I just made this up with stuff I had around. I have a lot of stuff around. The family and I wolfed it down. Since I make enough for 6 people, feel free to half this or just use your own judgement on how much to make. The measurements for me are thrown together without measuring, so these are approximate.
Ingredients
2 packages of 5 grain or plain tempeh, broken up
1/2 cup more or less of Nori shredded in the food processor
1 teaspoon of Real Salt (Ancient Mineral Salt with naturally occurring iodine)
2 tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast (with the B12)
2 medium carrots chopped fine in the food processor
1 bunch of scallions/green onions cut with scissors in 1/4 inch lengths (total about 1 1/2 cups of scallions)
1 lime to make 4 wedges
3-4 tablespoons of rice vinegar
2-3 tablespoons (more or less) of Veganaise made with grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon of granulated garlic or fresh minced garlic. (1/8 of teaspoon = 1 tooth of fresh)
1-2 cucumbers sliced for the "crackers"
Instructions:
Cook the tempeh with a sprinkle of the salt and 2 tablespoons of rice vinegar on medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes. Mix the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining rice vinegar and salt, in a big bowl. If you want to limit salt, you can just sprinkle it on top of the salad that you eat. You can add a little water (1 or 2 tablespoons) to extended the Veganaise, or add a little more or less to your taste.
Serve with fresh cucumber slices to use as crackers. Squeeze the limes on top after you assemble your "crackers".
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Warm and Fuzzy Vegan
If you've been following this blog, you might have noted that I want to find a new label for myself instead of vegan. And here it is: light worker. It's new agey and corny, but it fits me.
Let's point out the obvious: I can't change the world, but I can change myself. I can't even change my husband. So the light I'm referring to is my inner light. Call it God or Self or Source or whatever. It can be defined by what it seeks: love, empathy, compassion, truth and mercy. We all might have different definitions of what those are. My light is readily palpable because I take the trouble to pay attention to it, rather than ignore it. It does not manifest as guilt, but often is mistaken as a "I should be this way". It's not exclusionary and judgemental of other people's perspectives. Everyone is doing the best that he or she can with the tools at his or her disposal.
One of the concepts I've been reading about lately on various blogs by hunters and meat eaters is that life requires death. Of course it does. If there is dark there has to be light. One can't exist, it can't even be defined, without the other. I'm aware that by not eating animals and their products I'm not saving the world at large and it's not without death and exploitation. Even typing this blog on my MacBook Pro required some heavy duty, nasty exploitation. I wish I could be omnipresent, or whatever it is to be everyone and everything, and just make all things my definition of what is compassionate, but I can't. I can only change my self to match up my actions with my inner heart of hearts the best I can without going nuts.
May everyone nurture their own light and have a happy 2011!
Right after I posted this, I got an email from my father in law which included this photo and text:
Let's point out the obvious: I can't change the world, but I can change myself. I can't even change my husband. So the light I'm referring to is my inner light. Call it God or Self or Source or whatever. It can be defined by what it seeks: love, empathy, compassion, truth and mercy. We all might have different definitions of what those are. My light is readily palpable because I take the trouble to pay attention to it, rather than ignore it. It does not manifest as guilt, but often is mistaken as a "I should be this way". It's not exclusionary and judgemental of other people's perspectives. Everyone is doing the best that he or she can with the tools at his or her disposal.
One of the concepts I've been reading about lately on various blogs by hunters and meat eaters is that life requires death. Of course it does. If there is dark there has to be light. One can't exist, it can't even be defined, without the other. I'm aware that by not eating animals and their products I'm not saving the world at large and it's not without death and exploitation. Even typing this blog on my MacBook Pro required some heavy duty, nasty exploitation. I wish I could be omnipresent, or whatever it is to be everyone and everything, and just make all things my definition of what is compassionate, but I can't. I can only change my self to match up my actions with my inner heart of hearts the best I can without going nuts.
May everyone nurture their own light and have a happy 2011!
Right after I posted this, I got an email from my father in law which included this photo and text:
Monday, December 27, 2010
Depressed people more prone to lowered cholesterol levels?
This BBC article in 1999 on the link between low cholesterol and depression and suicide is about a large study done by the Finnish. Their twist on it, which is that despite a similar diet by the study participants, those who reported that they felt depressed, had lower cholesterol levels. From what I understand, the lower serotonin levels in the depressed person is somehow linked to lower cholesterol levels in that person.
If this is the case, imagine if you are prone to depression, then you eat a low fat diet with no dietary form of cholesterol (a low fat vegan diet), your depression would likely get worse.
If you are lowering cholesterol because you are depressed and serotonin is low, then one could make the link that Vitamin D levels would be low, since cholesterol is the basic building block of vitamin D. This article on vitamin D and mental illness at the Vitamin D council site is interesting.
The American Journal of Psychiatry indicates that "Several studies suggest that a low cholesterol concentration is associated with a greater than normal risk of mortality from suicide."
If you are vegan and depressed, you could try adding a tablespoon or two of raw, cold processed coconut fat to your diet. I did and though I wasn't particularly depressed, I feel so much better. My hands and feet are warm now (they were cold since moving North), and I feel more awake and more energized.
If this is the case, imagine if you are prone to depression, then you eat a low fat diet with no dietary form of cholesterol (a low fat vegan diet), your depression would likely get worse.
If you are lowering cholesterol because you are depressed and serotonin is low, then one could make the link that Vitamin D levels would be low, since cholesterol is the basic building block of vitamin D. This article on vitamin D and mental illness at the Vitamin D council site is interesting.
The American Journal of Psychiatry indicates that "Several studies suggest that a low cholesterol concentration is associated with a greater than normal risk of mortality from suicide."
If you are vegan and depressed, you could try adding a tablespoon or two of raw, cold processed coconut fat to your diet. I did and though I wasn't particularly depressed, I feel so much better. My hands and feet are warm now (they were cold since moving North), and I feel more awake and more energized.
Monday, December 20, 2010
How much fat is in the brain?
There's a truncated debate on how much fat is in the brain over at the comments on the JackNorrisRD.com site. It started when I got a figure of 2/3 at the Franklin Institute's site.
This other person by the name of "Name" said that it's more like 1% according to a sheet of information he or she had and then she/he produced more information. This debate of sorts, went on longer than Jack's mostly infinite patience (I mean that) allowed. I was also sloppy with my writing and a little defensive, such as life.
Many sources indicate 60-80% fat. I think the problem is the term itself "fat" and the term "myelin" which is a type of fat.
Whether it's 1% fat (which seems strange due to the "miles of myelin" quote from the neurologist) or 60%-80%, all I know is that when I added raw, organic, cold processed coconut oil to my vegan diet, I felt so much better and I continue to notice an improvement in my energy levels. I also added a good 3/6/9 oil.
Did you read about the effects of coconut oil on that man with dementia I posted last week? It's quite a story. He was too out of it to have a placebo effect. Mentioning a placebo effect here reminds me of an NBC news story about glucosamine/chondroitin supplementation that I saw at least 15 years ago. One part of the story was of a woman with arthritis and she noticed a significant improvement in her neck, where the major issues were. The other part was about a dog who also perked up and showed reduced inflammation, noted by his (the dog's) veterinarian. Then they brought in a guy who said it was a placebo effect. Which confirmed what I had always suspected: dogs can read and understand the English language. You might want to send your dog from the room when you're discussing a touchy subject.
Here's some more information on myelin:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/33614.php
http://www.physorg.com/news143470424.html
http://www.devdelay.org/newsletter/articles/html/84-fat-movement-in-mouth.html
Some image mapping of the brain's myelin:
http://brainmaps.org/index.php?action=viewslides&datid=98
No offense, but you have a fat head! About two-thirds of your brain is composed of fats. But not just any kind.
Franklin Institute
This other person by the name of "Name" said that it's more like 1% according to a sheet of information he or she had and then she/he produced more information. This debate of sorts, went on longer than Jack's mostly infinite patience (I mean that) allowed. I was also sloppy with my writing and a little defensive, such as life.
Many sources indicate 60-80% fat. I think the problem is the term itself "fat" and the term "myelin" which is a type of fat.
Most nerve fibers inside and outside the brain are wrapped with many layers of tissue composed of a fat (lipoprotein) called myelin. These layers form the myelin sheath. Much like the insulation around an electrical wire, the myelin sheath enables electrical impulses to be conducted along the nerve fiber with speed and accuracy. When the myelin sheath is damaged, nerves do not conduct electrical impulses normally. Sometimes the nerve fibers are also damaged.
In adults, the myelin sheath can be destroyed by stroke, inflammation, immune disorders, metabolic disorders, and nutritional deficiencies (such as a lack of vitamin B12).
Merck Manuals
"The brain is the fattest organ of the body. Almost two-third of the weight of the human brain is accounted by phospholipids. DHA is the predominant structural fatty acid in the brain..." Medind.nic.in
We are fortunate to have such a complex system in our own body. Weighing two to four pounds, comprised of nearly 60 percent fat and demanding 25 percent of the blood and nutrients from each heart beat, our brain needs and demands special attention. It is now believed that our brains can be shaped for health, that a brain health lifestyle can be incorporated into our own lives, and that a proactive and lifelong brain health lifestyle can help to delay the onset of neurodegenerative diseases.
Paul D. Nussbaum, Ph.D.
Brain Research Institute UCLA:
So argues a UCLA neurologist, who says that the brain's "miles of myelin are a key evolutionary change that may make us vulnerable to highly prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders."
The brain's myelin sheath is the sheet of fat that coats a neuron's axon -- a long fiber that conducts the neuron's electrical impulses -- and is similar to the wrapping around an electrical wire to foster efficient signaling.
Whether it's 1% fat (which seems strange due to the "miles of myelin" quote from the neurologist) or 60%-80%, all I know is that when I added raw, organic, cold processed coconut oil to my vegan diet, I felt so much better and I continue to notice an improvement in my energy levels. I also added a good 3/6/9 oil.
Did you read about the effects of coconut oil on that man with dementia I posted last week? It's quite a story. He was too out of it to have a placebo effect. Mentioning a placebo effect here reminds me of an NBC news story about glucosamine/chondroitin supplementation that I saw at least 15 years ago. One part of the story was of a woman with arthritis and she noticed a significant improvement in her neck, where the major issues were. The other part was about a dog who also perked up and showed reduced inflammation, noted by his (the dog's) veterinarian. Then they brought in a guy who said it was a placebo effect. Which confirmed what I had always suspected: dogs can read and understand the English language. You might want to send your dog from the room when you're discussing a touchy subject.
Here's some more information on myelin:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/33614.php
http://www.physorg.com/news143470424.html
http://www.devdelay.org/newsletter/articles/html/84-fat-movement-in-mouth.html
Some image mapping of the brain's myelin:
http://brainmaps.org/index.php?action=viewslides&datid=98
Buckwheat Burgers (buckwheat is a fruit seed) Buckwheat Information
A quick copy and paste job:
Buckwheat is one of the best sources of high quality, easily digestible protein in the plant kingdom. It has over 90% of the value of non-fat milk solids and over 80% of whole egg solids (Udesky 1992). The balanced amino acid profile and a high level of essential amino acids allow buckwheat to be used in human diets, especially where shortages of lysine and sulfur containing amino acids appear. Source
While many people think that buckwheat is a cereal grain, it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel making it a suitable substitute for grains for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens. Buckwheat flowers are very fragrant and are attractive to bees that use them to produce a special, strongly flavored, dark honey. Source
According to the Nutritional Data site there's 19 g of protein in a cup of kasha (buckwheat) with an amino acid score of 99%. I think a cup is a lot, since it's nearly 600 calories, so 1/2 cup is more like it (9.5 g of protein). In 1/2 cup there's about 53 net carbs. Pre workout food!
If you use half buckwheat flour with your wheat flour, the buckwheat's amino acids will round out the limiting amino acids in your wheat nicely, giving you a nearly perfect balance of the 8 essential amino acids. This particular balance between half wheat and half buckwheat flour is much more closely aligned to your dietary needs even than lean beef!!! It's also rich in many of the B vitamins as well as the minerals; phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese. In addition to this, it's a good oil source of Linoleic acid, one of the two essential fatty acids we must have to be healthy. Nutritionally speaking, buckwheat is a truly impressive food. Source.
Here's the recipe for buckwheat burgers, replace the eggs or flour (for binder) with 3 tablespoons of ground flax with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Replace the oil in this recipe with fresh olive oil or coconut oil.
Buckwheat Burger Recipe.
Buckwheat is one of the best sources of high quality, easily digestible protein in the plant kingdom. It has over 90% of the value of non-fat milk solids and over 80% of whole egg solids (Udesky 1992). The balanced amino acid profile and a high level of essential amino acids allow buckwheat to be used in human diets, especially where shortages of lysine and sulfur containing amino acids appear. Source
While many people think that buckwheat is a cereal grain, it is actually a fruit seed that is related to rhubarb and sorrel making it a suitable substitute for grains for people who are sensitive to wheat or other grains that contain protein glutens. Buckwheat flowers are very fragrant and are attractive to bees that use them to produce a special, strongly flavored, dark honey. Source
According to the Nutritional Data site there's 19 g of protein in a cup of kasha (buckwheat) with an amino acid score of 99%. I think a cup is a lot, since it's nearly 600 calories, so 1/2 cup is more like it (9.5 g of protein). In 1/2 cup there's about 53 net carbs. Pre workout food!
If you use half buckwheat flour with your wheat flour, the buckwheat's amino acids will round out the limiting amino acids in your wheat nicely, giving you a nearly perfect balance of the 8 essential amino acids. This particular balance between half wheat and half buckwheat flour is much more closely aligned to your dietary needs even than lean beef!!! It's also rich in many of the B vitamins as well as the minerals; phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and manganese. In addition to this, it's a good oil source of Linoleic acid, one of the two essential fatty acids we must have to be healthy. Nutritionally speaking, buckwheat is a truly impressive food. Source.
Here's the recipe for buckwheat burgers, replace the eggs or flour (for binder) with 3 tablespoons of ground flax with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Replace the oil in this recipe with fresh olive oil or coconut oil.
Buckwheat Burger Recipe.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Soy Free, Gluten Free Vegan Blog
Check out another Soy Free, Gluten Free Vegan Blog by Aura, one of the readers of this blog. Read her post on healthy fats. Once I start eating sweets again, I'm making her soy free, pumpkin pie!
I am now piled up with work and the holidays. Today the family saw Tron, it was okay. Not great, not bad.
Have a great time with your dear ones this holiday break.
I am now piled up with work and the holidays. Today the family saw Tron, it was okay. Not great, not bad.
Have a great time with your dear ones this holiday break.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
People who consume a diet low in fats and especially low in cholesterol are at risk for depression and suicide.
I've posted this link to the article at Psychology Today on low fat and cholesterol risks before, but I thought it would be good to post again for emphasis. After eating the coconut fat, my mood and energy improved and I thought I was fine before.
Why there won't be much, if any, research on this: Statins are big money, honey (or agave nectar).
