What to Trust About Food Dr. David Katz Explains

Last October, in Tampa, Florida at the Nutrition and Medicine Conference we had the honor of hearing a presentation from Dr. David Katz MD, who has authored over 200 peer reviewed medical publications and recognized globally for expertise in nutrition, weight management and the prevention of chronic disease.  This article is from that presentation. 

Humans are meaning-making machines, interpreting and drawing inferences from everything we encounter. A lot of time, this is great! It helps us figure things out like what we should eat every day as part of a healthy lifestyle and create new things like putting whole foods in capsules and chewables as a way to bridge that gap between what we should eat and what we do eat..

But sometimes, this characteristic can get in our way. Sometimes an answer — for instance, building a diet around whole foods — seems too simple. Then a complicated eating trend comes along, with complex rules like eat only blue foods, and only on days that end with "p!"

It's refreshing to hear medical experts like Dr. David Katz, M.D., reaffirming a commitment to the basics of healthy eating. You already know that healthy eating, exercise, hydration, and improving sleep/reducing stress are our core four pillars for the journey. To this, Dr. Katz adds, "And love more."

With so much chatter all around us about trendy diets, personalized nutrition, and other food-related topics, Dr. Katz notes that it can be hard to know WTF — What to Trust about Food. On this topic, he quotes author Michael Pollan (whose books include Food Rules: An Eater's Manual): "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

In other words: Keep it simple when possible. Which brings our meaning-making-machine selves back to the recognized and potential benefits of whole-foods-based nutrition. "Lifestyle is the medicine," says Katz. "Culture is the spoon."

He also points to the True Health Initiative, a worldwide coalition of health experts dedicated to providing education about lifestyle as medicine. The True Health Initiative, with in-depth research behind it, talks about the importance of looking at our individual diets' big picture.

Dr. Katz, one of DietSpotlight.com's top nutrition experts for 2017–2018, is the founding director of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center at Yale University. His research interests and expertise include nutrition, weight management, and preventing chronic disease. You can hear him talk briefly (less than a minute and a half) about fruits and vegetables as preventive medicine in this short video.

Source: What to Trust About Food

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Keto Diet - No thanks!

I’m often asked what do I think about the keto diet? The short answer is .. no thanks! Here's why. Most health care professionals agree the keto diet is a bad weight loss choice. Why?Because the keto diet can launch you into a plethora of medical conditions, make the ones you have worse, and has no better results for weight loss than any other unhealthy weight loss program out there. 

Now the longer answer. I wasn’t planning on weighing in on this blog on the keto diet as in my mind it’s just another diet craze along with all those doctor diets, movie star diets and wacky food diets so not worth mentioning. However, when Barron’s reported Weight Watchers International blames their stock “wallop – poor quarter performance" losing millions of dollars on the keto diet I decided to weigh in on the topic. If this is true, there are millions of uninformed dieters out there. Not good.

If you’re unsure what the keto diet is all about, you’ll have to read about somewhere else. The internet is loaded with information as to what the keto diet is, the foods you can and can’t eat, and the overstated and inflated benefits. What concerns me about this diet program is the level of hype around weight loss and unsafeness that seems to be completely ignored so let’s take-a-look. 

Keto diet for weight loss.

First of all, no one can deny most people will lose weight fast on a keto diet. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know anytime you eliminate a food group or make any big change in the food you’re eating you’re likely to lose weight. If you’ve been on many diets over your lifetime you already know this. Secondly, there’s some evidence when you go on a high protein diet you will lose weight.  

WebMD says in High Protein Diets for Weight Loss “How weight loss happens is on a high-protein diet may help you taper your hunger, which could help you lose weight… Remember, calories still count. You'll want to make good choices when you pick your protein.” Implying eating all the bacon, steak and fried pork chops you can eat is not on the menu contrary to popular belief.  

The fact is when it comes to weight loss, studies show people who follow the keto diet over 12 weeks lose on average 1.3 – 2 lbs. per week which is the SAME as any diet program with the same overall calories.  Here’s the kicker, after going off the diet most people gain the weight back and then more. Who’s that helping?

Is the keto diet safe?

According to medical researchers the keto diet may not be healthy for any of us, even if you do weight less and it’s not safe for everyone.

