Tag: Diet

We have all heard the term ‘eat a balanced diet’. But what does that mean? And, honestly, why should we do it? Finding the ‘right’ foods can be complicated and time-consuming. Is it really worth it?

The answer is ‘Yes!’. Otherwise, your body can be subject to all kinds of complications and diseases. Particular attention should be paid to fruits and vegetables.

Epidemiological and clinical studies have consistently demonstrated the numerous health benefits associated with eating fruits and vegetables, each day. And be sure to get your daily recommended fiber.

Calcium Deficiency

Calcium is essential for maintaining strong bones and teeth, regulating muscle function, and supporting nerve transmission. Unfortunately, 70% of Americans fail to meet their recommended daily intake of calcium, which can lead to increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Symptoms of calcium deficiency include muscle cramps, weakened bones, and dental problems.

To combat calcium deficiency, include calcium-rich foods in your diet. Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt are excellent sources. For individuals who are lactose intolerant or follow a vegan diet, calcium-fortified plant-based milk, tofu, leafy greens (like kale and collard greens), and almonds can provide adequate calcium intake. Aim for 1,000-1,200 mg of calcium per day, depending on your age and gender.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Even after all the conversations about the importance of vitamin D to fight Covid, half of the U.S. population has a deficiency, especially among those who live in locations with limited sun exposure and northern latitudes.. Vitamin D is essential for maintaining healthy bones, regulating the immune system, and supporting overall well-being.

Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency include fatigue, muscle weakness, bone pain, cancer, bone fractures, and a weakened immune system.

To combat a vitamin D deficiency, the best thing to do is to get out in the sun without sunscreen for about 10-15 minutes a day. For best sunlight, make sure your shadow is shorter than your body. If sun is not available, then incorporate vitamin D-rich foods into your diet.

Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines are excellent sources. Additionally, fortified dairy products, egg yolks, and mushrooms exposed to sunlight are also good dietary sources. Aim for 600-800 IU of vitamin D per day to meet your body’s needs.

Vitamin C Deficiency

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that supports immune function, collagen synthesis, and iron absorption. Although severe vitamin C deficiency (also known as scurvy) is rare in America, mild deficiencies are still prevalent, with 43% of U.S. adults and 19% of children deficient.

Symptoms of vitamin C deficiency include fatigue, poor wound healing, and susceptibility to infections.

To combat vitamin C deficiency, incorporate vitamin C-rich foods into your diet. Citrus fruits (such as oranges and grapefruits), strawberries, kiwi, bell peppers, and broccoli are excellent sources of vitamin C. Aim for 75 and 90 mg of vitamin C per day for women and men, respectively.

Iron Deficiency

Iron is vital for the production of red blood cells and the transportation of oxygen throughout the body. Iron deficiency, also known as anemia, is a common nutrient deficiency, with 17% of premenopausal women and 10% of children in the U.S. . Symptoms of iron deficiency include fatigue, weakness, pale skin, and difficulty concentrating.

To combat iron deficiency, include iron-rich foods in your diet. Animal sources such as red meat, poultry, and seafood are excellent sources of heme iron, which is the most absorbable type of iron. Plant-based sources of iron include legumes, tofu, spinach, and fortified cereals.

Pairing iron-rich foods with foods high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits or bell peppers, can enhance iron absorption. Aim for 18 mg of iron per day for women and 8 mg per day for men.

Creating a Balanced Diet to Combat Nutrient Deficiencies

Now that we have discussed the top five nutrient deficiencies in America, let’s explore how to create a balanced diet that can help combat these deficiencies. The table below provides a breakdown of the recommended daily intake of each nutrient and the corresponding foods to include in your diet.

We went straight to Dr. Michael Greger’s book, How Not to Die. He has a ‘daily dozen’ list of foods to put on your meal plan every day. He even has an app so you can check them off.

See his list below for more ways to get all those nutrients into your diet:

Small changes make a big impact

By incorporating these practical tips, you’ll find it easier and more enjoyable to meet your daily recommended intake of fruits and vegetables while ensuring you’re getting adequate fiber and protein as well. Remember to consult with a healthcare professional or registered dietitian for personalized guidance based on your specific nutritional needs.

Consider these Meal Plans!

Scroll down for some examples of meal plans that include each of your recommended daily intake of vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12, calcium and vitamin C. This also includes your daily value of fiber, fat and protein while taking into consideration your recommended caloric intake, based on a 2,000 calorie per day diet (unless otherwise noted).

Meat is a natural source of many vitamins, minerals, and amino acids and has specific protein compounds fundamental to overall health. Let’s investigate what nutrients meat has that plants lack.

5. Vitamin B12

The B12 vitamin is almost exclusively found in animal foods, including fish, meat, and eggs.

B12 is crucial to maintain a healthy body. It helps develop red blood cells and helps keep our cells healthy. It also supports and maintains nerve and brain function. B12 increases our energy levels by preventing megaloblastic anemia, which makes people tired and weak.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the average daily recommended amount of B12 for adults is 2.4 micrograms. It’s also important to note that plant foods do not naturally contain any vitamin B12 unless they’re fortified, making it difficult to achieve the recommended daily value on a plant-only diet.

4. Vitamin D

Vitamin D comes in two forms – D2 in plants and D3 in animal foods – and both are important. In our bodies, vitamin D, in both its forms, promotes calcium absorption, helps bone growth and cell growth, reduces inflammation, and works to maintain proper immune function. And, although both forms of vitamin D are vital, a vitamin D3 deficiency has been linked increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis.

If you want to increase your vitamin D3 intake, the best sources are fatty fish and egg yolks.

3. DHA

DHA, otherwise known as Docosahexaenoic is an omega-3 fatty acid that’s essential for brain function.

DHA is vital for infant brain development, as well as maintenance and normal brain function for adults. Deficiencies in DHA have been linked to cognitive decline and increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and depression. One study found that a low-fat diet with less DHA increased women’s plasma triglycerides, and the severity of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

The best source of DHA is in fatty fish, but there are algal oil supplements you can take if you are following a plant-based diet.

2. Complete Proteins

There are two types of proteins – complete and incomplete – and they differ based on their amino acid profile.

There are over 20 types of amino acids and nine essential amino acids. Complete proteins contain all nine, while incomplete proteins lack at least one amino acid. Because our bodies can’t make these crucial amino acids, they must come from our diet.

Animal-based foods, such as meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy, are all sources of complete proteins. Plant-based foods, like fruits and veggies, seeds, nuts, and grains, lack one or more essential amino acids, making them incomplete proteins and not a good sole source of protein in your diet.

However, you don’t necessarily have to eat meat to get your amino acids, but you do have to be strategic. You can mix and match incomplete proteins to create a complete one. For example, when consumed together, rice and beans create a complete protein. So do peanut butter and whole wheat bread. Below is a chart to help guide you on what foods contain certain amino acids and what they lack.

1. Digestive properties

Plant and animal proteins are different because they contain different set of amino acids. But they also differ in digestive processes. Animal-based proteins are more nutritionally efficient than plant-based since they are absorbed into the body more quickly.

It takes the body 36 to 72 hours to properly break down protein into its amino acids where they can be absorbed. Since plant proteins have to link up with other foods that contain the amino acid they lack, digestion and absorption take much longer than animal proteins. How fast a protein is absorbed directly affects our metabolism. Plants’ lack of essential amino acids, specifically branched-chain amino acids (BCAA), provide a lower anabolic effect, meaning lower digestibility.

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Time Restricted Eating (TRE) has been around for a while, but many of the earlier studies kept suggesting that “more research was needed” to fully understand the benefits of this type of time-based dieting. Well, here it is: a hub for all the recent studies about the topic that build on prior research and speak to how beneficial TRE can be. Of course, each individual is unique and some benefits might be more evident based on individual diets and overall lifestyles.

Time-restricted eating is a form of intermittent fasting that limits what time of day you can eat. TRE has gained popularity as a weight loss strategy, but recent research has also suggested that it has benefits for overall health and longevity. One popular form of TRE is the 16:8 method, where an individual fasts for 16 hours and eats during an 8-hour window, though many other variations exist (e.g., fasting for 14, 16, or 18 hours).

Interested in different benefits of TRE? Jump to the health benefit most relevant to your needs:

SLEEP & CIRCADIAN RHYTHM: Insulin Sensitivity & Metabolism, Hormonal Regulation, Melatonin Production, Improved Sleep Quality

BRAIN HEALTH: Memory Improvement, Anti-inflammatory, Anxiety and Depression

CHRONIC ILLNESS REDUCTION: Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Health, Metabolic Disease, Oxidative Stress

WEIGHT LOSS: Weight Regulation, Fat Burn, Improved Insulin Sensitivity, Improved Energy Metabolism

Need Help Resetting Your Circadian Rhythm?

Circadian rhythm is the internal biological process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and other physiological processes in the body, including hormone production and metabolism.

Recent studies have shown a strong link between circadian rhythm and metabolism. Disruptions to the circadian rhythm can lead to metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes. One of the key ways in which time-restricted eating may benefit the circadian rhythm is by synchronizing the timing of food intake with the body’s natural rhythms.

• INSULIN SENSITIVITY & METABOLISM: Research has shown that when food intake is aligned with the natural rhythm of the body, it can lead to improved insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, and also lipid, or fat, metabolism.
• APPETITE REGULATION: Additionally, time-restricted eating may help to regulate appetite by synchronizing the release of hunger-regulating hormones with the body’s natural rhythm.
• MELATONIN PRODUCTION: Another potential benefit of time-restricted eating is that it helps to regulate the body’s levels of melatonin, a hormone that plays a key role in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin is produced by the pineal gland in response to darkness and is responsible for signaling the body to prepare for sleep.
• IMPROVED SLEEP QUALITY: Research has shown that eating late at night can disrupt melatonin production and lead to insomnia and other sleep disorders. By limiting food intake to earlier in the day, time-restricted eating may help to promote healthy melatonin levels and improve sleep quality.

Want to Improve Brain Health?

Time-restricted eating is not only beneficial for supporting sleep patterns, but it may also have positive effects on cognitive function.

• MEMORY IMPROVEMENT: Studies have shown that TRE can improve memory, attention, and learning abilities in both animals and humans. This is likely because fasting can stimulate the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that plays a key role in neuroplasticity and the growth of new neurons.
• ANTI-INFLAMMATORY: Additionally, BDNFs derived from fasting also have anti-inflammatory effects that can protect the brain from damage and disease. A study published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience in 2019, found that time-restricted feeding improved cognitive function in mice.
• ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION: TRE not only offers physical brain benefits, but also psychological benefits. It has been shown that time-restricted eating can improve mood and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. This may be because it can help regulate the body’s stress response and improve the overall sense of well-being.

Want to Reduce Likelihood of Chronic Illness?

Another potential benefit of time-restricted eating is that it may reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases. Studies have shown that TRE can improve markers of metabolic health, including reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation.

• TYPE 2 DIABETES: TRE may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, a growing public health concern affecting over 3 million people in the U.S. A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2019 found that time-restricted eating improved markers of diabetes in obese men.
• CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH: TRE also benefits cardiovascular health, as it can improve endothelial function and reduce the risk of heart disease by helping to regulate blood clotting, aiding in the body’s immune response, controlling substances like electrolytes that pass from the blood into tissues, and appropriately dilate and constrict blood vessels.

• METABOLIC DISEASE: In 2020, a study titled Time-restricted Eating for the Prevention and Management of Metabolic Diseases was published in the journal, Endocrine Reviews. The meta study reviewed TRE’s effects on metabolic health with a focus on its potential to prevent and manage metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The study found that TRE leads to weight loss, improved insulin sensitivity, and improved markers of cardiovascular health, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. These findings are consistent with other studies that have shown that time-restricted eating can promote weight loss and improve overall metabolic health.
• OXIDATIVE STRESS: The study also found that time-restricted eating leads to improvements in markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, which may help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. This is supported by the Salk Institute study which found that time-restricted eating led to a decrease in the expression of genes involved in inflammation, which ultimately lead to these chronic diseases.

Focused on Weight Loss?

 It’s also worth mentioning that time-restricted eating can be a convenient and easy way lose weight since you’re less focused on counting calories or eliminating certain foods. This makes it a more sustainable approach to weight loss and overall health, as it can be easily incorporated into a person’s daily routine.

• WEIGHT REGULATION: A study published in the journal Obesity in 2018 found that TRE, in conjunction with a high-fat diet, led to weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity in obese individuals. The study also found that TRE led to an increase in the expression of genes related to circadian rhythm and metabolism, suggesting that TRE may work by aligning the body’s metabolic processes with its natural circadian rhythm.

• FAT BURN: Another study published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2019 found that TRE led to a reduction in body weight and fat mass, as well as improvements in glucose tolerance in obese individuals.
• IMPROVED INSULIN SENSITIVITY: A study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry in 2020 found that TRE led to a reduction in body weight and fat mass, as well as improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in overweight and obese individuals.
• IMPROVED ENERGY METABOLISM: One of the latest studies in Cell Metabolism in 2021 showed that TRE improved energy metabolism and reduced the risk of developing metabolic diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Want more information on time-restricted eating?

We’ve got you covered. Check out these articles to learn more about TRE:

• How to get started on fasting.
• Here’s a personal testimonial of a 5-day fast.
• Interested in learning more about intermittent fasting & age-related diseases? Click Here.

A year-long Australian study published in the latest issue of the journal Obesity showed eye-opening conclusions about our dietary habits: populations with a preference for highly processed foods like pizza, chips, and snack bars, lead to staggeringly high percentages of obesity.

According to a press release, the lead author of the study, Amanda Grech, Ph.D. stated that: “As people consume more junk foods or highly processed and refined foods, they dilute their dietary protein and increase their risk of being overweight and obese, which we know increases the risk of chronic disease.”

Of course, unless you have been living under a rock, you already know this. But what is new news to us is that our bodies are searching for protein and instead reach for the easy to grab, tasty, highly processed foods.

Searching for Protein in Processed Foods

Studies over the years have found that more than half of our daily calories are coming from highly processed foods. An almost two-decades-long study published last year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that ultra-processed food consumption grew from an alarming 53.5% of daily calories in 2001-2002 to an even more worrisome 57% by the study’s completion in 2018. If the trajectory continued at this rate, it would trend towards 60% by 2035.

The work of these studies set the stage for the latest research on the “protein leverage hypothesis” which details that people eat more fats and carbs to satisfy their protein demand, causing unbalanced diets.

And we need protein for a reason. It fortifies our body in multiple ways.  Among just a few tasks, It helps build cartilage, tissues, repairs your body, carries oxygen through your body, and helps to digests your food.

Compounding research is building a case for the “protein leverage hypothesis,” which was first proposed in 2015 by University of Sydney researchers. To summarize, the hypothesis suggests that our body has a strong appetite for protein, and favors it over fat and carbohydrates. To quickly satiate that protein hunger drive, people unknowingly overeat fats and carbs.

Think of it like this—instead of seeking a lean piece of grilled chicken, the majority of westerners will instead seek something convenient, like a bag of chips, which you can break open the seal and pop in your mouth in an instant.

However, to satisfy that protein hunger, your body might signal to your brain that, even though you just ate a bag of chips, your hunger still remains, and off you go opening another processed snack until you feel full.

Substituting Highly Processed Foods for Protein Causes Obesity

According to the Institute of Food Technologists, 47% of American adults eat snacks at least three times a day. This has sent the snacks market skyrocketing, with snack food sales reaching over $25 billion in 2019.

Consumer research firm YouGov found America’s most popular snack foods to be Cheetos, Tostitos, Snickers, Fritos, Pringles, Lay’s, Oreos, Jif peanut butter, Planters nuts, Doritos, Ritz, Reese’s, Hershey’s, and M&M’s. According to Statista, we love our convenient, shelf-stable snacks. Most Americans reported having at least one bag of Cheetos per month in 2020, 3 out of 4 Americans eat at least a bag of Fritos per month, and Lay’s is the top dog with the best-selling chips in the U.S.

But at what cost are we consuming these low-protein, ultra-processed snacks? According to this new research, our body will continue to crave calories until that protein hunger is met, leading to a vicious cycle of increased snacking for many.

Let’s do a little protein density comparison, shall we?

• A 3-ounce chicken breast contains 27 grams of protein and 128 calories. To get the same amount of protein, you would have to eat almost TWO full-size 8.5oz bags of Cheetos, totaling over 2,000 calories. 
• A 3-ounce salmon filet contains about 17 grams of protein and 108 calories. To comsume the same amount of protein, you would need to eat over 50 Oreo cookies – that’s about 3,000 calories!
• A 3-ounce cut of lean steak contains about 21 grams of protein and 100 calories. You could have that, or you could opt for a dozen Reese’s cups, about 1,300 calories.

Keep in mind that we’re only talking about protein here. When we choose convenience over protein-dense foods, our body doesn’t get essential nutrients like fiber and omega-3 fatty acids. What we get instead when we eat these foods are excess sugars, omega 6s, and other ingredients causing immune system suppression. There’s a reason why we call highly-processed foods “empty calories”.

Nutritional information stated above sourced from nutritionvalue.org.

But then why don’t we just eat the lean protein-dense options if we know the snack food is bad for us? CONVENIENCE! We live in an era where everything must be easy, quick, and at-your-fingertips. Food is no exception. If you can eat a bag of Fritos while simultaneously working or running errands, we will opt for that every time, as opposed to spending 20 minutes preparing a fresh meal like a grilled chicken breast with veggies.

According to the USDA, ready-to-eat foods like those listed above save time and money but at the cost of our health.

But the research emerging now is giving us some important warnings about these bad habits, AND most importantly, helpful tips like having a protein-dense breakfast, that can help solve a negative eating cycle of highly processed, high-fat, high-carb, low-nutrient snacking.

What you eat first every day matters most

The University of Sydney analyzed nutritional and physical activity surveys from 9,341 adults, known as the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey which was conducted from May 2011 to June 2012.

Researchers plotted calorie intake versus time of consumption and found that the pattern matched that predicted by the Protein Leverage Hypothesis:

People who ate lower amounts of protein in their first meal of the day went on to increase their overall food intake in subsequent meals, versus those who received the recommended amount of protein ate significantly less throughout the day than their counterparts.

