Diet suggestions for optimal health and longevity, healthy living with eating good and proper foods to live longer

This web page, updated regularly, provides you with information on healthy dietary choices. Please keep in mind that you don't have to eat  perfectly all the time. Make changes slowly and accept the fact that there will be times when you binge on unhealthy snacks and foods. Craving for sweet rewards is increased by depressive mood in both animals and humans. There are certain supplements that can help you eat less, including Green-Tea-Extract and the succulent Hoodia-Extract. A great combination formula is called Diet Rx.

Basic Healthy Lifestyle and diet habits for optimal health
Eat less and live longer. A healthy diet reduces the risk for diabetes and heart disease and vascular complications such as stroke or blood clots.
Drink a glass or two of cold water first thing in the morning to eliminate the bowels.
Drink 4 to 8 glasses of water per day, more in hot weather. Studies indicate that 4 to 8 glasses of water a day helps maintain good health. Water makes up more than 70 percent of solid body tissue and helps regulate body temperature, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, removes waste, cushions joints and protects organs and tissues. Lack of adequate water intake leads to headaches, grogginess and dry, itchy skin. Severe dehydration affects blood pressure, circulation, digestion, kidney function and nearly all body processes.
Eat more protein and fat at breakfast and lunch, and switch to more complex carbs at night if you have trouble falling asleep. Carbs, such as vegetable soup, pasta, or grains help induce sleep at night. 
It's better to eat small frequent meals than two or three large meals.
Sleep has a major influence on health—Good sleep also enhances libido.
Alcohol such as beer and wine are acceptable in moderation, such as a glass a day.
Dental cleaning/flossing—floss at night and then brush.
Limit exposure to excessive sun in order to avoid wrinkled and damaged skin.
Limit caffeine intake. People who consume caffeine may experience an increase in blood pressure, feel more stressed and produce more stress hormones than on days when they opt for decaf. The effects of caffeine appear to persist until people go to bed, even if they don't consume any caffeine after 1 pm.
Reducing salt intake of Americans could reduce strokes, heart attacks and premature deaths in the United States.

Food choices
 Try to have a balance of protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Avoid extreme and fad diets. Frequent, small meals are preferable to large meals. Try to have more protein during the day, and switch to slightly more complex carbs in the evening. Protein helps with alertness while carbs induce sleep. Limit your intake of simple carbohydrates, choose carbohydrates with low glycemic index.

Protein    
Most people do well including a good amount of protein in their diet. Protein helps with muscle strength and maintains steady blood sugar levels.  
   Fish has omega-3 fatty acids that thin the blood, lower blood pressure, improve vision, are good for the heart, reduce inflammation, and have many other benefits. Salmon, halibut and sardines have high concentrations of fish oils specifically EPA and DHA. Use a small grill, such as the Foreman grill, to cook fish within minutes. People who eat several servings of fish each week may lower their risk of heart disease and death, two national studies report.

Salmon goes well with mustard, especially Dijon mustard
Tuna packed in water--add chopped onions, lemon juice and a bit of olive oil
Halibut mixes well with salsa
Choose sardines packed in mustard or tomato sauce
Buy and cook other fish such as catfish, sole, mahi mahi, cod, swordfish, etc. They are great sources of protein.
Chicken, turkey, eggs, lean beef, lamb, tofu, low fat milk, yogurt or cheese are good sources of protein.

Beans and legumes contain good amounts of protein, lots of fiber, and help lower cholesterol levels. Black, chickpea (garbanzo), fava, green, kidney, lima, navy, pinto, soybean, lentils. 

Bread and grains contain lots of fiber. Choose 100 % whole wheat without sugar added or preferably sprouted multi-grain bread. These are usually found in health food stores. Avoid white or refined breads since they are mostly empty carbohydrate calories. Eat a variety of unprocessed and whole grains such as barley, kamut, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, rye. Avoid refined breakfast cereals. Whole-grain foods, such as fiber-rich bread and bran cereal, may lower the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer by reducing cholesterol and making the body more responsive to insulin.

