Author: Dr. Keith Nemec

“For a lot of people, the idea that a diet is something to go on and then off is wrong-headed to begin with,” said Julie Miller Jones a professor of nutrition and food science at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minn.. Instead of “diet,” she suggested, substitute the word “eating plan.” And determine that you will stick with it for life. “Unless [overweight] people get their head around this idea, that this is something you do for a lifetime, not six weeks or six months, they are doomed to failure,” Miller Jones said.

Even worse, constant dieting, especially with severe calorie restriction, makes it harder to lose weight the next time, Miller Jones said. No one’s disputing that excess body weight isn’t a problem in the United States.

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, about 64 percent of adults age 20 and older are overweight or obese, as are 15 percent of children and teens ages 6 to 19. Even so, dieting, particularly in adolescence, can be counterproductive, experts said. One expert, Joanne Ikeda, found that out when she surveyed adult women about their dieting habits in a study published in 2004 in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. She asked 149 obese women if they had dieted and if so, how many times and when.

“We were able to use statistics and compare with women who had not gotten that large,” she said.

The result: The higher a woman’s body mass index, or BMI, the more likely she was to have started her first weight-loss diet before age 13, said Ikeda, the founding director of the University of California Berkeley’s Center for Weight and Health. Even worse, she added, “there have been some very large-scale studies coming out of Scandinavia showing that [repeated] weight loss [and regain] actually increases the risk for weight gain.” Often called “yo-yo dieting,” this pattern is definitely harmful, Ikeda said.

“I tell people if they have lost weight and regained it three times [or more], they should stop focusing on weight loss and start focusing on improving your metabolic fitness.”

That means leading a healthy lifestyle, eating sufficient calories for an adult. “Sufficient” generally means about 2000 calories a day, but Ikeda stressed that ideal levels can vary by weight and activity levels. The bottom line? The only way to have a healthy body weight, Ikeda said, is to have a healthy lifestyle.
-Journal of the American Dietetic Association

Dr. Keith and Laurie Nemec’s comments on dieting can be harmful to your health.
What this article showed was for a lot of people the idea that a diet is something to go on and off is wrong. Instead a diet should be an eating plan something that you are determined to stick with for life. It should not look at the short term goal of losing weight rapidly and then coming off a diet, because this will cause the never ending cycle of dieting and binging, dieting and binging. Instead adopting a lifestyle of decreased calorie intake but one that someone can handle and something that they can do for life. As the article also showed that studies coming from Scandinavia showed that repeated weight loss and regain actually increases the risk for future weight gain. Also the researchers showed that people that have lost weight and regained weight three times or more, should stop focusing on their weight loss and start focusing on leading a healthy lifestyle, which this includes not eating more than 2,000 calories a day.

The average American eats at least 2700 calories a day. How can this be attained? When we transition to a living raw plant diet one that is made up of vegetables, seeds, nuts, avocados, whole grains in the sprouted state, but uncooked state, sprouts themselves, all plant material in the uncooked state will be calorie reduction in of itself. A person will loose weight naturally without any side effects, without any yo-yoing effect, without ever gaining weight because when we eat these food, they are the most balanced foods created by God and they will fill us up, they will sustain us, they will give us everything that our body needs, and they will allow us to go to our ideal body weight naturally. This is one of the 7 Basic Steps to Total Health.

So, to recap we must get away from the finish of a thing, I want to be finished with my weight problems, I want to go on a diet, loose weight and be done with it. The problem is, once you are done with it, you are not done with it, you start up on the binging and the eating and then they weight gains and then you have to go on the diet to loose the weight. Doesn’t it make more sense to just eat the food and live the lifestyle that you are comfortable with, and can do it for the rest of your life and end this, this vicious cycle of weight gain, weight loss, weight gain?

Carbohydrate rich foods could make you happy, while protein rich foods may help you do well on your test at school, according to research that suggests that what we eat changes how we think and feel.

