Statins with pomegranate juice may increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis

This study was published in the American Journal of Cardiology 2006 Sep 1;98(5):705-6

Study title and authors:
Rhabdomyolysis associated with pomegranate juice consumption.

Sorokin AV, Duncan B, Panetta R, Thompson PD.
Section of Preventive Cardiology, Division of Cardiology, Henry Low Heart Center, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16923466

This paper reports the case of a man who developed rhabdomyolysis after drinking pomegranate juice while taking statins.

(i) A 48-year-old man had been taking ezetimibe and rosuvastatin for 17 months.
(ii) Three weeks before admission to hospital, he began drinking pomegranate juice (200 ml twice weekly).
(iii) On admission he had thigh pain and elevated serum creatine kinase level (138,030 U/L, normal is less than 200 U/L) and was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis.

Sorokin concludes: "This report suggests that pomegranate juice may increase the risk of rhabdomyolysis during rosuvastatin treatment".

Statin use is associated with an increased risk of type two diabetes, which increases with longer duration of use

This study was published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders 2014 Jul 15;14(1):85

 

Study title and authors:

Statins and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus: cohort study using the UK clinical practice pesearch datalink.

Macedo AF, Douglas I, Smeeth L, Forbes H, Ebrahim S.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25022519

This study aimed to assess the effect of statins on type two diabetes development. The study comprised of 2,016,094 individuals, including 430,890 people who received a statin, matched to 1,585,204 people not prescribed a statin.

The study found:
(a) Statin users had a 57% increased risk of developing diabetes compared to non-users.
(b) The risk of developing diabetes increased with longer duration of statin use:
(b1) Those who were followed for one to three years had a 22% increased risk of diabetes.
(b2) Those who were followed for 15 to 20 years had a 263% increased risk of diabetes.

Macedo concluded: "Statin use is associated with an increased risk of T2DM (type two diabetes), which increases with longer duration of use".

 



Help Fund High-Quality Research on Diet and Health

University of California, San Francisco researcher Dr. Ashley Mason has asked me to spread the word about a diet-health study she's preparing to conduct in collaboration with Dr. Lynda Frassetto.  Dr. Frassetto is a widely recognized expert on mineral metabolism and bone health, and also one of the few researchers who has managed to wrangle funding to study the health impacts of a Paleolithic-style diet.  Her findings have been quite provocative.  

Together with their collaborators, Drs. Mason and Frassetto are preparing another diet-health trial to study the impact of two different diets on polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS.  PCOS is a common hormonal disorder among reproductive-age women, and its signs and symptoms include ovarian cysts, excess hair growth, menstrual irregularity or absence, infertility, and obesity.  Its causes are unknown, but insulin resistance is a core characteristic of it and is thought to play an important role.  PCOS is thought to be influenced by diet and lifestyle. 

A research team including Drs. Frassetto and Mason, as well as Drs. Umesh Masharani, Heather Huddleston, and Michael Cohn will test a Paleolithic-style diet and an American Diabetes Asssociation diet to see if either or both improves insulin resistance and menstrual cycle regularity for women with PCOS.  Each diet will likely have beneficial effects, however it remains unknown which will be more effective at treating PCOS.

Currently, it's exceedingly difficult for researchers to land funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to do nutrition-related research in the context of disease treatment or management, particularly if it involves a Paleo diet. Recognizing the important potential of fleshing out the relationship between diet and health, researchers are looking for other ways to fund their work.  This study will give them the early data they need to start large, truly definitive studies of the links between diet and insulin resistance, and you can help make it happen.

Please check out their crowdfunding website to learn more about the study, the researchers, and make tax-deductible donations to support their work. And, if you're attending the Ancestral Health Symposium, one of the "backer" rewards is having lunch with the researchers.

Click here to see their crowdfunding site! 


This post was prepared in part using content provided by Dr. Mason.

