Comments and Warnings About Diets and Supplementation

[obyvatel]

Regarding excess weight , this is what Louise Hay has to say:
Quotes from You Can Heal Your Life:

The excess weight is only an outer effect of a deep inner problem. To me it is always fear and a need for protection. When we feel frightened or insecure or "not good enough", many of us will put on extra weight for protection.
.....................................
Overweight represents a need for protection. We seek protection from hurts, slights, criticism, abuse, sexuality and sexual advances; from a fear of life in general and also specifically. Take your choice.
I am not a heavy person, yet I have learned over the years that when I am feeling insecure and not at ease, I will put on a few pounds. When the threat is gone, the excess weight goes away by itself. ....

She goes on to classify probable causes for fat in different body parts:

Arm - Anger at being denied love
Belly - Anger at being denied nourishment
Hips - Lumps of stubborn anger at the parents
Thighs - Packed childhood anger. Often rage at the father

May be worth considering in addition to diet and supplements.

 

[Hildegarda]

thank you for an important topic!

Just wanted to add a few things:

How can you cook without eggs???

My son is sensitive to eggs, it shows up as excitement and irritability. Aside from apple sauce, there is an egg replacement product called Egg Replacer by Ener-G, it is potato starch and tapioca flour-based and works decent in most recipes for baking. It cannot be used to cook omelets though.

I am REALLY glad I didn't vaccinate him because some vaccines are indeed grown on egg-based media.

Re: estrogen, recently I attended a talk by a visiting naturopath on this very topic. Of all the things she was saying, two sounded new and stood out.

She endorsed natural progesteron cream but cautioned against using it constantly: apparently, too much progesteron can be metabolized back into estrogen. She said, do a three-month course (daily for peri- and post-menopausal women, on the second half of the cycle for menstruating women), then lower a dose and apply only once in a while or if feel it's needed.

She also recommended a supplement called diindolylmethane (DIM), which is derived from cruciferous vegetables and works by shifting the normal estrogen metabolism towards the pathway with "good" metabolites.

 

[Laura]

Re: estrogen, recently I attended a talk by a visiting naturopath on this very topic. Of all the things she was saying, two sounded new and stood out.

She endorsed natural progesteron cream but cautioned against using it constantly: apparently, too much progesteron can be metabolized back into estrogen. She said, do a three-month course (daily for peri- and post-menopausal women, on the second half of the cycle for menstruating women), then lower a dose and apply only once in a while or if feel it's needed.

Thanks for this. I was wondering about this myself last night. I'm just starting my third month of 21 days on, 7 days off (post-menopausal) and I have noticed that there seems to be a "build-up" of energy that I attribute to the progesterone cream. I was wondering if I needed to really reduce the amount I am using.
So, I will for this month and then see how things go for next month.

She also recommended a supplement called diindolylmethane (DIM), which is derived from cruciferous vegetables and works by shifting the normal estrogen metabolism towards the pathway with "good" metabolites.

Yes, there is also indole-3-carbinol which is in the same line. That's what I've been taking in addition to trying to eat as many cruciferous veggies as possible. But really, sometimes, I just have enough and can't eat another bit of broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprout, etc!!!

I would also like to post a warning about the "return of candida"! If you aren't careful it CAN repopulate and cause a lot of misery! The only good thing about it is that, after months of being relatively clear, when it does, you REALLY feel it! It's like you spend your whole life accommodating feeling bad, and then once you start to feel pretty good, anything that was previously contributing to your poor health is noticed almost instantly!

I started down the slippery slope of allowing myself a few too many carbs... gluten free cookies, buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup, etc... VERY BAD I was! (As Yoda would say).

The next thing I knew, I woke up with vertigo (or so I thought). The only thing was, it was not like my usual vertigo where, if you keep your head still, it goes away. This was literally like being drunk! And before breakfast, too! After thinking about it and the recent carb craving, I realized it must be a return of the candida so I took a dose of nystatin and after an hour the "vertigo" cleared up and, on top of that, some aches and pains were also reduced (things that had been creeping up).