In nonhuman primates, high cholesterol levels enhance serotonin function. They lower levels of overt aggression. And they promote social behavior.
In people and other animals, serotonin dysfunction is implicated in major depression and, independently, with suicide. Serotonin is seen as a neurotransmitter of restraint. It remains inactive until called upon to inhibit some impulsive command, such as, say, the thought of suicide in the face of some extra stress.
In healthy people, serotonin turns on to suppress impulses and keeps them in check. In those whose serotonin system is not responsive, for whatever reasons, it fails to suppress an impulse, resulting in an impulsive act. Like hostility or acting on a suicidal thought.
Low-fat diets are known to alter serotonin function. They might decrease the fats in nerve-cell membranes, impairing serotonin receptors.
Where does that leave you?
Why there won't be much, if any, research on this: Statins are big money, honey (or agave nectar).
Friday, December 17, 2010
Soy Free, Gluten Free, Vegan Blog and Met an Ex-Vegan from that Hippie Commune
Here's a link to a Soy Free, Gluten Free, Vegan Blog.
Today, I met a woman at the market who lived on "The Farm", that vegan hippie commune in Summertown, TN. She was there for 20 years. She was there when I was there, but I don't remember her. I can only remember the names of 4 people then and she knew them all. I was stoned most of the entire time I lived there. Each house was given a huge bag of pot, and my brother and his friend stole the house stash. Just the three of us would sit at the swimming hole and smoke so much pot. My memory of that time is very, very spotty. I remember the soy creamery, that was awesome!
I asked her a bunch of questions about her health and whether or not many people stayed vegan or vegetarian. She said that she felt like she was sick all the time, like the flu or cold, dragging until she started eating flesh food. She's friends with the farmers here in Sonoma County and gets her meat that way. She actually would be a vegetarian if she felt okay on it. Both her children are vegetarian, mostly, and they are healthy. She said her daughter will eat vegetarian and some fish once in a while, but when she's invited out or over to some one's home, she eats the meat they serve.
Most of the talk with me was about how evil TVP was, which I didn't know. Since I'm going low carb and also trying to lay off the grains and gluten (for the most part), TVP is on my radar again. I use it now and then and eat the non-gmo boca burgers. She was okay about tofu, but not TVP. At her urging I put back the boca burgers and got the Amy's soy free, gluten free, vegan burger. I ate two to get 10 g of protein (still not enough for me). I felt tired, like I needed a nap, right after. More carbs than I want.
She told me there are many ex-hippie commune residents in the Santa Rosa and Sonoma area. One of them is the brother of my friend I used to play dress up with. I remember him when he was 3 or 5 years old. I just looked up his profile at the hospital he has privileges at and he's a vegetarian. This woman said that some ex farm residents stayed with the vegetarian or vegan diet but others were not healthy on it. Before the anti-TVP information she said that her philosophy is not to give diet advice except to tell people to eat what makes them feel heathy, each person is different.
And that was an interesting day at the market.
Today, I met a woman at the market who lived on "The Farm", that vegan hippie commune in Summertown, TN. She was there for 20 years. She was there when I was there, but I don't remember her. I can only remember the names of 4 people then and she knew them all. I was stoned most of the entire time I lived there. Each house was given a huge bag of pot, and my brother and his friend stole the house stash. Just the three of us would sit at the swimming hole and smoke so much pot. My memory of that time is very, very spotty. I remember the soy creamery, that was awesome!
I asked her a bunch of questions about her health and whether or not many people stayed vegan or vegetarian. She said that she felt like she was sick all the time, like the flu or cold, dragging until she started eating flesh food. She's friends with the farmers here in Sonoma County and gets her meat that way. She actually would be a vegetarian if she felt okay on it. Both her children are vegetarian, mostly, and they are healthy. She said her daughter will eat vegetarian and some fish once in a while, but when she's invited out or over to some one's home, she eats the meat they serve.
Most of the talk with me was about how evil TVP was, which I didn't know. Since I'm going low carb and also trying to lay off the grains and gluten (for the most part), TVP is on my radar again. I use it now and then and eat the non-gmo boca burgers. She was okay about tofu, but not TVP. At her urging I put back the boca burgers and got the Amy's soy free, gluten free, vegan burger. I ate two to get 10 g of protein (still not enough for me). I felt tired, like I needed a nap, right after. More carbs than I want.
She told me there are many ex-hippie commune residents in the Santa Rosa and Sonoma area. One of them is the brother of my friend I used to play dress up with. I remember him when he was 3 or 5 years old. I just looked up his profile at the hospital he has privileges at and he's a vegetarian. This woman said that some ex farm residents stayed with the vegetarian or vegan diet but others were not healthy on it. Before the anti-TVP information she said that her philosophy is not to give diet advice except to tell people to eat what makes them feel heathy, each person is different.
And that was an interesting day at the market.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Black Power Bean Burger Recipe and Santa Rosa Observations
After all that reading, I gave lots of thought to removing grains and breads and have cut down significantly. I have limited my wheat gluten "meat" to only a few times a week. I also started adding 1-2 tablespoons or less of coconut oil per day 3-4 days back. In less than a week, 3 lbs gone! That includes walking an hour or so each day at 15 degree incline with a 10 lb. bag of cat litter in my backpack. It's the rainy season here, so I joined a gym on a month to month plan. After the coconut oil inclusion, I feel much more aware. I feel warmer too.
(Added later: I also eat something small every 3 hours. This is a small snack such as 10 almonds, or a spoon of peanut butter, one banana, apple, Vega smoothe with lots of ice and almond or coconut milk, or if it's the morning, I'll have an occasional Cliff Builder Bar.)
I'm half Asian and I lived in a tropical climate all my life, it's been very interesting coming up here and experiencing my health take a hit from the lack of Sun/Vitamin D and, perhaps, needing more fat for the colder climate I'm in. I moved to Santa Rosa, California, the home of one of the top Vegan Guru MDs (and a few others just like him) and saw the effects of this totally misguided one-diet-fits all approach and I got rather pissed off. My mother in law saw the most famous of those docs at a restaurant and said he looked pale and sick in person, this was well before I had a falling out with my precious diet. I didn't think much of it at the time. Now, I have other ideas, but he could have had a virus (from not enough D!). Hah!
Enough of that, here's a vegan recipe I made up recently. I also made a quinoa (quinoa is a seed or berry, a pseudo grain) noodle and nutritional yeast/tofu cream sauce, but I have to make it again since I neglected to write it down.
Black Power! Black Bean Burgers
2 cans of black beans, rinsed, soaked for 10 minutes, and rinsed again (I do this if I don't have the forethought to prepare dry beans)
1 small minced onion, sauteed in coconut oil or olive oil or water
3 tablespoons of ground flax (this is the binder, I used to use gluten or oatmeal here)
1/2 cup of chopped parsley (squeeze out excess water)
4-6 tablespoons red star or kals brand nutritional yeast (or another brand with B12)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1-2 teaspoons garlic granules or 1 clove minced per 1/8 teaspoon
1 teaspoon of natural mineral salt with naturally occurring iodine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped sunflower seeds, something crunchy
1-2 teaspoons of olive oil or coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons of water if the mix is too dry to form patties.
Makes: 8 burgers, usually.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Saute the onions. Drain the black beans and mash in the food processor, but don't make them into a paste. Combine all the ingredients well and form into patties. Brush each patty with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes per side (or less, depending on your preferences and your oven).
Serve with avocado, roasted red peppers, sliced onions, some garlicky vegan mayo and a mixed greens salad.
(Added later: I also eat something small every 3 hours. This is a small snack such as 10 almonds, or a spoon of peanut butter, one banana, apple, Vega smoothe with lots of ice and almond or coconut milk, or if it's the morning, I'll have an occasional Cliff Builder Bar.)
I'm half Asian and I lived in a tropical climate all my life, it's been very interesting coming up here and experiencing my health take a hit from the lack of Sun/Vitamin D and, perhaps, needing more fat for the colder climate I'm in. I moved to Santa Rosa, California, the home of one of the top Vegan Guru MDs (and a few others just like him) and saw the effects of this totally misguided one-diet-fits all approach and I got rather pissed off. My mother in law saw the most famous of those docs at a restaurant and said he looked pale and sick in person, this was well before I had a falling out with my precious diet. I didn't think much of it at the time. Now, I have other ideas, but he could have had a virus (from not enough D!). Hah!
Enough of that, here's a vegan recipe I made up recently. I also made a quinoa (quinoa is a seed or berry, a pseudo grain) noodle and nutritional yeast/tofu cream sauce, but I have to make it again since I neglected to write it down.
Black Power! Black Bean Burgers
2 cans of black beans, rinsed, soaked for 10 minutes, and rinsed again (I do this if I don't have the forethought to prepare dry beans)
1 small minced onion, sauteed in coconut oil or olive oil or water
3 tablespoons of ground flax (this is the binder, I used to use gluten or oatmeal here)
1/2 cup of chopped parsley (squeeze out excess water)
4-6 tablespoons red star or kals brand nutritional yeast (or another brand with B12)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1-2 teaspoons garlic granules or 1 clove minced per 1/8 teaspoon
1 teaspoon of natural mineral salt with naturally occurring iodine
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or chopped sunflower seeds, something crunchy
1-2 teaspoons of olive oil or coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons of water if the mix is too dry to form patties.
Makes: 8 burgers, usually.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Saute the onions. Drain the black beans and mash in the food processor, but don't make them into a paste. Combine all the ingredients well and form into patties. Brush each patty with olive oil and bake for 10 minutes per side (or less, depending on your preferences and your oven).
Serve with avocado, roasted red peppers, sliced onions, some garlicky vegan mayo and a mixed greens salad.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Cool Site on Vegan Supplements
The go to site and brain for me is Jack Norris, but this person who put together http://www.vegan-supplement-checklist.com obviously did a lot of research.
Convinced of my vegan lifestyle, out of respect of animal life, I want to promote veganism on the web.
By looking around on the internet how other people write about their vegan lives I mainly found vegan blogs about vegan cooking. Though it is always useful to expand your daily vegan meals and to try out new ingredients, I find it necessary to cover more on nutritional needs.
There still appear cases in the news of people, mainly vegan children, that do suffer shortage of certain vitamins with all the consequences of this.
A taurine-supplemented vegan diet may blunt the contribution of neutrophil activation to acute coronary events
After feeling so amazing with the addition of taurine and a teeny bit of raw coconut oil, I decided to do a little looking around for studies on Taurine. Here's one that's interesting: http://www.medical-hypotheses.com/article/S0306-9877(04)00280-4/abstract
Neutrophils are activated in the coronary circulation during acute coronary events (unstable angina and myocardial infarction), often prior to the onset of ischemic damage. Moreover, neutrophils infiltrate coronary plaque in these circumstances, and may contribute to the rupture or erosion of this plaque, triggering thrombosis. Activated neutrophils secrete proteolytic enzymes in latent forms which are activated by the hypochlorous acid (HOCl) generated by myeloperoxidase. These phenomena may help to explain why an elevated white cell count has been found to be an independent coronary risk factor. Low-fat vegan diets can decrease circulating leukocytes – neutrophils and monocytes – possibly owing to down-regulation of systemic IGF-I activity. Thus, a relative neutropenia may contribute to the coronary protection afforded by such diets. However, vegetarian diets are devoid of taurine – the physiological antagonist of HOCl – and tissue levels of this nutrient are relatively low in vegetarians. Taurine has anti-atherosclerotic activity in animal models, possibly reflecting a role for macrophage-derived myeloperoxidase in the atherogenic process. Taurine also has platelet-stabilizing and anti-hypertensive effects that presumably could reduce coronary risk. Thus, it is proposed that a taurine-supplemented low-fat vegan diet represents a rational strategy for diminishing the contribution of activated neutrophils to acute coronary events; moreover, such a regimen would work in a number of other complementary ways to promote cardiovascular health. Moderate alcohol consumption, the well-tolerated drug pentoxifylline, and 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors – zileuton, boswellic acids, fish oil -may also have potential in this regard.
I lied. Here's a great interview on the China Study and its Credibility
So I'll try to get up here once a week to post anything I run across.
Here's an excerpt from an interview (see urls below) between Chris Masterjohn and Dr. Mercola regarding the China Study and its "conclusion" that a plant based diet is best for everyone. Yes, I am aware that Chris Masterjohn is affiliated with the so-called "darkside", Weston A. Price Foundation, but he's extremely credible and pragmatic because he can see another perspective. When anyone makes sweeping statements, even in the vegan world, I immediately put up a flag. My husband does this, and he's on my shit list. When a doctor here in Santa Rosa says a low fat, starch based diet is the perfect diet for everyone, when there's even ONE PERSON or child with tooth decay (requiring most of her adult teeth to be capped!), that's just simply wrong on all levels. Do right by the fork wielders with honest information and let each one go to the level of plant based diet that is healthy for them.
http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/ExpertInterviewTranscripts/InterviewChrisMasterjohnChinaStudy.pdf
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/11/chris-masterjohn-criticism-of-the-china-study.aspx
I didn't have a chance to read Denise Minger's break down of the raw data of the China Study, but this information is highly interesting, she's got charts and photos too!:
http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/06/23/tuoli-chinas-mysterious-milk-drinkers/
Here's an excerpt from an interview (see urls below) between Chris Masterjohn and Dr. Mercola regarding the China Study and its "conclusion" that a plant based diet is best for everyone. Yes, I am aware that Chris Masterjohn is affiliated with the so-called "darkside", Weston A. Price Foundation, but he's extremely credible and pragmatic because he can see another perspective. When anyone makes sweeping statements, even in the vegan world, I immediately put up a flag. My husband does this, and he's on my shit list. When a doctor here in Santa Rosa says a low fat, starch based diet is the perfect diet for everyone, when there's even ONE PERSON or child with tooth decay (requiring most of her adult teeth to be capped!), that's just simply wrong on all levels. Do right by the fork wielders with honest information and let each one go to the level of plant based diet that is healthy for them.
Chris Masterjohn: ... some people may do better with a more plant-based diet and other people may do better with a more animal-based diet. I do happen to believe that everyone would be better off if they include some animal products in some form in their diet but certainly, there are many people who do well by having the majority of their diet or a vast majority as plant products.
What you find is an enormous selection bias when you look at only one practitioner who’s only treating people with vegetarianism. If you take a practitioner like Dr. Joel Fuhrman, for example, he may be a great practitioner and may have great success with his clients, but if you take someone like that and say that every single person or at least 90 percent of them do fine with less than 10 percent of animal products, do you really think many people who intuitively feel that they do better with animal products are gonna go to a doctor who’s telling them that they should cut out all the animal products and eat at least two pounds per day of leafy green vegetables in their diet? Probably not, so what you see is this enormous bias that’s introduced by focusing on three or more clinicians who are using that type of diet, and completely leaving out all of the other evidence.
http://mercola.fileburst.com/PDF/ExpertInterviewTranscripts/InterviewChrisMasterjohnChinaStudy.pdf
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/11/chris-masterjohn-criticism-of-the-china-study.aspx
I didn't have a chance to read Denise Minger's break down of the raw data of the China Study, but this information is highly interesting, she's got charts and photos too!:
http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/06/23/tuoli-chinas-mysterious-milk-drinkers/
Sunday, December 12, 2010
How The Vegan Diet Could Be Much Better, The Bible, I'm sorry, Last Post
Stop promoting a very low fat diet.
