In my last post I introduced you to six natural ways to boost your energy through healthy eating behaviors. As a quick reminder those were:
1. Eat protein with each meal.
2. Eat a diet balanced with protein, fat, and carbohydrate.
3. Don’t fear fat.
4. Reduce your sugar intake.
5. Eat breakfast.
6. Don’t skip meals.
Now, here are six more, to give you a healthy dozen ideas.
Get more sleep. Well this one may be rather obvious, but guess the number one reason people are tired and lack energy. They don’t get enough sleep! In fact 50 million of us suffer from chronic, long term sleep disorders while another 20 million experience occasional sleep problems. Why do we need sleep? It allows our body to recover from the stress and activity of the day and to prepare for the next day. How much sleep do we need? For most people it is about eight hours. Not getting enough sleep creates havoc for our endocrine, immune, and metabolic systems. As a result we can become tired and gain weight. Some helpful hints – go to bed earlier (perhaps even one hour), exercise in the morning (evening exercise revs you up), and do not drink for several hours before going to bed (water, and particularly alcohol). An interesting note on alcohol – while it may help you fall asleep, after several hours it may actually enliven you!
Snack on nuts. Nuts make a great snack. They have fiber, protein, healthy fat and minerals. They are a great energy food. The protein and fat fills you up and stabilizes blood sugar. The minerals fuel your enzymes and metabolism. A couple of side notes. They are a snack, not a meal, so limit yourself to a handful at a time. And, most important – raw nuts are best. Avoid highly salted roasted nuts due to the salt content and also because the fragile unsaturated fats oxidize during the roasting process.
Drink green tea. Studies have shown a variety of health benefits from drinking green tea including reducing the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, infection, and rheumatoid arthritis while also lowering cholesterol. It also helps in weight loss – human studies have shown green tea to increase the rate of calorie and fat burn over a 24 hour period. Yes, there is caffeine, but one-third as much in coffee.
Drink water, not soda. Our bodies are approximately 60% water. It is needed for optimal health - for our bodies to function most efficiently and effectively. It is essential for flushing waste and toxins from our system, preventing constipation, and optimizing kidney and liver function. A clogged up body will contribute to fatigue and low energy. A simple formula is to divide your weight by two and drink that many ounces of pure water a day. As an added bonus, water has no calories. Why not soda? Well, the sugary sodas are loaded with empty calories and the diet sodas are full of chemical sweeteners which disrupt your body. Neither is filling. In fact, they put you on the sugar roller coaster and make you hungry.
CoQ10 for Cellular Energy. The “Co” stands for coenzyme – a substance that enhances the action of an enzyme. Why is this important? We need enzymes to fuel the metabolic processes taking place continuously in our body. CoQ10 is particularly important because it works in the mitochondria of the cell – the place where cellular energy is produced. So here’s the link – the more energy in the cell, the more energy in the body. There’s a lot more to CoQ10, so I’d definitely encourage you to do some additional research about this all important nutrient. Hint – it is good for the heart!
For more detail and many more ideas I refer you to best-selling nutrition author Jonny Bowden’s The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about Using Nutrition, Exercise, Supplements, Stress Relief, and Personal Empowerment to Stay Energized All Day.
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.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Natural Energy Boosters - Part 1
Are you feeling tired? Run down? Don’t have the energy you used to have? Unfortunately you are not alone. One of the most common complaints of my clients is just that – being tired and not having the energy they desire to do what they want to do during the day (and night). Since it is such an important topic I plan to devote the next couple of articles to it. The material I’ll present can be found in greater detail in best-selling nutrition author Jonny Bowden’s The 150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about Using Nutrition, Exercise, Supplements, Stress Relief, and Personal Empowerment to Stay Energized All Day. As you can see, the book covers lots of topics, but we’ll start with my area of expertise – nutrition – eating and drinking.
