Dear Creative Professional,

At the start of every New Year, it seems that many people make some type of resolution concerning diet and weight loss. Unfortunately, the strict regimen they force upon themselves is seldom successful long-term. I’d like to share some information about healthful, whole foods that can help you become healthy with no gimmicks. This information is based on research by people who had nothing to gain by the results, and much of it may challenge your current perceptions about food. I will ask you to look at food a little differently. I’ll ask you to make some giant leaps in what we’ve all been led to believe from the manipulative food and pharmaceutical industries, as well as the scores of scientific studies (some legitimate, others a product of the manipulative food and pharmaceutical industries). You may actually experience relief, as I did, when I learned that the healthiest diet is that of our forefathers and mothers.

First, let’s tackle the word “diet.” When I use this word, I am referring to the food ingested, not a special weight loss program. If you’re a person that is on a special “diet,” such as a low-fat diet, I challenge you try to see this word in a new light. To me, a good, whole foods diet is sacred because it feeds us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is what keeps us healthy in each of these four areas. Ingesting whole foods most of the time helps us reach a normal weight and curbs cravings for poor food choices because eating a variety of good fats, proteins, and vegetables provides the essential fatty acids, essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes our bodies really crave. When your body gets what it needs, the cravings stop!

So what does your body really need? There is so much conflicting information about the proper foods to eat: high fat, low fat, high carb, low carb, high protein, low protein, no protein, all raw veggies, etcetera.

What should you really believe? I don’t think you should believe any of it, especially when it’s coming out of the mouths of people who want your money and don’t give a hoot about your health. And you shouldn’t believe me, either, without researching it yourself.

Tips

What follows are 10 healthy food tips to get you started on changing your diet, not just for the New Year, but for the rest of your life. Perhaps you already adhere to one or several of these tips. If so, great! If not, try making small changes. Since this is a life-altering experience, give yourself permission to take one step at a time--but with vigilance!

1. If you put processed food in your body day after day, you will probably not be truly healthy physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually because neither your brain nor your body will be functioning properly. Fast food joints are included in the genre of processed foods. The food is non nutritional, causing obesity and malnutrition. Ironically, many obese people are actually malnourished.

2. Drinking raw, whole milk from a local, organic dairy is much healthier than drinking pasteurized, homogenized milk from the grocery. If the nearest organic dairy is too far away, organic milk would be the next choice, even though it is pasteurized and homogenized.

3. Protein, including red meat, chicken, turkey, select wild fish, and eggs are extremely important for your long-term health. Of course, they must be hormone, and antibiotic-free, preferably grass fed and/or free range, from small, responsible farms. Fish should be from the wild, rather than from fish farms.

4. White flour and white sugar are deplorable body poisons. I call them “anti-nutrients” because they offer no nutritional benefits and actually leach nutrients from the body in an attempt to digest them. A large percentage of processed food contains one or both of these non nutrients.

5. Soda pop in all forms and flavors is an addictive drug that destroys the chemical balance of your mouth and body. The beverages of choice are non chlorinated, non fluoridated, water with minerals intact and lacto-fermented drinks (I’ll give the details about this in another “issue”). Organic teas and coffees are generally fine in moderation.

6. Eating an abundance and variety of both cooked and raw vegetables, preferably organic, will give you an abundance and variety of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

7. All soy products are toxic except properly fermented tamari (soy sauce without wheat), shoyu (soy sauce with wheat), tempeh, and miso. The soy industry has led us to believe otherwise and this will be thoroughly discussed in another issue.

8. Most food additives such as MSG and BHT are toxic. Start reading labels and avoid the products that contain unpronounceable words. Certain processed foods are OK, such as Akmak crackers because the label reads: 100% stone ground whole wheat flour, water, clover honey, sesame oil, dairy butter, sesame seeds, yeast, and salt. That’s it. Look at the ingredients in a brand of conventional crackers. You’ll get the picture.

9. Artificial sweeteners should not be used by anyone, including diabetics. They mimic sugar in the bloodstream, thereby sending a message to the pancreas to release insulin. The insulin carries the sweetener out of the blood, creating low blood sugar. This is especially dangerous for diabetics.

10. Your body needs fat! Low-fat foods do not satisfy your body’s need for fat. Eating the right fats is extremely important for the brain and nervous systems and just about every other cell, tissue, and organ as well. We North Americans eat way too many omega-6 fatty acids but not enough omega-3s. This causes an imbalance and cravings because your body is searching for the omega-3s that you aren’t eating. You can get a good dose of omega-3s from cod liver oil and ground-up flax seeds. Other healthful fats include good, old-fashioned butter (raw or organic), cold-pressed, unrefined olive oil, coconut oil, lard (yes, really!), borage oil, evening primrose oil, black currant oil (the latter three oils are mostly taken as supplements), raw avocados, and most raw nuts and seeds. Eating a variety of these every day will ensure proper ingestion of the good fats.

The above ten points can be condensed into 10 words:

If it wasn’t around 100 years ago, don’t eat it.

Case in point: Were pesticides used rampantly in 1900? No, that’s why I say, “preferably organic” in reference to meats and vegetable products. Was soy milk available in 1900? Not at all, but fermented tamari and miso have been used in Japan for centuries. All soy products other than those mentioned above are toxic. They leach the iodine out of our bodies, causing thyroid problems and also cause an estrogen overload in both men and women, leading to a host of serious problems, such as cancer.

Were our grandparents and great grandparents drinking pasteurized, homogenized milk? No! They were milking the cow at 4:30 a.m. and drinking for breakfast a few hours later. All the good bacteria, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes were still intact. Artificial sweeteners were not commonly ingested in 1900 and neither was soda pop. White flour and white sugar were probably the only products on the list that were widely available in 1900. However, when they first became popular, only monarchies and aristocracies could afford them, and they started getting sick! (My rule should read: If the peasants weren’t eating it 200 years ago, don’t eat it.)

With the advent of this New Year, then, I ask you to begin taking baby steps to change any unhealthful eating habits you have based upon the above list. It takes time to make changes. Perhaps the first change could be to quit eating white flour and white sugar. Experiment with whole grains and their incredible textures! Try baking with real maple syrup, raw honey, or Rapadura sugar (dehydrated sugar cane with nutrients intact). If you do depend on fast food joints for a quick meal, try to cut down. If you go twice per week, go just once. Eventually wean yourself from it altogether. If you are traveling, choose mom-n-pop cafés, if available, where the food has a better chance of being home-cooked and higher quality. Better yet, plan ahead and bring your own food when you can.

I understand the difficulty of managing a home kitchen and cooking from scratch. It takes time, creativity, and preplanning. But try to think of it as an investment in a healthful future. By consuming a whole foods diet, you’ll be more likely to spend your retirement doing what you love rather than planning your days around doctor appointments. Best of luck and bon appetite!

© 2002 Cynthia Cechota, M.S.

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The following books and journals have helped me clarify my food philosophy. During my studies, I was fed so much conflicting information, I didn’t know what to believe. I encourage you to take a look at them!

The Sugar Blues by William Dufty
Know Your Fats by Mary Enig
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (a very informative cookbook)
The Cholesterol Myth by Uffe Ravnskov; www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm
Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts, Journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation; www.WestonAPrice.org

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed on this Web site are not necessarily those of CreativeRefuge.com and are not medical advice. Please consult your doctor prior to making any changes to your existing diet or exercise regimen.