LAW Diet - Longevity and Wellness Diet

The Longevity and Wellness Diet

Following the LAWs of Health

I have been an avid student of nutrition for over 40 years now. Research can be found to support just about every dietary scheme imaginable. I believe the most compelling examples of health and longevity can be found in the living examples of communities that are doing it. In recent years, valuable research has come up in what I call - The Longevity Studies. At least six villages have been identified with an extremely high ratio of centenarians (people over the age of 100). These villages or groups have extremely low rates of disease such as cancer, heart disease and dementia. The diets and lifestyle of these people have many things in common, which we are expressed here in the Laws of Health.

Laws of Health

1.    Nutrition –Eat wholesome natural foods. Plant-based, but not plant exclusive. 
Don’t overeat. The dietary recommendations are detailed in the pages that follow. 
Eat organic and avoid GMO.

2.    Avoid Toxins & Enhance Detoxification–It is not only what we eat, but don’t eat or expose ourselves to that is important. You can eat a super healthy diet and then sabotage your health with an unhealthy addiction (like smoking). Avoid toxic foods such as those sprayed with Glyphosate/Round-Up. Buy organic and avoid GMOs.

3.    Stay Hydrated –Drinkwater–avoid sugary and stimulating drinks (soda pop, caffeine, alcohol & fruit juices). Clean pure water really is the best beverage.

4.    Breathe –every hour or two breathe deeply – full belly breaths. This is a great stress reliever. 


5.    Exercise & Move  – Walk, garden, bike, enjoy a physically active life. 


6.    Get enough Sunshine –get Vitamin D, but don’t get burned. Sunshine is healing. 


7.    Sleep and Restoration –Sleep 7.5 to 9 hours each night. Good sleep heals body, mind and spirit. Enjoy quiet meditative and ponderous times each day. 


8.    Temperance –Strive to achieve balance. Avoid over-work, over-eating, over-sleeping, or addictions. Balance your work, relaxation, play, study and service. 


9.     Connect through Community –Social connections heal. Isolation is a major risk factor for a shorter life. It’s all about loving and being loved. Relax and laugh. Serving and blessing the lives of others is the key to joy and happiness in your life. 
 The key to healthy aging is relationships. Taking care of your body is important, but tending to your relationships will protect both body and brain. Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives.  Healthy relationships protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes.

10. Spiritual Life – Develop your inner life and connection to God and Spirit. Be congruent with your inner life (mind and heart) as you find peace and solace.

The Longevity And Wellness Diet

This healthy L.A.W. diet is essentially what we refer to as a Vegetarian that cheats. Namely, a whole natural foods diet that is predominantly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds with the addition of wholesomely produced eggs, dairy products and meats. Not only is the quality of our food important but also how it is prepared. The benefits of eating healthy go beyond good taste and nutrition. There is even a spiritual component to eating healthy foods. Eating healthy is simple, but in our day and age, not easy. This Whole-Food Plant Based diet is supported by the best research. It is not a plant exclusive diet as promoted by the vegetarian and vegan philosophies, but a whole food plant-based diet.

Guidelines for the Longevity and Wellness Diet

·       Eat whole, natural foods. 


·       Eat only foods that will spoil, but eat them before they do. 


·       Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, preferably organic, in salads and soups, or lightly steamed. Fruits and 
vegetables should be eaten in the appropriate seasons. 50% of your daily diet should be raw. 


·       Use whole grains and nuts that have been prepared by soaking, sprouting or sourdough leavening to 
neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients. 


·       Breads should be whole grain organic, sourdough and made fresh. Freshly ground flour is optimal.

·       Include enzyme-enhanced lacto-fermented vegetables (sauerkraut), fruits, beverages and condiments in 
your diet on a regular basis. These contain probiotics or the good bacteria and are very healthy for the 
digestive tract. Everyday eat some sauerkraut, kimchi, kvass, kefir, yogurt or kombucha. 


·       Prepare homemade bone broth from chicken, beef, lamb or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces. The 
gelatin and minerals can heal digestive issues and are good for the skin. 


·       Sprout seeds and legumes. They are packed with nutrition and extremely healthy. Eat 1 cup per day. 


·       Use a variety of herbs and spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, rosemary, basil, ginger and oregano. 


·       Eat naturally raised meat including fish, seafood, poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats and eggs. 


·       Eat whole, naturally produced milk products from pasture-fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, 
such as whole yogurt, kefir, cultured butter, whole cheeses, crème fraiche and sour cream. Dairy 
consumption should be limited. 


·       Use only traditional fats and oils including butter and other animal fats, extra virgin olive oil, expeller 
pressed sesame, flax oil and coconut oil. These good fats are needful and very healthy. 


·       Use herbal teas and coffee substitutes in moderation. 


·       Use filtered water for cooking and drinking. Chlorinated tap water is unhealthy. 


·       Use unrefined Celtic Sea Salt or Real Salt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite 
stimulation. 


·       Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and expeller pressed flaxseed oil. 
Organic cold-pressed oils are also good choices. 


·       Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, grade A maple syrup, dehydrated cane sugar 
juice and stevia powder. 


·       Cook only in stainless steel, cast iron, glass or good quality enamel. 


·       Use only whole food and herbal supplements. We like and use Standard Process supplements. 


·       Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light. Less than six hours per night is associated with depression.

·       Think positive thoughts and minimize stress. 


·       Practice forgiveness. Forgiveness means letting go of negative & harmful emotions. 


Anti-Inflammatory Foods to emphasize

Blueberries 


Raw Oats 


Ginger 


Dark Chocolate 


Wild Salmon 


Turmeric 


Beets 


Broccoli (cruciferous)

Black beans

EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Tomatoes

Chia seeds


Pineapple


Spinach

Whole Grains (Quinoa, Brown Rice, Millet, Amaranth)

Eggs

Garlic

An unhealthy breaking the LAW Diet

We live in a culture that actively markets food that is unhealthy. Foods that are highly processed, laden with chemical preservatives, additives, hormones, antibiotics and many artificial substances that can result in poor health and disease. Today we see degenerative diseases such as diabetes in children when a generation ago this was almost nonexistent. We are free to choose the foods we eat, but cannot choose the consequences of an unhealthy diet. Remember, it is not what you eat some of the time, but what you eat most of the time that ultimately determines your health. Eating healthy may not be as convenient, but losing your health is really inconvenient.

Below is a list of foods that have proven to cause health problems and increase the risk of degenerative diseases. Sadly, this is also a list for the typical American diet.

Dietary Dangers

·      Avoid all refined sweeteners such as sugar, dextrose, glucose and high fructose corn syrup. I’m not kidding; sugar addiction is ravaging our country and the world. Sugar makes you fat.

·      
Don't eat commercially processed foods such as cookies, cakes, crackers, TV dinners, soft drinks, packaged sauce mixes, Ramen noodles, etc.

·      Avoid white flour and white flour products. 


·      Avoid all hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats and oils. 


·      Avoid all vegetable oils made from soy, corn, safflower, canola or cottonseed. 


·      Do not use polyunsaturated oils such as flaxseed oil for cooking, sautéing or baking. 


·      Avoid fried foods. 


·      Do not practice strict vegetarianism (veganism); animal products provide vital nutrients not found in plant foods. 


·      Avoid products containing protein powders (soy, whey). Bone broth protein powder is a healthy exception. 


·      Avoid pasteurized milk; do not consume low-fat milk, skim milk, powdered milk or imitation milk products. 


·      Avoid mass-produced eggs and factory-farmed meats. 


·      Avoid highly processed lunchmeats and sausage containing MSG, nitrates and other additives.

·      Avoid rancid and improperly prepared seeds, nuts and grains found in granolas, quick rising breads and extruded cold breakfast cereals, as they block mineral absorption and cause intestinal distress. 


·      Avoid canned, sprayed, waxed, bioengineered (GMO) or irradiated fruits and vegetables. 


·      Avoid artificial food additives, especially MSG, hydrolyzed vegetable protein and aspartame, which are neurotoxins. Most soups, sauce and broth mixes and commercial condiments contain MSG, even if not so labeled. 


·      Avoid caffeine-containing beverages such as coffee, tea and soft drinks. 


·      Avoid aluminum-containing foods such as commercial salt, baking powder and antacids. Do not use aluminum cookware or aluminum-containing deodorants. 


·      Do not drink fluoridated water. 


·      Avoid synthetic vitamins and foods containing them. 


·      Do not drink distilled liquors.

·      
Do not use a microwave.

Wow!! Avoiding all of these foods can be a tremendous challenge that not everyone is up for, however, look at the health of our country and your family, and then decide what changes are appropriate for you.

How to Follow the L.A.W. Diet

The LAW diet has two checklists that should be followed. The Weekly Diet Checklist and the Daily Diet Checklist. As you go through your days and weeks, simply check the boxes as you go. It is easiest if you plan out your daily menus ahead of time so you can make sure that you check all the boxes in a day without forgetting something. The purpose of the checklists is to help become aware of what and how you are eating. The checklist also will assist you in making decisions on what to eat. It also prevents cheating, because it is a lot easier to cave in and get a burger or pizza if you do not have a meal planned and prepared for.

In general, the daily diet represents a minimum for each food. It is OK if you decide to throw in a little extra fruit or veggies or Omega-3s into your daily menu. You should also be eating until you are 80% full. This is perhaps the most difficult part of the diet. Most of us are accustomed to eating until we are completely full or until all the food is gone. We live in a world of abundance and should not shy away from the idea of leftovers or not finishing everything on our plate. Most leftovers can be saved and used the next day with slight adjustments to the daily menu. Learn to stop before you are completely full. Your brain takes about 20 minutes to register how full you are. Take your time while you eat. When you stop at 80%, chances are, 20 minutes later you will be at 100%.

If you get to the end of your meal and have eaten all of your allotted servings on your menu and are still hungry, there is no harm in going back for some extra food. Try to eat more of the veggies and greens before you go back for the high carb items like beans, whole grains and potatoes. Remember to stop at 80%. Check in mentally asking yourself what percentage full you are.

Another tool that is healthy and beneficial is Intermittent Fasting. This can be done two or three times per week. You simply don’t eat for 12 to 16 hours during the 24-hour day. For example: Finishing eating dinner and for the night by 7:00 pm and then have breakfast at 7:00 am. That is a 12 hour intermittent fast. For a 16 hour fast you could finish eating by 8:00pm then eat the next day at noon. During your fasting period drink water or herbal tea. Giving the body and digestive tract a rest is very healthy.

In the back of this packet there are several sample menus. These can serve as inspiration for what you can do for your daily menu plans or you can copy them exactly if you can’t think of anything. Use Dr. Christensen’s Healing in the Kitchen manual for recipes and ideas. It is generally recommended to include only one or two items from the Weekly Diet Checklist in any given daily menu.

If you find yourself cheating and buying a burger or sneaking Twinkies, take responsibility. Record your cheats on the Weekly Diet Checklist so that you can look back and see how you can do better the next week. It is OK to cheat every once in a while. What you eat most of the time is more important that what you eat some of the time. And honestly, if 80% of your meals follow this diet, you will feel the difference. That being said, there should only really be one or two cheats in any given week. Look at these cheats as a reward for eating healthy rather than something to hide and be ashamed over. Over time, the more you eat you healthy, the less you will desire the unhealthy foods you left behind. If you find yourself cheating every day or multiple meals in a day, you may want to take a step back and reevaluate your diet choices.

We hope that you find your experience with the LAW Diet enriching, wholesome and even fun as you learn to make new foods and reap the benefits of a healthy diet and a better lifestyle. The LAW Diet is designed and patterned after those groups of people who enjoy both a long Lifespan AND a long Health span. As you get into the groove of eating healthy and feeling healthy, bad habits of the past will be in your past.

Click on these links for helpful LAW diet handouts.

LAW Diet Packet

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1sY8f_UPkaOo36vk2z3C5bIIT4XNXKAgX

LAW Diet 2 Weeks (tracker)

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QF5JZYsc6vgvKC328H0eDz3mBVO16dqC

Blessings,
Dr Kyle Christensen, DeGrey Christensen and our healthy staff