Dr. Weil: How we eat is how healthy we are

Last week, we discussed the opinion of Harvard-trained physician and integrated medicine leader Andrew Weil, MD on some diets. A comprehensive discussion is presented in his latest book Eating Well for Optimum Health. As promised, here are his views on the optimum diet.

Dr. Weil explains that we should start by realizing that how we eat determines how we feel and how healthy we are. However, he reminds us that food is a major source of pleasure and focus of social interaction.

Don’t you notice how really satisfied you feel when you eat the food you want even if only in small portions? Or how you pig out after a few hours or days of keeping off from what you really want? Diets also fail because of the lack of social support and interaction. You cannot always eat in isolation from your family or friends.

Hence, it is important, says Dr. Weil, to "learn the basics of human nutrition and experiment with your own diet to see what works for you." If you think Dr. Weil’s optimum diet is a list of foods you should take or not, then you will be disappointed. His plan is basically a guideline for good, healthy, and pleasurable eating. Here are the basics:

Diet Guidelines

The optimum diet should be able to supply all your needs for calories, macronutrients, and micronutrients. As important is its ability to provide the pleasure you expect from eating and to promote social interaction.

Dr. Weil believes that the optimum diet has the following general characteristics:

• Variety – It should provide required macro and micronutrients and at the same time minimize the intake of harmful elements in the foods.

• Freshness – The higher the percentage of fresh foods in the diet the better.

• Unprocessed – The lower the percentage of processed foods in the diet the better.

• Abundant in Fruits and Vegetables – The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the more protective phytochemicals you take in.

Weil believes that the distribution of calories should be as follows: 50 to 60 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent fat, 10 to 20 percent proteins.

Carbohydrates should be in the form of less refined, less processed foods with a low glycemic index (below 60). Try to eat some low-GI food with each meal such as whole grains, beans, vegetables, and non-tropical fruits. If you eat high-GI foods, make sure you mix them in a meal with low-GI food. Try to reduce consumption of foods made of whole wheat and sugar and increase consumption of legumes.

Reduce saturated fat by eating less butter, cream, cheese, and other full-fat dairy products, unskinned chicken, fatty meats, and products made with palm and coconut oil. Reduce consumption of polyunsaturated vegetable oils and increase consumption of oily fish, fortified eggs, soybeans, walnuts, or hemp or flaxseeds.

Eat more vegetable protein, especially from beans, in general, and soybeans, in particular, and less animal protein, except for fish and reduced-fat dairy products. Avoid protein supplements.

Vitamins and minerals: eating a diet high in fresh foods with plenty of fruits and vegetables will provide most of the micronutrients you need. But he does prescribe some supplementation.

Increase fiber in the diet by increasing consumption of fruits particularly berries, vegetables (especially beans) and whole grains. To get maximum natural protection from environmental toxicity and protection against cancer and other degenerative diseases, eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms, and drink tea, especially green tea.

Drink six to eight glasses of pure water a day. Use bottled water or get a home water purifier. Drink tea, especially green tea, regularly for its antioxidant effects. Red wine is the best choice for alcohol drinkers.

Tips on Eating Out

As a proponent of dining as a means of social interaction, Dr. Weil does not discourage eating out. He believes though that most food preparation done in the food outlets, particularly fast food joints, are not supportive of his optimum diet guidelines. Here are his tips though on how to enjoy eating out without the guilt:

• Portions of food in restaurants are often much too large. Consider splitting dishes with fellow diners, take the excess home, or just leave it on your plate.