Stack the Dice in Your Favour: Feed Yourself Well!
Dr Jean Millar
In nearly every article I have written regarding prevention of diseases, and restoring health, I have emphasized the benefits of good eating habits.
There are enough books regarding best diets to sink a ship!
Many of my patients mention how confusing it is to be confronted endlessly with conflicting information when it comes to what is [and what is not] a healthy way to feed themselves and their families. Others are convinced that they eat in an extremely healthy manner and are then disappointed when they do not seem to be gaining from their habits.
Over the years I have taken a keen interest in Nutritional Medicine [only relatively recently has this been recognized by Traditional Medicine as important enough to rate as a subject to be studied!]
Now the WHO and various Western Governments are encouraging us to eat fresh fruit and vegetables every day because huge studies have shown that populations that eat in this way are generally healthier than those that stick to packets of pre-prepared foods with little or no fresh foods.
Many studies also show that people whose anti-oxidant nutritional levels are high also have a lesser tendency to chronic diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, strokes and cancers. Anti-oxidants is the umbrella name for vitamins and other substances found chiefly in fresh fruit and vegetables. These are thought to protect plants and animals [including ourselves] from disease by improving the status of our immune systems.
So what is the best way to eat?
Here is a guideline that works for everyone:
There will be people that need to have the basics refined to suit their special needs, but the PRINCIPLES of healthy eating have not changed in thousands of years.
- Buy the freshest, in-season foods that you can find.
- Shop more than once-a-week if you can to make this possible.
- Vary your foods every day.
- Buy organic foods whenever possible, including meats and poultry.
- Eat three to five times per day and avoid late-night eating when possible.
- Drink between meals NOT at meals. Drinking pints at meal times dilutes the salivary juices and stomach acid and reduces the efficiency of your digestion. Have just enough fluid to keep the mouth moist.
- Remember that EVERYTHING you eat THAT IS NOT A PROTEIN [including fats] turns into sugar in your body [if it is not stored as fat]. So the amount of EVERYTHING you eat matters.
- Moderation is the key.
- Your hands cupped together holds the right amount for a meal. The size of your palm indicates the amount of protein needed daily. No need to count the calories !
- Water is the basis of all known life, so please drink it! At least two litres per day!
- Try to eat vegetables with proteins OR with vegetables with your starches. Despite the scientific community stating that there is no scientific proof that this separation of proteins and starches helps digestion, EVERY person that I have known that has tried this method of eating has felt better in every way! More energy, less wind, less bloating, better bowel habits, often less headaches or sinusitis and so on…
Two books worth reading are: “What Your Doctor Does Not Know About Nutritional Medicine May Be Killing You” by Ray D. Strand, and “The Gut Reaction Eating Plan” by Gudrun Jonsson.
Both are readily found on Amazon on the internet, or can be ordered by your local book store.