"Healing with Whole Foods"

(Posted also under Alternative...etc.--Vit D or D3) 

Yesterday a belated birthday presents arrived in the mail from my son.  One of the presents was a book entitled "Healing with Whole Foods--Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition"...Paul Pitchford (Third Edition). 

I thumbed through the index and found.."15. Calcium" then below was written "The Magnesium Connection" ... "The Hormonal Activity of Magnesium" ..."The Relaxing Effect".  I absolutely had to look immediately.

It's obvious that I can copy and paste the whole book ... however, the magnesium connection is of particular interest.

...so it said...

"It is common knowledge that vitamin D is essential for efficient calcium utilization.  In response to this information, the dairy industry has fortified nearly all available milk with synthetic vitamin D3.

    For many years, magnesium also has been recognized as valuable in calcium absorption, but its absolute necessity has been underscored in several recent human experiments.  In one, calcium and vitamin D were abundantly supplied while magnesium was withheld; all subjects in the experiment except one became calcium-dificient.  When magnesium was reintroduced in the diet, calcium levels rose dramatically. 2"

Chapter 15: Calcium

2.  Regtop, H.  Is magnesium the grossly neglected mineral?  International Clinical Nutrition Review 3:pp 18-19, July 1983.

"Calcitonin is a hormone which increases calcium in the bones and keeps it from being absorbed into the soft tissues.  Magnesium stimulates calcitonin production and therefore increases calcium int he bones while drawing it out of the soft tissues.  Many forms of arthritis are characterized by excess calcium appearing in the soft tissues while skeletal calcium is lacking."

This helped explain why the magnesium worked so well for me to decrease the joint pain and improve my cognitive abilities. 

.... also noteworthy was ...

"Photosynthesis an extremely complex and poorly understood process, takes place in plants in the presence of sunlight and results in the fomation of chlorophyll.  All plants touched by sunlight contain chlorophyll, but the green plants are by far the most concentrated sources."

"Many of the benefits man gets from the sunshine he can get from greens.  Anyone in the city should especially think of greens as a means of getting sunshine to the body. -- Dr. Bernard Jensen, from Health Magic Through Chlorophyll"

Did you know that it was only in 1988 that "the Surgeon General of the US acknowledged  the value of a good diet, while simultaneously condemning typical American eating patterns.

The book only arrived yesterday -- has anyone else here read this?  Probably Rosemary for sure....

The blurb on the front cover said "This book has the feel of a life's work: it's packed with information essential for anyone seriously investigating the relationship between food and healing." -- Yoga Journal

I think that describes us ....  

Now I'm off to read about calcium absorption....

Best wishes to all...as always

Hi,

I was just off watching Jon Stewart online....it's the best political news you can get...based on what I saw...I think even Fox news is next to drop from the race.  OK so I don't get paid for writing jokes....heck I don't get paid for anything....

Shokk--It seems a good book, no?  I'm liking it alot and loving my son for sending it to me.  BTW, he lives in So. Cal but learned about healthy food when he lived in Hawaii for a short time...worked in a health food store....and the interest continued to grow.  He also rocks my world with exercises for longevity.  But that's not his day job...

Your question about the food here....I arrived here over six years ago...when the currency changed to euro...and the country changed to EU....and I loved that the country produced Slow Food.org.  In that time things have changed I'm sorry to say.  We now have fast food pizza shops..two.  One is next to the new Super Store (food market) that is being renovated to be like those you are familiar...it bums me out.  But the food is still great in the market....in fact our favorite bread store stocks the market...so if we don't get there before 12:30 when they close, we can get it at the market.  The market stays open during lunch time and it is open on Thursday afternoon when everything else is closed...damn it....The check out lanes are stocked with sweets and POS (point of service) purchases....but I can't find peanut butter except specialty stores.  Junk food is beginning to creep in...chips, etc.

I never see anyone walking while they are eating....and never on trains buses, etc....it's considered impolite if they can't offer some food to someone else. 

Yes, we do shop for our food every day...bread, veggies, etc.  Meats we freeze and some prepared pasta dishes.  We buy our meats direct from the man who slaughters them...here the history of the animal (birth, travel, etc.) is displayed....and no hormones.  We are in the suburban sprawl that is occuring now outside of Rome where my husband worked for over 30 years.  We have our favorite pasta shop, bread shop, meat shop, vegatables, etc.  Ready to eat foods are becoming popular here in the markets and some of the pasta and meat markets capitalize on that too.  Productivity is being pushed so they need to speed things up.  Also the commutes here are hell...hours in one direction (thank god I'm retired).

When you commute into Rome it is not unusual to see sheep on the hill sides grazing (CLA value of cheese thank you very much BBS).  It is their manner to keep the grass cut...makes sense to me....and is beautiful to see, no?  It's not unusual either sometimes to need to wait for a herd to cross the street...even a busy street...it's just the way it is...thank god.

We buy our cheese at the market but also directly from the herder...goat and sheep.  

People do walk a lot here...never in a hurry....up and down a lot of hills...nothing is in a straight line...roads follow the contour of the land. Traffic and parking is terrible.  Cars that don't meet pollution standards are not permitted in certain areas of Rome.  In our neighborhood, on the weekends, it's not unusual to see people on horse back or small carts....it just is natural.

Another aspect I like is that you can only buy what is in season...artichokes are coming in soon. 

I love it here, don't get me wrong....but I ate healthy when I lived in the US too.  I purchased most of my food from a farmer's market and limited my shopping at the chain stores.  I had a garden when my children were small and I stayed at home.  My next door neighbor took me around the yard to show me what was eatable...she was a Prevention magazine fan...shared them with me.  

I think in general Europe is more social conscious so family life and items so important as food and pollution get attention--except for Naples and other areas where the mafia has a strangle hold.  However, globalization is creeping in .... we'll see how well the EU is able to maintain their focus. I'm hopeful.

Well that was all over the place to respond....but I think you'll understand it.

Buon appetito! 

Hi Calico,

Yes I agree.  With all of it's imperfections...which is what makes it so enduring and real.  Paradise for me is where there is dirt on your shoes and under you nails but can be cleaned with water and soap before going to the concert, or the theater, or the museum, or just to sit at the cafe.

abbracci tutti (hugs to all),

Hi Saluki,

My pleasure to share good info as this book seems to be.  

I went to Jon Stewart on line because someone told me that he was writing his own material during the writer's strike, and that he was pretty good ... I wanted to hear it.  I was pleasantly surprised by the interviews he did...Peggy Noonan was one of them.  But I've been away from US TV for so long it's always a surprise when I do catch some.  I admit that I miss the quality TV and movies.

Some of the life styles here are wonderful...it's like to be 50 years ago in US...but the change is coming to Italy...I hope not too much.