Diet

Most of What We Think We Know is Wrong

Over a 12-year period from 1991 to 2003, the percentage of people with two or more major risk factors for heart disease increased by more than 30 percent. The culprit - "low fat diet".

When people were told that fat was bad, what did we do? We switched from foods that were high fat to foods that were low fat, but high in simple carbohydrates and sugar. Simply put, America is on a sugar diet-sugar and things that the body converts to sugar. Americans have eliminated most vegetables and complex carbohydrates from their diet. Yet, these are the very things needed for cardiovascular health as well as overall health and vitality.

Do not go on a diet! Diets don't work because we eventually go off the diet and back to our old habits with the resultant weight gain and increased risk for heart disease. If you switch to a healthy diet, you will find you can eat as much as you want of foods that are good for you and still maintain a trim, health body that dramatically reduces the risk of a heart attack or stroke.

Eliminate the disease - and fat-causing foods in your diet

Say goodbye to white foods.

Gaylord Hauser always advised his patients, Go home and throw out every white food in your pantry and never eat such food again. This is probably the best single piece of advice you can follow. The conversion of simple carbohydrates to glucose (sugar) in the bloodstream leading to weight gain, high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and diabetes are the biggest contributors to atherosclerosis and heart disease.

Our eating habits, and even those of "healthy" vegetarians, have become very grain dependent with an excess of bread, pasta, and pastries-not to mention other white foods such as potatoes and rice. The reality is that our bodies are not engineered to be large consumers of grainbased products. And eating whole-grain breads and whole-wheat pasta and pizza crust are no better.

We want to eliminate white foods including flour, pasta, and rice that the body converts to glucose. Eliminate legumes and beans as these are also foods that your body converts to sugar. The benefits of eliminating these grain-based simple carbohydrates from our diet are:

We will find we are less hungry (carbohydrates actually stimulate hunger)
We will be able to eat as much of the healthy foods as we want and still lose weight!

White foods include high-starch vegetables such as potatoes, root vegetables, sweet potatoes, and yams. These foods have a high glycemic index, meaning they are largely converted to sugar. Many vegetables that are healthy when eaten raw become very high in sugar when cooked, including beets, carrots, and corn. Avoid cooking these foods.

Retreat From Sweet

Sugar in all forms (including artificial and natural no-calorie sweeteners) is another white food that needs to be eliminated from the diet. Artificial sweeteners in diet sodas trigger an insulin response just like sugar and promote insulin resistance that can lead to atherosclerosis.

Fruit and Fruit Juice

We're all told that fruits are good for us, but fruits high in sugar are not. Steer clear of dates, dried fruits of any kind, mangos, pineapple, raisins, ripe bananas, ripe papayas, and seedless grapes. Fruits that are good for you are apples, peaches, apricots, pomegranate seeds, most berries, avocados, and tomatoes (yes, avocados and tomatoes are fruits).

Fruit juice is another item that people often believe is healthy but is actually laden with sugar that promotes cardiovascular disease as well as weight gain. Don't be fooled by no sugar added; this just means that there is so much sugar in here already that we didn't have to put any more inside. This includes tomato and vegetable juices.

Dairy Products

Milk and most milk products should be eliminated as well. Mammals were not designed to consume milk past infancy. Milk consumption in adulthood not only leads to atherosclerosis but is correlated with increased rates of breast, prostate, and colon cancer. You should also eliminate cream and coffee lighteners. Fermented dairy such as plain yogurt, kefir, and raw cheeses from grassfed cows, goats, and sheep are acceptable in small amounts.

There are numerous dairy substitutes that can be readily found in health food stores and many super markets. You can substitute almond or soy milk (plain or favored, unsweetened only) or plain, unsweetened yogurt.

Cheese has become a staple in the American diet. Eliminate all processed cheese and eat fresh and aged cheeses in extreme moderation. Fresh cheeses include farmer cheese, feta, low-fat cottage cheese, mozzarella, and ricotta. Aged cheeses that are acceptable are bleu cheese, cheddar, goat cheese, gruyere, parmesan, and Swiss.

Change your diet in stages for permanent results

A healthy diet for your heart is a healthy diet for your life. You will live longer and with greater health and vitality. But after a lifetime of bad habits, it is important for you to make the transition to healthy eating in stages. Although this may sound difficult, as you start to change your eating habits, you find out that most of what you currently eat is just that - HABIT.

A process found to be effective for patients even with advanced disease involves changing eating habits in stages, which results in a new way of eating that will protect your cardiovascular health as well as reduce or eliminate excessive weight.

