Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Yesterday I found this article on WebMD. It debunks "diet myths" like eating at night makes you fat and drinking water helps you lose weight. For kicks, I passed it along to Dr. Fuhrman.

Now, their claim about caffeine NOT being unhealthy, really set him off. Here's what he said:

They ignored the downside and gave a one-sided view. Caffeine is a mild drug, addictive and like other drugs, can have both risks and benefits. In higher dosages the risks, such as irregular heart beat is potentially dangerous.

But because some people with the potential to abuse caffeine, like young people, are sensitive to rationalizations that promote caffeine and justify their addiction. This advice could be potentially dangerous and even fatal due to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia.

Dr. Fuhrman is right. Especially about young people! All those super-caffeinated energy drinks are aimed POINTBLANK at kids, prompting many states to crackdown on energy drinks.

And yet, some company still thinks it’s a good idea to put caffeine in soap! Nope, its not a joke. 

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Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Howie Jacobson, PhD of FitFam and does NOT necessarily represent the opinions of DiseaseProof or Dr. Fuhrman.

Packing school lunches is always a challenge in my house. So it was with some surprise that my 9-year-old son suddenly started asking for apples for lunch about a month and a half ago.

To me, apples are the perfect food. They resist most mild forms of travel abuse, unlike plums and peaches. They come in nice colors and can be eaten one-handed while you do your school work.

But for finicky kids, apples present a problem. The skin!

Skin the apple ahead of time, and it turns brown. Leave the skin on and a third grader will see ammo-deflecting armor surrounding his fruit, rather than a thin and delicious protective layer. The apple will come home untouched or worse, thrown away with one guilty bite taken out of it.

Back to the point, why was my son so excited about apples?

Turns out his teacher, who has a keen interest in all things mechanical, had brought to class an apple peeler and corer. Now, all of a sudden, my son's apple was the coolest thing at lunchtime, because he could crank this simple machine and magically peel and core it in front of his classmate's amazed and appreciative eyes.

Now all the kids want apples for lunch. Probably an overstatement, but I'm a little excited here!

So what's my takeaway? Presentation matters. The experience of food matters. Peer pressure matters. And most of all, if you want to change behavior, use toys. The apple gadget provided immediate gratification prior to the first bite. The apple jumped to the front of the awesome-dessert line because it started with momentum.

When you get a strong spasm of intention to eat right, to exercise, to meditate, to do whatever it is that supports your highest good and yet doesn't happen as often as it should. Use that POWER MOMENT to shift your future environment.

Buy an apple peeler, go for a fun run, clean out your study and make it a meditation room, use that momentum! Create ongoing favorable conditions, so doing the right thing becomes fun and easy.
 

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Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Robyn O’Brien of AllergyKids and does NOT necessarily represent the opinions of DiseaseProof or Dr. Fuhrman.

As a mother of four, I thought I’d seen it all. Endless ear infections, middle of the night stomach flus, and every rash, oozing eye and childhood condition I could imagine. And then my life changed abruptly and irrevocably over a plate of scrambled eggs.

It all started on what seemed like an ordinary morning. You know the ones? Where the kids come screaming down the stairs and you're not sure if the chaos is in the form of a game of chase or a favorite T shirt that can't be found.

As my four children powered down their Eggo waffles, tubes of blue yogurt and some scrambled eggs, I decided to slip a few spoonfuls of eggs onto my youngest child’s tray. But she didn't really seem interested, fussed and pushed them away.

As I cleaned up the mess, I noticed that my baby seemed tired. And since she was not quite one at the time, I took her upstairs for her morning nap.

I don't know what made me check on her that morning, but a few minutes later, in an act that can only be defined as Mama Instinct, I went upstairs.

I lost my breath the minute I walked into her bedroom. Her face was swollen shut. As I grabbed her from her crib, I came screaming downstairs, calling out to the older children, asking if they had put something on her face, in her crib, in her eyes.

All I got were those blank little kid stares. You know the ones? And at that point, I got really scared, because my older children had no idea what I was talking about.

I called the pediatrician in a complete panic, and she told me to come in immediately that it sounded like an allergic reaction.

What was happening? I felt completely out of control, unable to protect my baby from something as normal as food. What kind of mother was I?

Little did I know what that day and that diagnosis would bring.

