What to EAT and DRINK and what NOT to.

SUGAR

ELIMINATE IT. The single, most important health measure you can take overall, dietary or otherwise, is to limit or eliminate all added sugars and sweeteners, even the artificial ones. BOOM! Humans are hardwired to like sweet things but it is in the context of whole fruits and vegetables. Artificial or processed sugar however is not good. Avoid it. Sugar is unhealthy. All forms (except whole fruit which is packed with other healthful ingredients like fiber, vitamins and minerals). We evolved to crave sugar since this is our primary energy source. However, sugar was scarce, usually found in the form of fruit or sweeter vegetables like carrots. Today, sugar is available everywhere and permeates all of our processed foods and our cravings for it have expanded. Americans consume on average 152 lbs. of added processed sugar annually, much higher than the 53 lbs. average of all other industrialized countries! Although there has been a general slowly decreasing consumption of sodas over the years, there are plenty of other sources of sugar that you would not expect. Sugar stimulates the brain and creates addictive cravings the same way heroin, morphine and Demerol do! It is 8x more addictive than cocaine and more than 10x more addictive than tobacco. It should be considered poison! Artificial sweeteners are just as bad. Cocaine addicted animals chose sugar including artificial sweeteners over cocaine when given a choice. Studies actually show that 0 calorie beverages with artificial sweeteners actually increase sugar cravings in people and lead to more weight gain than “non-diet” ones.

Processed sugar leads to elevated glucose levels in the blood, which results in an insulin spike. Insulin drives tryptophan into the brain. Tryptophan is the amino acid precursor to serotonin, the “happy” neuropeptide. This is why one of the reasons why it is addictive. Exercise, by the way, has this SAME impact on tryptophan, driving it into the brain and boosting serotonin levels, making you feel good.

Quite simply, added sugar causes cancer! A recent French study of over 100,000 people followed on average for 42 years revealed that as little as 3 oz. or a sugary drink (1/4 of a regular soda) a day increased breast cancer risk by 22% and overall cancer risk by 18%.

Sugar is most definitely a recreational drug. It has many similarities to more traditional drugs like cocaine and heroin such as:

• Changing one’s physical state
• Changing one’s mental and emotional state.
• Stimulating dopamine receptors in the brain
• Inducing feelings of euphoria – the “sugar high”. This is usually followed by an emotional crash and then cravings.

There are 3 defined criteria defining addiction to any behavior or drug and sugar checks all the boxes:

1. Increasing intake
2. Withdrawal symptoms when discontinued
3. Cravings that lead to relapse.

When people who consume large amounts of sugar are given Narcan, the drug given to overdosed drug addicts to reverse the drug effects, their sugar cravings decreased! It’s a drug!

Studies on mice and rats show that when given a choice, 94% of them chose the sugar. Most already addicted to cocaine switched to sugar when offered the choice and they were willing to do more work for sugar than cocaine. Studies also show cross tolerance and cross dependence. What this means is that when animals were addicted to sugar, their responses to morphine were significantly diminished.

Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, regulates how our cells use and store sugar and it also contributes to fat storage in our tissues. Our bodies use glucose as a primary fuel source but processed and refined sugar causes insulin production to spike. High insulin levels are linked to diabetes, obesity, strokes, dementia, ADHD, inflammation, heart disease and cancer. Insulin does not spike the same way when complex sugars like healthy carbohydrates or whole fruits are consumed. Fruit juice will spike insulin since it does not contain fiber but not as much as sugar sweetened beverages. For example, adding berries to a meal of potatoes and chicken actually lowers blood sugars and insulin spikes because of the added fiber and nutrients. By the way, adding chicken to the potato increases insulin production because of the fat in the chicken causing insulin resistance and also because protein itself stimulates insulin secretion. Adding blended raspberries to sugar-water actually lowers the blood sugar and insulin spike, which occurs with the sugar-water alone.

Sugar also stimulates cancer cell growth. A test called a PET scan looks for cancer cells in the body. It is based on the fact that cancer cells feed on sugar. Excess sugar consumption, especially in the form of sugar-sweetened beverages, has been linked to worsening heart disease, diabetes as well as behavioral changes like ADHD and depression. Only 1 can of soda a day has been shown to increase inflammatory markers in the blood. Overall, cancer cells metabolize sugar 50x more than normal cells, having a 10x greater affinity for glucose and a 100x greater affinity for fructose than normal cells. This does not include the natural sugars found in whole fruits and vegetables however. The reason for this affinity is that one of the mechanisms though to cause cancer is the abnormal deterioration and malfunction of the cell mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, which generates ATP. They can be thought of as the “lungs” of the cell. When they don’t work, cancer cells need to rely on another energy source and sugar is the easiest, most readily available source. 

Sugar acts as a diuretic. It sounds counterintuitive that drinking a beverage can actually cause dehydration, but that is exactly what happens. Above 4 gm/100 ml (3.5 oz), the sugar causes the intestines to release water. In addition, the rapid rise in blood sugar causes your kidneys to releae more water. The average Coke contains 3x that concentration to sugar. The same goes for fruit juice. OJ for example contains 2x that amount of sigar. The same goes for sugary foods. The sweether it is, the more water you lose.

The most common disease leading to liver transplantation today is Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). This disease is also known as NASH, Non-Alcoholic Steato Hepatosis. It affects about 20% of adults and 17% of kids! A major contributor to this epidemic is excessive sugar intake, which triggers the liver to produce fat in a process called liponeogenesis. NAFLD causes all kinds of secondary issues. The top causes of NAFLD are (and note that the top 2 are sugar!):

1. SUGAR SWEETENED BEVERAGES. Not only does this include soda, but also “healthy” things like store-bought Kombucha and even Green Teas.
2. ADDED SUGARS. There are obvious ones like doughnuts but there are hidden sources which include salad dressings, BBQ sauce, pasta sauces and even bread.
3. FRIED FOODS, #1 among them in the US are French fries and chips.
4. VEGETABLE OILS like soy, cotton, canola and especially the tropical ones like palm and coconut, which is 95% saturated fat, the worst kind.
5. PROCESSED MEATS like hot dogs, bacon and deli meats.
6. WHITE BREAD and PASTA (essentially sugar).  Hyper-refined grains are essentially the same as added sugars as far as the body and the liver are concerned.

Sugar is hidden in many unexpected foods like salad dressings, bread and pasta sauces, which can contain more added sugar than full-dairy ice cream! Read labels but be aware that “sugar” has, at last count, over 263 different names on packaging. Food companies also will use different forms of sugar in a food item as a strategy to have them appear lower on the ingredients list since any one form is in a lesser amount, yet the total amount of sugar may still be quite high. Sugar, like fat and salt, is added to foods to make us crave them more. Also watch for “sugar-free” labels. These probably contain aspartame or some other artificial sweetener. Aspartame is found in over 6000 common food items. Studies have shown the after one week of consuming aspartame daily, even at 1/2 what the FDA recommends as a safe dose, irritability and depression symptoms were noted.

Food companies will hide sugars by chemically modifying them. A common example is maltodextrin. Maltodextrin is used as a thickener, filler or preservative in many processed foods. It’s an artificially produced white powder that can be enzymatically derived from any starch, most commonly made from corn, rice, potato starch or wheat which are almost always genetically modified. It has absolutely no nutritional value. Because it is so heavily processed, it spikes blood sugar leading to insulin spikes and the subsequent blood sugar crash. Other bad side effects of this ingredient include suppressing the growth of healthy gut bacteria as well as causing allergic reactions or other adverse reactions.

Glucose is the natural form of sugar and although excessive amounts of it are also not good, fructose, the form which is often added to foods seems to be the real culprit. 40% of the sugar Americans consume is in the form of fructose. Fructose, mostly in the form of mechanically modifies High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is particularly toxic. It’s used in most foods because it is cheaper than real sugar. It is 55% fructose. A more potent, chemically modified version, HFCS-90, is 90% fructose and it can be simply labeled as “fructose”.

The body can process glucose as an energy source, but not fructose. The only organ which can process fructose is the liver and this can only happen when fructose is converted to fat. The body can’t get any energy directly out of fructose like it can from glucose.

5 ways that sugar, primarily fructose, contributes to weight gain and obesity:

1. Fructose causes insulin resistance and raises insulin levels in the body, which increases the deposition of fat in the fat cells.
2. Fructose causes resistance to a hormone called leptin, which makes the brain not “see” that the fat cells are full of fat. This leads to increased food intake and decreased fat burning.
3. Fructose does not make you feel full after meals. It does not lower levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin and it doesn’t reduce blood flow in the centers of the brain that control appetite. This increases overall food intake.
4. Sugar, with its powerful effect on the reward system of the brain, causes addiction in certain individuals. This activates powerful reward-seeking behavior that also increases food intake.
5. Excess sugar gets processed by the liver which has to do something with it. It converts it to palmitic acid, the original name for saturated fat, though a process of neolipogenesis (new fat formation). So, although healthy carbohydrates don’t make you fat, excess sugar WILL, especially in the form of processed fructose.

The fructose found in whole fruit counts, but to a much lesser degree as it is accompanied with fiber and all the healthy phytonutrients. The same damaging effect is not seen. An average piece of fruit has 6 grams of fructose. A 20 oz. soda contains 36 grams, and it’s all processed, refined and devoid of any fiber or nutrients.

Most of the fructose (~90%) we consume is actually converted into the much less damaging form glucose in the small intestine. It’s when we overwhelm our bodies with massive amounts of refined fructose that some makes its way past the small intestine, into the blood and eventually to the liver where, also overwhelmed, some of it gets converted into new fat.

ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS.

Saccharin was the first widely commercialized non-nutritive sweetener. It was discovered in 1879 by Constantin Fahlberg in the laboratory of Ira Remsen at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Fahlberg was working with the coal tar derivative benzoic sulfimide when he noticed a sweet taste on his hand. He connected the taste with the compound, which he gave the trivial name saccharin. He and Remsen soon developed a synthesis of saccharin from o-sulfamoylbenzoic acid. In the mid-1880’s, Fahlberg, much to Remsen’s distress, began to manufacture saccharin in Germany. Because of the sugar shortages caused by World War 1, the first entirely synthetic compound to be added to our diet on a large scale. It is 300x sweeter than sugar and is a triumph of synthetic chemistry.

Although artifical sweeteners are promoted as “0 calorie” sweeteners, they are in almost all cases worse than table sugar. They can be as much as 1000x sweeter and trigger the addictive brain responses to a significantly greater degree. In addition, they are known to actually break down the intestinal barrier leading to leaky gut and alter the microbiome, favoring a much unhealthier balance of microbes. Artificial sweeteners induce changes in the microbiome as well, promoting inflammation, insulin resistance and liver injury. One in particular, trehalose, which also improves stability and texture of food, promotes the growth of particularly virulent strains of C. Diff. Its implementation in the food industry times perfectly with the worldwide explosion of those specific strains of C. Diff.

Even thpugh they have no calories, they still trigger responses in the brain, which is expectiong a load of protein and fat since foods arae never copnsumed in isolation. Insulin is still produced even thpugh there is no sugar to process. But insulin also triggers fat storage so these sweeteners still contrinute to weight gain.

“OK” NATURAL SWEETENERS.

The best sweeteners are the ones which come from whole fruit like dates or smashed bananas. However, there are some processed ones which are OK and have little impact on glucose and insulin levels. Some include:

• ALLULOSE. D-Psicose (C₆H₁₂O₆), also known as D-allulose, or simply allulose, is a low-calorie epimer (mirror image) of fructose and is used by some major commercial food and beverage manufacturers as a low-calorie sweetener. First identified in wheat in the 1940s, allulose is naturally present in small quantities in certain other foods like, jackfruit, figs, raisins, brown sugar and maple syrup. It’s about 75% as sweet as table sugar.
• MONK FRUIT is a small Asian melon that has been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. Monk fruit extract is derived by crushing the fruit, then drying the juice into a concentrated powder that has no calories, carbs or sugar. Monk fruit extract is extremely sweet, which comes from an antioxidant in the fruit called Mogroside V. It’s very concentrated and is 400x as sweet as sugar.
• STEVIA is a natural sweetener derived from the leaves of the stevia plant (Stevia rebaudiana). It has zero calories but is 200x sweeter than table sugar.

