What is the difference between Whole, Refined & Processed Food?

I had someone question me tonight on what is a "Whole Foods Diet"?  To understand the diet, I guess it would be prudent to understand what a whole food is? Just so happens that I had a little review question for my holistic nutrition 101 course that I had to answer that gives a brief summary of nutrient richness and the difference between whole, refined, and processed food. There is obviously much more to learn, but I can get this out pretty quickly this evening:

Nutrient richness is the total amount of nutrition including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other health giving properties of a food per calorie eaten. The more nutrient rich a food is the more of these health giving properties will be contained with each calorie eaten. On the other hand, a nutrient poor food will require consumption of many calories to obtain the same nutrition as a nutrient rich food.

The best way to get nutrient rich food is to eat food in it’s whole, unprocessed form. This is food the way nature made it or typically with little preparation in the kitchen. A whole food contains all the nutrients that existed when it was harvested, be it a plant or animal product. 

A refined food may have one or more of it’s nutrient properties removed. This may be done for flavor, texture, or better digestive properties.  A good example of this would be white versus brown rice where the outer bran and hull are removed to make white rice and makes for easier digestion in some individuals as well as a lighter flavor.  A refined food is one that can typically be produced in the average person’s kitchen.

A processed food is one that cannot be made in the average person’s kitchen. Processed foods are typically derivatives, extracts or foods that are made in a laboratory or under high-temperature conditions. A good example of a processed food would be breakfast cereal flakes. These are typically high-heat extruded in a factory and cannot be made in the average kitchen oven. 

Here is a great free e-book with recipes and information on a nourishing, whole foods diet. Of course, I also do personal coaching to assist you with the transition as well and can often help you and your family transform your overall diet in just a few appointments.  Click Here for Free E-Book!

What are Xenobiotics???

Here is a little essay I had to write for my Master's program in holistic nutrition. I thought it would make an interesting read for those who may not know what xenobiotics are, where they are found and how to reduce your exposure.

Xenobiotics are any chemicals that are foreign to a living organism. This means they are not normally part of an organism’s food nor necessary for life. These chemicals are often carcinogenic and if they don’t cause immediate harmful effects, over time they will cause the health of an organism to deteriorate. These foreign chemicals are found in our food and water supply, packaging, and personal care products.

There are various sources of these xenobiotics in the food and water supply. They come from herbicide and pesticide use from farming operations. They come from antibiotic and hormone usage in industrial animal farming operations. They also come from the pharmaceutical industry with a full assortment of various foreign chemicals such as birth control pills which add estrogens to the water supply. There is also chemical waste from factories as well as endocrine disrupting chemicals such as BPA in plastics and even infant formula cans. Personal care items such as lotions, hair spray and toothpaste contain xenobiotics such as parabens and flouride. Jet fuel is a large problem along with perchlorate from rocket fuel, largely due to military activities and exercises. Many fighter pilots will simply dump excess jet fuel over an agricultural field to reduce weight for landing as a common practice.

Xenobiotics have infiltrated all aspects of the food and water supply. Streams, lakes, ponds, and the ocean all have some level of these chemicals. The earth in many areas is saturated with these chemicals and therefore the groundwater is contaminated as well.  Much of these foreign chemicals are taken up by the roots of agricultural crops or are absorbed directly from spraying. The crop then transfers this often carcinogenic substance to it’s fruit, berry or grain before it is consumed by an unaware consumer. These contaminated grains can also be eaten by animals which tend to concentrate these pollutants in their fat and muscle tissues, and excrete them as waste as well. Foreign chemicals are also found in ordinary tap water and some levels are often allowed. Most water supplies are not required to test for pharmaceutical pollutants, nor have a means to get rid of them.

The best way to reduce your exposure to these pollutants is to buy organic produce and from a trusted source. Generally speaking, the most trusted source is your local farmer or even your own backyard. Another way to reduce exposure is to avoid drinking tap water and drink only spring or purified, filtered water. Avoid all Styrofoam and plastic packaging, storage, and especially plastic water bottles. Find a good ceramic or stainless steel water bottle to carry water and other beverages in. Try to find local, pasture raised meats which will have been fed a lower amount of grain than a CAFO or industrial agricultural animal would have consumed. Some local farms even use only organic feeds as well for an added layer of protection. Try to use all natural creams, lotions, and toothpastes to reduce exposure to toxins and chemicals on the skin and body. One extreme solution, and may be necessary in some cases, would be to move altogether to a location that is cleaner, away from environmental pollutants, has a better water supply, and more access to organic foods. 

For more information, here is a great website: http://www.ewg.org/

Bottoms Up, Bottoms Up, Ay What's in Your Cup?

