Nell Stephenson's Blog, page 95

A New Treatment for MS- Gilenya? How About Food Instead?

My mom was diagnosed with MS in 1990.   One of the first things I recall the neurologist telling us was that if she opted to go the betaseron, copaxone or interferon route, any of the drugs might work, might not work, or might make things worse and cause side effects, like cancer.

Twenty plus years later and from what I can tell, things on the drug market do not seem to have improved that much.

To clarify, I’m not saying for a second that sometimes the drugs do work; rather, the issue at hand I have is that the focus is still incredibly biased toward taking drugs as the solution.

This, despite the fact that people are finding incredible relief for MS as well as other autoimmune conditions by following the Paleo Lifestyle.

If you caught the recent Dr Oz Show, for example, you may remember the last segment in which two women discussed how they’d found relief from their thyroid dysfunction and MS by adopting this common sense regime.

These two women are not alone.  They may be in the anomaly, but MS patients around the world are finding the same thing.

If you, too, have found relief, let’s work together and get the message out there, because far too many people are getting more and more sick and taking more and more meds, and they could be helped tremendously.

Imagine if the knowledge that we have on the positive impact of the Paleo diet was made accessible to everyone?  As in, even the Western-based MDs?  Consider how fantastic it would be if we flipped open the new issue of SHAPE magazine and rather than seeing two young girls sticking their tongues out to MS as part of the new ad for the MS Medicine, Gilenya, we saw a healthy woman surrounded by fresh veg, fruit meat and fat and a little blurb about how now she no longer needs her wheelchair?

Um, hello?

PS- Following the Paleo diet does not have the following potential risks (which Gilenya, as an example, does):

Decreased white blood cell count
Liver Dysfunction
“Serious Infections” (not sure what that even means!)
High Blood Pressure
Breathing problems
Slow heart rate

How to get the message out if you’re a believer?  Reach out to anyone and everyone!  Write an essay and send it into your local paper.   Start a blog.  Start a Meet  Up group… if we keep shouting, someone’s got to hear at some point!

Can Chips and Dips Be Healthy?

Maybe so, but not in the way Consumer Reports recently presented them.   

Rather unfortunate, as many rely on this publication to get into the nitty-gritty of what any given product really has to offer, it’s pros and cons, whether or not something is fairly priced and if it’s a must-have or a must-skip.

True, certain brands have slightly less offensive versions than a hydrogenated potato chip, but still, a batch of dehydrated or baked, sliced beets, yam and taro, salted and tossed in canola oil does not quite count as a serving of veggies.  Sorry, guys… 

After their wrap of and review of a couple ‘healthy’ chips, there are some recipes for dips featuring sour cream and Neufchatel
 cheese.

Can’t we just call a spade a spade?  If  the choice is made to eat chips and dip, what’s the use in pretending it’s a healthy snack?  I don’t think mind over matter works in this instance…

Missing that crunch?  Stick a carrot in some guac- now, that’s what I’d call a healthy option!

Click here for the full article.

 

Sitting and Productivity

That 4pm slump.  You know it well, don’t you?  You’re itching to get out of the office, your mind is in a blur and that nagging twinge in your low back is screaming at you.

In addition to having a hard time thinking about anything other than where you’re going to get your next sugar and caffeine fix, you’re completely preoccupied with the discomfort in your body and the last thing you can do is be productive and get caught up on that last bit of email or finish the presentation your boss needed yesterday.

What to do?

Stand up!

Yes, of course, the eating (or not) and 4pm blood sugar crash is something all too many of us are familiar with; we need to eat regularly and make our meals and snacks balanced and Paleo friendly so as to avoid this horrible afternoon occurrence in the first place.  Another blog topic, which I’ve written about before.

Let’s get back to this post’s theme!

Get out of your chair and stand up.  

At the office, ask for a standing desk, and make sure it’s at the right height so you don’t end up with a tweaky neck or carpal tunnel syndrome.  Find out if your company can have an ergonomic specialist come in and check out all the angles to double check your set up.
At home don’t use a desk.  Choose a place that is conducive to being productive and make it a priority to procure the proper desk or table to accommodate.
If you have to sit, at least make sure it’s a good chair or ball and that you’re not slouching and get up as much as you can to wiggle around.
Incorporate core strengthening and flexibility training into your regime.   You know by now that if your core is strong, you’re far less likely to have back issues.
Make regular body work a top priority.  There is no reason to be in pain and just put it down to ‘I’m getting old’ or “I have a bad back”.  Why settle? 

On a very basic level, if you’re standing and not uncomfortable, you are going to be more alert and thus more productive than if you’re slouched over trying not to fall asleep.

Now, get moving!

Kitchen Gadgets

There are the must haves: the cast iron skillet, a good chef’s knife, a couple of solid cutting boards amongst them…and then there are the extras, the toys.

From little gadgets, like a citrus juicer or garlic press, to more elaborate or expensive ones like a SousVide water oven, for anyone who’s idea of a good time is creating a lovely Paleo meal in the kitchen (yes, that’s me), kitchen tools can make it even more enjoyable.

