Health Blog

This week in the Spent program, the author suggests a Cherry Peach Avocado Smoothie.  If you liked the Banana Berry Smoothie suggested in Week 1, you may like this one too, especially with the addition of agave nectar and avocado.

Smoothies are a great way to incorporate a variety of nutrition into one drink. It is important to watch how much fruit or juice you use since this can add a lot of calories. In this smoothie, sweetness was added carefully using agave nectar. Agave nectar is very sweet so very little is used to keep the calories down to only 180 calories per smoothie per the ingredients in the recipe (see page 271 for a list of ingredients). The avocado and fruit choices give this smoothie a high amount of fiber – 6 grams.

There is some fat in this smoothie from the avocado, but keep in mind these are healthy, unsaturated fats and they help the body absorb other fat soluble vitamins like vitamin E and K. The avocado is a great source of vitamin E as well as potassium. Next time you make a smoothie consider using part of an avocado.

Rebecca

We’re in the home stretch of the 6-week Spent program and hopefully we’ve been able to incorporate a lot of the changes suggested by Dr. Lipman into our lifestyle.  I know that the restorative exercises have been particularly useful to me, to relax at the end of the day or take a breath during work.

While Week 6 is called Sustain, most of the Daily Beats contain new information. For example, Daily Beat 36 recommends removing chemicals from our medicine cabinet.  If you take a look at the list of ingredients to avoid, it’s quite daunting.  However, Dr. Lipman does a nice job of telling us what to avoid and where to look for alternatives.

Daily Beats 38 and 39 remind us to relax more, including slowing down and meditating. Some of the suggestions are very easy to incorporate into one’s day including listening to music in your car for a few minutes before going inside your house/work and sitting outside and concentrating on your breathing.  The Meditation with Nature advice provided on pages 216 and 217 is a nice way to ease into meditation, with the bonus of getting some time outside, some sun and a walk.

In Daily Beat 40, we learn about the differences between food allergy, sensitivity and intolerances.  Symptoms of sensitivity can run the gamut from unexplained fatigue to unexplained joint/muscle pain to irritability. The purpose of providing these symptoms is to show us that, if we’ve made major changes to our diet to eat in the Spent restorative way, as we begin to incorporate those foods we’ve eliminated back into our diets, we can and should watch for food sensitivities.

Finally, the 6-week program ends with Dr. Lipman’s explanation of Ubuntu and the role it should play in out lives.  The concept of Ubuntu is explained in Spent as “humaneness, kindness, understanding, compassion, tolerance, caring, sharing, sensitivity, and respect.”  Dr. Lipman has found through his experience that people who begin to live life this way and find meaning in their daily activities are happier, feel more fulfilled and are generally less Spent.

This Thursday, Dr. Tony will discuss Week 6 in much more depth.  The second installment of the author’s blog will be posted this Friday – if you missed the first one, I encourage you to read it here.

Now that you are 4 weeks into the program, I assume you are feeling better. By this time, most of my patients are not craving sugar and gluten as much and feeling more energized. If you started an Adaptogen formula, that too should have given you more oomph.

Your sleep should be better too. Introducing an “electronic sundown,” into your evening routine—that is, turning off your computer, the TV and all other electronic equipment at 10pm—hopefully is in place.  Darkening the room, too, helps facilitate sleep, so scan your bedroom for any glowing lights.  For example, the alarm clock, the charging indicator on your cell phone or the DVD clock and timer are all sources of blinking lights. Turn these off or cover them. Each little bit of light can stop your melatonin levels from rising, which you need to induce the deep restorative sleep your body requires. If you can’t darken your room, wear an eye mask. This period of darkness is essential to reset your natural rhythm.

This week we are going to take some of the concepts and tips you have learnt so far and adjust them. You will learn my favorite Restorative Yoga pose, Supta Baddha Konasana. I believe Restorative Yoga is the perfect solution to the over-stressed state we all are in. As you are supported in the poses, one gets the profound effects of yoga without having to exert any energy. These poses in general, and this one in particular, are particularly good to chill you out at night before bed.

