EAT WISELY

What's this about?

It's about choices. Choices that we make every day about the food we eat. Certainly there are many components to optimum health - restful sleep, regular exercise of body and mind, stress management, emotional and spiritual development,  and a sense of purpose and contribution. But we will narrow the focus of this site to the nutritional aspects of healthy living.

We are getting sicker!

Many of the degenerative diseases we have come to accept as a "normal part of aging" have been shown to be caused or worsened by obesity and poor dietary choices. Take a look at the increase in obesity in the U.S. just in the last quarter century.
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The CDC data show that over 69% of U.S. adults are overweight and 36% are clinically obese. Sadly, over 18% of American kids are obese - we are passing our bad eating habits on to the next generation! The fact that such dramatic increases in obesity have occurred in just the last few decades reflects the diet and lifestyle changes we have experienced during that time. All too common are processed foods, fast foods and fried foods, known for their high concentrations of saturated fats and oils, sugars, salt, and preservatives. Dairy products also contain high percentages of saturated fats and cholesterol. In fact, all animal-based foods contain large amounts of saturated fat, cholesterol, dietary acids, and many contain growth hormones and antibiotics, as well as accumulated residuals of pesticides, herbicides and other environmental toxins.

What are we supposed to eat?

History tells us that most of our human ancestors ate a diet based largely on whole, plant foods, As hunter-gatherers, they got most of their nutrition from available plant parts (leaves, stems, roots, seeds, nuts, fruits, and grains). Meat was a less frequent addition, and the game they worked hard to kill was a far cry from the domesticated, high fat, hormone-laced meat eaten by most Americans today. Except in situations where game was plentiful, animal foods were likely eaten only occasionally or ceremoniously. The fact that humans were able to survive as omnivores was a tremendous evolutionary advantage, but should not be taken as evidence that the regular consumption of animal foods promotes optimal health. The survival of the the species only requires that the adults live long enough to reproduce and help the young reach maturity - which our ancestors could have accomplished just by living into their 30's or 40's. Now that we are living much longer, serious degenerative disease can be evident for many years before death. 
Take a look at this published data showing historical and current sources of Calories in the human diet:

Percent of Total Calories:     Historical      vs       Current
  WHOLE PLANT FOODS                         95%                           7%
  ANIMAL FOODS                                      5%                         42%
  REFINED FOODS (INCLUDES OILS)         0%                         51%
(Sources: "The Rave Diet and Lifestyle" by Mike Anderson and "Eat to Live" by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.)
Is it any wonder that the increased incidence of degenerative disease parallels the change in diet throughout history and especially over the last century? Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, and even many forms of cancer have been linked to an animal food-based diet. Remarkably, human populations eating a whole food, plant-based diet have been shown to be generally free from these diseases. Conversely, when these previously healthy populations move away from their native surroundings and adopt a western diet, they experience the same diseases we see in the western world.  In his book "The China Study", T. Colin Campbell documents this research in great detail. 
  • Foods that promote optimal health
  • Low-fat vegetables and starches

  • These make up the largest portion of the healthy diet and include nearly all types of green, yellow, and orange vegetables, tubers, bulbs, and root vegetables, squashes, mushrooms, pod vegetables, vegetable fruits, whole grains,  and legumes,  (Buy organic when possible). Examples include:
    LEAFY VEGETABLES - kale, collards, swiss chard, spinach, lettuce, leeks,  arugula, bok choy, turnip greens, watercress, mustard greens, endive, dandelion greens, parsley, cilantro, radicchio, cabbage and beet greens.
    TUBERS, BULBS AND ROOT VEGETABLES - potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, burdock, cassava, fennel, onions, and garlic.
    FLOWERS AND STEMS - broccoli, cauliflower, artichokes, brussels sprouts, asparagus, celery, and rhubarb.
    SQUASHES - zucchini, straight and crookneck squashes, pattypan, cocozelle, chayote, acorn, butternut, buttercup, hubbard, kabocha, and pumpkin.
    POD VEGETABLES - green beans, okra, sugar pod peas, and snow peas.
    MUSHROOMS - cremini, white button, portobello, oyster, shiitake, enoki, and various wild varieties.
    LEGUMES - dried peas and beans including adzuki, black, pinto, cranberry, cannellini, fava, chickpeas (garbanzos), great northern, lima, kidney, soy, navy, white, mung, split peas, black-eyed peas, yellow peas, and lentils.
    VEGETABLE FRUITS AND SEEDS- quinoa, tomato, eggplant, cucumber. and peppers.
    WHOLE GRAINS -  barley, brown rice, bulgur wheat, amaranth, buckwheat, corn, farro, millet, oats, rye, spelt, triticale, and wheat berries.

