Greetings! I hope you’ve all had a great summer, hard to believe that Fall is practically here and the kids are back to school. Even harder to believe I have two in High School! It was a busy summer for me with the introduction of my new meal plan programs. My clients loved them as they felt better and lost weight! Since I want to share them with as many people as possible, I am offering a back to school special of $50 off the one month meal and consult program for the month of September. Call or e-mail for details.
I’ve been busy planning nutrition and yoga workshops for the fall and there’s quite a bit coming up soon. I’d love to see you there or pass on the information to a friend or loved one. I’ll be doing my Nutrition Boot Camp at HeartSpace in Thiensville (October and November), Copper Tree Wellness in Hartford (October), and in Minneapolis (December). I’ll also be doing a whole weekend of nutrition workshops in Cedar Falls in October.
For a complete listing of workshops, dates, times, and locations click here Workshop Information
For details at each location click here:
HeartSpace, Thiensville, WI
Copper Tree Wellness, Hartford, WI
Devanadi Yoga, Minneapolis, MN
Field of Yoga, Cedar Falls, IA
One last promotional note – yoga teacher training starts again in October. Once again Meg and I will be offering a 200 hour Yoga Alliance approved training with both weekday and weekend options. For more information click here YogaOne Vinyasa Flow Teacher Training.
Walking the Talk Part 2
In continuing the “walking the talk” theme from last month I also need to mention my new friend Susan Siemers. She is a fellow graduate of the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern, former business executive, and now is into raw milk farming. And you thought I made a career change! Anyway, she hosted me earlier in the month, showed me the ropes around the farm, and taught me how to make kefir, yogurt, cheese, and pickles. She also makes great soap from goat’s milk. It is very good for complexions. In fact, my daughter Mollie is now a fan and I am getting some for her friend! If you’re interested in some high quality soaps, visit Susan’s web site Ceres & Co.
Also last month I learned how to make herbal tinctures from my friend Phyllis Heitkamp. We made three: black walnut to kill bugs in the stomach (the one that did the magic for Mollie), a motherwort-hawthorn mixture for heart health, and a mullein-lobelia mixture for glandular support.
Walking the Talk Part 2: Supporting Food with Supplements
In my feature article Walking the Talk Part 2: Supporting Food with Supplements, I describe my personal program. You’ll notice that glandular support is included. For more on why we need supplements, how to determine what supplements you need, and to see my daily plan click here
Supporting Food with Supplements - My Personal Plan
And one last walker of the talk. My friend Glen Depke a naturopath who lives in California. His latest blog post was why treating symptoms does not work and how we need to get to the root of the cause. To read click here Symptom Care Doesn't Work
Franken-fish: Genetically Modified Salmon is Coming
As I like to say, you can’t make this stuff up. This perhaps is one of the more disturbing stories I read recently. I saw it in the Price-Pottenger Journal of Health and Healing Summer 2010 issue. Genetically modified salmon to be bigger. That is really scary to me. For the full story click here
Genetically Modified Salmon
A Special Thanks
And thanks to my yoga anatomy guru David Keil (not the Homestead football coach for you in the Mequon area) I’ve resolved a physical complaint that had been bothering me for about eight months. He is an expert in trigger points and successfully diagnosed the pain I had in lifting my right arm over head along with the feeling of a knife stabbing me in my right scapula. Who would think it would be triggered in the neck. Sure enough, while talking to him, I put my left hand fingers where he directed and lifted my right arm over head and no pain!
David will be coming to YogaOne in April to do anatomy training. He is awesome. He also has some great DVDs. Check them out at Anatomy
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Walking the Talk Part 2: Supporting Food with Supplements
This is the second installment in my “Walking the Talk” series. Previously I answered the most common question I receive from clients (and friends): what I eat and why. Now I’ll answer the second most popular question. If we eat all the right foods, do we really need to take supplements?
In an ideal world we would be able to obtain all our nutrients from food – fat, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Unfortunately, we do not live in such a world. Most of the plant food we consume is grown on land that is now mineral deficient, making these valuable food sources of vitamins and minerals deficient. Minerals are particularly important as they are the catalysts behind our bodily functions. Since we do not make them in our body we must get them from food. Most of the animal food we consume is from animals that are not healthy since they are being fed the same nutrient deficient food along with antibiotics and hormones. Even if you eat as clean as possible, as I and many others try to do, I stick with my conclusion that we just are not getting everything we need from our food.
