• Jan24

    Obama on Eating Vegan For Health and Costs

    Posted in: Aging and Costs of Aging, Common Conditions, Environmental Health, Recipes, Wellness and Health

    Although I’m not vegan or vegetarian, I think the evidence is mounting that avoiding animal foods, even once a week, is good for you.

    And a lot of interesting, powerful people are giving it a try. A BusinessWeek piece on “The Power Vegans” has attracted 458 comments, at this writing.

    Bill Clinton famously has declared eating vegan as the way he lost 20+ pounds for Chelsea’s wedding, after a lifetime of eating “the wrong foods”

    I think that putting plants in the middle of the plate is something people have to be sold.

    Not unlike parents are sold sugary cereals for kids, or adults are sold dresses that are two sizes too small but might fit next month.  And fast food! Fast food marketers completely understand their audiences.

    The U.S. is still waiting for marketing breakthroughs for good-for-you-food.  I’m confident they’re coming.  And that people will buy when they perceive it as good value and in their self-interest. As it is.

    Here’s one of my favorite vegan recipes: Two Bean Chili with Avocado and Salsa

    About 2.5 years ago, Senator Obama answered this high schooler’s smart question about a vegan diet for personal health, global health and cost savings. His answer is as powerful today as then. Are you considering a Meatless Monday?

     
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  • Dec6

    Nonstick Cookware, PFOA and Your Cholesterol

    Posted in: Environmental Health, High Cholesterol, Wellness and Health

    With the fear of fat that still dominates Americans’ nutritional interest came the widespread use of nonstick cookware, including panini makers, countertop grills and saute pans.

    But a recent Archives of Pediatrics cholesterol report analyzing over 12000 children finds that those with highest levels of PFOA and PFOS–chemicals used in nonstick cookware creation–also have, by far, the highest cholesterol levels.

    In 2006, the EPA asked companies including Dupont, which produces Teflon, to stop using PFOA by 2015, and they agreed.

    The EWG showed that nonstick “could reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit in as little as 3-5 minutes.” And high heat–even at pan temps of 464 degrees Fahrenheit– produces toxic gases from nonstick coatings, killing pet birds (really!).

    The same PFOA causes cancer in animals.

    Cholesterol is one of the best studied markers for heart disease, and in the U.S., statins are often prescribed.

    But well-done nutritional and exercise programs have lowered cholesterol without statins, and have been reported in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.

    Too much LDL cholesterol and too little HDL cholesterol is a recipe for heart disease, stroke, erectile dysfunction and early memory loss, and possibly prostate cancer.

    There are good nonstick cookware sets available, by Cuisinart and others, without PFOA. And every parent (and grandparent) now has another reason to cook with safe cookware.

     
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  • Nov3

    Stress Reduction and Corporate Wellness

    Posted in: Aging and Costs of Aging, Environmental Health, Hypertension, Wellness and Health

    I am getting more calls about managing stress among employees. Thoughts impact physiology in about 1/18th second, so it’s worth preparing for them.

    What many companies, now asking employees to do with more with less, don’t know is that stress can be measured, reduced and managed.  And that their health care costs will go down, and their productivity rates will likely go up.

    Chronic stress interferes with memory, concentration, judgments and decisionmaking.  It is the most common cause of absenteeism and a prime cause of job turnover. It’s probably the most important benefit of corporate wellness.

    And it boosts health costs.  A lot.  But HeartMath has found $1200 per employee per year in correctional officers’ annual cost savings with simple training programs over time.

    Stress is a complex emotional and physiological reaction.  It is a natural feeling, one that involves hundreds of biochemical changes which are fatiguing.

    Stress can be controlled with practiced actions

    • Communicate clearly (does not mean shouting)
    • Diminish the drama (helps reduce biochemical impact)
    • Practice a positive emotion on purpose: appreciation, care, compassion or gratitude (verbalize or write these, every day)

    This looks pretty simple. And it is.

