diet | Tracy Krulik

All Drugs Are Toxic

July 20, 2012 8:57 am \ Tracy Krulik

Dr. Joel Fuhrman recalls his first pharmacology lecture in med school: “The physician impressed upon us that all drugs are toxic and we should never forget this.”

I learned this lesson the hard way by taking any drug my docs threw my way and inevitably suffering through a myriad of side effects that ranged from rashes to vomiting to hypoglycemia to weakness to disorientation (the last two put me in the emergency room, BTW). When I listen to my friends and read their Facebook posts, I realize that I’m among a small minority of people who heed Dr. Fuhrman’s warning. As I work to build my body into a fortress of health and diminish my dependence on medications, I see those around me rushing to refill their statins rather than grab a carrot.

Today the Washington Post has published an article that reveals the disconnect between medications’ safety and benefit claims and reality. The FDA is not doing its job in protecting us in its oversight of these drugs, and doctors are prescribing higher doses than are necessary — their profits grow with the size of the dose.

This should terrify you.

Next month Whole Life Times magazine is publishing an article I wrote on the lack of oversight from the FDA on cosmetic treatments like wrinkle fillers and Botox. I’m currently working on an article for them on the FDA’s lack of oversight on tattoo ink. See a pattern?

Let me sum all of this up: Just because a doctor says that a drug or a treatment will improve you and will be safe does not make it so. Just because the FDA says a drug or a treatment will improve you and will be safe does not make it so.

Pay attention to what you put into your body. Eat as many plant-based foods as possible to fuel your body with nutrients. Limit processed foods and chemicals. Strengthen your body with exercise rather than take pain killers. And take stock of your medications. Do you really need all the drugs you take? Could you lower your cholesterol with your diet rather than by popping a pill?

The man in the WaPo article lost his life because a nurse in the hospital gave him an unnecessary shot of an anemia medication before he left for home. Hours later he was dead.

All drugs are toxic. Does anyone care?

Posted in: As I See It \ Tagged: diet, drugs, exercise, health care, Joel Fuhrman

Best. Sloppy. Joes. Ever.

May 31, 2012 8:35 am \ Tracy Krulik

Craving cafeteria-style comfort food? I’ve got the perfect recipe for you.

“Snobby Joes” from Veganomicon is the perfect blend of yummy and healthy. Using lentils instead of meat, this recipe looks, tastes, and feels like the sloppy joes I ate as a kid.

One note: The chili powder in this recipe gives the joes a bit of a kick. Try cutting it to one or two tablespoons if you don’t like spicy. You can always add more in later if you want.

What you need:

1 cup uncooked brown lentils, rinsed and drained
4 cups water
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium-sized yellow onion, cut into small dice
1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chile powder (See note above.)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
2–3 tablespoons maple syrup (I used two.)
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
4-6 buns, sliced in half horizontally

What to do:

Pour the lentils and water into a small saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Drain and set aside.
About 10 minutes before the lentils are done, preheat a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the onion and pepper in the oil for about 7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute more.
Stir in the cooked lentils, chili powder, oregano, and salt. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add the maple syrup to taste and the mustard, and heat through.
Turn off the heat and let the pot sit for about 10 minutes, so that the flavors can meld, or go ahead and eat immediately if you can’t wait.

The book says they like to serve these open faced; I’m a traditionalist. I like my sloppy joes cafeteria style served on a full bun and with some fries. In this case, I roasted some potato wedges with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, fresh dill, salt, and pepper.

Best. Fries. Ever.

Enjoy!

Posted in: Recipes \ Tagged: diet, plant-based, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Recipe: Tuscan White Bean and Fennel Stew with Orange and Rosemary

May 1, 2012 7:47 am \ Tracy Krulik

Two things: I love this stew. And, Cancer hates all those vegetables!

