Hansies Health Report

Eating to Live

Hey there healthnuts! :)

Just wanted to pipe up here that I have been on a diet for only about two weeks and have lost 8 pounds. 

When I say diet, what I really mean is more like 'way of eating" vs. some system of tricking the body into losing weight. 

In my opinion, the author of this diet, and MD named Joel Fuhrman, has come upon the natural diet for man.   He bases his book on about 2,000 studies and observations about how the human body is constructed.  Example: our teeth are not carnivorous.  So why are we making meat our main course?   Our digestive tract and acid levels in the stomach are not conducive to heavy meat eating.  Could this be why meat, eaten in large quantities, tends to get stuck and putrefy rather than convert to energy?

The book should be read before the diet is started.  It really helps to understand why you're eating differently and has given me the foundation of strength to stick with it despite others eating foods my taste buds used to crave.

Here are some benefits I have noticed though:

• Hardly any cravings for bad food at all. 
• Blood sugar is totally stable.  I can go for hours without eating and not feel like a madman
• Losing about a pound a day, a little less now that the first easier pounds are gone
• My taste for foods and appreciation for the taste of simple things like plain lettuce has heightened greatly
• TONS of energy all day long
• My adrenal stress seems to be a thing of the past
• Stopped having adrenal headaches
• Skin seems softer/smoother

That's the short list.  I just feel healther. 

And by the way, this is not just about weight loss. The author points out that here in the West we have diseases that other cultures just don't have.  The big killers are all pretty much coming from what we are eating, not some other mysterious cause.

If you want to get the book from Amazon, there is a link to it on the book section of my blog here.  Eat To Live by Joel Fuhrman. 

To your health!

Welcome to Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss

A friend on Facebook posted this (thanks, Kiva!) and I can't wait to try them.  One of the things you give up when you stop eating a lot of animal products (something I'm doing for at least 6 weeks on the Eat To Live diet) is dairy.  I happen to love coconut milk and we have been sweetening with agave syrup for months now.

So we are all over this.  As a parent this is also excellent.  Our kids like sweets like any kid, but the stuff out there today is full of corn syrup; and we like the idea of giving them alternatives to dairy products (especially when they have colds).

Welcome to Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss.

Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss is a satisfying, delicious, and healthy alternative to dairy and soy-based frozen desserts. Made from a base of naturally rich coconut milk and sweetened with agave syrup, Luna & Larry's Coconut Bliss is certified organic, 100% vegan, kosher pareve, and made with certified fair trade ingredients.

Is the appendix actually useful?

Here's a little info that suggests that the appendix might have a place in the world. Many thanks to Dr. Mercola for surfacing this one. Read his comments on the matter and the full article here.

Your appendix is a small dead-end tube connected to a
section of your large intestine. It has long been thought to be a
vestigial remnant of some other organ, but there is little evidence for
an appendix in our evolutionary ancestors. Few mammals have any
appendix at all, and the appendices of those that do bears little
resemblance to the human one.

Some researchers now believe that the appendix is a
“safe house” for commensal bacteria, the symbiotic germs
that aid digestion and help protect against disease-causing germs.

The appendix is isolated from the rest of the gut, with an
opening smaller than a pencil lead. In times of trouble, such as an
infection that flushes the system, these commensal bacteria could hide
out there, ready to repopulate the gut when the danger is past.

Biofilms, colonies of beneficial microbes, form in your
large intestine. They aid digestion and protect against infection,
while enjoying the protection and nutrition of the human host.
Researchers have found biofilms on the epithelial lining of the
appendix as well.

Sources:

• New York Times June 17, 2008

• The Journal of Theoretical Biology December 21, 2007; 249(4):826-31

Fermented Foods Are What You Need

Self-serve olive bars are becoming so popular in many Washington supermarkets that storeowners are now offering expanded "antipasto" bars, heaped high with pickles, pickled peppers, mushrooms, artichokes and other tangy pickled and marinated foods, according to The Seattle Times.

