The Baby Boomer Diet

Why do so many diets fail? Is it possible to lose weight, look younger, and feel healthier without starving ourselves?

About 50 million Americans go on a diet each year, and an estimated $30 billion is spent annually on weight loss.

Even more troubling is that after all that money has been spent on diet books, pills, drinks, and plans, large numbers of people—sometimes more than half—drop out within months of beginning their diets. In the minds of many today, diet has become an ugly word. You probably cringe a bit when you hear it, and now you hold in your hands another diet book!

However, this is not a diet for losing weight. It’s not merely about reversing the aging process, either … it is much, much more. It’s an exciting new way of living … a system of health and healing that 78 million Baby Boomers have been yearning to find.

Diets fail because they are about deprivation and denial, rather than life-affirming changes in behavior and greattasting foods that nourish and sustain the body. Because their focus is typically on losing pounds fast rather than on permanent changes in eating behaviors and lifestyle, many of us will often experience short-term success and long-term failure.

Another reason why many diets fail is that they often restrict calories to a dangerous point—a point at which the metabolism actually begins to slow down, ultimately hindering rather than helping weight-loss efforts. In Chapter 5 you will learn about “calorie restriction,” and its benefits in stopping and reversing several significant signs of aging. But if not done properly, it can be dangerous.

Perhaps the most important reason many diets fail is that they advocate an all-or-nothing approach. They do not incorporate the Principle of Uniqueness (discussed in Chapter 8), particularly important for Baby Boomers who revel in their individuality. The first of Body Ecology’s 7 Principles, Uniqueness recognizes the distinctiveness of each person and adapts customized protocols to specific health conditions and needs.

Between South Beach and Atkins, the Zone and Weight Watchers, Ayurvedic and macrobiotic, raw diets and e-diets, it’s easy to get frustrated and confused with the overabundance of choice. Is it possible to find a diet that meets all of our nutritional needs? We live in an information age, where there are infinite opportunities to educate ourselves about health.

Baby Boomers, in particular, have a passion for information and the latest news. But one of the disadvantages of this is that many of us don’t have the time or the knowledge to beat a path through all these competing and conflicting ideas to find the simple truth. What we need are some basic guidelines that fit for us no matter who we are or how our needs change.

Diets fail because they are about deprivation and denial, rather than life-affirming changes in behavior and great-tasting foods that nourish and sustain the body.

Some of the more popular diets today have many valuable things to offer. But as you will discover in Chapter 6, they offer only a partial picture of what your body really needs. They lack a missing piece of information that is essential for inhibiting the aging process for anyone at any age. Let’s look at four of these trendsetting diets, with their benefits and drawbacks… .

This dietary approach, which encompasses eating plans such as Atkins and Protein Power, has a large and enthusiastic following. On the upside, these diets have shown some effectiveness in rapid weight loss, because they allow virtually no carbohydrates and sugars, particularly during the initial stages. Given that in some generations as many as 85 percent have a yeast infection called candidiasis, a diet that eliminates or greatly restricts sugary foods will start people on the path to wellness.

There is a downside to too much animal protein. Most people do not have enough stomach acid to digest all these proteins, and undigested animal protein produces a lot of poisonous waste in the body. Some of these diets condone a high (and imbalanced) consumption of saturated fats. I believe this eating plan is a particularly harsh one for women, whose monthly cycles require more calming and soothing foods.

In addition, people on these diets often suffer from constipation and colon problems. Because they lack a significant source of fiber, it has been suggested that long-term practitioners may have a greater chance of contracting colon cancer. Fiber is extremely important for improving peristaltic movement so that our colons can eliminate waste the way they should.

I’ve also observed that while on high-protein diets, people often have pallid skin and bad breath, and are angry and irritable from the overconsumption of meat protein, which is contracting. (See Chapter 11: The Principle of Balance.) Many also eventually develop sleep disorders at night, and they appear to be lethargic and listless during the day.

A Japanese educator named George Ohsawa developed the macrobiotic diet and philosophy with his wife, Lima. They taught that simple, natural food eaten in a balanced way was the key to optimal health. I had the privilege of studying with Lima Ohsawa when she was in her 80s. She lived to be just over 100. Looking back, I now realize that she was my first true mentor in anti-aging. I was in my 30s when I met her, yet she was much more resilient and healthy than I. I will never forget following behind her one afternoon to interview her for an article for the Macrobiotic Journal. Three long flights up had me gasping for air, but she didn’t seem to be the least bit fazed by our rapid climb—a journey she made often to her office.

