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Hi
I am fired up this week! Last week I was in Arizona - staying with my good friends Pam and Russell. It was lovely to get some warm sunshine, but more importantly, I attended another fantastic training conference put on by the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) in Scottsdale. Surrounded by MDs who are truly motivated to add more to their tool box beyond drugs and surgery gave me hope for the future of healthcare. In this issue, I tell you more about IFM's mission because it's so inspiring to me, and I think it will be to you too. I believe this is truly medicine as it's meant to be. I also feature an update on a household toxin source that will probably surprise you - and which is lurking in every pantry, including yours.
Two nights ago, we had a fabulous evening of laughter and delight at my latest Wine and Chocolate seminar. The kitchen was warm and cozy as we sampled and savored two wonderful and healthy sources of decadence you can enjoy this holiday season. Keep reading to learn more about chocolate: why it's not only "okay" to enjoy but actually can be a smart decision for your health IF you get the right kind.
Happy Holidays to you and your family! I am wishing you all a healthy and vibrant new year. Thank you for your support this year. As you spend some time the next two weeks looking forward to 2010, I encourage you to set an intention you plan to keep. Prioritize your own self-care. Eat on purpose. Live on purpose.
Be well,
Tracy |
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In this Issue
- Health Benefits of Chocolate
- New Mystery Label
- Toxins in our Food
- Winter Couples Classes:
don't miss out!
- Rethinking medicine
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Chocolate: yes, it's good for you!
While some folks' attitude about chocolate is an ambivalent take-it-or-leave-it, many people crave and dream (literally) about the delectable flavor, soothing consistency, and calming feeling they get from eating chocolate. The good news is that real chocolate offers a host of health benefits. Unfortunately, most American "chocolate" bars and candies are little more than chocolate-flavored sugar bars. By choosing high-quality, minimally-processed, high-cacao-content chocolate foods, you can enjoy a little sweetness each day - healthily.
It's no wonder that studies have now proven chocolate is good for you. After all, it comes from a plant! Chocolate is rich in antioxidants and has many health benefits, including lowering blood sugar and cholesterol. Cocoa comes from the Theobromo cacao plant. 
Half of the cocoa bean is made of fat in the form of cocoa butter. Cocoa powder is the edible non-fat part of the cacao bean. Cocoa has one of the highest antioxidant concentrations of any food. ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) scores are used to measure the level of antioxidant properties in foods. Cocoa rates a higher ORAC score than most foods, including antioxidant powerhouses like green tea and red wine. Antioxidants are powerful cancer and disease fighters in the body as they consume free radicals which damage our tissue and DNA from within.
Studies have shown that dark chocolate decreases blood pressure. This function may be attributed to cocoa's action as a renin-angiotension enzyme inhibitor, the same mechanism addressed by blood pressure medication. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2003 reported on a German study of 13 people between the ages of 5 and 64 who had blood pressure numbers of 153 over 84. The group was divided into two groups. One group ate a 100-gram bar of white chocolate daily and the other group ate a dark chocolate bar. Those who ate the dark chocolate showed significantly lower blood pressure, but alas for white chocolate lovers, this candy bar did not show any health benefits. The benefits were attributed to the cocoa phenols that are present in the dark cocoa powder from the cocoa bean. The darker the chocolate, the more health benefits. Alas, white chocolate offers none of these benefits at all!
Look for chocolate that contains 70% cacoa or higher. Read labels, as many chocolate bars labeled "dark" contain far less and are trying to deceive you with fancy marketing. When you choose less-refined, concentrated forms without much added sugar, chocolate can be a good source of hunger-soothing fiber and fat and artery-protecting flavonoids. Plus the relaxing aura you feel when you eat it is not your imagination! Natural chemicals in chocolate are mood-elevators and can reduce anxiety. Just make sure you take the time to slow down and really enjoy it. You don't need to inhale an entire bar. If you really let it melt in your mouth, just one or two small squares will satisfy you.
