Diet advice by Ray Sahelian, M.D. - How to Have a Healthy Diet (most of the time) - Diet influences most medical conditions
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Many cases of serious illness and premature death are caused by poor diet. Insufficient consumption of fish, fruits and vegetables is as bad for human health as smoking. This web page, updated regularly, provides you with information on healthy diet choices. Please keep in mind that you don't have to eat  perfectly all the time. I personally strive to live my life as an A rather than an A+. It's too hard to try to be perfect all the time. I provide an extensive list of healthy dietary choices a few paragraphs below.
   Make changes slowly and accept the fact that there may be times when you binge on unhealthy snacks and foods. I personally try to do my best and have a healthy diet, but I have my weaknesses too. For instance, I love chocolate and occasionally I have a candy bar or ice cream, or a piece of pie. So, don't be hard on yourself if you can't follow the recommendations perfectly. If you would like to improve your will power and eat less, consider an effective appetite suppressant called Diet-Rx.

Diet Rx natural appetite suppressant
If you would like to eat less, consider a product called Diet Rx. This natural appetite suppressant works without stimulants. Diet Rx has no added caffeine, ephedra, ephedrine alkaloids, synephrine, hormones, guarana, ginseng, or stimulating amino acids. 

Benefits of Diet Rx
All natural appetite suppressant, decreases appetite so you eat less
Helps you maintain healthy blood sugar levels
Helps you maintain healthy cholesterol and lipid levels
Provides a variety of antioxidant from two dozen herbs and nutrients
Provides healthy fiber
Improves energy
Balances mood
Improves mental concentration and focus
Improves will power and choice of food selection

You can get a FREE sample bottle of Diet Rx, find out the ingredients, and see a list of hundreds of high quality natural supplement products

Oils and Fats        
Flaxseed oil and extra virgin olive oil are good choices. I am still uncertain of the benefits, if any, of additional coconut oil intake, although small amounts seem reasonable to add to one's diet. 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.
   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. Olestra consumption reduces blood levels of carotenoids.

Sweeteners
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.

Diet supplement options to consider - Diet pill
5-HTP is a nutrient that helps curb appetite in some individuals . 5-HTP, by converting into serotonin, can be used temporarily to improve will power and decrease the urge to eat until more established weight loss habits are in place.
Hoodia is a cactus plant extract from the Kalahari desert in South Africa that has been getting a lot of attention lately.

Eat less, live longer
A study involving mice and low-calorie diets indicates that it's never too late to cut back on the calories to prolong life, even in your later years. Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, said mice they put on a low-calorie exhibited characteristics of slowed aging. Results from the study suggest older humans could reap the benefits of such dietary changes as quickly as the mice.
The sooner you cut back, the longer you may live. Researchers put young and old mice on short- and long-term low-calorie diets, then observed changes in the genes of their liver cells. Restricting calories reversed the changes in several genes that were altered in aging animals. They also determined that older mice put on short-term, low-calorie diets demonstrated 70 percent of the anti-aging effects of the test animals that had been on a long-term reduced-calorie diet. In other words, an old mouse on a low-calorie diet lived longer but not as long as one that started on the diet early in its life.
   Dr. Sahelian says: several studies over the past decades have shown the association between eating less and longevity. The difficult task remains, though, on whether most of us have the will power to eat less when so many delicious meals and snacks are within close reach. A healthy diet can lower high blood pressure.

Diet Research Update
Eating a diet rich in beans, nuts and cereals could help to prevent cancer because the foods contain a natural compound that inhibits the growth of tumors.The substance is called inositol pentakisphosphate, and also found in lentils and peas. Inositol pentakisphosphate inhibits an enzyme called phosphoinositde 3-kinase, which promotes tumour growth. When the researchers tested inositol pentakisphosphate in mice and cancer cells in the laboratory, it killed the animal tumors and enhanced the effect of drugs used against ovarian and lung cancer cells.

