Over the years I have read a good deal of books and reports on the acid/alkaline chemistry of the body. I was not the most astute chemistry student in school but as I got older my interest increased. I became fascinated by chemistry as it applies to maintaining a healthy body. Here’s what I learned: It's all about the internal acid/alkaline balance. We get disease when imbalance occurs.
Doctors check acidity and alkaline levels by measuring the pH in our blood, saliva or urine. The pH stands for potential Hydrogen, which measures the number of hydroxl ions which are negative and alkaline-forming as opposed to the amount of hydrogen ions that are positive and acid-forming.
Don’t stop reading because the chemistry vocabulary seems boring. Just remember this: everything you eat or drink is either alkaline-forming or acid-forming. Acid and alkaline substances are opposites and when they meet they cancel each other out creating a neutral pH. However, it takes 20 times as much alkaline to neutralize an amount of acid.
The pH measurement scale runs from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral. Below 7 is acid and above 7 is alkaline. Authorities have said that if you’re testing the blood, the perfect pH for human body function is 7.365. Some doctors believe that it is better to look at the range between 7.36 and 7.42 as the best. As for me, I’m just remembering that all authorities agree the body should be maintained slightly on the alkaline side.
None of this really came to life for me until I was working on my swimming pool one day. I was testing the water to see if the pH balance was correct. I know through experience that if I put the right amount of chemicals in the water to get a neutral pH, the water stays clean and crystal clear. If I goof up and let the water get out of whack and unbalanced, fungus will grow. Micro-organisms like fungus, bacteria and mold cannot survive in an alkaline environment. So as long as I keep the pH neutral in my pool, my family is safe to swim.
The importance of pH balance made even more sense to me as I learned the body is 70% water and the blood is 96% water. I realized that pH balancing is important to my health. It cleans up the water of my body and eliminates the toxic micro-organisms.
I take care of my swimming pool because I was given instructions. The instructions informed me how to keep my pool clean. I have friends that have fish aquariums. They, too, were provided with instructions. They have to keep the water in the aquarium at the correct pH or the fish will die. It’s the same with with our bodies. Just imagine that your cells are like the little fish in your aquarium. Think about how important it is that your cells are swimming in healthy internal fluids. I thought about this and realized that I didn’t get the instructions on keeping my inner body chemistry at the right pH level.
This is when I decided to do more research. I found out that if the pH in the body starts declining towards the acidic, the blood pulls alkaline minerals out of our tissues to compensate. However, if your body has been bombarded by acid-forming substances for a long time, the blood can no longer handle the imbalance. Excess acid is then dumped into the tissues. This imbalance leads to irritation and inflammation and eventual disease.
Authorities say that over acidification of our inner terrain is the underlining cause of all disease. Eating, drinking and breathing the wrong things all cause acid build-up in the body. Stress also causes acidification. The best thing for you to do is learn which foods are acid-forming and which foods are alkaline-forming. Then use the 80%/20% rule. Eat 80% alkaline-forming foods and 20% acid-forming foods. Here is a short list to get you started.
Acid-forming: All meat, pastries, pasta, cheese, milk, ice cream, all chemicals/preservatives, aspartame, potatoes, white flour, white rice, fried foods, processed foods, all fried oils, white sugar, coffee, alcohol and all drugs.
Alkaline-forming: spinach, romaine lettuce, seaweed, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, onions, garlic, almonds, millet, quinoa, tomatoes, apples, watermelon, grapes, and pears. Lemons and limes seem like they would be acid-forming, but they are actually alkaline-forming. I drink lemon or lime water every morning.
Get balanced! Stay healthy!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Why I Am A Nutrition Nut
Three things happened in my life that fired me up to be a nutrition enthusiast. Number 1: I was told by a doctor to start taking a powerful cholesterol-lowering drug to bring my cholesterol down. Number 2: My niece was diagnosed with Lupus. Number 3: I was given an assignment to design a signing program for a grocery store produce department.
It was at my yearly physical in June 2003 that my doctor told me that I would have to start taking a statin. A statin is a prescription drug that stops an enzyme that controls the rate the body produces cholesterol. Problem with statins is once you’re on them, you’re on them for life.
I told the doctor I would rather see if I could lower it by diet and exercise first. I did not want to be on any kind of medication for the rest of my life. He said it was too late for that. He gave me the prescription. I took it but never had it filled. And I never saw that doctor again.
This was the kick in the butt I needed. I immediately started doing research to see if I could bring the cholesterol down without drugs. My total was 229 and from what I read the acceptable range was 180-199. I had some work to do.
