How Foods Can Hurt or Protect You

• The countries of the world with the highest life expectancy have very different diets - Japan and Greece. And in each case, as these peoples have gradually adopted a diet and lifestyle that includes foods typical of the American diet, their disease patterns have gotten worse: More obesity, more heart disease, more cancer and more diabetes.
• The traditional Japanese and Greek diets are typically rich in seafood, while the Greek (Mediterranean) diet is especially rich in fruits, vegetables and legumes as well. In Greece, the preferred oil is Olive oil, which is rich in mono-unsaturated fat and protective phytonutrients. In Japan, the fat intake may be as low as 15% of total calories, and comes mostly from protective fish oils. (In America, people typically eat 37% calories from mostly animal fats, which are not protective).
• As far as weight is concerned, the problem is much less about which foods you choose, and much more about portions sizes and how much you eat.
• As far as preserving good health is concerned, you can reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and strokes by choosing foods rich in protective phytonutrients, rich in dietary fiber, and generally lower in animal fat content. The Easy DietFit System shows you how.
• And remember, as a DietFit member, you'll be able to read much more about diet and health in our health Library.