Everyone should be his own physician. We ought to assist and not force nature. Eat with moderation what agrees with your constitution. Nothing is good for the body but what we can digest. What medicine can produce digestion? Exercise. What will recruit strength? Sleep. What will alleviate incurable ills? Patience.
—Voltaire
Everyone is confused about how to eat these days. There are many different diets ranging from eating only plants to eating a diet primarily of animal foods—vegan, vegetarian, Mediterranean, Paleo, grain-free, raw food diet, and everything in between. Proponents of each diet proclaim that they know the ticket to health, justifying their points with well-documented research and case studies. For many, creating nourishing meals has become confusing and stressful rather than a joyous process.
I am sure by now most of you have heard that eating a lot of meat is going to cause heart disease, that animal fat clogs your arteries, that grains and beans are slowly killing you, and that too many raw greens are dangerous! Oh my, this is getting quite confusing! We are trying to peg all of our modern health problems on these beautiful, healing whole foods! Focusing on the minutiae of diet is only a small fragment of the bigger health picture.
One common denominator with all of the different diets is that they are centered on eating whole foods. We believe in eating by the principles of Whole Life Nutrition. That means the basis of any eating plan should be organic, whole foods. Whole foods are foods in their natural, unrefined form, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, meat, fish, nuts, and seeds. These foods offer us the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants we need to thrive.
We also believe in eating a balanced diet—one that includes a variety of whole foods—rather than the latest and greatest “superfood” or lifestyle trend. Have you noticed that with each new food hype, people begin consuming this new popular food in excess, thinking that if a little is good, then a lot must be better. Take soy for instance. Research showed health benefits from consuming it so everyone started eating a lot of it—soy protein powder shakes, fake soy meats, and soy milk by the gallon! If we look at traditional Asian cultures that consumed soy, we see that they ate small amounts of organic, fermented soy foods in balance with other vegetables, grains, fish, and sea vegetables. The bottom line to a nutritious diet is that each person has a unique balance point.
Everyone’s body is different. Digestion and immune functions can be compromised by what we eat and how we live. Food sensitivities—to gluten, dairy, corn, and soy—are a reality for many. As a result, some people thrive on one diet while others don’t. Your goal should not be to try the hot new lifestyle trend, but to find a way of eating that is best for you. A few decades ago, vegetarianism was in. Meat was “bad” and grains and beans were the way to go! Soy foods were becoming the popular health food. People started eating more plants and losing weight. Heart disease, cancer, and diabetes were being reversed on a whole foods plant-based diet. Now, the pendulum is swinging toward the other side—many experts are saying that eating a diet high in animal foods heals everything from autoimmune diseases to obesity. The reality is that both sides of the diet spectrum can offer healing and life-long health when used appropriately.
Let’s review the principles of some of these popular eating philosophies in order to better understand the theories behind them, as well as some of their health benefits and risks.
Principles: The basics of a vegan diet include whole plant foods such as whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. No animal products are consumed (no meat, fish, eggs, or dairy products). Vegetarians will often add in eggs (ovo), and dairy (lacto), and sometimes fish (pesco). Both choose not to consume meat for a variety of reasons—preserving the environment, choosing not to harm animals, and maintaining optimal health are high on the list for many.
The production of factory-farmed animals is resource-intensive, requiring a lot of fossil fuels, water, pesticides, and raw land (possibly rainforest). Comparisons between animal protein–based diets and plant-based diets have shown a significant decrease in environmental impacts when plants are the primary food source. Many vegans and vegetarians also feel a connection to animals on a spiritual level and would prefer not to eat them. They will often question whether or not the death and suffering of an animal is justified so they can have a meal.
Many people who have followed whole foods vegan diets have helped to reverse the progression of heart disease, diabetes, and various forms of cancer. Dean Ornish has 30 years of research showing that his vegan and vegetarian diet programs, which also include fitness, stress management, and lifestyle changes, can do all these things and more.
