Healthy World Cafe at the York County Local Food Summit Nov. 7

Rain, rain, go away -- Healthy World Cafe is looking ahead, and we have some news for our friends and volunteers:

Photo via Flickr user Michelle Tribe.

Folks who are attending the York County Local Food Summit on Nov. 7 are in for a treat -- a delicious, locally source lunch provided by Healthy World Cafe! We've agreed to provide the midday meal for summit attendees, and all sorts of ideas are floating through our heads: spiced local vegetables and rice served over oven-roasted acorn squash, a spicy apple slaw, and a fresh fruit salad with honey, mint and lime.

This will be a great opportunity to educate local folks -- already interested in local food -- about our mission to provide a healthy, locally sourced meal to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

But we need your help! We'll be prepping from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6 at the 4H Center, 771 Stoverstown Road, York; and then prepping and serving from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the same location. If you can help us out by volunteering a few hours, sign up on VolunteerSpot.

If you're interested in attending the York County Local Food Summit, tickets are $30 before Oct. 31 and $45 afterward, and can be purchased through EventBrite.

Because we'll be prepping and serving on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, we'll forgo our November advisory group meeting scheduled for Nov. 5 at the Friends Meeting House. In its place, we'll give a quick update at our Tuesday evening prep session. If you have any questions, send us an email at healthyworldcafe(at)gmail(dot)com.

Diet, Blood Cholesterol, Blood Pressure and Risk of Stroke: Part II

In Part I I reviewed evidence showing that while randomized controlled trials found that lowering LDL cholesterol significantly reduces the risk of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke and all-cause mortality, but has little appreciable effect on hemorrhagic stroke, prospective cohort studies found suggestive evidence that serum cholesterol, including LDL and possibly triglycerides and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke is modified by blood pressure. The largest meta-analysis of prospective studies found that while serum cholesterol was inversely associated with risk of hemorrhagic stroke mortality in participants with high blood pressure, in participants with near optimal or ‘physiological’ blood pressure, lower cholesterol was actually associated with a significantly reduced risk of hemorrhagic, ischemic and total stroke mortality. Furthermore another very large prospective study found suggestive evidence that the inverse association between cholesterol and risk of hemorrhagic stroke confined to participants with hypertension may not be causal but acts as a marker of binge drinking.

Taking this potential modification by blood pressure and risk of stroke into consideration, as blood pressure is universally high in developed nations among people in the age range most susceptible to stroke, this may result in biasing the results of studies towards finding a lower risk of stroke for dietary changes that raise cholesterol. Therefore this justifies considering this potential bias when evaluating the evidence regarding dietary changes and the risk of stroke.

Foods rich in fiber and flavonoids may lower blood pressure and risk of stroke*

Red Meat

Despite the possibility of the above mentioned bias, a recent meta-analysis of 6 prospective studies including >329,000 participants and >10,600 cases of stroke found that each per-day serving increase of fresh red meat and processed meat was associated with a 11% and 13% increased risk of stroke respectively, without heterogeneity among studies.1 The authors not only explained that these findings could partly be attributed to saturated fat, dietary cholesterol and sodium content in fresh red meat and processed meat, but also provided the following explanation regarding how these findings may be in part explained by intake of heme iron:

Moreover, red meat is a source of heme iron. It is well-known that iron is a redox-active metal that catalyzes the formation of hydroxyl free radicals in the Fenton reaction. High doses of iron may lead to oxidative stress, a state with increased peroxidation of lipids, protein modification, and DNA damage. If continued for a long time, oxidative stress induced by iron may lead to the development of many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, atherosclerosis, neurological disorders, and chronic inflammation.

Don Matesz previously posted an informative review addressing the evidence on the absorption animal and non-animal sources of iron and the risk of developing chronic and degenerative diseases. Similarly, Dr. Michael Greger reviewed the evidence of absorption of heme and non-heme iron and the associated risks (video below).

