It seems that we can’t turn the corner today, without hearing that healthy eating is important for us. But so many of us still either do not grasp what this fully means, or take it seriously enough to actually apply it to our life.
For starters, many of us are confused as to what exactly constitutes healthy? For some apples are a healthy option, while for others chicken, while for others yet an Egg McMuffin from McDonald’s.
Well, we will not dissect each and every food, because it is much easier than that.
If you are serious about enjoying great health no matter what age you are. If you are serious about preventing or healing diseases. If you are serious about delicious food, it is actually very simple to eat healthy and enjoy a multitude of benefits by following a simple pattern, which I want to share with you here today.
What is the Secret Food For Great Health?
The media loves drama, and all too often we get caught up in that drama when we hear one day about the health benefits of blueberries, another day the power of broccoli, and yet another about some exotic superfood.
We get excited. We feel like some major breakthrough happened, but in the end we miss one big connecting point that continues to leave us confused and missing out on the real health benefits.
If you take the last ten stories you heard about food breakthrough benefits on the news, what foods where they about? What common theme do the foods have? Can you spot it?
Was the common thread not that they all came from one group of food? You got it! All the foods that have the most protective, preventative, healing and health benefits all come from natural plant food.
When was the last time you heard a breakthrough that meat decreases your chances of cancer? Or that milk heals diabetes? Or that eggs lower cholesterol? In fact when were any animal food products promoted in research media for their healing, health and preventative benefits? Advertising campaigns for milk or beef don’t count for obvious reasons, and yes I am aware of the health benefits presented on fish.
The point that we have to take away from all of this is simply one thing. It is not about which particular plant food you should be eating now or tomorrow, it is that ALL fruits and vegetables, and other plant foods, have healing, preventative and health benefits. Simply eat a variety of them, in large amounts daily.
This is where the power lies for maintaing and attaining great health – a plant-based diet. Nature knows how to take care of us, when we learn to live in peace, and harmony with her.
I know when some people hear this, they automatically dismiss it, want to attack it or get scared thinking that they need to become a vegetarian or vegan. Heaven forbid.
Well, that is not at all what the idea behind this is. It is the simple truth that plant-based, natural food is the most beneficial for our systems to work most efficiently, for the longest period of time. That is it, as simple as that. And yes there are certain geographical exceptions, like those living in the far north, but this holds true for the rest of the human population.
You do not need to go out of your way to buy the latest “superfood“. Whether it is goji berries, broccoli or quinoa – all are beneficial and provide phenomenal benefits to our health. As do apples and cabbage, and lentils, and kale, and brown rice and the list goes on and on…
This is why eating for best health and weight can be simple. 90% of the time the media, or doctors or magazine articles are not telling you anything new or different. Simply replace more and more of your food daily with a variety of natural, plant foods. It truly does not get any easier.
Prevent Disease and Heal Cancer By Starving It
We also know that the greatest obstacle to our health today are chronic diseases, with heart disease and cancers taking the top two spots, and both being lifestyle based.
Some of us eat healthy, some of us “try to eat healthy“, some of us panic and change our ways when disease strikes, while others yet fail to change a thing, no matter what disease state afflicts. We all have a choice. But while a certain diet and lifestyle can prevent most disease completely, what happens to those of us that took our diet and lifestyle habits for granted, and are left today with a life threatening disease?
When disease does hit, most of us are quick, desperate and at the mercy for any cure. When it comes to cancer, most people think that the destructive chemotherapy and radiation are their only options. The good news is that today there is so much more, whether alternative or conventional therapy is concerned.
One of the treatments that has begun use and is currently continuing to grow in research and popularity is based on angiogenesis – the process of growing blood vessels.
What does this have to do with healing cancer, and more importantly how is this tied to your diet?
Find out in the latest research video below, where William Li, researcher and angiogenesis expert presents how the growth or death of our blood vessels can be the missing link needed to prevent and heal cancer, as well as many other diseases.
Conclusion
William is a leading authority where different, more holistic options for our health and healing are concerned. While his work is great, what I gather from this video is the conclusion that comes up over and over again – you cannot go wrong, and have only to benefit in infinite ways from a varied, natural plant-based diet.
We may know today the awesome benefits of this fruit, or that vegetable – but we still have not even begun to scratch the surface of the synergistic benefits when we combine variations of them together. And in the end, we really should not even need the research. Our health is proof enough.
