Food for thought

You have been given a precious gift- your life. How you live your life- your lifestyle- will dictate how long you live. Your dream is to live a long, happy life. There are many hurdles standing in your way to prevent this. You should want to know what these hurdles are. That is one of the purposes of this blog. I hope each of you will look back someday and be happy with healthy lifestyle changes you made, that ultimately contributed to your longer life. These healthy lifestyle changes are what I would like to talk to you about. I had to fix something that was broke. As a young man I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and contracted Crohn’s Disease. Today, at 54, I take no pills. I’ve fixed the first two diseases with a healthy diet. Crohn’s is life long, but is controlled by a healthy diet. I’ve had occasional Crohn’s flare-ups over the years when I regress to old bad habits. Sometimes knowing what I should do to be healthy, and doing it are two different things. I’m sure you c...

Hello, and welcome to a new blog dedicated to human and planet health. I will be presenting entries that deal with nutrition, social, and environmental issues. The goal will be self-improvement. If you would like to add a comment click on "Comments" at the end of an entry. This month's entries: A Precious Gift The "A" Word... The Truth About: Food and Drink "Just Keep Telling the Truth" The Truth About: The Gay Issue The Best Oatmeal in the World Pronounced "Keen Wa"

If you are serious about your health, if you are seriously interested in finding out what on the earth is healthy, and what is not, if you are interested in achieving your ideal body weight the fastest and healthiest way humanly possible, please read on. There is SO much misinformation out there. Here is the truth, from Joel Fuhrman, MD, John McDougall, MD, and many others. For one, there is one healthiest, fastest way to arrive at your ideal body weight. Granted, there are MANY ways to lose weight , but all but one are impractical and unsustainable. Let's debunk: Nutrisystem/Marie Osmond: No. Jenny Craig/Valeri Bertinelli: No. Weight Watchers: No. The New Atkins: No. South Beach: No. Gastric or Lap Band/weight loss surgery: No. Over exercise/burn the calories off: No. I won't bore you. There are dozens more, and new ones added all the time. All others but one, wrong. You can lose weight with the above methods, they're just not sustainable/healthy. Why have to deal with por...

If you are what you eat, and you eat unhealthy, What does that make you? The choices we make dictate how healthy we are. Addictions dictate how healthy we are. You’ve heard the sayings “Food is a drug” and “Everyone has a vice.” Each of us is addicted to something that does not promote longevity. Cigarettes? Alcohol? Prescription drugs? Illegal drugs? Meat/food from animals? Coffee? Junk food- sugar, salt, chips, doughnuts, pastries, cookies, ice cream, candy, pop, fast food? A drug addict does not like to be reminded of their addiction. A drug addict doesn't want anyone messing with their drugs. Someone who has an addiction to unhealthy food/drink does not like to be reminded about it. They may realize the unhealthy aspect of their addiction, but choose to do nothing about it. Or maybe they’d like to do something about it but they are powerless. They are hooked. There are many reasons why people consume what they consume. One is depression. “Comfort food.” In the short term it may...

I periodically email Dr. McDougall and Dr. Fuhrman with health related questions, which they always graciously answer. A few weeks ago I emailed Dr. M informing him about this new blog. I told him that because unhealthy food and drink addictions are so hard to break it is difficult to get others to look at choosing a healthier lifestyle. I asked him if he had any advice. This is his response: This is not easy - just keep telling the truth. Feel welcome to ask questions. Just to remind you: The basic McDougall diet is made of starches, vegetables, and fruits - no animal products of any kind and no added oils. My February 2009 newsletter article, "The Starch Solution," will explain to you about why you center your diet around common starches, such as rice, corn, beans, potatoes, and sweet potatoes. There are recipes at the end of each newsletter, and a “free program” on the McDougall web site (www.drmcdougall.com). You can find a short video of my 10-day, live-in program o...

People who don’t like oatmeal haven’t tried the best oatmeal in the world. If you can afford it, get an oat flaker. It’s an oat grinder. Google one. They are expensive, but will remain in your family forever. You’ll be passing on great oatmeal to your kids, and their kids. Whenever grains are ground, 50% of nutrients are oxidized in a matter of days. So if you “freshly flake” and cook immediately- pure health. You’ll need to purchase oat groats- oats right off the plant. We purchase ours at our natural food co-op- The Good Earth . To feed two people, flake to get a scant cup. Boil 2 cups of water, stir in the flaked oats, bring to a boil. Watch carefully so it doesn’t boil over. When it boils, turn the heat down to where it’s barely boiling and cover. Stir after a few minutes and cover, let cook for 10 minutes. Shut off the heat and leave for 5 minutes. That’s it! We never use processed sugar anymore on our oatmeal. This works awesome! -mash ½ ripe banana in the bottom of your cereal ...

Spelled "Quinoa". This little gem of a whole grain can be used at breakfast, or as a side dish for any meal. Quinoa has ancient origins, dating back over 5000 years to the Incas in Bolivia. It's a great choice for breakfast: My wife Bev likes to rinse and massage the quinoa in a fine mesh colander before cooking. She's read this gives it a nicer flavor. For 2-3 people use 1 cup uncooked quinoa (approximate). Combine 1 cup water to each 1/2 cup quinoa in a pan. Bring to a full boil uncovered for 5 minutes, then cover and set aside for 15 minutes. We put a thick towel over ours to hold in the heat. That's it! We add a natural, healthy sweetener. A favorite is to add a small handful of cut up, pitted deglet noor dates or barhis or medjools (or any kind of dates, raisins or cut up dried fruit) with the water at the beginning of the cooking process. Good moist, sweet dates are so wonderful!! Nature's caramels!! Or mash 1/2 banana in your bowl, then stir in the coo...