Taking Eating for Health to the Next Level

Is one of your goals for 2022 to eat healthy? Well than this is the right place for you. We focus in on how to eat in a way that supports your health. Instead of a strict diet plan, we highlight beneficial foods to add to your meal planning that can help you to gradually shift to a more plant-centered way of eating.

Building upon Level 1

Back in October we released our first “Eat for Health” tracker. The idea was to give you a place to start. Rather than just the vague idea of “eating healthy,” we gave you 7 components to incorporate daily that would set the foundation for a healthier you. Here we add upon the Level 1 tracker to get you closer to nutrition that supports health.

It’s great to build a solid foundation, especially when it comes to what you eat. Although, forming new habits can help you get even more out of what you put of your plate. Introducing more variety into your daily diet can help to strengthen your immune system and gut microbiome, lower cholesterol, reduce blood sugar spikes, protect against heart disease and even reduce your risk of cancer.

The promise of a better life sometimes sounds too good to be true. No there is no single pill or drug that you can take to become a healthier you. Instead you need to put in the work. Eating for health is full of it’s own set of challenges, but know that the more effort you put in the greater the changes are that you will see.

I like to remember that “Every day is an opportunity to contribute to your own health.” So even if you are already a cancer survivor like me, or you are struggling with diabetes or heart disease, what you choose to put on your plate still can make a difference.

Nutrition is meant to support and sometimes even enhance the treatments that you are already on. So always be sure to let your Doctor know of major changes to your diet so that they can adjust medications as needed.

Tracking your progress

We believe the saying “What get’s measured, gets managed” holds true for any habit, especially for our food choices. Daily tracking is a great tool to determine where you are and identify where you can improve.

Many diets focus on the list of foods that you can’t have and put you in a deprivation mindset. Instead, we focus on the wide variety of foods that can contribute to your health and focus on all the potential benefits that they bring.

Here is Level 1 and Level 2 side by side. You can see how Level 1 started to build the foundation while Level 2 is a little more specific to help moving you towards eating for health. If you already have the basics down then feel free to jump ahead to Level 2.

What is on the tracker?

You’ll notice that we are getting more into the Evidence-Based Nutrition with the Level 2 tracker. Here we provide you a brief summary for each of the 8 components. This includes example foods, serving size, and how many servings to have in a day. We also include a fun fact that describes the role of each Eat for Health component can potentially play in your health.

Fruits and Veggies for Longevity

• What is included:
  • Any of your favorite fruits and vegetables will do the trick. Think apples, bananas, oranges, avocado, cucumber, carrots, celery, potatoes, zucchini, you get the point. This includes raw, cooked, or even fermented. Make sure to add variety throughout your week.
• How much per serving:
  • One whole fruit
  • For vegetables typically 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked
• Number of servings per day:
  • Getting at least two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables each day has been shown to increase longevity.

Increased Survival Rates

After following 100,000 Nurses and Healthcare Professionals for 30 years (from 1984 to 2014) the relationship between fruits and vegetables and overall survival is clear.

Eating 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables in comparison to only 2 servings a day, resulted in:

Cruciferous for Cancer Prevention

• What is included:
  • Cauliflower, broccoli, kale, collard greens, bok choy, radishes, and turnips are a few examples. They are a part of the Brassicaceae family. Cooked or raw is a personal preference, but if you chop them 30 min before eating this allows the beneficial enzymes to fully activate. If you cook them, you can sprinkle a pinch of ground mustard seed (1/4 tsp) on top before you serve them and this will reactivate the enzymes. After you steam them till soft they go great with 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar diluted in water.
• How much per serving:
  • 1/2 cup raw or cooked
• Number of servings per day:
  • At least one serving per day. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage are great sources of fiber.

Cancer Fighting Properties

Cancer prevention properties are attributed to bioactive compounds including phytosterols, sulfur containing compounds, and indoles. These compounds are also used alongside traditional cancer treatment by John’s Hopkins to support the immune system. Research has shown it protects against DNA damage that may occur naturally, during treatment or imaging. It also helps fight free radicals and provides long lasting antioxidant protection throughout the whole body.

