CHAPTER 8
THE TOP EIGHT FOODS TO INCLUDE IN YOUR DAILY DIET
I have talked so much about all the things we shouldn’t have in our diets, so let’s get down to business. What foods should we include?
To maintain energy, good bowel health, great digestion, and to keep disease at bay, we must concentrate on eating as many of certain food types as we can in one day. There are good reasons for this, as you will see.
Beans
Beans including black beans, butter beans, cannellini beans, peas, kidney beans, haricot beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils, and chickpeas. Some of the top cancer researchers from across the globe have summarized that some of the best things we can include in our diets every single day, in fact not just every day but at every meal, are whole grains and beans. Most of your plate should be covered with vegetables and whole grains, with the remainder of your plate being beans. Why? Because they are loaded with protein, iron, and zinc, and they have a high fibre, potassium, and folate content. They are free of cholesterol and naturally low in saturated fat and sodium.
These little beauties are not to be underestimated. They reduce our risk of depression, stroke, and colon cancer. They not only help to prevent breast cancer but increase survival rates too. And they help you to stay lean and slim, lower your blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, balance insulin levels, and help you to feel full and satisfied. You can disguise beans in many dishes you can eat throughout the day such as houmous, or pea soup. Make these fresh and you have yourself a tasty health‐enhancing snack full of goodness. Just quarter of a cup of houmous, or half a cup of pea soup for each meal is enough for your daily intake. You can prevent prediabetes by eating these little gems and stave off heart disease and osteoporosis too. Why wouldn’t you?
Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables include bok choy, broccoli, broccoli sprouts, watercress, turnips, radishes, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, and kale. Cruciferous vegetables are the most powerful source of antioxidants and including an array of these in your daily diet will offer you outstanding protection from many diseases. They not only help detoxify the liver by boosting enzymes, they also boost our intestinal immune cells to help us fight against pathogens and toxins. They are considered one of the top two vegetable families that help cancer prevention, alongside the allium family, which includes garlic and onions. The intake of these vegetables helps reduce bladder, prostate, and lung cancers, and keeps your brain and body strong and fit. Interestingly, kale may be more beneficial cooked than raw. To maximize levels of sulforaphane, which helps to protect our brain and eyesight, as well as preventing a variety of cancers, it is recommended to either pre‐chop the vegetables at least 40 minutes ahead of cooking or add a pinch of mustard powder during the cooking process. The rest of these vegetables however can be eaten either raw or lightly steamed. Personally, I prefer the flavour and feeling I get after I have eaten them raw, and still like to chuck raw kale in my daily smoothies.
Greens, Greens, and More Greens
Greens are the healthiest vegetables in the world! Any dark green leafy vegetables are considered the most effective when it comes to the body absorbing nutrients. Greens such as kale, broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, peas, Brussels sprouts, beet leaves, collards, cabbage, watercress, swiss chard, and rocket. They are inexpensive and highly beneficial, being packed with important and powerful nutrients crucial for good health. Eating whole plants outweighs any benefits from taking supplements, and even as little as one serving per month reduces the risk of glaucoma by 69%. The lutein and zeaxanthin found in greens protect against cataracts and macular degeneration too and these green gods can massively improve your skin, by reducing wrinkles and protecting you from free radical DNA damage. They can also improve your dental health as well as supporting and boosting your immune system.
Amazingly, research has suggested that two or more daily servings of greens can help clear the human papillomavirus, which has been clearly linked to certain cancers. Greens will also reduce the risk of breast cancer, kidney cancer, and lymphoma, as well as providing overall cancer protection for many other specific types. This is the answer you are looking for when you ask ‘Where am I going to get my calcium from?’ The solution is greens! The calcium in dark green leafy vegetables is more effectively absorbed by the body than anything you can absorb from cow’s milk. The potassium helps prevent heart attacks and strokes and is fantastic at reducing inflammation. They provide a high level of antioxidants, and an array of minerals vital for good heath such as iron, zinc, and magnesium. The high levels of folate in greens seem to be more effective than supplements and can help reduce depression too, because of the healthy whole food fats found in greens. You can get similar results from nuts and seeds.
A plant‐based diet tends to be more alkalizing which is a substantially healthier environment for your body and is more effective at preventing disease. Nitrates are high in greens, and it is this that is believed to help prevent against the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Greens help protect your muscle mass and improve your physical ability and athletic performance. In abundance they can help reduce your risk of gout and kidney stones. Personally, I think the most effective way to get greens into your body in high volume daily is to put them in your smoothie. This way you have an array of vegetables and goodness giving your body the greatest fighting chance for outstanding health.
