Disease Proof

I really like fish. I also really like chocolate and bread, but like all iffy foods. I carefully limit how much of these I eat. And according to Dr. Fuhrman, when it comes to fish, limitation is a good idea. He explains:

Choose fish over other animal products, but be aware that the place where it was caught, and the type of fish, matters. Don't accept recreational fish from questionable waters. Farmed fish is safer. Never eat high-mercury-content fish. Don't eat fish more than twice a week, and if you have a family history of hemorrhagic stroke, limit it further to only once a month.

This concern about fish is catching on—pun intended. Restaurants and retailers are actually testing the fish they sell and serve for mercury contamination. Marian Burros of The New York Times reports:

A NUMBER of restaurants and retailers in different parts of the country have started testing the fish they sell in response to concerns about the amount of mercury in seafood, and the Environmental Protection Agency is beginning to examine the mercury content in fish sold in the New York City region…

…A chain of five stores in New York, Gourmet Garage, sold tuna that in the Times test had mercury concentrations above one part per million, the Food and Drug Administration’s “action level,” at which the fish can be taken off the market. The company said it would now carry only yellowfin tuna with no more than 0.4 parts per million. Yellowfin tuna is generally lower in mercury than bluefin…

…Hiro Nishida, the president of Food Scope America, which owns Megu, said he was not surprised. The average concentration of mercury in Kindai tuna is 0.6 parts per million, he said, but producers are “trying to decrease the parts per million to 0.2 by different feeding, and they will become much healthier to people who enjoy tuna.”

All this testing is a great idea, but, I’m with Dr. Fuhrman, I’ll continue limit to how much fish I eat, and, I’ll be certain to choose fish with the lowest contamination levels. Here’s a list of Dr. Fuhrman’s best and worst fish. Look:

Fish with Highest and Lowest Mercury Levels

Highest
tilefish
swordfish
mackerel
shark
white snapper
tuna

Lowest
salmon
flounder
sole
tilapia
trout

I use this little list as my measuring stick. Now, if you’ve got more questions about seafood safety, please check out OceansAlive.org. I’ve been using the site for years now, very helpful.

When you hear something over and over from the time you were a young child, it is easy to accept it as true. So it should not come as a surprise that the myth that we need to consume animal products to get adequate protein is still alive and well in America. The myth that plant proteins are “incomplete” and need to be “completed” for adequate protein is still alive, too.

Amino acids are the building blocks that make proteins. All vegetables and grains contain all eight of the essential amino acids (as well as the twelve other non-essential). While some vegetables have higher or lower proportion of certain amino acids than others, when eaten in amounts to satisfy your caloric needs, a sufficient amount of all essential amino acids is provided. Today’s nutritional science has deemphasized the importance of protein because we now know that it is easy to get enough, and that too much is not good.

Scientific studies on human protein requirements demonstrate that adults require 20-35 grams of protein per day.1 Today, the average American consumes 100-120 grams of protein per day, mostly in the form of animal products. This high level of animal product consumption has been linked to not just heart disease and strokes, but to higher rates of cancer, as well.2 We simply don’t need all this protein. Even people who eat a total vegetarian (vegan) diet, which contains no animal products, have been found to consume 60-80 grams of protein per day, well above the minimum requirement.3

Going “green” has been in the news a lot lately. Personally, I think it’s great. We live with the planet, not on it. And it seems Congress is starting to think greener. More from Bryan Walsh of Time:

Hours and hours of hearings finally led to a legislative breakthrough in December: the passage out of the committee of the first bill that would put carbon caps on the U.S. economy. Co-sponsored by the Republican Sen. John Warner and the Independent Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the America's Climate Security Act would cap U.S. carbon emissions at 15% below 2005 levels by 2020, with a 70% cut projected for 2050. If enacted, those carbon caps would all but force U.S. businesses to invest in cleaner technology and greater energy efficiency, and would help the country take a leadership role in international climate negotiations…

…Critics like Bush tend to focus on the economic costs of reducing carbon emissions — through increased energy prices — but Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, and many of her supporters, believe that combating climate change can have a net positive effect on the economy. Boxer hails from California, which has already passed the strongest state legislation on climate change, cutting carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. Far from hurting the state economically, Boxer notes, the carbon bill has helped California become the center for green innovation in the U.S., with Silicon Valley venture capitalists pouring billions into alternative energy start-ups. Those businesses will create new, green jobs that should make up for the short-term costs of cutting carbon. "The cure for global warming is positive," says Boxer. "That makes it easy for me to approach it with hope."

Take carbon emissions for example, its bad news, why not take more measures to clean it up? Check out these posts for more:

• Emission War: California vs. EPA
• Carbon Pollution and Young Lungs Don't Mix

Admittedly, I’m a skeptic and a cynic. Given the amount of people I see sucking down cigarettes, I’d be the first to say anti-smoking campaigns don’t work, but, apparently I’m wrong. According to Reuters, state anti-smoking plans work. Take a look:

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and an independent research institute analyzed data on smoking rates and tobacco control spending in all 50 states from 1995 to 2003.

The advocacy group Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said the states will spend about $717 million in fiscal year 2008 on tobacco control and smoking cessation programs.

These programs include advertising on the hazards of smoking, school- and community-based anti-smoking efforts, and steps like creating toll-free telephone lines to help people quit.

The study found that the more states spent on programs, the larger the declines they achieved in adult smoking rates, independent of other factors like higher tobacco prices.

Now, we just got to get some more state anti-weed-smoking plans.

Hopefully this doesn’t shock you, but, the FDA is being a little flaky. Apparently no one knows what they need to do their job. Christopher Doering of Reuters reports:

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's failure to discuss clearly its strategy and the money needed to better protect the country's food supply could make it harder for a plan to succeed, a congressional watchdog agency told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Last November, the Bush administration proposed stronger rules to better protect the country's food supply. Some of the proposals require approval from Congress.

The Government Accountability Office said while the food safety inspection plan "proposes several positive first steps," it has failed to explain what resources and how much additional funding it will need to implement it.

"Without a clear description of resources and strategies, it will be difficult for Congress to assess the likelihood of the plan's success in achieving its intended results," said Lisa Shames, a GAO director, in a report delivered to a U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

To quote George Carlin, “This is the kind of crap you'd expect from an office temp with a bad attitude.” Not a government agency!

“Allergies are increasing because women do not breast feed long enough,” explains Dr. Fuhrman and it seems to be the same with mice. Researchers believe breast milk protects mice from allergic asthma. Reuters reports:

Lactating mice that develop tolerance after exposure to airborne antigens appear to be able to transfer this immunity to their offspring though breast-milk.

The tolerance was transmitted to the newborn mice through breast milk and antigen-stimulated allergic asthma was prevented, a French research team reports in the advance online edition of Nature Medicine. Antigens are substances the body recognizes as foreign that trigger the immune system to mount a defensive reaction, which accounts for allergy symptoms.

Dr. Valerie Julia, at Universite de Nice-Sophia-Antipolis in Valbonne, and associates exposed lactating mice to ovalbumin aerosols every other day until their offspring were weaned. (Ovalbumin is the major protein in the white part of an egg.)

I’ll go ahead and add this to the pile of evidence supporting breastfeeding. Now, in case you didn’t get the memo, Dr. Fuhrman thinks breastfeeding is very important. Why? The magic’s in the milk! He explains:

The antibodies derived from mother’s milk are necessary for maximizing immune system function, maximizing intelligence, and protecting against immune system disorders, allergies, and even cancer. The child’s immune system is still underdeveloped until age of two, the same age when the digestive tract seals the leaks (spaces between cells) designed to allow the mother’s antibodies access to the bloodstream. So picking the age of two as the length of recommended breast-feeding is not just a haphazard guess, it matches the age at which the child is no longer absorbing the mother’s immunoglobulins to supplement their own immune system. Nature designed it that way.