According to Dr. Reubenheimer, we will innately eat more to get the protein our body craves, no matter what form it comes in.

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to protein intake, however. Requirements can vary between 10 to 35 percent of our total amount of calories for the day.

It is also important to note that not all protein has to come from meat—sources like grains, legumes, eggs, and vegetables can also be well-rounded sources that are not highly processed.

Nana’s homemade sourdough bread, my mid-day protein bar, a whole wheat turkey wrap—all fiber-packed options that are good for me, right?

Until recently, I assumed all fiber was good fiber and that I will take it any way I can get it. But we must consider where we are getting our nutrients from.

Though this classification seems to provide a clear-cut differentiation between fiber types, some academics believe we must also focus on three things when considering fiber quality in our diet: solubility, viscosity, and fermentability.

Understanding Solubility, Viscosity, and Fermentability

Solubility is the first important consideration. The term refers to the bioavailability of nutrients in the body. Foods like oats, peas, beans, barley, apples, citrus, and carrots are all great sources of soluble fiber. These fiber nutrients are able to be mixed with water and absorbed by the body. Soluble fibers can aid in digestion and lower blood sugar.

Alternatively, insoluble fibers cannot become available for the body to absorb. Instead, they are considered non-digestible fibers, or more of a bulking agent that simply passes directly through the digestive system. While the FDA has used this as a threshold for including it on the nutritional label (as little to no nutrients can be derived), non-soluble fibers also serve a purpose: they pull water to the colon to help soften stool, thus making it easier to pass.

Viscosity refers to fibers’ ability to thicken when mixed with fluids. This includes polysaccharides like gums, pectins, psylliums, and beta-glucans. Viscous fibers have been credited with many physiological responses such as enhanced feelings of fullness which can aid in weight loss due to appetite control.

Good sources include asparagus, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, barley, oats, oranges, legumes, and mangoes.

Fermentability is precisely as it sounds – the ability to ferment. Fibers that are able to ferment can stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial gut bacteria, called prebiotic fibers. This can improve glycemic control and digestion efficiency, and lower blood cholesterol concentration. Good sources of fermentable fibers are oats, barley, chicory root, leeks, onions, and bananas.

FDA’s updated fiber classification

Fiber has been loosely defined as a group of carbs that humans cannot digest, but does not identify the health effects of the type of fiber. Recently, the FDA changed its framework around what can and cannot be included as fiber on a nutritional label.

Specifically, all naturally-occurring fibers are allowed to be listed; however, only seven out of 27 functional fibers made the cut. This is due to either their solubility, viscosity, and/or fermentability:

The FDA recommends that our total dietary fiber be about 25 grams per day, of which about 6 grams or 25% of our DV should be comprised of soluble fiber. Our nutritional label placed fiber beneath carbohydrates and is noted as Dietary Fiber.

Remember that the grams listed next to the nutritional fact are per serving size. Furthermore, the percentage to the right details what percentage of the recommended daily value (DV) each serving size contains.

In the example to the right, there are 6 grams of dietary fiber per ½ cup, which accounts for 24% of your recommended daily value.

In the U.S. products that contain at least 10% DV or over 2.5g of fiber per serving can claim on their packaging that they are a good source of fiber. Foods containing 20% DV or 5g or more can label a product high in fiber.

Fiber and gut-health science

Here is a little bit of science for you to bring the whole picture to life.  Many things impact an individual’s composition of gut microbiota, of which fibers play an important role.

The fiber in the gut provides energy for the microbes to create metabolites, like short-chain fatty acids. These fatty acids are then absorbed into circulation or be utilized as an agent for other microbes to use for digestion.

Gut-derived short-chain fatty acids have been shown to improve metabolic regulation and insulin sensitivity, regulate weight and reduce inflammation. That said, recent studies support the importance of soluble, fermentable fibers as a priority.

Fermentable fiber specifically can serve as food, that some of your good gut bacteria can feed on, in a process called fermentation, which releases gases like carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which are either released or absorbed into the body. Most especially, the bacteria found in your colon need fiber to function.

Tips to Take Away

While this may seem like a lot to digest, pun intended, here are some easy takeaways that you can start doing today!

1. Seek 10% whole grains when you can. As you likely discovered when reading over the sources of soluble, fermentable, and viscous fibers is that most whole-grain fibers fall into all three categories. Look for foods like whole barley, oats, brown rice, and whole-wheat products.
2. Eat fruits and veggies at every meal and as a snack. This is probably the easiest to remember—because fruits and veggies are both high in fiber AND they are packed with other beneficial nutrients. Eating fresh produce every meal will ensure that you are getting in natural fibers.
3. Gradually increase your fiber, but not all at once. You may be tempted after reading this to go out and pack your diet full of fiber, but be forewarned. Drastic or sudden increases in fiber can cause gastrointestinal issues. Be sure to gradually increase your fiber intake so as not to disrupt your gut microbiome and cause discomfort.
4. Drink plenty of fluids with your fiber. Fiber draws in water, so without drinking water to accompany our fiber, you risk becoming dehydrated. They have a harmonious relationship, so be sure to include plenty of fluids with your fiber intake.

Whether you are substituting your white bread for a whole wheat wrap, just remember that while not all fibers are created equal, they all serve a purpose. Natural fibers are nutrient dense and are bioavailable for the body to use, while functional fibers can help with digestion.

For your daily recommended value, be sure to consume at least 25g of natural fibers per day—these will be listed on your nutrition labels!

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Covid has prompted many of us to be more cognizant of our health. Yet statistics show that the average American has increased fat intake in the last decade. This extra fat can be stored in the body, causing weight gain, inflammation, and increased white fat stores, all precursors to health issues.

So, how much fat are we supposed to eat? Is too much omega-6 fats the issue? And if so, how can we alter our diet to obtain the correct ratio? Let’s find out.

The Fats of Today

Most Americans consume a “Western diet,” where we’re not eating nearly enough fruits and vegetables, but too much sodium, sugar, and fat – specifically omega-6 fats.

But this way of eating is relatively new to us. At each meal in the 1900s, most Americans ate a large portion of carbs with their meat and vegetables; processed, high-fat foods were not readily available. But today’s diet reflects the irresistible convenience of fast foods and processed foods, putting that ratio to an astounding 15:1. The recommended amount by health officials is 4:1 Omega 6 to Omega 3.

Many of the foods we eat every day have plenty of omega-6 fats. This includes healthy nuts, seeds, and seed oils. However, fast food, fried foods, and too much oil used in food manufacturing are the biggest culprit of unhealthy omega 6 overconsumption, leading to a reduced intake of omega 3s found primarily in fatty fish, like salmon, avocadoes, and olive oil.

The disparity between omega 6 and omega 3 consumption over the last few decades could be why there has been a deluge of diseases with inflammation markers, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. As we like to say, everything is in moderation, too much of any one thing can cause a problem, and omega 6s are no exception.

For instance, eating fast food, fried food, processed food, and skipping on healthy fish, fruits, and vegetables obviously will give you diseases you would rather avoid. Excess amounts of omega 6s, over 17 grams for men and 12 for women, especially as we age, can cause low-grade inflammation and a lower fat burn rate.

Yet various health organizations, including Mount Sinai and Harvard Health, still say this is not the case, and we should not be worried about our omega 6-to-omega 3 ratio as long as we’re eating the right foods in the right amounts. Harvard Health defends Omega 6s when responsibly consumed. Citing studies from the American Heart Association show they are safe and beneficial for the heart and circulation when appropriately consumed.

What do other experts have to say about this? Are we damaging our health with our Western diet?

We spoke with Dr. Lilly D’Angelo, President of Global Food and Beverage Technology Associates, LLC, to uncover the truth about omega-6 fatty acids and their potential adverse health effects. Dr. D’Angelo is an expert in the field. During her career working in the food and beverage industry, she studied omega-6 and 3 fats and their effects on the body. 

Expert Take on Omega 3 & Omega 6 Relationship

There are pros and cons to both Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids. Omega 3s contain eicosatetraenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), along with alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). EPA and DHA both have beneficial anti-inflammatory components and provide various benefits. Omega 6, on the other hand, contains linolenic acid (LA), and this converts to arachidonic acid and gamma-linoleic acid, which is what’s primarily found in seed oils.

These fatty acids can aid in the repair and growth of skeletal muscle tissue. Both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids are essential in our diets because our bodies can’t make these components themselves. We need to get them from food!

The differences between these two can also be seen on a molecular level. Dr. D’Angelo explains that omega-3 fatty acids have a double bond at the #3 carbon counting from the end of the “tail” of a long chain fatty acid, whereas Omega-6 fatty acids have a double bond at the #6 carbon counting from the end of the “tail” of a long chain fatty acid. In the hydrogenated oil, a type of processed oil, the double bonds are removed by adding hydrogens and therefore prolong the shelf life of these oils, hence removed antioxidant benefits of these oils.

It’s like this – the more double bonds a fatty acid has, the more benefits it contains since these double bonds work like an antioxidant in the body, protecting our cells from damaging free radicals.

Many say that linoleic acid, which we know comes from Omega-6 fatty acids and has few double bonds, can cause inflammation in our arteries, blood clots, and blood vessel constriction. Research shows that EPA and DHA from Omega 3s are both anti-inflammatory, with DHA being even more beneficial than EPA. These acids cause the opposite reaction of LA improving cognitive function, lowering blood pressure, and improving eye health. This is why we need to eat MORE omega 3s than 6s.

In Defense of Omega 6…

They’re not all bad, and Dr. D’Angelo says we should not cut out all omega-6 fats from our diet. We need them, just not as much as we’re currently consuming. Omega-6 fats help us maintain bone health and metabolism and contribute to a healthy diet. But the amount and type of foods we eat determine a healthy omega 6 intake.

If we eat a healthy diet, with five or more servings of fruits and vegetables, at least 50 grams of lean protein, and 28 grams of nuts and seeds each day, then we’ll get plenty of omega 6s. Limiting the consumption of fast-food, fried foods, and too much oil will help keep us on the right track regarding the current Western diet ratio.

Initially, the recommended ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 was 10:1, but studies show that this ratio was even too much omega-6, and Dr. D’Angelo agrees. The new guidance recommends an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of at least 5:1, if not even 4:1, or 2.5:1. These ratios have been shown to have numerous health benefits, including prevention of cardiovascular disease.

So what about seed oils? Dr. D’Angelo points out that eating seed oils is perfectly fine, and they should be used instead of olive oil in some cases, like making stir-fry or deep-fried foods, because olive oil has a lower smoke point, that makes the food less tasty. Seed oils can fry your foods for a shorter period, saving nutrients. However, as with anything, moderation is key. She states:

Let’s talk Omega 3s… 

As stated above, omega-3s contain both DHA and EPA. DHA is what’s found in fatty fish like salmon. It’s also in omega-3 supplements, like fish oil vitamins. We should focus on our DHA intake because it has the best protective benefits against cardiovascular disease.

When it comes to eating omega 3s and specifically DHA, the more we can consume, the better. The American Heart Association recommends eating seafood twice a week for this reason. But other foods include DHA, as well.

If you look at the labels on some of your foods, DHA may be added. Dr. D’Angelo talked about when she worked for Coca-Cola, and they added DHA into the Minute Maid Orange Juice. It was a huge seller and helped consumers get their DHA.

Adding DHA is especially common in dairy products. Dr. D’Angelo says almost every brand has some DHA: yogurts, milks, and even kids’ drinks like chocolate milk. Some snacks can have omega 3s added, but may also use high amounts of oil, so it’s essential to read the entire label before consuming.

DHA is also added to infant formula. This is because mothers naturally have DHA in their milk, and Dr. D’Angelo says pregnant women and new mothers should take DHA supplements to increase the amount of DHA they give to their babies.

A few takeaways

Focusing on our 5:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3s is crucial to maintaining good health. So too, is increasing our consumption of omega 3s any way we can. Here are some ways you can do that:

1. Eat more fish – Fatty fish, like salmon and tuna, are the best source of DHA. Eating fatty fish twice a week is a great starting point. The list also includes trout, sardines, swordfish, mackerel, and mussels.
2. Take a fish oil supplement – Although we recommend getting our nutrients from whole foods, Dr. D’Angelo says she even takes a DHA supplement from fish oil or another source to ensure she gets as much DHA as possible. These supplements can be found in the vitamin section at any grocery store. But always talk to your doctor before starting any new supplements.
3. Consider the Mediterranean diet – We’ve discussed the Mediterranean diet before on D2D because it’s full of whole foods, fish, olive oil, and more that we need to lead a healthy lifestyle. D’Angelo says that those who follow a Mediterranean diet are the exception and have the correct ratio because the diet is full of whole foods with many omega 3s.
4. Include foods with both Omega 3 and Omega 6 properties – Although most foods have one or the other, some foods have a good ratio of both, like flax seeds, spinach, and mangoes.

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Are you ready for a pop quiz? Which bodily component is responsible for producing over 90% of the energy in your body cells, makes up 40% of each heart muscle cell, can change shape to move around when needed, can grow and divide when more energy is required AND can produce hundreds of variations of proteins? If you guessed mitochondria— ding ding ding — you are correct!

Back to Biology Class

Here is Mitochondria 101 for you! You may recall that all human cells (save for red blood cells) contain an organelle called mitochondria, the “energy factory” of the cell. The primary function of this squiggly bean is to turn food and other fuel sources into cellular energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is a biological term for energy that our cells use to function.

We like to think of them as the digestive system of cells. Why? Well, they are designed to break down carbohydrates and fatty acids efficiently.

This process of breaking down nutrients, better known as oxidative phosphorylation, takes place in a complicated matrix within the mitochondria, where a chemical called NADH is produced. NADH is used by specific enzymes embedded in the mitochondria’s inner membrane to generate the required ATP. ATP is unique in that it cannot be stored; instead, it is immediately used as energy for our cells.

Foods that Fuel

Food is just one component of how to improve mitochondrial performance. Exposure to toxins can impact its function, so avoid heavy metals where possible. Muscle mass is also a contributor; research has shown that even those with mitochondrial damage, as is the case in people with Parkinson’s, it can increase ATP production through strength training, as muscle cells contain more mitochondria than other cells.

Genetics is also a major factor affecting mitochondria. In fact, a subset of diseases categorized as “mitochondrial disease,” including Alzheimer’s, Muscular dystrophy, Diabetes, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and certain types of cancers are genetically transmitted.

But the food you eat is critical for your mitochondria. Research suggests that we should look at optimizing vital, productive macronutrients through specific vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to support mitochondrial function that limits oxidative stress and promote ATP production.

—-–

CoQ10 is the primary antioxidant in human cells.

But what do antioxidants have to do with mitochondria and energy production?

Oxygen is a critical component in energy production and the oxidative phosphorylation process.

Antioxidants help protect mitochondria from any damage that can happen during this process – such as any strain on the cell from excess energy use.

This energy coupling leads to ATP formation as a carrier for both electrons and protons. And (bringing you back to biology 101 again), ATP can be converted into ADP—helping to support energy production further.

It is recommended that we get between 90-200 milligrams of CoQ10 per day. Foods rich in CoQ10 include soybeans, broccoli, peanuts, fatty fish, and oranges.

—-–

Lipoic Acid and Acetyl L-Carnitine work hand in hand to improve age-related decline in mitochondrial bioenergetics.

In other words, they aid in the recovery of fatty acids, increasing energy production and metabolic rate while reducing oxidative stress.

Lipoic Acid plays a crucial role in recharging other important antioxidants for mitochondrial health, like CoQ10 and vitamin E.

Acetyl L-Carnitine (“L-carnitine”) is an antioxidant that scavenges free radicals and promotes liver detoxification while boosting T-cell activation to help maintain immune function.

We should strive for between 600-1,800 milligrams of Lipoic acid per day, and about 3g of L-carnitine per day.

—-–

Resveratrol induces pro-oxidant effects and antioxidant impact on mitochondria.

Resveratrol improves mitochondrial respiratory activity, boosting cellular reprogramming efficiency and cell growth.

Resveratrol is in many of our favorite Mediterranean diet foods, including red wine, blueberries, dark chocolate, and peanuts.

While there is no formal recommended daily dose of resveratrol, in order to see a biological effect, academics suggest a rather large spread of 5mg and 100mg per day.

—-–

Vitamin E‘s abundant health benefits

With regard to mitochondrial health, vitamin E has three key functions: it prevents thyroid hormone-induced changes, reduces the production of free radicals, and elicits beneficial reactions in our cells.

Essentially, it is the cell’s first line of defense when it comes to protecting the mitochondrial membrane from the damage free radicals cause.

How much of this vital nutrient do we need? Aim for 15 mg per day just by simply mixing
sunflower seeds, avocado, and kiwi in a smoothie.

Covid Considerations

Recent studies suggest that a combination of age-related and lifestyle-induced (diet, exercise, sleep, etc.) factors can impact your mitochondrial health and, ultimately, your immune health.

While no studies have concluded that mitochondrial fortification can help with the onset of Covid, it has been concluded that peak mitochondrial function can improve immune health and help to battle both acute Covid and “long Covid.”

Harmful Foods = Malfunctioning Mitochondria

To stress the importance of the above food groups for mitochondrial health, it is essential to understand just the number of functions that the mitochondria in your cells impact.

There are also foods we should avoid in excess, as they can adversely impact mitochondrial function:

Excess sugar is well known to have unfavorable effects on critical functions of our body, most notably our gut and brain health. This is no exception to your mitochondrial health. Sugar inhibits the mitochondria from quickly burning energy, especially in fructose form. Sugar then winds up being stored as fat and producing damaging free radicals.

Be sure to balance your vegetable intake with the fruit servings in your daily diet and opt for whole fruits rather than processed fruit products.

Simple carbohydrates have also been found to be problematic with mitochondrial health. White flour, when eaten, quickly turns to glucose once digested—it might as well be table sugar. Mitochondria tend to function better on a lower carbohydrate diet, as they are able to efficiently create energy rather than frivolously burning junk. Try to keep carbohydrates between 225 and 325g daily.

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Fasting has been in practice since the dawn of humankind and in all cultures and religions. We don’t hear about it as often now, but perhaps our ancestors were on to something…

In addition to its spiritual benefits, implementing a fasting program into an already-healthy diet has been shown to have a significant effect on our long-term health.

