CHAPTER 11
I like to cook. Not super elaborate meals but those that are simple to prepare and are nutritious. Yet I am amazed by the indifference so many people have when it comes to food preparation. They would rather have a microwaved dinner or make a quick trip to a local fast-food joint. This approach does an injustice to the world of pleasure and sensual delight that a good meal can provide. With this chapter, I want to show you how easy it is to take better control of such simple tasks as healthy eating, snacking, shopping, and cooking.
But first, let’s start with a brief diet survey. Check the items that apply to you:
• Carbohydrate intolerance
• Eating breakfast increases hunger during the day
• Frequent hunger
• Sleepy after meals
• Skip meals often
• Insomnia
• Irritable, moody, or shaky if meals are delayed
• Crave sweets frequently
• Eat fast food/convenient foods often
• Increased total cholesterol or low HDL
• Increased weight gain
• Increased stress
These are common indications in people who require more frequent, smaller meals throughout the day rather than two or three larger meals.
Specifically, eating more frequently or snacking between major meals can improve your health in many ways. In fact, perhaps no other single dietary habit can make a more positive difference in your health than healthy snacking.
In our society, snacks are generally seen as an unhealthful addition of unwanted calories and fat and something to avoid. This can be quite true if you snack on junk food such as candy bars, snack cakes, chips, and crackers that are full of sugar, refined carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats. But healthy, real-food snacks have many nutritional benefits and can help provide you with a continuous supply of the fuel necessary for daily optimal human performance. Research clearly shows that healthy snacking can help you control blood-sugar levels, improve metabolism, reduce stress and cholesterol, burn more body fat, and increase energy levels.
A healthy snack is just a small meal. So the key to smart snacking is to reduce the amount of food eaten at regular meals and distribute this nutritional wealth throughout the day. Eat five or six smaller meals that add up to the same amount of food that you would normally consume in a typical two- or three-meal-a-day routine. This way, you’re not adding more calories. The ideal plan is to start the day with a good balanced breakfast such as a vegetable omelet, a bowl of plain yogurt and fresh fruit, or a healthy smoothie. Skipping breakfast may be one of the worst nutritional bad habits, but even more counterproductive is eating a high-carbohydrate breakfast of cereal or a bagel. This is because a high-glycemic breakfast starts the vicious cycle of high insulin / unstable blood sugar that brings hunger soon afterward and is a hard habit to break.
By not eating breakfast, your body’s gas tank is on empty, but you still need fuel to properly get through the morning. After a good night’s sleep, the body is stressed from a metabolic standpoint. By not eating, you don’t replace the stored energy (glycogen) used up throughout the night. So your body steals it by breaking down muscle for the needed energy. You can even store more body fat once you do start eating food later in the day.
From breakfast on, plan to eat every two to four hours, based on your energy and alertness and the health problems you’ve had. Those under more stress or with blood sugar problems usually need to eat more frequently—especially initially, when eating every two hours can quickly make significant changes in overall health.
An example of a daily meal schedule starts with breakfast, a midmorning snack, lunch, a midafternoon snack, a light dinner, and if necessary a small snack (which can be a healthy dessert) later in the evening.
Nutritious snacks can be almost anything you like, just as long as they are made from real, healthy food. For many people, snacks, like regular meals, should contain protein. Experiment to discover how much food you need and which types work best. Some people may need to eat much larger snacks, but others can get by on minimal amounts like just a small handful of raw almonds. Snacks should be just like any other healthy meal, just smaller, and still supplying adequate nutrition. This might include the following:
• Vegetables and fruits such as an apple or pieces of carrot and celery
• Raw almonds or cashews or combine almond butter with apple slices
• Leftovers from a previous healthy meal
• Plain yogurt and fresh fruit
• Cheese and fruit
• A boiled egg or two
• Healthy smoothie
The benefits of healthy snacking are many. They quickly suppress cravings, especially for sugar and other junk foods, they improve physical and mental energy and can even stimulate fat burning by changing your metabolism. Since snacking stabilizes blood sugar and prompts your body to produce less insulin, you’ll store less fat and use more of it to fuel all your daily activities from work to play. Many people find that they have much more energy when following a program of healthy snacking.
Snacking can also help your body counteract the harmful effects of daily stress. In this way you reduce the overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol and insulin. Both prompt your body to store more fat.