ERYTHRITOL used to be on the “OK” list but recent studies suggest otherwise. Erythritol is a sugar molecule made by all plants and all mammals as well. The degree of sweetness of erythritol ranges between 70-80% that of sugar. Sugar has 4 calories per gram, but erythritol has zero. Partly because of that, it is commonly used as an artificial sweetener in processed foods. It is used however in massive amounts, feeding our sugar addiction. Concentration is often 1000x more than what exists in our bodies.

Although we do make erythritol in our bodies, it is present in very small amounts. Erythritol can be measured in the body and elevated levels are associated with various chronic diseases. Erythritol also has been associated with increased clotting and as such, increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

BOTTOM LINE:

ALL sweeteners are not healthy and the more fructose they contain, the worse they are. If you must use sweeteners, use natural ones like raw unpasteurized honey (which is 40% fructose and 30% glucose), spices like cinnamon or fruits like dates. Be careful of other “natural” sugars such as agave. Agave, a syrup made from cactus, often advertised as “natural and healthy” is at least 55% fructose, the same amount as the extremely unhealthy High Fructose Corn Syrup. Some forms of agave have as much as 97% fructose.

For more information about sugars, how they impact on health and contribute to obesity, click here: SUGARS – THE BASICS.

Another good document to review is: GLUCOSE, SPIKES and FOOD TIMING

Finally, the sugar industry is intimately associated with the development of the slave trade. For more information about the interesting history of sugar, click here. THE HISTORY OF SUGAR.

Here is an interesting bit of information. An interview with a professional football team owner, who wished to remain anonymous, revealed that the players refused to drink Gatorade because of how bad it is for you. Because of advertising contracts, the team is obligated to have the large Gatorade bins on the sidelines but they contain no Gatorade!

PROCESSED FOODS

“Eat the food the God made. Not the food that man made”

Over billions of years our bodies have adapted to using a wide range of food. But over the past 150 years, food has become… not food. We’ve started eating substances constructed from new, manufactured molecules and using processes never previously encountered in our evolutionary history. Our calories increasingly come from such products as modified starches, invert sugars (liquified forms of table sugar in which the chemical bonds between glucose and fructose molecules have been broken), hydrolysed protein isolates and seed oils that have been refined, bleached, deodorized, hydrogenated and interesterified.

And these calories have been assembled into concoctions using other molecules that our senses have never been exposed to either: synthetic emulsifiers, low-calorie sweeteners, stabilizing gums, humectants, flavor compounds, dyes, color stabilizers, carbonating agents, firming agents and bulking and anti-bulking agents.

Just to be clear, there is a difference between “processed” and “ultra processed (UPF)” foods. Any food which is altered from it’s original form is processed. Cooking, steaming, chopping, fermenting… are all forms of processing and have been employed to make food more platable and digestible for thpusands of years. The real issue are the hyperprocessed, manufactured foods (HPFs) which have only been in existance for the last 100 years or so. In a nutshel, if it has a package or more than 1-2 ingredients, they are HPFs and you shpuld ELIMINATE THEM from your diet!

Again, any food altered from its whole, raw form is technically processed however there is a difference between cooking potatoes and eating Twinkies. 62% of the food purchases made by Americans in grocery stores are highly processed foods full of fat, salt, and sugar. More than 80% of calories consumed from grocery stores in 2012 were from ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat food items. 80% of the sodium (salt) in modern diets comes from processed foods. 70% of the food found in most grocery stores did not even exist 25 years ago. In the 1970’s, a typical grocery store had about 15 thousand products. Today, the average is 50 thousand. It’s all unhealthy manufactured garbage. Because of all the processed foods consumed, 60% of the average American’s diet consists of processed wheat, corn or rice, the vast majority of which is conventionally grown meaning the it is loaded with chemicals.

They are simply unhealthy. For every 10% increase in calories from processed food consumed regularly, there is a 14% increased risk in premature all cause mortality and 25% increased risk for dementia.

There is strong evidence that increased UPF intake is strongly associated with an increased risk of: 

• death, so called all-cause mortality
• cardiovascular disease (strokes and heart attacks)
• cancers (all cancers overall, as well as breast cancer specifically)
• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• fatty liver disease
• inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease)
• depression
• worse blood fat profile
• frailty (as measured by grip strength)
• irritable bowel syndrome and dyspepsia (indigestion)
• dementia

We are inundated by processed foods. What business does a hardware store like Home Depot, electronics store like Best Buy or office supply store like Staples have selling food? Excluding stores meant to sell food, like grocery stores or “markets”, 40% of retail stores in the US sell junk food, usually right at the checkout where you are most vulnerable to buy some, usually by impulse. When you buy a hammer at Home Depot or a printer at Best Buy, you can munch out on crap at the checkout line.

Part of the problem with processed foods is their cost, convenience and availability. Take for example microwave meals. The first complete frozen meals were, in fact, airline food: Maxson Food Systems’ ‘Strato-Plates’, so called because they were developed to be reheated on the new airliners of the day, Boeing’s Stratocruiser, introduced in 1947. But it was Swanson’s ‘TV Dinners’ that took off in 1954. By then, more than half of American households had televisions, and this was the perfect hook. The dinners cost $0.98c and were ready in 25 minutes. Over the next three decades they would become ubiquitous. A 1981 picture shows Ronald and Nancy Reagan in the White House wearing matching red jumpers over matching white shirts, sitting in matching red armchairs on a matching red carpet, and eating TV dinners. How is that as an execurive example.

Even the hospital system is a common source of unhealthy food! In fact, 47% of US hospitals have long-term contracts with fast food franchises like McDonald’s which are prominently located in their lobbies! A good example is the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania. What a great way to start a sick kid’s path back to wellness! Give them a “Happy” Meal! A medical student at the University of Pennsylvania who lobbied to have McDonald’s removed, had his medical training threatened by no other than the Dean of Medicine.

If it comes in a bag or a package, has more than 5 ingredients or if you can’t pronounce an ingredient, don’t eat it! These “foods” are unhealthy, cause inflammation and raise insulin levels. WHOLE food is much better. A simple rule to follow is this: if it’s not something your grandmother could make herself or would recognize as food, don’t eat it!

Although all food altered from its natural form is considered processed, there are different levels of processing. Processing eliminates many of the healthy nutrients found in foods and the more processed they are, the unhealthier the food is. Processing essentially break foods down making them easier to digest and absorb into the bloodstream. This often leads to more rapid rises in blood sugar and fata levels. For example, eating “quick-cooking” rolled oats lead to a much more rapid rise in blood sugar than whole oat groats or steel cut oats. Eating whole peanuts results in absorption of only 60% of the fat in those nuts as compared with eating the same amount of nuts as peanut butter. Whole olives have many healthful nutrients however when pressed into olive oil, all the healthy fiber and most of the nutrients are removed and all you are left with is some flavor and a whopping 14 grams of fat per tbsp. Olives are healthy to eat. Olive oil is significantly less healthy. One of the beneficial compounds olives contain is hydroxytyrosol, which is a potent protector of the thin endothelial lining of our arteries, responsible for keeping them relaxed and pliable. It is removed during the pressing of olives into olive oil. When wheat is processed and refined into flour, 25 naturally occurring nutrients are stripped away then it’s “enriched’ with 5 isolated nutrients that were removed. Then chemical additives and preservatives are added to preserve shelf life and make bread fluffier. The more processed a food, the less digestion is required, the faster it gets absorbed into the blood stream, the higher the sugar spike and subsequent insulin rise to deal with and transport the sugar and the greater the resulting crash in blood sugar afterwards. As an example, oatmeal has various degrees of processing. Oat grouts, the whole hulled kernels of oats, are the best and healthiest. When grouts are chopped, they are called “steel-cut” and although they are still pretty healthy, they are absorbed a little faster and there is a greater impact on blood sugar and subsequent insulin production. The next level of processing oats is when they are steamed and pressed, which is called “rolled oats” and this has an even greater impact on blood sugar. They are more convenient because they are much faster to cook, but less healthy. The worst are the small packages of “instant oats” which are often microwaveable and also are loaded with added sugars. Pastries, protein bars, refined flour, chips, crackers, cereals, soda, preserved meats, fruit snacks… these are all other examples of highly processed foods and should be avoided. The Marshall Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific. In the 1950’s, their diabetes rate was almost 0%. With the placement of an American military base and the introduction of processed foods, the local population started abandoning local, traditional foods for the easier, Standard American Diet of processed foods and Animal products. The adult diabetes rate is now over 50%! A typical child’s diet consists of sugar-sweetened breakfast cereals, with Kool-Aid powder sprinkled on top!

When we eat, there are receptors in our stomachs and small intestines which measure stretching as well as calories present. The signals which are sent to the brain telling us that we are full as a result of these receptors being triggered takes 20 minutes or so, which is why when we eat too quickly, we overshoot that signal and often feel “full” and bloated. One of the problems with HPCs is that they are so refined that the sugars and calories get absorbed very quickly and those receptors are not even triggered in the first place leading to overeating.

Most processed and packaged foods contain, among other things, a lot of vegetable and seed oils like canola, sesame, grape seed, sunflower and safflower. There are extremely pro inflammatory containing trans fats, omega-6 fatty acids and aldehyde compounds, all things you do not want to consume. Avoid these fats as much as possible. The typical ratio of unhealthy omega-6 fats to healthy omega-3 fats in traditional diets up until 100 years ago was approximately 1:1-5:1. Today, the Standard American Diet has a ratio closer to 20-25:1, leaning very much on the inflammatory side of the equation. In some areas of the US, the ratio approaches 50:1! Animal fats have a much greater ratio of omega-6 but the plant seed oils take the cake. Corn oil for example has an 83:1 ratio.

They also often contain “natural flavors”. A single “natural flavor” can consist of 50 to 100 different components, according to the Environmental Working Group. Often, these include solvents, emulsifiers, and preservatives, substances that preserve the natural ingredients being used or help them mix with each other. Sometimes, these additives are synthetic. There are over 10,000 food additives, many of which like artificial food dyes, are illegal in many other countries.

Avoid anything that makes some kind of health claim on the packaging like “Low Fat”, “All Natural”, “Low Sugar” or “Fortified With…”. It’s guaranteed to be hiding something unhealthy in the fine print. If it needs to be fortified, it must be deficient in the first place.

Food companies create foods to make us addicted to them. They add sugar, salt and fat along with a variety of other chemicals and food additives to processed foods to increase their “crave ability” and to create what they call the “bliss point”. They try to make them more addictive. Go to this page for more information about how food companies try to make us more addicted to their products: Important things to remember about FOOD, EATING and HEALTH.

Processed foods and sugars contribute to all kinds of issues including obesity, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune diseases, colorectal cancer and even anxiety, depression and ADHD. Studies on violent prison inmates show that improving their diet, primarily by significantly reducing processed foods and sugar, resulted in a 56% reduction in subsequent violent crime. By adding a simple multivitamin as well further decreased the rate by 80%. Consuming processed, refined foods lead to a rapid rise in blood sugar which triggers a large and rapid release of insulin from the pancreas. This high level of insulin leads to a rapid drop in blood sugar as it gets transported into cells for storage or use as energy. This hypoglycemic response triggers a protective response by the liver which releases stored triglycerides thinking that the body needs an alternative source of energy however, in most people today, it just gets converted into fat. In addition, the excessive amounts of sugar in the blood can’t get stored or used and gets converted into triglycerides by the liver in a process called de novo lipogenesis. which also contributes to high triglyceride levels and obesity. A 2018 metabolic ward study (patients lived in a facility and were fed food ie: no cheating) showed that eating hyper processed foods caused an additional consumption of 500 calories a day as compared with those eating whole fruits and vegetables, contributing to weight gain. Compared with a regular diet, adding more whole foods actually reduced food consumption by 200 calories. So going from a diet heavy in processed food to one favoring whole foods, leads to a 700 calorie difference if all you did was eat until you felt full.

