Why not give your child the gift of health by starting them on the healthiest diet

I opened up my  eyes to life and the first thing on my mind was food... I cried and moved my head to the sides looking for a source of nourishment, I tried to latch on until I finally got some breast milk in my tummy, I haven't read any nutrition books before while being in mummy's tummy, nor was I following any specific diets, but by instinct I knew that this breast milk is giving me all the nutrition I need and all the love i was seeking.i also knew that I needed this so often this is so critical for me to grow up, so I cried every two hours to get more.I have to mention that I didn't see a dietician to tell me how often or how much milk i need, I did well on my own.the milk left me feeling full and relaxed and ready for a sound sleep.

I grew up more feeding on this healthy milk, every now and then mum would give me a bottle of a different milk, it tasted and felt very different on my stomach, I usually had more gas and reflux after these bottles, and they didn't feel as warm and relaxing as mums milk.

I grew up even bigger and I started to sit by myself, I started to feel cranky after my feed, mum understood that I still felt hungry and that milk isn't enough for me anymore, it was time for solid food, I was so excited, I used to see all those veggies and fruits so colorful in the supermarket and I think I ll love them and they ll make me stronger and bigger and will give me all the nutrients I need to start crawling and maybe even walking soon.

Mum took me to the supermarket but she didn't go to the fresh veggie and fruit section that always looked so attractive to me, instead she went to this aisle where there were lots of jars and cans with cute characters on them and colorful logos with a picture of a fruit and veggie printed on it, and she picked some and took them home.I was kind of dissapointed but it wasn't my say.

She started feeding me this food, and since I never tasted solids before and had no preference what it should taste like I just assumed it tastes good, and I ate it. She fed me cereal that had no attractive color and that tasted really sweet and something about this sweetness just kept me hooked on this cereal asking for more and more and she also fed me fruits veggies and chicken straight from the jar which tasted okay for a first time eater but I was kind of wished that it had more texture and flavor to it.

I kept eating processed foods as I grew up since that's what I saw my mum doing, I had boxed Cheerios for breakfast and nuggets or hotdogs for lunch and I still had my worth of veggies everyday from corn to French fries to veggie chips and i got my protein from processed cheese.I kept feeling worse and worse and having more and more issues going wrong in my body, I stopped being able to tell when I am full, I had lots of food cravings, I started getting sick more often and was so low on energy most of the time,I also struggled with my weight. all my friends who were eating the same diet as me had all sorts of problems too from diabetes to autism to obesity, children all over the world adopting this highly processed diet kept suffering from new and chronic diseases... And we just didn't know why.

Doctors started recommending supplements to make up for all the minerals and vitamins that are removed from our food during the processing of it, they didn't throw them away I guess They put them in a pill for us to take later when we really need them.these vitamins and minerals that we have been deprived of since we were 1 year old feeding on these highly processed Jared foods have really affected our life and health in numerous ways, I wish all mums knew that they would have saved us lots of hardships.

Well now I am 25 years old and I learned to read, and I decided to see how we can make the next generation grow up healthier and happier and less nutrient deficient than we did. I guess the whole idea is to eat the whole unprocessed foods with all its nutrients and vitamins now instead of eating food that had all its nutrition removed and taking the pill later after the harm has been already done.


This is not how I was fed nor does it reflect my real life it is just an imaginary story.

 Facts about jarred baby food: 

• Processed baby foods have added water, sugars and starchy fillers. While these products are not nutritionally bad for your baby, their use in baby food dilutes the nutrient content of the actual foods. 
• processed baby foods are cooked at high temperatures to kill bacteria, so they can be stored in jars at room temperature. Bacteria are not the only things that are eliminated in this process. Vitamins and nutrients are also destroyed. Many baby food manufacturers compensate for the loss of vitamins by artificially adding some of them back in after the food is processed
• The study (Cheating Babies: Nutritional Quality and Cost of Commercial Baby Food), announced Gerber and Heinz replace up to 70% of their second- and third-stage fruits with water and then thicken them with chemically modified tapioca starch. They also add starchy fillers to all their regular second- and third-stage dinners. Homemade baby foods do not need any thickening agent added nor do they need to be made with fillers.
• They have found that many of the most popular brands contain less than a fifth of the recommended daily supply of calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron and other crucial minerals.
• Experts warn that babies fed solely on the store-bought jars and formula milk are being deprived of these nutrients which are crucial for growth, development and to protect against illness when they grow up.
• Although the organic ingredients may be better for your baby, organic commercial baby food is still mass-produced. Organic or not, your baby is being fed highly processed food straight out of a jar.
• Finally, mass-produced foods carry the rare but real risk of contamination. In recent years, manufacturers have recalled baby food products because of reports that some jars were contaminated with pieces of glass, harmful bacteria and the bacteria that cause botulism and arsenic [sources: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Canadian Food Inspection Agency and USDA].

Why buy organic food for your baby?

• This week the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released findings on the foods with the and an analysis of baby food.
• Green beans prepared as baby food tested positive for five pesticides, among them, the organophosphate methamidiphos, which was found on 9.4 percent of samples, and the organophosphate acephate, on 7.8 percent of samples.   EWG analyzed baby food samples in 1995 and found the two organophosphates in surprisingly similar concentrations.
• Pears prepared as baby food showed significant and widespread contamination. Fully 92 percent of the pear samples tested positive for at least one pesticide residue, with 26 percent of samples containing 5 or more pesticides and 15 different pesticides on all samples. Disturbingly, the pesticide iprodione, which EPA has categorized as a probable human carcinogen, was detected on three baby food pear samples. Iprodione is not registered with the EPA for use on pears. Its presence on this popular baby food constitutes a violation of FDA regulations and the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
• Organic Watchdog Files Formal Legal Complaint with USDA
• CORNUCOPIA, WI:  The Cornucopia Institute, a not-for-profit policy research organization based in Wisconsin, filed a formal legal complaint with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) against several infant formula manufacturers that are adding two synthetic preservatives to certified organic infant formula.
• A buyer’s guide to avoiding organic foods with DSM/Martek’s DHA algal oil and ARA fungal oil, including foods aimed at adults and children, like Horizon milk (manufactured by Dean Foods), is available on The Cornucopia Institute’s website.
• The Cornucopia Institute named the following brands of organic infant formula in its complaint to the USDA: Earth’s Best, Similac Organic, Vermont Organics, Bright Beginnings and Parent’s Choice (sold by Walmart).
• The only commercially available baby formula available in US stores that does not contain these synthetic preservatives is Baby’s Only Organic, manufactured by Nature’s One.  Baby’s Only Organic is certified organic by OneCert.

