Not being Perfect in an Imperfect World

I’ve recently met two rather incredible, smart, and very insightful new friends that have really helped me think through something I’ve been struggling with for quite some time; namely, the drive for perfection in an otherwise imperfect world. While a lot has been written about perfectionists or Type-A personalities, I’ve seen very little written about it in regards to nutrition.

I’ve always been pretty demanding and typically hold myself to pretty high standards. Unfortunately, this blog is often reflective of that. My one friend semi-jokingly calls me “the robot” as a way of pointing out my rigidness, and while having tea with my friend Gena, I came to realize that I’ve become entrenched in the “diet wars” and have become so dogmatic in regards to nutrition that I sometimes am unable to remember why I began writing this blog in the first place.

The reason why I write this blog is not to bicker about how many nuts should be consumed in a sitting or any of the other semantics that nutrition bloggers often get bogged down with. Instead I write this blog because I’ve learned a lot about nutrition and want to share that research-based knowledge in an attempt to help people find their own paths to healing and long-term health. Long time readers have been able to watch many of my thoughts about nutrition evolve over that time - particularly when it comes to oil. However, the one thing that consistently bothers me is that my posts are often written from the perspective that the world is black or white, with nothing in between  when nothing could be further from the truth in regards to nutrition.

Before I continue, I need to be completely clear. I am an ethical vegan (which is why I have never backed away from using the term) regardless of nutrition, I do not support or condone any use or exploitation of any animals in any situation.

That said, nutrition is often very complex and works in highly sophisticated ways, many of which researchers are just now starting to chart. The world is even more complex and our daily lives are nothing if not the same.

To assume that the path that worked for me will work for everyone is a foolish errand. To be dogmatic about it will accomplish nothing. Furthermore sometimes optimal health and our lives stand simply at odds with one another… and that is okay.

It’s okay to skip out on the ideal 8-10 hours of sleep once in a while to spend time with friends and family, enjoying a sweet treat on occasion has, to my knowledge, never killed anyone, and if you prefer iceberg over kale or collards you won’t be the less healthy for it. Basically what I’m trying to say is, if eating less-than-optimal means less stress, then maybe that’s the right thing to do. As my friend Maria has taught me, what’s the point of living to be 100 if you’ve missed out on some of the best parts of life?

Now I’m not saying that cookies and cakes are the best parts of life – in fact, far from it, and personally I probably won’t change my own rather rigid habits – but if you’re moderately healthy, and are trying to move towards a healthier version of yourself, it’s okay to not always be perfect. Being hard on yourself or feeling guilty about what you’ve been eating is almost never a healthy or even productive habit. 

Instead, enjoy the moment. Food, like life should be enjoyed and is always better when in good company. If you feel like you want to eat healthier then focus on learning from the mistakes rather than punishing yourself for them. Focus your energy away from being negative; instead be positive and spend your energy on making sustainable changes. If eating optimally means you feel completely deprived and depressed, than you’re hardly developing healthy or sustainable habits. Being healthy is to enjoy life, and sometimes that means doing something inherently unhealthy.  As the book of Ecclesiastes Dave Matthews says, “Eat, drink and be merry. For tomorrow we die.” 

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

A Powerful antioxidant, Cinnamon

Just a short post about a spice that is probably sitting in all of your cabinets right now. Cinnamon is a culinary spice that is derived from the fragrant inner bark of a group of small evergreen trees called Cinnamomums. It is the second most popular spice used in the United States, right behind black pepper.

There are two major types of cinnamon found in the US. They are Ceylon cinnamon and Cassia cinnamon. Ceylon cinnamon is typically from Sri Lanka, and is also referred to as "true cinnamon.” While Ceylon is the predominate source of cinnamon sold in the UK, it is not the predominant spice typically sold as cinnamon in the United States. More common is Cassia cinnamon, which is typically from Burma but also grown in China and Vietnam and is sometimes called Chinese cinnamon. Cassia is darker in color and often has a stronger more pungent taste.

