You’ve seen the movie The Matrix but have you met Moofius and the freedom fighters in The Meatrix? They’re revealing the truth about where our eggs, milk and meat come from, and gathering troops (consumers) like us to make a difference. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out in this post!

The Meatrix is the fantasy world we live in where we believe our food comes from old fashioned family farms. Take the blue pill with Leo and discover The Meatrix:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEkc70ztOrc

We’ve blogged about the importance of consuming quality food and the negative impact factory farming as on our health and the earth in several posts here before on Live Lighter:

• Is Sickness a Choice?
• I Vote For Nutritious Food!
• Government Control Through Food
• Real Food Crusader Inspires Change
• Local Food vs. Imported Food

Although all of these posts (and video clips) differ, the message is the same: YOU choose what food you eat and which food supply sources you support. Visit themeatrix.com for more info. And a BIG thank you to reader and friend, Leigh, for passing this on to me – now we have a more fun way to spread the word!

Tell us what you think of The Meatrix in the comments below. Will you be passing it on to your circle?

We all know there are healthy and unhealthy fats out there. Many of us (including me) have substituted healthy fats to recipes and, unfortunately, altered the taste and texture so much that it turns out… well, yucky. Today we’re in luck because, guest blogger, Greg Hayes, tells us all about which oils are best used for different recipes!

The benefits of cooking at home, rather than eating out, include lower calorie meals, saving cash, and in most cases, generally more healthful foods. For the health conscious chef, there’s a temptation to simply omit oils from recipes, or substitute poyunsaturated fats for their health benefits. Understanding their contribution to recipes can help with making the best choices for healthful, flavorful foods at home.

It’s important to start with understanding that fats and oils are mixtures of chemical compounds. Now infamous for their negative effects on overall health, both trans and hydrogenated fats are the result of chemical processing of mono- and polyunsaturated oils to improve storage stability.

It’s important to understand that while trans fats aren’t found in nature, hydrogenated fats and oils are naturally occurring materials that can be found in high concentration in many plants. While polyunsaturated fats work great in room temperature applications, such as pesto and dressing, there are times when they aren’t the best choice.  The following are a three examples.

Baked goods that aim for a flaky texture, like biscuits or croissants, often call for animal-based fats. These ingredients are generally solids at room temperature, that melt during the baking process. Substituting oils that are liquids at room temperature, which are high in mono and polyunsaturated fats, may enhance their health benefits but will also dramatically change the texture of your finished product. But palm and coconut oil, which are high in saturated fat and thereby solids at room temperature, will provide the same texture while also eliminating trans fats and cholesterol from your recipes.

Every cake and cookie recipe calls for some kind of liquid oil to retain moisture. Usually a vegetable oil of some type, its tempting to try substituting with something high in polyunsaturated fats, like canola or flax seed oil. Although its a well-intentioned move, a look at canola oil vs vegetable oil shows that while these particular oils are high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, they tend to decompose during baking. The result is a cake or cookie with a fishy, waxy flavor. Avoid this problem by sticking with soybean oil or corn oil in baked goods.

Deep frying, sauteing and stir-frying are all high temperature processes that demand excellent heat stability. Since oils highest in polyunsaturated fats tend to decompose after extended exposure to heat, they are inappropriate for such applications. Exposure to high temperatures not only causes those oils to oxidize, which gives foods an objectionable flavor, but can also generate a compound called acrolein, which irritates the lungs and eyes, causing coughing and tearing.

Despite their negative reputation, consuming appropriate amounts of fats and oils is an important part of eating healthy. Using them appropriately in recipes involves more than just choosing those highest in polyunsaturated fats though. It includes understanding their contribution to flavor and texture, and balancing that against their role in health.

About the Author

Greg Hayes is the author of Live Fit Blog, where he writes about fitting fitness into busy lives.  For more tips on choosing the healthiest cooking oil, check it out!

I bet those I feed with healthy baked goodies will definitely appreciate it when I apply this info – I know I will! Do you use different healthy oils for the recipes mentioned above – please share!

If you or someone you love is using an artificial sweetener, you’ll want to read today’s guest post (and pass it on!). Kenneth McCall gives us the low-down on just how dangerous these tiny, brightly-coloured packets are and how they can negatively affect our health goals.

You’ve completed three sets of pull-ups, cycled through the weight machines, gone hard core on the stability ball, and trained on the treadmill; in short, you’ve worked up quite a sweat and wouldn’t be shocked to wake tomorrow with sore muscles. What might come as a surprise, though, is that your aches may be partly linked to your low-fat, low-sugar, low-calorie diet rather than your gym time.

