Super Immunity

“Most health authorities today are in agreement that we should add more servings of healthy fruits and vegetables to our diet. I disagree.

Thinking about our diet in this fashion doesn’t adequately address the problem. Instead of considering adding protective fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, and nuts to our disease-causing diet, we must make these foods the main focus of the diet itself.

Once we understand this major mindset shift and begin to build our diet around fruits, vegetables, beans, seeds, and nuts, then we can add foods that are not in this category to the diet.”

“Most of what doctors do to treat today’s diseases does little to extend human lifespan; in the majority of cases, it is almost worthless. Why so? Because the drugs prescribed by doctors encourage patients’ risky life-style behaviors and self-destructive eating choices to continue; they give patients “permission” to continue poor behaviors because they mask the symptoms of disease. The symptoms are not the actual pathology (or damage); they are just markers that the pathology has developed. Treating the symptoms does not halt the advancing pathology, which in all likelihood will continue to worsen. That “solution” is akin to your mechanic’s “fixing” the flashing oil light on your car’s dashboard by simply snipping the wire to the light. If today’s symptom-suppressing medications were not available, more effective lifestyle modifications could be insisted on by physicians and advisors in authority and thus would more likely be implemented by their patients and the general population.”

“Green vegetables such as kale, cabbage, collards, and broccoli, plus some nongreen vegetables such as cauliflower and turnips, are called “cruciferous vegetables.” They are named for their flowers, which have four equally spaced petals in the shape of a cross—hence the Latin word crucifer, meaning “cross-bearer.” All vegetables contain protective micronutrients and phytochemicals, but cruciferous vegetables have a unique chemical composition: they have sulfur-containing compounds that are responsible for their pungent bitter flavors. When their cell walls are broken by blending or chopping, a chemical reaction occurs that converts their sulfur-containing compounds into isothiocyanates (ITCs)—an array of compounds with proven and powerful immune-boosting effects and anticancer activity.”

“In the case of every one of the super foods, a moderate amount alone offers substantial benefits. However, as noted earlier, my argument and recommendations are for people to eat significant protective amounts of these super foods, and to include them all (or most of them) in your diet. Super Immunity is created by a diet with a portfolio of immune system-strengthening and cancer-fighting foods. Here’s a good way to remember the essentials:

GOMBBS

Greens, onions, mushrooms, berries, beans, seeds
Greens, onions, mushrooms, berries, beans, seeds
Greens, onions, mushrooms, berries, beans, seeds”

“The most consistent and proven concept in the history of nutritional science is that the combination of high-nutrient intake and low-caloric intake promotes disease resistance and longevity. It is the basis for my health equation:

Health = Nutrients/Calories

What this equation means is that your health will improve as you eat more foods with a high nutrient-per-calorie density and fewer foods with a low nutrient-per-calorie density. First and foremost, avoid low-nutrient foods such as white breads and processed foods. White flour, other refined grains (such as those found in sweetened breakfast cereals), soft drinks, sweets, and even fruit juices are weight-promoting, lead to diabetes, and raise triglyceride and cholesterol levels, increasing heart attack risk. Furthermore, these low-nutrient processed foods also suppress immune function, increasing one’s risk of infection and cancer. Incredibly, by 2010 these processed foods had become 62 percent of the calories consumed in the standard American diet.”

“Now that you know what foods are super foods and what you should be eating for Super Immunity, the question is how much processed food, french fries, pizza, burgers, and fried rice you can eat and still be protected. And if you love meat, I bet you’re wondering how much animal product you can eat and still stay healthy.

The answer? I don’t know for sure, and nobody does—but my review of the world’s scientific literature over the last twenty years suggests that the combination of processed foods and animal products should comprise less than 10 percent of your total caloric intake; go beyond that and you start to pay a significant price in health issues. In general try not to eat more than one or two foods a day that are not health-supporting.”

“The researchers found that the frequency of colds among people who exercised five or more days a week was up to 46 percent less than that of people who were largely sedentary—that is, who exercised only one day or less per week. These results are stunning—half the number of viral infections for those who were exercising regularly! Furthermore, when these individuals did come down with an illness, it was not as severe an illness, and the number of days of being ill was a whopping 41 percent less.

Exercise not only helps your immune system fight off simple bacterial and viral infections; it also decreases your chances of developing heart disease, osteoporosis, and cancer. The key to the longevity-promoting effects of exercise is maintaining a high degree of exercise tolerance and fitness.”

“No matter what your health is today, you can improve it. When we make the right choices, we can live better and be healthier. Do not be complacent with doing what other people do. Do not be complacent with taking medications for the rest of your life. You can recover. Your body has an amazing healing potential waiting to be unleashed by the gift of superior nutrition.”