Welcome back to Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday. This is a weekly forum where we’re coming together to inform and inspire each other to healthier living. Tuesdays are our chance to take our health into our own hands and say “hell no” to more pills and the pharmaceutical industry’s endless search for profits.
Getting past the "protein myth" Kathy Freston talks conscious eating
When I tell people that I'm a vegan, the most popular question, by far, inevitably follows: "But, how do you get enough protein?"
There it is again, I think, the meat industry's most potent weapon against vegetarianism -- the protein myth. And it is just that -- a myth.
In fact, humans need only 10 percent of the calories we consume to be from protein. Athletes and pregnant women need a little more, but if you're eating enough calories from a varied plant based diet, it's close to impossible to not to get enough.
The way Americans obsess about protein, you'd think protein deficiency was the number one health problem in America. Continue reading...
Mother Nature's benefits in a pill?
Peel over pill for prevention
By Susan Dopart
@smnutritionist
From Our Show to You…Are we killing our pets? (Prevention for our furry friends)
By Cari Reisinger
@creisinger
Food, Diet & Nutrition No more Pepsi at school?
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@wwwebbs Get into the "flow"
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@drjoesdiyhealth If there’s one vegetable you buy this week...
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@tesschallis Keep your joints healthy with ayurveda
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@DrSharada
Personal Responsibility You mean taking a pill is not enough?
By Scott Spicer
@scottspice
Information is Inspiration The 5 biggest “health insurance” tips you’ll ever need
By Cathy Margolin
@pacherbs Quercetin may increase aerobic endurance
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@healthconsult
Fitness Don’t overthink it
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@jenngivler
Happiness = Healthiness Travel & service: therapy for the soul?
By Jack Chuang
@DrGotpassport I deserve permanent weight loss and so do you
By Pat Barone
@PatBarone
And your post is next...
In the Media:
Is there arsenic in your apple juice?
By Jenn Savedge
@ Mother Nature Network
Healthy School Lunches and Cafeteria Ladies Who Compost
By Annie Spiegelman
@ The Huffington Post
With Faulty Food Labeling, Who's Minding the Store?
By Amanda Gardner
@ Health Day
Related:
Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, March 16 with Dr. Neal Barnard
We pay to create health problems
Participate in Prevention Not Prescriptions
Prevention Not Prescriptions is on Facebook
Food and Drink
03/23/2010
Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, March 23
Getting past the "protein myth"
Kathy Freston Talks Conscious Eating
This week’s Prevention Not Prescriptions blogger is health and wellness expert and best-selling author Kathy Freston.
When I tell people that I'm a vegan, the most popular question, by far, inevitably follows: "But, how do you get enough protein?"
There it is again, I think, the meat industry's most potent weapon against vegetarianism -- the protein myth. And it is just that -- a myth.
In fact, humans need only 10 percent of the calories we consume to be from protein. Athletes and pregnant women need a little more, but if you're eating enough calories from a varied plant based diet, it's close to impossible to not to get enough.
The way Americans obsess about protein, you'd think protein deficiency was the number one health problem in America. Of course it's not -- it's not even on the list of the ailments that doctors are worried about in America or any other countries where basic caloric needs are being met.
What is on the list? Heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity -- diseases of affluence. Diseases linked to eating animal products. According to the American Dietetic Association, which looked at all of the science on vegetarian diets and found not just that they're healthy, but that they "provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases."
They continue: "Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence ... Vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than nonvegetarians, as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease; vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer."
Dr. Dean Ornish writes of his Eat More, Weigh Less vegetarian diet -- the one diet that has passed peer-review for taking weight off and keeping it off for more than 5 years -- that in addition to being the one scientifically proven weight loss plan that works long-term, it "may help to prevent a wide variety of other illnesses including breast cancer in women, prostate cancer in men, colon cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, osteoporosis, diabetes, hypertension, and so on ...."
So when people ask me about protein, I explain that protein is not a problem on a vegan diet, that the real problems that are plaguing us in the West can be addressed in part with a vegetarian diet, and that I get my protein the same way everyone else does -- I eat!
Beans, nuts, seeds, lentils, and whole grains are packed with protein. So are all vegetables as a caloric percentage, though they don't have enough calories to sustain most people as a principal source of sustenance. And these protein sources have some excellent benefits that animal protein does not -- they contain plenty of fiber and complex carbohydrates, where meat has none. That's right: Meat has no complex carbs at all, and no fiber. Plant proteins are packed with these essential nutrients.
