Eating and Healing (Plant Paradox by Steven R. Gundry, MD)

Interestingly, I have been all over the map with rating this book. I'm going to settle for a three star rating. My decision mostly came after trying out the protocol, reading a host of other healing/eating protocol books, and reading critiques of Gundry's protocol in his book The Plant Paradox.

First of all, my gut reaction: some suggestions on Gundry's protocol, my gut liked and some my gut did not. That's the physical gut reaction. Gundry uses coconut products instead of traditional flours and oils, and, unfortunately for me, I do not do well with coconut flours, milks, and oils. I get intense cramps, but that may be a topic for another day.

His protocol is difficult to stay on, but then again, so are some other healing/eating protocols suggested by other doctors and authors. What I have started looking for and have continued to look for are the commonalities in the various dietary protocols and healing books. I also pay attention to how my own body reacts to individual food items. If I feel well, then the food may be something I keep. If I react badly, then no matter how much a researcher/doctor/author proclaims it, that particular food item needs to eliminated from my pantry.

Noting the negatives and positives of the book, Gundry's continual references to millions of years ago, our ancestors did not eat (fill in the blank) annoys me. Also, his attempts at humorously discussing bowel movements don't seem all that humorous to me. On the other hand, reviewers have mentioned his making money off of his supplements. Those type of situations do raise red flags for me; however,  to his credit, Gundry mentions his supplements, but then he also tells the readers how they can buy inexpensive versions at Costco (a large wholesale warehouse place to buy just about everything) or at local markets.

I originally checked out this book from the library because my sisters recommended it after we read Dr. Bredesen's book The End of Alzheimer's. You can check out my review of that book here or here.

I think the book is worth reading with a grain of salt (make mine iodized sea salt), keeping in mind one's own body reactions and the other protocols out there. The common thread throughout all of them is that we (at least North Americans) eat way too much sugar and way too much processed food. I'll include links to a couple of serious critiques of Gundry's methodology with the caveat that these authors/medical folks also have critics (and are also selling their own products). Yet, people are getting healed and feeling better. I feel better, but I'm also glad to read the critiques of Gundry's protocol as a reminder to me to not accept without question the food items Gundry says to eat or not eat. Instead, I will be paying attention to my body and my blood counts and tests.

A commentary on 'The Plant Paradox' and another link to a doctor who has been free of Lupus for thirteen years.

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I do not regret limiting the amount of sugar which my older children ate while growing up. By the time I had the fourth one, I became a bit more lenient. However, the older ones have grown up and still do not eat a lot of sugar. I'm realizing now that the early years of eating are formative years.

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Here in my spiritual formation section, I'll go back to something I've written before: our spiritual life involves every part of us -- mind, body, heart, soul. It is a good spiritual practice to pay attention to our bodies. Gluttony is not good for our body, heart, mind, or soul. Neither are any of the eating disorders. Why we are eating or not eating matters as much as what we are eating. Good food, good company, good celebrations. As Tevye says in The Fiddler on the Roof, "L'Chaim!" To life. Or, as I just discovered in a Jewish question and answer post: "l'chaim tovim ul'shalom" -- "For good life, and for peace!" 

Eating and Living (The Blue Zones Solution by Dan Buettner)

Do I post this with my 52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge type of posts or with my siblings blog on health? The competitive side of me (not that 52 in 52 is a competition...haha) won out, but I will copy this into our family health blog as well (found here).

Photography is not my strength so apologies ahead of time. This mushroom soup is actually excellent. It did not come from the recipes in The Blue Zones Solution but I have been inspired by Dan Buettner's research into the Blue Zones ever since I first read his articles for National Geographic.

This book goes beyond those National Geographic articles which covered how people in Blue Zones ate and lived. Blue Zones are those areas of the world where the most centenarians live. In The Blue Zones Solution, Buettner revisits those zones in Greece, Japan, Italy, Costa Rica, and, yes, even the United States. In Part Two of the book, his team learned from Finland how to teach three areas of the United States how to create their own Blue Zones. In Part Three, Buettner discusses making a Blue Zone a personal choice, followed by Part Four, the recipes.

Since I've been reading a number of other health books with food protocols in them (Genius Foods, The End of Alzheimer's, and The Plant Paradox), I had comparisons to make. There are some situations that most writing healing food books seem to agree upon: the Standard American Diet is SAD, not just an acronym, but truly 😢, and sugar is not good for us. (See my post on that here.)

However, there are some differences. Legumes. Centenarians eat them, no question about that. And, they do eat bread, just not ones with the kind of grains in the typical SAD meal plan. Legumes and grains are not high on the list of some of these other protocols. That being said, the books previously mentioned are fighting back against some specific diseases (Alzheimer's, inflammations of many types).

I find reading a combination of these healing food protocols and paying attention to one's own body and medical tests are a good start to finding a healing protocol designed for oneself.

The Blue Zones Solution also addresses lifestyles of centenarians, not just healing foods, but a thriving lifestyle, this and the recipes make the book worth buying.

Buettner's Mushroom Stew includes white wine, soy sauce, and rice -- all of which are not healing for my Celiac's, thyroid, sky high iron, or potential for Alzheimer's so I offer my version which I made the day before yesterday and thought tasted quite good! It made just two servings (1 for the day before and 1 for yesterday).

Deborah's AIP  (Autoimmune Protocol) Mushroom Soup
(I use food that has not been sprayed with chemicals, etc.: truly organic in practice, not just on the label)

In a saucepan, cover the following with water:
2 small stalks of celery, sliced thin (I included the leafy parts which I took out before eating)
2 carrots, sliced thin
3 cloves of garlic, chopped or diced
5-6 dried shiitake mushrooms
1/2 onion, diced

I simmered this until the vegetables were soft. The dried mushrooms remained a bit chewy when I was ready to eat so when I...

Blend about 3 ladles and include all of the mushrooms until smooth. NOTE: I learned to hold a towel over the top of the blender when I blend something hot. This is supposed to prevent the top from flying off from the heat. I have not had any flying top disasters.

Put the blended soup into the rest of the soup and simmer to thicken it up. I started grabbing spices, salt, and pepper which I thought were AIP (I didn't double check.) I just dashed them in. Mediterranean salt, pepper, curry, turmeric, and dill weed.

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Blue Zone ideas for raising children: Besides being mindful about what one eats, having an optimal circadian rhythm for sleep and bedrooms that are cool, quiet, and dark, are beneficial for health. Working in the yard, planting a garden all practices for thriving. Creating a group of mutually committed friends, not just at a stage of life, but people with whom you will be young with and grow old with, is something that people do who live in Blue Zones.

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Interesting that a spiritual practice is fasting. It turns out that almost every healing protocol involves a form of fasting. NOT starving as in harmful practices. But, practices such as making one's last meal of the day be at least 3 hours before bedtime. In today's fast paced busy world, we're often grabbing food at 9 pm and then sending the children to bed. The Creator who made our bodies apparently knows our bodies need to relax at a meal and then give our bodies time to digest it before heading off into some good sleep.