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Fruits and vegetables are a healthy diet's best friend.
When people tell me they are trying to lose weight, I always tell them no one ever got fat eating veggies (as long as you lay off sauces and cream salad dressing).

Rachel wrote: "Fruits and vegetables are a healthy diet's best friend.
When people tell me they are trying to lose weight, I always tell them no one ever got fat eating veggies (as long as you lay off sauces and ..."

Yes. Also the excellent book I just finished, Fiber Fueled: The Plant-Based Gut Health Program for Losing Weight, Restoring Your Health, and Optimizing Your Microbiome recommends eating a variety of fiber rich whole foods. He said try to get at least 30 different foods a week to feed the zillion different bacteria in your gut. They are critical for a healthy biome. A healthy biome is necessary for your overall health.

I counted and I make it in a day, not a week !

Interesting idea, Alias. I’m a fan of veggies. I never thought to count to see how many different foods we eat in a week. I would count now but i can’t think beyond the last 2 days. I’m keeping this in mind.

madrano wrote: "Interesting idea, Alias. I’m a fan of veggies. I never thought to count to see how many different foods we eat in a week. I would count now but i can’t think beyond the last 2 days. I’m keeping thi..."

It particular he is talking veggies and fruit. Though whole grains count. I do recommend the book or checking him out in various interviews on YouTube.

Nice to know. We are good on veggies & fruit (although i’m less a fan than Dan) but whole grain foods are not regulars in our consumption, primarily because we don’t eat much pasta, bread or even rice.

madrano wrote: "Nice to know. We are good on veggies & fruit (although i’m less a fan than Dan) but whole grain foods are not regulars in our consumption, primarily because we don’t eat much pasta, bread or even rice..."

He discusses the health issues that occur when people don't eat enough whole grains or eliminate whole grains altogether from their diet. He advocates for a wide variety of fruit, veggies, legumes, nuts/seeds as each bacteria needs something different to survive. If then that strain dies out and you eliminate that particular bacteria from your microbiome. He says you need to aim for a minimum of 30 different varieties a week. When you don't have a diverse microbiome, your health suffers.

I would think without eating whole grains, it would be difficult to meet the minimum daily fiber required (35-30) never mind the optimum.
Millet, oatmeal, buckwheat, bulgur, brown rice, spelt, farro, and quinoa etc. are all good choices. I like to make a batch and throw it in my salad, use as a side dish or in soups.

You mentioned pasta. That usually is processed and has little fiber. Though the newer ones made with beans are quite good.

For Bread I use Dave's 21 Whole grains and seeds. One slice is 5G of fiber.

He has an acronym that shows what food your diet should be composed of.
F Goals
F- fruit and fermented foods
G- Greens and whole grains
O- Omega 3 super seeds ( flax, chia, hemp)
A- Aromatics (onion, garlic)
L-Legumes
S- Sulforaphane (broccoli sprouts and other cruciferous veggies)

He does not advocate the eating of animal products like meat and dairy.

I can't do the book or the YouTube videos justice. I would just say I highly recommend the book and videos.

Thanks for the info. I was going to mention the bean pastas we’ve used when making a pasta dish. I’m a fan of those. I suppose we eat quinoa more than any other grain.

I also had gotten away from eating grains. I started eating kasha and quinoa again. Pasta and bread are not part of my regular diet.

National Food Is Medicine Day �� September 14, 2022
United States






When is National Food Is Medicine Day? This day will take place on September 14 of each calendar year.

What is National Food Is Medicine Day? National Food is Medicine Day raises awareness of embedded barriers to healthy food access for under-resourced families and individuals that exacerbates chronic disease, increases mental health challenges, and drives up medical costs. National Food is Medicine Day calls for private enterprise, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to join together to overcome these barriers that are a leading cause of death in the US.

Why is this day being celebrated or observed? In the midst of Hunger Action Month, Free From Market and Food Equality Initiative established September 14th as national Food Is Medicine Day. The time has come for private enterprise, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations to recognize that access to and education about healthy food for families and individuals will reduce chronic disease, mental health challenges, and medical costs. Together we can come together and solve this healthy food crisis that is a leading cause of death by focusing on the one solution �� Food Is Medicine.

How should this day be celebrated or observed? Donate to Food Equality Initiative or another organization to support access to healthy food. Secure a proclamation of National Food Is Medicine Day in your own town/city/state and/or host an awareness event in your home, a farmer’s market, street fair, or other location. Attend the Food Is Medicine Summit. Use #FIMDAY #foodismedicineday #foodismedicine and #FIMDaySummit to share on social media.

This great idea will take better promotion than what is mentioned in the article. Getting past the somewhat clumsy wording—and really explaining what “National Food�� is would help, imo.

