Diet Quotes

One important caution about brown rice: some fields where it is harvested have high levels of arsenic. Brown rice has more of the exposed shell of the rice, so it can contain 80 percent more arsenic than white rice. According to a study by Consumer Reports, the safest sources of brown rice are California, India, and Pakistan, which has about a third less arsenic than brown rice from other sources. [2019] - William W Li

Genistein is found in soy. Luteolin occurs in celery, oregano, and thyme. Quercetin is found in capers, apples, and peppers. All three of these compounds kill prostate cancer stem cells. Luteolin is especially potent and can shut down the activity of prostate cancer stem cells twentyfold. The bioactive of green tea, EGCG, has also been shown to work together with the bioactive quercetin to inhibit prostate cancer stem cells, as well. [2019] - William W Li

The ketogenic diet involves eating a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate diet that mimics fasting for the purpose of generating ketones in the body. Ketones are created from fat stored in the body when carbohydrates are not available for metabolism to make glucose. The ketones are used as an energy source by cells in place of glucose. While normal healthy cells can adapt to use ketones as an energy source, cancer cells cannot adapt the same way because they rely on glucose to keep up with their high energy demands. When glucose is low, tumors have difficulty growing. Ketones also interfere with the ability of cancer cells to obtain energy, making tumors more likely to respond to treatment when the patient is adopting a ketogenic diet.  [2019] - William W Li

Caring for Your Microbiome - First principle: eat lots of dietary fiber from whole food. Second principle: eat less animal protein. Third principle: eat more fresh, whole foods, and less processed food. [2019] - William W Li

Eating kiwifruit has prebiotic effects that shape beneficial gut bacteria and lower inflammation. [2019] - William W Li

Throughout Asia, the shoots of bamboo plants are a popular vegetarian dish that is extremely high in dietary fiber and bioactives. Fresh, raw bamboo shoots harvested from the forest contain small amounts of a toxin related to cyanide. Cooking the shoots by boiling for 10–15 minutes removes most of the toxin. Don’t go foraging in the jungle to find and eat raw bamboo. [2019] - William W Li

Cacao can boost good bacteria while controlling bad bacteria, and it may even help correct disruptions to the microbiome caused by chronic stress. For stressed-out individuals, eating dark chocolate for only two weeks can influence gut bacteria and reduce stress markers in the body. [2019] - William W Li

Shiitake mushrooms may be able to reverse the changes to the microbiome that typically accompany old age. Lion’s mane could decrease the symptoms and the proteins associated with gut inflammation by as much as 40%. The mushroom increased the healthy bacteria Akkermansia while decreasing the harmful sulfur toxin-producing Desulfovibrio. [2019] - William W Li

An artificial sweetener could cause dysbiosis. The potential consequences may influence how the gut bacteria control blood sugar metabolism and weight gain. The artificial sweeteners that are currently approved for human consumption are: saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame, and neotame. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners. [2019] - William W Li

The next time you go to the beach, consider drinking a shot of tomato, watermelon, pink grapefruit, or guava juice before heading out. It will protect you against sun damage. The red-orange color of these fruits comes from lycopene, which, among other benefits you’ve seen in earlier chapters, protects DNA from the ionizing radiation damage from the sun. Also think about having a shot of tomato or watermelon juice before going to the dentist, who may take an X-ray of your teeth, or before getting on an airplane, where a dose of radiation during the flight will be unavoidable. Lycopene is also protective against DNA damage caused by Helicobacter pylori infection. [2019] - William W Li

Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong studied a group of 976 men and 1,030 women, age sixty-five and older. Each individual in the study reported how much and how often they consumed foods across thirteen categories common in China, including tea. Researchers drew blood and measured telomere length in the white blood cells. The results were striking: tea drinking was associated with increased telomere length, but only in elderly men, not women. When the amount of tea consumed by men was analyzed, those who drank three or more cups of tea per day had longer telomeres compared to those who drank less than a third of a cup of tea. The difference in telomere length was equivalent to a calculated difference of five years of additional life between high-and low-level tea drinkers. [2019] - William W Li

The more nuts and seeds (almonds, almond butter and paste, Brazil nuts, cashews and cashew butter, chestnuts, flaxseeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, peanuts and peanut butter, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, squash seeds, sesame seeds and tahini, sunflower seeds, and walnuts) consumed, the longer the telomeres. For every ten grams of nuts or seeds consumed per day, telomeres were 8.5 units longer over the course of a year. Ten grams is roughly one tablespoon of nuts, which is equivalent to: nine cashews; or seven walnuts; or six almonds; or four teaspoons of flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds; or two teaspoons of sesame seeds. [2019] - William W Li

Eating red meat has multiple downsides. Beyond unhealthy saturated fats, which are associated with increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, red meat also contains L-carnitine, which your gut bacteria metabolize to generate a harmful chemical called trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO has been implicated in the development of obesity, diabetes, gastrointestinal cancers, and heart disease. The method of cooking red meats, such as grilling, also can generate carcinogenic chemicals like heterocyclic amines, which are found in the char of barbecued meats. [2019] - William W Li

White button mushrooms are a good source of bioactives, including beta-glucan, an immune-stimulating dietary fiber. [2019] - William W Li

Many popular foods contain ellagic acid, a potent bioactive with health-defense-activating properties. Chestnuts, blackberries, black raspberries, walnuts, and pomegranate have among the highest levels. [2019] - William W Li

When I know I’ll be in situations where my food choices are limited to less-than-healthy ones, I’ll load up with healthier choices either before or later that same day or the next day. The more healthy food you eat, the less room you have in your stomach—and in your life—for unhealthy food. Let the good displace the bad. [2019] - William W Li

Many people keep bottled water in their pantry for easy hydration, but I recommend you avoid regularly consuming water stored in plastic bottles. Studies have shown that even without BPA plastic, plastic particles called microplastics will shed into water that you drink. One study found as many as 2,400 pieces of microplastic in eight fluid ounces of bottled water. [2019] - William W Li

Reheat food gradually in the oven or on the stovetop, instead of in the microwave. Avoid microwaving starchy foods, because the high heat changes starch into a harmful polymer (advanced glycation end products) that can build up in your body and cause damage to your organs. If you bring your lunch to work, pack the food in a glass or metal, not plastic, container. Bring hot food in a Thermos container to avoid having to reheat it in the microwave if your workplace doesn’t have a toaster oven or stove. [2019] - William W Li

Don’t overlook tinned fish, which tend to be smaller mercury-free fish loaded with omega-3s. The highest-quality traditional tinned fish are made in Spain, Portugal, and France, but these are exported and can be found in many markets around the world. They are usually found along with canned goods in the middle of the store. The most common tinned fish containing the highest levels of omega-3 are salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, and anchovies. [2019] - William W Li

There are a few foods that may nurture the protective coating in our mouth known as biofilm, and there are some foods that offer some dental benefits and protection. Xylitol is one of the most convenient of these foods, and it works in various ways. It is especially useful in our modern diet, because it can quickly help control mouth acidity. Alkalizing the mouth to a pH of around 7.4 will not only promote healthy mouth bacteria but will also prevent post-meal demineralization of teeth and any potential acidic damage to healthy biofilm. [2018] - Ellie Phillips