Happy Healthy Long Life

An Ultramarathoner's Best Power-Packed Plant-Based Whole Grain & Seed Waffles or Pancakes

 

Whole-Grain & Seed Power Breakfast Waffles or Pancakes

 

 

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On Saturday, Deb, an ultramarathoner and endurance athlete sent me the recipe for her favorite waffles & pancakes. 

I tried the recipe out immediately & we liked the waffles so much, that I made a second batch on Tuesday--working the kinks out of the recipe so I could share it with you.

The Lab Rat & I couldn't believe how delicious & filling these waffles were.  On Sunday, just one waffle kept me full & fueled for 5 hours & over 2 hours of exercise.  Had one for breakfast today with PB2 & berries--and I'm just getting hungry now--6 hours later.  That's something!

Thank you, Deb!

 

Here's what Deb emailed me:

 

My favorite breakfast!  

Features:

• Whole grains
• Whole foods
• Gluten-free
• Lots of flax
• Seed + Grain = Complete protein
• Spices, like cinnamon for improved insulin response
• Plant-based &  no chemical leavening
• No added-sugar

I ate one before a 25 mile mountainous trail run last weekend, and all i had later was a gel and a bite size snickers bar (yeah, i know, but it tasted good!) for the whole day...

Here's the recipe.......

 

The Breakfast with Big Benefits

 

For the many benefits of consuming oats & buckwheat groats click here.  Whole grains, protein, soluble & insoluble fiber, low-glycemic, gluten-free, steadies blood glucose, B-vitamins, increases nitric oxide production.  Need I say more?

Flax is fiber, lignans, & a fantastic source of plant-based omega-3's rolled into one package.  Read more about its benefits here.

As for pumpkin seeds, although I don't eat them regularly, they are loaded with nutrients.  Read more here.   Dr. Mladen Golubic, the Medical Director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Lifestyle Medicine rarely consumes nuts, but, pumpkin seeds are a different story for him.  They are a regular favorite snack of his, owing to their high nutrient-content.  Plus, pumpkin seeds are a snack he's eaten throughout his life.

 

Deb's Back Story

 

I first heard from Deb over 2 1/2 years ago--soon after she had started on the E2 version of a plant-based diet.  I figure that if a plant-based no-oil diet can fuel an endurance athlete--it certainly will work for mere mortals like us.  But, even with all those years of running Deb was never able to lose those extra pounds or belly fat until she switched to plant-based & no-oil.  That made an impression on me.  My exact same experience, too! 

 

Here are some bits & pieces of Deb's story:

"I am a 58  year old woman, and I have seen an amazing difference in the way I feel, and how I can train now. 

I was "mostly vegetarian" for a number of years, until switching to plant-based no-oil over 2 1/2 years ago.

However, even with running 50+ miles a week, and eating a healthy diet without a lot of processed foods, I could not lose weight or get rid of that blob around my middle!!  Looking back, I realize we ate refined flour in the form of pizza dough and in our "multi-grain" (but not whole grain) bread, and occasional crackers and bagels... and white rice.

Since switching to plant-based, my joint pain disappeared, other seemingly unrelated symptoms (dry eye, allergies, sinus problems, asthma and digestive issues) all went away!

  

I lost weight, about 20 pounds, got leaner, have more energy, I don't need as much sleep, I feel GREAT!

 

I am never hungry, I am able to keep training hard on this diet, and actually, am even running better than before (gotta be not lugging that extra weight around!) I love this way of eating!!

Of course, after only a short time on this eating plan, all of my numbers also dropped - cholesterol was 156 after only a week and a half, down from the 180's, and is probably lower now... blood sugar down, blood pressure healthier.. all good stuff!

And how many almost 60 year old women do you know who can regularly run 30+ miles, and race at distances of 50-100 miles?   I have gotten my hubby, also an ultramarathoner, off of almost all animal products, but with a great increase in good plant based foods... he even eats kale!

Even at my age, there are markedly positive results from changing to a healthier way of eating.  And maybe that's worth sharing - "it's never too late" sort of thing...