According to a major study done measuring antioxidants of various foods, cloves were found to be the most potent supply, by weight, but cinnamon wasn’t far behind. As such, cinnamon is an excellent food to be included into your normal diet. Evidence suggests that cinnamon has “anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, antitumor, cardiovascular, cholesterol-lowering, and immunomdulatory effects.” 

That said, the distinction between Ceylon and Cassia makes a bigger difference than one would imagine. Cassia cinnamon is the main source of coumarin found in most people’s diet. Courmarin is a naturally occurring toxin which has the potential to damage the liver when taken in high doses.

Recent studies have revealed that regularly consuming Cassia cinnamon powder could be problematic, resulting in potentially harmful levels of coumarin intake. For example, Dr. Joel Furhrman, reports that one study estimated that small children eating oatmeal sprinkled with cinnamon a few times a week would exceed the established safe upper limit of exposure.

Cinnamon also is high in oxalates. Oxalates have been linked to cause oxalate kidney stones which sounds rather uncomfortable to me. However, less than 10% of the oxalates found in cinnamon are absorbed, so even taking large doses of cinnamon on a daily basis shouldn’t be a problem in this regard.

Since Ceylon cinnamon has been tested as having near-zero levels of courmarin, it’s worth the time and money for American consumers to find a good source of Ceylon cinnamon. FRONTIER Natural Products Co-Op is my preferred choice as I can get it easily from Whole Foods or any other natural/organic grocer. Because of it's many health benefits, Ceylon Cinnamon is an excellent, easy and delicious way to boost one's antioxidant intake.  

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

More Reading:

U.S. Department of Agriculture. Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods—2007. November 2007. 

M. Tang, D.E. Larson-Meyer, & M. Liebman. Effect of cinnamon and turmeric on urinary oxalate excretion, plasma lipids, and plasma glucose in healthy subjects. Am J Clin Nutr, 87(5):1262-1267, 2008. 

Gruenwald J, Freder J, Armbruester N. Cinnamon and health. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2010 Oct;50(9):822-34.

Fuhrman, Joel. “Choosing the Right Cinnamon,” http://www.drfuhrman.com/library/choosing_the_right_cinnamon.aspx

African Sweet Potato Stew

Even though it is 80 degrees in New York, it’s officially fall. While I’m in no rush for the winter weather to arrive, I am excited that root veggies are officially back on the menu! This dish has it all: nutrient dense, easy to make (one pan only), a great taste, and it’s incredibly filling. Making it perfect for any fall evening -even warm ones!

Between the brown rice, the beans, and the sweet potato this dish is heavily starched-based. But don’t worry, contrary to what the Aitken’s type diets claim, neither starches nor carbohydrates make you fat. This is due to the way our bodies process carbohydrates. While many argue that starches are converted into simple sugars and then stored as fat by the body; that is not how it actually works.

First it is important to note, that unlike fats which has 9 calories per gram, carbohydrates contain only 4 calories per gram. This means you will feel physically full with less calories. Basically this means starches have a low calorie density but a high satiety value per calorie.

After eating complex carbohydrates like potatoes or beans, our bodies break these carbs down into simple sugars. These sugars are absorbed into the blood stream, where they are transported to our cells and used for energy. When you consume more carbohydrate than your body needs to furnish it with energy, the body stores around 2 lbs of it, in the form of glycogen, invisibly in the muscles and liver as a reserve.  Any remaining carbohydrates are typically burned off as body heat rather than stored as fat. This is because humans are very inefficient at turning sugars into fat, a process known as de novo lipogenesis. Even simple sugars are rarely turned into fat. For example, a study found that both trim and obese women fed 50 percent more calories than they usually ate in a day, along with an extra 3 ½ ounces of refined sugar, produced  less than 4 grams of fat daily. That means it would take nearly 4 months of this overeating for a person to gain 1 pound of fat. In comparison, the average passenger on a cruise ship, dinning on high fat and protein animal foods, gain an average of 8 lbs on a 7-day trip.

