Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Good news! Operation Banana Hunt scored another banana. After sifting through a pile of organic bananas, I found farm number 992. I hurried home and put it through the Dole Organic Program. Here’s what came up:

• Country: Perú

• Farm Units: Small Farmers members of the Association (APOQ)

• Location: Querecotillo, Sullana, Piura, Perú

• Crop: Organic Bananas

• Organic Certified since: 2006

Now, let’s go to the source. Check out these photos from APOQ:

  

 

We’ve found A LOT of bananas, but we’re not done yet! Keep looking for those Dole organic bananas. Run them through the Dole Organic Program and tell me all about it. Just send an email to diseaseproof@gmail.com. Go bananas, go bananas!

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Even though Rome—oops! I mean Wall Street is burning. Americans appear to be MORE interested in cupcakes, wizards and sex toys than the current financial crisis.

But wait, it gets worse!

For giggles, I did my own GoogleTrends experiment. I searched financial crisis, McDonalds, vegetables and Britney Spears. Check it out:

Veggies dead last and McDonalds number ONE! With Britney Spears a close second. Oh boy, we’re in trouble.

Via Serious Eats.

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Exercise does A LOT of things. Gives you a six-pack, broader chest, toned butt and even a good poop! New research claims regular exercise can RELIEVE symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, specifically constipation.

The study appears in the International Journal of Sports Medicine. Reuters reports:

Dr. Amanda J. Daley of the University of Birmingham in the UK and colleagues recruited 56 adults (mostly women) with doctor-diagnosed IBS for a study lasting 12 weeks.

The participants were randomly assigned to usual care (i.e., a "control" group) or to an exercise program, consisting of two 40-minute one-on-one exercise consultations designed to provide exercise skills, knowledge, confidence and motivation -- the goal being 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days a week.

The researchers chose this type of intervention, they say, because it has been found to boost exercise in other patient groups, and because it could be more easily integrated into current healthcare practice than supervised programs.

After 12 weeks, the exercise group chalked up significantly more weekly exercise than the control group and they reported significantly greater declines in symptoms of constipation.

What a relief! Now, I’ve said it before, but it’s HARD to make a case against exercise. For example, That’sFit passes along news that EXERCISE helps lower type-2 diabetes risk and it’s already been shown that exercise improves heart health.

Now, if you’re pressed for time and can’t make it to the gym, try exercising at the office. Exercise is too HEALTHY to skip!

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It’s been a rough go for fruits and vegetables. We had the HUGE spinach-E. coli outbreak. Then New Jersey’s green onions got E. coli too. After that, tomatoes were blamed for salmonella, but it turned out a SINGLE jalapeño pepper was actually the guilty party. Yeah, a lot of drama!

So, who’s to blame? The Government Accountability Office says the failure falls squarely on the shoulders of U.S. Food and Drug Administration—signaling a call for improved preparations against biological attack and outbreaks of food poisoning; Rueters reports.

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• I’ve had my share of junky cars and I wouldn’t suffer ANYONE with them, but if you’ve got an old car taking up space. GreenDaily shows where you can donate that broken down jalopy.

• The Bush administration has just NIXED the $8 million-a-year program that tests fruits and vegetables for levels of pesticide residue; The Chicago Tribune reports.

• Fitting diesel engines with an electric field can INCREASE fuel efficiency by 19%, making them run cleaner and greener; NewScientist Environment explains.

• According to the AFP, climate change could bring floods, droughts and even MOSQUITOS to areas of Europe and Asia.

• Offshore drilling has been ALL OVER the news lately, but how will lifting the ban on offshore drilling REALLY effect the United States? About.com breaks it down.

• August didn’t feel THAT hot, but apparently this past August saw the FASTEST artic ice retreat on record—a blatant sign of global warning; more from ENN.

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Men get a bad rap. Just look at sitcoms. Male characters are depicted as chubby oafish slobs, basically CAVEMEN in flannel shirts. Like these guys from According to Jim; via YouTube.

