National and international health organizations advise increasing fruit and vegetable intake to prevent and reduce chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. But getting people to change longstanding eating habits that are low in fruits and vegetables is challenging and often ineffective.

Numerous studies show that telephone counseling, especially regular telephone counseling over a concentrated period of several months, is effective at significantly increasing people’s fruit and vegetable intake and improving several health indicators. Ongoing written material and group support also offer positive effects in promoting and sustaining health-promoting eating habits. This research gives scientific justification to the components of my nutrition coaching programs, which have become the fastest-growing and most well-received nutrition services that I offer.

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Some people simply like to enjoy the visual, sensual experience of watching my Food Slide Show without explanation. (It’s best to view the slide show with a high-speed connection.) Others want to know more specifics about the foods in the slide show. So, for those of you who want to know the details, here are the foods in the order they appear:

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Eating a Stone-Age-type diet with no grain products is considerably more effective at lowering blood sugar levels and reducing waist sizes than the often-recommended Mediterranean diet that contains whole-grain foods, according to a study by Staffan Lindeberg, MD, PhD, and his colleagues at Lund University in Sweden.

In the study, the researchers asked 14 patients to consume an “ancient” (Paleolithic or Stone-Age) diet with lean meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, eggs, and nuts, but no grains or dairy products. Fifteen other patients were asked to follow a Mediterranean-like diet that included some of the above foods along with whole-grain foods and low-fat dairy products. Both groups of the patients had serious heart disease, plus either type 2 diabetes or a less severe form of glucose intolerance.

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