For someone who loves to eat, I wanted to fast for the minimum amount of time and get the most benefits. My parents both died of cancer, so my focus is preventing this awful disease, in particular.

What are the benefits of fasting?

Forcing your body to cope with the stress of no food, can help our bodies enhance DNA repair, eliminate toxins, increase brain cells, lose fat, reduce inflammation, and combat diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, cancer, and cognitive impairment.

The benefits, also listed in the image below, have been studied by some of the most trusted researchers today. Of course, many of the fasting studies have been done on mice and other animals – even Labrador retrievers (who lived longer) – but the results have been confirmed on human studies as well. Testing diets is always more difficult to do on humans, but I have learned that putting your body under stress, as in fasting, is something that most of us should do consistently – but with a solid plan.

What is a ‘fast’?

At D2D, we have written about intermittent fasting.  This is where you don’t eat for a period of time each day or week to ‘reset’ your body. For instance, you can fast for 14, 16, or 18 hours each day and then only eat during a 10-, 8-, or 6-hour window.  Or, once a week, you can fast for 24 hours, for example from dinner to dinner.  Maybe you want to do the 5:2 fast, which is fasting for two days each week.

What I wanted to know more specifically is: what happens to my body during the different phases of fasting? And what is the optimal timing to achieve the maximum benefits? Is it 16 or 24 hours?  Is it really five days? And…could I do it for five days?

Our 5-day experience

Our son and his fiancé inspired us to try the 5-day fast-mimicking program they do from time to time called Prolon. This specific one was developed by Dr. Valter Longo, professor at USC Davis School of Gerontology, Department of Biological Sciences, and Director of the USC Longevity Institute. For my husband and me, it sounded challenging but appealing because Dr. Longo has carefully researched and constructed a nutritious diet to follow for each of the five days. Dr. Longo was one of the select few awarded a grant from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institute of Health, to research fasting, cell regeneration, and disease protection.

Prolon sent us a box of plant-based food so we could dutifully follow the protocol which ‘tricks’ our bodies into thinking we were fasting. This means we ate a modest 1100 calories the first day and then between 700-800 calories on days two to five.

The food consisted of caffeine-free teas, an energy drink, fasting bars, crackers, and soups. For instance, one day we would have a bar for breakfast, watery soup for lunch and watery soup and a bar for dinner. All day, the Prolon directions encouraged us to hydrate and keep our energy up by drinking their glycerin ‘L-Drink’ mixed with the tasty teas.

We did it!

We decided to go from Sunday to Thursday. Honestly, I was nervous as we approached the date. I already do the 15-16 hour fasting and that is pretty easy because I know a good meal is coming that very day. I was curious about how I would do on such limited calories for five days without a real meal in sight. I wanted to make sure I kept my muscles, so I planned on continuing my workouts. Would I have enough energy?

Plus, I was worried about losing too much weight. So I did what most people don’t do — I bulked up beforehand and happily gained three pounds. My sister said that I should be more thoughtful and approach this with peace and mindfulness.  She was probably right…my husband just plowed right into this experience without any hesitation or trepidation.

What happened? After seriously overthinking this, basically, we were…fine. We had plenty of energy to work out, we were not tired and while we were hungry, we weren’t “hangry”, so the entire five-day period was only modestly unpleasant. Although, I was very excited to eat a ‘real meal’ on day six!

But the benefits from Prolon are only studied and proven if one does this once a month for three consecutive months. Really?  Do I have to do this again?  I am wondering if there is a shorter version to gain the same benefits.

Your body’s response to fasting

While there are multiple benefits to intermittent fasting, they can be categorized in three areas: burning fat, increasing brain activity, and preventing disease. How long you fast determines the benefits.

Burning Fat:

Each cell in your body needs fuel to function. That fuel comes from carbohydrates ranging from fruit to vegetables to grains. After a meal, the glucose from your meal is used for energy and the fat is stored as triglycerides. When you fast, your liver converts fatty acids to ketones, a major source of energy for many of your body’s organs.

According to a study by Mark Mattson, a neuroscientist from Johns Hopkins, who has studied intermittent fasting for 25 years, “more than just burning fat, ketones regulate the expression and activity of many proteins and molecules that are known to influence health and aging.’

Brain Activity:

Your brain loves ketones. Ketones help generate a hormone called BDNF which strengthen neural connections and promote new nerve cells in the brain for learning and memory. In turn, this may help prevent Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative disorders. Clinical trials have shown that caloric restriction improves verbal memory, executive function (memory, flexible thinking, and self-control), and global cognition.

Preventing Disease:

After a period of fasting, your cells go through autophagy. This is a cleanup of waste and damaged components in the cells. During autophagy, your cells repurpose some of the proteins and other cell parts and then direct them to where they are needed. This is where your body begins to flush out cells exhibiting early-stage diseases such as cancers and Alzheimer’s. Exercise also enhances autophagy, and even more so while fasting.

Inspired by Nimsdai Purja, who climbed 14 peaks in an incredible 7 months, we agree that ‘Nothing is Impossible’.

What kind of fast is right for you?

What type you choose depends on your lifestyle, your microbiome, your goals, and your ability to manage hunger. And don’t forget to check with your doctor – mine was a little curious about the five days.

For me, fasting will now become a way of life – and hopefully for my husband. As a result, I have decided to do an 16-18 hour fast each day with a three or four day fast about four times a year.  If I am extremely motivated maybe I will do Prolon again. Overall, I think this approach is balanced if my diet remains healthy during my eating periods.  I am also pleased to know that while traveling if there are not good food options, I can skip a meal and my brain and body might even thank me.

The key to success is to make sure you eat healthy meals during your non-fasting time. I have heard of some people diving happily and overeating with cheeseburgers, ice cream and beer. Maybe not the best choice on an empty stomach and a ‘refreshed’ body. Instead, lots of vegetables, fruits, healthy fats, whole grains, and proteins are a better bet. And stay away from sugary foods and drinks.

For more detailed information on this here are some credible and helpful resources:

• My brother in law gave us the book “Lifespan” by David Sinclair, Professor of Genetics and co-director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at Harvard Medical School, which gave us a great understanding of “what happens to our cells when we age and why we don’t have to”.
• Mark Mattson, professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
• Andrew Huberman, neuroscientist and tenured Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, has some great podcasts on the effects of fasting and time-restricted eating on fat loss and health.
• Satchidananda Panda, PhD, a professor at the Salk Institute, La Jolla, California, has researched time-restricted eating in a narrow eating window.
• Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac., is an expert, clinician, and educator in the fields of functional medicine and ancestral health explains intermittent fasting with studies as references. He also wrote “The Paleo Cure”.
• Eric Berg, chiropractor, is an educator and has some helpful videos.

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I was talking with a colleague one day about all of the different types of protein bars on the market. As someone who enjoys weightlifting, I am always looking for ways to add more protein into my diet, so we talked about which brands we liked and didn’t like. My colleague finally said, “I guess I was just looking for a reason to have a candy bar.” And, just like that, it clicked.

I quickly remembered my other friend telling me her favorite part of the day is when she gets to have a protein bar because it’s like a treat. I thought to myself, “Hold on, are these bars healthy or dessert?” I thought they’re supposed to be giving our bodies the nutrients it needs at that given time. Yet, so many Americans are unknowingly doing the opposite, pumping their bodies full of unnecessary sugar and fat when all they’re really looking for is a bump in protein to keep them fuller longer, get through the afternoon, or aid in muscle growth and recovery.

A Turn To “Healthy” Snacks

In response to the never-ending desire of many Americans to lose weight, companies met the demand by creating snack options that are filling and boast a higher protein content. With nutrition and health becoming more of a priority among younger generations, especially among those incorporating weight lifting into their regime, snacks with nuts, nut butters, added protein, and other seemingly healthy components seem like the perfect solution.

For this reason, we’ve recently begun regarding snacks like granola, granola bars, and protein bars as “healthy”, even in statistical reports. For example, in 2019, data collected from the U.S. Census and National Center for Health Statistics suggested that over 165 million American consumers said they consumed “healthy” snacks in the last year. However, the main “healthy” snack of choice was granola.

Who said granola was healthy and why do we believe them? According to Insider’s interview with Kim Larson, a registered dietician and nutritionist and media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, granola, granola bars, and energy bars are rated as the second most unhealthy snack group you can eat. They come in right behind potato chips, crackers, and corn puffs — and are even regarded as more unhealthy than pastries and baked goods. If you venture further down the list, trail mix even made the list at #7.

How Are They Unhealthy?

It all comes down to sugar and saturated fat content. The Palinski-Wade Rule of 5, created by registered dietician Erin Palinski-Wade, states that for a granola bar to be good for us, it should contain at least 5 grams each of fiber, protein, and unsaturated fat. And, of course, they shouldn’t have the same sugar amount as a candy bar which, unfortunately, many do.

We know nuts are good for us (good sources of healthy fats such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, and low in unhealthy, saturated fats), and since trail mix and granola bars contain nuts, wouldn’t those be good for us, too? We considered these questions as we dove deeper into this subject. But when you think about it, is a nutbar covered in milk chocolate really good for you?

A PowerBar Lemon Cheesecake protein bar contains 341 calories, 6 grams of fat, 32 grams of protein, and a whopping 25 grams of sugar. A Snickers bar is 245 calories and contains only 22 grams of sugar! Granted, the amount of protein contributes to the calories of the PowerBar, but so does the high sugar component. Just go all in and have a Snicker’s candy bar instead.

Another example of a candy bar-like energy bar is a chocolate chip Clif bar. I used to eat these all the time in college, especially when I didn’t have time to eat a meal between classes. If I’d known what I was putting in my body then, I would have been appalled! A chocolate chip Clif bar contains 21 grams of sugar, a higher sugar content than two glazed Krispy Kreme donuts! And, the ingredients in Clif bars are also something to watch out for, like brown rice syrup, which is basically pure glucose and can cause major spikes in blood sugar.

And It’s Not Just Protein Bars…

Even other healthy snacks, such as flavored yogurt, are not that good for us. A plain vanilla Yoplait yogurt contains 17 grams of added sugar – 65% of our recommended daily maximum sugar of 26 grams (for women, 36 for men) right there! Even Greek yogurt, known to be the healthiest, has up to 24 grams of sugar in its flavored yogurts.

When looking at the macronutrients of a McDonald’s cheeseburger, and comparing it to a packaged protein snack, you may be very surprised. A McDonald’s cheeseburger has 300 calories, 13 grams of fat, 32 grams of total carbs and 7 grams of sugar. Let’s compare this to a Lenny and Larry’s Chocolate Chip Complete Protein cookie, which has 420 calories, 12 grams of fat, 60 grams of total carbs, and 24 grams of sugar. With a similar protein and fat profile, but considerably lower sugar and carbs, the McDonald’s cheeseburger is the clear winner for us.

How Are We Being Fooled?

Somehow, the snacks we’re told are good for us may be as unhealthy as eating a donut or candy bar. How did it get to this? Well, it’s all about advertising and marketing strategies.

Companies know that consumers want to be healthy. Millennials and Gen Zers, myself included, pride ourselves on being “the best version of us,” drinking our oat milk lattes (19 grams of sugar), and eating our protein bars after a good workout in the gym (5-12 grams of sugar). We really like protein so we gravitate toward these bars.

Some of us really like following what celebrities and social media influencers tell us. What we usually forget is that most influencers and celebrities are being paid to advertise these products on their channels and don’t actually eat those 12 grams of sugar in their sponsored bar.

My social feeds contain tons of ads for “health foods,” like detox teas, protein bars, giant salads, smoothies, the list goes on and on. What they’re not telling me is that the detox tea is just regular tea and has no real health components. The salad has more calories and fat than a simple sandwich or wrap. And, the fruit in the smoothie has been stripped of almost all its nutrients and fiber when it was juiced. Yet, we still trust them. Why?

Is it because the only information we’re getting on healthy eating is from social media? Possibly. Or maybe it’s because we align with certain company’s views? I’m a huge Starbucks fan because of their sustainability goals with respect to water conservation and reforestation practices, so I don’t mind buying one of their breakfast sandwiches with 11 grams of saturated fat and over 400 calories. Starbucks would never sell me something bad, that’s just not them. Think again!

Marketing is Strategic…Here’s What We Can Do

As consumers, we should know it is not our fault we are falling for these calculated marketing strategies. That’s what these companies are paying for…of course, it’s going to work! But we don’t have to be a victim. There are so many things we can do to make sure what we’re putting in our bodies is the BEST thing for us.

Try eating a banana with nut butter instead of a protein bar. Incorporating whole foods such as these into your diet will give you better results than the processed bar, and keep you fuller longer. And always ask questions! We have Google and smartphones for a reason, use them!

If you truly want to eat “healthier,” limit your intake of processed bars. For example, if you want a quick, tasty, nutrient-dense snack, choose a high-quality 85% dark chocolate bar instead of a sugary milk chocolate one. We like Lily’s as it uses stevia instead of sugar.

If you’re accustomed to eating protein bars as your post-workout snack, substitute that with a protein shake, nuts or even a canned fish or grilled chicken salad for a non-processed, high-protein snack that’s healthier than any bar you could grab.

A Few Good Options…

If you’re still unsure which bar to eat, here are a few options that have at least 5 grams each of fiber, protein, and unsaturated fats, as well as very little added sugar. If you want to try your hand at a DIY bar, check out this recipe.

And the list doesn’t stop here…for instance, some Kind bar varieties have lower added sugar. Just be sure to check out the nutrition label.

And, as we always say…when you’re in doubt, you can make your own!

Happy & healthy snacking!

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I’m the first to admit that I’m not all that hip. Or whatever the term is for someone who is on top of all the current trends, fads or latest really cool things in our modern world. Fetch?

After a lot of practice, I can turn on my home computer, and my in-the-know wife shows me interesting things she finds on Facebook, the Metaverse, and other gateways into the cyber age. But for me, the TV remote control is far more important in my life. Friends tell me this ‘streaming’ thing will allow me to watch Gilligan’s Island, or even the Flintstones, non-stop, if I want.

In short, I’m far from being Joe Cool. And a lot of what goes on around me in this modern age leaves me with a lot of questions.

Foraging for answers

That includes questions about the foods I eat. Most of the ideas about food that I see are driven by some enthusiastic advocate for a healthier diet or a better environment and a sustainable food system, or simply a new taste experience involving strange and exotic ingredients available at very special prices—the labels and messaging are quite frankly overwhelming.

But I have to admit, however, I was truly perplexed when my wife told me we should try the caveman diet. “Now what,” I remember thinking when she first raised my consciousness with this new gastronomic opportunity.

Maybe you already know about the caveman diet.

As I understand it, it basically says you should eat nothing that wasn’t available to our caveman ancestors — and by inference, I suppose, our cavewoman ancestors, too.

Remember, the caveman was a hunter-gatherer who ate what was readily available. And since there were no Walmarts or Krogers on the landscape, that meant a variety of non-processed foods.

Cavemen seemed to rely on what could be hunted or scavenged – a pre-historic reliance on the same organic, free-range, grass-fed food sources so many people today find so appealing.  (I might add “GMO free,” but technically that wouldn’t be correct, since genetic adaptation has been occurring across time, including the caveman era. But that’s another soliloquy for another day.)

In simple terms, it’s a diet rich in protein and low in carbohydrates. Meat and seafood, certainly, but also a lot of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and even eggs, I suppose.

Plan to rely upon a variety of different types of food, and probably smaller portions rather than a single big entrée, like Beef Wellington or Roast Rack of Brachiosaurus, say.

OFF the caveman table: sugar, grains, trans fats and hydrogenated oils, and obviously such modern contrivances as artificial sweeteners, refined oils, and – shudder – alcohol. Another rule of stubby, hairy caveman thumb: never eat anything you can’t pronounce.

Okay, I’ll give it a shot, I told my wife. She sent me to the local grocery store with a caveman shopping list, which I dutifully filled. But on the way, I stopped at Burger King (and elected to pass on the Impossible Burger, despite the plant-based blessings it promises to deliver) and pondered the implications of all this on how I make my food decisions moving forward. Several thoughts crossed my mind as I ate my double bacon cheeseburger and absent-mindedly munched on my large fries and soothed the sensation of hot food with a cool chocolate frosty shake.

Healthy – and ‘ethical’?

Every day, I seem to hear more advice from self-appointed “experts” and social warriors about what is not just healthy for me but healthy for our planet and our society. I should follow this diet or that diet because it is not just good for my body, but somehow more ‘ethical’ because it supposedly aligns with some societal value judgment. To some, feeding me with the foods I need – and want – isn’t the right way to think about diet. If I don’t agree with someone’s definition of ‘ethical,’ I’m not eating ‘right’ and I must be a bad person?

The enthusiasm I heard for the caveman diet makes me ponder that moral issue yet again. Advocates seem to imply that a caveman diet – with its focus on ‘natural’ foods – is somehow a more ethical food decision. It’s more in line with what our body naturally tells us about what we should eat – what is right, on multiple levels.

If I follow the caveman diet because it is natural and responsive to my body’s essential needs, how do I know what else might be in my best dietary interests? If caveman theory is correct, am I supposed to listen to what my body tells me and eat accordingly? If so, what part of my body do I listen to? And is it okay to consider the other lessons I might learn from my body that might be nutritionally and ethically ‘right’ for me?

What Does My Body Tell Me?

Let’s begin with the obvious starting point: my mouth.

Yes, I have a mouthful of molars that obviously tell me to eat lots of food I can grind up – exactly the fruits, vegetables, and other things that call out to me to be chewed and chewed and chewed some more.

But I also have incisors that do more than make me look like an adolescent or excessively-aged Dracula. They are there to tear and rip things like meat.

Once it might have been an animal carcass. Today it could be a nice filet.

Just a few inches north, my head contains just enough gray matter to let me know how important it is to satisfy my basic nutritional needs and to avoid over-eating – especially those things like chocolate cheesecake and deep-fried Oreos and melt-in-your-mouth sugary donuts and chili-cheese dogs and all the other foods that sustained me in high school and college.

