Diet is one of the most powerful ways to protect yourself from disease. With that in mind, respected cardiologist Andrew Freeman has put together a list of 6 tips that will help you prevent disease while maintaining a healthy weight. You can find them below.
Go as plant-based as possible, and cut out the “Carbage”: Freeman advises you to eat as your ancestors did: Back then you ate what you found and it was mostly plant-based foods. He also suggests you take a look at your lifestyle habits and cut out the easy fixes first. If you drink a lot of soda, for instance, cut that out. Another thing to avoid is process foods and snacks such as chips and candy.
Avoid a diet high in meat: While the jury is still out about the ketogenic diet, the problem is that it encourages unnecessary meat consumption. Bacon, which is processed meat, is a common food in the ketogenic diet—and we know processed meats contain carcinogens, which cause cancer. Best too avoid too much meat in your diet and go for plant-based foods.
A diet high in fat and low in carbs is worse for you: Freeman suggests people not to go too low in carbs as studies have found it’s unhealthy to eat all that fat and protein. Instead, he advises the Goldilocks approach: Not too many carbs and not too few, but just the right amount, and focus on legumes, whole grains, vegetables, and fruit, especially the kind you could pick.
Eat more legumes: It turns out that beans are some of the healthiest foods you could eat, especially lentils. These are high in fiber, fill you up, and have plenty of protein.
Eat the way our ancestors ate: The natural way to eat is plant-based, with a little intermittent fasting thrown in. Sure, they were hunter-gathers, but the meat was much more a rarity compared to foods they would pick such as berries. If you go for those same kinds of foods, it can help you stave off disease while keeping a healthy weight.
Be physically active, be social, and get good sleep: Looking at the healthiest people in Blue Zones ( referencing Dan Buettner’s book about longevity patterns and what people who live long healthy lives have in common), we see they all are physically active, have strong social networks, and enjoy quality sleep. In particular, the main commonality in their diet is that they don’t drink too much alcohol and they eat mostly plants.
