Real Food Nutrition: Lesson 9: liver, gut, thyroid, and adrenal function
Unless you are interested in nutrition, there's no need to read this post, even if you are my LJ Friend.
Liver
My liver is damaged from barbiturates, anti epileptics and pain killers as a child and I had drug-induced hepatitis when I was 15-16. I know I need to take care of my liver better and better the older I get. This lesson is only a beginning of learning for me.
As an experiment, I let the house run out of sugars for November and December until last week (December 23). I bought fair trade bulk demerarra and raw cane sugar (sucanat) in case we needed it (and we didn't) but I did have a spoonful in a cup of fair trade organic decaf coffee Christmas morning. I've decided I'm not a fan of stevia, I enjoy my soymilk slightly salted and slightly sweetened and that we can't get by around here without a little maple syrup. Other than pre made soy/almond/rice milk, chocolate and a little maple syrup on our porridge, we don't eat much sugar in our house, largely because we don't have packaged foods (to my teenager's dismay).
Oh and I am doing something about my bad liver!
1. I am taking bitters daily.
2. I eat cruciferous vegetables lightly cooked (broccoli, caultiflower and kales) and fermented (kim chi, sauerkraut) daily.
3. When I'm feeling liver yuk coming on, I drink lemon juice and water in the morning to cleanse the liver.
4. I don't drink alcohol often.
5. I don't eat much sugar - maybe a teaspoon or two a day, plus dark chocolate and cookies when offered.
6. I am figuring out ways to balance the omega 6 and 3 ratios in the foods I eat without aggravbating my digestion from food intolerances (most animal products including eggs = bummer). My margarine is Earth Balance Non GMO trans fat free
I've brought in coconut oil http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/713
and coconut butter http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/988 to sell in my clinic so I have cases in my kitchen!
7. I take D Drops from time to time - a vitamin D3 supplement.
You put a drop on the back of your hand and lick it off. I get around almost exclusively by cycling and walking, so I get sunshine daily. (Shockingly, some people don't!)
in 2011 I plan to:
1. Learn more about the liver's work and how to support it.
2. Find out the status of my liver.
3. Make the necessary adjustments to my diet and cuisine.
Germ Theory versus Terrain Theory
To be fair to Pasteur, not believing in germs is a problem, too. Doctors used to mock midwives for boiling things and washing their hands. Florence Nightingale reduced deaths in one hospital in two weeks simply by having it cleaned and kept clean during the Crimean War. At the turn of the 20th century, providing sanitation and clean water in the cities was the most important means of reducing disease, and infant mortality in particular.
I am sure that malnutrition played a role in disease and mortality then, and I am sure that it plays THE major role in disease now in the global north west. I don't believe it's an either/or situation. We need both the terrain and germ theory to explain communicable disease in humans.
The suggestion that the "TB" 's bacterial infection is the result and not the cause of disease is interesting. We know that fewer than 10% of infected people develop TB, and that those who do are stressed by immigration, malnutrition, trauma, homelessness and/or addictions.
Public policy is still focussed on reducing contagion through sanitary measures - a throwback to the old days. We need to refocus public policy on strengthening human health overall through clean, available public water, good, affordable nutrition and healthy, affordable living conditions.
The Assignment
Keep a food diary for 3 days. Keep track of everything you eat and drink, even if it’s just a bite of something. Use the diary to answer the discussion questions listed above. If desired, you may even use the nutrient info at www.fitday.com to check out your daily breakdown of macro and micro nutrients. Did you get any surprises? For your Main Lesson Book: Present your food diary in an attractive, artistic way.
Day 1:
7am: coffee decaf with soy creamer
10am: Xana's leftover oatmeal porridge with chocolate almond milk
12:45pm: I took my bitters when I accepted Pete's offer of lunch
1pm: Pete brought me curried chicken with green peas and rice
Afternoon: I snacked on raw nuts and a few raisins in my clinic
7pm: Vegetable noodle soup with leftovers, of course
Day 2:
9-11am: chai vanilla roibos tea with soy creamer
10am: Xana's leftover oatmeal porridge with chocolate almond milk
11:45am: I took my bitters and ate raw vegetables with Thai peanut sauce
12pm: Pete brought me bacon, eggs and hash browns
Afternoon: I snacked on raw nuts and an organic plum in my clinic
7pm: Mashed potatoes with carrots and parnsips in cashew sauce
Day 3:
9-11am: lemon balm tea
10am: banana
11 am: bitters
12pm: hemp bar
Afternoon: raw nuts and almond milk
7pm: hot and sour soup with sweet corn and tofu
My observations are:
I eat erratically.
I eat late in the day.
I have a hard time eating alone, but also sitting down to a meal.
I mostly prepare food for Xana with her in mind.
The only meals I eat are from Pete.
I snack on raw vegetables and fruits when I prepare them for my clients.
2011 resolution:
Sit down to eat breakfast with Xana.
Take probiotics with every meal and vitamine water with our breakfasts.
Have bitters and a tablespoon of coconut oil or butter when I get up.
Make steamed rice and greens, and other things I am completely tolerant of.
Stop eating anything I am intolerant of for a while.
Take the bowel cleanse capsules after I finish the bottle of bitters.
Learn to sprout more than alfalfa.
