Find a domain name now!

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Chocolate Addiction | Are You A Chocoholic?

 

image

Are you addicted to chocolate? I was, well I still am. My name is Hope, and I'm a chocoholic. You never really reform from being a chocoholic, it is something you carry with you every day of your life. As you walk to work and see candy for sale in the shop windows.

As you go to the supermarket and toss up whether or not to go into the confectionery free checkout aisle, an aisle designed just for weak minded people such as yourself who are unable to restrain themselves from grabbing handfuls of chocolate bars if they are presented with them at the checkout. Chocolate is everywhere. It is insidious. It stalks among us, a bringer of calories and a harbinger of cellulite.

You don't need to be obese or even overweight to be a chocoholic. Chocoholism is described by the professionals (me and my cat, Mittens) as feeling the need to have some chocolate every day.

My descent into chocoholism started early in childhood when my father would give us a little piece of chocolate every day for being good and not burning the house down. I soon became used to a constant stream of small sweet treats doled out for all manner of achievements, from not seriously maiming my younger brother, to not thieving anything from the teacher's desk that day.

Slowly, but surely I began to perceive chocolate not as an occasional treat, but as a part of every day diet.

I didn't realize that I had a problem until my boyfriend asked why I had to eat chocolate every day. Yes, he actually did that. When the crying had stopped and ice packs had been liberally applied to areas that needed them, I thought about what he had said in slightly less homicidal terms. Perhaps he was right.

Perhaps chocolate actually isn't one of the recommended five daily fruits and vegetables. Perhaps its not really a necessity. Perhaps it's not a cure all for PMS, stress, and the decline of Western society. I know that scientists have discovered that chocolate releases endorphins, but I'm pretty sure calling Simon Cowel at 4 am in the morning and verbally abusing him for an hour would also release a lot of endorphins. We cannot assume that things are good for us just because they make us feel good.

When I started confronting my chocoholism, I realized that chocolate had a hold on me. The idea of not eating any of it for a month or more was truly horrific. Now, people say that chocolate is fine in moderation, but the logic centers of my brain considered the possibility that having to have chocolate on a regular basis, even in moderation counts as addiction.

I wouldn't panic at the idea of not having a carrot for a month, but the idea of not having a bar of chocolate for four long weeks send my adrenal system into overdrive and made me want to start stockpiling cocoa supplies like a frightened republican engaging in a run on 50 caliber bullets.

I then noticed that chocolate is deceptively more-ish. One piece is not enough. One piece always leads to another until I start to feel slightly sick, which thanks to weird biochemistry is after one 55 gram bar of chocolate. That's the only thing that stopped me from ballooning into a large ball of chocolate fed lard, the fact that my body starts to reject sugar after just a few doses of it.

As a society, we love chocolate. But does chocolate truly love us, or is it the sinister companion of middle age spread, the gradual loss of mobility and physical agility and the beginning of the dreaded end?

Monday, March 1, 2010

WHY MEAT IS A VERY DANGEROUS FOOD?

image

deadly Reason #1:

FULL OF CHEMICALS

Eating meat has been often called “eating on the top of the food chain. In nature there is a long chain of eaters: plants “eat” sunlight, air and water; animals eat smaller animals.

Now all over the world, fields are being treated with poisonous chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides). These poisons are retained in the bodies of the animals that eat plants and grasses.

For instance, fields were sprayed with the insect killing chemical DDT, a very powerful poison which scientists say can cause cancer, sterility and serious liver disease.

DDT and pesticides like at are retained in animal (as well as fish) fat and once stored, are difficult to breakdown. Thus as cows, eat grass or feed, whatever pesticide they eat are retained, so when you eat meat, you are taking into your body all the concentrations of DDT and other chemicals that have accumulated during the animal’s lifetime.

Eating at the “top” end of the food chain, humans become the final consumer and thus the recipient of the highest concentration of poisonous pesticides, in fact, meat contains 13 times as much DDT as vegetables, fruits and grass.

The IOWA State University once performed experiments which showed that most of the DDT in human bodies come from meat.

Deadly Reason #2:

FULL OF DISEASES

The poisoning of meat does not stop here. Meat animals are treated with many more chemicals to increase their growth, fatten them quickly, improve their meat colour, etc.

In order to produce the most meat at the highest profit, animal are forced-fed, injected with hormones to stimulate growth, given appetite stimulant, antibiotics, sedatives and chemical feed mixtures.

Many of these have been found to be cancer causing chemicals, and in fact many animals die of these drugs even before they are led to slaughter.

As farms have evolved into animal factories, many animals never see the light of day, their lives are spent in cramped and cruel surroundings (they never get exercise or fresh air).