Protein with each meal. At the top of the list is to eat protein with each meal. Protein is one of the key macronutrients that our body depends upon. Most importantly, it is the structural basis for our body - muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, glands, nails, hair, vital fluids (blood, hormones, enzymes) are all protein based. Our body is constantly building and repairing, therefore we want to have the raw materials readily available. Our hormones are directing, stimulating, regulating, and maintaining our bodily functions. In addition, protein helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and reduces our insulin response to the carbohydrates we are often consuming in the same meal. The most commonly thought sources of protein come from animals (red meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products), however we can also get protein plant sources such as whole grains, legumes (peas and beans), nuts, and seeds.
Eat balanced. It is also important to have a diet balanced with protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Unfortunately the Standard American Diet has become very high in simple carbohydrates (bread, cereal, pasta, cookies, cakes, etc.) while neglecting healthy carbohydrates (vegetables and fruits), fats and protein. It is the healthy fats and proteins which satiate us, while it is the simple carbohydrates that put us on the blood sugar roller coaster that zaps our energy and causes us to gain weight.
Don’t Fear Fat and Reduce Your Sugar Intake. One of the most challenging tasks I face is to get my clients over their fear of fat. We have been barraged over the years with false messages that eating too much fat makes us fat. And what has been the result? Everyone is told to eat low fat and guess what – it makes you fat! There is a reason for that. If you can’t eat fat, what do you eat? More carbohydrates. Unfortunately most of these carbohydrates are the simple carbohydrates described above which to your body are ultimately sugar which at the end of most people’s day winds up being stored as fat. So, don’t be afraid of fat. In fact, many holistic minded nutritionists recommend at least 30% of your calories come from fat – but healthy fats such as butter, olive oil, coconut oil, flax seed oil, and those found in healthy meats such as grass fed beef, anti-biotic and hormone free poultry, and wild fish. Many of my clients find immediate increases of energy by removing these simple carbohydrates from their diet. Take out as much sugar and artificial sweeteners as you can and see what happens. It might surprise you.
Don’t Skip Meals. There’s an old saying, “Eat breakfast like a King and dinner like a pauper.” The idea being that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You are fueling yourself up for the day. And if you really think about it, when don’t you need a lot of fuel – when you are going to be sleeping! It is also important to eat throughout the day and not skip meals. Remember that thought about the body building and repairing all day long – it needs constant fuel. Providing consistent (and of course healthy) food to your body keeps its engine revved up and burning most efficiently. When we skip meals and hold back fuel is when the body begins to conserve fuel and slow metabolism. Do this enough and metabolism stays slow. This is essentially why people gain back all the weight they lost on their diet (plus more) when they return to eating how they did previously. Slower metabolism means less efficiency on utilizing food. Statistics show that people who skip meals tend to be overweight.
That’s it for now. More to come.
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.
Protein with each meal. At the top of the list is to eat protein with each meal. Protein is one of the key macronutrients that our body depends upon. Most importantly, it is the structural basis for our body - muscles, ligaments, tendons, organs, glands, nails, hair, vital fluids (blood, hormones, enzymes) are all protein based. Our body is constantly building and repairing, therefore we want to have the raw materials readily available. Our hormones are directing, stimulating, regulating, and maintaining our bodily functions. In addition, protein helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and reduces our insulin response to the carbohydrates we are often consuming in the same meal. The most commonly thought sources of protein come from animals (red meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products), however we can also get protein plant sources such as whole grains, legumes (peas and beans), nuts, and seeds.
Eat balanced. It is also important to have a diet balanced with protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Unfortunately the Standard American Diet has become very high in simple carbohydrates (bread, cereal, pasta, cookies, cakes, etc.) while neglecting healthy carbohydrates (vegetables and fruits), fats and protein. It is the healthy fats and proteins which satiate us, while it is the simple carbohydrates that put us on the blood sugar roller coaster that zaps our energy and causes us to gain weight.
