South Beach Diet

Side effectsUnlike stimulant diet drugs, green tea doesn’t increase heart rate or triggerdangerous heart rhythm disturbances. Green tea does contain caffeine (thoughless than black tea) and can cause nervousness, insomnia, irritability, andheadaches in people who are sensitive to caffeine. Generally, though,caffeine’sanxiety-producing effects are neutralized by green tea’s l-theanine. An aminoacid found almost exclusively in tea plants, l-theanine acts like aneurotransmitter in the brain, increasing alertness while simultaneouslyinducing astate of relaxation.

You can readily buy decaffeinated green tea, but research indicates that theinteraction of caffeine and polyphenols stimulates increased thermogenesis, orfat-burning.

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I am new to this group and just started the SB diet two weeksago. I was wondering how you guys cook the spaghetti squash and isit a seasonal item only> I think I ate it a long time ago but notsure. I know it is stringy inside so do you split it and bake itlike you would an acorn squash?

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The answer: Yes, and probably more often than you thinkBy KEVIN HELLIKERStaff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNALOctober 11, 2004; Page R7In the space of seven months in 2002, three physicians at Johns HopkinsHospital in Baltimore suffered sudden cardiac death while exercising. Twowere running, the other working out in the hospital’s fitness center. Allthree had paid close attention to diet and exercised regularly. The oldestwas 51.This unlikely string of deaths brought tremendous local attention to a topicthat medicine typically doesn’t emphasize — for good reason. Exercise,after all, prolongs more lives than it cuts short. And in a nation that islargely sedentary, people need no extra excuse not to exercise. Yet a growing number of physicians believe that publicizing the risks ofexercise could potentially save a significant number of lives. Johns Hopkinscardiologist Nancy Strahan, for one, is now advising her middle-agedpatients to stay away from jogging until they’ve undergone an exam todetermine their risks.”Present research reveals that vigorous exercise is responsible fortriggering up to 17%” of sudden cardiac deaths in the U.S., says a recentarticle in the American Medical Athletic Association Journal. This meansthat vigorous exercise is triggering tens of thousands of U.S. deaths ayear.Impact on Immune SystemWhat’s more, sudden death isn’t the only risk. Evidence is mounting thatextreme exercise — marathons, triathlons and the like — may be detrimentalto the immune system and long-term health. “Exercising to excess can harmour health,” cautions Kenneth Cooper, the physician credited with foundingthe aerobics movement back in the 1960s.All of this, of course, runs counter to conventional wisdom, which says thatexercise is a virtue, and that you can’t get too much of a virtue. Indeed,pretty much as soon as a thirtysomething slips on his first pair of runningshoes he is challenged by an acquaintance or athletic-store poster to run amarathon. But exercise more accurately may be perceived as a medicaltherapy, and doctors are generally very cautious about the dosages theyprescribe for medical therapies. Nobody would recommend quadrupling the doseof a drug that had proved to be effective.So, how much is too much? It depends, of course, on the person.The risk of sudden cardiac death during exercise would be reduced if people– especially those older than 40 — underwent various tests before startinga workout program. These tests include: an electrocardiogram, an electricalrecording of the heart that can detect various abnormalities; an exercisestress test, during which physicians monitor the cardiovascular system’sresponse during a treadmill workout; and an echocardiogram, an ultrasoundscan that can spot a wide range of defects. Whether your insurance will payfor these tests depends on your age, health plan and how strongly yourdoctor recommends them.Although these tests aren’t guaranteed to find every cardiovascular boobytrap that exercise can trip, they can identify a significant percentage ofthe conditions that cause sudden cardiac death-artery blockages, cardiacarrhythmias, aneurysms and more.The risk of sudden death during exercise appears to rise as the duration ofthe workout grows. For instance, the risk of death during a marathon isabout one in 50,000 finishers — significantly higher than during shorterraces or inactivity. One reason is that during long-distance runs the bodysustains muscle injury, and it can react to this injury as if it werebleeding, by rendering blood more clottable, says Arthur Siegel, a HarvardUniversity professor and chief of internal medicine at McLean Hospital inBelmont, Mass. In people with hidden blockage in their coronary arteries,this thickened blood can result in sudden cardiac death.But that’s not the only danger. Muscular injury can also set off a hormonalresponse that in turn triggers water intoxication, with acute brainswelling, says Dr. Siegel. This can be deadly for marathon runners who taketoo seriously the recommendation to drink lots of fluid. In recent years,young and healthy runners have died of hyponatremia — essentially drinkingtoo much fluid — in several marathons, including those in Chicago andBoston.”A half-million Americans a year are going out to run marathons,” says Dr.Siegel. “They incur a dose of exercise that is enough to cause muscle injurythat could, under certain circumstances, have grave consequences.”Having run 20 marathons himself, Dr. Siegel calls himself an advocate forsafe participation. Avoiding hyponatremia is mostly a matter of drinkingonly when thirsty, and this caution is especially important for slowerrunners.As for sudden cardiac death, Dr. Siegel suggests that people at risk forcardiac disease perhaps should be cautious about pushing their heart ratestoo high. People with high risk factors “ought to be careful about keepingthe intensity moderate,” says Dr. Siegel. “Exercise at a level where theycan be conversational.” Should such people run marathons? Dr. Siegeladvises: “Do the marathon training but skip the race.”An increasingly popular theory has it that death from extreme exercise maynot come until years afterward. This theory first occurred to Dr. Cooper,founder of the Cooper Institute in Dallas, when he noticed what seemed likea higher-than-average rate of cancer and other disease among the fitnessfanatics he knew.’More Harm Than Good’?Having now studied the matter for more than 20 years, he has concluded thatespecially long and intense bouts of exercise may be damaging to the immunesystem. It is only a theory, but it is at least partly based on medicalstudies such as one showing that marathoners suffer a high rate of cold andflu just before and after races.”If you’re exercising more than five hours a week [at a high intensity],there’s a possibility that you may be doing more harm than good,” Dr. Coopersays.Nobody should feel compelled for health reasons to run marathons, dotriathlons or otherwise aspire to become a fitness fanatic, says Dr. Cooper,adding that 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise such as walking issufficient.Of course, there are benefits to extreme exercise — it provides enormousrelief from stress and consumes a spectacular number of calories. For peoplecommitted to exercising fanatically, Dr. Cooper and others recommend dietsheavy in antioxidants such as green vegetables, as well as supplements suchas vitamins C and E. Such diets are believed to bolster the immune system.Devotees of extreme exercise express confidence that any risks, including apossible increased vulnerability to cancer, are outweighed by benefitsranging from lowered blood pressure to heightened confidence. This explainswhy Frank Webbe, a professor of psychology at Florida Institute ofTechnology, has run 14 marathons.”You run them because you can,” says Dr. Webbe, a veteran officer of a groupcalled Running Psychologists. Marathons, he says, are “part of my identity.It’s a self definition. I’m one of the elite few. It’s important to me.”Mr. Helliker is chief of The Wall Street Journal’s Chicago bureau.

