First, a progress report on my trucker. She has lost 5 pounds so far. She finally hit the 25 point mark. She was averaging about 15 points a day and it wasn't because of the food she was eating. It was because she simply was not eating enough of the food that would give her points.
We have been doing the plan as well. I make an all vegetable soup or a salad with beans and barley, a tagine full of vegetables or a mixed grill. This is like my detox plan except we are allowing ourselves a bit of dairy and eggs, plus we can have limited amounts of lean meat, poultry or fish. On the plan, each half cup of vegetables is one serving or one point, so the vegetable soup or salad can rack up some points. Animal protein is 1 point for 1-6 oz but starts going negative after that. The aim is to keep the portions small.
I am letting my trucker eat unlimited fruit because I would rather have her eat some than hold out for what not may be available on the road. I think there should be a rule to not eat ANY thing three hours before bed that can convert to sugar. That is really hard for us because we get home fairly late and usually eat about an hour or two before bed. So that means no fruit in the evening, or at least very sparing and low suagr fruit, like a few apple slices in a salad.
All of that being said, this modified detox is not working as well as the detox diet. I had to start rethinking my supplements.
During the detox and Perricone diets, we were taking supplements. Too many in my opinion and not sustainable at $200 per month each. However I ran across something recently that was touting Alpha Lipoic acid as a weight loss supplement. Well we were taking that on both plans. The other items were garlic extract, green tea and sugar cane extract. According to the article, sugarcane extract can lower cholesterol by 24% without any other change to the diet.
Another article I read might help my trucker. If she can maintain the points and stay below 1200 calories every other day, this should allow the fat to burn twice as fast.
So, stick with the 25 point plan - stay under 1200 calories every other day, add supplements: Garlic extract 200 mg before breakfast, lunch and dinner and at bed time. Alpha Lipoic Acid 100-300mg and a cup of green tea or 325 mg green tea flavanoids before breakfast, lunch and dinner, then the sugarcane extract or Policosano 20-25 mg before bedtime. We are also taking our Juice Plus capsules and Evening Primrose. We have a shake every day with brewers yeast, protein powder and lecithin made with 1 banana, almond milk and cinnamon.
An example of a daily plan:
Breakfast:
Juice Plus capsules (2 pts)
Alpha Lipoic Acid 100-300 mg
Green Tea Flavanoids 325mg
Garlic Extract 200mg
Evening Primrose (or Omega 3) 1000 mg
Breakfast shake with banana (described above - 4 pts)
Coffee (may use stevia and fat free milk: 0 pts)
12 oz water (1 pt)
On higher calorie days, add 2 eggs and 1 slice multi grain toast with almond
butter. (3pt)
Citrus fruit or 6 oz natural unsweetened orange juice (1 pt)
Lunch
Alpha Lipoic Acid 100-300 mg
Green Tea Flavanoids 325mg
Garlic Extract 200mg
12 oz water (before meal) 1 point
2 cups salad with mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, red cabbage, yellow
bell peppers, parsley, olives, (4 pts for veggies), kidney beans or
chick peas, prepared bulgar wheat,quinoa, or pearl couscous,
(3 points for complex carb), feta cheese, lemon vinegarette (1 point)
On higher calorie days add
1-6 oz chicken breast or fish (1 pt)
with lemon (1)
Sliced apple with 12 almonds or walnuts (2 pt)
(Or 1 cup watermelon, also 2 pts)
Iced green tea (1 pt)
Snack
12 oz water (before meal) 1 point
Raw carrots and celery (2)
1 wedge laughing cow cheese
On higher calorie days, may add
4 walnut halves (1)
1 apple (1)
Dinner
Alpha Lipoic Acid 100-300 mg
Green Tea Flavanoids 325mg
Garlic Extract 200mg
12 oz water (1)
3-6 oz chicken breast, 3 oz lean steak or 6 oz broiled/baked fish (1 pt)
1/2 cup sauteed mushrooms (1)
1 cup grilled vegetables (2)
1/2 cup brown rice and black beans (3)
On high calorie days, add 6 or red wine (-3)
Additional cup grilled vegetables (2)
Bedtime
Alpha Lipoic Acid 100-300 mg
Garlic Extract 200mg
Policosanal 20-25 mg
12 oz water (1)
Total points on low days: 26
Total points on high days: 36
We can incorporate this immediately, except for the sugar cane extract. I am off to the Internet to find that!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Progress on the point plan
My trucker is trying the point plan and doing good. She is doing pretty darn well considering what is available on the road. However she is not getting enough points. It is not because she is eating stuff that bad either.
I think the problem is the lack of availability of fruits and veggies on the road. The very thing that gives her points are the fruits, veggies and water. Fruits and veggies are hard to come by on the road. She limits her water because she doesn't want to have to stop on the road.
She is managing to find chicken breast to eat which is 1 point until it exceeds 6 ounces. Some chicken breasts are huge and could make two meals. My husband and I often share a chicken breast because they are so large. I told her to save some for later if she can. Disperse the protein.
She was using artificial cream in her coffee. I would rather see her use real cream than anything artificial in spite of the fat content. So she is using half and half. I haven't gotten her buy-in on fat free milk yet. I have noticed though that most convenience stores carry whole or low fat milk, but rarely fat free.
I looked at some yogurt she was eating. The yogurt had 28 carbs from the sugar, it high frutose corn syrup. artificial flavor and at least a dozen ingredients I could not pronounce. This is a very popular yogurt and is usually the one they sell in convenience stores or truck stops. Another example of the marketing of food that is no better than a toxic waste dump in the body. There is no nutritional value in that food at all and it would cause her blood sugar to spike. It goes straight to belly fat. It is a shame that an otherwise good food can be rendered so unhealthy. We see commercials all the time that say, eat yogurt because it is good for the body. Well there is yogurt, which is milk and fruit, then there is the yogurt like this one that bears little resemblance to anything natural. Canned peaches with cottage cheese would be better than this stuff.
She asked about cheerios. Well cheerios are oats. I have none in my cupboard, but it is probably one of the healthier of the cereals that are readily available. She wanted to eat it as a snack. I told her to add nuts which would make it a complex carb instead of a simple carb. A simple carb turns quickly into sugar.
As for me, it is the weekend. I intend to roast some lovely vegetables, put on some greens, have a nice salad.... maybe I will bake some fish. I will easily have 15 points just from dinner. Glad I am not on the road.
I think the problem is the lack of availability of fruits and veggies on the road. The very thing that gives her points are the fruits, veggies and water. Fruits and veggies are hard to come by on the road. She limits her water because she doesn't want to have to stop on the road.
She is managing to find chicken breast to eat which is 1 point until it exceeds 6 ounces. Some chicken breasts are huge and could make two meals. My husband and I often share a chicken breast because they are so large. I told her to save some for later if she can. Disperse the protein.
She was using artificial cream in her coffee. I would rather see her use real cream than anything artificial in spite of the fat content. So she is using half and half. I haven't gotten her buy-in on fat free milk yet. I have noticed though that most convenience stores carry whole or low fat milk, but rarely fat free.
I looked at some yogurt she was eating. The yogurt had 28 carbs from the sugar, it high frutose corn syrup. artificial flavor and at least a dozen ingredients I could not pronounce. This is a very popular yogurt and is usually the one they sell in convenience stores or truck stops. Another example of the marketing of food that is no better than a toxic waste dump in the body. There is no nutritional value in that food at all and it would cause her blood sugar to spike. It goes straight to belly fat. It is a shame that an otherwise good food can be rendered so unhealthy. We see commercials all the time that say, eat yogurt because it is good for the body. Well there is yogurt, which is milk and fruit, then there is the yogurt like this one that bears little resemblance to anything natural. Canned peaches with cottage cheese would be better than this stuff.
She asked about cheerios. Well cheerios are oats. I have none in my cupboard, but it is probably one of the healthier of the cereals that are readily available. She wanted to eat it as a snack. I told her to add nuts which would make it a complex carb instead of a simple carb. A simple carb turns quickly into sugar.
As for me, it is the weekend. I intend to roast some lovely vegetables, put on some greens, have a nice salad.... maybe I will bake some fish. I will easily have 15 points just from dinner. Glad I am not on the road.
Friday, October 7, 2011
The 25 point plan
It is day five of my 25 point plan. My trucker guinea pig is trying to do this on the road and it has to be the ultimate test. If you have ever been to a truck stop, it is kind of like an over priced convenience store with the addition of hamburgers, hot dogs, deli sandwiches and the like. If they have a restaurant, it is usually a buffet with a lot of "home style" cooking where everything is fried or covered with gravy.
I have asked her to avoid bread, sugar, fried foods, sodas and bagged snacks (like chips and candy) like the plague. All of those are negative points. The more offensive, the more negative the points. Every vegetable or fruit is one point each. Lean meats are one point, not to exceed 6 oz. Dairy products are all pretty much negative but I will give 1 pt for skim milk, 1 oz of cheese or a laughing cow cheese. Nuts are 1 point. Water is 1 point for every 8 ounces.
Basically the whole thing about the point system is to strive for 25 points a day. If you do 20 one day and 30 the next, that works. It literally forces you to do veggies, fruits and water to get your points.
You can get points for lean meats, fish and chicken - or for something like rice and beans. Everything sugar, artificial, fried, preserved, cured (like bacon) or otherwise full of fat pulls you the other way.
Since this is a totally new approach, I am having to make decisions of the points on some things as we go.
A real challenge for my trucker is to eliminate the bread as bread is the main ingredient in every sandwich, hamburger, burrito, etc. She can't eliminate it completely the way we did on our detox, but she can cut back as much as possible. She got a grilled chicken sandwich and threw away the bun. I was proud of her.
Her other challenge is to have fresh produce. She has a tiny mini fridge, about big enough for 8 cans of soda. Also, 18 wheelers are not welcome to park anywhere other than a truck stop - so it is difficult for her to even go to a regular market. So she lets her husband drop her off to shop and he drives around until she is done. So she buys produce that does not have to be refrigerated, and washes them in a plastic tub and eats them when she can. She is eating an apple three times a day as instructed. The pectin in the apple will offset the fat in the trucker food somewhat and she gets a point for each.
Really Walmart... and you other big stores. Can't truckers park long enough to shop in your stores?
I have asked her to avoid bread, sugar, fried foods, sodas and bagged snacks (like chips and candy) like the plague. All of those are negative points. The more offensive, the more negative the points. Every vegetable or fruit is one point each. Lean meats are one point, not to exceed 6 oz. Dairy products are all pretty much negative but I will give 1 pt for skim milk, 1 oz of cheese or a laughing cow cheese. Nuts are 1 point. Water is 1 point for every 8 ounces.
Basically the whole thing about the point system is to strive for 25 points a day. If you do 20 one day and 30 the next, that works. It literally forces you to do veggies, fruits and water to get your points.
You can get points for lean meats, fish and chicken - or for something like rice and beans. Everything sugar, artificial, fried, preserved, cured (like bacon) or otherwise full of fat pulls you the other way.
Since this is a totally new approach, I am having to make decisions of the points on some things as we go.
A real challenge for my trucker is to eliminate the bread as bread is the main ingredient in every sandwich, hamburger, burrito, etc. She can't eliminate it completely the way we did on our detox, but she can cut back as much as possible. She got a grilled chicken sandwich and threw away the bun. I was proud of her.
Her other challenge is to have fresh produce. She has a tiny mini fridge, about big enough for 8 cans of soda. Also, 18 wheelers are not welcome to park anywhere other than a truck stop - so it is difficult for her to even go to a regular market. So she lets her husband drop her off to shop and he drives around until she is done. So she buys produce that does not have to be refrigerated, and washes them in a plastic tub and eats them when she can. She is eating an apple three times a day as instructed. The pectin in the apple will offset the fat in the trucker food somewhat and she gets a point for each.
Really Walmart... and you other big stores. Can't truckers park long enough to shop in your stores?
Saturday, September 24, 2011
New plan
Harry and I recently went to Florida for a nice vacation. During that time we were on a c-seafood diet. We ate all of the seafood we could see. Old joke, but people do it every day. We went to the grocery store the first day there and bought some fruit, cheese, nuts, water and healthy snacks. We had a fridge in the room and we kept it full the whole time. The hotel served breakfast everyday. We went out to eat every day during the heat of the day. We enjoyed the beach in the late afternoon and ate our goodies in the hotel in the evening as we watched the ocean from our balcony.
We were there to rest and take in the beauty of the ocean.
At the end of it all, we both gained about 8 pounds. We know we cannot eat with wild abandon like that but it was vacation after all! Now that we are back, we are HUNGRY all the time. Eating like we did proved my point that additives are applied to restaurant and take out food to add to the flavor. We probably ate a LOT of MSG. I think it is addictive.
It proved my final point, that the more you eat out, the more you want to eat.
In spite of it all, we are still taking our brewers yeast-lecithin-protein shake every day as well as our Juice-Plus supplements. We still feel pretty darn good from a diet we were only on for 6 weeks.
We have been crazy busy since that 6 weeks. While we have not completely dropped our new lifestyle of eating healthy, we have challenged it more than we would like. As I said before, healthy eating takes planning and preparation! The first thing that upsets your routine completely unravels the diet. We have so little time at home during the week that we have to spend time on the weekend getting prepared. If we don't, then we go through the whole week trying to eat as good as we can from what is available.
I have to admit, if I cannot follow the plan then it is not a good plan. Everyone else is as busy as we are. I have my grandsons over twice a week and they totally disrupt our routine. So what about the people who have their children all the time? My plan has to work for them too. This has been something I have been thinking about for awhile. How to make it all work!
We have so many things stacked against us. You cannot even buy a sandwich in America without it being made with white flour. Even if it is called wheat, it is just dyed white flour. Exceptions like bread made with sprouted wheat germ and stone ground wheat would certainly be an exception but not available at a sandwich shop. So basically, take out is a negative strike on the diet with very little exception. Any convenience food is a negative strike. Restaurant food may be a rise above, but the food is loaded with extra fat and additives. It is a sure bet that any thing fried was fried in the cheapest oil the restaurant can buy. Even olive oil turns carcinegenic at the normal frying temp of 350, so you know the fried food is not a good thing. That was something we thought about quite a bit in Florida as we munched our fried fish and chips. (Yes, I can hear you!)
Again, I say in spite of our transgressions, we are STILL a lot healthier because of the 6 weeks that we were totally dedicated to the plan. So, even if we cannot do it ALL the time, it is important to strive to do it as much as possible.
I have a challenger. My first guinea pig who approached me with a challenge is going to start on my new plan. Harry and I will start it on 10/3 and I may tweak it here and there, but I think it will work. Guinea, so I don't use her real name, basically lives on the road. She has to be the ultimate challenge because she certainly does not have a kitchen in the truck. She is at the mercy of convenience foods and restaurants. The idea of the plan is to give yourself a fighting chance and then "do it right" as much as you can.
Rule 1 - Have a health shake in the morning. Mix one serving each of Brewer's Yeast, Lecithin granules and protein powder with almond milk, stevia, cinnamon, and a banana. The protein powder should be one without a lot of additives or sugar. A protein shake is 3 points.
Rule 2 - With every meal, eat the protein first. If that is not possible, then take a carb blocker like white bean extract. Try to take it at least 15 minutes before the meal. A carb blocker is 1 point.
Rule 3 - With every meal, END it with a piece of fresh fruit or vegetable. Eating the "bad stuff" raised your pleasure center. So you associate your pleasure to the meal. If the last thing you taste is a bite of crisp apple, then that apple will be connected to your sense of pleasure as well. Furthermore, an apple has pectin which will offset the fat from the meal. My guinea pig is going to eat a small apple after every meal because it will be the easiest to get. Every fruit or vegetable is 1 point.
Rule 4 - I am not ruling out meat, chicken or poultry. However limit the portions to 3 to 6 oz and select from the leanest cuts available. It is best to choose from broiled, poached, grilled or baked and go light on the sauces that accompany them. A 3 to 6 oz portion as described is 1 point. More than 6 oz is -3.
Fried ANYTHING is -5. Count 1 eggs as one serving of lean protein. 1 point.
Rule 5 - Limit cheese to 1 oz a serving. I am still not advocating dairy, but use skim milk and the lower fat varieties. Use butter rather than margarine. Check out almond milk as a terrific alternative. I don't really want to give plus points for this, but I will say -3 for every serving over 3 oz a day total, -2 for margarine. -3 for any high fat serving of dairy.
Rule 6 - Ok, you really have to stick with this one. Limit sugar! Try even to omit it! Looks at the sugar in your dairy products, it is very high which is probably the reason that dairy is not a good choice. -5 for any serving of sugar. Give Stevia a try!
Rule 7 - When you eat simple carbs like pasta and bread, try to turn it into a complex carb by eating beans or nuts with it. Remember to eat it last and protein first. Simple carbs are -3 points per serving. Complex are 1 point per serving.
Rule 8 - Incorporate as many fruits and vegetables as you can. Try every day to eat every color of the rainbow. The color is indicative of the kind of nutrients you are eating. Shouldn't be all green. Each fruit or vegetable is one point.
Rule 9 - Drink water. Every 8 oz is 1 point!
So what is this point system? You want to hit 25 points a day or average 175 a week.
So what does this look like?
Health shake 3
8 8oz glasses of water 8
Breakfast:
2 eggs (poached or boiled) 1
1 slice wheat toast with butter -3
(if this was almond butter,
it would be complex and then
count as 1 point.
1 fresh orange 1
Lunch
Grilled chicken breast 4 oz 1
Green salad with tomato, cucumber,
bell pepper, red cabbage,
radishes and celery 7
Vinegarette dressing with lemon 1
(I will always give 1 point
for vinegar, lemon or lime).
1 apple 1
Iced tea with no sugar 0
Dinner
6 oz grilled salmon fillet 1
Lemon on the side for the fish 1
Steamed brocolli & cauliflower 2
Rice pilaf with almonds, 4
cannelli beans, spinach, 1oz
grated cheese.
1 slice french bread with garlic -3
1 wedge of honeydew melon 1
Total 26 points
I will add more examples as we gear up on this. I am sure there will be questions on the way. I am not including high fat snacks, cokes, etc because I simply don't use them but I am sure guinea will. Probably -5 a pop, but we will see.
We were there to rest and take in the beauty of the ocean.
At the end of it all, we both gained about 8 pounds. We know we cannot eat with wild abandon like that but it was vacation after all! Now that we are back, we are HUNGRY all the time. Eating like we did proved my point that additives are applied to restaurant and take out food to add to the flavor. We probably ate a LOT of MSG. I think it is addictive.
It proved my final point, that the more you eat out, the more you want to eat.
In spite of it all, we are still taking our brewers yeast-lecithin-protein shake every day as well as our Juice-Plus supplements. We still feel pretty darn good from a diet we were only on for 6 weeks.
