Well, it’s been a few weeks, but we’ve finally got another podcast ready for you. I had “record a podcast” on my list for days…but never found a quiet moment to record. I can finally check that off my list, but then I’ll add it back on so that I can record Podcast #7 before Easter.
Today, I address a question about Dr. Mercola. Can he be trusted? Are his ideas and opinions valid?
Also, I offer a couple suggestions about switching “from white to brown” when your husband just really doesn’t enjoy those types of food. What to do, what to do?
To listen to the podcast, simply click on the link below:
Heavenly Homemakers Podcast #6
I’d love for you all to share your thoughts about the information on Dr. Mercola’s Website. Plus, what ideas do you have about pleasing pickier husbands and kids?
I don’t trust Dr. Mercola. As far as grains and sugar, God put things on earth for a reason – People have allergies and some can’t eat this stuff. Discretion is a HUGE part of this. I am a nurse, and he actually can turn people against things that would be medically necessary for them to survive. Some of his claims are based on old news or research from other countries that don’t have the research that we do. Some countries have different formulations for medications and immunizations that are not the same here and he applies all information to his opinion. Antibiotics are life savers and I am sure if he had to be hospitalized he would receive life-saving medication.
Thank you for the tip about the grains. I have 5 children and 3 of them are older and are not used to this ‘new’ food that I am making. I think alot of that has to do with the whole wheat flour that I have been using. I will try what you suggested!!!
Wow!! Thanks Laura!!! I appreciate the encouragement. I have stayed the course, and actually it has gotten a little better. One thing I’ve done that has helped is to serve less grains. Instead of rice or pasta with our dinner I’ll serve green beans or cauliflower. He likes it better and as we have no growing boys to fill up we don’t miss the calories (my girls eat whole wheat happily!).
The white wheat is a good suggestion. I don’t know what we were thinking, but we gave my mom’s Nurti Mill away when we cleaned out their house! Argh. But Trader Joe’s is selling 100% white wheat now and I think it’s great.
Serving what he likes is also a good suggestion. I made him pizza the other day and just loaded it up with the toppings. He thought it was amazing.
My husband is such a sweetie that he’s also stopped mentioning it as much. I think he realized it was bothering me so he dropped it. I do get a little suspicious when he raves about food he wouldn’t have previously, but he’s doing it cause he loves me so I’ll take it! :)
I also refer to Dr. Mercola’s website for health information. I don’t subscribe to all of his ideas, but I do think he provides a lot of helpful information. I like to consider multiple sources when making choices about my health and my family’s health and his website is one of the sources I use.
Hi, thank you for another interesting podcast.
I receive Dr. Mercola’s newsletter and although I don’t always read it and I don’t like the sensationalist headlines he picks up for his articles, I do like the fact that he includes such thorough references to support his opinion, and very often he also includes references regarding other opinions on the issues that are being discussed. I don’t sympathize with the a idea of a guru, because I think each of us needs to think for himself, so it is not a question of trusting him or not. I just like to read his opinions on some health and nutrition issues that interest me and sometimes I find myself agreeing with him, but many times I don’t. And again, I like all the references, links, etc. he always includes in each article. Like Laura said, I don’t think it is bad to disagree with the mainstream opinion (it is actually harder not to agree, because you’ll get all kinds of negative response and you need to be very sure of what you’re saying and capable of defending your opinion with solid arguments). On the other hand, I think he sometimes sounds a bit fanatical – for instance when he writes you should never eat this or that or you should absolutely take this supplement or the other. I live in Europe and I think we have a more relaxed vision of health and food habits, so maybe that’s why I notice this “fanaticism” more. While this relaxed approach to health and food can be bad at times, it can also be a good thing, because you tend not to overwhelm yourself with expert opinions (always contradictory…) and rely more on common sense, which I think is a really good thing that should be more treasured. And here I agree with Michael Pollan (Have you read “In Defense of Food”?) when he says that looking at traditional food habits within their own cultural context is the safest way to go, because for some reason, they have stood the test of time. So I don’t really care if nutrition experts tell me to eat a lot of whole grains and Dr. Mercola says I shouldn’t eat any. Bread, pasta and other grains will surely go on being part of my family’s diet just because we like them, we don’t have any health problems that we can relate to them and they’ve been part of our family’s diet for generations (except from pasta, but they ate couscous, which is made out of the same ingredients).
Oh well, I guess I already wrote too much, sorry if I’m boring you all with so much talk!