Nuts and seeds
 Eat a variety but in small portions, and preferably raw. Almond, brazil, cashew, hazelnut, macadamia, peanut, pecan, walnut. Chia seed, flax seed, pumpkin seed, and sunflower seed.
               
Fruits    
Try many different ones. Each fruit has a different set of beneficial plant substances such as carotenoids and flavonoids that have antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antitumor and antioxidant properties. Reduce your fruit intake if you are diabetic. Avoid drinking lots of fruits juices since they contain a large amount of fructose. Fructose can elevate blood sugar and lead to weight gain.
   Wash all fruits before eating to reduce pesticides and contamination by germs. Buy organic when possible.
   Apple, banana, berries (blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, strawberry) cantaloupe, cherry, coconut, fig, guava, grape, grapefruit, kiwi, lemon, lime, mango, orange, papaya, peach, pear, pineapple, plum, pomegranate, prickly pear, watermelon...

Veggies have anti inflammation benefits
Try many different ones. Each vegetable has a different set of beneficial plant substances such as carotenoids and flavonoids that have antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antitumor and antioxidant properties. Buy a new vegetable each week listed below. Wash all vegetables before eating to reduce pesticides. Buy organic when possible.
   Artichoke or Artichoke extract, asparagus or Asparagus extract, avocado, beet, broccoli or Broccoli-Sprouts extract, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrot or Carotenoids, cauliflower or Calcium-d-glucarate, celery, chard, corn, cucumber, eggplant, endive, Garlic herb, Ginger, kale, lettuce, mushroom, okra, olive, onion, parsley, pepper, radish, scallion, spinach, sprouts, squash, tomato, watercress, yam, yucca, zucchini. Broccoli sprouts have DIM-Diindolylmethane.
   Reduce your intake of white potatoes since they are mostly carbohydrates. Barley-Grass supplement and Blue-Green-Algae supplement are healthy additions, along with Chlorella.
   Reduce your intake of white potatoes since they are mostly carbohydrates.

Oils and Fats        
Flaxseed oil and extra virgin olive oil are good choices. You can also add flaxseeds to vegetable soups. Use less safflower, sunflower, and corn oils since they contain omega-6 oils that compete with good oils such as omega-3s. In our country we consume a high ratio of omega-6 oils to omega-3 oils and some scientists think this may cause many health problems. Other oils to consider include evening primrose oil.
   Reduce saturated fats found in animal products such as meat, poultry, whole-milk dairy products, lard, and in certain vegetable products such as palm oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter.
   Reduce or eliminate trans fats. Trans fats are formed when vegetable oils are partially hydrogenated to make them more stable and solid, and recent evidence suggests that they may be as bad for the heart as saturated fat. They are usually found in commercially baked goods  such as cookies, crackers, cakes, french fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, etc. Margarine also has trans fats.         
   Blood flow to the heart is hampered after high-fat meal.

Snacks
 Baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, edamame (soybeans in pods), grapes
Nuts—raw cashews, almonds, filberts, walnuts
Dried fruits—raisins, dates, papaya, pineapple, prunes. Use small amounts.
Cheese with slices of apple or tomatoes. Queso fresco (a mexican cheese) goes great with apples.
Cooked Kashi at night with milk, raisins, or a small amount of 100% maple syrup.
Boil a few Brussels sprouts and snack on them throughout the day.
Boil some sweet potatoes and eat portions of them as snacks.
Make your own chocolate or cocoa with stevia. Buy unsweetened chocolate or cocoa and add stevia, vanilla extract, milk, and water. 

Natural sweetener
Stevia, a no-calorie natural herbal sweetener, is available in liquid or powder in health food stores. Reduce your intake of artificial sweeteners such as aspartame and saccharin.
   Honey -- The darker the honey, the richer it is in antioxidants. The color and composition of honey depends on the blooms. Buckwheat is the darkest honey researchers have tested, and it's higher in just about everything, including protein and chemicals called phenolics. On a per-weight basis, the darkest honey contains antioxidant levels similar to those found in spinach and garlic.