 

Waffles for a Week - If You Can Eat Just One at a Time

 

 

 Nine Golden-Brown Slightly Sweet Waffles for the Week

 

 

 

Peanut Butter (PB2) & Blueberry Waffles for a Protein Boost

  

 

 

Deb's Power-Packed Plant-Based Blueberry Waffles

 

 

I hope this waffle recipe will soon be your fave, too.

The recipe makes 9 medium size delicious-hearty-slightly-sweet waffles that can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer to eat throughout the week.  They're perfect plain, with maple syrup, topped with blueberries, or even spread with 2 tablespoons of PB2  & blueberries.  

What's PB2?  It's defatted peanut flour (1.5 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons) that reconstitutes into a creamy "peanut butter" with just 2 tablespoons of water.  It's now available at Whole Foods & even my local grocery store. You can order a pound or more at a time through the company's website.  That's how we do it.

Without a topping, these make a very portable take-with power snack.

 

 

Power-Packed Plant-Based Whole-Grain & Seed Waffles/Pancakes

 

Makes 9 waffles=1/2 cup of batter

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

 

Ingredients:  

• 1 cup of oats (rolled oats or steel-cut)  I've used both. Rolled oats might grind more easily.
• 1 cup raw buckwheat groats  (buy in bulk at Whole Foods or Nuts.com We buy 10 lbs at a time)
• 1/2 cup ground flax seeds/flax meal
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds  (I use pumpkin seeds!)
• 1/4 cup raisins or currants
• 1 very ripe medium to large speckled banana
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• Optional spices include: pumpkin pie, allspice, ginger, cloves, vanilla to taste
• 3 cups of unsweetened almond milk--or your favorite non-dairy milk.  Water can also be used--although I've only made this with milk.

 

Preparation:

1. Before you start, soak the 1/4 cup of raisins in about 1 cup of the milk needed for the recipe.  

2. SEPARATELY grind each of the grains & seeds in a power blender, like a VitaMix.  Emptying the contents into a large bowl after each one is ground.  Works beautifully--& this won't clog up your blender.  DO NOT try to grind everything together at the same time.  DO NOT GRIND or blend the raisins in anything--except the milk.

I'm sure a food processor will also work, but, I haven't tested that out.

NOTE:  Raisins or currants are too gooey & must be blended separately with the milk, or they'll get stuck around the blades.  Because the pumpkin seeds have fat in them, they don't grind up as "cleanly" as do the grains.

3.  Pour the remaining milk--2 cups--into an empty blender, along with the raisins & their 1 cup of soaking milk & the banana.  Add the cinnamon & nutmeg & mix until well-blended.

4.  Pour the milk into the bowl with all the ground up grains & seeds & mix until just smooth with a whisk or a mixer on slow speed.

5.  Preheat your waffle iron or griddle, if you're making pancakes.  I have a non-stick waffle iron, but I still had to spray it with Spectrum's high-heat canola spray before each waffle, or they stuck.  The trick for me was figuring how long each waffle took to cook & not opening the waffle iron until then.  Using 1/2 cup of batter, each waffle took 4 minutes to be done.  Larger waffles will take longer.  NOTE: I hear that pancakes brown up perfectly, without oil or spray, with a Scanpan.  I'm seriously ready to purchase their Classic 12 1/2 inch non-stick fry pan. 

6.  USE 1/2 cup of batter per waffle in order to make 9 waffles.

7.  Store extras in the refrigerator or freeze them.  Heat them up in a toaster oven for crispness.  Top with thawed wild blueberries or a fruit of your choice.  The Lab Rat insists on maple syrup.   I skip the syrup. For an extra 5 gram protein boost (45 calories), spread with 2 tablespoons of PB2.

 

Nutrition Facts based on making 9 waffles from this recipe.  

1/2 cup of batter per waffle or pancake. 

