Monday starts the week and if you don’t abstain from meat at least once a week, why not start today? The Meatless Monday movement started to bring an awareness that by eliminating meat once a week brings relief in some way to the environment. It is also good to eliminate some fat consumption from your diet. So,to help you and your neighbour, go meatless for a day or two or three! I came across this article about bone density from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. I always thought that the only way to achieve strong bones was to eat large amounts of meat and drink milk. Therfore I attached this article for your perusal. Make it a Certified Meatless Monday! Make it a CM-LO day!
Nutrient Supports Bone Health Over Time
By Rosalie Marion Bliss
January 14, 2009
Findings from a new study suggest that natural pigments found in plants may help protect against bone loss in older men and women. Researchers funded by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) reported the findings in a paper published online by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The study was led by epidemiologist Katherine Tucker with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston, Mass. Tucker directs the HNRCA’s Dietary Assessment and Epidemiology Research Program.

Other studies have consistently shown that fruit and vegetable intake is good for bones. Biological antioxidants in fruits and vegetables, such as carotenoids, protect cells and tissues from damage caused by naturally occurring oxygen free radicals in the body. Such plant nutrients may help protect the skeleton by reducing oxidative stress and thereby inhibiting bone breakdown or resorption.

The researchers examined potential effects on bone mineral density of overall and individual intake of several carotenoid compounds, including alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lycopene and lutein+zeaxanthin.

For the observational study, the researchers tracked changes in bone mineral density at two areas of the hip and lumbar spine of male and female volunteers, aged 75 years on average, participating in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study. Among these volunteers, 213 men and 390 women were measured at the beginning of the study and four years later.

Over the course of the four years of the study, carotenoids were associated with some level of protection against losses in bone mineral density at the hip in men and at the lumbar spine in women. No significant associations were observed at the other bone sites.

The results suggest there is a protective effect of carotenoids, particularly of lycopene, against bone loss in older adults. The researchers concluded that carotenoids may explain, in part, the previously observed protective effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on bone mineral density.

To look up the levels of individual carotenoids in selected foods, go to “Reports By Single Nutrients,” provided by the ARS Nutrient Data Laboratory at:
http://www.ars.usda.gov/Main/docs.htm?docid=15869

ARS is a scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Hello and time to make a break from the meat from those SuperBowl parties! I came across a great article from the Mayo Clinic on the benefits of eating fish! Take a look at the article and determine how you can incorporate fish eating into your diet! For more help go to http://CertifiedMeatless.com

Omega-3 in fish: How eating fish helps your heart
The omega-3 fatty acids in fish are good for your heart. Find out how the heart-health benefits of eating fish usually outweigh any risks.

By Mayo Clinic staff

If you’re worried about heart disease — whether you want to avoid it, or you already have it and want to get healthier — eating one to two servings of fish a week could reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack by a third or more.

Doctors have long recognized that the unsaturated fats in fish, called omega-3 fatty acids, appear to reduce your risk of dying of heart disease. For many years, the American Heart Association has recommended that people eat fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week.

But some people are still concerned about mercury or other contaminants in fish outweighing its heart-healthy benefits. However, when it comes to a healthier heart, the benefits of eating fish usually outweigh the possible risks of exposure to contaminants. Find out how to balance these concerns with adding a healthy amount of fish to your diet.

What are omega-3 fatty acids, and why are they good for your heart?
Fish contain unsaturated fatty acids, which, when substituted for saturated fatty acids such as those in meat, may lower your cholesterol. But the main beneficial nutrient appears to be omega-3 fatty acids in fatty fish. Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of unsaturated fatty acid that’s thought to reduce inflammation throughout the body.

Omega-3 fatty acids are also believed to improve learning ability in children, decrease triglycerides, lower blood pressure, reduce blood clotting, enhance immune function and improve arthritis symptoms. Consuming one to two servings a week of fish, particularly fish that’s rich in omega-3 fatty acids, appears to reduce the risk of heart disease, particularly sudden cardiac death.

