Food Therapy Part 1

Healing Feasts and Other Dietary Tactics

At the Yat Chau Health Restaurant in Hong Kong, waiters don't ask, "What will you have?" but, "What do you have?" Your answer dictates what they suggest you order. Swollen glands? Try the chicken and sea horse stew. Feeling dizzy? Perhaps some rice with wolfberries. Menstrual cramps? The stir-fried celery is highly recommended.

Medicinal restaurants like Yat Chau are common, and popular, in Asia's ethnic Chinese communities. According to the tenets of Traditional Chinese Medicine, food has potent healing powers. Despite the availability of Western medicine, vast numbers of Chinese continue to seek the eating cure.

Food prescriptions aren't that foreign a concept, really. Think back to your childhood. Chances are, someone--probably your mother--told you that carrots could improve your vision. Or that eating fish would make you smarter. And of course, that eating prunes could cure constipation.

Scientific studies, in fact, find that food really is good medicine. Research shows, for instance, that leaner, nearer-to-vegetarian diets are linked to lower rates of heart disease and cancer--the top killers of American women--and diabetes and obesity. Studies suggest that a mostly meat-free diet can also help alleviate not-so-deadly but still troubling health problems such as arthritis, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and headaches.

Sometimes a switch to a healthier diet can mean the difference between relying on medication or weaning yourself off it or between going under the knife or doing just fine without surgery. Compared with those alternatives, and the side effects that accompany them, food as medicine looks pretty attractive.

Take a quick glance at the bookstore shelves these days, and you'll see that there's no shortage of "therapeutic" diets out there. Truth is, some work, others don't. Still others work but are so strict that no real woman could follow them. Then there are the diets that restrict our choices so much that we run the risk of shortchanging ourselves on vitamins and minerals essential to our health, such as folic acid and calcium.

"You have to make sure that you meet your nutritional needs," says Adriane Fugh-Berman, M.D., former head of field investigations for the Office of Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

So it's important to check out a diet before you dig in. To make it easy, Here's an up-close look at a few of the more promising food therapies, from the most radical (no food at all) to the fairly familiar.

FASTING: FREEDOM FROM DIGESTION

In an old estate in the northern California woods, the Center for Conservative Therapy entices guests to change their lives for the healthier. Inviting walking trails spiral a scenic lake. Chefs prepare gourmet vegetarian meals with produce fresh from the center's organic orchards and gardens.

The center specializes in therapeutic fasting, however. So a good number of the guests--many of whom are women--eat nothing and spend their time lounging. For guests who fast, the prescription is: nothing to eat, only water to drink and plenty of rest.

"Fasting is not the only way to get well," says Alan Goldhamer, D.C., a chiropractor who co-founded the center in 1984. "Most of the people here do need to fast, but they can also improve by making changes in their diets and lifestyles. But some people don't get improvement quickly enough with those changes alone and really benefit from fasting first."

Advocates claim that fasting offers a wide array of health benefits. Forgoing food for a day or two allows your body to rest and heal itself, says Morgan Martin, naturopathic physician, licensed midwife and chairwoman of midwifery at Bastyr University of Naturopathic Medicine in Seattle. Freed from the heavy-duty job of digesting, your body can devote more energy to recovering from everyday illnesses, like colds, and dealing with stress, she explains.

Fasting for longer periods of time (one to three weeks) can help alleviate a range of chronic conditions, says Joel Fuhrman, M.D., physician in Belle Mead, New Jersey, and author of Fasting--And Eating--For Health. Fasting can, he says, reverse cardiovascular disease, shrink fibroids and other noncancerous growths and alleviate autoimmune problems (disorders in which the body turns on itself), such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, allergies and asthma.

Extended supervised fasts can also help correct insulin resistance in women and men with adult-onset diabetes, shrink ovarian and breast cysts and treat cervical dysplasia, says Dr. Goldhamer. (If you have diabetes, never consider a fast or other drastic change in eating habits without your doctor's consent and close medical supervision.)

