Posts Tagged ‘oxygen’

Mineral Spotlight: Magnesium

November 26th, 2009

Magnesium is an important essential mineral for the body. It is involved in hundreds of enzymatic reactions, including those that contribute to production of energy and cardiovascular function.

Considering its immense importance to our health, it is a sad to report that magnesium intake has been on the decline since the earl 1990s. For instance, the greatest decreases in dietary magnesium have been seen in the American diet (what a surprise!) as a result of supplemental vitamin D and calcium supplements, increased phosphorus, alcohol, caffeine, and sugar intake, and constant consumption of refined and processed foods.

And let’s not forget that the average American is only getting 1.5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Considering that magnesium is abundantly found in these foods it’s no wonder we a have a problem.

What Does it Do?

Magnesium is known as the “anti-stress” mineral. It is a natural tranquilizer as it functions to relax skeletal muscle as well as the smooth muscles of blood vessels and the GI tract.

Research has indicated that decreased blood and tissue levels of magnesium are correlated with high blood pressure, kidney stones, and heart attacks.

But it’s no surprise that we would see such issues since magnesium has a relaxing effect on the body. Therefore, low levels of this vital mineral means that many contraction (calcium-stimulated)-relaxation (magnesium-stimulated) relationships are disrupted tipping the scales toward a state of “constriction” or “contraction”.

For instance, studies have shown that a decreased concentration of magnesium is found in the heart and blood of heart attack victims.

Because of its influence on the heart (which in turn in the greatest reservoir of magnesium), it is considered important in preventing coronary artery spasm, a significant cause of heart attacks. Spasms of the blood vessels lead to insufficient oxygen supply, which results in pain, injury, or death of the muscle tissue that they nourish.

To function optimally, magnesium must be balanced in the body with calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and sodium chloride. For instance, too little magnesium leads to more calcium flowing into the vascular muscle cells, causing them to contract – leading to tighter vessels and higher blood pressure.

For women, magnesium’s relaxing effects has implications for helping to alleviate  PMS.

It also a big role to play in allowing the body to eliminate properly. Adequate magnesium allows your bowels to relax and thus allow the passage of waste from the colon.

These are just a few of the many vital functions that magnesium performs in our body. Needless to say, it is an important which we need to get from our diet and possibly supplementation.

Where is it Found?

Almost all of our magnesium supplies come from vegetables. As a component of chlorophyll, magnesium is to the plants what iron is to the hemoglobin of our red blood vessels. In fact, chlorophyll and hemoglobin have the EXACT same molecular structure differing only in their main mineral – magnesium and iron, respectively.

This molecular identity is one of the reasons that green vegetables are so amazing for the human body. Chlorophyll is the pigment that gives plants their green colour. It also important to plant photosynthesis – the process of converting sunlight, CO2, and water into carbohydrates and oxygen. As a result, when we ingest green foods we essentially infuse the sun’s energy right into our blood stream. Pretty powerful if you ask me!

Therefore, best sources of magnesium are definitely dark green vegetables. Think kale, swiss chard, spinach, arugula, watercress, and anything else that is green.

Most nuts, seeds, and legumes also have high amounts of magnesium.

Here are some magnesium-rich foods and their respective levels of magnesium:

Spinach (1 cup, boiled) –  156 mg

Swiss chard (1 cup, boiled) – 150 mg

Pumpkin seeds (1/4 cup, raw) – 185 mg

Sesame seeds (1/4 cup, raw) – 126 mg

Black beans (1 cup, cooked) – 120 mg

Cashews (1/4 cup, raw) – 89 mg

Kale (1 cup, boiled) – 24 mg

How Much Do I Need?

The minimum required intake of magnesium can be expressed as about 6 mg/kg of body weight. For example, a 150-pound person would need about 410 mg per day.

In general, for men over 19 years of age, the recommendation is 400 mg of magnesium per day, while for women of the same age it’s about 360 mg per day.

However, the problem is that the average American diet only supplies about 120 mg of magnesium per 1,000 calories. Which means that we need enhance the nutrient density of our food intake without over-doing the calories!

book_cover_webSo what’s the take home message from this information?

