Do You Know How Stiff Your Arteries Are?

Similar to a kinked or defective hose, stiff arteries have trouble delivering blood to vital organs.

To improve cardiovascular health, health professionals often recommend making key dietary and lifestyle changes: healthy weight management, receiving optimal nutrition, getting quality amounts of sleep, managing stress, exercising regularly, and, of course, avoiding smoking.

What Is Arterial Stiffness?

Before we discuss the technology, let’s review the function and structure of arteries. Arteries are blood vessels that act like highways in our bodies, delivering oxygen and vital nutrients to various organs. They are made up of a variety of tissues including connective tissues rich in collagen (think: skin) and elastic tissue (think: muscles). Similar to public roads and highways, arteries will show signs of wear and tear over time.

Beyond aging itself, there are several dietary and lifestyle factors that can cause arteries to increasingly stiffen, lose their flexibility, and even harden. In fact, inflammation and increased blood pressure are the two major determining factors for arterial stiffness. Under these conditions, pressure within the arteries increases resulting in arterial stiffness and poor arterial health. You can think of an artery like a hose. If you run water through a hose as you normally would, the water smoothly flows with just the right pressure. However, when a hose is kinked or you step on it and block the flow, the water builds much higher pressure and can’t flow smooth as it should. Once released, that water will forcefully shoot out. The same analogy happens within the artery and the forceful blasting can be equated with damage to cells in the artery wall.

Knowing how revealing arterial health can be for overall heart health status, researchers have invented a new technology that allows scientists to obtain a precise map of arterial pressures in the body. It’s this technology that has Isagenix scientists excited, too—because it offers a way for us to show how well Isagenix products are at protecting blood vessels against the ravages of aging.

Dietary and Lifestyle Factors can Improve Your Arterial Health

Weight reduction alone can improve arterial health (1). Combining weight loss with increased consumption of dairy proteins (such as whey protein) is shown to produce even greater improvements in heart health (2,3). Relatedly, in a just-published study by researchers from Florida State University, obese women who combined exercise with a diet rich in milk proteins significantly reduced arterial stiffness compared to those who consumed carbohydrates in place of protein (4). Other heart-health promoting nutrients associated with improvements in arterial stiffness include vitamin D (5,6), long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (7,8), coenzyme Q10 (9), and polyphenols abundant in fruits and vegetables (10).

High quality products, like those from profightsports.com can provides you with the tools needed to support your arteries. Get optimal amounts of dairy proteins from Hydro whey protein powder, use Trim and Cleanse to help remove toxins and finally, supplement daily with The profight Multi vitamin.

OSTEOPOROSIS DIET

 FOODS TO EAT FOR STRONG AND HEALTHY BONES

Osteoporosis translates to pores or holes in your bones. They become less dense, lose strength and easily breakable. It is a silent disease and most people don’t realize they have osteoporosis until a fracture occurs. Women after menopause are the main victims although some men are also affected. After menopause, most women lose bone density because of hormonal changes. A major role is played by the food you eat when it comes to the osteoporosis diet and overall bone health. Calcium and Vitamin D are the two important nutrients which need to be taken in the required amounts to maintain strong, healthy bones and to reduce bone loss.
Foods to eat which prevent osteoporosis

Some foods are full of the essential nutrients you need to maintain strong, healthy bones and thus, prevent the onset of osteoporosis. Here’s a list of some essential foods in the osteoporosis diet, nutrient-wise.

1. Calcium and Vitamin D

Calcium and vitamin D work in tandem. Calcium is the main component of bone. It is also necessary for other body functions such as muscle movement. Vitamin D allows calcium to move from the gastrointestinal tract to the parts of the body that require it — including the bones. Calcium rich foods include milk, yogurt, tofu, soybeans, kale, broccoli, almonds. Foods rich in vitamin D are milk, soy milk, wild salmon, sardines, yogurt, and egg yolks.

2. Magnesium

Magnesium plays an important role in the osteoporosis diet. It promotes bone crystal growth, thereby helping to strengthen bone structure. Also, magnesium helps your body absorb calcium via an indirect effect on the parathyroid hormone. Scientific research has shown that a high magnesium intake can increase bone density and consequently, decrease the risk for fractures. So, the osteoporosis diet should include rich food sources of magnesium like amaranth, brown rice, spinach, potatoes, peanuts, wheat germ, beans, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and quinoa.

3. Potassium

Potassium intake in the osteoporosis diet improves calcium balance, increases bone mineral density, and reduces bone resorption. Researchers have shown that potassium rich diets can lead to a 30 percent reduced risk of fracture in later years. The best foods for potassium are potatoes, yogurt, and fish of all types, artichokes, bananas, spinach, lettuce, pumpkins, raisins, peanuts, plums and broccoli.

4. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is essential for the formation of collagen, an essential protein in bones which makes them strong and resilient. Research has shown that intake of a vitamin C rich diet increases bone mineral density and results in fewer fractures. The best sources for vitamin C in the osteoporosis diet are citrus fruits, broccoli, kidney beans, tomatoes, mangoes.
Foods to avoid

Some foods should be avoided to if you want to have strong bones. The osteoporosis diet for healthy bones recommends cutting down on the following items in your daily food intake.

