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(i) Generally accepted view
Use Food Pyramid to monitor what you eat:
(ii) Naturopathic view
Eliminate the mucus-forming foods from the diet and choose the "Mucusless Diet".
Our internal body has a thin layer of mucus where harmful bacteria, germs, viruses, fungi, etc are collected. This is one of our first lines of defence. However, if we eat inorganic, denaturalized or chemically processed foods, it would create a very thick layer of mucus that the body cannot eliminate it. Thus the immune system is not able to operate in this thick layer and fight against the outside enemies. And so it is very detrimental to our body and is the seed of disease causing.
The mucus-free foods are fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds in their wholesome state.
To change from one approach to another, it might be necessary to go through the transition diet:
Overall
- Eat more fruit and vegetables, as well as nuts and whole grains in their wholesome state.
- More on traditional meals such as using peas, beans and lentils as they provide good nourishment.
- Cut the amount of fatty, sugary foods in the diet. Avoid to eat foods high in fat.
- Avoid adding salt to your meals at the table. Choose foods with less salt.
Fat
- Fats are sources of energy and have more calories per gram than proteins and carbohydrates. But the body has more difficulty in releasing the energy from fatty foods. Besides giving energy, fats also serve other functions such as giving shape to the body, cushioning the skin, reducing heat loss, as a constituent of hormones, cell membrane and as shock absorber to protect internal organs. Thus it needs to get the right amount of fat in the diet.
- Choose a diet that has no trans fat and low in saturated fat. Moving from saturated animal-based fats to unsaturated vegetable-oil based fats when cooking is below their smoke point.
- Trans fat increases the level of LDL (low density lipoprotein, to transport cholesterol to peripheral tissues for use), decreases the level of HDL (high density lipoprotein, to transport cholesterol from the arteries and back to the liver for excretion or re-utilization) in the blood and clogs the arteries and hence increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Saturated fats raise the total blood cholesterol and so have been linked to heart disease and various cancers as the saturated fats do not have double bonds and can take up the space occupied by cholesterol in the HDL and LDL. Thus cholesterol stays in the plasma. The saturated fats are found mainly in the meat of cows, pigs and sheep and in products which include their meat and fat, such as sausages, meat pies and beef burgers. Eating too much saturated fats can also lead to overweight.
- Unsaturated fats are found in oily fish, chicken, eggs, turkey, duck, beans and lentils and foods made from these. Unsaturated fat lowers LDL and increases the ratio of HDL/LDL in the blood. However, the greater the degree of unsaturation (ie, the more double bonds in the fatty acid), the more vulnerable it is to lipid peroxidation (rancidity). Moreover, if it is heated to its smoke point, it becomes denaturized and produces cancer-causing substances.
- Foods with visible fats include butter, cream, fat on meat, lard, margarine, etc.
- Foods with hidden fats include bacon, cakes, crisps (potato chips), cheese, chips (fries), fried foods, meat, especially pork and lamb, biscuits (cookies), pastries, processed meat products like sausage and meat pies, etc. Junk foods such as hamburger are high in fat content.
Salt
- Salt contains sodium. Sodium is a mineral that helps regulate the body's fluid balance, the flow of water into and out of every cell. This balance keeps just enough water inside the cell so that it can perform its functions. If intaking more salt, sodium would make the blood hold onto more water, which creates more pressure. The high blood pressure would increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
- As sodium attracts and holds water, eating less salt also means that a person can retain less water and feel less bloated and hence has less weight.
- Foods high in salt include bacon, canned vegetables, corned beef, cornflakes, ham, hard cheese, margarine, sausages.
Sugar
- Too many sugary foods and drinks are likely to make you have excess calorie intake and hence put you on weight.
- Intake of too many sugar-rich foods and drinks can also cause tooth decay but does not give you any micronutrients.
- If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.
- If use, don't use refined sugar. Use raw sugar (better use molasses) instead.
Food Preparation
- Always using low-fat, low-calorie cooking techniques - boil, steam or grill foods rather than frying them. In general, avoid frying, deep-frying. Steaming, boiling and grilling without extra fat or oil helps to cut down your total intake of fat.
- Low heating is recommended by naturopathic practitioners as high heat changes the molecular structure of the foods and becomes inorganic.
- Remember to cut down on any animal fat used in cooking, e.g. in soups do not add fat and do not fry food for. Do not add extra fat or oil when cooking vegetables.
- Eat bread without spreading butter on it.
- Prepare foods with less salt. When you do use salt in cooking, use iodized salt.
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