Buying Groceries That Count

August 11, 2011 at 8:55 pm · Filed under Buying Groceries that Count, Nutrition

BUYING GROCERIES THAT COUNT

When you get to the grocery store, you may have limited time and budget, therefore, you need to make every minute and dollar count.

Here are some tips on knowing what to buy in the produce, meat, poultry, fish and dairy departments that will keep you a clean machine!

5 COMMANDMENTS OF HEALTHY FOOD SHOPPING

  1. Buy organic produce, especially from the Dirty Dozen lists below.
  2. Choose NON-Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) Foods. (check labels)
  3. Pick out Dairy that is organic, free of hormones and antibiotics.
  4. Purchase Meats and Poultry that are organic, grass fed, and free of hormones and antibiotics.
  5. Find Fish that is low in Mercery.

PRODUCE

A 2009 report from the President’s Cancer Panel, states that children are more vulnerable to harm from pesticides, including an increased risk of cancer.

Buy produce that was grown in the USA whenever possible. Even though it may be grown organic in another country, it has to be shipped by truck, boat or rail. There is no guarantee what it has been shipped with. Small babies and children or overly sensitive adults can still be affected by pesticides as an environmental toxin.

Whether you are buying conventional or organic try to buy organic whenever possible. By switching the foods on the “dirty dozen” list, that you eat most frequently to organic, can cut your intake of pesticides by up to 80 percent.

CLEAN FIFTEEN… Less likely to contain systemic pesticides

Onions, Avocados, Corn, Pineapples,  Mangos,  Sweet Peas, Asparagus, Kiwi, Eggplant, Cabbage, Domestic Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Sweet Potatoes, Grapefruit, Mushrooms

THE DIRTY DOZENS… Buy organic when ever possible

Fruits: Strawberries, Blueberries, Apples, Cherries, Peaches, Imported Nectarines, Cantaloupe (Mexico), Pears, Apricots, Grapes, Cucumbers.

Vegetables: Red and Green Bell Peppers, Spinach, Celery, Green Beans, Lettuce, Kale, Collard Greens, Winter Squash, Potatoes, Tomatoes, Carrots.

Remember, fresh local produce is always preferable to trucked in or processed food.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM (GMO) FOOD 

What you did not know you have been eating, may very well have been harming you.

Based on animal research with GM foods, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM), an international organization of physicians, says there are serious health risks associated with eating GM foods. These include infertility, immune system problems, accelerated aging, disruption of insulin and cholesterol regulation, gastrointestinal problems, and organ damage.

Many European countries have banned GMO foods.

HOW TO AVOID GMO FOODS

• Buy organic produce.
• Buy products labeled “100% organic” or “made with organic ingredients”
• Look for NON-GMO labels
• Avoid At-Risk ingredients:

  • Corn (cornmeal, cornstarch, corn oil, and other corn-based ingredients)
  • Soybeans (soy protein, soy milk, tofu, soy lecithin, soybean oil,
  • and other soy-based ingredients)
  • Cottonseed Oil
  • Sugar Beets (sugar)
  • Most Hawaiian Papaya
  • A small amount of Zucchini and Yellow Squash

• Also beware of dairy products from cows injected with GM Bovine growth hormone.

• Look for dairy products labeled “NO rBGH or rBST” or “Hormone-Free”.

Sources: www.nongmoshoppingguide.com by the Institute for Responsible Technology

BUYING MEATS AND POULTRY

When a label that says “organic”, you are getting animals that have not been administered antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides. Especially buy organic when it comes to poultry, because commercial chicken feed has government approved, small amounts of arsenic used as a dietary supplement.

“Grass Fed” Beef means that the cow had a diet of grass and hay for its entire life.

“Grass Finished” means that the cow was fed grass and hay to finish its life with instead of being fattened up with grains. Grass provides a leaner meat yet much higher levels of naturally occurring omega-3’s than grain fed animals.

Note: As of January 1, 2012, all fresh meat and poultry sold in United States supermarkets, will have a nutrition label.

BUYING FISH

Having fish 1-2 times a week is not only a great way to lower amounts of saturated fat, but also a great way to get more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, which will boost brain development and heart health. However, with high mercury levels in fish we need to be careful on what we choose.