From the cookbook Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson, the “Tuscan White Bean and Fennel Stew” is an absolute winner. Tommie and I were both highly disappointed last night when we realized we were full and could not fit another spoonful into our bellies. I knew I had to share it with you. Enjoy!

What you’ll need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 medium-sized carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/4″ thick half-moons
2 garlic cloves
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed and diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock
1 pound small red potatoes, unpeeled and quartered
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small zucchini, cut into 1/4″ thick rounds
1 1/2 cups cooked or one 15-ounce can cannellini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon minced orange zest (from one medium to large orange)
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried (I always recommend fresh!!!)

What to do:

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the onion and carrots, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the fennel and wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered and stirring, until the wine is reduced by one half, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, potatoes, tomatoes and juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes soften, about 20 minutes.
Add the zucchini and beans. Simmer until the ingredients are tender and the desired consistency is achieved, about 15 minutes. If a thicker stew is desired, puree 1 cup of the stew in a blender or food processor and stir back into the pot. (I used an immersion blender and liked the consistency.)
A few minutes before serving, stir in the orange zest and rosemary. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6

Posted in: Recipes \ Tagged: diet, plant-based, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

In Search of Healthy Food

April 25, 2012 10:23 am \ Tracy Krulik

As I sip my decaf coffee with a splash of soy milk outside my favorite portable office, the Buzz Bakery and coffee shop, I reflect on how difficult it is to find healthy and tasty vegan foods away from my own kitchen. I think about this a lot actually.

Vegetarians and vegans can find a surprisingly vast amount of foods in restaurants and shops, but most of it is ladened with fats, sweeteners, and chemicals. I used to think that the unhealthy food issue was limited to us non-animal eaters, but I now believe it to be a systemic problem.

In the April 2012 Washingtonian Magazine, food-critic Todd Kliman answers this reader question: “Our country is facing a health crisis. Why aren’t many chefs changing their menus to reflect that?” Great question Reader! I want to know the answer too.

Here’s what Todd replied:

“Restaurant food isn’t constructed to be eaten four times a week — it’s constructed to be an indulgence. The problem is that people eat out more than ever. I suppose chefs could make a symbolic stand by lightening their dishes and making them less decadent. But would that really have an influence?

“Chefs are generally wary of making their food lighter. Even Italian chefs, such proponents of using olive oil, slather on butter to give dishes a finishing richness. They’re not much concerned with people’s diets. They’re concerned with getting people in the door and keeping them coming back.”

Because of my generally incredibly healthy diet as well as the fact that I no longer have a gallbladder and only have half a pancreas, when I eat something with too much fat in it, I immediately feel uncomfortable and sometimes even quite nauseous. And nine out of ten times when I eat food prepared outside of my own kitchen, I feel pretty lousy. My social life suffers because of it. I’d love to join friends for dinner at a restaurant, but I can only do so if I’m prepared to feel crummy afterwards.

There are two places in the DC metro area where I’m guaranteed a tasty meal that won’t make me feel sick: the healthy Indian food truck Rolls on Rolls and the chain Le Pain Quotidien. If I can find others I plan to start a running list on this site — part healthy food honor roll/part information for people who want to eat well.

I wonder if we’re approaching a tipping point in America. Will we as a nation become so unhealthy that even the most gluttonous will discover the need to eat healthier foods and choose home-cooked produce over butter-ladened foie gras? The cynic in me says Never! But as Rolls on Rolls and Le Pain Quotidien seem to have loyal followings, perhaps the market for healthy eating is brightening. A girl can dream.

Posted in: As I See It, Nutrition and Health \ Tagged: diet, health care, nutrition, plant-based, vegan, vegetarian

Is There a Nutritionist in the House?

March 14, 2012 7:06 am \ Tracy Krulik

One pound of sunchokes (A.K.A. Jerusalem artichokes) braised in one pound of butter with an added tablespoon of rendered pork fat amounts to only twelve grams of fat per serving. That’s what the Washington Post tells us today in its Sunchokes Braised in Butter recipe.

