The Prez' Cancer Panel

The President's Cancer Panel, established in 1971, just released a report urging tighter controls on how chemicals are used in this country. The report, which states that 300 contaminants have been found in umbilical cord blood, recommends that pregnant women pay careful attention to what they put in their bodies. Developing infants and newborns are extremely susceptible to the effects of these toxins. But even adults are vulnerable and a good rule of thumb is that what's good for a baby is good for a big person, too.

For those who might think this panel of advisers to Obama is probably a left-wing, extremist group, the fact is that two of the panel members were appointed by George W. Bush. This is a very mainstream bunch; there's nothing New Age about them. And while the panel cites a lack of strict laws and scrutiny by governing agencies for the chemical mess we're in, its findings also underscore the need for each of us to take charge of our health--right now. Government agencies and chemical companies simply are not invested in our well-being.

About 41% of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives. We can get hysterical and live in fear or we can get educated and take action. The panel has made the following recommendations:

1. Pregnant woman and parents of small children should choose food, toys, and garden products that are as chemical-free as possible.

2. If you are exposed to chemicals at work or elsewhere, take off your shoes before you come into your house and wash your clothes separately from other household laundry.

3. Drink filtered water.

4. Keep water in glass or stainless steel containers. Microwave food in ceramic or glass containers.

5. Choose food that has not been grown with pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and growth hormones. Do not eat well-done meat.

6. Check the radon levels in your home.

So there you have it. A panel of cancer specialists recommends livin' as clean as humanly possible. Don't let the news make you crazy. But don't tell yourself you haven't the time or money to clean up your act. This is important stuff and easily done. We love you, so please try to stick around for a while.

And remember the basics that we talk about here: lots of whole grains, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds as snacks, lean meat and fish in moderation, healthy oils only, and no soda or sweetened beverages. In short, NO EMPTY CALORIES. And find a way to move your ass every day. Bend over and pick up things, vacuum the interior of your car, take any and all stairs, walk instead of drive to the post office, clean something, pedal something, chase a child or puppy, and be of service somehow, some way.

NOTE: I lifted this info right from Nicholas Kristof's op-ed piece, which ran May 6, 2010 in The New York Times. If you go to the paper's website, you can access the entire article. Thank you, Mr. K.

Confessions

The day before Mardi Gras, I cut out sodas, desserts, and other bad stuff from my diet. I remember this because on the day OF Mardi Gras, my mom called me and said, "If you want, pig out today and start your diet the next day, just like all the good Catholics do." Which is precisely why I started my "diet" (though I really hate to use that word) the day before.

ANYWAY. The upcoming Easter holiday reminds me that it's been a really long time since I sipped the sweet nectar of a Coca Cola, indulged in the gummy goodness of a Swedish Fish, hunkered down with a hunk of chocolate, swirled in the creamy cold of some ice cream. In fact, I can count my transgressions on one hand and a pinky: a cupcake, a slice of Baked Alaska, two mojitos, 2 beers, 2 vegan chocolate chip cookies, and a partridge in a pear tree. Not bad for forty days of trying to stop my bad habits cold turkey, right?

THEN WHY HAVEN'T I LOST ANY WEIGHT?

(Sorry, I'm in an antagonistic mood today--there are two people in our office today with ridiculous hacking coughs, and I'm very sound sensitive, and...well it's enough to make me psychotic.)

Have I mentioned that I've been going to the gym three to five times a week every week since the day before Mardi Gras as well? And...have I also mentioned that for the past three weeks I've been going more like five to six times a week because I have a ridiculous crush on some guy that I've eye fucked twice in the weight room for no longer than 10 seconds each? I feel slightly guilty that this is the reason I'm going to the gym so frequently (and that I'm applying perfume before each outing as well, and actually changing my gym socks), but whatever gets me there, right?

Still, my weight stays within .5 of a pound from where it was a week ago, two weeks ago, three weeks ago. I'm trying to be really honest with myself about what I eat and where I slip up, but the truth is that I've really been going gangbusters with this new plan, and I don't understand what I'm doing wrong. Maybe someone out there can help. Here's what a typical day of eating and exercising looks like for me:

BREAKFAST
1 packet instant oatmeal (unsweetened)
1 cup of sliced strawberries, on top of said oatmeal
1 bottle of water / perrier

LUNCH
Salad Nicoise with seared ahi tuna
Lemonade

DINNER
Whole wheat pasta, sauteed with chicken in olive oil
Salad with red wine dressing
Knudsen's Sparkling Apple Cider
-OR-
Rice Crackers
Cheddar Cheese
Red Delicious Apple
Sparkling Water

GYM WORKOUT
-3o minutes elliptical--working the glutes
-500 crunches
-50 bicep curls (at low weight)
-100 side crunches
-50 shoulder presses (at low weight)
-100 leg presses at 80 lbs

I should also mention that I've completely cut out snacking. Any suggestions or critiques are greatly encouraged. Since I do FEEL better about my body, and think that I can see results, I'm not completely downtrodden that my numbers aren't shrinking. But still, it's one more piece of tangible evidence that I'm doing my body good that would be nice to have. Also, to know the name of that guy at the gym...

