The relationship between diet and how sharp your brain could be. Interesting 'food for thought' from Science Daily regarding the relationships of high or low folate, with B12.
B12 is found in animal foods such as eggs, poultry, dairy, fish and meat. Folate is abundant in greens and citrus.
If one has a diet emphasizing high Folate level, normal levels of B12 are essential.
Having a HIGH folate level and low B12 leads to problems regarding nerves and proper function of gray matter and cognition. Loss of bone density, difficulty coping with stress and anemia are associated with low levels of B12 as well. Inability to cope with stress can be especially problematic.
Cobalamin deficiency renders folate largely biologically ineffective, although its plasma concentrations and distribution appear sufficient.
While some people often have poor diets to begin with and consume depleted processed foods, the main thing I take away from this, in light also to increased diabetes in our society is that that the increased emphasis on moving away from animal sources of food may well be compounding problems in the bigger picture.
...The researchers found an interesting association among seniors aged 60 and older whose vitamin B12 blood levels were low. Aging and taking stomach-acid blockers can contribute to a gradual lessening of B12 absorption in the body.
People with high folate and low B12 status were found to be at a disadvantage when compared to those with normal folate and low B12 status; the former group was more likely to exhibit both anemia and cognitive impairment...
. . . between 1999 and 2002, Morris and colleagues found that people with normal vitamin B12 status and high serum folate, which is a measure of folate in the blood, had higher scores on a test of cognitive function. Blood tests were used to determine folate and vitamin B12 levels, and the cognitive function test assessed aptitudes such as response speed, sustained attention, visual spatial skills, associative learning, and memory. Cognitive impairment was identified when a subject fell into the bottom 20th percentile of the distribution on the test.
". . . people with low vitamin B12 status, high serum folate was associated with poor performance on the cognitive test." Seniors with low vitamin B12 status and high serum folate were also significantly more likely than seniors in other categories to have anemia, a condition caused by reduced amounts of hemoglobin in oxygen-carrying red blood cells, or by a deficiency in the number or volume of such cells.
"For seniors, low vitamin B12 status and high serum folate was the worst combination," says Morris. "Specifically, anemia and cognitive impairment were observed nearly five times as often for people with this combination than among people with normal vitamin B12 and normal folate." Vitamin B12 deficiency, which affects many seniors due to age-related decreases in absorption, can impact the production of DNA needed for new cells, as well as neurological function.
The bloge was very informative and by this information we can stay healthy. I always knew about Folate and vitamin B12 but was never able to relate between them. Thanks!
WOW, this is a fascinating piece by Julia C. Mead at The Scientist Daily. It is a very interesting and well written piece. A mystery about deaths that have swept selectively through certain regions of the Balkans; missing some people and villages while taking many others; people who tried to escape the black houses could be overtaken eventually. The folk explanation of it and the treatments which still do not result in a cure now have another layer of clues... molecular biology has added important elements to resolving the mystery. Fascinating!
Articles tend to go to pay per view or cache sometimes, so you have to move quickly on this if you want to read it. Like the mysterious illness in the novel The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, this article about a real and deadly disease captured my imagination about its ongoing tragedy.
A happy Helmut who has nothing to do with the topic below
A significant amount of our immune systems is in our digestive tracts. It's a very complicated subject but the main idea to take away is that your body and its health is highly influenced by what you consume. This would be true for dogs too, but since the video is about people and this is an area of interest for me, I'm talking primarily about humans.
Quite a bit of our medical care is involved with treatment of symptoms via medications, without much understanding of the mechanisms by which the symptoms develop. Because of this particular orientation of our care providers, we are inundated with pharmaceutical solutions for the treatment of symptoms or prevention of those symptoms. Because the testing required for the approval of drugs has gotten extremely complicated and expensive, due to fears of their secondary effects, drugs are now very expensive. The action of the medications are not well understood, but the goal to achieve a 'better number' (on a lab test) or relief of a symptom -- without killing too many people, is used as proof of the medication's usefulness and relative safety. Therefore, actual disease processes remain unaddressed while the medications themselves put a damper on some aspect of normal metabolism, so that new symptoms and problems can develop. And the latter issue creates a circle whereby more review and testing must be done. Place a snake icon with the tip of it's tail in its mouth here and have it spinning round and round :O :(
Western medicine is not all bad. It has outstanding ability in the treatment of trauma and surgery, but it really has made little progress in the area of understanding what is needed to produce and maintain healthy bodies. This lack of progress in the latter areas has resulted in red herrings (false assumptions) becoming the foundation upon which other theories and fallacies of health are are borne. Because our country has such an outstanding reputation in surgical and trauma care, many other countries may sometimes assume that our preventive care is also up to par. This has not been borne out by annual studies by the World Health Organization (WHO). In fact the USA often lags by tens or more behind other countries regarding the relative health of individuals, lack of "age related" disability and the having longevity not impaired with disability. These differences are changing as more countries adapt "better living through chemistry" (prescription drugs) and more of our standard dietary practices and fallacies.
