Diet Quotes

At its simplest and most accessible, the whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet can be described in a dozen words, distilled into two recommendations: 1. Consume a variety of whole plant-based foods. 2. Avoid consumption of animal-based foods. [2020] - T. Colin Campbell

Experimental laboratory-animal studies observed a strong and mostly causal association between modestly high consumption of animal protein (anything in excess of about 10% of calories) and cancer--an effect that was not observed in the consumption of plant protein. Increasing dietary protein intake to just 20% has been shown to increase a range of serious health problems, including cancer, with each successive percentage increase associated with an increase in response, commonly referred to as a dose-response. There are virtually no nutrients contained in animal foods that are not better provided by plant foods. [2020] - T. Colin Campbell

Polyunsaturated fats in the context of whole foods behave differently than when they're extracted from plants and put into a bottle. Whole foods contain many antioxidative factors (antioxidants, minerals), and thus able to control the damage of free radical production that otherwise might occur when these oils are consumed in isolation, such as added oils. Whereas the consumption of isolated oils should be avoided to minimize risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and related chronic diseases, whole plant foods containing these fats (nuts, seeds, avocados, etc.) are generally nutritious when consumed in moderation. [2020] - T. Colin Campbell

A diet low in cholesterol but high in animal protein would increase blood cholesterol more than a diet low in animal protein. Whereas cholesterol and saturated fat can easily be removed from animal foods, as in the case of skim milk and lean cuts of meat, the removal of protein would result in a far less appetizing dinner party. [2020] - T. Colin Campbell

Over time, some of the ways of limiting food will prove to be more effective than others. A popular method is to skip breakfast and have a late lunch (the 16:8 diet). Another is to eat 75% fewer calories for two days a week (the 5:2 diet). If you're a bit more adventurous, you can try skipping food a couple of days a week (Eat Stop Eat), or as the health pundit Peter Attia does, go hungry for an entire week every quarter. [2019] - David A. Sinclair

Learn to check out food labels: 5g or more of saturated fat per 100g and 10g or more of sugars per 100g is a lot. 0.5g or more of sodium per 100g is high. [2019] - Diana Moran

Adults need 700mg of calcium a day as part of a well-balanced, healthy diet. You can usually get enough calcium as part of healthy eating. For example, your daily requirement for calcium can be achieved by consuming three portions of dairy products such as a combination of a 200ml glass of milk, a yogurt, plus a matchbox-sized portion of Cheddar cheese. If you don't eat dairy products, you'll need to include lots of other calcium-rich foods: green leafy vegetables, like broccoli and curly kale; almonds; pulses, beans and lentils; sesame seeds and tahini; dried fruit, including figs; edamame; tofu and fortified soya drinks. [2019] - Diana Moran

We eliminate gluten and suggest that you follow suit. [2019] - Mira Calton

Nuts and seeds contain five micronutrient-thieving Everyday Micronutrient Depleters (EMDs). Nuts and most seeds, as well as nut flours, nut milks, and nut butters, are high in inflammation-causing omega-6 fatty acids. We highly suggest removing all nuts and seeds (and all nut- and seed-based products) from your diet to reduce omega-6 overload except for chia seeds, flaxseeds and macadamias. [2019] - Mira Calton

To get omega-6 to moega-3 levels to as close to a 1:1 ratio as possible, you must increase your intake of omega-3 through food and proper supplementation and drive down your omega-6 intake by avoiding or eliminating high-omega-6 foods. To up your ratio of omega-3s, eat plenty of low-mercury fatty fish like sockeye salmon, go for grass-fed butter and meat, swap omega-6 oils for those higher in omega-3s, and always check the ingredients when you buy packaged food to make sure there aren't any unwanted omega-6 sources hiding inside. [2019] - Mira Calton

Coconut oil and MCT oil are both great ways to help reduce your levels of inflammatory omega-6. MCT simply stands for medium-chain triglycerides, specialized fats that have been naturally extracted from coconut or palm oil. Not only is it nearly impossible for your body to store MCT oil as body fat, but peer-reviewed published research also shows that MCT oil increase metabolism, reduces body fat, and improves insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. [2019] - Mira Calton

While all of the tomato contains lycopene, the skin contains three to five times more lycopene than the flesh, so cooking your tomatoes with the skin on is the way to go for health. By cooking the tomato, the heat converts the lycopene structure from the trans structure to the cis structure, which in fact is readily absorbed by the body. Lycopene is fat-soluble, which means that it dissolves easily in oil. If you cook a tomato in olive oil, the amount of lycopene absorbed by your blood goes up threefold. Cherry tomatoes have 24 percent more lycopene than other types of tomatoes. [2019] - William W Li

