Memba me?

Joanie spoke with Dr. Joel Furhman, the author of one of Dr. Oz’s and of course one of my favorite books, Eat To Live. His new book, Super Immunity was the topic and holy Moses it sounds like a must read!

 Before I can say anything else, I have to mention what Dr. Furhman threw in about meat. He was explaining fast food meat to be low quality, junk food meat. Ok, we’ve heard that before. Here is one I had yet to hear until this morning; low quality meat is fed low quality food. Well, I knew that part too, but one of the low quality items? Defective candy (still in the wrapper), stale gummy bears, bakery waste and blood meal. Hadn’t heard that. There is actually a regulated upper limit for the amount of old, banged up candy that can be fed to cattle.

Google this: candy fed to cows. You’ll have some fun reading material there! I think we will be taking a very long break from Happy Meals in this home.

Back to Super Immunity. The book asks us to focus on micronutrients, rather than macro. No more obsessing about carbs/proteins/fat. Instead, focus on the “superfoods” and getting in the vitamins. Funny, I just heard the same thing from Angela at SynfullyFit.com a few weeks back.

Dr. Furhman likened the United States to a country of Cocaine addicts. We can’t stop ingesting what is killing us.   There just happens to be plenty of pills to offset the side effects of our foods. Meaning ,those with high blood pressure or cholesterol can take the right drug and there will be no need to change ones diet, the drugs blinds us to the problem. What a sneaky solution.  He mentioned that Cocaine kills a good 100,000 people a year in this country. Poor nutrition and lack of exercise kills half of us. Half of us!

He continued on about how fake foods are totally addictive and drive serious cravings. As I sipped my iced mocha and nodded, I thought I was safe eating my Peet’s scone. High calorie, yes, but awful…no. Scones are not fake food. Wrong sistah!

White flour is made to be “clean looking” using Alloxen, a chemical that destroys the beta cells of the pancreas. There was all kinds of talk about a flour and sugar connection to Cancer. I couldn’t follow. I was too busy drowning in my carbohydrate tears.

He went on to argue the idea that we could stop heart disease and Cancer if we chose to. Great, I’m feeding my kids on their way to heart disease and Cancer. That’s IT! I’m moving my family to a remote village in Africa where we only eat bugs and dirt. Sorry, gonna reel it back in here.

Last month was all about Breast Cancer. I flippin’ hate BC. It’s not pretty just because it is pink. Stupid BC took my grandma (Nana as in banana) long before she was ready. I have a sweet friend from church who is killing her BC off right now. I hate it. It sucks. I hope by posting some of Dr. Furhman’s info below I am not being insensitive. He strongly believes Cancer is environmental, lifestyle and nutritional in cause.

Seven key weapons against breast cancer that work

Be proactive and adjust your diet and lifestyle to achieve a high level of health, so that any abnormal cells never can overcome your body’s powerful immune defenses. Early, pre-cancerous changes in the breast can be normalized by nutritional excellence. Women can prevent breast cancer and even if they have cancer they can significantly increase their survival with nutritional excellence. Read Eat For Health, understand nutritional excellence. The best way a women can protect themselves from breast cancer is:

1. Do not drink alcohol and of course do not smoke anything
2. Do not take any type of estrogen, and avoid drugs (especially antibiotics).
3. Have babies and nurse them as long as possible,
4. Eat a high nutrient, vegetable-based diet, with loads of greens as described in my book, Eat For Health.
5. Take sufficient Vitamin D supplementation to drive the blood level to 35 – 50 ng/ml.
6. Use one tablespoon of ground flax seeds daily.
7. Don’t grill or fry foods. Steaming vegetables or vegetable soups should be the primary modes of cooking.
8. Exercise at least 3 hours a week, and maintain a lean body with little body fat.

Green vegetables are the most powerful anti-breast cancer food. Take note that a vegetarian diet does not show protection against breast cancer as much as a diet rich in green vegetables, berries and seeds. Many vegans eat a high glycemic, nutritionally poor diet, and do not take sufficient Vitamin D, leaving themselves at high risk of cancer. It is the phytochemical nutrient density and diversity of the diet that offers the most dramatic protection against cancer, not merely the avoidance of meat or fat. Close to 300 case-controlled studies show a protective effect of vegetable consumption against cancer and that cruciferous vegetables are the foods with the most powerful anti-cancer effects of all foods. While eating fresh fruits, beans, vegetables, seeds and nuts have been all been shown in scientific studies to reduce occurrence of cancer, cruciferous vegetables are different. Instead of a 1 to 1 relationship they have 1 to 2 relationship with a wide variety of human cancers. In other words, as plant food intake goes up 20% in a population, cancer rates typically drop 20%, but as cruciferous vegetables go up 20%, cancer rates drop 40%.⁷

Bottom line, eat lots of greens and don’t forget to take your Vitamin D every day.

Number one was no drinking? Someone forgot to mention to Dr. F. that wine can be good for you. Maybe not for your liver, but good for your heart and sometimes your mothering skills. I rarely drink. One drink a month would be overestimating. Wouldn’t you know that I have a big fat glass of vino with me as I type this tonight. Go fig.

I know that was a lot of words. Sorry to be posting heavy stuff. That reminds me of my mom, she always quotes some song, “He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.” It’s from 1969. Still not getting that reference, mom. So long story short (I learned that whenever someone says that, it’s too late), eat healthier.

Sometimes, I think it would be better to live before the Industrial Revolution. Farm my own stuff. No car insurance payments. Oh wait, that also means no epidural either. Nevamind!