Diet & Health

Physical and mental health are not unrelated. One of the easiest things you can do to improve both is to eat a healthy diet.

When my mom was alive, I remember her watching The Jack La Lanne Show. Jack La Lanne was a diet and exercise legend. That show was the longest running American TV show in history (1951-1985). Jack La Lanne, born in 1914, lived until the age of 96!

"I can't die," La Lanne would say. "It would ruin my image."

When asked to provide dietary advice in one sentence, he said this: "Don't eat man made foods."

By eating healthy, you can avoid a multitude of medical problems. You will also get sick much less often. At least, that has been my experience.

I researched this article carefully. However, I have no medical credentials. Discuss your individual concerns with your doctor.

There are plenty of "man made" foods to avoid. The more of them you reduce or eliminate, the better.

Here are some foods to eliminate or minimize.

• Anything made with with white flour.
• Anything containing artificial ingredients.
• Anything containing sugar.
• Note: I regard sugar as being safer than artificial sweeteners.
• Chips, crackers, cake, cookies and candy.
• Canned foods. Canned foods contain chemical liners on the inside of the can. These chemicals—whose safety is questionable—leach into the food. I avoid canned foods as much as possible.
• Deep-fried foods (Doughnuts, french fries etc.).
• Anything containing trans fats. Read food labels: The word(s) "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" means that the item contains trans fats. Items commonly including trans fats include vegetable shortening, some margarines, crackers, snack foods etc. Trans fats should be avoided entirely.
• Fish with high levels of mercury or other contaminants.
• Meats cured with nitrates or nitrites (Ham, bacon, sausage, bologna, hot dogs etc.).
• Soft drinks, energy drinks etc.
• Ice cream.
• Heavily processed foods (e.g. Packaged mashed potatoes).
• Fresh produce which contains high levels of residual pesticides.
• Jello. Eating jello with artificial colors and flavors makes me tired and prone to getting sick no matter what else I do right.
• Alcoholic beverages.
• I find I get sick less often when I abstain from alcoholic beverages.

Here are some examples of healthy foods:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Frozen fruits and vegetables.
• Whole grains: I regularly use Quinoa and Steel Cut Oatmeal.
• 100% whole wheat bread.
• Seeds (Examples: Flaxseed, chia seeds, popcorn).
• Nuts.
• Beans.
• Onions & garlic.

I use this simple recipe every day:

• 1 Tablespoon flaxseed (ground).
• 1 teaspoon anise seeds (ground).
• 1 Tablespoon chia seeds (not ground).

Grind the flaxseed and anise seeds in a coffee grinder right before using. Add water to the mixture and let it thicken a little and then drink. Only buy anise seeds from a reputable source.

I also eat a clove of cut up garlic every day. Eat this before your meal to avoid an after taste.

These are very healthy habits.

The more healthy foods you eat, the better.

Also, the greater the variety of healthy foods you eat, the better. Don't just eat the same foods, even healthy foods, every day.

Vegetables are especially important. I try to eat three servings of different vegetables every day. Try to eat vegetables from all colors of the rainbow.

Some additional dietary tips follow.

Popcorn is a quick and healthy addition to your diet. You can first pop the popcorn, in a glass container, in your microwave. Then, pour on olive oil or melted butter and add some salt. It's that easy.

Cautions: 1) Don't buy 'microwave popcorn.' It contains unhealthy ingredients and the packaging leeches unhealthy chemicals into your food. 2) Never bite down on popcorn seeds; this can damage your dental work. 3) Never microwave in plastic containers; that is unhealthy.

If you eat brown rice, it should be cooked with extra water, and the water drained, to remove accumulated arsenic.

Learn how to make smoothies/sorbets for dessert. Frozen banana with frozen strawberries or a banana/strawberry/blueberry combination are my favorites. I cut up bananas, put them in a plastic storage bag, add some lemon juice, swish it around, suck the air out with a straw, and then put this into the freezer. The lemon juice adds flavor and preserves the bananas. Then, when I want some to make a smoothie, I take some frozen bananas out of the freezer and put them in my Vitamix blender along with some frozen berries and hot water or heated milk. The hot liquid makes blending much easier. I then put the blended mixture back into the freezer before serving, but never more than two hours. This is a great substitute for ice cream.

Be sure to eat a variety of foods. Organic fruits and vegetables are preferred.

For vegetables, there are a variety of choices that are easy to prepare. Here are some options:

• Beets, chard and cabbage are easy to cook.
• Frozen vegetables are another easy choice.
• Raw carrots are another easy choice.
• Curly kale and red kale are two of my favorites: Just add the kale to a covered pan with olive oil and some water. Cook, slowly, for about 30 minutes. Then sprinkle some garlic salt on them. It's that easy.

Look for recipes that are easy to make as well as healthy. Two more examples follow.

Example 1: I often make organic quinoa or steel-cut oats for breakfast. I add the following:

Quinoa: mixed berries and a few cut up strawberries and cherries. All berries used are frozen berries. This is fast and easy.

Steel cut oats (double recipe): Cook 1/2 cup oats. Add mixed berries, 9 or 10 cut up medjool dates and a few cut up strawberries and cherries. This is a double recipe. It can be left in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Alternative: Just add raisons to steel cut oats. Eat the same day.

Example 2: For dinner, I often cook the following recipe using organic navy beans, which I first cook on the stove:

• 4 cups beans.
• 2 15 oz. cans organic tomato sauce.
• 1 6 oz. can of tomato paste.
• 3/4 cup organic chicken stock.
• Italian seasoning (to taste).
• Some thyme (to taste).
• 1/4 to 1/2 of an onion, chopped up.
• Olive oil.
• Chicken (optional).

