Diet Pill Death Shouldn’t Destroy Your Hope

Won't be long before they're pushing diet pills for him

Weighing In On the Risks of the "Quick Fix"

Another diet pill bit the dust. Last week, the FDA killed the promise of a quick fix for losing weight. They demanded of Orexigen Therapeutics a long-term study for safety, concerned about the possible risk of heart attacks that might result from use of Contrave, it’s new product. Apparently Contrave had already demonstrated success in raising blood pressure, something those with obesity hardly need to add to their woes.

So why a post on this? I am delighted with FDA’s stand, yet alarmed by the details of diet drug and laxative availability and the potential harm to users. Meridia, for instance, another useless diet pill, approved for 13 years, was only recently removed due to a 16 % increased risk of heart attack, stroke and death.

Chai, not Senna tea!

Some weeks ago I was visiting my mother, searching her cupboard for a tea I would like. “Dieter’s Tea” popped out, a product I was unfamiliar with. My mother, of course, didn’t purchase this product, but rather was given it “by a friend”. The box was open, but she had never tried it. No, she had no idea what was in it or how it “worked”. 

So I read the ingredients, and then began to Google. My greatest concern was the Senna. You know, that natural plant substance that helps constipation. Gotta be healthy, right? And here’s one of the many articles that confirmed my suspicion: http://www.livestrong.com/article/121254-dangers-senna-tea/

Because it is over the counter, readily available, comes without a warning, and marketed as a natural remedy, it is most worrisome. Because I know people are seeking a quick fix. And they are not researching the ingredients and their risks while at the supermarket deciding between Earl Grey and Dieter’s Tea.

 So back to Contrave.

At best, subjects lost 4.3 % more weight, compared to placebo, the fake stuff. If you’re 5’4” 175 lbs,, with a BMI 30, you’re considered obese, making you eligible to use a prescription diet drug.

In 12 months, that amounts to just over 1/2 pound additional weight lost per month, 2 ounces more weight lost per week. Wow! Rapid? Significant, even? Enough to justify the cost, either financially or medically? And risk free? Hardly.

Interesting, no?

How much health benefit would you gain from that additional 2 oz. per week?  And self esteem? Would it change how you see yourself? And would it justify the unknown risks? The potential changes in blood pressure and increased heart disease risk?

And how necessary is it anyway to lose weight if we are obese, but fit? Yes, those two phrases can exist side by side!

Some months ago, the promise of a new medication for MS hit the news. A pill, the very first, to offer hope for those of us living with this potentially debilitating disease. The advantages were clear. Swallow daily, or inject daily or multiple times weekly. And the studies showed the medication to be at least as effective as the injectables.

Aren’t you thrilled, friends and family asked, knowing my 8-year history with this illness? Yet all I could think about was the cost. Not financial, as I am fortunate enough to have good insurance coverage. But the risk of this new med, with its list of horrific potential side effects, including blindness and fatal herpes infection, to name a few.

Now if the benefit strongly outweighed the risk, it might be worth it. But, thankfully, I am not debilitated by my disease. I am lucky enough to be able to engage in all activities I care to. And it’s possible that you, at your current weight, may not be debilitated, even if your doctor sees your weight as the number one “disease” for you to tackle. See my point?

We all want a magic bullet, for everything. So we’re drawn to lottery tickets, diet pills, surgical fixes for whatever might hold promise of a better life.

Would a new diet pill really change anything, even, if compared to placebo, it took off 5 % more of your weight? Because that’s enough weight change necessary to get it approved.

Disturbing photo from the MFA, Boston

Finally, those of you at the low end of the scale may cling to the benefits of staying there. The fear of change keeps you focusing only on the positives of where you’re at. Is it really so positive? Is the benefit of your eating disorder really greater than the costs, physically, psychologically, socially?

Reminds me of how we remember old boyfriends (or girlfriends). We longingly recall all the great times, how wonderful it was being together. Until we reality check and remember—I was miserable with him!

