Effortless Eating - Page 177 of 185 - Elizabeth Yarnell – Solving Inflammation & MS

Cholesterol, Causality and Egg McMuffins

January 18, 2008

Last night on the national news there was a story about how while statin drugs do indeed lower cholesterol, it is unclear as to if they decrease the risk of heart disease. Since 18 million people take statin drugs and it is a $21 Billion industry for the drug companies, this is worth a second look.

Why is this news? As I’ve been arguing for years, while there is a correlation between cholesterol and heart disease, no one has established causality. Let’s review: correlation means that when you see heart disease, you usually also see high cholesterol. Causality means that high cholesterol causes heart disease; this has not proven to be the case. They are different concepts and important to keep straight, particularly when it comes to understanding the hype put out by the drug companies.

It seems many people have been put on statin drugs to reduce their cholesterol even when they have no other risk factors for heart disease (previous heart attacks, family history, etc.). Now, on the national level doctors are questioning if these people are being unnecessarily medicated. My answer: most definitely! The CBS Evening News report last night recommended that people who are not high risk cease taking statin drugs. Hooray!! Finally, someone is thinking about health and not just profits.

There’s been so much demonification (is that a word?) of cholesterol lately that we forget why our body makes cholesterol in the first place: to help our bodies function. Cholesterol forms cell membranes, is necessary for some hormones and is needed for other functions. Too little cholesterol can mess with our hormonal balance and land us with psychiatric diagnoses, unexplained malaise or exhaustion, and lower cognitive functions.

So, while the Associated Press trumpeted that the average cholesterol is lowest in 50 years due to statin usage (12/13/07), I would argue that this is a meaningless indicator, showing, if anything, the over- Egg McMuffin medication of our society.

So, eat those eggs: they are one of nature’s most perfect foods! One of my favorite recipes: Egg McMuffin. Here’s how to do it:

Spray the inside of a ceramic mug with vegetable spray (if you miss this step, cleaning will be very difficult!). Crack an egg inside the mug and beat it with a fork. Put the mug in the microwave for about 1:05 (every microwave will be different, but you should see the egg puff up over the top). Slide the finished egg onto a toasted whole grain english muffin slathered with mustard. I added baby Romaine lettuce to mine today. Voila! A quick and easy breakfast you can make to-go!

Feeding the Kids

January 16, 2008

Do you know anyone who made (or should have made) the new year’s resolution to help their kids have healthier diets? Then you should check out this book: Feeding the Kids: The Flexible, No-Battles, Healthy Eating System for the Whole Family (Fork and Spoon Field Guides) by Pamela Gould.

Feeding the Kids Pamela lays out deceptively simple strategies for getting kids to eat more vegetables, whole grains, etc. And no, this isn’t one of those hide-the-puree-in-the-food books. My favorite ideas from the book are to always have frozen vegetables on hand so you can always zap some in the microwave for dinner (this is something I’ve done for years as I love to live out of my freezer!), and to place a bowl of crudite and dip on the table during the pre-dinner hour, so that hungry kids might be tempted to nibble on something healthy instead of chips, crackers or other empty fillers.

When I started doing this I discovered that my 3-year old loves raw cauliflower, particularly dipped in organic ranch dressing or hummus. She has a texture issue (only will eat certain textures of food), so finding that this unusually-textured veggie was acceptable was a stroke of luck.

Gould advocates never insisting a child eat a food, instead simply presenting it over and over again. We are more of the “you must eat 3 bites of everything on your plate so that we see you’ve tasted it, and then if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it this time, but next time you have to eat 3 bites again” household, but I know that every kid is different and responds to different ideas.

A fun book with solid advice for helping families eat better.

The Dairy Deception

January 14, 2008

It’s Monday, so time for another effortless weight loss tip!

One of the quickest ways I’ve found to drop weight effortlessly is to eliminate dairy from my diet. Often, just doing this one change will result in pounds literally dropping away within a week or two. Keep dairy out for six weeks and you might see ten pounds or more melt away. (This may depend on how much dairy you regularly ate before starting this phase.)

Humans are the only mammals who continue to drink milk beyond infancy. While the dairy council would like us to believe that milk is an essential ingredient for health, this assertion is up for debate. Calcium, the most desirable element in milk, is indeed necessary for strong bones, but you can get it through sources other than milk. Sesame seeds or sesame butter (tahini), tofu or other soybean products (try boiled whole soybeans — edamame — yum!), nuts, beans, seaweed, kale… See here for an extensive list of non-dairy calcium sources.

There are other issues with milk, such as the growth hormones, antibiotics, and contaminated feed used in the dairy industry to increase production (and hence profits). Unfortunately, sometimes even milk that has been labeled organic and sold under a supermarket brand name is not actually organic. See the Organic Consumers Association articles on the subject. Knowledge is power.