I began to learn about food allergies: How there has been a 400 percent increase in the condition in the last ten years and how the peanut allergy alone doubled from 1997-2002. I learned how proteins and chemicals in foods that can threaten a child's immune system.

I learned that there are chemicals found in our foods that can compromise a child’s immune system, making them more vulnerable to all types of chronic conditions and diseases, including allergies, asthma, ADHD and autism (which now affect 1 out of every 3 American children).

I learned that the reason that people choose to avoid processed foods in their diets is to reduce their children’s exposure to harmful chemicals and ingredients. I also learned that the reason that people spend more on organic produce is because these foods are not allowed, by law, to contain chemically engineered products (like insecticides or genetically manipulated materials in their ingredients).

And I learned that there is so much a mom can do to protect her kids and the kids around her!

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Just like Pokemon cards and cholesterol-lowering medications, kids can NOW compare kidney stones too. That’s right! More and more doctors are seeing kidney stones, commonly found in adults, showing up in children—as young as 5 or 6!

And what’s to blame? What else! Crappy diets, but in particular, SALTY diets. The New York Times reports:

Excess salt has to be excreted through the kidneys, but salt binds to calcium on its way out, creating a greater concentration of calcium in the urine and the kidneys.

“What we’ve really seen is an increase in the salt load in children’s diet,” said Dr. Bruce L. Slaughenhoupt, co-director of pediatric urology and of the pediatric kidney stone clinic at the University of Wisconsin. He and other experts mentioned not just salty chips and French fries, but also processed foods like sandwich meats; canned soups; packaged meals; and even sports drinks like Gatorade, which are so popular among schoolchildren they are now sold in child-friendly juice boxes.

No doubt. Food producers LOVE to push salt on kids! For example, a new report came out revealing breakfast cereals have too much sugar. Cereal-makers said fine! We’ll just pump our fruity loops full of salt instead.

Listen, salt is bad for children of ALL ages. But if parents and kids start eating healthfully, you AVOID the salt problem altogether!

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Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Amy Roskelley of SuperHealthyKids and does NOT necessarily represent the opinions of DiseaseProof or Dr. Fuhrman.

Here’s a tip, let the kids be part of cooking. When they have time and interest invested, they are more likely to discover new foods and discover they actually like them. Kids can do a lot of things. Let them choose the produce at the store, wash it, chop it (unless they are a four year old who thinks everything can be cut with a light saber), bake, serve, prepare, whatever!

I decided to let my son (ketchup boy) help prepare dinner, because he doesn’t cook with me very often. I first let him make choices.

“What should we put on top of our salad tonight? Would you like cucumbers and tomatoes, or apples and oranges?”

“None of it,” was his reply.

“Well, we’re making a salad anyway, so I’m letting you decide what we’ll put on it.”

He comes back and says, “Okay, apples and oranges.”

I said, “Great, you peel the oranges and cut the apples, and I’ll wash the lettuce.” We made the salad, and then sat down to eat. The kids separated their oranges from their lettuce (heaven forbid the lettuce should touch the oranges), but they did eat both, so I consider it a success.

Other things they can do to be part of the process, is let them help start a garden. I bought some alfalfa seeds and a sprouting jar since it was winter and nothing grows in Utah during the winter. But sprouting can happen all year round. So the kids helped by rinsing the seeds daily.

There are so many reasons to let your kids help with preparing your families meal. If they help, they’ll learn meal planning, how to cook, and prepare food. This way they aren’t eating out of a can when you send them to college.

But mostly, I’m hoping someone will want to marry them someday, so they aren’t living in my house when they are 40!

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Editor's Note: This is a guest post from Jennifer McCann of Vegan Lunch Box and does NOT necessarily represent the opinions of DiseaseProof or Dr. Fuhrman.

I swear by the magical super power of a Vita-Mix to blend otherwise objectionable foods to a lovely smooth consistency that will meet the approval of picky children, and adults! I use it to blend chunky soups into smooth purees for my son, so he can avoid the distress of having to dissect his stew before eating. I also blend his tomato sauce, and manage to sneak in some cooked kale and carrots while I'm at it!

But the main reason we love the blender is for making SMOOTHIES! Smoothies are a great way to make fruits (and, to a lesser extent, vegetables) fun and easy. We make smoothies every day for breakfast or a healthy snack.

