Whole Food
YOUR WHOLE FOOD PLANT-BASED GUIDE TO HEALTHY EATING
Autumn 2020 Issue 1 Vol 1
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Essential Eating For 2020 pumpkin | sesame seeds | brazil nuts berries | citrus fruits | garlic | ginger cinnamon | turmeric | mushrooms & more
To understand why, see P17
WFPB recovery experiences
Coping with COPD
*Contains FREE 7 page Covid-19 Special* wholefoodliving.life
ICLAY MEDIA NZ & Aust $8.50
Plant-based Recipes
Dr Neil Barnard: What dairy is doing. P35
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Where we stand THE WHOLE FOOD CONNECTION
Health
Food
It all starts with our most basic, primal desire. Even before our need for shelter or our desire to procreate, food comes first. The recipes for the food we talk about in Whole Food Living are all based on solid scientific research and clinical experience gathered over the last 50 years.
Environment
Our health, good or bad, is the result of the food choices we make. There are genetic and environmental conditions that can affect our good health but for most of us, our health will be determined by what we put on our plates. For this magazine, food and optimal health is the primary focus.
WFL Optimal Health Guide
The third and final factor in the whole food connection is environment. Why? Because the condition of our environment is affected by our food choices. Understanding the connection between food, health and the environment is key to developing a sustainable world.
Whole Food Plant Based The WFL Optimal Health Guide is a simplified, visual explanation of different eating styles. Our policy is to assist and encourage plant-based eating and to explain the significant health benefits available to those that become fully whole food plant-based. WFPB eating is comprised of foods drawn solely from the first four categories of the table. Strictly speaking, sugar, oil and salt are off the menu for people who are fully WFPB based, especially those who have experienced serious medical events. We place sugar, oil and salt along with highly processed foods in the Avoid category as a warning because, unless you prepare everything you eat at home yourself, you are unlikely to achieve a perfect score. In your quest towards better eating, don't let perfect become the enemy of good.
WFL MEDICAL DISCLAIMER The medical and/or nutritional information covered in Whole Food Living magazine is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please seek medical advice before using diet to treat disease. 4 wholefoodliving.life | Autumn, 2020
EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS Critical contents of this magazine, particularly articles that cover medical issues, are referred to our editorial consultants. Our consultants are: * Dr Mark Craig * Dr Caitlin Randles * Dr Martyn Williamson
Editorial
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Thanks for all your good wishes
he response to our first issue of Whole Food Living was overwhelming. Thank you to all those who have sent congratulatory notes, given us a thumbs up and just generally promoted the publication absolutely everywhere. Whipping something like this into shape really isn't easy. Not only is it an exercise in balancing the figures, but you also have to strike a balance with the content of the magazine itself. On that score, an overwhelming request has been for more recipes and we hope we have satisfied that need in this issue. Something that did surprise us was the incredibly positive reaction we've received from people that still follow the traditional diet. So many people are reviewing the way they eat. While some will continue to keep animal products on their plates, large numbers of you have a keen desire to know more about plant based eating. We want you to know that meat eaters are welcome here! While we don't cook those products for ourselves anymore. we can assure you that you will find the best advice we can muster on what plant healthy meals should be. Once again, from both Catherine and I, welcome to Whole Food Living magazine. Somewhere within the covers of this magazine. we hope you will find
Down country delight
Some of the ceiling lights at The Wooden Farmer cafe in Putaruru, New Zealand are made from old, craftily re-purposed milking cups. Kinda shines new light on the future of dairy.
something that makes you think about your continuing good health. If you're like me, and you can turn the clock back a few years, then you might be able to ask yourself: when did I ever seriously review my state of health? Unfortunately, and if you are pointing the finger back at me, then the answer would be - rarely, if ever. I was always of the view that if you ate what you thought was healthy, then everything would work out fine. And you know, for some people that happens. As a first step, the kind of review I'm talking about here is not a doctor thing. Doctors are certainly an important part of the process of course, but the kind of self-examination I'm talking of here happens inside your own head. For practical advice on this turn to P44. On another note, where would we be
without the kind of traditional baking we all grew up with from childhood? Answer: Probably a lot better off would be the whole food response. The fact is, traditional baking is made with a heap of highly refined product. It's laced with sugar, usually contains a considerable number of cholesterol packed eggs and mostly no fibre. So why then should we feature any information on the history of traditional baking in Australia and New Zealand - on P46. Well it's relevant because it focuses on upsizing and enrichment two of the key elements that developed the sweet tooth and put us in the health state we're all in today. Finally, who could have imagined after all the horrors faced in the bushfires that a far more deadly and disruptive force lay in wait? Coronavirus (Covid-19) is a cynical, nasty piece of work, although virologists find it quite fascinating. At the point we go to press on this issue, Italy is in complete lockdown, the US has halted air travel from Europe and Australia and New Zealand are battening down the hatches. We've thought a lot about how much to write on this issue but in the end, apart from following all the warnings, what else can any of us do? Well, healthy eating, is pretty much our last and best line of defence. For more on that see P16.
