Category Archives: Dr. Kelley’s Kitchen

FOOD and nutrition: The good, the bad, and the ugly, including some excellent recipes and commentary about certain types of food/meals, which have proven to be of benefit. Also some harsh warnings about food and food-related products, which are over-sold, over-bought and over-used, many of which raise questions as to their safety and nutritional value.

Hultberg: The War on Raw Milk

rawmilkCongressman Thomas Massie (R-KY) and a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers have recently introduced legislation to allow for the sale of raw milk, i.e., unpasteurized milk. Their Milk Freedom Act of 2014 would make it legal for “certified dairy farmers” to sell unpasteurized milk products without harassment and criminal prosecution on the part of the FDA. If enacted, this would be a major victory for those who are health conscious and understand the grievous misperception by our medical establishment regarding the safety of raw milk.

The distribution of raw milk has been banned in the U.S. since inception of the pasteurization laws in the 1920s. The American Medical Association together with the FDA brought about this ban of raw milk because of its susceptibility to being a carrier for certain infectious microbes such as salmonella.

The error here is that it was never “raw milk” that was a problem. It was “warm raw milk” produced in crowded, unsanitary conditions from grain-fed cows instead of grass-fed that was prone to an unhealthy level of microbes. Grass-fed cows produce a milk with natural “inhibins,” anti-microbial agents that keep pathogens low, while grain-fed cows do not produce high “inhibin” levels in their milk. Continue reading

Study: Vegetarians Less Healthy Than Meat Eaters

SteakVegetarians are less healthy and have a worse quality of life than meat eaters, according to a study by the University of Graz, Austria.

According to the study, those who abstain from meat are “less healthy (in terms of cancer, allergies, and mental health disorders), have a lower quality of life, and also require more medical treatment.”

Vegetarians were twice as likely to have atopy (allergies), a 50 percent increase in cancer and a 50 percent increase in heart attacks. They also drank less alcohol. Continue reading

Why 80 Percent of People Worldwide Will Soon Stop Eating Wheat…or Die

Durum WheatThe future of wheat is certain, and it’s toxic. There are as many health risks associated with the consumption of wheat as there are nutritional benefits claimed by the wheat industry. Why is there such a strong emphasis on the development of wheat products all over the world when there are so many adverse and crippling effects such as neurological impairment, dementia, heart disease, cataracts, diabetes, arthritis and visceral fat accumulation, not to mention the full range of intolerances and bloating now experienced by millions of people?

Approximately 700 million tons of wheat are now cultivated worldwide making it the second most-produced grain after maize. It is grown on more land area than any other commercial crop and is considered a staple food for humans. Continue reading

Green Tea Blocks Lung Cancer

green teaDrinking at least a cup of green tea a day may significantly decrease a person’s risk of lung cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from Shan Medical University in Taiwan.

Cancer rates are significantly lower in Asia than in other parts of the world, and high consumption of green tea has been suggested as one of the potential explanations. Laboratory studies have suggested that the polyphenols in green tea can halt the growth of cancer cells, but the results of human studies have been mixed.

In the current study, researchers analyzed green tea consumption, smoking, genetic factors and lung cancer risk in more than 500 people. They found that among non-smokers, those who did not drink tea had five times the lung cancer risk of those who drank at least one cup per day. Among smokers, not drinking green tea was linked to 12 times the cancer risk of those who drank at least one cup per day. Continue reading

Chemists discover secret to dark chocolate’s health benefits

la–he–whole–grainsFor years, chocolate lovers have remained blissfully unaware of the precise reason bittersweet dark chocolate seems to improve cardiovascular health. At least until, now that is.

On Tuesday, researchers at meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Dallas said they had solved the confection conundrum: Specific chocolate-loving microbes in the gut convert an otherwise indigestible portion of the candy into anti-inflammatory compounds, they said. Continue reading

Saturated fat ‘ISN’T bad for your heart’

Major study questions decades of dietary advice

∑ Guidelines urging people to avoid fat to stave off heart disease ‘are wrong’

∑ There is no evidence of a link between saturated fat and heart disease

∑ Healthy polyunsaturated fats also do not reduce heart disease risk

∑ A dairy fat ‘significantly reduces’ heart disease risk

lol_butterGuidelines urging people to avoid ‘unhealthy’ fat to stave off heart disease are wrong, according to a major study.

