The Recipe for Great Health- Choosing the Right Ingredients

This past Thursday night at the beautiful Firehouse Theater Arts in Newburyport, MA; I had the privilege to be part of this informative Prevention Plus presentation with Dr. Pamela Benitez; a breast care surgeon at the Rose Cancer Center of William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI. The primary focus was on what you eat and the food in your diet are essential in preventing a large number of serious health diseases (mainly from oxidative stress), including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, arthritis, macular degeneration, dementia and asthma to name a few. The good news is that some peope are eating more positively with whole food based nutrition., Studies have shown that whole food nutrition is a benefit to primary and secondary prevention and death from heart disease. In addition studies have shown that failure of beta carotene, vitamin E and multivitamins alone to reverse the damage of oxidative stress and lastly there is no research that shows that vitamin pills actually do what antioxidants can do for human beings. (not lab animals), Research has shown that a diet rich in whole foods including; whole grains (with added benefits of fiber, selenium, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, zinc and iron) are grains like Barley, Brown Rice, Millet, Oatmeal, Whole Wheat bread, Bulgar (cracked wheat). The rights fats; Omega 3 ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid) found in dark leafy greens, flax seed oil and walnuts, DHA and EPA found in fatty cold water fish, salmon, tuna and mackerel. Vitamin D found in eggs, butter, liver fatty fish, and milk and 15 min of sunlight a day. Tumeric (Curcumin) an antioxidant which is being explored as a cancer treatment to reduce inflammation. Fruits and Vegetables- 7-13 servings per day, it is so important to get these plant based whole foods in our diet because of the macro nutrients, phytonutrients, plant compounds, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. These phytonutrients along with endogenous antioxidants provide a network of buffers against free radiacal damage.