staying healthy in the fast laneprobiotics during pregnancy, lactation, and throughout childhood.
Finding out how to prevent type 1 diabetes by modulation of envi-
ronmental and dietary factors is critically important and should be
a major research focus in diabetic industries and by public health
institutions.
Reducing the Burden of Cardiovascular Disease
According to the WHO, at least 80 percent of premature deaths
from cardiovascular disease and stroke could be avoided through
healthy diet, regular physical activity, and cessation of tobacco use.
That means that we can easily and effectively reduce our risk of
cardiovascular disease by:^35
- engaging in regular physical activity,^36
- avoiding tobacco use and secondhand smoke,^37
- choosing a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, and avoiding
foods that are high in fat, sugar, refined carbohydrates, and
salt, and^38 - maintaining an ideal body weight.^39
Yet while the WHO recommendations include most of the com-
ponents of a heart-protective lifestyle, I think they don’t go far
enough to really reverse heart disease. To profoundly reduce the
risk of heart disease, I believe we have to emphasize a dramatic
reduction (preferably elimination) in animal-based foods, which
includes total meats and dairy products, and encourage the con-
sumption of only whole-grain products when grains are consumed.
We also need to eliminate added fats, oils, and sugars by eating
whole foods only. And of course, eat lots more vegetables, fruit and
beans, and small amounts of raw nuts or seeds. The newer ver-
sion of the American Heart Association’s Step I and Step II diet, the
Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet, is better, but probably
still not drastic enough to reverse heart disease.^40