Last week my husband and I celebrated what would have been his mother’s 57th birthday. Having lost both his aunt and his mom to cancer, we are particularly tuned in as to

This blog is dedicated to the memory of Jan.

Replace Commercial Meat with Hormone-free Meat

If there is only one thing you change in your diet for cancer prevention, make it this change.  Animals not raised in the pasture are fed Bovine Growth Hormone. We then ingest these growth hormones which elevates our Insulin Growth Factor (IGF-1), which is an independent risk factor for cancer.  It is highly likely that IGF-1 promotes the transformation of human cells to cancerous forms. IGF-1 is also a growth factor for promoting the progression and invasiveness of cancer cells.
Tip: Choose hormone-free, grass-fed, pastured raised meats (grass-fed burgers are delicious!), wild salmon, cod or halibut or beans as your protein source.

Replace Sugar + Artificial Sweets with Natural Sweets

Cancer loves sugar. Dr. Susan Silberstein, from the Center for Advancement in Cancer, says “We can get a lot of PET scans or eat a lot of sugar if we want to get cancer growing.”  Cancer cells’ uptake of sugar is five times that of normal cells. Excess insulin (as a result of excess sugar) works as a catalyst in promoting cell growth. One way of isolating cancer cells from one another is to starve them of sugar.  Before you reach for your diet soda, know that as you digest the aspartame rich drink, the carcinogen formaldehyde is produced as a by-product.
Tip: Use xylitol (from birch) which is naturally created in our bodies and raises glutathione (antioxidant), stevia (sweet herb), or small amounts of natural sweeteners like grade B maple syrup or palm sugar.  Try Kombucha for a carbonated mildly naturally sweet beverage.

Replace French Fries with Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

When food is cooked at high temperatures (think french fries and potato chips), a chemical called Acrylamide is formed. Acrylamide caused cancer in animals in studies where animals were exposed to acrylamide at high doses.  Not to mention, commercial fats and meats are full of omega-6 fatty acids which we already consume too many of in processed foods, commercial meats and dairy, corn, canola, and soybean oil.  Use omega-3 friendly oil like olive oil.
Tip: Chop sweet potatoes in fry shapes or chip shapes and roast with olive oil and sea salt at 375 for approx. 40 minutes.

Replace “the Bun” with Sprouted Buns or go No Bun

Aside from wheat and gluten being top hidden food allergies for many, there isn’t any nutrition left in refined white flour.  The kicker is that bakery goods and some flours often contain a “dough conditioner” called potassium bromate.  When bromine is absorbed or ingested, it displaces iodine, leading to iodine deficiency which is highly correlated to an increased risk of breast, thyroid, ovary and prostate cancers.  Click here to read more about the Bromide Dominance Theory.
Tip: Try Sprouted buns, gluten-free buns, or go no bun. Craving something starchy? Go for a whole grain like brown rice or quinoa.  Either way, add lots of colorful veggies.

Replace Pesticides with Organic
Back to bromide.  Pesticides (specifically methyl bromide, used mainly on strawberries, predominantly in California) are powerful chemicals that lead to detrimental long-term consequences.
Tip: Buy these “Dirty Dozen” organic – Celery, Peaches, Strawberries, Apples, Blueberries, Nectarines, Bell Peppers, Spinach, Kale, Cherries, Potatoes, Grapes (Imported). Download your own Guide.

Ditch the Soy or Use with Caution
Soy has received lots of attention in the past as an aspiring “health food”.  What is commonly thought of as a main component in Japanese and Chinese food, Asian cuisine on average contains very small, condiment amounts, such as 2 teaspoons per day.  There are a few problems with soy but one major one is that in the US, about 80-90% of our soy is Genetically Modified (GMO). GMO Soy is “roundup ready”, meaning it is  resistant to incredibly dangerous herbicides.  The weeds that the herbicides kill are now becoming resistant to roundup so they are using even more of it. Eating a lot of soy disrupts our endocrine system – preventing ovulation and stimulating the growth of cancer cells.  Hypothyroidism is often a result of eating a lot of soy.
Tip: Choose another protein source or if you can’t do without, chose only organic soy and old fashioned forms such as miso, tempeh, natto, shoyu, tamari, or small amounts of organic tofu. Read The Whole Soy Story by Dr. Kaayla Daniel for more.