If you are the type to get right on a Friday night, you know what happens once you "open the well".  Your kidneys get quite a workout. That's because alcohol is a diuretic. Diuretics cause water loss and along with that water loss comes mineral loss which in the standard American diet is already lacking. This can cause some serious nutritional deficiencies, of which one of the most important, especially for women, is magnesium.

A deficiency in magnesium can have devastating effects on the body. Here are just a few:

These changes include muscle weakness, tremor, and spasm. In the heart muscle, magnesium deficiency can result in arrhythmia, irregular contraction, and increased heart rate.
Because of its role in bone structure, the softening and weakening of bone can also be a symptom of magnesium deficiency. Other symptoms can include: imbalanced blood sugar levels; headaches; elevated blood pressure; elevated fats in the bloodstream; depression; seizures; nausea; vomiting; and lack of appetite. http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75

A couple of other symptoms that I have personally observed in individuals with magnesium deficiency are poor sleep quality, insomnia, and acid reflux. Magnesium is an alkaline mineral and why it is used in some antacid products. The type of magnesium used for supplementation is in a different form and dosage than those used in antacids and laxative products that you see on the shelf.

Some great food sources of magnesium are pumpkin seeds, spinach, black beans, almonds, cashews and sunflower seeds.  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=75  I also recommend a magnesium supplement for my clients as well.

So if you lift your red solo cup, make sure you are replacing those precious minerals that make your body run like a well-oiled machine. If you are having some of the issues listed above and feel you need help on choosing the right type or dosage of magnesium, contact me and I'll be glad to help you get on the right track to better health.

Ideal or Make it Real?

Being the perfectionist that I am, this is a topic that hits close to home. As I ironically, personally struggle to find healthy foods in one of the "top ten agricultural counties in the country"- mainly due to the huge industrial agri-business in our area, I realize that sometimes being "real" is as good as "ideal".  There is an 85-15 rule to strive for by eating 85% whole, unprocessed foods and 15% processed foods. By keeping this mindset you don't set yourself up for failure if you eat that one cookie that you have been craving. You have 15% to burn, so a cookie doesn't hurt!

I would like to carry this one step farther with organic vs. non-organic foods. Ideally, you want to eat nothing but pastured, organic, hormone-free, etc. foods but there is thing called reality.  One, some of these foods are not even available within a 30 min driving distance and on a budget are out of many people's reach. This past Friday my Mom decided to fix a very healthy meal of liver and onions. Of course I special ordered mine without wheat flour as my Dad insists on his being "country-style" battered.

Yes, the liver is the filter of the animal. This particular liver came straight from a CAFO operation, loaded with antibiotics, hormones and God knows what, packaged and sent to the local grocery. You know what? I ate 2 big pieces of that "non-organic" liver and felt the best I had in weeks. I went out later that evening and had plenty of energy to keep going late into the night. Want to know why? Because along with this CAFO filter were an extremely healthy dose of vitamin A, B12, copper, B2, tryptophan, folate, zinc, B3, B5, phoporous, B6, iron, and selenium! Reference There are very few foods on earth that come even close to the nutrition in this marvelous piece of organ meat.

The main thing to remember is you don't have to be perfect to be healthy. A conventionally grown apple, carrot, cherry, kiwi, orange, etc. is always going to be better than a moonpie, honeybun, or even a bag of "all natural & baked" chips. Likewise, eating non-organic liver once a week will do much more for your health than not ever eating liver at all because you don't have access to clean, pastured, organic liver.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations

Calf's liver

 

It's Cod Liver Oil Day!

I've seen multiple informative links today on Facebook concerning fish oil and vitamin A. I'm a big believer in foods and supplements that offer the most bang for the buck. Cod liver oil is one of those, supplying not only the much touted DHA, but EPA, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and D. Fermented cod liver oil is also known to have many more nutrients that have yet been researched. Concerned about vitamin A toxicity? Most studies showing vitamin A toxicity were using a synthetic form of vitamin A. Beta carotene is one safe form vitamin A, provided an individual is capable of breaking down this nutrient into it's vitamin A derivatives. Some individuals are not able to do this properly or efficiently and why I prefer to use the guaranteed supplement to work. Krill oil is an alternative for those who get digestive issues from cod liver oil and/or their digestive system has yet to heal (due to a poor diet and lifestyle) to the point that they can take cod liver oil with no issues. Along with phospholipid coated omega-3's, krill oil supplies a small amount of a very powerful antioxidant-astaxanthin, but does not contain sufficient amounts of vitamin A.

Some women may lack vitamin A

http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/11/23/Some-women-may-lack-vitamin-A/UPI-10441258957333/

Fish Oil Activates Thyroid Signaling in Your Liver to Burn Fat

http://www.wellnessresources.com/weight/articles/fish_oil_activates_thyroid_signaling_in_your_liver_to_burn_fat/