View Full Version : Amazing Video on Our Diet and Our Health
A video by a physician who cured her MS though changing her diet. And how this can help us, too. Truly worth watching:
http://www.wimp.com/mindingmitochondria/
Thank you for sharing this!
Interesting and it makes sense. It would take a pretty huge commitment to follow her diet, but I suppose it isn't an all or nothing plan. I could not believe the photo of the family with the typical American diet. I must be out of touch with reality as I would not have imagined folks eat so much processed foods. Sort of made me feel wimpy just looking at the photo.
Oh, I know, Rogar...that photo of the American family's weekly food was shocking...not very much green in the mix...but sure a lot of boxes and packages. Made me sad.
It's not as hard as you might think.
It's basically paleo. We eat like that, and it's not hard.
Interesting and it makes sense. It would take a pretty huge commitment to follow her diet, but I suppose it isn't an all or nothing plan. I could not believe the photo of the family with the typical American diet. I must be out of touch with reality as I would not have imagined folks eat so much processed foods. Sort of made me feel wimpy just looking at the photo.
What the world eats. Check it out.http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1626519,00.html
gimmethesimplelife
8-5-13, 3:48am
Thank you for sharing this. It's amazing and honestly it makes sense. I was sitting here watching this thinking - Yeah, who's got the time to eat like this? That picture of the family with the processed food - it all tastes good and it all is time efficient.....and leads to all kinds of issues down the road. I wonder if some of this is reprioritizing priorities.....putting your diet way up there on the list of priorities instead of so much filler society seems to value these days. Moving slower - something I yearn for personally - by moving slower and living simpler we can have the time to place our diets first. I have worked personally towards eating healthier the past few years but am nowhere near 100% - I want more of what this woman has though. It's worth the time investment and the cost.......Rob
I came back to add - a few miles away from me in Phoenix there is an Oriental market that has a mind boggling assortment of seaweed. I've walked by it at times interested but just not willing to make the leap. I've seen Orientals putting seaweed products - is that the right word? - into their carts and come to think of it not one of the people I've seen reaching for seaweed over time has been overweight. Maybe it's time to give it a try.
It also gives me some pause with my concern about health care in America - modern medicine was not able to help this woman and she broke from it to some degree and cured herself via supplements and diet, with the emphasis being on diet. I'm thinking that this might be wise as a society - to stress health via diet more than we do. Think of it.....compare weights and observe energy levels of folks at Farmer's Markets vs. folks eating at Burger King or any other fast food place.....granted, there will be exceptions, I'm talking more of averaging it out. Food for thought.
Food is definitely critical for health. That said, there are many influences on how disease develops in any given person.
I've seen this before and it is a powerful testimonial to a healthy diet! I have had so much more energy in the past two years since I did the allergy elim and began eating greens every single day, more than one serving. Usually I have 1-2 salads/day and a serving of cooked greens.
It's as much what you don't eat as what you do eat -- meaning, it's not that those people DO eat seaweed - it's that they likely DON'T eat chips, crackers, cookies, ice cream, and all those other things that come in boxes and bags. What I don't eat anymore: bread, pasta, crackers, cookies, muffins, etc. Eat more greens, and you'll crave more greens, is what I found.
We eat somewhere between paleo and Eat to Live. We eat some grains in whole (not flour) form, and we eat some animal foods. Dr Joel Fuhrman has an easy-to-remember acronym for the foods to focus on daily: GBOMBS - greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds.
I don't want to be involved in nit-picking which of these diets is best. There are many healthy, happy, athletic people who follow and swear by both of them. Having done various forms of eliminating diets over the past few years, including eliminating all sugar, grains, flours, etc, and having been vegetarian for a number of years in the past, I have backed off a little to follow what I call a whole foods diet. We don't buy those boxes or bags; we focus mostly on vegetables (I eat vegetables with 1/2 avocado for breakfast every day), and we eat humanely-raised meats. The cost of the latter automatically restricts the amount in our diet.