And last week you learned another tennis ball release, this time of the hips, a common area where many of us are tight. Releasing tight muscles and tension will free up blocked energy and not only decrease pain, but energize you too. I combine with an easy stretch you can do while sitting at your desk. I call the two together “Fight Chair Body” because so many of us sit too long and develop tight muscles in our hips because of this. These two exercises done together are a great antidote to this common problem.

In addition, last week I talked about eating seasonally. Now that it is summer, it is much easier to eat locally and with the seasons. The best organic food is what's grown closest to you.

Here are 2 great Web sites to explore to help you eat in this way.

Local Harvest (www.localharvest.com) offers a definitive and reliable nationwide directory of farmers markets, family farms and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats and many other goodies.

Food Routes (www.foodroutes.org) is a national nonprofit dedicated to “reintroducing Americans to their food—the seeds it grows from, the farmers who produce it, and the routes that carry it from the fields to our tables.”

And finally my blogging Web site (www.franklipman.com), where there is information on why eating locally is important, including a review of the new movie “Food, Inc,” which I highly recommend.

So keep up the good work! I know it is hard and sometimes feels overwhelming, but the results are worth it. Feeling more energized and vital again is something that is worth putting in this effort for.

One love

Frank

 

In Week 5: Balance, we are asked to add another dietary supplement, omega-3 fish oil, because it helps to reduce inflammation and prevent chronic health conditions including heart disease. Omega-3 fish oil supports the most fundamental building blocks or our body, cell membrane function and integrity. A common theme woven into this chapter is to maintain balance by reducing our exposure to negative elements in the environment or aspects of our lifestyles that increase inflammation.

In Daily Beat 31 - Think Again - we see that wearing a smile and creating a positive perception in a given situation is very important in controlling our sense of wellbeing.  Dr. Lipman refers to the psychology of reframing our thoughts into a positive mode. Studies show that people who are negative and non-forgiving (I call it an inflammatory personality) have a higher risk of dying prematurely. Scientists have actually discovered the neurochemistry and centers of our brain responsible for promoting trust and forgiveness. The hormone oxytocin works in our brain to spur feelings of trust and plays an important role in bonding with others. The hormone allows us to trust others even after they have betrayed us by suppressing a region of the brain that controls fear. Interestingly, oxytocin is the same hormone that regulates the birthing process and must play a critical role in maternal-infant bonding.

Daily Beat 33 - Balance Your Hormones - talks about the important role that hormones play in facilitating normal body functions and maintaining our natural rhythms. Dr. Lipman tells us that years of hormonal imbalance creates a condition called “metabolic syndrome”. Twenty years ago we called it Syndrome-X.  It includes a cluster of abnormal conditions including obesity, insulin resistance, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It is estimated that 40% of the adult population may have the signs of metabolic syndrome. The central obesity seen in this condition also creates excess body inflammation. Ultimately, any form of inflammation decreases our longevity.

All of the factors that create greater balance, fish oil, hormone regulation, positive attitude, and good relationships, also help to control the inflammation levels in our body. Seek balance in your life and enjoy Spent - Week 5.

This week we are also fortunate to have a blog by Dr. Lipman, which will be posted on Friday, July 3.  We’ll learn from his experience and clinical practice using the Six Weeks of Healing course.

Dr. Tony Linares 

Summer is the time for salmon and the season kicks off early summer and runs through late fall. Salmon is low in calories and saturated fat, yet high in protein. Salmon is known for its omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids, which are necessary, but cannot be made by the body.

In addition to being an excellent source of omega-3s, salmon is an excellent source of selenium, a very good source of protein, niacin and vitamin B12, and a good source of phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin B6.

Salmon is a lean meat choice with only 4 grams of fat and 22 grams of protein in a 4 oz raw steak. If you compare salmon to other meats, like chicken, you will find it is close in calories. The leanest part of the chicken is the skinless chicken breast, which has 1.4 grams of fat and 26 grams of protein in a 4 oz raw portion. On the other hand, red meat can have as much as 23 grams of fat and 20 grams of protein. Keep in mind that a majority of the fat grams in red meat are from saturated fat (bad fats). Therefore, there really is no comparison between salmon and red meat.