"A variety of women's health problems respond well, too," he says. That's one of the reasons why women outnumber men at the center, he adds.

Why It Seems to Work

Fasting works in a number of different ways, advocates say. During a fast, your body goes through a wide range of physiological changes.

For starters, it begins breaking down and using stored fat, says Dr. Fuhrman. In the process, your body releases and eliminates pesticide residues and other toxins that have been stored in the fat, he says. Dr. Fuhrman claims that fasting can help control conditions that cause heart disease.

"Studies show that a very low fat diet can reverse arterial plaque buildup, and I'm finding that a fast can do it at an accelerated pace," says Dr. Fuhrman. "When you get malnourished, your body searches for nutrients wherever it can find them, including in plaques."

Few studies on fasting, however, have been published in Western medical journals. One study, conducted by researchers in Norway, suggests that fasting can help some people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. People with this type of arthritis showed measurable improvement after fasting for seven to ten days and then switching to a wheat-free vegetarian diet.

At the same time, fasting seems to stimulate appropriate immune system reactions, Dr. Goldhamer says. That may account for improvements that he has seen in women with cervical dysplasia (abnormal cells in the cervix, the neck of the uterus). A precursor of cervical cancer, dysplasia is usually caused by viral infection.

"It may be that fasting enables the body's immune system to react more aggressively to the virus," Dr. Goldhamer says. On the other hand, it's possible that the abnormal cells return to normal on their own, as happens in one of three women with cervical dysplasia.

Finally, fasting also causes weight loss, which helps to both lower blood pressure and stabilize blood sugar levels in women with diabetes, Dr. Fuhrman says. Nevertheless, neither he nor Dr. Goldhamer recommends fasting as a way to lose weight, since going without food slows down your metabolism, thus burning fewer calories and triggering weight regain once you start eating again. So after a fast, you must slowly work your way back to your regular eating habits.

Other Opinions

Experts in mainstream medical circles don't accept all the claims that advocates make for fasting.

"I haven't seen any evidence that fasting dissolves plaque in coronary arteries," says Dean Ornish, M.D., cardiologist, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California in San Francisco and director of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito. A world-renowned cardiologist and author of Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease, Dr. Ornish was the first to prove that a combination of a very low fat diet, regular exercise and a stress-reduction regimen could shrink plaques.

"To the degree that you reduce your intake of dietary fat and cholesterol, your body can begin to heal itself," says Dr. Ornish. "But you don't have to fast to do that." (For details on following the diet recommended by Dr. Ornish, see page 132.)

In other cases, fasting may work, but it isn't the best treatment, practitioners say. Fasting may help correct insulin resistance in women with diabetes, says Alan J. Garber, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of endocrinology at Methodist Hospital, both in Houston. But it offers only temporary improvement, he notes.

In contrast, a low-fat diet and exercise offer more lasting improvement without the risk, which can be considerable. If you have diabetes and are taking drugs or insulin, fasting could cause your blood sugar to plummet, and even bring on a low blood sugar (or hypoglycemic) coma, Dr. Fugh-Berman says.

For their part, advocates of fasting acknowledge that women can achieve many of the alleged benefits simply by switching to a low-fat diet. In fact, Dr. Fuhrman insists that people who fast switch to a low-fat diet of mostly raw fruits and vegetables and cooked grains and legumes before they fast--and stay on it after. No matter how much your blood pressure or insulin resistance might improve on a long-term supervised fast, he notes, you'll lose the ground that you gained if you go back to your fatty food­eating, sedentary ways.

Nevertheless, Dr. Fuhrman and Dr. Goldhamer argue that some conditions simply won't respond to a low-calorie, low-fat diet alone, making fasting a viable option in their view.

"Certain diseases, such as asthma and lupus, are very hard to fix just with diet," Dr. Fuhrman says. "They usually don't change without the catalyst of the fast."