We have been crazy busy since that 6 weeks. While we have not completely dropped our new lifestyle of eating healthy, we have challenged it more than we would like. As I said before, healthy eating takes planning and preparation! The first thing that upsets your routine completely unravels the diet. We have so little time at home during the week that we have to spend time on the weekend getting prepared. If we don't, then we go through the whole week trying to eat as good as we can from what is available.
I have to admit, if I cannot follow the plan then it is not a good plan. Everyone else is as busy as we are. I have my grandsons over twice a week and they totally disrupt our routine. So what about the people who have their children all the time? My plan has to work for them too. This has been something I have been thinking about for awhile. How to make it all work!
We have so many things stacked against us. You cannot even buy a sandwich in America without it being made with white flour. Even if it is called wheat, it is just dyed white flour. Exceptions like bread made with sprouted wheat germ and stone ground wheat would certainly be an exception but not available at a sandwich shop. So basically, take out is a negative strike on the diet with very little exception. Any convenience food is a negative strike. Restaurant food may be a rise above, but the food is loaded with extra fat and additives. It is a sure bet that any thing fried was fried in the cheapest oil the restaurant can buy. Even olive oil turns carcinegenic at the normal frying temp of 350, so you know the fried food is not a good thing. That was something we thought about quite a bit in Florida as we munched our fried fish and chips. (Yes, I can hear you!)
Again, I say in spite of our transgressions, we are STILL a lot healthier because of the 6 weeks that we were totally dedicated to the plan. So, even if we cannot do it ALL the time, it is important to strive to do it as much as possible.
I have a challenger. My first guinea pig who approached me with a challenge is going to start on my new plan. Harry and I will start it on 10/3 and I may tweak it here and there, but I think it will work. Guinea, so I don't use her real name, basically lives on the road. She has to be the ultimate challenge because she certainly does not have a kitchen in the truck. She is at the mercy of convenience foods and restaurants. The idea of the plan is to give yourself a fighting chance and then "do it right" as much as you can.
Rule 1 - Have a health shake in the morning. Mix one serving each of Brewer's Yeast, Lecithin granules and protein powder with almond milk, stevia, cinnamon, and a banana. The protein powder should be one without a lot of additives or sugar. A protein shake is 3 points.
Rule 2 - With every meal, eat the protein first. If that is not possible, then take a carb blocker like white bean extract. Try to take it at least 15 minutes before the meal. A carb blocker is 1 point.
Rule 3 - With every meal, END it with a piece of fresh fruit or vegetable. Eating the "bad stuff" raised your pleasure center. So you associate your pleasure to the meal. If the last thing you taste is a bite of crisp apple, then that apple will be connected to your sense of pleasure as well. Furthermore, an apple has pectin which will offset the fat from the meal. My guinea pig is going to eat a small apple after every meal because it will be the easiest to get. Every fruit or vegetable is 1 point.
Rule 4 - I am not ruling out meat, chicken or poultry. However limit the portions to 3 to 6 oz and select from the leanest cuts available. It is best to choose from broiled, poached, grilled or baked and go light on the sauces that accompany them. A 3 to 6 oz portion as described is 1 point. More than 6 oz is -3.
Fried ANYTHING is -5. Count 1 eggs as one serving of lean protein. 1 point.
Rule 5 - Limit cheese to 1 oz a serving. I am still not advocating dairy, but use skim milk and the lower fat varieties. Use butter rather than margarine. Check out almond milk as a terrific alternative. I don't really want to give plus points for this, but I will say -3 for every serving over 3 oz a day total, -2 for margarine. -3 for any high fat serving of dairy.
Rule 6 - Ok, you really have to stick with this one. Limit sugar! Try even to omit it! Looks at the sugar in your dairy products, it is very high which is probably the reason that dairy is not a good choice. -5 for any serving of sugar. Give Stevia a try!
Rule 7 - When you eat simple carbs like pasta and bread, try to turn it into a complex carb by eating beans or nuts with it. Remember to eat it last and protein first. Simple carbs are -3 points per serving. Complex are 1 point per serving.
Rule 8 - Incorporate as many fruits and vegetables as you can. Try every day to eat every color of the rainbow. The color is indicative of the kind of nutrients you are eating. Shouldn't be all green. Each fruit or vegetable is one point.
Rule 9 - Drink water. Every 8 oz is 1 point!
So what is this point system? You want to hit 25 points a day or average 175 a week.
So what does this look like?
Health shake 3
8 8oz glasses of water 8
Breakfast:
2 eggs (poached or boiled) 1
1 slice wheat toast with butter -3
(if this was almond butter,
it would be complex and then
count as 1 point.
1 fresh orange 1
Lunch
Grilled chicken breast 4 oz 1
Green salad with tomato, cucumber,
bell pepper, red cabbage,
radishes and celery 7
Vinegarette dressing with lemon 1
(I will always give 1 point
for vinegar, lemon or lime).
1 apple 1
Iced tea with no sugar 0
Dinner
6 oz grilled salmon fillet 1
Lemon on the side for the fish 1
Steamed brocolli & cauliflower 2
Rice pilaf with almonds, 4
cannelli beans, spinach, 1oz
grated cheese.
1 slice french bread with garlic -3
1 wedge of honeydew melon 1
Total 26 points
I will add more examples as we gear up on this. I am sure there will be questions on the way. I am not including high fat snacks, cokes, etc because I simply don't use them but I am sure guinea will. Probably -5 a pop, but we will see.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
What added hormones can do
I was thinking the other day about the added hormones that are used to fatten the animals we eat. We all know that estrogen is added to the beef and chicken but is that all? I was thinking about that. If estrogen is the only hormone added to make an animal fat before it's time, then every woman in the world would be obese. While that might be true in America where 80% of the population is obese, we are not the only country that eats meat. (Maybe we ARE the only country that eats meat tainted with hormones).
Anyway, I was thinking about other hormones like that secreted from the pituitary gland. That hormone dictates growth of our bodies (among other things). So what if they are using that too?
Every cell in the body has a spot for each hormone the body needs. Estrogen is one and the pituitary hormone would have to be another. There are things we eat or ingest that mimic the hormone. The thyroid, another hormone that dictates growth, can be replaced easily by synthetic estrogen, soy or hormones in the amimal protein we eat. As a result, our body does not actually get the thyroid hormone, but this other imposter. What it does to our bodies is hard to tell.
This is not theory (except for my idea about the pituitary gland). I think it is no coincidence that 1 in 5 people have thyroid disease by the time they hit 40 in this country. I think there is a definite link between obesity and the hormones in the animal protein we eat. Couple that with the useless over abundance of white flour products, sugar, corn and corn syrup products and we are a fat nation that is quite literally starving to death.
How can a fat person be starving? The nutritional value in our food is sorely lacking. Taking vitamins is really not an answer because we should get a complex of vitamins in our food. When you see lettuce with rust stains or celery with huge cracks, you are looking at food that is lacking in the nutrients that otherwise make it healthy.
I read a chapter out of Adelle Davis's book, Let's Eat To Keep Fit. It was published in the late 60's. She talked about how food grown in healthy soil is disease resistant as well as pest resistant. Basically what she is saying is that if the industries paid more attention to putting compost back into the soil to enrich the quality, they could cut back on pesticides and produce crops that enrich our bodies. Instead, we have our food grown in poor soil, bathed in insecticides that get into the soil and basically become part of everything we eat. Insecticides are KNOWN carginegens.
So in addition to adding hormones to our food which affects us in ways we can't comprehend, our produce is basically carcinegenic. What's left are over processed foods that are full of preservatives and chemically engineered to have a shelf life for several months or even years.
Nothing I am writing about is news to anyone. It is not something you can't find on the internet. I think people just do not think about it much. We have become complacent about our food. You can eat better in this country if you have the money to do so, but organically grown or hormone free food costs quite a bit more. Short of growing your own, it is tough to know for sure what you are getting.
The lobby system in this country is broken. Basically the giant industries own our government and dictate our country. We have congressmen and senators that are paid millions by these industries (regardless what they say and that it is illegal). The government has not been interested in the health and welfare of the American people for decades. The only way for the people to have a voice is to unite and have their own group that can lobby along with the big boys. The only other way is to uniformly boycott products and force them to change to meet demand.
I should start such a group called Pursuit of a New America. Members should unite in causes that benefit our food and our health in this ocuntry. I would love to hear from anyone who thinks this is a good idea.
Anyway, I was thinking about other hormones like that secreted from the pituitary gland. That hormone dictates growth of our bodies (among other things). So what if they are using that too?
Every cell in the body has a spot for each hormone the body needs. Estrogen is one and the pituitary hormone would have to be another. There are things we eat or ingest that mimic the hormone. The thyroid, another hormone that dictates growth, can be replaced easily by synthetic estrogen, soy or hormones in the amimal protein we eat. As a result, our body does not actually get the thyroid hormone, but this other imposter. What it does to our bodies is hard to tell.
This is not theory (except for my idea about the pituitary gland). I think it is no coincidence that 1 in 5 people have thyroid disease by the time they hit 40 in this country. I think there is a definite link between obesity and the hormones in the animal protein we eat. Couple that with the useless over abundance of white flour products, sugar, corn and corn syrup products and we are a fat nation that is quite literally starving to death.
How can a fat person be starving? The nutritional value in our food is sorely lacking. Taking vitamins is really not an answer because we should get a complex of vitamins in our food. When you see lettuce with rust stains or celery with huge cracks, you are looking at food that is lacking in the nutrients that otherwise make it healthy.
I read a chapter out of Adelle Davis's book, Let's Eat To Keep Fit. It was published in the late 60's. She talked about how food grown in healthy soil is disease resistant as well as pest resistant. Basically what she is saying is that if the industries paid more attention to putting compost back into the soil to enrich the quality, they could cut back on pesticides and produce crops that enrich our bodies. Instead, we have our food grown in poor soil, bathed in insecticides that get into the soil and basically become part of everything we eat. Insecticides are KNOWN carginegens.
So in addition to adding hormones to our food which affects us in ways we can't comprehend, our produce is basically carcinegenic. What's left are over processed foods that are full of preservatives and chemically engineered to have a shelf life for several months or even years.
Nothing I am writing about is news to anyone. It is not something you can't find on the internet. I think people just do not think about it much. We have become complacent about our food. You can eat better in this country if you have the money to do so, but organically grown or hormone free food costs quite a bit more. Short of growing your own, it is tough to know for sure what you are getting.
The lobby system in this country is broken. Basically the giant industries own our government and dictate our country. We have congressmen and senators that are paid millions by these industries (regardless what they say and that it is illegal). The government has not been interested in the health and welfare of the American people for decades. The only way for the people to have a voice is to unite and have their own group that can lobby along with the big boys. The only other way is to uniformly boycott products and force them to change to meet demand.
I should start such a group called Pursuit of a New America. Members should unite in causes that benefit our food and our health in this ocuntry. I would love to hear from anyone who thinks this is a good idea.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
So quick to fall back
We have too many things going on to get back on track. Last night at least I threw some vegetables in a Tagine and we had a healthy dinner. I started taking my Juice-Plus supplements this morning. I am very excited about them because they are made from the entire fruits and vegetables and they are not just a vitamin. Check out my web page at http://www.pursuitofanewme.com on the products tab.
Anyway, trying to do even a few things right when there is no time is better than just giving in and eating what ever is available. Yesterday I had a lot of pain again like the pain I was in 24-7 before the detox. It literally feels like me upper body is badly bruised and tender. It hurt to even laugh. I had almost forgotten about this pain until it was back again with a vengence. After the detox diet, it was completely GONE!
So what may have spurred this on? I mean besides the fact that are kitchen is out of commission and every meal has been take out of some sort for the last several weeks? Well the first meal I made when my kitchen was somewhat in order was a nice salad with pickled Italian vegetables. Then I made lasagna! I used the fresh tomatoes that I had canned, fresh oregano, thyme and basil from the garden, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms and onions. I aslo had some lean ground turkey and some turkey pepperoni slices. Then I threw caution to the wind and added 7 kinds of Italian cheese and used regular lasagna pasta. I made some fresh garlic infused olive oil and toasted a loaf of Italian bread. So what did it? What threw me back into this pain cycle?
The meal had a lot of wheat product. White flour to be exact. Something we had not eaten in months. It also had a lot of cheese. And finally, I just have not been drinking as much water. We had a few white bread products in the last week but this was a lot in one sitting. I have no doubt the white flour was the culprit.
I am still in pain today but not like I was yesterday. The difference? Several plates of vegetables, fresh fruits, beans, and absolutely NO white flour. It is distressing that white flour is in just about everything. It is impossible to get any kind of prepared food that does not have white flour. Hamburgers, subs, pasta, even salads have those bread croutons on them. If the family can't cook at home, they will fail on nearly any diet they try.
Not telling you anything you don't know? I don't want to take anything away from The Biggest Loser, or spokes-persons for diet centers. Anyone in the lime light who has lost weight has my respect because it is difficult. However, they have one thing we don't. A consistent environment with the proper foods and support.
It makes all the difference in the world if I have time to throw together some salads, make my flax crackers, prepare some grains and then have things in the fridge we can just pull out and nosh on. I will be glad when I get my kitchen back. It might be another week.
Anyway, trying to do even a few things right when there is no time is better than just giving in and eating what ever is available. Yesterday I had a lot of pain again like the pain I was in 24-7 before the detox. It literally feels like me upper body is badly bruised and tender. It hurt to even laugh. I had almost forgotten about this pain until it was back again with a vengence. After the detox diet, it was completely GONE!
So what may have spurred this on? I mean besides the fact that are kitchen is out of commission and every meal has been take out of some sort for the last several weeks? Well the first meal I made when my kitchen was somewhat in order was a nice salad with pickled Italian vegetables. Then I made lasagna! I used the fresh tomatoes that I had canned, fresh oregano, thyme and basil from the garden, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms and onions. I aslo had some lean ground turkey and some turkey pepperoni slices. Then I threw caution to the wind and added 7 kinds of Italian cheese and used regular lasagna pasta. I made some fresh garlic infused olive oil and toasted a loaf of Italian bread. So what did it? What threw me back into this pain cycle?
The meal had a lot of wheat product. White flour to be exact. Something we had not eaten in months. It also had a lot of cheese. And finally, I just have not been drinking as much water. We had a few white bread products in the last week but this was a lot in one sitting. I have no doubt the white flour was the culprit.
I am still in pain today but not like I was yesterday. The difference? Several plates of vegetables, fresh fruits, beans, and absolutely NO white flour. It is distressing that white flour is in just about everything. It is impossible to get any kind of prepared food that does not have white flour. Hamburgers, subs, pasta, even salads have those bread croutons on them. If the family can't cook at home, they will fail on nearly any diet they try.
Not telling you anything you don't know? I don't want to take anything away from The Biggest Loser, or spokes-persons for diet centers. Anyone in the lime light who has lost weight has my respect because it is difficult. However, they have one thing we don't. A consistent environment with the proper foods and support.
It makes all the difference in the world if I have time to throw together some salads, make my flax crackers, prepare some grains and then have things in the fridge we can just pull out and nosh on. I will be glad when I get my kitchen back. It might be another week.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
What to eat when you cannot prep
When we were on the detox diet, I spent several hours every Sunday preparing food for the next week. I made sure I had fresh fruit washed and readily available. I made salad ingredients like my kidney beans with umeboshi plum, marinated artichokes, pickled asparagus, spicy orange beets. I cooked up some kind of grain like barley or quinoa, then started some sprouts to go with the salads. I also made my flax "crackers" that we never seemed to get tired of. I prepared our vitamin ritual for a few days at a time - then we were ready for the work week.
For breakfast, we had a blender concoction of 1 banana, 1 cup of almond milk, 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon, 3 spoonfuls of Brewer's Yeast, one spoon of lecithin granules, two scoops of rice protein powder, 2 tbsp stevia and 12 ounces of ice. I would blend until very smooth and add dark chocolate once in awhile to mix it up.
Lunch was some sort of a salad with at least 6 vegetables. I made sure to include some sort of whole grain and some type of bean, nuts or seed combinations. Did you know Quinoa is a complete protein by itself? I always finished the salad with olives or avocado. Dressing was always a vinegarette with lemon juice as a base. I changed up the spice depending on the type of salad.
I would include a snack of fruit or vegetable as well as my flax crackers. Dinner was interesting to do meatless but I found that bulgar wheat and/or mushrooms makes a great substitute taste wise. Harry enjoyed my bulgar wheat and portobello tacos the best but he was a big fan of the cream soups too.
We also enjoyed the fermented drinks like Kombacha. They were fizzy and refreshing but with a slight vinegar taste.
With this "diet", we did not have any problem following it and were even more exciting when our body's responded so well. My intent was to add a little dairy back in (because there are too many wonderful cheeses out there to never eat them again). I like my greek yogurt with fresh fruit as well. I wanted to be able to eat out on occasion and enjoy meat, chicken or fish without guilt.
This last few weeks we have had so much going on that we could not prep any food at all. In the middle of a kitchen re-do, I had to can 10 pounds of tomatos before they went bad and it was all I could do to fit it in.
So what is my point? Of COURSE you know having a special diet is difficult. It is much more than the will-power to do it, it is the preparation involved. If food is not readily available and you reach that point that you would eat nearly anything, then it has gone too far. There is no way you are going to go home and steam some vegetables for dinner when you are starving. Especially if you have to prep the veggies first.
Even on my diet, with prep, there were many times we did not eat until 9PM. Those diets that say don't eat after 5 or 6 PM are impossible for us. We do not get off work until 5 and we are often not home until 6:30 or 7. My Tagine works wonders but it is at least 30 minutes before I have it on the stove. The vegetables can take awhile to steam. Guess I could try stir-fry.
Without prep, it is nearly impossible to eat at a decent time.
Dr Oz did a show where he ate take out for every meal. He went to McDonalds, Subway and another place that I am not familiar with and basically had them make him a healthy meal. He showed that with the right choices, a person could literally eat fast food at every meal and keep the calories and fat low.
It CAN be done.
Well for two weeks now, we have had take out for just about every meal. We have skipped breakfast altogether. I did manage to make some flax crackers for one of those weeks. I discovered that Mexican restaurants do have grilled items including salmon. Chinese restaurants can make steamed vegetables with just a smidge of white wine sauce. Most Thai, Indian and Mediterranean food can be eaten without guilt. Wendy's, McDonald's and Subway has salads. Most deli's have a salad bar but it is a trick to find one with a lot of vegetables and not so much pasta or mayonaise based salads. Margarita pizza is a lower calorie choice for Italian.
It amazes me that when we were on the Perricone diet, our Cholesterol went back up past where it was before and we both gained back half of our weight loss. The Perricone prescribed animal protein at every meal. The portions were about twice or three times what we were used to. So now I cringe after eating all of this take-out but surprisingly - I actually lost back down a few pounds. Stunned.
