WHO? You that's who. Healthy is as Healthy does.

[Chef #208121]

Would it suprise you to realize that a LOT of Americans are suffering from malnutrition? Images of starving native children from some far off country or if you are old enough Appalachian children. You couldn't be more wrong. It includes much more. The next time you are stuck behind a school bus take a good look a the children who are getting off. You might find them extremely malnourished.

We followed several school buses for 24 miles one day coming home. Besides taking forever, at every stop I was able to watch the children. The great majority were not plump. They were fat, obese or whatever term you would choose to call it. Some were morbidly obese. I stated "I don't remember all the kids were that fat when I was in school" I was right.

"Zimmet, an expert on diabetes at Monash University in Australia, said that overweight people now outnumber the undernourished The World Health Organization's estimates agree: globally, there are one billion overweight adults, and 300 million of them are obese; in contrast, about 800 million do not have enough to eat. Today obesity is a problem mainly in rich countries, but the WHO estimates that by 2010 the developing world will have more than caught up."

To quote WHO [The World Health Organization]:



WHO has traditionally focused on the vast magnitude of the many forms of nutritional deficiency, along with their associated mortality and morbidity in infants, young children and mothers. However, the world is also seeing a dramatic increase in other forms of malnutrition characterized by obesity and the long-term implications of unbalanced dietary and lifestyle practices that result in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes.

All forms of malnutrition's broad spectrum are associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and economic costs, particularly in countries where both under- and overnutrition co-exist as is the case in developing countries undergoing rapid transition in nutrition and life-style.



Getting Started

Evalutate the current diet by keeping a journal. It doesn't have to be a long one. Just keep a list for a 3 day period of normal eating and record EVERYTHING that goes into your stomach.

To quote the Dietbite site and many others about the journal who are concerned about malnutrition in overweight populations: " How many [foods] are green? Yellow? White? Red? And we're not talking about green icing, yellow cheese chips, white gravy and red licorice"

Also keep a list of your daily activities for a week. If you walk to the bathroom. Keep a list of it. That's an activity. Now if you are walking to the outhouse it is a bit better than across the room but hey... We have sanitation codes.



You might also find the FAO priority areas page interesting for these links:
Ethics in Food and Agriculture, Organic Agriculture, Sustainable Livelyhoods, Gender and Food Security, Climate Change, Biosecuity, Biodiversity

More Links and References:
Feeding Minds Fighting Hunger This link is designed for children, teachers and young adults.

News link for your country on Agriculture and Farming and Nutrition . Simply check the right hand side at the top where you see the world map. There will be a drop down box. Click it and pick your country and find out what the breaking news is.

Nutrition and Consumer Protection from FAO

Setting up and running a School Garden for Education

FAO Nutritional publications such as Household Food Security and Community Nutrition, Nutritional requirements, Nutritional Assessment

My son is anemic and has high cholesterol and he's overweight

Bodybuilding on Obese and Malnourished/Quality of food.

Self Esteem Impacts Obese Children

AND Remember before making any changes please please check with your doctor to make sure that it is alright for you to do so.

About WHO:
"The World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health. It was established on 7 April 1948. WHO's objective, as set out in its Constitution, is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. Health is defined in WHO's Constitution as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

WHO is governed by 193 Member States through the World Health Assembly. The Health Assembly is composed of representatives from WHO's Member States. The main tasks of the World Health Assembly are to approve the WHO programme and the budget for the following biennium and to decide major policy questions. "

[Chef #208121]

Ways to improve even a Vegan/ Vegetarian Diet

Limit Sodium Intake
Most of you know that you need to cut the sodium. However did you know so do the Vegetarians and Vegans? Most consume 4 to 6 times as much salt as you actually need. Just a bit less than Omnivores.

How? Processed foods. Chips, nuts, canned foods are among the causes.

Why should I stop? Heart Disease. Stroke. Calcium Loss especially to Vegans.

What can I do? Keep your intake to less than 1,500 mg or no more than 400 mg a meal.

Phil's five cents? This is honestly going to take some work. I know. Because of the wife's congestive heart failure the doctor recommended no more than 2000 mg a day thinking she was an Omnivore. However we quickly discovered that was way to high for her.

READ packages. Watch for hidden sodium. Don't add any extra. Use no salt seasonings instead such as Mrs. Dash or No Salt Spike.

