My favorite idea: There is an opportunity cost whenever you put animal products or processed foods in your mouth. You’re missing out on the chance to eat something healthier that can make you even stronger and that may even save your life.

A Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet Can Save Your Life

“Most deaths in the United States are preventable, and they are related to what we eat. Our diet is the number-one-cause of premature death and the number-one cause of disability.”

“The pandemic of chronic disease has been ascribed in part to the near universal shift toward a diet dominated by animal-sourced and processed foods – in other words, more meat, dairy, eggs, oils, soda, sugar, and refined grains.”

“It turns out a more plant-based diet may help prevent, treat, or reverse every single one of our fifteen leading causes of death.” (Total cases of a top disease that leads to death every year: 1,750,000)

“That one unifying diet found to best prevent and treat many of these chronic diseases is a whole-food, plant-based diet, defined as an eating pattern that encourages the consumption of unrefined plant foods and discourages meats, dairy products, eggs, and processed foods. In this book, I don’t advocate for a vegetarian diet or a vegan diet. I advocate for an evidence-based diet, and the best available balance of science suggests that the more whole plant foods we eat, the better—both to reap their nutritional benefits and to displace less healthful options.”

“The truth is that adhering to just four simple healthy lifestyle factors can have a strong impact on the prevention of chronic diseases: not smoking, not being obese, getting a half hour of exercise a day, and eating healthier—defined as consuming more fruits, veggies, and whole grains and less meat.”

“Know… that there is only one way of eating that’s ever been proven to reverse heart disease…” “If that’s all a whole food, plant-based diet could do – reverse our number-one-killer – then shouldn’t that be the default diet until proven otherwise? And the fact that it can also be effective in preventing, treating, and arresting other leading killers would seem to make the case for eating this way overwhelming. Please give it a try. It could save your life.”

Read more at NutritionFacts.org

Why Don’t People Know This?

• Doctors are uninformed: “Only a quarter of medical schools appear to offer a single dedicated course on nutrition.”
• The health care system is not incentivized to tell us: “The U.S. health care system runs on a fee-for-service model in which doctors get paid for the pills and procedures they prescribe, rewarding quantity over quality. We don’t get reimbursed for time spent counseling our patients about the benefits of healthy eating. If doctors were instead paid for performance, there would be a financial incentive to treat the lifestyle causes of disease. Until the model of reimbursement changes, I don’t expect great changes in medical care or medical education.”
• People are saying and doing whatever it takes to make money without considering our health: “As corrupting an influence as money is in medicine, it appears to me even worse in the field of nutrition, where it seems everyone has his or her own brand of snake-oil supplement or wonder gadget. Dogmas are entrenched and data too often cherry-picked to support preconceived notions.”
• There is too much information for everyone to go through (So Dr. Michael Greger is doing it for us): “Last year alone, there were more than twenty-four thousand papers published in the medical literature on nutrition, and I now have a team of researchers, a wonderful staff, and an army of volunteers who help me dig through the mountains of new information.”
• Corruption and industry pressure: “…coronary heart disease can be reversed with a plant-based diet… Why hasn’t this news translated into public policy yet? In 1977, the U.S. Senate Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs tried to do just that… Under industry pressure, not only was the goal to “decrease meat consumption” removed from [their] report but the entire Senate nutrition committee was disbanded. Several prominent senators reputedly lost their election bids as a result of supporting the report.”

Treating the Top Killers With Diet

Heart Disease

Coronary Heart Disease kills 375,000 people every year.

• Lower your LDL “bad” cholesterol by reducing your intake of trans fat, saturated fat, and dietary cholesterol. These are found in processed foods and animal products
• “Endotoxins” (bacterial toxins found in meats) can trigger inflammation which stiffens arteries
• Brazil nuts improve cholesterol levels
• A whole food plant based diet has been shown to reverse heart disease

Lung Diseases

Lung Diseases kill 296,000 people every year.

• Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower help prevent DNA mutations
• Kale has been shown to lower bad cholesterol and boost good cholesterol
• Turmeric (specifically it’s curcumin component) has been sown to prevent DNA damage from smoking and cause cancer cells to die. Turmeric
• Second hand smoke from cigarettes and from frying food in oil is harmful. Use ventilation in the kitchen.
• Eating fried foods is not the best (even friend plants)
• Cured meat (hot dogs, sausages, salami, bacon, bologna, ham) have been show to increase the risk of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
• Eating fruits and vegetables have been show to decrease the risk of COPD
• A plant based diet has been shown to decrease the risk and symptoms of asthma while animal products have shown the opposite

Brain Diseases

Brain Diseases kill 214,000 people every year.

• A plant based diet can reduce cholesterol and blood pressure which decreases your risk of a stroke.
• High fiber reduces the risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity… in addition to strokes. Processed foods and animal products have little to no fiber. Fiber may decrease cholesterol and blood pressure. You want soluble fiber (beans, oats, nuts, berries) and insoluble fiber (whole grains).
• Potassium intake helps reduce the risk of strokes. The primary source of potassium in diets is plants (the bet are greens, beans, and sweet potatoes)
• Citrus has been shown to reduce the risk of strokes
• Lack of sleep or too much sleep can increase the risk of a stroke. You want 7-8 hours.
• Antioxidants help prevent cellular damage. “On average, plant foods contain sixty-four times more antioxidants than animal foods.” All plants are good but note that berries, and herbs and spices are particularly high. Antioxidants help decrease artery stiffness, prevent blood clots, lower blood pressure, lower inflammation, and prevent strokes.
• Many think that Alzheimer’s is a vascular disorder. Alzheimer’s disease is associated with clogging of arteries in the brain. It’s advised to eat vegetables, legumes, fruits, and whole grains. It’s advised to avoid meats and dairy products.
• Dementia has been associated with consumption of animal fat
• Eating some berries every day may slow your brain’s aging by two years or more. Berries and dark leafy greens have special antioxidants that can pass the blood-brain barrier and may provide neuro-protective effects.
• Turmeric might be good for Alzheimer’s but saffron might be even better
• Meat, cheese, and highly processed foods have high amounts of AGE (gerontotoxins thought to accelerate the aging process), especially if they are exposed to high heats during cooking.
• Exercise helps cognitive function. Aerobic exercise can actually reverse age-related shrinkage in the brain (this was not found in stretching or non-aerobic strength training).

Digestive Cancers

Digestive Cancers kill 106,000 people every year.

• Turmeric (specifically curcumin) has been found to reduce cancer structures in rectums
• Quercetin (found in some fruits and vegetables) has been found to reduce cancer structures for colorectal cancer
• Constipation has been correlated colon cancer. Fiber intake reduces constipation. Fiber is only found in plant foods. Fiber helps clear out your digestive track from waste products and toxins. Waste products and toxins that are left there could be reabsorbed by the body.
• Phytates have been shown to prevent harmful free radicals (compounds that cause DNA damage). They are found in whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Phytates have also been shown to inhibit the growth of virtually all cancer cells. They also have been shown to help white blood cells which kill cancer cells. Phytate consumption is also shown to increase bone mineral density.
• Meat contains heme – a type of iron that’s associated with colorectal cancer. Note: The iron in plant foods is not absorbed well (unlike heme from meat).
• Berries help reduce cancer cell growth
• Consumption of chicken has been shown to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer. There is concern that wart-causing chicken cancer viruses are being transmitted through fresh and frozen chicken. People that work in slaughter houses are more likely to develop cancer.
• Antioxidant-rich plant foods have been shown to decrease your chances of esophageal cancer
• Animal products increase acidity and acid reflux which lead to chronic inflammation and esophageal cancer
• Berries and specifically strawberries have been shown to reverse esophageal cancer.

Infections

Infections kill 95,000 people every year.