Eat fat with your greens.
Look up which veggies are more bioavailable when cooked. Carrots are.
Remove canola oil and ALL vegetable oils except olive oil, sesame oil, coconut, flax, and red palm oil
Banish the raw to salads (with olive oil)
Eat Kelp with your soy.
Add coconut oil to your daily diet. Use it as a spread on your yam, or in your veggies.
Eat natto or take a K2 from natto.
Add red palm oil.
Make sure you get your D.
Take a taurine supplement.
Take a vegan multi from whole foods, if possible, and take that multi with the biggest meal of the day.
Stop eating so much bread and grains.
Combine your beans and rice and use less rice.
Take probiotics and digestive enzymes if you need them.
Take a 3/6/9 blend.
Stop saying it's natural, it's not unless you are from a traditional plant based culture.
Consistently take a chewable B12 as directed.
Listen to all sides of an issue even if it is icky.
Never stop learning.
Question "science" especially if it helps out the Statin manufacturers.
Question "science" when it helps out the meat industry too.
Some of us are extremely lucky to be able to follow this in this day and age where there's supplements to fill in the gaps.
I do want to point out that the supplement business isn't booming because of vegans, it's booming because there's lots of people lacking vitamins and minerals. Many diets these days are not that natural.
What about that thing where God wants us to be vegan in the Bible?
Now, let's say that God wants us to be vegan as indicated in the Old Testament. The Old Testament God would have an issue with eating animals, but He had issues in general. However, in the New Testament, He converts from being an asshole to being compassionate and understanding. Therefore, He knows that we have adapted to eating animals and that some people have to rely on animals for their nutrition. The human being is not as consistent a converter of vitamins and minerals from plants, as other beings. He'll forgive us, that's His MO after all.
My Agenda...
Each of us can only try to do our very best given the information we have before us. This website aims to place more of that information before you for your consideration. I hope that all this information inspires you to learn more about being healthy on the vegan diet, even if takes more effort for some. I also hope that if you are feeling like crap on the vegan diet, that you consult with JackNorrisRD.com. I also want current healthy vegans to stop thinking that this is the One Diet to Rule them All. It is not. Have some empathy for your fellow humans.
Grateful
I am grateful to be a vegan (coming up with a new word for it), it's not only aligned with how I feel about animals, my health/hormone issues went away. I had excruciatingly painful lumps in my breasts. I get my period every 28 days, how's that for an old woman? Pretty good! I am equally grateful to have read the article in VeganOutreach that opened my eyes, finally, to the health issues experienced by former vegans. Plus, the Universe/God confirming that few days later that with the meeting of the tooth decayed current vegan children here in Santa Rosa, California. Besides getting married, perhaps there's a reason why I moved here from Florida? What's interesting is that my husband is the one who met the family and I only had the opportunity to ask the mom about her children's health and teeth on the way out the door!
The more I read about ex-vegan health problems, the more I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry for the health problems they experienced and I'm sorry for being an asshole in anyway in thought, word, or deed to all former vegans and questioning, even slightly, their motives or inner life. WTF do I know?
Listen to your Gut/Intuition
I hope you investigate probiotics and consider taking them. I also hope you read all that you can on VeganHealth.org.
This is My Last Post
I am not a health professional, I'm not omniscient, and I have no magic 8 ball with some special insight into all the infinite variations of how each individual's intestines and genetics work. No one does. Unless you do, then you have no reason to speak about why a person ends their vegan diet. We are all different. There is no Average Man and there is no Average Woman.
Eat fat with your greens.
Look up which veggies are more bioavailable when cooked. Carrots are.
Remove canola oil and ALL vegetable oils except olive oil, sesame oil, coconut, flax, and red palm oil
Banish the raw to salads (with olive oil)
Eat Kelp with your soy.
Add coconut oil to your daily diet. Use it as a spread on your yam, or in your veggies.
Eat natto or take a K2 from natto.
Add red palm oil.
Make sure you get your D.
Take a taurine supplement.
Take a vegan multi from whole foods, if possible, and take that multi with the biggest meal of the day.
Stop eating so much bread and grains.
Combine your beans and rice and use less rice.
Take probiotics and digestive enzymes if you need them.
Take a 3/6/9 blend.
Stop saying it's natural, it's not unless you are from a traditional plant based culture.
Consistently take a chewable B12 as directed.
Listen to all sides of an issue even if it is icky.
Never stop learning.
Question "science" especially if it helps out the Statin manufacturers.
Question "science" when it helps out the meat industry too.
Some of us are extremely lucky to be able to follow this in this day and age where there's supplements to fill in the gaps.
I do want to point out that the supplement business isn't booming because of vegans, it's booming because there's lots of people lacking vitamins and minerals. Many diets these days are not that natural.
What about that thing where God wants us to be vegan in the Bible?
Now, let's say that God wants us to be vegan as indicated in the Old Testament. The Old Testament God would have an issue with eating animals, but He had issues in general. However, in the New Testament, He converts from being an asshole to being compassionate and understanding. Therefore, He knows that we have adapted to eating animals and that some people have to rely on animals for their nutrition. The human being is not as consistent a converter of vitamins and minerals from plants, as other beings. He'll forgive us, that's His MO after all.
My Agenda...
Each of us can only try to do our very best given the information we have before us. This website aims to place more of that information before you for your consideration. I hope that all this information inspires you to learn more about being healthy on the vegan diet, even if takes more effort for some. I also hope that if you are feeling like crap on the vegan diet, that you consult with JackNorrisRD.com. I also want current healthy vegans to stop thinking that this is the One Diet to Rule them All. It is not. Have some empathy for your fellow humans.
Grateful
I am grateful to be a vegan (coming up with a new word for it), it's not only aligned with how I feel about animals, my health/hormone issues went away. I had excruciatingly painful lumps in my breasts. I get my period every 28 days, how's that for an old woman? Pretty good! I am equally grateful to have read the article in VeganOutreach that opened my eyes, finally, to the health issues experienced by former vegans. Plus, the Universe/God confirming that few days later that with the meeting of the tooth decayed current vegan children here in Santa Rosa, California. Besides getting married, perhaps there's a reason why I moved here from Florida? What's interesting is that my husband is the one who met the family and I only had the opportunity to ask the mom about her children's health and teeth on the way out the door!
The more I read about ex-vegan health problems, the more I'm so sorry.
I'm sorry for the health problems they experienced and I'm sorry for being an asshole in anyway in thought, word, or deed to all former vegans and questioning, even slightly, their motives or inner life. WTF do I know?
Listen to your Gut/Intuition
I hope you investigate probiotics and consider taking them. I also hope you read all that you can on VeganHealth.org.
This is My Last Post
I am not a health professional, I'm not omniscient, and I have no magic 8 ball with some special insight into all the infinite variations of how each individual's intestines and genetics work. No one does. Unless you do, then you have no reason to speak about why a person ends their vegan diet. We are all different. There is no Average Man and there is no Average Woman.
Coconut Oil, Ketones, Spring Hill couple's Alzheimer's fight tries boost in brain superfuel
I don't know how I find this stuff, but this article really is amazing!
Mary Newport, a pediatrician who runs Spring Hill's neonatalogy clinic, scrounges for any Alzheimer's information she can find. Her husband is an accountant who began struggling with numbers in his mid 50s.
Last year, she ran across a report of Axona's clinical trials, well before it hit the market. Not wanting to wait, she began feeding her husband large doses of virgin, nonhydrogenated coconut oil, available at Wal-Mart for less than $7 a quart.
Coconut oil contains a mixture of saturated fats. The liver converts some into ketones. Others float around in the bloodstream, which is why cardiologists usually discourage its use.
The effect on Steve Newport was immediate.
"He said it was like someone had turned on a lightbulb,'' Mary Newport says. "He was alert, smiling, joking. He was Steve again. He was back.''
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/research/article1024137.ece
They are brain boosters from caveman days that allow humans to survive on nothing but water.
They nurture newborns right out of the womb.
Now ketones — a kind of superfuel for brain cells— are drawing interest as possible treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
In March, a Colorado company began touting Axona, the first FDA-approved "medical food'' for people with Alzheimer's. The key ingredient is a saturated fat that the liver converts into ketones.
Meanwhile, a federal scientist is examining whether ketones might help soldiers think and fight better. He hopes to expand his work to people with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's.
Then there is Spring Hill resident Steve Newport. His wife retrieved him from an Alzheimer's funk 14 months ago by loading him up with saturated fats found in coconut oil.
He says he feels "alive again."
This does not mean the promised land is around the corner.
Coconut and other ketone-producing oils can cause diarrhea and cramping. Cardiologists say they will clog arteries.
Still, the science behind ketone bodies is intriguing and caregiver bulletin boards are sprinkled with hopeful anecdotes.
An 83-year-old woman in Connecticut is dressing herself again.
A 62-year-old man in California is cracking off-color puns.
And in Spring Hill, Steve Newport mows the lawn without disassembling the John Deere.
• • •
Mary Newport, a pediatrician who runs Spring Hill's neonatalogy clinic, scrounges for any Alzheimer's information she can find. Her husband is an accountant who began struggling with numbers in his mid 50s.
Last year, she ran across a report of Axona's clinical trials, well before it hit the market. Not wanting to wait, she began feeding her husband large doses of virgin, nonhydrogenated coconut oil, available at Wal-Mart for less than $7 a quart.
Coconut oil contains a mixture of saturated fats. The liver converts some into ketones. Others float around in the bloodstream, which is why cardiologists usually discourage its use.
The effect on Steve Newport was immediate.
"He said it was like someone had turned on a lightbulb,'' Mary Newport says. "He was alert, smiling, joking. He was Steve again. He was back.''
http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/research/article1024137.ece
They are brain boosters from caveman days that allow humans to survive on nothing but water.
They nurture newborns right out of the womb.
Now ketones — a kind of superfuel for brain cells— are drawing interest as possible treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
In March, a Colorado company began touting Axona, the first FDA-approved "medical food'' for people with Alzheimer's. The key ingredient is a saturated fat that the liver converts into ketones.
Meanwhile, a federal scientist is examining whether ketones might help soldiers think and fight better. He hopes to expand his work to people with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's.
Then there is Spring Hill resident Steve Newport. His wife retrieved him from an Alzheimer's funk 14 months ago by loading him up with saturated fats found in coconut oil.
He says he feels "alive again."
This does not mean the promised land is around the corner.
Coconut and other ketone-producing oils can cause diarrhea and cramping. Cardiologists say they will clog arteries.
Still, the science behind ketone bodies is intriguing and caregiver bulletin boards are sprinkled with hopeful anecdotes.
An 83-year-old woman in Connecticut is dressing herself again.
A 62-year-old man in California is cracking off-color puns.
And in Spring Hill, Steve Newport mows the lawn without disassembling the John Deere.
• • •
Red Palm Oil, Udos' 3/6/9 blend, K2
If you read the article by Christ Masterjohn you'll see that he mentioned a good source of vitamin A is Red Palm oil. More specifically beta-carotene and alpha-carotene. I went across the street to get some, and couldn't find it. I'm going to check with Whole Foods this week.
Check this excerpt from an article about Red Palm Oil by Dr. Bruce Fife, ND:
I did get a K2 from natto that comes with a whole foods blend. I also got a 3/6/9 blend by Dr. Udo.
Check this excerpt from an article about Red Palm Oil by Dr. Bruce Fife, ND:
Carotenes are valuable nutrients and powerful antioxidants. They are also important because our body can convert them into vitamin A, an essential nutrient. Vitamin A deficiency can cause blindness, weaken bones, lower immunity, and adversely affect learning ability and mental function. Vitamin A is only found in animal foods. Such foods, are too expensive for many people. Carotenes in fruits and vegetables can supply the needed vitamin A if an adequate amount of fat is also consumed. Carotenes require fat for conversion into vitamin A. Unfortunately, those who can’t afford animal products often do not eat much fat either. Populations with ample carotene-rich foods available often suffer from vitamin A deficiency because they don’t get enough fat in their diet.
Red palm oil provides a perfect solution. It supplies the needed fat and vitamin A precursors. Red palm oil is the richest dietary source of provitamin A carotenes (beta-carotene and alpha-carotene). It has 15 times more provitamin A carotenes than carrots and 300 times more than tomatoes. This has made it a valued resource in the treatment of vitamin A deficiency. Just one teaspoon a day of red palm oil supplies children with the daily recommend amount of vitamin A. Nursing mothers are encouraged to supplement their diet with palm oil to enrich their milk with the vitamin. Studies show that adding red palm oil into the diet can double or triple the amount of vitamin A in mother’s milk.
The children are not only getting the vitamin A they need but other important nutrients as well. Red palm oil is a virtual powerhouse of nutrition. It contains by far, more nutrients than any other dietary oil. In addition to beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and lycopene it contains at least 20 other carotenes along with vitamin E, vitamin K, CoQ10, squalene, phytosterols, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and glycolipids. Palm oil is one of the richest natural sources of vitamin E. In addition to ordinary vitamin E, it also contains the highest amount of a super potent form of vitamin E known as tocotrienol. There are four tocotrienols. Palm oil contains all of them. These tocotrienols have up to 60 times the antioxidant activity of ordinary vitamin E. The combination of vitamin E, tocotrienols, carotenes, and other antioxidants makes palm oil a super antioxidant food.
Red palm oil is loaded with so many nutrients and antioxidants it’s like a natural dietary supplement. In fact, it is currently being encapsulated and sold as a vitamin supplement. The oil is also available in bottles like other vegetable oils for kitchen use.
I did get a K2 from natto that comes with a whole foods blend. I also got a 3/6/9 blend by Dr. Udo.
Very Good Information on the ABCs of Nutrition from a very non vegan perspective
Seriously, the man who wrote this suffered horribly as a vegan, he wrote this wonderful article on nutrition for the Weston A. Price Foundation. I don't care what you think, he's got lots of tips and good information. Some of the stuff on K2 is more updated on my site (a few blog posts ago), the study he sites is older.
ABCs of Nutrition by Chris Masterjohn
ABCs of Nutrition by Chris Masterjohn
Coconut Update I'm in Love!