The latest product that would fall into that category for me is something I received as a gift:  a Nutribullet “Superfood Nutrition Extractor”.   The title sponsor of a race I recently did, Nutribullets were presented to some of the athletes who finished well in their age groups.

Would it  have been something I’d chosen on my own volition?  Likely, not, as I admit I’m rather leery of the idea of ‘extracting ingredients’ from veggies and fruit as I think right away of discarding all the fiber and the remaining product being nothing other than a sugary juice.

However, after reading up on it a little, in addition to the fact that I now have one sitting in my kitchen, I’ve changed my tune and am actually quite keen to give it a go… maybe as soon as this morning when I make my kale, banana, blueberry, egg and avocado smoothie!

I’ll be sure and follow up with a review, but in the interim, feel free to post comments on your thoughts on this product, too!

 

Frappy Hour at Starbucks

I thought I’d overheard incorrectly but no, I was right.

The barista at Starbucks today did, in fact, suggest to the woman in line behind me that she should ‘go for a Frappuccino because it’s Frappy Hour’.   

A play on happy hour, obviously, but it’s apparently a May Promo offering half off their signature milk-shake for one week from 3 – 5pm.

Having a milk shake because it’s half-price, huh?  Sure, go ahead!  Not too different than opting for the Jumbo, 16 cup vat of movie theatre popcorn with golden flavoring (have we ever figured out what golden flavoring is, anyway?) rathe than the mediocre 8-cup tub, how and why is the fact that an uber processed, sugar laden dairy beverage half-price a good reason to engage?

I don’t think your guts will know the diff and react any less adversely, I’m sorry to say.

Actually, I hesitate to even call it a milkshake…an old-fashioned, 1950′s mikshake would have had ice cream…and milk in it.  Not Paleo by a long shot, but at least we can recognize the items in the ingredients.

Compare that to the Frap, as well as the ‘skinny’ versions, respectively:

Frappuccino® Premix: Whole Milk, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Skim Milk Powder, Cream, Corn Syrup Solids, Natural Flavors, Salt, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali), Algin (Kelp Extract), Sodium Caseinate (Milk Protein). Concentrated Coffee and Water are added to make the Frappuccino® Base.

Frappuccino® Light Premix: Skim milk, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Oligofructose, Cream, Corn Syrup Solids, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sodium Caseinate, Salt, Cocoa Powder (processed with Alkali), Disodium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Carboxymethyl Cellulose, Sucralose (Citric Acid, Trisodium Citrate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate), Acesulfame K. Concentrated Coffee and Water are added to make the Frappuccino® Light Base

Stick with coffee, black as midnight on a moonless night, in moderation and enjoy the nectar without need for any kind of milk, sugar or additives whatsoever!

Half-price is just not a good reason to partake.

For more on that, click here!

The Verdict on Kombucha

“It cures cancer”.  ”It helps to create an alkaline pH in the body”. “It helps to detox the liver”.

Whether one drinks the effervescent drinks because of the health claims or the taste, the questions often arise:

1) Is it Paleo?

2) Is it actually a good idea for all to consume with reckless abandon as though it were water?

No, and no.

However, that doesn’t mean the occasional bottle of plain Kombucha can’t be something you enjoy under certain circumstances.

Why is it not Paleo?  

From a technical standpoint, it’s not Paleo because cavemen didn’t ferment things.  But it does have claims to benefit health, so as long as you opt for the plain, rather than the fruity flavors that have significant amounts of sugar in them, as a beverage once in a while, and you’re in good health, it’s not likely to be an issue.

If you make your own, make sure you understand the proper methodology so that you create a safe drink, and not something deadly.  Not kidding.

Good idea for everyone?

Certain populations have to be more careful than others and may need to avoid it.

Pregnant Women- as a precaution, in the event of contamination, some women may prefer not to drink it and potentially risk harming the baby, similar to the way they may opt to avoid sashimi
Anyone in the midst of dealing with gut issues, including leaky gut or candida overgrowth.  In the latter, if you’ve already got too much yeast in the gut, the last thing you want to do is add more.  
Finally, some with auto immune issues may find it hard to tolerate.

As this is a food product and not a medication, it’s not likely something your GP doc will be able to advise about.

If any of the categories above includes you, I’d encourage you to investigate at least a little; seek out an ND, or even better, a Functional Med doc as well as keeping a record of how you feel if you do opt to drink some.   

Another example of how we have to use our own body as an experiment to see what works and what does not.

Your Urban Garden

Often, people who are new to Paleo are a bit daunted by what they perceive could potentially be a very costly way to eat.  This certainly can be the case, but it doesn’t have to be.

What if we grew our own produce, or at least some of it?

Thinking there’s no way you’ll ever be able to because your home in the city couldn’t  possibly be farther away from farmland?

Not an issue.

Well, I should clarify that… it’s an issue if you were interested in large scale farming, but not if you’re simply trying to create a space to grow herbs, spices, vegetables and fruits for yourself and your family.

