The U.S. Senate Select Committee on
Nutrition and Human Needs concluded in the 1978 report
Diet and Killer Diseases: "The average American diet is
responsible for the development of chronic degenerative
diseases such as heart disease, atherosclerosis, cancer,
diabetes, stroke, etc."
As long ago as the '30s, Dr. Francis
M. Pottenger's nutritional studies showed that a regular
diet of cooked or canned foods caused the development of
chronic degenerative diseases, reproductive problems, less
healthy offspring and premature mortality in our
pets.Not too much has changed!
And another thought-provoking squib:
J. Willis Hurst, MD
[Medscape Cardiology, 2001. © 2001 Medscape, Inc.]
I am hearing bits and
pieces of talk questioning the value of a low-fat diet in
the prevention of atherosclerosis. Once again there are those
who point out that many individuals on a low-fat diet gain
weight (and become obese) by eating more carbohydrates.
Some scientists point out that atherosclerosis is less common in
countries where people do not decrease their dietary fat -- but
eat more vegetables -- than it is in countries where people have
decreased the amount of fat in their diet but eat more
carbohydrates and fewer vegetables.
Thus far, the question that has been raised is, How valuable is
a low-fat diet for the reduction of atherosclerosis? But
perhaps the question should be posed another way: How harmful is
it not to eat a large quantity of vegetables and fruit daily?
(Lynn: my emphasis)
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Change can happen, however - and some
"change" is
thousands of years old. |
Over 40 years ago a researcher named Ancel
Keys, who died at the age of 100, did his famous Seven Countries Study
(see
RESOURCES at right) He found that
villagers on the Greek island of Crete had 90 % less heart
disease than Americans. In addition, obesity was rare. Their
diet, unchanged for hundreds of years, consisted of
whole grain breads
, olive oil, beans, nuts,
vegetables, fruits, and small servings of cheese. They ate fish
once a week, and small amounts of meat about twice a month. But
their diet was not particularly low in fat: 40% of their
calories came from olive oil.
From this study come the following diet
recommendations
- Generous amounts of good oils (olive,
coconut, macadamia) are allowed
on my diet, while saturated fats from animal sources and trans
fats are eliminated .
- This change needs to be
accompanied by consistent healthful exercise, such as brisk
walking.
- Protein should be supplied liberally from
plant sources, such as beans, nuts and soy, with poultry, eggs,
fish and meat a few times a week, and red meat a few times a
month. Remember, high meat consumption is linked to cancer.
- Remember: many of the herbs and spices have
health benefits - consider cayenne, turmeric and parsley as
examples. Season your food with the good ones.
- Cheese and
yogurt
may be consumed on a daily basis, but in small amounts.
- Fruits
and vegetables should be consumed in variety on a daily basis.
- Make sure a goodly proportion of your food is
raw, for the enzymes provided
- Walnuts and almonds are encouraged as
snacks. I like almond butter in celery sticks, and
walnuts in my yoghurt.
- A
glass of wine per day (moderation rules - see
RESOURCES
at right for alcohol and Dementia) is an acceptable addition,
- but your main
drink should be pure water.
- Green tea is encouraged. One cup of coffee a day is
accepted.
Consider increasing raw foods in
your diet to offset the damaging effect of a diet that consists mostly of
cooked foods. Enzymes are the difference
between raw and cooked foods.
Enzymes are powerful biochemical catalysts. They speed
burning or building reactions in the body according to need,
but enzymes are destroyed by temperatures as low as 105
degrees, the equivalent of light steaming. While our body
can manufacture enzymes, according to Dr. Edward Howell in
his book Enzyme Nutrition: "the more you use your
enzyme potential, the faster it is going to run out." Only
raw food has functional "live" enzymes, so plan to
add
more raw foods to your diet, particularly in the warmer
months of the year.
Keep reading for suggestions on how to do
this!