But I also have these taste buds just below that say “oh go ahead…you know you want it, and you’ve earned it. I’m not going to shut up until you do what I say, and you know it, so get on with it. And do you want your golf buddies to think you are some kind of food wuss?”

After all, I have this marvelous thing called a stomach, full of the digestive juices and enzymes capable of breaking down almost anything I can shove down there, in remarkable quantities. There are all sorts of other organs that seem to serve mainly to help that process along, transforming the raw materials into nutrients and speeding the removal of what might be left over. If it isn’t needed or might otherwise be bad for me, there are all sorts of other parts down there to deal with that, too.

And don’t forget something else my body tells me. Diet and exercise go hand in hand. It’s remarkable how much better I feel when I’m physically active, and especially so when I have the discipline to combine intellect and physicality with appetite in reasonable balance. I bet our culinary caveman also spent a good deal of time running – either chasing down food or trying not to become food. There’s a valuable lesson there, I suspect.

Modernizing the Caveman Menu

While I ponder that lesson, a lot of other people have been hard at work with their own evaluations of the caveman diet.

Vegans jumped in with the idea of a “Pegan “diet – an approach that builds on the basic principles of the caveman diet to focus on whole foods and cut out as many high-sodium, high-sugar foods as possible. Peganism blends the paleolithic diet with veganism to suggest a diet of three-quarters fruits and veggies and a quarter meat and eggs. The goal seems to be a diet that reduces the total calories we consume, with all the attendant benefits commonly associated with weight loss.

The anthropological set has weighed in with its own assessment of what the paleolithic-era diet actually entailed. According to these experts, the caveman diet was far more plant-based than originally thought. Apparently, my ancestors shared my athletic shortcomings and profound inability to run down mastodons and gazelles or almost any other life form. Presumably by scavenging, they managed both to consume only 3 percent or so of their daily diet as meat – and to avoid stomachs that hung over their fur belts.

As usual, the academic community quibbles over the exact percentage with the fervor of a religious zealot. But I’m prepared to accept the general principle that a caveman diet entails a good deal less meat than my insatiable youthful cravings for bacon cheeseburgers, wings, and corn dogs.

I’m far more interested in other studies from the academic and medical worlds that compare the caveman diet with other popular dietary regimes, such as the Mediterranean diet.

As best I can interpret the results, these studies seem to say that any diet that promotes a nutritionally-balanced diet for attaining and maintaining a healthy weight is a good thing.

Maybe something equally important to me also jumped out from the studies: any diet that creates a nutritional imbalance may not be such a good thing. So if I embrace the caveman approach, I can probably give up my afternoon Dr. Pepper habit. But if I avoid milk and dairy products, I also have to ask myself where I’m going to get the calcium and Vitamin D I need for good bones. If I cut out legumes, am I losing many of the minerals and fibers and plant-based proteins I need to help manage my cholesterol?

When in Doubt, Moderation

If my brain and the rest of my body all work together on this thing we call diet and health, we might just be on to something important here. In the absence of absolute truth, perhaps a reasonable approach might rest in simple moderation. If you can find the science or authority figure you need to give you complete certainty in any single dietary approach, then by all means go for it (and share it with us for that matter!). But until you find that certainty, balance what all parts of your body are telling you with simple moderation.

For me, bring on the occasional chili dog. But just not too many of them. I’ll eat the plant-based protein, too. I just won’t proselytize that it is the only food or even the only right food. As our body seems to suggest, there may not be any one perfect diet or any one solution to the quest for dietary health we all share. As the old adage goes, let’s not let our quest for perfection become the enemy of the good. 

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There’s a lot of mixed information swirling about on social media regarding the new healthy trend, “intuitive eating”. The nutritionists and dietitians promoting it seem very happy, healthy, and peaceful, as if their body literally tells them what foods it needs. As someone who has studied nutrition to increase health for myself and others, I thought this was a great way to give my body what it wants while eliminating the inevitable guilt that comes with “slipping up.”

What is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive eating was created by dieticians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995. They started the trend with their book, “Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works.” However, it wasn’t something completely new. In 1978, Susie Orbach published, “Fat is a Feminist Issue,” which focused on emotional eating—a substantial component of intuitive eating. Intuitive Eating is gaining popularity now because of social media.

Intuitive eating generally focuses on self-care, rather than a strict regimen. It combines instinct, emotion, and rational thought into one practice. According to Evelyn Tribole, “intuitive eating is a personal process to honor our health by listening and responding to the direct messages of the body in order to meet your physical and psychological needs.” But how can this work, when the U.S. suffers from a 42.4% obesity rate and a 12.3% malnutrition rate?

The founding principles to successfully practice intuitive eating are as follows:

My Experience with Intuitive Eating

I’ve seen KFC’s Nashville Hot Tenders all over TikTok. I don’t normally crave fast food (except the occasional Chick-fil-A, of course!), but they looked so good, and I love chicken tenders, so I decided to “listen to my body” and try some.

They tasted delicious, but almost immediately afterward I felt sluggish. I was tired, lethargic and surprisingly, very thirsty. I thought, if only I had listened to the way my body felt after eating the tenders before I ate them, I probably wouldn’t have had any.

As Jack Bobo described in his new book, Why Smart People Make Bad Food Choices, our minds are influenced by outside narratives. In my case, TikTok’s KFC videos. We are confronted with compelling reasons to eat certain things, and our brain retains that and seeks it out despite our better judgment. Why?

The decision was easy. Easy? Yes. Our brain did not have to find another food or research something else to eat – it already knows this food is delicious — so our tired minds make the easy decision.

That we are influenced by the media and advertising is a no-brainer. But what is not so simple, is that our brain plays the biggest role in helping us stay healthy and lose weight. Eating intuitively could actually increase your cravings and make you gain weight.

Is There Any Science Behind This? 

The National Institute of Health (NIH) makes it clear preliminary studies show that the more you stop yourself from eating food you are craving, the more that craving diminishes. NIH researchers are bullish on these findings while still noting more research is warranted.

Studies found that intuitive eating practices are associated with better weight stability than those who followed rigid diets. Furthermore, intuitive eating has shown to improve psychological and behavioral health, including reducing binge-eating.

But if you read carefully, it is weight stability and not weight loss or gain. As with every diet, there are challenges associated with intuitive eating. Researchers found that women who participated in intuitive eating experienced many social and environmental barriers that limited success, including their own varied emotions and support from family and friends. Also, many women found that the “unconditional permission to eat” was the most challenging part of the diet.

This demonstrates a need for self-control and self-discipline to find success with intuitive eating. It is no surprise that research shows that resisting those cravings will help you lose weight.  Resisting cravings is easier when you think about how your body feels after eating certain foods more than how they crave the foods before.

Studies also show that our gut microbiome craves what we feed it. So, if your diet consists of chocolate, candy, and junk food, managing your cravings while practicing intuitive eating will be more difficult – if not practically impossible. Remember, your brain lights up when it even thinks about sugar. A diet consisting of sugar will only make you crave more. If your base diet is already healthy, full of fruits and vegetables, then intuitive eating will be much easier because your body will crave healthy food.

From what I learned in both my experience and research, intuitive eating is most helpful for those who suffer from disordered eating or binge-eating.

I’ve never been one to try out fad diets, so my experience with intuitive eating was very similar to my eating on a normal basis. I still made sure to eat my servings of fruits and veggies every day, but I also did not limit myself. I am under no false impression that every person is cognizant of their intake of fruits and vegetables. Without the foundation of knowing what I needed before I let myself enjoy the occasional food I wanted, I probably would not have fared as well.  Maybe I would have skipped the fruits and vegetables altogether.

So for me, an educated eater, if I felt my sweet tooth coming, I indulge in a piece of dark chocolate. If I really was not feeling the salad I had planned on having for lunch, I make myself something else, like a wrap. One night, we decided to have a bonfire and I made myself a s’more because they’re my favorite. I didn’t allow myself to feel guilty or ashamed after, but I also didn’t allow myself to have three or four. I listened to the need but quickly recalled how sluggish I felt after the KFC experience, so I moderated my snack.

As far as exercise goes, I always listen to my body to avoid injuries. I have my weekly workout schedule that typically remains the same. But, if one day I really don’t feel like running and want to jump rope or lift weights instead, I do that. What I don’t do is let myself go days in a row without moving. Again, it’s all about moderation.  If I’m halfway through my run and my ankles hurt, I stop and walk.

However, exercise is critical for maintaining a healthy lifestyle, which is why it’s one of the main tenets of intuitive eating.

It’s easy to sometimes feel ashamed after eating foods that “aren’t good for us.” I know I have been there. But just remember, one decision does not have to impact your next. If you grant yourself permission to have a piece of dark chocolate after dinner and end up eating the whole bar, don’t let that decision ruin your week. Restart your intentions with your next snack or meal.

My Big Takeaways

Here’s my advice if you want to give “intuitive eating” a try:

• Be kind to yourself, but have discipline. Remember that your end goal is to be healthier overall.
• Stay active. Even if you don’t feel like running, do something else. I rotate between running, walking, boxing, HIIT, and strength training.
• Find fun and creative ways to eat your fruits and vegetables. I love having fruit in the morning and adding veggies to my lunches and dinners. I eat veggies in pasta, rice, salads, and other dishes.
• Always make sure your food tastes GOOD. If you force yourself to eat something just because it’s healthy but you don’t like the taste, you’re not going to want to eat it again. Even with veggies, make them taste good. Add your favorite seasonings and dressings.
• Stay focused on your goals. My goal is to be as healthy as I can, while also enjoying life and food. I eat pizza. I eat sushi. I eat burgers. But, I also love broccoli, brussels sprouts, and strawberries. Eat all your food in moderation and always keep moving toward your goals.
• Be mindful. Intuitive eating requires you to stay mindful of your health, nutrition, and body.

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Food as fuel

Our bodies are amazing engines fueled by the food we eat. What are some amazing functions our engines do to live a healthy life? Our heart pumps about 7,500 liters of blood through 100,000 miles of blood vessels every day – which is why we want to avoid heart disease. In one second, 50,000 new cells have been shed and replaced.

And to keep our body functioning in tip-top shape, we want those cells to be strong and healthy. The more fruits, vegetables, and nutrient-dense foods we eat, the stronger our new cells will be, making our whole body healthier.

You see, it is so much more than maintaining a certain body weight. It’s the difference between cells that can fight diseases and those that cannot.

Research shows that by following the USDA’s recommended nutrition guidelines, we are healthier, have stronger immune systems, and are less likely to develop diet-related illnesses. But why are vegetables healthy and chips not? What makes one food good for us and another bad? It’s all about what’s inside the food: vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

The food groups

The USDA just updated its daily recommended nutritional allowances. But we start to ask ourselves questions, like “what does 5 to 7 servings of produce look like?”, “if I only eat 3 meals a day, how can I possibly get all of these servings in?” and “can I just do it all at once, like in a smoothie?”

According to the USDA Dietary Guidelines 2020-2025, healthy daily eating consists of a few key categories.

• Vegetables: 2.5 cups, or 2.5 tennis balls
  • Dark green, red and orange, legumes, starchy – we need them all because each of them contains different vitamins and minerals including fiber, vitamins A, B6, C, and K, potassium, iron, cobalamin, and magnesium.
  • Aim for 2.5 cups per day. But note that not all veggie portions are created equal – double your amount of leafy greens that wilt when cooked, like spinach, and then round up!
• Fruits: 2 cups, or 2 fists 
  • We mean whole fruits here. Apples, oranges, grapes, berries…you get the idea.
  • Necessary vitamins and minerals found in fruit are fiber, iron, vitamin C, and potassium.
• Grains: 6 servings, or 1 cup of uncooked oatmeal, 2 slices of bread, and 1 cup of uncooked brown rice
  • Most of this should be whole grains, like brown rice, quinoa, oats, and whole-grain bread.
  • Limit your intake of refined grains – pasta, white rice, white bread. If you do eat them, look for enriched refined grains that put some of the vitamins and minerals back in.
  • Nutrients in whole grains include complex carbs, fiber, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, iron, magnesium, and selenium.
• Dairy: 2-3 cups, or 1 12-oz. glass of milk and 1 cup of plain yogurt
  • This includes milk, yogurt, cheese, and fortified drinks, like soy milk.
  • Dairy contains fat, but several studies say we should not be limiting our daily intake of fats because they’re a necessary part of our diet. Rather, we should limit our intake of saturated fats.
  • Keep your saturated fat consumption under 10% of your daily calories. If that requires drinking low-fat milk instead of whole, don’t worry…it contains the same amount of vitamins and minerals.
  • If you have a sensitivity to dairy, supplement the vitamins and minerals you’re missing. For example, leafy green vegetables are also high in calcium, making them a viable option.
• Protein: 50 grams, or 3 decks of cards
  • There are many different proteins to choose from: seafood, lean meats, poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts, seeds, soy — the options are endless!
  • Aim for at least 8 ounces of seafood a week.
  • Note that different proteins have different compounds, so be sure to read the label and opt for leaner proteins with less fat.
  • Keep in mind that nuts and seeds are high in calories due to their fat content.
  • Proteins also contain healthy fats, cobalamin, vitamins A, D, and B6, iron, fiber, and potassium.
  • A good rule of thumb is to eat one gram of protein for every kilogram of body weight (just divide your weight by 2.2 to convert it to kilograms)
• Oils: 5 teaspoons, or 5 dice
  • Because of their fat and caloric density, a little bit goes a long way here.
  • Focus on heart-healthy oils, like olive oil, avocado oil, and canola oil.
  • Oils, especially olive oil, contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids. These are said to limit inflammation in our bodies and reduce our chances of developing diet-related illnesses, like heart disease and diabetes.
• Limit saturated and trans fats, added sugars, and sodium
  • Read the nutritional and ingredients label to spot these in your foods.
  • Avoid processed meats as they contain more sodium, saturated fats, added sugars, and calories.
  • Less than 10% of our daily calories should be from added fats and sugars – the lower, the better.
  • The Dietary Guidelines also recommend keeping your sodium intake below 2300 mg.

We know this task is easier said than done, so our printable infographics are here to help!

What to eat

Now that we’ve told you the food groups to include in your diet, you’re probably wondering how on earth to accomplish this. Don’t worry! We’re going to give you examples of simple meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snack time, that will help you reach your daily goals and make grocery shopping and meal preparations a lot easier.

Click on each of these categories to see our D2D-verified meal options that not only squeeze in a variety of nutrients within all food groups, but also adhere to an overall caloric intake of 2,000 a day when consumed with healthy snacks:

Healthy snacks can help you reach the rest of your daily caloric needs. A few good snack ideas are a banana with almond butter, an apple with a handful of whole nuts, 1 ounce of dark chocolate, or Greek yogurt with fruit.

Any of these meals can be mixed and matched every day. If you eat a breakfast high in protein, eat veggies with lunch. If you are on a non-dairy, plant-based, vegetarian, or vegan diet, find alternative ways to get protein. Treat your food as fuel for your body, and know what’s going in. Lastly, although getting nutrients from whole foods is best, if you feel deficient in certain nutrients, supplements like vitamins can help.

If you’re still unsure of what to buy, click on the image for a printable shopping guide you can take with you to the grocery store. If you want to take a look at my shopping list this week as a quick example, click here.

Remember to have variety in your fridge. Try to buy a couple of options from each category every week. For fruits and veggies, the more variety, the better!

What about other diets?

The USDA Nutrient Database, Harvard Health’s The Nutrition Source, CDC Division of Nutrition, among others,  each have their own perspective on the best way to meet our body’s nutritional needs, so we want to include a few other considerations for nutrition and long-term health.

One diet method with proven long-term success is intermittent fasting, where you consume all meals within an 8-10 hour window. It can lead to healthier cell production and a reduction in long-term health diseases. Intermittent fasting can also improve endurance, coordination, brain health, balance, and muscle mass. 

There’s also been more attention on diets promoting a diverse microbiome, resulting in a healthier heart, immune system, inflammation, and even mood. The interesting thing about our gut bacteria is that it craves the foods you eat the most. If you eat fruits and vegetables, you want more. If you eat sugar and processed carbs, you want more. This is why many have gravitated toward a whole-plant-based diet.

The EAT-Lancet report is also in agreement with a mostly whole-plant-based diet with very limited amounts of meat. Contrarily, the paleo diet necessitates an increased consumption of meats and other protein-heavy foods to achieve optimal health. However, its effect on long-term health is contentious. And now, we have the added complexity of the paleo-vegan diet, or pegan diet – a mix of meat and vegetables, with less dairy, grains, legumes, sugar, and processed foods.

An Important Note…

The information in this post is to serve as a guideline. Everyone’s body is different and therefore requires different nutrient intakes. For example, someone who wants to increase their muscle mass will need more protein in their diet. And those who rigorously exercise daily will need more calories than someone with a sedentary lifestyle. Get to know your body and understand its needs. And consult a doctor or nutritionist before changing your diet plan.

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Functional waters are defined as enhanced waters that provide benefits outside of just sheer hydration. A sector that sprung onto the market in June 2016 when All Market Inc. launched Vita Coco, water in a box that touted the benefits of added electrolytes. From there, major players joined the scene—from PepsiCo to Coca-Cola to Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Nestle, and more.

The global market share for water has grown from $10 billion in 2017 and is projected to be upwards of $18 billion by 2025. With nearly half of all Americans drinking less than four cups of water on a daily basis, it seems this sector could be promising for a dehydrated America.

But what can functional water really provide beyond hydration?

These beverage companies are hoping to revolutionize the hydrating experience, making claims like: ensuring better sleep quality, body-detoxing properties, pH balance, and more. But, what’s the real scoop here? I know Gal Gadot wants me to drink Smart Water, Dwayne Johnson wants me to refresh with Voss, Gwyneth Paltrow suggests hydrating with Flow, and Jaden Smith tells me to opt for Just Water. And while I know that my favorite celebs would nevvvverrr lie to me, there may be some smoke and mirrors at play.

Let’s see what the real deal is, where science meets celebrity, and how to base our spending on fact, not fame.

Types of Functional Waters

One size does not fit all.

Functional waters come in many forms, from alkaline to hydrogen-rich, electrolyte-enhanced to superfood infused…each one touting its unique health benefits.

Can these really all be true?

