If you know someone who tends to be moody, you may want to ask them what they’ve been eating! You may know someone who seems happy and light-hearted one day, and the very next, dark, sharp, cranky and maybe even mean. Research shows that aracadonic acid, mostly found in chicken and eggs, can actually negatively alter mood by causing inflammation in the brain. You can check that out here:
http://nutritionfacts.org/video/plant-based-diet-mood/

A while back my penpal, Lois, who has started a fantastic site called “Wowfornow” asked me to write a little blurb on how we might use food to help us heal emotionally. When I wrote it I had no idea that there was science behind what we eat and how we feel, beyond the obvious feeling well and therefore feeling happy! Perspective, which counts for a lot, can influence how we feel. I did read once that red meat consumption is associated with anger, but I couldn’t tell you if that was actually science… Anyway here is what I wrote:

How food can help to heal
Food. We have this incredibly intimate relationship with food. Several times a day we put the stuff into ourselves. It travels to every cell of our body, some food providing benefits, some causing trouble. We often don’t think about food as a means to nourish our cells and ourselves, we think of it in many other ways. Food feeds our hunger, which doesn’t always coincide with an empty stomach. Food has so much meaning for us beyond nourishing our bodies. Food is cultural, familial, traditional. Food is comfort, punishment, freedom, enjoyment. Food is a memory, a friend and an enemy. We eat for a multitude of reasons: to feed our bodies, but too often, for other reasons as well.
At times of sadness or grief, food takes on a particularly curious role. For some, food is something we might deny ourselves, something we can’t face or feel we don’t deserve. Sometimes we just don’t feel like eating at all. For others food is support, comfort and something to ease the pain.
When we grieve, our hearts ache, our bodies ache, and our entire being is engulfed in the sorrow we feel. It is true, I think, that at these times, we don’t consider preparing a salad with a variety of lettuces, some tomato and cucumber and other healthy vegetables. We don’t think of reaching for berries, making ourselves a healthy, homemade soup from scratch, or blending a kale smoothie. I believe, for most, during these saddest of times, we eat just to get through, which means something different for each of us. Yet if we think a little differently about what we eat and why we eat it, food can be part of our healing process.
During times of sadness, we often ignore our human needs. Yet, this is the time to take extra care to nurture ourselves. It is the ultimate time for self care. I don’t mean that you should hit the gym or go to the spa. I mean it is time to be good to yourself. Sleep if you are tired, cry if you need to cry, and feel angry if you need to feel that way. Seen from a new perspective, food can nourish us in a new way as we heal. Feeding ourselves can be a part of our self care. What we choose to eat can have an enormous affect on our own health and as well, on the greater “whole”. We can heal with a new consciousness; a new awareness that our choices can be empowering beyond the effects on our bodies. As we find peace within, we can contribute to peace beyond ourselves.
Here is what we know about food today. Eating whole, plant-based foods can prevent and reverse the diseases that kill most of us living in the western world. Most diseases afflicting us are rooted in the standard western diet, which includes meat, dairy products, eggs and heavily processed foods. There is more. Animal agriculture is the leading cause of global warming and animals raised for food are exempt from all laws in place to protect animals. Each time we choose chicken, a creature dies. Each time we choose milk, yoghurt or cheese, we take milk intended for an infant that its mother never gets to nurture. What if, in the times of our deepest sorrow, we chose foods that consider our health, our planet and our fellow creatures? What if we decide to cause no harm to ourselves, to our earth or any animal? Could this help us find greater peace within ourselves?
The peace we seek to mend our hearts can be found in the simple acts we participate in throughout the day. When we seek peace and refuge we can find it in the choices we make. One choice we make several times a day is what we eat. Choosing plant-based foods helps us to make peace within, for our health and our healing, for animals whose lives are taken and for our great earth which is in peril. When we choose tomato soup over pulled pork, peanut butter and jam over egg salad, tofu over chicken, we choose compassion, conscientiousness, self care and peace. This greater level of consciousness is empowering. It gives us strength and allows us to find peace within as we make peace with our fellow earthlings and our earth.
We are all interconnected. The choices we make have an impact beyond the effects on our own body. When we make choices that are in keeping with compassion and self care, healing and inner solace, those choices ripple outward affecting the welfare of the earth and the creatures we share it with. In times of sorrow, choose kindness. Be kind to yourself and you will find the earth and all earthlings are part of the whole you belong to, and healing is a gift you share.

