Products Swap & Healthier Foods - Locally Produced or Imported

If you are a coffee addict, chocolate lover or dairy products enthusiast, check out below products and foods which you may ponder to try, whenever you get the chance to buy them locally, travel overseas or purchase it online. It's delicious, nutritious, gluten-free and high quality. 

For some of the lucky ones who are staying in the country which grow tons of biodynamic organic high quality foods, you should take advantage of such foods and products available in your area. From farmer's markets to health food stores, you need to know what products to buy and avoid, and which ingredients to look out for too. 

For organically grown whole foods, it is not as complicate to choose and buy. But, as for certain foods products, if you want a good selection and higher quality goodies, you may try some of the products I explored and tried. For instance, instead of eating Margarine or commercial butter, you may opt for organic (grass fed raw if possible) butter. Or buying from an organic coffee stall or cafe (when travelling outside), rather then Starbucks or any commercial pesticides-and-mold-loaded coffee. A healthier, more nutritious, preferably gluten free products swap is always a wiser choice when you travel overseas or even doing weekly groceries or online purchase.

Fair trade, organic coffee products, preferably single origin

Organic locally hand-made goat cheese

Biodynamic Organic Brie

Biodynamic Pastured organic eggs

One of my favorite, high quality raw goat cheese

Locally hand-made natural Ligurian raw honey

Cravings for cake? try this gluten-free sold at a market stall, instead of commercially sold cakes

Ancestral cooking essentials, high quality organic ghee

Biodynamic organic unpasteurized butter

One of my favorite foods, organic unrefined raw coconut oil and butter

Clean taste with no weird smell

Easy to bring while travelling, small pack coconut butter, brain rocket fuel

An alternative to eating breads, gluten, wheat, soy and preservatives free.

If you need your caffeine dose while strolling in a foreign city, try to look for this organic coffee stall or cafe.

Biodynamically grown avocados, highest quality available

I like it raw. Oh yeah, raw milk is really difficult to find these days, especially organic grass-fed products.

Biodynamic FULL CREAM yogurt, say no to low fat please!

Traditionally made in small batches, unhomogenized, loaded with good bacteria

Biodynamic Organic Unpasteurized Greek-Style Feta Cheese

One of the awesome organic raw chocolate product, 100% cacao!

Only one ingredient, 100% cacao beans

Fans of Kombucha, you may check out this beverage product

Awesomely delicious organic raw chocolate coconut butter

More cold pressed unrefined raw organic coconut oil

Shots of good bacteria - Organic natural kefir yoghurt

Instant noodles: Excitotoxic Meal

I was guilty when I was much younger during my earlier adulthood and my years in college. Just like most people, I tend to shop for cheap, convenient, 'tasty' foods. I used to eat whatever garbage I love, and all of these foods were ruining my health, and I have no clue about it at all. 

Today, I will discuss briefly about one of the commonly eaten foods by consumers, the instant noodle in a cup. Some call it 'instant noodles', but I call it 'excitotoxic junk'. Although it may not be a daily 'meals' which majority of people are consuming on regular basis, but me myself know quite a lot of friends and people who would eat this instant food product more then couple of times a week. Tons of college or high school kids treat this as a delicious fast cheap meal, and it can save them money by not spending more on perhaps other slightly pricier foods. 

Of course, by eating one serving of this instant noodle in a cup will not kill you. Just like fructose, it is a chronic poison, and for most people, it will be years of ingestion before the symptoms manifest itself in the body. As for today's post, I only attach one instant noodle product, as a sample of some of the ingredients found and used in making this so called food addictive and cheap to produce. 

One look, as a consumer, we usually don't observe the ingredients or fine prints of food products, not to mention if we think twice how and where does the source of the foods and ingredients come from, or how they were processed. For most people, as long as food products are cheap, easy to eat, tasty, low fat low cholesterol, there goes the money. Bluntly speaking, I think that less then even 1% of consumers have awareness of food politics, scams and the actual ingredients found in food products. In this case, I mean the inclusion of most registered dietitians and nutritionists. 