I’ve seen the word dozens of times, but I’m telling you, immunoglobulins would be a killer name for a rock bad. “Ladies and gentlemen, The Immunoglobulins!”

UPDATE: Dr. Fuhrman wanted to add his two cents to this article. Enjoy:

Wow, I am amazed that they could find all those women who would let mice nurse from their breasts!! I guess it was a better choice than rats.

I'm still laughing!

In Dr. Fuhrman’s new Food Scoring Guide, he explains that most people have quit on their health. Check out this excerpt:

Most Americans have given up hope of ever achieving their optimal weight and health. They have failed with diets in the past. They think they can’t lose weight, and they don’t think they can change. So they just throw in the towel.

And maybe this report supports that indictment. From The Washington Post, here’s how to handle your weight at the doctor’s office. Look:

• If you're sensitive about your weight, ask that your doctor weigh you in a private area -- and enter your weight in your chart without comment.
• If clothing or equipment doesn't fit or is uncomfortable to use, ask if your doctor can change it. Larger exam gowns, blood pressure cuffs and other equipment are available from many medical suppliers.
• Be open to respectful discussions of body weight that don't assign blame. Your doctor or nurse may have helpful suggestions you haven't tried.
• Consider pre-screening physicians.

Make this dietary transition an exciting adventure where you learn new great-tasting recipes with high-nutrient plant foods. Design a food plan that uses large quantities of the most powerful anticancer, disease-fighting foods on the planet, make it taste great, and then test it to see what kind of results you get. I can tell you now that the results will astound you!

I guess the point to be made here, is don’t quit, don’t accept—take control!

• If you exercise, you might want to call yourself a “young blood” because new research links exercise to youthful DNA. The Seattle Times reports:

A study published Monday hints that fitness buffs appear to have "younger" DNA than the chronically sedentary. The finding could help scientists understand the effects of exercise and aging at a molecular level.

Previous research has shown that being physically active reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases, potentially extending longevity.

Previous research has shown that older people have shorter ends than younger folks. Indeed, biologists say they shrink every time a cell divides.

• According to the United Nations, developing worlds face a growing cancer-risk. From the AFP:

Some 84 million people risk dying from cancer over the next decade, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said.

The IAEA, the UN atomic watchdog, is involved in the fight agaist the disease through its Programme of Action for Cancer Therapy (PACT) division, which shares the organisation's knowledge of radiotherapy techniques with other partners in the field.

PACT head Massud Samiei told journalists that "the cancer epidemic will gather pace in developing countries."

• We all know cold medicines aren’t great for young kids, but did you know cold meds send 7,000 children to the hospital. The Associated Press is on it:

About two-thirds of the cases were children who took the medicines unsupervised. However, about one-quarter involved cases in which parents gave the proper dosage and an allergic reaction or some other problem developed, the study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

The study included both over-the-counter and prescription medicines. It comes less than two weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned parents that over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are too dangerous for children younger than 2.

• Arguing with your spouse is healthy? What the—? I’m too befuddled to comment on this one. You check it out. More from CBS News:

The key is for both spouses to be comfortable expressing anger, rather than one or both suppressing anger, University of Michigan researchers report.

"The key matter is, when the conflict happens, how do you resolve it?" asks Ernest Harburg, PhD, professor emeritus with the University of Michigan's School of Public Health and psychology department. "If you bury your anger, and you brood on it ... and you don't try to resolve the problem, then you're in trouble."

Harburg's team found a higher death rate among married couples in which both spouses suppress anger, compared with other married couples. Their findings appear in the Journal of Family Communication.

• Listen up college kids! New research contends that whacky-weed is a bigger cancer-risk than cigarettes. Reuters reports:

Studies in the past have demonstrated that cannabis can cause cancer, but few have established a strong link between cannabis use and the actual incidence of lung cancer.

In an article published in the European Respiratory Journal, the scientists said cannabis could be expected to harm the airways more than tobacco as its smoke contained twice the level of carcinogens, such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons, compared with tobacco cigarettes.

The method of smoking also increases the risk, since joints are typically smoked without a proper filter and almost to the very tip, which increases the amount of smoke inhaled. The cannabis smoker inhales more deeply and for longer, facilitating the deposition of carcinogens in the airways.

• The CBS Early Show takes a look at the history of breakfast in America. Yeah, it’s pretty scary. See for yourself:

BREAKFAST CEREALS
Seventh-Day Adventists are credited with creating breakfast cereals. They founded the Battle Creek Sanitarium, where they manufactured and promoted wholesome cereals. Will Keith Kellogg was an Adventist who discovered corn flakes in 1894 when a pot of cooked wheat was overcooked and then dried. Each grain became a separate flake. He introduced Rice Krispies in 1929. The Battle Creek Toasted Corn Flake Company was founded in 1906.

THE DOUGHNUT
Originally introduced by the Dutch as sweet dough fried in pork fat (known as "oily cakes"), the doughnut has been around a very long time, although its popularity surged with the doughnuts served to solders in World War I. The term "doughnut" either comes from the small balls of dough that looked like nuts, or a recipe from a mid-19th century cook who added nuts to the center of her fried dough and therefore referred to them as dough "nuts." The legend goes on to say that her son, a sea captain, didn't like the nuts so he had them cut out, creating the famous doughnut shape that we know today. Doughnuts remained as snacks, not breakfast -- often served in theaters -- until the doughnut machine was invented in the 1930s. By the 1940s and 1950s, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Doughnuts had been introduced, and the pairing of coffee and doughnuts secured their place in the breakfast repertoire. By the 1950s, "drop" doughnuts became very popular and Orange Drop Doughnuts showed up in the Betty Crocker Cookbook. Since no rolling or cutting was required -- just drop spoonfuls of batter into hot oil -- this category of doughnuts caught on quickly.

• Well, you certainly like seeing this. HealthDay News reports, diabetes rates continue to soar in the United States. Amanda Gardner is on it:

The number of Americans being diagnosed with and also living with type 2 diabetes is soaring, presenting a major health and economic crisis for the United States, a new study reports.

"What's alarming is we have 47 million uninsured people, but these people [in the study, enrolled under Medicare] are all insured. So in this kind of insured program, we have so many people who are not adhering to the recommended care," said Frank Sloan, lead author of the study published in the Jan. 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Sloan is professor of health policy and management at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.

• I think experts like this are neat. Frances Largeman-Roth of Poked & Prodded is going to eat Ayurvedic in India. She explains all about it:

The ayurvedic menu at Ananda Spa has been designed to balance the three doshas: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. The doshas are roughly similar to our ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph body types, but they’re even more detailed, taking into consideration the shape of the face, skin type, hair, eyes, and temperament. Everyone is a mix of the three, but one dosha is predominant. If the doshas are balanced, you’ll enjoy good health, if not, you’re basically screwed…

…Once you know which dosha you align with, your ayurvedic practitioner will help you get in harmony through your food choices. To balance a Vata dosha, for example, you’re apparently supposed to eat mostly warm foods, such as soups, stews, warm milk, warm cereals, and baked bread (cream and butter are on the list too). And Vatas are advised to avoid cold foods, such as salads, iced drinks, and raw vegetables and greens. Hmm … doesn’t sound ideal for someone who is lactose-intolerant and loves her veggies.

