Category Archives: Diet

Brain & Psychology, Diet, Health & Outdoors, Self Creation

Curing Cancer – The Gerson Miracle, Dying to Have Known & The Beautiful Truth

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Alright, so you may have noticed, if you’re a neurotic Facebook/Internet stalker like I am that I have been on a documentary kick over the last several months. I’m not sure why this is, perhaps it’s because I really like to learn, research, study, whatever. Whatever the reason, I have come across a body of knowledge that every seems to sense, but very few seem to be giving any of it credit. It reminds me of the McDouble, fries and shake I grabbed on the way home from watching Super Size Me ((http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/super_size_me/)). It’s the “well, ya only live once, so may as well enjoy myself/what I eat” mentality ((http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/28.7?lang=eng#6)). I know I am not the only one to have thought, “yeah, I know my diet’s probably not the best, but I have no idea where to start,” so any enthusiasm I experience quickly fades away like the seeds dropped by the wayside in ever so telling parable found Matthew 13 ((http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/13)).

I have been battling what I feel is an uphill fight for quite some time now. In 2007 I cried when I read accounts about those who have ADD in a magnificent book by a doctor with ADD called Driven to Distraction. I felt validated and deeply understood for the first time in a very unique way. Just prior to that reading I had gone through what I felt was a diagnostic nightmare; Sitting down for ten minutes, telling a doctor that prescribes ADD meds that I didn’t apply myself in school and that I lose my keys sometimes seemed a rather subjective means of determining that I need a schedule II controlled substance ((http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controlled_Substances_Act#Schedule_II_controlled_substances)) & stimulant pumped into my brain. Perhaps one day we’ll look back and say, “Man! What were we thinking!?” kinda like we have with the barbaric practice of sticking a rod into someone’s brain & destroying functioning in an attempt to alleviate undesirable symptoms, called a lobotomy.

Don’t get me wrong here. I’m not placing judgments on anyone who is using or has used psychotropic drugs. I’m just saying that I struggled that day I walked out of the doctor’s office. I debated whether or not to take the prescription I received. I have gone back and forth since then numerous times. At times I feel like I just want to have clarity, I want to push a button and make everything better. It’s in those times the call to go the drug route seems to have particular appeal. I have to admit, Dr Daniel Amen & Dr Ed Hallowell have both become two of my heroes, but both of them give the go ahead to use Adderall, etc. They both talk about other options, but neither advocate a change in diet to absolutely set things back to normal. I guess you’d call their advise the moderate or middle ground, not too extreme either way. Hard to get criticized too much there.

I have started many journeys to maintain focus on the things I feel passionate about and have gotten sidetracked more times than I can count. Over the past two years I’ve been interested in the world around me. A small group of us started a little study group to learn about the principles of freedom that led to the founding of our nation. It has been an amazing ride. I have listened to, read, discussed and debated many topics & now wish all would take the opportunity to do the same. Well, I believe it was that forum that led me to seeking more and more about how the world works and what’s behind the curtains so to speak, the things that we take for granted and assume will always be as they are. Well, that’s what all this is coming to? Diet.

Fast forward to summer 2010. I saw a movie called Food, Inc (). I believe it intrigued me because of the impact that Super Size Me had on me. I watched and was in awe. The food I eat doesn’t really come in most instances from where I would think. There’s a whole system in place to feed us not nutrition, but convenience. I think I took away from that movie just what kind of impact a large scale, pressures-driven system can have on our individual worlds without us ever knowing it. I of course had come to realize from our study groups that a similar thing occurs at times in government, but my understanding was now expanding into a new area.

Then about two & a half months ago I stumbled upon a video called The Future of Food ((http://www.hulu.com/watch/67878/the-future-of-food)). It took Food, Inc. to another level as far as the latent affects of our food system goes. High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), a contributor to the “obesity epidemic” that you’ve probably heard about a hundred times about was an outgrowth of government subsidies of corn (King Corn). I recently talked to my good friend Mike who steered me towards a Princeton study that showed rats given HFCS gained weight. Upon further investigation it appears that fructose, unlike sucrose, doesn’t trigger the body to tell you that you’re full, it then needs to store the excess energy it’s getting as fat. ((http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/))

Well, this one little insight probably doesn’t mean much outside the context of on last thing. All these videos, including some I failed to mention (about fluoride, water quality, air quality, autism, etc) finally struck something in me deep enough to spur me to action. As I tweeted lasted a bit ago ((http://twitter.com/#!/kingryanarthur/status/18064987251544065)), I started a diet plan that has called for the elimination of not just HFCS, but hydrogenated & partially hydrogenated oils, white flour/rice, sugar, processed/packaged foods, alcohol and caffeine. Well, I thought I had a head start because I had already eliminated caffeine from my diet back in high school and I don’t drink, but I’ve already had some cravings for the sweets that I love so much.

