Nutrition Concerns of the Modern World
We live in a world of modern nutrition. We hear terms like sustainable and attach a new meaning to our perspectives on food. Almost everyone has been on one diet or another. People obsess about calories, carbs, fats, proteins, restrictions, and lists of good and bad foods. Each day we are hit with a new discovery, proclaiming the health benefits of a certain food or the best way to lose 10 pounds in a week. Diet books are usually the best sellers. News programs feature stories about America’s growing health crisis or the new wonder drug. Cooking shows are wildly popular, and more families are eating out.
It wasn’t too long ago that humans existed without this media blitz, without expensive medications and without diet gurus or celebrity chefs telling them what to eat. Instead, they relied on intuition. People simply knew what to eat and how to prepare it. They didn’t go to the gym to exercise; they just exercised. They didn’t have a complicated career; they just worked. They didn’t have such a cerebral interpretation of basic human needs. People naturally lived in harmony with the seasons and with their surroundings. They ate what was local and available and what gave them proper nutrients for their lives. Are you getting bad nutrition advice?
The world of nutrition has become incredibly complex. Nutrition is the only science in which two parties can comprehensively prove two different theories that are opposed to one another. Scientists unanimously agree the speed of light is 670 million miles per hour; gravity is an attractive force between all matter, and water is made of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen. How is it possible, then, that one expert can prove dairy is a necessary component of a healthy diet, while another expert can prove dairy is extremely detrimental to health; one expert can claim meat is essential to a healthy human body while another expert says meat is an unnecessary and unhealthy part of the human diet?
The publishing industry has largely shaped American beliefs about food and health. Eager to earn money from the next bestseller, they are the ones who “discover” and promote nutritional truths, not the medical industry. Think about it. Did you ever try The Zone Diet, The South Beach Diet, or the Atkins Diet? These are all popular diet books. These books are not scrutinized for truth and scientific evidence about healthy eating; they simply aim to be best sellers.
They grab attention by shocking, entertaining, and providing quick ways to lose weight. But the dietary theories in these books are not usually sustainable for long periods of time. Once they stop working, the reader will try another diet book, and so on, and so on, consistently supporting the publishing industry. Sales of Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution exceeded 10 million copies, even though the book provided no medical evidence that the diet worked. In fact, it went against the standard nutritional advice to eat more vegetables and get more exercise.
The Atkins diet was the beginning of public awareness about the glycemic index of certain foods and the unfavorable effects of simple carbohydrates. Each diet book exposes one more piece of the nutrition puzzle. Nutrition is still an emerging field in many ways, and we are only just beginning to understand all its facets.
Experts agree that we all need variety in our diets. But many disagree about other issues such as, how much water to drink throughout the day or whether or not organic vegetables have more nutrient value than non-organic. Their theories are all missing a huge part of what nutrition is really about: the individual. Most nutrition books tell you what to eat without any reference to age, constitution, gender, size, or lifestyle. We need to clarify that each person has very specific needs for his or her health.
To avoid this perplexed, media-driven nonsense, let us take a more modern approach to nutrition. One of the main concepts of this methodology is recognizing your bio-individuality. No perfect way of eating works for everybody. The food that is perfect for your unique body, age, and lifestyle may make another person gain weight and feel lethargic. Similarly, no perfect way of eating will work for you all the time. You may notice you eat different foods on days when you are working eight hours than on a relaxing day spent reading. Many of the foods you ate as a child may not agree with you as an adult. What you crave in the winter is completely different than what you crave in the summer.
Another critical part of modern nutrition is bridging the gap between nutrition and personal growth and development. These two entities are linked; you can’t look at one without the other. People just want to be better. They crave growth. But very few experts in the realm of personal growth and development address the importance of nutrition. Likewise, traditionally trained nutritionists will give you a list of foods to eat and not to eat, but their advice will not work until you start to identify what in your life is keeping you from making healthy choices. Look at it this way: a person stuck in a bad relationship can eat all the broccoli in the world, but it won’t change their relationship. This bad relationship will cause their health and well-being to suffer. Similarly, if your career is opposed to your spiritual values, you will have a hard time making big breakthroughs with a health concern. The energy spent at a draining job will ultimately outweigh the benefits of eating healthy food.
Being healthy is not that complicated. The body knows what to eat. It’s the brain that makes mistakes. Maybe you heard about a diet that sounded great in theory, but after a week of eating that way, you started to feel weak and bloated. You don’t have to read nutrition books to know what to eat. Instead, you can foster a deep relationship with your body in which it naturally tells you what it needs to function at its highest potential. This modern approach will help you cultivate the ability to eat intuitively, trusting your body—not some book, chef, or research study—to guide you to the foods that best support you and allow your body and mind to operate at their fullest potential.