As more and more packaged diet foods and beverages make use of Splenda (sucralose) as a no-calorie sugar substitute, the Sucralose Toxicity Information Center has seen a spike in the number of consumers experiencing side effects from the artificial sweetener—and by side effects, I don’t mean a tightening of the obliques.

Since Splenda’s introduction to the U.S. market in 1998, the list of self-reported adverse reactions to the product has slowly grown to include muscle aches, skin rashes, agitation, dizziness, numbness, diarrhea, swelling, migraines, bladder problems, stomach pain and intestinal cramping. Many Splenda users also complain of pain that mimics a pulled muscle.

All of these can make for a seriously uncomfortable workout and could even sideline your fitness routine for a period of time. And while you may be exercising to alleviate stress, boost endorphins, and generally up your feel-good factor, that shot of sucralose from downing a Splenda-laced diet cola or protein shake might be resulting in just the opposite, causing mood swings and chronic fatigue.

While the degree to which such short-term side effects take their toll depends on your level of sensitivity to the sucralose molecule, the lack of large-scale, long-term, human-based studies to determine its lasting effects leaves consumers wondering about the product’s overall safety. In fact, no independent studies of human use of the sugar substitute over a period longer than six months have taken place since its release, and the largest trial group ever tested comprised a mere 128 people (my gym has more members than that).

The manufacturer, McNeil Nutritionals, did conduct a study of the effects of high sucralose consumption on male rats, during which they witnessed problem thymus glands, enlarged livers and kidney disorders in the subjects. In addition, Splenda cut their good belly bacteria in half, raised intestinal pH levels and contributed to increases in body weight.

Despite the fact that we metabolize sucralose in a manner similar to rats, the FDA brushed aside the findings, claiming the rodents differed from people and comparisons shouldn’t be made. We have no assurance that Splenda is any safer than its low-fat, low-sugar, low-calorie predecessors. (Remember aspartame and saccharin? They were also promised to be healthy and then turned out to be riddled with side effects.) It’s sort of like being left to bench-press your maximum weight without a spotter.

Run down the origins of Splenda, and you might just have to catch your breath. The British scientists who discovered this supposed miracle sweetener in 1976 were actually seeking a new pesticide formula. While Splenda does begin with sucrose (sugar), three of the molecule’s hydroxyl groups (hydrogen plus oxygen) are replaced by three chlorine atoms.

Some industry authorities claim sucralose is similar to table salt or sugar, but many other experts counter that argument, asserting that the synthetic compound has more in common with DDT (a well-known synthetic pesticide) than food, as the bonds between the carbon and chlorine atoms are characteristic of a chlorocarbon, a chemical structure similar to that of pesticides.

Beyond the chemical chaos, Americans’ heavy reliance on artificially sweetened treats has left us, well, heavier. We may be hopping onto exercise bikes to lose unwanted pounds, but the false sense of security gained from this seemingly promising sweetener has us spinning our wheels. The fact is, Splenda causes many users to gain weight, perhaps because consumption of sweet foods begets an ever stronger sweet tooth.

In other words, the more sweet things we eat and drink (and Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar), the more our bodies crave that sweet fix. So much for self control. And some scientists assert that our attempts to trick the body by separating the sweet taste from the calories typically found in sugary foods causes us to develop cravings for real calories, leading to a higher calorie intake.

So while Splenda may be sweeter than sugar and leave little aftertaste, you may not be so sweet on its after effects. And while some might consider Splenda natural because it is supposedly made from sugar, it turns out this might just be sugarcoating sucralose’s true nature. So what’s your best bet for feeding your fitness routine and staying healthy? Stick to truly natural nutrition.

About the Author

Kenneth McCall is director of IT for storage.com. In this role he builds the systems that help customers find the best self storage units for their needs. Through Kenneth’s and his team’s work, customers can find self storage in Los Angeles and other cities. In his spare time, Kenneth likes to bike and participate in outdoor activities.

Now that we know exactly why we want to avoid using these artificial sweeteners, there’s still the matter of satisfying our sweet tooth. Here’s a list of 5 Healthy Natural Sweeteners to use as substitutes.

Cleaning up the food supply isn’t going to be easy, but thankfully, Robyn O’Brien, is already leading the way! Thank you to brilliant and thoughtful Live Lighter reader, Heather, for passing on this informative and inspiring video of Robyn sharing her story and passion.

A business analyst from Austin, Texas, Robyn says herself she was an unlikely candidate for leading a crusade on clean food. Then one of her four children had an allergic reaction to a “typical” family breakfast: Eggo waffles, blue yogurt and scrambled eggs.