1. Salt - Salt is one of the biggest dangers to the osteoporosis diet. It promotes calcium loss via urination.

2. Caffeine – Caffeine leaches calcium from bones, thus making them brittle and fracture-prone.

3. Vitamin A – Although vitamin A is essential for good health, excesses of it can harm bones, increasing the risk of fractures.

Conclusion

The best osteoporosis diet involves high amounts of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables and lower amounts of salt. Lots of calcium and vitamin D from foods, and supplements if necessary, are recommended. The foods to avoid should be noted and while it may not be realistic to completely cut them out of your diet, they should at least be lowered, so as to help you have strong and healthy bones.

Plants Against Cancer

Produce packs a powerful punch in
the fight against this tenacious disease.

If cancer is the villain, then the hero may be as close as your neighborhood food market.
More than one million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and as many as 90% of cases may be preventable, according to the National Institutes of Health. In fact, being overweight or obese is thought to contribute to one out of five cancer-related deaths. Because many cancers are related to lifestyle factors including diet, what you put in your shopping cart may be crucial for cutting cancer off at the pass.

“Diet is one factor we can control, so why not use it to our advantage?” says Leslie Bonci, RD, MPH, director of sports nutrition at the University of Pittsburg Medical Center. “We know enough about phytonutrients to say that eating a plant-based diet promotes overall good health and can reduce your risk for cancer.” Consuming phytonutrient-rich foods on a regular basis is believed to block carcinogens and suppress malignant cell growth.

Plants also contain antioxidants, which fight the free radicals that can damage DNA and other cellular structures. “Antioxidants help protect against damage that happens every day as part of normal metabolism—damage that is linked with increased cancer risk,” says Lindsey Lee, MaEd, RD, LD, Director of the EatRight Program at University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The American Cancer Society recommends eating at least two-and-a-half cups of vegetables and fruits each day. Clare McKindley, RD, LD, clinical dietitian at MD Anderson Cancer Prevention Center in Houston, Texas, explains it this way: “Two-thirds of your dinner plate should be filled with plant-based foods. This helps keep weight under control and promotes healthy cells while reducing inflammation potentially linked to cancer.”

“You should eat a healthy diet consisting of whole foods and whole-grains rather than processed products,” adds Lee.

Mango Sorbet

1 cup water
1/3 cup loose green tea leaves
1/3 cup brown-rice syrup
2 cups mangoes, frozen, chopped
lime zest (optional)

From Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen by Annette Ramke and Kendall Scott (Running Press,www.runningpress.com).
Photo by Steve Legato. 

1. Heat the water in a saucepan; remove from the heat just before it comes to a boil. Add tea leaves (using an infuser is best). Steep for 5 minutes; remove leaves without pressing them. Add the syrup and stir to dissolve. Allow to cool.

2. Combine tea and mangoes in a blender; blend at high speed until smooth. Serve immediately for
a soft-serve texture. For a firmer texture, scoop into a container
and freeze for an hour or more.

Don’t be afraid to add a serving or two of produce, either. “Most Americans don’t get the recommended five servings daily of fruits and vegetables,” says McKindley. With such a variety of fruits and vegetables to choose from there’s no reason to skimp. These are the items you should concentrate on.

Eat your broccoli. That may be the best cancer-fighting advice your mother ever gave you. The most popular member of the same crucifer family that includes cauliflower, kale, turnips, Brussels sprouts and cabbage, broccoli is loaded with folate, fiber and antioxidants and has been found to defend the body against colorectal cancer. “If you have a family history of the disease, a half cup of broccoli a day may be the best preventive food you can eat,” Bonci says.

Broccoli has been shown to suppress Helicobacter pylori, a common bacterial infection that’s a major cause of stomach cancer. Research also shows that indole-3-carbinol, a compound found in broccoli and related vegetables, may protect against cancers of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts (lung and esophageal cancers in particular) and may help ward off skin and breast malignancies, too. One study presented before the American Association for Cancer Research found women who had the highest daily intake of cruciferous vegetables had a 62% percent reduced risk of breast cancer mortality and 35% percent reduced risk of cancer recurrence compared with women consuming the lowest amounts.

Bring on the berries. These tasty fruits contain ellagic acid, which the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center says can help protect against breast, skin, bladder, esophaegeal and lung cancers. Berries are also full of antioxidants, flavonoids and vitamins that neutralize free radicals to help prevent cell damage associated with cancer, and the vitamin C they contain boosts your immune system. “Sprinkle fresh or frozen strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries on yogurt or mix berries into a smoothie,” suggests Bonci.

Buy bags of fresh cranberries in the fall when they’re at their peak of nutritional value, and make your own sauce with orange juice and nuts. Cranberries contain benzoic acid, which has been shown to inhibit the growth of lung and colon cancer and some forms of leukemia.

The next time you’re out berry shopping don’t forget to grab some grapes. They are a rich source of resveratrol, an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory found in the skins of purple and red varieties. The American Institute for Cancer Research (www.aicr.org) reports that resveratrol helps to keep tumor cells from growing or invading surrounding tissues and that grapes help fight against liver, stomach, breast and colon cancers.

Look for leaves. Dark leafy greens have been linked to a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition. Among the best of the green stuff is spinach; it powers up your body with fiber, folate and antioxidants, which the AICR says helps protect against cancers of the oral cavity and throat. Mustard greens, kale and Swiss chard are also packed with nutrients that inhibit cancer cell and tumor growth, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The only problem with greens lies in the way they are sometimes prepared. Instead of cooking them with bacon, for example, steam them and use smoked turkey as a flavoring agent. Or use a simply elegant dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.