Yesterday, I posted something about how wonderful coconut oil was. I first noted the coconut and the inclusion of this Medium Chain Fatty Acid when I read the healthy vegan baby page (particularly how one child just slurps coconut milk down, good baby!) on VeganHealth and from a comment in one of the threads on JackNorrisRD.com site about how he uses Earth Balance, which is made with Palm Oil. Other than noting the inclusion of saturated fat — Medium Chain Fatty Acids — I did't know much about coconut oil nor did I read anything about it. I had a gut feeling about it, so I went out and bought some extra virgin, raw, organic coconut oil. I took two tablespoons about 3 hours before I pasted together yesterday's post about coconut oil and before I read about the numerous testimonials. I particularly noted the amazing fat loss results, especially concerning belly fat. I was a fat vegan, then I became a fit vegan, now I'm a medium fit/fat vegan. Before I read those testimonials, I have to say, with deep sincerity, that I have not felt so satiated and warm with so much energy in a long, long time. I was able work out longer today, think clearer, and I feel bright, more awake than normal. I don't want to use Earth Balance anymore, since I don't like what I know about canola and safflower oil (plus, I avoid most corn — unless explicitly non GMO — like the plague, that's just me). I am replacing my Earth Balance with coconut fat and a little sea mineral salt. I will be making a yam in a few min, I'll let you know!
I stopped eating the eggs last week or the week before. So now I'm an "ex-ex-vegan" Hah! I had a total of 5 eggs in 6 years. I noticed zero difference, except there is a dopamine effect after eating good protein. But you can get a dopamine effect after a banana too. Remember, I take a good bit of D after moving from FL and I also eat whole foods based green smoothies with every essential nutrient from food sources (not isolates). So I would not be the one to notice a difference, but I noticed a difference with the coconut oil. That's huge for me.
I stopped eating the eggs last week or the week before. So now I'm an "ex-ex-vegan" Hah! I had a total of 5 eggs in 6 years. I noticed zero difference, except there is a dopamine effect after eating good protein. But you can get a dopamine effect after a banana too. Remember, I take a good bit of D after moving from FL and I also eat whole foods based green smoothies with every essential nutrient from food sources (not isolates). So I would not be the one to notice a difference, but I noticed a difference with the coconut oil. That's huge for me.
6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save The World — This Rocks So Hard
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/paul_stamets_on_6_ways_mushrooms_can_save_the_world.html
Saturday, December 11, 2010
The difference between a healthy vegan and an unhealthy vegan: the coconut?
One thing I noticed between healthy vegans on the VeganHealth site and in my own life and the ones who are now ex-vegans: saturated fat.
Here's some information on how much coconut oil rocks! Yes the last link is to a WAPF site and Dr. Mary Enig's work (she's not a dumb ass and her research on a coconut oil should be considered):
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/coconut-research.htm
(this page has lots of NIH studies on medium-chain triglycerides — huge eye opener)
http://www.coconutdiet.com/cholesterol.htm
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/coconutoilfife_3.htm
http://trit.us/knowyourfats/coconut-oil-studies.html
Please send me any links you find.
I am probably only a handful of vegans (I'm coming up with a different word instead of a vegan) who do not believe there is a connection between saturated fat and cholesterol and the rise in heart disease. I think that the rise in heart disease stems from eating too many refined carbohydrates and stress (nutritional and other forms). Anyway, call me a nut job. Here's some information, if you have any links to share, please send them to me.
Could sugar, not saturated fat and cholesterol, be the cause in heart disease?
http://www.cardiologytoday.com/view.aspx?rid=63483
http://www.usc.edu/hsc/info/pr/hmm/99spring/sugar.html
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/106/4/523
http://www.dietitian.com/triglyce.html
http://www.telegram.com/article/20100421/NEWS/100429942/1052
So what if this turns out to be the case? That's we've bought a big lie? That saturated fat and, even dietary cholesterol, is not unhealthy, as long as you stop drinking the sodas and eating the buns? So what! No one was becoming vegan in record numbers anyway, so relax. There's way too much money in the statin business to disprove this. Did you know that research that started this idea was on vegetarian bunnies?
Nothing will change at all, except you might get healthier by adding coconut oil to your diet. Read the http://www.coconutdiet.com/cholesterol.htm page.
Here's some information on how much coconut oil rocks! Yes the last link is to a WAPF site and Dr. Mary Enig's work (she's not a dumb ass and her research on a coconut oil should be considered):
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/coconut-research.htm
(this page has lots of NIH studies on medium-chain triglycerides — huge eye opener)
http://www.coconutdiet.com/cholesterol.htm
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/dietweightloss/a/coconutoilfife_3.htm
http://trit.us/knowyourfats/coconut-oil-studies.html
Please send me any links you find.
I am probably only a handful of vegans (I'm coming up with a different word instead of a vegan) who do not believe there is a connection between saturated fat and cholesterol and the rise in heart disease. I think that the rise in heart disease stems from eating too many refined carbohydrates and stress (nutritional and other forms). Anyway, call me a nut job. Here's some information, if you have any links to share, please send them to me.
Could sugar, not saturated fat and cholesterol, be the cause in heart disease?
http://www.cardiologytoday.com/view.aspx?rid=63483
http://www.usc.edu/hsc/info/pr/hmm/99spring/sugar.html
http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/106/4/523
http://www.dietitian.com/triglyce.html
http://www.telegram.com/article/20100421/NEWS/100429942/1052
So what if this turns out to be the case? That's we've bought a big lie? That saturated fat and, even dietary cholesterol, is not unhealthy, as long as you stop drinking the sodas and eating the buns? So what! No one was becoming vegan in record numbers anyway, so relax. There's way too much money in the statin business to disprove this. Did you know that research that started this idea was on vegetarian bunnies?
Nothing will change at all, except you might get healthier by adding coconut oil to your diet. Read the http://www.coconutdiet.com/cholesterol.htm page.
The Vegetarian Myth’s many inaccuracies and misleading claims
The Claim (by Lierre Keith): "...there are no good plant sources of tryptophan. On top of that, all the tryptophan in the world won’t do you any good without saturated fat." And later Keith blames the lack of tryptophan in vegetarian diets for depression, insomnia, panic, anger, bulimia and chemical dependency. (P. 10) In Reality: A cup of roasted soybeans contains nearly three times the adult RDA of tryptophan and a cup of pretty much any other bean will get you between 50-60% of the RDA. Two tablespoons of coconut oil more than meet the adult saturated fat RDA. Nuts, dark chocolate and avocado are all rich in saturated fat.
Click the image to download the complete pdf.
Download the pdf by clicking the image.
I thought the vegans who threw the pies were brainless zealots. I am no longer calling myself vegan or quasivegan. I think I will call myself an agent for the vegetable lobby. Come to think of it, where are all those kale lobbyists on Capital Hill?
Click the image to download the complete pdf.
Download the pdf by clicking the image.
Except from IndyBay.org: We don’t need pie to humiliate Lierre Keith. As anarcho-primitivists and Weston A. Price followers condemned all vegans as violent psychopaths after Keith’s recent encounter with a spicy pie this weekend, a handful of animal rights activists were peacefully distributing leaflets that strongly disputed some of The Vegetarian Myth’s many inaccuracies and misleading claims (available below). Her book is a dangerous collection of straw man arguments, poorly-sourced pseudo-science, and outright lies. Discrediting the book will be easy, but it will work best with many people working together. To accomplish this, we have purchased the domain www.VegetarianMyth.com and will soon be launching a closely-moderated wiki (or similar site) to crowd-source the vegan critique of the book.
I thought the vegans who threw the pies were brainless zealots. I am no longer calling myself vegan or quasivegan. I think I will call myself an agent for the vegetable lobby. Come to think of it, where are all those kale lobbyists on Capital Hill?
Lierre Keith Pod Cast, Kick a person in the chin
This confirms it! I had guess that she was low fat, based on third party information, but now I heard she also was mostly a low fat, macrobiotic vegan. What a horrible thing. Both of the WORST diets invented. So unhealthy. So many ex-vegans. Here's the link to the pod cast:
Lierre Keith Pod Cast
Chin Kicking
Also, can someone kick this person, Vegan Nutrionista in the chin? I posted that she was really irresponsible with her answer, that some vegan diet variations are VERY DANGEROUS, she and should refer that person, who was weak from the vegan diet, to a nutritionist.
Lierre Keith Pod Cast
Chin Kicking
Also, can someone kick this person, Vegan Nutrionista in the chin? I posted that she was really irresponsible with her answer, that some vegan diet variations are VERY DANGEROUS, she and should refer that person, who was weak from the vegan diet, to a nutritionist.
No "Average Man" Biochemist: all men need the same vitamins and minerals, they do not need them in the same amounts or the same proportions.
From Time Magazine:
Source: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,814891,00.html#ixzz17pkDrybZ
Source: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,814891,00.html#ixzz17pkDrybZ
Most physicians are convinced that alcoholism is, at bottom, a psychological disorder. Roger John Williams, famed biochemist of the University of Texas, had a different theory. The trouble, he argued might have a physical basis. Now, in Nutrition and Alcoholism (University ol Oklahoma; $2), Williams suggests that vitamins have achieved history's first honest-to-goodness cure in a case of alcoholism, making the patient truly able to take a drink or leave it.This Roger Williams is the younger brother of the man who discovered beriberi. That's exciting to me, seriously. All my young life, my mother would teasingly say stuff like "don't eat the white rice, you'll get beriberi." It's no wonder, I've never enjoyed rice and barely eat it. White or brown, not my thing. I learned a lot about nutrition and, strangely, a lot about food poisoning, growing up in my home.
Williams believes that while all men need the same vitamins and minerals, they do not need them in the same amounts or the same proportions. Many human disorders, he thinks, arise because some people (partly because of heredity) need some life-essential substances in far greater quantities than normal diets supply.
No "Average Man." No man was better equipped than Roger Williams to show what vitamins could do. The younger (58) brother of Robert Runnels Williams of B1 and beriberi fame (TIME, April 30), he identified pantothenic acid and helped to discover folic acid, two of the vitamins in the B complex, did pioneering work on several of the others. Along the way, Roger Williams became distressed by the way science tends to deal with the nonexistent "average man," plumped for a science of "humanics" in which differences among men, rather than similarities, would be emphasized.
Malabsorption and Theoretical Empathy
Hello, this post is about malabsorption, which is difficulty absorbing nutrients from food, and vegans who become ex-vegans.
Malabsorption
The definition of malabsorption and symptoms. I'm going to be captain obvious here and point out something: there is such a thing as malabsorption. There is also such a thing as absorption. Vegans are people and they are not exempt from having either of these in varying degrees. If one didn't exist the other wouldn't exist. If everyone had a headache, there would be no headache as there is nothing to compare it with. If this whole page was bold, nothing would stand out. I say this silly crap because I still read really bizarre things from very educated and otherwise bright people just not getting how someone could fail to thrive on the vegan diet. After all, it's just a matter of this or that nutrient, nothing is special about meat. Well, the animal has done all the processing for you, so if your intestines sucketh, there you go! You eat that meat and you get the nutrients out of it because it's coming with the fat and already converted vitamins. Plus, far too many people bought the lie about no fat dressings and low fat diets (VegNews gave an award to a low fat vegan blog). If you've been reading this blog, I've cited many studies indicating that if you eat your food with fat, you absorb significantly more nutrients. Much of the reason why there are ex-vegans, provided they did everything else right, is they were not absorbing enough nutrients from their food for some reason or another.
Theoretical Empathy
This is only directed at some ex-vegans, there have been some, I'm sure, who do not want to eat meat or animal products yet they were feeling like crap on the vegan diet they were practicing. My mother keeps her meat, eggs, and dairy consumption to a bare and practical minimum, at 100% she felt bad. This is something sustainable for her.
I'm only referring to some ex-vegans, the ones who completely flip to the otherside, the "darkside", if you will, evangelizing the doctrine of the Weston A. Price Foundation or another "we are the only true diet there is, so screw you" mentality. (The vegan diet is loaded with those ingredients too.) But what current vegans can't understand the complete flip of philosophy. "What about the compassion and the suffering you know about? How can you eat meat with gusto?"
What I want to point out is the difference between theoretical empathy and genuine empathy: seeing oneself in others. A vegan who has rescued a farm animal, has spent any time with them, and/or relates to them just as one would as their own cat or dog, would go to the end of the earth to avoid eating meat. Supplements here I come! My father in law, Jack, born to a dairyman, had a pig he loved, his family slaughtered the pig for Christmas dinner. (Peace on earth, yeah right!) Jack has been a vegetarian for over 40 years because of that pig. There's a huge difference between becoming a vegan by theoretically thinking about animals, reading about them and agreeing with the the logic behind the ethics, and real genuine empathy because you deeply connect with them as your own fellow beings.
Pain is only a theory until you feel it for yourself. And compassion and empathy are the same way.
A final observation: In the Tao or Buddhism (I can't remember), it essentially says that whatever you push up against with force will push back with equal force. Many "absolutists" do complete flips. Even Buddhists or Taoists know this and have to watch their minds. People end up eating their own words. And for vegans, they end up eating more than words, they end up eating meat. It's as if the toxicity of the militant, in your face, exclusivity, veganazi attitude festers in one's own mind, then it poisons the body.
Malabsorption
The definition of malabsorption and symptoms. I'm going to be captain obvious here and point out something: there is such a thing as malabsorption. There is also such a thing as absorption. Vegans are people and they are not exempt from having either of these in varying degrees. If one didn't exist the other wouldn't exist. If everyone had a headache, there would be no headache as there is nothing to compare it with. If this whole page was bold, nothing would stand out. I say this silly crap because I still read really bizarre things from very educated and otherwise bright people just not getting how someone could fail to thrive on the vegan diet. After all, it's just a matter of this or that nutrient, nothing is special about meat. Well, the animal has done all the processing for you, so if your intestines sucketh, there you go! You eat that meat and you get the nutrients out of it because it's coming with the fat and already converted vitamins. Plus, far too many people bought the lie about no fat dressings and low fat diets (VegNews gave an award to a low fat vegan blog). If you've been reading this blog, I've cited many studies indicating that if you eat your food with fat, you absorb significantly more nutrients. Much of the reason why there are ex-vegans, provided they did everything else right, is they were not absorbing enough nutrients from their food for some reason or another.
Theoretical Empathy
This is only directed at some ex-vegans, there have been some, I'm sure, who do not want to eat meat or animal products yet they were feeling like crap on the vegan diet they were practicing. My mother keeps her meat, eggs, and dairy consumption to a bare and practical minimum, at 100% she felt bad. This is something sustainable for her.
I'm only referring to some ex-vegans, the ones who completely flip to the otherside, the "darkside", if you will, evangelizing the doctrine of the Weston A. Price Foundation or another "we are the only true diet there is, so screw you" mentality. (The vegan diet is loaded with those ingredients too.) But what current vegans can't understand the complete flip of philosophy. "What about the compassion and the suffering you know about? How can you eat meat with gusto?"
What I want to point out is the difference between theoretical empathy and genuine empathy: seeing oneself in others. A vegan who has rescued a farm animal, has spent any time with them, and/or relates to them just as one would as their own cat or dog, would go to the end of the earth to avoid eating meat. Supplements here I come! My father in law, Jack, born to a dairyman, had a pig he loved, his family slaughtered the pig for Christmas dinner. (Peace on earth, yeah right!) Jack has been a vegetarian for over 40 years because of that pig. There's a huge difference between becoming a vegan by theoretically thinking about animals, reading about them and agreeing with the the logic behind the ethics, and real genuine empathy because you deeply connect with them as your own fellow beings.