Theory: Animal fat and protein is going to cause heart disease, obesity, and cancer, and increase your risk for type 2 diabetes. You can get all of the nutrients you need from a plant-based diet.
Considerations: Fresh, organic, plant-rich vegan diets are indeed beneficial as they provide a wide array of miraculous compounds that are protective against numerous diseases. However, our bodies are not biologically designed to eat solely a vegan diet over a lifetime. Our bodies have specific requirements for vitamin B12, essential fatty acids, and fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, K2, and D, that are not possible to get from entirely plant-based diets.
Vitamin B12, which can only be found in animal foods, is likely to be low in long-term vegans and vegetarians. Vegans and vegetarians who don’t supplement with vitamin B12 often have higher levels of homocysteine, a potential risk factor for heart disease and stroke. One study showed that 68% of vegetarians and 77% of vegans had B12 deficiencies. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot get B12 in tempeh, seaweed, or unwashed organic vegetables. Therefore, vitamin B12 supplementation is essential when planning a vegan diet.
Vegan and vegetarian diets are also often low in essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are found in wild Alaskan cold-water fish and in other animal fats in smaller amounts, and they include the hard-to-come-by EFAs, EPA, DHA, and CLA. It is extremely difficult to attain higher therapeutic amounts of these fats from plant foods unless you are taking an algae supplement rich in DHA. The conversion rate from omega-3’s (ALA) in plants (like flaxseeds) to DHA is small, and 7% of woman have genes that do not allow them to convert much at all. Infants and children with low DHA are showing memory and brain abnormalities. Although new research is showing that the fats from chia seeds can be converted into EPA at a decent rate in the body (up to 60%), the conversion rate to DHA is nominal. The brain of a developing fetus and young child needs these fats, especially DHA, for proper development. At least during pregnancy and early childhood, dietary sources of DHA from animals (like wild salmon, purified fish oil, and krill oil) or algae may be helpful.
In summary, diets high in plants, as in true vegan and vegetarian diets, can reverse diabetes and heart disease, and stop or slow the progression of certain cancers; however, a vegan diet may not be adequate during pregnancy, lactation, and early childhood. Our bodies are biologically designed to be consuming a small amount of animal foods, or at the very least, supplementing with the nutrients found in them.
Principles: A raw food vegan is one who abstains from all animal foods and chooses to eat plant foods in the raw, uncooked form. Although these diets may be high in carbohydrates, Dr. Gabriel Cousens has demonstrated a reversal of diabetes with a raw vegan diet. This is attributed to the multitude of positive effects plant chemicals have on the human body. People have cured incurable diseases by consuming a diet of raw vegetable and fruit juices for an extended period, giving the digestive system a break and allowing the body’s healing mechanisms to take over.
Theory: Cooked food is less nutritious. Raw food has all the necessary enzymes to digest your meals, and by eating raw, all of the nutrients found in plants are preserved by preparing food at or below 115°F.
Considerations: If there is one thing every nutrition expert will agree on it is the fact that human health improves with the consumption of fresh organic vegetables and fruits. New research comes out every month talking about the miraculous healing compounds found in plants, reassuring us that humans are meant to be consuming large amounts of plants for optimal health.
While certain beneficial compounds like sulforaphane from broccoli are most potent in raw or lightly steamed foods, other compounds such as carotenoids (beta-carotene and lycopene) show improved absorption from consuming cooked foods. Plants also contain defensive compounds (antinutrients) that they use to repel animals that try to eat them. Some of these may be mildly toxic when eaten raw, such as lectins found in dry beans, but are often neutralized by the cooking process. Thankfully, many raw food lovers are conscious of this and take care in preparing foods in ways that neutralize or reduce these compounds.
Additionally, some people with digestive disorders may have a difficult time digesting large amounts of raw food, which can lead to excessive gas, bloating, digestive upset, and nutrient deficiencies.
