Food for thought

OAKLAND, Calif. DR. PRESTON MARING was striding along a hospital corridor at double speed on a recent Friday morning, his tall frame, white hair and frequent gesticulations prompting waves of greetings from colleagues, who also took care to sidestep his forward momentum. His destination was the weekly farmers’ market he started in 2003, just outside the front door at the Kaiser Permanente medical center here. “Since it’s mine, I made the rules — all organic,” he said as he skimmed by a line of stalls where fresh fruits and vegetables are sold to hospital workers, passers-by and even, he said, those bringing patients to the emergency room. Dr. Maring, 64, a gynecologist and obstetrician with three decades as a surgeon, is well known as a former physician in chief at the hospital, the man who spearheaded the creation of its new pediatric neurosurgery unit. But increasingly, his reputation and perpetual motion revolve around his conviction that in the health professions, the kitchen must ...

This is a very short, worthwhile video. Who'd a thunk it! Please go to: http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/09/21/intv.clinton.blitzer.weight.loss.cnn (First you have to wait for a short CNN commercial.) It's pretty amazing to hear the words coming out of Mr. Clinton's mouth! It's a shame people don't see the light until AFTER they get sick. It's what happened to me, so I can identify. Those of us who have been turned on to a healthy lifestyle must continue to spread the word, and be a good influence.

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 BY DEANA FERRERI, PH.D. The idea that cow’s milk is an essential component of the diet for young children is one of the biggest nutritional myths. Decades of marketing by the dairy industry has convinced most parents in the U.S. that milk and cheese are indispensible for childhood health, but this is simply not true. Cow’s milk was designed by nature to be the perfect food for baby cows – not for human children. There is a strong correlation between early exposure to cow’s milk and type 1 diabetes in children.2-8 Early (12 months of age) dairy consumption is also associated with excess body fat in children.9 Milk consumption in teenagers is associated with acne.10-12 Childhood diets rich in dairy products are associated with cancer in adulthood.13 Additional conditions associated with cow’s milk consumption include allergies, Crohn’s disease, ear infections, heart attack, multiple sclerosis, and prostate cancer.14 These are serious concerns, especially when ...