Nothing Is As Simple As We Would Like It To Be
Health care used to be simple: “take two aspirin and get lots of rest.” A quaint but probably effective remedy for a cold or the flu. Good when doctors didn’t have a whole lot else to offer. But the last three generations have witnessed the rise of chronic disease. Heart disease is the big killer, and the prescription for prevention and cure are hardly simple.
Cholesterol was quickly singled out as the culprit, but the information about cholesterol and diet are complex. First we had to learn the differences between HDL and LDL. What to eat and what not to eat was constantly being challenged and there continues to be a new diet every week, not to mention the contradictory info about carbs, proteins, fiber and low fat.
A great fix was established when our friends in the industrial drug complex developed statins. These drugs are very effective at lowering cholesterol. They offer great hope and tremendous potential to treat cholesterol. The perfect solution. But here is the rub. The cholesterol equation is more complex, and as health careful folks we have to do more than just take statins. It’s still about changing one’s life and doing boring things like exercise. The Wall Street Journal (Giving Weight to the other Cholesterol, by Ron Winslow, June 16, 2009) seems to think so as well.
Once we learned to distinguish between the HDL (good cholesterol) and the LDL (bad cholesterol), the route to health seemed simpler. Just get rid of bad. But I wouldn’t be writing this, if there wasn’t more to it. Statins will also reduce HDL, and if HDL goes too low (below 50 for men and 40 for women), we find ourselves back in the coronary danger zone. And cardiologists are finding a third marker that has been ignored too often: triglycerides. The triglycerides are the chemical form of fats in our foods and in our bodies. Triglycerides in blood should be below 150 if we want to stay heart healthy. Apparently, the triglycerides affect how the bad cholesterol behaves. Elevated triglycerides turn LDL into more nasty, artery clogging cholesterol. This is precisely the danger of just taking statins and thinking that everything will be OK. Cardiologists see too many cases of heart attack patients with low cholesterol levels but elevated triglycerides.
But there is good news. Both triglycerides and LDL cholesterol respond to changes in life style. Eat more fruits and vegetables, avoid refined sugars and flours, limit fatty and fried foods, get more exercise and you will see progress in both areas. What is missing for most of us is the will-power to change our lifestyles. We start with good intentions but the follow through does not happen. Food is both comfort and nourishment, and the food guys, industrial as well as artisan, are great at concocting combos of fat, sugar and white flour that nag at our consciousness, weaken our resolve and beg to be eaten. Learning to say “no” is a long process with enough failures that anyone can become so discouraged that the good intentions totally crumble.
Last month, I took my wife’s car to our trusty mechanic rather than the dealer. This gentlemen, let’s call him Don, is crusty and irascible, but also extremely honest and knowledgeable. He’s in his 50’s like me. His mechanic’s office is the usual collection of trophies, pictures of stock cars and broken down furniture. I hadn’t seen him in a year at least, and I was shocked at how much weight he had lost. I assumed that he had suffered a health setback of some sort. But when I asked, he replied that he had lost the weight on this own initiative, “on purpose.” I asked why, and he said quite bluntly that he didn’t want to die, bed-ridden like his father during the last 5 years of his life. I checked to see what diet he was following, and he said no particular diet – meat maybe every two weeks – but lots of exercise and as little white flour and sugar as possible. Total cholesterol is below 150, even lower than mine, which despite being vegan sticks around 190. This is a guy who clearly recognized the risks, figured out his own program and followed through. The results are tremendously visible. Don is my hero of the month. And maybe health is more simple than we think, when the personal motivation is clear!
Fiber Education
It isn’t often that Kellogg drops a topic into my lap. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the champion of breakfast cereal and the creator of All-Bran and Raisin Bran has a great interest in the subject of fiber. The history of breakfast cereals in Battle Creek, Michigan in general and of Dr. Kellogg specifically is a fascinating look at America in the 19th century, a view of the early links between food and health and provides lots of entertainment. If you have time check out “Porn Flakes: Kellogg, Graham and the Crusade for Moral Fiber” by Carrie McLaren. It is available on the web, and the title alone should grab your interest.
Kellogg’s survey has found confusion about fiber, and of course Kellogg figures to turn that to their advantage:
“The consumer confusion around fiber and whole grains is staggering,” says Nelson Almeida, vice president, global nutrition for Kellogg Company. “Survey results highlight the fact that even people who are trying to improve their diets may be failing to do so because of this confusion.” And further:”Fiber brings big benefits. Yet only five percent of Americans get enough of it,” said nationally recognized dietitian Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, CSSD, LDN. “Confusion about how to find foods with fiber likely contributes to America’s fiber deficit.” Kellogg, according to USA Today, plans to add fiber to most of its cereal line so that by 2010, 80% of the cereals will have 3 grams of fiber per serving. Hopefully, the cereal guys will address the issue of excessive sugar as well.
Dr. Kracker was an early member of the Whole Grains Council, and the Whole Grains stamp is a big part of our marketing strategy. Unfortunately, because no standards regulate their use, the terms “whole grain” and “multi grain” have become empty and misleading. Hence the confusion on the part of consumers. The Whole Grains Council has worked very hard to establish a new, information-rich standard that consumers can trust. The WGC deserves lots of credit for their leadership.
Crackers are one the food categories that has barely begun the conversion to whole grains. But whole grain flour is not enough. Dr. Kracker’s flax, sunflower, sesame and pumpkin seeds add much more significant quantities of both soluble and insoluble fiber than the flour and take Dr. Kracker right to the top of the leader board in any fiber competition. A 1-oz serving of Dr. Kracker provides at least 4 grams of fiber. While I doubt that only 5% of Americans eat enough fiber, I think that we can all agree that there is much room for improvement, and as the Whole Grains Council says: “Make at least half of your grains whole grains.” We are part of this mission.
Be careful of scams!
Driving, I was listening to sports talk radio and heard the marvelous promise of Ever Cleanse. Ever Cleanse magic crystals absolutely promise to dissolve and remove the 20 to 25 lbs of fat trapped in the walls of the colon. Drink this and watch the flabby belly melt away! Maybe even that twinkie that you ate 20 years ago will finally be expelled! Right. There are no magic bullets, powders or pills. And there are certainly not pounds of fat and toxins trapped in the body just waiting to be flushed out of some locked gate. Eat great food and don’t overeat. Respect your body and be careful of those charlatans who want to separate you from the money. If you do feel the need to do something, then invest in better food such as whole grains and whole foods!
My power breakfast tip: cooked brown rice and barley. Squeeze a lemon or lime or both. Top with 2 T’s of nutritional yeast. Add some pumpkin seeds or some chopped pickles. This will get you going and keep you going!
