Vital Life Diet | Natural Path Health Center

Vital Life Diet

How About Just Eating Typical American Food?

The typical processed American diet often provides too much food that is high in calories and low in vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These empty calorie foods are white sugar, white flour breads and pastries, and high fat foods.

A Better Way To Eat

A U.S. Senate Committee has developed The Dietary Goals for the United States. They suggest cutting down on sugar and fat, and replacing refined grains with whole grains. For example, replace white flour with 100% whole wheat. They also suggest eating more whole raw fruits and vegetables and limiting cholesterol and salt.

Are These Ideas Now In Use?

Yes. The Pritikin program, the Anderson diet, and lacto-ovum vegetarian regimens all agree with the direction of the U.S. Dietary Goals.

The VITAL LIFE DIET

This plan suggests eating foods as they are grown. Eat foods that are low in fat and contain no sugar, white flour, or additives. Eat a diet that is rich in fiber (whole grains, fresh whole vegetables and fruits), and is moderate in protein (fish, poultry). You will be eating approximately 65% complex carbohydrate, 15% protein, and 20% fat, and consuming very little artificial color, flavors, and preservatives.

What Do I Actually Eat On the VITAL LIFE DIET?

The VITAL LIFE DIET starts with 3 items to avoid totally:

All fats, oils, lard, mayonnaise, butter, margarine, shortening, meat and poultry fat are to be totally avoided. The suggested amounts of fat and oil necessary are already contained in the protein foods allowed on the VITAL LIFE DIET.
All processed sugar (white or brown) and dextrose, alone or in pies, cakes, candy, desserts, soft drinks, jam, syrup, ice cream, etc. These are to be totally avoided since they all lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
High sodium (salt) items such as canned and processed foods; soy sauce, pickles, commercial dressing, condiments, and MSG are to be avoided totally. The sodium and potassium needed are already contained in the fresh raw fruits and vegetables allowed on the VITAL LIFE DIET.

What About Exercise?

Absolutely! 20 minutes every other day or more of aerobic (heart strengthening) exercise such as fast walking, biking, swimming, or jogging. Any exercise that sustains your pulse rate at approximately 185 minus your age is suggested by scientific aerobic evidence to be heart strengthening. Please see your physician first to evaluate your particular health exercise needs before starting this or any exercise program.

Can I Lose Weight On the VITAL LIFE DIET?

Yes. Eat more of the raw vegetable carbohydrates than the bread, bean, pasta, cereal, and grain variety. Consult your nutritionally oriented health care practitioner to aid you in deciding the right calorie intake for you.

Do I Take Supplements?

Many practitioners suggest them because it is difficult for anyone today to obtain all the necessary vitamins and minerals from food alone. It is recommended that you consult a nutritionally trained physician or nutritionist to aid you in selecting the correct supplements; you may also use the recommendations based on your answers to our questionnaires and/or testing to select the proper supplements. Please see the appropriate section on Testing to help you determine which supplements would be right for you.

Rule of Thumb:

If you cannot pronounce an ingredient, do not buy the product.

VITAL LIFE DIET
A = Carbohydrates B = Protein C = Fats

Foods to Eat

Foods to Avoid

A	Fruits	All whole fresh fruits organically grown if possible--if not, then peel or wash well. Fresh, frozen or dried is next best. Use citrus sparingly. Soak or stew dried fruits before eating, and use portions equivalent to fresh.	Sprayed, sweetened or canned fruit sulfured dried fruit.
	Vegetables	All fresh vegetables, organically grown if possible, well washed with skins on. Raw or lightly steamed. Root veggies or gourds can also be baked. Eat at least three cups of veggies daily.	Sprayed, frozen or canned veggies. Deep-fried potatoes.
	Beverages	Fresh, unsweetened fruit and vegetable juices from organically grown produce. Fresh-frozen or glass-contained is next best. A wide variety of herb teas which do not Contain caffeine. Pure, low sodium sparkling water in moderate amounts only (10 oz. daily). Pure distilled and filtered water is best when thirsty.	Canned juices with added sugar or salt. Coffee (including decaf) and black tea. Pops and sodas with sweeteners. Alcohol, milk and cocoa. Same herb tea more than two cups a day.
	Grains & Cereals	Unrefined and whole millet, oats, rice, barley, buckwheat, rye, wheat, corn, etc. Whole cooked or freshly ground meal and flour. Try to rotate grains (i.e. do not eat the same ones constantly). As usual, organic is best. Store meals and flours in the refrigerator or freezer.	Rancid and highly processed grains, especially white breads and pasta, white rice, and commercial breakfast cereals with sugar and additives.

Nuts & Seeds

Fresh, raw and unsalted seeds and nuts; freshly ground seed and nut butters in small amounts, no more than one tablespoon or eight nuts per day. Store in the refrigerator or freezer. Many seeds (alfalfa, sunflower, wheat, etc.) can be sprouted--these count as veggies.

Roasted (these are actually deep-fried) and salted seeds/nuts; r an cid seeds/nuts and commercial seed/nut butters with added sugar, salt, and chemicals.

Legumes

Cooked whole lentil, kidney, pinto, navy, garbanzo (chickpea), soy, black, etc. beans and all dried peas. Tofu and tempeh.

Canned or processed with lard, salt, chemicals, etc.

Dairy

Non-fat or low fat (1% or less) milk products such as buttermilk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, quark, milk, hoop cheese, sapsago cheese. Live-cultured products are best. Limit amounts to 2--4 oz. per day.

High fat (over 1%) milk and cheese, cream, sour cream, etc. Worst are soft cheeses such as brie, camembert, cream, etc. Ice cream.

Fish & Meats

Fresh or frozen lean meats such as chicken or turkey with fat and skin removed, free-range if possible. Fresh or frozen cold water fish with scales. Cook by steaming,

All fatty meats. Processed meats such as sausages, lunch meat, etc. Meats with nitrates added. Charbroiled meats. Shellfish. Scaleless fish (i.e., shark)

Eggs

Eggs from free-range hens are best. Lightly but thoroughly cook by poaching, boiling in the shell, etc. Limit to five per week if cholesterol is fine, counted in as meat protein. Cooked whites are OK in slightly larger amounts.

Fried or scrambled. Avoid all if cholesterol is high. Caviar (fish eggs).

Fats & Oils

Two teaspoon of refrigerated, uncooked, cold-pressed and unrefined vegetable oils daily. Flaxseed is best, safflower, canola (rapeseed), and sesame next. Olive is best for cooking. Butter in small amounts for cooking or mixed half-and-half with oil, used sparingly.

Margarine. Refined and processed oil, especially peanut. All hydrogenated fats. Cottonseed oil, lard, palm kernel oil. Rancid or highly heated oils.

Condiments

Salt-free seasonings like Vegit, herbs and spices (easy on the hot peppers). Pureed fruits or veggies for sauces. Very small amounts of honey, maple syrup, organic molasses or fruit concentrate for sweetener. Low-fat tofu mayonnaise. Low-fat salad dressings and dips made with yogurt or tofu.

Table salt, excess black pepper, commercial ketchups, relishes, mayonnaise, salad dressings. Gravies and fatty sauces or dips. Sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Summary

Total calorie count should be: 60% carbohydrate foods (category A), 20% protein foods (category B) and 20% fats (category C).

Avoid foods that have most of their calories from fat.

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