This is the first time I’ve aimed to address a complete overhaul in my diet. And while I have come to believe this diet can help address all sorts of ailments, I am personally seeking a greater ability to focus and turn down distractions. I am not seeking to hand away my agency, on the contrary, I see this as part of an active agency and choice to live a healthy life.

A couple last thoughts from what I have come to recognize as true principles:

“The Spirit refines our natural sensitivities” ((Key to the Science of Theology: https://www.ryanmendenhall.com/blog/2009/06/13/the-spirits-refining-power-parley-p-pratt-key-to-the-science-of-theology.htm)) and our bodies are the houses through which the Spirit can speak. Elder Boyd K. Packer says in one of my favorite concepts from the Temple Prep Manual ((http://lds.org/manual/endowed-from-on-high-temple-preparation-seminar-teachers-manual/lesson-2-we-must-be-worthy-to-enter-the-temple?lang=eng))

“What you learn spiritually depends, to a degree, on how you treat your body. That is why the Word of Wisdom is so important.

“The habit-forming substances prohibited by that revelation—tea, coffee, liquor, tobacco—interfere with the delicate feelings of spiritual communication, just as other addictive drugs will do.

“Do not ignore the Word of Wisdom, for that may cost you the ‘great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures’ promised to those who keep it. And good health is an added blessing” ((in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 78; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 61))

Dallin Oaks said:

“The use of medical science is not at odds with our prayers of faith and our reliance on priesthood blessings. When a person requested a priesthood blessing, Brigham Young would ask, “Have you used any remedies?” To those who said no because “we wish the Elders to lay hands upon us, and we have faith that we shall be healed,” President Young replied: “That is very inconsistent according to my faith. If we are sick, and ask the Lord to heal us, and to do all for us that is necessary to be done, according to my understanding of the Gospel of salvation, I might as well ask the Lord to cause my wheat and corn to grow, without my plowing the ground and casting in the seed. It appears consistent to me to apply every remedy that comes within the range of my knowledge, and [then] to ask my Father in Heaven … to sanctify that application to the healing of my body.” ((http://lds.org/liahona/2010/05/healing-the-sick?lang=eng&format=conference))

Hippocrates said, “Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.” (())

Could this just be another thing that Ryan tries before moving onto something else? Sure. But it could also be one of those things that I start off with, slowly at first, grasping for stability as a baby learns to walk, and then placing a bit here and a bit there until I’m in a whole different place of understanding. It feels like the later.

Hope you enjoy some of these as much as I did. Keep posted, I’ve already watched & read many more things since I originally wrote this post.

The Beautiful Truth

The Beautiful Truth

The Gerson Miracle

Dying to Have Known

Dying to Have Known

Book Reviews, Diet

Review: Juiced! The Healthy Way

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I just got done reading a short e-book by Kevin and Annmarie Gianni. It came with my purchase of the documentary food matters. I had sheltered away like many of my hundreds of books, but after a great conversation tonight with the wonderful “Amber Jo” about her experience going on a raw food diet I decided to pull it out and read about juicing.

I’ll be honest I didn’t know much about juicing before read this book. In fact, I thought the juicing was the same as making this smoothie. The most I had heard about juicing was that Dr. Gerson used it to help cure certain cancer patients. It was a quick read and a good introduction to the topic of juicing.

I learned that the difference is the juicing removes the fibers from the fruits and vegetables allowing the nutrients a much easier path to absorption your digestive tract. Smoothies on the other hand retained the fibers which slows down digestion.

I learned that you can juice fruits and vegetables with the blunder and simply strain them afterward. I learned that there are certain things that don’t use very well. For example strawberries, avocados, bananas, blueberries, cherries and kiwis don’t yield much juice. I’ve learned that certain juices are used for their unique benefits.while it wasn’t in-depth enough help me diagnose and treat somebody to certain elements, I definitely understood that it’s not as difficult as I thought it would be to begin juicing.

