Comments on: Live longer to be sick longer?

By: Giselle

Giselle — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:20:28 +0000

Hi Raphael,
Thanks very much for your kind encouragement.
Oesophageal reflux is a condition caused by stomach acid being pushed from the stomach into the oesophagus. This acid burns the oesophageal lining causing discomfort or “heartburn”.
There are no specific diets for reflux management, just some treatment guidelines.
1. First and foremost, have small frequent meals. Aim to have 6 meals a day; volume of each main meal should not exceed that of your clenched fist. This prevents overfilling.
2. Do not drink any fluids at each meal. This includes clear soups, water and fruit juices.
3. Last meal of the day should be light and eaten at least 3 hours before retiring.
4. Avoid or limit alcohol, fatty foods and caffeine-rich foods like black tea, coffee, coke, cocoa and chocolate. These foods may relax the oesophageal sphincter (muscle connecting oesophagus with stomach).
5. Excess body weight aggravates condition. Lose some weight if necessary.
6. Avoid or limit spicy foods like curry, chilli, garlic, onion and black pepper as they may cause “heartburn”.
7. Aim to have a fibre-rich diet to prevent constipation. Straining can exacerbate reflux.

Hope you find these guidelines useful.

By: Raphael

Raphael — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:14:31 +0000

Hi Ms Giselle,
The concept of living longer and in chronic pain is not an appealing thought. I wonder if you could maybe put some information on your web regarding chronic reflux and foods that might help or hinder? I know many who suffer such and anything you could suggest would be well received. You web site is very impressive – excellent balance of good research with some well targeted motivation. I think a lot of our approach to our inner health must start between the ears rather than in the belly or the mouth. Thank you again for this amazing resource and your beaming smile.
Keep up the awesome work.

By: Giselle

Giselle — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:05:42 +0000

Hi Gabrielle,
Good question indeed! First and foremost, congratulations for choosing to have more greens in your diet.
Well, done for taking up roller blading and ice-skating. It does not matter that gyms do not appeal to you. It is more important that you do a sport that you are passionate about, enjoy participating in and strongly desire to get good at. Making a lifestyle change is like running a marathon, it has to last the distance. It is not a sprint by any means at all.
The EPIC study has shown that vegetarians have lower blood pressure, blood cholesterol, lower incidence of Type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.
The Adventist Health Study 2 showed that vegetarianism, nut consumption, physical activity, absence of past smoking and healthy weight, each appear to contribute an extra 2-3 years to ones life expectancy. That is an extra whopping 12.5 healthy years! Certainly something worthwhile fighting for.

By: Gabrielle

Gabrielle — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:58:12 +0000

I find this quite fascinating – we’re not healthier thus living longer, instead we are just sick for longer before we die. Not a nice average, but good to know from a scientist. And to answer your question, I eat more vegetables and I have cut french fries and other deep fried foods pretty much out of my diet. I find that I quite enjoy soups with greens in them (am I weird?).
I also picked some physical exercise hobbies (roller blading and ice skating), as gyms do not appeal to me at all.
My question is, is there anything else I should do? Do you recommend becoming a vegetarian to live longer while remaining healthy? What are the odds for us meat eaters when compared to vegetarians?