by Michael Murray, N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts
|
| The South American Native Americans enjoyed this plant as a dietary staple, with the Incas honoring quinoa with the title "mother seed." Also known to give strength and stamina, it was called "the gold of the Aztecs."
The Spanish conquistadors all but stamped out the existence of quinoa in an attempt to destroy the South American natives and their culture. With death as a punishment to any offender, cultivation of quinoa was decreed illegal. In the 1980s, however, two people from the state of Colorado became interested in its healthfulness and began to cultivate it there. |
| For example, in one landmark study researchers tracked more than 40,000 American male health professionals over four years to determine the effects of Diet on blood pressure. Men who ate diets higher in potassium-rich foods had a substantially reduced risk of stroke.
Bananas are very soothing to the gastrointestinal tract due to their high content of pectin, a soluble fiber that not only lowers cholesterol but normalizes bowel function. In addition, plaintain bananas have shown some promise in the treatment of peptic ulcers. |
| American corn crop. The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has played the largest role in the increase of added sweeteners in the American Diet. Food consumption studies have found that the recent increases in energy intake coincide with increased consumption of soft drinks.
Simple Carbohydrates
Simple sugars are either monosaccharides composed of one sugar molecule or disaccharides composed of two sugar molecules. The principal monosaccharides that occur in foods are glucose and fructose. |
| One reason is that the cultivated fruit in an American supermarket is far different from the wild fruit of the primate's Diet, having a slightly higher protein content and a higher content of certain essential vitamins and minerals. Cultivated fruit tends to be higher in sugars and, while very tasty to humans, it is not nearly as nutritious. In fact, it raises blood sugar levels much more quickly than its wild counterparts do. |
| ROA (grams)
Infants
Up to 6 months
13
6 months-1 year
14
1 -3 years
16
Children
4-6 years
24
7-10 years
28
Males
11-14 years
45
15-18 years
59
19-24 years
58
25-50 years
63
51 + years
63
Females
11-14 years
46
15-18 years
44
19-24 years
46
25-50 years
50
51 + years
50
Pregnant
60 women
Lactating
First 6 months
65 mothers
Second 6 months
62
The average American easily reaches and often exceeds this protein requirement without even being on a high-protein Diet. |
| One study of subjects who consumed a Diet that emphasized peanuts, in both nut and butter form, for one month demonstrated that their risk of heart disease dropped by around 21 percent compared to those people who ate typical American fare. A second study, in which the subjects were given two or three servings of peanuts or peanut butter for one month, also found reductions in the "bad" LDL cholesterol with maintenance of "good" HDL cholesterol. Triglycerides, which are another risk factor for heart disease, also dropped. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
See book keywords and concepts
|
 Consuming at least 300 milligrams of cholesterol a day—that is, any Diet other than a cholesterol-lowering diet—and more than 10 percent of total calories from fat—almost any American Diet, including a vegan diet—protects against breast cysts.
To consume healthy sources of fat, eat two to three servings of cold-water fish (such as mackerel, salmon, or tuna) weekly, or take flaxseed oil, MaxEPA fish oil, or vegetarian DHA (such as Neuromins). Borage or evening primrose oil is also helpful. |
| Immune Support from Rain-tree Marketing is a combination of South American herbs, including cat's claw, chuchuhuasi, macela, and mullaca, that is especially useful for treating immune deficiencies associated with this disorder. More information is available from their Web site at www.rain-tree.com.
Ll Diets rich in soy products are associated with lower rates of various types of cancer, including endometrial cancer. Soy foods include miso and tofu.
Ll Lymphedema is a swelling of the tissues that may follow cancer surgery. (See LYMPHEDEMA in Part Two. |
| The low-fiber, highly refined North American Diet lacks fiber, which makes stools smaller and more difficult to pass. Some herbal treatments such as psyllium provide fiber, while other herbs are useful for soothing irritation or strengthening veins.
BENEFICIAL HERBS herb form and dosage comments
Herbs to Be Applied Externally
Aloe
Gel. Apply directly to the irritated area.
Similar to aspirin, relieves pain and soothes the burning sensation.
Calendula
Cream. Apply to external hemorrhoids.
Relieves pain and inflammation.