This frightening episode lead Robyn on a quest to discover just how children get allergies and why it’s so prevalent these days while it was rare only a few decades ago. That’s when she found out the shocking truth about the tainted U.S. food supply and how the country makes it almost impossible for the organic food supply to survive.

But this story is better told by food’s Erin Brockovitch herself, so please take 19 minutes of your day to hear her speak at a recent TEDx conference:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rixyrCNVVGA

About Robyn O’Brien

Robyn authored “The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It.” A former Wall Street food industry analyst, Robyn brings insight, compassion and detailed analysis to her research into the impact that the global food system is having on the health of our children.

She founded allergykidsfoundation.org and was named by Forbes as one of “20 Inspiring Women to Follow on Twitter.” The New York Times has passionately described her as “Food’s Erin Brockovich.”

http://allergykidsfoundation.org
http://twitter.com/unhealthytruth

The Unhealthy Truth: How Our Food Is Making Us Sick – And What We Can Do About It

Mmm… I love coffee. Maybe a little too much. Or maybe it isn’t too much… Let’s find out in today’s guest post by Maxine!

Caffeine is an essential item on almost everyone’s food list. Most people, present company included, are useless without their morning cup (or cups) of coffee. There are many who absolutely need a kitchen fully stocked with their energy drink of choice, and others who consume soda like it is water.

In fact, almost 80% of the world’s population will name a caffeine-laden drink when asked their favorite drink. Its immediate availability from gourmet coffee shops to the gas station on the corner does not help in curing people of their dependence on caffeine.

But exactly how healthy is this wonder of a pick-me-up? Also, how does it affect our diet? As an admitted caffeine addict, I’ve sought the answer to these questions to discover if I’m drinking too much, or if I should add another cup to my morning ritual. Here’s what I found out:

Benefits of Caffeine

• Raises your energy and metabolism. But we already knew this. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be consuming so much of it! Caffeine is a stimulant, increasing your energy and metabolism as soon as 20 minutes after consumption! It has even been proven to improve your mood.
• Helps with some weight loss. Because it is such an energy booster, with the proper exercise and diet, caffeine helps with weight loss. However, most of the initial weight loss will be water weight as it is a mild diuretic, and because of this, it is essential that you keep hydrated while consuming coffee. In addition to that, drinking coffee to lose weight must be done carefully. For all its wonders as a weight-loss supplement, it can pile the pounds back on if you overdo it.
• Keeps your brain sharp. Moderate consumption of coffee boosts the sharpness of brain function. In fact, many studies have found that habitual drinkers are at less risk for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other memory-related diseases than those who don’t make a habit of consuming caffeine.
• It aids in fending off life-threatening diseases. Other studies have linked caffeine consumption with the prevention of life-threatening diseases including Type 2 diabetes, liver diseases and even cancer.
• Recommended as a preventive measure for other illnesses. Caffeine has been found to be a preventive measure and even a cure for a number of other illnesses. It’s effective in lessening the pain of a headache (many aspirin contain up to 120mg of caffeine), a remedy to ease asthma, and is even recommended by some specialists to children with ADD to act as a stimulant to facilitate learning. Because of the antioxidants it contains, caffeine also helps reduce inflammation and a throng of other illnesses.

Drawbacks of Caffeine

• Caffeine raises cortisol levels in the body. Cortisol is the hormone that aids our body in fat storage. Anyone who is trying to lose weight knows that fat storage is the reverse of what we want.
• Fluctuates blood sugar levels. The consumption of caffeine initially raises blood sugar to provide you with that energy boost you need. But after a while, the effects wear off and you’re left with a strong craving for sugary, fatty and carb-filled foods.
• Fat burning retardant. As much as it increases metabolism, because caffeine is a mild diuretic, not staying hydrated while consuming it can actually stop the fat burning process. Since the body needs water to burn fat, a dehydrated body will retain the fat instead of burning it.
• It’s addictive. Caffeine makes you feel good. It also makes you dependent on these good effects so that you keep coming back. Each time you drink caffeine, you’ll find you need more and more of it to achieve the same results. And so begins the addiction.
• Caffeine has adverse effects on the heart and on bone density. Caffeine keeps your blood pressure up and also retards the absorption of essential minerals and vitamins. As such, you’re put at risk for various cardio-vascular diseases and even massive bone density loss.

Because of variability in body mass, consumption habits, genetics and medical history, the effects of caffeine differ from person to person. As such, only you can determine if your level of caffeine consumption is good for you, your diet, and your health in general.