While the video below doesn't have captions so I can read what is being said, I'm familiar with the concepts behind the subject matter to post the video here. I urge more people to review what they may have been lead to believe in these areas and other areas of symptom treatment, such as gut problems. If after seeing the video, you'd like to read more, go and check out the website of The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics (THINCS) if science is your thing. More generally, and easier to read, I also highly recommend Weston A Price Foundation as a resource upon which to review concepts ideas regarding better health. None of these groups are going to try and sell you something but do try to educate you on choices you may not have considered. It is only when our mainstream citizen is informed, that changes in this pattern can happen.
The video: Dr Malcolm Kendrick speaks about World Health Organization data gathered in their MONI-CA study.
Want more? I do have a scan from Dr. Kilmer McCully's book, "The Heart Revolution", which may help you understand why processed foods can be nutritionally lacking. Additionally, a favorite link that helps one build on the malnutrition angle is a book review of Dr. Weston A. Price's "Nutrition & Physical Degeneration". Before you actually read the latter book review in whole, just look at the photos and captions on these people -- and if it interests you, go on and read the book review. The skeleton reflects the health of the body as it develops and teeth are part of it, which is why Dr. Price studied teeth to assess the health of the people he visited in the 1930s. After checking out the teeth, read the rest of the book review by going to part 1 (in the link at the top of the page). Check out those teeth!
The new protocols require all raw almonds sold in North America to be pasteurized, thereby killing off any wayward bacteria. How? By quick-steaming the nuts, or spraying them with propylene oxide (PPO), a chemical so nasty that it was banned by both the National Hot Rod and American Motorcycle Racing Associations, where it had been used as a fuel before being deemed too dangerous. PPO is also a carcinogen. For these and other reasons, most countries, including the EU, ban imported nuts treated with PPO. (The ABC is actively working to change that.)
A petition regarding this issue is here. Quoted in part:
Description/History: Starting in August or September of 2007, raw almonds available in the USA, Canada and Mexico, will no longer be "truly raw" due to a mandate passed by the USDA, FDA and the California Almond Board, announcing that all almonds including organic must be pasteurized. Information is available at the following link:
Action Plan and Pasteurization - Frequently Asked Questions
The problem is the law has been passed with little public input(if any) or notification whatsoever. In addition all pasteurized almonds available in the marketplace will still be labeled as raw almonds. Can this be considered fraudulence or an out right lie? Are you willing to give up your food freedom choices?
Online petitions may not stop legislation but they sure do help spread the word. Sign if you're inclined, or send the link to the petition to others to help spread awareness of this issue.
November of last year (2006), I had a blog post: dog-treat-recipes in which I mentioned a collection of recipes for those making homemade goodies for dogs (includes some recipes for cats as well).
I figured I'd bump attention back to it, in light of the "Melamine for Pets" issues. People who are cooking for their own dogs might want to take advantage of this free collection of recipes. These are not my own originals. You'd have to see the original posting (above archive) to understand why I posted them in the first place. Nevertheless, I still have the recipes available for download but if anyone does find out if the original owner is still hosting the file somewhere and would prefer to keep it there exclusively, let me know.
Here's just a few meal oriented (rather than treat oriented) recipes out of the collection of 300 or more recipes. The collection includes many treats, some weight booster concoctions for skinny dogs, one file on Hot Spots, raising a Service Dog, cooling pads, among other things, but it is primarily food oriented. After unzipping, it can be read as text, or can be incorporated into MasterCook as noted in my previous posting.