Benefits of Home made baby food: 

More nutritional value
When you make baby food at home, you can cook it quickly. This process not only preserves the wonderful color and taste of the food, but most importantly it maximizes the foods’ nutrient content for your precious baby. 

Elimination of additives
Processed baby foods contain trace amounts of chemicals, including pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved these chemicals, you may choose not to feed your baby products containing them. Buying certified organic produce (fresh or frozen) and preparing food at home eliminates agricultural chemicals from your baby’s diet. 

Variety
You can make all the variety of healthy veggies fruits and grains that u wish.

Texture
Jarred foods tend to have no profound texture and gets babies used to a blanch taste, homemade food can be made with more textures and different flavors.

Eating habits
You set up your baby to have a good eating habit of eating delicious freshly cooked home food instead of setting him up for junk processed food. It all starts with their first years and they will grow up to eat they saw you feeding them.

love
you do give your baby warmth and love when you feed him homemade food done with care.


Cereals are not the right foods to start your baby with:

• As you introduce solid foods to your baby, you begin to shape eating habits that will be with him or her throughout life. Why not give your child the gift of health using the World's Healthiest Foods as the foundation of your child's diet. Even though whole grains are healthy but there are healthier choices out there that you would like your baby to love and eat more of.
• respect the tiny, still-developing digestive system of your infant. Babies have limited enzyme production, which is necessary for the digestion of foods. In fact, it takes up to 28 months for the big-gun carbohydrate enzymes (namely amylase) to fully kick into gear. Foods like cereals, grains and breads are very challenging for little ones to digest. Thus, these foods should be some of the last to be introduced. (One carbohydrate enzyme a baby's small intestine does produce is lactase, for the digestion of lactose in milk.1)

What to start with as a first foods:

1-Proteins:

Babies do produce functional enzymes (pepsin and proteolytic enzymes) and digestive juices (hydrochloric acid in the stomach) that work on proteins and fats.12 This makes perfect sense since the milk from a healthy mother has 50-60 percent of its energy as fat.Babies do produce functional enzymes (pepsin and proteolytic enzymes) and digestive juices (hydrochloric acid in the stomach) that work on proteins and fats.12 This makes perfect sense since the milk from a healthy mother has 50-60 percent of its energy as fat

2- fruits and veggies :

Start with avocados, sweet potatoes, bananas , squash, carrots....

3- home cooked grains

Whole wheat, quinoa, millet, oats. ( avoid boxed enriched cereals)

Don't be afraid to feed your baby unsweetened foods, you create there taste buds, they have no preference and you are shaping their eating habbits.



Your guide to simple home made baby food:

You don't need recipes and books for baby food, they ll love simple fresh food done with care just like nature intended it to be eaten.this section is not aimed to telling you which food to introduce at which age.these are just ideas for home cooked baby food that hopefully would inspire you to dump baby jars

1- mash a soft banana by fork, you can add some oats or flaxseeds to it she. They are ready for introducing that.if you are on the go take the whole banana closed and mash it up when she is hungry.

2- cut an ripe avocado in half ,makes a perfect quick snack and you can easily take it on the go.my one year old has it everyday it is one of her favorite foods, just because you dont like a food doesn't mean your child won't like it.

3- bake a sweet potato and mash it up

4- soak some whole wheat and oats and millet overnight then boil until cooked, serve them with milk if the are ready of it, mash them with yoghurt and a dried prune. ( don't sweeten them they ll get used to the delicious taste of the whole grains by itself). If they are not ready for dairy you can mash it up with fruits or veggies.you can always sneak in some of the super healthy green veggies like spinach and kale.

5- steam some squash or zucchini or any veggie on hand and mash it up

6- steamed peas are one of kids favorite cause they enjoy picking them up one by one

Tools to make home made baby food easier:

I would suggest you invest in a few tools to make it easy for you to have your babies food ready all the time and don't give up to readymadeprocessed food

1.  small non spill plates (I prefer to get them glass, if not make sure they are bpa free)
2.  lunchbox
3.  zip locks
4.  fresh variety of ingredients in your kitchen
5. small pot 
6.  small food processor : my recommendation is to get a Tribest PB-350 BPA Free Mason Jar Personal Blende by Tribest

It is a food blender where you can mix the food in a glass jar directly and store it, you can buy unlimited number of glass jars in the size that is convenient for your babies meal size, put in your veggie or fruits steamed or even raw and blend and store. You can do all weeks food and store in freezer if your a busy mum or for quick on the go.this was one of my favorite kitchen tools it made my babies food so much easier, I even took it with me on road trips, I took bananas and oats and dried fruits with me and used to mix my babies food in any restaurant we are in since it is very small and easy to take along.there are lots of blenders out there and the best one is the one you already have in your kitchen.

By making the food yourself, you take the guesswork out of what you're feeding your baby.

second step in the 12 challenges to a healthier you: home cooking

2nd step : 12 challenges for a healthier you

Practicing home cooking

If you want to eat healthy you just have to give up eating outside on a daily basis and buying precooked foods. I know many parents are busy with work and commitments but You can cook very simple and healthy meals, you don't have to do a complicated dish to taste good and you don't have to be a chef.you just need to master a few simple recipes and do them over and over with just a little bit of a change and it ll feel like new.

