Food Choices: What Science Tells Us Today August 12, 2013

I read many articles each day which aim to alleviate our collective anxiety about maintaining physical and mental health. I know I am not able to eat a strictly vegan diet of raw foods or a macrobiotic diet which adds some cooked grains. Well, I could "be able" to eat like that, but I am not willing. I enjoy eating as a social experience, so in order to radically change my eating, I would have to join with a group of people who ate similarly. Perhaps, someday, but not any day soon.

I do eat a basically Mediterranean diet, with little red meat, lots of fish, salad and fruits, olive oil and in Arizona the plentiful avocados served with all the Mexican entrees. For the past several years however, I have been plagued with digestive ailments for which the medical profession can find no cause. I eat no dairy from cows or goats, only sheep's milk cheese and for several years my internist had me eliminate all gluten from my diet. 

This past spring I changed physicians and now I am a patient of a practice which combines allopathic medicine with homeopathic medicine. The physicians listened to my symptoms and recommended I add supplements to my diet. I added omega-3's, DHA, bacopa which is a natural herbal memory enhancer and I continue to take the resveratrol which comes from red wine that I had added on my own.

My digestive issues have disappeared; I can now add bread which is baked without milk products such as Italian bread, sourdough, rye and pumpernickel to my diet without a problem--the only downside is a slight weight gain--and now I will really look at the recommended ten foods we all should include in  our diets.

They are coconut oil( small quantity or it could lead to digestive issues) cherries and blueberries for their antioxidant value, kale, flax seed, whey protein powder, wild salmon and only grass-fed beef which is full of omegs-3's.

My next goal is portion control and reducing the snacking that comes with needing bursts of energy as I sit in front of the computer for hours, writing my next book.

Will you share with me your choices for purposeful healthy living????