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Posted by: | on October 4, 2019

Vegan Life in Sarasota, FL

Vegan Life in Sarasota

Vegan goes mainstream.

I’m always willing to try the latest food craze, and my interest was on high alert when I met Chantal; a petite woman with a T-shirt proudly displaying VEGAN on the front. (She made it.) We made plans to meet for lunch at a later date where I would pick her brain about being a vegan. Recently, I’m just getting away from the Keto diet; a very meat and dairy based diet, and to tell you the truth, it was really against my grain to eat all the animal products. A vegan diet was something that sounded more like my style. Tip! Watch the movie Forks Over Knives available on Netflix.

Vegan VS. Vegetarian

The most asked question when I say VEGAN is what is the difference between a vegan and a vegetarian? Vegetarians will not eat meat but will consume animal products such as dairy. Vegans will not eat any animal products and some go so far as to not eat anything that has a connection to animals. For example, honey.

On a beautiful day in July, I met with Chantal  at Simon’s Restaurant in Sarasota, FL.  Hesitant at first to go to Simon’s because of an unpleasant experience I had around 10 years ago, I decided to give them another try after Chantal suggested it is a good spot for a vegan meal.Glad I did.

Simon’s is located in a unimpressive strip mall, but once inside we found a very inviting atmosphere of cafe tables and a friendly wait staff. Here is a picture of the menu board with interesting looking choices.

We ordered an Indian vegan dish, and I began my interview. Chantal said she came from a typical middle class family where dinner was served at the kitchen table each night. Meat, starch, and vegetables. Only on special occasions would they have dessert, and snacks like potato chips were rarely found in the house. Sounds like how most baby boomers grew up, The standard American diet. (However, Chantal grew up in the suburbs of Montreal. She is an anglophone, by the way.)

Let me describe Chantal. A charming woman with a shocking strip of white in her brown hair. Obviously in great physical shape and perfectly thin. I’d have to admit the vegan lifestyle looks good on her.Image of Chantal for Vegan in Sarasota, FL

She said the transition to becoming a full-fledged vegan was gradual. A dying aunt told her to be careful of her health, and that inspired Chantal to slowly become a vegetarian before becoming a vegan. She admits that she ate a lot of carbs and not good carbs during this period. I also admitted that years ago I was a junk-food vegetarian. And I thought I was doing good as long as I didn’t eat meat. Wrong!

There are 3 different kinds of vegans:

  1. Dietary vegan: Person for health reasons only.
  2. Ethical vegan: A person who doesn’t want to eat animal products because they believe in the ethical treatment of animals.
  3. Environmental vegan: People who believes that mass producing animals and animal products is not good for the environment.

Chantal  stressed that she likes to use whole foods as much as possible and stays away from processed foods not even using oils in cooking because they are processed. I asked her what she uses instead of oil for let’s say frying. Water!

Vegan dish at Simon's in Sarasota FL

Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.[b] A follower of the diet or the philosophy is known as a vegan.[c] Distinctions may be made between several categories of veganism. Dietary vegans (also known as strict vegetarians) refrain from consuming animal products, not only meat but also eggs, dairy products and other animal-derived substances.[d] The term ethical vegan is often applied to those who not only follow a vegan diet but extend the philosophy into other areas of their lives, and oppose the use of animals for any purpose.[e] Another term is environmental veganism, which refers to the avoidance of animal products on the premise that the industrial farming of animals is environmentally damaging and unsustainable.(Source. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism)

Totally intrigued, I decided to go all in to the vegan diet giving up all dairy and meat. This prompted a visit to the library where I found many vegan cookbooks. One of my favorite is OH SHE GLOWS cookbook.

Oh She glows from Slim Healthy Sexy

Chantal’s typical day

Breakfast (around 10:00 after working out in her home)

Steel Cut Oatmeal with cinnamon and sliced apples or a smoothie made with spinach, kale, wheat grass, fruit. Right now in Florida mangoes are in season, so she is using a lot of mangoes.

No lunch

Around 2:00 she will have a snack of carrot strips and homemade hummus. Her hummus recipe is:

Canned chick peas
Water
Tahini
Garlic and lemon juice

Use an immersible blender and blend away. Order your immersible blender here.

Dinner around 5:00 – 6:00

Sweet Potato Red Lentil Dahl over brown rice, is a typical dinner she makes for her husband and herself.

  1. 1 cup Kale, chopped.
  2. 1 cup Red split lentils.
  3. 3 cups 2 medium Sweet potatoes, diced small.
  4. 8 Tomatoes, sun-dried or medium sized.
  5. 1 Onion.
  6. 4 cloves Garlic, chopped.
  7. 1″ Ginger, peeled and chopped.
  8. 1 tsp Garam masala.
  9. Brown Rice

Kale and sweet potato dahl a great quick and tasty dish that can be made in an InstaPot it cooks a few minutes but it can be made in a normal pan. Chantal asked me if I had an InstaPot? No, I don’t because I don’t want another gadget in my kitchen. She said, “Oh you have to get one.”