This weekend, we should be able to get back on track but I will keep in mind looking for healthy alternatives for when I am not prepared.
For breakfast, we had a blender concoction of 1 banana, 1 cup of almond milk, 1/2 tbsp of cinnamon, 3 spoonfuls of Brewer's Yeast, one spoon of lecithin granules, two scoops of rice protein powder, 2 tbsp stevia and 12 ounces of ice. I would blend until very smooth and add dark chocolate once in awhile to mix it up.
Lunch was some sort of a salad with at least 6 vegetables. I made sure to include some sort of whole grain and some type of bean, nuts or seed combinations. Did you know Quinoa is a complete protein by itself? I always finished the salad with olives or avocado. Dressing was always a vinegarette with lemon juice as a base. I changed up the spice depending on the type of salad.
I would include a snack of fruit or vegetable as well as my flax crackers. Dinner was interesting to do meatless but I found that bulgar wheat and/or mushrooms makes a great substitute taste wise. Harry enjoyed my bulgar wheat and portobello tacos the best but he was a big fan of the cream soups too.
We also enjoyed the fermented drinks like Kombacha. They were fizzy and refreshing but with a slight vinegar taste.
With this "diet", we did not have any problem following it and were even more exciting when our body's responded so well. My intent was to add a little dairy back in (because there are too many wonderful cheeses out there to never eat them again). I like my greek yogurt with fresh fruit as well. I wanted to be able to eat out on occasion and enjoy meat, chicken or fish without guilt.
This last few weeks we have had so much going on that we could not prep any food at all. In the middle of a kitchen re-do, I had to can 10 pounds of tomatos before they went bad and it was all I could do to fit it in.
So what is my point? Of COURSE you know having a special diet is difficult. It is much more than the will-power to do it, it is the preparation involved. If food is not readily available and you reach that point that you would eat nearly anything, then it has gone too far. There is no way you are going to go home and steam some vegetables for dinner when you are starving. Especially if you have to prep the veggies first.
Even on my diet, with prep, there were many times we did not eat until 9PM. Those diets that say don't eat after 5 or 6 PM are impossible for us. We do not get off work until 5 and we are often not home until 6:30 or 7. My Tagine works wonders but it is at least 30 minutes before I have it on the stove. The vegetables can take awhile to steam. Guess I could try stir-fry.
Without prep, it is nearly impossible to eat at a decent time.
Dr Oz did a show where he ate take out for every meal. He went to McDonalds, Subway and another place that I am not familiar with and basically had them make him a healthy meal. He showed that with the right choices, a person could literally eat fast food at every meal and keep the calories and fat low.
It CAN be done.
Well for two weeks now, we have had take out for just about every meal. We have skipped breakfast altogether. I did manage to make some flax crackers for one of those weeks. I discovered that Mexican restaurants do have grilled items including salmon. Chinese restaurants can make steamed vegetables with just a smidge of white wine sauce. Most Thai, Indian and Mediterranean food can be eaten without guilt. Wendy's, McDonald's and Subway has salads. Most deli's have a salad bar but it is a trick to find one with a lot of vegetables and not so much pasta or mayonaise based salads. Margarita pizza is a lower calorie choice for Italian.
It amazes me that when we were on the Perricone diet, our Cholesterol went back up past where it was before and we both gained back half of our weight loss. The Perricone prescribed animal protein at every meal. The portions were about twice or three times what we were used to. So now I cringe after eating all of this take-out but surprisingly - I actually lost back down a few pounds. Stunned.
This weekend, we should be able to get back on track but I will keep in mind looking for healthy alternatives for when I am not prepared.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Can you afford $3500 a week to live?
I have some friends that are in their late seventies. They get around quite well but they are suffering from various health problems. One has been battling cancer for several years. He had a clean bill of health last year but now it is back.
He was stunned to find his insurance no longer covers chemo. Medicaid does not cover it either. He has to have chemo once a month and it costs $3500 each time. I learned there is a drug people can take now as an alternative to chemo. It runs $2500 - $3500 a month. Insurance does not cover it.
His wife had problems with her eyes. She was treated by an injection in the eye that costs $2500 each. The doctor recommended a series of 8 shots but wanted to see how well the first one worked. Luckily she has only had the one shot but she is dreading the possibility of another.
If you are like millions of American's, you don't have an extra $3500 a month laying around. If you do, then you probably have something else you would prefer to use it on. If you don't, then your alternative is to deny yourself treatment that could save your life. Read that last sentence again. In the case of my friends, they are shelling out $6000 a month out of pocket for medical expenses to stay alive, and not go blind.
We can only expect this to get worse as more and more baby boomers reach retirement age. Politicians are already talking about cutting off medicare and social security. The health plan that Obama signed into law will never happen. Granted there are some things about the law we don't like but the things we did like will never take hold. The insurance companies won't have it! As much as I could go on about how our insurance companies and other big companies own the American legislation, that is not my point.
It feels like a conspiracy that our food industry continues to churn out products that are unhealthy for us to eat. We fight an onslaught of chemicals, pesticides and pollutants every single day that weaken our immunity system. We cannot even eat healthy without paying a much higher price for organic or natural foods that are free of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and food additives that are known carcinegens. Eating the food that is readily available makes us fat and unhealthy. However we can prolong our "health" by taking prescription drugs to combat the various diseases we get from our food and environment.
More often than not, our doctors prescribe the drugs but make no suggestions about lifestyle changes that may change improve your condition.
On the detox plan I proved I could drop my cholesterol tremendously by diet alone. I also proved that eating animal protien can push the cholesterol back up as fast as it came down.
I can't think of a better wake up call than to look into the future and see that if I don't take care of my health now, I may not have choices later on. I think retirement is going to be a challenge for most of us. Many people now have to make a choice between medicine and food. People are starting to find they will have no choice but to die a slow and painful death because they cannot pay for the medicine to keep them alive.
This last few weeks, we have had so much going on that we have all but reverted back to unhealthly eating habits. It takes time and planning to prepare healthy food. The alternative is for take out, dining out or fast food which are rarely healthy. We have seen the strides we made on our detox diet slowly go away. We are STILL much better off than we were before that detox diet, but we can see and feel the difference. I would like to note that we felt fantastic after a few short weeks on the detox plan. We have been off of it for nearly three months now and still are enjoying the benefits of that diet. This tells me that we can stay healthy even if we eat better food just part of the time.
It is my mission to find a diet that can be part of my lifestyle, easier to maintain and with more readily available choices for the hectic days.
He was stunned to find his insurance no longer covers chemo. Medicaid does not cover it either. He has to have chemo once a month and it costs $3500 each time. I learned there is a drug people can take now as an alternative to chemo. It runs $2500 - $3500 a month. Insurance does not cover it.
His wife had problems with her eyes. She was treated by an injection in the eye that costs $2500 each. The doctor recommended a series of 8 shots but wanted to see how well the first one worked. Luckily she has only had the one shot but she is dreading the possibility of another.
If you are like millions of American's, you don't have an extra $3500 a month laying around. If you do, then you probably have something else you would prefer to use it on. If you don't, then your alternative is to deny yourself treatment that could save your life. Read that last sentence again. In the case of my friends, they are shelling out $6000 a month out of pocket for medical expenses to stay alive, and not go blind.
We can only expect this to get worse as more and more baby boomers reach retirement age. Politicians are already talking about cutting off medicare and social security. The health plan that Obama signed into law will never happen. Granted there are some things about the law we don't like but the things we did like will never take hold. The insurance companies won't have it! As much as I could go on about how our insurance companies and other big companies own the American legislation, that is not my point.
It feels like a conspiracy that our food industry continues to churn out products that are unhealthy for us to eat. We fight an onslaught of chemicals, pesticides and pollutants every single day that weaken our immunity system. We cannot even eat healthy without paying a much higher price for organic or natural foods that are free of pesticides, antibiotics, hormones and food additives that are known carcinegens. Eating the food that is readily available makes us fat and unhealthy. However we can prolong our "health" by taking prescription drugs to combat the various diseases we get from our food and environment.
More often than not, our doctors prescribe the drugs but make no suggestions about lifestyle changes that may change improve your condition.
On the detox plan I proved I could drop my cholesterol tremendously by diet alone. I also proved that eating animal protien can push the cholesterol back up as fast as it came down.
I can't think of a better wake up call than to look into the future and see that if I don't take care of my health now, I may not have choices later on. I think retirement is going to be a challenge for most of us. Many people now have to make a choice between medicine and food. People are starting to find they will have no choice but to die a slow and painful death because they cannot pay for the medicine to keep them alive.
This last few weeks, we have had so much going on that we have all but reverted back to unhealthly eating habits. It takes time and planning to prepare healthy food. The alternative is for take out, dining out or fast food which are rarely healthy. We have seen the strides we made on our detox diet slowly go away. We are STILL much better off than we were before that detox diet, but we can see and feel the difference. I would like to note that we felt fantastic after a few short weeks on the detox plan. We have been off of it for nearly three months now and still are enjoying the benefits of that diet. This tells me that we can stay healthy even if we eat better food just part of the time.
It is my mission to find a diet that can be part of my lifestyle, easier to maintain and with more readily available choices for the hectic days.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Health assessment after Perricone
I can't beleive I have not written since May 28th. Sorry about that. We had our health assessments done the first week of June. This is after having one week off of the Detox diet then 3 weeks of the Perricone diet. Now during that week off, we somewhat continued the detox diet with some animal protein mixed in. We also had a few meals of splurges as we had planned over Memorial Day weekend. The Perricone diet was different than our usual life style diet in that we had animal protein 3 to 4 times a day.
Back to the health assessments. We were shocked to find our Cholesterol jumped up to where it was before we started. For the first time, Harry's cholesterol was up over 200! We thought about it and realized that before the Perricone diet, we had several meatless meals a week and seldom ate animal protein more than once a day.
I have to mention also that we were used to eating 2 to 4 ounces of protein in a meal and Perricone doubled that. Not to mention the liberal does of olive oil.
So this week we are starting back on the detox plan again less the juicing. Tonight Harry is grilling some baby Bok Choy with some onions and mushrooms. I may cook some bulgar wheat to go with it.
Will keep you posted.
Back to the health assessments. We were shocked to find our Cholesterol jumped up to where it was before we started. For the first time, Harry's cholesterol was up over 200! We thought about it and realized that before the Perricone diet, we had several meatless meals a week and seldom ate animal protein more than once a day.
I have to mention also that we were used to eating 2 to 4 ounces of protein in a meal and Perricone doubled that. Not to mention the liberal does of olive oil.
So this week we are starting back on the detox plan again less the juicing. Tonight Harry is grilling some baby Bok Choy with some onions and mushrooms. I may cook some bulgar wheat to go with it.
Will keep you posted.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Dr Perricone diet, summation
Tomorrow is the last day of our Perricone diet. We have taken a truck load of supplements, eaten more seafood than we have in years and basically just maintained where we are. The diet should have been easier than the detox diet but it was actually more difficult. I think it was TOO close to our normal diet for one thing. We never felt like we were actually on a diet. It was difficult to follow from another sense. We are not used to eating a big breakfast. We simply do not have the time. We stuck with out power shake for breakfast on the weekdays then Dr Perricone's suggestions for the weekends. The meals prescribed were actually more food than what we are used to eating. The combinations were a little strange as well. Having Salmon and yogurt together for a meal as an example. I ended up making a curry flavored yogurt and using it as a sauce for the salmon. It turned out well but I had to think outside of the box. Finally, there was nothing convenient about the diet. Every meal required advance planning. Several times we ended up buying a roasted chicken and salad to make a quick meal. We did not have fruit at every meal and snack as suggested. The diet was all about having a protein, good fat, a low sugar vegetable and then a fruit five times a day.
All of that being said, I saw another 14 day diet in a Clean Living magazine. It actually had the entire 14 days complete with the entire menu, broken down by calories, fat, carbs, etc., as well as a complete shopping list. I scanned the menu's and quickly realized it was more of the same. A very strict combination of ingredients regardless of how well they went together. I don't know when I would ever want to put a kiwi, maple syrup, oatmeal, cottage cheese and pistacio's together in one meal except in an episode of chopped. Snacks need to be something you can grab and go... not something you have to prepare. Now I figured I could have toasted the oatmeal and pistacios together and make a parfait from the ingredients, but that is beside the point.
Another issue we had was when to take the supplements. It was suggested to take the supplements with meals. We have breakfast around 7:30 every morning and lunch at noon. We don't eat dinner until about 8 PM. So we have one or two snacks in the afternoon. Taking a round of supplements with the afternoon snack didn't seem like it would help much. Often we skipped at least one round of the supplements.
At the end of this diet, we did not feel better like we had with the detox diet. Our health dramatically improved with the detox diet. With Dr Perricone's diet, our blood pressure continued to impreve but we were reverting back to some of our previous health issues. Harry's tinitus returned. We both started having congestion and sinus issues the last week of the diet. Finally, my daily headaches returned. We contribute this to the dairy that we introduced back into our diets. I saw an ad that made me laugh. It is known that dairy is not consumed in Japan and Japan has the lowest rate of cancers. The ad was of a japanese woman holding a huge piece of cheese. The caption was, full fat cheese may prevent diabetes! Well the dairy association has to come up with something! While I can say, I don't miss milk that much, I do like my cheese. Dr Perricone allows cheese on his diet, but sparingly. I should be in a CAA group. Cheese-aholics anonymous. I can't just eat a few crumbs of cheese.
I can't say if Dr Perricone's diet would have worked or not because there were too many things we were not able to follow as he mapped it out. Our diet has to fit our schedule and our schedule is built around our jobs like everyone else! While I am looking for a diet to lose weight with, I ultimately want that same diet to maintain my weight when I reach my goal. Kind of like Weight Watcher's. With Weight Watcher's, you continually reduce the number of food points you can consume as your weight goes down. Weight Watcher's was very successful for me and I lost 55 pounds in 4 months on that diet. However I finally reached a target of 20 points a day and it was difficult to maintain, much less continue dropping weight. 20 points is not much food.
This next week, we plan to take our supplements but maybe twice a day instead of three. We will "coast" for the week as we have several parties to attend and Memorial weekend to enjoy. Starting June 5, we will revert back to a slightly modified detox diet. We don't plan to do the juice fast again, but we may incorporate juicing for a snack or something. I also plan to take white bean extract before every meal or snack. White bean extract does not allow carbohydrates to convert to sugar. Basically it is a natural carb blocker.
I will keep you posted!
All of that being said, I saw another 14 day diet in a Clean Living magazine. It actually had the entire 14 days complete with the entire menu, broken down by calories, fat, carbs, etc., as well as a complete shopping list. I scanned the menu's and quickly realized it was more of the same. A very strict combination of ingredients regardless of how well they went together. I don't know when I would ever want to put a kiwi, maple syrup, oatmeal, cottage cheese and pistacio's together in one meal except in an episode of chopped. Snacks need to be something you can grab and go... not something you have to prepare. Now I figured I could have toasted the oatmeal and pistacios together and make a parfait from the ingredients, but that is beside the point.
Another issue we had was when to take the supplements. It was suggested to take the supplements with meals. We have breakfast around 7:30 every morning and lunch at noon. We don't eat dinner until about 8 PM. So we have one or two snacks in the afternoon. Taking a round of supplements with the afternoon snack didn't seem like it would help much. Often we skipped at least one round of the supplements.
At the end of this diet, we did not feel better like we had with the detox diet. Our health dramatically improved with the detox diet. With Dr Perricone's diet, our blood pressure continued to impreve but we were reverting back to some of our previous health issues. Harry's tinitus returned. We both started having congestion and sinus issues the last week of the diet. Finally, my daily headaches returned. We contribute this to the dairy that we introduced back into our diets. I saw an ad that made me laugh. It is known that dairy is not consumed in Japan and Japan has the lowest rate of cancers. The ad was of a japanese woman holding a huge piece of cheese. The caption was, full fat cheese may prevent diabetes! Well the dairy association has to come up with something! While I can say, I don't miss milk that much, I do like my cheese. Dr Perricone allows cheese on his diet, but sparingly. I should be in a CAA group. Cheese-aholics anonymous. I can't just eat a few crumbs of cheese.
I can't say if Dr Perricone's diet would have worked or not because there were too many things we were not able to follow as he mapped it out. Our diet has to fit our schedule and our schedule is built around our jobs like everyone else! While I am looking for a diet to lose weight with, I ultimately want that same diet to maintain my weight when I reach my goal. Kind of like Weight Watcher's. With Weight Watcher's, you continually reduce the number of food points you can consume as your weight goes down. Weight Watcher's was very successful for me and I lost 55 pounds in 4 months on that diet. However I finally reached a target of 20 points a day and it was difficult to maintain, much less continue dropping weight. 20 points is not much food.
This next week, we plan to take our supplements but maybe twice a day instead of three. We will "coast" for the week as we have several parties to attend and Memorial weekend to enjoy. Starting June 5, we will revert back to a slightly modified detox diet. We don't plan to do the juice fast again, but we may incorporate juicing for a snack or something. I also plan to take white bean extract before every meal or snack. White bean extract does not allow carbohydrates to convert to sugar. Basically it is a natural carb blocker.
I will keep you posted!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Safe cosmetics
I just ran across this website and want to share it.
www.safecosmeics.org is a website all about what is in your cosmetics, bath products, etc.
I learned that my lipstick has lead which was very frightening. Any amount of lead is dangerous. Many of the other products I use every day are carcingenic and the companies that sell them KNOW this. The FDA won't do anything either.
Check out the site and join the fight. It is bad enough the food we eat is riddled with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, arsenic, toxins and chemicals. And food is "regulated" by the FDA!.
I guess it should not be surprising that since cosmetics and personal products have NO regulation that it would be a free for all!
www.safecosmeics.org is a website all about what is in your cosmetics, bath products, etc.
I learned that my lipstick has lead which was very frightening. Any amount of lead is dangerous. Many of the other products I use every day are carcingenic and the companies that sell them KNOW this. The FDA won't do anything either.
Check out the site and join the fight. It is bad enough the food we eat is riddled with hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, arsenic, toxins and chemicals. And food is "regulated" by the FDA!.
I guess it should not be surprising that since cosmetics and personal products have NO regulation that it would be a free for all!
My daughter won the contest
Chris was in a contest to lose weight over an 8 week period. She won last night with a loss of 13.8 percent of her body weight. Weigh to go! (Pun intended).
This last week she lost 7 pounds. She worked really hard at it. Rode the bike 85 miles (not 100 like I said earlier), but 85 miles??????? Wow. I might make it around the block if it was all down hill.
Her goal is to get back the body she had at 29! That's been my goal since I hit 40. I am still working at it. Now I am working on 45. I might stand a better chance of hitting that.
On the flip side, I have some older friends I would like to comment on. Elaine celebrated her 75th birthday last summer, and her husband Julian is coming up on 80 this July. They get around pretty well. Elaine even has a jewelry business and has shows all year long. I worry about them though because they are not healthy. They see the doctors a lot. Julian is fighting cancer right now and having a hard time with the chemo. Now this same man had a pork chop last week that Fred Flintstone would have shared with his family. I mentioned the detox diet - less the juicing, as I really think this could reverse the cancer. At the very least, it would not hurt! Their response was to have us over for hamburgers. I am sure they enjoyed them but they eat beef and pork frequently. Even one day a week vegetarian might make a difference.
I met up with my husband's ex brother in law this weekend. He believed he got arthritis from taking Lipitor and then cancer from taking the drugs prescribed for the arthritis. I have no doubt he was right. He was clear of cancer, and surprisingly the arthritis seemed to be gone. However, he is still a heavy man! So is his wife. They clearly need to change their diet but can't imagine eating vegetarian even for a little while.
My other in-laws asked about the weight loss diet we were on. I told them about some tacos I made with bulgar wheat, mushroom and onion. That was enough. They don't like mushrooms. So much for the diet!
My hat is off to my daughter because she is doing something for her health without any more motivation than wanting to look good and be healthy. Well, the $500 didn't hurt either, but she was working hard long before the contest. Sometimes people have to wait until they loose their health and their looks. Sometimes they never get the wake up call at all.
I can't judge anyone for their decisions because I had a hard time myself. When I finally felt so bad I was willing to make a change, I was physically too ill to make it. However I fought back with the detox as a start to get me past the illness enough that I could then start on a diet to get healthier and lose weight.
Harry asked me today how much our diet impacted our allergies. My Doctor gave me a chart once and there was only two weeks out of the year there was not an allergen I was allergic to. Literally year round I had various degrees of a cough, red eyes and flu like symptoms. We went to the farm this weekend when allergens come out and attack you like baseball bats in full swing. Not a sniffle. Obviously our immune system has strengthened so much that our allergies are not a problem.
Neither is the acid reflux, diverticulitis or high cholesterol, but that is beside the point.
I can't believe that a vegetarian diet for the short time we were on it made such an impact. Keep in mind, we were vegetarian for 3 weeks, juice fast for one week, then we gradually added back animal protein over a two week period. After that we had a month of eating vegetarian and occasionally going out to dinner for what ever we had a yen for. This detox was a powerful diet!
Our current diet, the Dr Perricone diet has been compromised somewhat but we have held off any weight gain. We will have to see what happens this week now that we are following it better.
I guess I am a little puzzled why people would rather be sick than eat right. What motivates people to change. If we could bottle that motivation, we would all be healthy!
This last week she lost 7 pounds. She worked really hard at it. Rode the bike 85 miles (not 100 like I said earlier), but 85 miles??????? Wow. I might make it around the block if it was all down hill.
Her goal is to get back the body she had at 29! That's been my goal since I hit 40. I am still working at it. Now I am working on 45. I might stand a better chance of hitting that.
On the flip side, I have some older friends I would like to comment on. Elaine celebrated her 75th birthday last summer, and her husband Julian is coming up on 80 this July. They get around pretty well. Elaine even has a jewelry business and has shows all year long. I worry about them though because they are not healthy. They see the doctors a lot. Julian is fighting cancer right now and having a hard time with the chemo. Now this same man had a pork chop last week that Fred Flintstone would have shared with his family. I mentioned the detox diet - less the juicing, as I really think this could reverse the cancer. At the very least, it would not hurt! Their response was to have us over for hamburgers. I am sure they enjoyed them but they eat beef and pork frequently. Even one day a week vegetarian might make a difference.
I met up with my husband's ex brother in law this weekend. He believed he got arthritis from taking Lipitor and then cancer from taking the drugs prescribed for the arthritis. I have no doubt he was right. He was clear of cancer, and surprisingly the arthritis seemed to be gone. However, he is still a heavy man! So is his wife. They clearly need to change their diet but can't imagine eating vegetarian even for a little while.
My other in-laws asked about the weight loss diet we were on. I told them about some tacos I made with bulgar wheat, mushroom and onion. That was enough. They don't like mushrooms. So much for the diet!
My hat is off to my daughter because she is doing something for her health without any more motivation than wanting to look good and be healthy. Well, the $500 didn't hurt either, but she was working hard long before the contest. Sometimes people have to wait until they loose their health and their looks. Sometimes they never get the wake up call at all.
I can't judge anyone for their decisions because I had a hard time myself. When I finally felt so bad I was willing to make a change, I was physically too ill to make it. However I fought back with the detox as a start to get me past the illness enough that I could then start on a diet to get healthier and lose weight.
Harry asked me today how much our diet impacted our allergies. My Doctor gave me a chart once and there was only two weeks out of the year there was not an allergen I was allergic to. Literally year round I had various degrees of a cough, red eyes and flu like symptoms. We went to the farm this weekend when allergens come out and attack you like baseball bats in full swing. Not a sniffle. Obviously our immune system has strengthened so much that our allergies are not a problem.
Neither is the acid reflux, diverticulitis or high cholesterol, but that is beside the point.
I can't believe that a vegetarian diet for the short time we were on it made such an impact. Keep in mind, we were vegetarian for 3 weeks, juice fast for one week, then we gradually added back animal protein over a two week period. After that we had a month of eating vegetarian and occasionally going out to dinner for what ever we had a yen for. This detox was a powerful diet!
Our current diet, the Dr Perricone diet has been compromised somewhat but we have held off any weight gain. We will have to see what happens this week now that we are following it better.
I guess I am a little puzzled why people would rather be sick than eat right. What motivates people to change. If we could bottle that motivation, we would all be healthy!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
What is a detox plan
Some people at work have been asking me about my detox plan. One person asked what drug I was trying to get out of my system. Another showed pity on me because "I could not eat the processed food they loved". My daughter is in a contest for weight loss and has done some extreme things to get her weight down. She tried the salt water flush and then drinking nothing but lemon juice with cayenne pepper and maple syrup for a few days. She gave up after three days because she was feeling really bad and "looked gray". She is also riding her bike about 100 miles a week and working out at the gym every day. I think she is going to win! I am worried about her and very glad her contest ends soon. I am also very proud of her because I know how hard this is for her.
Detox plans seem to be the rage. However it seems there are many plans out there all labeled as detox and some are outright dangerous. There are many supplements and weight loss formulas that simply don't work and have the potential to impair one's health. When the buzz goes down, they are simply repacked with a new name and ad campaign. A different "popular today" ingredient is slapped on the label and everyone plops down the money for another failure. Rarely does anyone google the supplement or look for fraud or complaints about them. I do this for every single thing I take.
Don Colbert's detox plan is a modified version of his life style diet plan. He adds supplements that support the liver function and then finishes off the plan with a 7 day juice fast. We are not talking Minute Maid or Cranberry juice cocktail here. The juice fast requires a whole produce basket of fruits and vegetables blended with phyto-nutrients to give you plenty of energy at the lowest caloric intake. Once the detox is over, you can add a few foods back into the diet and be on his life style plan full time. It was not intended to be a weight loss diet but the 10% drop in weight and 40 point drop in cholesterol were an undeniable bonus. We also accomplished our ultimate goal and that was to get toxins out of our bodies that were making us sick. I don't cough all the time anymore and I don't get sick every time my grandsons come over. That was my #1 goal and the plan worked for us!
On this detox plan, I did not take laxatives, diuretics, 64 oz of salt water or any of those fads. I did incorporate a detox tea, but only a cup a day. We did not limit our caloric intake. However when eating all vegetables, you can certainly have a lot more volume. I did not realize until after this diet that we were eating barley grains most days that were 500 calories for a 1/2 cup serving. We were eating avocados, nuts and olives most days and they are relatively high in calories and "the good fats". We lost weight in spite of the calories.
We actually ate more than we have in years. The meals were interesting and flavorful and we feel better than we have in a long time. I think we could easily sustain this eating plan and embark on an occasional side step and be healthy.
The detox plan got us healthy. Now Dr Perricone's weight loss diet should help us with the weight. Again, Dr Perricone's diet is also a modified version of his life style plan. The negative side of this is the truck load of supplements we have to take, but the majority of them are only necessary for the weight loss. My daughter started taking the supplements this last week. She lowered her carbs a bit more on her already sugar free diet. She lost 7 pounds this week. Harry and I have not been so successful but we cannot blame the diet. For about 7 meals this week, we ate out. Not take-out, but as close to possible what the diet would allow. We got interesting looks when we asked for the entry (protien) first and salad last, but we stuck with it. Restaurant food always has additives of oils, fats, butter, flavor enhancers, sugar, salt, white flour, etc that we do not have on our diet. At home we can ensure we are using the right oils, Himalayan salt, no sugar, msg, chemical laden ingredients, etc. In spite of the restaurant food, Harry lost three pounds. I was down two pounds durng the week but ended where I started. Next week will be better. According to the diet, we are only eating about 1/2 the servings of fish and chicken that we are allowed. I never thought I would have to eat MORE to make a diet work.
Im summation, whatever plan you select, whether it is plan to get heathier, lose weight, or even fight a disease, the thing to ask yourself is if the transition to a lifestyle plan would be easy and minimal. Anything radical would not be the way to go.
Detox plans seem to be the rage. However it seems there are many plans out there all labeled as detox and some are outright dangerous. There are many supplements and weight loss formulas that simply don't work and have the potential to impair one's health. When the buzz goes down, they are simply repacked with a new name and ad campaign. A different "popular today" ingredient is slapped on the label and everyone plops down the money for another failure. Rarely does anyone google the supplement or look for fraud or complaints about them. I do this for every single thing I take.
Don Colbert's detox plan is a modified version of his life style diet plan. He adds supplements that support the liver function and then finishes off the plan with a 7 day juice fast. We are not talking Minute Maid or Cranberry juice cocktail here. The juice fast requires a whole produce basket of fruits and vegetables blended with phyto-nutrients to give you plenty of energy at the lowest caloric intake. Once the detox is over, you can add a few foods back into the diet and be on his life style plan full time. It was not intended to be a weight loss diet but the 10% drop in weight and 40 point drop in cholesterol were an undeniable bonus. We also accomplished our ultimate goal and that was to get toxins out of our bodies that were making us sick. I don't cough all the time anymore and I don't get sick every time my grandsons come over. That was my #1 goal and the plan worked for us!
On this detox plan, I did not take laxatives, diuretics, 64 oz of salt water or any of those fads. I did incorporate a detox tea, but only a cup a day. We did not limit our caloric intake. However when eating all vegetables, you can certainly have a lot more volume. I did not realize until after this diet that we were eating barley grains most days that were 500 calories for a 1/2 cup serving. We were eating avocados, nuts and olives most days and they are relatively high in calories and "the good fats". We lost weight in spite of the calories.
We actually ate more than we have in years. The meals were interesting and flavorful and we feel better than we have in a long time. I think we could easily sustain this eating plan and embark on an occasional side step and be healthy.
The detox plan got us healthy. Now Dr Perricone's weight loss diet should help us with the weight. Again, Dr Perricone's diet is also a modified version of his life style plan. The negative side of this is the truck load of supplements we have to take, but the majority of them are only necessary for the weight loss. My daughter started taking the supplements this last week. She lowered her carbs a bit more on her already sugar free diet. She lost 7 pounds this week. Harry and I have not been so successful but we cannot blame the diet. For about 7 meals this week, we ate out. Not take-out, but as close to possible what the diet would allow. We got interesting looks when we asked for the entry (protien) first and salad last, but we stuck with it. Restaurant food always has additives of oils, fats, butter, flavor enhancers, sugar, salt, white flour, etc that we do not have on our diet. At home we can ensure we are using the right oils, Himalayan salt, no sugar, msg, chemical laden ingredients, etc. In spite of the restaurant food, Harry lost three pounds. I was down two pounds durng the week but ended where I started. Next week will be better. According to the diet, we are only eating about 1/2 the servings of fish and chicken that we are allowed. I never thought I would have to eat MORE to make a diet work.
Im summation, whatever plan you select, whether it is plan to get heathier, lose weight, or even fight a disease, the thing to ask yourself is if the transition to a lifestyle plan would be easy and minimal. Anything radical would not be the way to go.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
New six week plan starting Monday 5/9/11
I mentioned Dr Perricone as my inspiration for trying a new weight loss diet.
Now my pursuit is for a diet we can live with that will make us healthy and be incorporated into our new life style. Before we can have a maintenance diet, we need to get where we want to be to maintain.
The detox diet helped us rid our body of a lot of junk in our system that should help our bodies be more receptive to a proper diet. It was very successful for the short period we were on it. We felt much better, our bronchial issues went away. Our blood pressure went down. Our cholesterol dropped 40 points. We both lost 10% of our body weight. The best part is that we both really enjoyed being on it, up until the week of juicing. The juicing part was rewarding in a lot of ways but not sustainable. It was not intended to be. We were hungry most of the time and the sheer amount of fruits and vegetables for the juice was cost prohibitive to continue for long. Also I think we reaped most of the before that week of juicing.
This Perricone weight loss diet was something we thought we would do for a month. His diet book recommends 2 weeks. Since Harry and I need to lose quite a bit more, Two weeks of any program is not going to get us there. Also because our detox diet was so successful, I want to incorporate it somehow into our plans.
The similarities between the diets are this. Total elimination of processed foods, fast foods, sugar, artificial flavors and condiments with names we don't recognize as a food. Both diets promote fresh vegetables and fruits, good fats such as olive oil, avocados and nuts, and healthy whole grains.
Dr Perricone's diet says to get the majority of protein from seafood, fowl and eggs. Low fat cheese can be consumed in moderation. He also allows turkey bacon, which I disagree with because of the nitrates. Yogurt and Kifer can be consumed on a daily basis. Since the protein is coming from animal products, beans and grains are treated as simple carbohydrates and to be limited. He allows agave syrup, stevia and something called Zsweet as the only added sweeteners. His key is to consume 20 grams of protein for each meal, consume the protein first and any fruit last. He prescribes 5 meals a day, lots of water, lots of spices. He then goes on to recommend specific foods and spices such as wild salmon, watercress, blueberries, cinnamon and turmeric to be staples in the diet. He also prescribes 12 supplements which add considerable cost to the diet. More about that later.
The detox diet totally eliminates animal protein of all kinds. Instead Dr Colbert prescribes a combination of beans or whole grains with seeds or nuts to supply the protein at each meal. He is less precise about how much to eat at each sitting, or how many meals to eat. He is more interested in the quality of the food and the cooking techniques used to prepare it. For example, if I start cooking animal protein, I will be careful to use grapeseed or macadamia oil for the preparation and use olive oil for salad dressing. Most oil breaks down and becomes carcinogenic at the temperatures required to prepare food properly. While on the detox diet, we added a high protein shake in the morning. It was a 20 mg rice protein drink with 60 calories, no carbs and no sugar. We also added Brewer's yeast and lecithin to provide the B vitamins that we would not be able to achieve with an all vegetarian diet. The supplements he prescribed were more for the detox affect as they were important for liver support. The NAC he prescribed is not something I think one would continually take, but it would be prudent to take maybe one week a month or after an illness.
We decided we alternate Dr Perricone's and Dr Colbert's plans a seven week period and take the supplements prescribed by Dr Perricone for the entire time. We will start with Dr Perricone for three weeks, have a one week break, and then finish with Dr Colbert's plan. The week break will be right during the Memorial day weekend. W have plans that week that I don't want to have restricted with a specific diet.
Dr Perricone's supplements are all about fat burning, metabolism, and basically reducing the body's ability to protect the fat. I really can't see anything is his plan that would allow one diet plan to work over the other with these supplements.
Dr Perricone's weight loss diet is also an anti-aging diet that helps the brain and skin. Again, I think the Omega 3 and DMAE he prescribes could be used with both diets.
In a nutshell and this is a big shell, this is the breakdown of the supplements.
Omega 3 from fish oil or Evening Primrose oil 1000mg - 3000mg 3x daily
Anti-inflammatory, accelerate loss of body fat
Stabilizes blood sugar, lowers insulin levels, improves skin.
May assist with memory, reduce eczema and relieves rheumatoid arthritis.
Alpha Lipoic Acid 150 mg 3x daily
Universal antioxidant. Insulin sensitizing. Converts carbs to energy.
Blocks Nfkb which causes cancer. Boosts Glutathione levels.
Must be taken with Acetyl L-Carnatine to be effective.
Anataxathin (From eggplant skin or microalgae) 2 mg 3x daily
Improves vision, may prevent cataracts, protects cell membrane,
protects muscle, increases endurance, reduces wrinkles and age spots.
L-Carnatine 250 mg 2x daily, not in evening
Converts fat to energy, prevents muscle loss, protects liver function.
Acetyl L-Carnatine 500 - 1000 mg 2x daily, not in evening
Prevents neurological decline, improves cholesterol, reduces triglycerides.
Necessary for Alpha Lipoic acid to be effective.
Conjugated Linoleic acid - CLA 1000 mg 3x daily (up to 4000 mg)
Decreases visceral (mid-section) fat, blocks absorption of fat and sugar
into cells, reduces size of fat cells. (Hallelujah!)
More effective when taken with sesame seeds.
CoQ10 or Coenzyme Q10 100 mg 3x daily
In general, heart heath. Regulates blood sugar and insulin sensitivity.
Chromium 200 mcg 1x daily
Unlocks fat cells, normalizes cholesterol and triglycerides.
Cardio protective. Should not be taken with grains, nuts, seeds, milk.
I imagine this should be taken upon rising with all of the morning
supplements taken 30 minutes later, or an hour before a meal.
Gamma Linoleic acid (GLA) 200 - 400 3x daily to 1000mg.
This is an Omega-6 fatty acid that regulates blood pressure.
Creates a powerful anti-inflammatory hormone.
Glutamine This is a powder. 1 serving 3x daily with meals. Make fresh.
Prevents muscle breakdown. Helps weight loss without losing muscle mass.
Assists with the metabolic process and delivers essential nitrogen to cells.
Prevents damage from alcohol and reduces cravings.
Maitake SX Fraction Grifron brand recommended, 3x daily, 30 minutes after meals.
Natural weight loss supplement. Controls blood sugar, regulates blood
pressure. Increase insulin sensitivity.
DMAE 50 - 100 mg daily
Optimum brain and beauty health. May take 200 mg daily to lower cholesterol.
Like I said, these are a lot of supplements. They are easy to get. As for the Omega-3, Dr Perricone recommends 3000mg to 9000 mg daily while in the weight loss diet. Otherwise 3000 mg is sufficient. Since Omega-3 is also present in seafood, I would reduce the supplement to compensate for what is consumed.