Notice that I use the word “supplement”. This means we still need to eat our healthy foods and supplement with what we are not getting from the diet. I’ll tell all my clients I can give you all the supplements in the world, but if you do not eat healthy they will have minimal effect. You may not be feeling any symptoms, but that does not mean things are not happening in your body which will one day be symptoms.
How do we know what our body needs and what we are not getting from our diet? The easiest way is to be in touch with what we are feeling in our body. Symptoms that present are often signs of underlying nutritional deficiencies. Also, there are a variety of tests that I’ll use with clients to determine nutrient levels and/or deficiencies.
When creating a supplement program I consider two aspects. I start with the baseline – the supplements I believe everyone should use. Then I address the specific nutrients that may be lacking (determined as described above through symptoms and testing) and suggests proper supplements
Here’s how that translates for me. The baseline supplements support digestion and our need for a variety of vitamins and mineral support. I’ll start with digestion. We can be eating the best foods in the world, but if we don’t digest well, we won’t get all the nutrients available to us. Constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, acid reflux, headaches, ADD/ADHD, even anxiety and depression are all signs of poor digestion. To support digestion, I recommend digestive enzymes and probiotics. I take enzymes with each meal and probiotics on an empty stomach. As we age we make less of our own digestive enzymes, so another reason for supplementation. Many of my clients report amazing results from just doing these two simple supplements.
The second component of the baseline is what I’ll call a “multivitamin”, but not as you typically find in the vitamin section of the drugstore. I’ll pull together several products to deliver these components. Currently I am taking cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil from Green Pastures along with IntraMax from Drucker Labs. The cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil deliver my fish oils and my fat soluble vitamins – A, D, E, and K. The IntraMax delivers a wide range of nutrients including: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, more enzymes, etc. It is my super “multivitamin” and made from food.
This is another important point. I am a big believer in vitamins and supplements made from real foods, not in the laboratory. Those made in the laboratory are synthetic vitamins and often times not the full vitamin complex. Ever notice why your urine may be bright yellow after taking vitamins? That is why. Your body simply can’t process all these synthetic vitamins.
Next I look at is what I am experiencing in my body. So, as a middle aged male I am concerned about my prostate, heart, and overall energy levels. I take CoQ10 for heart health and to boost energy and I take a variety of glandular to support prostate and endocrine gland functions. I find that many of my clients also benefit from glandular products as they provide the direct nutrition that our endocrine glands require. These glands are among the first to suffer from poor nutrition. How do you know if your endocrine glands need support? If you’re tired, losing your hair in clumps, find your sex drive lacking, or for women if you suffer from PMS or any other female symptom – those are your glands asking for help!
I hope you find this information useful. If you are interested in having a supplement program designed specifically for yourself, please call my office and I’d be happy to help.
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Thiensville. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
In an ideal world we would be able to obtain all our nutrients from food – fat, protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. Unfortunately, we do not live in such a world. Most of the plant food we consume is grown on land that is now mineral deficient, making these valuable food sources of vitamins and minerals deficient. Minerals are particularly important as they are the catalysts behind our bodily functions. Since we do not make them in our body we must get them from food. Most of the animal food we consume is from animals that are not healthy since they are being fed the same nutrient deficient food along with antibiotics and hormones. Even if you eat as clean as possible, as I and many others try to do, I stick with my conclusion that we just are not getting everything we need from our food.
Notice that I use the word “supplement”. This means we still need to eat our healthy foods and supplement with what we are not getting from the diet. I’ll tell all my clients I can give you all the supplements in the world, but if you do not eat healthy they will have minimal effect. You may not be feeling any symptoms, but that does not mean things are not happening in your body which will one day be symptoms.
How do we know what our body needs and what we are not getting from our diet? The easiest way is to be in touch with what we are feeling in our body. Symptoms that present are often signs of underlying nutritional deficiencies. Also, there are a variety of tests that I’ll use with clients to determine nutrient levels and/or deficiencies.