Alkaline Water:

CLAIM: Alkaline water brands claim to help regulate our body’s pH levels. By drinking alkaline water, you can lower your bodies pH, strengthen your immune system, clean your colon, prevent aging, detoxify your system, lose weight, and prevent cancer.

ANSWER: FALSE.

EXPLANATION: Much like our research of the Alkaline diet, the theory that too much acidity in the body is harmful and creates a need to increase our pH level, is itself false. Furthermore, the claim that water can alter a human’s internal pH levels is also untrue.

The reality is that our bodies do a darn good job of maintaining our very tight pH levels. There are many metabolic ways our body rids itself of acids to keep our pH between 7.35 and 7.45. Our lungs control our body’s pH by releasing carbon dioxide each time we breathe out. Our body also rids itself of acid by secreting it through our skin and urine. Furthermore, our stomach acids neutralize the alkaline water we ingest.

POTENTIAL UPSIDE: A 2012 animal study found that alkaline water with a pH of 8.8 neutralized pepsin, a stomach enzyme involved in breaking down food proteins and producing stomach acid. This suggests that alkaline water might help soothe acid reflux—though the issue has not been studied in people yet.

Hydrogen-Rich Water:

Hydrogen-rich water is regular water boosted with extra hydrogen molecules. Hydrogen is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic gas that binds to other elements like nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen and can form a variety of compounds like water.

CLAIM: Adding hydrogen molecules in water can provide extra antioxidants to protect our body against damage caused by free radicals. It can also decrease inflammation, boost athletic performance, and even slow down how our body ages.

ANSWER: Not to the extent of these claims.

EXPLANATION: Water molecules consist of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. The assertion of benefits from infusing water with additional hydrogen molecules lacks any scientific backing – and in fact may have been disproved by a recent four-week study in which 26 healthy people were asked to drink 20 ounces of hydrogen-rich glasses of water each day. When compared to results from a placebo group, the study found no indication of decreased oxidative stress or inflammation.

It is also important to note that there is currently no industry-wide standard for the amount of hydrogen that can be added to water. Should I worry about too much hydrogen? While a few studies have shown that too much hydrogen could lead to a build-up of hydrogen ions, which could cause muscle fatigue, these results are rare.

Electrolyte Water:

Electrolyte Water is enhanced with electrolytes. But did you know that tap water and most other waters also contain trace amounts of electrolytes? Electrolytes themselves are minerals that help to conduct electricity when dissolved in water.

We have all heard of giving Pedialyte to kids who have the flu and need to add back electrolytes to get their energy level up. Well, here is what is happening: when electrolytes are distributed through fluid in our body, their electrical energy helps to control fluid balance, regulate blood pressure, and contract muscles like the heart.

CLAIM: Electrolyte waters can help to replenish electrolytes lost during physical activity, and help to increase energy.

ANSWER: YES in some cases.

EXPLANATION: Electrolyte water is most beneficial for those who are physically active, or those who have lost electrolytes due to sickness. During physical activity, the body loses sweat that contains sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Electrolyte enhanced waters can provide a replenishment of those minerals lost through sweat. But unless you are an athlete or under the weather, why pay more? And be careful of sports drinks with electrolytes, like Gatorade, that contain a whopping 30-grams of sugar in a 20-ounce bottle. In addition to the added calories, these sugar-rich drinks can actually make symptoms worse.

Infused Water:

Water added flavors such as fruits, vegetables, or herbs tend to taste great and is a perfect alternative to sodas and other sugary drinks. But what is this gorgeous glass of lemon and cucumber water providing you outside of an Instagram-able moment, and a good smelling, better tasting vessel to get your daily water intake? Well, truth is, not much.

CLAIM: Clear Skin! Weight Loss! Detoxing!

ANSWER: No, no, and no.

EXPLANATION: We have seen claims saying that up to 20 percent of nutrients from added fruits will leech into the water and provide some of the benefits from eating the whole food. Even if that were true, why not just pop the strawberry or cucumber in your mouth and get 100 percent of the nutrients?

But I suppose that is neither here nor there. Take lemon water as an example. Infusing water with lemon raises the amount of Vitamin C and antioxidants – but only produces a very, very small change in its nutritional content.

If that is your goal, simply eat the whole food….but maybe not a lemon.

POTENTIAL UPSIDE: If you are drinking delicious, homemade infused water, you’re staying hydrated without adding sugar. And that right there is a benefit in itself. I have recently been cutting up lemon and rosemary sprigs and putting them in a pitcher of water at the front of my fridge. This serves not only as a reminder to keep hydrated but an easy tasty option to sip my water all day long.

Just Plain, Old Tap Water:

The healthiest and most affordable choice. While it may not be the tastiest option, it is, simply put, all we really need. Our bodies are made up of 60 percent water and each and every drop of water helps us digest, eliminate waste, deliver oxygen to our system, lubricate our joints, regulate our temperature, and help our nutrients flow. Basically, every single one of the billions of cells in your body needs water to function. Drinking more water can also help you stay fuller longer, which can decrease the desire to consume unnecessary calories.

According to the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, men should drink about 15.5 cups each day or 3.7 liters, while women should strive for 11.5 cups each day or 2.7 liters.  If you are thirsty – you are a bit dehydrated. Check your urine to see if the color is yellow or dark yellow – then reach for the bottle or glass.

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Today’s demanding lifestyle has us frequently on our toes, waiting for the next hurdle to jump over. It is no wonder about 450 million people worldwide suffer from mental illness, chronic fatigue, as well as some serious neurodegenerative diseases.

Just like your body, your brain needs the right fuel to perform at its peak. Nootropics, a class of cognition-enhancing compounds, are hailed as the newest type of brain medicine and can be found in medicines, supplements, and foods. Early applications of nootropics include uses to improve mental and physical performance and boost memory, increase focus, and enhance creativity and motivation.

Nootropics: Natural or Synthetic?

These so-called “smart drugs” are a relatively new class of drugs. They are part of a category known as PIEDs, or Performance and Image Enhancing Drugs, and are broadly categorized into three groups:

• Stimulants, like amphetamines and methylphenidate, are synthetic drugs primarily prescribed to those diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorders, given their effectiveness with improving cognitive function. These are only available by prescription in the U.S.
• Racetams, such as piracetam, are lab-made and can help our brain neurotransmitters, specifically glutamate and acetylcholine, function properly and effectively. They are known to boost memory in people with brain injuries, help with seizure control, depression, or age-related decline but do not affect otherwise healthy individuals.
• Natural Compounds found in whole foods and supplements, like caffeine, ginseng, and creatine, are over-the-counter nootropics that are among the most popular agents of neuroenhancement. They are a healthy way to help with brain function without the unwanted side effects if consumed in moderation.

At D2D, we are focusing on the fascinating group of natural compounds, which are found in whole foods or available over-the-counter. These nootropics provide myriad benefits when consumed in a healthful way. But be aware: researchers are still working to define what constitutes “a healthful way” to consume nootropics.

Given its recent increase in demand, what problem are we all trying to solve here? Do we have poor concentration, memory, and lack of energy because we are eating a diet full of fats, sugars, and salt rather than fresh fruits and vegetables? Or can we enhance our brain function just by increasing the consumption of healthy foods? We believe that for the best brain and body performance, you need a healthy diet with lots of variety.

Nootropic supplements are unregulated and lack sufficient approvals to confirm efficacy. So instead, let’s focus on the natural nootropics found in foods, herbs and drinks, and what their potential health benefits are.

What We Do ‘Noo’

Nootropics found in foods affect certain neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, GABA, serotonin, and acetylcholine, in various ways. They can help increase blood flow to the brain, support neurotransmitter health, regulate the amount of specific neurotransmitters, and increase brainwave activity. These “smart foods” target metabolic or nutritional components of brain function. They deal directly with memory and attention to create a clear, efficient pathway for all signals to reach the intended neurotransmitters. When neurotransmitters can function at peak efficiency, the result is overall increased cognitive function.

Your Morning Nootropics

Many everyday whole foods contain varying amounts, as well!

Caffeine. Let’s start here — Caffeine is a natural nootropic found in coffee, cocoa, tea, and certain nuts, like kola and guarana. It is a compound often added to energy drinks and sodas and is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance worldwide.

An intake of 40 to 200 mg a day, or between one and two cups of coffee, can increase alertness and decrease reaction time. This is especially helpful for those who are feeling fatigued, which is why your 6 a.m. cup hits much differently than your 2 p.m. cup. However, too much caffeine will do more harm than good, causing jittery, anxious feelings.

While the nootropics in coffee block the effects of adenosine, a brain chemical that makes you feel tired, it can also trigger the release of adrenaline, which can cause anxiety and sleeplessness.

L-theanine. Teas containing L-theanine, such as green tea, matcha, and black tea, can help calm an overactive brain. Green tea contains about 5mg of L-theanine per cup, while matcha and black tea contain about 46mg per cup. What does it do? Several studies have concluded that this type of nootropic can have a calming effect, while simultaneously not causing drowsiness. In roughly two cups of brewed green tea, you can increase your brain’s alpha waves, which can promote creativity. L-theanine, when coupled with caffeine, is even more effective. Supplement companies often combine these nootropics to create performance-enhancing supplements.

Ginkgo Biloba. This plant has an extract in its leaves that may positively affect your brain function. Most commonly, ginkgo biloba is taken as a supplement to improve memory and mental processing functions in adults. This is because it helps increase blood flow to the brain, making neurotransmitters more high-functioning.

Making a Nootropic-rich Meal

By adding in various whole foods, like eggs, salmon, and blueberries, your brain gets a boost of nootropic compounds at every meal!

• Eggs are rich in choline. Choline can assist our brains with transmitting signals across our neuronal membranes. What in the world does that mean? Well, our bodies take in choline from eggs, and use it to produce a compound called acetylcholine. Acetylcholine aids the body in retaining memories and in achieving restful sleep. One egg provides 27% of your recommended daily value of choline!
• Spinach is another incredible brain-boosting resource. With nutrients like lutein and zeaxanthin, it can help with quicker mental recall and increased memory capacity. Furthermore, a cup of spinach a day is adequate for absorbing nutrients to increase performance.
• Salmon is a fatty fish that can improve one’s ability to send and receive messages in the brain. Because of its high DHA density and protein-packed profile, it helps keep the brain in tip-top shape. A 3-4 oz serving of salmon will cover your daily recommended intake.
• Lean meats contain creatine, an amino acid that helps your body produce protein. Once creatine enters your brain, it binds itself to phosphate to create a molecule that can fuel your brain’s cells to help improve short-term memory and increase reasoning skills. Studies show that ingesting just 5g of creatine per day will have cognitive benefits without any side effects.
• Turmeric, a long-used spice in Chinese medicine, also possesses incredible nootropic benefits. It helps trigger neurogenic creation and is often used to treat Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. About 2.5 grams a day is all it takes to capitalize on its benefits.
• Blueberries are another natural nootropic. Super-high in antioxidants like anthocyanins, blueberries help boost cognitive function and protect the brain from damage caused by aging, as it rids the brain of free radicals. 500 mg or 2 cups of blueberries is a sufficient amount for nootropic results.
• Dark chocolate is a flavanol-rich food made from cocoa beans. Cocoa beans increase blood flow to the brain, much like gingko biloba, and can actually trigger the production of new brain cells! Dark chocolate, made with 70% cocoa or higher, has shown to have these antioxidant effects.

Challenges of Nootropics

Addiction to nootropics is common, most typically in the stimulant or supplement category. But it also can be found in caffeine intake. Unfortunately, more is not always better, as in the example of nicotine. While nicotine can increase mental sharpness, its long list of side effects, including chest pains, headaches, abdominal discomfort, and anxiety and irritability, outweigh any potential positive benefits. The abuse of, or overuse of certain nootropics, like nicotine, amphetamines, or creatine, can cause severe dependence and significant health problems.

Choose a healthy diet with a variety of different foods including fish, berries, leafy greens, and protein. The emerging new field of nootropics will be exciting to watch unfold as new studies are published. However, to truly maximize cognitive function, you must also focus on sleep, exercise, and brain-building activities to keep your mind sharp, as found by an Oxford University meta-analysis study. Also, keep your body healthy by eating good-for-you calories, rather than processed, unhealthy ones.

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With a feeling of uncertainty infiltrating our lives lately, many of us are looking for concrete information to help us make it through this “new normal”. And what is more concrete than science? Because of this, we’re turning to research-backed studies and data to explain the differences between plant and animal proteins.

What we’ve found is that multiple sources of healthy proteins should be a part of our regular and varied diets. Any documentaries or overtly “over-the-top” productions that tell you otherwise, no matter how compelling, likely have an ulterior motive.

Let’s talk basic needs

To understand why protein conversations are so plentiful and ongoing, we must understand how essential protein is in our diets. Proteins are the building blocks of life. Every single cell in our body contains proteins.

The essential function of protein is to provide the body with energy to repair cells and make new ones. Without protein, and the capability to regenerate cells, our immune system weakens, inhibiting us from maintaining our health.

For a relatively active adult, protein should make up about 10% of our total calories, or a ¼ of your daily plate as shown here.

Now, our dietary needs are unique, so the USDA has created an online resource to help calculate their own daily nutrient recommendations.

With this in mind, let’s explore both plant and animal protein sources.

Complete vs. incomplete proteins

Part of what makes plant and animal proteins different is whether or not they are considered “complete” proteins. What makes a protein complete? Its amino acid profile. Harvard School of Public Health explains it best:

“Some proteins found in food are ‘complete’, meaning they contain all twenty-plus types of amino acids needed to make new protein in the body.”

They go on to explain that “incomplete proteins” are lacking one or more of the nine essential amino acids, which our bodies can’t make from scratch. Typically, animal-based foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy are great sources of complete protein, providing amino acids that your body simply cannot produce.

Plant-based foods, however, like nuts, seeds, grains, fruits and vegetables, while critical parts of any balanced diet, are not a sufficient choice as a sole protein source, as they lack one or more of the essential amino acids.

Does this mean vegans and vegetarians are not getting the amino acids they need? Not necessarily. They just have to be more strategic in their dietary choices. You can create a complete protein by combining one plant-based food with another that makes up for where the other lacks. For example, you need to combine the amino acids together to make a protein complete.

Take rice and beans for example: separately, they are not considered complete. Beans are missing an amino acid known as methionine; while rice – a grain – is lacking in lysine, another essential amino acid. But, according to the American Society for Nutrition, when consumed together, this would form a “Protein Complementation,” or a complete protein.

Not a fan of good ol’ rice and beans? Try one of my personal favorites: peanut butter and whole wheat bread, which can achieve the same complementation. Here is a chart that shows which amino acids different protein sources contain and, more importantly, what they are deficient in.

What else does meat have that plants don’t?

Nutrients in plant and animal proteins differ outside of just their amino acid composition. While eating fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains is part of any balanced diet, there are nutrients in animal protein that an all-plant diet just cannot provide in adequate amounts. Take Vitamin B12, for example – this is an essential nutrient that is almost exclusively found in animal foods – fish, meat, and eggs are some of the best options.

Think B12 isn’t that important? Think again. B12 aids in the development of red blood cells and helps to support and maintain nerve and brain function. Some studies have concluded that, without supplementation, vegetarians are at a high risk of B12 deficiency. This can cause weakness, fatigue, psychiatric and neurological disorders, and well as possible links to heart disease.

Vitamin D is another essential nutrient that serves many necessary functions. Also called the sunshine vitamin, it comes in two types – D2 found in plants and D3 count in animal-based foods. The best sources of D3 are fatty fish and egg yolks. Deficiencies in D3 have been linked to increased risk of cancer, heart disease, multiple sclerosis, and most recently, COVID-19.

DHA or Docosahexaenoic (say that ten times fast!) acid, is an essential omega-3 fatty acid that is important for brain function. This is mainly found in fatty fish and certain types of microalgae. However – fear not, vegans! – you can take a supplement of algal oil, derived from microalgae, to ensure you are getting enough! There is always a way to find a balanced diet, if you are open to multiple forms of nutrient and protein consumption.

Other deficiencies include creatine, a molecule found primarily in muscle cells, which allows the body to easily access energy reserves for strength and endurance.

Digestibility and bioavailability

Plant protein and animal protein – though both “proteins” – are registered in the body differently. What do I mean by this? Well, when our body intakes any food, it can last for 36 to 72 hours in our twenty-five foot gastrointestinal tract. During this time, the body is breaking down the protein into building blocks, or as previously discussed, its amino acids. Depending on whether the protein is from animal or plant, that determines the rate at which they can be absorbed and the percentage that is available to be used within the body.

Because plant proteins must link up with another food or supplement that contains its missing amino acids to become complete, they absorb more slowly in the digestive tract. On the other hand, animal proteins are readily available for use at a much faster rate, with a much larger profile.

Why should we care how fast a protein is absorbed? Well, because it directly affects our metabolism. The amino acids that plants are deficient in are commonly known as branched-chain amino acids, or BCAA. Studies have shown that their lack of essential amino acids provides a lower anabolic effect, which means lower digestibility. For these reasons, it’s possible that 20 grams of protein from one source can be superior to the same amount from another source.

Protein bioavailability, or the ability of proteins to be absorbed and used, is formally based on a quality scoring system called PDCAAS and DIAAS.  Protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) is a system that measures the quality of different sources of protein by analyzing how the human body can digest the total amount of protein. This system was developed in the early ’90s as a way to determine its quality. The digestate indispensable amino acid scoring system (DIAAS) is the newer method proposed by the Food and Agriculture Organization to replace the PDCAAS. The difference between the two is taking into account the anti-nutrients, or nutrients that can limit absorption of amino acids.

According the new DIAAS system, a score of >100 is a high-quality protein, 75-100 is a good-quality protein, and a score of <75 is a low-quality protein. Below is a chart of various animal and plant protein scores based on the new system.

As we can see, the highest quality proteins, providing the best bioavailability are animal proteins, while soy-based proteins are just slightly under the ‘high quality’ threshold. Foods like dairy, eggs, poultry, and meat are the most effective and efficient way to intake protein.

What about vegans and vegetarians?