I quit eating fried foods. I cut down on red meat. I started reading the nutrition labels on everything I bought at the grocery store. If the label said anything about hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils I considered it poison and put it back on the shelf.
I had already stopped drinking milk years ago. Now I had to cut down on eating cheese. I love cheese. And I cut down on eating eggs. I read that anything high in saturated fat should be eliminated from my diet.
I started exercising. And by December 2003 I also quit smoking. I had read that when you smoke you lower the amount of good cholesterol in your blood. I was one of those guys that always said it was easy to quit smoking, because I had quit 100 times already. This time I put the cigarettes down and never picked one up again. Cold turkey. I just stopped.
I had my cholesterol checked again. It had dropped from 229 to 215 in 6 months. I still had a lot of work to do. So it was back to the books to find out what else I could do to improve my cholesterol level.
In January 2004 we had moved closer to my wife’s family and started our own graphic design company. One of our nieces had recently been diagnosed with Lupus, a disease I had absolutely no knowledge about.
I started doing research to find out about Lupus. I found a book on the internet called “The Lupus Recovery Diet” by Jill Harrington. It was the book that energized me even further into my nutrition craze. The book had testimonials from people with Lupus who had put the disease into remission by changing their diet.
I found out that Lupus is an autoimmune disease. And because of that I learned a lot about the immune system. I also learned a lot about the foods you can eat to strengthen your immune system.
It was in February 2004 that I got a job to design a signing program for a grocery store produce department. The job required me to learn the nutrition facts of every vegetable and fruit on the planet. It seemed like everything about nutrition was falling into my lap.
In June 2004, I had my cholesterol checked again. It was at 216. One point higher than 6 months ago! I was upset and more determined than ever to eat better and exercise more. I felt more confident now that I was armed with more nutritional information than I ever had before.
I drove my wife crazy by stopping to read every label on every product when we went grocery shopping. She still thinks I am a little nuts.
I didn’t have my cholesterol checked again for another 4 years. I just knew that I was going in the right direction and did not need to worry anymore. I had it checked in March 2008 and my total cholesterol was 197, HDL at 51, LDL at 117 and my CHOL/HDL ratio at 3.9.
I was happy. Changing my eating habits did work. But now I just read “The Okinawan Program” and found that Okinawan elders average a total cholesterol level of 170 with a 3.3 ratio. Here I go again. Looks like I still have a lot of work to do!
It was at my yearly physical in June 2003 that my doctor told me that I would have to start taking a statin. A statin is a prescription drug that stops an enzyme that controls the rate the body produces cholesterol. Problem with statins is once you’re on them, you’re on them for life.
I told the doctor I would rather see if I could lower it by diet and exercise first. I did not want to be on any kind of medication for the rest of my life. He said it was too late for that. He gave me the prescription. I took it but never had it filled. And I never saw that doctor again.
This was the kick in the butt I needed. I immediately started doing research to see if I could bring the cholesterol down without drugs. My total was 229 and from what I read the acceptable range was 180-199. I had some work to do.
I quit eating fried foods. I cut down on red meat. I started reading the nutrition labels on everything I bought at the grocery store. If the label said anything about hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils I considered it poison and put it back on the shelf.
I had already stopped drinking milk years ago. Now I had to cut down on eating cheese. I love cheese. And I cut down on eating eggs. I read that anything high in saturated fat should be eliminated from my diet.
I started exercising. And by December 2003 I also quit smoking. I had read that when you smoke you lower the amount of good cholesterol in your blood. I was one of those guys that always said it was easy to quit smoking, because I had quit 100 times already. This time I put the cigarettes down and never picked one up again. Cold turkey. I just stopped.
I had my cholesterol checked again. It had dropped from 229 to 215 in 6 months. I still had a lot of work to do. So it was back to the books to find out what else I could do to improve my cholesterol level.
In January 2004 we had moved closer to my wife’s family and started our own graphic design company. One of our nieces had recently been diagnosed with Lupus, a disease I had absolutely no knowledge about.
I started doing research to find out about Lupus. I found a book on the internet called “The Lupus Recovery Diet” by Jill Harrington. It was the book that energized me even further into my nutrition craze. The book had testimonials from people with Lupus who had put the disease into remission by changing their diet.
I found out that Lupus is an autoimmune disease. And because of that I learned a lot about the immune system. I also learned a lot about the foods you can eat to strengthen your immune system.
It was in February 2004 that I got a job to design a signing program for a grocery store produce department. The job required me to learn the nutrition facts of every vegetable and fruit on the planet. It seemed like everything about nutrition was falling into my lap.
