Best Defense Against Health Care - Diets That Keep You Healthy

My answer to this health care mess is to try to stay healthy! And the best way to do that is to eat healthy, get your vitamins, exercise, rest and de-stress.

The over eating and too much junk food consumed by Americans are making us obese and sick. Obesity itself leads to many diseases: diabetes, cancer, heart attacks...

And most health care in American only treats the symptoms of the disease. It doesn't keep you from getting it. So I want to share 3 diets that will help you prevent 3 different diseases.

Osteoporosis

The first is osteoporosis; a growing concern for women and men, old and young.

Choose a low acid diet. An acidic diet increases calcium loss from the bones because it makes the blood acidic and to neutralize it, calcium is pulled from the bone. Cheese and meat are acid forming.

A low acidic diet would be 6 to 9 servings of fruit and vegetables per day.

Neutral foods are OK. These are: beans, soy, pasta and breads. If you have moderately acidic foods (rice, milk, yogurt and eggs) you should balance them with fruits and vegetables.

Caffeine also leaches calcium from the bones.

Vitamins you need are: 3 milligrams of boron, 1200 - 1500 milligrams of calcium, 2 milligrams of copper, up to 10 milligrams of fluoride, magnesium, 400 iu of Vitamin D, up to 100 micrograms of Vitamin K and 15 milligrams of zinc.

It's also a good idea to cut sodas, salt and alcohol.

Cancer

The second diet concerns Cancer. Cancer is an uncontrolled growth of cells and it starts when something causes a change.

Most people by now have heard of free radicals: caused by smog, overeating, high fat diets, trauma, injury, inflammation, too much sun, too much radiation, (from TVs, computers, cell phones, etc.) high blood sugar, aging and chronic diseases. Our bodies need antioxidants to fight these free radicals. These include: garlic, fruits and vegetables, (especially cruciferous) B12, magnesium, folic acid, Lycopene, Vitamins A, C, E and Selenium.

The worst things that actually promote cancer are: sugar and refined carbohydrates, alcohol, obesity and tobacco. Animal products also figure highly in cancer risk.

Here's a cheat sheet of what to eat and do and what not to eat and stop doing:

Do:

Eat foods like oranges, apples, grapes, tomatoes, garlic, onions, Brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli, red bell pepper, blue berries, black berries, green tea, turmeric, thyme, rosemary, mint, basil, sage, ginger, omega-3 fatty acid (walnuts are a good source), soy beans, black beans, carrots, olive oil and tofu.

Increase fiber in your diet

Exercise (walking is great)

Get enough sleep

Don't:

At least cut way back on meat, fats (especially Trans fats), processed foods and cheese.

Avoid excessive exposure to chemicals, hydrocarbons and cleaning solvents.

Cut back on caffeine.

Sugar is a cancer feeder. So is white flour.

Maintain a good weight.

Cut stress as much as possible

A seminar I went to said if we just didn't smoke, drink, eat meat and had a diet high in fiber and low in fat and kept a normal weight we could prevent 80% of cancers.

Cholesterol

The 3rd diet concerns cholesterol. Our livers manufacture cholesterol, but we also get it from animal products. It is important for our health to keep our cholesterol levels as low as possible.

If you want to do this by diet instead of taking pills (and who doesn't?) here's what you should be doing.

Stop eating meat and its by-products. This means fish, chicken, beef, pork, milk, cheese and eggs. You should also eliminate fried foods and highly processed foods. Reduce Trans fats.

Eat fresh fruits and vegetables; especially apples, carrots and citrus fruits, and lots of whole grains; lentils, barley and oats for fiber. Eat lots of antioxidants. Drink green tea and water. A few nuts each day are good for you, but remember they are high in fat, so not too many. Garlic is good for lowering both cholesterol and blood pressure.

As far as life style changes: do not smoke, exercise daily, de-stress and get enough sleep.

As you can see a lot of these preventive measures overlap. Eating well will go along way in keeping you healthy, putting dollars in your pockets and years on your life!

Nancy Geiger is a freelance writer who also owns an online store called givitup: [givitup.com] writes 3 daily blogs: What I Learned Teaching Sunday School, A Brides Cookbook or Surviving the First Year and Starting an Online Store Called givitup. She also has written a cookbook called 'A Bride's Cookbook or Surviving the First Year' which can be found in her store.