• Sanitize your hands with alcohol-based products
• Eating fruits and vegetables was shown to make people more protected after getting a vaccine
• Kale is the most nutrient-dense food and it’s been show to help fight infection
• Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, kale, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage) help your cells fight pathogens and pollutants
• Berries have been found to increase the amount of “killer cells” that you have – cells that fight viruses and cancer cells
• Cardamom has been shown to increase your “killer cells” performance
• Consuming probiotics (your good gut bacteria) might help your immune system. Instead of consuming probiotics, focus on the gut bacteria you already have – your gut bacteria thrive on fiber (found in plants) and starch in beans. Fiber and the bean starch are called prebiotics.
• Exercise helps your immune function. However, right after a strenuous workout your immune system is inhibited. Nutritional yeast helps combat this.
• Mushrooms and yeast trigger antibody production and have anti-inflammatory effects
• Eating eggs and consuming poultry are the most common ways to get Salmonella poisoning. Poultry from retail stores are likely to have traces of fecal matter on them. UTI-bacteria found in human’s rectums originates from chicken.
• Yersinia bacteria infections are associated with contaminated pork
• Clostridium difficile (super bacteria that kills thousands) is found in chicken and beef, but mostly in pork

Diabetes

Diabetes kills 76,000 people every year.

• Insulin allows sugar to go into your fat and muscle cells. A high-fat diet can cause insulin resistance which inhibits the body to handle sugar in the blood. High blood sugar can damage organs. Being overweight can also cause insulin resistance. Insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes) and having little insulin (type 1 diabetes) can be caused by being overweight or consuming a high-fat diet.
• Saturated fats (found mainly in animal products) can lead to inflammation, toxic products in the body, and mitochondrial dysfunction
• Monosaturated fats (found mainly in plants) are likely to protect against the bad effects of saturated fats
• Eating legumes and other plants has been shown to help people lose weight (they are high in fiber, nutrient dense, and low in calories so you can eat a lot). Instead of eating less animal products, swapping the animal products for vegetables in order to lose weight – you can eat the same amount of food
• 95% of Diabetes-causing chemicals are likely consumed through animal fat
• Vegetarians have been shown to have higher gene expression of a fat-burning enzyme
• Plant-based diets have been shown to reverse diabetes, reverse hypertension, and stop pain in people with nerve damage

High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure kills 65,000 people every year.

• “The two most prominent dietary risks for death and disability in the world may be not eating enough fruit and eating too much salt.”
• Sodium raises blood pressure and can impair artery function. Vegetables and other natural foods do not have a lot of salt.
• Consuming whole grains has been shown to lower blood-pressure. Note: They need to be whole grains like oats, whole wheat, and brown rice (refined grains may increase your risk of chronic disease)
• “The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend getting under 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day, while the American Heart Association recommends no more than 1,500 mg/day.” – NutritionFacts.org
• Consuming flaxseeds have been shown to decrease blood pressure
• Consuming hibiscus tea has been shown to decrease blood pressure (Note: it’s very acidic so don’t drink more than a quart of it and rinse your mouth after)
• Nitric Oxide helps your arteries open up and relax. Eating antioxidant-rich plant foods helps your body keep Nitric Oxide in your system (beets and greens are also good for this) The top Nitrate rich foods are Arugula, rhubarb, cilantro, butter leaf lettuce, mesclun greens, basil, beet greens, oak leaf lettuce, swiss chard, and beets. (Note: eating these can have a “veggie Viagra” effect) (Note: they can help athletic performance if consumed before)

Liver Disease

Liver Disease kills 60,000 people every year.

• “Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to an accumulation of fat in the liver (what’s known as fatty liver), which can cause inflammation and result in liver scarring and, eventually, liver failure.” Even light drinking (less than one drink a day) can increase cancer risk
• People consuming animal products (specifically animal fat like cholesterol) and people consuming soda have been shown to have a higher risk of liver disease
• Avoid excess calories, cholesterol, saturated fat, and sugar
• Decrease your risk of getting the various types of hepatitis by getting vaccines, washing your hands, handling food properly, and practicing safe sex
• The green algae chlorella may help treat hepatitis C
• Consuming pork increases your risk of getting hepatitis E
• Oatmeal has been shown to protect your liver (and maybe other whole grains)
• Fruits and vegetables with red and blue pigments have been shown to prevent fat accumulation in the liver (cranberries, berries, grapes, plums, red cabbage, red onions). Cranberries appear to be the best (but it’s bitter and it’s bad to consume excess sugar)
• Coffee has been associated with less liver inflammation

Blood Cancers

Blood Cancers kill 56,000 people every year.