Fun facts about Sweet Potatoes:

•  Sweet potato and potatoes are two of the only foods that can fulfill all of our nutrient needs meaning they have all the protein, fats, and carbohydrates our bodies need to thrive (with the exception of some micronutrients).
• George Washington grew sweet potatoes on his farm at Mount Vernon.
•  George Washington Carver developed over 118 products from sweet potatoes including a glue and starch for laundry.
• They are loaded with vitamins A, C and E as well as other antioxidants that can help prevent heart disease and cancer, bolster the immune system, and even slow aging by promoting good vision and healthy skin.  They have been recently reclassified as an "antidiabetic" food and they are anti-inflammatory.

African Sweet Potato Stew:

Serves 3-4

4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes

2 carrots diced

1½  cups brown rice

1½  cups of corn

1 red onion-chopped

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can pinto beans

1 large can chopped tomatoes

½ cup almond, peanut, or sunflower butter (I used almond)

¾ bunch of collard greens, de-stemmed and chopped

4 cups veggie broth

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

In a large pot, sauté the chopped red onion in 2 tablespoons of water until the onions are translucent.

Add the sweet potatoes, veggie broth and spices and cover for 10 minutes to get the veggie broth hot. As the broth begins to boil, add the remaining ingredients with the exception of the almond/peanut/sunflower butter, the corn, and the collard greens.

Cook for 15 minutes at a simmer. As the sweet potatoes start to soften, add the remaining ingredients and cook for an additional 10 minutes until the greens are soft.

Further reading:

McDevitt, R.M. et all., “De novo lipogenesis during controlled over-feeding with sucrose or glucose in lean and obese women.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2001.

McDougall, John A. and Mary McDougall, The Starch Solution: Eat the Foods You Loce, Regain Your Health, and Lose the Weight for Good. New York: Rodal, 2012.

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

Green Mac 'N "Cheese"

As a way of building a little excitement for the final week of the “Keep it Simple” giveaway, here is just one of the delicious recipes from the book!

This simple meal takes less than 20 minutes to throw together and I promise after you taste this nutritious dish, it’ll become one of your regulars. Don’t believe me? Even my persnickety sister, who is something of a connoisseur of mac and cheese loved the dish… Just more evidence that home-style comfort food doesn’t have to destroy your health!

To create that cheese-y goodness, this dish calls on an old school vegan staple, nutritional yeast. While many promote the yeast for being a good source of B-12, most studies show that it is not an active source, and hence should not be depended on for this essential vitamin. However, the yeast is still worlds healthier than any of the heavily processed faux-cheeses that have recently saturated the market. For some, this may be a new ingredient but it is relatively inexpensive and available at most health food stores and many local grocers as well. Make sure what you get is actually nutritional yeast and not brewers yeast, and if possible look for a non-fortified version, as fortified vitamins and minerals are really just isolates added to foods.

Makes 2-3 servings

1 box of quinoa, rice, or whole-wheat pasta (elbows are traditionally used)

1 cup raw cashews

1 small-medium red onion

¼ cup Nutritional Yeast

2-3 cups spinach

1 tsp onion powder

water or veggie broth as needed

Cook the pasta or grain of your choice according to the package.

While the pasta is cooking, add the cashews into a blender or food processor.

Process until the cashews are like a flour. Then add 1 cup water, nutritional yeast, and onion powder and blend again until creamy.

Now roughly chop the onion and place on a skillet with just a little bit of water to sauté the onions.

Once the onions start to caramelize, add the spinach and cook for another minute or until the spinach is wilted and begins to cook down.

Add the onion and spinach to the blended mixture and blend/process again until bright green and creamy. Add more water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Once the pasta is al dente, pour the Green “Cheese” over the hot noodles and serve.

This is just one of the great recipes. Trust me, you don't want to miss out on this book, so make sure you go sign up for the giveaway!


As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice. 

Keep it Simple, Keep it Whole; Book Review and Giveaway

Alona Pulde, M.D. and Matthew Lederman, M.D., Keep it Simple, Keep it Whole: Your Guide to Optimum Health Exsalus California: Health & Wellness Center; 2010.

