The main issue as I see it today regarding diet and nutrition is that we Americans eat too much, and what we eat too much of are the wrong things. Unfortunately, in our society today, fast foods and processed foods are the norm. I’m not saying that it’s necessary to take a great deal of time in order to eat correct things. What I am saying is that we have been deluded into believing that it’s necessary to run into one of the many fast food restaurants in order to eat quick meals. That simple is not the case. Sometimes a little preparation is necessary on our parts in order to eat correctly. I hope some of the information I provide for you today assists you in this way. I will attempt to simplify this issue, which is often unnecessarily thought of as all too complex. So, here are the plain and simple facts about what you should and should not eat, in order to be healthy.
True health begins with simple things such as diet, exercise, and by that I mean, movement in all the joints of your body, (even those which do not move correctly), and a positive mental attitude. A mentor of mine, Dr. James Chestnut, states that we should “eat well, move well, and think well” in order to be healthy. So, where do we begin with the “eat well” leg of this triad?
Let’s understand that we, in the United States, do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. That is just simply the case. In spite of the fact that the federal government recommends that we eat six helpings of fruits or vegetables per day. Many of you may think that six helpings is totally impossible. I’m here to tell you that it’s not - when you consider the fact that one piece of fruit, such as a peach or an apple, is considered a helping.
Now, let’s talk about the specific fruits and vegetables, because it is an important issue that you will see in some of my future articles that women in particular eat the right vegetables. Criciferous vegetables or sulfur containing vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and cabbage are important for women in attempting to avoid breast cancer. You see these particular vegetables contain substances that assist in and protecting certain sites in the breast that are sensitive to certain forms of estrogen. Some of these estrogens which may have a negative effect on breast tissue, thereby precipitating cancerous changes. Eating these particular vegetables on a regular basis, and by that I mean daily, you will assist in reducing the likelihood that you will suffer from breast cancer.
Another thing that I will recommend is to buy organic fruits and vegetables as much as you possibly can. It is important to understand that over utilization of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other inorganic chemicals to increase crop growth and production has a detrimental or negative effect on consumers.
As you all know, organic foods are something we are beginning to see and hear about more commonly. The reason is chemicals that are absorbed routinely through fruits and vegetables have a negative impact on our health. Just for future reference, one of the vegetables that I’ve just recommended that you eat on a daily basis is one of the highest pesticide and herbicide containing vegetables, that being broccoli. So you can see, while food may be good for you in one way, it may be harmful and detrimental in another. That can be compensated for by buying organic foods. Next week we will continue our discussion on the organic food issue.