Among the many types of kale, there’s one that is unusually delicious and available in late fall and winter markets in North America and Europe. It is called cavolo nero (black cabbage), or lacinato, Tuscan kale, or sometimes dinosaur kale. When buying kale, look for bunches with intact leaves and firm stems. Cut the leaves away from the inedible fibrous stem, then chop or shred the leaves, which then can be steamed, blanched, sautéed, used in soup or stew, or mixed into pasta or rice. Properly cooked, cavolo nero is very tender. It turns almost black, and it has a robust flavor with a mild, sweet aftertaste. [2019] - William W Li

Stone fruit are summer fruits known for sweet flesh bursting with juice, and a pit in the center, the stone. You’ll recognize them instantly: peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots, cherries, mango, and even lychee. Two studies from the U.S. National Cancer Institute and the University of Illinois at Chicago showed that consuming two medium-size stone fruits per day is associated with a 66 percent decreased risk of esophageal cancer and an 18 percent decreased risk of lung cancer in men. Plums have three times the amount of cancer-fighting polyphenols compared to peaches. [2019] - William W Li

Eating one to two apples per day was found to be associated with risk reduction of bladder cancer by 10 percent, colon cancer by 20 percent, and lung cancer by 18 percent. Of the 7,500 varieties of apples grown around the world, roughly one hundred are available in markets. Except for their taste and texture—firm, crispy, sweet, tart, bland—it’s hard to know how they differ from a health perspective. Research is now providing the answer. Of the varietals with the highest levels of defense boosting polyphenols, the top three are: Granny Smith, Red Delicious, and the Reinette (Little Queen). [2019] - William W Li

People eating one-fifth cup of berries of any type per day were found to have a 22% reduced risk of developing lung cancer. A special raspberry variant is the black raspberry. The dark color reflects its high bioactive concentrations. Blueberries have a dark blue coloration reflecting their antiangiogenic bioactive delphinidin. Strawberries are a great source of the bioactive known as ellagic acid, which has potent antiangiogenic activity. High levels of ellagic acid are found in three cultivars: Rubygem (originating in New Zealand), Camarosa (from the Ohio Valley), and Osmanli (from Turkey). Cranberries actually have low levels of ellagic acid. But what they do have are high levels of bioactive proanthocyanins, which also have anticancer and antiangiogenic effects. [2019] - William W Li

Top selections for seafood with antiangiogenic omega-3s - HIGHEST LEVEL (3–30 grams/100 gram of seafood): Hake, sea cucumber, manila clam, big eye tuna, yellowtail, sea bass, bluefin tuna, cockles, bottarga (roe of the gray mullet), caviar (sturgeon), fish roe (salmon). HIGH LEVEL (>0.5–2.44 grams/100 gram): salmon, red mullet, halibut, Pacific oysters, gray mullet, sardines, arctic char, bluefish, sea bream, Mediterranean sea bass, spiny lobster, anchovies, pompano, redfish, black bass, swordfish, John Dory, eastern oysters, squid, rainbow trout. MEDIUM LEVEL (>0.2–0.5 grams/100 gram): crab, mussels, striped mullet, octopus, scallops, cuttlefish, shrimp and prawns, whiting, dried cod (bacalao), striped bass, sole, Atlantic lobster. LOW LEVEL (<0.2 grams/100 gram): cod, grouper, brown shrimp, periwinkle, whelk, abalone, skate. Tilapia has a high unhealthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 PUFAs, making it a less desirable fish from a health perspective. [2019] - William W Li

One of the best studied bioactives in green tea is the polyphenol called EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate). Green tea has sixteen times the level of EGCG compared to black tea. EGCG reduces harmful angiogenesis and cancer growth, lowers blood pressure, improves blood lipids, restores homeostasis of immune cells, and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Green tea technically covers a wide range of beverages, from sencha to jasmine to oolong tea. Drinking two to three cups of green tea a day is associated with a 44% reduced risk of developing colon cancer. Chamomile tea is a popular herbal tea made with the dried petals of the chamomile flower. Chamomile contains bioactives like apigenin, caffeic acid, and chlorogenic acid that have antiangiogenic activity. [2019] - William W Li

When buying olive oil, always look for the extra virgin cold-pressed product. To find the oil with the highest levels of health-generating polyphenols, look carefully at the label and see if the type of olive used is identified. By choosing monovarietal olive oils, which are made with only one type of olive, you can choose a product made from olives best for health: Koroneiki (from Greece), Moraiolo (from Italy), and Picual (from Spain). The oils from these olives have great flavor profiles that work well for cooking, salad dressings, or mopping up with bread. There is no cancer-risk-reducing benefit seen with seed oils. [2019] - William W Li

Not only do stem cells keep you youthful, they can also regenerate tissues damaged by aging. While it may seem counterintuitive that eating chocolate could lower the risks of having coronary artery disease, chocolate is a stem cell–recruiting food. Cocoa powder contains bioactives called flavanols. Epidemiologists have long established a connection between the consumption of foods with flavanols and lower incidence of death from cardiovascular disease. [2019] - William W Li