The BTD/GTD Blogs

In honor of the 4th of July, I served red, white, and blue food last night for a church party at our house. The food at church parties is like the food at parties everywhere – mostly chips and desserts with an occasional veggie or fruit tray. I didn’t want to do chips or desserts, because I didn’t want leftovers. As long as there is no junk food in the house, my Honorable Husband sticks to the BTD and keeps his blood sugar in the normal range, but if corn or sugar based snacks are available he eats them.

I decided that since the weather has been so hot and dry, that I would just serve fruit. It sounded cool and refreshing to me. At the store DD and I joked that the fresh fruit colors went along with the 4th of July. The idea stuck with me, and I decided to go with the theme.

At one end of my dining room table I had a big white bowl filled with watermelon. (By the way, the yellow spot technique that I blogged about earlier has worked. I have a 100% record for sweet watermelons this year.) At the other end of the table I had a tray arranged with cherries, white grapes and blueberries in stripes. I made a centerpiece of paper firecrackers and American flags. I used white plates and red napkins. It was very cute.

I served peppermint green tea and pineapple juice. Two people told me how glad they were that I served fruit. The youth really enjoyed the green tea. Best of all, we can freely enjoy the leftovers.

I can’t resist saying a word about the title of this blog. When I was in high school I worked at Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Parlor. That is where I first heard the phrase “Red White and Blueberry.” It was their featured July flavor of the month. Thinking of myself working at an ice cream parlor makes me shake my head and smile. I’ve certainly come a long way since then!

I talked to my sister-in-law about how she lost a lot of weight. She's not on BTD or anything, but ate the same things every day and nothing more, with absolutely no cheating. These things were simple, easy and predictable. So I'm trying to come up with a similar plan. I like to mix things up, and try new recipes and foods, but I've been very lacking in the routine department since my second was born. Giving up eggs as an explorer made it harder, because those were my breakfast routine for oh so long.

The benefits of a routine are that it doesn't require much thinking or advanced planning, just toss the same thing together. In the long run, it's healthier to mix things up and get more variety, but routine is my weak point, mixing up is my specialty. The point is to avoid skipping meals or being low on vital nutrients, that helps avoid cravings and cheating.

The mush in my last blog is my new breakfast routine. I sometimes chop a whole apple into it, instead of apple sauce, and grated apple would be great in it too. It's filling enough on its own, but adding some natural turkey bacon or a vegetable on the side is always a nice touch. I could probably add whey protein powder to it, but I prefer to save that for a smoothie. If I feel bored of mush, my second option is salad...it's great at breakfast time.

Lunch routine is tougher, as I usually have a pretty late breakfast. Lunch is a good time to chop up some raw vegetables and maybe cook a turkey or bison burger. Fresh mozzarella makes a frequent occurence at lunch time. I can snack on the veggie stick later in the day if I crave something crunchy...raw kohlrabi, raw turnips, radishes, they're all good.

I don't do any real major cooking until dinner time. I don't really need a dinner routine for that reason, I'm usually more organized by dinnertime and can make a healthy dinner with veggies and salad.

I'll start with the recipe:

1 cup water (bring to boil)
pinch of salt
1/2 Cup Quinoa Flakes or Rolled quinoa*
2 Tablespoons chia seeds (whole, or ground)
1/2 cup applesauce (apple juice sweetened)
1 Tablespoon vegetable glycerine or agave nectar

Add the quinoa and chia to boiling water, reduce heat and let bubble slowly for a couple minutes, turn off heat, and let sit for another couple minutes. Add applesauce and sweetener, stir and enjoy.

*azure standard has a good price on these in bulk, I've made them with a grain flaker as well, and it worked fine although they weren't as pretty, not that pretty matters once it's mush.

Recently I've come to the conclusion that what I've been lacking since the birth of my second child has been routine. I need a fall-back menu, something that's healthy, to always have on hand for times when I don't plan or shop for anything more exciting.

STUDY: Eating right can lower cancer, heart disease risks

JOURNAL: American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)

AUTHORS:

ABSTRACT: Along with national statistics identifying an increase in both adult and childhood obesity, new studies show that the negative effects of obesity and excess calorie consumption give us even more reasons for concern. A recent report from AARP, the organization for people age 50 and over, cautions, “Although Americans age 50+ are healthier, with fewer smoking and more using preventive services and trying to exercise, obesity could cancel out many of the gains.”

COMMENTARY: A landmark report from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), on how eating habits influence cancer risk, concludes that maintaining a healthy weight probably plays a significant role in preventing several cancers. Since then, studies have demonstrated that excess calorie consumption can affect insulin metabolism, possibly increasing the risk of colon and other cancers.

Avoiding excess calories, on the other hand, reduces possible cancer-causing damage to our genes’ DNA and enhances its repair. Research at the National Cancer Institute, for example, shows that moderate restriction of calorie consumption reduces the number of pre-cancerous intestinal polyps in mice with a genetic tendency to develop these cancers.

