Happy Healthy Long Life

Revisiting Raw Pumpkin Buckwheat Breakfast Pudding, Avoiding a Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis Surprise, Big Belt Sizes Spell Trouble, a Plant-Based Success Story & Recipe Favorites

Raw Pumpkin Pie Buckwheat Breakfast Bliss Pudding - Four Hours of Fullness

 

If you received this post via email, click here, to get to the web version with all the more readable links, or to post a comment.

 

On Friday morninng I felt like having something different for breakfast.  Not oatmeal, not pancakes, not soy yogurt.  Hmm.  Raw Pumpkin Pie Buckwheat Breakfast pudding, it was going to be.  

I had forgotten how delicious & filling this alternative breakfast can be!  Don't miss it.  Just be sure you use well-soaked buckwheat groats, & take care with your VitaMix--it's quite a heavy mixing load.

But, first things first.  When I looked up my recipe, lo & behold,  I serendipitously rediscovered this pretty interesting post from last August, that I had forgotten about.

Interesting because it's got some cautionary news for men wearing big belts (big belt sizes, to be precise).

Interesting because it shares an inspiring story of a fit-but-not-quite-heart-healthy thirty-something friend of my kids who went on a plant-based experiment--and improved his lipids so much that he was able to ditch the statins he'd been on since his twenties.

Interesting because it shares information from Dr. Gabe Mirkin about the sub-group of type-2 diabetics who aren't overweight--a not too common scenario--that is more difficult to treat than the garden-variety of Type-2 diabetes caused by excess body weight & lack of exercise.

Interesting because of a recent email I received from a reader who is an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse who has been following a high-carb, low-fat, plant-based diet & was completely taken by surprise by her own pre-diabetes symptoms.  I'm certain, she's not alone.

She got tested & she suggested I alert readers to the importance of having an annual HbA1c Test, (commonly known as the A1C Test)  because when it comes to Type-2 diabetes, "there are no symptoms early in the disease."   Sure, we are all different.  Different metabolisms, different bodies, different medical histories, different genes, different ethnic susceptibilities to diabetes, different exercise routines, different "lean to fat" body mass.  Just passing on her story.  

I know I plan to discuss this with my doctor next month when I see her, especially since my electronic "My Chart" says I'm way overdue for my fasting blood glucose tolerance test.  It was last taken three years ago.

You can read all about the HbA1c Test for diagnosing prediabetes & type-2 diabetes, here.  Information is from the NIH National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.  As always, discuss this with your physician & find out what the best screening tool is for you.

 

Here's what "C, APRN" recently wrote:

 

"Yes, I was following the No Fat, ALL whole grain, abundant vegetables diet--just as you do.

My one tell-tale sign, that all was not well, were tiny love handles at my waist that I could not get rid of--no matter how careful with the diet and exercise I was--especially after stopping my tiny dose of bio-identical HRT.

Please let your readers know that if someone continues to have these mild symptoms:

• abdominal fat
• intense hunger before meals
• visual changes, feeling slightly 'high' or sleepy after eating a high carb meal
• frequent or nocturnal urination (all symptoms I had that resolved when I changed my diet)

PLEASE encourage them to consider having their HgA1c or 1-2 hour post-prandial blood glucose checked.  I'm so grateful that I did--and that I followed up on my own result (as it was 5.6--still in the 'normal' column and the doctor didn't notice) before being diagnosed. 

To be diagnosed 'prediabetic'  by a clinician, you must have an A1c of 5.7-6.4 which means your blood glucoses have been running in the 140-199 range after meals for quite a long time.   Micro vascular 'consequences' of DM (diabetes) begin with a PP (post-meal) glucose of 140.

 
 

And speaking of type-2 diabetes, some "hot-off-the-press" research drives home the importance of avoiding the unhealthy combo of fat & sugar (desserts!! cookies! brownies!!)--and the importance of exercise & increasing that lean body mass to prevent this highly preventable disease.  Articles here and here.  

From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's latest newsletter, "Best to Eat Just Before or After Exercise" May 26, 2013:

 

Best to Eat Just Before or After Exercise

Two recent major articles show that the most healthful time to eat is just before or after you exercise. When you eat sugar, it is used for energy and a small amount is stored in your muscles and liver. All the rest is turned into a fat called triglycerides that make you fat, form plaques in your arteries, and block insulin receptors which can cause diabetes. One study shows that exercise prevents the rise in triglycerides that follows eating sugar (Diabetes, May 14, 2013). The second study shows that exercising after eating sugar prevents the expected sharp rise in blood sugar levels, and the high rise in insulin that constricts arteries to cause heart attacks (J Atheroscler Thromb, April 19, 2013).

 

How Exercise Protects You

Every cell in your body is like a balloon full of fluid. A high rise in blood sugar after eating causes sugar to stick to the outer surface membranes of cells. Once there, sugar cannot get off the cell. It is eventually converted to sorbitol that destroys the cell to cause every known side effect of diabetes: heart attacks, strokes, blindness, deafness, dementia, impotence, loss of feeling and so forth. Many North Americans suffer very high rises in blood sugar even though they have never been diagnosed as being diabetic.

Resting muscles draw almost no sugar from the bloodstream and require insulin to draw any sugar from the bloodstream. Contracting muscles draw sugar from the bloodstream without even needing insulin. The harder you exercise, the more sugar muscles pull out of the bloodstream. This effect is maximal during intense exercise, diminishes rapidly one hour after you finish exercising and disappears completely around 17 hours after you finish exercising. If you eat before you exercise or within an hour after you finish exercising, your muscles are far more sensitive to insulin and can draw sugar far more rapidly from the bloodstream.

Guess what?  In case you didn't know:  You don't have to be overweight to be at risk for type-2 diabetes.  You can be "skinny-fat" from a diet of too much fat & sugar, and if your muscles are puny or non-existent.

Here's what Dr. Robert H. Lustig had to say on the subject on NPR's Science Friday blog, 1/10/13, "The Fallacy of Biblical Proportion":

 

Here’s the kicker. "Being thin is not a safeguard against metabolic disease or early death. a full 40% of normal-weight individuals harbor insulin resistance—a sign of chronic metabolic disease—which will likely shorten their life expectancy.

Of those, 20% demonstrate liver fat on MRI of the abdomen. Liver fat, irrespective of the rest of body fat, has been shown to be a major risk factor for the development of diabetes. You think you’re safe? You are SO screwed. And you don’t even know it."

 

  Time to Revisit the Chock Full of Info Post I Rediscovered While Searching for Pumpkin Buckwheat Pudding 8/14/12

 

Before the Recipes - Three Links I Don't Want You to Miss

 

 

The Unmentionable Link Between Belt Size, Belly Fat, and Sexual & Urinary Problems in Men Over 40

 

 

Hey, guys, this one's for you.

Take a careful look at the table--the one above, I mean--and what happens as belt size increases.

As a Man's Belt Size Increases, So Does His Risk of Sexual and Urinary Dysfunction.

After age 40, if your waist size is over 39.37 inches, bad things can start to happen.

Read the Press Release Here

The article was just published in BJU International 110(4):540-545, August 2012,  Lee, RJ et al "Central Obesiity as measured by waist circumference is predictive of severity of lower urinary tract symptoms"  Article abstract here

 

 

"As a man's waistline grows, so can his experience with sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, say researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

'We have to think of the body in a much more holistic way. What we eat can have devastating consequences on more than just our hearts,' Dr. Kaplan says. 'Quality of life issues, such as sexual and voiding health, can be affected as well in drastic ways.'

The study, published in the August issue of the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI), is the first to comprehensively show that obesity in men affects not just their hearts and metabolism, but also their sexual and urinary health."

The GOOD NEWS: Additional findings conducted since this study was completed show that eliminating just 2.5 inches from the belly's circumference may lead to measurable improvement in sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, says Dr. Stephen Kaplan.

 

This really isn't hot-off-the-press news.  Click here & here for the old news.

 

One Skeptical Thirty-Something's Plant-Based Experiment

 

I posted this link on Facebook last week & it received an enthusiastic response.

Just in case you missed it....

My kids know JJ & his wife, so this success story has even more significance for me.

Here's a fit young man (around the age of my kids) who had been on statins (for very good reasons) since his twenties.

Now he's not.  

JJ's wife wrote last week:

"My husband has been plant-based (dietary vegan) for a year.

It started as an experiment to see whether eating this way would have a positive impact on his cholesterol.  He thought he could improve his lipids by increasing his running.  That strategy didn't work. 

He blogged about his experience today and I thought you might be interested in reading his story.

As a side-note, it has been eye opening for us to see how becoming plant-based has changed our view of the world in a positive way. We think more about our animals, our environment and our future. All great side effects that pharmaceuticals could never offer."

Don't miss JJ's brief, but motivating post here.

 

 

Dr. Gabe Mirkin Talks Type-2 DIabetes

So, What About about Type-2 Diabetics Who are Thin?

I'm a big fan of Dr. Gabe Mirkin's.  His weekly newletter is a must-read.   Mirkin has a wonderful way of making medical research & concepts easy to understand.

 

This week he did an excellent job of explaining  a very curious study published last week in JAMA that counter-intuitively found patients who were of normal weight at the time of their type-2 diabetes diagnosis (about 12% of those diagnosed) were at a greater risk of mortality, than those who were overweight or obese at time of diagnosis.  Hmm.  Curious, right?

Obesity Does Not Protect Diabetics

(From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's August 12, 2012 Newsletter)

"This week, a study showed that people who have normal weight at the time of their diagnosis of diabetes are twice as likely to die over the next 10 to 30 years as those who are overweight at the time of diagnosis (Journal of the American Medical Association. August 8, 2012).

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT OBESITY PROTECTS DIABETICS FROM DEATH. It means that if you are thin when you develop diabetes, you have a type of diabetes that is more likely to kill you.

THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DIABETES:

• Type II diabetes is most commonly caused by inability of your cells to respond to insulin. When blood sugar levels rise too high, your pancreas releases large amounts of insulin. Insulin then attaches on insulin receptors, special hooks on the outer membranes of cells. Then it drives sugar into cells.
• ANYTHING THAT PREVENTS INSULIN FROM ATTACHING TO ITS RECEPTORS CAN CAUSE DIABETES.
• If insulin cannot attach to its receptors, it cannot drive sugar into cells. This causes blood sugar levels to rise too high, and sugar attaches to the outer membranes of cells. Sugar attached to cell membranes is eventually converted to sorbitol which destroys the cells. This cell destruction is what causes all of the known side effects of diabetes.
• FULL FAT CELLS BLOCK INSULIN RECEPTORS. Fat inside cells prevents insulin from attaching to its receptors, so having extra fat in your body causes diabetes.

STORING FAT PRIMARILY IN YOUR BELLY IS A SIGN OF DIABETES

• Insulin causes fat to be stored in the belly, so almost all people with big bellies and small buttocks have high insulin levels because their cells cannot respond to insulin, and the pancreas responds by producing excessive amounts of insulin.
• Most people who store a lot of fat in their bellies and have small buttocks already have diabetes or are pre-diabetic.

LACK OF MUSCLES CAN CAUSE DIABETES

• Muscles help to prevent blood sugar levels from rising too high and damaging the cells in your body. Resting muscles are inactive and draw no sugar from the bloodstream. On the other hand, contracting muscles actively remove sugar from the bloodstream and don't even need insulin to do this.

WHY ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE FAT WHEN THEY ARE DIAGNOSED EASY TO CURE?

• Virtually all people who are fat when they develop diabetes can cure their diabetes by losing weight.
• When they empty their muscle, liver and fat cells of fat, these cells can once again respond to insulin. Blood sugar levels drop and the person is no longer diabetic.

WHY ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT FAT WHEN THEY ARE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES MORE DIFFICULT TO CURE?

• More than 90 percent of diabetics are overweight. Thin people who develop diabetes do not have full fat cells.
• They are diabetic because their pancreas does not make enough insulin. We have drugs to make the pancreas put out more insulin, but we do not have drugs to permanently make the pancreas produce normal amounts of insulin.
• Their muscles are so small that they do not remove sugar from the bloodstream adequately.
• Lifting weights would help, but growing large muscles is beyond the motivation of most people with small muscles. It takes a lot of consistent painful resistance exercise to grow larger muscles.
• They may have other hormone abnormalities that are far more difficult to treat.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES, STORE FAT PRIMARILY IN YOUR BELLY, HAVE A VERY SMALL BUTTOCKS, HAVE A FASTING BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL ABOVE 100, OR HAVE AN HBA1C ABOVE 5.7?

• Immediately try to lose fat by eating less and exercising more
• Start a supervised exercise program and try to exercise every day
• Start a supervised weight lifting program to grow larger muscles
• Avoid all sugared drinks except when you exercise
• Avoid all sugar-added foods
• Avoid red meat (saturated fat from animals blocks insulin receptors)
• Eat large amounts of vegetables and fruits 
• Get your blood levels of hydroxy-vitamin D above 75 nmol/L"

 

Let the Recipes Begin

 

I promised to share these three recent recipes that I love, today, while I have a little free time!