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If you are like me the hardest thing for you todo is to ask for help. Help with the dishes, thelaundry, moving something heavy is hard enough toask for, but help with emotional support to makelow carbing easier too? Help with eliminatingtemptation, dealing with all but the right foodoptions, planning, and preparation. Who would orcould burden their families with requests likethis?

Going it alone and in secret is a disasterwaiting to happen. It opens the door for closeteating, cheating, and excuse after excuse forslip-ups. But then, no one would know but you,would they, if no one knew you were low carbingand what special needs you now have? You don’twant to be seen as different!

When you look at your new lifestyle change inthis way, a burden to your family, beingdifferent, or having special needs, is it anywonder we fall? Who wants to be placed in thesecategories, especially those of us who are thecaretakers of our families?

The first thing to do once you’ve decided thisway of life is for you is to form a supportsystem. Not everyone will agree with your choice,certainly you will get ill informed opinionsranging from kidney failure to you-name-it. Thosenaysayers are not your support system.

There are tons of ways of dealing with them, fromkindly thanking them for their concern to askingthem what studies they gleaned the informationfrom and asking them to mail it to you. You couldarm yourself with some of the many, many studiessupporting low carb and offer to send the info tothem.

Many low carbers choose to not say “low-carb” atall and instead to explain they are insulinresistant and need to avoid sugar and highglycemic foods. This works very well as mostpeople have no idea what you are saying and toavoid you knowing that they’ll simply change thesubject.

Support comes in many forms, but support, in myopinion is a vital part of long-term success.

The first place to start is you. Whatever ittakes, you will do it. There is NOTHING moreimportant than your health. There are a millionsituations that are worse than having to avoidsugar, flour and high glycemic foods. Put thisway of life in perspective each and every day,even single time you get into a situation ormindset that you are tempted to stray..whatcould be worse? Then have a place to findsupport, the support you will need to get overany tiny or large hurdle that you will comeacross in this journey. You will have thosehurdles, we all do, and that makes you normal.