Don’t Fear Fat and Reduce Your Sugar Intake. One of the most challenging tasks I face is to get my clients over their fear of fat. We have been barraged over the years with false messages that eating too much fat makes us fat. And what has been the result? Everyone is told to eat low fat and guess what – it makes you fat! There is a reason for that. If you can’t eat fat, what do you eat? More carbohydrates. Unfortunately most of these carbohydrates are the simple carbohydrates described above which to your body are ultimately sugar which at the end of most people’s day winds up being stored as fat. So, don’t be afraid of fat. In fact, many holistic minded nutritionists recommend at least 30% of your calories come from fat – but healthy fats such as butter, olive oil, coconut oil, flax seed oil, and those found in healthy meats such as grass fed beef, anti-biotic and hormone free poultry, and wild fish. Many of my clients find immediate increases of energy by removing these simple carbohydrates from their diet. Take out as much sugar and artificial sweeteners as you can and see what happens. It might surprise you.
Don’t Skip Meals. There’s an old saying, “Eat breakfast like a King and dinner like a pauper.” The idea being that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You are fueling yourself up for the day. And if you really think about it, when don’t you need a lot of fuel – when you are going to be sleeping! It is also important to eat throughout the day and not skip meals. Remember that thought about the body building and repairing all day long – it needs constant fuel. Providing consistent (and of course healthy) food to your body keeps its engine revved up and burning most efficiently. When we skip meals and hold back fuel is when the body begins to conserve fuel and slow metabolism. Do this enough and metabolism stays slow. This is essentially why people gain back all the weight they lost on their diet (plus more) when they return to eating how they did previously. Slower metabolism means less efficiency on utilizing food. Statistics show that people who skip meals tend to be overweight.
That’s it for now. More to come.
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.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Nutrition Bad Guys - Graham and Kellogg
Last month I promised an article about two other “pioneers” of nutrition – Sylvester Graham and John Harvey Kellogg – yes the “graham” cracker and the cereal company. To be honest, I’ve been crazy busy with other stuff, so I didn’t get around to writing the article. So, I’ll do the next best thing. Here are excerpts from two articles from the Weston Price Foundation.
“The American Vegetarian Society was founded in 1850 by Sylvester Graham (1794-1851), an early advocate of dietary reform in United States and the inventor of Graham bread, made from chemical-free unsifted flour. Highly influential, Graham promoted vegetarianism and a high-fiber diet as a cure for alcoholism and lust. Graham preached that an unhealthy diet (one containing the confounding variables of meat and white flour) stimulated excessive sexual desire, which irritated the body and caused disease.
John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943) followed in Graham’s footsteps. Inventor of corn flakes and a process for making peanut butter, Kellogg advocated a high-fiber vegetarian diet to combat the twin evils of constipation and “natural urges.” Kellogg preached against sexual activity even in marriage.”
To read the full article go to: http://www.westonaprice.org/Twenty-Two-Reasons-Not-to-Go-Vegetarian.html.
“Brown and Presley also cover what I call the birth control diet. Reverend Sylvester Graham was a preacher in the 1800s who had a thing against sex. He figured out that a vegetarian, grain-based diet reduced sex drive. He and Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (also against sex) were instrumental in promoting the base of today’s government approved food pyramid.”
For the full article: http://www.westonaprice.org/The-Liberation-Diet-by-Kevin-Brown.html.
Enough said!
“The American Vegetarian Society was founded in 1850 by Sylvester Graham (1794-1851), an early advocate of dietary reform in United States and the inventor of Graham bread, made from chemical-free unsifted flour. Highly influential, Graham promoted vegetarianism and a high-fiber diet as a cure for alcoholism and lust. Graham preached that an unhealthy diet (one containing the confounding variables of meat and white flour) stimulated excessive sexual desire, which irritated the body and caused disease.
John Harvey Kellogg (1852-1943) followed in Graham’s footsteps. Inventor of corn flakes and a process for making peanut butter, Kellogg advocated a high-fiber vegetarian diet to combat the twin evils of constipation and “natural urges.” Kellogg preached against sexual activity even in marriage.”
To read the full article go to: http://www.westonaprice.org/Twenty-Two-Reasons-Not-to-Go-Vegetarian.html.
“Brown and Presley also cover what I call the birth control diet. Reverend Sylvester Graham was a preacher in the 1800s who had a thing against sex. He figured out that a vegetarian, grain-based diet reduced sex drive. He and Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (also against sex) were instrumental in promoting the base of today’s government approved food pyramid.”