Here’s what Rosemary Weaver, MPH, RDN, LDN, Clinical Dietitian at Northwest Community Healthcare Wellness Center has to say:

“There isn't much evidence to show that this type of eating is effective — or safe — over the long term for treatment of anything other than epilepsy. Diets very low in carbohydrate cause water/fluid loss, loss of muscle protein and can have various SIDE EFFECTS, including constipation and other gastrointestinal issues, headaches, bad breath and more. Staying on the Keto diet requires cutting out many healthy foods, making it difficult to meet micronutrient needs.

Weaver goes on to say “You should not try the keto diet if you don’t have the permission and supervision of their primary care physician. Groups of people at GREATEST RISK are pregnant or nursing women, those with renal, cardiac (high blood pressure, cholesterol) or liver disease, and individuals with a history of gout or kidney stones. The high level of saturated fats combined with limits on nutrient-rich fruits, veggies and grains are a concern for long-term heart health.”  

Some dietitians include on the list of those to not recommend the keto diet to type 1 or type 2 diabetics, those with eating disorders,  and anyone with an inflammatory disease as it increases inflammation. If you are wondering if you have an inflammatory disease Dr. Mercola can help.

Are there positives to the keto diet?

Of course, there are. In nursing school, we were taught when making health care decisions it’s good to weigh the risks vs. the benefits. Ask yourself …  Is the keto diet safe for me? Will I be causing more harm than good to my body by following the keto program? Will my health and well-being be improved as a result of it? Most likely not. So then if the keto diet helps you lose weight the same as other diet programs why choose this one? If you are just going for sexy thin, you might want to add good health to your list of sexy. After all there’s nothing sexy about sick and this diet may just might leave you with more medical bills then you were expecting.  

A final thought, if you're looking for a better choice and wondering what's the difference between the keto diet and the Shred10 plan click here to watch the video that explains. 

Your partner in health, 

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA 
Wellness Consultant 
Certified Health Coach 
C2 Your Health LLC 
Top 50 Health Promotion Professional 

#wellnesswednesday #C2YHWI #Nutz4Nutrition #C2YourHealth 

Arthritis - Has this happened to you?

Did this happen to you? On most days you notice an annoying aching or maybe stiffness in various joints of your body. Then on rainy days, or drastic changes in the weather you noticed more than the usual discomfort, or little pain, stiffness, swelling and redness in your joints so much so you scheduled a doctor’s appointment? Then the news comes a diagnosis …. you have arthritis! You knew it but now it's official, right? Now you're wondering what is it, what can you do about it and if there are non-medical treatment options that help? 

According to the Arthritis Foundation, the term “arthritis” is an informal reference to joint pain or disease. Did you know here are more than 100 types of arthritis? Arthritis falls into four main categories: degenerative, inflammatory, infectious and metabolic. Symptoms for all 100 types commonly include joint pain, swelling, stiffness and decreased range of motion.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, more than 50 million adults (one in five) and 300,000 children in America have arthritis. It's the leading cause of disability and occurs more frequently as people age.

The Arthritis Foundation goes on to recommend making changes in your activity level and diet. So, let’s take a look at how diet and exercise as a health care intervention as if it's prescribed as a medical treatment equal to medication and surgery.

Recommended treatment #1 Exercise: According to Marcy Moss, senior director of consumer health for the Arthritis Foundation, exercise is now a key recommendation for all types of arthritis. Stretching and moving joints keeps them flexible and strong, and strengthening muscles around joints helps support them, reduces pain and improves functioning, she said. “Staying still increases stiffness.”  What exercises are best? The Arthritis Foundation has a recommendation for that too click here to check them out. Above is a fun yoga video to give a try too

Recommended treatment #2 Choose healthy anti-inflammatory foods: According to Moss, the Arthritis Foundation recommends maintaining a healthy weight. Excess weight creates pain and pressure on the lower body. “Losing a little weight makes a big difference: losing one pound relieves four pounds of pressure on your knees,” she said.

It's not just about losing weight, it's about using food as a medicine. Moss goes on to say "Key beneficial foods to reduce inflammation includes fish with omega-3 fatty acids, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, beans, olive oil and whole grains. This also includes omitting gluten and nightshade vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, and peppers, may or may not be helpful. It varies with individuals."  If eating the recommended amount of fruits, veggies and berries (13 servings) becomes a challenge whole food, clinically researched encapsulated nutrition is the way to go. 

