Nutrition (Part 2)
Greetings dear reader. Nutrition is a favorite subject of mine as you may have gathered from last week’s post. It occured to me that I will need to write a piece on digestion and one on leaky gut syndrome as well. Nutrition is of vital importance, yet if digestion is less than optimal, or if one has leaky gut syndrome , it is a struggle for the body to absorb and assimilate the nutrients it needs. An excellent diet and eating all the right things does not ensure optimal health. For that, oe must have a healthy digestive tract and happy, healthy organs.
While it is extremely important and very beneficial to get the bulk of our nutrients from fresh, clean, organic whole foods, it is nearly impossible to get all the nutrients we need from food alone. It almost seems surreal to have to say that. Naturally there are myriad contributing factors to this last statement. Some of these are: awareness and knowledge, food scarcity ( either due to economics or geographical location - think “ food deserts” ) nutritional value of food, time ( to shop, cook and prepare meals ) and so forth. I know for me personally, I can not fit the amount of food I would need from carbohydrates, protein and fats into my stomach in one day ( though I try) in order to get the recommended daily allowance of nutrients.
Let’s rewind a bit. The RDA ( recommended daily allowance ) is just that -and it’s different for women, children and men. Not only that, but every single body is different. There is no one size fits all food regimen that will ever work for everyone. Some people follow am omad diet (one meal a day , o.m.a.d.) Some people are more sedentary while others are more active, little ones are growing, etc. Food and our relationship to it is greatly aided by learning to listen to our bodies. Over time, this leads to an intuitive connection to food.
As I discussed last week, fast foods and junk foods offer very little nutrition and are toxic. Another thing to avoid as much as possible is eating out , as most restaurants cook with genetically modified food and unhealthy oils such as canola and palm oils. Canola oil is genetically modified (made from RoundUp Ready canola) and was originally used to lubricate machinery, because unlike other oils it sticks to wet metal. Palm oils are high in saturated fats, but not the good kind as they are high in LDLs. High levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can build up in the blood, causing arteries to narrow and increasing the risk of heart disease. My other gripe with palm oil is an environmental one. There is a common trend of deforestation in all areas where palm oil is currently being grown, from Indonesia to Papua, Malaysia, and New Guinea. It is in virtually every single junk and fast food imagineale and it is many bath and body products as well - buyer beware!
Superfoods
Fun Fact: Bananas are high in tryptophan, an amino acid that boosts serotonin.
I can not tell you how many times I have Googled the particular nutrient in a food , or grams of fiber or protein, etc, in a food. I do not diet, weigh food, count calories or any of that. I also do not remember everything I look up. I guess you could say I like to learn about food. My current job as a caretaker has required me to learn specifics on amounts of fiber and protein ( etc.) in foods, as I am responsible for my client’s meals and health. That is to say, in the past year , I have spent a lot of time learning the particulars about many foods.
What is a Superfood? A Superfood is a food that is nutrient dense, offers several simultaneous health benefits and are known to prevent disease. They are also rich in compounds such as antioxidants, fatty acids and fiber. Among them are: broccoli, salmon, blueberries, bananas, avocadoes , spirulina, oatmeal, carrots and kale - to name a few. You can find a more thorough list here. It boasts a whopping 109 foods - the list is long, but the information is not as thorough as Dr. Axes’s list of 25 superfoods, which can be found here.
Food as Information
I am getting so excited just sitting here and thinking about the infinite ways that food informs our body and encourages and instructs our body to perform countless biological tasks. It’s amazing, it’s miraculous, it’s wonderful! Food interacts with every facet of our body from hormones to bones, from blood to lymph, from our nervous system to our organs and tissues - it’s truly awe inspiring! Have you ever thought of food that way? Food is like a messenger delivering messages to your body in the form of nutrients.
It is said that our thoughts create our reality. Following this same notion , our food creates our body. Your mind is largely affected by the information you feed it and it is the same with your body. If you eat healthy, you will be healthy, because your body will be getting the information it needs. If I wake up and eat junk food all day it’s kind of like waking up and having nothing but negative thoughts all day. As a matter of fact food even affects our mental health.
So much so in fact, that there is something called the gut - brain connection. The gut is even known as the second brain. I will delve more into this when I write a piece on digestion. If you would like to delve more deeply before then, there is a lovely website which includes a highly informative podcast and blog and even YouTube videos. It is the co-creation of a psychiatrist and nutritionist. It is chock-full of fascinating and useful information. It is a website which promotes mental and physical health through eating. You can find it here. In the same section you can also find a blog on nutrition as information - so exciting!
Supplements
Supplements are a very broad topic with many varying opinions. I can not possibly tackle it in its entirety here, so I will just share some personal thoughts and perspectives. I myself do take supplements. For starters, it is impossible for me to eat all the food I would need to eat in one day in order for me to get a full spectrum of the nutrients my body needs ( even if I eat all organic). Second, whether I am eating organic or not, the food I am eating does not have the same amount of nutrients it did during the times of previous generations.
