I am so happy that the word is out - type 2 diabetes CAN be reversed through diet and other natural means. However, if you are searching for "how to reverse diabetes" online, you could possibly be misled by some websites to think that there is a single thing you should do to reverse diabetes. This is not the truth. There are actually SEVERAL steps you should take, most simultaneously, to reverse diabetes and you really need to follow all of them to make sure it works. The best comprehensive source of information that shows you all the steps to reversing diabetes that I have found is this one (this link will take you there).
However, having said the above, I think there are two things that you should do immediately while you are learning about the other things. In fact, I would say these things are so important that if you don't do them, they could literally prevent you from reversing your diabetes even if you are doing everything else correctly.
The two things are as follows:
1. COMPLETELY eliminate trans fat from your diet. Please note that this does not mean to just reduce trans fat or to eat trans fat in moderation. This means completely eliminate it 100% from your diet. If you even suspect something contains trans fat, don't eat it. There are many ways that you could possibly be getting trans fat without even knowing it. I do suggest you read my articles on how heating otherwise healthy trans fat can create trans fat, how canola oil contains trans fat even though it is not labeled that way (another article on coconut oil and diabetes), and how to identify trans fat on a food label.
2. You should also immediately and completely eliminate ALL high fructose corn syrup from your diet. Again, this means 100% eliminate it from your diet, not just reduce it. Read all food labels and look for the acronym HFCS as well as the word spelled out. Also note that "corn sugar" may be used in the future to replace the phrase "high fructose corn syrup."
Okay, I'm now adding a third action you should immediately take to this list and that is DETOX. Look for my information on how to detox in the archives. The source I linked above has a lot more information on how to do this safely as well.
Type 2 diabetes did not even exist before trans fat was introduced into the food supply and was responsible for the very rapid rise in this new disease in the 1930's. The second rapid rise in type 2 diabetes occurred in the 1970's when high fructose corn syrup was introduced into the food supply in a big way.
So, my advice to you is to completely and immediately eliminate these 2 things from your diet which you read and digest this information to learn the other steps you need to take. Keep in mind that I am speaking from experience as I myself have reversed my diabetes and I am on a personal quest to help others do the same. This disease is not even natural. It is a disease of modern world with all the toxins in our food supply. Luckily, there are ways you can reverse it.
This Is a Step-By-Step Cure For Diabetes Developed By Scientists
I highly recommend you check this out and cure diabetes like I did. Maxine
Showing posts with label trans fat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trans fat. Show all posts
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
How To Tell If There's Trans Fat In Food
Lately I've been getting some questions about how to tell if there's trans fat in food - especially for items that claim there is zero trans fat per serving. You've heard about the food manufacturers' sneaky little trick right? It is partially the USDA's fault because they do not require companies to label a product as having trans fat if it's less than 0.5 grams per serving. So what do many food companies do? They increase the number of servings per package of course so that each serving is less and therefore contains less trans fat. So, for example if a box of your favorite cereal used to have 0.7 grams of trans fat per serving and they used to claim there were 10 servings per box, they don't have to change the recipe to have less trans fat - nope, they just change the serving size - so in this example, if they change the number of servings to 15 per box (and each serving is now about 1/3 less). They then don't have to claim their product has trans fat because it's now "only" 0.47 grams of trans fat per serving. This has actually happened on thousands of products and is one of the main reasons why so called "serving size" has drastically decreased on many processed foods. This is absolutely ludicrous in my opinion and very unfair to the American consumer who is trying to eat healthier and avoid the trans fat which is a toxin - but for now that's what we have to live with (I am speaking out about this myself and maybe you'd like to to).
In case you haven't been reading my previous posts, trans fat causes diabetes! In fact, it was the introduction of trans fat into the food supply in the 1920's in the form of margarine and Crisco that caused the sudden appearance of type 2 diabetes in the 1930's - did you know that type 2 diabetes did not exist before this time?
It is imperative if you are a diabetic that you learn how to detect trans fat in food. This is because trans fat not only causes diabetes, it also prevents you from having the ability to reverse diabetes naturally. So I want to explain exactly how to determine if a food contains trans fat so you can avoid eating trans fat completely! Please understand that this isn't like eating ice cream where it's ok to eat it occasionally just not all the time (well, depending on whether or not it has high fructose corn syrup and/or other harmful foods). Trans fat is like eating POISON! and you should avoid it 100% of the time.
