The Self-Compassion Diet

I enjoy perusing the shelves of my local online digital library in search of all kinds of self-help audio books. No, not because I'm crazy (although I may not recognize it would I ;). I just have a strong desire to be efficient and continue to progress and just make my life easier.

I stumbled across "The Self-Compassion Diet". I had never heard of it and the picture on the front of the audio book showed two hands filled with big red juicy looking strawberries. I was hooked. Good marketing. :)

The Self-Compassion Diet

Guided Practices to Lose Weight with Loving Kindness

As cheesy as this sounds, I think it has a good concept going. We often look at our relationship with food as a struggle. Love and War: A battle between you and food. Food is an amazing gift that I believe should be enjoyed and I think it extremely important to look at food a certain way to have a complete lifestyle change that has lasting results. I think this book may have some good insights to help us look at food differently. We shall see. I have not read (or listened I should say) the book yet and will be making my comments as I go along. 

The book was written by a Harvard Psychotherapist specializing in eating issues, Jean Fain. It is a step-by-step plan for weight loss that is deemed to work better than all those fad diets out there.

First off, the audiobook narrator is a little hard to listen to at first. I have learned to always keep listening, you will get used to their style. Also, this audiobook is not actually the same as The Self-Compassion Diet book. It is an adjunct to the book, helping the listener learn and apply the concepts in the book.

This audiobook focuses on 3 ways to losing weight and has sections on each.
Self Compassion
Mindful Eating
Hypnosis

Self-compassion decreases emotional eating and helps you make healthier choices.
Self compassion is an awareness of what's happening in the moment with as much acceptance of yourself as possible. This is not the same as self-esteem.
The book then takes you through meditation exercises with breathing, posture and focus of the mind.
I find meditation in general quite relaxing actually, especially when done right after an aerobic exercise.
This meditation is teaching you methods of gaining self-compassion.
I personally am not caring for this mediation guidance. I do not find this useful but I also do not have an emotional eating issue so I would be curious to see if this helps someone who does have it.

Anyway, not a book I would really read again but it had some interesting concepts in it.

B Vitamins are Very Important

So apparently Ifosfamide (a chemotherapy drug) has a unique side effect of causing "altered mental status" aside from the standard "chemo-brain" that patients on chemotherapy get. This altered mental status can lead to all sorts of symptoms one of which being hallucinations another of which, as our nurse practitioner told us today, is peeing in the corner of your hospital room. So if Ben pees in the corner, we are supposed to tell the doctors. ;) Haha. Hopefully this won't happen since he is being prophylactically (preventatively) treated with Thiamine, a B vitamin.
Vitamin B1 or Thiamine is used as both treatment and prevention for encephalopathy (disease of the brain). The pathophysiological mechanism (how ifosfamide causes this disease) is unknown. Being a water-soluble vitamin, the body will take as much as it needs to function and fill its stores and then you will pee off the rest making this a generally safe vitamin that won't accumulate and cause toxicity. [1]

So, this goes to show that vitamins are extremely important. Probably more important than most people realize; however, they can definitely be over-used and cause toxicity if not used appropriately. It's about balance.

Cool Fact:
  The word "Vitamin" came about while Thiamine was being discovered and named.
In Latin, “vita” = life and “amine” = nitrogen-containing compound.
Cool. Now you know.

Let's talk about B vitamins. 

NOTE: I am NOT going to talk about genetic or uncommon diseases since that is not what we are investigating. We are trying to figure out how the average joe can become a healthy above average joe based on what he eats.
Something to consider as we proceed: Just because a behavior was once good and natural for us hundreds of years ago, does that make it the healthiest behavior for us now in an industrial civilized world?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
I believe in adaptation. We see it all the time. Many like to call it evolution (but in a short-term sense.... not Big Bang Theory "Evolution". This is why I call it adaptation). Same concept. It has been shown time and again that bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics that they used to be susceptible to. These bacteria have adapted by changing something about itself to prevent itself from being destroyed. This concept is known as natural selection. Natural Selection in its most basic form is the process by which certain gene traits change allowing the organism to adapt and survive the environment they are exposed to. Food for thought... literally. :)

So, back to the Bs.

First, an overview.