Pain is only a theory until you feel it for yourself. And compassion and empathy are the same way.
A final observation: In the Tao or Buddhism (I can't remember), it essentially says that whatever you push up against with force will push back with equal force. Many "absolutists" do complete flips. Even Buddhists or Taoists know this and have to watch their minds. People end up eating their own words. And for vegans, they end up eating more than words, they end up eating meat. It's as if the toxicity of the militant, in your face, exclusivity, veganazi attitude festers in one's own mind, then it poisons the body.
Friday, December 10, 2010
A Gut Feeling about Genetics, Health, and Adaptation to various diets
For the last year or so I've had this persistent thought about how flora, our intestinal flora, is very important in our ability to adapt to different diets and how healthy we are. It might explain why some people have celiac, why some people have IBS, why some people are obese, and so forth. And, perhaps why some people are not as healthy on this or that diet.
This was just an intuition. However, today I found this study in Scientific American and I've excerpted the interesting points below:
Genetics in the Gut: Intestinal Microbes Could Drive Obesity and Other Health Issues:
The diversity of germs in the human gut suggests microbiota play a greater role in health than previously thought, even driving obesity and other metabolic conditions
More here: Uncovering the genetic secrets of intestinal bacteria
Excerpts:
Stomach survey
The number of microbes in the human gut was known to be vast, but the 3.3 million microbial genes located in it were a good deal "more than what we originally expected," says Jun Wang, of BGI and co-author of the Nature study. The number was especially surprising given that the microbiota tended to be very similar across the 124 individuals they sampled in Denmark and Spain.
Previous work had scanned for these microbial genes in the past. The largest had created about three gigabases (billion base pairs) of microbial sequences that was trumped by Wang's team, which assembled more than 576 gigabases.
The hefty catalogue is a "big advance" in the field, says Andrew Gewirtz of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory University who was not involved in this study. "It really sets in place a framework for defining—in detail—the microbiome," he says. And as Wang and his colleagues noted in their study, "To understand and exploit the impact of the gut microbes on human health and well-being it is necessary to decipher the content, diversity and functioning of the microbial gut community."
More than 99 percent of the genes the group found were from bacteria. "These bacteria have functions, which are essential to our health: They synthesize vitamins, break down certain compounds—which cannot be assimilated by our body—[and] play an important role in our immune system," Wang points out.
Inflammatory mutations
As the prevalence of metabolic diseases continues to increase across the U.S. and many other countries, a growing body of research has suggested that some of these physiological changes might have their roots deep in the gut—not in the human cells but some of the many microbes there.
Emory's Gewirtz and his team tracked the gut microbiota in mice as the rodents experienced different kinds of metabolic disorders, such as obesity and insulin resistance. They bred mice with a genetic deficiency (specifically, the absence of Toll-like receptor 5, or TLR5, which has a hand in immune response) to see how it might change their microbial gut communities and metabolic health—and try to understand the order in which the changes were happening. "It's very much appreciated that obesity is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes," Gewirtz says. But "which comes first is not entirely clear."
Next genetic steps
Although a fuller grasp of microbial genetics promises to boost wellness even further, plenty of big unknowns remain. Scientists are still unsure just how and when these communities of microbes establish themselves in each person's gut. "Everyone is born sterile," Gewirtz says, noting that colonization starts during birth but that they do not know when it reaches relative stability. Regardless of timing, it means that, "the environment is a big, big factor in determining what someone's microbiota will be like," he adds.
If gut microbiota do play a large role in diseases such as obesity and metabolic syndrome, then a recent past change in these communities might help to explain the expansion of patients—and waistlines—in developed countries. "The genetics of humans have not changed appreciably in the last several hundred years," Gewirtz says. "But several changes in the environment have made it so that the gut microbiota is likely considerably different than it was 50 years ago."
Wang and his colleagues are already attempting to track the composition of human gut microbiota back in time to see if this might be the case. But they have their sights set on even bigger collections of genetic data. "Our dream is to build a library" of reference genomes, Wang notes. He hopes to have 10,000 genomes for bacteria within two years. And, he estimated, as soon as more definitive data about these gut genetics emerge, microbial-targeted therapeutics will likely be quick to follow.
This was just an intuition. However, today I found this study in Scientific American and I've excerpted the interesting points below:
Genetics in the Gut: Intestinal Microbes Could Drive Obesity and Other Health Issues:
The diversity of germs in the human gut suggests microbiota play a greater role in health than previously thought, even driving obesity and other metabolic conditions
More here: Uncovering the genetic secrets of intestinal bacteria
Excerpts:
Stomach survey
The number of microbes in the human gut was known to be vast, but the 3.3 million microbial genes located in it were a good deal "more than what we originally expected," says Jun Wang, of BGI and co-author of the Nature study. The number was especially surprising given that the microbiota tended to be very similar across the 124 individuals they sampled in Denmark and Spain.
Previous work had scanned for these microbial genes in the past. The largest had created about three gigabases (billion base pairs) of microbial sequences that was trumped by Wang's team, which assembled more than 576 gigabases.
The hefty catalogue is a "big advance" in the field, says Andrew Gewirtz of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory University who was not involved in this study. "It really sets in place a framework for defining—in detail—the microbiome," he says. And as Wang and his colleagues noted in their study, "To understand and exploit the impact of the gut microbes on human health and well-being it is necessary to decipher the content, diversity and functioning of the microbial gut community."
More than 99 percent of the genes the group found were from bacteria. "These bacteria have functions, which are essential to our health: They synthesize vitamins, break down certain compounds—which cannot be assimilated by our body—[and] play an important role in our immune system," Wang points out.
Inflammatory mutations
As the prevalence of metabolic diseases continues to increase across the U.S. and many other countries, a growing body of research has suggested that some of these physiological changes might have their roots deep in the gut—not in the human cells but some of the many microbes there.
Emory's Gewirtz and his team tracked the gut microbiota in mice as the rodents experienced different kinds of metabolic disorders, such as obesity and insulin resistance. They bred mice with a genetic deficiency (specifically, the absence of Toll-like receptor 5, or TLR5, which has a hand in immune response) to see how it might change their microbial gut communities and metabolic health—and try to understand the order in which the changes were happening. "It's very much appreciated that obesity is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes," Gewirtz says. But "which comes first is not entirely clear."
Next genetic steps
Although a fuller grasp of microbial genetics promises to boost wellness even further, plenty of big unknowns remain. Scientists are still unsure just how and when these communities of microbes establish themselves in each person's gut. "Everyone is born sterile," Gewirtz says, noting that colonization starts during birth but that they do not know when it reaches relative stability. Regardless of timing, it means that, "the environment is a big, big factor in determining what someone's microbiota will be like," he adds.
If gut microbiota do play a large role in diseases such as obesity and metabolic syndrome, then a recent past change in these communities might help to explain the expansion of patients—and waistlines—in developed countries. "The genetics of humans have not changed appreciably in the last several hundred years," Gewirtz says. "But several changes in the environment have made it so that the gut microbiota is likely considerably different than it was 50 years ago."
Wang and his colleagues are already attempting to track the composition of human gut microbiota back in time to see if this might be the case. But they have their sights set on even bigger collections of genetic data. "Our dream is to build a library" of reference genomes, Wang notes. He hopes to have 10,000 genomes for bacteria within two years. And, he estimated, as soon as more definitive data about these gut genetics emerge, microbial-targeted therapeutics will likely be quick to follow.
More studies on depression and cholesterol
Fatty acid composition in major depression: decreased ω3 fractions in cholesteryl esters and increased C20:4ω6/C20:5ω3 ratio in cholesteryl esters and phospholipids
Lowered ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in serum phospholipids and cholesteryl esters of depressed patients
Depression and adipose polyunsaturated fatty acids in an adolescent group
Lowered ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in serum phospholipids and cholesteryl esters of depressed patients
Depression and adipose polyunsaturated fatty acids in an adolescent group
Macrobiotic Vegan / Vegetarian Diets Usually Fail
Too many grains equals not enough Lysine.
VeganHealth.org has updated the protein recommendations for vegans. We need to pay attention to the legume category, because that's where the Lysine is. You can type in your ideal weight, not how much you weigh, and the chart 3 will give you a good idea of what you need to get. You'll have to scroll down. I suggest taking one Sunday, or whenever, and reading all you can on the proteins page. It is really extensive, because he's detailed, but it's not complicated.
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/protein#lys
I emailed the makers of Red Star Nutritional Yeast and am waiting on a profile of the amino acids. I had a gut feeling that Nutritional Yeast has a really good profile with more Lysine to Arginine ratio. If this brand below is similar to Red Star, then I was correct.
Quantum Brand Nutritional Flakes
http://www.totalhealthsecrets.com/ENGLISH/catalog/Nutritional-Flakes_875.html
Servings (2 tbsp - 16g) per container: 14
Each 2 tablespoon serving contains:
Primary Nutritional Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
Calories 70
Total fat 1g
Saturated fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 5mg
Total Carbohydrates 7g
Dietary Fiber 4g
Protein 8g
Percent daily values based on 2,000 calorie diet:
Vitamin B1 640%, Vitamin B2 565%, VitaminB3 280%, Vitamin B6 480%, Folic Acid 60%, Vitamin B12 150%, Iron 4%, Zinc 21%, Selenium 32%
Amino Acid Profile Per Serving (from Protein Content):
Alanine - 275mg, Arginine - 330mg, Aspartic Acid - 682mg, Cystine - 55mg, Glutamic Acid - 840mg, Glycine - 242mg, Histidine - 99mg, Isoleucine - 264mg, Leucine - 385mg, Lysine - 440mg, Methionine - 77mg, Phenylalanine - 242mg, Proline - 429mg, Serine - 308mg, Threonine - 253mg, Tryptophan - 66mg, Tyrosine - 165mg, Valine - 264mg.
Deficiency States and Symptoms Signs and symptoms of lysine deficiency include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, anorexia, irritability, slow growth, anemia, and reproductive disorders. Inci-dence of marked lysine deficiency in the diet is rare in developed countries like the United States. However, certain individuals, such as vegetarians following a strict macrobiotic diet or athletes undergoing frequent vigorous exercise, are at risk for lysine deficiency. Legumes are a good source of lysine for vegetarians.' Alternative Medicine Review Voiume 12, Number 2 2007
Alternative Medicine Review Voiume 12, Number 2 2007
VeganHealth.org has updated the protein recommendations for vegans. We need to pay attention to the legume category, because that's where the Lysine is. You can type in your ideal weight, not how much you weigh, and the chart 3 will give you a good idea of what you need to get. You'll have to scroll down. I suggest taking one Sunday, or whenever, and reading all you can on the proteins page. It is really extensive, because he's detailed, but it's not complicated.
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/protein#lys
I emailed the makers of Red Star Nutritional Yeast and am waiting on a profile of the amino acids. I had a gut feeling that Nutritional Yeast has a really good profile with more Lysine to Arginine ratio. If this brand below is similar to Red Star, then I was correct.
Quantum Brand Nutritional Flakes
http://www.totalhealthsecrets.com/ENGLISH/catalog/Nutritional-Flakes_875.html
Servings (2 tbsp - 16g) per container: 14
Each 2 tablespoon serving contains:
Primary Nutritional Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
Calories 70
Total fat 1g
Saturated fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg
Sodium 5mg
Total Carbohydrates 7g
Dietary Fiber 4g
Protein 8g
Percent daily values based on 2,000 calorie diet:
Vitamin B1 640%, Vitamin B2 565%, VitaminB3 280%, Vitamin B6 480%, Folic Acid 60%, Vitamin B12 150%, Iron 4%, Zinc 21%, Selenium 32%
Amino Acid Profile Per Serving (from Protein Content):
Alanine - 275mg, Arginine - 330mg, Aspartic Acid - 682mg, Cystine - 55mg, Glutamic Acid - 840mg, Glycine - 242mg, Histidine - 99mg, Isoleucine - 264mg, Leucine - 385mg, Lysine - 440mg, Methionine - 77mg, Phenylalanine - 242mg, Proline - 429mg, Serine - 308mg, Threonine - 253mg, Tryptophan - 66mg, Tyrosine - 165mg, Valine - 264mg.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The Vegan Disillusionment: One Plant Based Diet Doesn't Fit them All and Some Royally Suck
Yes, the title is a grabber. I could easily replace the word vegan with the name of any diet there if it doesn't live up to the hype and/or the romantic concepts inside one's own head.
I've immersed myself in ex-vegan and ex-vegetarian stories. Besides it being depressing, it has been a real eye opener. What I'm about to write will piss many people off. Too bad.
With the exception of one story of a person with eczema, which could be indicative of Leaky Gut Syndrome or a severe allergic inflammation from gluten (Celiac disease), many of the failure to thrive vegans were raw foodists (can't they call it something else like "Rawganism" — sounds sexy) and low fat vegan or vegetarian dieters (can't they call it something else like "Malabsorptionism"). Also Macrobiotic based vegan diets have their share of ex-vegans. Can't we rename it "TooMuchGrainism" or "PullingYourYangism".
There is also a fair share of ex-vegans who were not only going low fat, but only doing whole foods. This is the advertised "ultimate diet", but it's really unhealthy! Besides the fact that you barely get the nutrients out of your vegetables if you don't eat them with fat, if you don't eat fortified foods (or you don't supplement) you will not get enough vitamin D and other vitamins added to packaged food. These are added because many people, the vast, vast majority being omnivores, don't get the RDA of certain vitamins and minerals. And, there are some ex-vegans who went the whole foods, low fat, and no supplements (not even B12) route. Really unfortunate. There's many variables. I can't cover them all.
I'm not going to even bother with discussing Rawganism or TooMuchGrainism. To me, they both have their good and bad points, but for the most part: WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? Too many grains, no cooked food. Are you stoned? No, you just bought the lie. You're not alone, if that's any comfort now. I wish I could apologize for all the misguided doctors, "prophets", and greedy profiteers, but some evangelicals are very sincere, to quote myself:
I lied, I will share little story about Rawganism: My mother and I went to a talk at a Florida Voices for Animals Dinner years ago and the guest speaker was a devout raw foodist. This woman used to eat such horrible Standard American Diet food and healed nearly all her ailments by going raw. I'm happy for her. But that doesn't mean one should keep doing it forever. On the way out the door, my mother, an RN who aced her Anatomy and Physiology exams, said that some of the stuff this raw foodist was saying defied the laws of science. From then on out I didn't think much about raw vegan diets. There's only one raw food vegan that I know who looks good and healthy, he's a bodybuilder and eats so much variety and lots of protein. He also makes sure his levels are checked. And then there's Brendan Brazier, he's 80% raw. He knows a great deal about nutrition. The omni gals across the street were raving today about his Vega Protein and how good they felt! So take that a whey! ;-) Punny.
What I am going to discuss is Malabsorptionism (a low fat vegan diet). When a person does not add fat to their veggies and other foods (I suspect), the ability to absorb nutrients decreases dramatically.