Creamy Banana Smoothie

1 banana
1 cup fortified soy milk or fat free milk
1 cup frozen strawberries or blueberries
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or other powerful blender.

Orange Banana Berry Smoothie

2 peeled oranges
1 banana
1 10-ounce bag of frozen strawberries
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or other powerful blender.

Banana Split Smoothie

1 banana (fresh or frozen)
5 whole strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tablespoon Dr Furhman's Cocoa Powder
6 ice cubes
1/4 cup unsweetened soy milk
5 halves walnuts

Blend all ingredients together in a Vita-Mix or other powerful blender.

Finally, a superhero nutritarians can get behind, introducing—ULTIMATE ASPARAGUS! Oh! There are a couple dirty-words, but it’s worth it. Enjoy:

Yeah, I don’t buy the “help strengthen your body’s defenses” with yogurt claims, and, neither do some concerned consumers because they’re suing Dannon over their “probiotic” campaign. Reuters reports:

A proposed class action filed on Wednesday in California accuses The Dannon Co Inc of mounting a massive false advertising campaign to convince consumers to pay more for yogurt containing "probiotic" bacteria because of the products' health benefits.

The lawsuit, filed in a Los Angeles federal court, said Dannon's own studies failed to support its advertised claims that its Activia, Activia Lite and DanActive were "clinically" and "scientifically" "proven" to have health benefits that other yogurts did not.

It seeks reimbursement for all U.S. purchasers of Activia, Activia Lite and DanActive, and demands that Dannon engage in "a corrective advertising campaign."

Dannon spokesman Michael Neuwirth said the company was not aware of the lawsuit but stood by "the claims of our products and the clinical studies which support them."

Dannon Co, a unit of France's Groupe Danone has relied on Activia and DanActive to help boost its U.S. yogurt business.

Quite simply, Dr. Fuhrman thinks all this super-yogurt-talk is hogwash. In light of this news, he reminds us to think twice before BUYING into the hype. Take a look:

Consumers should be skeptical and doubt all health claims on food products and supplements in general. Almost every claim is advertising hype, designed to sell products. We have to inspect the scientific research for ourselves with every claim.

Personally, I think Dannon must be insane. How can they claim anything about dairy is a miracle-worker? Here’s a frightening snippet of Dr. Fuhrman on dairy:

Fifty years of heavy advertising by an economically powerful industry has shaped the public's perception, illustrating the power of one-sided advertising, but the reality and true health effects is a different story. Besides the link between high-saturated-fat foods (dairy fat) and cancer, there is a body of scientific literature linking the consumption of cow's milk to many other diseases.

In the meantime, every time I see a Danactive commercial, I just laugh, laugh, laugh!

Sometimes I wonder about things. Like, why is the sky blue? Why do men have nipples? Why do we park in a driveway and drive on a parkway? Or, why is proper vitamin D intake important to calcium absorption? Dr. Fuhrman explains:

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that your body makes after exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. Vitamin D functions as a hormone because it sends a message to the intestines to increase the absorption of calcium and phosphorus.

Sadly, Dr. Fuhrman had nothing on the whole driveway-parkway thing. Now, check out this parroting of good information. Reuters reports, vitamin D ups calcium's bone-building effect. Here’s an excerpt:

The women were between 70 and 80 years old. After 1 year, bone mineral density at the hip was preserved in the calcium group and the calcium+vitamin D group, but not in the double-placebo "control" group.

However, at 3 and 5 years, only the group that got calcium plus vitamin D group maintained hip bone density, the investigators report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

They conclude that adequate levels of vitamin D are necessary for calcium to do its job in keeping bones healthy.

Oh dear, now I’m wondering again. Where do get all this “vitamin D?” Well, George Harrison once sung, “Little darling, it's been a long cold lonely winter. Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here. Here comes the sun, here comes the sun.”

Earlier this month we learned that exposing monkeys—a close relative of ours—to lead ups their risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later on. The NewScientist was on it:

Monkeys exposed to the heavy metal during infancy may be predisposed to develop the equivalent of Alzheimer's disease.

"We're not saying that lead exposure causes Alzheimer's disease, but it's a risk factor," says Nasser Zawia of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, whose team discovered the link.

Zawia's team fed baby monkeys infant formula milk laced with low levels of lead, then followed their progress until the age of 23. While the adult monkeys did not show symptoms of Alzheimer's per se, post-mortem analyses of their brains showed that the lead-fed monkeys had plaques and other abnormalities identical to those found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's.

Maybe there’s some proof in this pudding, because new research has linked lead to aging in older brains. Malcolm Ritter of the Associated Press is on it:

That's the provocative idea emerging from some recent studies, part of a broader area of new research that suggests some pollutants can cause harm that shows up only years after someone is exposed.

The new work suggests long-ago lead exposure can make an aging person's brain work as if it's five years older than it really is. If that's verified by more research, it means that sharp cuts in environmental lead levels more than 20 years ago didn't stop its widespread effects.

"We're trying to offer a caution that a portion of what has been called normal aging might in fact be due to ubiquitous environmental exposures like lead," says Dr. Brian Schwartz of Johns Hopkins University.

"The fact that it's happening with lead is the first proof of principle that it's possible," said Schwartz, a leader in the study of lead's delayed effects. Other pollutants like mercury and pesticides may do the same thing, he said.

Alright, even without this news, we know lead is bad news. So, what can we make of all this? Well, let’s start with the kids. Dr. Fuhrman explains:

We must be careful not to expose our children to chemical cleaners, insecticides, and weed killers on our lawns. Chemicals used in pressure-treated wood used to build lawn furniture, decks, fences, and swing sets have also been shown to place children at risk. When young children are around, we must be vigilant to maintain a chemical-free environment.

And maybe when they get older they can protect themselves, then their children and hopefully, this heightened awareness will nip the whole problem in the bud.

“Humans are complicated creatures, and our minds have powerful effects on healing and wellness,” explains Dr. Fuhrman. He insists that being happy, is good for you. More from Dr. Fuhrman:

A positive purpose, loving relationships, self-respect, and the power to control our destiny have beneficial effects on our physiological—and ultimately physical—well-being. Few people have the perfect life without any negative stressors, but it makes a difference if you deal with those stressors with hope and action, rather than resignation and passivity.

That’s why I do Yoga! I’m as cool as a cucumber when I’m practicing and lucky for my colleagues, it carries over when I’m in the office. As Dr. Fuhrman points out being happy at work is important. Look:

A safe and satisfying work environment, a happy marriage, a satisfying social and/or family life, and activities you enjoy are all related to positive health outcomes. Emotional wellness starts right here your finger tips end. As you respect and appreciate the value in the world around you and develop interests in other people and in such things as art, music, entertainment, sports, nature, and physical activity, you can respect yourself more for your ability and desire to appreciate the value of things not yourself.

This is great to know, especially when you consider news like this. According to new research, job stress strains your heart. Check it out over at CBS News:

The workers, most of whom were men, were 35-55 years old when the study started. They got checkups and reported their drinking, smoking, diet , and physical activity. They also rated their job stress twice during the study.

Stressful jobs had lots of pressure and little control. Some also included social stress from bad bosses and unsupportive co-workers.

Chandola's team tracked new cases of heart disease - based on heart disease deaths, nonfatal heart attacks, and angina (heart-related chest pain) - among the workers for 12 years.