Ditto to Ana’s comments.
When it comes to picky husbands I have decided to please my husband even if it means not eating as healthy as I would like.
When I started changing the way my family eats I found that they didn’t like all the changes. I would often feel guilty and compare myself to others (like blog writers). The changes that I have stuck to are making things instead of buying them (tortillas, bread, salad dressing, noodles, soup, etc.) and serving more vegetables. I try to use wheat flour and honey or sucanat most of the time. But, I have decided that even if I use some unbleached all-purpose flour and a little white sugar at least if I make it myself I know exactly what is in it.
I get Dr. M’s newsletter and I do believe many things he says is true. That being said, my true source of health information is the Word of God. We eat plenty of grains….when there was a famine in the land and the children of Israel went down to Egypt to purchase grain (from Joseph) there is a picture of the people of Egypt selling everything they had for grain! They had livestock they sold for it- they didn’t save the animal food sources and eat those instead of grain- they ate grain!! I am a firm believer that the imagery in scripture of the importance of bread is downplayed subconsciously because we as a culture see bread and grains as culprit in ill health and obesity. Clearly, we would not throw away God’s clear wisdom on eating and health and just go with whatever medical or scientific people pf the day say. Our family, for example, doesn’t eat pork- not because we will be saved doing so, but because God made man and if He didn’t want His chosen people to eat it (or bats or camels or monkeys or vultures….you get the idea) then why should we? So we follow Biblical dietary laws for our own good. Now, last night we were with a group of believers and went out for supper- and it was pizza covered in all sorts of pork. We declined and got it with just cheese. The fat they used in the dough was probably worse for us than the actual pork would have been, but what I’m saying is, we chose to follow the Lord. Dr. M has alot of great advice towards getting healthy via eating better and exercise but I wouldn’t take his krill oil supplements or some such just because he says it’s the best source of Omega 3s. Fish is too plus our Saviour ate it! :) I think any time someone believes what a person says they are bought, hook, line, and sinker, and that’s a dangerous place to be. As my husband has said: manure stinks, but some of it makes great fertilizer. There’s much good in what Dr. M says but I ultimately make the call after study and prayer.
OUTSTANDING ANGELA!!!!! My thoughts as well! Stay with God’s word… you will never go wrong!
~Cynthia
Hi Angela! I appreciate your comments. I just wanted to give you some “food for thought.” It is my opinion and understanding of Scripture that God told his chosen people to refrain from eating pork in order to set up a metaphor to help them understand when the gospel became open to gentiles. Peter’s vision illustrates this, with God telling him in a vision, “What I have made clean, let no man call unclean.” Food was used to create a parallel between the Old Law and the New. Similarly, animal sacrifices were required of God’s people in order to illustrate their insufficiency compared with Christ’s sacrifice.
I know that’s a little off-topic, but I wanted to insert my opinion here. I admire that you wrote of the imagery in Scripture, and I see the restriction of pork as another vivid image created to help them understand the gospel. Thoughts?
I do know that it is used as illustration, but the actual eating of swine was never repealed any more than eating vulture. There were all sorts of unclean animals in the sheet Peter saw- not just pigs. When there are other mentions of food in the New Testament, the eating of unclean animals is never mentioned as alright now. Actually, Paul says some eat only herbs, and other eat meat. He says not to eat things sacrificed to idols, but that doesn’t mean pork necessarily. He’s referring to things sold in booths by folks who had gotten the meat from pagan temples. As far as my memory serves me, the scripture never clears the way to eating unclean animals. I live in the south USA, and it’s practically a crime to not eat pork here! LOL However, I cannot argue with God’s wisdom. We are also not to eat dogs, cats, lizards of any kind, etc… I’m not sure why pigs are so easily acceptable while eating monkey, or any road kill for that matter (even clean animals), or vultures are not acceptable when they were prohibited in the same passage.
I have always found sites like Dr. Mercola’s overwhelming and
confusing! They also seem to constantly encourage the purchase of
lots of expensive supplements. I have to share again the book that
I have found to be the most encouraging in this journey to healthier
eating, “What the Bible Says About Healthy Living” by Dr. Rex Russell.