• Plant-based diets provide the greatest protection against blood cancers (it provides protection from all other cancers too)
• Sulforphane kills leukemia cells (Sulforphane is found in cruciferous vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, watercress, bok choy, kohlrabi, rutabaga, turnips, arugula, radishes, wasabi, cabbage)
• Green leafy vegetables and citrus fruits have been shown to be protective against blood cancers
• High-antioxidant diets significantly lower lymphoma risk. Especially acai berries. Walnuts, apples, cranberries, and purple cabbage are also great
• Curcumin (component of turmeric) can slow down or stop myeloma cell growth
• Animal products are though to be associated with blood cancers. Chicken consumption has been associated with lymphoma. There are “…higher rates of blood cancers among farmers, slaughterhouse workers, and butchers.” This may be due to animal viruses contacted while handling the meat. “…poultry slaughterhouses have been found to have higher rates of cancers of mouth, nasal cavities, throat, esophagus, rectum, liver, and blood.”
• Consuming diet soda may increase the risk of blood cancer. Eliminating all soda can’t hurt too.

Kidney Disease

Kidney Disease kills 47,000 people every year.

• “The researchers found three specific dietary components associated with this sign of declining kidney function: animal protein, animal fat, and cholesterol. Each of these is found in only one place: animal products. The researchers found no association between kidney function decline and the intake of protein or fat from plant sources.”
• Consuming excess table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup has been associated with increased blood pressure and uric acid which damage kidneys
• High animal protein can cause hyperfiltration in the kidney – dramatic increase in workload
• High plant protein appears to cause no additional stress on the kidneys. In fact, it was found to help preserve the function of kidneys
• Dietary acid load can harm the kidneys. Animal products (meat, eggs, cheese) are acidic while fruits and vegetables are base-inducing. The most acid-producing foods are fish, pork, poultry, cheese, eggs, and beef. Note – some grains are also a little acid-producing. Beans, fruits, and vegetables reduce acid.
• Sodium intake can contribute to kidney damage
• Eating a plant based diet has been shown to reduce the risk of kidney stones.
• The risk of kidney stones has been correlated with consumption of animal protein
• Phosphorus in the blood has been associated with kidney failure, heart attacks, premature death, bone loss, and accelerated aging. Animal foods have phosphate which are easily absorbed into the blood. Plant foods have phytate which is harder to absorb. Chicken is the worst.
• Don’t buy processed foods that have anything with “phosphate” in the name on the ingredients label
• The vitamin C and other antioxidants in plant foods have been shown to block the formation of carcinogens from nitrites. Nitrites are found in plants and animal products – especially processed animal products. Avoid processed meat such as ham, bacon, salami, hot dogs, and sausages. The highest nitrate vegetables are arugula, kale, and collard greens.

Breast Cancer

Breast Cancer kills 41,000 people every year.

