Macular Degeneration -What You Can Do
Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in
the age 65 and over group in both the United States and
the United Kingdom. One in six Americans between the ages of
55 and 64 will be affected which increases to one in four
between the ages of 64 and 74. Over the age of 75 one in
three will be affected. Each year 1.2 million people of the
estimated 12 million people with macular degeneration will
have severe loss of central vision.
What is macular degeneration
The macular portion of the retina is where central vision
occurs. This is the vision that allows us basically to
see. This portion of the retina is mostly populated
with cone cells, which are the cells that allow us to
read, write and generally see things when there is sufficient
light. The rod cells populate the rest of the retina
and are what we see with in darkness. The cone portion
of the retina has one of the highest metabolic rates of any
group of cells in the body and like the brain, needs a
constant supply of nutrients to maintain good vision.
Anything that compromises blood flow to these cells can
cause loss of function of these cells ie macular degeneration.
Symptoms
Because the brain is very good at filling in the visual
picture, the early loss of function of the macular cone cells
may go unnoticed. This means that in the early stages most
people with macular degeneration don't know they have it.
By the time it is usually diagnosed, it can be very advanced
with considerable loss of visual acuity / central vision.
Testing
If you are concerned about macular degeneration a visit to
your local ophthalmologist might be in order. Also, by visiting
the site below you can test yourself with the Amsler grid.
This is a test used to determine if there is any significant
compromise in central vision. To do this follow the link
below:
Amsler Grid TestRisk factors
Macular degeneration is age related as noted above and the
older you are, the more at risk you are. Race also factors
in here as it is more common in whites but does occur in
all races. It is more common in those who are farsighted.
Now for some risk factors over which we all have some
control.
Smoking
High blood pressure
Vascular disease
High intake of saturated fat and cholesterol
High blood cholesterol level
Exposure to sunlight
*************
Summary
To lower your risk for macular degeneration:
Stop smoking
Work to decrease your blood pressure. Please see the last
two newsletters on blood pressure to see what lifestyle
changes you can make to help lower your blood pressure.
If you would like to review these articles they are posted
on this site.
Always wear sunglasses with good UV protection when you are
outside and always be careful to never look into direct
sunlight.
Dietary Modification
A low cholestrol, low fat and low or NO sugar diet which is
high in green leafy vegetables and foods that are high in
vitamins E and C and Lutien, which is an antioxidant found
in high quantities in spinach, kale and other dark green
leafy vegetables, is recommended.
The leading causes of vascular diseases here in America
are sugar ingestion (adult onset diabetes) and animal
protein ingestion (coronary artery disease and stroke).
The MericleDiet
The MericleDiet is the only diet today that meets or exceeds
these requirements. It makes the transition away from sugar
and animal products as easy as it can be and will supply
your retina with all the dark leafy green vegetables and
energy from complex carbohydrates that it needs. It will
lower your risk of adult onset diabetes mellitus and the
ongoing vascular destruction associated with diabetes and
keep your larger arteries more healthy by keeping your
saturated fat and cholesterol levels low. To visit the
MericleDiet or signup for Dr. Mericle's Newsletter click
on the link below.
Dr.Mericle's Newsletter and the MericleDietReference:
Eyesite.orgThank you for your time.
Copyright © John Mericle M.D. 2005 All Rights Reserved
Four Steps to Hunger Control
Axiom Number Two: Hunger Control
Trying to lose weight without understanding how to control
your hunger -impossible. Probably the main reason so many
diets fail is because they ignore hunger. Hunger is one of
the human's strongest drives, right up there with procreation
and survival. Diets that attempt to restrict calories by
controlling portion sizes are almost universally failures.
All the positive imagery in the world will not stop your
hunger, even for a nanosecond. Hunger is just like a river.
You can dam it up for a while, but it will eventually
spill over and occasionally "burst" the dam itself.
Nutritional density
The first and most important step in controlling your hunger
is to feed your body what it is hungry for, not a big gulp
at the local convenience mart. All the food in most large
commercial grocery stores, fast food restaurants and
convenience marts is not what you need to turn off your
appetite. The only way you can even begin to shut down your
hunger is to feed the body complete foods. Here in America
that means organic whole foods.
