Desert Health News September-October 2024

www.DesertHealthNews.com September/October 2024 Blue Zones Project Begins Continued from page 1 Fresh Cuisine The Valley ' s Leading Resource for Health and Wellness 20 www.clarksnutrition.com I recently watched the classic heartwarming movie “Swiss Family Robinson” about a family shipwrecked on a Polynesian island. Beyond battling with pirates and wild animals, they make a home and thrive on the abundant foods found on the island. There are no foods in bags or boxes…no food labels… nothing is processed. If we are careful and discriminating, we can also eat only the foods they found on the island. Unfortunately, in today’s world, we are inundated by foods that make us sick. Unhealthy foods are so abundant, that a healthy diet is more challenging than ever. Are toxic foods a fact of modern life or can we avoid them? By knowing the range of toxic foods, we can eliminate most of them. If we keep the damage to a minimum, our resilient bodies will do the rest. What are these damaging foods? From my research, the categories seem to be increasing and competing for which are the most harmful. Sugar and carbs. About 80% of Americans have metabolic dysfunction,« also known as insulin resistance, from excess sugar and refined carbohydrates. Since all carbohydrates become sugar in the body, we overwhelm our ability to turn sugar into energy unless we are a marathon runner or engage in extreme forms of exercise. The sugar and carbs we do not burn for energy turn into fat through insulin. Excess fat then triggers inflammation and increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and cognitive decline. To lose body fat we must become ketogenic from a very low carb diet and intermittent fasting. Grains and dairy. Foods that contain inflammatory proteins are another major category of toxic nutrients. Our ancestral diet did not contain grains such as seeds of grasses, or dairy. These contain proteins like gluten which can disrupt the microbiome in our gut causing “leaky gut” and leading to numerous diseases and chronic inflammation. Packaged and processed. Recently I reviewed the book Ultraprocessed People by Chris Van Tulleken, MD. Ultraprocessed foods are factory made and contain numerous ingredients you would not find in a household kitchen. When we eat such foods, we have an inflammatory reaction resulting in a wide range of problems such as brain fog and irritable bowel disease. Food companies make their products so sweet that the taste can lead to food addiction. Rather than add sugar, most processed foods will have high fructose corn syrup. This common sweetener is foreign to our digestion and leads to fatty liver and chronic inflammation. Processed foods use vegetable or seed oils that are highly inflammatory. Catherine Shanahan, MD goes into detail in her new book Dark Calories about how these processed vegetable oils are toxic to our bodies in many ways. It is easy to see how most Americans regularly consume a variety of toxic foods. This affects individual health. I wonder how the ingestion of such harmful foods may influence the anger, intolerance and polarization we see all around us today. As a primary care physician, I often find myself on the other end of this lifetime consumption. The good news is that - at any age - change can result in enhanced health and longevity. It’s never too late, and awareness is a good place to start. Dr. Scherger is founder of Restore Health Disease Reversal in Indian Wells, a clinic dedicated to weight loss and reversing chronic medical conditions. To schedule a consultation, call (760) 898.9663 or visit www.restorehealth.me . Reference: 1) https://www.unc.edu/posts/2018/11/28/only- 12-percent-of-american-adults-are-metabolically-healthy-carolina- study-finds/ Barriers to Better Health Eliminating toxic foods By Joseph E. Scherger, MD, MPH The Blue Zones Power 9 ® ©2018 Blue Zones, LLC. All Rights Reserved. in health care expenses and points to the BZP’s involvement as an important aspect of these results.« What can we expect? In August, we sat down with the BZP’s national team to review their timeline and brainstorm prospective leaders from within our community. Their goal is to hire executive directors for each city in the next couple of months and continue with the blueprint planning phase throughMarch 2025. Preliminary planning has already taken place as community stakeholders attended workshops over the past several years to identify objectives and aspirations for improved health specific to their region, and to develop criteria around people, places and policy. In April of next year, the transformation phase is slated to begin as a community- wide movement to change surroundings, systems, policy, accessibility and behaviors through access, education and involvement. This effort will continue for three years through 2028. The transformation phase is when we will start to see BZP offerings in our daily lives through resources, workshops, programs, cooking classes, gatherings, presentations, social support systems referred to as “moais” (pronounced MO-i), and more. “Many think that the Blue Zones Project model is all about diet and exercise, but it’s so much more,” says Vice President of Operations Mark Ishikawa. “It’s about creating a sense of community, along with purpose and a sense of belonging for the members of that community.” Funding: investing in wellness Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Riverside University Health System - Public Health (RUHS-PH) was looking for evidence-based programs that would improve overall health and wellness of Riverside County residents. “We were aiming for quick and tangible results that would help us see the most current health landscape, not necessarily something that would show up years later,” says Shunling Tsang, MD, deputy public health officer for Riverside County. It was during this process that they discovered Blue Zones. “Blue Zones is about improving community health, addressing the specific needs of each community and advancing health equity, which is the foundation of what public health does,” explained Dr. Tsang. “We were intrigued by their data and results from other communities that demonstrated their return on investment and sustainability after the work was completed.” RUHS-PH identified target regions within the county to participate; in addition to Palm Springs and Coachella, they are Riverside, Banning and the unincorporated community of Mead Valley. The County of Riverside and RUHS–PH are helping fund the project, along with sponsors Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), IEHP Foundation, Kaiser Permanente and Molina Healthcare, which are underwriting the majority of the cost. Over the next five years, RUHS–PH, the sponsors and participating communities will drive the project in partnership with BZP. The public-private partnership between the county and its sponsors is important, they add, because it ensures that the project’s objectives and metrics are identified appropriately for each community. “It also provides added assurance that our efforts move forward through a coordinated approach, and to hold the Blue Zones Project team accountable,” notes Tsang. The remaining funding comes from participating communities and was used to close the gap to move the project forward. “It’s very important that the cities have a seat at the table,” says Tsang. “They are the experts on their community’s needs, strategic vision, and how we can best engage with their residents. Moving forward, the cities will be especially important as they begin to implement programs and policies to improve overall community well- being by addressing the root causes of ill health, resident needs and health equity.” Desert Health will feature a new Blue Zones Project column in each edition to keep readers up to date on progress and offerings as they develop. Organizations and individuals who would like to get involved in the local efforts can contact Project Coordinator Jade Tuleu directly at jade@bluezones.com . Lauren Del Sarto is founder/publisher of Desert Health and can be reached at Lauren@DesertHealthNews.com . Reference: 1) https://news.gallup.com/poll/648008/good-health-saves-california-beach-cities-millions-yearly.aspx