The Clean Program

Seven months ago, I was browsing books at the local library when I came across one that intrigued me.  It showed a clear class of water on the cover and was called Clean, by Alejandro Junger.  It was a “revolutionary program to restore the body’s natural ability to heal itself.”  When I got home, I saw that the book was a detox program.  I had never read about a detoxification program before, much less tried one, but I decided to try to keep an open mind and at least read the book.  It turns out that the recommendations were sound, and I was motivated enough to give it a try.  For 3 weeks, I cut out potentially irritating and inflammatory foods like wheat, dairy, soy, corn, eggs, bananas, oranges, nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes), most animal protein, peanuts, and alcohol.  What’s left to eat, you ask?  Rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, coconut milk, almond milk, avocados, olives, most vegetables, most fruits, cold-water fish like salmon, lamb, chicken and turkey (which being 95% vegetarian, I don’t eat), peas, lentils, beans, seeds, nuts, and olive oil.  Lest this sound familiar to you, Gwyneth Paltrow recently endorsed such a diet and even wrote a cookbook called It’s All Good, which includes recipes that are Clean program friendly.

The program isn’t just about avoiding certain foods.  There’s more involved with detoxification.  The basic premis is that we live in a toxic world and therefore, our bodies are full of toxins.  We’re exposed by the air we breath, the foods we eat, and the products we slather on our bodies.  Even if you try to avoid toxins, as readers of this blog know I do deligently, studies continue to show that the majority of the population has hundreds of chemicals in their body–even ones banned decades ago (like DDT).  The way we eat in the West causes our liver, the organ responsible for detoxification, to be consumed with the role of filtering blood that comes from the digestive tract.  We eat 3 meals and 3 snacks each day, and rarely go more than a couple hours without shoving more food into our GI tract.  Before bed, we have a snack, and when we wake up, we have breakfast.  The digestive system is always on, and therefore, our liver is alway preoccupied.

How I raised three good eaters

I have three children ages 7, 4, and 2, and all of them eat things that are apparently unusual for other children–kale, swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, balsamic vinegar, olives, sheep’s milk feta, etc.  When we visited Greece while my oldest was three, he ate little fried fish, heads and tails included.  Most impressively, all three children will chew on a fish oil capsule every morning after breakfast.

My husband and I grew up much pickier.  I hated olives and feta as a child, something to really be ashamed of since I am half Greek and spent many summers in Greece.  I mostly liked things that were creamy and cheesy and vividly remember a one-week family vacation where every night at every restaurant I ordered fetuccine alfredo to be followed by cheesecake.  And I washed it down with a virgin strawberry daiquiri.  How does a person with a childhood like that end up raising children who will eat fish heads?  It turns out, mostly by accident.

Forks Over Knives

I finally got to see the documentary Forks Over Knives that has been out for months.  The film is about how diet can stop and even reverse some diseases, and about the dangers of animal products.  I read The China Study, by Colin Campbell Ph.D. (who is featured in the film), almost 3 years ago.  Since then, our family has eaten much less animal products–we only eat meat about once a month and we cut way back on dairy.  But the film featured other doctors (Caldwell Esselstyn, John McDougall, and Pam Popper) as well as plenty of anecdotal evidence from individuals who changed their diet to treat cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.  It was highly motivating and I found it really enjoyable.

The film had a good balance of scientific research and anecdotal evidence.  I will mention a bit of the most impressive research.

• Dr. Esselstyn, a heart surgeon, was struck early in his career about this study, and I have to say it floored me too–in the 1920’s and 1930’s in Norway, heart disease was on the rise.  During WWII, Germany invaded and confiscated all the livestock to feed themselves, leaving Norweigans to eat plant-based foods.  The number of deaths from heart disease plummeted, only to rise again when the occupation ended.  Very interesting!
• Dr. Campbell duplicates Indian research showing that when rats are expossed to the carcinogen Aflotoxin, the growth of their tumors can be controlled by the minipulation of their diet.  Rats fed 20% casein (dairy protein) had rapid tumor growth, while rats fed 5% had none.  Rats on the 20% diet switched to the 5% diet saw their tumors shrink.  Notable is that the group with no tumor growth did not have no casein at all, but 5%.  Perhaps a strict avoidance of dairy is not necessary and considerable reduction is sufficient?
• Dr.  Esselstyn takes a group of heart disease patients who have had multiple heart attacks and are basically knocking on death’s door.  He puts them on a plant based diet.  A few drop out over the years, but after two decades, 18 are still in the group and all are alive.  Eleven of them have stopped their heart disease progression and four have reversed it.
• Dr. McDougall notes that in Hawaii, the immigrants from Asia are trim and healthy.  Their children, born on the island, tend to eat more fast food and animal products, and are “fat and sick.”