First, I need to point out again that ALL canola oil contains trans fat. It doesn't matter if it says it is expeller pressed and/or "organic" and/or "all natural" and/or "non-gmo" (the vast majority of canola oil is genetically modified rapeseed oil). ALL canola oil contains trans fat due to the fact that it is a strain of rapeseed that was specifically cross-bred to contain high levels of omega-3 which gets converted to trans fat when it is heated during the processing of the canola oil. This includes the lower heat "expeller pressed" processing you so often see on foods marketed as being "natural." Expeller pressed is still hot enough and kept hot for long enough that the omega-3 is converted to trans fat in high percentages. This has been independently verified by university researchers and you can end up with a product that has several grams of trans fat per serving. So, to avoid eating trans fat, you need to eliminate ALL canola oil from your diet.
Second, I want to explain what to look for on a food label. Because of the "per serving" issue, ignore the claims under the nutrition part of the label concerning trans fat. Instead, look at the list of ingredients very carefully - I have actually gotten into the habit of carrying a small magnifying glass into the store with me when I shop so I can more easily read the sometimes very fine print on the ingredient label. If the ingredient label lists "partially hydrogenated" anything, it has trans fat! Don't buy it! If it says "hydrogenated" anything, same thing. Don't buy it! And again, if it says canola oil, don't buy it as it does have trans fat, very possibly high levels of trans fat in fact! Occasionally, you will see canola oil labeled as "LEAR" or "low erucic acid rapeseed." This is just another name for canola oil (they changed the name for marketing reasons) and you should avoid it 100% of the time.
Ok, this should help you know exactly how to tell if there's trans fat in food. Of course the best way to avoid trans fat is to eat more fresh food or "whole food" like fresh organic vegetables, fresh organic fruits, fresh organic meats, and fresh seafood like wild salmon and shrimp. Most of your trans fat will be hidden in processed foods that come in a box or a can and in those hot food bars and delis so popular in the grocery stores these days. Try a food bar at a natural grocery store that is committed to no trans fat.
Please know that I try to provide as much helpful information as I can on this blog but you really need a comprehensive source of information to learn all the steps you need to take to reverse your diabetes - click here for the best source I've found and the one I recommend to my friends. Please don't just depend on my blog because you may miss a really important detail that is crucial and could block your other efforts from working. Even if you were just looking for a way to lower your blood sugar naturally because you are pre-diabetic and/or diabetes runs in your family, the information I link above would be extremely helpful.
In case you haven't been reading my previous posts, trans fat causes diabetes! In fact, it was the introduction of trans fat into the food supply in the 1920's in the form of margarine and Crisco that caused the sudden appearance of type 2 diabetes in the 1930's - did you know that type 2 diabetes did not exist before this time?
It is imperative if you are a diabetic that you learn how to detect trans fat in food. This is because trans fat not only causes diabetes, it also prevents you from having the ability to reverse diabetes naturally. So I want to explain exactly how to determine if a food contains trans fat so you can avoid eating trans fat completely! Please understand that this isn't like eating ice cream where it's ok to eat it occasionally just not all the time (well, depending on whether or not it has high fructose corn syrup and/or other harmful foods). Trans fat is like eating POISON! and you should avoid it 100% of the time.
First, I need to point out again that ALL canola oil contains trans fat. It doesn't matter if it says it is expeller pressed and/or "organic" and/or "all natural" and/or "non-gmo" (the vast majority of canola oil is genetically modified rapeseed oil). ALL canola oil contains trans fat due to the fact that it is a strain of rapeseed that was specifically cross-bred to contain high levels of omega-3 which gets converted to trans fat when it is heated during the processing of the canola oil. This includes the lower heat "expeller pressed" processing you so often see on foods marketed as being "natural." Expeller pressed is still hot enough and kept hot for long enough that the omega-3 is converted to trans fat in high percentages. This has been independently verified by university researchers and you can end up with a product that has several grams of trans fat per serving. So, to avoid eating trans fat, you need to eliminate ALL canola oil from your diet.
Second, I want to explain what to look for on a food label. Because of the "per serving" issue, ignore the claims under the nutrition part of the label concerning trans fat. Instead, look at the list of ingredients very carefully - I have actually gotten into the habit of carrying a small magnifying glass into the store with me when I shop so I can more easily read the sometimes very fine print on the ingredient label. If the ingredient label lists "partially hydrogenated" anything, it has trans fat! Don't buy it! If it says "hydrogenated" anything, same thing. Don't buy it! And again, if it says canola oil, don't buy it as it does have trans fat, very possibly high levels of trans fat in fact! Occasionally, you will see canola oil labeled as "LEAR" or "low erucic acid rapeseed." This is just another name for canola oil (they changed the name for marketing reasons) and you should avoid it 100% of the time.
