Wednesday, April 4, 2012

How to Get Your Daily Dose of Opium AND Morphine

The below report has a clear nanny state tone to it, fearing for us all. To me, it provides a pretty damn good reason to have a little cheese with my wine, the next time I listen to Ben Bernanke testify.

From the Boston Globe:
 If you love cheese so much and joke that you think you might be addicted -- well, you probably are. Dr. Neal Barnard, founder and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, didn’t famously call cheese “dairy crack” for no reason. But if you’re looking for someone to blame for your new-found addiction, head to the barnyard: It’s all the cows’ fault.

The primary protein in milk is casein. When the human body digests casein, it produces casomorphins, which have an opiate-like effect on humans. Because cheese is denser than, for example, milk, the casein is more heavily concentrated, meaning that eating cheese produces a larger amount of casomorphins in the body compared to eating other dairy products.

Cheese-related research going as far back as the ‘80s has also confirmed that cheese contains small amounts of morphine. Scientists postulate that cows produce morphine in their milk because it helps calm their calves, making sure the young cows bond with their mothers and come back for more (does this make cows the dairy farm equivalent of drug dealers?) 
.If science isn’t enough to get you to “hold the cheese” more often, consider this nutrition fact: One four-ounce piece of cheddar has over 450 calories and a whopping 37 grams of fat.

All of this research, however, isn’t to say that cheese doesn’t have its benefits, too. The delicious dairy product contains plenty of calcium, a necessity for strong bones and teeth, and is definitely part of a healthy, balanced diet.

16 comments:

  1. Silly Globe. Counting calories and not carbohydrates. Cheese is ridiculously good for you. Low in carbs, high in protein and a high variety from which to choose, from that processed Velveeta cheese loaf for your rotel & nachos to the highest quality XXX Vermont Sharp Cheddar. Eat it and rejoice!

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    1. Silly you. Cheese, like all animal products, is ridiculously high in saturated fat--which is not good for you. And carbs are not an issue...your body (in ideal conditions) runs exclusively on glucose,which is a carb; in fact, the ideal human diet consists of 80% of calories from carbs, 10% from fat, and 10% from protein. Not to mention the consumption of animal products causes a state of metabolic acidosis in the body. In this state, your blood pH is too acidic, so your body draws calcium from your bones to neutralize the acid and maintain a state of homeostasis. Educate yourself and live plant strong!

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    2. Inuit people have eaten almost exclusively animal products for thousands of years and are among the healthiest populations on earth. Just sayin.

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    3. HAHA Elizabeth you don't know what you're talking about.First off running exclusively off of carbs is a good way to develop health issues. Both protein and fat can be converted into glucose. Protein has a bit more trouble than fat and carbs.Second research is showing that saturated fat is not bad for you, but avoid Hydrogenated fats. Last the 80% 10% 10% numbers are just plain wrong. 60%carbs 10%protein 30%fat is closer but still not entirely accurate (some people say even more fat as it is the ideal food source. Keep in mind new info is always coming out so what you said may have been what people thought at the time, but at this point it should be recognized that your information is outdated and wrong (as mine will be in a small amount of time). Also keep in mind that dietary cholesterol does not = blood cholesterol. This is a myth. Fats are the way to go because when we break them down for fuel we don't produce excessive insulin rushes. Carbs are not the holy grail of dieting and fats are not the evil empire. Please feel free to correct any thing wrong with this. Correcting misinfo is the only way we can move on from misconceptions.

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  2. The war against fat must end. There are good fats and bad fats, no different than good carbs and bad carbs.

    If your body can produce lactase then high quality dairy sources such as traditional aged cheeses can provide many good nutrients and bacteria to the body.

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  3. @anon 5:51

    There are no "good" carbs beyond what's present in vegetables and limited quantities of fruit. Even fruit must be moderated because of its high sugar (carb) content.

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    1. Depends on the individual. Some individuals need lots and lots of carbs based on their lifestyle. In this case I would consider grains to be bad carbs(lectins, phytates, gluten) and potatoes or fruit to be good carbs, as examples.

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    2. It is worthwhile to note that both your brain and your muscles run on pure sugar (glucose).

      I'd say that's a good carb.

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    3. not necessarily
      http://www.lewrockwell.com/2014/07/joseph-mercola/dont-eat-this-brain-numbing-food/

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  4. Dear food Nazis: Just piss off already.

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  5. Carbs are great if you're active. That's what they're used for. But if you're a piece of crap that sits on his ass all day- yeah carbs are terrible.

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  6. Lots of weightlifters and body builders take a Casein supplement in a powder form. It tastes so gross the manufacturers pump it full of chocolate flavors and the like. People are not rushing to the local GNC to get a hit of that nasty casein powder. I love cheese because it tastes delicious NOT because I'm addicted to opiates. I also love the taste of beef, pork, chicken, turkey, eggs, fries, chips, etc. HMmmm...you think it might be the fat that tastes so good??? No, you are now addicted to opiates, citizen.

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  7. Consuming wheat has the same effect, which is why I used to be so 'addicted' to pasta and bread before I went 'primal':
    http://weeksmd.com/2008/01/addicted-to-milk-and-wheat/

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    1. I have reduced my carb and sugar intake considerably. But I'm not sure about cheese, it's one of those foods that I simply don't want to give up.

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  8. Actually, cheese is not good for you. Just because it has calcium, doesn't mean your body keeps it. Animal proteins are actually known to cause osteoporosis. You think calcium from milk and cheese are helping you, but it's actually the opposite. If you want calcium to stay in your body, get it from leafy greens. Dr. Barnard also wrote "The loss of bone mineral probably results from a combination of genetics and dietary and lifestyle factors, particularly the intake of animal protein, salt, and possibly caffeine, along with tobacco use, physical inactivity, and lack of sun exposure," in his article Preventing & Reversing Osteoporosis.

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