Does it matter what kind of fish you eat?
Fatty fish, such as salmon, herring, and to a lesser extent tuna, contain the most omega-3 fatty acids and therefore the most benefit, but many types of seafood contain small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Most freshwater fish have less omega-3 fatty acids than do fatty fish from the sea. Some varieties of trout have relatively high levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

For today’s meatless ideas take a look at yesterday’s posts. I posted a couple of fantastic ideas about the Mediterranen Diet. Great things to think about. A real cause of the day is to make some sort of mortification in honour of the hundreds of millions of babies lost because of the horrible federal decision that was legislated on this day back in 1972. Read and think, fast and pray.

Hello: In the following blog, CertifiedMeatless is presenting another article in our series on the Mediterranean Diet. This fits in well with Meatless Monday, Meatless Wednesday, and Meatless Friday. As you may know, the Mediterrean Diet is rich in seafood and tolerates a low intake of slaughtered landed meats. Bellow is an article from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:

Reuters Health

Eating the Mediterranean way can help reduce your risk of stomach cancer, a large study from Europe shows.

“The results add to the evidence for the role of the Mediterranean diet in reducing cancer risk and add further support for the need to continue to promote the Mediterranean diet in areas where it is disappearing,” Dr. Carlos A. Gonzalez of the Catalan Institute for Oncology in Barcelona and his colleagues say.

The traditional diets of Greece, Italy and other Mediterranean countries have many health benefits, they point out in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, including protection against cancer. But there is less information on how eating this way might influence risk of specific cancer types. Gonzalez and his team looked at gastric cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer death worldwide.

To investigate whether diet might be protective against the disease, the researchers analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study on 485,044 men and women 35 to 70 years old from 10 European countries.

All had been given a score on an 18-point scale based on how closely their diet adhered to the Mediterranean ideal of being rich in fruit, vegetables, legumes, fish, cereals and olive oil, with a relatively low intake of red meat and dairy products.

During nine years of follow-up, 449 of the study participants developed gastric cancer.

People with the highest relative Mediterranean diet scores were 33 percent less likely to develop the disease than people whose eating patterns were furthest from the Mediterranean ideal. Gastric cancer risk fell 5 percent for every one-point increase in a person’s Mediterranean diet score.

Just 23 percent of people diagnosed with gastric cancer will survive for five years, the researchers note. “Therefore, identifying dietary recommendations that can help reduce incidence is important for the effective management of this cancer,” they conclude.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online December 9, 2009.

This is from the U.S. National Health Library

I just came across this fascinating diet which I will blog more of in the days to come! This diet fits in great with a meatless food or should I say CertifiedMeatless diet. Try to tinker with your Meatless Wednesday meal tonight with ideas from here. The Mediterranean diet has fewer meats and carbohydrates and more plant-based foods and monounsaturated (good) fat than a typical American diet. Many people who live in Italy, Spain, and other countries in the Mediterranean region have eaten this way for centuries.

Following the Mediterranean diet may lead to more stable blood sugars, lower cholesterol and triglycerides, and a lower risk of heart disease and other health problems.

How to Follow the Diet
The Mediterranean diet is based on:

Plant-based meals, with just small amounts of meat and chicken, when they are used
Larger servings of grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and legumes
Foods that naturally contain high amounts of fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients
Plenty of fish and other seafood that are rich in omega 3 fats
Olive oil, a healthy, monounsaturated fat, as the main source of fat used to flavor and prepare foods
Food that is prepared and seasoned simply, without sauces and gravies
Flavorful meals that bring out the natural taste of foods
Dining with others at a relaxed pace
Foods Not in the Diet
Foods that are eaten in small amounts or NOT at all in the Mediterranean diet include:

Red meats
Sweets and other desserts
Eggs
Butter

Thanks to the U.S. National Health LIbrary

CertifiedMeatless keeps giving great information for Certifed Meatless Monday! This is some new information from the US Dept. of Agriculture:
Research Will Help Improve Soybeans and Other Legumes
WASHINGTON, January 13, 2010—U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists are part of a team that has sequenced the majority of the soybean genome, providing an unprecedented look into how this important legume crop converts four critical ingredients—sunlight, water, carbon dioxide and nitrogen—into protein and oil, the basic building blocks for many consumer products. The research team from 18 federal, state, public and private organizations published their research today in the journal Nature.
“Soybean and other legumes play a critical role in global food security and human health and are used in a wide range of products, from tofu, soy flour, meat substitutes and soy milk to soy oil-based printing ink and biodiesel,” said Molly Jahn, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics. “This new information about soybean’s genetic makeup could lead to plants that produce more beans that contain more protein and oil, better adapt to adverse environmental conditions, or are more resistant to diseases.”
This sequencing of the soy genome is the culmination of more than 15 years of collaborative research. The team used a so-called “whole-genome shotgun” (WGS) approach to sequence 85 percent of the 1.1 billion nucleotide base pairs that spell out soy’s entire DNA code. The sequence also provides researchers with a critical reference to use in deciphering the genetics of some 20,000 other legume species.
Check out more at http://CertifiedMeatless.com

We at CertifiedMeatless do take pride in providing the public foods that are completely devoid of landed slaughtered meats and their by-products. It isn’t the simplest task to accomplish, I can assure you. To determine if a food is a meatless food, it takes laboratory analysis as well as interviewing the food provider for a beginning. Take it from the British Nurtrition Foundation who provided these comments to their new standards:
“This new guide on food composition data explains the issues and pitfalls in sourcing and using data on food. Information on the composition of foods is vital for a wide range of people, including health professionals, regulators, caterers and those working in the food industry. For example, you can see this in the nutrition information provided on food packaging, and it is important in determining the recommendations about what we eat and drink given by government bodies.”

” ‘Food composition explained’ which is published in the September issue of the journal Nutrition Bulletin is intended to help those new to the field to navigate the complexity surrounding data on our food. This guide was completed on behalf of the EC funded Network of Excellence EuroFIR (European Food Information Resource), and is the seventh in a series of Synthesis Reports from the project, including others on ethnic foods, plant bioactives and health claims.”
Source British Nutrition Foundation

Ever wonder how we became so dependent on meat? It was pretty hard to hunt and get all the sustenance so, we became farmers. Keeping stock of the animals became big business but it led to cutting corners. First
there is the AI leading to more births. Second, there is the cultivation of using ingredients which are foreign to the animals. This in itself led to the downfall of meat quality. What are good reasons to be meatless? Taste and health are. We don’t need all the extra garbage that has been fed to the cattle. Go for wild caught fish
products instead that have been flash-frozen on board. I don’t care what the fishmonger says, this is freshness at its best. It has not been lingering around the Fulton Market. And fresh tastes best to me! See what we have meatless at CertifiedMeatless!
http://CertifiedMeatless.com Make it a CMLO day!(thats pronounced SIM-LOW)

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Posted By certifiedmeatless to Certified

Yes folks CertifiedMeatless.com can really pick some tasty recipies. Check out this link thanks to the lady of cooking, no not Julia Child but Martha Stewart! Tasty and delicious for a meatless Monday or Meatless friday! Meatless always!
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/shrimp-and-scallion-stir-fry

Meatless Friday
Guess what? It is already the first friday of the year. A tradition in the Catholic Church is to go to Mass on first friday. Another way of honour and mortification for our Lord is to abstain from meat on every friday. So make it meatless and a meatless friday by checking out the selections at CertifiedMeatless.com! Certified Meatless is a great source for all those meatless food needs! And everything at CertifiedMeatless is absolutely free of all landed slaughtered meat and their by-products! Sounds like a great insurance product if you want to be meatless!