There are four proven diets that can reverse disease and aging (oxidative stress).
- Low Glycotoxin Diet (Heat processing of foods causes Glycotoxins) Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) & Heterocyclic amines (HCAs)
- Low AGE Diet (Advanced Glycation End Products)
- Alkaline Diet
- Low Oxysterols diet
It is easy to follow a diet that is a combination of all four of the above. People can live healthy lives reaching over 100 years like The Hunza Diet.
Many studies have been made like The Blue Zones which show the longest lived and healthiest people were vegetarian eating mostly unprocessed fruits and vegetables with small amounts of animal products like unpasteurized dairy, meat or fish. Nutrient dense high quality whole foods with lots of healthy fats.
This diet would comprise of:
- Non starchy vegetables, raw and cooked. (Eat as much as you like)
- Healthy fats: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Avocado, Coconut Oil, Raw Butter, Nuts, Unpasteurised raw dairy. (Eat generous amounts)
- Fermented unpasteurized foods & Resistant Starches such as Sauerkraut, Tempeh, Miso or Natto, Quinoa, Oats. (Eat moderately)
- Prepare cooked foods using a Crock pot (slow cooker) or boil, poach or steam in a stainless steel pan. (Limit or stop fried or baked foods).
- Choose high quality protein (raw unpasteurised dairy, salmon, sardines, tuna, anchovies, herring, eggs, poultry, hemp hearts, nuts and seeds). Aim for 1g of protein per kilo of your body weight.
- Eat fruits in season. All berries such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries as often as you can. Plus cherries, all citrus, melons etc
- Limit or stop baked goods such as bread, cakes, biscuits etc as these type of foods cause inflammation. (Gluten containing grains can be very difficult for some people to digest. Choose pseudo grains like buckwheat, millet and quinoa as these are technically seeds).
- Synthetically produced supplements should be avoided as they are very toxic for the body. You may need to take B12 which is classed as a bacteria. You may need to take B12 in the active form Methylcobalamin 1,000mcg if you do not consume animal products, if you have Malabsorption problems or if you are over 50.
- Natural supplements could include: MCT Oil, Curcumin, Ashwaganda & Barley Grass.
The types of diseases that can be reversed or improved by the above diets are:
- Alzheimers
- Atherosclerosis
- Cancer
- Osteoarthritis
- Lung Emphysema
- CVD
- CKD
- ND – Neurodegenerative Disease
- MD – Macular Disease
- COPD
Disease is a loss of homeostasis due to chronic oxidative stress.
Low Glycotoxin Diet
Cooked diets rich in absorbable glycotoxins have been shown to promote oxidative stress, cause renal damage, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, cognitive dysfunction, delay wound healing and shorten lifespan.
Plant-based raw food diets are exceptionally low in glycotoxins and are recommended for cancer control. Raw food diets come with living enzymes and slow the growth of some cancers by down-regulating systemic levels of free IGF-I and promoting good insulin sensitivity. Uribarri measured the glycotoxin content of a wide range of common foods, prepared in various ways, and have summarized their findings in a monograph. By and large, plant-derived foods are the lowest in glycotoxins. The highest glycotoxin content is meat, poultry, fish, cheese, nuts, nut butters and tofu – which have been subjected to high heat during preparation. You can reduce the glycotoxin content of cooked food by cooking using lower-temperature cooking methods (slow cooker) or eat as much raw foods as you can such as fruits or salad type veggies.
Low AGE Diet
A study published in the October/November issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, proved that a low AGE diet could result in weight loss and reverse several epidemic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease.
AGEs are harmful substances that are abundant in Western diets, and proliferate when foods are heated, pasteurized, dried, smoked, fried or grilled. Once absorbed in the body, AGEs adhere to tissues and oxidize them, causing inflammation which in turn can lead to disease. Numerous animal studies conducted by Dr. Vlassara and her team have shown that oxidative stress from high oxidant levels and inflammation related to long-term exposure to AGEs may increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and other chronic conditions.
For the study, a subset of 40 healthy participants who were either between the ages or 18 and 45 or older than 60, and another nine patients with kidney disease, were randomly assigned to one of two diets. One group followed their own regular Western diet that was rich in AGEs. The second group followed a diet of similar caloric and nutrient content, but with only one-half the amount of AGEs, known as the “AGE-less diet.” Participants in the AGE-less intervention were advised to avoid grilling, frying or baking their food and instead were instructed to poach, stew, or steam their meals. There was no change in calories or nutrient intake during this period.
After four months on the AGE-less diet, blood AGE levels, lipid peroxides, inflammatory markers, and biomarkers of vascular function declined by as much as 60 percent in healthy participants. A reduction of similar magnitude was found in kidney patients after only one month on the AGE-less diet.
Researchers also found a positive effect on a cellular receptor for AGEs called AGER1, which is critical for the clearance of toxic AGEs from the body. The number of copies of the AGER1 gene was measured in circulating blood cells. Since this number was severely suppressed in participants with kidney disease, all of whom had very high levels of AGEs, the researchers speculate that important defense mechanisms can become “exhausted” as a result of chronically elevated AGEs. However, after a short period on the AGE-reduced diet, the number of AGER1 gene copies was restored to normal levels among patients with kidney disease.
Journal Reference:
- Vlassara et al. Protection against Loss of Innate Defenses in Adulthood by Low Advanced Glycation End Products (AGE) Intake: Role of the Antiinflammatory AGE Receptor-1. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2009; DOI: 10.1210/jc.2009-0089
Alkaline Diet
According to the acid-ash hypothesis, acidic ash makes you vulnerable to illness and disease, whereas alkaline ash is considered protective.
By choosing more alkaline foods, you should be able to “alkalize” your body and improve your health.
Food components that leave acidic ash include protein, phosphate, and sulfur, while alkaline components include calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
Certain food groups are considered acidic, alkaline, or neutral:
- Acidic: meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, grains, alcohol
- Neutral: natural fats, starches, and sugars
- Alkaline: fruits, nuts, legumes, and vegetables
Low Oxysterol Diet
Cholesterol, both HDL and LDL are needed by the body and are useful at any level. It is not a bad thing to have high cholesterol.
What is bad is oxidized cholesterol, this causes many health problems including atherosclerosis.
Another term for oxidized cholesterol is Oxysterol. Oxysterols are formed in the body from eggs or egg derived products, fried food using vegetable or animal fats and pasteurized dairy products. You can reverse oxysterols in the body by eating foods high in antioxidants like blueberries or you can reduce eating foods high in oxysterols.
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