Stage 1

Eliminate all white foods as well as dairy and fruit juices as outlined above. Concentrate on protein such as meat, poultry, fish, fresh cheeses, and vegetable protein sources. Eat as many vegetables and leafy greens as you like. Add seeds and nuts to your diet (raw and unsalted except peanuts, which should be roasted).

Stage 2

Increase your intake of vegetables and reduce the intake of animal protein. Continue with nuts and seeds as well as berries and other fruits in moderation. You can also add small portions of legumes and whole grains, but be cautious. At least one-third of the population is gluten sensitive.

Stage 3

For cardiovascular health and longevity, evolve your diet to one that increasingly relies heavily on vegetables and decreases the reliance on caloriedense foods such as whole grains and legumes. Reduce the intake of animal protein and think of it as a side dish.

What to eat for a healthy heart

Eat green to be lean.

Nearly all leafy green vegetables are great for your cardiovascular health, and you can eat as much of them as you want-without gaining weight. Eat a lot of leafy green vegetables including:

Arugula
Beet greens
Chard
Collards
Dandelion
Endive
Escarole
Kale
Lettuce, including romaine and Boston (all red and green lettuces)
Mustard greens
Purslane
Radicchio
Spinach
Turnip greens
Watercress

Other vegetables that you can eat without limit include:

Artichokes
Bamboo shoots
Beans (string, green, yellow)
Bean sprouts
Beets (raw only)
Bok choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Cucumbers (and pickles)
Fennel
Garlic
Ginger root
Jicama
Mushrooms
Olives
Onions, shallots, scallions, chives
Herbs (cilantro, basil, mint, sage, oregano, parsley, rosemary, thyme, etc.)
Peppers (hot)
Peppers (sweet bell, all)
Radishes
Sugar snap peas
Summer squash
Water chestnuts

Essential Oils

Oils are essential to the diet but not all are equally good. Eliminate corn and other vegetable oils and substitute extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, or walnut oil in salad dressings. Avoid using prepared salad dressings, but if you do, use olive-oil based vinaigrettes or Caesar dressing. Avoid ranch dressing at all costs.

Nuts and Seeds

Adding nuts and seeds to your diet provide a healthy snack that will reduce cravings. Be sure to eat only raw, unsalted products with the exception of peanuts, which should be roasted. Walnuts are by far the best nut to eat for your heart health! Avoid sunflower seeds, as they contain too much omega-6 fat, and cashews, which are high in sugars. Soy nuts are an alternative if you are allergic.

About Protein

The body does not need the enormous quantities of protein that people normally eat, especially in the United States. Vegetables and other plant-based foods provide numerous sources of protein. Protein from meat products is best from grass-fed or free-range beef and chicken. Animals that are raised in pens and fed primarily grain and nutritional supplements lack many essential nutrients necessary for good health found in free-range meats.

Meats should be lean such as beef filet, flank steak, ground sirloin, lamb, pork tenderloin, and wild game such as venison. Poultry, preferably free-range, includes chicken, turkey, duck, goose, and wild poultry.

Seafood is generally good in nearly all forms, but avoid farm-raised fish as these are often fed grain and other artificial products and lack the nutritional value of fish from wild sources.

Other heart healthy foods

Cinnamon stimulates circulation, lowers glucose levels of insulin-resistant individuals, and boosts the ability to metabolize glucose, allowing the cells to use it for energy production.

Turmeric (Curcumin ), the yellow pigment in curry powders, is a miracle compound that has been shown to dramatically reduce the incidence of dementia in rats and in human studies.

Green Tea and Coffee both improve insulin sensitivity when used in moderation (5 to 7 cups per day).

Cocoa and Extra Dark Chocolate (cocoa content greater than 72%) can be good for you! Emerging studies suggest that one ounce of extra dark chocolate will improve the flexibility of blood vessels and lower blood pressure (besides making you happy).

Meal replacement bars and powders

When we go to change our diets, one of the most difficult things is eating on the go when traveling or time is short. Low carbohydrate protein bars and shakes made with unsweetened hemp, rice, soy, and whey protein powders work in a pinch but should be used in limited amounts. Be sure to avoid those that taste sweet, as this can trigger an insulin response.

Beverages

Limit beverages to coffee, tea, and lots of water. Avoid at all costs flavored water and sports drinks, along with fruit juice as previously discussed.

Alcohol consumption should be limited to red wine and straight spirits. Avoid mixed drinks as these add tremendous amounts of sugar. (Tequila, si. Margarita, no.)

Cooking for a healthy heart

There are a number of excellent books with recipes for delicious, heart-healthy meals including Dr. Gundry's Diet Evolution and The Paleo Diet. Converting to a diet that will protect your cardiovascular health and lead to a longer life with greater vitality is easier than you think. Just remember the following Gundryisms: