Suthin Liptawat

Eating Well,Organic Or Not?

While browsing through the magazine rack today at Barnes and Nobles,my favorite bookstore,I stumble upon the Eating Well magazine. On the cover,there is a headline: WHEN TO BUY ORGANIC,A COSUMER GUIDE.

This " When to buy organic" article is written by Peter Jarett. The author poses several questions.

Is organic produce safer? Is organic more nutritious? Is organic friendlier to the enviroment? Is it worth spending more for organically grown food?

The article is fair to both sides of the debate. I interpreted that the author told us to choose produce wisely and keep in mind that organic produce is 50% more expensive.

The 7 Myths That Make You Gain Weight

Another diet and nutrition book?

Yes! I just finish reading Ultra-Metabolism,the simple plan foe automatic weight loss,by Mark Hyman,M.D.

The 7 myths mentioned in the very beginning of the book are:The Starvation Myth,The Calorie Myth, The Fat Myth, The Carb Myth, The Sumo wrestler Myth, The French Paradox Myth And The Protector Myth.

Just avoid the myths mentioned above,anyone will have a good start in maintaining or losing weight.

At the beginning of the book,there are a lot of researched theories about the concept of ultrametabolism which at first they are a little difficult for any lay person to understand. But if you are patient enough to read through the whole book you will begin to understand the concepts of losing weight automatically.

I really like the several questionnaires in the book,such as How Is The Stress Response Affecting You? or How Inflamed Are You? If you score high in these questionnaires,you better do something about it or talk to your doctor what to do about it?.  I score 3 on both questionnaires. It made me feel good but not complacent.

This book,Ultrametabolism, is an excellent tool for both health-care consumers to use and for professionals to teach their patients.

Unable to take Statins,A Dilemma

I am sure there are a lot of physicians out there who,like me, are frustrated that their patients can't take any brand of the statin drugs because of it's side effects.

We all know that certain foods will reduce cholesterol but where do we find  a good and safe diet plan for our patients to follow.

There are very good advices in the two books: The Sonoma Diet and Superfoods Health Style mentioned in my previous posts.

During my googling to research about the almond nut,a super food,I found the PortfolioEatingPlan brought  to us by the Almond Board of California.

The following are adapted from the Almond Board of California with it's permission.

Kiwi and Your Heart

I used to hate the fruit called kiwi. The  book,SuperFoods HealthStyles, by Steven G. Pratt,M.D. and Kathy Matthews,converted me.

One of the beauty of this book is that it lists the so-called Superfoods. Kiwi is one of them.  It mentions the benefits of this fruit with reliable reference. Besides lowering the blood triglycerides level,it also has an antiplatelet activities. The book cited a good study to back up these claims.

Kiwi also is a source of Vitamin C,Vitamin E,Folate,Fiber,Carotenoids,Polyphenols and more.

Did I tried kiwi yet? Of course yes,and I love it now. My wife used to buy it in the past but I always brushed it aside. Besides teasing me for being a convert,she mentions that it is quite difficult to eat the kiwi fruit at the right time. After being bought from the store,she let it get ripened. When it feels slightly soft to a very light squeeze,it's time to eat it.

There are many,many more useful information about other SuperFoods listed by the authors.

I highly recommend this book. Together with the other book,The Sonoma Diet,it will guide anyone to eat healthily and not gaining weight.