If your not big into broccoli, you can even get your cruciferious serving from tea! Johns Hopkins created their own brand that concentrated the active compounds for an easier way for cancer patients to get their daily serving. You can pick up a pack here: Baltimore Coffee and Tea

Beans for Gut Health

• Whats included:
  • Black beans, kidney beans, navy beans (any color bean), lentils (typically red or green), and of course chickpeas! All of these are considered legumes. Regular beans are great for chili, stews, or taco night. Try green lentils as a meat substitute for sloppy joes, or red lentils in a soup or curry and watch them melt away as they cook. Chickpeas are one of my personal favorites, use them to make hummus, add to a soup, or make a plant based chickpea salad wrap.
  • Oh and if your worried about Lectins: make sure to cook your beans! Yes, lectins can be poisonous and are found in high amounts in raw beans. However, the cooking process breaks them down so either go for the canned option, or cook them until they are soft.
• How much per serving:
  • 1/4 cup of hummus or 1/2 cup of beans.
• Number of servings per day:
  • At least one serving per day. Start here and gradually work your way up to three per day.

Improving Your Microbiome

One of the main benefits of beans in the fiber. While an increased fiber intake (50 grams/day) is shown to increase regularity and relieve constipation, the fiber also helps to feed your gut microbiome. Beans can help “growth of healthy bacteria in the intestines, such as Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria. These bacteria produce short-chain fatty acids, which help promote gut health.” This is just one of the many benefits of beans, to learn more check out this Healthline article.

Note: If you are new to beans then it’s best to start adding them into your diet a little bit at a time. Go low and slow. Beans will feed your gut microbiome and therefore, if you aren’t used to eating them then you will have some of the well known bean “side effects” as you work on colonizing the bacteria that are best at digesting them.

Whole Grains for Cardiovascular Health

• What is included:
  • Oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat, rye, buckwheat, quinoa, and barley just to name a few! The basic requirement to fit in this category is that it is the intact grain, meaning that is has undergone minimal processing and still contains most of it’s nutritional content.
• How much per serving:
  • 1/2 cup cooked grains or 1 cup for cold cereals. If you are a fan of whole grain bread: 1 slice equals a serving
  • For bread – make sure the fiber content is high! Need help calculating it? Check out our Truth about Carbohydrates post
• Number of servings a day:
  • Start with two servings a day, but if you can get in three that’s even better!

Lowering Cholesterol to Improve Heart Health

Whole grains are also a great source of fiber which is particularly of interest when it comes to heart health. The reason being that fiber acts as a sponge and can absorb excess bile salts (which is a form of cholesterol), gradually lowering your overall cholesterol. Reduced circulating cholesterol can limit the amount of plaque buildup in your arteries. High amounts of plaque buildup are indicative of cardiovascular disease which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Omega 3’s for Inflammation

• What is included:
  • Flax seed or Chia seed. While you can get omega-3’s from a variety of sources including seafood, fruit, vegetables, and legumes; flax and chia seed give you the most bang for your buck. Add to your morning oatmeal, a smoothie, or even use as an egg replacer. It’s as simple as adding 1 tbsp ground flax seed to 2.5 tbsp of water, mix and let sit for 10 min in the fridge to set up. This is a great trick for baking since one tbsp equals one egg!
• How much per serving:
  • 1 tbsp ground flax seed.
  • Grinding the flax seed is important to release the omega-3 oils because we can’t digest the outer shell on our own.
  • Chia seeds can be soaked or eaten whole. When they swell up, that’s the omega 3’s forming a gelatin.
• Number of servings a day:
  • One to two servings per day.

It’s all about the ratio

The level of inflammation in our body is not just influenced by the omega-3’s but also the omega-6’s that we intake. Omega-6’s are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that can be harmful in large amounts, but if you increase your omega-3 intake (also a PUFA), they can off set the negative effects. A good goal for omega 6/3 ratio is 3.0 or less to reduce inflammation.

