True Health Revealed

In today’s episode, we begin our interview with Dr. Dean Ornish with a discussion about how to prevent and possibly reverse dementia as well as other chronic diseases. Dr. Ornish and his wife Anne posit a unifying theory that many chronic diseases are all driven by the same lifestyle factors and can not only be prevented, but in many cases, reversed.Over the last 4 decades, their scientific studies have supported a unifying concept that a therapeutic lifestyle can collectively address high cholesterol, excessive weight and obesity, pre- and type 2 diabetes as well as early prostate cancer, to name a few.And now they postulate that lifestyle changes can perhaps even affect the progression of early stage Alzheimer’s disease.Although lifestyle change is not as glamorous or powerful as high tech surgical procedures in affecting a health improvement in patients, Dean and Anne Ornish and their team show how powerful simple lifestyle changes are in helping reverse chronic disease.“When you change your lifestyle, it changes your genes,” Dr. Ornish explains. He adds, “What you gain is so much more than what you give up.” Dr. and Anne Ornish also point out that every (even small) step counts. They emphasize it’s “not all-or-nothing” but an approach that emphasizes a spectrum of lifestyle change.The Ornish lifestyle program is one of the first Medicare covered intensive cardiac rehabilitation programs to reverse coronary heart disease, because it’s been proven to work. Visit Ornish.com for more information.Our interview continues with a discussion about the influence of community, depression, social media and more, on chronic disease. Dr. Ornish gives his advice on how to stick to a change in food intake and other lifestyle habits, and how the Mediterranean diet differs from the Ornish diet for heart disease reversal.But, the practical scientist that he is, he reinforces that cutting CRRAHP™ (calorie rich, refined and highly processed) foods, increasing fiber rich foods like beans and lentils and eating low total (and especially saturated) fat, no matter which “diet” you choose, improves health. And remember: What you gain is so much more than what you “give up!”Key Messages on How to Prevent Dementia and Other Chronic Diseases:In addition to lowering blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol and weight:• Microbiome matters: the amyloid in the brain that’s often seen in Alzheimer’s really begins in your gut.• Ounce for ounce, lentils and beans often have more protein than steak… without the harmful stuff.• Food can be delicious as well as nutritious: you don’t have to sacrifice taste for healthy lifestyles• Awareness is always the first step in healing.

Vitamin and mineral supplements are the most commonly used dietary supplements by populations worldwide. They are called supplements because that is the intention: to fill in nutritional gaps in your diet, not to make up for a bad diet.No supplement replaces a healthy plant forward diet but what should you take to help make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need for good health? The aisles are full of vitamins, minerals and all kinds of supplements – in all kinds of forms – promising all kinds of benefits.Today we interview nutrient researcher Dr Jeffry Blumberg, Professor Emeritus in the Friedman School of Nutrition Science at Tufts University. He unpacks the real evidence on supplements to help you personalize what you should take.Key Messages on the Facts about Vitamin and Mineral Supplements:Children, young women, older adults, vegetarians, and vegans are at the greatest risk of several deficiencies.A diet rich in whole, nutrient-dense foods is the best way to prevent deficiency.Taking more than the recommended dose could result in toxicity.Consult your physician if you suspect you have a nutrient deficiency and to check if your medications could interfere with nutrient absorption.Form doesn’t matter (eg pill vs gummy vs liquid). What matters is to take your supplements regularly.Supplements do not prevent chronic disease.Supplements lack standardization so one multivitamin can be very different from another.ResourcesCenter for Science and Public InterestNational Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements Linus Pawling Institute at Oregon State University Your physician, registered dietician and pharmacist

Today’s podcast will help you demystify science and sort sense from nonsense. Kathleen interviews Dr. Joe Schwarcz, a well-respected scientist whose mission is to fight false facts and help you decode pseudo-science from real science so you can make better choices for your health.Key Messages:Recognizing the difference between hazard (probability to cause harm) and risk (measure of whether the hazard can cause harm) is critical to understanding most issues.Only the dose makes the poison.Scientific literacy of the public is poor in part due to a lack of science education in school.All foods and virtually everything in the world is a chemical. Just because a food’s chemical name is hard to pronounce, it doesn’t mean it is bad or not good for you.Most people know about health but they eat to satisfy their taste buds.Eating more produce is much more important to health than whether it is conventional or organic.‘Natural’ and ‘superfood’ are examples of food claims that imply health halos yet are not regulated and simply marketing terms.

Join Kathleen Zelman and author of Zero Waste Cooking for Dummies, Rosanne Rust, RDN to learn how to eat clean, reduce food waste, enhance food safety in your kitchen, navigate grocery shopping, and understand processed food for healthy eating that is good for you and the planet.Key Messages on the Real Truth About Clean Eating:Clean eating is a marketing term, not a descriptor of food.Take stock of the your food in your kitchen and make a plan to reduce food waste.Learn how to use your freezer. Almost all foods can be frozen so you don’t waste food.Other than baby formula, expiration or “best by” dates are only guidelines so don’t throw out unless the food smells and/or looks suspicious.Evaluate your waste habits. Identify what you throw out routinely and adjust purchasing habits.Produce and dairy are the foods we waste the most.

They discuss how to become more aware of where food comes from; choose foods intelligently; pay attention to nutritional principles; snack judiciously on a plant forward diet plan and eat less ultra-processed food.Say his name and most people recognize this award winning power house, chef extraordinaire, bestselling author of more than 20 books, teacher, lecturer and champion of culinary simplicity, healthy and socially responsible, guilt free pleasure and common sense advice. He has been writing about food and food policy for more than 25 years, has his own podcast and is a regular on all forms of media.If you follow the New York Times food section, you know Mark’s column – he started his journey at NYT in 1984 and stayed for 30 years, creating delicious recipes, writing cookbooks and opinion pieces. About 20 years ago he became focused on a way to eat that is good for the environment, good for us and delicious. That journey continues today and in fact, his latest book How to Eat: All Your Food and Diet Questions Answered, is co-authored with Dr. David L. Katz, founder of the True Health Initiative.Key Messages from Our Discussion about Foods and Food Choices with Mark Bittman:Plant forward diet plans are best for health and the environment.The more control you have over your diet, the better off you will be. Set up your personal rules, make a plan and get back into the kitchen.Vegan diets are not the holy grail, what’s more important is to eat more plants. It is not an ideal.60% calories produced in U.S. are in the form of ultra-processed foods.Take care of yourself, enjoy the foods you love but be smart, no austerity required.Try to use everything in the kitchen to reduce food waste.