Wrapping It All Up

This past weekend, I watched 2 videos.  One was a reaction to the Movie "Supersize Me", by Morgan Spurlock.  It was called "Fat Head" and was made by and starred Tom Naughton, a comedian whose catch phrase in the film was "follow the money" (in reference to vegetarian lobbyists influencing government policy).  He could not understand how Spurlock gained all the weight he did and got his cholesterol to sky-rocket on a 30-day McDonald's diet.  He defended the fast food chain, claiming that no one forces anyone to eat anything they don't want to there (I have to agree with that part!).  He also set out to prove that he, too, could eat 3 meals a day of fast food and lose weight and lower his cholesterol, which he did.  In fact, he did so on a high-fat, primarily meat-based diet.  But he also walked several miles a day 6 days a week, kept calories below 2,000 per day, and eliminated most carbohydrates.  Basically, he went on a fast-food Atkins diet.  We all know that the Atkins diet does result in weight loss, so there should be no surprise there.  And doubling your daily exercise is guaranteed to have positive results.  He "could not understand" how Spurlock gained so much weight.  Well, Spurlock did not exercise, ate his fries, and did not throw away the hamburger buns.  He also did not order diet cokes.  He ate what most people who go to fast food restaurants eat.   How many of your kids out there throw away the buns and say no to the fries that come with their meals?

My biggest problem with Naughton's film, however, was his constant assertion that lobbyists pushing for vegetarianism have influenced public policy.  Over the past 6 years, the opposite has been true.  Compare the old Food Pyramid to the new one and you'll see what I mean.  What used to be bottom heavy on grains is now heavier on the animal-based combination of meats/dairy.  His catch-phrase "follow the money" is correct.  But the money now appears to come from the meat and dairy lobbyists, not the CSPI.  I looked up what the CSPI is doing these days and it is pretty much pushing for Nutrition labeling, including on fast foods.  And I don't see anything wrong with that.   

As for the Rave Diet, by Mike Anderson, it is a 100% plant-based diet, which also eliminates vegetable oils, keeping overall fats way down.  Like Naughton, Anderson blames the government for following the money.  But the money he believes they are following comes from the meat and dairy lobbyists.  I have to side with Anderson on this point...

Both men claim that their diets are heart-healthy and both had testimonies to "prove" their point.  I do wonder what the long-term cardiac affects of the Atkins Diet will be.  If a person has inflammation in their arteries and follows such a diet for too long, I just can't see it continuing to be "heart-healthy". 

Of the two diets, only the Rave Diet claims to also be a cancer-prevention diet.  Anderson states that the cure for cancer is a strong immune system (I agree) and that the current treatments (chemotherapy and radiation) destroy it (this has always troubled me).   Anderson says that plant foods are the only foods that strengthen the immune system.  In fact, Richard Cutler of the National Health Institute was quoted as saying, "the amount of antioxidants you maintain in your body is directly proportional to how long you will live."  In researching immune-boosting foods a while back, I came up with a similar conclusion.  In fact, the first thing I had in my notes was to "eat less protein, especially from animal sources, since such protein residues can irritate the immune system".  Anderson had several cancer patients give testimonies of having cured their disease on a 100% plant-based diet.  This was compelling.  If you see my posts on an Anti-Cancer diet (especially 2/8 and 2/10/11), you will see that antioxidants play an important part in helping to stave off cancer, so there is something to Anderson's claims, since the number one way to get antioxidants is with fruits and vegetables.  But I confess that I am not yet at the point where I can honestly tell someone to buck conventional cancer treatment for a plant-based diet.  For one thing, as Anderson even noted, as soon as people went back to eating meat, their symptoms returned.  How can I make sure someone is really sticking to the diet? 

