What's for breakfast?

Sometimes the easiest way to introduce a new food into an unhealthy nutrition practice is to "wedge in fiber".  My patients don't need an extra hour of food 101 and they can figure out what along the periphery of the grocery store has fiber in it-fruits, veggies and grain.  Personally I have tried to move away from cereal and bread.  I did do a gluten fast last year for about 2 months to experience what my patients go through and it was not too bad.  Took a little planning ahead but truthfully, this is mindful eating.  To have what I call a healthy nutrition practice really takes planning your meals for a day or two ahead.  If you wait and try to satisfy last minute hunger cravings, the tsunami of hormones released by the brain to hunt for quick energy sources will drive you to the closest fast food chain.  "Just this once", "I'll make up for it tomorrow", "I deserve it"......there is never an excuse good enough to trump- "Should have planned ahead".  I have Go-Bags ready to go if something comes up and I can't prep my meals for the day.  My bug-out meals are very no frills but satisfies my calorie requirements for the day and reminds me of the importance in prepping flavorful meals for the next day.

I used to move more toward "whole grain" or "multi grain" bread instead of the Wonder White Bread from my childhood, but realizing that most of the brown colored bread "grain" breads are just white breads with molasses for coloring.  Even as I pay more attention to the healthy breakfast cereals that come in smaller boxes with Non GMO or Organic labels....sugar and carbohydrate content is still sky high.

NON GMO

NON GMO/Organic

My son's morning pick me up

Sugar/high glycemic index foods/healthy wrapping.         Sugar/High GI/kid wrapping

One of the good premises of the PALEO diet (popularized by Lorain Cordain) is that is cuts out sugar, white flour and refined carbohydrates.  Unfortunately it also cuts out whole grains which I believe are helpful for fiber, lignans and some B vitamins.  Likewise, no beans or legumes.....of which tempe, edamame, tofu and miso are excellent sources of plant protein found in the Okinawan diet, one of the highest concentrations of centenarians on the planet.

Going to a non pulverized grain is probably easy to find since you have to work with it.  Clean and rinse, boil, then toast or sauté in oil/garlic to bring out an olive oil kinda nutty flavor with a hint of garlic.  This with a protein source (fish/egg/tofu/lean meat) makes me satiated. So regarding finding a grain source....my Dad's oatmeal with some fruit in the am is not satisfying to me.  I am used to eating with Jasmine rice so switching over to another whole grain source is easy.  I think if you are used to eating cereal, McMuffins, Donuts, Croissants with a 20oz coffee splashed with dairy....it will be a tough switch.  Bottom line is it has to start somewhere, 30-40 years of living the same way have put most Americans in the predicament of Pre Diabetes, High Cholesterol, White Coat Hypertension or the largest waistlines on the planet.  Get used to eating healthful meals and sleep will be better: get used to sleeping better and work solving skills will improve: get more efficient with work and more free time will open up: with more free time you can develop a form of recreation therapy: with more activity you won't crave crappy food. The circle of life.

Clockwise from Black=Forbidden Rice, Millet, Farrow, Tricolored Quinoa, Buckwheat, Spelt, Barley Hulled
Center =Hemp, Jasmine Rice

Should you trust your doctor?

I remember in Family Medicine residency there was an ENT doctor who let us shadow him during his office hours.  These specialists will take care of nose and ear issues but also splinter off to do head and neck surgery (cancer).  During office hours he would have us come back to his room after seeing a patient to discuss the case......and then light up a cigarette!!  He is still alive and practicing medicine but I'm not sure if the tobacco use led to anything bad (hope not).  So comes the controversial idea, "should I listen to a doctor that looks unhealthy".   Judging someone is never good by the way they look alone...there is always a back story.  If what you uncover is someone that has an unhealthy lifestyle practice....you can decide on your own.  As for me, I have seen the best surgeons in the area display horrible manners in the operating room, throwing instruments, shouting, temper tantrums....alot of bad energy while the patient is asleep.  Also heard some counter arguments that the yelling in the operating room is for the benefit of the patient.  Bullshit!! That is adult age bullying!!  My energy healers will know the truth that practicing with poor compassion for a patient, staff, innocent bystanders....reveals true feelings/intentions from the heart.  A doctor may have outstanding surgical skills or very specialized rare problem solving but would you trust your care to a healer or an "un-healer"?

Knowing a back story, is important: to find out what the obese doctor was in weight 5 years ago, or where the smoking doctor is going for counseling.  Judging a book by its cover is poor practice but getting empowering advice from an unhealthy human seems bad practice as well.  I like an ancient saying:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
24 And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. psalm 139: 23-24

I believe no one is exempt from living to your best potential (which starts with Thinking/Eating/Activity) but sometimes we have to be scrutinized by a "third party" and guided on living a better way -and this includes doctors.  I don't like getting check ups, but I still go to providers to make sure I am doing the best I can (to prepare for my heart attack, stroke, or cancer.....I pray it's not diagnosed until my 90th birthday but if it comes up sooner, at least I tried my best).  So ....should you take my advise about a diagnosis and start treatment-NO!.  I always invite my patients to learn about their diagnosis by watching my educational videos, asking questions, and reading from the best authors.  I invite second opinions all the time, but it has to be from someone with equal experience.  Even if I send patients to cardiologists after an ER visit, I would send to a cardiologist who went the extra mile and trained in nutrition and complementary healing.  Don't get me wrong, all MD's and DO's in the US have to pass a gauntlet of emotional distress, sleepless nights, poor nutrition, caffeine abuse and in some .....marriage failure (the reason I backed out of being a surgeon was the divorce rate of the residents was too high to risk losing my sweetheart from med school)   Medical training is to learn an ocean of diseases and treatments, then fine tune knowledge and skills to match the population we are responsible for.  Hopefully if you feel healthy, look healthy, have a strong family unit, contribute to society and get checked yearly- your doctor is expert in preventive medicine and will "lead you in ways everlasting".  But what if the doctor looking out for your future, isn't trained in preventive health care.....or doesn't update him/herself with new information.....or the information s/he gets is biased and misleading.    Then I have a problem with that.   I don't have a problem with sharing normal range test results with patients, but I do have a problem telling an obese smoker the the chest X-rays and blood tests are OK this year so everything is "all clear" till next year.   (Most patients that have bad habits, may not be willing to change at that point in time....but there will come a day in every ones life when the trigger to change present and there should be plan in place to start the emergency response-even if it just means, call when you are ready).  I have blogged in the past - if you are a hammer, everything looks like a nail.  I believe all doctors should better themselves with up to date information on the evolving horizon of nutrition and wellness.  Just getting information updates from the good looking drug reps that give free lunch is not the way.  In fact it is the opposite IMHO, the studies funded by drug companies are very biased to praise the drugs they sell.  If only the Statin companies were forced to pay for promoting a whole food mostly plant based diet/ the Ritalin companies were forced to pay for nature/relaxation therapy/ the Weight loss companies were forced to pay for adult activity retreats.  (Hey why not, we forced tobacco companies to pay for Truth advertisements and smoking cessation programs!!)

At the least, if doc listens, then they may be able to scrutinize potential problems and either design a lifestyle change or get you to the appropriate healers who can guide/construct/critique the current unhealthy trajectory.  If there is no nutrition fund of knowledge, no time to listen and no healers to "outsource care"-your on your own.  But short of the most remote portions of the US,  I have a large family of well trained, well informed modern day healers just waiting to turn you around (link to find a doc)