Enjoy a daily apple. The adage about an apple a day keeping the doctor away is still good advice. Apple peel contains quercetin, a major dietary flavonoid that protects cells’ DNA from damage that the AICR says could lead to mouth, colon, lung, and possibly breast cancer.

Onions are also high in quercetin, which has been found to be an especially potent agent against squamous cell carcinoma (skin cancer). An anti-inflammatory, quercetin also boosts the immune system.

Pass the (whole grain) pizza. Tomato soup, pizza and spaghetti sauces are prime sources of lycopene, an antioxidant that reduces risk of prostate cancer. Although fresh is best for many vegetables, the greatest protective effect comes from cooked tomatoes since heat unleashes more of the lycopene. Carrots, pink grapefruit and watermelon also contain lycopene, so the AICR recommends adding them to your shopping cart for protection against stomach, colon, endometrial, lung and breast cancer.

The problem with pizza lies in its typically white-flour crust and in toppings such as sausage and pepperoni. Boost your pizza’s nutritional value with whole-grain crust (you can even use almond flour for a low-carb version) and toppings that go light on the meat and cheese, and heavy on the veggies.
Search out bright orange produce. Pumpkins, squash, carrots, papayas and sweet potatoes all pack a punch with carotenoids, cancer-fighting nutrients linked to prevention of colon, prostate, breast and lung cancer. Be sure to enjoy your carotenoid-rich produce with a little healthy fat, such as by sautéing them in olive oil, to enhance nutrient absorption.

Vitamin C in oranges and other citrus fruits enhances the immune system and neutralizes cancer-causing chemicals that could form in the body. Orange and other juices are high on the sugar scale, however, so enjoy your citrus in whole-fruit form.

Nosh on nuts and gobble grains. Nuts and seeds are great sources of fiber and vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. Flax and chia seeds, along with walnuts, are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which helps prevent the low-level inflammation linked to cancer development.

“Include hearty whole grains such as oats, bran, wheat, or bulgar in meals,” says Lee. Adequate fiber intake reduces the risk of colon cancer, and studies have shown that stomach and breast cancers are less common on high-fiber diets as well.

Take some green tea. Known for its heart-protective qualities, green tea—especially a key component called EGCG—has shown an ability to defend against cancer as well. Research published in Nutrition Journal found that consuming the world’s most popular hot beverage helps modify how the body uses estrogen, which plays a key role in breast cancer development. Studies have also found green tea to fight prostate cancer, another hormone-related malignancy, through a variety of mechanisms.

In addition, green tea may be useful against certain kinds of blood cancers. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota discovered that a green tea extract was able to reduce markers of disease progression in people with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Eating fruits and vegetables won’t guarantee that cancer doesn’t strike, but it’s still the best and easiest way to lower your risk and maintain overall good health.

Cashew Kale

Annette Ramke and Kendall Scott, authors of Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen (Running Press) cite cashews as “a particularly great source of magnesium,
important for healthy bones and for muscle relaxation.” Kale, a member of the
legume family, supplies calcium and vitamins A, C and K, along with carotenoids,
fiber, flavonoids, folate, iron and protein. Tamari is a thicker, richer,
more complex type of soy sauce.

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, thinly sliced into rounds (about ½ cup)
2 bunches kale, thick stems removed, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)*
1 garlic clove, minced
2-3 tbsp tamari
½  cup raw cashews
¼  cup raisins

1. Heat oil in a pan over medium heat and sauté the carrot for five minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and sauté a few minutes until the cashews begin to soften. Yields 2 ½ cups.

*You can substitute collards or Swiss chard.

15 foods you should eat to lose weight

1. Black beans. One cup of black beans is a rich source of wholesome protein that doesn’t contain any saturated fats.

2. Oats. There’s Oats are rich in fibre so one serving can make you feel full all day long. Half a cup of oats everyday in your breakfast has 4.6 gms of resistant starch and a healthy carbohydrate which increases metabolism and burns fat.

3. Avocados. This creamy fruit has a bit of sugar and fat but worry not – it’s the right fat. Oleic acid (found in heathy monosaturated fats) in avocados actually shuts hunger significantly. Even if you have quarter of an avocado, it can burn your belly fat away.

4. Salmon. Salmon is a lean source of protein. This means it will make you feel full without adding fat.

5. Blueberries. One cup of blueberries will help you feel full with 4 gms of fibre. Calorie count: 80 calories only!

6. Broccoli. Known for its cancer-preventing (anti-carcinogenic) properties, broccoli (whether cooked or raw) will only give you 30 calories per serving. With a serving as light as that, it obviously takes care of your weight issues.

7. Brown Rice. A half cup of brown rice contains 1.7 gms of resistant starch and figure-friendly carbs that boost metabolism and burn fat. Brown rice, like oats, is a low-energy-density-food. This means it’s heavy and filling but low on calories.

8. Grapefruit. A compound in grapefruit lowers insulin. It also contains a fat-storage hormone which promotes weight loss. Grapefruit is 90% water. It fills you up enough so you eat less.

