To call organic farming a new business model is somewhat of a misnomer. Organic farming has been practiced ever since the dawn of civilization. In order to understand the recent growth of organic foods in what is perceived big business one must back up about one century. If you guessed that organic farming started with the industrial revolution, more specifically the second industrial revolution (1870-1914) you are probably pretty close.
Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency
I am intrigued by the intermediary of glucose, Glucose-6-phosphate. After tearing out my hairs dealing with this sucker last week it becomes pretty obvious how important G6P is.
Having a major role in 5 metabolic pathways, it follows than that it is very common in cells. Following along this line of thought, it should also come as no surprise that the most common enzyme deficiency on this planet has to do with G6P. About 400 million people are affected by Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency which can cause hemolytic anemia. [1]
The enzyme Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase plays a role in the oxidative stage of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway, converting glucose-6-phosphate to 6-phosphoglucono-d-lactone. Not only does this enzyme catalyze the above conversion, a by-product of this conversion is none other than the ever so important NADPH. The whole step uses NADP+ and Mg2+ to produce before mentioned NADPH + H+.[2]
Deficiency of this enzyme causes accumulation of glucose, and a reduction of NADPH. It is suggested that the deficiency of G6PD might be directly related to the high prevalence of diabetes mellitus type 2 and hypertension in African Americans.[3]
It seems that the only treatments for G6PD deficiency are:[4]
* Prevention: avoidance of foods and drugs that may cause hemolysis
* Blood transfusions, dialysis
* Splenectomy (removal of the spleen)
* Folic acid supplementation
When one considers the magnitude of G6PD deficiency as it might be the cause of not only hemolytic anemia, but also hypertension and diabetes mellitus type 2, it comes as a surprise that the only four options for treatment should be a radical surgery, nutritional steps for prevention, or blood transfusions/ dialysis.
I can't help but wonder how come that there are no other treatments available? Is it too big of a problem to solve?
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose-6-phosphate_dehydrogenase_deficiency
2. http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/classes/bioc462/462b/glycolysis.html
3. Gaskin RS, Estwick D, Peddi R (2001). "G6PD deficiency: its role in the high prevalence of hypertension and diabetes mellitus". Ethnicity & disease 11 (4): 749–54
4. Treatment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose-6-phosphate_dehydrogenase_deficiency
FRESH, PURE AND DELICIOUS
Sure, organic ingredients are healthier – but they just plain taste better, too.
By PATTY LaNOUE STEARNS
From the August 2008 Lake Magazine Issue
The chef de cuisine at the Amway Grand Plaza hotel in Grand Rapids did his apprenticeship in Austria and cooked in several European ski resorts before he came to Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel in northern Michigan. He cheffed at Gasthof Gramshammer in Vail, Colo., and at the Scottsdale (Ariz.) Hyatt before joining Cygnus 27 at the Amway in August of 2003. He’s been paving the way to green gourmet ever since.
Werner Absenger wants you to think twice about what you put in your mouth. The 41-year-old chef has made it his mission to educate his customers – and anyone else who’ll listen – about the benefits of eating local and sustainable/organic foods. Not just because the typical American diet is laden with poor fuel, laced with hormones and pesticides, mind you, but also because fresh, local food tastes so fabulous. Continue…
5 Super Foods for Weight Loss
By Jonny Bowden, PhD, CNS
Look, let's get real. Some foods make it really difficult to lose weight. They create their own self-sustaining cravings ("Betcha can't eat just one!") and play havoc with your blood sugar and, ultimately, your waistline.
But some foods do just the opposite.
By now almost everyone knows how great foods like broccoli and blueberries are and how they can help you lose weight — but here are some foods you may not have thought of when you first saw the title of this article. Yet every one of these foods (and one beverage) meets at least one major criteria of being a super food for weight loss.
Characteristics of a Healthful Diet
As many of you might know I have been working in the food and hospitality industry as a chef for about 25 years. Over these many years I have seen my share of fad diets come and go. I have made nutrition and the consequences of healthy eating my "life project," if you will. As part of this effort I am currently working on my Masters Program in Human Nutrition. As you can imagine, these studies involve a lot of reading, and many hours in the library researching the subject of nutrition. My name is Werner Absenger and people always seem to ask me about diets that work. In this review I shall tackle the dilemma you might face when trying to choose foods that contribute to a balanced, adequate diet. I will try to explain why diets that restrict foods and food intake too severely, generally do not work.
First, we need to clarify the definition of a balanced and adequate diet. Adequate diets, despite differences in the kinds of foods eaten, share several things. An adequate diet is made up of foods that provide sufficient essential nutrients. Essential nutrients are substances your body needs for normal growth and health but can not make itself to sustain sufficient levels. Essential nutrients must be consumed through food. You know the major; essential nutrients better as proteins, vitamins, minerals. In addition, an adequate diet provides sufficient calories to meet; caloric needs to cover the body's basic metabolic functions and energy requirements for daily activities. A balanced diet provides neither too much nor too little of nutrients and other food components. An example would be fat and fiber (Brown, 2008).
CAM News March 2008
CAM News March 2008
Just the other day I was asked by our marketing department to sum up my thoughts on organic, sustainable foods and why I seem to be incorporating them more and more in menus I create. Unfortunately, my philosophy on organic/ sustainable/ local food is one that can’t be easily summed up with a couple of key points, to an audience not familiar with some of the underlying principles. I’ll try to make it short and sweet. Please bear with me.