Fluids    
Reduce consumption of sugared soft drinks or any fluids with added sugar, fructose, or corn syrup . Have a variety of herbal teas or decaf coffee. Keep several types of herbal teas on your kitchen counter and alternate (I have close to a dozen different herbal teas on my counter).
   Vegetable juices, such as tomato juice or V8 are great options (they contain lots of carotenoids and flavonoids). Even though fruit juices have healthy ingredients, limit your intake since they contain a lot of fructose, or dilute them with water.
   It's okay to occasionally have diet soft drinks. However since most of them contain caffeine, try to drink them in the early part of the day.
   Coffee has antioxidants, but limit regular coffee intake to less than 2 cups a day due to caffeine content. Decaf is fine, but even decaf at night can interfere with sleep since there's still some caffeine in it. 

Spices   
Use a variety of herbs and spices. Many of them have antioxidants and other beneficial compounds. For instance, curry has curcumin, rosemary has rosmarinic acid and ginger has vanillin and zingerone. All of these compounds have health benefits.    
   Basil, bay leaves, cumin, chili powder, dill, fennel, garlic, ginger, oregano, pepper, rosemary, sage, thyme
   Garlic appears to protect against fungal and bacterial infections, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, blood clots and even cancer. But there is very little solid research to show how much garlic or what form of the plant holds the most promise as a disease-fighter.

Recipes     
Garbanzo beans with lemon juice, garlic, and virgin olive oil
Tofu, garlic, and olive oil added to canned lentil, vegetable or bean soup

Reduce These Foods
Don't try for perfection. If you have an urge to eat chocolate or an unhealthy snack or meal, it's okay to do so once in a while.
   Sugar, fructose, glucose, corn syrup, syrups, honey, jams and jellies, baked goods, brownies, cake, candy bars, cookies, ice cream, excess fruit juices, energy bars with sugar, muffins, refined white bread, white rice, regular sodas, sugared drinks (including Gatorade, sugared iced tea).
   Unhealthy fats include lard, bacon, hot dogs, pork rinds, ribs, sausages, lunch meats, hydrogenated oils, corn chips, potato chips, fried foods, trans fatty acids, and margarine. Small amounts of butter are acceptable.
   Baking or frying carbohydrate-rich foods such as potatoes or cereals forms acrylamide, a much studied substance classified as a probable human carcinogen. An ordinary bag of potato crisps may contain up to 500 times more of the substance than the top level allowed in drinking water by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Reduce your intake of bread, bagels, baked goods, donuts, and biscuits. Avoid baking or frying at high temperatures.

Diet studies for optimal health
 Some of the benefits of a Mediterranean-type diet -- rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes and olive oil and light on red meat -- may stem from the diet's effect on inflammation. In a study from Greece, markers of inflammation and blood clotting that are related to heart disease were lowest in people who adhered most closely to the traditional Mediterranean diet

Consuming too much fructose -- a form of sugar found in corn syrup, honey and fruit -- appears to alter levels of hormones involved in appetite regulation in such a way as to encourage overeating, a new study suggests.After people in the study ate a meal followed by a drink flavored with the same amount of fructose found in two cans of soda, they showed relatively low levels of insulin and leptin, hormones that help people know that they are full. On the other hand, they showed relatively high levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates eating. These hormonal changes could promote overeating,. Sugar occurs in two forms, fructose and glucose. Glucose, but not fructose, stimulates insulin secretion, which in turn regulates leptin production. Both fructose and glucose are naturally found in fruit and fruit juices. However, over the years manufacturers have sweetened sodas and some foods with corn syrup, which contains concentrated amounts of fructose. To investigate whether drinking fructose plays a role in obesity, Teff and her colleagues asked 12 normal-weight women to wash down balanced meals with drinks sweetened with either fructose or glucose. When the women drank the fructose drink, their levels of insulin and leptin were lower than when they consumed a drink flavored with glucose, and levels of ghrelin were higher, the researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. In addition, drinking the fructose drink was associated with a spike in levels of blood fats, a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Downing a big fast-food breakfast may spur a temporary but large inflammatory response in the blood vessels, a small study suggests. Researchers say that while an occasional indulgence in such high-fat, high-carbohydrate fare probably poses no concern, the new findings suggest that making it a regular routine could lead to chronic blood vessel inflammation and complications, such as heart attack and stroke. The study included nine healthy, normal-weight adults who were fed a breakfast of one Egg McMuffin, a Sausage McMuffin and two servings of hash browns from McDonald's. The meal weighed in at 910 calories, 81 grams of carbohydrates, 51 grams of fat and 32 grams of protein.

