Health, Taken Seriously

Taking a little break

Sophia — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 02:39:51 +0000

In case you haven’t noticed, I just don’t have much time to post these days. Being a mother to three kids has finally caught up with me. I plan to take a break for a little while and will evaluate what to do with this blog. There are still over 400 posts with lots of great information, so please feel free to search or browse the categories. Sorry to disappoint all my recent subscribers!

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.

One of my favorite new companies–Acure

Sophia — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:44:07 +0000

I recently stumbled across a new line of personal care products from a company called Acure. They may or may not be new, but they’re new to me. I have found every product I’ve tried to be of exceptional quality, and the company also does many other things I love–many of their products are Fair Trade (which guarantees livable wages for workers and their families), their bottles are made from recycled plastics, they plant trees, they donate profits to worthy causes, and the ingredients live up to my strict standards. For example, the bottle of body lotion I’m currently holding is vegan, paraben free, sulfate free, cruelty free, and free of synthetic fragrances. Many of the ingredients are organic too.

My personal favorites include:

Energizing Mandarin Orange and Mango Body Lotion - very intense moisture without a greasy feeling. Love the fragrance from essential oils only. One tree planted for every bottle sold.
Brightening Facial Scrub – I have tried so many exfoliators and this is by far my favorite! I can’t say enough good things about it. I love the fine grit and it actually makes my face feel so soft and smooth afterwards, not irritated or raw like it has been from harsher scrubs. Read the reviews on their site and you’ll see I’m not alone in my opinions. Highly recommended.
Lemongrass Conditioner - Very nice fragrance and very moisturizing without weighing down my hair. I have a hard time finding good conditioners that don’t contain synthetic fragrances and this is one of the best ones I’ve tried in years.
Radical Resurfacing Facial Lotion – I’ve been using this for less than a week, so I haven’t really seen any changes in some of my hyperpigmentation or blotchiness, but I’m happy with the feel and scent of the lotion. I’ll be curious to see if it really can even out my skin tone.

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!

Iodine for breast health

Sophia — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:36:42 +0000

Here is a really interesting article about the importance of iodine and breast health. Unfortunately, there are not many natural food sources of the mineral iodine. You can get it through supplements or iodized salt though.

Clarisonic. Really?

Sophia — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:54:12 +0000

A year and a half ago, I purchased a Clarisonic face brush. Several of my friends and family members raved about how well it cleaned their skin, and they weren’t alone. Online reviews were very positive for the brush. People seemed to think the oscillating bristles of the Clarisonic were the best way to treat a whole host of skin problems.

I’ve been using the brush long enough to write a thorough review. While this brush does clean well and I enjoy the mild face massage, I honestly don’t get it. The brush is $150-200, and replacement heads (needed every 3-4 months) are about $20. I expected good exfoliation from the brush, but I don’t find that it removes dead skin very well. I still need to exfoliate with other products on a regular basis. One of the reasons I bought the brush was in hopes for mechanical removal of dead skin without lots of chemicals or expensive products, so this has been a disappointment.

As for the clarity of my skin, I don’t see much on an improvement. I still have blackheads, and I still occasionally break out. The online reviews made it sounds like this brush was a cure-all for these problems, but that has not been the case for me. As for enhanced absorption of face products after using the Clarisonic, if it’s happening, there’s no visible difference in my skin.

I have tried the sensitive skin and normal brush heads. I just purchased the deep pore cleaning brush head and am curious to see if I get better cleaning of my pores. I kind of thought all the brush heads would clean my pores well, so I’m not sure why I have to get a special brush for this. I continue to use the Clarisonic because I spent so much money on it, but I wouldn’t say it’s worth the high price. I give it 3 out of 5 stars.

My new favorite workout is SPX Fitness

Sophia — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 18:37:19 +0000

Those of you following this blog for 2011 know that this has been my year of experimenting with working out at home. I’ve done three DVD programs–Tracy Anderson’s Metamorphosis, P90X, and Insanity. I wasn’t able to complete Insanity because my body couldn’t handle high impact exercise 6 days/week. Ultimately, none of the programs was perfect for me and left me searching for another great workout.

Well, I’ve found something that I truly love. It’s challenging, low-impact, and leaves me sore in places I didn’t even know I’d exercised. It’s called SPX Fitness and is like a Pilates reformer class, but is done on a modified machine called the megaformer. Apparently, it’s all the rage in LA, including amongst celebrities like Brook Burke. The classes are either 40 or 55 minutes, so it’s a pretty small time commitment, especially considering that the designer of the program, Sebastian Lagree, recommends doing it only 2-3 times/week. Because of the expense of the class, I have only done it once each week, but then I try to do similar modified movements at home. The entire class is strength training, with a huge focus on glutes and core. However, the moves are done so quickly that it’s also a bit of a cardio workout. Each exercise is done for one-minute and by the end of that time, the goal is to have the muscle completely fatigued (which it almost always is for me). Each move also encourages a full range of motion, so there is a lot of stretching and elongating of the muscles. I expect this to create a very long, lean, toned look. I am almost always shaking by the end of the workout and find myself sore for days. I consider myself to be in very good shape, so I’m really pleased to find such a challenging workout that doesn’t bang my joints.

The biggest drawback to my new favorite workout is that it can only be done in a studio on a very specific machine. And the classes are expensive (in my city, about $25-30/class). I have yet to figure out how this program will be sustainable for me, since going even once per week will cost me $100/month.

Dangers of chemicals more mainstream

Sophia — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 05:19:20 +0000

I read a couple magazines at the gym tonight and was pleased to see that many of the ones geared towards parents give advice for how to avoid BPA and phthalates. Time magazine also recently published a great article about BPA and how much it increases in your blood from eating canned soup (1200%!!!). When my first child was a newborn in 2005, this information was nearly impossible to find. I’m happy to see it becoming more mainstream.

Speaking of BPA, I posted a year ago that Muer Glen tomato cans were lined with BPA, but that the company planned to phase out those cans (see undated post on their website as well). I bought a can to see and sure enough, the lining is now copper instead of a plastic looking white. Nothing printed on the cans mentions a change, but I wonder if the cans no longer contain BPA.