Really?

I’m not being snarky here, I’m just surprised and wonder if they’ve got the nutritional information correct.

The recipe says to submerge a pound of small sunchokes in four sticks of melted butter (along with some herbs, salt, and pepper), cover with aluminum foil and bake. When the chokes are tender, pull them out of the butter vat and then swirl them around in some heated pork fat on a hot skillet.

End result? According to the Post, two servings of: 290 calories, 5 g protein, 37 g carbohydrates, 12 g fat, 7 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 0 g sugar.

How did they figure out the fat content? Did someone weigh the butter before and after to determine how much got absorbed into the sunchokes?

I’ve never tried sunchokes and was excited to read the recipe, but vegan or no I would never (knowingly) eat any dish with this much butter and a skosh of pork fat. After two bites my digestive system would go on strike.

The recipe reads as ridiculously gluttonous to me, and so I’m going to go on a mission to find a delicious and healthy sunchokes recipe. There must be a better way. I’ll be sure to share my findings with you.

Note to my MacBook: “Sunchoke” is ONE word — not two. Give a girl a break!

Posted in: As I See It, Nutrition and Health \ Tagged: diet, nutrition, plant-based, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

How I Kicked My Antacids Habit

March 2, 2012 8:41 am \ Tracy Krulik

A week after the surgeon took out half of my pancreas and my spleen I developed the most disturbing hunger pangs — after I ate. Made me nuts, but I thought it must be a short-term side effect from the surgery and I’d feel better in a week or so. Nope. Not only did the hunger pang feeling stay, but it was joined by a cough.

My gastroenterologist put me on Prilosec — the little purple pill. (Someone’s doing an effective advertising job.) Hunger pangs stayed; coughing got worse. He switched me to Nexium. Hunger pangs stayed; I sprayed spit all over a classmate’s music score when a post-lunch cough caught us both by surprise. I asked my allergist for help. He put me on some kind of cough suppressant for two months. Cough dissipated while taking the meds and immediately returned when they ran out.

I asked my surgeon about the cough and he suggested I try a different gastroenterologist. So I went to a new guy at Georgetown who performed an endoscopy and said, “I think your stomach might not be emptying quickly enough.” (Anyone who knows my story well knows that that was what the first doc said to me when there was actually a tumor on my pancreas and my stomach was just fine.) I smiled, thanked him, and ran away.

A year later I found a new gastroenterologist, Dr. Email. After a nice email exchange he had me come to the office for an exam. Long story short, Dr. Email said that some antacids work for some; some work for others. As my cough and hunger pang sensations definitely sounded like acid reflux symptoms to him, he switched me to Pepcid. Once a day didn’t work, but 20mg twice a day did. Cough gone! For the most part. If I pushed myself to a new level of fitness in the gym or on my bike, or if I ate something really fattening my cough would return.

And so for the last three years I’ve taken 20mg of Pepcid with breakfast and with dinner… until last week.

Remember when I went down to Charlottesville to see the endocrinologist about my blood sugar issues? To level out my blood sugars he suggested I stop eating processed foods like boxed cereals and energy bars and instead eat steel cut oats for breakfast and fruits and nuts for snacks. He also said that he wanted to wean me off of Pepcid.

“I haven’t been able to live comfortably without it since my surgery four years ago.”

“But if you eat healthier, I don’t believe you’ll need it.”

“I eat an extremely healthy diet now.”

“But you haven’t eaten this diet.”

I said that I’d give it a try, and while I believed that his tweaking of my diet would level out my blood sugars, I couldn’t believe that such a slight modification to an already healthy diet would get rid of my cough.

It has. I’ve now gone ten days without coughing, and I’m no longer taking any antacids. Prior to this I haven’t been able to go four hours without a cough since my surgery, so I don’t believe this is a fluke.

