How To Eat To Boost Your Body’s Natural Defences & Avoid The Foods That Weaken Them with Dr William Li #450
Dr. William Li, a medical doctor and research scientist, discusses how food impacts health. He covers foods to avoid like sugar and ultra-processed items, and practical steps for choosing beneficial foods, including olive oil, food pairings, and the value of organic produce.
Deep Dive Analysis
18 Topic Outline
Understanding Food's Impact on Health Defenses
Negative Effects of Added Sugar and Sodas
The Harmful Impact of Artificial Sweeteners
Rethinking the Concept of Metabolism
Importance of Reading Food Labels for Beverages
Marketing's Influence on Food Choices and Consumer Empowerment
Dangers of Ultra-Processed Foods
Mindful Consumption of Alcohol and Processed Meats
Empowering Personal Food Choices for Joy and Health
Avoiding Reused Cooking Oils
How to Choose and Use High-Quality Olive Oil
Optimizing Nutrient Absorption by Pairing Foods
Impact of Dairy on Tea Polyphenol Absorption
The Role and Value of Dietary Supplements
Benefits of Organic Foods and Plant Stress Response
Nutritional Value of Fruit and Vegetable Skins
Food's Connection to Autoimmune Diseases
Swapping Foods for Intolerances and Preferences
10 Key Concepts
Health Defenses
Five interconnected bodily systems (circulation, stem cells, gut microbiome, DNA protection, immune system) that are crucial for reaching our health potential and can be either supported or impaired by our food choices.
Metabolism
More complex than just energy processing, metabolism is connected to our immune system, inflammation, and the body's ability to maintain health, with body fat not being inherently bad, challenging traditional assumptions.
Artificial Sweeteners
Chemically synthesized compounds designed to mimic sweetness, which science shows can harm the gut microbiome, leading to poorer metabolism, insulin sensitivity, and even weight gain despite lacking refined sugar.
Monovarietal Olive Oil
Olive oil made from a single specific variety of olive, which often ensures a higher concentration of beneficial polyphenols, such as hydroxytyrosol, compared to blends.
Fat-Soluble Nutrients
Nutrients like lycopene (found in tomatoes) that are better absorbed by the body when consumed with fats (e.g., olive oil) and often after being heated, which changes their chemical structure into a more bioavailable form.
Piperine
A substance found in fresh cracked black pepper that helps the body retain and absorb more curcumin from turmeric, thereby enhancing the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits of curcumin.
Micelles (in Tea)
Microscopic soap bubbles formed by fat molecules in cow dairy when added to tea. These micelles trap beneficial polyphenols (catechins) from the tea, preventing their efficient absorption in the stomach and reducing their health benefits.
Plant Bioactives (Organic Food)
Natural chemicals like eletric acid in strawberries or chlorogenic acid in coffee, which plants produce in higher quantities as a wound-healing response when naturally nibbled by pests, explaining why organically grown produce often contains more of these beneficial compounds.
Ursolic Acid
A bioactive compound found in higher concentrations in the outer layers or skins of fruits like apples, pears, and peaches. It stimulates blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) and helps the body's healing processes.
Autoimmune Disease
A broad category of diseases where the body's immune system is mistakenly triggered to attack its own healthy tissues. Diet, particularly chemical additives in ultra-processed foods, can play a role in triggering these responses, while a whole-foods diet can help calm the immune system and reduce inflammation.
11 Questions Answered
Added sugar in soft drinks overwhelms the body's metabolism, impairs stem cell function, damages the gut microbiome, and creates a hyperglycemic state that the body cannot effectively manage.
No, scientific evidence suggests that many artificial sweeteners harm the gut microbiome, leading to poorer metabolism, insulin insensitivity, and can still contribute to weight gain despite having no refined sugar.
The first ingredient should mostly be water. If you cannot pronounce, understand, or identify ingredients, it's likely that your body is not designed to handle those chemicals, and you should consider avoiding them.
Avoid reusing cooking oil, as heating changes its chemical structure in ways that can be potentially carcinogenic. Deep frying, in general, also alters the chemical structure of food negatively.
Heating tomatoes (e.g., sautéing) converts lycopene into a more absorbable form. Adding a small amount of olive oil further enhances absorption, as lycopene is fat-soluble and dissolves efficiently into fats.
Yes, cow dairy contains fat molecules that form microscopic soap bubbles (micelles) which trap beneficial polyphenols like catechins from tea, preventing their efficient absorption by the body.
Supplements can be very important for topping off key micronutrients, especially for individuals with dietary gaps (e.g., Omega-3s, Vitamin D3, Folate for pregnant women). However, be cautious of marketing claims that sound too good to be true.