Now that my son is almost 10 he likes to show his independence and make his own. However, we started having problems with his idea of how much frozen fruit to use; it was not uncommon to find that he had thrown over 3 cups of frozen blueberries in the blender to make one breakfast smoothie. Healthy, yes, but talk about expensive!

So here's what I did to get smoothie-making under control and turn it into a kid-friendly activity: I purchased clear square bins at a wholesale grocery store, just like the kind they use in restaurants, along with a 3 oz. (approx. 1/3 cup) ice cream scoop.

Then I posted a smoothie recipe template on the refrigerator for my son's reference. It's practically impossible to go wrong with it: 1 cup of nondairy milk or 100% juice (or a mix of the two), 1 scoop of ice, 1 container nondairy yogurt, and 3 scoops of fruit. Voila! A yummy smoothie!

Of course, you can leave out the yogurt if you prefer, and add all sorts of nutritious extras to any smoothie: one or two tablespoons nuts or nut butter, a tablespoon of ground flaxseed, a Pixie-Vite or other supplement, handfuls of cooked or raw greens, slices of avocado, etc. My husband even likes to add raw oats to his, to thicken it into a hearty breakfast shake.

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 3 MILLION children now have food allergies. Peanut allergies have DOUBLED and kids seem to be taking LONGER to outgrow milk and egg allergies; the Associated Press reports.

Actually, breastfeeding does A LOT to reduce the risk of allergies. Dr. Fuhrman explains the ANTIBODIES derived from mother’s milk maximize immune system function and protect against immune system disorders and allergies.

To further REDUCE risk Dr. Fuhrman recommends delaying nuts and nut butters until nine months and AVOIDING foods like salt, eggs, oil, seafood, meat, cheese, milk, and butter until after your child's first birthday.

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New Jersey has lost it FREAKING mind! In December, NJ became the first state to require mandatory flu-shots for ALL preschoolers. Parents were ticked!

And now, angered by the legislation which goes in effect this fall, HUNDREDS of parents rallied outside the New Jersey Statehouse in Trenton on Thursday, DEMANDING an “opt out” clause; The Washington Post reports.

This is WRONG! All parents want is a choice. The government should NOT tell parents how to manage their children’s health. The push for mandatory vaccinations is un-American!

Only drug-makers benefit from mandatory vaccinations. The flu-shot is a NOT miracle. Previous reports have indicated most DON’T even work against many strains of flu.

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Parents are crazy! At least some are. Like this crazy lady, she thinks it’s TOTALLY fine to feed her daughter a diet made up almost ENTIRELY of French fries. Quick, call child services!

And now, new search by the University of Melbourne claims 40% of parents DON’T consider their overweight child fat. Making them UNLIKELY to take preventative actions to improve their kid’s health; via Booster Shots.

Some people are OUT of touch. Like these moms who defied school lunch reforms by hustling hamburgers on the playground! Apparently they didn’t get the memo that healthy eating starts with the parents.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests DOUBLING children’s intake of vitamin D to 400 units daily. Experts recommend a vitamin D supplement for breast-fed and partially bottle-fed infants and teenagers who drink little or no milk; the Associated Press reports.

Vitamin D is an important, but often OVERLOOKED nutrient—especially for kids! Previous reports have shown vitamin D staves off rickets in children and giving babies vitamin D may help PREVENT type-1 diabetes.

I asked Dr. Fuhrman, and he agrees that the recommended daily allowance for Vitamin D is too low, since MOST people are deficient in vitamin D and this leads to an INCREASED risk of disease. Vitamin D helps us absorb calcium and build stronger bones.

UPDATE: Hey all, GREAT news from Dr. Fuhrman:

I upped the Vitamin D in the Pixie-Vites last year. We must face the realization that we have a nationwide epidemic of Vitamin D deficiency, it has been going on for years, and is a contributing cause of cancer and other diseases. Anything we can do to assure Vitamin D adequacy is likely favorable.

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During a conference of the American Society of Hypertension, experts warned that heart disease risk could TRIPLE among teenagers; obesity and high blood pressure are to blame. WebMD reports:

The presence of child obesity results in higher rates of high blood pressure," which is a major risk factor for stroke and heart attack, said Bonita Falkner, MD, a professor of medicine and pediatrics at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. "This is a problem that is not going to magically go away, and it puts children at risk for premature cardiac events at an earlier period in their adult lives.