Bio-Individuality
In 1956 Roger Williams published Biochemical Individuality, asserting that individuality permeates each part of the human body. This book explained how personal differences in anatomy, metabolism, composition of bodily fluids, and cell structure influence your overall health. Each person, Williams wrote, has genetically determined and highly individualistic nutrition requirements. This theory influenced some independent-thinking minds in the nutrition world but is still largely ignored by mainstream medicine.
Watching fad diets sweep through the country, from high-carb diets in the ‘70s, to low fat in the ‘80s, to high protein at the dawn of the 21st century. How is it each of these nutrition experts could claim their diets worked for everyone? We are too individualistic to eat the same food. Ever notice that men eat very differently than women? Children, teens, and adults all have very different preferences. People who work in an office eat differently than those who do physical labor. People eat according to their age, whether they are 25, 55, or 85.
One of the major factors shaping bio-individuality is ancestry. If your ancestors were Japanese, you will most likely thrive on a Japanese-type diet, high in rice, sea vegetables, and fish. If your ancestors were from India, your digestive system will probably love basmati rice, cooked beans, and curry. If many generations of your ancestors from Scandinavia were accustomed to eating dairy daily, it’s natural that your body will be able to assimilate dairy foods. This theory also applies to foods that you have difficulty digesting. For example, many traditional African communities had an abundance of beans, grains, animal protein, sweet potatoes, and green vegetables. Dairy was not easily accessible or easy to store in hot regions, and therefore, not a part of the traditional diet. So, it makes sense that a lot of people of African descent are lactose intolerant.
Your blood type also influences your bio-individuality. Many people don’t know their blood type, unless they have donated blood or received a blood transfusion, but the four blood types (A, B, AB, O) have evolved over thousands of years and offer insight into what foods work best in your body. Each type can be traced to a certain period of human history with distinct differences in diet, culture, and social conditions. Each blood type has developed strengths and limitations and knowing them can influence your health. Many Type O’s feel energized by eating meat, while Type B’s are better able to digest dairy. These preferences are based on a chemical reaction that occurs between the foods you eat and your blood. Some foods can cause the cells of individuals with a certain blood type to clump together while having no impact on the cells of individuals with another blood type. If you eat food that is incompatible with your blood type, it could eventually lead to health problems, demonstrating how one person’s food can be another person’s poison.
Another aspect of bio-individuality is metabolism or the rate at which you convert food into energy. Knowing your metabolic rate is useful when gauging the quantity of food your digestive system can process. Depending on your metabolic rate, your body may quickly convert calories to energy, or it may store the extra calories. You may recall that as a teenager you could wolf down a burger, fries, milkshake, and ice cream all in one meal, without any indigestion or tightening of your jeans. That’s because young people are still growing, have fast metabolic rates, and burn calories more quickly than adults.
People can be divided into three general types of metabolic activity. Fat Burners, or Protein types, tend to be frequently hungry and crave fatty, salty foods and not do well on high carbohydrate or vegetarian-type diets. Their bodies burn through carbohydrates too quickly, and a higher protein intake helps slow down their metabolism. Slow Burners, or Carbo types, generally have relatively weak appetites, a high tolerance for sweets, and problems with weight control. They require a higher percentage of carbohydrates to give them the energy to speed up their metabolism. Mixed types generally have average appetites and moderate cravings for sweets and starchy foods. For them, the ideal diet is a balanced combination of protein and carbohydrates. You can determine your metabolic type by answering questionnaires or taking simple medical tests. Keep in mind that even your metabolic rate and sensitivity can shift as you age, or as stress levels or nutrient deficiencies shift in your diet or lifestyle. If this all seems too confusing and complicated, don’t worry. Just observe how your own body responds to the food you give it. People are different and getting to know your own body is an essential first step in discovering how to stay healthy.
Metabolic theory demonstrates that no one diet is right for all of us. You may know people who can eat processed carbohydrates, such as bread and pasta, and stay very thin while others gain weight on such a diet. It’s not because carbohydrates are “evil” or our body isn’t as healthy; it just shows that all people metabolize these foods differently. One might do better on a high-protein diet with a lot of fresh vegetables and some whole grains. Knowing what foods, we metabolize best can help us choose foods that make us feel good and provide the support our body needs.
Our personal tastes and preferences, natural shapes and sizes, blood types, metabolic rates, and genetic backgrounds influence what foods will and won’t nourish us. So, when the experts say, “tomatoes are good for you” or “red meat is unhealthy,” it’s too much of a generalization. One person’s food is another person’s poison, and that’s why fad diets don’t work in the long run. They are not based on the reality that we all have different dietary needs.