Regardless, most adults in this world, particularly Asians, indigenous peoples and others who are not of northern European descent, have difficulties digesting milk. They can sometimes handle small, infrequent amounts (the occasional ice cream, for instance), but not the large daily doses we Americans think is imperative. When you don’t fully digest a food, your body can’t fully absorb the nutrients and worse, can’t completely eliminate the excess. Where do you think that leftover waste goes? Right to your spare tire or saddlebags or wherever you carry the extra stuff your body doesn’t flush away.

And don’t be fooled by the advertising gimmicks: dairy products are not conducive to weight loss. Not cottage cheese. Not 1% milk. Certainly not yogurt (a dessert masquerading as a health food). No, not even the non-fat versions. Sorry.

So, just try it. It’s much easier to avoid dairy now than it used to be. There are soy cheeses, non-dairy yogurts, and even non-dairy ice creams. My own coffee order at the coffee shop? Decaf-vanilla-soy-latte. Creamy and satisfying, sweet enough that no sugar is needed… If you get the syrup, though, be sure it’s not the “sugar-free” version — go for the regular style. We’ll talk more about artificial sweeteners soon.

Good luck with your weight loss and be sure to check back in for a tip next Monday!!

Kick a Cough — Homeopathic Pulsatilla

January 9, 2008

On Monday night I was woken up repeatedly by coughing — my own. At 4am, my husband kicked me out of bed so he could get some sleep before going to work. It was an infrequent dry cough during the day that got wetter at night and came in spurts, where I would cough almost non-stop for 20 minutes or so. Very annoying.

Since we were on a plane last week and surrounded by people hacking away, I figured this was inevitable.

Of course, I have been doing Sinus Rinse religiously, but it wasn’t enough. So I took 4 homeopathic Pulsatilla tablets on Tuesday morning, 4 more that evening, and, lo and behold, I was cough-free on Tuesday night. Sometimes homeopathy blows my mind with it’s effectiveness.

The important thing is to remember not to eat or drink anything for 10 minutes before or after taking the tablets.

Water in the Morning

January 7, 2008

Welcome to my Effortless Eating Weight Loss plan! As promised, every Monday I’ll post another effortless weight loss strategy that can help you on your way to losing weight.

Personally, I believe that many people struggle with their weight because they look at life and eating as an all-or-nothing deal. Either you’re “on” a diet and follow strict rules regarding rations, portions, and ingredients, or you’re not and you feel free to put anything you see into your mouth. I blame this mindset on our “win-or-lose”, “dead-or-alive” society. It convinces us that if we “fall off” our “diet”, we might as well give up. Right?

Sigh.

But really. Life is all about those shades of gray in between winning and losing. It’s the give and take that’s crucial. The small concessions. The little choices we make and the ripples felt from the effects.

That’s why I don’t like to focus on “losing weight.” Rather, let’s focus on getting healthy, on giving our bodies what they need to function effectively and efficiently. Once we do that, the weight will sort itself out as a natural byproduct. The body seeks an equilibrium: our job is to give it the right ingredients to enable it to so healthily.

Why am I qualified to talk about this? Yes, I’m a Certified Nutritional Consultant, so I know about holistic nutrition and healthy bodies. And I’m an MS sufferer, so I’m concerned with having as healthy body as possible. But I’ve also lost 30-50 lbs. at four different times in my life! So I know what it is like to struggle with weight loss and feel out of touch with my body.

Most of the time, I feel pretty comfortable with my weight and my body. I’m not a 5’10” model in a size 2 body, and if that were my goal I would surely feel devastated most of the time! Nope. I’m 5’3″ and pretty sure my growing days are long gone. When I follow my own advice, I don’t have to think about what I eat or how much and my body sticks around at a size 4 or 6. Yet, even I don’t have full control all the time. Here is a photo of me after my last pregnancy and second c-section (I can’t believe I’m going to post this, but in the interest of full disclosure, here goes…).

Now I look like this. I feel strong and healthy, capable and powerful. And back down to my desired body size.

So, let me start by sharing my first weight loss/healthy living tip: a drink of water. Start each day with 12-16 oz. of water, chugged or gulped as quickly as possible first thing in the morning (before coffee or anything else!). This will act like a fire hose racing through your intestines and clearing out any debris. Be prepared to hit a bathroom soon afterward, especially as it becomes a routine and your body knows to expect it.

Constipation issues? This will help! The action of drinking the water early and quickly becomes more effective the more often it is practiced, so the first day you might not see an immediate effect, but by the tenth day you certainly will. This will also give you a head start on hydrating yourself for the day, so even if you don’t drink another sip all day, at least you will have gotten some water in already.

Try to drink filtered water, but if all you’ve got is tap water, then use that. We’ll talk more about water in another discussion.

Tell me: does this seem difficult? Overwhelming? Doable?

Baby steps to a healthy life and weight.

Next tip to come next week on Monday!

Cholesterol, Causality and Egg McMuffins

Feeding the Kids

The Dairy Deception

Kick a Cough — Homeopathic Pulsatilla

Water in the Morning

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