What is Happening to our Food?

Introduction

I believe that if we went back to basics that there would be almost no need for ‘medicines’ herbal or allopathic.

Part of my work as a landscape consultant involves designing lifestyle blocks and much is devoted to designing blocks of land for personal food production.

I thought I might share some interesting facts gleaned from Michael Pollan’s book “In Defence of Food”. A fabulously unbiased book written by a journalist with no hidden agendas and not connected to any organization or scientific body.

Every trip to the supermarket these days requires us to navigate what has become a truly treacherous food landscape. Tip: don’t buy product from middle isles if you want to avoid processed Franken-foods.

Firstly let us look at what has happened to food production in the last 30 years. Michael Pollan claims that the idea that eating should be about bodily health, is new and destructive brought about by government policy and politics.

Some facts:

• Government ideology ‘speak not of food but nutrient value” which means food is no longer food but a list if nutrients.
• Introduction of food labeling laws in 1973. This meant that food was promoted in terms of nutrients couched in unpronounceable scientific names and numbers.
• That we must eat ‘scientifically’ and under the guidance of ‘experts’.
• The science of nutrition created unwarranted fear of some food groups  ie  lipo-phobia (a cute term meaning fear of fats). This paradoxically has coincided with the low fat diet and a dramatic increase in obesity and diabetics.
• Now another one- carbo-phobia (fear of ? you guessed it carbohydrates)
• Further this has created a nation of orthorexics (ortho meaning right and rexic meaning diet or appetite) who have an unhealthy obsession with food.
• Totally missed is that” whole foods are the sum of their nutrient parts” and that whole foods consist of components that act synergistically that simply cannot be explained using current diagnostic tools. For example when beta carotene (found in yellow fruits and vegetables) acts in concert with other plant chemicals it provides beneficial protection but in isolation becomes a pro-oxidant as shown in the increase of tumours in some cases.
• That 17,000 new processed ‘food imposters’ are introduced into super market shelves worldwide every year.
• In the American Midwest, sustainable ecosystems have been lost as 10 billion bushels of cheap corn are produced annually.
• This over production of corn has introduced a vast new stock of biomass into the environment. This needed to be used thereby creating a whole new food chain all containing corn or corn by-products
• One such product is High Fructose Corn Syrup that has crept into almost all processed foods and is partly responsible for the epidemic of obesity and all that goes with it.

There is no need to be unduly influenced by the ‘experts’ because you don’t need to fathom the particular food’s complexity to reap its benefits.  

If the experts acknowledge that they got it spectacularly wrong, we all will come to the conclusion that the “Emperors of Nutrition” (Michael Pollan’s apt term) have no clothes and we would never listen to them again

This unhealthy obsession with healthy eating takes away the simple pleasures of eating and more importantly producing and cooking or own food. Nutritionism is the official ideology of the western diet clothed in science and driven by captive markets.  In other words eating is now scientific…..

The Ultra Violet Myth

In days gone by tillers of the land lived by their circadian rythms: risng at dawn,completing their hard manual labours before midday where they would sit down to a hearty protein and fat laden meal, rest for few few hours during the hottest part of the day and commence the rest of their activities later in the afternoon. Their lives were characterised by lengthy periods of mobility punctuated by short bursts of aerobic and anaerobic activity all carried out with large portions of their bodies exposed to natural sunlight.

The Modern Plague

Modern lifestyles and building designs – typical of offices, schools, and hospitals throughout the developed world – are compromising the health of people on a global scale, according to Dr Richard Hobday, engineer and author of The Healing Sun. It is entirely possible that the modern urban environment may increase the severity of pandemics.

We now have cities where people get only a few hours of sunlight a week, and school children sit in sunless buildings with all manner of paraphernalia, including the now-debatable use of sunscreens, to keep the sun off them.  We are seeing near-paranoia around sunlight exposure, without a proper understanding and appreciation of the sun’s critical role in the essential biochemical processes  underpinning our general health.

Sunscreens and Cancer 

New Zealand skin cancer experts, along with a group of international health specialists, have given Hobday’s book due consideration after noting that the incidence of melanomas has increased in direct proportion to the use of sunscreens, and in proportion to decreased sunlight exposure.

Some sunscreens have biological effects, besides tanning, known to produce chromosomal mutations. A contributor to the British Medical Journal in 1979 stated that “It is with considerable uneasiness that I suspect an increase in skin cancers to be probable in future years from the widespread and, in my opinion, ill-advised use of preparations containing 5-methoxypsoralen [sunscreen]”.

Office workers are more prone to developing melanoma than those who work outdoors.  Not surprising, considering office workers spend long periods indoors and only periodically subject themselves to short intense bursts of sunlight – without giving their bodies adequate time to adjust.  Further, there are suggestions that non-solar factors such as diet, hormonal levels, viruses, drugs, skin traumas and some occupations involving exposure to chemicals may have a far more relevance to melanoma development than reasonable and sustained exposure to sunlight.

To keep this in proportion, while there has been an increase in melanomas, it is in no way comparable to the exponential increase in deep organ cancers.

Stress, Depression and Superbugs 

Hobday demonstrates in his book that correct exposure to sunlight actually helps prevent diseases such as deep organ cancers, heart conditions and osteoporosis.  As designers, we have a privileged opportunity to help professionals, office workers and those who work indoors to gradually and increasingly expose themselves to safe sunlight levels, and in turn to reduce the likelihood of occupants developing melanomas or other cancer types.

While exposure to sunlight may be a factor in triggering skin cancers, other underlying lifestyle factors are likely to make us more susceptible: factors such as a diet of over-processed foods, exposure to ionising radiation and  electromagnetic fields, and increased levels of stress.

Our modern office environment, with its artificial lighting and lack of opening windows, places the body under stress, leading to the over-production of cortisol (a stress hormone implicated in a range of degenerative conditions).

Lack of sunlight affects magnesium levels, a vitally important mineral for the health of the nervous system.  Lack of sunlight is also implicated in the severity of depression, in particular SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). This is, in part, because sunlight is a requirement for the production of serotonin which, when low, causes depression.

Before the use of antibiotics, sunlight was used to speed up the healing of wounds and to treat TB patients, with those in sunlit hospital rooms recovering faster than those in darker rooms.  The design of modern (hermetically sealed) hospitals increases the risk of post-operative complications due to so-called ‘superbugs’. The modern urban environment may also be increasing the frequency and severity of pandemics.

Vitamin D Synthesis and Bone Density 

Sunlight exposure is critical for the human body to adequately synthesise vitamin D, low levels of which have been implicated in the incidence of breast, colon and prostrate cancers.  Low vitamin D levels also generate low levels of calcium – resulting in brittle bones, and increase the likelihood of developing heart disease.

New research now links levels of sunlight exposure with bone density. Hobday’s book mentions an interesting reference to a comparison of the bone density of Egyptian warriors’ skulls (who shaved their heads from childhood), to those of Persian soldiers, who kept their heads covered.  The Egyptian skulls were demonstrably denser than those of their Persian counterparts.

Sunscreens (which block sunlight from reaching the skin) are known to prevent the synthesis of vitamin D, leading to low bone density in young women.  Likewise, many dollars are spent on hospital care for the elderly specifically related to bone fracture incidents.  There are significant economic benefits to be gained from improving bone density across the population, alongside the more obvious benefits to individual health and mobility.

A Return to Basics 

We need to halt the tide of increased dependence on high-tech living, which will increasingly require medical intervention and monitoring of health. With this progression comes an increasingly unforgiving margin of error in what should be simply living.

As architects, environmental consultants, engineers and urban designers, Hobday’s book highlights our need to urgently revisit the health-giving attributes of the sun, and to factor this in as part of our various roles in developing designs that truly are sustainable.
 

Facts on Fats, Carbohydrates and Insulin Resistance

We have had a huge response to the previous newsletter on metabolism and weight loss which focuses on effective weight loss by changing the ratios of fat, proteins and carbohydrates while ensuring you get sufficient nutrient dense food. ( lots of green leafy vegetables)

Note: when taking herbal extracts be aware that these can react with medication. It pays to check with your doctor prior to taking them. Here are some cautions:

• Do not take gingko if you are on blood thinners. You will know if you are overdoing it if you notice that you bleed more easily, ie gums or bleeding noses, bruising more than usual.
• Stop taking gingko if you are scheduled for surgery as the thinner blood may complicate surgical procedures.
• Do not take St John’s Wort if you are on the pill or life supporting medication as this herb will stimulate the liver to excrete any xeno-substances(drugs)
• Do not take St John’s Wort if you are on prescription anti-depressants.
• Do not take valerian if you are on blood pressure medication. Valerian lowers blood pressure naturally by acting as a vasodilator.
• Do not take licorice if you have high blood pressure.

Interesting Weight Loss Experiment: (Conducted by researchers Gaston Pawan and Alan Keckwich (1956)

The experiment involved 3 groups of overweight subjects selected by the researchers and  given the following diets. Their energy output was monitored to be the same for each group.

