New Natural Way To Starve Cancer And Obesity

"Angiogenesis" is the process your body uses to build blood vessels. Your body consists of some 19 billion capillaries (the smallest blood vessels), which are the vessels for both life, and yes, in many cases, death, as Dr. William Li, explains during his fascinating TED lecture.

This is because cancerous cells, like all other cells in your body, cannot thrive without the oxygen and nutrients supplied by your capillaries. 

Virtually all of your blood vessels are formed while you're in the womb, but there are still certain circumstances in adulthood when your body will grow new blood vessels. 

Blood vessels are created each month to form the lining of a woman's uterus, for example. And during pregnancy, new blood vessels form the placenta, which connects and shuttles nutrients to the growing fetus.

"Your body has the ability to regulate the amount of blood vessels it needs at any given time," Li explains, and it does this through an elaborate system of stimulators and inhibitors.

"But for a number of diseases there are defects in this system," Li says. 

In some cases, your body becomes incapable of "pruning back" extra blood vessels, and in others it cannot grow enough new ones. 

In these situations, angiogenesis is out of balance, and a myriad of diseases result.

For example, insufficient angiogenesis (too few blood vessels) can lead to:

• Chronic wounds that will not heal 
• Heart disease 
• Stroke 
• Neuropathy 
• Erectile dysfunction 

Excessive angiogenesis (too many blood vessels) promote diseases such as:

• Cancer 
• Blindness 
• Arthritis 
• Endometriosis 
• Multiple sclerosis 

According to Dr. Li, there are more than 70 major diseases, affecting more than a billion people worldwide -- which on the surface appear completely different from each other -- that all share abnormal angiogenesis as a common denominator.

"This realization allows us to reconceptualize the way we approach these diseases -- by controlling angiogenesis," Li says.

This is exciting, as I believe and have taught for years that your diet is the key to preventing diseases of all kinds, including cancer. Dr. Li's research explains, and scientifically validates what many of us have experienced, and our ancestors intuitively knew.

You are what you eat, and there are vast differences between a historically wholesome, nutritious diet, and the processed, chemical-based foods that pass for sustenance today.

Strategies for Starving Cancer, and Obesity

In his TED talk, Dr. Li focuses primarily on cancer, because angiogenesis is a hallmark of the disease. As stated earlier, cancer cells cannot grow into noticeable tumors without sufficient amounts of capillaries feeding them oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood. 

As it turns out, the majority of people carry around microscopic cancer cell clusters in their bodies, but not everyone actually develops cancer. 

This is because as long as your body has the ability to balance angiogenesis properly, it will prevent blood vessels from forming to feed these microscopic tumors. Trouble will only arise if, and when, the cancer cells manage to get their own blood supply, at which point they can transform from harmless to deadly. 

"Anti-angiogenic therapy is the method of cutting off blood supply to the cancer," Li explains. "This can be done because tumor vessels, unlike healthy vessels, are abnormal and poorly constructed, and because of that, they're highly vulnerable to treatments that target them."

There are currently about a dozen different anti-angiogenic cancer drugs that, according to Li's statistics, have significantly increased survival rates.

However, the answer to the cancer epidemic is not just devising better drugs to treat it in its advanced stages. The answer is preventing cancer from occurring in the first place, and that's what's so exciting about Dr. Li's research. 

Interestingly, obesity is also largely dependent on angiogenesis. 

"Like tumor cells, fat cells grow when blood vessels grow," Li says. So in essence, a cancer-preventive diet is also an obesity-preventive diet.

The Cancer-Preventive Diet

Dr. Li believes the answer to cancer is to prevent angiogenesis, which can effectively starve any microscopic cancerous growths, preventing them from growing and becoming dangerous.

But how do you prevent angiogenesis, aside from using a drug?

As it turns out, "mother nature has laced a large number of foods, beverages and herbs with naturally occurring inhibitors of angiogenesis," says Li. 

So by consuming these anti-angiogenetic foods you can naturally boost your body's defense system and prevent blood vessels from forming and feeding the microscopic tumors that exist in your body at any given time.

As shown on a graph in the video, diet accounts for at least 30-35 percent of all environmentally caused cancers. 

So, "eating to starve cancer" could have a dramatic impact on cancer rates across the world.

According to Li, resveratrol from red grapes, for example, have been shown to inhibit abnormal angiogenesis by 60 percent. Even more potent is the ellagic acid found in strawberries. 

