We can feed the world with sustainable farming

This is the week of awesome videos found on Youtube (I just posted two others).

My friend, Katrina, just posted this video featuring Anna Blythe Lappe (daughter of Frances Moore Lappé) and it is very much worth watching!  Titled "3 Lies About Food You're Used to Hearing and May Even Believe," it discusses the differences between industrial farming and sustainable farming and provides evidence that the later is cheaper, healthier, and more environmentally friendly way to feed the world.  Well said, Anna!

How do I lower my cholesterol?

I gave a lecture at Mustard Seed Market last week and the topic of cholesterol came up while I was talking about the many benefits of fiber.

[Tangent #1] Fiber, as you probably know, is amazing!  In addition to helping you feel full and slowing absorption of sugars (glucose) into the bloodstream, fiber can bind to dietary cholesterol and prevent excess cholesterol from being absorbed from the small intestine into the bloodstream, which can help lower overall cholesterol.

Apparently, I was not comprehensive enough.  A woman came up to me after the lecture and told me that "cholesterol is necessary" and I should do more research. Haha!  The topic of the lecture was "Get the Skinny on Healthy Weight Management and More!"  The goal was to inspire people to eat more vegetables and fruits, which are loaded with fiber and phytonurients to slow digestion and nourish the body, respectively.  Lipids (commonly called fats) are a different topic entirely and, to do them justice, would have require many more minutes of lecture and discussion.

Instead of haranguing you about it here, I recommend you watch this wonderful video produced by Dr. Mark Hyman, MD, who mirrors my thoughts on the best way to measure cholesterol (i.e. VAP Cholesterol Profile), Statin drugs, and how to achieve healthy cholesterol by changing your diet and lifestyle - all in about 7 minutes!

6 Steps to Healthy Cholesterol, Or Why You Should Stop Your Statins Now

Why Sugar Makes Us Feel Good

I just read a great article from NPR called Why Sugar Makes Us Feel Good.  It is very well done and I recommend you read it or at least watch the short TED-Ed video.  Below are my thoughts, as inspired by the article.

Sugar once in a while is OK, but eating sugar in large quantities, every day turns the innocuous substance into an addictive drug.  We used to eat 2 lbs of sugar each year, now we consume 153! (from dhhs.nh.gov)  Many of my clients have sugar addiction and cravings.  I seems that the more you eat, the more you want to eat.  To help them kick the habit, I recommend they start cutting back little bit by little bit by substituting nutrient-dense foods for the sugary snacks.  It is also important to remember that the hardest time to say NO to a craving is the first time.  With each subsequent time you say NO, the cravings get less intense and, eventually, go away.  At least that is how it worked for me.

I used to be addicted to sugar.  At my undergraduate school, we could eat our fill in the all-you-can-eat cafeteria, but I would sneak cookies out the door with me to eat later.  Study break sweets?  I gobbled them up.  Any time candy, cookies, or cakes were offered, I could not resist them.

Today, those same sugary treats no longer hold any power over me.  I can easily say "no thanks" when offered a doughnut or slice of cheesecake.  As I changed my diet, my taste preferences changed, too.  I no longer crave the foods I once did.  Part of the reason is because I know they are "bad" for me and part of the reason is because they don't taste the same as they used to.

I used to make chocolate chip cookies and down six of them right out of the oven.  Now, when I make chocolate chip cookies, they taste like sugary flour (i.e. have no complex/savory flavors) and eating one makes me feel slightly ill.

I wish I knew exactly what changed (my body, my mind, my stress level?) to make it easier for me to say no; I wish I could share in more detail.  All I know for sure is that it gets easier, you just have to start saying NO to sugar, start saying YES to fresh vegetables, fruits and other nutrient-dense foods, and never give up.

Fruit, like pomegranate, makes a great dessert!