If you can honestly say that it’s a true godsend in your life, then by all means, have at that cup of joe. But if you feel the unpleasant effects kicking in, then it might be time to cut caffeine out entirely and detoxify.

About the Author

Maxine is a mother and wife who is dedicated to going green. The more she has learned, the more important she has seen it is for her family’s health and well-being as well as that of the earth. When not with her family, she works for Treetopia, a seller of artificial Christmas trees. They sell a variety of unique and inspired Christmas trees for every style.

What do you think, Readers? Will you be increasing or decreasing your caffeine intake?

After a short break to announce the winners of our latest contest, we continue Live Lighter’s Holistic Spring Cleaning Series with a review on a book about healing. We covered some practical tips and info for cleansing our bodies with food, now let’s look at cleansing our minds, hearts and spirits.

Leigh Fortson was “doing everything right” when she was diagnosed with cancer in 2006. For decades she learned about and practiced healthy lifestyle habits but even so, by 2008, Leigh was given her third cancer diagnosis. She set out to discover the missing elements of conventional medicine – and found them.

Embrace, Release, Heal illustrates the value and significance of holistic healing and cleansing. It highlights the effectiveness of recognizing humans as multidimensional beings and treating (at it’s basic, this means cleansing) all of our human aspects: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

Who will benefit from Embrace, Release, Heal?

As the sub-title suggests, An Empowering Guide to Talking About, Thinking About, and Treating Cancer, this book was written for those whose life has been impacted by cancer. As you’ll find out later in the review, it successfully fulfills this promise through real-life stories, information, practical tools and a litany of resources.

It’s these very aspects which make it just as relevant and powerful to anyone who holds an interest in health and healing. Specifically for people who wish to deal with the real roots of illness to provide potent healing – not just band-aid solutions.

Also just as fascinating are the revelations of modern medicine insufficiencies and a money-hungry, ineffective, multi-billion dollar cancer industry. Thankfully Leigh’s research also indicates positive change is already happening!

About Embrace, Release, Heal

From the book description:

…her doctor offered few treatment options and little hope. Unwilling to believe there was nothing left to do, Fortson set out to learn all she could about how diet impacts cancer, treatment alternatives, and the power of the mind-body relationship. Now cancer free, Fortson shares with us Embrace, Release, Heal, the fruits of her research and spiritual awakening distilled into one empowering book. With insights gleaned from a dozen experts, remarkable stories from people who have lived through cancer, and practical tools, this guide will help anyone whose life has been impacted by a cancer diagnosis. Covering the physical, emotional, and spiritual layers of the journey, this in-depth resource explores:

• The pioneering science on how our mind and emotions can contribute to both the cause and healing of a disease, as understood by Dr. Larry Dossey, Dr. Bruce H. Lipton, and more
• Snapshots of what Fortson considers the most progressive traditional, holistic, or integrative cancer treatment techniques
• How nutrition and supplements can yield surprising results
• Way to access the healing power of your subconscious mind and effectively use your intuition

Whether you’re trying to uncover what it means to have cancer or how to make sense of it, here is an uplifting and informative book to help you reclaim your authority and make empowered choices that are right for your health and well-being.

Any interesting questions raised in the book or debates discussed?

As I alluded to above, this book is chock full of them!

For instance, Leigh reveals the impact that negative thought and emotion have on physical health. Many people resist this idea because it requires taking personal responsibility in creating the illness – triggering negative emotions about oneself. Leigh supplies empowering proof that embracing this belief is actually instrumental in the healing process.

Besides some very interesting and controversial opinions (like there is no such thing as `cancer’), the author also includes research from ground-breaking discoveries (which mainstream medicine ignores) that suggest alternative medicine can be more effective and less harmful than conventional medicine.

Though, I love how the author and her sources never really bash contemporary medicine, and give kudos where it’s due.

Embrace, Release, Heal also contains some disturbing information about the current healthcare system and the powerful, dysfunctional cancer industry. It’s convoluted and far-reaching, beginning with how med students are taught in school to the power of the FDA, insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

Here’s a snippet from just one interview, this one is with Dr. Birdsall of the Cancer Treatment Centers of America:

Most of the large facilities that deal with cancer are academic medical centers. They focus on educating students, and they engage in medical research, but patient care often comes last. Even in the community setting, virtually all hospitals are referral driven. So for example, the doctor admits the patient into the hospital, so the doctor is really the hospital’s client, not the patient. Then the insurance companies pay the bills, so they’re also the client rather than the patient. In fact, the patient frequently isn’t even in the dialogue.”

