In the following section, we will discuss the nutritional impact on some very common, but serious diseases. These overviews are presented for informational purposes only. If you are currently suffering from any of these diseases or are at risk for developing any of these diseases, we strongly urge you to talk to your health care professional about developing a nutritional plan that is right for you.

Heart Disease

The nutrition lifestyle recommendation for heart disease is simple: High Fiber, Low Staurated Fat, and optimal levels of antioxidants.

So how do you get this:

• Eat at least three servings of green, leafy vegetables per day (preferably raw)
• Eat at least two-three servings of high-fibrous fruits a day
• Learn to eat foods that are high in antioxidants
• Take an antioxidant supplement
• Never eat processed foods
• Do not eat junk food or fast food
• Make sure that you eat at least three servings of complex carbohydrates per day
• Make sure that your proteins are lean
• Do not eat trans fatty acids

What are some real life examples?

-Opt for salads that contain more than iceberg lettuce and tomatoes. Make it a requirement that your salads have to have at least three different colors in them! Make it a challenge to see how many different colors you can get into your salad.

-Learn that a salad consists of vegetables and legumes. It does not consist of starches. Pasta salad and potato salads are NOT salad.

-Play the color game for entire meals. If your meals are typically red/brown and off-white (meat and potatoes) you are not eating a nutritionally balanced meal. Try this as a "color goal": Green, purple/orange, red, yellow, tan/white and blue. What does this come out to be? Green beans, cabbage, bell peppers, corn, chicken and blueberries (for dessert).

-Add vegetables to other foods you cook. For example, add broccoli and bell peppers to a low-fat cream of potato soup. Put spinach leaves on your burger instead of lettuce.

-Instead of white toast, switch to whole grain bread. Make sure you are replacing all of your simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates.

-Stay away from those fast food restaurants that do not provide fresh food options. However, be warned that even some of the salads at fast food restaurants contain an excessive amount of refined sugar and calories.

-Incorporate nuts into your diet. Use trail mix as a snack.

-Realize that you might have certain food addictions. It is not uncommon for people, who after giving up a diet of processed and fast foods, suffer from symptoms similar to withdrawal. Wean yourself off of these foods slowly do that you can make sure that the transition sticks.

Cancer

There are many forms of cancer. As detection improves in our community we also hear the term pre-cancerous condition. Pre-cancer can indicate that a physician sees evidence that cancer may or may not develop in the effected area. Most often, people with pre cancer are given a tissue biopsy on annual basis to monitor their condition. Every year better methods of monitoring the human body for cancer are invented. Even though there continues to be no universal cure for cancer the best methods for treating the disease are in early detection and prevention. Currently over 25% of the world population, from infants to the elderly, are affected by cancer.

Cancer works by changing the cell structure of healthy cells in the body. As the cells continue to multiply we can begin to see the symptoms of cancer on the body. As cancer cells begin to out number the healthy cells in the body sickness generally occurs. No one knows the direct cause of cancer, but factors of environmental exposure (known carcinogenic chemicals); dietary choices (fats and chemically processed foods) and hereditary factors are all believed to contribute to the growth of cancer in the body.

There are many good resources on cancer diets and nutrition facts. Many of these resources are from survivors of cancer themselves and are worth reading not only for the important dietary information, but for the inspirational stories they have to tell.

Here we will mention diet choices that aid in the prevention of cancer. To prevent cancer, our goal would be to increase the numbers of healthy cells to out number the unhealthy ones. We need to build our immunity. Building our immunity not only helps in conditions like cancer, but also helps in the prevention of the common cold and flu.

To create healthy cells we need to boost our immunity. When talking about immunity we are dealing with free radicals. Free radicals are molecules generated by the cells of the body upon exposure to toxins in our environment. Free radicals contain extra oxygen and destroy invaders (toxins; germs and viruses) by oxidation.

Extra oxygen can be created by exercise as well as from foods that help to increase oxygen production in the body. Vitamins C & E, Beta carotene, B Vitamins, minerals such as selenium and zinc are all nutrients that help support free radicals by utilizing beneficial antioxidants.

Some of the best sources of these nutrients are barley and wheat grass juices, carrot juice* and dark green vegetables. Micro algae, seaweeds, and sprouted grains are also great sources of high nutrient, high antioxidant foods. Purchasing organic foods will guarantee a high degree of nutritional value of all of these foods.

Avoid all saturated fats as well as meats that contain high fat, hormones or chemicals. Rancid foods, spoiled foods and fried foods will also create a build up of toxins in the body which can promote damaging free radicals.

Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus, other wise known as sugar diabetes, is a condition where the body is unable to metabolize sugar. In juvenile-onset diabetes the pancreas is damaged and unable to process sufficient insulin. Juvenile-onset diabetes is difficult to cure but can be managed and, in some cases, insulin intake can be reduced by an improved diet. The more common and rapidly growing form of diabetes in the western world is adult-onset diabetes. Adult-onset diabetes is caused not by the reduction of insulin from the pancreas but from the lack of the insulin's utilization which is blocked by the effects of a diet rich in fats. (Refined sugars, such as white sugars used in commercial white breads and pastries are converted in the body to fat and thus a contributor to adult-onset diabetes).

The danger of diabetes is when too much sugar enters the blood and the kidneys excrete the sugar along with all the other fluids in the urine. Frequent urination and excessive thirst are common symptoms.