Evolutionary Biochemistry
As man evolved, he did not have convenience marts and fast
food on every corner. Today, the biochemistry of man is still
anachronistically Neanderthal, while on every corner are
heavily processed foods that the biochemistry of the human
is not prepared to process. Incomplete foods rob the body
of precious minerals and micronutrients. Whole foods, on
the other hand, are complete and add these precious
nutrients back to the body. Processed sugar is a good example
of how the biochemistry of the human has not evolved while
the food industry has figured out ways to process almost
every known food substance. It's no wonder that today we
have so much cancer, heart disease and stroke.
Hunger control step number one
Eat at least one whole food and organic meal a day. Whether
you prepare this from the MericleDiet, which makes it very
easy to have good whole food vegan sugar-free meals on short
notice, or you prepare these meals yourself, makes no
difference. Your body needs some whole foods. Once you
have established a routine of at least one whole food
organic meal a day, you can start working on the rest
of your hunger control.
Hunger control step number two
This is one of the most important and "difficult" steps to
accomplish. You have to stop or at least really restrict
simple sugars (as we have recently covered). Why is this so
important? Simple sugars like sucrose, honey and high fructose
corn syrup, deliver huge loads of fructose and glucose at
the same time. Not only can the human biochemistry not handle
this as you all know by now, but they are very "addicting"
chemicals. If you can't stop your sugar habit, you will never
be able to really control your hunger. This is extremely
critical to ever regaining control of your hunger, your weight
and the well being of your immune system.
Hunger control step number three
Understand that you will get hungry. This may happen both
before your main meal of the day as well as after it.
Be prepared. Stock your refrigerator with "healthy snacks."
Organic carrot sticks in water work for me. I come back from
a run hungry, reach in the refrigerator and out come the
carrot sticks. Peppers work well this way, celery or
any other organic veggies. Keep large amounts of prepared
salads ready as they make a great snack that is very
low on the glycemic index. Whatever works for you, keep a
good supply on hand, including fresh fruits such as apples
and bananas. For myself, being the potato chipaholic (I've been
to Potato Chips Anonymous many times), it took some practice.
Now, I don't even reach for the potato chip bag, I go
straight for the carrots, even if there is a bag of chips
on top of the refrigerator.
Hunger control step number four
Learn to think in percentages. Controlling your hunger
is a huge project. I think it is actually more difficult for
those of us who are adult onset diabetic or pre-diabetic.
Understand that you will fail, more initially than later on.
Most people just can't stop bad eating habits overnight.
This is an ongoing work-in-progress and will be for the rest
of your life. Don't ever get down because you failed, just
strive to do better the next time. It is too easy to fail,
and then just give up all together. Initially you may fail
two or three times a day, but keep eating that one whole
food organic meal a day. Soon you will be failing two or
three times a week, and be a whole lot healthier. You will
never be perfect, but as long as your weight and health are
what you want them to be, you can go out and enjoy the
ambience of pizza and beer or some great Mexican food -and
not "worry" about it.
I would like to leave you with this quote from one of my
daughters, Danielle. You may cast a jaundice eye my direction
for using one of my own family as an endorsement. Let me
quickly dispell any thoughts of that, as in our family, it
is extremely difficult to even get noticed, much less
some positive words.
Danielle Mericle
In a lot of ways it comes down to your old saying,
"balancing getting through the day with getting through
your life." There actually is a balance if you can
find it. For example, last night we made a big Mexican
feast for friends. I made a Mexican rice that required
long grain white rice, which I know isn't good. I also
made chili rellenos which, although thankfully had no
eggs, had quite a bit of cheese. But because I had eaten
mostly brown rice, beans, and steamed veggies all week, I
could easily eat that meal last night without worrying
about it. Knowing what to avoid and then when you can
get away with it -is the key.
Danielle Mericle
Ithaca, New York
Copyright © John Mericle M.D. 2005 All Rights Reserved
The MericleDiet is the clear and easy path to that one
organic sugar-free whole food meal a day. To visit
the MericleDiet click on the link below.
http://www.DrMericle.com
Thanks for your time.
Hypertension -What You Can Do Part II
Twelve simple changes you can make to reduce your
blood pressure.
Lose weight
The association of obesity and hypertension has been long
established. As I mentioned in the previous email on this
subject, I was considerably overweight when I first became
hypertensive at age 34. I changed my diet and lifestyle
(became vegetarian and started running) and soon my blood
pressure was normal again. Hypertension is also associated
with hyperinsulinemia (elevated insulin levels) and diabetes.
Obesity and glucose intolerance / diabetes are both
established insulin-resistant conditions. The link between
sugar and hypertension is insulin. The more sugar you eat,
the more insulin you secrete, the more likely you are to be
obese / overweight and the more likely you are to be
hypertensive.