  Eggs wig me out.  Its not just the sliminess of them.  I can handle that.  Its the umbilical cord. You know the long wiggly whitish cord that travels into the yolk….its the life line for the fetus.  I used to think eggs were a good source of protein since I didn’t eat meat.  That was a long time ago now, and when I learned the best way to go is plant based, I was happy to leave them behind.  Recently the information (below) on eggs came my way.  I think everyone should read it, and check out the links as well.  Bottom line:  Eggs are really unhealthy.

Read on:

Eggs are considered good sources of lutein and omega 3 as well as an excellent source of protein. For these reasons, they are considered health foods. Looking at these claims in detail, chickens have lutein because they have a varietized feed, these nutrients are not inherent in eggs. Based on the nutrient data found on the USDA database, 10 grams of spinach has approximately 12 times more lutein then 10 grams of an egg.   We cannot really consider eggs an appropriate source of this nutrient.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/SP2UserFiles/Place/12354500/Data/SR25/nutrlist/sr25a338.pdf

Current levels of omega 3 in eggs are highly inadequate and one must consume around 30 eggs to reach an acceptable level of omega 3 for the day. A male needs around 1.6 grams of omega 3 per day, a female needs around 1.1 grams a day. A large egg contains about .037 grams of omega 3. Omega 3 in the ALA form processes to EPA which is also processed to DHA. These fats are anti-inflammatory. Omega 6 processes down to arachadonic acid which is highly inflammatory. According to the National Cancer Institute, eggs are the number 2 top contributor of arachidonic acid in the American Diet.

http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table4.html

Based on this as well as the low omega 3 content of eggs, the benefits received from omega 3 are masked by the high quantity of preformed Arachidonic Acid. High intake of arachadonic acid is linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, as well as a clear link with cancer development.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=20950616 http://img2.tapuz.co.il/forums/1_156375095.pdf http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21139128

Eggs have been associated with heart failure as noted here. “After 13.3 years of follow-up in this cohort of approximately 14,000 white and African-American men and women, greater intake of eggs and of high-fat dairy foods were both associated with greater risk of incident HF, whereas greater intake of whole-grain foods was associated with lower risk of incident HF. These associations were independent of demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, prevalent CVD, diabetes, hypertension, and other food groups.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2650810/

As well as an association type 2 diabetes with egg consumption of 1 egg a day. “Overall, the observed increased risk of type 2 diabetes with daily consumption of eggs in the current study raises the possibility of undesirable health effects with high rates of egg consumption and may help explain previously reported increased risk of CHD that was restricted to individuals with type 2 diabetes in the Health Professional Follow-up Study”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628696/?tool=pubmed

In the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, David Spence (director of the stroke prevention/atherosclerosis research center and one of the worlds leading stroke experts), David Jenkins (the inventor of the glycemic index) and Jean Davignon (director of atherosclerosis research group) posted a review on eggs claiming that the egg industry has been downplaying the health risks of eggs through misleading advertisements. As soon as you eat one egg, you expose your body to several hours worth of oxidative stress, inflammation of ones arteries, endothelieum impairment (what keeps you blood running smoothly) and increases the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidize (beginning stages of heart disease). The authors go into great detail regarding dietary cholesterol and it is a very fascinating read indeed. The author’s final words “In our opinion, stopping egg consumption after a myocardial infarction or stroke would be like quitting smoking after lung cancer is diagnosed: a necessary act, but late.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9001684

The egg industry has claimed that cholesterol from eggs is not important and does not raise cholesterol levels. The fundamental flaw in the study the egg industry has used to make this claim is that they measured fasting lipid levels at night and not levels through out the day after egg consumption. “Diet is not all about fasting lipids; it is mainly about the three-quarters of the day that we are in the nonfasting state. Fasting lipids can be thought of as a baseline; they show what the endothelium was exposed to for the last few hours of the night.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989358/?tool=pubmed

