Over Fed & Under Nourished....Let Food Be Your Medicine and Take Back Your Health

It’s been just over 18 months now since my personal physician told me to make some big changes in the way I eat or I’d probably die of a heart attack in 10 years.

To recap, I had just had a CTa; a 3-dimensional CAT scan of my heart so that a radiologist can check the condition of my heart’s blood vessels. By some grace of G-d, my cardiac vessels were in great shape; in-fact, they were in incredible shape. But, the problem was that my cholesterol was high, my triglycerides were high and my blood pressure was borderline. Not to mention, I was pushing the scales at just under 220lbs. So although my heart was in excellent shape, the cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure were setting me up for a hard fall in the not so distant future.

On a prescription pad Dr. Woolf wrote the name of a book: Ultrametabolism, by Mark Hyman, MD. My prescription was to read the book and to live the book…and so I did. The book in summary told me to eat whole foods, not processed foods. Told me not to skip meals or reduce my calories, but to eat the right foods at the right times to speed up my metabolism. And of course, get recommitted to exercising. All of which I did, and I did well.

It worked. After 6 months, my cholesterol, my triglycerides and my blood pressure were normal again and I weighed in at 194. To read more on out how I did this, read my blog on beating lipitor in 6 months

My struggle continues though as I’ve realized that crappy food is so abundant in our society, it’s nearly impossible to eat and snack healthfully (and tastefully) without examining the label on everything I want to purchase from the grocery store. Even Yogurt has high fructose corn syrup, the same sweetener as you will see in Coca-Cola & Pepsi and every other soda on the market and yes, another man-made substance that is slowly killing our children and ourselves. Most of the foods we consume also have hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils in them. A substance that is incredibly toxic to which scientists have said that this substance is like ingesting plastic into our bodies.

Most of you know how I felt when I stumbled onto Larabars. Which, I continue to enjoy to this day and hope to for a long long time; but, I’ve found another snack that can also be used as a meal!!!

Yes, I’ve finally found another source for not just in-between meal snack, but for real whole foods that you can replace any meal with. The Company is The Whole Food Farmacy. At a recent continuing educational seminar in Orlando, I bumped into an old schoolmate of mine. We talked and he actually had, in addition to his practice, another business that surrounded his incredibly healthy way of eating. Stephen, as I remember, would eat the entire fruit or vegetable. Stem, seeds, core, leaves and all. He left nothing over, and his business was based on healthy packaged meals made up of a multitude of whole fruits, whole vegetables whole seeds and whole grains that were in simple, easy to manage self-sealing very tasty packages. To my amazement, they tasted awesome and I immediately got as excited about this as I did when I first found out about Larabars.

Everything was packed kind of like a bag of “trail mix” and with incredible variety. I first tried something called Veggiliscious, which, I could easily chow down on in place of a bag of potato chips. They were crunchy and flavorful. There was even a spicy version too! There were so many choices from mixes of traditional fruits, seed & grains, to tropical fruits and various flavorful mixes. There were a multitude of shakes and soups as well, all made from a natural whole food source. The bags seal up like a zip-lock storage bag and they are so easy to throw in your gym bag or brief case or purse and take with you.

To put it like my California buddies…I was Stoked!!! I enjoyed the flavors, the whole food mixes were very hearty and I could easily eat one of these for a meal if I wanted. And, funny thing, I was going to and from so many classes and meeting, I actually ate 6 of my 8 meals that weekend from the Whole Food Farmacy and was totally satisfied. I simply didn't have time to sit down for a normal meal.

Now, this isn’t some fad diet, or new vitamin pill company, this company understands the benefits of whole food nutrition and packages it so it makes it easy for you to incorporate into your life. If you eat your meals from real whole foods, you will regain your health, you will lose weight and you will improve your health and recapture that long lost youthful energy again.

Top athletes are using this as part of the pre-competition preparation strategy. It’s becoming very popular with marathon runners and especially tri-athletes. Because it’s pure whole food the way we were meant to eat it. It’s just in a nice little bag.

If your kids need something good to snack on, this is absolutely the thing for you. If you’ve been wondering how to regain your health, lose that weight that somehow showed up around your waist one day, then this is for you. The Whole Food Farmacy has 13-day cleanses to kick start your quest to regain your health. If you’ve hit a plateau in your weight loss, give this a try. It’s not a “diet”, it’s not a “fast”, you’re just bombarding your system with a lot of very dense-high nutritional value whole foods. Your body will thank you for it by getting back in balance again.