Other anti-angiogenetic foods include:

Green tea	Berries: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, blueberries	Cherries
Red grapes	Kale	Turmeric
Nutmeg	Artichokes	Parsley
Garlic	Tomato	Maitake mushroom

Logically, different foods contain different potencies of anti-angiogenetic compounds. But interestingly, when researchers evaluated a combination of two of the LEAST potent teas, for example, they discovered that this combination tea had greater potency than any given tea by itself. 

"There's synergy," Li states, which should come as no surprise to those of you who are well-versed in holistic nutrition.

Synergy is indeed what makes fresh, whole foods so potently nutritious! The sum is far greater than the individual parts, and this is why it's far more important to focus on eating a diet of whole, organic foods, rather than obsessing about individual nutrients.

Some Foods are As Potent, or More Potent than Anti-Angiogenetic Drugs!

In his lecture, Dr. Li shows a graph comparing anti-angiogenetic drugs with foods. It's a beautiful illustration of just how potent foods can be, because, as Li says, "foods hold their own, and in some cases are more potent than the drugs!" 

Examples of foods equaling or exceeding the potency of drugs include parsley, garlic, and red grapes.

Dr. Li is now involved with creating the world's first rating system that will score foods according to their anti-angiogenetic, cancer-preventative properties. But there's really no reason to wait for a comprehensive list, because we already know that optimal health hinges on a healthy diet consisting of a wide variety of whole, organic foods.

Just like a single food contains synergistic compounds, and a combination of foods can work together synergistically, a healthy diet overall will help you prevent all manner of disease, including cancer, in more ways than one.

For example, balancing your insulin levels will have a beneficial, protective effect on a number of diseases, including cancer. And eating according to your nutritional type also has potent anti-cancer effects. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic, this is in fact one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.

Other Important Strategies that Can Help Prevent Cancer

It's virtually impossible to discuss cancer prevention today without discussing vitamin D, as the scientific evidence of its anti-cancerous benefits is truly impressive. 

For example, intake of vitamin D3 and calcium could potentially prevent 58,000 new cases of breast cancer and 49,000 new cases of colorectal cancer annually in the United States and Canada, according to a complex computer prediction model. 

This model also predicted that 75 percent of deaths from these cancers could be prevented with adequate intake of vitamin D3 and calcium.

Theories linking vitamin D to certain cancers have been tested and confirmed in more than 200 epidemiological studies, and understanding of its physiological basis stems from more than 2,500 laboratory studies, according to epidemiologist Cedric Garland, DrPH, professor of family and preventive medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. 

Dr. Garland is widely regarded as the leading epidemiologist on vitamin D and its relation to health. He led one of the latest studies on vitamin D for cancer prevention and proposed a new model of cancer development -- dubbed DINOMIT-- that is centered on a loss of cancer cells' ability to stick together. 

The model is a departure from the older model of cancer development, which centers on genetic mutations as the earliest driving forces behind cancer. According to Dr. Garland:

"The first event in cancer is loss of communication among cells due to, among other things, low vitamin D and calcium levels. In this new model, we propose that this loss may play a key role in cancer by disrupting the communication between cells that is essential to healthy cell turnover, allowing more aggressive cancer cells to take over."

So clearly, no cancer prevention plan is complete without this simple lifestyle modification. 

Normalizing your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure is one of the most effective, and least expensive, strategies that is available to most people. Ideally, you'll want to monitor your vitamin D levels to make sure your levels stay within a therapeutic range year-round.

Here are several additional strategies you can incorporate to virtually eliminate your cancer risk: 

1. Control your insulin levels by limiting your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as possible. 
2. Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats. 
3. Exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks. 
4. Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. My particular favorite tool for this purpose, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique. 
5. Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please understand that, frequently, fresh conventionally grown vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are older and wilted in the grocery store. They are certainly better than no vegetables at all, so don't use that as an excuse. If you are a carb nutritional type you may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than a protein nutritional type. 
6. Maintain an ideal body weight. 
7. Get enough high-quality sleep. 
8. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air freshenersand air pollution. 
9. Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.

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A Cup Of This Every Morning Can Stop Fat Accumulation In Your Blood And Prevent Weight Gain

These days, it’s no secret that poor health is a big problem.

The United States Military considers obesity an issue of national security, is the leading cause of preventable death in the US, and it’s estimated to cost more than $147 billion to treat each year.