Kevin & Annemarie talk about the difference between a juice fast and a juice feast. Fasting is all about limiting your intake juices alone. The purpose of the fastest typically for detoxification. I got the impression that it doesn’t last much longer than around a week. A feast on the other hand is all about flooding your body with its nutrient and caloric necessities for the day. 92 days was the. It suggested for a feast.

I thought it was particularly cool they were careful to add cautions about when you should and shouldn’t do a juice fast. Consulting with a physician if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding, anemic, suffer from hypothyroidism or have a chronic degenerative disease was suggested.there were also cool to insist that you didn’t need to go out and buy a juicer in order to start enjoying the benefits of juicing.

The book was very well laid out and visually appealing. They reviewed different types of juicers, what they’re good for and where they fall short. They introduced detoxification and mentioned several who have used juice based diets to give the body the proper milieu for healing itself. they mentioned Dr. Max Gerson who I’ve come across recently in the documentary the beautiful truth.

In all I thought it was a great first look at what juicing is how to start slowly incorporating juicing into your eating habits so as to make juicing a success for you.

You can check out their website at RenegadeHealth.com or I found a cool seven-day detox challenge that they offer. They also have a section I’d like to check out under the Health Resources tad at the top. I clicked on Most Popular and found what looked like a treasure trove. I snagged his free report on what the FDA reported is in our foods. Cool. Just to be transparent here I signed up for their affiliate program after looking at their website and the great resources that offer. Don’t feel pressured in any way to buy anything from them. They have plenty of free educational materials to help you understand your health. If you want to see a copy of my Juiced! book, I can share it with you. It has a bunch of recipes for juices if you’re interested, but don’t know where to start.

(I wrote this post with Dragon Naturally Speaking with quick & minimal edits. So please excuse any mistakes! 🙂 )

Diet

Foods That Kill

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This is a wonderful presentation w/ Dr. Klaper comparing animal products & plant based foods. I’ve made a summary below the video playlist (if you’re reading this in Facebook, please visit my Food That Kills post on my website to see the videos). Please comment when you’ve watched the entire presentation. I would love to hear if you have heard things contrary to what he presents. If you share, please cite your source (preferably, though not necessarily, a peer-reviewed journal article).

Recap of presentation: Diets high in animal protein (milk & meat) (body only needs about 30g / day, typical American diet 100+g a day) causes build up of acids as the liver metabolizes the protein & creates urea, ammonia & other amino acid waste fragments. These acids sap calcium from the bones and the kidneys excrete it in the urine, even in the presence of more than adequate dietary calcium. Osteoporosis seems to be more of a disease of protein excess than calcium deficiency. Highest animal protein consuming countries are the ones with osteoporosis: US, Scandinavia, Europe & Australia. So, milk…DOESN’T do a body good. Not to mention hormones, antibiotics, casein, pasteurization, etc. (Milk, Does A Body Good?)

Another prob w/ US diet, refined carbohydrates (enriched wheat) causes depletion of fiber which slows down the absorption. Without the fiber our intestines get gunked up.

One cause of high blood pressure is high amounts of sodium & one of the things highest in sodium is animal products, milk & meat.

When women eat animal fats prostaglandin 2 is released which makes her uterus constrict, retain fluid, gets irritable. Dr. Klaper Women who have increased their plant based consumption and reduced their animal product consumption have seen reduction in PMS symptoms.

Final thoughts: As a doctor in general practice he noted many patients’ health dramatically increasing and the need for medications reducing as they took on a vegetarian diet. Other than his “we need to control the population” comment at the end I felt it was a very informative presentation that helped put overall health in perspective and helped to dispel some common myths around milk, meat, protein and vegetarian diets.

Diet

Milk, Does A Body Good?

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After learning about the manipulative of marketing, the power of politics and the Machiavellian tendencies induced by large mounds of money, it perhaps wasn’t as hard to believe as it may have been several years ago. The slogan “Milk, it does a body good” has remained with me for a long time and while it may not have been the prime reason that I loved to down a couple glasses a day growing up, it definitely may have been a contributing factor in keeping my family and I dismissing claims that milk wasn’t good for me.

