1. Heart disease
- Give artery-clogging trans-fats the flick. Watch out for processed foods made with hydrogenated oils, some margarines and take-away food cooked in vegetable oil.
- Enjoy foods rich in heart healthy fats like oily fish, cold pressed olive oil, avocado, chia seeds, and nuts and their oils.
- Lower your sodium intake by eating less processed and packaged foods and more natural produce.
- Include more fibre in your diet by eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole oats, quinoa, brown rice and grainy breads.
- Don’t forget your green leafy vegies. They’re rich in B vitamins that help lower homocysteine levels, which is a marker for heart disease.
- Treat yourself to some good quality antioxidant-rich dark chocolate and a couple of glasses of red wine during the week.
2. Prostate cancer
- Eat plenty of zinc rich foods like legumes, fish, meat, eggs, wholegrains, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
- Eat omega-3 rich oily fish a few times a week.
- Eat more tomato and watermelon as they are rich sources of the powerful antioxidant lycopene.
- Include cruciferous vegies with meals eg. broccoli, cauliflower, kale, brussel sprouts and cabbage, as they contain cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
- Enjoy curries made with antioxidant rich turmeric.
- Add spirulina to your next smoothie or juice.
3. Type 2-diabetes
- Limit sugary breakfast cereals, soft drinks, and other sweet foods that will send your blood sugar levels soaring.
- Swap processed ‘white’ carbohydrate foods for wholegrain alternatives like grainy breads, whole oats, wholemeal pasta and brown or wild rice.
- Instead of fruit juice have a vegie juice and eat your fruit whole.
- Don’t skip meals. A nice healthy breakfast is especially important.
- Having protein with each meal will help keep your blood sugar levels balanced. Eg. legumes, fish, chicken, eggs, meat, nuts, quinoa and yoghurt.
4. Depression
- Make sure you are getting enough omega-3 essential fatty acids in your diet. Your best sources are oily fish, chia and flaxseeds and walnuts.
- Get a daily dose of sunshine to boost your vitamin D levels.
- Eat more foods that contain tryptophan such as turkey, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, bananas and brown rice, which will help increase serotonin levels.
- Supporting the growth of your ‘good’ intestinal bacteria through eating fermented foods like yoghurt, miso and kefir will help enhance serotonin production.
5. Obesity
- Clear your cupboards of sugary and unhealthy snack foods and stock up on healthy options like fruit, low-fat yoghurt, hummus, nutritious smoothies, and trail mixes.
- Eat the way Mother Nature intended, more fresh and unprocessed foods and less packaged and refined.
- Limit fatty foods that promote weight gain like full-fat dairy foods, greasy take-away foods, and creamy sauces.
- Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Fill your plate with different coloured vegies and salad each day.
- Use healthy cooking techniques like steaming, baking and light stir-frying with a little olive or coconut oil.
- Drink at least 2 litres of water daily, and cut back on alcohol and soft drink.
- Get moving. Exercise more each day and sit less. Leave the car at home more often and walk.
(via Body+Soul Man)