The next step is to find a doctor that supportsyour way of eating. It took me several phonecalls to find one when I first started four yearsago. Even then, he still would only commit tosupporting whatever was healthy for me. Thatmeant having regular blood tests, which ended upmaking a convert of him in the process. He saw my”genetically high cholesterol” and he wanted memedicated - forget control through low-carbeating alone. Today there are many doctors whohave embraced low-carb eating so finding one isno where near as hard as “the old days”.

You will need the support of your significantother. This may mean being painfully honest withthem about how food effects you and why. Youunderstand what an insulin spike does to you, butdo they? My husband has been a tall, skinny, highmetabolized man his whole life. He is alsosomeone who can stop easily at one cookie, or oneHershey Kiss and walk away. It took me a longtime to have the guts to sit him down and admitto him my lack of control with food, but it wasthe best thing I ever did for myself in gainingthe support at home I needed with keeping thetaboos out of sight, out of mind for me.

I have to laugh when Wayne and Erin do “thewhisper” and head for the family room in thebasement. They have their “stash” down there. Iknow what they are doing, and at times I feellike I’ve turned my family into closet eaters andhave a bit of guilt about it. But I don’t have tolook at or smell the chocolate. And in turn Erin(our nine year old) has adopted a new way oflooking at junk food. She now knows it’s not”good, healthy food” and wanting to please (asall kids do) will now opt for healthy snacksinstead.

Having non low-carbers in the house can bechallenging! We hate to deny them the things theylove, especially if food is not an issue forthem. What works for us is the “out of sight, outof mind” technique and only a little bit of thatat most. There is one cupboard where Wayne keepshis tortilla chips and his chocolate syrup (heputs it on my low carb ice cream) and Erin’spudding gets put on the bottom back shelf of thefridge. In the process I find out of sight, outof mind works for them also as they tend to grabwhat is visible and that is fresh, wholesomelow-carb snack options. Sneaky, huh?!

My friends all know I low-carb but rarely thinkabout it. Many of them are now low-carbers also.I get phone calls from Wayne at work because hehas co-workers who have low-carb questions forme. I usually always have options when we go out.If we are invited to a friend’s home I alwayscall ahead to find out what’s on the menu and askif I can bring something. If there is little tonothing, I bring something low-carb whether askedto or not. Hostesses love this gesture. I eatfirst, have something ready for when we returnhome and make do while there. Very rarely doesanyone notice what I’m eating or not eating. Theimportant thing to get over is that socialsituations are all about the food, it’s reallyabout people.

Check to see if there are local support groups inyour area. If not, think about starting one atyour home, or a free meeting place in your town.It’s important to know you’re not alone and thereARE others just like you, looking for people likeyou. The woman’s health club called “Curves forWomen” is low-carb based and many have weeklymeetings on low-carb eating.

Some of my greatest support has always come fromonline support groups and forums on the Internet.The options range from email lists, forums andbulletin boards to chat rooms. The variety ofspecial needs groups is just as varied, whetheryou’re interested in groups for just women ormen, low-carbers with more than 100 pounds tolose, to low-carb groups for religion based foodrestrictions. Join a few and lurk (just read andwatch). Then get active when you find one thatsuits your needs.

I have met people from all over the world, everywalk of life, religion, and social standard. Weall have a common bond: we are insulin resistant.Some of my closest friends are the people I havemet and gotten to know on the low-carb forumsthrough the last four years. I am never alone, nomatter what time of day or night. If I wake inthe middle of the night and need to talk, thefolks from “down under” are online and there forme.

Join some recipes lists, try new recipes andencourage your family to be honest taste testers.Keep a notebook of “keepers” and get your familyexcited about the new food options. It’s a greatmotivator when they ask for things that arelow-carb!

Most importantly be honest with your needs, toyourself, your family and your friends andco-workers. Putting yourself first is not a badthing when it comes to your health. Giving in orcheating to avoid being different or asking foraccommodation is only punishing yourself fortrying to be healthy, and that is the mostsenseless act of all.

The Need for Support in a Low-Carb Lifestyle

From Co-Editor Wendy L

Change is never easy. Depending on the situation,change can be close to impossible.

You are a strong person and you know, in yourheart, what is best for you. You’ve read thebooks, you’ve done the research. You know thatyou’re overweight or plagued with ill health.Tired and sick, you know what is making you feelthat way. You’re strong enough and smart enoughto know that you have to make a change in yourdiet before what you’re eating kills you. You’vedecided to make a change in your eating habitsand your lifestyle. It’s going to be tough, butyou can do it. Remember, the most importantsource of support for you, is you.