Of the many things I learned during my five-month macrobiotic tutorial, two stand out:

1. Lima told me that if she had to live her life all over again, she would “take the macrobiotic principles, travel all over the world, and apply them to the foods found in all cultures everywhere.” This was her way of telling me that it was the principles that were important, not the foods we were eating on macrobiotic diets in the U.S. and Japan. This tiny bit of information has served me well for many years. I began to understand that the universal principles were just that—universal. They could apply to anyone living anywhere, and to all foods.

2. The second thing that Lima taught me had to do with food choice and portion size. Those who knew her well told me that Lima “ate like a bird.” Yet what I observed was that she consumed small portions of very healthy foods, especially vegetables. As you will learn in Chapter 5, Lima was properly practicing calorie restriction.

Predominantly vegetarian, the standard macrobiotic diet is a low-fat, high-fiber diet of whole grains; vegetables; and small amounts of fish, legumes, soups, and pickles. The ancient Chinese principle of balance, called yin and yang, is the basis for this diet, but this is a complex principle requiring many years of study to fully master. So, although yin and yang are honored in the diet, very few practice it properly.

Many people who do try macrobiotics have found it to be too rigid and restrictive. A heavy reliance on complex carbs from grains … mostly brown rice … creates high levels of acidity in the body. Brown rice is high in sugar, which is not good for the millions of people who suffer from candida and many other conditions such as cancer. This also promotes early aging. The lack of protein and healthy fats can result in poor energy and will be challenging for people of particular blood types. People with certain digestive conditions, such as colitis, would not be able to tolerate many of the grains on the diet, which are not soaked and prepared properly. Healthy medicinal herbs and antifungal spices are frowned upon; and, quite frankly, the food can be extremely tasteless.

People often complain of digestion problems and extreme fatigue while on the macrobiotic diet. I’ve observed that those who follow this approach religiously often seem intolerant and inflexible, and are short of temper. The diet contains a lot of salty foods, causing one to become too contracted or “uptight.”

Nevertheless, I am extremely grateful for my eight years of training in macrobiotics, both in the U.S. and in Japan. If you are familiar with macrobiotics, you will find it very easy to follow the Body Ecology Way.

Of course, our earliest prehistoric ancestors were “raw food–ists” by default, because they didn’t have fire to cook their meals. As a modern-day phenomenon, the raw-foods diet, originally created by Ann Wigmore, became very popular during the ’90s. It is currently enjoying a revival, particularly on the West Coast (especially in Hollywood). (Because it is a cooling diet, it can be ideal during the summer months or if you live in a warmer climate such as California, Florida, Arizona, or Hawaii.)

Practitioners consume only uncooked, unprocessed (and often only organic) vegetables, seeds, nuts, and fruit. These nutrient-rich foods are thought to be easier to digest because they maintain the enzymes that are lost during cooking. Because it is primarily vegetarian, another benefit of the raw-foods diet is that it has less of a negative impact on our environment.

But for many, the raw-foods diet is daunting and ultimately not satisfying over the long term, as they miss the taste of cooked food. Over time more serious health problems associated with this approach can begin to surface. Yes, the fruits and vegetables do contain enzymes, but humans cannot break down cellulose, the indigestible fiber in vegetables, and therefore cannot fully extract the nutrients in them.

Furthermore, vegetables from the cruciferous family (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, and collards) suppress the thyroid when eaten raw. Spinach, beet greens, chard, rhubarb, and almonds are high in oxalates, and when eaten raw, bind calcium, making it unavailable to us.

In addition, there are many vegetables that become more nutritious after cooking. For example, when carrots are cooked, their cell structure is softened, which makes their inherent carotene, minerals, and vitamin C more accessible to us.

Studies are now showing that cooking some vegetables, such as corn, can actually boost their antioxidant benefits. When people have been on this raw-foods diet for a while, they often become deficient in minerals and even proteins, and are thin and undernourished.