Snacking also helps to reduce cholesterol. Studies show that eating more frequently can lower blood cholesterol, specifically LDL, the “bad” cholesterol. In addition, studies show a staggering 30 percent increase in heart disease in those eating three meals or less per day.
While many people buy so-called energy bars to curb hunger or find an instant pickup, most are little more than overpriced candy bars made with high-fructose corn syrup or plain sugar, synthetic vitamins, and other highly processed ingredients. To save money and eat a real-food snack to promote health, make your own. A favorite snack food is my homemade energy bar. Use it as an in-between meal snack, as a meal when traveling, and even as a healthy dessert. It’s a complete meal, low glycemic, with healthy carbohydrates and protein and good fats. Here’s the recipe:
Phil’s Energy Bar
• 3 cups whole almonds
• 
cup powdered egg white
• 4 tablespoons pure powdered cocoa
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• Pinch of sea salt
• 
cup honey
• cup hot water
• 1 to 2 tablespoons vanilla
Grind dry ingredients in a Cuisinart or other mixer.
Mix honey, hot water, and vanilla—add to dry mix.
Mix all ingredients well (at this point, you may have to mix it all by hand if your mixer isn’t real efficient).
Shape into bars or cookies or press the batter into a dish (about one-inch deep) and cut into squares. Sometimes these are better when allowed to dry.
Adjust the water/honey ratio for less or more sweetness.
Keep refrigerated (they’ll still last a week or more out of the refrigerator).
For other flavor options:
Lemon: Use fresh grated lemon peel in place of cocoa.
Coconut: Eliminate cocoa and add 4 additional tablespoons of coconut.
DEADLY DOUGHNUTS—JUST SAY “D’OH!” WHEN YOU FIND OUT WHY
Love the taste of doughnuts like Homer Simpson? If you want to get healthy, you need to take your mind off these unhealthy food hazards. Even though some doughnuts claim to be “cholesterol-free,” these crispy, deep-fried treats are filled with bad ingredients that include trans fats, sugar, refined flour, artificial flavors and colors, and many other chemicals with names you can’t pronounce.
But there’s more danger—the ingredients tell nothing of what really gives doughnuts their unique crispy flavor. Most doughnut makers buy oil that other fast-food operations have already used to fry their products. This secondhand oil often has been used to fry other foods for weeks. The intense heat breaks down the oil and turns some of it to soap. This chemical combination gives doughnuts their special crispy taste and texture, something that fresh oil fails to do. There are many other flour products made with used oil out there as well, so beware.
The main problem is that these oils—including trans fats—adversely affect the delicate balance of fats in your body, producing too many cancer-promoting chemicals. Along the way, inflammation, increased blood pressure, and other problems can be triggered too. Even just one doughnut contains enough of these dangerous fats to remain in the body and trigger unhealthy actions for weeks.
Almond: Eliminate cocoa and add about one tablespoon of pure almond extract.
How and if you cook your food can be just as important as how you select it since even the healthiest ingredients can be reduced in quality through improper kitchen practices. The biggest problems are overcooking, using too-high heat, and overheating certain types of oils. Following are some guidelines that can help make your work in the kitchen become a work of health.
The worst method for cooking anything is deep-fat or high-heat frying, especially using corn, soy, peanut, grape seed, canola, safflower, and other vegetable oils. While many healthy foods may be lightly sautéed in coconut or olive oil or butter, deep-frying overheats the oil and can be deadly. In addition, the high heat may destroy other nutrients in the food itself. Meats, fish and poultry can be grilled, roasted, or cooked in their own juices with sea salt. Less oil or butter is needed for pan-cooking meats because they often contain sufficient fats. Additionally, most people overcook meats and destroy some of the valuable nutrients. It’s also important to not use too-high heat for too long. For instance, when grilling a steak, remember to turn it every minute or so to prevent the excess formation of chemicals called nitrosamines that can be harmful to your health. This goes for vegetables as well—if using high heat, turn them often.
Vegetables can be steamed, stir-fried in olive oil, roasted, baked, or grilled. Cook vegetables minimally to avoid destroying vitamins and phytonutrients—they also taste better when not overcooked. If boiling or steaming, use as little water as possible to avoid leaching of nutrients.
Eggs can be soft- or hard-boiled or cooked sunny-side up, overeasy, poached, or lightly scrambled. Use low heat as too hot a pan produces “tough” or rubbery eggs.