The hardest part of sticking to a low-carb dietisn’t going to be cleaning out the cupboards andre-stocking with food allowed on this way oflife. The hardest part of low-carbing isn’t goingto be getting through the first few days whenyou’re experiencing withdrawal symptoms from thesugar and built-up carbs in your body. Thehardest part is not going to be the decision ofwhat to choose from the menu when you go out toeat or attend a party. The hardest part of thisnew way of life is not going to be learning howto shop and cook and add exercise to yourschedule.

The hardest part of sticking to this low-carb wayof eating is going to be dealing with the wordsand actions from family, friends and co-workers.The hardest part of dealing with a low-carblifestyle is going to be those closest to you whodon’t support your decision to change your eatinghabits for the better and will attempt toundermine your success.

You’re going to have co-workers and friends whowill profess to know all where low-carb andnutrition is concerned, and they will bombard youwith their “knowledge” of what is right and whatis wrong with the way you eat - remember whatthey “know” and in turn try to enforce upon youis what they have been taught.

They’ve been taught that low-fat is good, all fatis bad, the food pyramid is the way to go, withits five daily servings of bread and pasta -after all, you believed that once upon a time,didn’t you? It’s what is drummed into us by ourteachers, our government, our doctors and peoplewho we believe “should” know - most people don’thave the courage or the strength to thinkindependently and they will never attempt it.They believe what they are told, they’re contentto be led around by the nose - it’s their nature.They are part of the sheeple - don’t try tochange them because you never will. You arechanging you - you are what is important andthat’s what you need to focus on - you.

Some of us choose to think outside the box andwe’re open to learning new things - you’velearned more about nutrition reading one of thelow-carb plan books than all your officeco-workers combined will ever know. Smile whenthey try to impart their knowledge on to you -you know the truth and you know what is right foryou. Smile and decline the bagel or the offeringfrom the box of donuts and remember - you are incharge of you. You are in control. You are incharge of the hand that travels to your mouth.You are in control of what that hand picks up inits travels.

What happens when it’s loved ones that threatenyour new lifestyle? Often those loved ones, themother, the sister, the husband or thesignificant other feel threatened when they seeyou start to change before their very eyes. Theyare content with the current status-quo and theydon’t want to see anything happen to upset theapple cart.

After all, if you are losing weight, feelingbetter, looking better and turning the heads ofevery male in the restaurant as you follow thehostess to your seat, don’t you see how thatwould shake up the security blanket your husbandhas become nestled in? Reinforce to those closestto you that you’re doing this for you and thatyou would appreciate their support, not theirsabotage. Does your husband need to lose weight,too? Is your sister still packing around thatpregnancy weight and the baby is walking andtalking? Convince them to join you in yourlow-carb journey, educate them on the benefits ofthe lifestyle and support each another along theway.

Your loved ones will have unconscious or hiddenmotives in saying or treating you as they do, andyou must be strong enough to look past thosemotives to their underlying fear. You’re changingand it’s making those closest to youuncomfortable - perhaps they have seen you failat diet after diet and they don’t want to see youfail again. They don’t want to see you hurt andtheir lack of knowledge about this way of lifemanifests in things they say that undermine yourattempt at success. They know nothing about alow-carb diet but they’ve heard all themisinformation and the horror stories - theythink they’re going to save you from yourself.Educate them. Teach them the things you’velearned.

Perhaps you will end up needing the outsidesupport a therapist can give you in understandingthe feelings of your family and the complexissues that cause you to overeat. Investigateyour local community health care system - you canfind professional help that is often free oreasily affordable. Check your private insuranceprovisions, quite often private insurance willpay for psychological therapy.

Enlist the aid of your physician as you adopt thelow-carb lifestyle. Have a thorough check-up andinsist the prerequisite blood tests arecompleted. You’ll need those test results tocompare to tests done in the future as you loseweight and begin to feel better. If yourcholesterol is 260 today, nothing will keep youmotivated and sticking to this way of life thanto see a test result six months down the roadthat comes in at 180. If your doctor doesn’tsupport you - find another one. If your doctordoesn’t listen to you when you speak - find onethat does.

I have health issues that send me to anendocrinologist every few months, and I’ve beenseeing that doctor regularly for the last tenyears. She’s a very good doctor with one of thebest medical reputations in the country in herspecialty, which is diabetes. When I firstembarked on the Atkins Diet, she was horrified. Isat through lecture after lecture on what was badabout the diet and how I should go to WeightWatchers or follow the AMA’s “diabetic” diet(even though I wasn’t diabetic). She gave mepamphlets that extolled the value of the foodpyramid and books that contained week after weekof diabetic menus.