9. Wine.

10. Kidney beans. Kidney beans or rajma have essential proteins and fibre. Even a single serving offers more than 5 grams of fibre. They are also rich in resistant starch which is a slimming carb.

11. Almonds.

12. Green tea. A cup of green tea is all about good health. Drinking three cups of green tea everyday burns 200 calories! Green tea is big on antioxidants that help fat burn. If you have five cups of green tea, you can shed up to twice as much weight around your belly.

13. Lentils. A cup of lentils contains 3.4 gms of resistant starch. This means your body’s metabolic rate will rise and help you burn fat. Lentils are also the best source of protein if you are a vegetarian and your diet doesn’t include eggs.

14. Eggs. Nothing can beat a full, staple breakfast of baked (or boiled eggs) with brown bread. Eggs happen to be the richest source of protein. So having boiled eggs in your breakfast can curb your appetite and keep you full all day. A new study found that overweight women who ate eggs lost twice as much weight compared to women who ate bagels for breakfast. And if you can make eggs florentine (baked spinach and eggs) for your breakfast, your body probably lacks nothing after this power breakfast.

15. Oranges. One orange equals only 59 calories and a large dose of fibre. Some Australian researchers made a list of 38 top foods that make you feel full and oranges ranked the highest among fruits. Also, oranges are rich source of vitamin C. They can improve the quality of skin significantly.

Low-carb diet may make you unhealthy, shorten your life

Eating a high-protein, low-carb diet could actually make you unhealthy and more likely to die younger, a landmark Australian study has found.

The three-year study by the University of Sydney's Charles Perkins Centre found that while high-protein diets might make you slimmer and feel more attractive, the best diet for longevity is one low in protein and high in carbohydrates.

Professor of geriatric medicine David Le Couteur from Sydney's Anzac Research Institute was part of the team which modified the diets of 900 mice with dramatic results.

"If you're interested in a longer life span and late-life health, then a diet that is low in protein, high in carbohydrate and low in fat is preferable," he said.

"You can eat as much of that as you like.

"You don't have to be hungry, you don't have to reduce your calorie intake, you can just let your body decide what the right amount of food is."

The team put mice on 25 different diets, altering the proportions of protein, carbohydrates and fat.

The mice were allowed to eat as much food as they wanted to more closely replicate the food choices humans make.

"The healthiest diets were the ones that had the lowest protein, 5 to 10 to 15 per cent protein, the highest amount of carbohydrate, so 60, 70, 75 per cent carbohydrate, and a reasonably low fat content, so less than 20 per cent," Professor Le Couteur said.

VIDEO: Professor David Le Couteur discusses his findings(ABC News)

"They were also the diets that had the highest energy content.

"We found that diluting the diets to reduce the energy intake actually made the animals die more quickly."

The mice that ate a high-carbohydrate, low-protein diet lived about 50 per cent longer than those on the low-carb diet.

"The animals that were eating the less calories had shorter life spans," Professor Le Couteur said.

"The maximum life spans vary between 100 weeks and 150 weeks, depending upon the diets.

"So there was a 50 per cent increase in life expectancy depending upon the diets that you went on, so it was a big effect."

High-protein, low-carbohydrate diets like the Atkins diet and Paleo craze are popular among people wanting to lose fat.

But Professor Le Couteur says restricting calories may not do you favours later in life.

"What we did find is in late mid-life, when we analysed their health, the animals on the best diet, the low-protein, high-carbohydrate diets, had better blood pressure, had better LDL cholesterol, had better glucose tolerance, less diabetes and so on," he said.

Professor Le Couteur says plenty of data in humans already exists that shows people who choose a high-protein diet have worse outcomes in terms of death and disease.

"Certainly we found and we expected to find that high-protein diets led to weight loss and led to increased muscle bulk, but this was associated with worse outcomes, whether it was blood pressure or diabetes or life span," he said.

The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

Should You Go Vegetarian to Control Your Blood Pressure?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high blood pressure is "the second greatest public health threat" in the US, and about half of all with hypertension have uncontrolled high blood pressure.1

This increases your risk for a number of more serious health problems, including heart disease and stroke. Interestingly, 16 million Americans who are on blood pressure medication still don't have their blood pressure under control—a fact that emphasizes the need for basic lifestyle changes in order to truly resolve this problem.

Vegetarian Diet Lowers Blood Pressure

A recent meta-analysis2, 3 suggests that a vegetarian diet may be part of the solution. Lead author Yoko Yokoyama told Reuters Health:4

"For many people, the only treatment has been medication, but that means costs and possible side effects. However, in order to make healthful food choices, people need guidance from scientific studies. Our analysis found that vegetarian diets lower blood pressure very effectively, and the evidence for this is now quite conclusive."

The analysis included seven clinical trials and 32 observational studies. A vegetarian either excludes or severely limits meat, but typically includes dairy products and eggs. A pescetarian diet will also include fish. One of my friends is actually a healthy 66 year old pescetarian. Vegan diets typically exclude all animal products, fish, eggs, and dairy as well.

According to the study's findings, removing meat from the diet led to blood pressure reductions similar to losing five kilos of body weight or a little more than eleven pounds. Compared to blood pressure drugs, a vegetarian diet was found to be about 50 percent as effective for lowering blood pressure.

