Seminars & Appearance Schedule

No matter how hard one tries to stick to a healthy diet, there are times when a craving for a plate of fries or a candy bar can't be denied. Instead of being racked with guilt the next time you indulge a little, eat more -- of the right foods, that is! Dr. Timothy Brantley, author of The Cure: Heal Your Body, Save Your Life, gives the lowdown on foods that can help counteract the negative effects of some hard-to-resist offenders: sugars, trans-fats and preservatives. So next time you grab a candy bar or order a plate of fries, you'll know what you should make for dinner that night to help balance it all out.

Refined Sugar

When you eat refined sugar, it releases so quickly in your body that it's hard to break down. It sends your organs into a frenzy. "If you don't burn it up, it has to go somewhere," explains Dr. Brantley. "So it goes into our bodies as fat or goes into our arteries and starts to clog them."

Before you start weeping at the thought of never eating a candy bar again, Dr. Brantley points out the reversing effects of these everyday foods:

• Artichokes help regulate blood sugars and get HDL (good cholesterols) to rise. They also help keep LDL (bad cholesterols) and trans-fats suppressed.

• Squash also help push bad cholesterol down. They "squash" all the bad stuff sugar does to your body and regulate blood sugar.

Trans-Fats or Trans-Fatty Acids

Trans-fats, Dr. Brantley explains, are oils that have hydrogen pumped into them to extend their shelf life. "Since we started making [these oils], one in two people get heart disease." he says, expressing his concern about the damage trans-fats can do to the arterial system.

Dr. Brantley recommends persimmons and onions as foods that can help counteract these effects by suppressing LDL cholesterol. "The juice of one white or yellow onion a day will make your HDLs (good cholesterols) rise 30 percent over time," says Dr. Brantley. Another advantage to onion breath? "People who eat lots of onions also have a 50 percent lower chance of getting cancer," he says. So the next time you order a greasy burger and fries, make sure to get it with plenty of onions!

Additives and Preservatives

There are 3,000 additives and preservatives that can accumulate in the body. "I always say, If you want to preserve your life, stay away from additives and preservatives as much as possible," says Dr. Brantley. "There are all kinds of herbal formulas to help remove toxins from your body. Or, you can make a salad with beets, carrots, cilantro, olive oil and lemon. It will start moving the preservatives out of your body immediately."

aired on: January 23, 2007