Now, AOL Men’s Fitness Center feeds into this Neanderthal nonsense with an article promoting the “healthful” benefits of saturated fats; like beef, pork chops, cheese, butter and sour cream. Get a load of this:

For years you've heard that eating saturated fat is like pouring superglue into your arteries. But the fact is, this forbidden fat actually increases your HDL (good) cholesterol, which helps remove plaque from your artery walls, decreasing your risk of heart disease. So quit depriving yourself and start eating these eight foods -- without guilt.

Make NO mistake. Eating copious amounts of saturated fat from animal products is NOT healthy; via Plos Medicine. For example, this guy ate a diet loaded with clarified butter and his heart was so COATED with dangerous fat, he needed emergency surgery to save his life!

A fat-based diet is DEADLY advice without an air of authority. It’s journalistically irresponsible, because many men are already looking for an excuse NOT to cut back on meat, dairy and other saturated fats.

Dr. Fuhrman wanted to weigh in. His thoughts:

AOL is promoting cancer, heart disease and dementia by promoting the consumption of red meat, butter and dark meat poultry as healthy and not disease promoting. It shows the pervasive influence and web-presence of the pro-animal fat crowd, in spite of a plethora of irrefutable scientific findings proving otherwise.

The bulk of evidence is IRREFUTABLE; red meat, butter and saturated animal fats are linked to cancer, heart disease, stroke and dementia. And thousands of scientific studies agree! Burying your head in the sand does NOT change facts.

Guys, if you’re striving for optimal health, you MUST restrict unhealthy foods. Research links the consumption of dairy products with prostate cancer and eating meat with prostate cancer; via CAT.INIST. So, AOL Men’s Fitness Center is promoting getting prostate cancer—which can make you IMPOTENT—not exactly good advice for men!

Okay, I’m NOT an expert, but I am a guy. I watch football, lift weights and play fantasy sports, but I also do Yoga, avoid meat or dairy and I LOVE of salads. Does this make me any LESS of a man? No! So, take Dr. Fuhrman’s advice and don’t be another knuckle-dragging modern caveman.

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Those tomatoes and white asparagus cost $2.57.

It was $1.89 for the apples.

And only $1.46 for the onions and red potatoes.

I bought ALL that stuff on manager’s special for the low-low price of $5.92! I’ve noticed a lot of supermarkets sell blemished or over-ripe produce at a reduced price. It’s a GREAT way to score tasty fruits and vegetables on the cheap.

Don’t be self-conscious. Dig in and see what YOU can find!

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Angela Stokes used to weigh 300 pounds, fed up she switched to a raw food diet. No more meat, animal products or processed foods, just LOTS of fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds. She lost an AMAZING 160 pounds; CNN reports.

Kudos to Angela, great job! Plants foods promote healthy bodyweight and disease-prevention and cutting saturated fats—found in animal foods—helps lower cholesterol and maintain heart health; from Health magazine.

Now, raw food diets DO help people consume MORE fruits and vegetables, but raw food isn’t the ONLY answer. Eating cooked foods in fine, Dr. Fuhrman explains low-temperature cooking and steaming can actually enhance the nutrient-quality of vegetables.

Nevertheless, Angela’s accomplishment is STILL a great ambassador for vegetable-based diets!

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A couple years ago British health officials enacted a BAN on TV commercials for foods high in fat, salt and sugar airing during children’s programming, but its NOT working—somehow junk foods like soda and cookies are sneaking in; the BBC reports.

Actually, Britain has a history of food faux pas. Once schools tried to reform cafeteria food and make it healthier, but it only incurred the WRATH of the meat-pie mums!

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• We know polar bears are suffering from climate change—so are HUMANS—but amphibians, like toads and frogs, are also facing habit-loss and extinction; the AFP reports.

• According to the Associated Press, pollution from carbon dioxide output jumped 3 percent from 2006 to 2007—scientists are calling it a DIRE outlook.

• In related news, China has SURPASSED the United States as the global leader of greenhouse gas emissions; more from the AFP.

• Imagine this, a 100 turbine wind farm in New York City. Located on the coast of Queens, New York, the farm could supply 200 megawatts of energy; The Baltimore Sun explains.

• What do you do with old cell phones? Instead of throwing them out, EcoLocalizer passes along five GREAT resources for recycling unwanted cellular phones.

• And you can also RECYCLE jewelry from ex-lovers. GreenDaily examines ExBoyfriendJewelry.com, a place to swap treasures from failed relationships.

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The weather is ROTTEN today. Dank, damp, rainy and just plain icky! Pretty much sums up my tomato this week. It’s really starting to show the change in season.

Last week began the decline, but as you can see today. Fall weather is taking its toll. Tomatoes are taking longer to ripen and leaves are shriveling—sigh.

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It’s getting a little late in the season, but a new study in the European Respiratory Journal has determined outdoor pools INCREASE children’s asthma risk. Researchers blame prolonged exposure to chlorine vapors; Reuters reports.

Actually, this backs up a previous study about indoor pools. Researchers linked inhalation of chlorine byproducts to lung damage in infants and possible asthma later in childhood. It appeared in the journal Pediatrics; via Reuters.

Keeping excitable kids out of the pool might be hard. Maybe limit their time swimming instead. After all, growing bodies MUST be kept safe from toxic environments.

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Oh boy! I’m suddenly feeling a little queasy. A Swiss restaurant was recently BANNED from serving dishes containing HUMAN breast milk. Food inspectors said the ingredient derives from an “unauthorized” source; SwissInfo.ch reports. 

Breastfeeding is a GREAT idea, but serving it at a restaurant—GROSS! The eatery planned to use breast milk in antelope steak with sauce and a classic dish called of Zürcher Geschnetzeltes, bite-sized pieces of meat in a creamy sauce. Bleh!

Via Serious Eats.

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We pop A LOT of pills! Especially antibiotics, Americans LOVE to overuse antibiotics. And flu shots too! Every flu season MILLIONS of people rush to free clinics and doctor’s offices. Not realizing that a healthy body can easily beat the flu.

That’s why I WASN’T surprised to read that a new study in The Journal Child and Adolescent Psychiatry claims American children are prescribed more antidepressants and stimulant medications than children in Europe—via Julie’s Health Club.

According to Dr. Fuhrman, psychiatric disorders—like depression—can be successfully treated with superior nutrition and light therapy. So, there are options BEFORE the pill.

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This is an excerpt from Dr. Fuhrman’s book Eat For Health.

Our hunger drive craves volume. A key skill that you are developing for your health is the ability to eat large volumes of raw and cooked, high-nutrient, low-calorie foods every single day. This means eating lots of vegetables.

When you are actively trying to lose weight, you should strive to satisfy your volume requirements first, before addressing the other dimensions of hunger. This may feel strange at first because you may not immediately feel satisfied by the higher volume of food. This is because you are accustomed to eating large quantities of high-calorie foods that cause a dopamine rush, a rush that low-calorie foods don’t deliver. However, your body will adjust, be less dependent on the dopamine surge in the brain, and will gradually become more and more satisfied with fewer calories. Give yourself time, and use the knowledge you have gained. Striving to fulfill your body’s volume and nutrient requirements can help you resolve food cravings and your toxic hunger.

The trick to get you to desire fewer calories faster is to eat lots of these high-volume, high-nutrient foods. You are already familiar with these, but many of the foods that you have been incorporating into your diet because of their nutrient values are also great tools in meeting your volume requirements. They include:

• Raw Vegetables: lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, celery, anise, snow pea pods, carrots, beets, cucumbers, water chestnuts, red cabbage, onion

• Most Fresh Fruits: melons, oranges, grapefruits, apples, kiwis, berries, papaya

• Cooked Green Vegetables: Brussels sprouts, string beans, artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, Chinese cabbage, bok choy

• Other Non-Green Vegetables: mushrooms, eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, onions, bean sprouts, cauliflower, spaghetti squash

Especially on holidays and days when you know that you will be around a lot of unhealthy foods, pre-fill with these high-nutrient, low-calorie foods. Never go to a party or event with an empty stomach. Eat a large salad with assorted raw vegetables and a bowl of vegetable soup before going to the places that may tempt your desire to eat unhealthily. Being healthy is about being in control. You must control your hunger, and the more low-calorie, high-volume foods you consume, the less high-calorie food you will be able to eat. When you increase these super healthy foods in your diet, you will feel less temptation, and you will be in control of your food cravings and appetite.

