Can Healthy Eating Prevent Disease?
For the healthy eaters among us, good health is already its own reward. But what about the people I hear from all the time who ask the question: What if I don't eat a healthy diet - so what? I can pop a vitamin or two every day and be just as healthy as those spending so much time, money, and mental energy looking for nutrients from foods. It seems like such a waste of time....but is it? The answer is a resounding NO. A healthy diet can contribute to disease prevention. While we cannot control out biology, we CAN control what we eat - and that has a huge impact on our health.
While food is not medicine and cannot cure disease, long-term dietary changes can definitely support good health. The overall components of healthy eating have been linked to the incidence of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, three of the most common diagnoses in the United States. While we cannot control our biological vulnerabilities to particular diseases, we can contribute significant control over what we eat, to help offset the genetic predisposition to disease (out of our control) to keep our bodies healthy.
The foundation of a healthy diet is easy to outline, but hard to follow every day. That's the part we all need to work on. And, it's not just one food, or food group that "protects" us. Every year, more discoveries are made in science and medicine to help us better understand how long-term dietary changes help fight disease and sustain good health. More and more compounds are found in foods themselves that can be shown to fight disease in test-tube studies, and are associated with reduced health risk in people. This means that we must choose FOODS, and not individual components of a food (or a supplement), to get the best bang for our nutritional buck.
So what is a healthy diet? The same basic components can promote a healthy heart, brain, digestive tract, and skeleton.
Here are 8 fundamental steps to a healthy diet. The effects of food on disease prevention are cumulative, and daily habits are what count, not just an occasional nod to a category. It's hard work, but can be learned. Just do your best - any change is a plus. Pick one or two steps that you can make without too much trouble, and add more, one by one. Many people start just by reading labels to become a more informed consumer.
(1) Choose at least 5 (7-9 is even better) colorful fruits and vegetables.
(2) Aim for at least 20 grams of fiber (fruits, vegetables, whole grains)
(3) Consume no less than 50-60 grams of complete, low-fat protein (animal and/or vegetable sources)
(4) Limit processed foods (both amount and frequency of eating "treat" foods)
(5) Reduce salt intake to 2500 mg or less (skip most canned foods)
(6) Choose heart-healthy fats, and limit then to no more tha 1/3rd of your daily calories
(7) Include 1000 mg of calcium from dairy products or other food sources
(8) Drink enough fluid - around 64 ounces - or to thirst.
OK, you may say, in a perfect world I might be able to do all of that, but real-life intervenes. Now what? So, can I take some supplements? Sure, but focus on only those providing 100% of the recommended daily intake. When it comes to vitamins, more is not usually better, and sometimes quite harmful. And, pills cannot replace the "value added" of compounds like lycopene, flavenols, and other antioxidants found in so many types of produce. It's the same as eating heart-healthy "fatty" fish, which will provide the complete nutrient profile of fish (more value-added), than simply consuming a capsule containing omega-3 fats. It's why these things are called "supplements" - to enhance, not replace essential nutrients.
While healthy foods are a must, at the foundation of healthy eating is aiming for a healthy weight. Notice I said "healthy" weight, not a "dream" weight, or a weight on a chart that might not be right for you. For many people, the best advice is "JUST DON"T GAIN". That is very different from "LOSE WEIGHT". Being weight-stable is hard work, and even if you're not at the "perfect" weight, if you are in good health, just not gaining will help keep you there. Diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol (leading to clogged arteries), stroke, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and sleep apnea all are closely associated with overweight and obesity. So - eat healthy but monitor amounts to minimize weight excursions of more than 5 pounds. And if you need to lose because you've got one or more of these illnesses, remember that losing only 5-10% of your starting weight can improve disease symptoms. That's only around 10 pounds for those in the weight range of 150-200 pounds.
A word about cancer prevention: some of the best and most established work about diet and cancer comes from cellular studies linking the "cruciferous" vegetable group (containing compounds that kill off cancer cells) with a lower rate of cancer in humans. What does this mean for the rest of us? To me, this means that consumption of broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage might help fight off cancer in some people, there is no guarantee that it will prevent cancer from occurring or prevent a relapse. That said, the scientific evidence is strong enough to support a strong recommendation for regular consumption. Not only for cancer-fighting, but as a source of fiber, they're great for digestive health. Naturally full of water to keep you hydrated. Full of vitamins and minerals of the "green" vegetable group, and the list goes on. Just one example of the multiple "hats" different foods have in promoting overall health.
