(NaturalNews) The search for healthy, natural sweeteners sometimes seems to involve a whirlwind of information. I’ve been writing about stevia since 1997 — back in the day when the FDA was actually seizing stevia products and threatening to arrest the owners of stevia companies. But today, stevia is now widely accepted as a safe, natural sweetener. That doesn’t make it super popular, however: Many people complain about the aftertaste of stevia, and it doesn’t melt or cook like sugar does.

So the search goes on. For several years, many people in the natural health community have been turning to agave nectar, a low-glycemic sugar made from the bulbous roots of agave plants. While agave has a wonderful taste and a relatively low glycemic index, it has also been embroiled in controversy about whether it is truly “natural” or even low glycemic. Some agave nectar providers have, in the past, even been accused of adulterating the product with high-fructose corn syrup (although my sources tell me this practice has ceased for mainstream U.S. suppliers).

Now a new choice for a natural, wholesome sweetener emerges, and it has tremendous promise. It’s called palm sugar.

Why palm sugar is the next big thing in natural sweeteners

Palm sugar is a nutrient-rich, low-glycemic crystalline sweetener that looks, tastes, dissolves and melts almost exactly like sugar, but it’s completely natural and unrefined. It’s acquired from the flowers growing high on coconut trees, which are opened to collect their liquid flower nectar. This nectar is then air-dried to form a crystalline sugar that’s naturally brown in color and naturally rich in a number of key vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, including potassium, zinc, iron, and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6.

It is never refined or bleached like white sugar. So the nutrients it was made with are still there. That’s rare for sweeteners, most of which are highly refined. Even stevia is highly refined in its white powder form (real stevia is a green herb).

The amazing caramel and butterscotch taste of palm sugar

Remarkably, even though palm sugar cooks, dissolves and melts just like regular sugar, it has a far superior taste. As Wikipedia states, “The taste of pure coconut palm sugar resembles that of brown sugar, yet with more rounded caramel and butterscotch notes, without the metallic ending flavor that brown sugar has. It has a rich flavor.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_sugar)

I completely agree with that assessment. Palm sugar adds a special richness to almost any recipe. I’ve been using it in smoothies, and I know raw food chefs who are thrilled about using it in raw food desserts (palm sugar is not raw, by the way, but neither is agave nectar). You can use palm sugar as a replacement for regular white sugar in any recipe. You’ll get improved taste, improved nutrition and a lower overall glycemic index for the finished food.

Palm sugar is not a calorie-free sweetener. It has calories like any carbohydrate, but due to its relatively low glycemic index, its calories are absorbed into the bloodstream at a significantly slower rate than regular refined sugar. This property should be of interest to anyone who is monitoring their blood sugar levels and attempting to avoid blood sugar spikes. Palm sugar isn’t medicine; it’s a food with a surprisingly low GI, considering its sweet taste.  It has a glycemic index of 35. By comparison, the GI of honey is 55 – 60, and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is 62. Maltodextrin, a common powder often added to many sweeteners, has a GI of 105! (http://www.snac.ucla.edu/pages/Reso…)

At just 35, our palm sugar has a glycemic index very similar to milk or cooked carrots. And yet it’s a super delicious sweetener!

One disadvantage: The price

As with many healthy products, the price is higher than conventional, processed “junk” products. Highly-refined cane sugar is dirt cheap because it can be mass produced in sugar factories that churn out huge quantities of that white, nutritionally-devoid powder known as “table sugar.”

But creating something healthier is more complex. Climbing coconut trees to harvest the nectar of their flowers is difficult work, and drying the liquid into crystals takes time (and patience). Palm sugar isn’t fast sugar. It’s slow sugar that takes time to grow, harvest, and dry. Not coincidentally, it also takes time for its complex carbohydrates to be disassembled during digestion, which is why it has a lower glycemic index.

Organic palm sugar usually costs anywhere from $8 – $10 per pound in the USA. There is an issue with adulteration when purchasing palm sugar overseas: Some low-integrity companies adulterate it by mixing in cane sugar.