A single egg yolk contains approximately 215 to 275 mg of cholesterol. A safe upper limit can be capped at 200 mg if one is looking to prevent heart disease as recommended by the CDC as one of their nutritional recommendations as seen on page 92. One egg far exceeds this daily upper limit.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hp2000/hp2k01.pdf

The balance of science is clearly against even moderate egg consumption as this food is a packaged deal. We do not get the nutrients found in eggs without getting the cholesterol and saturated fat. This similarity can be seen with chicken in terms of cholesterol and arachidonic acid.   “Tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) are important, in part because they are used for estimating the percentage of the population at potential risk of adverse effects from excessive nutrient intake. The IOM did not set ULs for trans fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol because any intake level above 0% of energy increased LDL cholesterol concentration and these three food components are unavoidable in ordinary diets.”

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21521229

Executive summary by my good friend, Christine:

-If you’re eating eggs for lutein, protein, or other nutrients, there are far more nutrients in whole plant sources.

-Same goes for Omega 3 EFA’s.

-And when you consume even ONE egg, you take in more than the highest daily allowance for cholesterol, causing LDL to rise (a proven risk factor for heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, among other things).

-One egg also contains major Omega 6 fats which convert to arachadonic acid in the body (meaning inflammation); a risk factor for cancer, arthritis, etc.

-Omega 6 fats also lead to endothelial damage. Recall that the endothelium lines the vessels and is what makes our vessels dilate when increased blood flow is required. When these cells are continually impaired, heart attacks occur.

-Chicken and beef are just as nasty

-Above is some interesting info on how the egg industry designed their studies to show favorable results (for them, not for our health)

-The Institute of Medicine (IOM) doesn’t even set an upper limit for cholesterol (or trans fats, or saturated fats) because anything above zero contributes to an increase in LDL or bad cholesterol in the blood.

Last but not least, check out  what Dr. Gregor has to say about eggs:

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/

http://nutritionfacts.org/2013/09/10/eggs-vs-cigarettes-in-atherosclerosis/

Are you confused about soy?  Its likely you have heard conflicting information about this simple bean.  Soy has been used by many cultures for thousands of years as an excellent source of protein, carbohydrate, good fats, vitamins and minerals.  It is a nutrient-dense food.  Is it necessary in a plant based diet?  No, it is not.

As a whole bean or a slightly modified bean, as in tempeh (fermented soy), soy milk and tofu, the nature of the food hasn’t changed.  You are still getting in the general sense, the whole food, with the exception of the milk, in which the fibre is removed and water is added.  The best, of course, is the whole bean, known as Edamame.  Steam and rinse these babies, add some sea salt and try to have just one.  I dare you!

Why have they gotten such a bad name? First, when soy is broken down and the protein is isolated, the new product is called “Soy protein isolate” or “isolated soy protein”.  You’ve seen this on many processed food packages, especially on the fake meats.  As it turns out, soy protein isolate increases levels of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor) quite significantly, almost double than cow milk.  Recall that IGF-1 is a cancer promoter. Avoid soy protein isolate.

Soy is also high in phytoestrogens, a plant based estrogen known as isoflavone. There is confusion around estrogen in foods.  Put simply, animal-based estrogens have been linked to cancer promotion, whereas plant-based estrogens, in this case, isoflavone from soy can actually inhibit the growth of breast cancer and prostate cancer tissues. So, animal estrogens like those present in cow milk: bad.  Plant-based estrogens (phytoestrogens known as isoflavones and lignans) found in foods like soy and flax seeds: Good!

Last, genetically modified soy can cause severe allergic reactions in people.  In 1999, shortly after gmo soy entered the public food system in the U.K., researchers at the York Laboratory were alarmed to discover that reactions to soy had skyrocketed by 50% over the previous year.  Buy organic to avoid gmo.

here is a link to a great read about the cancer fighting benefits of soy:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/24/soybean-cancer-colon-liver-lung-meal-peptides_n_2916645.html

~Margot