LisaBarger.com

The Raw Food Lie

A reader says, “Could you take a look at this article and tell me what you think?”

What I think is that this article is another example of a little bit of truth. Raw foodist are absolutely, 100% correct when they say that cooking destroys some nutrients, especially vitamins and enzymes. However, they are dead wrong when they make blanket claims like “raw food is more nutritious”.

Cooking does destroy many vitamins. Vitamin C, for example, is quite fragile. But some of the nutrient-destroying claims are exaggerated to suit a political agenda. For example, even “extreme” cooking like pasteurization does NOT destroy all the enzymes in a food, regardless of what some pro-RFers claim. (A fact well-known by the 1910s.) And nutrients like fiber, protein and minerals will remain virtually unchanged with normal cooking methods. Yes, boiling vegetables for long periods can leech minerals but it won’t destroy them.

Furthermore, as anyone who’s every tried to go “raw” can tell you, cooking can also make raw vegetable easier to digest. Since cooking can soften the fiber in foods like broccoli, some people find that lightly steaming vegetables makes them less likely to produce gas and bloating.

AND, some nutrients are actually more bio-available after cooking. The lycopene in tomatoes is a perfect example.

Finally, take a look a the last line in the article. “For more information . . . . ” Follow that link and you’ll find that Ms. Geol’s “article” is really just another example of a piece that looks good at first glance but which turns out to be nothing more than a sales spiel for a new designer juice supplement.

If you’d like the truth about the foods you eat, skip message boards and chat rooms and get your information from a real expert in food sciences.

References:

Goel, G. (2008). Raw Food Is More Nutritious. Retrieved from bellaonline.com on August 16, 2008.

Agarwal, A., et al. (2001). Lycopene Content of Tomato Products: Its Stability, Bioavailability and In Vivo Antioxidant Properties. Journal of Medicinal Food.

Davis, G. (1916). Modern Theories of Pasteurization. The Therapeutic Gazette.

Tuna Salad from Home Made Brand Foods Recalled–Lysteria

The FDA is reporting that pre-made (ready to eat) tubs of tuna salad are being recalled due to possible Listeria contamination. Affected products include:

99/ 5 lbs. units of “Home Made Brand Foods Tuna Salad” dated 8/19/08 expiration
412/10 lb. units of “Stop and Shop Tuna Salad” dated 8/19/08 expiration
366/12 oz. units of “Stop and Shop Tuna Salad” dated 8/19/08 expiration

The FDA is advising consumers who purchased these products to return them unopened to the place of purchase.

Turmeric & Arthritis

A reader asks if the kitchen spice turmeric might help with symptoms of arthritis. Here’s my answer.

Cocoa Butter Does NOT Prevent Stretch Marks

Apologies to all the ladies out there. A new study shows that, contrary to what many of my “natural” peers have said for decades, rubbing cocoa butter on your pregnant belly does NOT prevent stretch marks.

Read more about cocoa butter and stretch marks here.

Good Job, FDA!

And because the FDA doesn’t have enough to worry us about, the FDA has issued ANOTHER warning regarding the recent salmonella scare. As expected, this one involves raw jalapeno and raw serrano peppers from Mexico. The FDA advises consumers to avoid these peppers and any foods that contain them.

Look, I’m sorry if I come off as a bit testy. I’m mad at farmers who cut corners and I’m mad at the FDA for bungling this whole thing and I’m mad at the media for hyping the story without stressing that only certain types of tomatoes were involved . . . .well, it’s hot and I’m grouchy so I hope you’ll forgive me.

Anyhoo, here’s the link to the FDA press release about the jalapeno and serrano pepper warning.

Viapro Recall

Yes, folks, it’s another recall of “herbal” ED meds. Sorry. I was on a plane yesterday when this one came in so I’m a little late but the FDA issued a press release from EG Labs, LLC on their “herbal” erectile dysfunction supplement Viapro.

This product contains thio-methisosildenafil, which is chemically similar to sildenafil, which, as you know, is used to treat erectile dysfunction. The problem is that this ingredient wasn’t disclosed on the product label and may be sold to (or used by) men who shouldn’t not use this particular ingredient due to its potential to interfere with the nitrates many men take for high blood pressures, diabetes, cholesterol, etc.

