FOOD, NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTS
I’ve just re-read a slim pamphlet entitled Food and Health in the Scottish highlands written by Dr Walter Yellowlees who was a GP for 33 years in an extensive rural practice of the upper Tay Valley. I’ve had the booklet for 20 years and thought I’d lost it until I cleared out my bookshelves. What buried treasure! Here is real life experience of a Doctor witnessing in his patients the links between diet and disease. The booklet is well referenced to the works of great researchers like Burkitt, Cleave, McCarrison and Yudkin. These all identified the refined carbohydrate diets of industrialized societies as the single significant factor behind the incidence of rotten teeth, appendicitis, gallstones, obesity, diabetes, peptic ulcer, constipation, coronary thrombosis.and cancer. The simple fact is that all our chronic diseases indicate that we are overfed and undernourished.
It seems remarkable that we could all have made diet so difficult but as people have become further and further removed from the process of food production so they have become separated from what in nature is obvious. Packaged food on a supermarket shelf is there irrespective of the season and gives no hint of the effort involved in growing, harvesting and transporting it – and that’s just the fruit and veg! Add in the processing, cooking and packaging for the average product and its little wonder we have a problem in knowing what’s good for us.
The average person does not question very much. Our society has so many rules and regulations that it’s natural to assume if something is in a shop then it must be ok to eat. I was born into the generation that discovered margarine - I’m still wondering how so many people have been hoodwinked for so long into believing that the high temperature extraction of oil from seeds and its chemical catalytic conversion into a solid produces a spread that is healthy!
I have been doing a lot of reading and research on diet over the last couple of years, particularly through www.mercola.com. This site is a treasure trove of useful information on all things health related. Dr Joseph Mercola is an American MD who has spent more than 20 years developing an understanding of the fundamental role that diet and exercise play in human physiology and health. His articles high-light information from respected medical publications and I for one get a deal of satisfaction from reading research that confirms much of what I have intuitively known. The Mercola website has chapter and verse on the issue of fats and oils - if you are not yet aware of the inherent risks of current politically correct eating prepare for some shocks.
The bottom line is we need fats in our diet including saturated fat, and the obsession with fat-free this and fat-free that is one of the primary factors in many health problems. The problem that we have created for ourselves is in the wholesale acceptance of unsaturated vegetable oils like sunflower and soya as being “good”. These Omega 6 oils need to be balanced by Omega 3.for our bodies to function healthily. Almost every day there will be a reference in the media to Omega 3 oils and the lack of them in our diets. Besides oily fish, Omega 3 is produced by grass fed animals so when we were hunter-gatherers and when farm animals were primarily grass fed we got what we needed. Modern intensive animal farming has accelerated greatly since the war. A grass-fed cow used to take three years to get to market now the use of feed-stocks means they can be brought to market weight in as little as 18mths but the fat will contain far more Omega 6 than Omega 3.
We have been encouraged to believe that saturated fats are the “baddies” and that we should be avoiding foods that contain these such as meat and dairy. Many people are as yet unaware that the real killers are trans fats that are found in large quantities in hydrogenated vegetable oils. Hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO) is widely used in the food industry because it is cheap and extends the shelf life of commercially produced products. It is used in thousands of every day foods such as bread, cakes, biscuits, margarine and chocolate; including many foods with a “healthy” image such as low fat biscuits and cereal bars. It is probably true to say that 99% of processed foodstuffs carrying a label will have vegetable fat, hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, vegetable shortening or margarine in them. These are all trans fats and it is only now that the devastating effects they have on human health are being recognized. They raise LDL (bad) cholesterol and reduce HDL (good) cholesterol, lay down fatty deposits in arteries and disrupt cellular function, increasing the likelihood of insulin resistance and diabetes.
