Blaming the doctors

It's easy to blame the doctors for what's wrong with us. There's no shortage of of statements like 'my doctors didn't know what the heck they were doing', 'doctor's don't know everything', 'my doctor is an idiot' and 'my doctor was wrong'. But when we are in a health crisis and someone tries to give us advice, what do we say to them, 'what are you, a doctor'? So doctors are under some intense pressure to always get it right. Especially when it is US they are working on!

But slow your roll just a minute here. Let's play a game. And pretend you are the doctor. Your patient comes in with high blood pressure and high cholesterol, something many Americans have. What do you do? You HAVE to get those risk factors down fast before something really bad happens to your patient. So you prescribe the medications that will lower them fast (complete with all those wonderful side effects of the drugs). Your patient complains as the months go by about these side effects and ask you if they can ever get off of them? You tell them its possible, but they have to make some better health choices by staying away from certain foods.

Fast forward to the next visit with your patient. Their numbers are even higher and now they are in the danger zone of possible stroke or heart attack. And there you have it. What do you do, as their doctor, if the patient won't do what you have recommended? Of course you have to deal with whatever state of health they are in. I recently heard a doctor state exactly this, but he soft soaped it by saying 'sometimes patients don't always do what they need to do to get healthy'. Hmmm. Maybe it's time we point the finger at that person in the mirror. Health starts with personal responsibility.

Ranman lunch picture of the day: corn tortillas, kalamata olives, avocado, tomatoes, lettuce and brown rice. All organic.

Red meat linked to heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and premature death

 Yesterday, the press released a Harvard study on red meat that said it all:

• Harvard School of Public Health researchers has found that red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality.
• “Our study adds more evidence to the health risks of eating high amounts of red meat, which has been associated with type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers in other studies,” said lead author An Pan, research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at HSPH.
• The researchers prospectively observed 37,698 men from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study for up to 22 years and 83,644 women in the Nurses’ Health Study for up to 28 years who were free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer at baseline. 
• A combined 23,926 deaths were documented in the two studies, of which 5,910 were from CVD and 9,464 from cancer. Regular consumption of red meat, particularly processed red meat, was associated with increased mortality risk. One daily serving of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 13% increased risk of mortality, and one daily serving of processed red meat (one hot dog or two slices of bacon) was associated with a 20% increased risk.
• Red meat, especially processed meat, contains ingredients that have been linked to increased risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. These include heme iron, saturated fat, sodium, nitrites, and certain carcinogens that are formed during cooking.
•  “This study provides clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death, ”. “On the other hand, choosing more healthful sources of protein in place of red meat can confer significant health benefits by reducing chronic disease morbidity and mortality.” The results also showed that substituting other healthy protein sources, such as fish, poultry, nuts, and legumes, was associated with a lower risk of mortality.

 http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2012-releases/red-meat-cardiovascular-cancer-mortality.html

Ranman snack picture of the day: banana, tangerine, brazil nuts, granola and soy yogurt. All organic.

Eating smart in restuarants

I worked in ten different restaurants for over ten years. I absolutely love eating out in restaurants and I've estimated I've done it over 3,000 times in my life. Eating in restaurants is a way of life here in America. And I'm not saying to ever stop, but let's look at how we can revamp the food choices there and still enjoy the wonderful restaurant experience that is so much a part of our social culture.

First, let's take the mindset of the restaurant owner. Are they in business for your health? Very few are, of course. They are there to make money. First and foremost. So, if you are the owner, would you (or your chef) buy the absolute best and highest quality beef, chicken, fish, vegetables and fruits for your patrons? No, because they would cut into your profit margin big time. The ones that do buy incredibly high quality also charge incredibly high prices, of course, to recoup the product purchase. But the 'average' place is going to have the cheapest oil, the lowest standard of veggies and fruits and meats as well. That's just smart business. But it ain't smart for health for their patrons. What's also smart business is piling on tons of sugar, salt, MSG and fried methods to seriously add flavor. And it works!

Like reading the ingredients on your food you buy at the market, it pays big dividends to think about the food you order in restaurant, since many of their ingredients are not on the menu, of course. So find your little victories in the smaller sizes, maybe the dressing on the side, perhaps getting something grilled rather then fried, etc. Being aware is the first step towards health. And it can be an enjoyable one as well if a little bit of incremental change is done . . . . . . one step at a time.

Ranman snack picture of the day: pineapple, bananas, granola, soy yogurt, maple syrup. All organic.

How far down does the rabbit hole go?