Fear not: while animal proteins are the highest quality, there are ways for vegetarians and vegans to meet their essential amino acids needs. Eat higher amounts of plant foods, meaning greater portions, and strategically plan meals to ensure full amino acids profiles are met. According to the Kerry Health and Nutrition Institute, soy-based foods seem to have the highest ratings among plant proteins, so seek legumes like edamame, tofu, chenggukjang, and miso to combat potential deficiencies. A recent study from the U.S. Department of Food Science and Nutrition showed links between plant proteins in your diet and healthier markers for heart health and blood sugar management. Remember, a healthy diet is comprised of a balanced diet, including a variety of different foods, all in moderation.

Don’t fall for pretty productions

As a rule of thumb, for all things food-related or otherwise, we should always be wary of over-the-top claims and overtly “scary” statements. By nature, media is polarizing, be that the news, flashy articles, or well-made productions. Without a controversial stance, things simply wouldn’t sell. But we don’t want to be sold! We want the truth, the science! Well, the truth is, things are never as black and white as they are made out to be.

Our optimal diet lies somewhere between an all plant-based protein diet and an animal protein-only diet. There is no yes or no, right or wrong – it is all moderation and variation. While gram-for-gram, animal proteins are the most effective way to meet our nutritional requirements, both sources of protein can be nutritious and should be considered as a tool in your toolbox of healthy eating.

As you read this post, are you snacking on something? If so, you’re not alone. Because of Covid, we are spending about 10 more hours each day at home, which means we’re closer than ever to our kitchens. Making thing worse is that we’re feeling more vulnerable and stressed than in pre-Covid times. And many of us now regularly seek alternative methods of food shopping, causing a spike in at-home grocery delivery and shelf-stable food purchases. This has ultimately shifted how frequently we are eating and what our food choices look like.

A full-fledged snack attack

With shelf-stability and comfort-eating a priority for most consumers right now, snack foods are tempting options. However, this innate draw toward comfort foods is being fueled by convenience, emotion, and nostalgia, and at the cost of choosing nutrient-rich foods and their inarguable health considerations.

According to Statista, the snack food industry has been bustling lately. Even more surprising is the sales growth from Q1 of this year, with mac & cheese sales increasing by over 175%, lasagne & pizza sales up 125%, ramen 117%, and baking mixes up over 150% with the accompanying frosting at 125%. Furthermore, coffee cakes, blueberry muffins, donuts, and cookies were all in the top 10 growth items between January 20th and March 21st, according to Nielsen AOD.

Of Nielsen Data’s Top 10 Food and Beverages for the first quarter of the year, beer makes it into the top three growth items, with soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate, cheese, and cereal making it onto the list with sales trending upwards month over month at an increasing rate.

Why are we trending this way? Emotion & availability.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the world is likely to enter its worst recession since the 1930s. In the U.S., as of July 24, approximately 30 million Americans have filed for unemployment in the past five weeks. This social and political climate is unsettling, stressful, and has spurred insecurities both financially and emotionally.

There is no wonder our snacking habits are changing – the world is changing. This situation has reminded us of the intense connection our emotions have with food. Food, especially comfort food, can provide a sense of security, familiarity, and nostalgia – things that we can all agree would be nice to have a bit of right now. But at what cost?

Food companies have identified this emotional insecurity and are working to profit from it — both in-store and online. Online grocery delivery has, for the most part, served us well in the past few months — allowing us to cut down on trips to the store and remain socially distant. However, now the snack food market has joined the at-home-delivery bandwagon, making your favorite snacks now available for in-home delivery at the click of a button.

Why is this an issue and grocery delivery is not? Aside from the clear difference in nutritional value between essential foods and these salty, sugary treats, is the alarming fact that you can now just order your chips and donuts from your sofa.

According to the Consumer Trust Insights Council, the purchasing of snack foods, by and large, is a last-minute or spontaneous addition to most of our grocery carts.

This is manipulated by clever marketing with product placement and enticing labels, often begging us at the last minute to toss that bag of chips into our carts, even though it’s never on the top of the grocery list.

With the online snack delivery trend increasing, consumers are now planning out their snacking, spending $5 to $100 per month for these subscriptions, and making sure that these comfort foods are delivered to their doors and fully stocked in their pantries.

Risks with increased snacking

While it is part of human nature to want to soothe our stress and decrease our anxieties, our snacking habits demand a watchful eye. With our recommended daily intake of less than 25 grams of added sugar and 13 grams of saturated fats per day (based on a 2,000 calorie diet), we need to be mindful of our consumption.

Consumers whose diets have shifted to include more of these prepackaged foods high in fat, sugar, and salt are risking their metabolic health. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the Dean of the Freidman School of Nutrition, Science, and Policy at Tufts University, cited through his research, a recent national report that as of March 2020, poor diet is now the leading cause of poor health in the U.S., and has caused more than half a million deaths per year.

Dr. Mozaffarian goes on to explain that poor metabolic health, caused by diets high in saturated fats and added sugars, as well as high caloric intake, is the cause of immunity-impairing factors tin millions of Americans, including metabolic syndrome. The characteristics of metabolic syndrome include excess fat around the middle, hypertension, high blood sugar, and a poor cholesterol profile.

These types of symptoms suppress the immune system and ultimately lead to cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity-related cancers that have left many people nutritionally deficient and thus immuno-compromised, putting them at a greater risk of contracting and combating Covid.

Taking back control

So how can we rein in our anxieties right now without stressing ourselves out more? First, we must acknowledge our emotions. Penn Medical explains that identifying the fact that you are stressed and working to channel those feelings into an activity is a much more productive way of managing anxieties. They go on to suggest that healthy eating is more difficult without a routine. Plan your meals, and eat them at a designated spot in the house. This will help to make eating purposeful and not mindless, which can cause spontaneous overeating.

U.C. Davis Health echoes these sentiments but goes on to highlight the importance of understanding hunger cues. This helps avoid what they call “autopilot” snacking. If you are sad, anxious, mad, or bored, it is natural for your body to release cortisol, which signals the need to eat. Try to recognize your physical need for food – if you don’t feel hungry, don’t let your emotions trick you into thinking that you are. And reach for a glass of water instead.

When you want a snack to hold you over between meals, try snacking on fruit and adding a scoop of peanut butter for protein on the side, or having crackers with cheese and meat. Even veggies dipped in hummus or Greek yogurt are all healthy, filling, and yummy options.

University Hospitals also points to the need now more than ever to focus our nutrition on fortifying our immune system. It is not just about not snacking, but about making our meals meaningful and immunity enhancing. One way to help our decision-making is to make sure our healthy options are the first thing we see in the refrigerator or pantry. Research suggests that we are 30% more likely to choose the items that we see first – so keep a bowl of fruits cut up in the front of the fridge, or consider putting your fruits & veggies in a bowl on the counter.

The Mayo Clinic also recommends tracking your food. This serves to not only keep us “eating mindfully” and accountable for our calories, but also aid in identifying changes or lapses in our healthy eating habits.

But what all this research doesn’t say is that change is hard. So, during this time as we try to find a new normal, it’s important to not be too hard on ourselves…this is a difficult time for us all. If you slip, no big deal – we all do it.

But the important thing is to think long-term, as this situation will pass. And try to save those treats to make new memories with your friends and family, like making socially-distant s’mores with a backyard bonfire or having a popsicle on a hot day. We all have to treat ourselves and enjoy these special moments.

Despite the re-openings of parks, beaches and restaurants, many of us find ourselves in a slump between bad news and worse news. Exacerbating our uneasy feelings is how hard it’s been for some of us to break up with hourly visits to our refrigerators and pantries.

But is there much research on the effects of not snacking all day on my long-term health? I’d like to lose my “COVID 5” around my midsection, but also do something that will make me healthier for longer, and also happens to be a sustainable way for me to eat, year after year.

So I perused our diet posts and reread our article on intermittent fasting from three years ago. More recent research released from clinical trials and academic institutions continue to tout intermittent fasting as a way to not only manage weight, but also prevent age-related diseases, like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Additional benefits include combating the age-related increase in fat tissue and decrease in muscle mass.

Though many, but not all of these studies are based on animal trials, they may hold true for us as well, as inferred from several human clinical trials.

Why Fasting?

“Fasting”…doesn’t sound very fun, does it? It makes me think of something you’re forced to do before a medical procedure – ugh. However, fasting has been practiced for millennia due to its medicinal purposes and to permit the body time to heal itself without distraction. But the thought of going days without food not only sounds daunting but unhealthy.

Another option that’s been shown to have positive results for aging? A calorie-restrictive (CR) diet. That’s when you limit the daily intake of calories to about half of what you normally consume. But this has been associated with long-term loss of lean muscle mass, immune suppression, and participant non-compliance. Ummm…no thanks. And shouldn’t we be strengthening our immunity right now?!

Meeting in the Middle

Not to fear: recent studies have shown a way for the body to reap the benefits of fasting without the daunting task of not eating (or eating enough) for days. And it’s achievable in our modern-day lifestyle.

Time-restricted feeding (TRF), a form of intermittent fasting, limits the number of continual hours you eat during the day – every day. Similar to its fasting and CR counterparts, TRF allows our bodies to have time to actively regenerate stem cells, thus positively affecting aging. But unlike CR, TRF results in a more dramatic drop in insulin levels while increasing our cells’ protection from oxidative stress. These attributes can play a role in cancer risk reduction, thus making time-restricted feeding a great consideration for long-term health.

And for women, the benefits extend even further. Analysis from Women’s Healthy Eating and Living study found that female participants in a breast cancer survivor study who didn’t eat for at least 13 hours overnight had a 36% reduction in the risk of recurrence. Furthermore, they were 21% less likely to experience breast cancer-related mortality.

Why it Works

Research shows that time-restricted feeding is a naturally efficient mechanism for eating, as it logically works with our sleep cycle to provide the digestive “break” our bodies need to regenerate cells. This “break”, ranging from 12-16 hours in length, includes overnight hours and can either start early in the evening or extend through the morning.

When you think about eating from, say, 9am to 7pm, you’re fasting for 14 continual hours. This also means you’re completely doing away with late-night eating, which is associated with a higher risk of diabetes and obesity. And you’re allowing your body to have a more restorative sleep without being distracted with digesting your late-night snacks with Seth Meyers.

Fasting 101

Much research has been conducted on the various ways of restricted feeding and fasting and its myriad benefits. The most well-known researcher, Dr. Valter Longo, discovered the foundation of a time-restricted diet with his fast-mimicking diet, which has been shown to prevent cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity among its 100 participants, one of the larger human studies conducted in this field.

To understand how fasting can lead to keeping you healthy, let’s first start with a quick bio-nutrition lesson:

When fasting, the body uses its glycogen stores in the liver for energy. Once available glycogen is depleted, triglycerides are then broken down to produce fatty acids, which the liver converts to ketones for fuel. Ketone levels begin to rise after 8 to 12 hours without food.

Once our energy source switches to ketones, our bodies become better at glucose regulation, stress resistance, inflammation suppression, and restoring mitochondria health. Furthermore, in a fasted state, damaged molecules are repaired or removed. Endurance, coordination, and balance are increased and muscle mass is maintained despite the regular period of fasting.

Should you do it?

Do you want the full effects of intermittent fasting? Then be prepared to do this for the long haul. And not to binge after each fast.

Researchers, including Longo, urge us to make these intermittent fasting practices a permanent lifestyle change and not as a “diet”, per se. Many of us turn to diets for a quick way to lose weight, so avoid fasting diets where you “starve and feast”, eating whatever you want after the fast is completed. Those diets, like the Every Other Day Diet, just encourage poor eating habits with low nutritional value.

More importantly, intermittent fasting may not be appropriate for everyone, particularly if you are underweight or recovering from a long-term illness. Significant lifestyle changes like this should be conducted under the supervision of practitioners you trust.

How to do it?

Ok, so you’re ready to feel amazing for a very, very long time. But…how do you start? If you’re like me, you reallllllly look forward to your three-square meals a day, with maybe a snack or two in between. You can still have your meals – they will just be condensed in a shorter period of time.

First, let’s start with the foundation for any good diet: lots and lots of veggies and fruits. The MIND Diet serves as a helpful foundation here. It is a research-backed program that can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by half and keep the brain years younger. The diet centers on “brain-healthy food groups”, like leafy greens, vitamin-packed veggies, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and – wait for it – wine! By getting used to filling your plate with nutrient-dense foods, they will keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Are you a snacker? Time to elevate your game by cutting out your mid-meal snacks. Yes, I’m sorry…this includes that random bowl of cereal, too – no matter how healthy it is.

Now that your diet is on point, it’s time to start a simple form of time-restricted feeding. At first, try limiting your fast to 12 hours. Most of this time can easily be done while you sleep. Cut off your food by 8:00 pm and then have breakfast at 8:00 am. Gradually increase your fasting hours from 7:00 pm to 9:00 am. Ready to keep going? 16 hours is really the limit for most people. Some people eat all their food for the day in one sitting. We tried that once, and were left miserably hungry for 23 hours.

Whichever you choose, be sure to start your fast well before bedtime so you sleep properly and let your cells do their work!

A Few Notes…

Just like when you cut out sugar, carbs, or caffeine from your diet, there is a period of discomfort as your body adapts to this new way of eating. But with some small changes taking place over a few months, you can reduce the negative side effects and find this to not only be a manageable way of eating, but also helpful in making you feel better and have more energy.

Oh, and by the way, you can drink water, tea, and black coffee during your ‘fasting’ period. It is recommended that if you want a splash of milk, it won’t hurt to have fewer than 50 calories. Also, stevia will not trigger an insulin response, unlike some other sweeteners.

Now it’s time to let down your refrigerator gently…it’s not a full break-up, after all 😉

We live in a world where we can submit a cheek swab to find our long-lost ancestors, test us for genetic predispositions and diseases, have customized supplements and vitamins delivered monthly to our door, and even have beauty boxes curated based on our skin type. Despite this, we also live in a time where chronic illness plagues millions of Americans. Can we prevent these diseases by targeting our individual health concerns? Personalized Nutrition may be one way to tackle this issue.

Taking Nutrition Personally

If you’ve ever taken a DNA test to find out which diseases you may genetically be more susceptible to, the results can be daunting. However, we can find relief and control of our health through epigenetics. The study of epigenetics shows how our diet and lifestyle can influence which genes are unlocked, keeping unwanted genetic predispositions at bay if we eat, sleep, and exercise well and have strong, positive relationships. Therefore, our inherited DNA doesn’t have to be our destiny. And personalized nutrition may be a way to help us take control of our well-being and longevity.

We have become increasingly aware that “healthy” does not mean the same thing to everyone. When I eat a high-carbohydrate meal before a run, I feel weighed down and groggy. But if I have fruit, I feel powered up and energetic. However, my husband must eat high-carb meals prior to a rigorous workout since his body needs those calories as an immediate fuel source. Personalized Nutrition is based on the simple truth that each person’s body responds differently to nutrients, vitamins and minerals.

Research provided by iSelect Fund illustrates chronic disease as a very real and growing health problem afflicting millions of Americans. Research institutions like the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute all highlight this growing challenge. With up to 20% of cancer-related deaths correlated to poor nutrition, and 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. suffering from obesity, there has never been a more dire need to focus on our individual nutrition.

Source: iselectfund.com

Scientific Wellness: A Basis for Personal Nutrition

Nathan Price, Institute for System Biology, addresses personalized nutrition in a clinical setting. He focuses on how our body processes and reacts to nutrition and its complex molecular intricacies. His research shows that nutrition contributes to at least 50% of our health, while genetics only accounts for 30%.

Price and other experts in the field are creating “scientific wellness” programs. These programs use massive databases to quantify wellness and predict the needs of the participants to combat the link between chronic illness and nutrition. Below are some emerging companies in the personalized nutrition space – each one based on a different set of analytics. They either measure your gut health, your DNA, your blood, and/or your personal wellness via questionnaire. Some even track your daily activity levels.

The burgeoning Personalized Nutrition space is due for continued growth as databases mature and results are achieved. Click here to download image.

What Do The Different Modalities Provide?

DNA/Cheek Swab. Each human is made up of a unique set of 23 chromosomes, otherwise known as your DNA. By swabbing your cheek, you provide a DNA sample that has information about everything, from your nutrient levels, hormones, food sensitivities, and allergies. These measurements can indicate disruption in digestion, cardiometabolic health, energy levels, sleep patterns, and much more. While DNA is considered a static measurement, unlike your weight or cholesterol levels, it is a jumping off point for a nutritional plan.

Blood Sample. Often measured in conjunction with your DNA, blood tests can measure a number of biomarkers like vitamin and mineral levels, cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and key nutrient levels that can be leading identifiers in determining your risks of chronic illnesses—like diabetes or kidney disorders.

As Inside Tracker calls it, a blood test is a “selfie from the inside.” Blood can show a trend toward normalcy or if values are out of the clinically normal range. Interventions can then be made through nutritional recommendations and changes. This measurement, unlike DNA samples, is ever-changing and can be a good read on progress as it relates to dietary improvements.

Stool Sample. Stool primarily investigates your gastrointestinal (GI) condition, including your gut microbiome. A stool culture will check for the presence of abnormal bacteria and digestive enzyme levels.

Stool samples reveal the amount of beneficial bacteria in the GI tract, which can help diagnose intestinal dysfunction without invasive procedures. Other markers present in stool tests can identify pathogens that may indicate issues with immune function and overall intestinal health.

Any abnormal microorganisms present in the stool culture are likely causing stress to the GI tract. Research has shown that the relationship between the GI tract and neurological, hepatic and immune function is highly correlated. For instance, if your stool culture results showed excessive yeast production, a major concern is “brain fog”, a condition that occurs when excess yeast byproducts pass through the blood-brain barrier and alters your neurological function, causing learning challenges and behavioral problems.

D2D’s Personal Experiences

To better understand how these personalized nutrition programs work and given our interest in both soil microbiomes and gut microbiomes, Hillary and I decided to try DayTwo to gain some first-hand experience. We sent in our sample, then downloaded the DayTwo app on our phones and our personalized results were populated. They displayed the results of how complete meals, or the combination of foods we eat in one sitting, affect our personal health.

I found the app extremely user-friendly, and that the program was informative for my dietary decisions. Hillary, on the other hand, was more interested in an in-depth report on the types of foods best and worst for her body and how these foods will affect her energy levels and digestion, which DayTwo doesn’t really provide. But, upon request, DayTwo sent Hillary her unique microbiome report, which was full of super-helpful information on her gut’s microbiotic profile.