Tips From Far-off Places

I've been reading "The Jungle Effect," by Daphne Miller.  She's a doctor who traveled to various regions of the world where certain diseases are non-existent.  Here are some tips she gleaned from Okinawans, notoriously long-living folks who have a very low incidence of breast and prostate cancers.

1.  Eat whole soy.  Try to have 2 servings a day of tofu, soy beans (edamame), tempeh, and miso.

2.  Try to eat two servings per week of fish (to get the fats and vitamin D you need).

3.  Eat meat in moderation.  Make sure it's lean.

4. Aim to do some form of aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes, 5 times a week.  Start out doing less if necessary, but start doing something.

5.  Eat 5-6 servings per day of in-season veggies.  Have at least 5 servings per week of cruciferous veggies (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens, horseradish, rutabaga, turnips, and watercress).

6.  Make sure you get enough lycopene by eating watermelon (right down to the rind), guava, pink grapefruit, and tomatoes.

7.  Eat brown rice, never the white stuff.

8.  Drink as much green tea as you can each day (a minimum of 3 cups).

9.  Add sea veggies to your diet (wakame, kombu, hijiki, arame, and dulse).

10.  Eat your mushrooms--they have anti-cancer properties.  All kinds are good for you.

11.  Limit sweets.  Try to satisfy your cravings with fresh fruit.

12.  Take part in your community and keep stimulating your mind.  Many native peoples never stop being active members of a group or grow tired of learning new things.

Food and Beverages

A couple more basic Clean Livin' suggestions:

1. Eat five small meals a day or three larger ones--whichever feels right for you--but try to make your morning and mid-day meals the heaviest while keeping your evening meals light.  This makes perfect sense when you think about it.  You need proteins and carbs in the morning for energy and to make nutrients available to your body for the work ahead.  At lunch, you've still got a half day to face, so eat those carbs and proteins to keep you going.  After dinner, you probably won't burn up hundreds of calories, so feed yourself accordingly.  Since we need a whole lot of the nutrients that only fruits and veggies can supply, eat those freely all day long.

2. Try not to eat after 8 p.m.  Your body does most of its rebuilding, detoxing, and immunity work between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m.  If you eat a heavy meal late in the day, your body has to busy itself with digestion rather than attending to those very important tasks.  People have told us that they've lost weight simply by following this rule.  If you're starving an hour after dinner, drink a cup of tea or a few more glasses of water and fantasize about the wonderful breakfast you've got lined up for the next morning.  You'll sleep better and enjoy greater immunity.  And remember, feeling a bit hungry is a good thing.  It makes you aware of the good job your body is doing of burning up the food you've ingested and also makes you feel cleaner, lighter.

3.  For women trying to increase their calcium intake, herbal teas are an excellent choice.  Green foods are considered to be the best sources of calcium--better than any supplement currently on the market.  Nettle, horsetail, sage, red clover, and oatstraw all contain calcium.  In addition, if you increase hydrochloric acid production in your stomach, your body will be better able to absorb the calcium you're sending down.  You can do this by drinking some lemon juice squeezed into a glass of water after your meal or by drinking dandelion tea.  All of those calcium-rich herbs are available in tea bags (Alvita is one brand).  You can brew one herbal tea bag and one green tea bag in an 8 oz. glass for a drink that's tastier and extremely healthy.

4.  Speaking of lemons....some of us swear by drinking hot lemonade daily.  Lemons are naturally anti-viral and anti-bacterial.  I squeeze the juice from half a lemon into an 8. oz glass of hot water.  Some folks suggest adding maple sugar to this mixture, but I drink it straight up as both a detox and an immunity booster.  A few dashes of cayenne pepper added to the lemonade help cut mucus, combat arthritis issues, add antioxidants, and provide cardiovascular benefits.  Lemon juice with cayenne is an acquired taste but well worth the effort.

5.  Try not to drink water or juices for 20 minutes before or after a meal.  There are several reasons for this.  Filling your stomach with fluids dilutes the enzymes and acids needed for digestion and therefore slows down the whole process, causing gas and distress.  It also can make you feel full before you've taken in all the nutrients you need.  An hour later you feel compelled to snack even though the kitchen should be closed for the night.  Also, digesting fluids is a different process from digesting solids.  Give your stomach a break and let it do one thing at a time and do it well. 