Ok, this should help you know exactly how to tell if there's trans fat in food. Of course the best way to avoid trans fat is to eat more fresh food or "whole food" like fresh organic vegetables, fresh organic fruits, fresh organic meats, and fresh seafood like wild salmon and shrimp. Most of your trans fat will be hidden in processed foods that come in a box or a can and in those hot food bars and delis so popular in the grocery stores these days. Try a food bar at a natural grocery store that is committed to no trans fat.
Please know that I try to provide as much helpful information as I can on this blog but you really need a comprehensive source of information to learn all the steps you need to take to reverse your diabetes - click here for the best source I've found and the one I recommend to my friends. Please don't just depend on my blog because you may miss a really important detail that is crucial and could block your other efforts from working. Even if you were just looking for a way to lower your blood sugar naturally because you are pre-diabetic and/or diabetes runs in your family, the information I link above would be extremely helpful.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
If Your Oil Is Smoking You're Creating Trans Fat
I have a friend who follows the "mediterranean diet" and she cooks absolutely everything in olive oil. She has type 2 diabetes and she has been trying to lower her blood sugar naturally but so far she hasn't been able to do so. She has lowered her HgA1c to 7.8 from more than 9 (she's still on medication) but can't seem to get it to drop down into the normal range. I've been trying to convince her how much more healthy coconut oil is for diabetics would be for her but she's stubborn :)
I was at her house today for lunch and she was cooking some slices of tomatoes in olive oil to add to pasta dish. We were gabbing and I almost didn't notice but I looked down at one point and saw puffs of smoke emanating out of the skillet!
Alarmed I shouted, "Your olive oil is smoking... you've got your heat too high!"
"Oh yeah, I do that to get that roasted flavor," she quickly replied.
The conversation that ensued has prompted to me to write this important post.
When you smoke your oil, you create trans fat!
And... as I've written about many times before, trans fat causes diabetes. And... eating trans fat will prevent you from being able to cure your diabetes!
It doesn't matter how healthy your oil is. You can have the highest quality cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and you will completely defeat the purpose of using a healthy oil if you heat it to the point it smokes! When you see your oil smoke, you have created TRANS FAT which causes diabetes and many other health issues including heart disease and cancer. Trans fat is one of the worst things you can put into your body. If your oil smokes, I suggest you throw it out and start over!
In fact, olive oil, like many/most other oils can not be heated very much before it smokes - only the lightest heating on your lowest setting is safe. I used to use olive oil for cooking much more than I do now because I do enjoy the flavor it gives certain foods and it is one of the healthier oils to use. However, I do so very sparingly now that I know how easy it is to create trans fat when you heat olive oil (I still use it quite a lot in salads). I do enjoy sauteed spinach and other greens in olive oil but when I cook this, I literally use the very lowest setting on my stove and even then I keep removing the skillet from the burner to prevent over-heating the oil and creating the toxic trans fat.
Yes, trans fat is toxic! It is literally like eating poison. You should avoid it like the plague! This is especially true for my fellow diabetics!
Unfortunately, most oils can't be heated at all or not much. The perfect example of this is "canola oil" which is actually a variety of rapeseed oil. Canola oil contains a high percentage of omega-3 which is extraordinarily sensitive to heat. Applying almost any amount of heat to canola oil will create trans fat. This is why canola oil causes diabetes, even the canola oil sold as "healthy" and "expeller pressed." Even though expeller pressed canola oil is processed at lower temperatures than other canola oil, it is still heated high enough to create substantial amounts of trans fat. This is why it is important for everyone, especially diabetics, to completely avoid canola oil - avoid ALL canola oil, regardless of how healthy the marketing gurus make it out to be - they are WRONG - and they probably work (directly or indirectly) for the company selling you the oil. It may not be labeled as containing trans fat but several research studies have demonstrated that it does. This is also why we really need to convince Trader Joe's to stop allowing canola oil in their private label foods AND we need to convince Whole Foods to stop using canola oil in their private labels and on their foods they prepare on site. We all need to band together on this one! We also need to demand that the USDA require labeling of trans fat on food labels and independent random testing of companies claiming zero trans fat on their products.
