There is a rumor that has been attached to Thanksgiving for a long time. People blame the turkey for having l-trytophan which is an essential amino acid and pointing the finger at the turkey as the culprit for feeling sleepy after the large meal.

Some people call it a ‘food coma’. Other people just feel sleepy, lethargic, or subdued to the degree that they settle into their chairs and watch TV or even snooze.

Dr. Travis from TheDoctorsTV explained that the turkey is not to blame. Jillian added that many common foods like eggs and bananas contain trytophan as well and do not induce a ‘food coma’.

It’s the individual’s overindulgence in food in general that’s responsible. Dr. Travis calls it the ‘rest and digest’ response by the ANS, the autonomic nervous system.

TheDoctorsTV and Thanksgiving Food Comas

The body directs the majority of the blood flow and energy toward digestion. The body produces seratonin which is converted to melatonin. Your body has to choose between dealing with the massive amount of food you’ve just ingested or the ‘flight and fight response’. In this case, the ‘rest and digest response’ prevails and the body remains sluggish until that food is processed.

So the question remains…”what can you do about it?”

First of all, eat smaller portions. Give your body just a little food at any one time. Allow your body time to digest a smaller meal, then go back again for a second helping or leftovers.

The second thing to consider is your Food Combinations. When you combine sugar, carbs, protein, and fats; your body has a lot to deal with at one time. You are stressing your body’s digestive system and endocrine system to the max! Be kind to your body on this day of Thanksgiving.

If you think that you are going to miss out on some of the food that is on the table; then pile it on your plate, but reserve half of it for a second serving after two to four hours. No one is going to steal your plate of food, so this will give you peace of mind while helping your body out without demanding the impossible of it.

You know it’s OK to wait a few hours before you eat dessert or drink a lot of cocktails. Overindulgence doesn’t do a body good… You may be the only one who is awake enough to go back to the table for the second round. If everyone else is stupified and sound asleep on the couch or in their recliner; you’ll have the remains of the day to yourself.

One of the things that the doctors thought would help was to eat pineapple and papaya before the Feast. But if you do this too soon before beginning to eat turkey and side dishes, it can backfire on you. If you want to eat the fresh tropical fruit that contains enzymes that help to digest protein, then give it more time before you begin to eat your major Thanksgiving Dinner. Some fresh pineapple and papaya juice that you sip might work almost as well, but it takes time for the body to extract the enzymes from the fruit to benefit you. Be smart about it…

Thanksgiving Dinner doesn’t have to be a meal of discomfort that you feel that you have to recover from with a long autumn nap. No, it behooves you to follow the advice above and make this bountiful harvest food fest a satisfying experience.

Sometimes it seems that doctors don’t have enough time to spend holidays with their families, since they are at work in the hospitals and clinics to help all of those poor fools who get themselves into trouble during Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s Day.

But then again…they occasionally do find the time to take off their scrubs and white jackets to eat and sit down with people for Thanksgiving. This seems to be true this year for the Doctors on the medical talk show, TheDoctorsTV.

On Friday, the physicians devoted the better part of the hour to Thanksgiving, food, and illness from eating poor choices during the holidays. They were more human than mediman and mediwoman for sixty minutes.

The best segment featured healthy dishes with Jesse, their special guest who presented foods that even I could include on my Thanksgiving table. The doctors did a good job of explaining that it’s not the turkey’s fault that you slip into a sleeping coma after a large meal, so that was a productive part of the program.

TheDoctorsTV and Thanksgiving

The discussion of celebrations that occur in countries around the world seemed more like a way to fill the hour than anything else. Of, course, other cultures recognize the Fall Harvest with a celebration surrounded by food and family! Regardless of the name given to the festival, we are glad to have grown enough food to feed one another and have it last until next year. This is reason enough to celebrate….

By the way, if you don’t cook; there are healthy solutions for you now that until recently did not exist. Whole Foods Markets and Personal Chefs are available to provide you with Deli dishes for Thanksgiving or to prepare you a meal fit for royalty at your home of special site.