Viewpoints
Producers
Whole Food Living (ISSN 2624-4101 (Print) | ISSN 2703-4313 (Digital)) is subject to copyright in its entirety. The views expressed in this publication are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of Iclay Media. No responsibility will be accepted for unsolicited material. No liability is accepted by Iclay Media, the publisher, nor the authors for information contained in this magazine. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and veracity of all content in this publication but neither Whole Food Living nor its publisher Iclay Media is responsible for damage or harm of whatever description resulting from persons using any advice, consuming any product or using any services in Whole Food Living's print, electronic publication or website.
Editor: Peter Barclay
Peter Barclay, Editor
Contact us 67 Kayes Road, Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand 2120 p. (Peter) +64 27 218 5948 e. editor@wholefoodliving.life w. www.wholefoodliving.life
e. peter@wholefoodliving.life Food Editor: Catherine Barclay e. catherine@wholefoodliving.life
Advertising & Promotions John Emanuel e. john@wholefoodliving.life Printer: Inkwise, Christchurch Distributors: NZ Post & Iclay Media Contributions & Assistance Contributions & assistance is gratefully acknowledged from the following people: Stephanie Wynn, Dr Mark Craig, Dr Martyn Williamson, Dr Caitlin Randles, Dr Gemma Newman, Dr Cheryl Wilson, Robyn Chuter, Bella, Jackie Norman, Emma Strutt, Simone Hayward, Ian Duffield, Nikki Rhodes, & Franko Heke. And a big thanks to Mal & Jodie for the use of their Kerikeri property.
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CONTENTS 40 30 24
General Features 15 It Began with a Rose It stated with prick to her finger, a lot of pain, and a whole food recovery.
17 Caronavirus Can whole food help? Two medics offer their thoughts on this devastating illness.
27 Auckland Plant Pod Moves are afoot to establish Auckland's own Plant Pod.
28 Bella Tells Her Story A chronic COPD sufferer gets WFPB help.
32 A Chance Meeting A chance meeting led Jackie to a new life. 6 wholefoodliving.life | Autumn, 2020
35 Dr Barnard Explains Menstrual pain can be a major issue for many women. Is dairy to blame?
37 How Not to Diet Emma Strutt dives into Michael Greger's hugely popular new book.
40 A Matter of Choice Dr Caitlin Randles explores the obesogenic environment.
42 Eat with Your Eyes Simone Hayward explains how food affects our eyes!
46 Inflammation Robyn Chuter - on recovery from serious health issues.
50 How to Change Dr Craig shows how your ability to change connects with your personality.
52 Upsizing Who is to blame and does it matter. A backward look at a current problem.
References Many of the articles published in this magazine refer to scientific studies. To see these click on the QR code or go to the url below.
Click or scan QR image for references. wholefoodliving.life/ref-autumn2020
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The inside goss On Eating Out: "Don't try to re-educate kitchen staff on the problem with oil. They are unlikely to believe you." "Intermittent fasting is gaining popularity as a way to manage food intake," Dr Edward Walker.
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NO! Dr Mark Craig does not wear his Mohican wig during surgery hours.
26 Recipes 10 Turmeric Discover more on the amazing healing properties of this incredible spice.
14 Go for Greens Our vegetable Miso soup is a powerhouse of goodness and tastes yummy too!
16 Pancakes Some blueberry, banana, maple syrup maybe. OMG.
31 Crispy Rice Paper Rolls A fast, super simple idea and filling too.
38 Roast Cauliflower Great for dipping, can be used in omelets and more.
44 Microgreens They might be micro but they sure pack a healthy punch. Ideas on how to use,
49 An old favourite Still a hint of summer left for some. Go on, indulge yourself in this old favourite.
54 Crispy Potatoes
"We must recognise enrichment as a different phenonenon from supersizing and tackle it directly." Professor Helen Leach explains On feeding children: "You need something they can spoon into, something you can use a fork with. It could be the fingers or something you can dip, something that's crunchy," Simone Hayward.
Yes! It can be done and without the use of oil too.
59 Stirfry Without Oil Easy stirfry with spicy peanut sauce.
63 Smoothie Bowl Staying indoors? Treat yourself with a healthy delight. wholefoodliving.life | Autumn, 2020
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Incredibly delicious whole wheat pancakes
Ingredients
Method
1 cup whole wheat flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 2 Tbsp maple syrup 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla extract
1. Mix together all dry ingredients 2. Add the almond milk and maple syrup then stir until mixed. 3. Let it stand while you heat your non-stick frying pan or crepe maker hot plate. 4. Add mixture to pan in 1/2 cup portions. 5. Flip pancake once several bubbles appear on the surface, cook for a few more minutes before setting aside on a warm plate.