Smoking oils creating trans fat is just one detail that is almost always left out of most guides to curing diabetes. And... look how incredibly crucial this detail is! If you don't eliminate trans fat from your diet you won't be able to cure your diabetes. This is a perfect example of why I have been harping and harping on people getting this information. First, watch the video and then explore what they offer. It is imperative to curing your diabetes that you have the right information - ALL the information, not just some of it. If you are truly serious about reversing your diabetes, you can NOT depend on just surfing around the net, hoping to pick up enough clues here and there. You really need one comprehensive source of information. To me, there is nothing more important to your life if you are a diabetic than curing it - because everything else is affecting by it - I can do SO MANY more things now and feel so much better after curing my diabetes. So, please stop smoking your oils (and if you cook with olive oil, do so only at extremely low temperatures - and don't buy anything with canola) and check out that information.
I was at her house today for lunch and she was cooking some slices of tomatoes in olive oil to add to pasta dish. We were gabbing and I almost didn't notice but I looked down at one point and saw puffs of smoke emanating out of the skillet!
Alarmed I shouted, "Your olive oil is smoking... you've got your heat too high!"
"Oh yeah, I do that to get that roasted flavor," she quickly replied.
The conversation that ensued has prompted to me to write this important post.
When you smoke your oil, you create trans fat!
And... as I've written about many times before, trans fat causes diabetes. And... eating trans fat will prevent you from being able to cure your diabetes!
It doesn't matter how healthy your oil is. You can have the highest quality cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and you will completely defeat the purpose of using a healthy oil if you heat it to the point it smokes! When you see your oil smoke, you have created TRANS FAT which causes diabetes and many other health issues including heart disease and cancer. Trans fat is one of the worst things you can put into your body. If your oil smokes, I suggest you throw it out and start over!
In fact, olive oil, like many/most other oils can not be heated very much before it smokes - only the lightest heating on your lowest setting is safe. I used to use olive oil for cooking much more than I do now because I do enjoy the flavor it gives certain foods and it is one of the healthier oils to use. However, I do so very sparingly now that I know how easy it is to create trans fat when you heat olive oil (I still use it quite a lot in salads). I do enjoy sauteed spinach and other greens in olive oil but when I cook this, I literally use the very lowest setting on my stove and even then I keep removing the skillet from the burner to prevent over-heating the oil and creating the toxic trans fat.
Yes, trans fat is toxic! It is literally like eating poison. You should avoid it like the plague! This is especially true for my fellow diabetics!
Unfortunately, most oils can't be heated at all or not much. The perfect example of this is "canola oil" which is actually a variety of rapeseed oil. Canola oil contains a high percentage of omega-3 which is extraordinarily sensitive to heat. Applying almost any amount of heat to canola oil will create trans fat. This is why canola oil causes diabetes, even the canola oil sold as "healthy" and "expeller pressed." Even though expeller pressed canola oil is processed at lower temperatures than other canola oil, it is still heated high enough to create substantial amounts of trans fat. This is why it is important for everyone, especially diabetics, to completely avoid canola oil - avoid ALL canola oil, regardless of how healthy the marketing gurus make it out to be - they are WRONG - and they probably work (directly or indirectly) for the company selling you the oil. It may not be labeled as containing trans fat but several research studies have demonstrated that it does. This is also why we really need to convince Trader Joe's to stop allowing canola oil in their private label foods AND we need to convince Whole Foods to stop using canola oil in their private labels and on their foods they prepare on site. We all need to band together on this one! We also need to demand that the USDA require labeling of trans fat on food labels and independent random testing of companies claiming zero trans fat on their products.
Smoking oils creating trans fat is just one detail that is almost always left out of most guides to curing diabetes. And... look how incredibly crucial this detail is! If you don't eliminate trans fat from your diet you won't be able to cure your diabetes. This is a perfect example of why I have been harping and harping on people getting this information. First, watch the video and then explore what they offer. It is imperative to curing your diabetes that you have the right information - ALL the information, not just some of it. If you are truly serious about reversing your diabetes, you can NOT depend on just surfing around the net, hoping to pick up enough clues here and there. You really need one comprehensive source of information. To me, there is nothing more important to your life if you are a diabetic than curing it - because everything else is affecting by it - I can do SO MANY more things now and feel so much better after curing my diabetes. So, please stop smoking your oils (and if you cook with olive oil, do so only at extremely low temperatures - and don't buy anything with canola) and check out that information.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Why Is Whole Foods Using So Much Canola Oil?