So, dear readers, here you go.

I may not have much time to post anything until after Labor Day, so it's now or never.

 

• Raw Power-Packed Pumpkin Pie Buckwheat Breakfast Pudding.  This one is a no-maple-syrup riff off of "Oh She Glows"  Carrot Cake Buckwheat Porridge, which is fabulous, BTW!   Angela is an amazing recipe developer, & I never would have considering eating raw buckwheat for breakfast if not for her.  Oh She Glows, Rocks!!
• Creamy Chipotle Sauce/Dressing - Two versions.  A cashew more caloric/fat version & a creamy chia low-fat version.  The credit for this one goes to Son #1.  It's his creation.
• No-Sugar No-Fat Blueberry Peach Oat Cobbler.  Just my tiny tweaks to Cathy Fisher's AMAZING Straight Up Food Recipe.  Thank you, Cathy!  

 

 Power-Packed Raw Pumpkin Buckwheat Breakfast Pudding

 

Buckwheat Breakfast Bliss Made in a Blender - Enough for Five Days

 

What Raw Buckwheat Groats Look Like After an Overnight Soaking

 

Looking for a change to your breakfast routine?

Want to expand beyond everyday oatmeal?  

Not that there's anything wrong with oatmeal.

Give raw buckwheat groats a try.

This is so easy to make, loaded with nutrition & taste, and this recipe makes enough to last for five days.

Buckwheat is the highest source of protein in the plant kingdom, with 50% more B-vitamins than wheat. And it's gluten-free.

Did I mention that it's high in lysine--an important "not-so-easy-to-get" amino acid---and it's high in that "hard-to-find" soluble fiber that slows down digestion, which is helpful for keeping blood sugar levels stable.  A plus for diabetics.

It's so satisfying, & I'll vouch for the claim that buckwheat is a slow-release carb. This breakfast keeps me full for four hours.  Really.

Gas-free (unlike steel-cut oats), too!  A definite plus.  Maybe it's because of the soaking.  

What's the big deal about buckwheat?   For starters, it's not really a cereal grain, but a seed, related to rhubarb & sorrel.  It's rich in flavanoids, like the antioxidant, rutin, loads of B Vitamins, sky-high in magnesium, potassium, & phosphorus, & it helps to lower glucose levels.

Read everything you'd ever want to know about buckwheat here and here, in case I missed anything.

As if that's not enough--the pumpkin in this pudding gives you a mega-high dose of beta-carotene, along with chia for an antioxidant & omega-3 booster shot.

Definitely, one delicious, power-packed breakfast.

Just one serving of my pumpkin buckwheat pudding will give you over 180% of your daily requirement for vitamin A, in the form of alpha and beta carotene.  Pumpkin, and other deep orange winter squashes are about as good as it gets in the carotene department.

Need a powerful incentive to load up daily on alpha-carotene?  Check out this article in the November 22, 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, "Serum Alpha-Carotene Concentrations and Risk of Death Among US Adults"

"[O]ur findings, based on data from a large representative sample of US adults, showed that serum alpha-carotene concentrations were inversely associated with the risk of death from all causes, and death from cardiovascular diseases and cancer.  These findings support increasing fruit and vegetable consumption as a means of preventing premature death."

 

For a copy of the recipe on one page, click here.

For a copy of the recipe on RECIPAGE, click here.

Servings:  5 one cup servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of raw buckwheat groats  (available from Nuts.com or Bob's Red Mill or your health food store)  Not the same as toasted buckwheat or Kasha   Note: soak overnight in 4 to 5 cups of water, or for 1 hour, minimum.
• 1-1/4 cup of non-dairy milk.  I prefer Eden Extra Plain Soymilk because of its protein, vitamin, & mineral content
• 3 tablespoons of chia seeds
• 1 ripe (speckled) banana
• 2-3 pitted dates  (can add 1-2 packets of stevia if you want a sweeter pudding)
• 1-15 ounce can of 100% Pumpkin (like Libby's)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• raisins & toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top of individual servings.

 

Preparation:

1.  Add the raw groats to large bowl, & soak in 4-5 cups of water.  I let them soak overnight, but they need to soak for 1 hour, minimum.  Overnight soaking is easy.

2.  After soaking, rinse well a couple of times to remove the gelatinous coating.  

3.  The original 2 cups of soaked groats expand to 4 cups.  Reserve 1 cup to add back to the final pudding at the end.

4.  Add the rinsed groats, minus the reserved cup, the "milk", the chia, the pumpkin, the banana, the dates, the vanilla, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg to a blender or processor. I use a VitaMix.  Blend well.

5.  Taste, add a little stevia is you want a sweeter taste.

6.  Pour everything into a large bowl, then mix in the reserved cup of whole groats.  This gives it a nice nutty crunchy taste & texture without the calories of nuts.

7.  Garnish 1 cup servings with a few raisins & toasted walnuts.

8.  Refrigerate the leftovers & enjoy 5 days of buckwheat breakfast pudding.

 

The nutriton info is based on a one-cup serving

Check out the protein, fiber, iron, & vitamin A content.  Oh, baby!

Nutrition Facts The Healthy Librarian's Pumpkin Pie Raw Buckwheat Pudding
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	366
Total Fat	5.1g
Saturated Fat	0.3g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	29mg
Carbohydrate	73.9g
Dietary Fiber	13.6g
Sugars	14.8g
Protein	14.7g
Vitamin A 188% Vitamin C 5% Calcium    7% Iron 15%

 

 

"Knock Your Socks Off" Creamy Chipotle Topping - Two Ways - Creamy Cashew or Creamy "Nut-Free" Chia

 

 

 Creamy Chipotle Topping Made with 1/2 Cup of Cashews

Chipotle Topping Face-Off: Creamy Chia Chipotle Topping on the Bottom, Creamy Cashew Chipotle on the Top

 Creamy Chia Chipotle on the Left - Creamy Cashew Chipotle on the Right

 

 The Secret Ingredients to Creamy Chipotle Chia Topping - Blends in a Flash

 

To get the chipotle topping recipes on one page, click here. 

We set up a fabulous taco bar one night during our family beach vacation in July.

Son #1 put me in charge of whipping up a creamy chipotle dressing.  I followed his directions & used his made-up-in-his-head-off-the-cuff recipe.  He makes this a lot in his own home.

Trust me, this topping can make a mediocre dish into a spectacular one.

Use it as a topping for tacos, enchiladas, burgers, or salads.

I brought it into work for a taste test, & everyone went wild over it.  Swooned.  Wanted the recipe.  It's so yummy.

Here's Son #1's very simple recipe: 

Creamy Chipotle Cashew Topping

Serves 8 - 1 tablespoon servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of raw cashews soaked in 1/2 cup of water for at least an hour.  Longer is fine.
• 3-4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 coarsely chopped garlic cloves, less to taste
• 1/2 to 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.  Sizes vary, so go slowly--you can always add more
• a few grains of coarse sea salt to taste

Preparation:

1.  Soak the raw cashews for at least one hour in 1/2 cup of water

2.  Into a power blender (VitaMix works best) add the cashews AND the soaking water, the garlic, the lime juice, & the chipotle.

3.  Blend well until the cashews are a creamy, silky consistency.  Check for taste.  Add more chipotle, if you like.

4.  Add a few grains of salt to taste.

 

Nutrition Facts for a 1 tablespoon serving

Nutrition Facts The Healthy Librarian's Creamy Chipotle Cashew Topping Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 46 Total Fat 3.3g       Saturated Fat 0.8g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 18mg Carbohydrate 3.1g       Dietary Fiber 0.4g       Sugars 0.6g Protein 1.3g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 4% Calcium    1% Iron 2%

 

Creamy Chipotle Chia (no-nut) Topping

OK.  I know a lot of you don't eat nuts, especially not cashews.

I figured I could come up with a close substitute for the cashew dressing with soymilk & chia.

It's quite good, and very close to the taste of the cashew topping.  It works.  But, I've got to be honest.

If I had to choose between the two, the cashew dressing would take the gold medal in this contest.

BTW, the secret ingredient to the chia topping is a teaspoon of agave.  Turns out, cashews have a natural sweetness that is missing in the chia version.  Agave came to the rescue.

 

Serves 8 - 1 tablespoon servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of Eden Extra Plain Soymilk (richer than other non-dairy milks)
• 3  tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 coarsely chopped garlic cloves, less to taste
• 1/2 to 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.  Sizes vary, so go slow--you can always add more
• 3 tablespoons of white chia (I like the Salba brand)
• 1 teaspoon of agave (more to taste, if needed)
• a few grains of coarse sea salt

Preparation:

1.  Add all the ingredients into a power blender (I use a VitaMix), adding the chia seed just before you're ready to turn the blender on.

2.  Blend well, until the consistency is smooth & silky.

3.  Taste, & add extra chipotle, salt, or agave to your own taste.

 

Nutrition Facts for a 1 tablespoon serving - Less fat & calories than the cashew version

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's Creamy Chipotle Chia Topping Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 26 Total Fat 1g       Saturated Fat 0.1g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 7mg Carbohydrate 3.2g       Dietary Fiber 0.8g       Sugars 1.2g Protein 1.2g Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 4% Calcium    1% Iron 1%

 

 

 

 My Successful Second Try at Straight-Up Foods Cobbler

Blueberry Peach Oatmeal Cobbler

 

 

 

 My Second Attempt at Cathy's Cobbler was a Big Success

 

 Blueberry Peach Cobbler Goes to Work for a Taste Taste and It's a Big Success!

My First Attempt with Oat Flour & Blackberries - Not Bad, But Not Great

 

I love this recipe.

I love Cathy Fisher's Straight Up Foods Blog.

But, my first attempt at the recipe was a disappointment.  Just look at the difference from Try #1 to Try #2.  

What did I do wrong?

Mistake #1:  Well, I took the lazy girl's way out & used oat flour instead of grinding my own in my food processor.  

Big mistake.  The processor grind was coarser, a much better texture for the cobbler.  I also, used a little less of the "home-ground" flour in the topping, & added back in some rolled oats for some more texture.

Mistake #2:  I should have used the date soaking water, instead of plain water in the "fruit sauce".  It made it sweeter.

Mistake #3:  Now this one's personal preference, but I now know that I'm not a fan of allspice in cobblers. I'm more of a cinnamon & nutmeg girl!

Mistake #4:  The blackberries around here are sour & not very good-tasting. And they're super expensive! On my second go-round I used sweet frozen blueberries, & I upped the amount of peaches to 2 cups.  I also made darn sure that the peaches were nice & sweet & ripe.

Big difference!!

I brought samples to work for taste-tasting.  Gotta check it out with the experts, first.  The reviews were excellent. 

"Does this really not have any sugar or butter in it?  It tastes just like the one I make with butter & sugar."

"Not too sweet--just right."

They gobbled everything up & returned the empty container to me.

This is an awesome template for any fruit cobbler.  Apple, Cherry, Blueberry or Plum.  Thank you, Cathy!

 

This is adapted from Cathy Fisher's original recipe:

 

Blueberry Peach Oat Cobbler

Serves  8

For a copy of the recipe on one page, click here.

Cook's Notes:  Read through the entire recipe before getting started!  It seems kind of fussy, but, it's really  very easy.  It helps to read it through, first.  And it's even easier the second time around.

 

Fruit Ingredients:

2 cups of pitted & sliced ripe, sweet, fresh peaches  (could be 2-4 peaches depending upon the size)

2 cups of sweet blueberries (I used frozen)

 

Fruit sauce ingredients:

3 plump medjool dates, pitted, chopped & soaked in enough water to cover, for about 30 minutes.  Reserve the soaking water when you drain the dates.

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup of reserved date soaking water (Note: you can supplement with the date soaking water from the topping)

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 cup of "oat flour" made from processing rolled oats

 

Topping ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of "oat flour" made from processing rolled oats  (NOTE: process about 2 cups of rolled oats in your food processor all at one time--and measure out what you need.  Don't overprocess.  You want it a little coarse. You'll have enough for 1/4 cup for the "fruit sauce" & 1-1/2 cups for the topping)

1/2 large ripe (speckled) banana, sliced

3 plump medjool dates, pitted, chopped, and soaked in water to cover for about 30 minutes.  (NOTE: you can add this reserved "date water", if needed, to make up the 1/2 cup in the "fruit sauce"

1/2 cup of non-dairy milk (I prefer soymilk for cooking--it's richer)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Preparation:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Using 2 different small bowls or cups, soak the 3 dates needed for the "fruit sauce", separately from the 3 dates needed for the topping.   Soak for about 30 minutes.  Drain, but reserve the sweet soaking water.  You'll need 1/2 cup of it for the "fruit sauce"

3.  Place the peaches & blueberries in a big bowl & set aside.

4.  Make your fruit sauce.  Blend the dates, the lemon juice, the 1/2 cup of date soaking water, the cinnamon, & oat flour into a blender & blend until smooth.