Almost a year later, after I lost 80 pounds andthis doctor could look at numerous test resultsand see how my cholesterol levels had dropped,how the hormones had leveled to normal instead ofbeing off the charts, I was no longer takinganti-depressants and other drugs, was back towork full time and functioning - well, guess whathappened? Dr. looked at me one day during anappointment, then Dr. looked at the ceiling, Dr.looked at the floor, then Dr. cleared her throatbefore she looked me square in the eye and toldme that she now recommended the Atkins Diet toevery one of her diabetic patients and she hadseen what she termed as nothing short ofmiracles, time and time again, in those patients.(There is hope yet for the AMA!)

In addition to making the lifestyle change thatlow-carb eating entails, the everyday stress ofliving can be a heavy, overwhelming load. Supportyourself and do something for you that will helplessen the load.

Take a ceramics class, learn to throw pottery ona wheel, sign up for volunteer work, learn topaint, take a yoga class, enroll in a book clubor learn to meditate. Find something that bringsyou peace and contentment and then DO IT.

Set aside fifteen or thirty minutes out of yourday and do something for you. Add a little fun toyour day and make sure it is something you enjoy- go for a walk in the park, feed the ducks atthe local lake, spend thirty minutes at Bordersin an easy chair with a book of Monet paintings,take a nap, call a friend, spend fifteen minutesdoing nothing except standing barefoot in thegrass with your eyes closed and your face tiltedback to receive the sun, listen to a cd of yourfavorite music on the way home from work - rollthe windows down and crank the music up and letthe wind blow through your hair. Sing along atthe top of your voice - who cares what the otherdrivers think? This is your life! Do what makesyou happy! Give yourself a little time and thesame attention you give to so many thingsthroughout your day that are much less important.

Earlier this year, I changed my shift at work andin doing so became friends with two women Ididn’t know. They invited me to a get-together atone of their homes on a Sunday night. I went, andmet a few more of their friends. A few weekslater, they invited me to another get-togetherand that night I met a few more people - friendsof friends. Now, there’s are a group of us thatget together regularly - we each bring somethingto eat and we usually congregate at one home on aSaturday or Sunday evening - no one plans thefood, we each bring whatever. Most of the time,the food makes a complete meal and we sit, eatand talk and have the most amazing conversationsthat have gone on from five in the evening toafter one in the morning. It is a wonderful timeof fellowship that I miss terribly when I can’tgo. Fear of the unknown - I didn’t really knowthese women - almost made me say no when I wasfirst invited. Oh, what I would have missed had Isaid no! Don’t be fearful - try something new!Get together with your friends - it’s what lifeis all about!.There are online groups available you can turn tofor support. The Atkins website has a supportsection, there are many low-carb websites outthere that have their own chat rooms or bulletinboards and, of course, there are many low-carbsupport groups located on Yahoo. I’ve been amember of many of these - you’ll find themajority of group members will support you butthere’s always one antagonist, it seems. Treatthem as a stumbling block, step over the blockand move on.

Support yourself by keeping a journal. Start outby keeping track of the food you eat and tune into your eating habits. Use this private time withyourself to identify your strengths andweaknesses when it comes to food, and exploreyour emotions and how they are tied into food.Become aware of issues in your life that you maybe ignoring and may force you off track - usethis private time to stay motivated. Get to knowyourself on a deeply personal level.

Stay on course and you will succeed. You know therules - make this a lifestyle change instead of ashort-term diet and you will live long andprosper. Be good to yourself - and be happy. Goodluck on your journey.

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Germans have their own version of the Atkins Dietnow that a Berlin chef is serving up a special low-carb “diet plate”consisting of pork knuckles, sauerkraut and a half-liter of beer. GeroWiniarski says he’s figured out a way to roast the pig parts so there ishardly any fat left in the dish and claims one of his pals lost almost 25pounds eating the Bavarian specialty.

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Food and chemical sensitivities are estimated toaffect up to 50 percent of Americans. At timesmore subtle and difficult to spot than trueallergies, sensitivities cause a wide range ofvery individualized symptoms, from a foggy headto unexplained diarrhea, that can significantlydecrease your quality of life.

Allergies and Sensitivities: Whats theDifference?

