Regular yoga practice is associated with mindful eating, and people who eat mindfully are less likely to be obese, according to a recent study led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

First of all, what is "mindful eating"?

The Center For Mindful Eating says that mindful eating has several components, including:

*learning to make choices in beginning or ending a meal based on awareness of hunger and satiety cues;

*learning to identify personal triggers for mindless eating, such as emotions, social pressures, or certain foods;

*valuing quality over quantity of what you’re eating;

*appreciating the sensual, as well as the nourishing, capacity of food;

*feeling deep gratitude that may come from appreciating and experiencing food

The study, which was a follow-up on an earlier study that revealed middle-age gained less weight when practicing yoga over a 10-year period than those who did not, confirms that the increased awareness that yoga practitioners often experience may play a bigger role in weight management than the yoga asanas themselves.

"The researchers found that people who ate mindfully - those were aware of why they ate and stopped eating when full - weighed less than those who ate mindlessly, who ate when not hungry or in response to anxiety or depression," states a press release from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center released August 3. "The researchers also found a strong association between yoga practice and mindful eating but found no association between other types of physical activity, such as walking or running, and mindful eating." Click here to read the whole report.

Yoga helps people be more aware of their actions, which helps them better gauge how much food they need and control weight. That sounds about right to me. Anyone else?

More and more diseases--Alzheimer's, cancer, heart disease--are being linked to what's called "oxidant stress" in the body, which is the tissue damage wreaked by free radicals in our diet and environment.

To prevent these diseases we rely on the superheroes and heroines of the body, the antioxidants found predominantly in whole plant foods like fruits. Most studies measuring the antioxidant power in fruits, though, has only studied the pulp of the fruit.

In the most comprehensive study of it's kind ever published, Nutrition Research released a recent study out of China that measured the antioxidant power of the pulp, peel and seed fractions of 28 different fruits.

DO YOU FEEL THE PEEL?

Researchers found that with a few exceptions, the peel and seeds of fruit has more antioxidants than the pulp. So for example, the peel of kiwi fruits, has about three times the antioxidants than the inside of the fruit and the peel of fruits like pomegranates have almost 30 times the antioxidant punch. Grape seeds have a hundred times more antioxidant power than the pulp! So grapes with seeds are healthier than seedless, but only of course if one actually chews the seeds up.

If you do choose to not to peel nutrition off your fruit, it's particularly important to wash them under running water and to buy organic

Nutrition Research 23(2003):1719.

When I used to work at the juice bar in Hollywood, girls (for the most part) would come into the store asking about being vegetarian or vegan. I remember one story in particular confessed by a naive customer . She had recently "gone vegan" and she began replacing almost all her dairy and meat items with soy products. She was gaining weight, was moody and lathergic. Why? Wasn't she supposed to go vegan, drop meat, and all the sudden drop the weight along with it?

There are a few common misconceptions about soy that I hope to clear up.

How much soy is too much? Is it dangerous for babies or kids to consume? Are there benefits to consuming soy?

Firstly, a "safe" amount of soy to consume is debatable. Each person is unique in the way we digest foods and what we are sensitive to.

Foods that contain whole soy can be a good source of protein for vegetarians and vegans because they provide all the amino acids — a type of nutrient — that people need to stay healthy. (People who eat meat get all their essential amino acids from animal products.) Soy is sometimes added to foods like breads, cereals, and meat products, and used as a meat substitute in vegetarian products such as soy burgers and soy hot dogs.

Here are some common soy products/foods:

Edamame: soy beans that have been boiled in water.

Soy Milk: a beverage made from soybeans, mixed with water. can be a good alternative to dairy. (not for children and definitely not as a formula or breast milk replacement)

Tofu: the white, soft processed soy milk coagulated with a chemical- (such as calcium sulfate) similar process to cheese. Should probably avoid this, almost all is genetically modified.

Tempeh: the natural fermented version of soy. Considered the healthiest of all soy varieties.

Miso: traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting rice, barley and/or soybeans, with salt and the fungus kōjikin. Also safe and considered to have health benefits.

Soy Sauce: the soy contained in this salty mix is actually comparatively low.

Soy Lecithin: a great emulsifier (promotes solidity) for many different products. Research is showing many positive health benefits including lowering cholesterol, improving brain functioning and memory and aiding in the breaking down of fats to be used as energy. Check before using to make sure you are not allergic, allergies can cause many complications and side effects.

Soy protein: unless you know differently, most soy protein is produced in a large commercial factory and is typically in an aluminum container which isn't safe. MSG is often added as well.