5.  Pour the "sauce" into the bowl of fruit & mix well to coat evenly.

6.  Place the saucy fruit into a large pie pan or 9 X 9 inch square pan

7.  Make your topping.  Into a blender, add the banana, drained dates, non-dairy milk & blend until smooth.  

8.  Pour into a medium bowl.  Measure out 1-1/2 cups of the "home-processed" oat flour--& then spoon out about 2 tablespoons of it.  Replace that with 2 tablespoons of rolled oats, for a coarser texture to the topping.  Add the oats to the bowl of wet topping ingredients.  

9.  Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, & vanilla.  Mix with a fork until "the texture is somewhere between dough & batter"--fairly thick.

10.  Spread the topping over the fruit evenly, or in big spoonfuls, with fruit peeking through.  Your choice.

11.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned--and no longer wet.  Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Happy Memorial Day--the Unofficial Start of the Summer!

Enjoy the Summer Why It Lasts

Raw Power-Packed Pumpkin Pie Buckwheat Breakfast, Creamy Chipotle Topping, Blueberry Peach Cobbler and This Week's Three Favorite Medical/Diet Links

Raw Pumpkin Pie Buckwheat Breakfast Pudding - Four Hours of Fullness

 

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This month just got even busier.

On Friday, the Lab Rat & I leave for the Farms2Forks Hudson, New York weekend at the Esselstyn Family Farm.  

Can't wait!  I plan to take careful notes, and plenty of pictures.   If you're going to be there, please find me, & say hello!

The next weekend we're headed to Chautauqua, New York for a relaxing weekend at our friends' 1950's lakeside cottage.  We're all long-time college friends (except for 2 johnny-come-lately's--just kidding M & R--from Go Blue U of M) who coincidently are all celebrating their 40th wedding anniversaries this year.  

It's so interesting that my always-present struggle for balance never seems to change.  Check out my Chautauqua visit post two years ago.   I guess I'm just a work in progress.

View from the Chautauqua Cottage

 

And then, on to a "much looked forward to" Labor Day Wedding Weekend in a charming college town. We're staying at the historic haunted inn.  Hope I get to see a ghost.

Lots of celebrating, schmoozing, dancing, and both the rehearsal dinner & wedding reception will have vegan options.  Amazing, huh?  My friends are the best!

 

Before the Recipes - Three Links I Don't Want You to Miss

 

 

The Unmentionable Link Between Belt Size, Belly Fat, and Sexual & Urinary Problems in Men Over 40

 

 

Hey, guys, this one's for you.

Take a careful look at the table--the one above, I mean--and what happens as belt size increases.

As a Man's Belt Size Increases, So Does His Risk of Sexual and Urinary Dysfunction.

After age 40, if your waist size is over 39.37 inches, bad things can start to happen.

Read the Press Release Here

The article was just published in BJU International 110(4):540-545, August 2012,  Lee, RJ et al "Central Obesiity as measured by waist circumference is predictive of severity of lower urinary tract symptoms"  Article abstract here

 

 

"As a man's waistline grows, so can his experience with sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, say researchers at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

'We have to think of the body in a much more holistic way. What we eat can have devastating consequences on more than just our hearts,' Dr. Kaplan says. 'Quality of life issues, such as sexual and voiding health, can be affected as well in drastic ways.'

The study, published in the August issue of the British Journal of Urology International (BJUI), is the first to comprehensively show that obesity in men affects not just their hearts and metabolism, but also their sexual and urinary health."

The GOOD NEWS: Additional findings conducted since this study was completed show that eliminating just 2.5 inches from the belly's circumference may lead to measurable improvement in sexual dysfunction and frequent urination, says Dr. Stephen Kaplan.

 

This really isn't hot-off-the-press news.  Click here & here for the old news.

 

One Skeptical Thirty-Something's Plant-Based Experiment

 

I posted this link on Facebook last week & it received an enthusiastic response.

Just in case you missed it....

My kids know JJ & his wife, so this success story has even more significance for me.

Here's a fit young man (around the age of my kids) who had been on statins (for very good reasons) since his twenties.

Now he's not.  

JJ's wife wrote last week:

"My husband has been plant-based (dietary vegan) for a year.

It started as an experiment to see whether eating this way would have a positive impact on his cholesterol.  He thought he could improve his lipids by increasing his running.  That strategy didn't work. 

He blogged about his experience today and I thought you might be interested in reading his story.

As a side-note, it has been eye opening for us to see how becoming plant-based has changed our view of the world in a positive way. We think more about our animals, our environment and our future. All great side effects that pharmaceuticals could never offer."

Don't miss JJ's brief, but motivating post here.

 

 

Dr. Gabe Mirkin Talks Type-2 DIabetes

So, What About about Type-2 Diabetics Who are Thin?

I'm a big fan of Dr. Gabe Mirkin's.  His weekly newletter is a must-read.   Mirkin has a wonderful way of making medical research & concepts easy to understand.

 

This week he did an excellent job of explaining  a very curious study published last week in JAMA that counter-intuitively found patients who were of normal weight at the time of their type-2 diabetes diagnosis (about 12% of those diagnosed) were at a greater risk of mortality, than those who were overweight or obese at time of diagnosis.  Hmm.  Curious, right?

Obesity Does Not Protect Diabetics

(From Dr. Gabe Mirkin's August 12, 2012 Newsletter)

"This week, a study showed that people who have normal weight at the time of their diagnosis of diabetes are twice as likely to die over the next 10 to 30 years as those who are overweight at the time of diagnosis (Journal of the American Medical Association. August 8, 2012).

THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT OBESITY PROTECTS DIABETICS FROM DEATH. It means that if you are thin when you develop diabetes, you have a type of diabetes that is more likely to kill you.

THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DIABETES:

• Type II diabetes is most commonly caused by inability of your cells to respond to insulin. When blood sugar levels rise too high, your pancreas releases large amounts of insulin. Insulin then attaches on insulin receptors, special hooks on the outer membranes of cells. Then it drives sugar into cells.
• ANYTHING THAT PREVENTS INSULIN FROM ATTACHING TO ITS RECEPTORS CAN CAUSE DIABETES.
• If insulin cannot attach to its receptors, it cannot drive sugar into cells. This causes blood sugar levels to rise too high, and sugar attaches to the outer membranes of cells. Sugar attached to cell membranes is eventually converted to sorbitol which destroys the cells. This cell destruction is what causes all of the known side effects of diabetes.
• FULL FAT CELLS BLOCK INSULIN RECEPTORS. Fat inside cells prevents insulin from attaching to its receptors, so having extra fat in your body causes diabetes.

STORING FAT PRIMARILY IN YOUR BELLY IS A SIGN OF DIABETES

• Insulin causes fat to be stored in the belly, so almost all people with big bellies and small buttocks have high insulin levels because their cells cannot respond to insulin, and the pancreas responds by producing excessive amounts of insulin.
• Most people who store a lot of fat in their bellies and have small buttocks already have diabetes or are pre-diabetic.

LACK OF MUSCLES CAN CAUSE DIABETES

• Muscles help to prevent blood sugar levels from rising too high and damaging the cells in your body. Resting muscles are inactive and draw no sugar from the bloodstream. On the other hand, contracting muscles actively remove sugar from the bloodstream and don't even need insulin to do this.

WHY ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE FAT WHEN THEY ARE DIAGNOSED EASY TO CURE?

• Virtually all people who are fat when they develop diabetes can cure their diabetes by losing weight.
• When they empty their muscle, liver and fat cells of fat, these cells can once again respond to insulin. Blood sugar levels drop and the person is no longer diabetic.

WHY ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT FAT WHEN THEY ARE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES MORE DIFFICULT TO CURE?

• More than 90 percent of diabetics are overweight. Thin people who develop diabetes do not have full fat cells.
• They are diabetic because their pancreas does not make enough insulin. We have drugs to make the pancreas put out more insulin, but we do not have drugs to permanently make the pancreas produce normal amounts of insulin.
• Their muscles are so small that they do not remove sugar from the bloodstream adequately.
• Lifting weights would help, but growing large muscles is beyond the motivation of most people with small muscles. It takes a lot of consistent painful resistance exercise to grow larger muscles.
• They may have other hormone abnormalities that are far more difficult to treat.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU ARE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES, STORE FAT PRIMARILY IN YOUR BELLY, HAVE A VERY SMALL BUTTOCKS, HAVE A FASTING BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL ABOVE 100, OR HAVE AN HBA1C ABOVE 5.7?

• Immediately try to lose fat by eating less and exercising more
• Start a supervised exercise program and try to exercise every day
• Start a supervised weight lifting program to grow larger muscles
• Avoid all sugared drinks except when you exercise
• Avoid all sugar-added foods
• Avoid red meat (saturated fat from animals blocks insulin receptors)
• Eat large amounts of vegetables and fruits 
• Get your blood levels of hydroxy-vitamin D above 75 nmol/L"

 

Let the Recipes Begin

 

I promised to share these three recent recipes that I love, today, while I have a little free time!

So, dear readers, here you go.

I may not have much time to post anything until after Labor Day, so it's now or never.

 

• Raw Power-Packed Pumpkin Pie Buckwheat Breakfast Pudding.  This one is a no-maple-syrup riff off of "Oh She Glows"  Carrot Cake Buckwheat Porridge, which is fabulous, BTW!   Angela is an amazing recipe developer, & I never would have considering eating raw buckwheat for breakfast if not for her.  Oh She Glows, Rocks!!
• Creamy Chipotle Sauce/Dressing - Two versions.  A cashew more caloric/fat version & a creamy chia low-fat version.  The credit for this one goes to Son #1.  It's his creation.
• No-Sugar No-Fat Blueberry Peach Oat Cobbler.  Just my tiny tweaks to Cathy Fisher's AMAZING Straight Up Food Recipe.  Thank you, Cathy!  

 

 Power-Packed Raw Pumpkin Buckwheat Breakfast Pudding

 

Buckwheat Breakfast Bliss Made in a Blender - Enough for Five Days

 

What Raw Buckwheat Groats Look Like After an Overnight Soaking

 

Looking for a change to your breakfast routine?

Want to expand beyond everyday oatmeal?  

Not that there's anything wrong with oatmeal.

Give raw buckwheat groats a try.

This is so easy to make, loaded with nutrition & taste, and this recipe makes enough to last for five days.

Buckwheat is the highest source of protein in the plant kingdom, with 50% more B-vitamins than wheat. And it's gluten-free.

Did I mention that it's high in lysine--an important "not-so-easy-to-get" amino acid---and it's high in that "hard-to-find" soluble fiber that slows down digestion, which is helpful for keeping blood sugar levels stable.  A plus for diabetics.

It's so satisfying, & I'll vouch for the claim that buckwheat is a slow-release carb. This breakfast keeps me full for four hours.  Really.

Gas-free (unlike steel-cut oats), too!  A definite plus.  Maybe it's because of the soaking.  

What's the big deal about buckwheat?   For starters, it's not really a cereal grain, but a seed, related to rhubarb & sorrel.  It's rich in flavanoids, like the antioxidant, rutin, loads of B Vitamins, sky-high in magnesium, potassium, & phosphorus, & it helps to lower glucose levels.

Read everything you'd ever want to know about buckwheat here and here, in case I missed anything.

As if that's not enough--the pumpkin in this pudding gives you a mega-high dose of beta-carotene, along with chia for an antioxidant & omega-3 booster shot.

Definitely, one delicious, power-packed breakfast.

Just one serving of my pumpkin buckwheat pudding will give you over 180% of your daily requirement for vitamin A, in the form of alpha and beta carotene.  Pumpkin, and other deep orange winter squashes are about as good as it gets in the carotene department.

Need a powerful incentive to load up daily on alpha-carotene?  Check out this article in the November 22, 2010 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, "Serum Alpha-Carotene Concentrations and Risk of Death Among US Adults"

"[O]ur findings, based on data from a large representative sample of US adults, showed that serum alpha-carotene concentrations were inversely associated with the risk of death from all causes, and death from cardiovascular diseases and cancer.  These findings support increasing fruit and vegetable consumption as a means of preventing premature death."

 

For a copy of the recipe on one page, click here.

Servings:  5 one cup servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of raw buckwheat groats  (available from Nuts.com or Bob's Red Mill or your health food store)  Not the same as toasted buckwheat or Kasha   Note: soak overnight in 4 to 5 cups of water, or for 1 hour, minimum.
• 1-1/4 cup of non-dairy milk.  I prefer Eden Extra Plain Soymilk because of its protein, vitamin, & mineral content
• 3 tablespoons of chia seeds
• 1 ripe (speckled) banana
• 2-3 pitted dates  (can add 1-2 packets of stevia if you want a sweeter pudding)
• 1-15 ounce can of 100% Pumpkin (like Libby's)
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• raisins & toasted walnuts to sprinkle on top of individual servings.

 

Preparation:

1.  Add the raw groats to large bowl, & soak in 4-5 cups of water.  I let them soak overnight, but they need to soak for 1 hour, minimum.  Overnight soaking is easy.