Dr. Alona Pulde and her husband Dr. Matthew Lederman, two of the stars from the documentary Forks Over Knives and recent partners of Whole Food Market's Global Medical Executives of Health and Wellness, wrote a phenomenal work simply titled Keep it Simple, Keep it Whole. I’ve been reading a lot of nutrition and sports physiology books lately; however, this little book blew me away both for it’s breadth of knowledge as well as for the elegance and simplicity of it’s message.

Their title pretty much expresses the main theme of the book. While other works make strong cases for a similar diet (oil-free whole food, plant based) few of them can achieve what Dr.’s Pulde and Lederman have done. In essence they’ve combined a powerful argument for a strict plant-based messaged with a practical, public health-style approach. The result is a mixture between the latest nutritional research and common sense application.

The work operates under the notion that health is not a definitive one-size fits all. Rather, it explains that health is a scale, and every step towards the healthier end of that scale is a success. The authors have also created a simple grading rubric classifying various food types. Unlike, Dr. Joel Furhman's ANDI System, this system uses food categories rather than individual foods making it simpler to understand and apply. Not surprisingly, meat and dairy received an F grade, and most processed foods received a D. As such, most Americans are consistently failing when it comes to eating for health.

At the other end of the scale are whole plant foods such as grains and pseudograins like rice and quinoa, root vegetables and dark leafy greens, all receiving an A+. Richer foods like avocados, nuts, seeds as well as slightly processed whole foods like whole grain breads receive a slightly lower grade (A). Foods like soy milk, white rice and no-oil dressings receive an A- indicating that those foods should be consumed in lower quantities. Not surprisingly, according to the authors, the goal is to try and live within the A range of foods. However, this is where the authors demonstrate their flexibility. Rather than telling their readers that they should only consume these foods, they instead tell the readers to aim to have an average of A foods, not to only have A foods. So if someone is really craving a few cookies (which earn, at best, a C-) they should then strive to balance that out by eating healthier A+ foods for much of the rest of the day. They say the more often one is able to do this, the further up on the health scale one will be.

The book also recognize that not everyone is ready to live exclusively off A foods. For those people who are looking at making changes incrementally, they suggest simply moving up the food scale as much and as often as possible.

They also stress not to eat exclusively from the A+ foods. While dark greens may be the healthiest; starches, legumes, and more rich foods are needed to ensure that one is getting enough calories. Otherwise, a person is in risk of both starving themselves and depriving themselves of having satisfying meals, which will lead to a burnout of will and typically results in bingeing on the least healthy foods. As such, Dr. Pulde and Dr. Lederman implore their readers to eat a wide variety of plant foods – not just salads. They've also created a simple three-course guide to healthy eating. The first course should be a large serving of raw or cooked vegetables. They call this the “multivitamin” course and stress that this should be the largest of the three courses for people looking to loose weight. The second course is the filling course. This course should be “heavier” foods like lentils or potatoes. The final course is the smallest and also optional. Think of this portion more like a side, as it will consists of slightly more processed foods such as oil-free chips and salsa, dairy-free pizza, or whole grain breads. As one becomes more confident in their progress on the health continuum scale, these three dishes can be simplified into one large course.

Consisting of fourteen relatively short and easy to read chapters, Dr. Pulde and Dr. Lederman cover everything you need to know before starting your journey towards health. From in-depth discussions about why supplementing DHA can be dangerous to the ever-persistent concerns surrounding protein. And best of all, they've included footnotes citing the studies that have helped influence their program so more reading is easily obtained on each topic.

The book also has a small section of recipes. Here they include all types of healthful foods from smoothies to Mac N “Cheese” to chocolate cupcakes with frosting. Most of the recipes are simple and they use easy-to-find ingredients.

Overall, I cannot recommend this book enough, especially for those of you who are plant-curious. That said, the book is not dumbed down, and offers something for even those with a more advanced understanding of nutrition. However because it’s from a very small publishing, it won’t be easily found in too many bookstores. So check out  Transition to Health, Barnes and Noble’s website, or enter below for your chance to win one of three copies that BYOL is giving away and begin your journey towards improved health. One thing is certain, by the time you are done reading this work, you’ll be wishing that Dr Pulde and Dr. Lederman were your primary care givers!

