Monday, January 16, 2017

The Omni Diet by Tana Amen, B.S.N., R.N.




I like the husbands’ (Daniel Amen) forward comment – nutrition is the centerpiece of healing.

I also like the fact that the author created this diet out of her own personal health experiences.  I don’t see this as a fly-by night situation.  It has been proven through her lifestyle and experiences.  That alone makes it more willing to try.

The downside that I find (my personal opinion) is that this plan calls for 70% plant and 30% protein.  The protein they are referring to is to come from animal meat.  I think animal meat (red meat) is the cause of some of our health issues.  But I am not a doctor and Mrs. Amen has the medical credentials. 

My bullet point notes:

-         Food can be healing as a medication and it can also be as toxic as a poison.

 -         Some genes predispose you to certain health conditions, but outside factors can influence whether those genes actually turn on to trigger disease. 

 -         The nutrients we consume determine if the “bad” gene turns on.

 -         Epigenetics is the study of genes.  The environment that you expose your genes to determines if disease develops or not. What people may not realize is that because your genetic make-up transfers to your offspring – you may pass on disease through conception.
 
 -         We can affect how are genes are expressed on a daily basis.

 -         Genes turn off and on based on environment, food, drugs and supplements.

 -        The food we eat influences six neurotransmitters in our brain: serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine (learning/memory), GABA, glutamate and aspartate.

 -       Complex carbohydrates (found in vegetables and unprocessed plant food) provide energy more quickly than simple carbs (sugar, bread, pasta, potato, white rice).
 
-         Complex carbs contain fiber, enzymes and nutrients that don’t spike blood sugar.

 -       Calorie restriction is not the only way to lose weight.  Changing lifestyle factors
 
-        Corn is a breeding ground for twenty-two different fungi.  It is high in aspergillus, a type of mold.  Corn gluten is used as a herbicide to kill certain seeds and herbs.  The pollen from corn kills monarch butterflies and caterpillars.  Corn was my all-time favorite vegetable!!  I loved creamed corn!!  Who knew!

 -       Aspartame was approved as an artificial sweetener by the FDA in 1981.  There is an ongoing debate about whether it causes cancer.  Consider this – when aspartame is heated at 89°F during cooking it breaks down into methanol (aka wood alcohol) which is a neurotoxin.  Neurotoxins cause kidney damage. Aspartamic acid is associated with brain tumors, alzheimers, birth defects, diabetes – just to name a few. Also, if it turns to methanol at 89°F, what do you think happens when it is in our bodies whose temperature is at 98.6°????


-         Just because something is labeled as “fat free” doesn’t mean that it is better for you.  To make up for the fat being removed, more sugar is added and more artificial flavoring to make up for the loss of taste.  Read the labels.  You are better off with the regular version.

Another point that I struggle with is that the author says the meat you eat should be naturally raised from organic, grass-fed, hormone-free, antibiotic-free animals.  Where, in the average neighborhood (aka the ghetto, perhaps), is a person supposed to find such meat? And will it fit within their budget? 

The Omni diet provides a way to have a long healthspan – live long in a healthy way feeling your best and having the greatest possible resistance to disease.

An interesting book to read with great information to taking charge of your health.

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