Please join me at The Commonwealth Club where a very impressive group of doctors, scientists and researchers will discuss this topic.

Here is the link to register for this program:

http://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/2012-02-28/food-addiction

Food Addiction

Tue, Feb 28 2012 – 12:00pm

Food Addiction

Michael Prager, Author, Fat Boy Thin Man
Nicole Avena, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Florida
Eric Stice, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Oregon Research Institute
Dr. Vera Ingrid Tarman, Ph.D., MD., MSc., FCEP, CASAM, Medical Director, Renascent
Elissa Epel, Ph.D., Associate Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry
Andrea Garber, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of California

Addiction is about brains, not just about behaviors. We all have the brain reward circuitry that makes food rewarding; it’s a survival mechanism. In a healthy brain, these rewards have feedback mechanisms for satiety or “‘enough.” For some, the circuitry becomes dysfunctional such that the message becomes “more.” Michael Prager, author of Fat Boy Thin Man, will begin the discussion telling his very personal story of recognizing and then seeking treatment for his food addiction. Leading researchers and clinicians will discuss many aspects of this important topic

MLF: Health & Medicine
Location: SF Club Office
Times: 11:30 a.m. check-in, 12:00-3:00 p.m. program
Cost: $25 standard, $15 members
Program Organizer: Patty James

Location Blue Room, The Commonwealth Club

Number
00 Student * $ 7 = $ 0.00
00 Standard * $ 25 = $ 0.00
Total:

I met Gary in New Orleans in 2010 and we became friends almost instantly. Skip ahead a year and he’s home in Canada and I’m home in California, chatting and emailing and keeping up with each other’s lives. Our friendship grew into what we knew would be a friendship for a lifetime. Today, sadly, his life in this world is almost over.  Bone cancer.

He was strong and fit, ate a healthy diet, so why cancer? Why him with better than average health habits? Is it food or drink or lifestyle that causes the scale to tip in an unhealthy direction, even to disease? Why do some drink bourbon and smoke everyday and live to be 100, when others with better habits die much sooner? Obviously genetics come into play and we can’t do anything about our ancestors, but there is plenty we can do to keep our health scales balanced. We all know we need to eat healthy foods and limit our vices-alcohol/caffeine and for some smoking. We need to drink enough pure water and exercise daily.

Don’t forget about stress.

For Gary and many others, stress might have been the culprit that tipped the scales. He was focused and driven and pushed himself way beyond what was most likely healthy.  We all know that stress is a killer, but how many of us do something about it? Stress reduction should not be considered a luxury, but a health necessity. A day off from working all the time or even just from electronics can make a difference. Try a walk in the woods; nature is so calming and centering. For me its outdoor exercise and cooking that soothes me. I find myself with a knife in my hand chopping vegetables to make a soup, or making homemade bread. It’s calming for me and slows me down.

If you like the thought of cooking with plenty of time, not under pressure, then plan such a day! Slow down, pick out a new recipe or prepare my Cioppino, maybe this Sunday. Make a salad and cut some crusty sourdough bread to go with it. Enjoy the process. Dine, just don’t eat. Slow down and appreciate and enjoy your health.

Cioppino

A very delicious (and messy!) dish. More of a stew than a soup.

Recipe By: Patty James

Serving Size: 6

1/4  cup  olive oil

2    large  onions — chopped

4    cloves  garlic — chopped

3    large  carrots — chopped

2     ribs  celery — plus leaves, sliced

1     cup  parsley — stems removed and chopped

2     cups  chopped tomatoes

2     cups  tomato sauce

1     cup  water

1      cup  white wine

2      teaspoons  thyme

1      tablespoon  basil

1      bay leaf

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3     pounds  clams — in shell, scrubbed well

1     pound  halibut fillets — or other white fish, cut into

bite-sized pieces

1     whole  crab – cleaned, cooked and cracked

In a large, heavy stockpot, heat oil and sauté onions, garlic, carrots,

celery and celery leaves until onion is transparent and vegetables are limp.

Add chopped tomatoes and tomato sauce, half the parsley, wine, water, and

seasonings. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes partially

covered. Add seafood to broth; clams first and simmer for 10 minutes. Next

add white fish and crab and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and

ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with remaining parsley and lemon wedges.