Controlling excess weight seems to offer heart health benefits as well. We’ve known for some time that obesity is linked to high blood pressure and diabetes, both of which increase the risk of heart disease. One of the newer heart risks under study involves levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), which seems to be a marker of infections or inflammation in the body. Higher CRP is also often seen in conjunction with obesity, suggesting that obesity may somehow be associated with low-grade inflammation. A recent study in the journal Circulation, involving obese women with elevated CRP, showed that when they lost an average of 33 pounds, their CRP levels dropped 32 percent.

Experts are cautious about responding to this growing list of weight-related hazards with over-zealous approaches. Studies show that when people try to lose weight by overly restricting calories or the foods allowed, they often rebound with tendencies to binge.

Research shows that the increase in obesity in our country has come at a time of greatly increasing portion sizes, so simply cutting back to more appropriate portions may be all that’s needed.

AICR encourages consumers to use a common-sense approach to weight control with its “New American Plate.” This new approach to eating, which calls for at least two-thirds of our plates to be filled with vegetables, fruits and whole grains, will automatically lower our calorie counts. Even better, with this approach we also boost our intake of the nutrients, fiber and phytochemicals that help protect against cancer and heart disease.

What an amazing conference Martha and Peter held in Norwalk, CT. With the assistance of their wonderful staff they made this delightful weekend a mix of fun and work. I had to laugh at Martha, Peter's wife and time keeper, as she flashed signs to let him know that he only had minutes left before a break. The energy that is expended at these things is enormous and the fact that Dr. D'Adamo makes himself available to conference attendees for personal face time is extraordinary.

I connected with a few friends and made some new ones that I hope I'll see again over the years to come. One friend I ran into was Pat, a fun woman I met in Tennenesse last year. She is a person of great wisdom who has a desire to share her story of how the genotype diet changed her life. Speaking with her, you'll find her enthusiasm infectious as she talks about her diet and her favorite diamond foods. One combination she shared was to dip broccoli in molasses. Boy, is that good! She also told me of her personal goal to just get people to know their genotype and their diamond foods. What a great goal, I loved the simplicity of her message.

After the conference in TN I came away with a sense of urgency regarding the message of the blood type/genotype diet. I wanted to be just like Larry ( call it Larry envy). I wanted to hold classes and get groups together just like Larry does in TN. In short time, however, I found that I am not very good in front of groups of people. At the close of this IFHI conference I felt that same urgency of the message but recognized that my method needed to change to fit my personality better. Well, after talking with Pat I realized all I need to do is offer to measure people, tell them their Genotype, share the information and let them figure it out. Some will be intrigued enough to try it, at least for a few weeks, but ultimately it is solely up to them. Presently my goal is to measure 50 people, a goal I have already begun but will report on at a later time.

At the conference one of the practitioners, an ND, was talking about how a doctor in Conn. was looking for someone to do the SWAMI on his patients in his office. Wow, was all I thought as my mind exploded with the possibilities of something like this. I think I would like that role in a doctors office. I would have access to all the lab work to enter in the SWAMI, and the patients history. Plus you could do all sorts of teaching with people. What a tool that will be for his patients to have. I have great respect for this physician who is willing to pay someone to do this for his patients. He surely must be an unusually person.

I am also thinking of going to school in 2010 to get a Masters degree in Nursing Education. NYS has scholarships available because the growing demand for educators is so great. I would have to teach in a college after I graduate, but what better venue than to talk to young people about individualized nutrition and the Genotype diet.

Always love to hear about you and your personal goals so why not leave me comment here and I will post them.
A special note to Eric the GT Teacher who I met in Tenn. and again in Conn. I am working on changing my photo on this blog,

Patella femoral pain syndrome. I now have a name for my knee pain. SS took a course in joint dysfunction in the spring. He asked me lots of questions during the semester about what hurt and what didn’t because he was wavering between two knee problems that have similar symptoms.

The good news about Patella femoral is that it rarely, if ever, requires surgery, and it is the least debilitating of all the knee problems. The bad news is that it is the slowest and most difficult recovery.

If I have been sitting for a long time my knee hurts when I get up. However once I’m moving around, I feel little or no pain. My knees hurt going up and down stairs, particularly if I don’t keep my toes pointed straight ahead. (I am SO glad we built a one-story house.) It doesn’t hurt to run, swim, or ride my bike, but exercises that involve lunges are very painful. Not surprising to me at all is that it is aggravated by poor arch support and the tendency to pronate.

In May SS gave me six exercises to do. He said that with some physical therapy, you have to push through the pain. Patella femoral is not one of those conditions. He said that if any of the exercises made my knees hurt or pop to stop immediately. Two of them caused pain, so I just did the other four until he came home last week.

