FUEL: December 19, 2014

Fuel Good to Feel Good.....Year in Review Part II

Spoiler summary: The body is an amazing thing and if you give it the right fuel, it can be even more amazing...

It had been a few months since I last saw Mr. C.  The last time we crossed paths he was making plans for a major change.  The way he tells it, he and his doctor had been working hard to keep a chronic condition under control but it felt a bit like a losing battle, as the dosage and number of medications steadily crept up.....and with a rather grim prognosis about a serious injury from another member of his medical team, he knew it was time to get to the root of the matter......but he also knew it wouldn't be easy.

Mr. C was wise enough to know that making a major change would be nearly impossible if he wasn't fully committed to it.....and he knew himself well enough to know that he couldn't possibly be fully committed to it if he didn't understand the details: how to go about it, what type of results he could expect and the amount of work it would entail.  So he set out to educate himself; and ready himself for the challenge ahead.

He read and he researched and he read some more, ultimately settling on an approach that he believed had a strong foundation of evidence and the type of results he was after. The more he learned, the more he was convinced that he could do it.....and that it was totally worth the effort.  And so, just a few months ago, with a list of challenges at least as long as the next guy, Mr. C decided to make a bet (on himself).  He started with some nutritional changes and it went well.  As his body got the nutrients it so badly needed, it started to rid itself of extra weight that it didn't.....and even better, his body began to heal.  Mr. C got to experience the enormously positive look of shock on his doctor's face as he beat expected-milestone after expected-milestone as they watched his injury heal faster than expected.  Mr. C got to experience the enormously positive sense of satisfaction at taking control of his health, coming off medications while losing eighty....yes 80 pounds (even while unable to exercise much).  And finally, perhaps better than anything, Mr. C got to feel the enormously positive sense of pride in knowing his effort made a difference in someone else's life as he watched his family, now inspired, get on a path toward similar results.  

When I saw Mr. C last week he was smiling and energetic as we stood in the hallway and talked....he was upbeat, positive and excited to share his story with others who could benefit - exactly what you'd expect from someone who just took a major step forward on the journey toward health.

Want to know what Mr. C did to pull off such amazing results?  Well, if we had to put it into 3 words we would say it this way:  Eat more plants.  But since you might want a few more details than that, here are a few of the studies we've been following this year in the area of ELEMENT #2 - FUEL

Certain foods have been in the health research this year such as: coffee (hint: the right dose matters) as well as strawberries in relationship to cancer and tomatoes (even in pill form) in relationship to heart disease.  Other foods have been shown to help with tissue stress and recovery after exercise including watercress and watermelon.

In addition, plant based diet has made a strong showing in relationship to abnormal blood pressure, lowering inflammation, and as part of "lifestyle medicine" on the whole (including a review of randomized controlled studies).

Some foods have continued to pop-up in the AVOID category including: trans-fat in relationship to memory loss in men and sugar where new research shows a relationship to abnormal blood pressure (maybe even more than salt!).

Finally, the link between our eating habits, our gut biome (in cases of obesity and diabetes) and our common struggles continues to strengthen; enough so that the US Preventative Taskforce recommends getting a knowledgeable coach.

And if you've read all that and you're still looking for more......just let us know.

Have a great week,

Mike E.