Sometimes it takes millions of dollars in funding and years of research for scientists to prove what we already know. Likely, science will soon discover diet needs to be based more on bio-individuality. To some extent, it’s already happening. We see it with the USDA’s new dietary guidelines and the 12 versions of the food pyramid. These small steps are just the beginning.
Read how nutrition standards have changes over time.
The Body as a Laboratory
Fortunately, you already have free, 24-hour access to the world’s most sophisticated laboratory for testing how food affects your body and your health. Where is this lab? You’re living in it. Your body is a sophisticated bio-computer. By learning to listen to your body and developing an understanding of what foods it needs and when it needs them, you will discover what is best for you.
If you doubt this connection to your body, begin by acknowledging that your body is highly intelligent. Your heart never misses a beat, and your lungs are always breathing in and out. Even if you break up with a romantic partner, even if you receive traumatic news, your heart’s four little chambers go right on pumping and your lungs continue to expand and contract. You can trust your body. It has evolved helpful instincts to keep you alive and well.
Just as a tree will always lean toward the light, humans and animals know instinctively how and where to get food that is best for them. Animals don’t read nutrition books. Their bodies tell them which plants to eat and which to avoid, or if they’re predators, which animals to kill when they’re hungry. They heal themselves when they are sick, usually by resting a lot and eating very little until the sickness passes.
We have the same instincts, but many of us ignore the messages our bodies are constantly sending. Dark circles under the eyes signal exhaustion— your body is telling you to slow down and get some rest. Constipation and bloating are signs that something you are eating, or the way you are eating it, is not appropriate.
We ignore these messages until they become unbearable, and that’s when we go to the doctor for medications and operations.
As often as possible, have clients learn to explore their bodies as a laboratory and they will be surprised by its responsiveness, sophistication, and intelligence.
The Gut Biome
Our gut microbiome is a vast community of trillions of bacteria and fungi that inhabit every nook and cranny of your gastrointestinal tract, and have a major influence on your metabolism, body weight, the propensity to illness, immune system, appetite, and mood. These microbes mostly live in your lower intestine (the colon) and outnumber all the other cells in your body put together.
Conceptually, we should view these microbes as a newly discovered organ, weighing slightly more than our brains and nearly as vital. There are some organs we can live without, including our spleen, gall bladder, tonsils, and appendix, but we wouldn’t survive long without our gut microbes. Intriguingly, no two microbiomes are the same – we are all unique. And more than ever, we’re finding out just how important these microbes are.
According to research, the richer and more diverse the community of gut microbes are, the lower the risk of disease and allergies. This has been shown in animal tests and in human studies comparing the microbes of people with and without particular diseases. Examples from recent work include studies of diabetes, obesity, allergy, and inflammatory diseases like colitis and arthritis.
Meanwhile, there is mounting evidence that babies born via cesarean section miss out on some of the microbes they would obtain through vaginal birth, which may make them more vulnerable to allergies and asthma.
Your client can restore healthy gut flora, increase the good bacteria in their body, and give their microbiome a healthy punch.
Increase your fiber intake
Aim for more than 40g per day, which is about double the current averages. Fiber intake has been shown to reduce heart disease and some cancers, as well as reduce weight gain.
Eat as many types of fruit and veg as possible, and try to eat seasonally
The variety may be as important as the quantities, as the chemicals and types of fiber will vary, and each supports different microbial species.
Pick high-fiber vegetables
Good examples are artichokes, leeks, onions, and garlic, which all contain high levels of inulin (a prebiotic fiber). Some vegetables like lettuce have little fiber or nutrient value.
Choose food and drinks with high levels of polyphenols
Polyphenols are antioxidants that act as fuel for microbes. Examples are nuts, seeds, berries, olive oil, brassicas, coffee, and tea – especially green tea.
Avoid snacking
Also, try to increase intervals between meals to give your microbes a rest. Occasionally skip meals or have an extended fast – this seems to reduce weight gain.
Eat plenty of fermented foods containing live microbes
Good choices are unsweetened yogurt; kefir, which is a sour milk drink with five times as many microbes as yogurt; raw milk cheeses; sauerkraut; kimchi, a Korean specialty made from garlic, cabbage, chili; and soybean-based products such as soy sauce, tempeh, and natto.
Avoid antibiotics and non-essential medicines
Antibiotics destroy good and bad microbes, and it can take weeks to recover, so don’t take them unless you need them. Their use is also associated with obesity and allergies in animals. Even common medications like paracetamol and antacids can interfere with microbes.
