I have long said we could and should do better. We all deserve so much better! Personal health is not the responsibility of the country, your doctor, the president, the FDA or any other entity outside of your own being. Each of us is the author of our own disease or health (Buddha) and it is about time we each pick up the pen and start composing a new story, a healthy story!
I very much like the new “My Plate” introduced to the public last week. http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-food-pyramid-my-plate-20110602,0,3942518.story
These new dietary guidelines finds us eating half of our daily intake from fruits and vegetables, a quarter from grains and the reaming quarter from protein. It is great to see the previous “meat” category expanded to the new “protein” category indicating and finally recognizing that we as humans can intake our protein from a variety of healthy and complete sources outside of the animal kingdom. The My Plate also includes a glass of dairy off to the side. From my perspective the dairy is included to continue to keep Americans calcium levels high with the thought that this will help reduce skyrocketing osteoporosis statistic here in the US. However, dairy is one of the very reasons we are seeing the skyrocket of osteoporosis rates. Dairy provides a very poor vitamin and mineral ratios as well as makes the human body a much more acidic environment. All of which leads to the further loss of calcium and overall deterioration of the skeletal system. For my complete take on dairy and whether or not it really does a body good please see subsequent article Dairy – It Does A Human Body Bad.
It will be interesting to start looking at health statistic in the next 10-20 years following these new dietary recommendations. I suspect it will take some time for American’s to adjust their diets and begin seeing the true health benefits, but with this transition to less acidic high protein diet and the inclusion of a higher percentage of plant based foods we should begin to see the reeducation of sickness and disease, primarily in the categories of heart and brain degenerative diseases, osteoporosis and arthritic disorders and chronic degenerative disease in general. We should also begin to see the decline of childhood disorders such as ADD, ADHD, hyperactivity, diabetes and obesity as well as allergies, asthma, ear infections and skin disorders such as eczema. All this just from switching to a plant based diet?!?! YES!!!
We have updated the My Plate just a little to include some very important foods we think helps to make the My Plate the ideal optimal nutritional recommendation.
We keep fruits and veggies at 50% of daily intake. This helps to ensure the body is getting all the vitamins, minerals, fiber, active live enzymes and phytochemcials that it needs in order to repair restore and live at the very highest levels of health. We add the words “organic” and “fresh” to the plate because we know that the highest levels of what we need only can come through fresh products that have not been altered, saturated with chemicals or grown in depleted chemical laden soil.
We keep protein right where it needs to be at 20% of the daily diet, but add “high quality” and “organic again. High quality protein is important because 1) high quality protein is more efficient in the body which allows the body need less and 2) high quality protein allows the body to utilize and then eliminate normal metabolites efficiently and without stressing or taxing the body or body organs and systems.
We expand the previous “Grain” group to “Organic Grains, Lentils, Nuts and Seeds” and recommend 20% of daily diet. Lentils provide a storehouse of nutritional value and products including protein, vitamins and minerals. Nuts and seeds are important in the diet for so many reasons because they hold a wealth of nutritional benefits and ingredients. In a recent look at the nutritional differences between tree nut eaters and non-eaters, researchers have reported some pretty notable findings: on a daily average, tree nut eaters take in 5 grams more fiber, 260 milligrams more potassium, 73 more milligrams of calcium, 95 more milligrams of magnesium, 3.7 milligrams more vitamin E, and 157 milligrams less sodium!
We include 10% fresh organic live fruit and vegetables juices because of their important to overall health of the body and mind. Fresh organic juices can be put into the category “super food” because they are highly nutrient and mineral dense. In juice form you can intake a much larger quantity of vitamins, minerals, fresh and active enzymes and phytochemcials then you could simply by eating the same fruits and vegetables. These fresh juices also help to flush the tissues, cells and body organs keeping the body naturally cleansed and hydrated.
Health comes one choice at a time, one plate at a time at the individual level. So take time at each meal when filling your plate to consciously considering the options you select ensuring you are the author of your own best health story!
Consume consciously and enjoy your week!
If you have any questions or would like to consult with us privately you can reach us via email at Candice@alignholistichealth.com or through our web site at www.alignholistichealth.com
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