When I watch shows like The Biggest Loser or movies like Forks Over Knives I’m amazed to see people get off their statins or diabetes medications by simply improving their diet and exercising more. I’m equally amazed that by eating for the most part only foods that are nutritious and real, I’ve been able to defeat a health problem that stumped three gastroenterologists, a world-class pancreas surgeon, and an ear-nose-and-throat doc.

Friends think I’m sacrificing something by living the way that I do, but they’re wrong. I don’t need butter and wine and pork to live a fulfilling life. I’ve never enjoyed food more, and I’ve never felt better. And now the only pill I take is a multivitamin.

How about them apples!

Posted in: As I See It, Nutrition and Health \ Tagged: diet, exercise, nutrition, plant-based

Are Some Oils Healthy?

February 9, 2012 8:57 am \ Tracy Krulik

Last week a post on Facebook infuriated me. Shocker. I know.

Elevation Burger, the restaurant chain posted this:

“Did you know that February is American Heart Month? Well it is, and we want to share with you a recent study from Spain published in the British Medical Journal that found no association between the frequency of fried food consumption, when olive and sunflower oils are mostly used, and the incidence of serious heart disease. The chief reason why we fry our french fries in olive oil free from trans-fat!”

A fast-food chain that sells burgers, fries, soft drinks, and milk shakes was promoting American Heart Month. That point alone pissed me off.

Beyond that issue, said burger chain was citing a British Medical Journal study discussed in this article in The Telegraph. Essentially the study showed that in people who ate a Mediterranean diet, consuming foods fried in sunflower or olive oil “is not linked to heart disease or premature death.”

The most important part of the above statement is “in people who ate a Mediterranean diet.” The study was performed in Spain. Not England. Not the United States. Mediterranean diets include a much higher quantity of vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats from nuts, and are vastly different than the more commonly consumed low-nutrient Western diets.

What Elevation Burger fans would not have learned had they not read the The Telegraph article for themselves was this:

“Fried foods from modern American-style takeaways were different, they argued, because these tended to have been cooked in re-used oils, higher in transfats. In addition, such takeaways tended to contain much more salt, known to increase blood pressure and heart disease risk.”

So basically, people who are eating a nutrient-dense diet don’t seem to have an increased risk of heart disease if they eat food fried in olive or sunflower oil (according to the one study). But the same cannot be said for people who eat low-nutrient Western diets, because they were not included in this one study.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman provides excellent information on why consuming processed oils are not healthy for you. And to put it in a nutshell (See what I did there? “Nutshell?”) Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn says this about whether it’s good to consume processed oils:

“NO OIL! Not even olive oil, which goes against a lot of other advice out there about so-called good fats. The reality is that oils are extremely low in terms of nutritive value. They contain no fiber, no minerals and are 100% fat calories. And above all they contain saturated fat which immediately injures the endothelial lining of the arteries when eaten. It doesn’t matter whether it’s olive oil, corn oil, or any other kind of oil. You should not consume any oil if you have heart disease.”

Why was I so irate about Elevation Burger’s post? Cherry picking quotes that don’t tell the full story is irresponsible and dangerous. You could argue that fans of their page should click on the link to read the article for themselves, but we all know that most of the time we read headlines and comments in our Facebook feeds and move on to the next post.

The bottom line is this: If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Should we never consume processed oils? Well, if we are already high risk for heart disease or stroke, then many doctors would say no. Do I never consume oil? Of course not. I use one or two tablespoons of oil in most dishes that I make, and every once in a while I’ll eat some fries in a restaurant. I understand the risks though, and I know that after I eat those fries I’m gonna feel like crap, and I always do.

Eat what you want, but be sure to make an informed decision about what foods you put in your mouth.

Posted in: As I See It, Nutrition and Health \ Tagged: diet, nutrition

Super Immunity — January Book Club

January 25, 2012 8:27 am \ Tracy Krulik

So, do we all have superhero immune systems now?