Risk Associated With Iron Supplements

Meat, in particular red meat intake has been consistently associated with an increased risk of weight gain in large prospective studies, suggesting that this meta-analysis may have underestimated the true association between red meat and risk of stroke, as all included studies adjusted for BMI.2 3 4 5 6 7 Furthermore, a recent meta-analysis of prospective studies found that body iron stores and intake of heme iron from meat, but not non-heme iron was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing type II diabetes, which in-turn increases the risk of stroke.8

Fish and Stress

Several recent meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials, including the highest quality double-blinded, placebo-controlled trials found no association between fish oil and risk of stroke, all other cardiovascular end points and all-cause mortality.9 10 Conversely, a recent meta-analysis of prospective studies including >402,00 participants and >10,500 cases of stroke found that fish intake was associated with a decreased risk of stroke in studies conducted in North America, but not in Europe and Asia.11 However, compared to the Asian and European cohorts, the participants in the North American cohorts may have been displacing fish with less healthful foods such as red meat which is a typical characteristic of North American cohorts, therefore possibly explaining these inconsistent findings.12 In addition, another recent study of >30,000 participants from the Stroke Belt in the U.S. not included in this meta-analysis found that fried fish was associated with a 2.8 fold increased risk of ischemic stroke.13

Another study on British adolescents whose diet was measured between 1937 and 1939 found that while childhood intake of vegetables cut the risk of developing stroke later in life in less than half, higher childhood intake of fish was associated with a two-fold increased risk of stroke.14 The researchers provided the following possible explanation for these findings:

A detrimental effect of higher fish intake on stroke risk would fit with temporal trends in fish consumption and stroke in the UK and Japan. It is also consistent with the suggestion that fish intake in early life may influence risk of stroke, particularly hemorrhagic stroke through an effect on membrane concentrations of arachidonic acid.

Perhaps another explanation for these findings is that fish contains high levels of mercury and other contaminants that may increase the risk of stroke and other neurological disorders, which adolescents maybe especially susceptible to.15 16

Uffe Ravnskov, the spokesman for The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics responded to this study explaining his alternative hypothesis:17

Dear Editor,
To estimate children’s intake of fish from total household dietary intake is a daring enterprise. Most children hate fish because of the bones. Here is a likely scenario:
Father or mother: “There is no dessert before you have eaten up that fish!”
Therefore, if the figures aren’t a result of chance, they may rather reflect the effect of childhood stress rather than the result of a high intake of fish.

This attempt to downplay the results of this study seems to be somewhat desperate coming from someone who is considered to be one of the most prominent figures in the cholesterol skeptic community. Ravnskov’s claims have long been demonstrated as being faulty by prominent researchers.18 Plant Positive has also addressed a number of his faulty claims in the Primitive Nutrition Series.

Indeed prospective studies found that depression and perceived stress is associated with a modest increased risk of stroke and coronary heart disease respectively.19 20 However, the observed plummet of cardiovascular mortality in Scandinavia and the low countries of Europe during the World Wars casts doubt as to whether stress can be considered as a primary cardiovascular risk factor as opposed to significant dietary modifications and weight loss [reviewed previously]. This plummet was also observed in what can be arguably described as the most stressful environment in modern history, as the researchers from a landmark Israelian study explain:21

…physicians who survived the Nazi concentration camps reported that during the years of their imprisonment, they never encountered patients with myocardial infarctions or patients with anginal syndrome, even in persons over 50 years of age. Moreover, persons who were previously known to them as patients with atherosclerotic heart disease became free of clinical manifestations of their disease after losing considerable weight due to the conditions prevailing in the concentration camps.