I have
eliminated Canola oil from my kitchen. This is because the rapeseed oil it is made
from is actually a genetically engineered crop, and there are
some questions about the health effects of Canola
( or rather,
the erucic acid it contains). For an extensive report on what I
am talking about, see RESOURCES at
right. An alternative I like, and am using increasingly, is the
Macadamia Nut Oil: it is expensive at the moment, but Oh! so
good. See Resources at right for
more info and to order. Olive oil is the other choice, and as
more and more research is done on it, including it in your diet
becomes more and more of a no-brainer. Studies have found
for example, that Extra Virgin olive oil (the good stuff)
contains an ibuprofen-like molecule called oleocanthal,
which may have many of the benefits of that compound without the
risk.
It is finally being generally accepted that
high cholesterol levels may be related to a fatty acid deficiency or
imbalance, and
that taking
moderate amounts of "good fats" helps lower
cholesterol. The oils usually mentioned are flax, olive and fish
oil, but it looks as though we need to add macadamia nut oil to the list:
Macadamia
Nuts Lower Cholesterol in Men...Macadamia
nut consumption may help reduce cholesterol levels in men, according to
a study published in a recent Journal of Nutrition (2003,
vol.133:1060-1063). In the study, 17 men with high cholesterol
incorporated macadamia nuts into their diets for four weeks. The amount
of nuts eaten was between 1.5 and three ounces per day, which equaled
roughly 15 percent of the men's total daily calories. Total cholesterol
levels decreased by three percent and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol was 5.3 percent lower by the end of the trial than at the
beginning. Researchers also observed that high-density lipoprotein (HDL)
cholesterol rose eight percent.
Coconut oil has gone from being perceived as
unhealthy to having its virtues recognized.
Here is more information about its benefits , which
include a positive effect on cholesterol levels.
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This is my list of super-foods,
some of which should be on your menu every day:
|
yoghurt or kefir
broccoli
blueberries
beans and lentils
tomatoes
parsley |
oats
spinach
carrots
salmon
turkey
onions |
pears or apples
walnuts
green tea
eggs (free range)
garlic
olive/macadamia/coconut oil |
I do not recommend replacing olive oil
entirely with Macadamia nut Oil: I use it when a milder oil is
needed. I say this because there are substances in the
olive oil which may protect our health in ways previously
unimagined. For example, Dr. Menendez, doing research at Northwestern
University Scholl of medicine (Chisago) has discovered that
Oleic Acid, one of the main ingredients in olive oil,
actually seems to suppress HER-2/neu, the most active oncogene
in breast cancer (it is found in more than one fifth of breast
cancer patients, and associated with the most aggressive
tumors.)
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During the summer months, when vegetables
stun us with their profusion and color,
I make use of my
blender for a very delicious and European purpose: cold
soups. |
The principle
is simple:
- start with good stock, whether vegetable or
chicken, well chilled. Water at a pinch!
- add your chopped ingredients, having chosen
the main flavor. Favorites are cucumber, avocado or
tomato.
- decide whether your soup needs thickening.
Choose tahini, almond butter, peanut butter, chickpeas or
other cold cooked pulses, yoghurt, cream
- choose your fresh herbs - parsley, basil,
thyme, oregano, a little cayenne
- add chopped garlic
- add seasonings
- add lemon juice or balsamic vinegar
- add a tablespoon of "friendly fat" - olive
or macadamia oil
- add some ice
- blend and serve
You will find a selection of
more precise recipes for many more cold soups here.
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And voila! You
have delighted your palate with a tasty dish that includes raw
foods with their accompanying enzymes, nutrients galore,
phytochemicals beyond number - and you haven't even heated up
your kitchen.
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Obviously, a few caveats need to be attached to this for people
with specific health problems - but for the many of you who ask
me what I eat and whether I am a vegetarian - this is your
answer, in detail. It is a healthy diet, a high fiber,
energy-producing, weight maintaining diet, and it tastes good.
Where possible, buy organic foods, add a good selection of supplements, both a daily choice of
necessities like a multi and calcium,( who has time to eat perfectly every day!)
and, where indicated, specific nutrients selected with your
particular situation in mind, and living like this should
positively support all the systems of your body for many years
of healthy living.
