[Illustrated Summary] The Top Causes of Death Are All Related to "Food"—Preventive Medicine by Simply Changing Your Daily Diet
I translate and summarize books with overseas evidence into illustrations so you can understand them without reading the originals.
I have personally read and tested them, keeping only the parts I felt were "the real deal." This is based on practical experience in the field, not just desk-bound knowledge.
I have broken down difficult technical terms as much as possible and summarized them so that even busy people can read them quickly.
💡 Who should read this:
・Those interested in good overseas books but who don't have time to read the originals
・Those who find there is too much information online and don't know what is real
・Those who want to choose what is truly good for their own and their family's health and beauty
PART 1: Preventing 15 Causes of Death Through Diet
The core of this book: Diet is the most powerful medicine
It's not about reducing the amount you eat.
It's just about changing what you eat.
The top causes of death in Japan are the same:
Cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes...
Thousands of papers have proven that all of these can be prevented, improved, and reversed through "diet."
Change what you eat before turning to medicine.
That is what I learned from this book.
② Diet to prevent heart disease
Heart disease is the second leading cause of death in Japan, with 226,000 deaths per year.
But it's not because of "aging."
In rural China,
there were regions where deaths from heart disease among men under 65 were zero.
Patients who switched to a plant-based diet
saw a 91% reduction in angina attacks.
Arteries can open up through diet.
I got goosebumps when I learned this.
③ Diet to prevent high blood pressure
Are you going to keep taking blood pressure medication for the rest of your life?
A few tablespoons of flaxseed every day.
Just that alone lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of 10 points.
That's the equivalent of one type of antihypertensive drug.
After reading this, I started keeping flaxseed in my refrigerator at all times.
Before taking medicine, try changing your diet first.
4. Diet to Prevent or Reverse Diabetes
Don't you think the cause of diabetes is "eating too much sugar"?
Actually, it was fat accumulated inside muscle cells that was blocking the insulin keyhole.
There are cases where people who switched to a plant-based diet saw their diabetes of several decades improve.
Instead of reducing sugar, change the "quality" of the fat. I wish I had known this sooner.
5. Diet to Prevent Cancer (Digestive Cancers)
Most cancer is not genetic. It is caused by "external factors," especially diet.
The intestines are the organ in the body with the largest surface area exposed to food.
To lower the risk of colorectal cancer, eat dietary fiber. The target is 25g or more per day.
Beans, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. Just by adding "fiber" to your daily table, your intestines start to protect themselves.
6. Diet to Prevent Breast and Prostate Cancer
Did you know that cancer cells are in everyone's body? The problem is the speed at which they grow.
The doubling time of breast cancer cells can be 28 days or 1,000 days. Which one it becomes depends on your diet.
Soybeans lower the risk of breast cancer, and flaxseed suppresses the growth of prostate cancer.
Your daily diet determines how easily cancer can grow.
7. Diet to Prevent Blood Cancer (Leukemia and Lymphoma)
Did you know that chicken contains viruses?
Avian leukosis virus (ALV) in chicken. It may survive if not cooked thoroughly. But if cooked too much, carcinogens increase.
Those at high risk for blood cancer are farmers and slaughterhouse workers.
However, sulforaphane in cruciferous vegetables has the power to suppress leukemia cells. Let's change the "colors" on our dining table.
⑧ Diet to prevent lung disease (lung cancer, COPD, asthma)
Your regular diet might be destroying your lungs.
When asthma patients increased their vegetable and fruit intake to 7 cups (about 550g) a day, their exacerbation rate was cut in half.
Conversely, when they reduced it to 1 cup, their symptoms worsened drastically in two weeks.
This "reduced diet" is at the same level as a day spent eating only convenience store bento boxes.
It is your daily diet that both protects and destroys your lungs.
⑨ Diet to protect the brain (stroke, dementia)
Dementia is not just "aging." It is a disease that can be prevented through diet.
There is research showing that for every 7g increase in daily dietary fiber, the risk of stroke decreases by 7%.
People who eat berries at least twice a week experience a slower decline in cognitive function.
What protects the brain is not medicine, but the colorful vegetables and fruits on your daily table. You want to tell your family about this, right?
⑩ Diet to prevent Parkinson's disease
Did you know that your morning coffee is actually protecting your brain?
