Gwyneth Paltrow Health Scares: A Good Reminder For Us

People today have plenty of health problems that they know about. But there are plenty more they don’t know about, too. Not to sound cynical, but it’s true. We tend, as a society, to go to the doctor mostly when we’re sick. We assume things are all good until something comes up and gets serious enough to have us worried. And really, that’s probably not a good plan overall.

Gwyneth Paltrow had a stroke scare and suffered a miscarriage.
Image from hauteliving.com

It’s a big part of the reason I (and I assume many of you) try to keep up on eating healthy and exercising regularly. What we put into our bodies and how much physical activity we get are the biggest factors in determining our health. But there are also things under the surface that we can’t necessarily see on our own.

Gwyneth Paltrow recently opened up about her past health problems that have led her to make some major lifestyle changes. The actress, an Academy Award winner, is the mother of two and has always looked slim yet healthy. But after she suffered both a miscarriage and a stroke scare, she discovered she had several health problems.

She was in her London home when she “lost control of her right hand and suffered a blinding pain in her head that was so extreme she thought she was having a stroke.” It turned out to be a combination of a massive migraine and a panic attack, but going to the doctor revealed several other problems.

“I was vitamin-D deficient, I had [anemia], I had thyroid issues, my liver was congested, I had hormonal imbalances and a benign [tumor] on my ovary that had to be removed. I mean, it was crazy,” she said. “I knew it was time for a change.”

Your body is your most priceless possession. Take care of it.
Image from motivationblog.org

It feels like a bit of a wake-up call. If someone who can afford all the doctors in the world, who has infinite access to services to monitor her health, wasn’t aware of all those problems, what must it be like for the rest of us?

Gwyneth’s experience motivated her to adopt an elimination diet, which eliminates all foods that have potentially adverse affects on the body. I’m not saying everyone should do so, but I think there’s an important lesson to take from Gwyneth Paltrow’s story. It’s so important to be aware of and actively take part in our own health—because if we don’t, then we risk letting dangers go unchecked.

You only get one body, and it’s your permanent home. Take care of it.

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Mediterranean Diet Craze

The Mediterranean Diet calls for plenty of fruits and veggies every day.
Image from runtothefinish.com

It seems like all I’ve been reading about in the past few days are the Oscars and the Mediterranean diet. I didn’t watch the Oscars, but I’ll admit I jealously perused all the gorgeous gowns afterwards. And of course once I was done with that, I could move on to reading about the Mediterranean diet.

Of course, I’d heard of it before, but I had never looked into the specifics. Now it’s all the craze. That’s because a recent study confirmed that eating a Mediterranean diet can help reduce the risk of developing heart disease. A survey of about 1.5 million healthy adults showed that those who ate Mediterranean diets had a reduced incidence of not just heart disease, but also cancer, cancer mortality, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

These are the key components of the Mediterranean diet, according to the Mayo Clinic (information taken directly from their site):

The Mediterranean Hierarchy
Image from diet-blog.com

• Getting plenty of exercise
• Eating primarily plant-based foods, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts
• Replacing butter with healthy fats such as olive oil and canola oil
• Using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavor foods
• Limiting red meat to no more than a few times a month
• Eating fish and poultry at least twice a week
• Drinking red wine in moderation (optional)

Part of what makes the diet so great is that it is very low in LDL cholesterol, which we call “bad” cholesterol. It also has a good amount of healthy fats in it, which come mostly from nuts and fish. Grains are not avoided in this diet; rather, whole grains are eaten in moderation.

Mediterranean cookbook, Cook Yourself Sexy
Image from candicekumai.com

The hierarchy of foods is laid out like this: on the first tier (largest) are olive oil, fruit, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains; on the second tier (middle) are fish and poultry; and on the third (smallest) tier are red meats, dairy, processed meats, and sweets.

“The fear of fat is so 1980s,” said Candice Kumai, author of Cook Yourself Sexy. “That’s not what’s making you fat. It’s the overconsumption of grains, heavy meats, the wrong type of fats, refined sugar and processed foods.” Kumai’s new book features Mediterranean recipes like Lox, Caper and Rocket Salad; Roasted Tomatoes with Barley; Clams in White Wine Sauce Over Linguine; and Cherry-Pistachio Biscotti—all full of nutrients and omega-3s. Yum!

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