You May Have Grandma’s Genes But Not Her Environment

What a month! The Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup and I traveled to Sweden as part of my Master’s program at the University of Pennsylvania.

But, before we go into more details, here are some updates.

I’m now on Facebook and Twitter. Find Ingredients for Inspired Living here and Twitter here. You’ll receive great recipes, news, and information to help you stay inspired and healthy.

I’m also offering my first Lounge and Learn teleclass on July 13 on how to transition into a gluten-free lifestyle. If you suffer from any kind of inflammation, high-cholesterol (read here how one of my clients dropped 4 dress sizes and her cholesterol 96 points from going gluten-free), stubborn weight loss or digestive problems, you should consider calling in to learn how reducing or eliminating gluten from your diet can dramatically improve your health. All the details are here, along with my latest NBC clip where I give an overview of gluten.

Due to a narrowing food supply and environmental stresses, gluten sensitivities are sharply on the rise. In Sweden, I studied their progressive (and no, it’s not socialist!) healthcare system and their environmental leadership. I observed how by protecting their environment, their health challenges are not at severe as what we face here in the United States.

During my travels, I was also reading The Secret History of the War on Cancer by Dr. Devra Davis. It’s a worthwhile read for anyone looking for common sense answers (backed by hundreds of pages of research) to the “Big C.” The issue has never been what causes cancer, but how to create confusion around this disease that allows companies to continue to pollute the environment and profit from their cancer-causing products (from cigarettes to artificial sweeteners).

All of this was occurring during the Pen’s incredible Stanley Cup win. This victory brought me back to the last time the Pen’s won the Stanley Cup in 1992 and I was receiving my first round of chemo. Part of what contributed to my cancer was pesticide poisoning and while it’s not surprising, it’s still sad, how little progress has been made in 17 years to clean up our environment from these carcinogens. Part of healing from trauma is using our experiences constructively and so I’m heightening my commitment to the environment; I hope this newsletter will give you some ideas on how you can too.

The seemingly disparate events above come together this month to debunk Myth #2: Grandma got away with eating and drinking what she wanted, smoked, and lived to be 90 and so should I. You see, when Grandma was growing up, her environment was much cleaner and safer. When Grandma was growing up:

There weren’t 5,000-plus untested chemicals floating around in her water or air.

The EPA, FDA, NCI, and NIH weren’t filled with “leaders” from chemical, food, and drug companies. This means there wasn’t chemotherapy waste or PCBs in her water and artificial sweeteners at her table (proven carcinogens made legal thanks to Donald Rumsfeld’s inside connections – check out The Secret History of the War on Cancer for all the details).

There wasn’t a sea of radiation from cell phones, wireless connections, and medical tests like CT Scans

The soil—from which she ate real, not processed food—was less polluted and thus richer, making food more nutritious

Sweets were a big treat and often available only on special occasions and in small portions.

Food intake wasn’t as narrow as ours with the base of most people’s diets coming from soy, corn or wheat.

She walked up the hill (both ways) on her way to school, thus getting in more movement. And with that walk, was there ever a mention of a 64 ounce diet soda, Slurpee or Oreos? No, because our food supply has changed more in the last 50 years than the previous 10,000!

She had a sense of community from her family and church/temple being nearby, which reduced isolation and loneliness.

All of the above culminates in a less invaded and thus much stronger immune system. And, when you’re strong, you can get away with more. Today, being strong involves standing up to special interests in order create an environment conducive to a healthy life for kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews and ourselves.

As Peter Hawken said in his inspiring commencement speech, “You are brilliant and the earth is hiring.” Here are 10 ways you can make a difference in your health and clean up the environment right now:

1.    Shop at your local farmer’s markets. (Philadelphia locations can be found here and locations in other cities are just an internet search away. Shopping at these markets cuts down on pesticide and herbicide use as well as green house gases from shipping your food across the country.
2.    Replace meat once a week with a vegetarian option like Portobello mushrooms. You’ll reduce your green house gas emissions by 700 lbs per year and save the amount of water it would take for a four-hour shower – each week!
3.    Go see Food, Inc. and take two friends who aren’t as food savvy as you.
4.    Support organic whenever possible. To learn about all the chemicals on and in your food, click here
5.    Stop buying bottled water. The plastic is destroying the environment and you’re getting scammed. Bottled water isn’t always regulated nearly as closely as tap water. I use an Aquasuana home-filter and use a Sigg bottle. Perfect solution.
6.    Investigate your skin care products here to see how toxic they are for you and the environment and then use the database to find better choices.
7.    Support organizations that are focused on disease prevention through healthy living and environmental stewardship. The Environmental Working Group or Organic Consumer Association are some great options.
8.    Figure out your carbon footprint here and then shrink that foot!
9.    Next time you read an article attacking common sense of complimentary medicine (like Newsweek’s recent article on Oprah), follow the political and money trail. And don’t just resign to being cynical, write an op-ed or support independent publications. There are amazing people doing amazing work out here. Go find them!
10.    Spend your time in nature versus destroying it. We aren’t off the hook simply because we buy a canvas grocery bag. Shop and consume less and be in nature more. You’ll be inspired and reminded of what a beautiful world we are renting. If you do this, the desire to tread more lightly will become part of your nature.

That’s all folks. I’m headed to the beach (on public transportation!) for some rejuvenation. Thanks, Mother Nature – what would we do without you? If we start making smart choices, we’ll never have to find out.

Be Well,

Ali

Food Inc. Opens In Philadelphia

If you care about anything in life, go see Food Inc.This movie will show you how every bite makes an impact on your health, the environment, animals, human rights and happiness. Food touches all aspects of our lives and now, our very lives depend upon us making better choices.

This film is like Omnivore’s Dilemma on the big screen and a great reminder to keep shopping at farmers markets and putting your health and in effect, everything that matters to you, a top priority. I love getting the most bang for my buck and that’s what you do every time you vote with your food choices. When you support local farmers, you vote for your health, your families health, a cleaner environment, everyone’s access to human rights, animal rights and your national safety. What a deal!

For more info and showtimes for Philly, click here

C.O’s On-the-Go Gluten Free Life: 4 Dress Size and 96 Point Cholesterol Drop!

When I first met with Ali, it was an emergency situation. At 26, my cholesterol was over 280 points, my triglycerides were out of control, and I was 40 pounds overweight. I had stomach problems, migraines, and a variety of other issues. I had seen doctor after doctor, but none could give me an explanation or relief.

Ali almost immediately recognized a pattern in my symptoms and suggested I try cutting gluten out of my diet for 2 weeks. Since I eat out for pretty much every meal every day, it was hard at first. But then I started to feel better, and I realized I had a lot of food options. After 3 months I had gone completely gluten-free, and I never felt better. I dropped 4 dress sizes and 96 points from my cholesterol with just that and some exercise. Now I don’t even go near anything with gluten and I feel great. I’m an entirely new person who looks forward to eating, buying clothes, and living a healthy life – all thanks to Ali!

~ C.O., Philadelphia, PA

Dishing on the radish

Radishes are always something I’ve seen at the grocery store but never had a desire to try. I’ve eaten them in salads but never cooked with them. I try to cook with a new food every month so I finally brought this interesting vegetable into my home.

I’m not in love with the radish. It’s OK (kind of like the nice girl or guy at the office or gym – nice is OK but if that’s all they got, there’s more interesting people to learn from) but not up there with so many of the other vegetables I love.

But, radishes are rich in the bone building vitamins such as calcium and magnesium and help stave off muscle cramps with their potassium. And for good measure, loads of vitamin C to help bolster immunity. They taste really great paired with other yummy vegetables in recipes. Check out next Thursday for a great Fourth of July recipe for a summer slaw recipe great for a cook-out. It’s one of my favorites.

Fun radish fact:

Citizens of Oaxaca, Mexico celebrate the radish in a festival called Noche de los Rábanos (Night of the Radishes) on December 23 as a part of Christmas celebrations. Locals carve religious and popular figures out of radishes and display them in the town square.

Soy: Or as we say in Pittsburgh Double Yoi!

