The Four Elements of Healthy Living
By Karen M. Rider
Confused about whether or not your eating best for your body, mind and spirit? Dean Ornish, MD teaches simple ways to customize a healthy diet and lifestyle according to your unique biology, personal needs and preferences.
It all lies within ‘The Spectrum—a program basedon 4 Key Elements of healthy living ’:
What (and how) are you eating?
How do you move your body?
How do you deal with stress?
How to you cultivate love and support in your life?
The Spectrum offers an array of choices suitable for anyone who wants to be healthier, lose weight, or ward off disease. There’s no guilt, no deprivation and no excuses but plenty of choices, pleasure and passion.
Karen: How can we assess that the way we are nourishing our bodies is best for each of us?
Dr. Ornish: In The Spectrum, I’ve categorized foods from the most healthful to least healthful to get away from the idea that there are “bad” foods and “good” foods. If you indulge one day, it you’re not a bad person; just eat healthier the next day. What matters most is your overall way of eating or living. Studies show that the people who overall eat the healthiest allow themselves some small indulgences every day. With The Spectrum Plan, you learn how to enjoy a variety of indulgences, allowing you to eat a varied diet and satisfy cravings without going overboard on fat, calories, or sugar.
The Plan shows you how to find out where you are on four spectrums – nutrition, exercise, stress management, and the love and intimacy spectrum. Next, consider your goal: Do you want to reverse a life threatening illness or lose a few pounds? Increase energy and feel healthier? You identify where you are on the spectrum and move in a healthier direction to meet your goal.
Karen: We’ve been taught our genes are our fate—but you say the opposite.
Dr. Ornish: Your genes are not your fate. People often think that they have bad genes and can’t do anything. You can do more, [through lifestyle change] than was once realized and you can do it more quickly than was ever thought possible. Our studies have shown that the more people changed, the better they became regardless of age, gender or severity of illness.
We published a study for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2008, which showed that among people following The Spectrum Plan over 500 genes were affected. [We observed] up-regulation (turning on) of genes that prevent disease and down-regulation (turning off) of disease promoting genes, including those that cause breast cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
This knowledge helps move people away from what I call genetic nihilism: “There is nothing I can do, this is my biological destiny.”
Karen: So, we can become more fit or healthier with our given genetics?
Dr. Ornish: You can become much healthier and more fit within your genetic make-up. If people connect-the-dots between what they do—the kind and quality of food they eat, how much exercise they get, how they manage stress, the quality of their relationships—and how they feel, then they gain greater vitality, longer life. They lose weight. They have more energy and they sleep better. There is an increase in blood flow to skin, which slows down aging and increased blood flow to sexual organs, so better sex. The brain gets more blood flow so you think more clearly. The biological mechanisms are so dynamic that a person can experience these changes within a few weeks. Because people see results so quickly, they are able to sustain the lifestyle changes.
Karen: What is the connection between how we eat and nourishment from food?
Dr. Ornish: How we eat is as important as what we eat and the effect food has on our body, mind and even spirit. Awareness is the first step in healing. Be aware of where your food comes from, how it is prepared, what you’re eating and how you feel. Eating mindfully and living mindfully, for that matter, is important.
In the book, and on the companion CD, I use the example of dark chocolate. When you are mindful about all the food you consume, you experience more pleasure with relatively fewer calories. Eating with awareness enlightens the connection between what you do and how you feel… it comes out of your own experience.
Karen: What is the biggest diet mis-step people make?
Dr. Ornish: In 30 years, we’ve learned that creating in people a fear of dying does not change behavior over the long term. Joy of living, pleasure, having choices makes it easier to maintain change. The biggest mis-step is depriving yourself of the pleasure that all foods, in moderation, can provide, if only you learn to enjoy the best quality and widest variety.
Karen: What foods should/should not be stocked in our kitchens?
Dr. Ornish: It’s not only what you exclude but what you include that makes a difference in health. Stock the best quality foods that you enjoy most and are on the healthier end of the spectrum. The basis of my book is what is sustainable for people is what brings joy and pleasure, which is different for different people.
There are so many foods that you could choose that are healthy for body and mind. In general, fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes and soy products have hundreds of thousands of protective factors- anti-aging, anti-cancer, anti-heart disease. In particular, foods that are rich in omega-3 FA are important as these can reduce risk for cardiac death by 3-8 times, reduce risk for cancer, heart attack, — a little is very powerful, just 3 grams a day. Tea, white and green as well as black, offers tremendous health benefits, too.
Karen: Final Thoughts?
Dr. Ornish: When we make choices that improve our own health, we also improve the health of the Earth. For many people that’s a great motivator because it means the choices made in our lives each day- -what we eat, whether or not we smoke, how we handle stress, how much exercise we get and how much love and intimacy we have in our lives—are really meaningful.
Spectrum Foods
Foods are organized from the healthiest (group 1), to the least healthy (group 5). Natural and unprocessed foods are preferred in all groups. Here are some examples:
Group 1: Fruits, fresh vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nonfat dairy, egg whites, soy products.
Group 2: Avocados, seeds, nuts, oils, canned vegetables, low-fat dairy, decaffeinated beverages.
Group 3: Seafood, refined carbs, concentrated sweets, oils higher in saturated fats, margarine.
Group 4: High-fat animal products, whole-fat dairy, mayonnaise, pastries, cookies, pies.
Group 5: Red meat, egg yolks, fried foods, hot dogs, organ meats, butter, cream, tropical oils.
The closer you move toward group 1, the more likely you are to gain health benefits. If you already eat a healthy diet, you may want to make a few small changes. If your diet primarily consists of foods from group 5, you may want make bigger changes.
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Karen M. Rider covers holistic health, conscious parenting, energy medicine, and inspirational stories for Om Times. With a background in health science, psychology and communications, Karen brings a keen mind and sensitive objectivity to every assignment. She has interviewed visionary teachers and medical pioneers as well as bestselling authors. An accomplished marketing copywriter and ghostwriter, Karen enjoys working with healing arts practitioners and “soul” entrepreneurs. Web www.karenmrider.com, Twitter: @KarenMRider and Facebook: www.facebook.com/KMRiderAuthor
