Did you know that you can rebuild your brain with exercise?
In a previous blog, I wrote about the brain's capacity to rewire itself based on repeated thoughts and experiences. This is called "neuroplasticity". If you are a scripture reader, the apostle Paul points to neuroplasticity when he says, "be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2) The more you do or think something, the more neural pathways you create. Our goal should be to create strong pathways by setting our minds and actions on positive thoughts and habits, reinforcing them daily. Whatever "rut" you think you are stuck in, well, you are not if you don't want to be. We have the ability to change, to transform.
When we exercise, we are also creating new neural pathways. People who exercise have physically different brains.
- The hippocampus, which is key for memory, is stimulated by exercise that increases heart rate. Out of shape people grew new blood vessels in the hippocampus after just 12 weeks of exercise. Aerobic exercise that is good for the heart is good for the brain. Higher levels of aerobic fitness is associated with increased hippocampus volume.
- Exercise has been shown to reverse age-related shrinkage of the brain. Klotho, which is a hormone associated with longevity and protection against cognitive decline, show increased levels after only 20 minutes of intensive aerobic exercise.
Alzheimer's is almost always a diet and lifestyle induced disease, and exercise plays a key role in prevention as well as a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, high in fiber and low in fat. Physical activity
affects the brain’s immune cells, which results in lowered inflammation in the brain.
Microglia are immune cells in the brain which clear away debris and dying cells that result from injury or infection. Microglia also stimulate production of new neurons, which communicate with other cells, a process called neurogenesis that is involved in learning and memory. Microglia shift from a resting state to an activated state in order to do their jobs. When signals from pathogens or damaged cells activate the microglia, they produce pro-inflammatory molecules which are needed to repair damage to resolve infection or injury. The bottom line is that if we eat well for our health, we will be eating well for our brain!
Are you ready to transform your mind? Is it still in a rut? Are you believing the negative spin that you tell yourself? Once you buy into the lies you tell yourself, you risk that it will certainly play itself out.
We remain committed to making learning about health interesting and fun. You CAN take control of your health and make better and more informed decisions about what you eat, how you exercise, and other optimal lifestyle changes.
Liz Fattore
Certified Food Over Medicine Instructor
Diet & Lifestyle Intervention
Summer Rice and Bean Salad
Hot weather calls for cool foods. This dish tasted better the next day after it marinated in the citrusy dressing!
Ingredients
- 1 cup rice (white or brown)
- 2 carrots, shredded
- 1 can each garbanzo and kidney (or black) beans. Reserve the liquid from the garbanzo beans, rinse the beans.
- 3 scallions, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced (sauté first if you do not like the strong flavor)
- Handful of fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- Juice of half an orange
- 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Instructions
Cook the rice and cool (salt your rice as usual) While rice is cooling, sauté the garlic in some vegetable broth. For the dressing, place the liquid from the garbanzo beans (it's called aquafaba) in a bowl, add the juices from the lime and orange, the vinegar, cumin, salt and pepper. Whisk until blended and frothy. When rice is cooled, place in large bowl. Add the carrots, cilantro or parsley, onions, garlic and dressing. Toss together until well blended. Enjoy!
How often do you hear that someone is "addicted to food"? Did you know that there is no such condition and that there is a downside to calling abnormal eating a "food addiction"?
Humans are hard-wired to experience pleasurable feelings from eating and sex to ensure both personal survival and survival of our species. Food is different from other "addictive substances" – we can give up alcohol and cigarettes without endangering our survival, but we must eat to survive. It’s fair to say that we are all addicted to food for this reason. When we eat, dopamine is released, and we feel good, which is nature’s way of making sure we eat again.
If "addiction" is not driving overeating, what is? Overeating and binge eating are compulsive behaviors that involve food. An important purpose for compulsive behavior is to relieve stress and discomfort. The person who regularly overeats or binges uses food much in the way that some people use alcohol or drugs. But there is a very important difference. A person can abstain from alcohol and drugs for an entire lifetime, but cannot abstain from food.
Research shows that the particular substance that a person uses to reduce pain and discomfort is less important than the reason for use. This is why not all people who use drugs become addicted. During the early 1970s it was common for U.S. soldiers to use heroin while stationed in Vietnam. They often had to be admitted to detox centers to withdraw after returning home. After detox, over 90% of soldiers stopped using heroin and never used it again.
At the same time, heroin use was increasing in the U.S., but the situation concerning discontinuation was quite different. Addicts found it much more difficult to quit, and many were admitted to rehab centers multiple times and never stopped using drugs. What made this situation even more confusing was that the soldiers in Vietnam were using much stronger heroin than the heroin used by drug addicts in the U.S. American soldiers should have had a much more difficult time withdrawing, but they did not. The reason: Why people use heroin is more important than the physical action of the drug.