Ironically I read Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Super Immunity while battling bronchitis and even had to go on antibiotics. Dr. Fuhrman goes into great detail on the dangers of prescribing antibiotics to patients who have viral infections. As it turns out I must have been one of the rare patients who actually had a bacterial infection, because after six weeks of coughing, the meds knocked it out in three days — western medicine at its finest.

But I digress.

I’ll give you my short take on the book and then open up the discussion to the group. One request, while it’s inevitable that we will end up discussing this on the Facebook wall, as much as possible, let’s try to keep the comments on this blog post, so that folks who don’t use Facebook can participate.

Overall I found the book highly informative, and of the citations I checked, I found most to be credible. In the back of my mind though I kept wondering how much bias was playing into Dr. Fuhrman’s assertions — a lifetime of skeptical doctors’ voices are hardwired in my brain.

For those who haven’t read the book, Dr. Fuhrman promotes a “nutritarian” diet. He wants ninety percept of our diet to be nutrient dense plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains) and then we can eat processed foods, meats, and sweets in the leftover ten percent.

I found this goal impossible. I eat an extremely healthy (at least I think I do) diet, but when I tried cutting back the non-nutrient-dense foods to ten percent I cracked after about five days and started gorging on chocolates. Perhaps if my scans showed that my tumors were growing again I might see things differently and stick to his program completely, but other than my odd bout of bronchitis (I haven’t had a cough like that in probably fifteen years) I’m super healthy. I’m eating more along the lines of 80/20 — eighty percent nutrient dense foods and twenty percent not-so-good. I’m happy with that.

I do have to say that I’m not impressed with a number of the recipes. I liked the “Aztec Stuffer” kale sandwich, but I found the “Shiitake Watercress Soup” unpleasant and the “Go Berry Breakfast Bars” soggy. Tommie can tell you his experience with the “Pomegranate Muesli.”

That said, I loved learning about the ways in which phytochemicals can help our bodies fight diseases like cancer, and I am even more committed now to making sure that I flood my body with gobs of nutrients. The one area I was lacking before was in eating leafing greens — I wasn’t eating nearly enough of them. Specifically, I had no idea that kale was the king of foods. We’re eating tons of it, broccoli, cabbage, chard, and spinach now.

Enough about me. Here are some questions to get the conversation going:

What were your overall impressions with the book?
Do you feel that Dr. Fuhrman supported his assertions with enough credible citations?
Was there any topic in the book that was completely novel to you?
Was there anything in the book that you simply didn’t buy?
How does the nutritarian diet compare to your diet?
Did you try the diet or recipes? Results?
If not, do you plan to?

I’ll post next month’s book by Friday. If you have any suggestions for other books, please let me know.

Posted in: As I See It \ Tagged: book, book club, diet, plant-based

Vegetarians — How do you get protein?

January 23, 2012 11:02 am \ Tracy Krulik

“I’m a vegan.”

“So, you don’t eat fish?”

“Nope. Nothing with a brain. Even a teeny tiny one.”

“Eggs or dairy?”

“Um, nope. Eggs and dairy come from little guys with brains.”

“So, where do you get your protein?”

I have this conversation almost every time someone new discovers I’m a vegan. I even have a few friends who repeat the questioning each time we sit down for a meal. Protein, it seems, is the most important nutrient to people. No one ever asks, “Where do you get your magnesium?”

Proteins are parts of cells in our bodies, and after they are broken down, we need to replace them. They are made up of twenty amino acids, but our body can only make eleven of them. We call the nine that our body cannot make essential amino acids. When we eat proteins, they are digested into amino acids, which replace the parts we lost.

Some proteins, like meats, are complete — they contain all nine essential amino acids. Others, like those from most plant sources are not complete. They have some of the nine essential amino acids, but not all. We do not need to consume all nine with each meal. By eating a variety of plant-based foods throughout the day (vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, and beans), we get all the essential amino acids in the aggregate.