Cereals, breads and other products containing whole or milled barley grain can now claim to reduce the risk of heart disease. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's ruling allows companies to immediately begin advertising the benefit on their product packages, which many food makers hope will help boost consumer sales. "Consumers can expect to see whole barley and dry milled barley products such as flakes, grits, flour, meal, and barley meal bearing the health claim," the FDA said in a statement.To qualify, barley-containing foods must provide at least 0.75 grams of soluble fiber per serving. Like other grains, barley contains fiber that health experts say can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, which can restrict blood flow and lead to chest pain and heart attacks. The barley trade group, in its request, said new data showed 3 grams of barley lowered cholesterol by about 5 percent -- similar to oatmeal.

Scientists have discovered why eating a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables and particularly olive oil can help to protect women from developing breast cancer. The key is oleic acid, the main component of olive oil. Dr Javier Menendez, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said oleic acid blocks the action of a cancer-causing oncogene called HER-2/neu, which is found in about 30 percent of breast cancer patients. "We have something now that is able to explain why the Mediterranean diet is so healthy," Menendez told Reuters. Doctors and researchers had been aware that eating a Mediterranean diet reduced the risk of breast cancer and other illnesses such as heart disease. But until now they did not know how.

Researchers may have come up with another reason to eat well. A new study suggests diets rich in fruits, vegetables and dairy foods can prevent the disabilities that often come with age. The study, which followed 9,404 middle-aged Americans for nine years, found that a healthy diet seemed particularly beneficial among African-American women, who are generally at greater risk than white women of developing physical limitations as they age. Researchers found that African American women who ate the most fruits and vegetables on a daily basis were about one-third to one-half less likely than those with the lowest intakes to develop problems with activities such as walking, climbing stairs and doing household chores. High intakes of dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt showed an even stronger protective effect. Similar benefits were found among white women -- at least when it came to fruit and vegetable intake -- though the protective effect was not as great. The findings are published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Fatty acid profile, tocopherol, squalene and phytosterol content of walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts and the macadamia nut.
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2004 May;55(3):171-8.
Nuts are high in fat but have a fatty acid profile that may be beneficial in relation to risk of coronary heart disease. Nuts also contain other potentially cardioprotective constituents including phytosterols, tocopherols and squalene. In the present study, the total oil content, peroxide value, composition of fatty acids, tocopherols, phytosterols and squalene content were determined in the oil extracted from freshly ground walnuts, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts and the macadamia nut. The total oil content of the nuts ranged from 37.9 to 59.2%, while the peroxide values ranged from 0.19 to 0.43 meq O2/kg oil. The main monounsaturated fatty acid was oleic acid (C18:1) with substantial levels of palmitoleic acid (C16:1) present in the macadamia nut. The main polyunsaturated fatty acids present were linoleic acid (C18:2) and linolenic acid (C18:3). alpha-Tocopherol was the most prevalent tocopherol except in walnuts. The levels of squalene detected ranged from 9.4 to 186.4 microg/g. beta-Sitosterol was the most abundant sterol, ranging in concentration from 991.2 to 2071.7 microg/g oil. Campesterol and stigmasterol were also present in significant concentrations. Our data indicate that all five nuts are a good source of monounsaturated fatty acid, tocopherols, squalene and phytosterols.

Making the switch from a regular meat-and-dairy diet to an all plant-based, vegan diet may be easier than it would seem, new research suggests. Among a group of overweight, postmenopausal women, most of those who followed a vegan diet -- which contains no animal products such as dairy, meat or eggs -- said they enjoyed the diet. Most women also said they were mostly or completely used to the vegan diet after 14 weeks, and planned to continue it, for the most part at least, in the future. Moreover, women eating only vegan foods lost an average of 13 pounds, more than women who followed a standard low-fat diet.

Food containing olive oil can carry labels saying they may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, the government says, citing limited evidence from a dozen scientific studies about the benefits of monounsaturated fats.

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.

High intake of fatty foods is associated with GERD.

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.  

Different diet types
Mediterranean diet, South beach diet, zone diet, Atkins diet, and low carb diet.

Diet emails
Q. 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? 
   A. 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.

Q. Can you tell me about glyconutrients?
   A. You can find information on diet and glyconutrients at the website.
 

Additional links
Natural Vitamin C with bioflavonoids supplement
Natural Vitamin E complex supplement
B complex supplement