How topical or important is the book?

Considering the World Health Organization predicts cancer rates could increase by 50% to 15 million by 2020, I’d say this book is very timely. For the millions of people who are and will experience cancer, complete with all its terrifying and horrific facets, this guide book will certainly dispense various levels of relief.

Personally, I also believe it’s an essential resource for everyone `fighting the war on cancer.’ Why? Because of it’s approach. Embrace, Release, Heal focuses on working with the illness to accomplish real, thorough healing rather than disregarding the lessons and growth opportunities that cancer provides.

It’s also topical because more people are recognizing the short-comings of mainstream medicine, the corruptness of the cancer industry and are seeking answers in alternative healing solutions. More people are taking responsibility for their health and discovering their own innate healing abilities.

Any new ideas presented in the book?

As you may have guessed from the review already, yes in spades! For myself, I was well aware of the placebo effect (where a patient heals through the positive suggestion by the doctor) but I had no idea about the nocebo effect which is the exact opposite. There are many cases where the negative opinion of doctors actually contribute to death!

Ok, that might not be new to everyone but what about the idea that cancer is actually a fungus?

In summary, Embrace, Release, Heal is a marvelous, enlightening and inspiring book for all those interested in natural, holistic healing. Although it’s packed with relevant and intriguing information, it’s got an empowering message and many real-life happy endings.

Purchasing info

Embrace, Release, Heal is due to come out May 1, 2011, and will be sold for $16.95 US. (Fill out this form to be notified when it’s available for purchase.)

Disclaimer

The publishers, Sounds True, sent me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sure a little pesticide may not be lethal but low doses of any poison administered over time will do damage – if not kill us outright. So why are they still being used? In today’s video post, Alex Jones, suggests our leaders are purposefully tainting our food and water supply to design a more docile and sterile society.

Chemicals fill our grocery shelves and public water supply – all in the name of `safety’. Governmental regulatory systems approve them and urge scientists to play God, genetically modifying plants and animals without considering the potential, long-term damage it may cause over time and generations.

Although Alex Jones has been called a conspiracy theorist, he’s also a well-known journalist who backs up his claims. In this 15-minute video, Jones names some of the most dangerous chemicals found in our food and water supply, and believes it’s all been orchestrated by our governments as a population control mechanism:

If you read up on the latest health news, most of this information won’t be new to you. (We’ve blogged about several documentaries with this type of information before.) But for your friends and family who aren’t up-to-date, please send them this video to increase awareness and let them know there are options!

Jones ends this piece on a positive note: consumers are demanding poison-free alternatives and industry is responding. If everyone were to buy only products with natural ingredients, those in control would be forced to comply even more thoroughly to increased consumer demand.

Alex Jones is an internationally recognized veteran broadcaster, documentary filmmaker and investigative journalist. He calls himself a dedicated and aggressive Constitutionalist. He runs a news website, infowars.com, where you can catch his radio show and read his educational Prison Planet Forum.

Are governmental agencies really having a threesome with the food and pharmaceutical industries, or are these just conspiracy theories? What do you think will have to happen before the system moves from self-interest to genuine concern for public health and safety?

Two weeks ago Canada revised their physical activity guidelines. Great new, right? Not so much considering they actually lowered their minimum daily requirements. And it’s got a few healthy folks spitting hellfire, like Dr. Ali Zentner, obesity expert on CBCs Village on a Diet.

The same day mainstream media announced Canada’s new activity guidelines (which failed to clearly state daily minimums were reduced in the revisions), I jumped into a conference call with three of the health pros who helped the town of Taylor, BC in reaching their goal of losing a ton of collective weight. (Check out my review of Village on a Diet.)

The call started early and I caught only a fraction of Dr. Ali Zentner’s passionate review of the new guidelines. She’s a physician specializing in obesity and cardiac risk management, and last Friday I had the pleasure of speaking with this vivacious spitfire about the subject.

(She confessed she was especially spirited during our interview with “vinegar in her belly” as she was on-call at the time, activating her “war mode.”)

Who’s Dr. Ali Zentner?

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the new guidelines, I’d like to introduce you to Dr. Zentner. Besides her impressive medical credentials, there are few facts that make her special. She’s struggled with obesity all her life but when she hit med school, between stress, poor diet and long, irregular hours, she tipped the scales at nearly 330 pounds and became morbidly obese.

