BeanDiet

Americans seem more prone to guilt than other cultures. Especially when it comes to what we eat. Why is it that people in France and Italy get to eat rich, delicious foods, don't obsess, and are healthier and thinner than most Americans? (And please, don't tell me it's solely because Europeans walk more than Americans, because, while it is true, Americans work out obsessively - Europeans not so much.)

I think the key might be eating more foods we love. And it's not just me: studies show that people who consume dark chocolate, wine (red AND white), tea, and coffee tend to be healthier than those who abstain. Not to mention that coffee consumption has been shown to ward off depression in several studies.

Harvard researchers recently published an article in which they reviewed no less than 24 previous studies investigating the relationship between dark chocolate (or cocoa) and "cardioprotective" effects. Studies showed cocoa, often known as cocao, consumption significantly improves blood pressure, insulin resistance, lipid profiles, and flow-mediated vascular dilation (FMD). Specifically, people who consumed more dark, cocao-containing chocolate had lower LDL (bad) cholesterol, higher HDL (good) cholesterol, as well as better blood circulation, significantly reducing risk of heart attack and stroke. (Read the Journal of Nutrition study abstract here.)

While flow-mediated vascular dilation sounds unfamiliar, it is a way to describe blood flow and circulation throughout the body. Better circulation means more oxygen and nutrient flow to the brain, making us more alert and more likely to have a better memory over the long run. It also means more oxygen to the joint tissues, and thus less likelihood of joint pain. And of course, we can't disregard the importance of blood flow to the reproductive organs, meaning a significantly reduced risk of impotence. Finally, better blood flow to the parts of the body that produce white blood cells result in a stronger immunity to disease, such as cancer.

Flavonoids, the same compounds found in dark chocolate, coffee, tea, and wine, are also found at high levels in berries and grapes.

Maybe you haven't heard of this movie, but it's incredibly informative, inspirational, and just plain riveting -- and yes, it's all about how our diet either causes disease or prevents and reverses chronic illness. Even though I had read it all before, I couldn't stop watching!

Best yet: it's a movie you can stream on Netflix! Please watch it and let me hear your thoughts! It's called Forks Over Knives.

My favorite (paraphrased) quote from a heart surgeon interviewed in the movie:

"Some people say the plant-based diet I propose to prevent and reverse heart disease is 'extreme.'" Do you know what's really extreme? Cutting open a person's chest cavity and leg, removing blood vessels from the leg to transplant near the heart (a cardiac bypass)."

Sometimes we forget that what's "common" is actually quite extreme!

This article published in the Sept. issue of The Journal of Clinical Nutrition is mind-blowing (click here to read the article: Dietary fiber intake and risk of breast cancer: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies). When we think about how many women (and men) develop breast cancer, and how much money is raised to "cure" this cancer, let's not forget that our diet can actually prevent it in the first place! Hurray for fiber!

Here's the lowdown:

Researchers reviewed 10 studies of dietary fiber intake and breast cancer incidence. When averaged, the collective research demonstrated that people who consumed the most dietary fiber (not supplemental fiber you stir into water or take in a pill) had an 11% lower risk of breast cancer incidence compared to those who consumed the least fiber. This statistic applied to people of various ethnic groups and age categories. In fact, findings revealed every 10 gram (daily) increase in dietary fiber corresponded to a 7% reduction in risk of breast cancer. In other words, folks who consumed an average of 35 grams of fiber per day had a 7% lower risk of breast cancer than those consuming an average of 25 grams per day, and thus a 14% lower risk than those consuming 15 grams per day... you get the picture.

Remember that fiber binds with toxic substances and removes them from the body. Toxins produce free radicals that are linked with cancer cells. Also, fiber produces beneficial intestinal flora that increase the body's immune function involved in fighting cancer. Not to mention, high fiber foods are loaded with antioxidants that protect against cancer.

Fruit, dried fruit, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans, lentils, peas, nuts & seeds) are powerful cancer fighters!

I'm excited to take this time to respond to some of the requests of my readers and students.

Jennifer asked me to respond to an article in the New York Times a few weeks ago about calcium and vitamin D (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/25/health/25brody.html?_r=1&emc=eta1), which begins:

"The new daily recommendations for calcium and vitamin D, issued in November by the Institute of Medicine, have left many people wondering whether they are getting enough, or perhaps too much, in their diets and supplements.