Exercise
It has long bothered me that exercise is not the immediate
first prescription that is handed to a newly diagnosed
hypertensive. Before you take that first thiazide diuretic,
and after a good evaluation of your hypertension since
initially exercise will raise the systolic pressure,
you should do at least thirty minutes of heart rate
elevating physical exercise, running being the best of the
best. Exercise immediately opens large muscular
vascular beds and markedly increases diastolic runoff thus
lowering the diastolic pressure. If you are exercising
to get in shape, thirty minutes three times a week
is a good start. If however, you are hypertensive, you
should try to do thirty minutes every day, until your blood
pressure is normal again.
Drink lots of water
By drinking a lot of water you keep your intravascular space
expanded and continually clear unwanted water soluble toxins
and salt through your kidneys. Salt has long been associated
with hypertension. By drinking lots of water you will keep
the sodium (salt) levels in your bloodstream lower, thus
reducing the likelihood of increased blood pressure.
Diet
A diet that keeps insulin secretion low, that is low in
saturated fats and low in salt can really help to control
your blood pressure. The best diet is one that eliminates
all simple sugars, meat and animal products and can
be easily adapted to low sodium(salt).
Stop smoking
Smoking has been associated with hypertension for a long time.
The risk of stroke goes up significantly in hypertensives
who smoke, more than in those who are just hypertensive.
If you are either hypertensive, pre-hypertensive or at risk
for hypertension, stop or reduce smoking.
Reduce salt intake
This has been "conventional wisdom" for many years. Now
there is a growing body of knowledge that is questioning
whether or not salt restriction is really helpful in treating
or preventing hypertension. It probably still
makes sense to restrict salt until more is known. Salt
restriction is not nearly as important as reducing
your weight by eating properly and getting daily exercise.
Increase potassium intake
Where salt (sodium) has been implicated in the past
as "contributing" to increased blood pressure, potassium
has been known to reduce blood pressure. Diets that have
lots of melons, bananas and potatoes are a good way to get
a lot of potassium from all natural sources, while you
lose weight.
Reduce or stop alcohol intake
Most liquor contains sugar as does most beer and wine. Once again
we have the problem with sugar -insulin secretion. Increased
insulin levels are associated with hypertension. The other
problem with alcohol intake is that most alcoholic drinks are
consumed in the evening, not too long before bedtime. This
leaves a large amount of insulin stimulating sugars in your
bloodstream when you are going to sleep -the worst time to
do this.
Reduce caffeine
Caffeine increases both the systolic as well as diastolic
blood pressure. Well designed studies have shown that caffeine
can increase the blood pressure of people with normal blood
pressure, but not as much or as significantly as it raises
the blood pressure of someone who already has high blood
pressure. If you have any increase in blood pressure either
hypertensive or pre-hypertensive, you really should either
eliminate or at least restrict caffeine.
Avoid recreational drugs and NSAID's
Cocaine, ecstasy, amphetamines can all cause hypertension.
The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID's) have
been shown to interact in an adverse fashion with
anti-hypertensive therapy / drugs. If you either have
hypertension and / or are taking medication for hypertension,
it would be a good idea to avoid drugs such as ibuprofen,
naproxen or diclofenac.
Stevia ... To replace all the insulin stimulating sugars in
your diet utilize the 100% natural herbal sweetener stevia.
This herb in many different studies has actually been
shown to reduce blood pressure. It contains no calories and
does not cause cavities and has been used for hundreds of
years.
Finally ...Relax as much as possible.
Try to avoid as much as you can situations that "raise your
blood pressure" and when you get into those situations,
stay as calm as you can -often much easier said than done.
The MericleDiet
The MericleDiet is one of the few diets today that eliminates
sugars that cause excessive insulin secretion. Rich in complex
carbohydrates and potassium containing melons, bananas and
potatoes, it is the best choice for reducing your risk of
hypertension. To visit the MericleDiet follow the link
below:
Visit the MericleDietThanks for your time.
Copyright © John Mericle M.D. 2005 All Rights Reserved
Malnutrition Causes Obesity
Axiom Number One -Nourish your body.
Probably the most important and least understood axiom of
successful weight loss is that you have to nourish your body.
The main reason why most people are overweight is that they are
malnourished. In our modern grocery stores are all kinds of
processed and packaged foods. The nutritional value of any
food substance is indirectly related to the amount of processing.