Now, if you look at the main feature of the product, it is strategically printed " Seaweed", "Mushroom" and "Vegetarian". Ask yourself, what does these 3 words mean to you or consumers in general? For a normal food buyer, he or she would instantly think positive of the food product. These 3 printed words refer to vegetables, and it promote a healthy image right? Besides, almost every food product will have a nice healthy illustration photo of a 'healthy nature based' printed on it. Pretty standard marketing strategy by food manufacturers. Remember the TV commercials which make you want to buy those food products or supplements? 

If you flip behind the cup, you will see the ingredients printed (in English). By the way, I would NEVER buy any food products printed in anything I couldn't read. It doesn't matter if it's made in Japan, Korean or any industrialized country. As most people mostly look at the calories count of a food product, very few people can properly read the ingredients label and know what is hidden inside. I wonder why barely any of our ancestors were overweight and diseased and they don't even know what a calorie is, nor need to be told what or how to eat by a dietitian or nutritionist. 

As you can see, first ingredient is wheat flour. One of the worst ever ingredient can be ingested by humans, this highly processed grain based ingredient will cause inflammation in the gut, rob you off nutrition and along with long list of negative impact on health. Next ingredient, vegetable oil. For your information, if a food product list vegetable oil in the package, most of the time is either soybean or canola. Either way, both are one of the worst oils and not safe nor beneficial for us. The 3rd and 4th ingredients are commonly used in almost all food products, sugar and salt. As most people know about the half-truth about these 2 white devils, but ignorant path way for them to continue eating what they like and crave for. Sad but true. If you read properly, you are not even eating real fresh organic seaweed. It's processed dehydrated seaweed! And the final highlight of the ingredient would be MSG. Although I would have to agree that more people start to realize the harmful effect of this excitotoxin, but the food industry have now changed new ingredient names which still contain about 97% of glutamate acid of what the actual MSG. To find out the list of other MSG containing ingredients, read my previous post about this excitotoxin. 

Final words, do I think that this so called 'food' is fit for human consumption? The answer is NO. Is it a cheap source of emergency meal? Answer is NO too. I call instant noodles products as inflammatory excitotoxic junk. 

Seaweed mushroom flavor? Sounds like a healthy cheap quick meal right? Nice illustration of noodles photo on the front of the product.

First ingredient, wheat flour. Next, the inflammatory vegetable oil, which is usually loaded with soy and canola. MSG in a noodle-bowl? Wonder why some people are so addicted to eating these toxic noodles? This addictive substance will make any food or garbage taste so good.

A local favorite, made instant as a 'meal'

Overwhelming ingredients with bunch of excitotoxins, MSG, soy sauce powder, yeast extract and MSG again? It's also laden with wheat, soy, table salt, sugar and artificial chemicals. 

Transfat - Facts you need to know

Recently, trans-fat has been widely recognized in food supply by many food consumers, and for the first time last year, FDA ruled for the first time that trans fat isn't generally considered safe. Before the big news splash last year by FDA, foods laden with trans-fat is one of the most popular and widely consumed by people all over the world. 

As most people dine outside more then a few times weekly, parents bringing kids out to fast foods restaurants overdosing on ice cream, french fries and fried foods, adults munching those pop corn in cinema with a large Coke, it doesn't matter your age or where you are, this is a deadly substance not recongnized by nature or human body. It's dangerous and we have been lied to by the media, vegetable oil and grains industry, and possibly our own government too. 

Eating just a tiny amount of this nasty ingredient can increase your risk of heart disease and promote accumulation of visceral fat,  a dangerous kind of belly fat that’s almost impossible to get rid of. Potbelly, love handles, call it what you want, those accumulated visceral fat will bring you a long list of health problems, including heart attack. Well, believe it or not, many of those foods that show “Zero Trans Fat” on the label actually contain a TON of it. Please bear in mind, when you eat just ONE handful of “Zero Trans Fat” biscuits or cookies, you poison your body with a couple grams of toxic, fat-storing trans fat, without you even being aware of it. Wait, hang on, this one is the real kicker. There is one common food in particular that’s probably in your pantry, right now, and it contains loads of trans fat that don’t appear ANYWHERE on the label. That’s right. NOT on the ingredients list, NOT in the nutrition facts, and not even on your favorite Internet food database. Nowhere, NONE. 