Food for our Mood
Scientific research and personal experience both demonstrate that what we eat affects how we think and how we act. Still, most people don’t acknowledge the connection between their food and their mood. Stop and think for a moment about how you feel throughout the day. Do you sometimes feel fuzzy and tired after lunch? Angry and irritable between meals? Energized by a great meal?
Food undoubtedly changes our mood. The most extreme examples are coffee or alcohol, which change your state of mind within minutes. For this reason, we might even classify them as foods but as drugs. The standard American diet, high in processed carbohydrates and poor-quality animal meat while lacking in vegetables and water, leaves many people in a bad mood. It’s hard to feel inspired and happy when you’re living on chemical, artificial junk food. Julia Ross, the author of The Mood Cure and a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychology, refers to this relationship as the law of malnutrition. The current epidemic of bad moods is linked to an epidemic of deteriorating food quality and quantity: junk moods come from junk foods; she writes. Soda, chocolates, ice cream, potato chips, and fries are all easily accessible foods that people turn to when they want to be lifted out of a bad mood, but the irony is that these foods are a big part of the problem. Salt can mess with our mood making us feel tense. Sugar can give you a high and make you feel energized. When blood sugar goes up, we get a good feeling. But as soon as it goes down, you feel like the world is coming to an end.
Think about the idea of comfort food. If you have a bowl of soup, you somehow feel all warm inside. It’s soothing. The opposite of comfort food is focus food, which helps you work harder. Many people refer to protein, such as eggs, nuts, or meat, as brain food. Ever notice how you crave more comfort food after work or more sharpening-type food to focus during a busy day at the office? We even crave more aphrodisiac food, such as chili peppers and spice, avocado and chocolate, when we are out on a date. What we are really doing with all this food is a form of self-medicating or seeking balance. We already understand the food-mood connection; we just don’t have a language to discuss these habits with each other.
From a scientific perspective, the food-mood relationship is maintained by neurotransmitters—chemical messengers that relay thoughts and actions throughout the brain. Some neurotransmitters, such as serotonin can make us feel relaxed. Others, such as dopamine, have a stimulating effect. The food we eat breaks down in our digestive tract enters our bloodstream and creates changes in the behavior of these neurotransmitters, thus impacting our mood. Eating carbohydrates releases serotonin in the brain, which makes people feel more relaxed. Eating too many carbs or overly processed carbs like sugar and flour releases even more serotonin, causing drowsiness. You’ve probably experienced that sleepy feeling after eating too much pasta or heavy carbohydrates. Eating protein produces dopamine and norepinephrine in the brain which makes people feel more alert and fuller of energy if the protein is eaten in the appropriate portions. On the other hand, overeating protein can lead to tension and irritability.
Another experience of the food-mood connection comes from eating too much. Think of your annual Thanksgiving dinner and how tired you become after indulging. Overeating often leads to drowsiness. To handle the excess food, blood flow is directed to the stomach, and away from the brain. The result is a feeling of lethargy.
It’s surprising how deeply food affects us. In relationships, we often get irritated and blame our partner when it’s our own mood swings that are causing the rift. Our moods go up and down like a yo-yo, and as soon as we come into a nutritional state of balance, suddenly our partner turns out to be a wonderful person.
Each person’s food-mood sensitivity varies. Together, you can work with your client to determine the right number of proteins, carbs, and fats to achieve balance. Once the correlation enters their consciousness, they will be more careful with their food choices. One of the best ways to discover how different foods affect our client, we have them record what they eat and how they feel afterward.
Energy of Food
As you increase awareness about the foods you consume, consider that each food has its own unique energy, beyond vitamins, minerals, fats, and carbohydrates. When we eat, we assimilate not only the nutrients but also the energy of the food. Food has distinct qualities and energetic properties, depending on where, when, and how it grows, as well as how it is prepared. By understanding the energy of food, we can choose meals that will create the energy we are seeking in our lives. Virtually no one in the field of health and nutrition speaks about the concept of food having energy, but if you stop and think about it, it intuitively makes sense. Vegetables have lighter energy than proteins. Animal meat from tortured animals has a different energy than meat from animals that lived a peaceful existence.
If you practice yoga or have been to India, you may have heard the word prana, a Sanskrit word simply translated as “energy.” This word is just one way to describe the vital life-force energy that exists around us and inside of us. Energy comes from the universe, from the air, and food. Yogis believe that certain foods, such as fresh produce, have a greater amount of energy than foods that are heavily processed or that have been reused a day or two later. It makes sense: when you eat foods with more energy, you will have more energy.