So it makes sense that more and more people are eating right and exercising. It’s the only way to lose weight for certain, but here are a lot of little things we can do to help stem the tide of weight gain and turn the scale around.

This special drink helps you bring your cholesterol and weight levels down. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 5 organic lemons
• 5-6 sprigs of parsley
• 3 liters of water
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda

Instructions:

1. chop the lemons and parsley and boil over low heat in the water for 2 hours.
2. Turn the heat off and let it stand for an hour.
3. Remove all the ingredients and chop thoroughly.
4. Cook again on low heat for another 3 hours.

After that, you should have about one and a half liters of syrup. Drink it each morning in a small shot glass. There should be enough for at least 15 days. Discard after 20.

ENJOY!

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends and family. Your support in our endeavor of sharing free information would be much appreciated.

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Researchers Suggest Cannabis Can Reduce Obesity And Risk Of Diabetes

Though cannabis use is often associated with unmitigated sloth and gluttony, a new study suggests the opposite: cannabis use may be associated with a decrease in obesity. An analysis of over 20 years of data found that obesity dropped by a significant margin in states where medical cannabis is legal. Though the researchers’ findings represented correlation as opposed to causation, the results, like many new findings about cannabis, chip away at decades-old stereotypes about the plant and its users.

The study, titled “The Effect of Medical Marijuana Laws on Body Weight,” was published in Health Economics, an academic journal that focuses on health policy and services, health care sciences and services, and economics. Researchers from Cornell University’s Department of Policy Analysis and Management and San Diego State University’s Department of Economics analyzed data from the Center for Disease Control’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. The BRFSS is the “premier system of health-related telephone surveys that collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services,” according to the CDC.

The researchers studied data from 1990-2012 — gleaned from over five million individual survey responses — in what they call the first ever study to “examine the effects of medical marijuana laws (MMLs) on body weight, physical wellness, and exercise.” They used a “difference to difference” approach, a method in which researchers use ‘before and after’ data in one group and analyze it alongside “a comparison group that is experiencing the same trends but is not exposed to the policy change.”

Though the study acknowledged that previous randomized control studies found cannabis was associated with increased appetite and caloric intake, their findings determined that “the enforcement of MMLs [medical marijuana laws] is associated with a 2% to 6% decline in the probability of obesity.”

The researchers presented different explanations of the trend for different age groups and posited that among older individuals, cannabis use is often used to treat chronic pain. They hypothesized that with reductions in pain come increased physical activity, and as a result, lower rates of obesity.

The study’s authors offered an alternative analysis for adults aged 18-24, suggesting the availability of cannabis is associated with reductions in alcohol consumption. “Our findings show that the enactment of MMLs is associated with a 3.1 percent reduction in the probability of alcohol consumption and a 4.8 percent reduction in the probability of binge drinking,” they explained. Alcohol is high in calories, and compared to cannabis, which has zero calories, the difference is substantial. When cannabis is more accessible, the authors reasoned, it can “cause substitution toward lower-calorie recreational ‘highs’ among younger individuals.”

The study also suggested that over the long term, results may be even more pronounced. Further, they suggested the apparent reduction in obesity associated with cannabis use leads to lower healthcare costs. “We estimate a back-of-the-envelope-per-person reduction in MML-induced obesity related medical costs of $58 to $115 per year,” they wrote.

The findings were not without mitigating factors. The Washington Post noted that while some studies have found states with legalized cannabis also see decreased alcohol consumption, other studies indicate alcohol intake actually increases in MML-friendly states, leaving conclusions on the matter murky.

Rosalie Pacula, director of the BING Center for Health Economics at the RAND Corp., argued that the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System is not particularly accurate in determining state-level effects, though she did not explain why. She also noted that cannabis legalization is relatively new, and ongoing consequences of such policies are still evolving.

“These data aren’t going to provide us with the definitive answer because of the issues with the data and time period being evaluated,” Pacula told the Post in an email. “Thus, I believe that these findings should be interpreted very cautiously – as they could plausibly be reversed in the future, when other analyses are done using data sets that contain either (a) state representative populations over time, or (b) longer time periods for later policies.”

Though the study has caveats, the findings echo similar studies on related issues. One 2013 study linked cannabis use to a lower risk of developing diabetes, finding cannabis helps control blood sugar. Murray Mittleman, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of that study, explained that the “most important finding is that current users of marijuana appeared to have better carbohydrate metabolism than nonusers. Their fasting insulin levels were lower, and they appeared to be less resistant to the insulin produced by their body to maintain a normal blood-sugar level.”

