Science and food... what the evidence says

I spend every day reading clinical studies on different foods and how they affect our health - or help it.  And I totally understand that people are genuinely confused as to what you CAN eat without worrying about the negative effects those foods can have on your weight and health.  Heck, I'm confused most of the time too!

We are constantly bombarded, day in and day out by the "health" industry and the food industry telling us that sugar is fine one day and then saying it needs taxing the next (I agree with this last point and one day I might just write a book about that one!), if low fat is heart healthy and then saying that low fat is heart dangerous... or high carb is fine for weight loss... oh no wait a minute... no it isn't!  Aren't you confused?

I hope my blog goes a long way to helping you understand what is right for you and what isn't.  I do try and base my information on scientific findings, but even those can be misleading.  The success of a clinical study depends on 3 factors; the number of participants involved, the duration of the study and the interpretation of the results.  Small studies with short durations give quick results that may not extend to a wider population and could change over time - for example.  Quite often the press pick up on once phrase and the whole thing goes viral without actually reading the entire study.  So most should be considered in their entirety before making conclusions.

However, there are some foods out there that have bad press which needs to be reassessed.  I wrote recently about how good avocados are for you and coffee has had a negative image for years.  Chocolate has been considered the devil since the beginning of time and wine was usually struck off in any weight loss plan.  We have been told for years that eggs raise cholesterol and therefore are a risk to heart health, and nuts are so fattening you shouldn't even be in the same room with them - same goes for pickles!

So, as I am not one for bashing anyone or anything over the head without proof... here's mine...

EGGS

I love eggs.  Considered one of the purest forms of protein, also considered to raise cholesterol and study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eggs can help your body better absorb other vegetables' nutrients - more importantly it is the fat in the yolk that creates this better absorption.  So, add an egg to your favorite vegetable dishes. make you fat as the yolk is supposedly pure fat.  Truth is, the egg as a whole is packed with fat, protein, loads of vitamins and minerales and is very low in carbs.  They could also help you to absorb other nutrients more efficiently.  According to a new

PICKLES

Fermented foods are fashionable at the moment and for good reason.  They are extremely good for your gut health, and if your gut isn't healthy then you really are going to have problems - even in your mental health!  The Leiden Institute of Brain and Cognition has carried out an albeit small study with only 40 participants, which found that the participants who consumed probiotics for four weeks, spent less time dwelling on bad past experiences or negative feelings.

Fermented foods are packed with probiotics which could also help reduce social anxiety.  700 college students were surveyed on their eating and exercise habits and their personalities.  The scientists that carried out the survey discovered that those who described themselves as anxious had better social behavior if they ate probiotics.

NUTS

Wonderful and healthful nuts, packed with healthy fats, fiber and vitamins but feared for their high caloric value.  However, fear not!  Maastricht University discovered that people who ate about 10g of nuts every day had a 23% reduced risk of dying from heart attacks, diabetes, respiratory failure, and cancer, compared to people who ate less.  However, eating more than 10g a day did not increase the protective benefits so there is no need to go crazy and eat huge amounts.  Just remember to keep them raw and avoid peanuts!

AVOCADOS

Another one of my favorites!  Now to add to all those benefits is the avocado's LDL (bad cholesterol) lowering properties, making it heart healthy - or so new research published in the Journal of American Heart Association.  Another small study and funded by Hass Avocado Board and including only 45 participants so could be considered questionable on all levels... but it does shed light on the positive effect of the healthy fat found in avocados on cholesterol... Seeing as there is no reason NOT to eat avocados, this just adds to the positives.

Professor Paul Spagnuolo from the University of Waterloo has found that a lipid in avocados attacks leukemia stem cells directly without harming other healthy cells.  Obviously this would be a major breakthrough in cancer research but the drug is still a long way from being approved for use in human cancer patients.