It’s easy, it’s tasty and it’s extremely good for you. As with anything, check the ingredients to make sure you don’t have any allergies to the foods and if you have any questions, make sure to check with your doctor about it.

I’ve set up a website so you can check out the company’s products and if you think this is the right time to regain your health, then join the wholesale club like I did and joint me in taking back your health and the health of your family. (It’s kind of like a Costco for their whole food products). Just go to: http://www.mywholefoodfarmacy.com/ and achieve your goals in your quest to regain your health.

So, as Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine said back in the “B.C.” days, “Let food be thy medicine and let medicine be thy food”.

Healthfully Yours,

DocT

Dr. Narson is a 2-term past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and was honored as the recipient of the coveted Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award in 1999-2000. He practices in Miami Beach, Florida at the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic Center; A Facility for Natural Sports Medicine.

Finally, Something Healthy For My Sweet Tooth!!!

For all you athletes, health nuts and those trying to get healthy again who starve & crave for something tasty, sweet and healthy, I’ve finally found something that meets all my criteria without compromising my Ultrametabolism “Whole Food” nutritional values.

Up until now, it has been fruit and more fruit to satisfy my sweet tooth; well, and the occasional piece of 87% Cacao Dark Chocolate(we’re talking bittersweet & about a 1”x 2” square of it every couple days). Sometimes, it's not very convenient to eat a piece of fruit. Some of them can be a bit messy and that doesn't always work for me in the middle of the day while in my office.

For those who don’t know me, I’ve been on this crusade against high fructose corn syrup(HFCS), corn syrup, even added sugar to my foods as well as stamping out all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils from my diet. It has been somewhat trying, but after 5 months, it now comes naturally.

I read labels on EVERYTHING that I stuff into my mouth now. Recently, I found a “bar” that I can eat that is (1) Whole Food (2) Contains healthful nuts and fruits (3) Doesn’t have any added sugar, or that HFCS crapola (4) Doesn’t have any artificial sweeteners, nor do they have any hydrogenated oils. What are they? LARABAR


They come in a variety of flavors and they are a very welcomed treat to add to my whole food way of eating. If you are looking for an in-between meal treat, I think you’ve found your answer. For example, the “cherry pie” bar pictured above contains unsweetened cherries, almond and dates. That’s it. No really….that’s it.

Here’s the scoop on them…

LäraBar is a delicious blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices. Made from 100% whole raw food, each flavor contains no more than 2 to 6 ingredients. Pure and simple, just as nature intended.

Raw! Uncooked, unprocessed!
Delicious!
Kosher Certified!
Simple Real Food - only a handful of ingredients!
No Dairy!
No Soy or soy by-products!
No Corn Syrup! Corn-Free!
No Sugar!
Non-irradiated!
No added Sweeteners of any kind!
No Wheat!
No GMO!
No Gluten!
Sulfite-Free!
Low-Glycemic index!
No Cholesterol!
No Artificial Colors!
No Preservatives!
Completely Vegan, no animal by-products!
Convenient!
Easily digestible and quite filling!
Great Texture!
Only mostly Organic due to cost.
Rich in Antioxidants, with a good balance of Vitamins, Essential Enzymes, Fiber, Minerals, Omega 3 & 6 EFAs, Protein and Complex Carbohydrates!

And yes….they taste great too!!!

Go to http://www.larabar.com/ to read more about them.

Enjoy!

DocT

PS....and for all of you out there concerned about carbohydrates and sugar. Stop whining and read Ultrametabolism already. Your body needs carbohydrates from whole natural sources. It's all of the added sugar and refined carbohydrates that screw you up. That is what you should be worrying about. To the right of this column there is a link to purchase Ultrametaolism. Click on it, buy it and learn how you are supposed to feed your body. Stop trying to cut things out of your diet that your body is designed to eat; rather learn how to eat to speed up your metabilism and start living again!

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Dr. Narson is a 2-term past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and was honored as the recipient of the coveted Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award in 1999-2000. He practices in Miami Beach, Florida at the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic Center; A Facility for Natural Sports Medicine.

Dr. T’s Guidelines To Reduce High Cholesterol & High Triglycerides (and you’ll also lose weight too!!)