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It’s Friday and its NEARLY quitting time, but the week isn’t over yet. First we’ve got to check in with Eating to Live on the Outside. So, what’s on the menu this week? We’re heading to Paradox Café. It’s an unusual restaurant, serving a mix of vegan and non-vegan dishes, but hidden in the confusion are plenty of Fuhrman-friendly fare.

Okay, I’m digging the Number Two. It’s made with seasoned potatoes or brown rice, seasonal vegetables, egg, tofu or tempeh, Aisan curry sauce, raisins and nuts. No egg or tempeh for me, I’m going with the tofu and the potatoes. A lot of my vegan friends are REALLY into tempeh, but I think it tastes funny.

The Fiesta Burrito is also cool. They make it with seasonal vegetables, egg or tofu, house chili, salsa, green onions, a wheat tortilla and seasoned red potatoes. Alright, the tortilla is iffy, but I can deal with it. I’m also passing on the egg, again. The chili has me a little worried. It could be salty, but I’d be willing to risk it.

Next up is the Tree Hugger Sandwich. The name certainly appeals to my hippie sensibilities. Its fresh bread stuffed with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, guacamole and vegan cream cheese. I’ll pass on the faux-cream cheese and yes, the bread isn’t the MOST nutrient-dense menu item, but I’m cool with it. I don’t eat bread that often anymore. Besides, the veggies ROCK!

Now, the Asparagus Sandwich is looking good. Asparagus is a SUPER food. So any opportunity I have to eat some—I take it! It doesn’t say what kind of bread it’s made with, but it includes roasted asparagus, caramelized onions, fresh tomato, 1000 Island Dressing and vegan cream cheese. Alright, we’ve got some eliminations to make. Adios dressing and goodbye fake cheese. Honestly, if it weren’t for the asparagus, I’d probably pass on this one.

As always, the salads are looking the best. I see four I like: Deluxe Green Salad, Mediterranean Salad, Solstice Spinach Salad and the Crisp Tempeh Salad. Combine they’re made with Romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, veggies, seeds, spinach, kalamata olives, feta cheese, dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, Fuji-apples, roasted asparagus, mushroom, tempeh, raisins, almonds and almonds. Okay, I’ll pass on the olives, tempeh and feta cheese and I’ll order the dressing on the side. Oh, and as for what type of dressing, I think the lemon tahini is probably the MOST harmless.

Finally, I’m feeling the Coconut Spiced Vegetables. It’s pretty simple. It’s made with organic vegetables, seared tofu and coconut-chili sauce. Any time vegetables are the heart of a menu item it’s a solid option. This might go good with a side salad. Luckily a couple of Paradox Café’s salads come in smaller sizes too!

Yeah, I think Paradox Café is okay. It’s not a slam dunk, but it’s decent. Plenty of veggies and not TOO much nasty stuff, just a little cheese—which is easy to get around, don’t order it! Alright, I’ve talked to much, its Friday and you want to go home, but before you do. Check out Paradox Café’s menu and let me know how you handle Eating to Live on the Outside. You can always make a comment or send an email to diseaseproof@gmail.com. Until then, eat right! Peace.

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• I was surprised to read that America is NOT lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to wind power. LiveScience examines other popular myths about wind energy.

• The U.S. senate will extend $18 billion in tax credits for renewable energy. This is helping the solar panel industry enjoy continued GROWTH despite the current economic conditions; more from Reuters.

• Soon they’ll be a price tag on carbon gas emissions. U.S. polluters will have to PURCHASE allowances to emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere; NPR reports.

• The World Health Organization claims some countries could face increased health risks and food shortages as a result of global climate change; the AFP is on it.

• According to ENN, the European Commission believes an overhaul of fishing laws is long-overdue. Concern is mounting over ecological decline and unsustainable fishing practices.

• If you insist on eating meat, GreenDaily passes along some suggestions for making your meat eating more green, like eating LESS meat and cooking it yourself.

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That's an EVIL looking lunch, but it’s probably very typical. Remember, a new report just determined that the USDA, which distributes food schools, actually supplies food of POOR nutritional-quality; too much processed meat and cheese.

