Begin with the End in Mind

Where do you envision your life in the next year?  Maybe the next 10 years?  What about your health?  Do you wanting to be climbing the mountains of Switzerland or are you just content to live your life in your home town spending time with friends?

Just as planning your financial future takes forethought and energy, so does taking care of your health.

If you want to remain energetic, healthy and vibrant then your diet and exercise regime needs to be managed on a daily basis.  If it does not matter all that much, stop reading this blog and hopefully your genes will carry you to where you want to go.

Daily I hear “I just don’t have time to fit in exercise” or “life is too short not to eat what I want,” or “I just want the brownie or fries or whatever I happen to come across.”

Let’s be real.  Some days are like that.  However, if one day leads to a concession of days your health may suffer the consequences.

Exercise cures a multitude of sins.  I know I sound like a broken record…but not being able to fit in 30 minutes of exercise a few days of the week?  Those 30 minutes exponentially leads to a substantially lowered risk of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and Alzheimer’s.  A new study just last week showed women exercising just 1 hour per week showed positive results in their blood work and health.

Clean unadulterated food without a label is food the body can readily accept and use for your health.  Processed packaged food was never intended for the body – hence creating metabolic and health issues with long term consumption.

Take home message? 

If you want to be healthy and live out your current and later years with good health you can’t afford the time NOT to exercise and eat well.  We were designed to move and eat real whole foods.

I plan to visit as many countries as I can before my life is done with energy and gusto for culture, life and fun.  Let me know if you want to join me.

Peel over Pill for Prevention

After attending the Natural Foods Expo in Los Angeles you might have been led to believe the way to eating “naturally” is to pop a pill or drink a beverage laced with green tea extract, quercetin, or Curcumin.  These hot breaking news nutrients can have tremendous benefits for your health.

But are taking supplements really “natural?”  Can we take what is in Mother Nature and replicate the benefits in a pill?  So far the research is leaning towards eating your nutrients.  However, the lure of a magic pill for benefiting your health remains.  Here’s what we know right now:

So far we’ve identified about 13,000 nutrients in foods known as phytochemicals or phytonutrients.  Phytochemicals are substances that plants naturally contains to protect themselves against sunlight, bacteria or viruses and oxidation – kind of like a natural sunscreen. Simply put, once we eat these plants, our immunity increases, and we become more resistant to diseases such as cancer, heart disease and other medical problems.

It is estimated there are over 100 phytochemicals in just one serving of a fruit or vegetable.  For example, a carrot can contain as many as 100 different carotenoids, whereas a beta carotene supplement has only one type of carotenoid.  Furthermore, you receive the benefit of the fiber and fullness of the actual food when you eat the carrot.

Apples contain the phytonutrient quercetin.  Extensive research by food scientist Rui Hai Liu at Cornell University found that both the apple skin and the fruit contain nutrients to help lower cholesterol and inhibit or kill cancer cells.

Curcumin is responsible for the yellow color in the popular Indian curry spice turmeric.  Known for being an anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant, some research shows turmeric can be helpful in preventing development of medical issues related to oxidative damage such as cancer and heart disease.

UCLA Neurologist John Ringman studied Curcumin supplements in Alzheimer’s patients.  The study results showed no differences in patients treated with Curcumin supplements versus a placebo.  However, this study and others do show Curcumin has poor or uncertain absorption when taken in supplement form versus used as a food spice.

Tea contains a type of phytonutrient called EGCG.  Green tea contains the most EGCG of all the varieties of tea.  However, all tea leaves are good sources.  EGCG has been linked with a lower risk of heart disease and lower cholesterol levels. It is also associated with reduced rates of prostate, stomach and colon cancer.  However, studies to date show drinking the tea has the most potent and effective benefits.

The discovery of nutrients in foods is ongoing.  The research shows eating your phytochemicals through food instead of popping a pill is currently the path to health and definitely more “natural.”  I guess Mom was right when she told us to eat a balanced diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables.  Make sure to consume a mixture of color to obtain your phytonutrient needs.  Remember, it’s prevention, not prescription!

Omega 3's for Health?

Why all the hype about Omega-3 fatty acids, and what exactly are they good for? The history of fats is a long complex one we will save for another blog. The important thing to know for now is that Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat or one that is liquid at room temperature. Another type of polyunsaturated fat is known as Omega-6 fatty acids and it is vital to know the difference.

Omega-3 fatty acids are critical to keeping the cells of your body healthy and flexible so good nutrients can get in and waste can get out. They have what is known as an “anti-inflammatory effect” in the body versus the “pro-inflammatory” effect that omega-6 fatty acids have. Think of what happens when you sprain your ankle and it swells – this can happen internally to the body when your diet is out of whack and you are not getting the right types of fats.

The 3 types of omega-3 fatty acids have long chemical names but let’s stick with the abbreviations: ALA, DHA, and EPA. ALA is found in high concentrations in ground flax seeds and DHA and EPA are found in fish and fish oil It is thought that 85% of Americans are deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids which has lead to many types of medical problems including heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, depression, Alzheimer’s, and cancer to name a few.

Olive oil is the main one that contains large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Most other oils are high in omega-6: vegetable, corn, sunflower, safflower, soybean. Canola oil is a genetically modified product (see blog 4/9/09) and therefore not recommended.

Multiple research studies in the past year have proven:

Daily intake of DHA and EPA (fish oil) can lower triglyceride levels by 25-30% which can subsequently lower risk of heart disease and diabetes

EPA taken daily by patients with colorectal cancer had suppression of cancer cell growth

After supplementing for 4 weeks with EPA/DHA, subjects displayed significantly lower levels of depression compared to controls

Supplementing with DHA and DPA delayed the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by reducing inflammation in the brain

Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis taking omega-3 fatty acids had significant reduction of their pain intensity, morning stiffness and joint pain and were able to lower their pain medications

Taking EPA/DHA during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy contributes significantly to both neurological and visual development of the baby besides improved mood of the Mother

The ALA in ground flax seed contains a lignan, a type of phytoestrogen that is thought to have a role in prevention of breast cancer. Since the lignan can bind to estrogen receptors, estrogen related cancers are minimized

The take home message is you can’t afford NOT to take omega-3 fatty acids for health and prevention of disease. To get your omega-3’s I recommend a daily intake of:

1. 1 tablespoon per day of ground flax seed for ALA
2. At least 1000 mg. each of DHA and EPA from fish oil or fatty fish
3. Use olive oil as your main oil and minimize other oils