FISH WITH LOW MERCURY LEVELS 

  • Arctic Cod
  • Anchovies
  • Butterfish
  • Crab (Domestic)
  • Crawfish/Crayfish
  • Flounder*
  • Haddock (Atlantic*)
  • Hake
  • Herring Trout
  • Mullet
  • Oyster
  • Plaice
  • Pollock
  • Salmon** (Canned, Fresh, Wild)
  • Sardine
  • Scallop
  • Shrimp*
  • Sole
  • Squid
  • Tilapia
  • Whitefish
  • Whiting

FISH WITH MEDIUM MERCURY LEVELS 

  • Bass (Striped, Black)
  • Carp Perch (Freshwater)
  • Cod (Alaskan)
  • Croaker (White Pacific)
  • Halibut (Pacific, Atlantic*)
  • Lobster Tuna (Canned Chunk Light, Skipjack*)
  • Lobster Sea Trout
  • Mahi Mahi
  • Monkfish*
  • Sablefish
  • Skate*
  • Snapper*

FISH WITH HIGH MERCURY LEVELS 

  • Bluefish Seabass* (Chilean)
  • Crab (Blue)
  • Grouper*
  • Tilefish*
  • Mackerel (King, Spanish, Gulf)
  • Marlin*
  • Orange Roughy*
  • Salmon** (Farmed, Atlantic)
  • Shark*
  • Swordfish*
  • Tuna (Ahi*, Yellowfin,* Bigeye, Blue, Canned Albacore)

*Overfished, **May Contain PCBs

Source: www.nrdc.org

Leave a Comment

Cleanse Repair Renew

December 23, 2011 at 7:44 am · Filed under Allergies, Continued Education/Seminars/Teaching, Nutrition, Wholesome Nourishment

Leave a Comment

Healthy Iodine

August 11, 2011 at 10:53 pm · Filed under Healthy Iodine, Nutrition, Radiation Protection

Because of the tragic events in Japan last week, there has been some debate on radiation protection.
It should be noted that most authorities agree that significant amounts of radiation reaching the United States, is very small.
However, let’s learn what we can do to protect ourselves in the rare event that it does become an issue.

The FDA has selected potassium Iodide as the best protection from radiation. Iodide is broken down very quickly and absorbed almost immediately into the body. Both the body and the thyroid gland cannot take in or soak up radioactive iodine if the tissues are already saturated with healthy Iodine.

Eating simple foods containing iodine is the best way to be proactive. Start by adding foods that are very high in iodine.
Recommended Adult daily consumption of iodine is up to 3mg or 3,000 mcg. For children,
• Kelp
• Dulse
• Seaweed
• Kombu
• Sardines
• Sea Salt
• Miso Soup
• Garlic
• Asparagus
• Lima Beans
• Mushrooms
• Sardines
• Sesame Seeds

By simply sprinkling a tablespoon of kelp or dulse on your food each day, should give you adequate levels of iodine.
This adds flavor and can be used without any harmful side effects.

Some foods block the uptake of iodine into the thyroid gland when eaten raw in large amounts. These include Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, peaches, pears, spinach, and turnips. If you have an under active thyroid, you might consider limiting your consumption of these foods.

Sometimes iodide supplementation is necessary. However, because there is growing concern for those who have an autoimmune thyroid disorder, hormone interference, and several other possible side effects when taken in large dosages, iodine supplementation should be under supervision of a physician.

Knowledge is Power regarding your health. Get the latest news on Radiation Preparedness, Iodine, and updates on Japans Nuclear Reactors by visiting the sites below:

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention
www.http://emergency.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp

WHO

http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1103829989792-8/Iodine_Prophylaxis_guide.pdf

Japan Nuclear Reactors

http://allthingsnuclear.org/tagged/Japan_nuclear?utm_source=SP&utm_medium=more&utm_campaign=sp-nuke-more-3%2F13%2F2011-pm

Leave a Comment

Wholesome Nourishment

August 11, 2011 at 10:00 pm · Filed under Nutrition, Wholesome Nourishment

Children need a whole foods diet to grow, develop optimally and have a healthy immune system.  Creating healthy eating habits is the best preventive medicine.  The earlier you practice healthy eating the easier it will be later on.  But whatever age your child is, start now.  Healing is not an act, but a way of life.  Children are most influenced by how the family or their parents eats.  Fathers are very important role models.  A lifetime of healthy eating creates a lifetime of healthy living.