To make matters worse, many schools undermine their own efforts to improve cafeteria food by installing more and more vending machines. With tight budgets abound, vending machines have become HUGE money-makers.

Meanwhile, schools in Europe are lobbying to distribute FREE fruit in schools. So, improving school food and health MUST be possible!

It is. Health magazine has just compiled a list of America’s healthiest schools Check out what these schools are doing to get healthy. Take a look:

• West Babylon Senior High, West Babylon, New York: The student obesity rate dropped 2 percent in just one school year—and continues to decline.

• Amory Middle, Amory, Mississippi: "We have become Dance, Dance Revolution," principal Cheryl Moore says. "We traverse the rock-climbing wall, play ping-pong, power walk, and much more."

• Rawhide Elementary, Gillette, Wyoming: Rawhide's strong health component begins in kindergarten and covers nutrition, personal safety, drug-abuse prevention, and lifetime fitness.

• Anthony Elementary, Leavenworth, Kansas: Lunch is eaten in classrooms amid a family atmosphere that emphasizes conversation. "The noise level is low, making this the ideal time for teachers and students to build positive relationships," principal Janine Kempker says.

• Richmond Elementary, Appleton, Wisconsin: We've found that educating children about making healthy food choices has influenced the choices that are being made at home," principal Bobbie Schmidt writes.

• Mountain Valley Middle, Mexico, Maine: Kids and teachers eat nutritious breakfasts in their classrooms. Through this innovative approach, piloted last year, students begin their days more attentively and learn conversation skills and table manners from their role models.

• Miami Springs Middle, Miami Springs, Florida: Former principal Gail Quigley, EdD, says. "We don't serve dessert or fried food, and we offer a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables."

• Lakewood Elementary, Cecilia, Kentucky: Lakewood's students get this message loud and clear in all facets of the school's Nutrition, Fitness, and Health curriculum.

• W.C. Britt Elementary, Snellville, Georgia: This school keeps its students engaged with taste tests, farm visits, school gardening, community-health-related plays, annual visits from local dentists, and more.

• South Elementary, Pinson, Tennessee: The school has established a Life­time Fitness and Wellness Center, an on-site facility that's open not only to students but to faculty members and families, as well.

Now, improving school food is win-win. It has been show that eating healthy foods, despite being MORE expensive, does help school children perform better. However, Dr. Fuhrman suggests a simpler answer, establish healthy eating habits at HOME and have kids brownbag their lunch.

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The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services lists low-fat diets as a POSSIBLE reason why someone might develop an iron deficiency; citing the prolonged reduction of animal foods.

But animal products AREN’T the only sources of dietary iron. Many plant foods are PACKED with iron. Dr. Fuhrman points to broccoli, kale and spinach as excellent sources of iron—even BETTER than red meat!

Now, FitSugar has compiled a GREAT list of iron-rich foods. Here are a few examples: 1/2 cup of garbanzo beans has 3.4 mg of iron; 1/2 cup of tofu contains 6.2 mg of iron; and a 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato has 9 mg of iron. They also include super foods like flaxseed and asparagus.

It’s certainly better than EATING cast-iron pots!

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Once upon a time the Mediterranean diet WAS healthy. People ate lots of fresh fruits, vegetables, beans and some fish and they spent many hours working in the fields, but that was a LONG time ago.

As fast food hits Mediterranean countries, like the island of Crete, many are fighting an uphill battle against disease and obesity; The New York Times reports. And according to Dr. Fuhrman, Cretans WERE healthy, lean and virtually free of heart disease, but now they eat mostly meat and cheese and are fat, just like us!

Honestly, BLAME the Western lifestyle—BAD diet and NO exercise—as the Western diet continues spread across the world it leaves behind a wake of unhealthy habits, period!

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Mango Salad Smoothie

1/4 regular sized banana
4 cups romaine or mixed greens
1 1/2 cups pineapple (or core of 1 pineapple)
1 pound frozen mango
1/3 cup water

Blend ingredients. Serves 4.

Big Red Smoothie

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup frozen cherries
2 cups frozen strawberries
1 cup blueberries
1 bunch fresh parsley

Blend well and enjoy! Serves 1.

