Health, Taken Seriously » Food and Nutrition

Forks Over Knives

Sophia — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:12:32 +0000

I finally got to see the documentary Forks Over Knives that has been out for months. The film is about how diet can stop and even reverse some diseases, and about the dangers of animal products. I read The China Study, by Colin Campbell Ph.D. (who is featured in the film), almost 3 years ago. Since then, our family has eaten much less animal products–we only eat meat about once a month and we cut way back on dairy. But the film featured other doctors (Caldwell Esselstyn, John McDougall, and Pam Popper) as well as plenty of anecdotal evidence from individuals who changed their diet to treat cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. It was highly motivating and I found it really enjoyable.

The film had a good balance of scientific research and anecdotal evidence. I will mention a bit of the most impressive research.

Dr. Esselstyn, a heart surgeon, was struck early in his career about this study, and I have to say it floored me too–in the 1920′s and 1930′s in Norway, heart disease was on the rise. During WWII, Germany invaded and confiscated all the livestock to feed themselves, leaving Norweigans to eat plant-based foods. The number of deaths from heart disease plummeted, only to rise again when the occupation ended. Very interesting!
Dr. Campbell duplicates Indian research showing that when rats are expossed to the carcinogen Aflotoxin, the growth of their tumors can be controlled by the minipulation of their diet. Rats fed 20% casein (dairy protein) had rapid tumor growth, while rats fed 5% had none. Rats on the 20% diet switched to the 5% diet saw their tumors shrink. Notable is that the group with no tumor growth did not have no casein at all, but 5%. Perhaps a strict avoidance of dairy is not necessary and considerable reduction is sufficient?
Dr. Esselstyn takes a group of heart disease patients who have had multiple heart attacks and are basically knocking on death’s door. He puts them on a plant based diet. A few drop out over the years, but after two decades, 18 are still in the group and all are alive. Eleven of them have stopped their heart disease progression and four have reversed it.
Dr. McDougall notes that in Hawaii, the immigrants from Asia are trim and healthy. Their children, born on the island, tend to eat more fast food and animal products, and are “fat and sick.”

Then there’s the anecdotal evidence:

Joey Aucoin has hypertension and diabetes, as well as a list of 27 complaints including insomnia. He visits a doctor that puts him on a whole food, plant-based diet. In 22 weeks, he sees 26 of his complaints disappear. He loses weight. He no longer needs his medication he was previously taking (which cost him over $100/month after insurance).
Ruth Heidrich, a serious runner, is diagnosed with breast cancer in her 40s. She has the cancer surgically removed, then adopts the plant-based diet and passes on chemotherapy. Her physicians recommend rest, but she feels so energetic that she completes an iron man race. Now she is in her 70s and continues to run marathons and triathlons.
Evelyn Oswick had two hearts attacks and was told she didn’t have much longer to live. She gave up her love of sweets to adopt the plant-based diet and twenty years later is alive and well.
A fireman in Texas with a cholesterol level of 340 changes his diet and sees his cholesterol drop more than 100 points in a few weeks.

Most interesting is that all the medication that doctors promote for many of these conditions cannot produce the drastic effects that a diet change can. Also interesting is that the plant-based diet can repair the epithelial wall of our blood vessels, so it can actually reverse heart disease. And since the plant-based diet supports the health of the vascular system, one of the elderly patients noted that it was also like nature’s Viagra.

While very convincing, there were a few holes in the film. They talked about how refined sugars and oils need to be eliminated from the diet, but didn’t really dive into why (the focus was mostly on animal products). They showed many people who believed that we need lots of protein to be healthy (and where best to get protein than from animal products?) but then didn’t demonstrate that there is sufficient protein in plant-based foods or that perhaps we don’t need as much protein as previously thought. They also didn’t demonstrate that there is adequate calcium in plant based foods.

When the film was finished, I was left wondering how much diary would comprise 5% of total calories in a 2,000 calorie diet. I was left wondering if a significant reduction in animal products would produce the same results as complete avoidance (in fact, many studies suggest this). I was wondering why olive oil was evil. And what about nuts or fats? There was no mention of how to get healthy fat on a plant based diet, nor if supplements might be necessary. What about omega-3′s? And probiotics?

But the whole-foods, plant-based dishes they showed in the film did look delicious. It certainly was a very thought-provoking, motivating film. Definitely worth watching–especially with friends or family whom you can discuss the film with afterward.

Want to learn more? Check out this fantastic, thorough review that really examines the validity of the science behind the film. I don’t have the time to examine this in detail myself, but it really does raise some interesting questions.

Video about labeling GMOs

Sophia — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 21:03:54 +0000

Watch this video about why genetically modified foods should be labeled.

