I never know where I am going to end up on the internet these days. Its really amazing - even without the cat here to help - he is very helpful in websurfing.
Yesterday I found the historical battle of the bulge or "A Slim History of Dieting" on Ancestry.com (see you never know where I will end up).
Its pretty funny. I can tell you that we are much safer these days in our dieting techniques. Previous diet tips have included that fat people should move to swampy areas or "daily cold baths, lots of exercise, chastity, temperance, and hard mattresses".
Personally, I would prefer watching what I eat vs. daily cold baths and living in a swampy area.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
The FDA - a little background
We all love to hate the FDA. I mean they are the people that take food off the market, have all these rules and things that make food cost more, delay the acceptance of new medications, and cause pharmaceutical companies to have all these years of research driving up their 'costs' (which get paid by patients in the end, one way the other).
So why do we have an FDA? How did that happen? I never really knew or thought much about it. I just thought it was another one of those big Washington based alphabet agencies making rules and spending the public's money.
I try to assume that people are going to do the right thing and not rob, steal, or corrupt. People generally do mean to do their best and help others. But this is not always true, hence the reason for all the government and policing.
Meat packing plants were a wealth of horrors. Its surprising more did not die from food from them.
It is a well known fact that the nineteenth, and probably earlier, centuries were full of patent medicines where you might kill yourself thinking you were healing yourself. Who knew what was in them. These were exposed in an article called "The Great American Quackery" which ran in Colliers Magazine in 1905. This resulted in the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
Finally in 1938, after over 100 people died from taking a patent medicine full of a toxin, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed which required manufacturers to prove their products were safe. This lead to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration.
So that is your little history lesson for the day. I am heading out for a dentist appointment on this rainy morning....
So why do we have an FDA? How did that happen? I never really knew or thought much about it. I just thought it was another one of those big Washington based alphabet agencies making rules and spending the public's money.
I try to assume that people are going to do the right thing and not rob, steal, or corrupt. People generally do mean to do their best and help others. But this is not always true, hence the reason for all the government and policing.
Meat packing plants were a wealth of horrors. Its surprising more did not die from food from them.
It is a well known fact that the nineteenth, and probably earlier, centuries were full of patent medicines where you might kill yourself thinking you were healing yourself. Who knew what was in them. These were exposed in an article called "The Great American Quackery" which ran in Colliers Magazine in 1905. This resulted in the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
Finally in 1938, after over 100 people died from taking a patent medicine full of a toxin, the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed which required manufacturers to prove their products were safe. This lead to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration.
So that is your little history lesson for the day. I am heading out for a dentist appointment on this rainy morning....
What to eat
I am confused. In an age where the latest trend is to eat healthier food, buy local, and all that, I really do try.
My first motivator is the Mediterranean diet because it is supposed to be healthy and because I like the food. This means eating plant based food like grains, fruits and vegetables, less butter and more olive oil, less red meat and more fish and poultry. I can do this. Except my husband likes steak so when we eat red meat, I have gotten us smaller portions. This works pretty well for us.
Then there is the fibromyalgia diet which is lots of plant based food and lean protein which sounds pretty similar so that should work as well.
But then there is the arthritis diet which says lots of beans particularly ones with antioxidants like red beans, small red kidney beans, and pinto beans as well as black beans and garbanzos. It also says to avoid the nightshade family to reduce inflammation. Night shade vegetables are tomatoes, eggplant, red bell peppers and potatoes. Some studies have shown them to contribute to increased pain in arthritis patients but this is not yet confirmed.
What is very common in the Mediterranean diet? Tomatoes, egg plant, red bell peppers and potatoes. This clearly leads to a conflict.
Also, there is the breast cancer - soy link. I hate tofu so I opt to skip it. I also avoid soy supplemented food and edamame because every time I turn around, the proverbial them change their mind if it is okay for breast cancer people to eat or not.
So if I take all this advice and summarize it. More chicken and fish, more beans and hummus. Less red peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes which could lead to a boring Mediterranean diet. Skip the tofu as well.
My first motivator is the Mediterranean diet because it is supposed to be healthy and because I like the food. This means eating plant based food like grains, fruits and vegetables, less butter and more olive oil, less red meat and more fish and poultry. I can do this. Except my husband likes steak so when we eat red meat, I have gotten us smaller portions. This works pretty well for us.
Then there is the fibromyalgia diet which is lots of plant based food and lean protein which sounds pretty similar so that should work as well.
But then there is the arthritis diet which says lots of beans particularly ones with antioxidants like red beans, small red kidney beans, and pinto beans as well as black beans and garbanzos. It also says to avoid the nightshade family to reduce inflammation. Night shade vegetables are tomatoes, eggplant, red bell peppers and potatoes. Some studies have shown them to contribute to increased pain in arthritis patients but this is not yet confirmed.
What is very common in the Mediterranean diet? Tomatoes, egg plant, red bell peppers and potatoes. This clearly leads to a conflict.