Cooking food at home is the single most important thing you can do for your health and your family's. When you do the cooking, you have control. You know exactly what everyone is eating. You control the quality and quantity, and you can cook to meet everyone's needs and preferences. You can also be sure of the cleanliness of the facility.

Cooking at home (from scratch using fresh ingredients — not microwaving a frozen dinner) means the meal is fresher, which is a great start to obtaining more nutrients. You can maximize nutritional value by the cooking methods you use and by picking quality fresh foods without preservatives.

Home cooking introduces our children to good eating practices. It is also educational and will improve their knowledge of nutrition. If they show the slightest interest in food – get them involved! It will inevitably mean more mess but it is so worthwhile. It helps them to develop life-long skills which they will hopefully pass to their own children.

Breakfast which is the most important meal of the day it will set up your energy mood and metabolism for the rest of the day.If your one of the millions who probably grabs a whole grain cereal for breakfast or some kind of white baked goodie this is what you are starting your day with:

Boxed cereals – Toxic Grains

A typical breakfast consists of a bowl of cold cereal, which is made by a process called extrusion.

An extruder is an industrial machine that produces little flakes, O's and other shapes and puffed grains using high temperatures and pressures. The cereal industry has convinced the FDA that extruded grains are no different from non-extruded grains and has contrived to ensure that no studies have been published on the effects of extruded foods on either humans or animals. However, two unpublished animal studies indicate that extruded grains are toxic, particularly to the nervous system.

Studies Show Extruded Cereal is Toxic

Paul Stitt described one in his book "Fighting the Food Giants". Four sets of rats were given special diets. 
1-One group received plain whole wheat, water, vitamins and minerals. 
2-Another group received Puffed Wheat, water and the same nutrient solution. 
3-A third set was given water and white sugar, 
4-and a fourth given nothing but water and the chemical nutrients. 

Results:

1-The rats that received the whole wheat lived over a year on the diet. 
2-The rats that got nothing but water and vitamins lived for about eight weeks.
3-and the animals on a white sugar and water diet lived for a month. 
4-But [the company's] own laboratory study showed that rats given vitamins, water and all the Puffed Wheat they wanted died in two weeks. It wasn't a matter of the rats dying of malnutrition; results suggested that there was something actually toxic about the Puffed Wheat itself. Proteins are very similar to certain toxins in molecular structure, and the puffing process of putting the grain under 1,500 pounds per square inch of pressure and then releasing it may produce chemical changes which turn a nutritious grain into a poisonous substance. 

The other study, described in "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon, was performed in 1960.
 Eighteen rats were divided into three groups. 
1-One group received cornflakes and water; 
2-second group was given the cardboard box that the cornflakes came in and water; 
3-and the control group received rat chow and water. 

Results:

1-The rats in the control group remained in good health throughout the experiment. 
2-The rats receiving the box became lethargic and eventually died of malnutrition.
 3-But the rats receiving cornflakes and water died before the rats that were given the box – the last cornflake rat died on the day the first box rat died. Before death the cornflake rats developed schizophrenic behavior, threw fits, bit each other and finally went into convulsions. Autopsy revealed dysfunction of the pancreas, liver and kidneys and degeneration of the nerves in the spine – all signs of "insulin shock." The startling conclusion of this study is that there is more nourishment in the box that cold breakfast cereals come in than in the cereals themselves.


Anther extremely unhealthy option for breakfast is pastries and white flour baked goods:

Baked goods that are made up of white flour that has been stripped from all of its nutrients so they are considered empty calories,  plus some sugar and some fat which probably is trans fat will spike your blood sugar up and in just a little while crash down leaving you tired with no energy looking for anther quick meal or a cup of coffee to be able to make it through the day... Refined white flour has been linked to heart disease and cancer.


 Healthy Alternatives for breakfast:

1- soak organic whole wheat kernels, barely, whole oat grain, millet , quinoa or any grain u like, discard the soaking water, put it to boil until done ( this ll vary according to your soaking time, I soak it overnight and it cookes in about 30 min).

Add your grains to the bowl , add warm or cold raw milk, sweeten with raw honey if u must, I like to add pure ground vanilla beans to flavor, and some pecans. My daughters love it specially my one year old.

Tip: make a big batch it will hold up in your fridge for the whole week and you can warm some up every morning won't take a minute and you have a homemade cereal.Also don't skip the soaking it helps remove toxins in the outer shell and make it easier to digest.


2- Eggs are a healthy nitrous filling choice and I love to add baby spinach to my omletes since they need no preparation time or cutting.

3- Smoothies,  homemade fruit smoothies will give you the energy and calories you need to start your morning, get the fruits of the season wash cut and freeze so they are handy in the morning just add a couple to your mixer and your good to go... If you want to add more nutrition to your smoothie try adding ground flaxseeds, or vegetables like celery or spinach, ginger adds a unique flavor, for your kids add a raw beet it ll give it a vibrant pink color and a sweet taste. You can add some yoghurt for a probiotic boost.

4- Beans ; foul Medamess, hummus, lentils any sort of cooked beans you prefer, just season with lemon, salt, pepper, cumin and olive oil




Lunch:

This is anther tricky meal since most people are at work and it is not easy to grab a healthy meal outside home, there are some restaurants that carry healthy choices if you are one of the lucky people who have access to one, if not then you have to plan In advance and pack a healthy snack with you to work, school, or where ever you will be.

Ideas for healthy on the go lucnh:

1- nuts and dried fruits ( kids love these) prunes and raisins
2- fresh cut up fruits, some fruits don't even need cutting like berries and bananas
3- you can prepare a wrap the day before just put some sour cream avocados lettuce and grilled chicken or smoked salmon and wrap it up to take it with you in the morning ( I leave a bag of sliced grilled chicken in my freezer for quick wraps)
4- whole wheat bread with some cheese and veggies ( celery,  lettuce, carrots)
5- bean dips with veggies or whole wheat bread


Dinner:

Here is where you can get creative, some people love cooking and experimenting new foods and don't have a problem but others just panic from going in the kitchen.experiment with foods that have very short preparation time.this is the meal were most likely all family members are home and this should be a spiritual nourishment to the body and mind.so make time for it and plan ahead for this important nourishing meal.