One of the problems with processed foods is that they are very calorically dense and are hyper palatable (very tasty and overstimulate the taste buds). You can eat a LOT without feeling full. There are 3 Factors which make food satiating (filling). Processed foods are often devoid of all 3!

• • Protein content. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient.
  • Fiber content. Absorbs water. Stretches stomach, turns off ghrelin
  • Water content. Water removed from processed food since it reduces shelf life.

It is estimated that between 5-7% of people are addicted to food. They can’t control their cravings and the foods they tend to binge on are mostly processed, high salt and fat foods. Similar to sugar, processed foods, especially ones with refined flower, can be more addictive than cocaine and tobacco. If you are concerned about food addiction, take an online quiz at FoodFreedomQuiz.com. One simple way to minimize these food temptations is to remove all processed foods from your home. There is  a saying: “If it’s in your home, it’s in your mouth!”

There are degrees of food processing. The NOVA scale puts processed foods into categories. Below are links to a summary of the categories with examples as well as an article about it:

Nova Processed Food Classification

NOVA Classification Reference Sheet

FAT

First of all, we do need fat in our diet for good health, however we get plenty of healthy fats from plants, our bodies make all the cholesterol we need, and when consumed along with processed foods and sugars, fat can be toxic. Especially the wrong kinds. Limit it as much as possible. Dr. John McDougall says “The fat you eat is the fat you wear”. The average American consumes 65 lbs. of fat a year. That’s 2 tons by the age of 60! From a caloric perspective, the math is simple and clear. Fat has 9 calories per gram (125 cal./tbsp.) while protein (found in ALL foods) and carbohydrates (only found in fruits, vegetables, legumes…) have only 4 calories per gram. Regardless what you read in the press, fat consumption does increase cholesterol levels in the blood, clogging arteries and causing insulin resistance, resulting in higher and higher insulin levels and blood glucose. High insulin levels cause excess fat storage in your organs, increase risks for cancer (especially breast, prostate and colon), heart disease, strokes and dementia and disrupt hormone function.

Fat comes in a variety of forms. Trans, Saturated, Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated.

Trans Fat. Trans fats (or trans fatty acids) are created in an industrial process that adds hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. Another name for trans fats is “partially hydrogenated oils.” Trans fats are found in many fried foods and baked goods such as pastries, pizza dough, pie crust, cookies and crackers. Trans fats raise your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and lower your good (HDL) cholesterol levels. These changes are associated with a higher risk of heart disease. The US is one of only 4 countries which have outright banned trans fats. Denmark, Switzerland and Sweden being the other three. Many other countries have strict controls but not banns. That having been said, there are many other food additives allowed in the US which convert into trans fats so they are still getting in via processed foods. There is more below about how trans fats can still get into our diet. Although they do occur naturally in some animal products like meat, fish and dairy, it accounts for only 1-10% of the fat content. But even small ampunts add up. As far as labeling is concerned, the food industry can mark trans fat content as “0” if levels fall below 0.5 gms.

Trans fats have well etablished harmful effects on health, including:

• • Raising LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
  • Lowering HDL (“good”) cholesterol
  • Increasing the risk of atherosclerosis, or built-up fat and cholesterol in the arteries 
  • Activating apoptosis, or programmed cell death
  • Causing inflammation
  • Triggering insulin resistance

The degree of saaturation refers to how much of the tail of the fat molecule is filled with hydrogen atoms. Saturated fats have 100% of the carbon atoms attached with hydrogen, it is solid at room air, and is the most dangerous, causing all kinds of chronic diseases. Although all foods and even some plants especially tropical oils like palm and coconut contain saturated fat, the vast majority comes form meat, fish, eggs and espetially dairy. Mono and Polyunstuerated fats are much better for you than saturated fats are, however as they say, the dose makes the poison. Monounsaturated fats have 1 double bond between carbon atoms. Examples of foods which have mono fats include olive, peanut, and canola oils, avocados, nuts such as almonds, hazelnuts, and pecans and seeds such as pumpkin and sesame seeds. Polyunsaturated fats are the healthiest and have multiple carbon atoms free of hydrogen. Examples include sunflower, corn, soybean, and flaxseed oils, walnuts, flax seeds and cold water fish. As far as the fish are concerned, they actually don’t make it but get it from the algae they consume. The advantage of getting it from algae, is that there is no chemical contamination!

Substituting saturated fat foods with those containing mono or poly unsaturated foods is great. However, there also appears to be an added benefit of having some of the healthier fats in the diet. They appear to increase the sensetivity and function of the receptors on cells which take up and clear LDL, the “bad” cholesterol.

We do need essential fats (Omega 3, DHA, EPA) but we get plenty from whole foods like vegetables, algae, nuts & seeds. Cold water fish, the SMASH list (salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring) are also good sources of Omega 3 fatty acids but they don’t make it but get it from the algae they consume. Farmed fish has virtually no Omega 3s. Also, remember that most of the oil is in the skin of the fish and not the flesh. Also, all fish is contaminated with chemicals. Better to get your O3s from the source, algae.

Keep in mind that your adipose (fat) cells can only store so much dietary fat, which we use as emergency energy sources. Once saturated, all the extra gets deposited in your organs like the liver and muscle cells. The biggest source of fat in the American diet is cheese which is 70% saturated fat. Regular saturated fat consumption double the risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease. The risk of Alzheimer’s Disease follows the same curve as the risk of cardiovascular disease with respect to consumption of fat, especially saturated fat. The more you consume, the greater the risk. The same goes for insulin resistance and diabetes. Saturated fat is toxic and kills off pancreatic islet cells, the ones which make Insulin, as well as many other hormones. And animal sources saturated fat is significantly more toxic than plant sources.

A 2% rise in your LDL for every 1% rise in dietary saturated fat and for every 4gm (small piece of cheese or half a macaroon) of saturated fat/day, there is a 15% increased risk of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Fats increase blood viscosity (think sludge in water) leading to increasing clotting potential and hypertension. Blood flow, and subsequent delivery of oxygen and nutrients to tissues, is impaired the more fat is circulating in your blood.

Fatty acids, like omega 3 and omega 6, also called the ‘essential” fatty acids, are converted into phospholipids which are an important component of the walls of all cells. In blood vessels, cells containing more omega 6 fatty acids are stiffer and more constricted resulting in higher blood pressure. Those containing higher levels of omega 3 fatty acids are more pliable and relaxed. More dietary fat, especially saturated fat, impacts on blood vessel stiffness and function and increases blood pressure. Many vegetable oils like sunflower and canola also have a disproportionate higher amount of omega 6 fatty acids. Both are important but only in the right ratio. We used to healthier, more natural eat foods which provided a ratio of Omega 3 to omega 6 approximating 1:1 or 1:2. Todays food supply results in a ratio closer to 1:20, favoring the more inflammation-promoting omega 6 fatty acids.

All oils are PURE FAT with a whopping 14 gm/tablespoon. Use them sparingly. Even one fatty meal stiffens arterial walls for up to 6 hours! It’s why people often have heart attacks after eating. There are different kinds of oils. Some are worse than others (olive, avocado, soybean and canola being among the “better” ones) but it’s all relative. They are all problematic.

Coconut oil has been getting a lot of press and is touted as a healthy oil. One of its side effects is that it breaks down the blood-brain barrier which protects the brain from unwanted intruders. As a result, the brain is more vulnerable to inflammation. There was only one study ever done showing that coconut had health benefits and it was not even the oil but whole coconut. Another study showed that coconut oil raised LDL cholesterol (the bad one) to a greater degree than pure lard. It’s 95% saturated fat! Each tablespoon contains more than 12 grams of saturated fat. Even the USDA says that one should not consume more than 11 grams of saturated fat a day.

Olive oil is a big part of the “Mediterranean Diet” and is thus touted as health-promoting. Although it does have some healthy nutrients, most of them have been stripped away from the healthier olives they come from. About 18% of the fat in olive oil is saturated fat. The Mediterranean Diet is healthy despite all the olive oil, not because of it. In fact, adding olive oil to a salad impairs the ability of nutrients from the salad to relax arterial walls. It’s all the fruits and vegetable which are the real benefit of the Mediterranean diet. There are some benefits to olive oil, but only in the raw, uncooked state. Top-grade healthiest oil is called ‘extra virgin’ and has the lowest acidity levels, with less than 0.4% in the finest oils, less than 0.8% in EVOOs and 2% in the normal virgins. Studies have shown that, in addition to reducing neuroinflammation, it also increases the activity of the protein AMPK (AMP-Activated protein kinase) which has numerous positive effects in the brain including  improving autophagy, the process of the body ridding itself of older and malfunctioning cells. EVOO also contains the compound oleocanthal, a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. It helps to clear away the amyloid which builds up during the day. The buildup of amyloid is one of the major mechanisms leading to Alzheimer’s disease. EVOO also helps to prevent age-related deterioration of mitochondrial DNA in the brain. The mitochondria are the energy-generators inside cells. Although too much oil is not good for fat loss, a small amount (1 tablespoon a day) stimulates significant increases in 3 hormones involved in fat metabolism in different ways, GLP-1, CCK and PYY. Olive oil also has been shown to downregulate one of the genes associated with obesity, Fat Mass and Obesity Associated gene (FTO).

As an aside, olives are actually a stone fruit, like cherries or peaches. But unlike their sweeter relatives, they contain much less sugae (only 3%) and much more fat. As far as their olor is concerned, the darker, the riper. They are all the same olives, it’s just how ripe they are which results in their darker color and richer flavor.

As mentioned above, vegetable and seed oils like canola, sesame, grape seed, sunflower and safflower are extremely pro inflammatory containing trans fats, omega 6 fatty acids and aldehyde compounds, all things you do not want to consume. Avoid these fats as much as possible. People talk a lot about olive oil and the Mediterranean diet. The real benefit of this dietary approach is the low-level of meat and dairy consumption and the generous amounts of fresh, whole fruits and vegetables. The populations on whom the “Mediterranean Diet” were based consumed a mostly plant-based diet with little meat and fish and with less than 23% of their calories coming from fat.