Many nutritionists argue that you risk missing out on important nutrients when you eat only uncooked produce. Like most of us, many people on this diet lead busy lives and find themselves grabbing a piece of fruit instead of taking the time to properly prepare a wide variety of foods in their blender, dehydrator, or sprouter. Fruits are high in phosphorus, and over time this will lead to teeth loss because calcium levels must be two and a half times phosphorus levels. Another thing I’ve noticed about people on a raw-foods diet is that they often appear spacey, unfocused, and a bit out of touch with reality.

This is because their diet contains too much sugar, which is expansive. Fruits, raw-food bars, raw-food desserts, and the like contain a great deal of sugar.

Body Ecology also praises the benefits of a raw-foods diet if it is practiced properly. People with an active viral infection or cancer will benefit from this diet, but there is a way to do it correctly. Many who incorporate Body Ecology’s raw and fermented foods report that they feel more energized, have clearer skin, are able to successfully maintain their weight, and are less susceptible to colds and other viruses.

Body Ecology does “raw” differently. Most important, it includes cultured foods to encourage digestion and to help heal the mucosal lining of the digestive tract. In addition, only very sour fruits are consumed, preferably combined with probiotic foods so that the microflora eat the small amounts of sugar present. Body Ecology also honors food-combining principles, and we utilize a full range of healthy fats.

The Baby Boomer Diet is adaptable to fit ever-changing needs. It can certainly be vegetarian if that is best for you. A vegetarian diet can be an excellent diet if it is done properly …

Body Ecology–style. As you read more about each of the 7 Principles and the superfood groups, you will find many tools that vegetarians must know in order to do “veggie” right.

Vegetarians often choose protein “alternatives,” such as beans, nuts, and cheese; and do not understand that these are quite difficult to digest. They often also compensate for the lack of meat protein by consuming a lot of bread carbs and other sugary foods, which is not a balanced way to eat and can lead to weight gain. Many vegetarians are also anemic, often with dangerous iron deficiencies, because they fail to choose high-energy foods such as eggs, leafy-green vegetables, and highprotein grain-like seeds to fortify themselves.

Adapting to the ebb and flow of our lives requires that we be attuned, that we train ourselves to listen and act upon what our bodies are telling us in the here and now.

“Digestion is everything,” as we say in Body Ecology, and typically as we grow older and our bodies becomes more acidic, our stomachs produce less and less acid. We can no longer digest the animal foods, even if we prefer them, and they will start to make us feel sluggish and tired.

Perhaps over time you will find yourself gradually moving into an easier-to-digest, largely plant-based diet; and Body Ecology can show you how to do this wisely.

I recognize how these diets have helped many people in many ways, but I also feel that they offer only partial solutions.

Body Ecology assimilates the “best of the best” to create a more exciting and fluid dietary approach that works for all people, precisely because it isn’t a cookie-cutter program.

Many of the foods in the Body Ecology Way of Life are consistent with what people are now calling the Mediterranean diet and the Okinawan diet, with their emphasis on healthy oils, seafood, and a rich variety of vegetables. But greatly enhancing these diets is the inclusion of some powerful superfoods, such as fermented vegetables, probiotic liquids, ocean plants, grainlike seeds, and stevia (an all-natural sweetener). Body Ecology also incorporates unique eating and lifestyle strategies that don’t simply drop pounds, but fundamentally alter the way we feel, look, and age.

The Body Ecology dietary approach is also quite flexible and can be adapted to those suffering from many health conditions, such as:

In addition to addressing these conditions, the Body Ecology Way is the most effective diet for anti-aging and protection against disease. As you begin to delve into the 7 Principles, you’ll discover how the Baby Boomer Diet addresses many of the challenges and outward signs of aging.

Our bodily needs shift all the time. Both men and women go through biological and emotional cycles that require different foods and behaviors at different times. People who live in urban areas have different needs from those who live in rural areas. Climate and seasonal changes affect our choice of foods and supplements and how they are prepared and utilized. We have differences based on our unique blood type and based on our individual levels of toxicity. And, as discussed in the previous chapter, we all have different jing energy, or the constitutional energy we inherited from our forebears. All of these factors affect how we tailor our diet and how we make it work from one day to the next.

From year to year and decade to decade, our bodies ask for different things. A type of exercise that may have served us well when we were 25 may be less effective or healthy for us when we’re 55. Doctors are now referring to a phenomenon called “boomeritis”—the growing incidence of Baby Boomers who end up in emergency wards from overindulgence in high-risk activities that take a toll on bodies that are expected to behave as they did when they were 18. Aging gracefully doesn’t mean giving up what we love, but rather adapting creatively to what our bodies are asking of us today.