Those problems were associated with job stress, especially in younger workers who were in their late 30s or 40s when the study began.

Young workers who reported work stress twice during the study were 68% more likely to develop heart disease than those who never reported work stress.

The same wasn't true for older workers, perhaps because they retired during the study and no longer had any work stress.

Relax! Let’s return to our Zen-like state. Breathe, in and out, in and out. Better? Okay, here Dr. Fuhrman offers some advice for living free and easy. Have a look:

A healthy emotional response to life hinges on your ability to grant value and importance to things that are deserving of it. This ability and desire to interact in a fair and equitable way with the world around you forms the basis of your emotional contentment and self-esteem.

Yoga sure beats my old way of dealing with stress. I used to inhale a bag of chocolate like a Blue Whale coming up for air.

This dude is out of his gourd! Seriously, he is absolutely nutty over vegetables. See for yourself:

I’m like moss, I grow on you, and, if there’s anyone who knows about that, it’s my mom, because despite her apprehensions, I’ve enticed—i.e. annoyed—her into joining Operation Banana Hunt. First with My Mother's Banana, and now, part deux. Take a look:

• Country: Ecuador
• Farm Units: San Humberto, Santa Laura, Santa Mariana and San José Farm.
• Location: Guayas, Ecuador
• Crops: Organic Bananas
• Organic Certified since: 2000

Looks like our bananas are coming from Ecuador. In the last week, we've had bananas from Ecuadorian farms number 100, 537 and 542. How great to get to see where our little yellow cuties grew up!

Ilana—my Yoga buddy—also joined Operation Banana Hunt. Ilana, please, tell us about your banana:

I got Dole bananas, number 542 from Ecuador. If I do say so myself, they're mighty long! I doubt I'll be able to finish one in one sitting. Sorry for replicating your mom. Don't get your bananas in an uproar!

Very cool! We’re making some steady headway, but we’ve still got work to do. There are still plenty of bananas and farms to be found. Let these beautiful pictures of farm 542 inspire you to get out there and get hunting. Have a look:

Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Tony Gonzalez is the enemy—sorry, I’m an Oakland Raiders fan—he is a vegan. Seriously, this 247-pound football player is all about the veggies. Reed Albergotti of The Wall Street Journal reports:

So last year, on the eve of the biggest season of his career, Mr. Gonzalez embarked on a diet resolution that smacked head-on with gridiron gospel as old as the leather helmet. He decided to try going vegan.

Living solely on plant food, a combination of nuts, fruits, vegetables, grains and the like, has long been the fringe diet of young rebels and aging nonconformists. Even the government recommends regular helpings of meat, fish and dairy. Vegans of late have gotten more hip with such best sellers as the brash "Skinny Bitch," and its more scholarly cousin, "The China Study." Both books argue vegans can live longer…

…Professional athletes, especially NFL players, need thousands of calories a day. Many enjoy a high-protein, high-fat smorgasbord of steaks, chops, burgers, pizza, ice cream and beer. Mr. Gonzalez's tight-end job requires him to push around monstrously sized opponents. Occasionally, he gets to catch a pass. Mr. Gonzalez is famous for combining the brute power of an offensive lineman with the acrobatic skills of a nimble receiver. "My biggest thing is strength," he says. "If you lose that strength you get your butt kicked."

Experts say athletes in training need as much as twice the protein of an average person to rebuild muscle. Their bodies also require a big dose of minerals and vitamins, as well as the amino acids, iron and creatine packed into fish, meat and dairy foods. It's fine to be a vegan, says sports nutritionist and dietician Nancy Clark, if you're willing to work at it. "It's harder to get calcium, harder to get protein, harder to get Vitamin D, harder to get iron," she says. "You have to be committed."

Now, despite my hatred for an AFC West rival, I must say, kudos to Tony! He’s certainly one of the few, because as we’ve seen in the past. Many sports stars are a bust when it comes to healthy eating. Here are a few examples:

• Tank Johnson and is 162 beef sticks,
• Bernard Berrian’s bacon and maple syrup obsession,
• And Richard Hamilton gobbling up cheese, grits, steak, and butter.

This report sounds like a smarmy guy’s attempt to get his girlfriend on birth-control, but apparently research has determined that “the pill” protects against ovarian cancer. Maria Cheng of the Associated Press reports:

"Not only does the pill prevent pregnancy, but in the long term, you actually get less cancer as well," said Valerie Beral, the study's lead author and director of the Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University. "It's a nice bonus." The study was paid for by Cancer Research UK and Britain's Medical Research Council.

Beral and colleagues analyzed data from 45 studies worldwide, covering 23,257 women with ovarian cancer, of whom 31 percent were on the pill. They also looked at 87,303 women without ovarian cancer, of whom 37 percent were on the pill.

In both groups, the women on the pill took it for about five years. The researchers found that in rich countries, women taking oral contraceptives for a decade were less likely to develop ovarian cancer. Without the pill, about 12 women per 1,000 are expected to get ovarian cancer before age 75. But that figure dropped to 8 women per 1,000 in those on the pill.

Now, reports like this spread like wildfire. Actually, they’re more like a nugget that won’t flush. So in keeping up with the media frenzy, I asked Dr. Fuhrman about this research. Here’s what he had to say:

It increases the risk of the most common cancer in women; breast cancer and decreases the risk of ovarian cancer, which is comparatively rare and they are promoting more widespread use of the pill giving the false conclusion that it decreases cancer deaths overall. Pure bull! If people want to really decrease their risk of cancer they are simply going to have to eat lots of vegetables and exercise. How boring!

Honestly, can you make a bigger case for this country’s magical pill obsession? I mean come on! The medication in question is called, “THE PILL.” Perhaps next they’ll tell us it can part the sea and turn water into wine.

Despite giving people a serious case of the willies—myself included—the FDA is downplaying the long-term impact of cloned animals in the food supply. Christopher Doering of Reuters reports:

Meat and milk products of offspring from the 600 cloned animals in the United States most likely have not entered the nation's food supply, an official with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday, as the agency downplayed the long-term impact of cloning.

The FDA last week said meat and milk from cloned cattle, swine and goats and their offspring were as safe to eat as products obtained from traditional animals. Before then, farmers and ranchers had followed a voluntary moratorium that prevented the sale of clones and their offspring.

"There is no feeling that this will ever become a way of mass producing animals," Stephen Sundlof, director of FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied nutrition, told reporters.

He noted that another reproductive technique used in agriculture, in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer, has been used to create only a small portion of the millions of animals on U.S. farms.

Yeah, that sure gives me that “rest-assured feeling.” Sheesh! Well, at least here the FDA is behaving a little smarter. They’re planning to post overseas food inspectors. The New York Times is on it:

The agency’s commissioner, Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, said that he wanted to have “boots on the ground” in nations like India and China and regions like Central and South America and the Middle East.

The agency already sends inspectors to dozens of countries each year to inspect pharmaceutical plants and clinical trial sites. But Dr. von Eschenbach said in a briefing with reporters that he wanted the agency’s presence abroad to be on an “ongoing and continuous basis rather than episodic and periodic.”

“Right now, we come, we leave,” he said.

The inspectors would primarily “build capacity and bring others in to do inspections that are certified,” Dr. von Eschenbach said.

The agency has long helped to train foreign food and drug inspectors and even advise in the writing of legislation to empower foreign versions of the F.D.A.

As recently as 1996 in Canada and 1999 in Australia, health regulators did not have the authority to inspect clinical trial sites, said Dr. David Lepay, a senior adviser for clinical science at the agency.