For the full article: http://www.westonaprice.org/The-Liberation-Diet-by-Kevin-Brown.html.
Enough said!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Are You Weight Loss Resistant?
Ever notice what happens at the beginning of the year? The New Year’s resolution. This is the year you vow to get healthier, to lose those extra pounds, and to keep them off. The health clubs are jammed with others making the same resolution. There are lines of people waiting to use the stepping machines and the exercise bikes. But, within a few short weeks the crowds disappear and there are no more lines.
Why does this happen? You’ve cut back on the alcohol, are eating salads for lunch, skipping a meal here and there, and are working out hard at the gym. Yet the pounds are not flying off. This is not uncommon as over 95% of all diets end in disappointment. However, don’t be discouraged. If you read on you’ll learn how you can get lasting results.
We are told the formula is simple – less food plus more exercise equals less weight. Truth be told, the formula is much more complex. You may be what is termed by leading nutritionists as “weight loss resistant.” What does this mean? Put simply it means having difficulty or an inability to lose weight. There are several factors that contribute to this and here’s how:
•Chronic stress – raises cortisol which breaks down muscle, puts sugar in the blood stream, and promotes fat storage which increases the likelihood of insulin resistance; and lowers DHEA (an anti-aging, libido stimulating, and fat burning hormone).
•Insulin resistance – blocks the burning of fat, causes fat storage around the abdomen, and causes inflammation.
•Hormone imbalances – imbalances of estrogen and progesterone in women promote fat storing; low DHEA and testosterone in men and women reduce the ability to burn fat and build muscle; high estrogen in men promotes fat storage; and high progesterone in women promotes insulin resistance.
•Hypothyroidism – muscle building is slowed, metabolism is slowed, sex hormones are not produced sufficiently and are out of balance, and general low energy and fatigue.
•Brain chemical imbalance - neurotransmitter imbalances cause cravings and inappropriate eating behaviors.
•Chronic sleep deprivation – increases cortisol, creates sugar cravings, lowers thyroid function, lowers energy, and increases appetite.
•Low Fat Free Mass – a low muscle mass to fat mass ratio keeps metabolism slow (this is often a result from chronic dieting).
•Food allergies – can cause cellular fluid retention or “false fat” and create cravings for these foods.
•Gut dysbiosis and yeast overgrowth – healthy bacteria is an important part of digestion as they consume calories, otherwise an increase of fat storage.
•Toxic burden – disrupts pH balance in gut, blood, and tissues; slows metabolic rate; disrupts absorption of minerals; disrupts hormone receptor sites creating imbalances; and lowers thyroid function (hypothyroidism).
Most programs just measure pounds lost and are successful in that realm. However, that is only part of the picture. Soon after the program is completed the weight begins to come back on. The reason – the underlying behaviors and lifestyle have not changed. With the metabolism slowed from dieting and a return to prior habits, the pounds quickly come back on.
The best program for long term health and vitality will be one that addresses your individual needs. Working with a qualified nutrition consultant you can determine your areas of weight loss resistance and develop a plan to address them. As these areas are brought back into balance your metabolism will improve, enabling you to lose weight in a healthy manner. It may take some time to get the body back on track. The body has built-in healing mechanisms and with proper nutrition and healthy behaviors the body will heal. As the body heals you will lose fat and weight.
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, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Why does this happen? You’ve cut back on the alcohol, are eating salads for lunch, skipping a meal here and there, and are working out hard at the gym. Yet the pounds are not flying off. This is not uncommon as over 95% of all diets end in disappointment. However, don’t be discouraged. If you read on you’ll learn how you can get lasting results.
We are told the formula is simple – less food plus more exercise equals less weight. Truth be told, the formula is much more complex. You may be what is termed by leading nutritionists as “weight loss resistant.” What does this mean? Put simply it means having difficulty or an inability to lose weight. There are several factors that contribute to this and here’s how:
•Chronic stress – raises cortisol which breaks down muscle, puts sugar in the blood stream, and promotes fat storage which increases the likelihood of insulin resistance; and lowers DHEA (an anti-aging, libido stimulating, and fat burning hormone).