In summary, be an accountant. Look at the list of benefits of staying where you are, in terms of weight and behaviors. Then give some serious thought to the negatives, the risks. And hopefully the risk of taking diet pills, laxatives, and cleanses in addition to your own unhealthy actions, will be reconsidered.

As always, I'm eager to hear your opinions!

Well, stone the (expletive deleted) crows!

Mum got a letter from the DWP today requesting her new address. I gave it to her to read.


Two fuels for the brain are definitely better than one. When I returned to the home after lunch, I found that an agency carer had given mum chocolate pudding for dessert, as she hadn't been informed about mum's low-carb diet. Mum was semi-conscious. It's now written in the book.

I found Brian/Brianna on my driveway this morning, so I moved him/her to a safer place.


The wet weather is bringing out the amphibians. I nearly trod on a frog during my walk last night. I ran home to get my camera (my phone doesn't have a flash) but when I returned, he/she had hopped it.

My Gluten-Free January

I've been avoiding most gluten, particularly wheat, for over a year now. I never had obvious symptoms that I could clearly link to eating wheat, although I had my suspicions. I've made many changes to my diet over the last decade, and I feel much better than I did ten years ago, but it's hard to disentangle all the factors. I don't think I ever went an entire month without eating any gluten at all before this January. After posting Matt Lentzner's challenge to go gluten-free this January, I felt obligated to do it myself, so I signed up!

I succeeded in avoiding all gluten for the month of January, even though it was a pain at times. I felt good before January, and didn't start with any health or body weight problems, so there wasn't much to improve. I also felt good while strictly avoiding gluten this January, perhaps a little better than usual but it's hard to say.

At the end of the month, I did a blinded wheat challenge using the method I described in a previous post, which uses gluten-free bread as the placebo (1). I recorded my blood sugar at 30 minute intervals after eating the bread, and recorded how I felt physically and emotionally for three days after each challenge.

The result? I think the bread gave me gas, but that's about it. I'm not even positive that was due to the wheat. My energy level was good, and I didn't experience any digestive pain or changes in transit time. There was no significant difference in my blood glucose response between the bread and the gluten-free bread.

I decided that I didn't have any symptoms, so I celebrated by having a porter (1) with friends a few nights later. I slept poorly and woke up with mild digestive discomfort and gas. Then I ate wheat later in the week and slept poorly and got gas again. Hmmm...

Some people might say that the body adapts to any food, and wheat is no different. Go without it for a while, and the body has a tough time digesting it. But I can go for weeks without eating a potato, a chicken thigh or broccoli, and all will digest just fine when I eat them again.

I'm pretty sure I don't have a severe reaction to gluten. I think I'm going to stick with my mostly gluten-free habits, and eat it occasionally when I'm offered food in social situations.

Did anyone else do a blinded wheat challenge? Describe it in the comments!

Credit where credit's due.

I've had a busy day today. In the morning I got a man in to fix a broken underground sewer pipe. It was broken when I moved into the house in 1991, but I was quoted £600 to dig up the path and replace the pipe back then. I couldn't afford that, so I rodded the pipe every few years to clear any blockages.

In the spirit of New beginnings, I decided to "get it sorted". So I got a man who knows about these things in. It cost under £100 to do the job, as the whole pipe didn't need to be replaced. That's Karl Gratton, Aldershot, Hants. 07851 894256. Here's an "after" photo after chucking a couple of buckets of water down to clear the cobwebs. I didn't take a "before" photo, but there was a hole in the bottom of the inspection chamber (now cemented) as well as the broken pipe.


After Karl left, I walked to my local Waitrose. By pavement, it's a 20 minute walk, so I took a short-cut through the woods. It was pouring with rain, the path was very muddy and full of puddles. I felt a strange sensation....


My soles had cracked. Oh, wow! What an amazingly heavy bummer!