In June 2004, I had my cholesterol checked again. It was at 216. One point higher than 6 months ago! I was upset and more determined than ever to eat better and exercise more. I felt more confident now that I was armed with more nutritional information than I ever had before.
I drove my wife crazy by stopping to read every label on every product when we went grocery shopping. She still thinks I am a little nuts.
I didn’t have my cholesterol checked again for another 4 years. I just knew that I was going in the right direction and did not need to worry anymore. I had it checked in March 2008 and my total cholesterol was 197, HDL at 51, LDL at 117 and my CHOL/HDL ratio at 3.9.
I was happy. Changing my eating habits did work. But now I just read “The Okinawan Program” and found that Okinawan elders average a total cholesterol level of 170 with a 3.3 ratio. Here I go again. Looks like I still have a lot of work to do!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
My 20 Favorite Foods
If somebody asked you to choose your 20 favorite foods, what would they be? What if you were told that they would be the only foods you could eat for the rest of your life? Here are the 20 foods I would have to have.
1. Apples: Great source of fiber. Helps prevent cholesterol buildup and reduces possibility of arteriosclerosis and heart disease. Packed with potassium and low in calories. And Benjamin Franklin said, “Eat an apple a day....”
2. Spinach: Loads of Vitamin K, A and C. Packed with manganese, folate, iron, calcium and potassium. Research shows that spinach helps in the prevention of osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, and arthritis.
3. Celery: Rich in vitamin C. It is one of my favorite foods because I like the crunchy texture added to my spinach salad.
4. Brown Rice: Great source of fiber. Good source of manganese, selenium and magnesium, iron, Vitamin B1, B3, and B6. Research has shown that the oil in brown rice helps lower cholesterol. Don’t eat white rice. The process of milling and polishing destroys most of the natural nutrients.
5. Lemons/Limes: I start out each morning by chugging a glass of lemon or lime water. I squeeze them fresh every morning. Rich source of minerals and vitamins, especially vitamin C. Even though lemons and limes are acidic, they actually have an alkaline effect on the body.
6. Broccoli: Great source of calcium, iron and magnesium and is low-calorie, low-fat, low-sodium, and high in fiber. Good source of vitamin A and C. More Vitamin C than oranges. Contains some 3% of protein.
7. Asparagus: Excellent source of protein, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenate Acid, Magnesium, Zinc and Selenium, and a great source of fiber. Contains vitamin A, C, E, and K.
8. Avocados: Low in cholesterol and Sodium. Good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and folate. Blocks bad LDL cholesterol.
9. Almonds: Good source of protein. Low in saturated fat and contain calcium and magnesium for strong bones. Also contain vitamin E and phytochemicals, which may help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer.
10. Romaine Lettuce: Excellent source of vitamin A, K, C, manganese, and chromium. Also a good source of vitamin B and potassium.
11. Cabbage: Rich in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and potassium. Cabbage has antioxidant power that helps clear up toxins. It was revered in ancient Rome as a cancer cure.
12. Carrots: Great source of antioxidant compounds. They are the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. Help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer. Also known to promote good vision.
13. Red Grapes: Contain beneficial compounds called flavonoids, which are phytonutrients that give the vibrant purple color to grapes. Considered a powerful antioxidant. Prevents the accumulation of harmful oxidized cholesterol.
14. Sweet Potatoes: Excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene). Also a good source of vitamin C, manganese, copper, fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.
15. Quinoa: Contains twice the protein of other grains with fewer carbohydrates. A complete protein that has all the essential amino acids your body needs to build muscle.
16. Beans: If I could only pick one it would be the black bean because it is the most nutritious. Good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Combined with brown rice, black beans provide fat-free high quality protein.
17. Flax Seed: Rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that helps prevent heart disease.
18. Blueberries: Strong antioxidant power. Its phytonutrients fight cancer, heart disease and age-related memory loss.
19. Tomatoes: Contains lycopene and phytochemicals that protect against heart attack, cancers and macular degeneration.
20. Tofu: A complete source of protein. One of the only food products that provide all eight essential amino acids. It contains no animal fats or cholesterol. Tofu is low on sodium, contains few calories, and is easy to digest. Excellent source of iron and Vitamin B. Also a source of calcium. I like it on my spinach salad.
1. Apples: Great source of fiber. Helps prevent cholesterol buildup and reduces possibility of arteriosclerosis and heart disease. Packed with potassium and low in calories. And Benjamin Franklin said, “Eat an apple a day....”
