Cataracts & Lutein-Another Magic Bullet

So my eye doc says the cateracts I probably got in childhood from way too many blistering sunburns in FL are alive and well. He quietly told me a patient of his significantly reduced her cataract in just 4 months by taking a lutein supplement, which I could conveniently find on the checkout counter for $40 for one bottle.

Save yourself some bucks, and here's the "natural" lutein. Aren't we always looking for the magic bullet? The answer in a bottle. Scroll down and you'll find the rankings of veggies with the most amount of Lutein.
If you Google Lutein, you'll find as many links to supplements. Pretty amazing!

Lutein is a yellow or orange pigment found in some fruits and vegetables.

Function of Lutein:

Lutein is concentrated in the retinas of your eyes and is necessary for good vision. A diet rich in lutein may lower your risk of developing cataracts and macular degeneration.

Lutein may also help prevent or slow down atherosclerosis, the thickening of arteries, which is a major risk for cardiovascular disease.

Where To Find Lutein:

Carrots, squash and other fruits and vegetables with orange and yellow pigments are sources of lutein. Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, also contain high amounts of lutein. All are an important part of a healthy diet.

Lutein is also available as a dietary supplement. The Age Related Eye Disease study found that high doses of lutein, combined with other antioxidants, may help slow down the progression of macular degeneration. The supplement formula used in the study is Twin Lab Ocuvite, which also contains zinc and other antioxidants.
Ranking of Foods ContainingLutein

Vegetable/Fruit (100 grams or 1/2 cup)	Lutein or Zeaxanthin (Micrograms)
Kale	21,900
Collard Greens	16,300
Spinach, cooked & drained	12,600
Cress Leaf, raw	12,500
Swiss Chard, raw	11,000
Chicory Leaf, raw	10,300
Parsley	10,200
Spinach, raw	10,200
Mustard Greens	9,900
Beet Greens	7,700
Okra	6,800
Pepper, Red	6,800
Dill	6,700
Romaine Lettuce	5,700
Endive	4,000
Celery	3,600
Scallions	2,100
Leeks	1,900
Broccoli, cooked	1,800
Leaf Lettuce	1,800
Green Peas	1,700
Pumpkin	1,500
Iceburg Lettuce	1,400
Brussel Sprouts	1,300
Summer Squash	1,200
Corn	790
Pepper, Yellow	770
Green Beans	740
Pepper, Green	700
Asparagus, raw	640
Cucumber Pickle	510
Green Olives	510
Avocado, raw	320
Carrots, cooked or raw	260
Plum, raw	240
Tomato Paste, canned	190
Peach, dried	188
Kiwi Fruit, raw	180
Prune, dried	120
Pear, raw	110
Tomatoes, raw	100
Apple, raw	45
Squash, winter, cooked	38
Peach, canned, drained	28
Cabbage, red, raw	26
Tangerine	20
Onion, yellow, raw	16
Nectarine	15
Orange	14
Watermelon, raw	14
Apricot, canned, drained	2
Turnip, raw	1

Russert, Fixx & Heart Disease

Feeling like the purpose of life is to improve your community and world is what gets me up in the morning. That goal has been best served the past number of years by teaching my Cancer Project cooking classes and giving media advice to those in a position to best influence the health of others. Namely, the doctors and health care professionals I'm privileged to work with who support a low-fat vegan diet as the best medicine against diseases of affluence.

But was anyone else struck by the Tim Russert postmortems? Here's one from USA Today comparing Russert's sudden death from a heart attack to legendary runner Jim Fixx: "Both men took steps to reduce their odds of the same fate. Russert had been diagnosed with coronary artery disease...and his doctor prescribed medication and exercise. Fixx changed his diet, laced up his running shoes and ate up the miles." Fixx died alone, on the side of the road, of a heart attack similar to Russert's.

When will it become obvious to the majority of doctors that changing the diet didn't go far enough? When will doctors like John McDougall and Neal Barnard who have been singing this song for so long be appreciated and accepted by all of the mainstream doctors and media? How many Russerts will pass away before the light goes off?

I'm not a doctor, but I am a runner who suffered from angina when I did high protein diets and my cholesterol soared in one year from 135 to 203! My medical records are on Dr. McDougall's site...http://drmcdougall.com/stars/ellen_jaffe_jones.htm
All my ills completely evaporated when I changed my diet to low-fat vegan. I couldn't run without chest or joint pain until I lost the 25 pounds. My uncle dropped dead of a heart attack in his fifties, both parents had major heart disease, and so do my two sisters now. Did I get all the good genes? Don't think so. It really is this easy. I've seen it so often in my classes. More than half the class usually loses some weight after only six weeks...half of them more than 10 pounds. Without counting a single calorie or ever being hungry, and loving the great tasting CHEAP food!

Anyone concerned about the cost of food? This is the way to go. Three bucks a day. It can be done.

I'm just so weary of reading the quotes in the Russert/Fixx USA Today summary: "Though you can lower your risk of sudent death, you can't always prevent it...no matter how many veggies and miles he ran." McDougall and others have said, yes you can prevent and even reverse it. So tragically sad.