The seriousness of the situation is demonstrated by the fact that since January 2006 U.S. food labels must state the content of trans fat if it is over 0.5g and in consequence many food companies are removing HVO from their products. Denmark has gone even further by making it illegal to sell foods that contain more than 2% trans fat. No such legislation exists in the UK although Marks and Spencer have already announced a programme to phase out all HVO from their food products. It is up to the consumer to protect themselves so the bottom line is read labels.
Unhydrogenated vegetable and seed oils would at first glance appear to be a safe choice, in fact we are actively encouraged to consume these polyunsaturated oils in the belief that they have health advantages. However, one of the reasons that these oils are hydrogenated for the food industry is that they are extremely unstable so they go rancid very quickly and therefore have virtually no shelf life. When you heat oil to a high temperature in the presence of oxygen and light eg deep frying it produces all kinds of different damaged toxic oil molecules that are cyclized, cross-linked, fragmented, bond-shifted, and polymerized. These are not the same as transfats but still not anything you want to eat. If food turns brown during the cooking process, it has dried out, been overheated, and become toxic. The toxic molecules change the expression of many genes in the direction of inflammation and cancer. I doubt whether this will make me give up crispy meat fat but who knows!
So what oil should you use for cooking? Basically oil or fat that is stable at high temperature. Apart from animal fats coconut oil is the most stable when heated and it won’t surprise you to know that 100 years ago this was widely used in the baking industry. Because coconut oil is a saturated fat it became a target for the new unsaturated oils lobby. The social, economic and political factors which came into play in the demise of coconut oil provide a fascinating example of the power of the agribusiness in influencing markets to purchase products that are more profitable.
Coconut oil is not only extremely stable when heated to high temperature
it also has many health benefits. It contains medium chain fatty acids
(MCFA) which are digested differently to other oils so produces an increase
in metabolic rate which aids in weight loss issues. Interestingly enough
the MCFA in coconut oil are closest in structure to those found in breast
milk and are even used in some infant formulas and intravenous hospital
feeds. More information on coconut oil can be found at www.tropicaltraditions.com
The Coconut Diet book (£5.95) that we stock.is an excellent explanation
of the role of fats in our body biochemistry.
For more on hydrogenated oils and trans fats go to www.tfx.org.uk
or www.bantransfats.com.
CRON
The principal platform of Dr Mercola’s nutritional recommendations is carbohydrate reduction with optimum nutrition (CRON for short). He points out that humans existed for over 500 generations on a diet of wild animals and vegetation. It is only with the advent of agriculture 6,000 years ago that we began consuming large amounts of sugar and starch in the form of grains and potatoes. 6,000 years sounds like a long time but it is very small in relation to human evolution - biologically we still have the genetic makeup of hunter-gatherers. As we all know human beings are addicted to sweet and fat but there is good reason - it is part of the genetic program that has ensured the survival of the human race. Early man feasted when food was available and laid down fat stores to enable survival during famine. The hormone responsible for this is insulin. Whenever the body detects a blood sugar level higher than is needed for normal functioning, insulin comes into action. It is so efficient at laying down fat and muscle that bodybuilders now use it!
INSULIN
Insulin is part of the biochemistry of everything from yeast to mammals and many studies have shown that a calorie-restricted diet can extend the lifespan of these organisms. Although we in the West are taking longer to die it could be said epidemics of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity are consigning us to a living death. Most people don’t mind dying but they do mind the manner and timing of the departure. Mercola argues that the common denominator of diseases of aging is insulin resistance brought about by apparently limitless amounts of cheap, heavily processed food. Studies of longevity show that health and well-being in old age is enjoyed by those who have had a diet of quality food and show stable blood sugar.