Additional Problems with This Study

If you are interested in a very detailed and comprehensive analysis in the flaws in this study, I would encourage you to review Denise Minger's post from last week.5 I will summarize some of the salient points below.

It is important to note that 32 of the 39 studies reviewed for this analysis were observational. This means that the researches relied on a dietary history given by the study participants. The actual protein levels consumed by the participants was never directly measured.

Another major issue is that important confounding lifestyle variables were not accounted for. Exercise and alcohol intake are important cofactors for hypertension and they were not analyzed so they could contribute to distorting the conclusions the researchers made.

Blood Pressure Drugs Do NOT Treat the Cause of High Blood Pressure

Please understand that while blood pressure medications are very effective at lowering blood pressure, they do NOT address or rectify the underlying cause of your hypertension.

Research6 published in 2013 found that vegetarians were 32 percent less likely to develop ischemic heart disease, and many other studies7 have demonstrated that vegetarians enjoy better health and longer lives than non-vegetarians. Certainly, eating more vegetables is bound to have a beneficial effect. Most people eat far too few of them. But I still do not believe excluding all meats makes for an ideal diet. It's worth noting that studies such as these are not comparing vegetarians to LOW animal protein diets. I'm also not aware of any studies looking at the health effects of factory farmed versus organically raised meats, eaten at varying amounts, and this, I believe, may be a major part of the equation.

Why I Don't Recommend Strict Vegetarian or Vegan Diets

There is no debate at all that most people do not eat enough vegetables, let alone high-quality organic ones. So it makes perfect sense that individuals who consume more vegetables are likely to be healthier.

Most Americans eat far too much protein and not enough vegetables, which likely accounts for most of the difference seen when comparing vegetarian to non-vegetarian diets. But that does not justify excluding all animal products.

The other part of the equation that is rarely addressed is the amount of protein consumed. When it comes to meat, two key factors that will determine the healthfulness of your diet are the quality of the meat and the amount.

In terms of quality, meat from pastured or grass-fed and finished animals is FAR superior to that from animals raised in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). CAFO beef and poultry has many disadvantages, including fewer of the most valuable nutrients found in organically-raised meats, while being contaminated with hormones, antibiotics, beta-agonist drugs, and pesticides.

Since most CAFOs feed animals genetically engineered (GE) grains (primarily corn and soy), there's also the issue of whether or not such feed might alter such meats in ways we still don't fully understand.

There's reason to think it might. At bare minimum, we know that so-called Roundup Ready grains tend to be most heavily contaminated with glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's herbicide Roundup, and research suggests this chemical may be a key factor in the rising trend of many chronic diseases, both in animals and humans.

In 2009, a joint effort between the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Clemson University researchers determined a total of 10 key areas where grass-fed is better than grain-fed beef for human health.8 In a side-by-side comparison, they determined that grass-fed beef was:

Higher in vaccenic acid (which can be transformed into CLA)	Higher in beta-carotene	Higher in vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)
Higher in the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin	Higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium	Higher in total omega-3s
A healthier ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids (1.65 vs 4.84)	Higher in CLA (cis-9 trans-11), a potential cancer fighter

Most People Eat Too Much Protein for Optimal Health

Nutrition experts like Dr. Ron Rosedale believe most adults need about one gram of protein per kilogram of lean body mass, or one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body weight per day. As an example, if your body fat mass is 20 percent, your lean mass is 80 percent of your total body weight.

So if your total weight is 200 pounds, you would then divide 160 by 2.2 to convert pounds to kilograms and come up with 72.7 grams of protein. If you are doing vigorous exercises or are pregnant, you can add up to another 25 percent or another 18 grams in this illustration to increase your total to 90 grams per day. This would be on the high side. Most women need half of this amount because they have far less lean body mass.

Most meat-eaters tend to consumer far more than that, especially in the US. In fact, the typical American diet is extremely meat-heavy, having risen dramatically over the past century.9 Previous research has suggested the average American consumes about 1.5 grams of protein per kilo of total body mass (lean mass plus fat). This is nearly double the ideal of one gram/kg of lean body mass. Some groups even consume 500 percent more protein than this.10 And the vast majority of all the meat consumed is CAFO, which only adds to the problem, for the reasons mentioned above.

There are a number of reasons why I believe it's best to limit your protein intake. The first is that if you eat large amounts of protein your body doesn't need, it will convert most of those calories to sugar. Additionally, it will need to remove the nitrogen waste products from your blood, which stresses your kidneys.

Excessive protein can also have a stimulatory effect on mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)—a pathway that seems to be largely responsible for the pathology seen in cancer growth. When you reduce protein to just what your body needs, mTOR remains inhibited, which helps minimize your chances of cancer growth.

Abstaining from animal protein altogether however, can lead to other health complications. For example, a strict vegetarian or vegan diet can lead to vitamin B12 and sulfur amino acid deficiency,11 both of which increases your risk of heart disease. Vegans or strict vegetarians who abstain from animal products and do not supplement their diet with vitamin B12 will typically become anemic. Nervous and digestive system damage can also result.12 Claims that B12 is present in certain algae, tempeh, and brewer's yeast fail to take into account that the B12 analogues present in these foods are not bioavailable. The only reliable and absorbable sources of vitamin B12 are animal products, especially pastured eggs.