When I got to Waitrose, I was dismayed to see that they had sold out of Burgen Soya & Linseed bread, as I had a 50p coupon that expired that day. Two assistants (Sally & Barbara) told me that I could get 50p off on a future visit if I showed them the coupon. I bought some nosh as a treat for the soggy walk home. While I was waiting at the checkout, Sally (or maybe Barbara) approached me, holding a loaf of Burgen. Now that's what I call customer service! That's Waitrose, Tresham Crescent, Yateley, Hants, GU46 6FR - 01252 861888.

EDIT: When I'm in Henley, I have lunch at Jay's Kitchen. I phone/text my order in advance and get a freshly-cooked Full English (2 bacon, 2 sausage, 2 egg, baked beans, fried onions, mushrooms & tomatoes) for £3. There's a table & 2 chairs on the pavement. That's Jay's Kitchen, Newtown Rd, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.


EDIT: Today (16th February), I got this:-


EDIT: Just around the corner, also on Newtown Rd is a car wash done by hand. A basic wash is £6 and a full inside & outside clean is £12. I was given a free bottle of water to drink.

And finally...

I want to give credit to....Gary Taubes *sound of people fainting*. His curate's egg Good Calories, Bad Calories is good, in parts. The parts about the Diet-Heart Hypothesis, I completely agree with, as I have read The Great Cholesterol Con by Anthony Colpo, which pretty much ties-up with The Great Cholesterol Con by Dr Malcolm Kendrick, which pretty much ties-up with Ignore the awkward! How the cholesterol myths are kept alive by Uffe Ravnskov. See also The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics.

Here's a picture to warm the cockles of your heart.

When you get the bad parts sorted, we'll stop prodding you with a pointy stick!

Pure Food And Wine

Hi Liana, eating out and socializing is a major part of my life and work. I want to fulfil living a healthy lifestyle at the same time. Are you able to recommend any restaurants and places to eat out, that use majority of their ingredients naturally provided by the earth? I am primarily based in Manhattan, New York. - Harry

Hi Harry!

In Manhattan I would recommend the raw food restaurant called 'Pure Food and Wine'.

Their menu is entirely plant based and does not use any processed ingredients! (woohooo!) It is so refreshing to find a restaurant that focuses on ingredients naturally provided by the earth.

I was there last Thursday with Andrew and we had the most amazing and fulfilling experience. The food is divine, and the people who work there and eat there are equally as great. It always seems to be a certain kind of people who gather at places like Pure Food And Wine, that all share the same intention of quality food, health and connectedness.

The head chef is Nikki Bennett who started out as the intern and now specializes in 'organic ingredients and handcrafted flavors that rejuvenate the body, mind and planet'! Very cool :) Nikki shared with me how she loves creating new menus from season to season and that they are always coming up with fun ingredients to create fresh new recipes - it's nice to know your food is made with love! ;) "And save room for dessert" she told me, "People don't except to be full with raw foods, so they order a lot and it is actually extremely filling. We use quality fats; coconuts, nuts and avocados". Yum avocado - my favourite!

My favourite drink on their menu is the 'Avocolada' created with pineapple, avocado, coconut juice, agave and lime. It is thick, sweet and creamy :) They have lots of other fruit smoothies and shakes, and the menu will work for you even if you’re on a detox! If you want something a little more indulgent you could try one of their wines. Andrew had an Australian red wine 'The Hedonist'. They also have organic beer for the beer drinkers ;)

We shared an appetizer the 'Taco Salad' so we could keep room for dessert ;) I especially recommend it if you like the taste of regular sour cream - I am sure you will get a kick out of how similar raw sour cream made with nuts tastes like the 'real' thing! Its other ingredients are romaine lettuce, spicy taco crumble (delicious!), pico de gallo (tomato, onion, chilli), guacamole, cashew sour cream and cilantro-lime dressing. A delicious and light meal with a spicy bite :) You can also purchase this as a takeaway!

