Posts

Back to Basics: The First Human Diet

New year resolutions are underway, including a renewed commitment to healthy eating. How to cut through all the contradictory diets, fake news, pseudo facts and know what to eat?

By going back basics. Back to the first foods humans relied on for tens of thousands of years. Food from the earth. This encompassed an enormous variety of plants and animals. Living in diverse communities and climates across the world, humans saw a wide range of roots, leaves, seeds, fruit, animals and obtained what they could from the earth around them.
There was no single diet. Some populations ate a lot of fat (think Inuit) and little carbohydrates; others ate the exact opposite. Yet across different diets (based on what was available from the environment) – there were common traits:
• Balanced macronutrients: protein, fat and carbs
• Micronutrient density. Miconutrients include vitamins, minerals, phytochemicasl (natural chemical compounds in plants).
• Diverse omnivorism; some did rely primarily on plant foods, but no early human diets were completely vegan

The first human diet was nutrient-dense. Nutrient-density is the concentration of nutrients (vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals, essential fatty acids and essential amino acids) per calorie of food. Nutrient-dense foods supply a wide range of micronutrients relative to the calories they contain.

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Sarah Ballantyne, PhD” source_title=”Paleo Principles” full_quote=”Nutrients are the molecular building blocks of our bodies. Not only are we made up of these raw materials, but our cells also use nutrients when they perform their various functions. This is why we continually need to consume enough nutrients for our cells to stay healthy and keep doing their jobs efficiently. ” short_quote=”Nutrients are the molecular building blocks of our bodies.”]

Today our genes remain pretty much the same, and we have the same nutritional needs as our early ancestors – preceding the Agricultural Revolution in the 17th century. Why does this matter? Because in terms of our biological history, the reliance on farmed food crops and domesticated animals is recent. Humans started consuming increasing amounts of grain (mostly wheat) only a couple hundred years ago. Our bodies are not designed to consume refined wheat.

And in the last one-hundred years or so, refined sugar, processed foods and chemical additives came in rapid succession, completely altering the composition of food that humans consume. In parallel, we (humans) have gotten more and more disconnected from our food and where it comes from. We have also disconnected from our body’s innate wisdom that guides us towards optimal health. Increasingly micronutrient deficiency is showing up as a major underlying driver of chronic diseases.

These disconnects have led to food choices that contribute to the development of chronic diseases: cardiovascular, diabetes, cancer, even Alzheimers and Parkinson’s.

Most of the US population consumes primarily processed foods which:
•  are designed to be hyper-palatable triggering pleasure points in our brain and causing us to crave more
•  interfere with normal hormonal cues due to added chemical components
•  bypass our natural hunger regulations system;
•  lack nutrients, so we continue to eat in search of more nutrients
•  lead to overconsumption of calories but under-consumption of nutrients

The Standard American Diet is energy-rich (lots of calories) but nutrient-poor: foods high in added sugars, refined grains and industrially processed oils, but devoid of the vitamins, minerals (and other health-promoting compounds) found in whole foods. The more processed or refined a food is, the more nutrients are stripped out. The result is nutrient deficiency.

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”Sarah Ballantyne, PhD” source_title=”Paleo Principles” full_quote=”Large percentage of Americans are falling short on thirteen essential vitamins and minerals. Micronutrient deficiencies are so common that some researchers speculate that nearly all of us are deficient in at least one vital nutrient. ” short_quote=”Large percentage of Americans are falling short on thirteen essential vitamins and minerals.”]