Before you pick up that salt shaker remember:

One-quarter teaspoon of salt has 582 mg of sodium.
One-half teaspoon of salt has 1,163 mg of sodium.
One teaspoon of salt has 2,325 mg of sodium.

Low Sodium recipes:
Uncle Bill's Microwave Potato Chips

Strawberry Julius [YOU control what goes into it]
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Israeli Rice and Lentil Stew with Cumin and Garlic

Cinnamon Oranges

Lemon & Garlic Spinach

Cucumber Salad

Portabello Pizzettas
Swiss Muesli
Veggie Burgers [Do you know the sodium on your favorite processed veggie burger?]
Jamaican Garden Salad I use a low sodium dressing instead.
Chilled Moroccan Tomato Soup

Briami ala Bergy (Vegetable casserole)

A One Week Low Sodium Vegan Menu from Vegetarian Journal

And more interesting healthy Vegetarian or Vegan low sodium dishes on Zaar. Note I choose to use 300 mg as the search. You can use the Nutritional feature of the sifter to adjust that to 400.



Limit Sugar Intake
To quote Vegetarian Journal "What is true for Sodium and Vegetarians and Vegans is true for sugar" We consume as much as the Average American. 100 pounds of sugar a year. Not only is it too much for a Vegan/Vegetarian. It's too much for the Average American. That cookie in the window be it Vegan or not will make you fat.

How? Processed foods again. Fructose corn syrup. Hidden sugars.

Why should I limit my intake: Obesity, Cancer, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Oral Health. Also these foods tend to replace those which are better sounder nutritional choices.

What can I do? There is no nutritional requirement for your daily dose of sugar. Go as low as you can. Without adding any food will provide all most people need. Choose what you do consume wisely and adjust the amount to the energy expended in a day. [Now why did you think I told you to keep the activity journal?]

Phil's five cents:
Learn to read the packages [you are going to hear that repeatedly] Learn common terms for hidden sugars. Don't add any if you don't have to.

How Low can you go?


Basic Machine French Bread

Baja Black Beans, Corn and Rice
Garden Vegetable Soup
Simple and Quick Banana Cinnamon Oatmeal [use sweetener of your choice but limit amount]

Yogurt Fruit Bars

Irish Soda Bread
Apple Pineapple Crisp No Sugar No Flour
KitchenAid Crusty Pizza Dough

Fruit and Yogurt Treat

Fruit Chewy Cookies With No Added Sugar

Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies
Mixed Fruit Mousse
Strawberry Sherbet
No Sugar Apple Pie
Moist Christmas Cake (no added sugar or fat)
Dana's No-sugar Ketchup [Have you looked at the back of your Ketchup bottle lately?]
Herbed Pita Bread - No Fat No Sugar
No Sugar Homemade Taco Seasoning
No Flour No Sugar Pancakes
No Sugar Dry Barbecue Rub
Quick Homemade Applesauce - No Sugar Added
Sugar Free/Wheat Free/No Fake Sweeteners Cheesecake



Choose mostly whole grains

How? White flour is what is left after you remove the bran and germ of the grain. There goes most of the fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Use whole grain flours and products in place of it.

Why should I? Fiber is needed for weight loss, colon health. Do I need to explain about the antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Enriched you say? But you are paying them to put back what they took out. And they don't do as good of job as Mother Nature did in the first place.

What can I do? Use Whole grain bread and pasta. Add Barley, Quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, spelt, kamut to your diet. Use Brown rice not white rice.

Recipe Ideas
Kamut Pancakes
Buttermilk Kamut Waffles
Kamut Pizza
Amaranth
Amaranth Soda Bread
Amaranth Walnut Patties
Red Berry Pudding with Amaranth

Spelt Bread

Spelt Flour Flatbread
Amaranth-Sunflower-Spelt Bread

Barley Morocco
barley risotto

Barley Soup With Root Vegetables

Orzotto Con Zucca (Barley & Pumpkin Risotto)
Buckwheat Peppers

Buckwheat-Apple Muesli
Buckwheat Pilaf
Buckwheat Noodles with Mushroom Sauce

Quinoa Pilaf With Cardamom and Sage

Quinoa En Salpicon

Quinoa Granola Bars [or you can just make the Granola]
Tropical Quinoa Cereal à La Mode
Quinoa Stir Fry W/ Spinach and Walnuts



Fats [Focus, Reduce, Eliminate]

Oh come back. Don't run off screaming. I won't make you eat our 5% fat diet.