The more a food is processed, the less nutrition is present.
Trace minerals and elements
Food grown by today's commercial methods are not grown in
healthy soil. The soil is essentially dead and there is no
life (nitrogen)sources in that soil. The nitrogen is added
to the soil as liquid fertilizer along with a lot of not so
good for your health -pesticides. This approach to farming
may produce some great harvests, by weight, but not by
nutrition standards. A lot of what the human body needs
is lost in this type of food production.
Incomplete foods
When you eat a lot of heavily processed food grown in dead
soil you do not get all the nutrients that the human body
needs. You end up hungry all the time so you eat more of
the same foods. In addition to being incomplete foods, they
more often than not have added sweeteners and sometimes
even added chemicals like aspartame (Nutrasweet). The body
has to do something with all the added incomplete calories
so it turns them into fat.
Nutritional density
When you eat whole foods that have been grown in soil that
has not been depleted by the commercial farming process, you
are getting all the nutrients that you need. You finish a
meal and feel satisfied. Often when you finish a really
whole and complete meal you end up feeling like you don't need
to eat for a week or so. On the other hand, when you eat
incomplete foods, you are usually hungry as soon as your
stomach empties, about thirty minutes.
Why organic is cheaper
While good organic produce may cost more than the non-organic
variety, it is still cheaper to eat organic. This is because
the organic foods actually satisfy you and will turn off your
hunger. The non-organic foods do not turn off your hunger
and usually you end up eating a lot more of them, and seem to
be always hungry. This is not to mention all the pesticides
that are included in the non-organic foods. Chemotherapy is
not cheap these days.
The wrong kind of weight loss
Promises of lost pounds in weeks are rampant. The
problem with all of these is that the biochemistry of the
human takes time to put weight on -and to take it off. You
may drop a few pounds on some low "carbohydrate diet" but
you are only losing water and lean muscle mass, exactly
what you don't want to lose. While the scale may be
important, your health and nutrition are much more important.
A diet consisting of whole organic fruits, vegetables and
complex carbohydrates with no added sweeteners will nourish
your body while you lose weight without hunger.
Summary
The mainstay of any successful diet program has to be feeding
the human body what it needs. In order to accomplish that
today, you have to eat organic whole foods, preferably one
good meal a day. This will go a long way to slow down your
appetite and make it easier to resist all those tempting
nutritionally bereft hollow calories out there.
The MericleDiet ... Is your clear and easy path to whole food
organic meals on short notice. To visit the MericleDiet
follow the link below:
http://www.DrMericle.com
Please stay tuned for the next installment in this
series -Control Your Hunger. Later this week we will
also be discussing the twelve lifestyle changes you
can make to help control your blood pressure.
Thanks for your time.
Copyright © John Mericle M.D. 2005 All Rights Reserved
Hypertension -Twelve Simple Things You Can Do To Lower Your Blood Pressure
Headlines:
Nearly a quarter of American adults just got diagnosed with a new disorder: pre-hypertension. Is your blood pressure low enough?
Nearly 23% of people over the age of 18 have pre-hypertension(blood pressure over 120/80 and less than 140/90).Another 25% of those over 18 have full-blown hypertension(blood pressure over 140/90).
Hypertension
At age 34 I had to have an insurance exam. I weighed 175 pounds on a 5'6" frame and for the first time in my life, had elevated blood pressure, 140/90, up from 118/78. That was one of the first major health warnings my body gave me.
Pre-hypertension
Back in those days hypertension was considered anything above140/90. Today we have the diagnosis of "pre-hypertension" which is any elevation of blood pressure over 120/80. Starting as low as 115/75 the risk of heart attack or stroke doubles for every 20 point increase in systolic pressure (the higher of the two, when the left ventricle of the heart actually pumps blood out into the body) and for every 10 point increase in diastolic pressure (when the heart is resting between pulses). Between the pressures of 120/80 and 140/90 there is a fourfold increase in heart attack, compared to people with normal blood pressure. According to Aram Chobanian, M.D. Dean of Boston University School of Medicine, people over 54 years old have a 90% chance of developing hypertension down the road.
Aging does not necessarily correlate to hypertension.
For some reason especially here in America, there has been the idea that there is a normal increase in blood pressure as one gets older. That has been proven to be false. There are many populations around the world that reach old age and beyond without any increase in blood pressure. The idea that blood pressure goes up with age is based on studying the American population where it does in most cases. However, this does not mean that it is normal and is most likely a reflection of the eating habits and lifestyle of most Americans. I can still remember when a serum cholesterol was considered normal if it was less than 275, hardly normal for anyone.