She admitted that she has a sweet tooth. Fruit is a nice dessert or she has a couple of vegan desserts up her sleeve.

Vegan Brownies
Made with…
Sweet potatoes
Cacao powder
Coconut sugar
Dates
Almond butter
Vanilla
Baking soda

Sweet Potato Brownies

  • 3/4 cup mashed sweet potato (1 large)
  • 1 cup unsalted almond butter stirred well
  • 1/4 cup pureed dates
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/3 cup almond flour
  • 4 tablespoons cacao power
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • Instructions

Sweet Potato Brownies

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.

  2. Cook the sweet potato in the microwave on the appropriate setting until well cooked and mashes well with a fork. Place 3/4 cup of the mashed sweet potato in a large bowl, followed by the almond butter and dates. Whisk to combine.

  3. Add the coconut sugar, almond flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Using an electric mixer, or by hand, mix until evenly combined and incorporated. Add vanilla extract and mix until combined.

  4. Transfer batter (it will be thick) to the prepared pan. Using a spatula or your hands, spread and pat the batter into an even layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. (24-25 minutes is about perfect for my oven.)

  5. Allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack.

IMPOSSIBLE COOKIES

Mashed bananas
Almond milk
Dates mashed
Oat Flour
Oats
Cacao powder
Salt
Baking soda

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together (Chantal doesn’t have exact amounts and does it by eye.) Press a mound about a jar lid size on parchment paper lined cookie sheet and spread almond butter on top. Bake in a 350 oven for 10 minutes. Sounds yummy!

a REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE FOR Slim healthy sexy blog about veganism

As far as what she drinks during the day, she came in with her own water bottle, glass of course. She likes to start the day with orange juice…shockingly, not fresh squeezed. Or green tea. And water throughout the day.

I roughly calculated the total calories she consumes around 1000. Practically starvation for the majority of the American population who eat sausage bagels for breakfast, subs sandwiches for lunch with a bag of chips, and pepperoni pizza for dinner with Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for dessert all in front of the TV. Chantal calls this recreational eating.

Her tips: DON’T EAT FOR RECREATION!

  • Don’t eat in front of the TV.
  • Mindfully eat at the dinner table.
  • Stop the distractions while you are eating.
  • Eat until you are 80% full.  (It’s called “hara hachi bu”. It means, eat until you are 80 percent full.

Chantal believes in Hormesis – stressing your body for anti-aging.

One of the areas where the concept of hormesis has been explored extensively with respect to its applicability is aging.[13][14] Since the basic survival capacity of any biological system depends on its homeostatic ability, biogerontologists proposed that exposing cells and organisms to mild stress should result in the adaptive or hormetic response with various biological benefits. This idea has now gathered a large body of supportive evidence showing that repetitive mild stress exposure has anti-aging effects.[15][16] Exercise is a paradigm for hormesis in this respect.[16] Some of the mild stresses used for such studies on the application of hormesis in aging research and interventions are heat shock, irradiation, prooxidants, hypergravityand food restriction.[15][16][17] Some other natural and synthetic molecules, such as celastrols from medicinal herbs and curcumin from the spice turmeric have also been found to have hormetic beneficial effects.[18] Such compounds which bring about their health beneficial effects by stimulating or by modulating stress response pathways in cells have been termed “hormetins”.[15] Hormetic interventions have also been proposed at the clinical level,[19] with a variety of stimuli, challenges and stressful actions, that aim to increase the dynamical complexity of the biological systems in humans.

She says by me stressing my body out by play 2 hours of pickleball in the hot Florida weather is good for  the hormesis principle. Good to know!

Okay, I am off to a good start and I wanted more information. I went to a couple of vegan restaurants in Sarasota. Both were good and I like that there are choices in Sarasota for vegans.

 

I started talking to other people about a vegan diet and found out my friend Margie who I have shared many a steak dinner with is primarily a vegan now. What! The earth stopped spinning…hell was frozen over. She gave me a few tips about vegan replacement food she uses for “hamburger” and “sausage.” I found the frozen vegan food section at Publix and picked up Italian sausage patties. I thought they would go great with the pasta and sauce I was making for dinner.

This is where it gets tricky for me. I have an autoimmune disease and do not eat gluten, and will make pasta for my husband and mother, but will just have the sauce over zucchini noodles. I will also not have bread and now that I was facing a vegan diet, I would be cutting out more items to eat. I turned to eating more fruits and juicing fruits and veggies…of course organic.