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Whole Food Living Magazine - Covid-19 Special
Bubbles for everyone S
ix weeks ago who would have thought that a food market in Wuhan, China, could empty the streets of New York, take planes from the sky across the world and confine us to living arrangements we call bubbles. Now, as April arrives, we still struggle to comprehend the paradigm shift that's been forced upon us. Where will it lead? In this Special Edition Dr Scott Stoll expresses the hope that the crisis will help us all to gain a deeper understanding of what matters most - our health. It beggars belief that, worldwide, our health could have anything to do with who last touched the supermarket trolley or picked up the handle at a petrol pump. But that's what paradigm shifts do - they force us to review the ground on which we stand. It's life, but not as we know it and for many, unfortunately, it's no life at all. At times like this, we reach for certainties in a bid to understand what it was that put us here. As far as Whole Food Living is concerned, there are
only two issues on which we have absolutely no doubt. 1. That science has confirmed the virus originated in animals and 2. That those most affected by the virus are mostly victims of lifestyle illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, stroke and much more. A significant proportion of these illnesses all connect with what we eat. We don't deny that Covid-19 also takes some seemingly healthy younger people as well but generally, our older population is most at risk. For many years whole food plant-based advocates like Dr Stoll have recommended a diet free of animal products as the ideal way to strengthen immunity and gain optimal good health. It might take another paradigm shift but the others, we believe, are on shaky ground and Covid-19 looks set to burst their bubble. Peter Barclay, Editor Whole Food Living
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Whole Food Living Magazine - Covid-19 Special - Whole Food Living Mag
Would you like some help? If you would like help in changing over to a plant-based diet then contact anyone on the list below for professional and experienced advice. Please remember some of the medics and health care workers listed here may be busy and may not be able to respond immediately.
Internationally recognised plant-based nutrition expert, Dr Scott Stoll, has issued a series of clear and unequivocal statements on the benefits of plantbased eating in the face of the current Covid-19 threat. In a webinar broadcast on April 24, Dr Stoll encouraged everyone to “double down” their efforts and focus strongly on foods of known benefit to the human immune system and as well as those that reduced inflammation. Along with advice on what to eat and how to shop, Dr Stoll said it was essential for us to reduce stress levels and actively work on ways to remove FEAR from the current situation. He also had tips for health care workers and how to deal with locked in teenagers. The following are some selected excerpts from his hour-long address and its subsequent Q & A session hosted by Forks over Knives founder and president, Brian Wendel.
Understanding the data will help us to dial back on fear
Dr Mark Craig, MD Auckland truesouthmedical.co.nz 869 New North Road, Mt Albert Auckland, New Zealand
Dr Martyn Williamson Alexandra, NZ plantstrongliving.co.nz 616 Kaikorai Valley Road, Kenmure, Dunedin. 9011
Stephanie Wynn Online & by phone movinghealthforwardnz@gmail.com
movinghealthforward.nz Ph: +64 210 223 2618
Robyn Chuter Gold Coast
8 Auriga Court, Robina (Gold Coast) QLD 4226 Ph: 07 5663 9013/0432 766 884 empowertotalhealth.com.au
Dr Malcolm Mckay Melbourne
Consults within Australia Plant Based Health Australia wholefoodsplantbasedhealth.com.au
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V
iruses are not a living would be able to preserve the substance, but they necessary medical resources, reproduce, and they can cause so that’s why this was a kind of disease in humans and animals. first, an unprecedented event This coronavirus is part of a for all of us with an infectious common strand of virus that disease. we frequently find in animals, What’s really interesting and some of these viruses can with this Covid-19, because it is mutate and leap from animals much more infectious than the into humans. It’s called the spillflu, we see a much more rapid over effect. They’re also called spread. With the flu virus, the Dr Scott Stoll zoonotic viruses. They start in spread is about 1.4. So, if I were animals and can end up infecting humans. to have the flu, I would spread it to about That’s what we’re seeing here with 1.4 people, and if we did that ten times, we Covid-19. It’s part of a family of viruses would end up with about 14 people being called the SARS-COVAR virus family. This infected. one apparently mutated from the Wuhan What’s really interesting with Covid-19 animal markets, and now they’re thinking is that it has an infection rate of about it leapt from bats into humans, but more of three. So, if we play that out over about that research is going on. ten spreads, that equates to about 59,000 There is actually an excellent article people if we do the math properly. That’s that just came out in Nature on March why we see this rapid spread across the 17, 2020, that studies the DNA tracing of globe. It’s highly infectious. this Covid-19 virus back into the Wuhan It is not as infectious as SARS or MERS markets. about 10 to 20 years ago, but we are There are lots of general viruses that do seeing a higher death rate, especially in not cause severe illness, but this Covid-19 older populations. virus appears to be much more highly We are going to be reviewing some data, infectious even than the flu virus. We and data I think, will help put some clarity had the epidemic in 2009 with the H1N1 on what we are facing. I really hope that which was kind of a global pandemic. the data will dial back the fear because we With the H1N1 and the spread of the flu, see a lot of fear-based projections in the we didn’t experience the same level of media today. They are only projections. containment and shutdown of the world We don’t have the data to verify those that we are experiencing with Covid-19. projections. In a year from now, we’ll have Because they were able to identify it a much better understanding. early and they believed that containment
gazine - Covid-19 Special - Whole Food Living Magazine - Covid-19 Special
Facing up to the fear
W