Heidi & Braxx's Natural Food
Categories : Kalgoorlie & Districts Gs Club
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 cups rolled oats -- (1 to 2) 1/4 lb raw organ meat -- (1/4 to 3/4) 1 tblsp honey 1 tblsp rosemary powder 1 tsp bran 1 tsp wheat germ 1 tsp cod liver oil 1 tsp cold pressed safflower oil 1 teaspoon bone meal powder 1 tsp angivida yeast 1 tsp kelp powder 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 1/4 tsp Vitamin c powder 1 vitamin capsule of Biotin 1 vitamin capsule of Vitamin E 1 handful finely chopped raisins 1 handful alfalfa leaves 1 tablespoon veggie mix Veggie Mix: 6 carrots -- (6 to 8) 1/4 bag spinach 6 garlic individual cloves -- (6 to 10) 1 container alfalfa sprouts
Finely puree in a food processor. This mixture keeps well up to 2 weeks.
Soak oats approximately 2 hours with enough water to cover; the amount of oats depends on the size and activity level of the dog. Add raw meat; again the amount of meat will depend on the dog. Add all ingredients; mix well.
This recipe is to be daily 2x. It seems like alot of work but I prepare the food 2 weeks in advance using Ziploc bags. I used to be an avid commercial food user but I've been cured!! The dogs' all Rotties have nicer coats, smell better, no fleas, love their food and are not finicky eaters as before. It takes a little longer daily but well worth it!
Akita Style Lamb & Rice
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 lb ground lamb (beef if you wish) 1 1/2 cups brown rice 2 stalks Broccoli 2 medium potatoes -- (2 to 3) 3 medium carrots 4 cloves garlic 1 sheet kombu -- Sea Kelp (optional)
Brown lamb in a frypan. After it gets going, put on the chopped garlic to brown. Boil water, put about 4-5 cups into a crockpot, so it is already hot while you are fixing the rest of the ingredients. Add cubed potatoes to the frypan. Cut broccoli and add this to the crock. Put the rest of the works in the pot, add enough hot water to cover. Add pepper to taste. Throw in 1/2 cup brown rice and mix. Courtesy: Kalgoorlie & Districts German Shepherd Obedience Club Inc
Home Cooking
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 5 lb ground beef or chicken 3/4 cup canola oil 4 cloves garlic -- (4 to 5) 32 cups water 8 cups processed veggies (various) -- (8 to 10) --(carrots, cauliflower, bean sprouts, -- celery, broccoli, potatoes, sweet potatoes, -- red peppers, spinach, beets, lettuce, tomatoes, etc.) NO ONIONS (not good for dogs) 2 cans kidney beans -- (2 to 3) 1/2 cup molasses (optional) 42 oz oatmeal (quick cooking oats) -- (42 to 45) eggs can be added to boost protein
In a large 24qt pot brown ground meat, add canola oil and garlic. When well cooked, add water. Bring to boil, then add veggies that have been processed, (frozen or canned veggies will work too). I use dried kidney beans and soak them the night before preparing a batch of food. While I am cooking the meat I have the beans in another pot cooking them. Once cooked, they are added to the above mixture. Next, the oatmeal is added. Frequent stirring is necessary at this point as the mixture will stick. Remove from heat, cool and put into containers. The above mixture feeds 3 Boxers for 1 week. I occasionally add pumpernickell bread and some times substitute brown rice for some of the oatmeal. This recipe is very flexible. I also add a mixture called Healthy powder to each meal. I feed twice daily and add 1 tsp of healthy powder to each meal for each dog.
NOTES : Kalgoorlie & Districts German Shepherd Obedience Club Inc, Submitted by Shirley Bell This is a bulk recipe for those with more than one dog who want to feed well balanced home cooked food.