Eat more plant-based foods! Especially dark green leafy vegetables. All you need to do is add one more cup of spinach or swiss chard to your meals and you will most likely have doubled the average American diet intake!

In fact, if you haven’t already read my ebook, Eating for Energy, then I would highly recommend you do so. Apply just 10% of what I recommend in the book and your magnesium levels will soar and you healthier than you ever thought possible!

Got any questions? Feel free to ask me in the comments.

No comments »

Posted in General Nutrition

Tags:

3 Easy Ways to Boost Your Immunity

November 4th, 2009

Since  beginning our soccer season just 4 months ago, I’ve been amazed at how many of our players have been sick. Now I’m not talking about H1N1 (at least I don’t that’s what’s going on) but instead the common cold and even flu.

One of the reasons these kinds of sicknesses can spread so easily within a sports team is that the guys spend a lot of time together, they shake hands and don’t follow proper hand washing protocols, possibly share water bottles, and don’t necessarily eat the healthiest of diets.

After all, they are university students.

So if you find yourself in a similar situation or know someone who is, then the following 3 tips to boosting your immunity will help.

Before we get into the specifics, I want you to consider your overall diet. If you eat a whole foods diet (preferably raw) then you are already providing tremendous immune support – via good nutrition.

However, the poorer your diet, the weaker your immune system and the more susceptible you will be to getting sick.

Look at it this way…

Food can be a form of physical stress to your body. Eat the wrong foods and you increase the stress load, which in turn taxes your immune system even more.

But eat the right foods and you provide the nutrients and stress-free environment for your immune system to focus on more important issues.

Alright, so now let’s look these 3 easy ways to boost your immunity so you can prevent getting sick or get over a cold if you already have one.

1. Alkalize and Oxygenate Your Body

When you think alkalinity, think oxygenation. Alkalinity brings more oxygen into your body. The reason it is important to alkalize and oxygenate your body is that “unfriendly” micro-organisms do not flourish in oxygen-rich environments.

For instance, cancer has been shown to flourish in acidic, oxygen-deprivated tissues, yet will literally die off when exposed to high oxygen environments inside the body. That’s why one of the most important things you can do to prevent (and treat) cancer is drink (and eat) lots of greens – which are the highest source of alkalinity on the planet. It’s actually too bad that the medical establishment doesn’t even know about the power of greens for improving the vitality of the human body.

Some of my favourite strategies for alkalizing my body (and those of my clients) are the following:

- green juices (my favourite contains kale, celery, cucumber, parsley, lemon, ginger, and apple)
- green smoothies (one of my favourites has spinach, spirulina, apple, banana, and lime juice)
- wheat grass shots (just 1 oz has the nutritional value of 2 lbs of vegetables)
- barley grass powder added to water (very similar properties as wheat grass)
- lemon water throughout the day

All of these nutritional strategies will add tremendous alkalinity (ie. alkalizing minerals such calcium, potassium, magnesium) to your body and create an internal physiology that strengthens your immune system and prevents bacteria, viruses, and other nasty critters from spreading!

2. Avoid Refined Sugar

This is an important one. Entire books have been written on the body-decaying effects that sugar brings about. From an immune system perspective, it has been shown that as little as 1 tablespoon of refined sugar can depress your immune system for up to 6 hrs! Moreover, sugar curtails the action of the immune system’s lymphocytes and other “foreign invader-killing” cells.

If you want to avoid getting sick and want to skyrocket your health, minimizing or avoiding refined sugars may be one of the most important things you do.

3. Fortify Your Defenses with Natural Immune Boosters

I’m not a fan of antibiotics – not by a long shot. They actually create more sickness (or business) for the health care system to deal with.

In order to avoid having to use them, you need to eat a clean whole foods diet (preferably a raw diet) and you can further boost your defenses with the following natural weapons:

Garlic – it’s active ingredient – allicin – is an incredible natural “anti-everything” will fend off bacteria, viruses, fungi, and much more.

Oregano oil – wow! If there’s one thing you need in your medicine cabinet it’s this powerful essential oil. Anytime you feel any kind of cold coming on, just drink 1-2 drops of oregano oil with 1 oz of water a few times a day and you’ll be feeling in no time. Oregano oil also kills off the unwanted yeast – candida albicans!

