| CHAPTER 40 |
WHAT TO EAT…
When You Have Other Health Issues
The headlines on the front page or at the top of your Twitter feed are there to do the following job: tell you what’s important and what you should care about. In various forms of health communication, we tend to follow the same algorithm: A whole host of headliner diseases and conditions continue to garner the most attention, either because they affect the most people or have the most damaging effects. That’s why this book—and many other health resources—focus most often on obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and brain issues, because they tend to top the list of issues you most want to treat and prevent.
That said, it’s also important to remember that the smaller stories are equally important—especially if you suffer from them. Although gout and cataracts may not be front and center in media coverage, millions experience them. That’s why we’ve put together this chapter: to show you how food can help alleviate a range of problems you may encounter in the future—or are experiencing today.
As we’ve observed, any medical problem requires a holistic approach to treatment. In many cases, specific medication(s), surgery, exercise, stress management, toxin avoidance, or other interventions may be the best answer for the most immediate, effective, and long-term relief. Still, food can play a huge role both in the treatment of some issues, as well as in their prevention. For example, just eating a Mediterranean diet enhanced with extra-virgin olive oil as the predominant fat can decrease the risk of breast cancer by more than 60 percent, according to one large study.83
In the following list of diseases, you may not find your typical click-bait headlines (“23 Surefire Ways to Shrink Your Goiter Now!”). But you will find smart eating tips that can change the way you feel and the way you live. In addition, just adopting the When Way can help mitigate many health problems.
CATARACTS
Clouds may be wonderful to encounter in a beautiful blue sky—but not so much when they’re in your beautiful blue (or green or brown) eyes. Cataracts—a cloudy or opaque area on the lens of an eye—can be removed and replaced with an artificial lens through surgery. But food choices can increase or decrease your risk of developing them in the first place. Typically associated with aging, cataracts also can occur in people who have experienced trauma or some metabolic conditions like diabetes.
What to Eat: Several nutrients have been linked to a decreased risk for developing cataracts, including polyunsaturated fats, protein, vitamin A, antioxidants like vitamin C and E, and several minerals or vitamins (like manganese, niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin).84,85,86,87,88 That’s why the optimum cataract-preventing meal would be salmon or ocean trout with broccoli or spinach (both high in the carotenoids linked to decreased risk of cataracts). Unsurprisingly, research shows that people with diets high in simple carbs and salt have a higher risk of developing cataracts.89,90
GALLSTONES
A lot of stones are entertaining. The Rolling Stones. Oliver. Sharon. But gallstones? Not so much. Gallstones form when hardened substances in your digestive fluid stick together to form little nuggets in your digestive ducts. When these stones try to move through the bile ducts to help digest fat, they end up blocking the ducts, increasing pressure in the gallbladder. This inability to empty the gallbladder risks the formation of infections—or even blocking the ducts completely and bringing the digestive process to a halt. (By the way, one way to determine whether you have gallstones is by noting whether you experience pain when eating a fatty food like a piece of fried chicken; if you do, a gallstone could be the culprit.) Although women are twice as likely as men to develop gallstones, there is also a relationship between gallstones and diets high in fat and low in fiber.
What to Eat: Eating the When Way will go a long way toward preventing the formation of gallstones. For extra protection, caffeinated coffee, moderate amounts of alcohol, and nuts (preferably not at the same time) have also been linked to lower risk.91,92,93,94 Diets high in fiber are also crucial, because fiber helps move fat through your system more easily. Focus on fruits, veggies, and just about any bean.
GOUT
A form of arthritis, gout is best known for its quick onset, characterized by intense pain that typically starts in one joint (often the big toe). It’s an uncomfortable condition—one that happens when uric acid crystallizes in the joints. Uric acid is a product of a chemical compound found in food and drinks called purines.
