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Scientists are beginning to discover that food is more than mere sustenance. Not only does food fuel the body and provide the basic building blocks for growth and development, but it also conveys information. Foods can flip switches in the DNA to trigger numerous illnesses and health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, and neurocognitive disorders. To improve health and reverse the course of disease, treat food as medicine and start making better food choices. This section shows you how.

The standard American diet (SAD), heavy in sugars and grains, is highly inflammatory, which is why it’s so bad for you. The foods I recommend constitute what could be considered an anti-inflammatory diet. Throughout this book, when I mention adopting an anti-inflammatory diet, I’m recommending the diet described in this chapter.

Eliminating the foods that ail you

Fewer than ten foods are responsible for triggering most cases of inflammation and numerous autoimmune disorders in humans: wheat, soy, dairy, sugar, corn, eggs, peanuts, artificial sweeteners, and trans fats. To find out whether any of the items on this list ails you, I encourage you to get tested for food allergies and sensitivities, as explained in Chapter 13, or perform a modified elimination diet. Table 2-1 lists the most common culprits to test.

You can do an elimination diet in a couple of different ways.

✔ Remove a suspect food from your diet for 28 days. If you feel better without it, you can eliminate that food from your diet for good, reintroduce it to see whether it really does cause problems, or get tested to confirm or rule out your suspicions. If you notice no difference whether you eat or abstain from eating the food, you can add it back into your diet.

✔ Eliminate for 28 days foods that are most likely to cause problems and then slowly re-introduce them, one every two to three weeks, until your symptoms return. Then eliminate any food(s) that triggered symptoms.

Don’t eat even a small amount of the food you’re testing for the entire duration of the 28-day period. If you’re allergic to that food and you eat even a small amount, the antibodies to that food remain elevated in your system, and you may not notice an improvement in symptoms, defeating the purpose of the elimination diet.

Table 2-1 Performing a Modified Elimination Diet

Read on to discover more about the foods that commonly trigger inflammation, autoimmune illnesses, and other disorders and why each one is a trigger for illness in a large portion of the population.

Wheat and gluten

Today’s wheat isn’t the wheat your ancestors ate. It doesn’t even resemble the wheat consumed during the 1980s. Modern wheat is grown and processed in ways that strip out vital nutrients and produce a high-starch flour that spikes blood sugar and insulin levels and triggers inflammation and immune reactions in many people.

Although you may be immune to the nasty side effects of consuming modern wheat, people with celiac disease can’t consume a single morsel of wheat without experiencing a severe reaction resulting in abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, cramps, malabsorption of nutrients, and weight loss. And for every person who has celiac disease, at least eight others suffer from nonceliac gluten sensitivity, which is often linked to inflammation, migraines, allergic reactions, eczema, cardiovascular events, and neurological disorders.

Regardless of whether you’re experiencing symptoms, eliminate wheat/gluten from your diet for the next 28 days and take note of how you feel. I’d bet dollars to those donuts you’re no longer eating that you’ll feel better, eat less, and achieve a healthier, stable weight with lower body fat.

Here’s a way to cut 400 calories from your diet: Eliminate wheat. Approximately 25 years ago, scientists discovered that wheat stimulates appetite. In fact, eating wheat makes the average person consume an additional 400 calories a day. Eliminate wheat from your diet, and you won’t feel as hungry. You’ll drop weight without even trying.

Don’t simply go gluten-free. Many gluten-free products are nothing more than junk food, using various starches and guar gum as substitutes for white flour. These white-flour substitutes may spike blood sugar and insulin levels even more than does white flour. Go gluten-free, but at the same time avoid loading up on gluten-free starches, such as breads and pastas. These items should be a very small portion of your diet; eat a small serving only once or twice a week.

Soy

Soy is so abundant in “health foods” that most people actually think it’s healthy. However, 90 percent of all soy in the United States is derived from genetically modified organism (GMO) crops and is overly processed. Soy messes with your hormones and often triggers thyroid disorders. If your thyroid antibodies are high, eliminating soy from your diet can bring them down into normal range. Soy is also rich in phytic acid, which blocks absorption of key minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and zinc. It also blocks trypsin, an important enzyme for digesting protein.

If you choose to consume soy, make sure it’s verified organic (non-GMO) and eat soy only in the form of fermented products, such as tempeh, tofu, and miso. Unless you’re born in a culture raised on soy products, eat it only once or twice a week. Soy lecithin is permitted, because it doesn’t contain the allergenic protein.

Dairy

Regardless of how they’re manufactured, all dairy products contain hormones and other potentially harmful substances, such as D-galactose, a carbohydrate associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurodegeneration. Dairy can make you fat and may contribute to insulin resistance and osteoporosis (weak, porous bones). In addition, dairy is highly allergenic and addictive. Contrary to the ads, it doesn’t do a body good.