Here is a list of my favorite juicers:

I recommend the movie Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead by Joe Cross for juicing inspiration. Here is the link to Joe’s website. LINK 
(Joe Cross, if you are reading this…I love ya!)

Everyone thought the vegan Italian sausage tasted like the real thing, and I would most likely serve this again, but this was really processed food and I don’t want to resort to processed foods.

I found many cookbooks on vegan recipes with mouth-watering looking pictures but yikes, so complicated. I liked the simpleness of the Keto diet of throwing a steak on the grill and serving that along side a baked potato with butter and sour cream with a toss salad. More research is needed. On to YouTube.

There were many vegan YouTubers One man made baked sweet potatoes, rice, sauteed veggies, chick peas, raw veggies, etc. for the entire week and stored daily portions in plastic containers. I watched another person try going vegan for 30 days. At the end he proclaimed that he didn’t miss meat products but found it hard to eat enough calories during the day. That’s true. It would be hard to find an overweight vegan.

Here is a good Youtube video. The recipe is for Coconut Curry Chickpeas with Rice, And I made it! Delicious!. https://youtu.be/Msk8lc6KQg0 

Curry chickpea coconut vegan recipe by Terry Ryan

Curry chickpea coconut vegan recipe made by Terry Ryan

 

People always ask…If I go vegetarian/vegan how am I going to get my protein?

Ugh! The same old assumption that if a human doesn’t eat animal protein that they are going to shrivel up and die or something. The beef and dairy industry have done a fantastic job of brainwashing us using millions of dollars in advertisement that we absolutely need animal protein. No we don’t. The largest animals in the animal kingdom are vegetarians. Elephants. Silver-backed apes. Cows. Horses.

And plants have plant proteins. Yes, humans can live a very healthy and athletic life on plant proteins. Spinach has 5 grams of protein in 1 cup. Lentils (1 cup) has 18 grams. A person needs only 40 grams per day and that is debatable..

What about Vitamin B12?

If by consuming animal products are only way of getting the daily dose of B12, then maybe humans are supposed to be meat eaters? But then I found this info. Many, many years ago, humans ate a plant based diet. They forged daily for berries and root vegetables that they did not wash with chlorinated water before eating. The soil or microorganisms that clung to the food contained B12. Now B12 is lacking in the vegan diet because of poor soil and strenuous washing of our food before consuming, for good reason! Okay, B12 is an inexpensive supplement to purchase. Order yours here through AMAZON.  

Beauty of Sprouts in Sarasota

Beauty of Sprouts in Sarasota, FL

Beauty of Sprouts in Sarasota, FL

What to expect to happen to your body when you begin eating a plant-based diet

  • You may lose weight.You’ll reduce inflammation in your body. If
    you are eating meat, cheese, and highly
    processed foods, chances are you have
    elevated levels of inflammation in your body.
    While short-term inflammation (such as after
    an injury) is normal and necessary,
    inflammation that lasts for months or years is
    not. Chronic inflammation has been linked to
    the development of atherosclerosis, heart
    attacks, strokes, diabetes, and autoimmune
    diseases, among other conditions.Studies consistently show that when people
    go plant-based, their blood cholesterol levels
    drop by up to 35 %. In many cases, the
    decrease is equal to that seen with drug
    therapy—with many positive side effects.Cravings change after two weeks because
    your taste buds change.You may feel gassy and bloated.

    You may have more energy.

    You might avoid blood sugar spikes and
    crashes that impact your energy level.

    Your skin may glow and pesky skin issues
    clear up. (sOURCE: https://www.mamasezz.com/pages/ultimate-little-guide-to-plant-based-eating)

Is going vegan easy. Heck NO! I have to say that it is a challenge and I wish anyone going down this dietary road the best of luck. In the meanwhile, I was militant about sticking to the diet in the beginning but I really found it close to impossible. Harder than eliminating sugar! Now, I’m trying to be as close to vegan as possible without driving myself crazy and occasionally having dairy.

Terry Ryan's assistant

Hugo-my writing assistant

Terry Ryan at Beauty of Sprouts in Sarasota, FL.

The ladies at Beauty of Sprouts in Sarasota, FL, my favorite vegan restaurant. I’m the one in the tie-dyed shirt.

Thanks for reading,

Terry Ryan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted by: | on January 3, 2018

I Started the Keto Diet by Terry Ryan

Lake George, Sarasota, Hurricane Irma, and The Keto Diet

Beautiful Lake George

The girls and I. Friends for years and years.