When it comes to concerns about mercury, whenever possible, choose wild rather than farm raised salmon. Research published by the Environmental Working Group (July 30, 2003) indicates that farmed salmon poses a cancer risk because it may be carrying high levels of carcinogenic chemicals called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). When farmed salmon from grocery stores was tested, the farmed salmon, which contains up to twice the fat of wild salmon, was found to contain 16 times the PCBs found in wild salmon.

Rebecca

Dr. Lipman kicks off Week 5 by reminding us that, until now, we have focused on making changes to improve our diet, exercise and posture, and sleep. `Balance’ focuses on our core, including our spirit.

This week includes probably the fewest recommendations around food and supplements. In Daily Beat 29, we learn about the hazards of mercury in fish and learn an astonishing fact – when we eat fish we absorb more than 95% of the mercury in that fish. The book provides a thorough list of the fish we should and should not eat, and how frequently.  The “good” fish include anchovies, black cod, wild salmon (not farm raised) and canned sardines (see pages 172 and 173 for the full list). Nutritionist Rebecca Mohning will be doing a nutritional review of salmon in tomorrow’s blog.

Much of the focus in this week is on exercises for the mind and spirit. Daily Beat 31 provides an interesting perspective on how our perceptions can affect our level of Spent. Since we can’t change the external environment, the author supports us viewing things through different lenses – this is an exercise he refers to as “thinking again.” By doing this, we can feel more positive and happy, as well as less stressed.

Daily Beat 34 further supports the idea of changing our feelings, by using touch to feel happier and make others feel happier.  For example, he recommends we hug a friend, snuggle with our children or even pat people on the back. The final Daily Beat which supports the whole mental well-being part of Spent is 35 – Forgive. The reason forgiveness is mentioned is that, while we can do exercises (both physical and breathing) to relieve tension, we need to choose to get rid of resentment. Most importantly, we need to forgive ourselves for our mistakes.

Finally, I wanted to draw attention to Dr. Lipman’s favorite yoga pose, the Supta Baddha Konasana on pages 196 and 197.  It’s difficult to explain in a blog, so I recommend checking it out in his book or online.  But essentially, it is a lying down post that is an excellent way to relax and is supposed to be very good for stress and exhaustion.

On Thursday, Dr. Tony will talk even further about Balance. And next Tuesday, we’ll start the last week in the program, Week 6 (Sustain).

The theme of Week 4 – Release is to “check-in” with yourself and ask honest questions about your feelings now that you have completed half of the “Six Weeks of Healing” course. Dr. Lipman notes that your body may feel better, more energized, perhaps you feel slimmer if you lost weight or your blood-pressure and pulse may even be lower.

Whatever your body is feeling, it is important to note that your mind may still be very busy with day to day events, cluttered with thoughts and just a bit exhausted. This is to be expected because the mind is the “hardest part of the body to adjust” according to yoga experts. He recommends that we avoid over-exertion at this time and just take more time to enjoy random unstructured activities and even take a day off from the daily beats. Part of this relaxation process also includes laughing at ourselves, laughing with others and not taking ourselves too seriously because we are mere mortals.

Daily Beat 25 – Fight Chair Body was enlightening because it helps us understand the excessive trauma or stress we put on our muscles and bone structure – such as hip, back and neck joints – when we sit all day. It clearly creates tension, muscle aches and imbalance to our body. This chapter notes the importance of physical movement to counter-balance the muscle-joint fatigue that sets in. The former Chief Medical Officer for the Lumenos health plans, Dr. Mike Parkinson, would fully agree with these recommendations and I can recall him stating that any kind of activity or movement is just as important as structured exercise.