2. Spinach: Loads of Vitamin K, A and C. Packed with manganese, folate, iron, calcium and potassium. Research shows that spinach helps in the prevention of osteoporosis, heart disease, colon cancer, and arthritis.
3. Celery: Rich in vitamin C. It is one of my favorite foods because I like the crunchy texture added to my spinach salad.
4. Brown Rice: Great source of fiber. Good source of manganese, selenium and magnesium, iron, Vitamin B1, B3, and B6. Research has shown that the oil in brown rice helps lower cholesterol. Don’t eat white rice. The process of milling and polishing destroys most of the natural nutrients.
5. Lemons/Limes: I start out each morning by chugging a glass of lemon or lime water. I squeeze them fresh every morning. Rich source of minerals and vitamins, especially vitamin C. Even though lemons and limes are acidic, they actually have an alkaline effect on the body.
6. Broccoli: Great source of calcium, iron and magnesium and is low-calorie, low-fat, low-sodium, and high in fiber. Good source of vitamin A and C. More Vitamin C than oranges. Contains some 3% of protein.
7. Asparagus: Excellent source of protein, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenate Acid, Magnesium, Zinc and Selenium, and a great source of fiber. Contains vitamin A, C, E, and K.
8. Avocados: Low in cholesterol and Sodium. Good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and folate. Blocks bad LDL cholesterol.
9. Almonds: Good source of protein. Low in saturated fat and contain calcium and magnesium for strong bones. Also contain vitamin E and phytochemicals, which may help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer.
10. Romaine Lettuce: Excellent source of vitamin A, K, C, manganese, and chromium. Also a good source of vitamin B and potassium.
11. Cabbage: Rich in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and potassium. Cabbage has antioxidant power that helps clear up toxins. It was revered in ancient Rome as a cancer cure.
12. Carrots: Great source of antioxidant compounds. They are the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. Help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer. Also known to promote good vision.
13. Red Grapes: Contain beneficial compounds called flavonoids, which are phytonutrients that give the vibrant purple color to grapes. Considered a powerful antioxidant. Prevents the accumulation of harmful oxidized cholesterol.
14. Sweet Potatoes: Excellent source of vitamin A (in the form of beta-carotene). Also a good source of vitamin C, manganese, copper, fiber, vitamin B6, potassium and iron.
15. Quinoa: Contains twice the protein of other grains with fewer carbohydrates. A complete protein that has all the essential amino acids your body needs to build muscle.
16. Beans: If I could only pick one it would be the black bean because it is the most nutritious. Good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber. Combined with brown rice, black beans provide fat-free high quality protein.
17. Flax Seed: Rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that helps prevent heart disease.
18. Blueberries: Strong antioxidant power. Its phytonutrients fight cancer, heart disease and age-related memory loss.
19. Tomatoes: Contains lycopene and phytochemicals that protect against heart attack, cancers and macular degeneration.
20. Tofu: A complete source of protein. One of the only food products that provide all eight essential amino acids. It contains no animal fats or cholesterol. Tofu is low on sodium, contains few calories, and is easy to digest. Excellent source of iron and Vitamin B. Also a source of calcium. I like it on my spinach salad.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
A Yodel for Peace and Our Common Humanity
You know the second thing I remember thinking when the news got out about the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse in Iraq? I thought about Dr. Magnus Bucher. He was my Western Civilization teacher at the University of Maryland, Munich Campus in 1970. He was a fascinating man. I will never forget him.
I remember when I was signing up for classes one day another student told me to make sure I take Dr. Magnus Bucher's class. I said, "Why?" "Because he is a great teacher and he yodels." "Yodels?", I said. "Yes, he is one of the world's great yodelers, and if you ask him during class he will usually give you a yodeling demonstration." "Thanks", I said, "I will sign up now."
I was lucky. I did get into his class. And I did get the privilege to hear one of the world's great yodelers entertain our class. But more than that, I was privileged to learn from one of the most remarkable teachers I had ever had.
He not only taught us from the Western Civilization book, but he also taught us from his life. He taught us things that you would never find in a text book. He told us about when he was a young man that his family feared Adolf Hitler and the Nazi movement. His mom and dad were afraid their teenage son would be kidnapped by a military regime they hated.
This was a new insight for me. It wasn't until Dr. Bucher spoke that I realized there were many people in Germany that did not believe in Hitler's philosophy. I wrongly assumed that all of Germany went off the deep end.
He told us a story of how his family wanted to hide him so that he would not be drafted by the Nazi army. But it was to no avail. They got him. And then Magnus Bucher's indoctrination into Hitler's warped world began.