Blue Breakfast Smoothie

6 ounces baby spinach
1 banana
1 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tbs ground flax seeds

Blend all ingredients, pour and serve. Serves 2.

Antioxidant Rich Smoothie

8 ounces (about 8 cups) organic baby spinach
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
8 deglet noor dates, pitted and cut in half or 3 medjool dates, pitted
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
1/2 avocado (optional)

Blend all ingredients together. This is delicious & very healthy! Serves 3.

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• The United States military consumes 340,000 barrels of oil everyday. It’s the LARGEST purchaser of oil in world. First is the U.S. Air Force, followed by the Navy and then the Army—via TreeHugger.

• Scientists from Britain's University of York have discovered a “chemical equator.” This dividing line separates the polluted air of Earth’s Northern Hemisphere from the CLEANER atmosphere of the Southern Hemisphere; Reuters reports.

• Sarah Palin claimed, during an interview with ABC’s Charles Gibson, that Alaska produces 20% of U.S. energy. NOT true. Alaska only generates 3.5% of domestic energy and 12.8% of the crude oil—from Short Sharp Science.

• Both John McCain and Barrack Obama support nuclear energy, but they DIFFER on its finer points. McCain wants radical expansion of nuclear power and Obama prefers a more diversified energy portfolio—TreeHugger explains.

• A poll of 28,000 Internet users in 51 nations has revealed that more consumers want COMPANIES to lead the fight against climate change than governments; More Reuters.

• A lot of people are installing personal solar energy systems on their homes, but these people are being TARGETED as solar panel theft begins to rise; The New York Times explains.

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That’s a hot chick! She’d have NO problem getting me to eat more pomegranates. Then again, you shouldn’t need ANY convincing to eat pomegranates. They're SUPER foods and oddly enough, pomegranates help with erectile dysfunction. How fitting.

Now, according to Dr. Fuhrman pomegranates have the most powerful anti-oxidants of ALL fruits. Also, pomegranates protect against atherosclerosis and diabetes and improve prostate health.

Okay, as far as fruit goes, SEX sells! “Rachel gets fruity" offers her unique perspective on how plums can help you prevent prostate cancer. Simply awesome!

Via SeriousEats.

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Weight-loss surgery is risky! A previous report showed an INCREASED risk of depression and suicide with weight-loss surgery. And now, new research by Columbia University reveals a connection between gastric bypass and deficiencies of calcium and bone loss.

The study appears in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. More from ScienceDaily:

"Our research shows that deficiencies of calcium and vitamin D absorption occur following gastric bypass surgery," said Dr. Shonni J. Silverberg, professor of medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons in New York, N.Y., and coauthor of the study. "When analyzing hip bone density, we found that those who lost the most weight also lost the most bone."

In this study, researchers evaluated 23 morbidly obese men and women who underwent gastric bypass surgery. Dr. Silverberg and her colleagues measured serum calcium, vitamin D, and parathyroid hormone levels before surgery and at three, six, and twelve months after surgery. Researchers also measured bone mineral density before and after surgery using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). One year after weight loss surgery, patients had lost an average of 99 pounds and had significant declines in hip bone mineral density (both total hip and femoral neck measurements).

"The calcium and vitamin D deficiencies may be due to the alterations in the gastrointestinal tract that take place during these procedures," said Dr. Silverberg. "These deficiencies may be restored if the amount of calcium and vitamin D supplementation is increased appropriately."

Now, this only a FRACTION of the potential complications! Dr. Fuhrman also lists gastritis, dilated pouch, incisional hernia and vitamin B12 deficiency as other possible consequences of weight-loss stomach surgery. Seems like A LOT of risks to me!

There’s a simpler. You know it already—diet and exercise! Exercise keeps us moving, but a diet change is REALLY crucial. Some foods, like green vegetables, actually allow you to eat MORE and still lose weight. No scalpels needed!

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Let’s live to 100! It’s simple. Be like the Okinawans. Make sure you exercise, eat less, eat plants and learn how to relax—via The Huffington Post.

