Some FAQ's Of Eating Healthy

One of my personal friends emailed me the other day and had some really great questions. I'd like to share with you a part of our conversation cause I think it will really benefit all of my readers.

Bob,

I have been researching the cancer rates in other countries and have found that Asia and some European countries (Spain and Greece) are among the lowest. So…what is the link here???

Asia consumes a lot of fish, fruit, veggies and lots of RICE! Not to mention green tea.

Greece and Europe consume a lot of VEGGIES, FISH and Cheese and olive oil. I for one LOVE Greek food (my step dad is Greek). I have learned to make spinach pie which consists of feta cheese, spinach and philo leaves. I also love to make Greek Potatoes and what I call Greek burgers ( this combines beef, feta, red pepper, and kalmata olives.)

What’s ur take on this? Can you still eat this stuff and be healthy?

Mediterranean diets are awesome and I love them. Asian cultures are actually very good on paper. The rice they consume is a grain yes; however that is about the ONLY grain they consume and it is gluten free as well. It is digested a bit differently than most all other grains. Doesn't make it great, but just a better alternative. Additionally they are also much more laborous in these countries. They are more physical all day long, walk A LOT, and don't turn to being couch potatoes like we do here in the U.S.

The coastal Asians are much more apt to be healthier than their inner-city and suburban counterparts due to the city having all the food accesses as we get in our own environment.

What you described in your email is pretty much a grain-free diet outside of the rice, but as I mentioned there are reasons for that. If your diet consists of fruits, veggies, and high healthy fat proteins such as grassfed beef, full fat cheeses (unpasteurized of course), whole eggs from cage free chickens on veg diets, raw nuts/seeds, wild caught fish (farm raised are fed grains and contain almost 80% less healthy fats than the wild caught) you will be amazingly healthy.

Since chicken(and any poultry) is one of the worst things to eat due to it NEEDING to be cooked to a minimum of 160 degrees prior to conceiving consumption as well as when it is cooked it becomes carcinogenic due to the heating process and who would want to eat chicken raw (yuck!), pasta (especially, especially wheat), any grains whatsoever (source: http://bit.ly/6TQ8Z5) are extremely, extremely unhealthy... you would be eliminating toxic and digestively abrasive things from your diet and therefore lifestyle. Immediate positive changes would occur.

Outside of that I'm not saying to be 100% raw. Somewhere in the range of 80-85% raw is great. You can eat meat and cheese. In fact I eat grassfed beef 2-3 times a week. Grassfed beef can have more omega-3's than fish and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which is a very healthy fat for eliminating excess body fat and contributes to brain function as well. As cheese goes, well eat your fill. In fact I eat at least a block or block and a half a night. It is always full-fat, raw or unpasteurized dairy only so that the enzymes, proteins, and good bacteria are alive. If you eat pasteurized or dead dairy you are promoting all sorts of health issues, some you might be aware of and others you might not, that will be immediately removed when eliminating pasteurized dairy. Source: http://www.realmilk.com/

Our email conversation continued:
Ok Bob…. Where can you get the rice the Asians use- the gluten free one? Where can you get the eggs you have referenced, do you have any good Mediterranean recipes, and finally what type of fish do you recommend consuming. (Oh yeah, how do you feel about potatoes? My fav are sweet potatoes cause they're higher in their vitamin content.)

Here's my quick answers:

All rice, as far as I've seen, is gluten free.

Eggs: any store these days has them, but we get them at Trader Joes or Whole Foods. Just make sure they are 3 things: organic, cage free, and fed vegetarian diets. The cartons will say all those things. Fertile eggs are also great. FYI: egg shell color has not bearing on what is inside. The inside is all the same

Recipes: My book will be coming out soon and have a bunch in it alongside my take on how, when, & what we should be eating ongoing. I also post recipes and pics on my Facebook profile a few times a week and I hand out recipes to all my clients ongoing.

Potatoes are fine as long as you don't eat them all the time due to the starch. White and red are part of the nightshade family alongside tomatoes, eggplant, all peppers, etc. They are pro-inflammatory due to a natural chemical in them. Eat them very sparingly. Sweet potatoes and yams are not of the nightshades and are fine, but again- due to the starch- sparingly is best. Vitamins are in a lot of berries much more prevalent than sweet potatoes.

Here's some food for thought that I heard from my buddy, and fellow IKFF Kettlebell Teacher, Sincere Hogan... Always run from the "4 Little White Devils".