This so called heart healthy food is sold in every supermarket and used for cooking in almost all restaurants. This high pressure, high temperature process destroys all the “heart-friendly” fats originally contained in the oil and transforms it into dangerous trans fats. According to a study by the University of Florida at Gainesville, your vegetable oil can contain up to 4.6% hidden trans fat that’s not on the label. Considering less then 1% is deadly enough to fry tons of your arteries, imagine eating your fries, junk foods, and foods cooked with vegetable oils, it is an almost perfect recipe for killing yourself, giving yourself heart disease in the process.

Another study from New Zealand in 1999 showed that subjects who ate french fries displayed immediate harm to their endothelial function of their arteries, going from a normal 7% dilation before eating the french fries to almost NO dilation at all (only 1%) after eating the french fries. Wonder why heart disease is the number one killer in most industrialized countries? Free radicals formed during the refining of vegetable oils create these “mutant” fats, which damage your cell membranes & chromosomes, and create massive inflammation in your body. These toxic deadly oils made you inflamed, fat, depleted of energy, asthmatic, poor aging, cancerous and of course, heart disease. It causes severe imbalances of Omega 3 and 6 ratio, and for most people having typical diet, it is easily 15:1 or 20:1 (Omega 6 : Omega 3). Being close to 1:1 would be a healthier balance between both fats ratio. 

If you asked yourself how ancestors few generations ago cook their foods, you will have your answer plain and simple, without any endorsement or lied-to recommendation from so called dietitians and vegetable oils industry. Our ancestors 100-200 years ago used ghee, butter, lard and animals fats to cook and those are primarily saturated fats, which is stable in high temperature with ideal smoke point. Ancestral cooking has well been derailed and forgotten by the younger current generations, even my own parents. What a pity. 

"Trans fats increase the shelf life of foods but decrease the shelf life of humans," said Dean Ornish.

After all these nasty, high temperature, chemicals laden processes, it goes into your body, frying your arteries and damaging lungs and other cells, increase inflammation and oxidative stress

Journals/References: 

http://respiratory-research.com/content/pdf/1465-9921-15-31.pdf

http://preventdisease.com/news/12/030112_World-Renown-Heart-Surgeon-Speaks-Out-On-What-Really-Causes-Heart-Disease.shtml

http://preventdisease.com/news/14/052314_Processed-Oils-Including-Canola-Soybean-Corn-Oil-Increase-Lung-Inflammation-Asthma.shtml

http://www.cmaj.ca/content/186/6/434

http://www.tfx.org.uk/page13.html

http://atvb.ahajournals.org/content/21/7/1233.abstract

HAVYK Sliders - Core training with lots of fun!

Thought of posting some video clips of an awesome training tool I bought from HAVYK recently. I've been wanting to get a pair of these unique tools to incorporate in training for my clients. When I tried the HAVYK Sliders, I was overjoyed and loved these well-constructed training tool. Most of my clients love it, and I have to admit these pair of little sliders will rip your core muscles like never before. 

There are so many more effective safer methods to train your core muscles. It's not just about abs flexion doing sit ups and crunches, and for some clients, it may further aggravate the underlying muscle imbalances and back problems. Core muscles is not about the visible 6 pack abs you see with naked eyes, it's the entire 'belt-like' anterior, posterior and obliques chain. For most people, the focus on training the prime mover large muscle groups is overrated, and the stabilizers to injury prevented is well ignored. Thus, risk of injuries increase the longer you over developed the large muscles and left out the crucial stabilizer muscles, muscle imbalances in inevitable, especially non-functional isolated training.

