Tip #10 – it got our attention!

Dr. Andrew Weil was not a new name in our household when he was featured as the “alternative health guru” on Time Magazine’s cover in 2005. We had a number of his books on our shelves dating back to the 90’s and we had also given his more recent publications as gifts.

In the Time Magazine cover story, “Ten Wellness Tips” were listed in a small inset. “Tip #10” on the list was to “keep fresh flowers in the home for their beauty, fragrance, and the lift they give our spirits.”

Finding flowers on his “wellness list” prompted my signing up for his e-newsletter, and we began adding his recipes to our growing collection.

Food as Medicine 

The e-newsletters about “Inflammation and Alzheimer’s” were attention-getters, of course. Dr. Weil recommended an anti-inflammatory food pyramid – which is very similar to the traditional Mediterranean diet. Our food preferences since farm days had been “Mediterranean-like.” The exception, however, was in always making room for desserts with added sugar and sugary snacks when available between meals.

This changed by 2006, as more information became available about the importance of both reducing sugar intake and understanding “glycemic index.” Now highly motivated  and wanting to do everything possible to be the best we could be, it was time for the next step.

Detoxifying kitchen pantry – a natural progression

So when Dr. Weil posted an article about “detoxifying” kitchen cabinets of sugar, flour, and processed foods, it was no longer a radical idea. By that time, it was a very natural progression for us to respond by removing these from kitchen shelves at the ranch. When we finished, the plastic bushel basket was full. We quickly removed it from the kitchen and have never looked back.

Our anti-inflammatory diet emerged for which we found delicious recipes for Barbara, one of our remarkable caregivers – and a wonderful cook. At least 1-2 times per week, Barbara would prepare a large batch of either a new recipe or an old favorite and store it in small containers in the freezer. To this individual serving of soup, entrée, or casserole, we added fresh produce – a salad, vegetables, and fruit – for an early evening meal.

A Sustainable Nutritional Lifestyle

Without the mid-morning pastries and sweets, we lost our craving for sugar and began to acquire appetites for real food only! At the same time, we began eating foods from the growing organic section as often as available. It was a period of time in which organic foods were becoming consistently available at the Kroger store ten miles away.

With the prominence of salmon and seafood in Dr. Weil’s pyramid, we began to order Wild Alaskan Salmon shipped overnight to the ranch from Kasilof Bay on a regular basis – a practice which I personally continued until departing the US for Mexico. Yes, this was eating like royalty. And yes, this may seem extravagant. But after comparison shopping other sources of salmon, the quality of Wild Alaskan Salmon being so far superior, it was the only one for us to consider.

Once our palates grew accustomed to fresh, organic food, we would not go back. It was our big budget splurge – to source the best quality of whole foods available. Eating out – even in Chicago’s finest restaurants – was never the same.

How would our organic food budget be justified in our modest setting? I sometimes made a mental comparison of the price of organic food with the price of pharmaceuticals. Not personally on any medications, it was important to me as a care partner to take every measure within my toolkit to stay well.

And, yes – it did taste better.

Going cold turkey

When we stopped consuming added sugar, flour, and processed foods, they simply did not have the same appeal. We had stopped cold turkey, but in no way did it feel restrictive as with “diets” of earlier years. Instead, it became a new, lean and liberating lifestyle providing a constant source of energy.

Losing weight was not the goal, but ten pounds slipped away and has never returned. It was to become a sustainable plan for eating well – for life.

Since that period of transition in 2006, we consistently adhered to Dr. Weil’s anti-inflammatory food pyramid. Exceptions were special occasions when food gifts were brought in by guests.

Food As Medicine – Food For Life           

Being very busy at this time in our lives, it would have been easy to revert to fast foods, packaged foods, processed foods . . . but this was never a consideration. Early on, we had removed the TV dinners found in the freezer, for which Mother clearly had no appetite.

We now looked only to whole foods as our “medicine” and “food for life.” We tended to savor food more now. Mother continued to eat these same foods – pureed – upon reaching a stage when it became necessary to puree her food. Almost every day, she still ate heartily. It was a rare day when she did not consume every spoonful to the bottom of each bowl – until approximately 48 hours before her death.

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Andrew Weil, MD – The Power to Inspire a Movement

Dr. Weil is a physician, author of many books, and founder and leader of the Integrative Medicine movement. His early medical practice focused on natural and preventive medicine and diagnosis. In his book, Health and Healing: The Philosophy of Integrative Medicine (1983), he defined “integrative medicine” as the practice of alternative medicine with conventional medical practice being used for health crisis intervention. Emphasizing nutrition, exercise and stress reduction to maintain the body’s natural healing systems, he supports the use of conventional medicine for more radical intervention in the event of health crises.

The Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine has now trained hundreds of physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners in integrative medicine. Integrative medicine programs have now been established at many leading institutions, including the Mayo Clinic, Georgetown, Duke, Columbia University, and Harvard Medical School. He is recognized as an authority for his views on leading a healthy lifestyle, his philosophy of healthy aging, and his critique of the future of medicine and health care.

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Dr. Weil’s anti-inflammatory food pyramid:
www.drweil.com/diet-nutrition/anti-inflammatory-diet-pyramid/dr-weils-anti-inflammatory-food-pyramid/

“Dr. Weil’s head to toe wellness guide”:
www.drweil.com/videos-features/head-to-toe-wellness-guide/dr-weils-head-to-toe-wellness-guide/

More about Integrative Medicine:
https://integrativemedicine.arizona.edu/about/index.html

Website:
www.drweil.com

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Author: Susan Troyer