The Secret To Health Promoting Nutrition: What to Eat to Get Well Fast!
In this section I will share with you, as a practitioner, what I
believe to be the best Nutritional Strategy to improve or normalise
health. This is something that I recommend ALL patients who attend our
practice, to aid and assist in regaining health.
Generally patients have had declining health over a number of years, although they may not be aware of it. Some patients have had sub-optimal health for so many years they believe that a state of poor health is 'normal'.
Typically most patients have problems that relate to a number of different aeitology (or aggravating factors);
- Acute (new), sub-acute (medium term) or chronic (long term)
inflammation; that drives conditions such as muscle aches, muscle
pains, muscle weakness, gastrointestinal upset, chronic fatigue,
respiratory problems, cardiovascular issues, heart disease,
neuro-degenerative conditions of the brain (Dementia, Alzheimer's,
Parkinson's disease, memory loss), recurrent back pain, headaches,
strokes, skin conditions and cancer.
- Mechanical trauma; recent accident, repetitive strain, over use or repetitive work related injuries.
- Neurotransmitter problems; chronic stress, weight gain (or loss), emotional upset, fatigue, depression, anxiety and poor sleep.
This strategy will significantly accelerate any appropriate treatment you may be receiving for conditions such as:
- Spinal pains; including lower back pain, neck pain, disc injuries and sciatica.
- Muscular and skeletal pains; such as shoulder, knee, hip, ankle or elbow pains that are slow to resolve.
- Headaches, migraines, mental lethargy, visual blurring and fatigue, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cancer.
- Chronic fatigue, depression, anxiety, debilitating, chronic and
intermittent pain that is difficult to control, metabolic syndrome and
particularly diabetes, elevated blood sugar levels or insulin
resistance.
- Gastrointestinal upset, bloating, nausea, nasal catarrh, bowel
problems, trouble loosing weight or maintaing a healthy weight range,
and particularly gastric reflux and hiatus hernia.
So What is the Secret?
Following an extensive review of the research literature, I believe a "supplemented Paleo-Mediterranean diet" is the best dietary approach. This combines the best of the Mediterranean diet with the best of the Paleolithic (Pre-historic) diet.
The Basic Principle: Garbage in Garbage Out.
You will never recover or have good health eating six serves of wheat per day or 4 serves of fast food per week. It is never going to happen.
So What does this Mean in Real Terms?
You Need to Eat like a Meat Eating Vegetarian Coeliac (no wheat or gluten).
Health promoting nutrition means that you need to eat generous quantities of fruits, vegetables (good sources of carbohydrates), nuts, seeds, and berries. But they must also be combined with good sources of protein. And if you are not going to eat meat, then you are going to have to really watch what you are doing to make sure you eat enough protein from other sources.
Focus on the protein, and the carbohydrates tend to take care of themselves. Check the site if you need more information about carbohydrates and proteins.
Good sources of protein are lean meats such as cold water fish, chicken and turkey. I also advocate whey, soy or rice protein for their high-quality, anti-cancer, cardioprotective, and mood-enhancing benefits.
You will need to have about 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilo of body weight per day. So if you weigh 80 kilos, then you need to aim for about 160 grams of protein per day. Read the label, write it down, then work out your protein intake. It is the key to your recovery, improved lean muscle mass (so you look good down at the beach) and one of the primary indicators for increased longevity.
You will need to graze throughout the day. You need to have at least 5 SMALL meals evenly spaced every two to three hours, throughout the day which provide a good source of protein and some unprocessed carbohydrates (ones that don't come from a packet).
Raw foods are good because cooking denatures plant proteins. Also cooked foods have reduced 'life enzymes'; that is no phytonutrients, lipases (break down fats), proteases (break down proteins) and amylases (break down carbohydrates).
Aim for 8 to 10 serves of fruits and vegetables which will provide plenty of fibre, phytonutrients, carbohydrates, and protein, while simultaneously being low in fat, sodium, and "simple sugars."
Doing this will keep your metabolism ticking along quite nicely, you won't get hungry, your blood sugar levels will remain stable and you won't feel tired! Most importantly, your healing response will significantly accelerate.
You Mean I Can't Eat Bread?
Yup. Deal with it. Build a bridge. No good comes from eating bread. An average person needs to run 20 flights of stairs just to burn one slice of bread. Nearly every patient I treat is addicted to bread; particuarly the toxic ingredients - wheat and gluten.
We usually crave what does us the most damage.
In the months ahead, once your health conditions are resolved, your weight is stable, you have no blood sugar problems, all inflammation and acidity is resolved and you can justify the extra 'kilojoules' then you might (and I say might) consider re-introducing wheat and gluten free bread. But I would not recommend it. Keep in mind, that even gluten and wheat free breads are simply empty calories that are difficult to shift.
Remember gluten damages your DNA. It changes your book of life (your genetic material). So the less wheat and gluten you have the better. And the better you will feel.
If you don't believe me, go three months without wheat/gluten and then have a pizza. Watch what happens.
But What will I have for Breakfast?
Move up the buffet. Step away from the cereal and toast. It is junk.
Make some oats, eat last nights dinner, scramble some eggs, have an omelet, use one of our delicious protein shakes or even try the 'Hooper Shake' (although it is a bit heavy). Do some reading on the site. There are plenty of meal planners.
Focus on what you can eat. Not what you can't.
I Can't do the 5 Meals!
Yes you can. Go liquid if you have to. That is what I do. It works brilliantly. Could not live without it. Could not do the hours. Could not do the training.
Research shows that if we give you medical food (say two serves a day - mid morning and mid afternoon) then you can get where you need to go from a nutritional point of view in about 3 to 4 months as opposed to 2 years for the average patient.
There are many exceptionally high quality, medical grade, highly fortified liquid meals available on the site. And most of them taste pretty good too. Depending on your condition, your case history, presenting condition and what you require we can suggest a number of alternatives.
Get Off the Soft Drink
Take all the soft drink you have - and pour it down the sink.
No good comes from drinking soft drink. It is the primary source of 'kilo-jules' in the USA and we drink buckets of it here. It disturbs me how many kids are addicted to soft drink and sports drinks. Both are full of sugar, excess salt and neurotoxic chemicals (artificial sweeteners) they call 'diet', 'sugar free' or 'low calorie'. Don't drink them.
Soft drink leeches the minerals out of your bones (particularly calcium and magnesium), screws up your blood sugar levels, is highly acidic and one of the primary causes of obesity.
Drink enough water. You will need 20mls per kilo of body weight. More if it's hot or you sweat.
Summary
This is a huge topic and obviously we are only at the tip of the ice berg.
Most people take two or three months to get their head around these important dietary changes.
The point of this section is just to give some very basic dietary facts that will assist in your recovery and help normalise many body functions.
Obviously it needs to be tailored to your individual nutritional requirements and normally this is done through the Baseline Nutritional Evaluation. Other tests to consider are the Optimal Nutritional Evaluation (ONE), Essential Fatty Acid Testing, or specific Food Allergy testing.
Provide your body with the best nutritional protocol for optimal health and wellbeing. Make sure you are covering the basic nutritional building blocks essential for optimal health.
If you want the basics of the program, here it is:
- Increase sources of lean protein within your diet - preferably
fish, chicken, whey, soy and nuts. You will need about 1.5 to 2 grams
of protein per kilo of body weight. For more information about
nutrition click here.
- Eat every 2 to 3 hours while you are awake. Make sure each meal has
a good protein source and unprocessed carbohydrates. For more
information about protein and carbohydrates click here.
- Drink enough water. You will need 20 mls per kilo of body weight.
More if it's hot or you sweat. For more information about the correct
amount of water to drink click here.
- Make sure you use a comprehensive Multimineral and Multivitamin.
They provide an essential platform for recovery. Think of a good Multi
as 'nutritional polyfiller'. It fills in any gaps within your diet. It
is impossible to get all your nutrients from your diet, let alone if
your diet is not up to scratch or you eat commercially grown food (from
Coles or Woollies). It is the cheapest form of health insurance you can
use. If you only take one thing - take a Multi. For the Best
Multimineral and Multivitamins click here.
- Use an essential fatty acid such as Fish Oil and Flaxseed Oil. Fish
oils (EPA) have very strong anti-inflammatroy effects regulating the
arachidonic acid cascade, reducing eicosanoid formation and can
regulate the mood or emotional state of people under stress.
Fish Oils (DHA) significantly improve cardiovascular health, reduce trigylcerides, favorably influence blood cholesterol levels and improve blood viscosity. DHA also plays a crucial role in the growth and development of the central nervous system in infants, and is essential to the health functioning of the adult brain and may assist in learning ability. For the best Fish Oils click here. - If you have significant pain and inflammation, consider the use of
a clinically effective anti-inflammatory that wont damage your
gastrointestinal system or increase your chance of heart attacks and
strokes like the drug anti-inflammatories do. You will feel more
comfortable and it will speed up your recovery. For the best
Anti-inflammatories click here.
- If you have any type of digestive complaint or bowel problems,
consider the use of a medical grade Probiotic. Probiotics restore correct
bacteria to the bowel and are essential for the control of skin
conditions, eczema, dermatitis, recurrent respiratory tract infections
and irritable bowel syndrome. For the best Probiotics click here.
- Consider a source of Magnesium if you have
any musculoskeletal problems or heart problems. Extra Magnesium is
essential for correct muscular function so it is an absolute must for
people with back or neck pain, period pains, and particularly athletes
or those who sweat profusely. For the best magnesium
and muscle relaxants click here.
- Increase your intake of Vitamin D. Most people have become
deficient in Vitamin D, particularly as we age. Vitamin D is essential
in many body functions including correct bone development (Osteoporosis
prevention), regulating inflammation and assisting the mucosal lining
of the intestines (to stop leaky gut).
- Consider the use of Glucosamine and MSM if you have arthritis, you
are an athlete or you have "worn" joints. A combined glucosamine, MSM,
chrondoitin and calcium hydroxyapitite formulation has been shown to be
highly effective in the treatment of arthritic conditions. Nearly 2000
well done, clinical trials show the effectiveness of quality glucosamine
products, that work as good as NSAID's (typical drug medications)
without the very severe and dangerous side effects. For the best
Glucosamine and
anti-arthritic formulas click here.
- Use CoEnzyme Q10 if you are on any blood pressure medication or statin drugs. CoQ10 acts as the cellular spark plug for the mitochondria of the cells so it is essential for energy production and the production of ATP. Important for athletes, people with cardiovascular problems and those with chronic fatigue, fibro myalgia or depression. For the best CoEnzyme Q10 products click here.