Your brain and nervous system constantly controls and communicate with all your muscular systems. The neuromuscular systems is in fact part of your core muscular systems. Poor or dysfunctional brain and nervous system controls will result in weak core muscular system. You could be well-built as a MMA fighter with solid 6 pack abs, but if you are mentality or emotionally weak during that point of time (E.g, You just heard the news of your dad passed away), your core muscular system will be weakened and likely to lose the fight. 

Anyhow, I hereby present to you some of the fun training drills using HAVYK Sliders. Any of you interested in HAVYK products, you can check out their website below. I will try to post more videos of Sliders workout videos in near future. Finally, thanks to HAVYK for the shirts they gave to me as a gift. Kudos to your entire team, UFC is lucky to have you guys training their team. Keep up the awesome work! 

http://havyk.net/

One of best training tools ever! HAVYK Sliders

Slider Crawling Plank

Slider Crawling Plank w/ Jacknife

Slider - Oblique Plank w/ Jacknife

Slider - Single leg Lunge w/ Kettlebell Press

Wheat, Gluten and You - Are we eating the same grain? (Part 5)

In today's final post on wheat, I will discuss discuss about the brain, additional various anti-bodies tests and alternative ways to replace eating wheat or gluten based foods. By the end of this entire post, you will decide if wheat is an ideal addition to your diet, or is it safe for human consumption.

I just met a new friend who is from nutrition medicine background in Sydney. It was nice to bump into a nutritionist not from the mainstream. Most diet and nutrition topics discussed, we had mutual agreement. She spent a lot of time reading medical and nutrition journals, similar to what I do during my free time, and she too, is a Malaysian.

From a random stroll along shopping malls or along the busy streets of Sydney city, I have to admit that it is no longer easy to find one who is in shape and without pot belly, it should I say wheat belly. Even though there are far more restaurants and products selling gluten free foods and meals, but it is obvious that the staple meals in this country, is loaded with sugars and wheat. In fact, most industrialized nations can't seem to stay away from wheat and sugars addiction. When you combined both sugars and wheat, the addiction is amplified and further destroy your hormones and metabolism.

In Australia, it is common that the 'side dish' simply contains so called whole wheat bread. It is very common for any meal which you ordered, doesn't matter in fancy restaurants or cafes, it always come with a piece of bread. Even without the absence of visible wheat based foods, most people here is not aware of hidden wheat as one of the ingredients in foods such as soy sauce, dressings and even sushi wraps.

Couple days back, someone I know asked me if coffee accelerate aging worst then wheat. Well, in a way, from various journals published, wheat triumphed the most consumed beverage in the world. As sugar (fructose) causes AGE ( advanced glycation end products) about 6-7 times more then glucose, it is being assumed that wheat destroys blood sugar and cells aging even far worst. These nasty little compounds called AGEs speed up the aging process in your body including damage over time to your organs, your joints, and of course, wrinkled skin.

Diabetic patients tend to look older then their actual age, and some of these people do not age well, and poor blood sugar regulation from wheat consumption will further increase production of AGEs. We have more people suffer from diabetes then ever before, and the consumption of wheat based foods is almost every corner where foods are made and sold.

We have been told that whole wheat is healthy and endorsed by USDA to eat 6-7 meals of grains ( including wheat) daily. What people doesn't know, is wheat contain a specific compound called Amylopectin-A, and it is virtually not found in any carbohydrates based foods. This compound will spike blood sugar even higher then table sugars, causing further insulin and leptin dsyregulation. One way to find out, do a glucometer test after 45 mins of eating couple slices of whole wheat bread, you will be surprised.

It's simple math, the more wheat based foods you eat, the more blood sugar dsyregulation, the further your body age biologically. High body fat, wrinkles, skin problems, joints pain, cravings, you name it. Most people tend to blame old age for these physical manifestations. "I'm getting older" or "It's normal we as reach 40's or 50's". 

