be pro-inflammatory by nature. Omega-6s are also produced in foods where 18 carbon atoms have formed a chain. The difference is that only 2 of these carbon atoms have double bonds. Omega-6s can be found in many plant sources, such as vegetable, nut and seed oils.

These 2 EFAs are the Yin (3) and Yang (6) of human health. Both are necessary to human health, but only in a good ratio. You want to shoot for maybe a 1:2 ratio of Omega-3:Omega-6. I’m saying maybe, because it can be different for each human. However, current research shows that most Americans, and probably many humans world wide, have some crazy ratio of like 1:15. When Omega-6 heavily outweighs the Omega-3 we show signs and symptoms of this imbalance. Our bodies produce excess inflammation and you may see that your skin is dry, scaly, or itchy. The brain begins to degenerate and sends out an excess of neurochemicals because it is malfunctioning. The nervous system cannot handle the load and over fires, which can cause all sorts of issues. The nervous system gets overloaded because there is no insulation for the electrical signal to travel down the entire pathway. What do you think happens when you put an electrical device in water? On top of all of that, if you are even slightly dehydrated, you are really up shit creek without a paddle. When your EFAs are out of balance the body literally begins to decompose in front of your own eyes and it ain’t pretty! The point is that we need a balance of Omega-3s to Omega-6s for insulation and lots of water so the nervous system, brain and heart can operate effectively and efficiently.

To sum this whole thing up regarding food choices, it’s pretty simple. Drink lots of water. Eat eggs, fish, and lean meats for the Omega-3s. Eat and cook with the oils derived from vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds for your Omega-6s. Throwing in the occasional whole grain (oats, quinoa, rice, etc.) will round out human nutrition. If you can manage to do all of that and live a healthy, low-stressed lifestyle that incorporates movement and meditation, then you are on your way to excellent health. If that doesn’t work, then you’re truly an enigma and I got nothing for you.

The bottom line is this. Vibrant health is obtained through a wide spectrum of all the food sources including meats, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and oils. And when enough water is supplied, the biochemical elements from the foods get a chance to do their thing.

Thank you and remember to check back soon for the next … Your Thoughts? to help you nourish your wild side!

Manganese (Memory Enhancer, Metabolism Booster)

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Manganese

Another element that is critical to animal life is Manganese. Not to be confused with Magnesium, Manganese must be in correct balance if a higher level of intellect is wanted due to its necessary role in the maintenance of brain and nerve health. This mineral has been linked to having good memory! It gives humans a strong nervous system, but because nerves are constantly firing, it can be difficult to keep our manganese levels elevated. Manganese is a critical part in the breakdown of proteins and sugars, or nucleic acids. DNA, or Deoxyribonucleic Acid, naturally needs this mineral for good health. Without it, our DNA would not be able to replicate itself and pass on the genetic information to the next generation of cells. To control our metabolic demand, the Thyroid needs Manganese in order to produce Thyroxin, which helps with this crucial process. Metabolism is one of the most primitive survival mechanisms humans have, thereby making this element beyond critical to humans. Manganese works similar to Iron in that it binds with Oxygen to deliver needed nutrients to all parts of the body. This element is hard to come by, making many, if not most, humans deficient. It is found in foods truly in their natural state – raw nuts still inside their shells on the trees, wild berries, pineapple, steel-cut oats, and in almost all raw green leafy vegetables. Let me be clear here, you cannot COOK greens because you want them more appetizing. Heat will destroy this element, which means humans need to eat lots of raw green leaves every day. Animals and our ancestors from 15,000 years ago and earlier ate leaves straight from the plant, so stick your hand in a bucket of kale or swiss chard and put it in your mouth (or use a fork). The point is you need Manganese for a healthy brain and nervous system, and nuts contain anti-nutrients that prevent mineral absorption. This means that raw, dark green, leafy vegetables are your best bet in getting this far too important mineral. As you know by now, assuming you have read the Magnesium post, green leaves are high in fiber and help with relaxing the digestive system so that we have normal bowel movements that are not strenuous. Both Magnesium and Manganese are critical for healthy digestive tracts, healthy nerves, and healthy brains. My suggestion: grab yourself a home made salad with a mixture of dark green leaves and repeat this process every day for the rest of your life. Unless of course you don’t mind making trips to different doctors and complaining about an overactive nervous system, not being able to stay focused, having too stress, and having issues with your Thyroid.