 

 

 

Is There Anything We Can Do to Prevent Breast Cancer? Here's What Some Cancer Dietitians, Physicians, & Researchers Recommend

 

 

Illustration credit: Stuart Bradford NYT

 

If you received this post via email, click here, to get to the web-version where you'll be able to view the videos (you won't want to miss them), & connect to all the links.

 

I'm always surprised to learn that there are still HHLL readers out there who don't know that I post far more information on my facebook page, than I do on my blog.  

These are short, "quick-summaries" & links to "hot-off-the-press" research/articles, recipes, photos, books, & whatever has captured my attention & seems worthy of sharing with others--kind of like "A Medical Librarian's Reader's Digest". 

If you're interested--click on the FB picture-link in the upper-right-hand corner of my blog or just click here.   You don't have to have a Face Book account to drop-in--just ignore the FB box that asks you to log-in, close it, or hit the escape button, & read-on.   Drop-in for a visit.

Yes, I hear you--if you're already up-to-your-eyeballs with too much information & "computer-time-sinks"--just ignore this! 

 

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"You can't expect from mammography what it cannot do.  Screening is not prevention.  We're not going to screen our way to a cure." 

"It's just not true to say that 'if you get a mammogram, all will be well.' 

A recent study indicates that most stage II and III breast cancers actually turn up clinically, between normal planned screens. 

 

We are not saying that screening is bad. It's what you do with the information that makes it good or bad. We need to refocus and figure out how to tailor screening.

I think people like the simple message that screening is good and are uncomfortable with complexity. I understand that. However, cancer is a complicated disease.

We need to expand our messages to say, among other things, that many screen-detected cancers are slow growing and may not need treatment."

-Dr. Laura Esserman, Director of the Breast Cancer Center at the University of California, San Francisco, quoted in the  NYT 10/24/11 "Mammogram's Role as Savior is Tested." -

 

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"Most women with screen-detected breast cancer have not had their life saved by screening.  They are instead either diagnosed early (with no effect on their mortality) or overdiagnosed."

-Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, MD, Dartmouth Institute of Health Policy & Clinical Practice-

 

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Dr. Susan Love, the prominent breast cancer surgeon & women's advocate who is a Clinical Professor of Surgery at UCLA, "says the scientific understanding of cancer has changed in the years since mammography screening was adopted."

As a result Love would like to see less emphasis on screening and more focus on cancer prevention and treatment for the most aggressive cancers, particularly those that affect younger women.  Roughly 15 to 20% of breast cancers are deadly.  NYT 10/24/11 "Mammogram's Role as Savior is Tested." 

 

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Honestly, I didn't plan on writing about breast cancer prevention today.  No way.  I was all set to summarize the BBC's fascinating documentary,  "Eat, Fast, and Live Longer"   I watched it on Saturday & loved it!  So, I'm absolutely clueless how today's post morphed into a breast cancer prevention mash-up.

Let's blame it on October--It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Hope it's worthwhile, because it took way too long to put together.

No worries, gentleman, I'm not forgetting about you.  I've got some fascinating & eye-opening excerpts to share from the latest edition of Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer--all about the role of diet on prostate cancer.  Hint:  It has to do with evolution, meat & dairy.  Stay tuned.

Why So Little Information on Breast Cancer Prevention? 

How About Something More Than Mammograms?

 

 

Up until 4 years ago, I figured that getting my annual mammogram was my best strategy for preventing breast cancer.  

I dutifully went for my annual mammogram--and yes, I don't plan on stopping until sometime in my 70's. But, we have to remember that an annual screening mammogram is just a diagnostic tool--and according to many experts--it's often an "over-diagnosis" tool that can cause more harm than good.  Sure, it may prevent us from dying of breast cancer, but, it doesn't do a single thing to prevent or slow the development of breast cancer in the first place.

Remember, a screening mammogram that everyone gets annually or biennially at a certain age, is not the same as getting a mammogram because you or your doctor felt a lump or a thickening or you have suspicious symptoms or a family history of breast cancer.

Here are some sobering facts to consider.