Importance of family meals:

Research shows that children who have regular meals with their parents do better in every way, from better grades, to healthier relationships, to staying out of trouble. They are 42 percent less likely to drink, 50 percent less likely to smoke and 66 percent less like to smoke marijuana. Regular family dinners protect girls from bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills. Family dinners also reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. In a study on household routines and obesity in U.S. preschool-aged children, it was shown that kids as young as four have a lower risk of obesity if they eat regular family dinners, have enough sleep, and don't watch TV on weekdays.

 Here is why you shouldn't have dinner outside on a daily basis:

1-A study in the American Journal of Public Health found that unhealthy restaurant foods contain an average of 642 calories more than people estimate. If you're like the average American who eats out five times a week, that's 47 pounds a year you didn't know you were consuming—and will have to work off, or learn to live with.

2- High in fat and sodium

Foods prepared in restaurants as well as packaged foods are often high in sodium, even those that seem healthier. A McDonald's Premium Southwest Salad With Grilled Chicken and Newman's Own Creamy Southwest Dressing has more sodium (1,300 milligrams) than a Big Mac (1,040 milligrams).


A whopping 96% of main entrees sold at top U.S. chain eateries exceed daily limits for calories, sodium, fat and saturated fat recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.


3- Usually contain preservatives and is precooked and reheated.

4-Restaurants accounted for 41% of food-borne disease outbreaks between 1990 and 2006

5- The portions of restaurant food is way too big and lots of times you end up eating it to avoid throwing it away.

Tips for simple home cooking:

1- plan your kitchen well, keep it organized,keep your spices in an easy to reach place, don't over crowd your fridge, make sure everything is easy to see and use.

2- plan your meals ahead of time, possibly before you do your weekly shopping write down the list of foods you ll cook for the week, have all the ingredients bought to reduce shopping and thinking time.

The first step is to brainstorm with your family for meal ideas. If they don't like it, they probably won't eat it. This is most important when it comes to snacking. If everything in the kitchen looks unappetizing, your family will find their snacks somewhere else.


3- cook bigger meals to accommodate two days.

4- pick easy simple meals that don't require lots of preparation time but includes healthy fresh ingredients.

Examples: fish fillet season with salt and pepper grill for a few minutes, roast some veggies in oven with olive oil and spices, have easy to eat veggies if your too lazy to cut up a salad. I also love 1 pot dishes where u cook your meat or chicken with some onions, add the veggies add the rice leave it all to cook in the stock and add all the necessary spices.

5- anther useful tip is investing in a slow cooker, it is a very handy tool for working or busy people, season your meat or chicken the night before , throw it in the morning and daaaa, when u come home drop in some veggies and you have a delicious meal

6- get support and make everyone involved in clearing up the dishes afterwards so you don't feel overwhelmed.



"The reward of seeing your family eat a healthy clean and nutritious meal will keep you motivated to cook again"

Fat Is good for you and we should start advocating butter over highly processed vegetable oils, and dumping skim and low fat milk for full cream.

Fat Is good for you and we should start advocating butter over highly processed vegetable oils, and dumping skim and low fat milk for full cream.


I know that anyone who have been a little bit concerned about health has probably dumped their butter for corn oil and is filling their fridge with all sorts of low fat milk, yoghurt, cheese and even low fat mayonnaise. Well surprisingly non of these claims promoting low fat diets improve health or lower cholesterol or decrease heart disease turned out true ...

In my opinion butter,milk, eggs, meat,chicken, grains, veggies are all healthy and are all essential for a balanced diet and god made the for us to eat and benefit from,  and don't contribute to causing disease. It is processed foods, like butter that came from cows that have been given hormones and fed tons of genetically modified grains to make it grow bigger and produce more milk, and oils form seeds that have been sprayed with tons of pesticides and processed with chemicals and very high temperatures , and eggs that come from chicken that's has been eating unhealthy diets and raised in inhumane circumstances and fed hormones to make it lay more eggs and vegetables that has been altered and modified to be tolerant to specific kinds of pesticides so they can spray as much as they want without harming the crops, this is what causes disease. So just find a clean source to buy your food and eat it in the most natural form possible. Processing food alters it is components and makes it toxic for your body.

Facts about fat

1-   you don't have to add fat to your food and you shouldn't skim your food of it is natural nutritious fat, your body does need fat to function properly.

2 -   if you are gonna use fat for cooking use the most natural type that hasn't been processed  either natural butter (zebdah balady), extra virgin olive oil or extra virgin coconut oil and even though they are healthy you still have to use them in moderation.
No studies showed a coloration  between increasing fat in diet and heart disease but there is a coloration between increasing trans fat ( processed fat) along with sugar and white flour with heart disease, cholesterol and all kind of disease

3-   your body does need saturated fat, take them in the most natural form.To round out your healthy fat intake, be sure to eat raw fats, such as those from avocados, raw dairy products, and olive oil,  raw nuts and cocoa and also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat like salmon and other fatty fish

4-   Drink your full fat milk, raw if u can, from grass fed cows.

Powdered milk is bad for our bodies

Did you know that almost all low-fat and some skim milk contain added skim milk powder to add body?  Unfortunately, the powdered milk is produced in such a way that it becomes a health hazard.  In order to make dried milk powder, milk is forced through tiny holes at a high pressure.  During this process, the cholesterol in the milk becomes oxidized, resulting in milk powder that damages arteries and that actually raises the risk of heart disease and clogs your arteries.

t’s becoming widely accepted that fats actually curb your appetite, by triggering the release of the hormone cholecystokinin, which causes fullness. Fats also slow the release of sugar into your bloodstream, reducing the amount that can be stored as fat. In other words, the more fat in your milk, the less fat around your waist

saturated fat in milk is very healthy for you , and most of the milk nutrition is removed if you skim the milk, besides milk is full of vitamen A and D which need fat to be absorbed. the alteration of milks fat by pasteurization on high temperatures that make it harmful for you, if you drink raw whole milk that's the most nutritious and digestible way for ur body. I ll talk about
pasteurized milk and its harms to the body in more detail later. For now just switch to full cream at least.