Myron Cope, the internationally famous Steeler announcer, used to famously use the Yiddish term “Yoi” (to all non-Pittsburghers this roughly translates into “Wow”) and on special occasions “Double Yoi” to exclaim a remarkable, unbelievable Steeler play.

Growing up in a Pittsburgh suburb with a population of 45,000 and some change, I was maybe one of four Jewish kids (and even I was half-Catholic at the time).  And along with my sister, probably the only kids in our neighborhood not at church on Sundays.

This unscientific but probable ratio, reflects the city as a whole. So to think about how a somewhat conservative Christian town rallied around a Jewish guy and his Yiddish expressions tells me two things: life is ironic and the Steelers can bring anyone together.

The ironic part certainly reflects the history of soy. In its purest form, soy is a health food. By pure I mean its natural state like edamame, tofu or miso soup. But when it starts getting genetically modified (which most non-organic soy is), reconfigured into fake meats, stuffed into candy bars masquerading as health bars and even processed into soy milk (traditional Asian cultures make soy milk much differently than Big Food companies), it’s just not the same.

It’s kind of like someone trying to impersonate Myron. It just doesn’t work because you don’t get the full effect.

Yes that’s right, soy milk isn’t a health food. Soy Vey! Too much of any food (minus those leafy greens!) is bad news. Soy is in so much of what we already eat these days: soybean oil, soybeans fed animals, and soy filler in many processed foods. Eating it in other funky forms that are difficult to digest like tofurky and soy chips taxes your digestive system and can cause a range of health problems (irregular bowels, inflammation, allergies, etc.)

Many foods take this same fate and the story of soy reflects what’s happening to many foods being gobbled up by Big Food companies and turned into products. For example, the most famous soy milk brand Silk, was started by a pioneering guy who used 100% organic soy beans purchased from U.S. farmers. Organic soybeans cannot be genetically modified which makes them better than their conventional counterparts.

Eventually, Silk was sold to Dean Foods, the same company that owns Horizon “Organic” and is now making its soy milk from soybeans imported from China. According to the Cornicopia Institute, “Dean Foods reformulated their Silk product line changing almost all their products over to “natural” (conventional) soybeans. They did this, quietly, without telling retailers or changing the UPC code numbers on the products. Many retailers reported that they didn’t find out until their customers noticed and complained.” To get the full report, click here

Even if you don’t care about the health benefits of organic, you probably care about getting ripped off. The interesting thing is that Dean Foods didn’t pass their savings onto you, but rather raised the price of your original organic soy milk and changing the taste of your original purchase.

And this isn’t their first offense. Horizon “Organic” has been boycotted by the Organic Consumer Association for not adhering to the legal definition of organic. Yes, despite the packaging there is no happy cow and certain “leadership” teams of your Big Food companies are contributing to rising cancer rates, environmental degradation and the subsequent health problems associated with a toxic environment. I’d love to hear that boardroom conversation!

Myron would give this the rare Triple Yoi.

But here’s the Hail Mary: Eat food, not products, and touchdown! It’s much simpler than deciphering Myron’s voice when he got excited.

Remember this: there’s a lot of profit in confusion. But with a little common sense and some well-documented history, there’s no debate over what’s always been good for the body and soul – whole foods and Steeler Football with some Myron on the side.

The Mover: your new favorite summer slaw

Once you try this recipe, you’ll understand why it’s called the Mover. With a bunch of ruffage goodness and apple cider vinegar to help with digestion, you’ll be feeling as light as summer.

I love this recipe because it will last all week.

Summer Slaw, aka the Mover

½ head of green cabbage, shredded
½ head of red cabbage, shredded
½ cup radishes, sliced or shredded
½ bag of shredded carrots
2 apples, chopped
2 pears, chopped
½ cup walnuts
1/8 cup olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 T agave nectar
Salt and pepper to taste

Put cabbages, radishes, carrots, apples, pear and walnuts in a large bowl.
In a bowl, mix olive oil, apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, salt and pepper.
Toss dressing over vegetables and fruit and let chill overnight.

Feta Cucumber Mint Salad

MMMM….life must be good if healthy foods like this salad can taste so great. I love win-win scenarios!

