Using Diet to Treat Chronic Diseases

[Guest guest]

Using Diet to Treat Chronic Diseases

New research continues to demonstrate that particular foods can

strengthen the body and help prevent disease, an approach that will

perhaps someday allow us to rely less on drastic treatments, like

pharmaceutical drugs and interventional procedures, to stay healthy.

With so much scattered information out there, I spoke to

Novick, MS, RD, the nutritionist for the McDougall Program in Santa

, California, and the director of health education for the

National Health Association, for a big picture plan on how people can

use diet to treat chronic disease.

CAN FOOD TREAT DISEASE?

Can food treat disease? Novick, a nutritionist/dietician, said " People

who are suffering from certain chronic conditions should indeed

consume or avoid particular foods. " But he vastly prefers to emphasize

a healthy diet focused on prevention, which can then be tweaked as

necessary for specific diseases to reduce symptoms. Accordingly, his

first caution is to consider the big picture -- what diet will

increase your health and decrease the likelihood you'll get sick?

Novick's first rule then is this: Eat foods that nourish and sustain

the body. Though he says the ideal would be to eat only such foods,

this is especially important for those who suffer from a chronic

disease. For guidance on what such a diet would look like, Novick

looks at eating habits in societies around the world where people

routinely lived to 100 or more. Common to these groups (in addition to

social engagement, regular moderate exercise and being tobacco-free)

was a plant-based diet with a little animal protein... so little, in

fact, that Novick suggests considering animal protein a condiment, not

a main course. With this in mind, here are updated dietary specifics

that Novick recommends to nourish and sustain us all, healthy or ill...

* Avoid refined foods. More than 90% of the carbs in the US diet

are in the form of refined and processed foods and few of these are

healthy. Even many foods labeled " whole grains " (including bagels,

bread, crackers, cookies and rolls) also have fats, sugars, salt and

preservatives that are not, he stresses, on the good-for-you list.

* Fill up on fiber. Eat plentiful amounts of vegetables,

unprocessed intact whole grains like brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa,

barley, starchy vegetables (potatoes, yams, corn, etc.) and, yes,

beans. In fact, with their high fiber, low fat and high protein,

legumes seem to be a common denominator among all populations studied

for longevity and health.

* Everything in moderation... even good-for-you foods. Novick

points out that diets that recommend a " little " this and a " little "

that, such as dark chocolate, walnuts and olive oil, can easily lead

people to believe it is okay to eat large quantities of these foods,

so they end up consuming too much fat and too many calories. While

these foods may be good for you in small quantities, they can easily

be overdone. Instead, he suggests focusing on the primary foods the

diet recommends and using the others as a condiment or an occasional

treat.

DISEASE-FIGHTING FOODS

When disease creeps in, there are dietary changes that Novick

recommends. For example...

If you have arthritis: People who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis can

do much through diet to help symptoms. Novick suggests removing all

inflammatory components of the diet, including processed foods, white

flour and sugar, and most vegetable oils. In fact, based on studies

published in the medical literature, Novick says it is best to remove

all oil from the diet until symptoms abate. Be sure your diet includes

lots of green leafy vegetables and all types of berries for their

phytochemicals. In addition to the above, Novick suggests that those

with osteoarthritis -- the most common form of arthritis -- keep their

weight down, because excess pounds stress joints. Some people with

osteoarthritis find it helpful to avoid nightshade vegetables

(tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant), while others don't have a

problem with them.

If you have diabetes: Weight reduction is of paramount importance when

it comes to treating diabetes, says Novick. A loss of as little as 5%

to 7% of total weight will result in a dramatic improvement in blood

sugar. He adds that belly fat is particularly dangerous for people

with diabetes -- in addition to its cardiovascular risks, abdominal

fat increases insulin resistance. Exercise is key, but Novick advises

also reducing dietary fat intake and keeping calories under control.

For those concerned about glycemic load, who believe adding fat to a

meal lowers the meal's glycemic load and hence the glucose spike, he

notes that in the long run dietary fat, excess weight, excess belly

fat and inactivity interfere with and increase insulin resistance and

make diabetes worse.

If you have high blood pressure: Reducing total fat in your diet, and

most especially unhealthy fats, can help lower blood pressure. Here's

why: Fat in the blood is known as lipemia. When a fluid becomes more

viscous, as blood does when lipemia increases, it is more difficult to

move it through the vessels and requires more pressure. High fat meals

can cause lipemia that lasts up to six hours.

However, the most often cited dietary problem when it comes to high

blood pressure is salt. The best way to cut down on salt intake is to

monitor the sodium you consume in processed and packaged foods. A good

rule of thumb is that the sodium content in mgs/serving should not

exceed calories/serving. Be especially careful in restaurants, as much

restaurant food is highly salted. (For the latest advice on salt

intake, see Daily Health News, June 9, 2008.)

If you have digestive problems and/or heart disease: Both of these

very common disorders can be improved with proper diet. Novick says he

has seen people who experience terrible pain from digestive problems

of reflux, heartburn, inflammatory bowel disease and other maladies

become pain-free in just a few days by making dietary changes. To

optimize digestive health and to improve (sometimes even reverse)

heart disease, the dietary advice is familiar. Eat fruits...

vegetables (especially green leafy ones)... lean protein... and some

whole grains. Indeed, if your diet emphasizes these foods now, you'll

be doing a great deal to boost the odds that you will never have to

worry about treating disease in years to come, be it with food or drugs.

Source(s):

Novick, MS, RD, director of health education for the National

Health Association, nutritionist/dietician, McDougall Program, Santa

, California.