• Mammography does a great job of finding microscopic precancerous lesions like Ductal Carcinoma In Situ(DCIS) that often don't progress to invasive cancer--but once they're found on a mammogram they're treated.  Read more about DCIS here.
• The really fast-growing aggressive cancers are often missed because they aren't visible at the time of an annual mammogram--so screening is often of no help for these "bad cancers."  "Roughly 15-20% of breast cancers are deadly," according to Dr. Susan Love in the Oct. 24, 2011 New York Times.
• Many cancers are slow-growing (known as indolent) and can be found and successfully treated when they're discovered either in that every-other-year mammogram or with a breast exam.
• But here's the kicker!  Mammograms are diagnostic tools--they don't do a single thing to help women prevent cancer.   There is plenty of research pointing to real strategies that can help us prevent breast cancer--yet, how often do we hear about them?   Not very often. 

 

What's a Woman to Do?   Consider These Four Breast Cancer Prevention Strategies

 

1.  Do Diet & Exercise Matter in Preventing Breast Cancer?  Yes, according to two registered dietitians, Sally Scroggs, MS,RD,LD, and Clare McKinley, RD,LD, at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, one of the leading cancer hospitals in the world. They say that breast cancer risk could be decreased by up to 38% through lifestyle factors, including maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet.   Read Scoggs' & McKinley's detailed recommendations later in this post, along with a few "editorial additions" from me. 

And don't miss checking out Dr. Michael Greger's excellent Breast Cancer & Diet Recommendations, here.

2.  Consider Vitamin D for breast cancer protection. According to one recent UCSD study that reviewed 11 observational studies, a serum 25(OH)D level of 47 ng/mL was associated with a 50% lower risk of breast cancer.  For many of us, it may take a lot more than 1000 IUs of vitamin D/day to get up to a 47 ng/mL level, especially if you live up North!  There's only one sure-fire way to know what your level is--get tested.  I've finally got my level up to 43 ng/mL & I plan to keep it there. Click here and here to read more.  

 

What about the vitamin D cancer connection? It seems so far-fetched, right?  (read more here)

Dr. Bruce Hollis of the Medical University of South Carolina has collaborated with Dr. Walter Willett and the Harvard School of Public Health for over 15 years, studying epidemiologic data on the effects of vitamin D on cancer.  These studies have routinely shown that an adequate vitamin D status protects against 13 or 14 different cancers, including breast, prostate, and colon cancer.

Still, Hollis is skeptical that vitamin D could treat cancer once you get it--its benefit is in preventing it in the first place--and having adequate levels will lower your risk. 

Researchers in Nutrition Reviews project that a vitamin D blood level over 52 ng/mL would reduce breast cancer by 50%, and levels over 34 ng/mL would prevent 50% of the colon cancers. (Note: a more recent study put the number at 47 ng/mL)

Here's how it works: Vitamin D helps control cell growth and that's why we think that it will reduce the risk of many deadly cancers like prostate, breast, and colon by as much as 50 percent.  In its role as a hormone, vitamin D travels all over our body delivering messages to activate genes and control cell growth. 

 

3.  Avoid unnecessary diagnostic radiation whenever possible.  Here's what breast cancer surgeon & spokesperson, Dr. Susan Love has to say about it:  “Don’t get that X-ray unless it’s absolutely necessary. Stay away from unnecessary radiation--so if somebody orders an X-ray, you've got to say, 'How is this going to change my care?' And if it’s not, don’t do it."

4.  Limit Your Intake of Animal Protein.  Consuming more animal protein and especially dairy products raises blood levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and elevated IGF-1 levels have been associated with increased breast cancer risk in many studies.  According to Valter Longo, PhD of USC Davis School of Gerontology, lowering one's blood level of IGF-1 protects against cancer & wild cell growth.  The two ways to lower IGF-1 levels are by limiting or eliminating animal protein--and by eating fewer calories. We need adequate levels of IGF-1 and other growth factors when we are young & still growing, but high levels later in life appear to lead to accelerated ageing.  As levels of the IGF-1 hormone drop, a number of repair genes appear to get switched on, according to ongoing research by Professor Longo. Here's why: When our bodies aren't getting overfed with the extra calories & animal protein found in a typical Western diet, they switch from "growth mode" to "repair mode".   In case anyone's wondering--Dr. Longo is "pretty much a vegan" based upon his research.  Interesting, huh?  Click here to read more.

