240 Joel Fuhrman, M.D.than in tofu from the mainland. The aluminum factor may be a plau-
sible explanation for the alleged "brain aging" properties of soy.
In any case, the evidence is not sufficient to warrant being fear-
ful of consuming soybeans as part of a healthful diet. However, this
brings to mind my basic theme of nutritional biodiversity — eat a va-
riety of plant foods, and do not eat a soy-based diet.
Most of the processed soy products can be tasty additions to a
plant-based diet, but they are generally high in salt and are not
nutrient-dense foods, so use them sparingly. In conclusion, the soy-
bean is a superior food, containing the difficult-lo-find omega-3 fats.
Beans in general are superior foods that fight against cancer and
heart disease, which is why you will benefit from using a variety of
beans in your diet.How much salt is permissible on this nutritional program?
This book is designed for those who want to lose weight and for
those who want to maintain in excellent health and prevent disease.
Any excess salt added to food, outside of what is contained in natu-
ral foods, is likely to increase your risk of developing disease. Salt
consumption is linked to both stomach cancer and hypertension.^17
For optimal health, I recommend that no salt at all be added to any
food. The famous DASH study clearly indicates that Americans con-
sume five to ten times as much sodium as they need and that high
sodium levels over the years has a predictable effect on raising blood
pressure.^18 Just because you don't have high blood pressure now
doesn't mean that you won't. In fact, you probably will have high
blood pressure if you keep eating lots of salt over the years.Salt also pulls out calcium and other trace minerals in the urine
when the excess is excreted, which is a contributory cause of osteo-
porosis.^19 If that is not enough, high sodium intake is predictive of
increased death from heart attacks. In a large prospective trial, re-
cently published in the respected medical journal The Lancet, there
was a frighteningly high correlation between sodium intake and all-
cause mortality in overweight men.^20 The researchers concluded,
"High sodium intake predicted mortality and risk of coronary heart
disease, independent of other cardiovascular risk factors, including
high blood pressure. These results provide direct evidence of the
harmful effects of high salt intake in the adult population."This means that salt has significant harmful effects, independent
of its effects on blood pressure. It very likely increases the tendency