The NEAT study (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) at the Mayo Clinic showed that your daily movements and walking around was equal to or better exercise than working out at the gym for an hour. I have included the following excerpt from Dr. Levine’s web site http://mayoresearch.mayo.edu/levine_lab/ at the Mayo Clinic:

You can expend calories in one of two ways. One is to go to the gym and the other is through all the activities of daily living called NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis). It appears that NEAT is far more important for calorie-burning than exercise in nearly everyone.

 

Even lean individuals store at least two to three months of their energy needs in adipose tissue whereas obese persons can carry a year's worth of their energy needs. It is the cumulative impact of energy imbalance over months and years that results in the development of obesity or undernutrition. 

Daily Beat 27 – Eat Seasonally, is also very interesting to see how Dr. Lipman relates our natural eating patterns and the availability of seasonal foods to our genetic evolution as hunters and gatherers. He notes that our bodies had to adjust to seasonal foods because of long periods of famine. Researchers have actually proposed the “thrifty gene theory” to show how our bodies would store energy in fat tissue as a very efficient way to withstand long periods of famine. Our innate and natural rhythms seem to do better when we seek seasonal fruits and vegetables just like our evolutionary ancestors did.

As you read Chapter 4 – Release, make sure to take some time to laugh, get up off your chair and find some local seasonal fruits. Next week we’ll discuss Week 5 – Balance.

Dr. Tony Linares 

During the Spent program Week 3 (Release) we’re talking about eating seasonally. A wonderful food that works best only during the summer is gazpacho. It uses one of the most popular summer vegetables, the tomato.

Compared to many other soups, gazpacho is the most nutritional, because the main ingredient is the tomato. Tomatoes are the main source for lycopene, an antioxidant that is absorbed more readily in the presence of fat, which is provided by the olive oil in gazpacho. Tomatoes are also an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin K. They are a very good source of potassium, fiber, and vitamin B. In gazpacho, besides the lycopene, vitamin C and other antioxidants in the tomatoes, you also get a hearty dose of disease-fighting phytochemicals from the bell pepper, garlic and onions.

The best news about the soup is that it only has 46 calories per cup and very little fat. It also has 7 grams of protein per cup which makes it very satisfying. If you’re looking to eat seasonally, and healthfully, go out this summer and try some soup…or make it yourself.

Rebecca

This week marks the mid-point of the 6-week Spent program.  And Daily Beat 24 acknowledges that our minds might feel very tired at this point. In Dr. Lipman’s experience, he says that once his patients start feeling better through the program, they want to take on even more and more suggestions to feel less Spent. The message I took away from this Daily Beat is two-fold: it’s OK to make mistakes and if you need a day off of the program, take one.

Several of the Daily Beats touch on removing toxins (both food and environmental).  In Daily Beat 22, Dr. Lipman makes a strong case for limiting unfermented soy (the Asian cultures we often model our soy eating off of eat 2 teaspoons of soy a day; soy isn’t a total meat replacement).  The phytoestrogens in soy can have a hormonal impact, potentially disrupting endocrine and thyroid function.  Instead of eating soy in large quantities, he recommends we limit intake to tempeh, miso and wheat-free tamari or soy sauce, which have been fermented.

Similarly, in Daily Beat 26 he recommends limiting our exposure to chemicals – at the end of the section he gives us some hints to think about around our homes, many of which are easy to do right now.  For example, he believes everyone should use a water filter, avoid wearing shoes in the house and switch to natural household cleaners. In my own experience, I try never to wear shoes in the house, especially in the spring with all the pollen on the ground. This Daily Beat served as a reminder that even though there may not be visible pollutants, it’s best to leave the outside, outside.

On the flip side of removing toxins from our environment, two of the recommendations focus on what to add back.  Daily Beat 27 reminds us how our natural rhythms support us eating seasonally.  To this end, Dr. Lipman says, “I do think that eating more complex carbohydrates in the summer and more animal protein, nuts, and root vegetables in the winter is a good idea.”  Essentially, our bodies did not evolve to eat the carbohydrates available in the summer year-round. In Daily Beat 23 he talks about probiotics and the benefits for those with digestive problems – these are available in stores and can be added to the smoothie recipes at the end of the book.