In reporting on the study, Time noted additional studies that determined “marijuana users are less likely to be obese, have a lower risk for diabetes and have lower body-mass-index measurements. And these trends occurred despite the fact that they seemed to take in more calories.”

Though the findings of the new study must be replicated and further explored to be confirmed, they shed light on as-yet-unknown benefits of cannabis legalization, a policy voters increasingly embrace — and for increasingly good reasons.

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This article (Researchers Suggest Cannabis Can Reduce Obesity and Risk of Diabetes) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Carey Wedler and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11pm Eastern/8pm Pacific. Image credit: Chuck Grimmett. .

Cannabis Supercharges Metabolism And Cuts Fat Cells In Half

As cannabis becomes more integrated within mainstream culture, millions are becoming more educated on the many benefits of THC and cannabinoids. Not only does cannabis consumption lower insulin resistance, but it also improves fasting insulin and facilitates metabolic function. More athletes and even those engaged in moderate recreational fitness have incredible benefits from daily consumption of the once demonized plant.

Coupled with the pain-relieving effects of both plant and human-derived cannabinoids, cannabis and exercise seem to go hand in hand if you’re looking to improve your physical health.

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that allows your body to use sugar (glucose) from carbohydrates in the food that you eat for energy or to store glucose for future use. Insulin helps keeps your blood sugar level from getting too high or too low. If you consume a meal which make blood glucose levels rise quickly, insulin secretion often overshoots to compensate and the excess is stored as fat. If you have too much unused glucose in your cells, you will gain weight. If your body isn’t handling insulin properly, you may also gain weight.

A study published in the American Journal of Medicine has found that regular cannabis consumers have fasting insulin (insulin in your body before eating) levels 16% lower than non-consumers. The study also found that cannabis consumers had 17% lower insulin resistance levels and lower average waist circumferences. The researchers concluded that there were significant associations between marijuana use and smaller waist circumferences.

Some athletes swear by using marijuana or its isolated active ingredients, such as delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) as performance-enhancing drugs, saying these substances ease anxiety and increase pain threshold so that they can push themselves during workouts.

Men’s Journal interviewed elite triathlete Clifford Drusinsky, a Colorado gym owner who also leads training sessions fueled by marijuana edibles.

“Marijuana relaxes me and allows me to go into a controlled, meditational place,” Drusinsky told Men’s Journal. “When I get high, I train smarter and focus on form.”

Researchers say that marijuana has an anti-inflammatory effect and that the chemical compounds that come from weed might mimic the body’s natural endorphins, which could help increase our pain threshold like a natural runner’s high and make it easier to push through a tough workout.

THCs Release During Exercise

Contrary to popular thought, it’s not just the endorphins (the compounds which make you feel excited after activities such as exercise and sex) that make physical activity so great. A 2003 study found that exercise actually activates the endocannabinoid system in the same way that the cannabis plant does. The endocannabinoid system is a group of lipids (types of fats) and cell receptors that cannabinoids (compounds like THC and CBD) bind to inside the body. The endocannabinoid system is responsible for easing pain, controlling appetite, and influences mood and memory.

Perhaps as a coping mechanism for easing pain, the body naturally produces its own cannabinoids during exercise. In the aforementioned study, researchers found that human-produced cannabinoids increase as you exercise, causing you to feel a little “high.”

It’s not news to the medical community that the human body stores tetrahydrocannabidiol (THC), the main psychoactive in cannabis, in fat. However, a study put out this August in Drug and Alcohol Dependence has shown that this storage process can give exercisers an extra boost, even up to 28 days after consumption.

As the body begins to burn off fat, small amounts of THC are released back into the bloodstream, producing an effect similar to consuming a small amount of cannabis. THC blood levels increased by approximately 15% immediately after moderate exercise, yet this increase was no longer present two hours after the workout.

Researchers discovered that engaging in exercise can provide you with a stronger buzz and increase the potency of the marijuana. The fact is that working out for just a half hour will trigger an additional stronger high for marijuana users.

This study also showed a correlation between THC release and BMI. The greater the BMI, the greater the increase in THC reintroduced to the body.

Exercise Also Activates the Brain’s Endocannabinoid System

In a 2003 study, researchers uncovered the truth that marijuana and exercise both activate the same endocannabinoid system in the brain.

