Marination) Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Grilled Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Grilled Chicken Breast Strips Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Italian Style Grilled Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Key Lime Flavor Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Kids Fully Cooked Breaded Chicken Nuggets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Kids Fully Cooked Breaded Popcorn Chicken Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Lemon Herb Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Savory Chicken Breast Fillets Pilgrim's Pride Eat Well Stay Healthy Szechwan Chicken Breast Tenderloins Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat Individually Wrapped (15% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Boneless Skinless Breasts with Rib Meat Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Boneless Skinless Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Breast Tenderloins Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Breast Tenderloins (15% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Skinless Split Breasts with Ribs Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken 100% Natural Skinless Split Breasts with Ribs (12% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Fresh Chicken Breast Tenderloins Individually Wrapped (15% Chicken Broth) Pilgrim's Pride Individually Frozen Fully Trimmed 99% Fat Free All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (15% Chicken Broth) Schnucks 99% Fat Free Chicken Breast Tenderloins Schnucks 99% Fat Free Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets Schnucks 99% Fat Free Thin Sliced Skinless Chicken Breast Fillets
Quaker Oats Company/Tropicana Products, Inc., The Crystal Wedding Oats Old-Fashioned Quaker Oats Quaker Cinnamon Life Quaker Essentials Oat Bran Quaker Essentials Oatmeal Squares - Brown Sugar Quaker Essentials Oatmeal Squares - Cinnamon Quaker Essentials Toasted Oatmeal - Brown Sugar Quaker Essentials Toasted Oatmeal - Honey Nut Quaker Honey Graham Life Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Apple Crisp Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Apples & Cinnamon Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Cinnamon & Spice Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Cinnamon Roll Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Flavor Variety Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Maple & Brown Sugar Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Raisins & Spice Quaker Instant Oatmeal - Regular Flavor Quaker Instant Oatmeal Bakery Favorites Variety Pack (Apple Crisp/Cinnamon Roll/Banana Bread) Quaker Instant Oatmeal Crunch - Apples & Cinnamon Quaker Instant Oatmeal Crunch - Magicolor Cinnamon Quaker Instant Oatmeal Crunch - Maple & Brown Sugar Quaker Instant Oatmeal Crunch - Mixed Berry Quaker Instant Oatmeal Lower Sugar - Apples & Cinnamon Quaker Life Quaker Life Chocolate Oat Crunch Quaker MultiGrain Hot Cereal Quaker Oat Bran Hot Cereal Quaker Take Heart Instant Oatmeal - Blueberry Quaker Take Heart Instant Oatmeal - Golden Maple Quick 1 Minute Quaker Oats Tropicana Pure Premium Calcium + Vitamin D No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Fiber Some Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Golden No Pulp Grapefruit Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Grovestand Calcium + Vitamin D Lots of Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Grovestand Lots of Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Healthy Heart No Pulp Orange Juice with Omega 3 Tropicana Pure Premium Homestyle Some Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Light 'n Healthy Calcium No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Light 'n Healthy Calcium No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Low Acid No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Original No Pulp Orange Juice Tropicana Pure Premium Ruby Red Some Pulp Grapefruit Juice
R.A.B. Food Group LLC Manischewitz Premium 100% Grape Juice
Rader Farms, Inc. Rader Farms Nature's Three Berries
Red Gold, LLC Sacramento Tomato Juice from Concentrate with Enhanced Tomato Flavor
Ruprecht Company Sommers 100% Organic Extra Lean Beef Burgers
Sal & Judy's Products, LLC Sal & Judy's Heart Smart Italian Sauce
Sealord North America, Inc. Sealord Deep Sea Dory Fillets Sealord Orange Roughy Fillets
Setton International Foods, Inc. Setton Farms Heart Healthy Mix
Simmons Foods, Inc. Member's Mark All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
Smithfield Lean Generation Deli SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Canadian Brand Maple Ham SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Cooked Ham SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Honey Cured Ham SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Tavern Ham SLG Deli: 98% Fat Free Virginia Brand Ham
StarKist Seafood Company StarKist Chunk Light Tuna in Water StarKist Chunk White Albacore Tuna in Water StarKist Gourmet Choice Albacore Tuna Fillet in Water StarKist Gourmet Choice Chunk Light Tuna in Water StarKist Gourmet Choice Solid Light Tuna Fillet in Water StarKist Low Sodium Chunk Light Tuna in Water StarKist Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water StarKist Very Low Sodium Chunk White Albacore Tuna in Water
Sunrise Growers, Inc. Sunrise Growers California Strawberries