I chose the raw Sushi Rolls for my main. Jicama was the 'rice'. I have been exploring jicama recently. It is part of the turnip family and is a great food for raw recipes like pasta pesto and raw French fries although I had never tried it as rice and it was surprisingly alike! They are also made from marinated shitake, avocado, asparagus, red pepper, wasabi and nama shoyu. Andrew had the Portabella and Hempseed Burger. He could not believe how small it looked when Lizzie served it and yet he could not finish his last bites, although I was happy to eat it for him hehe! I love anything with hempseeds - they have a delicious light and nutty flavour while also being extremely high in protein. Hemp seed contains albumin and 65% globulin edistin, the highest level of any nutritional seed. Hemp seed was used successfully in Czechoslovakia to treat the nutritional deficits consequent to tuberculosis, a disease which blocks nutrition. Read more about hemp at this link http://theearthdiet.blogspot.com/2010/02/day-114.html

Raw food can be quite misleading, they may look small and compact, and it may sound unfulfilling, but because it is raw it is extremely nutrient dense. Usually a raw foodist will eat more, absorb more nutrients and consume less calories. On a raw food diet the body intakes so many more nutrients with less amount of food, and the body will experience fulfilment much sooner than if we were to eat processed or cooked foods. But if you don't eat it all, no worries, they pack it in an adorable little 'One Lucky Duck' carry bag.

One Lucky Duck is known for a definitive source for raw and organic, eco-happy daily living. It was created by Sarma Melngailis who is also the founder of Pure Food And Wine.

If you’re new to raw food and not sure what to order, there is a 3 course prix fixe menu that includes Tortilla Wraps and Tiramisu! Another safe choice would be the Lasagana! It is one of their most popular dishes and uses zucchini instead of pasta, nut cheese instead of regular cheese, and fresh herbs, spices and tomatoes. It is an extremely rich dish.

If you are a meat eater, you could still enjoy dining here. Nikki says that alot of meat eaters go there and are surprised that they like it. Remember it's more filling than you think ;) To learn more about raw foods click this link http://theearthdiet.blogspot.com/2010/01/day-72.html

For dessert Andrew had the Moon Pie which is a chocolate brownie vanilla cream sandwhich. Desserts are my favourite part of eating raw! They are created with whole ingredients like the cacao bean and are extremely rich. I am usually not the one to leave any dessert, but I could not finish my Chocolate Ganache Tart! It is refreshing to be able to eat a dessert that is dairy free, soy free, gluten free, sugar free, chemical free, preservative free and artificial anything free! Pure Food And Wine even have an entire kitchen section for desserts that is run by Becky Flammino :) mmm.
"It's fun to come to the restaurant and see what we do with food" - Nikki. Not only can eating out be enjoyable socially, it can also be authentically healthy. Nikki showed me through the kitchen, which was shiny, clean, and filled with vibrant workers - perhaps because it smelled of such fresh foods and herbs and not one cooking apparatus in sight! What a great place to work everyday. I want to acknowledge Pure Food And Wine for having healthy options available to people in New York :) Thank you.

Getting To Pure Food And Wine in Manhattan:

Subway Directions: Take the L,4,5,6,N,R,Q, or W trains to Union Square and walk one block east toward Irving Place.

Driving Directions: From the Lincoln Tunnel: East on 34th street, 4 blocks to Broadway (Herald Square). Right on Broadway, 11 blocks South to 23rd Street. Left on 23rd Street, 3 blocks East to 3rd Ave.Right on third Ave, 6 blocks to 17th street, Right on 17th, one block to Irving Place.

From the FDR: Exit on the 23rd street Exit. West on 23rd Street. Left onto 3rd Ave. 6 blocks south to 17th street, Right on 17th. One block to Irving Place (54 Irving at the corner)

Parking: The closest parking lot is on 17th between 3rd and Irving and there is street parking in the neighborhood around the restaurant.

Link to:
Pure Food And Wine website http://oneluckyduck.com/purefoodandwine/
Pure Food And Wine twitter http://twitter.com/purefoodandwine
Pure Food And Wine and The Earth Diet http://www.theearthdiet.org/pure-food-and-wine.html

With love, Liana :)

http://www.theearthdiet.org/

Do you have a blog request? Email blogrequest@theearthdiet.org

Gluten-Free January Raffle!