Foods to eat: Wild or sockeye Salmon, Sablefish (if you can find it), sardines, anchovies, clams, cod, flounder, lobster, halibut, tuna, other oily fish, chicken, turkey, Cornish hens, raw foods and sprouts, green or white tea, dark chocolate in moderation, fiber 20-30 grams daily, spices, nuts and seeds.
All vegetables but potatoes, corn and beans in moderation. Whole fruits are preferred to juice. Kefir, eggs, yogurt (no sugar), oatmeal, lentils, barley, buckwheat, Acai, POM juice and tea. LOTS of water.
Every meal has protein, low glycemic carbs, 1 tbsp essential fatty acids, protein eaten first and fruits last.
This should be FUN!
Now my pursuit is for a diet we can live with that will make us healthy and be incorporated into our new life style. Before we can have a maintenance diet, we need to get where we want to be to maintain.
The detox diet helped us rid our body of a lot of junk in our system that should help our bodies be more receptive to a proper diet. It was very successful for the short period we were on it. We felt much better, our bronchial issues went away. Our blood pressure went down. Our cholesterol dropped 40 points. We both lost 10% of our body weight. The best part is that we both really enjoyed being on it, up until the week of juicing. The juicing part was rewarding in a lot of ways but not sustainable. It was not intended to be. We were hungry most of the time and the sheer amount of fruits and vegetables for the juice was cost prohibitive to continue for long. Also I think we reaped most of the before that week of juicing.
This Perricone weight loss diet was something we thought we would do for a month. His diet book recommends 2 weeks. Since Harry and I need to lose quite a bit more, Two weeks of any program is not going to get us there. Also because our detox diet was so successful, I want to incorporate it somehow into our plans.
The similarities between the diets are this. Total elimination of processed foods, fast foods, sugar, artificial flavors and condiments with names we don't recognize as a food. Both diets promote fresh vegetables and fruits, good fats such as olive oil, avocados and nuts, and healthy whole grains.
Dr Perricone's diet says to get the majority of protein from seafood, fowl and eggs. Low fat cheese can be consumed in moderation. He also allows turkey bacon, which I disagree with because of the nitrates. Yogurt and Kifer can be consumed on a daily basis. Since the protein is coming from animal products, beans and grains are treated as simple carbohydrates and to be limited. He allows agave syrup, stevia and something called Zsweet as the only added sweeteners. His key is to consume 20 grams of protein for each meal, consume the protein first and any fruit last. He prescribes 5 meals a day, lots of water, lots of spices. He then goes on to recommend specific foods and spices such as wild salmon, watercress, blueberries, cinnamon and turmeric to be staples in the diet. He also prescribes 12 supplements which add considerable cost to the diet. More about that later.
The detox diet totally eliminates animal protein of all kinds. Instead Dr Colbert prescribes a combination of beans or whole grains with seeds or nuts to supply the protein at each meal. He is less precise about how much to eat at each sitting, or how many meals to eat. He is more interested in the quality of the food and the cooking techniques used to prepare it. For example, if I start cooking animal protein, I will be careful to use grapeseed or macadamia oil for the preparation and use olive oil for salad dressing. Most oil breaks down and becomes carcinogenic at the temperatures required to prepare food properly. While on the detox diet, we added a high protein shake in the morning. It was a 20 mg rice protein drink with 60 calories, no carbs and no sugar. We also added Brewer's yeast and lecithin to provide the B vitamins that we would not be able to achieve with an all vegetarian diet. The supplements he prescribed were more for the detox affect as they were important for liver support. The NAC he prescribed is not something I think one would continually take, but it would be prudent to take maybe one week a month or after an illness.
We decided we alternate Dr Perricone's and Dr Colbert's plans a seven week period and take the supplements prescribed by Dr Perricone for the entire time. We will start with Dr Perricone for three weeks, have a one week break, and then finish with Dr Colbert's plan. The week break will be right during the Memorial day weekend. W have plans that week that I don't want to have restricted with a specific diet.
Dr Perricone's supplements are all about fat burning, metabolism, and basically reducing the body's ability to protect the fat. I really can't see anything is his plan that would allow one diet plan to work over the other with these supplements.
Dr Perricone's weight loss diet is also an anti-aging diet that helps the brain and skin. Again, I think the Omega 3 and DMAE he prescribes could be used with both diets.
In a nutshell and this is a big shell, this is the breakdown of the supplements.
Omega 3 from fish oil or Evening Primrose oil 1000mg - 3000mg 3x daily
Anti-inflammatory, accelerate loss of body fat
Stabilizes blood sugar, lowers insulin levels, improves skin.
May assist with memory, reduce eczema and relieves rheumatoid arthritis.
Alpha Lipoic Acid 150 mg 3x daily
Universal antioxidant. Insulin sensitizing. Converts carbs to energy.
Blocks Nfkb which causes cancer. Boosts Glutathione levels.
Must be taken with Acetyl L-Carnatine to be effective.
Anataxathin (From eggplant skin or microalgae) 2 mg 3x daily
Improves vision, may prevent cataracts, protects cell membrane,
protects muscle, increases endurance, reduces wrinkles and age spots.
L-Carnatine 250 mg 2x daily, not in evening
Converts fat to energy, prevents muscle loss, protects liver function.
Acetyl L-Carnatine 500 - 1000 mg 2x daily, not in evening
Prevents neurological decline, improves cholesterol, reduces triglycerides.
Necessary for Alpha Lipoic acid to be effective.
Conjugated Linoleic acid - CLA 1000 mg 3x daily (up to 4000 mg)
Decreases visceral (mid-section) fat, blocks absorption of fat and sugar
into cells, reduces size of fat cells. (Hallelujah!)
More effective when taken with sesame seeds.
CoQ10 or Coenzyme Q10 100 mg 3x daily
In general, heart heath. Regulates blood sugar and insulin sensitivity.
Chromium 200 mcg 1x daily
Unlocks fat cells, normalizes cholesterol and triglycerides.
Cardio protective. Should not be taken with grains, nuts, seeds, milk.
I imagine this should be taken upon rising with all of the morning
supplements taken 30 minutes later, or an hour before a meal.
Gamma Linoleic acid (GLA) 200 - 400 3x daily to 1000mg.
This is an Omega-6 fatty acid that regulates blood pressure.
Creates a powerful anti-inflammatory hormone.
Glutamine This is a powder. 1 serving 3x daily with meals. Make fresh.
Prevents muscle breakdown. Helps weight loss without losing muscle mass.
Assists with the metabolic process and delivers essential nitrogen to cells.
Prevents damage from alcohol and reduces cravings.
Maitake SX Fraction Grifron brand recommended, 3x daily, 30 minutes after meals.
Natural weight loss supplement. Controls blood sugar, regulates blood
pressure. Increase insulin sensitivity.
DMAE 50 - 100 mg daily
Optimum brain and beauty health. May take 200 mg daily to lower cholesterol.
Like I said, these are a lot of supplements. They are easy to get. As for the Omega-3, Dr Perricone recommends 3000mg to 9000 mg daily while in the weight loss diet. Otherwise 3000 mg is sufficient. Since Omega-3 is also present in seafood, I would reduce the supplement to compensate for what is consumed.
Foods to eat: Wild or sockeye Salmon, Sablefish (if you can find it), sardines, anchovies, clams, cod, flounder, lobster, halibut, tuna, other oily fish, chicken, turkey, Cornish hens, raw foods and sprouts, green or white tea, dark chocolate in moderation, fiber 20-30 grams daily, spices, nuts and seeds.
All vegetables but potatoes, corn and beans in moderation. Whole fruits are preferred to juice. Kefir, eggs, yogurt (no sugar), oatmeal, lentils, barley, buckwheat, Acai, POM juice and tea. LOTS of water.
Every meal has protein, low glycemic carbs, 1 tbsp essential fatty acids, protein eaten first and fruits last.
This should be FUN!
Clindamycin set back - wow
I have not posted a blog for two weeks. After a dental visit, I was prescribed some antibiotics to assist with the unexpected root canal I had to have.
I was prescribed 300mg Clindamycin HCL and on the third day I was suffering from quite a few side effects. I scanned the internet and found this antibiotic is usually prescribed long term for acne as well as dental infections.
I really don't want to go into details about how bad this set me back. For the most part I had flu like symptoms, chills, fever, weakness and so forth along with an intense headache and abdominal issues. I managed to work half days from home for two days and then all day from home for two days. I have been in the office since then but even yesterday, 12 days after stopping this drug, I was having issues. I am amazed that a drug can have side effects like that and I can't help but wonder what it would have done to me had I not been on a detox program just prior.
This drug obviously will not affect everyone the same way but from what I read from persons who have taken it, it can cause major gastro intestinal problems. It can lead to problems as long as 3 months after taking it, and cause problems that may result in surgery, organ failure and even death.
I urge anyone who has taken any drug and suffered side effects to log into http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm and report it.
For too long the drug companies have been able to push drugs through by pressuring or simply out lobbying the FDA. New drugs are presented to our physican's who get free samples and possibly kickbacks for prescribing them. I have been guilty of taking free samples myself but I think there is a lot to be said for drugs that have been around for years as opposed to something that just hit the market.
For the last 10 days, since I didn't feel good and we have not been on a specific diet, we have relaxed our standards of what we eat. One night we even bought a hamburger from a new chain that has been opening up in Texas. We cheated on a few meals here and there but stuck with veggies and fruits in between. I am happy to say we have not regained our lost weight, but we have not lost any either.
It only convinces me more that a diet based on fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds an whole unprocessed grains is the way to go. I am a little concerned about going on a diet that stresses animal protein for weight loss but I am curious enough to give it a try. We have all the supplements we need now and will start that on Monday, but that is another topic.
I was prescribed 300mg Clindamycin HCL and on the third day I was suffering from quite a few side effects. I scanned the internet and found this antibiotic is usually prescribed long term for acne as well as dental infections.
I really don't want to go into details about how bad this set me back. For the most part I had flu like symptoms, chills, fever, weakness and so forth along with an intense headache and abdominal issues. I managed to work half days from home for two days and then all day from home for two days. I have been in the office since then but even yesterday, 12 days after stopping this drug, I was having issues. I am amazed that a drug can have side effects like that and I can't help but wonder what it would have done to me had I not been on a detox program just prior.
This drug obviously will not affect everyone the same way but from what I read from persons who have taken it, it can cause major gastro intestinal problems. It can lead to problems as long as 3 months after taking it, and cause problems that may result in surgery, organ failure and even death.
I urge anyone who has taken any drug and suffered side effects to log into http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm and report it.
For too long the drug companies have been able to push drugs through by pressuring or simply out lobbying the FDA. New drugs are presented to our physican's who get free samples and possibly kickbacks for prescribing them. I have been guilty of taking free samples myself but I think there is a lot to be said for drugs that have been around for years as opposed to something that just hit the market.
For the last 10 days, since I didn't feel good and we have not been on a specific diet, we have relaxed our standards of what we eat. One night we even bought a hamburger from a new chain that has been opening up in Texas. We cheated on a few meals here and there but stuck with veggies and fruits in between. I am happy to say we have not regained our lost weight, but we have not lost any either.
It only convinces me more that a diet based on fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds an whole unprocessed grains is the way to go. I am a little concerned about going on a diet that stresses animal protein for weight loss but I am curious enough to give it a try. We have all the supplements we need now and will start that on Monday, but that is another topic.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Calories in vs energy out, is it a myth?
After looking at Dr Perricones weight loss diet, I noticed it was very different than my detox diet. Granted the diets are for a different purpose, but I am not just looking for a program. I am looking for a lifestyle change that will allow me to be healthy. That includes being at an optimum weight, no blood pressure or cholesterol issues, and basically - HEALTHY!
The February 2011 issue of Reader's Digest had a picture on the cover of two eggs sunny side up and a piece of bacon. The food was arranged to look like a smile. At the time, I barely gave the article a glance because they were touting the very foods I was trying to avoid for the detox.
The detox diet was not meant to be permanent and a lot of good came of it. However, the addition of animal protein back into our meals stopped our weight loss cold. It let me know in just two short weeks that we would eventually gain back our loss. I noticed that my measurements just barely changed so what left my body that weighed 19 pounds? Muscle, probably!
Dr Perricone's diet is high fat and low carb. The secret is that his recommended fats are the Omega-3, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados and such. Inadvertently he recommends palm oil too as one of his recommended supplements is made from palm oil. For weight loss, he actually recommends taking in a whooping 9000 mg a day of Omega 3. THis is temporary, but it is a lot!
The Reader's Digest article was by Gary Taubes. Gary talked of the fundamental belief that people gain weight because they take in more calories than the energy they expend. He challenges that notion with his observation, people overeat because they developed a disorder in the way the fat tissue is regulated. This goes hand in had with Dr Perricone's thinking. Remember, Perricone stated that fat becomes it's own Endocrine system that sends hormones out to the body to be hungry, make and store more fat. Because the body becomes insensitive to insulin, the fat stores are safely locked away, getting fatter, while lean muscle is used for fuel if the person exercises. Gary goes on to say that if calories had anything to do with it, we would only need to eat an exta 20 calories a day to gain 20 pounds a decade. Who can count 20 calories? Basically eating less and exercising more is exactly what you would do to make yourself hungry. The metabolism actually slows down when the fat stores are "in danger".
Both Gary and Dr Perricone talk about eating foods that keep the insulin low. Hi protein, low sugar, low carb. Both talk about omitting processed foods, sugar, artificial anything mentality. To me Gary's article just supports Dr Perricone's diet plan. The big difference is that Dr Perricone sticks with the healthy fats while Gary's plan adds in the hamburgers, cheese, bacon and the like.
I still have a few more supplements to find before embarking on Dr Perricone's diet, but frankly I can't weight to get started. (Play on word intended).
The February 2011 issue of Reader's Digest had a picture on the cover of two eggs sunny side up and a piece of bacon. The food was arranged to look like a smile. At the time, I barely gave the article a glance because they were touting the very foods I was trying to avoid for the detox.
The detox diet was not meant to be permanent and a lot of good came of it. However, the addition of animal protein back into our meals stopped our weight loss cold. It let me know in just two short weeks that we would eventually gain back our loss. I noticed that my measurements just barely changed so what left my body that weighed 19 pounds? Muscle, probably!
Dr Perricone's diet is high fat and low carb. The secret is that his recommended fats are the Omega-3, olive oil, coconut oil, avocados and such. Inadvertently he recommends palm oil too as one of his recommended supplements is made from palm oil. For weight loss, he actually recommends taking in a whooping 9000 mg a day of Omega 3. THis is temporary, but it is a lot!
The Reader's Digest article was by Gary Taubes. Gary talked of the fundamental belief that people gain weight because they take in more calories than the energy they expend. He challenges that notion with his observation, people overeat because they developed a disorder in the way the fat tissue is regulated. This goes hand in had with Dr Perricone's thinking. Remember, Perricone stated that fat becomes it's own Endocrine system that sends hormones out to the body to be hungry, make and store more fat. Because the body becomes insensitive to insulin, the fat stores are safely locked away, getting fatter, while lean muscle is used for fuel if the person exercises. Gary goes on to say that if calories had anything to do with it, we would only need to eat an exta 20 calories a day to gain 20 pounds a decade. Who can count 20 calories? Basically eating less and exercising more is exactly what you would do to make yourself hungry. The metabolism actually slows down when the fat stores are "in danger".
Both Gary and Dr Perricone talk about eating foods that keep the insulin low. Hi protein, low sugar, low carb. Both talk about omitting processed foods, sugar, artificial anything mentality. To me Gary's article just supports Dr Perricone's diet plan. The big difference is that Dr Perricone sticks with the healthy fats while Gary's plan adds in the hamburgers, cheese, bacon and the like.
I still have a few more supplements to find before embarking on Dr Perricone's diet, but frankly I can't weight to get started. (Play on word intended).
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Test results
We just got our test results that were taken two weeks after the detox. Compared to the test results we had just prior to the detox, Harry and I both dropped our total Cholesterol 40 and 37 points respectively. My good Cholesterol went up 15 points and the bad went down 53. This is amazing to me because I have tried for years to control my cholesterol with diet and never could.
I am a little torn about what to do next. Harry and I are planning on doing Dr Perricone's weight loss diet in May. Harry wants to lose 25 pounds. I would be happy with a 25 pound weight loss, but at 185, I could stand to lose 40. The Dr's diet is a big shift from our detox diet. His diet is basically seafood, lean animal protein, non starchy vegetables, low sugar fruits, yogurt and kefir. He severely limits beans, nuts, seeds or grains other than the oats, flax seed and black beans. This is not a low cal diet. It is basically a high protein, low glycemic index diet. He even allows turkey bacon and eggs for breakfast. Harry and I won't eat the bacon though. It is impossible to find bacon without nitrates.
The detox plan relied on bean and grain combinations as protein. Dr Pericone's relies on animal protein with a high concentration of omega-3 rich seafood. He also touts an assortment of supplements to be taken 3 times a day. A 30 day supply of those supplements available on his website will cost $200 for each of us. He recommends an incredible 9000 IU a day of Omega-3 but supplies 3000 in his daily supplements so that would be an added cost. Now I would like to point out that we were taking various supplements on the detox diet and we were probably in the ball park of that $400 for the month. I would also like to add that doing this diet without the supplements would limit the effect.
The supplements are needed to burn fat and prevent muscle loss. Without them, this would be similar to the Atkins or South Beach diet and most of the weight loss would be water and muscle.
We expected to add animal fat back to our diet but in limited quantities. This diet will have us eating animal protein 3 to 4 times a day.
The outcome should be interesting.
I am a little torn about what to do next. Harry and I are planning on doing Dr Perricone's weight loss diet in May. Harry wants to lose 25 pounds. I would be happy with a 25 pound weight loss, but at 185, I could stand to lose 40. The Dr's diet is a big shift from our detox diet. His diet is basically seafood, lean animal protein, non starchy vegetables, low sugar fruits, yogurt and kefir. He severely limits beans, nuts, seeds or grains other than the oats, flax seed and black beans. This is not a low cal diet. It is basically a high protein, low glycemic index diet. He even allows turkey bacon and eggs for breakfast. Harry and I won't eat the bacon though. It is impossible to find bacon without nitrates.
The detox plan relied on bean and grain combinations as protein. Dr Pericone's relies on animal protein with a high concentration of omega-3 rich seafood. He also touts an assortment of supplements to be taken 3 times a day. A 30 day supply of those supplements available on his website will cost $200 for each of us. He recommends an incredible 9000 IU a day of Omega-3 but supplies 3000 in his daily supplements so that would be an added cost. Now I would like to point out that we were taking various supplements on the detox diet and we were probably in the ball park of that $400 for the month. I would also like to add that doing this diet without the supplements would limit the effect.
The supplements are needed to burn fat and prevent muscle loss. Without them, this would be similar to the Atkins or South Beach diet and most of the weight loss would be water and muscle.
