Comments on: Dr. Oz & Oprah’s Dieting & Health Advice – they’re getting closer! Real Food Wednesday

By: CatholicMom.com » Columnists Kelly the Kitchen Kop » Dr. Oz & Oprah by Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 12:01:04 +0000

[...] Dr. Oz & Oprah’s Dieting and Health Advice – They’re Getting Closer! Kelly the Kitchen Kop – Kelly the Kitchen Kop is a Catholic Mom who lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband of 20 years and 4 children. Her passions in life are Jesus, her family, and helping others live and eat healthier. Visit her health & nutrition blog at kellythekitchenkop.com. Email this author | All posts by Kelly the Kitchen Kop [...]

By: Kelly

Kelly — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:09:54 +0000

Karen, I can’t get that link to work…try it again…? Thanks for your great comment!
Kel

By: Karen Ferguson

Karen Ferguson — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:31:05 +0000

Hi Kelly et.al,
If you are remotely curious as to how the diet industry thinks, read this from the US NEWS and World Report. It’s 4 years old but is still applicable. http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/
030616/16profit.htm It’s in the Business section, so they have no shame referring to people as 60% obese customers/ statistics.

There’s a vague number in the article about profits. Nothing truly defined: but I broke it down anyway, pretending it was accurate. It’s the only one I could find for now. But I’m on the look out.
Profits of the diet industry: 40 bilion..I’m assuming this is a year
That’s:
One day: 109 million
1 hour: 4.5 million
1 minute: 76,000 bucks
Even if these are “half true,” in my book, it’s too much profit.

There’s another angle that no one talks about: are the stats correct when it comes to the links between obesity and disease?
I wish Oprah would have on Paul Campos. He wrote “The Obesity Myth: Why America’s Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health,” (Gotham Books) (2004] It’s brilliant and well researched. I liked it so much, I called him and congratulated him on it. Brilliant chap. Lawyer turned health educator/writer. Still teaches law. Alas, I wonder how much of it was squashed by the diet industry.

I agree w/ Janet: recovering from addiction is not about will power. But again, not everyone is sensitive to sugar/flour. It’s also not about popping thousands of dollars of vitamins that both Gariel Cousins MD and Moss recommend. [I've often wondered, when does that end??]

I saw Moss at the NT conference in Burlingame last year. It was almost as if she didn’t believe we can get better without vitamins.etc. I suspect some can and perhaps some can’t: but it’s not as dismal as it was portrayed. The body’s self-healing mechanisms, given the right fuel, is adept at righting itself, beautifully.

Recovery from addiction, according to Carl Jung, is about having a spiritual awakening. There’s a great letter between Bill Wilson and C. Jung that talks about this. And then there’s nutrition, therapy etc…

There are over 400 anonymous programs out there. The courts use the AA rooms for those ticketed with multiple DUIs and eating disorder wings of hospitals have OA meetings weekly.
That’s my 2 cents and experience.
Life is a fascinating journey.
Thanks Kelly for all you do…
Hugs.
Karen

By: Kelly

Kelly — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:33:04 +0000

Such great insight and resources, Janet, thank you!

By: Janet W

Janet W — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:32:04 +0000

I have to disagree here. Addiction is not about will power (although Macleans had an article last month saying a study has found that addiction is “a matter of free will.” I want to know who funded this study — the alcohol industry? sugar industry? manufacturers of HFCS and MSG? I didn’t bother to read it, but it’s here) and it’s not about spirituality, it is about bio-chemistry, specifically about brain chemistry, blood sugar levels, malnutrition (no matter how much food you’re eating) including low levels of viamins and minerals. I have been dealing with this for too many years, but have read some incredible books that explain how the body works and what to do to end the addiction. These include The Diet Cure and The Mood Cure by Julia Ross; The Schwarzbein Principle be Diana Schwarzbein; and especially, Potatoes Not Prozac and (5 stars for this one) Little Sugar Addicts by Katleen DesMaisons. Little Sugar Addicts is about getting your kids off of sugar, but she says you can’t heal them until you start to heal yourself. I like this one better than her other because she doesn’t “allow” snacks or much fat for adults, but realizes that they are essential for children.

