What I've learned since moving to D.C. (some of which should be obvious): 0110

5451.  Olive oil is produced by crushing olives and then putting them through a press to squeeze out the oil.  The crushed olives can be pressed many times.  The first pressing creates what is known as extra virgin olive oil and it is the only type you should consume because it has the most benefits;

5452.  The unique feature of olive oil is the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients it contains called polyphenols;

5453.  Just 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil per day has significant anti-inflammatory effects;

5454.  Olive oil helps prevent platelets from clumping together excessively, therefore, protecting against blood clots;

5455.  The oleic acid content of olive oil helps to improve your cholesterol profile, raising the HDL, lowering the LDL and improving the particle size and the overall LDL to HDL ratio;

5456.  Recent research shows that the oleic acid found in olive oil can help lower blood pressure.  The olive oil works its way into your cell membranes and changes the ways your cells communicate leading to lower blood pressure;

5457.  Olive oil and its polyphenols lower blood levels of C-reactive protein, therefore, lowering inflammation, a risk factor in heart disease;

5458.  Studies on cancer of the stomach and small intestine found lower rates of cancer in people who used olive oil on a regular basis.  The anticancer benefits likely come from the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of polyphenols in olive oil;

5459.  Polyphenols in olive oil can help balance your gut flora and prevent the growth of bad bugs like helicobacter pylori, the bacterial responsible for ulcers and reflux;

5460.  A large French study found that older adults who used a lot of olive oil in cooking and in sauces and dressings improved their memory and verbal fluency;

5461.  In studies of animals deprived of oxygen, which caused brain injury, olive oil helped their brains heal and recover;

5462.  As little as one to two tablespoons a day of olive oil lowers the risk of many cancers including stomach, colon, breast and lung cancers;

5463.  Olive oil is easily damaged by exposure to light, air and too much heat;

5464.  If you buy a bottle of dark extra virgin olive oil and leave it on the counter, over time it will turn pale.  It means it has oxidized or turned rancid.  Buying better quality extra virgin olive oil and keeping it in a dark place inside the cupboard will prevent this from happening;

5465.  Only buy what says “extra virgin olive oil.”  If a label says “pure,” it usually means that it is a combination of refined and unrefined olive oils;

5466.  Much of the extra virgin olive oil sold in the United States is adulterated with other oils like soybean, rapeseed or canola oils;

5467.  One study found that 69 percent of imported olive oil labeled “extra virgin” did not meet the standard for that label;

5468.  For a list of extra virgin olive oils you can buy at your local grocery store, http://www.truthinoliveoil.com/2012/09/toms-supermarket-picks-quality-oils-good-prices;

5469.  Look for extra virgin olive oil sold in dark-tinted glass bottles as the packaging will help protect the oil from oxidation caused by exposure to light;

5470.  Olive oil should be used within one to two months to ensure its healthy phytonutrient profile remains intact;

5471.  Study after study has shown that increased nut consumption is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer and death;

5472.  Those who ate nuts every day reduced their risk of getting heart attacks by 30 percent – equal to or better than taking statin drugs;

5473.  In a study on weight loss, researchers compared a low-fat vegan diet with a high-fat vegan diet including nuts, avocados and olive oil.  The high-fat diet led to more weight loss and better cholesterol;

5474.  Subjects consuming nuts at least four times a week showed a 37 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease compared to those who never or seldom ate nuts;

5475.  Each additional serving of nuts per week is associated with an average 8.3 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease;

5476.  A twenty-eight-month study involving 8,865 adult men and women in Spain found that participants who ate nuts at least twice per week were 31 percent less likely to gain weight than participants who never or almost never ate nuts;

5477.  Avoid roasted or salted nuts as the high temperature used by commercial roasters damages the many delicate fats found in nuts and seeds.  If you like, you can lightly roast them yourself at a very low oven temperature (i.e., 250 degrees F);

5478.  It’s a good idea to soak your nuts and seeds to reduce lectins, phytates and enzyme inhibitors.  These are considered “anti-nutrients” that can block nutrient absorption, cause digestive distress and inhibit enzymes.  Simply soak raw nuts or seeds in warm salt water overnight or up to twenty-four hours.  Make sure there is enough warm water in the bowl to cover the nuts or seeds by an inch.  Add 1 tablespoon of sea salt to 4 cups of nuts or seeds.  When they’re done soaking, rinse them thoroughly so that the rinsing water runts clear.  Then it’s crucial to thoroughly dry them.  The best way to ensure they’ll dry all the way through is to spread them out in a single layer in a warm oven at the lowest possible setting – ideally not more than 120 degrees F;

5479.  Low-fat diets have been associated with dementia and higher-fat diets shown to prevent it;

5480.  Leading Alzheimer’s researchers are promoting a very high-fat (i.e., ketogenic) diet for the treatment of dementia;

5481.  There is an abundance of research showing that carbs cause brain aging and fat prevents it;

5482.  A study from the Mayo Clinic found that people who eat a ton of carbs quadruple their risk of getting pre-dementia known as mild cognitive impairment;

5483.  The same study showed that people who ate the healthiest fats had a 44 percent lower risk of early dementia and those who ate more good-quality protein from chicken, meat and fish had a 21 percent lower risk of early dementia;

