Therapeutic Diets

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Therapeutic Diets

 

 

 

When working with a qualified health professional and approaching specific

health problems, diet takes on renewed importance that requires new

understanding.

 

During the therapeutic process, a dietary program can be divided into three

parts, according to Dr. Berkson: the initial program is usually the most strict;

the modified program is more lenient as health improves; and once optimal health

is reached, the maintenance program is designed to maintain good habits and

proper nutrition.

After initiating a nutritional program, if a person gets worse, does not obtain

results, or becomes nauseated, the most common cause is not the program itself,

but due to the person's need for a bowel cleansing or rejuvenation program

first, says Dr. Berkson.

 

The severity of the body's condition and health will influence how long one

remains in each of the three dietary phases. It is important to recognize that

healing occurs in stages and dietary practices differ at each stage.

 

 

 

 

 

Special Healing Foods

 

All whole, natural foods have regenerative and restorative powers, says Dr.

Levin. Indeed, meeting the health needs of the body is the aim of a balanced

diet. Some foods, however, are unusually rich in nutrients and contain unique

chemical components.

 

Detoxification Therapy, Fasting, Juice Therapy

 

 

 

 

Garlic: This member of the lily family has well-documented health effects,

including reduction of serum cholesterol and triglycerides, prevention of clot

formation, reduction of blood pressure, and enhancement of immune capacity

through stimulation of natural killer cell activity. Garlic has sulfur-rich

compounds-allin and allicin, chromium, phosphorus, and sulfur-containing amino

acids. Raw garlic swallowed in small pieces with water, like tablets, is a great

flu remedy, or its cloves can be whole roasted and brushed lightly with oil. If

you are worried about bad breath, chew a sprig of parsley.

 

Ginger: The roots of this reedlike plant contain compounds called gingerols and

shogaols which relax the intestinal tract, prevent motion sickness, and relieve

nausea and vomiting (especially during pregnancy). Ginger is an excellent source

of minerals, especially manganese. Ginger ale can be a delicious bottled form of

this food. Buy only natural brands at health food stores and avoid the

overprocessed, sugar-sweetened, grocery store brands. A word of caution: ginger

can aggravate problems associated with elevated estrogen levels in women.

 

Blackstrap Molasses: Drop for drop, it contains more calcium than milk, more

iron than beef, and more potassium than bananas. It's easily used as a sugar

substitute or eaten in place of jam and jelly.

 

Yeasts: These single-celled organisms contain high concentrations of B vitamins

and many minerals including chromium, one of the key longevity nutrients. Yeasts

can be purchased in dried form and sprinkled on top of many foods. Baker's,

brewer's, and torula yeast are the three forms of " nutritional " yeasts most

commonly available. Do not eat yeast or yeast products if you have candidiasis,

the overgrowth of a naturally occuring fungus(Candida albicans) that may occur

when the immune system is weakened. (This may contribute to other immune

deficiency health conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome).

 

Candidiasis, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Herbal Medicine

 

 

 

 

Fermented Foods: Organic yogurt, buttermilk, sauerkraut, and beer are familiar

examples of fermented foods. These foods are processed with enzymes from

bacteria, yeasts, and molds that create gradual chemical changes in the

structure of the foods. Fermented foods aid in digestion and balance bacterial

populations in the gut. They also have a naturally long shelf life, and retain

their vitamin content much longer than nonfermented foods.

 

Raw Foods: While raw foods have a greater risk of contamination by

microorganisms than cooked foods, this risk is minimal with high-quality foods,

and is more than offset by the gain in nutrients and enzymes which would

otherwise be lost in cooking.

 

Also, high-fiber raw foods have water-absorbing properties which make them

especially effective in absorbing digestive juices from the gastrointestinal

tract, thus helping to regulate the digestive process.

 

None of these benefits are possible though, unless the raw foods are well

chewed.

 

Raw Juice: There is no better way to get the high-level nutrients from fresh,

organic vegetables than to run them through a juicer. The bioflavonoids in the

pulp of your peppers, for example, will be in the juice along with the vitamin

C. Experiment with different combinations like parsley, spinach, and cucumber;

or carrot, celery, and beet. Add fresh garlic and ginger for an immune boost.

 

 

 

 

 

Controversial Foods

 

While often touted by special interest groups, the safety of the following foods

has been called into question.

 

Sucrose: The classic position on sugar is that its only harmful effects are

obesity and dental cavities. But a substantial body of research suggests a

correlation between high sugar intake and a variety of health problems such as

colitis, mood swings, gallbladder disease, heart disease, childhood and adult

hyperactivity, ulcers, immune responsiveness, effects on hunger mechanisms,27

overeating, and even susceptibility to addictive behaviors such as excessive

alcohol intake.

 

Milk: Milk has traditionally been viewed as just about the most perfect

food-especially for children. However, more recently experts have begun to

question the safety of milk-especially for children. Dr. Benjamin Spock, the

world-famous child care expert, shocked the nation by appearing at a press

conference in 1992 warning parents about the dangers of milk.28

 

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), milk may

cause diabetes, ovarian cancer, cataracts, iron deficiency, and allergies in

both children and adults.