I went shopping at Whole Foods recently. I've been reading about how much canola oil they use in their hot foods and in their private label products. I had some extra time to browse so I really paid careful attention to the ingredient labels while I was there. I am sad to report that Whole Foods puts canola oil is most all of their products! It is alarming, in fact, how wide spread this noxious ingredient really is!
I recently wrote about the dangers of canola oil to the diabetic because of trans fat and other reasons. I entitled the article, "What Is Canola Oil and Should Diabetics Avoid It?" I really encourage you to take the time to read it because I have researched this in depth. I also strongly encourage you to click on the red button at the top of the page and watch the video and get the information they recommend. This resource has so much more information than I have on this site about the oils you should be avoiding if you want to reverse your diabetes and the ones you should be consuming to help with the process of curing your diabetes and healing your body.
Back to my Whole Foods "safari." I looked at virtually every salad dressing they had in the refrigerated section near the veggies. It all contained canola oil! This was mostly private label stuff. Then I looked at the pre-made sauces too - same thing - loaded with canola oil - in fact canola oil was often the first ingredient! Then I hit the meat counter and took a look at the sausages - the sausage that they grind/mix there in the store had guess what? More canola oil! Why?!? Why do they have to put canola oil in sausage?!? Good grief! Even worse... they add it to their smoked salmon spread. What's that about? Does that stretch it? Stretch the expensive salmon with super cheap canola oil so they make more profit?
You guys do realize why food manufacturers love canola oil so much, right? It is because it is dirt cheap! In other words, if they can load a dip or sausage or a salad dressing or a pre-made sauce or any other food item with dirt cheap canola oil and still sell it at a high price, they'll make a higher profit margin.
Next, I wandered over to the non-refrigerated isles of the store. It seemed like every item I picked up contained canola oil. Whole Foods, what are you doing? You should be a leader in not having canola oil! I saw more canola oil in their private label items than in the other brands they carry.... I kid you not! I could hardly believe that one.
Then I walked over to the hot foods section. It smelled delicious of course (I was getting hungry by this time) but sure enough when I talked with the employees, they told me it contained canola oil. I didn't buy anything because when I hear the words "canola oil" I think "POISON!" (and so should you!)
Canola oil = Hidden Unlabeled Trans Fat = POISON = Diabetes and Other Diseases Like Heart Disease
Canola Oil = Genetically Modified Organism (or seriously contaminated with it) = POISON = Diabetes and Other Diseases Like Heart Disease
I've been doing some serious digging online to find out more about the canola oil situation at Whole Foods and I plan to write much more about this in the upcoming weeks. For now, I encourage you to visit the Whole Foods contact page where you will find several email addresses you can send comments to. Before you do, however, you may want to educate yourself even more and click on the red button at the top of this page. This is information I used to cure my diabetes. It is always best to be armed with a lot of knowledge when you speak out about things like this. Stay tuned for more to come from me too. Those of us who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are more acutely aware of these issues, aren't we?
Get Healthy and Stay Healthy!
Maxine
I recently wrote about the dangers of canola oil to the diabetic because of trans fat and other reasons. I entitled the article, "What Is Canola Oil and Should Diabetics Avoid It?" I really encourage you to take the time to read it because I have researched this in depth. I also strongly encourage you to click on the red button at the top of the page and watch the video and get the information they recommend. This resource has so much more information than I have on this site about the oils you should be avoiding if you want to reverse your diabetes and the ones you should be consuming to help with the process of curing your diabetes and healing your body.
Back to my Whole Foods "safari." I looked at virtually every salad dressing they had in the refrigerated section near the veggies. It all contained canola oil! This was mostly private label stuff. Then I looked at the pre-made sauces too - same thing - loaded with canola oil - in fact canola oil was often the first ingredient! Then I hit the meat counter and took a look at the sausages - the sausage that they grind/mix there in the store had guess what? More canola oil! Why?!? Why do they have to put canola oil in sausage?!? Good grief! Even worse... they add it to their smoked salmon spread. What's that about? Does that stretch it? Stretch the expensive salmon with super cheap canola oil so they make more profit?
You guys do realize why food manufacturers love canola oil so much, right? It is because it is dirt cheap! In other words, if they can load a dip or sausage or a salad dressing or a pre-made sauce or any other food item with dirt cheap canola oil and still sell it at a high price, they'll make a higher profit margin.
Next, I wandered over to the non-refrigerated isles of the store. It seemed like every item I picked up contained canola oil. Whole Foods, what are you doing? You should be a leader in not having canola oil! I saw more canola oil in their private label items than in the other brands they carry.... I kid you not! I could hardly believe that one.