Although the terms allergy and sensitivity areoften used interchangeably, some sensitivitiesare not true allergies. This does not mean thatthey do not interfere with your life or shouldntbe addressed, however. Allergies occur when theimmune system overreacts to environmentaltriggers, causing tissue inflammation, organdysfunction and an array of other symptoms.Sensitivities may include true allergies,reactions that do not affect the immune system,and reactions for which the cause has yet to bedetermined.

Both allergies and sensitivities can invoke animmune system response, but allergies typicallytrigger immediate antibody reactions in thebloodstream whereas sensitivities trigger slowerresponses within cells. Another way to look at iswhile allergic reactions may be obvious and easyto track, such as sneezing or wheezing when youwalk through a freshly mown lawn, sensitivitiesto foods and chemicals may be more subtle andpersistent.

What Causes Food and Chemical Sensitivities?

Your body is a complex system that can easily bethrown out of balance by environmental influenceslike foods and chemicals. We are all under aconstant barrage of potentially harmful chemicalsand foods, and your bodys ability to compensateand recover from this onslaught will determinewhether you experience sensitivity symptoms.

For instance, most all of us are exposed toexhaust fumes, pesticides, paint or carpet vaporsand other environmental chemicals, and many of useat foods like sugar and grains despite beingsensitive to them. As I said above, the symptomsmay be subtle and you may not make the connectionthat your foggy head and fatigue is related tothe bread you eat or the fumes you inhale whilesitting in traffic unless you are aware thatthese substances might be playing a role.

What to do About It

Once you understand and suspect that chemicalsand foods youre exposed to everyday may bedecreasing your quality of life, its time to dosomething about it. Here is a list of just someof the symptoms that may be related to a food orchemical sensitivity:

DizzinessPoor memoryFoggy thinkingLearning disordersSeizuresParanoiaArthritisEczemaAsthmaHeadacheSneezingRunny or stuffy nosePuffy, watery or itchy eyesBlurred visionEaracheHearing lossSore throatIitching in the roof of the mouthCandidasisCanker soresSinusitis CoughingChest painHeart irregularitiesSudden changes in blood pressureNausea, vomitingDiarrheaConstipationAbdominal pains or crampsRashesInsomniaChronic fatigueSwelling of the hands or feetUrinary frequency or urgencyVaginal itchingExcessive hunger or binge eatingDepressionHyperactivity (ADD/ADHD)Emotional instability or hypersensitivityPanic attacksSeizuresAggressive behavior

This is only a partial list of possible symptoms.In the case of chemical sensitivities, symptomsare protean, meaning almost any symptom ispossible, and food sensitivities can also cause awide array of symptoms. This begs the question,how do you determine if a symptom is due to afood or chemical sensitivity or some otherfactor?

Finding a Food Sensitivity

The best way to find a food sensitivity is tokeep a food diary. In the diary, list your actualdietary habits including time of ingestion, timeany symptom is observed, cravings and improvementin symptoms. Make the recordings throughout theday, rather than waiting until the end of the daywhen it is easier to leave things out, and besure to record everything you consume–evenvitamins, beverages, chewing gum, etc.

After two weeks you can look for any recurringpattern among frequently eaten foods andsymptoms. This can be difficult if you eat a lotof processed foods, as these often containhidden ingredients like corn, milk, soy, wheat,yeast and artificial additivies that are oftenproblematic. The most suspect foods will be thoseeaten daily or more than once a week, and,ironically, foods that you crave or eat duringthe night.

Then, stop the suspect foods one at a time for aminimum of five days. When you reintroduce thefood or drink (on an empty stomach), you will beable to feel within an hour if it is problematic.

Finding a Chemical Sensitivity

The process is similar to a food sensitivity inthat you need to keep track of your potentialchemical exposures and subsequent symptoms.Chemicals can stay in the body for a lifetime, sopast exposures could be responsible for yourcurrent symptoms. This is why with chemicalexposures its important to include past exposureas well.

The list of potential environmental chemicalcontacts at work, home, school and outdoors isseemingly endless. They can be related to toxicwaste sites, basements, ventilation systems,industrial emissions, mold, bacteria, golfing(pesticides), painting, plastics, dentures,hearing aids–even jewelry. You can read Dr.Rapps excellent book, Our Toxic World: A Wake UpCall, for a comprehensive description ofenvironmental chemicals and how to minimize yourexposure.

Tips to Resolve Your Symptoms

After you determine the main food or chemicaltriggers, you will want to avoid them as much aspossible. Your symptoms will likely disappear orimprove once you reduce your exposure to theproblematic food or chemical. If you dont takemeasures to address food and chemicalsensitivities, you can end up with permanent,long-term damage. Sensitivities result inconstant and unnecessary stress on the immunesystem that will weaken it over time, possiblyleading to chronic or degenerative disease.

