• Archives

  • Aug19

    When Omega-3s? After Bypass, During Fatty Liver, Before Eye Disease

    Posted in: Aging and Costs of Aging, High Cholesterol, Uncategorized, Wellness and Health

    Omega-3 fatty acids are powerful: with vitamin D, they’re something that almost everyone needs to supplement, no matter how good your diet.

    Why?

    Because people with heart disease who just had a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) had a 49% lower risk for dying 30 days after their CABG than those who didn’t take 882mg of EPA and DHA (in a 1:2 ratio) after their surgery.

    That means extra DHA, and pure DHA is hard to find. Look for Thorne DHA and Thorne Super EPA Pro: molecularly distilled, no contaminants, pure, concentrated and as above and below, powerful.  To read more or to purchase, click “My Account” in the top right; and then enter the access code HCP1028244 to create a “Personal Account”.

    Because kids with fatty liver disease (the most common liver disease in kids, and pretty soon, adults) had a 99% lower chance of severe fatty liver if they took 250 mg/day of DHA than those who did not…and improved insulin sensitivity.

    And because omega-3s, especially DHA, can protect your eyesight and prevent AMD, the leading cause of blindness in people over 55 by protecting the nerves in your eyes and reducing inflammation..

    DHA is responsible for most of the heart-healthy benefits of fish oil, and gets transformed into EPA if you are short of EPA. Check with your doc before taking extra EPA: it can interact with other drugs.

     

  • Dec21

    Treating Overweight Kids…With What?

    Posted in: Child Obesity, High Cholesterol, Obesity and Weight Loss

    Dr Molly Ferguson is a naturopath in Michigan who is courageous enough to discuss treating childhood obesity.
    Video: Treating Childhood Obesity

    Putting kids on a diet has long been terrifying to physicians because we are frightened about creating eating disorders (the other way!)

    But there is good data to show that the suggestions she makes: “eating the rainbow”, “eating fewer processed foods”, and “avoiding chemical additives” can have beneficial effects on kids’ health: improving immunity, increasing energy level at school, reducing hyperactivity symptoms.

    Is there a good diet for overweight kids? If there were just one, all kids would be on it.

    Childhood obesity has leveled off in kids ages 2-5, because Moms are super concerned, and have more control over what there is to eat.   The next frontier: kids ages 6-11 or 12.

    I think teaching kids about food and the basics of how to cook would transform family lives: treat Mom’s diabetes, and Dad’s cholesterol and heart disease, and Sis’ asthma.

    Eating and cooking healthfully to lose weight has worked for adults enrolled in Chef Clinic, and in adults who make big lifestyle changes.

    Should overweight kids be on a diet? And if so, what would one look like?

     

  • 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.

     

  • Nov5

    4 Kids Recipes in 25 Minutes

    Posted in: Child Obesity, Food FAQ's, Recipes

    Last month I had the privilege of demo’ing 4 kids’ recipes in 25 minutes for the Foodbank of Santa Barbara in a fantastic local kitchen and home.

    But it turned out that the adults liked the recipes and the simple kitchen tips, and thought the recipes were for them!

    Which they were.

    I loved Chef Brenda Simon‘s preparation of my Juicy Jicama Sticks with Cilantro and Lime; my Warm Stuffed Dates (or online at ChefMD.com); my Roasted Winter Vegetables with Feta, adapted from my ChefMD YouTube video; and finally Baked Kale Chips with Reggiano Parmigiano (stunning and easy: the secret is to watch them carefully at 325, and avoid burned edges).

    The theme was “Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables“. No plagiarism disputes, or sneakiness, or deceptively delicious ideas here. Everything was simple, minimally processed, and devoured.

    Cooking demonstrations are fun: not just because everyone is in the kitchen, or no one things kids’ food can be fun and flavorful, or because easy recipes too often mean unhealthful.

    But instead because people laugh–everyone has been in a kitchen, it’s a warm and friendly setting, and you learn while you eat, drink and laugh.  What could be better?

     

  • Oct25

    Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables

    Posted in: Aging and Costs of Aging, Child Obesity, Obesity and Weight Loss, Recipes, Uncategorized, Wellness and Health

    Avoiding and treating child obesity is not the only reason to get kids to eat vegetables.

    It’s helping them start on a lifetime of flavorful eating.  Flavor is the missing ingredients in many good-for-you foods because too many adults lack the simple cooking, shopping and choosing skills to make vegetables taste good.

    That problem goes away if you buy local, by the way. The freshest vegetables usually need the least cooking.

    The usual place kids find flavor is junk and fast foods. And that warps their palates, and quite possibly, sets up an addiction cycle…if their brains work like adults’.

    Thursday I’m doing 4 easy kids recipes for the Foodbank: Sweet Crunchy Jicama Sticks, Parmesan Kale Chips, Warm Stuffed Dates and BBQ Tofu.  Total kitchen time: 30 minutes!

    The secret here is not disguising the veggies, or adding extra sugar/coatings/junk, but making them appealing on their own. Surprisingly, this isn’t popular as two other approaches:

    • Jessica Seinfeld’s Deceptively Delicious is about hiding the carrots in the meatloaf, and the zucchini in the bread.  That  makes the parent feel better, and does get vegetable into the kid. But a vegetable is not a pill, or a medicine.
    • Weelicious is about fun: great photos and spunk. Sugar and coatings are on zucchini and carrots. It’s easy peasy for the stressed parent of a baby or toddler who wants more health. Vegetable is usually a seasoning, instead of the main event.

    Is there a better way? We’ll find out, at the Foodbank of Santa Barbara and its reception and benefit this Thursday 10.28.10

     
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