  • Low-fat fruits

  • These are the fruits we use to satisfy a need for sweet-tasting foods in our diet - often eaten separately as snacks or to complement the savory flavors of other foods. Examples are:
    TROPICAL FRUITS - banana, pineapple, mango, papaya, kiwifruit, passion fruit, guava, lychee nut, and melons.,
    CITRUS FRUITS -  orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, tangerine, and  mandarin orange.
    BERRIES - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, boysenberries, and blackberries.
    STONE FRUITS - plum, peach, nectarine, cherry, and apricot.
    POMES AND OTHERS - apple, pear, quince, grapes, figs, dates, pomegranate, and persimmon. 
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  • High-fat fruits / vegetables, seeds, and nuts

  • A source of many important nutrients, but should be used sparingly due to the high fat to fiber ratio. If weight loss is a priority, you may forego these, at least while the weight is coming off. Examples include:
    NUTS AND NUT BUTTERS - almonds, walnuts, pecans, coconut, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts,  Brazil nuts, pine nuts, and pistachios.  Peanuts (a legume) - organic please! 
    SEEDS - sesame, chia, flax, sunflower.
    VEGETABLES - avocado, olives.

  • Dried fruits

  • Because drying fruit effectively concentrates the natural sugars, these are by weight higher in calories and sugar than the fresh form. They should be avoided or used sparingly if your goal is weight loss. They do, however offer a healthier alternative to refined sweeteners, and can be a tasty and nutritious addition to recipes needing some type of sweetener. Always look for ones containing only the dried fruit - no preservatives, sulfites, added sugar, or oils. Some of the most common are dates, raisins, banana chips, mango, pineapple, blueberries,  apple, apricot, cherry, figs, papaya, prunes, pear, and currants.
  • Buy organic whenever possible!
  • Organic foods are grown and harvested without the  pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, and ionizing radiation so prevalent in cultivation of most of the food that makes it to our grocery stores. Additionally, organic foods cannot be genetically modified organisms (GMOs). As of this time, the organic label is the ONLY way for the consumer to know that they are not eating genetically modified food. Our government (Congress, USDA and FDA) is hopelessly under the influence of the biotech industry (Monsanto, Bayer, DuPont and others) and refuses to allow the public the right to know that we are eating GMOs. Some states are attempting to pass GMO labeling acts, but the biotech industry is working full throttle to impede that progress. Each month, more studies are implicating GMOs as harmful to the health of humans and other animals, our soils, and the ecosystem. At least 26 other countries ban GMOs, and another 60 countries significantly restrict GMOs. We hope the day comes soon that consumers in the U.S. will have the right to know what is in their food, and the organic growers will have the right to grow crops free from contamination by GMOs. 
  • Avoid these foods!
  • Just as important as knowing how to eat healthfully is to know what foods to avoid. Many of these unhealthy foods are found in other food items as well - so it always pays to read the ingredient labels.
    • MEAT - including beef, pork, and lamb.
    • POULTRY - including chicken, turkey, and duck.
    • FISH AND SHELLFISH
    • DAIRY FOODS - milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, sour cream
    • EGGS
    • ANIMAL FATS - including butter and lard.
    • VEGETABLE OILS - such as olive, corn, safflower, canola, flaxseed, and processed fats such as margarine.
    • REFINED AND PROCESSED FOODS - unless containing only allowed ingredients.
  • Is this a vegan diet?
  • We prefer to think of this as a vegan diet with healthier alternatives. In theory, you could subsist on nothing but potato chips and cola while claiming to follow a vegan diet. Just being vegan does not guarantee optimum dietary health. Please take time to check out the references for our website, as so much exciting information has come to light in recent years that supports the statements made here. 

    Two particularly good references about this diet are:
          "The Starch Solution" by John A. McDougall, MD, and Mary McDougall;
          "The Rave Diet and Lifestyle" by Mike Anderson.