Check out this list which will give you a taste of how much protein is found in plant-based foods:

Lentils (1 cup) — 18 g
Garbanzo beans (1 cup) — 15 g
Lima beans (1 cup) — 15 g
French beans (1 cup cooked) — 13 g
Peas (1 cup cooked) — 9 g
Tofu (3 oz.) — 8 g (complete protein)
Quinoa (1 cup cooked) — 8 g (complete protein)
Couscous (1 cup cooked) — 6 g
Spinach (1 cup cooked) — 5 g
Pomegranate — 5 g
Corn (1 large ear) — 4 g
Dates (1 cup pitted/chopped) — 4 g
Walnuts (14 halves) — 4 g
Steel cut oats (1/4 cup dry) — 4 g
Swiss chard (1 cup cooked) — 3 g
Broccoli (1 cup raw) — 3 g
Kale (1 cup cooked) — 3 g
Avocado (1 fruit without skin and seed) — 3 g
Blackberries (1 cup) — 2 g
Cauliflower (1/2 cup cooked) — 1 g
Orange (1 medium) — 1 g
Banana (1 medium) — 1 g

I am continually amazed to discover that fruits like pomegranates contain protein. On any given day I’ll eat most of the foods on that list. So not only am I getting more than enough protein, I’m also getting tons of cancer-fighting phytochemicals and nutrients like magnesium.

Rather than being so focused on protein, protein, protein, we would do better focusing on nutrients, nutrients, nutrients. If you eat your fruits and vegetables, not only will you get all the essential amino acids for strong, healthy cells, but you will also flood your body with gobs of health-promting nutrients.

For information on how much protein you need for your body type and lifestyle check out this and this.

Posted in: As I See It, Nutrition and Health \ Tagged: diet, plant-based, vegan, vegetarian

Paula Deen’s Diabetes

January 18, 2012 8:41 am \ Tracy Krulik

Let’s talk turducken.

Paula Deen, the queen of buttery, creamy, cheesy, salty, oily, fat-ladened, fried, “southern” comfort food has Type 2 diabetes. As one friend aptly put it, “Shocker.”

While I’m in no way surprised that Paula developed this disease, it does surprise me that rather than using her cooking skills to find healthier (and still tasty) foods to eat, she’s pretty much sticking with her regular diet. I would have thought her to be more intelligent. Worse yet, Paula is now the spokesperson for the diabetes drug Victoza. So not only is she making an irresponsible decision for her own health by eating the same foods which likely gave her diabetes, she will continue to teach Food Network viewers how to make those dishes and chase ‘em with a medication if their body fat content causes insulin resistance.

Despite my dislike of her proselytizing for the Church of Gluttony, I’ve always liked Paula Deen. Her sweet southern charm draws me back to happy memories of my college roommate’s mom who could put us “kids” in line with a smile. But therein lies the problem. I’m not the only one to see Paula in a motherly or grandmotherly role — that’s her schtick. As the benevolent parent, Mama Deen yields great influence. People follow your lead, Paula.

According to a New York Times article, Paula has made two changes to her diet: smaller portions of unhealthy foods, and the sweet tea is out. Well shuck my corn and bottle me up! No more sweet tea? How evah will you suhvive, Mama Deen? In addition, she takes her now money-making drug Victoza to stimulate insulin production. (Warning: the U.S. National Library of Medicine has posted an alert saying, “[Victoza] may increase the risk that you will develop tumors of the thyroid gland, including medullary thyroid carcinoma [MTC; a type of thyroid cancer], which may cause death if it is not treated at an early stage.”)

I guess there’s one saving grace to this story: the face of Victoza is full of fried chitlins. Maybe people will start to see a pattern — that those who live in the unhealthiest ways are the faces of diseases. The question is, will anyone care?

Posted in: As I See It, Nutrition and Health \ Tagged: diabetes, diet, health care

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