2.  After soaking, rinse well a couple of times to remove the gelatinous coating.  

3.  The original 2 cups of soaked groats expand to 4 cups.  Reserve 1 cup to add back to the final pudding at the end.

4.  Add the rinsed groats, minus the reserved cup, the "milk", the chia, the pumpkin, the banana, the dates, the vanilla, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg to a blender or processor. I use a VitaMix.  Blend well.

5.  Taste, add a little stevia is you want a sweeter taste.

6.  Pour everything into a large bowl, then mix in the reserved cup of whole groats.  This gives it a nice nutty crunchy taste & texture without the calories of nuts.

7.  Garnish 1 cup servings with a few raisins & toasted walnuts.

8.  Refrigerate the leftovers & enjoy 5 days of buckwheat breakfast pudding.

 

The nutriton info is based on a one-cup serving

Check out the protein, fiber, iron, & vitamin A content.  Oh, baby!

Nutrition Facts The Healthy Librarian's Pumpkin Pie Raw Buckwheat Pudding
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	366
Total Fat	5.1g
Saturated Fat	0.3g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	29mg
Carbohydrate	73.9g
Dietary Fiber	13.6g
Sugars	14.8g
Protein	14.7g
Vitamin A 188% Vitamin C 5% Calcium    7% Iron 15%

 

 

"Knock Your Socks Off" Creamy Chipotle Topping - Two Ways - Creamy Cashew or Creamy "Nut-Free" Chia

 

 

 Creamy Chipotle Topping Made with 1/2 Cup of Cashews

Chipotle Topping Face-Off: Creamy Chia Chipotle Topping on the Bottom, Creamy Cashew Chipotle on the Top

 Creamy Chia Chipotle on the Left - Creamy Cashew Chipotle on the Right

 

 The Secret Ingredients to Creamy Chipotle Chia Topping - Blends in a Flash

 

To get the chipotle topping recipes on one page, click here. 

We set up a fabulous taco bar one night during our family beach vacation in July.

Son #1 put me in charge of whipping up a creamy chipotle dressing.  I followed his directions & used his made-up-in-his-head-off-the-cuff recipe.  He makes this a lot in his own home.

Trust me, this topping can make a mediocre dish into a spectacular one.

Use it as a topping for tacos, enchiladas, burgers, or salads.

I brought it into work for a taste test, & everyone went wild over it.  Swooned.  Wanted the recipe.  It's so yummy.

Here's Son #1's very simple recipe: 

Creamy Chipotle Cashew Topping

Serves 8 - 1 tablespoon servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of raw cashews soaked in 1/2 cup of water for at least an hour.  Longer is fine.
• 3-4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 coarsely chopped garlic cloves, less to taste
• 1/2 to 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.  Sizes vary, so go slowly--you can always add more
• a few grains of coarse sea salt to taste

Preparation:

1.  Soak the raw cashews for at least one hour in 1/2 cup of water

2.  Into a power blender (VitaMix works best) add the cashews AND the soaking water, the garlic, the lime juice, & the chipotle.

3.  Blend well until the cashews are a creamy, silky consistency.  Check for taste.  Add more chipotle, if you like.

4.  Add a few grains of salt to taste.

 

Nutrition Facts for a 1 tablespoon serving

Nutrition Facts The Healthy Librarian's Creamy Chipotle Cashew Topping Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 46 Total Fat 3.3g       Saturated Fat 0.8g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 18mg Carbohydrate 3.1g       Dietary Fiber 0.4g       Sugars 0.6g Protein 1.3g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 4% Calcium    1% Iron 2%

 

Creamy Chipotle Chia (no-nut) Topping

OK.  I know a lot of you don't eat nuts, especially not cashews.

I figured I could come up with a close substitute for the cashew dressing with soymilk & chia.

It's quite good, and very close to the taste of the cashew topping.  It works.  But, I've got to be honest.

If I had to choose between the two, the cashew dressing would take the gold medal in this contest.

BTW, the secret ingredient to the chia topping is a teaspoon of agave.  Turns out, cashews have a natural sweetness that is missing in the chia version.  Agave came to the rescue.

 

Serves 8 - 1 tablespoon servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of Eden Extra Plain Soymilk (richer than other non-dairy milks)
• 3  tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 coarsely chopped garlic cloves, less to taste
• 1/2 to 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce.  Sizes vary, so go slow--you can always add more
• 3 tablespoons of white chia (I like the Salba brand)
• 1 teaspoon of agave (more to taste, if needed)
• a few grains of coarse sea salt

Preparation:

1.  Add all the ingredients into a power blender (I use a VitaMix), adding the chia seed just before you're ready to turn the blender on.

2.  Blend well, until the consistency is smooth & silky.

3.  Taste, & add extra chipotle, salt, or agave to your own taste.

 

Nutrition Facts for a 1 tablespoon serving - Less fat & calories than the cashew version

Nutrition Facts Healthy Librarian's Creamy Chipotle Chia Topping Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 26 Total Fat 1g       Saturated Fat 0.1g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 7mg Carbohydrate 3.2g       Dietary Fiber 0.8g       Sugars 1.2g Protein 1.2g Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 4% Calcium    1% Iron 1%

 

 

 

 My Successful Second Try at Straight-Up Foods Cobbler

Blueberry Peach Oatmeal Cobbler

 

 

 

 My Second Attempt at Cathy's Cobbler was a Big Success

 

 Blueberry Peach Cobbler Goes to Work for a Taste Taste and It's a Big Success!

My First Attempt with Oat Flour & Blackberries - Not Bad, But Not Great

 

I love this recipe.

I love Cathy Fisher's Straight Up Foods Blog.

But, my first attempt at the recipe was a disappointment.  Just look at the difference from Try #1 to Try #2.  

What did I do wrong?

Mistake #1:  Well, I took the lazy girl's way out & used oat flour instead of grinding my own in my food processor.  

Big mistake.  The processor grind was coarser, a much better texture for the cobbler.  I also, used a little less of the "home-ground" flour in the topping, & added back in some rolled oats for some more texture.

Mistake #2:  I should have used the date soaking water, instead of plain water in the "fruit sauce".  It made it sweeter.

Mistake #3:  Now this one's personal preference, but I now know that I'm not a fan of allspice in cobblers. I'm more of a cinnamon & nutmeg girl!

Mistake #4:  The blackberries around here are sour & not very good-tasting. And they're super expensive! On my second go-round I used sweet frozen blueberries, & I upped the amount of peaches to 2 cups.  I also made darn sure that the peaches were nice & sweet & ripe.

Big difference!!

I brought samples to work for taste-tasting.  Gotta check it out with the experts, first.  The reviews were excellent. 

"Does this really not have any sugar or butter in it?  It tastes just like the one I make with butter & sugar."

"Not too sweet--just right."

They gobbled everything up & returned the empty container to me.

This is an awesome template for any fruit cobbler.  Apple, Cherry, Blueberry or Plum.  Thank you, Cathy!

 

This is adapted from Cathy Fisher's original recipe:

 

Blueberry Peach Oat Cobbler

Serves  8

For a copy of the recipe on one page, click here.

Cook's Notes:  Read through the entire recipe before getting started!  It seems kind of fussy, but, it's really  very easy.  It helps to read it through, first.  And it's even easier the second time around.

 

Fruit Ingredients:

2 cups of pitted & sliced ripe, sweet, fresh peaches  (could be 2-4 peaches depending upon the size)

2 cups of sweet blueberries (I used frozen)

 

Fruit sauce ingredients:

3 plump medjool dates, pitted, chopped & soaked in enough water to cover, for about 30 minutes.  Reserve the soaking water when you drain the dates.

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup of reserved date soaking water (Note: you can supplement with the date soaking water from the topping)

1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 cup of "oat flour" made from processing rolled oats

 

Topping ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of "oat flour" made from processing rolled oats  (NOTE: process about 2 cups of rolled oats in your food processor all at one time--and measure out what you need.  Don't overprocess.  You want it a little coarse. You'll have enough for 1/4 cup for the "fruit sauce" & 1-1/2 cups for the topping)

1/2 large ripe (speckled) banana, sliced

3 plump medjool dates, pitted, chopped, and soaked in water to cover for about 30 minutes.  (NOTE: you can add this reserved "date water", if needed, to make up the 1/2 cup in the "fruit sauce"

1/2 cup of non-dairy milk (I prefer soymilk for cooking--it's richer)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1-1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

Preparation:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  Using 2 different small bowls or cups, soak the 3 dates needed for the "fruit sauce", separately from the 3 dates needed for the topping.   Soak for about 30 minutes.  Drain, but reserve the sweet soaking water.  You'll need 1/2 cup of it for the "fruit sauce"

3.  Place the peaches & blueberries in a big bowl & set aside.

4.  Make your fruit sauce.  Blend the dates, the lemon juice, the 1/2 cup of date soaking water, the cinnamon, & oat flour into a blender & blend until smooth.

5.  Pour the "sauce" into the bowl of fruit & mix well to coat evenly.

6.  Place the saucy fruit into a large pie pan or 9 X 9 inch square pan

7.  Make your topping.  Into a blender, add the banana, drained dates, non-dairy milk & blend until smooth.  

8.  Pour into a medium bowl.  Measure out 1-1/2 cups of the "home-processed" oat flour--& then spoon out about 2 tablespoons of it.  Replace that with 2 tablespoons of rolled oats, for a coarser texture to the topping.  Add the oats to the bowl of wet topping ingredients.  

9.  Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, & vanilla.  Mix with a fork until "the texture is somewhere between dough & batter"--fairly thick.

10.  Spread the topping over the fruit evenly, or in big spoonfuls, with fruit peeking through.  Your choice.

11.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned--and no longer wet.  Let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.

 

Happy August!

Enjoy the Summer Why It Lasts

The Healthy Librarian's Brain-Backup for This Week's Health News: Estrogen, Erectile Dysfunction, Diabetes, Dementia, Deli Meats, High-Protein Diets, Vitamin D, Bisphosphonates, Hot Flashes, and High Fiber Carbs

 

 

 

"Once You're Through Learning, You're Through"

 -John Wooden, the well-known UCLA basketball coach, who passed away at age 99-

If you you received this post via email, click here to get to the web version with all the links.

 

The research on the benefits of diet and exercise just continues to pile up on my desk! 

There's no way to keep up with it all--so today I'm "downloading" just a few of the papers that caught my attention this week. 

Nothing "earth shattering".   Much of what you'll see here is just further confirmation of prior research.

Thumbs Up: 

• A diet high in fiber-rich carbohydrates helps prevent type-2 diabetes & metabolic syndrome.
• Get your vitamin D level up to 33 or more, if you want your bisphosphonates to work.
• Bio-identical estradiol significantly improves the verbal memory of postmenopausal women
• Help to prevent dementia by avoiding diabetes & lowering your cholesterol.
• Avoid erectile dysfunction by making the necessary diet & lifestyle changes that improve cardiovascular health.
• Help to prevent stroke by steering clear of deli meats.

Thumbs Down:

• Deli-counter meats--yes, even low-fat turkey--contribute to an increased risk of stroke.  Looks like salt & nitrites are to blame.
• High-cholesterol is bad news for the brain--contributing directly & indirectly to amyloid plaque formation in the brain.
• A diet high in animal protein can promote type-2 diabetes by increasing low-grade inflammation.
• Conjugated Equine Estrogen may not be good for the brains of women at risk for dementia
• There's a link between hot flashes and high cholesterol.
• Diabetes is a major risk factor for dementia because it increases vascular disease.
• Erectile dysfunction needs a diet & lifestyle makeover--not Viagra & Cialis.

 

 

1.  Diet high in protein, processed meat raises risk of diabetes

 

High protein intake may facilitate type 2 diabetes and metabolic disturbances, mostly through the elevation of low-grade inflammation.

 

September 16, 2011.  Presented in Lisbon, Portugal at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2011 Meeting.

 

Excerpt from Medscape (to view you must register, but it's free):  Results of a large population-based study (27,140 individuals) show that a high protein intake is associated with an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes.

In presenting their results at the recent European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) 2011 Meeting, Swedish researchers suggest that replacing protein with carbohydrates, especially breads and cereals rich in fiber, may be preferable for avoiding incident diabetes. 

The study participants with the highest intakes of protein were at a 37% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to those with the lowest intake.

High intake of processed meat was also associated with an elevated risk of diabetes, as was intake of poultry and eggs.  There was no association of diabetes risk with intake of fish or red meat, but when all animal sources of dietary protein were considered together, an increased risk was seen.  "So this indicates that protein per se may be of importance," according to lead author Ulrika Ericson.

High protein intake may facilitate type 2 diabetes and metabolic disturbances, mostly through the elevation of low-grade inflammation.

In summary, Ericson said a protective association exists with a high intake of fiber-rich breads and cereals.  And although high protein intake has been shown to be effective for short-term weight loss and glycemic control, it is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. 

So, the results of this trial suggest caution when considering high-protein diets--although Ericson says it's too early to make dietary recommendations based on merely on the observed associations.

 

For a better understanding of how high-fiber low-glycemic carbohydrates help to prevent type 2 diabetes & metabolic syndrome, take a look at:  

There's More to the Whole-Grain Story.  A Calorie is Not Just a Calorie.  Carbs Affect Our Genes.  What? (then scroll down halfway to find this gem!)