First, saute the onion in a small amount of olive oil for a short period of time until the onion becomes opaque. Then add the tomato sauce, chicken stock, Italian seasoning and some thyme. Bring to a low boil. Then add the beans and meat, if used. Simmer for a while and you're done.

Notes: 1)The easiest and best way to cook chicken is to simply cook the chicken in boiling water. You can also freeze cooked chicken for later use. 2) There are many other good chili recipes available on the internet.

The article continues.

Too much salt in your diet is not a good idea. However, not enough is also problematic. I have a relative who started getting headaches after severely restricting the amount of salt in his diet.

Avoid drinking fruit juice. Fruit juice has a high glycemic load. From a nutritional point of view, it's pretty much the same as, and almost as bad as, drinking soft drinks. Drinking fruit juice, regularly, can lead to diabetes and other health problems.

Along the same lines, be sure to drink plenty of water. This is necessary for good health. Filtered water is preferred, but don't buy cases of water in disposable, single-use plastic containers. These containers leech harmful chemicals into the water you are drinking; this is unhealthy.

For carrying water with you, use a metal container.

I buy filtered water, inexpensively, at a vending machine near my house. I save a lot of money by filling up 5 gallon containers myself.

You could also install a water-filtering system in your home. If you do, make sure it is properly maintained.

Extra virgin olive oil can be used in place of less healthy oils. I like to put this on avocados, corn and wild rice

Sweet potatoes, once cooked, can be left in the refrigerator for days. And they're ready to eat as is.

Organic baked potatoes are another quick and healthy option. You can top them with guacamole, which is easy to make.

Mashed potatoes are another easy choice. The following is a recipe for one person: Cut up the potatoes and boil them in water for about 15 minutes. Once a fork can easily pierce the potatoes, you're done cooking. Drain the potatoes and put in a glass bowl. Add 3/4 cup chicken stock and olive oil to taste. Mash the potatoes and stir. Sprinkle with salt and/or pepper. You're done.

When you have a taste for something sweet, organic peanut butter and raisons is a quick and healthy choice.

I recommend eating a primarily plant-based diet.

If you eat a strictly vegan diet, there are nutritional deficiencies that can occur that can be damaging to your health. Supplements and/or fortified foods are essential. Talk with your doctor.

My diet also includes the following: meat, fish, dairy and eggs.

Choose at least one day a week to eat an especially healthy, vegan diet. I avoid, on this day, all meat, fish, dairy, sugar and things fattening.

Don't eat any food after dinner and before breakfast. This habit will improve your health. An easy way to get into this habit is to floss your teeth after dinner. Then, you'll stop eating since, otherwise, you would need to floss them again.

Try sprouting: All you need is a sprouting jar and a sprouting mix. Both are inexpensive and can be ordered at Amazon. I recommend sterilizing sprouts in boiling water, briefly, right before eating them. This will ensure you avoid digestive problems. You can do sprouting no matter where you live.

Women who are pregnant or nursing should be particularly careful about anything they put into their bodies. I'd avoid alcohol, fish containing high levels of mercury and unnecessary medications. Also, nutritional deficiencies at this time can be a disaster. And there are special nutritional requirements at this time. Always talk to your doctor, right away, if you think you may be pregnant or plan to become pregnant. This should be a medical doctor, not a naturopath, chiropractor, "nutritionist" etc.

Be very cautious about taking supplements. These can sometimes cause medical problems.

There's a lot of quack medical advise out there. Do all your homework before taking any supplement. Check out reputable websites like WebMD for information on possible benefits, risks and interactions with prescription medications.

Recent studies have raised health concerns even in regard to multivitamins.

" 'Multivitamins have an image of being able to compensate for deficiencies in the diet," says Jo Ann Manson, M.D., a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Woman's Hospital. 'But [they'll] never be a substitute for a healthful and balanced diet.' "1

"For one, Manson says, your body can't absorb the nutrients from pills as easily as it can from food. And vitamins can cause side effects. Too much supplemental calcium, for instance, might increase the risk of kidney stones."1

"That doesn't mean everyone should avoid supplements. Pregnant women need folate and prenatal vitamins, and breastfed infants need vitamin D and iron. Older adults and people with certain medical conditions may need vitamins, too. If you're unsure whether you need one, talk with your doctor. And try not to exceed 100 percent of your recommended daily value of any nutrient."1

If you take supplements, look for USP (United States Pharmacopeia) on the label. This ensures that the supplement has been independently evaluated and approved.

If you can't find a particular supplement with the USP label, opt for large, well-known brand names. Doing otherwise can be damaging to your health.

You can also check out reviews on Amazon.

To improve your health, try improving your diet before considering supplements. Especially, try adding more and different vegetables.

Plant fruit trees: Fruit picked fresh is more nutritious. You can also avoid ingestion of pesticides. Do your homework before buying trees—otherwise you are wasting your money. Find out what will grow well in your area.

When buying non-organic produce, look for items that contain low levels of residual pesticides.

Buying organic is generally preferable.

Also, try to buy produce that is in season. These items are often on sale.

Plant a garden. This can be a family project. It will do wonders for your family's health. Instructional videos on gardening are available on You Tube.

It's also a good idea to ask for advice at local nurseries; they are the experts in regard to your local area.

Finally, how can you change your eating habits? That's simple: stop bringing junk food home. If it's not there, you can't eat it. In time, you will lose much of your taste for junk foods. They will just seem—well—unhealthy.

Note: I recommend that you check out Dr. Michael Greger's website NutritionFacts.org. There are a number of excellent videos on his site. I should note, however, that Dr. Greger recommends a strictly vegan diet.

1 Consumer Reports. November 2018. Page 42.

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