No Farms, No Food

David Dietz of Dietz Produce

"Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independant, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands” -Thomas Jefferson

As we get ready for this week's lunch, we'd like to do a shout out to some of the wonderful farmers who are central to our mission. They assist us with our menu planning, help us keep our costs low, tell us what veggies are at their peak, give us recipe ideas, and help us to coordinate pick up and payment through a network of volunteers. They donate food, time and expertise to our cause-- and they do it all quietly and behind the scenes. And they rarely have time to come to lunch because they are busy with the tasks that keep us all fed.

A look inside Brogue Hydroponics

This month's menu features the following farms and farmers:

Sunnyside Farm

Dietz Produce

Horn Farm Center

Tuckey's Farms 

Kenmar Farms

Perrydell Dairy 

Brogue Hydroponics

John Fitz at Eastern Market

S. Clyde Weaver 

Please consider patronizing our local farms whenever possible - their ongoing dedication to providing high quality, local foods makes our work possible!

Low cholesterol is associated with acute liver failure

This study was published in PLoS One 2014 Jul 15;9(7):e102351

 

Study title and authors:

Low levels of blood lipids are associated with etiology and lethal outcome in acute liver failure.

Manka P, Olliges V, Bechmann LP, Schlattjan M, Jochum C, Treckmann JW, Saner FH, Gerken G, Syn WK, Canbay A.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital, University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25025159

This study investigated the association between cholesterol levels with acute liver failure. The study included 89 acute liver failure patients.

The study found:
(a) The acute liver failure patients had low cholesterol, 121 mg/dL (3.1 mmol/L).
(b) The acute liver failure patients had low levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, 63 mg/dL (1.6 mmol/L). 
(c) The acute liver failure patients had low levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, 16 mg/dL (0.4 mmol/L).
(d) Cholesterol levels were a significant 41% lower in patients who died or required a liver transplant compared to patients who spontaneously recovered.
(e) LDL cholesterol levels were a significant 45% lower in patients who died or required a liver transplant compared to patients who spontaneously recovered.
(f) HDL cholesterol levels were a significant 61% lower in patients who died or required a liver transplant compared to patients who spontaneously recovered.
(g) Triglyceride levels were a significant 13% lower in patients who died or required a liver transplant compared to patients who spontaneously recovered.

The study reveals that low cholesterol is associated with acute liver failure.

Naturally Sweetened Super Crunchy Buckwheat and Cardamom Granola

Naturally Sweetened Super Crunchy Buckwheat and Cardamom Granola

¼ cup flax seeds

½ cup raw buckwheat groats (not Kasha)

1 cup rolled oats

1 tsp ground cardamom

1 cup quite tightly packed dates (17 small, fresh dates)

2 tbsp coconut oil

Preheat your oven to 150^oC/300^oF and line a medium-sized baking tray. 

You'll need a bigger bowl than this one ;)

Place all dry ingredients in a rather big bowl and stir well. Put the dates and coconut oil in a separate bowl and blend with a hand blender until the mixture is smooth. You might want to add 1-2 tbsp of water for the right consistency. Then pour the date paste over the grains and stir until everything’s well coated.

Spread the granola out on the baking tray and bake for about 30-35 minutes. Remove the tray from the oven to give it a quick stir every ten minutes or so, we don’t want the top or edges to burn! (Confession: Mine was slightly burnt but it actually gave it a pretty nice and toasty flavor. I did have to throw some away though so make sure to watch it while it's in the oven!)

Once the cooking time has elapsed, turn the oven off but leave the granola in there to dry out (unless it already feels crunchy enough). I like to make this at night and then take it out of the oven the morning after. Store in an airtight container and keep in the pantry.

Crunch away!

Tilda

Baked Strawberry-Rhubarb Oatmeal

I would like to call this my baked oatmeal maiden voyage. That’s right, after having oats for breakfast practically every morning since the summer of 2011, I had not yet tried baking them, ever. I am a creature of habit and even more so when it comes to my breakfasts. They’ve slowly but surely evolved from being just plain oats cooked with water, an egg, a glass of juice and a sandwich, to more vegan-friendly, creamy, big bowls of dessert-flavoured porridge with lots of toppings and huge fruit platters on the side. Because vegan food is boring you know ;) But upon seeing all of my IG-friends (love you guys) with their beautiful baked breakies, I knew I had to give it a try. If you like myself, haven’t tried this yet, I highly recommend you do so immediately! Crispy and golden on the top, creamy and fluffy on the inside. Freshness and acidity from the fruit. What more can you ask for?