These are the B Vitamins:

B1 (Thiamine)
B2 (Riboflavin)
B3 (Niacin)
B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
B6 (Pyridoxine)

B7 (Biotin)

B9 (Folic Acid)

B12 (Cobalamin)

Each of these vitamins has a unique function but in general the B vitamins support metabolism, the immune system, the nervous system and cell growth. All are water soluble (meaning you will pee any unused and unstored vitamin out).
Out of all of these B vitamins, there is one that I want to discuss particularly with regards to nutrition.

Let's talk B12. [2]
"Why this one?", you ask.
This little vitamin is the main reason why I am not sure a strict vegan diet is what our bodies should optimally be eating for the greatest health. You see, B12 is only found naturally in animal products.
 No plant has ever been shown to have vitamin B12 unless it has been contaminated by animal waste or bacteria in soil, like manure.

But wait just a second.... aren't we animals?
Shouldn't we be able to make B12 if other animal species can make it?
Good question. Animals don't actually make the B12. It is synthesized by a variety of anaerobic organisms in the gut using cobalt from the food in the pasture. Many animals can absorb this straight from their gut but humans and some other species can only absorb vitamin B12 in one part of their intestines, which happens to be before the area where the B12 gets produced therefor the B12 just gets excreted in the body's waste products. As unappetizing as it sounds, other species preserve their B12 by eating their own feces..... somehow I don't expect that option to be sweeping the nation for vegans.
So, yes, we already have B12 in our gut but our body is not efficient at absorbing it.

 So really the B12 options are:
1- Eat meat (preferably seafood as you will see) or
2- Eat fortified foods or supplements


So how much Vitamin B12 do I really need? [2]
Not a lot actually. It is the lowest amount needed of any essential nutrient at just 2.4 mcg per day or 2.8 mcg per day for pregnant or lactating women. Even better news, your body stores A LOT of Vitamin B12 (2-5 mg) in the liver and elsewhere; about 3 years worth! [3] This means it would take you years to develop a B12 deficiency if you completely stopped consuming B12 right now. So really, you do not need to consume a lot of B12 or even very frequently to stay in the safe zone.
(Caveat, those with absorption issues may need to consume more to overcome malabsorption.
Fortified foods actually result in a more consistent absorption of B12 than from animal proteins because you do not need to engage a pathway involving acid production in the stomach that releases the B12 from animal protein. In some populations, such as the elderly, you may see a decreased bioavailability (how much you can actually absorb) for animal protein.)

Here is a list of the common sources of B12
(and look at just how much is contained in some of these!)
Remember, you only need about 2.5 mcg per day and you can store the rest for years!

Selected Food Sources of Vitamin B12

Food	Micrograms (mcg) per serving
Clams, cooked, 3 ounces	84.1
Liver, beef, cooked, 3 ounces	70.7
Breakfast cereals, fortified with 100% of the DV for vitamin B12, 1 serving	6.0
Trout, rainbow, wild, cooked, 3 ounces	5.4
Salmon, sockeye, cooked, 3 ounces	4.8
Trout, rainbow, farmed, cooked, 3 ounces	3.5
Tuna fish, light, canned in water, 3 ounces	2.5
Cheeseburger, double patty and bun, 1 sandwich	2.1
Haddock, cooked, 3 ounces	1.8
Breakfast cereals, fortified with 25% of the DV for vitamin B12, 1 serving	1.5
Beef, top sirloin, broiled, 3 ounces	1.4
Milk, low-fat, 1 cup	1.2
Yogurt, fruit, low-fat, 8 ounces	1.1
Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce	0.9
Beef taco, 1 soft taco	0.9
Ham, cured, roasted, 3 ounces	0.6
Egg, whole, hard boiled, 1 large	0.6
Chicken, breast meat, roasted, 3 ounces	0.3

[U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2011. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 24. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page, http://www.ars.usda.gov/ba/bhnrc/ndl.]

So basically all you really need is a good clam linguine 4 times a year and you got your B12, baby!
I now deem clams a superfood.
Notice that seafood is in the top of the chart. Liver is up there as well because that's where animals store B12.....oooohhh!
Ok, vegetarian and vegan friends. I didn't forget you.
There are common foods fortified with B12 such as breakfast cereals, nondairy milks (soy and rice milk, etc), soy protein foods, like vegetarian burgers, and some margarines. Look on the nutrition facts to see if it has been fortified with B12.