19 studies have linked caffeine to a reduced risk of Parkinson's.
When patients were given the equivalent of two cups of coffee in caffeine for three weeks, their motor symptoms improved.
There is also a link between berries and a reduced risk.
Morning coffee and berries. They are the brain's allies.
⑪ Diet to prevent depression
Have you been feeling down for days on end?
One woman had been taking antidepressants for years, yet she continued to have difficult days every day.
I stopped needing medication after just two weeks of switching to a plant-based diet.
Arachidonic acid, found in abundance in meat, eggs, and fish, is a substance that promotes brain inflammation.
Just by increasing your intake of vegetables and fruits, your mood might change.
Your mind can also be balanced through your diet.
12. A Diet to Protect Your Liver
It's not just alcohol that damages the liver.
Hepatitis E virus was detected in 11% of pork liver.
(Survey of American supermarkets)
Processed meats and animal fats can also cause fatty liver.
Conversely, coffee lowers the risk of liver cancer, and
broccoli sprouts enhance detoxification power.
Your daily diet is the only thing that can protect your silent organ.
13. A Diet to Protect Your Kidneys
"I threw everything away. Everything except what grows from the ground. All processed foods, too."
A man with kidney disease who made that decision saw his kidney function return to normal in one year and was able to stop taking blood pressure medication.
Plant-based protein puts less strain on the kidneys than animal-based protein.
Change the "type" of protein rather than the "amount."
Remember this if you want to protect your kidneys.
14. A Diet to Build a Body That Can Resist Infectious Diseases
People who catch colds easily versus those who don't.
The difference might lie at your "dining table."
When kale protein was applied to white blood cells, antibody production increased fivefold.
Athletes who ate blueberries saw their NK cells more than double to over 4 billion.
Cardamom increases the killing power of NK cells tenfold.
Immunity is strengthened by your daily diet.
⑮ To avoid dying from medication (iatrogenic disease)
Medication has side effects.
Everyone knows that, right?
But do you know how many people die every year from those side effects?
In Japan, reports of health damage due to medication side effects reach tens of thousands per year.
It is much safer to prevent illness through diet before trying to cure it with medicine.
The best medical care is "not going to the hospital."
━━ Part 2: 12 Items to Eat Every Day ━━
⑯ Traffic Light Model: "Green, Yellow, Red" Foods
When you're unsure about food, just choose by "traffic light color."
Green = Whole plant-based foods (eat as much as you want)
Yellow = Processed plant and animal-based foods (in moderation)
Red = Ultra-processed foods and processed meats (avoid)
It's simple, but powerful.
Ever since I learned this rule, shopping has become so much easier.
When in doubt, choose "green." That's all there is to it.
⑰ Daily 12-Item Checklist Overview
For those who don't know what to eat.
You just need to fill out this "12-item checklist" every day.
※1 cup = approx. 200ml (one measuring cup).
About 80g for cooked vegetables,
or one double-handful for raw leafy greens.
1.5 cups of beans,
half a cup of berries,
3 pieces of fruit,
5 cups of vegetables total,
a handful of nuts,
1 tablespoon of flaxseed,
1.5 cups of whole grains,
5 glasses of water, and exercise.
Let's check them off like a game ☺️
⑱ Legumes: 1.5 cups daily
There is a food that appears consistently in longevity research around the world.
Beans.
Japanese people eat soybeans, and in the Mediterranean, they eat lentils.
For every 20g increase in daily bean consumption, the risk of early death dropped by 8%.
1.5 cups every day. Tofu is fine. Natto is fine.
Let's eat more of the world's best longevity foods.
⑲ Berries + Fruit: Plenty every day
Do fruits make you fat? Are they high in sugar?
Scientifically, that is incorrect.
People who eat a lot of fruit have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Berries, in particular, are the kings of antioxidants.
There is research showing that eating blueberries at least twice a week slows cognitive decline.
Fruit is an "edible supplement." It's okay to eat more.
⑳ Cruciferous vegetables + leafy greens: 2.5 cups every day
There is a component found only in broccoli.
Sulforaphane.
It activates liver detoxification enzymes,
and there is research suggesting it suppresses the growth of cancer cells.
This component is only found in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, daikon radish, komatsuna, and turnips).
