The following information comes from the book “The Journey to Ultimate Health” by Janis Betz, RN, BSN
There is a great deal of research concerning the relationship diet plays in both the prevention and the development of cancer and chronic disease. Andrew Weil, M.D. states, “Cancer of the colon, one of the major killers in our society, sometimes runs in families, but it also correlates with diet, particularly with high consumption of fat, animal protein, and refined starch and low consumption of vegetables and fiber.”
In his book, The McDougall Plan, John McDougall, M.D. states, “The concepts of health and nutrition today are so far removed from truth that our very lives are threatened from the day we are born.” He further states, “On the classroom wall hung a large and beautiful poster depicting ‘the Four Basic Food Groups.’ Since this was a school, where only the truth was taught, we all opened our minds to this colorful instructional aid. Using these food groups as guidelines, parents feed their families what they have assumed to be a balanced diet. And look at the results: obesity, constipation, acne, high blood pressure, and rotting teeth are found in epidemic proportions among our children.” “The prevailing misconceptions about health and nutrition do not only cause illness; they promote it.”
Meat, Fish, Eggs, and animal products are high-protein foods. Andrew Weil, M.D. states, “High-protein diets impose a considerable workload on the digestive system and may contribute to feelings of fatigue and lack of energy.” Major medical journals have published scientific reports that say – excess protein has been found to promote the growth of cancer cells and can cause liver and kidney disorders, digestive problems, gout, arthritis, calcium deficiencies (including osteoporosis), and other harmful mineral imbalances.
Excess protein leaves an acidic residue or environment in the body, which requires the body to balance its pH by withdrawing calcium (an alkaline mineral) from the bones and teeth. (Diamond MD, Cowden MD; Lee MD, McDougall MD, and Weil MD).
John McDougall, M.D. brings to light another major concern with consuming commercial animal and poultry products, a concern of which few people are aware; “many environmental contaminants, including pesticides, herbicides, preservatives, drugs, and waste chemical products are soluble in fat and therefor are concentrated in the fatty tissues of the animals and plants [including eggs, dairy products, and fish].” Francisco Contreras, MD states, “According to the General Accounting Office, 143 chemical substances have been detected in commercial meats, 42 are carcinogens, and 20 can cause birth defects-none are beneficial!” Dr. Weil continues, “The drugs and hormones in meat [all animal and poultry products] may increase our chances of developing cancer, degenerative illnesses, and damage to the immune system.”
Milk and dairy products are high-protein and bad-fat animal foods. In his book, Fresh Vegetable and Fruit Juices, Norman W. Walker, D.Sc., Ph.D. writes, “Cow’s milk is probably the most mucous forming food used by human beings. The casein content of cow’s milk is exceedingly high, about 300% more than in mother’s milk. (Casein is a milk by-product used as one of the most tenacious adhesive glues for gluing wood together.) Colds, runny noses, tonsil, adenoid, and bronchial troubles are common results of mucous, whereas carrot juice is one of the greatest aids in eliminating mucous.” Andrew Weil, MD, states that milk protein, or casein, aggravates such conditions as asthma, bronchitis, and sinusitis. It also acts as an irritant to the immune system.
Humans are the only adult species still nursing past the age of weaning. It does not matter if we suckle from the cow’s utter or drink it from a glass. God did not create the cow to nurse the human. The fat and protein content of cow’s milk is meant to cause a 70 lb. calf to grow to 400 lbs. Eight ounces of cow’s milk contains 8 grams of protein, whereas eight ounces of breast milk has only 2.4 grams of protein (Pennington, 1998). Human babies only need the amount of protein in breast milk to grow into healthy children. The excess consumption of cow’s milk and dairy products is another cause of obesity and ill health in this country.
Milk contains a simple sugar called lactose, which adults cannot digest due to the natural absence of the digestive enzyme “lactase.” As a result, most adults and some children suffer from “lactose intolerance,”
which is evidenced by symptoms of indigestion, diarrhea, stomach cramps, and hurtful amounts of gas. This does not mean you need to take a “lactase supplement” to eat dairy products. It simply means that you should avoid eating dairy products altogether because when you consume them, your immune system becomes stressed, which lowers resistance to sickness, chronic disease, and cancer.
The calcium content of milk is not balanced with phosphorus and magnesium, which are needed to use calcium efficiently by our body so that it will form stones, bone spurs, and hardening of the arteries.
There is an excellent article that everyone should read in Discover Magazine (vol. 21 No. 8 Aug 2000) called “Worrying About Milk,” a study by Dr. Colin Campbell from Cornell University. This study found that dairy consumption leads to heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and diabetes.