hen we look at the research on fear and anxiety, we see several things. Fear and anxiety have a strong association with suppression of the immune system and a greater likelihood to get infections. A large meta-analysis reviewing 300 studies also showed that when people have chronic stress, chronic fear and depression, it reduces their cellular and humoral immunity – the very types of the immune system that are responsible for fighting infections and viruses. During this time, as coronavirus has spread across the globe, it has also gone with this fear that has been ramped up. And, if you watch the media too much, it’s very easy to fall into the fear. I want people to disengage from fear and move in the opposite direction. We don’t want fear in our life. Fear is nothing but False Expectations Appearing Real. It’s anticipation of an uncertain future and the dread that something might happen. Some of the ways we can deal with fear is to retreat back to what we know now. That’s why I started out by looking at the facts and understanding what we know about Covid, what we know today. We need to keep looking at the facts, the science and how to maximise our immunity, and how to prevent from getting the infection in the first place. And we’re also learning that when we have a healthy lifestyle, and we’re eating a whole food plant-based diet that is rich in plants containing phytochemicals and anti-oxidants so that our immunity is boosted giving us a very low susceptibility. So, this science, its data and facts can really help us to overcome this fear. By disengaging with fear, we engage in hope. Hope does some very powerful things. When they do functional MRI’s of people’s brains, and they look at the effect of hope, they find hope turns on multiple sensors in our brain. We begin planning a future and strategising how to get there. So, rather than retreating into fear, we start looking at the current circumstances and into the future. Now, this is not ignoring what we are facing today in this crisis with the pandemic and its challenges. It is about looking at the positive aspects of making better lifestyle choices.
We will get through this crisis. We will overcome this crisis. There will be an end to it, and we will be moving forward. Things will not necessarily be the same. Some things will be better, some things will be affected negatively, but as we move with hope, we actually begin to see possibilities and potential. Our brain will begin shifting out of contracting down and pulling in, which fear does, into expanding and looking at potential, possibilities and making proactive choices. I urge everyone to disengage with fear and move in the opposite direction by going back to science and data, going back to the choices that you are making every
day and look at the possibilities that are going to come out of this. For example, I was just talking with someone who has a business making fermented vegetables, and they were telling me their sales were up 300 per cent. The searches on Google for ways to enhance your health have gone up tremendously. One of the positive ripples I hope will come out of this is that people recognise that their diet is important, that eating plants is important, that taking care of yourself and making wise lifestyle choices is really critical and that we will see a wave of health move into the future.
Safety at an older age
Dr Stoll said there was no data on whether older populations that have been plant-based for some time were safer because of their diet. “I would hypothesise, and I believe, that if you are in that more mature population, even 70 to 80, but you are healthy, exercising, eating a plant-based diet, I sincerely believe that your risk of significant impact by the disease is very, very low. Probably about the same as the
population aged about 40 to 60. “As we look at those higher numbers in the 60s and up, at least 75 to 80 per cent of them are facing chronic disease. That’s where we see all the heart disease, diabetes and cancer. “So, it’s more than likely that higher number of death and severe disease in the aged population is due to the fact that they’re facing chronic disease and are on multiple medications to manage them.”
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Whole Food Living Magazine - Covid-19 Special - Whole Food Living Mag
Bifido Bacterium
Lacto Bacillus
Streptococcus Thermophilus
Lacto Coccus
Propioni Bacterium
Microbiome is ground zero for our immune system T
here is so much we can do to take back control of our lives with our lifestyle choices to improve our health, the health of loved ones and the health of our families. Ground zero for our immune system is our microbiome. The more we see come out in the literature every week, the more we see that our lifestyle choices impact the health of our microbiome. The microbiome is the 50 to 100 trillion bacteria that live in our gastrointestinal system that are impacted by our lifestyle choices like food, and habits and stress and exercise, sleep and toxins in our environment. If we have a healthy microbiome, it impacts the health of our immune system by at least 75 per cent. A healthy microbiome increases the ability of our
immune system to fight off infections like Covid-19. When we are eating an animal-based diet or a processed food diet, or sugar: those things can shift the bacteria in our gut within 24 hours and, over the course of three days, we can see a significant change in the types of bacteria that live in the microbiome. When we are making the right choices, those bacteria help to improve our cellular and humoral immunity – the types of the immunity that fight infections. We also see that fermented foods, shown in one interesting randomised control trial, directly increased the number of bacteria in the gut. In this trial, they saw that fermented foods increased the serum IgA levels which potentiate the immune system to fight infections.
Exercise boosts immune function T
here are some wonderful studies looking at exercise and immunity. In a randomised control trial conducted in 2018 that looked at two groups of people, one that were exercising and another group that didn’t exercise over the course of a month. They found that the group that exercised consistently every morning had far more neutrophils and leukocytes in their blood than the group that didn’t exercise. Neutrophils and leukocytes are really important because that is the active component of your immunity that would be responsible for fighting infections like Covid-19 or a flu virus or bacteria you might pick up from your children or someone at work. It showed that those numbers were statistically higher in people that were exercising on a regular basis. Through other research, we know that exercise has been shown to boost the immune function and to help our
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body fight off infection and recover from injuries. Exercise is a really important component of maximising your immunity. It’s also a great way to alleviate stress and take back some control into your life. This would be a good time to turn off the news channel and turn on a positive audiobook or podcast from Forks over Knives or someone else and listen to something that inspires you and activates you proactively into your future while you are exercising.