•Insulin resistance – blocks the burning of fat, causes fat storage around the abdomen, and causes inflammation.
•Hormone imbalances – imbalances of estrogen and progesterone in women promote fat storing; low DHEA and testosterone in men and women reduce the ability to burn fat and build muscle; high estrogen in men promotes fat storage; and high progesterone in women promotes insulin resistance.
•Hypothyroidism – muscle building is slowed, metabolism is slowed, sex hormones are not produced sufficiently and are out of balance, and general low energy and fatigue.
•Brain chemical imbalance - neurotransmitter imbalances cause cravings and inappropriate eating behaviors.
•Chronic sleep deprivation – increases cortisol, creates sugar cravings, lowers thyroid function, lowers energy, and increases appetite.
•Low Fat Free Mass – a low muscle mass to fat mass ratio keeps metabolism slow (this is often a result from chronic dieting).
•Food allergies – can cause cellular fluid retention or “false fat” and create cravings for these foods.
•Gut dysbiosis and yeast overgrowth – healthy bacteria is an important part of digestion as they consume calories, otherwise an increase of fat storage.
•Toxic burden – disrupts pH balance in gut, blood, and tissues; slows metabolic rate; disrupts absorption of minerals; disrupts hormone receptor sites creating imbalances; and lowers thyroid function (hypothyroidism).
Most programs just measure pounds lost and are successful in that realm. However, that is only part of the picture. Soon after the program is completed the weight begins to come back on. The reason – the underlying behaviors and lifestyle have not changed. With the metabolism slowed from dieting and a return to prior habits, the pounds quickly come back on.
The best program for long term health and vitality will be one that addresses your individual needs. Working with a qualified nutrition consultant you can determine your areas of weight loss resistance and develop a plan to address them. As these areas are brought back into balance your metabolism will improve, enabling you to lose weight in a healthy manner. It may take some time to get the body back on track. The body has built-in healing mechanisms and with proper nutrition and healthy behaviors the body will heal. As the body heals you will lose fat and weight.
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, WI. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call (262) 389-9907 or go to www.brwellness.com.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Pioneers of Nutrition: Dr. Royal Lee
In previous posts you’ve met Dr. Price and Dr. Pottenger and now I’d like to introduce you to Wisconsin’s own Dr. Royal Lee. He was a graduate of Marquette University’s Dental School, but even more - a researcher, inventor, scientist, scholar, and businessman.
Like Price and Pottenger, Lee was interested in nutrition, believing there was an undeniable link between what we eat and how we feel. He was particularly focused on the value of whole foods versus the processed foods that were being pushed on the public. During his senior year he wrote a paper discussing the relationship between vitamin deficiency, tooth decay, and healthy endocrine gland function.
Dr. Lee devoted significant energy to his inventions and acquired about 100 patents. He was able to combine his passion for inventing, scientific research, and nutrition in his work. In the early 1920’s heart disease suddenly appeared on the American scene. It is a little known fact that there were not many heart attacks until this time. Dr. Lee was certain that the refining of flour and rice (the processing of food) was a major contributor to this growing problem. He believed that the removal of real vitamins and minerals from our food supply and their replacement with synthetic vitamins was the root cause of the increase in heart disease and other illness as well. His research and practical experience showed that real and synthetic vitamins did not function the same in the human body.
His major contribution to the world of nutrition was the development of nutritional products from raw food concentrate. He believed and proved that in concentrated form these foods had therapeutic applications. His products were distributed through medical doctors providing nutritional alternatives to drugs to treat illness and disease. As a result of his success in helping people get healthy through the use of these products he created the Vitamin Products Company in 1929. It is today known as Standard Process, one of the world’s leading provider of nutritional supplements. In 1941 he organized the Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research, a nonprofit organization to conduct and share nutritional research across the globe. It became a world wide clearinghouse for hundreds of thousands of research articles and thousands of books presenting the latest nutritional information.