After decades of advice on the harm done by saturated fat such as butter, scientists have found no evidence of a link with heart problems.

A ‘mega’ study which analysed a huge amount of existing data also said so-called healthy polyunsaturated fats, such as sunflower oil, had no general effect on the risk of heart disease.

In contrast, a dairy fat called margaric acid ‘significantly reduced’ risk, while two kinds of saturated fat found in palm oil and animal products had only a ‘weak link’ with heart disease. Continue reading

The missing link – How to beat cancer with garlic

garlic_01Your body has powerful infection-fighting white blood cells that are your arsenal for beating down viruses, fungi, bacteria and, yes, cancer cells. This arsenal of cancer cell killers relies on certain nutrients to have the fuel to do its job, and that is to keep you alive and winning the “cancer” war that’s going on inside your body, and that goes for everybody, every day. Whether you like it or not, your body is a machine that is made to survive even the worst of odds or circumstance. Your body is built ready to use nutrients to contain, reduce and eliminate a tumor. Your body is built ready, with a very powerful immune system, but it’s beaten down and “intoxicated” from birth, by vaccines, flu shots and dead, processed food. Your system can defeat cancer cells that may be developing, mutating, multiplying and going after weak tissue right now. How will you “fortify” your tissue, your blood? Continue reading

Environmental & Health Impact of GM Crops

NOTE: The following has been extracted from a paper written for a graduate-level class on Argumentative Research and Writing by the author. (Ed.)

gmo_cornAbstract
The apparent benefits of GM crops include higher yields, lower labor cost, soil preservation, reduction of herbicide input, decline in CO2 emissions, and affordable prices to buyers, which resulted in a rapid takeover of the corn, soybeans, and cottonseed markets. However, a critical review of these perceived advantages reveals troublesome trends such as modest or negligible gains in realized crop yields, genetic pollution of traditional varieties, rapid development of glyphosate resistance in weeds and Bt-toxin in root worms, environmental damage due to alterations to the ecological balance of non-target species, alarming toxicological effects in rats and pigs, and detectable levels of Bt-toxins in human blood samples. Current GM-based agricultural models must be revised to prevent irreversible health and environmental damage. Continue reading

5 Warm Drinks that Fight Cancer

herbal_teaThere is nothing more relaxing than a warm drink on a chilly day. Something about sitting back and enjoying the smooth taste and comfort of a toasty beverage with a friend or a great book just makes us feel good.

The bonus of some of these “feel good” drinks is that they are also beneficial for our physical health as noted beside each drink in the list below. Continue reading

The Unhealthy Meat Market

Makin' Bacon

Makin’ Bacon

Where does our food come from? Often the answer is Tyson Foods, America’s meat factory.

Tyson, one of the nation’s 100 biggest companies, slaughters 135,000 head of cattle a week, along with 391,000 hogs and an astonishing 41 million chickens. Nearly all Americans regularly eat Tyson meat — at home, at McDonalds, at a cafeteria, at a nursing home.

“Even if Tyson did not produce a given piece of meat, the consumer is really only picking between different versions of the same commoditized beef, chicken, and pork that is produced through a system Tyson pioneered,” says Christopher Leonard, a longtime agribusiness journalist, in his new book about Tyson called “The Meat Racket.” Continue reading

Canola oil: The #1 hidden health ‘danger’ at the prepared food bar

canola-oilStep right up to your favorite food bar, whether at Whole Foods, Harris Teeter or Farm Fresh, and “get you some” potato salad, coleslaw, egg salad, pasta salad, chicken salad, tuna salad, baked goods, or just make your own salad with lots of salad “dressing” and you are most likely getting a few heaping tablespoons of rapeseed oil with each serving, better known these days as canola oil. Now, whether or not there really is any such thing as organic canola oil, well, the jury is still out on that one. Regardless, canola oil is not good for you, and it ALL goes through a “deodorizing” processing stage that removes the “stink” of rapeseed, in case you didn’t know.