Silicon (Your Source for Solar Powered Energy)

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Silicon

Silicon is an element that truly makes a human or any other animal or plant have a vibrant and radiant appearance. It is referred to as the “magnetic” element some times, but mostly it is known for its use in microchips in the technology industry. Silicon readily binds to Oxygen to make a compound found in quartz crystals. These crystals need a little voltage applied to them to essentially activate a continuous electrical circuit. Just about every cell in the human body contains potassium inside (negative charged), and sodium and calcium outside (negative charge). When our hydration levels are excellent, which should always be the case, these minerals naturally dissolve in water and become “charged” particles, or ions. Since almost every cell in humans contains these three ionic minerals, they are crucial to create the “spark” of life. Our cells have a Potassium-Sodium Pump that essentially acts as a gate for mineral fluid to flow in and out of cells. As water flushes into the cell carrying Sodium and Calcium with it, the charge is too great for the cell thereby forcing out the Potassium (two particles with a negative charge will repel each other). Because we have the ability to create a natural spark, or voltage, which travels through the nervous system, these nerve cells must branch out like trees to all parts of the body so we can appropriately fire the right movement pattern. All cells should be radiant and therefore contain silicon, especially the nerve cells of the body. As each cell creates a “spark” the properties of Silicon take over and create a continuous electrical surge through the rest of the nervous system in a phenomenon known as Piezoelectricity. Without Silicon, clearly we would be dull looking and gradually decompose back to the minerals of the Earth. Silicon is also the predominant element in solar cells, and we all know how important the sun is to life, therefore, humans are actually trillions of “solar powered cells.” Silicon makes nerve signals travel faster and more efficiently, but when we become deficient our nervous system gets overactive and creates all kinds of issues – stress, inflammation, dis-ease, cancer, degeneration. From a food perspective, silicon helps to neutralize the acids, or sugars, of the foods we consume. There is not nearly as much research on this element as there is with some other ones so I will finish this up by including a few foods that contain silicon. I think the point made above is pretty clear of the importance this mineral has on human health. Consuming foods with this element is not the case, we must clean up our lifestyles and food choices so that we have less stress and a higher absorption rate. The key is to ABSORB all minerals, including silicon, in the right ratios. With all that said, Silicon can be found in kelp, nuts, seeds, rice, oats, and unpasteurized goat/sheep milk or unpasteurized goat/sheep cheese.

Chloride (Bleach Vacation!)

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Chloride

To set things straight and up front, let’s not get confused with Chlorine. You will find Chlorine on the Periodic Table, however in the human body it is registered as Chloride and is used as a cleansing agent for the entire neuromusculoskeletal system. This can be viewed as the nervous system, which innervates the muscular system, which displaces the skeleton system, which performs work thus creating human movement. The five electrolytes of the body that oversee this whole process are Sodium, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, and Chloride. Because the Potassium and Sodium elements create an electrical signal due to their chemical properties, they will cause a nerve to innervate a muscle. This process will leave a residue after the Sodium and Potassium have been assimilated and used for each signal and muscle contraction. Calcium is also necessary for the muscle to contract. To counteract constant muscle contraction (spasm), Magnesium prevents the Calcium from contracting the muscle (relaxes the muscle), thereby providing us a “brake” to the “acceleration”. All four of these electrolytes (K, Na, Ca, Mg) have a positive charge and therefore need a negative charge to be able to eliminate them from the body. Chloride, acting as a cleaning agent to the residues left behind in the nerves and muscles, combines with those elements to help eliminate them and prevent autointoxication (failure to clean out the systems). If we did not have a way to eliminate these used materials, we would hold on to excess materials, or toxins, and cause illness. Clearly Chloride is essential for human health. Chloride is high in fish, celery, and raw (unpasteurized) goat milk, and there are varying amounts in many other foods such as any dark green leaf, and most other naturally green vegetables, as well as carrots, and sweet potatoes. As a human, you lose lots of Sodium throughout the day, which is paired with Chloride (NaCl) when being eliminated. Therefore you must eat plenty of lean, grass fed, or pasture raised meats in addition to their dark green leafy salads. Fruits, starchy root vegetables, and lipids in addition to sufficient water will yield Hydrogen, which pairs with Chloride in the stomach known as Hydrochloric acid. Again, water levels must be sufficient daily! This Hydrochloric Acid (HCl) helps the stomach break down complete proteins for rebuilding or repairing inflamed tissue throughout the systems of the body. As a cleansing agent Chloride naturally helps relax the nervous system by cleaning out its debris from firing signals all the time due to activities of daily life. The element has been linked to the GABA neurotransmitter, which acts as an inhibitory neuron signal (relaxes the nervous system). At the end of the day, Chloride is a wonderful element when in the correct balance, which can be achieved only by eating a variety of whole foods on a regular basis (80%+ of total food consumption every day). Water is a must because it keeps all of the electrolytes suspended in a solution so they can perform their job. If we are even remotely dehydrated electrolytes begin to malfunction and get worse as we become more dehydrated throughout the day. Things get parched and don’t work very efficiently and it gives on the appearance with symptoms from nervous system dysfunction to muscular dysfunction (including intestinal and heart muscle). The lesson here is to clean up our food choices, eat whole foods, and stay hydrated if we want to have a clean system, because the reality is simple – Chloride in the body is like Chlorine to clothes and a pool, it helps kill germs, parasites, viruses, and bacteria, thereby reducing inflammation.