Tip: whole wheat bread may be high fiber, but it's also high glycemic.  Find a better choice!

Bottom line: you want very grainy "kibbled" least-processed breads & carbs that move slowly through your digestive system. How do I find out which foods are low-glycemic?  The University of Sydney maintains the most reliable database.  Look for foods that have a glycemic index of 55 or under.  Click Here for the database.  Click Here for their excellent newsletter.

 

Also take a look at:  Larrson, SC, Virtamo, J., Wolk, A. "Red Meat Consumption and Risk of Stroke in Swedish Men,"  Am J Clin Nutr 2011 Aug;94(2):417-21.

 

"The largest study to date on the relationship of stroke to red meat consumption suggests higher intake of processed meat, but not fresh red meat, is associated with an increased risk for stroke, including cerebral infarction.

The findings suggest meats that consumers often think are healthier, such as low-fat deli turkey, ham, and bologna, may actually increase the risk for stroke if intake is high enough, the study authors note. 

The investigators speculate that sodium in processed meats, which can contribute to the development of hypertension if intake is high enough, might contribute to a higher risk for stroke by promoting vascular stiffness or oxidative stress.

Nitrites used as preservatives may also contribute to increased stroke risk."  Read more in Medscape (must register first--but it's free)

 

 

2.  HIgh Cholesterol tied to Alzheimer's disease lesions

 

"Our study clearly makes the point that high cholesterol may contribute directly or indirectly to plaques in the brain," corresponding author Dr Kensuke Sasaki.  

September 13, 2011.  Matsuzaki T, Sasaki K, Hata J, et al. Association of Alzheimer disease pathology with abnormal lipid metabolism: The Hisayama study. Neurology 2011; 77:1068-1075. 

 

Excerpt from Heartwire.  Kyushu, Japan - A new study has found a correlation between dyslipidemia and the presence of amyloid plaques in the brain at autopsy, one of the key signs of Alzheimer's disease.

According to the analysis, levels of total and LDL cholesterol, as well as ratios of LDL to total cholesterol and LDL to HDL cholesterol, were significantly higher among subjects with increased numbers of neuritic plaques vs those with fewer plaques. No such relationship was seen with numbers of neurofibrillary tangles, the other cardinal pathological sign of Alzheimer's disease.

"Our study clearly makes the point that high cholesterol may contribute directly or indirectly to plaques in the brain," corresponding author Dr Kensuke Sasaki (Neurological Institute, Kyushu University, Japan) said in a statement by the American Academy of Neurology.

However, he added, "Failed treatment trials of cholesterol-lowering drugs in Alzheimer's disease mean there is no simple link between lowering cholesterol and preventing Alzheimer's."  (My comment:  Could changes in one's cholesterol that come from diet & lifestyle have more of a protective impact than those from statins?  And don't forget that Alzheimer's & vascular dementia are years in the making!)

The study, published in the September 13, 2011 issue of Neurology, looked at autopsy brain specimens from 76 men and 71 women who had undergone clinical examination in 1988 and had total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides measured at that time. Of the 147 subjects, 34% had been diagnosed with dementia when alive.

 

For additional perspective read,  Mayo Clinic Researchers Discover the Nitric Oxide Connection to Brain Health, Alzheimer's, and Cognitive Impairment. Better Keep Your Endothelial Cells Healthy with Diet & Exercise

 

3.    Bisphosphonates Most Effective With Higher Vitamin D Levels  

 

Women whose mean level of serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25[OH]D) was at least 33 ng/mL were almost five times more likely to benefit from bisphosphonates than those whose levels fell below that cutoff.

 

September 21, 2011.  American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) 2011 Annual Meeting; Abstract #1137. Presented September 18, 2011

 

Excerpt from Medpage Today & Medscape: Bisphosphonate therapy for osteoporosis is much more likely to be effective among patients whose blood serum levels of vitamin D are elevated, according to research presented here at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) 2011 Annual Meeting.

Postmenopausal women with low levels of circulating vitamin D are much less likely to respond to treatment with bisphosphonates, researchers said here.

Women whose mean level of serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D (25[OH]D) was at least 33 ng/mL were almost five times more likely to benefit from bisphosphonates than those whose levels fell below that cutoff (OR 4.53, 95% CI 2.17 to 9.48, P<0.0001), according to Amanda Carmel, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, and colleagues.

In addition, for each 1 ng/mL decrease in 25(OH)D level, there was a 5% decrease in likelihood of responding to treatment (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.92 to 0.98, P=0.0007), Carmel reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

"The current study is the first to identify a threshold level of 25(OH)D that defines improved outcome to bisphosphonate therapy such that patients with a mean 25(OH)D ≥ 33 ng/mL had a substantially greater likelihood of responding to bisphosphonates," the authors wrote.

"This threshold value of ≥ 33 ng/mL for 25(OH)D is higher than the level considered adequate by the Institute of Medicine report for the general population, arguing that higher levels may be required for specific therapeutic outcomes."

According to coauthor Richard S. Bockman, MD, PhD, the results may help explain discrepancies in responses to bisphosphonates seen in controlled studies compared with the real-world environment.

 

4.   17β-Estradiol Improves Postmenopausal Memory Performance

 

"We found consistently that [CEE] may not be good for the brain, at least in women with increased risk of dementia. And 17β-estradiol had better effects," said Dr. Rasgon.

 

September 19, 2011.  Wroolie, TA et al, "Differences in verbal memory performance in postmenopausal women receiving hormone therapy: 17β-estradiol versus conjugated equine estrogens"  Am J Geriatr Psychiatry 2011 Sep;19(9):792-802. Click here for article

 

Hormone therapy compounds differ significantly when it comes to their effects on cognition in postmenopausal women, especially on verbal memory, new research suggests.

In a cohort study of almost 70 healthy women between the ages of 49 and 68 years who were at risk for Alzheimer's disease (AD), those receiving hormone therapy containing 17β-estradiol showed a significant improvement in verbal memory performance compared with those receiving compounds with conjugated equine estrogen (CEE).

"There is a differential effect of the type of hormone therapy on brain function," principal investigator Natalie Rasgon, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry and of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, and director of the Stanford Center for Neuroscience in Women's Health, told Medscape Medical News.

"We found consistently that [CEE] may not be good for the brain, at least in women with increased risk of dementia. And 17β-estradiol had better effects," said Dr. Rasgon.

She reported that the investigative team is now working on "even more exciting data" that she hopes can be translated into clinical practice.

Don't miss Cynthia Gorney's balanced ground-breaking article all about the beneficial effects of estrogen & the brain--The Estrogen Dilemma, that appeared in the Sunday April 18, 2010 New York Times Magazine.  Click here for the article.  Read more about it in this post.

 

5. Hot Flashes Linked to Higher Cholesterol

 

Several recent studies have linked hot flashes to an increased risk for heart disease, and now new research suggests a link between these menopause symptoms and increased cholesterol.

 

September 21, 2011.  North American Menopause Society (NAMS) 22nd Annual Meeting, paper presented by  Rebecca C. Thurston, PhD, assistant professor of psychiatry and epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Lori Mosca, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, Columbia University; director of preventive cardiology, New York-Presbyterian Hospital; past president, American Society for Preventive Cardiology. 

 

Excerpt from Medscape article by Salynn Boyles (to access Medcape articles you need to register). 

Several recent studies have linked hot flashes to an increased risk for heart disease, and now new research suggests a link between these menopause symptoms and increased cholesterol.

The study is being presented in Washington D.C. this week at the 22nd annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society.

Researchers followed more than 3,000 women in their 40s and early 50s for seven years as they transitioned through menopause.

After taking into account other heart disease risk factors they found hot flashes and, to a lesser extent, night sweats to be predictive of higher cholesterol The more hot flashes the women had, the higher their LDL "bad" and HDL "good" cholesterol.

"I think hot flashes and night sweats tell us something about women's cardiovascular risk and health, but it is also likely that this message is quite complex," study researcher Rebecca C. Thurston, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh tells WebMD.

Columbia University professor of medicine Lori Mosca, MD, PhD, tells WebMD that it is not clear if hot flashes or other menopausal symptoms have any direct impact on heart attack and stroke risk.

One message that is clear, she says, is that menopause is associated with substantial alterations in heart disease risk.

 

6.  More Evidence Links Diabetes and Dementia

 

"We have clearly demonstrated that diabetes is a significant risk factor for the development of dementia, especially of Alzheimer's disease, in (the) general public," said Dr. Yutaka Kiyohara, a professor in the graduate school of medical science at Kyushu University in Fukuoka.

 

September 19, 2011.   Kiyohara, Y, Ohara, T. et al, "Glucose tolerance status and risk of dementia in the community: The Hisayama Study,"  Neurology, 2011 Sep 20;77(12):1126-34.  (click here for the article)

 

Excerpt from HealthDay, Ellin Holohan: 

People with diabetes are at significantly higher risk of developing all types of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, finds a new study that bolsters previous research connecting the two illnesses.

The study of more than 1,000 people in Japan found that 27 percent of those with diabetes developed dementia, compared to 20 percent of people with normal blood sugar levels.

Further, the study showed that pre-diabetes -- higher than normal blood sugar levels -- also raised the risk of dementia.

"We have clearly demonstrated that diabetes is a significant risk factor for the development of dementia, especially of Alzheimer's disease, in (the) general public," said Dr. Yutaka Kiyohara, a professor in the graduate school of medical science at Kyushu University in Fukuoka.

The study, conducted from 1988 to 2003, is published Sept. 20 in Neurology.

The study followed 1,017 men and women, age 60 and older, who took a glucose test to find out if they were diabetic or pre-diabetic. They were then tracked over an average of 11 years each. In all, 232 developed dementia, either Alzheimer's, vascular dementia, all-cause dementia or another form.

Of the 150 who had diabetes, 41 developed dementia, compared to 115 of the 559 people without diabetes. Among the 308 people with pre-diabetes, 76, or 25 percent, developed dementia.

Even having high levels of sugar two hours after taking glucose was linked to dementia, the researchers said, noting the importance of consistent blood sugar control.

Diabetes affects close to 26 million children and adults in the United States, with 7 million of them undiagnosed, according to the American Diabetes Association. Another 79 million have pre-diabetes. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes, and as Americans become heavier, more are developing diabetes.

While prior research has shown a link between diabetes and dementia, the Japanese study is important because of its size and duration, said another expert.

Another expert noted that diabetes could be connected to dementia because it contributes to vascular disease, disrupting the flow of oxygen to the brain and other organs.

"Diabetes is a major risk factor for vascular disease," said Dr. Spyros Mezitis, a clinical endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "If the blood vessels are not allowing enough oxygen to get to the brain, you can get dementia."

The study will "change the way we practice medicine" and could lead to quicker referral of diabetics to neurologists when they show signs of memory loss or other cognitive problems, he said.

The goal for patients is to avoid the progression of vascular disease and to maintain proper blood sugar levels, he noted.

 

For more on the adverse effects of blood sugar spikes on the brain, click here.

 

7.  Erectile Dysfunction May be Linked with Cardiovascular Trouble--an Independent Risk Factor for Heart Disease, Stroke and Death.

 

"A number of prior individual studies have shown that men with erectile dysfunction are at increased risk for fatal and nonfatal cardovascular events. 

Men with erectile dysfunction should be aware of this significant increase in cardiovascular risk and take proactive steps to adopt a healthy lifestyle and better control their cardiovascular risk factors,"  Dr Greg Fonarow, MD, UCLA, commenting on the article.

 

 September 14, 2011.  Dong, YR, Zhang, YH, Qin, LQ , "Erectile dysfunction and risk of cardiovascular disease meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies,"   J Am Coll Cardiol  2011 Sep 20;58(13):1378-85  click here for the article

 

Excerpt from HealthDay:

Although it is well accepted that cardiovascular disease is a risk factor for erectile dysfunction, it has not been clear whether erectile dysfunction is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the researchers noted.

"Erectile dysfunction significantly increased the risk of cardiovascular disease, and the increase was probably independent of conventional risk factors," said lead researcher Dr. Li-Qiang Qin, from the department of nutrition and food hygiene in the School of Public Health at Soochow University in Suzhou.

As such, "erectile dysfunction may not only contribute to cardiovascular risk prediction, but also serve as a potential target for cardiovascular disease prevention," Qin said.

The report was published in the Sept. 13 online edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

For the study, Qin's team culled data on the relationship between erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease from 12 studies published between 2005 and 2011 that included a total of 36,744 people and an average follow-up of 4 to 16.2 years. This process, called a meta-analysis, tries to pool data from several sources to tease out a pattern that might not be obvious in a single study.

The researchers found a significant association between erectile dysfunction and the increased risk of cardiovascular disease, heart disease, stroke and death.

In fact, men with erectile dysfunction had a 48 percent increased risk for cardiovascular disease, a 46 percent increased risk for heart disease, a 35 percent increased risk for stroke and a 19 percent increased risk of dying of any cause, compared to men without the condition.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles, noted that "erectile dysfunction impacts some million 18 million men in the United States."

