Seven Best and Seven Worst Foods for Health and Longevity
(Source: http://www.drfuhrman.com/seven.html)
Because food has the power to heal, my patients often ask me for my top list
of healthy food – the anti-oxidant foods, heart healthy foods, and nutritious
foods that are central to the Eat To Live program. These high nutrient foods,
consumed regularly, will contribute to your health and longevity. What you eat
-- now and when you were growing up -- dramatically affects the state of your
health. The effect is cumulative, influencing everything from the amount of
energy you have (or lack), to your emotional state, medical condition, and ultimately
longevity
Top Seven Foods for Good Health and Longevity
Black raspberries
Strawberries
Blueberries
Flax Seeds
Green Leafy Vegetables
Tomatoes
Broccoli sprouts
The healthy and nutritious foods are high antioxidant foods, primarily fruits
and vegetables. I selected these healthy foods because they contain the most
powerful phytochemicals and anthocyanins which illustrate strong inhibition
of chemocarcinogens.
Other foods with high antioxidant and high anti-cancer potential include walnuts,
sunflower seeds, pomegranates, beets, cabbage, peppers, and parsley. Make your
diet strongly cancer-protective and longevity-favorable by including these highly
beneficial, nutritious foods. A good way to think about nutritious food: Produce
is the most important health care your money can buy.
Food also has the potential to harm, and these are effective foods for those
attempting to die younger. One of my daughters calls this list the Seven Foods
of Death.
Worst Seven Foods for Health and Longevity
Butter
Cheese
Potato Chips and French Fries
Doughnuts
Salt
Sausage, hot dogs
Pickled, smoked or barbequed meat
Foods high in saturated fat and trans fat are consistently associated with high
cancer rates. Cheese and butter typically contain over ten times as much saturated
fat as fish and white meat chicken and turkey. Salt has been consistently linked
to stomach cancer and stroke, even in populations that eat diets low in saturated
fat. Add the carcinogenic potential from heated and overcooked oils (usually
trans containing) delivered in doughnuts and fries with the powerful cancer
inducing properties of carbohydrates cooked at high heat (acrylamide formation)
and you have a great cancer potion. Needless to say, I advise people to avoid
the foods on my “worst list” entirely. The best foods to eat are
the healthy, nutritious fresh fruits and vegetables. By making these antioxidant
foods the major portion of your diet, you can protect yourself against cancer
and other serious diseases. As you extend your youthful vigor into later years,
you have contributed to your longevity by Eating to Live with a healthy, nutritious
diet.