• “…limiting alcohol, eating mostly plant foods, and maintaining a normal body weight—was associated with a 62 percent lower risk of breast cancer.”
• “Remarkably, eating a plant-based diet along with walking every day can improve our cancer defenses within just two weeks.”
• Alcohol consumption has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer. (except maybe red wine). “…five thousand breast cancer deaths may be attributed to light drinking.” It’s probably best to avoid mouth washes that contain alcohol.
• A compound in red wine (grapes), berries, pomegranates, and plain white mushrooms suppress a cancer-promoting enzyme
• Lack of melatonin has been shown to increase the risk of cancer. Melatonin suppresses cancer growth. Make sure to get enough sleep, sleep in a dark room, and avoid screens at night. Meat consumption is associated with lower melatonin productions.
• Physical activity is preventative against breast cancer. But you need to work up a sweat. Ex: Walking at a moderate pace for an hour every day.
• Cooking meat at high temperatures (roasting, pan frying, grilling, baking) can cause it to create carcinogens. The longer it’s cooked, the more carcinogens form.
• “paradox”: Cooking meat thoroughly reduces the risk of contracting foodborne infections (see chapter 5), but cooking meat too thoroughly may increase the risk of foodborne carcinogens.”
• Cancer is thought to feed on cholesterol. Eating a healthy plant-based diet has been shown to lower cholesterol levels
• Lack of fiber consumption has been shown to increase your risk of breast cancer
• “…an analysis of a dozen other breast cancer case-control studies reported similar findings, with lower breast cancer risk associated with indicators of fruit and vegetable intake, such as vitamin C intake, and higher breast cancer risk associated with higher saturated-fat intake (an indicator of meat, dairy, and processed food intake).”
• Antioxidants from eating apple peals were shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer
• People that increase their vegetable intake of a significantly decreased risk of breast cancer. Collard green might be best.
• Sulforaphane (a component of cruciferous vegetables like broccoli) has been shown to suppress the ability of breast cancer stem cells to form tumors
• Consuming flaxseeds has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer
• Soy contains phytoestrogens. ” Phytoestrogens dock into the same receptors as your own estrogen but have a weaker effect, so they can act to block the effects of your more powerful animal estrogen.” Soy seems to decrease breast cancer risk. “Overall, researchers have found that women diagnosed with breast cancer who ate the most soy lived significantly longer and had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer recurrence than those who ate less.”
• “Eating mushrooms and sipping at least half a tea bag’s worth of green tea each day was associated with nearly 90 percent lower breast cancer odds.”

Suicidal Depression

Suicide kills 41,000 people every year.

• Happier people were found to be less likely to get sick
• Arachidonic acid (found in animal products – especially chicken eggs) is thought to worsen your mood. This may be due to it inflaming your brain
• Depression has been linked to having high levels of monoamine oxidase. “…many plant foods, including apples, berries, grapes, onions, and green tea, contain phytonutrients that appear to naturally inhibit the MAO, as do such spices as cloves, oregano, cinnamon, and nutmeg.30 This may help explain why those eating plant-rich diets have lower rates of depression.”
• Consuming carboydrates and seeds (sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, etc.) has been shown to help seratonin (the happiness hormone) get to your brain
• Surprisingly, smelling saffron (as well as consuming it) has been found to have psychological benefits
• Artificial sweeteners are thought to increase the risk of depression (avoid artificial sweetener packets as well as products that contain them – mints, cereals, gum, felly, juice, pudding, energy bars, yogurts, etc.)
• People that drink coffee appear to have less risk of suicide
• Exercise has been shown to decrease symptoms of depression
• Antioxidants help deter harmful molecules that can lead to developing various psychiatric disorders
• People that eat phytonutrients (found in tomatoes) have reduced risk of depression
• Folate (found mainly in beans and greens) may decrease the risk of depression

Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer kills 28,000 people every year.

• Hormones in diary products are thought to stimulate the growth of tumors
• Almond milk has been found to suppress cancer cell growth
• Consuming eggs and chicken has been associated with increased risk of prostate cancer
• People that reduced their meat consumption slowed down the growth of their tumors. People that ate a full plant-based diet reversed the growth of their tumors
• Eggs and poultry are found to have the most risk of developing prostate cancer
• Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale) have been found to be the best at preventing prostate cancer
• Flaxseeds have been shown to reduce the growth of prostate cancer
• IGF-1 is a hormone that makes your cells want to grow. This is good when you’re young but bad when you’re an adult because it makes cancer cells more likely to grow. Consuming animal products are correlated with more IGF-1.

Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s Disease kills 25,000 people every year.