    But like eating healthfully, people know what they should do, but don’t usually have the tools or skills to do it.  That’s why teaching tools are essential.

    For example, rhythmic breathing can be relaxing.  But it doesn’t neutralize stress over the long term  What does is actively adding a positive feeling like those above.

    I’m going to be teaching on-the-job ways to manage stress around the country next year, and I can’t wait. Because effectively managing stress can:
    1. Increase resilience  – ability to prepare for, and recoup from challenge
    2. Improve blood pressure, depression, asthma
    3. Reduce fatigue, burnout, hostility, anxiety, distress and anger.
    4. Increase brain clarity, focus, attention span, accuracy and learning ability
    5. Improve decision‐making, (reduction of decision fatigue)
    6. Improve communication skills
    7. Improve work/life balance

    This means lower health care costs, better presenteeism (defined as the level of performance on the job), less abseenteeism and improved employee satisfaction.

    Learning the tools–in even a single hour, and even better, a single day–may be the ticket to less tired, less worried, less annoyed, less anxious employees.

     
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  • Oct13

    What to Ask Your Doctor About Nutrition

    Posted in: Common Conditions, Environmental Health, Uncategorized, Wellness and Health

    I was interviewed last week by Oxygen Magazine about the New York Times coverage of nutrition in medical school (or rather, the declining hours given in U.S. medical schools to the subject: full scientific article here.)
    The questions were very good, and so I thought I’d offer my answers to you too.

    1. How important is food in preventing disease?

    Food is the most powerful clinical intervention against chronic disease doctors have.  We should be able to write recipes on prescription slips, just like prescription medication.  And every doctor should know how.

    2. Should people ask their doctor how they feel about nutrition? If so, what kind of question(s) should they ask?

    a. What should I eat for my (specific condition)? {By specific, I mean fill-in-the-blank: high blood pressure, diabetes, gout, arthritis, depression, optimal health}
    b. Where can I learn about what to eat for my (specific condition)?
    c. Where can I find easy, healthy recipes for my general health by someone you trust?

    and more generally

    d. Do you think nutrition and what I eat are important for my (specific condition)?

    If you get a “No” or “I doubt it” to question d, ask “Why”? There might be a good reason. But if there isn’t, consider looking for a doctor who says “Yes, I do.”

     
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  • Oct5

    Stress Reduction: Bottom Line Impact

    Posted in: Aging and Costs of Aging, Environmental Health, Hypertension, Uncategorized, Wellness and Health

    Chronic stress affects productivity and the bottom line.  It also increases and worsens heart disease, stroke, impotence, hypertension, back problems and depression. Obesity and flu go up too.

    Stress can kill…or at least injure.  It causes rigidity and diminishes the ability to help others.

    Working well under acute, short-term pressure is one thing, and can be entirely helpful and healthy.

    Working well under constant, unremitting, long term stress is another thing altogether. It means higher cortisol levels, a constant-fight-or-flight-response, and burn-out. Not healthy.

    The most powerful and easiest interventions workers can learn are small, focused interventions to minimize stress and balance work and family.

    This leads to lower employee turnover and improved productivity…just what I teach in seminars.

    Consider these facts from the Business Group on Health: 

    • “Each year, an estimated 39 million work days are lost to obesity-related illnesses.4

    • Influenza-attributable illness for adults aged 18 to 64 years accounts for $5.6 billion in lost productivity resulting from 17 million missed workdays.2

    • Depression is estimated to cause 200 million lost workdays each year at a cost to employers of $17 to $44 billion.5

    • Hypertension complications are a major cause of preventable absenteeism, reduced productivity and disability, making it one of the most expensive health conditions for employers.6″

    The answers to these conditions is not more work, more medication, more hunkering down or “company fun days.”

    Instead, it’s breathing techniques to stop the stress barrage. It’s teaching resilience. It’s permitting more control over time, and giving people time away to recharge…for their sake, for the company’s sake, and for the work’s sake.

     
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