“I’ve got to adding fermented foods on my salads as a salad dressing as a way to get fermented foods in every single day. “Optimising your vitamin D is very important. If you haven’t or at least until you can get it tested, then at least 2000 to 3000 international units daily, and for all of us in the plant-based community, then a supplement of vitamin B12. Exercise, lowering stress and sleep are also important principles to maintaining a healthy immune system. “Right now, many people are quarantining themselves and watching Netflix and eating junk food which is exactly the wrong thing to do during a season like this. “We see that eating whole plants optimises the immune system in quite a few ways. It impacts the microbiome. “The bacterial populations in our gut, including lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, those bacteria are really important for digesting the fibres in whole plant foods. As those bacteria digest the fibre, they produce these short-chain fatty acids like butyrate. Those acids improve our immune system and they also turn off key inflammatory switches in our body. By eating whole plant foods, we optimise the health of our microbiome. The flavonoids and phytochemicals in those plants also stimulate immune function, help us to fight infections and dial back inflammation as well. Other important plants like shitake mushrooms and raw garlic have been shown to support the immune system as well and enhance our body’s ability to fight infections. Dr Stoll encouraged eating a wide variety of whole plant foods at breakfast, lunch and dinner and removing all processed foods, animal foods and sugar. “Eating sugar can suppress functions in your immune system for up to four hours. Removing that out of our diet is really critical at times like this.
gazine - Covid-19 Special - Whole Food Living Magazine - Covid-19 Special
Dr Scott Stoll: Working with teenagers over the crisis W
e have teenagers in our house, so we know some of the challenges of working with them, but you know, I think this is a great opportunity for us as parents to have honest and real conversations with our teenagers. Rather than just telling them what to do, try to teach them and educate them about how to make better choices. This is not just about them acquiring the disease. This is about them being part of a community that is trying to stop the spread of the disease. It’s very possible for a young person to be an asymptomatic carrier of Covid-19. Unintentionally they could be out in the community spreading Covid-19 and infect other people who are vulnerable. And so, what I would teach my children
is to come from a place of compassion and concern for those that are vulnerable in our community, especially the older population that is facing the disease. We need to do our best to protect them. You can say here’s the thing that we can do as a family, here’s the thing that you can do as a teenager to protect those people that are vulnerable. My family have decided that we are going to make some changes, learn some new things. We’re going to learn a new language as a family. We are doing two weeks of webinars and studies as a family. We’re encouraging our children to take this time and pull back and learn some new things but also encourage them to recognise that they are part of the solution for this Covid-19 crisis.
Hand washing, does it work? I
t certainly does Dr Stoll says, and he adds, as we’ve seen with Covid-19 and other viruses like the flu, these viruses are really passed through the transmission of bodily fluid. Covid-19 is believed to be passed through the aerosolised mucus particles from a sneeze or a cough that end up on hands or hard surfaces. On average, we touch our faces between 16 and 23 times an hour. So, personal hygiene is really important because if we are sneezing on surfaces and we’re sneezing on hands, we’re shaking hands with somebody, then we are passing those things along to other people. It makes for an easy transmission of those viruses from one person to the next. So, the science of hygiene has a lot of credibility and a lot of support. Good hygiene is something we all should practice on a regular basis. It’s simple things. Dr Semmelweis, who found the practice of handwashing with pregnant mothers, established the fact that handwashing saves lives. We should all learn to practise better hygiene. That includes washing your hands under warm water for 20 seconds. And to get a good idea how long 20 seconds is, set your timer on your phone, put it up next to the sink and then put some good soap on your
Must watch movies
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Amazon Prime Search: The Big Fat Lie hands. Scrub them front, back, and each finger and watch the clock for 20 seconds. That will give you an idea how long 20 seconds really is. I think for most of us we do not wash our hands for 20 seconds – a little bit of soap on the palms, wash them off and we’re good to go. But this is an excellent opportunity for us to learn the
World of Pain
benefit of good hand washing. And with coughing and sneezing, we’ve often been told to cover our mouths. We do it with our hand, but then we don’t go back and wash that hand. The easier thing to do is cough into your elbow because it’s a part of your body that is not often
Search: Youtube An excellent 60 Minutes doco describing how all this happened and carries a warning that this might not be the last time we experience such disruption in our lifetime.
touched.
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Coronavirus: Can whole food help? Amidst rising concern over the rapidly spreading coronavirus (Covid-19), we sought opinions from some plant-based medics on whether a plant-based diet was likely to be of any benefit. Here doctors Martyn Williamson of Alexandra, NZ and Gemma Newman from the UK present their views.
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at more plants! That's one of the messages UK plant-based doctor, Gemma Newman, says is essential if people want to do the best they can to bolster their immune system. In a recent online post, Dr Newman says in the face of coronavirus, keeping your immune system as healthy as possible is vital along with the following: 1. 2. 3. 4.