And That’sFit passes along five more GREAT tips for living healthy. Take a look:

• Reduce your intake of dietary fat -- both saturated and unsaturated -- to a max level of 30 percent of total calories. You can accomplish this by limiting meats, trimming away its excess fat, avoiding fried foods, and cutting down on butter, creams, and salad dressings.

• Increase consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain cereals. This will automatically increase your intake of these five nutrients: beta carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and dietary fiber.

• Only moderately consume salt-cured and charcoal-broiled foods, or ditch altogether.

• Only moderately consume alcoholic beverages, or ditch altogether.

• Eliminate from your diet these items: All salt except for what's found in food itself, all stimulants like coffee and tea, all refined sugar and flour, hydrogenated fats, pepper and other hot spices, foods containing artificial additives or preservatives, and all cured meats such as hot dogs.

Hard to argue with all that! Avoiding things like salt, saturated fat, refined grains and alcohol is always a GOOD idea, so is INCREASING your consumption of fruit and vegetables.

Also, it’s important to ignore common health myths, like obesity is caused by genetics and milk is good for bone health. Dr. Fuhrman dispels those notions.

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Beans are GREAT and not just because they make you fart and farts are funny!

Seriously, Dr. Fuhrman calls beans nutritional POWERHOUSES and he recommends eating them everyday. And Reuters reports that eating beans, like soybeans and chickpeas, can improve artery health in stroke patients.

Now, even though soybeans beans are awesome. Its NOT wise to base your diet on soy, Dr. Fuhrman insists a bio-diverse diet is key; i.e. lots of DIFFERENT fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans.

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• Congratulations Portland! Sustainlane.com, a web site for green living, has named Portland, Oregon the MOST sustainable city in the United States—via TheGreenMeeting.

• Here’s a startling report from the Associated Press. U.S. hospitals and long-term care facilities flush MILLIONS of pounds of unused pharmaceuticals down the toilet!

• Maybe that’s why a U.S. congressional panel is being pressed to MORE closely monitor pharmaceuticals and fire retardants in the water; the Associated Press explains.

• But on the other hand, the Environmental Protection Agency has announced it WON’T limit rocket fuel in public water supplies across the country; the Associated Press is on it.

• Would you BUY air? One entrepreneur from New York City has just started selling “99 percent breathing oxygen” in a can! Nope, I’m not kidding; more from The Washington Post.

• David Chameides, an Emmy-winning camera man, saves and composts ALL his garbage and stores it in his basement; Time magazine is on it.

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Like organic foods and all things green? So do I. That’s why I’m excited to announce I’m NOW a regular contributor on OrganicAuthority!

I’ll be posting there Monday through Friday. So, can find me on OrganicAuthority, at Diet-Blog and as always, right here on DiseaseProof. Thanks for reading!

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Nowadays I spend MOST of my time in front of a computer. If I didn’t eat right and exercise, I’d be as big as a HOUSE! Remember, a sedentary lifestyle wallops your health.

So, if you’re a desk-dweller like me. You have to figure HOW to bridge the gap between sitting and moving. You could start with the “Workstation.” It’s the hybrid combination of a desk and a treadmill.

I’m not sure I could type and walk at the same time. I can barely THINK and type at once! I’d rather get up and stretch, especially since University of Queensland researchers determined periodic stretch breaks are good for your health. And here are some desk stretches—via The Los Angeles Times.

Also, here's a whole list of office exercises you can do; including wearing a pedometer, finding a walking buddy and taking the stairs. Actually, taking the stairs is VERY heart healthy and can dramatically increase fitness levels; from Reuters.

Or you good always do Zumba. I’ve never tried it, but apparently this Latin exercise dance-craze is taking the world by storm. Aye carumba! I’m WAY too uncoordinated for that.

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Dr. Fuhrman will tell, MOST of America’s health problems can be directly tied to our love affair with meat and dairy products. When in reality, fruits and vegetables are the SOLUTION!

Animal products sack our health and they INFLATE our grocery bill. Maggie Vink of That’sFit realized she could save A LOT of money by cutting back on the meat in her family’s diet.

An added perk to eating less animal foods is the environmental benefit. Fruits and vegetables require FAR LESS resources to produce than animal products. Oh, and CalorieLab also suggests trimming meat!
 