So in the end, it really is that simple – if you want great health on physical, mental and emotional levels, if you love your life and want great longevity, if you want to heal or prevent literally every disease – base each meal and snack on natural, plant foods.
There are so many different fruits, vegetables, herbs, whole grains and legumes, that you will never be bored. Get creative, make time in your life to make healthy eating a priority and gain invaluable health benefits with every bite by making a plant-based diet a way of life for great health!
About the author:Evita Ochel, B.Sc., B.Ed., CHN - is a certified holistic nutritionist, biologist, educator, writer, researcher and speaker in the areas of health, science and holistic wellness. She is a nutritional science expert and her teaching and writing focus on natural, wholesome, plant-based and organic nutrition to achieve optimal health and longevity. Learn more about Evita Ochel or Follow Evita Ochel on Twitter.
9 Comments to “Starve Cancer, Prevent Disease and Nurture Great Health With This Simple Approach”
Hi, Evita. This is a terrific video presentation; a bit long, but filled with information. My stepfather is currently in crisis with a tentative diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, and I forwarded this video to my mother the minute I saw it. She’s making the shift for both of them.
The most profound statement you made here is this: “Nature knows how to take care of us, when we learn to live in peace and harmony with her.” Natures DOES provide, but it’s up to us to allow it. The key is “live in peace and harmony.” When we cultivate and nurture, there’s mutual benefit. When we coerce, force, and exalt ourselves, nothing thrives. This is true in business, in personal relationships, and in our relationship to our planet and its other inhabitants. And it’s true of our relationship to our bodies, as well.
Our bodies function beautifully on all things positive: loving thoughts, movement, and the best nutrition. When we feed ourselves other than what is the best of everything, we end up working in competition: people vs. the bodies that support us. We all lose.
You’ve crafted a beautifully written article. It offers hope for everyone, not just those with cancer.
Hi Julie
Yes, the video did get a bit technical in parts, for me the best part was indeed about the the ending.
It is wonderful that people are making healthier shifts. Of course it would be better if it wasn’t with or because of a disease, but that is not important of the why. The most important part is that a shift is taking place.
Please pass along to your mom the Gerson Institute link: http://www.gerson.org/
I am sure there is more there that can help your step dad.
Thank you Julie for the wonderful feedback too – so very much :)
Very timely post. I have a few questions.
Okay, plant foods are good. But then some doctors say certain plant foods are counterproductive, at least for people with certain conditions. Like this post that warns against fruits. Now this was SO confusing to me.
http://crazysexylife.com/2010/rating-the-lifeforce-energy-in-our-food/
Another issue, I think, is the issue of overeating. I think we can overeat plant based foods, which can be problematic.
And finally, about the TED presentation. So starving cancer by limiting the growth of blood vessels seems fantastic. But don’t these foods / drugs limit the growth of ALL blood vessel growth? So what happens if this person get injured? As he says in the beginning of the video, undergrowth of blood vessels can be problematic, too.
Just sharing my concerns. I’d appreciate anyone’s feedback on these points.
Hi Akemi
There is a lot of mass media confusion. Too often we are working against each other to solve the same problems, instead of together.
A similar note goes for doctors. We have to remember they are all human, and as I used to tell the kids I used to teach, a doctor is just a person who read more books than you. In the end, they have their own opinions, biases, prejudices and misinformation, etc.
So the approach I take when it comes to plant food is just to keep one’s common sense and intuition as the greatest governing tool.
The article link that you provided Akemi was fantastic. And I really am not sure why the doctor stated as he did at the end – I have some personal theories, but they don’t make much sense, unless he is going based on some energy basis of cancer and fruit. I know numerous people who upon getting cancer switched to a plant-based diet that included many fruits and did great to the point of healing completely.
I really don’t like it when important facts are given without any back up. This is how information gets misused and confused and taken completely out of context as facts are made up. Now some of the people who read that will go around telling others to not eat fruit when they have cancer, without having any clue as to why, and if it is even true. Mostly only because they heard a doctor say it.
Akemi, let me ask you this, why do you think it would be a problem if you overate plant foods?
As far as I see it, you may have extra, extra regular bowel movements and loads of vitamins and minerals for your body to work with.
The thing about plant foods too, is they are self limiting. It is very difficult to fill up on broccoli or eat beans compulsively (unless they are processed and drenched in salt or something). Plant foods are high in fiber and give our bodies a natural stop signal when we have filled up.