When creating a supplement program I consider two aspects. I start with the baseline – the supplements I believe everyone should use. Then I address the specific nutrients that may be lacking (determined as described above through symptoms and testing) and suggests proper supplements
Here’s how that translates for me. The baseline supplements support digestion and our need for a variety of vitamins and mineral support. I’ll start with digestion. We can be eating the best foods in the world, but if we don’t digest well, we won’t get all the nutrients available to us. Constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating, acid reflux, headaches, ADD/ADHD, even anxiety and depression are all signs of poor digestion. To support digestion, I recommend digestive enzymes and probiotics. I take enzymes with each meal and probiotics on an empty stomach. As we age we make less of our own digestive enzymes, so another reason for supplementation. Many of my clients report amazing results from just doing these two simple supplements.
The second component of the baseline is what I’ll call a “multivitamin”, but not as you typically find in the vitamin section of the drugstore. I’ll pull together several products to deliver these components. Currently I am taking cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil from Green Pastures along with IntraMax from Drucker Labs. The cod liver oil and high vitamin butter oil deliver my fish oils and my fat soluble vitamins – A, D, E, and K. The IntraMax delivers a wide range of nutrients including: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants, more enzymes, etc. It is my super “multivitamin” and made from food.
This is another important point. I am a big believer in vitamins and supplements made from real foods, not in the laboratory. Those made in the laboratory are synthetic vitamins and often times not the full vitamin complex. Ever notice why your urine may be bright yellow after taking vitamins? That is why. Your body simply can’t process all these synthetic vitamins.
Next I look at is what I am experiencing in my body. So, as a middle aged male I am concerned about my prostate, heart, and overall energy levels. I take CoQ10 for heart health and to boost energy and I take a variety of glandular to support prostate and endocrine gland functions. I find that many of my clients also benefit from glandular products as they provide the direct nutrition that our endocrine glands require. These glands are among the first to suffer from poor nutrition. How do you know if your endocrine glands need support? If you’re tired, losing your hair in clumps, find your sex drive lacking, or for women if you suffer from PMS or any other female symptom – those are your glands asking for help!
I hope you find this information useful. If you are interested in having a supplement program designed specifically for yourself, please call my office and I’d be happy to help.
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Thiensville. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Acupuncture May Ease PCOS
Research from Sweden suggests that acupuncture can help normalize menstruation and lower levels of testosterone in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).This common disorder affects 13 percent of all women of reproductive age. It may cause a large number of small cysts to form on the ovaries, disturb hormone production and lead to an increase in testosterone secretion. As a result, affected women don’t ovulate normally and are at risk of infertility, obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Although the cause is unknown, the Swedish researchers said that some women with the syndrome often have high activity in a part of the nervous system that we cannot consciously control -the sympathetic nervous system - and that this may be an important underlying factor.
In this study, a group of women with PCOS was treated for four months with electro-acupuncture in which needles are stimulated with a weak, low-frequency electric current; another group of women was given heart rate monitors and told to exercise three times a week and a third, control group, was told about the importance of exercise and a healthy diet but received no other instruction. The investigators found that sympathetic nervous system activity decreased in women who received acupuncture or exercised and that menstruation became more normal among the women underwent acupuncture treatments.
Reference: Stener-Victorin E, et al. Low-frequency electro-acupuncture and physical exercise decrease high muscle sympathetic nerve activity in polycystic ovary syndrome. American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, August, 2009.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
August 2010 Newsletter: Walking the Talk
Walking the Talk
One of the themes playing itself out lately in my life is the importance of both our words and our actions. While we can say whatever we want, what we do is really where the rubber meets the road. We see this all the time. People say one thing, perhaps because it is the socially or politically acceptable thing to say, but their real world behavior is quite different. We all know these examples: the doctor that smokes cigarettes; the dietician that is excessively overweight; the nutrition whiz that eats and drinks whatever they want; or even the yogi who preaches peace and love and yet performs harmful acts.