The Arthritis Foundation anti-inflammatory diet tips are helpful in understanding of what all goes into an anti-inflammatory diet plan. If you need more help with the anti-inflammatory diet the SHRED10 program, has more resources, tips, recipes and a health coach to help you along your way. 

As with any big change in your lifestyle take it slow. Changing your diet and adding exercise can be a big undertaking. Start by making a few swaps at each meal adding in 5 minutes of exercise throughout the day. Small changes, making  One Simple Change at a time can make a big difference in how you feel, look and how well you manage your arthritis and overall health.

You partner in health, 

. 

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA 
Certified Health Coach 
Wellness Consultant 
C2 Your Health LLC

#Nutz4Nutrition
#C2YourHealth
#CindyCohenRN
#WellnessWednesday

Sugary Drinks Consume as Little as 2 Will Make You Sick

In the news this week yet another article discussing another ill - health impact of sugary drinks. It's good to note your heart is not the only organ impacted by sugary sodas.  As this article states the ill - effects of sugary sodas include weight gain and heightened risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke to this list you can add other risks noted by medical research such as fatty liver, belly fat accumulation, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, leptin resistance, increased risk for cancer, disaster for dental health, increased risk of gout, increased risk of dementia plus all other diseases and conditions related to chronic inflammation.

What to drink instead? Water, beautifully fruit infused water recipes, sparkling water recipes and infused teas recipes. Remember sugar is highly addictive, so you may find reducing you sugary drinks slowly is a good way to go. For example, each day replace 1 sugary drink with 1 water each day. Here's an article to help you by Prevention Magazine. 

On Monday, March 16, 2019 HealthDayNews published the article, Stay Away From Sugary Sodas, Spare Your Heart by Amy North. Here's the article. 

People who regularly down sugar-laden sodas, juices and sports drinks aren't doing their heart any favors.

A new study of more than 110,000 U.S. health professionals found that the more people drank sugary beverages, the higher their risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

People who consumed at least two per day were about one-third more likely to die of heart disease or stroke, versus those who rarely had sugar-sweetened drinks.

And it wasn't just because that the latter group was more health-conscious. The risk remained when the researchers factored in overall diet and habits such as exercise, smoking and drinking.

While Americans eat plenty of junk food, there is reason to focus on sugary drinks in particular, according to Vasanti Malik, the lead researcher on the study. "They're the single biggest contributor of added sugar to Americans' diets," said Malik, a research scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The new findings do not prove that sugary drinks, per se, raise the odds of dying from cardiovascular disease, Malik said. But, she added, many studies have linked the beverages to ill health effects -- including weight gain and heightened risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

"If you look at the overall literature, the association is strong," Malik said. "This study is offering another piece of evidence that we should reduce our intake of sugar-sweetened beverages."Debbie Petitpain, a registered dietitian not involved in the study, agreed. "There's no downside to cutting down on sugar-sweetened beverages," said Petitpain, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In fact, she added, it's a simple way to slash excess calories -- easier than, say, eating a smaller dinner every night. That doesn't just mean cutting out soda, though. "We used to only talk about soda," Petitpain said. "But added sugars are lurking in many other beverages, too -- juices, sports drinks, coffee drinks. Ideally, people should replace those beverages with water," Petitpain said. "But if you really need that sweet taste," she added, "there are low-calorie alternatives."

In this study, published online March 18 in the journal Circulation, there was evidence that replacing one sugary drink each day with an artificially sweetened version could trim the risk of dying from heart disease.

Read the rest of the article: Stay Away From Sugary Sodas, Spare Your Heart by Amy North.

Undiagnosed Diabetes Runs Rampant Here

Like many of you my family history (my grandpa) includes Diabetes Type 2. He was diagnosed around 65 years old, after he had his first heart attack. My grandpa was never really consistent in taking his medication because you see, when he went to the doctor, the doctor would say "Sir, your blood sugar is doing great, keep up the diet program and exercise." So to my grandpa would stop is medication, then later tell us "My doctor said my blood sugar is great so I don't need to take my diabetes medication any more, just keep with the diet and exercise."  After his stroke we later understood from the doctor this was not the case. However, by then my grandpa was already experiencing many of the bad side effects of not keeping his blood sugar as close to normal as possible. And because he fail to understand what diabetes was all about, he drifted into a diabetic coma, then died. 