Replace dairy with high-calcium foods that are actually good for you: Brazil nuts, broccoli, flaxseeds, kale, sardines, spinach, walnuts, and wild Alaskan salmon. Replace cow milk with unsweetened, fortified oat, almond, hemp, or rice milk. Try dairy-free coconut yogurt and kefir; look for products with less sugar and additives. Switch to vegan-style rice milk cheeses as substitutes.

Eggs

Eggs may be good or bad for you. To find out, take a break from eggs for 28 days and then start eating them again once or twice a week. (Be sure to read labels carefully, because many food products contain eggs.) Journal how well you feel on and off eggs. If you feel better without eggs, you may have an egg allergy or sensitivity and may want to avoid them entirely.

However, don’t be too eager to eliminate eggs altogether from your diet. Eggs are a super food. The yolks, which many anti-egg people suggest you throw away, are a nutritional gold mine. And contrary to popular belief, eggs aren’t the prime culprit in raising serum cholesterol or increasing the risk of heart disease.

If you can eat eggs, buy eggs collected from pastured chickens that haven’t been fed a diet of corn and soy. Don’t be fooled by eggs labeled “free-range” or “organic,” because these labels are part of a marketing ploy by big agricultural producers. Although they might be allowed a small space to range and may be fed organic grain-based feed, these chickens are not pastured as nature intended. They’re better than conventional in that they don’t contain GMO-feed and hormones, but eggs from farm-raised pastured chickens are best.

Corn

Nearly 90 percent of all corn is genetically modified. The DNA in the corn marries the DNA of gut flora, contributing to microbial imbalance and leaky gut (see Chapter 13).

Corn also contains aflatoxin, a known carcinogen (cancer-causing agent); lectins, which can cause inflammation and interfere with absorption of nutrients; and zein, a kind of gluten that is okay for people with celiac disease but is still inflammatory to many and may also contribute to autoimmune and gut-related health issues.

Replace corn with healthier alternatives, including organic beets, green peas, snow peas, sweet potato, and winter roots or squashes (acorn or butternut squashes, parsnips, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and turnips). If you do eat corn, eat it sparingly, and eat only non-GMO varieties. Eliminate from your diet high-fructose corn syrup, a known toxin that raises triglyceride levels and blood pressure; fails to stimulate insulin production, resulting in overeating and contributing to obesity; increases intestinal permeability, enabling food particles and other large molecules that are supposed to stay inside the intestines to leak out into surrounding areas; and causes inflammation.

Peanuts

Even if you’re not allergic to peanuts, avoid them as much as possible. Peanuts and peanut butter are likely to contain aflatoxin, a carcinogen produced by the Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus molds, and lectins, indigestible proteins that commonly trigger an immune response. In addition, most commercial peanut butters are high in sugar and trans fats (see upcoming sections covering these items).

Replace peanuts with healthier alternatives: almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, coconut (unsweetened), macadamia nuts, walnuts, and pecans (and butters made from these nuts), but read the labels carefully to make sure these healthy nuts don’t contain unhealthy added ingredients, such as cottonseed oil.

Sugar

Sugar is a major factor contributing to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, and the average person in the U.S. consumes a whole lot of it – 152 pounds of sugar and 146 pounds of flour (which quickly converts to sugar in the body) per year.

Don’t add sugar to foods or beverages, and avoid foods or beverages with added sugar. Read labels closely to identify added sugar. Most ingredients that end in -ose are sugars, including sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, glucose, galactose, lactose, high-fructose corn syrup, and glucose solids. Sugar goes by other names, as well: agave, barley malt, brown rice syrup, buttered syrup, caramel, carob syrup, corn syrup, dextran, dextrin, diatastic malt, ethyl maltol, fruit juice, golden syrup, honey, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maple syrup, molasses, refiner’s syrup, sorghum syrup, and turbinado.

Taper sugar consumption gradually. Sudden elimination of sugar is likely to make you feel exhausted, irritable, and famished. To ease the transition, replace the worst sugars (agave, brown rice syrup, corn syrup, fructose, high-fructose corn syrup, and sucrose) with lower impact sugars – brown sugar, cane sugar, cane juice, coconut nectar, raw honey, grade B maple syrup, and stevia (not Truvia, which is primarily a GMO-corn-based sugar alcohol combined with a small amount of stevia extract and “natural flavors,” whatever those are).

Be very careful of foods advertised as low-fat or nonfat. In almost all cases, the fats have been replaced with sugar.

Artificial sweeteners

Steer clear of artificial sweeteners, which stimulate insulin production, increase sugar cravings, and stimulate glycation, a major cause of premature aging and cognitive decline. Artificial sweeteners include aspartame, NutraSweet, saccharin, Splenda, sucralose, and acesulfame potassium (Acesulfame K or Ace K). Truvia is another sugar substitute to avoid.