Diabetes can be controlled by dietary changes. A diet high in fat and sugars will increase pressure on the spleen-pancreas and will deplete the secretions of much needed insulin to break down the sugars being eaten. Changing your diet is the only way to treat diabetes without medication. For diabetics already on medication and looking to change their diet, you should consult your health care provider before making any changes to your current diet.

Adult-onset diabetes can be seen as wasting disease where an individual looses excessive weight, has watery stools and symptoms of fatigue. This is known as deficiency diabetes.

A diet rich in lightly cooked, carbohydrate-rich vegetables and fruits is important for this type of diabetes.

• Winter Squash
• Carrots
• Turnips
• Black Peas
• Pumpkin
• Yams

Additionally, other types of foods are nutritionally essential for mediating adult-onset diabetes:

• Garlic
• Onion
• Black Pepper
• Cinnamon
• Fennel
• Beef Liver
• Turkey Breast
• Lamb

It is advisable to talk to your health care practitioner about eliminating dairy products and food sweeteners from your diet. Many health care practitioners will also advise that you should eat more frequent, yet smaller portioned meals during the day. A qualified nutritionist or health care provider can assess your unique situation and advise you on how best to control your adult-onset diabetes.

Excessive-type, adult-onset diabetes is the more common in the Western World, especially the United States. Unlike the deficient-diabetic, the excess-type diabetic is usually a robust person who may have a tendency to over-indulge in a heavy meat and starch diet. Obesity and constipation usually accompany the other signs of diabetes in this person. In this case, a person should make a dramatic to increase their daily consumption of raw fruits and vegetables. Fruits, such as the ones listed below, are excellent choices.

• Apples
• Bananas
• Berries (Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• Apricots
• Mangos
• Lemons
• Limes
• Tomatoes
• Pineapples

When choosing a sweetener to add to you food or beverages, we recommend using only Stevia-leaf products or avoiding sweeteners altogether.

Typically, most adult-onset diabetics will find themselves straddling both the deficient and excessive types. For both, high quality oils can help recovery. In small amounts, flax seed oil (a great source of Omega-3) and gamma linoleic fatty acids (GLA), may be added to the diet, but only after progress has been made in changing to a more diabetic-appropriate food lifestyle. Flax seed oil, along with other beneficial supplements, such as evening primrose oil or borage, may help regulate insulin and may also protect against diabetic heart, eye and kidney damage. Of additional benefit is spirulina. Spirulina is a high quality green food supplement praised for its overall health benefits. For any diabetic looking to change their diet and wanting to use GLA oils, you must contact your nutritionist or health care provider before supplementing with GLA. Too much GLA can actually be harmful to a diabetic liver, so please use extreme care before starting this supplement.

• Flax Seed Oils
• Evening Primrose Oil
• Borage
• Spirulina
• Green Food Supplements
• GLA (only with supervision)

As a general precaution for us all, but specifically for people who wish to avoid adult-onset diabetes, there are a number of food choices you can make to aid in the fight against adult-onset diabetes.

• Diet low in saturated and trans fatty acids
• Diet low in processed sugar and refined carbohydrate products
• Diet high in fiver (more than 25 grams of dietary fiber per day)
• Diet high in digestive enzymes
• Diet high in fruits and vegetables (at least 2-3 fruits a day and 3-5 vegetables a day)
• Diet where no more than 30% of your vegetables are eaten cooked
• Completely avoid processed foods and fast foods

Alternative Sweeteners for the prevention of adult-onset diabetes:

• Stevia
• Honey
• Molasses
• Pure maple syrup

Please remember that limiting your total amount of sweetener in your diet is important, as is limiting the amount of white flour, cooking lard, butter and vegetable oils. Flax seed oil, olive oil and grape seed oils are good alternatives for cooking to prevent adult-onset diabetes.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS) as well as various other names, is a condition that affects the central nervous system, immune system, and many other important bodily functions. People with chronic fatigue syndrome have severe mental and physical fatigue, which is unrelieved by rest and usually made worse by even modest exertion. There is no known cause or cure for CFS, and various treatments, from antibiotics to antidepressants, are currently used to try and alleviate the condition and reduce suffering. What is known about chronic fatigue syndrome is that it has been associated with the degeneration of liver and gall bladder processes.

There is no need to live with CFS. As with most diseases that seem to manifest with fatigue and mental instability, it is important to realize that YOU are not the problem. What you are eating could be, and perhaps, is the problem. Changing your diet to a whole grain, low fat diet and adding green foods such as spirulina, wheat or barley grass, and blue green algae will be the beginning to changing this condition.

People who eat a diet high in fats, and highly processed foods will compromise their liver. The liver is the cleansing organ for the body. It can only take so much before it begins to shut down. People seeking further healing may alos condider a liver renewal diet and/or a parasite cleansing.

Liver renewal can be achieved through diet. The body can heal itself if given the right tools to do so. People also who were never breast fed as children may also find they have a propensity for CFS. To date, however, no conclusive studies have been done on bottle feed vs. breast feed babies and chronic fatigue symdrome.

A liver renewal diet is only recommended for adults. Gamma linoleic acid fatty acids (GLA) should be added; flax seed oil, evening primrose oil are good sources. Colostrum, organic bovine variety may also be taken. Green plants must be added to the diet; micro algae, fulvic acid and seaweeds. Fruits that are high in antioxidants; berries, lemons and limes should be eaten. Royal jelly also has high renewal properties that can help repair the liver. A liver renewal diet should be taken from a qualified resource such as a holistic medical practitioner who is familiar with alternative sources of medicine for healing the liver and gall bladder.