All oils have approximately the same amount of fat: 14 grams (or 125 calories) per tablespoon. 1 tablespoon of oil a day (the typical amount of salad dressing used is at least 2 tbsp) leads to a 1-pound weight gain a month. That may not sound like a lot but that’s 12 pounds a year. Year after year, that adds up. If you do use oil, don’t pour it on but measure it out. It’s easy to overdo it. Try not to raise the temperature too much either. High temperatures create carcinogenic compounds. Different oils have different “smoke points” which is the temperature at which these dangerous compounds are formed. Also make sure to use organic  and non-GMO oils. The “best/least damaging” oils are:

• OLIVE OIL. Olives are actually a fruit that nourishes itself by producing fat rather than sugar, and classified officially as a berry as the stone is in fact a seed. So olive oil could be considered a fruit juice, but not one we would normally have by the glass with breakfast. Without marinating, the ripe fruit is virtually inedible due to the very bitter tannin polyphenols that protect it, which are also beneficial to us. They are one of the earliest cultivated fruits that ancient civilisations depended on as a multipurpose ingredient used for cooking, preserving, lighting, massage, medicine and washing. The olive tree is extra hardy, surviving droughts and living for over a thousand years.Nearly all basic olive oil is virgin, i.e. from olives crushed without solvents, but the top-grade oil called ‘extra’ has the lowest acidity levels, with less than 0.4 per cent in the finest oils, less than 0.8 per cent in EVOOs and 2 per cent in the normal virgins. The time between picking and crushing as well as the extraction temperature (cold is best) is key in making sure the level of peroxides stays low. As the number of peroxides increases, the oil becomes less fruity, more rancid and less ‘extra’.Consider buying from a single producer from countries like Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain that have a non-intensive olive farming approach and traditional extraction methods using pressing and water with no need for additional solvents. Another good tip is to find the EVOOs that have their vintage on the label. The more recently the olives were pressed, the better the polyphenol content and the lower the peroxides. This date is a better indicator than the sell-by date which tells us when the oil was bottled but not necessarily pressed so if you can, look out for the actual date the oil was harvested and pressed, not just bottled. Italy produces more bottles of oil than is actually possible, counting the number of olive trees. Much of it is rebottled from Spain which produces the most oil, or from Greece which produces the most high-quality EVOO. Substituting low-quality tasteless products lacking any polyphenols is a growing crime at all levels. Recent estimates from a 2016 CBS survey suggested 40% of Italian EVOO is adulterated with other substances, and over 75% of US imports were not what they seemed, with many tested failing to meet minimum standards.Containing many polypohenols, olive oil is the healthiest of all oils. Make sure it is extra virgin, which means it was mechanically pressed (you may see the term cold pressed) rather than being produced by chemical means. Many oils are extracted using various chemicals including hexane which is neurotoxic. Also, check the source and make sure you are not getting a blend.Some olives are also better than others. The best are:
  • Koroneiki olives from Greece.
  • Picual olives from Spain.
  • Moraiolo olives from Italy.
• CANOLA OIL. Although technically a seed oil coming from the rapeseed plant, canola oils fatty makeup is more in line with a fruit oil like olive oil. The rapeseed plant is in the brassica family (broccoli, kale…) and gets its name from the latin rape (ra-pey) meaning “turnip”, also a brassica plant. Itis very bitter, partly because of it’s significant content or arusic acid. Canola is a hybridized, lower arusic acid version of the rapeseed plant created in Canada thus the name CANada Oil Low Acid, Canola. It actually has a lower amount of saturated fat than olive oil and a simmilar ampunt of monounsaturated fates (the better ones). It does contain a little more of the omega 6 fatty acids which are proinflamatory. Like olive oil, make sure it is not chemically extracted. Use cold expeller pressed only. Also, select higher omega 3 brands.
• SOYBEAN and AVOCADO OIL. Make sure it’s organic since most soy is conventionally grown with lots of chemicals and is high-oleic.
• FLAX OIL. Although also high in fat, the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 is significantly better.

Avoid tropical oils (coconut and palm, both very high in saturated fat) as well as the other plant oils like sunflower and safflower. There is a lot of buzz about coconut oil. It’s 95% saturated fat and studies have shown that it rises LDL cholesterol (the bad one) to a greater degree than lard or butter!

• FRIED FOODS are an extremely high source of fat as well. ANYTHING that is fried, whether in a pan or a deep fryer. Here are some scary statistics:
  • Regularly eating fried foods only 3x a week increases your risk of heart disease by 18%
  • By eating fried foods 4-5x a week, the heart disease rate goes up by 25%
  • Daily consumption increases the risks to 68%
  • BUT consuming a vegetarian or vegan diet decreases your heart disease risks by 40%!

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LEAN MEAT! People eat chicken, fish and pork believing they are healthier, low-fat alternatives to red meat. This is simply not true. Chicken has the same amount of cholesterol as red meat does and shrimp has almost double! Cholesterol is what makes up our cell walls, including muscle, and that is what “meat” is: muscle. Although chicken has less fat by percent, it’s not by much. The leanest piece of red meat is 29% fat and chicken is 23% fat! Salmon, the “healthiest” of the fish to eat, does have more omega 3 fatty acids (which are good), but 70% of the fat in salmon is still saturated fat, the bad kind. If you are going to eat fish, salmon and smaller fish like sardines and anchovies are the best option but don’t be fooled. However, just like the cows who don’t make calcium but get it from the grass they eat, salmon and other fish don’t make omega 3s but get it from the algae they consume.

• Some examples of the saturated fats in the leanest versions of foods are:
  • Red meat – 50%
  • Chicken – 30%
  • Fish – 20% (salmon is significantly higher)
  • Eggs – 20%Animal products are not the only sources of saturated fat. Some plants also contain them.
  • Coconut: 100% fat, 90% of which is SF.
  • Olive Oil: 14% SF.
  • Avocados: 15% SF.
  • Nuts: 4-16% SF.
    • Brazil nuts, cashews and macadamia are the highest.
      
• With respect to overall amounts, the sources of saturated fat in the American diet are as follows:
  • #1 – Cheese
  • #2 – Chicken
  • #3 – Pork
  • #4 – Beef

A note about visceral fat. This is the fat that is not visible on the outside. It’s the fat that is inside your body, both in and around your internal organs. You may look relatively slim, but you could still have significant amount of visceral fat which secretes hormones, causes insulin resistance and contributes to other problems like heart attacks, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, raised blood pressure, stroke, breast and colorectal cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. John McDougal has a saying: “The fat you eat is the fat you wear”. One quarter (25%) of the world’s population has non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, primarily caused by obesity and a fatty diet. Be careful of the fat in the foods you eat. Again, we do need fat in our diet but it’s easy to get enough from healthy sources but it’s much easier to get too much.

In addition to the visceral fat (around our organs) and subcutaneous fat (the “outside” fat under the skin, which by the way humans are the only mammals who have this kind of fat!), there is also intracellular fat. This is the fat inside the cells which impair the function of insulin, responsible for, among other things, sugar transport into cells for energy use and storage. Even after just a few days of eating a high fat diet, thin participants in a study started to rapidly accumulate fat inside their cells.

SATURATED FAT AND DIABETES. The pancreas continues to produce the majority of our beta cells, the ones which make insulin, until about the age of 20. These cells can replicate and other cells can be turned into beta cells, but the rate drops off dramatically after teenage years. However, by the time someone is actually diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, there has been so much pressure on the pancreas due to such a poor diet, that 50% of the beta cells have already been destroyed.

These cells are destroyed by a variety of insults including consuming too much sugar and hyper processed food and viral infections, including the virus which causes COvid-19. However the most significant destructive factor is saturated fat. The beta cells soak up the fat we consume, particularly when there is an excessive amount. Particularly toxic to those cells is saturated fat which upregulates a gene producing a protein aptly called Death Protein 5 (DP5). 

Even within 1-2 hours of a single high fatty meal, pancreatic beta cells become dysfunctional and produce less insulin, leading to higher blood sugar levels. So, not only does fat produce obvious short term effects on the pancreas and glucose metabolism, but it causes long term effects by eventually causing these cells to die off.

ARTERIAL DYSFUNCTION. Fat consumption also causes endothelial dysfunction. The endothelium is the thin layer of cells that line all your arteries. These cells protect arterial walls and also produce nitric oxide which relaxes blood vessels and contributes to blood vessel tone. Foods high in nitric oxide include greens (arugula, kale, Swiss chard, spinach…), beets, watermelon (especially the white part of the rind), nuts and grains like oats. The earliest sign of arterial dysfunction and heart disease in men is erectile dysfunction (ED). Just one fatty meal, even in young professional athletes, is enough to cause up to 6 hours of endothelial dysfunction contributing to erectile dysfunction! Only 1 fatty meal also causes your liver to look like someone who has chronic non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. One meal also increases the risks of triggering an asthma attack in asthmatics by causing inflammation in the blood vessels that supply the small airways. Finally, only 1 fatty meal causes red blood cells to change their shape from nice, smooth flexible cells to stiff spiky ones which are implicated in causing damage to blood vessel walls. This all contributes the increase cardiac and pulmonary events and death which occur at greater rates after fatty meals.

MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION. Fat also impairs mitochondrial production and function. The mitochondria are small “organelles” in cells, responsible for energy production and function. Think of them like the generator and motor of the cell. When they don’t work, metabolism slows down, leading to weight gain. Fat also down-regulates the genes which make mitochondria, further worsening the mitochondrial issue. The more fat you have, the harder it becomes to lose fat!

Prostate cancer risks increase 3x with a first order relative with prostate cancer but risks go up 300x from a fatty diet.

One last detrimental effect of fat is to break down the intestinal barrier/wall. This creates gaps, allowing various toxins and substances not meant to cross the barrier to do so and wreak havoc in the body.

FAT AND TOXINS. Fat cells are where our bodies store toxins, and they do so for a very long time. Some chemicals in our food and environment, even those banned more than 30 years ago, can be measured not only in people walking around, but even in newborns, since they can pass along through the maternal fetal circulation to the developing baby. The only way we get rid of these toxins is through sweat and by getting rid of fat. These compounds are also passed along through breast milk, which is very high in fat.

As far as fat you consume, it’s half-life, the amount of time it takes for that specific fat to be cleared, is 600 days! That means that it takes almost 2 years to clear only half the fat you store, even after one meal.

FATS and the MICROBIOME. Unhealthy saturated fats encourage the growth of inflammatory microbes like Bilophia wadsworthia, alter intestinal permeability and cause release of bacterial endotoxin. Mono and polyunsaturated fats derived from plant foods promote growth of beneficial microorganisms, correct dysbiosis and reduce endotoxin release.

If you did nothing else but add a few servings of fruits and vegetables a day to your diet, you would already be in a much healthier state. A whole food, plant-based and low-fat diet is hands down the most scientifically backed, healthiest long-term nutritional strategy. Plants provide all the nutrients we need (with the exception of Vitamin D which comes from the sun and B12 which comes from microbes in the soil) in a cleaner, more absorbable and usable form than what you get from meat and dairy. As an example, if all you ate was broccoli or asparagus, you would obtain all the macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients you need to be healthy. If all you ate was chicken, you would be deficient in many micro-nutrients and you would get way too much fat and protein. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can, especially greens (salads, kale, spinach…) and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts…). Eat the Nutritional Rainbow. Only fruits and vegetables have antioxidants in them. Animal products do not. Within 2 hours of a stressful event, even something as innocent as being stuck in traffic, our antioxidant stores plummet to combat oxidative stress. It takes 3 days to build those stores back up. The average American gets less than half the minimal recommendation for antioxidants. When you are sick or stressed, pack yourself with extra fruits and vegetable to make sure you have the antioxidants to deal with your stress. Make sure you eat the skins also. Often, there are different and much more antioxidants in the skins of fruits and vegetables. For example, apple skins have 5x more antioxidant than the pulp.

The #1 predictor of a healthy gut and microbiome (click here for more details about the microbiome) is the amount and variety of plants you eat. There are over 300,000 edible plants and our gut microbiome is capable of adapting to breaking down all of them, although not simultaneously. Our gut biome is quite malleable, both to healthful foods and unhealthful foods.