In fact, heart disease DOES start during childhood and with over 1 million young children having undiagnosed high blood pressure, teaching kids HEALTHY eating habits is paramount!

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Flu shots ALWAYS stir up controversy! Last year, New Jersey went INSANE by trying to force mandatory flu shots, insisting it is the best option of public health, but get this! New research claims flu shots have been largely INEFFECTIVE over the past few years.

The study appears in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. HealthDay News reports:

Dr. Peter G. Szilagyi, from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and Strong Memorial Hospital, found that children who got the flu were less likely to have been vaccinated, compared with children who didn't get sick.

However, after they adjusted for flu risk factors -- such as a child's location, sex, insurance status, chronic health conditions or timing of the vaccine -- the effectiveness of the vaccine could no longer be shown. The effectiveness of the flu shot ranged from 7 percent to 52 percent for 6- to 59-month-old children who had been fully vaccinated, the researchers found.

The less-than-perfect match between the strain of flu in the vaccine during the two seasons studied and the flu that was actually circulating may have contributed substantially to the poor effectiveness of the vaccine, Szilagyi's team speculated.

We shouldn’t be too hasty to stick ourselves with things, especially kids! American children are already the MOST drugged up. Also, the flu shot is NOT the be-all, end-all of flu prevention.

According to Dr. Fuhrman, washing your hands, not touching your face in public places and eating a healthy diet, can help your body prevent and combat the flu virus.

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Cold medicine made BIG news last year. Pediatricians claimed over-the-counter cold remedies posed MAJOR health risks for young children. This prompted retailers nationwide to yank medicines aimed at kids under the age of two from stores.

In January, the FDA supported action AGAINST children’s cold medicine, but now, about a year later, officials are STILL pondering a ban and may extend it to remedies for children up to age six; CBS News reports.

In the report, pediatrician Dr. Alanna Levine refers to studies showing that cold medicines DON’T actually work and Early Show host, Harry Smith, mentions that poison control cases have dropped by HALF since cold medications were pulled.

Now, Dr. Fuhrman is NO fan of suppressing fever, cough and cold. This could lead to prolonged illness, like pneumonia. Dr. Fuhrman also points to research showing the futility of over-the-counter cold remedies. Efficacy of cough suppressants in children; via PubMed.

So, considering all this, a ban seems like a REALLY good idea!

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Cartoons are powerful. Kids LOVE cartoons! When I was little Transformers was popular and when the movie came out last summer, I saw it in the theater 3 times and bought the DVD the morning it came out. Good impressions last a LONG time!

Using cartoons to promote fruits and veggies is an EXCELLENT idea. Nickelodeon has a new show called “Making Fiends” and in this episode, Charlotte is tired of eating cafeteria food! Too much beef jerky, clams, and grape punch.

So she teaches a chorus of fruits and vegetables to SING a song! Yeah, it’s pretty cute. “Making fiends, making fiends…”

Via Serious Eats.

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No doubt, obesity is WHACKING the world. The United States is fat, China is fat and getting fatter, even poor countries, like Nigeria and Uganda, are obese and the British have even started printing bodyweight on children’s report cards to help control fatness.

Even global warming has been linked to obesity! Clearly, we got a problem. Now, South Korea has its own solution for combating weight-gain in kids. They’re providing FREE vouchers to health clubs for obese children; Reuters reports.

I think, like healthy eating, good fitness and exercise habits start with the parents. Bev Sklar of That’sFit watched her young daughter become very intrigued by Yoga when she saw mommy doing it. Hey, my passion for exercise was ignited by my mother—who still gets up at 4AM to run!
 

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Melamine, a chemical pesticide and fire retardant, has caused MASSIVE panic in the China by turning up in infant formula—and even chocolates sold here in the United States! In response, China is urging its citizen to return to breastfeeding; Reuters reports.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers AGAINST purchasing Chinese-made formula. China has reacted by detaining 22 people suspected of introducing melamine into the food supply; more from Reuters.

In 2007 FDA officials determined eating chicken, fish, pork or eggs from animals inadvertently fed melamine was UNLIKELY to pose a health-risk to humans. Nice job FDA! The tainted Chinese baby formula has killed 4 infants; via The Earth Times.

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