Rice not only contains a lot of sugar, recent studies show that the popular food contains a high level of arsenic too. Arsenic occurs naturally in soil, and inorganic arsenic is classified as a category one carcinogen by the European Union, meaning that it's known to cause cancer in humans. Rice tends to take up more arsenic from the environment than other cereal crops. It has around 10 - 20 times more arsenic than other cereal crops. This is because it is grown in flooded conditions which make it much easier for arsenic to leave the soil and enter the rice. Additional Information:

• Toddlers and young children (ages 1 to 4.5 years) should not be given rice drinks as a substitute for breast milk, infant formula or cows' milk
• Growing rice organically doesn't make a difference to levels
• Brown rice usually contains more arsenic than white rice (because of the husk)
• Basmati rice contains lower levels than other rice
• Rice cakes and crackers can contain levels higher than in cooked rice.
• The levels of arsenic found in rice milk far exceed the amounts that would be allowed in drinking water

Recommendation: Children up to 5 years should not eat more than 30 g of rice/day Adults should not eat more than 100 g of rice/day Soak the rice overnight before cooking it in a 5:1 water-to-rice ratio can cut arsenic levels by about 80%

Last year, in our March Publication, we reported that Rice contains high levels of Arsenic. In the meantime we have collected a lot of additional information about Rice and rice products. All new reports published findings that rice contains disconcerting levels of inorganic arsenic, a carcinogen known to cause bladder, lung, and skin cancer in humans, with the liver, kidney, and prostate now considered potential targets of arsenic-induced cancers. And all reports claim that brown rice was found to have much higher arsenic levels than white rice!

• Rice has higher levels of inorganic arsenic than other foods
• Basmati rice contains lower levels than other rice
• Brown rice usually contains more arsenic than white rice
• Growing rice organically doesn’t make a difference to levels
• Rice cakes and crackers can contain levels higher than in cooked rice
• The levels of arsenic found in rice milk far exceed the amounts that would be allowed in drinking water

• Soak your rice overnight – this opens up the grain and allows the arsenic to escape
• Drain the rice and rinse thoroughly with fresh water
• For every part rice add 5 parts water and cook until the rice is tender – do not allow it to boil dry
• Drain the rice and rinse again with hot water to get rid of the last of the cooking water

A study recently published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) shows alarming results: Palm oil in food can be carcinogenic and can alter the genetic material! The dangerous substance is known as glycidyl ester. Glycidyl ester can be produced during the production of the palm oil: Precursors of the dangerous substance can develop already during the harvest of the palm fruits or during transport by unsanet treatment. However, the greatest pollutant load can be caused by the refining process, since palm oil is usually heated above 200°C. The heating is necessary to neutralize the red color of the oil and its unpleasant odor. The glycidyl ester accumulates in the oil. Palm oil is found in most industrially produced foods because it's the cheapest oil around. A study initiated by Marktcheck found alarming high values of glycidyl ester in biscuits from OREO and crackers from TUC.

According to Dr. Sutat Duangdeeden, the head of the Chonburi Cancer Hospital, Thai people's love of Som Tam is leading to higher cancer rates and deaths.

Why you like to eat Seafood? Because it's tasty, or because of its (probably) high content of Omega 3 acids - or simply because you think that seafood is healthy? Latest research on Seafood - as well as food from lakes and rivers - shows that it can be dangerous: The food is loaded with small, almost invisible, particles from microplastics. The fishes eat them with their daily intake. In the long term it makes them sik, and if you eat them, it will do the same with you. These microbeads are a common additive in soaps, toothpaste, shampoos, eyeliners, lip gloss, deodorant, sunblock sticks, facial scrubs and other personal cleaning products. The micro particles are made of Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and Nylon. Most of them are so small that they are slipping through water treatment plants and turning up by the tens of millions in the lakes, rivers and in the sea. These plastics degrade very slowly and become coated with poisons in the water like the cancer-causing chemicals known as PCBs. The plastic is working like a sponge. It can cause physical damage to the organism of any creature. It's not possible to skim the waters of the lakes to try to filter them out: Any attempt would scoop up plankton and other essential parts of the food chain. Micro plastics enter all kind of organisms e.g. fish, lobster, bivalves, oysters, sea cucumbers, zooplankton and thereby enter the food chain. Eventually this could also affect human health. Several companies already promised to phase out microbeads: Johnson & Johnson says it already has started. Unilever has pledged to eliminate microbeads by 2015. Procter & Gamble said it plans to stop using them no later than 2017. Therefore there is a chance that your grandchildren can start eat seafood again.

In 2012 a Canadian research group led by David Spence from Western University found that deposits in the arterial walls are accelerated by frequent consumption of egg yolks. The cholesterol contained in eggs can even clog the throat lines leading to the brain, which increases the risk of stroke, the scientists said. But recent investigations are questening the results of the Canadians. Healthy people even can enjoy several eggs per day without running in any problems, the results of the latest analyses show. However, restrictions apply for type 2 diabetics. If blood levels are poorly adjusted, cholesterol crystallization may occur when eggs are consumed. Also, if your LDL cholesterol value is above 200 you shouldn't eat more than three eggs a week. If too much LDL cholesterol is present in the blood, it deposits on the vessel walls. You will get inflammatory swellings on the vascular walls, the so-called atherosclerotic plaques. Nevertheless, yolks from free-ranging chickens contain a lot of healthy Omega-3 fatty acid. Losing weight, making sport and stop smoking is still the best recipe for a healthy life.

The chemical composition of an oil determines its usability and its quality. The latest research shows that an optimal balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats is crucial to our health. We all know that Americans as well as some other Westerners are eating very unhealthy. Their Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio is 1:16! A healthy ratio would be 2:1 to 4:1!

The above graphic shows that coconut oil is the perfect oil for frying, deep-frying and baking. It contains almost no Omega-6 but has a high smoke point. For salads you should choose Flaxseed Oil over Olive Oils. Flaxseed Oils have an almost perfect Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio of 3.2 : 1. The Graph shows that the heavily advertised and so called 'healthy' Olive Oil contains much too much of Omega-6 fatty acids. Olive Oil's Omega-3 to Omega-6 ratio is an unhealthy 1 : 9! Moreover, recent tests of 50 olive oils by the reputable Deutsche Warentest Institut showed that only one olive oil provided the expected quality, the remaining 49 oils couldn't get a recommendation from the vendor independed institut. They all had significant deficiencies in quality. Note: Most olive oils are healthy only for their producers and distributors.

Thailand's wholesaler responded quickly: Big C, Foodland, Tesco/Lotus and TOPS, they all offer at least one product, mostly in a price range of about 125 Baht/litre. TOPS, at Central Food Hall at least, is currently offering the largest selection, from 95 Baht to 580 Baht/litre.

Your body needs energie. Energie comes from sugar, carbohydrates and fats. Foods containing sugar and starch (carbohydrates) are broken down into sugar (insulin and glucose) in our blood once we eat them. If these levels become too high, extra calories are stored as body fat and results in unwanted weight gain. However, when glucose levels are cut off due to low-carb dieting, the body starts to burn fat instead and produces ketones that can be measured in the blood. Today most people live on a dieat full of carbohydrates. They eat rice, pasta and/or potatoes as well as fruits. Their bodies normally run on glucose (or sugar) for energy. It results in high blood glucose levels and type II diabetes*. If we reduce or even eliminate the intake of carbohydrates, our body begin to burn stored fat instead of (the missing) glucose. * Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder that destroys insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease that can be prevented, reversed and maybe even cured.