CHOCOLATE

The never ending chocolate debate.  Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants which can't be bad, right?  Just keep it in moderation.  Although a study at Columbia University and NYU found that participants who ate a lot of chocolate - 100g of cocoa powder which contains 100mg of flavanols - got higher scores on memory tests than those who ate a little.  This means that chocolate is actually good for your brain.  However, to get that much from regular chocolate means you would have to consume 44 pounds a day and I really don't think your waistline would appreciate it even if you were capable.

Chocolate can also be considered good for you heart, or simply not bad for it.  A study in the British Medical Journal states that eating up to 100g of chocolate a day is linked to lowered heart disease and stroke risk.  But it could just mean that people with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease eat less chocolate than those who don't.

COFFEE

Can't live without it, but you think you should cut back because of the caffeine?  However, one thing all scientists seem to agree on is that drinking coffee isn't harmful at all.  In fact, a review of 40 different on the link between coffee and different kinds of cancer found that coffee consumption is inversely linked to the risk of various different types of cancer including breast, pancreas, bladder, prostate and throat.  The American Heart Association research has shown that higher levels of coffee consumption means a lower risk of stroke.  Also another study from Kyoto University discovered a reduced risk of death from heart disease in participants who had at least one cup a day.

Another study from the University of Texas shows that a few cups a day (2-3) could help lower the risk of erectile dysfunction.  This, they believe, is due to the fact that caffeine helps relax muscles and arteries, improving blood flow to the area in question.

WINE

Specifically red.  Full of an antioxidant called resveratrol, red wine is believed to be heart healthy and maybe even gut healthy due to it's fermentation and now, thanks to a study in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, it may even improve weight loss too.  Red wine in mice has been found to help them metabolize fat and sugar more efficiently - however we will have to wait and see if it has the same results in humans.

I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

The importance of food combining

Food combining has been around for a very long time.  You've probably heard of it, and most people's reaction is; "Oh!  That's so complicated!"  It actually isn't.  Once you get the hang of it, it really is quite simple.  However, in my quest to find authors who explain it without causing mass hysteria I discovered a book called Food Combining Made Easy, by Herbert M. Shelton.

This book was first published in 1940, Herbert Shelton was ahead of his time and pioneered many of the pillars of the modern health food movement, including vegan diets, fasting, raw foodism, and the concept of natural hygiene.  His teachings inspired such followers as Mahatma Gandhi and George Bernard Shaw, along with many famous health food advocates throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries.

Unfortunately I have to admit that I didn't find it as easy as I would have liked.  According to Shelton digestion all comes down to enzymes, he says:

"Each enzyme is specific in its action.  This is to say, it acts only upon one class of food substance.  The enzymes that act upon carbohydrates do not and cannot act upon proteins nor upon salts nor fats.  They are even more specific than this would indicate.  For example, in the digestion of closely related substances, such as the disaccharides (complex sugars), the enzyme that acts upon maltose is not capable of acting upon lactose.  Each sugar seems to require its own specific enzyme."

What this means is that an enzyme that digests carbohydrates, for example, will be paralyzed in an acidic environment.  Acidic environments are necessary for digesting proteins, so, if you eat a hamburger and the bun the mix of protein and carbohydrate means that the carbohydrate or the bun in this case, will stop being digested and left until the protein has been digested.

But he does have some great explanations.  In chapter III of his book he explains - at length - the right and wrong combinations, here is an abbreviation:

1. Protein - Starch combinations:  Eat protein foods and carbohydrate foods at separate meals.
2. Protein - protein combinations: Eat but one concentrated protein food at a meal.
3. Acid - Protein combinations:  Eat proteins and acids at separate meals.  Here acids means acid fruits.  For example, vinegar or other acid used in salads, or added to salad dressing, and eaten with a protein meal, reduce hydrochloric secretion and thus interfere with protein digestion.
4. Fat - Protein combinations: Eat fats and proteins at separate meals.  Fat inhibits the secretion of gastric juices that digest protein, however, an abundance of green vegetables, especially uncooked ones, counteract the inhibiting effect of fat.
5. Sugar - Protein combinations: Eat sugars and proteins at separate meals.
6. Sugar - Starch combinations:  Do not eat sugar with starch... this means no jam, honey, marmalade on your bread/ toast and no breads mixed with fruits.
7. Melons... always eat alone.