Canola oil can have detrimental effects on your health, especially the genetically modified (GM) canola that Monsanto so conveniently manufacturers for the masses to consume. It’s all mixed into those fancy, condiment-loaded, creamy salads at the friendly grocer, and it’s FRESH! Step right up to the fresh bar! Add in some tasty conventional spices and keep it hot or cold in those little bins for those “whole” food enthusiasts. Lots of people pack a few of the canola “mixtures” into plastic (BPA) containers and take them home. What exactly are you taking home, though? Continue reading

Chocolate and red wine can help stave off diabetes: High levels of antioxidants can regulate blood glucose levels

  • High content of flavonoids in foods may regulate blood glucose levels
  • Flavonoids are antioxidants found in berry fruits, red wine and chocolate
  • They can protect against a wide range of health issues including obesity
chocolate

High levels of falvonoids in chocolate may help guard against diabetes

It sounds like the ingredient list for an indulgent dessert. But red wine, chocolate and strawberries are more than a guilty pleasure. They could all help guard against diabetes.
A study found for the first time the high content of flavonoids found in berry fruits may regulate blood glucose levels, and stave off type 2 diabetes.

Flavonoids are antioxidant compounds found in plants, as well as tea, red wine and chocolate, which can protect against a wide range of diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, some cancers and dementia.

The study found the main protective effect came from higher intakes of anthocyanins, which are present in strawberries, blackcurrants, blackberries and blueberries. Continue reading

Liquorice slows skins cancer cells

  • Compound found in root could hold key to beating most lethal form of the disease
  • Breakthrough could lead to new drug to combat malignant melanoma
Scientists identified a compound found in the root of the liquorice plant which slowed the growth of cancer cells during laboratory tests

Scientists identified a compound found in the root of the liquorice plant which slowed the growth of cancer cells during laboratory tests

Liquorice could hold the key to beating the most lethal form of skin cancer, scientists have discovered.

Research carried out in the US has identified a compound found in liquorice root which slowed the growth of cancer cells during laboratory tests.

Now they hope the tumour-busting compound can be developed into a new drug to combat malignant melanoma.

Previous studies have found liquorice contains an anti-cancer chemical called glycyrrhizin.

But attempts to turn it into a medicine have been hampered by the fact that long-term consumption of glycyrrhizin can cause high blood pressure and even swelling on the brain.

But experts at the University of Minnesota in the US have now found another ingredient – called Isoangustone A – which has the same benefits but without the dangerous side-effects. Continue reading

A Heart Surgeon’s Viral Confession: Natural Food Is the Answer

Behind the beloved idea that processed food is “slowly poisoning everyone”

grpes-berriesAround 237,000 people now have Dr. Dwight Lundell’s confession on their Facebook walls. His essay, headlined “Heart Surgeon Declares On [sic] What Really Causes Heart Illness,” was published on a website called Tuned Body in December. Over the past month it has taken off across social media with phenomenal force.

In the essay, Lundell describes his purportedly newfound understanding that a diet of natural, unprocessed food can prevent and reverse heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. He recalls two and a half misguided decades as a cardiac surgeon prescribing cholesterol-lowering medications and recommending a low-fat diet. He says that he recently realized the error of his ways, stopped practicing, and dedicated his career to heart disease prevention. Continue reading

How tomatoes help prevent cancer

Garden-Fresh-TomatoesA diet rich in fruits and vegetables is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of cancer, and numerous studies have suggested that tomatoes in particular have a strong cancer-preventing effect. People whose diets contain more tomatoes have been shown to develop cancers at significantly lower rates, particularly cancers of the breast and prostate.

Now, a study conducted by researchers from Rutgers and Ohio State Universities shows one mechanism by which tomatoes may fight breast cancer. The study has been published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

“The advantages of eating plenty of tomatoes and tomato-based products, even for a short period, were clearly evident in our findings,” lead author Adana Llanos said.

“Eating fruits and vegetables, which are rich in essential nutrients, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals such as lycopene, conveys significant benefits. Based on this data, we believe regular consumption of at least the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables would promote breast cancer prevention in an at-risk population.” Continue reading