10 Rules of Nutrition
Nutrition for Optimal Health
You need water to keep your cells hydrated and protected, and to eliminate waste. Adequate hydration will improve a number of health problems including sinusitis, constipation, inflammation, allergies, fatigue, joint pain, headaches, weight issues and many other afflictions.
2. Half of the food you eat (by volume) should be vegetables.
- They provide you with many health benefits:
- Eating vegetables can reduce the instance of cancer and heart disease, increase your energy and mental clarity, reduce the problems caused by bowel and liver toxicity, help reduce the symptoms of arthritis, skin problems, digestive problems, chronic pain, and many other health problems.
- Vegetables are high in fiber, which slows absorption of fat and toxins. Eating fiber is a great way to lose weight.
- Vegetables are also high in folic acid, which is necessary to produce serotonin (preventing depression and overeating), and it increases energy.
- Vegetables nourish normal gut bacteria which in turn nourish the lining of the GI tract, produce vitamins, and inhibit yeast and other undesirable organisms. They also speed up bowel transit time, which reduces bowel toxicity and prevents irritation of the GI lining.
3. Avoid deep fried food, partially-hydrogenated oil, and hydrogenated oil.
Hydrogenation produces trans fats, which have been linked to a number of health problems such as cancer, heart disease, pain and inflammation, immune system problems, depression, fatigue, and skin problems.
4. Eat adequate HEALTHY fats.
Stress and sex hormones are made up of fat--cholesterol actually, LDL cholesterol. Every cell in the body needs healthy fats to be in order to be created and then maintained. Unsaturated fats decreases bad cholesterol, give our hair its shine, promote weight loss, reduce inflammation and lower the risk of heart disease [1]. They also make our food taste better and keep us fuller longer. Permissible fats include raw nuts (not roasted), virgin or extra virgin olive oil, lard, tallow, schmaltz and avocados.
5. Avoid refined sugar.
Natural sugars are found in fruit and dairy products, and they provide essential nutrients that keep the body healthy and help prevent disease. Refined sugar comes from sugar beets or sugar cane and is added to many processed foods (low-fat foods in particular--manufactures add more sugar so they have a similar taste but less calories) [2].
The way the body metabolizes natural sugar from fruit and milk differs from how it metabolizes refined sugar. Fruit and milk have sugar, yes, but they also have fiber, which slows down metabolism and expands in the gut to make you feel full. Refined sugar breaks down and is digested very quickly, causing insulin and blood sugar levels to surge. Because of this rapid process, you don’t feel full after you’re done eating, no matter how many calories you consumed [2]. During this process, refined sugar also increases adrenal hormone production and, in combination with increased insulin production, this can cause the following health problems:
- Increased production of adrenal hormones causes the body to excrete essential minerals.
- Sugar feeds yeast and other one-celled organisms found in the bowel, causing them to multiply. These organisms produce toxins, irritate the lining of the GI tract and take the place of normal, helpful bacteria.
- Excess insulin creates more sugar cravings. More sugar is eaten, more insulin produced, etc. This stresses the pancreas and sets the stage for adult-onset diabetes.
- Sugar consumption can make pain and inflammation worse.
- Sugar can cause or aggravate allergies, sinusitis, asthma, irritable bowel, Candidiasis, migraine headaches, fatigue, depression, and even heart disease.
6. Avoid refined carbohydrates.
Refined carbohydrates are grains that have had fiber, vitamin E, B vitamins, bran and germ removed. They fill you up, but lack vitamins and minerals, the combination stressing your digestive and endocrine systems.
- Read the labels on bread. Brown-colored bread labeled ʺwheat breadʺ isnʹt usually whole wheat. If the label says ʺenriched, white flourʺ on it, youʹre not getting a whole grain.
- Use brown rice instead of white rice.
- Eat whole oats instead of instant oatmeal.
- Eat “whole grain” pasta noodles.
- Try some of the more “exotic” grains available now, like amaranth and quinoa.
7. Avoid gluten and gluten containing foods.
Gluten is highly inflammatory, and inflammation is the basis of all health issues. One of the major proteins that makes up wheat gluten is gliadin. Gliadin triggers zonulin to open up the tight junctions of the gut causing leaky gut--a major gut health imbalance that impacts GI health, mood, immune system, hormones, fatigue, and our ability to maintain a healthy weight.
8. The importance of eating enough protein can not be overstated.
It's not just the total amount of protein you eat every day that matters, getting enough at each meal is also important. It is the simplest and easiest way to maintain a healthy weight and have a better looking body. Period. So fill up on protein: get 20-30 grams at each meal. This promotes fullness and preserves muscle mass [3]. Protein also raises insulin in the short-term, however, it should lead to long-term reductions in insulin resistance by helping you lose belly fat loss. High insulin means fat storage, and low Insulin means fat loss.
9. Avoid additives and chemicals (found in processed foods).
The FDA tests and approves single additives, but no one has any idea what combinations of additives do to us. The list of harmful additives is much too long to present here, but below are a few examples of chemicals found in packaged food:
- Mono and diglycerides: Used to maintain softness in baked goods. These are on the FDA list of food additives to be studied for causing possible birth defects, cancer, and reproductive problems.
- Brominated vegetable oil (BVO): Used as an emulsifier. The FDA has it on the suspect list. Bromates are highly toxic. They can cause death through kidney failure or nervous system problems. Between two and four ounces of a 2% solution can poison a child.
- Red #40: Suspected carcinogen. Whenever you see a color followed by a number, avoid that food.
- Sodium nitrite: Makes meat bright red and kills Clostridium Botulinum spores (botulism). Found in luncheon meats. Nitrites combine with natural stomach acid and chemicals in the food to form nitrosamines, which are powerful carcinogens.
- Aspartame (sold as Equal and Nutrasweet): Possible link to brain cancer. May cause headaches, depression and anxiety attacks, or memory loss. It also raises the pH of urine and may be linked to kidney and bladder infections.
- THBQ (Tertiarybutylhydroquinone): This chemical gives foods a long shelf-life, but food manufacturers had a hard time getting this approved. Death has occurred from ingestion of five grams (about 1/5 of an ounce). Eating one gram can cause nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, delirium, a sense of suffocation and collapse.
10. Eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly.
Most people eat too fast. Not chewing well stresses your digestive system and can lead to poor absorption of nutrients, digestive problems like gas and bloating, and promote the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract. Ideally, chew your food until it is liquid. You will be satisfied with less food and you will have better digestion.
I wrote a FREE guide to the 4 Types of Sugar. Cutting sugar out of your diet is a necessary first step to better health. Download The 4 Types of Sugar Guide
for FREE to take your first step on overcoming your health challenges and maintaining optimal health.
Struggling to stay consistent or see results? Let’s figure it out together in your free Health Discovery Session.
https://draxe.com/healthy-fats/
https://www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2016/08/natural-vs-refined-sugars-what-is-the-difference
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25926512
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Heidi Toy FNTP
I help people all over the world heal by identifying and treating the root cause of their body imbalances. Through diet and nutrition, I guide them towards wholeness and balanced lives.
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