Plus, since plant-based protein sources don't contain cholesterol or high amounts of saturated fat, they are much better for you than meat, eggs, and dairy products.
It is also worth noting the very strong link between animal protein and a few key diseases, including cancer and osteoporosis.
According to Dr. Ornish (this may be the most interesting link in this article, by the way -- it's worth reading the entire entry), "high-protein foods, particularly excessive animal protein, dramatically increase the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, and many other illnesses. In the short run, they may also cause kidney problems, loss of calcium in the bones, and an unhealthy metabolic state called ketosis in many people."
The cancer connection is spelled out at length in a fantastic book by Cornell scientist T. Colin Campbell, called The China Study. Basically, there is overwhelming scientific evidence to implicate that animal protein consumption causes cancer.
And just a few quick anecdotal points:
- Olympian Carl Lewis has said that his best year of track competition was the first year that he ate a vegan diet (he is still a strong proponent of vegan diets for athletes).
- Strength trainer Mike Mahler says, "Becoming a vegan had a profound effect on my training. ... [M]y bench press excelled past 315 pounds, and I noticed that I recovered much faster. My body fat also went down, and I put on 10 pounds of lean muscle in a few months."
- Bodybuilder Robert Cheeke advises, "The basics for nutrition are consuming large amounts of fresh green vegetables and a variety of fruits, to load yourself up with vibrant vitamins and minerals."
A few other vegans, all of whom sing the praises of the diet for their athletic performance: Ultimate fighter Mac Danzig, ultramarathoner Scott Jurek, Minnesota Twins pitcher Pat Neshek, Atlanta Hawks Guard Salim Stoudamire, and Kansas City Chiefs tight-end Tony Gonzalez.
And let's not forget about tennis star Martina Navratilova, six-time Ironman winner Dave Scott, four-time Mr. Universe Bill Pearl, or Stan Price, the world-record holder in bench press. They are just a few of the successful vegetarian athletes.
Basically, vegans and vegetarians needn't fret about protein, but many Americans do need to worry about their weight, heart disease, cancer, and other ailments -- many of which can be addressed by healthier eating, including a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Vegetarians and vegans get all the nutrients our bodies need from plants, and will thus, according to the science, be more likely to maintain a healthy weight and stave off a variety of ailments, from heart disease to cancer.
For answers to other popular questions about conscious eating, please check out my previous post on the topic here.
Happy eating!
Listen to Kathleen's interview with Kathy Freston:
Kathy Freston is a renowned personal-growth author and spiritual counselor. She is the author of several best-selling books on the topic of life and health, including Quantum Wellness: A Practical and Spiritual Guide to Health and Happiness. Kathy’s work has been featured in several prominent magazines and TV talk shows, including Good Morning America, The CBS Early Show and Oprah.
Read this week’s full Prevention Not Prescriptions line-up.
Related:
Buy Kathy’s book, Quantum Wellness Cleanse
One of our listener's takes the cleanse challenge
Sign up to receive The Kathleen Show on podcast
*This
article has been re-posted with permission from Kathy Freston for
Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday.
03/16/2010
Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, March 16
Welcome back to Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday. This is a weekly forum where we’re coming together to inform and inspire each other to healthier living. Tuesdays are our chance to take our health into our own hands and say “hell no” to more pills and the pharmaceutical industry’s endless search for profits.
We pay to create health problems
Dr. Neal Barnard weighs in
The luxury cruise ship was outfitted with a gymnasium, a squash court, a Turkish bath, and an on-board swimming pool, justifying the ticket price of $4,350 for first class passage. What it did not have was a hull capable of withstanding an iceberg. And on April 14, 1912, the Titanic went down.
The health care reforms proposed by the administration and in Congress all aim to provide basic health care for the uninsured, an essential goal. But unhealthy federal policies have turned health care into a luxury, with no means of fending off the icebergs that lie dead ahead. Continue reading...
Call me a "bad" doctor
By Dr Joe
@drjoesdiyhealth
From Our Show to You...
By Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau
@KathleenShow
Food, Diet & Nutrition
By Dan Overlander
@psychiclunch
By Dianne DelReyes
@AntiAgingArtist
By Lisa Corrado
@LCNutrition
Information is Inspiration
By Peggy Webb
@wwwebbs
By Scott Spicer
@scottspice
Fitness
By Susan Dopart
@smnutritionist
By Jenn Givler
@jenngivler
Self Care & Alternative Treatments
By Sharada Hall
@DrSharada
By Melissa aka "The Cellulite Analyst"
@CelluliteFiles
Personal Responsibility
By Jack Chuang
@DrGotpassport
In the media:
Health Insurance Industry Moans That It’s Being Unfairly Vilified
By igorvolsky
@ AlterNet
How Safe Is Your Cell Phone?