This past week I was struggling to come up with my monthly article for the local paper. I was going to use something someone else wrote and with their permission re-write it more into my language and expression. But, as I was going to do it, it didn’t feel authentic. It wasn’t me. While it was great information, it wasn’t what I wanted to communicate. Then it occurred to me. At almost every talk I do people ask me what I eat. And there it was – the topic for an article! As I wrote the article, I realized I do walk my talk for the most part. We all have an occasional moment of food weakness (usually a sugary temptation), but overall I was pretty pleased. My next thought, what about the people whose information I follow. Do they walk the talk? Well this month I was able to experience two of these people first hand and I’ll report on that below.
To read my article on what I eat, click here: http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2010/07/walking-talk-heres-what-i-eat.html.
One last note. Also this last month I’ve been lining up my fall schedule and it is loaded already with nutrition and yoga workshops and talks, as well as with yoga teacher training. In October I’ll be at Copper Tree Wellness (Hartford, WI). In October, November, and December I’ll be at HeartSpace (Thiensville, WI). In late October I’ll be making a return to Cedar Falls, IA. And, in December I’ll be in Minneapolis. For details click here: http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2010/05/rosen-wellness-news-and-events.html.
To learn more about the YogaOne Vinyasa Flow 200 hour Teacher Training program starting in October and running through June click here: http://www.yogaonestudio.com/pages/training.html.
The First Lady of Nutrition
This past month I had the privilege of studying in person with Ann Louise Gittleman. I’ve spoken of her in prior newsletters and am a big fan of her nutrition philosophy which is shared in the over 30 books she has written. On my blogs you’ll see reviews of some of my favorites. To get to the point – she walks the talk! While I was there I was able to meet some of the other people at UniKey Health that I’ve spoken with over the phone over the past several years – Liz Beck, James Templeton, Carol Templeton, and Roz Livingston. They too all walk the talk! So thanks to all of you for making we welcome and a special thanks to Ann Louise for all the information she shared.
Ann Louise is an innovator in nutrition - always coming up with something new and interesting. Her latest book Fat Flush for Life is awesome. A new weight reduction program she recently developed is the Smoothie Shakedown. If you’re looking to lose some weight in a safe way over a two week period of time this is a great plan. For more information visit http://www.unikeyhealth.com/?a=1003 and click on Smoothie Shakedown. For more information about Ann Louise visit http://www.annlouise.com/
The Master Herbalist
Also this past month my daughter Mollie who is generally very healthy had an interesting physical ailment going on. I tried all the things that I knew of that I thought would help, but we really didn’t get anywhere. After about a week, I took her to see my local Master Herbalist and author Phyllis Heitkamp. Well sure enough, she figured it out, and within just over a day, Mollie was back to normal! And as a bonus, the next week she had me over, and taught me how to make my own herbal tinctures so I now have some important ones on hand and ready. Phyllis has written two books about herbs, both available at amazon.com
Need to Eat Gluten Free and/or Dairy Free
Give me a call or send an e-mail to learn about my healthy eating meal plans, complete with shopping lists and recipes. I have gluten free, dairy free, and gluten and dairy free weekly plans. It’s a great way to get started on the road to healthier eating.
One of the themes playing itself out lately in my life is the importance of both our words and our actions. While we can say whatever we want, what we do is really where the rubber meets the road. We see this all the time. People say one thing, perhaps because it is the socially or politically acceptable thing to say, but their real world behavior is quite different. We all know these examples: the doctor that smokes cigarettes; the dietician that is excessively overweight; the nutrition whiz that eats and drinks whatever they want; or even the yogi who preaches peace and love and yet performs harmful acts.
This past week I was struggling to come up with my monthly article for the local paper. I was going to use something someone else wrote and with their permission re-write it more into my language and expression. But, as I was going to do it, it didn’t feel authentic. It wasn’t me. While it was great information, it wasn’t what I wanted to communicate. Then it occurred to me. At almost every talk I do people ask me what I eat. And there it was – the topic for an article! As I wrote the article, I realized I do walk my talk for the most part. We all have an occasional moment of food weakness (usually a sugary temptation), but overall I was pretty pleased. My next thought, what about the people whose information I follow. Do they walk the talk? Well this month I was able to experience two of these people first hand and I’ll report on that below.