My experience with palm sugar

As you know, I only recommend products I use myself. I’ve been experimenting with organic palm sugar for about two months now, and I’m really happy with the results. When used as a sweetener in smoothies, it doesn’t give me the “sugar jitters” that more refined sugars used to do. (I used to be borderline diabetic myself, so I’m very aware of how sugars impact the way I feel.)

It also doesn’t make my teeth feel sensitive the way agave nectar sometimes can. I don’t know if you’ve ever experienced this side effect from agave nectar, but it’s something I’ve noticed. I still recommend agave nectar, by the way, because it has many good properties. But it does seem to make my teeth feel funny from time to time. (I’d be interested to hear if you’ve ever felt this, too…)

Palm Sugar mixes really well with water, but it doesn’t mix 100%. There are a small number of palm sugar solids that do end up at the bottom of the smoothie shaker bottle, but this is no big deal as you can just shake it again. (I use a Blender Bottle to shake up my smoothies.)

The future of palm sugar

With everything I’ve learned about palm sugar over the last several months, I expect this to become the next “big thing” in natural, organic sweeteners. Before too long, we’ll begin to see it in health food bars and superfood smoothies.

You may even begin to see it next year in natural food products such as healthy cereals. I’ve come to really appreciate one cereal company called Nature’s Path, and palm sugar is the kind of natural ingredient they may be interested in researching more. (They already have some really great natural cereal products.)

But you don’t have to wait for the food products industry… you can try it yourself in your own smoothies and recipes! Enjoy your palm sugar. I think you’ll really like this natural, nutrient-rich organic sweetener.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com

I came across some very disturbing facts related to childhood obesity and figured I would share them in hopes of jolting a parent or two into putting more effort and care into what they feed their children. This includes any adults who have contact with children, parents, grandparents, neighbors, friends, etc.

Please don’t be the favorite grandmother that even on occasion gives your grandchildren non-food garbage with the message that it is alright because it is from Grandma! What a horrible message to send, food and love should never be in the same message to any child, especially from adults they love and trust.

Use your position as a loved and trusted adult to teach GOOD habits! What a better world it would be if we all did this.  And remember we are our children’s best example… what obesity message are you sending to the kids around you?

1. Childhood diabetes have increased 10 fold during the last 20 years.

2. Childhood obesity has increased nearly 3 fold in the last 25 years.

3. Amount that one additional soft drink per day increases a child’s risk for obesity: 60%

4. Increase in per capita consumption of soft drinks, 1950′s to today :500%

5. Percentage of school districts that have contracts with soft drink companies, allowing them to sell soft drinks on school property: 50%

6. Number of food ads viewed by the average child each year: 10,000

7. Estimated annual amount spent on food advertising aimed at US children: 10 billion

8. percentage of these that advertise fast food, soft drinks, candy, or sugared cereal: 95%

9. Increase in risk for childhood obesity per hour of daily television viewing: 12%

10. Annual direct cost of obesity to the American economy: $70 billion!

Source: Dream Magazine, Winter 2004, Published by Children’s Hospital Boston

The sun is coming, we are going to be out and about, but don’t forget the sunscreen if you are going to be outside for a long period.

(go slather-less if you are going to only be in the sun short term and soak up that necessary vitamin D)

Click here to see how your current sunscreen rates!

Thanks to EWG, there is a updated database of the most safe, chemical free sunscreens available out there. Toss all of your banana boat garbage and go chemical free this summer!

Fun news today… just found out that nursingschools.net just posted my blog as one of the 50 best health coach blogs you should be reading!

http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2010/04/50-best-health-coach-blogs-you-should-be-reading/

Hi everyone! If you have any desire… come on over to Facebook and drop me a friend request… you can be a part of my rants and raves there too.

Why Should I Cleanse?

Millions of us suffer from disease, sickness and pain because we simply don’t know this truth about our own health: our bodies are not properly eliminating poisons and environmental toxins. The colon’s job is to hold waste before it is evacuated from the body and to reabsorb water from the waste. Years of poor eating habits, low-fiber diets, sedentary living and other lifestyle choices can slow the digestive processes. If waste sits in the colon too long, toxins build up there and are eventually absorbed back into the body.
A toxic colon eventually leads to a toxic liver, which pollutes the tissues  and the bloodstream, making a person very sick.