As a group of lipids, fats, and cell receptors that THC bind to when smoking weed, the endocannabinoid system plays a prominent role in the neurological system for maintaining homeostasis for overall human health. In short, the endocannabinoid system is responsible for easing our pain, controlling our appetite, relieving our stress, influencing our mood, and even regulating our memory. In order to help our body cope with pain from rigorous physical activity, our brain will naturally produce its own version of cannabinoids to stimulate this system during exercise. Just like taking a hit of marijuana, the natural cannabinoids will begin to circulate through the endocannabinoid system when you exercise to produce a high.

Peak blood concentrations of cannabinoids occur in 3-8 minutes after you inhale, as opposed to 60-90 minutes after you eat a weed- or oil-containing edible, with neural effects beginning after 20 minutes and maximizing within a range of 2-4 hours.

THC binds cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1), mainly localized in the brain, while cannabinol (CBN) binds CB2, which exists mainly on immune cells. CBD binds neither receptor, but still affects numerous metabolic processes including appetite, pain sensation, immune function, stress reactivity, hormonal secretions, and muscle and fat tissue signaling.

A 2013 adjusted epidemiological study showed that obesity rates are significantly lower for all groups of cannabis users (inclusive of gender and age) compared to those who had not used cannabis in the last 12 months.

The lower Body Mass Index (BMI) of pot-smokers may be explained by an adaptive down-regulation of brain endocannabinoid signaling. While acute THC stimulates appetite, the repeated stimulation of CB1 receptors by THC decreases receptor expression and sensitivity, and long-term stimulation may result in antagonistic rather than agonistic triggering of CB1 receptors, which would dampen hunger signals.

Furthermore, CBD and another component of marijuana, tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV), may reduce body weight, as animal models of obesity have shown THCV to increase metabolism of fat cells. But before you get excited that marijuana may burn fat, please realize that very few strains on the market have significant levels of THCV, so do your research (such as these four strains of skinny-pot that won’t bring out the munchies).

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A Cup Of This Every Morning Will Stop Fat Accumulation In Your Blood And Prevent Weight Gain

These days, it’s no secret that poor health is a big problem.

The United States Military considers obesity an issue of national security, is the leading cause of preventable death in the US, and it’s estimated to cost more than $147 billion to treat each year.

So it makes sense that more and more people are eating right and exercising. It’s the only way to lose weight for certain, but here are a lot of little things we can do to help stem the tide of weight gain and turn the scale around.

This special drink helps you bring your cholesterol and weight levels down. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 5 organic lemons
• 5-6 sprigs of parsley
• 3 liters of water
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda

Instructions:

1. chop the lemons and parsley and boil over low heat in the water for 2 hours.
2. Turn the heat off and let it stand for an hour.
3. Remove all the ingredients and chop thoroughly.
4. Cook again on low heat for another 3 hours.

After that, you should have about one and a half liters of syrup. Drink it each morning in a small shot glass. There should be enough for at least 15 days. Discard after 20.

ENJOY!

Thanks for taking the time to read this article. If you found this information helpful, please share it with your friends and family. Your support in our endeavor of sharing free information would be much appreciated.

Follow us on Facebook to stay updated with what's going Viral in the Alternative News scene. https://www.facebook.com/ViralAlternativeNews

http://simpleorganiclife.org

Documentary Exposes How Sugar and Our Food System Fuels Obesity

By Dr. Mercola

In February, a study published in JAMA by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared that obesity rates among two- to five-year olds declined by 43 percent in the past decade, dropping from 14 percent in 2003 to eight percent in 2012. Obesity rates for other age groups were said to have "stabilized."1

The findings were broadcast on all of the nation's major news stations and in most major newspapers, with many claiming "victory" in the fight against childhood obesity.

The celebration was short-lived, however. In April, another report was published that painted a very different picture, this one in JAMA Pediatrics.2 Interestingly, both studies used the same National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. The difference was that the April study included another four years' worth of data (1999 to 2012).

This team of researchers found that severe obesity among children has actually increased over the past 14 years. Severely obese children are the ones most likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic health problems.

Clearly, the federal anti-obesity campaign is NOT working, even though the US government would love you to think their efforts are paying off. Despite extensive scientific evidence about the real cause of obesity (i.e., the food system), public policy has not changed, and many people are fed up with the status quo.

As a society, we cannot simply exercise our way out of this epidemic. Don't misunderstand me—I am not saying that exercise isn't important, but it's not the entire solution. 