 

Additional medical research associates milk consumption with greater frequency

of cancer of the lymph system.30

 

The statements of the PCRM may have some merit but much more research will be

required for a final verdict. Until then, keep these safe eating guidelines in

mind:31

 

 

Breast milk is best for babies. Efficient breast pumps can be rented from

hospitals to extract breast milk and make life easier for working mothers.

 

 

Mothers who are breast-feeding infants whose siblings or parents had childhood

diabetes should avoid drinking large amounts of cow's milk as some proteins from

the cow's milk that can trigger this condition can be absorbed into their breast

milk.

 

 

 

Those who suffer from recurring bouts of diarrhea, bronchitis, eczema, asthma,

or runny nose, should be tested for a milk allergy.

 

 

In addition, whole milk and whole dairy products like ice cream and cheese

contain concentrated fat-soluble pesticides that have been shown to cause cancer

in laboratory animals.

 

They can also contain sulfa drugs and antibiotics as a result of mixing milk

from healthy cows with the milk from ill or medicated cows. For protection

against toxins in dairy products, rely on nonfat dairy products.

 

Another option is milk substitutes such as non-gmo soy, almond, rice, or even

goat's milk.

 

Health food stores and many supermarkets sell these products, which are

frequently made with organic (pesticide-free) ingredients.

 

Butter and Margarine: Many medical experts today are concerned about the safety

of margarine because of its high content of hydrogenated oils.

 

Hydrogenation is a process that turns liquid oils into semi-solid globules. This

process artificially alters the chemical structure of the fatty acids in the

product. Hydrogenated oils are also called trans-fatty acids. They are most

often found in shortenings, cakes, crackers, cookies, french fries, and chips.

They tend to act like saturated animal fats in the human body by raising

cholesterol.

 

 

 

Butter, on the other hand, contains both saturated fat and, like other fatty

dairy products, a whole host of carcinogenic pesticides and chemicals.

 

Because neither butter nor margarine present a clear-cut option, it is best to

use them in moderation, and find substitutes whenever possible.

 

Moderators Note: It is not advisable to use any margarine. Even moderate amounts

elevate transfatty acid levels in your bloodstream and are shown to have a

proven link to diabetes, heart disease, cancer and a host of other terminal

diseases.

 

 

 

 

The Whole Oil Story

 

There are three types of fats, or lipids, which are differentiated by their

chemical makeup: saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. The human body

needs a certain amount of each of these lipids for its proper function. Common

fats and oils have components of all of these lipids. For example, organic

canola oil is made up of 62 percent monounsaturated fat, 32 percent

polyunsaturated fat, and 6 percent saturated fat.

 

Saturated Fats: These are primarily found in animal foods and tropical oils such

as coconut and palm oil. Due to their chemical structure, saturated fats tend to

remain solid at room temperature.

 

Though there is tremendous evidence that appears to support the relationship

between high fat intake from animal sources and heart disease, some amount of

saturated fat in the diet is necessary.

Saturated fat is needed for the liver's production of cholesterol, an important

component in the structure of cell membranes. In addition, stearic acid, one of

the most common saturated animals fats, has been shown in some studies to be

beneficial in fighting cardiovascular disease.

 

Monounsaturated Fats: Monounsaturated fats are considered healthier than

polyunsaturated fats because of their ability to lower LDL (commonly called bad)

cholesterol while maintaining or raising HDL (or good) cholesterol. Organic

Canola oil and olive oil are naturally high in mono-unsaturated fats.

 

Although the evidence is not ironclad, a study published in the Journal of the

American Medical Association surveyed 4,900 Italian men and women, whose ages

ranged from twenty to fifty-nine, and found that those people who had a diet

high in olive oil and low in butter and margarine also had lower overall levels

of cholesterol and blood pressure than people whose diets included more butter

and margarine.

 

Polyunsaturated Fats: Plentiful in safflower, sunflower, and corn oil,

polyunsaturated fats contain both omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids

(EFA's).

 

Omega-6 is beneficial when a person is injured, causing blood to clot and blood

vessels to constrict.

 

In contrast, omega-3 inhibits harmful clotting, relaxes vascular smooth muscle,

and has an anti-arrhythmic effect, reducing the risk of heart disease.

 

Humans evolved on a diet that contained small but roughly equal amounts of

omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.

 

Then, about one hundred years ago, the food supply began to change.

 

The vegetable oil industry began to hydrogenate oil, which reduced the oil's

omega-3 content.

 

At the same time, the domestic livestock industry began to use feed grains,

which happen to be rich in omega-6 fatty acid and low in omega-3's. As a result,

the American diet now has an EFA ratio of 20-25:1 omega-6 to omega-3, rather

than the 1:1 ratio with which humans evolved.