Such unnatural practices not only unbalance the body chemistry of the chickens and destroy their natural habits, but unfortunately, also result in the growth of malignant tumors and other malformations. In the U.S., Where 70% of cattle are given antibiotics, even with large scale usage of antibiotics to suppress Disease, the U.S. Dept of agriculture records state that millions of pounds of meat that came from animals contains tumors.

Transferred to meat eaters

The tumors and growths may go undetected or simply ignored by the meat producers are inspectors. Often, if an animal has cancer or tumor a in a certain part of its body, the cancerous part will be cut away and the rest of the body sold as meat.

Worse, the tumors themselves will be incorporated into mixed meats such as hot dogs and labeled “parts”. In one area of America, were there is routine inspection of slaughtered animals, 25,000 cattle with eye cancers were sold as beef!

Scientists have found experimentally the liver of the deceased animal is fed to fish, the fish will get cancer.

Deadly Reason #3

FULL OF ANIMALS BODY TOXIN

Just before during the agony of being slaughtered, the biochemistry of the terrified animal undergoes profound changes. Toxic by-products are forced throughout the body, thus poisoning the entire carcass

According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, body poisons, including uric acid and other toxic wastes, are present in the blood and tissue.

"Protein obtained from nuts, pulses (lentils, pens, etc.), grains and dairy products is said to be relatively pure compared with beef which tests of 56% impure water content."

Just as our bodies become ill during times of intense rage or fear, animals, no less than humans, undergo profound biochemical changes in dangerous situations.

The hormone level the animals blood especially the hormone adrenaline changes radically as they see other animals dying around them and they struggle futilely for life and freedom.

These large amounts of hormones remain in the meat and later poison the human tissue. According to the Nutrition Institute of America, the flesh of an animal carcass is loaded with toxic blood and other waste by-products.

Deadly reason # 4

FULL OF DECAY

Raw meat is always a state of decay. As soon as an animal is killed, denatured substances, called ptomaines are formed.

These ptomaines, are formed. These ptomaines that are released immediately after death give animal flesh, fish, and adds a common property-extremely rapid decomposition and putrefaction.

Meat passes very slowly through the human digestive system, which is not designed to digest it. It takes me about 5 days to pass out of the body. (as a post a vegetarian food, which takes only 1 1/2 days.)

During this time, the disease causing products of decaying meat are in constant contact with the digest if organs. The habit of eating animal flesh in its characteristics state of decomposition creates a poisonous state in the colon and wears out the intestinal tract prematurely.

Deadly Reason #5

FULL OF BACTERIA

Full of bacteria the E coli 0157, a strain of life-threatening bacteria that can cause body diarrhea and dehydration, is naturally present in the intestines of a cattle. During or around the crossing sign, a fecal matter can come into contact with the beef and contaminate it. It gets package anyway and get shipped to your supermarket. And the U.S. for example, ground beef products have been found to be contaminated with bacteria. In May last year, some 1.1 million pounds of ground beef that caused 22 illness in Minnesota and the potential for more illnesses in 14 other states were recalled.

The products were believed to have been contaminated with E coli 0157 according to the U.S. National Centers for disease control in me 2001 report, both E coli and salmonella combines to sicken at least 113,000 people annually.

The very young and elderly, along with those who have compromised immune systems, are considered more susceptible to E coli related illnesses.

Cooked meats, even if all done, dangerous to

Meets that are barbecued of cooked at high temperatures create the following two types of chemicals that may increase your risk a breast stomach and colorectal cancers.

HCA (heterocyclicamines) are created by cooking meat at high temperatures. Barbecuing, like broiling and pan frying, produces more HCA's than cooking a cooler temperatures does. (baking and roasting requires less heat). Researchers have found that small amount of HCA's are also produced in meats that have been cooked until they are well done.

PAH's (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) are deposited on your food by the smoke and flame created by fat dripping onto hot barbecue coals.

Deadly Reason #7

FULL OF FATS AND CHOLESTEROL

Study after study clearly demonstrates that beef, pork, poultry and lamb, even the untainted by disease, contain massive amounts of saturated fats (factory farmed animals may have up to thirty times more saturated fat) and cholesterol, thus helping to clog arteries, hospitals and cemeteries worldwide.

This is regular meat-eaters live shorter lives. In a worldwide study, it has found that the Eskimos, Greenlanders and the Russian Kurgi tribes had the highest intake of flesh foods. These groups had a lowest life expectancies - in some cases averaging as low as 30 years.

In comparison, population such as the Pakistan Hunzas, east Indian Todas, Russian Caucasians and the Yucatan Indians live under harsh conditions and eat little or no animal flesh. These populations have the highest life expectancies, as high as 90 to 100 years.