The Nazi's told him that the Americans were monsters and that he should be very afraid if he were ever captured. Well as history would have it, young Magnus Bucher did get captured by the American army. He trembled with fear about what might happen to him. And then, for him, the most amazing awareness moment occurred. The Americans were not monsters after all.
The soldiers that captured him acted with compassion toward their prisoners. He was not abused or tortured. Instead he was offered gum and cigarettes in a way a friend might offer a friend. Magnus looked into the eyes of his captors and shared a moment of common humanity.
I remember sitting in a class with an overwhelming sense of pride. I remember the good feeling I had. The spine-tingling-vibrations and goose bumps. My teacher had experienced a time when the Americans were the “good guys”.
A few kind gestures from an American GI to a young and frightened German soldier would speak volumes for the United States of America. Little did the American soldiers know that their acts of kindness would lead this prisoner down the road to American citizenship. They represented a great America by treating a fellow human being with respect. Things have changed since that day in WWII.
I can’t imagine what kind of man Magnus Bucher would have turned out to be if he had been stripped naked by his captors while attack dogs were set on him. Which brings me back to the first thing I thought about the day I heard about the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse: how could American soldiers totally blow it? How could Americans become the hostile monsters that Hitler told his young recruits in WWII to fear?
At Abu Ghraib an awareness of common humanity was lost and replaced by barbaric arrogance. How does it happen? It happens when there is a lack of respect for other cultures....for other belief systems. It’s happens when ignorant human beings feel supremely powerful.
For me, I still focus on the America Dr. Bucher talked about in class. He told us inspiring stories. He told us how he escaped and how eventually made Olympic ski teams for Germany and the United States. He told us how much he respected America's values. How he moved to America and became a citizen. And now, here he was teaching American students in Munich, Germany. And, of course, along the way he became one of the world’s renowned yodelers.
I remember when I was signing up for classes one day another student told me to make sure I take Dr. Magnus Bucher's class. I said, "Why?" "Because he is a great teacher and he yodels." "Yodels?", I said. "Yes, he is one of the world's great yodelers, and if you ask him during class he will usually give you a yodeling demonstration." "Thanks", I said, "I will sign up now."
I was lucky. I did get into his class. And I did get the privilege to hear one of the world's great yodelers entertain our class. But more than that, I was privileged to learn from one of the most remarkable teachers I had ever had.
He not only taught us from the Western Civilization book, but he also taught us from his life. He taught us things that you would never find in a text book. He told us about when he was a young man that his family feared Adolf Hitler and the Nazi movement. His mom and dad were afraid their teenage son would be kidnapped by a military regime they hated.
This was a new insight for me. It wasn't until Dr. Bucher spoke that I realized there were many people in Germany that did not believe in Hitler's philosophy. I wrongly assumed that all of Germany went off the deep end.
He told us a story of how his family wanted to hide him so that he would not be drafted by the Nazi army. But it was to no avail. They got him. And then Magnus Bucher's indoctrination into Hitler's warped world began.
The Nazi's told him that the Americans were monsters and that he should be very afraid if he were ever captured. Well as history would have it, young Magnus Bucher did get captured by the American army. He trembled with fear about what might happen to him. And then, for him, the most amazing awareness moment occurred. The Americans were not monsters after all.
The soldiers that captured him acted with compassion toward their prisoners. He was not abused or tortured. Instead he was offered gum and cigarettes in a way a friend might offer a friend. Magnus looked into the eyes of his captors and shared a moment of common humanity.
I remember sitting in a class with an overwhelming sense of pride. I remember the good feeling I had. The spine-tingling-vibrations and goose bumps. My teacher had experienced a time when the Americans were the “good guys”.
A few kind gestures from an American GI to a young and frightened German soldier would speak volumes for the United States of America. Little did the American soldiers know that their acts of kindness would lead this prisoner down the road to American citizenship. They represented a great America by treating a fellow human being with respect. Things have changed since that day in WWII.
I can’t imagine what kind of man Magnus Bucher would have turned out to be if he had been stripped naked by his captors while attack dogs were set on him. Which brings me back to the first thing I thought about the day I heard about the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse: how could American soldiers totally blow it? How could Americans become the hostile monsters that Hitler told his young recruits in WWII to fear?
At Abu Ghraib an awareness of common humanity was lost and replaced by barbaric arrogance. How does it happen? It happens when there is a lack of respect for other cultures....for other belief systems. It’s happens when ignorant human beings feel supremely powerful.