To read my article on what I eat, click here: http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2010/07/walking-talk-heres-what-i-eat.html.
One last note. Also this last month I’ve been lining up my fall schedule and it is loaded already with nutrition and yoga workshops and talks, as well as with yoga teacher training. In October I’ll be at Copper Tree Wellness (Hartford, WI). In October, November, and December I’ll be at HeartSpace (Thiensville, WI). In late October I’ll be making a return to Cedar Falls, IA. And, in December I’ll be in Minneapolis. For details click here: http://brwellness.blogspot.com/2010/05/rosen-wellness-news-and-events.html.
To learn more about the YogaOne Vinyasa Flow 200 hour Teacher Training program starting in October and running through June click here: http://www.yogaonestudio.com/pages/training.html.
The First Lady of Nutrition
This past month I had the privilege of studying in person with Ann Louise Gittleman. I’ve spoken of her in prior newsletters and am a big fan of her nutrition philosophy which is shared in the over 30 books she has written. On my blogs you’ll see reviews of some of my favorites. To get to the point – she walks the talk! While I was there I was able to meet some of the other people at UniKey Health that I’ve spoken with over the phone over the past several years – Liz Beck, James Templeton, Carol Templeton, and Roz Livingston. They too all walk the talk! So thanks to all of you for making we welcome and a special thanks to Ann Louise for all the information she shared.
Ann Louise is an innovator in nutrition - always coming up with something new and interesting. Her latest book Fat Flush for Life is awesome. A new weight reduction program she recently developed is the Smoothie Shakedown. If you’re looking to lose some weight in a safe way over a two week period of time this is a great plan. For more information visit http://www.unikeyhealth.com/?a=1003 and click on Smoothie Shakedown. For more information about Ann Louise visit http://www.annlouise.com/
The Master Herbalist
Also this past month my daughter Mollie who is generally very healthy had an interesting physical ailment going on. I tried all the things that I knew of that I thought would help, but we really didn’t get anywhere. After about a week, I took her to see my local Master Herbalist and author Phyllis Heitkamp. Well sure enough, she figured it out, and within just over a day, Mollie was back to normal! And as a bonus, the next week she had me over, and taught me how to make my own herbal tinctures so I now have some important ones on hand and ready. Phyllis has written two books about herbs, both available at amazon.com
Need to Eat Gluten Free and/or Dairy Free
Give me a call or send an e-mail to learn about my healthy eating meal plans, complete with shopping lists and recipes. I have gluten free, dairy free, and gluten and dairy free weekly plans. It’s a great way to get started on the road to healthier eating.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Walking the Talk: Here’s What I Eat
As a nutrition consultant, one of the most frequent questions I’m asked by clients, friends, and other curious people is, “So, what do you eat?” That’s a fair question right? You certainly want your nutrition consultant to be eating healthy foods! You wouldn’t want them eating donuts for breakfast and fast food burgers and fries for lunch and dinner. Nothing worse than the doctor who smokes cigarettes! So, here’s a look at what I typically eat:
Breakfast: I’m a big fan of a protein shake/smoothie in the morning. I find them to be filling and satisfying and easily last me until lunch time. My basic ingredients are 8 ounces of water (or a special cranwater concoction), a high quality protein mix (either whey, brown rice, pea, or some combination of these – never soy!), a cup of berries (blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries or some combination of them) either fresh or frozen, a handful of nuts and/or seeds (Brazil nuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds), some fresh greens or green powder, flax seed oil or ground flax seeds or chia seeds, and on occasion some yogurt and/or kefir. What does this provide? Plenty of protein, antioxidants, fiber, omega 3 and 6 fats and a whole bunch of other vitamins and minerals. On the days that I don’t have a smoothie, I’ll have eggs on some steamed leafy greens or sprouted toast or in an omlete with a bunch of vegetables.