Some time ago I heard on NPR that a city (I cannot remember which one) decided to give people money to buy healthy food and to have access to cooking and nutritional classes. Surprise, surprise, people's health improved. I took a friend food shopping today. And he bought NOTHING that was not highly processed. :(

Rachel, i didn’t know you knew my son! ;-)

Seriously, yours is not an isolated case. In the past i have taken neighbors to the grocery store when needed. From 27 up to 78 years old, process foods reign! The sugar and white bread councils would have been proud!

I vaguely recall the report you mentioned but can’t locate it online. New York has invested in this process but i couldn’t find results, just program announcements.

Too bad, I could not find it either. Big food is just as bad as big tobacco.

.

Michael Pollan said don't eat food with more than five ingredients. Think about how many ingredients are in most processes food.

True. And the unpronounceable names! That could be a good rule, too. If you can’t pronounce what’s in a food product, don’t eat it. If nothing else, our knowledge of chemicals will increase.

A great idea for starting a new habit or breaking a bad one. I saw this online.

September 23 can be a great catalyst. On that date, we have 100 days until the end of the year. It’s a great day to start using the “don’t break the chain�� tool, or to start the clock on an aim that we want to finish by the end of 2022. There’s something about the number 100 �� like the number 7, it feels particularly powerful and auspicious.
~~ Gretchen Rubin

Neat! It can also serve as a notice for those of us with reading Determination Lists or the 100 Challenge.

madrano wrote: "Neat! It can also serve as a notice for those of us with reading Determination Lists or the 100 Challenge."

Yes !

Personally, I am going to try and add to my other health habits:

- First thing in the morning drink one glass of water. I've gotten out of this habit and gone straight to the coffee.

- Stretch. I have a 6 min. music piece that I like on the meditation app Insight Timer called Om Asatoma. Every day or most days I will try to do a simple 6 min. stretching routine to that music before bed.

Alias Reader wrote: "First thing in the morning drink one glass of water. I've gotten out of this habit and gone straight to the coffee...."

I’ve been doing this a few years now. The uptick is that many’s the morning i end up not taking coffee, as a result.

Neat idea about the 6 minute stretch music!

Yes, a glass of water is great in the morning and it can be done without even thinking. Just leave the glass in front of whatever is your normal morning beverage.

True. It’s an easy habit. And, perhaps, for coffee addicts, a discipline. :-)

This morning my first thoughts were of my GR friends as I downed my glass of water. Thanks for starting me off happy.

How neat!

:) Thank you for sharing that, Rachel ! You made my day.

Great turn around quote, Alias!

Really and truly. That quote is well taken for any age group.

Rachel wrote: "Really and truly. That quote is well taken for any age group."

My friends and I always talk about trying to go outside our comfort zones, even is small tiny ways, it can make a big difference.

Yes, it does. Getting stuck in a rut is easy but we miss out on learning new things and having new experiences which in turn become the memories of our lives.

Rachel wrote: "I also had gotten away from eating grains. I started eating kasha and quinoa again. Pasta and bread are not part of my regular diet."

I'm Italian, and I love pasta. It's in my blood! But I also want to be healthy, so I've limited my pasta dishes, and I eat whole wheat pasta or pasta made from vegetables. And no heavy sauces. I love Alfredo sauce, but it's nothing but butter, cheese, and cream. Instead, I use fresh tomatoes and zucchini and things like that in my pasta dishes. Occasionally, however, I will have ricotta-filled pasta, but I try to limit those times. I've managed to cut out junk foods, and food with additives and preservatives altogether. I'm also cutting out sugar and caffeine. I'm a believer that cooking changes food, so I try to eat as many raw foods as I can. I'm aware that some foods do need to be cooked to eat. Edamame, for example, needs to be blanched.

I drink a glass of water first thing in the morning, but I put the juice of half a fresh lemon in it. I learned this when I had a horrible gallbladder attack and had to have mine removed. Drinking water with fresh lemon can prevent the formation of gallstones, which I can't get any longer, but I can still get bile duct stones, and I don't want those! Also, if you have a history of gallstones, drinking fresh lemon in water can help prevent them, and eating bitter greens in a salad can increase your production of bile, which will keep the stones from forming. Believe me, if you've never had a gallbladder attack, you don't want one. They had to give me Fentanyl in the ER when I had mine, but I had an extreme case in which the gallbladder ruptured somewhat.

I always tried to eat right, but since my summer hospitalization and surgery, I've been trying a lot harder, really changing my diet.

Alias Reader wrote: "Rachel wrote: "Fruits and vegetables are a healthy diet's best friend.
When people tell me they are trying to lose weight, I always tell them no one ever got fat eating veggies (as long as you lay ..."