When using oils for cooking, it’s important to remember that all oils contain varying ratios of monounsaturated, saturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Monounsaturated and saturated fats are not sensitive to heat, but polyunsaturated oils are very prone to oxidizing when exposed to heat. This oxidation produces free radicals, which are related to many health problems, reduced immune function, inflammation, and increased aging. Butter is one of the safest oils for cooking as it contains a low amount of polyunsaturated fat. Olive oil can also be used for cooking, but its polyunsaturated content is a little higher. Another fat you may consider for cooking is coconut oil. In addition, try lard which, contrary to popular belief, may be a healthier choice for cooking than butter.
Consuming a significant amount of fresh, raw food is very important for optimal health. You need not be obsessed with raw food, but make sure you’re getting some at each meal and that the majority of foods on your menu are fresh and raw.
Rediscovering Lard
You’ve probably been programmed to believe that the absolute “worst” fat you can consume is lard. Well, that’s a commonly held belief, but consider the facts. Many people are surprised to learn that compared to butter, lard contains more heart-healthy monounsaturated fat and less saturated fat and cholesterol. A tablespoon of lowly lard contains almost 6 grams of monounsaturated fat compared to about 3 for butter. Lard weighs in at 5 grams of saturated fat compared to 7 for butter. And lard contains less than half the cholesterol of butter—about 12 mg compared to 3 mg. Lard also contains less heat-sensitive polyunsaturated fat than olive oil—around 1.4 grams compared to 2.
For these reasons, lard may be a better choice for cooking than butter or olive oil. Many chefs prefer it for its flavor and its ability to withstand heat. And it’s relatively inexpensive too. However, if you decide to use lard for cooking, it’s important to seek out an organic source since toxins often accumulate in the fats of animals that are not organically raised.
One way to keep a good supply of lard is to buy organic bacon, cook it, then drain off the fat—which is lard—in a glass jar for use with cooking. Strain it to remove nonfat particles.
Mention raw foods and most people think of a big salad. But there are so many different ways to add not only raw vegetables and fruits to your diet, but other foods as well. Here are some ideas:
• A garnish for any dish—parsley, large leaves of lettuce, or cabbage under a cooked piece of meat or fish
• A small serving of fruit between appetizer and entrée to “clear the palate”
• Fruits or berries for dessert
• Chopped raw nuts or seeds on top of various foods
• Raw milk cheese and yogurt
• Olive and coconut oils
• Raw honey
• Foods that are slightly cooked on the outside, but raw on the inside: rare or medium rare beef, lamb or fish, and eggs (lightly fried, poached or soft boiled)
The nutritional quality of foods are affected by cooking and by deep-freezing and other common factors associated with food storage. Individual nutrients may be adversely affected by a number of factors that reduce their levels in food. Consider the following:
• Many nutrients are affected by cooking, including vitamins A, C, thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), and E as well as biotin, the carotenoids, and folic acid.
• Glutamine, lysine, and threonine are amino acids unstable to heat. The more they are heated, the more is lost.
• During cooking, significant amounts of nutrients may be lost in liquids if these are not consumed.
• Compared to fresh foods, both freezing and canning can reduce nutrients. For example, niacin loss in frozen vegetables may be 25 percent and in canning 50 percent.
• Foods stored for longer periods may lose nutrients, even when they are still “fresh.” After forty-eight hours, for example, lettuce may lose 30–40 percent of its vitamin C content.
• Ripened foods generally have higher levels of nutrients. Tomatoes have more vitamin C and beta-carotene when ripe compared to unripe; bananas have more vitamin C when ripe compared to medium ripe.
• Some vitamin E is destroyed by cooking, food processing, and deep-freezing.
Preparing food should not only be delicious, but also enjoyable. A problem for many people is they are not familiar with real-food preparation or don’t have the right kitchen implements to make the work easy and fun. A well-stocked kitchen contains various hand utensils, electric items, and other gadgets to make interesting dishes:
• A simple spiral vegetable slicer can create long thin spaghettilike pieces of raw zucchini. Top it with a beef-and-tomato sauce for a delicious Italian meal.
• A mandolin slicer makes quick, easy, and very thin slices of ginger, garlic, and any vegetables.
• A simple meat grinder—even those powered by hand—are great for freshly ground beef, pork, lamb, and other meats.