Yes, research indicates that organic plants, grown without pesticides, produce more beneficial bioactives (like eletric acid in strawberries) as a wound-healing response to natural pest nibbling, meaning they have more 'good stuff'.
The skin and outer layers often contain more fiber, phytonutrients, and bioactives (e.g., ursolic acid in apple peels) that stimulate healing and blood vessel growth. It is generally beneficial to consume them, especially if the produce is organic.
Chemical additives in ultra-processed foods may trigger unintended immune responses. Shifting to a whole-foods, plant-based diet can unburden the body, calm the immune system, lower inflammation, and allow the body's natural health defenses to reassert themselves.
You can swap out foods based on their beneficial properties. For example, if you can't eat kiwi (for vitamin C and fiber), try red bell pepper or guava. If you can't eat tomatoes (for lycopene), try watermelon.
31 Actionable Insights
1. Adopt a Whole Food Diet
Transition to a whole food diet, primarily plant-based, to unburden your body, calm your immune system, lower inflammation, and allow your natural health defenses to reassert themselves. This approach has many beneficial effects with very few negative side effects.
2. Avoid Added Sugars & Sodas
Cut down or cut out drinks with added refined sugar, such as sodas, as they overwhelm your body’s systems, impair stem cell function, and damage your gut microbiome, negatively impacting immunity.
3. Avoid Artificial Sweeteners
Steer clear of chemically synthesized artificial sweeteners found in diet sodas and other products, as they can harm your gut microbiome, leading to poorer metabolism and potential weight gain.
4. Limit Ultra-Processed Foods
Reduce consumption of ultra-processed foods that come in boxes or cans with many ingredients and preservatives, as they are associated with poorer health outcomes like diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
5. Read Food Labels Carefully
Always check the ingredient label of any food or drink you consider buying. The order of ingredients indicates their concentration, so prioritize products with mostly water and natural, recognizable components.
6. Research Unfamiliar Ingredients
If you encounter an ingredient on a food label that you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce, use your mobile phone to search for information about that chemical. This empowers you to make informed decisions about what you put into your body.
7. Limit Oil Intake & Reuse
While some oils are healthier, limit your overall intake of all oils, aiming for around three tablespoons of olive oil per day as a maximum. Crucially, never reuse cooking oil, as heating changes its chemical structure in potentially harmful ways.
8. Avoid Processed Meats
Limit or avoid processed meats, such as deli meats and commercially cured sausages, which are classified as carcinogens by the World Health Organization. These often contain embalming-like preservatives that can be harmful.
9. Mindful Alcohol Consumption
Be mindful of the amounts of alcohol consumed, as it is easy to overconsume. While some fermented beverages may contain healthful properties, the ethanol itself offers no health benefits and is a toxin to your brain.
10. Prioritize Loved Healthy Foods
Identify and commit to eating healthy foods that you genuinely love, using a permanent marker to circle them in a list. Starting with foods you already enjoy makes dietary changes feel less daunting and more sustainable.
11. Choose High-Polyphenol Olive Oil
When buying extra virgin olive oil, look for monovarietal oils from specific olive types known for high polyphenol content, such as PICUAL (Spanish), Koroneki (Greek), or Moriolo (Italian). These varieties offer superior health benefits.
12. Eat Whole Olives
To maximize the intake of beneficial polyphenols like hydroxytyrosol from olives, eat the whole olive rather than just consuming olive oil. While olive oil contains some polyphenols, the majority remain in the olive’s pulp and water.
13. Heat Tomatoes with Olive Oil
To significantly increase your body’s absorption of lycopene from tomatoes, heat them in a pan with a little olive oil. Heating changes lycopene into a more absorbable form, and the fat-soluble nature of lycopene allows oil to carry it more efficiently into your body.
14. Pair Turmeric with Black Pepper
To enhance your body’s absorption of curcumin from turmeric, combine it with fresh cracked black pepper. The piperine in black pepper helps the body retain and utilize more of turmeric’s beneficial compounds.
15. Avoid Dairy in Tea
Be aware that adding cow dairy (milk or cream) to tea can trap beneficial polyphenols, such as catechins, in fat micelles, reducing their absorption by your body. This means you miss out on many of tea’s health benefits, even if you enjoy the flavor.
16. Use Nut Milks in Tea
If you prefer a milk-like addition to your tea, opt for nut milks like almond, cashew, or soy milk. These alternatives do not create the same fatty reaction as cow dairy, allowing for better absorption of tea’s polyphenols.
17. Try Taiwanese Milk Tea
Explore Taiwanese ‘milk tea,’ an oolong-style tea that naturally tastes like it has dairy due to its unique growing conditions and tea type. This allows you to enjoy a similar flavor profile without compromising polyphenol absorption.