St. John's wort
Oil. |
T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. and Thomas M. Campbell II
See book keywords and concepts
|
 This means that there are many other major nutritional differences in the Chinese and American diets, as shown in Chart B.2.1
CHART B.2: CHINESE AND American DIETARY INTAKES
Nutrient
China
United States
Calories (kcal/kg body wt./day)
40.6
30.6
Total fat (% of calories)
14.5
34-38
Dietary fiber (g/day)
33
12
Total protein (g/day)
64
91
Animal protein (% of total calories)
0.8*
10-11
Total iron (mg/day)
34
CO
* Non-fish animal protein
This was the first and only large study that investigated this range of dietary experience and its health consequences. |
| In the Women's Health Trial, also including American women, it is even worse, at -17%18'21,22; as fat goes down, animal protein goes up. This practice is typical of American women who have been led to believe that, by decreasing their fat intake, they are changing to a healthier Diet. A nurse consuming a "low-fat" Diet in the Harvard study, like American women everywhere, is likely to continue eating large amounts of animal protein, as shown in meal #1 (Chart 14.4). |
| This means that there are major nutritional differences in the Chinese and American diets, as shown in Chart 4.3.
CHART 4.3. CHINESE AND American DIETARY INTAKES
Nutrient
China
United States
Calories (kcal/day)7
2641
1989
Total fat (% of calories)
14.5
34-38
Dietary fiber (g/day)
33
12
Total protein (g/day)
64
91
Animal protein (% of calories)
0.8
10-11
Total iron (mg/day)
34
18
The findings shown in Chart 4.3 are standardized for a body weight of sixty-five kilograms (143 pounds). |
| In the laboratory, we fed experimental rats a Diet similar to the usual American fare—rich in animal-based protein—and compared them with other rats fed a Diet low in animal-based protein. Guess what happened when both sets of rats had an opportunity to voluntarily use exercise wheels? Those fed the low-animal protein Diet exercised substantially more, with less fatigue, than those fed the type of Diet that most of us eat. This was the same effect observed by these world-class athletes.
This shouldn't be news to the medical establishment. |
| CHINESE AND American DIETARY INTAKES
Nutrient
China
United States
Calories (kcal/kg body wt./day)
40.6
30.6
Total fat (% of calories)
14.5
34-38
Dietary fiber (g/day)
33
12
Total protein (g/day)
64
91
Animal protein (% of total calories)
0.8*
10-11
Total iron (mg/day)
34
CO
* Non-fish animal protein
This was the first and only large study that investigated this range of dietary experience and its health consequences. Chinese diets ranged from rich to very rich in plant-based foods. |
| In every category seen above, there are massive dietary differences between the Chinese and American experiences: much higher overall calorie intake, less fat, less protein, much less animal foods, more fiber and much more iron are consumed in China. These dietary differences are supremely important.
While the eating pattern in China is far different from that of the United States, there is still a lot of variation within China. Experimental variation (i.e., a range of values) is essential when we investigate Diet and health associations. |
Paul Pitchford
See book keywords and concepts
|
 HEALING WITH THE RECIPES
Most of the recipes in the following sections contain purely vegetarian foods drawn from several cultural traditions, including American, European, and Oriental. The Western traditions include raw food and sprout recipes and a good selection of typical American dishes adapted to vegetarian cuisine. A number of the recipes recognize the desire of Americans to eat a varied and complex Diet, and are included primarily for those in the early stages of dietary transition to high quality, whole foods. |
| The Southwest American Indian ate chia for sustenance during endurance contests. Latin Americans use them to treat constipation.
Coconut
Warming thermal nature; sweet flavor; strengthening; quells wind; hemostatic; tonifies the heart. Used for weakness, emaciation, nosebleed, and childhood malnutrition.
Coconut is a good source of saturated fat for vegetarians; however, it can be dangerous when used by those with excess saturated fat and cholesterol in the Diet (for example, a Diet concentrated in heavy meats, eggs, and dairy). |
| Calcium in the American Diet is perceived as almost synonymous with the use of dairy products. Unfortunately, dairy foods are generally not of good quality, and perhaps this is one reason that Americans, who consume large amounts of dairy (25% of the average diet), still have widespread calcium deficiency problems such as arthritis and osteoporosis. It may be that dairy has been wrongly characterized as a cure-all for calcic disorders. |
| The Western traditions include raw food and sprout recipes and a good selection of typical American dishes adapted to vegetarian cuisine. A number of the recipes recognize the desire of Americans to eat a varied and complex Diet, and are included primarily for those in the early stages of dietary transition to high quality, whole foods. Nevertheless, as noted earlier in the food combining sections, too many ingredients in a meal can lead to poor health. Complex meals should be taken at most occasionally, and then only by those with good digestion. |
| For the first time in United States history, the Surgeon General acknowledged (in 1988) the value of a good Diet, while simultaneously condemning typical American eating patterns. According to his statement, fully two-thirds of all deaths are directly affected by improper Diet, and poor eating habits play a large part in the nation's most common killers—coronary heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and some cancers.