The three groups were permitted 1000 calories per day

• Group 1 fed 90% carbohydrates
• Group 2 fed 90% protein
• Group 3 fed 90% fat

Results were as follows:

Group 1 gained 0.24 lb (0.11kg) per day

Group 2 lost 0.6 lb per day (0.27kg) per day

Group 3 lost 0.9 lb per day (0.41 kg) per day

The theory is that as long as fat is coming in, that there is just enough fat to convince the brain you are not starving but not quite enough to meet your energy needs so your internal fat stores get used to make up the deficit. Adequate levels of dietary fat lower leptin levels, assures the hypothalamus that there is plenty of food and this keeps the metabolism running smoothly.

NOTE: Be aware that this was a controlled experiment and that it is not advisable to go on a 90% fat diet. You will go beyond ketosis to a dangerous state called ketoacidosis. Normal ketosis from a low carbohydrate nutrient dense diet is regarded as safe. Some say ‘desirable’ as it means the body is burning fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. The ‘Paleo’ diet focuses on using ketones for energy.

A diet high in Non-fibrous Carbohydrates including refined sugars and why you should not be including them in your diet.

• Makes you a glucose/sugar burner instead of a fat burner.
• Makes every carbohydrate consumed not immediately required for turbo-charged anaerobic, converted to triglycerides and stored as fat.
• Raises tryglycerides and blood fats- a risk for heart disease.
• Raises insulin levels which makes you fat, leads to insulin resistance and increases the risk of diabetes and metabolic disorders.
• Raises leptin (fat sensor, a hormone secreted by fat cells) levels. Leptin resistance has the same risks as insulin resistance.
• Causes glycation -sugars in the bloodstream react with proteins and fats causing them to deteriorate.
• Raises systemic inflammatory levels in your body.
• Will weaken immune function.
• Will amplify the negative effects of too much cortisol caused by stress.
• Increase the likelihood of yeast overgrowth, toxic bowel and impaired liver function to detoxify the body.
• Lead to the degradation of telomeres( sequences of nucleic acids responsible for the aging ‘clocking’ mechanism.

In other words cut down on all processed food, white bread, refined flour (cut wheat products out if you are gluten intolerant as our new strains of wheat do not have the buffers that were present in ancient grains) cereals, potato and corn chips, sweetened beverages biscuits etc. Again this is an area we have control over particularly if you are prepared to grow your own food.

Metabolism

This month has proven to be interesting with nationwide structural changes to the company I am working for as an environmental/landscape consultant. This has provided me with an opportunity to strike out alone. A few leads have proven to be positive and exciting in particular with eco-sustainable, enterprises. If any one is interested in eco-sustainable farming and some tips on designing a carbon neutral property just let me know. I will be sending out a regular newsletter under a new banner.

The Truth about Fat and Sugar in our diet

You don’t get fat by eating fat; you get fat through a high sugar/carbohydrate diet that disrupts insulin.

Also another myth is that it is a good thing to speed up your metabolism to lose weight. This is like having the engine idle running too fast. People with an over-active thyroid can’t put weight on because their metabolism is running too fast. Eventually you burn out and the body succumbs to excessive oxidation. The same applies to excessive exercise. What you need to do is to improve the efficiency of your metabolism thereby not exhausting your adrenals and damaging the thyroid.  Tune down the idle and still lose weight.

‘Reduced fat and frequent use of low caloric food product have been associated with a paradoxical increase in obesity’ Heini and Weinsier AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. There is a huge amount of misinformation about the evils of saturated animal fats and full cream milk. Just remember the more processed it is the worse it is for you. It is a short chain fatty acid which does not produce damaging peroxides like vegetable oils (except olive oil).’

‘ The diet-heart ( that suggests a high intake of fat and cholesterol causes heart disease) has repeatedly been shown to be wrong and yet for reasons of pride, profit and prejudice, the hypothesis continues to be exploited by scientisst, fund raising enterprises, food companies and governments’ (George V. Mann M.D., Researcher with the Framingham Heart Study)

I tend to be wary of anything that clams to be ‘Fat Free’ ‘Low calorie’ ‘Sugar Free’ as these products invariably will have undergone additional and excessive processing to improve palatability. Also be aware that most processed foods contain corn based fructose a ‘sugar’ that will play havoc with the insulin response something you do not want if you are serious about your health.

 So what do we do?