Cocoa and Beverages

A meta-analysis of 5 prospective studies with >4,200 cases of stroke found that chocolate intake was associated with a decreased risk of stroke. As the researchers suggested, these findings are likely explained by nutrients found primarily in cocoa solids such as flavonoids and antioxidants, and therefore does not support an increased intake of other ingredients typically included in chocolate.22

A large meta-analysis of observational studies provided suggestive evidence that alcohol consumption is associated with a slightly lower risk of ischemic stroke but higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke.23 A meta-analysis of 11 prospective studies with >479,000 participants and >10,000 cases of stroke found that moderate coffee intake was associated with a modest decreased risk of stroke.24 In addition, a meta-analysis of 14 prospective studies with >513,000 participants and >10,000 cases of stroke found that tea intake was associated with decreased risk of stroke in a dose response matter, therefore making it likely the favorable beverage for stroke prevention.25

Fruits and Vegetables

A meta-analysis of 9 prospective studies including >257,000 participants and >4,900 cases of stroke found that fruit and vegetable intake provided significant protection against both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and that optimal intake is above five servings per day.26 These findings are consistent with more recent large prospective studies, although some found suggestive evidence that the association was stronger for white fruits and vegetables, raw fruits and vegetables, cruciferous vegetables, citrus fruits and tomatoes.27 28 29 30 31

Fiber and Micronutrients

A very recent meta-analysis of 6 prospective studies including >314,000 participants and >8,900 cases of stroke found that a 10 g/day increment of dietary fiber was associated with a 12% reduction in stroke.32 In addition, a meta-analysis of 10 prospective studies including >268,000 participants and >8,600 cases of stroke found that an increment of 1000 mg/day of dietary potassium was associated with a 11% reduction of stroke.33 Furthermore, a meta-analysis of 8 prospective studies including >304,000 participants and >8,300 cases of stroke found that dietary potassium was associated with a decreased risk of stroke.34 There is also growing evidence that dietary flavonoids decrease the risk of stroke.35

These findings should be interpreted with caution as these nutrients maybe markers of other protective constituents in whole-plant foods. Increasing intake of these nutrients with supplements or fortified foods may provide little benefit, and therefore would be advisable to increase intake of whole-plant foods naturally rich in these nutrients.36

Regarding supplements, a meta-analysis of placebo controlled trials including >28,000 participants found that calcium supplements with or without vitamin D increased the risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke.37 Consistent with these findings a meta-analysis of prospective studies found that circulating calcium in >22,000 participants was associated with a significantly increased risk of total stroke.38 Conversely, this meta-analysis found that circulating vitamin D in >47,000 participants was associated with a significantly lower risk of stroke, consistent with suggestive evidence from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that evaluated the efficacy of sunlight exposure.39

A meta-analysis of 12 studies with >225,000 participants and 3,100 cases of stroke found that high salt intake was associated with an increased risk of stroke.40 In addition, a recent large prospective study also found that dietary cholesterol was associated with an increased risk of stroke.41

Macronutrients

Although prospective studies have found that saturated fat, trans fat and animal protein are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease mortality, studies of these cholesterol raising macronutrients and the risk of stroke have been less consistent.42 43 44 This could be because as previously explained the association between serum cholesterol, which is typically raised by these nutrients and risk of stroke maybe modified by blood pressure. A limited number of studies have tested whether the association between macronutrient intake and the risk of stroke is modified by hypertension status, but not whether it is further modified by optimal compared to high normal blood pressure.

In the Nurses’ Health Study intake of trans-fat, saturated fat and animal protein was inversely associated with risk of hemorrhagic stroke. The researchers found that the inverse association for saturated fat was confined to women with a history of hypertension, but did not observe this interaction for trans-fat or animal protein.45 However, a recent study on Swedish women with a significantly larger number of stroke cases found that the inverse association between animal protein and risk of stroke was confined to participants with hypertension.46 A Japanese study found that the findings of an inverse association between saturated fat and hemorrhagic stroke was not confined to participants who were hypertensive at study baseline, but noted that many cases of stroke were recorded in participants who had high-normal blood pressure at study baseline and that blood pressure likely increased as the participants aged during the follow-up period.47

This Japanese study raises two important limiting factors typically not accounted for that should be considered in future studies. Firstly as previously explained, the majority of the participants who are in the age range most susceptible to stroke typically have either high normal blood pressure or hypertension, and secondly that many participants will likely develop high blood pressure as they age during the follow-up period. As studies at most usually only examine whether hypertension status at study baseline modifies the risk of stroke and not whether this association is further modified by maintaining an optimal blood pressure throughout the follow-up, this may explain the inconsistency of the results for different cholesterol raising macronutrients and the risk of stroke.

