Reflections on a personal journey to better eating.

Not a nutritional expert, but read a lot and experimented a lot.

Sharing some ideas and themes.

These 3 leading killers can be affected (? caused by) poor food choices.

There are other causes too, such as heredity, but how we eat is something we can control.

Eating healthy also makes you feel better.

The basic, irrefutable law:
Calories eaten - minus calories burned equals weight gain or loss.

Just eating the right things doesn't necessarily control calory intake.

For many, controlling calorie intake is the hardest thing to do.

Proteins, Fats & Carbohydrates are all part of a healthy diet. Try to make smart choices in each category.

An one (extreme) example: " The 80/10/10 Diet," by Dr. Douglass N Graham

Learn to read ingredient labels at he grocery store.

A colorful plate probably means a good mix.

Here's an example using all plant-based foods.

Hard in practice - see the following slides.

A good resource: "Eat to Live," by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

Generally, unprocessed is better. Processing removes nutrients.

Organic's big advantage is removal of pesticides, which MAY cause cancer, not more vitamins.

Prepared, prepackaged foods can be loaded with poor dietary choices.

The best way to get it under control is to cook it yourself.

3 stages of primarily plant based diets.

"Vegetarian" - includes fish and dairy as well as fruits & vegetables, but avoids red meat in particular

Vegan - fruits & vegetables only

Raw - same as vegan, but nothing is cooked over 115 degrees or so

My own experience is that raw is tought to follow. Hard to get enough protein without too much fat.

Some fats are artery cloggers and inflammation generating, others are good and necessary.

A good resource: "The Hamptons Diet," by Fred Pescatore, M.D.

Consider:
Omega 3 fats (mainly from coldwater fish)
Nuts & seeds
Avocados
Cold uses: olive oil, hemp oil, flax seed oil
For cooking: macadamia oil, coconut oil

Avoid:
Red meat
Whole fat dairy
Saturated fat
Butter & dairy fat
Red meat
Trans fatty acids
Partially hydrogenated oil

Dairy contains butterfat and casein. But it is a good source of protein and minerals.

At a minimum, switch to 1% or nonfat dairy.

Even better, use a choice like nut milk or hemp milk.

You can even make cheese nut milk by fermenting nuts.

The basic dilemma: it's hard to get enough protein. Red meat has the most protein density, but the wrong fats.

Consider:
Fish, poultry, beans & lentils
Protein supplements

There are some issues with meat substitutes:
Tofu, tempeh, seitan

Avoid:
Red meat

Watch the sodium in prepacked choices.
Watch for antibiotics in meat, poultry & fish.

Americans eat way more salt than they should! It's a leading cause of high blood pressure.

Extremely pervasive - "salt bombs" can be found everywhere in prepared packaged foods and restaurant meals.

Substitute with spices, herbs, hot sauce. It takes some doing, but learn to live with less salt.

The glycemic index is about how your body absorbs sugar.

A resource: "The New Glucose Revolution," by Jennie Brand-Miller et al.

Starches:

Consider:
Sweet potatoes, brown rice, non-gluten grains, apples

Avoid:
Potatoes, bananas

Sweeteners:

Consider:
Dates, palm sugar, palm nectar, stevia, xylitol

Avoid:
Table sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave nectar

Many people have gluten sensitivity without being outright allergic.

Gluten hides in a lot of prepared foods.

Consider:
Brown rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, oats

Avoid:
Wheat, spelt, kamut, rye

Fruits are loaded with nutrients and absorbed more slowly than processed sugar, so the are less likely to cause a blood sugar spike. Plus they have fiber!

Enjoy them instead of cookies, cake, ice cream, etc.

It's hard to eat too many vegetables.Fill up on them if you can!

Enjoy a lightly dressed salad.

Add greens like kale, chard, spinach to other meals.

Consider sea vegetables every now and then.

Promote good bacteria in your gut, rather than the bad type.

These are natural probiotics.

It's easy to make your own to control added ingredients (like sodium).

Use lowfat or nonfat yogurt & kefir.

The "Clean Elimination Diet" gets rid of all the categories that can negatively impact your system.

Another resource: "Clean," by Alejandro Junger, M.D.

www.cleanprogram.com

A great online source of healthy recipes

"Vegan Fusion World Cuisine," by Mark Reinfeld & Bo Rinaldi

"The 30 Minute Vegan," by Mark Reinfeld & Jennifer Murray

"Moosewood Restaurant Cooking for Health,", by The Moosewood Collective

"Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone,", by Deborah Madison

"Plenty - Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi," by Yotam Ottolenghei

"Healthy South Indian Cooking," by Alamelu Vairavan & Patricia Marquardt

It's easy to introduce healthy eating concepts into YOUR diet.

Just do a little bit at a time. Add a vegan meal per week, then two, etc.Find a satisfying balance.

Practice conscious consumerism - pay attention to what's in what you eat.

Generally, diets don't work (for long). Find permanent changes that will stay with you forever.