Since then, Ali has lost 180 pounds, runs marathons and triathlons, gave up her car in lieu of a bike in order to fit physical activity into her schedule and was recently an Olympic torchbearer! For fun, she’s a fictional novelist, “A Good Life” (described as, “Sex in the City meets ER“), contributes articles, is featured in others offering health advice and writes for her blog, Girlfriend’s Guide to Health.

The Issue with Canada’s New Activity Guidelines

While the Public Health Agency of Canada has taken down the old activity guidelines from their site (actually, they don’t have the new ones posted either, you must now go to the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology for them), GlobalNews.ca mentioned them in their article:

Previous guidelines recommended children and youth work towards getting at least 90 minutes of physical activity a day. The daily target for adults was at least 60 minutes daily, while older adults were recommended to accumulate 30 to 60 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days.

As for the new activity guidelines:

…children and youth aged five to 17 get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity physical activity daily. This should include both vigorous-intensity activities and muscle and bone-strengthening activities at least three days a week.

Adults aged 18 to 64 and older adults 65 and up are recommended to get at least 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more.

The decrease in minimum daily activity is apparent for kids, but what’s even more disturbing is how they’ve chosen to word their recommendations for adults: 150 minutes per week which works out to be a mere 21.5 minutes per day!

There are some perks to these new guidelines, specifically, informing Canadians that there are different intensities of exercise and muscle-building activities needed to realize health benefits (where’s calisthenics, i.e. stretching?), as well as suggesting “more is better.”

Despite these positive changes, Dr. Ali Zentner is seething about the reductions.

“Since when did we lower the bar to let more people into the club?” Apparently these new guidelines reflect more on what most Canadians are currently doing rather than on science. Ali looks at large population studies, like those published from the American Heart Association, to guide her recommendations:

For most healthy people: For health benefits to the heart, lungs and circulation, perform any moderate-to-vigorous-intensity aerobic activity for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week at 50–85 percent of your maximum heart rate.

To safely exercise, you must slowly increase your heart rate to its maximum and then slowly decrease it to avoid shocking the body. Considering this, with 5-minutes each to warm up and cool down, we’re looking at an effective cardiovascular workout lasting at least 40 minutes per session.

Of course, the following sentence on the American Heart Association’s website concurs with the Canadian recommendations:

You can accumulate 30 minutes in 10 or 15 minute sessions. What’s important is to include physical activity as part of a regular routine.

“We’re dumbing down the argument,” says Ali, and the message Canada [and America] is sending to its citizens is, “Anything is better than nothing.” While that is technically true, Dr. Zentner is concerned that lowering standards is the wrong approach.

“It’s like the government saying, `You can pay your taxes whenever you feel like it.’,” Ali said while half-laughing with barely disguised disgust. “Canada should be encouraging its citizens to be their healthiest and best!”

How Should Canada Approach Healthy Living?

When we’re discussing health, a life and death issue, we can’t afford to worry about hurting people’s feelings, says Dr. Zentner. Being overweight, obese or a cardiac risk (which many skinny-fat people are), is due to lifestyle choices. Telling people this often triggers them to blame themselves for their current situation.

Meanwhile, the truth may hurt but it’s a necessary evil in order for people to wake up and strive to be better. To help Canadians overcome guilt and blame, health professionals can empower people with the right information, tools, attitude and encourage them to take personal responsibility through small changes.

Ali is a strong proponent for a proactive solution. When asked about taxing junk and fast food, suggested by some health professionals treating overweight and obesity, like Dr. Robert Pretlow in Overweight: What Kids Say (read my book review), she vehemently disagreed with a sugar tax. She said it didn’t work in the past, citing England’s sugar tax, and that it was ineffective to punish those who don’t know better or who aren’t ready for a change.

Instead, Dr. Zentner suggests we use a tax relief system for healthy living. For instance, Nova Scotia has provided a Healthy Living Tax Credit for youth to cover the costs of organized sports and activities since 2005, and was about to expand it to adults in 2008 until it was deferred due to reelections and provincial budgetary restraints. (source: thecoast.ca)

Unfortunately, I failed to locate a current evaluation of the impact of Nova Scotia’s healthy living tax credit on its youth. However, I did find an interesting paper published by the Library of Parliament on the subject suggesting multiple economic instruments Canada can use to promote healthy living. By the way, it concluded that more research was needed. Surprise!

Some of Dr. Zentner’s suggestions:

• Make it difficult for industries to bed with government policy-makers.
• Tougher laws on food marketing initiatives/packaging. For instance, Ali says the `heart healthy’ labelling on many foods are a joke.
• Better health standards with fast food outlets, like posting calorie counts on menus.
• Forbid juice and pop machines in schools.
• Include nutrition and calorie information in home economics.
• Tax exemptions on public transit and tax credits for home gym equipment.
• Include obesity training in med school so docs are better equipped for treating patients who struggle with weight issues.

