Self Development with The Healthy Advice

The central idea behind most medical advice concerning diet is that good health requires a low level of fats and cholesterol in the blood. Research studies have shown repeatedly that people with high cholesterol levels are most likely to suffer heart attacks, strokes, and other diseases of the blood vessels.

The link with heart disease is easy to understand. The underlying cause of most heart attacks and strokes is atherosclerosis, a narrowing of the blood vessels caused by deposits if a yellow, greasy substance called atheroma on the inside lining of the arteries. Atheroma (from the Greek word for porridge) consists mainly of cholesterol, which is an essential part of the structure of cell walls. However, when there is too much cholesterol in the blood, it accumulates in the walls of blood vessels, narrowing them and increasing the vital blood flow to the heart and brain.

The nations in which eating and cooking are given a high priority as important features of social and business life, notably France, Italy, Indonesia, and China, have cuisines that positively promote health. By contrast, our own fast food culture promotes high rates of disease that is related to diet.

Why are the Mediterranean and Pacific cuisines praised by nutritionists and physicians? First, the sources of protein include a lot of fish, including shellfish, squid, and octopus. Meat is likely to be lean chicken, goat, or veal. What these protein sources have in common is a low proportion of fat. Furthermore, the protein is usually mixed with a carbohydrate, such as pasta or rice. The result is that the dishes contain optimum proportions of fat, protein, and carbohydrate, ensuring that the body is able to gain the energy it requires from the most appropriate source.

Second, little of the fat content comes from milk, butter, and lard. Cooking is done mostly in vegetable oils; olive oil is also used in salad dressings and mayonnaise, and as a source of flavor and moisture for bread. Little of the carbohydrate in these diets comes in the form of refined sugar. Instead, rice, beans, potatoes, and lentils, which have the bonus of including substantial quantities of fiber are eaten. Fruit and vegetables make a large contribution to the total energy content; they are rich in vitamins, and they contain useful fiber.

Should people take regular doses of multivitamins as a precaution against vitamin deficiency? Nutritionists say no. Vitamins are like engine oil for an automobile. Too little is damaging, but too much may also be harmful. It is more important that your diet contains a balanced proportion of vitamins and minerals. Fresh vegetables and fruit contain large amounts of vitamins, especially A and C.

Thus, a teenager who eats mostly candies, chips, French fries, hotdogs, and other processed foods may be vitamin-deficient. However, the answer lies in improving the diet, not in adding a vitamin pill.