Eight Criteria for Food Selection to Improve Health

  • Eat whole foods.  Stay as close to nature as possible.  Eat raw and cooked vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, nuts (if tolerated), and seeds.  Many vitamins, healthy fats, and proteins are lost in food processing.  Fortifying food does not begin to make up for the losses.
  • Eat organically grown food whenever possible. Top 12 foods to eat organic. Fresh is better than frozen, limit canned and avoid irradiated or genetically engineered food.  Organically grown food has been shown to be higher in nutrients and is far tastier.
  • Seasonal foods:  Fruits and vegetables that are in season are cheaper and do not lose nutrients like food transported long distances.  Seasonal produce is the proper food for that climate at that time.  Local produce tastes better, costs less, and is more nutritious because it is picked riper.  Support community-supported agriculture (Sea Breeze Organic Farm, Be Wise Ranch.  Visit local farmer’s markets and local farms.
  • Eliminate all chemically processed oils/fats.  Avoid all trans-fats (partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils).  These can be found in commercial peanut butter, chips, cakes, cookies, crackers, and fried fast food.  Trans-fats are toxic to the liver and brain, and contribute to hyperactivity, learning disabilities, mood disorders, immune issues, neurodegenerative disorders, and heart disease.  Avoid margarine, shortening, canola oil, processed vegetable oils, commercial mayonnaise and salad dressing.
  • Avoid chemical, dyes and preservatives – READ LABELS.  Food dyes can cause behavior issues and allergies. Avoid anything with a number in it or a name you don’t recognize.  Avoid all artificial sweeteners and products containing the many forms of sugar – sucrose, fructose, high fructose corn syrup, maltose, malto-dextrin, etc. Corn syrup sweetener is a severe disrupter of blood sugar. It contributes to corn allergies because it is in so many processed foods and should be avoided.
  • Eat pasture-raised organic meats, free-range poultry/eggs and wild ocean fish.  (See Fast Food Nation by Fred Scholosser.)
  • Use a pure source of water for drinking, cooking and bathing. Consider purchasing a water filter for your home.
  • Eat a balanced, delicious diet.  Make sure your diet contains protein, unrefined carbohydrates, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables containing micronutrients in your diet.  Include foods with different flavors, colors, and textures. Eat a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Serve vegetables with at least two meals a day.
  • Use safe cookware and food storage containers. Use stainless steel, glass or enamel-coated cookware; avoid non-stick coated and aluminum pans. Store food in glass containers especially foods containing oil and fats.

Recommended Books:

1.  Food and Healing by Anne Maire Colbin  Ballantine Books/New York

2.  The Book of Whole Meals by Anne Maire Colbin

3.  The Natural Gourmet by Anne Maire Colbin

4.  Feeding the Family by Kathy Lair

Our food supply is in crisis.  This is the first generation in many years that is not expected to live as long as their parents.  Children are developing degenerative changes and diseases that were once thought of as adult problems.   There are many changes in our food supply:

  • Devitalized processed high fat, high sugar foods
  • Environmental contaminants, toxic chemicals, herbicides, pesticides, dyes, artificial sweetener and flavor enhancers
  • Endocrine disrupters in pesticides, plastics, etc.
  • Genetically engineered foods – Can be sources of allergies and toxins.  Long term effects are unknown
  • Hormones, pesticides and antibiotic residues in milk and meat
  • Nitrates found in luncheon meats, bacon, sausage, ham and hot dogs form carcinogenic chemicals when eaten.
  • Heavy metal contamination from mercury, aluminum and cadmium.  A good mineral base is our diet in the best defense.  If the body has the minerals it needs, there is less chance of a heavy metal attaching.

Our best defense is an offense.  Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and nutritionally dense foods.