The bottom line with healthy eating and disease prevention: Choose a variety of low-processed foods, rich in fruits and vegetables, some heart healthy fat, lean protein, and fiber-rich grains. The key is balance. Don't eat for specific benefits of one food. Consuming a wide variety of foods that are minimally-processed (and locally grown if possible) you know you'll be promoting good health, as we learn more each year about the health-promoting properties of food as nature intended.
How do YOU follow a healthy diet? What are your personal strategies that motivate you?
Comments
I know how important healthy eating is, but being active is equally important. Here's an article i read about research findings that people who are thin and diet but do not exercise can have high levels of internal fat and be unhealthy http://collegecandy.com/body/2443
Hi,
I was just reading an article about the benifits of unprocessed foods and about how food gets more and more "convenient" it is becoming less and less healthy for us. I read it in a new, ad-free magazine called The Organic Mom. The essay is called "The many wonders of plants" and she has several articles about organic and healthy local eating as well as some great vegetarian recipes. You can read samples and see the magazine at www.theorganicmom.org. Her proceeds go to charity and she prints with soy ink on recycled paper. It was nice and relaxing to read as I had no ads in my face to distract me. A famous nutrionist wrote the essay I mention. I thought you might enjoy having a look. Joan
Good Morning! I love to be attractive at my age of 67; eating healthy is the key. Less alcohol more fruit drinks, protein from nuts and lentils, Rye bread,yogart as my special desert, fish very important, lavish myself with steak on occassions. Excercise look for the beauty in nature it is there for the taking. Peace
Dr Fernstrom, I lost 130 pounds and have kept it off for 12 years! One of my tools is limiting my carbs, but not getting rid of them entirely--and when I eat them I always use Phase 2--either taking it as a pill or actually cooking with it. Have you heard of it and if so, what do you think of it. It is a white bean extract that is FDA approved for weight loss. Phase 2 helps your body digest 30-40% of the carbs you eat as fiber rather than sugar. http://www.phase2info.com
Carpe Diet!
Julia Havey
author, motivator
"The Vice Busting Diet", "Awaken the Diet Within"
Thank you for the great information. I lost 60 lbs over 3 years by essentially following these 8 tips. Although I did also start a workout regime. I would emphasize that people need to realize weight loss is not something you do for a little bit and then stop. If you make changes to your life then they need to be something you can keep up forever. If not, you'll just regain a lot of the weight.
Dear Dr. Fernstrom:
Thank you for the informative article. Indeed there is a huge link between nutrition and disease prevention.
A recent discovery at UC Berkeley about broccoli's immune enhancing activity puts some of the important points you make into perspective.
http://www.diindolylmethane.org/
Regards,
Mike
Thanks for all the updates. The tips are really easy to imply in ones day to day life. Eating healthy food is the real key of leading a healthy and a happy life. Thanks for all those usefull information.
With all the toxic substances incorporated into foods, a key adjective should also be "natural" or better still "organic". It's the best investment in your life experience.
Another way to go about healthy dieting is a meal delivery service. With meals prepared by chefs and nutritionists, all you have to do is heat up the food, and eat. Dieting has never been this easy!
I'm curious as to where you get your recommendations for protein requirements... no less than 50-60 grams? I thought protein needs were rather specific for individuals, particularly for their weight and health status (renal disease, etc..) Although really, most people are eating well above and beyond 50-60 grams, I'm just curious what you're basing that recommendation on.
I'm in my 30's and thin. I have always been thin. My weight has gone up or down no more than 5 pounds since I was in the eighth grade. My grandmother was a nutritionist and we were practically raised on fruits and vegetables that we grew in our own yard. We were not allowed soda or sugary cereals in the house. I don't know if we ate fast food even once every year or two. This sort of healthy eating is a habit I've always had. I don't diet. I don't think about weight. I don't even like the taste of processed foods, because I never got used to them. I think our food preferences and desires are about the way we've been trained to eat and for many of us, if we go without highly processed, fatty, high sodium or sugary foods, our palette will change and we won't even like them anymore. I think itâs also pretty obvious to tell whether what youâre eating is good for you or not just by how your body feels after you eat it. I doubt anyone really feels good after a greasy hamburger, fries and a Diet Coke.
"let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food"-Hippocrates. Food IS medicine and CAN heal dis-ease. Living, raw foods can reverse cancer and diabetes among other issues. Dr Gabriel Cousins has done great studies in this field, among many others!!