5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10.
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
Wash hands frequently with soap and water. Catch coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw it away. If you don’t have a tissue, sneeze into your elbow. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid people who are unwell as much as you can. By eating more plants, you will increase your phytonutrients, such as flavonoids and polyphenols. Good gut health means a better functioning immune system. Zinc from pumpkin and sesame seeds. Selenium from Brazil nuts, Vitamin C from berries and citrus fruits. Anti-viral foods like garlic, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, elderberry and mushrooms. A vitamin D supplement may be helpful. Prioritise sleep Reduce your stress Stay hydrated Gentle exercise
Dr Newman notes that, according to a large Chinese study, more than 80 per cent of confirmed coronavirus cases are not severe. "To put this in perspective, Public Health England tells us seasonal flu has a mortality rate of below 1% and kills around 17,000 people in England each year."
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Less inflammation on WFPB diet could translate into reduced infection risk W
ill a WFPB diet protect me against the coronavirus? At the moment, we can’t answer that question at all based on available evidence. Coronavirus is so new and we are learning more about it every day. What does seem to be apparent is that healthier individuals are more likely to mount an effective response to the virus while the less healthy are more likely to get severe infections and more likely to die, just like the flu! Older people and smokers appear more at risk, the latter because they will already have inflamed and damaged lungs. We can only speculate at this stage. So what about us plant-eaters? Well, we know that we have less ongoing chronic inflammation in our bodies than those on the standard western diet (SWD), which could translate to a reduced risk of severe infection. We know that a healthy gut microbiome contributes to immune health and anyone eating WFPB will have a healthier microbiome than they would on SWD. In fact, these changes may occur quite quickly over days or weeks, so it’s worth starting now if you haven’t already. Also, animal studies have shown that some of the flavonoids found in fruits and vegetables provide protection against an array of viruses and show reduced severity of infection following injection of an influenza viral load following a bout of stressful exercising. This, in effect, meant lower death rates, reduced ill health and faster recovery. The same was found for apple polyphenols in a different study. A quick search of the evidence reveals multiple works linking plant-based nutrition with improved immune health. At the same time, I can’t find any studies demonstrating increased resistance to respiratory viral epidemics based on
plant-based nutrition. This absence of evidence, however, should not dishearten as there is no evidence either way because it hasn’t been formally tested, at least not in the searches I conducted. So what conclusions can we draw? Firstly, we can’t rely on our diet protecting us, so it’s really important that we adopt all the precautions advised. Secondly, we should adopt lifestyle practices which enhance our health and immune system if at all possible, and we should do this anyway whether there is an epidemic or not. It will only do our overall health a power of good. A calorie sufficient WFPB diet falls into this category. To receive the full benefits for immune health, it is essential to ensure we eat a wide range of fruits and vegetables – remember, eat the rainbow. And, make sure we consume sources of nutrients like selenium (brazil nuts) and zinc (whole grains, tofu, tempeh, legumes, nuts and seeds). Soaking and cooking will improve the absorption of the latter by reducing the impact of phytates. As well as healthy nutrition, we should add in regular moderate to vigorous exercise, while avoiding overload and exercise stress. (So a virus outbreak is not the best time to exhaust yourself in the local marathon!) Also, remember to love! Sounds simple yet we forget so easily. Each day practice being grateful for three things in life that day and express your love to those you care for—such an easy way to enhance immune function and well-being. Minimise stressful situations and overwork. Get plenty of sleep. Stop smoking and avoid or minimise alcohol. Go on, take the plunge and put yourself in the healthy bracket, you’ve nothing to lose and heaps to gain.
Whole Food Living Magazine - Covid-19 Special Health workers:
Be sure to keep yourself safe
D
r Stoll paid a special tribute to all health care workers required to work under the current strenuous and challenging conditions. I have many colleagues that are facing these challenges, the stressful environments of hospitals, the deluge of patients – I just want to say thanks to them for all of their work. It’s important, as you leave the hospital to have hospital clothes and home clothes. Obviously, lots of people change into scrubs when they get to the hospital but don’t wear the same clothes home that you worked in. Leave all of those at the hospital. That includes shoes. And again, proper hygiene, if you have the opportunity to shower before going home that would be
optimal but certainly hand washing. And, if you have hand wipes in your car then wipe down surfaces before you go home would also be really important. While circumstances vary, most hospital workers have been recommended to put on eyewear, masks and in some cases, more significant outerwear to protect themselves. Again, not touching the face. I want to stress that because it’s really important to break that habit so that we’re not infecting ourselves and infecting others. And you should work to keep yourself healthy. I don’t need to go into fine detail but making sure you get a good night’s sleep (7 to 9 hours a night) is really important. Turn off technologies, like TV etc.