A great article in the Sunday Times illustrated this very topic yesterday. A gentleman by the name of Ron Finely took what was once a deserted swimming pool/hole in the ground and used what he refers to as ‘guerilla gardening in low income neighborhoods’  to do his part (and then some) making a positive impact on his local community.

“The City of Los Angeles owns 26 square miles of vacant lots, an area equivalent to 20 Central Parks, with enough space for 724,838,400 tomato plants“, he stated in the article, and he’s doing all he can to ‘”take back that land and plant it, even if it’s the skinny strip between concrete and curb.“

How’s that for coming up with a creative idea and executing it?

The full article is here...read it and let’s see what we can all come up with to do make our collective contributions, too.

 

Racing and the Importance of Setting Goals

When you read this, I’ll be in the midst of a half marathon, (thanks to the Word Press auto-post I use nearly every day…).

As much as I love posting about my latest race as I genuinely appreciate the good luck or have fun wishes I receive from you, my readers, this time I’m writing with a two-fold purpose.

I want to write about the importance of setting goals, not just in fitness, but in every day living.  Incidentally, they’re one in the same, and you’ll find that once you become proficient at one area, the others flow along nicely.

Focusing in on fitness, today, though, I often find that clients are forcing themselves to exercise in a way they already know they don’t enjoy (like making yourself go to the gym despite knowing you hate exercising indoors), which results in making it into a punitive activity therefore turning into something you’re far less likely to stick with.

What if, however, you not only enjoyed the type of physical activity you engage it, but also find satisfaction knowing you’re either getting faster or stronger or better at whatever your modality is and can measure it with a some data?

Let’s stick with running as an rather straightforward example.  If you actually like running and want to become a faster runner, entering a 5k might be a good way to set a goal, train accordingly and complete it.

It really doesn’t matter what you choose; what matters is that you enjoy what you’re doing.   

DO:

Try new sports or activities until you find some you enjoy.

Join a interest or MeetUp group, join a club of others who are doing the activity you’re interested in or take some classes.

Continue to set fun, sport or exercise related goals in addition to those you may have that are more health related in order to keep it fun.  Rather than have a mind set of “I have to go to the gym and spend 30 minutes on the stairmaster because my doctor told me to and I hate it so boo-hoo”, why not “I am so excited to have found a beginner’s trekking class and I can’t wait for the next outing”?

DON’T:

Not try new things out of fear.

Force yourself to do the same -old, when the same-old hasn’t worked…ever.

Stop seeing what your body can do!

Remember, having a healthy body that moves is a gift.  There is no good excuse not to move regularly, in some way, shape or form.

It is that easy.

Paleoista’s Perfect Soft Boiled Egg

I loved it right away but it took a while for me to recreate it.

Soft boiled eggs are a nice happy medium between raw- which has the most nutrients but, unless the source is one you’re completely comfortable with, could potentially harbor bacteria- and hard boiled, which cooks many nutrients to death!

I’d order a soft boiled egg at  a restaurant and it would come out in its perfect little cup and with the mere touch of the spoon, the white would open just subtly enough to reveal the brilliant yolk, asking to be scooped up and savored with nothing other than perhaps a touch of freshly ground pepper.

Seemed easy enough.  As I’d been cooking as long as I can remember, I figured with one ingredient and a pot of water, there wouldn’t be too much to figure out.

Turns out, that assumption was wrong.

Too short of a boil, too runny of a white.   Too long a boil, it’s a hard boiled egg and has an ugly grey ring, thanks to the over cooked sulphur, which also smells fantastic…not  really.  

Cold eggs in hot water can result in a cracked shell and bits of poached egg swirling about in a pot of water.

I turned to my go-to source and did some investigating- Cook’s Illustrated.  By the way, if you’re even remotely interesting in cooking, this mag is a must read!  No ads, only recipes (easy to Paleoize!) techniques and thorough explanations of what works and what does not.

So- here it is:

Put a cage free egg cold egg in a cold pot of water.
Turn on the burner.
Set the timer for six minutes.
(Now here is where it gets particular to your taste and how runny you want it. Try it this way the first time and if it’s too runny, add two minutes of letting the egg sit in the water with the burner off).
Take the egg out with a spoon and plunge into a bowl of ice for a minute or two.
Crack open over some greens, or eat with a spoon.

Pure decadence!

 

Paleo in the NY Times?

Ok, not really.  But almost.  In my favorite part, the Wednesday Dining Section, of course, amidst a restaurant review of a place in San Fran, my eyes fell upon the following phrase:

“It was like having dinner in a drafty but luxurious cave owned by an extremely sophisticated hunter-gatherer…”

There it is.

No, the restaurant was not portrayed as being Paleo, nor was the word ever mentioned, but the term hunter-gatherer, used along with the reference of sophisticated was both fantastic and hopeful.

Sure, Paleo can be cavie, but it certainly doesn’t have to be.

Not if I have anything to do with it!