Throughout Week 4 there are new and previously discussed restorative exercises recommended.  The exercises to fight “chair body” seem easy enough to do in an office setting – I’ve just started incorporating the Piriformis Stretch on page 158 into my routine.  In addition, a great way to fight that physical exhaustion and discomfort from sitting all day is with a walk around the building or on the stairs (he recommends 7 minutes of every hour).  If there’s nothing else we take away from Week 4, I think this is a hugely helpful recommendation.

I thought this chapter’s theme provided a simple and concise message – adaptation to a more relaxing environment is a means to finding our natural rhythm. Dr. Lipman makes the point that most of us live on the extremes of social extroversion or self-imposed work related isolation and have difficulty fine-tuning our work-life balance to find inter-personal harmony. Three beats resonated very well with my experience and past research. They include the power of friendships, the power of the sun and the power of music in creating a healthy and preventive care environment.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School recently published an article in the British Medical Journal on the health and happiness benefits of social networks including three degrees of friendship. Nicholas Christakis studied a social network from the Framingham Heart Study (over 20 years) and discovered that a person’s happiness was not only dependent on the happiness of an immediate friend but also on the happiness of the friend’s friend and their friend’s friend’s friend. When you are better connected to happy people, friends, and family your chances of being happy and healthy increase significantly. The article was featured as the cover story for the January 2009 issue of New Scientist and read: “Detox your life – How friends can transform you.”

In Daily Beat 18 we are told that humans “evolved in and under the sun and we are genetically engineered to get sun.” Sunshine is another element that helps regulate our circadian rhythms, metabolism and hormone functions. It is estimated that 35 million Americans may suffer mood disorders during the winter months – also called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) – and a contributing factor is the lack of sunlight during the winter, which is especially prevalent in northern states. Over 75 percent of those affected by SAD are women, and the majority of these individuals are over the age of 30. Some of the symptoms include:

• Increased sleep
• Increased appetite with carbohydrate craving
• Marked increase in weight
• Irritability
• Interpersonal difficulties (especially rejection sensitivity)
• Leaden paralysis (heavy, leaden feelings in arms or legs)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality practice guidelines recommend light therapy as an effective treatment option for seasonal depression.

Rounding out the relaxation exercises in this chapter was Daily Beat 21 that discussed the use of music by many cultures to help healing and promote well-being. In my own brief research, I was surprised to discover that there is actually an organization that promotes the science of music as medicine and a healing art: the International Society for Music in Medicine. Last year at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, doctors from University of Maryland School of Medicine showed that “listening to your favorite music may be good for your cardiovascular system.” Dr. Miller presented his research that demonstrated improved blood flow caused by the release of endorphins. Just 30 minutes of enjoyable music each day can lower your systolic blood pressure, relieve stress, and decrease pain. I agree with Dr. Lipman that everyone can use music daily as a health and wellness strategy.

I hope you enjoy Week 3 – Adapt as much as I did and I look forward to Week 4 – Release.

Dr. Tony Linares 

In Week 3 (Adapt) of Spent, the author talks about the virtues of organic meat, poultry and eggs.  Organic meat and poultry comes from farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water. Organic farmers must also adhere to a set of standards:

• animals are given no antibiotics, hormones, or growth stimulants;
• animals are treated humanely and given access to outdoors;
• animals must be fed 100% organic feed; and
• animals must graze in certified organic pastures.

So then the question is: do these standards result in a health or nutritional benefit in the meat?

Meat is often raised with the help of hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and chemical fertilizers. These items make their way into the meat and, potentially, into those who eat it. Children and pregnant and lactating women especially should consider eating only organic meats because these individuals tend to be more sensitive to chemical residues.

In terms of nutritional content, both organic and non-organic meats have a considerable amount of fat and cholesterol. However, while organic meats might have the amount of fat comparable to the conventional meats, the fat will have fewer impurities.  For example, in comparing beef, grass fed beef is lower in fat and contains higher levels of conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. In general, there are not any other nutritional and/or calorie differences between organic and non-organic meats and eggs.