Swift Foods dba Swift & Company Extra Lean Ground Pork Swift Boneless Pork Sirloin Cutlets Swift Natural Fresh Pork-Boneless Pork Center Cut Loin Chops Swift Natural Fresh Pork-Boneless Pork Leg for London Broil Swift Natural Fresh Pork-Boneless Pork Top Loin Roast Swift Natural Fresh Pork-Pork Strips for Barbecue Swift Pork Center Cut Loin Swift Pork Sirloin Tip Roast Swift Pork Tenderloin Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Bottom Round Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Center Cut Loin Chops Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Pork Loin Filet Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Pork Tenderloin Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Sirloin Cutlets Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Boneless Strips for Barbecue Swift Premium Guaranteed Tender Pork-Pork Top Round Swift/Kirkland Signature Pork Sirloin Tip Roast Trader Joe's Butcher Shop - Pork Sirloin Tri Tip Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Boneless Center Cut Pork Loin Cutlets Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Natural Pork-Boneless Pork Loin Chops Trader Joe's Butcher Shop Natural Pork-Pork Shoulder Boneless Strips Trader Joe's Butcher Shop-Pork Tenderloin
T. J. Kraft, Ltd. Hawaiian Pacific Ahi Tuna Steaks
Taylor Packing Co., Inc. Century Farm 96/4 Extra Lean Ground Beef
The Baker The Baker 7-Grain Sourdough Whole Wheat Bread
Thumann's Inc Thumann's All Natural Black Forest Brand Ham Thumann's All Natural Capless Roast Beef Thumann's All Natural Oven Roasted Gourmet Chicken Breast Thumann's All Natural Oven Roasted Gourmet Turkey Breast Thumann's Buffalo Style Oven Roasted Chicken Breast Thumann's Capless Roast Beef Thumann's Golden Roasted Filet of Turkey - Rotisserie Flavor Thumann's Golden Roasted Gourmet Turkey Thumann's Our Short Cut Deluxe Cooked Ham - Lower Sodium Thumann's Oven Roasted Premium Chicken Breast
Tony Downs Foods Company Member's Mark 98% Fat Free Premium Chunk Chicken Breast in Water
Tyson Foods, Inc. Tastybird Individually Frozen Chicken-Boneless, Skinless Breast Portions with Rib Meat Tastybird Individually Quick Frozen Chicken-Boneless, Skinless Tenderloins Tyson 100% All Natural Thin 'N Fancy Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (<3% Water) Tyson 100% All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (<1%/,2% Water) Tyson 100% All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson 100% All Natural Chicken Breast Tenderloins (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson 100% All Natural Chicken Breast Tenderloins (<1% Water) Tyson 100% All Natural Premium Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson 100% All Natural Skinless Split Chicken Breasts with Ribs (12% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson 100% All Natural Skinless Split Chicken Breasts with Ribs (>3% Water) Tyson 100% All Natural Thin 'N Fancy Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson Ice Glazed Chicken Individually Frozen 99% Fat Free Boneless, Skinless Breast Tenderloins (8% Seasoned Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Fresh Frozen All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins (8% Water & Kosher Salt) Tyson Individually Fresh Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Fresh Frozen Chicken Tenderloins (15% Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen 100% All Natural Individually Wrapped Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (15% Natural Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast Tenderloins (8% Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen All Natural Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (8% Broth Glaze & 15% Seasoned Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen All Natural Extra Lean Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast with Rib Meat (8% Chicken Broth) Tyson Individually Frozen Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts with Rib Meat (15% Chicken Broth) Tyson/Kirkland Signature All Natural 99% Fat Free Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (8% Water & Kosher Salt) Tyson/Tastybird Individually Frozen Boneless Skinless Breasts with Rib Meat (10% Seasoned Chicken Broth) Tyson/Tastybird Individually Frozen Chicken-Boneless Skinless Breasts with Rib Meat (10% Natural Chicken Broth)
Tyson Fresh Meats, Inc. 100% Pure Extra Lean Ground Beef 96/4 96/4 All Natural Extra Lean Ground Beef
United Food Group, LLC Miller's 100% Pure Ground Beef - 4% Fat Moran's All Natural 4% Fat 100% Ground Beef Hamburger Patties Moran's All Natural 4% Fat Ground Beef Trader Joe's Butcher Shop 4% Fat Ground Beef
Welch Foods, Inc. Welch's 100% Grape Juice (Purple) Welch's 100% Grape Juice (Purple) - Frozen Concentrate Welch's 100% Grape Juice (Purple) - Pourable Concentrate Welch's 100% Grape Juice Calcium (Purple) Welch's 100% Grape Juice with Fiber Welch's Organic 100% Concord Grape Juice Welch's Organic 100% Concord Grape Juice - Frozen Concentrate
West Liberty Foods, LLC Honey Roasted & Smoked Breast of Turkey - 98% Fat Free Kirkland Signature All Natural Fully Cooked Sliced Turkey Breast Oven Roasted Breast of Turkey Browned in Soybean Oil - 98% Fat Free
I'm very troubled by the American Heart Association's (AHA) willingness to lend its logo and stamp of approval to a multitude of garbage foods like Cocoa Puffs and Berry Kix cereals.