For me, I still focus on the America Dr. Bucher talked about in class. He told us inspiring stories. He told us how he escaped and how eventually made Olympic ski teams for Germany and the United States. He told us how much he respected America's values. How he moved to America and became a citizen. And now, here he was teaching American students in Munich, Germany. And, of course, along the way he became one of the world’s renowned yodelers.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
No More Hay Fever Blues
Have you ever had hay fever? I mean really bad hay fever? Eyes stinging, watering, and itching while sneezing uncontrollably? I have. And I was miserable.
I remember it being the worst when I was at the University of Missouri in 1973. My hay fever was so intense that it would evolve into a serious case of bronchitis. When I did see doctors they would prescribe pills that would only dull the hay fever symptoms. And then I didn’t feel great. I felt numb and barely functioning.
I never went to a doctor that could tell me why I had hay fever and how I could make it stop. It was always take this pill. It will help you. So I went on with my life thinking that hay fever was going to be my evil partner on this planet journey.
It was sometime in 1983 that I came across some books by George Osawa and Michio Kushi. I have always been interested in health books, so I became very intrigued by the eastern approach to nutrition. I came across a paragraph in one of Mr. Kushi’s books that changed my life forever. I wish I still had the book so I could quote it for you verbatim.
Anyway, the words I read blew my mind. It said something like this: hay fever is not caused by pollen floating through the air. If pollen caused hay fever, then everyone would have hay fever. If you have hay fever, you have a digestion problem. If you want to cure your hay fever then quit eating foods that are hard for you to digest.
I am thinking to myself, “What!? No doctor ever mentioned digestion to me! Could this be true?” The book went on to say that pollen is a protein and is absorbed into the body as we breathe. Then our body tries to digest the extra protein.
In my case, if I ate hard-to-digest red meat or dairy during hay fever season, then my body could not handle the overload. But the body is smart, it goes into overdrive to get rid of the excess and uses the eyes, nose, and skin to help in the process. So, somebody like me ends up with a running nose, watery and itchy eyes. Some people also break out in skin rashes.
By this time in my reading I am overcome with joy and excitement. It’s like I found a secret treasure. I was pumped! I kept reading the paragraph over and over and saying to myself “Could this be right, could changing what I eat work for me?”
Well it was time to find out. I changed my diet. I started looking at the foods that were hard to digest and eliminated them from my diet during hay fever season. And, guess what, my hay fever went away. Gone. It has never come back. This was a major event in my life because I suffered miserably for years.
I could not get over the fact that the answer to my hay fever was in the foods that I was eating. I could not get over the fact that no doctor made any mention of my diet. It was always, “Take this pill”.
I need to remind you that this is what happened to me. I know that there are people out there with stomachs like steel that can eat anything they want without any hay fever problems. I am only sharing what happened to me.
Overtime I began to realize that the my biggest food problems were red meat and dairy. I had already stopped drinking milk, now it was the cheese and red meat that I had to stop eating to get healthy. I remember that when I was young and drank milk and ate cheese everyday that I also suffered from severe gastric distress. I would double over, fall on the floor and lay on my stomach for hours. It got to be a routine my family just got used to. “Don’t step on your brother, he’s laying on the floor moaning again!”
Another thing that I learned from Michio Kushi and George Osawa was the importance of chewing your food thoroughly. Seems like one of the those wisdom statements mom always used to make. “Slow down and chew your food.” But, not me, I was always in a hurry. Since I was miserable with hayfever, it was time for me to try anything to make it go away. So I did. I slowed downed, started eating the right foods and remembered to chew.
After curing my hay fever I began to wonder what else doctor’s were not telling me. I started to think more about what did they do in the old days....before all the pills? I started to question everything I was told that was true. But that’s another story.
I remember it being the worst when I was at the University of Missouri in 1973. My hay fever was so intense that it would evolve into a serious case of bronchitis. When I did see doctors they would prescribe pills that would only dull the hay fever symptoms. And then I didn’t feel great. I felt numb and barely functioning.
I never went to a doctor that could tell me why I had hay fever and how I could make it stop. It was always take this pill. It will help you. So I went on with my life thinking that hay fever was going to be my evil partner on this planet journey.
It was sometime in 1983 that I came across some books by George Osawa and Michio Kushi. I have always been interested in health books, so I became very intrigued by the eastern approach to nutrition. I came across a paragraph in one of Mr. Kushi’s books that changed my life forever. I wish I still had the book so I could quote it for you verbatim.
Anyway, the words I read blew my mind. It said something like this: hay fever is not caused by pollen floating through the air. If pollen caused hay fever, then everyone would have hay fever. If you have hay fever, you have a digestion problem. If you want to cure your hay fever then quit eating foods that are hard for you to digest.