Baked Strawberry-Rhubarb Oatmeal

½ cup oats

½ cup unsweetened almond milk or plant-based milk of your choice

¼ tsp pure vanilla powder

2 tbsp date purée or liquid sweetener of your choice

¼ cup sliced rhubarb (1/2 inch slices)

¼ cup sliced strawberries

½ - 1 tbsp corn starch to toss the fruit in

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt (optional)

How to:

1. Start by mixing your oats, almond milk, salt, date purée and vanilla powder in a small bowl. 
2. Let it sit on the countertop for about ten minutes or so to swell. 
3. Preheat your oven to 180^oC/360^oF and prepare the strawberries and rhubarb by tossing them lightly in the corn starch. 
4. Once ten minutes has passed, gently stir in the fruit and baking powder, pour the oats into a ramekin or a small pie shell and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. It should have a lovely golden colour on top when you take it out of the oven. 
5. Serve with fresh fruit and toppings of your choice. Nut butter is always a winner when it comes to oatmeal-toppings!

Love, Tilda

Love at First Bite - Basic Vegan Pancakes

We all love us a big stack of pancakes, don’t we? If your answer to that question is no, you’re obviously lying. I know you are. I used to be one of those (crazy) people claiming they don’t like pancakes. Here in Sweden, a pancake is usually a thin, flat disc that's quite dense in consistency. Growing up, I absolutely hated these. They were all too stodgy for my taste and nothing like the wonderfully fluffy American kind, which, I was yet to discover. So when each Sunday, my Instagram feed was flooded with beautiful stacks of golden pancakes, I felt nothing but perhaps a little envy of their gorgeous presentations. Then I decided to try it out for myself and everything changed. It was love at first bite. Pancakes are without question the ultimate comfort food and my previous attitude towards them could not have been more misguided.  

Although most people think of pancakes as an unhealthy treat, it’s actually very simple to make them both healthy and vegan. I’ll admit it took some tinkering around with this recipe before I was happy and confident enough to share it with you all but here it is, finally, my basic vegan pancake recipe!

Basic Fluffy Vegan Pancakes with a Caramel Sauce

Serves: 1

1/2 cup buckwheat flour (heaped) (70 g)

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 ripe banana, mashed (80 g)

1 tsp lemon juice or apple cider vinegar

1 chia egg (1 tbsp ground chia seeds mixed with 3 tbsp water), could sub for flax egg

3 tbsp almond milk (you may have to add a couple more tbsp if the batter is too thick!)

1 tsp melted coconut oil

Optional:

Coconut oil for frying 

1 tbsp maca or lucuma powder

1 pinch of vanilla powder

1. Start by preparing your chia egg: Grind one tbsp of whole chia seeds either by hand or in a coffee grinder, then mix the ground seeds with 3 tbsp of water. Stir well and let sit on the side for a few minutes to swell.
2. In a small bowl, mix all the dry ingredients with a fork until the baking powder is evenly divided. 
3. Mash/blitz the banana with the lemon juice (or vinegar) until smooth.
4. Pour in the chia egg, mashed banana, melted coconut oil and almond milk and stir until the batter is completely smooth. Let sit on the countertop for a few minutes (the batter should be THICK)
5. Fry in a spoonful of coconut oil (unless you have a non-stick frying pan) on medium heat for a couple of minutes on each side.

Caramel Sauce

2 tbsp peanut flour (or peanut butter if you don't have any peanut flour)

1 1/2 tbsp almond milk

1/2 tbsp date syrup

1/2 tsp maca powder

1. Mix all ingredients with a fork until you have a smooth, creamy sauce. You may have to adjust the amount of liquid if you use peanut butter instead of flour.

Put slices of banana in between the pancakes and top with the caramel sauce, quinoa pops and mulberries! Hope you like the recipe :)

Pancake-coma-love, Tilda

Statins significantly increase sperm abnormalities

This study was published in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2014 Jul 12;12(1):65

Study title and authors:
Evaluation of atorvastatin efficacy and toxicity on spermatozoa, accessory glands and gonadal hormones of healthy men: a pilot prospective clinical trial.

