Healthy Eating Habits

I read a lot about the				(read the labels). Such
topics of health and especially diets. I have been				fats are considered to be among the most health
experimenting with				damaging foods.
diets since 1990 and keep journals about my				Avoid consumption of fish and water animals unless
observations. Over time I tried several very				certain they came from unpolluted waters.
different diets - ranging				Especially predators should be avoided as the toxins
from the politically correct ones to highly				accumulate in them in
controversial, along with diets				far greater quantities.
of my own design. My general observation is that a				Keep the intake of foods high in polyunsaturated
healthy diet plays an essential				fatty acids (PUFAs) low - mainly
role in the overall scheme of well being.Why eat				nuts and seeds and any products made from them
healthy?Eating the natural foods humans are well				(mostly oils). PUFAs are unstable,
adapted at utilizing, enhances				they oxidize readily resulting in harmful free radicals.
ones ability to cope with the reality of every day				High PUFA intake have
life. This in essence				been repeatedly linked with cancer, heart and
improves the probability of living a longer, healthier				inflammatory diseases.
life. Quality food consumption becomes				Do not cook meat or fat at high temperatures while
especially important in the present world of high				exposed to air. Such practice
stress and pollution -				will avoid fat and cholesterol oxidation - believed to
making a healthy diet an essential aspect of modern				be responsible for build up
self health care.				of arterial plaque and injury to arterial cells. Grilling
(Although food is not the only aspect contributing to				and frying is especially
health or disease, it				harmful. Boiling is probably the safest way of
is significant enough to consider it's effects				cooking meat.
seriously.)I think anybody who seriously tried living				Minimize or eliminate consumption of foods
healthier through a better diet,				frequently contaminated with mycotoxins: alcoholic
proper physical activity, adequate rest, and by				beverages,
addressing mental and				wheat, rye, barley, corn and peanuts. Mycotoxins
spiritual factors have experienced a vast range of				are poisonous substances produced
natural health benefits.				by certain molds and fungi which cause a wide range
Common benefits are overall better health and a				of health problems including cancer,
sense of well being, better sleep,				asthma, multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
improved physical endurance and strength, sharper
mental abilities and lower				Emphasize and do:The more natural and less
sleep requirements. Further more, no or little time				processed the food the better. Emphasize whole,
and money and energy is				fresh foods.
spend on doctors, hospitals and health insurance				Replace white rice with brown rice; white bread with
bills.What is a healthy diet?Since this article deals with				whole grain bread; sugar with
healthy eating, a question remains				small amounts of raw honey or dry fruit; pasta with
to be answered: what constitutes a healthy diet?				millet or whole grain pasta; canned
Unfortunately, there are				foods with fresh; candy and other sweets with dry
more opinions about this than there are health				or sweet fruit;
experts. To further complicate				etc. Organic foods are best as they are higher in
the matter, dietary concepts change over time,				nutrients and do not contain
leaving most people confused and uncertain				harmful pesticides, hormones or antibiotics found in
about what or whom to trust. One solution to this				conventional foods.
problem is to become sufficiently				Always choose fresh over frozen, dried or canned
knowledgeable about the relevant subjects and rely				foods. Fresh foods taste better,
on common sense to draw basic				have more nutrients in them, have no added salt,
conclusions. Along with personal experimentation,				sugar or unhealthy additives.
such an approach will				Enjoy simple meals. Generally, the
enable one to establish healthy eating habits. This				simpler the food preparation the more nutrients are
takes time and energy, but considering				preserved and the easier it is to
the long lasting benefits a healthy diet can provide,				digest. Simple meals are easy and quick to prepare
the effort is more then well worth it.In order to				and use fewer
determine the minimal basic requirements of a healthy				resources like electricity and water - thus are more
diet, I				environmentally friendly and less costly.
concluded that it is safe to start with the following				Only cook foods that need to be cooked in order to
two objectives:				be edible (beans, grains and some vegetables).
examine human diet over time - the foods humans				Foods that are edible in a raw state (fruits, most
consumed since the arrival of our species.				vegetables, sprouts, nuts and seeds)
examine diets of ethnical groups known for their				should be consumed on a daily basis and preferably
good health.				with every meal. Raw foods are higher in nutrients,
Looking at the type of diets humans lived on				which to some degree get lost during cooking, and
through out pre-history, provides good				are easier to digest. At least 50% of
insights into the kind of foods human body should				the diet, by volume, should consist of raw foods.