Sounds like a wonderful book. Thank you for sharing. I can also recommend the books of Joel Fuhrman, MD. My brother was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and overcame it with Dr. Fuhrman's advice. I was diagnosed with AFib (yes, younger people can get it, too, I was really surprised) while in the hospital for surgery and I'm following his diet now. It's a nutritarian diet that is filled with fruits and vegetables. I don't go to any of his seminars, etc., but I do think his diet advice helps greatly with general health. I think it's probably similar to the book you recommended, Alias Reader. I've found that after staying on a healthy diet for about two weeks, I can't stand the bad stuff. I can't eat canned soup any longer, and someone offered me some strawberry sorbet the other night, and it was just too sweet. My body didn't want all that sugar.

Kiki wrote: Occasionally, however, I will have ricotta.."

I can only eat pasta if it also has ricotta. In fact, I could skip the sauce all together and just have the pasta with ricotta and parmesan cheese. I don't care for whole wheat pasta but I can tolerate whole grain. On occasion I'll also make the pasta from beans. It's okay. However, you have to be careful not to overcook it. Though my favorite is just regular pasta made from white flour.

One thing that the My Fitness Pal (It's free online) has taught me is not to have just a big dish of pasta. Make it half your meal and have it with a really big salad. It was a easy change for me.

Good tip on the lemon water. I, too, have a glass of water before I eat my breakfast. I'm trying to remember to do this before lunch and dinner.

Kiki wrote Sounds like a wonderful book. Thank you for sharing. I can also recommend the books of Joel Fuhrman, MD. My brother was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and overcame it "

I'm a big fan of Joel Fuhrman ! I've read his books. I like his original the best. Eat to live. Though just the other day I downloaded, once again, the eBook of Eat for Life. I like to reread his books to help motivate me. I also follow him on YouTube.

Hearing how the Fuhrman diet worked for your brother is another motivating testimonial!

He is similar to my other favorite doctors: Dean Ornish,
Esselstyne (son Rip and father Caldwell) , T. Colin Campbell, Neal Barnard, Michael Greger, Will Bulsiewicz, & Garth Davis. Rip Esselstyn has a podcast that is good.

I don't follow their diets 100% but they have changed the way I eat. It's very difficult when you are the only one trying to eat healthy in a household. :(

Kiki wrote I can't eat canned soup any longer,

I can't eat that due to the insane high amount of sodium. I try to stick to 1500 grams Per Day or lower. I can't tell you how many packaged foods have that in a single serving !

A while back a friend wanted to go to Panera for lunch. I looked online and there wasn't a single thing that wouldn't have put me over the limit. I even checked children's portions ! That is why I try to limit eating out.

I'm a big label reader especially when it comes to things like sodium, saturated fat, fiber and ingredients like high fructose corn syrup. I also check how much added sugar a product has. 4 grams of sugar = 1 teaspoon. It's crazy how much added sugar some foods have. I am not concerned with naturally occurring sugar.

I'm definitely a work in progress. Thanks for sharing, Kiki !

There are some annoying popups. Still, it's a comprehensive list.


15+ Fantastic Vegan Doctors
These experts provide important insights and research and are wonderful promoters of plant-based eating patterns!

Kiki, thank you for sharing your health info with us. I’m not wild about pasta but the new made with beans pleases me. I’m the only one in the family who likes it but the others eat it for the health of it.

Neat point to remember about fresh lemon in the water. I like the taste but rarely take the time because it was a treat, not a health measure. Now i can enjoy.

I’ve heard from Alias about Fuhrman and others over the years, so keep an eye out to those helpful bits. Thanks to both of you for sharing your thoughts on all this with us.

This is all such wonderful information, thanks, madrano, alias, kiki.
It seems if you eat fruits and veggies with lean protein and stay away from processed food it is a good way to live. I think people have grown accustomed to eating so much salt and sugar in these processed foods that it takes a bit for the palate the adjust to natural flavors. Yes, it is shocking how many restaurants food is so high in sodium. Why? It is a cheap way to make foods seem more tasty because the lack in the natural flavors. Bread is also usually really high in sodium. Pita is usually a better option. Way to go.

Rachel wrote: Bread is also usually really high in sodium. Pita is usually a better option. Way to go."

Yes, bread is high in sodium. A regular tuna sandwich on bread can be almost a days worth of sodium. :(

I now buy the Bumble Bee Low Sodium. I never realized they added sodium to canned tuna. Of course anything healthy is more expensive.

Right now I am using Dave's Killer bread. I really like the taste.
My favorite is the 21 Whole Grain. I've also purchased the thin slice. But prefer the taste of the 21 full slice.
Here are the nutritional # for their products

I’ve never seen that many options for Dave’s but it’s been a few years since i checked. Good info. Thanks.

