However, I recently saw a program on PBS television advocating the GOMBS Diet by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. I listened to the program for a while and it seemed like something that I could do. Plus it was a long term healthy diet that provided essential nutrients and plenty of antioxidants to help fight diseases and add years to your life. You can GOOGLE it on the computer and find several selections that explain the diet. One selection is at the web link below … http://www.health-actually.com/reviews/gombs-dr-joel-fuhrmans-anti-cancer-diet/ Basically, GOMBS stands for (Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds).
Although you can add the separate parts to your regular meals, I have added all the GOMBS items together to make a daily salad. You can see the benefits for each GOMBS ingredient listed below. However, the photo above is my sample GOMBS Salad. I have combined lettuce, onions, mushrooms, bean sprouts, celery, tomato, garbanzo beans, string beans and top it off with a piece American cheese, slices of boiled ham and two tablespoons of vinaigrette dressing . The total is less than 300 calories. You can use other protein rich toppings like tuna or chicken in small portions (2-3 oz.).
• Greens – Green vegetables have lots of different nutrients and systems that put a silicone like slippery coating on the inside of your blood vessels. They activate something inside the blood vessel called the Nrf2 mechanism that prevents plaque from binding to blood vessels and accelerates the rate at which fat melts away from the inside of the blood vessel.
• Onions – In The Medical Journal of Clinical Nutrition a large study in Europe showed people who ate onions regularly showed a 60 to 70% reduction in all major cancers. That would be a reduction in prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer just from the higher consumption of onions. When you cut an onion, the gas that is given off creates disulfides and anti-cancer nutrients that are formed.
• Mushrooms - A Recent study published in the international Journal of Cancer showed women who regularly consumed mushrooms are 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. That was about 10 g of mushrooms daily. That same study showed that the women who ate 10 g of mushrooms and simultaneously consumed green tea had 89% less likely to develop breast cancer.
• Beans and Berries - Beans and berries have high cancer preventive antioxidants levels and promotes healthy brain function.
• Seeds - Raw seeds and nuts contain phytochemicals and fats that help reduce inflammation, help reduce cholesterol, and helps the absorption of other important micronutrients. Dr. Fuhrman suggests having nuts as part of your salad or even making a salad dressing from them.
At my annual physical, my doctor continues to urge me to loose a few pounds and watch my cholesterol. Now I have to take several daily pills to lower my cholesterol and other health issues that all stem from overweight. After a while, the weight piles on. That 5 pounds increase each year doesn’t sound bad, but after 20 years its 100 pounds.
I now weigh 252 pounds and have a BMI of 36.2 (Obese). If I weighed 208 my BMI would be 29.8 (Overweight). If I weighed 172 my BMI would be 24.7 (Normal Weight). Using the BMI calculations, I would have to loose 80 pounds to be at the upper limit of normal weight. That is a lot of weight to loose but it certainly can be done with the proper diet and motivation. Also, keeping the weight off requires staying on a maintenance diet with balanced healthy choices.
One way to help with motivation and stay on a continuous diet is to do it with a friend or family member so you can compare your daily progress and success. Another way to stay motivated is to keep a daily journal and write down everything you eat including your daily exercise routine. Keeping a small notebook journal in your pocket is a constant reminder to stick with healthy choices and stay on task.
Being a gadget person I have found an iPod APP called “MyFitnessPal” that helps me keep track of my diet and adds all the items up to give me a calorie count. It's like my small notebook journal, It’s easy to use and has a list of all the different foods you could eat with an equivalent calorie amount. It also has graphs and charts to show your progress. I have taken a few photos of my diet calculations using the APP (see photos below).
The first photo below shows my diet for Saturday, January 7, 2012. As you can see for Breakfast I had Cheerios with milk, blueberries and strawberries (Total = 236 cal.). For Lunch I had a GOMBS Salad with lettuce, chicken, ham, cheese, string beans, mushrooms, bean sprouts, onions, yam and salad dressing (Total = 437 cal.). I added the chicken, ham and cheese for protein. For Dinner I had pizza and a GOMBS salad (Total = 935 cal.). My total calorie intake for the day was 1608 calories with 322 cal. remaining for dessert. For my weight and height, my Basal Metabolism is 1930 calories. That is the amount of calories my body needs at rest during the day. You can calculate your BM at the web link … http://calculators.epnet.com/View/Pages/BasalMetabolism.aspx?docid=healthcalculators%2flistofcalculators&CollectionIID=642&DeliveryContext=coe&token=5344349d-8fbc-446e-8ae5-03a924025f8c
In order to loose weight, you need to consume fewer calories than your body needs. It has been determined that 3500 cal. is equivalent to one pound of body weight. If you eat 500 calories less than you need per day, in 7 days you will have lost one pound. With daily exercise you can loose even more. As you can see from the bar chart below I have tried to consume about 1000 to 1500 calories per day so that I can loose at least one pound per week. During my first week I have dropped 3 to 4 pounds. This has certainly inspired me to continue. Hopefully, this testimony will motivate you to try the same. However, it is important to eat a balanced diet. You can and should add other nutrient rich foods to your meals but in small portions. An appropriate portion of fish, chicken or red meat is about 4 oz.. That is the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of playing cards. Also, foods with more colors have higher nutrient value. Stay away from too much white food which contain a lot of starch. Good luck.
Comments Welcome : …. Markryan82@comcast.net