Soldiers were using heroin to deal with the horrors of war. When they returned home, the threat was gone, so the need for heroin was gone for most of them too. On the other hand, the reasons why many American addicts continued to use heroin remained unresolved, which is one of the reasons they returned to the drug time and time again.[1]
Conventional treatment for "food addiction" usually involves some form of abstinence from certain foods such as sugar, white flour, desserts, or bread. The rationale is that person can’t have any of these foods because eating them will "trigger" a return to abnormal eating patterns.
There are several problems with this strategy. The first is that abstention from particular foods rarely works. Sooner or later the person eats bread or cake or a cookie.
Another is that this strategy relies on perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking, two of the most common cognitive distortions that drive people to seek therapy. Perhaps most important is that the success rate for abstinence programs overall is very low, even with substances for which there is more clear evidence of harm and addiction like drugs and alcohol. And abstention does not address the psychology of use. If it did, there would be no need for abstention.
The reality is that poor habits and carrying excess weight are indications of a bigger problem – life! Most chronically overweight, serial dieters, in addition to an abnormal relationship with food, have other issues and thinking patterns that interfere with success, such as, unrealistic goals and an inability to set boundaries.
The goal should be to help the overweight person change his or her thinking and behavior patterns AND to learn how to have a normal relationship with food. ALL people who want to have a normal relationship with food CAN have a normal relationship with food IF they are willing to change their minds and adopt new thought patterns and behaviors.
Humans are hard-wired to experience pleasurable feelings from eating and sex to ensure both personal survival and survival of our species. Food is different from other "addictive substances" – we can give up alcohol and cigarettes without endangering our survival, but we must eat to survive. It’s fair to say that we are all addicted to food for this reason. When we eat, dopamine is released, and we feel good, which is nature’s way of making sure we eat again.
If "addiction" is not driving overeating, what is? Overeating and binge eating are compulsive behaviors that involve food. An important purpose for compulsive behavior is to relieve stress and discomfort. The person who regularly overeats or binges uses food much in the way that some people use alcohol or drugs. But there is a very important difference. A person can abstain from alcohol and drugs for an entire lifetime, but cannot abstain from food.
Research shows that the particular substance that a person uses to reduce pain and discomfort is less important than the reason for use. This is why not all people who use drugs become addicted. During the early 1970s it was common for U.S. soldiers to use heroin while stationed in Vietnam. They often had to be admitted to detox centers to withdraw after returning home. After detox, over 90% of soldiers stopped using heroin and never used it again.
At the same time, heroin use was increasing in the U.S., but the situation concerning discontinuation was quite different. Addicts found it much more difficult to quit, and many were admitted to rehab centers multiple times and never stopped using drugs. What made this situation even more confusing was that the soldiers in Vietnam were using much stronger heroin than the heroin used by drug addicts in the U.S. American soldiers should have had a much more difficult time withdrawing, but they did not. The reason: Why people use heroin is more important than the physical action of the drug.
Soldiers were using heroin to deal with the horrors of war. When they returned home, the threat was gone, so the need for heroin was gone for most of them too. On the other hand, the reasons why many American addicts continued to use heroin remained unresolved, which is one of the reasons they returned to the drug time and time again.[1]
Conventional treatment for "food addiction" usually involves some form of abstinence from certain foods such as sugar, white flour, desserts, or bread. The rationale is that person can’t have any of these foods because eating them will "trigger" a return to abnormal eating patterns.
There are several problems with this strategy. The first is that abstention from particular foods rarely works. Sooner or later the person eats bread or cake or a cookie.
Another is that this strategy relies on perfectionism and all-or-nothing thinking, two of the most common cognitive distortions that drive people to seek therapy. Perhaps most important is that the success rate for abstinence programs overall is very low, even with substances for which there is more clear evidence of harm and addiction like drugs and alcohol. And abstention does not address the psychology of use. If it did, there would be no need for abstention.
The reality is that poor habits and carrying excess weight are indications of a bigger problem – life! Most chronically overweight, serial dieters, in addition to an abnormal relationship with food, have other issues and thinking patterns that interfere with success, such as, unrealistic goals and an inability to set boundaries.
The goal should be to help the overweight person change his or her thinking and behavior patterns AND to learn how to have a normal relationship with food. ALL people who want to have a normal relationship with food CAN have a normal relationship with food IF they are willing to change their minds and adopt new thought patterns and behaviors.
References:
[1] Lance Dodes MD, Zachary Dodes. The Sober Truth: Debunking the Ba Science Behind 12-Step Programs and the Rehab Industry. Beacon Press.
