Questions Answered: 1-5

Several of you have asked questions which I will attempt to answer here so that all will be able to see.

1. What does GMO stand for?
Genetically-modified organism. Scientists have figured out how to change the DNA of seeds to make them more resistant to disease and other things that could harm them in the field (e.g. Round-Up). In so doing, they may have made our food into something that our bodies view as "foreign." It's too soon to know yet, but most corn and almost all soybeans are now genetically modified, so in ten years or so we'll know more what the fall-out is. (If you have several hours of free time, Google it.)

2. What is HCL?
Hydrochloric acid. It's the main component of stomach acid, so for people who experience heartburn or feel like their food doesn't digest, taking HCL pills can be very helpful. Sounds contradictory, doesn't it? We're told that heartburn is too much acidity, so we're prescribed antacids to curb the production of it. But heartburn is actually caused by not enough stomach acid, allowing the food to sit in our stomachs too long.

3. I've been burping green peppers for years, but you lumped them in with tomatoes and potatoes. What's that about?
Peppers (of all kinds), tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants are the best known of the Solanaceae family (somehow dubbed "nightshades"). They contain something called "alkaloids" which are known to cause inflammation (in some people more than others). Since all chronic disease (arthritis, heart disease, cancer) stems from inflammation, it makes sense to cut out the things that cause it. (An interesting point: green or sprouted areas on potatoes are signs of particularly high alkaloids. That must be why we cut them out.)

Potatoes also cause a spike in blood sugar, which makes the pancreas secrete insulin to cover it. Insulin is inflammatory and it depresses the neurotransmitters in the brain. So if you get stiffness in your joints; or you're depressed, lethargic or apathetic, you may want to leave potatoes alone for awhile and see how you feel. As for me, I will have potatoes once in awhile because I love them, but I will lay down a base of protein, fats and complex carbohydrates (meat and veggies with butter) first because that will slow down the digestion of the potatoes -- helping my blood sugar to stay even. Cancer feeds on sugar, and thrives in an acidic environment (from insulin spikes), so I'll try to keep both sugar and insulin to a minimum.

Tomatoes are touted as being high in lycopene, but so are lots of other things (e.g.watermelon, red cabbage, asparagus, pink grapefruit . . .), and I tend to get heartburn when I eat them, so I'll leave them alone for the time being.

4. What's wrong with coffee?
Probably nothing for a healthy person, but since I'm cutting out all things acidic or falsely stimulating, I'm leaving it alone for now. I was talking to a biochemist (a person who studies the effects of things on living organisms, namely humans), and he said that caffeine's initial effect is to weaken the system. But then the neurotransmitters are activated and we get a "jolt" of energy that lasts an hour or two. I'm trying to strengthen my system, so weakening it -- even for a few seconds -- is counterproductive. I'd rather have the sustained, smooth energy from nutrient-rich foods than the "flash" and "crash" I get from caffeine. Plus, caffeine's a diuretic. All that said, I was really dragging the other day and had to be able to function a few more hours (but had forgotten my food at home). So I had an almond-milk latte with half the syrup. It did the job, but the cancer cells probably enjoyed it, too.

5. What's up with soy? Isn't it supposed to be good for us?
From what I can tell, not so much. Here's what I've learned:

• The phytoestrogens in it block the iodine in our bodies, and our thyroids need iodine -- not just so we won't have lumpy necks, but so our minds and bodies can function at a somewhat-human level
• It causes our bodies to make extra estrogen, which makes men soft and women . . . well, weird. Hormonal cancers (such as breast or ovarian) love it, though.
• It's been genetically modified to the point that it's more closely related to plastic than to food, so our bodies likely don't recognize the nutrients it's supposed to carry.

This may be totally off the mark, but I have wondered if our society's extremely high soy intake has any correlation with the increase in homosexuality. It'd be interesting to check the time frames of both. There are bound to be other factors as well, but it's proven that the foods we eat affect our DNA -- and that of our unborn off-spring -- so it may not be completely unthinkable. Anybody care to do some research?

Okay, that's enough for now. I know there are more questions out there but I haven't written them down, so ask them in a Comment and I'll answer them next time. Have an awesome weekend! :-)