6 tips to help you avoid diet-related diseases

We all know that our diet is so very important; however, few people actually spend the time and thought on designing a diet that allows for optimal health. With our modern lives being so fast paced, people tend to gravitate towards the comforts of modern life, whether they are detrimental to their health or not.

The six tips that I am going to share with you will help you to avoid the diet-realted diseases that are becoming so prominent in our modern world.

1. Eat a "rainbow" assortment of fruits and vegetables

As many of you already know, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is the best way to prevent almost all chronic diseases. But what do we mean by a "rainbow" assortment? This simply means that you should select fruits and vegetables across the entire spectrum of colours. By doing this, you will be providing your body with the full spectrum of pigments which have powerful antioxidant effects. You will also be giving your body the nutrients it needs to protect against disease.

The substances found in fruits and vegetables that are known to protect you against cancer are called phytochemicals. They include pigments such as chlorophyl, carotenes, and flavonoids; dietary fiber; enzymes; vitaminlike compounds; and other minor dietary constituents. These phytochemicals work with antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium to give greater protection against cancer.

2. Reduce your exposure to pesticides

Unfortunately, we are all exposed to pesticides and other toxins in the air that we breathe, the environment, and the food we eat. It is sad to say, but more than 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides and herbicides are sprayed on our food or added to our food each year. This extreme exposure is not only directly causing cancer, but it also effects our body's natural detoxification mechanisms, which in turn increase your risk of getting cancer and other diseases.

So, how do we reduce our exposure to pesticides?

• Reduce your consumption of animal fats, meats, eggs, cheese, and milk, as these foods tend to concentrate pesticides. 
• Buy organic produce whenever possible, it is grown without the aid of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. 
• Try to buy local produce that is in season. Foreign produce is more likely to have excessive levels of pesticides, and may even have pesticides that have been banned from the United States/Canada.
• Although many of the beneficial nutrients are concentrated in the skin, you may wish to peel away the outer layers to make sure surface pesticides are removed. Also, soak your produce in cold water with a mild additive-free soap. 

3. Reduce your consumption of meat and other animal foods

As the research suggests, the higher your intake of meat and other animal products, the higher your risk of heart disease and cancer. This is because meat does not contain the antioxidants and phytochemicals that help protect us from cancer. Also, meat and animal products contains saturated fats and other carcinogenic (cancer causing) compounds. Did you know that the better done your meat is, the higher levels of carcinogenic compounds (amines and hydrocarbons). 

The demand for tender meat has lead to the breeding of cattle whose meat contains 25-30 percent fat, in comparison to free-living animals and wild game whose fat content is less than 4 percent. Domestic beef contains primarily saturated fat and almost no omega-3 fatty acids (good fats). Where as wild animals contain more than five times the amount of polyunsaturated (good) fat and 4 percent omega-3 fatty acid. 

If meat is something that you can not live without, try to make slight changes in your diet such as eliminating cured or smoked meats (hot dogs, ham, bacon, and jerky). These are particularly harmful to your health as they contain sodium nitrates and/or sodium nitrites (compounds that are used to keep foods from spoiling) which dramatically increase the risk of cancer. 

Some food for thought: 

Children who eat hot dogs once a week double their chances of developing brain tumors; eating them twice a week triples the chances. 

Pregnant women who eat two servings a day of any cured meat have more than double the risk of bearing a child with brain cancer. 

4. Eat the right types of fats

A diet that is high in saturated fat and cholesterol increases your risk of cancer. It is recommended by the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute, that a diet should supply less then 30 percent of its calories from fat. However, you must also understand that the type of fat you consume is equally as important. The goal is to reduce your total fat intake, especially the saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, and omega-6 fatty acids; and increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats come from nuts, seeds, olive oil, and canola oil; omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish oil and flaxseed oil. 

But what makes a fat "good" or "bad"? Our cells membranes are composed of fatty acids, and the types of fatty acids that make up our cell membranes are determined by the fats we eat. If your diet is full of saturated fats, animal fats, and trans-fatty acids (margarine, shortening, and other hydrogenated vegetable oils), your cell membranes will be less fluid. This eventually leads your cells to be less efficient in holding water, vital nutrients, and electrolytes. Your cells also loose their ability to communicate to other cells and they will no longer be controlled by hormones (e.g, insulin). What does this all mean? Your cells membrane will be altered and no longer function properly, which is the main cause of virtually all diseases.

5. Keep your salt intake low, and your potassium intake high

Electrolytes are mineral salts that can conduct electricity when they are dissolved in water. They include, potassium, sodium, chloride, and magnesium. It is very important that these minerals be consumed in proper balance. Consuming a diet that is high in sodium and low in potassium can not only cause high blood pressure, but also cancer. So, not only should you reduce your sodium intake, but you must also increase your potassium intake. The optimal potassium-to-sodium ratio is 5:1. Here are some potassium-to-sodium ratios of a select group of fruits and vegetables:

Apples     90:1

Bananas    440:1

Carrots    75:1

Oranges    260:1

Potatoes    110:1

6. Drink a lot of water each day

As you know, water is essential for life. In order to replace the water that is lost through urination, breathing, and sweating, we must drink at lease 48 ounces (6-8 glasses) of water every day. Here is a closer look at some of the reasons why water is so important:

• Many metabolic processes take place in water
• Each of your cells is bathed in a watery fluid
• Water carries waste from your cells to your kidneys, so they can be eliminated from the body

All of the information in today's post was obtained from the book "Healing Foods" written by Micheal Murray.

Thanks for reading, healthy eating!