Berries
The best health‐promoting berry fruits are acai berries, barberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, goji berries, and raspberries. These are delicious and healthy fruits, mainly because they are so colourful and contain antioxidant pigments. It is the colour that provides the antioxidants. For example, red onions have more antioxidants than white, red apples have more than green, red cabbage has more than green, and red grapes have more than green ones. Do you see the pattern? There are other fruits that come a close second, such as apples, plums, dates, clementines, dried apricots, avocados, dried figs, bananas, pears, and pomegranates, although berries average nearly 10 times more antioxidants than other fruits and vegetables. And they have over 50 times more than any animal‐based food. Berries are said to double the count of natural killer cells, rapidly improving the body’s immune system and helping to protect from viruses and cancerous cells. They also improve memory and reduce oxidative stress in anyone participating in long endurance exercise. They help protect the liver and keep your skin looking young and fresh. Because they are high in fibre and low in calories, they help to keep your arteries clean and healthy, making them fantastic for heart health. They are rich in minerals and vitamins, including vitamin C, iron, calcium, and vitamin A. What’s not to love?
Whole Grains
Whole grains such as oats, whole wheat, brown rice and quinoa are a massive asset to any health seeker’s diet. People who eat the most wholegrains have significantly less narrowing of both the coronary arteries that feed the heart, and the carotid arteries that feed the brain. Atherosclerotic plaque in the arteries is a leading killer, so by eating whole grains and whole foods (vegetables, fruits, whole beans) you could possibly reverse life‐threatening conditions completely. Eating whole grains helps to reduce the risk of strokes, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Increasing our daily consumption could potentially save the lives of over a million people around the world every year. One and a half cupfuls per day is about right, so divide that between three meals and there you have it … your little bundle of health.
Nuts and Seeds
These little treasures of nature are incredibly powerful when it comes to nutrition. The combination of phytonutrients and antioxidants put these high on the list of priorities to include every day. They are an excellent source of healthier fats. The fat from nuts and seeds will help with the absorption of certain phytonutrients and is therefore much more likely to be better for cardio risk factors than, say, the fat from olive oil. Seeds are a source of arginine which will help boost fat burning. They also contain high levels of magnesium and tryptophan, which is a fantastic stress reliever. Many people suffering from digestive conditions such as diverticulitis have been warned to stay away from nuts and seeds, but the latest research is suggesting that sufferers eating these foods actually had lower rates of inflammation.
If you are including flax or chia seeds in your daily regime, it can help prevent diabetes, cardiovascular disease, menstrual and breast pain, and joint pain and can reduce the risk of depression. Flax seeds, fenugreek seeds, and mustard seeds are potential sources of melatonin, which help to control your sleep and wake cycles – vital for good health. Sesame seeds are a great source of phytosterols, which help reduce excess cholesterol. Dried pomegranate seeds are very high in antioxidants, and many other seeds can be sprouted for amazing health benefits, broccoli being the best for hormone‐related conditions. You don’t need a massive amount of nuts every day, just a palmful will do. The healthiest nuts in my opinion are pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, and almonds.
Herbs and Spices
You need herbs and spices in abundance in everything you cook. Why? Because they contain a wide array of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, and they improve the nutritional density of any meal. Let’s call it a ‘food upgrade’ without any calories. These flavoursome wonders rank even higher in antioxidant activity than fruits and vegetables, and most of them tend to have unique medicinal qualities and are a dose of anti‐inflammatory magic. The common thread to many diseases, as already mentioned, is inflammation in the body. So being liberal in your use of herbs and spices is a simple way of keeping your health in check. They are often inexpensive and have such an impact on your health that you will soon realize you cannot live without them. They have been used in medicine for thousands of years and can help alleviate the symptoms of, or prevent, diseases such as cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, depression, and anxiety. The most common herbs and spices that will have the biggest benefits for your body and should be used daily are: garlic, ginger, turmeric, rosemary, cloves, cinnamon, oregano, coriander, cloves, saffron, lemon balm, marjoram, and black pepper.
Health‐enhancing Beverages
Green tea has been proven over the years to help ward off numerous health issues, such as lung cancer and heart disease. It is believed to stop the malignant transformation of cultured breast cells and has even been thought to be helpful when it comes to preventing dental cavities. It’s a low‐calorie brain booster and a great health protector, so including two to four cups daily will improve your levels of protection. Other teas have health benefits too, such as tulsi tea, dandelion, and hibiscus which are all said to increase the antioxidant levels in the bloodstream within a very short space of time. Some studies suggest that in as little as one hour improvements can be seen. Matcha tea is another excellent protector. You could potentially drink up to 10 cups of a variety of teas per day and the more varied the better. Beet juice is another favourite of mine. It has so many beneficial effects on the body, such as improving both mental and physical stamina. It also improves your blood circulation, memory, concentration, libido and sexual function, as well as increasing your energy levels and it gives you a fantastic amount of minerals and vitamins. Green smoothies and juices are also great options to keep your energy high and your nutrients flowing.