“You can manipulate your mood and your mental acuity just by what you eat and when, and the effects can happen very quickly,” said Dr. Judith Wurtman, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

She and her husband, Dr. Richard Wurtman (also of MIT), have studied the food-mood connection for the past 30 years.
According to Wurtman, the news that carbohydrates can lift the spirits first emerged about a dozen years ago, in studies she conducted with women suffering from premenstrual syndrome.

“Eating carbohydrates had a profound and dramatic effect in improving mood,” Wurtman said. “I’m talking about anger, irritability, depression, difficulty concentrating, mental fuzziness. We found that you could reverse those mood changes with carbohydrate-rich foods, in about 30 minutes.”

Carbohydrates can do little to change serious clinical depression, but they do seem to help battle the everyday “blahs,” she said. The reason may be very simple, she noted: the body uses carbohydrates to manufacture serotonin — the key emotion regulator in the brain. “When you eat carbohydrates and make more serotonin, mood disturbances that you may have been suffering can go away, at least temporarily,” she said.

And what about protein? Wurtman said the science on that is a little sketchier.

“My husband discovered years ago, however, that one of the amino acids in protein, called tyrosine, does increase the synthesis of two key chemicals in the brain, norepinephrine and dopamine, which we call the ‘mental alertness’ chemicals,” she said. For this reason, Wurtman recommends protein-heavy diets for people facing extended periods of mental strain, such as preparing for an important exam. “It’ll help you replenish those chemicals in your brain,” she said.
– HealthDay News

Dr. Keith and Laurie Nemec’s comments on you are what you eat.
This very interesting research article shows us how our moods and emotions can be affected by what we eat. The basis, I should say the summation of what the research showed was, when a person eats a high carbohydrate meal it actually can cause them to go into an improved mood, it can cause them to go into more calm, calm down to some extent, anger, irritability, depression, difficulty concentrating, mental fuzziness. And this can be changed within 30 minutes with carbohydrate rich foods. What are the carbohydrate rich foods? These are the vegetables. Again, eating raw is the most important way to eat them. The vegetables, the root vegetables are wonderful, these are the yams:jewel and garnet, sweet potatoes, carrots, root vegetable called jicama, all these carbohydrate rich vegetables are very good for the system. Standard vegetables are the best, the green leafy vegetables and just the green vegetables. All vegetables should be eaten as much as possible in the raw and uncooked state to have the highest nutritional benefit and balance to the mind and emotions.

The other thing that this research showed was diets that were high in protein especially the amino acid called tyrosine increased the synthesis of norepinephrine and dopamine, which were the mental alertness chemicals. This is why a high protein diet or a diet with more protein is much better for people who are facing extended periods of mental strain. As I said, facing an important exam.  So what we do want to get out of this study is how food can affect certain chemicals secreted in the brain and in the body that cannot affect moods. Carbohydrates are by far the most important part of our diet which is the vegetables, the sprouts, the sprouted material. The protein sources also can help with mental clarity and alertness. These are best found in the plant kingdom because they have the least amount of toxicity and should be eaten raw. This would be primarily the seeds and the nuts. So, to sum up, if we want to eat a diet that brings Total Health, we eat a living/raw plant based diet. The living/raw plant based diet is a balanced diet of vegetables, sprouts, sea vegetables, root vegetables, seeds, nuts, legumes, and avocados. When we combine this type of food we have the balance in body, mind and emotions. The balance of the emotions, the balance of the mind, the alertness of the mind. Additional note on this is, we have to be careful that we do not try to eat food in a specific way as they are saying to bring on a carbohydrate high which will drop us lower than we were when we eat the wrong forms of foods. For example, if we are eating breads, there are carbohydrates in breads but that will blow the blood sugar out of balance and give you a temporary good feeling but then when the blood sugar bottoms out, it will drop you lower than where you started. So that’s why it’s very important just to eat a well balanced living raw plant based diet of the seeds, nuts, avocados, vegetables, root vegetables, green vegetables, all vegetables along with sprouts, sprouted material, legumes, and sea vegetables, all these things. Avocados being a wonderful source of fat, and fat is a stored energy form.

