The Leading Cause of Death in America is...THE AMERICAN DIET!

 

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

 Why are whole plant foods so good for us? Much of the benefit may be mediated by our gut microbiome and the only factor that has been empirically shown to be important is a diet with prebiotics like fiber and resistant starch, only found in one place in abundance: whole plant foods. Intake of dietary fiber is tragically low in our country because of the Standard American Diet.  Such a low-fiber diet provides insufficient food for our gut microbes, starving us of all the wonderful things they produce for us, and a key driver of our microbiome depletion which is causing the rampant increase of chronic diseases that now plague us.  It's Meatless Monday and only plants have fiber, and all plants have fiber – go get 'em!

 We evolved getting perhaps a hundred grams of fiber a day.  How do you get even close to that? A cup of fruit may only have about three grams, and a cup of vegetables, five grams. Why so little? Because fruits and vegetables are 80 to 90 percent water. So, we go to the "drier" plant foods to really scale it up––like beans, at 15 grams, or intact grains like barley, over 30 grams per cup. But many people are avoiding common grains like wheat barley and rye due to gluten. If you have a condition like celiac disease, then you absolutely must avoid gluten, but if not, the downsides of zero gluten include the potential for nutritional deficiencies, but there are also toxic compounds - the accumulation of heavy metals in people on gluten-free diets. Those following a gluten-free diet had significantly increased blood mercury levels and more arsenic flowing through their systems, likely due to increased rice consumption, because rice is a major ingredient in gluten-free foods.  The conclusion is, unless you have celiac disease, following a gluten-free diet starves your microbiome, so whatever diet you choose for whatever reason, make sure you’re getting enough fiber. 

What we learned from the tobacco experience, is how powerfully profits can motivate, “even at the cost of millions of lives and unspeakable suffering.” Tobacco is one of our great public health victories. The share of adults who smoke declined from 42 percent in 1965 down to just 15 percent by 2016.   Thanks to the decline, cigarettes now only kill about a half million Americans every­­ year, whereas our diet now kills tens of thousands more. Currently, the leading cause of death in America is the American diet.  It may be no coincidence that three of the most cost-effective policy interventions against obesity seem to be taken straight from the tobacco wars: (1) taxes on unhealthy products; (2) front-of-pack labeling; and (3) a restriction of advertising to children. A penny-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages could bring in more than a billion dollars a year in states like Texas and California.  Stay tuned to learn more on this tomorrow and have a wonderful Wednesday everyone! 

A 10 percent tax on fattening foods on a national level could yield half a trillion dollars over 10 years.  A systematic review of the available evidence suggests that dietary financial incentives and disincentives work. The cheaper you make fruits and vegetables; the more people say they’d buy. And the more you tax unhealthy foods, the lower consumption drops.  But wouldn’t such a tax disproportionately affect the poor? Yes, we would expect them to benefit the most! It’s like cigarette taxes.  South Africa’s largest private health insurer started offering up to 25 percent cash back on healthy food purchases to hundreds of thousands of households, up to the U.S. equivalent of $799 per month. Why would they give money away? Because it apparently works—increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables and whole grains, while at the same time decreasing the consumption of foods high in added sugar, salt, and fat, including processed meats and fast food.  Cool beans! 😊

 It's Fix-it Friday and here is some Buffalo Brussels that helps your heart and every part of you because of the power of cruciferous veggies!

 Ingredients:

1/4 Cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp hot sauce, like sriracha

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp water

20 brussels sprouts, halved.

 Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.  In a medium bowl, stir together the nutritional yeast, hot sauce, vinegar, and water.  Add the brussels sprouts to the bowl and stir until coated, then spread on the prepared pan.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

 From the Archives:

We all know that spinach and kale are good for us, and we also know that the more variety we have in our diets, the better it is for our gut, AND the more micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants we consume.  Every week when you do your shopping, add a different green.  Try arugula, for example – it’s packed with vitamin A and folate, and you can eat it raw or cooked.  Collard greens are known to reduce cholesterol and have cancer-fighting properties because they are rich in many vitamins and calcium.  Chard is so great that it’s almost two veggies in one!  And turnip greens are a calcium superhero!  Add a little of these great greens to your smoothies, cook with them, or toss them in salads to boost your nutrition on this marvelous Meatless Monday! 

