Author’s note: If you have digestive problems, click here for a special version of Roadmap to Health
The Cause of Chronic Health Problems
WHAT IF: There was an entity that caused a cancer that never existed before, created a new skin disease, and QUADRUPLED CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE IN MEN OVER 40?
It would be the lead story on all of the news networks, would be on the cover of several magazines, and it would be the subject on many talk shows. The funny thing is that this has actually happened. The cause of all of these health problems already exists—and it happened within a single generation! It happened to the Inuit living in Northern Canada. Prior to 1940, these people ate the traditional foods of their ancestors—their diet had been the same for centuries. After 1940 military bases began to appear and many began to eat at base cafeterias, abandoning their traditional diet. This sudden increase in disease was caused by the Western Diet. Eating the type of diet that we take for granted causes disease. Some women developed breast cancer, which was unheard of before 1940. Teenagers began to have acne, another condition that didn’t exist before they began eating a more “civilized” diet. Diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and gross obesity all became more common. This result happens pretty consistently when a population abandons its traditional diet and begins eating a Western diet. Weston Price documented this in his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.
Dr. Weston Price
In the 1930s Dr. Weston Price, a dentist, traveled the world and compared people in “civilized” societies to their same ethnic group living away from civilization. He looked at isolated people in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands He found that “uncivilized” people did not have the chronic health problems we have. They had very little cancer or heart disease, no obesity, sinusitis, allergies, diabetes, GERD, etc. Even their bone and teeth structure was better (see below). The person eating a traditional diet is on the right.
The Western Diet Creates Inflammation
There is more to inflammation than pain:Most disease is the result of inflammation. Heart disease, Crohn’s disease, allergies, and even cancer all are inflammatory conditions. By getting inflammation under control, you not only reduce pain but improve your health in general. You may have heard the names of some of the chemicals involved in inflammation in drug commercials. Some examples of these pro-inflammatory chemicals are prostaglandins, cytokines, interleukins, and leukotrienes. Drugs that treat allergies and reduce pain and inflammation work by affecting these chemicals. Similarly, diet and supplements can also affect the amount of these chemicals and the inflammation that they produce.
Inflammation and the diet:Research has shown that sugar, refined food, and processed food can all increase chemicals that produce inflammation. Insulin insensitivity can produce inflammation. Insulin insensitivity is the result of eating too many refined carbohydrates (refined sugar and starch products, like sweets, pasta, and white bread). People with insulin insensitivity tend to be overweight, carrying excess weight in their belly, thighs, and buttocks. Studies have shown that people who are overweight tend to produce more inflammatory chemicals than people who are not overweight.
The point is that the lifestyle you lead and the food you consume can not only influence the amount of pain you feel but can promote health and slow down the disease process as well. Research appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2004;292:1440-1446) has shown that diet can reduce inflammation.
30 Days Will Change Your Life
It may seem strict, but…This is a 30-day program. Diet and some basic supplementation can reduce pain and improve almost any chronic health problem. You can do anything for 30 days. The program is strict, but once the 30 days are over, you can relax the discipline a bit. At the end of the 30 days, some of the “forbidden” foods will be allowed. Just remember that coming off the program is an opportunity to make some of the improvements to your health and well-being permanent. At the end of this handout is some advice on ending the 30-day plan.
- Avoid obvious junk: You probably already know that these substances undermine your health, so avoid them (even after the 30 days are over). This includes refined sugar, refined starch, chemical additives (if it wasn’t available 10,000 years ago, it is not good for you), artificial sweeteners, and commercial oils (use only extra virgin olive oil).
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables: Plenty means that at least ¾ of your diet (by volume) should be fresh produce. They provide fiber and nutrients; vegetables create an environment favorable to good bowel flora.
- Avoid GMOs: (Genetically modified foods). Genetically modified foods tend to be heavily sprayed with chemicals. Some are designed to survive being sprayed with the herbicide glyphosate (which has recently been linked to cancer). They harm the digestive tract by disrupting the bowel ecology.
- As much as possible, eat organic foods. The more chemicals you avoid, the better off you will be. Sometimes organic foods are not available, so do the best that you can.
- Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly. Ideally, chew your food until it is liquid. You will be satisfied with less food and you will have better digestion. Your saliva has enzymes that facilitate digestion. Also, it is easier to digest small particles than large ones. Not chewing well stresses your digestive system and can lead to poor absorption of nutrients, digestive problems like gas and bloating and promote the growth of harmful bacteria in the digestive tract.
- Follow a modified Paleo diet (quinoa and sweet potatoes are allowed). Avoid complex carbohydrates. This means no starchy foods or disaccharides. Starches include corn, potatoes, rice, wheat, etc. Also, beans contain complex carbohydrates and are to be avoided (remember, this is only for 30 days). A disaccharide is a sugar that needs to be broken down by the digestive system, like lactose (so no dairy is allowed). The exceptions are sweet potatoes and quinoa.
- Drink plenty of water (divide your weight by two for the number of ounces of water you need per day).
Why go Paleo?