Raw is best for most fruits and vegetables but some vegetables are better cooked. Some include: 

1. CARROTS. If you want to get more nutrients of out carrots, you need to steam them. Carrots release more beta carotene after cooking because cell walls are broken down releasing more of it. Our bodies convert beta carotene into vitamin A, which is essential for healthy eyesight, healthy skin and a strong immune system. 
2. DARK LEAFY GREENS. Despite raw spinach and kale being loaded with phytonutrients and fiber, the leaves contain oxalic acid, a toxin that can cause stomach and kidney problems when taken in high doses. This is inactivated during cooking. It’s great to consume large amounts of dark leafy greens and raw is great, but it’s best to cook them from time to time to limit the oxalic acid buildup. You’ll absorb higher amounts of fiber, zinc, calcium, iron, protein, and vitamins A and E when you heat up greens. 
3. ASPARAGUS. While it’s safe to eat asparagus raw, it’s more nutritious when cooked. Cooking increases the bioavailability of its nutrients and antioxidants. Cooked asparagus tastes much better than raw asparagus. 
4. TOMATOES. Even though tomatoes are a fruit, we think of them as veggies. Tomatoes contain lycopene, an antioxidant that reduces oxidative stress and improves heart health. They release more lycopene when they’re cooked. By simmering them for only 2 minutes, you release 50% more lycopene. After 30’, the amount increases by 250x. Tomatoes vary in lycopene amounts. The highest are St. Marzano, cherry, dark and tangerine tomatoes.
5. EGGPLANT. Raw eggplant contains a toxin called solanine, which can cause gastrointestinal problems. The consoling thing is you’d have to eat a whole raw eggplant to experience the side effects. But to be on the safe side, cook your eggplant.
6. SPROUTS. Bean sprouts are a good source of folate, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin C, manganese, and protein. However, raw sprouts of any kind may contain harmful bacteria. Sprouts grow in warm, humid conditions, which are ideal for the growth of harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli. In fact, over the last 20 years, the FDA has linked 48 food-borne illness outbreaks for raw or lightly cooked sprouts.
7. MUSHROOMS. Although if consumed in small quantities, eating raw mushroom is fine but some mushrooms, including regular white button mushrooms, contain a toxin (agaritine) which can be harmful. In addition, cooking them along with herbs and spices, softens the stems making them more palatable. Common button mushrooms (which are actually the healthiest variety) also contain powerful protective molecules which act similarly to some anti-cancer agents.
8. WHITE POTATOES should also be cooked as well (as opposed to sweet potatoes which you can eat raw). Potatoes, especially if they have some green in the skin, contain a naturally occurring pesticide solanine which can be toxic to humans so make sure you peel away the green and remove the “eyes” where the toxin concentrates. Some people are afraid of potatoes because they are a “white carb”. Although they do have a higher glycemic index (GI), meaning they do raise your blood sugar quite a bit, it’s really the stuff you add to the potato (butter, sour cream, bacon bits, salt…) which is not healthy. A trick to lower the GI is to refrigerate the potatoes. The starches are converted into less digestible forms. In addition, they maintain their lower GI when reheated.

Eat nuts and seeds, just be careful not to overdo it since they contain large amounts of fat. Healthy fat but fat none the less. Stick to one small hand full a day. All nuts and seeds have different nutrient profiles so mix it up. Eat whole grains (wild rice, quinoa, steel-cut oats…). Organic potatoes are also fine if not fried or loaded up with fat like butter and cheese. Organic is healthier but you are always better off eating the fruit or vegetable, even if it’s not organic. You can’t get enough fruits and vegetables. They should be the centerpiece of your plate. The longest lived and healthiest populations are plant-based with very little if any animal products in their diets (less than 10% of the calories consumed). There are certain foods that I think are really important to try to incorporate into your diet daily.

Dr. Joel Furhman, author of “Eat To Live” (www.drfurhman.com) has a pneumonic “G-BOMBS”. This stands for:

• GREENS – kale, lettuce, spinach, arugula, broccoli, beat, mustard and dandelion greens… Regular consumption of dark leafy greens is associated with a reduction in aging by 11 years! Broccoli sprouts contain 100x the amount of the super nutrient suforaphane as regular broccoli. This compound seeks out and kills cancer cells. A study showed that people who ate 6 servings a week of cruciferous vegetables had a 41% lower breast cancer rate. A study was done in healthy volunteers looking at the impact on consuming broccoli sprouts on the immune response after getting intranasal flu vaccine. Those consuming 2 cups of sprouts a day for only 4 days before the vaccine has a 22x greater number of immune cells against the flu in their nose. They also had increased natural killer cell activity. This is one of the immune cells in our arsenal. In addition, nasal washes revealed less flu residue in broccoli eaters. Studies show that people who regularly eat 2 servings of greens a day or more have the brain cognitive function of a person 10 years younger who does not eat greens.
• BEANS – beans, peas, lentils… Every long-lived and healthy culture in the world eats lots of beans. For every 20 gm (only 1/8th of a cup or 0.7 oz) in legumes, there is an 8% decrease in premature death. How is that for a superfood!
• ONIONS – and other alums like garlic. These contain a potent nutrient called anacin. It is most potent ~ 10 minutes after you crush garlic so waiting a few minutes before cooking it will increase its health benefits.
• MUSHROOMS – There are many “medicinal” mushrooms but the best are the common, simple button mushrooms and Portobellos. Make sure to include the mushroom stems. These have even higher concentrations of immune boosting and cancer fighting polysaccharide compounds called beta glucans than the caps do. They contain compounds which inhibit the enzyme aromatase, which is important in the production of estrogen. Aromatase inhibitors, like the chemotherapeutic drug tamoxifen, are used to treat breast cancer by inhibiting the production of estrogen in postmenopausal women. One study of 200 women in China showed that only 1/2 of a regular button mushroom a day decreased breast cancer rates by 64%. Mushrooms are the only plant which produces vitmin D, in the D2 (ergocalciferol) form, but only if they are exposed to natural or UV light. Mushrooms should be cooked for better absorption and to destroy some of the toxic compounds like agaratine which most mushrooms contain. All it takes is 1 minute of cooking to destroy this compound though. For more information about mushrooms, click here Mushroom Information.
• BERRIES – all kinds especially blueberries and strawberries. Just make sure they are organic. Berries are very contaminated.
• SEEDS – and nuts. Clearly are beneficial. 1 handful a day can cut your risk of getting cancer by 30% and getting it back after you’ve had it by almost 50%. Nuts and seeds reduce insulin secretion, inflammation as well as oxidative stress (which creates damaging free radicals). Just watch how much you eat since they do have a significant fat content (14 gm/oz for most nuts and seeds). If you have heart or vascular disease, keep the nut consumption to a minimum.

Another approach is that of Dr. Michael Greger, author of “How Not To Die” (www.nutritionfacts.org) and his “Daily Dozen”. Download the free Android app here and the free iPhone app here.

1. CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, spring greens, radishes, turnip tops, watercress. 1 serving a day which is half a cup chopped.
2. GREENS: spring greens, kale, young salad greens, bok choy, sorrel, spinach, Swiss chard. 2 servings a day. A serving is one cup raw or half a cup cooked.
3. OTHER VEGETABLES: asparagus, beetroot, peppers, carrots, corn, courgettes, garlic, mushrooms, okra, onions, pumpkin, sugar snap peas, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes. 2 servings a day. A serving is one cup raw leafy vegetables; half a cup raw or cooked non-leafy vegetables; half a cup vegetable juice (not as good as whole vegetables); a quarter of a cup dried mushrooms.
4. BEANS: black beans, cannellini beans, black-eyed peas, butter beans, soybeans, baked beans, chickpeas, edamame, peas, kidney beans, lentils, miso, pinto beans, split peas, tofu, humus. 3 servings a day. A serving is a quarter of a cup of humus or bean dip; half a cup of cooked beans, split peas, lentils or tofu or a full cup of fresh peas or sprouted lentils. Canned are OK but keep the cans BPA-free.
5. BERRIES: any small edible fruit, including grapes, raisins, blackberries, cherries, raspberries and strawberries. 1 serving a day which is half a cup of fresh or frozen, or quarter of a cup of dried.
6. OTHER FRUIT: apples, apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupe melons, clementines, dates, figs, grapefruit, honeydew melon, kiwi, lemons, limes, lychees, mangos, nectarines, oranges, papaya, passion fruit, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums, pomegranates, prunes, tangerines, watermelon. 3 servings a day. A serving is a cup of cut-up fruit or one medium fruit.
7. FLAXSEEDS: 1 teaspoon of ground flaxseed a day is recommended. Chia and hemp also great options. 
8. NUTS: all kinds are good. Unsalted is better. Raw and not roasted is also better. 1/4 of a cup a day, or two tablespoons of peanut, almond or other nut butter. All varieties of nuts have their advantages so mix it up. Particular standouts are walnuts, baruka (from Brazil), and pistachios. Almonds are good but have a large environmental footprint because they need imported bees to pollinate the trees and require an extraordinary amounts of water to grow. About one gallon per nut. Cashews are also good but they are shelled by hand and the shells can be toxic (like poison ivy) and the shellers, often poor workers, often get sick after doing it day in and day out. Keep them organic and hopefully fair trade.
9. SPICES: 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric in addition to any other spices you enjoy.
10. WHOLE GRAINS: buckwheat, rice, quinoa, cereal, pasta, bread. 3 servings a day. A serving is half a cup of cooked rice or pasta, one cup of cereal, a slice of bread, half a bagel.
11. EXERCISE: ideally 90 minutes a day of moderate activity, such as walking.
12. WATER: 8 large (12oz./340ml.) glasses a day.
    

FIBER

Fiber is the key to good health! It’s the ONLY thing you need to measure in your diet. Don’t worry about protein since it’s virtually impossible to become protein deficient. Limit fat and don’t worry about getting enough. Eat all the healthy carbs you want. But make sure you get at least 40 grams of fiber a day. Fiber is simply a type of carbohydrate found naturally in plant-based foods that is not digestible in humans. If you eat plenty of whole fruits and vegetables, you will get plenty of fiber. 97% of Americans don’t get the recommended amount of fiber. We used to get more than 100 grams a day from all the fruits and vegetables we used to eat. Now, most Americans get barely 15 grams. Fiber is the non-absorbable part of food which has an extremely important role in overall health. It can be divided into soluble fiber and insoluble fiber although it should really be considered a class of nutrient, with 1000s of different varieties. There are 400,000 species of plants and 300,000 of them are edible. Each has a different type of fiber and they are all good. The soluble kind of fiber is found in foods like oatmeal, blueberries and Brussels sprouts, turns into a gel-like texture as you eat it, slows down digestion and makes you feel fuller, longer. Soluble fiber also binds cholesterol, helping to get rid of excess amounts. Insoluble fiber, found in wheat bran and dark leafy greens, does not dissolve during digestion adding bulk to your stool which helps your digestive tract eliminate waste more quickly. Both slow digestion which in turn slow sugar absorption and subsequent insulin spikes which are so unhealthy.

One of fibers important roles is to absorb compounds from our intestines and remove them through elimination (pooping). These compounds, such as excess amounts of estrogen, pesticides or heavy metals, are usually filtered out of the blood by the liver which then puts them into the bile which then drains into the small intestine. If you don’t consume enough fiber, those compounds just get re-absorbed and cause problems, like increasing the risks for cancer like breast and prostate cancer in the case of excess estrogen.

Fiber deficiency is the main cause of constipation which is a chronic problem for many people, affecting 68 million Americans (20%). The second most common cause is opioid addiction. Constipation is cured with 2 things: water and fiber. NOT drugs. Treating constipation with medications, including over-the-counter fiber powders of various kinds is an $80 billion a year industry! Although fiber supplements can help you poop more, they show no benefit in terms of microbiome health or reduction in colon cancer risk or longevity. Fiber from whole foods do. By eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, you will get plenty of water (70% of their make-up is water) and fiber.

“Countries that produce small stools require large hospitals” – Dr Denis Burkitt, 1911 – 1993

Fiber is only found in whole fruits and vegetables. It is not found in any animal products whatsoever but despite that, 50% of Americans think that steak is a good source of fiber! When fruits or vegetables are blended (like in a smoothie), you break down but keep the fiber. When you juice fruits or vegetables, the fiber is removed leaving just juice with some vitamins and nutrients. Both are good in different ways but nothing beats whole food. Fiber helps lower cholesterol, lowers the risk of heart disease, controls blood sugar levels, normalizes bowel movements and helps to maintain good bowel health. It helps with weight loss and prevents colorectal cancer. In 18-35 year old’s today, the incidence of rectal cancer has quadrupled and colon cancer rates have doubled since the previous generation and lack of fiber from fruits and vegetables is the main cause. Even if you have already been diagnosed with colon cancer, 5 additional grams of fiber (equal to ONE apple) helps decrease the risk of recurrence and dying from it by 25%. One large study showed that women who consumed 6 grams or more of fiber a day had a 62% lower risk of breast cancer than women who ate 4 grams or less. For every 20-gram increase in fiber, there was a 20% decrease in breast cancer risk. Even depression rates are lower the more fiber you consume. This is thought again to be related to fiber’s positive impact on the gut bacteria which make 80% of the brain neurotransmitter serotonin.

Fiber is not food for us. It’s food for our gut bacteria.