Want to learn more about decadence that's good for you? Join us for my next Wine and Chocolate seminar on Saturday, January 25th at 7pm. Chase away the mid-winter blues with a fun evening sampling healthy and delicious treats.
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2010 Resolution? Finally get Healthy Together!
For couples who want to grow to a healthier place: together. Change your life, have more fun, feel better, maintain a healthy weight, access more energy... Make 2010 a brand new beginning.
Partners in Health and Wellness
This special 3-month program begins on Saturday, January 16 and follows with five two-hour evening sessions every other Wednesday. $225/month per couple includes all sessions, materials, food samples and lifestyle tools. I am very excited to be offering this program in partnership with Dr. Andy Miser. Learn more about this and other winter classes. |
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Toxins in your Food: Chemicals in the Can
Pretty much every American has a stash of canned goods in the pantry: don't you? Soups, tomatoes, vegetables, beans. Cans seem to be a convenient way to keep healthy, whole foods in stock at home. But are you aware of the toxins that are likely lurking in that can?
Bisphenol-A (or BPA for short) is a chemical used in many products in the US including polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins, and flame-retardant materials. But did you know it's also used in the lining of metal food cans? This is particularly a concern for ingestion because acidic or highly liquid foods can easily absorb and retain this chemical. Recent studies by the Environmental Working Group confirm that BPA is toxic even in very small doses and also found even excessive levels of BPA in over 10% of canned goods. Unfortunately they found it in some very common American brands like Campbell's and Progresso soups. They even found it in organic brands (as far as I know, only one organic brand has committed never to use BPA in their cans and that's Eden Foods).
BPA causes problems in our body primarily because it can act like estrogen (binding to estrogen receptors in our cells and changing how our body reacts). This makes BPA of particular concern to women and children; as an endocrine disruptor, BPA can alter fertility and increase risk of reproductive system-related cancers later in life. Pregnant women in particular need to be particularly aware of avoiding it. BPA has also been correlated with erectile dysfunction in men. 
Want to reduce your exposure to these toxins? Then avoid canned foods that can't be rinsed (e.g. soup). Make your own in bulk and freeze it for convenience. Instead, choose canned foods like beans and always be sure to rinse and drain them thoroughly before use. Also try to avoid purchasing food and drinks packaged in plastic labeled #7. |
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Functional Medicine
The modern American medical establishment does a wonderful job of treating acute illness and injury (no better place to be if you get hit by a bus!). Medical education does a great job of teaching these skills. However, the track record is actually pretty poor for treating chronic illness (e.g. diabetes, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimers). And it is unfortunately chronic illnesses which use up more than the lion's share of healthcare dollars in the US (diabetes care alone accounts for over 1/5 of all spending). The US spends more money on healthcare than any other country in the world. Yet our overall health results rank just #37. Our overall life expectancy ranks #50.
 Well, the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM) is trying to change the face of chronic illness treatment in the US - one physician at a time. Doctors are educating doctors (and other healthcare providers like me) about how to diagnose and address the true root cause of chronic illness, not just the symptoms. In this way, there is hope for true healing and not just temporary relief from pain and suffering by taking another prescription drug. The body is an amazing instrument. We do not have to be sick! We do not have to be overweight, exhausted, depressed, stiff, stressed out, and in pain. The body actually seeks to be well all the time. I have seen over and over again how often people can address the true root cause of their ailments and actually heal (as in have their symptoms go away - not just be suppressed).