The institute’s expert committee, which included bone specialists, concluded that most people don’t need supplements of these critical nutrients and warned of serious health risks from the high doses some now take — including kidney stones and heart disease linked to calcium supplements, and the very falls and fractures that vitamin D is meant to protect against."

Unfortunately, the article goes on to simply tell us how to derive our daily recommendations for calcium and vitamin D from dairy products and supplement pills! The author does not address the warnings by the Institute of Medicine's expert committee that high doses of calcium are linked with kidney stones and heart disease (based on two very large, separate studies), or too much vitamin D causes bone fractures.

There is a curious phenomenon that takes place with nutrients in our diet: very high levels of a nutrient (such as calcium or vitamin D) often have the same effect as a shortage of said nutrient. There is a fine line between not enough and too much, when it comes to vitamins and minerals, defined as "deficiency" and "toxicity". We really need to be aware of the dangers of nutrient toxicity, which is difficult to do when we only seem to hear about the dangers of deficiency from the media (I'm sure this makes the supplement industry very happy).

My response to this article is simply this: listen to the experts! I agree that most people do not need supplements of these nutrients, but simply need to eat a healthy (that is, mostly plant-based) diet, avoiding calcium losers like high levels of animal protein, soda, sodium, and alcohol and coffee. Also, since vitamin D is fat-soluble, our body can store it for months at a time. Just make sure to get a small amount of sun exposure daily when possible, even when it's cloudy or cold.

******

Next, one of my current students asked me to make a list of foods I buy at Trader Joe's. I think this is a wonderful request as TJ's is a mixed bag of healthy and very not-healthy foods. The following is a near exhaustive list of what I purchase at Trader Joe's, mainly due to the excellent prices compared to health food stores:

1) Low-sodium vegetable broth (in the boxes)
2) Organic, unsweetened soy milk (in the refrigerated cartons)
3) Tempeh (in the "fake meat", refrigerated section near the cheese)
4) Organic avocados (Trader Joe's avocados tend to be the best in my experience)
5) Whole wheat flour
6) Recycled Toilet Paper
7) Organic Hemp Protein Powder (I sprinkle on my granola in the mornings - found in the vitamin section)
8) Frozen blueberries, raspberries and corn (in separate bags!)
9) Sprouted Wheat Berry Bread
10) Organic Peanut Butter

Things I almost never would buy at TJ's include produce (besides avocados and bananas), since I do not find the fruit and vegetables to be fresh, or pre-made frozen dinners.

******

Finally, a another student asked for an example of a day's worth of fibrous meals and snacks that would give us 25-40 grams/fiber. I'll list some typical meals for me...

Breakfast: granola (5 grams fiber) + 1 scoop Hemp Protein Powder (11 grams fiber) with soymilk

Lunch: 2 black bean burritos with salsa and avocado (14 grams fiber)

Dinner: 2 Vegetarian "Reuben" sandwiches made with tempeh, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing, swiss cheese on whole grain bread (11 grams fiber)

Snack: 1 Orange (4 grams fiber)

Conclusion: I eat a LOT of fiber! Wow!

So here I am a nutritionist married to the PICKIEST man in the world (and of course, our daughter just might be the pickiest kid ever). I mean, the man doesn't like greens of any sort, including spinach, or any root vegetable besides potatoes and carrots. Born & raised in California, my husband is a meat and potato man.

I tell you this, so you will understand the magnitude of my joy when I tell you I found a recipe for kale salad that he doesn't just eat -- he likes. And, in case you were wondering, I love it! If you, or someone you know, doesn't like greens, just see what happens when you make this.

This recipe is by natural chef & fellow nutritionist Jennifer Brewer. You can sign up for Jennifer's weekly email recipes - including a shopping list - at www.nourishingnutrition.com.

Avocado Kale Salad

1 head Lacinato (Dinosaur) Kale, very thinly sliced
2 avocadoes, chopped
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground cumin

Gather all ingredients and slice kale and chop avocado. Massage kale with sea salt for 5 minutes (kale "breaks down and softens when you massage it, so it tastes cooked with the nutrition of raw). Stir remaining ingredients together in a big bowl until it gets nice and creamy. Keep refrigerated until ready to eat.

Thank you Jennifer!

I have a new reason to be thankful this year, and I am too excited not to share it with you, dear blog reader.

Yesterday I opened an email from a man who attended my lectures and bought my book (Free to Eat) over a year ago. I never met him (to my knowledge), but apparently he was persuaded to change his diet. At the time, he weighed close to 400 pounds and as you can imagine, had unhealthy levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.