Proceed with Caution

Even advocates of fasting agree that, despite the potential benefits, some women shouldn't fast at all. If you're pregnant or nursing, or have nutritional deficiencies, you shouldn't do it, they say. Same goes if you are very malnourished due to the effects of a serious or chronic condition such as cancer or AIDS.

A one- to two-day fast is safe for most healthy people, says Dr. Fugh-Berman. Anyone with a medical condition should check with her doctor first, however. And if you take drugs or insulin for diabetes, she adds, you shouldn't fast.

All fasts that run longer than a couple of days should be medically supervised, ideally by a doctor trained in therapeutic fasting, Dr. Martin notes.

If you fast for more than a day or so, the levels of electrolytes--minerals that regulate heartbeat and other vital functions--in your body can go awry, Dr. Fugh-Berman warns. That puts your heart in jeopardy. So does another possible side effect: Fasting for a long time will cause your body to start consuming muscle, including heart muscle.

If you don't have any major medical problems and want to give fasting a try for a day or two, follow these guidelines.

Rest. The idea behind fasting is to give your body a rest, so take it easy, Dr. Fuhrman advises. Fast during a weekend when you have nothing else planned. Read, listen to the radio and watch TV or videos. Do some light stretching and walk around a bit to avoid stiffness, but avoid strenuous exercise.

Don't sweat it if you're not sleepy. Many people find that they need less sleep during a fast, Dr. Fuhrman notes. Nonetheless, you should still rest at night. Simply turn off the lights and lie quietly.

Bundle up. You may feel colder than usual during a fast, says Dr. Fuhrman, so wear an extra sweater or sleep with an extra blanket on the bed. Avoid hot baths, though, since they can dehydrate you.

Drink plenty of water. To further avoid dehydration, quaff at least eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day, Dr. Martin says. That's water only.

If you drink juice, says Dr. Goldhamer, you're on a juice diet, not a fast, and the physiological changes unique to fasting do not occur.

Consult an appropriate physician. Don't consider prolonging your fast for more than a couple of days without supervision. A doctor should monitor your electrolyte balance every day or two, says Dr. Fugh-Berman. Also, your blood pressure and pulse should be checked at least daily and tests to check your fluid levels should be done at least weekly, Dr. Fuhrman says.

THE RAW FOODS DIET: NO COOKING SKILLS NEEDED

Anna Maria Gahns Clement is no cook. Neither is her husband, Brian. On one typical night, the couple served their dinner guests a gourmet salad, an exotic nut loaf with nut gravy, and a colorful array of vegetables with a piquant sesame seed dip. The meal was delicious--but entirely raw.

"We eat mainly raw food because it's healthier," says Clement, who with her husband co-directs the Hippocrates Health Institute, an alternative health center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Proponents of a raw-food diet (or living-food diet, as it's also known), the Clements eat mostly uncooked vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouts, herbs and small quantities of cold-pressed vegetable oils. But other advocates of the raw-food diet have a wider choice: They'll include fermented plant food such as tofu and tempeh on their plates as well.

Either way, a raw-food diet is a strict, low-fat vegetarian diet--tartare. There's no meat, no poultry, no fish, no eggs, no milk and little or no cooking.

Why not? Cooking destroys many vitamins and other beneficial compounds in plants, says Dr. Fuhrman, who suggests eating a diet that emphasizes raw food when not fasting. Cooking also destroys the enzymes in plant food that help us digest and absorb nutrients, claims Brian Clement. Advocates theorize that by conserving nutrients and enzymes, a raw-food diet can improve your health in a variety of ways.

The Benefits to Women

For women, a short stint of eating mostly raw-food meals can help alleviate assorted gynecological problems, says Lisa Alschuler, naturopathic physician and chairwoman of the Department of Botanical Medicine at Bastyr University. She prescribes two to four weeks of a raw-food diet for chronic PMS, menstrual cramps and fibrocystic breast disease.