It's been four days now of strict anti-candida diet, nystatin three times a day, and I feel SO much better! Obviously, candida can really make me feel bad all over. I've also decided to try fluconazole daily for a week in addition to the nystatin. Any of you who want to do this will have to get the cooperation and supervision of a medical doctor (which I have).

 

[the+other+ben]

On the topic of egg replacer, has anyone tried "flax eggs"? It's my egg substitute of choice for baking.

Mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons warm water to get the equivalent of one egg. I find it works great for holding together gluten-free bread and waffle mixes. I also recommend freshly grinding your own flax seed and using it right away as supposedly it oxidizes and become rancid quickly. I bought a small coffee grinder just for this purpose. :)

 

[broken.english]

That's a real goodie. Would you mind to copy it to "Recipes"? Maybe "Cooking/baking without eggs" or something alike? It is somehow misplaced here and might get lost.

 

[pete69]

Laura, women oftentime lose fat in a non-linear fashion. Ultra low calories (chicken and lettuce) is sometimes mainstay for a bodybuilder or figure athlete in the last weeks before a show. Estrogen can cause some water retention, but fat loss always comes down to calories. When calories get cut really low AND lots of exercise is being done, it seems the fat cells are actually being depleted of their trigycerides but are filling with water, the "whoosh" that countless people report after cheating on their diet and losing weight seems to be coming from the water emptying out of the fat cells, resulting in an overnight weight loss of a few pounds. The other mechanism that only starts mattering when you get really lean is a boost in 'leptin' by occasionally cheating on your diet, that helps regulate some of the hormones that get screwed up when you get really lean.

There have been 25 or so metabolic ward studies where subjects have every morsel of food measured and they stay in a ward for several weeks. Every one of these, even with subjects who swear they can't lose weight, lose weight that tracks with calorie restriction. Diets of 0 to 70% carbs show the same fat loss when calories are controlled, except for the first week where people typically lose several pounds of water weight on a low carbohydrate diet.

I do agree that hormones have an impact on fat loss, but even that woman's low calorie diet would result in fat loss. Good call on the indole-3-carbinol. INDOLPLEX is a patented form that seems to be the real deal (think it's by Natures Way). Also great to reduce your risk of breast cancer. Did you see the story from Tufts where the scientists were doing research on breast cancer tumors in vitro. When they switched companies where they got their vials, the tumors grew WITHOUT adding estrogen to them, the beakers were outgassing chemicals that were feeding the tumor. Oh what a contaminated world we live in.

 

[gotogo]

I experimentally stop eating eggs for a month and also stop drinking row milk recently.
Thanks to this information, I feel much healthier now.

I thought what Laura mentioned in a Work thread is also true in Health area.

As we have learned, to NOT study the "illness" is to be completely handicapped in terms of finding a cure, and this is why so many works that began with the best of intentions failed. They thought it was enough to just think about health, to imagine good health and mental hygiene. The fact is: you cannot be clean until you wash away the dirt. And you cannot be inspired to wash away the dirt unless you know it IS dirt. I have encountered people in very poor and backward circumstances who truly did not know that being clean was an option. They had been dirty all their lives. They looked curiously at my hands because they were not smudged with dirt. The same is true for human beings: they don't know how dirty they are, they don't really grok the terror of the situation.

One of difficulties on considering Diets and Supplementation lies on a paradox that one does not know what actually 'dirt' is until one becomes cleaner. And it seems a 'dirt' attracts more dirts "pathologically".

I have just finished Liver/Gallbladder Cleanse program. And usually what I observe is that what I 'want' to eat becomes clearer and it becomes to match with what my body 'needs' at the present moment.

I am beginning to develop a metaphor of 'dirts' stacking between our 'wants' and 'needs'. More 'dirts' we have, more our 'wants' and 'needs' are separated and can become totally contradicted. And if one is not "intentional" one as a 3D STS being, "mechanically" choses what 'i want' (sadly).

 

[knowguy]

I know hemp oil is made from seeds also but no one has talked about it being far superior to any other omega 3 supplement including fish oil, it has a perfect ratio of 3:1 Omega 6 to Omega 3's... Can you tell me where this fits in the Omega Fatty Acids scale? i have been taking it for some time.