Another recent study on Swedish women found that carbohydrate restricted diets rich in animal protein was associated with an increased risk of subarachnoid hemorrhage and overall cardiovascular disease.48 In the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, there was a non-significant positive and inverse association for animal protein and vegetable protein and risk of stroke respectively.49 Another study in a U.S. population found that higher intake of total fat, especially >65 g/day was associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. The excess risk was primarily explained by intake of saturated fat, which showed a trend towards an increased risk of ischemic stroke.50

A recent study of >71,000 Norwegians found that intake of trans-fat from hydrogenated vegetable oils decreased and risk of stroke mortality and cancer incidence, but increased the risk of coronary heart disease mortality. Conversely, intake of trans-fat from hydrogenated fish oil increased the risk of stroke mortality and cancer incidence. Intake of ruminant trans-fat from meat and dairy was not associated with stroke mortality but increased the risk of coronary heart disease mortality, sudden death and cardiovascular mortality in women, and increased the risk of cancer incidence and all-cause mortality in both sexes.43 51 As any increase in intake of trans-fat has significantly unfavorable effects on serum lipids, which in-turn increases the risk of chronic diseases, it is advisable to eliminate all forms of trans-fat from the diet.52 53

Plant Based Diets

A meta-analysis of 5 prospective studies that compared vegetarians to health conscious non-vegetarians found that male vegetarians had a near statistical significant 23% lower risk of stroke and 14% lower risk of all-cause mortality, independent of age and smoking status. For female vegetarians, only ischemic heart mortality was noted to be significantly lower.54 However, this meta-analysis included studies where a large percentage of the participants in the non-vegetarian group were actually infrequent meat eaters and at least one study where one third of the participants in the vegetarian group were found to include meat in their diets, thus minimizing the differences in dietary intake between groups and essentially biasing the true association towards null.55

In Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn’s follow-up of 18 compliant participants with severe coronary artery disease, there were no cases of cardiac events during the 20 year follow-up among compliant participants. This is despite the fact that these 18 participants experienced 49 cardiac events, including 3 cases of stroke during the eight years prior to the study, of which during this time all had been receiving state-of-the-art cardiac care at the Cleveland Clinic.56 In the newer decade long study of over 200 patients, recurrent cardiac events only occurred in 0.5% of compliant participants, which is approximately 40 fold lower than other dietary or statin based trials [reviewed previously].

The Better Way to Prevent Stroke

The preponderance of evidence demonstrates that for stroke prevention, diets should be predominantly composed of minimally refined plant based foods rich in fiber and low in added salt, with an emphasis on reducing LDL cholesterol, blood pressure and body fat to optimal levels. In addition healthy lifestyles should include regular exercise and sunlight exposure for maximum protection. In the presence of these factors, increasing the intake of cholesterol lowering plant foods will not only likely result in a decreased risk of stroke, but also a decreased risk of many other chronic and degenerative diseases.


Please post any comments in the Discussion Thread. 

Diet, Blood Cholesterol, Blood Pressure and Risk of Stroke

The controversy surrounding the lipid hypothesis, in particular the relationship between elevated total and LDL cholesterol and coronary heart disease was considered largely resolved and regarded as scientific fact within the scientific community by 1984 when the expert panel from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) reviewed the relevant literature and agreed that the relationship was causal.1 2 The panel concluded:

Elevated blood cholesterol level is a major cause of coronary artery disease. It has been established beyond a reasonable doubt that lowering definitely elevated blood cholesterol levels (specifically blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) will reduce the risk of heart attacks due to coronary heart disease… Further, we are persuaded that the blood cholesterol level of most Americans is undesirably high, in large part because of our high dietary intake of calories, saturated fat, and cholesterol… There is no doubt that appropriate changes in our diet will reduce blood cholesterol levels.