One of the issues that actually made me chuckle was both men's claims about what humans were "meant" to eat, as well as the negative affects of eating what we weren't meant to.  Naughton interviews a doctor who claims that he tried a vegetarian diet for 9 years and "lost strength".  And that the Pritikin diet made him depressed.  Anderson states that a meat-based Atkins diet has a toxic reaction on people, enhancing their chances of later contracting cancer.  Moreover, he states that after being on the Atkins diet for a year, there is an average reduction of blood flow to the heart of 40%.  I have to agree with Anderson on the cancer point.  A high-fat diet is dangerous for people who have, have had, or are predisposed to, in particular, the hormone-driven and digestive-system cancers.  As for the Atkins diet reducing blood flow to the heart...I don't know how one comes up with that statistic exactly, but I do know that the Atkins diet should not be a long-term one.  It is unbalanced, for one thing, and way too high in fat for another.  I could only understand (but still not condone) someone going on it for quick weight loss.  Although I do not completely agree with all of Anderson's assertions either, such as his problem with our best sources of Omega-3's, overall, his dietary approach is a much healthier one than a long-term "stage-one" Atkins diet.

If you get a chance to see it, "Fat Head" is on Netflix Instant Cue.  And you should be able to find Tom Anderson's "the Rave Diet" at your public library.  I hope these past few posts have helped you to understand why there is so much conflicting dietary advice out there.  Hang in there!  I'll help you sort it out.  All you have to do is ask - that's what I'm here for.  Until next time, happy and healthy eating!

Lowering Cholesterol With An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

A few years ago, I prepared a paper on "Lowering Cholesterol" and the first step on it was to follow an anti-inflammatory diet.  If you've been following my posts lately, you know that this week's entries have been inspired by a film made by Tom Naughton ("Fat Head") and Mike Anderson (author of The Rave Diet).  As I enumerate the cholesterol lowering steps, I will note, when applicable (in parenthesis), if they measure up to the standards laid out, or observed, by these two men.  Here goes:

1.)  Follow an Anti-Inflammatory Diet: 
a.)  Avoid trans-fatty acids and partially hydrogenated oils (both would agree)
b.)  Stick to Olive and Canola oils (Anderson would not agree.  He is for avoiding all vegetable oils.)
c.)  Increase intake of Omega 3 fatty acids - fish, flax seeds, chia seeds, olive and canola oil, walnuts. All Omega 3's have been shown to actually inhibit inflammation, but especially those found in fish.  To know which fish are safest to eat, however, please refer to my post "Good Fish, Bad Fish" 2/16/11.  (Anderson would only promote the use of flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts for Omega 3's, since fish is an animal and the other 2 are oils.).
d.)  Minimize consumption of refined and processed foods (Anderson would agree.  Naughton ate so much junk that I don't know where he stands on this issue under normal circumstances).
e.)  Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, especially berries.  The antioxidants they contain build up defenses against damaging free radicals.  They actually help to reduce LDL cholesterol, thus lessening the build-up of plaque in artery walls.   (Anderson would agree.  Naughton would have a problem with the sugar in the fruit)
f.)  Eat anti-inflammatory herbs and spices like ginger and turmeric (Anderson would agree).

2.)  Do not use caffeine addictively - it adds to the workload of the heart, increases adrenal activity, and may contribute to elevated serum cholesterol.   (Anderson would agree.  Not Naughton - he drank a lot of diet coke)

3.)  Do not smoke

4.)  Exercise at least 30 minutes per day five days per week (both would agree)

5.)  Practice Relaxation Techniques - stress can increase serum cholesterol.  I believe that, since stress can cause ulcers, mouth sores, and colitis, which are all conditions that result in the creation of "sores", it makes sense that stress would also cause inflammation of the arterial walls.  Thus the eventual build-up of plaque.  See 2/2/11 post, "Stress is A Killer". 

6.)  Maintain a normal weight (Anderson would strongly agree.  Naughton thinks too many people incorrectly fall under the category of  being "obese".  I know that if I gain even 10 pounds back, my heart, which was damaged by the chemotherapy I had, has a rough time.  Angina (chest pain) becomes chronic and tachycardia (extremely rapid heart beat) occurs much more frequently.

7.)  Keep overall fats in your diet low - approximately 15% of your daily caloric intake. (Anderson would agree or even want them lower.  Naughton would strongly disagree.  He must have eaten 100's of grams of fat per day on his "diet")

8.)  Eat Oats to help lower cholesterol

9.)  Eat plenty of garlic - Remember when people took garlic pills?  This is why.  Good thing is that you don't need more than what your average recipe calls for to get the health benefits.

