Today I would like to say a few words about DR. BERRINO.
In the last year I have followed him a lot because I have experienced firsthand the suffering of losing a relative very close to me due to a disease that is now increasingly common, namely cancer.
I am firmly convinced that the increase in all these tumors is due to our new lifestyles, new technology (wifi, etc.) and above all our diet.
Always in a hurry and with less and less money are the causes that lead us to consume poor quality and perhaps ready-made foods.
The absurdity is that we live in a society where we are willing to go into debt for trivial products such as mobile phones or summer holidays but woe betide us if we spend €1 more for a kg of ORGANIC tomatoes (Obviously mine is an example) .
Thus we see the success of discount stores increasing and the closure of small shops increasing. But now I don't want to bore you with this purely commercial discussion.
The good thing is that when we get sick we are willing to spend any amount to get better but in some cases it is too late.
BUT WHY DON'T YOU PREVENT INSTEAD OF TREAT???
Returning to Berrino, below are some of his thoughts on nutrition and diets just to have:
GREATER AWARENESS OF WHAT WE EAT.
The opinion on nutrition and diets by Franco Berrino , a famous Italian oncologist with hundreds of publications to his credit.
Because “modern” diets tend not to work
Or rather, because they don't work in the long run. Because actually a person who follows a high-protein diet can lose 10 kg in a month, but then systematically regains weight.
This is because the mechanism of these high-protein diets is to intoxicate the nervous system, they intoxicate the appetite center, and therefore people actually eat less, and are left with the idea that it is better to eat a lot of proteins.
This conception is wrong.
Very important studies at both European and American level have shown that a high percentage of animal proteins is a factor that puts people at high risk of obesity. Those who consume more cereals, fruit, vegetables and, in smaller quantities, meat and fish tend to remain within their ideal weight.
The traditional Mediterranean diet
Dr. Berrino is keen to underline the traditional aspect of the diet. This is because years ago meat was a luxury, it was not eaten with the frequency and abundance of today, but only every now and then.
The traditional Mediterranean diet included lots of cereals every day, and fruit and vegetables in large quantities.
Always keep in mind that cereals must not be refined!
Therefore it is better to avoid 0 and 00 flour, and prefer wholemeal flour, the latter goes rancid after a few months, whereas refined flour will be the same even after 10 years.
I wonder why.
Another aspect of fundamental importance in the traditional nature of the diet is respect for seasonality. This is a very important aspect that has been lost for some time. Until recently, until the great development of technology, man was forced to respect the earth and its rhythms, we were obliged to take into account the laws of nature, we could not damage the earth. Today, however, we can do it.
We can pollute the air, the water and everything that surrounds us and provides us with sustenance.
The world works according to natural laws and there are many cycles of the natural world with which one must live in harmony. The individual solution we have is to harmonize with nature. That is, to respect the seasons and feed on the variety of foods that nature provides us in its cycles.
Prof.'s tips for staying in shape. Berrino:
- Dedicate a daily space to physical activity.
- Don't eat junk; if you avoid junk food it is much easier to stay fit, for example sugary drinks, which include sweetened fruit juices, and various industrial products: chips, pretzels, etc.
- Avoid ready-made foods, i.e. those that you can eat without preparing and cooking them. They are harmful because they are too rich in sugar, salt, bad quality fats and margarines, which are the things the World Health Organization fights against but they are precisely those that suit the tastes of most people and which are used to make low quality food seem good.
- To stay fit in the long term, reduce your consumption of animal products.
- The problem with fish is that it is polluted, but if you are certain of its origin and health it is still a good food (without exaggerating the frequency).
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There is no need to eat a lot, the important thing is to ensure the variety that the seasons make available to us.
that we need to know about what we eat
Milk
The journal Pediatrics showed a few years ago that there is no evidence that milk is good for bones. “It's an illusion” explains the professor. Berrino in the video created by Manuela Palestra's natural cooking laboratory on the occasion of the meeting on "Nutrition and health" - also explaining that children,
like adults, they are today "too nourished" for there to be a need to eat milk daily. Cow's milk and cheese stimulates growth factors, which – says Barrino – “are higher in cancer patients”
Sugar
“It's a way of making things that aren't good seem good.” This is how Prof. Berrino begins by answering the first question on sugar, in the context of an interview conducted for La Scuola della Salute, a 2011 project promoted by the Ministry of Education, University and Research, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, which encourages among school students
secondary correct lifestyles, healthy eating, and the fight against youth smoking.
“Man in his history has never eaten sugar” clarifies the professor, but today we find it everywhere: in canned peas, in bread, in rusks etc”. This is because the quality of the basic ingredients is terrible. Sugar is bad for you, especially in liquid form: therefore sugary, carbonated drinks, which are the main cause of obesity in children. Its peculiarity is that it can be swallowed willingly even when you are full.
So what's the best way to sweeten? Fruit.
Very important, proteins are "the material for building the body, the cells". A school-age child needs one gram of protein for every kg of body weight, but generally eats between 100 and 150 grams! This is because we eat meat, cheese, cured meats, etc. every day.
Today it is being discovered that a very high protein diet is one of the main causes of weight gain. Proteins induce the formation of growth factors and that is why we need them.
“But when we take in too much protein – explains Berrino – the growth factors in our blood are higher, and those who have these higher growth factors get more cancer”. For this reason, a moderate use of proteins is recommended, favoring the association of cereal proteins: wheat, rice,
barley, spelled, with legume proteins.
Yes to meat and cheese but not as a daily habit.
What is correct to eat
According to the prof. Franco Berrino, “the recommendation from the world of scientific research is to base your daily diet on foods of a predominantly vegetal nature that are not industrially refined: not white flour but wholemeal flour; not white bread but wholemeal bread and the same for rice.
Therefore it is good to choose from a wide variety of non-industrially refined cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruit”. Beware of calorie-dense foods: most food products advertised.
Physical activity
Fundamental for the proper functioning of our body. “Our body has been programmed to do physical activity – says Berrino – and the simplest sport is walking, at least an hour a day”. That this type of nutrition works, Dr. Berrino began to prove this scientifically more than 10 years ago, when he started the Diana 1 study.
“There were 104 ladies divided into 2 groups,” Berrino himself told Report, in an episode aired on 03/15/2009 – half of them came to eat with us for 5 months, 2 times a week, and this demonstrated very clearly that by changing their diet these ladies felt better: none of them were constipated, their cholesterol and blood sugar levels were lowered, as was their testosterone (a risk factor for breast cancer according to the professor). The proteins that protect us from sexual hormones have instead increased.