18. Prioritize Whole Foods Over Supplements
When possible, choose to obtain nutrients from whole foods rather than relying solely on supplements. Whole foods provide a broader spectrum of beneficial substances like fiber, polyphenols, and natural peptides that pure supplements may lack.
19. Consider Omega-3 Supplements
If you do not regularly consume oily fish two to three times a week, consider taking a high-quality omega-3 fatty acid supplement. Omega-3s are crucial for health and are a worthwhile supplement.
20. Consider Vitamin D3 Supplements
Consider taking a vitamin D3 supplement, especially if you live in northern latitudes or have limited sun exposure due to climate or clothing. Many people are vitamin D deficient, and supplementation can be very beneficial.
21. Boost Mushroom Vitamin D
Increase the vitamin D content of white button mushrooms by slicing them thinly and laying the slices on a windowsill to expose them to sunlight for a couple of hours before cooking. Sunlight helps convert more vitamin D into the mushroom.
22. Pregnant Moms Take Folate
Pregnant mothers should consistently take folate supplements. This is critical to significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects in their babies.
23. Be Skeptical of Supplement Claims
Approach supplement marketing with skepticism; if claims sound too good to be true or magical, it’s a red flag that the product may be misrepresented. Always research and verify information before purchasing.
24. Choose Organic Produce
Opt for organic produce because organically grown plants tend to have higher levels of beneficial bioactives. Plants produce more of these protective compounds as a wound-healing response when exposed to pests, a process that pesticides inhibit.
25. Eat Produce with Skin
Consume fruits and vegetables with their skins whenever possible, such as apples, pears, peaches, and carrots. The outer layers often contain more fiber and concentrated phytonutrients, like ursolic acid, which stimulates blood vessel growth and aids healing.
26. Rinse All Produce Thoroughly
Regardless of whether produce is organic or not, rinse it under cold running water for 60 seconds to remove potential pathogens like bacteria and listeria. This is a recommended food safety practice.
27. Rinse Onions Before Cutting
Even if you plan to peel an onion, it is recommended to rinse it under cold running water for 60 seconds before cutting. This helps remove any pathogens from the outer layers.
28. Choose Dried Organic Fruit
When selecting dried fruit, choose organic varieties, especially for fruits with thin skins. This is because pesticides are harder to wash off thin-skinned fruits, and organic options will have more beneficial bioactives.
29. Swap Foods Based on Properties
If you cannot consume a specific healthy food due to allergies, intolerance, availability, or cost, understand its beneficial properties and swap it for another food with similar benefits. For example, replace kiwi with red bell pepper or guava for vitamin C and fiber, or tomatoes with watermelon for lycopene.
30. Doctors: Ask About Joyful Foods
Healthcare professionals should ask patients about foods that bring them joy, rather than focusing on negative food habits. This non-judgmental approach encourages patients to look deeply within and engage more positively with dietary changes.
31. Love Your Food, Love Health
Embrace the motto: ‘Love your food to love your health,’ recognizing that both can happen simultaneously. Find and lean into the healthy foods you genuinely love to ensure a long and enjoyable life.
5 Key Quotes
I think one of the greatest things about food and food and health is that it actually puts the agency of choice into our own individual hands.
Dr. William Li
If you are creeped out by not being able to pronounce, understand, identify the ingredients on a beverage, you should follow your instincts. That's probably not something you want to put in your body because your body's not hardwired to handle those chemicals.
Dr. William Li
The thing you get the buzz from does nothing for your health.
Dr. William Li
The argument is the organics have more good stuff.
Dr. William Li
You should love your food to love your health. Both can happen at the same time.
Dr. William Li
3 Protocols
Savvy Consumer Food Label Reading
Dr. William Li- Pick up the food item.
- Look at the ingredient label.
- Check if water is mostly the first ingredient.
- Note the order of ingredients, as it indicates their relative concentration.
- If you don't recognize or can't pronounce ingredients, consider avoiding it.
- Use a mobile phone to search for unfamiliar chemicals if curious.
Choosing High-Polyphenol Olive Oil
Dr. William Li- Look for 'monovarietal' olive oil, meaning it's made with just one kind of olive.
- For Spanish olive oil, look for the PICUAL variety.
- For Greek olive oil, look for the Koroneki variety.
- For Italian olive oil, look for the Moriolo variety (though less common and pricier).
Enhancing Vitamin D in Mushrooms
Dr. William Li- Slice plain white button mushrooms thinly.
- Lay the slices out in a sunny windowsill.
- Leave them for a couple of hours before cooking to convert more vitamin D.