Also, there is the breast cancer - soy link. I hate tofu so I opt to skip it. I also avoid soy supplemented food and edamame because every time I turn around, the proverbial them change their mind if it is okay for breast cancer people to eat or not.
So if I take all this advice and summarize it. More chicken and fish, more beans and hummus. Less red peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes which could lead to a boring Mediterranean diet. Skip the tofu as well.
Meet my oncologist and her cookbook
When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer I had an oncologist who I really liked. He was nice and would explain numbers and statistics to me and give me detailed explanations on treatment options and why he chose one over the other.
At the end of my active treatment phase, he left. He was not given permission for this and I was upset. One big trauma point for cancer patients is when the active treatment portion ends and the come back and see us in six months starts. They go from caring about every sniffle to 'see-ya!'.
I was pretty stressed about the change and did not know what to expect from my new oncologist. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out how nice, compassionate and caring my new oncologist was. Over the past five years I have gotten to know her more. I have seen her speak at events as well as met with her individually.
Now I learned something more about her. She, along with other doctors, has written a cookbook for cancer patients. Now I have to get a copy of it. It is a book for people in active treatment. Its not that I am planning to go back into active treatment but I am a cookbook junkie and I am sure it will be full of good, healthy recipes.
If you are looking for a new oncologist in the Boston area, I do recommend her.
At the end of my active treatment phase, he left. He was not given permission for this and I was upset. One big trauma point for cancer patients is when the active treatment portion ends and the come back and see us in six months starts. They go from caring about every sniffle to 'see-ya!'.
I was pretty stressed about the change and did not know what to expect from my new oncologist. But I was pleasantly surprised to find out how nice, compassionate and caring my new oncologist was. Over the past five years I have gotten to know her more. I have seen her speak at events as well as met with her individually.
Now I learned something more about her. She, along with other doctors, has written a cookbook for cancer patients. Now I have to get a copy of it. It is a book for people in active treatment. Its not that I am planning to go back into active treatment but I am a cookbook junkie and I am sure it will be full of good, healthy recipes.
If you are looking for a new oncologist in the Boston area, I do recommend her.
We need to make a switch
I think we, as in my husband and I, should officially switch to the Mediterranean diet. There is more research (because the researchers need to keep busy) showing the benefits of it.
Good things in the Mediterranean diet are olive oil, tree nuts and peanuts, fresh fruits, vegetables, fatty fish and seafood, legumes, white meat, and wine with meals. This to avoid are soda, commercial bakery goods, sweets and pastries, spread fats, and red and processed meats.
Therein lies the problem. My husband is Mr. Steak and Potatoes.He would happily eat beef every night. I will have to work on this. And the other problem is I'm supposed to avoid alcohol due to my medications. So I wonder does it work if you don't drink?
Anyway, we should be healthier. I hope. And deflabbed. (That's my word for it.) Well its better than the grapefruit diet.
Good things in the Mediterranean diet are olive oil, tree nuts and peanuts, fresh fruits, vegetables, fatty fish and seafood, legumes, white meat, and wine with meals. This to avoid are soda, commercial bakery goods, sweets and pastries, spread fats, and red and processed meats.
Therein lies the problem. My husband is Mr. Steak and Potatoes.He would happily eat beef every night. I will have to work on this. And the other problem is I'm supposed to avoid alcohol due to my medications. So I wonder does it work if you don't drink?
Anyway, we should be healthier. I hope. And deflabbed. (That's my word for it.) Well its better than the grapefruit diet.
Dash - blah, blah, blah
Blah, blah, blah. Dash. Again. do you know what Dash is? Its that boring diet that won again as the best overall diet. Its called Dash or - Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension. It was developed by the NIH. It also helps reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and kidney stones. Blah, blah, blah.
It focuses on limiting your sodium intake as well as the usual balanced plate of grains and fruit and vegetables. So hide the salt shaker and you will do fine. (I like the picture on CNN.com which shows a salad full of olives.)
The thought of it makes my skin crawl. It was introduced to me by a doctor who told me the high blood pressure issues I was experiencing a couple of years ago was completely my fault due to poor eating habits and didn't listen to me at all. I will probably never go on the Dash diet but I don't really use a lot of salt in my food and I eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and grains.
See what a poor bedside manner can do to a patient?
And the best commercial, easiest to follow and all that diet is Weight Watchers, which I sort of live by anyway. You can see more at US News & World Report.
Diet, schmiet. I'm trying. The scale is slowly going in the right direction which is a good thing. We finally are almost rid of all the junk food/candy which accumulated since Halloween - a continuous influx of junk. Now we can go back to eating healthy. And I'll skip the Dash.
It focuses on limiting your sodium intake as well as the usual balanced plate of grains and fruit and vegetables. So hide the salt shaker and you will do fine. (I like the picture on CNN.com which shows a salad full of olives.)
The thought of it makes my skin crawl. It was introduced to me by a doctor who told me the high blood pressure issues I was experiencing a couple of years ago was completely my fault due to poor eating habits and didn't listen to me at all. I will probably never go on the Dash diet but I don't really use a lot of salt in my food and I eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and grains.
