Never Forget the Holocaust
"Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it"
- George Santayana
As a teacher of nearly 30 years in the public school system, we included lessons and field trips to educate students about the holocaust. Actual survivors, complete with their prison camp tatoos, were invited into the schools to speak to the students and answer any questions they may have had.
The response of the children was incredible. They were absolutely respectful of the visiting survivors and would always listen intently to their stories. It was always a very powerful experience for all involved, including the teachers.
Sadly, there are those who think that it could never happen again. They couldn't be more mistaken! When we look at history during Hitler's time, Germany was in turmoil. The government was on shaky ground. Also, Germany being a patriarchal society was in great need of a father figure. Adolf Hitler filled that need as he began to introduce himself to society. As one watches the progression of Hitler's speeches, it is apparent that he became more and more militant and angry. As a powerful orator, he convinced German society that they were a "master race" and everyone else was undesirable and even expendable. It wasn't until it was too late that people realized how he had taken power.
Among those exterminated at concentration camps were: Jews, Russian prisoners of war, homosexuals, citizens of Burma, gypsies and certain bystanders. However, as much as we may READ about these atrocities, it isn't until we put a face to these horrific events that it truly has a powerful impact.
Sadly, the Holocaust survivors are aging and slowly dying off. Eventually there will be no living person who saw these horrors first-hand. Fortunately, we have Holocaust memorials throughout the world and a monumental collection of films, interviews, documentaries, and detailed documents to remind us.
I am personally hurt when I see the news of hate crimes around the world. The victims come from every ethnicity, religion, and race possible. It is so hard to understand why there are those who hate others just because of their beliefs, origins, or skin color.
Eastern societies celebrate the differences that make up this world whereas in Western society, we tend to "pigeonhole" our definitions of what is acceptable or "normal" and tend to reject anyone who doesn't fit into these parameters.
Some preach "tolerance" which still implies some degree of hatred. We need to learn to accept the fact that everyone is different. Just because I am Roman Catholic, doesn't mean that I cannot accept those of the Muslim or Jewish faiths! Isn't God universal? Do we not all want love, acceptance, peace and harmony? Do we not all love our children and wish to build a better world for them?
Children are not born with prejudice; they learn it from the adults around them. Children may see a different skin color, but they are simply curious about the differences - they don't reject them. We are the stewards of this world and responsible for future generations.
It is up to us to make sure that a Holocaust that was seen in the middle of the twentieth century will NEVER be repeated, and if we see signs of growing hatred, it is up to us to do something about it. We cannot be apathetic or even complacent in our attitudes. If we do, we will most certainly lose.
Finally, I challenge everyone reading this to take a visit to a local or national Holocaust memorial. We need to bear witness and feel pain for those who suffered unspeakable cruelty and torture. We cannot afford to do otherwise by ignoring it.
Keto Update (02/02/2022)
DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a doctor or medical professional. The choice that I have made is a personal decision. Though there is a ton of great information available on the Internet, there is also information based on greed for profits. We need to carefully consider what is fact and what is opinion...what is truth and what is false. When making decisions that can impact health, one must carefully weigh the benefits vs. risks. I have simply shared MY EXPERIENCE and MY PERSONAL DECISION based on the information that I have personally gathered. The only statement that I can make with absolute assurance is that SUGAR IS POISON TO OUR BODIES.
07/02/2022: Well, I weighed yesterday, and I am now at 172 pounds. My goal weight is going to be between 150-160 pounds according to the most popular formulas for my age and height. I had to attend an event the other day that required me to wear a suit. I was able to fit into a jacket that didn't fit for over 6 years. I had to buy new dress pants because I gave away all of the huge pants to charity. For once in a long time, I really felt good looking at myself. No, I will never be a model in a fashion magazine, but it was certainly a positive boost to my self-image AND the knowledge that I was well on my way to avoid developing Type II diabetes or other disorders connected with obesity. I was no longer considered "pre-diabetic". I also found an old belt in the closet from when I was at my highest weight (264). It was mind-boggling to see how huge my waist was at one time (almost a size 50" waist - I'm now at 38").
Unfortunately, I was hospitalized two weeks ago for a mini-stroke (TIA). There's no lasting problem, but it was certainly scary when it happened - half of my face was numb/tingling and traveled all the way down my left arm, my speech was slightly slurred, and I had an unstable gait. I stayed in the hospital for three days while they ran all sorts of imaging tests of my brain and neck. On the positive side, my carotid arteries have minimal plaque and any plaque in the brain is commensurate with a person my age (65). Unfortunately, the hospital freaked out at my total and LDL cholesterol numbers. As I understand from countless other people on low-carb or Keto, this is typical to have high numbers. They immediately wanted me to start back on a statin drug. This is an ongoing conversation that I have with my cardiologist. I've asked him to repeat several in-depth blood tests (that measure MORE than just total/HDL/LDL cholesterol to reach an informed decision. Again, I am NOT a physician and I am NOT recommending what I do to anyone. The decisions you make for YOUR health are between you and your doctor. Much of the current research is new, groundbreaking, and occasionally controversial. I just know that, since I started this journey, my triglycerides, fasting insulin, C-Reactive protein, fasting glucose and A1C have been excellent and well within the normal values.