Then I walked over to the hot foods section. It smelled delicious of course (I was getting hungry by this time) but sure enough when I talked with the employees, they told me it contained canola oil. I didn't buy anything because when I hear the words "canola oil" I think "POISON!" (and so should you!)
Canola oil = Hidden Unlabeled Trans Fat = POISON = Diabetes and Other Diseases Like Heart Disease
Canola Oil = Genetically Modified Organism (or seriously contaminated with it) = POISON = Diabetes and Other Diseases Like Heart Disease
I've been doing some serious digging online to find out more about the canola oil situation at Whole Foods and I plan to write much more about this in the upcoming weeks. For now, I encourage you to visit the Whole Foods contact page where you will find several email addresses you can send comments to. Before you do, however, you may want to educate yourself even more and click on the red button at the top of this page. This is information I used to cure my diabetes. It is always best to be armed with a lot of knowledge when you speak out about things like this. Stay tuned for more to come from me too. Those of us who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are more acutely aware of these issues, aren't we?
Get Healthy and Stay Healthy!
Maxine
Friday, July 16, 2010
Please Tell the FDA and Your Representatives You Don't Want Trans Fat In Our Food!
Trans fat is poison, plain and simple. POISON. There should be ZERO tolerance on the part of our government to allow ANY trans fat in our food (or pet food.. check the ingredients). However, they buckle under pressure from all the lobbyists representing the food industries that profit from trans fat. We as the consumers need to ban together and demand that this poison be removed from our food... completely removed, not reduced. Trans fat causes diabetes, heart disease, inflammation, etc, etc. The link between trans fat and type 2 diabetes is quite clear! Here is the direct link to write a personal letter to the FDA:
http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/ContactFDA/default.htm
I recommend that you first write out your complaint using their online form, then copy it, and let them know that you are copying it to both your state and federal representatives. I'd then follow up with a phone call about a week later to let them know you mean business and that you would like a direct response from them.
Here's a link to get your federal representative's contact information:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt
and here is a link to find your state representatives:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/?lvl=L
and it wouldn't hurt to copy the mayor and county commissioners in your area. Some cities are banning trans fat from restaurants... a good step in the right direction.
If you wouldn't mind, could you also post a comment on this site, preferably under this post, to let me (and my readers) know that you have contacted them and feel free to paste a copy here as well. I WILL publish any correspondence you send in.
If we don't stop this source of artificial food/poison in our food, we are going to end up with an entire nation of people with diabetes/heart disease/related metabolic disorders. The statistics are alarming and the evidence is overwhelming at this point. The food companies may have a lot of money but at the end of the day they don't vote!
Thank you,
Maxine
http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/ContactFDA/default.htm
I recommend that you first write out your complaint using their online form, then copy it, and let them know that you are copying it to both your state and federal representatives. I'd then follow up with a phone call about a week later to let them know you mean business and that you would like a direct response from them.
Here's a link to get your federal representative's contact information:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt
and here is a link to find your state representatives:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/?lvl=L
and it wouldn't hurt to copy the mayor and county commissioners in your area. Some cities are banning trans fat from restaurants... a good step in the right direction.
If you wouldn't mind, could you also post a comment on this site, preferably under this post, to let me (and my readers) know that you have contacted them and feel free to paste a copy here as well. I WILL publish any correspondence you send in.
If we don't stop this source of artificial food/poison in our food, we are going to end up with an entire nation of people with diabetes/heart disease/related metabolic disorders. The statistics are alarming and the evidence is overwhelming at this point. The food companies may have a lot of money but at the end of the day they don't vote!
Thank you,
Maxine
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
What Causes Type 2 Diabetes? The REAL Answer Will Probably Surprise You
In this article, I am going to focus on what causes diabetes type 2. This is partly because 95% of all diabetics are type 2. More importantly, however, I'm focusing on type 2 diabetes because it is entirely preventable and completely reversible. By telling you what REALLY causes diabetes, you will have more power to do something about it.
How would you answer the following question: "What causes diabetes?"
Would you give one or more of the following answers:
1. Too much sugar and other carbs in diet
2. Genetics - it runs in the family - it's inherited
3. Being overweight - obesity - eating too much
4. Lack of exercise - being a couch potato
5. Not enough sleep and poor quality of sleep
6. Too much stress and anxiety
Okay, I'm about to tell you something that will likely surprise you.
The truth is the 6 factors above are NOT the underlying cause of diabetes. They do put you at a much higher risk of being susceptible to the underlying cause. They also make diabetes worse if you already have it. However, and I want to really emphasize this to you, these factors are NOT the cause of the disease.
