Alzheimer's

This is a topic very important to me. If you have ever known a loved one to have this horrible disease, you would understand why I will be so passionate about this topic.

I remember when my grandfather first started showing signs that his memory was slipping. He was getting more frustrated everyday with the fact that simple things were just out of his reach. He was upset when he could not remember what to call the vacuum, or that he was eating pancakes for breakfast. At first you think it is funny and must be old age. Then it slowly got worse and he was losing his way home, or ending up in the wrong town. Back in the mid 80's they were not able to identity Alzheimer's. So, he got worse and we had to watch as he withdrew into himself, slowly not knowing us and were he was. It was heart breaking to to see such a strong and wonderful man lose of himself, and have to rely on others for his care. Even his body suffered from the disease losing body mass, the shell of the man that was left looked nothing like the man I knew. He was always there, but the pain showed everyday on him. It was a fast four years that we watched the man we love leave us. In the end he could barely talk and had lost the functions of walking a few years before.

This is why I am so passionate about nutrition, everything I have learned in school tells me about what we can do to limit the outcome of the disease. Most diseases we bring on out selves because we don not take the TIME to eat well balanced meals. We would rather something fast and tasty then look at whether we should be eating such foods.

The disease affects the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of the brain. This is where memory, language, and cognition are located and these are the first to be affected from damage to the neurotransmitters, which are responsible for communication. When the neurons located in the front of the brain are damaged, or destroyed, this affects the acetylcholine. Acetylcholine is the transmitter responsible for quick reactions and muscle activity. When someone suffers from Alzheimer's they can have symptoms with difficulty in communication, loss of memory, difficulty concentrating, and reduced motor skills.

One of the top most concerns that implicates the onset of Alzheimer's is Heavy Metal Toxicity. There have been autopsies on victims of Alzheimer's and they fins a high level of aluminum and mercury deposits in the brain, in areas associated with dementia. When you think of the amount of aluminum that we take in on a normal day its alarming the amount that can possible be stored in the brain. There is aluminum in the canned products you are consuming, the deodorant you wear, the baking soda in your baked goods, the cans of soda or beverages, and the list goes on. We did not start seeing the amount of Alzheimer's patients until we changed out processing of foods. There were always patients that had certain levels of dementia but not to this level, that was gave it a classified name- "Alzheimer's"

It is not just the aluminum, but also the normal American diet today is severely lacking in nutrients that we are causing a nutrient debt within our bodies. Not only are we taking in heavy metals toxic to us, but the foods we eat are laced with preservatives, chemicals, high fructose sugars, trans-fatty acids, and more. These additives are what further impairs our bodies and MINDS from healing and continuing in a strong healthy state.

I know you may be wondering "well what are we to eat". There are many alternatives, one is making your own food from scratch. We have strayed from the natural preparations of food. The normal American diet is not an ideal diet for healthy and vitality.
You health is in your hands.
If you are looking to change, make a point to do so today. Do not put off allowing your body to heal and have a longer life for you and your family. There are ways to detoxify the body of these metals, and supplements that can be taken to slow down the disease. I will be discussing these tomorrow. If you have a loved one that you wonder if they have this disease, please see your Physician and change your diet TODAY. I am more than happy to help give ideas to change the diet and you can always email me questions, address at top of blog, or comment.

Fried Rice
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 10 oz package of frozen peas
4cups brown rice

Cook brown rice until desired texture (see past post about how to make B. rice)

Then in separate pan, saute onions and garlic in oil until translucent, add peas, stir in rice. You can and egg, green onions, and others of your favorite items for fried rice. I also love to add some Norri seasoning and get the natural sodium instead of using the table salt.