What Does a Healthy Diet Mean?
By chance, we met Dr. Fabio Varlese. This is a fashionable medical celebrity who serves as the director of medical staff and vice chairman of medical affairs at Runnymede Hospital, as an internal medicine specialist at Mount Sinai Hospital (Mount Sinai Hospital) and other medical institutions, and founded The Toronto Clinic, a high-end private clinic in Toronto's Yorkville district. When he appeared in front of our eyes, people mistakenly thought he was a stylist. So, we chatted with him about healthy diet and living habits. Unexpectedly, this conversation gave us a lot of new understanding of diet.
Dietary Ways in the Longevity Region
Did you know that the Blue Zones have the longest life expectancy in the world and few chronic diseases? Dr. Varlese told us that if we want to establish a healthier eating habit, we may use the living habits of people in the blue zone as a reference. This concept was first proposed by scholar, educator, and writer Dan Buettner in the early 21st century. After investigation, he and his scientific research team discovered the blue zone, which is Sardinia in Italy, Icaria in Greece, and Okinawa in Japan. Residents of the United States, Loma Linda, California, and Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula are healthier, live longer, and suffer less from the deadly diseases common in other developed regions.
People in the blue zone share some common living habits, one of which is sticking to a plant-based diet. The daily diet of residents in these longevity areas basically has more than 90% of plant foods including vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, and fruits, and the variety is rich. Some Blue Zone residents also eat small amounts of fish and very little dairy. A similar dietary structure that emphasizes plant-based food sources is also mentioned in the 2019 Canadian government's updated Canadian Food Guide (Canada's Food Guide 2019). This year's Canadian food guide also recommends that people consume more plant-based protein, which is a very big change from previous food guides.
Indeed, more and more people are beginning to try a plant-based diet, but if they follow blindly without knowing how to eat properly, not only will they not gain health, but they are more likely to lead to malnutrition, which is counterproductive. Some people find it painful and difficult to stick to a certain diet because they are not eating right. Dr. Varlese shared with us several common misunderstandings about plant-based diets, one of which is a single food source, such as too much carbohydrates and fruits. Eating too much refined processed food, such as white flour and sugar, is also likely to have a bad effect on the body. A plant-based diet does not mean that you can only eat salads. Eating a variety of plant-based foods can provide balanced nutrition.
the power of genes
Although some of the scientific evidence mentioned above shows that, in general, plant-based diets are healthier, but this does not mean that a certain diet structure is suitable for all people. Dr. Varlese mentioned the scientific concept of Nutrigenomics: How your body responds to food, how to take in and operate nutrients is actually determined by your own genes. To explain it in a more popular metaphor, if genes help to load the gun, the diet structure and living habits you choose are responsible for pulling the trigger. Differences in everyone's genetic makeup explain why lactose intolerance is more common in some regions; why some people digest and absorb certain foods better; Then there is no feeling. Therefore, when more and more people began to order their own handbags, shoes and other fashion items, the private ordering strategy that only applies to individuals has become more and more popular in recent years.
Take The Toronto Clinic as an example. After you submit your saliva sample and wait patiently for a few weeks, genetic nutrition experts can customize a health strategy that is most suitable for you through the professional genetic test results provided by a third party. The analysis includes: your body's metabolic response to micronutrients (such as caffeine, vitamins, minerals, etc.) and macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, etc.); Effects on fertility…Does eating a high-protein diet or a high-carbohydrate diet help you lose weight more? Does caffeine before exercise improve performance? How to eat to get enough nutrition? The answers to these questions can be found.
Of course, the information shared above is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to healthy living. What kind of lifestyle and diet structure is most suitable for you may be the best answer to consult a professional.