Scientists from the Weizmann Institute compared two kinds of bread viewed as being on opposite ends of the health spectrum. One was industrial white bread made from refined wheat and considered less healthy. The other was sourdough-leavened bread made in an artisanal bakery from freshly stone-milled whole grain wheat flour and baked in a stone hearth oven: It was prepared specially for the study and was assumed to possess superior properties. During the study the scientists divided the participants into two groups and asked to consume large quantities of bread (supplying about a quarter of their caloric intake) for a week. One group ate the white bread, and the other, the healthy sourdough bread. After a two-week break, they switched, and for a week the group that had previously eaten white bread ate the sourdough bread, and vice versa. Tests revealed that eating bread of any kind affected the blood levels of sugar, minerals, liver enzymes and other substances. But when the scientists compared the effects of the two types of bread, they were surprised. We were sure that the sourdough bread would come out a healthier choice, but much to our surprise, we found no difference between the health effects of the two types of bread, says Prof. Eran Segal of Weizmann Institute's Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Department. The study showed, for example, that about half of the participants had higher blood sugar levels after eating white bread, whereas the other half had higher blood sugar after eating sourdough bread. It seems that the body's response to bread is a highly personal matter. It works like the placebo effect: If you believe that sourdough bread is better for you, it will be better for you - but not healthier.

Wannee Nitthiyanan, the head of Thailand's Diabetes' Association, said last month that poor diet and insufficient exercise are to blame for the diabetes epidemic that is costing the country tens of billions of Baht a year in out-patient and in-patient health care. Thai women's rising weight must also be due to their increasing consumption of fat, a Thai statistic claims.

A team of scientists studied the diets and mortality of more than 135'000 people across 18 counties and found that those with high carbohydrate intake had a higher risk of mortality than those with high fat diets. Consuming more fat, whether that was saturated, polyunsaturated or monounsaturated were all associated with lower mortality, the study published by The Lancet shows. Higher fat diets also appeared to lower the risk of having a stroke. Processed carbohydrates may increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease more than fat does, another study published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals. An analysis of the study, overseen by Ronald M. Krauss, director of atherosclerosis research at the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, found no association between the amount of saturated fat consumed and the risk of heart disease. The finding joins other conclusions of the past few years that run counter to the conventional wisdom that saturated fat is bad for the heart because it increases total cholesterol levels. Carbohydrate is the umbrella term for different types of starch and sugar found in a huge range of foods from hearty wholegrain bread, pasta and rice, to potatoes, pulses like chick peas and cannellini beans, fruit, cakes, chocolate, sweets, alcohol, fizzy drinks and the sugars added to processed food. It's time to rethink - also for Thailand's Dictator General Prayuth Chan-ocha: He should stop urging people to eat more rice. It's simply unhealthy. It boosts obesity.

According to a recent study done last year at Birzeit University in the Palestinian territories, male rats consuming fizzy drinks regulary put on more weight at a much faster rate than rats given either flat sugary liquids or tap water. The story was of such a high interest that BBC's Trust Me I'm a Doctor team thought it should do a similar experiment, but with a mix of human volunteers. The result? Fizzy sugary drink makes you a lot hungrier an hour later than drinking the same drink, but flat. For additional information please read Drinking fizz make you fat published by BBC.

The popular water-vending machines produce reverse osmosis water (R.O. water). The R.O. water purification method involves forcing water through a semi-permeable membrane, which filters out a select number of water contaminants, depending on the size of the contaminants. A good R.O. system can remove contaminants such as arsenic, nitrates, sodium, copper and lead, some organic chemicals, and the municipal additive fluoride. Many people believe that reverse osmosis water is the best drinking water. Nevertheless, health disadvantages outweigh the advantages: 1. The water is demineralized. Since most mineral particles (including sodium, calcium, magnesium, and iron) are larger than water molecules, they are removed by the semi-permeable membrane of the R.O. system. Even though you may find some contradictory information online about the health benefits of reverse osmosis water, drinking de-mineralized water is not healthy. The World Health Organization conducted a study that revealed some of the health risks associated with drinking demineralized water. Just a few of the risks include gastrointestinal problems, bone density issues, joint conditions, and cardiovascular disease. Removing the naturally occurring minerals also leaves the water tasteless. Many people thus have to add liquid minerals to their R.O. water to improve the taste. 2. The Osmosis drinking water is acidic. One of the primary reasons R.O. water is unhealthy is because removing the minerals makes the water acidic (often well below 7.0 pH). Drinking acidic water will not help maintain a healthy pH balance in the blood, which should be slightly alkaline. In the natural health and medical communities, acidosis in the body is considered an underlying cause of most degenerative diseases. In fact, in 1931, Dr. Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for discovering the cause of cancer. In essence, he said it was caused by a lack of cellular oxygenation due to acidosis in the body. Medical research has also determined that drinking acidic water (as well as other acidic beverages) will often cause a leaching of essential minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, from the body, especially from the bones and teeth, in order to neutralize the acidity. 3. Some critical contaminants are not removed. While reverse osmosis is effective for removing a variety of contaminants in water, it does NOT remove volatile organic chemical (VOCs), chlorine and chloramines, pharmaceuticals, and a host of other synthetic chemicals found in municipal water. Drinking Water sold in Thailand's shops, restaurants and bars is reverse osmosis treated water. There are only a few locally mineral water brands available in the Kingdom: Mineré, Aura, Mont Fleur, Muangnong Mineral Water, AQUARe Natural Spring Mineral Water and BigC Mineral Water.

About 10 years ago Peter died. He just got 62 years old. He was one of my friends promoting a healthy life through healthy food. When I told my doctor about Peter's healthy life but early death, he told me: He's an exception. Eating healthy foods extends your life. Over the years more and more of my friends died. All of them exceptions, enthusiast of healthy food. A few months ago I learned from my sister that my doctor in Switzerland died too. He was my last 'healthy food' friend. He just got 67. All the so called 'Food Sinner' are still with me. Some of them even have their daily glass(es) of wine, beer or wiskey - and a few of them are still smoking their cigarettes or cigars. We all are enjoying our life and our 'unhealthy food' despite beeing 70+ years old. I see my Thai doctor every 3 to 4 months to check my heart as well as my blood. Since over 20 years my doctors try to correct my cholesterol. The LDL is on the 'good' side, but my HDL level is ways to low. Since they started testing it, my HDL stays at 35 mg/dL. Whatever the lovely doctors tried, it didn't help. After my last check-up in April I decided to show the doctors the absurdity of their efforts During the following 4 months all my cooked food was prepared with Coconut Oil only - according to the American Heart Association (AHA) the worst oil of all. Moreover, I drunk 1.5 liter of Coke - the Original! - a day. According to the FDA, AHA and the WHO (World Health Organization) an absolutely unhealthy diet. What happened after the four months long ordeal? No change in my cholesterol levels, but a slightly better blood glucose level of 6.4 mmol/L instead of my usual 6.6 mmol/L! What my Thai doctor says now? He stopped all cholesterol correcting activities. A healthy body contols the cholesterol as well as the blood sugar levels itself, he says now and adds hear on your body. It tells you what it needs, not the FDA, AHA or the WHO.

Walnuts not only taste great but are a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and an excellent source of those hard to find omega-3 fatty acids.

Cashews are an excellent source of copper and a good source of phosphorus, magnesium, manganese and zinc.

Hazelnuts are a very good source of copper as well as a good source of manganese, folate, vitamin E, phosphorus, vitamin B-6, vitamine K, thiamine, magnesium, zinc, potasium and the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

Peanuts are a very good source of copper as well as a good source of manganese, niacin, molybdenum, folate, vitamin E, phosphorus, vitamin B1, protein and the heart-healthy monounsaturated fats.

A recently published study of 600'000 drinkers estimated that having 10 to 15 alcoholic drinks every week could shorten a person's life by between one and two years. Moreover, people who drink more than 18 drinks a week could lose four to five years of their lives. The new UK guidelines on alcohol was updated on 2016 and says that men and women who drink regularly should consume no more than 14 units a week - equivalent to six pints of beer or seven glasses of wine. That's a lot less than the recommended limits published in other counties: Limits in Italy, Portugal, and Spain are almost 50% higher than the UK guidelines, and in the USA the upper limit for men is nearly double this. Please note that most of the studies are funded by the industry, but the UK study was funded by, among others, the British Heart Foundation. For additional information please read the The Study published by The Lancet on April 2018.