In terms of food sensitivities, a comprehensivenutritional approach is extremely important, asmost people’s sensitiviites dramatically improvewhen they follow the nutrition plan. Thisincludes avoiding sugar, fruit juices, mostgrains and pasteurized dairy products, which isnearly always helpful. Replacing commercial milkwith raw milk from grass-fed cows is also usuallywell tolerated and highly health promoting.

Making certain that enough long-chain omega-3fats (DHA and EPA) from fish oils are included inyour diet is also helpful. I find Carlson fishoil and cod liver oil to be one of the mostsuperior brands available as it conforms to thestrictest guidelines for purity and freshness. Itis available in most health food stores, andCarlson fish oil and cod liver oil are alsoavailable in our online store.

A high-quality probiotic may also help incontrolling food sensitivities because it willimprove digestion and the environment in yourintestinal tract. We now offer Primal Defense,the purest and most effective HSO probiotic, togive readers easy access (along with a discountedprice!) to this beneficial line of probiotics.

Chemical sensitivities can be somewhat harder toaddress given the prevalence of chemicals in ourenvironment, and the lack of control we sometimeshave over our exposure. Its possible to beexposed to chemicals without even knowing, andvery small amounts can cause harm. Some of themost prevalent chemicals like pesticides,phthalates in plastics and PCBs can be avoidedby:

Eating organic foodAvoiding plastic food containers and waterbottlesAvoiding most fishHaving an environmentally safe home and workenvironmentChemical sensitivity is a very real affliction,and those who suffer from it are not making theirsymptoms up, however, the causes of chemicalsensitivity can extend beyond just thephysical–there are often emotional traumas,sometimes not readily apparent to the sufferer,that have set the stage for the major disruptionsin the detoxification and immune systems. Inthese cases, emotional treatments like thepsychological acupressure method known as theEmotional Freedom Technique (EFT) can beextremely helpful.

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5 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast1 1/2 cups diced celery1/4 cup diced onion2 cups shredded swiss cheese1 cup mayonnaise1/3 cup water2 tablespoons creamsalt and pepper to taste1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Combine chicken, celery, onion and swiss cheese in a large bowl. Toss to mix. Insmall bowl, combine mayonnaise, water, cream, salt and pepper- stir until wellblended. Pour mayonnaise mixture onto chicken mixture and toss to coat. Spoonmixture into a 2 quart baking dish, buttered or coated with vegetable spray.Sprinkle toasted almonds over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40minutes.

Yield: 5-6 large servings

Nutritional information for the whole dish:Calories: 3420Fat: 264 gCarbohydrates: 24 gFibre: 4 gProtein: 232 g

Note: The original recipe included 1 1/2 cups of croutons, which go into thechicken mixture. I actually made it this way for my family and just picked outthe croutons for myself. They hold together so it was easy to eliminate themfrom my dish, and I counted the nutritionals as above.

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ingredients:butter1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened1/2 to 3/4 cup splenda sweetener2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 1/2 cups pure canned pumkin (NOT the pie filling)1/2 cup sour cream4 eggs1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon1 teaspoon ginger1/2 teaspoon nutmeg1/4 teaspoon ground cloves1/4 teaspoon salt

1. preheat oven to 3002. butter the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2″ springform cheesecake pan.sprinkle the bottom of the pan with chopped nuts, distributing evenly.3. in a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese,splenda and vanilla until fluffy, stopping occassionally to scrape sides of bowland beaters.4. add pumpkin and sour cream, mixing thoroughly on medium speed. add theeggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly between each one. mix in the cinnamon,ginger nutmeg, cloves and salt.5. pour batter over the nuts in the pan. bake for 60-70 minutes, or until aknife inserted in the center comes out clean. cool for 20 minutes beforeremoving from the pan, and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

yield: 12 servings, each with 7 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, for a net gram of6. 6 grams protein.

i also mixed up some heavy whipping cream with a packet of splenda for awhipped topping.

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I probably shouldn’t admit this to you youngerreaders, but when my generation was your age, wedidsome pretty stupid things. I’m talking abouttakingcrazy risks. We drank water right from the tap.Weused aspirin bottles that you could actually openwithyour bare hands. We bought appliances that werenotfestooned with helpful safety warnings such as”Do notbathe with this toaster.”

