<![CDATA[Seeds Of Hope - Cultivating Wellness Blog]]>

<![CDATA[Seeds Of Hope - Cultivating Wellness Blog]]>Thu, 21 May 2026 15:00:40 -0700Weebly<![CDATA[Fiber: Key to Keeping You Skinny & Obesity-Related Disease Free!]]>Mon, 19 Mar 2018 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.seedsofhopela.org/cultivating-wellness-blog/fiber-key-to-keeping-you-skinny-obesity-related-disease-freeA missing ingredient in many processed foods linked to huge health benefits
March 19, 2018
Steve Trapasso, Program Coordinator for Seeds of Hope’s Garden-Based Nutrition Education Program

Fiber is the missing ingredient in most processed foods that are a big part of the western diet. This is unfortunate, because a diet rich in fiber has long been known to reduce the risk of many morbidities.

Diabetes, heart disease and even arthritis are just some of the ailments whose risks are reduced when a diet rich in fiber is consumed. It even lowers mortality rates!
Now that we all know that eating fiber is good for us, notably the kind found in fruits and vegetables, we are curious about the underlying reason. Well, recent research suggests that the fiber we are consuming is the main source of food for our beneficial gut microbiota (good bacteria).

This is important in multiple ways. Researchers at Georgia State University found that when feeding mice a low fiber, high fat diet (similar to our own Western Diet) their beneficial gut bacteria plummeted because their food source (fiber) was cut off. Along with changes to the bacteria, researchers also observed changes to the mice themselves. Their intestines got smaller, and its mucus layer thinner. As a result, bacteria wound up much closer to the intestinal wall, and that encroachment triggered an immune reaction. This immune reaction led to rapid inflammation that became chronic, with the mice developing metabolic syndrome and obesity within a few days. The problem with chronic inflammation is that it may interfere with how the body uses the calories in food, storing more of it as fat rather than burning it for energy.

After seeing these results, researchers began adding fiber to the diets of the mice and immediately saw the health of the mice improve. Their good bacteria levels increased, inflammation decreased and weight declined significantly. However, doctors caution that using only one type of fiber can limit its potential health impacts. They say this is because we depend on a number of different kinds of dietary fiber from plants. It’s possible that each type of fiber feeds a particular set of bacteria, which send their own important signals to our bodies regarding immunity, inflammation and overall health. The hypothesis that certain types of fiber have specific bacteria tailored to consume them gives us more evidence that eating a well-rounded, varied, fiber rich diet is best for optimal health.

With this in mind, we would do well to seek out foods that are packed with fiber. These foods include: green vegetables, orange vegetables, raspberries, pears, apples, almonds, every type of bean and whole grains such as quinoa, oats and whole wheat cereals and pastas.

]]><![CDATA[A Salad a Day Keeps Alzheimer's Away]]>Mon, 12 Mar 2018 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.seedsofhopela.org/cultivating-wellness-blog/a-salad-a-day-keeps-alzheimers-awayEat the apple a day... and a salad too!
March 12, 2018
Steve Trapasso, Program Coordinator for Seeds of Hope’s Garden-Based Nutrition Education Program

That’s right, according to a new study published in the journal Neurology, eating just one serving of leafy greens a day can slow cognitive decline in aging adults. More specifically, over five years, in a linear mixed scientific model adjusted for age, sex, education, participation in cognitive activities, physical activities, smoking, and seafood and alcohol consumption; consumption of green leafy vegetables was associated with slower cognitive decline.

The green leafy vegetables most associated with these results include all types of lettuce, green spinach, kale and collard greens. These greens contain phylloquinone (One of the K Vitamins, essential for blood clotting), lutein (carotenoid, keeps eyes hydrated and protects against atherosclerosis) , nitrate (in small doses it widens arteries, allowing blood to flow more freely), folate (decreases odds of birth defects in newborns, can prevent stroke), α-tocopherol (one of the E Vitamins, helps prevent diseases of the heart and blood vessels), and kaempferol (flavonol, reduce the risk of various cancers). These nutrients are likely to work together only in foods to have the effect the study suggests. When these nutrients are synthesized and singled out, taken in supplement form, they do not have the same effect.