GIVEAWAY

Dr. Pulde and Dr. Lederman have agreed to give away three copies of Keep it Simple, Keep it Whole. Here are the rules. First, the winner needs to live in the United States (sorry international readers, no disrespect). The contest will end on September 20th at midnight. To enter, you must be a subscribed reader to BYOL. To increase your chances of winning leave a comment on this post or/and "like" BYOL on facebook.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As always the information presented in this blog is for educational purposes only. It should not be considered as specific medical, nutritional, lifestyle, or other health-related advice.

The Secret Power of Citrus!

UPDATE: 8/28/13

I have a few updates that I need to make to this post. When I wrote the post I understated two important points.

Eating oranges really is better than drinking the juice. Regardless of how fresh the orange juice is, in a study preformed on 18 non-insulin-dependent diabetes patients there was no difference in the sugar spike in the blood between drinking a glass of fresh squeezed, unsweetened orange juice and decaffeinated coke. There was a significantly lower spike in blood sugar levels when an entire orange was consumed instead. While this does not necessarily mean orange juice shouldn't be consumed, as the study puts it, it suggests that unsweetened juices should not be part of regular meal planning. 

I also mentioned, that when juice is consumed, you should also go for the least processed juice that is available. In this case, it would always be fresh squeezed. Even 100% juice isn't good enough. As one of my label reading rules goes: NEVER TRUST A PACKAGE! The reason why is because non-fresh squeezed juice is stored for over 1 year in giant tanks. During this period, the oxygen is removed, to keep the juice from spoiling. This also strips the juice of it's natural flavor. So: 

"Juice companies therefore hire flavor and fragrance companies, the same ones that formulate perfumes for Dior and Calvin Klein, to engineer flavor packs to add back to the juice to make it taste fresh. Flavor packs aren’t listed as an ingredient on the label because technically they are derived from orange essence and oil. Yet those in the industry will tell you that the flavor packs, whether made for reconstituted or pasteurized orange juice, resemble nothing found in nature."

As such, you should always choice 100% fresh squeezed juice. Who knows what is in anything else. 

ORIGINAL POST:

A little over one year ago, I wrote a post I called Vegan Doping, to be more specific, the post was about how nitrates in beets, beet greens, and arugula can help improve athletic performance when taken before exercise. It has since become one of my more popular posts, and several people have commented to me that they now “nitrate-load” religiously before races! Now, thanks to science and tons of research, I have another little tip to offer athletes… and it should come at no surprise that it has to do with healthy, plant-based nutrition!

When we think about the nutrients in oranges, we almost exclusively think about Vitamin C, however, all whole citrus fruits also come loaded with thousands of phytonutrients. One of these flavonoids, known as hesperetin, and found primarily in citrus fruits, has been found to increase blood flow! Not only is this a reason why citrus is an excellent food to help reduce one’s risk of stroke, but it also can help keep extremities warm and more importantly for athletes, it can help reduce muscle soreness!

When we exercise our muscles expand energy to contract. This process creates a natural byproduct known as lactic acid. While our bodies can become pretty efficient at removing the lactic acid, and in fact, training can result in the reduction of lactate formation, during very strenuous or long forms of exercise, no matter how fit one is, lactic acid will begin to build up in the muscles and will ultimately cause a burning sensation so great that the body will simply not be able to continue working at it’s current rate. Most often, this means the athlete has to stop, or significantly slow down to give the body a chance to clear this lactate out of it’s system.

Citrus fruits seem to have a remarkable ability to help expand the bodies ability to process lactate. This is most-likely because of the increased blood flow as a result of ingesting hesperetin. A study took over-weight women and started them on an aerobic exercise regimen of walking and running. After a few months the women’s lactate threshold increased by nearly 17%. A second group followed the same program but drank two cups of orange juice each day. They increased their levels by 27%. While both groups made large improvements over the three-month study, the citrus group had a lower level of lactate build up, signifying a significant improvement in performance while experiencing far less muscle fatigue from the control group.

