Cyd Notter

Author and Nutrition Educator, Founder of The "Plan A" Diet™

Highlights from Dr. Greger’s speech

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Earlier this month, I had to pleasure to hear Dr. Michael Greger speak at the Charlotte County Veg Fest in Punta Gorda, FL. The event was held on a Monday in order to accommodate Dr. Greger's schedule, yet several hundred people were in attendance.

Here are my "take-away" notes from his presentation.

  • The body is a self-healing machine. When you hit your shin on the coffee table, it becomes inflamed and starts to heal. UNLESS you keep hitting your shin on the coffee table three times a day (in other words, eating the wrong foods for breakfast, lunch, and dinner).
  • Many who've suffered with diabetes for over 20 years and are taking shots can be off meds in just 16 days - even if they don't lose weight.
  • Smoking in the 1950's is similar to the Standard American Diet industry today. (NOTE: he did a long comparison on this topic; doctors then were smokers, and the majority of doctors today are eating poorly, which is one reason they don't promote diet change).
  • Society has to catch up to science. It takes a while, as with smoking.
  • There are 14 million deaths a year due to processed food alone. (compare that to Corona virus!)

Questions from the audience:

  1. Is it OK to blend greens in a smoothie, or will we lose all the nutrition? Dr. Greger replied that we actually have BETTER absorption by blending, but the trick is to SIP your smoothie very slowly through a slender straw for best absorption. Don't gulp it down.
  2. How much exercise do you recommend? 90 minutes of moderate exercise every day.
  3. What about prebiotics? Good for gut bacteria, the brain, and immune system. A recipe to have "happy bugs" is made of black lentils, oat groats, rye berries, sorghum, millet, and other items prepared in the pressure cooker. (I believe he said the recipe is in his new book, How Not to Diet).
  4. What is Dr. Greger's favorite food: Pawpaw fruit.
  5. What about vitamin B12? Always purchase a USP Certified brand such as Nature Made. Take 1000 mcg of the Cyano type each day. (Cyd's note: That's higher than he recommends in "How Not to Die." There are many differing opinions on the topic of B12; read more here.)
  6. What do you suggest for high triglycerides? De-flour your diet, except for pasta. (Cyd's note: I'm assuming he was referring to whole grain pasta, not the white/enriched flour varieties which spike blood sugar).

 

Why not add the award-winning book, The "Plan A" Diet to your collection as well? I'd love to help you get started with the healthiest diet on the planet. 🙂

 

Have you had your pot-ash today?

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how-not-to-dieOne of my requested Christmas gifts last year was Dr. Michael Greger's new book called "How Not to Die".  If you're not familiar with Dr. Greger, he's a highly recognized researcher and speaker on nutrition, and the founder of one of my favorite websites, www.nutritionfacts.org.  I appreciate the depth of research Dr. Greger devotes to his website and freely shares with the public at no charge.

In the book, Dr. Greger lists the top 15 causes of death in the United States, and devotes individual chapters to how nutrition plays a crucial role in the prevention and reversal of each disease.  Just as his website is based solely on evidence-based nutrition research, this book is no different - there are about 130 pages just listing references!

I'm only about 1/4 of the way through the book, but I've skipped around to various chapters and haven't been reading it in order.  (I couldn't wait to read about the THIRD leading cause of death in our country - Iatrogenic Causes (modern medicine)!   One more reason to stay out of the medical system as much as possible).

I've learned so many interesting factoids and research results from my initial reading that I feel led to share some of them with you!  So the next few blog posts may include things I can't wait to share.  For example, the topic of this blog: Have you Had your Pot-Ash Today?

Dr. Greger explains that when any plant is burned to ash and then thrown into a pot of water for boiling, the white residue that remains after skimming the top is known as potash (pot-ash).  Potash has long been used to make everything from soap and glass to fertilizer and bleach.  In 1807, Dr. Greger explains, an English chemist figured out that this 'vegetable alkali' contained an undiscovered element, which he called pot-ash-ium (or, potassium).

Cool, huh?  Dr. Greger explains that every cell in our bodies needs potassium to function, and we need to get it from our diets.  Less than 2% of Americans are currently getting the recommended daily intake of 4,700 mg.  The reason is that we don't eat enough plant foods!

bananasAnd here's another interesting part......Bananas, although they are marketed for their potassium content, aren't particularly rich in the mineral.  According to the USDA database, bananas don't even make the top thousand foods;  they rank no. 1611, right after Reese's Pieces.  Wow.  You'd have to eat a dozen bananas just to get the bare minimum needed.  The healthiest common potassium-rich whole-foods include greens, beans and sweet potatoes.

I view this as yet one more reason in the big scheme of things that demonstrates we are created to eat plants.  Plants provide every nutrient we need  (that includes protein and calcium), with the exception of B12 - a bacteria that we now sanitize away.   How about a big green salad topped with some beans, and a big bowl of sweet potato stew for dinner tonight?  Then you'll know you've had your pot-ash today.

PS: You can order Dr. Greger's book (or the audio version) on Amazon or at his website listed above.  I highly recommend it.

 

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