“Most nutritionists are taught that the average American diet generally provides adequate levels of the 40 known essential vitamins and minerals. But some scientists argue that the current “recommended daily amounts” are not sufficient to prevent long-term DNA damage that leads to cancer and accelerated aging”
I highly recommend reading or saving this article to read later. It discusses the waning nutrient levels in our food , lists the 4o main micronutrients ( vitamins and minerals ) which the body needs, and reveals some stunning facts about the overall nutrient depletion of our nation as a whole. It’s a 3 to 5 minute read and well worth it. You can read the full article here.
Long story short, I recommend supplements. Making sure you have the vital and essential vitamins and minerals your body needs is paramount to overall health both mental and physical. Most people in the U.S.A. are nutrient deficient, especially when it comes to minerals.
Vet your sources for quality and bioavailability. Do some research, ask friends and family who are knowledgeable. At the very least, take a multivitamin and a mineral supplement daily. If you are looking for something inexpensive and versatile for men, women and children alike that includes all daily essential vitamins and minerals, I recommend Mary Ruth's for its well-rounded, affordable and universal formula. It is: vegan friendly, non-gmo, sugar-free and allergen-free. It is also liquid, which means the body can more readily absorb all the nutrients ( bioavailability ).
For digestion and digestive tract health, I recommend taking digestive enzymes with meals and a probiotic daily. I will go into more detail on this in when I write a piece on digestion, which I will do in the next month or two. Again, do some research and vet your sources. Look for: quality, affordability and bioavailability. Both enzymes and probiotics are huge subjects in and of themselves, but I do recommend digestive enzymes and probiotics for overall digestive health.
If you need a refresher on what nutrients do, you can always review Part 1 of this article here. Last week, we took a look at the role of macronutrients and their function in biological processes. Micronutrients are the essential nutrient content ( vitamins and minerals ) within macronutrient foods. In short micronutrients are necessary for: immunity, protection from oxidatives stress, metabolic processes, proper organ function, cell function ( production, growth, development and repair) blood clotting, bone growth and overall health. Or - as Dr.Axe says……
“Micronutrients are essential to many aspects of health and play a central role in nearly every bodily function. While a comprehensive micronutrients list would be too long to include here, below are some examples that illustrate the importance of micronutrients and the crucial roles that they play in the body:”
Potassium: lowers blood pressure, helps combat heart disease.
Vitamin A: antioxidant that fights free radicals, supports skin and eye health, fights cancer by blocking DNA mutations in cancerous cells. Vitamin A deficiency symptoms include dry eyes, night blindness and an increased risk of infection.
Vitamin B12: helps produce hemoglobin, which carries oxygen throughout the body, and fights fatigue.
Vitamin C: as one of the most important vitamins for anemia, vitamin C benefits iron absorption, improves immune function, prevents oxidative stress, fights cancer and prevents common illnesses of the skin, eyes, etc.
Vitamin D: promotes healthy bone metabolism, helps prevent depression, may have anti-cancer properties.
Vitamin E: acts as an antioxidant, protects cell membranes, protects heart health.
Vitamin K: critical in blood clotting, protects against heart disease, osteoporosis and other types of cancer.
Zinc: zinc benefits may help boost the immune system, support brain function and improve heart health.
Iodine: important for fetal development and thyroid health.
Beta-carotene: turns into antioxidant vitamin A in the body, strengthens the immune system and mucous membranes.
Calcium: maintains bone strength, acts as an antacid, regulates high blood pressure.
Choline: prevents fat accumulation in the liver, promotes brain development, helps improve liver function.
Chromium: removes sugar from the bloodstream and converts into energy, helps control blood sugar in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Copper: anti-inflammatory, helps combat arthritis, known as a brain stimulant.
Flavonoid (antioxidants): reduces the risk of cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease; fights free radical damage, protects brain health.
Carotenoids (antioxidants): protect and preserve eye health, fight macular degeneration and cataracts.
Folate: also known as vitamin B9, the folate definition is a water-soluble vitamins that plays a central role in fetus development and cervical cancer prevention, contains antidepressant properties.
Iron: helps transport oxygen to the entire body, prevents anemia and low energy.
Manganese: improves bone density, helps combat free radicals, regulates blood sugar, regulates metabolism and inflammation.
Riboflavin (vitamin B2): helps prevent cervical cancer, fights headaches and migraines, can help treat acne, muscle cramps, carpal tunnel and fatigue.
Selenium: has antioxidant properties, reduces the risk of prostate cancer, aids in the treatment of asthma, arthritis and infertility.
Iodine: because it’s involved in producing thyroid hormones, benefits of iodine include increased metabolism and proper cell repair. Low iodine symptoms include goiter, weight gain, fatigue and weakness.
Thiamine: helps muscles contract, aids in nerve signaling and regulates energy metabolism.
Biotin: involved in maintaining the health of the hair, skin and nails.
Riboflavin: breaks down macronutrients like proteins, fats and carbs and converts these key nutrients into usable energy.
For the full article by Dr. Axe, including a great list of foods from which you can get these vital nutrients, click here. Tune in next week, when I share some things that I take for health on a regular basis and how they contribute to overall health. From there we will move onto hydration, then digestion, detoxification and finally - the chakras. I’ve got my work cut out for me! It seems this is a year to focus on health. I hope you’ll come along for the journey. Much love dear reader, until next week. Three cheers to your health and vitality!