We expected to add animal fat back to our diet but in limited quantities. This diet will have us eating animal protein 3 to 4 times a day.
The outcome should be interesting.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Next step, enter Dr. Perricone
Dr Perricone - Forever Young
Well it didn't take long to figure out the next leg of our quest to get healthier. I happened on a Dr Oz show that I had recorded back in February. It had Dr. Perricone on the show and I felt he was speaking directly to me. He believes that diet has everything to do with health and beauty. It is a no-brainer when you think about it, but I do not think the average American has any idea how the odds of attaining a healthful diet is against them. People have an idea that they can consume burgers, pizza, hot dogs, sodas, etc., and then eat it with a little lettuce and tomato to balance the diet.
I saw a couple in the doctor’s office recently. They were probably in their 80's. The woman looked extremely frail but has a huge belly, severe osteoporosis, and I suspected she might be fighting cancer or something. Her husband asked her what she wanted for lunch and she started rattling off fried chicken, spaghetti and sausage, chicken fried steak, then for the vegetables, mashed potatoes and mac n' cheese. Amazing. Then I overheard her tell the doctor she was trying to eat better and was adding greens to her diet every day. If this woman thought she was eating healthy and he diet had nothing to do with her condition, she was sadly mistaken.
Back to Perricone. I bought several of his books and started learning things right away. Perricone believes that inflammation is the key to bad health. This is extremely simplified, but basically many foods in the American diet cause inflammation in the tissues that cause the mitochondria (base cell structure) to die off or distort. A host of diseases including obesity, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, atherosclerosis, cancer, Chrohn's disease, myocardial infarction, allergies, psoriasis, septic shock, and arthritis - to name a few. In addition to the diet, stress and toxins can also contribute to the inflammation. When the basic cell structure becomes compromised, the body ages faster and cannot fight off disease. Most of these conditions can be reversed with proper nutrition.
One eye opener was that fat, once it becomes 20% of the body or higher, becomes an endocrine system on its own and secretes 200 hormones that basically send out signals for the body to store fat. Fat causes fat. I always felt that was going on. My fat cells just grab on to incoming fat and get stuffed directly to my stomach and thighs. I bet I have fat cells the size of oranges.
Although his research is not about dieting and weight loss, he believes that obesity must be tackled first so the body has a fighting chance to deal with the other issues at hand. After all, how can the body process correctly when all of these hormones are calling all fat to the table?
He dedicated one chapter to weight loss and has reported that persons have lost as much as 25 pounds in one month without loss of muscle. The diet mainly consists of having two "Metabolic Meal Replacements" drinks daily and a meal consisting of salmon, lentils, salad with watercress, vinegar and olive oil, and a serving of cruciferous vegetables.
His drink is made from 1/3 cup of mixed berries - OR - 1 tsp. on non-dutch-processed cocoa mixed with stevia and a little hot water blended smooth. Add to that 1 tsp. virgin coconut oil, 6 ounces of protein powder and blend in a blender. He does not mention a particular brand of protein powder or whether it should be mixed with water, juice or milk. He does mention a packet of Metabolic Formula Supplement which is available on his website.
The formula is made up of CoQ10, L-Carnitine, Omega-3, Glutamine, Niacin bound Chromium (NBC) to stabilize blood sugar, Conjugated Linoleic acid (CLA) and Curcumin gel capsule (turmeric).
It sounds like something we can easily do. Elsewhere in his book, he talks highly of watercress, stating a bowl of it should be eaten daily. He speaks highly of Turmeric. I can understand not wanting to eat it daily so the Curcumin supplement makes sense. There has been a lot of conflict around coconut oil but recent discovery shows it actually helps to reduce cholesterol in the blood.
The book I am reading is called, Forever Young by Nicholas Perricone, MD. and his web site is called http://www.perriconemd.com.
Harry and I plan to start on this diet May 1st so stay tuned.
Well it didn't take long to figure out the next leg of our quest to get healthier. I happened on a Dr Oz show that I had recorded back in February. It had Dr. Perricone on the show and I felt he was speaking directly to me. He believes that diet has everything to do with health and beauty. It is a no-brainer when you think about it, but I do not think the average American has any idea how the odds of attaining a healthful diet is against them. People have an idea that they can consume burgers, pizza, hot dogs, sodas, etc., and then eat it with a little lettuce and tomato to balance the diet.
I saw a couple in the doctor’s office recently. They were probably in their 80's. The woman looked extremely frail but has a huge belly, severe osteoporosis, and I suspected she might be fighting cancer or something. Her husband asked her what she wanted for lunch and she started rattling off fried chicken, spaghetti and sausage, chicken fried steak, then for the vegetables, mashed potatoes and mac n' cheese. Amazing. Then I overheard her tell the doctor she was trying to eat better and was adding greens to her diet every day. If this woman thought she was eating healthy and he diet had nothing to do with her condition, she was sadly mistaken.
Back to Perricone. I bought several of his books and started learning things right away. Perricone believes that inflammation is the key to bad health. This is extremely simplified, but basically many foods in the American diet cause inflammation in the tissues that cause the mitochondria (base cell structure) to die off or distort. A host of diseases including obesity, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, atherosclerosis, cancer, Chrohn's disease, myocardial infarction, allergies, psoriasis, septic shock, and arthritis - to name a few. In addition to the diet, stress and toxins can also contribute to the inflammation. When the basic cell structure becomes compromised, the body ages faster and cannot fight off disease. Most of these conditions can be reversed with proper nutrition.
One eye opener was that fat, once it becomes 20% of the body or higher, becomes an endocrine system on its own and secretes 200 hormones that basically send out signals for the body to store fat. Fat causes fat. I always felt that was going on. My fat cells just grab on to incoming fat and get stuffed directly to my stomach and thighs. I bet I have fat cells the size of oranges.
Although his research is not about dieting and weight loss, he believes that obesity must be tackled first so the body has a fighting chance to deal with the other issues at hand. After all, how can the body process correctly when all of these hormones are calling all fat to the table?
He dedicated one chapter to weight loss and has reported that persons have lost as much as 25 pounds in one month without loss of muscle. The diet mainly consists of having two "Metabolic Meal Replacements" drinks daily and a meal consisting of salmon, lentils, salad with watercress, vinegar and olive oil, and a serving of cruciferous vegetables.
His drink is made from 1/3 cup of mixed berries - OR - 1 tsp. on non-dutch-processed cocoa mixed with stevia and a little hot water blended smooth. Add to that 1 tsp. virgin coconut oil, 6 ounces of protein powder and blend in a blender. He does not mention a particular brand of protein powder or whether it should be mixed with water, juice or milk. He does mention a packet of Metabolic Formula Supplement which is available on his website.
The formula is made up of CoQ10, L-Carnitine, Omega-3, Glutamine, Niacin bound Chromium (NBC) to stabilize blood sugar, Conjugated Linoleic acid (CLA) and Curcumin gel capsule (turmeric).
It sounds like something we can easily do. Elsewhere in his book, he talks highly of watercress, stating a bowl of it should be eaten daily. He speaks highly of Turmeric. I can understand not wanting to eat it daily so the Curcumin supplement makes sense. There has been a lot of conflict around coconut oil but recent discovery shows it actually helps to reduce cholesterol in the blood.
The book I am reading is called, Forever Young by Nicholas Perricone, MD. and his web site is called http://www.perriconemd.com.
Harry and I plan to start on this diet May 1st so stay tuned.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Fast is over, what now?
We did the juice fast for 5 days. It should have been 7 according to the book but we had to be off the fast by the weekend. The diet for the first three days after the fast is just as important as the fast itself. Going from a juice fast to a regular diet can cause gallstones and every a need for surgery.
We both feel better than we have in a long time. Since February 28th when we started the detox plan, I lost 9 pounds and Harry lost 14. Since January 3, Harry and I have lost 21 pounds each. Our blood pressure readings are remarkable. Mine was 117/69 last night. My skin looks better than it has in years! We found the pollen counts for the area were off the charts yesterday and we did not enough have a sniffle. Normally I would be suffering from flu like symptoms from the allergies.
We also had a couple of negative reactions. Toward the end of the detox, I was pulling my hair out by the handfuls. Harry did not notice if he was having the problem but he has very short hair. I noticed my memory was extremely faulty. I simply could not remember the names or words of things. I was taking Huperzine which is supposed to aid memory. I stopped during the juice fast part of the detox. We were also suffering from low back pain.
I believe these problems were related to the lack of B vitamins. B vitamins are natural in liver, wheat, brewer’s yeast, eggs, and meats. Some B can be found in milk. All of these items were off the menu during the detox. We added some brewer’s yeast to our morning banana juice for four days of the juice fast. Brewer’s yeast and liver are the ONLY two foods in America that provide all of the essential B vitamins! Even supplements can't do that. My hair loss has already slowed and my memory has already improved. Our back pains are gone.
What's next?
Now that we experienced the detox, we have no interest in a lot of the foods we used to eat. Pictures of fast food actually disgust me now. I used to be a Paula Deen wannabe and had to have butter on everything. I have not used butter for over a month and I don't really miss it. I used to put a splash of cream in my cream soups. I found that I can use cauliflower or potatoes in the soup to make it creamy. I made asparagus soup from a 1/2 pounds of asparagus. one potato, 1/4 onion and a handful of parsley. I added smoked paprika and liquefied it in the blender to make a very satisfying soup. It was about 120 calories and tasted like 500.
I missed my cheese, but we were eating cheese 2 and 3 times a day. I missed my eggs, but that was another habit of mine because they were so easy to fix. These items are no longer off our menu but we will eat cheese sparingly and limit our eggs to maybe 6 a week.
We are going to continue eating as though we were on the first three weeks of the fast, but with a little modification. We will allow ourselves to have animal protein two or three times a week. We can have cheese and eggs, but sparingly. We both agreed that we really liked that morning banana smoothie with the brewers yeast, protein and lecithin. Harry said it satisfied him through lunch. Our fruits and veggies are mostly raw, but for the evening meals I like to steam them in my tagine. Since I over bought the seeds for sprouts, I will continue to grow sprouts and wheatgrass and add them to our salads every day.
Now, I am going to concentrate on adding fermented foods to our diet. For the most part, America is the only country that does not have naturally fermented foods. We have a few available now in health food stores, like my Nama Shoyu, but for the mainstay diet everything is pasteurized. That is another word for dead!
We both feel better than we have in a long time. Since February 28th when we started the detox plan, I lost 9 pounds and Harry lost 14. Since January 3, Harry and I have lost 21 pounds each. Our blood pressure readings are remarkable. Mine was 117/69 last night. My skin looks better than it has in years! We found the pollen counts for the area were off the charts yesterday and we did not enough have a sniffle. Normally I would be suffering from flu like symptoms from the allergies.
We also had a couple of negative reactions. Toward the end of the detox, I was pulling my hair out by the handfuls. Harry did not notice if he was having the problem but he has very short hair. I noticed my memory was extremely faulty. I simply could not remember the names or words of things. I was taking Huperzine which is supposed to aid memory. I stopped during the juice fast part of the detox. We were also suffering from low back pain.
I believe these problems were related to the lack of B vitamins. B vitamins are natural in liver, wheat, brewer’s yeast, eggs, and meats. Some B can be found in milk. All of these items were off the menu during the detox. We added some brewer’s yeast to our morning banana juice for four days of the juice fast. Brewer’s yeast and liver are the ONLY two foods in America that provide all of the essential B vitamins! Even supplements can't do that. My hair loss has already slowed and my memory has already improved. Our back pains are gone.
What's next?
Now that we experienced the detox, we have no interest in a lot of the foods we used to eat. Pictures of fast food actually disgust me now. I used to be a Paula Deen wannabe and had to have butter on everything. I have not used butter for over a month and I don't really miss it. I used to put a splash of cream in my cream soups. I found that I can use cauliflower or potatoes in the soup to make it creamy. I made asparagus soup from a 1/2 pounds of asparagus. one potato, 1/4 onion and a handful of parsley. I added smoked paprika and liquefied it in the blender to make a very satisfying soup. It was about 120 calories and tasted like 500.
I missed my cheese, but we were eating cheese 2 and 3 times a day. I missed my eggs, but that was another habit of mine because they were so easy to fix. These items are no longer off our menu but we will eat cheese sparingly and limit our eggs to maybe 6 a week.
We are going to continue eating as though we were on the first three weeks of the fast, but with a little modification. We will allow ourselves to have animal protein two or three times a week. We can have cheese and eggs, but sparingly. We both agreed that we really liked that morning banana smoothie with the brewers yeast, protein and lecithin. Harry said it satisfied him through lunch. Our fruits and veggies are mostly raw, but for the evening meals I like to steam them in my tagine. Since I over bought the seeds for sprouts, I will continue to grow sprouts and wheatgrass and add them to our salads every day.
Now, I am going to concentrate on adding fermented foods to our diet. For the most part, America is the only country that does not have naturally fermented foods. We have a few available now in health food stores, like my Nama Shoyu, but for the mainstay diet everything is pasteurized. That is another word for dead!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Day four of juice fast
We started the juice fast phase of our program on a weekend and I am glad we did. It was difficult to say the least. Surprisingly, it was much better on Monday and Tuesday. I have to admit we cheated a bit.
Because the fast was making us so weak, we were worried that we could not function at work. So for the morning juice, I added a banana, some rice protein and brewers yeast. This helped alot.
For the evening meal in Monday, I boiled some whole tomatoes long enough to skin them, then boiled a potato and garlic clove in the same water. I threw it all in the blender and added basil, salt, pepper and a splash of lemon juice. It was thicker than plan juice because of the pulp but it was still juice! It was so good, I did it again the next night but seasoned it with onion, cumin and chili powder.
I think my favorite juice was made with gala apples, ginger and some lemon. Harrys favorite had cucumbers, bell pepper, kiwi, apple, celery, spinach and a tangerine. We have really enjoyed the different juices and we don't feel as deprived as we did when we started. It IS a lot of work though and it is amazing how much produce we have to use to get 24 ounces of juice. (Each serving is 12 oz).
I read where "coming off" the program is a little harder than actually doing the program. Since the body does not have to work so hard to digest the food, it stops making the stomach acid to dissolve the food. Coming off the program too fast can result in gallstones and even surgery. (I wish I would have read that earlier).
We wish to be off this program by the weekend, so we will add a little solid fruit to our meals tomorrow. By the weekend, we should be able to eat all fruits and vegetables plus a little grain. It will be next Monday before we can add a little animal protein.
We intend to stay on a modified program until we lose the weight we want. I still hope to become prescription drug free, so it is an added incentive to stay on course. We will revert back to eating fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and certain grains on most days. We will allow ourselves to enjoy animal protein or fish maybe twice a week.
I have read where vegetarians really have a problem getting their B vitamins. Many of the B vitamins have yet to be researched. No B vitamin supplement can provide all of the B vitamins we need and some types such as PABA, are even banned by the FDA.Several vitamin B deficiencies can result in serious disease or even death. The only foods where they occur completely and naturally are brewers yeast, animal protein (especially liver) and eggs. Wheat germ has some of them but are not as complete as brewers yeast. It does not take very long to become deficient in the vitamins either.
The next phase of my program will be something I come up with from all of my various inputs. Should be interesting. I am so glad I have Harry along for the ride.
Because the fast was making us so weak, we were worried that we could not function at work. So for the morning juice, I added a banana, some rice protein and brewers yeast. This helped alot.
For the evening meal in Monday, I boiled some whole tomatoes long enough to skin them, then boiled a potato and garlic clove in the same water. I threw it all in the blender and added basil, salt, pepper and a splash of lemon juice. It was thicker than plan juice because of the pulp but it was still juice! It was so good, I did it again the next night but seasoned it with onion, cumin and chili powder.
I think my favorite juice was made with gala apples, ginger and some lemon. Harrys favorite had cucumbers, bell pepper, kiwi, apple, celery, spinach and a tangerine. We have really enjoyed the different juices and we don't feel as deprived as we did when we started. It IS a lot of work though and it is amazing how much produce we have to use to get 24 ounces of juice. (Each serving is 12 oz).
I read where "coming off" the program is a little harder than actually doing the program. Since the body does not have to work so hard to digest the food, it stops making the stomach acid to dissolve the food. Coming off the program too fast can result in gallstones and even surgery. (I wish I would have read that earlier).
We wish to be off this program by the weekend, so we will add a little solid fruit to our meals tomorrow. By the weekend, we should be able to eat all fruits and vegetables plus a little grain. It will be next Monday before we can add a little animal protein.
We intend to stay on a modified program until we lose the weight we want. I still hope to become prescription drug free, so it is an added incentive to stay on course. We will revert back to eating fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and certain grains on most days. We will allow ourselves to enjoy animal protein or fish maybe twice a week.
I have read where vegetarians really have a problem getting their B vitamins. Many of the B vitamins have yet to be researched. No B vitamin supplement can provide all of the B vitamins we need and some types such as PABA, are even banned by the FDA.Several vitamin B deficiencies can result in serious disease or even death. The only foods where they occur completely and naturally are brewers yeast, animal protein (especially liver) and eggs. Wheat germ has some of them but are not as complete as brewers yeast. It does not take very long to become deficient in the vitamins either.
The next phase of my program will be something I come up with from all of my various inputs. Should be interesting. I am so glad I have Harry along for the ride.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
First day of the juice fast
Yesterday was our first day of the juice fast. I am so glad we decided to wait until Saturday because it was somewhat difficult. We were hungry all day. We started our breakfast with a glass of mixed berry juice. For lunch, I made a juice of oranges, mango, celery, parsley, wheat grass (I am growing some), and carrots. I threw it in a blender with a banana and some ice to finish it off. It was refreshing but it is anything but filling.
Our grandson's 3rd birthday party was at the Stikes bowling center in Frisco. It was a fun place. We got to watch 12 young children bowl and that alone was a hoot. This place had bowling, pool, video games and a bar for those who were at the party without children. The smell of food make our hunger pangs feel more like the jaws of death on a five minute timer. I was fading pretty fast and Harry started getting a headache. Very rare for him. We left out of there around 4 and couldn't get away fast enough. I knew we left rather abruptly and I think my daughter wanted to come over and visit. But we had a few errands to do and I could not wait to get to our next juice meal so we might feel better. Sorry Chris!
As it turned out, we had a few stops to make. We stopped at Sprouts and bought some vegetables and fruits for our juicing. Then on to Calloways to pick up some Serrano pepper plants. After that, we stopped for pet food. It was 7Pm before we got home and by that time we both had a raging headache.
I juiced some broccoli, one potatoe and 1/4 onion and threw that and the pulp in a sauce pot with the intention to make some soup. I then added the juice of the brocolli stems, cabbage, celery, carrots and parsley. It was nothing like my usual 4 star broccoli soup, but it was warm. We had another mix of juice after that then a glass of pomegranate juice before bed. We were both still starving when went to bed.
