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

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Allie Beatty of Allies Voice and does NOT necessarily represent the opinions of DiseaseProof or Dr. Fuhrman.

For every time someone told me the answer to diabetes is blood sugar control – immediately I knew the question cannot possibly be ‘how do I prevent complications”. Complications are now known to be caused from AGE (advanced glycation end products). AGEs are released into the body after glucose metabolism. If insulin helps metabolize glucose – why doesn’t the body make something that protects it from complications of diabetes? It does – it’s found in proinsulin.

The beta cells make proinsulin. Proinsulin is a combination of insulin and C-peptide. Insulin breaks off from proinsulin (like the launching of a space shuttle) to carry glucose out of the blood and into the cells. C-peptide lingers in the blood to ‘clean up’ the AGEs created from glucose metabolism. People with diabetes develop complications in their eyes, nerves and kidneys. Analogues (synthetic ‘insulin’) only lower blood glucose and leave AGEs in the blood to complicate the tissues of the eyes, nerves and kidneys. This occurs in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

Mother Nature is forgiving and reasonable. For she realized these membranes would need a secondary source of prevention from complications if insulin and c-peptide were in short supply. As it turns out – vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, reverses damages from AGEs, much like C-peptide. Because vitamin B is water-soluble, and people with diabetes tend to urinate frequently – over time the body becomes dangerously depleted of vitamin B, including vitamin B1 – thiamine.

Studies have shown that vitamin B1 (thiamine) is essential for the metabolism of glucose from the blood (aka ‘blood sugar’). Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is keeps your mucous membranes healthy and is essential for nervous system, cardiovascular and muscular function. It leaves me puzzled as to why doctors aren’t religiously checking patients’ with diabetes thiamine levels. Nearly every complication of diabetes can be prevented (and in some cases treated) with consideration to thiamine.

Alas, you know my gripe will eventually meander into the nefarious patents and suppression of BIG PHARMA. So I’ll spare you the drama and leave you with one simple call to action. Don’t wait for your thiamine levels to drop. Get yourself a good B-complex with plenty of thiamine. Keep a running tab on your thiamine levels and if they start to drop – discuss with your doctor a plan of action to replenish the Bs.

UPDATE: Dr. Fuhrman had a reaction to Allie's post. His thoughts:

This is misleading and it exaggerates the known benefits of thiamine supplementation in the diabetic. It is also harmful to the extent that diabetics think they can adequately protect themselves with supplements, (as it subconsciously de-emphasizes the critical nature of aggressive dietary and lifestyle changes), instead of changing their diet and exercise habits, which has the potential to remove the diabetes completely.

Sure, diabetics are low in thiamine (vitamin B1), as well as other micronutrients, and sure thiamine deficiency as well as deficiencies with other micronutrient) can accelerate the enhanced micro-vascular damage from diabetes. However, that does not mean that thiamine supplementation (alone) will prevent or even help prevent the micro-vascular complications to the kidney, nerves and eyes in diabetes. Those studies are ongoing and no definitive conclusions at this point can be made.

To encourage high dosages of supplemental B1, without mention of a diet, rich in B1 (vegetable and bean-based), will continue the nutritional folly of the last decades. There are thousands of micronutrients needed to maximize your health and type-2 diabetes is a disease that develops because of nutritional ignorance and the subsequent food addictions that develop from low nutrient eating. Becoming thin is the first step. When you eat the micronutrient-rich diet I recommend you get appetite suppression, dramatic weight loss, enhanced exercise tolerance, and most people can actually get rid of their diabetes. A type-1 diabetic can reduce their insulin needs by about half, and protect themselves from the complications of diabetes.

Caring for thousands of diabetic patients in my practice and weaning them off their medications while watching their condition melt away, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my medical practice. So if you have diabetes, instead of looking for a pill, supplement, or medication to protect you, which will never be maximally protective, I want to encourage you to take the bull by the horns and strive to get rid of your diabetes. That should be the take away message.

My nutritional protocol has already been confirmed by medical studies to be the most effective for lowering cholesterol, and a pilot study has also shown it to me the most effective for weight loss. For diabetics, it can be a life-saving. If you are diabetic, I implore you to learn more.

I now recommend that diabetics check their blood level of B1 (thiamine) and supplement appropriately, but the most important way to control the complications of (type 2) diabetes is to get rid of it via nutritional excellence and exercise.

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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 Scott Wharton of HealthandMen and does NOT necessarily represent the opinions of DiseaseProof or Dr. Fuhrman.

Do you take your health for granted? Chances are if you're reading this right now, you don't. However I was heading home late last night and I noticed a billboard for a wellness radio show and for some reason it got me to thinking about how many people probably drive by that everyday and think, “Why?”

When you go to the grocery store the first section that is in most markets is the produce. Perhaps one of the most important sections of the super market, filled with the healthiest items in the store. How many people pretty much bypass this section almost all together and go about buying the same things they bought the last time?

How many people give no thought to simply eating healthy food and fill their shopping cart with the same garbage each and every time? You'd be surprised. Sure they might buy some canned vegetables, but that’s only because they feel that they have to have a vegetable on their dinner plate and don’t really want that vegetable for its nutritional value.

Most people don't become health conscious until the errors of their ways catch up to them and they suffer a heart attack or a simple cholesterol test show dangerous levels. They go about their daily lives and have the mentality that they feel healthy so they must be healthy.