As we wrapped up the interview, Ali had some words of wisdom for Canadian government officials and health professionals, “We all must take a long, hard look at what we’ve been doing and ask if we’re part of the problem. If you find you’re not part of the solution, then you need to change sides.”

As for all of us as Canadian citizens, including policy-makers and health pros alike, Dr. Zentner asks us to reevaluate what we’re doing in regards to healthy living and ask for more.

So do you agree with Ali that Canada’s reduced standards are hindering progress? Or do you think by including more effort (intensity) in our activities as the new guidelines suggest, we would be using our time more effectively thereby reducing the total physical activity time needed to achieve the same results?

This title is a bit misleading because apparently you need the antioxidants in fruits and veggies to guard against the ONE danger of sunlight: sunburn. In today’s post, we learn Dr. Mercola’s sun facts and how lack of sun exposure is killing over 1 million people EVERY year!

If you’ve been reading Live Lighter for awhile, you know we’ve blogged about the health benefits of sunlight before, as in “Sunlight: All Natural Steroids?” and “How Vitamin D Can Save Save Your Life!” But when I read Dr. Mercola’s FREE report on the benefits of sun exposure, it blew my mind (and inspired me to book with my MD for a vitamin D test)!

For those of you who don’t know Dr. Joseph Mercola, he’s one of the leading Natural Health professionals in the world. He is a licensed osteopathic physician (DO) which means he can prescribe medication and perform surgery in all 50 states. Unlike MDs, though:

“DOs practice a “whole person” approach, treating the entire person rather than just symptoms. Focusing on preventive health care, DOs help patients develop attitudes and lifestyles that don’t just fight illness, but help prevent it, too.”

The most important conclusion from Dr. Mercola’s report is: if you’re living in the Northern Hemisphere (especially if you have dark skin), you are more than likely NOT getting enough sun (he backs all his info up with studies). Hence his claim that more than 1 million people are dying every year from a lack of sun exposure.

This is what you’ll find in Dr. Mercola’s sun exposure report:

• Why sunlight is healthy.
• How just 10-15 minutes of sunlight per day can help prevent cancer.
• How long you should sunbathe (and how it’s different for everyone).
• How you can prevent skin cancer without sacrificing your sun exposure.
• How you can get safe sun exposure without getting burned.
• How to boost your body’s “inner sunscreen”.
• The role of vitamin D in your health.
• The correct vitamin D test to determine if you have optimal vitamin D levels.
• Why pasteurized milk is NOT a good source of vitamin D.
• The dangers of vitamin D supplements.
• The correct and best type of vitamin D supplements to take if you really can’t get enough natural sun.

Did you know that vitamin D isn’t really a vitamin at all but a prohormone your body produces from cholesterol? Yes, cholesterol. Another facet we’ve been told is dangerous for us but is actually necessary for good health. Please read our guest post by Natural Neda, “The Importance of Vitamin D and Cholesterol.”

What I really like about Dr. Mercola’s report is his no-nonsense, straight-forward style and, even more so, his focus on getting your daily dose of sun the natural way. He warns us that it’s too easy to overdose on supplements (based on his personal experience)!

This last point is aligned with our guest post by Bindu Grandhi, “Vitamin D & Calcium: Supplements vs. Nature” which is a great additional read, despite citing a committee recommendation of only 600 IU per day of vitamin D. This is frighteningly low compared to Dr. Mercola’s recommendation of 4,000 IU per day.

While I would love to share all Dr. Mercola’s juicy sun facts with you here, I think it’s important for you to read the report yourself. Plus, it talks about the studies and references them so you can check their integrity. Just sign up for Mercola’s highly informative newsletter to access the free report.

I’m excited to get my blood tested for my current vitamin D levels. Have you ever gotten the test done?

How would you like to hear real scientific evidence that all of us have healing powers? What about research revealing the possibility of a preventative cancer vaccine? All wrapped up in a fascinating, easy-to-read story, you can find all of this and more in The Energy Cure!

Rarely do I come across a book that excites me more than Dr. William Bengston‘s The Energy Cure: Unraveling the mystery of Hands-On Healing (I typically read 2-4 books a month). It’s about the life and work of a real hands-on healer, sociology professor and scientist who’s been studying energy healing in both the real-world and the lab.

(We met Dr. Bengston in a video I shared with you over a month ago in Meet Bill Bengston: Hands-On Healer & Researcher.)