 

If you do not see this video on your screen, click here.

 

 

 

The MD Anderson Cancer Center's Recommendations for a Diet to Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer

Does Diet Really Matter in Breast Cancer? 

Written by Dr. Melina Jampolis (additions by the Healthy Librarian--noted in ORANGE)

Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, this is the perfect time to answer this question.

And the answer is a resounding yes. To get you the best possible information, Dr. Melina Jampolis turned to registered dietitians Sally Scroggs, MS,RD,LD, and Clare McKinley, RD,LD, at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, one of the leading cancer hospitals in the world. They explained that breast cancer risk could be decreased by up to 38% through lifestyle factors including maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating a healthy diet. In fact, less than 10% of breast cancer appears to have a genetic basis.

 
1.  Limit Alcohol Consumption. From the Nurses’ Health Study: alcohol converts androgens to estrogens; 1 to 1.5 drinks per day is associated with a 19% nonsig­nificant increase in risk for breast cancer; 2.5 to 4 drinks per day is associated with a 41% increase in risk for breast cancer; and some studies show synergistic effect with hormone therapy. Update 11/01/11:  A new study published in JAMA shows that women who routinely have even small amounts of alcohol, as few as three drinks a week, have an elevated risk of breast cancer. The recommendation now is to limit alcohol intake to 1-3 drinks a week.  Click here to read more.  (H.L. addition)

2. A Whole Food Plant-Based Diet is Best. It's Synergistic.  According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, "no single food or food component can protect you against cancer by itself. But scientists believe that the combination of foods in a predominantly plant-based diet may. There is evidence that the minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals in plant foods could interact in ways that boost their individual anti-cancer effects. This concept of interaction, where 1 + 1 = 3, is called synergy."   A recent article in the American Journal of Epidemiology looked at the incidence of breast cancer in the long-running Nurses' Health Study & found the risk of developing the "harder to treat" estrogen-negative breast cancer was reduced by 20% in woman who ate the highest amounts of vegetable protein, like beans, soy, & nuts--and the highest numer of fruits & vegetables. (H.L. addition)

3.  Eat a High-Fiber Diet--every 10 grams of fiber/day will decrease one's risk of breast cancer by a significant 7%  Click here   (H.L. addition)  Also, consider including a daily dose of lignans from flaxseeds in your diet, too.  "Women eating more flaxseeds with a documented higher serum enterolactone were found to have a 42% reduced risk of death from postmenopausal breast cancer and a dramatic (40 percent) reduction in all causes of death." Click here and here to read more.

4.  The Best Cancer-Fighting Vegetables & Fruit:  Some of their top picks for cancer prevention include beans, berries, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts), dark leafy green vegetables (spinach, kale, chard, romaine, mustard greens), flaxseed, garlic, grapes/grape juice, green tea, soy, tomatoes and whole grains. A recent study in mice suggests that walnuts may also play a role in breast cancer prevention, but these findings need to be confirmed in humans.

5.  Curcumin--a possible cancer-fighting spice.  There is also a growing body of research suggesting that curcumin, one of the active components of curry, may play a role in both the treatment and prevention of various types of cancer including breast cancer.

6.  Weight Matters.  Lose It!  Being overweight is strongly associated with the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Adult weight gain of 22-44 pounds is associated with a 50% greater risk and a weight gain above 45 pounds is associated with an 87% increased risk. (For the benefits of exercise, combined with a high-fiber-low-fat diet on the prevention of breast cancer read this and for the benefits of exercise on preventing breast cancer, read this. H.L.)