I am thinking to myself, “What!? No doctor ever mentioned digestion to me! Could this be true?” The book went on to say that pollen is a protein and is absorbed into the body as we breathe. Then our body tries to digest the extra protein.
In my case, if I ate hard-to-digest red meat or dairy during hay fever season, then my body could not handle the overload. But the body is smart, it goes into overdrive to get rid of the excess and uses the eyes, nose, and skin to help in the process. So, somebody like me ends up with a running nose, watery and itchy eyes. Some people also break out in skin rashes.
By this time in my reading I am overcome with joy and excitement. It’s like I found a secret treasure. I was pumped! I kept reading the paragraph over and over and saying to myself “Could this be right, could changing what I eat work for me?”
Well it was time to find out. I changed my diet. I started looking at the foods that were hard to digest and eliminated them from my diet during hay fever season. And, guess what, my hay fever went away. Gone. It has never come back. This was a major event in my life because I suffered miserably for years.
I could not get over the fact that the answer to my hay fever was in the foods that I was eating. I could not get over the fact that no doctor made any mention of my diet. It was always, “Take this pill”.
I need to remind you that this is what happened to me. I know that there are people out there with stomachs like steel that can eat anything they want without any hay fever problems. I am only sharing what happened to me.
Overtime I began to realize that the my biggest food problems were red meat and dairy. I had already stopped drinking milk, now it was the cheese and red meat that I had to stop eating to get healthy. I remember that when I was young and drank milk and ate cheese everyday that I also suffered from severe gastric distress. I would double over, fall on the floor and lay on my stomach for hours. It got to be a routine my family just got used to. “Don’t step on your brother, he’s laying on the floor moaning again!”
Another thing that I learned from Michio Kushi and George Osawa was the importance of chewing your food thoroughly. Seems like one of the those wisdom statements mom always used to make. “Slow down and chew your food.” But, not me, I was always in a hurry. Since I was miserable with hayfever, it was time for me to try anything to make it go away. So I did. I slowed downed, started eating the right foods and remembered to chew.
After curing my hay fever I began to wonder what else doctor’s were not telling me. I started to think more about what did they do in the old days....before all the pills? I started to question everything I was told that was true. But that’s another story.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
No Milk for Mr. Stutzer
Since this is my first prescription to myself, a reminder to do what is good for my body, I thought I would start when I first began to question the nutritional beliefs that were passed down to me as the truth. The seed to this awareness was planted in 1970. I was in Mr. Stutzer's Zoology class at the University of Maryland, Munich Campus.
The subject of milk came up during a class discussion and Mr. Stutzer told the class that the human being (mainly caucasians) have the mistaken notion that you must drink cow's milk to get the calcium you need. He said, "There is no scientific evidence that children need cow's milk to build strong bones." Upon making this statement, a woman about my mother's age from the back of the room screamed something like, "You got to be out of your mind telling these young college kids that milk is not good for them!"
I don't recall the exact words, I just remember how upset she was...and nothing compared to how upset she was going to be after Mr. Stutzer finished relaying his point-of-view. In response to her remarks he went on to say that it would actually be better for you to drink a glass of wine than to drink cow's milk. That's when the woman in the back of the room totally lost it. And, of course, with the mention of wine the class started cheering. She was angry and told us how she had raised three healthy children on cow's milk.
She didn't much care for what Mr. Stutzer believed. She knew she was right because she would never do anything to harm her children. And if it was true that milk was not important for building strong bones, then her family doctor would have told her so.
Mr. Stutzer just smiled and went on to tell the class that no other species drinks milk beyond infancy. And then he laughed when he said no other species drinks the milk of another species. Only the human being drinks the milk of another species. Mr. Stutzer said nature planned it differently: human's milk for human infants, cow's milk for calves, cat's milk for kittens, dog's milk for puppies, and so on. And then after the mammal infant is weaned, no more milk. It is no longer needed as a nutrient.
He pointed out that most of the world does not drink milk and that most of the world does not experience the high rates of osteoporosis that Americans do. I can't remember all the words that were spoken that day, but I recall him smiling and reminding her that his viewpoints were based on science.
He told us that cow's milk is suited to the nutritional needs of calves, not human beings. Cows have 4 stomachs and gain hundreds of pounds within a couple of months. Some cows weigh 2,000 pounds by their second birthday. Milk from a cow contains 3 times as much protein as human milk and scientific studies have shown that too much protein can cause the body to excrete calcium rather than absorb it. The high protein content of cow's milk leads to a gradual decrease in bone density and contributes to the development of osteoporosis.
