Joel Fuhrman - Eat To Live

Eat to Live 101

healthy plant foods is a little higher than some other plant foods does

not mean they should be eliminated. The studies on the negative ef-

fects of high-glycemic foods always analyze diets that contain refined

Hour and simple sugar and are low in micronutrients and fiber. I

agree that low-glycemic diets can reduce the risk of cardiovascular

disease, diabetes, and obesity. However, it is the poor quality of the

high-glycemic diet in general that promotes weight gain and disease —

not merely because of the high glycemic index. You need not be con-

cerned about the glycemic index of a particular natural food if it is

otherwise nutrient- and fiber-rich and is part of a healthful diet.

In fact, the presence or lack of fiber is a much more reliable pre-

dictor of blood glucose control.^29 Plant fibers — the indigestible and

unabsorbed part of the plant foods — are now looked at in a com-

pletely different way than in the past. We now understand that it is

not merely the amount but the variety of fiber in the diet that pro-

tects against cancer. Our digestive tract is teeming with many species

of bacteria that convert these fibers into numerous essential fatty

acids and other nutritive substances with strong immune-enhancing

and anti-cancer properties.^30 These bacterial degradation products

are essential for optimal health and protection against various can-

cers, especially colon cancer.

The fiber content of the food or meal is more important than the

glycemic index. All these high-protein gurus are forced to neglect the

hottest area of nutritional research today — phytochemicals and plant

libers — because it would make their diets look dangerous. And the

liber content parallels the level of phytochemicals, which have pow-

erful effects on preventing many diseases, including cancer.

And you can't just add psyllium fiber supplement to an Ameri-

can diet and think your fiber needs will be met. You must eat a vari-

ety of soluble and insoluble plant fibers from a wide assortment of

natural foods to achieve optimal health. The low quantity of numer-

ous plant fibers and other plant-derived nutrients becomes an insur-

mountable health risk in all diets that include animal-based foods in

substantial quantity.

The glycemic index is a complicated issue, but not a major concern.

It is not true that a higher insulin level after meals is the main

cause of weight gain, as Sears claims. This is a complicated subject.

Absorbing excess calories more slowly, with the resultant more grad-