Prevention is the best approach.
Better to not get hypertension than to try to control it with drugs once you have it. This means lifestyle changes that to some, are not really what they want to do. No free lunch here. If you want to prevent hypertension or control it once you have it, diet and exercise are the answer. Below are twelve simple lifestyle changes you can make to help keep your blood pressure under control.
Lose Weight
Exercise
Drinks lots of water
Dietary modification to include decreased meat, dairy, salt and sugar consumption and increased fruits, vegetables and complex carbohydrate comsumption. (The sugar-free vegan MericleDiet is the optimal diet to help you control your weight, blood pressure and risk for serious disease).
Stop Smoking
Reduce salt intake
Increase potassium intake (bananas, melons, potatoes)
Reduce or stop alcohol intake
Reduce or stop caffeine
Avoid drugs ... recreational (cocaine, ecstasy), birth control pills, some over the counter anti-inflammatory medicines
Relax, as much as you can.
If you want sweet -use Stevia. It has been shown to be the safest sweetener today and in well designed experiments it has reduced blood pressure.
The MericleDiet and Hypertension.
Current dietary recommendations for hypertension are a low salt diet that restricts saturated fat, cholesterol and total fats and emphasizes fruits, grains and low-fat dairy. This diet, however, still allows fish, chicken, dairy and insulin stimulating sugars such as sucrose and maple syrup. While there is no doubt that cutting down on these will improve your blood pressure, it would be best to stop them. Also, there has been some difficulty with adherence to these dietary recommendations. Why not learn to transition completely away from all hypertension causing meats, dairy and sugars with the MericleDiet, which also is much easier to adhere to. It is the only 100% organic sugar-free diet there is today.
Endorsement
The Mericle Diet and Me I have been reading about diet and health since 1986, but The MericleDiet has definitely helped me the most. After following Dr. Mericle's suggestions for over 15 months, I can truthfully say I will never stray from his program. One of the unseen benefits has been the reduction of blood pressure medicine I take. Although I have never been a big consumer of sugar, I now consume even less since I now understand the importance of keeping your insulin levels low. I am now able to keep my blood pressure at an optimal level with half the medication of my pre-MericleDiet days. And, the ease of this program! I always have something yummy and ready to eat! For the firsttime in my adult life I no longer suffer, and I do mean suffer, from the yo-yo syndrome! This is absolutely the best program for me and my family...
Kay McIlroy Colorado Springs
Reference:
Health24.com
MyWebMD.com
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Recommended website of the week:
I would like to recommend
http://www.allwomencentral.com/. It contains a lot of good information for both women and men.
http://www.allwomencentral.com********************
If you would like to take stevia for a test drive or justpurchase some online, the link below will take you to Carol Bond Health Foods. Just search stevia or "Stevita"when you get there.
http://www.DrMericle.com/rcb.phpPlease stay tuned for next week when we will discuss in moredetail the recommendations for controlling your bloodpressure.
Fructose Short-Circuits Glycolysis
Fructose Short-Circuits Gylcolysis
First some terminology.
Fructose ... a five carbon sugar that occurs naturally in fruit, does not cause as much insulin to be secreted as glucose and tastes sweeter than glucose.
Glucose ... a six carbon sugar that is the breakdown product of glycogen(a polymer of glucose, multiple glucose units hooked together) that occurs naturally in potatoes and grains.
Glycogen ... multiple units of glucose hooked together (a polymer).What is typically called "complex carbohydrate" today.
Glycolysis ... derived from the Greek stem glyk- "sweet" and lysis meaning dissolution. The metabolic pathway for the initial utilization of glucose.
Phosphofructokinase ... the enzyme that catalyzes the reaction of fructose 6-phosphate to fructose 1,6-biphosphate. You don't need to understand anything more about this reaction other than the fact that if fructose comes from a source other than the degradation of glucose, it blocks this step for glucose until all the non-glucose derived fructose has been metabolized.
Glucose and Fructose Are Both Metabolized via Gylcolysis
Both fructose and glucose are metabolized via glycolysis. Both end up at some point as three carbon fragments. In order for glucose to be broken down into three carbon fragments it must first be metabolized to a five carbon sugar, actually fructose. This is where the trouble starts, since fructose is already a five carbon sugar. The following analogy I hope will aid in explaining this. The analogy, however, is far from perfect.