Hi, I’m back after a busy summer vacation in Lake George, NY. We (hubby, mother and 2 chihuahuas) drove up in July, which took 3 days, to Upstate NY from Sarasota, FL which is where I started the KETO DIET. Keto, ketolicious, much protein, meat, butter, cheese. Goes against all the conventional diet thinking. The food pyramid hates this diet. It contradicts everything it stands for. SAD (Standard American Diet) means low fat, grains are okay, low fat diet. Keto is the opposite. Here is a book on the Keto diet.  Keto diet prohibits the following:

  • No sugar (god no!)
  • No grains…including oats, rice.
  • No gluten (Check your medicine. Gluten may be a filler)
  • High fats
  • High protein
  • LOW carbs

Stick to the above and you will lose weight. I’ve lost 15 pounds and 20 more to go.

Back toHubby insisted on taking route 95 which proved to be a bad idea when we hit traffic congestion just below Washington, and this was on a Sunday!  So, we hunkered down in a Red Roof for the night and decided to start next morning by 5:00am to beat the traffic.

Molly is Kenan’s copilot

We did just that except the traffic on 95 was already bumper to bumper at 5:00am!  Plan B was to drive west through Virginia and hop on 81. It was a beautiful drive through Virginia. The morning mist was rising above the fields and horses were grazing. Lovely!

Mom in Ashland, PA.

Finally we made it to my mother’s small cottage on Garrison Lane in Lake George and immediately began to redecorate. Three years prior, the house suffered a lot of water damage due to a busted pipe. We had contractors replace piping and drywall. Anyway, lots more was done but I will spare you the gory details.

Lake George was, as always, a wonderful escape from real life as Internet is limited, and we have no TV. I entertain myself with long drives in the Adirondacks, visiting friends, and reading books, a lot of books.  It’s all knotty pine paneling, cool, refreshing lake water, deep green mountains, and boating.

Now, I’m back in Florida after a great, leisurely drive back through Pennsylvania coal country and Ashville, NC where we toured the Biltmore!  Wow!

But, hello, (sarcastic) we got back in time for Hurricane Irma. The gosh darn Weather Channel made it worse (that was the worse part-the Weather Channel) with their constant prediction of doom and gloom. Fortunately, no damage at my house. My hubby had to volunteer his time at a make-shift pet shelter at the hospital which has located in a cement block room in the middle of the parking garage. This was made available for doctors, nurses and staff of the hospital that had to work through Hurricane Irma but didn’t want to leave their pets home alone.

Summer of 2017: Mary Jean’s 90th Birthday Party

Mom and I accompanied him to the shelter for 2 reasons: 1) Moral support, 2) The Weather Channel finally got under our skin and we thought our only way to survive was by staying at the shelter.

The shelter was let’s just say “icky.” Mom said, “The first rat I see, I’m out of here!”  A pet rat came in and out we went. We ended up leaving (no beds, no food), and went back to my house where we had electric, a full refrigerator, and TV. We watched the hurricane slowly come over the house and then pass on. Windy and rainy but no devastation. Our lemon tree didn’t lose a lemon.

Hubby didn’t fare so well and had to stay in the parking garage for 2 nights watching over 90 dogs, 2 pet rats, 5 cats and 1 turtle. He had to sleep in his car so he had little to eat and little sleep. He was soooo happy to come back home.’

Now it’s a couple of weeks after Hurricane Irma and I’ve started the Keto Diet.

Keto Friendly Chocolate Bark

Keto Friendly Chocolate Almond Bark. For the recipe, click on the picture.

More on  the Keto Diet

The Keto Diet is a low carb, high fat, high protein plan. NO SUGAR!  Keep away from sugar or you will screw the diet up and no weight will be lost.  However, dairy products are allowed on the Keto Diet. Yes, dairy. We are talking cream and butter. I have been taking advantage of this by whipping up a lot of organic cream sweetened with maple syrup.

I made a Keto friendly flourless chocolate cake and served it with spoonfuls of whipped cream. The people in my house LOVED it. Here is the recipe:

Flourless Cake Terry Ryan

Perfect for the Keto Diet! Flour-less chocolate cake by Terry Ryan

 

Butter a 9 or 10 inch spring form pan.

Mix together 1 cup of coconut flour, 1 cup of almond flour with 6 egg yokes, 1/2 cup of Swerve (sugar substitute). Melt 16 ounces of unsweetened chocolate with a stick of unsalted butter, stir in 2 tablespoons of unsweetened powdered chocolate. Stir until no lumps.

Whip 6 egg whites into frothy peaks. Gently fold into flour mixture and pour into pan. If the batter is too thick, add a little cream. I baked at 350 degrees for 45 mins. Cool and I sprinkled Swerve powdered sugar on top. Serve with whipped cream sweetened with Swerve powdered sugar or a couple of tablespoons of Maple Syrup.