It is my hope along with our national associations for the prevention of diabetes type 2 knowing about diabetes type 2 and your relationship to it will be the kick in the butt you need to take the Diabetes Risk Test, see your family health practitioner or visit you closest community screening facility for a screening exam. And if you already have diabetes type 2, I hope you understand this is about you, in the case of diabetes no one is left uninjured in the battle if you do not have the ammunition (knowledge put into action) to protect you.  

American Diabetes Association Diabetes Alert Day ^®, observed annually on the 4th Tuesday in March, is a 1-day wake-up call to inform the American public about the seriousness of diabetes, particularly when diabetes is left undiagnosed or untreated. Diabetes Alert Day 2019 will be observed on Tuesday, March 26. 

The data collected for this article was from the National Institute of Diabetes and the American Diabetes Association along with what is already accepted current knowledge about diabetes type 2.

Did You Know? 

• Diabetes affects about 30.3 million Americans or about 9.4 percent of the U.S. population. Studies demonstrate once you are diagnosed with diabetes type 2 your are 10 years from your first heart attack. It doesn't matter how old your are. Kids now are being diagnosed with diabetes type 2 at 6 years old, having heart attacks at 16 years old. 

• Nearly 1 in 4 adults with diabetes, or 7.2 million Americans, are unaware that they have the disease.*  Resent studies show people who are diagnosed through screening and receive routine early treatment are less likely to experience the side effects of diabetes.  According to the article The Dangers of Untreated Diabetes left untreated diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney disease, heart disease, amputation, high blood pressure and death. 

• 9 out of 10 adults with prediabetes don’t know they have it. You are at risk if you are overweight, inactive, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a family member with and / or had a baby with a birth weight of more than 9 lbs.  How do you know you are prediabetic?  You must have a blood test.  To learn more click here

You partner in health,

Cindy Cohen RN BS BA 

Certified Health Coach

Wellness Consultant

WELCOA Faculty  

C2 Your Health LLC 

Heart Healthy Recipes, With Love - Celebrating Heart Healthy

On a personal level, what could be both more important and more basic than taking care of your heart?

February is American Heart Month, but the Juice Plus+ Company mission of inspiring healthy living around the world means that heart health is a central part of our vision year-round. Diet, exercise, hydration, managing to get good sleep and keep stress at bay — all these work together for heart health.

"But are there recipes?" we hear you asking. "This blog post title promised me recipes." There are recipes! From our hearts to yours. But first:

What are your favorite heart-healthy dishes or tips and tricks? Tell us in the comments below!

Morning Glory Overnight Oats

Cinnamon, ginger, carrot, yum. Bonus points for being something you make ahead of time for busy mornings.Heart health note: The benefits of whole-grain oats (not the instant stuff) include a decreased risk of heart disease.

 Spiced Lentils

These are so easy to make — five minutes of prep time and 25 minutes of letting these rich smells fill your kitchen.Heart-health note: Apart from tasting great, lentils are high in soluble fiber, magnesium, and folate.

Asparagus, Pea, and Tomato Quinotto

Yes, it's a quinoa-based variation on risotto. And yes, it is delicious.Heart-health note: Quinoa contains a bit of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids (which are also featured in our Omega Blend!). It's one reason quinoa is part of Complete by Juice Plus+ nutrition bars.

Chickpea Polenta with Olives

Tomato, Kalamata olive, a little cheese: There's a lot to like here. Don't let the ingredient list put you off — prep on this one is simpler than it looks.Heart-health note: Chickpea flour is gluten free and packed with nutrients, including fiber and protein. P.S. Is chickpea powder part of Complete by Juice Plus+ shake mix? Yes, it is.

Blackberry Cobble

Ginger and lime juice jazz up this American Heart Association recipe.Hearth-health note: Blackberries (and many of their purple cousins) are high in anthocyanins. We've talked about anthocyanins and heart health before —  and blackberries are part of our Berry Blend capsules and chewables.