Another Possible Conclusion

Denise Minger's analysis13 also brought two additional interesting additional insights into the protein discussion. It is well established that calorie restriction leads to increased longevity in many animal studies. Newer studies like the featured study suggest that much of the benefit of calorie restriction may be related to lowered protein intake.

The newer twist on the lowered protein intake is that the benefits of protein restriction may actually be related to lowered intake of a specific essential amino acid called methionine which, interestingly, also happens to be particularly high in meats. So a low meat diet will actually be a diet that is low in methionine. But even newer research suggests that it may be the balance of amino acids that is key especially with other amino acids like glycine that may actually help to lower methionine levels.

So approaches like protein cycling in which you replicate ancestral patterns of going through feast and famine can help normalize these levels. That is one of the reasons why I am such a major fan of intermittent fasting. Bone broth may also be particularly useful as it especially high in glycine.

Eating ONLY Plant-Based Foods May Be Bad for Your Heart

Research published in the journal Nutrition,14 two years ago, shows that people who eat a strictly plant-based diet may suffer from subclinical protein malnutrition, which means you're also likely not getting enough dietary sulfur. Sulfur is derived almost exclusively from dietary protein, such as fish and high-quality (organic and/or grass-fed/pastured) beef and poultry. Meat and fish are considered "complete" as they contain all the sulfur-containing amino acids you need to produce new protein.

Those who abstain from animal protein are placing themselves at far greater risk of sulfur deficiency and its related health problems. Sulfur also plays a vital role in the structure and biological activity of both proteins and enzymes. If you don't have sufficient amounts of sulfur in your body, this deficiency can cascade into a number of health problems as it will affect bones, joints, connective tissues, metabolic processes, and more. According to Dr. Stephanie Seneff, a senior scientist at MIT, areas where sulfur plays an important role include:

• Your body's electron transport system, as part of iron/sulfur proteins in mitochondria, the energy factories of your cells
• Vitamin-B thiamine (B1) and biotin conversion, which in turn are essential for converting carbohydrates into energy
• Synthesizing important metabolic intermediates, such as glutathione
• Proper insulin function. The insulin molecule consists of two amino acid chains connected to each other by sulfur bridges, without which the insulin cannot perform its biological activity
• Detoxification

The 2012 Nutrition study15 also concluded that the low intake of sulfur amino acids by vegetarians and vegans explains the origin of hyperhomocysteinemia (high blood levels of homocysteine, which may lead to blood clots in your arteries -- i.e. heart attack and stroke) and the increased vulnerability of vegetarians to cardiovascular diseases.

To Eat Meat or Not to Eat Meat... That Is the Question

From a clinical standpoint, I believe virtually everyone benefits from some animal protein, provided it's organically raised (grass-fed or pastured). Organic farming also tends to be humane, which is an important issue for most vegetarians/vegans. Even butchering practices are more humane, compared to the factory farm model. That said, if your moral convictions still prompt you to abstain from meat, you do have other options. Other healthy animal proteins include raw organic dairy and organic pastured eggs.

I sincerely believe that the many studies documenting the benefits of a vegetarian diet are related to an increased intake in vegetables and a lowered protein intake. One does not have to throw the baby out with the bathwater and exclude all animal products to receive these benefits. It seems lowering your protein intake to one gram per kilogram of lean body mass would likely achieve similar benefits as documented in this featured study.

Certainly, eating a vegetarian diet is far better than eating a high CAFO meat diet. But I believe most people would be wise to consider a more moderate plan. To summarize my view on what I believe is a more ideal diet for most people, here are the key points:

• Low amounts of high-quality (pastured or grass-fed) animal protein: A general recommendation is to limit animal protein to one gram of protein per kilogram of lean body mass, or one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body weight
• Extremely low amounts of refined grain carbohydrates: You need very little grains, if any. Even organic grains are best avoided, to preserve optimal insulin and leptin signaling
• Extremely low amounts of processed sugar and fructose: A general guideline is to restrict your sugar/fructoseconsumption to 25 grams from all sources, per day. If you are insulin or leptin resistant (if you are overweight, or have high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease, then you likely have insulin or leptin resistance), you'd be wise to keep your sugar/fructose to 15 grams per day, from all sources, until your condition has normalized
• High amounts of high-quality fats: As you cut out carbohydrates, you need to replace them with healthful fats. Most people probably need anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of their daily calories in the form of healthy fats, which include olives and olive oil, coconuts and coconut oil, butter made from raw grass-fed organic milk, organic raw nuts (especially macadamia nuts, which are low in protein and omega-6 fat), organic pastured eggs, and avocados
• Virtually unlimited amounts of vegetable carbohydrates: Making vegetable juice is a great way to boost the amount and variety of vegetables in your diet

One of the easiest ways to conform to these guidelines is to ditch processed foods and cook from scratch using whole, organic ingredients. I generally advise limiting processed foods to 10 percent of less of your total diet. As for whether or not to eat meat, I firmly believe that it plays a valuable role in optimal health, but quality and quantity are important considerations. Focusing on smaller portions of higher quality (read pastured grass-fed and finished) meats will lead you in the right direction.

Last but not least, let me note that cutting out meat, or animal protein, from your diet is NOT the only way to normalize your blood pressure. There are many other lifestyle strategies that can lower high blood pressure that does not involve abstaining from an important nutrient source. In fact, insulin resistance is a primary promoter of high blood pressure, and the dietary underpinning that creates insulin resistance is a diet too high in sugar, not protein. To learn more about how to normalize your blood pressure without drugs, please see my previous article: "Foundational Lifestyle Strategies to Maintain Healthy Blood Pressure."