• People are thought to develop parkinson’s disease from toxic pollutants that accumulate in their environments and in the food supply. The top sources of these pollutants are animal products. (poultry has arsenic; dairy has lead; seafood has mercury; etc.). The lowest sources are plants. Dioxins are a a highly toxic pollutant that accumulates in animal fat.
• Part of the reason toxins accumulate in animals is because after animals are slaughtered the trimmings are fed back to the new animals on the farm. “When we eat these farmed animals, it’s almost as if we’re also eating every animal they ate.”
• Eating a plant-based diet can help eliminate 98% of your intake of toxins
• Nicotine has been shown to be helpful for parkinson’s disease (Note: You should not smoke!). Some vegetables have nicotine (like tomatoes and potatoes)
• Pesticides have harmful effects on your neurons. Fruits and vegetables (especially berries) have phytonutrients that are protective against the harmful effects of pesticides
• Caffeine (like in coffee) has been shown to reduce the symptoms of parkinson’s.

Iatrogenic Causes

Iatrogenic causes kill 225,000 people every year. 

(aka death by doctors and medical errors)

• “…side effects from medications given in hospitals kill an estimated 106,000 Americans every year.”
• “…7,000 people die every year from receiving the wrong medication by mistake, and 20,000 others die from other hospital errors.”
• “estimated 99,000 deaths each year due to hospital-acquired infections.”
• CT scans and x-rays (as well as cosmic rays when you fly in an airplane) can cause radiation damage. Ginger, Vitamin C from plants (citrus, nuts, seeds, pumpkins, and peppers), and green-leafy vegetables (spinach, kale) have been shown to provide radiation protection. Also garlic, turmeric, goji berries, and mint leaves.
• Drugs are important but people have overconfidence in the power of pills – they can’t heal as much as we think. However, sometimes pills are necessary.
• Eating fruits and vegetables can have an “aspirin-like” affect which is actually good – it lowers the risk of cancer. However, taking the pill aspirin everyday can have serious side effects. Stick to the plants.
• Despite colonoscopies being common there are often serious complications. Ask about alternatives like getting your stool tested or a sigmoidoscopy. The alternatives are not as good. If you do get one try taking peppermint before – it’s been shown to loosen your colon.

Traffic Light Foods

A system to help decide what is healthy to eat and how much.

“My Traffic Light model stresses two important general concepts: Plant foods, with their greater protective nutritional factors and fewer disease-promoting ones, are healthier than animal foods, and unprocessed foods are healthier than processed foods. Is that always true? No. Am I saying that all plant foods are better than all animal foods? No. In fact, one of the worst items on store shelves is partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening…”

“…green means go, yellow means caution, and red means stop.”

• Green: Unprocessed Plant Foods
• Yellow: Processed Plant Foods and Unprocessed Animal Foods
• Red: Ultra-Processed Plant Foods and Processed Animal Foods

Unprocessed Definition: “…nothing bad added, nothing good taken away.”

• Ex: Rolled oats are processed but still good for you.

The Daily Dozen Checklist

“The more I’ve researched over the years, the more I’ve come to realize that healthy foods are not necessary interchangeable. Some foods and food groups have special nutrients not found in abundance elsewhere.”

“As the list of foods I tried to fit into my daily diet grew, I made a checklist…”

“…I don’t even use the checklist anymore; I just used it initially as a tool to get me into a routine. Whenever I was sitting down to a meal, I would ask myself, Could I add greens to this? Could I add beans to that? (I always have an open can of beans in the fridge.) Can I sprinkle on some flax or pumpkin seeds, or maybe some dried fruit? The checklist just got me into the habit of thinking, How can I make this meal even healthier?”

Checklist

• 3 Servings of Beans
• 1 Serving of Berries
• 3 Servings of Other Fruits
• 1 Serving of Cruciferous Vegetables
• 2 servings of Greens
• 2 Servings of Other Vegetables
• 1 Serving of Flaxseeds
• 1 Serving of Nuts
• 1 Serving of Turmeric + Other Spices
• 3 Servings of Whole Grains
• 5 Servings of Beverages
• 1 Serving of Exercise

Beans

“Black beans, black-eyed peas, butter beans, cannellini beans, chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), edamame, english peas, great northern beans, kidney beans, lentils (beluga, french, and red varieties), miso, navy beans, pinto beans, small red beans, split peas (yellow or green), and tempeh”

• Canned beans are just as healthy as boiled beans… but be careful of salt! Options: Wash your beans (this can remove some nutrition), don’t buy canned, or buy canned with no salt.
• “Fear of Flatulence” – People’s concerns about gas are exaggerated. Dairy is the leading cause of gas. They may make you gassy at first but it will likely go away.