What to Do?
Eat foods that come from nature the way nature intended. Retrain our palates to enjoy simple, natural foods to reconnect to our body’s innate wisdom
•  Eliminate, or at least minimize, processed food  even those labeled “natural” and “organic”. Even if made with organic ingredients, (think breakfast cereals) processed foods are still processed
•  Eat a wide variety of plants and sustainably-raised animals (think of meat as condiment rather than the “star” of the plate).
•  Celebrate nature with local vegetables and fruits of the season
•  Align with personal genetic adaptations from the part of the world we individually are descended from -incorporating traditional foods from our cultural backgrounds
•  Make family meals a regular occurrence and a sacred time, turning off devices and connecting with those around the table
•  Center holiday feasts and gatherings with family and friends around real food rather than sugary treats and flour

For more empowerment:
January is for Detoxifying

Eat Local Foods

9 Steps to Perfect Health – Eat Real Food: Chris Kresser

 

10 Reliable Meatless Monday Recipes

Weekdays are hectic. I’ve learned homemade dinners only happen if I plan ahead. Mondays are Meatless to get back on track eating the Color My Food way: whole-foods, plant-rich meals where meat is more of a condiment and dairy is a treat. I truly believe eating this way promotes the best health for not just for our bodies, but also for the planet. A whole-foods, plant-based diet, means we use less water, less land, fewer resources and produce less pollutions and less suffering for farm animals.

[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”right” source_author=”T. Colin Campbell, PhD” source_title=”The China Study” full_quote=”The evidence from researchers around the world shows that the same diet that is good for the prevention of cancer is also good for the prevention of heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cataracts, Alzheimer’s osteoporosis and other diseases. All these diseases spring from the same influence: an unhealthy, largely toxic diet and lifestyle. A whole foods, plant-based diet counteracts all of these diseases.” short_quote=”The evidence from researchers around the world shows that the same diet that is good for the prevention of cancer is also good for the prevention of heart disease,”]

If you follow Color My Food, you know I alternate meatless and omnivore days during the week.

It’s still an uphill battle with some family members, so I need to remind them how plant-based meals are better for our health.

  1. Heart health. Heart disease kills 40% of Americans. Did you know more women die from heart disease than from breast cancer? By eating the right foods, we can keep our hearts healthy. Dr. Esselstyn, a leading pioneer in nutrition-based therapy, has scientifically proven the prevention and reversal of heart disease with a whole-foods, plant-based diet on people with established coronary disease.
  2. Brain health. Studies demonstrate those who eat the most antioxidant-rich foods had the lowest risk of brain strokes. These are caused by cholesterol-filled plaques in our arteries. Alzheimer’s involves a slower, decline due to plaques in the brain tissue. A healthy diet may help prevent both brain strokes and Alzheimers. “
  3. More fiber. When we eat mostly natural plant foods, we get large amounts of complex carbs and various types of fiber. Fiber is important because it
  • offers protection against cancer and heart disease
  • can also lower cholesterol
  • slows down glucose absorption and controls the rate of digestion
  • fills us up so we don’t have cravings or hormonal imbalances
  1. Boosting our immune system. Plant food contains 64 times more antioxidants than animal foods. Plant based meals tend to be rich in antioxidants, I aim to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices at every meal to continuously flood your body with antioxidants to help ward off stroke and other age-related diseases
[su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”full” source_author=”Joel Fuhrman” source_title=”Eat to Live” full_quote=”Fiber intake from food is a good marker of disease risk. The amount of fiber consumed may better predict weight gain, insulin levels and other cardiovascular risk factors than does the amount of total fat consumed. It is not the fiber extracted from the plant that has miraculous health properties. It is the entire plant package considered as a whole, containing nature’s anti-cancer nutrients as well as being rich in fiber. People who consume the most high-fiber foods are the healthiest.” short_quote=”Fiber intake from food is a good marker of disease risk. The amount of fiber consumed may better predict weight gain, insulin levels and other cardiovascular risk factors”] [su_expanding_quote_book alignment=”full” source_author=”Michael Greger, MD” source_title=”How to Not Die” full_quote=”A healthy diet can reduce stroke risk by reducing cholesterol and blood pressure while improving blood flow and antioxidant capacity. Strive to include a variety of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices at every meal to continuously flood your body with antioxidants to help ward off stroke and other age-related diseases. Antioxidant-rich diets appear to protect against stroke by preventing the circulation of oxidized fats in the bloodstream that can damage the sensitive walls of small blood vessels in the brain. They can also help decrease artery stiffness, prevent blood clots from forming and lower blood pressure and inflammation.” short_quote=”A healthy diet can reduce stroke risk by reducing cholesterol and blood pressure while improving blood flow and antioxidant capacity. Strive to include a variety of fruits, vegetables,”]