Probiotics – Having good bacteria to balance out the 400 different types of mico-organisms in your colon will definitely support your immune system. Your best source will come from supplementation but naturally fermented foods and drinks like miso, sauerkraut, and kombucha are also good food-based sources.

Not only are these tips great for builing your immune system but they will obviously create a strong foundation for great health.

Considering the spread of H1N1 and how many unhealthy people there are, you need to fortify your defenses – naturally!

To give you some more helpful tips, you can watch this video I put together on natural cold remedies about a year ago. Enjoy!

468X80

.

6 comments »

Posted in General Nutrition

Tags:

Raw Food Diet for Athletes?

September 1st, 2009

Can athletes benefit from a raw food diet?

Many people have asked me this question. And my answer is a definite…

YES!

The problem is that most sports nutrition textbooks and resources tell athletes to eat lots of carbs like pasta, bread, and other grains as a way of maximizing their glycogen stores.

The problem with that, though, is that most people are sensitive to these food. In fact, there’s even debate as to whether the human body has sufficiently evolved to even digest grains.

I can tell you from my own experience that eating a big plate of pasta before a game makes me feel tired, lethargic, and even makes my body crave simple sugars within a few hours.

So how can a raw food diet benefit athletes?

Having played professional soccer and subsisting on pasta and bread, then transitioning to more of a raw food diet, I can tell you firsthand that eating more raw foods can make a huge difference in your performance and your ability to recover from exercise.

First, raw foods are packed with food enzymes. These enzymes facilitate digestion, which means that your body doesn’t feel bloated and lethargic after your meals. It also means that your body can spend more of its energy, not on digestion, but on recuperation and regeneration!

Second, eating more raw fruits and vegetables means that your body will be receiving a huge influx of needed alkalinity.

Why is alkalinity so important for athletes (let alone everyone else)? Well, an alkaline environment promotes high oxygenation. Considering that oxygen is needed for energy and body movement, the answer should be pretty clear.

Furthermore, diseases cannot flourish in an alkaline, oxygen-rich environment. This has been demonstrated by numerous Nobel Prize winners including Otto Warburg and Linus Pauling. 

Oxygen is essential for performance. Alkaline foods (fruits and vegetables) oxygenate your body!

Third, you don’t need meat to be strong!

In a study published in the Yale Medical Journal, Professor Irving Fisher conducted a study in which he compared the strength and stamina of meat-eating athletes versus that of vegetarian (both athletic and sedentary) individuals.

The study concluded that of the 3 groups tested (meat-eating athletes, vegetarian athletes, and vegetarian sedentary subjects) the vegetarians’ (including the sedentary group) average stamina was double that of the athletic meat-eaters.

There is strong evidence that a meat-less diet is conducive to greater endurance.

Similar results have been demonstrated by several studies including that of Dr. Ioteyko from the Academie de Medicine de Paris, in which vegetarian athletes averaged 2 to 3 times more stamina and required one-fifth the time to recover from exhaustion compared to their meat eating rivals!

Here are just well-known athletes who are (or have been) vegetarian (or raw vegan):

- World Champion gymnast Dan Milman
- “Mr. International” bodybuilding winner Andreas Cahling
- Tennis great Martina Navratilova
- Olympian Carl Lewis
- Football Hall-of-Famer Art Still
- Four-time “Mr. Universe” title-holder Bill Pearl (described in more detail later)
- Swimming World Record Holder Bill Pickering
- World Class marathoner Gail Olinekova
- Canadian champion tri-athlete Brendan Brazier

If you’re an athlete (or recreation exerciser) and want to have more energy, more strength, greater endurance, and improve your overall performance, then adopting more raw foods into your diet will be greatly beneficial.

Try it for yourself and experience the difference!

References:

Fisher, I. (1907). The influence of flesh eating on endurance. Yale Medical Journal, 13(5): 205-221.

Ioteyko, J et al. Enquete scientifique sur les vegetarians de Bruxelles, Henri Lamertin, Brussels, p. 50.

7 comments »

Posted in Raw Foods

Tags: