> RAYMOND FRANCIS: AVOIDING ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS TO HEALTH - NOTES

> Do not heat food that contains protein, fats, sugars, as AGEs are created. Food
> examples here include pizza, pie, glazed ham. AGE = advanced glycation end-
> product. These adhere to tissue, and stiffen it, and can lead to kidney and
> muscle problems.

Does someone know exactly what AGEs are? What is the difference
between AGEs and Maillard molecules?

> Don't eat microwaved foods, as they affect your immune system, and reduce white
> blood cells. If you want to cook, steam (or boil) the foods. Most steamed/
> boiled foods are OK.

Does someone have scientific references about microwave
vs. conventional heating? I read a biological abstract (I lost the
reference) where the authors state that they didn't find significant
differences in the kinetics of a reaction producing a certain type of
Maillard molecule (they heated milk with the two methods).

Of course, using microwave at maximum power will cause the cells of
vegetables to burst, but I don't see why bringing the same amount of
energy at the same speed with microwaves would reduce white blood
cells?? Was there any experiences comparing the number of white cells
of persons eating microwaved food and of persons eating boiled food?

Personally, I still haven't got rid of my microwave oven. I sometimes
use it at the minimum, to heat food until it reaches about 90 degree F
(not very pleasant to eat refrigerator-cold food).

> [Note taker comment: this shows just how heavily processed modern
> fruit is - very little nutrition left. There is no hard proof organic fruit
> is fresher or contains more nutrients. Like commercial fruit, organic fruit
> is picked green, refrigerated, and shipped long distances.]

No hard proof, but a "soft" proof would be the taste...

> Bis-phenyl-A. This chemical is distributed worldwide, and used in a lot of
> plastic, including plastic water bottles, food can liners, and also in dental
> fillings. This chemical produces a powerful estrogenic effect.
> Don't drink out of plastic bottles!

Not easy to find mineral water from non-plastic bottles... Not sure
either that the plastic dissolves in the water if the bottle is kept
at fresh temperatures, or if the plastic would be toxic at those
microscopic amounts. Moreover, I wonder which one is more
environmental-friendly: plastic or glass?

> Raymond drinks high quality distilled water that comes in glass bottles.

Distilled water is not natural (animals do not drink distilled
water). My question is: are the oligo-elements and other nutrients in
mineral water useful? Water can also be drunk instinctively (all
mineral waters have different tastes).

> Q: What about Maillard molecules?
> A: Never heard of them.

G.C. Burger refers in his book to a (French) scientific
publication. The experiment was the following: a solution of glucole
and lysine was heated at 90 degree C for two hours (thus producing
Maillard molecules). The products of the reaction were administered to
pregnant female rats (1/6 of the total food intake), and a significant
number of birth defects were observed. Burger's conclusion: even with
mild cooking (90 degree C is below ebullition point), some abnormal
molecules appear, and the second generation is not healthy yet.

My comments:
1] Two hours of processing time is very long, and the food
we cook is very different from a solution of a simple sugar and a
simple protein. Thus, with conventional cooking, considerably less
abnormal molecules are formed.
2] It would be interesting to make the same experiment, but stop
feeding the female rats with denatured food for a few months before
they become pregnant, to see if remanent molecules still affect the
health of babies.
3] I didn't manage to find details about toxicity of Maillard
molecules in books, except a few remarks (as far as I remember, they
block the assimilation of lysine of something like that; I will have
to check).

Tom:
> 2. Instead of soap and/or shampoo, one can use a paste made with finely ground
> chickpea/channa flour and water (get the flour at an Indian store - the flour
> sold in health food stores is not ground fine enough). Such flour is of the
> type sold as "besan" in Indian stores: channa besan.

...Or use only clear water, but one has to eat raw (less perspiration odors).

Anyway, thanks for posting your notes and your interesting comments!

Best wishes,

Jean-Louis