What to Eat Just Got Easier

I didn’t have a favorite chapter, per se, however I did like the one about tomatoes + lycopene…bring on the pizza!

By Guest Blogger Pam Kaye, RRPr, CNHP Student

Let me explain. First of all, I’m not a Nutritionist, Dietician or in any-other-way involved in health-care. So my opinions are my own. And not only do I have high cholesterol (according to the guidelines) but I’m also ‘allergic’ to ‘statins’.

So, of course, I was prescribed statins to control the cholesterol.

My story:

The pain is excruciating. You cannot sleep, as it’s so bad. And it’s a constant 24 hour pain with no relief because you have to take the medicine once a day. I am constantly adding pain to my body, regularly, every 24 hours.

Finally, after about a month, I said ‘what the hell are you doing?’ Seriously! I’m inflicting pain on myself. Why not take-up drinking, or base jumping? At least then I’d be having some fun with my death-wish.

So…I stopped taking them. Just like that, and they were in the garbage. And guess what? I’M STILL ALIVE!

Cholesterol has become rather a pet-peeve of mine. And the author of An Apple A Day (compulsory reading in Nutrition 101) has dealt with cholesterol rather comically in places, without detracting from the idea that cholesterol can be bad.

I’m not a Conspiracy Theorist, by any stretch of the imagination. I really believe that man walked on the moon, that JFK, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe are all dead. But the more I read and learn about cholesterol, the more I believe it’s all to do with money and nothing to do with overall health.

According to the Canadian Food Guide (an informative, historical document showing the nonsense that the Government can peddle, just because they are the Government) FAT is a food group. It’s the last food group. And it’s the last because it is bad. But really, is it?

The first group in the list is FRUIT + VEGETABLES. In my mind, these should be separate groups. But since the government knows best, they can be grouped together. Now, my age range says I need 7 servings a day. Which can come from the freezer, from fresh, or…are you ready? From canned. Yes, canned veggies are okay.

That is 3.5 cups of something that is so over-salted no wonder high blood-pressure is rampant.

I have in front of me now, a can of Kidney Beans. (Ok, not part of the everyday diet for most, but who doesn’t love a steaming bowl of chili on a winter night?) As Dr. Schwarz points out in An Apple A Day, ‘food is the sum of its whole, and not one individual component.’ The label says that 1 cup (doesn’t mention drained or not) has 2% of your daily fat. (Not sure where the fat in a kidney bean is…perhaps it was lazier than the other beans.)

Zero cholesterol (really, there’s fat in there!)

220mg salt and lots of fiber.

Admittedly, I’m cherry-picking. But I’m not wrong.

I can do the same thing with almost anything in a can. If it’s in a can, it’s been processed. But at least there’s no GMOs. (NO! I’m not going there.)

Next on the list is GRAINS. Which apparently, I need 6 of! Now, I personally have a deep mistrust of anything in a bakery bag. Does it taste good??? Hell yes! Is it good for me and do I really need 6 servings?

It takes an awful lot of exercise to burn those calories off.

Whether it’s whole-grain or not, starches (carbs) are hard to burn. So unless you are training for a marathon (been there, done that), no one needs that amount of carbs. Especially those that say a cupcake is the same as a slice of bread with jam.

Now, I also need 3 x servings of dairy, called MILK AND MILK ALTERNATIVES. Funny, they suggest low-fat or no-fat, but to me that says: processed, processed, processed!

And then we get to the MEAT AND MEAT ALTERNATIVES. Of which I need 2 x servings a day. I’m not going to debate whether meat is the same as fat. (It is to the government.) But what I will debate is that fat is not meat and that fat has variety. Just as some vegetables aren’t vegetables. (Dreaming of that pizza again.)

FAT is necessary for brain growth, for helping other nutrients through the body, and for the most part, it tastes good. (Best invention ever? Bacon!) And the guide goes on to say that we need to include a small amount. 30 to 45 ml, or 2 to 3 tablespoons. Of UNSATURATED FAT. Each day. This includes oil for cooking, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise. Suggestions from the food-guide-pyramid:

Use vegetable oils, such as canola, olive and soybean.

Choose soft margarines, that are low in saturated and trans-fat.

Suggestions from me: Fats should be as natural as your fruits and veggies.

Avocado, olive and coconut are all great for fat intake. (I’m not sure if I give my dog canola or soybean oil, although the book did do a really good job of making me think about canola. And why I feel the way I do about it. And I know there’s more of this to come in Traditional Holistic Aromatherapy Training!)

I guess my biggest take-away from the book is that we need to do our own research, and not read so many super-market headlines or watch Dr. Oz. Now don’t get me wrong, I believe Dr. Oz is a great thoracic surgeon. But he needs to stick to what he knows and stop being the fear-monger that he is to millions of people everyday.

The down side to the book An Apple a Day is I’ll never look at food again as just food or just an object. An apple is no longer an apple so to speak.

The upside: Take the course. You’ll be so glad you did. I’m eating better than ever, making healthy and tasty choices, and feeling better than ever. And remember to eat an apple a day.