This presents an interesting little debacle; one flaky response and one stringent. Okay, lets consider it a wash—what else you got FDA?

Who would have thought, apparently asparagus can affect people differently. Yeah, I’m confused too. Let’s check in with Susan Bowerman of The Los Angeles Times:

Asparagus' reputation for producing noxious urine is so widespread that those who produce the odor assume everyone else does too. That's not the case. Studies indicate that about 79% of Americans are "excreters" -- they excrete smelly sulfur compounds in their urine -- as are about half the people in Britain. Non-excreters don't suffer asparagus-eating's effect on urine odor because they don't produce these sulfur compounds. The ability to "excrete" is inherited.

Chemical analysis of the urine of excreters has identified six compounds responsible for the odor. Two, methanethiol and dimethyl sulfide, impart the most aroma, while the other four contribute to the unique and complex bouquet. Their source is from the breakdown of other chemicals present in the fresh vegetable.

A prime candidate is asparagusic acid, a sulfur-rich compound found only in asparagus. In 1987, a study found that excreters who ingested asparagusic acid produced the volatile compounds in their urine -- whereas non-excreters didn't. But researchers have also suggested that other compounds present in higher concentrations in asparagus than other foods could also contribute.

A few studies published more than 20 years ago suggest that the numbers on people who produce smelly urine may be unreliable. It could be, the authors argue, that everyone produces pungent urine after eating asparagus -- but not everyone can pick up the smell.

Don’t you just love talking about pee. Yes my mind is in the toilet and in this case it fits—pun intended. But seriously, asparagus is a great food. Dr. Fuhrman tells us why:

Asparagus is one of the most healthful foods on the planet. It leads nearly all fruits and vegetables in the wide array of nutrients it supplies. Ten ounces (one box of frozen spears) have only 68 calories and 9 grams of protein, yet it is like a vitamin pill, giving you a variety of minerals such as selenium, zinc, calcium, copper, and manganese. Plus, it is very rich in folate.

Asparagus has an exceptionally high nutrient-per-calorie ratio and is the perfect weight-loss food. Anti--cancer compounds that have been shown to prevent tumors and cancers in animals are plentiful in asparagus. Asparagus also contains isothiocyanates, indoles, and sulforaphane, powerful compounds that promote cellular rejuvenation with anti-cancer properties. It is rich in glutathione and rutin, healing compounds for the liver and blood vessels.

I really like asparagus, especially asparagus veggie-sushi rolls! Hey, speaking of food. Here’s a great asparagus recipe for you to try. Check it out:

Asparagus-Potato-Leek Ragout

2 large leeks, white and pale green
1 lb. small red potatoes
2 cups water, seasoned with VegiZest or another dehydrated vegetable seasoning
1 lb. asparagus, trimmed and cut diagonally
1/2 lb. fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
1/2 lemon
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely chopped

Cut leeks lengthwise and wash thoroughly. Then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Quarter potatoes and steam in a steamer until just tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a bowl. In skillet, water-sauté leeks in seasoned water for 3-4 minutes, stirring until tender. (Add liquid if needed.) Transfer leeks to bowl with potatoes. In skillet, heat more VegiZest water and water-sauté asparagus for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add mushrooms and water-sauté mixture, and continue cooking for about 3 minutes or until mushrooms soften. Combine all ingredients. Before serving, squeeze a little lemon juice over vegetables, stir in mint, parsley, and pepper to taste, and gently toss. Serves 4.

But let’s talk turkey for a second—oops, I mean asparagus—asparagus really is a high-powered food. Look how it ranks in Dr. Fuhrman’s new Food Scoring Guide:

Asparagus

• Calories: 25
• Sodium: 27
• ANDI score: 559

Not bad little asparagus, not bad at all. Now, since the Food Scoring Guide is pretty new. You might not know what the heck an ANDI score is. Take it away Dr. Fuhrman:

ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of food factors, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants capacities, based on an equal number of calories for each food. After completing the calculations, foods are ranked on a numerical scale of 1 to 1000, with the highest nutrient foods given a score of 1000.

All this talk about asparagus has got me psyched to go out eat some and then, have some wicked stinky pee!

The New York Times takes a long hard look at the meat industry and what its costing us. More from Mark Bittman:

The two commodities share a great deal: Like oil, meat is subsidized by the federal government. Like oil, meat is subject to accelerating demand as nations become wealthier, and this, in turn, sends prices higher. Finally — like oil — meat is something people are encouraged to consume less of, as the toll exacted by industrial production increases, and becomes increasingly visible.

Global demand for meat has multiplied in recent years, encouraged by growing affluence and nourished by the proliferation of huge, confined animal feeding operations. These assembly-line meat factories consume enormous amounts of energy, pollute water supplies, generate significant greenhouse gases and require ever-increasing amounts of corn, soy and other grains, a dependency that has led to the destruction of vast swaths of the world’s tropical rain forests.

Just this week, the president of Brazil announced emergency measures to halt the burning and cutting of the country’s rain forests for crop and grazing land. In the last five months alone, the government says, 1,250 square miles were lost.

The world’s total meat supply was 71 million tons in 1961. In 2007, it was estimated to be 284 million tons. Per capita consumption has more than doubled over that period. (In the developing world, it rose twice as fast, doubling in the last 20 years.) World meat consumption is expected to double again by 2050, which one expert, Henning Steinfeld of the United Nations, says is resulting in a “relentless growth in livestock production.”

Actually, I don’t have a pet turtle, but if I did. I’d apparently be upping my risk of getting a salmonella infection. Steven Reinberg of HealthDay News reports:

According to the report, cases were reported in all but 15 states, with most cases occurring in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas.

Two of the infected children included a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl who became stricken after swimming in an unchlorinated in-ground pool owned by the family of the older girl. Two pet turtles, purchased at a South Carolina pet store and owned by the family of the older teen, were allowed to swim in the pool, the CDC reported.

Harris said many people aren't aware of the risk of Salmonella infections from pet turtles. "Only 20 percent of these cases [in the report] said they were aware there was a connection between Salmonella infection and reptile exposure," she said.

Up to 90 percent of turtles carry Salmonella, Harris said. "This is a very serious infection, especially for small children," she added.

The infection is spread from contact with the turtles, but the contact doesn't have to be direct, Harris said. "We have one case where a baby was bathed in a sink that turtle waste was disposed in," she said.

In some cases, the children put the turtle in their mouth. In other cases, children became sick from just living in the same house with a turtle or other infected family members. Salmonella can live on surfaces for weeks, Harris noted.

Personally, I’m more of a hermit crab guy.

When did breakfast become synonymous with bacon and eggs? All the breakfast cafés I’ve been to are loaded with wall to wall eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, and other griddle thingies, and, The Flying Biscuit Café, pretty much continues the tread.

Clearly, I’ve got my work cut out for me. As expected The Flying Biscuit Café has plenty of omelets, creamy dairy, smoked meat, and bread to go around, but, are they’re at least one or two nutritarian-type dishes to found? Could an Eat to Liver make this work? Let’s see.

First up, is the all-day breakfast. Now, I know Dr. Fuhrman considers eggs to be a cleaner and safer animal food, but, eggs just aren’t for me, but by ditching the eggs, I’m seriously cutting down the menu. So, what’s left? Well, as far as the breakfast goes, not much. The Organic Oatmeal Pancakes might work (provided they’re not cooked on a greasy griddle); three cakes, topped peach compote and served maple syrup. It could be worse! At least the oats are organic, peach is a fruit, and the maple syrup is served on the side—it kind of works.