So the other side note is we have to make sure besides not trying to eat from one food group but a balance living raw plant based diet which is non toxic and most health promoting to the body, is that we eat food that heals the body an as these articles show can help balance the mind and emotions. We eat it in a living/raw plant state which is the closest state that God created the food to be in. When we do this we do not feed the flesh filled old mind, we do not feed the emotions. So, as it was stated we can eat carbohydrates in a cooked processed form. You can have a cookie, it will temporarily affect your mood. You can have a piece of bread, and they are still carbohydrates that will give you a feel good with increase in serotonin level but then drops you worse than when you started. This is the sugar blues, where it goes up and down. That is not the purpose. And the purpose is never to eat a high protein diet especially from animal origin. We get plenty of protein from the seeds and the nuts. But seeds and nuts should be combined with the vegetables, the sprouts, the avocados in a balanced diet, so that we are not trying to eat excessively high protein. Protein is harder on the system to digest. It takes much more energy. So protein is good when it is in a living/raw plant form, but it doesn’t need to be eaten separately in high quantities to change mind or emotions. So the general message is follow your heart in this life, live a balanced life of what we call the Seven Basic Steps to Total Health™  So when you are eating a living/raw plant based diet, you are bringing balance to the mind, emotions and body also you are not feeding the flesh filled old mind. Also it is important to know that food is a powerful part of any alternative cancer treatment. Cancer grows in sugar so this must be avoided completely. Living and raw plant based foods are the best choices when one is facing a major health challenge.

If you want to live long and well there are two things you must do — eat right and exercise.

And while there are no guarantees in life, adopting these healthy lifestyles can enhance your chances of vitality as you reach your 60s, 70s, 80s — and beyond, experts say.

But a new report by the nonprofit Center for the Advancement of Health says that’s not always easy for older people in a society that has built its streets for drivers, not walkers, and put convenience — think fast foods — for the young over possibilities for the old.
With 35 million Americans aged 65 and older — a number expected to double during the next 25 years — seniors and government must both make healthy choices, said Nancy Whitelaw, director of the National Council on the Aging’s Center for Healthy Aging, which funded the report.

When it comes to nutrition and activity, “people know the message,” she said. “The challenge is to make it operational in our daily lives.”

People who get regular exercise, eat healthfully and avoid tobacco have a lower risk of chronic diseases that lead to premature death, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and certain cancers. They also have reduced rates of disability, better mental health and cognitive function, and lower health costs.

Conversely, individuals who are physically inactive are almost twice as likely to develop heart disease as active people, according to the report. Inactivity is also linked to the development of diabetes and colon cancer, and can result in loss of muscle strength and mass, which can lead to frailty and lethal falls.

Yet, approximately one-third of persons age 65 or older have not engaged in any leisure-time physical activity within the past month, including the majority of those over the age of 75, according to the study.

Just 30 minutes of activity five days a week can make the difference, said Whitelaw. The idea is to get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes, and participate in activities that build balance, strength and flexibility. Recommended exercises include walking, swimming and bicycling. Doctors also endorse strength training two days per week.

But, the right kind of activity, coupled with a diet rich with fruits and vegetables and light on refined and processed foods, can lead to a longer, happier life, she said.

Only about one-quarter of U.S. adults eat the recommended five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day, according the report. And, studies show that older people consume inadequate amounts of key nutrients such as calcium, vitamin D, magnesium and phosphorus, which play a key role in maintaining muscle and bone health.