Author Steve Gagné believes food has an essential character. He analyzes where foods come from to help identify their essence. Plants sprout from seed; some animals are hatched from eggs, while others are birthed by their mothers, and nurtured through infancy. Regarding plant food, consider where, when, and in what direction it grows. Greens, such as kale, collards, and bok choy, reach up toward the sun, soaking up the chlorophyll. Eating foods that are rich in chlorophyll provides our blood with oxygen. For this reason, greens are powerful mood enhancers, lifting the spirit. Squash and gourds grow level with the ground and help balance moods and energy levels. Root vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, beets, and burdock, grow into the ground and absorb the nutrients from the soil in which they grow. Therefore, they have strong downward energy and are great for grounding us when we feel overstimulated.
In contrast to these vegetables, reflect for a moment on the character of a donut. It starts with a dough, made of wheat and sugar; then it’s deep-fried, probably in a less-than-desirable oil. Often, it’s filled with jam, cream, or custard, or topped with a sweet glaze of icing. What kind of energy do you imagine you get from this donut? How would that differ from the energy you get from eating organic roasted root vegetables? As you cultivate awareness around the energy of your food, and how it is passed onto you, you will begin to make greater strides in recognizing your own mind-body connection.
Weight loss is a huge issue for Americans today. Our society idolizes thin people. But with an overabundance of snack foods, junk foods, and fast foods, combined with a lack of daily exercise, many Americans struggle with their weight. One of the most popular New Year’s resolutions is to lose a few pounds. Many people turn to modern nutrition’s approach to counting calories and trying to get fit. When they have trouble following their own diet regimen, they look for help in the more than $30-billion diet and weight loss industry which includes everything from commercial chains like Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig to diet pills, artificial sweeteners, diet books, and magazines, meal replacement shakes and belly-stapling surgeries. Year after year, many Americans realize that these fad diets don’t work. In fact, about 90 percent of all dieters regain some or all the weight originally lost. Diet and exercise theories like the 40-day, 20-day, or even 8-minutes-a-day to a thinner you are aimed at quick results and selling books.
In recent years, the idea of eating more and weighing less has become popular. Why not? When given the choice, most of us would rather eat more.
The trick is understanding caloric density or volumetrics, which means you can eat as much as you want of foods that are nutrient-rich and low in calories. Consider a package of Chips Ahoy that has a total of 2,200 calories. For that same amount of calories, someone could consume 1 pound of carrots, 1 pound of papaya, 1 pound of apples, 1 pound of onions, 1 pound of lettuce, 1 pound of kale, 1 pound of tofu, 1 pound of 2% cottage cheese, 2 pounds of cantaloupe, 2 pounds of celery and 2 pounds of cucumber.
Another way to think about caloric density is that your body only needs a certain volume of food each day. If you’re having a bowl of soup, your body doesn’t know if the bowl of soup has 100 calories or 1,000 calories. By choosing foods that have a low caloric density, you can feel full without packing on the pounds.
Many people who have lost weight and kept it off have looked past the diet books and fads and found what works best for their own bodies. As CHNC’s, we actively encourage clients who want to lose weight to experiment with different methods and see what works.
Weight loss Suggestions
Always eat breakfast. People who eat breakfast are much more successful at keeping weight off. When you skip meals, you become calorie deficient and usually end up binging later in the day.
Snack throughout the day. You know the saying, “Don’t go shopping when you’re hungry?” Try it. Snacking can help some people eat less. By eating between meals, you can help reduce hunger pains and binging later in the day.
Drink more water. By replacing soda, alcohol, or coffee with water, you can cut a significant number of calories from your daily routine. Many people can effortlessly lose 10 pounds by simply replacing soda with water throughout the day. Be aware of alcoholic drinks as well—a jumbo margarita can have up to 700 calories. Also, try drinking water before your meal. The water will help break down the food more effectively.
Make your own meals. Restaurant food generally has more salt, more fat, and more calories and is served in larger portions than food cooked at home. When
you make your own meals, you can control the amount of salt and oil, as well as the portion size. If you must eat out, try splitting one dish between two people or ask for half the meal to be wrapped up before it comes to the table.
Reduce your stress levels. Many people eat more when they feel stress; the stuffed feeling makes them feel comfortable and helps them relax. Try other
ways of relaxing, like a hot bath or a walk around the block. Also try slowing down, breathing, and enjoying each meal. Say a prayer beforehand or take a moment to be grateful for the food you are eating.
Get enough sleep each night. Growing evidence supports that missing out on sleep can increase your appetite. Most people need about 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
Keep moving. Start with small changes like getting off one stop earlier on a train and walking the rest of the way or parking in the back of a parking lot. Take the stairs whenever possible. Instead of meeting a friend for coffee, meet for a walk, or a bike ride, or take a dance class together.