In summary, a raw foods diet can be quite healing for some people, especially when used therapeutically, like in juice fasting. However, it may not be ideal for growing children and pregnant women, unless one is taking a variety of nutritional supplements. Eating a diet high in raw foods can’t be underestimated—for some this may be the ticket to vibrant, disease-free living.
Principles: The Mediterranean diet is a lifestyle and way of eating similar to those living in regions around the Mediterranean Sea—the coastal areas in Greece, Turkey, and Italy. Some of the cultures from this region have the healthiest and longest-living people on the planet today. The Mediterranean diet is heavy in fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and high-quality extra-virgin olive oil. Typically, fish is consumed about twice a week, and meat and sweets are consumed only about once per month. Emphasis is placed on maintaining a low-stress lifestyle, connecting and sharing meals with others, and weaving plenty of exercise into daily activities. A study on Europeans demonstrated that elderly patients who ate a Mediterranean diet and took walks regularly could reduce their risk of dying from ALL diseases by 50%!
Theory: If we replicate a diet similar to those living around the Mediterranean region, we can lower the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and heart disease, and increase our life span. The healthy fats from olive oil, fish, and nuts, as well as the potent antioxidants from the wine, olive oil, and tomatoes, are particularly protective against disease.
Considerations: Many people are trying to mimic the benefits of a Mediterranean diet by adopting key features talked about in the news. Lycopene found in tomatoes has been touted as a heart-protective antioxidant, olive oil as the perfect oil, and wine as a longevity elixir. As a result, people will purchase these Mediterranean diet ingredients and readily add them to their current diets. The quality and quantity of these ingredients must be considered for optimal outcomes. For example, pouring more ketchup on your foods will not improve your weight. Ketchup is often laden with high fructose corn syrup, which is theorized to be one of the primary causes of weight gain and the increased incidence of diabetes in the United States. High-quality, organic extra-virgin olive oil coming from a reputable source will contain potent anti-inflammatory antioxidants that are proven to be protective to your heart; a lesser-quality oil will often contain much lower levels of these antioxidants. While the Mediterranean diet does include wine, it recommends only 1 to 2 glasses per day. An excess of alcohol consumption may negate any positive benefits from drinking wine.
In summary, a Mediterranean diet is ideal for those wanting to eat healthier, lower their risk of most diseases, and live a long, healthy life. It is important to remember that the benefits of this diet happen when it is adopted fully—eating a completely unprocessed, whole foods diet full of a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil, as well as getting plenty of exercise and maintaining a low-stress lifestyle.
Principles: In the early 1930s a dentist named Weston A. Price started to investigate healthy populations around the globe untouched by Western civilization and modern diets of white flour, sugar, refined vegetable oils, and processed foods. For over a decade he traveled to unique regions of the world trying to understand what factors contributed to healthy teeth that were free of cavities and deformed dental arches. What he found were villages of people in all areas of the globe that had beautiful, healthy, straight teeth, robust physical structures, and resistance to disease. When these native diets were analyzed, Dr. Price found them to have ten times the amount of fat-soluble vitamins compared to the diet of most Americans at the time, all coming from animal foods such as butter, organ meats, eggs, fish, and animal fats. Fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, and K, are needed to absorb minerals which form strong teeth and bones, and keep the immune system strong.
Eating a traditional diet would include organic whole foods, soaked whole grains and legumes, fermented foods, raw dairy products, seafood, organ meats, and animal fats from grass-fed animals. Emphasis is placed on consumption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K coming from the animal foods during the preconception time for both parents, as well as during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and early childhood. Recommendations include a diet with higher amounts of butter, full-fat milk and cheese, cod liver oil, and animal organs.
Theory: Processed foods and industrial agriculture have led to the downfall of human health. Diets high in whole-grain products that have not been soaked or fermented can lead to mineral deficiencies. The consumption of a high-fat, preindustrial whole foods diet will restore health and vitality to humans.
