May 2017

Olive Branch Wellness Center
Wellness Newsletter

Another Reason to Avoid Carbs: Acrylamide

Acrylamide is a cancer-causing chemical found in cigarette smoke, plastics, dyes, waste water and adhesives. It doesn't sound like something you'd want to eat, does it? But did you know that you are most likely creating acrylamide in your diet by your food choices and how you cook?
Acrylamide forms when plant-based carbohydrates are heated until they are toasted, charred or browned. It can also be formed when certain amino acids are cooked with sugar. It is mainly found in foods prepared at temperatures over 248 degrees Fahrenheit, but rarely in foods prepared below this temperature.
The worst offenders are potatoes, baked goods, processed snack foods, and grains. The sad thing is, these are the foods we often like sweetened, toasty, crispy, baked and fried – all strategies that create acrylamide.

Ray Ilg, ND

Raynette Ilg, N.D., is the owner of Olive Branch Wellness Center in South Elgin, IL. A Naturopath who earned a Bachelors of Science in Biological Medicine and then a Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from National University of Health Sciences, she employs Nutritional Guidance, Herbal Medicine, Hydrotherapy, and Homeopathy in her clinic. Dr. Ray can be contacted via her website,
Olive Branch Wellness Center

French fries and potato chips have the highest amount of acrylamide. One serving of French fries can have 500 times the allowable limit that is considered safe. But frying isn't necessarily the culprit here, it's the temperature. Baking processed potatoes can cause even higher spikes of acrylamide.
Since coffee and cocoa beans are roasted carbohydrates, coffee and cocoa products have high amounts of acrylamide. If you switch to a roasted chicory substitute for coffee, you risk ingesting even more acrylamide.

The good news is that our body can naturally detoxify acrylamide over time. However, if we overload our detox capacity, toxins like acrylamide and others can circulate too long and cause problems. That's why it pays to reduce our intake of potentially suspect foods whenever we can.

Patients who follow our nutrition advice at Olive Branch Wellness Center automatically reduce their exposure to acrylamides. This is because we encourage them to reduce sugar and carbs and quit the coffee habit. We also encourage eating and lifestyle habits that boost the body's detoxification capacity naturally, like eating lots of healthy vegetables and drinking enough water. These simple steps form a multi-faceted approach to restore health and make better choices to protect against cancer and chronic disease.

Olive Branch Wellness Center 630-370-7290

www.olivebwc.com

The Monthly "Vita - Mini"

B14

By now, you may be surprised at how many B vitamins there are. We're almost done, as there are 17! Actually, there may be many more we haven't even discovered yet, as we are still finding new organic compounds in our food that are critical for our health or have medicinal value.

Very little is known about vitamin B14, and many think it isn't really a vitamin at all. It was first isolated from wine. It is similar to vitamin B10 (PABA) and vitamin B11 (Folic Acid) in that it helps with cell formation. Yet even with the very little information we have about it, observation shows that a deficiency of vitamin B14 can lead to pernicious anemia through the destruction of red blood cells, as well as an increase growth of cancer cells in the body.

Good food sources of vitamin B14 include yeast, grains, legumes, eggs, organ meats and red wine.

Jeana's Cucina

Sausage & Kale Spaghetti Boats with Feta

Ingredients:

2 small spaghetti squash

1 1/2 lbs. Italian chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch kale

6oz crumbled feta cheese

2 tbsp pine nuts, roasted

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place squash in the microwave for 3-4 minutes to soften. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Place halves cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45-50 minutes, until fork tender. Let cool.

Remove the center stems from kale and cut up the leaves. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the chicken/turkey sausage. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the sausage is browned and cooked through. Add the kale and feta and stir. Cook for a few minutes more to wilt the kale. Remove from heat and set aside.

Once cooled, scrape the insides of the spaghetti squash with a fork to shred the squash into strands. Transfer the strands into the skillet with the sausage and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon the mixture into the squash shells, top with pine nuts and parsley to serve.