Pam Popper, Wellness Forum Health President
Americans have become the unhealthiest people in the world. They are taking more drugs than ever before, more are obese, and lifespans are shortening. In 1900, the average life expectancy for Americans was 47 years, and by 2019 it reached 79 years. But in 2020, U.S. life expectancy dropped to 77 years and in 2021, further dropped to 76.4 years, according to the CDC. (Murphy SL, Kochanek KD, Xu J, Arias E. Mortality in the United States) In fact, life expectancy in countries like Columbia is higher than in the U.S. (Lauren Irwin. US trailed dozens of developed nations for average life expectancy: research. The Hill November 7 2023 https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/4298072-us-trails-developed-nations-average-life-expectancy/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20ranked%20in%20the,around%20the%20world%20fell%20by%20 )
One of the major contributors to this downhill trend is the abandonment of personal responsibility for health, and the search for quick fixes like drugs and supplements and diets that lead to fast weight loss. Here’s what the quick fixes have in common: They don’t work, and they often make things worse. Take GLP-1 inhibitors for weight loss, for example. Wellness Forum Health has advised against these drugs since they were first approved in 2014, stating that they would lead to worsened health and even increased obesity in the long term. They were right. Recent evidence shows that while short-term weight loss is significant, changes in body composition while taking the drugs lowers metabolism and leads to other concerning health issues.
You might have seen Sharon Osborne in the news lately, sharing about her health situation due to taking this drug for weight loss. She knew nothing, nor was informed of, the terrible risks and side effects. Ozempic is a Type 2 diabetes drug, not to be used for weight loss.
According to trial results published in the New England Journal of Medicine, about 40% of the weight lost while taking GLP-1 inhibitors is muscle mass. Muscle burns more calories than fat – 14 calories per pound per day vs 3 calories per pound respectively. (Zurlo F, Larson K, Bogardus C, Ravussin E. "Skeletal muscle metabolism is a major determinant of resting energy expenditure." J Clin Invest 1990 Nov;86(5):1423-1427)
Loss of muscle mass can lead to physical instability and weakness, which can lead to disability and an inability to live independently. Frailty is one of the most common reasons for ending up in nursing homes. No one aspires to spend their final years in one of these places, but if you are not physically capable of living on your own, this is where you will end up.
When patients stop taking GLP-1 inhibitors, either due to economic factors, side effects or both – the rebound weight gain is fast and significant, and the person is even worse off than before taking the drug.
Maintaining a lean body is advantageous for health for several reasons, including:
People who have muscular bodies have a higher basal metabolic rate, which results in higher calorie burn, as mentioned before.
Muscles use glucose for energy, which helps with glucose control, which is particularly important since most obese people are diabetic or on their way to becoming diabetic.
Skeletal muscle serves as an endocrine organ, regulating hormones including those that enhance energy expenditure.
When patients stop taking GLP-1 inhibitors, either due to economic factors, side effects or both – the rebound weight gain is fast and significant, and the person is even worse off than before taking the drug.
Maintaining a lean body is advantageous for health for several reasons, including:
People who have muscular bodies have a higher basal metabolic rate, which results in higher calorie burn, as mentioned before.
Muscles use glucose for energy, which helps with glucose control, which is particularly important since most obese people are diabetic or on their way to becoming diabetic.
Skeletal muscle serves as an endocrine organ, regulating hormones including those that enhance energy expenditure.
The bottom line is that we can expect that the new weight loss drugs are going to create to a bigger problem than the mess created by opiates. Millions of people are taking them, and their weight loss is temporary at best. At some point, both the cost and the side effects will result in discontinuation for many, if not most. Companies with self-funded health plans are already starting to exclude coverage for them due to the expense. And multiple lawsuits have already been filed for injuries and deaths related to the drugs. In the future, doctors and medical centers may refuse to prescribe them due to liability concerns. What will happen to people who opted for this quick fix? They won’t just be back to where they started from, but worse off – because it will be even harder for them to lose the excess weight they’ve carried for a very long time.
The quick fix is never a real fix. It just postpones doing the things that have been proven to improve health – changing thinking patterns, adopting new diet and lifestyle habits, and taking responsibility for self. (Pam Popper, Wellness Forum Health)
TORTILLA SOUP
Whether it is Cinco De Mayo or not, this uncomplicated and easy to make soup hits the spot even in warm weather
Ingredients
8 cups Veggie broth, I cup cooked rice, 1 can black beans, 1 can Ranchero beans, 1 can crushed fire roasted tomatoes.
1/2 red onion, 4 cloves garlic, 2 carrots sliced
Spices: Cumin, Tumeric, Chile powder, salt, pepper
Sweat the chopped onions and garlic in a little veggie broth. Add the spices (I used about a teaspoon each of the Cumin, Tumeric and Chile powder. You can add more later after tasting.)
Add the broth and let simmer about 20 minutes. Drain the black beans and add to broth. Add the ranchero beans with sauce included. (I use the 365 brand from Whole Foods. It’s cheap) Add the tomatoes. Simmer another 20 minutes.
Add as much of the cooked rice as you like. Less rice makes it more “brothy.” Top with fresh cilantro, a toasted tortilla, and avocado if you like!
