Americans are drowning in a sea of misinformation about nutrition! When I talk to "experts" on the subject, there is often a betrayal of this misinformation that surfaces in the discussion.
Nutrient Deficiency is rampent in America because of this misinformation. Americans eat near 90% of their total calories from Refined or Processed Foods and Animal Products. We eat about 10% of our total calories from Unrefined plant foods. (Vegetables, Fruits, Unrefined grains, Beans, Legumes, Nuts and Seeds.) Of the 10% Unrefined Plant foods we do eat, @ 4% is made up of Potatoes, eaten in the form of French fries and potato chips. Americans are nutrient deficient because we do not eat a sufficient quantity or variety of fresh produce and whole foods!
The message most Americans are getting today is that you don't have to go on a low fat diet to be healthy, you just need to replace "bad fats" (saturated fats from animal sources) with "good fats" like olive oil. The Myth of Heart Healthy Oils is born!
The Mediterranean Diet
In the 1950's, people in the Mediterranean region of the world were lean and virtually free of heart disease. 40% of their caloric intake came from olive oil. Their diet consisted mostly of fruits, vegetables, beans and some fish. Saturated fat was less than 6% of their total fat intake. Their lifestyle was exceptionally healthy; they worked hard in the fields all day. They walked on average about 9 miles each day. They did lots of manual labor. However, Americans didn't take the message to eat loads of vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains and get lots of exercise. The media promoted and we accepted the message that olive oil is a healthy food!
Today the people of the Mediterranean area are "fat" just like Americans. They still eat a lot of olive oil but their consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans etc. is way down. Today they eat Meat, Cheese and Fish and their activity level is way down too. Today heart disease has skyrocketed. More than half of the population is considered overweight. Mediterranean people of the 1950's were not healthy because of olive oil, they were healthy in spite of it. Oil of all kinds adds to your already plump waist. This heightens the risk of diseases like, Diabetes (type II), Hypertension and Heart Disease.
What can we do about this?
1. Eat at least two large salads everyday. A minimum of a pound of raw vegetables.
2. Eat at least 3-4 raw fruits each day. Don't drink fruit juice. Eat the fruit in its original, natural container.
3. Eat at least one cup of beans or legumes each day.
4. Eat at least a pound of cooked vegetables each day. (lightly steamed and still a dente!)
5. Eat one serving of whole grains each day.
6. Living Oil free has been shown to heal the bodies "endothelium." The lining of the coronary arteries designed to emit Nitric Oxide, the substance that keeps your blood slippery inside the arteries.
As the amount of raw fruits and vegetables are increased in your diet, weight loss and blood pressure are usually lowered effortlessly. That is a good thing!
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