Fats -Saturated (i.e. pig products) is linked to over 50% of all deaths in America. It is also the main cause or a contributing cause of heart disease and many cancers, including breast, prostate, colon, and uterine. The consumption of saturated fat also stimulates adult-onset diabetes. John McDougall, MD, explains, “A high level of fat in the bloodstream after a meal actually blocks the action of the insulin, allowing the blood sugar level to rise too high.” Furthermore, saturated fat in the blood raises blood cholesterol levels and promotes increased blood clotting. Partially Hydrogenated seed oils (omega-6 polyunsaturated fat) such as canola, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, soybean, sunflower, safflower, rice bran, and peanut oils are chemically processed and refined. Dr Julia Zumpano, RD, LD, from the Cleveland Clinic, writes that these oils cause inflammation and many diseases, such as arthritis, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, stoke, and Type 2 diabetes.
Fried foods should be avoided because they cannot be digested properly, which leads to putrefaction and fermentation. This causes constipation, bad breath, and offensive gas. Fried foods are foods that are fried or deep-fried in overheated fats (i.e., donuts, breaded meats, pancakes, hamburgers, fried meats, french fries, hash browns, etc.). This fat floods the body with free radicals and toxins, which causes cancer, many other illnesses, and chronic degenerative diseases (Walker). A recent study done in Sweden found a powerful carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) in deep-fried foods and in some breads and cereals. The acrylamide carcinogen is formed when carbohydrate-rich foods, such as potatoes and dough, are deep-fried.
Processed food and Cooked food are dead foods. All processed food is heated to destroy bacteria and enzymes to increase the product’s shelf life. Typically, they contain chemicals (toxins) to preserve the dead food, enhance or add flavor, and change the color of the dead food. They contain toxic seed oils, causing inflammation. The names of additives to stay away from include artificial flavors and colors/dyes, Tartrazine, BHA, BHT, alum (an aluminum compound), nitrites, sulfites, MSG, aspartame, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast extract, and modified food starch. (Weil MD, McDougall MD).
Andrew Weil, M.D. warns against charcoal grilling. He states, “Meats and other proteins become carcinogenic [cause cancer] when they are seared black over open flames or on a charcoal grill.”
Refined white flour, SUGAR, and corn syrup. White flour products contain no fiber. Children make glue by mixing flour and water. In your body, products made from white flour gum up your intestine, causing constipation. Refined white flour creates excess mucus in your sinus passages.
Your body cannot tell the difference between refined white flour and sugar because the white flour has been so refined that its starch makeup has become almost as simple as refined white sugar. As a result, your insulin burns up white flour just like sugar. Robert Arnot, M.D. states, “White flour will raise your blood sugar higher and faster than table sugar and at the same rate as a Mars bar!”
Sugar effectively lowers the immune system’s ability to work correctly. Eating only 100 grams (26 tsp.) in one sitting can stunningly reduce the ability of the immune system’s white blood cells to engulf and destroy bacteria and cancer cells. The immune-suppressive effect starts within 30 minutes after sugar ingestion and lasts up to 5 hours. The average American consumes about 150 grams (38 tsp.) of refined sugar daily, which can be hidden in many processed foods (Diamond MD, Cowden MD, Goldberg).
Leo Galland, M.D. writes that sugar interferes with the body’s ability to use Essential Fatty Acids (Omega-3 and Omega-6) necessary for brain/nerve function. He also states that sugar causes magnesium and other essential minerals to be excreted in the urine.
Andrew Weil, M.D. states, “Diets high in sugar may predispose some people, especially women, to yeast infections, may aggravate some kinds of arthritis and asthma, and may raise the level of blood fats (triglycerides).”
Soft drinks (sodas) are toxic (poisonous) to the body and provide no nourishment to the body’s cells. They contain 9-11 teaspoons of sugar (35.1-42.9 grams). They also contain carbonated water (carbon dioxide – CO2, an acid waste product our cells produce). Soft drinks are artificially flavored and colored, which is derived from coal tar. This is a carcinogen and harmful to the digestive system. They contain the drug caffeine and the chemical phosphoric acid (a corrosive that depletes the body’s reserves of calcium, iron, and other alkaline minerals) (Malkmus, Dye).
Diet soda contains the chemical aspartame, an excitotoxin that destroys brain cells and disturbs nerve function. Aspartame can stimulate migraine headaches, as well as other brain/nerve malfunctions (Blaylock MD).
