HEALTHY DIET: A healthy diet consists primarily of vegetables, fruit, grains and beans - the more of these you eat, they healthier you are likely to be. Eating roughage (fiber) is also important. The body turns any extra calories into fat. These statements are clearly true and non-controversial. The remaining information appears to be true, but some controversy remains.

FAT: Diets too high in fat, particularly meat fat, cause or worsen heart disease, blood vessel disease, diabetes, and cancer (particularly colon, breast and prostate). A "low fat" diet consists of approximately 45 grams daily for women and 60 grams for men, but these guidelines may be too high. Saturated fats (from animals and tropical oils) appear to cause the most damage. "Hydrogenated" vegetable oils, particularly margarines, are found in margarine and processed foods and are strongly linked to cancer. "Monounsaturated fats" such as Olive Oil and Canola Oil probably improve your cholesterol profile and are the "best fats" to eat. The fats to restrict include beef, chicken, pork, dairy, and (in general) salad dressing fat. Consider bringing your own fat free salad dressings to restaurants.

COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES: Clearly the best food, should be the majority of your diet when combined with fruits and vegetables. Includes pastas, potatoes, rice, and other grains.

SUGAR: A safe food whose main problems are dental cavities and total calories (if you eat too much of anything it gets turned into fat.) "Adult diabetics" can eat some sugar without harming blood sugar levels. Surprisingly, most children get sleepy from sugar (after initially getting excited), although rare patients with "sugar allergies" do exist.

TOMATOES: Diets high in tomatoes appear to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

PROTEIN: Should be a small part of most meals, not the main dish. High protein diets may be a cause of osteoporosis - as the body eliminates the excess protein it takes calcium with it.

SODIUM/SALT: High amounts may cause or worsen high blood pressure and worsen heart failure. Some reports suggest restricting salt in children and young adults may increase the risk of developing high blood pressure later in life.

WATER: Tremendous controversy exists regarding whether our water supply is safe, and whether water filters make the water safer. Drinking lots of it helps your body dilute and get rid of toxins and and other poisons. It also helps with weight control. Drinking a tall glass of ice water burns up approximately 100 calories/day = 10 pounds of weight loss per year.

WEIGHT CONTROL: 3500 calories = one pound. No shortcuts. No safe pills yet, although daily exercise can increase the body’s metabolism and the amount of calories it burns up.

CALCIUM: There are areas of the world where women eat very little calcium and hardly ever get osteoporosis, likely because of a low protein diet. Some studies show a direct link between low calcium intake and thinning bones. The amount of calcium needed daily is controversial, but 1200mg to 1500mg daily is most often recommended.

FIBER: Eating both types of fiber (soluble and insoluble) has enormous health benefits, and may be is as important as avoiding high fat diets. Soluble fiber is necessary for healthy weight.

MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS: Deficiencies in minerals such as chromium and selenium have been associated with some diseases, and taking supplements appear to improve some illnesses. Taking too much may be dangerous. Iron should only be taken when a true iron deficiency state has been proven. Liquid "colloidal minerals" may improve health, but they have not been well studied.

VITAMINS: Much of our food is "processed" - and deficient in good nutrition. Teens, busy adults and the elderly tend to have poor diets. Taking vitamin supplements seems a wise precaution. Most commercial vitamin pills are found undissolved in septic tanks, getting good vitamins can be a problem. Some vitamins can be toxic if overdosed, particularly B6, A, D and K.

VITAMIN DEFICIENCY AND HEART DISEASE: Deficiencies of the vitamins B12, folate and B6 increase the risk of heart disease - particularly if they cause a rise in the blood chemical "homocysteine." The RDA is clearly too low. Folic acid levels of 800 micrograms (ug or mcg) to 1mg daily are likely wise, particularly since women of childbearing age are advised to take this much to prevent a type of birth defect. B6 can cause a malfunctioning nervous system in high doses (200mg), the exact dose daily has not been determined, but 5-25 mg daily seems a wise choice.

VITAMIN B12: Deficiency affects 5-12 percent of seniors. It can be present in young people as well, particularly those with certain neuropsychiatric illnesses. Blood levels can be measured and may be very helpful, although "low normal" levels can either be serious or meaningless - it can be difficult to determine. Checking a blood "homocysteine" level can prove the body is definitely low in B12 (or folate and/or B6). Large red blood cells with a true anemia (called pernicious anemia) are generally late symptoms of B12 deficiency. Long standing Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause permanent damage, especially to the nervous system. If deficient in B12, and the person starts taking the vitamin "folate" (such as before pregnancy), very dangerous medical consequences can result - especially to the nervous system. Either taking B12 with folate or getting a B12 level checked first may be wise.

While those suffering from Vitamin B12 deficiency can feel well, symptoms can include fatigue, memory impairment, numbness and tingling, weakness, muscle stiffness (especially in the legs), unsteadiness, staggering, confusion, appetite loss, painful or burning tongue, visual changes, intermittent constipation/diarrhea, abdominal pain, low blood pressure, fevers, delirium, and eventually "senility" or "Alzheimer’s Disease."

While commonly found in meat, dairy, eggs, some vegetables, beans and other legumes, deficiency states are generally caused by an inability to absorb adequate amounts of B12, not by a dietary deficiency. Breast fed babies of pure vegetarian mothers may be at risk.

It was long believed that injections were needed to restore low Vitamin B12 levels to normal. And to maintain them in the normal range. The FDA’s minimal daily requirement is 2 micrograms daily. Taking 1000 microgram pills daily will restore and/or maintain normal levels even in those who have difficulty absorbing it - shots are no longer necessary. No side effects or danger from "overdosing" on Vitamin B12 has been found. The 1000 microgram pills are extremely inexpensive.

Updated October 22, 1999