Great dairy alternative

Sophia — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 02:35:45 +0000

My father and a couple other people I know are trying to reduce their intake of animal products (in light of the documentary Forks Over Knives and books like The China Study). The China Study points out the problems of consuming a lot of dairy. But dairy is so hard to cut out of the diet, and alternatives (soy cheese anyone?) leave much to be desired. However, there is one company that makes several products that I find absolutely delicious and actually prefer to dairy: Turtle Mountain.

I especially like Turtle Mountain’s coconut milk products, like their ice cream sandwiches, ice cream bars, and yogurt. While the cultured coconut milk is nothing like yogurt made from cow’s milk (the lack of protein means a very different consistency), it is tasty and my children enjoy it. I also think their soy-based Purely Decadent “ice creams” are delicious. The Mocha Almond Fudge is one of my favorites. It’s not really ice cream season, but just know that if you’re avoiding dairy, there are many good alternatives out there.

Health and food industries

Sophia — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:28:23 +0000

Saw this on Facebook….. so true!

Better than organic?

Sophia — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:32:03 +0000

What’s better than organic? Organic and grass-fed, at least when it comes to dairy. Our family tried to eat vegan for a couple months and quickly learned that we really just weren’t into soy-cheese. We now consume only organic cheese and in small quantities (many recipes taste just as good with half the cheese!) It is especially important to buy organic and clean fatty animal foods, since toxins like PCBs and dioxins accumulate in the fat of animals and especially in the concentrated fats of cheese.

I recently found a company that makes organic cheese from cows that have year-round access to pasture. The company is Rumiano Family and their cheeses are similar in price to other organic cheeses and quite tasty. This is what the back of the Rumiano cheese label says:

Our milk comes from grass fed, AHA (American Humane) certified Jersey cows…. free-ranged and happy.
Certified Organic and Kosher… complete traceability of all ingredients.
No artificial hormones and pesticide-free… our milk is pure, fresh, and wholesome.
Leading the industry as the first Non-GMO Project certified cheese maker.
Created on the coastal pastures of Northern California.
Low-impact sustainable milk production flows from the Pacific Terrace pastures to our Fromagerie to your table.

What is described here is honestly how all cheese should be made, but sadly it is not. So seek out companies like this one and support them! It’s better for you, for your family, for our earth, and it sends the strong message to larger companies that this is what consumers want. The government may not mandate it but our purchasing power can help dictate what big companies will do. Will your cheese and milk come from hormone-injected, industrial cows fed pesticide-laden feed, or from cows that feed on an organic, GMO free, grass diet and are treated humanely? The government wouldn’t ban BPA, but consumer buying power pushed almost all manufacturers of baby products to change their practices and offer BPA-free alternatives to stay competitive. Let’s do this with our food too!

Forks Over Knives

Sophia — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 02:10:06 +0000

Thanks to Ellen for sharing this link with me. The trailer for the movie Forks Over Knives looks great, doesn’t it? Too bad there’s a “long wait” for it on Netflix. It looks like this film is based on the book The China Study, which was one of the things that pushed our family to eating mostly vegetarian. Glad to see this information becoming more mainstream knowledge.

Once I see it, I’ll review it here.

Greener and safer food storage containers

Sophia — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:31:21 +0000

It’s hard to find food storage containers that aren’t made of plastic. Especially portable ones for lunches on the go. That’s why I was so excited to see a new vendor at the antique market in my neighborhood. They were selling all sorts of lunch boxes and containers made of stainless steel, glass, and other safer materials.

Here are some of the great finds I got:

Lunchskins – bags made of frosting piping material. Free of lead, BPA, and phthalates. Dishwasher safe. A great alternative to plastic sandwich bags.
LunchBots – My sister-in-law gave me one last year and I love it. They make various sizes. I love that they aren’t breakable like many of the glass containers we use at home. Much better for my children’s school lunches.
Lifefactory sippy cups – These bottles and “cups” are made out of glass, but are protected from breakage by a silicone cover. The sippy cup top is made with plastic #5 (one of the safest options out there) with a silicone stopper to prevent leakage.

We also have To Go Ware stainless steel snack cups that we love. We’ve used them daily for over a year and they still look new.

What are some of your favorite food storage containers?

Why does every glass of Tropicana taste the same?

Sophia — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 01:42:05 +0000

Regardless of season or the location where the oranges are grown? Why does it never taste like Minute Maid or any other brand of OJ? Read this blog post to find out.

Want to eat more veggies? Eat vegetarian!

Sophia — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 01:08:27 +0000

Most Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, especially not up to the 13 servings recommended for optimum health. That can seem like a ridiculous amount of produce, unless you eat a mostly vegetarian diet. And I’m not talking about the unappealing meat-substitute variety of vegetarian–the one where you eat veggies burgers and veggies sausages and soymilk and a bunch of other soy-based meat replacements. But rather, a vegetarian diet that is full of vegetables!