The Hunzas eat almost no animal products, living a vigourous life into their 80's and beyond retirement to unknown, and many pass their one 100th birthday.

Deadly Reason # 7

FULL OF GENETICALLY ALTERED SUBSTANCE

Animals raised for meat today may not have genetically modified (yet), but they would have been affected by genetic tampering. In the U.S. for example, virtually the entire genetically modified maize crop and large percentage of soya and potatoes are fed to farm animals.

Genetically modified products can cause allergies (skin rashes, nausea and respiratory problems). In severe cases, anaphylactic shock and death occur.

It has been hypothesize that are harmful effects of such American modified foods could be passed on a far more concentrated form to humans (as in the case of pesticides) in contaminated meat type vegetarian-type foods.

(a plant based diet has a far lower concentration of pesticide residues then meat. This is because pesticides accumulate as one organism is eaten by another. When a cow eats grass, or is fed maize, the pesticides inside these foodstuffs are largely retained in a concentrated form in her body fat.

They are then passed on to people in the same concentrated form, when they eat the animals flesh or drink it milk. Even if farm animals were not fed pesticides directly, harmful residues still accumulate in their body fat as result of " environmental contamination".)

Even processed meat products may be affected. Last March, it was discovered that kellogg's made veggie corn dogs sold in the U.S. Contained a variety of genetically engineered corn.

How to Study Biochemistry – It is very simple, follow these step

Biochemistry is a notorious course for demanding a high-volume of information in a short amount of time. However, there are studying methods to assist students in learning efficiently and effectively. I have studied and interviewed groups of medical and science students that have mastered their course work. It is true that there are specific and detailed guidelines that these students adhere to and credit for their academic success. The successful student must excel in visualizing relationships, memorizing facts, and reciting complex metabolic reactions of the human body. With some time and applying these strategies and tips from past honor students ofBiochemistry, you will greatly improve your academic performance.

Study Skill #1 - Do NOT procrastinate. The most obvious, and yet least followed advice by students. Biochemistry is a high-volume course that progresses and builds its concepts on the fundamentals. Moreover, many pathways and reactions require memorization and must be acquired over time. The last thing you want to do is cram for this course.

Study Skill #2 - Know the terminology and nomenclature, it will make things much easier down the road. An enzyme or protein will often have its function built into its name. Take Protein Kinase A for example. As a member of the Kinases, it will almost always add a phosphate group to its substrate. Or, take Alcohol Dehydrogenase, structures that are Dehydrogenases always oxidize a substrate. In this case, it oxidizes alcohols into aldehydes and ketones. Once you get this down, you will begin to recognize names and automatically correlate them with a specific function.

Study Skill #3 - Start with the big picture. There is no doubt that you will have to memorize multi-step metabolic pathways. The best way to do this is to start with the easy steps and understand the overall flow of the reaction. First, write only the substrates and products in order. Do this repeatedly, until it is memorized. Then add the enzymes. Then continue to add co-factors and by-products. If necessary, label each as an exer- or endergonic reaction. Use the nomenclature to help you remember what is going on in each step. For example, Phosphofructokinase-1 - adds a phosphate group (phospho-kinase) to the molecule fructose (-fructo-) at the first position (-1). By breaking down the pathways and focusing on the terminology it will greatly speed up your ability to memorize them.

Study Skill #4 - Buy a dry erase board. Use this to memorize the pathways and any other reactions you have to know. There are no short-cuts, but writing things out reinforces them in your memory. It tends to be much more efficient than staring and reciting from your textbook.

Study Skill #5 - Know the purpose of a reaction. Take the Bohr Effect for example. An increase in [H+] (decrease in pH), CO2, temperature, and 2,3-BPG all occur in active skeletal muscle. They also all encourage O2 release from hemoglobin. This makes sense if you think that working muscle is metabolic tissue and needs oxygen to survive. Incorporating the larger concept will also allow you to predict the flow of reactions in other situations throughout the body.

Study Skill #6 - Stare at the graphs and plots. These questions are virtually freebies on exams because all the information you need to solve them is included. Know what the x- and y-intercept, the slope, and the area under the graph represent. Know what makes the graphed line move to the right or left. You will absolutely be asked about the Michaelis-Menten graph and the Hemoglobin dissociation curve - these are staples ofbiochemistry.

Study Skill #7 - Seek to understand first, and then memorize. Like many other courses, biochemistry can be overwhelming at first. There is no easy way to memorize every amino acid or metabolic reaction. But students always claim that if they take the time to first get the concept down, the memorizing is not as difficult as it once seemed. Stay focused, break it down into small steps, and practice.

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...