Vas at the Multiple Sclerosis Race for the Cure Walk

After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, I immediately began my search for optimal health. Naturally, I started out with medications proven to help decrease the incidence of MS flare ups, but I also wanted to do more.After much research, I began to realize that medications were not the only answer for fighting MS. The more I read, the more I realized that there was so much more that I could do by taking charge of my health.

My first step to achieving optimal health was to consult my good friend Stella Metsovas, that happened to be an exceptional nutritionist. Through Stella’s passion and extensive knowledge, I was able to learn that nutrition wasn’t just about eating “healthy foods”, and was in fact much more complex. At first, the information was a bit overwhelming, but eventually, I gained a better understanding. The most essential component of my learning was to understand the relationship between the food that I consume and the way that my body digests these foods.

By choosing to eat whole, natural foods, and eliminating Gluten products from my diet and other food intolerances I have been able to see significant differences in my daily life. Not only do I feel great, but I can manage the symptoms of my MS and am able to stay active! By choosing foods that my body can properly digest, I am able to reduce any unnecessary inflammation, which can induce MS flare ups. Today, I do my best to follow the advice of I am given as it has proven to be more than effective.

Vas Kypreos

Here are four so-called “healthy” foods that actually may be harmful to your health … and your wallet:

There’s no Emergen-C Jackie Keller the founding director of Los Angeles’ premier healthy food company, NutriFit, and author of the Amazon top-100 bestseller Body after Baby, says juice drinks like Emergen-C which are fortified with mega-levels of vitamin C (1,600% of a day’s worth), and Odwalla Blueberry B Monster smoothie, which boasts 360% of the daily value of four types of B vitamins, aren’t necessary. “Your body simply excretes what it cannot absorb or use, thus creating ‘expensive urine,’” says Keller.

In most cases, Keller says too much C isn’t life-threatening. But it can cause diarrhea, nausea and stomach pain. “Exceeding the daily requirement isn’t helpful, either,” she says. Some experts say too much vitamin B can cause nerve toxicity and lead to numbness in extremities.

Instead of downing your vitamins in fortified juice drinks, Keller suggests eating them. “Eat foods that contain vitamins, minerals and fiber, and you won’t risk eating excess amounts.”

Pooh poohing probiotics

Stella Metsovas B.S., CCN in Laguna Beach, CA, says yogurt pusher Jamie Lee Curtis has it all wrong. “The excessive sugar added to probiotic-infused yogurts negate any health claims,” she explains. Metsovas says before digging into a cup of Activia read the label. “Many popular brands list sugar as their second ingredient while leading consumers to believe they’re keeping their gut healthy. But first and foremost, people looking to help their gut are making a huge mistake by thinking these sugar-laden yogurts are good for the ‘good’ bacteria in their GI tract. In fact, sugar consumption has been linked to a host of chronic GI tract issues.”

Forgo flax
Doctors say one of the biggest ways consumers think they are getting a big health “bang for their buck” is with Omega 3 supplements “The cheapest and easiest form of omega-3s is in the form of flax, but this contains ALA. That is not the kind that delivers the brain, eye, and heart benefits people associate with omega-3s but instead has to be converted by the body into the more bioavailable omega-3 forms, DHA and EPA,” says Norman Salem, MD, director of the International Society for the Study of Fats and Lipids.

“Research shows that as little as 1% of the ALA we consume gets converted to the most usable form of omega-3, DHA,” says Dr. Salem. So a lot of people put flax in their smoothies, sprinkle it on their cereal and yogurt, and buy products touting “omega-3s” that really just have ALA in them.

“You have to get preformed long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in fish, fish oil, algal oil, or supplements and foods fortified with DHA and/or EPA to really get the full benefit. Flax just doesn’t do it,” says Dr. Salem.

Cereals
General Mills Total Cereal claims to have a day’s worth of many essential nutrients, including iron. But several studies have shown calcium interferes with your body’s ability to absorb iron. And since you’re likely to eat Total with milk, all you’re really doing is adding to your total grocery bill by buying any cereals fortified with iron.

If you really want to pump dietary iron, eat half a cup of fresh strawberries or half a pink grapefruit with a slice of whole-grain toast. Keller says the vitamin C in the fruit will help your body absorb the iron in the toast.

The bottom line: Stick to fresh fruits and veggies. It’ll be a lot cheaper and healthier.

Every three months, Pamela Bryant, 50, stops eating food for at least 10 days to clean the gunk out of her body. When she’s hungry, she drinks a concoction of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup, laxative tea or saltwater.The popular liquid detox diet, known as the Master Cleanser, has few nutrients and is ridiculed by most nutrition experts. But Bryant swears it helps her lose weight and reduce cravings for sugar, caffeine and marijuana.When it’s over, “you feel incredible,” said Bryant, a Maui massage therapist. “You have way more energy, and all your vital organs are rested and detoxified.”

Detox or cleansing diets can involve water, potions, fruit and vegetable juice, raw food, herbal supplements, nutraceuticals or a combination of approaches. Proponents say they’re necessary because our bodies take a lot of abuse from modern life: overly processed food, alcohol, cigarette smoke, chemicals and environmental pollution.