Healthy gut bacteria thrive on fiber which is why it’s an important part of our diet. There are many types of fiber digested by different types of bacteria. When fiber is broken down, short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are formed which are the “missing pieces” in the modern Western diet. Some examples of SCFAs are butyrate, acetate and propionate. These bio-active substances bind the cells lining the gut triggering various pathways such as signaling Treg (T regulatory) cells which decrease inflammation and increase production of a compound GLP1 which decreases appetite (decreasing caloric consumption by as much as 14% in some studies) and helps to keep blood sugar under control. Propionate specifically impacts on the reward center of the brain, decreasing craving and food addiction. SCFAs also regulate production of mucin which causes the lining to use up more oxygen creating an environment conducive to allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive. It’s one big circle of life, starting with FIBER. SCFAs prevent leaky gut, type 2 diabetes and cancer. They help the immune system work better and lower cholesterol levels. The more fiber you consume, the better.

In a study comparing microbiome diversity and lowered inflammatory markers in people who added fermented foods vs those who added more fiber to their diet, the fermented foods group had a faster and greater positive impact in both categories than the added fiber group. That’s not to say that fiber is not important. It’s tremendously important. In fact, fiber is the most important food humans need to consume more of. But because most people don’t get anywhere near enough of it, their gut microbiome doesn’t have the microbial diversity or health to handle it. That’s why people who start adding fiber to their diet may have to take it slowly, allowing the beneficial bacteria which feed on that fiber to increase in number to handle the added fiber.

Once you improve your diet by increasing dietary fiber from fruits and vegetables (meat and dairy contain NO fiber), it takes about 28 days for the microbiome to adapt and start producing SCFAs.

The RDA for fiber is 25 grams for women and 35 for men but I would recommend more. Try to get at least 40-50 grams a day but remember, you can’t get too much fiber. When you look at labels on packaged foods, you want to see at least a 5:1 ratio of carbohydrates to fiber (divide the total carbohydrate amount by the fiber amount and you want at least 5).

It may seem odd, but coffee actually contains fiber. A traditional eight-ounce (237-milliliter) cup of coffee could contain as much as 1.5 grams of fiber and 3.2 cups nearly five grams of fiber. In fact, 1/3rd of the fiber consumed in the US is in the form of coffee. This, just like the fact that coffee is the main source of phytonutrients in the American diet, is more of a criticism rather than something to celebrate. We really should be getting out plant nutrients and fiber from whole plant foods, not because we are consuming massive amounts of a stimulant.

Fiber also helps with weight loss. People on plant-based diets, which are naturally high in fiber, lose more weight from what’s called the “after-meal thermogenic effect”. Metabolism is raised to a greater degree after plant-based meals as compared with meals which contain animal products. There are various reasons for this but a significant one is that it takes more energy to digest fiber. This effect last long past the meal.

When you don’t eat fiber, the bacteria in the colon start to “consume” the mucin, which lines the intestinal wall. It’s protective and helps with digestion and nutrient transport. Without this mucinous layer, the intestinal wall is much more easily damaged leading to a leaky gut. Protein, fat and simple carbs are broken down in the small intestines and without mucin, they do not get digested and absorbed properly. Fiber, by the way, is broken down in the colon (large intestine).

Keeping in mind that it is estimated that people consumed closer to 100g of fiber a day before industrialized agriculture, today’s USDA recommended a minimum fiber intake:

• 2-5 years 15g per day.
• 5-11 years 20g per day.
• 11-16 years 25g per day.
• >17 years 30g per day. Shoot for as much as you can.

Fiber and CANCER. Studies have shown that fiber, which again keeps your gut healthy, is very important when it comes to cancer prevention and treatment. In one study looking at non-metastatic colon cancer, for every additional 5 gm of daily fiber, above their minimal baseline of 20 gm, there was an 18% increased survival rate. In another study looking at melanoma patients, each 5 gram increase resulted in a 30% increased survival advantage. Think about that. Adding only 15 grams of fiber almost doubles your survival. Other studies have shown that a fiber poor diet with a resultant impaired gut microbiome leads to significant reduction in  the efficacy of chemotherapy treatments. Adding to the evidence of the importance of the microbiome is the fact that one course of antibiotics significantly lowers the efficacy of chemotherapy as well.

FIBER MYTHS.

• All fiber is the same. There are over 400,000 known plants and 300,000 of them are edible plants with millions of types of fiber. Fiber can be divided into soluble (dissolvable in water) and insoluble, all fiber have a combination of both. Every planet has its own unique mix of gut healing fibers:

• Barley. Has the prebiotic beta-glucan which promotes growth of healthy microbes, lowers LDL and regulates blood sugar. It has lots of selenium, important for thyroid health.

• Oats also have beta-glucans and they also have phenolic acid, which are anti-inflammatory and are antioxidant compounds.

• Flaxseeds are 40% prebiotic fiber.

• Wheat Bran contains a special fiber made of arabinoxylan Oligosaccharides

• Potatoes contain resistant starch which increases when you reheat potato leftovers.

• Seaweed contains 50% soluble prebiotic fiber.
• Fiber just passes through us. Some of it does, contributing to stool bulk, a big benefit itself, but much of it doesn’t. However, the fiber you buy at the store does pass right through you, except for the added sugars and chemicals which are damaging and counteract any benefit it might provide. Plant fiber on the other hand is fuel for the healthy microbes in your gut which then go on to generate healthy compounds called post-biotics.
• Humans lack the enzymes to break down fiber. This is tru, but our inhabitants, the microbes, can break it down, assuming we have the right balance of microbes. We need the bacteria to break down the fiber and generate all the healthful benefits of fiber. We do have enzymes called glycoside hydrolases which help break down the complex carbohydrates but we only have about 17 types of those enzymes. None of them are designed to break down fiber. The microbes in the gut, on the other hand, generate almost 60,000 different types of enzymes designed to break down complex carbohydrates and fiber.

As mentioned above, there are 400,000 varieties of plants and 300,000 (¾ of them) are edible. Combined globally, we consume only 200 species and 60% of the calories and proteins humans obtain from plants come from only 3: rice, corn and wheat. In the last 100 years alone, we’ve abandoned 75% of our agricultural diversity because of pressures on farmers.

For more information on fiber and how important it is on the health of our gut, please go to my section about the Microbiome.

BEVERAGES

DRINK ALL YOU WANT:

WATER.

Arguably, the most important “nutrient” overall, the most important fluid to consume is WATER. Our bodies are approximately 70% water as babies dropping to about 50-60% water as adults. 99% of the molecules in our bodies are water molecules. Organ by organ, here is a breakdown of the percentage makeup by water:

• Lung: 83% water
• Muscle and Kidney: 79%
• Heart and Brain: 75%
• Skin: 64%
• Bones: 31%

Water is the universal solvent. Water is also a very powerful conductor. And the majority of people don’t consume enough. Approximately 75% of Americans are significantly dehydrated on a chronic basis.The average American only drinks 2.4 glasses of water a day (just over 16 oz.). 43% report drinking less than 4 glasses of water a day and 7% drink none.  

There are three main categories of commercial water: spring water, natural mineral water and purified water.

Spring water is derived from defined natural sources but has a variable composition.

Mineral water, on the other hand, is defined as coming from ‘a source’. In addition, mineral water has to have a minimum mineral or electrolyte content (total dissolvable solids greater than 250 parts per million). Some mineral waters, such as Italian San Pellegrino and French Badoit, contain enough calcium (over 180mg) to help avoid calcium deficiency, whereas many others have virtually none.

Purified water has the least minerals and is usually made cheaply from reprocessing and inefficiently repackaging our tap water. Manufacturers are not required to list the source of the water or any additives on the label. Both Coca Cola and Pepsi had to admit that their bestselling Dasani and Aquafina brands were in fact just re-filtered tap water. Often so little taste remains after purifying that key minerals have to be replaced. Ironically, most still lack the extensive range found in tap water whilst still containing many of the disinfectants and chemicals.

For 99% of human existence, the only beverage we consumed was fresh, uncontaminated spring water. Even milk from animals was not introduced until very recently in our existence. Our brains evolved drinking pure water, without flavorings, sugars, additives… An our brain continues to expect simply water when we consume beverages. Our bodies don’t respond to the calories from non-pure-water beverages. And how we react is not good.

How much water do we need? Approximately 1/2 oz. per pound of weight. So for the average 150 lb. person, that’s 75 oz (0.6 gallons) or 9 glasses of water a day. A general rule of thumb is that you should be urinating at least 4 times a day, assuming you do not have any urinary or kidney issues, and the pee should be clear to very light yellow. The darker yellow, the more concentrated your urine and the dryer you are. Unless you are taking b vitamins, in which case, the vitamins give your urine a florescent yellow look.

That having been said, it is much better for you to take frequent sips rather than guzzling large volumes at a time. The dilation of the intestines from too much water at one time actually causes a diuretic (water losing) effect.

Peeing more is fine since this is also one of the important ways we rid our bodies of toxins.

If your diet has a significant amount of fruits and vegetables (which have lots of water in them) and is limited in excess salt and caffeine, you don’t have to go overboard. Overall, our bodies are 75% water at birth and 60% water in adulthood with the brain and lungs consisting of 80% water. 75% of the water in our bodies is in the 70+ trillion cells which make us up.  Our blood is 90% water. Our lymph fluid, the body interstitial tissues cleaning system, is also 90% water. We have 4x more lymph fluid than blood in our bodies.

Even a 1-2% drop in body weight in fluid results in a 25% reduction in mental and physical performance. This easily occurs overnight while we are sleeping just from breathing and evaporation. You lose ~ 1 pound of water weight overnight so drinking water first thing in the morning is very important. Even 1 additional glass of water improves kids’ school performance by 20%. The recommended 8-10 glasses a day boosts brain performance by 30%. In addition to keeping your body well hydrated, it helps to flush toxins (which we are continuously bombarded with) out of the body. Filter your drinking water if possible (whether municipal or well). 70% of even treated municipal water samples revealed contamination with glyphosate, the weed killer in Roundup. It is estimated that more than 500 million tons of heavy metals, solvents and toxic sludge make their way into the global water supply every year. Chlorine water helps prevent bacteria from growing in municipal water, that same chlorine kills the healthy bacteria in your gut and this is not good. In addition, fluoride, commonly put into the water supply, is also not as healthy as we think. There are many good brands of filters. I use one by a company called Aquasana.

Other types of filtration systems are also helpful. Two of the most common approaches are pour-through pitchers, like ZeroWater, Pur and Brita, and refrigerator filters like those made by GE and Whirlpool. Tests show that they are similarly effective. In-line fridge systems remove more than 96% of trace organic contaminants, edging out the three pitcher filters. ZeroWater brand caught 93%, PUR pitchers got 84% and Brita was last catching only 50%. All of them peeter out as the life of the filter approached its end. Reverse osmosis systems can work even better, but the cost, water waste, and loss of trace minerals doesn’t seem worth it.

Although “use-by” and “best-before” dates are often exaggerations, meant for consumers to waste and buy more product, the “change by” dates on the filters are actually pretty accurate and should be adhered to. Not only do the filters eventually lose some of their removal capacity, bacterial growth can build up inside them, resulting in your so-called “filtered” water having higher bacterial counts than the water straight out of the tap. You’d be actually making your water dirtier rather than cleaner so, it is important to replace them regularly.

People who don’t drink enough water have increased risks of various cancers, but specifically bladder cancer. Avoid plastic bottled water since chemicals leach out which disrupt hormone function and cause cancer. An interesting factoid is that chronic dehydration, which describes most people state of hydration, actually leads to weight gain. It’s a survival response. As fat is burned, it produces CO₂, which we exhale, and metabolic water. This helps maintain proper hydration level.