 

[knowguy]

If it is not superior as I have been led to believe then I want to change my ways as fast as I can... it would not be a surprise if I was wrong, and I do understand how Americans are getting way too much omega 6 and not enough omega 3 or 9 and thats why I chose hemp oil / seeds.

 

[nicklebleu]

Laura,

Have you ever tried CHIA, which is a seed?

Very rich in Omega-3/6 fatty acids (richest source in nature) and can be used in bakery as substitute for fat. Especially the Chia "gel", which is a mixture of 9 parts of water and 1 part of chia, which forms a gel by absorption of water.

Haven't tried this one out yet myself, as I am not able to get my hands on some, but will be soon and will try it out.

Here a few links:
_http://www.integratedhealth.com/shop/Scripts/prodView.asp?idproduct=55
_http://www.naturalnews.com/027035_chia_seeds_health.html

 

[OzRich]

I second that nicklebleu. I've been using chia on and off for few months now. They are tasteless and can be used anywhere where moisture can be absorbed - salads, casseroles, sauces or just in water to drink. I found chia with water for rehydration to be excellent when I ride my bike around. I highly recommend them !

 

[banjoechef]

I use chia in with hot oatmeal/grain mix and it's great

i found this from a little google search

Many prefer to soak the seeds for about a half hour until the gel is formed, then mix with orange, lime or other fruit juice. Some add honey to sweeten, but that is not needed and may be defeating the purpose. Water or any juice is all that is needed for a refreshing drink.

Another way of enjoying the benefits of chia is to make a gel by adding nine parts of water to one part chia. You can use this chia gel in various ways. One convenient way of creating this gel is to put the water in a sealable container and slowly pour the chia seed into the water while briskly mixing with a wire whisk. This process will avoid any clumping of the seed. Wait a couple of minutes, whisk again and let stand for five to 10 minutes. Whisk once more before using or storing in the refrigerator. Chia gel will keep for up to two weeks.

You can add the gel as a topping on your morning breakfast cereal. Chia is low in calories and can be eaten in hundreds of ways. In gel form, it can be added to hot cereals-oatmeal, cornmeal, wheat-to hot cakes, waffles and French toast batter and scrambled with eggs. It is a great food extender, calorie-cutter and nutrient-enricher. Its gel can be added to mayonnaise; you actually can double the volume of the mayonnaise by adding an equal amount of chia gel. Added to a spread such as butter, it reduces calories by 45% per total volume without changing the taste. It also does this for salad dressings, peanut butter and other nut spreads. Mix it with dips, yogurt, puddings, milkshakes and malts and any juice bar drinks. We add the gel to home-baked goods, too.

source: http://www.drpasswater.com/nutrition_library/Scheer_Chia.html

according to nutritiondata.com flaxseed still has 5000 mg/100 g more omega-3 and just 126 mg/100 g more omega-6, still more valuable than chia. Still the point about chia not needing to be ground and the usefulness of it seems to make it very valuable

 

[Thor]

Thank you for making this thread.
I still need to do some more observation to know what my body "likes"/"dislikes". I did recently figure out that my body LOVES watermelon, it gives me an energy kick and it works great for my skin as well (from the inside).
Being a Persian and eating a lot of white rice I've noticed that I get really tired after eating it (white rice). I thought it was normal...
But then I ate brown rice (1st time in my life, my parents never ate it as well!) and I didn't feel that tired, more like energetic! I had the same with quinoa. I've also noticed I love eating vegetables raw (especially broccoli), I don't really like them cooked (the taste).

I still am not so sure about how well my body can take nuts, I still need to do some more experimenting on that..
Soon I will go and check out my bloodtype. I find it weird how I love yogurt, but can't stand milk.
We Persians almost eat everything with yogurt :P

There is also this drink which is quite popular among the Persians, which is called Doogh (and I love that too)
It's a combination of yogurt, water and dried mint.
Need more observation on how my body reacts to yogurt.