Do You Have Any of These Symptoms:

Aches & Pain
Allergies – Sinus
Anemia
Arthritis – Rheumatism
Body Odor – Bad Breath
Brittle Nails & Hair
Blood Pressure (Hi or Lo)
Can’t Concentrate – Memory Loss
Circulation Problems
Cold Hands or Feet
Depression
Fatigue – Exhaustion
Fibroids – Endometriosis
Gas – Constipation
Headaches
Hot Flashes – Menopause
Infertility
Insomnia
Irritability
Low Sex Drive
Menstrual Irregularities
Nausea
Nervousness
Overweight – Obesity
Pot Belly
Swelling Legs & Feet
Skin Problems

These are some of the many types of problems that toxicity in the body can cause. Thee are many poisons which can be found in a toxic colon and in  many cases, these toxins can seep out of the colon and poison the rest of the  body through the bloodstream which nourishes all organs.

Here’s a list of some poisons found in a toxic colon:
Phenol, Cadaverin, Agamatine, Indol, Sulphurretted Hydrogen, Cresol, Butyric Acid, Botulin, Putrescin, Urrobilin, Histidine, Ammonia, Muscarine, Methylmercaptan, Indican, Methygandinine, Idoethylamine, Sulpherroglobine, Ptomarropine, Pentamethy Lendiamine, Neurin, Sepsin

Poisons from the colon can:
- Weaken and stress the heart
- Go to the skin and cause blemishes, paleness, psoriasis, liver spots, wrinkles
- Irritate the lungs and cause foul breath
- Go to the brain and disturb mental function
- Go to the joints and cause pain and stiffness
- Go to the muscles and cause weakness and terrible fatigue
- Rob you of your youth and ruin your health

Reasons to keep the colon clean:
- Prevents constipation and disease of the colon
- Eliminates waste such as fatty tissue, cholesterol, cellulite, toxins, mucus, hardened fecal matter, harmful drug residue
- Controls your weight
- Increases your energy level
- For the glow of health inside and out that shows with clear skin, bright eyes, and shiny hair
- Helps deal with our Polluted Environment

We live in an environment of polluted air, water and soil; a surrounding full of chemicals, preservatives, pesticides, additives and other potential toxins. Ideally these toxins are processed by the liver, dumped into the large intestine (or colon) and eliminated from the body. But when this process malfunctions, serious problems arise that no simple laxative can cure.

Autointoxication

Autointoxication is defined as a state of being poisoned by toxic  substances produced within the body. So, the second reason for concern about colon health involves auto-intoxication, or self-poisoning. When the digestive system doesn’t work properly, auto-intoxication may set in. This happens  when food begins to break down without being eliminated. Proteins putrefy and
rot, carbohydrates ferment, and oils and fats turn rancid. The body becomes poisoned from its own waste.

Doctors Promote Cleansing

“If the colon is not working properly, toxins must exit the body through other routes: the kidneys, the skin, the breath. Many of these patients  have bad halitosis, body odor, etc. When a person becomes ill from colon disease, he or she may develop a variety of symptoms, including headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, autoimmune diseases like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, cancer or cardiovascular diseases.” William L. Cowden, M.D., internist, classical specialist in internal medicine and cardiology
“I like to think of colon cleanses as whole-body cleanses. Cleansing the colon helps virtually every tissue and cell in the human body. Laxative  herbs are important, and they are the major component of many cleanses. Many cleanses contain too much of strong laxative herbs, which results in cramps. Consequently, people won’t use the cleanse. I think it’s better to use a combination of well-proven herbs that can balance each other and provide a more desirable product.” Alvin B. Segelman, Ph.D., CNS, pharmacognosist
“The body is designed to move the bowels every time we eat. It’s called the gastro-colic reflex. After we eat, the stomach gets the signal that it’s distended, and it sends a nervous energy to our colon telling it to make room. But in western civilization we live on tight schedules. And it’s a little inconvenient to get a call of nature right after lunch when you’re supposed to be back at work. So we have taught our bodies not to do that. When food becomes backed up in the colon, serious problems can develop.” Marvin D. Berman, gastrointerologist, former assistant professor of  medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Diet during the cleanse: No red meat, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, fried food or fast food, no artificial sweetners (stevia is okay). NSP stevia now comes in packets just like the “pink and blue stuff” stock #1381-6).  Eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, fish and turkey, whole grains, rice, beans, eggs are okay too if you like them.  Drink lots of water.  A good rule of thumb is 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of water. To replace coffee try the NSP Herbal beverage stock #1600-1.