The idea behind the Paleo Diet is that people were healthier when they were hunter-gatherers. When people settled into villages and began to cultivate wheat and other grains and to consume dairy, their health declined. There are no grains (wheat, rice, corn etc,) potatoes, dairy products, or any other source of complex carbohydrates (like beans) allowed on the diet. There are many advantages to the Paleo Diet. It is low in food allergens, like wheat, dairy, corn, and soy. It is very good for digestion. Americans eat a disproportionate amount of complex carbohydrates and many believe that is the reason there is so much GERD, irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease. We have modified the program a little to allow sweet potatoes and quinoa. When you eat sweet potatoes, make sure to take 8x Pancreatin from Zorex to help to digest them.
Other considerations:
- Alcohol: Do not drink alcohol on the program. If you feel that you cannot avoid it for 30 days, you may need to consider the possibility of addiction. Some of the recipes include wine, but the alcohol is cooked out of the dish.
- Smoking: Tobacco is an addiction. The 30-day program may present you with the opportunity to quit. Some people with follow the program for 30 days and continue to smoke, then do it for another 30 days and quit during that cycle. If you feel that you cannot quit, do the program anyway. It will still help.
- Caffeine: If you drink a lot of coffee or tea, ideally, you should stop. Caffeine, however, is addictive and some people experience withdrawal symptoms when it is given up. If this is an issue for you, try doing the program for 30 days while consuming the caffeine. Then do a second 30 days and give it up.
- Prescription medication: Discuss this with your doctor. For the most part, you will need to continue your medication. If you are diabetic, you may want to monitor your blood sugar while following the program as your medication needs may change. Again, discuss this with your doctor.
What to do at the end of 30 days:
If the program helps you, as it will for most people, change your habits slowly. This is an opportunity to find out if some “good” foods are giving you a problem. Many people have a problem with consuming wheat, dairy, soy, or other commonly eaten food.
- Continue to avoid the “obvious junk”: Of course, there may be parties or special occasions where you may break discipline. Just continue to understand that these foods are bad and avoid them as much as possible. This also goes for avoiding GMOs. Continue to eat organic foods as much as possible.
- Continue to eat more fresh produce than other foods: Try to make sure that at least 50% of what you eat (by volume) is fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Break the Paleo discipline slowly: One of the reasons the Paleo diet is included in this program is that it helps with digestive issues. Also, many of the foods avoided are foods, like wheat and dairy, that are problematic for many people. If you consume a food that is not allowed on the Paleo diet, do not consume another one for 24 hours. If you have wheat on Tuesday, for example, do not have dairy until Wednesday. If you feel worse after eating the food, it is something that you should avoid AND, do not have another “forbidden” food for 72 hours. For example, if you have wheat on Tuesday and have symptoms (bloating, fatigue, sinus issues, etc.), do not have dairy until Friday. Also, continue to avoid the wheat (and probably other gluten grains).
Do not limit food. Eat when you are hungry. Many will lose weight on the program, but do not try to turn this into a “diet”. What you eat is much more important than how much you eat. Ask the practitioner who gave you this document for the Zorex Weight-Loss Plan. It has some small changes that make this an effective weight-loss program.
Restaurant survival:
Eating out presents some challenges. It is almost impossible to know if your food is organic or free of GMOs (except in some high-end restaurants). Do the best that you can. Order salad (simple vinegar and oil dressing—creamy dressings tend to be full of chemicals) and as many vegetables as you can. Have chicken, meat or fish that is broiled and without breading. Even in a fast-food restaurant you can have hamburger (without the bun) and a salad. You can remove the breading from fried chicken. Just follow the dietary discipline as much as you can.
Eating plan: 7 days of meal suggestions. These are just ideas. Eat what you like (as long as you follow the parameters of the plan).
| Day 1 | Breakfast | Apple with almond butter or almonds |
| Lunch | Tuna (mix it with olive oil, chopped onion and celery). Serve it on carrot sticks or cucumber slices. | |
| Dinner | Quinoa, large salad (with olive oil and vinegar dressing) and cooked vegetables | |
| Day 2 | Breakfast | Beef patty, sliced tomatoes |
| Lunch | Steak or beef vegetable soup, large green salad | |
| Dinner | Beef vegetable soup, large green salad |
| Day 3 | Breakfast | Quinoa, fruit |
| Lunch | Chicken vegetable soup, large green salad | |
| Dinner | Chicken, large green salad, cooked vegetables | |
| Day 4 | Breakfast | Melon, raw nuts |
| Lunch | Baba ghanoush, tabbouleh (made with quinoa instead of cracked wheat), carrot sticks and cucumber slices. | |
| Dinner | Salmon or any fish, large green salad |
| Day 5 | Breakfast | Vegetable omelet (chopped onion, spinach, bell peppers, or any desired vegetable) |
| Lunch | Stir fried vegetables with your choice of meat, poultry, or fish | |
| Dinner | Fajitas (your choice of meat), avocado, salad (salsa is allowed) | |
| Day 6 | Breakfast | Quinoa, fruit |
| Lunch | Tuna (mix it with olive oil, chopped onion and celery). Serve it on carrot sticks or cucumber slices. | |
| Dinner | Fish, cooked vegetables, and large green salad |
| Day 7 | Breakfast | Any fruit, any raw nuts |
| Lunch | Chicken or chicken vegetable soup | |
| Dinner | Chicken, salad, and sweet potato |