While the study was conducted using juice, the whole orange or other citrus fruits were found to be even better at helping the body cope with lactate without causing as large of a sugar spike in blood levels. That said, it is far easier to fill a water bottle up with orange juice than it is to carry a bunch of oranges! Doing so may allow an athlete to work harder for a longer period of time. For those participating in serious endurance events, not only will the juice provide natural electrolytes and calories but it also helps to hydrate at the same time.

Hespertin also has advantages for non-athletes. As mentioned above, it helps increase blood flow. Drinking citrus juice or eating citrus fruits has been shown to help keep limbs warm when subjected to cold water. So if you are one of those people who always has cold hands in the winter, increasing your citrus consumption, may help. And finally, who doesn’t want to decrease their risk of stroke? Overall, there are tons of great benefits to eating oranges and other citrus fruits, and unlike drugs, the only side effects are increased health and vitality!

So either peel a grapefruit or drink a fresh squeezed glass of OJ each morning... it will make you
Better, Faster, Stronger! 

Note: Thank you to Dr. Greger for bring light to this subject and for making the research so readily available.

Further reading:

C. Morand, C. Dubray, D. Milenkovic, D. Lioger, J. F. Martin, A. Scalbert, A. Mazur. “Hesperidin contributes to the vascular protective effects of orange juice: A randomized crossover study in healthy volunteers.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2011 93(1):73 – 80.

A. Aguiló, P. Tauler, A. Sureda, N. Cases, J. Tur, A. Pons. “Antioxidant diet supplementation enhances aerobic performance in amateur sportsmen.” Journal of Sports Science. 2007 25(11):1203 – 1210. 

 N. P. Aptekmann, T. B. Cesar. “Orange juice improved lipid profile and blood lactate of overweight middle-aged women subjected to aerobic training.” Maturitas. 2010 67(4):343 – 347.

UPDATED SOURCES:

M. J. Sullivan, R. L. Scott. “Postprandial glycemic response to orange juice and nondiet cola: is there a difference?” Diabetes Educ. 1991 17(4) 274-278.

For more about the processing of OJ, see this Huffington Post article. 

Birthday Celebration: Amaranth Pancakes!

Birthday Celebration Amaranth Pancakes!

Yesterday was my birthday. I don’t really make a big deal out of the day, but I did honor the day by doing a long (and hilly) bike ride followed by a five mile run. Some friends and I also went to watch Blackfish, a new documentary about the horrors of captivity inflicted on orca whales at Sea World.

However before all that, the day started with a new BYOL recipe that I have been working on for a while, and I’m happy to report, that I think I finally nailed it! These pancakes were perfect to fuel my 5-hour workout and also have the privilege of being the first pseudograin recipe since my post about them back in June.

Light and fluffy, low fat, and protein packed, these pancakes are a powerful and filling start to any day!

(makes 2-3 servings)

2/3 cup spelt OR whole wheat pastry flour OR Gluten Free all purpose flour mix

½ cup cooked amaranth

1 ripe banana
2 tbsp flax seed

1 tbsp baking powder

1-2 tbsp maple syrup 

1-2 tbsp water  

3/4 cup nut milk
1/4 cup berries, cacao nibs, or walnuts (optional)

While you are gathering the ingredients together, start cooking the amaranth as described in the post linked above.

In a large bowl, mash the rip banana. Then add the flour, flax, water, and syrup and mix well. Now add the nut milk and amaranth and any special ingredients such as blueberries or chopped walnuts and mix again. 

Now heat up a pan until water sizzles on it. Then pour the batter onto the pan. Let the batter sit for a few minutes until it starts bubbling. Then flip the pancakes and let cook for a few more minutes.

Seriously, these guys cook fast, so pay attention.

Now stack these pancakes towards the sky and top with your favorite fruits and drizzle with maple syrup.