Liver Support during Cold Season

I'm always amazed by what I don't know. Apparently your liver doesn't just exist to filter out vodka. According to my dad, it also filters nasty viruses, along with the lymph system. As almost my whole family has been hit with the most recent cold going around, I thought a look into liver support was in order.

The results weren't really surprising: the usual "eat more vegetables"—a high fiber, high antioxidant diet, etc. Vitamins B, E, & C are also important. This article from womensfitness.net gives ten tips for liver support including:

• avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smoking
• add echinacea and/or milk thistle
• avoid antacids
• perform light exercise (like yoga or walking) to sweat out toxins
• cut back on salt and sugar
  

The Diet Channel online has adds specifics:

• Eat a high-fiber diet to eliminate fat-soluble toxins.
• Eat a variety of antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies like beets, broccoli.
• Increase foods rich in B-vitamins, including brown rice, nuts, and seeds.

Garlic and onions, cruciferous veggies, and hot lemon water are great for detoxification. Also, it's important to reduce fat and salt intake as much as possible.

I think the best way to get hydrated and eat vegetables, especially in cold weather, is soup. I recently came up with these two recipes to make myself feel better.

Garlic Ginger Broth
1 box organic, low sodium vegetable broth
1-2 cups water
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped in thick slices
1 ginger root, peeled
2-3 leeks, chopped
1 bunch kale (if desired)
2 tsp dried marjoram (a natural decongestant)
dash cayenne pepper
sea salt and pepper to taste

Bring vegetable broth to a boil with garlic, ginger, and leeks. Boil for 3-5 minutes; add water, kale, marjoram, cayenne, and s&p, and reduce to low heat. Remove ginger root and serve.

Poor Man's Minestrone (or Clean out the Refrigerator in Winter Soup)
1 box organic, low sodium vegetable broth
1 16-oz can organic diced tomatoes, no salt added
1 can pinto (or other beans), no salt added
3-4 small organic zucchini, sliced
1/2 head organic green cabbage, chopped
1/2 organic onion, chopped
curly pasta (try quinoa pasta for something new)
any other leftover veggies, like carrots, squash, green beans, peas, etc., chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne papper
pinch saffron
sea salt and pepper to taste

Cook onion in a little veggie broth until tender; add the rest of the broth, pasta, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and add all veggies. Reduce heat and add spices. Simmer 5 min, add beans, stir, and remove from heat for a few minutes before serving.

Cheap and Healthy

I found two articles recently that make recommendations for eating healthy on a budget. This seems to be a huge issue in general, and especially during the economic downturn.

This article from the UC Daily News in Tennessee, makes some good points, like eating beans instead of meat. In January I ate meat only once a week for three weeks, and not only did my clothes get looser but I saved a lot of money. It recommends drinking more water instead of soda and alcohol, and eating whole grain versions of pasta, bread, etc., which fill you up more. However, I have to point out that dairy is not the best source of calcium (try kale, collards, broccoli, spinach, etc.).

This article from The New York Times is a little savvier. Recommending the book Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink, It turns the whole equation around to point out that "if you eat right, you’ll have more energy. That makes you more likely to succeed at work and earn more money. Then, you’ll be able to afford better food, stay healthy and spend less on medical costs. And the virtuous circle continues."

I really can't think of a better way to put it.

FatHead

My mom asked about the health benefits (or not) of fats, and my business partner asked about brain health, and I thought, Hey, these are linked! Thus the inspiration for this week’s blog.

First of all, let me say that the research I found was very confusing. Most everyone condemns saturated fat while lumping monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat into one "good" category. I found it simplest to break it down by specific ingredient.

The basics of fats are these:


Good Fat: olive, flax, sesame, and canola oils; avocados; nuts and seeds; cold water fish

Apparently, "oils high in monounsaturates are better oils for cooking. Olive oil is the best as it has the highest oxidation threshold: i.e. it remains stable at higher temperatures and does not easily become hydrogenated or saturated."


Confusing Fat: animal products (meat, butter, etc.); coconut and palm oil (saturated); corn, soy, safflower, and sunflower oil (polyunsaturated)

Saturated fat can increase the risk of colon cancer, chronic heart disease, and other health issues like high cholesterol. The body can produce saturated fat on its own; therefore it's not necessary in the diet. That said, it's pretty clear that we need saturated fat if our bodies make it. Also, there is a percentage of saturated fat in most other sources of unsaturated fats, including avocados, nuts, and polyunsaturated oils. And some sources of saturated fat, like eggs, have been proven to increase HDL, good cholesterol, which is actually healthy.

While these polyunsaturated vegetable oils are often touted as healthy, they are the fats that are used to make trans fats. Also, the extraction of these polyunsaturated vegetable oils usually involves heat pressing, which can create free radicals. And I found general agreement that
"polyunsaturated oils should never be heated or used in cooking." Best to stick with extra virgin olive oil when cooking, which remains most stable at a high temperature.


Very Bad Fat: margarine, Crisco and other shortenings, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils—all also known as trans fats

We’ve all heard of trans fat and probably all eaten it; I think the only surprising thing is that it’s still legal. Trans fats were created largely for packaged foods because natural fatty acids tend to spoil; they are simply natural fatty acids that have been chemically scrambled by adding hydrogen, which completely destroys the good omega acids. Trans fat lowers good cholesterol (HDL) and increases bad cholesterol (LDL), and is liquid at 450 degrees, which means it's pretty solid in our bodies. Clogged arteries, anyone?

Many restaurants use trans fats in cooking. New York banned trans fats in the city in 2006, largely as a result of Joshua Rosenthal’s campaign through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Philadelphia banned them as well, and California was the first state to ban trans fats in July of 2008.

I’ve looked for information about how to get them banned in South Carolina, but this informative site is all I could come up with. I'd like to start a petition, so I'll keep you posted.


Fat and the Brain

The brain is 70% fat and requires essential fatty acids like omega-3 and omega-6 to function, both of which are found in polyunsaturated fats. It’s pretty much accepted that we get plenty of Omega-6 fatty acids—which are found in red meat, butter, cheese, seeds, nuts, and refined vegetable oils like soy—and not enough Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in walnuts, cold water fish, flax seeds, and even sea vegetables and green leafy vegetables. These Omega-3s are most beneficial for brain function.

In fact, “fatty acids from fats are what your brain uses to create the specialized cells that allow you to think and feel.” Two thirds of the brain is composed of fats, which perhaps is why fish has the nickname “brain food.” Myelin sheaths, the degeneration of which is a direct cause of dementia and Alzheimer’s, are 70% fat. And omega-3s have been proven to reduce depression.

So apparently “fathead” is an accurate term for just about anybody. Sadly, I’m not the first person to make this joke.

However, too much abdominal fat has been linked to a number of diseases including Alzheimer’s. And exercise has been proven to stimulate the brain, which goes hand in hand with weight loss.


Still Confused?

So are a lot of people, myself included. To play it safe:

• eat fats that occur naturally, i.e., "real" food
• stay away from anything that includes trans fat or partially-hydrogenated oil in the ingredient list (most packaged foods)
• enjoy red meat less frequently or in leaner versions--buffalo and venison are some fun alternatives
  
• ask restaurants if they use trans fats, and avoid fast food restaurants (this includes Starbucks! although they are making strides to eliminate it) Here are some restuarants and food manufacturers that have made a serious effort to eliminate trans fats.
  
• don't eat a whole box of Krispy Kreme donuts just because they don't have trans fat in them. They still have calories (and probably chemicals).