A listing of names of some of the recipes, to whet your curiosity-
ACE'S FAVORITE CHEESY DOG BISCUITS Akita Style Lamb & Rice Apple Crunch Pup cakes Auggie's Wolfdown AUNT BIANCA'S DOG/CAT BISCUITS B/M Dog Cookies Baby Food Soft Doggie Cookies Bacon Biscuits BAKER'S BAGELS Basic Bones Beef Jerky Bait Birthday Cake for Pups Cheese Twists Chef-Fido Complimentary Dog Biscuit Recipe Chicken Liver Cookies DOG BISCUITS #3 (Low Purine for Kidney Stone Prone Dogs) Dog Biscuits (Wheat Free Scotty Biscuits) Golden Beardie Liver Brownies Good for You Gobblers Great Doggie Liver Treat Grrrrisotto Homemade Liver Treats HORS D'OGS (Low Purine for Kidney Stone Prone Dogs) Katie Cudlin's Dog Food Lamb Jerky LINDA DODD'S PUPPY MILK Little River Clinic Biscuits Liver (or Tuna) Puffs for dogs or cats Liver Bait Magic Meatballs Meaty Dog Biscuits MUSTGO DOG BISCUITS MuttLoaf Niemann's Dog Treats No-Flea Dog Biscuits Oatmeal/Wheat Germ Dog Biscuits Peanut Butter and Banana Cookies for Dogs Peanut Butter and Honey Dog Biscuits Pogo's Light Biscuit for Belly Draggers Pork Liver Cookies Potatoes Au Canine Or Feline PRINCESS MERCEDES' CLASSIC CAVIAR COOKIES (Low Purine) Puppy Cookies, Benton-Franklin County Humane Society PUPPY FORMULA Rastus' Microwaved Casserole Rusty's Birthday Cake Sarah Jean's Crowning Crumpets Scrambled Eggs Doggie Style Sell-Their-Soul Liver Cookies Shirleys meat loaf for Mona Lisa and Pocahontas Sunshine Liver Brownies TESS' TANTALIZING TREATS By Ann Shaw Vegetable Beef and Rice Moochies Vegetarian Dog Biscuits VitaTreats WEIGHT GAIN RECIPES Weight-On Meatballs Wheat Free Tuna Biscuits Wheatfree Salmon Treats, From Ruthie on the B.A.R.F. list
US Food and Drug Administration has a 'hot topics' page on the Pet Food Recall. A recent email letter from Hills-
Dear Pet Lovers:
These recent weeks have been difficult for those concerned about pet food.
We want you to know that as pet lovers and owners ourselves, we have been equally upset by the current recall and the events that triggered it. Our hearts go out to those affected, and we vow to work tirelessly to continue our efforts to keep your pets safe and healthy.
Today we are announcing the formation of the National Pet Food Commission, an industry government partnership composed of government officials, veterinarians, toxicologists and food scientists who are committed to maintaining and enhancing the high standards we have set in this country that protect our pets.
The purpose of the new commission is two-fold:
To investigate the cause of the current pet food recall.
To recommend steps the industry and government should take to further build on safety and quality standards already in place.
At the conclusion of its work, the commission will issue a report outlining its findings and offering its recommendations. For a full report on the commission's mission and its members, please visit www.Petfoodreport.com
As federal investigators work to determine the exact cause of the adulteration, we are committed to our partnership, to applying the lessons learned to further strengthen industry procedures and safeguards, and to cooperating fully with any other official investigations relating to this incident.
Melamine, the substance suspected of affecting animals, is not used in pet food manufacturing, and pet food makers have never seen it before. The substance is completely foreign to the process and quite simply should not have been present in wheat gluten.
The total number of pets that have been affected after eating contaminated food remains to be determined, but we know that even if just one pet is affected, it's one too many.
The site has disappeared (in recent months?) but I've found many online doggy sites containing links to it (& deservedly so as there are over 300 recipes in the collection from diverse ingredient preferences). I can't find info to communicate with the original owner of the collection to discover where the site has moved or if it is gone forever. It is a collection of dog treats and recipes in Mastercook format. I'll host the file here as the original zip file until someone discovers where the original author has moved their hosting. Click the zip file below to save to your desktop, then paste the text file within into your favorite editor. Goldenbone dog biscuit recipe collection - originally from kcathey/goldenbone @bgronline.com
If you use a recipe manager like Mastercook, the nutritional breakdown of the ingredients can be done automatically and you can increment or halve (whatever) the recipes as needed, print them on paper or gift cards to give away with holiday gifts. While Mastercook already comes with a database of nutritional breakdown (vitamins, carbs, fats, etc) other ingredients may need to be entered or revised and this can be easily done directly in the Mastercook database -- if you need that kind of detail.
I've had Mastercook for years so it is that which I'm most familiar although I'm sure other recipe software can do a great job of databasing, formatting, nutritional breakdown and customized volumes. Mastercook can be had for less than $5 at some sources and many recipe collections online can directly import right into the program. Try googling Mastercook for some sales, freeware and trial versions. Some places like Walmart and other stores may have inexpensive versions if you want to try it out.
An partial screenshot from Mastercook of these recipes
The relationship between diet and how sharp your brain could be. Interesting 'food for thought' from 
WOW, this is a fascinating piece by Julia C. Mead at 
Does anyone know whatever happened to this very popular dog treat collection? 
© 2006 