Peer Pressure Pounds

So last weekend, a very dear friend from college came to town, and I realized how much the dreaded stigma of "the dieter" or "the health freak" still plays a part in all of our social interactions. It's not like my friend is overweight or even that she eats poorly--it's just that she, like the majority of Americans out there, isn't wholly conscious of what she's putting into her body. Because of that, there's no limitation to what she (or, even I, up until about a month ago) will eat, and there's hardly a minute of indecision involved in her choices (or, at least, that indecision is based on taste instead of health). I found myself, this past weekend, pretending not to care about what I was eating so as to not be seen as the "stick in the mud" while at the same time feeling really bad about the things I consumed.

Here was my weekend of falling off the wagon:

Friday

•The boss was really proud of our accomplishments over the past week, and so he bought us all cupcakes. I felt like I couldn't not eat it...so I did...and I, the girl with the biggest sweet tooth on the planet, didn't even want it! Consulting with my mother later on, I realized that the better approach would have been to take one, say how delicious I knew it was and I wanted to have it later, and then, when no one was looking, throw it out.

•That night, we went out to dinner. My choice wasn't terrible in terms of a meal (stir fry, tho the rice was white), but I ended up having a beer with dinner because the friends we were with wanted to buy a pitcher. I had no desire for this beer (even before I started eating consciously, I didn't like beer), but I also didn't want to say no and be a party pooper. Solution to this? Sew on some balls and stick to my convictions.

Saturday
•Oatmeal for breakfast--yay, me! Ok, I had some cheese too. A moment of weakness. Also, when I'm PMSing, I always crave cheese. And I was definitely PMSing last weekend. Solution? Willpower.

•Yes, I had a Uncle Eddie's Vegan Cookie...or two...while I watched a movie...Yeah, that's willpower again.

•And I also had non-whole wheat pasta when I went out to dinner with friends that night (no other option, other than salad...which I guess would be the other option. Damn.).

HOWEVER I stayed away from the oily, oozy, fragrant garlic knots that everyone kept stuffing their faces with, and that the wait staff replenished every five seconds at our table. I also had a half-glass of red wine.

•And then I had a Heffeweizen at the bar. Because this guy who was talking to my friend and me was buying and I didn't feel like being the exception to everyone else, and I also didn't want him to have to manuever through the very, very, very crowded Other Room bar in Venice with a glass of red wine. Solution? No man needs to buy you a drink. Especially not one with bad shoes.

By Sunday, my friend was gone and I went to the gym and pounded out what I hoped were all the empty calories that I'd consumed over the weekend. To top it all off, when we were preparing to go out on Saturday night, I tried on a pair of jeans that had given me SERIOUS muffin tops only a month and a half ago, and much to my surprise discovered that they fit much, much better now...so of course I immediately felt like all the hard work I'd done over the past month would fly out the window and my sexy white skinny jeans from The Gap would never fit well again...that's what happens when you already have a guilt complex, and then you start dieting. Unless you stick to your healthy way of life, you'll never be able to look your body in the eye again.

Bagels

A lot of folks think a bagel smeared with a moderate amount of Smart Balance or cream cheese is a low-cal/healthy/smart way to start the day.  That's not really true.  Bagels are a good example of empty calories.

The average deli bagel contains about 300-380 calories and is made from refined white flour, i.e., flour whose nutrients have been milled right out of it and then (maybe) put back in synthetically.  Relatively harmless, a bagel has .8 grams of fat, of which only .2 grams are saturated.  It has no cholesterol, 278 grams of sodium, 1.2 grams of fiber, 5.4 grams of protein and 9.4 mg. of calcium.  Not so bad.  But if you smear on two tablespoons of cream cheese, you're adding  3 grams of saturated fat, 20 mg. of cholesterol, 140 mg. of sodium, 2 grams of sugar, and 2 grams of protein.  Skipping the cream cheese eliminates some of the negatives, but wouldn't it be better to aim for purely positives?

Our family really likes Alvarado Street Sprouted Wheat Bagels (and breads).  They're made from sprouted organic wheat berries and organic unbleached wheat flour.  Whole Foods carries them as does our local Shop Rite (in the bakery section).  They contain 250 calories, 0 grams of saturated fat (.5 grams of other fats), no cholesterol, no trans fat, 3 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of sugars, 10 grams of protein, 1.5 mg. of iron, and 20 mg. of calcium.   Unfortunately, they also contain a whopping 430 mg. of sodium, which I wish Alvarado Street would do something about.  But they clearly provide more of the nutrients your body needs than standard issue bagels do.  If you top a sprouted wheat bagel with unsweetened almond or peanut butter, you've upped your protein content considerably while adding important nutrients and oils.  You can eat these bagels with apple or pumpkin butter and boost the nutritional values that way.  This is a much better break-the-fast meal.  This is treating yourself right.