Whether we start out with separate glucose and fructose as in high fructose corn syrup or honey, or with fructose and glucose hooked together as in sucrose(common table sugar), makes no difference. As soon as sucrose hits the bloodstream, it is immediately broken down (hydrolyzed) to fructose and glucose.
Freda Fructose gets married to Gary (Glucose) Sucrose. They live happily on Sugar Lane. Both work in muscle and liver cells where they are metabolized usually into fat and slow the immune system to a crawl. They get up early in the morning and both have to get on the Glycolysis Road to get to work. Gary (Glucose) is one carbon atom heavier than Freda Fructose and because of that, he cannot cross the river on one of the lighter and faster bridges on their way to work. Freda Fructose however, being lighter, has no problem crossing the faster bridge and making the short-cut to the Glycolysis Road. Gary Glucose, however, has to get on the road well above the short-cut, since he is too heavy to take the lighter bridge short-cut.
The Phosphofructokinase Intersection
As usual Freda Fructose gets to the Phosphofructokinase intersection well before Gary Glucose. By the time Gary Glucose gets to the intersection, the traffic directing policeman is once again allowing all the Freda Fructoses to make the turn onto Glycolysis Road while, all the Gary Glucoses can do is sit in traffic and wait. Once again, Gary, and all the other Glucoses on their way to work, must sit and wait for all the Freda Fructoses to get on Glycolysis Road before they can continue.
LA Traffic Control
Traffic control sees all these Glucoses sitting stuck in traffic, just like traffic backs up everyday in LA. It reacts by injecting a lot of green lights (insulin) into the pathway for the Glucoses to get to work. Finally, all the Fructoses pass and now because there are too many green lights, all the Glucoses pass quickly. All of the sudden there are no Glucoses to be found on the Glycolysis Road. All the cells along the way that used to be able to snag some Glucose can't because there isn't any. Whether it is the excessive insulin that is the cause of so many of the lifestyle diseases we see today or, all the backed up Gary Glucoses decide to cause their own damage to the arteries they are in, I don't know. It is however, clearly established that the ingestion of sucrose (fructose and glucose) is related to many of our lifestyle diseases today including the extensive damage to the vascular system that occurs with adult onset diabetes mellitus. I know, my damaged arteries are up on this site.
Hypoglycemia
Now you begin to feel lightheaded, dizzy and a bit disoriented. Traffic control has injected too many green lights and the concentration of glucose drops precipitously. The brain starts to complain because it no longer has enough glucose to function. If the blood sugar gets low enough, serious complications can occur.
Fructose and Glucose Together
The combination of fructose and glucose should be avoided as much as possible. When you eat your fruit, try to allow at least an hour or preferably two, before eating potatoes, whole grains or rice. Also avoid as much as you can sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, honey and maple syrup or, any sweetener that has as it main ingredients, fructose and glucose.
Other Sweeteners
Brown Rice Syrup
Brown rice syrup is roughly about 45% maltose (two glucose units hooked together), 50% complex carbohydrates and 3% glucose. No glucose and fructose together but still sweet and I have known some people who can even get hypoglycemic from it.
Barley Malt Syrup
Made from whole barley it is about 65% Maltose and 30% complexcarbohydrates.
Fruit Concentrates
These are usually combinations of glucose, fructose and sucrose and should be avoided.
Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is about 65% sucrose and should be avoided.
Summary:
If you want sweet, you are safest with stevia. Next would be sweeteners derived from rice and barley. Sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, maple syrup and fruit juice concentrates should be avoided.
Reference:
Stryer Biochemistry Fourth Edition
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To really get off of sweets and "deprogram a sugar-coated palate," the MericleDiet is hard to beat. Generous servings of organic complex carbohydrates will keep you and your brain happy.
To visit the MericleDiet follow the link below:
http://www.DrMericle.com**************
One of our readers Wendy in the UK writes:
Just to let you know that according to the website below that takes you to Carol Bond Health Foods it is spelt Stevita. I couldn't find it anywhere on the site and through asking the chat section it was spelt differently. Thought you would like to know so that you can let the other newsletter recipients know.
Regards ...
Wendy
PS Really enjoy the newsletter. Find it very informing so thank you. Gave up drinking milk last year after reading your article! Feel much healthier as a result.
**************
To take Stevia for a test drive or purchase some online follow the link below. I had luck just searching stevia but you could also search the product "Stevita."
http://www.drmericle.com/rcb.phpThanks for your time.