Berries

“Açai berries, barberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries (sweet or tart), concord grapes, cranberries, goji berries, kumquats, mulberries, raspberries (black or red), and strawberries”

• It’s a myth that sugar from fruit is bad for you. It’s harmless and may even help your body.
• Goji berries have a lot of melatonin

Other Fruits

“Apples, dried apricots, avocados, bananas, cantaloupe, clementines, dates, dried figs, grapefruit, honeydew, kiwifruit, lemons, limes, lychees, mangos, nectarines, oranges, papaya, passion fruit, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums (especially black plums), pluots, pomegranates, prunes, tangerines, and watermelon”

• “Olives and extra-virgin olive oil are yellow-light foods. Olive consumption should be minimized because they’re soaked in brine—a dozen large olives could take up nearly half your recommended sodium limit for an entire day. Olive oil is sodium-free, but most of its nutrition has been removed.” Refined olive oil (nonvirgin) is even worse.
• You can cook without oil. To keep food from sticking you can use wine, broth, water, etc. For baking you can use banana, avocado, prunes, etc.
• Choose unsulfured dried fruit
• Kiwis have a surprising amount of health benefits
• Citrus is great for DNA repair. Add citrus zest to meals.

Cruciferous Vegetables

“Arugula, bok choy, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, horseradish, kale (black, green, and red), mustard greens, radishes, turnip greens, and watercress”

• These vegetables loose their powerful benefits when they are cooked. Techniques to get around this: Eat them raw; Cutting them and then waiting 40 minutes lets the beneficial nutrients develop so you can then cook them; Add mustard powder/seed/sauce which also activates the benefits and their is no need to wait 40 min. Note: Frozen food has been flash-cooked so it’s not the same as eating raw.
• Purple cabbage is great as a garnish

Greens

“Arugula, beet greens, collard greens, kale (black, green, and red), mesclun mix (assorted young salad greens), mustard greens, sorrel, spinach, swiss chard, and turnip greens”

• “Try to incorporate greens into as many meals as possible. I put just about everything I eat on a bed of greens.”
• Vinegar may be very good for you. Try adding it to your greens as a dressing.
• Caution: Avoid alfalfa sprouts. They have been linked to Salmonella food poisoning.

Other Vegetables

“Artichokes, asparagus, beets, bell peppers, carrots, corn, garlic, mushrooms (button, oyster, portobello, and shiitake), okra, onions, purple potatoes, pumpkin, sea vegetables (arame, dulse, and nori), snap peas, squash (delicata, summer, and spaghetti squash varieties), sweet potatoes/yams, tomatoes, and zucchini”

• Nutrients are not evenly distributed. Try to “eat the rainbow”. Eat a variety of all plant foods. “Different vegetables may target different cancers—sometimes even in the same organ.”
• You can reduct your exposure to pesticides by buying organic and rinsing your food. The best rinse is salt water.
• There is some risk but not a lot from consuming pesticides. But why have any risk at all? Choose organic when you can.

Flaxseeds

Brown flaxseeds, golden flaxseeds

• Make sure your grind them. If you eat them with the shell then they’ll pass right through you

Nuts and Seeds

“Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chia seeds, hazelnuts/filberts, hemp seeds, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and walnuts”

• Nuts are great for making sauces
• Walnuts are a particularly healthy nut
• Be careful because they are high in calories

Turmeric and Other Herbs & Spices

“Allspice, barberries, basil, bay leaves, cardamom, chili powder, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, curry powder, dill, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, horseradish, lemongrass, marjoram, mustard powder, nutmeg, oregano, smoked paprika, parsley, pepper, peppermint, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme, turmeric, and vanilla”