Health Information

The FDA has authorized use of health claims about the role of soy protein in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) on labeling of foods containing soy protein. This final rule is based on the FDA's conclusion that foods containing soy protein included in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of CHD by lowering blood cholesterol levels. Recent clinical trials have shown that consumption of soy protein compared to other proteins such as those from milk or meat, can lower total and LDL-cholesterol levels.

The real health benefits of soy might lie in its nutritional content and the fact that people often use soy foods as a replacement for less-healthy foods. Soy foods are a great source of protein and contain other important nutrients, such as fiber, B vitamins, and omega-3 fatty acids. Foods containing soy protein are also a healthy alternative to meats and other animal products that contain cholesterol and saturated fat.

But soy's greatest advantage may lie in it being a rich source of isoflavones - plant hormones that have been linked to several health benefits. For example, researchers believe a soy-based diet could account for Asia's low rate of heart disease. The leading cause of death in the United States, one of the risk factors for coronary heart disease is high levels of LDL or "bad" cholesterol. In recent clinical trials, men and women with high LDL levels were able to reduce them by consuming soy over an extended period. In October, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) announced that certain foods containing soy will be able to claim that they may help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. (To qualify, the food must contain at least 6.25 grams of soy per serving, one-quarter of the daily recommended serving of 25 grams). And that's not all. It is possible that isoflavones may help prevent bone loss, therefore lowering the risk of osteoporosis.

Isoflavones have been credited with reducing the rates of certain types of cancer. For example, there is some evidence that eating soy may reduce your risk of developing breast cancer. And isoflavones were the primary ingredients in a "smart bomb" - a drug that University of Minnesota scientists believe holds the potential to cure childhood leukemia. Finally, a study by the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii indicates that consumption of soy products may help reduce the risk of uterine cancer.

Soy milk, soy burgers, and soy snacks are available in many supermarkets and specialty stores. When selecting soy foods, be sure to check food labels to be sure that the food is a good source of soy protein and is low in saturated fat, cholesterol, and added sugar.

If you're interested in eating more soy, introduce it into your diet gradually. And remember that the key to good health is to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods without focusing too much on any one food.

Possible Negative Side Effects?

More to the point, the real problem is not whether soy is inherently bad (after all, people have been consuming plants with hormones for centuries) but that no one is sure how much soy it is safe to consume. While Asians have been consuming soy for centuries, there have been conflicting claims about how much soy they consume. Nonetheless, since soy is turning up in everything from cereal to ice cream, we may be consuming far higher amounts than is normally found in the Asian diet, without any real idea of the consequences. A related issue is that modern preparation methods for soy products may increase the health risks. For example, some companies use chemical hydrolization instead of traditional fermentation methods to make soy sauce. It's something to think about.

Time to get science-y: Apart from the question as to whether soy even has demonstrable health benefits, there are long-standing concerns that soy may have negative effects on thyroid function and hormonal health. Soy falls into a category of foods known as goitrogens -- vegetables, grains and foods that promote formation of goiter -- an enlarged thyroid. Some goitrogens also have a definite antithyroid effect, and appear to be able to slow thyroid function, and in some cases, trigger thyroid disease. A huge danger is soy infant formula, this should never be given to your child in such a vulnerable age. Infants that consume soy have up to 20,000 times the amount of estrogen circulating in their blood stream.

Most importantly, soy is rated as the second most allergenic food to humans, with the first being peanuts. So before you go soy crazy, check it out with your doc to be sure you aren't allergic.

Soy-lovely Research

In January 2006 an American Heart Association review (in the journal "Circulation") of a decade-long study of soy protein benefits casts doubt on the FDA allowed "Heart Healthy" claim for soy protein. The panel also found that soy isoflavones do not reduce post menopause "hot flashes" in women, nor do isoflavones help prevent cancers of the breast, uterus, or prostate. Thus, soy isoflavones in the form of supplements is not recommended. Among the conclusions, the authors state, "In contrast, soy products such as tofu, soy butter, soy nuts, or some soy burgers should be beneficial to cardiovascular and overall health because of their high content of polyunsaturated fats, fibre, vitamins, and minerals and low content of saturated fat. Using these and other soy foods to replace foods high in animal protein that contain saturated fat and cholesterol may confer benefits to cardiovascular health." -- Sacks et al. 113 (7): 1034

The common amounts of phytoestrogens in soy beans are not to be compared to concentrated estrogen. One study followed over 3000 Japanese men between 1965 and 1999, and that showed a positive correlation between brain atrophy and consumption of tofu.

