Recent Comments:
Searching for not so much salt
That's Fit
Mar 28th 2008 6:01PM Hi Jacki,
You are correct in saying "no one said it was easy", but it' sure is worth the alternative ... getting ill. That's not easy either! Keep up your quest for good health and sharing it with us!
Cancer is bigger than October
That's Fit
Nov 1st 2007 4:49PM Speaking of colorectal cancer, have you seen the USA Today Article?
At a hotel this morning, I picked up a copy of USA Today and saw this front-page article: "Study Strongly Links Fat, Cancer."
I read it and thought ... Well, it's about time! For those of you who haven't read it yet, this article flat out says that a landmark study by the American Institute for Cancer Research & The World Cancer Research Fund shows that, "Every 1.7 ounces of processed meat consumed increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 21%"..."beef, pork, and lamb." It goes on to advise "limiting red meat to 18 ounces of cooked meat a week."
The article goes on to say that, "the report is drawing fire from the food industry." The National Pork Board & The National Cattleman's Beef Association is up in arms about the report. "Mary Young of the National Cattleman's Beef Association says the group engaged scientists (their scientists?) to review the scientific literature on the topic, and they concluded there is no evidence red meat causes cancer."
So, my BIG questions again are these: Can our doctors now put this important nutritional "piece of the cancer puzzle" into their practices? Will the American Cancer Society focus on this, too? Can we keep this information in the media's focus so that it becomes real to people?
I'm certain we'll be seeing articles by scientists and journalists who work for these powerful food industries, trying to discredit this important research, or confuse the general public with articles saying the opposite. I hope not, but I've seen it all too often. This information needs to be out there so that people can make the necessary dietary changes to help with cancer prevention and recovery. Everyone needs this important and life-saving information!
When kids choose a vegetarian diet
That's Fit
Oct 26th 2007 5:10PM Eating a Vegetarian or Vegan diet doesn't have to be all soy products ( it can be none, or only a small part)...there are many other beans besides soy: aduki, kidney, chickpeas, lentils, the list goes on...soy is only one bean or bean product. And people forget to mention the whole grains & vegetables are very healthy. For any young person embarking on this journey, and their parents or doctors, a good and easy resource is PCRM's (Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine's) Vegetarian Starter Kit: http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/
Sign me up for fruits and veggies
That's Fit
Oct 22nd 2007 1:19PM Good for you, I think this is wonderful you are doing this for your children. In my nephew's school "treats" or junk food brought in became such a problem that the school decided to ban it. We all know how it is after a large group of children consume sugary & artificially flavored non-nutritive foods...they all need Ritillin (just wait for the day after Halloween). If we as parents don't support the health of our children, no one else will. As a matter of fact, companies selling this stuff market it all to them. We have to help our children, and ourselves from a future of unnecessary illness. It starts with us.
Responsibility a big part of disease prevention
That's Fit
Oct 21st 2007 9:17PM I think that you are onto something, Jacki. Dr. T.Colin Campbell, Ph.D., along with his son Tom, is author of bestseller The China Study: Startling Implications for Diet, weight Loss and Long Term Health. Dr. Campbell is currently Jacob Gould Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University. His principal scientific interest is the study of the health benefits derived from eating a plant-based diet.
In his book Dr. Campbell states, "there are at least four important breast cancer risk factors that are affected by nutrition. Many of these relationships were confirmed in the China Study after being well established in other research.
Risk of breast cancer increases with 1) early age of menarche(first menstruation), 2) late age of menopause, 3) high levels of female hormones, 4) high blood cholesterol
A diet high in animal foods and refined carbohydrates: 1) lowers the age of menarche, 2) raises the age of menopause, 3) increases female hormone levels, 4)increases blood cholesterol levels.
With the exception of blood cholesterol, these risk factors are variations on the same theme: exposure to excess amounts of female hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, leads to an increase risk in breast cancer. Women who consume a diet rich in animal-based foods, reach puberty earlier and menopause later, thus extending their reproductive lives. They also have higher levels of female hormones throughout their lifespan.