Why this works for us:
- While I like meat, I do not enjoy eating it in large enough quantities to eat a paleo diet - when I eat the amount of meat I like to eat, and the rest veggies with some fruit, I remain too hungry. Eating some legumes and whole grains fills in the gap.
- Having a friend who has been near-anorexic for about 20 years, and having my own eating and body image issues, I am very conscious of the impact of food restrictions on one's life. I am trying to raise my daughter with a healthy diet but without many obvious restrictions. We eat VERY, VERY differently from everyone we know. When we eat at someone else's house, I do not tell her what she can or can't eat.
- My DH is a very dedicated meat-eater. He doesn't really notice the lack of bread in the house, but going off meat just would not work for him. He would cheat and eat junk fast food in its place.
... so everything in our house is cooked from scratch, from high-quality and fresh ingredients. The main difference from how we ate 5 years ago is that I no longer spend time baking, which I now regard as a fussy pastime that involves mixing various edible powders together. I'd rather have a salad.
I can only speak of the last 12 weeks. We were in Japan eating as the Japanese do for 4 weeks and then back here with a totally different mindset. Whole grain, yoghurt, lean protein, lots of diverse veggies/salads and fruit are our diet currently. No more gall bladder problems, weight is dropping, and we both have more of energy.
We have talked about what we ate before and it was horrid. Lots of baked and processed foods, fat and sugar. I am glad we were able to get away from our typical eating patterns to try and retrain our taste buds. It is amazing how sweet natural fruit really is.
My big thing is that I shop only the exterior lane of the stores. I no longer go looking for new or packaged items down the aisles. I fill the basket first with fruits and veggies and then go to dairy and meat.
Husband says he misses our eating out so we have to plan some of that too but we have select restaurants that have proper portions of fresh cooked foods. No microwave foods or full of fat entrees.
I've seen Orientals putting seaweed products - is that the right word? - into their carts and come to think of it not one of the people I've seen reaching for seaweed over time has been overweight.
There is a wide variety of seaweed products. Some (like dulse and wakame) are great to add to soups and stews; others, like nori sheets and kombu, are there primarily to add flavor or are eaten as a salty snack. Seaweed is a great source of fiber and minerals. But it often is prepared as a snack or in dishes with high levels of salt, which some folks may have to watch. I think there also is no good causality between seaweed consumption and obesity -- younger Japanese are displaying some of the same obesity issues North Americans have, as Western foods move in to their diets, despite the consumption of greater amounts of seaweed in many forms.
I'm thinking that this might be wise as a society - to stress health via diet more than we do. Think of it.....compare weights and observe energy levels of folks at Farmer's Markets vs. folks eating at Burger King or any other fast food place.....granted, there will be exceptions, I'm talking more of averaging it out. Food for thought.
A fair point, though I'm not sure our local farmer's market bears that out. It's easy to buy plenty of potatoes and peas and squash and corn at our market (not to mention meat/poultry). There are a couple of food stands at our market, and the busiest ones seem to be the one selling breakfast pastries (your usual commercial stuff with white flour and sugar) and the one selling spring rolls (lots of carbs there).
It's an American cultural ideal that, if some is good, more is better. It applies to houses, land, cars, food... More food is better than less food. For most people, quality does not enter into it. If it takes stripping away a food's nutrients (as we do with most starches) or treating/processing it to extend its growth yield and shelf life (both of which lower the cost of food), that's acceptable. As we see more people pay attention to suspected food allergies and intolerances to dairy, gluten, etc., I think we'll see more people pay attention to other aspects of their food. I'm pleased to see the backlash against GMOs and irradiated food products, though neither get the attention I think they deserve.
Would that everyone thought so carefully about what they eat. But I fear we live in a setting in which doing that is not encouraged.
HappyHiker
8-5-13, 10:35am
You hit it dead on Steve when you said, "It's an American cultural ideal that, if some is good, more is better. It applies to houses, land, cars, food... More food is better than less food. For most people, quality does not enter into it."