It was a hit at my house.

 

Tipper insisted on having her time in the driver’s seat.

Here is a chicken dish I made that was DELICIOUS and KETO friendly!  We are eating great here.

Butterfly chicken breasts, add ricotta cheese, mozzarella, Italian spice, pasta sauce.

Close the chicken breasts with toothpicks top with more cheese

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Here it is obvious that I baked a little too long but we still loved it! Warning, make sure you remove the toothpicks before eating.

 

 

I have to admit, I am not that great of a meat eater; preferring vegetables over meat but this is an experiment. so for science I am giving this diet a try. So far, I have been eating well and slowly losing weight.

Things you can not do on the Keto Diet:

  • Eat sugar (Sugar is the enemy)
    Consume process foods.
    No gluten!
    No alcohol (sniff)
    Limit fruit to just berries (Must admit for full disclosure, I have eaten peaches and oranges.)

On this diet, I do not crave processed carbs. Once, I used to be a sit-on-the-couch-and-snack kind of person. I have broken that habit. No more do I gorge on a pint of Ben and Jerry’s while watching TV. No more mindless eating. It was tough but I did it.

Keto Diet (short for ketogenic) was a diet designed as a cure for children with epilepsy. It eliminated seizures for many (there is a movie about this staring Meryl Streep) and it was discovered that people lost weight on the diet, too. You may have heard of the diet under another name: Atkins.

Click here for the recipe for my Keto Friendly Chocolate Almond Bark. You can eat as much as you like and it will not raise your glycemic index. (The glycemic index or glycaemic index (GI) is a number associated with a particular type of food that indicates the food’s effect on a person’s blood glucose (also called blood sugar) level.)

 

Delicious smashed sweet potatoes with garlic, butter and cheese. Click on the picture for the recipe.

 

If you wish to find more recipes on Keto Diet, check out Pinterest.

I’ll keep you up to date on my progress with the diet. I also have a guest staying with me who I have on the Keto Diet. I’m doing better than her because she is, ahem, cheating a wee bit. But I’m slowly converting her so time will tell.

Enjoy these pictures of our trip and please comment.

Thanks for reading!

Terry Ryan, blogger

Terry Ryan on Lake George, NY

Here we are on top of Prospect Mountain in Lake George, NY

 

 

 

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Posted by: | on May 6, 2015

Panera is Cutting Food Additives…Finally!

PaneraPanera Bread has announced that they will be eliminating some of the chemical additives in their food. Additives?

Today, the company publicly published a “No No List” of artificial additives including colors, flavors, preservatives, and sweeteners that are banned from its restaurants as of today in the US (its rollout date in Canada has yet to be determined). The restaurant says it will remove more than 150 ingredients, including aspartame (taken out of Diet Pepsi last month) and azodicarbonamide (aka, the much-maligned yoga mat chemical), as well as old health foes like high-fructose corn syrup and lard. (Also on the list: sucralose, the artificial sweetener replacing aspartame in Diet Pepsi and acesulfame K, the beverage’s other sweetener.)

Click here for the complete NO-NO List from Panera Foods.

Check out this article about Panera’s announcement about taking another step toward ethical meat practices in Forbes Magazine.

 Subway Restaurant

Remember the yoga mat incident?  Well it looks like Subway has made another step toward helping their PR and announced  plans for a significant reduction in sodium at its U.S. stores that could ultimately nudge much of the fast-food industry to follow.

Beginning today, sodium content in Subway’s “Fresh Fit” sandwich line in the U.S. will be cut 28% vs. 2009, when Subway first began to cut salt. And sodium in its overall sandwich line will be cut by 15%, compared with the same period.

Kraft Foods

Kraft Foods, a few weeks ago, declared that they will be eliminating the food dye they were using Maccheesein their Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, the stuff that makes it orange, and replacing it with natural ingredients.

Maybe Kraft is making this move because it’s losing market share to organic products — although the company still sells half-a-billion dollars worth of the stuff annually.

As it turns out, the famous nuclear-orange color of Kraft’s mac and cheese can be obtained from natural ingredients like turmeric, annatto,and paprika — instead of artificial food dye.

But the BIGGEST news was….ta dah! CHIPOTLE GIVES UP GMOS!  The public has spoken. Take that Monsanto who has no problem morally or ethically poisoning the consumer if it can make a profit.

WHAT IS A GMO? (Genetically Modified Organism)GMO

A GMO is created by inserting genes from one species (typically bacteria or a virus) into the DNA of another. This can result in a plant with characteristics that wouldn’t occur naturally, such as producing pesticides or the ability to withstand high doses of chemical herbicides.