Well, the more I dig, the more I uncover and the more I see that things are not always as they seem. I don’t consider it a conspiracy, though it may be. I don’t place blame on anyone, though there are groups that have perpetuated lies, knowingly or unknowingly. I just think it’s in my best interest to dig for truth and then feed my body what it needs to thrive.

I’ve struggled through different trials in life as many do; ADD, impulsiveness, mild depression, etc. I haven’t pieced together yet all the reasons for those struggles, but perhaps much of my mental anguish was unnecessary. Now I fully acknowledge the purpose of trials in life. The stressors can cause us to push back, which helps us to seek for answers and to grow, but imagine if there were an understanding, acceptance and living of personal health standards untainted by marketing & man’s motivation for money. What kind of businesses would we build up? What kind of food systems would we have? What kind of prosperity would we uncover and what kind of positive progress could we make as human race?

These are some problems being observed and attributed at least in part with the consumption of milk (and in a broader way, animal products):

  • High in protein that can leech calcium from bones
  • Breast cancer
  • Osteoporosis
  • Atherosclerosis: heart disease, stroke, kidney failure
  • Children coming into puberty sooner
  • ADD
  • Alergies

Considering the distraction from creative endeavors the previous list suggests, I am going to make the decision to reduce milk from my diet. Following you’ll find my Milk Video Playlist (if you are viewing this in Facebook please visit my blog post Milk, Does A Body Good? to see the videos):

So then, why is milk so popular? Well, personally I love the taste, but let’s take a little stroll down the culture of milk in America:

Santa (& Dad's) Favorite Treat
We're told it's good for bones
We're told it's good for kids
And hey! If it's good enough for Batman...
Brain & Psychology, Diet

Bisphenol A (BPA) – Synthetic Estrogen in Can Lining & Plastic Bottles

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Not because I wish you to see me as a Chicken Little do I bring up yet another topic of health concern (by the way, I plan on bringing up much more), but rather because as Howard Dayton said in the Crown Financial Ministries’ awesome “Money Map” audios, “Any enterprise is build by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and profits wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.” (Proverbs 24:3-4 TLB) And also, “It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” (Doc & Cov 131:6)

The Problem

So, what is it this time Ryan? Well, I got a couple videos for y’alls to watch that will explain a little bit about the situation…

But wait, it looks like the FDA has changed their tune:

The closing statement in this video kinda cracked me up. The lady whose blood BPA level skyrocketed after just eating a tuna fish sandwich calmly reassured “You can still enjoy your pizza. Everything is relative and in moderation.” It seems a bit like the captain of the titanic calmly encouraging passengers to continue dancing. “Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.” (2Ne 28:7 Look in verse 10 in the context of this video for an interesting twist in meaning.)

I’ll admit that my first exposure to the dangers of BPA and all the places we get exposed to it (without even knowing it) was from Alex Jones, but just to satisfy all you who don’t want to go that far out there to get your information (even though he documents his claims for you to look up yourself) I made a little trip to the The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, ya know, the government. Well even their National Toxicology Program has begun to look into BPA as a potential human health hazard. They did so not only because of public concern, but because animal studies have shown altered behavior and development in the offspring of animals given this synthetic estrogen and because our current exposure level are relatively similar to that given lab animals.

They have a scale they use to rate their concern of harm. For infants, the concern is elevated.

The Solution

This exposure to a yet another health risk brings us to the conclusion that I’ve been reaching again and again over the last couple months, and quite honestly the one that finally led me to action in the area of what I consume. It was summed up brilliantly by a doctor friend of mine who was explaining how simple nutrition is, “try to eat whole, raw foods. The less processing the better. The end.” So there ya have it folks, eat food the way God made it.

If you insist on walking near the edge, the NIEHS has a tad more information on how to steel clear of BPA. You can also check the “all-knowing” Google or Wikipedia for more about BPA where you’ll see that Canada just declared it a toxin. You can also get “the other side” from those who have an interest in not seeing it banned here (And just in case you thought it, yeah, I am a little biased after reflecting on the data). Below are some additional places to look more information about what’s being done about BPA.

Interact

I’d love to hear your thoughts or concerns about this in the comments below. I’d especially like to hear thoughts on how to make avoidance of plastics and canned goods practical.