Try using xylitol as your sugar substitute. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol extracted from birch trees and other plant sources. It helps prevent cavities and plaque formation on teeth and is used in nasal sprays to reduce ear infections in children. Start slowly (less than 15 g daily), because xylitol may cause gastric distress if you take too much too quickly.

Trans fats

Although some meat and dairy products contain trans fats (trans fatty acids), most trans fats are manufactured through a process that adds hydrogen to vegetable oil, creating a product that’s solid at room temperature. Food producers love trans fats because they’re inexpensive, improve the texture of food, and increase a food’s shelf life.

Unfortunately, trans fats are linked to numerous chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and brain and cognitive disorders. In addition, trans fats replace the healthy fats that the body requires to function optimally. Your goal is to reverse this trend by reducing your consumption of trans fats and increasing your consumption of healthy fats – omega-3 fatty acids found primarily in fatty fish and in olives, nuts, and seeds.

Read labels closely and eliminate anything that contains trans fat, hydrogenated oil, or partially hydrogenated oil – even if the label claims “0 grams trans fats.” (Government regulations allow manufacturers to claim that their products contain no trans fats if they contain up to 0.5 grams trans fat per serving.) Trans fats are often found in margarine, shortening, fried foods, peanut butter, store-bought snack items (cookies, crackers, chips, microwave popcorn), sweets (cakes, doughnuts, and other pastries, and chocolate candy), frozen pizzas, and coffee creamers. Microwaving certain foods may also form trans fats.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

GMOs are foods that have been engineered by scientists who can’t possibly predict the results of their experiments. As a result, more people are eating more foods that evolution hasn’t prepared the human body to process, and many of these people are becoming very ill.

To steer clear of GMOs, look for the Verified Non-GMO seal on products that are commonly genetically modified. Currently, farmers are growing nine GMO crops: alfalfa, canola, corn, cottonseed, Hawaiian papaya (most), soybeans, sugar beets, yellow squash (small amount), and zucchini (small amount). Thankfully, wheat (hybridized but not genetically modified), potatoes, and tomatoes failed miserably in becoming GMOs.

Stocking up on healthy foods

Unless you eat out a lot (and if you do, that has to stop), you eat whatever you buy at the grocery store and then stick in your refrigerator and pantry. When you make the decision to eat healthier, the first order of business is to dump the junk food and stock up on healthy food.

Haul a large, empty trash container into your kitchen, go through your cabinets and refrigerator, and dump your junk foods:

✔ Foods you’re allergic or sensitive to (see the earlier section “Eliminating the foods that ail you” for details)

✔ Sugar and anything that contains added sugar by any of its many names (see the earlier section “Sugar”)

✔ White flour and cornstarch and anything made with white flour and cornstarch, because these ingredients are quickly converted to sugar in the body; this includes most breads and pastas

✔ Anything that contains trans fats (see the earlier section, “Trans fats”)

✔ Cookies, candy, chips, cakes, pies, and most breakfast cereals

Even organic, non-GMO cereals have too much carbohydrate. If you can’t live without a bowl of cereal in the morning, buy gluten-free cereal with the highest protein content (over 5 grams per serving) and the lowest carbohydrate content (below 17 grams per serving). Eat only the serving size. However, avoiding all breakfast cereals is best; a healthy breakfast smoothie is a better alternative.

✔ Soda pop and fruit juice (the diet stuff, too)

✔ Frozen prepared foods, including pizza, frozen dinners, pot pies, and burritos

✔ Anything that contains artificial flavoring, coloring, sweeteners, or preservatives

Also consider dumping anything that contains wheat/gluten, soy, or dairy. These three foods are at the root of many chronic illnesses. And if you really want to do yourself a favor, dump almost everything in your pantry and refrigerator/freezer with the exception of fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds and any sources of quality protein, such as fish caught in the wild or products from pastured animals.

When the cupboards are bare, you’re ready to restock them with healthy foods (I offer many suggestions in the upcoming sections). As you restock, buy organic fruits and vegetables whenever possible, because they’re free of herbicides and pesticides and generally have a higher nutritional value. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly with a brush and nontoxic fruit and veggie wash.

Overcoming picky eating

If you’re a parent of a picky eater and find it challenging to get your child to eat a variety of healthy foods, keep in mind that your child will eat whatever you buy. Stock the cabinets with healthy foods, and your child’s choices are limited – eat healthy or starve. Your job is to put healthy food in front of your children and make it look appetizing. Leave the rest up to them in deciding what to eat (and whether or not to eat) and how much to eat.

