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| the nutrientsboth known and yet-to-be-discoveredessential to your good health. |
| A caveat: The food guide pyramid and its variants are designed to meet the needs of basically healthy individuals. If you have a disease or other ailment, the best foods for you may be very different from those in the food pyramids, depending on the type of treatment you are receiving or how you feel. Your health practitioner can advise you about the best diet for your special needs; also see chapter 6 for a rundown of foods that have been found to be beneficial for specific health problems. |
| Some scientists predict that foods will soon be specially designed and prescribed, just like drugs, and used in very specific combinations to achieve some new state of über-health. But in the meantime, what's most important to your health is eating a wide variety of low-fat, nutritious foods; maintaining a good balance of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates to keep you energized; and making sure you eat a minimum of five fruits and vegetables each day to ensure that you get plenty of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients. (If you need some incentive to shape up your diet, read on: chapter 2 explains just what these nutrients do for you.) |
| In the chapters ahead you will learn not only which foods are best for keeping all your parts in top working condition, but also which foods are the best prescription to fight specific health problemsso you can become your own personal food physician. |
| THE BOTTOM LINE |
| The thoughts that food can promote health and healing is no longer just folklore; researchers have validated many ancient practices with hard facts. With more and more findings about the effects of food on health and disease, it's clear that some of the best medicine is not in a bottle but one your plate. |
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