While we may not be able to totally limit are exposure to environmental toxins, the bottom line is that choosing organic meats and eggs can help limit the introduction of impurities in our bodies.

Rebecca

Week 3 of the Spent program is all about helping our bodies adapt to all the changes we are making.  As a prelude to this chapter, Dr. Lipman points out how much our bodies have adapted to being Spent – having stress in our lives, not sleeping properly and so on – so our bodies can adapt to these new changes too.

As with Weeks 1 and 2, this week there are several suggestions for eating, including Daily Beat 15 (eliminating dairy).  Dr. Lipman states that 10% of people are lactose intolerant, which can cause digestive problems, and many have trouble digesting the casein in dairy.  In Daily Beat 19, Dr. Lipman recommends we eat organic, grass-fed meat, poultry and eggs. According to Dr. Lipman, animals that are fed grains vs. grass and other plants and are kept in crowded living quarters have digestive issues which require them to be given antibiotics.  The grain diet also lowers nutritional content of the meat – such as vitamin E, beta-carotene and omega-3 fatty acids.

As we know by now, Dr. Lipman’s program includes many restorative exercises, many of which can be done at home before bed.  In adapting, we learn the Viparita Karani (page 115-116), an exercise we can do lying down, which is supposed to regular blood pressure and prevent varicose veins (Dr. Lipman recommends this pose after flying as well). The neck and shoulder release (page 125-126) provides additional relief from strain from sitting at a desk.  Finally, the neck and cranial release (page 142) is designed to relieve headaches and sinus congestion, by massaging neck and head muscles using a foam roller.

Two of the Daily Beats in this chapter revolve around improving our emotional well-being and spirit.  For example, in Daily Beat 17, Dr. Lipman recommends balance in our lives, by spending time alone and with friends.  In his experience, he’s found that people who are Spent either stay home alone all the time or go out every night.  On one hand, research shows that being alone all the time can harm one’s health, but being out all the time leaves no time for introspection.  He recommends a balance between spending time with friends and spending time ourselves. In Daily Beat 20, he provides his thoughts around “returning to the breath.” He feels we can all benefit from meditating, because it allows our minds to recover and our bodies to relax. He reminds us that meditating – including the style of meditating – is very personal, and he provides a technique for meditating in a chair that may be useful for those who are new to the practice.

In this chapter, Dr. Lipman continues the journey of adding good activity and motion while removing bad food items like caffeine and gluten-based products. He takes a similar approach of easing us into the changes, such as identifying the excess energy we use by having poor posture, requiring our digestive system to work harder by eating gluten and taxing our nervous system excessively with caffeine. The central theme still revolves around restoring our natural rhythm by working to resolve the imbalances in our bodies and in our diets.

I enjoyed the section on improving posture to prevent muscle aches, joint pains, neck pain or back pain. It turns out that back pain is the most frequent condition that people seek medical care for and bad posture could be a major reason. This chapter provides a simple test to look for asymmetry or imbalance in our major muscle groups and find aches or tension that need to be corrected. Muscle has a special relationship with the brain because it keeps its own memory. A ballet instructor tells her students that it is important to learn the correct technique in the beginning because muscle memory develops quickly. If they fail to use correct technique at the beginning, they must unlearn the muscle movement and relearn later. It appears that Dr. Lipman is telling us that we must unlearn our bad posture and retrain our muscles to adopt a healthier posture.

It was hard for me to remove caffeine and gluten from my daily diet, but it was easy to follow the instructions in Daily Beat 10 and vitalize my diet with colorful fruits and vegetables that are rich in phytonutrients. In California, so many vegetables and fruits – like strawberries, cherries and apricots – are now in season. It is easy to enjoy fresh fruits and buy at the local market. It is also easy to grow your own garden and get the vegetables one step removed from the land in the freshest condition and highest content of phytonutrients. This week NBC News announced that 43 million families will be growing vegetables in their own garden, which is an increase of 20% from the previous year. That is good news.