Stars and Stripes Sangria

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Are you in need of a last minute, quick and easy crowd-pleaser to bring to your 4th of July cookout? This Stars and Stripes Sangria is an Independence Day treat! With wine, champagne and frozen fruit, this sweet and bubbly sipper is super easy to throw together just in time to get out the door. Plus, people always love the guy/girl who brings alcohol, right?

Let freedom ring, it’s almost the fourth of July! Independence day here in the US always means an incredible amount of red, white and blue, fireworks, and (hopefully) some amazing cookout food. But sometimes it can be hard to figure out what to bring… let’s face it, 5 bowls of potato salad ain’t going to work out. Fear not, because I have a boozey crowd-pleaser that you can throw together as you’re running out the door (spraying bug spray on every square inch of exposed skin in the process.)

Stars and Stripes Sangria 4th of july

 

You can use fresh or frozen fruit with this, but if you’re in a hurry and haven’t had time to chill the wine and champagne, then frozen fruit is perfect! However, I will say that this drink gets better as time goes on and the flavors have a chance to get to know one another, so if you have time to put it together the night before (tonight! eek!) and let it sit in the fridge, the flavors will intensify. But if not, no worries! It will still be lovely.

I used a frozen fruit combo bag (antioxidant blend that I buy in bulk from Costco to make green smoothies) which had strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, cherries and blueberries, and then cut up some fresh Granny Smith apples. You can use any combo of red white and blue fruit though!

By the way, I took about 5 extra minutes to cut out star shapes in some of my apple chunks, but I was totally being an over-achiever. Although, if you want people to swoon over how cute your pitcher-o’-goodness is, it’s so worth it 😉

Stars and Stripes Sangria Independence Day

Stars and Stripes Sangria

  • 2 bottles of Moscato (750 mL)
  • 1 bottle of champagne (750 mL)
  • 2 cups of frozen fruit (red and blue colors of your choice, you also use fresh… see above post for my combo)
  • 2 Granny Smith apples (cut into 1 inch pieces… or star shapes if you’re feeling fancy)
  1. Combine all ingredients and stir. The longer it sits, the more the flavors combine.
  2. Note that I had to use 2 pitchers to hold all of this goodness, so you may be able to fit this all into one large pitcher or punch bowl, or you may need two.

Stars and Stripes Sangria for the 4th of July!

 

Nitrogen (N) (A Balancing Act)

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Nitrogen (N) (A Balancing Act)

Recently I’ve been reading about the biochemistry of humans. However, let me rewind for a second. Before getting involved in understanding biochemistry, years ago I got into the Paleo movement and quickly loved it and came to the conclusion that proteins were made by amino acids and that is the future of human nutrition. The biochemistry of Amino Acids was fascinating to me, but what really sticks out is that Nitrogen is a part of every amino acid, which are the building blocks of proteins. Amino acids are created from the gasses, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Oxygen and the building block of organic life, Carbon. Carbon is at the backbone of all life when combined with the three previously mentioned gasses found around the Earth. Amino Acids are created with ammonia molecules, which contain Nitrogen. These guys dictate everything in the human body. They are the workers of the human body. Nitrogen is involved with protein production, enzymes, vitamins, skeletal/muscular development, fat and carbohydrate utilization, and hormone production. Clearly you can tell this an important chemical regarding nutrition and food. If we eat complete protein sources of meat, seafood and eggs in variety, we can obtain all essential and non essential amino acids that dictate our health and immune system. Although nitrogen is a part of amino acids and has a good effect on the body due to its relaxing effect in Nature, it can also be too toxic when humans cannot eliminate it properly causing an ammonia toxicity and then a wide array of illnesses including brain and nervous system abnormalities. That ultimately creates too much Nitric oxide in the body, since nitrogen and oxygen join to create nitric oxide and causes the body to break down and succumb to illness. With that said, if Nitrogen or Oxygen is out of balance, animals (including humans) are out of balance. Life will not exist if there is one without the other. By eating whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and a variety of meats, seafood, and eggs our bodies have an amazing ability to regulate itself and maintain optimal health to age gracefully. When exposed to too many toxic chemicals such as cleaning products and having poor elimination channels, we constantly tax our immune system and ultimately degrade, degenerate and decompose our own physical bodies. I use the word “tax” purposefully, because most of us, maybe all of us, hate being taxed on our money and lives, so what makes you think it is OK to do that to your immune system? Bottom line here: let’s clean up our lifestyles, get more daily sunlight, listen to our circadian (night-day) rhythm, drink sufficient amounts of water daily, eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, and most importantly get a surplus of meats, seafood, and eggs so our body knows how to manage its nitrogen balance and survive a long and healthy life.