@ The Huffington Post
Related links:
Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, March 9 with Gail Konop Baker
"Cancer is a Bitch" wake-up call
Participate in Prevention Not Prescriptions
Prevention Not Prescriptions is on Facebook
03/15/2010
Kathy Freston and...you?
Posted by Cari @ The Kathleen Show
We love it when listeners share their stories with us. And recently we had Christine Pierangeli on the air to talk about how the show got her fired up to make some changes in her life. Christine had just heard the podcast of Kathleen’s interview with best-selling author Kathy Freston (from about a year ago) and got turned on to her 21-day Quantum Wellness Cleanse—no caffeine, no animal products, no gluten, no caffeine and no sugar. She called into the show on day 15 to report in on how she was doing…
“I’m finding that I don’t have those sugar lows that I might otherwise have. I just feel like my body is able to glide along at just a little bit of an easier, gentler pace.”
Listen to the rest of Kathleen and Christine’s conversation:
It’s so fun to hear how you’ve all been inspired by our guests. So if you want to be a caller on the show and weigh in on any of our topics or share your own story, shoot us an email.
Related:
Kathleen’s interview with Kathy Freston
Listen to past shows via Podcast
Share your stories with us on Facebook
03/10/2010
What every American needs to know about food
The Marion Nestle interview
Posted by Cari @ The Kathleen Show
“We need to be active citizens in order to protect our own health” -Dr. Marion Nestle
We have more food being produced in our country than ever before, but is that a good thing? Not when it means that food companies are encouraging people to eat more and we’re getting sicker (and bigger) every day because of it. So if you’re fired up about food like we are, Dr. Marion Nestle is your gal. She knows food. She knows what’s in it, where it comes from…and how power players are working behind the scenes to influence it, often at the expense of our health.
Kathleen recently chatted with this food guru about the food industry and its wide-reaching power to not only dictate what’s available and affordable, but also its influence over government leaders through deep pockets and campaign funding. Dr. Nestle exposes unethical marketing practices, food lobbyists and government subsidies for the ingredients that make up most of the processed junk we eat. And most importantly, she shares how we as consumers can fight back.
Listen to Dr. Marion Nestle’s interview:
Listen to Kathleen’s monologue for her thoughts on the crap food we collectively pay for with our tax dollars and expanding waistlines:
Related:
Kathleen’s interview with Michael Pollan
Cut the crap and get healthy
Buy “Food Politics” by Marion Nestle
Talk with us on Facebook
Sign up for The Kathleen Show Podcasts
03/02/2010
Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, March 2
Welcome back to Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday. This is a weekly forum where we’re coming together to inform and inspire each other to healthier living. Tuesdays are our chance to take our health into our own hands and say “hell no” to more pills and the pharmaceutical industry’s endless search for profits.
Dr. Weil's health care call to action Changes we can demand immediately
As an American, you have a right to good health care that is effective, accessible, and affordable, that serves you from infancy through old age, that allows you to go to practitioners and facilities of your choosing, and that offers a broad range of therapeutic options.
We currently have an expensive system that is not making people well. While there has been tremendous debate over access and payment, there has been less focus on the content of health care. Without a change in that content, we will never have a sustainable system; all attempts at reform will be taken down by unmanageable costs. Continue reading...
Starve a cold, feed a fever?
Quick get-healthy checklist: Ten things to fight a cold
By Dan Overlander
@psychiclunch
From Our Show to You… Undoing depression
By Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau
@KathleenShow
Personal Responsibility Childhood obesity starts with formulas?
By Susan Dopart
@smnutritionist
Food, Diet & Nutrition Clearing up the ooey, gooey mix-up about oils
By Malynn Utzinger-Wheeler
@DrMalynn What does an anti-inflammation diet have to do with longevity?
By Dianne DelReyes
@AntiAgingArtist The lazy cook's superfood tostada
Dr. Sharada Hall
@DrSharada
Information is Inspiration The recipe for a long and healthy life
By Dr. Ayala
@DrAyala Study reveals cellulite is worse after dieting
By Melissa aka "The Cellulite Analyst"
@CelluliteFiles
Fitness The irony of athleticism
By Scott Spicer
@scottspice
And your entry is next...