• Others include glass bowls for mixing and storing, wooden cutting boards, high-quality knives, a garlic press, a grater, a citrus peel slicer, and a small hand citrus juicer for use in recipes.
In addition, the two most frequently used appliances in my kitchen are a food processor (I use a Cuisinart, but any good brand will work) and a very good blender (I have a Vita-Mix).
Glass and heavy-duty stainless steel pots and pans provide the cookware. Avoid all aluminum, copper, and nonstick products due to the potential for food contamination. Iron cookware is also good except avoid using high-acid foods in them, including tomato and vinegar as this can leach out too much iron into the food.
Avoid hard, toxic detergents on all your cookware (and everything else) but especially your iron pot and pans. Instead, treat them with coconut or olive oil, or lard, which remains in the pan for days and weeks allowing for better cooking and little sticking of food.
Cleaning cookware should be done with hot water and minimal soap (I use plain organic castile soap) and well rinsed so no soap residue remains. Glass pans are much easier to clean than all other cookware and often require just hot water and a vigorous scrub. Avoid pots, pans, and even utensils with nonstick materials since their chemicals slowly slough off through normal use.
An important step you can take for better dietary habits is to properly shop for the food items that will bring about the greatest health. Bad food has less of a chance of getting into your body if it never gets into your grocery cart. With proper planning, you can make sure only healthy items get into your cart and your body.
Begin planning your shopping trip before you leave home. Never shop or make a shopping list when you are hungry because you will tend to buy unhealthy items. Instead, have a healthy snack, make a list, and decide which store or stores offer you the healthiest and best choices. Many cities now have health-food supermarkets, and many of the larger traditional chain groceries now carry higher-quality foods, including organic produce and meats. Just beware of organic junk foods that are all over the stores.
In most grocery stores, you will find that the real-food items and fresh produce are usually stocked along the store’s perimeter or the outer aisles while the sodas, cereals, processed, and packaged goods are found in the interior. While making this outer loop, try to buy as few items in packages as possible. If you do, buy items in packages, always be sure to read the label, and study the list of ingredients and nutritional facts. If the item contains anything that does not promote health, it belongs back on the shelf and not in your cart. In addition, choose organic items when available. Stick to your list. Remembering everything on it will keep you focused and help you avoid such dietary pitfalls as the fresh-baked French bread (full of refined white flour and fake vitamins) that grocers place strategically and aromatically at the ends of store aisles.
Your most important stop along the store perimeter is the produce section. Choose a variety of fresh greens and vegetables, avoiding the starchy potatoes and corn. Once again, look for organic produce, especially if you are buying spinach or celery as these crops are often heavily sprayed and can retain high pesticide residues. Also in the produce section are fresh fruits. Minimize the high-glycemic fruits such as bananas and watermelon and instead choose fiber-rich apples, pears, and grapefruits, and phytonutrient-rich berries.
Next stop is the meat section. Seek out natural or organic grass-fed beef, pork, and lamb; free-range poultry; and wild-caught ocean fish. These more-natural meats can be found in many supermarkets and health-food groceries.
The bakery is usually located on the store perimeter—pass it right by. The deli counter may have some items that are wholesome and healthy, but most are not, so keep pushing that cart and move on.
Also on the outer edge of the grocery you will find the dairy section. If you must buy milk, consider goat milk. Cream, butter, plain yogurt, and cheese are items to consider. Look for organic items, since toxins such as pesticides and hormones often bind to the fat in dairy products.
MILKING YOUR HEALTH
A wise old axiom is “Cow’s milk is for calves, human milk is for humans.” Unfortunately, most people see the “Got Milk?” ads and ignore professional recommendations. Per capita milk consumption is up, and so are the problems created by it. In many people, milk can cause various types of gastrointestinal stress, skin problems, and lowered immunity to infections and allergies. And worse are the potential for unwanted hormones and chemicals, so especially avoid milk and milk products that are not organic.
Milk allergy is common in adults and children. In most people, milk allergy symptoms are delayed and not obvious until it’s eliminated from the diet. These delayed reactions come in many forms: eczema, asthma, constipation, chronic nasal congestion, gastroesophageal reflux, and vague intestinal disturbances. In some people, there is an immediate allergic reaction by the body’s immune system, usually to the unhealthy A1 casein protein. Symptoms typically include swelling, itching, hives, abdominal cramping, breathing difficulty, and diarrhea. In a severe reaction, hypotension or shock can result.