Cleansing Options:
*Clean Start 14-day Program-Stock # 3993-8-Wild Berry  flavor or Apple/Cinnamon flavor stock #3992-6.
Tiao He 10-day Chinese Cleanse-stock #3050-5
Para-Cleanse with Paw Paw for Targeting Parasites-stock #4115-7
Liquid Cleanse #3193-1
Candida Clear #958-7

If you have any questions or need help ordering, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Chickpea Flour Flatbread
(Farinata di Ceci)

1 1/2cup chickpea or garbanzo bean flour
2 cups water (room temperature)
2 TSP olive oil
2 tsp sea salt

• Whisk ingredients together in a medium bowl. Batter will be watery.  Let it set at room temperature for 2-4 hours or up to 12 hours. Batter will settle and thicken with time.
• Preheat oven with a baking stone (if you have one) to 550 degrees or the highest temperature of your oven. Since traditionally this flatbread is made in a wood fire oven you need to get our conventional oven extra hot.
• Use a baking sheet with 1″ or more sides,line with parchment paper for easy clean up. Add a generous amount of olive oil to the paper surface. A well seasoned cast iron pan will work well without paper lining.
• Remix your batter and pour into your pan. Batter should rise to 1/4-1/2″ deep.Bake for 10 minutes or until light brown on top.  Cut and drizzle with olive oil, and serve immediately.

By Sylvia Booth Hubbard

We’re addicted to soft drinks. According to the National Soft Drink Association, Americans drink more than 600 servings (12 ounces each) every year, and consumption is approaching a quart each day for every man, woman, and child. Males between the ages of 12 and 29 guzzle one-half gallon of “liquid candy” every day. Supersizing a soft drink to 32 ounces is a quarter of the recommended total daily calories for the average woman.

All of that soda is taking a great toll on our health. Obesity is the most obvious effect. During the past 30 years, as our consumption of soft drinks has increased, the rate of obesity has soared.

In fact, Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard endocrinologist, said that sweetened drinks are the only specific food that clinical research has directly linked to weight gain.

“Highly concentrated starches and sugars promote overeating, and the granddaddy of them all is sugar-sweetened beverages,” Ludwig told CNN.

The sugar provides huge amounts of calories, but also creates a vicious cycle. “It’s rapidly absorbed, which raises blood sugar and in effect causes the body to panic,” Ludwig said. When the body releases insulin to metabolize the sugar, blood sugar drops. The body responds by releasing a hormone called ghrelin, which causes hunger and provokes us to eat even more.

Sodas can cause other health problems including:

• Diabetes. Not only does being overweight increase the odds of developing Type 2 diabetes, some researchers at Rutgers believe that high-fructose corn syrup, an ingredient in most sugar-sweetened sodas, may start a series of events in the body that leads to diabetes.

• Osteoporosis. Phosphoric acid, which give drinks their “bite,” leaches calcium from the bones.

• GI problems.”Sodas contain an array of chemical acids as additives, such as acetic, fumaric, gluconic, and phosphoric acids, all of them synthetically produced,” Dr. Judith Valentine told the Global Healing Center. “Drinking sodas, especially on an empty stomach, can upset the fragile acid-alkaline balance of the stomach and other gastric linings, creating a continuous acid environment. This prolonged acid environment can lead to inflammation of the stomach and duodenal lining which becomes quite painful. Over the long term, it can lead to gastric lining erosion.”

