The Juice Cleanse Reset Diet (5 page)
Read The Juice Cleanse Reset Diet Online
Authors: Lori Kenyon Farley
Because we’re natural health enthusiasts with an affinity for green juices, people expect us to promote a vegan lifestyle. We don’t. Even crazier, we believe it’s okay to eat meat, even red meat. Mind blowing, we know. Before you get too excited and go on a burger-eating escapade, let us explain a bit further. While we don’t think that being an omnivore automatically means you’re doomed to obesity and disease, we do think that you should consume animal products responsibly and sparingly.
With this in mind, your consumption of animal protein should be limited to 10 to 15 percent of your diet. This quantity allows you to reap the nutritional benefits of animal protein, like amino acids and B vitamins, without derailing your diet plan.
We strongly urge you to choose organic meat, poultry, and dairy. It can be challenging to find restaurants that serve organic options. Rather than vowing to never eat out again, a great solution is to order a vegetarian option or to select wild-caught fish. The pesticides on your veggies or salads are not ideal either, but they are the better option when compared to hormone- and antibiotic-filled meat and dairy.
When eating at home, you have more control over what you eat and how it’s prepared. In choosing meat for at-home meals, select organic and cook at low temperatures. Cooking at low temperatures protects you against cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These chemicals form when muscle meat, including beef, pork, fish, and poultry, are cooked using high-temperature methods, such as pan frying or grilling directly over an open flame. If you like your meat charred, we urge you to consider the health detriments of these toxins and try some of the slow-cooking recipes in this book.
Hormone free, grass fed, natural—the list is long and the messages on labels can easily cause confusion. Choosing the healthiest options requires you to be able to decipher the many different labels and key phrases commonly found on dairy, beef, poultry, and eggs.
To help you make smart decisions, we have broken down many of the terms used on these products. Understanding the differences among these labels will help you navigate your way through the supermarket aisle with confidence.
Look for:
• USDA Organic (dairy, eggs, meat, poultry): Cattle have never been treated with antibiotics. Feed is organic and GMO free. Chickens are only given antibiotics in the case of infection. In contrast, conventionally raised chicks are administered antibiotics on a routine basis.
• AGA-Certified Grass Fed (beef, dairy, lamb): Takes the USDA standards to a higher level. Means the animal was born and raised in the United States, fed 100 percent grass, and was never given antibiotics or hormones. A comprehensive review of over three decades of research was written in 2010 by California State University, Chico, and was published in
Nutrition Journal
, verifying that grass-fed beef has lower levels of cholesterol and unhealthy fats, as well as higher levels of vitamins A and E and omega-3 fatty acids.
• 100% Grass Fed, USDA Process Verified (beef, dairy, lamb): Animals were fed 100 percent grass and forage. Does not exclude use of antibiotics.
• Animal Welfare Approved (dairy, eggs, meat, poultry): The highest animal welfare standards of any third-party auditing program. Antibiotics are allowed to treat sick animals only. Slaughter and milking are only allowed after antibiotics are out of the animal’s system.
• Wild Caught (fish): Farmed fish are typically fed antibiotics. Wild-caught fish are not. There is no such thing as organic fish. If you see a claim for organic fish, it’s bogus.
Avoid Hormones and Antibiotics in Your Food
Although the FDA regulates the amount of antibiotics and hormones contained in conventional dairy products, we wonder: should any amount be allowed? Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a genetically engineered form of the natural growth hormone produced by cows. Injecting cows with this artificial hormone expedites their growth rate and boosts their milk production by 10 percent, but it also greatly increases their incidence of mastitis. Mastitis is an infection that must be treated with antibiotics. You can see how this practice can quickly become a self-perpetuating cycle of injecting hormones and antibiotics.
Products labeled as rBGH free are often labeled as antibiotic free as well, since antibiotics are less likely to be needed when the cows are not injected with hormones. Due to the clear association between rBGH and human antibiotic resistance, as well as an increased risk of breast cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer in humans, the additive has been banned in Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, and the European Union. Yet, we are still using rBGH in the United States. We recommend you stay away from this hormone completely.
Be cautious of:
• Natural: Term is not regulated and has little meaning. In reference to meat, “natural” can be claimed if there is no food coloring. GMO feed, antibiotics, and hormones are allowed.
