XTEND-15sec-NEWSt
4th June 2003
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Another infant dies in Florida due to nutrient deficiencies...n1
On the 16th of last month the Miami Herald published an article about the death of Woyah Andressohn, of Homestead, Florida who at 5 months old weighed just under six pounds. Her parents described as 'loving and caring' lived an all natural life style which forbade the consumption of all cooked foods, meat and dairy products. The parents are being questioned by police.
Warren Matthews comments: This is tragic, and unfortunately it happens more often than you think. Just last year here in New Zealand a strict vegan couple were jailed after their child died from severe B12 deficiency as a result of their 'natural' diet. Babies who are breast fed by vegan mothers run the risk of having their growth 'stunted' and they can develop serious health problems unless the mother supplements her diet with a broad based dietary supplement.
The 'natural' diet that vegans adhere to is not natural at all. It is a myth which leads to illness and premature death. The human body is not designed to live only on raw foods and be deprived of the protein sources of meat, fish and fowl. Some of the essential nutrients that the body needs cannot be obtained from a vegan diet.
What is ironic is that some of these nutrients can only be obtained from animal sources therefore if a vegan buys the necessary supplements they are 'breaking' their own rules, albeit usually unknowingly. Bit of a 'catch 22' for those people. If you are a vegan you should seriously examine your motives for being so…it certainly cannot be for health reasons. Please remember that a 'vegan' is not the same as a vegetarian. At least vegetarians have a bit more flexibility and will usually eat some chicken and fish, and a bit of cheese and eggs.
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Irradiated beef gets the go ahead in American schools...n2
Last week the US Department of Agriculture gave the go ahead for the use of controversial irradiated meat in schools. This decision was made in spite of opposition from thousands of parents who claimed that their children would in effect be 'guinea pigs' for meat treated in this way.
Individual schools still have the option whether they will provide this product which will not be available until January next year.
Warren Matthews comments: I can understand the rationale behind companies wishing to irradiate their meat. It has more to do with production methods than anything else. What has happened in recent years as the beef industry becomes even more vertically integrated is that more and more pressure is going on the slaughter houses to speed up their production and lower costs. This has translated to faster production chains, lower paid workers with lower skills and as a result a general drop in hygiene levels and more problems with contaminated meat.
Irradiation is designed to kill the bacteria which are present due to sloppy manufacturing procedures… I personally think that rather than degrading the meat by subjecting it to yet another process that the problem should be dealt with at the source…but that's wishful thinking! It's a pity we couldn't go back to the days in which the local butcher would slaughter their own beasts and deliver them to their shop, hang them up in their chiller and the customer could select their own cut. No problem with contamination then? We still have butchers in New Zealand that do this. Check out your area to see if you can find one. Also, when buying beef try to find grass fed beef.
If you want to be really sure of the quality of your meat try to find a local source for New Zealand beef or lamb. The production chains are only handled by highly paid skilled workers with impeccable hygiene systems. I have never heard of a case of contaminated meat in NZ.
Try to avoid your children eating this mass produced meat. Give them a couple of organic chicken legs to take to school for lunch!
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Be wary of farmed salmon...n3
In the special weight loss report released by Xtend-Life last week there is mention of avoiding farmed salmon. Some readers have written asking for a clarification.
Warren Matthews comments: The reason why I suggested avoiding farmed salmon and trying to buy only 'wild' salmon is twofold.
Farmed salmon are fed an 'unnatural' diet. This diet is high in soy and corn meal which in turn is high in Omega 6 fatty acids. As a result farmed salmon does not contain as much Omega 3 essential fatty acids as their wild cousins which have a natural diet. Most people over consume Omega 6 fatty acids which creates an imbalance with Omega 3's and the problems that stem from this imbalance. Therefore if you are consuming salmon for its omega 3 content, buy the 'wild' version otherwise you will not be getting what you think you are.
The second reason is that farmed salmon are raised in very high density and as such are prone to diseases that they do not experience in the wild. In order to minimize disease antibiotics are included with their food and indirectly passed to consumers with potential long term negative effects.
So, go 'wild' if you can. In the US, Alaskan sockeye is probably the best bet if you are buying tinned salmon as it is not farmed.
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