• Dental problems. Phosphoric acid, which causes bone loss, also causes tooth enamel to erode.”Dentists are reporting complete loss of the enamel on the front teeth in teenage boys and girls who habitually drink sodas,” said Valentine.

• Brain disorders. More than 92 side effects are associated with aspartame, a sugar substitute used in diet sodas. They include brain tumors, emotional disorders, and epileptic seizures.

• Pancreatic cancer. Drinking two or more soft drinks a week increases the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by two-fold compared to people who do not drink soft drinks, says a recent report in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. “The high levels of sugar in soft drinks may be increasing the level of insulin in the body, which we think contributes to pancreatic cancer cell growth,” said Mark Pereira, Ph.D., and senior author of the study.

• Reproductive health. Additives in soft drinks can interfere with the body’s delicate hormone balance. And a recent Danish study found that men who drank a quart or more of cola daily had sperm counts 30 percent lower than in those men who didn’t drink soft drinks.

• High blood pressure. A study found fructose — a form of sugar found in soft drinks and junk food — raises blood pressure.

• Kidney stones. The same phosphate that rots teeth and leaches calcium from the body has been proposed as a contributing factor in the formation of kidney stones. And a study published in the journal Epidemiology found that drinking two or more colas daily — regular or artificially sweetened — doubled the risk of chronic kidney disease.

by Steven Horne, RH(AHG)
With childhood obesity and diabetes running rampant, many people have jumped on the nutritional reform bandwagon.  Jamie Oliver, a British TV chef was recently awarded the prestigious TED award for his work to promote healthier school lunches.  He makes a lot of good points in his talk, Jamie Oliver’s TED Prize wish.

While I agree with Jamie Oliver’s “diagnosis,” I disagree with parts of his “cure.”  I sincerely doubt that more government funding into school lunches is going to solve the problem.  After all, government is a big part of the problem in the first place as the clip The Case Against Jamie Oliver explains.

I’ve never placed the responsibility for my health, or the health of my family on government, doctors or anyone else. The interests of government and big business are seldom in alignment with what’s in my best interest, or the interest of my family.  The real answer is for all of us to step up to the plate (or better yet, clean up what we put on the plate) and get the job done ourselves.  Believe me, it’s worth it!

Good Nutrition Helps Children Behave Better

Good nutrition not only affects good health, it also affects mental and emotional well-being.  Consuming empty calorie foods like refined sugar, white flour, polished white rice and refined vegetable oils leads to empty heads and affects schooling, behavior and social skills.  When my children were young we had none of these foods in our home and babysitters always said we had the best-behaved kids they had ever seen.

Instead of drugging  kids with harmful medications, we should be feeding them better quality foods. But kids aren’t going to eat these foods at school if they aren’t fed these foods at home.  Unfortunately, many parents say, “But my kids won’t eat healthy food.”  This makes me think, “Who’s in charge of the home, the kids or adults?”  If you don’t buy it, they won’t be able to eat it.

If parents knew how much easier it is to be a parent when you’re feeding your kids correctly, most parents would immediately take steps to change their family menus.  In fact, when kids are fed right, incidences of hyperactivity and antisocial behavior dramatically decrease.

Improving Your Family’s Diet Without Stress

So, take charge of what you feed your family, but not as a dictator.  Do it as a leader, which means start by setting a good example.  With a little parenting skill, your kids will learn to eat what you make available and enjoy it.  So, for starters, here are a few tips.

First, get the junk food out of the home. When unhealthy food isn’t in your home, both you and your children will be less likely to eat it. When you want a treat go out and get it, but don’t keep it in the house.

Second, learn how to prepare healthier versions of your family’s favorite foods. Take a cue from Food Network star chef Emeril Lagasse and “kick it up a notch” by learning how to make your family’s favorite foods using better ingredients.  This makes improving nutrition less stressful.