5484.  A study of more than 8,000 people over the age of sixty-five found that 280 of them got dementia over the span of four years.  Those who ate the least brain healthy omega-3 fats had a 37 percent increased risk of dementia.  Those who ate the most fish had a 44 percent reduction in the risk of getting dementia.  Those who ate the most olive oil, walnuts and flaxseeds had a 60 percent reduction in the risk of getting dementia.  But they also found that those who ate the most omega-6 oils had twice the risk of dementia;

5485.  Your brain is 60 percent fat and much of it is made of omega-3 fats and cholesterol.  When you eat a low-fat diet, you are starving your brain;

5486.  Lack of fat in the diet has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases; mental disorders such as depression, suicide and aggressive behavior; ADD and autism; and trauma.  Supplementing the diet with omega-3 and other good fats has been linked to improvement in all these conditions;

5487.  Omega-3 fatty acids stimulate beneficial gene expression and boost the activity of your brain cells, increase connections between brain cells and even help the formation of new brain cells (i.e., neurogenesis);

5488.  Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce brain inflammation and improve cognitive function;

5489.  Omega-3 fatty acids aid depression and even recovery from brain injury;

5490.  Very high-fat ketogenic diets are used to control epilepsy and are now being used for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (“ALS”) and other neurological disorders including brain cancer;

5491.  You can store up to 2,000 calories of carbs as glycogen in your muscles, but the average lean athlete has about 40,000 calories of energy stored as fat;

5492.  Low-car (high-fat) diets are anti-inflammatory and so reduce oxidative stress during exercise, reduce lactic acid buildup and help the body recover faster between exercise sessions;

5493.  Omega-3 deficiency can cause dry, itchy, flaky even discolored skin.  It can also cause rough, bumpy chicken skin on the backs of your arms.  Your fingertips may crack and peel.  Your hair may be dry, stiff and tangled; you may have dandruff and hair loss.  Your fingernails might grow slowly or become brittle and chipped;

5494.  We eat an average of 146 pounds of flour and 152 pounds of sugar per person per year in America, which spikes insulin, driving the storage of belly fat, increasing estrogen in men (i.e., belly fat cells produce more estrogen) and sending testosterone levels plummeting.  This leads to low sex drive, sexual dysfunction, muscle loss, loss of body hair and man boobs;

5495.  Low-fat diets can cause women to stop menstruating or to experience irregular, heavy periods and infertility.  They can increase belly fat, raise testosterone levels and trigger acne, facial hair and hair loss on the head whereas high-fat, low-carb diets can reverse all that;

5496.  Characteristics of a healthy diet almost everyone agrees on: 1.  Ideally organic, local, fresh, whole foods; 2.  Very low glycemic load – low in sugar, flour and refined carbohydrates; 3.  Very high in vegetables and fruits – the deeper the colors, the more variety, the better (although the Paleo diet recommends sticking to lower-glycemic fruit such as berries); 4.  Low or no pesticides, antibiotics or hormones and no GMO foods; 5.  Very few to no chemicals, additives, preservatives, dyes, MSG, artificial sweeteners and other “Frankenchemicals;” 6.  Higher in good-quality fats from olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocados; 7.  Low in refined, processed vegetable oils; 8.  Moderate protein for appetite control and muscle synthesis especially in the elderly; 9.  Animal food – meets should be sustainably and humanely raised, grass-fed and antibiotic and hormone-free; and 10.  Fish – you should choose low-mercury and low-toxin fish such as sardines, herring, anchovies, wild salmon and other small fish and avoid tuna, swordfish and Chilean sea bass because of the high mercury load.  Fish should also either be from sustainable “organic” fisheries or sustainably caught in ways that do not deplete natural fisheries;

5497.  “Pegan” diet principles: 1.  Unlimited amounts of non-starchy vegetables (i.e., green and crunchy veggies), which should make up about 50 to 70 percent of your diet by volume; 2.  Moderate amounts of nuts and seeds including almonds, walnuts, pecans, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and hemp and chia seeds; 3.  Moderate amounts of low-glycemic fruit; 4.  Sustainably farmed and low-mercury wild (i.e., sardines, mackerel, herring & wild salmon); 5.  Grass-fed beef, bison, lamb and organic poultry; 6.  Pasture-raised or organic eggs; 7.  Small quantities of gluten-free grains (i.e., brown or black rice, quinoa & buckwheat); 8.  Small quantities of beans, if tolerated; 9.  No dairy (except organic goat or sheep cheese or yogurt if tolerated and ghee or grass-fed butter); 10.  Plenty of good fats including avocados, extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil; 11.  Occasional treats of real sugar, maple syrup or honey; 12.  Moderate alcohol intake: Maximum 1 glass of wine at night or 1 ounce of hard liquor ideally fewer than 5 drinks a week.  Beer is a problem because of the sugar and gluten; 13.  Coffee or tea (i.e., 1 to 2 cups a day maximum); 14.  Minimal amounts of gluten (i.e., only in the form of whole grains such as steel-cut oats, whole-kernel rye bread & barley) and dairy (i.e., ideally goat or sheep and always organic), if tolerated; and 15.  What it doesn’t include: A) Processed foods; B) Artificial anything (especially sweeteners); C) Liquid sugar calories; and D) Juices except green juices;

5498.  Bad company corrupts good character;

5499.  Good habits lead to good outcomes;
5500.  Every good thing you want in life is on the other side of fear;