Another potential problem with consuming skim milk or low fat milk is vitamin A deficiency. Because vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, its concentration in milk is reduced through the removal of fat. As a result, when skim milk or low fat milk is consumed and digested, the vitamin A needed for the assimilation of its protein is drawn from the liver. This can deplete the body’s reserve of vitamin A, and in turn, increase the risk of autoimmune disease and cancer.5

the Harvard School of Public Health and other institutions studied the weight and milk consumption of 12,829 kids ages 9 to 14 from across the country. "Contrary to our hypothesis," they reported, "skim and 1% milk were associated with weight gain, but dairy fat was not."

We are often told to watch our consumption of dairy because it raises our bad cholesterol, the kind known as LDL. But LDL comes in at least four varieties, and only the smallest and densest of them are linked with heart disease. Dairy fat, it turns out, affects only the large, fluffy kind of LDL—the benign kind



5-   studies have shown that eggs don't contribute in high cholestrol, again it is eggs that have been laid by chickens that were injected with hormones ate unhealthy food that caused their eggs to be unhealthy for you, so eat your eggs but get organic eggs

6-   Whole foods – real food that has been minimally processed and manipulated – contain so many symbiotic micronutrients that work together to produce the end result. The moment you start taking these ingredients apart, you lose the overall nutritional value, and you change how the nutrients operate inside your body.

7-  In my opinion adding fat to food is as harmful as removing fat from food. if you're not eating enough fat, then you're likely getting too much of other things, namely carbs. Low fat diets causes depression, increased cancer risk , poor vitamen absorbtion, overeating...

The key is to use the right Type of fat in its most natural form and with moderation



Saturated fat is not bad for you

1- Improved cardiovascular risk factors

 The addition of saturated fat to the diet reduces the levels of a substance called lipoprotein —that correlates strongly with risk for heart disease. Currently there are no medications to lower this substance and the only dietary means of lowering Lp(a) is eating saturated.Moreover, eating saturated (and other) fats also raises the level of HDL, the so-called good cholesterol. Lastly, research has shown that when women diet, those eating the greatest percentage of the total fat in their diets as saturated fat lose the most weight.

2- vitamin absorbtion

Fat  is crucial to the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins, which includes vitamins A, D, K and E.Without an adequate amount of fat in your diet, your body is unable to effectively absorb the fat-soluble vitamins that are essential to your health

That's is not a green light to go add a cup of butter over your food but it is a good idea to add a tsp of olive oil with your salad or spinach, or a hand full of nuts and some avocados with any high vitamen meal.

3- studies showed no collection between saturated fat and heart disease

When they pooled data from 21 studies that included nearly 348,000 adults, and surveyed their dietary habits and health events for anywhere from five to 23 years, they found no no difference in the risks of heart disease and stroke between people with the lowest and highest intakes of saturated fat.
Most likely, the studies that have linked the so-called “Western diet” to an increased heart disease risk simply confirm that sugar and refined carbohydrates are harmful to your heart health. Because although the Western diet is high in red and processed meats and saturated fats, it’s also alarmingly high in sugar and refined carbs .


4- decrease appetite
 When you eat fats as part of your meal, they slow down absorption so that you can go longer without feeling hungry, and they also signal the body that it is full, low fat diets are likely to make you overeat.


5-heart health
The preferred fuel for your heart, and also used as a source of fuel during energy expenditure

6- Improved  liver health
Adding saturated fat to the diet has been shown in medical research to encourage the liver cells to dump their fat content

7- healthy lungs

For proper function, the airspaces of the lungs have to be coated with a thin layer of what’s called lung surfactant. The fat content of lung surfactant is 100 percent saturated fatty .Some researchers feel that the wholesale substitution of partially hydrogenated (trans) fats for naturally saturated fats in commercially prepared foods may be playing a role in the rise of asthma .

8- Healthy brain

You will likely be astounded to learn that your brain is mainly made of fat and cholesterol. A diet that skimps on healthy saturated fats robs your brain of the raw materials it needs to function optimally.


9- Strong immune system

Saturated fats found in butter and coconut oil (myristic acid and lauric acid) play key roles in immune health. Loss of sufficient saturated fatty acids in the white blood cells hampers their ability to recognize and destroy foreign invaders, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Human breast milk is quite rich in myristic and lauric acid, which have potent germ-fighting ability.

Vegetable oils and margarines

• Vegetable oils (and margarine, made from these oils) are oils extracted from seeds like the rapeseed (canola oil) soybean (soybean oil), corn, sunflower, safflower, etc. They were practically non-existent in our diets until the early 1900s when new chemical processes allowed them to be extracted.

• Unlike butter or coconut oil, these vegetable oils can’t be extracted just by pressing or separating naturally. They must be chemically removed, deodorized and altered. These are some of the most chemically altered foods in our diets, yet they get promoted as healthy.

• Vegetable oils are manufactured in a factory, usually from genetically modified crops that have been heavily treated with pesticides. This article has fascinating videos contrasting the production of vegetable oils and butter.

• Vegetable oils contain a very high concentration of Omega 6 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fats, which cause an imbalance of these oils in the body. Omega 6 fats are easily oxidized with heat or light exposure. This is another reason that when these types of fats/oils are incorporated into tissue like skin cells, the heat and light from sun exposure can increase skin cancer risk.

• In another study, Dr. Vivienne Reeve, PhD, Head of the Photobiology Research Group at the University of Sydney irradiated a group of mice while feeding while feeding different groups of them polyunsaturated and saturated fats. She discovered that the mice that consumed only saturated fat were totally protected from skin cancer. Those in the polyunsaturated fat group quickly developed skin cancers. Later in the study, the mice in the saturated fat group were given polyunsaturated fats. Skin cancers quickly developed.