be well adapted at utilizing and dealing with.				Steam vegetables that need to be cooked -
Further, the diets of certain ethnical groups that are				steaming preserves more nutrients which
well known for good health -				when boiled leech into the water. Do not overcook.
the people of Okinawa(Japan), traditional cultures in				Cooked vegetables should be crunchy
the Mediterranean region and many hunter-gatherer				when you eat them, not soft.
societies - suggest certain health promoting dietary				Chew food well (simply chew it longer) and eat at a
habits. Upon closer examination, two main				comfortable pace. This improves
denominators emerged:				digestion which already starts in the mouth while
diets are based on natural, whole or minimally				saliva gets mixed with the food.
processed foods in accordance to heritage.				Variety in diet is very important - to prevent
diets are lower in calories compared to a typical				allergies, malnutrition and to lower
western diet.				exposure to natural and man-made toxins found in
In the context of present time, one can therefore				many natural foods.
make two general assumptions in regard to				Always properly wash fruits and vegetables before
the question of what constitutes a healthy diet: 1)				consumption. This lowers the
generally, the less a food is processed the better.				exposure to agricultural chemicals (used to cultivate
2) eat less - eat what is adequate, do not over				conventional plants) and harmful microorganisms.
eat.Generally, the less a food is processed the				Peel the skin if washing is not sufficient.Nuts and
betterThe reason for this is simple. For 99.9% of				seeds should be soaked before consumption - to
human existence, our species				lower or eliminate natural
lived on foods that were either raw or minimally				anti nutrients like enzyme inhibitors. Soaking makes
processed. The technology				them much easier to digest.
needed to increase food processing did not exist				Do not eat more then a few handfuls a week as
until very recently.				they are high in PUFAs and difficult
It is therefore reasonable to assume that our bodies				to digest.
are best adapted at				Grains (except amaranth, millet and rice) and beans
utilizing and dealing with the raw or minimally				must be soaked before
processed foods which sustained				consumption. This lowers or eliminates anti nutrients
us for hundreds of thousands of years: fruits,				like phytic acid which inhibits
vegetables, meats, nuts and seeds.Often, the more				mineral absorption that can lead to mineral deficiency.
recent the food is, the more likely it is to be less				Fruits are best eaten alone as a snack between
beneficial				meals. To improve digestion only eat
or even directly harmful - possibly due to lack of full				one type of fruit at a time.
adaptation to such foods.				Regularly consume unpasteurized fermented/cultured
For example, it is estimated that food cooking				foods like sauerkraut, miso,
started about				pickles, kefir, yogurt, etc. These are pre-digested
500 000 - 250 000 years ago (depending on the				foods that are high in
source, the range may vary). During				probiotics (friendly bacteria) and enzymes which
this time frame, it is likely that human species have				provide numerous health benefits.
at least adapted in some way to cooked				Start with what your ancestors consumed and later
animal and vegetable foods. On the other hand, the				experiment with other foods
beginnings of grain consumption				as well.
are much more recent. Evidence of earliest known,				Regularly consume enzyme rich foods: sprouts, raw
systematical collecting of grains				honey, grapes, figs, avocados,
for food goes back to about 23 000 years ago -				bananas, papayas, pineapple, kiwi, mango and
giving less time for				fermented/cultured
adaptation to grain based foods.Now, let's fast				foods (see above). Enzymes obtained from raw
forward to recent times and consider all the new,				foods ease the digestion by reducing
human invented,				the body's need to produce digestive enzymes.
highly processed foods so common today: fast				Consider the diet your ancestors ate for thousands
foods, pizza, sweets, chips, convenience				of years - you will most likely
foods, canned foods, etc. along with the dramatic				do very well on such a diet due to the long period
rise in heart attacks, high blood pressure,				of adaptation to it.
stroke, cancers, diabetes, kidney problems (and all				For example, the traditional Chinese diet is high in
the complications that arose from these				carbohydrates and low in fat and protein;
conditions) during the past 100 years or				Europeans, on the other hand, have been eating less
so.Considering the declining health of most western				carbs and more protein and fat;
nations as opposed to good health of the ethnical				North American Indians did not eat grains.
groups described above, it seems reasonable				Drink adequate amounts of liquid through out the
that the most recent food inventions are directly				day. Water is best. Under normal conditions,
harmful to human health.				most people need 2-3 liters of liquid/day.