Baby Boomers who are in their 40s will have different health needs from those in their 60s. Many Boomers in their 40s are focused on family and are still living a very high-energy, onthe-go lifestyle. Older Boomers, while wanting to enjoy greater stamina and vitality, are also more concerned about warding off particular health issues, such as osteoporosis or eye disease.¹ Adapting to the ebb and flow of our lives requires that we be attuned, that we train ourselves to listen and act upon what our bodies are telling us in the here and now. Instead of always trying to conquer nature, our physical selves are asking us to restore our connection with nature and acclimate ourselves intuitively to its rhythms.

Wonderfully for us Baby Boomers, as we approach retirement or choose more flexible second careers, we will have more time to learn about our bodies, to explore how we feel, and to discover what foods and behaviors will be the most fruitful for us at different points along our journey.

As you progress through this book, you will encounter some foods that will be new to you, as well as innovative and interesting ways of preparing them so that they deliver the most value to your body and soul. Yes, weight loss will come easily as you eat these delicious foods. But the most important reason for mastering this new way of eating is to stay young and healthy for as long as possible.

In the next chapter, we will take a look at calorie restriction, the only intervention proven to extend life span, slow or reverse aging, and reduce the risk for degenerative diseases. But you’ll learn how to do it the right way—the Body Ecology Way.

The First Americans—a Dietary Model

More than half of the food eaten all over the world today is derived from plants originally domesticated by the American Indian, and Native American cookery involves the oldest foods and cooking traditions in North America. Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 1500s, indigenous peoples primarily ate food that was gathered or hunted, and it was largely eaten while still fresh. As a result, they enjoyed unusual longevity, healthy bone structure, and relative freedom from disease.

Correspondingly, the European introduction of sugar, alcohol, and dairy products to these cultures had a devastating effect on Indian health. These items brought about a significant rise in diabetes, heart disease, lactose intolerance, and dental deterioration. Today, some tribes are trying to find ways to reverse this dietary damage. The Karuk Indians of northwest California, for instance, are waging a public fight for salmon-fishing rights, citing the low incidence of heart disease, obesity, and diabetes among their people prior to World War II—the result of a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids derived from wild salmon. Many other tribes are returning to more traditional foods and methods of preparation.ⁱ

Although there were regional differences among America’s indigenous peoples, their nutritional choices were almost without exception healthy. Common to all were the foods they did not consume, in part because many had not yet been created. Native peoples had no refined sugar in their diet and did not eat lots of refined grains and processed carbohydrates. Trans fats, those killer oils so prevalent in American fast food today, were virtually nonexistent in the Indian diet. Although some tribes fermented their own antioxidant-rich wine, alcohol was relatively rare, and tobacco (naturally grown) was generally used only for ceremonial purposes.

For many tribes, specific foods were highly symbolic and spiritual in nature. Northwestern coastal tribes held the salmon as sacred and important for fertility, while Southwestern tribes venerated corn (as did the Maya in Central America).

Because they lacked modern agricultural methods, Native Americans ate whole, raw, organic foods (no additives, fortifiers, preservatives, or antibiotics), as well as animals that fed on grass rather than corn or other grains. Whatever food was eaten took a great deal of effort to obtain and prepare. Game had to be hunted, killed, cleaned, smoked, and dried. Corn and vegetables were grown, harvested, and made more digestible. Roots, herbs, berries, seeds, and nuts were gathered.

When Americans weren’t eating raw, they were slowcooking their food over very low heat. Foods were not fried, refrigerated, or processed. Fire-pit cooking was the preferred cooking method. A pit was dug and lined with rock. When the fire had burned down to coals, foods were placed in the pit to roast or steam. Since storage was difficult, sun-dried meats were ground between stones and mixed with hot melted fat (suet) and berries into a substance called pemmican. All Indian tribes were very familiar with natural methods of preserving foods, such as fermenting vegetables, and they smoked and dried their game to preserve it for the winter. The American Indian diet of pure, natural, simply prepared foods, high in essential fatty acids and antioxidants, was the ultimate in preventive medicine.

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ⁱBlaine Harden, “Tribe Fights Dams to Get Diet Back: Karuks Trying to Regain Salmon Fisheries and Their Health, The Washington Post, January 30, 2005: A03.