But some cleansing rituals aren’t safe if used for extended periods, and there’s virtually no scientific evidence that they work. Conventional doctors, meanwhile, say the lungs, kidneys, liver and skin are perfectly capable of detoxifying on their own.

Tennessee internist J. David Forbes agrees that the body’s natural detoxification system is usually adequate. But “we’re constantly bombarding ourselves with toxic stuff, mostly in the form of foods we eat,” said Forbes, president of the American Holistic Medical Association. “We have to give the body a chance to catch up.”

At the very least, there may be an emotional benefit associated with starting over. Here’s how to try one safely:

Plan ahead. A week before you plan to detox, reduce caffeine and sugar (including excessive fruit juices) to avoid withdrawal symptoms, said nutrition and diet expert Ann Louise Gittleman, author of several best-selling books on detoxification. “Drink a cup or two a day of dandelion tea to shore up the liver.”

Don’t stop eating. Fiber moves waste through the body, and we get that through whole grains, beans and vegetables, said Kathy Freston, author of “The Quantum Wellness Cleanse” (Weinstein, $14.95). Fasting also slows down your metabolism.

Choose plans that involve nutrient-dense foods. Fresh, raw and organic fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds will be your best choices. The liver works harder when it’s dealing with heavy, greasy, refined foods.

Skip the laxatives. The seven-day detox programs based on fiber and laxative pills with little or no food “only tax the body’s systems,” said Delia Quigley, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Detoxing Your Body” (Alpha, $18.95).

Time it right. Don’t detox if you’re overly stressed, said Laguna Beach, Calif., nutritionist Stella Metsovas. It adds more stress and can make you sick. Avoid liquid fasts if you have kidney or liver disorders, are pregnant, have an eating disorder or are on heavy-duty medications.

Take it easy. “You don’t have to stop working, but allow plenty of time for rest and relaxation,” said Gittleman. In the first four days, you might feel irritable, tired or have headaches, all signs that your body is detoxifying, she said.

Make it last. “Doing a 3- to 10-day detox diet and going back to smoking and eating McDonald’s does nothing,” said Dr. Melinda Ring, director of the Northwestern Center for Integrative Medicine and Wellness in Chicago. “It’s how you live your whole life.”

Alice After

Alice Before

Consulting with Stella last August was one of the best decisions of my life.  For the past five years, my health had increasing declined.  I experienced chronic and unexplained fatigue, insomnia, bloating, inflammation, digestive problems, and declining ability to absorb essential vitamins and nutrients.  Despite my efforts to “eat right” and exercise, I was feeling increasingly worse and putting on weight.  I felt helpless and quite frankly, I was convinced that I would never feel normal again.

Stella suggested running an extensive GI panel to help deduce the cause of my symptoms. The results indicated that my body had several intolerances to certain foods- which I was consuming in large amounts. Thereafter Stella suggested a cleansing diet to help me back on the track. As of this writing (November), not only have I lost 20 pounds, I feel and look much better. I don’t’ have the need to take naps, I have more energy and sleep better, and the bloating and inflammation have disappeared.

Stella has provided so much guidance and tools- including menu plans, recipes, nutritional information, that I know I will be successful going forward.  Aside from being a great nutrionist, she is a wonderful person to work with. She made the process so easy and seamless!
Alice T.

This program changes your life. I could never imagine going back to my old ways!

When Brenda initially signed up, she wanted to drastically improve her health, and be in the best shape of her life.  During our first appointment, Brenda shared that she felt  something wasn’t quite right.  She was working out daily, dieting and taking an array of vitamins, with no real improvements.  Brenda suffered from fatigue, inadequate sleep, and body-aches that would actually wake her up in the middle of the night.  She also had about 20 pounds to lose, with no success in her previous dietary intervention of calorie restriction–also known as dieting.  Finally, Brenda really wanted to be healthy (I’m quoting Brenda) ” I just want to be health and look good for my age.  I want my energy back!”

I’m happy to report: Brenda has lost over 15 inches (without dieting), improved her digestion dramatically,  and has found (in her words) ” A lifestyle that is now complete, full of life, and no more diet hoopla.”

Since I have changed my diet and gotten away from processed foods, I have noticed a steady energy level throughout the day and my recovery rate is far beyond what it used to be.  With 30 hours of training a week and 40 hours of work, it is vital I put the correct foods in my “engine” that allow me to complete my workouts with focus, and also allow it to recover for the next day.

The Individual: We’re all unique.  Comprehensive analysis is generally overlooked in clinical practice.  It is imperative to identify imbalances and/or issues related to digestion & metabolism thoroughly with data provided by the client.

Specific: Fad diet companies geared at selling their programs have tried to incorporate a ‘personalized dietary approach’ in marketing agendas.  The only accurate “personalized-approach” is to use diagnostic measures, such as: Respiration to figure out resting expenditure, blood testing to understand underlying micronutrient deficiencies (e.g., Vitamin D), stool testing for yeast imbalance and gut-transit issues, and salivary tests for hormones and their metabolic influences (e.g., cortisol and digestion).

Nutrition: The famous quote–“One man’s food is another man’s poison”–is why I study and research nutrient-interactions within our bodies. Nutrition is the foundation to optimal health.