For about two years now, my family has eaten mostly vegetarian. I suppose the true term for what we’re doing is flexitarian, as we still eat seafood and bison, although that only happens a couple times per month. The rest of the time, we eat vegetarian. And when we do this, we really eat a lot of produce. For example, last night we had enchiladas. Rather than being filled with meat and cheese, ours contained black beans, pinto beans, onions, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, zucchinis, summer squash, garlic, green onions, tomato, and cilantro. Rather than serve them with sour cream and extra cheese, ours were served with guacamole. I didn’t even bother with a side veggie or salad as the main course was almost entirely vegetables and legumes. This morning for breakfast, we had our usual banana nut whole wheat pancakes. Rather than serve them with sausage or bacon, ours came with a generous side of fruit salad.

It is for this very reason that vitamins are an afterthought in my family. We don’t take them daily. We don’t lean on them to fill our nutritional needs. We take them occasionally, just in case their are holes in our diet, but I feel confident that my family is getting superior nutrition through whole, fresh, organic foods. A perfect example of this is my family’s iron levels. Everyone knows that meat-based (or heme) iron is ideal–it’s better absorbed and used by your body than plant-based iron. However, we eat a ton of legumes and dark, leafy greens in our house. And every time my children have had an iron check at the doctor’s office, their iron levels are very high.

So if you’d like to eat more fruits and vegetables, replace the meat in your diet with them. You may find them rather satisfying, especially if you incorporate them into the main course instead of making them an after thought side dish. This is personally much more appealing than eating a lot of tofu or soy-based meat/dairy substitutes. Also, consider joining a CSA. There’s no better way to eat more veggies than to have them brought to your neighborhood weekly from a local farm.

Stopping GE foods at the source: manufacturers

Sophia — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 21:05:23 +0000

This is my 400th post on this blog since I started it in August 2007!

My favorite grocery store, Vitamin Cottage (Natural Grocers) had this letter for shoppers today. I thought it was good enough to share here:

So far this year, there has been a flood of approvals for genetically-engineered (GE) foods, beginning with GE alfalfa. Soon after the USDA approved GE alfalfa, the agency defied a federal court order which had stopped the planting of GE sugar beets and approved a “partial deregulation” of Roundup Ready sugar beets to be planted in the spring. Sugar beets are used for sugar production and to make ethanol fuel. Following on the heels of the partial deregulation of sugar beets, the USDA approved a GE industrial corn to use for ethanol production, which farmers and industry experts fear will pollute our edible corn supply, and a drought-resistant corn which the agency admits performs no better than conventional corn. Genetically-modified salmon and a GE plum, the “HoneySweet,” are next on the list to be approved. According to the USDA’s own website, “HoneySweet will cross with other domestic plum trees” and there is a fear that GE salmon will irreversibly affect the wild salmon population.

We know from past experience that GE crops can and do contaminate nearby crops and wild plants of the same type. Furthermore, the safety of these crops is questionable. In 2009, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) stated that “Several animal studies indicate serious health risks associated with genetically modified food,” including infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs in the gastrointestinal system. And a study published earlier this year in the journal Reproductive Toxicology found at Bt toxin produced by GE insect resistant crops in the blood of pregnant women and their fetuses. The results show that the toxic Bt protein was present in 93% of the women and in 80% of their babies’ umbilical cords. The researchers suggest that the most probable source of the toxin is GE food consumed as part of a normal diet. This study disproves the biotech industry’s claim that GE genes are destroyed during digestion.

We have an absolute right to know and choose what we eat, but with the decision to allow widespread cultivation of GE crops and NOT requiring labeling of these foods, the government has taken these freedoms from the American people. With every new GE approval, the USDA, and ultimately our government, is taking away consumer choice to avoid biotechnology.

It is important to continue to communicate with your representatives in Congress to demand mandatory labeling laws for GE foods, but with the government constantly ignoring consumers’ calls for labeling, it is crucial to bring attention to food manufacturers. Email, call, or write the companies whose food products you buy (especially if they contain canola oil and any corn or soy derivatives) and politely ask them if their ingredients are sourced from non-GE sources. If they are, thank them and let them know that this is an important issue to your family and that you will continue to buy their products. If they cannot tell you that their ingredients are non-GE, let them know that you prefer not to eat GE foods and will refrain from buying their products until they are labeled as non-GE.

If the manufacturers are contacted with consistency and in great enough numbers, then we can hope to reach a tipping point where we see all GE ingredients removed by manufacturers. When enough shoppers stop buying GE brands, the food industry will begin to avoid GE ingredients.