More than 99% of all people I have talked with on this subject have no idea what really causes diabetes. I am about to tell you what REALLY causes diabetes and I hope you will help spread the word. If more people knew about this, we could lower the rates of diabetes and even reverse it on a mass scale.
The real cause lies in a radical change that took place in our food supply in the early 1900's. In fact, type 2 diabetes did not even exist before the 1920's! When I first learned this fact (and went to great lengths to verify it), it totally boggled my mind! This major change in the food supply was the introduction of hydrogenated vegetable oils to replace oils and fats derived from animals and natural vegetable oils like lard, coconut oil, flaxseed oil (all very popular in the 1800's and into the early 1900's). Shortening, a hydrogenated oil, replaced lard. Margarine, another hydrogenated oil, replaced real butter. Cooking oils for frying in large part became hydrogenated vegetable oil that stayed liquid at room temperature. Hydrogenation creates trans fat and trans fat causes diabetes! Butter is better for you than margarine - assuming it's organic. Lard is better for you than shortening - again, assuming it's organic.
Like many things in life, the change to hydrogenated oil was profit-driven. I want to emphasize that companies were not originally trying to create a healthier food substitute when they introduced shortening and margarine, as many people who don't know the history assume. In fact, there was a raging debate over the safety of hydrogenated oils during the 1920's and 1930's. People were very slow to accept the new chemically altered oils. In fact, Procter and Gamble was so desperate at one point to get consumers to accept Crisco, they were giving away 2 1/2 gallon containers of it. Even when it was free, people were reluctant to take it.
If it hadn't been for the Great Depression and then World War 2, consumers may never have accepted hydrogenated oils. The depression hit people so hard it made people do things they wouldn't normally do. Hydrogenated oils like margarine and Crisco were significantly cheaper than real butter and pig lard. The low price helped finally win over people.
When Americans got involved in World War 2, certain food items were rationed at home because they were needed for the troops overseas putting their lives on the line. Americans were asked to be patriotic and take rationing in stride. Butter was strictly rationed and it was during this time that margarine finally became widely accepted.
Americans (and Europeans) were so pre-occupied with the war effort and then in rebuilding our lives after the war, the health concerns over hydrogenated oils were largely forgotten, at least in the minds of the general public at large. Hydrogenated oils got another big boost in 1957 when the American Heart Association suggested that Americans needed to cut back on saturated fats like butter and beef. By the late 1970's, about 60% of the oils and fats consumed in the US diet were partially hydrogenated. This meant that our consumption of trans fat was at an all time high.
Ironically, hydrogenated oils which contain large amounts of the extremely unhealthy trans fats, were touted as "healthy" alternatives. Margarine was considered a "healthy" alternative to real butter. Beef fat and tropical oils used for frying in fast food restaurants were replaced by supposed "healthy" hydrogenated cooking oils in the mid-1980's.
Hydrogenation solved two major problems for profit-driven food companies. First, hydrogenation can turn a really cheap oil that is normally liquid at room temperature into a solid at room temperature. So, a super cheap liquid fat can be turned into shortening and margarine which are solids at room temperature. Second, hydrogenation can dramatically improve shelf life which means higher profits. Products made with animal fats and vegetable oils high in omega-3 go rancid quite quickly without refrigeration.
What does all this have to do with diabetes you may be asking. Well, it turns out that the trans fat created by hydrogenation is responsible for making our cell membranes more resistant to insulin. When trans fat gets incorporated into our cell membranes, they become impaired. They become less flexible and that means they are less capable of transporting glucose circulating in our bloodstream into our cells, i.e trans fat causes type 2 diabetes.
Before the 1920's, type 2 diabetes was unknown to the medical community. In fact, doctors of that time were completely baffled by it and didn't even know what to call it. The sudden emergence and subsequent rapid rise in type 2 diabetes correlates perfectly with the introduction of hydrogenated fats into our diet. In other words, the underlying mechanism of type 2 diabetes was artificially created by hydrogenation.
To learn exactly how to reverse diabetes and do so permanently, check out this resource which is the best one I've seen - comprehensive, easy to follow, and well written.
How would you answer the following question: "What causes diabetes?"
Would you give one or more of the following answers:
1. Too much sugar and other carbs in diet
2. Genetics - it runs in the family - it's inherited
3. Being overweight - obesity - eating too much
4. Lack of exercise - being a couch potato
5. Not enough sleep and poor quality of sleep
6. Too much stress and anxiety
Okay, I'm about to tell you something that will likely surprise you.