Cardiovascular disease and erectile dysfunction share many common risk factors, including diabetes, obesity, smoking, hypertension and high cholesterol, he said.

Read more here: From the New York Times: For a Common Male Problem, Hope Beyond a Pill. Diet, Exercise, & Lifestyle Changes Improve E.D.

 

Crazy Busy Between Now & Mid-October

I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging in the upcoming weeks--with Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur starting tomorrow night--and soon after I'll be traveling out-of-town to help my kids with the arrival of grandchild #2. Woo Hoo!

In between work--I'll be busy cooking for the holidays, and planning & prepping meals to stock my kids' fridge!  I want to spend time playing with the grandbabies--not stuck in the kitchen!

If I have any free time I just might be able to sneak in a post or two!  No promises.

Lab Rat's written a terrific post on how to grow sprouts in your kitchen.  I've got new recipes to share, the update on my new strength-training routine, more hot-off-the-press health news, and my promised follow-up post with my favorite tips, tools, snacks & pantry staples for a simplified plant-based kitchen!

 

Dr. Dean Ornish Pays a Visit to Talk About Making Lifestyle Changes to Reverse Chronic Diseases - Is the Plant-Based/Mostly Vegan Diet Going Mainstream? Exercise, Meditation & Yoga, Too!

Smith, Steven R. MD.  "Clinical Implications of Basic Research.  A Look at the Low-Carbohydrate Diet."  N Engl J Med  361(23):2286-88, December 23, 2009

 

Why Eat Plant-Based & Low Fat?  Just Look at the Picture!

 

All that matters is what's happening inside of the the arteries. 

The traditional intermediate risk-factors of cholesterol, weight-loss, blood pressure, HDL & LDL don't always tell the whole story--which is why promoters of the high-protein high-fat low-carbohydrate diets, like Atkins & Gary Taubes, think their (HPLC) diet works--while all along, unbeknownst to them, it promotes plaque & atherosclerosis. 

If you're eating a diet that's high in animal protein, high in fat, and low in healthy carbs--your weight & lipid numbers might even be looking good--but your arteries are not!

The high-fat high-protein low-carbohydrate diets cannot produce the circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that are needed to repair damaged blood vessel walls & improve endothelial function. 

And the HPLC diet doubles the nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) which promote inflammation & atherosclerosis.  If you think high-protein-low-carb is good--think again!

And it's all about what's going on inside of the arteries--not just the lipid numbers!  A low-fat high-unrefined-carbohydrate diet increases those endothelial progenitator cells--and keeps the artery walls healthy, flexible, and atherosclerosis-resistant.   Read more in the PNAS "Vascular effects of  a low-carbohydrate high-protein diet"

Full disclosure: the graphic is from an animal model study.

--My paraphrasing of both Dr. Dean Ornish's comments on the graphic & Smith's N Engl J Med article--

 

If you received this post via email, click here to get to the web version with all the links.

What a week this has been!  I've had a chance to hear Dr. Dean Ornish (twice), Dr. David Katz of Yale, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel of NIH, and Dr. Joshual Sharfstein.  All national healthcare experts--all saying the same thing--in four different ways:   

Change Your Lifestyle & Change Your Health.

Our Western diet is killing us and our children. 

This younger generation will likely be the first generation to not live as long as their parents.

 

93%  of diabetes, 81% of heart disease, and 60% of cancer could vanish with diet, exercise, weight loss, smoking cessation. 

 

When the Cleveland Clinic, the top hospital for cardiac care in the U.S., invites Dr. Dean Ornish to speak about reversing heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and prostate cancer with low-tech lifestyle changes--you know that the no-oil plant-based Esselstyn-style diet is getting closer to going mainstream!

And on May 11, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. is also scheduled to speak at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Grand Rounds!  That comes right after his April 27th (this Wednesday)  appearance on Dr. Oz's Show along with Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Dr. Neal Barnard.  Click here for more info.

Looks like plant-based & low-fat is starting to seem commonplace these days.  Dr. Neal Barnard--another plant-based disease-reversal pioneer--is currently speaking around the country, promoting his latest science-based book, too.  Definitely one that I recommend.  Wendy, at Healthy Girl's Kitchen heard him speak on Tuesday night and she does a terrific job of summarizing his lecture.  Part l and Part II.  Thank you, Wendy!

And don't forget that Forks Over Knives premiers in theaters on May 6, 2011.  Click here for the schedule, and here for my review.

Sorry for the "non-commercial" interruption--now back to the post:  Since most of you didn't have the chance to attend Dr. Ornish's lecture--here's what you would have heard....

 

Dr. Dean Ornish on the Power of Personalized Lifestyle Changes

 

For 34 years Ornish has been directing clinical trials proving that major lifestyle changes--without medications or procedures--can prevent or reverse heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and early prostate cancer. 

He's got the data and the high-tech measurements to back up his claims that a very low-fat vegetarian diet, along with exercise, stress reduction (meditation/yoga), & social support really work--and their effects are synergistic & additive.

The lecture hall was filled with health professionals & support staff.

Ornish Goes Mainstream with Medicare.  Could this be a game-changer? 

In August 2010, Medicare approved both the Ornish & Pritikin comprehensive lifestyle disease-reversal programs for reimbursement.   As Ornish says, "If we can change reimbursement--we'll change the practice of medicine!"  Reimbursement to prevent chronic diseases?  Money well-spent.

So What Is the Ornish Approach?

Participants in Ornish's clinical trials always followed a very low-fat, vegetarian diet, closely bordering on vegan.  That's what reversed their heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and early prostate cancer.  But he carefully side-stepped discussing the diet specifics in this lecture.

Maybe he was mum about the details of his diet because these days he doesn't want to scare people away by demanding that they follow a super strict low-fat vegetarian diet.  And, he hates the word DIET!

Lately, he's offering more of a Spectrum of food choices--you choose how strict you want your diet to be--based on your health and your risk factors.  To get the details, I had to go to his website.  Click here

Here's the deal.  When it comes to reversing heart disease--even Ornish says, you need to go mostly plant-based & very low fat.  If you're healthy--and without risk factors or excess weight, you can be a little more indulgent. 

But wait a second.  I've read the research studies.  I've heard Dr. Esselstyn speak.  I've heard Dr. Steven Nissen speak--the head of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.  If you're eating a typical Western diet--you either have heart disease or you're on the way to getting it!  Who's left?

Ornish Food Plan to Reverse Heart Disease

• Fat--No more than 10% of calories are from fat. This is achieved by not adding any fats, oils, seeds, nuts, avocados, coconut and olives to a mostly plant-based diet. The 10% of calories from fat comes from fat that occurs naturally in grains, vegetables, fruit, beans, legumes and soy foods.
• Cholesterol-- No more than 10 milligrams of cholesterol per day. To meet this goal, non-fat dairy products are limited to 2 servings per day. Non-fat dairy products are optional. Soy products can be used instead of dairy products because they are cholesterol free.
• Primarily Plant-Based--no meat, poultry, fish, or products made from these foods.  Non-fat dairy foods (no more than 2 servings/day) and egg whites are included.
• Calories--Unrestricted unless weight loss is desired. Small frequent meals spread throughout the day help avoid hunger and keep energy levels constant. Portion control will assist in reaching and maintaining a healthy body weight and controlling blood sugar levels.
• Sugar--Permitted in moderation. No more than 2 servings/day including non-fat sweets. A serving is equivalent to 1 tablespoon or 12 grams of sugar.

 

Ornish's Spectrum of Food Choices

Heart Disease Reversal Sticks to the Bottom 2 Levels

Ornish's Spectrum Diet is based on one's health, genetics, and risk factors.  If you've got risk factors or health problems--you're on the strictest plan.  Young & healthy--he's a little more lenient.

 

"The Spectrum has no rules, no forbidden foods, no guilt -- just a blueprint for determining where you fall on the continuum, and encouragement to make healthful changes.

What matters most is your overall way of eating. I am not saying that you should never consume foods from Group 5-the top of the pyramid (unless you have a serious health condition). If you indulge yourself one day by eating foods from Group 4 or 5, spend a little more time in Groups 1 and 2 the next day.

If you get on a diet, chances are you’ll get off a diet. Sooner or later. For most people, being on a diet—any diet—is not sustainable."

But the further you move toward the healthier end, the more likely you are to look and feel better.

 

Bottom-line:  It's a DOSE RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP!  The better your program/diet adherence--the better your health!

Look,  I understand Ornish's soft-pedal approach--but, I prefer the Esselstyn's "Just Stick to the Program 100%" approach.  Why fool around with half measures?  Give me too much leeway--and I'm sliding down that slippery slope!

If you commit yourself to just follow the program (Esselstyn or Ornish) 100% for one month--you'll lose weight, you'll feel great, your energy will improve, and you'll be motivated to continue.  With half-measures you just aren't going to see the same results!

Program Basics--click here for the details:

• Diet: mostly vegetarian, no added oil, no nuts, no-fat dairy & egg whites are allowed, whole grains, fruit, vegetables, beans & legumes.  But, Ornish, also offers a Spectrum (as his book is called) of choices for people who are healthy, or aren't quite ready to follow a super strict diet--including small amounts of "safe" fish, like wild salmon.
• Exercise:  at least thirty minutes a day--but Ornish will forgive you if you skip a day or do less.  Click here for details.
• Meditation/Stress reduction  Click here for program details.  Don't have 20 minutes to meditate?  Try it for 5 minutes.
  
• The Importance of Social networks/close relationships:  depression & loneliness impair health.  Group support is needed to sustain lifestyle changes.  Click here for details.

In Ornish's experience, all these elements are key to preventing & reversing disease.   The body has a remarkable power to heal itself with diet and exercise, but stress, depression, and loneliness all have powerful negative effects on health.  Depression increases mortality by 3 to 10 times.

 

The Fear Factor Fails - What Motivates Us to Change?

 

Ornish's viewpoint:  No one makes long-lasting lifestyle changes based on the fear of a future disease.  That's why he says only 30-40% of people stay on statins.  But, what about me?  Fear worked for me. I made major lifestyle changes after seeing my parents suffering after ischemic strokes. 

According to Ornish, no one is thrilled to stay on statins, diabetes or blood pressure meds for the rest of their lives--in the hopes that they'll avoid a future heart attack or stroke.  And let's face it, these drugs usually don't do a thing to make us feel better, look better, feel happier, or lose weight.  And all drugs come with side effects.

Ornish's favorite cartoon is of men madly mopping up a wet floor without bothering to turn off the running faucet that's making the sink overflow.   Change your diet, start to exercise, find a way to reduce stress--and it's like turning off the faucet--actually treating the causes of disease. 

After 34 years in the diet-exercise-meditation-disease-reversal business, Ornish has figured out what motivates people to make serious lifestyle changes.  He knows that information alone isn't sufficient to get people to change.

Joy (from feeling healthy), freedom (to choose the changes), & pleasure (from real food & good health) are the real hooks that get people to make changes--and to continue on with them. 

No one wants to give up something they like (cheeseburgers & ice-cream)--if there's no pay back--and if it doesn't come quickly!

It's only when you start to see positive changes in your body, like weight loss, energy, reduced pain, less stress, and you're able to cut your meds--that you realize your health is in your own hands.   Just ask these folks who are following Dr. Esselstyn's diet, or my friend Neal.

Creating guilt, fear, threats of non-compliance, or being told, "Do this--or else!"--usually backfire.

The Joy & Pleasure Pay-Offs:

• Benefits of Exercise.  Walking 3 hours a week helps to grow brain cells--it's called neurogenesis, baby!  Within 3 months of exercise the brain's size actually increases.  Read more here.
• Benefits of Meditation.  Within 8 weeks of starting to meditate, stress is reduced, cortisol levels drop (the stress hormone), pain lessens, nitric oxide increases (you heard right), the genes responsible for stress & aging are down-regulated, and oxidative stress is also reduced.  Stay tuned for an upcoming post on the benefits of meditation.
  
• How You Look. Your skin improves because a plant-based diet along with exercise increases blood flow & slows aging.
• Sex Life.  As your sexual organs get more blood flow--sexual function improves--and erectile function improves.
• Heart Health. As the heart gets more blood--heart disease is reduced--perfusion improves.
• It's All Good. You feel better, you look better, you think better, your energy improves---and because you see change quickly--you're motivated to continue.  Convinced?

 

So how hard is it to make these lifestyle big changes?

 

Here's how Ornish explains it.  He asked the lecture hall audience a couple of questions.

"How many of you have one child?"   Lots of hands go up.

"Did your life change?"  Lots of nods & chuckles.

"And how many of you had a second one?"  Lots of hands go up.

"Did you forget how much your life changed?"   Lots of laughter.

You can change your lifestyle, and it will bring joy & pleasure.  You do get used to it!  I did.

Our palates are malleable.  Notice how people easily change from drinking whole milk to skim milk to almond/soy/rice milk?  And if you grow up eating healthy foods, you prefer them. 