• The study also divided the data into ten year increments. What they discovered is that during the first ten years, there was little association between margarine consumption and heart attacks. However, during the second decade of follow-up, the group eating the most margarine had 77% more heart attacks than the group eating none!

• Because vegetable oils oxidize easily, they deplete the body of antioxidants since the body must use these to attempt to neutralize the oxidation. People with high consumption of vegetable oils and their products are at risk for Vitamin E deficiency and other deficiencies.


• "These facts are about how vegetable oils are processed here in the USA I don't know if this is the same practices done in the middle eats and there is not enough info or research for me to know. But as I understand that there is no natural way to extract vegetable oils"

I do encourage you to watch this video

http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/2011/02/17/butter-vs-canola-oil-spot-the-real-food/


Trans fats 

What is trans fat?


Trans fat is made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation, which makes the oil less likely to spoil. Using trans fats in the manufacturing of foods helps foods stay fresh longer, have a longer shelf life and have a less greasy feel.

Trans fat raises your "bad" (LDL) cholesterol and lowers your "good" (HDL) cholesterol

Trans fat in your food

Commercial baked goods — such as crackers, cookies and cakes — and many fried foods, such as doughnuts and french fries — may contain trans fats. Shortenings and some margarines can be high in trans fat.
Avoid the words hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils.

The Meaning of Zero Trans Fat

Reach for the product whose label shouts "0 Trans Fats!" and what do you get? Maybe some trans fats. That's because the FDA allows that label on anything with 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving.

I don't know if in the middleast we have the same rules for labeling

What you really should be avoiding it trans fat and hydrogenated fats which are man made and are the main causes for lots of diseases.

Oils and Fats to Avoid:

Vegetable Oils and their fats should be avoided completely. There are much healthier alternatives and there is no reason or need to consume these types of fats. The main culprits to watch out for are:

Canola Oil
Corn Oil
Soybean Oil
“Vegetable” oil
Peanut Oil
Sunflower Oil
Safflower Oil
Cottonseed Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Margarine
Shortening
I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter (YoBenefits:u better believe it!)
Smart Balance (Not a Smart idea!)

Oils and Fats to Use Freely:

There are so many wonderful and healthy fats that are beneficial to the body, so there is no reason to consume the unhealthy ones above. Fats that can be consumed freely for optimal health are:

Coconut Oil- Filled with Medium Chain Fatty Acids and Lauric Acid, coconut oil is an all star of the saturated fats. Coconut oil does not oxidize easily at high temperatures or go rancid easily, making it a good choice for cooking and baking. It also makes a great natural moisturizer and can be substituted for butter.



1- Coconut oil has a saturated fat called lauric acid, a type of MCT. It has been shown that lauric acid increases the good HDL cholesterol in the blood to help improve cholesterol ratio levels

1- also positively affect our hormones for thyroid and blood sugar control. People who take coconut oil also tend to have improvements in how they handle blood sugar, for coconut can help improve insulin use

2- Coconut fats have special fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). It has been shown that breaking down these types of healthy fats in the liver leads to efficient burning of energy. One 2009 study found that women who consumed (about 2 tablespoons) of coconut oil daily for 12 weeks not only did not gain more weight, but actually had lowered amounts of abdominal fat, a type of fat that is difficult to lose, and contributes to more heart problems.

3- boost thyroid function helping to increase metabolism, energy and endurance. It increases digestion and helps to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

4- use it as a body moisturizer, lip balm, and hair oil.

Meats – Meat, especially red meat, has gotten a bad rap, and unfortunately, the animals we eat have been as mistreated nutritionally as we have. Meats like grassfed beef and free range chicken has a very different nutritional profile than their feedlot counterparts. Grassfed and free range meats have higher nutrient levels, healthy forms of saturated fats and even omega-3s. If possible, consume these forms of meat.

Butter ( zebdah balady)-This one food is usually the one people are happiest to start using again. Butter tastes delicious, and pastured grassfed butter is an excellent source of fat soluble vitamins, healthy saturated fat and other nutrients. In contains a compound that Weston A. Price called Activator X, known to improve nutrient absorption and have preventative benefits against disease.

Organic Cream ( eshtah tazah) also a good source of healthy saturated fat.

Extra virgin Olive Oil- High in monounsaturated fats and low in polyunsaturated fats,  It shouldn’t be used for cooking since its high monounsaturated fat content makes it susceptible to oxidation at high temperatures ( don't overheat olive oil)

Benefits

1- Blood Pressure: Recent studies indicate that regular consumption of olive oil can help decrease blood pressure.

1. A high consumption of olive oil appears to improve bone mineralization and calcification

2. Heart Disease: Olive oil helps lower levels of blood cholesterol leading to heart disease.

3. Cancer: The phytonutrient in olive oil mimics the effect of ibuprofen in reducing inflammation, which can decrease the risk of breast cancer and its recurrence.



Palm Oil- Has a high saturated fat content and is also heat stable.

Avocados and Avocado Oil- A good source of monounsaturated fats

Fish- Fish are naturally high in Omega-3 fatty acids and can help improve the Omega-3/Omega-6 balance in the body. Look for sustainable wild caught not farm raised.

Eggs- Another all-star in the healthy fats community, eggs are loaded with vitamins, healthy fats and necessary cholesterol. Consume them daily from free range sources.

As it turns out, consuming conventional or organic eggs and cholesterol in them does not necessarily raise your levels, according to a 1999 study in the Journal of American Medical Association. Sounds counterintuitive to what the public as heard for decades, but here's how they explain it:

95 percent of the cholesterol in your body is made by the liver.
When you eat grains and food and beverages high in sugar, the sugar enters your bloodstream and is then converted to saturated fat because your body doesn't need the extra sugar.
Saturated fat increases cholesterol levels in the body and not necessarily the consumption of cholesterol.