The truth is the 6 factors above are NOT the underlying cause of diabetes. They do put you at a much higher risk of being susceptible to the underlying cause. They also make diabetes worse if you already have it. However, and I want to really emphasize this to you, these factors are NOT the cause of the disease.
More than 99% of all people I have talked with on this subject have no idea what really causes diabetes. I am about to tell you what REALLY causes diabetes and I hope you will help spread the word. If more people knew about this, we could lower the rates of diabetes and even reverse it on a mass scale.
The real cause lies in a radical change that took place in our food supply in the early 1900's. In fact, type 2 diabetes did not even exist before the 1920's! When I first learned this fact (and went to great lengths to verify it), it totally boggled my mind! This major change in the food supply was the introduction of hydrogenated vegetable oils to replace oils and fats derived from animals and natural vegetable oils like lard, coconut oil, flaxseed oil (all very popular in the 1800's and into the early 1900's). Shortening, a hydrogenated oil, replaced lard. Margarine, another hydrogenated oil, replaced real butter. Cooking oils for frying in large part became hydrogenated vegetable oil that stayed liquid at room temperature. Hydrogenation creates trans fat and trans fat causes diabetes! Butter is better for you than margarine - assuming it's organic. Lard is better for you than shortening - again, assuming it's organic.
Like many things in life, the change to hydrogenated oil was profit-driven. I want to emphasize that companies were not originally trying to create a healthier food substitute when they introduced shortening and margarine, as many people who don't know the history assume. In fact, there was a raging debate over the safety of hydrogenated oils during the 1920's and 1930's. People were very slow to accept the new chemically altered oils. In fact, Procter and Gamble was so desperate at one point to get consumers to accept Crisco, they were giving away 2 1/2 gallon containers of it. Even when it was free, people were reluctant to take it.
If it hadn't been for the Great Depression and then World War 2, consumers may never have accepted hydrogenated oils. The depression hit people so hard it made people do things they wouldn't normally do. Hydrogenated oils like margarine and Crisco were significantly cheaper than real butter and pig lard. The low price helped finally win over people.
When Americans got involved in World War 2, certain food items were rationed at home because they were needed for the troops overseas putting their lives on the line. Americans were asked to be patriotic and take rationing in stride. Butter was strictly rationed and it was during this time that margarine finally became widely accepted.
Americans (and Europeans) were so pre-occupied with the war effort and then in rebuilding our lives after the war, the health concerns over hydrogenated oils were largely forgotten, at least in the minds of the general public at large. Hydrogenated oils got another big boost in 1957 when the American Heart Association suggested that Americans needed to cut back on saturated fats like butter and beef. By the late 1970's, about 60% of the oils and fats consumed in the US diet were partially hydrogenated. This meant that our consumption of trans fat was at an all time high.
Ironically, hydrogenated oils which contain large amounts of the extremely unhealthy trans fats, were touted as "healthy" alternatives. Margarine was considered a "healthy" alternative to real butter. Beef fat and tropical oils used for frying in fast food restaurants were replaced by supposed "healthy" hydrogenated cooking oils in the mid-1980's.
Hydrogenation solved two major problems for profit-driven food companies. First, hydrogenation can turn a really cheap oil that is normally liquid at room temperature into a solid at room temperature. So, a super cheap liquid fat can be turned into shortening and margarine which are solids at room temperature. Second, hydrogenation can dramatically improve shelf life which means higher profits. Products made with animal fats and vegetable oils high in omega-3 go rancid quite quickly without refrigeration.
What does all this have to do with diabetes you may be asking. Well, it turns out that the trans fat created by hydrogenation is responsible for making our cell membranes more resistant to insulin. When trans fat gets incorporated into our cell membranes, they become impaired. They become less flexible and that means they are less capable of transporting glucose circulating in our bloodstream into our cells, i.e trans fat causes type 2 diabetes.
Before the 1920's, type 2 diabetes was unknown to the medical community. In fact, doctors of that time were completely baffled by it and didn't even know what to call it. The sudden emergence and subsequent rapid rise in type 2 diabetes correlates perfectly with the introduction of hydrogenated fats into our diet. In other words, the underlying mechanism of type 2 diabetes was artificially created by hydrogenation.
To learn exactly how to reverse diabetes and do so permanently, check out this resource which is the best one I've seen - comprehensive, easy to follow, and well written.
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