Diseases We Eat
Food Related Diseases: If you have one or more of the following diseases or if you have a family history of specific diseases, you can take control of your health by reading & learning how food choices can contribute to preventing, healing or damaging your body.
What we eat or choose not to eat will increase or lower our risk factors for being healthy or becoming sick.
Below are a list of diseases that have risk factors associated with food:
Obesity
Cardiovascular Diseases (e.g., Coronary Artery Disease, High Blood Pressure, Myocardial Infarction, Stroke)
Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2 Diabetes)
Certain Cancers (e.g., Colorectal, Breast, Prostate)
Osteoporosis
Metabolic Syndrome (combination of abnormal blood sugar (glucose), cholesterol/triglycerides (blood lipids), waist circumference &/or blood pressure)
High Cholesterol, LDL, Triglycerides & Low HDL
Liver Diseases
Kidney Disease
Dementia (e.g., Alzheimer’s)
Mental Illness (e.g., Depression, Anxiety)
Dental (e.g., tooth decay, gum disease)
Nutrient Deficiencies (e.g., anemia and vitamins)
Immune Diseases
Chronic Inflammation
Avoid, Minimize, Eliminate: We are all starting in different places and we have different goals & motivations.
Some of us want to:
prevent the development of a disease
reverse & heal a disease
stop an imminent risk of a life changing occurrence (e.g., loss of bodily functions, death)
decrease pain
be more active
achieve a specific body type
While there are many lifestyle changes that can contribute to these wants (e.g., relaxation techniques, cardio/resistance training, breathing exercises, social networks), avoiding, minimizing or eliminating specific foods can have a positive impact on achieving your wants.
Just remember that the faster you eliminate these foods from your meals, the faster your body will go from harming to healing.
Some foods to Avoid, Minimize & Eliminate are:
Processed Foods/Highly-Processed Foods/Ultra-Processed Foods (e.g., foods containing unknown manufactured/laboratory ingredients)
Refined Starches/Carbohydrates (e.g., sugar, white flour, muffins)
Saturated Fats (e.g., ice cream, butter, cheese, processed meats [sausage, bacon, deli meats], chips, frozen meals [pizza, burritos, snacks])
Sugary Foods (e.g., energy drinks, soda, juice-cocktails, cakes, doughnuts, pastries, granola bars, flavored yogurt)
Candy
Salty Foods (e.g., chips)
Non-Dairy Coffee Creamers
Alcohol
Read about the disease that you want to address and make food changes to heal your body.
Add, Increase & Enjoy: Again, we are all starting in different places and we have different goals & motivations.
To lower food related disease risk factors, add, increase & teach your taste buds to enjoy the following foods as it relates to the disease that you want to prevent or contribute to its healing.
Some foods to Add, Increase & Enjoy are:
Vegetables of a variety of different colors
Fruits of a variety of different colors
Beans
Legumes
Whole Grains (e.g., Brown Rice, Barley, Oats)
Nuts
Seeds
For meat eaters: Whole, Unprocessed Animal-Based Food (small portions [e.g., 3 to 4 ounces]
Read about the foods that contribute to a specific disease & make the changes needed to heal your body.
Food-Drug Interaction: If you are taking medications, read about food-drug interactions & talk to your doctor & pharmacist to learn about which foods to avoid.
What to Eat: The current best overall meals to lower your risks of food related diseases are:
Whole-Food, Plant-Based
Traditional Mediterranean
DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension [also helps with other food related disease risks)
So, What Do I Do: As previously stated, we all are in different places and we have different goals & motivations.
So, what do I eat?
I eat foods to help me avoid the following conditions & family history of specific diseases:
Inflammation & Oxidative Stress caused by foods
Metabolic Syndrome
High Blood Pressure
High Cholesterol & Triglycerides
Heart Disease (atherosclerosis)
Aneurysm
Type 2 Diabetes
Cancer (liver, bowel)
Dementia
Macular Degeneration
Glaucoma
Obesity
To keep it simple, I eat whole-food, plant-based meals.
This means that I eat a colorful variety of vegetables & fruits, beans, legumes, whole grains, nuts & seeds.
Because I eat a variety of plants, I get plenty of fiber, proteins, good fats, low-glycemic carbohydrates/starches, vitamins, minerals & micronutrients. The only vitamin that I take to support my nutritional needs is B12.
Eating whole food, plant-based meals is an easy way for me to lower my disease risks & it supports my physical health goals.