Alright, onto the appetizers—unless you think I should spend time examining the Pasta, Sausage & Eggs—that’s what I thought, moving on. The appetizers are a little better and by “better” I mean there’s ONE item I’d order without reservation. Take a guess what it is? A salad! Of course it’s a salad. According to the menu the House Salad is field greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette and a Flying Biscuit. Personally, I’ll make the biscuit fly alright. I’m tossing it out the window, and, getting that dressing on the side. Good idea?

Let’s see what the favorites have in store for us. Okay, this is better. I like the Vegan BBQ Burrito; barbecued tofu, collard greens, mushrooms, sun dried tomato tortilla, and topped with salsa verde. Well, the barbecued tofu does give me pause. It’s probably a little salty and burnt, but since I seldom eat this sort of thing, I could roll with it. Same goes for the tortilla. Overall, not a bad option, I’m definitely digging the collard greens—actually, I’m eating some right now!

Cool, we’ve reached the salad portion of the menu. As we all know, salads are a great place for the panicking Eat to Liver to find refuge. Not all of The Flying Biscuit Café’s salads are winners, but I see two I could work with. First is the Warm Chicken Salad; grilled chicken breast, oven-roasted rosemary potatoes, bleu cheese, field greens, and balsamic vinaigrette. Relax! The cheese and chicken are history. Next I like the Tofu & Tater Salad; tamari-marinated tofu, oven-roasted rosemary potatoes, field greens, feta cheese, red onion, and balsamic vinaigrette. Adios cheese! And you guessed it, dressing on the side.

And to close the show, let’s scope out the sandwiches. Okay, I see two I really like. The Hummus Wrap and The Angel Burger are cool; combined they include sun dried tomato tortilla, rosemary potatoes, lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, feta, veggie-grain patty, and roasted red pepper mustard. For starters, the bread and tortilla are concessions, but beyond that I’d nix the feta. Provided you can get past the bread, you’ve got lots of yummy veggies to enjoy—hello phytonutrients—nice!

Well, there you have it. The Flying Biscuit Café is certainly in the mold of standard American restaurants, but, they are clearly making an attempt to offer some healthier options. So, despite all the eggs, cheese, bacon, and sausage, I have to give them a little kudos, but what do you think? It’s your turn! I’m putting YOU to work. Check out The Flying Biscuit Café’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. Make a comment or send an email to diseaseproof@gmail.com. Until next time, eat greatly! Peace.

Scott Mowbray is on diet—here’s where it gets scary—according to him, “This diet I’m on has me eating more boxed cereal than I have in years.” Ah! Okay, before I comment. I’ll let him explain some more. From Poked & Prodded:

I have loved cereal since I was knee-high and hold countless memories of corn flakes, malt-flavored Muffets (“the round shredded wheat”), Rice Krispies, Cheerios, and the rare golden fruit of the sacred cereal chalice, Cap’n Crunch. With a big splash of coffee cream and spoonfuls of brown sugar (except on the Cap’n, whose crunch is sweeter than candy corn), it was good fuel for boys. My eldest brother sat across the table, making more noise than a wild boar rooting for grubs in the Tuscan woods. It drove me insane…

…Prowling the aisles now, I see that cereal boxes continue to shrink and prices do not. (General Mills announced a “Right Size, Right Price” box strategy last summer: meaning smaller boxes, similar prices.) Just yesterday I spotted a cute little seven-ounce box of Special K for $3.89, which, as the shelf label pointed out, is $8.89 per pound—a nice price for toasted rice. I am, admittedly, the sort of guy who complains about cereal prices while drinking a $12 thimbleful of obscure Polish vodka made from potatoes (to be clear: not for breakfast), but that is beside the point.

The high cost of this junk is one thing, but Scott, we got to get you off the cereal. Boxed cereals are bad news. They’re not doing your health any favors. Here, check this out. Dr. Fuhrman talks about why boxed cereals should be avoided:

Processed foods and fast foods often contain dangerous trans fats and other additives, but they also can have high levels of acrylamides. When processed foods are baked and fried at high temperatures, these cancer-causing chemical compounds are produced. Many processed foods, such as chips, french fries, and sugar-coated breakfast cereals, are rich in acrylamides. Acrylamides also form in foods you bake until brown or fry at home; they do not form in foods that are steamed or boiled.

And, despite what super glossy marketing-bolstered boxes might say, breakfast cereals are nutritionally bankrupt; even if they claim to be “enriched.” But don’t take my word for it, here’s Dr. Fuhrman on the subject. Take rice for example:

White or "enriched" rice is just as bad as white bread and pasta. It is nutritionally bankrupt. You might as well just eat the Uncle Ben's cardboard box it comes in. Refining removes important factors: fiber, minerals, phytochemicals, and vitamin E. So, when you eat grains, eat whole grains.

Scott, we got to get you eating more natural fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, and nuts, because these foods hold up well in Americans nutrient-deficient soil. Again, I’ll defer to Dr. Fuhrman. He knows all about this stuff:

Wheat grown on American soil is not a nutrient- dense food to begin with, but then the food manufacturers remove the most valuable part of the food and then add bleach, preservatives, salt, sugar, and food coloring to make breads, breakfast cereals, and other convenience foods. Yet many Americans consider such food healthy merely because it is low in fat.

Contrary to many of the horror stories you hear, our soil is not depleted of nutrients. California, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Florida, and other states still have rich, fertile land that produces most of our fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, and seeds. America provides some of the most nutrient-rich produce in the world.

Not to beat up on you Scott. Glad to see you’re trying to get slim and healthy, but the cereal’s got to go! Come on folks. Head over to Poked & Prodded and encourage Scott to ditch the cereal and have some fresh fruit for breakfast.

Oh man. This poor lady bought some canned green beans and didn’t realize they came with a complimentary mouse head. Not for the squeamish:

Hey folks. Won’t you give my Banana Cream Pie a try? I came up with the recipe and Marian—Dr. Fuhrman’s chef—helped perfect it. Let me know what you think! Take a look:

Crust
1 cup oats
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
3 tablespoons raw tahini
1 very ripe banana

Filling
2 very ripe large bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla soy milk
12-15 medjool dates
1/2 avocado, peeled and pitted
4 large romaine lettuce leaves (or other lettuce)
1 tablespoon ground flax seed (optional)
1 teaspoon raw sunflower seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon unhulled sesame seeds (optional)
1 teaspoon chopped walnuts
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Topping
1 1/2 cups raw cashews
3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla soy milk
8 medjool dates
unhulled sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crust: Blend oats into a flour. Blend banana. In a bowl, thoroughly combine blended oats, banana, tahini, and soy milk. Spread dough in a glass pie dish until bottom and sides are covered. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and cool. Filling: Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender. Spoon mixture into pie crust and bake for 40 minutes. Let cool. Cream Topping: Blend cashews, soy milk, and dates together in a high-powered blender. Spoon over entire surface. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serves 8.

And yes, the bananas I used were Dole organic bananas, which I might add. You all should be looking for—hint, hint, wink, wink! Operation Banana Hunt is still on!

• Here’s a good question, does diabetes cost the USA more than wars and disasters? Take a look. Liz Szabo of USA Today reports:

Uncontrolled diabetes wreaks havoc on the body, often leading to kidney failure, blindness and death. A new study shows that the nation's unchecked diabetes epidemic exacts a heavy financial toll as well: $174 billion a year.

That's about as much as the conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and the global war on terrorism combined. It's more than the $150 billion in damage caused by Hurricane Katrina.