7.  Banish the Belly Fat.  Excess belly fat seems to be particularly harmful, most likely because of its effects on inflammation and its association with elevated insulin levels, so if you tend to be more "apple shaped" and carry extra weight in your belly, it is especially important to lose weight, exercise regularly, and limit refined grains, sugar sweetened beverages, and added sugar in your diet.  (Read more about belly fat here H.L. addition)

8.  Whole Soy Foods are OK--Limit Processed Soy or Soy Protein Supplements.  When it comes to breast cancer survivors, a healthy lifestyle is just as important, if not more so. Many women are concerned about soy consumption, which I've written about before. Sally and Clare agree that up to three servings per day is safe, but they emphasize that soy should come from whole foods like soy milk, edamame and tofu, and that supplements like smoothies, bars and soy fortified cereals should be limited.  (Rethinking Soy for Breast Cancer Survivors. H.L. addition)  Read more about soy, here, too.

9. Supplement?  Should I or Shouldn't I?   Finally, during treatment, diet is very important to maintain health and optimize energy levels, but before taking any supplements, it is best to consult with a registered dietitian, preferably one that has experience with cancer treatment, because some supplements may actually interfere with chemotherapy or radiation.

(reprinted from CNN: "Does Diet Really Matter in Breast Cancer?"  )

 

Slowing the Growth of Cancer - Dr. Michael Greger, NutritionFacts.org

Researchers Discovered a Dietary Intervention that May Slow the Progression of Cancer

Here's the video link, if it's not visible on your screen.

 

 

 

Professor Peter Lewis: I'm Fit, I Mountain Bike, But I Still Got Heart Disease. His Recipe for Reversal. Plus HGK's & Fat-Free Vegan's Sri Lankan Kale, Black Bean, Sweet Potato Mallung & A Daily Dose of Lignans to Prevent Breast Cancer

 

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

Last Wednesday night, after my kids had arrived into town for Thanksgiving--as we were clearing the dinner table of our delicious dinner of Sweet Potato & Spinach Soup and Chef AJ's Thai Vegetable Noodles--Son #1 casually said to me:

 

Son #1:  Hey mom, did you see that video of Dr. Esselstyn--where he gets into a cab, and there's already another passenger sitting in it--and this guy says to him, "Aren't you Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn?"  

And then the guy in the cab tells Dr. Esselstyn how he's come all the way to LA from Wales just to hear him speak.   Turns out, many months before he was having chest pains--went to the emergency room, failed his stress test, got a load of pills, but, he didn't like the survival odds the doctors gave him. 

So he starts doing his own research to see how he can improve his odds of survival; finds Dr. Esselstyn's journal articles; decides to follow the diet---and now he's angina-free & off of all his meds.

Me:  What?  No, I never saw any video like that.  Where did you see it?  You never watch that kind of stuff.

Son #2:  Hmm.  Honestly, I'm not sure.  Could be that DIL #1 had it on her Facebook page or something like that.  Don't really know.  I think maybe her computer was sitting on the kitchen counter as I was making dinner one night--I felt like listening to something while I cooked--so I just clicked onto this video.   But, what an inspiring story.  And the whole thing was so random, how Dr. Esselstyn & this guy just happened to meet in a cab.

 

By now I was very curious.

You have to understand.  Son #1 hasn't even seen Forks Over Knives.  He avoids Facebook, and I can't imagine him watching a YouTube video that's over 6 minutes long--especially one on heart disease.  There's just no way.

So, I asked DIL #1 (his wife--my daughter-in-law) if she knew what Son #1 was talking about.   Turns out, this video was posted on Dr. Esselstyn's Facebook page, not long ago--we tracked it down--and I watched it.   (Note: I, also don't use Facebook--which explains why I never saw this video.  But, that should change in about a week.  Son #1 convinced me it was a good idea.  He, of all people??!!)

As for the video--I totally agree with Son #1.  It's a great story.  Two men randomly meet in a cab--and Peter Lewis ends up sharing his story with all of us!