10.)  Eat plenty of shitake mushrooms, green tea, and chili peppers (Anderson would disagree with the tea since it contains caffeine).

Tonight was another game night.  My son's high school team is now 6 and 0!  In spite of the cold winds out there, it was another great night of baseball.  Dinner, unfortunately, was Red Beans 'n Rice from Popeye's for me.  My husband had their Fried Catfish Dinner with a side of Red Beans 'n Rice and a Biscuit.  Oh well.....

Until next time, happy and healthy eating!

What Really Causes Clogged Arteries?

If you talk to most people, they will tell you that clogged arteries (or arteriosclerosis) is caused by a diet high in fats, in particular saturated (or animal) fats.  But in his movie "Fat Head", Tom Naughton proposes that saturated fat is not the culprit, and is determined to prove it.  For 30 days, he goes on a high-saturated fat diet, eating meat-based fast-foods, fried cheese, lots of bacon, and an occasional vegetable oozing with butter.  He also doubles his exercise (6 days a week instead of 3) and limits carbohydrates to the level recommended by the "Atkins Diet".  And what was the result?  Well, he lost 12 pounds, his overall cholesterol went down, and his body-fat ratio went from over 31 to around 28.   Believe me, his doctor was as stymied as I was!  So, what's up with that?  I will try to explain.

The truth is that the experts out there do not really know what starts arteriosclerosis.  But it seems to stem from damage to the arterial wall.  Bad (or LDL) cholesterol does contribute to arterial plaque formation, but what is it that gets the process going?  The answer: Inflammation.  My studies have shown that clogged arteries are a chronic inflammatory response in the walls of the arteries that is promoted by LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.  But, when it really comes down to it, the relationship between dietary fat and the onset of arteriosclerosis is a contentious area of medical concern. 

Inflammation weakens the arterial wall, almost like an areterial ulcer and then, apparently, plaque/cholesterol attach themselves to the weakened area -  like a wound they slip into as your blood flows through the artery.  Can you picture that?  So it appears that (and Naughton strongly presses this point in his film) the cause of arteriosclerosis is not too much saturated fat in the diet, but inflammation of the arterial walls.  And he is almost right.  The problem is that the cause of the inflammation is still up to debate and there is no way to know that the inflammation is there until the cholesterol starts attaching itself to the affected area!  And we do know that the more plaque you have in the artery, the higher the possibility of blockage, i.e. heart attack.  On ehow.com, in an article called "Inflammation & Heart Disease", it states, "Evidence suggests that inflammation is linked with arteriosclerosis, which is the term for the thickening of the artery walls due to accumulation of fatty substances, like cholesterol." 

Mike Anderson, author of the Rave Diet, states that "the one thing an animal-based diet does is kill people.  It does this by clogging arteries."  He goes on to say that eating animal foods causes a fatty sludge to build up in your blood.  HDL cholesterol takes care of some of it, but the excess settles in your arteries.  And he is not wrong in his assertions.  He goes as far as to state that "the requirement of cholesterol in our diet is exactly zero" and provides several testimonies of people who completely reversed the damage done to their hearts (after having had heart attacks) by following an extremely low-fat, and completely plant-based diet.  I do not think he made up these claims.  So what do we make of it?

It appears that our friend Mr Naughton is a very lucky man.  His arteries obviously were not inflamed.  Thus the success with his animal-based diet.  The main problem I have with promoting it, however, is that if there is inflammation in your arteries, you won't know it until the cholesterol starts building up in it.  Maybe some people are predisposed to inflammation due to lifestyle and heredity.  I do know that there are steps you can take to avoid or reduce inflammation of your arteries - some dietary, some lifestyle.  Tune in tomorrow for the skinny on following an Anti-Inflammatory Diet.  It makes a lot of sense and neither school of thought would disagree with that!  Then we'll examine some of the other claims made by our friends Mr. Naughton and Mr. Anderson.  Again, the information may surprise you!

Until next time, happy and healthy eating!

