How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease

by Michael Greger

oregano beat out all but bay leaves in its ability to suppress cervical cancer cell growth in vitro while leaving normal cells alone.77

Of 115 different foods tested for anti-inflammatory

inflammatory properties in vitro, oregano made it into the top five, along with oyster mushrooms, oni...

Marjoram

appears to significantly inhibit the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro.

marjoram tea

The most antioxidant-packed common spice is the clove.

The most antioxidant-packed uncommon spice is amla,82 which is powdered dried Indian gooseberry fruit.

“This argues strongly for the need to include high antioxidant foods in each and every meal in order to prevent this redox [free-radical versus antioxidant] imbalance.”

powdered gooseberries.

Unsurprisingly, the people in the spice group experienced a doubling of the antioxidant power in their bloodstreams compared to participants in the spice-free group. Remarkably, though, the spice group ended up with 30 percent less fat (triglycerides) in their blood after the meal and improved insulin sensitivity.

“the incorporation of spices into the daily diet may help normalize postprandial [after-meal] disturbances in glucose [sugar] and lipid [fat] homeostasis [control] while enhancing antioxidant defense.”

one teaspoon for every ten pounds of body weight.

Cooking may wipe out half of the morphine and codeine contained naturally in poppy seeds, which gives you some more leeway when baking.100 Soaking the poppy seeds for five minutes and then discarding

the water before adding the seeds to your recipe can eliminate half of that remaining,

certain natural constituents of spices like nutmeg may form amphetamine compounds within the body sufficient “to elevate the mood and to help provide some added

Christmas cheer” during the holiday season.102

The toxic dose of nutmeg is two to three teaspoons. I had assumed no one would ever come close to that amount unintentionally until I saw a report in which a married couple ate some pasta, collapsed, and were subsequently hospitalized.

cinnamon, which has been prized for its ability to lower blood sugar levels.

you can even “cheat” on a diabetes test by consuming two teaspoons of cinnamon the night before. Twelve hours later, your blood sugar spike in response to meals will still be significantly dampened.109 Even just a teaspoon a day appears to make a significant difference.110

anything simply labeled “cinnamon” is probably cassia, since it’s cheaper.

cassia contains a compound called coumarin, which may be toxic to the liver at high doses.

cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon even a few times a week may be too much for small ch...

would exceed the tolerable upper safety li...

still encourage Ceylon cinnamon consumption, given that it is one of the cheapest common food sources of antioxidants, second only to purple cabbage. But what’s a type 2 diabetic to do?

½ cup hot cereal or cooked grains, pasta, or corn kernels 1 cup cold cereal 1 tortilla or slice of bread ½ a bagel or english muffin 3 cups popped popcorn Daily Recommendation: 3 servings per day

people who eat more whole grains tend to live significantly longer lives independent of other dietary and lifestyle factors.3 No surprise, given that whole grains appear to reduce the risk of heart disease,4 type 2 diabetes,5 obesity, and stroke.6 Eating more whole

“Whole-grain intake cools down inflammation.”

Even excluding heart disease and cancer, habitual whole-grain intake is linked to a significantly lower risk of dying from inflammatory diseases.

two-thirds of people with wheat sensitivity have also been found to be sensitive to cow’s milk protein. Eggs appear to be the next leading culprit.30 If you put people on a

diet low in common triggers of irritable bowel symptoms and then challenge them with gluten, there’s no effect, calling into question the existence of non-celiac gluten sensitivity.31 Interestingly, despite being informed that avoiding gluten was apparently not helping their gut symptoms,

About one in one thousand may have an allergy to wheat,34 and nearly one in one hundred have celiac disease,

there’s less than a one-in-ten-thousand chance that an American will be diagnosed with celiac disease in a given year.

there is some evidence suggesting that a gluten-free diet may adversely affect gut health in people without celiac disease,

wheat sensitivity, or wheat allergy.

A month on a gluten-free diet was found to adversely affect gut flora and immune function, potentially setting up those on gluten-free diets for an overgrowth of harmful bacteria in their intestines.40 This is due, ironically, to the beneficial effects of the very components wheat-sensitive individuals have pro...

bacteria, or the gluten itself, which may boost i...

Less than a week of added gluten protein may significantly increase natural killer cell activity,42 which could be expected to improve the body’s abi...

When researchers have studied PWAWGs—that’s what they’re called in the medical literature: People Who Avoid Wheat and/or Gluten—they’ve found that about one-third of them didn’t appear to have gluten sensitivity but instead had other conditions like

an overgrowth of bacteria in their small intestines, were fructose or lactose intolerant, or had a neuromuscular disorder like gastroparesis or pelvic floor dysfunction.

No current data suggest that the general population should try to avoid gluten, but for those with celiac disease, a wheat allergy, or a wheat sensitivity diagnosis, gluten-free diets can be a lifesaver.

use color to make decisions at the grocery store. If you have a choice, pick red quinoa over white quinoa, blue corn over yellow, and yellow corn over white.

there’s experimental evidence to suggest that pigmented rice—red, purple, or black—has benefits over brown. For example, in addition to having about five times more antioxidants,48 colored rice varieties have shown greater antiallergy activity in vitro,49 as well as superior anticancer effects against breast cancer50 and leukemia cells.51

Bionaturae

Dr. Greger’s Eight Check-Mark Pesto 2 cups fresh basil leaves ¼ cup freshly toasted walnuts 2 cloves fresh garlic ¼ of a peeled lemon ¼ teaspoon lemon zest ¼ inch of fresh turmeric root (or

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder) ¼ cup pinto beans ¼ cup water or liquid from bean can 1 tablespoon white miso Pepper to taste Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Scoop onto a cup and a half of cooked whole-grain pasta.

look at the Nutrition Facts label on the package and see if the ratio of grams of carbohydrates to grams of dietary fiber is five or less (see figure 7). For example, let’s see if 100 percent whole-wheat Wonder Bread passes the test: Per serving, the package lists 30 grams of carbohydrates

and 3 grams of fiber. Thirty divided by 3 is 10. Well, 10 is more than 5, so the 100 percent whole-wheat Wonder Bread goes back on the shelf even though, technically, it’s a whole-grain product. Compare that to Ezekiel bread, a sprouted-grain bread based on a biblical verse. It has 15 grams of carbohydrates and 3 grams of fiber, and, just like that, passes the test. So do Ezekiel english muffins,

Apply the same Five-to-One Rule to breakfast cereals,

The intact-whole-grain diet group doubled their stool size, which was significantly greater than that of the ground-whole-grain group, even though they were eating the same foods in the same quantities.