Nuts-eat your nuts raw, or blend them in a blender to form a peanut butter or almond butter

Benefits:

• Plant sterols. Some nuts contain plant sterols, a substance that can help lower your cholesterol

• Fiber. All nuts contain fiber, which helps lower your cholesterol. Fiber also makes you feel full, so you eat less. Fiber is also thought to play a role in preventing diabetes.

• Omega-3 fatty acids. Many nuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a healthy form of fatty acids that seem to help your heart by, among other things, preventing dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks

• Vitamin E. Vitamin E may help stop the development of plaques in your arteries, which can narrow them. Plaque development in your arteries can lead to chest pain, coronary artery disease or a heart attack.

• L-arginine. Nuts are also a source of l-arginine, which is a substance that may help improve the health of your artery walls by making them more flexible and less prone to blood clots that can block blood flow.

Improve your digestion and boost you immunity part 2

The second important thing that can improve your digestion and boost your immunity along with digestive enzymes is probiotics.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are live microorganisms that may confer a health benefit on the host

How can they help improve your health?

These bacteria act as balancing agents for non-friendly, pathogenic, gut-bacteria such as Candida or E. coli. When the “good-guys” are not present enough, a number of bacteria-related health problems such as digestive upset, headaches, sluggishness, irritability, cadidiasis (an overgrowth of the bacteria Candida albicans), and even anxiety can ensue.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is, quite possibly, the strongest of our probiotic fighters. Studies show that L. acidophilus actually creates a natural form of antibiotics in the body. This natural antibiotic increases our ability to produce antimicrobial action against the pathogens in the food we eat, the air we breath, and the things we come in contact with. Stress, unhealthy lifestyles, and most importantly, unhealthy acidic diets, destroy our natural amounts of probiotics

“The good microbes – and this is where probiotics come in – keep the bad microbes in small numbers. But they also stimulate the immune system and improve our digestive function. That’s the subject of research that has been going on for years,” Huffnagle says.

Improves digestion problems as diarrhea, constipation, gas and bloating.

 

Lactose intolerance

Ingestion of certain active strains may help lactose intolerant individuals tolerate more lactose than they would otherwise have tolerated.

Cholesterol

Animal studies have demonstrated the efficacy of some strains of LAB at being able to lower serum cholesterol levels, presumably by breaking down bile in the gut, thus inhibiting its reabsorption (which enters the blood as cholesterol).

Blood pressure

Although not a confirmed effect, some studies have indicated that consumption of milk fermented with various strains of LAB may result in modest reductions in blood pressure.

Immunity

A 2010 study suggested that probiotics, by introducing "good" bacteria into the gut, may help maintain immune system activity, which in turn helps the body react more quickly to new infections. Antibiotics seem to reduce immune system activity as a result of killing off the normal gut bacteria.

How to add probiotics to your diet?

1. Yogurt

One of the best probiotic foods is live-cultured yogurt, especially handmade. Look for brands that have been infused with extra forms of probitoics like lactobacillus or acidophilus. Goat’s milk and cheese are particularly high in probiotics like thermophillus, bifudus, bulgaricus .

2. Kefir ( Laban rayeb)

Similar to yogurt, this fermented dairy product is a unique combination of milk and fermented kefir grains. High in lactobacilli and bifidus bacteria, kefir is also rich in antioxidants. Look for a good, organic version at your local health food shop.

3. Sauerkraut

Made from fermented cabbage (and sometimes other vegetables), sauerkraut is not only extremely rich in healthy live cultures, but might also help with reducing allergy symptoms. Sauerkraut is also rich in vitamins B, A, E and C.

This can be done easily at home with any veggies on hand

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Sauerkraut

4. Dark Chocolate

Probiotics can be added to high-quality dark chocolate, up to four times the amount of probiotics as many forms of dairy.

5. Microalgae

This refers to super-food ocean-based plants such as spirulina, chorella, and blue-green algae. These probiotic foods have been shown to increase the amount of both Lactobacillus and bifidobacteria in the digestive tract. They also offer the most amount of energetic return, per ounce, for the human system.

6. Miso Soup

Miso is one the main-stays of traditional Japanese medicine and is commonly used in macrobiotic cooking as a digestive regulator. Made from fermented rye, beans, rice or barley, adding a tablespoon of miso to some hot water makes an excellent, quick, probiotic-rich soup, full of lactobacilli and bifidus bacteria.

7. Pickles

Believe it or not, the common green pickle is an excellent food source of probiotics. Try making your own home-made pickles in the sun. Here’s a great set of instructions for making your own probiotic-rich dill pickles.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Probiotic-Rich-Dill-Pickles/

8 . Kombucha Tea

This is a form of fermented tea that contains a high amount of healthy gut bacteria. This probiotic drink has been used for centuries and is believed to help increase your energy, enhance your well being and maybe even help you lose weight. However, kombucha tea may not be the best fit for everyone, especially those that have had problems with candida.

9. Probiotic supplement

I think what we call in egypt Keshk is fermented wheat with yoghurt... If I am right then this would contain probiotics too

Antibiotics and probiotics

We inadvertently kill off the good microbes in our body with antibiotics. Since antibiotics are necessary for killing the bad microbes that cause some diseases, they are important for helping to keep people healthy. However, the side effect to taking antibiotics is the elimination of the good microbes within our body along with the bad ones.

“We’re now finding that eliminating all the good microbes from our body results in a weaker immune system, which we believe is leading to problems such as increased incidence of chronic disease, including allergies like asthma,” Huffnagle says. “Once you take antibiotics as your physician prescribed, follow it with some form of probiotic supplement to get the microflora in your gut back to where it should be. Your recovery and your health will be much greater.”

Probiotics and obesity

Another emerging topic of research examines a possible link between probiotics and obesity, and a number of researchers around the country are starting to look at this connection.

“We should have known that probiotics and the gut microflora play a role in metabolism – it’s a connection that’s been known in the agriculture industry for years,” Huffnagle says.