The reasons people promote local, organic/ sustainable foods covers a diverse spectrum of thought, as diverse as the American people themselves. There might be many different reasons, but there is, what seems to be a common thread to tell the story of local/ sustainable/ organic foods. My philosophical convictions to champion local and sustainable/organic foods come from both, practical experience and academic pursuits and I am afraid, I have to add to the diversity of opinions mentioned above. Both my professional and educational pursuits required me to reevaluate my conceived notions about food, diet, and health. The correlation between the SAD (Standard American Diet) and the American public’s health, both, economical and physical can no longer be ignored and action is required. It is agreed by most experts that the so-called SAD plays a huge role in the development of chronic disease. By now you are probably asking, what does that have to do with a philosophy on sustainable and organic foods on a restaurant table?
CAM News February 2008
Namaste,
Welcome to another edition of CAM News. A quick reminder: here are links to previously discussed nutrients, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and a link to explanations of common terms. Let’s not waste any more time, on to Vitamin E.
Our discussion of this month’s vitamin will mainly center around two main texts I found useful in the research of Vitamin E. The Antioxidant Miracle: Put Lipoic Acid, Pycnogenol, and Vitamins E and C to Work for You by Dr. Packer and Carol Colman, and William’s Essential of Nutrition.
CAM NEWS Vol. 2 Issue IV
Dear Reader,
In the April issue of CAM News we are going to start our review on the vitamins and minerals. Let us start with a brief review of common terms.
AI or Adequate Intake is the suggested daily intake of a nutrient to meet daily needs and support health. It comes into play when there is not enough research to develop a RDA.
UL or Tolerable Upper Intake Level describes it all. It is the highest amount of a nutrient we are able to consume without jeopardizing our health.
EAR is the Estimated Average Requirement for the day of any given nutrient to meet the requirement for half of the healthy people of any given age and gender.
AMDR is the Acceptable Macro-nutrient Distribution Range of calories across all nutrients. Carbohydrates should provide 45% to 65% of total kcal, fat 20% to 35% of total kcal, and protein should provide 10% to 35% of total kcal. Having said this, on to the Fat Soluble Vitamins. Which are A, D, E, K. In this newsletter we will cover:
Child Obesity
The Growing Problem of Child Obesity
In this country there seems to been a growing co-census that we must defend our borders. That outside forces are considered the biggest threat to Americans today. I beg to differ.
This country is facing a threat to national security on an unfathomable scale. It is not nukes, terrorist, sleeper cells, it is obesity. I hope I have everyones attention, because what will happen to our health care system if mostly obese baby-boomers are retiring and the trend of rising child obesity continues, we will have a chronic disease outbreak devastating a great portion of the American citizens. For purpose of keeping it short, I will focus on child obesity alone.
First things first: Some sobering numbers. Based on the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) survey from 1999-2000 more than 15% of children 6 to 19 were obese. In the first two previous surveys conducted in 1971-1974 and 1976-1980, child obesity rates were constant. What is alarming in the period from 1988-1994 this number doubled to 11% and increased another 4% during 1999-2000.
Several causes are cited in this paper (1) which can be summed up into the following categories. Medical- Psychological, Socio-Economic, Physical, Genetically, and Nutritional. This paper clearly shows a correlation between child obesity and lack of physical exercise. The average American child watches an average of more than three hours television per day. In turn the exposure to targeted commercials increases the demands for the usually very unhealthy foods pitched to the nations youngsters. Which in turn leads to increased fat and calorie intake, clearly another factor in child obesity.
Another factor is the fact that parents, who are leading by example, have a great impact on child obesity. Studies prove that children who grow up in households with one or more obese parents clearly are at higher risker fro becoming obese themselves. Which leads to this observation: If parent’s waist sizes are getting bigger, their children are following suit, what will happen with the grand children? The implications of obesity, and child obesity are far beyond the here and now. One can see how it will effect future generations if this problem is not addressed in the here and now.
On the socio-economic front research backs up the notion that poorer kids usually are prone to be more obese than well to do children. Also staggering is the evidence of ethnicity or genes contributing to this rising problem. And of course last but not least the lack of self- worth and healthy self image contributes to all kinds of psychological problems.
We as Americans need to recognize the need to step up to the plate and start combating what could be Americas biggest enemy yet to come, and the battlefield this war is going to play out, is not some foreign land, but right here at home, where the health care system will be taxed beyond capability and a sizable amount of Americans will become casualties of obesity and the slow chronic merciless killers this disease brings with it, which are cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and diabetes.
The only way to fight child obesity is to take charge of your own health and then encourage your children to follow in your steps. Which is not to hard to do. For most part, children will follow the examples parents set. So it is extremly important if you are a parent or a parent wanna-be to start taking charge and being proactive in your health care. Focus on preventing disease rather than fixing disease. And staying in tip top shape will not only boost your self-image and self-confidence, but it will inspire people around you, including your kids!
Beste Gesundheit,
Werner
(1)Zametkin, A., Zoon, C., Klein, H., Munson, S., (2004). Psychiatric aspects of child and adolescent obesity: a review of the past 10 years. (Research Update Review). Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Feb 2004 v43 i2 p134(17).