Dietary Do's

Did you know that eating red meat, particularly bacon, luncheon meats, jerky, and sausage, significantly increases your risk of developing cancer? On the other hand, eating fish instead will reduce your risk of disease. These are just some of the stunning facts that modern scientific studies, including one released this year, have proven. See my References page for a link to the studies and more, or use the custom search on my pages.

Foods to avoid completely

It’s now clear red meat (beef, lamb, and pork), and even more importantly, processed meat (sausage, smoked meats, prepared salty meats) should be avoided or significantly reduced, as they increase the risk of cancer and raise blood pressure. What other foods should never be consumed? There is growing evidence that dairy products (milk, cheese) cause more problems than they solve because, while they contain useful calcium and vitamin D, they contain so much protein that it actually tends to cause a net loss of calcium from the bones. Why? Because non-vegetarian North Americans eat too much meat and protein in their diets already, outside of milk.

Some of you may have also noticed that drinking milk tends to cause bad breath and excess mucous production in the throat. A large percentage of people are also allergic to the protein lactose in milk. At best, milk and cheese are simply not necessary for a healthy adult that is eating correctly. Yogourt, which contains useful bacteria found in the human gut, is probably ok in moderation. The studies continue.

Cow’s milk is designed to fatten a calf up by hundreds of pounds in just a few short months, and is full of hormones. That’s not what Western countries dealing with serious adult obesity epidemics need to be consuming. Once a person has left their growing years there is no real need to keep milk and cheese in the diet.

Sugar is another substance that needs to be significantly reduced because excess sugar consumption leads to weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and eventually Type 2 diabetes – an often crippling disease which wreaks havoc on the body. While sugar cannot be avoided completely in most foods, refined sugar should definitely not be kept in the house. Read ingredient labels in the grocery store, and on most days try and avoid all products with sugar, glucose, glucose-fructose, and high fructose corn syrup in the top 5 ingredients.

Most people eat too much salt. If North Americans reduced their salt intake considerably, 30% of all cases of heart disease would be avoided. Too much salt causes high blood pressure, which leads to a whole host of other dangerous problems.

Soda and sport drinks, which are sugar mixed with water and food colouring, should be avoided completely. Soda pop is extremely acidic and causes calcium loss from the bones. For those of you not familiar with the scientific studies in the last ten years, these foods to avoid might seem like shocking news. The food companies aren’t going to advertise about how their products damage your health and won’t stop selling harmful foods until consumers get educated and stop buying them.

What foods can and should be eaten?

The ideal diet is flexitarian or pesco-vegetarian, which means mostly plant-based with some fish, lean fowl, or lean game, but no red meats and dairy. Vegetables, fruits, and berries need to be eaten far more often! Most people do not eat nearly enough greens each day. These foods are rich in fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants – which are plant chemicals that prevent cumulative damage to your cells, thin the blood, and help protect against cancer. It is not possible to eat too many fruits and vegetables. Plants that are dark green, red, purple, orange, or yellow should comprise by far the largest part of your daily volume of food. Regarding vegetables, Kale, broccoli, and sweet potato are good choices. Every larger meal should be 2/3 or more vegetables by volume on the plate, and you should eat several small meals a day instead of just one or two big ones. Dark berries, such as blueberries and Brazilian Acai, should be eaten regularly as they are full of beneficial antioxidants. The are a good substitute for desserts. Follow the optimized food pyramid by Ray Kurzweil in his book "Fantastic Voyage".

Fast ideas for eating healthier immediately:

• Buy a griled chicken and vegetable wrap instead of fries and a burger. Even most fast food joints offer them now, usually for less than $2.25! Just ask them for "no sauce".
• Switch from pop and sugared drinks to 100% juice drinks that have no added sugar. Water them down.
• Switch from candy bars to dark chocolate or unsalted almonds and walnuts
• Start eating less pastas and white potatoes. Fill that space on the plate with veggies and brown rice
• Buy a berry smoothie (that contains real berries, not the sugar smoothies) instead of a sundae or ice cream
• Make all-fruit, all-berry smoothies at home for dessert instead of eating cake and pie
• Drink green tea instead of coffee or pop
• Have fish more often instead of other meats
• Buy organic foods or pastured game meats
• Eat more spicy ethnic and vegetarian foods

Omega-3 fatty acids/oils

You need healthy oils that are liquid at room temperature in your diet to maintain peak mental capacity since your brain is mostly fats. If you do not eat fish several times a week, be sure to take a daily fish oil supplement. Be sure it contains oil from wild-caught fish, as farmed fish often contains contaminants. Read the labels carefully, because some pills contain far more DHA and EPA omega-3 oils than others do, and are a better buy.

Corn oil is not a healthy oil to cook with. Use olive oil or canola oil, and do not burn the food or stir-fry it at excessively high temperatures. Instead of adding too much oil, mix the oil with water to keep the foods more moist as you cook or stir-fry.

Trans fats are a type of artificially modified oil that should not be eaten at all. Trans fats increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cause the most damage of any type of fat or oil. Manufacturers are beginning to remove them from foods, but check the labels.

The spice of life

Curry, a yellow powdery spice composed mostly of turmeric, is showing promise for reducing inflammation and arthritis. Cultures that use curry spice have a lower incidence of several health issues. Spice up your dishes with curry instead of salt!

Eat like the ‘immortals’ do

The longest lived, healthiest people on the planet are the Okinawan elders of Japan. Their diets have been documented in detail by scientists and are a good model to follow or work toward. They consume more than 5 cups of green tea a day, consume 10 or more servings of vegetables and fruits a day (they are quite fond of sweet potato), only eat until they are 90% full, and eat fish 3 or so times a week. They do not eat deep-fried foods or processed foods.

Chocolate craving?

A couple of squares of dark chocolate is the preferred daily “bad snack” because while it’s high in calories, it’s also rich in antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals. Scientific evidence shows it can lower blood pressure a little. Regular, white, or milk chocolate does not have measurable beneficial effects and should be avoided. Dark chocolate needs to be 60% cocoa or more. Dove Dark or Poulain brand 86% cocoa ‘Ultime Noir’ is my preferred bar.

People who eat very poorly will need to make their changes gradually, otherwise it will be overwhelming! Make a dietary change each month and commit to it in the long term. Weigh yourself every week or two and use a combination of permanent dietary habits and exercise to keep your BMI (Body Mass Index) around 21.