Whole Foods Markets

You really will much better when you indulge in fresh organic produce and free-range turkey plus all of the fixings. If the ‘reason for the season’ is to acknowledge the bountiful harvest, then the greatest way to honor that is not to waste one morsel of delicious food, yet to feed your family and friends and yourselves with the best that the good earth has to offer!

Dr. Oz reached a major mile marker by airing his 400th show today. He celebrated with the audience members who have changed their health for the better after watching and implementing what he has shared with them.

There were women, wives, chefs, cowboys, and others who shared their stories about their medical and health challenges and their road to change and transformation. I believe it touched Dr. Oz deeply.

Dr. Oz and His 400th Episode

Dr. Oz is known for appealing to women who are obese or overweight. He also talks frequently about heart disease and other degenerative diseases that can be prevented or reversed by a healthy Lifestyle.

One chef who gave up his salt addiction is now using spices to flavor his food and is sharing what he’s learned with children in educational programs. It was good to see corporate support and financial contributions to further continue this work. If we don’t teach our children to lead healthy Lifestyles and eat well, there will be medical costs unparalleled in human history.

Dr. Oz recently appeared on an episode of Rachael Ray and cooked a butternut squash dish which the audience liked a lot. He is honing his kitchen skills at last… While he is doing much better, he still has a long, long way to go in my opinion, but with another 400 shows under his belt that should happen naturally.

Dr. Oz still needs to refine the advice he gives to the audience. The dairy ice cream is not what people need, they are better off to eat dairy-free frozen desserts like soy ice cream, rice ice cream, coconut ice cream, and fresh frozen fruit preparations.

It’s one thing to make a rub for your meat with spices, but let’s face it: salt is essential for life. It’s the commercial brands that you can eliminate altogether for the rest of your life with all of the excipients and fillers. Sea Salt is the salt of choice… You can balance the sodium with other minerals and be well.

Dr. Oz invited Pastor Joel from one of the large churches to talk about the power of prayer on the Doctor Oz show today.

Dr. Oz said that he wondered about the value of prayer and so he wanted to explore the subject further. Pastor Joel told the story about his mother and her healing from cancer.

Dr. Oz had several guests who shared their personal stories, some of them intertwining medical care with miracle.

At one point there was a clip of Pastor Joel showing what one of his church services was like. This should be a revelation for those of you who wonder why prayer only works some of the time for some of the people.

I was surprised to hear the Pastor talking the way Initiates in the Ancient Schools of Wisdom are taught to speak from the ‘Lord God of their Beings’. “I AM”… I am healed. I am healthy. This is one of the more profound methods that are essential for healing to occur.

Then Dr. Oz mentioned that he didn’t always comprehend why prayer works for some and not for millions of others. The difference is that state of Consciousness entered into by the individual. If one does not surrender and does not move energy to the 7th Seal; then that prayer will not and cannot be answered as presented.

It takes a genuine Master Teacher to instruct you in these methods of spiritual Healing, since no pastor nor priest has been properly schooled in the process and accidentally finds the Way…

RSE Student and His Healing Experience in His Own Words

Healing at a spiritual level is as much of a science as is healing at the physical level, if not more subtle and profound. The spiritual science of Healing is only taught by the Masters and the only qualified school that offers such training is Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment.

I know… As a young woman I was on my quest to find out who knew and who did not know. I was raised Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian with my family and went to virtually every denomination of Christian service, including evangelicals. No true knowledge there, just wonderful sincere faithful people.

Then I explored Eckankar, Surat Shabda Yoga, the Sufi, the Buddhists, and all paths Eastern and Western by delving directly into the groups of people practicing at these levels and meeting all the gurus, rinpoches, and lamas. Eventually I watched the Hawaii Video with Ramtha and I recognized him. He is still teaching Initiates and is the ‘real deal’ of Master Teachers.

It’s not the Master who does the healing for the individual. The individual learns the method and perfects it. As Pastor Joel suggested, the individual is a masterpiece with my emphasis on the ‘master’.

Dr. Oz and the Power of Prayer and Spiritual Healing

Now it is much more involved than this, but this addresses the basic question and issue of the value of prayer and the methods of spiritual healing. It’s a beginning point-of-reference from which anyone can continue to understand and embrace at a personal level of application.