Add Antioxidants
One of my professors and an expert on cancer prevention said that free radicals are like sparks in a forest – if you catch them early, you’ll be okay but if they are let to linger, they cause a catastrophe.  We make free radicals all of the time – through breathing, exercise, etc. and if have enough nutrient stores, we have the antioxidants to counteract free radicals.
Tip: Focus on the ACESZ. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Zinc.  Loads of leafy greens, organic red, blue and purple berries, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, apricots, avocados, broccoli, green tea to name a few.

Check your D
There is a growing amount of research correlating Vitamin D deficiency with cancer.  The Life Extension Foundation, Van den Bemd et al (2002), reported that vitamin D not only slows cell cycle, it also induces apoptosis (programmed cell death = a good thing), differentiation, and inhibits angiogenesis.
Tip: Have your D checked. Consider cod liver oil, sardines, oysters, pasture raised eggs, pastured butter, and some sunlight (without getting burnt).

Resources:
Helayne Waldman, M.S., Ed.D, Bauman College, Introduction to Cancer
Joseph Mercola, DO, Avoid This if you Want to Keep your Thyroid Healthy
Joseph Mercola, DO, Don’t Drink your Milk
Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, The Whole Soy Story
Life Extension, Disease Prevention and Treatment

You don’t have to run and hide in a cave after reading this article. Our intention is to bring awareness to what might be off balance and creeping into your life with more toxicity than you’d like.  As holistic nutritionists and health coaches, we can help you

• identify what might be standing in the way (of living an incredibly happy, healthy, fun and fulfilling life)

• support your nutrition, health and lifestyle goals (so that you feel and look vibrant and healthy)

• find your natural weight (after seemingly doing everything “right” yet being stuck above your natural weight due to toxicity or weight loss resistance)

Toxic Food: Sugar, HFCS, GMO, refined foods, trans fats, overuse of alcohol, artificial sweeteners, excessive caffeine, food preservatives, additives, hormones, pesticides, antibiotics derived from foods, mercury, too much food in general.

Toxic Lifestyle: Perfectionist mentality, over-exerciser, pulls all-nighters, unhappy at work but works too much, socializes with crowds s/he don’t necessarily enjoy, harbors negativity and festers negative feelings, always on the go, relying on refined carbs, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and/or drugs for a boost.

Toxic Environment: Mercury toxicity in dental amalgams, some vaccines, large fish (especially tuna), pesticides, cosmetics. Other heavy metals such as aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, copper, chloride, fluoride, and lead.

Leaky Gut & Food Allergies:
Our gut has a semi-permeable lining around it.  When toxic food (above list), stress, NSAIDS, and gluten enter our bodies on a regular basis, these factors make our gut more permeable than it should be.  Proteins from certain foods like gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, and corn leak out of the gut where they are not supposed to be and our body views them as foreign invaders.  An immune attack is launched and antibodies (IgG) surround the foreign invaders (the proteins that have leaked out). These antibodies accumulate and store themselves at various places in the body including the brain and joints.
Symptoms: A delayed food reaction sets in place and will include a drop in energy, joint pain, headaches, bloating, brain fog, false fat (weight gain and fluid retention), fatigue, moodiness, sinus congestion, acne, eczema, etc. Do you have these symptoms? Contact Catherine or Contact Kendra to identify hidden food triggers and support leaky gut.

Adrenal Fatigue:
The adrenal glands that sit on top of the kidneys are powerful! They are the control center for healthy body functioning.  During healthy adrenal function, when our bodies experience stress, a brief rise in cortisol levels is normal and expected. It is when cortisol is constantly raised, due to chronic stress, that problems arise.
Symptoms: Cravings for salt, refined carbs, alcohol and feeling “moody” after consuming these foods, irritable, dizzy, heart palpitations, weight flucation, low blood sugar, unhealth skin, acne, chronic infections
Do you have these symptoms? Contact Catherine or Contact Kendra for nutritional and lifestyle support for your adrenals.