Lactose, or milk sugar, poses another potential problem with milk as many people have difficulty digesting this sugar and some cannot digest it at all. Those who have difficulty digesting lactose do not produce enough of an enzyme called lactase, which breaks down the complex lactose into simple sugars. In these people, the lactose ferments in the small intestine, producing gas, bloating, cramps, and diarrhea. Lactose-digestion problems are also associated with more serious problems such as irritable bowel syndrome and symptoms beyond the gut, such as premenstrual syndrome and mental depression.
Many people who have problems with cow milk find that they can tolerate milk from sheep and goats much better. Goat milk is widely available in many grocery stores and is lower in lactose. The fat in both goat and sheep milk is made up of smaller fat globules that are easier to digest. And these milks contain health A2 casein.
Near the dairy section are the eggs. Most stores now carry organic eggs. They cost a little more but are still an inexpensive protein bargain.
If you stick to the perimeter of the store, you’ll find that you only rarely need venture up an interior aisle. Usually the only food items you’ll need there are extravirgin olive oil, raw unfiltered honey, beans, nuts, nut butters, spices, and sea salt.
Wine is not only the oldest alcoholic beverage but the oldest medicinal agent in continuous use throughout human history. The use of wine dates back more than six thousand years and is attributed to physicians, scientists, poets, and peasants. Even today, wine and other alcoholic beverages are classified as foods and used daily in most cultures. More healthful benefits have been bestowed upon wine than any other natural substance. For instance, drinking wine with meals can help with relaxation and digestion (unlike water and other liquids, which can interfere with digestion).
There are few known unhealthy effects from moderate amounts of alcohol consumption, with negative consequences seen mostly in those who go beyond moderation. In fact, as we’ve all heard for a long time, there are many positive health benefits associated with wine consumption—especially red, but white too. Drinking wine and other alcohol in moderation significantly lowers the risk of coronary heart disease. Moderate drinkers have healthier cholesterol ratios as alcohol raises the HDL and lowers LDL. This may be one reason for the lower incidence of heart disease in consumers versus abstainers. Another may be that alcohol increases blood flow to the heart. In addition, alcohol reduces the tendency to form blood clots, a major cause of heart attacks and strokes. Alcohol also lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia. Moreover, those who don’t drink actually have greater risk for heart disease. Some scientists say that people who have one or two drinks per day may add three to four years of life expectancy as compared to those who don’t drink.
Scientists also say that red wine may be a potent cancer inhibitor. Resveratrol, a substance found in red wine grapes (due to the fact that grape skins are used to make red wine, but not white), not only interferes with cancer’s development but may also cause pre-cancerous cells to reverse to normal. These actions are probably due to resveratrol’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. (Rely on resveratrol from red wine or red and purple grapes rather than dietary supplements. Other sources include blueberries and strawberries. Use organic sources.)
Most wine contains about 12 percent alcohol. Sweet dessert wines may contain up to 20 percent alcohol. This compares to 40 percent (80 proof) and 50 percent (100 proof) alcohol in distilled products such as vodka and gin. Wine also contains vitamins B1, B2, B6, and niacin, as well as traces of most minerals, including iron. Most red table wine contains iron in the easily usable ferrous form. The pH of wine is low (more acid), like that of the stomach; perhaps one reason wine improves appetite and digestion. Eating natural fats with wine slows the absorption of alcohol and protects the intestine from possible irritation.
Once in the blood, alcohol is broken down in the liver. About 3.5 ounces of pure alcohol can be safely metabolized by the body if spread out over the day. This translates to about a single bottle of wine—much more than the one or two glasses that is considered moderation, and not something I’m recommending. To a European, this may not seem like excess, but to an American it might. In the United States, the average annual per-capita daily consumption of wine is just a few teaspoons while in Italy, it’s about a half bottle.
As a group, women are more susceptible to negative effects of alcohol because of their smaller body size and the lesser amount of alcohol dehydrogenase in their stomachs and livers. This enzyme breaks down much of the alcohol—especially in the stomach before it’s absorbed.
