Sense and Nonsense
by Don Bennett, DAS
Is there one diet that all humans are biologically designed for? What is that diet? When you're born into and come of age in a society where a particular diet is the norm, it can be difficult to swallow a way of eating that is different from what you're used to.
"Give me the truth though the heavens may fall." As a young lad, I came to admire "seekers of truth"; those who wanted to know "the real deal" regardless of how many boats were rocked.
One such individual recently visited our town. Dr. Douglas Graham journeyed up from Marathon, Florida to speak to folks at some of Atlanta's health food stores. Like all good speakers, he came with a message: Abundant health can be yours. Dr. Graham has spent more than two decades seeking the facts pertaining to vibrant health.
Is there one diet that all humans are biologically designed for? What is that diet? When you're born into and come of age in a society where a particular diet is the norm, it can be difficult to swallow a way of eating that is different from what you're used to. But when you realize that an unnatural diet can shorten your years and lessen your quality of life, and that eating a more natural diet can help you look and feel a lot better than you do now, it doesn't take a tremendous effort to become healthier once you "get it". And Doug Graham is good at helping you get it.
Dr. Graham is an advisor to world class athletes and trainers from around the globe. He has trained professional and Olympic athletes from almost every sport, including tennis legend Martina Navratilova, NBA pro basketball player Ronnie Grandison, track Olympic sprinter Doug Dickinson, as well as the United States Olympic Diving team, and the Norwegian National Bicycling team. He is the author of The High Energy Diet, Perpetual Health, Nutrition and Athletic Performance, and Grain Damage. These books are not huge tomes; they get right to the point, are easy to grasp, and most importantly, shatter many long held myths... myths that perpetuate less-than-optimal health.
When training athletes, what has Dr. Graham had the biggest success with? Sufficient sleep/sunshine/water/rest, and a diet that is, whole, fresh, raw, ripe, organic and plant-based. Would it be any different for someone not training for the Olympics? Except for needing fewer calories, no. Dr. Graham's style of imparting this enlightening information is very light-hearted, anything-but-stuffy, and leaves no doubt that he knows of what he speaks. He makes sense out of non-sense (very important if one is to undo any conditioning that has not been in his or her best interest). If you're mathematically challenged as I am, you may need to hear some of the arithmetic a second time, but it is by no means rocket science. Your body works best on a certain ratio of fats to carbs to proteins, and there is one ratio that works best, and works best for all. And empirical evidence backs this up.
Dr. Graham has found that a diet consisting of approximately 80% carbs, 10% fat, and 10% protein is very healthful. Most people consume a lower amount of carbs and a proportionately higher amount of fat. Or they avoid fat like the plague, not understanding that we need it in our diet, and that it's cooked fat that is the villain.
Where do these carbohydrates come from? Starches like grains? No way. Grains have addictive properties and contain phytic acid which causes calcium to be excreted in your urine (a contributing factor to osteoporosis). The best (and most delicious) source of carbs are fresh fruits! Every health related organization on the planet advises us to "eat more fruits and vegetables"; most people surely don't eat enough. Dr. Graham points out that the healthiest way to consume food is one item at a meal, all you want, until you're full. When we combine foods that are high in fat AND high in sugar, the fat can interfere with the sugar getting out of the blood and into the cells. When there's too much sugar in the blood for a prolonged period, an overgrowth of yeast can develop as a consequence of dealing with the sustained high blood sugar. Know anyone with candidiasis? It's easily avoided when you respect the human body's maintenance manual, which says, "Eat foods high in fat and foods high in simple sugars separately" (There is more to the candida issue such as replenishing good intestinal flora after taking antibiotics, but take heart, candidiasis is easily resolved - there is no reason to have it for a prolonged period of time).
And Dr. Graham brings good news about a natural diet: You can eat more mouthfuls! Healthy foods are not as calorically dense as their cooked, animal-based counterparts, so to get enough calories, you must eat enough food. If you love to eat, you'll love increasing the quantity while you increase the quality of your food! And in general, a raw diet packs more nutrition than a cooked diet; cooking damages, destroys, and changes for-the-worse many nutrients (and yes, a cooked tomato has more lycopene than a raw tomato, but is the amount of lycopene in a raw tomato sufficient? Hint: Yes. And for that one positive aspect of cooking, how many negative aspects are there? Answer: Plenty.)
What about your weight? When you're getting the nutrition you need, you won't be starving for nutrients (a cause of overeating). When you're eating the amount of calories you need, and no more, and those calories are made up of a healthy ratio of carbs to fat, you'll weigh what you were intended to weigh. Simple! So why are so many people overweight? They're eating too much of the unhealthy things, and not enough of the healthy things. Easily remedied once you've gained the knowledge. And Dr. Graham helps you understand that knowledge. And knowledge that you comprehend is a powerful tool, going a long way towards helping you regain the vitality you had when you were younger.
If you think that losing vitality as one ages is normal, it is! But it's NOT natural, and doesn't have to occur. Vibrant health is a product of healthy living. (And by-the-way, disease prevention can NOT occur while the causes of disease are present.) Discover more about Dr. Graham and his empowering books at www.foodnsport.com
Original source: foodnsport.com
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