Posted by Maria Dimitrova

Read this if: You want to be healthy and in a good shape

Gain: Priceless knowledge about a scientifically and empirically proven natural method to improve your health and fitness

Cost: High quality (preferably organic) food on a daily basis

Amazing scientific advances are occurring all the time at a speed much faster than a century ago. This is opening up whole new horizons but at the same time we are tempted to believe that we can ignore the laws of nature. Maybe in some areas we can challenge nature or even trick it but when it comes to health, like it or not, we are still dependent on biological laws. And one of the vital biological laws is that our bodies need a certain amount of nutrients each day in order to be healthy and fit.

Lifestyle choices and health

A long-lasting deficiency of a vitamin or mineral in our bodies leads to imbalance in the chemical reactions in the body. This hinders the normal functioning of cells, organs and systems and subsequently becomes the cause of a disease and premature aging. But all these reactions are invisible to the human eye. The vast majority of people take their health for granted and spending money on high quality organic food comes right at the end of their list of priorities.

Unfortunately, we begin appreciating health only when it’s gone. Medicine is a science, not magic and much damage can never be undone. As Dr Hiromi Shiniya ( a world famous specialist for his important achievements in gastrointestinal endoscopy) says in his book “The Enzyme Factor”( one of the most valuable books I have ever read) most diseases don’t occur because they are genetically inherited or because of old age. They are the outcome of harmful lifestyle choices. He arrived at this conclusion after many years of monitoring the health status of his patients vis-a-vis their lifestyle and especially their eating habits . Dr Hiromi Shiniya’s menu for good health.

Pharmaceutical “quick fixes” and fad diets are scams

Companies in the pharmaceutical industry make promises of quick fixes for all kinds of problems. Often it’s a scam and drugs only alleviate the pain and people are fooled into believing that they can go on ignoring the natural needs of their bodies until it’s too late. Pharmaceutical companies don’t educate us in how to prevent diseases as profitability is what determines their actions. We are more inundated with ads about drugs and junk food, but when was the last time you saw a TV ad about the importance of nutrition?

If your aim is to get slim…fast, you’ll more be inclined to believe the siren call of fad diets and slimming pills.  Dr Furhman (an acclaimed specialist in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods) says that most diets restrict the number of allowed products and the size of portions but this method can reduce the weight only temporarily and also has an adverse impact on health. Diets weaken the immune system and make the body less resistant to diseases. Find out more details about the dangerous effects of the popular South Beach Diet, Atkins’ Diet and Weight Watchers Program here.

To be fit and healthy you shouldn’t decrease the portions or eat unvaried food for a period of time while torturing yourself with hunger. Just the contrary – you have to satisfy your body’s need for nutrients. Even when you are not on a diet and eat large portions of nutritionally poor food, your body remains hungry. That’s why after binging on junk food, you feel full and heavy but soon after that you start craving food again.

The types of food are the richest in nutrients

Fruit and vegetables contain the biggest quantity and variety of nutrients. The top seven foods for good health and longevity are:

Black raspberriesStrawberries
Blueberries
Flax Seeds
Green Leafy Vegetables
Tomatoes
Broccoli sprouts

Other important things to consider:

• It’s good to eat most of the vegetables raw as they lose about 30% of their vitamins while being cooked.
• Green vegetables like kale and brussel sprouts are better digested by the stomach when they are cooked. Dr Furhman recommends these vegetables to be put in soups because nutrients that are lost from the vegetables go into the water of the soup.
• You will take full advantage of the nutrients if you chew the food well. The first phase of food digestion starts in the mouth.

According to Dr Shiniya, the proportion of different types of food in your menu should be:

• 85-90% vegetables, 10-15% animal products;
• unrefined grains – 50%, fruits and vegetables – 35-40%

Find out more about the nutrition density of foods in this video:

You can also check detailed information about the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals), macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats), calories, protein quality, nutrients balance in different kinds of food here: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/1954/2.

Nutrition has a healing power. Not only can it prevent diseases but it can also reverse some diseases. When the body gets enough vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytochemicals and macro nutrients in the right proportion, the positive effects are cumulative and gradually the body recovers. On Dr Furhman’s webpage you’ll discover plenty of success stories of people who are the living examples of the healing power of good nutrition.

Don’t wait for the symptoms of a disease to appear or to gain too much weight before you start eating high nutrition food. The earlier you make the change in your eating habits, the better. Treat your body with respect and you’ll enjoy good health, fitness and a youthful look.

Recommended books:

The Enzyme Factor

Eat to Live: The Amazing Nutrient-Rich Program for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss, Revised Edition