While I no longer have to worry about my bone strength, I’m once again battling weight gain. Over the past year or so, I have gained about 12 pounds, which has pushed me up a full dress size. I’m still on the alkaline diet, so the gain has really puzzled me.
I came across this title, Is Your Thyroid Making You Fat? by Dr. Sanford Siegal, and was intrigued. A few years ago when Dr. Rogers’ practice was still open, he had prescribed thyroid support for me, first in the form of Armour Thyroid, then later scaling down to the MedCaps T3 supplement from Xymogen. This year I have not been taking any thyroid supplements. Could an underactive thyroid be the culprit that is causing my weight to creep back up?
Dr. Siegal, the author of the book, specializes in helping patients lose weight. The book should be here in a couple of days. I’ll let you know what I find out.
What it’s for: Anything you would use regular cream cheese for, such as bagels, waffles, dressings, casseroles, and other recipes that list cream cheese as an ingredient.
What’s good about it: Tastes sensational, and it’s non hydrogenated!
What’s bad about it: Still have to be careful of the calories.
It’s better than: Tofutti “Better Than Cream Cheese” containing partially hydrogenated oils.
It’s not as good as: Philadephia brand Cream Cheese tastes even better, but hey, “Better Than Cream Cheese” is better for your body and your bones!
Why I use this product: The body needs natural oils for the essential fatty acids that are used in “almost every major organ, in cell membrane production, and immune system function.” Hydrogenated oils are not natural. Hydrogenated oils are molecularly changed oils that are toxic to the body. They are so toxic that scores of research studies have concluded that hydrogenated oils are “Silent Killers” that dramatically increase the risk of coronary heart disease, breast cancer, other types of cancer, diabetes type II, and auto immune diseases, as well as autism and food allergies. To read more about this ubiquitous danger to our health, check out columnist David Lawrence Dewey’s article, “Hydrogenated Oils-Silent Killers,” at http://dldewey.com/hydroil.htm.
Best place to get it: I buy this product at my local health food store.
For more information about the product, visit these websites: http://www.tofutti.com/btcc-nonhyd.shtml and
http://www.godairyfree.org/Product-Reviews/Alternatives-Cheese/Tofutti-Better-Than-Cream-Cheese-Non-Hydrogenated-Vegan-Gluten-Free.html
Similar settings–a diagnosis of osteoporosis in mid-life–but two different plot lines. Reading these stories will make you grateful you’ve chosen to fight osteoporosis naturally. After all, the only side effect of the alkaline diet, weight-bearing exercise, and daily sunlight is…good health!
Read “A Tale of Two Ladies: Which Would You Rather Be?” at:
http://saveourbones.com/a-tale-of-two-ladies/
Tags: Osteoporosis treatment
Here’s a sumptuous soup for four that is good for your bones and takes only about a half an hour to cook, from start to finish!
You will need:
1 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or other large saucepan
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups coarsely shredded carrots (3 medium) or matchstick carrots
1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 cup thinly sliced celery (2 stalks)
1 32-ounce box of No MSG chicken broth (Do not dilute!)
1 1/2 cups of Mrs. Leeper’s Organic Rice Alphabets (ABC’s) pasta
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese or shredded Italian 5-cheese mixture
1/2 teaspoon of No MSG Lowry’s Seasoned Salt
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
In Dutch oven, cook garlic in oil over medium heat for 15 seconds. Add carrots, onion, and celery, and cook until tender, stirring occasionally. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add pasta and simmer for 7-10 minutes, uncovered, until the pasta is tender. Ladle soup into 4 bowls and top each with a tablespoon of shredded cheese and a 1/2 tablespoon of fresh parsley. Optional: Serve with toasted millet bread or Ezekiel bread.
Delicious!
Recently, Eva Alexander, author of “The Mediterranean Diet Blog”, wrote me about the similarities between the OsteoDiet and the Mediterranean Diet. I had never heard of the Mediterranean Diet before, so Eva filled me in on the details. Furthermore, she offered to write this guest column for OsteoDiet.com to explain the similarities in more detail. For more information, please visit Eva Alexander’s website at http://mediterraneandiet.org.uk.
The Secret of the Mediterranean Diet
a) Mediterranean diet is high in fat content. Can people enjoy weight loss and optimum weight management if they follow this diet?
To some extent, Mediterranean diet really has a high fat content. But you have to take note that the fat content of a Mediterranean diet consists of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. These fats are essential and healthy for your body unlike the saturated fat which is common in American diet. Do take note also that calorie intake is the determining factor for weight loss and not fat consumption. If you follow the Mediterranean diet, you will enjoy lots of healthy benefits but you still need to lower your daily calorie consumption to achieve weight loss.
b) In simple terms, what is the principal difference between the Standard American diet and the Mediterranean diet?
Americans consume high numbers of red meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy, while the Mediterranean includes very little. The diet also differs from the typical American diet through its dependence on fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, olive oil, beans, breads, cereals, and potatoes.
c) Is it true that Mediterranean diet played a major role in lowering the rate of heart disease in the region?
Diet is a major factor in lowering the incidences of heart disease in the Mediterranean region. This has been proven by research and studies conducted by health and diet experts. Another big factor is the holistic approach of the Mediterranean diet. This diet does not only focus on foods but on maintaining a healthy lifestyle as well.
d) Does regular exercise has a place in the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle?
Exercise plays an important role for Mediterranean diet. When this diet was developed, the people of Mediterranean were already a big fan of exercise and physical activities. This is the basis why Mediterranean diet includes regular exercises in its overall program. Essentially, a daily one-hour walk is needed. You should also perform once a week full body exercises.
e) How the Mediterranean diet differ from the Low Carb diet?
There is a sea of difference between these two diets. With the Mediterranean diet, your protein consumption would be lower. Normally, you will get 15 percent of your calorie consumption from the protein content of a Mediterranean diet.
f) People noticed that wine is an important part of Mediterranean diet. What is the recommended daily wine consumption?
Men should generally get 5 percent calories from wine while women should consume 2.5 percent calories. As a rule, always drink wine in low to moderate amounts daily to enjoy best results.
g) Final Recommendations
There are loads of benefits that you can enjoy from Mediterranean diet. This diet focuses on healthier food options like root crops, fruits, cereals, breads, vegetables, and Omega 3-rich foods. You will be able to prevent heart diseases if you follow the Mediterranean diet.
About the Author – Eva Alexander writes for The Mediterranean Diet Blog, her personal hobby blog focused on tips to eat healthy on the Mediterranean way.
Breakfast: Millet flakes with blueberries and almonds, large glass of water with lemon juice and Vitality C powder, supplements
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Cocoa Cherry Standard Bar, Computer Salad, water
Snack: 3 Almond Butter Balls
Supper: Quick-Fix Alphabet Soup, Water with lemon, supplements
Bedtime: 1/2 cup Purely Decadent brand Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert Made with Coconut Milk (Recommended by my doctor and only 150 calories per serving!)
Every now and then, the effort to cook and eat only those foods that build strong bones and a healthy body can result in feeling sorry for yourself. You watch other people eating foods you know you must avoid, and you wonder, “Why me? Why do I have to miss out?” 