Dr. Lee was way ahead of his time. Here’s a quote from October of 1933, "Candy, all white sugar or its products, and white flour including its products such as macaroni, spaghetti, crackers, etc., should be absolutely barred from the diet of the child. All these are energy-producing foods that contain no building materials for the body. The consequences of their toleration are susceptibility to infections, enlarged tonsils, carious teeth, unruly dispositions, stunted growth, rickets, maldevelopment and very often permanent damage to many organs of the body (especially the endocrine glands) that depend upon the vitamin supply for their normal function and development."
Every time I read this or similar quotations from these nutrition pioneers all I think of is – wow, they knew this in the 1930’s!
However, for statements such as this he became a target of the food industry and the FDA. They got particularly upset as he would run newspaper advertisements pointing this out. They went after him, labeling him a “racketeer” because he promoted whole, natural foods that had their vitamins and minerals intact. After several years of proceedings, in the late 1950’s the final court decision was handed down. While Dr. Lee was never found guilty of anything, he was prohibited from speaking publicly or writing on health, medicine and nutrition. (So much for the First Amendment!) His research and published papers were ordered destroyed (can you say censorship) and he was forced to close several of his companies. Fortunately, the FDA did not get all his papers, and many of them are still preserved today by several organizations determined to keep his memory alive and to continue to spread the word.
It is unfortunate that you can still find people today who still call label him a “quack” and write deceptive and misleading articles about him. Of course they never talk to the people who have greatly benefited by this man’s contributions.
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.
Like Price and Pottenger, Lee was interested in nutrition, believing there was an undeniable link between what we eat and how we feel. He was particularly focused on the value of whole foods versus the processed foods that were being pushed on the public. During his senior year he wrote a paper discussing the relationship between vitamin deficiency, tooth decay, and healthy endocrine gland function.
Dr. Lee devoted significant energy to his inventions and acquired about 100 patents. He was able to combine his passion for inventing, scientific research, and nutrition in his work. In the early 1920’s heart disease suddenly appeared on the American scene. It is a little known fact that there were not many heart attacks until this time. Dr. Lee was certain that the refining of flour and rice (the processing of food) was a major contributor to this growing problem. He believed that the removal of real vitamins and minerals from our food supply and their replacement with synthetic vitamins was the root cause of the increase in heart disease and other illness as well. His research and practical experience showed that real and synthetic vitamins did not function the same in the human body.
His major contribution to the world of nutrition was the development of nutritional products from raw food concentrate. He believed and proved that in concentrated form these foods had therapeutic applications. His products were distributed through medical doctors providing nutritional alternatives to drugs to treat illness and disease. As a result of his success in helping people get healthy through the use of these products he created the Vitamin Products Company in 1929. It is today known as Standard Process, one of the world’s leading provider of nutritional supplements. In 1941 he organized the Lee Foundation for Nutritional Research, a nonprofit organization to conduct and share nutritional research across the globe. It became a world wide clearinghouse for hundreds of thousands of research articles and thousands of books presenting the latest nutritional information.
Dr. Lee was way ahead of his time. Here’s a quote from October of 1933, "Candy, all white sugar or its products, and white flour including its products such as macaroni, spaghetti, crackers, etc., should be absolutely barred from the diet of the child. All these are energy-producing foods that contain no building materials for the body. The consequences of their toleration are susceptibility to infections, enlarged tonsils, carious teeth, unruly dispositions, stunted growth, rickets, maldevelopment and very often permanent damage to many organs of the body (especially the endocrine glands) that depend upon the vitamin supply for their normal function and development."
Every time I read this or similar quotations from these nutrition pioneers all I think of is – wow, they knew this in the 1930’s!
However, for statements such as this he became a target of the food industry and the FDA. They got particularly upset as he would run newspaper advertisements pointing this out. They went after him, labeling him a “racketeer” because he promoted whole, natural foods that had their vitamins and minerals intact. After several years of proceedings, in the late 1950’s the final court decision was handed down. While Dr. Lee was never found guilty of anything, he was prohibited from speaking publicly or writing on health, medicine and nutrition. (So much for the First Amendment!) His research and published papers were ordered destroyed (can you say censorship) and he was forced to close several of his companies. Fortunately, the FDA did not get all his papers, and many of them are still preserved today by several organizations determined to keep his memory alive and to continue to spread the word.