If you enjoy wine and want the health benefits associated with it, drink only what you enjoy and can tolerate and no more than one or two glasses. The simplest recommendation is a 4-ounce glass or two with meals. For most people a glass of wine will be completely metabolized in about an hour and a half. Some people, however, should never consume alcohol. But a moderate amount for those who can, and want to, is now considered to be 4 to 8 ounces of wine per day.
An obvious side effect of alcohol is that it impairs your senses, so it should be avoided within four hours of driving a vehicle. One drink increases the risk of an accident by 50 percent, two drinks by 100 percent. Also, wine should not be taken with other drugs or by people with certain illnesses—speak with your own physician for details—and is not recommended for pregnant women.
Although wine gives a relaxed feeling, any alcohol can disturb sleep if consumed shortly before bedtime. Studies of biological circadian rhythms in humans show that alcohol is best metabolized between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM and less effectively later in the evening. If you enjoy wine, be sure to ask your doctor whether it poses any health problems for you.
Many people use caffeine as a daily drug, as a means of getting more “energy.” While its stimulating effect can improve brain function temporarily, it’s also addicting. And if you need a drug to give you a pickup, your fat-burning system may not be working very well. Caffeine can also induce adrenal, liver and nervous system stress, and create unstable blood sugar levels. Caffeine is highest in coffee, with smaller amount in many types of tea (and in many colas, but avoid these due to their high sugar content). As with everything else, you must determine whether your body can tolerate caffeine. If so, here are some important considerations:
• Buy your coffee beans as freshly roasted as possible; keep enough in your cabinet in a tightly sealed glass container and the rest in the freezer.
• Grind the beans just before you make the coffee.
• The lighter roasts have more caffeine and the darker roasts less. Just as with fruits and vegetables, it’s best to choose organic coffee to avoid pesticides and other chemicals.
• Avoid preground coffee as it loses flavor due to the breakdown of its natural oils. (This is one reason people add milk and sugar, and one reason flavored coffee has become popular—to cover the bad overly bitter taste of coffee that’s been ground weeks before.)
• Many health benefits have been associated with both green and black tea, including anticancer properties, since they contain a variety of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Once again, organic tea is better than conventional as tea growers may use many pesticides.
The evidence is clear that cocoa is a powerful therapeutic food. But not when combined with sugar, bad fats, or other unhealthy ingredients such as milk and chemical additives. This is the case with chocolate candy bars and drinks and most other chocolate products. Only buy pure cocoa—without sugar or dairy—which comes in powder and solid forms, and use it to make your own healthy desserts sweetened with honey.
Including cocoa in the diet may do more than satisfy a craving—it may also help to improve health. Cocoa can help lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular health. The flavanols found in cocoa (just like in grape skins and tea) can stimulate processing of nitric oxide, a natural chemical that promotes healthy blood flow and blood pressure and cardiovascular health. In addition, flavanol-rich cocoa may work much like aspirin to promote healthy blood flow by preventing blood platelets from sticking together.
Real, unsweetened cocoa typically contains significant protein content of about 7 or 8 grams per ounce. It is also low in carbohydrate—between 8 and 13 grams per ounce, with 50 to 60 percent or more of that carbohydrate coming in the form of fiber. Like other beans, cocoa contains many vitamins and minerals, including folic acid, niacin, zinc, and magnesium. The fats in natural cocoa also have healthy attributes. More than a third of the fat in cocoa is monounsaturated. An equal amount of fat in cocoa is in the form of stearic acid. Though saturated, stearic acid is a good fat, as it can reduce LDL cholesterol. Cocoa also contains the essential fat linoleic acid.
Cocoa has strong antioxidant benefits, which have also been shown specifically to protect against LDL-cholesterol damage. One study showed that when a cocoa snack was substituted for a high-carbohydrate snack, it increased the “good” HDL cholesterol and reduced blood triglycerides. And it did not increase LDL cholesterol despite being a higher-fat snack. Polyphenols in cocoa, similar to those in red wine, provide protection against blood-vessel problems, including heart disease.
Caffeine Content of Some Single-serving Drinks
(Amounts in milligrams of caffeine. Amount varies with how you make it, the particular product, and serving size.)
| Regular coffee | 85–300 |
| Double espresso | 120 |
| Decaf | 3–5 |
| Black tea | 50–140 |
| Green tea | 20–50 |
| Real cocoa | 25–50 |
Most herb teas don’t contain caffeine. But some over-the-counter and prescription drugs do in a range of 15 to 300 mgs. The FDA requires products containing caffeine to be listed in the ingredient lists of these medications, as in the case of some stimulants (NoDoz, Vivarin), pain relievers (Excedrin, Midol), and cold remedies (Coryban-D). If unsure, read the ingredients or ask the pharmacist.