Chemistry and Biochemistry of Pigments Group, Department of Food Biotechnology, Instituto de la Grasa, CSIC. Av. Padre GarcÃa Tejero, 4, 41012 — Sevilla, Spain: Bioaccessibility of carotenes from carrots: Effect of cooking and addition of oil
When you don't eat your food with oil, you don't extract the nutrients nearly as well as you could with the addition of fat. Long term adherence to some variation of "Malabsorptionism", I'm conjecturing here, probably builds scar tissue in your intestines, or messes them up in general. Your stool will be bulky, like you didn't digest the food as well. No fat is just like having sex without any lubrication. Not good at all! Yes, it's an analogy that is very effective in getting my point across.
Genetics plays a vital role too, I honestly believe that some people are not cut out to be vegans, they can certainly cut down a lot on their animal product consumption, but they don't make certain enzymes or their intestines are not healthy enough (even with fat), and so forth. This is just my opinion, but it kind of makes since since obviously we are not clones of each other. Some people have type 1 diabetes and some people don't. Recall Don Gorskey, from the Super Size Me movie. He ate two Big Macs a day, for years on end, and had total cholesterol of 140mg/dL.
Here's what I think many of the vegan health failures stem from:
Not Enough Vitamin D
If you don't eat fortified food, get enough sun exposure, take a D supplement with a good dosage for your body weight and age, and/or consume a whole lot of mushrooms exposed to UVB light, you are probably deficient in vitamin D on the vegan diet. Most of the world, according to many sources, is vitamin D deficient too. That's why it's added to many packaged foods. Most of the world is not vegan. However, if you eat a low fat vegan diet, your cholesterol is also low. If you increase your fat, your cholesterol rises. "Cholesterol is the basic building block of vitamin D in humans. When ultraviolet light from the sun hits the leaf of a plant, ergosterol is converted into ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2. In just the same way, when ultraviolet light hits the cells of our skin, one form of cholesterol found in our skin cells-called 7-dehydrocholesterol-can be converted into cholecalciferol, a form of vitamin D3. (source)"
The Truth about Probiotics and Your Gut - Yale Studies
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/probiotics-10/what-are-probiotics
I've immersed myself in ex-vegan and ex-vegetarian stories. Besides it being depressing, it has been a real eye opener. What I'm about to write will piss many people off. Too bad.
With the exception of one story of a person with eczema, which could be indicative of Leaky Gut Syndrome or a severe allergic inflammation from gluten (Celiac disease), many of the failure to thrive vegans were raw foodists (can't they call it something else like "Rawganism" — sounds sexy) and low fat vegan or vegetarian dieters (can't they call it something else like "Malabsorptionism"). Also Macrobiotic based vegan diets have their share of ex-vegans. Can't we rename it "TooMuchGrainism" or "PullingYourYangism".
There is also a fair share of ex-vegans who were not only going low fat, but only doing whole foods. This is the advertised "ultimate diet", but it's really unhealthy! Besides the fact that you barely get the nutrients out of your vegetables if you don't eat them with fat, if you don't eat fortified foods (or you don't supplement) you will not get enough vitamin D and other vitamins added to packaged food. These are added because many people, the vast, vast majority being omnivores, don't get the RDA of certain vitamins and minerals. And, there are some ex-vegans who went the whole foods, low fat, and no supplements (not even B12) route. Really unfortunate. There's many variables. I can't cover them all.
I'm not going to even bother with discussing Rawganism or TooMuchGrainism. To me, they both have their good and bad points, but for the most part: WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? Too many grains, no cooked food. Are you stoned? No, you just bought the lie. You're not alone, if that's any comfort now. I wish I could apologize for all the misguided doctors, "prophets", and greedy profiteers, but some evangelicals are very sincere, to quote myself:
Just because the Nourishing Traditions worked for you, it doesn't mean that it is the one diet to rule them all either. But seriously, isn't that the way it is with something so intimate such as diet or religion? Jesus is God to millions of people, they pray to Him, get inner and outer confirmation and feel happy. Telling them otherwise is not going to get you anywhere. They want all the people to share in their happiness and joy they get from a close personal relationship with Jesus. Telling them that people also pray to Buddha, or Allah, or my master, Meher Baba, and also feel the same way and get the same benefits, that would freak them out. They would cover their ears and start singing loudly, in a manner of speaking.
I lied, I will share little story about Rawganism: My mother and I went to a talk at a Florida Voices for Animals Dinner years ago and the guest speaker was a devout raw foodist. This woman used to eat such horrible Standard American Diet food and healed nearly all her ailments by going raw. I'm happy for her. But that doesn't mean one should keep doing it forever. On the way out the door, my mother, an RN who aced her Anatomy and Physiology exams, said that some of the stuff this raw foodist was saying defied the laws of science. From then on out I didn't think much about raw vegan diets. There's only one raw food vegan that I know who looks good and healthy, he's a bodybuilder and eats so much variety and lots of protein. He also makes sure his levels are checked. And then there's Brendan Brazier, he's 80% raw. He knows a great deal about nutrition. The omni gals across the street were raving today about his Vega Protein and how good they felt! So take that a whey! ;-) Punny.
What I am going to discuss is Malabsorptionism (a low fat vegan diet). When a person does not add fat to their veggies and other foods (I suspect), the ability to absorb nutrients decreases dramatically.
Chemistry and Biochemistry of Pigments Group, Department of Food Biotechnology, Instituto de la Grasa, CSIC. Av. Padre GarcÃa Tejero, 4, 41012 — Sevilla, Spain: Bioaccessibility of carotenes from carrots: Effect of cooking and addition of oil
Addition of olive oil to carrot samples during cooking and before application of the in vitro digestion model had a marked positive effect on the release of carotenes, although the design of the model did not allow the correct estimation of this effect. The higher amounts of micellarised carotenes (80%) were found in the digest prepared from cooked carrots containing 10% olive oil. In general, the inclusion of olive oil during cooking increased the carotenoid extraction and micellarisation in a dose-dependent fashion.Yo, there's more:
Seven healthy men and women ate salads of spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots topped with Italian dressings containing 0, 6 (0.2 ounces), or 28 grams (almost 1 ounce) of canola oil on different occasions during a 12-week period. Hourly blood samples were taken for 11 hours after the meal and tested for nutrient absorption.Here's some more interesting information about adding oils with your vegetables.
The study found that only negligible amounts of alpha- and beta-carotene and lycopene were detected in the blood after eating a salad with fat-free dressing. Significantly more of these substances, known as carotenoids, were detected in the blood after eating salads with reduced-fat dressing or full-fat dressings.
WebMD: fat helps the vegetables go down
Another interesting fact: Since mammals synthesize a small quantity of Vit K2 forms from vitamin K1, then eating lots of green vegetables should provide substrate for some quantity of K2 conversion. However, work by Schurgers [laboratories of Drs. Vermeer, Geleijnse, and Schurgers at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands] have shown that K1 absorption is poor, no more than 10%, but increases significantly when vegetables are eaten in the presence of oils. (Thus arguing that oils are meant to be part of the human diet. Does your olive oil or oil-based salad dressing represent fulfillment of some subconscious biologic imperative?) — Dr. William Davis, MD
When you don't eat your food with oil, you don't extract the nutrients nearly as well as you could with the addition of fat. Long term adherence to some variation of "Malabsorptionism", I'm conjecturing here, probably builds scar tissue in your intestines, or messes them up in general. Your stool will be bulky, like you didn't digest the food as well. No fat is just like having sex without any lubrication. Not good at all! Yes, it's an analogy that is very effective in getting my point across.
Genetics plays a vital role too, I honestly believe that some people are not cut out to be vegans, they can certainly cut down a lot on their animal product consumption, but they don't make certain enzymes or their intestines are not healthy enough (even with fat), and so forth. This is just my opinion, but it kind of makes since since obviously we are not clones of each other. Some people have type 1 diabetes and some people don't. Recall Don Gorskey, from the Super Size Me movie. He ate two Big Macs a day, for years on end, and had total cholesterol of 140mg/dL.
Here's what I think many of the vegan health failures stem from:
Not Enough Vitamin D
If you don't eat fortified food, get enough sun exposure, take a D supplement with a good dosage for your body weight and age, and/or consume a whole lot of mushrooms exposed to UVB light, you are probably deficient in vitamin D on the vegan diet. Most of the world, according to many sources, is vitamin D deficient too. That's why it's added to many packaged foods. Most of the world is not vegan. However, if you eat a low fat vegan diet, your cholesterol is also low. If you increase your fat, your cholesterol rises. "Cholesterol is the basic building block of vitamin D in humans. When ultraviolet light from the sun hits the leaf of a plant, ergosterol is converted into ergocalciferol, or vitamin D2. In just the same way, when ultraviolet light hits the cells of our skin, one form of cholesterol found in our skin cells-called 7-dehydrocholesterol-can be converted into cholecalciferol, a form of vitamin D3. (source)"
Ideas for Vegans: Eat fortified foods, take a D3 supplement, eat fat and go in the sun for the appropriate amount of time per day. See VeganHealth.org on Vit. D. look in the second column. These are still conservative levels, I take much more. I think that vegans and older people should get a vitamin D test to see what's up.
Not Enough Vitamin K2
If you can't enough of the K1 out of your kale and other vegetables, due to lack of fat, you won't even have a chance, even with healthiest of intestines, to convert this form of K (K1) to the fat soluble version called K2. One ex-vegan had nose bleeds when he was vegan, this is an indication of a severe K deficiency. According to Dr. Alan Inglis, MD: "Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium while vitamin K2 tells your body where to put it - into the bones where it belongs, not the delicate inner lining of the blood vessels that serve the heart." Even if you are eating your veggies with fat, if you take antibiotics, are stressed out, and eat lousy sugar laden food, your ability to produce the bacteria in the human gut to make vitamin K2 is seriously impaired.
Not Enough Vitamin K2
If you can't enough of the K1 out of your kale and other vegetables, due to lack of fat, you won't even have a chance, even with healthiest of intestines, to convert this form of K (K1) to the fat soluble version called K2. One ex-vegan had nose bleeds when he was vegan, this is an indication of a severe K deficiency. According to Dr. Alan Inglis, MD: "Vitamin D helps you absorb calcium while vitamin K2 tells your body where to put it - into the bones where it belongs, not the delicate inner lining of the blood vessels that serve the heart." Even if you are eating your veggies with fat, if you take antibiotics, are stressed out, and eat lousy sugar laden food, your ability to produce the bacteria in the human gut to make vitamin K2 is seriously impaired.
Ideas for vegans: Eat natto, apparently sauerkraut has K2 as well (check this), heal your intestines with probiotics, eat your greens with oil, take a K2 supplement.
Not Enough Taurine (or you lack the enzyme — cysteinsulfinic decarboxylase — to make it yourself)
According to Dr. Leonard Smith, MD "Many humans may not regularly produce a high level of the enzyme needed to make taurine". But let's assume that even if you have good levels of this enzyme, and you are eating enough protein to get the amino acids cysteine and methionine, simply due to a lack of fat, you can't get adequate B6 (Vitamin B6 is the master vitamin in the processing of amino acids), Vitamin A, and Zinc. In some sources, I found that to make taurine you need vitamin C, but the majority of sources indicate vitamin A is a key vitamin. Without the fat, the pro vitamin A (beta carotene) is not easily absorbed and you don't have much of chance of converting that to the actual, fat soluble Vitamin A. All three building blocks to make your own taurine, B6, Pro A, and Zinc are in short supply if you are not absorbing adequate levels from your food due to the lack of fat at the time of ingestion. There was a 1988 study that measured the taurine levels, in urine and plasma, of a group of vegans, members of a Seventh Day Adventist college. The study compared the vegans to a control group of non vegans on a standard american diet. The results of the study indicated that the plasma taurine concentrations in the vegans were significantly reduced to 78% of control values. Urinary taurine was reduced in the vegans to only 29% of control values. That's a big difference. I found this study sited on BeyondVeg and I have no reason to doubt it (you can if you want). My interpretation of their work is not so black and white. I would bet good money that traditional diets followed by genetically adapted peoples, such as Asians following their traditional diet that is mostly plants, starch, and very little meat, and which doesn't skimp on the fat, have the ability to produce taurine in good supply for their particular bodies. Germans, on the other hand, who have relied so long on animal sources, would not be as well adept at this. They could adapt over time. This is my opinion, take it or leave it. However, it would explain a lot. I also want to call your attention to the B6 being the master vitamin in the processing of amino acids, even if you are getting enough protein (amino acids), and you are NOT getting enough of B6, you've got a serious problem.
Ideas for vegans: take a taurine supplement and see how you feel. All over the place I read that Taurine is in Brewer's Yeast, but I haven't verified it. I took 2, 500 mg earlier today and I don't know if it's a placebo effect, because the woman at the health food store said to not take it before bed, but good Gawd, I have so much energy and I felt so much more alert within a 1/2 hour or so of ingestion. Freaking great I tell you!
Deficient in Taurine information at Body Ecology
Not Enough Omega 3 DHA (whether the ability to convert ALA to Omega 3 DHA is impaired or for other reasons) or the Omega 3 and 6 are out of balance.
Dr. Mercola says that most of us can't convert the ALA from flax or walnuts, as examples, into Omega 3 DHA. How does he know? Is he pushing fish oil supplements? Anyway, the likely story is that some people are good at it, some are bad, and some are probably in the middle. That is: not the same with all people.
Idea for vegans: Take Omega 3 DHA from algae as a supplement.
Summation
Craving Fish
How the hell did I figure this little story of mine? I really have no idea if it's accurate, but the clue was that I kept hearing that people craved fish after coming off a vegan or vegetarian diet. Fish (oily fish in particular) contain lots of D, Omega 3 DHA, Taurine, Vitamin A, and iodine (which I didn't list above, but its levels are also low in many vegans and vegetarians). Fish also could contain a lot of mercury, check the NRDC site for list of "safer" fish. IMO, Neurotoxins suck even at low levels. I never enjoyed fish even when I ate lamb :-(, so the first thing I went for when I was a pregnant vegetarian was eggs. Eggs also contain a lot of these nutrients. However, if you wish stay as close to vegan as possible, please consult with a vegan RD and take some supplements.
That should be it for the time being. I had to get this off my chest.
Please visit VeganHealth.org, eat some fat, listen to your heart/intuition, pray, and think for yourself! Go to a doctor if you are at risk for heart disease.
