5 ms·

Can someone translate this into what foods are best to avoid heart disease for me? It runs in the family...

by INTPenis 3y ago

deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
myshpa 3y ago
[flagged]
- sph 3y ago
  A bit misleading to register a domain with an unbiased-sounding name, like nutritionfacts.org while being a Seventh-Day Adventist, whose mission is to convert the world to vegetarianism, and being on the board of The Vegan Society. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Greger https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Greger While vegan science might have grounds for debate, I would not put much weight on people that have literally made vegetarianism their religion. EDIT: also given your post history, seems like you're here, on a site called Hacker News, to do nothing else but push a certain nutritional agenda.
  - myshpa 3y ago
    > being a Seventh-Day Adventist Source? The link you've provided doesn't say anything about it. > While vegan science might have grounds for debate Scientific disciplines specifically focused on veganism or vegetarianism do not exist. Edit: It's not about nutrition; it's the ultimate hack to protect biodiversity, which is being driven to extinction by our agricultural practices, and to safeguard our society from collapse. As such, it belongs here. Lately, it seems to me to be more important than the newest JavaScript frameworks. You're welcome to spend some time in my post history and read on.
    - hattmall 3y ago
      You may benefit from learning about the importance of red meat and dairy in human development. Stringently depriving children from these nutrition sources should probably be considered child abuse alongside childhood obesity.
      - myshpa 3y ago
        Think of the children? :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_of_the_children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_of_the_children While red meat and dairy can provide certain nutrients, it's important to emphasize that a well-planned plant-based diet can also meet children's nutritional needs. No adult mammals need milk to be healthy. Children who drink mother's milk are, of course, following a vegan diet. American Dietetic Association "It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes." NHS UK "A vegetarian or vegan diet can be suitable for everyone, regardless of their age." British Dietetic Association "[I]t is possible to follow a well-planned, plant-based, vegan friendly diet that supports healthy living in people of all ages, and during pregnancy and breastfeeding."
    - sph 3y ago
      > Source? The link you've provided doesn't say anything about it. In academia one is supposed to list commercial conflicts of interests, but no one asks to write down the author's religious affiliations. Just search all the organisations Greber is part or founding member of, and notice how many are affiliated with SDA. It is well-known at this point that most of the research in vegetarianism is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists. Again, this time I'm not here to discuss the shoddy science of demonising meat and animal fat. I just want to point out that when a theory becomes a tenet of your religion, there is not much scientific discussion to be had.
      - myshpa 3y ago
        - Ad Hominem: Attacking the author's religious affiliations instead of addressing the research. No proof of such affiliations, btw. Example: "No one asks to write down the author's religious affiliations." - Guilt by Association: Associating the individual with a group (SDA) to which they may not belong or identify with is misleading and serves to further discredit the argument, as it’s based on false premises. - Conspiracy Theory: Suggesting that most vegetarian research is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists without evidence. Example: "Most of the research in vegetarianism is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists." - Straw Man: The comment misrepresents the argument by suggesting that anyone who supports vegetarianism or has religious affiliations cannot engage in scientific discussion. Example: "When a theory becomes a tenet of your religion, there is not much scientific discussion to be had." - Generalization: Making a sweeping and unsupported claim about all research related to vegetarianism. Example: "Notice how many are affiliated with SDA." - Appeal to Motive: Assuming that the author's religious beliefs automatically taint their scientific research. Example: "It is well-known at this point that most of the research in vegetarianism is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists." In constructive and respectful debates, it's essential to address the actual scientific evidence and arguments rather than resorting to personal attacks, conspiracy theories, or logical fallacies. These tactics detract from the quality of the discussion and hinder productive dialogue.
  - SettembreNero 3y ago
    Peak HN moment, arguing that a well known fact (eating vegetables is good for your health) is actually some vegan conspiracy