Further, it has been repeatedly observed that as				Unless very hungry, do not eat for 3-4 hours before
ethnical groups around the				bedtime. That way the nightly fast
world adopt the modern western diet, their health				can be prolonged considerably. This gives the body
dramatically declines and they develop				more/adequate time and energy to perform the
the same diseases that are so common to				countless nightly tasks that are so essential to good
westerners. Not to mention the fact that				health. (Rather then digesting the
the above mentioned diseases were far less				just eaten meal)
common among westerners				Eat only when hungry and do not overeat regardless
themselves barely 100 years ago.The more a food is				of food. I found this to be among the
processed - through excessive cooking,				most important of all health promoting habits.
pasteurization,
homogenization, high heat, mechanical processing,				Good sources of protein:
etc, - the less natural and nutritious it becomes to a				any meat that comes from organic, free range
point				animals that are fed their natural diet (hard to find)
of becoming a harmful burden to the body, rather				when not organic: lean poultry meat (high fat cuts
then a useful and health promoting food. Some				are high in polyunsaturated fatty acids which oxidize
industrial processing practices deprive food of their				readily during cooking and in the body; toxins
nutrients to such a high degree that the food				accumulate in the fat)
has to be "enriched" by artificially adding some				beans
nutrients back into the food. This is especially				fresh, soaked or sprouted nuts and seeds
true of flours where vitamins are added back in				raw fermented milk products: sour milk, kefir,
after the processing is done.A good diet is based on				cheeses, etc (hard to find)
natural, whole or minimally processed foods. A large				wild game
portion				eggs
of it should consist of foods that can be eaten raw,
such as fruits and vegetables.				Most commercial meats including pork and beef,
Fermented or cultured, unpasteurized foods such as				unless organic and not fed corn/grains/beans,
kefir, yogurt, cheeses, miso, sauerkraut and pickles				contain antibiotics, hormones and too many
are considered highly beneficial. Cooking should be				polyunsaturated fats - thus should be avoided.Good
minimal and only applied to foods that				sources of carbohydrates:
must be cooked in order to be edible. Ancestral				vegetables
heritage also plays an important role				fruits
as certain foods may need to be excluded or				whole or minimally processed fresh and mold free
emphasized.Eat less - eat what is adequate, do not				grains: rice, oat, amaranth, millet, barley, wheat, etc.
over eatDuring the past several decades, food in the				beans
western and westernized nations became				potatoes
increasingly affordable and more readily available				Good sources of fats:
then ever before in				avocados
human history. This very fact combined with the				butter
enjoyment food consumption brings,				fresh, soaked or sprouted nuts and seeds (mostly
results in all too frequent over eating. Which again				source of omega 6)
leads to the above mentioned health				coconuts or coconut oil
problems.In the past, as in the traditional way of				full fat raw milk products (cheese, milk, cream, etc)
living among the ethnical groups mentioned				from pasture fed cattle
earlier, food consumption has always been				olives or first cold pressed (extra virgin) olive oil
significantly lower. Food quality, on the other				ShoppingI always try to find organic foods to avoid
hand, has always been higher. Resulting in a lower				harmful substances like hormones, antibiotics,
food intake, but of nutrient dense foods.Finally, as an				pesticides, etc.
interesting note, it has been repeatedly confirmed				The most contaminated fruits are: raisins, cherries,
through laboratory experiments on animals,				peaches, strawberries, mexican
including monkeys, that cutting down calories				(winter) cantaloupe, apples, apricots, Chilean (winter)
considerably lowers their susceptibility				grapes. And the most
to diseases and prolongs their life up to 50%. It is				contaminated vegetables are: spinach, celery, green
believed by many,				beans, bell peppers, cucumbers,
that life long caloric restriction can have similar				cultivated button mushrooms, potatoes and wheat.
effects on humans.Health promoting eating				Lean poultry is probably the safest meat
habitsOver time, through reading and experimenting, I				to eat if not organic.Meal examplesWhat follows are
gradually arrived at several				weekly meals that closely resemble my diet at the
basic health promoting habits that in my experience				time of this
are the most important:				writing. When planning meals, the key idea is to have
				variety in diet and to rely on
Avoid or minimize:Avoid all junk, sweets, canned and				food combinations that agree with ones
convenience foods - including				digestion.TBS = table spoon
all foods with added sugar: most commercial				tsp = tea spoon
yogurts, kefirs and juices, fruit and soft drinks.				/ = or
Avoid all refined or overly heated fats: margarine,				any fruit eaten alone
any oil that is not cold				0.5L sour milk, 300g potatoes, fennel
pressed, leftover fat from cooking, all foods that				0.5L kefir, 50-100g oatmeal, 25g raisins
contain hydrogenated or				0.
partially hydrogenated fats and trans fatty acids

Veggie Natural

Healthy Eating Habits

Articles