• Everyday eat 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric as well as other herbs and spices
• Consume your turmeric with black pepper to increase is benefits by 2000% (← not a typo)
• Caution: Too much turmeric may increase the risk of kidney stones
• Try using spice mixes to get a wide variety
• Caution: You can have too much poppy seeds, nutmeg, and cinnamon (try to get Ceylon cinnamon)

Whole Grains

“Barley, brown rice, buckwheat, millet, oats, popcorn, quinoa, rye, teff, whole-wheat pasta, and wild rice”

• Try getting a rice cooker and cooking in batches. Or choosing whole grans that can cook faster
• When buying whole grains use the Five-to-One Rule: Make sure the ratio of grams of carbs to grams of fiber is less than 5 to 1

Beverages

“Black tea, chai tea, vanilla chamomile tea, coffee, earl grey tea, green tea, hibiscus tea, hot chocolate, jasmine tea, lemon balm tea, matcha tea, almond blossom oolong tea, peppermint tea, rooibos tea, water, and white tea”

• Try adding fresh fruit or veggies to water to make it tastier. Or try sparkling water.
• It may be beneficial to use a paper filter for coffee (like drip coffee) since it traps the oils. Coffee like french pressed, boiled, or Turkish might increase cholesterol
• “I cannot recommend drinking coffee, though. Why? Because every cup of coffee is a lost opportunity to drink a potentially even healthier beverage—a cup of green tea.”
• Green tea is the best unless you drink white team with lemon. Matcha is ground up green tea leaves so you get a lot more nutrition than just the green tea bags.

Exercise

Moderate-Intensity Activities: “Bicycling, canoeing, dancing, dodgeball, downhill skiing, fencing, hiking, housework, ice-skating, in-line skating, juggling, jumping on a trampoline, paddle boating, playing Frisbee, roller-skating, shooting baskets, shoveling light snow, skateboarding, snorkeling, surfing, swimming recreationally, tennis (doubles), treading water, walking briskly (4 mph), water aerobics, waterskiing, yard work, and yoga”

Vigorous Activities: “Backpacking, basketball, bicycling uphill, circuit weight training, cross-country skiing, football, hockey, jogging, jumping jacks, jumping rope, lacrosse, push-ups and pull-ups, racquetball, rock climbing, rugby, running, scuba diving, tennis (singles), soccer, speed skating, squash, step aerobics, swimming laps, walking briskly uphill, and water jogging”

• Sitting is very bad for you: “In other words, people who religiously hit the gym after work may still have shortened life spans if they are otherwise sitting throughout the day. Sitting for six or more hours a day appears to increase mortality rates even among people who run or swim for an hour a day, every day, seven days a week.”
• Try a standing desk. Take regular breaks from sitting to walk around.
• Consuming antioxidants can help with post-workout recovery

Misc Notes

• You’re body wants to heal itself but it can’t if you keep hurting it every time you eat or if you aren’t giving it good building blocks
  • “It’s never too late to start living and eating healthier. The restorative powers of the human body are remarkable, but your body needs your help.”
  • “Dietary decisions you make now may directly influence your health much later in life, including the health of your brain.”
• Tomato Effect: People used to think tomatoes were poisonous despite overwhelming evidence showing they were not
• Doctors and other people used to think that smoking cigarettes was healthy
• You might think that if you can isolate the healthy ingredient in the plant foods then you could take it as a pill and get the same benefits. Numerous studies have shown that this is not true.
• Eat a variety of plant based foods. Don’t eat the same thing all the time. Different foods have different benefits.
• “Humanity’s dominion over animals has unleashed a veritable Pandora’s ark of infectious diseases. Most modern human infectious diseases were unknown before domestication led to a mass spillover of animal disease into human populations.”
• Carcinogens are found in fresh meat, including beef, chicken, and pork. The worst are processed meats like hot dogs and bacon.
• “Clearly exercise alone had a dramatic effect, but at the end of the day, thousands of hours in the gym appeared to be no match for a plant-based diet.”