Not all GMOs are designed in the same way. Crops can be engineered to do a number of different things. The traits that cause the most concern to agricultural, environmental, and medical experts are:

1. Herbicide Resistance: Plants engineered to survive applications of glyphosate, a chemical that would otherwise kill them.

2. Pesticide Production: Plants engineered to produce insecticidal toxins

(Picture source: Chipotle website)

If you eat processed food, you are more likely to consume GMOs.

Why are GMOs bad for me?

Why You Should Be Concerned About GMOs

Contributed by

Genetically modified organisms () have been grabbing headlines in recent weeks, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture () suddenly reversing bans on one genetically engineered crop after another. The list of genetically modified food ingredients is growing at an alarming rate. And what’s even more disturbing is the fact the USDA seems to have sided with big business in allowing GMO foods to be sold without any labeling whatsoever.

Consumers have been left largely in the dark, unable to make informed choices about buying Panera2foods containing GMOs. By some estimates, over 75% of all processed foods sold in the U.S. contain a GMO ingredient. Corn, soy, canola, cottonseed, sugar, beef and dairy products are among the most likely to have been genetically modified.

Scientists, environmental activists, supporters of organic farming and consumers alike are joining forces to protest the USDA’s decisions. Organizations like the Organic Consumers Association, Alliance for Natural Health USA and Say No to GMOs! are just a few examples of those working to fight back against GMOs.

What’s behind all of the outrage and fervor? Here’s a brief overview of the case against GMOs. It’s important to educate yourself now, because the onslaught of approved GMO foods entering our food supply is likely to continue, as the government refuses to acknowledge that they could be harmful.

Why do GMOs exist?

If you listen to the government and the Big Agra companies it supports, GMO foods are perfectly safe, and their benefits include lower cost crops, more productive farms and even healthier foods. But the truth is, genetically engineered plants exist for a single reason — profits. Companies like Monsanto have been known to bully farmers into paying “technology fees” to use their GMO seeds.

In most cases, the reason that seeds are genetically modified is so they plants can withstand massive doses of herbicides and pesticides. And guess who sells these toxic chemicals? The same companies that make the GMO seeds.

 

Why should you be concerned about GMOs in our food supply?

Genetically engineered plants have had either genes from bacteria or viruses, or genes that make plants resistant to toxic chemicals like the herbicide Roundup — spliced into their DNA. These genes were never part of the human diet until the first GMO plant was created in 1996.

To date, there have been no long-term human safety studies conducted on GMOs. To assume that they are safe defies common sense, as we lack any scientific evidence to prove that they do not pose a threat to human health. In fact, more research points towards potentially harmful effects of consuming GMOs.

The American Academy of Environmetal Medicine (AAEM)’s official position on GMOs is that they “have not been properly tested and pose a serious health risk” and that a more research shows that GMOs are posing a harmful effect to humans.

The Center for Food Safety has launched a free mobile application for smartphones called the True Food Shoppers Guide, a program that allows shoppers to quickly and easily identify grocery items that contain genetically engineered ingredients.

Here is an list of great apps you can help you eat GMO FREE!

So now that the gauntlet has been thrown down by Chipotle maybe more food companies will start following their example. We can only hope.

Thanks for reading.

Terry Ryan, Health Blogger

www.slimhealthysexy.com

 

 

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Posted by: | on July 23, 2014

Leaky Gut & Diabetes by Terry Ryan

Nearly 26 million Americans have either Type I or Type II diabetes at a cost of more the $245 billion needle-and-syringeannually. The American Diabetes Association estimates that by 2050, as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes. While the majority of diabetes research, publicity, and health care dollars focus on Type 2 diabetes and obesity, we need to pay attention to type 1 diabetes. The incidence of Type 1 diabetes (T1D) has increased significantly worldwide just in the last few decades, and it is important we focus our energy on it as well.

Type I diabetes can occur in both adults and children and is due to destruction of the cells in the pancreas called beta cells. Diabetes can start suddenly and symptoms may include:

  • Extreme thirst
  • Increased urination
  • Increased appetite
  • Sudden weight loss
  • Fatigue or lethargy
  • Sudden vision changes
  •  Fruity odor to the breath

It is caused by the immune system attacking the pancreas, i.e. it is an autoimmune disorder. The pancreas can no longer make insulin because the beta cells have been destroyed and insulin must come from an outside source. It is a constant daily challenge for these individuals to manage their blood sugar.

Medical history shows that childhood diabetes, or Type 1 diabetes, was quite rare in several countries across the world and showed no change in incidence from 1925-1955. The 1892 edition of Osler’s Principles and Practice of Medicine mentions that only 10 patients out 35,000 treated at Johns Hopkins had diabetes (1 and 2). Massachusetts General Hospital recorded admitting and treating 172 patients with diabetes from 1824-1898, of which there were only 18 patients under the age of 20. However, an increase in the prevalence of T1D has been documented since the mid 1900’s and has been steadily increasing since then.