This is a long blog entry. It’s packed with good information and references. Doctors, feel free to print this out and use it as a reference. Just please make sure you reference where you got this info. Oh, this is reference material. "Food for thought", so before you start any weight loss or exercise program, consult with your personal physician

If you’ve been following the classic USDA Food Pyramid for the last decade or so, you’re probably extremely obese, have high cholesterol and triglycerides, have bad skin, probably have diabetes, or cancer or heart disease and are close to dying. Which is why health professionals “in the know” have been urging the USDA for years to change it. Finally they listened and they’ve almost got it right, but like most government agencies, they are still beholden to the big industries and their power lobbying. Why? Because to them, jobs and the economy are more important than your health. Several months ago, my personal physician, Islon Woolf, MD; On a prescription pad wrote: Ultrametabolism; Mark Hyman, MD. He told me to buy it and read it and follow it. And so I did. It changed my life and it can change yours. I've been using the info I learned in this book the change the lives of my patients as well.

If you want to reduce your cholesterol and triglycerides, and live life to it’s fullest potential, try the following:

1. Cut out all foods with High Fructose Corn Syrup
2. Cut out all products with Corn Syrup
3. Eliminate any added sugar from your diet.
4. Eliminate Hydrogenated Oils from your diet
5. Eliminate Partially Hydrogenated Oils from your diet.
6. Eliminate white and wheat flour from your diet
7. Cut out rolled oats (typical oatmeal)
8. Eliminate white rice from your diet
8. Cut out all fried foods.
10. Cut out red meats & pork
11. Cut out caffeine in all forms.
12. Cut out dairy (there are other, much better sources of calcium anyway, try green leafy vegetables, tofu, sesame seeds, etc.)


Don't starve yourself or cut our meals. It will only slow your metabolism and cause you in the end to regain the weight you've lost and pack on even more!


OK, now that you're in shock, here's what you can eat:
1. Eat only organically grown, range fed and/or wild chicken or turkey
2. Eat only wild fishes (not farmed) if available. Especially Salmon. Stay away from bottom fish
3. Eat only whole grain breads (yes they can be found); whole wheat doesn't count.
4. Eat only whole grain or Konjac Pasta(http://www.konjacfoods.com/). Konjac pasta tastes kind of rubbery and whole grain pasta is a bit gritty. Konjac is known as a "superfiber" and slows the absorbtion of CHOs (carbohydrates).

5. Eat 5-9 servings of Fresh raw Fruits & veggies per day. Preferably Organic & vine ripened.

6. Take a properly balanced Omega oil supplement I prefer Flora’s Udo’s 3-6-9 Oil Blend. Take 1-Tbsp per 50-lbs of body weight. It can be drizzled over salads or simply spoon it in. It must however, always be kept cold. Any heat will destroy the health benefits of this amazing balanced omega oil.

Click On The Picture To Find Out More Info

7. Take whole food supplements rather than individual vitamins. Vitamins and other phyto-nutrients were meant to work "in concert" with one and another how they exist in nature. Not individually. Unless of course you have a specific deficiency.

8. Drink green or red teas to provide rich anti-oxidants and to help you relax. Do not add milk to tea as it destroys the cardiovascular health benefits of tea

9. Eat Steel-cut oats (This is the kind of oatmeal that takes 30-40 minutes to make. The kind your grandmother use to make your parents for breakfast)

10. Add Raw Almonds to your diet. It's amazing how healthy they are. Eat them in-between meals for a snack to keep yourself from getting hungry. Almonds are incredibly healthy for you as long as you aren’t allergic or have diverticulitis or diverticulosis (check with your doctor). Yes, almonds have fat; but they’re good fats and you need to eat them!!! Eat ONLY RAW Almonds.

Oh, and yes, Avocado has a lot of fat too. But it’s good fat. Eat them, enjoy them and you’ll get healthier.


The Bottom Line...Eat Whole Unprocessed Foods to Speed Up your metabolism so it burns more calories. Here's how I explain this "speeding up your metabolism" thing to my patients:

Think about one of those old coal burning locamotive trains. You have a big pile of coal, an engine that runs off of steam and a fire that boils the water to create the steam. If you don't put in enough coal (starve yourself) the fire will die, the water won't boil and the engine will shut down. Then you are left with a big pile of coal. Which, now you can store (fat) for later use.

If you shovel in too much coal (eat too much) you will smother the fire, causing the system to shut down(slow down your metabolism -- kind of like when you go to sleep after eating too much)

Now, if you shovel in the right amount of coal, you keep that fire burning, the water boiling and the engine running(metaboism). This way, you get to your desired location (results). Keep the fire burning throughout the day by shoveling in moderate amounts of coal (with snacks and lunch) to keep the engine chugging along.

