- Food and You (8/4/2013)
Last Saturday was a glorious day at my Kailua taichi class. The sun was out after our bouts of rain, there was a nice group of people attending, and the interaction was lively. The topic for the Special Day, which we have every second Saturday of the month, was Food.
Here are the simple bullet point takeaway points for that session:· Consider your dietary intake as a factor for all of your health conditions ranging from a chronic medical condition to the passing cold. Consider food as a factor in your psychological state of mind and your ability to deal with stress. If you eat a certain way, you will be more equipped to deal with stress and your emotions.· Don’t just blindly listen to what your doctor or anyone tells you to eat. Try it out for yourself and you decide whether that regimen makes a difference or not. Be your own best doctor.· Remember that food changes your body slowly. When you start a new dietary regimen, give it at least 3 months. I have seen changes take over a year to manifest in my body when I was following a particular dietary regimen.· One scheme used to break down the timeline for food to change your body’s condition is:· • 10-14 days on a regimen are needed to change the plasma in your blood· • It takes 120 days to change all your red blood cells, all of your blood. The life cycle of red blood cells is about 120 days.· • It takes 7 years to totally change all your body cells.· What you like to eat the most may be what will kill you or cause disease. Even something that is purportedly good for you in the short term may lose its benefits over the long term. This applies to vitamins, nutritional supplements, or even food items. Use all of these with benefit but consider a holiday from them at some point to see if you can do without them for a bit. You can always come back to them later. Moderation in all things; too much of anything could lead to an imbalance in your body.· Health is about balance and keeping the “whole” in mind. What you think is good for you needs to be balanced with other things that you probably have not considered. Eat a variety of foods and not just what you think is good.· EAT WEIRD FOOD. In line with the philosophy of eating a variety, try to eat a little of things that you might generally avoid or dislike. For some people, it might be something like uni, the sea urchin roe used in sushi.· Most of the world does not live on dairy products. This suggests we also do not need to be so dependent on them. Those developed countries that consume large quantities of dairy products, in fact, suffer more from osteoporosis than those countries where less dairy is consumed.· Nondairy sources of calcium include: seaweed, dark leafy vegetables (like kale or broccoli), soy products, fish with their bones, sesame butter, beans, nuts, sprouts.· There is no one food that is “good” for you. Every food is good in the right situation and the right proportion. Consider why you are eating a certain food. See in your experience whether in fact that food is making a difference where you want it to.· Consider eating more warm foods when the weather gets cooler. Living in Hawaii, we may think that salads and fruits are the mainstay throughout the year. Consider reducing them in cooler weather.· One way to choose the foods that are good for you is to consider the yin and yang of food. In the macrobiotic tradition, yin foods have more expansive energy. Yang foods have more contracted energy. Salt is more contractive as evidenced by what happens when it is poured over a slug. Water is more expansive as noticed when it soaks into furniture made of pressed wood. Yang foods, more salt and animal foods, will get you more geared up for action. Yin foods, salads, fruits and vegetables, are more relaxing. Grains are considered balanced foods.· Find the water intake that suits your body condition. Don’t simply live by the dictum of drinking 8 glasses of water a day.· Don’t get oversold on the marketing of various foods or supplements. All of them have a place in your overall health. Rather than just consuming them because they are supposed to be good for you, develop an awareness of how they might actually be making a difference in your body’s function.ABOVE ALL, LEARN TO NOTICE THE EFFECTS OF FOOD ON YOUR MIND AND BODY! - Longevity at Any Cost? (8/4/2013)
A recent article in the news talks about Dr. Jeffry Life who endorses a regimen of human growth hormone and testosterone injections for his patients to keep them young…all in the pursuit of longevity. This blog is about a healthy life and longevity, but takes quite a different approach to the matter.
What is our human potential for long life? The longest lived person with proof is Jeanne Calment at the age of 122. The maximum life span of humans throughout recorded history has been 115 to 120 years despite life expectancy continually improving. Dan Buettner has identified so-called Blue Zones, places in the world where people live over 100 years with active lives. What can we do to live over 100 years without having to move to the Blue Zones?
My plan for longevity enlists the power of nature. What we do against nature will keep us from fulfilling our longevity potential. A simple example of this is breakfast cereal. It seems innocuous enough to have a bowl of cereal. People do it everyday for years. But think about it. These flakes or “O”’s in the case of Cheerios are processed and do not readily present themselves au naturel. Then we have the brilliant idea of adding sugar to seal the deal. Sure we may survive this regular consumption of cereal, but for how long? Instead consider eating whole grains, like oats. Bread and noodles, that are not highly processed or full of added sweeteners, are also alternatives for our breakfast starch.
More and more people extol the benefits of “whole foods”. What does this entail? Well, it does not mean simply shopping at a place called “Whole Foods”.
For me, whole food means eating brown rice instead of white rice. It means also eating more a variety of foods rather than habitually clinging to eating patterns to indulge your tastes.
We are somewhat limited by the number of animal meats available for our dinner tables. Of course, there is elk and lion, but they’re not so accessible. The variety of vegetables available easily exceeds the variety of animal foods. Too often people think that a salad is sufficient to keep a balanced diet. No, we should eat a greater variety of vegetables.
I am not one against human invention as is the case of breakfast cereal. I am neither against western medicine especially when my psychiatric practice consists of prescribing many medications. Injections of human growth hormone or testosterone as well have a place. I simply believe that staying closer to the flow of nature will optimize our longevity.
The effects of a particular medication exemplifies nature in action. Yes, the medication is artificial or synthetic but the resulting effect is based on the forces of nature coming together, the medication and the patient’s body. Staying closer to nature takes less of toll on the overall chance for longevity.
A preventive approach of Western medicine to screen for colon cancer at age 50 with a colonoscopy has value. What I emphasize is a lifestyle that keeps you from creating a cancerous situation.
Give some thought to how your lifestyle could be closer to nature and make changes to elicit your longevity potential naturally!
- First Blog! (8/4/2013)
Aloha to you all!
It seems so fitting that the December 1 issue of Time magazine sports the title “Annual Checkup: The Sorry State of American Health” just when I am launching my health blog for the first time.
- 67% of Americans are overweight or obese
- 96% of Americans rarely eat enough vegetables
- 40% of Americans get no exercise
No wonder that the US ranks 34th in the world in life expectancy at 77.9 years despite the fact that the US spends more than any other nation on health care, a whopping 16% of the GDP, $2 trillion in 2005. We are not getting the bang in health for our buck!
- 67% of Americans are overweight or obese
