In the last few columns we highlighted that invariably non-communicable diseases (NCD) like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many others are caused by unhealthy lifestyles that promote chronic inflammation, and therefore that lifestyle change is essential.  

An important element of this lifestyle change is what we eat and in the last column we gave the reasons why following a whole food plant based (WFPB) diet is one of the most effective ways to eliminate this ‘chronic inflammation’, which is like a smouldering fire that causes your tissues to become more and more inflamed with the advancing NCD conditions becoming more life-threatening. 

The medical laboratories can do blood tests (like C-reactive protein) to measure the level of chronic inflammation there is in the body. Already more than 20 years ago, researchers studying an apparently healthy elderly population found that those with the highest levels of C-reactive protein were 260 percent more likely to die during the next four years than were those with lower levels of this biological ‘marker’.

The finding of another famous research study, the Harvard Nurses’ Health study, in 2004, found that higher intakes of red and processed meats, sweets, desserts, and refined grains (like white bread) increased blood markers of inflammation, whereas higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains decreased those same blood markers. 

So, the ‘take home’ messages are twofold: Chronic inflammation is at the root of so many different diseases so that reducing its impact on your health may have a profound influence on your life. And, follow the WFPB diet by eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, legumes (which are beans, peas and lentils) and whole grains! 

In the previous column we drew attention to the thousands of antioxidants found in plants (called phytochemicals) that hold the key to controlling this chronic inflammation. So, how do phytochemicals work to keep us healthy? Each one of them has a role to play in the myriad of chemical reactions that take place in each cell every second. 

It is beyond the scope of this column to go into the details of each phytochemical that we consume, except, we want to focus on a particular group of plants that have remarkable antioxidant powers: the green, in particular (but not exclusively) cruciferous vegetables. (The word ‘cruciferous’ comes from the tiny flowers of this group of vegetables with small leaves that resemble a crucifix.)  

There are plenty of them that are (or could be) locally grown: watercress, green or red cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, radish and the tiny leaves of the Moringa tree (called ‘tamaligi aina’ in Samoan) to name those that are the most accessible year round. The particular phytochemicals they contain (going by the weird names of ‘glucosinolates’ and the enzyme ‘myrosinase’) are by themselves not active because they are located in different parts of the plants. 

Glucosinolates are located within the cell, while myrosinase is located in the membrane surrounding the cell. But something remarkable takes place when the two phytochemicals meet. And how do they meet? When you chop up or chew the plants, their cells and membranes get broken up, allowing the two phytochemicals to combine to make a new chemical, again with a weird name: isothiocyanates (ITC in short).

What ITC do when they are absorbed in our blood stream and eventually are absorbed by all our cells, they wake up (or ‘activate’ as it is called) certain chemicals that lie dormant within the cell and which –in turn- activate the cell’s own antioxidant substances, which offer further protection against inflammation and aging. (One of them is a protein called Nrf2 and I invite the reader to Google this term: it will bring you into the staggering complex world of molecular biology!) 

In summary, the antioxidants we consume and those that are activated within our cells combine to clean out the waste products out of the cells. You might compare the antioxidants to the janitors that come and clean the offices after working hours! The billions of cells around the body get rejuvenated and, noticeably, people will start looking younger, even a short time after starting to follow the WFPB diet! 

We invite you to come and attend METI’s Health Seminar to get the details of how to consume the WFPB diet. But from a practical point of view, you should –on a daily basis- eat a ‘rainbow’ salad (combining various raw vegetables of different colours. Take your pick of those you like such as watercress, laupele, carrots, red onions, beetroot, peppers, radishes and others and eat the salad with whole meal bread and legumes (like baked beans). 

Other meals could be root vegetables like taro with a vegetable stew or soup, and a variety of fruits mixed with oats and plant milk like soy milk.  There are literally thousands of recipes you could try that you can find on the Internet by simply Googling ‘whole food plant based recipes’ or ‘vegan’ recipes or you could purchase METI’s Cookbook with 50 easy to follow WFPB recipes.

This is the message of hope that we bring: no matter how miserable you feel now, whether it is because you are short of breath, or losing your eyesight; experiencing chest pain with the slightest exertion or suffering from a draining foot sore that just won’t heal: when you follow strictly the WFPB diet, in a matter of only a few weeks, you will feel a different person, while regaining your health. 

It is not just a message of hope we bring but also the vision of a new life ahead of you. By following the WFPB diet and regaining your health, you can plan life’s activities far in the future: you can look forward to seeing your children or grandchildren graduate from college or beyond and to enjoy your family life for years to come. 

We invite you to visit METI’s Healthy Living Clinic at House No. 51 at Motootua (across from the Kokobanana Restaurant) and become acquainted with METI’s whole food plant based diet program. Or call us at 30550. Learning how to follow the WFPB nutrition might be your ‘game changer’!