Surprising Benefits Of Healthy Eating

July 13, 2012

Interview with Patrick Quillin, author of the book Wisdom and Healing Power of Whole Foods

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Mike Carruthers:
You probably have a pretty good idea of what makes a healthy diet. But does eating healthy, eating these whole foods really pay off in the long run?

Patrick Quillin, R.D.:
There's irrefutable scientific evidence that says if we eat more of these whole foods (that's fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes) we're going to lower our risk for most diseases by 50 - 90 %.
 

Registered Dietician Patrick Quillin, author of the book Wisdom and Healing Power of Whole Foods, says you don't have to overhaul your diet all at once.

Make incremental improvements. For instance, as a clinical nutritionist I work with many patients who considered six cokes a day to be routine. And I said, " Can you cut it back to three?"  They said, "Well, I'll try." Later I'd say, "Can you cut it back to one?" They said, "Well, I'll try." So it's not all or none.

And as you cut back on the less healthy food you replace it with the better food. Spinach, says Patrick, is a great example of a whole food.

Scientists found that spinach is probably the most protective food against cancer and that spinach contains lutein. And lutein is this substance that seems to protect the brain and the eye.

And eating healthy doesn't mean you never get to splurge.

You're going to go to McDonalds once in a while, you're going to have some birthday cake once in a while, you go out to dinner and have a cocktail. That's not a problem as long as the majority of your food - let's say 90% - is nourishing food.