Guidelines for my Meatless Monday meals:

  • Eating variety. Mixing it up keeps it interesting gets us best nutrient density.
  • Ethnic foods offer the most options for plant-based meals, and the unique tastes are exquisite: curries and chilies, Moroccan tagines and Indian daal
  • Adding spices. Foods with the most antioxidants are herbs and spices. Just as I do with breakfast—adding cinnamon, ground ginger, or a pinch of cloves to smoothies, oatmeal, granola and breakfast breads—for dinner I always add and/or increase spices and herbs in a recipe: depends on what I’m making, but spices I usually add/increase are ground cumin, coriander, paprika and/or dried oregano, basil, thyme. The fresh herbs I use most to add flavor and nutrients are parsley, cilantro, rosemary and mint. It’s SO worth having a pot or two of herbs in the garden!
  • Raw foods. Raw uncooked vegetables and fruits provide a powerful protection against disease. Raw foods contain enzymes that may offer significant nutritional advantages to protect against disease
[su_expanding_quote_book source_author=”Joel Fuhrman” source_title=”Eat to Live” full_quote=”Consuming a significant quantity of raw foods is essential for superior health. As the amount of raw fruits and vegetables are increased in a person’s diet, weight loss and blood pressure are lowered. For best results, your diet should contain a huge amount of raw foods, a large amount of less calorically dense cooked vegetation and a smaller amount of more calorically rich cooked starchy vegetables and grains” short_quote=”Consuming a significant quantity of raw foods is essential for superior health. As the amount of raw fruits and vegetables are increased in a person’s diet, weight loss and blood pressure are lowered”]

Here are a few of my go-to recipes for Monday dinners.

Scratch Cooking (made from scratch)

Red Lentil Curry

I serve this over CMF Quinoa .This can be made with regular lentils, but red lentils cook faster. I also make it with CMF Rice. I start the quinoa (or rice first and while it cooks, I make the curry. Once the curry is going, I make a salad (any of the green salads from Color My Food).

Minimalist Baker: Chana Masala

I get the rice going first and when it starts cooking, I make the chana masala. While that’s cooking, I make the salad. See a pattern?

Eggplant Ragu over Quinoa

I start the quinoa first, then make the ragu. And then the salad.

Cook Republic: Tumeric Daal

Daal is a thick, hearty Indian lentil stews typically served with rice or traditional flatbread alongside to soak up every savory bite. I use 2 teaspoons ground curry instead of the curry leaves.

Yup Its Vegan: One Pot Tandoori Quinoa

I like to add a bell pepper for more color.

 

Dinner in Hurry

Pasta and Pesto with White Beans

This comes together quickly using pre-made or store-bought pesto

Veggie Stir-Fry

This is quick dinner especially when I prep the veggies on the weekend: cutting up the carrots, broccoli, mushrooms etc. It’s also a fantastic way to use up veggies at the end of the week.

Goes nicely over leftover rice or  with rice noodles.

Eat Healthy Eat Happy: Quinoa Black Bean Chili

Using leftover quinoa (or another grain: rice, barley) makes this a quick dinner.

Epicurious: Orzo with Garbanzo Beans

I’ve made this with white beans, kidney beans, even black beans. This recipe has gotten me out of a pinch when I had little else in the house to make dinner with—I always have whole grain pasta and a can or beans.

Oh She Glows: Spaghetti with Lentil Marinara (I use regular Parmesan rather than vegan)

I generally have cooked lentils or beans frozen in mason jars. This is another recipe that’s bailed me out of last-minute dinner dilemmas.

 

 

 

 

 

Food: The Most Powerful Weapon against Disease

What we eat can help us stay healthy or make us sick. For health, the majority of our food should come from real food, mostly plant-based. The best foods for health are nutrient-dense, superfoods.