Vegan Veg Coach is back again

I took a little break while Google I hope took care of the spamming that happens on these blogs. It's been awhile since I've been here, and I'm glad to see that only one spammer has been here since my last visit. I continue to teach cooking classes, coach people individually on weight loss struggles and plans, and monitor, write and photograph the Ospreys that are camped outside our house in a tall tree. The story with photos were on the cover of our local newspaper yesterday. It is something to watch these awesome "birds of prey" tear into live, wiggling, flopping fish with a vengeance. As I pointed out in the diary that was published, these birds' beaks were meant for serious filleting.

As for us humans, many would argue if we were meant to tear through flesh like that, we would have beaks or canine teeth that could rip and shred. After watching this mom and pop operation, I'm really hoping that fish don't have feelings.

In between Osprey journaling, I'm writing the story of living well when your genes are stacked against you. The more classes I teach, students gasp when they see my "before" and "after" photos. I only lost 25 pounds, which for many is not a big deal. But on a 5'3" woman, it looks like a lot. Keep in mind, I was not trying to lose weight. I was just trying to save myself from the emergency room ordered hysterectomy. Fortunately, I had a great doctor who said, why don't you return to that low-fat plant-based diet and call me in the morning.

I was never hungry, never counted a calorie. A month later, all symptoms, including hot flashes and other problems associated with menopause were completely gone. 6 months later, so were the 25 pounds I'd managed to put on in a sedentary, stressful period of my life.

It wasn't until I'd lost the weight that I was able to return to my favorite sport of my 20's & 30's of running. Up until I lost the weight, I'd had knee, ankle and back pain. But once the weight came off and the inflammation resolved, the miles started packing on. One year later, I placed third, then second for my age group in local 5K races. Amazing.

It is possible to do this. I think this is the best kept secret. And cheap, cheap, cheap. Both in the food you eat, and the money you save in health care. Insurance companies tell me they fight over people like me. Who wouldn't? I pay my low premiums and don't go to the doc unless I overtrain in running. Who would do that? ;) Be sure to eat lots of green raw veggies to make that weight melt off. A salad at lunch and dinner will go a long way in revving up your metabolism. Despite what you may hear in pop-up daily journalism, (low-fat) vegans really are on average much healthier than other populations.

cooking class was standing room only!

I teach low-fat plant-based cooking classes in Florida. I taught at Whole Foods today, and even though they had people sign up in advance, we had an extra 10 people come in above the 30 that had signed up. Everyone asked such good questions. We made calabacitas which we loaded onto low-fat whole wheat tortillas. We made guacamole plus with peas mashed in...couldn't even tell the peas were in it. We also used low-fat refried beans. Yummy.

I eat tortillas with lettuce and salsa all the time. A great thing to shove down before going out to dinner to a place you know won't know what the word "vegan" means.

Management told me, "you have quite a following." When people see my "before" pictures...145 at 5'3" is not a pretty site, they gasp as they realize the chef standing before them is the same person. They also get wide-eyed when I tell them both my sisters and parents had/have major heart disease, and my mom, sister and aunt all had/have breast cancer.

I really love teaching these classes. I think it is in part because no one in my family of origin ever took my vegetarian eating and recommendations seriously. My audiences are so hungry ;) for this information.

The Whole Foods assistant today kept saying, "I'll organize and serve the food. You just keep talking." I'm used to serving and talking at the same time in my other classes. It was nice to have the help and to focus on addressing everyone's questions.

Vegetarian Coaching

Vegetarian Coaching

It's been awhile, and I'm resolved to keep my writing juices flowing. I teach veg cooking classes, and I am so rewarded by the success people find...in just plain feeling better and in unplanned, yet incredible weightloss. Many of my students are raving fans after a few weeks. Since I was an investigative reporter in my past life, I'm going to just start writing about current events in the veg world. There isn't a day that goes by that some study supports what I and the many excellent doctors whose work I follow is supported. Mainstream, I say. Mainstream. I've also come to understand that my 5 years as a financial consultant at Smith Barney (and the number one market performer in my entire branch...a branch of 70 men mostly, who had been in the business decades) has been invaluable in understanding the financial model of vegetables. That's right...there's just not a whole lot of money to made in veggies, or being vegan...which is really what makes the weight drop folks. Cut the meat and dairy, and watch your waistline reappear. I'm amazed when I think about my involvement with Race for the Cure. We (Smith Barney) gave a free lunch for our biggest contributors. Who were the guest speakers at the lunch? The internal analysts who covered the drug companies that were on the "cutting edge" of the new drugs and research and gizmos that would address breast cancer. So that our lunch guests, our biggest clients also, would invest in these companies. Not a bad idea, of course. Their hearts were in the right place. Once you understand the financial model and connections, then you begin to do your own investigating into finding truth, justice and maybe, the not so American way. Good luck on your journey! Let me know if I can help or offer support.

I'm the only healthy one in my family

The only one without breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer's. And more. One sister has had breast cancer twice, and after that siezures from a brain lesion. Another sister has diabetes and heart disease. Breast cancer runs on my mom's side. We were part of the original breast cancer gene studies and the gene is alive and well in our family. I've stayed healthy. If you want help, feel free to ask questions.