These are the basic rules of food combining.  However, I prefer a more user friendly approach!

Vegetables such as:

Lettuce, celery, endive, chicory, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, chard, cucumber, asparagus, Chinese cabbage, parsley, onions, leeks, garlic, zuccini, escarole, sweet pepper, tomato (although technically a fruit), etc

Proteins such as:

Nuts, peanuts, cheese, meat, fish, eggs, etc

Starches such as:

All cereals, potatoes, legumes, carrots, egg plant, radishes, turnips, peas, etc

Fruits such as:

Orange, grapefruit, pineapple, pomegranate, lemon, apple, grape, peach, plum, cherries, strawberries, pears, apricot, etc

Vegetables can be eaten either with protein or with starches.  But you should NEVER mix starches and proteins.  So no more hamburgers in a bun, or steak and fries, or pasta with a meat or fish sauce.

Fruits and Nuts should be eaten separately and preferably between meals.  This means that fruit or nuts should be eaten either 1 hour before a meal or 2-3 hours after a meal.  Never as a dessert!

On the whole I don't recommend drinking commercially prepared fruit juices.  It is always much better to eat the entire fruit than just have the juice.  If you want juice make it at home and drink it as quickly as possible.  There is a huge juice movement going on in the world right now and I am definitely not against it when carried out properly - juicing is helping thousands of people to lose weight and improve their health, but I insist it should be done correctly.

Food combining is part of the F.I.T Method and I would just like to remind you what the Method can do for you:

• More energy
• Better quality of sleep
• INSTANT WEIGHT LOSS
• Better digestive function on all levels.
• Scientific method
• Immediate guaranteed results
• Improvement in general health
• Personalized method


I can help you improve your health.  If you would like to make an appointment with me either in person or via Skype, just send me an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com

Going nuts could save your life!

Nuts have had a slightly negative press for years as they are considered fattening.  They are fairly high in calories but have so many other benefits to offer that they should be an important part of your diet.

A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine highlights the health benefits of nuts.  The good thing about this investigation into the benefits to nuts is that it followed 100.000 men and women over several decades, so not just a quick look on a small scale.  It concluded that eating nuts helped the participants to lead healthier lives, pushing back the inevitable conclusion we all face eventually in life... death.  Seven or more servings of nuts per week cut the risk of dying by A THIRD (one serving was defined as one ounce, which is about a handful of almonds).

Specifically it was found that the participants who ate nuts five or more times a week had a 29% reduction in death from heart disease; an 11% reduction in death from stroke; a 23% reduction in death from infection; a 24% reduction in death from respiratory diseases; a 29% reduction in death from kidney disease; and an 11% reduction in death from cancer.

Need I say more?

A famous study of Seventh-Day Adventists ( a religious movement in the United States) who consume a low-fat, plant-based diet, compared nut eaters with non nut eaters, anticipating that the nuts which are high in calories and fat, might just raise their risk of heart disease.  However, even though this group is on a heart healthy diet which is mostly vegetarian, those Adventists that ate nuts at least five times a week had a 48% lower risk of death from coronary heart disease and a 51% lower risk of non fatal heart attack compared to those who consumed nuts less than once a week.

The FDA isn't happy about nut manufacturers toting the health benefits of nuts to consumers.
 Recently, the FDA sent a letter to Diamond Food Inc., a producer of walnuts, ordering them to "cease and desist" from making medical claims about their products.  The FDA even threatened to confiscate the "misbranded" nuts as illegal contraband.

So why are nuts so good for us?