Put cellular aging aside. When one consume wheat based foods, your pancreas will pump more insulin, and over time, the sensitivity of your cells responding to these vital hormones become less sensitive, and on the verge of developing insulin resistance and thus, diabetes. Wheat, most grains, sugars, refined carbs are the primary cause of diabetes and insulin resistance. And of course, chronic stress and poor sleep wake cycles further dampen the blood sugar regulation, apart from high levels of inflammation. Combination of these factors, will provide you the recipe to destroy your pancreas and hormones, and Diabetes Type 2 is inevitable.

As some people who might think that wheat or gluten is safe to consume even though they are not officially 'gluten intolerant' or 'gluten sensitive', there are more then 100 published studies which showed that this food can cause inflammation in the digestive system and other areas in the body too. Apart from poking holes in the gut, u single handedly damage your digestive system and set up a condition called autoimmune disease. Unless, you are on some sort of mission to achieve an all out wheat loaded diet, or your parents force you to eat breads, pasta and sandwiches all the time. 

In the last 50-60 years ago, excessive hybridization of wheat resulted in hundreds if not thousands of new gluten molecules. No longer the bread Jesus ate, we are eating so called staple food which is linked to more then 300 health symptoms, and most conventional health and diet professionals have no clue whatsoever about this devastating dilemma. From eating butter and animal based foods to huge change of eating grains based foods, we have shifted so far away from ancestral way of eating. From saturated fats and cholesterol foods to refined carbs and sugars, we are doing this to ourselves, no thanks to the ones who endorsed the 'heart-healthy foods' products.

  

Is that all? Another reason to stay away from wheat is the anti-nutrients which are naturally occurring in the wheat plant. One of these anti-nutrients is called phytates, which blocks the absorption in your body of certain vital minerals like zinc, iron, manganese and calcium. If you consume wheat often, this could be harmful to your body in terms of malnutrition. Imagine the western diet  consist of cereals, sandwich and pasta from morning till evening meals. Of course, I did mentioned in previous post about lectins as the other problems for human consumption and also anti-nutrients.

Finally, a compound called ATI (amylase trypsin inhibitor), seemed to be another addition to a long list of problems with wheat. Supposely a defense mechanism of the plant to fend off insects and other predators, just like lectins, ATI is pro-inflammatory and causes intestinal inflammation and attack the gut. The cereals and breads you eat every single meal, trigger cytokines in cells which further damage the gut, in addition to what gliadin and lectins had done to the digestive systems. This enzyme actually inhibit pancreatic enzymatic release, as it shuts down a person pancreas and prevent them from being able to digest. Just think of this for a moment. Mother nature created a seed and a legume, in this case wheat, to preserve the species and don't really want them to be eaten and digested. It makes sense why these plants contain chemicals which prevent humans from properly break it down.

Remember, most people relate gluten only for celiac patients. Overwhelming studies were published over and over again, hundreds of them available for health and nutrition professionals to read and understand what is happening, to further help their patients. NCGS (non-celiac gluten sensitivity) is far more prevalent amongst population then celiac autoimmunity, and more doctors and health related professionals including dietitians and nutritionists and even personal trainers, need to know the impact of wheat and grains which contain anti-nutrients and gluten.

In my own opinion, I still think that there are other compounds which is still undiscovered by scientists and pHD researchers on the current genetically altered wheat. I think we have a solid case here to oppose against eating wheat based foods and other similar gluten containing grains. A food which is not fit for human consumption, especially long term ingestion of these harmful compounds. But again, wheat or gluten may affect one person more then the other, as different individuals have different sensitivity towards this food. I guess the gluteomorphine is getting deep down into most people's addiction on eating wheat. Some may quit cold turkey, some may have to go through withdrawal symptoms such as fever, irritability, cravings, etc. Going gluten-free for the first 2 weeks would be a very good start for most beginners, listen to your body, and if you notice huge improvements about how you feel and losing weight, it's all up to you to decide how much you want it for yourself, in this case, it's your own health, physical outlook and how great you can feel. 