*A note about nut butters:  If you're a Skippy addict--as I was for most of my life--and think unsweetened nut butters are dry and tasteless, open your mind and give yourself a couple of weeks to get used to them.  Try to find a brand that contains just ground-up nuts, preferably organic, with nothing else added.  Many stores make their own and these usually don't separate the way some healthy commercial brands do.  Be aware that peanut butter is the least healthy type; almond and macademia provide more nutrients and generally don't pose a problem for people with arthritis issues.  

**Another note--this one about sprouted grains:  There are several reasons why sprouted grains are highly desirable.  When the seed is allowed to sprout, the grain becomes alive, active, and nutrient-rich.  There are more vitamins in sprouted grains than in regular ones.  In addition, we're aiming for the most natural and unrefined foods we can find.  Sprouted grains fit that description perfectly.  What's more, the sprouting produces enzymes that are vital for digestion, so the nutrients in the grain are handled by the body with true efficiency (and less gas).  And finally, sprouting breaks down the phytic acid found in the bran part of wheat.  When it's intact, this acid blocks the absorption of iron, calcium and other essential minerals.  

Spellin' It Out

It occurred to me that we should spell out what the "Clean Livin" this family is aspiring to is all about. It's very simple.

1. No empty calories. Make sure that everything you put in your mouth is nutritious and natural. Refined flours, for example, are empty calories. Their original nutrients have been stripped away and new nutrients put back in, in an unnatural form that is difficult for your system to utilize efficiently. Whole grains, lean meats and fish, legumes, fresh fruits and veggies, raw nuts and seeds, and healthy oils are what your body needs to function efficiently every day. Believe it or not, these can be just as delicious as any junk or comfort food we crave.

2. Eat a wide variety of foods. The color of foods is a key to their nutritional content. Nature couldn't have made it any easier for us. So try to eat something red, something yellow, etc., every day in order to take in all the vitamins, minerals and additional substances your body was designed to run on. And don't forget to eat your fiber, both soluble and non-soluble. Not only is this essential for regularity, it's also vital for your vascular system.

3. Liquids are important, too. Your body really does need all that water. The proper functioning of your organs depends upon it. Your body does not need all that soda, caffeine, and alcohol. Each of these things has been linked to serious diseases. Everything in moderation, of course. But even better is to aim to keep things as clean as possible. So make the best decisions you can at any given moment because all those moments add up. It's also beneficial to track how you feel after drinking soda or a couple of glasses of wine (especially if depression is an issue). Remember, it takes about three weeks for every molecule of a substance to leave your body. Three weeks. That's plenty of time to wreak plenty of havoc.

4. Get off your ass. Again, it's that simple. You don't have to go to the gym, hire a personal trainer, or buy expensive equipment. Take care of your living space, your car, your pets, your garden, and your loved ones the way they should be taken care of and you'll burn calories. Nature intended us to be busy taking care of our business. If you get on your hands and knees to attack the dust bunnies under your bed, you're burning calories and working on flexibility. If you keep thinking you really ought to clean all that crap out of the trunk of your car, do it. You're burning calories and freeing your mind to think about other things. We also suggest wearing comfortable clothing--workout gear--as often as you can during the day so that you feel completely free to walk briskly, climb stairs, bend over. Think of your daily life as a daily workout and your health will automatically improve.

5. Get educated. The more you know about proper nutrition and the health hazards built into junk food, the harder it becomes to put that layer cake in your mouth--unless you're flat-out self-destructive. Even if that is the case, there's a school of thought that says the best way to start liking yourself is by putting high quality foods into your system. It sends a message to your inner self that you're worth it, that you deserve to go through life feeling strong, looking fit, and having energy to burn. Learning about the health hazards inherent in many of the foods we were all raised to love will not frighten you or limit your fun. It will empower you and expand your horizons.

6. Forgive yourself when you slip up. It happens to all of us. But don't tell yourself that the day is blown and you'll start anew tomorrow. Just try to do better and move around a little more for the rest of the day. Resolve to live clean, really clean, for three weeks and see what happens. We're willing to bet that you won't want to go back to your old ways.

**Stay tuned for some healthy recipes that prove this healthy stuff doesn't taste like dirt!