Yogurt is a fermented dairy product made by adding bacterial cultures to milk, which causes the transformation of the milk's sugar, lactose, into lactic acid. This process gives yogurt its refreshingly tart flavor and unique pudding-like texture, a quality that is reflected in its original Turkish name, Yoghurmak, which means "to thicken."

from: _http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/yogurt.htm

Yogurt is formed by the growth of two bacterial organisms in milk; Streptococcus thermophilus* (a warmth loving bacteria) and Lactobacillus bulgaricus (a strain of bacteria from Bulgaria, where we all know they make great yogurt) which turn the milk sugars into lactic acid. Lactic acid is much easier for your body to digest than milk sugars, so even people who can't drink milk (lactose intolerant) can still "handle" yogurt. Oft times you will also find yogurt that contains other "Probiotic" cultures such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium longum, and Bifidobacterium infantis which are bacterium normally found in your intestines. Together these bacteria aid in digestion and the synthesis of vitamins. If you are taking antibiotics, which tend to kill your "intestinal flora" as well as whatever is making you ill, you should eat plenty of yogurt to help replace the "good guys" in your digestive system.

Maybe that could be it, if it turns out that my body doesn't act ''bad'' when I take yogurt. My mother also told me that when she was pregnant with me, she ate and drank a lot of yogurt and Doogh.

Oxajil,

Apologies if you are already aware of this but I just read it today in a link posted by Psyche (reply 623 in the USD thread - I haven't found out how to link to a specific reply yet :/) and thought you might find it interesting.

From http://www.health-matrix.net/2010/06/05/why-milk-is-so-evil/

WHY I QUESTION THE “MYTH” ABOUT YOGURT

Recently in Japan, various types of yogurt such as “Caspian Sea yogurt” and “aloe yogurt” have become very popular because of their widely advertised health benefits. But I believe these are all misrepresentations.

What I often hear from people who eat yogurt is that their gastrointestinal condition has improved, they are no longer constipated, or their waist has gotten smaller. And they believe these results are due to the lactobacilli found in all yogurts.

However, this belief in the benefits of lactobacilli is questionable from the start. Lactobacilli are originally found in the human intestine. These bacteria are called “intestinal resident bacteria.” The human body has a defense system against bacteria and viruses coming from the outside, so even those bacteria that are normally good for your body, like lactobacilli, will be attacked and destroyed by the body’s natural defenses if they are not intestinal resident bacteria.

The first line of defense is stomach acid. When lactobacilli from the yogurt enter the stomach, most are killed by stomach acid. For that reason, there have been recent improvements made and yogurts are being sold with the catchphrase, “lactobacilli that reach your intestine.”

However, even if the bacteria do reach the intestine, is it really possible for them to work hand in hand with the intestinal resident bacteria? The reason I question this claim about yogurt is because in the clinical setting, the intestinal characteristics of people who eat yogurt everyday are never good. I strongly suspect that, even if the lactobacilli in yogurt reach the intestine alive, they do not make the intestine work better but only disrupt the intestinal flora instead.

Then why do many people feel yogurt is effective in improving their health? For many, yogurt seems to “cure” constipation. This “cure,” however, is actually a mild case of diarrhea. Here is the way this probably works: Adults lack enough of the enzyme that breaks down lactose. Lactose is the sugar found in milk products, but lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, begins to decrease in our bodies as we grow older. This is natural in a sense, because milk is something infants drink, not adults. In other words, lactase is an enzyme that is not required by adults.

Yogurt contains a lot of lactose. Thus, when you eat yogurt, it cannot be properly digested owing to the lack of lactase enzymes, which in turn results in indigestion. In short, many people develop mild diarrhea when they eat yogurt. Consequently, this mild diarrhea, which is really the excretion of stagnant stool that has been accumulating in the colon until then, gets mistakenly characterized as a cure for constipation.

Your intestine’s condition will worsen if you eat yogurt everyday. I can say this with confidence based on my clinical observations. If you eat yogurt everyday, the smell of your stool and gas should be increasingly pungent. This is an indication that your intestinal environment is getting worse. The reason for the smell is that toxins are being produced inside the colon. Thus, even though people talk about the health effects of yogurt in general (and yogurt companies are more than pleased to tout their own products), in reality, there are many things about yogurt that are not good for your body.

 

[Oxajil]

Ya I know :( Thanks for posting anyway Thor!

I've been giving up Yogurt for many months now. I don't really miss it though, of course, a little, but I'm just fine without. I still can have meat and chocolate, and like, berries :D