A study on elderly Indonesian men and women found that tempeh consumption was independently related to better memory.

Lastly, soy contains trypsin inhibitors, which means the proteins in soy are not as absorbent by the body. They block the enzyme trypsin, which is secreted by the pancreas and breaks down protein in the small intestine. Basically what this means is that your body will not be able to properly break down proteins unless you take extra enzymes separately.

Long story short: it's still too sketchy to claim soy is the soy-tastic and start replacing everything with soy. My advice? Eat as many different foods and meat/dairy alternatives as possible. Don't just stick to one kind. It's fine to have a soy yogurt for breakfast with fresh fruit, but then skip the soy burger for lunch and go for a big green salad. There are plenty of milk alternatives, and I rarely use soy unless that's the only thing available. Almond milk is super easy to make and is almost as common as soy milk now. There is also rice milk, coconut milk, hazelnut milk and hemp milk. Try different options and always switch it up! Don't ever use soy milk as a baby formula and avoid giving it to small kids, especially boys, when they are still growing. Finally, don't be soy-crazy! Soy isn't the devil and won't kill you. Just eat it with moderation in mind and keep yourself educated with the latest research.

The Times of London just published a headline that stated: "Give Up Meat to Save The Planet."

Even former Vice President, Al Gore, who has made climate change his primary issue, has been criticized by animal rights activists for eating meat.  Are meat eaters contributing to global warming anymore than a vegan that eats a bag of chips? Absolutely not. If anything, this post will show tips for eating meat if it's grass fed, grown locally, sustainably and organically; while addressing the issues concerning global warming and processed foods.

Meat isn't necessarily to blame for climate change.

None of us, whether we are vegan or omnivore, can entirely avoid foods that play a role in global warming. Singling out meat is misleading and unhelpful, especially since few people are likely to entirely remove animal-based foods from their diet.

It's true that giving up meat for a year is one of the greenest lifestyle changes you can make as an individual (an average of 176 pounds of meat!). You could drive a more fuel-efficient car, install compact fluorescent lightbulbs, take more canvas bags to the store, but unless you intend to personally hunt wild buffalo, there's really no green way to get meat — although organic, grass-fed, locally farmed meat is better than anything factory-raised.

Written by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the report is the latest research linking meat-eating with environmental destruction. According to the FAO, the arm of the UN that works on worldwide hunger-defeating initiatives, animal farming presents a "major threat to the environment" with such "deep and wide-ranging" impacts that it should rank as a leading focus for environmental policy.

The FAO estimates that about 20% of the planet's pastureland has been degraded by grazing animals, and increased demand for meat means increased demand for animal feed — much of the world's grain production is fed to animals rather than to humans. (The global increase in grain prices over the past year is in large part due to the impact on grain supplies of the growing demand for meat.)

The mass production of meat has been facilitated by industrial feedlots, which flow in antibiotics and other toxic chemicals. The UN report calls the livestock sector a "major player" in affecting climate change through greenhouse-gas production. The FAO found that the ranching and slaughter of cows and other animals generates an estimated 18 percent of total human-induced greenhouse-gas emissions globally. Greenhouse gases – such as methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide – are linked to global warming.

And of course, the human health impact of too much meat can be seen in everything from expanding waistlines in America to rising rates of heart disease in developing nations, where heart attacks were once rare.

Farmers are responsible for only a portion of the greenhouse gas emissions in the food system. According to the University of Wisconsin and the Soil Association in Britain estimates that only half of foods total greenhouse impact has any connection to farms. The rest come from processing, transportation, storage retailing and food prep. The seemingly innocent potato chip, for example, turns out to be an awful climate-hating food. Foods that are minimally processed, in season and locally grown, are generally the most climate-loving.

For those individuals who enjoy eating meat, I strongly urge you to skip a few days. We need to get away from this mass-produced, over-consumption-mentality, but in reality, having a steak or burger once in awhile won't kill our environment. Certainly be sure that that meal is worth it: take a few extra minutes to do your research. Most restaurants are more than happy to let you know where the meat is from and if it's organic or not. It actually matters to them too, especially when it comes to taste!

Farmers Markets are everywhere now... look them up online and go shopping there- with a canvas bag or two- before going to your local grocery store.

As if the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) weren't bad enough, the awful diet is now causing deep-rooted psychological and physical issues.

Check out this great post about how to stop food addiction, specifically dealing with processed and refined sugars.

