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 One of the ways in which to defeat stress, carb out cholesterol and defeat the signs of aging is a balanced diet, or more specifically, lessening the intake of meat, and fats and a little bit gorging on vegetables and fruits.
The past few years have been filled with research and studies by scientists detailing the additional help that vegetables and fruits have on the human body. The research says that new classes of chemicals, particularly bioflavonoids (found in broccoli, grapefruits, grapes, oranges and lemons), carotenoids (present in carrots), phytochemicals (found in fruits such as apples, cranberries, cherries and blueberries; and vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and carrots) and other substances help in lowering the risk of heart diseases and stroke and significantly lowering the rates of most common cancers, like breast and ovarian cancers in women, prostate cancer in men, and colon and lung cancers.
According to Dr. Bernard Balatbat, a nutrition support fellow at the Center for Weight Management and Clinical Nutrition at St. Luke’s Medical Center, low-fat vegetarian diets also may reduce the incidence of osteoporosis, adult-onset diabetes, hypertension, obesity and many others. “This is because there is no cholesterol in a plant-based diet, and with just a few exception such as avocados, seeds, nuts and oil, a plant diet is low in both total fat and saturated fat,” he says. “A plant-based diet is also low in oxidants like iron (it has enough iron without having too much) and high in antioxidants like beta-carotene and vitamins A, C and E.”
This rings true for Nonoy Arroyo, a dermatologist and a vegan (someone who doesn’t eat meat and anything that comes from meat like eggs and cheese) for sixteen years now. And at fifty, he takes pride that at his age. He feels that all his body aches and pains are starting to go away.
“The drugstores are starting to lose money because of me,” he says with a laugh. “Apart from the illnesses, and because I only eat vegetables and fruits, there is no plaque in my teeth, which also reduces bad breath.”
His eating regimen is as follows. For breakfast, he only drinks carrot juice; and for snack, iced tea and fresh fruit. When lunchtime comes, he relishes eating green salad, with just the right mixture of toppings, sprouts, and dressings such as olive oil. For dessert, any type of fruit. And to cap the day, he eats baked potato and cooked vegetables for dinner.
Asked why he decided to go on a vegetarian diet, he says that one of the influences was his dad having a prostate cancer at the age of 83. “I went back to the basics and decided that this is one of the ways to eliminate cancer cells,” he says.
He says that this type of diet is based from Genesis 1:29, aptly called “The Alleluia Diet.”
“Then God said, ‘I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.’” (NIV)
Apart from going on a vegetarian diet, Nonoy also makes it a point to fast at least once a week for cleansing and healing the body. He believes that with fasting comes breakthroughs on one’s spiritual life. But of course, when fasting, be one with God through prayer and intercession.
Nonoy doesn’t miss eating meat anymore. In fact, he no longer thinks much about it as he is more than comfortable with eating just fruits and vegetables – for both health and spiritual reasons.
And for Dr. Balatbat, he believes that there is more to this diet than just the benefits of living longer. “The major reason for changing your diet and lifestyle, however, is not just to live longer or reduce the risk of illness or heart problems years later. It is to improve the quality of life right now,” he says. “To me, there's no point in giving up something that I enjoy unless I get something back that is even better.”
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Nov.12