Grains: Keeping it Real

If you have been following my posts, this week I plan to address assertions made by Tom Naughton in his 2009 documentary "Fat Head", which run in stark contrast to the dietary recommendations spelled out in Mike Anderson's, "The Rave Diet", which is essentially a Vegan diet.  Both men claim that their diets are "the way humans were meant to eat".  Fat Head claims that the CSPI (The Center  for Science in the Public Interest) is responsible for the emphasis on a plant-based diet that the USDA promotes.  And the Rave Diet claims that the dairy and meat lobbyists are responsible for the emphasis on high-protein (i.e., meat and dairy) diets that the USDA promotes. 

The first thing I want to nip in the bud is Naughton's outdated claim that the USDA's Food Pyramid recommends that we eat between 9 and 11 servings of grains per day.   Under the New Food Pyramid which came out 6 years ago,  depending on your age, sex, and activity level, recommended servings of grains are between 3 and 8 one-ounce equivalent servings.  And a serving of bread is not what you would get in a sandwich.  It is one slice of bread (normally smaller than the Pepperidge Farm one I have pictured above), 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, and 1/2 cup cooked rice,  pasta or hot cereal.  In the photo above, I measured one cup of Basic 4 cereal, which is about half of what my son eats each morning.  As for the measuring cup, that's your 1/2 cup "serving" of rice, pasta, or hot cereal.  I don't know about you, but when I make pasta, we eat about 3-4 times that amount each.  Unlike Naughton's claims,  for most of us, the New Food Pyramid no longer emphasizes grains.  In fact, for a 2,000 calorie diet, the recommendation is 6 servings of grains, 4 and 1/2 servings of fruits and vegetables, 5 and 1/2 servings of meat and beans, and 3 servings of milk (or milk products).   My problem with the New Pyramid is that I do not believe it recommends enough fruits and vegetables, which are packed with nutrition-rich antioxidants and vitamins.  But that's another story...

Depending on which dietary approach you prefer, you will likely find multiple "errors" in both of these videos (and book).  I point out the grain claim made by Naughton only because it is blatantly false and affects some of the other points he makes.  Plus, if you see the film, I want you to know that the Pyramid he uses is no longer the one the USDA promotes. 

Why, you may ask, am I comparing these two diets this week?  Besides the fact that I have never seen 2 diets so diametrically opposed to each other, it is because both make the exact same positive claims about their own diets, and fling the same accusations about the influence the other school of thought has on the USDA, as well as what damage the other's diet "does to a person" health-wise.  This is, sadly, merely indicative of what we repeatedly see when it comes to media-driven nutrition advice.  By following the news stories, we see a constant shift in what we should and should not eat.  With all the contradictory information out there, it's a wonder anyone knows what's really good (or bad) for them.  Whether I agree with them or not, through their claims and mud-slinging, both of the above diets address some critical issues that deserve attention.   So I thank both Tom Naughton and Mike Anderson for providing the inspiration I needed to tackle these difficult issues in an attempt to set the record straight.

(Tonight I made crumb-coated cod, Japanese rice in our rice cooker, and Brussels sprouts.  Nothing too exciting, but tasty nonetheless.) 

Until next time, happy and healthy eating!
P.S.  Because I keep referring to previous blog posts, I have placed my Blog Archive on the top of the right-hand column of this Blog for your convenience.

No Wonder Everyone Is So Confused!

Yesterday I watched a documentary called "Fathead" that followed Tom Naughton, a comedian turned producer/actor, who ate a primarily meat-based, fast-food diet for 30 days and lost 12 pounds and lowered his cholesterol on it.  He avoided the fries, often removed the bun, and ordered diet cokes.  No, he was not advocating such a diet, but argued that fast food is not responsible for the increase in heart disease and obesity in this country. Not if you know what to order (which to him is meat, and more meat).  The villains who have messed up the way Americans eat, he claims, are those who are pushing for vegetarianism, specifically the Center for Science in Public Interest (CSPI).  Repeatedly using the phrase "Follow the money", he claims that food standards in this country have been influenced by this consumer advocacy group that has come up with such phrases as "heart attack on a bun" to describe fast-food  hamburgers, and "heart attack on a plate" to describe dairy-rich foods like fettucine Alfredo.  People, he says, were naturally hunters, and were never meant to eat a plant-based diet.  He points to the Food Pyramid in frustration with what he says is its "9 to 11" recommended servings of carbohydrates (or grain-based foods) per day.  And he blames this sugar-based diet (carbohydrates convert to sugar in the body) on the rise of heart disease in this country. 