The incidence of diabetes has ballooned — there are 1 million new cases a year — as more Americans become overweight or obese, according to the study, released Wednesday by the American Diabetes Association. The cost of diabetes — both in direct medical care and lost productivity — has swelled 32% since 2002, the report shows.

Diabetes killed more than 284,000 Americans last year, according to the diabetes association.

• Much to my personal delight, Yoga is growing in popularity. Katie Zezima of The New York Times investigates a boot camp for Yoga teachers. Check it out:
  

In May 2006, Sue Jones started YogaHope, an organization that teaches yoga at eight Boston-area women’s homeless shelters, substance-abuse treatment programs and domestic-violence safe houses, as well as two programs in Seattle. The focus is on teaching restorative yoga, and though many teachers have completed at least 200 hours of training, it is not a requirement.

Driven by a sometimes missionary zeal and a sense that yoga has become an exclusive pursuit, a small but growing number of yoga practitioners are forming organizations that teach yoga in prisons and juvenile detention centers in Oakland, Calif.; Los Angeles, Seattle and Indianapolis. They are working with the addicted and the homeless in Portland, Ore., and with public-school students in New York City.

Though concern about the cost of yoga is an issue (studio classes can cost $20 for a drop-in session, though some offer free or low-cost classes taught by less experienced teachers), most of the practitioners are motived by a desire to introduce yoga to those who might need it most, but wouldn’t think to do it on their own.

• Okay gym nuts. Health and Men passes on some “stop and go super sets” for you to try next time you’re working out. Have a look:

Stop-and-go pushup
Assume a pushup position. Brace your core and lower your chest to the floor. When you’re halfway down, pause 2 seconds before continuing. Then, when your chest is 2 inches from the floor, pause again for 2 seconds before pushing halfway back up. Hold for 2 more seconds, then straighten your arms. Do eight reps.

Stop-and-go split squat
Stand with one foot 3 feet forward and hold a barbell across your shoulders. Rise on the ball of your back foot, then bend at the knees. When halfway down, pause for 2 seconds. Pause again when your back knee is just off the floor. Push halfway up, pause again, and return to the starting position. Do six reps with each leg.

• Its seems the United Kingdom is all set to pony up millions for anti-obesity campaign. Tim Castle of Reuters is on it:

The campaign, to be launched in the summer, will form part of a wider strategy including aspects like food labelling, urban design and the promotion of exercise.

Department of Health officials said it will use simple messages -- such as the "five pieces of fruit and veg a day" slogan -- and be based on research into what actually works to make people change from unhealthy lifestyles.

"Tackling obesity is the most significant public and personal health challenge facing our society," said Health Secretary Alan Johnson as he launched the 372 million pound cross-government strategy.

• Okay, this is a little weird—to say the least—evidently some people believe you can treat sleep apnea with a didgeridoo. From the CBS Early Show:

"A didgeri-what?" you ask. While aborigines in Australia have been playing this long wooden trumpet for centuries, it's just recently been redefined as a modern-day medical device. Researchers reporting in the British Medical Journal evaluated 25 people with sleep apnea--a breath-stealing condition caused by flabby throat muscles--and found that those who took 4 months of didgeridoo (DIH-jeh-ree-doo) lessons had about 31/2 times less daytime sleepiness than the folks who didn't blow their own horns. The newly minted musicians also snored significantly less. Credit this uncommon cure to vibrations that exercise tissue in the mouth and throat, says researcher Milo Puhan, Ph.D. "When these muscles are strengthened, the tongue has less tendency to obstruct the airway."

If huffing on a wooden tube to treat your sleep apnea sounds a tad too weird, then you probably aren't familiar with the alternatives. The most commonly prescribed option is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which involves spending every night hooked up to a machine that pumps air down your throat to keep it from collapsing. The other approach is surgery, and that's only 30 to 60 percent effective. Now are you ready to toot the didgeridoo? You can pick up a beginner-friendly model for about $80 at L.A. Outback (laoutback.com). And don't worry; it's intuitive to learn, says co-owner Barry Martin. You purse your lips and blow into it with the beat.

• Diet Blog hardly has a glowing endorsement for “Slim Coffee.” Jim Foster thinks it’s nothing but a big scam:

It must be so tempting for unscrupulous entrepreneurs:

Find an obscure weight loss product from somewhere overseas. Re-brand it. Hype it up. Create an infomercial. Make millions.

This time it's Slim Coffee. The claims are impressive: "Reduce appetite. Clinically tested. Lose 5 pounds per week". All from drinking coffee with a few supplements added (or so they say).

The makers of Slim Coffee have been pursued by the FTC - resulting in a $923,000 settlement.

• A new study explains just how traffic pollution damages the heart. Here’s more from Andy Coghlan of the NewScientist, look:

Previous studies had suggested that people living in polluted areas are more at risk of heart disease. For example, a study published in The New England Journal of Medicine last year showed that women in 36 American cities were more likely to develop heart disease if the air they breathed was rich in particles measuring 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter - known as PM2.5s - which are present in car exhaust fumes.

It now seems that a greater hazard may be posed by so-called "ultrafine" particles, about a dozen times smaller at 0.18 micrometres wide. The latest study in mice has shown that they clog up arteries with fatty atherosclerotic deposits, and chemically alter "good" cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, reducing its beneficial effects.

• Yippee! More Yoga news! The Los Angeles Times looks at one man’s effort to make Yoga a professional's sport. Janet Cromley reports:

How does yoga help a professional athlete's game?
Yoga improves balance in the body and works the smaller muscles that normally wouldn't get worked. It also improves range of motion, whether that means swinging a golf club, throwing a baseball or shooting a basketball. It builds stamina through breath control and teaches techniques for relaxing in tense moments. Most important, yoga gives you confidence that your body will do what you want it to do when you need it to.

A guy walks into a fast-food restaurant, orders a double-cheeseburger, chicken nuggets, and, a diet soda. Why diet? Obviously he’s concerned about his health! Unfortunately for him, meat and diet soda are being linked to heart disease. Reuters reports:

People who eat two or more servings of red meat a day are much more likely to develop conditions leading to heart disease and diabetes, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.

Eating two or more servings of meat a day increases the risk of suffering from a cluster of risk factors known as metabolic syndrome by 25 percent compared to those who had only two servings of meat a week, the researchers reported in the journal Circulation.

The symptoms of metabolic syndrome include excessive fat around the waist, high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure.

The study also found that diet soda consumption was linked to these elevated risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, echoing the findings of a study published in July.

"When we found that diet soda promoted risk we were surprised," said Dr. Lyn Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota.

No surprises here. Consuming too much animal products—like red meat—are consistently linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Unlike plant foods that promote the opposite. Dr. Fuhrman explains:

There is a relationship between animal protein and heart disease. For example, plasma apolioprotein B is positively associated with animal-protein intake and inversely associated (lowered) with vegetable-protein intake (e.g., legumes and greens). Apolioprotein B levels correlate strongly with coronary heart disease.1 Unknown to many is that animal proteins have a significant effect on raising cholesterol levels as well, while plant protein lowers it.2

What’s amazing is in light of research like this. Tons of misinformation still kicks around the internet. Speaking of misinformation, let’s check in with the one of the leading sources. Here’s the Atkins take on animal protein:

Protein also plays a role in weight loss or weight management. Compared to carbohydrate, consuming protein has less of an effect on insulin (which drives fat storage), a greater effect on glucagon (which drives fat release) and a considerably greater increase in metabolic rate. Several studies demonstrate greater body-fat loss on a high-protein diet than on a high-carb one. Increasing intake of protein relative to carbohydrates fills you up more, so you wind up eating less. A recent study showed that even eating snacks with a higher protein and lower carbohydrate composition can reduce the amount of food you eat at the next meal by 5 percent. And eating protein boosts your metabolic rate—the technical term is thermogenesis. In fact, one study showed that healthy young women experienced 100 percent higher thermogenesis after eating high-protein meals—even two and a half hours later than when they ate a “conventional” high-carbohydrate meal.