Lunch: Generally 2-3 days of the week it will be one of the egg dishes that I describe above. Other days it will be based on leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. There is usually some type of animal protein involved, it can be grass fed beef, turkey, or lamb. As a B blood type I don’t do real well with chicken or bean dishes, so I tend to avoid them. At the present time I am also limiting my fish due to mercury. A hair tissue mineral analysis that I did on myself indicated higher levels of mercury than I’d like to see which I believe that was a result of eating a lot of fish. Remember – everything in moderation! During the warmer month I tend to have this with raw vegetables in some type of salad and during the cooler months with cooked vegetables. I use a homemade salad dressing from olive oil and vinegar. Maybe once or twice a week it will be in the form of a sandwich on sprouted grain bread; on occasion it will be over brown rice or quinoa. I’ll also throw in some soup as I have a great curried cauliflower, carrots, and pea soup recipe that I enjoy.
Dinner: Dinner is similar to lunch on the days I don’t have eggs. There will be an animal protein along with several types of vegetables usually steamed or stir-fried in coconut oil. Once a week or so I’ll do my baked sweet potato fries. On about four of the days I’ll also have a whole grain side of brown rice, quinoa, or brown rice pasta.
I’m not a big snacker. As I said, the smoothie usually lasts me until lunch. Sometimes between lunch and dinner I’ll get a little hungry and I’ll have a hard-boiled egg, a protein bar, a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts, or a bit of cheese.
What basic guidelines am I following? I don’t skip meals. I’m having protein at each meal. I’m eating lots of vegetables of all different varieties and colors, both cooked and raw. I’m limiting my carbohydrates in the form of grains, only doing whole grains, and not more than once per day. I make sure I get high quality fats from the coconut oil, olive oil, flax seed oil, and organic butter or ghee. I eat real food, avoiding processed and refined foods. I have an occasional sweet, but of good quality. Nothing like a homemade organic chocolate chip cookie! And, I have an occasional sweet of not so good quality – yes you may run into me at Dairy Queen occasionally! And I do still love my pizza, but usually once a month at the most. I try to limit eating out.
As I tell my clients, the most critical component is to control your home environment. If it is not in your house, you’re not going to eat it, and after a while a nightly trip to go get ice cream will get tiring!
I do use some supplements for additional nutritional support, but that will be the subject for next time!
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Thiensville. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Breakfast: I’m a big fan of a protein shake/smoothie in the morning. I find them to be filling and satisfying and easily last me until lunch time. My basic ingredients are 8 ounces of water (or a special cranwater concoction), a high quality protein mix (either whey, brown rice, pea, or some combination of these – never soy!), a cup of berries (blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries or some combination of them) either fresh or frozen, a handful of nuts and/or seeds (Brazil nuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds), some fresh greens or green powder, flax seed oil or ground flax seeds or chia seeds, and on occasion some yogurt and/or kefir. What does this provide? Plenty of protein, antioxidants, fiber, omega 3 and 6 fats and a whole bunch of other vitamins and minerals. On the days that I don’t have a smoothie, I’ll have eggs on some steamed leafy greens or sprouted toast or in an omlete with a bunch of vegetables.
Lunch: Generally 2-3 days of the week it will be one of the egg dishes that I describe above. Other days it will be based on leftovers from the previous night’s dinner. There is usually some type of animal protein involved, it can be grass fed beef, turkey, or lamb. As a B blood type I don’t do real well with chicken or bean dishes, so I tend to avoid them. At the present time I am also limiting my fish due to mercury. A hair tissue mineral analysis that I did on myself indicated higher levels of mercury than I’d like to see which I believe that was a result of eating a lot of fish. Remember – everything in moderation! During the warmer month I tend to have this with raw vegetables in some type of salad and during the cooler months with cooked vegetables. I use a homemade salad dressing from olive oil and vinegar. Maybe once or twice a week it will be in the form of a sandwich on sprouted grain bread; on occasion it will be over brown rice or quinoa. I’ll also throw in some soup as I have a great curried cauliflower, carrots, and pea soup recipe that I enjoy.
Dinner: Dinner is similar to lunch on the days I don’t have eggs. There will be an animal protein along with several types of vegetables usually steamed or stir-fried in coconut oil. Once a week or so I’ll do my baked sweet potato fries. On about four of the days I’ll also have a whole grain side of brown rice, quinoa, or brown rice pasta.