A Flawed Formula

You've heard it now for 50 years. When it comes to your weight, "calories in must equal calories out." "Eat less and exercise more." "A calorie is a calorie is a calorie." The problem is that this formula doesn't work, as evidenced by America's ever-expanding waistline.

Obesity rates in the US have increased at the same rate as gym memberships. Between 1980 and 2000, Americans doubled their fitness club memberships. However, during the same period, their obesity rates ALSO doubled.

A decade later, two out of three Americans are either overweight or obese. Obesity has become the number one form of malnutrition in the country, and no group has been hit harder than our children.

We're seeing obesity in six-month-olds, strokes in eight-year-olds, heart attacks in 20-year-olds, and some 30-year-olds require renal dialysis to stay alive. Teens are now getting gastric bypass surgeries. What used to be called "adult onset diabetes" is now more often called "type 2 diabetes," as it is no longer reserved for adults. What is wrong with this picture? It's the food.

Sugar Loads the Gun... Industry Pulls the Trigger

Instead of eating whole foods—real foods—the contemporary American diet typically consists mostly of sugar, highly processed grains, and a montage of chemicals that are anything but food. Children are surrounded by these fake foods every day, which have a very different effect on their bodies than real food.

The idea that "a calorie is a calorie" is a myth that's been disproven by science. Refined, processed sugar, especially in the form of high fructose corn syrup, is very hard on your liver and most of it is stored as body fat. Eighty percent of the foods lining grocery store shelves today contain extra sugar—and it adds up to disease.

This excess sugar is at the heart of the metabolic dysfunction that's driving obesity, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and many of the other chronic conditions so rampant today. Yet, this is the opposite of what we are told by the media and countless so-called nutrition professionals.

Instead of placing blame where blame is due—with the food industry and its failed oversight—the blame is placed on fat people, tagged as lazy, unmotivated, and lacking in willpower or moral fortitude. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sugar has actually been found to be eight times as addictive as cocaine!3

The US food system is taking an enormous toll on America's mental and physical health, as well as the economy. Seventy-five percent of our health care dollars go to the treatment of chronic metabolic disease. The statistics provided by FedUpMovie.com reveal the gravity of this problem:

• If you drink one to two sugar-sweetened beverages per day, you have a 26 percent higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes

• A 20-ounce bottle of coke contains the equivalent of 17 teaspoons of sugar. Just one soda per day raises your child's chance of obesity by 60 percent

• Between 1977 and 2000, Americans doubled their daily sugar intake. In 2012, Americans were each consuming an average of 130 pounds of sugar per year

• At the current rate, 95 percent of all Americans will be overweight or obese within 20 years

• By 2050, one of every three Americans will have type 2 diabetes

Thin on the Outside, Fat on the Inside

Is your child thin in spite of how he eats? Do you think, because he looks healthy, you can rest easy that his "strong constitution" or perhaps good genes have spared him from the effects of a suboptimal diet? Well, don't relax just yet... looks can be deceiving. Your child may be TOFI: "thin on the outside, fat on the inside." MRIs are now revealing that even thin people (kids included) are accumulating unhealthy amounts of visceral fat around their internal organs.

Visceral fat is the worst kind of fat for your health, and if you have excess, you are prone to the same increased health risks as obese people. In fact, most "TOFI" kids are pre-diabetic. Statistically, up to 40 percent of "thin" people have excess visceral fat and elevated insulin levels. When you do the math, the numbers are dizzying: the majority of Americans now suffer from metabolic syndrome—51 percent!

School Lunches Hijacked by the Fast Food Industry

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a call for a 50 percent reduction in sugar consumption, but the sugar lobby with its immense power and influence has thwarted every effort toward this end. There is too much money involved. The US government's motivation to better public health is questionable... and rather schizophrenic. For example, on one hand, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) calls for limiting your sugar intake. On the other hand, the government has allocated more than eight billion dollars in farm subsidies for corn-based sweeteners since 1995. So, the US government is essentially subsidizing the obesity epidemic. And these are the folks who are setting school lunch standards for your child.

As a result of school lunch funding cuts, the fast food industry has fully overtaken school lunch programs. In 2006, 80 percent of all high schools operated under exclusive contracts with soda companies such as Coca Cola, and by 2012, more than half of all US school districts were serving fast food. Public pressure to improve the nutritional value of school lunches has resulted in some ridiculous guidelines, such as declaring French fries and pizza as "vegetables"—clearly devised to protect fast food profits and not your child's health.

