Weekend List with Dr. Pam Popper

So far it’s been a great and informative weekend here after a crazy week, hubby and I started it with a wonderful dinner at a local Thai restaurant with Blue Moon beer and spicy curry tofu which I will never get tired of.

Yesterday we headed to the gym in the morning for a longer power workout which has become a pleasant tradition, I like going with a relaxed attitude and not feeling rushed after a busy work day. I can take a little more time to work on goals, try new machines, and do more stretching. After I whipped up a huge salad with a simple tahini dressing for lunch.

And some simple air popped popcorn with organic red palm oil which Miko begged for.

Then took the chihuahuas for a long walk.

And Miko crashed in my lap for about an hour while we relaxed and watched TV after.

Then I had a quick early dinner of more salad and Late July Multigrain Tortilla chips before picking up my mom and heading into Sacramento.

Because we got to see Dr. Pam Popper thanks to the Sacramento Vegan Society! Of course I bought her book, Food Over Medicine, and had her sign it.

But wow, where to start with her presentation?! I took pages of notes and could write many posts on it alone. Pam is a fascinating, outspoken activist with a goal of fixing our current health care system and making consumers more informed about why doctors are recommending certain treatment paths, what interests they have in prescribing medications, and what other options patients have in life style changes and diet to treat diseases. She is a very “say it like it is” person when it comes to attacking drug companies and the financial influence they have on the industry. She was featured in Forks Over Knives, is a USDA lobbyist, and created Wellness Forum Health, an independent resource for consumers and health care providers for evidence-based health knowledge.

Her goal is to fight for consumers to be informed about the health care industry and all of their treatment options to make better decisions about their health and happiness which she feels is not happening now. Given the side effects and negative issues caused by modern drugs and treatments, she thinks most patients would choose “veggie lasagna” over bypass surgeries, miserable treatments, and early death if they’re more informed. Some great points from her presentation are:

• Oils are bad in our diet and should be avoided as much as possible because they’re simple concentrated fat and calories with no nutritional value and are linked to weight gain and coronary artery disease. And recommended whole fats in moderation instead, so flax seed instead of flax oil, hemp seeds instead of hemp oil, etc. because they have more nutritional value and fiber which causes our bodies to digest them differently. She slammed the whole “olive oil is a superfood” campaign.
• Dairy is horrible for us in general, but low-fat dairy is even worse and should be avoided because it’s more concentrated in hormones and other chemicals linked to cancer.
• Overdosing on calcium is bad and can lead to weak bones. Like many nutrients, our bodies can only process so much of it at a time and more does more damage than good.
• A high fat diet is worse for diabetics than a high carb diet because it makes the body more sensitive to insulin.
• There is too much focus on people’s genes leading to health problems making them feel like helpless victims when diet and lifestyle play a much bigger role and give people more control.
• Government agencies are heavily sponsored by food companies which needs to be considered for government dietary guidelines.
• She cited many disturbing studies on how modern medical treatment of drugs and procedures for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases just flat out aren’t working with minimal percentages of improvements and high percentages of other health problems caused by them. She used the phrase “drinking the medical Kool Aid” a lot referring to how consumers are convinced these drugs and procedures are helping them.

The key points on her diet recommendations are:

• Be as plant-based or as vegan as possible
• Eliminate as much oil as possible
• Eat a high fiber diet followed with disturbing numbers of how many bowel and intestinal conditions are related to low fiber diets
• Make water your first beverage choice, not soda, diet soda, chemical sugar free drinks, etc.
• And food should be viewed more as food and not a treat or reward
• Avoid processed foods as much as possible citing a simple view of if you can’t make it from scratch at home, you probably shouldn’t buy it at the grocery store
• Keep temptation foods out of the house like potato chips, sweets, and other foods that might be hard to avoid during a time of weakness

She is a very interesting and well informed doctor, I was impressed with how quickly she was able to answer questions from the audience about specific health issues, medications, and research studies from all directions just off the top of her head. Wow! Going with my mom and sister was also great since they’re both nurses and could relate experience with a lot of Pam’s points.

Subscribe to her YouTube channel for regular informative updates on current medical and nutritional studies. Seriously consider picking up her book, Food Over Medicine. Subscribe to her newsletter and consider becoming a member at Wellness Health Forum. Certification programs for people interested in teaching and spreading knowledge are offered too, hmmmm…

Great stuff and great ongoing inspiration for me to keep things clean and whole in our kitchen.

Gena and Steven posted a great read at Choosing Raw on transitioning and being a “picky eater”.

WiseBread has 9 quick workouts you can do during a commercial break which I’m seriously considering doing at work.

MoneyCrush has a quick read on channeling envy into something better.

Kinja outlined the four best sports bras which is good because I need to go shopping soon.

One Green Planet has a great list of natural anti-inflammatory foods.

Remember Man vs. Food? Awful show, there was something sinister about watching young kids and family cheer Adam Richman on as be binges on massive amounts of unhealthy foods. Adam is trying a plant-based diet now for the health benefits and hopefully sticks to it!

The Simple Dollar has 13 ways to save money and protect the planet, two great things.

Here’s a great way to control the chaos in your spice drawer.

Finally I’m seriously thinking of making a trip to Austin at the end of May. Anyone else?