Pick the statement that is true:
A - Diet and Lifestyle impact your health.
B - Your genetics predetermine whether or not you get ill, rendering you powerless.
A. TRUE.
The Human Genome Project has shown that diet and lifestyle can impact our health by as much as 90%[1] . We all have genetic mutations and weaknesses making us more vulnerable and predisposed to particular illnesses. The same underlying causes impact different people in different ways. However, we are not slaves to our genes. Genes merely load the gun. Diet and lifestyle pull the trigger.
Every day this week, I will be highlighting one of the main five factors that are essential to your health, starting with the most important: FOOD.
Food is a duel-edged sword. The right foods can heal you. The wrong foods can harm you. Foods that harm you – vegetable oils, most highly-processed foods, sugary drinks, most pizzas, white bread, most fruit juices (high in sugar), margarine, pastries, biscuits and cakes, chips and crisps, gluten-free junk food, processed cheese and meats, most fast food meals and anything that is high in sugar and refined grains.
Foods that help to optimise your health:
· Fruit and vegetables. Eating more fruit and vegetables is one of the simplest choices you can make to improve your health. This can help protect you from heart disease, stroke, arthritis, dementia, cancer and even slow down your body’s ageing process. Remember, ‘variety is the spice of life’. Build on the amount and variety of fruit and vegetables you include in your diet.
· Healthy fats. Are you afraid of fats? If so, this is unsurprising as fat in foods has been vilified in the Western World for the past few decades. However the 'Big Fat Fraud' has finally been exposed and the 'low fat is good' health hypothesis has effectively been disproved. In fact, we are in the midst of an obesity epidemic that started around the 1980’s, coinciding with the rise of the low-fat hysteria. Type 2 diabetes has also risen significantly through this period. It is time for your body to reap the benefits of the healthy fats found in such foods as avocados, nuts and seeds, organic extra virgin olive oil, grass-fed organic butter and ghee, coconut oil and Omega-3s (found in seafood - like salmon and sardines - walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseeds).
Here are TT's Tips for better eating:
Avoid eating food that is high in toxins. Aim to buy organic where possible or wash non-organic in a bowl of water with a capful of apple cider vinegar to get rid of pesticides.
Aim to buy organic meat and chicken to avoid antibiotics and growth hormones. If constrained by budget, it is better to buy less and to maximise by making stews and stir-fries and using bones for making healing bone broths.
Eat real food.
Aim to include a large salad in your diet every day. The more of these ingredients you include, the better:
Dark leafy greens: Kale, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Arugula
1 cup broccoli sprouts
Cauliflower
Purple cabbage
Slice of red onion, yellow or green onions
Red, yellow or green peppers
Mushrooms: White Button, Bella, Cremini, Shiitake
Raw walnuts, almonds
Raw sunflower, pumpkin seeds
Sprouted beans like mung beans
Sprouted black/green lentils.
Consider other vegetables like radishes, artichokes, squash, and zucchini. Add avocado for healthy fats.
Shake on as much of these anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer spices as you can stand (turmeric, curry powder, garlic powder, oregano) and remember herbs are nutrient-dense and add flavour. Coriander is also a powerful detoxing herb.
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