In the Media:
Settling The Soy Controversy
By Neal Barnard, M.D.
@ The Huffington Post
Hey, kids, look! Look! Over here! Buy this food-like product! Kids! Yoo-hoo!
By Tami Dennis
@ The Lost Angeles Times
Related:
Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, February 23 with Tara Stiles
5 steps to radiant health
Participate in Prevention Not Prescriptions
The Kathleen Show is on Facebook
03/01/2010
01/26/2010
Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, January 26
Welcome back to Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday. This is a weekly forum where we’re coming together to inform and inspire each other to healthier living. Tuesdays are our chance to take our health into our own hands and say “hell no” to more pills and the pharmaceutical industry’s endless search for profits.
Lisa Oz Gets Personal
Letting go of judgment...for a healthier mind and happier life
One of the infuriating blessings of my life is the supreme sense of irony in the universe. I don’t know if it happens to you – but every time I’m really contemptuous of something – you can bet, I’m headed right for it. Now, contempt is not an admirable emotion by anyone’s standards, but it’s one of those things we seem to fall into rather easily. That whole feeling of superiority expressed with “I would never do that” or “Can you believe they…?” has a way of sneaking into our thought and conversation. For me, the danger is not just that I’ll be internalizing a negative feeling, but that somehow, someday, I will end up living what I disdain. Read more...
Bustin' out of BETA
(She has no explanation for what was going on with her hair in this video)
@kathleenshow
Food, Diet & Nutrition
Are artificial sweeteners a healthy option?
By Dr. Ayala
@Dr. Ayala
Solving the national health care crisis with real food
By Sharada Hall
@DrSharada
10 dangerous sweeteners in Coca-Cola®
By Stefan Pinto
@stefanpinto
What you can do: Eat locally
By Dan Overlander
@psychiclunch
Another reason to ban french fries and chips from your diet
By Peggy Webb
@wwwebbs
Start your day in a better way
By Lisa Corrado
@LCNutrition
Self Care & Alternative Treatments
Get this fat burning hormone without a prescription
By Shane Ellison
@peopleschemist
Indigestion…need some relief?
By Cathy Margolin
@pacherbs
Lose weight with acupuncture
By Erin Hessel
@NYAcupuncture
Relaxation station
By Quintessence Challis
@tesschallis
Fitness
How to start an exercise routine that lasts
By Melissa
@cellulitefiles
Gaiam giveaway
By Michelle Pfennighaus
@Mpfennighaus
Personal Responsibility
Be a better you in 2010
By Dr. Joe
@drjoesDIYhealth
5 easy steps to keep your New Year’s resolutions
By Jack
@jackventures
Food fight
By Pat Barone
@PatBarone
Information is Inspiration
The real link between diabetes and obesity
By Randal Miller
@healthconsult
Get your Omega 3’s
By Susan Dopart
@smnutritionist
Happiness = Healthiness
Helping others is good for you
By Dr. Michelle Gannon
@DrMichellexo
Treat yourself with kindness today
By Mary Langfield
@MulberryMary
Live small, give big
By Aye
@GotPassport
Setting boundaries is good for your health
By Karen Anderson
@kclanderson
And your post is next…
In the Media:
Patient Safety: Conversation to Curriculum
Sleep: A Surprising Way to Lower Blood Pressure
Top Hospitals Questioned in Electronic Health Records Probe
Related:
Participate in Prevention Not Prescriptions
Prevention Not Prescriptions launch press release01/06/2010
My dance with loose leaf tea
I have been flirting with the idea of adding more tea to my life for a long time. I wanted the proven health benefits. And I needed to find an alternative to 5 cups of coffee per day and the jitters and the stomach issues that come with too much java. But I didn’t want the soggy bags. Laying everywhere. On the saucer, on my counter, in the sink. And I was uninspired by the taste. Drinking tea felt like a necessary, but not exactly pleasant, part of my day. Let the journey begin with this gorgeous video... This entry has been posted as part of Food Renegade's Fight Back Friday. Related: Partner with The Kathleen Show
Little did I know that there was an entire world lying outside of those bags—or should I say inside them? I got turned on to and fired up about the world of loose leaf tea. No bags. Beautiful, dancing leaves. Rich, flavors…both bold and subtle that tease your tongue and play with your mind. A ritual to be reckoned with.
And I never thought I’d say this, but tea has become my most anticipated time of the day.