Since 1984 evidence accumulated from over 100 randomized controlled trials of various medical and dietary based lipid modifying interventions has further established that lowering LDL cholesterol significantly decreases the risk of coronary heart disease and all-cause mortality, independent of changes to HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and non-lipid effects of specific drugs.3 4

Controversy however has lingered over whether medical and dietary based interventions to lower total and LDL cholesterol, and perhaps triglycerides may increase the risk of certain stroke subtypes, in particular hemorrhagic stroke. Controversy has arisen in part due to the interpretation of certain statin trials, prospective cohort studies, and observational studies in certain populations with unique cardiovascular profiles, in particular the Japanese.5 6 7 This has led some to suggest that physiological levels of LDL cholesterol (less than 70 mg/dl; 1.8 mmol/l), the levels observed in newborn humans, free-ranging mammals, and human populations on low cholesterol diets that do not develop atherosclerosis [reviewed previously] may somehow increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

There are two major categories of stroke, ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic stroke occurs as a result of an obstruction with the blood supply to the brain, while hemorrhagic stroke occurs as a result of a rapture of a weakened blood vessel. In contrast to the observed decline of stroke incident in Japan where there was a significant improvement in a number of major risk factors but an increase in mean serum cholesterol, Finland experienced one of the highest rates of stroke mortality in the world as well as one of the largest declines, which was in part explained by a decrease in serum cholesterol.8 Unlike Japan, Finland also experienced the highest rate of coronary heart disease mortality in the world as well as the largest decline, which was predominantly explained by cholesterol lowering dietary changes [reviewed previously]. Furthermore, evidence suggests that Japanese Zen monks who consume significantly less meat and fish than the general Japanese population experience lower rates of stroke and all-cause mortality, independent of BMI, alcohol intake and other lifestyle factors.9

At the opposite end of the dietary spectrum higher rates of stroke mortality have been observed among the three main Inuit populations, including those in Greenland, Canada and Alaska compared to their non-Inuit Western counterparts, yet experience similar rates of non-stroke cardiovascular mortality.10 Evidence of atherosclerosis and other chronic and degenerative diseases have been observed in numerous preserved Inuit mummies that date back to pre-western contact, suggesting that their high rate of cardiovascular mortality cannot be entirely explained by influences of modern dietary and lifestyle factors [reviewed previously]. Furthermore, the declining rates of cardiovascular mortality, including stroke among the Inuit undergoing a rapid transition towards a western diet and lifestyle has raised questions regarding the health properties of the traditional Inuit diet based on marine animals.10

Coronary atherosclerosis in a pre-contact Inuit mummy dating back 1,600 years*

The Interaction between Blood Cholesterol, Blood Pressure and Risk of Stroke

Recently the largest meta-analysis of statin based randomized controlled trials on the effect of lowering LDL cholesterol and risk of stroke was published, including 31 trials with >182,000 participants and >6,200 cases of stroke. Statins significantly decreased the risk of total and ischemic stroke and all-cause mortality, without evidence of publication bias, consistent with findings from animal studies.5 11 There was however a small statistically insignificant increase in incidence of hemorrhagic stroke in the statin group which was not related to either the degree of reduction of LDL or the achieved LDL. The researchers provided the following possible explanation for these findings:

In addition to their lipid-lowering properties, statins may have antithrombotic properties by inhibiting platelet aggregation and enhancing fibrinolysis. The antithrombotic affects of statins could account for a theoretically increased risk of bleeding complications.

All of the very large prospective cohort studies that included >300,000 participants have either found no association between total and LDL cholesterol and risk of hemorrhagic stroke, or an inverse association confined to participants with hypertension, or a positive association confined to participants with low blood pressure.6 12 13 14 15 A prospective study with >787,000 Korean participants and >9,900 cases of stroke found that while serum cholesterol was associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke, the researchers found suggestive evidence that the inverse association between serum cholesterol and hemorrhagic stroke confined to hypertensive participants was not causal, but acted as a marker of binge drinking.14 The researchers explained:

In our study, increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke in people with low concentrations of blood cholesterol (less than 4.14 mmol/l) was restricted to those with high GGT values [a measure of alcohol intake]; this relation was less evident when alcohol consumption was measured by self report. The measures of blood pressure might not have been a true reflection of risk, as transient high blood pressure associated with binge drinking may have an important role in hemorrhagic stroke. At low concentrations of GGT, low serum cholesterol was not associated with a higher risk of hemorrhagic stroke. In effect, low blood cholesterol may act as a marker of the health damaging effects of alcohol, rather than be a cause of hemorrhagic stroke.