But for sheer insanity, the wildest thing we didwas– prepare to be shocked — we deliberatelyingestedcarbohydrates.

I know, I know. It was wrong. But we were youngandfoolish, and there was a lot of peer pressure.You’dbe at a party, and there would be a lava lampbloopingaway, and a Jimi Hendrix record playing (a”record”was a primitive compact disc that operated bystaticelectricity). And then, when the mood was right,somebody would say: “You wanna do some ‘drates?”Andthe next thing you know, there’d be a bowl ofpretzelsgoing around, or crackers, or even potato chips,andwe’d put these things into our mouths and just… eatthem.

I’m not proud of this. My only excuse was that wewereignorant. It’s not like now, when everybody knowshowbad carbohydrates are, and virtually everyproduct isadvertised as being “low-carb,” including beer,denture adhesives, floor wax, tires, lifeinsuranceand Viagra. Back then, we had no idea. Nobodydid! Ourown mothers gave us bread!

Today, of course, nobody eats bread. People areterrified of all carbohydrates, as evidenced bytherecent mass robbery at a midtown Manhattanrestaurant,where 87 patrons turned their wallets over to amanarmed only with a strand of No. 8 spaghetti. (”Dowhathe says! He has pasta!”) The city of BeverlyHills hasbeen evacuated twice this month because ofreports –false, thank heavens — that terrorists had put abagel in the water supply.

But as I say, in the old days we didn’t recognizethedanger of carbohydrates. We believed that thereasonyou got fat was from eating “calories,” which aretinyunits of measurement that cause food to tastegood.When we wanted to lose weight, we went onlow-caloriediets in which we ate only inedible foods such ascelery, which is actually a building material,andgrapefruit, which is nutritious but offers thesamelevel of culinary satisfaction as chewing on anOdorEater.

The problem with the low-calorie diet was that anormal human could stick to it for, at most, fourhours, at which point he or she would have nobiological choice but to sneak out to the garageandsnork down an entire bag of Snickers, sometimeswithout removing the wrappers. So nobody lostweight,and everybody felt guilty all the time. Manypeople,in desperation, turned to disco.

But then along came the bold food pioneer whoinventedthe Atkins Diet: Dr. Something Atkins. Afterdecadesof research on nutrition and weight gain –includingthe now-famous Hostess Ding Dong Diet Experiment,which resulted in a laboratory rat the size of aPlymouth Voyager — Dr. Atkins discovered anamazingthing: Calories don’t matter! It’s carbohydrates,which result when a carbo molecule and a hydratemolecule collide at high speeds and form tinyinvisible doughnuts, that matter.

Dr. Atkins’ discovery meant that — incrediblethoughit seemed — as long as you avoidedcarbohydrates, youcould, without guilt, eat high-fat, high-caloriefoodssuch as cheese, bacon, lard, pork rinds andwhale. Youcould eat an entire pig, as long as the pig hadnotrecently been exposed to bread.

At first, like other groundbreaking pioneers suchasGalileo and Eminem, Dr. Atkins met withskepticism,even hostility. The low-calorie foods industrywentafter him big-time. The Celery GrowersAssociationhired a detective to — yes — stalk him. His cartires were repeatedly slashed by what policedetermined to be shards of Melba toast.

But Dr. Atkins persisted, because he had a dream– adream that someday he would help the human racebyselling it 427 million diet books. But the AtkinsDietlives on, helping millions of Americans to loseweight. The irony is, you can’t tell this bylookingat actual Americans, who have, as a group, becomesoheavy that North America will soon be underwaterasfar inland as Denver. Which can only mean onething:You people are still sneaking Snickers. Youshould beashamed of yourselves! Got any more?

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1 pound of your favorite sausage10 eggs1 1/2 cups of cheese (I usually use 2 types - one softer cheese(like monteray jack or swiss and one harder one like cheddar)1/2 onion

Brown the sausage in a large skillet, breaking it up as it browns.Add the onion (diced) about halfway through the cooking process forthe sausage. Shred the cheese and add it to the eggs, which youbeat up. Once the sausage and onions are cooked all the waythrough, spread them over the bottom of the pan. Pour the egg andcheese mixture on top and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes(its ok of the top is a little jiggly - it will set up). Let cool,slice up, and put in a tupperware.

LC tip:

I always make extra portions at dinner time so that we have lunch 2days later. So, for example, last night I made a few extra filetmignons. I won’t eat them today, but tomorrow I’ll slice them upover a salad and have that for lunch. Tonight I’ll make an extraprotein to have for lunch on Friday, etc.

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