Pons-Rejraji H, Brugnon F, Sion B, Maqdasy S, Gouby G, Pereira B, Marceau G, Gremeau AS, Drevet J, Grizard G, Janny L, Tauveron I.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25016482

This study investigated the effect of statins on male fertility. In the study semen parameters were measured in 17 healthy young men (average age 24 years) who were given atorvastatin for five months.

The study found:
(a) Semen volume decreased by 10%.
(b) Sperm concentration decreased by 25%.
(c) The number of sperm decreased by 31%.
(d) The vitality of the sperm decreased by 9.5%
(e) Sperm head abnormalities increased by 11%.
(f) Sperm neck and midpiece abnormalities increased by 33%.
(g) Sperm tail abnormalities increased by 4.5%.
(h) Excess residual cytoplasm (which can impair overall sperm function and produce higher levels of reactive oxygen species, potentially leading to male infertility) increased by 68%.

Pons-Rejraji concluded that atorvastatin: "affected significantly sperm parameters of young and healthy men and was considered as deleterious... in view of our results in this young population, it may be considered that the effects could be more pronounced among older men specifically if less healthy".

Healthy World Cafe will be open for lunch Wednesday, July 23!

Healthy World Cafe will be open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, at First Moravian Church, 41 N. Duke St., York, where we'll be serving up delicious, locally sourced eats.

(Photo courtesy of Flickr user
Tim Sackton)

Check out our menu!

Menu:
-- Smoked Pulled Pork on Focaccia
-- Asian-inspired Coleslaw
-- Zucchini Basil Soup (Vegan)
-- Lentil, Tomato, Chickpea Soup
-- Quinoa Tabbouleh (A quinoa salad with cherry tomatoes and cucumbers)
-- Squash Blossom and Basil Quiche with Potato Crust 

-- Squash Hummus
-- Berry Salad

Of course, our menu is always based on what's available from our farmer friends, so check back for updates.

At Healthy World Cafe, we always feature our "eat what you want, pay how you can" philosophy. The ability to pay should never be a barrier to accessing delicious, unprocessed, healthy food.

Housekeeping items worth noting:

-- PARKING: When coming to the cafe for our Wednesday lunches, please DO NOT park in the private lots surrounding First Moravian Church. You may park on the street (metered), or you may park at First Presbyterian Church at E. Market and N. Queen streets in the un-numbered, yellow-lined parking spots, and please include a sign on your dashboard to indicate you are a Healthy World Cafe volunteer. Then, walk one block west down Clarke Avenue to First Moravian (and enter on north side)!

-- TAKE OUT: Take out orders for lunch are available by e-mailing your selections (by 10 a.m. July 23) to healthyworldcafe(at)gmail(dot)com.

-- VOLUNTEERING: In order to better respect our volunteers' time, we split the Wednesday lunch into two volunteer shifts: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and noon to 3 p.m. Feel free, of course, to sign up for both shifts, if you wish.

Here's a breakdown of our volunteer needs for this month's lunch:

-- 6 to 9 p.m. Monday, July 21 -- Food prep at First Moravian Church (FMC), 39 N. Duke St., York.
-- 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 22 -- Food prep at First Moravian Church (FMC), 39 N. Duke St., York.
-- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, July 23 -- Food prep and serving at FMC. We're now splitting our lunch days into two volunteer shifts to better respect our volunteers' time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and noon to 3 p.m. Feel free to sign up for both, if you wish. If you can't work a full shift (say, you can be there 10 to 2, but not as early as 9), please email sarah.e.chain(at)gmail(dot)com and let us know when to expect you!

Find other upcoming dates, including construction and cleaning at our 24 S. George Street location, and sign up to volunteer through our calendar on VolunteerSpot.

Instant Pot Electronic Pressure Cooker: Two Years Later

I've had several people tell me that the Whole Health Source post that changed their lives the most was one I published in 2012-- about a pressure cooker.

