- Begin working toward a healthier lifestyle and see food and exercise as your principal healers.
- See food as fuel. A bagel and coffee in the morning is not a good way to star the day. If you do drink coffee, then at least drink it after you have a balanced breakfast.
- Caffeine is a powerful drug. If you rely on it for your energy, taper off slowly while you improve your eating habits. Food can give you the energy you need. Star by having half decaffeinated and half caffeine, but avoid drinking it first thing in the morning- particularly if you have stomach or intestinal problems, as it is highly acid.
- Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and starting the day with a balance of carbohydrates, fat and protein will reap many rewards including a sustained energy level.
- Ideally eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus two snacks. This will keep your energy level constant without the ups and downs that low blood sugar can cause. For some people this sounds like a lot of foods. What I would suggest is eating smaller portions at your main meals. Reduce processed carbohydrates- bread, cookies, crackers, etc. if you do eat pasta, try not including the bread, and eat more salad or vegetables, which are healthier carbohydrates. Make sure to add protein by using pine nut and/or little cheese.
- Main meals should include protein, fat and carbohydrates (rely on fruits and veggies for your carbs). Recommendations for fruits and veggies are to consume between 5 and 7 portions a day! Eat lean meat (chicken, turkey, fish). Some soy is okay too, and the best forms are tempeh, miso and tamari as these are fermented and easily digested for most people. Some people are allergic to soy, and soy can also decrease thyroid function in some people. Moderation is again the key, but I find many people, in an effort to eat more healthily, are eating many products each day with soy, including protein bars, soy milk, and protein drinks etc.
- What about those protein bars? They are not a meal but are okay occasionally.
- Herb teas are wonderful. One if the healthiest all around teas in Nettles. Milk thistle is a wonderful tea and detoxifies the liver as well. Licorice tea is excellent. Try these teas without adding sweetener and soon you will enjoy the subtlety of the taste. Green tea is a better alternative for caffeine if you continue to use caffeine. Studies have shown that green tea has additional health benefits including anti-carcinogenic agents that protect against oxidation and have antibacterial and antiviral properties. Black tea also has been shown to have some of the same health benefits.
- Hot water and lemon juice, or just plain hot water are good in the morning to flush out the system.
- Healthy snacks- Fats and proteins are satiating. An apple and ¼ C fresh nuts- almonds, macadamia or cashews- are a great combination (keep nuts in freezer). An apple and low fat cheese is a good occasional snack as in plain yogurt with fruit and nuts. It is a myth that eggs raise cholesterol. That occurs only in very rare cases. Six to eight eggs per week is fine. Soft boiled, hard boiled or poached is the healthiest way to cook eggs- stay away from the frying.
- This is a simple yet profound exercise to increase your awareness while nourishing your body. One meal a day- no distractions- meaning, eating in silence. No radio, TV, reading or conversation. Notice the portion you put on your plate. Take a few deep breaths before beginning to eat. Begin to eat- notice how the food feels in the mouth, fully chew and swallow. This practice has helped many of my patients, as it is so simple. We are so rushed in our society that we rarely take the time to sully appreciate the entire eating/nourishing process. This is not a practice designed to make you feel bad about what you are eating, but rather to feel connected with your food. If we are more connected with the food we eat, we tend to make healthier choices and eat portions that are smaller.
- Home cooked meals are good for the soul and body. Many folks feel they are just too busy to take the time to cook. Slow cookers (crock pots) are great. There is one at Costco for around $35.00. You put ingredients in the pot in the morning and come home to a great meal.
- Healthy fats are important in the diet. Olive oil, flax seed oil and avocados are full of healthy fats, plus there is vitamin E in avocados!
- Limiting animal fats is a good idea. If you do use butter, make sure it is organic as toxins and hormones are stored in fat tissue. Red meat should be eliminated or eaten only occasionally. Cattle are injected with hormones, routinely given antibiotics, and fed food that is laced with pesticides. In addition their feed also can include ground up sheep and cows (even though cows are vegetarian). If you eat red meat occasionally, there are places to buy organic meat. Chickens are treated similarly to cows, so if you do eat chicken, buy organic free-range chicken. Eggs will state on the box “no hormones and no antibiotics used”. If this declaration is not stated you can be sure that the eggs contain these substances.
- Eat organic as often as possible. It is more expensive to buy, but less expensive to your overall health, and less toxic for the environment. Farmer’s markets are held in many cities, offering good quality and savings, plus, supporting such efforts is a community builder.
- Organic butter and yogurt can be purchased at health food stores- dairies include Straus Farms, Nancy’s and Horizon’s. Brown Cow yogurt has organic whole milk yogurt that includes the fat. Non-fat is not good as we need some saturated fat which will assist in the absorption of calcium and fat soluble vitamins- so enjoy. The same with cheese- moderation is the key.
- Don’t buy Anti-bacterial soaps: the soap does not kill dangerous food borne germs and there is no evidence that they ward off infection. There is growing concern that widespread use may give rise to resistant strains of bacteria.
Sun Screen use and Vitamin D
Use sunscreen when it is necessary. Slathering kids before they leave to school is not only a bad idea but can in fact be harmful. A study early last year from a toxicology research facility in Switzerland tested four of the leading chemicals used in most sunscreens. These chemicals were found to be highly estrogenic- that is right estrogenic! In lab rats these chemicals produced cancer growth in the female organs.
What I recommend is to use sunscreen when necessary. Everyone should wear hats or at least visors when possible and long sleeve shirts. Burning the skin should be avoided but conditioning the skin with a light tan over time is likely to be good, plus you will have the added benefit of vitamin D, which is essential for bone health. Epidemiological studies looking at people in areas in the world who have tropical sun exposure find that they do have more skin cancer but also have significantly less breast cancer and bowel cancer. Sunscreens with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide are good ones to use- you will get used to the white film. Vitamin D supplements- take only cholecalciferol D-3. D-2 is less stable and I don’t recommend it. If you take more than 800 I.U. per day it is important to take lab test as it is possible to get to toxic levels.