METABOLIC TYPING
Mercola’s clinical experience shows that determining the individual’s metabolic type and altering diet to suit brings significant improvements in health. Metabolic typing describes an individual’s dietary needs. Around a third of the population can tolerate a high carbohydrate diet, another third need extra protein and fat and the remaining third are mixed. What this explains of course is why some diets are so successful for some people. The Atkins diet is a case in point, protein metabolic types do well on it and even mixed metabolic types will achieve benefit if their current food intake is too grain orientated. Mercola’s program goes further by individualizing dietary needs and using vegetables as the primary source of carbohydrate. This approach leads to stabilisation of: blood sugar, blood pressure, thyroid function and cholesterol production (HDL rather than LDL). Weight control becomes a consequence of this approach.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
Until this last couple of years I’d always been wary of dietary
supplements – my philosophy was eat organic whole food and you’ll
be fine. Perhaps it’s the advent of middle-age but when I hear statistics
like vegetables having only 25 to 50% of the nutrient value of the same
vegetables grown 50 years ago then I get bothered. The ingredients used
by the average high street sandwich bar, restaurant or hotel are unlikely
to be organic or nutritionally balanced and yet its simply not practicable
to always source, prepare and cook for ourselves. How can we obtain the
essential nutrients our bodies need when we’re out and about living
21st century lives?.When I was a child I always remember my mum predicting
that one day we’d be able to take a pill instead of having to cook
and she wasn’t far wrong. I’ve been using a product called
Living Fuel Rx TM for the last couple of years as both a nutritional supplement
and a meal replacement powder. To quote the advertising blurb it is;–
“a concentrated source of vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential
fats, enzymes, co-enzymes, herbs, botanical extracts, and soluble plant
fibers from organic, wild crafted or natural food state sources. It has:-
∑ More calcium than milk.
∑ More potassium than bananas.
∑ More fibre than oatmeal.
∑ More friendly bacteria than yoghurt.
∑ More protein than a dozen egg-whites.
∑ More vitamins, minerals and antioxidants than a full day’s
serving of fruits and vegetables.
Two scoops added to 500ml of water/juice can replace food or half a scoop
to a glass of water/juice provides a perfectly balanced supplement to
a meal for the maintenance of optimal health.”
So whats my experience? Well I find it really useful, I carry a ready made bottle around to maintain my energy and nutrient levels through the day. It’s the ultimate fast food although I have to say I don’t very often just have the powder in water – too much of a powdery taste so I do spend a bit of time making it up in a blender. I’ll add fresh fruit and ground seeds, even egg yolk and creamed coconut. I end up with something I can snack on or use to replace a meal.
The downside is the cost – at £48 a tin it means 2 scoops cost around £4! This may sound a lot but the reality is you would not be able to buy a snack or meal on the high street either with this level of nutrients or for that money. Its level of vitamins and minerals is more than equivalent to taking these as supplements.
Living Fuel Rx Superfood TM is available in two varieties – Super Berry or Super Greens. The Super Berry has lots of dried berries so is pink in colour and Super Greens is …… well green! I would definitely recommend beginning with Super Berry, it is at least palatable just with juice whereas Super Greens requires a bit of inspiration to turn it into a smoothie you want to drink rather than one you just feel worthy when consuming!
Living Fuel can be detoxifying so its best to start small and work up to enable you body to adjust. We don’t have samples but as with all our products we offer a money back guarantee if it doesn’t meet your expectations.
I’m also a fan of Living Fuel Double Chocolate CocoChia Bars. They
are a slow release organic energy bar that is high fibre, gluten free,
low glycemic and packed with healthy fats. Even the organic chocolate
has anti-oxidants and phyto-nutrients to contribute to the overall benefits.
They contain:
- shredded coconut with all the benefits of coconut oil
- chia seeds from the plant Salvia Hispanica - these provide fibre and
slow release glucose
- almond butter that is a rich source of protein, calcium and vit E
TheSweetener is Agave syrup and TheraSweet TM.
All this produces a bar that you can feel good about eating be it at mid afternoon “munchies” or as a slow release energy fuel. and certainly makes them highly desirable. Even our youngest staff member Ben says they taste better than sweetshop chocolate bars.
Happy eating
Robert Barker
Nov 2006