Now, as we know, when Atkins says protein, they’re referring to animal products—i.e. meat—but as Dr. Fuhrman just explained, all this animal protein is not health-promoting. Here’s more from Dr. Fuhrman, take a look:

A recent study showed that after following almost 200,000 Americans for seven years, those who regularly consumed red meat had a double the occurrence of pancreatic cancer.3

Dairy is best kept to a minimum. There are many good reasons not to consume dairy. For example, there is a strong association between diary lactose and ischemic heart disease.4 There is also a clear association between high-growth-promoting foods such as dairy products and cancer. There is a clear association between milk consumption and testicular cancer.5

As for diet soda, honestly, who in their right mind trusts these laboratory-created abominations? Wait, I guess the guy ordering all the burgers and chicken nuggets does. Real quick, here’s Dr. Fuhrman on sweeteners:

Clearly this is a controversial subject because much of the research documenting the so-called safety of aspartame was financed by the aspartame industry, and a huge amount of political and monetary pressure led to eventual FDA approval. My opinion is that the possible dangers of aspartame are still unknown. Utilizing such artificial products is gambling with your health. Aspartame also exposes us to a methyl ester that may have toxic effects. I recommend playing it safe and sticking to natural foods.

Many health gurus recommend substituting Stevia in place of artificial sweeteners. Stevia is natural and its use is permitted in Japan and other countries. Despite its widespread use, there is a surprising lack of human clinical trials evaluating its safety. Unlike with saccharin, no evidence has been reported that stevioside and its metabolites are carcinogenic. However, animal reports of nephrotoxicity do exist, which suggest that Stevia is likely safer than the other sweeteners, but not entirely without risk.6 The extent of risk is unknown at this time.

How about not consuming them at all! Instead eat some sweet and delicious fruit. It’ll help satisfy you’re crazing for sweet, and, supply your body with the important nutrients and phytochemicals it needs. Dr. Fuhrman explains why fruit (and vegetables) are so great:

Increasing your consumption of high-nutrient fruits and vegetables is the key to disease resistance, disease reversal, and a long, healthy life. The potential reduction in disease rates shows no threshold effect in the scientific studies. That means that as high-nutrient vegetables and high-nutrient fruits increase as a major portion of caloric intake, disease rates fall in a dose-dependent manner—the more the diet is comprised of these foods, the better your health will be.7

So, I guess the point to make here is that it’s important to remember that eating lots of animal products is not going to do your health any favors and masking food addictions with diet soda or sweeteners is not a long term approach to good health.

If you’re looking to regain your health and lose weight healthfully, popular stomach surgeries are not the answer. From Eat to Live, here’s what Dr. Fuhrman and the National Institutes of Health have to say about them. Take a look:

Wound problems and complications from blood clots are common aftereffects of gastric bypass and gastroplasty surgery. The National Institutes of Health has also reported that those undergoing surgical treatment for obesity have had substantial nutritional and metabolic complications, gastritis, esophagitis, outlet stenosis, and abdominal hernias. More than 10 percent required another operation to fix problems resulting from the first surgery.1

Seriously, stomach surgeries might be all the rage right now. It seems like every time you turn on the TV another celebrity is singing the praises of stomach-stapling, but come on! You’ve got to consider the risks. Check out this chart:

So, when I say this—I hit the ceiling! Apparently a new study favors stomach surgery to treat obese diabetics. No, it’s not April Fools Day. Denise Grady of The New York Times reports:

Weight-loss surgery works much better than standard medical therapy as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes in obese people, the first study to compare the two approaches has found.

The study, of 60 patients, showed that 73 percent of those who had surgery had complete remissions of diabetes, meaning all signs of the disease went away. By contrast, the remission rate was only 13 percent in those given conventional treatment, which included intensive counseling on diet and exercise for weight loss, and, when needed, diabetes medicines like insulin, metformin and other drugs.

In the study, the surgery worked better because patients who had it lost much more weight than the medically treated group did — 20.7 percent versus 1.7 percent of their body weight, on average. Type 2 diabetes is usually brought on by obesity, and patients can often lessen the severity of the disease, or even get rid of it entirely, by losing about 10 percent of their body weight. Though many people can lose that much weight, few can keep it off without surgery. (Type 1 diabetes, a much less common form of the disease, involves the immune system and is not linked to obesity.)

But the new results probably do not apply to all patients with Type 2 diabetes, because the people in the study had fairly mild cases with a recent onset; all had received the diagnosis within the previous two years. In people who have more severe and longstanding diabetes, the disease may no longer be reversible, no matter how much weight is lost.

I’d be curious to see just what kind of “intensive counseling on diet and exercise for weight loss” these patients were given. Because according to Dr. Fuhrman switching to a vegetable-based nutritarian diet is your best bet against type-2 diabetes. He explains:

How can diabetics safely lower the high glucose levels that are slowly destroying their bodies? How can they lower their lipids and blood pressure, lose weight, and avoid taking dangerous drugs, such as insulin and sulfonylureas? They need to adopt a diet based on nutritional excellence.

When you eat a diet consisting predominantly of nature's perfect foods---green vegetables, beans, eggplant, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic, raw nuts and seeds, and limited amounts of fresh fruit, it becomes relatively easy to eat as much as you want and still lose your excess weight. In my experience, those who follow my nutritional recommendations find that their diabetes disappears astonishingly fast, even before most of their excess weight melts away.

Now, let’s not forget exercise. Dr. Fuhrman also points out that exercise is an important part of preventing and combating diabetes. Take a look:

The most effective prescription for diabetes is exercise. An essential component of my prescription for diabetes is daily exercise; it is more important than daily medication. Two hundred calories a day of formal exercise on an incline treadmill and an elliptical machine are a great goal to shoot for. It is not an official recommendation of anyone except me.

I’m no health expert and I’m not trying to be overly negative, but, how can researchers and doctors willing endorse elective surgery on someone, especially when there are more effective, proven means of treatment. What do you think?

This carrot woke up with stars in his eyes. Little did he know how things would turn out—ouch! Take a look:

I’m not a parent—at least not that I know of—but if was, I’d want my kids to eat as healthfully as I do. How do you do it? Well, Dr. Fuhrman makes it very clear, healthy eating is a family affair. He explains:

No rules only for children. If the parents are not willing to follow the rules set for the house, they should not be imposed on the children. Don’t argue about what your children should and shouldn’t be eating; discuss this in private. As parents, we must be consistent, but not perfect. Likewise, it is okay for the children to be consistent, but not perfect either. For example, if the parents decide that an unhealthy food or a restaurant meal is acceptable for the children once per week, then that goes for the adults, too. Setting an example supported by both parents is the most important and most effective way for your children to develop a healthy attitude toward food.

Now, this is a solid strategy, but if you feel this isn’t enough, check out these mealtime accessories. Honestly, I wish I had dump truck utensils growing up—vroom-vroom! Via ParentDish:

New research shows that light therapy can help women bipolar disor