Hence our love of the "all you can eat" buffets (oink) and the Super-size mindset...until that changes, many of us will continue to be super-sized in girth and in disease...such a pity. Puts a new spin on the term "Developed" nation, doesn't it.
For the other wise eaters that have posted..so good to find kindred spirits...while I don't preach my way of eating to others, it sure seems to keep me in robust good health...and eliminating the white carbs (baked goods, rolls, breads, cookies, cakes, etc.) has paid dividends in easier weight control.
I forwarded this to a friend with a chronic disease. The lady has apparently had some publicity in the circles he uses to find improved health. The lady apparently has had large amounts of muscular electro- stimulation, which may have had a significant effect on her improved health. She fails to mention this.
Out of curiosity I looked up a few simple articles on the paleo diet. There is a mix of opinions as to whether people were more healthy than the later transition to agriculture that included a lot of whole grains. It is the processed foods and possibly environmental things like pesticides that is getting us.
I don't know that her diet is too much more than a few tweeks on what I see in other places. A lot of leafy greens, colorful vegetables, and omega-3 rich fish or other sources. Cut back or eliminate highly processed foods, starches and simple sugars, dairy, and breads and pastas. Not too different from Mike Pullen or that goof ball on PBS, Gary Null, although she also cuts out whole grains and legumes.
Not to discount the video. Another reminder to people that our western diet is really bad and may be the cause of some of our health problems.
It's an American cultural ideal that, if some is good, more is better. It applies to houses, land, cars, food... More food is better than less food. For most people, quality does not enter into it.
SteveinMN, were you eavesdropping when DH and I had this exact conversation this weekend? :)
As it happens, both of us were having discussions with friends from other countries last week and independently told them this same idea in trying to explain some of the differences between the U.S. and other places.
A lot of leafy greens, colorful vegetables, and omega-3 rich fish or other sources. Cut back or eliminate highly processed foods, starches and simple sugars, dairy, and breads and pastas.
--- yes, this is the conclusion I have come to as well. And we also eliminate concentrated fats including that paleo darling, coconut oil, and all processed meats. I find the intersection of the "paleo" and "eat to live" diets to be the sweet spot for healthy and happy eating... based on our personal experience plus a lot of time spent researching peer-reviewed studies via pubmed.
It's an American cultural ideal that, if some is good, more is better. It applies to houses, land, cars, food... More food is better than less food. For most people, quality does not enter into it.SteveinMN, were you eavesdropping when DH and I had this exact conversation this weekend? :)
I've long felt that way. That ideal explains "starter homes" and McMansions; urban sprawl; why GM/Ford/Chrysler made cr@ppy small cars for decades; and the popularity of "value meals" and buffet restaurants. It's more important to have something than to have a good something. And I, too, have long considered it a key differentiator of the U.S. and other cultures/societies.
ApatheticNoMore
8-5-13, 5:06pm
Even this video seems a bit "more is better" - more about making sure you get massive amounts of fruits and vegetables than portion moderation. And that is a lot of fruits and vegetables! Geez - talk about advice to make one feel inferior - because I eat like the picture? Nah, because I spent like 2 hours preping food last night almost none of which conforms to advice in the video. I made baba ghanouj - tahini, olive oil, and eggplants - are eggplants even on that list of veggies you are supposed to eat? of course not - probably just empty egg shaped calories. I also made veggie soup: potatoes (gasp, no not them!), tomatoes, tomato paste and sauce, carrots, onions, garlic, zuchs, olive oil - which I planned to eat with generous servings of cheese grated on top (quite possibly grass fed) which apparently is just empty dairy calories I shouldn't be eating. But I did plan to not just eat more and more and more and more because more is better :D
Of course the advice for someone with MS may be different than the advice for just the average healthy someone.
