The Holistic Wisdom Journal  

August 1, 2001 ~ Articles In This Issue...

~ The Cooking Class That Has Changed My Life

~ Got Milk? Okay, Now Throw It Out!

The Cooking Class That Has Changed My Life
By Lisa S. Lawless, Ph.D.
Holistic Wisdom C.E.O.

As a mental health therapist and a spiritually natured person, I have often neglected my physical health. Like many Americans, I get that internal nagging to take better care of myself, but I have often gone for that quick microwave dinner or passed on working out.

As I often follow my intuition, I was getting a very strong message that I needed to take the time out of my busy schedule to attend an Asian cooking class locally. So,I decided to go, and on the way there, I heard a little voice within me that said, "this is going to change your life." I smiled and looked forward to the new adventure, but had no idea what was in store.

After two classes, and a private consultation with the teacher of the class, and owner of the store Crimson Dragon Herbs... I am here to tell you about my newly found dedication to a healthy diet.

My physical struggle has often come from feeling like I was always starving, even though I have struggled with keeping excess weight off. The truth was that I was starving... starving for nutrients that I was depriving my body of. I was eating way too much sugar, and processed foods, and my body was saying "yeah, where is what I really need?" So my body kept sending signals that it was hungry.

Don't get me started on the sugar highs and lows I was experiencing! Talk about a roller coaster. My favorite way to describe myself when I would walk into an acupuncture session to get "fixed up" was to say "I am wired and tired."

In this cooking class, learned how to eat well, while making delicious food. Rich grains such as millet,spelt, brown rice, vegetables, soy, legumes, and fruits have replaced my daily ritual of sugar, bleached flour, meat, and dairy.

Let me say, that I have read many an article, book and heard the testimonials of the physcially healthy who have preached these eating practices for years, but it never really motivated me. I tasted a few vegetarian meals, and thought them horrible. Being the Taurus that I am, I have to have food that tastes good! It has to be quick too...as I live such a busy life.

During one of the classes, when I put the first bite of the vegetarian chili into my mouth, my taste buds applauded! That was one of many incredible dishes that were prepared for me in this class. These dishes took very little time to make, they were very healthy, low in calories, and tasted wonderful.

At the end of my first class, I sped home to tell my hubby that I had found the "light" in a bowl of chili of all places. I have replaced my milk with Vanilla soy milk (very tasty by the way if you get a good brand).

I have replaced my cheese with soy cheese, and most of my meat with tofu and beans. Let me say, that if I were reading this article... I'd be cynically thinking, oh sure, that sounds appetizing... but I am telling you that it is!

If you want to try some of the recipes, I will be putting them in our next news letter, and posting them on our web site in two weeks. Try them, you won't regret it. Should you want to speak to the guru of this cooking class, Blair Taylor who owns The Crimson Dragon, for a private consultation in person or by phone, to have him ship herbs or ingredients to you, or to take a cooking class at his store in Longmont, Colorado you can call or e-mail him by using the following contact information-

Crimson Dragon Herbs Co.
631 Ken Pratt Blvd. Longmont, CO 80501
Phone Number- 303-682-1340
Fax Number- 303-682-1347
E-mail- dragonherbshop@aol.com

Got Milk? Okay, Now Throw It Out!
By Lisa S. Lawless, Ph.D.
Holistic Wisdom C.E.O.

Like most Americans, I grew up hearing the powerful add campaigns that "Milk does a body good," and "Got Milk." I consumed milk and other dairy products such as yogurt, cheese, and butter thinking I was doing something that was good for my body.Okay, maybe not as much with butter and cheese, but using dairy seemed natural and healthy. I was wrong.

Dairy products cause or contribute to asthma, hives, allergies, arthritis, appendicitis, inflammatory bowel disease, and other problems. Would you believe that milk contributes to Osteoporosis!

Yeah, I bet you did not see that coming! The dairy industry sure has us brainwashed thinking that we are doing something good for our bodies, when really we are causing great harm.

The damage that dairy does, where to begin...

