Thursday, October 16, 2008

What Exactly is a Healthy Diet?

Everywhere you look these days, someone is coming out with a new diet. You can pick one according to your blood type, eye color, age, high carb, low carb, weight loss, all raw, 85% raw, high protein, etc.

Most seem to work for a short time, but what really works, and why?

Most people, when asked if they eat healthy, will reply “Yes”, because most people think they are. What would your answer be? Is there an objective standard?

The answer is a qualified Yes!

Virtually all of the truly healthy diets, past and present, recommend raw fruits and vegetables in abundance. There is disagreement about how much of each, which should predominate, all raw or a little cooked, and what else can or cannot be added along with fruits and vegetables, but at least there is a solid foundation – eat your fruits and vegetables!

Even the American Cancer Society acknowledged this on September 28, 2006:

“The American Cancer Society recommends eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day to help prevent cancer. These foods contain important vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and antioxidants and are usually low in calories.”

So why are there no studies showing this? One of the problems of scientifically validating the benefits of a diet high in fruits and vegetables is that there is no money in it, nor can fruits or veggies be regulated or patented in the way prescription drugs are.

The studies that you typically read about cost millions of dollars, and most of the time they are slanted to come up with a desired result anyway, frankly. There is too much money in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, as well as in time invested, for most within their ranks to be honest or objective.

One glorious exception was “The China Study” by Dr. T. Colin Campbell, a research project that culminated in a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, a survey of diseases and lifestyle factors in rural China and Taiwan.

Here is what he had to say as a result of their findings:

“After a long career in research and policy-making, I have decided to step ‘out of the system.’ I have decided to disclose why Americans are so confused,” said Dr. Campbell. “As a taxpayer who foots the bill for research and health policy in America, you deserve to know that many of the common notions you have been told about food, health and disease are wrong.”

“I propose to do nothing less than redefine what we think of as good nutrition. You need to know the truth about food, and why eating the right way can save your life.”

He found that: “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored,” said Dr. Campbell.

You can read more about the study for yourself at: http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html

Until next time, enjoy those delicious fruits and veggies!

Phyllis Towse

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