On the other end of the spectrum, I am reading a book called "The Rave Diet", by Mike Anderson, which includes a video that makes the point that humans have been largely plant-eating vegetarians for hundreds of years and that, not until the last hundred years have they even been able to afford to eat meat at the level that people eat it here.  The author of The Rave Diet, which is entirely plant-based, also blames the government for accepting money from food lobbies - but rather than the CSPI, he points his finger at the meat industry.  And he maintains that animal-based, high fat diets are responsible for the high level of heart disease in this country. 

Three points that both of these men agree on are:  1.)  that there has been an increase in heart disease in this country over the past 100 years,  2.)  that mankind was not meant to eat the way we do here and now,  and 3.)  that our nutritional needs are set by food lobbies.  On most other points, these two would have to go to the mat to settle their differences - so diverse are their "facts" and "assertions".  

I watched these two videos, recalled the many articles issued by the Associated Press these past few years on "the latest" in dietary recommendations, and completely understand why so many of you are confused about what you are "supposed" to be eating.   Over the next few days, I would like to help unravel some of the myths and facts set forth by the 2 (above) schools of thought.  I shouldn't be surprised that both Anderson and Naughton sometimes use the exact same arguments and the exact same examples to make their extremely diverse points.  I have had so much fun preparing for these posts.  I hope I do the subject justice and that you find the posts both entertaining and informative. 

Until next time, happy and healthy eating! 

A Happy Day

Today was a wonderful day!  My oldest son, along with his good friend, represented France at their Model U.N. conference this weekend and, for the first time, they took the gavel!  They actually each got an engraved gavel (see photo above).  They have won best delegates before and have even received standing ovations for their often colorful and highly creative presentations, but this is the first time they won! 

My youngest son's team played an outstanding game of Varsity baseball and they also won - 9 to 1.  My son came in from playing left field as a clutch pitcher, pitched an inning, and allowed no runs.  He also had 3 at-bats and had 3 hits, one of them an RBI.  Their team, so far, is 5 and 0...

As for me and my husband, we decided to celebrate our sons' victories by going out to dinner.  We went to "Bonefish" for the first time this Lenten season and had such a nice dinner, we wondered why we had not gone there before!  I had their trout with a sampling of all their sauces except for the lemon butter one.  My husband had a delicious fish called Pompano covered with baby shrimp and scallops.  The vegetable of the day, which we both enjoyed, was chickpeas sauteed with spinach.  And we had a fun red wine called Menage a Trois, which is a California wine that is a combination of Zinfadel, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. 

Of course, I had to Oxi-clean the heck out of a white uniform before we could leave, which always proves to be an exercise in frustration.  It's pretty harsh on the hands.  Plus it takes two washes to get the pants to look halfway decent.  If anyone out there knows of an easier way to get grass and red dirt stains off of uniform pants, please let me know.  (We are not allowed to use bleach...).  Thanks! 

Well, that's it for tonight.  This one was a quickie!  Until tomorrow, happy and healthy eating!

"12 Steps" To Healthy Eating

I didn't know what the 12-Step Program was until I saw the movie "Clueless" a number of years ago.  And it was the show "My Name is Earl" that took 2 of those steps and fashioned a successful series out of them.  It was yesterday, however, when I was "led" to an examination of the 12-Step Program in an effort to explain the best way to lose weight and keep it off.  And I had one of those "aha" moments when I realized that it was by essentially following those very steps that I was able to kick what had been for me, a food addiction.