Symptoms of malabsorption: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000299.htm
Not Enough Taurine (or you lack the enzyme — cysteinsulfinic decarboxylase — to make it yourself)
According to Dr. Leonard Smith, MD "Many humans may not regularly produce a high level of the enzyme needed to make taurine". But let's assume that even if you have good levels of this enzyme, and you are eating enough protein to get the amino acids cysteine and methionine, simply due to a lack of fat, you can't get adequate B6 (Vitamin B6 is the master vitamin in the processing of amino acids), Vitamin A, and Zinc. In some sources, I found that to make taurine you need vitamin C, but the majority of sources indicate vitamin A is a key vitamin. Without the fat, the pro vitamin A (beta carotene) is not easily absorbed and you don't have much of chance of converting that to the actual, fat soluble Vitamin A. All three building blocks to make your own taurine, B6, Pro A, and Zinc are in short supply if you are not absorbing adequate levels from your food due to the lack of fat at the time of ingestion. There was a 1988 study that measured the taurine levels, in urine and plasma, of a group of vegans, members of a Seventh Day Adventist college. The study compared the vegans to a control group of non vegans on a standard american diet. The results of the study indicated that the plasma taurine concentrations in the vegans were significantly reduced to 78% of control values. Urinary taurine was reduced in the vegans to only 29% of control values. That's a big difference. I found this study sited on BeyondVeg and I have no reason to doubt it (you can if you want). My interpretation of their work is not so black and white. I would bet good money that traditional diets followed by genetically adapted peoples, such as Asians following their traditional diet that is mostly plants, starch, and very little meat, and which doesn't skimp on the fat, have the ability to produce taurine in good supply for their particular bodies. Germans, on the other hand, who have relied so long on animal sources, would not be as well adept at this. They could adapt over time. This is my opinion, take it or leave it. However, it would explain a lot. I also want to call your attention to the B6 being the master vitamin in the processing of amino acids, even if you are getting enough protein (amino acids), and you are NOT getting enough of B6, you've got a serious problem.
Ideas for vegans: take a taurine supplement and see how you feel. All over the place I read that Taurine is in Brewer's Yeast, but I haven't verified it. I took 2, 500 mg earlier today and I don't know if it's a placebo effect, because the woman at the health food store said to not take it before bed, but good Gawd, I have so much energy and I felt so much more alert within a 1/2 hour or so of ingestion. Freaking great I tell you!
Deficient in Taurine information at Body Ecology
Not Enough Omega 3 DHA (whether the ability to convert ALA to Omega 3 DHA is impaired or for other reasons) or the Omega 3 and 6 are out of balance.
Dr. Mercola says that most of us can't convert the ALA from flax or walnuts, as examples, into Omega 3 DHA. How does he know? Is he pushing fish oil supplements? Anyway, the likely story is that some people are good at it, some are bad, and some are probably in the middle. That is: not the same with all people.
For pregnant women and developing babies, DHA is crucial. It's found in every organ of the body as well as in muscle tissue and in the brain. DHA makes brain membranes flexible and optimizes electrical signaling.
Animal studies show that when DHA is drastically reduced in the brain, processing slows.
"From neuron to neuron, or from the retina to the brain, those signals will still go," says Norman Salem, a neurobiologist with the National Institutes of Health. "But they may be slower and not as intense."
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15823852
Idea for vegans: Take Omega 3 DHA from algae as a supplement.
Summation
Craving Fish
How the hell did I figure this little story of mine? I really have no idea if it's accurate, but the clue was that I kept hearing that people craved fish after coming off a vegan or vegetarian diet. Fish (oily fish in particular) contain lots of D, Omega 3 DHA, Taurine, Vitamin A, and iodine (which I didn't list above, but its levels are also low in many vegans and vegetarians). Fish also could contain a lot of mercury, check the NRDC site for list of "safer" fish. IMO, Neurotoxins suck even at low levels. I never enjoyed fish even when I ate lamb :-(, so the first thing I went for when I was a pregnant vegetarian was eggs. Eggs also contain a lot of these nutrients. However, if you wish stay as close to vegan as possible, please consult with a vegan RD and take some supplements.
That should be it for the time being. I had to get this off my chest.
Please visit VeganHealth.org, eat some fat, listen to your heart/intuition, pray, and think for yourself! Go to a doctor if you are at risk for heart disease.
Symptoms of malabsorption: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000299.htm
The Truth about Probiotics and Your Gut - Yale Studies
http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/probiotics-10/what-are-probiotics
Homemade Almond Cheese Recipe
I don't know when I ran across this recipe on a forum somewhere. I was looking for alkaline protein sources, it was probably around the time I saw Brendan Brazier.
Almond Cheese
2 cups raw almonds, soaked for 24 hr & drained
1 cup lemon water (90% water - 10% lemon juice)
1 capsule acidophiles
- remove skin from almonds & put in a blender, add lemon water to cover & blend until smooth & creamy, adding more liquid if needed to keep the mixture blending
- put into a cheesecloth lined colander & allow to drain for 1-2 hr. (keep the liquid, it is like a almond sour milk....)
- now put some weight on top to get a firm cheese & allow to ferment for 7-10 hr. then you put it in the refrigerator for several more hours.
- store in airtight container in the fridge & it will last around 2 weeks.
- you can spice it & then you put the spices in the blender in the beginning
The author of the forum marinates and uses instead of tofu or feta. I think it would be great in a stir fry. Looks like a lot of effort to make, but I thought it was interesting.
Original source: http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3861&sid=e2db00e018e08fdfb60616b8bdb2e4e6
Almond Cheese
2 cups raw almonds, soaked for 24 hr & drained
1 cup lemon water (90% water - 10% lemon juice)
1 capsule acidophiles
- remove skin from almonds & put in a blender, add lemon water to cover & blend until smooth & creamy, adding more liquid if needed to keep the mixture blending
- put into a cheesecloth lined colander & allow to drain for 1-2 hr. (keep the liquid, it is like a almond sour milk....)
- now put some weight on top to get a firm cheese & allow to ferment for 7-10 hr. then you put it in the refrigerator for several more hours.
- store in airtight container in the fridge & it will last around 2 weeks.
- you can spice it & then you put the spices in the blender in the beginning
The author of the forum marinates and uses instead of tofu or feta. I think it would be great in a stir fry. Looks like a lot of effort to make, but I thought it was interesting.
Original source: http://www.acidalkalinediet.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3861&sid=e2db00e018e08fdfb60616b8bdb2e4e6
Eating certain foods together helps with nutrient absorption and add the fat already!
Just a link: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2008596567_zfoo07salad.html
Excerpt:
"Locked up inside that salad is nearly every antioxidant you've ever heard of," Dr. John La Puma wrote in "Chef MD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine (Crown, $24.95).
If you use fat-free dressing, he wrote, "you're getting less than you could — unless you eat that salad with avocado, or with walnuts or roasted walnut oil, or extra-virgin olive oil or nearly any other good-for-you fat."
The reason, La Puma said, is that the oil makes several nutrients — the lutein in the green peppers, the capsanthin in the red peppers, the lycopene in the tomatoes, even the limonene in the lemon — more body ready for you. "Each of them is optimally absorbed with a little bit of fat," he wrote.
The best way to spot synergy on your plate — and to ensure a nutritious meal — is to make sure it has a minimum of three colors and contains healthful fat (avocado, olive oil or nuts), Bazilian said.
"Food has a way of working synergistically, whether or not it's an outright pairing, so you're not constantly drinking tea and eating spinach. Certain nutrients help each other out."
Excerpt:
"Locked up inside that salad is nearly every antioxidant you've ever heard of," Dr. John La Puma wrote in "Chef MD's Big Book of Culinary Medicine (Crown, $24.95).
If you use fat-free dressing, he wrote, "you're getting less than you could — unless you eat that salad with avocado, or with walnuts or roasted walnut oil, or extra-virgin olive oil or nearly any other good-for-you fat."
The reason, La Puma said, is that the oil makes several nutrients — the lutein in the green peppers, the capsanthin in the red peppers, the lycopene in the tomatoes, even the limonene in the lemon — more body ready for you. "Each of them is optimally absorbed with a little bit of fat," he wrote.
The best way to spot synergy on your plate — and to ensure a nutritious meal — is to make sure it has a minimum of three colors and contains healthful fat (avocado, olive oil or nuts), Bazilian said.
"Food has a way of working synergistically, whether or not it's an outright pairing, so you're not constantly drinking tea and eating spinach. Certain nutrients help each other out."
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Vitamin D Home Test and Carbs Troubleshooting my own Diet
I have read so many different articles on how much D is enough, so I'm not going to even bother. Check VeganHealth.org, he's on the ball. There was even a recent story about how you don't need any at all. That is really odd and dangerous too.
I am going to order a home D test to check my levels and wanted to share this with you:
http://www.zrtlab.com/vitamindcouncil/home-mainmenu-1.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=4&category_id=1
This is not an affiliate link. No links on this site are affiliate links intentionally (that is I might copy it and paste it without my knowledge). I paste in links without actually linking to many sites so that I don't have a lot of outbound links causing my rank to be affected.
Ahh, so now you know why you have to copy and paste a lot of the links I share.
I personally take a lot of D since I moved from the tropics, Florida, to Northern California where it's been overcast a lot. The improvement took about 1-2 days to see a much better attitude. It was astounding how bleak life was. It's still not as good as it used to be with real sunshine. However, since I am troubleshooting diets lately I figured that my blahness might also be related to the lack of the lavash bread that I used eat in FL. I would eat kale, tofu scramble and lavash and literally drop 2-5 lbs a week! That and some Vega too. It was great and I felt really terriffic. This lavash bread in Tampa is 22 carbs, 20 fiber (net 2 carbs) and I love it. There is nothing like it here. I really like bread, so I've been eating regular low calorie egg/milk free bread. And not only have I put on weight, I am more grumpy and sleepy after a meal with some of that bread. So rather than feel that way, I ordered a lot of lavash to be shipped across country. I know it's not eco-friendly, but I'm getting chubbier by the minute and so WTF. I will learn how to make it myself. I will also bring a lot back in January when I go to FL.
I am going to order a home D test to check my levels and wanted to share this with you:
http://www.zrtlab.com/vitamindcouncil/home-mainmenu-1.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=4&category_id=1
This is not an affiliate link. No links on this site are affiliate links intentionally (that is I might copy it and paste it without my knowledge). I paste in links without actually linking to many sites so that I don't have a lot of outbound links causing my rank to be affected.
Ahh, so now you know why you have to copy and paste a lot of the links I share.
I personally take a lot of D since I moved from the tropics, Florida, to Northern California where it's been overcast a lot. The improvement took about 1-2 days to see a much better attitude. It was astounding how bleak life was. It's still not as good as it used to be with real sunshine. However, since I am troubleshooting diets lately I figured that my blahness might also be related to the lack of the lavash bread that I used eat in FL. I would eat kale, tofu scramble and lavash and literally drop 2-5 lbs a week! That and some Vega too. It was great and I felt really terriffic. This lavash bread in Tampa is 22 carbs, 20 fiber (net 2 carbs) and I love it. There is nothing like it here. I really like bread, so I've been eating regular low calorie egg/milk free bread. And not only have I put on weight, I am more grumpy and sleepy after a meal with some of that bread. So rather than feel that way, I ordered a lot of lavash to be shipped across country. I know it's not eco-friendly, but I'm getting chubbier by the minute and so WTF. I will learn how to make it myself. I will also bring a lot back in January when I go to FL.
Quinoa Oh How I Love Thee
How to cook quinoa: http://vegangoodeats.com/2010/04/quinoa-101-red-white-and-black/
Be inspired by this wonderful loaf recipe: http://vegangoodeats.com/2010/04/quinoa-104-american-comfort-food-quinoa-wild-mushroom-spinach-loaf-with-cashew-gravy/
I made the loaf for Thanksgiving and it was the tastiest loaf ever! I subbed with sauteed fresh spinach and I also used oil free sun dried tomatoes but added olive oil and brushed the top with the olive oil. Since it's safe to taste the raw, uncooked loaf, I spice it up as needed with more cumin or garlic or whatever.
Most quinoa preparation recipes, especially the one on whole foods, makes a mushy mess. The the one on this guy's site is da bomb. I changed it slightly though. Instead of using veggie broth or water, I used water and 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast when preparing the red quinoa. I would have eaten it all out of the pot, but I used some self restraint.
And, instead of the gravy recipe he has, which looks mighty fine, I made a gravy out of whipped northern white beans, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, one small drop or two of hickory smoke, and garlic along with nutritional yeast, olive oil, and 1 tsp of better than bullion vegan beefless base and water. I sometimes use arrow root to thicken my gravy, but the beans do the trick most of the time.
This was the second Thanksgiving dinner, about a week later. The first one is where I met the dentally challenged children. Ahhh.
Be inspired by this wonderful loaf recipe: http://vegangoodeats.com/2010/04/quinoa-104-american-comfort-food-quinoa-wild-mushroom-spinach-loaf-with-cashew-gravy/
I made the loaf for Thanksgiving and it was the tastiest loaf ever! I subbed with sauteed fresh spinach and I also used oil free sun dried tomatoes but added olive oil and brushed the top with the olive oil. Since it's safe to taste the raw, uncooked loaf, I spice it up as needed with more cumin or garlic or whatever.
Most quinoa preparation recipes, especially the one on whole foods, makes a mushy mess. The the one on this guy's site is da bomb. I changed it slightly though. Instead of using veggie broth or water, I used water and 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast when preparing the red quinoa. I would have eaten it all out of the pot, but I used some self restraint.
And, instead of the gravy recipe he has, which looks mighty fine, I made a gravy out of whipped northern white beans, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, one small drop or two of hickory smoke, and garlic along with nutritional yeast, olive oil, and 1 tsp of better than bullion vegan beefless base and water. I sometimes use arrow root to thicken my gravy, but the beans do the trick most of the time.
This was the second Thanksgiving dinner, about a week later. The first one is where I met the dentally challenged children. Ahhh.
The link between low cholesterol and cancer, depression, anxiety
Here's some links regarding the link between low cholesterol and cancer, depression, anxiety, and preterm birth and low birth weight if your cholesterol is low while you're pregnant.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol-level/AN01394
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/152/3/419
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/138557.php
http://www.heart-disease-bypass-surgery.com/data/articles/130.htm
Some may cover the same, paltry research on this topic. Feel free to send me your links.
I was inspired today to post this because of a comment on JackNorrisRD.com. One commenter related that I took it as a personal affront when I encouraged that guy, via his own blog, to read what I had wrote about the need for cholesterol in some people. He refused because it wasn't peer reviewed scientific stuff. If I had taken it personally, I would have persisted. Instead, I just moved on after I made a witty remark about how that guy's screen name/handle is similar to his attitude. I was just pointing out irony. Geesh.
You see, whether you are a vegan, an omni, or a follower of some cult leader in Texas, if you don't think for yourself you are a waste of my time.
His perspective is that he would read about the need for higher cholesterol levels in some people once it made its way down from on high through the scientific community.
That is an interesting perspective, and one that will never likely happen, here's why:
In one corner we have Big Pharma happily doling out the statins* and when those statins patten's expire they will subject more animals to painful tests and start again. Those are nice, laid back folks those Big Pharma peeps, they never, ever influence policy or pay for research.
In the other corner we have Big AG happily doling out the dead beings pumped with antibiotics (from Big Pharma) and other disgusting things. Those are nice, laid back folks those Big AG peeps, they never, ever influence policy or pay for research or become members of non-profit organizations.
Nearly all of the medical community agrees: saturated fat and cholesterol from animal sources is the #1 reason why there's a high rate of heart disease.