It is unfortunate that you can still find people today who still call label him a “quack” and write deceptive and misleading articles about him. Of course they never talk to the people who have greatly benefited by this man’s contributions.
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.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Client Satisfaction Survey Results
Feedback is important to all of us. We all want to know how we are doing and through constructive feedback we learn how to get better. One of the best ways to get feedback is to ask. Back in my corporate days at Norlight Telecommunications we were very serious about making sure our customers were satisfied with our services. We did an annual customer satisfaction survey and a monthly new customer survey. Since it worked so well at Norlight, I knew it could help me too.
In October I asked my clients for feedback and heard back from almost 50%. For those of you not familiar with market research that is an excellent response – so thank you to everyone who participated. And, in December, I started my monthly new customer survey, which provides timely feedback. If someone is not happy with something, I can rectify the situation quickly. Fortunately, I learned this is hardly ever the case. In fact, I was very pleased with the results and would like to share them with you.
As far as overall satisfaction with the services provided and results achieved:
97% of respondents were satisfied with the services provided, with 88% being either extremely or very satisfied.
95% of respondents were satisfied with the results they have achieved, with 63% being extremely or very satisfied.
100% of respondents would recommend my services.
These are awesome results!
Some additional findings:
95% of respondents have been motivated to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
93% say I’m responsive to their individual needs.
86% have identified and changed unhealthy patterns or behaviors.
85% have made significant changes in their eating habits.
Pioneers of Nutrition: Francis Pottenger, Jr., MD
In a prior article I introduced you to Weston Price, the dentist who traveled the world studying the nutritional qualities of native traditional diets that produced very healthy humans with no dental problems (cavities and crooked or crowded teeth) and not plagued by the degenerative diseases of modern man – cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. He contrasted the native diets with the Western diet based on processed foods and the accelerating increase of cavities and crooked or crowded teeth he observed in his patients along with the rise of other degenerative diseases. He found the native diets vastly superior to the Western diet in terms of nutritional quality. They contained ten times the amount of fat soluble vitamins A, D and K and four times the amount of water soluble vitamins and important minerals than the Western diet. He concluded that the Western diet and its sub-standard nutritional qualities was a major cause behind the increase in disease (a cavity is one of the most basic forms of disease) he was observing.
Now I’d like to introduce you to another pioneer of nutrition – Francis Pottenger, Jr., MD. He is famous for his exploration of cats – over 900 cats were studied from 1932-1942. Dr. Pottenger’s interest was in preventing chronic illness, thus his research looked for its causes and focused on the role of nutrition in maintaining good health. His findings were remarkably similar to those of Dr. Price.
Like many discoveries, the basis for his research came about by chance. Here’s the “not so nice” part of the story. He was developing a formula to support adrenal gland function and as was practice of the time was using cats for the study. Part of the study was to remove their adrenal glands and then provide them the formula to see if it was effective. He noticed that most of his animals were not very healthy and many would not survive the operation thus impacting his ability to complete his study. He was feeding them what all the experts of the time said was a healthy diet for cats – raw milk, cod liver oil, and cooked meat. Then a funny thing happened. His supply of the cooked meat was cut off and he had to switch to raw meat. Then he observed something remarkable. The cats eating the raw meat were healthier and survived the operations.
With his scientific curiosity peaked he began to refine his studies looking at the meat and the milk he provided the cats. He investigated raw meat, cooked meat, raw milk, pasteurized milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, raw milk from cows fed grains, and raw milk from cows fed grass.
What he found was that only diets containing raw milk and raw meat produced optimal health, with the raw milk from grass fed cows superior to that of grain fed cows. Cats on this diet had healthy bone structure and density, no crowded teeth, shiny fur, no parasites, and no disease. In addition, they had no problems reproducing and were well behaved. They lived happy lives.