From the book’s Introduction:

Over the past thirty-five years I have successfully treated many types of cancer – bone, pancreatic, breast, brain, rectal, lymphatic, stomach, leukemia – as well as other diseases, all using a hands-on technique that is painless, noninvasive, and has no unpleasant side-effects. To my knowledge, no person I have healed ever experienced a recurrence.

The effectiveness of this treatment has now been proven in ten controlled animal-experiments, conducted in five university medical and biological laboratories by trained, skeptical researchers. Though my initial response to the validity of hands-on healing was one of incredulity, the accumulation of replicable scientific data has overwhelmed my own disbelief. I have become a failed skeptic.

A tale intricately told by a brilliant ghost-writer, Sylvia Fraser, this is a biography of a man and his destiny to provide credibility for ancient medicine using modern methods. It spans 40 years of his life with his experience with and studies in the paranormal and hands-on healing.

Decide to read it and prepare to embark on an emotional roller-coaster of mind-boggling proportions as he recounts his adventures, triumphs and disappointments.

Synopsis of The Energy Cure

We learn how Dr. Bengston was first introduced to the world of energy healing, then how he becomes an unwilling, active participant. As with all stories in healing, there are tragedies amidst the happy endings. Through his anecdotes of healing, we also glimpse into the human psyche concerning the benefits of staying ill and the fear that comes with witnessing something so amazing, so powerful, so inexplicable that we call them miracles.

We follow his obsession with understanding psychic abilities and energy healing through rigorous scientific study, and delve deep into our imaginations of a bright future when considering the implications of his results. And finally, it’s a testament to the stubborn resistance of the medical and scientific communities to open their minds to something the research indicates is real, albeit other-worldly.

What Impressed Me Most (And How He Changed My Mind)

Besides how the story is presented in an incredible read, there are several aspects of Dr. Bengston’s attitude, approach, discoveries and personal theories about energy healing (based on his personal experience) that not only impressed me but surprised me.

Here are a few of them:

1. Dr. Bengston calls this “faithless healing” and admits it works faster (all things being equal) the less people, both patient and healer, believe in it. He asks us to remain curious yet skeptical, and reminds us of the true definition of skepticism, “someone who doubts everything, including his own skepticism.”
2. Energy healing is a natural process. Unlike many who tap into the spiritual realm to affect this world, Dr. Bengston says when the healer tries to heal (for instance, actively visualizing the healing), the less effective it is. In his method, the healer’s job is to distract the ego and mind to allow this natural process to begin.
3. His studies suggest patients (humans and mice) become immune to their ailments once healing is complete. He’s even got results indicating it’s possible that a preventative cancer vaccine can be created!
4. This method can be taught to anyone who wants to learn it and we all have the potential to be vehicles for healing. It also has benefits for the healer, such as reducing stress, physiological changes promising greater longevity and manifesting personal desires.
5. Even though there are a few illnesses, diseases and instances where Dr. Bengston cannot heal, he concedes these may be his own self-limiting beliefs interfering with the process.
6. This healing energy can be transferred and held in both water and cotton. He’s healed mice with cancer via `charged’ water and humans with `charged’ cotton.

And these are just the highlights! There’s just so much more to this book – but you must find out for yourself.

Unfortunately, Dr. Bengston’s research has conceived more questions than answers. He hopes to continue his research (with funding since it’s only been a part-time endeavour so far) and unravel the mystery of hands-on healing. He’d like to produce enough evidence for the scientific community to finally acknowledge its validity.

Part memoir, part instruction (yes, he explains his method for us), The Energy Cure has the capacity to change the lives of individuals, shift paradigms within communities and alter the course of humanity.

Can you imagination leagues of honest-to-goodness hands-on healers across the world? This is the idea behind the 6-CD training course where Dr. Bengston teaches his technique and makes certain to cover ethical issues and guidelines. Stay tuned for my upcoming review!

Important note: Dr. Bengston recognizes there are a few issues with energy healing, one of which is determining who’s qualified to practice. He’d like to develop a series of tests in order to “show `something’ relevant is happening when healing is supposed to be occurring.”

Disclaimer: The Energy Cure was sent to me as a gift in exchange for an honest review to share with you, Live Lighter readers.

Purchase the book

For Americans, here’s the Amazon.com link: The Energy Cure: Unraveling the Mystery of Hands-On Healing. For Canadians, the book is under a different title (this is the Amazon.ca link): Chasing the Cure: An Effective Alternative for Treating Cancer and Other Diseases.