For example, children love sweets, so don’t deprive them of all treats.  Instead, gradually substitute raw honey, pure maple syrup, xylitol and other natural sweeteners for refined sugar in their diet.  You can also use whole grains instead of white flour.  Start by mixing whole grains and white flour 50-50 and gradually increase the whole grain content.

Third, when changing children’s diets, focus on the positive. Talk more about what’s healthy to eat than what’s bad for you.  Remember that what you focus on, you tend to magnify.  So give kids healthy food first. Place vegetables like carrot and celery sticks and a healthy dip out for them to eat as you are preparing the meal.  If they are hungry enough, they will eat this wholesome food  while waiting for something else.  Increase portions of vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains while decreasing portions of meat and dairy foods.

Also, don’t try to control everything your children eat. What they eat when they are away from home isn’t really in your control and trying to control it engenders rebellion.  A “treat” now and then won’t hurt them if their general diet is good.  If you teach them the benefits of eating wholesome foods in a positive manner and set a good example, they will learn to control themselves.  You can’t watch them constantly, especially when they become those delightful creatures that we call teenagers!

Fourth, because they aren’t going to always eat right, take out a little “nutritional health insurance” and give them some supplements.  All the  supplements we discussed in last weeks issue of Nature’s Field can also be used for kids.  Nature’s Sunshine’s Sunshine Hero’s line features  probiotics, minerals, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids available in chewable form.  These products taste good enough you shouldn’t have any problem getting kids to take them.

Finally, here are some specific tips for helping kids to eat better.  For starters, I’ve used licorice root to help stabilize children’s blood sugar and take away their cravings for sweets.

I’ve also used the approach of asking older kids to refrain from eating certain foods for just one week, after which they get to have a meal where they eat all they want.  They usually feel better at the end of the week, and after they indulge in their sugar, dairy, wheat or whatever, they feel horrible.  This helps reinforce the message that this food is making them sick.

Research has shown that children who have protein for breakfast (eggs, meat, whole milk yogurt, a Love and Peas protein shake, etc.) do much better in school than children who eat sugar-sweetened breakfast cereals.  In fact, children who skipped breakfast entirely did better in school than children who ate sweets and carbohydrates for breakfast.  So, if possible, get your family to eat a good, hearty breakfast with protein and good fats.

And while you’re at it, why not pack them a nutritious lunch instead of having them eat the junk food at school?  That’s a smarter option than spending billions more on school lunch programs that may or may not be the foods you want your kids to be eating.

A look at how microwaved food can negatively affect your health
by Catherine Ebeling – RN, BSN & Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist
co-authors – The Fat Burning Kitchen

