Family Chow Hall

Food As Medicine

March 13th, 2006

How many of our health problems are food or diet related? Is our poor Western diet the source of many of our health complaints?

I think the answer is yes, our diet very well MAY BE the source of many of our health problems. And, if not the source, I can at least say that our diet can aggravate many health issues. Take it a step further and say that we can change and improve our diet to relieve or even cure our health problems.

In the past few years, I have read The South Beach Diet by Arthur Agatston, M.D., The Anti-Inflammation Zone by Dr. Barry Sears, and 8 Minutes in the Morning by Jorge Cruise (along with some others I won’t mention.) These guys have an extremely valid point. What we put into our bodies is directly related to how we feel and look, day after day, year after year, decade after decade.

Personally, I don’t really have any physical complaints. I’m about 10 pounds overweight (working on it) and I get headaches occasionally. With five kids in the house, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. I don’t really think it’s a medical issue. But there are scads of people out there who suffer from chronic illness. We learn to put up with pain, discomfort, fatigue, frequent trips to the doctor. Would we rather take a pill every day than change our diet, our lifestyle, to better our overall health?

All of this to say… If Americans as a whole treated each meal as a prescription instead of a party, where would we be physically?

Most of us know what’s good for us…. we know we should be eating more fruits and veggies, less sugar and oils. More whole grains, less processed white bread. More natural ingredients, fewer pre-packaged preservative-laden foods. But we don’t do what we know is right. We continue buying convenience foods, zipping through drive-thrus, popping the tops off of those soda cans.

So, after pondering all of this for quite some time now, I am making two lists:

List one: Foods I know I would be better off avoiding.
List two: Foods that I should increase or include in my diet. This consists of good fats, fiber-rich, high vitamin, high anti-oxidant foods.

Avoid:
Anything with hydrogenated oils
Pre-packaged foods
Potato chips and similar snack foods
Most vegetable oils
Excessive sugar – if it’s first, second, or third on the ingredient list, it’s too much
Excessive corn syrup – see above
Refined white flour
White rice
Fast food
MSG (monosodium glutamate)

Include:
Berries
Avocados
Lean meats
Fish
Fresh vegetables
Olive oil
Fresh or frozen fruits
Coconut oil
Flaxseed oil
Brown rice
Whole wheat breads
Canned tomatoes
Nuts in small quantities

Try this exercise: Write several sentences about your eating habits.

“I eat three or four times a day. If I miss a meal, I am grouchy and irritable. When with friends, I usually have an extra snack. If I can’t sleep at night, I usually look for something to eat.”

Now insert a disgusting habit instead… I will choose drugs.

“I get high three or four times a day. If I miss a fix, I am grouchy and irritable. When with friends, I usually have an extra fix. If I can’t sleep at night, I usually look for a hit.”

If I’m putting junk food in my body, it may not be as bad as drugs, but it’s still not good.

Now I will try inserting something good and healthful… exercising.

“I exercise three or four times a day. If I miss a walk, I am grouchy and irritable. When with friends, I usually jog or bicycle. If I can’t sleep at night, I usually do some sit-ups or yoga.”

What kind of lifestyle do you want? How are you going to treat the food you eat? How are you going to treat your body and your health?

Entry Filed under: Food As Medicine, Mixed bag, Most Popular Posts, Philosophy, Table talk