There maybe limitations with the studies which only address whether blood pressure considered by hypertension status modifies the association between serum cholesterol and risk of stroke. As with hypercholesterolemia, the definition of hypertension, blood pressure of >140/90 mmHg, far exceeds levels that have been clearly scientifically documented as being optimal. For example, a meta-analysis of 61 prospective studies including >958,000 participants and >11,900 cases of stroke deaths found that lower usual blood pressure was associated with a reduced risk of mortality from stroke and coronary heart disease, without any evidence of a threshold down to at least 115/75 mmHg.16 These findings are consistent with a meta-analysis of 147 randomized controlled trials that administered blood pressure lowering medication.17 This justifies investigating whether optimal blood pressure compared to high-normal blood pressure further modifies the association between serum lipids and the risk of stroke subtypes.

A meta-analysis of 61 prospective studies with >892,000 participants and >11,600 cases of stroke deaths found not only that serum cholesterol was inversely associated with total and hemorrhagic stroke mortality in participants with very high baseline systolic blood pressure (>145 mmHg), but that lower serum cholesterol was actually associated with a significantly lower risk of hemorrhagic, ischemic and total stroke mortality in participants with near optimal or ‘physiological’ baseline systolic blood pressure (less than 125 mmHg)(Fig. 1).6 As most participants in the age range most susceptible to stroke had either high-normal blood pressure or hypertension, the combined results were biased towards finding an inverse association between serum cholesterol and hemorrhagic stroke mortality.

Figure 1. Systolic blood pressure specific hazard ratios for 1 mmol/L lower usual total cholesterol and risk of stroke mortality

If this association is causal and not obscured by other factors such as binge drinking, this may explain why populations with low cholesterol and high blood pressure such as the Japanese have high rates of stroke, in particular hemorrhagic stroke, and populations that maintain physiological levels of both cholesterol and blood pressure throughout life have an observed absence of stroke.18

There is limited suggestive evidence that the atherosclerosis build-up process in the carotid and major cerebral arteries caused by excess LDL cholesterol in-turn reduces arterial blood supply to the brain that would otherwise cause the blood vessels in the brain to rupture in the presence of high blood pressure, thus explaining why elevated cholesterol may lower the risk of cerebral hemorrhage in people with high blood pressure.19 Indeed, a Japanese study found there was an inverse association between cholesterol and hemorrhagic stroke in an earlier cohort when the mean blood pressure was high and atherosclerosis was relatively low, but no association in the later cohort of the same population when mean blood pressure was reduced from hypertensive to high-normal blood pressure.20

Evidence from several but not all observational studies also found that low triglycerides were associated with a statistically significant or non-significant increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.12 21 22 23 24 25 26 There is limited data regarding whether the association between low triglycerides and hemorrhagic stroke is modified by blood pressure or alcohol intake, but at least one large study found that the association was stronger among participants with high blood pressure.22

As there is convincing evidence that blood pressure increases the risk of stroke at any given cholesterol concentration, it would be advisable that everyone should aim to achieve an optimal blood pressure of less than 115/75 mmHg. Although a number of lifestyle changes including exercise and weight loss can lower blood pressure, a number of dietary changes can also effectively lower blood pressure.27 28 This includes reducing intake of salt and increasing intake of dietary fiber rich foods including whole grains, flavonoid rich foods including berries, soy, cocoa solids, and vitamin C and magnesium.29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 These nutrients derived primarily from whole-plant foods may in-turn explain why intervention and observational studies have found that vegetarian diets, in particular vegan diets have favorable effects on blood pressure.39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46

The Better Way to Lower Cholesterol

As statins provide little appreciable protection against cancer, and like all drugs have adverse effects including but not limited to an increased risk of developing type II diabetes and memory loss or impairment, a significantly greater benefit would be achieved by lowering LDL cholesterol with a whole-foods plant based diet combined with regular exercise in order to not only lower the risk of cardiovascular disease but many other chronic and degenerative diseases.47 48 49 50 In Part II I review the evidence of dietary factors and the risk of stroke.