So reach for an apple instead of the chips, Whitelaw said. And if you can’t do 30 minutes of exercise at a time, try it in 10-minute spurts. You can also stretch when you’re washing the dishes, take the stairs rather than the elevator, and walk across the parking lot rather than fight for the spot closest to the door. Better still, walk to your destination if it’s less than a mile away.
These are things we all know, she said. “We just got out of the habit.”
– HealthDay News

Dr. Keith and Laurie Nemec’s comments on Diet and exercise, the real fountains of youth.
What this study showed was what we have taught all along, lifestyle changes, two of the seven basic steps which we will go over, diet and exercise they are finding reverse diseases. What the article showed was that people who get regular exercise and eat healthy, they have a much lower risk of chronic disease, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure. They also have a reduced rate of mental, health and cognitive function decline. On the other side, the people who are most inactive, not exercising, are twice as likely to develop diseases as active people. Inactivity, lack of exercises, has shown to lead to the development of certain cancers, diabetes, the loss of muscle strength and mass which could lead to even lethal fractures. And they summed up by just saying that 30 minutes of activity five times a week can make the difference in getting the heart rate up for twenty minutes. And this can be done with a balance of strength exercises, cardiovascular exercises, and flexibility exercises. The ones that they recommended the most were walking, swimming and bicycling. We would like to add to that rebounding is the best, then would be swimming, but unfortunately, most swimming has the negative side of toxic chlorine, so we do not recommend that one usually. Walking is another excellent exercise if done briskly to get the heart rate up. And the strength training can be done with weights, or it can be done by calisthenics, body exercises such as push ups/pull ups. The big thing is the activity has to be coupled with the diet as they said in the article, high in fruits and vegetables and light on refined and processed foods.

So what they are showing is what we have said all along when you adopt a healthy lifestyle, you can and have found the best way to promote longevity in the body and health in the body, and this is health not just in the physical, but mental and emotional health also, because what you do to the body you do to the mind, and what you do to mind, you do to the body. They react to each other, they are all one, body, mind, emotion, spirit.  Now the 7 Basic Steps, this is what has kept the whole human race healthy for last 10,000 years. It has only been the last, less than 75 years, more like 50-75 years that we have relied on medical intervention with tests and medicine and surgeries, to help us prolong life. But is this the type of prolonged life we want? Is it better to take medications and have surgeries and exist to 75 years of age, just exist? Or would it be better to do what mankind has done for 10,000 years, which is lead a healthy lifestyle which promotes health and keeps the body healthy in every way?

Remember, there were never pap smears, blood tests, colonoscopies, MRI and CAT scans a 100 years ago, 500 years ago, 1,000 years ago. What there was, always was, fresh air, water, pure food diets, always exercise, that was the lifestyle, people worked in the fields, they worked to raise their food, to grow their food. They slept. The average person would go to bed when the sun goes down and wake up when the sun comes up. And they fasted normally because there was no standard American diet of toxic animal products, refined sugars and starches. So the detoxing was natural because the world wasn’t polluted and also the food wasn’t polluted and processed. And then prayer, meditation and stillness. For 10,000 years people lived the simple life, reflecting the glory of God in all things, seeing Him in the natural settings, seeing Him in the sunrise and the sunset. There wasn’t the bombardment of information in this information age that we are in now of 10,000 choices for everything. Life was simple, life was more back to nature and balanced. And this kept people healthy for this period of time. Only within the last 100 years have we seen the rise of diseases like cancer and heart disease. Prior to 100 years ago these were virtually unknown, or in such trace amounts they were rarely to be seen. Now they are the number one and two cause of death. Cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease and conditions kill 9 out of 10 Americans. This wasn’t so in the past. So, live the 7 Basic Steps and remember, whether I eat or I drink, or I exercise, or I sleep, or I fast, or I pray, or whatever I do, I do it all to the glory of God. This is the key component in the fountain of youth, doing everything in your life to the glory of God and taking care of your body as if it were the temple of His Holy Spirit.