I have lots of medical issues unrelated to cardiac health, but I firmly believe that I would be in much worse shape had I continued on the path I was taking over many decades of eating low-fat, high carb recommendations of mainstream medicine.
02/02/2022: After being on strict Keto, I've decided to relax the plan and move more to simply low-carb and keep the total net carbs in one day around 50g with a maximum of 75g. We still only limit "refined or simple carbs" to very special occasions (birthday, anniversary, etc.). This opens so much more a variety of different foods. We can add an occasional apple during the week, for example. True, apples have a certain amount of sugars and carbohydrates. HOWEVER, apples in their natural state also have fiber and bulk that helps the body decided that it is full. I think that we only run into trouble when we concentrate foods into juices or take them to the extremes.
I have tested myself on resistant starch in rice - this is where you cook rice and then refrigerate overnight. The starch molecules turn into those that are NOT turned into sugars, but rather, pass into the intestinal tract where beneficial bacteria break it down. I wasn't sure about this until I tried an experiment. I took a blood glucose fasting base reading. Then, I consumed a cup of cooked, cooled and reheated rice along with some butter to improve the bland flavor. I then retested my blood glucose at one hour and then at two hours. There was about a 10 mg/dl rise and then back to normal baseline. Anything LESS than 20mg/dl is NOT considered a spike then then to trigger insulin production.
Even though it didn't spike, I still limit the amount of rice to once per week or less. We still only eat one meal per day around 1-2pm, consuming our entire calorie content for the day. I still make sure that most of the calories come from fat and consume lots of green, leafy veggies, but now can include veggies that are slightly higher in carbohydrate content such as carrots, red bell peppers, etc. Our weight has remained stable. At 60+ years old, we don't expect to be at our high school weights, rather we want to improve our health and enjoy our "golden years" free of Type II diabetes and other ailments resulting from sugar, refined carbs, and highly processed foods. When I go to the grocery store, I steer clear from anything processed or pre-made. the majority of the food in my grocery cart consists of "real" foods in their natural state. Dressings and sauces are made from scratch - I have control over the ingredients that I use in that recipe.
Since I first uploaded the article on Ketogenic way of life, I have lost significant weight by intermittent fasting and a very low-carb/high-fat way of eating. At this time, I have lost 78 pounds (40+ of them with Low-carb/keto) and 10 inches from my waist. I am now intermittent fasting (going 16-24 hours between meals) and rarely hungry. Usually, we eat once per day around 1:00-1:30PM which is our only meal of the day (occasionally we have a snack around 5:00PM). This meal contains our total calories (even though we don't count calories) for the day. This tricks the body out of "starvation mode" because it doesn't sense "famine" because of too few calories in that one meal. I'll never forget one of my doctors telling me the following: "Your body can only do one of two things; it can process the food you eat, or it can repair damaged cells. Therefore intermittent fasting allows the body the time it needs to heal itself."
The big mistake that most people make when starting low-carb/keto eating is that they pile on the protein but don't increase fat content. Dietary fat is what satiates our appetite and stops us from overeating. According to keto guidelines, 70% of our diet should consist of HEALTHY fats, 20% protein, and 10% complex carbohydrates (non-starchy veggies, legumes, nuts, etc). HEALTHY fats should include: animal fats, avocado oil, olive oil, and oil from nuts. Avoid all highly processed oils such as canola, rapeseed, soybean, corn, and other processed oils. They are poison to the body.
Interesting fact: CRISCO is slowly being removed from the marketplace. Because recent studies have shown that these processed fats are contributing to heart disease and other illnesses, they are losing popularity among consumers. I have noticed that my local grocery store has displayed less and less Crisco which leads me to believe that they are selling off any remaining stock. All of my cooking is now done with avocado oil, olive oil, bacon fat, or lard.
I know that this goes against all "conventional wisdom" for the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet). However, since the introduction of the Food Pyramid in the 1970s, the incidence of heart disease, Type II diabetes and obesity has skyrocketed in the United States. Cardiologists who stay current with research will tell you that there is NO MINIMUM DAILY REQUIREMENT FOR CARBS! Our bodies can exist very comfortably with NO carbohydrates. However, eliminate fat, and we risk death. Our brains as well as the sheath covering all nerves in the body rely on fats in order to work properly. Unfortunately, there are too many medical professionals who are still stuck in the "low fat, high carb" rhetoric that was based on flawed research by Ansel Keyes (the "father" of the low-fat craze who held degrees in business and marine biology!).
Is all of this confusing? You bet! On one hand, my cardiologist wants me to be on high doses of statin drugs, while so much of the research that I have seen has proven that big pharma has manipulated the data to show that it is more effective than actual results. So, I continue to read and research so that I can make informed decisions on how to proceed. I intend to continue the current path for at least a year before making a final decision. However, please read the disclaimer below! Your life choices must be made with your own research and questioning. Always consult doctors before making any life-altering decisions.