 'We get free lunches from the pharmaceutical companies so we'll keep pushing their drugs to patients'. My friend is a public health student at a very famous university in the U.S. But she's not a doctor. But those free lunches include her as well. Hmmm. I often hear about doctor's receiving money, vacations and gifts from pharmaceutical companies to continue to refer their patients to their drugs. You don't think those samples your doctor recommended 'just happened to land there in the drawer on their own', do ya? When you hear about a drug like Lipitor making more than $16 billion dollars and called 'the most successful selling drug of all time', don't it make you wonder what the heck is going on? We know that over half of all Americans is on at least 4 medication drugs a day!

You'd have to be an ostrich with it's head in the sand to not realize something is very wrong. I've said it before, our great grandparents didn't take all these drugs, for they didn't exist. So what has happened with our population that has our doctors telling us we should take these?

Well, for one, we have the highest rate of heart disease in the world. The highest cancer rates. But nobody wants to know why. And if they do know the reasons (unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, of course), they refuse to change. I see people each day, never questioning the foods they put into their bodies. Just kind of happily wolfing down every piece of junk food they can get. Are they stupid? I don't believe so. But I believe we have been conditioned to eat this way since we were little kids. I think they know certain things are bad for them, but there's no immediate consequence to their bodies (that comes later), so the pattern continues. And the sicker we become.

We are, by nature, lazy. Why do more when we don't have to? You constantly hear 'moderation is key', but moderation is making us sick and killing many of us. How far down does the rabbit hole go?

Ranman lunch picture of the day: romaine and iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, red bell pepper, cashews, chia seeds and balsamic vinegar dressing. All organic.

Choosing healthy choices throughout the day

I was in a restaurant and it was time to order. Now, did this mean I can't still order things I liked? Of course we can. Just order them with a few health building rules in mind. For instance, let's say you want an omelet, hash browns, toast and coffee for breakfast. Order the omelet and ask for egg whites only to be used. Throw in some veggies like tomato, avocado, mushroom, onion, bell pepper and leave out the meat and cheese. For the hash browns, leave them as they are, don't add a ton of ketchup or salt to them. For the wheat toast, ask the waiter for no butter on them. And lastly, for the coffee, maybe you try it black, without the cream and sugar, or, if you have to have them, try only one of them or a little less of both, see?

That's over ten small victories right here! And you can still enjoy your meal. Sometimes, a smart food choice means eating something not so good for you (if you feel you have to) and cutting that amount down. Hey, it's all about reinforcing good eating habits that will get you healthy.

The road to great health is a journey indeed. And you won't get where you want to be if you are busy putting yourself down for eating some food you know isn't the best for you. Find your little victories in every meal. And enjoy the ride :)

Ranman breakfast picture of the day: Whole wheat pancakes, strawberries, soy yogurt, pumpkin seeds, maple syrup and cinnamon. All organic.

Becoming your doctor within

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”-Hippocrates.

Did you know that the Internet is the new TV? Were you aware that you tube has more people watching it daily than all the major American TV networks combined? What if I told you that you could watch medical doctors and other health professionals talk for free, often for an hour or more, without making an appointment and paying a ton of money, just by typing in some words on you tube. So we have incredible technology at our fingertips (or keyboards :).

It's unprecedented. Start small. Type in areas that interest you. Since our country has the highest rate of disease in the world, I wanted to know about obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, organic foods, exercise, doctor lectures on health, etc. It's a way to start educating yourself. And that's the beginning of getting to a healthy lifestyle. Once you stop listening to commercials, billboard ads, radio spots and advertising, you can fine tune becoming knowledgeable about your health. That's taking your power back.

Ranman desert picture of the day: pineapple, banana, yogurt with maple syrup, granola, cinnamon and nutmeg. All organic.

Staying the course

I ain't no genius, that's for sure. I'm just another regular american that came real close to a heart attack or  stroke, something 600,000 of us here do each year and die. The pain in my lungs from multiple blood clots in that ER room was tremendous and no vicodin or dialadin worked until they came at me with morphine. But I'm smart enough to know it was just a short amount of time before some really bad stuff happened. I remember the nurse saying 'you made it. You got here in time. 50% don't ever leave their home. They just die right on the spot'. Gotta' love how blunt medical professionals are, eh?

So my motivation is very strong for never leaving healthy foods again. I believe that the foods we eat are the strongest possible medicine for our bodies. And I really like how good I am feeling these days :) It's been seven months now since I had my last burger and fries. And I just didn't think that was possible to do!

I don't have the room that others may have if I slip and start eating the foods that I feel made me sick. I take full responsibility for my heath choices now. And that's not something I used to do. One victory at a time, built upon one another, eventually wins the war.

Ranman dinner picture of the day: Whole Foods free range, grass fed chicken, lundberg short grain brown rice, raw almonds, sunflower seeds, teriaki and tamari sauces. All organic.