If you use this universal ingredient, sea salt can be a flavorful and healthful addition to your food. Sea salt usually tastes better than regular salt and contains other minerals as well. Early humans obtained much of their food from the saltwater ocean, and we still require many of the sea’s vital minerals, including sodium.
People have been bombarded with fear regarding salt’s sodium content, almost as much as fats. However, like certain fats, sodium is also an essential nutrient. Sodium is necessary for water regulation, the nervous system, muscle activity, adrenal gland function, and many other healthy activities. Most people obtain sodium through a healthy diet, especially from vegetables, with the inclusion of addition salt as spice. There’s a very wide range of healthy sodium intake, which varies with each individual.
For those who sweat a lot or perform high levels of exercise, sodium loss can increase dramatically through sweat. Those under excess stress and athletes who are overtrained may have hormone imbalances that can cause too much sodium loss through the urine. These individuals sometimes crave salt and usually need to consume more.
Sodium can increase blood pressure in susceptible individuals. This occurs in about one-third to one-half of those with hypertension (high blood pressure). In these cases, too much sodium can cause edema and/or further elevation of blood pressure. This sensitivity can be discovered through an examination by a health care professional and by avoiding salt and sodium for a week and checking how blood pressure changes. Most patients with high blood pressure can correct the problem when the proper amounts of carbohydrates are determined, especially beginning with the Two-Week Test. This can often reduce or eliminate sodium sensitivity (see chapter 3 for discussion on sodium sensitivity and blood pressure).
In addition to salt, other spices have been used in food preparation for thousands of years. The right spice, or combinations, can make foods tempting and delicious by boosting the appearance, smell, and taste. Spices also are useful as natural preservatives, and many have powerful therapeutic and health-promoting properties too. In food, spices can prevent the growth of dangerous bacteria and other organisms. And when ingested, they can fight against cancer, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. All these benefits come from the healthy oils, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Here are some examples:
• Oregano, thyme, and bay leaf can protect against potentially harmful infectious agents such as candida, E. coli, salmonella, and staph, and even the potentially deadly Klebsiella pneumoniae.
• Turmeric contains the antioxidant curcumin and, along with rosemary, has powerful anti-inflammatory (and cancer-preventive) properties.
• Ginger also has powerful anti-inflammatory properties and can inhibit the rhinovirus—one of the viruses responsible for the common cold. Hot ginger tea made from fresh ginger and a small amount of honey is one of the best remedies when those around you are getting a cold or you feel it coming on. Ginger’s antioxidant properties are at least as effective as those of vitamin C, can be very useful for nausea and motion sickness, and help protect the intestine from ulcers. In addition, ginger may have properties that promote fat burning.
• Capsaicin, found in hot red chili peppers, also has anti-inflammatory properties and can stimulate increased oxygen uptake, which is one reason it may also increase fat-burning capability.
• Wasabi, a hot root used with Japanese foods, also protects against potential food poisoning by bacteria and fungus. It also contains anticancer properties, including powerful antioxidants.
• Parsley and cilantro not only add a visual pleasure to a plate of food but also are full of therapeutic phytonutrients.
• Fenugreek (the seed) contains high levels of flavanoids, which are important antioxidants and has been shown to have cholesterol-lowering capabilities. This spice can also reduce platelet aggregation (important for proper blood flow) and reduce blood sugar in diabetics.
Many other herbs and spices have therapeutic value as well, including cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, dill, and basil. These can be found fresh in groceries or can be grown in your garden, window box, or even an inside windowsill. Dried spices can lose not only their flavor but also their therapeutic value over time as many potent substances break down. And since they contain polyunsaturated oils, they can go rancid. Buy spices in small packages and keep them sealed tightly and stored in a cool, dark place.
As you begin finding the right type of foods that best match your dietary needs, eliminating unhealthy ones and adding more fresh vegetables, fruits, and other items, the overall goal of putting it all together is just as important. This means buying the best foods and preparing them in healthy ways—for both meals and snacks. By doing so, not only will your health improve but also the enjoyment and pleasure of healthy eating will be realized.