1/2 cup every day.
This is why other vegetables cannot serve as a substitute.
㉑ Other vegetables + mushrooms: 2 cups every day
Mushrooms are neither plants nor animals.
They are their own unique biological category.
They contain an antioxidant called ergothioneine that is not found in other foods.
Tomatoes are a rare food where processing them increases the absorption rate of lycopene by five times.
2 cups every day.
Eat colorful vegetables and mushrooms.
I think this is the simplest way to stay healthy.
㉒ Flaxseed: 1 tablespoon every day
Flaxseed contains 100 times more lignans than other foods.
There is research suggesting that lignans lower the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Furthermore, it lowers high blood pressure as effectively as medication,
and also improves cholesterol.
One tablespoon of ground flaxseed every day.
Just mix it into a smoothie.
This tiny seed is the "ultimate seed."
23. Nuts and Seeds: One handful a day
Don't you think nuts make you fat?
People who eat nuts five or more times a week have about a 30% lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Moreover, not all of the fat in nuts is absorbed.
About 10% passes right through the body.
1/4 cup a day.
Walnuts, almonds, peanuts.
Far from making you fat, they actually extend your lifespan.
24. Herbs and Spices: 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric every day
Turmeric is one of the most studied spices in the world.
There is research showing it suppresses precancerous lesions in the colon,
alleviates joint inflammation, and repairs DNA damage.
1/4 teaspoon every day.
You don't have to put it in curry; just add it to a smoothie.
The "yellow powder" in your kitchen is the ultimate medicine.
I add it every morning, too.
25. Whole Grains: 1.5 cups every day
Brown rice over white rice.
Whole wheat over white bread.
The reason is "what has been removed."
Refining removes dietary fiber, B vitamins, and minerals.
There is research showing that people who eat more whole grains have fewer clogged arteries.
1.5 cups every day.
Brown rice, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta.
Just choosing "brown carbohydrates" will change your body.
26. Drinks: 5 glasses of water + tea/coffee per day
Just drinking enough water improved children's scores on academic tests.
Mild dehydration lowers concentration, mood, and thinking ability.
There is also research suggesting that 3 to 4 cups of coffee a day reduces the risk of early death by 3% each.
5 cups of water daily plus tea or coffee.
Drinks can also be "medicine."
27. Exercise: 90 minutes of moderate intensity or 40 minutes of high intensity daily
The minimum amount of exercise is "20 minutes of walking a day."
But Dr. Greger's recommendation is more than that.
90 minutes of moderate intensity daily.
There is research suggesting that sitting too much is as bad for the body as smoking.
You don't have to start with 90 minutes.
Let's start by walking for 5 minutes today.
Diet and exercise are a set.
Doing just one isn't enough.
The Pitfall of Olive Oil
Is olive oil good for you?
Actually, it's in the "yellow" category.
There is research showing that olive oil also reduces arterial function after a meal.
This phenomenon does not occur with nuts.
Oil is "sugar of fat."
It is what you get when you squeeze the nutrients out of olives and leave only the calories.
I was surprised when I learned this too.
It's better to eat the olives themselves or nuts.
29. How to Identify Processed Foods
What does "processed" mean?
Dr. Greger's definition is simple.
"Has something bad been added, or has something good been removed?"
Tomato juice (unsalted) is okay even if it's processed.
Whole wheat bread is also okay.
But orange juice is a no-go.
"Added" or "removed."
If you just remember this, you won't get confused anymore.
30. A Practical Example of How to Clear Half Your Goals in One Meal
24 checks every day?
Too many to be possible?
It's okay.
You can clear half of them in one meal.
You can clear 7 items with one big salad.
2 cups of spinach, arugula, walnuts, chickpeas, bell peppers, tomatoes.
Sprinkle flax seeds and goji berries, and have a glass of water.
Have fruit for dessert.
That's 12 items right there.
You've achieved half of it in one meal ☺️
You're interested in natural remedies, but
you don't know what's real and what's suspicious.
In times like that, you don't have to worry alone.
With over 30 years of experience as a hairstylist, a psychological counselor, and a practitioner of natural medicine, I only deliver "things that I have tried myself and found to be good."
About your hair, your mind, and your body.
If there is anything you are concerned about, we can talk online too ☺️
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