I am going to summarize what I have been learning about nutrition, since I have been doing so much so wrong.
Walnuts are especially good for the heart. They are a satisfying snack and provide good cholesterol. I used them on ice cream, but that was not wise.
Raw nuts and seeds are very worthwhile for a variety of reasons.
Furhman emphsizes green vegetables and leafy greens for the bulk of food, far more satisfying and a major advance in lowering blood sugar.
He also advocates a wide variety of foods for the vitamins and micro-nutrients in them.
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| Eat To Live, why? |
On the obvious bad list:
Corn syrup drinks and diet drinks are equally bad in upsetting blood sugar. Fruit juices should be viewed as drinking sugar syrup (usually fortified with corn syrup). "Sugar-free" juices are as bad as diet soda pop.
Raw fruit is good because the pulp reduces the sugar effect and adds nutrients. Oranges - very good. Orange juice - very bad.
White bread products drive blood sugar up. Whole grain bread is far better. Popcorn adds to blood sugar without being nutritious.
Fuhrman is wary of our overly meaty diets, does not like cheese and eggs, and puts all three on the seldom eaten list, yea even fish.
My parents grew up on their family farms, so they looked at vegetables as delicious and satisfying, many of those plants emphatically disliked by us children. That undoubtedly contributed to their long lives (90+ and 85) and infrequent need for doctors. However, they were happy to enjoy the post-WWII boom in fast foods and desserts. We ate TV dinners in front of the TV. Hungry? - warm up a donut. They were so well made that a petrified donut could be made fresh by a stay in the oven. I can smell the aroma now.
Unfortunately, I was only given a 70 year warrantee on my pancreas. I decided to reduce candy to zero, junk food close to zero, portions to medicinal size. Fuhrman said a bowl of green vegetables was satisfying. Really? - I had a large bowl of green beans (cooked) - and he was right! Night snacks are oranges only or oranges and walnuts.
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| "Put that hissy thing down, NOW!" |
I can disclose the secrets of the food industry. Do not let them know the following...
Bad food makes us crave more bad food until it reaches the point where even our favorite bad food makes us feel ill (or worse). Bad food makes us sluggish and ultimately damages the body in many ways, but always in little, baby steps.
Bad food is expensive - highly processed, and manufactured to last a long, long time. That means lots of salt and corn syrup. Sugar/salt makes us crave sugar/salt, and we get thirsty, so we drink sugar/salt soda pop with sugar/salt in it. Some people drink enormous amounts of corn syrup drinks or diet drinks, all day long, or coffee all day, often with fake cream and fake sugar. Now power drinks are normal for many. A local doctor measured a teen at 300 blood pressure - and the young man did not know it.
Excess caffeine in diet cola leads people to feel sluggish from loss of potassium, so they drink more. I speak from experience.
God created many ways to make alcoholic beverages, but they are also destructive when used to excess. One of the worst outcomes of college and seminary campuses is the excessive use of alcohol, which leads to dependence and ultimately addiction.
Back to the Sunny Side of Life
Sun gives us the best form of Vitamin D3. Walking once a day is considered the best way to exercise, by doctors of every persuasion. You will find very few people out walking, and the kids are bent over their digital toys while walking, even while biking.
But here is another bonus - good food generates a lot of energy and replaces craving sugar/salt/fat with a normal appetite.
- Fad Diets Are Destructive -
- Habits Are Life-Giving
Fad diets are the greatest invention since the slot machine. All of the diets are deeply flawed, which is why there are so many of them. It means nothing but woe, to lose 20 pounds and gain 30 back. I saw a series of pictures, before and after, in a cartoon - after, after, after - meaning even more cigs and weight.
If you can name three diets quickly, you are addicted. It really requires a meal by meal, day by day change in food buying and food eaten.
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| Seventh Day Adventists live the longest? |