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This is an excerpt from Dr. Fuhrman’s book Eat For Health.

As this chart shows, heart disease as a major cause of disability and death is a recent phenomenon.

Heart disease was not inevitable in the past and it doesn’t have to be inevitable now. It has known causes. Populations where these predisposing lifestyles are not lived out have practically no heart disease. When studies look at these issues, they find that the cultures that eat a healthy, vegetable-rich diet have almost no recorded heart disease, including hundreds of thousands of rural Chinese who have not had a single documented heart attack.1 Because heart disease has become so ubiquitous in America, many people believe the myth that heart disease, high blood pressure, strokes, and dementia are largely genetic or the consequence of aging. It may be rare in the modern world that any majority of a population exercises, does not smoke, and eats very healthfully, but those that do earn a low-risk status and do not have heart attacks.2

The same factors that cause atherosclerosis, leading to heart attacks and strokes, also create dementia, and I am referring to both vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s. This includes the same diets that are high in animal fat and low in vitamins, minerals, fruits, and green vegetables.3 Of course, smoking and lack of physical exercise play a role in these common diseases, but the point is that it does not have to happen to you. These diseases, and others that plague modern America, are not the inevitable consequences of aging. They can actually resolve and improve with age or can be avoided entirely. They are simply the result of years of poor nutrition and an unhealthy lifestyle. My hope for you is that through this eating-style, you, like my patients who have embraced this program, can rid yourself of migraine headaches, acne, autoimmune diseases, and diabetes. So many of my patients have restored their health after conventional physicians—and the conventional beliefs about the inevitability of disease— told them their problems were going to be life long. Their doctors were wrong.

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The only REAL fortified foods are fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans, but lately stripping food of all nutrition, processing it into junk and then “enriching” it has become all the rage.

CBS News shows how food producers are cramming Omega-3’s, plant sterols and calcium into garbage foods like milk, yogurt and pasta. These Franken-foods are expected to rake in $60 BILLION in sales next year!

In Eat to Live, Dr. Fuhrman explains that enriching food does little good and that healthful plant compounds are BEST left in their natural state.

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• That’s the iYo. It’s a yo-yo like device that uses induction to CHARGE your iPhone and iPod—via TreeHugger.

• The Olympics are over and now Beijing is left with a water crisis. Forcing them to pump “emergency” water into the city; Reuters reports.

• Concerned about genetically engineered animals? The Food and Drug Administration wants your feedback—more from GreenDaily.

• According to the AFP, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is set to enact new renewable energy plans.

• A United States rocket scientist is using RUBBER DUCKS to help track melting glaciers; Reuters reports.

• U.S. companies recognize climate change, but are slow to do anything about. While global firms responds MORE quickly; Reuters is on it.

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Doctors DON’T emphasize diet enough and here’s a great example of it. At 31David Servan-Schreiber was diagnosed with a brain tumor and told he had 6 MONTHS to live—via Julie’s Health Club.

Now, after surgery and chemotherapy and 15 YEARS LATER he believes a vegetable-heavy diet is the ultimate cancer-fighter! Even though his doctors told him a change in diet, "Won't make much of a difference."

For starters, CONGRATS David! What an awesome story. Clearly, fruits and vegetables are champions of health. Dr. Fuhrman strongly advocates vegetables’ potent anti-cancer effects and Glamour Magazine’s list of cancer-fighting foods was comprised ENTIRELY of plant foods!

Like David Servan-Schreiber, Dr. Fuhrman also claims it ALL comes down to NUTRIENTS! Fruits and vegetables provide the key nutrients our bodies need to ward of disease, especially cancer.
 

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We already the United States is FAT and getting FATTER and that obesity costs this country A LOT of money, but it just got WORSE! New research in Fertility and Sterility claims being obese may diminish a man’s fertility; Reuters reports.

Now, obesity doesn’t only affect men’s potency. Women are also at risk! Last year a study determined that obesity may prevent eggs in women’s ovaries from becoming healthy embryos; more from the AFP.

NO guy or gal wants to hear that. Good thing new research has determined that exercise can reduce fat, in this case, fat in the liver. Another clear-cut exampl