According to our China Study data, lifetime exposure to estrogen is at least 2.5-3.0 times higher among Western women when compared with rural Chinese women. This is a huge difference for such a critically important hormone. To use the words of one of the leading breast cancer research groups in the world, "there is overwhelming evidence that estrogen levels are a critical determinant of breast cancer risk". Estrogen directly participates in the cancer process. It also tends to indicate the presence of other female hormones that play a role in breast cancer risk. Increased levels of estrogen and related hormones are the result of the consumption of typical Western diets, high in fat and animal protein and low in fiber.
The difference in estrogen levels between rural Chinese women and Western women is all the more remarkable because a previous report found that a mere 17% decrease in estrogen levels could account for a huge difference in breast cancer rates when comparing different countries. Imagine, then, what 26%-63% lower blood estrogen levels and eight to nine fewer reproductive years of blood estrogen exposure could mean, as we found in the China Study.
The idea that breast cancer is centered on estrogen exposure is profound because diet plays a major role in establishing estrogen exposure. This suggests that the risk of breast cancer is preventable if we eat foods that will keep estrogen levels under control. The sad truth is that most women are simply not aware of this evidence. If this information were properly reported by responsible and credible public health agencies, I suspect that many young women might be taking very real, very effective steps to avoid this awful disease."
I wonder why my doctors and the American Cancer Society does not have this information at the top of their list of important things to do alongside the "have your yearly mammogram"? Have they not read this important scientific information? How long will it take before they do? And then integrate it into their practices, if ever. I often wonder. I'm glad that I did not wait to make these dietary changes in my life or I would not be here today. Yes, we have to find the answers ourselves. It pays off big time to be pro-active and to look beyond the status quo. Dietary practices are the biggest missing piece in the treatment of the breast cancer.
http://www.megwolff.com
Bad carbohydrates not so bad
That's Fit
Oct 14th 2007 6:04PM I read the doctor's article and I think that high COMPLEX carbs are fine, but there IS a big difference between simple and complex carbohydrates. Complex carbs like brown rice, millet, barley are more nutritious than white bread, bagels, pretzels (simple carbs). To tell people to go ahead and eat the "carbs" without differentiating between the two is not going to help anyone. I hope his book makes a better explaination that this article.
Kids need more milk, experts say
That's Fit
Oct 10th 2007 1:53PM I would not say that Dr. Campbell is anti-milk as this connotes a bias, as someone that works for the meat or dairy industries might be. He is a scientist who has been doing research...and in the beginning of his career was hoping to find evidence supporting a diet based around meat and dairy as they were once thought to be the best for health. His MANY years of government funded research showed exactly the opposite.
In the, China Study, Dr. Campbell says,
"So, what is my prescription for good health? In short, it is about the multiple health benefits of consuming plant-based foods, and the largely unappreciated health dangers of consuming animal-based foods, including all types of meat, dairy and eggs. I did not begin with preconceived ideas, philosophical or otherwise, to prove the worthiness of plant-based diets. I started at the opposite end of the spectrum: as a meat-loving dairy farmer in my personal life and an 'establishment' scientist in my professional life. I even used to lament the views of vegetarians as I taught nutritional biochemistry to pre-med students.
My only interest now is to explain the scientific basis for my views in the clearest way possible. Changing dietary practices will only occur and be maintained when people believe the evidence and experience the benefits. People decide what to eat for a number of reasons health considerations being only one. My task is only to present the scientific evidence in a form that can be understood. The rest is up to you.
The scientific basis for my views is largely empirical, obtained through observation and measurement. It is not illusory, hypothetical or anecdotal; it is from legitimate research findings."
To read more about Dr. Campbell and his work:
http://www.thechinastudy.com/authors.html
Snack Time: How about a fruit salad?
That's Fit
Oct 10th 2007 12:11PM Great post...a good place to start. You are a good example. Thanks!
Kids need more milk, experts say
That's Fit
Oct 9th 2007 5:52PM If you really are interested in the facts on milk, not just on breast cancer, but it's implications on diabetes and MS, read the National Bestseller, The China Study, by Dr. T. Colin Campbell. Dr. Campbell is a Professor of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University who has published his research in peer reviewed journals over the course of three decades and is at the top in his field. He promotes a plant-based diet because of what his 40 years of government funded research shows.
http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html
Women and children are the people who most of the milk adds are marketed to.