Mercury Toxicity:
Mercury is a toxic heavy metal that can be inhaled with the lungs, absorbed through the skin, and/or ingested in the stomach. Mercury can be found in dental amalgam fillings, fungicides, fish such as tuna, tilefish, mackeral, shark, swordfish, crabs, vaccines including diptheria and tetanus.
Symptoms: Some symptoms include a propensity towards fainting, dizziness, fatigue, irregular heartbeat, tachycardia, anxiety, panic attacks, food allergies, GI issues, eczema and psoriasis, gingivitis. Symptoms can come and go over time and while some people may have stellar detoxification pathways to detox mercury, some genetically do not possess functional pathways.
Do you have these symptoms? Contact Catherine or Contact Kendra for dentist and doctor referrals as well as nutritional support for detoxifying mercury.

Invest in your health here!

Resources and Further Reading:

Huggins, D.D.S., M.S., Hal.  It’s All In Your Head – The Link Between Mercury Amalgams and Illness. Avery, 1993.
Hyman, M.D., Mark. Mercury: How to Get This Lethal Poison Out of Your Body. The Huffington Post, February 20th, 2010
Hyman, M.D., Mark. The UltraSimple Diet.  New York, NY: Pocket Books, 2007.
The Teleosis Institute, Mercury Contamination and Detoxification

“The exclusive focus on dietary fat has been a distraction in efforts to control obesity.  Conventional wisdom holds that the more fat you eat, the more likely you are to become obese.  However, the evidence does not support the conventional wisdom. Studies conducted in the past three years have found a moderately high-fat diet to be more beneficial in terms of adherence, weight loss, and weight maintenance, while also reducing cardiovascular risk factors” – Dr. Frank Hu, Harvard School of Public Health (citing 16 longterm studies on dietary fat).

If you start to critically look at all the research out there, it starts to become shockingly clear that the food industry has perpetuated an unsubstantiated fat phobia in American society.  We deprive ourselves of good quality fats and yet 97 million Americans were reported to be overweight in 1999.  Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other diseases are on the rise yet we remain fat-free.  Dietary fat deficiency occurs in diets consisting of fat-free foods or the wrong types of fats.  60% of the brain is made of fat, so it is important to ingest fat for proper brain function.
The Cycle…

No Fat or Wrong Fat
leads to
Cell Deprivation for Healthy Function
of Brain, Heart, Hormones, Nerves
leads to
Low Energy, Slow Metabolism
leads to
Dieting Cycle, Weight Gain

The wrong “bad guy”…

Saturated fat has been listed as a “bad guy” for the past 60 years.  This type of fat has been taken out of diets yet there has only been an increase in heart disease and an increase in weight gain.  The true “bad guys” are refined and processed grains and sugars, especially high fructose corn syrup, and the trans fats found in hydrogenated vegetable oils. When there is not a sufficient amount of healthy fat consumption, we crave these refined carbohydrates.

How did we get here?

The “Lipid Hypothesis” grew out of a need for the medical community to make sense out of a steep rise in heart disease from less than 10% of all deaths in 1900 to 30% of all deaths by 1950 (and almost 45% of deaths today).  Before 1920, myocardial infarctions (heart attacks) did not occur so where did this phenomenon come from?

A study published in the journal of American Journal of Physiology in 1954 cited that saturated fats fed to rabbits caused plaque buildup, which then caused heart disease.  The vegetable oil industry jumped on these findings pinning saturated fat as the “bad guy”… when really the type of plaque rabbits develop is totally different than human plaque and the fat that was fed to the rabbits was oxidized (damaged by processing).

Unfortunately, in 1950 we did not listen to Dr. Dudley White, President Eisenhower’s physician, when he noted that

heart disease had increased as the consumption of liquid vegetable oils had increased and the consumption of eggs and traditional fats like butter had declined.

