Avoid the Center

(And we’re not talking politics here). We all know what we shouldn’t eat, but how to we find out what kind of diet is best for us? Take a DNA test and see! And once you know the answer, figure out the RIGHT WAY to perambulate through the grocery store (hint: avoid the middle). And a little booze occasionally doesn’t hurt either.

The next time you go to the doctor, he (or she) may swab your inner cheek (the way you see it done on the “CSI” TV shows) and send it out to be tested, so you’ll know whether you’re more likely to lose weight on a low fat or low carb diet. Carbohydrates are the problem for Type II diabetics (which is a genetic condition). A small study of 101 women showed that those who followed the best diet for their genes lost 2 to 3 times more weight than the control group.

Once you find out what kind of diet you should go on, the next step is to learn how to grocery shop. Avoid the center aisles and concentrate on the perimeter: That’s where the healthy food is!

Dietician Gaye Lynn Hicks says, “In most grocery stores, the aisles are filled with canned goods, frozen and boxed dinners that are loaded with fat and extra unnecessary calories. The perimeter features fruits, vegetables, lean meats, dairy items and other healthy fare.” If you simply can’t avoid the aisles, it’s important to find foods with the fewest amount of ingredients: 3 or 4 instead of 6 to 8.

According to Hicks, “If 90% of what is in your shopping cart is from around the perimeter of the store, you are eating a clean, healthy diet.” Hey, that way you’ll get out of the store FASTER too!

When you come to the fresh fruits and vegetables section, are you concerned that the fluorescent lights shining down on them are leaching out the valuable vitamins? It turns out the OPPOSITE is true: Fluorescent lighting in supermarkets actually can INCREASE the nutritional value of fresh spinach, and perhaps other vegetables as well.

Fresh spinach is a nutritional powerhouse, packed with vitamin C, vitamin E, B vitamins and cancer-fighting antioxidants. Supermarkets often display fresh spinach in clear plastic containers at around 39 degrees Fahrenheit in showcases that may be exposed to fluorescent light 24 hours a day. Researchers Gene Lester, Donald J. Makus, and D. Mark Hodges Lester, Makus wondered how this continuous light exposure might affect spinach’s nutritional value, so they exposed fresh spinach leaves to continuous light or darkness during simulated retail storage conditions for 3 to 9 days. Spinach stored in light for as little as 3 days had significantly higher levels of vitamins C, K, E, and folate (vitamin B). They also had higher levels of healthful plant pigments. During continuous light exposure after 9 days, levels of folate increased between 84 and 100%, while levels of vitamin K increased between 50 and 100%, depending on the spinach variety tested. By contrast, spinach leaves stored under continuous darkness (such as the inside of your refrigerator when the door is closed) tended to have declining or unchanged levels of nutrients.

Here at unknowncountry.com, we CARE about your health, which is why there’s a FREE diet book right here on our website. To read it, click here and scroll down to What I Learned From the Fat Years. Anne Strieber, who used to be a diabetic herself, devised this diet using scientific principles, and lost 100 pounds by following this path, and you can too. Click on unknowncountry.com every day to find out the latest facts about food (and everything else!) The only path you can take to make sure we’ll still be here tomorrow with our great radio shows and podcasts is to subscribe today!

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Art credit: Dreamstime.com

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