Healthy Eating Essentials

People are so confused about what they should and should not eat. There is so much conflicting information about diet. Registered dieticians talk about the food pyramid, which would give you a diet heavy in grains. Dr. Atkins talks about carbohydrates as being the source of all our health woes. Dr. Dean Ornish and Covert Bailey decry the evils of fat. John Robbins makes a strong case for a totally vegan diet. The Zone diet seeks to give a balance between protein, carbohydrate and fat. Sugar Busters seeks to reduce insulin production. A lot of the information seems to be conflicting and the various dietary gurus have harsh things to say about each other’s diets. None of the dietary experts can dispute the nutritional rules below. They may offer refinements like, “Watch your fat consumption,” “Watch your carbohydrate consumption” or “Stay away from animal products,” but none of the experts would say there is anything wrong with the following list of dietary advice. There may also be a little controversy about the implications of not following the advice. (Some may dispute that sugar consumption will cause yeast to grow in the intestines, for example, but they would not dispute that consumption of refined sugar has health consequences.)

To understand how bone health can be undermined, we must first understand how healthy bone is created and maintained. Bone cells called osteoblasts are responsible for generating new bone (osteogenesis) in an ongoing process known as remodeling. As the osteoblasts are doing their job, other bone cells called osteoclasts are doing theirs -- resorbing old bone to make way for new, healthy bone. Obviously the dance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts must be a carefully choreographed one. Excessive resorption, or insufficient new growth, will result in brittle bones. A naturally-occurring example of this condition is the rare genetic disorder known as ontogenesis imperfecta,

1. Drink plenty of water each day: You need water to keep your cells hydrated and protected, to eliminate waste and ensure the health of your mucus membranes. Adequate hydration will improve a number of health problems including sinusitis, constipation, inflammation, allergies, fatigue, joint pain, headaches and many other afflictions. Your body cannot adequately eliminate waste products without enough water. If toxic chemicals or heavy metal poisoning is at the root of your health problems you will have a much easier time getting better when you are properly hydrated. Drink more water and less soda, coffee, tea or juice.

2. Eat plenty of vegetables: Plenty means that at least ½ to ¾ of the food you eat (by volume). Vegetables are very high in fiber, vitamin C, folic acid and minerals. They provide you with many health benefits, including the following:

3. Avoid deep fried food, trans fats, partially hydrogenated oil and hydrogenated oil: As time passes, we keep finding more bad things about hydrogenated oil and fried foods. Hydrogenation is the food industry’s way of turning liquid oils into solid fats. This gives packaged foods a longer shelf life than if they were made with natural oils. Hydrogenation produces trans fats, which have been linked to a number of health problems such as the following:

5. Avoid refined carbohydrates: The average American gets 50% of his or her calories from refined carbohydrates. Refined carbohydrates are grains that have had the fiber, vitamin E, B vitamins, bran and germ removed. In other words, the nutrients have been removed and you are left with the starch. They create all of the same health problems created by refined sugar. Go back and read the problems caused by refined sugar and realize that the list is exactly the same for refined starches Refined carbohydrates fill you up—but not with vitamins and minerals. This stresses your digestive system and your endocrine system. Eating refined carbohydrates uses up precious vitamins and minerals. Often people eat refined carbohydrates because they are low in fat and mistakenly think that because they are “complex carbohydrates” that they are actually good for you. Refined carbohydrates include white bread, white rice, and pasta that are not labeled whole grain. Read the labels on bread. Brown-colored bread labeled wheat bread isn’t usually whole wheat. If the label says enriched, white flour on it, you’re not getting a whole grain. Use brown rice instead of white rice.

6. Avoid chemical additives: Avoid processed foods and chemicals. The average American consumes 10 pounds of chemical additives every year. This has had a devastating effect on our health. The FDA tests single additives, but no one has any idea what combinations of additives do to us. Stay away from packaged foods with chemical additives and you will be much healthier.

7. Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly: Ideally, chew your food until it is liquid. You will be satisfied with less food and you will have better digestion. Your saliva has enzymes that facilitate digestion. Also, it is easier to digest small particles than large ones. Most people eat too fast. Not chewing well stresses your digestive system and can lead to poor absorption of nutrients, digestive problems like gas and bloating and promote the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract.

8. Never skip meals: Skipping meals stresses your adrenal glands. If you are trying to lose weight, not eating is a poor strategy because your metabolism will slow down to accommodate the reduction in calories. As a result you become fatigued and will ultimately gain weight.

HEALING DIET ESSENTIALS
1. Drink at least 8, eight-ounce glasses of water each day.
2. Eat plenty of vegetables.
3. Avoid deep fried food, partially hydrogenated oil and hydrogenated oil.
4. Avoid refined sugar.
5. Avoid refined carbohydrates.
6. Avoid chemical additives.
7. Eat slowly, and chew your food thoroughly.
8. Never skip meals.
9. Follow the rules for more alkaline eating (For more information, see article Optimize Your Health with the Alkaline Ash Diet). These include the following:

When you follow the basic diet you are still able to follow familiar eating patterns. You can have meat and potatoes, a sandwich made with protein and a whole grain bread or fruit in your oatmeal. Adding the disciplines of the alkaline ash diet may change how you think about eating, but eating healthfully provides your body with fuel needed to function well. You will probably have to plan your meals in advance and not just grab food on the run. Try it for 30 days; see if your health and energy improve.