Stick to stainless steel or glass refillable bottles when possible. Don’t get too preoccupied with “alkaline” or “vitamin” water. Plastic water bottles have been recently shown to not only leach out chemicals, but they actually have tiny particles of plastic floating around which you them consume and break down. One study found as many as 2,400 pieces of micro-plastic in eight fluid ounces of bottled water. The specific impact of this is not clear but consuming plastic can’t possibly be good for you.  In addition, more than 100 different pharmaceutical drugs, including narcotics and contraceptives, have been detected in our water supply. Another study identified 38 different pollutants in water bottle samples from 10 different manufacturers. These included nitrates, radioactive isotopes, ammonia, fertilizers, solvents, de-greasing agents and propellants. If you must drink bottled water, the best rated ones are Smartwater (produced by vapor distillation with some added electrolytes) and FIJI (collected from a natural artesian source in the Fiji Islands).

Just be careful not to drink too much “purified” water. The healthiest water is natural, spring water which contains many nutrients like minerals. If all you drink is filtered water, you actually leach minerals from tissues. If you have filtered water, add a pinch of unprocessed crystal salt for every 12 oz. glass.

Dehydration results in elevated histamine levels, resulting in more pronounced allergic reactions. Both asthma and allergy symptoms are improved with simple hydration.  Chronic dehydration also leads to diminished respiratory water loss with constricted lung capillaries and diminished lung function.

FLUORIDE AND CHLORINE IN MUNICIPAL WATER. Fluoride is a medication. It was put into the water supply with the idea that it would help the population have stronger teeth and bones. Although there is some evidence that it may help a bit, proper nutrition and exercise are more effective. From a general population health perspective, they help but only because the vast majority of people do not seek, or can’t afford proper dental care and have a poor lifestyle. Most industrialized countries have actually banned the use of fluoride, but not in the US. In Germany, fluoride is used as a medication to treat hyperthyroidism. It shuts the thyroid gland off. Fluoride has been found to contribute to thyroid dysfunction. In the parts of the UK where fluoride was added to the water supplies, they saw higher levels of thyroid disease in that population and lower levels of thyroid disease in the population that didn’t have fluoride in their water supply. Is there any surprise that we have an epidemic of thyroid disease in our population? As far as chlorine is concerned, not only does it kill the bacteria in water, it also kills the bacteria in your gut. FILTER YOUR WATER!

41 million Americans’ water supply comes through the faucets in their homes. 56 different pharmaceutical chemicals have been identified in water supplies all over the US. These include:

• Chlorine and Fluoride
• Antidepressants
• Muscle relaxers
• Antibiotics, including penicillin and tetracycline
• Pain relievers including Tylenol, Aspirin and Ibuprofen
• Mental health prescriptions from Prozac to Valium
• Caffeine 
• Nicotine
• Pesticides
• Hormone replacement medications 
• Lead and arsenic

A great site to find local spring water is FindASpring.com.

Do we get drier with age? Absolutely. When we’re born, we’re 75% water. From there, the drying out process starts. By the time you hit the age of 1, you drop down by about 10%, hovering somewhere around 65% water making up your tissues. As an adult, males are approximately 60% water whereas females are about 55% water. The difference has to do with the fact that men tend to carry more lean muscle mass and muscle contains more water than fat does. Muscle is about 80% water whereas fat is about 50% water. And for both senior men and women are about 50% water.

Keep in mind that the skin is the last organ to become hydrated. Drinking enough water is the best way to have nice, glowing and healthy skin. Most skin conditions are directly related to proper hydration.

Drinking 500 milliliters of water, about 17 ounces, at one go within a minute or two can temporarily boost your metabolic rate by 30%. This increase occurs within 10 minutes and reaches a maximum after about 30 to 40 minutes. The total thermogenic calorie burn is about 24-30 calories additionally that you burn just from drinking water.

“BUT I PEE A LOT”! That’s good. Urinating is one of the ways our body clears toxins. More peeing leads to more toxin removal.

Mind the Minerals. Reverse osmosis does remove all the contaminants, but it also removes all the minerals. Natural spring water, which is what we consumed during our evolution, is full of varous minerals like calcium, sodium and potassium. Make sure to add a pinch of salt to your water.

WATER AND WEIGHT LOSS.

The importance of clean water and proper hydration cannot be understated. A very short list of some of it’s responsibilities include:

• DNA maintenance.
• Mitochondrial (energy organelles in your cells) function.
• Blood, lymph and CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) integrity.
• Digestive fluids and digestion itself.
• Regulating body temperature.
• Brain activity (contrary to popular belief, the brain is mostly water, not fat.)

From a weight loss perspective, water not only fills you up and can impact on satiety, it is crucial to all metabolic processes in the body, including fat metabolism. Proper hydration impacts on the function of such hormones as glucagon and human growth hormone (HGH) but it also increases your metabolic rate through a process known as water-induced thermogenesis. Within 10 minutes of drinking just 17 ounces of water, metabolic rate is increased by as much as 30% reaching a maximum after 30-40 minutes. The caloric burn is not huge, about 25 calories, but do this a few times a day and it builds up.

A few more water factoids:

• Cold water gets absorbed 20% faster than warm water.
• Warm water cools the body more than cold water does, as long as you are not sweating already. Drinking hot beverages triggers your body’s sweat response (without raising your core temperature too much). This is why the preferred beverage in many hot climate countries is tea!

SUGAR SWEETENED BEVERAGES (SSB). 

The soda market is a $350 billion a year market! For something that has absolutely no nutritional value (it’s actually an anti-nutrient), it’s amazing how addicted we are to it. The Average American consumes ~55 gallons of soda a year. I’t also amazing that most modern sodas like Coke, Pepsi and &Up were developed in the 1800’s by pharmacists as medicinal beverages. Click here to read the fascinating HISTORY of SODA. Sugary drinks are a major contributor to the obesity epidemic along with all the other obesity-related diseases like heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. The term “soft drink” refers to any beverage with added sugar or other sweetener, including zero-calorie sweeteners. These include:

• Soda: Coke (40 grams of sugar in 12 oz can), Mountain Dew (46 grams of sugar/12 oz. can), Sprite, 7-Up, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Crush, Fanta, Sunkist, Ginger Ale, etc.
• Energy drinks: Monster, Red Bull, Rock Star, etc. although energy drink companies argue that their products are actually “natural dietary supplements” and as such, should be exempt from the caffeine content regulations (see below).
• Fruit Juice and Juice Drinks: Orange juice, apple juice, cranberry juice, fruit punch, lemonade, aguas frescas, Sunny D, Snapple, Arizona, Fuze, Hi-C, Capri Sun, Kool-Aid, Tang, etc.
• Sports Drinks: Gatorade and Propel (made by PepsiCo), Powerade and Vitamin Water (made by Coke)
• Sweetened coffees and teas: Arizona, Nestea, Starbucks, Dunkin’ Doughnuts etc.
• Flavored milk: Chocolate milk, YooHoo, Nesquik, milk shakes, etc.
• Health/Supplement drinks: Ensure, Muscle Milk, Kombucha, smoothies

Drinking sugary beverages doesn’t make you feel as full as eating the same calories from solid food and most people don’t compensate for their high caloric content by eating less food. Fruit juice is better but not by much.

Rising consumption of sugary drinks has been a major contributor to the obesity epidemic which at last count stood at 40% of adults and 19% of kids and teens with 70% of all Americans being overweight or obese. Half of Americans consume sugary drinks daily. 25% consume at least 200 calories from such drinks (about 2 sodas) and 5% drink at least 550 calories (about four cans of soda). Soft drink makers produce 10.4 billion gallons of sugary soda each year, enough to serve every American a 12-ounce can every day, 365 days a year. 

• Sugary drinks (soda, energy, sports drinks) are the top calorie source in teens’ diets (226 calories per day), beating out pizza (213 calories per day).63% of kids drink at least 1 soda a day and 30% drink at least 2!
• From 1989 to 2008, calories consumed in the form of sugary beverages increased by 60% in children ages 6 to 11, and the percentage of children consuming them rose from 79% to 91%. Beverage companies in the US spend billions of dollars marketing carbonated beverages, with a significant portion of marketing aimed directly at youth ages 2–17. Each year, youth see hundreds of television ads for sugar-containing drinks.
• Studies funded by the beverage industry are 4-8 times more likely to show a finding favorable to industry than independently-funded studies.

The ironic thing about “sports” drinks is that they are no better than plain water at keeping athletes hydrated. In fact they can make thigs worse. Click this link to learn more about how sports beverages impact on athletic performance: Sports Drinks Don’t Work.

Health risks of sugar drinks include:

• FATTY LIVER DISEASE. This is the leading cause of liver transplants in this country and the biggest contributors are SSBs. A close second is added sugar of all kinds.
• OBESITY: Caloric beverages contribute to weight gain more than solid foods because the body doesn’t compensate fully for beverage calories by reducing calorie intake from other foods. Adults who drink one sugary drink or more per day are 27 percent more likely to be overweight or obese than non-drinkers, regardless of income or ethnicity. The University of Southern California banned sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) on campus and found that weight and waist size decreased in students that were followed.
• DIABETES: Consuming 1-2 cans of sugary drinks a day, increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 26%.
• HEART DISEASE: Consuming 1 can of a sugary drink per day have a 20% higher risk of having a heart attack or dying from a heart attack.
• CANCER. A recent French study of over 100,000 people followed on average for 42 years revealed that as little as 3 oz. or a sugary drink (1/4 of a regular soda) a day increased breast cancer risk by 22% and overall cancer risk by 18%.
• OSTEOPOROSIS: Cola drinkers have lower bone density. This is because the high amount of phosphorus in the soda which inhibits calcium absorption. However, the phosphoric acid in cola also causes a release of calcium out of your bones. The alkaline calcium helps to buffer the acidic phosphoric acid in the blood. The caffeine in soda is not a direct problem but in the environment of high acidity, there is an amplified effect of losing calcium resulting in bone loss. In addition, it is a nervous system stimulant.
• TOOTH DECAY: Soda consumption is associated with nearly twice the risk of cavities in children and increases their likelihood in adults. Untreated cavities can lead to pain, infection, and tooth loss.
• AGING: Sugar damages the skin leading to wrinkles. In addition based on impact on telomere length, SSBs increase biological age by 5 years above actual chronological age.

Sugary Drinks and Obesity Fact Sheet

ENERGY DRINKS.

Although we think of Jolt, Red Bull and Monster as fairly recent innovations, the first “energy” drink was developed in 1949. “Dr. Enuf” is actually still being produced. The energy drink industry is a $50 billion a year market and it is heavily invested in our youth. Entire sporting tours and events are sponsored by these companies. The companies producing these beverages market them as “natural dietary supplements” so their caffeine content isn’t regulated the same way that sodas are however, it’s often not the caffeine which causes the problems with these drinks. Independent of caffeine content, energy drinks can raise blood pressure significantly and prolong the QT interval. This interval is the space between the start of the Q wave and the end of the T wave on an EKG and corresponds to the time it takes for your heart to contract and then refill with blood before beginning the next contraction. This may not be a big deal under normal circumstance but when stressed, there may not be enough blood pumped out of the heart and can lead to passing out or at worst, heart attack or sudden death. As far as blood pressure is concerned, they have been shown to raise it enough to increase the risk of dying from a stroke by 20% and from a heart attack by 12%. In addition, these drinks adversely impact on endothelial function (the lining of arteries). The ingredient or combination of ingredients which lead to these problems is not clear although it does not appear to be the caffeine content. Their “proprietary blends” of “natural” ingredients are as yet not fully tested.

Many energy drinks also contain choline which bacteria in the gut of meat-eaters is converted into TMA (trimethyamine oxide) which is then converted into TMAO (trimethylamine oxide) in the liver which is linked to many chronic diseases. For more information on TMAO, click here.

Check out this link about sugar and theHistory of Soda. It is quite fascinating.

ALCOHOL.

Although there are some possible benefits to alcohol consumption, those benefits are limited and over exaggerated. The benefits are more related to the phytochemical compounds in the plants used in the brewing process, rather than the alcohol itself. The additional benefits are the fact that it is usually a social activity and brings people together. Although the general recommendations are that women should only have 1 alcoholic beverage a day and men can have 2, more recent information suggests that there is no safe level.