If you are trying to cut out sugar, you must also deal with caffeine, meaning cut this out as well. DesMaisons talks about this as well including pictures of an orb spider’s web after the spider had been given caffeine. I don’t know why the two are so connected, but as a hypoglycemic I do know that I was not able to give up sugar without giving up caffeine. And I feel much, much better for getting rid of both. If you think “I can never give up chocolate” you actually can.

Lastly, I think, and have read, that you must first heal your body without worrying about losing weight.

Depression IS an eating disorder though if your life was full of pain, physical or emotional, that could help cause it. But DesMaisons and Ross talk about beta endorphin levels which help with all kinds of pain. So we’re back, I feel, to depression is an eating disorder. And so is chronic fatigue. And so are probably most every chronic disorder we have now.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:53:54 +0000

Karen,

Even though I’m not 80# overweight, I could still lose a little, and also, low-carb diets are just plain healthier. I will for sure keep striving for less carbs in my life, just not sure if I’ll ever get to a total low-carb way of life like I should!

By the way, yes, I do agree that what we eat/don’t eat can cause depression!

Hugs backatcha!
Kel

By: Karen Ferguson

Karen Ferguson — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:38:52 +0000

Kelly,
Please note that I say “most people”….are addicted, not ALL people. And, it’s not will power….it’s spiritual…a 12 step program. When one is a “food addict” all the will power in the world doesn’t work.
And, frankly, at my age, I want the peace and emotional maturity that I’m promised if I take “direction.”
I’m talkin’ to people, especially women, who have TRIED everything and nothing has worked. And, you my dear, are not over 80 pounds overweightlike I was! There’s a theory out there, in the literature, that says depressions causes eating disorder. It’s my belief it can work bboth ways. Eating the WRONG stuff can cause depression!!! Amd, I figure you probably could go along w/ that after all the research you’ve done!!
Keep up the good work….eating the NT way can moves us from surviving to thriving. I’m so happy NOT to be eating low fat anything these days. 20 pounds to go…Yahoo.
Hugs.
Karen

By: Kelly

Kelly — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:06:47 +0000

Karen, your comments are always so motivating. One of these days I’ll go cold turkey like you’ve had the will to do……..maybe………..(Maybe not! Don’t hate me!) Until then I really have been leaps and bounds better at reducing my sweets than I ever used to be. Mostly because I have less cravings, not because I have great willpower or anything!

Interesting to read all of your comments – there’s nothing like a community of fellow real foodies to hash all this out with!
Kel

By: Karen Ferguson

Karen Ferguson — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:35:45 +0000

I gave my books away that Oz wrote and I don’t watch Oprah.
I find it unconscionable, with the huge audience present, that she perpetuates diet myths.
There is no such thing as moderation for most people when it comes to simple carbs like sugar and flour….all sugars and all flours, organic or not. Either one tries moderation and starts thinking about the “next time” they can have cheesecake or the physical craving sets in and fuels the thinking making one miserable.

It takes about a month to physically remove sugar from the body and about 3 more to psychologically understand it all. We’ve been duped into thinking that something is WRONG with us when we can’t do “moderation.” No one I know in the health field promotes “smoking” in moderation or shooting heroin in moderation.

Bottom line: flour turns to glucose, sugar is mainlining a drug. Anything less than that broadcasted on TV is lying by omission and playing it safe. Hence, I lost respect for Ms. Winfry a long time ago. And, Oz….he’s traditionally trained, consiquently, I don’t trust him not to mention, he doesn’t think his audience can actually GO off sugar and flour so he doesn’t say “DON”T EAT IT.” He himself promotes the illusion of “moderation.”
IT’s moderation that is killing us. But you won’t read that on an autopsy report.

Thanks, kelly. You are doing great things by telling the TRUTH and letting the chips fall where they may.
Hugs.
Karen

By: Celeste

Celeste — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:45:44 +0000

Love the fact that they say to increase your intake of omega-3 (polyunsaturated) fats, noting that 80 percent of the brain is fat. Yeah, saturated fat! We’d go a lot farther by being liberal with good, old-fashioned saturated fats (think butter, coconut oil, pastured beef) than by limiting ourselves to a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of omega-3s. Those are fine, but you’re setting yourself up for major cravings (not to mention major health issues) if that’s all the fat in your diet.