Here’s how it happened…
I had a business meeting with Rishi Tea. Our goal was to discuss a partnership between their company and our show. I was there because Rishi met every criteria I have for potential sponsors. I had gone through my checklist twice:
Are they organic? Check. (USDA certified.) Are they passionate about producing an excellent product? Check. (Eleven 1st place awards at the 2009 World Tea Championship. And the Founder spends more time in the fields than the office. Because he loves it.) Does it benefit my audience to know about them? Check. (Jammed with antioxidants.) Are they enhancing our lives and health and planet? Check, check, check. (Rishi has a strong focus on sustainable production and Fair Trade—protecting workers and the earth where the tea originates.)
We approached Rishi Tea because of all of the above. But something unexpected happened during that meeting. They made me a cup of tea. Loose leaf tea. During the meeting. Right in front of me. And I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
It was more than the cup of tea itself. It was the ritual that struck me. In the midst of this ‘business’ meeting, watching the action of the tea being prepared—the smelling (like you’d smell a bottle of wine), the steeping (the gorgeous leaves swirling in a glass pot), the serving, and the drinking—I realized something: I needed this. This mental time out...to stop the racing of my day and of my mind. I felt relaxed and clear in a way that I haven’t felt mid-afternoon of a work day. Ever.
And so…Steeping a pot of tea has become my twice a day ritual. Once in the afternoon, which brings back a sense of calm (or should I say sanity?), focus, and creativity to my work day. And then at night as Steve and I explore (and sometimes arm wrestle over) new flavors—although both of us can enthusiastically settle on the Cinnamon Plum. (For the record Steve, my husband, is a football-loving, tool belt-wearing dude—not exactly someone who conjures up images of teatime.)
Needless to say we became partners with Rishi Tea. And I’m going on a tea journey. Learning more about the health benefits, the art of the production, the places of origin, and organic and Fair Trade methods. I’ll be sharing what I learn and hope that you can join me by reading, listening, watching, commenting… and enjoying the bliss of a daily cup of tea.
Here’s what I can recommend to start. A canister of Cinnamon Plum. A glass pot with a tea light warmer. (I like glass because I like to see the tea dance). And find some cups that speak your language. You’re good to go.
Some fun facts about Rishi:
12/15/2009
Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, December 15
Welcome back to Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday. This is a weekly forum where we’re coming together to inform and inspire each other to better health.
It's straight forward and simple. Tuesdays will be our chance to take our health into our own hands and say “hell no” to the pharmaceutical industry’s endless search for profits. Sound like something you want to be involved with? Here are the details on how to participate each week.
Once again, a big thank you to all of the contributors below who got involved this week—the last post until after the New Year. When we come back in 2010 we'll be blasting out of 'BETA' with a brand spanking new design and even more great health and wellness info. (Stay tuned for more on what’s in store for Prevention Not Prescriptions in 2010.)
Until then, enjoy the latest edition of Prevention Not Prescriptions which will have you thinking twice about what you’re putting on your face, and learning a thing or two about cholesterol (turns out it may not be as bad you thought). Enjoy!
And this isn’t your typical Prevention Not Prescriptions post, but this week we’re kicking things off with this disturbing video report. It serves as a critical reminder that we have to be thinking about the food we’re eating…
Downer pigs in the food supply
(Also check out this follow-up piece from our newest PNP contributor: Beef recall? Here we go again)
Drugs…
Cholesterol…a different view
Food, Diet & Nutrition
Mixed messages
You vs. the free radicals
Why eat an anti-inflammatory diet?
The truth of dieting
Body-driven change
Self Care & Alternative Treatments
Let’s broaden our minds…about cosmetics
Easy at-home facial & natural acne care
Fitness
Lessons from my personal Mr. Miyagi: Episode 2
Happiness = Healthiness
Why work on marriage?
And your post is next…
In the Media
Anti-soda Ad: Most Disgusting Commercial of All Time?
One for the ladies… Menopause: As Brought to You by Big Pharma
And one for the men… Sure, It’s Treatable, But Is It a Disorder?
Related:
It’s not too late: Give the gift of prevention for the holidays
Get well with…prayer
Prevention Not Prescriptions: Tuesday, December 8
I'm a filmmaker, writer, and talk radio host. After a decade of schlepping drugs for big pharma, I finally got the ovaries to walk away from my career as a pill pusher and share what I knew on the big screen. I wrote and directed the feature film Side Effects (starring Katherine Heigl) as well as...(Read full bio)
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