In 2012, I first reviewed the Instant Pot-- a "pressure cooker for the 21st century" that also doubles as a slow cooker and rice cooker (1).  Since then, we've used it more than 400 times, and it has saved us countless hours of kitchen drudgery.  It's indispensable for my current cooking style, and a major time saver for anyone who leads a busy life but still wants to cook wholesome food at home.  It's extremely satisfying to be able to put your ingredients into the Instant Pot, push a couple of buttons, do something else until it beeps, and then eat a healthy, inexpensive, and delicious meal.

Pressure cookers are one of the most time- and energy-efficient cooking tools, but electronic versions are even more efficient than traditional stovetop pressure cookers.  They're more time-efficient because you don't have to fiddle with them-- for example, adjusting the heat.  They're more energy-efficient because 1) they stop heating when the interior has reached the appropriate pressure, meaning that they're only using energy for part of the cooking process and they hardly vent any energy-wasting steam, and 2) they're insulated well enough that the sides never get hot.

I've used my Instant Pot for a wide variety of cooking tasks, and this is what it does best:

Read more »

Construction update at 24 S. George Street!

We're excited this week to begin work on our space at 24 South George Street in downtown York!

On several dates in July and August, we'll be cleaning equipment, prepping the space and beginning to build shelving ahead of our larger construction planned for the late summer and early fall.

Please take a look at the below volunteer opportunities and sign up through VolunteerSpot if you're able! Many hands make light work!

• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, July 17
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 19
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, July 28
• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2

Questions? Email Sarah at sarah.e.chain(at)gmail(dot)com.

19 year study shows that the risk of death decreases as saturated fat consumption increases

This study was published in Nutrition and Metabolism 2014 Mar 6;11(1):12

 

Study title and authors:

Dietary intakes of fat and total mortality among Japanese populations with a low fat intake: the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study.

Wakai K, Naito M, Date C, Iso H, Tamakoshi A; JACC Study Group.

Department of Preventive Medicine, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-cho, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8550, Japan. wakai@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24597664

This study aimed to elucidate associations between dietary fat and total mortality. The study included 58,672 men and women, aged 40 to 79 years, who were followed for 19.3 years.

Regarding saturated fat, the study found:
(a) Men who consumed the highest amounts of saturated fat had a 2% reduced risk of death from any cause compared to men who consumed the lowest amounts of saturated fat.
(b) Men who consumed the highest amounts of saturated fat had a 7% reduced risk of death from cardiovascular diseases compared to men who consumed the lowest amounts of saturated fat.
(c) Women who consumed the highest amounts of saturated fat had a 9% reduced risk of death from any cause compared to women who consumed the lowest amounts of saturated fat.
(d) Women who consumed the highest amounts of saturated fat had a 1% reduced risk of death from cardiovascular diseases compared to women who consumed the lowest amounts of saturated fat.



Healthy Peanut Satay Dipping Sauce

I love Asian cuisine. Japanese sushi, Indian daal, Chinese dumplings… the list goes on. Although I’ve often ordered home the healthier options, I can never quite get those amazing flavours to really sing in my own kitchen. Or at least until yesterday I couldn’t. That was when this Healthy Peanut Satay Sauce came to life. Lord, am I glad to have succeeded with this one! It still has that yummy taste of peanuts, mixed with the sweetness from the dates (!) and the hot bite from the Thai red curry paste.

Conventional Peanut Satay sauce isn’t too “unhealthy” except for the sugar but my very unconventional version is both sugar-free and (in my opinion) easier to make than the original.

Healthy Peanut Satay Dipping Sauce

Serves: 1

1 tbsp unsweetened almond milk*

1 tbsp peanut flour*

1 tsp tamari (Japanese soy sauce, not as salty as Chinese)

1 peeled and pitted fresh date, soaked for a few hours if it’s really hard to peel

1 tsp Thai red curry paste (a scant tsp if you want it to be less spicy)

How to:

1. In a small bowl or glass, mash the date with a fork and 1 tsp of the almond milk until it’s a smooth “paste” that’s easy to mix with the other ingredients. 
2. Pour in the rest of the ingredients and stir until they’re all evenly mixed in. Have a taste. And another. And another. And another  ;-)

I served it with steamed broccoli, brown rice and soy meat skewers and a few crushed peanuts on top for a little crunch!