Last week we talked a lot about stress – and much of it can be work-related, with high levels of burnout being reported.  The good news is that burnout can be turned around, which is good for us both mentally and physically.  The first step is to admit what’s going on – that we’re on a hamster wheel and in "survival mode".  Then we can ask ourselves: What can I change, avoid, amend, and accept about this? And make a list of the answers.  Also, what can you "reframe" by viewing it as a challenge, a learning opportunity, a way to help others, or as having a higher purpose?  It may be time for you to downshift, as the Blue Zone populations do, to live longer and live stronger.  Have a terrific Tuesday everyone! 

We spent some time yesterday talking about burnout and ways to assess our “pace and patterns” and better deal with them.  Here are some additional tips from experts.  First, find points of control – feeling helpless is common with burnout, but there is always something we have control over, and our body is a great starting point – sleep, exercise, and diet habits are all things we can control, and even little steps matter.  Second, enhance your attitude of gratitude.  High-performance athletes and firefighters have found gratitude to be significantly protective against burnout – pausing to savor uplifting moments is a powerful energy booster.  Lastly, take micro-breaks at work, and we’ll talk more about those tomorrow!  Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone! 

Yesterday we mentioned the importance of taking micro-breaks at work to help deal with burnout.  It turns out that these short, voluntary, and impromptu respites like stretching, doing puzzles, chatting with friends, or pausing for a great snack help us overcome fatigue and engage with our work better.  Let’s face it – some days we’re tired before we even get started – but studies show that these microbreaks helped already-fatigued employees maintain high energy levels, which helped them feel more in control and on top of things.  The breaks help us manage our energy resources throughout the day.  The more fun they are, the more we look forward to them and the more energizing they are.  So, plan some fun 5 or 10-minute activities for your day, and have a great one everyone! 

There’s new research that shows drinking coffee AND tea reduces our risk of dementia and strokes – yes by 28% and 32% respectively compared to those who drink neither.  Coffee and tea have overlapping nutrients and it appears that combined, they have a protective role for us.  Coffee is an acquired taste, and both are easy to “corrupt” nutritionally by adding milk, creamer, sugar, or sugar substitutes.  Ease into coffee consumption and if you already drink one or both, work on reducing the additives that increase calories, fat, and unhealthy chemicals.  Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

 

 

 

Plant-Based Athletes, Stress Management, and WE NEED CARBS!

 

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

 Consumer interest in going plant-based has surged over the last few years, and athletes are no exception. In the past, meat was seen as an irreplaceable performance-enhancing food, today the trend is developing in the opposite direction, thanks to documentaries like The Game Changers.  Several high-profile athletes, from heavyweight champion boxers to tennis players, fuel with plants. Athletes have increasingly been adopting plant-based diets––not only for the related health benefits but to improve performance. Increasing plant-based foods may boost artery dilation, and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties lead to improved blood flow, and reduced oxidative stress and inflammation.  This can in turn enhance endurance performance, reduce muscle damage, and speed up muscle recovery.  Athletes, kick it in high gear by making your meals plantification stations on this marvelous Meatless Monday!

Exercise itself can release free radicals that can lead to muscle fatigue, reduced athletic performance, and impaired recovery, but the antioxidants concentrated in plant foods can help extinguish them! The level of oxidative stress before and after running for a few hours shows it doubles, but if you eat a cup and a half of blueberries an hour before the run, you can significantly blunt the stress. 

Eating blueberries can improve exercise performance, whereas eating meat can make things worse. Shifting to a dietary pattern with more plants and less animal-sourced food has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve immune status. We also know there’s a performance-enhancing effect to nitrates, boosted by eating more nitrate-rich vegetables such as beets, spinach, and other greens.  Remember that the time is changing and get up earlier a bit every day to help your body adjust to having a terrific Tuesday everyone! 