He watched me do the exercises and said my form was good on all but one of them. Someone will have to spot me on that one until the muscle he is trying to isolate gets stronger. The two exercises that hurt were for my quads. SS said that strengthening my quads is the single most important thing to do. He modified those two exercises in such a way that I’m working my quads, but not hurting my knee. Other muscles that impact Patella Femoral are abductors, hip external rotators, hip extensors.

It was gratifying to me as a Mom to watch him work, and to see how his manner was both firm and gentle. He found it helpful to spend an unlimited amount of time watching me move and modifying the exercises. He says he never gets to spend that much time with a patient in a clinic situation. I’m probably biased, but I think he will make a wonderful physical therapist.

He tells me that inflammation is not a factor in Patella Femoral Syndrome. I would concur that there has been no swelling or stiffness in the joint. However, since inflammation is such a big issue for Hunters, I can’t help wonder if there isn’t some low level of inflammation that contributes to the pain. Or perhaps physical therapists and naturopaths use different definitions for inflammation. I’m going to look into inflammation protocols.

What I am most curious about is which came first – the chicken or the egg? Or in my case - did arch problems cause my quad to deteriorate to the point that it couldn’t support my knee cap, or did weak quads and hip muscles cause me to walk awkwardly and affect my feet?

I suspect there may be a genetic component to this problem. My father told of his army days when he was marching across Italy and his feet and legs hurt so bad that he thought he couldn’t take another step. He stopped by the side of the road, stuffed dry grass under his arches, and felt immediate relief. My Mom’s knees hurt if she sits for too long. The pain has caused her to stop attending both Sunday School and church. It’s just too much sitting.

I’m hoping that if correct the underlying muscle weakness, I may find a permanent solution to both my knee and foot problems.

You probably know more about my knees that you ever wanted to know. I got off on this tangent because of a thread on the Forum. DD and I have tried some new recipes, and I’ll get back to blogging about beneficials and avoids next time.

STUDY: A fairly large decrease in CRP levels with vitamins.

JOURNAL: Nutrition Week 2003

AUTHORS: Dr. Timothy S. Church

ABSTRACT: Multivitamin use is associated with a significant reduction in C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, which could reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

COMMENTARY: The findings are based on a study of 88 subjects who were randomized to receive a multivitamin or placebo once daily for 6 months. CRP and vitamin levels were measured at baseline and at the end of the trial.

"The study was originally designed to assess the effects of multivitamin use on LDL and homocysteine levels. After some reports suggested that vitamin E may decrease CRP levels, I decided to reanalyze the blood samples from our study to determine the effect of multivitamin use on CRP levels," Dr. Church added.

To eliminate the potential confounding effects of perimenopause, the researchers limited their analysis to blood samples taken from men or postmenopausal women.

Dr. Church presented his team's findings at Nutrition Week 2003, an annual meeting sponsored by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

"In the multivitamin group, we observed a fairly large decrease in CRP levels," Dr. Church noted. After adjustment, the mean CRP decline was -0.58 mg/L (p = 0.02). In contrast, a slight increase in CRP levels (+0.18 mg/L) occurred in the placebo group.

The magnitude of the reduction is probably too great to be accounted for by the vitamin E present in the formulation, Dr. Church said. "Based on recent reports, I think the effect was probably due to the vitamin B6 and C present.

QUESTION: I'm a Type A. Have had persistent stomach problems over the past 6 years. Your blood type diet has been my only true source of relief from my symptoms. Thank-you! Have also experienced a chronic ear itch? What is your recommendation?

ANSWER: Considerable evidence has been accumulated showing that carbohydrate-containing blood group antigens represent prime candidates for the specific interaction with microbial surface lectins in infectious diseases.

It is known that the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common cause of external ear infections, has a preference for type A. Apparently, P. aeruginosa produces a LECTIN (1) specific for blood type A antigen, which they use to adhere to the inner ear canal wall. This lead the researchers to conclude "these results indicate that patients presenting with blood group A may have a genetic predisposition to this form of otitis externa."

In another study, the ABO blood groups of 610 patients with documented secretory otitis media (SOM) were compared with those of a control group. In in SOM a preponderance of group A or shortage of group O was statistically significant.(2)

The best treatment consists of a few drops of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) added to the ears before bed, and wick out in the morning (never place cotton swabs within the ear canal). Alternative treatments include using olive oil to which some fresh garlic oil has been expressed, or one of the many other formulas containing olive oil, garlic and mullein sold in many pharmacies or health food stores. As with any treatment common sense should dictate that if the ear is draining, red, swollen or painful, medical advice should be sought instead.

1.Steuer MK, Hofstadter F, Probster L, Beuth J, Strutz J. Are ABH antigenic determinants on human outer ear canal epithelium responsible for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections? ORL J Otorhinolaryngol Relat Spec. 1995 May-Jun;57(3):148-52

2. Mortensen EH, Lildholdt T, Gammelgard NP, Christensen PH. Related Articles Distribution of ABO blood groups in secretory otitis media and cholesteatoma. Clin Otolaryngol. 1983 Aug;8(4):263-5.