Me to Son #1:  But, I'm still wondering why you bothered to watch this video through til the end.  Why??  Here's what he told me:

• It was such a random way that Dr. Esselstyn & Peter Lewis met.  And then, Dr. Esselstyn spontaneously asks him to speak to an large audience, without a bit of preparation.
• I was taken in because Peter was so fit--a mountain biker--and he still got heart disease. (Son #1 also mountain bikes & he's fit--maybe this hit close to home.)
• Plus, Peter is a professor, he understood the research, and he wanted better odds for survival than his doctors were offering him--with drugs or stents.

Am I the only one who hasn't seen this video!!

 

 

Peter Lewis, Mountain-Biker, Mathematics Professor From Cardiff Wales on Reversing His Heart Disease--Healthy Expo October, 2006

 

If you do not see the video about Peter Lewis, click here

 

I'm not a huge fan of posting YouTube videos.  Personally, I'm usually too inpatient to watch videos--and I figure, if I'm annoyed by them, maybe my readers are, too.   I prefer the written word.  It's much easier to refer back to. 

But, in this case--listening to Peter Lewis tell his own story is more compelling than just reading a transcript.

So, dear readers, I'm going to give you both--the video & my amateur transcript--not exactly word-for-word-but mostly.

 

Dr. Esselstyn:  Is Peter Lewis here?  Professor Peter Lewis of mathematics fame, from Cardiff? 

Peter, I wonder if I could get you to come up here a moment.  I've known Peter for about 25 minutes.  I was coming in from the airport & I crawled into this filled cab, and I saw this beaming face that I didn't recognize, & this man says, "You're Dr. Esselstyn, aren't you?"   And then he proceeded to tell me this story.  Since Peter is a professor, & he's used to being on his feet, I wonder if you can take just a few minutes & share your story with us, Peter.

 

Peter Lewis:  (Slightly embarrassed, completely surprised, and very charming)  This is totally out of the blue.  15 months ago, I thought I was pretty fit.  My sport is mountain biking & I regularly ride with my 35 year old son, & I keep up with him--and he's pretty keen.  

But, then, while I was helping my son do some gardening, 15 months ago, I felt this pain in my chest.  I thought, "muscle pain", and dismissed it.   But, it didn't go away & I ended up in the hospital emergency room, and I had to stay the night.

The next day, I was released with a bag of pills.   On the way to the "car park", I had to walk up a gentle hill & the pain was so great that I had to stop.   I had it fairly bad--I had a treadmill test in the hospital.  I managed 4 minutes on the treadmill--less than 1/2 of the length of a normal test.  So, I was in bad shape.

(When I got home) I looked on the internet to see what my prospects were--and they were pretty bad.  They talked about improving your risk for survival.  And the best medication you could get would only help lower your risk of getting a heart attack or dying. 

I thought, "I don't want to face that.  I'm healthy.  I want my normal life back!"

So, I carried on with the internet, & came across a paper by Dr. Esselstyn, and what he said was, "I can eliminate your chance of having a heart attack."  He had this study of 18 people who previously had collectively 49 cardiac events---and 12 years later, after they'd been on his diet, they had ZERO.

I thought, "That's the number I want!  Zero."   I didn't want a 5% or 10% risk, because if you're the 5% or 10% who have a heart attack, it's 100% for you!  I want zero.

So, I read the paper, immediately followed the recommendations, & I went immediately on his diet.  I calculated the fat content of what I was eating & it was someting like 7-8% or less.  And I stuck on that diet.

I've got a research background, so I thought "I'm going to measure my improvement.  I've got a standard bike route that climbs up behind my house--about 700 feet, & the first part of it is fairly gentle."

Immediately, when I started this test, I had to stop 7 times from pain during that first little bit.  Then, as the weeks went by, it was 6 times, then 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1 time.   Then I managed to do the whole bottom section with no pain--or pain that was manageable.

I thought, "All right.  I'll go on to the next section."  It's steep up into the woods.  Rough track. Tough.  So I had to stop 3 or 4 times going up the steep part--because I was obviously much better.