So I contacted the AHA and spoke to the manager of the Food Certification Program, Ms. Linda Rupp. Ms. Rupp proved very helpful in helping me to understand.
I originally called her to find out just how many products were turned down. In view of 768 products on the approved list, I wondered how many had been rejected to generate this "select" group.
Unfortunately, she said that the number of products rejected was not tracked, though she did intimate that it was not a lot. Sometimes, she added, a rejected product will undergo a few "improvements" to help it achieve the criteria necessary for AHA approval.
What exactly is considered in an application for the Food Certification Program?
A food must have 1)total fat 3.0 grams or less, 2) saturated fat 1.0 gram or less, 3) 20 grams or less cholesterol, 4) 480 mg or less sodium, all per serving.
She also pointed out that, given the fact that a food as useless and lacking in health qualitites as jelly beans could meet this criteria, the AHA employs a special "Jelly Bean Rule" that stipulates that 10% of the Daily Value of 6 nutrients (e.g., fiber, vitamins A and C, etc.) must also be contained in a serving.
So those are the startlingly lax requirements to gain the privilege of affixing the AHA Heart Check Mark on your product and informing the public that your box of Cocoa Puffs, Cookie Crisp cereal, or Berry Kix is "heart healthy."
There is an epidemic of obesity in the U.S. I don't believe that the AHA endorsement helps. In fact, I believe that it has been a contributor to obesity.
Pardon me while I eat this bag of M&M's for my heart.
He followed the Track Your Plaque "Rule of 60". He was slender, had run a marathon a few months earlier, in fact. He included fish oil at therapeutic doses. He replenished vitamin D to a blood level of 57 ng/ml 25-OH-vitamin D3. Though ambitious and hard-working, he was a generally happy, optimistic person.
Yet his CT heart scan score increased 28% in one year, from a starting score of 379 to 485.
What did he do wrong?
Well, Stan did nothing wrong. But I suggested to him that one "hole" in his program could be exercise-induced high blood pressure. I've witnessed this effect many times. Blood pressure normal or "borderline" high while seated and relaxed, sky-high with exercise.
So we put Stan on a treadmill. Starting blood pressure: 123/76. Blood pressure with exericse (13 mets): 220/78--sky high. That's why Stan's heart scan score went up. A good pressure with this level of exercise: 150/70, but certainly no higher than 170/80.
If blood pressure is high with exercise, it's probably high with emotional upset, anxiety, being in a hurry, etc., also, all the irritations and pressures of life.
We'll see in future how much of a role reducing Stan's blood pressure will play in gaining better control over his heart scan score. A practical difficulty will be in assessing the adequacy of blood pressure control in Stan, since its full potential only becomes evident with exerise. It means that future blood pressure assessments are more likely to be on a treadmill.
It would also explain why Stan's thoracic aorta was mildly enlarged and his aortic valve was mildly leaky when I met him, both potential consequences of intermittent high blood pressure.
If you've been following the Track Your Plaque conversation, you know that, contrary to prevailing opinion among many cardiologists, there is an emerging notion that coronary calcification is an active process, a true part of the disease.
Vitamin D3 is an important aspect of this question. So is vitamin K2. Not to be confused with K1 that plays a role in blood coagulation, K2 has an important role in calcium metabolism. Thus, vitmain K2 deficiency is related to osteoporosis and to coronary calcification.
Getting K2, like getting D, is difficult from food sources. The choices for K2 sources includes:
--Natto--generally, an impalatable choice. I've had it and it was intolerably gooey and weird-tasting. It is, nonetheless, the most concentrated food source of K2.
--Pate--Though liver products have the potential for containing many other unhealthy things, like pesticide residues, since the liver acts as a filter for the blood.
--Fermented cheeses--Since K2 is a product of fermentation of cheese, as it is in Natto.
For years, we've advised people to avoid or minimize cheese because of saturated fat or cholesterol content. I think that there's reason to re-think this advice based on the emerging data.
How can you tell the difference between fermented and non-fermented cheese? First, look for the holes in the cheese. The holes are the remnants of gas pockets created during fermentation. Second, look for the word "cultures" on the label, meaning organisms for fermentation were added. If "processed cheese" is anywhere on the label, this is a dairy product that has been chemically coagulated and is not fermented.
Fermented cheeses are generally "gourmet" cheeses, not eaten a pound at a time on a pizza, but meant to be eaten in small portions.
How much fermented cheese is necessary for its presumed inhibitory benefits on coronary calcification and osteoporsis? Are some fermented cheeses better than others? These issues remain unsettled. Stay tuned.
Anyone following the Track Your Plaque conversation know that we are rabid fans of normalizing blood vitamin D blood levels (25-OH-vitamin D3).
A wonderful report on vitamin D was aired this morning on the NBC Today show. The interviewed guests did a good job of describing the health effects of vitamin D, thought the focus was on some new data on the use of vitamin D for breast and prostate cancer.
I learned that shiitake mushrooms have some vitamin D--I didn't know that! (They contain 260 units per 4 mushrooms.)
Unfortunately, the closing comments from the guests, among whom was nutritionist and author, Joy Bauer,MS, was that you should get vitamin D from your multivitamin or your calcium with vit D.
That is absolutely wrong. When you check blood levels of vitamin D, as we do in everybody we see, you quickly learn what works and what doesn't.
Vitamin D in multivitamins is very poorly absorbed, if at all. Likewise, about 90% of the D in most calcium preparations is not absorbed. The vast majority of tablet or powder preparations, such as those in calcium tablets, are not absorbed to any significant extent. Take all you want and you remain vit D-deficient with osteoporosis, growing coronary plaque, low HDL, and exposed to risk for prostate and colon cancer.
If you take vitamin D in supplement form, it must--MUST--be in an oil-based capsule. The tablets are simply much too poorly and erratically absorbed to be reliable. There's nothing more frustrating to take, for instance, 4000 units of vitamin D in tablet form, only to have a blood level of 12 ng/ml--severe deficiency. Take the same 4000 unit dose in capsule form and blood level skyrockets to 58 ng/ml. And it's no more expensive.
One other thing: If you want to waste time and money, take the prescription vitamin D prescribed by many doctors. This is vitamin D2, also known as "ergocalciferol". Why use the synthetic vitamin D2 when D3 is the form your body needs? Because the D2 is patent-protectable and profitable to the drug manufacturer, similar to using Premarin (horse estrogens) when human preparations would suffice--or be superior. I saw a woman today taking 50,000 of prescription D2 once per week. Her blood level of 25-OH-vitamin D3? 17 ng/ml--severe deficiency. Don't waste your time with this garbage.
I am continually amazed at the amount of time and energy we all expend in the search for truth.
Rely on your hospital and you will be steered towards strategies that, at worst, aim to increase your use of hospital procedures. At best, they steer you towards physicians who are often under their employ.
How about your doctor? This is a source of immense frustration. Doctors remain interested in treating the catastrophic illness. They remain lukewarm towards prevention and self-empowerment. Thus, supplements are dangerous, everything requires a doctor's endorsement.
Drug companies? That's like relying on a used car salesman for truth. Exagerration, slick talk, and plain deception might be better descriptions of what you can count on from the drug manufacturers.
The internet? Perhaps, if you're selective. WebMD? An obvious voice-box for the drug industry. Just look at the proliferation of drugs ads that accompany each report. In fact, the majority (80%) of WebMD's revenues come from drug manufacturers.
The profit motive has created a mountain of good information. It has also created a sea of mis-information, all created to provide personal financial enrichment.
But I continue to be optimistic that the internet will also become a forum for truth, particularly through its capacity for networked interaction among participants. As our collective wisdom permits us to more effectively separate the wheat from the chaff in looking for the truth, I believe that we will zigzag towards a system of healthcare that is self-empowering, self-directed, and resorts to hospitals and procedures only in the most dire circumstances, saving billions of dollars every year.