*Note: If you want to use coconut milk and/or peanut butter instead, go ahead! I think it’s easier to make this way but we all have different preferences.

Upcoming Talks

I have two talks planned over the next two months.  Hope to see you there!

Ancestral Health Symposium 2014: UC Berkeley, August 7-9

If you want to understand the most rigorous science available on leptin resistance-- a key mechanism of obesity and a major barrier to fat loss-- this talk is for you.  This is my primary area of professional expertise; I have years of firsthand research experience on the subject and I've published a number of related papers in peer-reviewed journals.  The talk will be accessible to nearly all levels of expertise.  AHS14 tickets are available here.  I've pasted the talk's abstract below.

What Causes Leptin Resistance?

Leptin is the primary hormonal regulator of body fatness.  Obese people exhibit a resistance to leptin’s effects in the brain, causing the brain to oppose fat loss by multiple mechanisms.  Research in animal models suggests that leptin resistance may be required for obesity to develop.  How does leptin resistance occur, and what causes it?  Research has not yet provided us with definitive answers, but several plausible possibilities have emerged.  This talk will review what is known about leptin resistance and its causes.

McDougall Advanced Study Weekend: Santa Rosa, CA, September 5-7

Dr. John McDougall invited me to speak at his yearly symposium after viewing my TEDx talk "The American Diet: a Historical Perspective".  I look forward to sharing my thoughts and interacting with a different audience than I'm used to.  The talk will be an expanded version of the one I presented at AHS13.  Tickets are available here.  I've pasted a modified version of my AHS13 abstract below.

Insulin and Obesity: Reconciling Conflicting Evidence

The pancreatic hormone insulin regulates the trafficking and metabolism of carbohydrate and fat, and its secretion is particularly stimulated by carbohydrate and protein.  Since circulating insulin is elevated in common obesity, and insulin influences fatty acid flux into and out of fat tissue, this has raised the possibility that elevated insulin causes common obesity, and that dietary carbohydrate is particularly fattening.  A large amount of evidence appears to support the hypothesis that insulin causes obesity, and a large amount of evidence appears to falsify it.  This presentation will outline a framework capable of reconciling this seemingly conflicting evidence.

Creamy Avocado Pasta Sauce

Avocados. Up until a few weeks ago, I had never in my life eaten a whole avocado. Sure, a few bits and pieces here and there when I couldn’t help it, but never voluntarily. Don’t ask what happened between then and now because today, I honestly can’t imagine a life without avocados. Pair it with some good carbs (yes, carbs are fantabulous), veggies and you have a fool-proof, healthy and most of all d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s meal.

Creamy Avocado Pasta Sauce

Serves: 1

 ½ ripe avocado

 1 small handful each of fresh basil and baby spinach

 ¼ - ½ clove garlic

 1 – 2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tbsp olive oil

 Salt and pepper to taste

How to:

1. Blend all ingredients with a hand blender until smooth and taste to see if it needs more of anything. If so, season until you're happy, blend again and voilà, you’re done!
Best eaten cold with pasta and vegetables of your choice!

Avoc love, Tilda

Health Coach - Part 1

It's been a month and a half since the retreat and I've spent that time trying to sort out my goals. As with most things in life, having that experience was transformative and enlightening, but not at all in the way I thought it would be. Going in to it, I was feeling extremely good. I had hit a good rhythm with activity level and what I was eating. I thought the retreat would just cement those positive changes and spur me on to even greater things.

Since I had the great honor and privilege to attend the retreat as a work-study person, I had a somewhat different experience from the other guests. I am eternally grateful to the organizers for giving me this chance. Huge thanks to Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet, Whitney Ross Gray, Kamal Patel, Laura Schoenfeld and her mother, Pam Schoenfeld. I had a singular opportunity to learn from the best, and value all I absorbed from the daily lectures, cooking demos, and informal discussions. 

