Nobody wants to get heart disease and cancer. Yet, half of all Americans die one of these two ways. If it’s at 89, in your sleep, so be it. You did well.

But too many of us are getting sick at 51, and dying at 56, or even earlier, from breast cancer, colon cancer, skin cancer, pancreatic cancer, brain tumors, etc., or from heart attacks and stroke. Why?

Two major reasons:

1. Bad Eating
2. Too Much Stress

If there’s a third reason, maybe it’s smoking, environmental toxins, or family history.

But you can do so much about stress and bad eating. I’ve talked a lot about stress reduction, through meditation, yoga, exercise, changing jobs, improving relationships, etc.

Today it’s time to talk more about improving your diet to prevent heart disease and cancer.

Here are my top ten ideas to prevent heart disease and cancer with diet:

1. Eat more boiled whole grains: brown rice, millet, barley, quinoa, oats, and corn
2. Reduce intake of animal foods, particularly beef, pork, chicken, eggs, cheese & milk
3. Eat less at meals, don’t eat late, and chew more, while seated
4. Choose organic for greens, animal foods and fruits, avoid fast foods & snack foods
5. Eat well-cooked veggies: onion, radish, broccoli, turnip, kale, carrot, winter squash
6. Eat miso soup several times per week
7. Eat superfoods: mushrooms, daikon, lotus root, ginger, umeboshi plum, burdock root
8. Eat healthy meals at home instead of at restaurants
9. Eat seaweed daily, and substitute sea salt for table salt. Never salt food at the table.
10. Eliminate sweets and alcohol