The previous couple of posts have been about Dr. Sears, a famed pediatrician, author, and colon cancer survivor. Following up with more of his advice is this quote from the doctor:
HEART DISEASE IS THE #1 KILLER OF BOTH MEN AND WOMEN IN AMERICA!
Today's post is a quote from diabetic specialist Richard K. Bernstein, M.D. Dr. Bernstein stated, "Just because you're diabetic doesn't mean you can't eat well. In fact, you are likely to eat better than the average person who hustles a bagel or donut for breakfast, scrounges fast food for lunch, then does whatever for dinner." I so agree with Dr. Bernstein! In fact I titled my diabetic blog, "Diabetic Enjoying Food," because I do enjoy food. I grew up in Southern Indiana farm country. One thing I have always loved is good food. Yes, I have had to make adjustments to my diet now that I am a diabetic but through much research I have found that I can eat healthy and it still tastes good. In fact, often things taste even better prepared the way I do things now. So if you are a newly diagnosed diabetic, take heart. You have not been condemned to a lifetime of tasteless awful meals. If you want some good recipes, please check out my above-mentioned blog at http://diabeticenjoyingfood.blogspot.com
"Cancer patients who are well fed during treatment enhance their quality of life and improve their chances for recovery." Keith I. Block, MD
Integrative oncologist Donald Abrams, director of clinical programs for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, tells his patients by way of analogy that when it comes to cancer, you need to be a bad host! "I tell them that cancer is a weed, you are the garden, and our job is to make your soil as inhospitable as possible to further growth and spread of the weed. The first approach I take is through diet and nutrition."
"It is well known that decreasing inflammation can help reduce cancer growth, boost treatment efficacy, and diminish side effects. We know that refined flours and sugars, most fast food and soda pop, increase the enzymes that promote inflammatory cascades. This is why I encourage patients to avoid these pro-inflammatory foods and increase ingredients that have anti-inflammatory properties." Keith I Block, MD
"Cancer is a consequence of the complex interplay of genes and environment on the immune system, and diet, as part of the environment, plays a role that can influence cancer's development and treatment." Gerry Mullin, MD, Contributing Editor to Nutrition in Clinical Practice.
"Everything you eat and drink changes the chemistry of your blood. Our cell membranes are lined with fats that are comprised primarily of those we've eaten in the last 90 days." Keith I Block, MD, Medical Director of the Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment and Director of Integrative Medical Education at University of Illinois College of Medicine. Did you note he says, "in the last 90 days"? You cannot change your body overnight. You do it steadily over time! Eating right has to become a habit, a daily way of life.
The foods that help dial down inflammation are also healthy for your heart. You probably know heart disease develops when the arteries supplying the blood to the heart become blocked. Wouldn't you know it? That nasty inflammation is one of the main reasons for those blockages. The immune system thinks cholesterol is an invader. The body's reaction to an invader is to release white blood cells. Donna Arnett, Ph.D, dean of the University of Kentucky College of Public Health and a past president of the AHA says those white cells become lodged in the coronary arteries and eventually turn into plaque. "With continued inflammation, the plaque can build up and rupture and cause a heart attack," Ms. Arnett states. According to her, one of your best strategies for reducing cholesterol is a healthy diet of whole foods and that goes right back to the foods we have featured the past few days.
When eating to dial down inflammation, be sure to include lots of plant-based foods like beans, nuts, and other whole foods. Whole foods help prevent inflammation due to their high fiber and antioxidants. Nuts also have healthy fats. Research shows nuts and beans are the top sources of anti-inflammatory nutrients. Dr. Rakel uses the following phrase to remember the order of protein sources from best to worse, "Roots, Fins, Two Legs, Four Legs:" Roots (beans, nuts), fins (fish), two legs (poultry), four legs (beef and processed meats).
Continuing my posts on 'Eating to Control Stress' we get into another category of foods and that is whole-grains. Yes, whole-grain cereals such as oatmeal, whole-grain breads and pasta can help you reduce stress. Dr. Judith J. Wurtman, co-author of The Serotonin Power Diet has stated that serotonin can only be made when we have certain building blocks in our bloodstream. In order for tryptophan, vitamin B and omega-3 fatty acids to assist in the production of serotonin, you need carbohydrates. Carbs slow down the digestion process, giving the body time to release that feel-good chemical known as serotonin. Note: Be sure you are choosy healthy whole-grain carbs to avoid that big stressor - weight gain!
Your diet has a lot to do with heart health and can ever lower your risk of heart disease. Following are some tips from cardiologist Nieca Goldberg, M.D., medical director of Atria NYC and a clinical associate professor of medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
It is best to get your calcium from food rather than from supplements according to Stephen Honig, M.D. According to Dr Honig, "In general, calcium supplements are not well absorbed - getting it from food is much more effective." Because the body can take in only about 250 mg at a time, try to spread out your intake over the course of the day. A strawberry banana smoothie made with almond milk is a good way to start your day.
Arthritis is a painful disease and what you eat certainly cannot cure arthritis but it can make you feel better or worse! Leslie Bonci, R.D., the director of Sports Nutrition in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburg stated, "Food isn't a panacia, but some can make your joints healthier." She gives the following as her #1 food suggestion to arthritis sufferers to make their lives easier:
It is important to note that not every overweight person is a food addict nor are all food addicts overweight. Many food addicts control their weight with excessive exercise, purging, etc. Food addiction is not measured by body size but by behavior.
Dr. Kimberly Dennis, medical director for Timberline Knolls, a residential treatment center for eating disorders and addiction (in Illinois) said this, "Food addicts lose control when they eat because their brains react on a neurochemical level either to their relationship with food - habitually eating when something unpleasant happens - or substances in the food itself. It is very different from the sedentary person who just eats too many chips."
Tomorrow's post will deal with how food can be equal to crack cocaine.
Melina Jampolis, M.D., an internist specializing in nutrition for weight loss and disease prevention, states, "It's tempting to 'save' your calories if you know you're having dinner at your favorite Italian restaurant." She continued by saying, "But if you do, you'll be famished and eat too much too quickly." She recommends a high-volume and low-calorie snack such as a piece of fruit or a vegetable around 3 or 4 o'clock before going out for a big dinner. She says that snack can actually help you cut calories.
When you refuse yourself an occasional treat you are setting yourself up for failure. Barry Franklin, PH.D. had the following to say when asked about his everyday good health habits: "I am a physiologist in a cardiac rehab lab and a heart patient, so I exercise at least three times a week......and I make very healthy food choices: grilled fish, lots of fruits and vegetables. I allow myself a once-in-a-while piece of cheesecake, because an occasional treat isn't going to do damage; it's your everyday choices that make the difference." So don't feel too bad when you throw in an occasional treat!
When asked what she recommends for keeping weight off and staying at a healthy weight, Dr. Sharon Phelan, professor, department of ob/gyn at the School of Medicine Health Science Center, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, said the following: "I milk it. I have a 12-ounce skim latte every day. I also snack on low-fat cheese sticks and treat myself to frozen yogurt at night-it's cool and calcium-packed, which is key for muscle function and bone health."
Many of you follow Dr. Oz faithfully. I do not but I do notice when he mentions things, I have found to be true. One of those things is drinking green tea for energy. Dr. Oz is quoted as saying, "I drink green tea," when asked what he does for an energy boost. He went on to say, "It has lots of energizing phenols but a quarter of the caffeine of coffee, so I won't get jittery. Avoid sodas and energy drinks, which give you a quick sugar rush but then you crash."