Compare historical findings to the latest statistics. There are three million Americans with Type 1 diabetes ImmuneSystemwith more than 15,000 children and 15,000 adults diagnosed  each year. There has been a 23% increase in prevalence of Type 1 diabetes in children and teenagers between 2001 and 2009. Many argue these statistics, reasoning that it is simply better diagnostic techniques, recognition, and statistics. The topic continues under debate, but the numbers are clear. The illness is impacting more every year.

Leaky Gut Syndrome and Type I Diabetes

For decades, medical research has been trying to understand the causes of Type I diabetes. They face many of the same challenges in understanding why the autoimmune disorder occurs as other autoimmune diseases. There have been many theories over the years and research continues to delve into the causes of T1D.

There is strong evidence coming to light that environmental products and subsequent development of digestive issues are triggering autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells leading to Type I diabetes in both children and adults.

Several recent studies have now identified that altered or increased intestinal permeability (Leaky Gut Syndrome) is actually responsible for the onset of Type 1 diabetes. This altered mechanism occurs before the onset of complications, i.e. full blown destruction of the pancreatic beta cells. Animal studies showed that the altered intestinal permeability preceded the onset of diabetes by at least one month. This increase in gut permeability does not occur as the cause in Type II diabetes, but specifically to Type 1 diabetes. Human studies show that this breakdown and change in tight junctions and zonulin* is present in at least 50 % of T1D patients.

In addition to the presence of increased gut permeability prior to T1 D development, the medical journal Diabetes reported that at least half of T1D patients had an abnormal T-cell immune response to dietary wheat proteins and triggered different gene expression than Celiac Disease patients. Meaning when T1D patients were tested for the traditional Celiac Disease lab marker, tissue transglutaminase IgG and IgA, their markers were negative and many times there were no digestive symptoms like with Celiac Disease. However, when tested for other wheat peptides, their markers reacted with a positive finding. It was a completely different gene that was being triggered by wheat/gluten not measured by the standard medical marker and provoked a T-cell immune response against the pancreas. Wheat has been proven in animal studies as a trigger for T1D, but now researchers are seeing this “silent” association in human studies. In fact, the association of T1D with other autoimmune disorders, commonly Celiac Disease and Hashimotos’sthyroiditis, has been known for quite sometime. The scope has widened beyond traditional Celiac Disease markers and T1D.

Knowing that increased gut permeability precedes T1D onset and that wheat/gluten  autoimmunity is present at least half the time in T1D development is powerful information. This is a huge breakthrough in understanding T1D and autoimmunity. Testing wheat/gluten autoimmunity and reactivity, increased zonulin levels, and intestinal permeability are now easily done by blood tests leaving the guess work out of the picture. 

 

Gut Flora

Researchers are diligently studying the gut microbiome imbalances or alterations in gut flora and have found that it is clearly associated with increased gut permeability. This means that a germ, i.e. yeast or bacteria that should not be in the digestive tract, can clearly initiate Leaky Gut Syndrome. The antibiotic that was taken by a child for an upper respiratory infection, acne, or the ear infection, can trigger this gut microbiome imbalance. Combine that with the athlete who is trying to make varsity team in high school or college. Then throw in disrupted gut clocks and altered sleep-wake schedules that teenagers often experience while consuming the standard American Diet of white flour (gluten) and white sugar and lots of fast food stops after school. How about the weekend warrior athlete with the same factors? It can be the perfect storm for the development of Type 1 diabetes. <Screammmmmm>

Researchers are studying other autoimmune disorders and there is mounting evidence that several diseases follow this same change in tight junctions and zonulin function leading to Leaky Gut Syndrome and autoimmune inflammation. It also includes other disorders such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, inflammatory bowel disease, several types of cancers including brain and pancreatic cancer, chronic inflammation, and schizophrenia. This is similar to Celiac Disease, thyroid problems, and candida overgrowth.

Help!

There are several solutions that can be used to help support the body in the case of Type 1 diabetes. It is imperative to be tested for “wheat/gluten proteome reactivity and autoimmunity” and remove these food intolerances if present. It is absolutely vital to also include organic, fermented foods like fermented veggies or probiotics that help support beneficial gut bacteria. It is just as imperative to work on reducing the risk and consequences of Leaky Gut Syndrome. There are several compounds that help reduce this inflammatory response and reduce the risk for T1D. These include L-glutamine, probiotics, vitamin D, and Omega 3 oils.