The real key being the “use of margarine quadrupled and the use of vegetable oil tripled between 1900 and 1950 while egg consumption declined by half.”
Politically Incorrect…

Politically the vegetable oil industry worked behind the scenes to endorse these trans fats and condemn saturated fats. “If you’d talk different, you’d get money” was the statement from one brand name snack company executive to Mary Enig, who was one of the pioneers against trans fats, after revealing the amount of trans fats in their products.  It took Mary and her team of scientists over 15 years to prove to the FDA the danger of trans fats (labeling became mandatory in 2006) and her focus on now on freeing saturated fats of being dubbed as bad as trans fats.

Food Focus: Coconut Oil

Until the 1950′s, coconut oil was commonly used until a study falsely concluded that all coconut oil was an artery-clogging fat. Harvard scientists later reviewed this study to find that it was only when the coconut oil was hydrogenated, or harmfully chemically altered to become a trans fat, that these effects occurred.  Coconut has not only been found innocent, but it has proved to be highly beneficial and delicious as a regular fat to use in your diet. While there are serious health risks associated with trans fats, there is no longer the need to be fearful of quality organic saturated fats such as coconut oil, organic butter and ghee.
➢    Metabolism ~ Not only does coconut oil not increase body fat, but a coconut oil-enriched diet decreases white fat stores. Coconut’s medium-chain fats are easily absorbed and burned, stimulating metabolism efficiency.
➢    Antiviral ~ 50% of the fat in coconut is lauric acid, which is antiviral, antibacterial and destroys a wide variety of disease-laden organisms. The antiviral components of lauric acid have proven to be so strong that coconut is now being investigated as a treatment for AIDS.

Further Reading:

• Dr. Mary Enig, Know Your Fats
• Dr. Uffe Ravnskov,The Cholesterol Myths
• Gary Taubes – Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control, and Disease
• Sally Fallon – Nourishing Traditions

Regulate blood sugar, truly understand carbohydrates,

and find your natural weight

Blood sugar regulation is one of the top areas of focus and interest in my practice because of the correlation to a variety of health issues.  Properly balancing blood sugar can prevent insulin resistance – one of the leading risk factors associated with diabetes, CVD, kidney disease, obesity, nerve disorders, polycystic ovary disease and many other serious diseases.

CARBS

There are so many differing opinions surrounding the influence of this five letter word on our diet.  First there was the High Carb Craze… the 1980’s revealed a “new” and “improved” food pyramid in hopes of thwarting the rise in diabetes, CVD and obesity.  The verdict: increase carbs and reduce fat.  At the time, it seemed to make sense.  Americans stocked up on pasta and bagels and fat-free cookies and chips.  Yikes, what a disaster.  As we cut back on healthy fat, protein, whole grains, veggies and went straight to a diet made of mostly refined carbohydrates, health problems skyrocketed.

As CARBS became a dirty five letter word, we went to the opposite extreme and threw them all out the window (even poor little carrots).  The Atkins Diet was the “revolutionary” new plan for reaching health and vitality.  The theory is that restricting carbohydrates balances insulin release and glucose transport to muscles and fat cells.  In turn, the body burns fat.  The golden takeaway from the research is that Americans do eat too many refined carbohydrates. But rather than find a good balance, the low-carb diets can be too extreme.  When the body is deprived of glucose (from carbs), the body uses all its glycogen reserves (stored in the liver) and enters a state of metabolic emergency where fat and protein are converted to glucose.  In extreme cases, ketone bodies are produced and the blood becomes acidic if the lungs and kidneys can’t keep up with all that ketonic production.  Ketogenic diets (from extreme low carb)  actually increase the fat cell’s abilities to attract and store fat in the long run…. Another flaw in the extreme low carb craze is that carbs trigger the release of serotonin (our “happy” neurotransmitter). Serotonin makes us feel relaxed and calm and also tells our brain when we are full. It also helps us get a good night sleep.  This doesn’t give us a green pass to over-consume the healthy carbs, though – in order to balance blood sugar, have a normal insulin response, and find your natural weight, e-mail me at Catherine@cravehealth.com to set up your free health consultation with me and find your recipe for success.