Dr. Oz said that of all the shows that he has taped this season, this show is the most profound and important to him and to medicine.

Pain apparently affects one in every three people in this country and both patients and doctors feel that they have too few tools in the toolbox for dealing with chronic pain.

The guest experts were very helpful in explaining how magnetic therapeutic models work. The visual images that Dr. Oz gave the audience a better idea of what happens in the body which is not only chemically-based, but electro-magnetic in nature.

There’s so much more to say about the use of EM Fields for Healing, but this is a good beginning for doctors.

Dr. Oz and Magnetic Treatment of Pain

Of, course, we shorten the word, mushroom, with shrooms…

Finally, Dr. Oz had a guest expert talk about the health benefits of mushrooms on the show today.

First came Button Mushrooms, the most familiar with members of the audience and the most commonly found in the stores. Yes, there are nutrients in shrooms…

Then came cremini mushrooms which becoming more common. They tend to be ‘meatier’ in dishes and when they have grown up, they can be used like a platform for toppings with their sturdy structure.

Then maitake were discussed briefly. But Dr. Oz and his guest forgot the most valuable shrooms for health and wellness. Shi’itake should have been featured in the segment.

Dr. Oz and Mushrooms for Health

I don’t think that it’s fair for Oz to showcase mushrooms for losing weight, but that’s his biggest audience draw; so he can’t help himself but to suggest that… Mushroooms have been gathered from the wild and are now cultivated everywhere.

Dr. Oz began by pointing out the craving for pizza, bread, and pasta by those who must have their carb fix and find themselves overweight and often developing degenerative diseases like Diabetes.

He explained some of the medical issues and then gave the audience his new 28 Day Plan to control your carb cravings and habits.

Dr. Oz and His New 28 Day Plan for Carb Control

Then he showed a few alternative food choices for each week of the 28 day plan. He began with healthy sources of fats, including avocado, nuts, fish, and healthy oils. Then he went on week by week to show how salads, whole grains, and food that might turn around the most addicted carb lovers.

Personally, I was offended that he gave the people permission to cheat on the fourth week for one day. Cheating implies lack of self-control and an insufficient dedication to the need for the changes in the first place. In the end, cheating doesn’t work. It sabotages the individual and pretty soon, they return to their old habitual patterns and vices. So don’t cheat and tell the doctor that it’s a very bad idea.

Also, it’s high time to learn more about the misgivings of whole wheat bread and whole wheat pasta. Clearly, the definition of ‘whole grains’ is still lost on people who insist on using it with bread and pasta. Eat your real Whole Grains like organic Brown Rice, Oat Groats, Barley, and all of the others. You simply need to learn to season and flavor your whole grain and other dishes with spices and herbs to make them much more exciting and satisfying than pizza, bread, and plain pasta. By the way, there are several companies that make wonderful brown rice pasta that taste great with a great texture!

Dr. Oz and his audience need to shop at different stores to find what will help them develop a healthy Lifestyle instead of needing a 28 Day Plan that promotes cheating!

Dr. Oz is known for mentioning his favorite nuts for health on his show and he never fails to pick walnuts as his ‘nut of choice’.

Walnuts do contain nutrients and co-factors that are excellent for your health, but they are not the only ‘nut’ in town. If you restrict your intake of nuts to walnuts, then you are missing out on some of the finest bites and best sources of nutrition on the planet.

Being Italian, we know and love our pesto. Pesto is most often made with pine nuts, but you can use other nuts to vary the texture and flavor profile. Pine nuts tend to be expensive, but the buttery flavor makes them a delightful choice.

Put your pine nuts in pesto, pasta dishes, soups like the Greek soup with lemon and chicken, vegetable dishes, and highlight salads with these little gems.

Cashews are going to give you a variety of ways to enjoy this softer nut. If you are buying them and find them to be hard, you have been shopping at the wrong place. Cashews should be firm, yet soft. They make great nut milk, they are excellent when roasted, and when added to granola or a nut/fruit blend, they make a great snack. We also love our cashews when they are ground and turned into a spread.