Perhaps this is why health insurance companies are investing billions of dollars into fast food company stock! Not only is your child's brain being hijacked by these addictive processed foods, their healthy eating habits are continuously sabotaged by junk food ads. Kids watch an average of 4,000 food-related ads every year, or about 10 per day. Studies show that children eat considerably more when they see food ads on TV. Yet, efforts to limit the marketing of junk food to children continue to be shamelessly thwarted by the sugar industry. Whenever threatened with regulation, the industry reignites the "bigger government" argument, painting regulators as "food cops" sent out to snatch away your freedom of choice. Once distracted by this hot button topic, the real issue—your child's health—has been lost.

Processed food manufacturers and government regulators have a lot to answer for, as they refuse to remove harmful ingredients from your foods. Besides enormous amounts of sugar, American food products are loaded with ingredients that have been banned in other countries, such as trans fats, artificial sweeteners, GE ingredients, and glyphosate. If we continue down this path, the health of our children and our children's children looks pretty grim.

How to Get REAL About Food

Politicians need to take on the food industry with the force required to promote real change, rather than sugarcoating the message. They need to name names. This will not be easy, but it's necessary if we are to turn the tides for future generations.  Many people, such as celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, are not waiting for government action—and YOU shouldn't either. It's time for you to take matters into your own hands. Cook and eat real food. Vote with your wallet!

You have the power to lead your children by example, which is one of the most effective teaching tools there is. First and foremost, we need to teach children what "real food" actually is. If you're unsure about how to get your family on the right track, my optimized nutrition plan offers a step-by-step guide to feeding your family right. You can find even more help in my book, Generation XL: Raising Healthy, Intelligent Kids in a High-Tech, Junk-Food World. Ten of the most powerful health strategies are summarized below. By integrating these into your family's daily life, your children will learn how to make better lifestyle choices for themselves, which will help them grow into healthier, happier adults.

1. Proper food choices: Focus your diet on whole, ideally organic, unprocessed or minimally processed, and non-GMO foods. For the best nutrition and health benefits, eat a good portion of your food raw. Avoid refined sugar, especially processed fructose. I believe the two primary keys for successful weight management are restricting carbohydrates (sugars and grains) and increasing your consumption of healthful fats. Examples of healthful fats include:

2. Intermittent Fasting: Recent studies show that intermittent fasting can provide a number of health benefits, such as boosting your metabolism, stabilizing blood sugar, optimizing metabolic hormones (including insulin and leptin), reducing inflammation, improving blood pressure, and increasing your lean body mass. There are several types of intermittent fasting to choose from, so I recommend experimenting to see what style works best for you.

3.     Regular exercise: Along with core-strengthening exercises, strength training, and stretching, I highly recommend Peak Fitness exercises two or three times a week. High-intensity interval-type training boosts human growth hormone (HGH), which is essential for optimal health, strength, and vigor. HGH also helps you optimize your weight and build lean body mass.

4. Stress management: Your emotional state plays a role in nearly every physical and mental disease. Meditation, prayer, social support, yoga, and exercise are all viable options that can help you maintain mental equilibrium. You may choose to learn a tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to address deeper, sometimes hidden, emotional blocks.

5. Drink plenty of pure clean water.

6. Take care for your microbiome: About 80 percent of your immune system resides in your gut. Research is mounting that beneficial bacteria affect your health in a myriad of ways, including reducing inflammation, eliminating toxins, producing vitamins, benefiting your mood, and helping you to lose weight. The easiest, most cost-effective way to optimize your gut flora is to routinely incorporate traditionally fermented foods into your diet.

 7. Avoid as many chemicals, toxins, and pollutants as possible: This includes tossing out your toxic household cleaners, soaps, personal hygiene products, air fresheners, bug sprays, lawn pesticides, and insecticides, just to name a few, and replacing them with non-toxic alternatives.

 8. Get adequate restorative sleep: Sleep deprivation can disrupt your metabolism and hormone production. Recent research shows that poor-quality sleep can have a significant role in metabolic disorders, including obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

 9. Ground yourself to the earth. When you walk or stand barefoot, free electrons are transferred from the earth into your body, and this grounding effect is one of the most potent antioxidants we know of. Grounding this way (also called "earthing") reduces pain and inflammation, improves blood flow, improves sleep, and has a number of other reported benefits.

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