Hint: High quality protein raises metabolism by nearly 25%! When the body is deficient in protein, fluid collect between cells, resulting in cellulite, water retention, bloating and water weight gain.  Eating protein stimulates the pancreas to release glucagon (the hormone that counteracts insulin and burns fat). Contact me to find the right high quality protein for your body type.

Conducting a Health Food Store Tour is one of my favorite parts of working with clients because we all love the real experience.  We can talk about kale all day but unless we go see it, examine it, and talk about it, it remains an intimidating vegetable that you are unlikely to buy.   In the Health Food Store Tour, we learn about Greens you usually pass by (swiss chard), Sweet Vegetables that satisfy your sweet tooth (beets), Grains that are hard to pronounce (quinoa – pronounced”keen-wah”), Fruits in season (melons), Herbs and Spices to awaken your palate (turmeric and sage), Protein for your body type (grass-fed beef or tofu?), Dairy and Dairy Alternatives (sheep yogurt, almond milk), Condiments to spread (hummus, nut butters), the joy of Healthy Fats (unrefined coconut oil), Sweeteners that are sweet bliss (agave nectar, stevia), Pasta that won’t make you bloated (100% buckwheat soba noodles), and Snacks to help you thrive (almonds, lara bars).

The September issue of Natural Solutions Magazine is available now on newsstands and in many Whole Foods Markets – pick up a copy or read my article below!

Special August Package Includes:

FREE 45 Minute Health History Session

$75 Health Food Store Tour with Referral Rewards

Contact me for more details!

Bonus!

What are the top 10 most common food items you pick up in the grocery store? E-mail me your list at Catherine@cravehealth.com and I will send you my top 10 healthy alternatives!

Got Milk?

We have all seen the highly successful “Got Milk” campaign.  The ads depict famous celebrities with milk mustaches which serve as a reminder for us all to drink our milk in order to get our calcium for strong bones.  As we know, this campaign is an advertisement, so when we look at the motivations underlying the ads, we have to ask ourselves… what is or isn’t true about the ads’ claims?

I don’t know about you, but I grew up drinking milk at dinner, using milk in my cereal, and eating ice cream for dessert.  I also remember the awful day when my family switched from 2% milk to skim milk.  Ugh.  This was when fat was depicted as the bad guy and skim milk was the superstar.  I would venture to say that everyone in my family loves ice cream more than any other dessert.  So, all of those years that we were consuming the average consumer’s milk, were we really making our bones stronger?

Research

Dr. Annemarie Colbin is a well respected source when it comes to holistic nutrition.  As a guest speaker at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, she spoke about food and our bones.  Dr. Colbin ascertains that while we have been given the mass media message to consume dairy to strengthen our bones, there are studies suggesting otherwise.  The famous Nurses Study at Harvard University, which followed 78,000 nurses over the course of 12 years, found that those nurses who drank two or more glasses of commercial milk per day had twice the risk of hip fracture than those who drank one glass per week or less.  Hmm…

Dr. Linda Bacon, renowned author of the book, Health at Every Size also cautions us in her book about consuming too much milk and discusses the misconception about drinking as much milk as is commonly recommended.

“But where will I get my calcium?!”

Vegetables, vegetables, vegetables is the answer. Did you know that calcium is present in vegetables, especially greens?  Did you also know that cows are meant to eat grass (that contains calcium) but according to the US Dairy Forage Research Center, only 10-12% of dairy cows in America are grazed? Factory farmed cows, who supply the majority of dairy in this country, are fed soy meal, cottonseed meal or other commercial feeds, bakery waste, chicken manure citrus peel cake, and are mostly full of pesticides. Their quality of life is next to nothing as they are kept in confinement most of their lives, and they are fed hormones and antibiotics to push dairy production forward for big $$$.