In contrast, cooking the meat or any milk other than the raw milk resulted in physical degeneration and reproductive difficulties which increased with each generation. By the time of the third generation, kittens of these cats died within six months and they were unable to reproduce. Even worse, these cats had miserable lives – parasites, skin diseases, allergies, weak bones, and behavioral issues. They died out completely by the fourth generation.
Now here’s the link to the work of Weston Price – they found the same results – poor nutrition leading to facial structural issues and the onset of degenerative diseases! Interesting enough is that many of the traditional diets studied by Price included raw milk and raw animal product.
What does this all mean? There is a definite link between the nutritional quality of the food we consume and our health. As we continue to consume processed foods our health continues to deteriorate. Another side note - do you know anyone who has had trouble or is having trouble reproducing? If you study the fertility rates now being experienced in the Western world you will learn that many fine people struggle to reproduce. And a little “food for thought” - what generation of processed food are we now on? And what health issues are we observing becoming more prevalent in today’s children?
If you’d like to learn more about the cat study the book to read is Pottenger’s Cats: A Study in Nutrition by Francis Pottenger, Jr. MD. I’d also direct you to the official website of the Price Pottenger Foundation – www.ppnf.org – a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public regarding nutrition. And, if you’d like to learn more about healthy diets and nutrition, there are many wonderful resources available.
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.
Now I’d like to introduce you to another pioneer of nutrition – Francis Pottenger, Jr., MD. He is famous for his exploration of cats – over 900 cats were studied from 1932-1942. Dr. Pottenger’s interest was in preventing chronic illness, thus his research looked for its causes and focused on the role of nutrition in maintaining good health. His findings were remarkably similar to those of Dr. Price.
Like many discoveries, the basis for his research came about by chance. Here’s the “not so nice” part of the story. He was developing a formula to support adrenal gland function and as was practice of the time was using cats for the study. Part of the study was to remove their adrenal glands and then provide them the formula to see if it was effective. He noticed that most of his animals were not very healthy and many would not survive the operation thus impacting his ability to complete his study. He was feeding them what all the experts of the time said was a healthy diet for cats – raw milk, cod liver oil, and cooked meat. Then a funny thing happened. His supply of the cooked meat was cut off and he had to switch to raw meat. Then he observed something remarkable. The cats eating the raw meat were healthier and survived the operations.
With his scientific curiosity peaked he began to refine his studies looking at the meat and the milk he provided the cats. He investigated raw meat, cooked meat, raw milk, pasteurized milk, evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, raw milk from cows fed grains, and raw milk from cows fed grass.
What he found was that only diets containing raw milk and raw meat produced optimal health, with the raw milk from grass fed cows superior to that of grain fed cows. Cats on this diet had healthy bone structure and density, no crowded teeth, shiny fur, no parasites, and no disease. In addition, they had no problems reproducing and were well behaved. They lived happy lives.
In contrast, cooking the meat or any milk other than the raw milk resulted in physical degeneration and reproductive difficulties which increased with each generation. By the time of the third generation, kittens of these cats died within six months and they were unable to reproduce. Even worse, these cats had miserable lives – parasites, skin diseases, allergies, weak bones, and behavioral issues. They died out completely by the fourth generation.
Now here’s the link to the work of Weston Price – they found the same results – poor nutrition leading to facial structural issues and the onset of degenerative diseases! Interesting enough is that many of the traditional diets studied by Price included raw milk and raw animal product.
What does this all mean? There is a definite link between the nutritional quality of the food we consume and our health. As we continue to consume processed foods our health continues to deteriorate. Another side note - do you know anyone who has had trouble or is having trouble reproducing? If you study the fertility rates now being experienced in the Western world you will learn that many fine people struggle to reproduce. And a little “food for thought” - what generation of processed food are we now on? And what health issues are we observing becoming more prevalent in today’s children?
If you’d like to learn more about the cat study the book to read is Pottenger’s Cats: A Study in Nutrition by Francis Pottenger, Jr. MD. I’d also direct you to the official website of the Price Pottenger Foundation – www.ppnf.org – a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public regarding nutrition. And, if you’d like to learn more about healthy diets and nutrition, there are many wonderful resources available.
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.
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