1) Galactose. Ovarian cancer rates parallel dairy-eating patterns around the world. One of the culprits seems to be galactose, the simple sugar broken down from the milk sugar lactose. Studies have shown that animals that are fed galactose go on to develop ovarian cancer. According to Boston gynecologist Daniel Cramer, women with this cancer often have trouble breaking down galactose. About 10% of the US population lacks the enzymes to metabolize galactose. Cramer says that "Since you can't tell whether you lack these enzymes (unlike lactose intolerance, in which there are clear signs of digestive upset), I just tell my patients they don't need dairy." Yogurt, cheese and other fermented dairy products, as well as those containing Lactaid, are the richest sources of galactose.

2) Pesticides. Pesticides actually concentrate in the milk of both farm animals and humans. A study by the Environmental Defense Fund found widespread pesticide contamination of human breast milk among 1400 women in forty six states. The levels of contamination were twice as high among the meat-and-dairy-eating women as among vegetarians.

3) Proteins. Perhaps the biggest health problem with cow's milk arises from the proteins in it: Cow's milk protein damages the human immune system. Amino acids, the units that make up proteins, are building blocks for all living cells. When protein in our food is properly broken down by the digestive system into amino acids, it does no harm to the immune system. Some food proteins, however, are absorbed into the blood fully undigested, provoking an immune response. Repeated exposure to these proteins disrupts normal immune function and may eventually lead to diseases, such as cancer.

Osteoporosis is primarily caused by calcium loss due to excessive intake of protein, not due to insufficient intake of calcium.

This point is very important. Most Americans get way, too much protein. Excess protein intake leeches calcium from the bones. Dairy products have lots of protein. Therefore, consuming more dairy products in an attempt to get more calcium can actually contribute to osteoporosis!

Cow's milk contains many proteins that are poorly digested and harmful to the immune system. Christiane Northrup, a gynecologist based in Yarmouth, Maine states that "Dairy is a tremendous mucus producer and a burden on the respiratory, digestive, and immune systems. If women eliminate dairy foods for an extended period and eat a balanced diet, they suffer less from colds and sinus infections."

The Institute of Medicine has declared that most Americans now need 1000-1300 mg per day of calcium to maintain healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis. This is an increase from the previous recommendation of 800-1200 mg. Naturally, the Dairy Council is going to be overjoyed at this recommendation, as most everyone associates calcium with cow's milk.

Guess what-

There is no need for animal milk in the human diet, other than human mother's milk for infants. There are many good non-dairy sources of calcium, not just tofu and broccoli as some news articles may lead you to believe.

Look at the facts in layman's terms. Americans eat huge amounts of dairy products: pizza, ice cream, and other dairy treats are heavily advertised and almost universally enjoyed. Yet, we have a high rate of osteoporosis. Now look at Asian and African countries, where people have traditionally eaten minimal dairy products. The people there have far lower rates of osteoporosis!

It should be common sense, but the government agencies are trying to confuse the issue. The Dairy Council lobbyists have the money, not the tofu or sesame seed lobbyists. Don't believe them. You can have strong, healthy bones without drinking a drop of milk, and without obsessing over how many milligrams of calcium you're getting from vegetables or other sources.

I don't expect you to take my word alone on this. Here are a few sources, each of which point to many studies confirming and explaining what I have said above:

Vegan Nutrition: Pure and Simple ~ Click here to find out more and purchase one on Amazon.com
Guide to nutrition and meal planning
by Michael Klaper, M.D.

The McDougall Program ~ Click here to find out more and purchase one on Amazon.com
12 Days to Dynamic Health Health and diet program
by John A. McDougall, M.D.

Eat Right, Live Longer ~ Click here to find out more and purchase one on Amazon.com
Guide to healthy living
by Neal Barnard, M.D.

Simply Vegan ~ Click here to find out more and purchase one on Amazon.com
Quick Vegetarian Meals Vegan cookbook
by Debra Wasserman, with extensive nutrition section by Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.

A Vegetarian Sourcebook ~ Click here to find out more and purchase one on Amazon.com
The Nutrition, Ecology, and Ethics of a Natural Foods Diet In-depth discussion of vegetarianism
by Keith Akers.

Thank You For Reading The Articles Contained In The Holistic Wisdom Journal

...Namaste
(I honor Spirit within you,
as you honor Spirit within me)