Just when I thought I had a personal “eating style” that’s healthy, mindful, and helps reduce my vulnerability to emotional eating, more studies hit the news suggesting the foods I enjoy…even the multivitamin I take… may be hazardous to my health. OY!
A couple a weeks ago, I was anxious when I read about something called “carnitine”, a substance found in red meat that may cause gut bacteria and heart disease (damn, I still enjoy the occasional hamburger).
Now, the very latest news about food and gut bacteria is from the Cleveland Clinic; a respected source. Their new study raises more questions about eggs; specifically egg yokes and “lecithin” and “choline”; cardiovascular risk and something called “TMAO”. The study found TMAO is present in the blood in greater amounts after eating hard boiled eggs. The research suggests that TMAO may contribute to intestinal bacteria and to cardiovascular disease. (I say “may” because all reports say further study is needed to determine cause and effect.)
I found this New York Times article, Eggs, Too, May Provoke Bacteria to Raise Heart Risk , and it quotes the Cleveland Clinic’s lead researcher, Dr. Stanley Hazen, as saying, “… people who are worried about heart attacks may want to consider reducing lecithin and choline in their diet, which would require eating less of foods high in fat and cholesterol.” Dr. Hazen also said it also may be wise to avoid supplements or vitamins with added choline.
I’m already careful about fat and cholesterol in my diet, most of the time. But I LOVE EGGS! For me, they seem to be the perfect protein…totally satisfying my hunger for many hours. Maybe I’m in denial. I have chosen to believe the studies that say eggs get a bad rap and are actually full of “good cholesterol”. I decided to ignore the recent study that said egg yokes are as bad for me as cigarettes. The Cleveland Clinic used hard boiled eggs. Hmm, if I promise to cook and eat my eggs sunny side up, maybe I’ll be OK…
I am so confused and annoyed! Should I throw away the eggs I just bought at Costco, along with the two unopened bottles of gummy multivitamins in my medicine cabinet? Damn,again. I was finally willing to take daily vitamins, religiously, because they tasted like candy. But I just checked the label. They have “added choline”.
What is safe? I love my bell peppers and grape tomatoes but after a recent Doctors TV show promo warned that “nightshade vegetables” cause inflammation, I spent two hours online trying to determine my health risk from eating red peppers. No more peppers, eggplant, potatoes (sweet potatoes are OK), and tomatoes? Not going to happen! If these beloved veggies kill me, so be it!
Here’s what I have decided to do. RELAX! I did some research this morning and found a multi-vitamin that’s choline free. So, when I finish the bottles of vitamins I have already purchased, I’ll switch. Then, I’ll keep an eye out for the next study that say the previous studies were all mistaken…
If interested in reading more, here’s a Forbes article with links to the latest heart health and intestinal bacteria studies, Cleveland Clinic Study Links TMAO To Atherosclerosis . Read at your own anxiety risk 🙂 !
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Ellen Shuman is a pioneer in the field of Binge Eating Disorder; a Life Coach who specializes in empowering people who are working on emotional and binge eating issues. She is the founder of A Weigh Out & Acoria Binge Eating Disorder Treatment, a Founding Member and Past President of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), and Co-Founder of the Academy for Eating Disorders Special Interest Group on “Health at Every Size”. Contact Ellen, 513-321-4242 or ellen@aweighout.com
