Nutrition It s what s eating you, that counts
By Othon Molina, Ph.d.c, LMT
First of all I want to make it clear that this information is not to diagnose nor prescribe, and it should not take the place of the advice of your doctor. This is intended to complement conventional medicine, not to replace it. Consult with your doctor before starting any kind of nutritional program.
Before we talk about food, one of the most important nutrients we put in our bodies is water. Pure tap water is now next to impossible to find in most cities. Even in beautiful Hawaii most people drink purified or filtered water. Our bodies are 75% water, it becomes imperative to not drink polluted or chlorinated water. Chlorine has been linked with heart disease and who knows how long term use may affect our health. Just get a good water filter, because much of the bottled water is questionable.
FAT
Even my ten year old daughter reads the labels to see how much fat is in the products we buy. It s eating the wrong kind of fat that can weaken the immune system.There is some new research that heart disease is more linked to stress than to fat consumption. Most doctors are still telling us to cut down fat, both the saturated fats (meats and milk) and Polyunsaturated (oils).
Saturated fats are; chicken, beef, lamb, pork, duck and milk products. You want to be able to reduce these high-fat foods and modify your favorite recipes. Especially if you eat them more than three times a week. A good number to keep fat at is about 20 or 30% of your diet.
Most people are making an effort to cut saturated fat in their diets by reducing the eating of meat, taking the skin off chicken, whole milk is almost eliminated, most people that drink milk are using 2%. Then again many are cutting down on butter, margarine, vegetable shortening, and all products made with tropical oils and partially hydrogenated oils. Read the labels they are in lot s of stuff you buy, even when it may not need it.
Polyunsaturated oils are not that great either they are; safflower, sunflower, corn, soy, and especially cottonseed oil, it s downright toxic. These oils are unstable and many experts feel they react with oxygen and can damage DNA and cell membranes. Especially hazardous are the solid vegetable shortening, butter is better than margarine, we should try to reduce these from the diet. Hydrogenated oils are in lots of products as well, these are toxic to our cardiovascular system and should be eliminated for greater health.
Unsaturated fatty acids when heated form TFA s or Trans-Fatty-Acids. Many doctors believe this damages the body at the hormonal level as well as our natural immune system.
Monounsaturated oils are the best for the body; that includes virgin olive oil, canola, peanut and avocado. These oils can help reduce the bad cholesterol in the body as well. Olive oil is the best used raw, as in salad dressings, or to dip your bread into. Another good fat we can increase the consumption of is Omega 3 (fatty acid) by; Tuna, sardines, mackerel, herring and salmon; salmon being the one that has the most. Other great sources of Omega 3, are hemp or flax oil, or flax or hemp meal.
CARBOHYDRATES
There are many theories of weight loss, stop carbos, eat proteins, blood type diet, eat less, eat more, it s confusing. It seems every few years we see a new diet for weight loss. Carbo s are still a great food for clean burning fuel they are only fattening if you re not burning enough calories. We know that fat and carbos burn clean, only protein does not, it actually creates toxic residue. Many advocate a balanced diet, one that leans towards having a more alkaline body, more good Fat, less carbos, and more greeens.
PROTEIN
We need protein to grow, maintain and repair tissues. In our modern society,we eat too much protein. The essential nutrients cannot be duplicated by the body nor found in other foods these key components are the amino acids.
Most people still rely on animal products for protein: meat, chicken, fish, and dairy products. These however are not a good energy source for the body. Primarily because it s hard to digest and worse it actually creates toxic residue, in the form of nitrogen, as well as an acid environment, which can irritate the immune system. Balance is the key, to get enough protein so that your body has enough for repair and growth, but not so much that it s overburdened with trying to eliminate the excess and overworking the digestive system. All this extra protein can lead to your body to actually having less energy, more toxins and overall a weaker system.
Good vegetable sources of protein are; beans, grains, seeds and some nuts. The difference between animal and vegetable sources is that meat is very concentrated protein, whereas the vegetable sources have lots of edible starch and fiber. Another important component for a well functioning digestive system, fiber is one of the things too much meat eating is lacking. We need that roughage for a smother working digestive, and elimination system.
Most doctors say we need from 4 to 6 ounces of protein a day is plenty. Some cultures do fine on far less. For diabetics they recommend 4 ounces per meal. I think you should feel it out for yourself, enough to stay alkaline. If you are a vegetarian and your body works great without it, great. There is also information that says that you can t get all the amino acids from vegetable sources. Once again the key is try something and see how you feel. One or two meals a day with protein seems to be the recommendation, according to most. Others say you should have fat, carbos and protein all at the same meal. Yet others say not to mix protein and carobs, so who really knows. I think the key is to eat a large variety of good foods, and not the same food all the time, your body will pick and take what it needs.
Because of fast foods, what would help most bodies would be to increase vegetable and grain intake and reduce animal protein. Grains and beans are a great source of fiber and protein. It s always a good idea to get organic foods, and hormone free meats. It s scary what they inject and feed in commercial animal production farms.
Nuts and seeds, like almonds and sunflower seeds, are great sources of vegetable protein, they do have some fat (mostly polyunsaturated) so moderation is important We eat too much in our society.You can see us carrying around the excess in our bodies.
Soybeans have the most protein as well as significant amounts of polyunsaturated fat. Soy protein is not only made into tofu, but all kinds of products. Many people feel it s a great source of protein; there is cheese, tempeh, yogurt, milk, wieners, burgers and lunch meats made from soy now. There may be great health benefits to soy that is just coming to light
Two of the best known soy phytoestrogens —genistein and daidzein—are now being explored for their ability to moderate human hormonal imbalances. ( I quote Dr. Weil).
Eggs are a good source of protein, just don t overeat them either. Get fertile natural range fed and no hormone eggs. Avoid raw eggs, there is salmonella in them quite often.
As my good friend Dr. Bruce Parker says, It s not what you eat, but what s eating you that counts .