The break in routine really through me, though. Also, with hindsight being so clear, I have noticed a few other things that conspired to knock me off course:

• Slightly less sleep than normal
• Higher carb consumption than what I was doing with my version of PHD prior to the retreat
• Less downtime than I'm used to
• More social interaction (I'm an introvert, so I need quite a bit of alone time each day to recharge even though I love people)
• Intermittent fasting (we ate only from 12:00pm-8:00pm each day and I was up at 6:00am; I've determined that I really do need a whack of protein in the morning to feel my best)
• Vitex (I was taking this supplement for several months to try and regulate my hormones -- I finally realized it was having the opposite effect from what I was intending and it made me very moody, emotional, and increased my PMS and menstrual symptoms, things it was supposed to help relieve. I finally found some info that noted that some people can react this way so I'm pretty sure this was the biggest culprit).

All of this is to say -- I came home not feeling that well at all so this post is mostly about how I'm working to get myself back on track. I've had to move past a lot of self-blame for not being more resilient, flexible, and adaptable -- all qualities I've always thought of myself as possessing. I've finally come to the conclusion that I truly was not myself at the retreat. It was not a failure of me as a person, rather a failure to recognize or address the issues I outlined above. 

Since I initially blamed my mood/exhaustion issues all on the carbs, I resolved to go low carb again shortly after I returned since I always felt so good when eating that way. This time, it didn't seem to "work". It took me some time but I finally realized it was the Vitex and stopped that just last week. I already feel better. Go figure!

To help bring clarity to my situation and get an outside perspective, I've decided to work with a health coach. I have a new game plan that I'm working on with her help. I will lay it out in Part 2, since this is getting so long!

"Cheezy" Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

I’m so sorry I haven’t had the time to update the blog but I’ve been a busy bee these past few days. I decided to take a scuba diving course so that I can go diving when we travel and it has really kept me occupied. I’ve loved every single minute (okay, lie, the theory lessons weren’t that much fun) and I can’t wait to go diving for real!

So, to this recipe then. I’ve seen more vegan mac and cheese recipes than I can count and I’ve been dying to try it out for myself, my only problem has been that I haven't known where to find nutritional yeast. If you don’t know what nutritional yeast is, I suggest you google it but I can tell you briefly that it’s a vegan, de-activated kind of yeast that has a slightly nutty and somewhat cheesy flavour. Obviously a great choice when making vegan dishes with “cheese” in them. What’s even better is that more often than not, nutritional yeast is PACKED with B-vitamins, thus also the much coveted vitamin B12. Since vitamin B12 is hard to incorporate in a vegan diet without taking supplements, I see nutritional yeast as a great alternative to pills or shots.

Hope you like this recipe, feel free to play around with the quantities a bit!

"Cheezy" Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce

Yields: 2 servings 

1 clove garlic 

2 tsp coconut oil 

1 cup cubed butternut squash 

½ cup almond milk 

1 ½ tbsp. nutritional yeast 

½ tsp vegetable bouillon powder 

1 tsp Dijon mustard 

½ tbsp. brown rice flour (or thickening of your choice such as arrowroot powder)

How to:

1. Start off by steaming or boiling your squash until it’s soft all the way through, this will take approximately 20-30 minutes depending on how big your chunks are.

2. Meanwhile, sauté 1 finely sliced clove of garlic with coconut oil in a small saucepan on medium heat until the smallest pieces start to brown, then quickly add the almond milk, mustard, bouillon powder, nutritional yeast and lastly the brown rice flour (through a sieve to prevent clumping). 
3. Let simmer for about 10 minutes and make sure to stir continuously as you go.

4. As soon as the butternut squash is cooked, take it off the heat and blend, in either a food processor or using a hand blender (I prefer the hand blender). 
5. Blend the squash purée with the ‘cheeze’ sauce, taste and add a little more bouillon/nutritional yeast if you want. Serve with freshly cooked pasta and veggies on the side!

Frequent meat consumption lowers the risk of dementia by 77%

This study was published in the British Medical Journal 2002 Oct 26;325(7370):932-3

 

Study title and authors:

Fish, meat, and risk of dementia: cohort study.