HOWEVER [you didn't think you would get away free did you?]

How? Even Vegetarian Diets may be high in saturated fat especially if they are Lacto and/or Ovo. But Vegans don't escape either. Palm oil, coconut oil, and trans fats in partially hydrogenated vegetables oils account for that fat also.

Why should I cut back? Can you say Heart Disease? Cancer?

What can I do? Choose healthier oils if you must cook with them. Olive, canola and natural occurring oils in intact avocados, nuts and seeds are best. Watch how much you use. Even healthy oils can be unhealthy used in excess.

DO get your Omega 3s. Sources that are not fish include: ground flax seed, hemp seed, flax oil and walnuts. Don't deep fry that tofu. Avoid frying. Instead steam or use other methods of cooking. And yes those Vegan cookies have it in too... so learn to read your labels.



Control Intake of Processed Foods

Currently, approximately 90% of the money that Americans spend on food is used to buy processed foods Do you know what is in your processed foods?

Shall we have a Burger King Strawberry Shake? It's safe for Vegans and Vegetarians right? Lets see it contains: Amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenylglycidate, ethyl Nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerbate, heliotropin, hydroxyphrenyl-2butanone (10% solution in alcohol), a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose, rum ether, g-undecalactone, vanillin, and solvent. [from Schiosser E. “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal”. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin, 2001]

Or is it? What is half that stuff? And should I put it into me?

What can I do?

Well if you missed it somehow read the first steps labeled Sodium, Fat, Sugar and whole grains. Processed foods are high in all of these but they are low in Whole Grains. And yes your subs such as Vegetarian Deli Slices, Fake chicken or bacon are processed foods. While you may not object to the looks or taste, they simply aren't healthy as the other choices. They should not be a major part of your diet. Try less processed such as Tempeh, tofu, soymilk, Braggs.

Mayo Clinic: Why is processed food so salty?
Myths and Facts about Processed Foods
Processed Foods and Transfats
BBC: Eat Less Processed Foods. "Processed foods are to blame for the sharp rise in obesity levels and chronic disease around the globe, according to the World Health Organization"

And try a Zaar milkshake. Strawberry Milk Shake You can even use ice cream you made. Classic vanilla ice-cream



6 Eat your DGLV [Dark Green Leafy Vegetables]

These are high in anti-oxidants. They help prevent cancer. They are low in all the guilty things we just listed and they don't cost a lot either. Again Vegetarians are close to the consumption of Omnivores. In fact to quote Vegetarian Journal is is marginally better by a huge... 1/4 cup. All need to increase the consumption of these vegetables.

Dark green vegetables
Szechuan Bok Choy

Spelt with sesame and bok choy

Baby Bok Choy Stir Fry With Beans & Onions
Sesame Bok Choy
Wilted Garlic Bok Choy

Broccoli With Garlic and White Wine: Broccoli Con Aglio E Frasca
Broccoli Tomatoes Saute'

Cauliflower and Broccoli With Roasted Garlic

Awesome Collard Greens
Grilled Collard Greens [Use the butter version]
Vegan Collard Greens, Peppers, and Pinto Beans
Easy Vegetarian Collard Greens
Kale Chips
Curried Chickpeas & Kale
Kale-Corn Fritters

Greek Kale Salad
Mesclun Salad With Shallot Vinagrette

Stir Fry Mesclun Lettuce for 2
Mesclun With Fresh Herbs and Earl Grey-Balsamic Vinaigrette
Masala Mustard Greens Patties
Easy Spicy Kale & Mustard Greens

Salata Marouli (Romaine Lettuce Salad)
Vegan Cream of Romaine Lettuce Soup?! With Garlic Mushrooms And

Green Salad With Romaine Lettuce and Mangoes
Mediterranean Spinach
Turkish Spinach

Tasty Spinach
Vegetable Pot Pie
Gumbo Z'herbs or Gumbo Verte

Steamed Vegetable Medley
Chopped Vegetable Salad
Watercress Salad With Red Onion and Chopped Egg Vinaigrette
Watercress Pate

And use a dark green leafy lettuce in place of lettuce in salads.

Dark Green Leafy Vegetables from Young Woman's Health
AICR: Foods That Fight Cancer:
Dark Green Leafy Vegetables



7 Know where you get your minerals

Why? bones, anemia, thyroid function, immune systems, growth and development are dependent on minerals. You can find them in lots of foods. Like those dark green leafy vegetables we just talked about.