Keep track. Whether you keep a food journal or weigh yourself regularly, find a method that will keep you motivated, and help you track your progress.
Be a food detective. Read food labels and don’t eat anything you can’t pronounce. Stick to simple, whole foods that will nourish your body.
Identify your temptation foods. You know whether they are salty or sweet, fried, or creamy, and you know that if they are within reach, you will want them. Do not keep these foods in your home or office and get support from your family and friends with these foods.
Take a multivitamin. Everyone can benefit from well-rounded nutrients. Some evidence suggests that by adding specific high-quality nutrients to a well- balanced diet, you can improve your metabolism and many enzyme processes for greater vitality and health.
Now that we have you clear on some of the fundamentals of modern nutrition, let’s go a little deeper. Part of the modern experience of eating has to do with the quality of the food we eat and the quality of our eating experience. In just a few generations, humans have completely transformed what, when, and how we eat. Supermarket food contains chemicals, additives, and sweeteners wrapped in boxes with bright colors and catchy slogans. We eat this stuff, along with fried, fast foods, in our cars, in front of our TVs or at our desks, giving little thought to where our food comes from and how our food choices impact the world around us. We eat with all our senses, but many of us never stop to enjoy the look, smell, sound, texture, or even taste of our food. Most people don’t really chew their food. They spend time at doctors’ offices complaining of upset stomachs, constipation, and a range of other digestive disorders without thinking about these larger issues.
The approach to this problem is quite simple: eat and enjoy high-quality food. Look at what you’re eating, when you’re eating it, and how you eat it. You may be surprised to find that by making a few adjustments, you can dramatically improve the quality of your life. Better food equals better health. It’s really that simple.
Eating Evolution: How We Came to Eat as We Do
Throughout history, people have eaten food essentially as nature produced it. People ate whole and unprocessed vegetables, fruit, grains and beans and chicken, fish, and other animal foods. Small amounts of sugar and honey or some wine and beer in the diet were balanced by regular physical labor, from sunrise to sunset, for every member of the family. They had no cars, planes, trains, or bicycles for transportation. Life was active.
Our ancestors would not recognize the food in today’s supermarket. In the last 100 years or so, large-scale food processing has become the norm. Bread and other baked goods that were once made of whole-grain flour are now made from processed, white, bleached flour that is far less nutritious. American consumers have developed a taste for processed foods like pastries, cookies, crackers, chips, and other foods that are far removed from their origins.
Many people don’t realize that processing food strips them of many nutrients. Think of the difference between white bread and wheat bread. Both come from wheat. But wheat bread uses the entire grain, while white bread is made by removing the bran and the germ (parts of the grain) during the milling process. Manufacturers remove these parts to create lighter, fluffier bread and to extend its shelf life. The germ, specifically, contains natural oils that could make bread go rancid. White bread can sit on the shelf for about 21 days before it loses its moisture and gets hard, while bakeries typically sell their fresh-baked bread within 24 hours.
In addition to leaving out or removing essential nutrients, processing foods generally involves adding sweeteners, colors, flavors, and preservatives. Manufacturers now add sugar to everything from ketchup to toothpaste. Supermarket shelves are filled with highly chemicalized foods, including soft drinks, packaged snacks, frozen dinners, boxed desserts, and condiments. Nearly all these items contain artificial ingredients, rather than fresh, natural ingredients. Learn more ab out chemicals in food.
Sometimes manufacturers try to reintroduce nutrients to foods by a process called enrichment. But a laboratory can’t possibly reintroduce all the vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, phytochemicals, and fiber that the original plant source contains. A single tomato contains more than 10,000 phytochemicals. (Scientists believe phytochemicals may protect cells from the damaging effects of toxic substances that can result in cancer and heart disease). When you see the word “enriched” on bread labels, such as “enriched white flour” or “enriched wheat flour,” it means they took out the best part in the processing and tried to put some of it back in another form. A similar process occurs with fortified cereals, which typically feature highly processed grains and sweeteners, enriched with a few vitamins. A simple way to think about enriched foods is to imagine you have $100 in your wallet. If someone stole the $100 but then decided to put back $20, would you feel enriched? Most people would feel like they’re still missing some cash!
The fact that we must inject nutrients back into our food demonstrates how strange our eating habits have become. Not that long ago, we ate what was fresh and available. Now we eat foods that are cheap, fast, and convenient with little thought about whether they give our bodies the nutrients we need to get us through our day.