This will help us be the exception rather than what is sadly become the sickly normal. There’s an unprecedented health crisis in the United States:

  • heart disease, cancer and diabetes are increasing
  • two-thirds of people are obese leading to numerous medical ailments
  • nd for the first time, younger generations have shorter life expectancy than their parents
[su_expanding_quote_without_link source=”The China Study, Colin T. Campbell” full_quote=”By any measure, America’s health is failing. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight, and over 15 million Americans have diabetes. Heart disease kills as often as it did thirty years ago, and the War on Cancer has failed. Half of Americans have a health problem that requires taking a prescription drug, and over 100 million Americans have high cholesterol. These issues all come down to three things: breakfast, lunch and dinner. ” short_quote=”America’s health is failing…These issues all come down to three things: breakfast, lunch and dinner.”]

Chronic diseases can be traced to the nutrient-poor American diet; 60% of calories are from processed foods made with added sweeteners, white flour, oils, generally mixed with additives, coloring agents and preservatives to extend shelf life. Americans consume less than 5% of their calories from unrefined plant foods such as fruits, beans, seeds and vegetables.

[su_expanding_quote_without_link source=”Eat to Live, Joel Fuhrman MD” full_quote=”Medical science now proves that three of the leading causes of death are related to food and lifestyle: heart disease, diabetes and cancer.” The most pervasive killer in the US is heart disease. The rates at which we die from cancer are among the highest in the world. One out of 13 Americans now has diabetes, an increase of unprecedented proportions; among people in their 30s diabetes has increased 70% in less than ten years.” short_quote=”Medical science now proves that three of the leading causes of death are related to food and lifestyle”]

Most of the damage to our food and health caused by industrialization of our eating can be reversed. The most powerful weapon against disease is the food we choose to eat every day. By eating differently we can boost our immune system, reduce the need for pharmaceutical drugs and reverse deaths from heart disease, cancer and diabetes, generate health and a sense of physical and mental wellbeing. Knowing this, I choose a plant-rich, whole-foods lifestyle, with moderate intake of meat, and minimal processed foods.

[su_expanding_quote_without_link source=”Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food” full_quote=”Diseases that now kill most of us can be traced directly to the industrialization of our food: the rise of highly processed foods and refined grains; the use of chemicals to raise plants and animals in huge monocultures; the superabundance of cheap calories of sugar and fat produced by modern agriculture, and the narrowing of biological diversity of the human diet to a tiny handful of staple crops, notably wheat, corn and soy. This is the basis of the Western diet: lots of processed foods and meat, lots of added fat and sugar. Wherever in the world people give up their traditional way of eating and adopted the Western diet, there soon followed a series of Western diseases – obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer” short_quote=”Diseases that now kill most of us can be traced directly to the industrialization of our food”]

What to do? My rule of thumb is to make good food choices 60 – 70% of the time and aim for:

  • Minimal processed or fast foods
  • Aim for two vegetables/fruits and nuts/seeds every breakfast ( fresh fruit, green smoothies, oatmeal/grains or nutrient-dense muffins rather than coffee and processed cereal or bagels)
  • Greens/cruciferous, whole-grains, onion, daily
  • Beans and berries at least four times a week
  • Less meat and better meat (natural or organic) alternating vegetarian and omnivore dinners
  • Water or iced teas (herbal, green and black tea) instead of sodas or juice
  • Dairy as an occasional indulgence rather than an everyday necessity

It seems expensive to buy whole-grains and nuts/seeds, but by re-allocating grocery dollars from dairy, processed cold meats and breakfast cereals we can stay within budget. Better meat and fish (natural or organic) is possible by reducing frequency (every day to a couple times a week) and selecting quality over quantity.

The more of us who vote with our forks for a different kind of food, the more commonplace and affordable organic produce and meats will become.

I believe healthy food must be delicious to facilitate lifestyle rather than feel deprived and
“on a diet”.

Additional resources on Food and Health:
Dr. Fuhrman: Check out the Learn section

NutritionFacts.org
Simple Green Smoothies.com

Fantastic resource for easily incorporating more greens and fruits into daily life. The FREE 30-day challenges provide weekly recipes and shopping lists for four weeks.