Read more about the FDA’s advice to consumers here.

Another “Expert” Gives Bad Advice

A reader wants to know, “I was wondering what you thought of this article [URL removed]. It’s about IBS.”

I’ll say it again. Articles like this one is the reason I no longer write for sites like the one on which this article appears. But you didn’t ask my opinion of EzineArticles, you asked for opinion of the article. Here it is:

1. First, the author fails to make the point that IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome is a SYNDROME–not a disease and the reasons for it are varied. A lot of things are called IBS but are, in fact, other diseases or dysfunctions altogether. “IBS” is simply a label that is assigned after all other known causes are ruled out. Blaming an IBS sufferer for having a bad diet is insensitive and . . . well, rude.

2. Second, he fails to mention the one known cause of IBS in otherwise “healthy” people–a miscommunication between the brain and the nerves in the intestines. The best “healthy balanced diet” in the world won’t address this breakdown in communication and this author, if he’d done 5 minutes of actual research, should have known that.

3. The “article” is really just a sales spiel for colon cleansers. Like most of his peers, this author is stuck on colon cleansing as the end-all-be-all to good health. But I would NEVER recommend a high-fiber colon cleanser to a client without knowing what was causing the symptoms in the first place. If the irritable bowel is being caused by an impaction, for example, adding a bunch of high-fiber colon cleansers into the mix could cause serious pain or worse.

4. He also fails to even mention the most scientifically-proven natural or herbal “remedy” for IBS–peppermint oil.

What’s the bottom line? If you have symptoms of IBS and your doctor is stumped for an answer, ask him if adding enteric-coated capsules of pure peppermint oil might be safe and appropriate for you. And get your health advice from a credible medical professional–not some wannabe’ entrepreneur with a web site designed to sell you a fancy, expensive colon cleanser.

References:

Phillips, R. (2008). Will Colon Cleansing Help Solve My IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)?

Heitkemper, M., et al. (2008). Update on Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Gender Differences. Nutrition in Clinical Practice.

Kligler, B., et al. (2007). Peppermint Oil. American Family Physician.

U.S. FDA Seizes SEI Pharmaceuticals Supply of Xiadafil VIP

In a “well, finally!” sort of way, the U.S. FDA, working with Federal Marshals, seized $74,000 worth of spiked “natural” erectile dysfunction tablets.

Read a little further into the story and you’ll see that the company was asked back in May to voluntarily recall the tablets–which weren’t labeled to disclose the presence of the drug that actually made the stupid things work.

Guys, you hear a lot about unscrupulous pharmaceutical companies but lemme’ tell ya’–there are just as many greedy (you fill in the blanks here) working in “natural” and “herbal” medicine, too.

Is Vemma Really Used by the NBA? Not Exactly.

Is the use of the designer fruit juice Verve, made by Vemma, really being mandated by NBA owners? A very irate Vemma salesperson insisted that it is but what I found was just another same-o-same-o corporate partnership.

Is Vemma Really Used By The NBA?

The Amazing, Ever-Changing Naturopath

When I met her, she was hawking supplements from one of the big MLM supplement companies. She was making the rounds of the work-at-home forums calling herself a “wellness consultant”. Two weeks later she was billing herself as a “certified herbalist”. A month after that she was a “naturopath”.

Let’s do the math again–she went from “wellness consultant” to “naturopath” in less than 6 weeks. Now, I want to know where she went to school because apparently I wasted 6 of the best years of my life enrolled in college and thousands of hours working on CME credits. The saddest part of this story is that what she did is probably perfect legal. In most states herbal and natural medicine is only barely regulated–assuming it’s regulated at all–and as long as she doesn’t actually tell her clients that she’s an M.D., she can call herself anything else she wants. And the people who are trusting her to give sound health advice have no idea that her “diploma” came from the very company whose vitamins she’s pushing.

Your health is far too important to entrust to someone who woke up one day and decided to try selling vitamins from home. Before you hire anyone to guide you through the maze of healthcare options, ask questions. Make sure the person you’re hiring is truly qualified and isn’t just a member of what I call the I-read-a-book-so-now-I’m-an-expert club.