"I can't believe the sad state of American health." That's what Arnold Schwarzenegger stated soon after his appointment as chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by then president George Bush. "But America's secret tragedy," he added, "is America's children." He explained his remarks by referring to the fact that 40% of all American youngsters between the ages of five and eight already show at least one heart disease risk factor: physical inactivity, obesity, elevated cholesterol or high blood pressure.

Last month I emphatically stated that we have a very clear and effective way of protecting ourselves and our children from many, if not most, diseases that befall millions of Americans every year. I am not referring here to surgery or drug treatment but to the very simple, yet highly beneficial and effective way of eating called "Proper Food Combining."

One of the first physicians to mention this term was Dr. Daniel Munro, author of "Man Alive-You're Half Dead." In his book he states: "Important clinical observations prove there is no greater absorption of foodstuffs than when eaten in proper combination." In other words, we are not what we eat, but what we are able to digest and assimilate. Take a look at the food-combining chart and you will see how to eat your meals in a manner that will make it easy for your body to properly digest all that you eat. Can you see how the standard American diet violates these food-combining principles? No wonder former surgeon general C. Everett Koop said: "Nearly everyone in the country is sick."

Let me give you a simple daily meal plan that you and your children can follow that will set you on the path to optimal health.

BREAKFAST: Eat fresh fruits only. Eat as much as you want of any one kind until one hour before lunch. Fruits are mostly composed of water, minerals and their own enzymes. (Read last month's column for an explanation of enzymes.) The reason for eating one kind of fruit is that different fruits digest differently.

LUNCH: Eat carbohydrates (high-starches) and fresh, raw or steamed vegetables.

DINNER: Eat one kind of protein and low-starchy vegetables.

Drink raw carrot juice, if possible, with lunch and dinner and have a fresh salad with it as well (avoid head lettuce.) If you get hungry in the afternoon it's OK to eat leftovers from lunch or some carbohydrate snack, but remember that starches require about 2-3 hours for complete digestion. So don't have that snack to close to your dinner. Also, it's fine to switch your carbohydrate and protein meals or to have two carbohydrate meals in a day once in a while, but don't have two protein meals per day. The body does not require nearly as much protein as most Americans have been led to believe. On the contrary, there is ample evidence that excessive protein consumption has some serious consequences for our health.

In addition, AVOID:

White rice (use brown rice)

White flour (use whole wheat flour)

White sugar, chocolate, caffeine, and soft drinks.

Mucus-forming foods:

All dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream). However, use sweet cream butter rather than margarine.

Orange Juice (Whole oranges are fine)

DO: Have a diet consisting of 70-75% raw food, and always eat a raw food with a cooked food.

Drink plenty of distilled water (mostly between meals), and use it for cooking too.

Exercise! Start slowly at first and try walking or swimming, etc.

Take care of yourself in other ways. Dry brush your body with a natural bristle brush, learn how to deal with stress, and smile!

Do you know one of the major additional benefits of following this meal plan based on proper food-combining principles? Your body will begin to settle down to its proper weight! For most Americans this of course means-losing weight. And you will accomplish this without starving and without depriving yourselves of any nutrients. Try it. You have nothing to lose but all those extra pounds.

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