Magnesium May Help Prevent Hip Fractures

Magnesium is a crucially important mineral for optimal health, performing a wide array of biological functions, including playing an important role in bone health. In fact, of the 25 grams of magnesium found in an average adult, up to 60 percent of it is found in your bones.1

Multiple studies have shown that higher magnesium intake is associated with a higher bone mineral density in both men and women,2 and recent research from Norway has even found an association between magnesium in drinking water and risk of hip fractures.

Magnesium May Lower Your Risk of Hip Fractures

Norway, like the US, has a high rate of hip fractures, but the researchers noted that its incidence varies by region, with those living in urban areas more likely to have hip fractures than those in rural locales. They suggested this could be due to naturally varying levels of minerals like magnesium in the drinking water, although this didn't turn out to be the case.

What they did find, however, was that while concentrations of magnesium (and calcium) in drinking water were generally low, there was an inverse association between concentration of magnesium and risk of hip fracture in both men and women.3 The researchers concluded:

"Magnesium in drinking water may have a protective role against hip fractures."

The finding is significant considering how debilitating a hip fracture can be, especially among the elderly. A broken hip carries a great risk of complications and usually requires prolonged specialized care for recovery. It's estimated that 25 percent of elderly people suffering a hip fracture die as a direct result.4

Magnesium Is Involved in Bone Formation and Health

It's estimated that 80 percent of Americans are deficient in magnesium, which could have a dramatic influence on bone health. Magnesium influences activities of both osteoblasts (cells responsible for bone formation) and osteoclasts (the cells that break down your bone).

Magnesium is thought to play a role in preventing and fighting osteoporosis.  According to the National Office of Dietary Supplements:5

"Magnesium also affects the concentrations of both parathyroid hormone and the active form of vitamin D, which are major regulators of bone homeostasis… 

Research has found that women with osteoporosis have lower serum magnesium levels than women with osteopenia and those who do not have osteoporosis or osteopenia. These and other findings indicate that magnesium deficiency might be a risk factor for osteoporosis."

In fact, one study found that postmenopausal women with osteoporosis were able to suppress bone turnover (which suggests bone loss decreased) just by taking 290 mg/day of magnesium for 30 days.6

Your Calcium-Magnesium Ratio: Are You Taking Too Much Calcium?

Over the past 30 years, women have been told to take supplemental calcium to avoid osteoporosis. Many foods have also been fortified with extra calcium to prevent calcium deficiency among the general population.

Despite such measures, osteoporosis has continued to climb, and this could be, in part, because of an imbalanced calcium-magnesium ratio. According to Carolyn Dean, a medical and naturopathic doctor:

"I've heard statistics like a 700 percent rise in osteoporosis in a 10-year period, even while taking all this calcium. The myth that's been created about calcium is that we need twice as much calcium as we do magnesium. Most of the supplements reflect this. We've got a situation where people are taking 1,200 to 1,500 milligrams of calcium and maybe a few hundred milligrams of magnesium.

The 2:1 ratio—that was a mistake; a mistaken translation from French researcher Jean Durlach, who said never ever go beyond two parts calcium to one part magnesium in your food, water, or supplement intake combined."

This was misinterpreted as meaning a 2:1 ratio was an appropriate ratio, which it's not. A more appropriate ratio of calcium to magnesium is 1:1. This may not only pose a risk to your bones but also to your heart. If you have too much calcium and not enough magnesium, your muscles will tend to go into spasm. 

So excessive amounts of calcium without the counterbalance of magnesium can lead to a heart attack and sudden death. Quite simply, with insufficient amounts of magnesium, your heart simply cannot function properly.

For Optimal Bone and Heart Health, You've Got to Balance Magnesium with Vitamins K2 and D

When balancing calcium and magnesium also keep in mind that these must be balanced with vitamins K2 and D. These four nutrients perform an intricate dance together, with one supporting the other. Lack of balance between these nutrients is why calcium supplements have become associated with increased risk of heart attacks and stroke, and why some people experience vitamin D toxicity.

Part of the explanation for these adverse side effects is that vitamin K2 keeps calcium in its appropriate place. If you're K2 deficient, added calcium can cause more problems than it solves, by accumulating in the wrong places, like soft tissue.

Similarly, if you opt for oral vitamin D, you need to also consume it in your food or take supplemental vitamin K2 and more magnesium. Taking mega doses of vitamin D supplements without sufficient amounts of K2 and magnesium can lead to vitamin D toxicity and magnesium deficiency symptoms, which include inappropriate calcification that may damage your heart.

Magnesium and vitamin K2 complement each other, as magnesium helps lower blood pressure, which is an important component of heart disease. So, all in all, anytime you're taking any of the following: magnesium, calcium, vitamin D3, or vitamin K2, you need to take all the others into consideration as well, since these all work synergistically with one another.

What Else Is Magnesium Good For?