Considerations: Eating a whole foods diet free of processed foods and harmful agricultural chemicals is extremely important for both personal and planetary health. The Weston A. Price Foundation has done an amazing job of raising awareness of centralized animal feeding operations, the hazards of pasteurized dairy, and numerous other atrocities of our modern diets.
Unfortunately, our earth is increasingly bombarded with toxins that bioaccumulate in animal fats. Butter, farmed salmon, and other animal fats have been shown to contain levels of environmental persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like PCBs, dioxins, furans, and brominated flame retardants that are much higher than their lower-fat counterparts. Animal fats concentrate these POP chemicals that have been shown to disrupt our hormones in our endocrine system. People with higher levels of these endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in their bodies have shown a significant increase in type 2 diabetes and obesity. Because of their ability to make both humans and animals fat, EDCs are often called “obesogens.” Unfortunately, negative effects from EDCs are usually not seen for quite some time. Studies on animals have found that it may take up to one-sixth of the animal’s lifetime before significant adverse effects of these chemicals are seen. If the average life expectancy in the United States is around 79 years old, it could take up to 13 years before the harmful effects from our EDC exposure becomes apparent. The exception is fetal exposure. Science is now finding that minute amounts of these EDCs can alter fetal development, changing immune system function and causing subsequent disease risk over the life of the child. It is unfortunate to think that foods once considered to be the most nourishing are now becoming potentially dangerous.
In summary, a traditional foods diet is ideal for those wanting to gain the most nutrition from their food, for those wanting to replenish their bodies with nutrient-dense foods in preparation for conception and pregnancy, and for those with chronic mood disorders like depression or anxiety. It is of utmost importance to consider the amount and source of animal fats being consumed, as environmental toxins bioaccumulate in animal fat. The toxins found in certain fish are especially dangerous when consumed during the preconception time, pregnancy, and early childhood. As always, it is important to also eat a lot of vegetables when you are consuming animal products.
Principles: Proponents of the Paleo diet follow a nutritional plan based on the eating habits of our ancestors in the Paleolithic period, between 2.5 million and 10,000 years ago. They believe that our genetics has not evolved to consume foods of modern society and therefore we should not eat them.
Theory: Grains, legumes, and dairy products were not part of our Paleolithic ancestry and therefore should be avoided. Fossil records show that when humans switched from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agrarian societies 10,000 years ago, there was more prevalence of disease, shorter statures, and a decline in dental health and jaw size. Grains and legumes contain antinutrients that degrade the digestive system and cause a leaky gut. The carbohydrates in grains and beans increase blood sugar too much and too fast, and are responsible for the rise in diabetes and obesity. Lectins—specific proteins that bind to carbohydrates—are also found in grains and beans. These compounds can cause something called leptin resistance, or a consistent increase in appetite, and weight gain. Phytic acid in grains and beans can decrease the amount of minerals we can absorb. Our bodies are biologically designed to be eating vegetables, meat and organs, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
Considerations: By thinking like a Paleo woman or man, we naturally avoid all processed and refined foods, and eat a diet rich in healthy, whole foods. In fact, a true Paleo diet would revolve around fresh vegetables and wild game. We would also get plenty of fresh air, exercise, and sunshine. By nature, Paleo diets would be entirely and totally gluten-free and dairy-free. Interestingly, the original grains of agrarian societies were primarily gluten-containing grains. Gluten is extremely hard to get out of the diet as cross contamination is everywhere when a person is eating processed grain products. We now know that many people cannot properly digest gluten. True Paleo diets eliminate gluten and dairy, which will completely cease a person’s exposure to two of the most reactive foods. By eliminating processed foods and all grain products, you will ensure a complete elimination of gluten.
But are organic, gluten-free whole grains really that bad? Is the consumption of these foods behind the pandemic-type increase in chronic diseases we are seeing? Cultures around the world have been consuming plant-based diets rich in whole grains for thousands of years—rice and millet in Asia, teff in Africa, quinoa in South America, and corn in North America—without the diseases we see today. Decades of research have proven that diabetes and obesity can be reversed on a plant-based diet rich in whole grains and beans.