He does not confuse … he just brings out lots of scripture and
encourages us to eat what our Father has given to us for food, to
eat it in as close to its original form as possible(before man messes
it up!) and to not let any food become addictive and control us
(to become our “god”). I encourage everyone to read it and especially
note the section about eating pork. I was amazed by the scientific
reasons why the flesh of pork is so different (and unhealthy) for us
compared to say, beef or chicken. I also never understood why God
would prohibit his people from eating fish without scales (catfish),
but now it is VERY CLEAR. Again, following His guidelines for eating
clean food is not going to sanctify or save us spiritually, but it
sure makes sense to follow the WISE directions of the One who created
us and knows how our bodies work and how different foods will affect
our health!
I too have enjoyed that particular book. A friend of mine who is a nutritionist lent me hers some years ago. My husband had already said we should not consume pork (always that one- because we never consider eating the other things God called unclean) so I stopped purchasing it. Reading the science behind it made sense. However, I really want to reiterate our need as believers to just simply trust in God’s word.
I had a lot of confusion regarding whether or not to follow Dr. Mercola’s advice or not, and which health professionals to trust for the “correct” eating advice. Dr. Mercola has a lot of great advice, but unfortunately a lot of it tends to be rapped up in legalism and fear. After a long struggle with confusion regarding what to eat and not to eat, I remembered that the Bible tells us not to be in bondage to anything and that we have liberty in Christ! I was spending more time worrying about what to eat than I was having faith that I have the mind of Christ and He will give me the wisdom to eat well, but I don’t have to be perfect! Praise God-that is so freeing!
i also get dr. mercola’s email newsletters. sometimes i read them; sometimes i don’t. i think he has some very valid points. however, my two main turn-offs are that he too often has an article which then promotes a product he is selling, and he went against the westin price foundation when it came to the krill oil – cod liver oil debate (we still take cod liver oil here). i do appreciate the information he shares, but sally fallon and other books that base diet on the bible are also good sources of information.
I’ve been getting Mercola’s newsletters for years & I have ordered items from his site in the past. I trust him, but am very disappointed in the turn of the newsletter. It used to be just chock full of info, now it’s just one big sales pitch. I find that disgusting & because of that, I am debating cancelling the newsletter.
I don’t feel we need to exclude food groups. Like the other reader said, God gave them to us for a reason. The only item I think we need to go easy on is white sugar. Honestly, it doesn’t really provide any nutrition.Other than that, let common sense prevail! :)
Dr. Mercola is always selling something. ALWAYS! I don’t trust him at all. I think much of his time is spent fearmongering, all to benefit his pocketbook.
Just wanted to add a quick note about liking whole grains. My husband started to really like them when I started “soaking” them. They become so much lighter and fluffier!
I have Dr. Mercola’s newsletter for about 11 years. I agree that his newsletter has changed a lot these past five years and are a bit “salesman-like”, but I have found his information to be invaluable to the health of my family. I do not trust the medical community at large, including the FDA, ADA, AMA, etc.
Two years ago, shortly after our move to Wisconsin I became very ill. We had trouble finding an integrative medicine doctor here and I bounced from doctor to doctor. The doctors basically shrugged their shoulders and told me my “thyroid was fine”. They didn’t seem concerned that I could hardly function and was almost falling asleep driving my children home from school on a daily basis. My husband asked me where Dr. Mercola’s clinic was, and then I remembered it was right over the border in Illinois. We made an appointment and through the help of his wonderful Natural Health Clinic my health has totally turned around and I actually feel like I owe my life to that clinic and the wonderful practitioners there.
Long story short, the “medical community” told me that my iron levels were fine (they were very low), my thyroid levels were fine (they were off) and they probably thought it was in my head. I also had exhausted adrenal glands, horomone issues, and was very sensitive to gluten (which contributed to my fatigue). I was also put back on Armour thyroid (the natural stuff) and taken off of Synthroid which was making me feel worse.
I’m 39 now and haven’t felt this great since I was in high school. I believe I started having thyroid problems at age 17 after a bout with mononucelosis. If you are cold and can’t get warm in the winter (especially your feet) or your hair falls out onto your brush and in your sink….please see a doctor who knows what they’re talking about in regard to the thyroid. There are controversial issues about “normal lab values” for the thyroid, and you need to have a lot of labs done to get a total picture of what’s going on with your whole body.
I just wanted to add a comment about grains.
The wheat that we eat today is VERY different from the biblical wheat. Einkorn and emmer have a different nutritional profile and are actually safer for those with gluten problems…they also produce a much less drastic blood glucose response than the form of wheat that we currently eat.
Just something to consider when using the argument that God created grains so they’re totally OK for us to eat.