• Avoid the use of any vegetable oils like canola, sunflower, safflower, cotton seed, soya.  ( rice bran is OK provided it is stored only in glass or tin)  These “Franken-fats” are prone to rancidity causing mutagenic changes damaging DNA leading to cancers and arterial plaques. They are present in nearly all packaged foods biscuits cereals.
• Swap the above with saturated fats ( saturated fats do not inhibit insulin binding, or interfere with enzyme functions like vegetable oils) Saturated fats are also used by the body to fight viruses. Fats are a slow burning fuel curbing appetite.
• Saturated fats come from grass fed meats and dairy products. They protect omega 3 oils in the body and do not oxidise to dangerous by-products the way polyunsaturated fats do.
• Increase your intake of fish like salmon and wild game meats for the omega oil and protein content.
• Fry with butter, olive oil, duck or free range poultry fat (used by the French, known for their low incidence of heart disease and weight issues).
• Taking a tsp daily of inexpensive lecithin will help ensure cholesterol is at the correct level. It acts as an oil surfactant and will stimulate acetylcholine which will give you energy.
• Avoid at all costs margarine, please if nothing else. Even the ones with olive oil.
• Drink full cream milk preferably raw. There are now many farm-gate sellers of raw milk popping up over the country. They have very strict regulations imposed on them with respect to hygiene, and how much can be purchased at time. I buy full cream, milk and yoghurt at a fraction of the price I pay at the supermarket.
• Avoid completely, processed, refined grains. Some experts say that any grain based carbohydrates should be avoided altogether due to gluten issues, presence of morphine like substances called exorphins. ( I have yet to be convinced but have found by just reducing carbs has certainly improved my energy levels and a noticeable toning and improved muscle mass within weeks.)
• Avoid combining proteins and fats with large quantities of starches and sugars.
• Slow down insulin and leptin (top metabolic hormone) reactivity by reducing carbohydrate and sugar consumption and taking omega oils, and. Leptin is a recently discovered hormone responsible for weight maintenance.
• Increase vitamin D levels by regularly exposing your skin to sun when ambient temperatures are below 18 deg. Also take a tsp of cod liver oil daily along with plant based omega oils. (this regime is better than any sunscreen to protect you from skin cancer).
• Increase your intake of green leafy vegetables. Eat them with a blob of butter which will further enhance the uptake of oil soluble vitamins and nutrients. Growing these yourself is immensely satisfying. Make sure you get heritage seeds and allow some to set seed and then share with your neighbours. Don’t further line the pockets of multinational agricultural companies.
• Some experts say avoid all fruits( apples, oranges, peaches etc)  except berries. Maybe,- maybe not but I am inclined to think that any foods the individual can grow and cook themselves, are more than likely to be safe to eat. Any information with respect to this should be looked at and measured against who benefits? Food giants really are only interested their profit margins, not a nation’s health. Incidentally tree ripened fruit are alkalinising (good thing).
• Ten minutes before meals drink half a glass of water with a tsp of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to prepare the stomach for digestion. Also alkalinising.
• If you are really serious about losing weight, cut out all forms of sugar and sweeteners for a month.
•  Avoid all artificial sweeteners which originated from experimenters tasting the chemicals used in manufacturing pesticides. Besides being a poison’ trick the body into a false insulin response.
• Take gingko extract 2ml daily to prevent peroxidation of fats around our cells, improve blood supply and oxygen to muscles. Gingko thins blood by reducing the sticking together of platelets.  This herb is used in treating early stages of Alzheimer’s.
• To restore adrenal reserves – Adaptagenic herbs such as high-grade Licorice, and Ashwaganda can all help to restore depleted adrenals from chronic sympathetic dominance
• Take additional vitamin C supplements will act as an anti-oxidant as well as helping with collagen production and to improve skin and hair quality.
• Above all go back to basics avoid processed foods. Read labels.
• Question manufacturers about what sort of ‘sugar’ is in their product. I have done that and quite a few could not tell me if it had cane sugar or a corn based fructose. I doubt that manufacturers have to state what sort of ‘natural’ sweeter they use.

Below is our slow burning Smoothie recipe which will help switch on the production of acetylcholine (energy neurotransmitter) and help reduce leptin resistance.  Remember to front load your day with proteins.

Smoothie Recipe

This smoothie should be taken in the morning to stimulate acetylcholine (energy neurotransmitter) production

Half a cup of  yoghurt ( we use a full cream raw milk one)

1 banana

half a cup of mango pulp or pineapple and fruit pulp

1 dessert spoon of Omega Oil Complex

1 tsp of cottage cheese ( sulphur based protein )

3ml Gingko extract

½ tsp ascorbyl palmitate (oil soluble vitamin C)

Tsp spirulina which provides amino acids (protein load)

1 dessertspoon lecithin granules ( flushed and clears arteries and is a precursor to acetylcholine)

Blend with a stick blender