To date, Andrew has lost --- wait for it --- 175 pounds. Yes, the number is correct, he's literally half the man he used to be. And his health? I'll let you read what he has to say for yourself:


Hi Bronwyn,

Okay, I feel it's finally time that I can contact you and let you know about yet another success story thanks in large part to the seminars you gave. Thus far, by following your recommendations both in your seminars and in your book, I have lost approximately 175 lbs (from approx. 385 to now approx. 210) and am feeling great. AND, it really wasn't that difficult. Of course, it wasn't "easy" per se, but with some discipline and will power I've been very successful. I have also lowered all my "bad" numbers... you could say that my numbers are not just good, but excellent. Thanks to you I'm healthy again and feel optimistic about my future for the first time in years. Again, THANK YOU for your work. It has given me a new lease on life.

******

What can I say? I am humbled and inspired. Life is precious, and good health is compulsory. Thank you Andrew, may your message bring health to others!

I don't necessarily agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I will say skipping breakfast is a dangerous endeavor.

Many Americans skip breakfast because they either don't have (rather: make) time, or they don't feel hungry. Since our blood glucose runs higher in the morning to help us get going, we often don't feel as hungry as during other periods of the day. But eating breakfast raises our metabolism for the day, gives us steady blood sugar for concentration, and according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Dec. 2010), helps to prevent heart disease and diabetes.

A national sample of 9–15-y-old Australian children reported whether they usually ate breakfast before school in 1985. Twenty years later, 2184 of the child participants (now 26–36 y of age) reported whether they skipped breakfast or not the previous day. (Breakfast was defined by food consumed between 6-9am.)

Statistical analysis found the health of participants who skipped breakfast in both childhood and adulthood fared far worse than their counterparts. This group had a significantly larger waist circumference, higher fasting insulin, as well as higher total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

Before you breakfast-skippers feel guilty, remember that breakfast simply means "breaking fast". We don't need to eat a restaurant-style meal. A simple whole grain bagel with topping (peanut butter is a good one), whole wheat toast or whole grain cereal (with at least 5 grams of fiber) will suffice. Also, unconventional foods work too: popcorn or even a leftover pizza slice is so much better than nothing!

With five minutes of planning the night before, we can whip up an instant breakfast for the entire family by making a fruit smoothie with protein powder. Pour the smoothie into coffee thermos mugs (sippy cups for kids work well).

Personally, I eat granola with soy milk and add hemp protein powder (from Trader Joe's) on top. I've found the hemp protein powder to help me stay satiated until lunchtime, due to the high fiber and protein content. It doesn't taste badly either, although it turns the granola a funky green color!

I don't necessarily agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I will say skipping breakfast is a dangerous endeavor.

Many Americans skip breakfast because they either don't have (rather: make) time, or they don't feel hungry. Since our blood glucose runs higher in the morning to help us get going, we often don't feel as hungry as during other periods of the day. But eating breakfast raises our metabolism for the day, gives us steady blood sugar for concentration, and according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Dec. 2010), helps to prevent heart disease and diabetes.

A national sample of 9–15-y-old Australian children reported whether they usually ate breakfast before school in 1985. Twenty years later, 2184 of the child participants (now 26–36 y of age) reported whether they skipped breakfast or not the previous day. (Breakfast was defined by food consumed between 6-9am.)

Statistical analysis found the health of participants who skipped breakfast in both childhood and adulthood fared far worse than their counterparts. This group had a significantly larger waist circumference, higher fasting insulin, as well as higher total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

Before you breakfast-skippers feel guilty, remember that breakfast simply means "breaking fast". We don't need to eat a restaurant-style meal. A simple whole grain bagel with topping (peanut butter is a good one), whole wheat toast or whole grain cereal (with at least 5 grams of fiber) will suffice. Also, unconventional foods work too: popcorn or even a leftover pizza slice is so much better than nothing!

With five minutes of planning the night before, we can whip up an instant breakfast for the entire family by making a fruit smoothie with protein powder. Pour the smoothie into coffee thermos mugs (sippy cups for kids work well).

Personally, I eat granola with soy milk and add hemp protein powder (from Trader Joe's) on top. I've found the hemp protein powder to help me stay satiated until lunchtime, due to the high fiber and protein content. It doesn't taste badly either, although it turns the granola a funky green color!