So what's the big deal if I don't get enough Vitamin B12?
It's a huge deal!
Vitamin B12 plays a vital role in cell synthesis (creation). If B12 is not present, a cell simply cannot divide and create new cells. This results in anemia (lack of red blood cells), neuropathy (usually a loss of sensation/feeling touch) and fertility just to name a few. Physically you would be weak, pale, lethargic, etc.....not fun.

These deficiencies are actually not as much associated with not consuming enough vitamin B12 but it is more commonly an issue with its complex absorption as is what you see in the elderly population.

The elderly have decreased stomach acid productions which is a necessary component of B12 absorption to release the B12 from protein. This deficiency in B12 has been linked to decreased cognitive function (thought processing) and dementia possibly due to increased levels of homocysteine in the blood. This, as you can imagine, is difficult to study.
 Elderly are also more likely to be malnourished possibly contributing to eating less fortified foods so their intake may also be low. Supplements may be the best option for some populations.

Here are some of the most common causes of Vitamin B12 deficiency
1- Inadequate dietary intake especially among vegans, infants of vegan mothers and malnourished vegetarians.
2- Genetic errors of Vitamin B12 metabolism
3- Inadequate absorption due to auto-immune antibodies to intrinsic factor, a cofactor needed in the absorption of B12. This is also called Pernicious Anemia. This most commonly affects elderly and those of Northern European decent. *This is the most common cause of severe B12 deficiency*

So we can see that inadequate dietary intake is not actually what causes the worst kind of B12 deficiency across the nation but it does have a higher prevalence in the vegan and vegetarian population. So it is something to be somewhat concerned about since these trends can actually be seen. If these statistics were based on only a vegetarian or vegan population, I would guess that inadequate dietary intake might be the most common cause of B12 deficiency.

I have a special interest in maternal/fetal health. So how does all this relate to pregnancy and outcomes for the fetus?
Infants exclusively breastfed by vegan mothers have very often exhibited severe B12 deficiency. You can't see it at first but after a few months the infant starts to exhibit symptoms of decreased growth, lethargy, weakness and pallor from anemia which can develop into decreased movement and coma. Remember that vitamin B12 plays a big role in the creation of new cells, which occurs quite rapidly in a normal developing infant.
Treatment with B12  resulted in rapid improvement, but many times the children did not return to baseline function and had lower IQs. This is also seen in new mothers in developing countries that had a diet low in animal products.

So basically what it comes down to is this.
We need Vitamin B12.
How you get it doesn't really seem to matter unless you are elderly, then you may benefit from fortified foods or supplements. However you choose to obtain it, whether from animal products or fortified foods, you need it to keep you and your babies safe and functioning properly.
 If you want to get your B12 the most "natural" way, then at least a small amount of animal product is going to be your best bet. You do not have to obtain it from animal products but make sure you are getting enough fortified foods or supplements.

I personally want to obtain my nutrition the most natural and whole way possible (also known as Clean Eating) so I am going to be a proponent of a small amount of animal meat (clams) as a way to load up on Vitamin B12.
 The investigation continues as to whether or not meat contributes to health problems such as cancer so as of right now, clams seem to be a good happy medium as far as Vit B12 goes.

The Verve Body Diet will now include a small amount of clams (or beef liver ...blegh) just a handful of times per year. 

Wait, wait, wait!
You forgot the most important question about B vitamins!
"Where did the 'other' B vitamins go?!"
You know. B4, B8, B10 and B11?
Well, as the B vitamins were being discovered, numbers were given to all the compounds they thought to be B vitamins....and then they realized "Oops! These aren't B vitamins... some aren't even vitamins at all!"
Now you know.