See what a poor bedside manner can do to a patient?
And the best commercial, easiest to follow and all that diet is Weight Watchers, which I sort of live by anyway. You can see more at US News & World Report.
Diet, schmiet. I'm trying. The scale is slowly going in the right direction which is a good thing. We finally are almost rid of all the junk food/candy which accumulated since Halloween - a continuous influx of junk. Now we can go back to eating healthy. And I'll skip the Dash.
Its a good thing my mother made me eat tofu
Not really because I hate tofu. But I digress.
I guess it is now important that my mother made me eat tofu because according to a study at Georgetown, women who start eating soy as an adult tend to develop treatment resistant breast cancer tumors. But those who eat soy as a child and then through adulthood are more likely to develop tumors which are very sensitive to treatment.
This means I have eaten my lifetime quota of soy and have no reason to eat any more. I dislike tofu with a passion and have a good excuse for never eating it again. I tried soy yogurt once and found it tastes like Elmer's glue (according to my childhood memories) and tried giving it away to my 'healthy' friends who told me they didn't like it either.
Other things I never have to eat again:
And I will never eat tofu again.
I guess it is now important that my mother made me eat tofu because according to a study at Georgetown, women who start eating soy as an adult tend to develop treatment resistant breast cancer tumors. But those who eat soy as a child and then through adulthood are more likely to develop tumors which are very sensitive to treatment.
This means I have eaten my lifetime quota of soy and have no reason to eat any more. I dislike tofu with a passion and have a good excuse for never eating it again. I tried soy yogurt once and found it tastes like Elmer's glue (according to my childhood memories) and tried giving it away to my 'healthy' friends who told me they didn't like it either.
Other things I never have to eat again:
- processed food which has soy added to make it healthy - this includes many of the weight loss programs which supplement their foods with soy.
- Tofu (I add this again as a reflection of its 'ick' factor)
And I will never eat tofu again.
Cancer killer article
I love these articles which tell us the things to do/eat/drink/avoid to cure cancer. They usually appear on some what dubious websites, full of ads for other 'cures' which make me think of snake oil salesmen. But here's one that tell us the 'Top Ten Natural Cancer Killers'.
Its on prostate.net which is a website for 'healthy living for men'. It requests '© All Prostate.net Content is Copyrighted | Please Link to Us but Don't Copy From Us'. This little statement is a big red flag in website credibility.
But I digress, here are the top ten natural cancer killers from their website:
This is how I cook. I look at what I have and wait for an inspiration. We will not have this for dinner as we are having cheese burgers. We will have it later in the week. I may think the website is dubious and am not sure these will kill off cancer - I would want a little verification before I did believe it. But it would make a relatively easy and healthy meal. A home cooked meal always beats restaurant food.
Its on prostate.net which is a website for 'healthy living for men'. It requests '© All Prostate.net Content is Copyrighted | Please Link to Us but Don't Copy From Us'. This little statement is a big red flag in website credibility.
But I digress, here are the top ten natural cancer killers from their website:
- Beans
- Broccoli and other vegetables
- Carrots
- Red peppers and Capsaicin
- Garlic
- Mushrooms
- Raspberries
- Resveratrol (found in red wine and grapes)
- Tomatoes
- Turmeric
You can read their article on what the benefits of all these are but here is a dinner menu which you could make at home and eat once a week and get all the benefits:
Appetizer
Broccoli and carrot salad - shred or finely chop - add some finely chopped red onion, and fresh parsley, and toss with oil and vinegar or lemon juice.
Entree
Vegetarian stew with beans, carrots, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, finely chopped hot red pepper, and onions. Saute onions and garlic. Add beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, some water or vegetable broth. Season with turmeric, Garam Masala, and Vindaloo seasoning (substitute curry powder if none available). Bring to boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over brown rice or with Naan bread.
Dessert
Raspberries and grapes by themselves or over vanilla ice cream. Or puree raspberries and serve over ice cream with grapes on the side.
Beverage
Nice red wine to counteract the heat of the stew.
Eating healthy
Us cancer people need to eat healthy. For some reason with a cancer diagnosis, many people feel the urge to ditch the processed food in their life and eat organic. They turn over a new leaf (no pun intended) on their eating habits. Everyone seems to find their own way to eat healthy, but now the people over at Environmental Working Group have released a list of Good Food on a Budget that makes it easier. Down load a pdf here.
It is actually full of lots of practical advice and helps you take good intentions and turn them into a menu and grocery list. I think that's the most important part. We all have good intentions and then don't cross the bridge from idea to grocery list very well. But now we have help.
Well that's it for today. My brain is not inspired. Blah. My cold still rules.
It is actually full of lots of practical advice and helps you take good intentions and turn them into a menu and grocery list. I think that's the most important part. We all have good intentions and then don't cross the bridge from idea to grocery list very well. But now we have help.
Well that's it for today. My brain is not inspired. Blah. My cold still rules.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