This morning we started out a little different. I made a juice of oranges, mango, cantelope, carrots and a few strawberries. I then threw it in the blender and added a banana, some protein powder and brewers yeast and ice. While we were enjoying our breakfast, I flipped on the cooking channel. Harry declared it was a punishment akin to denying the last meal to a death row inmate so I had to turn it off. I drew a place setting on the chalk board in my kitchen and told Harry to fill in the plates with whatever foods he was missing the most. I will make that meal when we are off this. So far he has not written anything on the plates but it is not yet noon.
I think the protein helped today but it really is not part of the juice fast. Throwing in a banana once a day is also not on the fast, but you cannot juice a banana and we are allowed to have a few tablespoons of the pulp from the juicing so I think it is a wash.
We will see how today goes. If we can get through the day without having headaches and feeling week, we will continue until end of Wednesday or maybe Thursday. If not, then we will likely add a salad for lunch and maybe a vegetable soup for dinner.
Anyway it is one day down.
Our grandson's 3rd birthday party was at the Stikes bowling center in Frisco. It was a fun place. We got to watch 12 young children bowl and that alone was a hoot. This place had bowling, pool, video games and a bar for those who were at the party without children. The smell of food make our hunger pangs feel more like the jaws of death on a five minute timer. I was fading pretty fast and Harry started getting a headache. Very rare for him. We left out of there around 4 and couldn't get away fast enough. I knew we left rather abruptly and I think my daughter wanted to come over and visit. But we had a few errands to do and I could not wait to get to our next juice meal so we might feel better. Sorry Chris!
As it turned out, we had a few stops to make. We stopped at Sprouts and bought some vegetables and fruits for our juicing. Then on to Calloways to pick up some Serrano pepper plants. After that, we stopped for pet food. It was 7Pm before we got home and by that time we both had a raging headache.
I juiced some broccoli, one potatoe and 1/4 onion and threw that and the pulp in a sauce pot with the intention to make some soup. I then added the juice of the brocolli stems, cabbage, celery, carrots and parsley. It was nothing like my usual 4 star broccoli soup, but it was warm. We had another mix of juice after that then a glass of pomegranate juice before bed. We were both still starving when went to bed.
This morning we started out a little different. I made a juice of oranges, mango, cantelope, carrots and a few strawberries. I then threw it in the blender and added a banana, some protein powder and brewers yeast and ice. While we were enjoying our breakfast, I flipped on the cooking channel. Harry declared it was a punishment akin to denying the last meal to a death row inmate so I had to turn it off. I drew a place setting on the chalk board in my kitchen and told Harry to fill in the plates with whatever foods he was missing the most. I will make that meal when we are off this. So far he has not written anything on the plates but it is not yet noon.
I think the protein helped today but it really is not part of the juice fast. Throwing in a banana once a day is also not on the fast, but you cannot juice a banana and we are allowed to have a few tablespoons of the pulp from the juicing so I think it is a wash.
We will see how today goes. If we can get through the day without having headaches and feeling week, we will continue until end of Wednesday or maybe Thursday. If not, then we will likely add a salad for lunch and maybe a vegetable soup for dinner.
Anyway it is one day down.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Progress
It was Tuesday before we realized we really did get the days wrong. We should have started the juice fast on Monday and we would be done with the detox on Sunday.
Oh well. We really don't want to start a juice fast during a week day, a work week day at that. According to the book, we could get light headed, have headaches, maybe get weak and trembly. Harry is just afraid he is going to get hungry! He might. Anyway we will start the juice fast on Saturday and see how we feel after 5 days.
Up until now, we have been right on with the principals of the book Get Healthy Through Detox and Fasting by Dr Don Colbert, just in case you don't want to read my entire blog. I say principles because we ate like it said in the book but I made up my own recipes for the most part.
For a morning meal, the book aways had a recipe for a grain and a fruit and maybe some nuts. So nearly every day (because it was easy), we had a piece of Ezekial toast with a small smear of almond butter. Sometimes we had grapefruit as well, or we had a shot glass of pure pomegranate juice. If we didn't have the "Pomm" for a snack, we had a glass in the evening after our meal.
For lunch, we usually had a salad with at least five vegetables. Usually more. None of the vegetables were starchy. Usually two kinds of greens plus any combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, radishes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, peppers, sprouts, cabbage, broccoli - etc. The book always had some sort of grain and legumes, so I would add quinoa, israeli couscous, barley, brown rice or wild rice, then some kind of beans. We tried all kinds. On occasion I would put some orange, grapefruit or lemon segments, or sliced apple. Once in awhile, we would add avocado, olives, artichokes or beets, but not too often. Invariably I made a salad dressing with fresh lemon juice, Bragg vinegar or rice wine vinegar, olive or walnut oil plus Himalayan salt and pepper. Sometimes I added garlic or ginger plus some fresh herbs or mustard seed. Umeboshi plum wine and vinegar also made a tasty base for a salad dressing. It was one of our favorites.
This was every day, unless we had left overs from the previous night.
For a snack, we had fresh fruit or fruit juice with no sugar, plus my flax seed crackers. This was a deviation from the book for sure. Dr Colbert specified breakfast, then a snack, then lunch, then dinner.
Well both of us have to eat lunch at noon and it is 7 or 8 pm before we eat dinner. It makes more sense for us to have our snack in the afternoon.
For dinner, it's vegetables, beans, grains, spelt pasta - or a starchy vegetable - and maybe some nuts. The array of vegetables were either cooked in a tagine, lightly stir fried or roasted in the oven, or a nice soup. One of our favorite combinations was a meal of turnips, sweet potatoes and kale with some black eyed peas on the side. I could do an Asian stirfry, or a curried vegetable dish. Sometimes I would roast an array of Italian vegetables in the oven. We had the grilled vegetables with lunch the next day. I have always managed to have some sort of beans every night but sometimes we had some nuts instead of grains. I realized we felt better the next day when we had both beans and grains for dinner.
For beverages, we started with 12 ounces of water with breakfast, then another on the way to work. 24 ounces during the day at work, then another 12 on the way home. We also drank one before bed most of the time. It really was not enough according to the book. We also had one cup of coffee in the morning, and one or two cups of herbal tea during the day. I drank a detox tea every day. Last, we had a 12 ounce bottle of water with lemon, cayenne, and a bit of stevia.
We have been taking supplements every day. We take our "Trucker" vitamins, CQ10, NAC - Acetyl Cysteine, and milk Thistle. The "Trucker" vitamins are a complete multi-vitamin supplement bu the name of Turbo Power. I could write about that all by itself.
We have both lost weight, we feel better, sleep better and we are not sick anymore. Our blood pressure seems to be much better. We won't know about our cholesterol until we get tested again. Again, this program is not about losing weight, but giving the liver a break. Losing weight is just a natural side effect.
Starting Saturday, we start the juice fast. All vegetables and fruits that can be juiced, in any combination we want. Four times a day. We can still drink the coffee, lemon water and tea like we did before. We can also put a bit of the pulp back into the juice. We have to stop taking the supplements though as additives in supplements make the liver work hard.
Once the fast is over, I intend to continue on the program 95% of the time. However I want to step up my attempt to lower cholesterol without taking drugs. First, we bought Lecithin granules. (Capsules are useless). We also have some brewers east which is a natural complete source of B vitamins, Inositol and Choline which also aid in lowering cholesterol. I will resume taking my niacin, red yeast rice and CQ10. Something else I just read about is Plant Sterols and Stanols. Apparently this last supplement can only be obtained in trace amounts from vegetables. I guess if you eat a trcuk load of vegetables like we do, we have a better chance. However a supplement for these is recommended as well. I already have the other supplements. I just have not tried taking them all at once.
I recently acquired another copy of a book by Adelle Davis. She was a nutritionist from the late sixties that in my opinion was way ahead of her time. I read her books 38 years ago. (Yes 38). I adhered to them to a point and gave birth to a very healthy little girl. My pre-weight was 140 pounds and my post birth weight was 185 pounds. With little effort, I got down to 118 pounds in six months without dieting. I was just eating more nutritious food and taking the supplements I learned about. I am not sure just how I swayed away from what I learned. Taking supplements can be expensive. Marrying someone (my ex), who was a fast food junkie was another wrong turn in many ways. I wonder where I would be if I had stuck with it all these years.
Anyway, Adelle had interesting things to say about high cholesterol. That is Lecithin, Inositol and Choline and B vitamins were adequate in the body, that cholesterol would not be a problem. Now after scanning the internet, I found only one article that linked lecithin to cholesterol and they didn't mention any of the other supplements. Adelle gave her life to learn about nutrition. I am happy that I found one of her books. They are all old and yellowed and out of print, but they are a wealth of knowledge.
Well my daring husband gave up on me and starting cutting up vegetables for dinner. As much as I would like to stay and write, I need to help him so we can eat before 10:00 PM.
Oh well. We really don't want to start a juice fast during a week day, a work week day at that. According to the book, we could get light headed, have headaches, maybe get weak and trembly. Harry is just afraid he is going to get hungry! He might. Anyway we will start the juice fast on Saturday and see how we feel after 5 days.
Up until now, we have been right on with the principals of the book Get Healthy Through Detox and Fasting by Dr Don Colbert, just in case you don't want to read my entire blog. I say principles because we ate like it said in the book but I made up my own recipes for the most part.
For a morning meal, the book aways had a recipe for a grain and a fruit and maybe some nuts. So nearly every day (because it was easy), we had a piece of Ezekial toast with a small smear of almond butter. Sometimes we had grapefruit as well, or we had a shot glass of pure pomegranate juice. If we didn't have the "Pomm" for a snack, we had a glass in the evening after our meal.
For lunch, we usually had a salad with at least five vegetables. Usually more. None of the vegetables were starchy. Usually two kinds of greens plus any combination of tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, radishes, mushrooms, carrots, celery, peppers, sprouts, cabbage, broccoli - etc. The book always had some sort of grain and legumes, so I would add quinoa, israeli couscous, barley, brown rice or wild rice, then some kind of beans. We tried all kinds. On occasion I would put some orange, grapefruit or lemon segments, or sliced apple. Once in awhile, we would add avocado, olives, artichokes or beets, but not too often. Invariably I made a salad dressing with fresh lemon juice, Bragg vinegar or rice wine vinegar, olive or walnut oil plus Himalayan salt and pepper. Sometimes I added garlic or ginger plus some fresh herbs or mustard seed. Umeboshi plum wine and vinegar also made a tasty base for a salad dressing. It was one of our favorites.
This was every day, unless we had left overs from the previous night.
For a snack, we had fresh fruit or fruit juice with no sugar, plus my flax seed crackers. This was a deviation from the book for sure. Dr Colbert specified breakfast, then a snack, then lunch, then dinner.
Well both of us have to eat lunch at noon and it is 7 or 8 pm before we eat dinner. It makes more sense for us to have our snack in the afternoon.
For dinner, it's vegetables, beans, grains, spelt pasta - or a starchy vegetable - and maybe some nuts. The array of vegetables were either cooked in a tagine, lightly stir fried or roasted in the oven, or a nice soup. One of our favorite combinations was a meal of turnips, sweet potatoes and kale with some black eyed peas on the side. I could do an Asian stirfry, or a curried vegetable dish. Sometimes I would roast an array of Italian vegetables in the oven. We had the grilled vegetables with lunch the next day. I have always managed to have some sort of beans every night but sometimes we had some nuts instead of grains. I realized we felt better the next day when we had both beans and grains for dinner.
For beverages, we started with 12 ounces of water with breakfast, then another on the way to work. 24 ounces during the day at work, then another 12 on the way home. We also drank one before bed most of the time. It really was not enough according to the book. We also had one cup of coffee in the morning, and one or two cups of herbal tea during the day. I drank a detox tea every day. Last, we had a 12 ounce bottle of water with lemon, cayenne, and a bit of stevia.
We have been taking supplements every day. We take our "Trucker" vitamins, CQ10, NAC - Acetyl Cysteine, and milk Thistle. The "Trucker" vitamins are a complete multi-vitamin supplement bu the name of Turbo Power. I could write about that all by itself.
We have both lost weight, we feel better, sleep better and we are not sick anymore. Our blood pressure seems to be much better. We won't know about our cholesterol until we get tested again. Again, this program is not about losing weight, but giving the liver a break. Losing weight is just a natural side effect.
Starting Saturday, we start the juice fast. All vegetables and fruits that can be juiced, in any combination we want. Four times a day. We can still drink the coffee, lemon water and tea like we did before. We can also put a bit of the pulp back into the juice. We have to stop taking the supplements though as additives in supplements make the liver work hard.
Once the fast is over, I intend to continue on the program 95% of the time. However I want to step up my attempt to lower cholesterol without taking drugs. First, we bought Lecithin granules. (Capsules are useless). We also have some brewers east which is a natural complete source of B vitamins, Inositol and Choline which also aid in lowering cholesterol. I will resume taking my niacin, red yeast rice and CQ10. Something else I just read about is Plant Sterols and Stanols. Apparently this last supplement can only be obtained in trace amounts from vegetables. I guess if you eat a trcuk load of vegetables like we do, we have a better chance. However a supplement for these is recommended as well. I already have the other supplements. I just have not tried taking them all at once.
I recently acquired another copy of a book by Adelle Davis. She was a nutritionist from the late sixties that in my opinion was way ahead of her time. I read her books 38 years ago. (Yes 38). I adhered to them to a point and gave birth to a very healthy little girl. My pre-weight was 140 pounds and my post birth weight was 185 pounds. With little effort, I got down to 118 pounds in six months without dieting. I was just eating more nutritious food and taking the supplements I learned about. I am not sure just how I swayed away from what I learned. Taking supplements can be expensive. Marrying someone (my ex), who was a fast food junkie was another wrong turn in many ways. I wonder where I would be if I had stuck with it all these years.
Anyway, Adelle had interesting things to say about high cholesterol. That is Lecithin, Inositol and Choline and B vitamins were adequate in the body, that cholesterol would not be a problem. Now after scanning the internet, I found only one article that linked lecithin to cholesterol and they didn't mention any of the other supplements. Adelle gave her life to learn about nutrition. I am happy that I found one of her books. They are all old and yellowed and out of print, but they are a wealth of knowledge.
Well my daring husband gave up on me and starting cutting up vegetables for dinner. As much as I would like to stay and write, I need to help him so we can eat before 10:00 PM.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Socializing on a diet
I was going to title this "Socializing on a Detox plan" but my friend Elaine said that conjured up some images that are far off the mark of what we are doing. To re-iterate, we are not druggies trying to kick a habit - well at least not in the illegal sense. We are trying to eliminate the toxins in our bodies so we can give our liver a break. If the liver is happy, then the rest of our body should be too.
In a way, we could be considered junkies. We are not the typical family that eats junk food often, but we did have our addictions. For example, if I was feeling a little under the weather and did not want to cook, I would send Harry after a KFC Chicken Pot pie. I actually formed an addiction that when I don't feel good, that pot pie represents comfort food. Now I read where that the pot pie has 770 calories of which 350 are fat grams. Still, when I want comfort and I don't feel like cooking, a KFC pot pie will do in a pinch.
I read a column in Reader's Digest recently that talks about memories and how they actually trigger food addictions. Many fast foods have additives that not only taste good but cause hormonal changes that make the person feel good. Accompany that with good company and you have a powerful trigger for a food addiction.
Last summer, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis. I was warned to stay away from red meat especially, as well as nuts and seeds (which take me down a different path than where I want to go here). Anyway, Harry took me to a very special place for my birthday that we wanted to try. My daughter and family joined us and we all had a very enjoyable evening. The food was delicious. I had to taste the sauce on Harry's beef dish as it smelled incredible. It WAS amazing and I thought about that sauce for months afterward. Well after four months we all went back and I was very disappointed that they no longer had that dish on the menu. We all selected something else, but I did not get "my fix". I wanted that beef dish that I had associated with the memories of that night.
Memory association to food is a big deal. Usually a social event is tied to that memory. How often do we all over eat at Thanksgiving because we associate the holiday with a particular item or two on the menu? I always go over the top at Thanksgiving. I have to make what I associate with my childhood Thanksgiving dinner, Harry throws in his special requests, Chris remembers something that I had forgotten but it is important to her. Before I know it, I fixed the Turkey with two kinds of stuffing, two kinds of gravy, three versions of cranberry sauce, two kinds of potatos, three vegetable dishes, two or three salads, several appetizers, an olive and pickle tray, plus about 3 pies. Yet I could not think of leaving a single thing out!
Harry and I are on a program that is long enough to help us make new habits and short enough that we have no problem doing it. In fact, we will likely continue the program during the weeks ahead and allow ourselves some animal protein on the weekends. We have experimented with a lot of foods and thoroughly enjoy some of the things we came up with. Things we never had before will now be staples in my kitchen. Foods like Flax seed, Umeboshi plum, sprouts, Nama Shoyu, pink himalayan salt, myer lemons, almonds butter, the seed crisps I learned to make, as well as various grains have all made their way into my pantry and will continue to be part of our meals for a long time to come.
We have missed the socializing though. When our friends, Elaine and Julian, called to make a dinner date, they suggested a place they thought we could do while on our program. They were right. We enjoyed a vegetable platter at a little Mediterranean place, got totally satisfied and had a wonderful time. It really helps to know we do not have to remain in isolation while on this plan.
It explains why diets fail. The dieter is usually isolated from her family and friends by the diet chosen. Deprivation is a natural feeling when on the sidelines. Eventually the diet is fallen by a chocolate birthday cake or game night pizza. Add in the maddening refusal of the bathroom scale to move downward and a diet is destined to fail.
A diet requires a life style change that still allows the dieter to have fun. Replacing some bad foods with better choices has to be a better plan than any that starts with deprivation. When we first started our changes in January, we cut back a little here and there. Then we eliminated certain foods like sugar and white flour but quickly replaced them with stevia and grains. We ate tacos on a regular basis and don't miss that night at all because we replaced the meat with a mixture of bulgar wheat and mushrooms. We still have taco night, it just included a little change to make it more healthy. Harry's big weakness is crackers and chips. I learned to make a "cracker" out of flax seed, nuts and grains and they are crunchy and delicious. Harry actually prefers them to crackers now.
Bottom line, we certainly do not feel deprived. We also understand the need to continue making memories around our new foods and integrate them seamlessly into our new lifestyle.
Oh, and that diverticulitis? Not a problem anymore. An added bonus of our improving health. I calculated our fiber intake over the last few days and realized we are taking in about 40 grams of fiber a day. A lot of that comes from the seeds and nuts I was not supposed to eat. I am really happy about that.
Happy socializing!