Lucy tried the Vitagene DNA Health Testing kit, which used saliva as a sample. Lucy said the results were interesting…at first. The Vitagene results reported her genetics as they pertain to skin, diet, exercise, and general genetic traits, such as the ability to hold onto certain micronutrients. The report even gave her a 5-day recommended meal plan that included a lot of Greek yogurt, which she assumed is because of her increased likelihood of low calcium levels. It also included a recommended supplement plan she could purchase from Vitagene.

But the information in the report also showed some inconsistencies and flawed information. For instance, Lucy read that she had the unwanted obesity gene, so she did a bit of research on the particular gene and found that it had nothing to do with obesity, but signaled potential brain disorders – not a great gene, either. So she looked up another gene that Vitagene indicated made her prone to muscle soreness, only to find out the gene actually expresses itself as diabetes. Lucy stopped reading and looking up genes. Her takeaway? If one is truly interested in a genetic profile, stay away from these ‘over the internet’ tests and go see a doctor who specializes in genetics.

Challenges to Personalized Nutrition

While this is a budding and important field for our health, it is not an exact science. Because the cost of DNA sequencing has dropped from the thousands to the hundreds of dollars, it is cheaper and easier than ever. Yet the challenge lies in what to do with all this information.

Millions of samples need to be correlated and analyzed to find out the optimal health standard and how it differs among individuals. Also, our diet’s effect on epigenetics leads us to questions about the role ancestry plays in health and how our genes work together. Complications like these make it difficult for these companies to stay at the forefront, let alone even stay afloat, as evidenced by uBiome’s bankrupty in September 2019.

We also need to recognize that blood and stool samples reflect results in just one moment in time. Because the results can sometimes take weeks, the data might be irrelevant by the time you received your customized nutrition plan. The DNA saliva sample is more a comparison of your DNA matched with what foods are good for you to eat. But again, the database needs to be in the billions to exactly correlate which foods go with which DNA.

We know there are limitations to science, and as Timothy Morck, President and Founder at Spectrum Nutrition LLC told us, we should look for companies that conduct follow-up testing. The true test of success with a personalized nutrition service is its long-term service. How do the results look three months from now, and again six months from now? Be sure the information is consistently analyzed to adapt your program to maximize your results.

Starting any diet has its considerations. If you’re looking for a first step to better your overall health, the American Heart Association provides a wealth of fundamental recommendations beneficial to everyone. And, if and when you’re ready to take the next step to a personalized nutrition program, be sure to consult your physician first.

The MIND diet

Martha Clare Morris, Ph.D., from Rush University and her colleagues conducted a Memory and Aging Project (MAP) on over 900 senior participants who kept food journals for four and a half years. The participants were then evaluated for frequency of dementia-related incidences to uncover trends.

The initial findings were published in  The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.  By building upon the most compelling findings in the diet-dementia field, MAP compounds extensive published studies on the Mediterranean Diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.

Results from the Mediterranean diet studies show a decrease in heart disease, reduced blood pressure and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. The DASH diet conclusions showed increased HDL (good) cholesterol and decreased LDL while lowering risk for heart failure and stroke. By creating a hybrid of the two diet plans, the MIND diet study has had incredible brain protective results.

“What they’re doing is logical and I predict will have positive benefits for a disease for which we have few interventions,” notes Dennis Steindler, Ph.D., senior scientist, and director of Tufts’ HNRCA Neuroscience and Aging Laboratory.

Alzheimer’s is a national crisis

Alzheimer’s currently affects over 5.7 million Americans and is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. In 2017 alone, more lives were lost to Alzheimer’s than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, with one in three people over 65 dying with the disease. The trajectory of the disease is expected to increase to almost 14 million deaths a year by 2050.

source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

What causes Alzheimer’s disease?

Alzheimer’s is a progressive disorder that causes brain cells to degenerate and die. Scientists believe that many factors influence Alzheimer’s and its progression. These factors vary from person to person but can include genetics, lifestyle, and health factors.

What is the MIND diet?

The MIND diet highlights healthy food groups to readily consume and unhealthy foods to limit.  “Brain-healthy food groups” include green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, nuts, berries, beans, whole grains, fish, poultry, olive oil, and wine. Unhealthy groups are red meats, butter, stick margarine, cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried or fast food.

What you are eating, combined with what you are limiting, combats brain cell death, chronic inflammation in the brain, and plaque build-ups.

Food groups to limit

The commonality among the “foods groups to limit” is that they all contain saturated fats. We want to focus on healthy fats like Omega 3s and unsaturated fats. Red meats tend to have higher levels of saturated fats than poultry. Butter and margarine are higher in saturated fat than olive oil.

The MIND diet does not call for cutting these food groups out of your diet completely. It suggests that excess amounts of saturated fats and refined sugars found in these foods have been linked to diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, and high blood pressure — which can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia. The American Heart Association recommends only 10% of your daily calories as saturated fat. For a 2,000 calorie diet, that would be 13 grams. For more information about the FDA’s recommended fat intake, see Coming Soon to Your Favorite Foods: The New Nutritional Label.

So for all you red meat lovers out there, be sure to include poultry twice a week and fish once a week. As for me, my biggest challenge will be cutting back on cheese!

As the summer is winding down, the Dirt-to-Dinner team has been flooded with questions regarding inflammation. Our readers complain that they feel bloated, tired, and lethargic. Are they inflamed? Quite possibly. The Dirt to Dinner team spoke with Dr. Peter Bongiorno from Inner Source Health and he identified the top three triggers for chronic inflammation.

Digestion: A healthy gut keeps inflammation at bay.

The majority of your immune system is located in your digestive tract. Researchers have even dubbed your gut a second brain! (You can read more about that in a previous D2D post.) So, it is very important to keep your gut healthy. Eating nutrient-dense, whole foods will encourage good digestive enzymes and healthy bacteria to grow. This enables your digestive system to process your food and effectively eliminate waste.

A diet high in sugar and processed foods causes your immune system to initiate an inflammatory response to protect its healthy cells. If you have been tested by your doctor and suffer from specific food allergens, like gluten, for example, these foods can also trigger inflammation as your body tries to protect itself from the harmful stimuli.

Researchers today are working hard to understand how much of the immune system is located inside your digestive tract. It is believed that it is a significant source of inflammation triggers.  infographic: Huffington Post

Obesity triggers an inflammatory response.

Having excess body fat, especially visceral fat around the hips and abdomen, contributes to chronic, low-grade inflammation.  This can cause DNA damage and an increase in risk factors for at least 13 different types of cancers.

Fat tissue will create inflammation that uses up nutrients and makes it more challenging for your body to clear toxic substances. It also switches how cells grow and use energy.
(Dr. Peter Bongiorno, Inner Source Health)

Obesity is a leading cause of chronic illness and is attributed to many types of cancer.

Too many toxins in your life?

As we discussed in “Nix the Toxins,”  if you are inhaling or ingesting large amounts of toxic substances, they can be stored in fatty tissue and then eventually your healthy cells. While our bodies can metabolize a certain amount of toxins, too many can cause cell inflammation and damage. Unfortunately, this includes overconsuming our favorite summer drinks, like rosé, tequila, and all those gin & tonics! Overly processed foods and an unhealthy gut can also have the same negative effect. If you expose yourself to more toxins than your body eliminates, this may create inflammation.

If you are exposing yourself to more toxicants than your body is eliminating, this may create inflammation.

How can you stay healthy?

You may not always be able to see the effects of inflammation, but keep an eye out for the signs. These include fatigue, weight gain, skin outbreaks, gastrointestinal issues, and even depression or anxiety. The best way to fight inflammation is with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and sleep. To read more about inflammatory responses, read our previous post, What is Inflammation?

Most consumers think 100% fruit juices are healthy, but the lunchbox staple is not a good beverage choice. Juice has little nutritional value and, like most cold-pressed juices, will spike blood sugar levels and create a craving for more sugar.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has determined that children and adolescents receive 10-15% of their total calories from sugar-sweetened beverages and 100% fruit juice – and that is way too high!

Pediatricians recommend parents monitor their child’s sugar intake closely, even urging them to not give any sugar to children under 2 years old. Excess sugar not only affects growth and development but has an impact on cognitive behavior as well.

The Yale School of Public Health studied the effects of sugar-sweetened beverages on over 1,600 middle school children and concluded that for every sugar-sweetened drink consumed, hyperactivity and inattention increased by 14%. Excess sugar consumption has also been linked to the growing number of children affected by ADHD, however, the science is still inconclusive.

Nutritionless Juice

We may assume our kids get added nutrients when drinking 100% fruit juice, but we’d be mistaken. When producers make fruit juices, the juice gets pasteurized so it can last longer on grocery store shelves. Pasteurization is required by law to kill any harmful bacteria and/or microorganisms that may be present, however, it can a negative effect on some of the vitamins, enzymes, and antioxidants. Vitamin C and B1, for example, are sensitive to heat damage.

Childhood Obesity is a BIG PROBLEM

Want to know another consideration for not drinking juice? Sugary beverages are one of the leading contributors to America’s obesity epidemic. Nutritionists believe that most children who drink their servings of fruit will be more likely to snack on other sugary treats, whereas those who eat their fruit will feel satisfied.

 “Children’s excessive consumption of juice has been linked to an increased risk of weight gain, shorter stature, and cavities. Even in the absence of weight gain, sugar consumption worsens blood pressure and increases cholesterol.” (New York Times)

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of children affected by obesity has more than tripled since 1970. The average child consumes 19 teaspoons of sugar a day – that’s the equivalent of two 12 oz. cans of Coca-Cola! The American Heart Association recommends that children ages 2-18 should limit their sugar intake to only 6 teaspoons a day. They further recommend that children should not drink more than one 8-ounce sugar-sweetened beverage per week.

100% Real? Look closely at the label!

Juice companies market to both children and parents. For instance, while Honest Kids Organic Apple Juice may advertise that it contains ½ the sugar than other labels, each 6oz pouch has 8 grams of sugar. That alone is a significant contributor to a child’s daily recommended sugar allowance!

It is generally understood that a healthy gut microbiome is essential for good health. So, we take our vitamin supplements, drink kombucha, and make sure we feed our probiotics with prebiotics. And while we understand the importance of good bacteria and a healthy gut, microbial research is still in its infancy. In fact, its potential applications are just beginning to impact human, animal, and soil health.

Companies in this space are developing revolutionary products that will change the way we incorporate good bacteria into our daily lives. Scientists are turning sugar into a prebiotic, applying animal feed technology to human health, and using strains of bacteria to help crops resist pests and diseases. At the agriculture conference, Davos on the Delta, the Dirt-to-Dinner team was introduced to some of the companies on the forefront of these microbial technologies.

Animal Microbiome: Keeping our livestock healthy

Farmers are under pressure to reduce or completely eliminate the use of antibiotics and hormones in animals. (Want to learn more about this? Read our posts on animal antibiotics and hormones). While vitamins made specifically for animals have been used for years to keep livestock and poultry healthy, the development of pre- and probiotics take animal welfare to a whole new level. By giving livestock these types of supplements, farmers are able to help their animals’ immune systems fight off diseases. A healthy animal will cost a farmer less time to manage and will create a better animal product.

Bactana Corporation focuses on the infinite ways an animal’s microbiome, immune system, and metabolism interact. They are producing safe, effective and inexpensive alternatives to antibiotics and hormones for animals using anaerobic bacteria strains. Clinical studies have demonstrated a decrease in intestinal inflammation, an increase in milk production, and improved feed efficiency and weight gain.

Diamond V is an animal feed company that uses proprietary fermented yeast technology as a feed supplement for dairy, poultry, swine, aquaculture, beef, and equine. They specifically utilize the bacteria strains Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Lactobacillus acidophilus to support an animal’s unique blend of bioactive metabolic compounds for optimum digestive and immune health effects.

The employees at the Diamond V animal feed facilities were beneficiaries of these fermented products as well. None of them were getting sick! Turns out, the employees’ exposure to these products were keeping their immune systems strong as well. Researchers and science continued to explore this connection, and a product for human consumption, called Epicor, was created. Epicor helps strengthen the immune system. (The Dirt-to-Dinner team can also attest that it works. We found that taking Epicor helped us avoid the colds and flu that were so rampant this past winter.)

Human Microbiome: Your Gut is your Second Brain

The microbiota in our gut weighs about 2.2 pounds and consists of 1,000 different species with 3 million genes. As humans, a third of our microbiota is the same as one another, but the remaining two-thirds is specific to our unique body. These bacteria help to digest our food, keep our immune systems strong, and help our bodies make and absorb vitamins. There are multiple connections between diseases and poor gut microbiota. (Want to learn more about this? Read our posts on Your Second Brain – Gut Microbiota).

Sugar has been demonized for a myriad of issues taking place in the human gut. But while conventional sugars, such as table sugar and fructose, are associated with unhealthy eating habits and disease, there are many other complex sugars in nature that act as healthy prebiotics. Prebiotics are the food for probiotics and a healthy gut microbiome is dependent on both for optimal health.

Two companies currently finding an application for natural sugars as prebiotics are Sugarlogix and Bonumose.  Sugarlogix has developed the technology to ferment “good” sugars into foods that can be sweet and healthy. Human breast milk, for instance, contains many healthy components, including good sugars. Could it be possible to duplicate these sugars in a lab and create a milk chocolate bar that tastes wonderful and feeds your healthy bacteria?

Bonumose is developing good-for-you sugars, such as tagatose and allulose, which are 92% as sweet as sucrose but have 38% fewer calories and an extremely low glycemic index. They also work with mannose, a prebiotic that can be used to treat various infections.

Grow Company, Inc. manufactures food flavors, natural coloring agents and animal and human health supplements. One of their primary products, Biogrown® vitamins and minerals, use probiotics as a sophisticated nutrient delivery system. For example, vitamin B can be hard for your body to completely absorb. By combining Saccharomyces cerevisiae, otherwise known as Baker’s Yeast, with Lactobacillus bulgaricus, a cultured yogurt, Grow Company has developed a way to help you properly digest vitamins and minerals, which may prevent gut maladies.

Soil Microbiome: Microbes for increased crop yield and health

There are large agri-science companies, such as BASF, Bayer, BioWorks, Certis, DowDuPont, and Syngenta, involved with biological seed treatments or soil enhancements, but there continue to be new innovations in this space. (Want to learn more? Read our post on Soil Microbes in the Spotlight).

NewLeaf Symbiotics is one of the companies that has set out to answer the questions, “What if we could make plants healthier and help them overcome threats like pests, disease, and drought?” and “What if we could position growers to meet the needs of the growing population by strengthening crops – naturally?

Rather than looking at the whole array of soil microbes, NewLeaf Symbiotics focuses on the m-trophs, which are native-to-plant microbes. Sequencing this bacteria has enabled them to provide a potent force for plant immunity and nutrient uptake.

Holganix has created a complete ecosystem in a bottle, containing over 800 species of beneficial soil microbes among other ingredients. This mixture of microbes is applied to soil to help farmers use fewer inputs and increase yields.

Biome Makers has examined 22,000 microbial species in the soil relevant to vineyards. They make recommendations and provide analytical tools to optimize microbial activity for both grape growth and fermentation.

Agbiome isolates microbes from environmental samples across the globe to create biological pesticides that kill insects, fungal pathogens and weeds.

Indigo Agriculture develops microbial seed treatments to support crops grown under stress, which will naturally help them defend against pests and diseases. Indigo coated seeds have helped farmers increase their crop yields by up to 15% without added use of chemicals or water. In addition, Indigo will partner with farmers and offer a robust marketplace for their crops. For instance, farmers who grow Indigo wheat sell for a premium to breweries and flour mills that demand GMO-free and insecticide-free products.

Inflammation is often the starting point of many diseases. Is it the result of an unhealthy diet? What is the effect of inflammation on your body?

Inflammation is your body’s protective response to injury, disease or irritation of the tissues

Inflammation is your body’s mechanism to protect itself and heal damaged cells or tissue. This damage can be caused by either a wound, toxic substances or pathogens which may be in the form of sickness, excessive alcohol, chemicals, stress, unhealthy diet or lack of sleep. When your cells are in distress, they call out for help, and your immune system is full of front line soldiers who are programmed to attack and dispose of them. Inflammation is classified as either acute or chronic.

Acute vs. Chronic Inflammation

Acute inflammation occurs in the short-term. It is responsible for getting rid of an infection, helping clean a wound, and repairing your tissue. Examples include cutting yourself while shaving or spraining your ankle. The inflammation that occurs is a healthy reaction to repair the injured tissue. An army of white blood cells are the first responders that ingest and dispose of the damaged cells, pathogens, or irritants that may have entered your body.

On average, as long as you don’t re-injure yourself, an acute inflammatory response should only last a few days or weeks. Your body knows to trigger acute inflammation in order to get rid of things that are harming you.

If you don’t take care of that wound, or if your body is inundated with a constant invasion of pathogens or toxins, your cells continually call for help from your immune system, and your body is on high alert at all times. This prolonged “state of emergency” can cause lasting damage and is called chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation can last from several months to several years. The onset of chronic inflammation can be delayed, and signs of chronic inflammation are difficult to detect. It can also be incredibly difficult to identify the part of your body that becomes inflamed when the problem is chronic.

If our body is using energy to unnecessarily fight a perceived “invasion”, then it has less energy for normal functions. More importantly, with less energy available, our bodies cannot produce anti-inflammatory compounds such as glutathione, one of our bodies’ major antioxidant. In addition, adenosine triphosphate (ATP)— the energy molecule used by our cells is being used to fight a threat that isn’t real. At the end of the day, we have less energy and lower levels of antioxidants creating vulnerability for potentially diseased states.

How do you know if you are chronically inflamed?

You may not always be able to visually see the effects of inflammation, but there are signs that indicate its presence. These include fatigue, weight gain, skin outbreaks, gastrointestinal issues, and even depression or anxiety.

The best way to fight inflammation is with a healthy diet, regular exercise, and sleep

You can avoid certain foods that trigger inflammation. These include sugars and overly-processed foods. Additionally, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption should be eliminated.