Leave a Comment

Osteopathic Cranial Academy Annual Conference

August 3, 2011 at 3:51 pm · Filed under Continued Education/Seminars/Teaching

Dr. Mary Anne recently completed 21.75 hours of continuing medial education by attending The Osteopathic Cranial Academy Annual conference, “Clinical Pearls: A Tribute to the Journal of the Osteopathic Cranial Association, 1948-1958″. The course was presented by The Osteopathic Academy and held in Indianapolis, Indiana. This conference was designed to meet the needs of physicians who desire to be exposed to practitioners who continue to expand upon the Cranial Concept in their individual practices.

Leave a Comment

Asthma

August 1, 2011 at 5:21 am · Filed under Asthma

During my first year of medical school I experienced the benefits of osteopathic manipulation for asthma. As a child, I had significant difficulties with allergies and asthma. Gradually my symptoms lessened as I matured. But even in college and medical school I struggled with frequent upper respiratory illnesses.

In medical school, the extra time I spent in the anatomy lab preparing for exams triggered asthma symptoms. This proved to be frustrating as I needed more energy, not less. Fortunately, I had been paired with a second-year student with a keen interest in Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT).

He treated me and to my surprise the feelings of shortness of breath dissipated. I was relieved to find that I no longer needed inhaled medication. Furthermore, despite the continuing intensity of medical school, the frequency of my upper respiratory infections began to abate. Having suffered for many years from the aggravating effects of asthma and allergic sensitivities I experienced the benefits of OMT first hand. How I wish my family had been introduced to the benefits of OMT when I was a child!

Rather than merely suppressing symptoms, osteopathic medicine addresses the underlying disturbances in the body’s mechanisms. In asthma, medications are prescribed to cause dilation of the bronchioles. However, through properly applied manipulation, the body can be stimulated to release its own supply of these same chemicals. Proper circulation is absolutely necessary for effective function of the lungs. The arteries supply nutrition to vital organs and tissues in the body, while its counterpart returns the deoxygenated blood back to the heart through the veins. Osteopathic manipulation strengthens these vital pathways while removing road blocks to the body’s natural healing process.

Have you ever tried to take a deep breath with your rib cage locked? It is very difficult. Another goal in the osteopathic treatment of asthma is to create free motion in the rib cage and thoracic diaphragm. Osteopathic techniques to enhance drainage of the lymph nodes also help the immune system with its housecleaning tasks. OMT can also be effective when a child has taken a hard fall. Many times a fall to the tailbone will trigger an asthma attack in a child. This is due to the relation of the tailbone to the “primary response mechanism” . Making sure the sacrum (tailbone) is moving properly is very important in successfully treating asthma.

Nutrition happens to be one of the best weapons in the prevention of asthmatic episodes. There is a clear relationship between poor nutrition and bronchial difficulties caused by asthma.

A healthy diet should include fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Vitamin C, bioflavinoids, ginger and turmeric help reduce inflammation. Foods that promote inflammation such as fried foods, junk food, smoked or barbecued foods, and partially hydrogenated foods should be avoided as well as mucus-forming foods including milk, sugar, refined flour, and most dairy products. It is important to read labels and avoid all chemicals and additives. Do you know that modified wheat starch contained in many cereals and processed foods is “modified” by six chemicals all of which can cause allergies and asthma? Food is one of our best medicines– use it wisely!

Asthma can also be triggered by airborne substances. Asthmatic attacks are commonly triggered by smoke, high pollen counts, vacuuming, dust, animal hairs, and mold growth. Using a hepa filter on all filtering machines, keeping your windows closed from 5 a.m.to 10 a.m. during high pollen count periods, and vacuuming with a sealed system with a hepa filter attached will reduce exposure. Routine cleaning and dusting of bedding reduces build up and the invitation for an airborne substance to trigger an asthmatic episode.Washing sheets in hot water kills dust mites and cleaning with vinegar or a 10% bleach solution will prevent mold growth.

Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy is an effective means of treating and managing asthmatic conditions for children. Coupled with a strong nutritional and environmental program I have seen amazing transformations in health– for all family members!

I wish you all the best in health!

Leave a Comment

Eating Foods to Balance Development of New Blood Vessels

May 25, 2011 at 3:31 am · Filed under Foods That Balance Angiogenesis or Development of New Blood Vessels, Nutrition

Angiogenesis = Development of new blood vessels.
These can be vessels of life to our cells or NOT.