Nine years ago, I spent a great deal of time in prayer.  I was sick and wanted answers, and the ones I received were not always what I wanted to hear.  God had always been my heavenly "Daddy", but during that time - of all times- he exercised what we parents refer to as tough love.  And one area of my life that was especially messed-up and in need of a parent's guidance was my relationship with food.  I realized that I did not control what I ate.  Food controlled me.  I ate for comfort, and, when I was upset, I ate a lot of what I liked - mainly salty, fried, and fatty foods.  I often overate, in general, and then felt guilty afterwards.  God showed me that, not only could I not control my eating habits, but that this lack of control had spilled into other areas of my life as well.  (Believe it or not, we are already up to steps 4 and 5 here - taking a moral inventory of ourselves, and admitting to God and to someone else the nature of our wrongs). 

I remember when I first shared these things with my husband, he said something like, "Your diet isn't that bad!  You eat a lot of healthy things."  And he was right - I did.  When he was around.  Dinners were pretty well-rounded, always including a meat, a starch, and a vegetable.  I ate the "really bad" stuff when I was either alone or out with my then very young children.  Also, since we both needed to revamp our diet, he thought nothing of the chicken fried steak, fish 'n chips, or eggs Benedict I often ordered at restaurants, because I had turned him on to them as well (See steps 8 and 9 below for how I dealt with this). 

Step 6 is the point where we are ready to make a change - with God's help.  I knew that, without Him, I would never be able to do it.  I prayed something along the lines of ,"God, I am addicted to food and am drawn to everything that I know is not good for me.  Please help me to sincerely desire what my body needs.  I can not do this on my own and so I relinquish control of my diet over to You."  I probably prayed this type of prayer about a dozen times before it finally "took", by the way.  You need to be persistent, you need to really mean it, and it doesn't hurt to be desperate!

When I rededicated my life to Christ through what some Orthodox Christians would call the baptism of tears, the Christian radio stations that my brother played and that used to make me nervous suddenly soothed me and I found myself drawn to the likes of Petra, John Michael Talbot, and Keith Green.  The same thing happened when I finally relinquished control of my diet to God.  Suddenly the "healthy" recipes I had ignored in my cooking magazines became the staples in my diet, until I abandoned the old magazines altogether for Cooking Light and Light 'n Tasty (now called Healthy Cooking). 

Steps 8 and 9 ask that you make a list of people you have harmed and that you make amends, the thinking being that if we free our conscience, we are much less likely to escape back into our addiction.  This, I have found, is a life-long process.  We often inadvertently hurt those we love and are close to.  There is wisdom in the phrase "never let the sun go down on your anger."   Tied in with that is step 10 - continue to take personal inventory and admit when we're wrong. 

Step 11 - We need to learn to live a new life with a new code of ethics, something God will give us the power to carry out.   Like an alcoholic who is finally dry, I have not had a french fry in over 9 years.  I no longer crave them, but I do not want to set myself up for temptation either.  It's just not worth it.  The same holds true for just about any deep fried food, as well as buttery or full-fat creamy dishes.  They are things that a person with a tendency for breast cancer is better off avoiding.  (See my post on the anti-cancer diet). I began to actually crave things my body needed.  And, after reaching my goal, I began to "allow" myself the low-fat desserts I have featured in some of my posts. 

The final step is to help others who suffer from the same addictions that we suffer from.  I suppose this is why God gave me the desire to turn over my CPA and study nutrition instead.  I really believe the 12-Step Program is divinely inspired!  When I worked at the clinic that hired me when I received my certification, I loved helping people change their eating habits and achieve their goals, whether it was to lose weight, lower their cholesterol or blood pressure, or to just eat healthier.  But, as I mentioned before, the clinic did not survive the economy.  Now, I am enjoying this Blog as a means of reaching out to people.  And it really warms my heart that there are people out there reading it (and even sometimes taking the advice in here to heart!).

Will the 12 Step Approach to better eating work for everyone?  I guess you need to ask, "Does every person who goes to AA end up sober?"   Will it work for you?  Well, you first have to face up to the first 3 steps:  1.)  Admit that you have an addiction and that you can't control it;  2.) Recognize that there is a higher power that can give you strength;  and  3.) Decide to turn your will and your life over to the care of that higher power (or to God, as we understand Him).

Until next time, happy and healthy eating!