Agriculture experts quickly noted that sick livestock gained weight when dosed with antibiotics, leading to the industry practice of routinely rotating various low-dose antibiotics in livestock feed. Huffnagle says the antibiotics actually change the metabolism of the animals, creating something called “enhanced feed efficiency” – an improved ability to retain fat.

“We take the antibiotics to recover from a microbial illness, but the trade-off is that fat we eat may be staying with us instead of being metabolized and converted to energy,” Huffnagle says.

Improve your digestion and boost your immunity

Raw food and digestive enzyems

Inspired by my aunt Asmaa, when we were having a big family dinner and we are so stuffed we can't put one more spoon in our mouth, she would tell me eat some salad ( 3ashan tehabaty) to compress the food down and make space for more food. I never really understood why would adding more food in my stomache actually give me more space.well it is because raw fruits and veggie provide the body with the enzymes it needs for digesting food.

 last month I have been having some digestive problems like gas and bloating after food and developed some kind of lactose intolerance which my doctor couldn't treat. So I researched my self and healed my digestive system by adding two important things to my diet probiotics and digestive enzymes. Since they are both so beneficial to you I ll talk about each one separately.

Digestive enzymes: 

Digestive enzymes are substances produced by our bodies that help us to digest the foods we eat. These enzymes are secreted by the various parts of our digestive system and they help to break down food components such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats.

Just looking at food is enough to stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes. As we smell and eventually taste our food, enzyme secretion increases. When we start to eat, our food first encounters these enzymes in our saliva. As the process of digestion continues, enzymes are secreted by cells within the lining of our stomach, pancreas, and large and small intestines.

Anything that disrupts the small intestine may also disrupt the production and release of these enzymes. If you have a leaky gut, inflammation, yeast, or something else which hampers the small intestine, then you are likely to also have trouble digesting the foods these enzymes work on.

So any time the gut lining gets injured, these enzymes may not be available for digesting food. An injured gut can also become 'leaky'. Thus the food not digested can become a problem. So it is rather the gut is injured and digestion interrupted, and not that the food is the problem to begin with.

Another strategy is to take measures to proactively heal the gut. A direct way to heal the gut is with digestive enzymes, but there are also other supplements that help too. Enzymes help heal the gut for a number of reasons that have been proved clinically.

Once the gut lining heals, the cells in the lining 're-grow' and your natural digestive enzymes start producing again. Thus the once problematic foods are now not a problem.

The enzymes in raw foods are destroyed by heat

Most raw food, like our bodies, is very perishable. When raw foods are exposed to temperatures above 118 degrees, they start to rapidly break down, just as our bodies would if we had a fever that high. One of the constituents of foods which can break down are enzymes. 

Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed. Cooked foods contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is damaged and thus requires us to make our own enzymes to process the food. 

if we buy all our food in processed form we will never get enough of these enzymes.Lack of digestive enzymes can be a factor in food allergies. Symptoms of digestive enzymes depletion are bloating, belching, gas, bowel disorders, abdominal cramping, heartburn and food allergies.

Understanding the connection between Digestive health & the Immune system

In order to have a properly functioning immune system, one must have a healthy digestive system. Because nearly three quarters of your body’s immune system dwells in the digestive tract, it has the most profound effect on overall health out of all the internal organs.

As researchers delve more into nutrition’s role in the body and how holistically the body functions, the stronger the link between digestion and immunity gets. Approximately 70 percent to 80 percent of immunity is mediated in the gut. 

How can you increase your intake of digestive enzymes?

Raw fruits and veggies specially pineapple and papaya.

While all raw foods contain enzymes, the most powerful enzyme-rich food is sprouted seeds, grains, and legumes. Sprouting increases the enzyme content in these foods enormously. A supplement can also help if your case is severe.

You can sprout your beans at home ( if you tend to get gas from eating beans like me try this)

http://www.everyday-vegetarian-recipes.com/how-to-sprout-beans.html

Go raw as often as u can, most foods now are highly processed and heated, supermarket honey, milk, Jared baby food are all examples of foods that have been ruined by industry practices. So look for them raw as much as u can.

Vegetables that can be eaten raw :

DARK GREEN VEGETABLES

Dark green vegetables get their color from chlorophyll, a natural plant pigment. Green peppers, cucumbers and dark leafy greens such as spinach can be eaten raw to reap their health effects. According to food and nutrition specialist Julie Garden-Robinson, Ph.D., L.R.D., these vegetables contain lutein which, along with zeaxanthin found in some yellow vegetables, helps reduce the risk of macular degeneration. Broccoli and spinach are both sources of folic acid and can easily be eaten raw. Beet greens are rich in potassium and can be added to a salad. Other nutritious green vegetables eaten raw are leafy lettuces and avocados.

RED VEGETABLES

The red vegetables typically contain a generous amount of the powerful antioxidant pigment called lycopene, or anthocyanin. Although tomatoes are technically a fruit, they are used as a vegetable and are listed as one. Tomatoes also are definitely on the list of healthy red vegetables that can be eaten raw. Harvard School of Public Health states tomatoes and other red vegetables containing lycopene, which the body converts to vitamin A, may protect against cancer of the prostate, lung and mouth. Other red vegetables that are delicious eaten raw are red bell peppers, radishes and red cabbage. Red peppers are also a source of vitamin C.

ORANGE AND YELLOW VEGETABLES

The orange and yellow vegetables get their color from plant pigments called carotenoids, which exist in several forms. It is well-known that carrots are high in beta-carotene, which is also converted to vitamin A by your body and works to maintain your immune system, vision and the integrity of your mucous membranes. Of course, carrots can be eaten raw, as can yellow peppers, yellow squash and yellow tomatoes. Carrots are also high in potassium.

WHITE VEGETABLES

White vegetables that can be eaten raw include onions and garlic. These white vegetables contain the plant compound allicin, which may help lower high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and reduce the risk for heart disease and stomach cancer.