Do the lectins found in grains and beans really cause a leaky gut and weight and appetite issues (leptin resistance)? Lectins are mostly broken down by soaking, sprouting, and cooking, and by the beneficial bacteria in your digestive system. Those with imbalanced gut microflora are likely to have a harder time breaking down lectins. Is phytic acid responsible for significant reductions in nutrition that would warrant complete elimination of beans and grains from our food supply? Similar to lectins, phytic acid is readily broken down by soaking and cooking, and by the beneficial bacteria in our guts. Interestingly, phytic acid also has shown to be beneficial in treating cancer. Problems can arise when grains are eaten in excess for a person with intestinal imbalances.
Conventionally grown grains and beans often have elevated levels of herbicides and other agricultural chemicals. Farmers will use glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup and other herbicides) to kill weeds, and as a preharvest desiccant on their bean and grain crops. This can lead to high residues on these specific crops. So much so that the EPA recently raised acceptable levels of these chemical residues in order to sell crops often saturated with them. Glyphosate was patented as a potent biocidal shown to knock out beneficial species of bacterium, leaving pathogens to flourish. By avoiding conventionally grown beans and grains, and by purchasing organic options, a person can drastically lower his or her exposure to glyphosate and protect the microbial balance in the gut.
When people have severe intestinal imbalances (ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, celiac disease), they may not be able to digest complex carbohydrates effectively at all. Your intestinal cells secrete enzymes that digest carbohydrates; if the intestinal surface is damaged by food sensitivities, pathogenic microbes, or chemical exposure, these enzymes may not function well at all. As a result, complex carbohydrates are not broken down properly and used by the body. Instead they are used by nonbeneficial bacteria and yeasts. These same organisms can cause damage to intestinal cells. This continued damage inhibits more carbohydrate-digesting enzymes from being secreted, and thus more yeast and bacterial overgrowth, contributing to a vicious cycle. Along with using digestive enzymes and antimicrobial plant compounds, like berberine and oregano oil, some people benefit from eliminating specific complex carbohydrates in order to break this cycle. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD Diet) and Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS Diet) are two amazing books for addressing these issues.
In summary, a Paleo diet is ideal for those wanting to eat healthier and remove all processed foods from their diets. Eating a plant-rich Paleo diet—one that revolves around fresh vegetables and fruits—assures optimal nutrition. Consider avoiding grains and beans if your gut is damaged and you have severe microbial imbalances. Remember to also consider how much animal fat you are consuming—as the levels of certain toxins build up in our world, they will concentrate in animal fat. These toxins can cause an increased risk for diabetes, obesity, and a leaky gut.
Consider completing an Elimination Diet at www.WholeLifeNutrition.net to determine the foods that you may be sensitive to. We have found that an organic whole foods, gluten-free diet that is completely free of foods you are sensitive to can do wonders for your health. However, everyone is unique. Some people thrive on vegan diets, while others do best on a Paleo diet. There are recipes in this book that will appeal to all audiences. We recommend you listen to your body as you try different dietary choices, as it will tell you what is working best and what is not. You may want to give a new diet some time as your body adjusts to the changes. If your symptoms of discomfort persist, we suggest you consult a Functional Medicine–trained doctor. You can find a practitioner by going to www.FunctionalMedicine.org and clicking on the “Find a Practitioner” button.
If you’re still feeling confused as to what to eat, consider this: When researchers look at “blue zones,” or areas around the planet where people live the longest and with the greatest health, they notice a dietary pattern. People living in these blue zones are consuming a plant-rich diet, full of unrefined whole grains, legumes, vegetables, and fresh fruit, along with a small amount of animal foods. The recipes in this book follow these guidelines. So living a healthy lifestyle has never been easier! Just choose from the 300 recipes in this book and you’ll be living healthier and feeling better in no time!