Well its been 38 years since I sat in that class, but a seed was planted that day that continues to germinate in my brain. It still has me questioning what we were taught about nutrition in school. I didn't quit drinking milk that day, but I finally did quit it altogether 25 years ago. And then it took me until this year to completely stop eating all dairy products.
I am not a doctor, so I would never tell anyone else what to do when it comes to eating and drinking. I am just doing research to find out what is best for me. Because of my own studies, I do believe that to build strong bones it is better to eat non-animal sources of calcium instead: dark green vegetables, tofu, nuts, seeds and calcium fortified products such as rice milk, soy milk and orange juice.
It took me forever to figure out that dairy products aren't good for me. They might be OK for other people, but they wreak havoc on my body. I used to have heart burn, hay fever and severe gastric distress. Not anymore, it's all gone. My whole body feels better.
I often wonder about Mr. Stutzer and what he would think about the celebrity "milk moustache" ads that boldly proclaim the benefits of cow's milk. He'd probably say it is as it has always been: it's about the money. The dairy industry has a powerful hold on the business of nutrition. They pay big bucks to dieticians, doctors, celebrities and researchers to push dairy. It's about profit, not health.
The subject of milk came up during a class discussion and Mr. Stutzer told the class that the human being (mainly caucasians) have the mistaken notion that you must drink cow's milk to get the calcium you need. He said, "There is no scientific evidence that children need cow's milk to build strong bones." Upon making this statement, a woman about my mother's age from the back of the room screamed something like, "You got to be out of your mind telling these young college kids that milk is not good for them!"
I don't recall the exact words, I just remember how upset she was...and nothing compared to how upset she was going to be after Mr. Stutzer finished relaying his point-of-view. In response to her remarks he went on to say that it would actually be better for you to drink a glass of wine than to drink cow's milk. That's when the woman in the back of the room totally lost it. And, of course, with the mention of wine the class started cheering. She was angry and told us how she had raised three healthy children on cow's milk.
She didn't much care for what Mr. Stutzer believed. She knew she was right because she would never do anything to harm her children. And if it was true that milk was not important for building strong bones, then her family doctor would have told her so.
Mr. Stutzer just smiled and went on to tell the class that no other species drinks milk beyond infancy. And then he laughed when he said no other species drinks the milk of another species. Only the human being drinks the milk of another species. Mr. Stutzer said nature planned it differently: human's milk for human infants, cow's milk for calves, cat's milk for kittens, dog's milk for puppies, and so on. And then after the mammal infant is weaned, no more milk. It is no longer needed as a nutrient.
He pointed out that most of the world does not drink milk and that most of the world does not experience the high rates of osteoporosis that Americans do. I can't remember all the words that were spoken that day, but I recall him smiling and reminding her that his viewpoints were based on science.
He told us that cow's milk is suited to the nutritional needs of calves, not human beings. Cows have 4 stomachs and gain hundreds of pounds within a couple of months. Some cows weigh 2,000 pounds by their second birthday. Milk from a cow contains 3 times as much protein as human milk and scientific studies have shown that too much protein can cause the body to excrete calcium rather than absorb it. The high protein content of cow's milk leads to a gradual decrease in bone density and contributes to the development of osteoporosis.
Well its been 38 years since I sat in that class, but a seed was planted that day that continues to germinate in my brain. It still has me questioning what we were taught about nutrition in school. I didn't quit drinking milk that day, but I finally did quit it altogether 25 years ago. And then it took me until this year to completely stop eating all dairy products.
I am not a doctor, so I would never tell anyone else what to do when it comes to eating and drinking. I am just doing research to find out what is best for me. Because of my own studies, I do believe that to build strong bones it is better to eat non-animal sources of calcium instead: dark green vegetables, tofu, nuts, seeds and calcium fortified products such as rice milk, soy milk and orange juice.
It took me forever to figure out that dairy products aren't good for me. They might be OK for other people, but they wreak havoc on my body. I used to have heart burn, hay fever and severe gastric distress. Not anymore, it's all gone. My whole body feels better.
I often wonder about Mr. Stutzer and what he would think about the celebrity "milk moustache" ads that boldly proclaim the benefits of cow's milk. He'd probably say it is as it has always been: it's about the money. The dairy industry has a powerful hold on the business of nutrition. They pay big bucks to dieticians, doctors, celebrities and researchers to push dairy. It's about profit, not health.
Friday, July 4, 2008
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