Barberger-Gateau P, Letenneur L, Deschamps V, Pérès K, Dartigues JF, Renaud S.

INSERM U330, Université Victor Segalen Bordeaux 2, case n degrees 11, 146 rue Léo-Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux Cedex, France. Pascale.Barberger-Gateau@isped.u-bordeaux2.fr

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12399342

 

This study investigated the association of fish and meat consumption and the risk of dementia (including Alzheimer's). The study included 1,674 participants, aged 68 years and older, who were followed for seven years.

 

The study found:

(a) Those that consumed fish once a day had a 85% reduced risk of dementia compared to those who never consumed fish.

(b) Those that consumed fish once a day had a 81% reduced risk of Alzheimer's compared to those who never consumed fish.

(c) Those that consumed meat once a day had a 77% reduced risk of dementia compared to those who never consumed meat.

(d) Those that consumed meat once a day had a 72% reduced risk of Alzheimer's compared to those who never consumed meat.

No-bake Vegan Chocolate Tart

This is one of my absolute favourite recipes; it’s super easy and quick to make and has the most wonderful, rich, chocolate-y taste, the perfect healthy alternative to satisfy those chocolate cravings!

No-bake Vegan Chocolate Tart

‘Crust’

 ½ cup cashew nuts

1/3 cup pitted dates

1 pinch of salt 

¼ tsp pure vanilla extract/powder

Chocolate Filling

1 can full fat coconut milk, chilled overnight in the fridge  
      

4 squares good quality dark chocolate

¼ cup pitted and peeled dates (soaked overnight to make them easier to peel if you’re not using fresh

1 tbsp. cacao powder

How to:
1. Start by blending all of the ingredients for your crust in a food processor until thick dough forms. 
2. Press the dough out in a lined pie dish (a small one, mine’s about 6” wide) and put it in the freezer while you prepare your filling.
3. Open the can of coconut milk and spoon out the thick, creamy layer that has formed on top of the ‘water’ and put it in the food processor along with the dates and cacao powder. Save the leftover coconut water to add in smoothies- it’s packed with beautiful coconut flavour, trust me. You could also save a tablespoon or two of the coconut cream to decorate with.
4. Blend the chocolate filling ingredients until they’re evenly combined- it might look like it has split but we’ll fix this in a moment. 
5. Melt the dark chocolate and pour into the chocolate filling while it’s still hot and blend again until you have a smooth mixture of chocolaty goodness.
6. With a spatula, pour the filling into the pie crust; decorate with coconut cream if you'd like and put it back in the freezer for a few hours (provided you can contain your inner chocolate monster for that long) to set. Eat frozen or let sit on the counter top for a few minutes for a creamier consistency!

Please let me know if you give these a try :)

Chocolate kisses, Tilda

The risk of diabetes rises as adherence with statin therapy increases

This study was published in Diabetes Care 2014 Jun 26. pii: DC_132215

Study title and authors:
Statins and the Risk of Diabetes: Evidence From a Large Population-Based Cohort Study.

Corrao G, Ibrahim B, Nicotra F, Soranna D, Merlino L, Catapano AL, Tragni E, Casula M, Grassi G, Mancia G.
Department of Statistics and Quantitative Methods, Division of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy giovanni.corrao@unimib.it.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24969582

The objective of the study was to investigate the relationship between adherence with statin therapy and the risk of developing diabetes. The seven year study included 115,709 patients who were newly treated with statins. Adherence was measured by the proportion of days covered with statins.

The study found: 
(a) Compared with patients with very-low adherence (proportion of days covered less then 25%) those with low adherence (proportion of days covered 26-50%) had a 12% increased risk of developing diabetes.
(b) Compared with patients with very-low adherence (proportion of days covered less then 25%) those with intermediate adherence (proportion of days covered 51-75%) had a 22% increased risk of developing diabetes.
(b) Compared with patients with very-low adherence (proportion of days covered less then 25%) those with high adherence (proportion of days covered more than 75%) had a 32% increased risk of developing diabetes.

Corrao concluded: "In a real-world setting, the risk of new-onset diabetes rises as adherence with statin therapy increases".