It would be misleading to simply classify magnesium as a mineral for your bones or your heart. Researchers have now detected 3,751 magnesium-binding sites on human proteins, indicating that its role in human health and disease may have been vastly underestimated.7 Magnesium is also found in more than 300 different enzymes in your body and plays a role in your body's detoxification processes, making it important for helping to prevent damage from environmental chemicals, heavy metals, and other toxins. Even glutathione, your body's most powerful antioxidant that has even been called "the master antioxidant," requires magnesium for its synthesis. Recent research also showed that higher intakes of dietary magnesium were associated with a lower risk of colorectal tumors.8 To date more than 100 health benefits of magnesium have been identified so far, including therapeutic benefits for:9

Fibromyalgia	Atrial fibrillation	Type 2 diabetes	Premenstrual syndrome
Cardiovascular disease	Migraine	Aging	Mortality

Watching Out for Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency

There's no lab test that will give you a truly accurate reading of the magnesium status in your tissues. Only one percent of the magnesium in your body is distributed in your blood, making a simple sample of magnesium from a blood test highly inaccurate. Some specialty labs do provide an RBC magnesium test, which is reasonably accurate, and other tests that your doctor can use to evaluate your magnesium status include a 24-hour urine test or a sublingual epithelial test. Still, these can only give you an estimation of your levels, and doctors typically need to evaluate them in conjunction with the symptoms you exhibit.

If you suspect you're not getting enough magnesium, you should keep a watchful eye out for symptoms of deficiency. If you eat a poor diet, including one that's mostly processed foods, this could apply to you. Further, if any of these conditions below apply to you, you may want to take extra precautions to make sure you're getting a sufficient amount of magnesium in your diet, or, if needed, from a magnesium supplement, in order to avoid magnesium deficiency.>

An unhealthy digestive system, which impairs your body's ability to absorb magnesium (Crohn's disease, leaky gut, etc.)	Alcoholism -- up to 60 percent of alcoholics have low blood levels of magnesium10
Unhealthy kidneys, which contribute to excessive loss of magnesium in urine	Age -- older adults are more likely to be magnesium deficient because absorption decreases with age and the elderly are more likely to take medications that can interfere with absorption
Diabetes, especially if it's poorly controlled, may lead to increased magnesium loss in urine	Certain medications -- diuretics, antibiotics, and medications used to treat cancer can all result in magnesium deficiency

In her book, The Magnesium Miracle, Dr. Dean lists 100 factors that will help you decide whether or not you might be deficient. Early signs of magnesium deficiency to watch out for include loss of appetite, headache, nausea, fatigue, and weakness. An ongoing magnesium deficiency can lead to more serious symptoms, including:

Numbness and tingling	Muscle contractions and cramps	Seizures
Personality changes	Abnormal heart rhythms	Coronary spasms

What Are the Best Dietary Sources of Magnesium?

Many people are low in magnesium. In order to ensure you're getting enough, you first need to be sure you're eating a varied, whole-food diet like the one described in my nutrition plan. Green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss chard are excellent sources of magnesium, as are some beans, nuts, and seeds, like almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds. Avocados are also a good source. Juicing your vegetables is an excellent option to ensure you're getting enough of them in your diet.

One important point to mention, though, is that the levels of magnesium in your food are dependent on the levels of magnesium in the soil where they're grown. Organic foods may have more magnesium, as most fertilizer used on conventional farms relies heavily on nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium instead of magnesium. Another one of the major benefits of getting your nutrients from a varied whole-food diet is that you're far less likely to end up with too much of one nutrient at the expense of others. Foods in general contain all the cofactors and needed co-nutrients in the proper amounts for optimal health, which takes out the guesswork. When you're using supplements, you need to become a bit savvier about how nutrients influence and synergistically affect each other.

In case you're interested, another way to improve your magnesium status is to take regular Epsom salt baths or foot baths. Epsom salt is a magnesium sulfate that can be absorbed into your body directly through your skin. Magnesium oil (from magnesium chloride) can also be used for topical application and absorption.

The 8 Forms of Magnesium Supplements: What Type Is Best?

If you opt for a magnesium supplement, be aware that there are several different forms of magnesium. The reason for the wide variety of magnesium supplements on the market is because the magnesium must be bound to another substance. There's no such thing as a 100% magnesium compound supplement (except pico-ionic magnesium). The substance used in any given supplement compound can affect the absorption and bioavailability of the magnesium, and may provide slightly different, or targeted, health benefits. Following is a general guide to help you sort through the eight different formulas you're likely to come across:

Magnesium glycinate is a chelated form of magnesium that tends to provide the highest levels of absorption and bioavailability and is typically considered ideal for those who are trying to correct a deficiency	Magnesium threonate is a newer, emerging type of magnesium supplement that appears promising, primarily due to its superior ability to penetrate the mitochondrial membrane
Magnesium chloride / magnesium lactate contain only 12 percent magnesium, but has better absorption than others, such as magnesium oxide, which contains five times more magnesium	Magnesium sulfate / magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) are typically used as a laxative. Be aware that it's easy to overdose on these, so ONLY take as directed
Magnesium carbonate, which has antacid properties, contains 45 percent magnesium	Magnesium taurate contains a combination of magnesium and taurine, an amino acid. Together, they tend to provide a calming effect on your body and mind
Magnesium citrate is magnesium with citric acid, which has laxative properties	Magnesium oxide is a non-chelated type of magnesium, bound to negatively charged oxygen (oxide). It contains 60 percent magnesium and has stool-softening properties