 

The modern diet is too high in omega-6's, which may contribute to heart disease.

 

There are many foods that can boost the intake of omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Fish is a good source, as well as beans-especially Great Northern, kidney, navy,

and non-gmo soy beans.35

In oils, omega-3 is most abundant in flaxseed, but there is also organic canola

oil with a 10 percent omega-3 content, pumpkin seed, evening primrose, borage

seed, walnut, and black currant oils.

 

Some of the symptoms of an omega-3 fatty acid deficiency include increased

allergies, dry hair and skin, brittle nails, acne, eczema, rashes, or tiny lumps

on the backs of your arms. To find out if any of these symptoms might be related

to a lack of omega-3 in the diet, take a teaspoon or two daily of pure flaxseed

(linseed) oil, the vegetable oil richest in omega-3 fatty acids, and see if

symptoms diminish.

 

High temperature cooking, such as frying, destroys the EFA content of certain

oils. Oils such as flaxseed and walnut should only be used for baking, and in

soups and salads. When frying foods, use the more heat stable oils-sesame,

avocado, macademia nut and olive.

 

Hydrogenated Oil: Many processed foods contain " partially hydrogenated oil " as

an ingredient. Hydrogenated oils contain man-made molecules called trans-fatty

acids, which may interfere with normal metabolic functions due to their unusual

molecular shape. The natural form of fatty acids, called the cis form, has a

molecular shape that is biochemically suited for human health.

 

According to John R. Lee, M.D., of Sebastopol, California, " Trans-fatty acids

enter our metabolic processes but are defective for our bodily uses.

 

Our cell membranes, our hormone synthesis, our immune system, our ability to

deal with inflammation and to heal, and many, many other vital systems all

become defective when trans-fatty acids substitute for the health-giving cis

fatty acids. Unknowingly, we are poisoning ourselves. "

 

Many processed food products contain these hydrogenated oils. However, in the

United states, the exact amount of trans-fatty acids in a product is not

required to be listed on the label of the product.

 

As Dr. Lee points out, " Other countries, such as Canada, are more enlightened;

food labeling there now requires that the included fats be measured and

identified in terms of cis or trans forms. " For better nutrition, he advises,

" Choose organic butter over margarine; olive oil and flaxseed oils over the many

processed oils on the supermarket shelves; fresh vegetables over canned or

otherwise processed ones; and learn to read labels. "

 

Oxidized Oils: When oils are overheated and used for too long, as is the case

with the cooking oils at fast food restaurants, they become oxidized.

 

Oxidized oils are loaded with oxygen-damaging free radicals, according to

Bernhard Hennig, Ph.D., R.D., of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science,

College of Human Environmental Sciences, University of Kentucky.37 To counteract

the dangers of free radicals, Dr. Lee advises taking vitamin and mineral

supplements. " Protect your metabolic processes and cell membranes with

antioxidants such as vitamins C, A (or beta-carotene), and E, plus the mineral

antioxidant, selenium, " he says.

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

27. Geiselman, P. J.; and Novin, D. " Sugar Infusion Can Enhance Feeling. "

Science 218 no. 4571 (Oct, 1982):490-491.

 

28. Liebman, B. " Crying Over Milk. " Nutrition Action (Dec, 1992): 1, 6-7.

 

29. Liebman, B. " Crying Over Milk. " Nutrition Action (Dec, 1992): 1, 6-7.

 

30. Ursin, G.; et al. " Milk Consumption and Cancer Incidence: A Norwegian

Prospective Study. " British Journal of Cancer 61 no. 3 (Mar, 1990): 456-459.

 

31. Liebman, B. " Crying Over Milk. " Nutrition Action (Dec, 1992): 1, 6-7.

 

32. Bonanome, A.; and Grundy, S. M. " Effect of Dietary Stearic Acid on Plasma

Cholesterol and Lipoprotein Levels. " New England Journal of Medicine 318 no 19

(May, 1988): 1244-1248.

 

33. Trevisan, M.; et al. " Consumption of Olive Oil, Butter and Vegetable Oils

and Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors. " The Research Group ATS-RF2 of the

Italian National Research Council. Journal of the American Medical Association

263 no. 5 (Feb, 1990): 688-692.

 

34. Simopoulos, A. P. " Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Health and Disease and in Growth

and Development. " American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 54 no. 3 (Sep, 1991):

438-463.

 

35. Steinman, D. Diet for a Poisoned Planet. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990,

158-159.

 

36. Statistics received from chart. References: Canola Oil: Data on file,

Procter and Gamble. All others: Reeves, J. B.; and Weihrauch, J. L. Composition

of Foods, Agriculture Handbook. No. 8-4 Washington D.C.: United States

Department of Agriculture, 1979.

 

37. Hennig, B. " Dietary Fat and Macronutrients: Relationships to

Atherosclerosis. " Journal of Optimal Nutrition 1 no. 1 (1992): 21-23.

 

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DietaryTipsForHBP

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