Start young and set reasonable expectations. The average toddler consumes about 1,000 to 1,300 calories daily. He might eat a lot one day and next to nothing the next. That’s normal. Don’t freak out if your kid doesn’t eat much for a day, but do make sure he stays hydrated. Focus on how well he eats over the course of a week. Here are some tips for encouraging your toddler to eat a healthy diet:

✔ Offer a nibble tray with a variety of different healthy foods in different, shapes, colors, and sizes. Use an ice tray or muffin tin or something similar and place in each compartment some avocados, banana, carrots, broccoli, egg, and apples. A child may need to be exposed to a new food 10 to 15 times before she tries it.

✔ Allow your child to dip foods into cottage cheese, guacamole, organic nut butters, Greek yogurt, or pureed veggies and fruits.

✔ Plant a garden. Involve your child in planting the seeds, watering the plants, and harvesting the crop.

✔ Mix veggies in with other foods (casseroles are great for hiding chopped vegetables) and instead of serving raw veggies, steam the veggies and use organic butter or organic coconut oil to flavor them.

✔ Don’t make your child eat something he doesn’t like or doesn’t want to try. Doing so may set the stage for anxiety around mealtime. Likewise, don’t bribe your child with dessert or anything else to encourage her to eat a particular food item or to eat more of something. And don’t become a short order cook, because this encourages children to become picky eaters.

✔ Choose only foods that are nutrient dense; avoid processed foods that are empty calories – void of or low in nutritional value. In particular, avoid fruit juices, because most contain a high amount of sugar.

✔ Minimize distractions at mealtime (for example, turn off the TV) and set a good example by eating a variety of healthy foods yourself.

Fruits and vegetables

Plant-based foods are chock-full of vitamins, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that keep your body strong and help fight infection and disease:

✔ Fruits: All fruits are healthy, but eat mostly those fruits that are relatively low on the glycemic index, including berries of all kinds, apples, cherries, coconuts, oranges, peaches, pears, and plums. Avoid dried fruits, because they contain much higher levels of sugar.

✔ Vegetables: When shopping for vegetables, choose different colors (green, red, orange, yellow, and purple) and rotate your selections. You can eat any and all vegetables raw, juiced, steamed, sautéed, or baked, but keep in mind that heating vegetables destroys some of their nutrients. Raw and juiced veggies are best.

Eat organic as much as possible, especially berries, apples, celery, and peaches, which are typically the most highly contaminated produce. Not only are organic foods pesticide-free, but they’re also grown using farming methods, such as crop rotation, that produce more nutrient-rich foods.

Beans

Beans, both dried and canned, are a healthy staple to keep in your pantry. The only exception is soy beans, which you should eliminate from your diet; almost all soy products in the U.S. are genetically modified. Beans include foods actually called “beans” (lima beans, kidney beans, and so on), lentils (brown, green, and red), and split peas.

Grains: Breads, cereals, and pastas

When stocking up on grains, exclude wheat and other grains that contain gluten: wheat (spelt, khorasan, farro, durum, bulgur, semolina), barley, rye, and triticale. Instead, choose these grains, which are gluten-free: amaranth, buckwheat, millet, oats, quinoa, brown rice, white rice, wild rice, and teff. Limit your consumption of nongluten grains to no more than one serving daily.

Oats are commonly contaminated with wheat. So when you’re shopping for oats, read the label carefully and buy oats that are labeled “gluten-free” and are manufactured in a plant where wheat products are not processed or stored.

You typically consume grains in the form of cereals, pastas, and baked goods, including bread:

✔ Cereals and pastas: Too much carbohydrate spikes your glucose and insulin levels and triggers inflammation. For that reason, I don’t advocate eating cereals and pasta routinely, but when you do have them, look for non-wheat varieties with a relatively high protein-to-carbohydrate ratio. Here’s a list of acceptable cereals and pastas: Cream of Rice, oats (labeled “gluten-free” and processed in a wheat-free factory), puffed rice, puffed millet, quinoa flakes, rice pasta, 100 percent buckwheat noodles, and rice crackers.

✔ Breads: Even whole-grain, wheat-free, gluten-free breads are high in simple carbohydrates that spike blood glucose and insulin levels and have the potential to trigger inflammation. If you must eat bread, go gluten-free and look for breads stored in the freezer at the health food store or in the health food section of your grocery store, because these loaves are less likely to contain preservatives.

✔ Flour: If you do any baking, the good news is that you have plenty of options when it comes to choosing wheat-free, gluten-free flour, including amaranth, arrowroot, brown rice, chick pea (garbanzo bean), millet, potato, quinoa, sorghum, tapioca, teff, and white rice.

Grains are simple carbohydrates that spike your blood sugar and insulin and cause inflammation. If you have a health challenge, particularly an autoimmune disorder, then removing all grains from your diet may significantly improve your health. Many people do better on a totally grain-free diet. See the earlier section “Eliminating the foods that ail you” for details.

Herbs, spices, and extracts