When the body either doesn't GET what it needs (e.g. protein, fats, fiber, minerals, vitamins) or struggles with the burden of something it needs to be RID of (e.g. toxins, infections, allergens, stress), we get sick. Let me give you a simple example. Functional medicine practitioners know that the chronic headaches you experience, the on-and-off diarrhea and constipation, the brain fog you fight most days, your achy joints, and the rash on your arms are likely not five separate ailments requiring five separate medications and treatment. Most times, multiple symptoms are all evidence of one major problem - a true root cause. Eliminate the problem (e.g. in this case, gluten sensitivities triggered by eating wheat-containing products), and the inflammation goes away - in all its manifestations. Think of the money that might have been spent addressing all of this person's "illnesses" using traditional medicine protocol (e.g. neurologist and dermatologist referrals, colonoscopy, steroid creams, cortisone shots)! Compare this to a few diagnostic tests, a simple lifestyle change (e.g. stop eating wheat), and a few specific supplements to heal the gut. Functional medicine is individualized, customized medicine that identifies and works to resolve the true root cause of dis-ease in the body.
The IFM conference I attended last week focused on toxicity and detoxification. It is indeed a dangerous world we live in...the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, the things we put on our skin. These are all daily sources of toxins that can harm our bodies: chemicals our bodies must isolate, process, detoxify, and excrete. Sometimes the burden becomes great over time, and as a result, we get sick. Over the next few issues, I'm going to share some ideas with you about (1) how you can reduce the toxicity in your life to protect your body and (2) how you can help your body to process the toxins you do bring on board more effectively. Food really is medicine.
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Mystery Label December Challenge
Do you read food labels? Are you a nutrition super sleuth? What food product includes the list of ingredients below? Be the first person to identify correctly the product below via email, and you will win a grab bag of healthy, delicious snacks.
This is a really easy one,
so be quick to win!
Email Tracy with your guess. .
Congratulations to Moira Keating of Medway, MA for identifying Ocean Spray cranberry sauce as November's mystery label.
 Cranberries are a wonderfully nutritious fruit. Tart and tangy, they add zest to rich holiday meals while providing a whole host of nutritional benefits. Naturally very low in sugar, cranberries have been used for eons to help prevent and treat urinary tract, bladder, and kidney infections. They can actually prevent e coli bacteria from attaching and thriving in your gut. Recent research also shows that they can help prevent kidney stones, raise protective HDL cholesterol, and help your body fight damage from free radicals and toxins.
The problem with this (and most!) canned solutions to cranberries is that manufacturers add enough sugar and refined sweeteners to make them just like a candy bar (no, I'm not joking). And excessive sugar can end up causing infections! Homemade cranberry sauce is easier than you think, even gourmet versions. Here's my new favorite recipe (with appreciation to Jean Wilson). You just need a bag of fresh cranberries, ½ cup diced dried apricots, ½ cup golden raisins, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ of a grated orange rind (be careful only to take the rind and not the bitter pith below), 2 Tbsp of unrefined sugar, and 1 ½ cups of water. Mix all this in a saucepan, and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes. If it's a little too tart for you, add a few drops of stevia herbal sweetener, available in the healthier food section of most grocery stores or you can order it on-line.
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Real Almond Joys
A delicious and healthy holiday treat.
Ingredient
¼ cup coconut oil, softened
½ cup almond butter (or peanut butter)
¼ tsp seasalt (optional - if nut butter is unsalted)
¼ cup raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
1 tsp real vanilla extract
15 drops of stevia extract (herbal sweetener)
1 cup slivered or sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
½ cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup dried coconut
Directions
Combine oil, nut butter, cacao powder, salt, stevia, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl, and mix well. Gently, stir in almonds, chips, and half of the coconut. Form into 1-inch balls. Roll in remaining coconut. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Excellent high-energy snack!
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What I find Inspiring
"Our food should be our medicine.
Our medicine should be our food."
Hippocrates
c. 400 B.C
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My name is Tracy Harrison. I am a health and wellness counselor and
the founder of Purpose LLC. I work with individuals and groups to help them make step-by-step changes to become healthier and happier. Unlike most health fads and gimmicks, my clients make life-long habit changes. It's easy
and fun, so it sticks. Permanent
results are possible!
You don't have to be sick. You don't have to feel exhausted and depressed. You don't have to feel old and creaky. You can change your reality. You can rediscover real joy in your life.
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