Video about labeling GMOs

Watch this video about why genetically modified foods should be labeled.

Great dairy alternative

My father and a couple other people I know are trying to reduce their intake of animal products (in light of the documentary Forks Over Knives and books like The China Study).  The China Study points out the problems of consuming a lot of dairy.  But dairy is so hard to cut out of the diet, and alternatives (soy cheese anyone?) leave much to be desired.  However, there is one company that makes several products that I find absolutely delicious and actually prefer to dairy:  Turtle Mountain.

I especially like Turtle Mountain’s coconut milk products, like their ice cream sandwiches, ice cream bars, and yogurt.  While the cultured coconut milk is nothing like yogurt made from cow’s milk (the lack of protein means a very different consistency), it is tasty and my children enjoy it.  I also think their soy-based Purely Decadent “ice creams” are delicious.  The Mocha Almond Fudge is one of my favorites.  It’s not really ice cream season, but just know that if you’re avoiding dairy, there are many good alternatives out there.

Health and food industries

Saw this on Facebook….. so true!

Better than organic?

What’s better than organic?  Organic and grass-fed, at least when it comes to dairy.  Our family tried to eat vegan for a couple months and quickly learned that we really just weren’t into soy-cheese.  We now consume only organic cheese and in small quantities (many recipes taste just as good with half the cheese!)  It is especially important to buy organic and clean fatty animal foods, since toxins like PCBs and dioxins accumulate in the fat of animals and especially in the concentrated fats of cheese.

I recently found a company that makes organic cheese from cows that have year-round access to pasture.  The company is Rumiano Family and their cheeses are similar in price to other organic cheeses and quite tasty.  This is what the back of the Rumiano cheese label says:

• Our milk comes from grass fed, AHA (American Humane) certified Jersey cows…. free-ranged and happy.
• Certified Organic and Kosher… complete traceability of all ingredients.
• No artificial hormones and pesticide-free…  our milk is pure, fresh, and wholesome.
• Leading the industry as the first Non-GMO Project certified cheese maker.
• Created on the coastal pastures of Northern California.
• Low-impact sustainable milk production flows from the Pacific Terrace pastures to our Fromagerie to your table.

What is described here is honestly how all cheese should be made, but sadly it is not.  So seek out companies like this one and support them!  It’s better for you, for your family, for our earth, and it sends the strong message to larger companies that this is what consumers want.  The government may not mandate it but our purchasing power can help dictate what big companies will do.  Will your cheese and milk come from hormone-injected, industrial cows fed pesticide-laden feed, or from cows that feed on an organic, GMO free, grass diet and are treated humanely?  The government wouldn’t ban BPA, but consumer buying power pushed almost all manufacturers of baby products to change their practices and offer BPA-free alternatives to stay competitive.  Let’s do this with our food too!

Forks Over Knives

Thanks to Ellen for sharing this link with me.  The trailer for the movie Forks Over Knives looks great, doesn’t it?  Too bad there’s a “long wait” for it on Netflix.  It looks like this film is based on the book The China Study, which was one of the things that pushed our family to eating mostly vegetarian.  Glad to see this information becoming more mainstream knowledge.

Once I see it, I’ll review it here.

Greener and safer food storage containers

It’s hard to find food storage containers that aren’t made of plastic.  Especially portable ones for lunches on the go.  That’s why I was so excited to see a new vendor at the antique market in my neighborhood.  They were selling all sorts of lunch boxes and containers made of stainless steel, glass, and other safer materials.

Here are some of the great finds I got:

• Lunchskins – bags made of frosting piping material.  Free of lead, BPA, and phthalates.  Dishwasher safe.  A great alternative to plastic sandwich bags.
• LunchBots – My sister-in-law gave me one last year and I love it.  They make various sizes.  I love that they aren’t breakable like many of the glass containers we use at home.  Much better for my children’s school lunches.
• Lifefactory sippy cups – These bottles and “cups” are made out of glass, but are protected from breakage by a silicone cover.  The sippy cup top is made with plastic #5 (one of the safest options out there) with a silicone stopper to prevent leakage.  

Why does every glass of Tropicana taste the same?

Regardless of season or the location where the oranges are grown?  Why does it never taste like Minute Maid or any other brand of OJ?  Read this blog post to find out.