Overeating anything in one meal is not good – that is for sure – as it strains the digestive system, but there is nothing wrong with making plant foods a way of life, as long as they are varied and one gets a balance of the nutrition they provide.
As for your question about William’s presentation, our body has a perfect regulating system based on the ideas of homeostasis – body balance or harmony. If we kept every area of our lives in balance, including what we eat, I have no doubt that our bodies would work perfectly – they are divine machines. As an inspirational poster I once saw said “God doesn’t make no junk” :) LOL
So I am no expert on angiogenesis, but as I understand it, eating as naturally as possible keeps us in balance where the body knows where to grow more vessels and where to cut back. We can never underestimate the intelligence of our system.
I too have always been fascinated in the past, as to how does a drug know exactly where to go, say it is prescribed for your pancreas. Does that mean it doesn’t go to the liver and kidneys and heart, etc…. Well as I found out later yes and no – it is not an easy explanation.
The no is that this is not much different from chemotherapy. Chemo kills many healthy cells as well as sick ones – this is why the side effects are so horrible.
So when William talks about a drug that will inhibit angiogenesis, than yes you are right, there will for sure I would say be side effects where it will also inhibit the growth of other blood vessels not just the ones for cancer.
However, if we approach this naturally, our body knows what to do. Every cell is programmed to heal, to work to do this or that, at various times in its life cycle.
This is where going back to a plant-based diet means more about taking out the food that throws us out of balance, and keeping in the food that knows how to keep us in balance.
And in the end Akemi, I will be honest with you, in these last 2 years I have changed my approach to how I write and look at nutrition a bit in this way. At first I was intrigued by every study and scientific discovery and fact. I wanted to be on the leading edge and make sure I am not missing anything that I can share with the readers. And then as I calmed my thoughts and looked at this a little more consciously, I realized, geez! they really are not telling us anything new half the time, they are just spinning info around in circles and presenting it in new packages.
We just have to trust ourselves, and eat as naturally as possible for our species. Now I know people will argue till they are blue in the face of whether we were or were not meant to eat meat, dairy, and eggs – in the end I don’t care much to debate either answer. What I am sure of is the most natural way to eat for our species is plant-based, whether that includes a little meat or not.
And I think many people who are highly skeptical of this still, will get some big proof in the coming decades as the people who have been vegans or vegetarians will continue to be studied on a long term scale versus those who eat animal-based food, as the results are already starting to come in stronger and stronger.
So thank you for asking all these awesome things again – you know I always appreciate your thoughts because you are thinking for yourself and not just taking what others say and thus striking up great discussions. That is awesome and inspirational :)
Oh, by the way, as our friend Lisa the mommy mystic says, there is no healthy diet and unhealthy diet … there is only healthier diet :)
Well, I have to say, it sounds to me like just a play on words.
In the end, whatever makes us comfortable :)
Hi Evita! This is such an important point – our health depends on the way we live MOST of the time. I fully believe in a plant-based diet and I also feel that it doesn’t have to 100% vegan or vegetarian to count as plant-based. I’ve tried to be vegan numerous times in the past, but I always succumb and feel guilty. Now I just don’t worry about it anymore. I eat a large variety of plant foods, lots of it raw and unprocessed, and once in a while I have something of animal origin – usually when we’re socializing. This seems to be the balance I’ve been striving for for so long.
Another great article! You’re a great writer.
Hi Hanlie
Thank you Hanlie – yes it is that most that matters most ;)
The most important is to pick something that works for us now. There is always room for growth and improvement as we go – that is the fun part of life. As we change, so do our needs.
Your story perfectly reminds me of the article that is coming out on Beings tomorrow and where I have included this video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/graham_hill_weekday_vegetarian.html
Thanks for your insights Hanlie :)
Hi Evita,
Nice article! This is a very powerful message. We as individuals can do more for our health and that is eating more raw healthy foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. We can take charge of our health and prevent a great deal of these diseases that we have self inflicted on ourselves through consuming processed foods. Our foods in a way have become very tainted and dangerous to our health. We rely to much on modern medicine to fix all of our health issues. Some of these diseases that we have today through living an unhealthy lifestyle, science doesn’t have the answers or cures and maybe never will. The cures that we do have for cancers if caught early are still very poisonous to our bodies. We just have to be more responsible for our health and we can prevent many health issues and problems.