When I was in college, I did basic research to identify plant flavonoids (they provide color to corn) and my professor, Dr. Mikula, would tell us about the important role they played in protecting the plants from harmful bacteria or bugs. The researchers at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition are discovering that some phytonutrients may have protective functions in humans. The more color a plant has, the richer the phytonutrient load and anti-oxidant potential. The researchers have discovered over 20,000 beneficial chemicals in fruits and vegetables. That is a lot of protection! 

Along with a good spinal reset and better posture, these are some of the fun facts you will find in this chapter. Next week we will review Week 3 – Adapt.

Dr. Tony Linares

In continuing our discussion of foods in the book club selection Spent, this week we’re looking at Ezekiel bread.

When it comes to making a healthier choice for which type of bread to buy, there is a lot to consider. Bread should contain whole grains and therefore be a good source of fiber. Bread that is considered to be a good source of fiber has at least 3 grams of fiber per serving. Don’t be fooled when a bread is listed as multigrain or 12 grain, since these grains can be processed and hold very little nutritional value.

Ezekiel bread is a wonderful bread that contains at least 6 whole grains and legumes and is high in fiber. The grains and legumes in this bread are sprouted and form a complete protein.  This is similar to the protein found in milk and eggs. According to the company that makes Ezekiel bread, “The protein quality is so high, that it is 84.3% as efficient as the highest recognized source of protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. There are 18 amino acids present in this unique bread – from all vegetable sources – naturally balanced in nature.”

The 100% whole grain flourless variety of this bread has 80 calories per slice, which is standard for other types of bread. It has 4g of protein, 3g of fiber and 0.5g of fat.  You can usually find Ezekiel bread in the frozen section of healthy grocery stores.

Rebecca

While last week’s book discussion looked at nourishing our bodies  – through eating, relaxation and sleep – this week is all about moving.  Since some of the symptoms of being Spent include being tired and achy, Dr. Lipman reminds us that moving soothes a sore and tired body.

Daily Beats 8 and 13 contain the most information about movement, including exercise and relaxation. In Daily Beat 8, we learn that having good posture can make you feel more energized. This idea makes a lot of sense when you think about how sometimes you ache after sitting at a desk for a long period of time.  Dr. Lipman provides a posture checking exercise on pages 79 and 80, which we can use to test which parts of our bodies may be affected by inadequate posture.

In Daily Beat 13, we get some insight into the Spent approach to exercise.  His main belief is that exercise should be done in spurts – bursts of energy followed by rest (he equates this to the way children play).  This idea is in tune with our bodily rhythms, where our ancestors’ main source of movement was hunting and gathering. Rather than being a “fanatical exerciser” (pushing oneself to the limit) or a “marathon sitter” (not exercising at all), Dr. Lipman suggests that we exercise in this restorative way.  As an added bonus, this should increase our metabolism. He recommends walking 1 minute at a high intensity and then 3-4 minutes at a low intensity, doing this program again and again for 30 minutes.

In addition to movement, this chapter contains several recommendations around eating and nutrition.  First, the approach asks us to step down caffeine intake (see page 97 for a way to wean off caffeine with less withdrawal). He strongly advises that during the 6-week program, we remove gluten from our diet (see page 84 for a list of products that contain gluten), substituting it with gluten-free products such as brown rice, quinoa and Ezekiel bread (a grain bread that is flourless and sprouted). In Daily Beat 10, he suggests we include phytonutrients in our diet, including a variety of colors on our plate, greens powder and a multivitamin.

Finally, Daily Beat 14 has a message most people can appreciate – and particularly, those of us who feel Spent – “Don’t Should Yourself.” By constantly thinking about what we should be doing, we are adding more stress and more emotions for us to handle, thereby making us feel even more Spent.

This Thursday, Dr. Tony will share his thoughts on Move and next week we’ll learn about how to Adapt.  Until then, happy reading – and I am off to taste some Ezekiel bread.