Stress is one of the leading causes of chronic inflammation. Unlike most of the modern world, residents in the blue zones, where people live the longest and best, turn to traditional down-to-earth practices to recharge and renew energy.  And they live to be 100 by avoiding the leading killers of today: cancer and cardiovascular diseases.  They go outside to get 15 minutes of sunlight daily, garden, take naps, laugh a lot, drink plenty of water, and follow clean, whole-food diets.  They also take 10 minutes a day to pray, meditate or reflect.  They get together with friends to have fun, vent and lend support.  Their village of friends provides a safe space to help them through stressful times and when members of these groups need financial or emotional assistance, the others are readily available to support them.  People who don’t have close ties to a community have a much higher chance of dying than those who do!   Destress, unwind, and "find your people" to live longer and live stronger have a wonderful Wednesday everyone! 

If you look at overall plant-based diet scores, the more you increase your intake of any plant foods and decrease your intake of any animal foods, the lower your risk of death, but that’s because people were adding healthy plant foods like fruits and vegetables. If you just look at people who ate more processed, sugary junk over time, their mortality risk goes up, meaning increasing the intake of healthy plant foods and decreasing the intake of not just animal foods, but also animal crackers can lower the future risk of premature death. Reducing the intake of carbs, cutting down not just refined carbs and sugars but healthy high-carb foods like fruits and whole grains - is associated with increased overall mortality.   WE NEED CARBS more than anything – not the simple sugars but whole food plant-based complex carbs.  A plant slant does a body good! 

It's Fix-it Friday and air fryers can be a good way to eat healthier, so how about some Taquitos!

Ingredients:

1½ cups chopped fresh mushrooms.

1 cup finely chopped onion.

1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper.

1 clove garlic, minced.

1 15-ounce can of black beans, rinsed and drained.

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4½ teaspoons salt-free taco seasoning

2 cups riced cauliflower.

1 tablespoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon sea salt

10 5-inch corn tortillas

1¼ cups guacamole

 Instructions

Preheat the air fryer to 320°F for 8 minutes. For filling, in a saucepan cook mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in ¼ cup water over medium for about 10 minutes or until onion starts to turn translucent, stirring occasionally. Add water, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, as needed to prevent sticking. Stir in beans, tomato paste, and taco seasoning. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Stir in rice cauliflower, lemon juice, and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Warm tortillas according to package directions. Wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm. To assemble taquitos, lay a warm tortilla on a clean surface. Spoon tablespoons of filling horizontally across the middle of the tortilla. Starting from the edge closest to you, roll up the tortilla, tucking it under the filling and rolling tightly to make a thin roll. Place assembled taquito on a tray lined with an additional kitchen towel. Keep covered. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Transfer half of the taquitos, or as many as can fit, into the air fryer. Air-fry for 5 to 7 minutes or until tortillas are crisp and slightly browned around the edges. Serve warm with guacamole. 

From the Archives: 

The number of Americans who report being "significantly stressed" is at its all-time high... grief and loss related to the pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and inflation are the top reasons.  It is manifesting itself in anxiety, depression, and anger, according to a recent study.   We know that stress affects us at the cellular level, leading to digestive issues, heart problems, sleep disorders, and the emotional problems mentioned earlier.  And it's not just the stress that's unhealthy, it's many times how we respond to it, by overeating, over-drinking, over-working, over-spending...all of which lead to more health conditions and diseases. 

Nutrition is important in two ways: first, we don't absorb nutrients well when we're stressed so our immune systems are lowered.  Second, the good news is that nutrition can help us cope with stress.  Stay tuned to learn more all week and have a marvelous meatless Monday everyone!

We mentioned yesterday that stress is at an all-time high for us...and it's dangerous.  Stress is referred to as the silent killer, so we must take it seriously.  One physician reported that 85% of his patient visits are stress-related causes.  What can we do?  We'll cover 12 tips to help and the first one is to identify the causes.  Yes, we're stressed, and we don't stop to understand why.  Keep a daily stress journal to see what triggers it most, and when.  Over time you'll see patterns and ways to manage them.  Second, we must say "NO" when we are overbooked.  Our schedules are too full, and saying "no" is hard, but empowering and good for your health!  Third, eat and drink your water.  Yes, hydration helps us deal with stress better, and food, fruits, and vegetables namely are where a lot of it should come from. Power up your plantified plate for hydration and stress relief and have a terrific Tuesday everyone!  