To be clear, alcohol is a toxin. It is pro-inflammatory, contributes to dementia and causes cancer, especially breast, liver, throat and gastrointestinal cancers. It is addictive and damages the brain directly. See the next section for more on this. It also causes heart disease by contributing to inflammation and endothelial damage and is a risk factor for arrhythmias including atrial fibrillation. A measure of heart health and vagal nerve tone (a measure of our ability to respond to stress) is heart rate variability (HRV). It is affected for up to 5 days when you consume even a small amount of alcohol. It is toxic to the brain, particularly the cerebellum. The cerebellum is a part of the brain originally thought to only be responsible for movement and coordination but it also has now been recognized as the site of 80% of our emotional and cognitive control. Only representing 10% of the brain by volume, it houses 50% of the neurons.

For more information on alcohol’s effects on the brain and addiction, click here.

Alcohol gets converted into acetaldehyde, which is 10x more toxic than alcohol, by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. The acetaldehyde then then gets converted into acetate by acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. This second enzyme is the one missing  in many Asians, which is why many Asian can’t tolerate much, if any alcohol. Acetate then gets converted into fat, water and CO2. In the liver, the cells which make alcohol dehydrogenase have DNA changes 9 epigenetic changes) which lead to more of this enzyme being produced when you consume alcohol. That is partly why people develop tolerance. The more you drink, the more you can drink. The less you drink, the less your liver produces this enzyme and the less you can tolerate alcohol. That’s why after a period of abstinence, your alcohol tolerance goes down.

Alcohol is the most prevalent controllable risk factor for breast cancer across all cultures and populations.

• 1 drink a day increases the risk of developing breast cancer by 10%.
• 2 drinks a day increases the risk by 30%.
• 3 a day, the risk goes up by 40%.
• For each drink above that, the risk goes up an additional 10%.

Why is alcohol so carcinogenic, especially with breast cancer?

• It increases estrogen levels.
• It impairs immune function.
• It can cause bone marrow suppression leading to low red blood cells (anemia) and low white blood cell counts, impairing immune function.
• It creates toxic metabolites, especially acetaldehyde, which is produced even if you gargle with alcohol-based mouth rinses.
• It inactivates an enzyme, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), which converts folic acid into its active form, methyl folate.
• It depletes thiamine (vitamin B1) leading to Wernicke’s Encephalopathy, characterized by confusion, as well as visual, balance and coordination problems. If left untreated, this evolves to Korsakoff Dementia which is a permanent form of dementia.
• It directly causes DNA damage.
• It causes oxidative stress.

In addition, it contributes to insulin resistance, leading to diabetes and other chronic diseases and converts testosterone into estrogen. If you have any hormonal issues, especially low testosterone, you should definitely limit your alcohol consumption. It causes reflux and its breakdown product acetaldehyde disrupts sleeping patterns. Alcohol prevents us from going into the most important stages of sleep, those where we dream (REM). This can have a devastating effect on daytime mental and physical function. Even one night of excessive consumption results in days of impaired testosterone and growth hormone production and function. Alcoholic drinks are also a big source of empty calories leading to weight gain. Alcohol impairs judgment leading to poor food, and sometimes, behavioral choices. Limit consumption to 1 drink a day for women and 2 for men. The reason for this difference is partly because of weight differences but it’s primarily because men produce more of the liver enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase which metabolizes alcohol than women do.

Alcohol also causes your body to burn calories more slowly. Because the liver prioritizes detoxifying alcohol above all else, alcohol consumption slows down the burning of fat which lead to weight gain. It can also low blood sugar because nutrients are not converted into energy.

Alcohol also has a significant impact on triglyceride (TG), even after one drink. And the effect can persist for days. So if you are a regular drinker, even the 1glass a day for women and 2 for men, this can have a significant impact on TG levels.

Exercise lowers TG levels by the way.

ALCOHOL and WEIGHT LOSS. Alcohol consumption is associated with weight gain for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, not too far off from fat which contains 9 calories per gram. In the United States, one “standard” drink (or one alcoholic drink equivalent) contains roughly 14 grams of pure alcohol, which is found in: 12 oz. of regular beer (1 can), which is usually about 5% alcohol, 5 oz of wine (1 glass), which is typically about 12% alcohol or 1.5 oz. of distilled spirits (1 standard simple drink), which is about 40% alcohol. This is approximately 100 calories. And that is before you add anything to it. Beer and wine have a lot of carbohydrates built into them and mixed drinks can really pack on the sugar.

Alcohol is preferentially metabolized first by the liver before other forms of macronutrients consumed during a meal. This leads to less fat metabolism, also known as “fat sparing”.

Alcohol also impairs the “hunger” hormone leptin, leading to distorted hunger drives. This is partly why you get the munchies when you drink. Moderate to heavy drinkers have more difficulty losing weight than those who were in a :healthier” weight range.

Lastly, alcohol impact on sleep quality and poor sleep is linked to weight gain for a variety of reasons. One main one is it’s negative impact on fat breakdown and also on the balance between leptin and ghrelin, the satiety (“I’m full”) hormone.

ALCOHOL AND THE GUT MICROBIOME. Chronic alcohol consumption also alters the gut microbiome. This alone contributes to inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) which contributes the the cirrhosis (scarring) which occurs in the liver. This chronic liver inflammation is a significant contributor to liver cancer as well.

Alcohol and the SUN

Alcohol is a toxin which causes inflammation. Not just in your liver and brain, but throughout the body, including the skin. The skin of those who consume too much alcohol suffers more damage and ages faster. In addition, it increases the risks of developing skin cancers. Just having more than 1 drink while outside increases the risk of melanoma by 20%. If you consume 5 or more beers, your melanoma rates go up by 55%. The rates of other common skin cancers like squamous cell and basal cell carcinomas also increased, but not as much as is seen with melanoma.

Drinking alcohol definitely changes behavior, making you less disciplined. As a result, you stay out longer, lose track of time and don’t reapply sunscreen or just blow it off altogether, all which increase the incidence and risks of sunburns. But in addition to those factors, there are some actual physiologic changes which result in alcohol causing more sunburns.

• Alcohol increases the rate at which your skin burns. 
• It causes an immune dysregulation, preventing the body from protecting you from the harmful UV rays. The damaged cells from UV rays are not cleared by the immune system. They live longer and have a greater chance of becoming cancerous.
• Normally, we get a release of protective carotenoids which is inhibited by alcohol.
• There are other, less understood molecular processes which are disrupted as well.

There is more information on alcohol, hangovers, cures, myths… at the end of this section.

Is a little OK? There are some studies showing a protective effect against dementia in those consuming 1-2 alcoholic beverages daily, even over those who consume no alcohol, but the negative impact goes up sharply after 3 drinks a day. The best, “healthiest” alcohols are good quality tequila and vodka (assuming they are not mixed with sugary mixers) and red wine. With respect to cancer, those following a Mediterranean diet, a component if which is red wine, as compared with a standard Western diet, had lower rates for all cancers except for breast cancer. This one particular cancer is particularly sensitive to alcohol consumption. If you choose to drink, stick to no more than 1-2 glasses of wine a day.

• WINE. Red is by far the “healthiest” because of the 600 polyphenols which come from the skins and seeds, followed by rosé (a blend of red and white) and then white wine, which is basically red wine which was fermented without the red skins. The best-known polyphenol is resveratrol and plenty of opportunistic supplement makers have jumped on that bandwagon. It’s not from white grapes. The highest resveratrol levels come from Sardinia, one of the blue zones where they make Cannonau wine. European reds, especially from Italy, are the healthiest as they have the lowest sulfite content since they use almost exclusively bio-dynamic (essentially organic) growing practices and do not add genetically modified brewer’s yeast or additional sulfites (which do occur naturally during fermentation but are added as a preservative by most other vineyards). These are common unhealthy practices in many other parts of the world including California. They also allow use irrigation practices to fatten the grapes which leads to later harvests and more sugar resulting in higher alcohol content. In addition, in the US, the FDA has approved 76 wine additives which they are not required to reveal. These additives include flavoring agents, stabilizers, ammonia, egg whites and even fish bladders for texture. The wine industry is not required to include food content labels on their products. US wine companies use genetically modified yeast during fermentation whereas in other places, naturally occurring yeast on the vine is used. Lastly, Roundup is so commonly used in the US that even organic wines are contaminated with this carcinogenic herbicide. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is banned in Europe which is partly why their wines are so much healthier than American wines. A recent test of a number of California wines, including ones grown both conventionally and organically, showed that 100% of them had glyphosate contamination. American wines on average, contain 64 different detectable herbicides or pesticides. The rain has it. The irrigation water has it. There is NO clean wine in the US. Even organic. The organic wines had much smaller amounts but it was still there. A great source for cleaner, natural, healthier, organic and lower sugar wine is Dry Farm Wines. They are a wine re-seller but only sell wines which are very closely tested and scrutinized. Their wines are grown naturally, without irrigation (which did not start to occur in California until 1973), have almost no sugar (<1 gm per liter), have low alcohol content (<12.5%) and do not use any additives at any stage of growing or bottling. There are studies which sow that red wine consumption during a meal increases flavonoid and nutrient absorption from food/plants we eat more than water does. This does not mean that you should swap out water for wine, but that some wine is not all bad.The benefits of red wine may have to do with the trimethylamine (TMA) reducing effects of resveratrol. By reducing TMA production, less trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), a very cardiotoxic compound, is formed. If you are on a plant based diet, you don’t make TMAO in the first place because you don’t have the bacteria which make this conversion, so there is little additional benefit to drinking wine or taking resveratrol.
• BEER. Beer is the most commonly consumed alcoholic beverage (almost 40%) followed by red wine, then spirits like vodka and rum. Beer also contains many phytonutrients. Hops, the plant which is used to make most beer, contain the plant polyphenol xanthohumerol, a natural flavonoid. It’s anti-angiogenic and mobilizes stem cells. Beer is also very high in carbohydrates, which is why it is referred to as “liquid bread”. There is a measure called IBU or International Bitterness Units. This is a measure of the beer’s bitterness level which correlates well with phytonutrient content. The higher the IBU, the “healthier” the beer. As an example, beers like Budweiser and Miller have an IBU around 10 whereas more hoppier/bitter beers like Stone India Pale Ale has an IBU of 80. Beer is also very estrogenic (increases estrogen effects in the body), from both the alcohol effect which converts testosterone into estrogen but also from the hops, which have high concentrations of phytoestrogens (plant compounds similar to human estrogens). Hops, used to make beer, contains 8-prenylnaringenin, a phytoestrogen (plant compound similar to estrogen) which is 50x more potent than the ones found in soy (genistein). Although plant phytoestrogens don’t have the same effects of mammalian estrogens, if you consume enough, they can contribute to “man boob” formation in addition to significant weight gain.
• Although there are almost countless beer micro-brews and vineyard brands, the vast majority of beer and wine consumed in the US is owned sold by only a few companies. 52% of wine is owned by only 3 companies, all sold under varying company names to make it look like they are all independent. In the case of beer, Anheuser-Bush alone controls 46% of all beer sales in the US. The most commonly consumed beer in both the US and Canada is Bud Light and worldwide, it ranks 3^rd after 2 Chinese brands.

Common questions about Plant-Based Diets

Important things to remember about FOOD, EATING and HEALTH

Statistics about what we eat and our health

Additional helpful links and documents:

Wellness and Lifestyle Basics Handout – Wellness and Lifestyle Basics Handout

Carbohydrate Content in Fruits and vegetables

Vegan Nutrition Primers/Information

Nutrition Myths and Facts

Top 10 Cancer Fighting Super Foods

Lose Just 10 Lbs. and THIS Happens

Healthy Weight Loss Tips

Clean 15 – Foods that don’t NEED to be organic

Dirty Dozen – Foods you MUST buy organic.

7 Things That Happen When You Stop Eating Meat

Diet Diary and Food Guide

The French Paradox –  Is saturated fat not as bad as they say? Yes it is.

HISTORY of SODA

THE HISTORY OF SUGAR