I’m not a big snacker. As I said, the smoothie usually lasts me until lunch. Sometimes between lunch and dinner I’ll get a little hungry and I’ll have a hard-boiled egg, a protein bar, a piece of fruit, a handful of nuts, or a bit of cheese.
What basic guidelines am I following? I don’t skip meals. I’m having protein at each meal. I’m eating lots of vegetables of all different varieties and colors, both cooked and raw. I’m limiting my carbohydrates in the form of grains, only doing whole grains, and not more than once per day. I make sure I get high quality fats from the coconut oil, olive oil, flax seed oil, and organic butter or ghee. I eat real food, avoiding processed and refined foods. I have an occasional sweet, but of good quality. Nothing like a homemade organic chocolate chip cookie! And, I have an occasional sweet of not so good quality – yes you may run into me at Dairy Queen occasionally! And I do still love my pizza, but usually once a month at the most. I try to limit eating out.
As I tell my clients, the most critical component is to control your home environment. If it is not in your house, you’re not going to eat it, and after a while a nightly trip to go get ice cream will get tiring!
I do use some supplements for additional nutritional support, but that will be the subject for next time!
Bernard Rosen, PhD is a Nutrition Consultant and Educator. He works with individuals, groups, and at corporations to create individualized nutrition and wellness programs. His office is in Thiensville. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, e-mail at bernie@brwellness.com, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
A Mother's Life Changing Prayer
Dear Lord,
Please give me the strength to face every challenge, the peach I need to hear Your voice and patience when I feel angry or stressed. Help me be kind and caring to those around me. Let me be an example of Your grace and love to my family. Help me to not raise my voice, but to raise my children to serve and love You. Fill my life and my home with Your joy. Amen
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Vitamin D
Highlights of Dr. Paykel's Presentation - Who is at risk for Vitamin D deficiency? Exclusively breast-fed infants, dark skin, aging, northern climate dwellers, city-dwellers, those who cover their heads when outside, sunscreen users, lactose intolerance, s/p gastric bypass, cystic fibrosis patients, gallbladder disease, IBS, obesity, women.
- Diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency: osteoporosis, breast, colon and ovarian cancer; autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes; Seasonal Affective Disorder (depression during winter months), cardiovascular disease and hypertension, Alzheimer’s Disease.
- Osteoporosis progression slows at 32 ng/mL ; goal of therapy should be 50 – 80 ng/mL to decrease cancer risks
- Sources of Vitamin D: sun, food, supplements
- Sun block SPF 8 or greater reduces conversion of Vitamin D in the skin by 95%
If using sunscreen, apply after sun exposure for twenty minutes - Adequate sun exposure: Bikini-wearing, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., 2-3 x per week
Everybody living North of 37 degrees latitude (basically, North of line extending across the U.S. from Atlanta, GA to Los Angeles, CA) should take supplements (2000 IU daily) from October through March - Dietary sources of vitamin D include: wild-caught, fatty fish, dairy products, fortified cereals, fortified orange juice, egg yolks and cod liver oil
- Take Vitamin D supplements during meals with fatty foods
- Vitamin D3 is better than Vitamin D2 for supplementation (except prescription strength only comes in D2)
- Children should receive 400 IU Vitamin D3 daily
- Lab to order: 25-hydroxy-Vitamin D [AKA: 25(OH)D]
- Definitions: “deficiency” <> 32 ng/mL
- Too much vitamin D in the system: > 200 ng/mL
- Treating vitamin D deficiency when measuring 25(OH)D :
<>: Vitamin D2 50,000 IU weekly x 1 year
21-31 ng/mL: Vitamin D2 50,000 IU weekly x 12 weeks then Vitamin D3 2000 IU daily; recheck in 1 year
32 ng/mL: Vitamin D3 2000 IU daily - Who should not take Vitamin D without supervision? Individuals with impaired kidney function
- Food sources Vitamin D (IU)
Pink salmon, wild caught, 3 oz 530
Sardines, 3 oz 231
Tuna, canned, 3 oz 200
Cow’s milk, 8 oz 100
Fortified O.J., 8 oz 100
Fortified cereal, 1 cup 40-50
Eggs (Yolk), 1 oz 30
Cod Liver Oil, 1 oz 1, 360
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