A couple of weeks on a mostly raw-food diet can also help you lose weight and clear out your digestive tract, says Kareen O'Brien, naturopathic physician and academic dean at Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Scottsdale, Arizona.

"I usually do it myself, for about two weeks, once or twice a year," Dr. O'Brien says. "The first few days, I feel a little tired and get headaches. But then I feel better and better. I wake up feeling more refreshed. I'm more alert. I usually lose a few pounds."

Eating mostly raw foods can give you more energy and boost your immunity, says Charito Bacaltos, M.D., assistant health administrator at the Hippocrates Health Institute. She says that raw vegetarian foods, especially when organically grown, are rich in oxygen and enzymes. She believes that these important elements are eliminated in cooked and highly processed foods. She maintains that raw, living foods are the best source of undiluted vitamins, minerals and proteins that are vital in promoting vibrant health. Dr. Bacaltos also says that raw foods help the body to clean out its toxins and strengthen the immune system, thereby effectively cutting down the risk of life-threatening conditions such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Some Scientific Merit

There's no shortage of evidence that plant food is good for you. Numerous scientific studies show that eating lots of vegetables and fruits--five to nine servings a day, raw or cooked--can lower the odds that you'll develop assorted chronic and debilitating illnesses.

Take cancer and heart disease, for example. Studies find that people who eat lots of produce run a lower risk of both. Why? Most vegetables and fruits are rich in nutrients such as vitamin C and folic acid, which protect your cells from cancer-causing toxins and help keep your coronary arteries clear of cholesterol-laden plaques, says Dr. Fugh-Berman.

Fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber. And because fibrous foods are filling--but relatively low in calories--they can help you lose weight. That, in turn, can lower your blood pressure.

Fiber also speeds food through your digestive system, easing constipation. And research finds that it may offer protection against colon cancer. One type of fiber, soluble fiber (found in fruits, some legumes and grains like oats, rye and barley), also helps lower cholesterol levels. These effects are additional dividends to women who run a higher-than-average risk of heart disease.

Some studies suggest that the fiber in plant food may lower a woman's risk of breast cancer and alleviate gynecological problems, notes Christiane Northrup, M.D., in her book Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom. Research shows that diets high in vegetable fiber can lower the levels of estrogen circulating in your bloodstream, writes Dr. Northrup, who practices obstetrics and gynecology in Yarmouth, Maine, and is assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine in Burlington. Overproduction of estrogen seems to be related to the advent of not only breast cancer but also PMS, fibroids, breast and ovarian cysts and endometriosis.

That said, is a diet rich in raw vegetables and fruits better for you than a diet rich in cooked vegetables and fruits? Some research suggests that raw produce may offer greater protection on some fronts.

A study at the National Cancer Institute linked diets rich in raw fruits and vegetables to a lower risk of cancer of the esophagus. Since some vi-
tamin C is destroyed by cooking, the extra vitamin C in the raw produce may have contributed an added measure of protection, speculates Linda Morris Brown, a researcher in the Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics who headed the study.

While cooking destroys some vitamins in plant food, it also makes other nutrients more readily available, notes Robert S. Parker, Ph.D., associate professor of nutrition at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Raw fruits and vegetables are more fibrous than their cooked counterparts, says Dr. Fugh-Berman. So it is possible that they're a better
bet than cooked ones if you're trying to lose weight or prevent colon cancer. "But that's conjecture; there are no studies to back this up," she says. There's also no scientific evidence that the enzymes in raw food
improve digestion and nutrient absorption, as raw-food advocates claim, says Dr. Parker.

The bottom line, Dr. Fugh-Berman concludes, is that a raw-food, or mostly raw-food, diet won't hurt you but probably isn't necessary. Lightly cooking your vegetables probably gives you the best of both worlds, she says.

Raw--Or Mostly Raw

If you want to give a raw-food diet a try, you have two options--a raw-food-only diet or a mostly raw-food diet.