Serving suggestions

Serve with crusty garlic bread. You may change the seafood anyway you like. You can use shrimp, scallops and crab. Try mussels, etc. If soup gets a bit thick, add a little water.

My dear, sweet friend. This is how I will remember him, not the way he looks today ravaged by cancer, hoping to pass on soon.

Our first month of classes just finished and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the participants responses. Here’s what one woman had to say.

“The Zest program is filled with lots of healthful information and explanations as to why our bodies respond to certain foods and lots of ways to help us feel better.  Baby steps….not over whelming changes, simple adjustments to be successful with your health goals.  Patty is a wealth of information.  Her knowledgeable of foods and how our bodies respond to them  is only trumped by her enthusiasm and passion for teaching and helping others.”
Thank you Patty, for your love of good health.
Your Friend,
Becky R.

Beginning in February, you can drop in for a single class anytime, or sign up for four consecutive Thursday’s and be supported the whole month. Your Schedule, Your Health, Your Choice!

Wintertime is notorious for leaving people with dry, chapped skin, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are some easy tips for healthier skin.

In the nutrition world the mantra is: if all else fails, support your liver. Your liver, like your skin, is a detoxifying organ and the average person tends to abuse the liver with too much alcohol, caffeine and toxins. So, begin your day with a glass of warm lemon water, which is alkalinizing in your body. Simply squeeze a half (or a whole) lemon into a glass of water and your liver will love you.  Before you get into the shower, exfoliate your skin. Use a soft, natural fiber brush with a long handle and brush dry skin up from your feet and down from your shoulders towards your heart. Do not brush varicous veins or damaged skin. Dry brushing not only removes dead skin, but also improves circulation, which helps to remove toxins. As toxins will be released and removed, it is important that your bowels are clear, so the toxins can be removed and not reabsorbed. If you are constipated, work on alleviating that problem.

A nice hot shower or bath feels wonderful in the winter, but is also drying for your skin. Reduce the temperature of your water and if you can stand it, finish your shower with cool water. Speaking of temperature, forced-air heat is drying as well. Reduce the heat in your home and wear extra clothing – natural fibers are best. Your skin will be thankful as will your heating bill. Pat your skin dry, and then rub lotion (no toxins in the lotion please!) all over your body. Occasionally rub your scalp and hair with olive or coconut oil and let sit for a few minutes before rinsing off. Your hair will be shiny and beautiful.

Your skin is a product of what you put in your mouth. Staying hydrated with eight glasses of pure water a day is imperative for a healthy body and skin. Alcohol, caffeine and acidifying foods are dehydrating and should be limited. Smoking is very damaging for body and skin, and should be avoided.

Free radicals are a natural part of your body’s metabolic function. Consuming processed foods, exposure to toxins, and unhealthy habits such as smoking, causes free radicals to increase to dangerous levels damaging our body and skin. Antioxidants are free-radical scavengers and help protect the body from damage. The best way to ensure adequate intake of antioxidants is through a balanced diet consisting of 5-9 servings of vegetables and fruit per day.

Essential fatty acids are responsible for healthy cell membranes, and protect us from the same inflammatory process that can harm our arteries and cause heart disease.  The best-known essential fatty acids are omega 6 and omega 3, which must be in balance for good health and good skin.  A 1:1 ratio is optimum, but 4:1 is acceptable. Unfortunately most American’s are woefully shy of Omega 3 fatty acids that are found in cold-water fish such as salmon, walnuts, flax seeds and oil.

When oil is commercially processed, high temperatures are used and unhealthy solvents and deodorizers are added to the oil. There is basically no nutritive value and they can actually be damaging to your body and therefore your skin. Use those labeled cold pressed, expeller processed, or extra virgin.  Since any fat, even a healthy one, is high in calories, we don’t need more than about two tablespoons a day.

When you consume a balanced diet full of health-supporting vegetables combined with dry brushing, cooler water, and natural lotion, your skin will look and feel much softer and healthier throughout the winter and the rest of the seasons.

February’s Newsletter will be in your inbox this week and my favorite Cioppino recipe will be included! It’s that time of year…

Just click on the ‘Subscribe to Newsletter’ on the Home page and plan to make Cioppino this weekend!