67. A LIFESTYLE CHANGE CAN FULFILL DREAMS

Dear Grandma Donna: Nancy had her dreams to marry and have children blasted. Her physical examination showed high cholesterol, high triglycerides, high blood sugar and polycystic ovary syndrome, which is a pre-diabetes condition. She is also very overweight. I believe she will be willing to fight these problems by changing her lifestyle, if you will tell her what to do. Love, Savana

Dear Savana: Nancy is probably a victim of SAD, our sad American diet, which brings on lifestyle diseases such as heart trouble, cancer and adult onset diabetes. The easiest to prevent and reverse is diabetes.

Diabetes is an awful disease that can bring blindness, kidney failure, multiple circulatory complications and heart disease. Hopefully Nancy will agree to fight SAD to the death. The ammunition for this battle is natural food with fiber: fruit, vegetables, whole grains and nuts.

Polycystic disease is common in overweight females. Dr. McDougall reports in his book, The McDougall Program, that researchers have discovered a simple alternative to fertility drugs and surgery for treating this disease is simply to lose weight. Weight loss corrects the abnormalities in the functioning of the sex hormones that are responsible for the lack of ovulation, infertility and other symptoms that accompany polycystic syndrome.

The secret to the superiority of plant food over the animal products/refined food diet is the fiber. Fiber has no food value, but it slows digestion so that sugar does not enter the blood stream quickly. This makes the blood glucose level stay low. In contrast, a fiberless diet of meat, milk, cheese and white bread results in high glucose levels for up to five hours after a meal.

As Nancy eats plant food, her cholesterol and triglyceride levels should begin to lower and the weight should start plummeting. Hopefully she will develop a taste for beans, because they are high fiber. Tests have shown that as little as one-fourth cup of cooked beans daily will lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels more than ten percent in just three weeks. Tell Nancy to put this information to the test in her own situation. Add the beans to her daily diet for three weeks, then check with her Dr. to see if her levels have gone down.

Nancy must bear in mind that there is no fiber in any animal products, therefore, meat, milk, eggs and cheese must be omitted. All refined food must be eliminated. It sounds easy on paper, but we all know that eating habits are difficult to change. It is not easy to eat pizza with a whole-wheat crust and no cheese, to eat a fruit smoothie instead of ice cream, or to eat an apple instead of a piece of cake. Determination makes it possible and taste buds soon change.

Two other habits must be added to Nancy’s daily schedule: drinking water and exercising.

She must set herself to drink 8 to 10 eight-ounce cups of water daily before and after meals. No other liquid counts. Soft drinks containing sugar, aspartame, phosphorus and many other additives damage the body.

If Nancy can incorporate a daily 30-minute exercise program, she will notice an immediate improvement in her sense of well-being. Exercise improves the efficiency of every part of the body. She can create a program of her own liking or she can make walking her exercise.

How I hope Nancy agrees to this lifestyle change, which will enable us to place another star on our chart: SAD DEFEATED ONE MORE TIME!  Love, Grandma Donna

CORN CAKES WITH BLACK BEANS
1 T olive oil
1 onion diced (1 1/2 c)
3 cloves garlic minced (1 T)
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and diced (1/4 c)
1 T cumin
2 15-oz cans black beans rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c fresh or frozen corn kernels divided
1 T lime juice
1 16-oz container cooked polenta
1/4 c applesauce
Saute onion, jalapeno, garlic and cumin in oil for 5 minutes.
Stir in beans, tomato, lime juice and one cup corn. Cook for
5 minutes, then keep warm. Crumble polenta into bowl and
mash with a fork until nearly smooth. Add remaining corn
and 1/4 cup applesauce. Form into 8 one-third cup cakes,
brown in a sprayed skillet and serve over the black bean
mixture.
POLENTA
3 c water
1 c cornmeal
1 t salt
Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and slowly stir cornmeal
into water. Simmer 15 minutes stirring often. Pour into dish
and let cool.