According to the Clements, if you're recovering from a serious illness and your immune system needs recharging, a 100 percent raw diet is your best bet. Otherwise, they say, a mostly raw-food diet--75 percent raw and 25 percent cooked--should suffice.

For her part, Dr. Alschuler says that she has never recommended an all-raw diet to any of the women she treats--only mostly raw foods. Few people have a digestive system capable of handling all the fiber in an all-raw diet, she explains. And if you have digestive problems, like constipation, diarrhea or irritable bowel syndrome, you should definitely stay away from an entirely raw diet, she cautions. "Someone who feels tired after eating lots of carbohydrates shouldn't do it either."

No matter how good your digestion or your relationship with carbohydrates, an all-raw diet isn't for you if you're pregnant or nursing, says Dr. O'Brien. You'll be hard-pressed to get all the calories that you need. Ditto if you're underweight.

If you do go on an exclusively uncooked diet, Dr. Alschuler suggests that you stay on it for no more than a couple of weeks.

"It's hard for people to get enough nutrients eating only raw foods," she explains. And even if you eat lots of sprouted grains, nuts, seeds and sprouted beans, it's particularly hard to get enough protein, she says. Grains and beans are good sources of protein, but you can't eat them raw unless you sprout them to make them digestible. And you'd have to eat hefty servings of the raw stuff. One cup of dried grains or beans germinates into five to ten cups of sprouts.

Here's some more advice on going raw, or mostly raw.

Eat a rainbow. When you choose vegetables and fruits, go for the whole spectrum of color, advises Dr. Alschuler. Among fruits and vegetables, each pigment supplies unique and important nutrients. Deep yellow and orange fruits and vegetables (like carrots, cantaloupe and nectarines) are good sources of beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. Deep green leafy vegetables (like broccoli and romaine lettuce) supply the B vitamin folate, the mineral iron and, often, calcium.

Become a sprout farmer. To avoid missing out on protein, make sure that you eat plenty of raw and sprouted seeds and nuts as well as sprouted beans and grains, says Dr. Alschuler. Just keep the seeds moistened, covered with a damp paper towel, in a jar in a dark place for a few days. Aim for a total of a cup or two daily.

Eat often. A 100 percent raw-food diet is bulky and relatively low in calories, so unless you're trying to lose weight, it's hard to get all the calories that you need, Dr. Alschuler says. You'll probably need to graze all day rather than sit down for three main meals, she says.

Cook a quarter. If an all-raw diet is hard to follow, eat about a quarter of your food cooked, suggests Dr. Alschuler. Eat your oats and other grains cooked, instead of sprouted. Include some bread in your diet and steam half of the vegetables that you eat, she says.

Select organically grown produce. If your diet consists mostly of plant foods, Dr. Alschuler suggests choosing organically grown produce whenever possible, to minimize exposure to pesticides and other chemicals used to grow fruits and vegetables.

Add a supplement. Women following a raw or mostly raw diet need to take vitamin and mineral supplements to get the Daily Value of certain key nutrients, Dr. Fugh-Berman says.

Milk and milk products are a primary source of vitamin D and calcium, essential for strong bones. But milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products are off-limits on a raw-food diet. So getting all the vitamin D and calcium that you need gets tricky, says Dr. Fugh-Berman. To keep your bones strong, take a 1,200-milligram calcium supplement daily if you're still menstruating, or 1,500 milligrams daily if you're past menopause, she says. And look for a multivitamin/mineral supplement with vitamin D.

Look out for vitamin B₁₂ and zinc, too. Found only in animal products, B₁₂ plays a role in the production of blood and DNA and helps keep your nervous system clicking. Your multi should also give you the zinc that you need. A mineral dear to your immune system, it's also harder to come by in plant food.

Have your iron levels checked. To make sure that you don't develop iron-deficiency anemia, Dr. Alschuler suggests that you get tested for anemia before starting a raw or mostly raw diet and every three to six months after. If your doctor recommends it, take a multivitamin with iron, she says.

A Typical Mostly Raw Diet Menu