Observe my heart rate, nausea, fatigue and anxiety after eating each food/meal.
Liver
My liver is damaged from barbiturates, anti epileptics and pain killers as a child and I had drug-induced hepatitis when I was 15-16. I know I need to take care of my liver better and better the older I get. This lesson is only a beginning of learning for me.
As an experiment, I let the house run out of sugars for November and December until last week (December 23). I bought fair trade bulk demerarra and raw cane sugar (sucanat) in case we needed it (and we didn't) but I did have a spoonful in a cup of fair trade organic decaf coffee Christmas morning. I've decided I'm not a fan of stevia, I enjoy my soymilk slightly salted and slightly sweetened and that we can't get by around here without a little maple syrup. Other than pre made soy/almond/rice milk, chocolate and a little maple syrup on our porridge, we don't eat much sugar in our house, largely because we don't have packaged foods (to my teenager's dismay).
Oh and I am doing something about my bad liver!
1. I am taking bitters daily.
2. I eat cruciferous vegetables lightly cooked (broccoli, caultiflower and kales) and fermented (kim chi, sauerkraut) daily.
3. When I'm feeling liver yuk coming on, I drink lemon juice and water in the morning to cleanse the liver.
4. I don't drink alcohol often.
5. I don't eat much sugar - maybe a teaspoon or two a day, plus dark chocolate and cookies when offered.
6. I am figuring out ways to balance the omega 6 and 3 ratios in the foods I eat without aggravbating my digestion from food intolerances (most animal products including eggs = bummer). My margarine is Earth Balance Non GMO trans fat free
I've brought in coconut oil http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/713
and coconut butter http://www.anarreshealth.ca/node/988 to sell in my clinic so I have cases in my kitchen!
7. I take D Drops from time to time - a vitamin D3 supplement.
You put a drop on the back of your hand and lick it off. I get around almost exclusively by cycling and walking, so I get sunshine daily. (Shockingly, some people don't!)
in 2011 I plan to:
1. Learn more about the liver's work and how to support it.
2. Find out the status of my liver.
3. Make the necessary adjustments to my diet and cuisine.
Germ Theory versus Terrain Theory
To be fair to Pasteur, not believing in germs is a problem, too. Doctors used to mock midwives for boiling things and washing their hands. Florence Nightingale reduced deaths in one hospital in two weeks simply by having it cleaned and kept clean during the Crimean War. At the turn of the 20th century, providing sanitation and clean water in the cities was the most important means of reducing disease, and infant mortality in particular.
I am sure that malnutrition played a role in disease and mortality then, and I am sure that it plays THE major role in disease now in the global north west. I don't believe it's an either/or situation. We need both the terrain and germ theory to explain communicable disease in humans.
The suggestion that the "TB" 's bacterial infection is the result and not the cause of disease is interesting. We know that fewer than 10% of infected people develop TB, and that those who do are stressed by immigration, malnutrition, trauma, homelessness and/or addictions.
Public policy is still focussed on reducing contagion through sanitary measures - a throwback to the old days. We need to refocus public policy on strengthening human health overall through clean, available public water, good, affordable nutrition and healthy, affordable living conditions.
The Assignment
Keep a food diary for 3 days. Keep track of everything you eat and drink, even if it’s just a bite of something. Use the diary to answer the discussion questions listed above. If desired, you may even use the nutrient info at www.fitday.com to check out your daily breakdown of macro and micro nutrients. Did you get any surprises? For your Main Lesson Book: Present your food diary in an attractive, artistic way.
Day 1:
7am: coffee decaf with soy creamer
10am: Xana's leftover oatmeal porridge with chocolate almond milk
12:45pm: I took my bitters when I accepted Pete's offer of lunch
1pm: Pete brought me curried chicken with green peas and rice
Afternoon: I snacked on raw nuts and a few raisins in my clinic
7pm: Vegetable noodle soup with leftovers, of course
Day 2:
9-11am: chai vanilla roibos tea with soy creamer
10am: Xana's leftover oatmeal porridge with chocolate almond milk
11:45am: I took my bitters and ate raw vegetables with Thai peanut sauce
12pm: Pete brought me bacon, eggs and hash browns
Afternoon: I snacked on raw nuts and an organic plum in my clinic
7pm: Mashed potatoes with carrots and parnsips in cashew sauce
Day 3:
9-11am: lemon balm tea
10am: banana
11 am: bitters
12pm: hemp bar
Afternoon: raw nuts and almond milk
7pm: hot and sour soup with sweet corn and tofu
My observations are:
I eat erratically.
I eat late in the day.
I have a hard time eating alone, but also sitting down to a meal.
I mostly prepare food for Xana with her in mind.
The only meals I eat are from Pete.
I snack on raw vegetables and fruits when I prepare them for my clients.
2011 resolution:
Sit down to eat breakfast with Xana.
Take probiotics with every meal and vitamine water with our breakfasts.
Have bitters and a tablespoon of coconut oil or butter when I get up.
Make steamed rice and greens, and other things I am completely tolerant of.
Stop eating anything I am intolerant of for a while.
Take the bowel cleanse capsules after I finish the bottle of bitters.
Learn to sprout more than alfalfa.
Observe my heart rate, nausea, fatigue and anxiety after eating each food/meal.