Happy 97th Birthday, Dick Van Dyke!



Wikipedia
Richard Wayne Van Dyke is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and stage. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and television, in nightclubs, and on the Broadway stage.
Born: December 13, 1925 (age 97 years), West Plains, MO


I listened to two of his audio books and enjoyed them very much.

My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business

Keep Moving: And Other Truths About Living Well Longer

Happy 89th birthday, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn !

---- Wikipedia
Caldwell Blakeman Esselstyn Jr. is an American physician, author and former Olympic rowing champion. Esselstyn is director of the Heart Disease Reversal Program at the Cleveland Clinic.
Born: 1933 (age 89 years), New York, NY

Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease / Dr Dean Ornish and Healthy Medic / Food for Life- Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr.

Alias Reader wrote: "Happy 97th Birthday, Dick Van Dyke!



Wikipedia
Richard Wayne Van Dyke is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. His award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television, and s..."

I did not realize he was still alive. He looks pretty fit!

It's wonderful to be able to celebrate these birthdays for 90+ people. One of the biggest complaints my 85 year-old mother-in-law has about her retirement home is that after COVID, the best exercise program has not resumed. She isn't alone in this but i don't think she realizes it was a Texas-based experiment, which no longer exists. The exercise they offer now is far too simple for one of her abilities. So, it's sad to see because she knows what she needs but not how to easily get it.

I should add that due to her memory issues, she cannot retain how to locate her favorite on TV. We have left instructions and saved some for her, all to no avail. Somehow this makes it even more sad.

Alias Reader wrote: "Kiki wrote Sounds like a wonderful book. Thank you for sharing. I can also recommend the books of Joel Fuhrman, MD. My brother was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and overcame it "

I'm a big fan of..."

You're welcome, Alias Reader.

I like Panera's food, but you're right about the sodium. On occasion, though, I still treat myself to my two favorite soups, the Autumn Squash and in summer, the Corn Chowder. And I do like their Mediterranean sandwich, but I find I can make them healthier myself.

I'm a big lover of green smoothies as long as everything that goes into them is good for us and fruit smoothies as long as they don't have too much sugar. I got a BlendJet that I love (my brother does, too). It is so lightweight, and there's nothing to wash up. You just fill the BlendJet with water and a little detergent and run it for one cycle, and it's washed and ready to go again. I found I wasn't using my NutriBullet or NutraNinja as much as I could be because of the cleanup.

If anyone has a concern with the liver or gallbladder, a salad of bitter greens will help and it will help the liver make more bile. Sometimes, I just take an Ox Bile capsule despite the fact that I'm vegetarian. I'm not vegan.

madrano wrote: "I’ve never seen that many options for Dave’s but it’s been a few years since i checked. Good info. Thanks."

I love Dave's breads. I had a sprouted grain that I really loved, and I think it was Dave's.

"Alias Reader wrote: "Happy 97th Birthday, Dick Van Dyke!


--------------------
Julie wrote:--I did not realize he was still alive. He looks pretty fit!



In his book he said he works out every day. He gets there so early they gave him a key ! :) He can bench press his weight. Amazing.

Here is a clip of him at 95 doing sit-ups !

Dick Van Dyke Has Impressive Workout At 95

madrano wrote:
I should add that due to her memory issues, she cannot retain how to locate her favorite on TV. We have left instructions and saved some for her, all to no avail. Somehow this makes it even more sad.
."

:(

Kiki wrote: "If anyone has a concern with the liver or gallbladder, a salad of bitter greens .."

I didn't know that. I don't have liver or gallbladder issues. However, I do love bitter greens. Dandelion, broccoli rabe etc.

Tonight I had arugula on my salad along with baby kale. I'm not sure if arugula is a bitter green. But it is in the cruciferous vegetable family. Health experts say we should eat some type of cruciferous veggie every day.

Alias Reader wrote: "madrano wrote:
I should add that due to her memory issues, she cannot retain how to locate her favorite on TV. We have left instructions and saved some for her, all to no avail. Somehow this makes..."

Memory issues are so difficult for the family.

They are, Rachel. The staff at my MIL's retirement home are quite patient but when my husband or his sister visit, it is stressful for her because they are dealing with the "world" for her & need answers. I'm glad that when i'm there, i can just go with her flow because i have no investment in the process of keeping track of her finances. :-)

Kiki wrote: "If anyone has a concern with the liver or gallbladder, a salad of bitter greens will help and it will help the liver make more bile. Sometimes, I just take an Ox Bile capsule despite the fact that I'm vegetarian. I'm not vegan.."

Thanks for that info, Kiki. While i don't have those issues, i still like to keep a step ahead of such things. And the tip about the Blendjet, i was wondering about them.