    - someguydave 3y ago
      If that fact is so well known can you point to an unambiguous well-known trial which demonstrates its truth?
      - SettembreNero 3y ago
        ...basically any physician? Anyway, a two minute Google search can even find some US-friendly related material (but probably someone could be able to say that Harvard is a vegan-soviet-wokist psyop, one could never know...) https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/disease-prevention/cardiovascular-disease/preventing-cvd/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/disease-prevent... "The best diet for preventing heart disease is one that is full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, poultry, and vegetable oils; includes alcohol in moderation, if at all; and goes easy on red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, foods and beverages with added sugar, sodium, and foods with trans fat." See also https://web.archive.org/web/20131207154611/http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2000/2000DGBrochureFabulousFruits.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20131207154611/http://www.cnpp.u...
        arijun 3y ago
        1. That is not a vegan diet 2. That claims to prevent, not reverse the disease.
        myshpa 3y ago
        https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37697562 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37697562
        hattmall 3y ago
        It's not even vegetarian much less vegan.
- arijun 3y ago
  That sounds like a pretty extraordinary claim that I haven’t heard before. Can you link the relevant papers? I couldn’t find citations in the links you provided.
  - christophilus 3y ago
    Not the op, but Gregor’s videos are nearly always a review of a bunch of papers on a given topic. If you watch the videos, you can generally get the references and find them on scihub or whatever source you prefer.
mpreda 3y ago
If this study applies to you, here's a life advice: avoid cats.
christophilus 3y ago
Look up Dr Caldwell Esselstyn. He’s a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic who has consistently used diet to reverse his patients’ heart disease. It’s a low fat, low salt plant based diet. Dr McDougall is another. They both have a number of papers on the subject. Edit: I’m not sure if McDougall’s papers are specifically on heart disease, actually, and can’t look it up conveniently at the moment. But he’s covered the topic in great depth.
- Isn0gud 3y ago
  Is there also research on the relative importance in exercise?
  - collin128 3y ago
    I found Dr. Daniel Lieberman 's work helpful. His book Exercised makes his work fairly accessible. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Lieberman https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Lieberman
- zingababba 3y ago
  This is essentially how I eat except for the salt, if I don't get quite a bit of salt in my diet I feel horrendous. But otherwise I'm usually at somewhere around 75-80% calories as carbs. Oats, lentils, peas, beans, tons of veggies. Instant pot all of it. At first I was scared about low protein but I'm fugging shredded and have great workouts.
dav_Oz 3y ago
Simply, unprocessed food and drinking plain water (not pure as in distilled but with sufficient electrolytes in it). But the greatest impact would be lifestyle changes in general. You cannot just diet your way out of a heart disease. Well, maybe this population [0] of subsistence farmers will give you a hint. In the modern world it is an uphill battle. And there are some people with hypocholesterolemia [1] who will have arteries in near pristine condition despite living a modern (unhealthy) lifestyle. There are two broad strategies here which can be combined: (1) Adhering to (strict) rules which will consume your resource of willpower. A very effective one: Don't drink sugary drinks. An unconvenient one for most people: Don't eat out. (2) Modifying your modern environment to such an extent that it resemble choices humans made before the modern lifestyle i.e. a lot of physical activity, offline times, no processed food, being outdoors (e.g. a garden). To reap the benefits from both a modern lifestyle and a lifestyle we are evolutionary adapted to, this of course will cost you money in a crowded city and (unpaid) time you would otherwise use for earning money. [0]https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)30752-3/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6... [1]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780323040730100147 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B97803...
- specialist 3y ago
  Yes and: wrt (1), when I was first learning the troglodiet, I leaned into being a foodie. Switched my outlook from giving up the foods I liked to finding and embracing new foods to love. Some examples: sampling all the olive oils to see what I liked, getting fresh herbs and spices, noshing on excellent produce, using tasty sea salt vs table salt. wrt (2), for health reasons, I've had to severely simplify my life, especially food prep. That means lots of soups, chili, and porridge. So now I've got two pressure cookers and bins of bulk foods. Just toss some rice, beans, stock and whatever veggies I have into the pot. There was a transition phase of learning and habit forming. Ditto casseroles. (I'm still working on my protein strategy. Right now it's typically roasts and pulled pork.)
- WillPostForFood 3y ago
  Key finding of the Lancet article: These findings suggest that coronary atherosclerosis can be avoided in most people by achieving a lifetime with very low LDL, low blood pressure, low glucose, normal body-mass index, no smoking, and plenty of physical activity. The relative contributions of each are still to be determined.
gnurizen 3y ago
The answer you are looking for is no. No one can translate this into what humans should eat to avoid heart disease, that will require a ton more research. We still haven't even figured out whether eggs are good or bad for you.
- hombre_fatal 3y ago
  Probably because the egg industry funds 60% of egg-cholesterol studies and they downplay the negative impact of eggs. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1559827619892198 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/155982761989219... > However, 49% of industry-funded intervention studies reported conclusions that were discordant with study results (ie, net cholesterol increases were described as favorable in the articles’ stated conclusions), compared with 13% of non–industry-funded studies. I can definitely believe that the average American should probably keep eating eggs since they are better than the average American's egg replacement (more refined grains, sugar). But that doesn't mean eggs are part of a diet that minimizes CVD risk, for example. I think we often confuse the two facts.
- alex01001 3y ago
  They're good, trust me.
dmitrij 3y ago
Vegetables and fruits. Less meat, especially red meat. Less fat. Especially reduce saturated fat. No refined sugar. Reduce salt. And: Exercise. Cardio sport . Increase muscle mass. And reduce stress. But most important: go to the cardiologist, take your meds, adhere to their advice.
- riku_iki 3y ago
  > Less meat, especially red meat. where this came from?
sillypuddy 3y ago
My understanding is that exercise (of lack of) is significantly more important than diet.
manicennui 3y ago
I think a good summary of the things that most people agree on to some extent is Michael Pollan's advice from The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006): "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Obviously there are a lot of details to fill in, but the first part boils down to avoiding processed foods. The other two are pretty straightforward. As mentioned by others, physical activity and stress management are just as important, and social connections tend to be positively correlated with health as well. I think the problems come in when you realize how many people pushing specific diets have agendas beyond health, as well as the fact that there is no specific diet that is perfect for everyone.
colordrops 3y ago
Whole food vegan diet. My cholesterol went down 20 points in a bit more than a year. Bracing for the oncoming cholesterol apologists... My doctor says that vegan diets are unequivocally better for the heart according to the literature.
smitty1110 3y ago
The best thing to do is go on walks. Walking and getting your heart rate up to 120-ish not only is shown to help slow or stop the progression of Aatherosclerosis, it also helps prevent clots from forming in your legs and causing serious issues elsewhere. The only other advice is to avoid excess in your diet.
clairity 3y ago
it's less about what foods to eat and more about eating much less: one modest-sized meal a day. that's all we "need". we eat too much of everything and our bodies are not evolved for such excess. this is literally the biggest bang for buck for chronic diseases like this, but also the hardest thing to do because of socio-cultural considerations. it also takes some time to train your digestive system down to that level. once you have amounts under control, then you can taper off the processed foods, especially sugary things like soda/juice (fruit is ok because it comes with fiber), salty things like chips/frozen dinners, and bread/rice products (a little whole grain here and there is ok). minimize processed foods but don't worry too much about the mix of foods otherwise (protein/fat is fine, just don't overeat). then taper up anaerobic exercise to 2-3 times a week. find a sport or activity you like (e.g., tennis) and pay for an organized league/class so that you stay committed. (aerobic) walking, for instance, is not typically strenuous enough for your body to process the excess nutrients and improve cardiovascular fitness, which is what's needed to help keep heart disease under control. you can start with walking if you're in bad shape, but you'll want to graduate to anaerobic exercise as soon as you can.
riku_iki 3y ago
By decreasing your chances to die from heart attack fast and without much pain, you are increasing your chances of long and painful death from cancer..

Can someone translate this into what foods are best to avoid heart disease for me? It runs in the family...

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

myshpa 3y ago

[flagged]

sph 3y ago
A bit misleading to register a domain with an unbiased-sounding name, like nutritionfacts.org while being a Seventh-Day Adventist, whose mission is to convert the world to vegetarianism, and being on the board of The Vegan Society. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Greger https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Greger While vegan science might have grounds for debate, I would not put much weight on people that have literally made vegetarianism their religion. EDIT: also given your post history, seems like you're here, on a site called Hacker News, to do nothing else but push a certain nutritional agenda.
- myshpa 3y ago
  > being a Seventh-Day Adventist Source? The link you've provided doesn't say anything about it. > While vegan science might have grounds for debate Scientific disciplines specifically focused on veganism or vegetarianism do not exist. Edit: It's not about nutrition; it's the ultimate hack to protect biodiversity, which is being driven to extinction by our agricultural practices, and to safeguard our society from collapse. As such, it belongs here. Lately, it seems to me to be more important than the newest JavaScript frameworks. You're welcome to spend some time in my post history and read on.
  - hattmall 3y ago
    You may benefit from learning about the importance of red meat and dairy in human development. Stringently depriving children from these nutrition sources should probably be considered child abuse alongside childhood obesity.
    - myshpa 3y ago
      Think of the children? :) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_of_the_children https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Think_of_the_children While red meat and dairy can provide certain nutrients, it's important to emphasize that a well-planned plant-based diet can also meet children's nutritional needs. No adult mammals need milk to be healthy. Children who drink mother's milk are, of course, following a vegan diet. American Dietetic Association "It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well-planned vegetarian diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes." NHS UK "A vegetarian or vegan diet can be suitable for everyone, regardless of their age." British Dietetic Association "[I]t is possible to follow a well-planned, plant-based, vegan friendly diet that supports healthy living in people of all ages, and during pregnancy and breastfeeding."
  - sph 3y ago
    > Source? The link you've provided doesn't say anything about it. In academia one is supposed to list commercial conflicts of interests, but no one asks to write down the author's religious affiliations. Just search all the organisations Greber is part or founding member of, and notice how many are affiliated with SDA. It is well-known at this point that most of the research in vegetarianism is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists. Again, this time I'm not here to discuss the shoddy science of demonising meat and animal fat. I just want to point out that when a theory becomes a tenet of your religion, there is not much scientific discussion to be had.
    - myshpa 3y ago
      - Ad Hominem: Attacking the author's religious affiliations instead of addressing the research. No proof of such affiliations, btw. Example: "No one asks to write down the author's religious affiliations." - Guilt by Association: Associating the individual with a group (SDA) to which they may not belong or identify with is misleading and serves to further discredit the argument, as it’s based on false premises. - Conspiracy Theory: Suggesting that most vegetarian research is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists without evidence. Example: "Most of the research in vegetarianism is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists." - Straw Man: The comment misrepresents the argument by suggesting that anyone who supports vegetarianism or has religious affiliations cannot engage in scientific discussion. Example: "When a theory becomes a tenet of your religion, there is not much scientific discussion to be had." - Generalization: Making a sweeping and unsupported claim about all research related to vegetarianism. Example: "Notice how many are affiliated with SDA." - Appeal to Motive: Assuming that the author's religious beliefs automatically taint their scientific research. Example: "It is well-known at this point that most of the research in vegetarianism is sponsored by Seventh-day Adventists." In constructive and respectful debates, it's essential to address the actual scientific evidence and arguments rather than resorting to personal attacks, conspiracy theories, or logical fallacies. These tactics detract from the quality of the discussion and hinder productive dialogue.
- SettembreNero 3y ago
  Peak HN moment, arguing that a well known fact (eating vegetables is good for your health) is actually some vegan conspiracy
  - someguydave 3y ago
    If that fact is so well known can you point to an unambiguous well-known trial which demonstrates its truth?
    - SettembreNero 3y ago
      ...basically any physician? Anyway, a two minute Google search can even find some US-friendly related material (but probably someone could be able to say that Harvard is a vegan-soviet-wokist psyop, one could never know...) https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/disease-prevention/cardiovascular-disease/preventing-cvd/ https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/disease-prevent... "The best diet for preventing heart disease is one that is full of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, fish, poultry, and vegetable oils; includes alcohol in moderation, if at all; and goes easy on red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, foods and beverages with added sugar, sodium, and foods with trans fat." See also https://web.archive.org/web/20131207154611/http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/Publications/DietaryGuidelines/2000/2000DGBrochureFabulousFruits.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20131207154611/http://www.cnpp.u...
      - arijun 3y ago
        1. That is not a vegan diet 2. That claims to prevent, not reverse the disease.
        myshpa 3y ago
        https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37697562 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37697562
      - hattmall 3y ago
        It's not even vegetarian much less vegan.
arijun 3y ago
That sounds like a pretty extraordinary claim that I haven’t heard before. Can you link the relevant papers? I couldn’t find citations in the links you provided.
- christophilus 3y ago
  Not the op, but Gregor’s videos are nearly always a review of a bunch of papers on a given topic. If you watch the videos, you can generally get the references and find them on scihub or whatever source you prefer.

mpreda 3y ago

If this study applies to you, here's a life advice: avoid cats.

christophilus 3y ago

Look up Dr Caldwell Esselstyn. He’s a doctor at the Cleveland Clinic who has consistently used diet to reverse his patients’ heart disease. It’s a low fat, low salt plant based diet. Dr McDougall is another. They both have a number of papers on the subject. Edit: I’m not sure if McDougall’s papers are specifically on heart disease, actually, and can’t look it up conveniently at the moment. But he’s covered the topic in great depth.

Isn0gud 3y ago
Is there also research on the relative importance in exercise?
- collin128 3y ago
  I found Dr. Daniel Lieberman 's work helpful. His book Exercised makes his work fairly accessible. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Lieberman https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Lieberman
zingababba 3y ago
This is essentially how I eat except for the salt, if I don't get quite a bit of salt in my diet I feel horrendous. But otherwise I'm usually at somewhere around 75-80% calories as carbs. Oats, lentils, peas, beans, tons of veggies. Instant pot all of it. At first I was scared about low protein but I'm fugging shredded and have great workouts.

dav_Oz 3y ago

Simply, unprocessed food and drinking plain water (not pure as in distilled but with sufficient electrolytes in it). But the greatest impact would be lifestyle changes in general. You cannot just diet your way out of a heart disease. Well, maybe this population [0] of subsistence farmers will give you a hint. In the modern world it is an uphill battle. And there are some people with hypocholesterolemia [1] who will have arteries in near pristine condition despite living a modern (unhealthy) lifestyle. There are two broad strategies here which can be combined: (1) Adhering to (strict) rules which will consume your resource of willpower. A very effective one: Don't drink sugary drinks. An unconvenient one for most people: Don't eat out. (2) Modifying your modern environment to such an extent that it resemble choices humans made before the modern lifestyle i.e. a lot of physical activity, offline times, no processed food, being outdoors (e.g. a garden). To reap the benefits from both a modern lifestyle and a lifestyle we are evolutionary adapted to, this of course will cost you money in a crowded city and (unpaid) time you would otherwise use for earning money. [0]https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)30752-3/fulltext https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6... [1]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780323040730100147 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B97803...

specialist 3y ago
Yes and: wrt (1), when I was first learning the troglodiet, I leaned into being a foodie. Switched my outlook from giving up the foods I liked to finding and embracing new foods to love. Some examples: sampling all the olive oils to see what I liked, getting fresh herbs and spices, noshing on excellent produce, using tasty sea salt vs table salt. wrt (2), for health reasons, I've had to severely simplify my life, especially food prep. That means lots of soups, chili, and porridge. So now I've got two pressure cookers and bins of bulk foods. Just toss some rice, beans, stock and whatever veggies I have into the pot. There was a transition phase of learning and habit forming. Ditto casseroles. (I'm still working on my protein strategy. Right now it's typically roasts and pulled pork.)
WillPostForFood 3y ago
Key finding of the Lancet article: These findings suggest that coronary atherosclerosis can be avoided in most people by achieving a lifetime with very low LDL, low blood pressure, low glucose, normal body-mass index, no smoking, and plenty of physical activity. The relative contributions of each are still to be determined.

gnurizen 3y ago

The answer you are looking for is no. No one can translate this into what humans should eat to avoid heart disease, that will require a ton more research. We still haven't even figured out whether eggs are good or bad for you.

hombre_fatal 3y ago
Probably because the egg industry funds 60% of egg-cholesterol studies and they downplay the negative impact of eggs. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1559827619892198 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/155982761989219... > However, 49% of industry-funded intervention studies reported conclusions that were discordant with study results (ie, net cholesterol increases were described as favorable in the articles’ stated conclusions), compared with 13% of non–industry-funded studies. I can definitely believe that the average American should probably keep eating eggs since they are better than the average American's egg replacement (more refined grains, sugar). But that doesn't mean eggs are part of a diet that minimizes CVD risk, for example. I think we often confuse the two facts.
alex01001 3y ago
They're good, trust me.

dmitrij 3y ago

Vegetables and fruits. Less meat, especially red meat. Less fat. Especially reduce saturated fat. No refined sugar. Reduce salt. And: Exercise. Cardio sport . Increase muscle mass. And reduce stress. But most important: go to the cardiologist, take your meds, adhere to their advice.

riku_iki 3y ago
> Less meat, especially red meat. where this came from?

sillypuddy 3y ago

My understanding is that exercise (of lack of) is significantly more important than diet.

manicennui 3y ago

I think a good summary of the things that most people agree on to some extent is Michael Pollan's advice from The Omnivore's Dilemma (2006): "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." Obviously there are a lot of details to fill in, but the first part boils down to avoiding processed foods. The other two are pretty straightforward. As mentioned by others, physical activity and stress management are just as important, and social connections tend to be positively correlated with health as well. I think the problems come in when you realize how many people pushing specific diets have agendas beyond health, as well as the fact that there is no specific diet that is perfect for everyone.

colordrops 3y ago

Whole food vegan diet. My cholesterol went down 20 points in a bit more than a year. Bracing for the oncoming cholesterol apologists... My doctor says that vegan diets are unequivocally better for the heart according to the literature.

smitty1110 3y ago

The best thing to do is go on walks. Walking and getting your heart rate up to 120-ish not only is shown to help slow or stop the progression of Aatherosclerosis, it also helps prevent clots from forming in your legs and causing serious issues elsewhere. The only other advice is to avoid excess in your diet.

clairity 3y ago

it's less about what foods to eat and more about eating much less: one modest-sized meal a day. that's all we "need". we eat too much of everything and our bodies are not evolved for such excess. this is literally the biggest bang for buck for chronic diseases like this, but also the hardest thing to do because of socio-cultural considerations. it also takes some time to train your digestive system down to that level. once you have amounts under control, then you can taper off the processed foods, especially sugary things like soda/juice (fruit is ok because it comes with fiber), salty things like chips/frozen dinners, and bread/rice products (a little whole grain here and there is ok). minimize processed foods but don't worry too much about the mix of foods otherwise (protein/fat is fine, just don't overeat). then taper up anaerobic exercise to 2-3 times a week. find a sport or activity you like (e.g., tennis) and pay for an organized league/class so that you stay committed. (aerobic) walking, for instance, is not typically strenuous enough for your body to process the excess nutrients and improve cardiovascular fitness, which is what's needed to help keep heart disease under control. you can start with walking if you're in bad shape, but you'll want to graduate to anaerobic exercise as soon as you can.

riku_iki 3y ago

By decreasing your chances to die from heart attack fast and without much pain, you are increasing your chances of long and painful death from cancer..