ANMore, your meal sounds fantastic to me. Michael Pollan's statement paraphrased is eat less of better food. I truly don't believe there is a perfect diet ala the American media. I enjoy more unprocessed foods and simple ingredients cooked in simple ways. A hard boiled egg on salad with a variety of veggies is a terrific dinner. Tomorrow we are having a whole wheat pita half with fresh tomato sauce and other veggies with a sprinkle of Trader Joe cheese on top.
Just reducing white baked products and most not all fat has had a terrific positive result in my health.
Even this video seems a bit "more is better" - more about making sure you get massive amounts of fruits and vegetables than portion moderation. And that is a lot of fruits and vegetables! Geez - talk about advice to make one feel inferior - because I eat like the picture? Nah, because I spent like 2 hours preping food last night almost none of which conforms to advice in the video. I made baba ghanouj - tahini, olive oil, and eggplants - are eggplants even on that list of veggies you are supposed to eat? of course not - probably just empty egg shaped calories. I also made veggie soup: potatoes (gasp, no not them!), tomatoes, tomato paste and sauce, carrots, onions, garlic, zuchs, olive oil - which I planned to eat with generous servings of cheese grated on top (quite possibly grass fed) which apparently is just empty dairy calories I shouldn't be eating. But I did plan to not just eat more and more and more and more because more is better :D
Of course the eating advice for someone with MS may be different than the advice for just the average healthy someone.
Absolutely! Eating to cure a disease differs from eating to maintain or go toward more robust health. It's degrees, isn't it?
I eat much as you do...very, very little processed food, very little food with chemicals included if I can help it. As many "single ingredient" foods as I can --i.e. an apple, a carrot, a chopped Romaine salad with carrots and tomatoes, home-made salad dressing of lime, cilantro, honey and olive oil...pots of lentil/vegetable soup. And yes, even (gasp) the occasional baked potato with real full-fat sour cream (a rare treat).
My grocery cart often looks like a vegetable cart with eggs, some chicken, maybe some ground turkey and almond milk...some days, nary a box or a package other than that which contains the milk and eggs...we have the smallest bag of trash on the street on trash day..most of my "trash" is composted...
It's been a learning curve...I used to eat much more poorly. And had much poorer health. My weak immune system used to catch every cold and flu bug that came by...not any more.
Exactly... there is a huge difference in sick days for me and DD in the past two years: we went from having 3 to 4 colds/year, each lasting about 5 days, to having NONE. A couple of times DD has shown signs of being on the verge of a cold, but before she got any really troublesome symptoms, it went away.
Thank to the OP! We sent this link off to a young co worker who has MS...hope he watches it.
This is an amazing video, but having MS myself I did some research on Dr. Terry Wahls. She is not cured, she still has many symptoms of MS, but is much better. But this is typical of MS - it has spontaneous remissions where people are quite well for long periods of time, even years, but it reoccurs eventually, sometimes very aggressively. I'm one that thinks she hasn't cured herself, obviously, but is having a remission of sorts. Yes, while a good diet will be helpful with any chronic disease, it is not a cure. MS cannot be cured. I know. I've been living with it for a long time now and have tried everything to improve my symptoms. It's a disease that varies from minute to minute. It's sad to me that some would assume that someone isn't eating well enough to "cure" themselves. If only it were that easy.... I eat an amazing diet, do yoga on my good days, meditate, and have tried acupuncture, etc. I imagine all of these things are and have been helpful to me, but still my MS progresses, and I have no control over it...
{MS} is a disease that varies from minute to minute. It's sad to me that some would assume that someone isn't eating well enough to "cure" themselves. If only it were that easy
To be honest, I did not click on the link to watch the video because I don't believe we know enough about MS to say that diet is the source and/or the response. My relative with severe MS, like you, has better days and not-so-good days, and there seem to be very few consistent indicators of the not-so-good days (though hot ambient temperatures are one). Maybe someday, generations from now, we'll have a better idea of the disease's cause(s). But, until then, I agree with you that what Dr. Wahls is experiencing is a remission, not a cure.
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