Michael Pollan's food rules

Recently, Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food) held a contest, asking for his reader's to send in their food rules. This link highlights his favorite 20 rules. Very interesting!

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/10/11/magazine/20091011-foodrules.html

Asthma and it's Nutritional Connection

Asthma, a reactive inflammatory airway disorder, is becoming even more prevalent amongst our children. My own daughter suffers, and I do mean suffers, from this annoying disease, as did I when I was a kid. So when I recently picked up Bonnie Minsky's book, Our Children's Health, the chapter on asthma was my first stop.

Here's what Dr. Minsky says are three things you can do to help control asthma.

First, remove the triggers. These are different for everyone and it can be quite challenging to find yours. Some of the most common include mold, house dust, pet dander and saliva, cockroaches, dust mites, secondhand smoke, food additives, coloring agents (like red #40, etc.), sulfiting agents (often found in lunch meat amongst other foods), and food allergens/sensitivities.

Second, support the body with proper nutrition. The more nutrient-dense the food, the more health benefits your child will receive. Add foods rich in the omega-3 fatty acids to your child's diet, such as walnuts (if no nut allergies), pumpkin seeds, flax seed oil, salmon, tuna, mackerel, and cold water fish. Increase foods rich in bioflavonoids, especially high quercetin foods, because they help stop inflammation. These foods include onions, apples, kale, green beans, sweet cherries, and grape skins. Increase foods high in magnesium such as fatty fish, dark green vegetables, avocado, pumpkin seeds, and blackstrap molasses. LIMIT the consumption of red meat, dairy products, excess calcium, and bananas as all of these can increase inflammation. ELIMINATE completely foods containing MSG, sulfites, food colorings, white sugar, and artificial sweeteners.

Third, support with useful supplementation. Dr. Minsky always recommends the following to her asthmatic patients to help keep inflammation down and because asthmatics have been found to be deficient in these nutrients:
vitamin B6 (pyridoxine)
vitamin B12
vitamin C ~ the main antioxidant found in the fluid lining of the lungs
vitamin E
magnesium ~ many emergency rooms are now using magnesium IVs for acute asthma attacks
quercetin ~ has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiviral properties. It should be noted that quercetin has a greater potency in pill form than from foods.

I have noticed in my own daughter's case that if she has too much sugar, her asthma will flare up. We also keep her off as much dairy as possible and offer raw fruits and veggies daily, though she usually only eats the fruit. She also takes the recommended vitamins, except for quercetin which I cannot find in kid friendly form. All this has helped her so far, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can continue to be diligent for her.

Vitamin in the Spotlight: Vitamin D

There's been alot of talk about vitamin D in the press lately. Many doctors are calling it this year's wonder vitamin and recommending their patients up their intake of it. Best way to get it, 20 minutes of morning or evening sunlight with no sunscreen on your skin.

What it does: Vitamin D supports bone and tooth formation, muscle function, and thyroid function and is needed for the proper absorption of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc.

Deficiency signs could include: joint pain or stiffness (I thought that was just old age), bachache, tooth decay, muscle cramps, and hair loss. Though extremely rare in this country, severe vitamin D deficiency results in rickets.

Optimal Daily Amount: 400 IU. My doctor recommended 1000 IUs recently to me, which happens to be the amount combined into my Nordic Naturals Cod Liver Oil.

Robbers: lack of sunlight. Hello, winter. Oh, and fried foods.

Though the sun is your best source, five good food sources are: salmon, shrimp, cow's milk, baked or broiled cod, and boiled eggs.

Minerals: Zinc

Minerals are important, and one of the most important ones during this cold and flu time of year is zinc.

What it does: Zinc promotes wound and burn healing, supports the immune system, is involved in carbohydrate and protein digestion, and has a role in the reproductive organ growth & development of our kids.

Deficiency signs could include: white spots on the fingernails, stretch marks on the skin, hair loss, loss of the sense of taste or smell, joint pain, menstrual irregularities, slow wound healing, and recurrent colds or infections.

Optimal Daily Amount: 20 mg

What robs our bodies of zinc: phytates (wheat), oxalates (rhubarb & spinach - poor Popeye!), high calcium intake, copper, low protein intake, excess sugar intake, stress, and alcohol

Good food sources include: beef tenderloin, lamb loin, venison, sesame seeds, raw pumpkin, yogurt, green peas, shrimp, crimini mushrooms, cooked summer squash, boiled asparagus, miso, maple syrup (and I doubt Mrs. Butterworth's qualifies), steamed broccoli, and mustard seeds.

Optimum Daily Allowances to look for in a multivitamin

Notice I didn't say "Recommended" Daily Allowances. That's because the RDAs are not enough for optimum health, for feeling better than just "alright," according to the New Optimum Nutrition Bible (Patrick Holford). So when you are shopping for a multivitamin supplement, here's a guideline you could follow if you so choose:

Vitamin A ~ 8250 IU (RDA=5000)
Vitamin D ~ 440 IU (400)
Vitamin E ~ 400 IU (30)
Vitamin C ~ 2000 mg (60)
Vitamin B1 thiamine ~ 35 mg (1.5)
Vitamin B2 riboflavin ~ 35 mg (1.7)
Vitamin B3 niacin ~ 85 mg (20)
Vitamin B5 pantothenic acid ~ 100 mg (10)
Vitamin B6 pyridoxine ~ 75 mg (2)
Folic Acid ~ 800 mcg (400)
Vitamin B12 ~ 25 mcg (6)
Biotin ~ 225 mcg (300)
*GLA (Omega 6) ~ 150 mg (no RDA)
*EPA/DHA (Omega 3) ~ 700 mg (no RDA)
Calcium ~ 1000 g (1, a good diet can net you 800 already)
Iron ~ 20 mg (18)
Magnesium ~ 500 mg (400)
Zinc ~ 20 mg (15)
Iodine ~ 300 mcg (150)
Selenium ~ 100 mcg (70)
Chromium ~ 125 mcg (120)
Manganese ~ 10 mg (2)

So how does your multi stack up? Mine is close to the ODAs for some things, but closer to the RDAs for others.

A yummy way to boost your vitamin C and all the B vitamins, which are great for energy, is to do an Emergen-C shot. It's a packet of powder that when added to a few ounces of water, becomes a fizzy drink. I've seen them at most grocery stores, Target, Meijer, Walmart, and all drug stores. They are inexpensive and a nice pick-me-up about 3:00 pm!

*Multivitamins rarely contain the omegas. To get these, you need to look for fish oil or flax seed oil. They come in pill form or liquid, and even gummies for kids. Nordic Naturals is a great, respected brand for fish oil.