What we buy in the grocery store may look like food, and it may taste like food, but it’s not the food our great-grandmothers ate. We encourage clients to eat foods in their whole, natural states as much as possible. Before buying products at the store or ordering at a restaurant, think about the processing the food went through to get to the table. For example, at a Mexican restaurant, the corn tortillas are probably made from processed corn flour and a mix of preservatives. Not that your client would but buying Twinkies from the store – we only need to think of how they were created. With highly processed flour and sugar and stuffed with a white filling, made with cream, which comes from cow’s milk and contains added sugar, this is not healthy. Many different machines are involved in both the production and the packaging of processed foods like this one.
Many people are disconnected from real, whole foods and have lost touch with the reality that our food comes from the earth. Simple eating celebrates the richness of whole foods. Think of the juiciness of a ripe piece of fruit, the crunchiness of a whole carrot or the creaminess of mashing an avocado. We always encourage clients to find simple pleasures in the foods eaten.
Organics
One of the most profound ways to experience the energetic nature of food is to notice the properties of organic food. Have you noticed that eating organic food can make you feel more vital and that the taste is cleaner and more flavorful? It’s not surprising that organic products are one of the fastest-growing categories of food. Almost three-fourths of U.S. consumers bought organic foods and beverages in 2009, up from 22% in 2000, according to the Organic Trade Association.
Originally, all foods were “organic”—grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, or hormones. Large-scale farming with chemicals began around World War II, around the same time that food processing exploded. Large-scale farming works against the natural cycles of the earth, relying on chemicals to produce big returns. This process has depleted much of the world’s soil of its minerals and nutrients. The resulting vegetable and animal foods are not only deficient in nutrients, but they are also full of pollutants and agrochemicals.
The modern denaturing of foods through massive refining and chemical treatment degrades their original life force, making it difficult to foster equilibrium and health for the people eating them. Pesticides, which are present in most commercial produce, must be processed by our immune systems, and have been shown to cause cancer as well as liver, kidney, and blood diseases. Also, as pesticides build up in our tissues, our immune system weakens, allowing other carcinogens and pathogens to affect our health.
In contrast, organic farming works with the land. Crops are rotated from year to year to allow the soil to retain its nutrients between growing cycles. Animals graze in different areas each season to let grasses recover and replenish between seasons. Farmers feed the soil with broken-down plant waste (compost), rather than using artificial fertilizing methods. Some farms even cultivate good pests to help rid the area of bad pests, and plant seeds in coordination with the cycles of the moon. All these practices are long-term, sustainable methods of farming that work with the natural environment, instead of adding chemicals to it.
Fresh, organic produce contains more vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and other micronutrients than intensively farmed produce. According to research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, organic fruits and veggies have 50% to 60% higher levels of cancer-fighting antioxidants than non- organic fruits and veggies. The average conventionally grown apple has 20 to 30 artificial chemicals on its skin, even after rinsing. Though organic food is usually more expensive, the extra money you pay may save you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in future doctors’ bills.
Some people avoid organic produce because it looks less colorful and less perfectly shaped than conventionally grown produce. But have you ever bought a big, red juicy tomato from the store, only to find that when you bite into it at home, it has no flavor? Have you ever picked a small, funny-shaped tomato right off the vine and found it incredibly sweet? It hasn’t spent weeks on a truck or been exposed to harsh chemicals, so its natural taste is preserved. Organic fruits and vegetables may not look as bright or “perfect” as some conventionally grown foods (which are sometimes dyed to look more appealing) but they certainly taste fresh off the vine. Another thing people notice when first buying organic produce is that the fruits seem smaller. Americans believe that bigger is better but try to reverse this saying when you look at organic produce. It is grown to its natural size, resulting in a more flavorful, and often sweeter, taste than its larger, non-organic counterpart.
Another reason to eat organic is to avoid genetically modified organisms (GMOs), also known as genetically engineered foods. A GMO is any organism in which the genetic material has been altered or shuffled around in a way that does not occur naturally. This technology allows individual genes to be transferred from one organism to another. This science is used to cultivate GM plants, which are then used to grow GM food crops. GMOs on the market have been given genetic traits to provide protection from pests and diseases or resistance to pesticides, or to improve the quality of the crop.
The most prevalent GM) crops were created to resist harsh chemicals; these crops have DNA traits from bacteria, fungi, or other plants that create this resistance. Farmers who use GM crops can spray their fields to kill everything growing in the area except the food crop. Imagine what is being killed in our bodies when we eat these foods.
The most common genetically engineered crops in the United States, which is the largest grower of GM crops in the world, are canola, corn, soy, and cotton. Genetically engineered soy, corn, and canola are used in many processed foods, but the government does not require labeling of these foods and regards these foods as generally safe. Many experts estimate that about 70 percent of the foods in grocery stores in the U.S. and Canada contain genetically engineered ingredients.