In a way, we could be considered junkies. We are not the typical family that eats junk food often, but we did have our addictions. For example, if I was feeling a little under the weather and did not want to cook, I would send Harry after a KFC Chicken Pot pie. I actually formed an addiction that when I don't feel good, that pot pie represents comfort food. Now I read where that the pot pie has 770 calories of which 350 are fat grams. Still, when I want comfort and I don't feel like cooking, a KFC pot pie will do in a pinch.
I read a column in Reader's Digest recently that talks about memories and how they actually trigger food addictions. Many fast foods have additives that not only taste good but cause hormonal changes that make the person feel good. Accompany that with good company and you have a powerful trigger for a food addiction.
Last summer, I was diagnosed with diverticulitis. I was warned to stay away from red meat especially, as well as nuts and seeds (which take me down a different path than where I want to go here). Anyway, Harry took me to a very special place for my birthday that we wanted to try. My daughter and family joined us and we all had a very enjoyable evening. The food was delicious. I had to taste the sauce on Harry's beef dish as it smelled incredible. It WAS amazing and I thought about that sauce for months afterward. Well after four months we all went back and I was very disappointed that they no longer had that dish on the menu. We all selected something else, but I did not get "my fix". I wanted that beef dish that I had associated with the memories of that night.
Memory association to food is a big deal. Usually a social event is tied to that memory. How often do we all over eat at Thanksgiving because we associate the holiday with a particular item or two on the menu? I always go over the top at Thanksgiving. I have to make what I associate with my childhood Thanksgiving dinner, Harry throws in his special requests, Chris remembers something that I had forgotten but it is important to her. Before I know it, I fixed the Turkey with two kinds of stuffing, two kinds of gravy, three versions of cranberry sauce, two kinds of potatos, three vegetable dishes, two or three salads, several appetizers, an olive and pickle tray, plus about 3 pies. Yet I could not think of leaving a single thing out!
Harry and I are on a program that is long enough to help us make new habits and short enough that we have no problem doing it. In fact, we will likely continue the program during the weeks ahead and allow ourselves some animal protein on the weekends. We have experimented with a lot of foods and thoroughly enjoy some of the things we came up with. Things we never had before will now be staples in my kitchen. Foods like Flax seed, Umeboshi plum, sprouts, Nama Shoyu, pink himalayan salt, myer lemons, almonds butter, the seed crisps I learned to make, as well as various grains have all made their way into my pantry and will continue to be part of our meals for a long time to come.
We have missed the socializing though. When our friends, Elaine and Julian, called to make a dinner date, they suggested a place they thought we could do while on our program. They were right. We enjoyed a vegetable platter at a little Mediterranean place, got totally satisfied and had a wonderful time. It really helps to know we do not have to remain in isolation while on this plan.
It explains why diets fail. The dieter is usually isolated from her family and friends by the diet chosen. Deprivation is a natural feeling when on the sidelines. Eventually the diet is fallen by a chocolate birthday cake or game night pizza. Add in the maddening refusal of the bathroom scale to move downward and a diet is destined to fail.
A diet requires a life style change that still allows the dieter to have fun. Replacing some bad foods with better choices has to be a better plan than any that starts with deprivation. When we first started our changes in January, we cut back a little here and there. Then we eliminated certain foods like sugar and white flour but quickly replaced them with stevia and grains. We ate tacos on a regular basis and don't miss that night at all because we replaced the meat with a mixture of bulgar wheat and mushrooms. We still have taco night, it just included a little change to make it more healthy. Harry's big weakness is crackers and chips. I learned to make a "cracker" out of flax seed, nuts and grains and they are crunchy and delicious. Harry actually prefers them to crackers now.
Bottom line, we certainly do not feel deprived. We also understand the need to continue making memories around our new foods and integrate them seamlessly into our new lifestyle.
Oh, and that diverticulitis? Not a problem anymore. An added bonus of our improving health. I calculated our fiber intake over the last few days and realized we are taking in about 40 grams of fiber a day. A lot of that comes from the seeds and nuts I was not supposed to eat. I am really happy about that.
Happy socializing!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
My husband and I were already gearing up for the juice fast part of our program when I realized we have another week to go before we do that. Here I thought this was easier than we thought and we have another week. Joke is on me.
What we are eating is not difficult. We are not usually hungry although we start getting that way before a meal is ready. It takes a lot of prep work to fix the dinner. We get home kind of late so it is often as late as 8:30 or 9 PM before we eat. In addition, I prepare salads for lunch the next day so I sometimes and in the kitchen for several hours. The book says that all food should be prepared fresh but I make enough dinner or lunch for two days then change them up a bit. It really is a lot easier to throw on a piece of chicken, throw potatoes in a microwave and open a can of vegetables - but we are not using the microwave and we are not eating animal protein.
Every meal requires a little complex carbohydrates to provide protein. Like beans and grains, or grains and nuts. It has to be a combination. Then coupled with virtually any vegetable combination I can think of, and spiced any way I want. I discovered a trick that a cauliflower or potatoe can be boiled, pureed then seasoned and used as a sauce. Lentils can as well. I suppose any vegetable can do that. The pureed vegetable with a little olive oil creates that satisfying mouth feel that comes with a cream sauce.
I have to say I have come up with some interesting combinations. I usually have a minimum of 5 vegetables in every meal. Sometimes as much as ten different vegetables. I have added curry, jerk, creole, mexican and chines seasonings plus probably a few I can't think of right now.
It has been an adventure so far.
As of this weekend, I have lost 14 pounds and Harry is down 20. We both feel great.
What we are eating is not difficult. We are not usually hungry although we start getting that way before a meal is ready. It takes a lot of prep work to fix the dinner. We get home kind of late so it is often as late as 8:30 or 9 PM before we eat. In addition, I prepare salads for lunch the next day so I sometimes and in the kitchen for several hours. The book says that all food should be prepared fresh but I make enough dinner or lunch for two days then change them up a bit. It really is a lot easier to throw on a piece of chicken, throw potatoes in a microwave and open a can of vegetables - but we are not using the microwave and we are not eating animal protein.
Every meal requires a little complex carbohydrates to provide protein. Like beans and grains, or grains and nuts. It has to be a combination. Then coupled with virtually any vegetable combination I can think of, and spiced any way I want. I discovered a trick that a cauliflower or potatoe can be boiled, pureed then seasoned and used as a sauce. Lentils can as well. I suppose any vegetable can do that. The pureed vegetable with a little olive oil creates that satisfying mouth feel that comes with a cream sauce.
I have to say I have come up with some interesting combinations. I usually have a minimum of 5 vegetables in every meal. Sometimes as much as ten different vegetables. I have added curry, jerk, creole, mexican and chines seasonings plus probably a few I can't think of right now.
It has been an adventure so far.
As of this weekend, I have lost 14 pounds and Harry is down 20. We both feel great.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Publishings I recommend
I thought it might be a good idea to write down the materials I am reading.
My Detox plan is right out of the book Get Healthy - Through Detox and Fasting by Dr Don Colbert.
I have taken it a step further as I have eliminated all sugar as well. Dr Colbert allows agave nectar in his detox plan.
These are some other books I have by Dr Don Colbert:
Seven Pillars of Health (highly recommended, this was the start of it all)
Eat and Live (a pretty book and more up to date than What Jesus Would Eat)
What would Jesus Eat (an older, more dated version of Eat and Live)
I would recommend What Jesus Would Eat over Eat and Live.
Other books include these listed below. These are in order of recommendation.
The Raw Truth 2nd Edition - Jeremy A Safron One of the better books I found for raw food recipes. It is not just about recipes, there is a lot to read about what the diet plan should be for optimum health. Even meat eaters would enjoy the vegetarian recipes in this book.
The Balanced plate - RenAe Loux - Good book and recipes about raw foodWild Fermentation - Sandor Ellix Katz An interesting and fun book
Salt Valerie Aikman-smith Interesting book about Salts and how to use them. Not many recipes though
The Raw Gourmet - Nomo Shannon Nice recipes but I could not imagine eating like this for life. Some of these recipes take days of prep.
Raw Food - Irmela Lilja, Erica palmcrantz Nice recipes but I could not imagine eating like this for life.
My Detox plan is right out of the book Get Healthy - Through Detox and Fasting by Dr Don Colbert.
I have taken it a step further as I have eliminated all sugar as well. Dr Colbert allows agave nectar in his detox plan.
These are some other books I have by Dr Don Colbert:
Seven Pillars of Health (highly recommended, this was the start of it all)
Eat and Live (a pretty book and more up to date than What Jesus Would Eat)
What would Jesus Eat (an older, more dated version of Eat and Live)
I would recommend What Jesus Would Eat over Eat and Live.
Other books include these listed below. These are in order of recommendation.
The Raw Truth 2nd Edition - Jeremy A Safron One of the better books I found for raw food recipes. It is not just about recipes, there is a lot to read about what the diet plan should be for optimum health. Even meat eaters would enjoy the vegetarian recipes in this book.
The Balanced plate - RenAe Loux - Good book and recipes about raw foodWild Fermentation - Sandor Ellix Katz An interesting and fun book
Salt Valerie Aikman-smith Interesting book about Salts and how to use them. Not many recipes though
The Raw Gourmet - Nomo Shannon Nice recipes but I could not imagine eating like this for life. Some of these recipes take days of prep.
Raw Food - Irmela Lilja, Erica palmcrantz Nice recipes but I could not imagine eating like this for life.
108/77 and 121/73
When we first started this program, my blood pressure was frightening. With my medication, it was often in the pre hypertension readings. 145/90 range. Without, I was logging as high as 200/110. Harry never worried about his blood pressure, but I had him take it so we could log our progress. At first his was a little into the pre-hypertension. Well this week we took our blood pressure and mine was 120/80. His was lower as well but we thought it was a fluke. You know how those grocery store blood pressure monitors are. Well we took them again last night and mine was 108/77. His was 121/73.
So what is different, I mean besides eating like a rabbit? Walking. I started walking at work during my lunch break. last week I walked 2 miles a day for four days. This week I walked 7 miles and I am not counting the weekend. Harry also started walking more. He has a pond out in front of his building and walks around that 3 times to log a mile.
My weight is also teetering toward the down side. I fluctuate five pounds a day but I always record the lowest reading. (Hey, human nature here). From one respect, it is difficult for me to see myself at the same poundage (within a few ounces) at my low point every day, but then when I ratchet down another notch, I start dancing around THAT number. I am firmly in the 180's now, high end but 180's none the less. How often I have been told that diet alone will not melt the pounds? So true Chris, so true.
Chris is my daughter. She has two boys, 3 and 5. She put on weight with the boys and struggled to lose the baby fat afterward. She got a little perturbed when her friends returned to their pre-baby bodies and she didn't. Well Chris hated running almost as much as I did, but she started getting out there and running. She ran in the ran, night, early morning, 20 degree weather and 100 degree weather but she ran. Then she signed up for a half marathon that required a $3500 commitment in sponsored donations. Well she did it and has now made that her obsession. She has since then run 7 half marathons and one full marathon. She has so many of these beautiful medals from these runs, that she sounds like a Mardi-gras parade when she carries them. (Hey, she could make a wind chime with them). Her husband Roy runs also and is thinking about doing the Iron man. You can see the change in her. She is shrinking and toning at the same time. So my little girl nags me to death about getting out there and running too.
She has a point, but I have one also. I have problems with my ankles and my feet. Jogging at 200 pounds is NOT good for the ankles. Jogging at 190 is not much better but at least I feel like walking.
A few years back, (ok - five years back), I was working out at the gym and started noticing that I had constant neck pain. The short of it, I ended up having major surgery on my neck but only after I endured a year of intense and constant nerve pain. I don't know about other people, but that pain changed me. It sucked all of the life, hopes and dreams right out of me. After the surgery, I felt better but I still hurt all the time. It was not nerve pain this time, but constant muscle pain. It seemed that everything I did made it worse.
I finally stopped taking my cholesterol medicine about 5 months ago now. I feel better than I have in years. The muscle pain is gone, although I do get a little tight in the neck and shoulders from time to time. Anyway, I have to say that feeling a little better helped my get to the point I wanted to feel even better. So even though my doctor would rather me take the medication, I probably would not be on this diet right now or trying to exercise - any of it - if I was still taking the medicine that made me feel so bad.
My point here, is that people can get where they cannot even fathom getting up an moving, much less walking or running. The intentions might be great, but the follow through is lacking.
I have to have the healthiest coffee table in America. On it, I have exercise dvd's for Yoga, Pilates, Power Vinyasa,Tai Chi, a 10 minute work out, Zumba dance and belly dancing. I almost feel good enough to put one of those on and go at it. Almost. Haven't got there quite yet, but my coffee table is in great shape.
I have something else wrong that has been a problem for over a decade now. It feels like the connective tissue around my bones is inflamed. All the time. I can feel my ribs and that tenderness is always there, like a bruise. Around 1998 I thought I was having a heart attack. I went to emergency and they ran all sorts of test. Then the Doc came in and asked if he could try something. He wanted to press my chest. When he did, I screamed from pain. He said I had Costocondrititis. Now leave it to me to get something I never heard of. "Costochondritis is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. Repeated minor trauma to the chest wall or viral respiratory infections can commonly cause chest pain due to costochondritis. The reproducible tenderness you feel when you press on the rib joints (costochondral junctions) is a constant feature of costochondritis". (http://www.wedmd.com/).
Well the inflammation had gotten bad enough in the connective tissue around my heart that the pressure was similar to that of a heart attack. Well he put my on a prescription and I went on my way. The tissue has remained painful ever since but not bad enough to pressure on my heart anymore.
I now suspect I might have Tietze syndrome instead. Some doctors (incorrectly) use the terms Costochondritis and Tietze syndrome interchangeably, Tietze syndrome has a sudden onset without any preceding respiratory illness or any history of minor trauma. In Tietze syndrome, there is frequently radiation of pain to arms and shoulders as well as pain and tenderness associated with swelling at the spot that hurts. This seems more in line with how I feel all of the time since my arms, shoulders and neck are affected. I know longer think it was Costocondritis because that eventually goes away and this has not. The recommended treatment for the condition is to take anti-inflammatory drugs, or steroids until the pain goes away. I seldom take anything more than aspirin for pain, and my Doctor knows I will seldom fill a prescription for something that has a lot of side effects.
I may add cherry juice (a natural anti-inflammatory) to me daily diet and see if that helps.
I have to say I am anxious to see what this diet does for this odd condition.
So what is different, I mean besides eating like a rabbit? Walking. I started walking at work during my lunch break. last week I walked 2 miles a day for four days. This week I walked 7 miles and I am not counting the weekend. Harry also started walking more. He has a pond out in front of his building and walks around that 3 times to log a mile.
My weight is also teetering toward the down side. I fluctuate five pounds a day but I always record the lowest reading. (Hey, human nature here). From one respect, it is difficult for me to see myself at the same poundage (within a few ounces) at my low point every day, but then when I ratchet down another notch, I start dancing around THAT number. I am firmly in the 180's now, high end but 180's none the less. How often I have been told that diet alone will not melt the pounds? So true Chris, so true.
Chris is my daughter. She has two boys, 3 and 5. She put on weight with the boys and struggled to lose the baby fat afterward. She got a little perturbed when her friends returned to their pre-baby bodies and she didn't. Well Chris hated running almost as much as I did, but she started getting out there and running. She ran in the ran, night, early morning, 20 degree weather and 100 degree weather but she ran. Then she signed up for a half marathon that required a $3500 commitment in sponsored donations. Well she did it and has now made that her obsession. She has since then run 7 half marathons and one full marathon. She has so many of these beautiful medals from these runs, that she sounds like a Mardi-gras parade when she carries them. (Hey, she could make a wind chime with them). Her husband Roy runs also and is thinking about doing the Iron man. You can see the change in her. She is shrinking and toning at the same time. So my little girl nags me to death about getting out there and running too.
She has a point, but I have one also. I have problems with my ankles and my feet. Jogging at 200 pounds is NOT good for the ankles. Jogging at 190 is not much better but at least I feel like walking.
A few years back, (ok - five years back), I was working out at the gym and started noticing that I had constant neck pain. The short of it, I ended up having major surgery on my neck but only after I endured a year of intense and constant nerve pain. I don't know about other people, but that pain changed me. It sucked all of the life, hopes and dreams right out of me. After the surgery, I felt better but I still hurt all the time. It was not nerve pain this time, but constant muscle pain. It seemed that everything I did made it worse.
I finally stopped taking my cholesterol medicine about 5 months ago now. I feel better than I have in years. The muscle pain is gone, although I do get a little tight in the neck and shoulders from time to time. Anyway, I have to say that feeling a little better helped my get to the point I wanted to feel even better. So even though my doctor would rather me take the medication, I probably would not be on this diet right now or trying to exercise - any of it - if I was still taking the medicine that made me feel so bad.
My point here, is that people can get where they cannot even fathom getting up an moving, much less walking or running. The intentions might be great, but the follow through is lacking.
I have to have the healthiest coffee table in America. On it, I have exercise dvd's for Yoga, Pilates, Power Vinyasa,Tai Chi, a 10 minute work out, Zumba dance and belly dancing. I almost feel good enough to put one of those on and go at it. Almost. Haven't got there quite yet, but my coffee table is in great shape.
I have something else wrong that has been a problem for over a decade now. It feels like the connective tissue around my bones is inflamed. All the time. I can feel my ribs and that tenderness is always there, like a bruise. Around 1998 I thought I was having a heart attack. I went to emergency and they ran all sorts of test. Then the Doc came in and asked if he could try something. He wanted to press my chest. When he did, I screamed from pain. He said I had Costocondrititis. Now leave it to me to get something I never heard of. "Costochondritis is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. Repeated minor trauma to the chest wall or viral respiratory infections can commonly cause chest pain due to costochondritis. The reproducible tenderness you feel when you press on the rib joints (costochondral junctions) is a constant feature of costochondritis". (http://www.wedmd.com/).
Well the inflammation had gotten bad enough in the connective tissue around my heart that the pressure was similar to that of a heart attack. Well he put my on a prescription and I went on my way. The tissue has remained painful ever since but not bad enough to pressure on my heart anymore.
I now suspect I might have Tietze syndrome instead. Some doctors (incorrectly) use the terms Costochondritis and Tietze syndrome interchangeably, Tietze syndrome has a sudden onset without any preceding respiratory illness or any history of minor trauma. In Tietze syndrome, there is frequently radiation of pain to arms and shoulders as well as pain and tenderness associated with swelling at the spot that hurts. This seems more in line with how I feel all of the time since my arms, shoulders and neck are affected. I know longer think it was Costocondritis because that eventually goes away and this has not. The recommended treatment for the condition is to take anti-inflammatory drugs, or steroids until the pain goes away. I seldom take anything more than aspirin for pain, and my Doctor knows I will seldom fill a prescription for something that has a lot of side effects.
I may add cherry juice (a natural anti-inflammatory) to me daily diet and see if that helps.
I have to say I am anxious to see what this diet does for this odd condition.
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