Health insurance rates for men are normally higher than women's rates. One reason is because men can be ignorant. They brush off minor aches and pains and don't get regular check-ups. Those minor aches and pains could be symptoms of bigger underlying issues and sometimes it's not caught until it's too late.

I think women are more health conscious for various reasons. One is the fact that women are generally more self-conscious about their weight and often do research on what they can do about it. When they research they learn all sorts of things that they never knew before and they start becoming more aware of their personal health. Also, most women are not as stubborn as men and normally get themselves checked out when they feel something isn't right.

It goes back to the mentality that I feel fine, so I must be fine. There are also people that just don't care. They live for the moment and live unhealthy lifestyles. They may be happy, but it can create hardships for themselves and other people in the long run when they are beating up their bodies from the inside out. You don't have to be paranoid about your health, just be aware.

Over 500 years ago English philosopher, Sir Francis Bacon said "Scientia Potentia Est", which translates to today's "Knowledge Is Power" and in U.S. Military leadership they teach "Know yourself and seek self improvement". These are words to live by in both a moral sense and health sense.

Don't take your health for granted and encourage others to do the same.
 

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

The New York Times reported that positive eating trends are on the upswing!

Remarkably the percentage of people who are currently dieting is on a decline to 29 percent in 2007 from 33 percent in 2004. In place of calorie counting, starvation and deprivation, people are adding tasty whole foods to their diets, and 53 percent more are cooking more and from scratch!

This is exciting stuff! It has always been my advice that if you don’t know where to begin in transitioning your diet to a healthy one, start by adding more delicious organic fruits and vegetables to your diet every time you grocery shop and if you can swing it, on a daily basis. Keep it simple and easy.

If you are inclined to count something, start counting chemicals in your food instead of calories. Studies are now showing that chemicals in our food are leading to serious health issues like obesity, cancer and more. If you are inclined to reach for diet sodas and diet foods, take a few seconds (literally that’s all it takes) and scan the list of ingredients and ask yourself how familiar you are with the ingredients in that packaged drink or food product.

Other reports have shown number of farmers markets across America have more than doubled since the mid-1990s. And the sales of organic foods continue to rise. We are finally beginning to follow in the footsteps of Europe.

One of the things I have discovered in my quest to discover the most delicious foods on the planet is the remarkable healing qualities of tasty, whole, organic foods. There are so many miraculous healing stories of people who have cured themselves of serious diseases, like cancer, obesity, diabetes, and more, by simply eating a delicious, organic, whole foods diet. Bottom line, delicious, whole, organic foods are commonly overlooked as one of the most powerful healing tools on the planet.

If you are concerned about the price of organic foods during these tight economic times here are some of my recommendations for creating room in your budget to add tasty, whole, organic foods to your shopping cart:

• Buy fewer prepackaged processed food products and add more whole foods to your shopping basket. Buying less junky fast foods creates room in your budget for tasty, whole organic foods!

• Eat out less. Eat at home at least one to two times more per week (or more). This will create a huge amount of room in your budget for quality organic foods.

• Buy at your local farmers markets! Not only are you buying local but many times organic produce can be up to 20-40% cheaper.

• Don't rule out non-organic when it comes to local farmers. While you are at your local farmers market, get to know your farmer! Ask if they grow organically even if they aren’t a certified organic farm. Many times local farmers can’t afford the certification but grow organically the way Mother Nature intended.

• Use a grocery list! This may seem obvious, but studies show that people who use grocery lists and stick to them save money on their grocery bill.

Overall, think about your values when you shop. Do you shop merely on price and large quantities? Or does quality and nutritional value count for something? Remember: consuming foods that are tasty and rich in nutritional value is what will keep you healthy, help in keeping the weight off and add up to less doctor visits. And knowing it's better for the planet is a nice perk!

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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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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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Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Jim Foster of Diet-Blog and does NOT necessarily represent the opinions of DiseaseProof or Dr. Fuhrman.

Do you ever feel baffled, overwhelmed, and fatigued by all the diet advice that’s out there? Over the last few decades we’ve seen books that cover a bewildering array of nutritional combinations. Some become instant bestsellers – while others are thrown in the bargain bin before you can say “revolutionary new plan“.

It becomes mind-numbingly banal after a while – and in my view most people simply want to get on with life - enjoying their food and experiencing good health. Following rigid plans can feel empowering for a while – but in an ever-increasingly hectic life – simplicity begins to look very attractive.

Today’s information highway is strewn with 30-point plans for achieving better bodies. We have more assistance and guidance at our fingertips than ever before. How much of that knowledge we actually retain is up for debate.

Let’s distill all the complexity down into one easy sentence. It won’t lose you “4 pounds in 7 days”. It won’t “melt fat”, and it is no “revolutionary secret”.

Here we go, 6 words: Eat more fruit and fibrous vegetables.

Don’t stress, don’t strain. Don’t count, don’t obsess. Focus on which fruits and veggies you enjoy. Buy (or grow) them. Eat them.

Life is too short to spend it on angst and worry.

You may be surprised at the number of positive follow-on affects from simply focusing on fruit and vegetables. It’s more helpful to focus on foods you can add rather than stressing about what you have to avoid. If you’re stomach has filled up on broccoli – you’re unlikely to binge on a tub of ice cream.

Keep it simple. Keep it positive.

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