Twice during the study researchers gave cognitive tests covering memory, spatial ability and perceptual speed, those who ate the most leafy greens had a mental acuity equivalent to 11 years younger than those who had little or no leafy greens intake.
Seeds of Hope has been preaching “A Salad a day” since we started our nutrition education programs in 2014. We have nothing against the apple, but studies like these prove a salad a day can make you younger in mind and reduce risk of ailments in old age. We regularly make healthful, delicious, affordable salads in our cooking classes, accompanying them with healthy homemade dressings ranging from garlicky lemon olive oil to balsamic to ranch. Visit our website or facebook page for the latest class schedule.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/well/mind/a-salad-a-day-may-be-good-for-brain-health.html
http://n.neurology.org/content/early/2017/12/20/

]]><![CDATA[Let Food Be Thy Medicine]]>Tue, 12 Dec 2017 08:00:00 GMThttps://www.seedsofhopela.org/cultivating-wellness-blog/let-food-be-thy-medicineThree quarters of all medical schools in the U.S. offer no training in nutrition
December 12, 2017
Steve Trapasso, Program Coordinator for Seeds of Hope’s Garden-Based Nutrition Education Program

Perhaps the reason that so few doctors discuss nutrition with their patients is because the medical school they attended did not offer any courses in the subject. Even when seeing a patient with a diet-related illness most doctors do not discuss nutrition. This is a serious cause for concern, as five out of the top ten causes of death in the United States are diet related. If we know that health and nutrition are directly linked, every medical school should be offering nutrition and cooking coursework for future clinicians.

In a recent Journal of the American Medical Association opinion piece, two clinicians, Scott Kahan, MD, MPH; and JoAnn Manson, MD, DrPH; argue that their colleagues can do better in treating patients with chronic, diet-related disease through nutrition counseling. They highlight the reasons why doctors have not focused on nutrition in the past, and offer concrete suggestions for doctors who continually see patients suffering with diet-related illnesses.
Kahan and Manson also discovered that another reason doctors do not focus on nutrition is the fact that they cannot bill for nutrition counseling, though they can bill for prescribing medications or referring to certain specialties. This causes a disincentive to focus on nutrition and deters them from taking concrete steps to wean patients off medications. The Affordable Care Act has gone a long way toward making prevention a key pillar of overall health, but doctors are still unable to continually bill for “prevention” office visits.

Here are some concrete steps that Kahan and Manson suggest doctors can take to address nutrition and diet-related chronic diseases as recommended by their colleagues:

Start the conversation. Today, only 12% of doctor visits include any discussion of nutrition or diet whatsoever. That number needs to rise, because unhealthy eating contributes to more than 50% of deaths from heart disease.
Structure the encounter with patients using a specific screening tool, motivational interviewing and small commitments.
Focus on small steps patients can take that will have a large impact. (eg: Substituting water for soda at every meal, switching from products made with white flour to those made with whole grain, giving up meat once a week).
Be positive. Avoid discouraging patients by telling them not eat or drink this or that. Instead, focus on encouragement by suggesting the addition of healthful foods and water to their meals. Eventually, as new eating habits take hold, the unhealthful foods will become less a part of their diet.

Doctors and clinicians, by taking diet and nutrition seriously, can go a long way in shifting the their patients’ understanding of how food and health correlate and connect. This is a call to action for Doctors and clinicians.

We are hopeful that more and more medical schools will offer nutrition and culinary medicine training to their students. The change will come in direct response to medical students demanding more training and coursework in nutrition due to the increase in diet-related illnesses they see every day.

Seeds of Hope encourages all patients to start the conversation about nutrition and health with their doctor and to ask about reducing reliance on medications through diet and exercise. When more and more patients ask about these topics, more and more hospital groups and clinical practices will begin to respond.

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