 

Just Show Me the Evidence

 

I'm all about the research data.  Did I hear anything new from Dr. Ornish?  Not really--and if you're a long-time blog reader you've already heard most of this.  But, it still motivates & inspires me to to hear it again.  It helps me to stay the course!

 

One Patient's Experience--one year after starting the Ornish program

Dr. Ornish assured us that this man's experience wasn't anything exceptional--but the norm.

• After 7 weeks his angina disappeared
• Lost 50 pounds in one year
• His ejection fraction went from 46% to 61%, into the normal range.
• Triglycerides went from 819 (?? not sure if I got this one right) to 93
• Total cholesterol went from 243 to 110
• HDLs went from 27 to 38
• PSA went down
• No longer using a cane or the (humiliating) wheelchair he needed to use at Walmart
• Off the diabetes medications
• His total medication use was reduced by 75%
• No longer gets chest pains just walking to the mail box
• He now rides his stationary bike 8-10 miles a day & walks 2 miles a day
• The best part of the program?  Improvements in his quality-of-life.  His fear of dying has been replaced with the joy of living.

Ornish's Pearl:  The most adherent patients see the most improvements

 

 

 Ornish's Prostate Cancer Study - Turning Your Bad Genes Off.  Turning Your Good Genes On.

 

The red squares on the left represent the prostate cancer genes.  After 3 months of lifestyle interventons, they were down-regulated, showing up as green.

 

 This prostate cancer study demonstrated how our lifestyle choices can literally change our genes.

Ornish recruited 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer tumors, and for 3 months put them on a low-fat (10%) plant-based diet, had them exercise for 30 minutes a day--6 days a week, and participate in stress management sessions with yoga, stretching, and meditation for 60 minutes a day.  

Before the intervention, their cancer genes are red--three months later, the cancer genes are turned off, and show green.   The men literally "turned off" the RAS family of genes--these are the ones that promote the growth of breast, colon and prostate cancer. 

Yes, they turned off cancer genes with lifestyle changes. 

And it gets even better--the also "turned on" the GSTM-1 genes--the protein-producing genes that cause breast, colon, and prostate cancer cells to commit suicide. 

They turned off the genes that promote cancer--and turned on the genes that promote its death. 

Additional changes seen in Ornish's prostate cancer study participants:

• 70% of cancer tumor progression was stopped or reversed in the group who followed a plant-based diet, exercised, & meditated or practiced yoga for stress relief.   
• PSAs were reduced 
• Dose-response relationship--the men who were the most compliant achieved the most beneficial effects.
• 30% increase in telomere length--a measure of longevity.  After only 3 months, 24 out of 30 men showed significant increases in their telomerase levels.  Click here to read about the study. No drug is able to achieve this effect.  (my note:  omega-3s however, do!  click here) 

 

 

Emerging Consensus of What to Eat--According to Ornish

 

1. Mostly plant-based--but Ornish does includes no-fat dairy & egg whites
2. Calories do count  (nuts, seeds, avocados are all high in calories!)
3. Ornish now recommends fish oil--4 grams/a day or the equivalent--a new addition to his plan.  He thinks fish oil is better than eating fish, because right now there are no "safe" fish, and when the oil is removed, it can be molecularly distilled to remove any mercury or PCBs. If you do eat fish--choose wild salmon.
4. Organic produce is better
5. Reduce fat.  Total fat does matter.  It promotes inflammation and atherosclerosis.  For heart disease reversal, limit fat to 10% or less of calories.
6. Reduce sugar & refined carbohydrates
7. Increase fiber--it will fill you up.  Move from bad carbohydrates to the good carbohydrates to  prevent chronic insulin surges.  Refined carbs accelerate the conversion of calories into fat & promote chronic inflammation.
8. Forget about olive oil!  And by the way--the Lyon Study used canola oil--not olive oil--and that's the study everyone cites to promote the benefits of olive oil.  They used canola because they couldn't disguise the taste of olive oil.  Read more about the negatives of olive oil here.
9. Reduce sodium.
10. According to Ornish, although there have been multiple studies on the health benefits of nuts--whether or not they are beneficial for heart patients will require more study!
11. When it comes to calcium, there's a balance between intake & excretion.  Too much animal protein causes calcium excretion.

 

Why Lifestyle Improvements Save Money & Trump Procedures & Pharmaceuticals

 

• Participants in Ornish's programs reduce their LDL by 40% without the use of statins--with none of the side effects of statins.
• The EPIC Healthy Living Study showed that 93% of type 2 diabetes & 81% of myocardial infarctions can be prevented through lifestyle changes.  Click here.
• 75% of our $2.5 trillion "sick care" costs are due to chronic diseases that are preventable.  Read more here:  Dr. Michael Roizen's Straight Talk About Chronic Disease - Lifestyle Changes Can Control Them and Bring Health Care Costs Down. Roizen's Thirteen Pearls of Wellness.
• Angioplasties & bypasses don't prolong life--diet does.  They will get you out of a crisis or stop angina.  Read the COURAGE Trial results here.

 

The Ornish Program Approved for Medicare in August 2010

 

Getting Medicare approval for any new program, procedure, or diagnostic tool is tough.  It took  Ornish 7 years to finally get approval for his program.

Bottom Line:  Ornish's program saves money!   On average, his patients lose 20 pounds, improve their quality of life, get their blood pressure back to normal without drugs, lower their cholesterol, and get off of diabetes medications--while helping to prevent future coronary events. 

According to Ornish, getting Medicare on board with prevention & reimbursing for lifestyle changes is a major step in changing the practice of medicine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What I Learned From Dr. Caldwell and Ann Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease "School"

My First Prevent Heart Disease Lunch: Arugula, Lentil, Corn & Vegetable Salad

It All Starts in Adolescence according to the PDAY Study:  Atherosclerosis begins in youth. Fatty streaks and clinically significant raised lesions increase from age 15 to age 34. 100% of the autopsies done on 15-34 year old accident victims showed fatty streaks in the aorta and 50-75% showed streaks in the coronary artery--all precursors to later coronary artery disease.    Click here for study.

By 65-70 we all have it.  All males 65 years & older, and all females 70 years & older who have been exposed to the typical Western diet have cardiovascular disease & should be treated as such.  Without making any changes, you can expect to have a catastrophic event (a heart attack or stroke) in your 70's or 80's.  -Dr. Lewis H. Kuller, The University of Pittsburgh-

If you've received this post via email click here to go to the web version & all the links.

Friday was E-Day for me.  Remember my "Oops! Take It From Me - Half Dietary Measures to Lower Your Cholesterol Will Result in Half Measure Improvements"  post from May 19, 2010?  

 

Thanks to the generosity of the Esselstyns, last Friday June 18th I participated in an intensive small group instructional session with Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. and Ann Crile Esselstyn called "Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" held at the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute.  I only wish you could have all been there and learned everything I had the chance to learn.

Dr. Esselstyn was right--now I really get it!  I'm not saying I like what he requires his patients to do, but I do get it.  I now understand why he's so strict about the details of his diet (oops, not diet--I mean, lifestyle changes)--no oil, not even Pam, no nuts, no avocados, no chocolate--just vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans, & legumes!   Who would be thrilled to give up fat, sugar & salt?  Wasn't it enough that I gave up meat, chicken, cheese, fish, & other dairy products two years ago?  Apparently it wasn't, in my case.  And I thought I was a savvy food shopper, but even I had a lot to learn from the Esselstyns.  Now my eyes are wide-open.

So, who was there?  There was a mix of health professionals, people with newly diagnosed heart disease, and people with Type-2 diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, elevated weight and/or hypertension who were ready to make major lifestyle changes to avoid surgical interventions & pharmaceuticals--and they came from all over the country.

Honestly, I've got over 25 pages of notes--so there's no way I can condense that all into one blog post, and no one would have the time to read it anyway, so I'll cut to the chase.  Oops, turns out I didn't.  Sorry!

Part One:  Cardiovascular Disease, How We Get It & How Diet Prevents & Reverses It and Gets Rid of Many Other Diseases Along the Way.

Part Two:  How to Make This Diet Work--Tips & Tricks on meal planning, shopping, & a "best products" guide.

Part Three:  Success Stories of Real People

On-Going:  Follow Along While I Follow the Esselstyn Diet for Three Weeks--I'm going to try to do this 100% & then get tested--there's no other way to see how it works.

 Heart Disease is a Food-Borne Illness - How to Prevent & Reverse It

1.  Heart Disease can be symptom-less--Blockages of 10-70% have no symptoms & are the most unstable and dangerous.  Your cholesterol numbers can be fine, you might even be an avid exerciser with a healthy weight, but your arteries may be telling a different story.  Read  Yes, You Can Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease - But Are You Up For The Challenge? Let Dr. Esselstyn Convince You  and get a quick synopsis of how this works. 

2.   It's a given.  Unless you're eating like the Papua Highlanders of New Guinea--which means a plant-based diet with no added fat, you've already got some degree of cardiovascular disease, and you're at risk for the vascular dementia (my genetic inheritance), breast or prostate cancer, osteoporosis, erectile dysfunction, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes--to name just a few of the diseases driven by the typical Western diet.  Coronary artery disease & 80% of our other diseases are food-borne diseases.

3.  Stents & bypasses are just temporary patch jobs.  If you have blockages in one place assume you have them everywhere--and unless you radically change your diet, stents, bypasses, and statins are no guarantee that you won't have a future cardiovascular event. 

"Multiple studies show that if you have one ruptured plaque you have many."  -Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic-

"We can't cure this disease until we address the fundamentals of lifestyle."  -Dr. Eric Topol-

• 27,000 deaths occur annually from bypass surgeries & stents. 
• 48,000 annually suffer complications from interventions. 
• Over time the risk for failure increases for both stents & bypasses.
• 45% of our Medicare budget is spent on cardiovascular disease--according to Dr. Kenneth E. Thorpe of Emory University.  Imagine.
• Although stents & bypasses are absolutely necessary if someone is in the middle of a heart attack--in the case of stable disease they do not protect from future heart attacks, they don't prolong life, they do not treat the illness, and they do not significantly alter the disease.

4.  The Western Diet makes our blood sticky.  Sticky LDLs, white blood cells, platelets, and endothelial cells cause the whole cascade of events that leads to inflammation, heart disease, plaque formation, and heart attacks.  This is primarily diet-driven.  What we eat is what makes our blood sticky. 

5. It's All About Having Healthy Endothelial Cells--Eat Your Greens!  You can put the brakes on heart disease in just 3-4 weeks if you rejuvenate the endothelial cells that line your blood vessels by eating as many healthy greens as you can.  Greens heal the endothelial cells so they can produce life-giving nitric oxide--which prevents stickiness, keeps plaque from forming, and dilates blood vessels.  Nitric oxide is the strongest vasodilator there is!  Make kale your best friend. 

When you're eating an all plant-based diet that's high in anti-oxidants you literally change your internal biochemistry--and you strengthen the protective cap over your pre-existing plaque--which prevents future cardiovascular events.  Read more in A Delicious Heart Healthy Lunch at the Home of Dr. Caldwell B. & Ann Esselstyn - A Nitric Oxide Booster Shot

6.  What damages endothelial cells?  Fatty foods, fast food, all oils--including olive, palm, & soybean oils, and caffeinated coffee.  Using the brachial artey tourniquet test to measure endothelial function it was possible for Dr. Robert Vogel and others to see which foods actually cause damage to our "life-saving" endothelial cells.

7.  Exercise enhances nitric oxide synthase.   But diet trumps exercise, hands-down, in preventing disease.  Exercise is not an excuse to ignore what goes in your mouth.  Keep in mind that Esselstyn has worked with serious athletes who still got heart disease. 

8.  Arginine is an enzyme that builds Nitric Oxide--but, it only works if you get it from food, not supplements.  Getting arginine from supplements has been shown to cause more heart attacks.  Get your arginine from legumes & beans.

9.  Moderation Kills--Question:  OK, if I follow this diet faithfully everyday, what's the harm of going out-to-eat on Saturday night?  Answer: "It's Saturday night & I deserve to kill some of my endothelial cells!"

10.  Why not just take a statin instead of following a strict diet? 

• Most lipid-lowering studies show a slower progression of cardiovascular disease---slower PROGRESSION is still PROGRESSION
• Most lipid-lowering studies show 30% fewer new heart attacks.  What about the other 70%?
• Most lipid-lowering studies show 30% fewer heart attack deaths.  What about the other 70%?
• Most lipid-lowering studies show 30% fewer surgical interventions will be needed.  What about the other 70%?
• And don't forget that statins increase the risk of developing diabetes by 9%.
• There are documented cognitive problems when statins are used in high-doses.
• As age & dose increases muscle pain & weakness increases in statin users.  70% of statins users who do not have muscle pain are shown to have microscopic inflammation in their muscle cells.
• Read more about the side effects in:  What The Experts Say About The Side Effects Of Statins. What Are They? What Causes Them? Who Is Most At Risk? How Are They Treated?
• Statins inhibit the HMG-coA Reductase, the enzyme in our body that makes cholesterol in our liver.  Our bodies need a certain amount of cholesterol to properly function--and to inhibit an enzyme can produce serious side effects.  Why take a stain, when a plant-based diet can lower cholesterol & inflammation without needing to inhibit HMG-coA reductase?

