Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
“What the Health”: Half a Star
“What the Health” claims to be “the health film that health organizations don’t want you to see.” My opinion: it’s a movie that isn’t worth the time it takes to see it, and I’d rate it at half a star. The movie is directed by Kip Anderson, the narrator and star of the movie, and […]
The Ignorant Vegan
Before you write me an indignant email, remember this: the definition of ignorant is lacking awareness or uneducated. While being a vegan is a great way to eat, it can also be done poorly and thus can create health issues over time if vegans haven’t bothered to educate themselves. The issue is the foods people […]
What Do Vegans Eat?
The simplest way to describe a vegan diet is that it includes everything—except any food that comes from animals. If it comes from a plant, you can eat it. That includes all vegetables, all fruits, all grains, all legumes, and all nuts. Peanut butter and jelly? Yes, if the bread is vegan. Baked sweet potato […]
All Signs Lead to Vegetables
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had many questions about vegan diets. Coincidentally Paula recommended a couple of HuffPost articles on rising CO2 levels and the effect on crops. Then someone asked me what I thought about the movie “What the Health” available on Netflix or online; it’s purported to be a documentary on […]
The Bottom Line on Veggies and Carbs
Go ahead and finish your oatmeal and drink your protein-kale smoothie—you do need those veggies. Meanwhile I’ll put the PURE study in perspective. This is a large study that looks at the economics of food as well as the health benefits. In a separate publication, the analysis of the data focused on the cost of […]
PURE Headline 2: Don’t Bother with More Veggies?
Using the same data base of subjects in the PURE Study, researchers examined the vegetable, fruit, and legume intake on total mortality, mortality, and major cardiac events such as heart attacks. The most important finding was that higher vegetable, fruit, and legume intake was associated with a reduced risk of mortality and morbidity. Simply put, […]
PURE Headline 1: Do Carbs Kill?
Never a dull moment when it comes to health news: now they’re asking if you should choose fat rather than carbs. The research study was called PURE: Prospective Urban Rural Epidemiology, and you’ll be hearing more about it. Over 150,000 people from five continents, 18 countries, and 613 different communities were included in the study. […]
The Bottom Line on E-Cigarettes
Vaping e-cigarettes is supposed to be better than smoking cigarettes because the toxic chemicals will be gone. That may be true for the chemicals released from tobacco and paper, but the third area of concern is the e-liquids that make up the flavor component of e-cigarettes. The marketing tactic often focuses on the variety of […]
Update: E-Cigarettes Put Lungs at Risk
The second study presented at the European Respiratory Conference on e-cigarettes that caught my attention was a study done in Sweden. Researchers questioned over 30,000 people, randomly selected from the Swedish population. The purpose was to ask the subjects about smoking: did they smoke, what did they smoke, and what type of respiratory symptoms did […]
Update: E-Cigarette Safety
As the European Respiratory Society held their annual convention, several research studies made the health news, including e-cigarettes and vaping. The appeal of e-cigarettes is that they seem to be safe–you’re not actually burning tobacco with its associated chemicals and inhaling that into your lungs. E-cigarettes remove all that bad stuff and associated negative health […]