Acid Forming Foods that Cause Bone Breakdown

Here is a list of foods that can be partially responsible for bone breakdown:

White bread
Pasta
White rice
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Dessert
Coffee

Diet for Strong Bones

If you want strong bones but not all that milk, try eating these foods:

Leafy greens and other vegetables
Beans and quality animal food
Whole grains supply magnesium – magnesium puts calcium in the bones.
Nuts and seeds for trace minerals
Good quality fats – olive oil, organic butter, sesame oil
Edible bones – Bones of sardines, salmon, chicken wings and chicken bones, fish bones.
*Cook with fish stock

The Role of Vitamin D

Vitamin D is essential for promoting calcium absorption and is scarcely found in foods (although there is some in shiitake mushrooms and parsley).  The natural source of Vitamin D is the sun.  There is an epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency in America – we are taught to be terrified of the sun, many of us do not have the required time to absorb the proper amount of Vitamin D, or many of us do not live in places that are sunny most of the year.  Vitamin D tests are easily administered by doctors and can tell you whether you need a Vitamin D supplement or not.  If you do opt to get more Vitamin D from the sun, just don’t get burnt.  Some people can only tolerate 10 minutes of sun before getting burned – know your limit.  The average person can take 40 minutes per day with 40% of their body exposed in order to get proper amounts of Vitamin D.

What about Calcium Pills?

Dr. Colbin goes on to explain that the most important way to keep bones from breaking is to build up the collagen.  Bones are made of approximately 65% calcium-phosphate, 46% calcium, and 35% collagen (a protein). Bones with too much calcium will become more brittle. The body can’t absorb calcium by itself, and pills taken alone will deposit anywhere in the body, including muscles, and may miss the bones altogether.

The Case for Real Milk

Protein, vitamins, and healthy bacteria are present in real milk and can be nutritious for those who can digest it.  Advocates for “real milk,” or raw milk, contend that pasteurization kills the milk’s enzymes, diminishes vitamin contents, modifies the proteins, kills vitamins C, B12 and B6, destroys beneficial bacteria, and promotes pathogens that are associated with a multitude of illnesses including allergies, tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer.

Pasteurization was made mandatory in the 1920s because “slop milk” or “swill milk” was being made from very unhealthy and dirty animals.  Pasteurization became the norm, and the law was never revisited despite the fact that conditions have changed drastically.  Clean, raw milk from certified healthy cows is available in several states and can be bought directly from the farm or, in California, it can be bought in stores like Whole Foods, among others.

As I mentioned earlier, many commercial cows are fed soy meal, cottonseed meal or other commercial feeds, bakery waste, chicken manure citrus peel cake, and all are full of pesticides. These cows never see grass, are kept in confinement, and become sick. The sick cows are then injected with antibiotics to combat the sickness – which we then ingest.  To view photos of factory farming please click here – the photos are upsetting, but are the realities of the factory farming business.

What to Do

If you choose to consume dairy for its health benefits, choose raw dairy products first. If raw diary is not available, choose organic and free of rBST hormones but be wary of the source. Do the cows graze on pasture?  Are they kept in confinement?  Are they happy and healthy cows? If you choose not to consume dairy, opt for alternatives like coconut milk and almond milk that can be used in cereals or made into “ice cream.”

Ice Cream and Ice Dream

Raw Milk Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe
1 cup raw milk
2 cups raw cream
3/4 cup grade B maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Add to ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions.

Ice Dream Vanilla Recipe (from The Ice Dream Cookbook by Chef Rachel Albert-Matesz)
1/3 cup cool water
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin or 3/4 teaspoon agar agar power (note: I have done this recipe without the thickener and it works just fine – it just won’t freeze as well for future use)
1/4 cup grade B maple syrup; additional 1 to 2 tablespoons as needed
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon stevia powder or 1/2 to 1 tsp. clear stevia extract
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
3 1/2 cups (two 14 ounce cans) coconut milk (or 1 1/2 cups coconut meat and 1 1/2 cups coconut water)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions: Add 1/3 cup water to small saucepan. Sprinkle in agar agar. Let stand for 2 minutes. Warm over medium low without stirring until powder has dissolved.  Scrape mixture into blender and process until smooth.  Add maple syrup, stevia and sea salt.  Blend. Add coconut milk and vanilla and blend until smooth.  Add additional sweetener if needed.  Blend, taste, repeat.  *At this point you can refrigerate until use (preferred) or just use right away. Pour into ice cream maker and follow the machine’s instructions.