I would add that I find certain of Dr. d'Adamo's theories spot
on: people with
blood
type O do need to increase the balance of protein,
they are the ones who benefit most spectacularly from the
limiting of carbohydrates. There can be no doubt that everyone is
metabolically unique: perfectly healthy foods for one
individual can provoke reactions in another. There is a new
book on this subject that I recommend highly, by Wolcott and
Fahey, which enables you to identify your type, and modify the
balance of your diet to a template that suits you.
Go here for an example of the lists they
use.
Some of my clients have found that, while
limiting carbohydrates to the point where they lose weight
proved very difficult, separating protein from
carbohydrates ( in other words, not eating them at the same
meal) proved not only easier to do, but extremely effective at
promoting weight loss. These were, of course, complex carbs,
not just sugar and white flour!!
For many suffering from many years of faulty diet,
considerdigestive enzymes and a
detoxification/cleansing program.
I append a recent very interesting report :
WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) Nov 22 - Diets
low in saturated fat and high in (complex) carbohydrates and fiber
increase sensitivity to insulin and lower the risk of coronary
heart disease, thus offering the best health benefits, according
to a multicenter group of researchers. High-fat diets promote
short-term weight loss, they add, but increase the risk of
atherosclerosis progression.
Dr. James W. Anderson, of the VA Medical Center in Lexington,
Kentucky, and
colleagues compared several popular weight-loss diets and
examined their potential long-term effects. Eight diets,
including Atkins, Protein Power, Sugar Busters, Zone, ADA
Exchange, High-Fiber Fitness, Pritikin, and Ornish, were
"non-clinically analyzed by means of a computer to predict their
relative benefits/potential harm."
The researchers developed a summary description, menu plan, and
recommended snacks for each diet, according to their report in
the October issue of the Journal of the American College of
Nutrition. The diets were then compared using computer software
to determine the nutrient composition and calculate Food Pyramid
Scores. Coronary heart disease risk factors were estimated by
applying several formulas.
"The Atkins and Protein Power diets are very high in total and
saturated fat
compared to current dietary guidelines," the authors write. They
add that significant increases in serum cholesterol and risk of
coronary heart disease may result from the long-term use of
these diets.
The team found that diets that restrict sugar intake, such as
the Sugar Busters and Zone diets, would lower serum cholesterol
levels and would probably reduce the risk for coronary heart
disease.
"The healthiest diets for weight loss, weight maintenance, and
general health
maintenance are ones that are rich in vegetables, fruits,
legumes, and whole grain cereals and breads," Dr. Anderson
commented to Reuters Health. "Healthy eating at the bottom of
the food guide pyramid plus exercise are the healthiest ways to
lose weight."
J Am Coll Nutr 2000;19:578-590.
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As you can see, I am not an advocate of this diet versus that
diet, but of commonsense and self-control.
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A study published in the Journal of the
American Medical Association (2005, vol. 293, pp.43--53)
came to the conclusion that it doesn't matter which diet you
follow, if you become health conscious and improve your food
choices, you WILL loose weight.
The study followed participants assigned to 1
of the 4 currently popular diets, Ornish, Atkins, Zone and
Weight Watchers.
Dr. Robert Griffith MD, commenting on
the study said " This study shows that there is little
difference between four different types of diet - low-carb,
balanced carb-protein-fat, low-calorie, and low-fat. All
four had a high (over 50%) drop-out rate, and produced
only moderate weight loss and cardiac risk reduction.
It's obvious that sticking with a diet will achieve a
better result in both weight reduction and lessened
cardiac risk factors. No single diet was better than
another in these respects, or more effective than another.
So, forget the latest fad diet. Instead of spending time
and money trying to determine which diet is the right one,
you should start one that you believe you can stick to -
and then stick to it! |
I realize that
there are individuals for whom this is not enough, and they
require specialized treatment. What I offer here is a
guide to healthy eating which should, if followed, ensure a
healthy weight, a healthy heart and a healthy lifestyle.
Bon Appetit!
The Vitamin
Lady®
| Keywords: american diet
health, ancel keys diet, mediterranean diet, paleolithic
diet, seven countries study, the vitamin
lady defines healthy diet, cold summer soups, macadamia nut
oil health, oleic acid breast cancer |
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