This is great to take out to a summer BBQ or just enjoy for yourself when you need something to cool and refresh.

Feta Cucumber Mint Salad
Time: 15 minutes

2 cucumbers
6 ounces of organic Feta cheese crumbles
1/4 cup Packed mint leaves chopped
1/2 Lemon, zested
2T of olive oil
4 T of lemon juice
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions

Slice cumber in half and then into quarters.
Mix with feta, mint and lemon zest.
Place oil, lemon juice, and good pinch of salt in a glass jar.
Close and shake well.
Pour oil and lemon juice over other ingredients, grind on some pepper, and toss lightly to coat.

Serve immediately.

If you are taking this to a friend’s picnic, add the lemon juice and olive oil right before serving. Stay tuned Monday to learn how to make sure your grilling the best way for your body. Interesting stuff!

Food Spotlight: Mint

Mint is growing like wild here in Eastern PA. For anyone who grows it, they’ll tell you it’s a bit unruly in that it just grows and grows and grows.

Mint is a close relative of spearmint and peppermint. It is great for digestion as it helps calm those internal nerves. (For more information on eating to beat stress, click here) It also is a great breathe freshener and wakes up the senses.

One of the easiest ways to get mint into your diet is to put it in your drinking water or try the dressing recipe from last week. It flavors everything quite nicely while giving you a refreshing lift. It also tastes great sprinkled into salads…stay tuned next Thursday for a mint-salad recipe.

Fun Fact: It’s believed that mint was brought over to America from England by the Pilgrims. The Greeks also used it in their baths to stimulate their bodies.

Giving Meat a Better “Wrap” at your summer BBQ

More times than not, when I tell people I do nutritional counseling, the ask if I’m a vegetarian, assuming vegetarians are healthier. Nope! I would prefer to be but my body needs meat…quality meat. Not a lot, but some.

Meat tends to get a bad wrap because the majority of studies done on it are done on conventionally raised animals, who, because of what they are fed and the conditions they are raised in, are much fattier than their free-ranging counterparts. Grass-fed, organic animals have Omega 3s and can help balance blood sugar for those who eat an over abundance of refined carbs and sugar. Also, when meat is grilled, it does contain carcinogens which are known to cause cancer.

I water boil my meat because I hate doing dishes and it makes it easier to clean the pan when there is no crusty residue. But it’s also a lot healthier.

However, it’s grilling season and no one wants to be “that girl” at the BBQ asking for their meat to be baked not grilled – and who doesn’t love to relax and eat BBQ food (I know, vegans hate me right now).

But new research shows that by adding rosemary or Thai spices (curry, cumin, chili peppers), which contain high anti-oxidant levels, you can inhibit some of the carcinogens effects (about 61-79% for rosemary and 40-43% for Thai spices). So wrap your meat in some tasty spices for an extra kick.

Certain meats produce less carcinogens and even spices like cinnamon and cocoa help but rosemary and Thai seem to be more popular for grilling season. But for those more adventurous, remember to try these spices at home too.

Check out this article to give you are more in-depth analysis.  And now when you fire up the grill, you can fuel your body in a healthier way. Now how to light that grill safely is up to you!

Lemon Mint Salad Dressing Recipe

It’s salad season, which means it’s time for dressing up! This recipe tastes great over some arugula mixed with spring mix. Check this Wednesday’s post for more info on arugula.

I recently had this amazing Lemon Mint dressing in Lancaster, PA. If you are ever there, go to Prince’s Cafe. They have great local food. I believe it is the local yogurt that is the secret ingredient in this dressing.

I loved the dressing so much I asked for the recipe and being the friendly place Lancaster is, they gave it to me.

So here it is for you. Compliments of the Prince Street Cafe in Lancaster:

Lemon Mint Dressing

1 cup local yogurt
2 T of honey
1/8 cup of fresh mint
1/8 cup of fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
dash of pepper
Lemon zest

Mix it all together. Yum!

Hope this wets your appetite. On Monday I posted on how to make sure all your dressings are as healthy as this one, the benefits of mint and more. Keep reading.