Setting the record straight on what is the proper diet
David
Che, DDS
Anyone who has ever visited
the diet and nutrition section of a bookstore knows how confusing it is in the
midst of the sheer number of books available. Instead of giving a lot of technical
information here, I will discuss the most practical information on just
what is a proper diet. The knowledge is gathered from countless books on
nutrition I have studied from the natural health field. (Conventional medicine
has little knowledge on nutrition.)
Instead of giving
overwhelming info on what to eat, I think it is much easier to discuss what NOT
to eat.
- AVOID AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF SWEET FOODS (E.G.,
DESERTS)
This
tops the list. Americans generally eat way too much sweet foods. It isn’t realized that sweet foods literally
damage the kidneys which in turn cause hair loss in men and bone deterioration
in women. Sweet foods also become ACID in the body which will result in
excessive stomach acid production. All sweet foods in America are
made with white sugar, which is the culprit in many diseases. Try to consume
foods which are made with natural sugars such as honey, cane sugar, and pure
maple syrup.
- AVOID COFFEE AND SOFT DRINKS. DRINK TEA INSTEAD.
Coffee
is very acid forming in the body. Soft drinks, which ALL contain a lot of sugar
is just as acid forming. Don’t
forget that coffee, soft drinks, and deserts are all usually eaten together.
These all are extremely acid forming. Creating an acid environment in the body
sets up the foundation for viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells to develop.
Diseases do not develop overnight; they are developed from years of improper
eating. What about diet soft drinks? These all contain NutraSweet, which is
very bad for the body. Space limits the discussion on this harmful chemical, I
advise anyone interested to read more on the dangers of NutraSweet. Green tea
is an excellent drink. Tea unlike coffee is ALKALINE. A healthy body should be
slightly more ALKALINE than acid. Tea will do that. Hot tea is like soap for the
body. It cleans out the arteries and lymphatic system and neutralizes acidity.
Drink tea instead of coffee for better health.
- AVOID ANY OILS WHICH ARE HYROGENATED!
The
medical establishment I believe is very confused on the subject of fats and
diet. They keep saying to eat a low fat diet to prevent heart disease. Let’s set the record straight on this
subject.
To
begin, humans have to have fats as part of the diet. Fats are necessary for
many of the metabolic processes in the body. BUT the key is to know what are
good fats and bad fats, not to avoid fats all together. To put it in most
simplest terms, the good fats are the ones that occur naturally such as butter,
corn, canola, sunflower, and olive oil. The oils present in fish are excellent
for the body. (I believe fish and green tea are the secrets for Japanese
longevity.) The problem is when oils are taken to the factories and so called
HYDROGENATED. These oils are on every food label in the supermarket. The best
examples of hydrogenated oils are MARGARINE, ‘I Can’t
Believe It’s Not Butter,
and other similar products. Since these oils are not from nature, and the human
body is, it is impossible for the body to process it. When this happens, the
oils clog up the arteries and a host of diseases result. For some unknown
reason, this is unknown to 99.9 percent of medical doctors.
- AVOID FAST FOODS AND DAIRY PRODUCTS AS MUCH AS
POSSIBLE
Fast
food places are NOT in the business of keeping you healthy, they are in the
business of making money. The oils used in cooking the foods are most likely
all of the hydrogenated type (because they don’t spoil easily). The foods in fast food places are all
very high in unnatural fats. They are usually high in salt and to top that,
people usually get a high sugar soft drink to go with the order. From what you’ve read already, this combination does
not make for good health. It sets the foundation for inevitable disease in the
future. Cows’ milk is made for baby cows, NOT humans. Cows have 4 stomachs to
digest the very high casein (mucus) content. Humans have a very hard time
digesting cow products. I believe being lactose intolerant is a NORMAL phenomenon. No other animal on earth naturally
drinks another’s milk.
Only humans do. That is why humans get diseases that animals normally do not
get such as allergies, asthma, and sinus problems. Dairy products are very
mucus forming in humans. Add up all the growth hormones and antibiotics that
are given to cows and you have a drink very unfit for humans to drink. It is
amazing to see that people actually take special drugs(Lactaid) to TRY and
digest dairy products. Inability to digest another animal’s product is not the food’s problem, but in the person trying to
ingest it! The worst thing one can do is to take drugs to digest the dairy product.
Instead of taking dairy products, look for soy, rice, almond, or oat milks
which do NOT have harmful chemicals in them. Milks from grains are much better
for the digestive system.
- AVOID SPRINKLING SALT ON YOUR FOOD RIGHT BEFORE
EATING IT.
Table
salt can be in 2 forms: Inorganic and Organic. Organic is when salt is added in
during cooking. Inorganic is when the salt is sprinkled on food right before
eating as many Americans do before they eat their steak. Inorganic is the
harmful type of salt. Salt has a high osmotic pressure, that is to say it has a
‘sucking’ force. Salt that is sprinkled on food
before eating dissolves directly on the tongue and from the tongue goes
directly into the blood bypassing the digestive system. Since salt has a ‘sucking’ property, it will cause water
retention in the body leading to high blood pressure. That is why the first
thing medical doctors do when they treat high blood pressure is to take the
person off salt. Avoid sprinkling salt directly on your food right before eating.
It is not good for you and you don’t
need it.
- AVOID WHITE BREADS, PRESERVATIVES, AND ADDITIVES.
EAT WHOLE GRAINS.
The
numbers of chemicals in modern foods are overwhelming. Just read the label of
ingredients on your typical loaf of bread and you’ll see why. White bread has little
nutrition and is constipating. Try to buy breads that are made with WHOLE
grains and no preservatives. The best place to buy this is at a health food
store. It will be more expensive, but I believe good health is priceless. Whole
grains possess nutrition that cannot be artificially fortified and naturally
promotes bowel regularity. Sodium Nitrite is used in all cured meats such as
salami, pepperoni, hot dogs, etc….
This chemical mixes with substances in the stomach and can cause stomach
cancer. There are other additives far too many to mention. The bottom line is:
avoid chemical additives as much as possible if you value your health.
- AVOID FRUIT JUICES THAT ARE FROM CONCENTRATE.
When buying fruit juices,
there are 2 main types. One is from concentrate; the other is not from
concentrate. Always try to buy NOT from concentrate. The concentrate juice is
full of sugar and this has already been discussed previously. Juices NOT from
concentrate are better for you.
So what is a proper diet?
This is difficult to explain in detail. Basically, the more natural it is,
the better. The more processed it is, the worse it is. One should eat a
whole variety of foods, but never too much of one food. It is also good to get
foods that have a variety of the five flavors. (The typical American diet
contains too much sweet and salty taste.) The five flavors are sour, bitter,
sweet, spicy, and salty.
By following the basic
principles outlined here, many diseases can be prevented. It is my belief (and
other practitioners in the natural healing arts) that improper foods cause
disease. Prevention is the best medicine. Disease comes from a long period of
improper eating and lifestyle. Everyone should avoid the processed foods of
modern civilization and return to natural foods from the past centuries.
From Hantang
Chinese traditional Medical Association
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