References:
1- J Oncol Pharm Pract. 2006 Dec;12(4):237-9
 2- Nutrition & Dietetics 2007; 64 (Suppl. 4): S120–S125
3- Up to Date 2012; Physiology of vitamin B12 and folic acid deficiency, S Schrier, K Motil, et al

The Food Identity Crisis

Wouldn't it be awesome if we could just eat ambrosia and nectar like the Greek Gods?
We wouldn't have to worry about whether it was "whole" or how many calories was in it. We wouldn't have to find out where it came from or even if it contained trans fats. It would always be our favorite food and, heck, we would be immortal!
Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, doesn't it?
Well, reality now punches us in the face and we realize we are but mortals living in the mortal realm full of processed food and a lot of opinions. We have no idea where our food comes from and we have no idea what these words on the back of the packaging really mean. Even when we figure out what carmine is, we have no idea if we should be eating it or not because what's her bucket told us that it causes cancer but who's his face told us it is the "secret weapon" to weight loss.

Instead of falling into a world of wondrous plenty, we have found ourselves wedged in a Food Identity Crisis.

I have every food I could imagine right at my fingertips... so what do I eat? It's so confusing.

Well, it depends on what your goal is.

• If you have no goals for your body, then Good News! You can eat whatever the heck you want! (But you may end up paying some consequences down the road)

• If your goal is to have the body and health of the god you just imagined yourself being, then it takes a bit more effort and isn't that straight forward.

This is what we are going to discover together.

This is going to be an Extreme Makeover: Food Edition.


The first reference we are going to analyze is the book called "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell, PhD and Thomas M. Campbell II, MD; The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health

I chose this book to start with because this study is simply huge when it comes to studying nutrition. There is no other study like it. It used an incredibly large sample size and was conducted over an extremely long length of time for a study of this nature.


Let's begin.

Welcome to The Verve Body Project

Welcome to The Verve Body Project.

The purpose of this project is simply to determine the factors that allow our body to function at its maximum level. We will look at all aspects of health but will mainly focus on nutrition because it is such an important factor.
In this site, we will explore and pick apart the medical literature and facts about health as well as analyzing what the media is presenting to us, the public.

There is so much information out there on Google, TV, movies and the general media.
Carbs are bad.
Meat is good.
Red meat is giving us cancer.
Fish is poisoning us with mercury.
We need fish for our brains.
We should all be juicing.
A low-fat diet is healthiest.

With so many conflicting opinions, how are we suppose to know which one is correct?

I say go to the source.
It may turn out that much of what we learned growing up is wrong. We may be surprised.
This is my quest.

Who am I?
I am simply someone who is extremely motivated to figure out how we should be treating our bodies so they can be as healthy and functional as possible to prevent or even cure diseases.
I, as many of you, have been affected by cancer through so many of my family members. My husband currently has non-surgical metastatic cancer that has spread to multiple areas of his body and is quickly trying to take over. We have experienced quite a bumpy ride. {See "About Me" for details.} Cancer and nutrition is one of the big debates that will be discussed here as well.
I am a clinical pharmacist who has been professionally trained in analyzing and interpreting medical literature. This is what I am bringing to the table. I don't promise to have all the answers, but I do promise to do my best in making honest interpretations of the data based on my medical education and experience.
I am not an extremist. I am a real life person that just wants to eat the best I reasonably can.
I am a blank slate. I have no bias. I just crave truth and health.

I will base my arguments off of the literature as well as provide reviews of common media that are spread to the public. I will use my professional training of evaluating literature to pick apart the studies that were used in these resources to see if they truely were conducted in an appropriate manner. I do not consider myself an expert in nutrition at this time but feel I have a firm foundation with my medical physiology and nutrition training
We will discuss all sorts of diseases and diets and foods, (oh my!), one piece of literature at a time. But let me warn you... there are no obvious answers. If there were, I wouldn't be investigating and writing about this controversial topic, would I?

Let me start off by telling you.... exercise and diet are highly under-rated by our society (and even doctors.... but we can't put all the blame on them...more on that later). If you want to feel better almost immediately, I strongly encourage you to start some sort of exercise and try to eat "healthier". This needs to be a lifestyle change or else it won't last obviously. It also needs to be a change in your thought process. Start slow if you need to or go "cold turkey" and change overnight. It's up to you. Just start now. We are in this together.

DISCLAIMER:

This is all my personal opinion. Always discuss your exercise and nutrition plans with your doctor. Different disease states may require different interventions. I do not recommend stopping medications without discussing it with your doctor.

I hope you join me whether you want to change your lifestyle or just find this an interesting topic.

Ready to find the verve body hiding within you?
Let's dive in.

First up: The Food Identity Crisis