Kid's Health: Minerals
US Gov Fact sheets on minerals
Essential Minerals

What can I do?
Collards, Kale, fortified tofu and soymilk, soybeans for calcium.

Beans, those greens, and whole grains for Iron and eat some oranges or tomatoes or cantaloupe with them to increase the absorption because of the vitamin C. Remember that some foods such as tea, coffee and dairy will inhibit absorption. If you are pregnant or pre menopausal you might need supplements.

Beans, beans, beans, beans, beans, beans, onions and beans
Simple Boiled Great Northern Beans/Pinto Beans

Caramelized Onions & Fava Beans (broad Beans)
Tasty Beans Tropico (Honolulu Skillet Beans)

Use Sea vegetables for Iodine as well as iodized salt. If you want to limit your salt intake use the Sea Vegetables and/or take a supplement.

Seaweed Noodles
Japanese Noodle Soup
Rice With Carrot and Hijiki
Hijiki Rice Salad
Simple Japanese Stock
Basic Vegetable Japanese Style Stock
Shiitake Dashi

For Zinc use dried beans, oatmeal, wheat germ, spinach, nuts and soy products with adzuki beans and pumpkin seeds. Vegetarians need a higher than RDA because of reduced absorption.



8 Understand your Vitamin D

Why is it important? bone formation, cancer prevention, calcium absorption especially for low intake.

What can I do? This actually is skin dependent and location dependent. If you are a fair individual such as a Nordic Blonder, you can get enough of it simply by making sure your face and hands are uncovered for 15 minutes a day and exposed to sunlight IF you don't live in Boston and it is not Christmas Day. If you are darker or a senior or you don't go into the sun often [think night shift] then you might need a supplement even if it is July 4th. Sounds like a bad math quiz doesn't it?

US Fact Sheet on D helps explain it. Note the food sources they list are either lacto/ovo or non vegetarian.

More information about it at Whole foods
Vegan Sources



9 B12

This one is a problematic area for Vegetarians. It requires a concentrated effort to get this and there is more bad news. Some of us lack what is needed to digest this from foods taken. That means if you are a Meat eater you can still not get the B12 you need. The only way for these individuals to get the needed B 12 in their diet is sublingual or shot. How do I know? I just put my sublingual B 12 under my tongue. I am one of them.

For those who can digest the proper amount you have more choices. For Vegans: Supplements of course but also Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula nutritional yeast, fortified cereals or soymilk or pill supplements are also options.
For Lacto or Ovo Vegetarians include dairy products or free-range eggs.

The Vegan Society on B 12
Vegetarian Sources


Double-Bean Pasta With Tomatoes
Black-Eyed Pea Pâté
Yummy Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip
Victorious Vegetable Stock

Fried Tofu

Scrambled Tofu
Vegan French Toast
Cheese Sauce (Vegan)



Exercise

And you are about as likely to exercise as non vegetarians. Exercise is disease prevention, bone density preservation, cardiovascular improving but many of us don't. Do as much as you can and include all areas. Cardiovascular [walk walk walk], weight bearing [walk walk walk.. I like lifting weights myself], and stretching and flexibility [yoga anyone?]. However simply decrease the dependence on machines to do your work and to transport you will do a great deal of good. Walk the three blocks to the post office. Carry your groceries don't use a pull cart to and from the store. Park as far away from the mall as you can. Walk up those steps to the office don't take the elevator.

Starting an Exercise Program
CNN: Five steps to getting started
About.com's advice on starting

And you could always visit our own forum Active Lifestyles

AND ALWAYS make sure you check with your family doctor before making lifestyle or diet changes.

[Cookie16]

Thank you for the information and recipes.

I added many of the recipes to my cookbook as I am always looking for something new to entice the kids to eat better. They are not overweight and get lots of exercise but they don't eat well. They don't eat much junk, fast food and sweets but they also don't eat many vegetables and I am always looking for something else to serve them in the hope that I will find something they like!

[Molidol]

WOW! Awesome job philocrates. I'm sure I speak for many when I say thank you for all the work you put into this.

I will be adding as many of the recipes as possible. I exercise 5 days a week and I'm slim, but I have such a hard time eating my veggies. I'm a very picky eater. My dad says I eat like a bird.

Thanks again for the inspiration.
Molly