We're sharing more today about stress management since a recent study showed we are more stressed than ever, and we know the effects can be deadly.  Here are 3 more tips:  Eat well - yes, in addition to eating hydrating foods mentioned yesterday, diets that are high in fiber and low in saturated fat can benefit our mental health. B Vitamins are key and found in fruits, greens, beans, and whole grains.  Second, go outside and get 15 minutes of outdoor time everyday and sunshine if possible.  Vitamin D decreases emotional distress, along with other great benefits.  Lastly, get together with friends to laugh, lend support, have fun, and yes, complain!  Pity parties and negativity are not good, but sometimes the best stress relief comes from sharing concerns with trusted friends.  Have a wonderful Wednesday and stay tuned for more!  

All week we're talking about stress being a leading cause of inflammation with direct links to major health issues AND we're at an all-time high when it comes to stress.  Here are some additional tips to reduce it.  Take 10 minutes each day to pray, meditate, or "downshift" in any way possible.  Also, gardening - whether it's flowers, fruits, or vegetables gives us movement AND stress relief, and yard work can do the same.   Lastly, and you'll love this one, take a NAP.  Naps can lower the risk of heart disease and gives your whole body a much-needed break.  More to come tomorrow on how to live longer, and stronger by lowering stress!  

This is our last segment on stress management and reduction because it's so high right now and wrecks our health.  3 more tips are first, make it a point to laugh hard daily and not take life too seriously.  Just pause and reset your seriousness meter several times a day - flip the page, get past it, and move on.  Also, call your grandparents, parents, siblings, children, and grandchildren.  Strong family ties keep us healthier and take our focus off what's stressing us.  Similarly, our last tip is to make friends with those older and younger than yourself.  It keeps us engaged outwardly, not focusing so much on what's happening inwardly, and we learn more from different generations.  Have a fantastic Friday and enjoy your wealth of health by reducing and coping better with stress!

 

 

What are A1C levels? Add LIFE to your YEARS, and YEARS to your life by Living on Purpose!

 

Holistic Habits by Cheryl A. Mothes, Ph.D. Natural Health Nutrition Counselor

Content is a daily radio script from my KHIS radio spot - tune in at 6:15 (CST) every morning to Justin and Meredith’s morning show on 89.9 FM.

 What is an A1C level? It is a measure of long-term blood sugar control over the last few months or so, but it’s biased toward more recent events.  Many people live on “hypercaloric diets”, meaning the Standard American Diet of eating too much...and the wrong things.  It leads to excess dangerous fat in our bodies - if your waist is more than half your height, it’s important to lose weight to reduce the visceral fat and decrease insulin resistance. Also, if you have excess abdominal fat, it can spill fat into your bloodstream, on top of eating it!  The best diet for healthy weight loss is a whole-food, plant-based diet.  Go to nutritionfacts.org or stop at our Fresh Healthy Cafe locations to pick up copies of guides that will show you how!  And have a marvelous Meatless Monday to kick it off! 

Richard Leider and Dave Shapiro have long traveled their paths together as friends, colleagues, and co-authors.  They published their first book titled, Repacking Your Bags: Lighten Your Load for the Good Life, when Richard was approaching age 50.  Then when Dave turned 50, they published,  Claiming Your Place at the Fire: Living the Second Half of Your Life on Purpose.  This illustrates that growth can continue to happen at any age. Living on purpose is so important, and it determines how we can continue to grow.  Sometimes our "health on the shelf" is the books we read, so check out these two to learn more, and remember to get up a little earlier every day for the next two weeks to ease into the time change!  Have a terrific Tuesday everyone! 

Living on purpose is a big part of our overall health.  But how can we find our purpose if it’s not clear to us now?  There are three simple steps that can help unlock it. Step 1 is to find out how you want to help and ask yourself, "What are my gifts? What do I love to do?" To unlock our purpose, figure out how you can best use the gifts you love to contribute to others.  Step 2 is to find out who you want to help.  Ask yourself, "What pain or injustice or unhappiness have I witnessed that I just can’t live with?" Or is there something that touches you so deeply that it keeps you up at night? Step 3 is to find out what energies you, have and what drains you. Think carefully about the way that you want to contribute to the greater good.  Ultimately, what gives us “aliveness” is truly living with purpose – acting in ways that boldly express it.  Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone! 