During the past decade, food safety experts have identified several potential problems with genetically engineered food crops, according to reports from the Union of Concerned Scientists. These problems include the possibility of introducing new toxins or allergens into previously safe foods, increasing toxins to dangerous levels in foods that typically produce harmless amounts or diminishing foods’ nutritional values. Many scientists have raised environmental concerns about these crops, as GM crops tend to dominate over wild plants and conventional crops, potentially disrupting natural ecosystems. To avoid these foods, be a food detective. Look for labels that say “GMO-free” or organic.
Environmental Effects of Food Choices
Our personal food choices not only have an impact on our bodies but also our environment. Each meal is made up of food that requires a significant amount of energy and resources to reach your plate. The journey of our food is a much longer process than many of us realize. Some people refer to this journey as food miles, which is the distance food travels from field to plate, and the higher the mileage, the larger the impact on the environment. Food travels further these days partly because of large corporate grocery stores, which have centralized methods for distributing food. In some cases, a crop of cherries may travel across the country to be packaged and then sent back close to where the cherries were originally grown. In other cases, stores fly in food from all over the world to ensure they have fresh produce, whatever the season. This practice causes us to have organic bananas from Peru, organic kiwis from New Zealand, organic avocados from Mexico, at any time of year. Locally produced, seasonal foods cut energy use and therefore leave a smaller impact on the environment.
The decision about whether to eat meat is also a big one, and it can have significant impacts on the environment. Many areas of the globe are impacted by factory-farmed beef consumption. Cattle require huge amounts of water every day. Giving up one pound of beef a year could save more water than if we stopped showering for six months. Corn-fed cattle also impact the environment, because each bushel of corn cattle eat has been treated with about 1.2 gallons of oil-based fertilizers. Each cow consumes about 25 pounds of corn each day, which translates into a lot of fossil fuel energy. Cattle also need land for grazing. About 70 percent of the lands in western national forests are used for grazing. And although the U.S. is the world’s largest producer of beef, worldwide demand for beef has caused massive deforestation in other parts of the world? Between 2000 and 2006, Brazil lost about 150,000 square kilometers of forest—an area larger than Greece—and since 1970, about 600,000 square kilometers (232,000 square miles) of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed. The leading cause of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is cattle ranching. The growth in Brazilian cattle production—80 percent of which was in the Amazon—was largely export- driven. But we don’t have to eat a strict vegan diet to eat in an environmentally friendly manner. Get to know where meat comes from by making friends with your local farmers and ranchers or look online to find better sources than what’s available at local stores. Suggest meat that is grass-fed, certified organic, and local, whenever possible. Suggest clients think about reducing the amount of meat in their diet, lessening their overall environmental footprint.
The Importance of Chewing
Many of us inhale our food. We use our fork as a shovel, putting the next bite in before we’ve finished the previous one. It’s part of our fast-paced culture. Aside from missing the enjoyment of a long, relaxing meal, eating quickly can be detrimental to our health. Digestion begins with the chewing process. If you think about your stomach working to break down every little bit of food you put into your mouth, it makes sense that the more you break it down in the chewing process, the easier the digestion process will be. If your food is not properly broken down before entering the esophagus, it can remain undigested and cause bacteria overgrowth in the intestines. In addition, the action of chewing and the resulting production of saliva both, send a message to the stomach, intestines, and entire gastrointestinal system that the digestion process has begun. These organs can then prepare for their digestion tasks and keep the body in balance.
Chewing also makes food more enjoyable. The sweet flavor of plant foods is released only after they have been chewed thoroughly. Complex carbohydrates start breaking down in the mouth by an enzyme in saliva known as amylase. It is only by chewing the carbs thoroughly and mixing them with amylase that we can taste all their sweetness. This sweet flavor becomes a reward for chewing. Do you see the brilliance of the natural food system involved in this process? Leveraging our inherent craving for sweetness, our body works with nature to ensure we get the nutrients we need.
Try this with your client: have them put down their fork or utensils in between each bite to help you focus on the food in your mouth. Once done chewing, then take another next bite. It can be difficult to focus on chewing when eating with others so instructions should be to focus on fully chewing each bite. Turn off the TV, resist the urge to read a magazine, and really focus on your eating experience. It will take longer to eat a meal, but that means getting full faster. Another useful tip to help people slow down is to try eating with chopsticks. They can only pick up a limited amount of food at a time and it can be a fun eating adventure.
We use the most relevant, scientifically validated, important and proven nutritional stands as part of our courses including, the Spencer Institute Holistic Nutrition Coach Certification, NESTA Fitness Nutrition Coach Certification and NESTA Lifestyle and Weight Management Specialist Certification.