• Antibiotic Free/No Antibiotic Residues: Since the USDA does not regulate this term, it does not hold much meaning.
• rBGH Free (dairy): Indicates that the cows have not been treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone. rBGH is used in conventional cattle raising to massively increase milk production by the cow. Mastitis (inflammation of the udders,
often caused by infection) has been linked to rBGH treatment. Conventional cows given rBGH are pumped full of antibiotics. This seal does not say anything about placing limitations on the use of antibiotics, but there may be a smaller need for antibiotics in rBGH-free cows.
• Free Range, Free Roaming, or Cage Free (poultry, eggs): Typically, the chickens are uncaged inside barns or warehouses and have some degree of outdoor access, but there are no requirements for the amount, duration, or quality of outdoor access. No restrictions regarding what the birds can be fed or regarding the use of antibiotics and hormones. Look for free range in combination with the USDA seal for your best option.
Many health food markets sell free-range, USDA organic, 100 percent grass-fed beef. Today websites like
www.eatwild.com
allow you to search for responsible dairy and cattle farms in your area, providing a great option to purchase meat and dairy products that satisfy all of your requirements without breaking the bank. Many of the small farms that offer online purchasing and home delivery give discounts if you buy in bulk. Consider getting together with a few friends or neighbors to invest in the best quality at the best price.
Seafood is no exception to the rule that knowledge is the first tenet of a healthy eating plan. You must be an educated consumer in order to select your seafood. While seafood can be very healthy, it also can be contaminated with mercury and other toxins. Additionally, overfishing of certain types of fish has a detrimental environmental impact. Still, there are many very healthy seafood options that are perfectly safe and beneficial to include in your diet.
Seafood Watch is a great resource where you can find out about safe, healthy, and sustainable seafood options. Visit the website
www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/seafoodwatch.aspx
and view their seafood recommendations. For your convenience, they offer a pocket guide and a downloadable application.
Avoid (due to high toxin levels):
• Most U.S. and Canadian farmed fish of all types. Farmed shellfish is the exception and is often safe to eat.
Limit (due to high mercury levels):
• Swordfish
• Tuna (fresh and canned)
• Marlin
• Orange roughy
Enjoy:
• Wild salmon
• Striped bass
• Alaskan halibut
• Anchovies
• Crab
Do you eat conventional meal replacement bars or cereal, fast food, or any nonorganic processed foods? If so, chances are high that you consume genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The World Health Organization defines GMOs as “organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally.”
According to the Institute for Responsible Technology, there are many reasons to be concerned about genetically engineered foods, including a lack of proof about their long-term effects on humans, their potential to disrupt natural growing cycles, and the allergen risks. GMOs represent one more way that big companies create foods that are further away from their natural forms.
A Word on Raw
If you’re a dairy eater, seek out raw milk and cheese in your local markets. Most milk is heat pasteurized, which reduces the nutritional quality and decreases your body’s ability to digest it well. Studies done by the Department of Food Hygiene and Technology in Córdoba, Spain, are among many that have shown that milk has a decrease in manganese, copper, and iron after heat treatment. The FDA has acknowledged that pasteurization destroys a substantial portion of the vitamin C in milk, and sterilization is also known to significantly impair the bioactivity of vitamin B
6
contained in milk. Heating juice damages the enzymes in it, making it harder for your body to absorb the nutrients. The same goes for milk. The heating of milk during pasteurization damages its inherent lactase (the naturally occurring enzyme needed to break down lactose). Consuming lactose without the presence of lactase causes digestive grief for many people. The Weston A. Price Foundation conducted an informal survey of more than seven hundred families and determined that more than 80 percent of those diagnosed with lactose intolerance no longer suffer from symptoms after switching to raw milk.
It is illegal to sell raw milk in many states. In states where the sale of raw milk is prohibited, you may be able to purchase raw milk directly from a local farm through a cow share program. Participating in a cow share program typically requires an upfront payment of around $75. This payment covers the costs for the farmer to board, feed, care for, and milk the cow. In exchange, you receive weekly deliveries of raw milk. You can find a list of participating farms online at
www.eatwild.com
.
While it is evident that raw milk offers substantial nutritional benefits, it is important to realize that raw milk has not been treated to kill potential pathogens. For your safety, if you are pregnant, nursing, or have a weakened immune system, you should consult your doctor before consuming raw dairy products.