Holistic practitioners have always seen marked improvements when individuals make appropriate dietary changes. |
| American Diet.
Anyone with a high-fat dietary background should have cholesterol levels checked. If the level is above 200 mg/dl, it is time to take preventive measures.
Vegetable foods—grains, land and sea vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds—contain no cholesterol and are generally low in saturated fat. (The few common plants rich in saturated fat are listed later in the "Saturated Fats" section of this chapter.) Certainly the simplest dietary route for reducing a fat and cholesterol problem is to increase foods of plant origin and decrease those from animals. |
Joe Graedon, M.S. and Teresa Graedon, Ph.D.
See book keywords and concepts
|
 Effortless weight loss seems to be the perennial American dream. Some of the diets keep popping up like perennials, as well.
One of them, misleadingly titled "the new mayo clinic Diet," has been circulating on the Internet for a decade. Even then, it was a resuscitation of the "old" mayo clinic Diet that had been passed from person to person since the 1960s. The actual Mayo Clinic has disavowed this Diet in any of its incarnations, but that doesn't stop enthusiasts from claiming that you can achieve weight loss of 50 pounds in 2 months by following the plan. |
| They did their best to explain why the low-fat Diet was a giant fizzle, but the answers were unsatisfying and could not counteract the loss of trust by the American public.
Cardiologists, internists, registered dietitians, and most other health professionals like to maintain that they follow "evidence-based medicine." In other words, science, not supposition, is their motto. But when data don't match dietary dogma, they frequently are ignored. That's what happened with MRFIT (the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial). |
| But we have heard from many readers that a typical American high-carb Diet can also cause gastric grief.
Years ago, I was overweight and had high blood pressure. So my doctor put me on a Diet. When I reached a plateau, the doctor told me to cut out bread. It worked. I lost the desired amount and my blood pressure normalized.
During this Diet, I found that I could eat corn or wheat chips in place of bread and continue to lose weight. I love them, so I ate lots.
Looking back, I began having indigestion about the same time, though I didn't make the connection. |
| The American Diabetes Association (ADA) has been preaching a low-fat, high-carbohydrate approach for decades. But we have had an opportunity to interview a medical heretic on several occasions, and he has convinced us that his Diet plan makes sense.
Richard K. Bernstein, MD, is a medical maverick who has battled the ADA for a long time. He described his low-carb solution in his book The Diabetes Diet. Dr. Bernstein himself has diabetes, though not type 2 diabetes. He was diagnosed at age 12 with type 1 diabetes. Back in 1946, there were no tools for measuring blood sugar at home. |
| Some have told us that it's brought on by the American Diet. Others blame it on reflux and insist that PPIs can solve the problem by reducing acid exposure to delicate tissues. Has reflux really increased that much in the last couple of decades, and if so, why?
A provocative editorial that appeared in the American Journal of Gastroenterology entitled
"Acid Suppression and Adenocarcinoma of the Esophagus: Cause or Cure?" lays out the confusion and the contradictions. |
| The envelope was opened at the 2005 Annual Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. Daniel Clegg, MD, chief of the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Utah School of Medicine, announced the findings: "As expected, celecoxib [Celebrex] improved knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis. For the study as a whole, the supple-
THE GRAEDONS' G&C GUIDELINES
If you have mild knee arthritis, glucosamine and chondroitin probably won't do you much good. If you're really hurting, these dietary supplements might help somewhat. |
Michael T. Murray, N.D., Joseph E. Pizzorno, N.D.
See book keywords and concepts
|
 The ADA Diet
The Diet recommended by the American Diabetes Association and the American Dietetic Association is clearly inferior to the HCF and
MHCF diets (presented following). Nonetheless, it is presented here for historical purposes. The ADAs exchange system is a useful concept and, as the Diet is in common use by the typical physician, familiarity is necessary. It offers some beneficial support to many, especially if supplemented with dietary fiber (guar gum at 15 to 30 g/day or pectin at 30 to 45 g/day). |
| Use the Healthy Exchange System to Construct a Health-Promoting Diet
The American Dietetic Association (ADA), in conjunction with the American Diabetes Association and other groups, has developed the Exchange System, a convenient tool for rapidly estimating the calorie, protein, fat, and carbohydrate content of a Diet. Originally created for designing dietary recommendations for diabetics, the exchange method is now used in virtually all therapeutic diets. Unfortunately, the ADA exchange plan does not place a strong enough focus on the quality of food choices. |
| Although there are several commonly recommended diets in the management of diabetes, the best one is not the one promoted by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), but rather one popularized by James Anderson, M.D.31 The Diet Dr. Anderson recommends is high in cereal grains, legumes, and root vegetables, and low in simple sugars and fats. It is called the "high-complex-carbohydrate, high-fiber Diet, or "HCF diet" for short. |
| Chileans, Pima Indians, and other North American Indians have the highest prevalence rates for cholesterol gallstones. All consume a Diet rich in legumes. Evidently, legume intake increases biliary cholesterol saturation as a result of their high content of compounds known as saponins.6 It is therefore recommended that legume intake be restricted in individuals with gallstones.