Almonds are among the most popular nuts you will find. They are used in virtually every type of food dish from savory to sweets. You can roast them and add a coating of tamari or other flavoring to make them into a delightful snack or you can turn them into a brittle for that sweet treat at the end of the meal. Almond milk is gaining in popularity and it’s a great substitute for dairy.

Where is the best place to get your nuts? We would recommend Love Street Living Foods. You won’t find a rancid nut coming from this company. They supply some of the freshest raw foods and whole foods you will find anywhere, including raw nuts and nut butters and spreads.

Hazelnuts or filberts are common to those of us who live in Italy or the great Pacific Northwest. They pair well with chocolate. You can toast them and add them to brittle or any dessert or salad that deserves some crunchy goodness.

Fewer people like Brazil Nuts, but for those who do…it doesn’t take too many of these large treasures to satisfy our snacking hunger. I enjoy adding them to holiday blends.

I suppose that my favorite snacking nuts are pistachios. There’s something that entrances me about taking the little green jewel out of the shell and munching on one at a time. Pistachios are common in Middle Eastern desserts and I smile when I taste my baclava laden with honey and nuts.

I fell in love with the Wha Guru Chews when they first appeared on the health food scene in the late 1900’s with cashews, almonds, and other delicious ingredients for a chewy replacement for unhealthy sweets. You can make your own with any nut, seed, and base. I also can tell you that the Queen Bee Chews are delightful with nuts and richness in every individually-wrapped one. You can find these snacks in your local Whole Foods Markets or health food stores. There are dozens of healthy snacks with nuts now and your choices have expanded over the years.

Nuts are known to provide EFAs which in turn support the brain function to develop the powers of the Mind. The nuts offer healthy fats and provide other nutrients that will carry you through your day between meals. They are the perfect snack food to munch on to keep you focused and concentrating through your work day or playing outdoors for recreational activities. I used to keep nuts in the car for my children when they were young, so that when we were on the road; they would have a healthy snack anytime the need arose.

During the holidays, you can have nuts out on your tables and where ever people gather, so they can nibble while they visit with one another. They also make the perfect holiday gift for Foodies! If I had to choose between most gifts and nuts, I would prefer to get nuts for my presents.

I would think that doctors like Dr. Oz would appreciate more than just walnuts when it comes to promoting your health. I can tell you that my health improves enormously, because I eat my organic nuts! If I had to choose between a piece of fruit and a handful of nuts, I would ‘go nuts’ for the nuts.

Dr. Oz did a recent show about Designer Drugs, specifically Dragonfly. I had not heard of it before.

The parents whose children died from taking Dragonfly wept openly as they shared their stories. This is one of those weird drugs that can kill with the first dose. It’s tragic!

Young people are placed in social environments that put them to the test to explore things that they would never be inclined to do alone. Their peers challenge them, tease them, or ridicule them for not partaking of these Designer Drugs at parties, social gatherings, and even during school.

It makes me wonder where the adult supervision is these days…

It’s not just Dragonfly. There are numerous Designer Drugs that are stealing the lives of our young people.

Fake Marijuana May Trigger Heart Trouble in Teens article

K2 and Spice among others are sold openly at some ‘head shops’ that teens and twenty-somethings have total access to legally. You may have seen some of the coverage by the national media on these Designer Drugs as well as on the Talk Shows during the day. It’s a real problem that is not being adequately addressed by the governmental regulatory agencies that have jurisdiction. Parents, teachers, and care providers don’t always know what the kids are up to either…

Whether it might be heart health or life-threatening reactions to these Designer Drugs, it is time that young people help each other to defer for safety’s sake and avoid these drugs. They need to take responsibility for EVERYTHING they put into their bodies. They need to be informed and educated to the point where they are our greatest deterrent to other young people losing their lives from stupid choices.

Even those over-caffeinated drinks can harm our children! We need them to know what not to do and why before…not after they have ingested any such substance. Furthermore, we have to address the underlying cause for our young people’s experimentation with ‘altered states of consciousness’ from taking any substance whether it is alcohol, marijuana, Designer drugs, legal stimulants, or any bizarre brand of material that alters the brain’s biochemistry.