Hi, Gluten-Free January participants. Matt, Janine and I have collected about 200 survey responses at this point. So far, the results are very interesting! But we want to get as many responses as possible, because the more responses we get, the more informative the data will be for all of us. So please fill out the survey Matt sent you by e-mail, no matter what your results were, and no matter whether you stuck with the diet or not! The survey is strictly about your GFJ experience, not investment opportunities, timeshares, ShamWows or anything else. It will take you less than 5 minutes, and it's totally anonymous. The deadline is Feb 15th. Big thanks to everyone who has taken it so far.

To encourage participants to complete the survey, we're organizing a raffle. Matt and I have five Gluten-Free January T-shirts we're ready to give out for free. These shirts were designed by Matt and they're really cool. I have one myself, and the print and fabric quality are top notch. Here's what the logo looks like:
If you've completed the survey and want to be included in the raffle, please e-mail Matt to let him know you've completed it. Anyone who has already e-mailed Matt to let him know they completed the survey will automatically be entered, so no need for a second e-mail. So far, very few people have written Matt, so your probability of winning a shirt is high!

Food, glorious food!

This post (inspired by Galina L) will be a trip down food-chain lane, starting at the bottom and working upwards. Humans are at the top (but not always).

1) Bacteria: The Vitamin B12 produced by certain bacteria is the only usable form that vegans will consume, so vegans should either not wash root veggies before cooking, or they should supplement with bacterial-sourced B12.

2) Algae: The EPA & DHA in algae are the only forms that vegans will consume, but beware. EPA has five C=C double-bonds and DHA has six, which makes them very unstable. EPA & DHA that are not inside a plant/animal should be kept cold and away from light.

3) Fungi & Yeasts: I don't have much to say about these other than they are a good source of B Vitamins other than B12. Mushrooms are tasty. Ditto yeast extract (though you either love it or you hate it). Quorn is made from a fungus.

4) Plants: The hotter the climate, the higher the saturated fat content of a fruit/nut/seed. Coconuts have the highest saturated fat content (~91%). The hotter the climate, the lower the pufa content of a fruit/nut/seed. Coconuts have the lowest pufa content (~2%). See the Comparison of dietary fats chart below.


Olives grow in many countries, some hotter than others. The Solesta EVOO that I buy from Aldi has a pufa content of 6.6%. However, some olive oils can have a pufa content as high as 20%.

5) Krill: The EPA & DHA in Krill oil can be consumed as a dietary supplement. The warning that applies to algal EPA & DHA also applies to Krill oil. Krill oil is a good source of Astaxanthin.

6) Fish: Fish that live in warm waters are low in oil (the oil in their livers is rich in Vitamins A & D). Fish that live in cold waters need antifreeze. EPA & DHA have very low freezing points (-54°C & -44°C respectively). The EPA & DHA in Fish oil can be consumed as a dietary supplement. The warning that applies to algal EPA & DHA also applies to Fish oil. See When it comes to fish oil, more is not better. Large fish (e.g. sharks) can eat us.

7) Amphibians: Frog's legs are a delicacy in some countries. What amphibians do you like to eat?

8) Reptiles: Turtle soup, anyone? Large reptiles (e.g. crocodiles) can eat us.

9) Marine mammals: As these are warm-blooded, they have a lower pufa content than fish. However, blubber is cold on the outside, so it's high in EPA & DHA. Large marine mammals (e.g. Killer whales) can eat us.

10) Mammals: As these are warm-blooded, they have a lower pufa content than fish. The pufa content depends a lot on what the mammal eats. Ruminants can eat a wide variety of diets and still maintain a reasonable omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their body-fat. Large mammals (big cats, big dogs and big bears) can eat us.

11) Humans: Many years ago, we ate anything edible that was around, lived outdoors and moved ourselves around using our muscles. We've done well, without modern medicine to save us from infections & injuries (and maybe difficult childbirths).

Nowadays, we eat what's in the shops, live & work indoors and have labour-saving gadgets to do our physical work for us. We're having problems, despite modern medicine.