11.  How did I get another blocked artery when I'm doing everything right?  Question posed to the Harvard Heart Letter physicians from someone who had a previous bypass and now has another blocked artery.  Answer:  The best we can hope for is that we can slow progression.  You should congratulate yourself if you've dodged the bullet as long as you have!  (Remember: unless you're eating a no-added fat 100% plant-based diet, you aren't really doing everything right.  Moderation kills.)

12.  Is it possible to reverse heart disease?  Question posed to the Harvard Heart Letter physicians.  Answer:  Only 2 doctors, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn & Dr. Dean Ornish have been able to consistently reverse heart disease--and they do it through strict diet changes.  And only Dr. Esselstyn, who is a stickler for detail and patient follow-up, has been able to keep his patients disease-free since 1985.

13.  Think of vascular disease as a low-grade brush fire.   You need to remove all the gasoline to put this fire out--and keep it out.  Even a tiny thimble-full of oil is like putting gasoline on the fire!

14.  Esselstyn's goal is to maintain a total cholesterol of <150 & an LDL <80.  He'll use the lowest dose of statins on rare occasions when absolutely necessary, but as statin dose increases cognitive problems have been documented & muscle pain, weakness, & muscle inflammation is widely reported.  Expect lower HDLs when you eliminate added fat--lower HDLs are common in indigenous plant-eating populations without heart disease.  HDLs don't need to by so high when LDLs are low.  There can be variation in LDL's even when you really are "doing everything right".   The Tarahumara Indians had a normal variation of LDLs from 80-115--before they started eating a more Western diet.

15.  Why not just follow the Mediterranean Diet, which includes olive oil & fish?  Yes, the Mediterranean Diet is better than the American Heart Association Diet & the Western diet, but it only slows the progression of heart disease--it doesn't prevent & reverse heart disease.  And, sure who doesn't want to believe that it's healthy to eat fish & olive oil?  I know I did.  But followers of the Mediterranean Diet show reductions of only 19-25% in cardiovascular mortality compared to followers of more standard diets.  Not a huge reduction in my book.  Click here for a recent Circulation study.

16.  Why can't I use olive oil?  I've covered this at length in I'm Going to Miss My Olive Oil - Who Knew It Wasn't So Healthy After All? Drs. Esselstyn, Ornish, Vogel & Rudel Did  but here's the short story:  Dr. Lawrence Rudel fed African Green monkeys (who are close substitutes to humans for study purposes) olive oil for 5 years, and then compared their arteries to those of Green monkeys who were given saturated fat to eat.   Rudel was shocked by the results--he expected the olive oil monkeys would be disease-free.  Turns out even though the olive oil monkeys had high HDLs, they also had just as much coronary heart disease as the monkeys who ate saturated fat.  Oops!  Olive, soybean, palm, coconut, oils all contribute to heart disease--just avoid them.

17.  Why can't I eat nuts?  Recent studies say they increase HDL's, and lower LDLs?  Esselstyn is skeptical about this research, based on the surprising results of Rudel's study.  Just because the HDL's go up, & the LDLs go down, it's no guarantee that nuts are preventing or slowing down coronary heart disease.  Little known fact:  the nut industry has sponsored these cholesterol/nut studies & participants had to consume 2.3 ounces of nuts to accrue the lipid changes--that's 350-400 calories worth of nuts.  

Then there's the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio thing--ideally we want to aim for a 2:1 or a 1:1 ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s, because a diet high in omega-6s is inflammatory.  Most of us typically eat a diet that has a 17:1 ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s.  Except for walnuts (and Esselstyn gives the OK for a few walnuts for folks without heart disease), most nuts are very high in omega-6s, and low in omega-3s.  Cashews have a 117:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.  And all nuts are high in calories and saturated fat.  Almonds, the nut super-star is 6% saturated fat.

17.  Why can't I eat avocados?  Like the nuts, its omega-6 to omega-3 ratio isn't so stellar.  At 16:1, it's mostly fat, high in calories, and it also contains saturated fat.  But, even Dr. Esselstyn allows some avocado into the diet for people who do not have heart disease.  I can live with that.

18.  Absolutely must eat foods every single day--oats & greens!  Eat greens every day, with every meal--they are the most powerful antioxidants.  Oats lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and slow the digestion of blood sugar.  Also, include whole grains, legumes, beans, vegetables, & fruit (no fruit juices).

19.  Where will I get my omega-3s if I don't eat fish?  Flax meal is high in omega-3s, with a great ratio to omega-6s of 1:8.  Greens are loaded with omega-3s, which is where fish get their supply--by eating plankton.  Also consider chia seed, click here to read more.  Are Chia Seeds (Salvia Hispanica) the New & Improved Flax Seeds? 

20.  How is it possible to lose angina pain in just 2-3 weeks on the Esselstyn diet?  Yes, you still have blockages, but you've restored your nitric oxide production from your endothelial cells--which naturally dilates arteries.  Even a tiny increase in artery diameter increases blood flow.

21.  How will I ever get used to eating food without fat?  It's absolutely possible, but you need to eliminate the added fat 100%--don't worry, there is still fat in all foods--this diet only eliminates the added fat, like oil & butter.  According to the Monell Chemical Senses Study  you will actually down regulate your fat receptors when you eliminate fat from your diet.  You will stop craving it & wanting foods made with fat.  The "fat craving"  takes 90 days to go away.  But watch out:  When you down regulate fat receptors, your sugar receptors will be screaming out to you.  Be especially careful to avoid refined sugar, foods that are naturally high in sugars, like dates, and any processed refined carbohydrates.  And limit natural sugars like maple syrup.  Sugar causes the body to produce more cholesterol.

22. Zero cardiovascular events have occurred in Dr. Esselstyn's group of 17 compliant patients over the past 25 years.   No mortality, no morbidity, no expense from following a plant-based diet--if you eat in a way to makes the cap over your plaque super strong!

23.  Dementia & Diet.  Dr. Megan Cleary of California examined over 11,000 MRIs of the brains of 50 year olds & found many had tiny white spots that indicated that they had unknowingly experienced tiny, imperceptible strokes.  These "brain attacks" have the same history and cause as heart attacks.  Keep on eating the same way at age 60, 70, & 80 and there's a good chance that those tiny strokes will add up to increasing memory lapses, and progress on to dementia--depending upon what part of the brain has been affected.  What's good for the blood vessels of the heart, is good for the blood vessels of the brain.

24.  Leg pain caused by claudication is eliminated with this diet.  It works its dilating/healing/dilation magic on diseased arteries everywhere in the body.

25.  Erectile dysfunction--gone naturally.  The penile arteries are much smaller than the coronary arteries, so they are like the canary in the coal mine--letting you know that you have atherosclerosis & cardiovascular disease.  Most of Dr. Esselstyn's patients report that after 8-9 months on this diet, their erectile dysfunction is gone.  To read more, click here

26.  Cholesterol drops are seen as quickly at 10-14 days.  Example of a 58 year old with a base cholesterol of 261 mg/dL, has a total cholesterol drop to 126 mg/dL with just 10-14 days on the diet.

27.  How Brain Health Affects Walking.  Now back to the tiny imperceptible strokes that show up as white spots on the brain--these tiny cognitive brain assaults affect our walking speed, our balance, our risk of falls, and ultimately are the cause of the downward slide into frailty.  It all circles back to how eating a disease-preventing diet benefits both the brain & the heart.  Click here for the article.

28.  Bone Health & the Plant-Based Diet.  Dr. David Shewmon, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Wooster, Ohio was able to show how urinary calcium excretion becomes normal within a week of eating a plant-based diet--a marker for decreased osteoporosis risk.  With a usual diet urinary calcium is 400 mg/dL.  After only one week on a plant-based diet the urinary calcium is less than 300 mg/dL.

29. Cancer Risk Decreases When Animal Protein Intake is 5% or less.   Dr. T. Colin Campbell found in numerous replicated studies that the amount of animal protein eaten could turn on & off cancer cells.  Tumors take off at 12% animal protein.  Read the China Study.  For a summary of the book read T. Colin Campbell of "The China Study" Pays a Visit - Does This Mean I Have to Become a Vegan"   There is no limit to the amount of plant protein that can be eaten.   Point of reference:  Hamburger is 37% protein.   Black Beans are 24% protein.  Feast on beans!

Stay tuned for my adventures in eating the Esselstyn Way, and Ann Esselstyn's tips, tricks, & recipes that make this diet "easy" to follow.  I'm now two days into it--and so far it's not as hard as I thought it would be. 

 

 

 

From the New York Times: For a Common Male Problem, Hope Beyond a Pill. Diet, Exercise, & Lifestyle Changes Improve E.D.

In a recent study of men with E.D., or at risk for developing it, researchers in Italy found that the men could improve their erections by losing weight, improving their diet and exercising more frequently. After two years of significant lifestyle changes, 58 percent of the men had normal erectile function, according to the study, which was published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine in January 2009.

"For a Common Male Problem, Hope Beyond a Pill", by Leslie Alderman, New York Times, August 28, 2009.  Click here for article

If you're one of the 30 million men with erectile dysfunction--almost 1/3 of men in their 50's & 1/2 of men in their 60's--you are going to want to read Leslie Alderman's article--if you haven't already.  Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra aren't your only options.

As far as I'm concerned, these are the most important points:

• "In many of the cases, E.D. is the sign of an underlying disorder like diabetes or hypertension. In fact, in younger men, erection problems are often the first symptom of cardiovascular disease."

• “Erectile problems may show up about three years before a cardiovascular event such as a heart attack or stroke,” says Dr. Ira Sharlip, clinical professor of urology at the University of California, San Francisco. That’s because plaque will start to clog the small arteries in the penis before the wider coronary arteries.

• “There is increasing evidence that we can reverse erectile dysfunction with lifestyle changes,” says Dr. Drogo K. Montague, director of the Center for Genitourinary Reconstruction in the Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute at Cleveland Clinic.

• "Viagra, Cialis or Levitra.  These drugs enhance the effects of nitric oxide, a chemical that helps to increase blood flow in the penis."   (my comment) What are the non-pharmaceutical nitric oxide boosters?  Leafy greens like kale, collards, swiss chard and spinach.

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn's advice on keeping arteries healthy  (read more here and here)

1. The basic understanding we all need to accept is that with every meal of oil, dairy or meat we eat, within minutes there is damage & injury to the "life jackets" of our vascular health--which is the single layer of endothelial cells that line all of our blood vessels. The endothelial cells produce the "magical gas" called nitric oxide which keeps our blood vessels relaxed, prevents our white blood cells & platelets from becoming sticky and prevents the growth of plaque--the dread "hardening of the arteries".

2.  And what can you eat to insure that your endothelial cells will have the raw materials to produce this healing nitric oxide?  Beans & leafy greens.  Load up on kale, collard, chard, bok choy & beans and you will be well on your way to healing the lining of your blood vessels.

3.  On the positive side--as soon as we stop eating these damaging foods--the endothelial cells have the capacity for restoration.

Bottom Line:  What's good for the heart is good for the brain and good for erectile dysfunction.  And that means a radical change in diet, exercise, and weight loss.

Here's my comment to the New York Times article:

"So glad that author makes prominent mention of the benefits of lifestyle changes on erectile dysfunction.

Dr. Calwell Esselstyn, the semi-retired Cleveland Clinic physician who has continual success preventing & reversing heart disease with a plant-based diet writes in his book:

“I have mentioned previously that several of my patients have also noted a distinct improvement in their sex lives. And recent research confirms a strong connection between impotence and cardiovascular disease.”

“Our own anecdotal evidence suggests the profound lifesyle change with plant-based nutrition offers the optimal opportunity to avoid heart disease–and to restore erectile capacity.”

And what’s one of the star ingredients of Dr. Esselstyn’s plant-based program?

GREENS. Kale, Chard, Spinach, & Collards.

They’re the best source of plant protein & loaded with the phytochemicals that provide the building blocks for life-giving nitric oxide.

That’s the stuff that will relax & dilate your blood vessels- restore & heal the endothelial lining of the blood vessels-& prevent atherosclerosis. They’re also a good source of anti-inflammatory omega-3s.

Those greens are natural Viagra/Cialis. Save your money. It also happens to be the star ingredient in “Green Smoothies”.

One more tidbit:

“Israleli researchers found that more than 15% of men with moderate to severe ED had chronic gum disease, compared with 2% without ED Oral bacteria traveling through the blood stream was responsible for narrowing vessels in the penis.” One more reason to religiously brush & floss."

To read more about Esselstyn’s work:

http://www.happyhealthylonglife.com/happy_healthy_long_life/2008/06/yes-you-can-prevent-reverse-heart-disease—but-are-you-up-for-the-challenge-let-dr-esselstyn-convince-you.html

— The Healthy Librarian