The standard American diet is typically high in meat, eggs and dairy which contain mostly omega-6. In addition, it often lacks an adequate source of omega-3. A very high omega-6/3 ratio can lead to “cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects.” To learn more check out: The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids – PubMed (nih.gov)

Spices for Diabetes

• What is included:
  • Turmeric or ginger is a great place to start. There are many different herbs and spices that you can use for their antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal activities. In addition, both turmeric and ginger can be beneficial for those who are pre-diabetic or have Type II diabetes
• How much per serving:
  • Turmeric – a little goes a long way! Either 1/4 tsp of ground turmeric or 1 inch of fresh peeled root. The active compound in turmeric is curcumin. To increase how much you absorb add a dash of black pepper and a healthy fat (avocado, oils, nuts, or seeds).
  • Ginger – we prefer fresh over powdered (you can find this is the produce section of almost any grocery store). Cut and peel one inch of ginger for a serving. Try either cut it up to add to a smoothie or stir fry dish. Or you can even make a ginger tea with boiling it in water for 20-30 min, then let cool. Feel free to add 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar and honey to taste.
• Number of servings a day:
  • Minimum of one per day, but you can have it up to 3-4 servings.

Add Flavor and Reap the Benefits

Turmeric and ginger are both spices that are actually the roots of the plant. They often add a strong flavor to your dish when used in large quantities (great for Indian curries and stir fry), but are easily masked in small amounts (as is a smoothie). The curcumin in turmeric is capable of reducing inflammation and concentrated supplements are often recommended for treatment of arthritis. For diabetes, turmeric can be used with metformin to help lower fasting blood glucose levels, oxidative stress and inflammation. There are additional benefits form turmeric including improving memory and treating depression: 7 health benefits of Turmeric by the Cleveland Clinic.

Ginger has been shown to stop bacteria growth including E.coli and reduce nausea. So if you want to avoid the added sugar in ginger ale when your feeling sick, you can make your own ginger tea instead. Bonus for those with Diabetes: The active component in ginger called gingerol can actually improve blood sugar control in diabetics by slowing the breakdown of carbohydrates into sugars, reducing blood sugar spikes.

Plant-Based Meal for Repair

While the Standard American Diet is less than health promoting, you don’t need to be 100% Vegan for optimal health. Instead, there lies a balance somewhere in between. On the one hand you can have the “junk food” vegan that turns down all animal products but still eats highly processed food. And on the other hand you can have the person who eats mostly whole foods and partakes in meat, dairy and eggs sparingly.

This is why we suggest at least one meal a day to be free from animal products and minimally processed to give your body the opportunity to repair itself. Plant based meals prioritize fiber and can be a great source of antioxidants. Fiber can help lower your cholesterol and antioxidants can help to prevent the damage that occurs from free radicals, in addition to reducing inflammation.

An example breakfast can be as simple as 1 cup rolled oats, 1 tbsp ground flax seed, 1/2 to 1cup berries of your choice (fresh or frozen) and plant-based milk to top it off. This gives you an easy win so you can save your meat, eggs, or dairy for another meal later on in the day.

Get Started Eating for Health Today!

Here are 5 easy steps to get you started: First, purchase and download your copy of the Level 2 Eat for Health tracker.

Purchase your “Eat for Health” habit tracker!

Second, look over the 8 Eat for Health components and add them to your grocery list. We shop once a week for our shelf stable items and usually do a mid-week pickup for those that only last a few days (such as green leafy vegetables). Third, pick your start day and get tracking. Give yourself 1 point for full completion, 0.5 for partial, and 0 if you missed the component all together. Fourth, stick with it! Remember to be in the moment, if you had one off day that doesn’t mean that you can’t give it another try. Fifth, let us know how your month of tracking is going, tweet us @science_couple or comment on this post.

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