What to Eat: The When Way basics do more for you than just shrink your waistline. A diet composed of all three macronutrients—lean or plant-based protein, healthy fats, and whole grain carbs—are linked to lower levels of uric acid and reduced risk of gout.95,96 You should drink lots of water, which has been linked to a lower amount of gout attacks as well.97 And you can focus on a few other things, like increasing the consumption of coffee and cherries, both of which have been associated with keeping gout attacks at bay.98,99 In general, you should avoid food with purine, which can contribute to gout attacks. This includes organ meats like liver and kidneys—but you were probably already avoiding these super-bad-for-you foods. However, fruit and vegetables with purine—for example, asparagus and peas—are OK, as they have not been shown to increase gout.100
KIDNEY STONES
Kidney stones, you may have heard, are often described as the most painful acute condition a person can experience (unless you count having to sit in day-before-Thanksgiving traffic or delivering a child without anesthesia). Anyone who’s had a stone may describe the intensity of the pain—felt in the lower back as the stone tries to move through your system—as a 432 on a scale of 1 to 10. (Unfortunately, if you’ve already had one, you’re at a higher risk of developing another.)
Kidney stones form when your urine cannot dilute crystals that result from constituents like calcium, uric acid, and oxalate. When these crystals come together, a hard stone substance is formed; your body tries to pass it through your urinary tract. But squeezing a stone through a tube and hole that’s smaller than the actual stone—well, that’s where the grit-your-teeth, call-your-mama pain comes from.
What to Eat: Contrary to popular belief, cutting back on calcium won’t prevent stones. What will: water, water, water. Staying hydrated helps dilute your urine to break up those crystals. In addition, you can try drinking diet limeade or lemonade (without extra sugar), because fruits and juices high in citrate have been shown to help prevent the development of stones.101,102,103 Another tactic: Drink and eat foods that are high in calcium and high in oxalate at the same time instead of separately (oxalate-rich foods include peanuts, beets, chocolate, spinach, sweet potatoes). These two substances are more likely to bind together in the stomach and intestines, instead of in the kidneys, where stones form.
RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME
Ah, the blissful bed. You snuggle in under toasty blankets, in a dark room, with the soothing sounds of white noise lulling you into a dreamy sleep. And then…your legs fire off like you’re performing with the Rockettes. Not even counting how many bruises you may have given your bedmate, restless leg syndrome—or the ohmygawd leg cramps—can really disrupt sleep patterns, which is a problem not only because of associated fatigue, but also because sleep disturbances are associated with all sorts of long-term and serious health problems, including cognitive decline and infertility.
What to Eat: Lots of websites say that the easiest solution is to drink some diet tonic water because it contains quinine, an ingredient shown to decrease cramping. But the FDA has warned that this research is out of date, and there isn’t nearly enough quinine in tonic to help, so we don’t recommend it.104 The truth is, you may be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals like D3 or potassium, which have been linked to cramps. If this is the case, eating spinach and fish is a must to get your dose of these important nutrients.
Restless leg also may be an indication of a more serious problem: low iron. Spinach, seafood, most beans, and whole grain bread offer this crucial nutrient without some of the potential detrimental qualities of other iron-rich options like red meat (which is filled with carnitine). You also can try adding folate and magnesium to your diet, which have been shown in small studies to help some with restless leg syndrome.105,106 Find these in lentils, beans, dark leafy greens, almonds, and edamame.
Finally, one of the big keys to solving restless leg is to avoid alcohol and caffeine before bed. These can disrupt your sleep and make the symptoms worse.
More Ways to Fix Your Body With Food
If you want to improve your night vision…As you get older, you may find that seeing at night is more difficult. Try eating more oranges, kale, and spinach, all of which contain nutrients linked to preserving eye function over time.107
If you live in an area with a lot of air pollution…Bulk up on olive oil and salmon, which have been shown to be anti-inflammatory and help mitigate the effects of air pollution.108,109 Extra-virgin oil is especially good, as it contains a vitamin that helps lung function as well as healthy fat, which reduces inflammation.
If you’re a prime target for bugs…Some people seem to attract bugs like they’re rock stars and mosquitoes are groupies. Bugs are attracted to certain people by the smells they emit. How you smell isn’t just a function of your deodorant use, but also what foods you eat and how you emit them in your sweat and through your skin. Tip: Mosquitoes are suckers, quite literally, for Limburger cheese and alcohol110,111—so plan to avoid these if you’re the constant subject of bugs’ affection.