Omega-3 fatty acids play a critical role in the development and function of the central nervous system. Emerging research is establishing an association between omega-3 fatty acids (alpha-linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosahexaenoic) and major depressive disorder. Evidence from epidemiological, laboratory and clinical studies suggest that dietary lipids and other associated nutritional factors may influence vulnerability and outcome in depressive disorders. Research in this area is growing at a rapid pace.

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Being overweight can decrease your life span according to new research that proves that a few extra pounds is harmful.

Baby boomers who were even just a little overweight were more likely to die prematurely than those who were at a healthy weight, according to researchers.
While obesity has been known to contribute to early death, the link between being overweight and dying prematurely has been controversial. Some experts have argued that a few extra pounds does no harm.

However, this is one of the first major studies to account for the factors of smoking and chronic illness, which can complicate efforts to figure out how much weight itself is responsible for early death.

“The cumulative evidence is now even stronger,” said Dr. Michael Thun, chief epidemiologist of the American Cancer Society who had no role in the research. “Being overweight does increase health risks. It’s not simply a cosmetic or social problem.”

An estimated two-thirds of Americans adults are overweight or obese, according to federal statistics. Obesity raises the risk of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and some cancers. Being overweight increases blood pressure and cholesterol levels, which in turn could lead to heart disease.
In an analysis of 186,000 healthy people — who had never smoked — overweight people were 20 to 40 percent more likely to die prematurely than normal-weight people. The risk increased two- to three-fold for obese people.

In a separate study of 1.2 million Korean patients, ages 30 to 95, researchers from the Yonsei University in South Korea and Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health reported similar findings.

Among about half a million healthy non-smokers, overweight people had a 10 to 50 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease or cancer than normal-weight people.

The two studies clearly show that being overweight “is not a benign condition,” said Dr. Frank Hu, an epidemiologist and obesity researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health.

“The public health message should be loud and clear: Maintaining a healthy weight and preventing weight gain in middle age is important to maintaining longevity,” said Hu, who was not connected to the research.
-Associated Press

Dr. Keith and Laurie Nemec’s comments on A Few Extra Pounds Can Kill You:
Interesting in this study was they found that it wasn’t just obesity that increases the risk of disease and the risk of likelihood of early death. Dr. Michael Thun, chief epidemiologist of the American Cancer Society, who said being overweight does increase health risks. It’s not simply a cosmetic or social problem.   What the study showed was in overweight people, this doesn’t have to be obese, just overweight people, there is 20-40% more likely chance to die prematurely than normal weight people. The risk increased two to three fold for obese people. And this goes against the studies that contradict the controversial research, the federal center for disease control that suggested being a little bit overweight isn’t so bad. So, what is the answer? The answer is obvious. We’re not designed to carry any extra weight. If you look at the animal kingdom, the only animals that have any extra weight is for a protective mechanism or for insulation. So animals don’t carry fat. Animals are lean and healthy because they eat a living/raw plant based diet or they eat other animals alive. They don’t eat cooked food which turns into excessive calories and weight. They get all exercise and they live a naturally healthy lifestyle, because that’s what nature is.

How can we avoid excessive pounds if we live the 7 Basic Steps? Especially of the 7 Basic Steps that we make sure we eat a living/raw plant based diet, which is very difficult to be overweight when you eat this diet, in fact, near impossible unless you have other hormonal or glandular problems. Number 2 we have to get to sleep, the hormonal system goes out of balance and in it is proven that people can become thyroid imbalanced and increased weight and decrease immune system function by not getting the proper amount of sleep which is 9.5 hours, which at least 3 ½ hours should be before midnight. The next one is exercise which is critical. And the more we exercise, the more we move the body the more calories we burn. And then of course, fasting and detoxification. Fasting will lead to weight loss but so will detoxification because a lot of people retain weight and fluid because the body is holding on to the fluid to delete the toxins that are in the system. And then a lifestyle of prayer and meditation is one that reduces stress and when stress is reduced a person eats less and gains less weight and also when stress is reduced, inflammation is reduced. All health challenges including, being overweight and obese, they would be reduced.