The Optimal Diet

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=100 BGCOLOR="#999980" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="7" COLOR="#FFFBF0" FACE="Book Antiqua" ><I><B>Harmony Earth</B></I></FONT><B> </B><B>   </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HARMONY EARTH"><U><B>Home Page</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id142.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="LEARNING THE TRUTH"><U><B>LEARNING THE TRUTH</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="HEALTH"><U><B>HEALTH</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ECOLOGY"><U><B>ECOLOGY</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id83.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="BOOKS"><U><B>BOOKS</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id105.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="SUCCESS"><U><B>SUCCESS</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id106.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="FREE ADVICE"><U><B>FREE ADVICE</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id136.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="COACHING"><U><B>COACHING</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=310 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="6" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="188" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#999980" BORDERCOLORDARK="#999980" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=CENTER HEIGHT= 239 ><NOBR><div> <I><IMG SRC="2ea9ae80.jpg" border=0 width="154" height="232" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></I></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <A HREF="id113.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jim Hicks Bio Summary"><U>Jim Hicks</U></A></div> <div> Early in my study of nutrition, I quickly discovered that there are many opinions regarding exactly what constitutes an optimal diet.  I formed my own opinions after discovering the many "common ground" principles that are shared by the professionals that I most respect.</div> <bR> <div> Ultimately, you will decide what diet-style is best for you.  Hopefully, this program will help you raise your target such that your body gets the nutrients needed to provide you with radiant health for the rest of your life...with permanent weight-loss as a bonus.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Best regards, Jim Hicks</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id137.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Helpful Handout 1"><U>Handout # 1 -- The Basics</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id139.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Optimal Diet"><U>Handout # 2 -- The Optimal Diet</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id138.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Handout 3 What Does Jim Eat?"><U>Handout # 3 -- What Does Jim Eat?</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> ***********************</div> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=380 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B><U>The Optimal Diet</U></B></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="10" CELLPADDING="4" CELLSPACING="9" WIDTH="665" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#999980" BORDERCOLORDARK="#999980" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF HEIGHT= 924 WIDTH="617"><div> <B><U>The J. Morris Hicks Health & Weight-loss Coaching Program</U></B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Verdana" > </FONT></div> <div> <I>Leveraging the Power of Plant-Based Nutrition to Help You Take Charge of Your Health</I></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Handout # 2 – In Search of the Optimal Diet</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Introduction. </B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Calibri" >The wild animal whose DNA is most like that of humans (the gorilla), eats nothing but raw plants. That should give us a pretty good idea what we should be eating. But unlike gorillas, humans live in virtually all parts of the globe and many of us have the ability to eat fresh fruits and vegetables twelve months a year…and that’s a good thing. The problem with most of our plant foods is that they don’t contain the same level of healthy nutrients that they once did. Although organic farming is making a comeback, our industrialized method of agriculture has taken its toll on our food. Another factor is that no one really knows exactly what the optimal diet is; and I would imagine that it tends to vary by individual and by location.</FONT></div> <div>  </div> <bR> <div> <B>My Definition of the Near-Optimal Diet</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Calibri" >. Drawing upon the published wisdom of T. Colin Campbell, Joel Fuhrman, John McDougall, Caldwell Esselstyn and others, here is my definition:</FONT></div> <bR> <div> A diet that derives 100% of its calories from a wide variety of fresh, whole, plant-based foods with an emphasis on the “beans and greens.” Ideally, all of these foods would be organic and locally grown and at least half of them would be eaten raw. There would be no added oil, salt or sugar. The diet would include foods from all six categories of plants: fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds…while ensuring that the percent of calories from fat stays below 15%. It would also include at least one gallon of fresh vegetable juice per week.</div> <bR> <div> So why did I use the term near-optimal? Because, I believe that the optimal diet goes a few steps further and is the diet that I would embrace If I were diagnosed with cancer. It would feature more juicing and almost all foods would be eaten raw along with an abundance of living foods. For a number of reasons, I have chosen the following variation of the near optimal diet.</div> <bR> <div> <B>My Very Own Practical and Healthy Diet</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#333300" FACE="Calibri" >.</FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Calibri" > The diet that I have chosen consists of at least 80 % of its calories from whole plant-based foods with about half of them eaten raw. The remaining 20% allows for my modest consumption of alcoholic beverages, snacks, desserts and maybe even an occasional piece of fish, meat or cheese. But here is the key, and I strongly recommend this for others. I never actually plan to consume any animal products and I do not keep oil, sugar or salt in my house. Since I consume about 2/3 of my total calories at home, I am not quite as rigid when eating somewhere else. </FONT></div> <bR> <div> While not 100% optimal, I sincerely believe that this practical and delicious diet will promote radiant health, protect us from chronic disease, keep us out of the nursing home and make worrying about our weight a thing of the past. One more thing to keep in mind: If it goes in your grocery cart, it is going to end up in your stomach eventually.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I>May you choose the overall diet-style that is best for you…one that you can live with, and one that enables you to take charge of your health forever. Regards, Jim Hicks</I></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>Eating for Health and Ecology on Planet Earth</B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>