Journals: ATI (amylase trypsin inhibitors) in wheat
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3526354/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23623873
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23209313
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2013/03/04/gluten-sensitivity-what-does-it-really-mean/
http://jem.rupress.org/content/209/13/2395.full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3820047/

Nutritious gluten-free breakfast while on vacation - No cooking required

As most people tend to grab hotel provided breakfast while on vacation, hitting fast food meals and coffee on-the-go with donut or sandwich seemed to be a popular yet common morning meal for a lot of travellers.

As holiday mood sets in, most vacationers tend to be slacking when comes to foods and planning for their meals. "I'm on holiday, I want to eat whatever I want". Of course it would be nice to try some of the local foods in the foreign city you visit, but making a quick nutritious gluten free morning meal would be important for daytime energy fuel and boosting your hormones and mood without bloating your gut and making your feel lousy and sluggish hours after that.

The mentality of having paid for the hotel breakfast and not to waste money, indirectly made you consume inflammatory fat gaining foods while your sympathetic nervous system trying to detox and burn fat in the morning and throughout the day. The hotel I stayed in, provided paid breakfast, and guess what, it's cereals and milk only.  Oh boy, that's a bad choice of meal one would consume before heading out exploring the city you travel.

If you observe in most cities you travel, you will notice many more coffee shops and cafes selling wheat based foods and caffeinated beverages. I guess many more people are on demand for fake energy surge to get their day going.

Anyhow, below are some of the common foods to avoid while on vacation especially during morning and daytime.

- sausages & ham

- corn

- wheat or gluten based foods

- Foods cooked or fried with vegetables oil

- cereals

- Commercial pasteurized milk

- donuts 

- Commercial coffee

- Peanuts

- artificial sweeteners 

Breakfast 1: avocado, maca powder and organic raw honey(quarter teaspoon).

If you can't buy maca powder in the city u visit, try pack it in a small tupperware.

Breakfast 2: Coconut oil and organic butter. Try pour some coconut oil in a small bottle when you travel, and getting organic butter these days in most industrialized cities is not that difficult. Bring a tablespoon when you travel, and try a tablespoon of coconut oil and butter if you don't experience nausea or tummy rejection due to sluggish bile production. Drink some lemon water, as it would help thin the bile and ease the break down of fats a little bit better. If coconut oil if unbearable for some of you, try half banana or some blueberries immediately after these healthy fats consumption, as it would take away the aftertaste. 

Fertility libido mood boosting whole foods - what high cholesterol?

It's loaded with cholesterol and saturated fats. The villain of foods and cause of heart disease, remember? That's what we have been brainwashed and having this phobia since this whole scam started decades ago.

Eskimos and most primitive tribes and population thrive and lived on these foods for hundreds if not thousands of years. Our caveman ancestors have been eating primarily animal based foods for as long humans step foot on the planet earth.

Its sumptuous, nutritious, and packed with saturated fats and cholesterol! And guess what, it's not going to kill you, but it's going to protect your heart and prevent you from cancer and other degenerative diseases. It's what your body needs for survival, growth, repair and nourishment.

Remember when you eat a meal of grass fed steak and felt good and satiety after that? Compared to eating sandwich or pizza and felt bloated and lousy, and for some people, it's like being hit by a bus!

Your body will never lie to you, always remember that. Your body is always constantly signaling to you what is going on and symptoms are manifestation of an underlying dysfunctions or disorders in the body. No one will know better then you, not even doctors nor nutritionists.

When you eat a food or meal, you should not feel bloated, gassy nor any other GI tract discomfort or even getting a headache. If you eat a meal and dip to hypoglycemic, its a sign your insulin secretion is way too high and blood sugar dsyregulation. Remember, your body is not a dumpster nor junk box. Eat for energy, vitality and immunity.

Fresh raw oysters

Peri winkles

Sea urchin roe

Moreton bay bugs 

Baby octopus

Pastured free range eggs

Dark orange yolk - pastured chickens high in beta carotene diet 

Biodynamic pastured eggs

Biodynamic organic butter