Take care when food shopping Going at off hours is a good way to meet up with less people. If you are going to touch the handle of the shopping cart, make sure you wipe it off first. They usually have hand wipes in the store, but if they don’t, you can take some along gel to wash that off. Also, in regard the products themselves, the level of potential contamination with the products themselves is really pretty low. If you have concerns, the CDC recommends you can spray them with
an aerosol containing alcohol or Lysol or chlorine. You can make your own spray with a little chlorine and water if you have any concern about the products you are picking up. It’s always good to wash your produce with water when you get it home, then soak it and let it dry before you use it. Of course, if you are standing in line, just make sure you have that social distance to just take care of yourself and others during that time as well.
Type 2 diabetics urged to make a serious effort to change their diet The data shows that people who are living with type 2 diabetes are at a greater risk for the disease because the immune system is somewhat compromised, Dr Stoll says. So, it’s an excellent opportunity during this season to really double down on a healthy lifestyle. As this thing started ramping up, I decided to double down and make myself even healthier. So, if you are someone that is living with type two diabetes or type one diabetes, this is an outstanding opportunity and an important reminder that now is the time to go for it. And the good news is for people living
with type 2 diabetes is that a healthy lifestyle with a whole food plant-based diest as the foundation and some exercise can send type 2 diabetes into suspension and remission within two to four weeks. I would encourage everyone to log in to the resources at Forks over Knives, and we have great resources at planticianproject. org and seek out a really aggressive diet and exercise lifestyle intervention in the next month, and you will see an incredible improvement in your insulin resistance. You’ll not only reduce your medications, but you will also be decreasing the potential impact for Covid-19 to have an effect if you happen to get it.
Looking at some of the typical symptoms of Covid-19 The typical symptoms you might face when you encounter Covid-19 would be a fever, chills and aches. It tends to be much more related to respiratory symptoms so that that would be cough, shortness of breath and pneumonia type symptoms. These are the common symptoms, and they differentiate it from the flu where you would have fever, aches and chills but not a significant respiratory impact. The time to seek medical care is when you are experiencing: 1. Significant shortness of breath. 2. You start to notice a blueish colour to your lips or your nail beds which would imply that you are not getting enough oxygenation through your lungs. 3. You are really struggling to breathe or, 4. You have those symptoms, and you have significant other concurrent conditions like heart disease, cancer, diabetes and hypertension. In those circumstances, it would be important to seek care earlier rather than later. For most of us, it is not necessary to seek care immediately but, if we experience those symptoms, we should quarantine ourselves to prevent others from receiving the disease from us. It’s our personal responsibility to our community to dial back in our house for at least 14, maybe 21 days, take good care of ourselves, drink a bunch of green smoothies, eat a bunch of kale and rest and recover with fluids.
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Green School: First day nerves by Peter Barclay
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ow! How life has changed since I took these pictures six weeks ago in New Plymouth on February 10th. The young lady in the picture above is my granddaughter, Willow, who was part of a small group of parents and first day pupils attending the formal opening of her new school. Green School is an inspiring concept. Although traditional in the sense that students can still gather all the NCEA credits they desire, it's basic kaupapa (ethos or policy) is quite different from run-of-the-mill Kiwi education. "Education without walls." is how its owners, John and Cindy Hardy describe it and follows on from Green School Bali, established over 10 years ago. He says Green School was founded with the purpose of nurturing changemakers, and green leaders. "Cynthia & I always dreamt of a global network of Green Schools. The Green School mission is one that we passionately believe needs to be taken to the world.” The school is based around ideals of sharing and caring for the environment. Three environmentally friendly “Waka” are at the heart of the school campus. Waka number three is set to become New Zealand’s largest and tallest non-concrete building. The beautiful Oakura River flows through the school grounds. In keeping with the school’s core principle of sustainability, the buildings have been built from locally sourced timber with just six per cent waste result. More than 20,000 native trees have been planted on the site over the past year. The campus features a tropical house where students will learn to grow and nurture plants. Two nurseries are set to turn over more than 15,000 plants per year, including fruit and vegetable trees allowing students and visitors to pick fresh produce on-campus. Now that's a different school and one I could only ever dreamed of attending. But how things change. Take a look at the people to Willow's left. Two good friends greeting each other and my granddaughter now living in a world of "no handshakes, no hongi and no hugs."
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The opening ceremony was great but, Simone Hayward (P36) should have been called on to do the food.
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There's a zoo in your poo but should you get it tested?
eople are paying hundreds of dollars to have their gut microbes analysed, hoping the insights will allow them to adjust their diet and improve their health. But these testing services are based on science that’s still in its infancy, as we explain in our recent paper1. So while there may be great promise for analysing our gut microbiome to help diagnose and treat people in the future, for the moment knowing what’s in your gut is mostly a curiosity.