So, you must eat the right foods at the right intervals to keep your metabolism burning those calories. Don't be temped to skip a meal. You'll only slow down your metabolism.

Here Are Some Of The Rules I Play By:
1. You must read labels on everything you purchase when shopping for food. Trust me on this, they’ll sneak stuff in the most unsuspecting foods. I've seen "100% Whole Wheat" breads and multi-grain breads that were nothing more than multi-ground flour breads sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. It's nasty and not only isn't it good for you, it's poison to your body and will raise your triglycerides! Read the ingredient list, not the front of the package. It's not the mixture of multiple ground up grains, it's the multiple whole grains that is most important.

2. As the saying goes, Eat Breakfast like a King, lunch like a Prince & dinner like a pauper.

3. Eat a Large breakfast to get your metabolism kicked into high gear.

4. Eat a handful or two of raw almonds in-between breakfast and lunch to prevent hunger and to keep your metabolism burning strong. Apples also make for a nice in-between meal snack. The in-between meal snack is very important to keep your metabolism firing away!!!

5. Eat a moderate size lunch.

6. Eat a handful or two of raw almonds in-between lunch and dinner to prevent hunger and to keep your metabolism burning strong through the afternoon.

7. Eat a “smaller” to medium size dinner. Keep it on the lighter side.

8. Do not eat 3 hours before bed. Any foods eaten during this time will simply be stored as fat as your metabolism slows down before bed and while you sleep.

Preparation is the Key to Success!!!
1. If you prepare your foods and snacks in advance, you can eat regularly and prevent that ravenous hunger (Like a shark’s feeding frenzy) that takes over your body when you’ve gone too long without eating. When the hormones kick in, well, you’re pretty much “S.O.L.”. Prepare your foods and prevent that from happening.

2. Prepare something to eat right after your workout. If you go too long without eating after your workout, you will allow yourself to get hungry and your hormones will kick into overdrive and you will be powerless over them. Plan a little post workout snack if you can’t sit for a proper port workout meal.

3. Get a small cooler for your car and bring your snacks and meals with you if necessary.

4. Drink plenty of water. Keep hydrated.

5. Exercise at least 4 days per week for a minimum of 60 minutes. Even if it is just walking, it’s a good start and it’s better than doing nothing. Personally, I do a mixture of cardiovascular (interval training) & weights. At my gym, I even take several group fitness classes that mix weight training, flexibility and aerobics. If you've never exercised before, you should hire a personal trainer. to guide you and teach you how to exercise properly. Also, don't forget to check with your doctor prior to beginning any exercise program.

6. Now, take all your new knowledge and teach your children. Teach your children’s children and so on and so forth.

If you want a brief background on why I feel what I have written above is so important, read my earlier article at: http://naturalsportsmedicine.blogspot.com/2006/12/is-yogurt-as-bad-as-soda.html to find out a little of the evolution of our species and our diet.

However, for some real in-depth background and the references for what I have written, I suggest you read the following books. Here you will get all of the gory details as to why I make the suggestions above. The books are easy read and make a lot of sense. They are must reads for anyone who wants to take back their health and improve their quality of life. Let me tell you, the following four sources have gotten it right. Their research is valid, their conclusions are accurate and their message should be taken to heart. Read them, teach your children and spread the word to your friends.

Ultrametabolism; by Mark Hyman, MD













Eat, Drink And Be Healthy; by Walter Willet, MD















PUBLISHED ARTICLE: Origins & Evolutions of the Western Diet; An article written by Cordain et al. Sorry, no cute picture. Just click on the link and it will start to download a .pdf file you can read or print.



The Authoritative Source On Good Fats (Fats that Heal) & Bad Fats (Fats that Kill) is Udo Erasmis, Ph.D. To find out more about his book Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill and what the real deal is on the fats you absolutely need and the ones to stay away from. There is no better authority on the subject of good fats and bad fats than Dr. Erasmus.






If you have any questions regarding the above, please feel free to visit my office web site at: www.NaturalSportsMedicine.com and you will find a link to my email address there.

Healthfully yours.

DocT

Dr. Narson is a 2-term past president of the Florida Chiropractic Association’s Council on Sports Injuries, Physical Fitness & Rehabilitation and was honored as the recipient of the coveted Chiropractic Sports Physician of the Year Award in 1999. He practices in Miami Beach, Florida at the Miami Beach Family & Sports Chiropractic Center; A Facility for Natural Sports Medicine.

He can be contacted at: www.NaturalSportsMedicine.com for more information, comments or lecturing info.