So eat your meat. Take your pills. Watch some guy rant on TV. Get stressed out. Take more pills. Eat some sweets. Die.
Cholesterol need not be dietary. There's some stuff in the WAPF doctrine that you must eat meat and get dietary cholesterol, but that's just wacked IMO. You can raise your own good and bad cholesterol levels with different types of fats. However, there is a genetic disorder called SLOS and people with that require synthetic or dietary cholesterol. It's estimated that 1 in 30 people are carriers of SLOS (that's a lot of people). Is there a vegan geneticist in the house? A magic 8 ball?
In the meantime you've got people on a low fat vegan diet thinking they are doing the right thing by their family. After all this perfect, precious, healthy diet has been filtered down from on high. It's a no-brainer. Right.
Then they get sick and their teeth decay.
Not everyone can have a cholesterol levels of around 100 of the plant mostly diet of the Asians. They are Asians. Check out a healthy German, what are his or her levels? I don't know. But a question like that is not something to dismiss.
Some people like Sarah Palin and some people like Dennis Kucinich.
We are all different.
I like Dennis.
Special thanks goes out to the dude who didn't visit this blog and the reasons why. You are inspirational!
* Statins lower cholesterol and it would harm business if there was a bunch of publicity about how low cholesterol may be harmful to some.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100630121130.htm
New Insights Into Link Between Anti-Cholesterol Statin Drugs and Depression
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholesterol-level/AN01394
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/152/3/419
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/138557.php
http://www.heart-disease-bypass-surgery.com/data/articles/130.htm
Some may cover the same, paltry research on this topic. Feel free to send me your links.
I was inspired today to post this because of a comment on JackNorrisRD.com. One commenter related that I took it as a personal affront when I encouraged that guy, via his own blog, to read what I had wrote about the need for cholesterol in some people. He refused because it wasn't peer reviewed scientific stuff. If I had taken it personally, I would have persisted. Instead, I just moved on after I made a witty remark about how that guy's screen name/handle is similar to his attitude. I was just pointing out irony. Geesh.
You see, whether you are a vegan, an omni, or a follower of some cult leader in Texas, if you don't think for yourself you are a waste of my time.
His perspective is that he would read about the need for higher cholesterol levels in some people once it made its way down from on high through the scientific community.
That is an interesting perspective, and one that will never likely happen, here's why:
In one corner we have Big Pharma happily doling out the statins* and when those statins patten's expire they will subject more animals to painful tests and start again. Those are nice, laid back folks those Big Pharma peeps, they never, ever influence policy or pay for research.
In the other corner we have Big AG happily doling out the dead beings pumped with antibiotics (from Big Pharma) and other disgusting things. Those are nice, laid back folks those Big AG peeps, they never, ever influence policy or pay for research or become members of non-profit organizations.
Nearly all of the medical community agrees: saturated fat and cholesterol from animal sources is the #1 reason why there's a high rate of heart disease.
So eat your meat. Take your pills. Watch some guy rant on TV. Get stressed out. Take more pills. Eat some sweets. Die.
Cholesterol need not be dietary. There's some stuff in the WAPF doctrine that you must eat meat and get dietary cholesterol, but that's just wacked IMO. You can raise your own good and bad cholesterol levels with different types of fats. However, there is a genetic disorder called SLOS and people with that require synthetic or dietary cholesterol. It's estimated that 1 in 30 people are carriers of SLOS (that's a lot of people). Is there a vegan geneticist in the house? A magic 8 ball?
In the meantime you've got people on a low fat vegan diet thinking they are doing the right thing by their family. After all this perfect, precious, healthy diet has been filtered down from on high. It's a no-brainer. Right.
Then they get sick and their teeth decay.
Not everyone can have a cholesterol levels of around 100 of the plant mostly diet of the Asians. They are Asians. Check out a healthy German, what are his or her levels? I don't know. But a question like that is not something to dismiss.
Some people like Sarah Palin and some people like Dennis Kucinich.
We are all different.
I like Dennis.
Special thanks goes out to the dude who didn't visit this blog and the reasons why. You are inspirational!
* Statins lower cholesterol and it would harm business if there was a bunch of publicity about how low cholesterol may be harmful to some.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100630121130.htm
New Insights Into Link Between Anti-Cholesterol Statin Drugs and Depression
Fat is where it's at: an interesting comment on Lierre Keith's Vegetarian Myth book
So I'm at Lierre Keith's site and head on over to Amazon to look at the comments and what do I find but this:
It's amazing that such a simple thing such as fat in your otherwise balanced and colorful vegan diet could prevent such an avalanche of health issues. If you eat low fat vegan, you ARE doing it wrong! You don't have to go crazy with the fats, but you need to add it to your salads and greens to get the optimal absorption of nutrients. Plus, add a little to your green smoothie. If you recall the page of healthy vegan kids and their families a few posts back one child loves coconut milk!
Read this whole site or search for "fat" or "fats" in the search bar, when I have time to organize, hopefully I'll have a ton of links on why some fat is good for you, even a little or a little bit more than a little. You have to discern for yourself.
If you are a heart patient see a doc. This site is intended for otherwise healthy people who are not experiencing "hardening of the arteries" as my Momma says. Please visit VeganHealth.org for healthy vegan diets.
By Joan Howe "joanhello" (Northampton MA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability (Paperback)
The author interweaves her deepening political and environmental understanding - looking at the whole picture and realizing that pretty much everything in the supermarket, not just the meat, is produced by methods that make the world a crueler, more polluted and, worst of all, less sustainable place, and that to avoid contributing to the problem calls for much more radical solutions than merely leaving the animal products out of your diet - with her own story of worsening health on a vegan diet followed by recovery when she began to eat meat again. This is where my first caveat comes up: she implies, without coming right out and saying, that her vegan diet was also a low-fat diet. I have also been vegan for long periods of my life (although never the decades that she logged) and it was only during the last one, from 2004-2006, that I experienced the slight beginnings of the back problems she describes. No coincidence: that was the one where I went low-fat as well as vegan and actually lost my ability to digest fat. Fortunately I got an accurate diagnosis promptly, got nutritional therapy to regain my ability to digest fat, and lost the back pain within a year. In the latter half of her Nutritional Vegetarianism chapter, she devotes several pages to challenging the demonization of dietary fat by the mainstream medical community. Nevertheless, she continues to attribute her health problems mainly to lack of meat rather than lack of fat.
It's amazing that such a simple thing such as fat in your otherwise balanced and colorful vegan diet could prevent such an avalanche of health issues. If you eat low fat vegan, you ARE doing it wrong! You don't have to go crazy with the fats, but you need to add it to your salads and greens to get the optimal absorption of nutrients. Plus, add a little to your green smoothie. If you recall the page of healthy vegan kids and their families a few posts back one child loves coconut milk!
Read this whole site or search for "fat" or "fats" in the search bar, when I have time to organize, hopefully I'll have a ton of links on why some fat is good for you, even a little or a little bit more than a little. You have to discern for yourself.
If you are a heart patient see a doc. This site is intended for otherwise healthy people who are not experiencing "hardening of the arteries" as my Momma says. Please visit VeganHealth.org for healthy vegan diets.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Vitamin K2, Saturated Fat and Other Fats, Unhealthy Gut Flora - Major Components Missing In a Healthy Vegan Diet
When I found that forum post regarding the tooth protocol from Weston Price, as well as reading tons and tons of stories and health articles, it lead me to hypothesise that many vegan health failures stem from these main issues:
1. Unhealthy gut flora or some other intestinal problem which is preventing the absorption of nutrients (which could be as simple as a lack of fat eaten with the food and lack of fat or low fat in the diet, specifically saturated fat*)
2. Lack of oil eaten with the dark leafy greens (which if you don't eat oil with your greens and other food, you can't get the ideal amount of nutrients from them)
3. Too little fat, and saturated fat, in the diet (Yes, I know I've repeated myself.)
4. Not converting K1 to K2
5. Not getting enough of D and calcium, or getting enough, but no K2 which would not do the teeth and bones (or the entire body) any good.
*If you see the healthy vegans and babies a few posts back, did you notice the coconut? I did.
You'll have to read most of the posts on this blog to follow along with the background on these points, I don't want to reiterate all the stuff I've covered over again.
Dr. William Davis, MD wrote about K2 and some of the research: Food sources of vitamin K2. When you read this, and I suggest you read it several times, you'll see how K2 plays a VITAL role in our health and why lack of it (when all other components are there as far as vitamins and minerals from veggies) will make you one unhealthy vegan.
You can get K2 from a supplement or from yucky natto. Yes, there is natto supplements but there's no mention of whether or not K2 is in those supplements, they just talk about enzymes on the bottle (I just went to the health food store). As you can see from the study at that link, you can increase your absorption of K1 and turn it into K2 by adding fat/oil in your kale salad and I would suggest probiotics because your intestines, to put it frankly, might suck. But to be safe, if you are experiencing any teeth issues, please consider taking a supplement or learning to love natto. You can get the supplement it at Pangea, a very popular vegan shop!
Whatever diet you're on, be sure that you get K2: Vegan K2
Now, I would not get all up in arms and start downing K2. There's got to be a way of checking your levels. If you are a heart patient, go to your doctor.
1. Unhealthy gut flora or some other intestinal problem which is preventing the absorption of nutrients (which could be as simple as a lack of fat eaten with the food and lack of fat or low fat in the diet, specifically saturated fat*)
2. Lack of oil eaten with the dark leafy greens (which if you don't eat oil with your greens and other food, you can't get the ideal amount of nutrients from them)
3. Too little fat, and saturated fat, in the diet (Yes, I know I've repeated myself.)
4. Not converting K1 to K2
5. Not getting enough of D and calcium, or getting enough, but no K2 which would not do the teeth and bones (or the entire body) any good.
*If you see the healthy vegans and babies a few posts back, did you notice the coconut? I did.
You'll have to read most of the posts on this blog to follow along with the background on these points, I don't want to reiterate all the stuff I've covered over again.
Fat-soluble vitamins are responsible for mineral transport and delivery so intake of vitamin A, D and K as well as saturated fat are necessary. You see you can eat all the calcium you want and it will never get into your blood without A and D. And it will never get out of your blood and into your bones and teeth without vitamin K2. (Activator X turns out to be K2)
Vitamin K2 in particular can significantly lower bacterial count in your mouth, but it can also change your saliva from phosphorous taking to phosphorous bearing. See source at VegSoc Australia
Dr. William Davis, MD wrote about K2 and some of the research: Food sources of vitamin K2. When you read this, and I suggest you read it several times, you'll see how K2 plays a VITAL role in our health and why lack of it (when all other components are there as far as vitamins and minerals from veggies) will make you one unhealthy vegan.
Another interesting fact: Since mammals synthesize a small quantity of Vit K2 forms from vitamin K1, then eating lots of green vegetables should provide substrate for some quantity of K2 conversion. However, work by Schurgers et al have shown that K1 absorption is poor, no more than 10%, but increases significantly when vegetables are eaten in the presence of oils. (Thus arguing that oils are meant to be part of the human diet. Does your olive oil or oil-based salad dressing represent fulfillment of some subconscious biologic imperative?)
--The MK-4 form of vitamin K2 [animal derived] is short-lived, lasting only 3-4 hours in the body. The MK-7 form, in contrast, the form in natto, lasts several days. MK-7 and MK-8-10 [natto derived] are extremely well absorbed, virtually complete.
You can get K2 from a supplement or from yucky natto. Yes, there is natto supplements but there's no mention of whether or not K2 is in those supplements, they just talk about enzymes on the bottle (I just went to the health food store). As you can see from the study at that link, you can increase your absorption of K1 and turn it into K2 by adding fat/oil in your kale salad and I would suggest probiotics because your intestines, to put it frankly, might suck. But to be safe, if you are experiencing any teeth issues, please consider taking a supplement or learning to love natto. You can get the supplement it at Pangea, a very popular vegan shop!
Whatever diet you're on, be sure that you get K2: Vegan K2
Now, I would not get all up in arms and start downing K2. There's got to be a way of checking your levels. If you are a heart patient, go to your doctor.
Anyone want to help me write up a questionnaire for vegans about their teeth?
I don't want to give the impression that there's a whole bunch of vegans with tooth decay. That is not the case. There is an alarming amount of them, though. The link at the end of this post is a mom at mothering.com asking about healthy vegan teeth. She gets a lot of answers from vegans with good teeth, teeth improvements, but not much detail.
Where do you live?
Do you go outside much?
What supplements do take and how much and how often?
What do you eat consistently?
These are the kind of questions I need. I want them really detailed.
I got my best dental reports last year (actually I can't recall having a cavity in recent years, only childhood ones needed refilling) when I became a kaletarian, that is I ate cooked and raw kale a lot. My intestines work great and they are even better now with the probiotics. Kale has lots of K. But eating it and absorbing it are two different things for many people, the ones with the teeth issues. So this questionnaire would be like trouble shooting to see what people are doing right and doing wrong.
I think some of the health issues can be pin pointed to lack of fat or saturated fat in the diet. I don't shy from coconut and coconut ice cream or sauces with coconut in them.
On an ex-vegan blogLetThemEatMeat.com, Jack Norris, RD of VeganHealth.org and Vegan Outreach said: “Saturated fat can help boost cholesterol and steroid hormone levels if they are low and can improve sex drive – I know of one person who went this route and got his sex drive back.”
This is good because I'm a newly wed! Saturated fat may also help the body take the nutrients from plants too, I have to read more about it. To dismiss the work of a decent guy like Weston Price, who is not like the foundation in his name, is really close minded.
Visit this page: http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1214954/anyone-a-vegan-and-have-healthy-teeth
Plus, we may very well do better on K2. Natto here I come or a supplement...
Where do you live?
Do you go outside much?
What supplements do take and how much and how often?
What do you eat consistently?
These are the kind of questions I need. I want them really detailed.
I got my best dental reports last year (actually I can't recall having a cavity in recent years, only childhood ones needed refilling) when I became a kaletarian, that is I ate cooked and raw kale a lot. My intestines work great and they are even better now with the probiotics. Kale has lots of K. But eating it and absorbing it are two different things for many people, the ones with the teeth issues. So this questionnaire would be like trouble shooting to see what people are doing right and doing wrong.
I think some of the health issues can be pin pointed to lack of fat or saturated fat in the diet. I don't shy from coconut and coconut ice cream or sauces with coconut in them.
On an ex-vegan blogLetThemEatMeat.com, Jack Norris, RD of VeganHealth.org and Vegan Outreach said: “Saturated fat can help boost cholesterol and steroid hormone levels if they are low and can improve sex drive – I know of one person who went this route and got his sex drive back.”
This is good because I'm a newly wed! Saturated fat may also help the body take the nutrients from plants too, I have to read more about it. To dismiss the work of a decent guy like Weston Price, who is not like the foundation in his name, is really close minded.
Visit this page: http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1214954/anyone-a-vegan-and-have-healthy-teeth
Plus, we may very well do better on K2. Natto here I come or a supplement...
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