Foods cooked at high heat linked to inflammation
People may be able to lower their risk of heart, diabetes, and possibly other diseases by consuming cool foods, or dishes cooked at relatively low temperatures, such as salads and tuna fish, preliminary research suggests. Foods cooked at high temperatures spurred the production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), compounds in the blood that stimulate cells to produce inflammation-causing proteins, which are potentially harmful in diabetes. While AGEs are normally produced in the body at a slow rate, they can be toxic and form more quickly when food is heated to high temperatures. Inflammation is associated with heart disease among all people, but people with diabetes are thought to be particularly vulnerable. People who consumed foods cooked at lower temperatures had lower levels of both AGEs and inflammatory proteins than people who consumed the same foods cooked at higher temperatures. After 6 weeks, levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and concentrations of the inflammatory protein C-reactive protein (CRP) had also risen among those consuming the diet high in AGEs and declined among those in the reduced AGE group. TNF-alpha and CRP are both markers showing increased inflammation.  

Diet advice for optimal health and longevity questions
Any opinion on the drastic diet changes advised by acid -alkali balance advocates? Osteoporosis is my concern. Main stream research has indicated that high protein intake can rob the bones of calcium. Is there a possibility that other high acid foods also can have an effect?
     There are a number of acid alkali based based diet programs, each with its own focus on certain foods. In general we think it is not necessary to follow such a diet on a long term basis. Rather, we suggest a balanced diet based on the information on this page.

 I read your site often and benefit from the cutting edge information you provide. My question is a relatively simple one but I'll still ask it.  Is there any reason why a male should not take iron, say in a multi-vitamin
supplement at an RDA recommended level?  Or is it best for males to avoid iron supplementation altogether? 
     Since men do not lose iron like women do during periods, there is no need to supplement with this mineral unless blood studies show iron deficiency anemia. High doses of iron could act as a pro-oxidant and be harmful in those whose bodies have the tendency to store iron such as in a condition called hemochromatosis which affects a small minority of the population.

Does yohimbe bark help reduce food intake?
     This herb may help you eat less but it is not safe to use for long term since it can raise blood pressure and cause heart problems when used daily.

I never see info on diabetes prevention except "diet and exercise." Where can I receive more definitive information? If diabetes is at an epidemic level, why not more information available? What type of diet?
    The ideal diet for diabetes prevention would include a lot of fresh vegetables, along with a good amount of fish and reduced amounts of sugar and bad fats. Fruits are fine as long as not too many are eaten at one time. Also, it is best to limit fruit juice intake to less than 2 ounces at any one time.

I would great appreciate it if you would somehow incorporate a review on why humans should NOT be drinking milk, any milk whether it be goat, cow or otherwise. Humans are the ONLY mammals on the planet that continue to drink milk over six month of age. And the ONLY mammals on the planet that willingly drink another mammals milk. Goat’s milk is for goats. Cows milk is for cows. And human milk is for human until about 6months of age or so. After that, humans have absolutely NO business whatsoever with drinking any kind of milk. The interesting things about it is that it becomes a health hazard after its original purpose.
   We are not sure we agree that milk, when consumed in small amounts, is a health hazards for adults.