Then that went down & I started to be able to ride the whole hill with no stops.  So I started dropping some of my medications, Nicorandil, a vasodilator--gradually.   Within 6 months, I virtually eliminated my angina--I was able to ride my bike trip all the way, without stopping & I was dropping my medication.

Now, 15 months later, I TAKE NO MEDICATION,  & when I saw Dr. Esselstyn in this taxi, I said, "I'm here because of you!" 

Because if you're doing this, and you believe so passionately in it, you want to help other people experience the benefits that you've had--but it's hard.   People tend to treat you like "a different sort of person".  They don't really want to know. 

So, in order to feel geniunely inspired, I needed to come somewhere where I'm surrounded by people who believe the same things I believe, & perhaps experience the sort of things I experienced. 

That's why I'm here.

 

Like my son, I'm also inspired by health-turn-around stories--especially, from people who thought they were fit--they exercised, and ate right--or so they thought.

Here's another one--from Michael Bicks--another cyclist who thought he was heart-attack proof--but wasn't:  I'm Healthy, I Exercise, I Eat Right - I'm Heart-Attack Proof. "Not a Moment Too Soon I Thought of Tim Russert"

 

 

Last Night's Dinner--A Gorgeous Sri Lankan Kale, Black Bean, & Sweet Potato Mallung

 

Before I left for work yesterday morning, I checked to see what was cooking in the Healthy Girl's Kitchen.  Turns out, Wendy's friend Quinny had cooked up a gorgeous Sri Lankan Kale with Black Beans & Sweet Potato dish that looked totally easy to make.  In Sri Lanka, it's called Kale Mallung.

I've never had a Sri Lankan dish, and it sounded like a good plan for last night's dinner.

The Lab Rat was up for the challenge--so that's what we ate for dinner last night.  He doubled Quinny's recipe--using 3 large sweet potatoes, 24 ounces of kale, 2 big onions, and 2 cans of black beans. 

Honestly, this recipe is enough for 8 servings--not four.   I'm also thinking that a little pineapple in it, next time, would taste great.   As for the not-so-healthy addition of unsweetened coconut--spread over 8 servings gives you about 4.1 grams of fat, according Susan Voisin, the Fat-Free Vegan and my nutritional info.  How's that for rationalization?   The coconut & lime really made this dish something special.

 It looks like a nutritional power-house to me, in spite of the coconut.

Nutrition Facts Quinny's & Fat-Free Vegan's Kale, Sweet Potato,Black Bean Mullung
Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories	249
Total Fat	4g
Saturated Fat	3.1g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	218mg
Carbohydrate	45.8g
Dietary Fiber	10.3g
Sugars	13.3g
Protein	10.4g
Vitamin A 312% Vitamin C 220% Calcium    25% Iron 26%

 

 

 

The Benefits of Flax & Chia Lignans for the Prevention of Breast Cancer

 

Thanks again to blog reader Tom, who emailed me yesterday's Disease-Proof   posting that explains how the lignans in flax & chia help to prevent estrogen-driven breast cancer.   One more reason to add a tablespoon or two of flax or chia seed on top of your morning oatmeal!  Fiber, omega-3s, & cancer-fighting lignans.  3 for 1.

The latest study on the subject just appeared in the October 11, 2011 issue of the British Journal of Cancer, "Estimated enterolignans, lignan-rich foods, and fibre in relation to survival after postmenopausal breast cancer."   Read more here.

Excerpt from the Disease-Proof Blog:

"Women eating more flaxseeds with a documented higher serum enterolactone were found to have a 42% reduced risk of death from postmenopausal breast cancer and a dramatic (40 percent) reduction in all causes of death.^14,15 Flaxseeds are clearly super foods; even with a mediocre diet they offer powerful protection against certain types of breast cancer.

 Another interesting study on flax followed women for up to 10 years and found a 51% reduced risk of all-cause mortality and a 71% reduced risk of breast cancer mortality."

Read the entire flax/lignan/breast cancer post here.