After only three weeks on a strictly plant-based diet composed mostly of whole grains, vegetables, and beans, participants in a huge study saw a 10 percent drop in blood pressure, a 35 percent drop in bad LDL cholesterol, and a 38 percent drop in fasting blood sugars!  Similarly, studies of people with diabetes on "macrobiotic diets" - a strictly plant-based diet of mostly whole grains and vegetables, legumes, seeds, and decaffeinated green tea, saw a nearly 40 percent drop in fasting blood sugars and almost a 27 percent drop in LDL cholesterol in just 21 days. The study subjects did lose weight and what’s more, that 40 percent drop in blood sugars was after cutting their insulin in half! Better results, on fewer drugs—that’s the power of a plantified plate! 

It's Fix-it Friday and Roasted Beet Hummus is on the menu, giving you one of those 3 servings of beans per day!

Ingredients:

2 medium beets

1 (16 oz.) can of chickpeas

¼ cup lemon juice

3 cloves garlic, minced.

3 tablespoons tahini

¼ cup olive oil

sea salt and pepper to taste.

 DIRECTIONS

Rub beets with a small amount of olive oil, wrap in foil, and roast at 375°F until very soft.

When cooled, slice beet and add to a food processor and blend to desired texture.

Add the remaining ingredients and blend to desired texture.

Serve with toasted Ezekiel Bread squares, on stalks of celery or Boston bibb lettuce.

 Here's more from last year:

 It's Marvelous Meatless Monday and a great day to hear new research about how much longer fruit and vegetable eaters live!  There have been many, MANY studies about longevity and there is one common denominator that comes through in all of them - eat more fruits and vegetables.  So just how much of a difference does it make?  If we consume 5 fruits and veggies a day, we live an extra 3 years AND not just more years, plant food eaters also have a 16% reduced risk of heart disease, 18% reduced risk of stroke, and a 15% overall risk of premature death.  Check out meatlessmonday.com to get great ideas for getting more of a plant slant to your day! 

 Yesterday we shared that those who eat fruit and vegetables live longer and better lives.  Here's more:  5 servings are good, but more is better.  Many times, we've talked about the number one key to a healthy gut is lots of different foods - that food diversity is critical to the foundation of our health...our gut microbiome.  Eating seven or more portions of fruit and veggies a day can lower our risk of premature death by a whopping 42%...and 10 portions a day increase their protective benefits even more.  Power up your plantified plate by thinking of easy ways to make it happen - more and different fruits in your fruit salad or smoothies, and load up soups, casseroles, and salads - count to 10 with different veggies.  All of this will crowd out more and more of the foods that are harmful to your health.  Have a terrific Tuesday everyone! 

Poor diet is among the greatest health and societal challenges of our time due to costs in soaring healthcare spending, budget challenges, Medicare, and Medicaid programs expense, and more.  Many of us don't realize how much nutritional issues lead to growing physical and mental disabilities.  In addition to its being so costly, it's really sad!  Another startling fact is that 71% of young Americans would not be able to join the military due to health reasons, and the leading cause is obesity.  As some are saying, our country is "hungry for good food".  The good news is that since 2018, congress has had a "Food is Medicine" working group that is dedicated to improving health and reducing diet-related costs.  Have a wonderful Wednesday and stay tuned for more! 

We mentioned yesterday that congress has been working for a few years to develop a comprehensive assessment of all federal policies related to food, chronic diseases, and healthcare costs.  They are looking across all federal agencies and programs, linking diet to chronic diseases, and seeing the missed opportunities to reduce risks and costs.  This is a big milestone in looking at our food policies.  There are also some states that are testing the effects of medically tailored meals on health outcomes to show reduced hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and overall healthcare spending.  These policy actions could help in shifting spending priorities in a healthful direction.  More to come and have a great day everyone! 

Congressional activities are occurring right now that represent an evolution toward addressing nutrition and diet-related diseases and of course healthcare costs.  Some nonprofit and private insurance programs are already encouraging doctors to prescribe not just medications, but subsidized purchases of yes, fruits and vegetables!  Progress can be made in our school nutrition, worksite wellness programs, subsidizing healthy foods, integrating nutrition into health care, and providing better nutrition for low-income families.  Encouraging families to eat healthier and better labeling on foods and limits on additives can make a difference.  Have a fantastic Friday and enjoy your wealth of health!