1. Nuts are a perfect VEGAN food.  The current fashion for plan based diets means that nuts provide essential protein and oils that balance a vegetarian diet that might otherwise be too carb-rich and lacking in beneficial fats and certain vitamins and minerals.
2. Nuts are PALEO.  This means that with the exception of peanuts, which are actually legumes.  Tree nuts and seeds are ancient staples of the human diet to which millions of years of evolution have made suitable for our human bodies.
3. Nuts are LOW-CARB and therefore low GI.  The Glycemic Index or GI, tells us how quickly the sugars in foods are digested, absorbed, and released into the blood stream.  High GI foods tend to overwhelm the body's sugar handling capacity, which leads to metabolic syndrome and diabetes.  Nuts are relatively low-carb to begin with, and the carbs they contain are released slowly after a meal so they don't cause a spike in blood glucose which causes the body to release insulin to normalize the blood glucose level.  They are also a great way of quashing a sugar-craving or hypoglycemia.
4. Nuts make you feel full.  Eating nuts promotes a feeling of being full, even though they are high in calories.  They actually stop your cravings for sugar laden, high-fat foods.  Some studies suggest that incorporating nuts into your diet will actually help you to lose weight - not put it on.
5. Nuts are high fiber.  Nuts are high in soluble fiber, the best kind of fiber for slashing your risk of cancer and heart disease.
6. Nuts are a great source of PHYTOSTEROLS.  These are plant sterols which are thought to bind to cholesterol and help to eliminate it from the body; the American Heart Association recognizes phytosterols as a natural form of reducing the risk of heart disease.
7. Nuts contain healthy fats and oils.  Nuts are rich in essential fatty acids such as linoleic acid and alpha linolenic acids.  Essential means that we need to get these from our foods as our bodies can not make it by themselves.  A lack of essential fatty acids can cause dry skin, inflammation, infertility, mood and memory problems and promote heart disease.
8. Nuts, as I have said before, are a great source of Vitamin E.  Vitamin E is a vital anti-aging vitamin and nuts are the best natural source of this critical antioxidant.
9. Nuts are high in B vitamins.  B vitamins are essential for a healthy mind and body, they ease stress, treat anxiety and depression, aid memory, relieve PMS and reduce heart disease risk, they can even help with migraines.  Nuts provide many vital B vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6 and folates.
10. Nuts are a great source of POLYPHENOLS.  These great antioxidants derived from plants protect the body against free radicals.  Nuts contain a wide range of polyphenols, including resveratrol (anti-aging), lutein, cryptoxanthin and many others.  Flaxseeds and sesame seeds are high in lignans, a specific subtype of polyphenols that may protect against reproductive cancers.
11. Nuts are rich in ZINC.  I love zinc, it is a great immune system booster and aids in reproductive function.  Some very strict vegetarians don't get enough of this mineral.  Zinc also helps in its immune capacity to ward of colds and flu.
12. Nuts are high in MAGNESIUM.  Magnesium is another critical mineral which aids in over 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body including; protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation.  Lack of Magnesium often manifests itself as fatigue or irritability and can cause and increase in risk of heart problems, diabetes and high blood pressure.
13. Nuts deliver COPPER.  This mineral is essential for brain development and maintenance, efficient communication between nerve cells, healthy skin and connective tissue, healing, structural integrity and function of heart and blood vessels, growth of new blood vessels, proper structure and function of circulating blood cells, formation of white blood cells (immune system), maintenance of a healthy and effective immune response, generation and storage of energy in cells and mitochondria.
14. Nuts deliver SELENIUM.  Selenium is a major immune booster and just three Brazil Nuts per day can provide all the selenium you need, especially if you are a vegan or vegetarian.
15. Nuts are user friendly.  If you spend a lot of time out of the house, and need to take food with you, a small packet of nuts is easy to carry, won't spill or make a mess.  It's much better to eat a handful of nuts than to snack on doughnuts or other sweets at work.

So, got nuts for nuts... they really will save your life!

Social Nutrition:

You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com