Do you know what (besides a television) is in almost every home in America? It’s a microwave oven. Because microwave ovens are quick and easy and don’t take up much space, they are used for meal preparation in the home, at the office, and even restaurants. Even your favorite healthy restaurant may depend on these electrical devices to quickly heat up or cook foods. So, the question here is —
Are microwave ovens safe, and is it ok to eat the food cooked in them?
Before we look at the science of how microwaved food can affect your blood chemistry and negatively affect your health, let’s look at a bigger picture, common-sense thought process about this…
If you think about it from this perspective, the human digestive system evolved over tens of thousands of years to digest food that was either raw or cooked in water or by heat.  However, food cooked via microwaves is a totally alien and unknown cooking method to the human digestive system.
It’s just common sense that such a radically different cooking method will alter the chemistry of the food to negatively impact our health.
Now onto a little more science…
Let’s take a look at how microwaves ovens work
Microwaves are a part of the whole electromagnetic spectrum of energy that includes light waves and radio waves. They travel at the speed of light–which is about 186,282 miles per second. So how does that oven heat up the food so fast?
Inside the microwave oven, there is a “magnetron” which is a tube full of electrons. The electrons in the microwave oven react with magnetic and electronic energy and become micro wavelengths. This is the radiation that interacts with the molecules in food.
Food molecules have a positive and negative end, kind of like the way a magnet has a north and a south polarity. The electrons from the magnetron produce wavelengths that react with the positive and negative parts of the food molecules. The food molecules then start vibrating, up to several million times a second. This molecular “vibration” is what creates the heat in the food.
This agitiation deforms the molecules in food and creates new unnatural radiolytic compounds previously unknown to nature. These strange foreign compounds in microwaved food have been shown to damage the blood, the digestive system, and our immune systems.
Microwave ovens have been actually been around for about 40 or so years, but so far, only a couple of in-depth scientific studies have been done on them.
Research showing negative health impacts of eating microwaved food
Extensive research, though, was conducted in both Switzerland and Russia on microwaved foods and their effects on the human body. Both studies concluded that microwaving foods significantly deteriorated the nutrient value of the food, distorted protein molecules in the food, and created new, radically unnatural compounds. Most alarming, however, was that the subjects’ health deteriorated from eating the microwaved foods.
Their findings included:
Blood hemoglobin (the extremely important oxygen-carrying component of the blood) decreased significantly after eating microwaved foods.
White blood cell count rose, (as it does in response to an infection).
LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) increased, and HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol) decreased.
Carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents in foods increased.
Higher incidence of digestive system cancers.
The Russian scientists found the microwave oven significantly scary enough to actually ban its use–up until recently.
When food is cooked in a microwave oven, it has:
Significantly less B vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential minerals and fats.
Broken down and de-natured proteins.
Loss of vital enzymes and phytochemicals.
And here is a really interesting study—done on grain germination:
The grain watered with microwaved (and cooled) water would not not even germinate or grow! It’s pretty obvious that microwaving changed the water chemically and destroyed its ability to nourish a plant.
Ok, so maybe it’s ok to just heat leftovers in the microwave oven once in a while?
NO! Actually, food heated in a microwave is heated unevenly creating super-heated spots and cool spots. Those cool spots may actually harbor bacterial growth such as salmonella, and you end up with food poisoning.
In addition, when you use plastic containers or plastic wrap in contact with your food, you end up getting all sorts of nasty chemicals like di(ethylhexyl)adepate, or DEHA, (a carcinogen), Bisphenol-A or BPA (a cancer-causing agent in plastics) and xenoestrogens (synthetic estrogens) in your food!
In one recent study, it was found that carcinogenic ingredients in plastic wrap were 10,000 times the FDA limit for safety!
Exposure to BPA, used in the manufacture of polycarbonate and other plastics, has been shown to cause reproductive problems and erectile dysfunction, and has been linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans.
Xenoestrogens are really nasty synthetic estrogens that seem to show up everywhere. In men, xenoestrogens can cause low sperm counts and feminization (like the dreaded “man boobs”) and breast cancer and reproductive problems in women. Xenoestrogens promote weight gain around the belly and chest in men, and in women, it shows up as fat in the butt, hips, thighs and the back of arms.
So, in addition to being really unhealthy, microwaved foods can make you fat!
Parents should never warm breast milk or formula in the microwave oven—not only can it superheat the milk and burn the baby, but microwaving destroys the very valuable nutrients, enzymes and protein vital to babies’ growth!
And here is something really scary: in 1991, a patient received blood that had been warmed in a microwave oven. That patient died of a severe anaphylactic reaction to the blood. The microwaving created something totally unrecognizable by the body!
If you want to be safe, healthy and LEAN, avoid your microwave—totally.  Personally, I threw out my microwave about 6 years ago and haven’t even missed it!
There are far healthier and better alternatives:
Eat vegetables and fruit raw preferably, or if cooked, sauté lightly (with a little water and some grass-fed butter) or steam until tender crisp in a pan on the stove.
Heat water for tea, etc in a pan or tea-kettle instead of the microwave—or, better yet– is to get a steaming hot water tap—I love these things!
Plan ahead and defrost frozen foods in the refrigerator.
Heat up ALL leftovers over low heat in a pan or in a toaster oven in aluminum foil (it still only takes 4-5 minutes to heat leftovers)
If you must use a microwave (and I don’t know why you would!), use only glass containers instead of plastic.
Or you may want to try this–small countertop convection ovens are great for cooking foods faster and more evenly than a regular oven or on the stove.