Simple Almond Cookies

These flourless cookies are so, so good — with or without the bittersweet chocolate.Heart-health note: Monounsaturated fats, like those in almonds, are being linked to heart health

Source: click here

#C2YourHealth #Nutz4Nutrition #wellnesswednesday 

What's Happening Inside Your Supplements?

This week I received in the mail my January/February issue of Nutrition Action Newsletter with the article Tainted Supplements Are You Taking Hidden Drugs? 

WOW I was surprised and not surprised all at the same time when I read this article! It never occurred to me unscrupulous supplement companies would put medications in their bottles! Did you? What's even crazier the bottle says words like "all natural" right on the bottle. 

The medical community for decades has been suspicious as to what's happening inside the supplement bottles. Why? Because supplements are unregulated which means our government or any other regulatory agency for that matter is not over seeing what's going into those bottles. I suspect what is going into them and on the label is whatever the manufacturer thinks will make them the most money. I'm guessing for some company’s personal safety is out the window.  

Supplement companies have been under investigation for years by the State of New York, Consumer Labs, USA Today even 20/20 along with many watchdog organizations confirming the findings inside the supplement bottle could be just about anything sometimes to the exclusion of the actual supplement you think you are purchasing. In other words, you might think you are buying Vitamin C but there may not be any Vitamin C in the bottle you buy. That's why most health professionals are reluctant to recommend any type of supplement. The question is if the supplements don't contain the what they say it leaves us with the question, what's in those bottles?  For many it remains a mystery. When it comes to your health do you want a mystery solution? I think not! 

Consumer Reports weighs in with this article Dietary Supplements Found Tainted with Prescription Meds, The FDA uncovered hundreds potentially dangerous products - but less than half trigger recalls stating "The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found between 2007 and 2016 that 776 dietary supplements from 146 companies contained prescription drugs, some of which pose significant dangers to consumers." 

Why do you need to know? Because what you don't know can hurt you. Since supplements are not held by the FDA under the same scrutiny as medications the supplement you are taking may not be safe. In fact, they might be making you sick. How do you know? 

One way of is by checking in with consumer watch dog organizations. The one I rely on is Consumer Lab, they're a consumer advocate membership website. Once joining you have access to the research and testing, they're doing on your behalf. 

There are companies who also put up lists. Check this out this list, do you see your supplement here? Tainted Products Marketed as Dietary Supplements "This list only includes a small fraction of the potentially hazardous products with hidden ingredients marketed to consumers on the internet and in retail establishments. FDA is unable to test and identify all products marketed as dietary supplements on the market that have potentially harmful hidden ingredients." 

There's a ton of research demonstrating if you eat a healthy diet you don't need to supplement, however who eats a healthy diet? These poor eating habits along with misinformation given to consumers are why Americans are spending 20 billion dollars a year as reported by Office of Dietary Supplements looking to reduce disease risks, which no multi-vitamin supplement can do. How do we know this? The FDA came out with a statement saying, "supplements cannot be intended to treat, prevent, or cure diseases."

What does this mean to you? Buyer beware. Supplements are so unregulated they can be made in your garage, packaged and if you can find a someone to buy them, sell them and it's all totally legal. This means there's really no way of telling what's inside that supplement. These same packaging non-regulations extend to the labeling. So, the mystery continues. Not good. 

What can you do? You can start by working towards choosing a healthier lifestyle, eating healthier foods, and more fruits, veggies and whole grains as directed by our government on the  USDA Choose My Plate website. Eat as many whole foods, as close as you can to a plant-based diet. If you need help supplementing your eating take a whole food supplement, look for Nutrition Facts labeling vs. Supplement Facts.  Start by making one simple change at a time, focus on one change at a time, once you've mastered that change move to the next. Just think at the end of the year you would have made 12 healthy changes. Bravo for you!  

Back in the day when your grandma's day when she asked her doctor should she take a supplement they might have said "If you want to take supplements you can but you are wasting your money". When your mom asked the doctor, they might have said "Supplements can do more harm than good, stay away from them." Today your doctor might tell you, "Stay away from supplements, they may kill you." Sound extreme? Maybe not.

Your partner in health, 

Cindy Cohen RN, BS BA

Wellness Consultant

Certified Health Coach

Top 50 Health Promotion Professional 

C2 Your Health LLC
#Nutz4Nutrtion #C2YourHealth

Looking for a whole food supplement? We recommend this one. >>click here<<

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