This growing trend in both health/natural and regular commercial supermarkets across the country is theoretically good news for health-conscious consumers looking to increase their digestive, cardiovascular and immune health, since these traditionally lacto-fermented foods are some of the oldest and healthiest on the planet. Yet, the key phrase you absolutely must watch for if you want to achieve the amazing health benefits is traditionally lacto-fermented, as not all of these tasty condiments are created equal.

The Wonderful Health Benefits of Traditionally
Lacto-Fermented Foods

Olives, pickles, grass-fed cheese,
wine, yogurt, sauerkraut and the seasoned, aged sausages the French
call "charcuterie" are some of this category’s most
popular delicacies.

Though the term "fermented" sounds vaguely distasteful,
the results of this ancient preparation and preservation technique
-- produced through the breakdown of carbohydrates and proteins
by microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts and molds -- are actually
delicious. Even more so, they are so beneficial to overall health
that some of these "functional foods" are now considered
to be "probiotics," increasing your overall nutrition,
promoting the growth of friendly intestinal bacteria, and aiding
digestion and supporting immune function, including an increase
in B vitamins (even Vitamin B12), omega-3 fatty acids, digestive
enzymes, lactase and lactic acid, and other immune chemicals that
fight off harmful bacteria and even cancer cells.

More at Mercola.com

This Company May Be the Biggest Threat to Your Future Health - Articles

If you don't know about the Genetically Modified foods situation, you should look into this.  It is something we all need to know about.  It literally could do as Dr. Mercola reports here in this article--wipe out our supply of food on this planet.  Monsanto needs to be checked before they make this planet unlivable.

Link: This Company May Be the Biggest Threat to Your Future Health - Articles.

Monsanto, which was a plain old chemical business before it rechristened itself a "life sciences" company, and started using bioengineering to develop genetically altered crops, is one of the biggest threats to both mankind and the earth today. They have both the capability and the ruthless drive to, more or less single-handedly, destroy the world’s natural biodiversity and food supply for their own profit.

Complicating the picture further, Monsanto is also deeply entrenched with the pharmaceutical industry. Pharmacia Corporation was created in April 2000 through the merger of Pharmacia & Upjohn with Monsanto Company and its G.D. Searle unit. Few people ever make the connection between GMO crops and the sale of drugs.

Is Your Fish a Fraud? : DivineCaroline

Ewwwww!

Link: Is Your Fish a Fraud? : DivineCaroline.

What do Butterfish, White Tuna, Hawaiian Walu and Snake Mackerel have in common? They may all be nothing more than Escolar, a cheap and readily available fish. And here's the bizarre part: There's nothing fraudulent about markets, restaurants and sushi bars all using those names.

And to add insult to injury, Escolar often contains high levels of indigestible wax esters, similar to Olestra, the infamous fat substitute. This, in short, can cause anal leakage.

Genetically Modified Foods

"When eminent scientist Arpad Pusztai went public about his accidental discovery that genetically modified (GM) potatoes severely damage the immune system and organs of rats, he was suspended from the prestigious Scottish research institute where he had worked for thirty-five years. He was silenced with threats of a lawsuit while the Institute denied or distorted his findings." Read more at: www.wanttoknow.info

"You're already on drugs!"

A Healthy Halloween (Well, HealthIER anyway)

This a very interesting article about what maybe making kids so irritable and hyper not just after Halloween, but at other times during the year.

What day do teachers call "the worst day of the year"? You guessed it - the day after America's biggest candy holiday. But if you think we're talking about too much sugar as the cause of Halloween Hangover, please think again.

Read more:  Feingold Program.

Life Extension Daily News

Link: Life Extension Daily News.

If improving your state of nutrition made your list of New Year's resolutions, you may be saying a fond farewell to a few of your favorite foods and beverages. The good news is that it's probably not necessary to pull the plug on your morning coffee.

For years, coffee has been viewed as a guilty pleasure by some, and a major health hazard by others. In the past decade, however, a growing body of scientific evidence supports the notion that moderate coffee consumption offers a number of perks for the body and brain.

Coffee may not be classified as a health elixir, but since it's made by brewing beans, there's no denying that it's a plant-based beverage. Like other plant foods, including fruits and vegetables, coffee is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants.