The body has powerful systems in place to keep us healthy and prevent disease. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I’ve committed my life to helping people use food and other lifestyle factors to optimize their body’s natural mechanisms. My master’s degree in nutrition is from Bastyr University in the Seattle area, whose program puts a special emphasis on how food can help heal the body. This foundation of an integrative, holistic approach to health combined with years of clinical practice has fueled my interest in how food affects the body.
There has been a lot of research done on the impact of food on specific diseases. It has revealed that individual foods offer promise, while overall eating patterns offer insight into what may be best for human health. For example, large, long-term, human studies have shown that vegetarian and vegan diets can reduce the risk of ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, and even certain types of cancer (Melina, Craig, and Levin 2016). The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet has also repeatedly been shown, in large clinical trials, to effectively lower blood pressure as well as the risk of cardiac events (like heart attacks), strokes, type 2 diabetes, and obesity (Challa, Ameer, and Uppaluri 2018). The Mediterranean diet has been found to reduce cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, brain functioning issues and cognitive decline, depression, and several types of cancer (Sánchez-Sánchez et al. 2020). What do all of these diets have in common? They’re based on whole, unprocessed foods, and they emphasize high-fiber
options including fruits and vegetables. The Mediterranean and DASH diets include plant proteins as well as some lean animal protein like chicken and fish. All of the diets are low in saturated fat, added salt, and added sugar.
These dietary themes support the same principles that Dr. William Li presents in his best-selling book Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself
. Using some of his own research on angiogenesis and cancer-fighting foods, he provides a comprehensive analysis of a wide range of studies that show how diet can be used to bolster our natural defense systems. Taking a holistic approach, he does a deep dive into exactly what foods to eat—and to avoid—for optimal health. His focus is on supporting the body’s existing healing systems through diet and lifestyle. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I take the same approach.
The purpose behind this cookbook is to provide you with easy and delicious ways to include more foods that support your health every day. Although it is important that you choose foods mindfully, this eating plan is not meant to be strict or restrictive. I encourage you to move away from the mindset of cutting foods out of your diet and focus instead on adding foods. After all, food is part of the fun and joy of life.