If you want to deal with your food and/or sugar addictions, a great way to start is by doing a food or juice cleanse as a "restart" button.

Answer these questions to see if you could use a cleanse or could suffer from an addiction to food:

• Do you eat when you are not hungry or when you feel low or depressed?
• Do you eat in secret or eat differently in front of others than when you’re alone?
• Do you consume inordinate amounts of food and then purge later with vomiting or laxatives to get rid of the excess?
• Are there foods that are unnecessary or harmful to you, but you eat them anyway?
• Do you feel guilty after eating?

If you answered yes to any of these or have any questions at all, please email me at Sophie@thephilosophie.com for help with healing and suggestions or contact Mr. Addiction himself through his website: allaboutaddiction.com

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YOUR BODY SPEAKS YOUR MIND

The connection between mind and body is, without a doubt, the most exciting area of modern research into the causes of illness and disease and the maintenance of good health. It is now a proven fact that when you are depressed, your immune system is too. More and more areas of science and medicine are being forced to give serious consideration to the mind-body relationship and its implication in your overall mental and physical health.

The relationship between mind-body and the interaction between psychology (the mind with all its thoughts and emotions) and the central nervous, immune and endocrine or hormone systems. Studies all over the world seem to bear out what most complementary therapists and holistic practitioners have always maintained-the whole person ins much greater than the sum of all their parts. When looking at creating enduring optimum health, the interconnection of all the mind-body systems holds the vital key to continued wellbeing.

It is a medical fact that stress has a big effect on our general and specific health and on our sense of wellbeing. If the mental and emotional pressures that build up inside cannot be expressed and resolved, they are likely to find a way out through the body, usually through the weakest point-whether its the nerves, the digestive system, the immune system, or our sleeping patterns.

The research and work of Dr. Dean Ornish, founder of the Preventative Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, CA, certainly support these findings. In a study of heart disease, Dr. Ornish proved for the first time that the clogging of the arteries-which can lead to heart attack and stroke-can be reversed without the use of drugs or surgery, and that love was the key factor in this reversal. He concluded that a sad and broken heart was as damaging and dangerous to health as bad dietary habits or lack of exercise.

Dr. Ornish believes that one of the main causes of heart problems is the profound isolation that growing numbers of people are experiencing in modern society. We are not, by nature, solitary creatures. Our roots take us back to extended families, the community, and the “tribe”. However, our lifestyles have changed dramatically in a relatively short span of time, and the end result is increasing numbers of people living alone, or living far away from either their family or a social network that can offer support and comfort when it is needed. A weakened, inadequate immune system is often the result of an inadequate social support system. One indicator of the immune response is the natural killer cell activity, levels of which are more likely to be lower in people who are lonely. As Dr. Ornish says, “Looking out for No.1 isn’t enlightened self-interest. It’s just lonely, and loneliness kills.” Recent research has shown that people who are usually lonely and isolated suffer more poor health and are much more susceptible to all kinds of illness and disease. 

The point is this: there is absolutely a strong link between ones psychological stress and physical problems. Dr. Larry Dossey in Healing Breakthroughs, which states that more heart attacks occur on a Monday than any other day of the week, not only on a Monday, but most often at 9 o'clock in the morning. If we believe that there is no connection between the mind and the body, then what causes so many heart attacks to take place just as the first work of the week is about to begin? "There are certainly physiological reasons why death might be more likely in the morning than in the afternoon, such as higher heart rates or blood pressure. There is, however, no reason why more deaths should take place on a Monday rather than any other day." 

Every day stress is what affects us most deeply, by slowly taxing our inner reserves. The fight-or-flight response enables us to respond to danger, but it is not just major life threatening situations that stimulate this response. Fearful or anxious thoughts do it too-the car not starting, being late for an appointment, unpaid bills, arguments with loved ones-all these can create a stress response. 

In conclusion: the body has to work harder when we are depressed, anxious or stressed. In order to have a healthy body, we must have a healthy mind. If we take time to focus on ourselves psychologically, emotionally and spiritually, we can directly affect our body in positive, healthy ways.

1. Ornish D, Scherwitz L, Billings J, et al. Intensive lifestyle changes for reversal of coronary heart disease Five-year follow-up of the Lifestyle Heart Trial. Journal of the American Medical Association. 1998; 280: 2001-2007
   
2. Shapiro, Debbie. Your Body Speaks Your Mind, 2006
   
3. Dossey, Larry Dr. Healing Breakthroughs, 1996
   
4. Mind/Body Connection: Granny Was Right After All. Rochester Review 1997, University of Rochester