All cancer cells start out small and without a blood supply, most of these will never become dangerous. So when the body is working properly, it has an ability to balance angiogenesis and will prevent blood vessels from feeding cancer. If you can block angiogenesis and prevent blood vessels from ever reaching cancer cells, tumors simply can’t grow up.

Mother Nature has provided us with foods, beverages and herbs that have natural occuring inhibitors of angiogenesis.

**CLICK BELOW FOR PDF **TO SHOW BEST FOODS TO BALANCE ANGIOGENESIS

Foods that Balance Angiogenesis

Leave a Comment

Mederi Centre for Natural Healing

May 25, 2011 at 2:38 am · Filed under Continued Education/Seminars/Teaching

Dr. Mary Anne Morelli Haskell and Ann Huisman attended the Level One and Level Two Professional Clinical Training Program presented through The Mederi Foundation and The Mederi Centre for Natural Healing in Ashland, Oregon during the weeks of May 16 − 20th, and September 12-16, 2011. These two week long programs presented a comprehensive examination and analysis of the latest research on plant medicines, dietary supplementation, and assessment of strategies for building individualized patient protocols.

These two week long programs were presented by founder and director, Donald R. Yance, Jr. CN MH RH, along with Jason Miller, LAc MAcOM CH, and Jonathan Treasure, MA RH and Dwight Mckee, MD.

Donald Yance is the author of the book, Herbal Medicine, Healing & Cancer. A Comprehensive Program for Prevention and Treatment.

Ann Huisman, was able to join Dr. Mary Anne for this evolutionary study of Donald Yance’s three phase system looking at The Person, Their External Environment and their Internal Terrain. With Huisman’s many years of experience in Natural Health and Holistic Nutrition, she will be incorporating this training information into a Nutritional Therapy Program for the Management of Chronic Disease.

Leave a Comment

Introduction to the Treatment of Children

May 25, 2011 at 12:02 am · Filed under Continued Education/Seminars/Teaching

4-6 February
Part 1: Paediatric Clinical Screening

The Sutherland Cranial College welcomed Dr. Mary Anne Morelli Haskell DO (USA) to present this part of the course. An experienced teacher of Paediatric Osteopathy, she has taught not only with Dr. Frymann, but also for the Cranial Academy and at various osteopathic colleges in Italy and Australia. Her clear and accessible style, together with a warmth and love of the subject, make learning from her a real pleasure.

Dr. Morelli taught how to examine babies and young children in the light of common and some rarer conditions encountered in practice. Paying special attention to the ‘red flags’ that indicate a need for medical referral, she showed how to assess when osteopathic treatment is appropriate and when it is necessary to work in cooperation with other health or educational professionals.

Topics included:
Overall examination of the neonate, Developmental milestones, Cardiovascular system, Upper and lower respiratory tract, Abdomen, including digestive tract and liver, Nervous system from both behavioural and physical points of view, Renal, endocrine, and immune systems, and Musculo-skeletal system at different ages

Reference:http://www.sutherlandcranialcollege.co.uk/uploads/19AD0941-0C36-3F66-A5DDAFECB710D312/32NewsletterAutumn10.pdf

Leave a Comment

Beneficial and Restorative Salt Baths

March 23, 2011 at 3:50 pm · Filed under Beneficial and Restorative Salt Baths, Radiation Protection

Whether exposure to radiation was medical (x-rays, scans, etc.) or environmental, a simple warm bath with non-iodized salt can help detoxify the body. I would suggest using Celtic sea salt or Epsom salt which is magnesium salt.

Another optional bath is to combine equal amounts of both the salts and aluminum-free baking soda. For children use 1 cup of each the salt and soda in a full size tub per bath. For adults use about 1 to 3 lbs. per bath.

Children often times love to pour the salt into the water while the tub is filling up. This gives them a sense of excitement and the feeling of participation. And of course, the warm salty water is relaxing and helps them get ready for naps or bedtime.

Restorative baths should be limited to no more than one to two per week for children.

Leave a Comment

Older Posts »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.