But aren’t these tests based on science? The idea of your gut microbiome – the whole community of gut microbes and their products – influencing your health is gaining momentum. Over about the past two decades, the gut microbiome has been linked to everything from inflammatory bowel disease to depression. So it’s been appealing to think if you just knew what was in your gut microbiome, you could tweak your diet and create a “designer microbiome” to improve your health. There’s preliminary evidence analysing the gut microbiome in a stool sample can help predict who will do well on a certain diet. There’s also some evidence it can help predict which people with inflammatory bowel disease respond to medical treatments. But these findings are far from being applied more generally and for routine health care. One day, we may understand how combining information about your microbiome with other test results, such as genomic tests (sequencing your human genes) might help. The idea is that this would help people prevent disease and medication sideeffects, predict their future risk of disease, and help choose a personalised diet for optimal health. For instance, information about someone’s microbiome, when combined with blood tests and their diet, can predict how someone’s blood glucose levels respond to specific meals. This 2015 study also showed that by analysing someone’s gut microbes you could tailor their diet to keep their blood
In this article, Amy Lougman, a Research Fellow at Deakin University, and Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Heidi Staudacher, from the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin look into your poo and ask if testing, at this stage, is worth the effort.
glucose under control. Again, while the prospect might sound appealing – and the potential impact huge – we don’t yet have the evidence to implement this more widely. There’s also much we don’t know about the microbiome itself. For instance, scientists don’t agree what a healthy microbiome looks like, we haven’t sequenced all of the bacterial genes, and we don’t know what they do or how they interact. So while we are starting to understand the ideal microbiome for health, it is still more of a rough sketch than a blueprint.
But I’m curious anyway Most companies ask you to send in a stool sample, which you take yourself and post in a secure package to a laboratory to analyse the results. Each company is different. Different companies analyse your stool sample in different ways. For instance, some tell you the relative abundance of bacteria down to the genus level (but not the species level). Some tell you which strains of microbe are present (not just bacteria, but viruses and fungi too) and their function. Some tell you which of the microbe genes are expressed and active. All of these are legitimate approaches to analysing your gut microbiome, and you could expect a reasonable degree of accuracy.
with others they’ve analysed. But they can’t compare them with an “average” or “healthy” microbiome because an individual company doesn’t sample the whole population, and scientists haven’t yet defined a “healthy” microbiome. Some companies advise the types of foods you could eat to boost levels of particular bacteria. You might also be told that a certain bacteria can be associated with some health condition, like obesity or constipation. Ideally, alongside your results would be an explanation about the types of research the insights are based on, limitations of the evidence, and a caution the results cannot be considered medical advice. Unfortunately, consumers don’t always receive this information, and it can be hard to know what to do with the test results.
What about privacy? Another important issue to consider is who has access to your test results and under what circumstances. This has been a concern with take-home genetic tests in the United States. Although data about your microbial genes may not seem sensitive and private as your own genes, ensuring you know who might have access to your stool testing data is an important consideration. There’s research to see whether the microbiome could may one day be used in forensics, demonstrating the very personal nature of these data.
In a nutshell Given the complexity of the gut microbiome and its interaction with us, its host, we still need large research trials replicated across different centres to make sense of the data. So-called microbiome diagnostics could become central to optimising health and improving care of people with chronic disease in the future. But, for the moment, knowing the specific community of your gut microbes will only serve to satisfy your curiosity, not improve your health.
How do you interpret the results? The companies also differ in how they supply and interpret the results. The company may compare your results
Republished from The Conversation under the Creative Commons Licence. theconversation.com wholefoodliving.life | Autumn, 2020
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NO D A I R Y MANG O LAS SI
INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen mango cubes 4 sml pitted dates 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract 1/2 cup unsweetened plant milk (I used Soy milk) 5 ice cubes (if using fresh mango)
METHOD Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
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WFPB's Four Food Groups Based on the guide developed by PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) in 1991
FRUIT
3 or more servings a day Full of vitamin C and beta carotene, fruit is also rich in fibre. You should include at least one serving of fruit per day. Fruits are full of flavour, make a welcome afternoon filler and are great as a night time desert. They're best eaten whole because your gut benefits from their soft fibre. Serving sizes: 1 medium piece of fruit, 1/2 cup cooked fruit, 4 ounces juice.
WHOLE GRAINS 5 or more servings a day
The wholegrain list is large. Here is a sample: barley, freekeh, whole rye, brown rice, oats, wheat, buckwheat, bulgur, quinoa, whole wheat couscous, corn, millet. Build meals around hearty grain dishes. They’re rich in essential fibre, complex carbohydrates, protein, B Vitamins and zinc. Great for breakfast. Serving sizes: 1/2 cup hot cereal, 1/4 cup dry cereal, 1 slice bread
LEGUMES
2 or more servings a day Beans, peas and lentils are your key source for good fibre, protein, iron, calcium, zinc and B vitamins. In this group you can also include items such as chickpeas, baked and refined beans, soy milk, tempeh and vegetable protein. Serving sizes: 1/2 cups cooked beans, 4 ounces tofu or tempeh, 8 ounces Soy Milk.
VEGETABLES
4 or more servings a day Vegetables are your essential nutrient injection. Dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard and turnip greens, chicory or bok choy are all good sources of important nutrients. They provide vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, iron, calcium, fibre and more. Extra beta-carotene comes from dark yellow and orange vegetables such as carrot, squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkin. Don’t be afraid to eat generous amounts. Load up your plate! Serving sizes: 1 cup raw vegetables, 1/2 cup cooked vegetables
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