Diet and Lifestyle

Thank you for all the info DearLife. I should schedule a checkup with my Dr to check levels. I just wonder if I’m meeting the daily requirements I need so that’s why I think supplements can be helpful at times.

DearLife - the water / almond thing was a big media campaign by dairy & meat producers in California

The reality is that meat & dairy agriculture are way more water intensive industries.

just a few facts from Truth or Drought https://www.truthordrought.com/almond-milk-myths/

• Almonds produced in California
  • Water use: 8% of CA ag water is used to grow almonds (10% was an error spread in the media and retracted)
  • Yields: CA produces a whopping 99% of US / 80% worldwide almonds
    
• Dairy produced in California
  • Water use: 15% of CA ag water is used to grow alfalfa hay for livestock feed, used mostly for dairy, which is part of the total of 47% of California's water used for meat and dairy (note this doesn't even include the animals' drinking water or that used for sanitation, slaughter once "spent," etc.).
  • Yields: CA produces just 21% of US / 1.4% of global dairy

DearLife- Don’t feel too bad about the almonds used to make almond milk...most brands only contain 2 almonds per carton.

Moth, I have always wondered too about the “Mediterranean diet" after spending many evenings in Greek, Italian and Spanish restaurants (in North America). The food can be very rich, at least what I used to order lol. Likely in Europe the rich meals and bottles of wine are for special occasions, but here we often indulge too much when eating out.

There was an interesting article recently that found flaws in one of the major studies on the Mediterranean diet. It was about cardiovascular benefit, but there is commentary on the challenges of nutrition research. The full article is here.

https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/science-and-health/2018/6/20/17464906/mediterranean-diet-science-health-predimed

Conclusion:

“So what should I eat?

The PREDIMED retraction isn't a total dismissal of Mediterranean eating patterns, but it's a reminder of just how difficult it is to come by clear advice on precisely what people should eat for their best health.

Layered on top of the difficulties with studying nutrition is the fact that people have very strong feelings about food — from scientists to study authors to the media — and these feelings bias the research and how it's interpreted. Food is cultural, it's social, it's about our family histories and where we grew up, and it's something we all have experience with, Allison noted. It's no wonder "people become zealots" when they talk about diet.

Despite what the zealots say, there's lots of data suggesting humans can survive — and even thrive — on myriad eating patterns. The optimal diet for any individual probably varies, but in general, you can't go wrong with lots of fruits and vegetables, little junk food, and not too many calories. If you don't smoke too much, don't drink too much, and exercise regularly, you'll probably be okay. Of courses, that's easier said than done for the vast majority of people.“

This thread and apps like Daily Dozen help me stay on course with this common sense advice. 🥦🍓🏃🏻

Wow, that is a lot of "fasting." I'd be willing to try a week every month or two or three of that kind of fasting, or go completely vegan for that week, which may be simpler. The Greek diet sounds similar to the Okinawan one (another place full of centenarians) with veggies, tofu, fish and fruit. Rice doesn't seem to hurt them, maybe because they consciously eat 20% less calories than they normally would to feel full.

how much fruit do you eat? It's so healthy but has a lot of carbs and sugar.

Thanks for all the information. Do any of you have documentaries that you like? One of the first for me was forks over knives. I also watched "sugar coated" (no longer on nextflix) but I wish it still was. I found it very informative. Those two films changed the way I look at the grocery store forever. I just watched the pbs "In defense of food" and liked that one as well. Some of the others have been so so.

There was a news story this morning about estrogen and dementia. Cancer really puts some of us between a rock and a hard place with the estrogen suppression, but it was applicable to anyone in menopause. There was a book by the doctor involved in the study "Brain Food" by Lisa Mosconi. I'm thinking about getting it. I just had to do a total hysterectomy so it seems like now I'm seeing all kinds of things about lack of estrogen and health.

Warrior glad you liked the article. I liked that even if you had some extra pounds the exercise and fruit/veggies were the important factor, not your current weight.

Nonomimi, I just went to check on how much fruit was ok (because I remembered reading that there's no limit—which is good, because I like fruit!) and according to Dr. Gregor, it's pretty much open. Here's the article where he directly addresses the question.

Chelseasculler - thank you for the article.

I was eating all the fruit I wanted, but I think I am going to limit it to mostly berries and keep the carb count lower until I reach my ideal weight. I see members being recommended by their Drs to do the keto diet. Which is similar to what I am already doing minus fruit. I guess I have to eat more veggies I am on the road and can't remember if this thread already discussed the keto. Sorry if you did.

Restricted ketogenic diet: As mentioned earlier, a ketogenic diet can be an effective weapon against cancer. To do this, you need to be on a restricted ketogenic diet. By restricting your carbohydrate and calorie intake, your body loses glycogen and starts producing ketones that your healthy cells can use as energy. Because cancer cells cannot use these ketones, they starve to death.¹

^{https://articles.mercola.com/ketogenic-diet.aspx}

CCNC- I liked What the Health in Netflix. It’s a good one. All the side effects of trying to control our hormones concerns me so much. I go back on forth on hormone therapies.....

GoKale- black rice! I’ve never tried that either. Very interesting.

Nono- I hope you enjoy your trip!!! Keto’s been in and out of the discussion and I think we can all agree about limiting the sugar in our diets.

As for fruit- maybe you guys can relate,I’ve realized that I don’t even come close to eating an over abundance of it. When I first started limiting carbs, I thought I might have to limit fruit but when I calculated my daily intake, I don’t come close to, what’s the daily recommendations- is it 5 servings so 5 cups?? I think I eat maybe 2 cups a day. I eat often but I guess I just don’t eat that much. I’m a snackaholic 😉

Hi, guys. Just wanted to say that I was on Dukane diet for years. It's very similar to Keto diet, but with less fat. Still got cancer. Tried Keto diet as well, couldn't stay on it. My body was fighting all the fat I was supposed to eat. I was constantly nauseous. That said, I still cook some Keto dishes that include veggies, but half the amount of fat in the recipe. Now post diagnosis I am trying Mediterranean diet and so far I am loving it. That is, I will return to loving it once my taste buds come back

This thread is extremely useful. Glad to have found it.