Vegetarian Diet
A vegetarian Diet has been shown to be protective against gallstone formation.4,11 A recent study in England compared a large group of healthy nonvegetarian women to a group of vegetarian women. |
| Both the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association recommend a Diet in which less than thirty percent of the calories are derived from fat.3 The easiest way for most people to achieve this goal is to eat fewer animal products and more plant foods. Most plant foods are very low in fat. Nuts and seeds contain high levels of fat calories; their calories are derived largely from polyunsaturated essential fatty acids.
Linoleic and linolenic acid are the essential fatty acids provided by plant foods. |
| Both the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association have recommended a Diet containing less than thirty percent of calories as fat.
The easiest way for most people to achieve this goal is to eat fewer animal products and more plant foods. With the exception of nuts and seeds, most plant foods are very low in fat. In regard to nuts and seeds, while they do contain high levels of fat calories, the calories are derived largely from polyunsaturated essential fatty acids. |
Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
See book keywords and concepts
|
 The average American Diet is chromium deficient. Only one in ten Americans has an adequate amount of chromium in his or her Diet. There are five main reasons for this: The form of chromium in many foods is not easily absorbed (only 0.4 to 2.5 percent of dietary chromium is absorbed); not enough foods containing chromium are consumed; much of the chromium content is lost during processing; many people do not like the foods that are the best sources of chromium; and high quantities of sugar in the Diet cause a loss of chromium from the body. |
| Some 25 percent of American men and 45 percent of American women are on a Diet on any given day. Americans spend over $40 billion on dieting and diet-related products each year.
Experts have different theories on how and why people become overweight, but they generally agree that the key to losing weight is simple: Eat less and move more. The body has to burn more calories than it takes in. Traditionally, there are three basic approaches to weight management through nutritional supplementation. First is the use of diuretic herbs and nutrients to reduce water retention. |
| While the consumption of foods high in oxalic acid (mostly eggs, fish, and certain vegetables) has declined markedly in this country in that time, the amount of animal fats and protein in the average American's Diet has increased significantly. The ratio of plant to animal protein in the typical Diet at the beginning of the twentieth century was roughly 1 to 1. This ratio has since changed to 1 to 2. The consumption of animal protein is strongly associated with oxalate absorption.
Unless otherwise specified, the dosages recommended here are for adults. |
| The average American consumes only about 10 milligrams of soy protein per day, although the American Heart Association recommends at least 25 milligrams. Available in health food stores, tofu, soy oil, soy flour, soy-based meat substitutes, soy cheese, and many other soy products are healthful ways to complement the meatless Diet. Fermented soy products, such as miso, tempeh, fermented tofu, and soymilk, are now widely available and are loaded with isoflavones, which are immediately bioavailable, and they have more genistein and nutrients than regular soy. |
| Although many additives are used in very small amounts, it has been estimated that the average American consumes about 5 pounds of additives per year. If you include sugar—the food-processing industry's most used additive—the number jumps to 135 pounds a year. Anyone whose Diet is high in processed products clearly consumes a significant amount of additives and artificial ingredients.
At their best, additives and artificial ingredients simply add little or no nutritional value to a food product. At their worst, some additives could pose a threat to your health. |
| Because the refining process has removed much of the natural fiber from our foods, the typical American Diet is lacking in fiber.
There are seven basic classifications of fiber: bran, cellulose, gum, hemicellulose, lignin, mucilages, and pectin. Each form has its own function. It is best to rotate among several different supplemental fiber sources. Start with small amounts and gradually increase your intake until your stools are the proper consistency. |
Leslie Taylor, ND
See book keywords and concepts
|
 Also at play is that old American philosophy of excess: "if some is good, more is better." This idea is also somewhat prevalent in the food and dietary supplements market. While this may be true for some foods and dietary supplements, it is certainly not true for many of the biologically active medicinal plants that are sold here as herbal supplements. It is also not true for many of the rainforest plants discussed in this book.
Traditional dosage amounts for herbal remedies have been included in the plant information provided in Part Three of this book for a reason. |
Email this page to a friend
