A wrong diet is a risk factor that promotes many illnesses. The usual diet of the industrial nations of the West contains too many calories, too much fat, too much salt and too few fibres, and the servings are often too big. In addition, modern foodstuffs today frequently contain additives (E numbers et al.), which on their own are not at all free of risks. Flavour enhancers, artificially added fructose etc. result in people eating far more than would be adequate to their appetite, their respective situation and their health.

Almost a third of the population is overweight – a significant cause for the development of cardiovascular diseases and a strain on our musculoskeletal system. A low-fibre diet and the addition of additives are contributing factors for the development of morbid obesity and for example, colon cancer. Plus: The incidents of food allergies are increasing.

We are responsible for our own life style and diet. It is hugely important for everybody to become aware of this personal responsibility, to make it one’s own task.

How Do I Eat Right?

If you act upon the recommendations of the organic whole food diet you will get all nutrients in a beneficial combination.
This page contains the following sections:

• Principles of the Organic Whole Food Diet
• Nutrition-Physiological Significance
• General Hints and Tips

Principles of the Organic Whole Food Diet

1. The organic whole food diet prefers vegetables. Fresh fruit and vegetables make up the main components. The food should be processed as little as possible in order to retain the important ingredients. Meat, fish and eggs should only be eaten in small quantities. Untreated oils, milk and dairy products supplement the diet.
    
2. The dishes should be prepared in a nutrient-preserving manner and with little fat. Quick cooking methods, such as steaming and/or cooking in a wok, should be favoured. Half the diet should consist of raw fresh foodstuffs.
    
3. Food produced using certain technologies, e.g. food irradiation, genetic manipulation and food design (additives), should be avoided.
    
4. An essential aspect of the organic whole food diet is to use certified-organic food if possible, such as you will find in health-food shops or buy directly from organic farms.
    

Nutrition Physiology of the Organic Whole Food Diet:

1. The organic whole food diet is mainly an ovo-lactovegetarian diet. Studies have shown that the blood of persons with a predominantly vegetarian diet has considerably lower cholesterol and uric acid levels, and that these persons furthermore often have a normal blood pressure and body weight. A diet rich in fibres improves the intestinal peristalsis (= bowel movement) and therefore counteracts constipation, aids the secretion of toxins via the stools and reduces the overall cholesterol level.
    
2. It is important to drink sufficient fluids with a fibre-rich diet: 2-3 litres per day are recommended.
    
3. By eating a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, in addition to vitamins and minerals you will also receive other, so-called secondary plant compounds that promote the metabolism and strengthen the body’s immune system. The findings of a 5-year study of the German Cancer Research Centre during the 90s showed a lower mortality risk in people with an ovo-lactovegetarian diet.
    
4. By choosing untreated high-grade fats (oils) you take in important fat-concomitant substances, such as vitamin E, betacarotene (precursor to vitamin A), sterines (antagonists of cholesterol), biologically active fatty acids such as linoleic acid and linolenic acid (unsaturated fatty acids). These substances help to counteract the agglutination of the thrombocytes (platelets) and thus result in the improved flow characteristic of the blood.
    
5. Certified-organic food is not contaminated with harmful substances and pesticide residues like conventionally grown foods.
    

General Hints and Tips:

1. Foods with lactic acid like sauerkraut and other vegetables, all curdled milk products such as buttermilk, yoghurt etc., provide us with a natural supply of lactobacilli for our gut flora.
    
2. Pulses, all types of cabbages and dried fruit should not be neglected in our daily diet.
    
3. Don’t routinely salt your dishes from the start – add it at the end of preparing your food.
    
4. Don’t pinch with pretty garnishes. As you know – the eye eats first. Replace the many colourful sweets made from processed sugar by the most natural sweets available: fruit of all kinds.
    
5. Take time when eating, chew well (15x per mouthful) and prolonged. Don’t drink while you’re eating.
    
6. Avoid – where possible – foods with additives. Especially glutamates and fructose preparations should be excluded from your diet. While shopping, read the nutritional information on the back of the packaging! There must always be time to do this!
    

Our menus are designed to motivate you to turn to the organic whole food diet. Maybe you already have, and feel vindicated by our tips. Trust your own feeling of repletion, your physical activities – and you won’t need any calorie tables.

Maintain your health and gain new vitality and zest for life – based on almost 90 years of experience with the holistic concept of the Clinic Dr. Buchinger at Bad Pyrmont!