Can Life be so bad that they seek out these substances to find respite, refuge, sanctuary, or escape? Hopefully, they are not modeling the adults who engage in this behavior for this purpose… Professional counseling is the usual course of action when it gets to that point of desperation. If they cannot handle stress alone proactively; then they need external intervention and support to get over these hurdles and develop coping mechanisms that work for the rest of their lives. Look at Robert Downey, Jr. who has turned his life around as well as many other celebrities who are visible role models in our culture.

If it takes a drive to the morgue to show your children what happens when things go wrong, then it is worth shattering their ignorance and innocence to protect them and educate them. There is nothing quite like looking at a dead body to become soberly honest about the health risks associated with toxic substances. All it took for me was to visit the Mental Institution where people were hospitalized and drugged into oblivion to be manageable years ago to wake me up to these issues.

It’s one thing to want to be stimulated and find alternate states of consciousness that elevate the human mind. That is valuable and worth pursuing… But it doesn’t take Designer Drugs to ‘get there’. We have other ways to expand our conscious awareness and evolve beyond social consciousness and boredom! Healthy and productive ways…

Today, the Dr. Oz show was full of contradictions.

While Dr. Oz let the woman from Weight Watchers give advice on foods that people can eat on the Transformation Nation contest that contained bread and other questionable combination of food groups that are not VERY healthy for a true Lifestyle change in weight when he reduced the amount of Vitamin A in a multi-vitamin supplement with VERY little science to back up his change of mind.

Going from 5000 IUs to 3500 IUs of Vitamin A in a supplement appears to me to be trivial and insignificant, since most of us know that people fail to eat their Greens, their vegetables, their other food sources of Vitamin A.

Dr. Oz failed to discuss the differences and the correlations between Vitamin A and beta-carotene, but then that would necessitate his awareness that it makes a difference in the first place…

The way the body uses fat-soluble Vitamin A and the supplements that contain the type of Vitamin A that becomes water-soluble through emulsification also makes a profound difference, but Dr. Oz left that out of the discussion, too.

When you listen to Dr. Oz, you have to realize that he gives incomplete information, because his knowledge of nutrition is sketchy at best. Now…he’s more than qualified to walk you through the chambers and the vessels of the heart, but when it comes to Vitamin A – he falls short on the job.

I may be picky, but while Dr. Oz was talking about Vitamin A requirements

At least he partially redeemed himself when he offered the audience three new Anti-Aging Smoothies that tasted reasonably good. The recipes for these Smoothies can be found here:

Dr. Oz and Three New Anti-Aging Smoothie Recipes

There are three pages with recipes from today’s show. My only hesitation are the ice cubes. When you use ingredients that are already cooled from being in the refrigerator, you don’t really need to use ice.

The use of peanut butter and other nut butters, cacao or chocolate, yogurt, and berries are always good ingredients for Smoothies. However, in my personal opinion, all of these ingredients should be locally sourced if possible and organic. The freshness quotient is one of the most often over-looked aspects of getting viable nutrients and ‘energy’ from your Smoothies which in turn will reverse or slow the aging process. If your ingredients are not superb, they will not have that effect!

That’s one of the reasons why I cannot support nor endorse the Weight Watchers’ Transformation Nation contest. That food doesn’t have as much ‘life force’ as a person needs to become authentically healthy which goes beyond simple weight management. That turkey sandwich and that broccoli looked seriously ‘lacking’ to me and you wouldn’t find me eating what the Weight Watcher woman was promoting… No wonder so many women cannot stick to any of these programs and need a buddy system! You would have to have an enemy sit on top of me and force feed me this crappy food…

Look…if you are following the Transformation Nation diet guidelines, you need as much supplementation daily as possible; because it is highly unlikely that you will be getting enough from your food when the quality if lacking. So for the time being, you can feel relatively comfortable ignoring the Vitamin A suggestion and try to get adequate amounts of beta-carotene from your foods every day on your own.