"food" for thought

Grammy G · Post by **Grammy G** » Mon May 16, 2011 1:01 pm

One of my friends, age 70, decided several years ago to turn her life around and "eat healthier". (She had had a cancer scare with a "spot" on her lung[she was a nonsmoker]). For her, that meant following all the latest trends to the extreme: she cut out meats and dairy(except a daily yogurt) and turned to soy as a replacement for both. She gave up oils and fats in any form and never had sugar or wheat. She allowed herself one cup of coffee a day. She had always exercised and not overweight.
This year, at her annual physical, her doctor gave her this news: her estrogen level was double what it should be..dangerously high, in fact. Her good cholesterol level was extremely low as was her iron level. The "good flora" in her gut was virtually impossible to find. Her daily small yogurt?..way to small an amount to correct a serious problem. Sooo...she now has to take medications... change her eating patterns..rethink her nutritional needs. I think this is a cautionary tale for those who, no matter what their age, have lost their common sense about fueling their bodies.. moderation in all things

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Mon May 16, 2011 3:24 pm

Oh....I could go on and on, in fact I have, about diets like this. I followed one for a while and was more than conversationally familiar with others. Recently there have been a few very vocal, passionate vegans who have blogged about their need to revert back to a diet including animal foods for reasons of health.

More important than eliminating meat and added fat is to eliminated the manufactured foods or use them very sparingly.

Grammy G · Post by **Grammy G** » Tue May 17, 2011 12:35 pm

I couldn't agree more, Wosnes!

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue May 17, 2011 12:53 pm

the soy is the culprit in raising her estrogen most likely, as well as messing up the gut flora. i used it for over 9 years, simply because i liked it, and yes, it was part of an effort to become more vegetarian.. i decided to eliminate soy it last year when i had intestinal problems. i'm finally healing up. my son, who also drank soy milk for about three years, and who at 13 years old, was about 25 lbs overweight, and looking like he was developing breasts, stopped using soy products over a year ago and now, losing all that fat and now has a very flat chest and very slim.
i recommend your friend try an acidophilus supplement that helped me get well again after being sick with a candida overgrowth and leaky gut for six months.. it's called "Accuflora" and she can get it on Amazon. it's great stuff and in less than three weeks of taking it, virtually all my really bad symptoms resolved. it was like a miracle for me. it wasn't very expensive either. 22 dollars for about 2 month supply.

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue May 17, 2011 12:55 pm

butter is actually good for helping the gut and of course olive oil, coconut and flax oil.. i hope she's incorporating healthy fats back into her life

Grammy G · Post by **Grammy G** » Tue May 17, 2011 1:01 pm

Deb..You and I have "talked" before about this kind of thing. The really sad thing is that we can tell this woman n-o-t-h-i-n-g..nothing! I am surprised she is listening to her doctor! Thanks for your contribution here..maybe someone with the same problem will read it and take heed!

gratefuldeb67 · Post by **gratefuldeb67** » Tue May 17, 2011 1:11 pm

hi grammy

well, there are some people who are like that. my mom is like that for instance.. it's very frustrating but unless they are getting advice from a doctor, they sometimes don't consider the information valid or worth considering. in the end, it's really her journey, so as frustrating as it is for her to be not listening or taking any advice from you, you just have to just step aside and let her make her mistakes and learn from them. if she's not open minded to help, don't bother. it will fall on deaf ears.

wosnes · Post by **wosnes** » Tue May 17, 2011 4:26 pm

I added soy to my diet for a little while while going through menopause. All of my symptoms got worse and I dropped that like a hot potato!

NoSRocks · Post by **NoSRocks** » Tue May 17, 2011 5:33 pm

Hi - I agree, wosnes! I can't remember if I read it somewhere or was advised by a dr (the latter probably unlikely), - that if you're going through the change it's advisable to avoid soy like the plague!