There also is the whole aspect of helping blood sugar work better and reducing the consequences of elevated blood sugar and AGEs or Advanced Glycation End Units. No matter what age you are, if you have T1D, you have to be proactive lifelong about reducing AGEs responses. Several nutrients can help support this process:

These has been shown to protect against AGEs, but it also helps to protect T- cells that may be part of the issue for Type 1 diabetes. Because poorly controlled blood sugar damages capillaries, kidneys, eyes, nerves in anyone with Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, as well as those who have borderline blood sugar levels, it is vital to be proactive about these concerns. A young child with T1D has a lifetime ahead of them. Let’s help protect these children and adults from further damage, or if possible, reduce the risk for the disease from occurring. Be proactive!

*Zonulin is a protein that modulates the permeability of tight junctions between cells of the wall of the digestive tract.

Special thanks to Linda J Dobberstein, DC, DACBN, DCBCN for the above information.

Terry Ryan

Terry Ryan

 

Terry Ryan is a health blogger and lives in Sarasota, FL with her husband, Kenan.

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Posted by: | on June 1, 2014

From Sarasota House Flipper to HGTV-Jennifer Hawn

Jen "Six" Hawn

Jen “Six” Hawn

Jen Hawn, my friend, former Sarasota resident now living in Chicago, and experienced house flipper decided to show up at a casting call last year for HGTV (House and Garden TV) on a whim, at a kitchen and bath show in New Orleans and was selected to be a contestant on The Property Brother’s spin off show, Brother vs. Brother. The show features Drew and Jonathan Scott, handsome twin brothers, and it was the number one show on HGTV last year. Each brother has a team of 5 people and the teams compete in renovating separate houses, and the team that produces the most property value through renovations wins. The losing team has to vote a team member off and the last man/woman standing wins a $50,000 grand prize.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen Before

So, on one of Jen’s recent trips to Sarasota she stopped in for a night at my house and we talked about her TV experience. The show will air starting on Sunday, June 8 but has already been filmed in Los Angeles area last winter (2014). For Jen it was perfect timing to have a respite from the brutal Chicago winter, however she didn’t have time to see a lot of southern California. Filming 6 days a week kept her busy and the cast ate, worked, and at night slept together in the same condominium complex; men on floor one and women on another. Plus she was sworn to secrecy and had to sign a 30 plus page document that said she would not reveal any personal details from the show.  I did

Kitchen After

Kitchen After

find out that it was a lot of hands on work,  stressful working conditions on a the tight time schedule, and that living with a bunch of different personalities was at times difficult. From the sounds of it I would have been gone the first day, but Jen said she was determined to work as hard as she could so she wouldn’t be voted off.  I asked her if she won and she said, “I cannot tell you, you’ll have to watch the show.” I plan on it!

Kitchen Before

Kitchen Before

DSC00126

Kitchen After

Jen and I met when she responded to my Craiglist’s ad offering services as a bookkeeper specializing in construction. She asked me to meet her at the house she was renting and I got there ahead of her and she soon pulled into the driveway.  I watched as this beautiful and tall young woman (she is 6′ tall) got out of her car and she enthusiastically held out her hand for me to shake and profusely apologized for being late. She was friendly plus fun and we started working together after that meeting. (Funny fact: Jen’s mother and I have the same name.) Jen needed someone to help her not only with the costs of the different house flips, but also with project management which I was only too happy to do. When I came on board she was just putting the finishing touches on a house in the Gulf Gate area and soon sold it at a nice profit. For the next house I was there at the beginning and got to see the house before improvements, and to tell you the truth, I was scared to go inside because it needed so much work. But Jen has the amazing ability to visualize what renovations need to be done to turn a once neglected house into a beautiful home. She has no problem taking the drywall down to the studs, moving walls to open up a kitchen, add bedrooms, picking out the right plants for curb appeal, and knows how to design great kitchens and baths. I learned from her the importance of selecting the correct tile to go with the granite, to splurge on the faucets, and to choose lighting fixtures with a little pizazz!

The next house she flipped was also in scary condition and was renovated into a gorgeous three bedroom with modern updates and a new kitchen and bathrooms. It too sold quickly and after that Jen had opportunities calling her back to Chicago and she moved away. We still keep in touch through Facebook and text messaging and I truly miss our flipping days and wish she would return to Sarasota, but TV has found Jen and they are in “talks” to create a new show with her as the star.

Please tune in to HGTV and watch Brother vs. Brother on June 8 and see if Jen wins. If she does she owes me a drink!

Terry Ryan

Terry Ryan

Terry Ryan lives in Sarasota, FL and is a health blogger at www.slimhealthysexy.com. She is very fortunate to have a great home, family and wonderful friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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