Please post any comments in the Discussion Thread. 

Just Do It - How To Achieve Your Dream

When I was seven years old, my mother asked me if I had dream? I said, "Yes, I want to become a martial artist." Then she asked me, "Do you know which is the highest part of your body?" I said, "My head and my hair." My mum said, "No, it's your hands." She told me, "Your mind make your dream happen but your mind cannot make your dream come true, only your hands can do that. This means, you can't just think, you need to do."

 Life is about doing, not thinking. Action not words.

I'm a martial artist. A martial artist doesn't just teach people, he also trains. If you only teach and never train then you never learn new things and you can't grow as a teacher. I want my students to make a decision: know what you want to do, make a strong plan and challenge yourself to make your body healthier and healthier. 

Take action today. 

Shifu Yan Lei teaches a graded path of Shaolin Kung Fu & Qigong. For more details of how you can learn in your home click here

How healthy with simple food and not expensive

Image: goodtoknow.co.uk    

 You may alreadyexercise regularly, do not stay up unless there is a necessity, even youdo not drink alcoholexcept light beer. However, why do youstill do not fit, even sick. As youunderstand, in addition to the effects of weather, food intake apparently plays an important role in our lives. By the way, what you eat day andnight?

Still there is little sense that healthy food must be expensive. This is not the right assumption. Indeed,there are cafes and restaurants that make a healthy diet with high prices, as if only the rich are allowed tosound. Do not be sadbecause you can cook healthy food in your own kitchen.


Choosing Healthy Vegetables

You can cook the broccoli with different combinations, for example, you can cook the broccoli with chunksof chicken, beef or shrimp. Do this once in a whileso you do not get bored. The curly Broccoli contains vitaminA, so you canreduce the production of excess oil.You will gain the benefits of vitamin C frombroccoli because VitaminC is useful as anantioxidant. Apparently in Broccoli no hiddengift in the form of vitamin K is worthwhileto prevent bruisingon your skin.

Image: itaintholywater.blogspot.com

 Fish for your health

Do you believe the opinion, that the Japanese are smart and long life due to eating a lot of fish? To be sure the fish has a high protein and omega 3 fatty acids. Why omega 3 is is needed by our body? Since our body cannot produce omega-3 fatty acids, so according to experts, omega 3 is needed is a substance our bodies to keep skin moist. Omega 3 also serves to keep our skin is not easily irritated.

Fish are rich with omega 3 are salmon and cod. If you do not like eggs, you can buy eggs that have been containing omega 3 at the supermarket, but the fishing remains the best option.

Benefits of green tea.

Tea does not grow in Europe and America, but you can drink green tea with ease. Green tea is gaining popularity because it contains antioxidants that are beneficial to skin health and even green tea is believed to reduce the risk of skin cancer. Another benefit of green tea is that it can prevent premature aging. Three cups of green tea every day will make you healthier and look younger.

If you are concerned about health, you are also advised to consume oil sunflower seeds and almonds. Apparently sunflower seeds contain omega 6, also contains prostaglandin, a hormone that maintains all the cells of the body in order to work properly. Sunflower oil is also able to overcome the problem of inflammation and dry skin. Meanwhile, abortion is almost similar to almond oil sunflower seeds. Almond is useful to keep the skin moist. If you buy a cake or croissant, make sure you choose a cake and croissant that has been sprinkled almonds because almonds contain vitamin E, so that you avoid dry skin problems. As we know Vitamin E is very useful to keep the skin moist.

You must also know the benefits of bananas and other simple foods. Be wise, be healthy.