A healthy diet helps fight inflammation

Foods to eat include plenty of colorful vegetables and greens, and foods containing healthy fatty acids, such as those found in nuts and avocados. Additionally, drink plenty of clean water so your cells stay hydrated and can perform at their optimal level!

Regular exercise is also an important part of fighting inflammation. A recent study performed by Mark Hamer, PhD, an epidemiologist at the University College London, examined the long-term effects of exercise with regard to inflammation. The study lasted for 10 years and included 4,000 middle-aged men and women.

Ultimately, Dr. Hamer found that subjects who completed approximately 2.5 hours of “moderate” exercise per week – or at least 30 minutes a day – reduced their inflammation markers by a minimum of 12%. Additionally, some study participants began exercising midway through the study period and were able to lower their inflammation levels as well— meaning it is never too late for the benefit of working out!

Get enough sleep and reduce stress. Poor sleep and stress trigger inflammation. According to a study performed by Emory University and presented at the 2010 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, getting less than six hours of sleep per night is associated with higher levels of inflammation. This is also linked with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.

Reducing stress and getting enough sleep helps fight inflammation

In addition to lack of sleep, excessive levels of long-term stress can negatively affect your gut and compromise the production of enzymes that aid in the digestive process. For your best performance, it is optimal to get eight hours of sleep each night, with at least five of those hours being continuous or uninterrupted.

Some of us at D2D are part of the New England ‘Patriot Nation.’ So, when the G.O.A.T (*Greatest of All Time) released his manual outlining how to achieve a lifetime of sustained peak performance, it was quickly pre-ordered. I mean, who doesn’t want to achieve greatness like Tom Brady? He has made some of the greatest comebacks in football history and has earned (to date) 5 Super Bowl rings. Now 40, he argues that he is playing better than he was at 30. Regardless of your opinion of the Patriots, you have to respect the fact that Tom Brady has far exceeded the average tenure in the NFL and shows no signs of slowing down!

What is Tom Brady’s roadmap to his incredible success on the field?

According to his book, the principals of the TB12 Method support established knowledge that long term health (and proper weight management) at any age is directly linked to eliminating or reducing bodily stressors like toxic congestion, inflammation, and imbalances. And while you eliminate these triggers, you ADD in good stuff, like nutrient-dense foods, exercise, stress reduction activities, and clean air and water.

The TB12 Diet isn’t for everyone

While his method to maintaining overall health seems like a balanced approach, we did a couple of double-takes over Brady’s shunning of conventionally grown and genetically modified food. Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and lean protein is most important to your health, whether you shop at your local grocery store or the local farm stand. Whether you choose to buy conventional or organic foods, regulations ensure the safety of the food that hits your plate.

“If Brady wants to know the facts about today’s agriculture, he should come to visit my farm and learn the facts.” A Maryland farmer who grows corn, soybeans, canning tomatoes, grapes, and fresh-market green beans writes to Tom Brady to discuss his misinformed ‘issues’ with conventional farming.

Brady’s very regimented diet is one that is designed specifically for his lifestyle and enables him to perform at the top of his game every day. He maintains that throwing the ball is easier than eating, so he tackles the quality, quantity, and timing of his meals with the same precision and focus as his passes to Gronk.

On the list of what he doesn’t eat are the usual suspects: sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. But he takes it a step further by adding nightshade vegetables to the list.

What are nightshades?

Nightshade vegetables are members of a large group of flowering plants in the Solanaceae family. Included in this large family are a few of the world’s most cultivated and consumed crops: potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers.

Tom’s chefs are likely not including these in recipes because (he may not like them!); yet there are some observational studies that claim patients who eliminate nightshade vegetables from their diets experience a feeling of improvement from varying forms of arthritis, allergies or autoimmune deficiencies.

Healthy people, on the other hand, should have no problem digesting nightshade vegetables. To date, there is no verified science behind these anecdotal observations, and the benefits of these nutrient-packed group of vegetables far outweigh any risk.

The inflammation conspiracy against nightshades

The inflammation theories point to the alkaloid compounds in the leaves, roots, and stems of nightshade plants. Alkaloids are natural toxins produced by the plants as a defense against animals, insects, and fungi that might feast on them. Alkaloids actually have medicinal properties, but to the taste are bitter, which makes the plant less palatable to insect predators.

The alkaloids found in nightshades are quite low and not a health concern. Furthermore, millions of these vegetables are eaten every day around the world without incident. We wouldn’t recommend that you start munching on the leaves, stems, and roots of these plants, but the ripened fruit is safe, healthy, and completely digestible. In fact, as fruits and vegetable mature and ripen, the concentration of beneficial antioxidants actually increases!

Every body is a unique body

Given that everybody is unique, there is no one solution to address inflammation. Existing food intolerances, autoimmune deficiencies, and allergies will affect inflammation but what affects you may not affect others. But in general, the eating nutrient-dense foods like dark leafy greens, legumes, bright colored fruits, and vegetables, and skipping the white bread, overly-processed “junk” food, and sugar will help your body fight inflammation.

Eggplant is full of fiber, potassium, magnesium Vitamin C and Vitamin B6. The anthocyanins in eggplant may protect heart and brain health.

Most of us can excuse the specific elimination of nightshades as we are not professional athletes or getting slammed by 250-pound linebackers in our daily lives! Overall, eliminating whole food groups from your diet isn’t necessary unless you suffer from specific food intolerances or allergens.

Nightshades are Nutrient Dense

Whether chopped, cooked or processed, tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes, and peppers are nutrient-dense foods that can combat inflammation, decrease cancer and heart-disease risk, support good digestion, and can aid in bone, eye and brain health.

Bell peppers are low in calories and high in vitamin C, (one cup provides 157% of RDA of vitamin C) and supply good amounts of the B vitamins (B2, B3, folate, and pantothenic acid), vitamin E, potassium, phosphorous, vitamin K, manganese, and magnesium. Bell peppers are also rich in phytonutrients.

Tomatoes contain all four major carotenoids: alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein, and lycopene. They are also high in vitamin C. And if you don’t like them raw, chop and cook them in a sauce — which enhances the bioavailability of their nutrients.

EAT YOUR FRUITS AND VEGETABLES!

Alpha and beta carotene, cryptoxanthin, lutein, zeaxanthin, and lycopene are carotenoids responsible for the pigmented orange, yellow red color in fruits and vegetables. These have long been known as powerful antioxidants.

A study published in February 2017, entitled “Fasting-mimicking diet and markers/risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease” discussed a fasting program believed to help enhance healthy aging. The premise behind the Fasting-Mimicking Diet is that it shocks your system into rejuvenating your bodies’ stem cells to prevent age-related diseases, like cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.  Aging is inevitable, but the goal of a fasting-mimicking program is to help you age in a healthier manner.

How does this diet compare to other fasting diets we have reviewed?

The use of fasting is hardly a new concept in terms of dieting. We have even discussed different forms of fasting on Dirt-to-Dinner in the past, arguing against the idea that juice cleansing is healthy. In reality, juice cleansing is not all it’s cracked up to be. Remember: you want to try and eat your fruits and veggies as juicing often removes all the fiber! We also reviewed the famed 5:2 diet—a program that made the ‘fasting approach’ to dieting more mainstream. (Another diet hack we are not fond of.)

One scientist you might recall if you’ve seen the popular Michael Mosley BBC documentary, Eat, Fast, & Live Longer, is Dr. Valter Longo. Dr. Longo is a renowned cell biologist and the Director of the University of Southern California Longevity Institute.

When approaching this research, Longo asked himself, “Is it possible for people to guard against aging as well as aging diseases?” His research hopes to help prevent the disease altogether— rather than treat a disease that already exists.

Dr. Valter Longo hopes to better understand the root cause of many life-threatening diseases and asserts that age is the biggest contributing factor to diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s. He has discovered 2 out of 3 cellular pathways of aging and a natural intervention process with a tremendous impact on biological aging: Fasting.

In order to combat traditional “treat-after-diagnosis” medicine, Dr. Longo has explored the positive use of fasting.

Dr. Longo believes that when used appropriately, a fast-mimicking diet — which is not a diet plan, but rather of a way to shock your system — can help your body rejuvenate itself, regenerate healthy cells, and eliminate harmful cells.

Unlike most fasting gimmicks, a fast-mimicking diet is a program that is only practiced over a short period of time and used to help your body heal itself. Longo, like many nutritionists, does not believe in fad dieting as they often can encourage poor eating habits. Fasting diets, like the 5:2 method and the Every Other Day Diet, encourage a starve-and-feast approach to food.

While he has performed the bulk of his research in mice, more recently Dr. Longo performed several human trials to test the success of a fast-mimicking diet on healthy people with risk factors for diseases, as well as cancer patients and multiple sclerosis patients.

The research behind the fast-mimicking diet

Dr. Longo’s human trials indicated that fasting may trigger your body to remove damaged cells and use them for fuel during periods of starvation. Dr. Longo’s study, “Fasting-mimicking diet and markers/risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease” was peer-reviewed by other scientists in the field upon its completion and the findings were established as credible. It was published according to best practices and standards set by the scientific community.

When you starve, the system tries to save energy, and one of the things it can do to save energy is to recycle a lot of the immune cells that are not needed, especially those that may be damaged. What we started noticing in both our human work and animal work is that the white blood cell count goes down with prolonged fasting. Then when you re-feed, the blood cells come back.
– Dr. Valter Longo

The two-arm study included 100 healthy human participants from the United States and ran for 3 months. Participants were randomized and asked to follow an FMD program or an unrestricted diet. Those who were assigned FMD followed the program for 5 consecutive days a month, over a 3-month period. Data were collected after the first 3-month period, following which, control subjects were then crossed over from the control diet group into the experimental FMD group. Upon completion of the study, there were 71 subjects who participated in three months of FMD. Scientists collected blood glucose levels, IGF-1 levels, and cardiovascular markers, like inflammatory markers and cholesterol levels. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is a very important hormone for cell growth, tissue strengthening, and healing skin. It hypothesized that low IGF-1 levels can increase inflammation in the human body, but the science is in its infancy.

After the trial concluded, the results were compared to the original results from the study performed in mice. Dr. Longo’s report indicated that the human trial results were in agreement with the mouse model findings. As hypothesized, the human body presented signs of stem cell regeneration and rejuvenation when it followed a fasting-mimicking diet, followed by a feeding period. It is important to note that scientists believe that it is not just the fasting that is believed to promote cell regeneration, but rather the feeding period that follows.

Participants demonstrated similar results to the studies performed in mouse models.

The study concluded: “An analysis of subjects from both FMD arms showed that body mass index, blood pressure, fasting glucose, IGF-1, triglycerides, total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and C-reactive protein were more beneficially affected in participants at risk for disease than in subjects who were not at risk. Thus, cycles of a 5-day FMD are safe, feasible, and effective in reducing markers/risk factors for aging and age-related diseases.”

In a pilot clinical trial, three FMD cycles decreased risk factors/biomarkers for aging, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer without major adverse effects, providing support for the use of FMDs to promote health-span. Source

The study determined that for “normal” participants (i.e. participants that showed no genetic markers or pre-disposition for disease) the blood glucose levels dropped a small amount, but for pre-diabetic subjects, blood glucose levels dropped quite significantly. In fact, participants with pre-diabetic blood glucose levels returned to an almost normal blood-glucose level— which is very significant. Similarly, IGF-1 levels in both normal participants and “at risk for cancer” participants dropped, however these hormone levels it dropped much more significantly in “at risk for cancer” participants than normal participants.

Lastly, C-reactive Protein (CRP), which is a marker for cardiovascular disease was also measured. Just as with blood glucose levels and IGF-1 levels, both the normal participants and the “at risk for CVD” participants both demonstrated lower markers, however, the “at risk group” dropped more significantly than the normal participants.

Dr. Valter Longo at a Ted Talk Presentation
Fasting: awakening the rejuvenation from within.

Should we incorporate the Fast-Mimicking Diet into our routine?

Until the findings of this research are replicated in larger human trials, it cannot be conclusively stated that fasting-mimicking diets are the key to cell rejuvenation. 

However, the findings of this study demonstrate that the FMD approach is safe for practice with the approval of a licensed nurse practitioner or physician. “Pre-disposed” participants experienced a significant drop in key markers for CVD, diabetes, and cancer. Additionally, healthy participants demonstrated a minimal drop, which is also a positive outcome. For example, researchers would not want a participant who has low blood pressure or low glucose levels to drop further into an unsafe range, as this could cause health problems. Despite this success, the results can only be considered conclusive when they have been replicated across many different human trials. Longo and his colleagues will have to perform larger multi-center studies to conclusively demonstrate the efficacy and safety of the periodic FMDs. 

How often should the average person go on a fast?

According to Dr. Longo, it depends.“Somebody that is very healthy, exercises, and has a perfect weight may need it twice a year. Somebody that has high blood glucose levels, high blood pressure, abdominal adiposity (so they’re overweight or obese, etc.), or they have a high risk of cancer in the family, they probably need to do it once a month.”

Dr. Longo believes that the fasting mimicking diet “switches the clock back a little bit by promoting regeneration and rejuvenation effects,” thus delaying the progression of age-related diseases. Large human clinical trials are currently being planned to try and determine whether the Fast Mimicking Diet is something that should be incorporated into everyone’s future. We will have to wait and see! In the meantime, Dr. Longo’s research can also be found on his facebook page.

Green tea has been acclaimed as a healthy source of antioxidants for centuries. But, recently, the health benefits of green tea have been overshadowed by matcha. And while matcha has always been a staple in Asian culture, the weight-loss movement in the United States has made this product mainstream.

Some of the marketing claims and possible health benefits of matcha include: 

Aids in weight loss by boosting metabolism.
Naturally detoxifies.
Calms the mind and promotes concentration.
Antioxidants may have anti-cancerous properties.
Lowers cholesterol and blood sugar.

However, while matcha, and green tea, have a compliment of health benefits, there is a limited amount of research that proves these expansive claims.

Unlike traditional green tea, which is typically steeped in hot water and enjoyed, matcha is made from tencha green tea leaves and is ground into a powder, making matcha the more potent of the two. Thus rather than drinking just the steeped water, you are consuming the leaves themselves.

A 2010 literature review of green tea research indicated that “the health-promoting effects of green tea are mainly attributed to its polyphenol content [particularly flavanols and flavonols] which represent 30% of fresh leaf dry weight.” For matcha products, this antioxidant content is intensified because the leaves are consumed directly.

These matcha tea leaves are ready to be picked. Image Source

Matcha is often served as a tea or latte but preparing it is much more arduous than simply brewing a cup of tea. Cultivating matcha is bit different as well. To cultivate the tea leaves, farmers cover the tencha plant and keep it in the shade for about four weeks before harvest. This forces the plant to compensate for the lack of sunlight and in turn the plant produces a greater amount of an antioxidant called chlorophyll. This provides matcha tea with a dense of amino acid profile.

Chlorophyll is the pigment that gives green plants their color. It is also an antioxidant that supports detoxification, specifically aiding in the cleansing of your liver. It is also believed to help support digestion and possess antiviral properties that can protect against bacteria entering your body. A 2012 study performed at Oregon State University found that chlorophyll may also help protect your body against cancer.

One of the most prevailing amino acids that is present in matcha is L-theanine. New research on this amino acid indicates that it can help to control stress. In fact, Buddhist monks are known to have consumed matcha tea before meditating to help concentration. This amino acid helps regulate the digestion of caffeine present in matcha. Rather than a quick burst of energy, L-theanine slows the rate of absorption. According to Mintel market research, “the elevated levels of theanine in matcha help control the caffeine ‘hit’ and provide a more sustained energy boost for a longer period of time.” (Mintel). Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, a 2009 study indicated that L-theanine may “help in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.”

Nutrient profile of matcha powder from Matcha Source

The process of harvesting and creating matcha makes the final product much stronger than traditional tea blends. The elevated caffeine levels and powerful vitamin, mineral, and antioxidant component has made this “ingredient” into a very popular product.

The food and drink industry has responded to the many recognized health benefits of matcha tea. According to Mintel market research, “the number of global food and drink launches containing matcha has more than doubled between 2012 and 2014.” And it continues to climb— making matcha more and more mainstream. In the U.S., matcha lattes are available at almost every coffee and tea chain, including Starbucks and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. In Asia, you can even find matcha in Kit-Kat and Crunch bars! But be wary, while these candy bars and latte’s may be tasty, they are often packed with sugar and do not provide the same health benefits as a pure matcha powder.

And while tea is certainly good for you, there are two things to be aware of with regards to matcha products:

1. Caffeine
2. False marketing claims

Source: Spoonacular

A single serving (8oz) of matcha tea as roughly 70mg of caffeine, whereas the average green tea has roughly 25mg per 8oz serving. Black tea has more caffeine than green tea with roughly 45mg per serving. However, an 8oz Starbucks (“tall”) contains roughly 165 mg of caffeine.

3 cups of green tea = 2 cups of black tea =
1 matcha latte = 1/2 cup of coffee

But if you are adding the additional caffeine into your routine, could you be negatively affecting your health?

As with all foods, the negative effects of overconsumption does exist— even with green tea. In a 2005 study on hamsters, researchers found that a high consumption of green tea negatively affected the animal’s liver.

According to the 2005 literature review, “green tea should not be taken by patients suffering from heart conditions or major cardiovascular problems.” Additionally, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommends no more than 300-400 milligrams of caffeine per day.  Keep in mind, caffeine is a drug and its intake should be carefully monitored. Meaning, if you are already a coffee drinker, you might want to use discretion when adding matcha to your diet.

Essentially, you have to be a mindful consumer. Every diet is individualistic, and while matcha is a good source of antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, if you are sensitive to caffeine or you suffer from a heart condition, consume matcha with caution.

To that end, some recent studies found that metals, such as aluminum and lead, as well as pesticides can be found in tea. The literature review of green tea also noted the “presence of aluminum” as one of the harmful effects of tea overconsumption. Moreover, if there are contaminants in the soil, they can be present on the tea leaves as well. This is particularly concerning with matcha as you are consuming the leaf itself. With green tea, for example, steeping the leaves helps filter the metal from the leaf. If there is pesticide residue on the leaf, your body is directly ingesting it. So, when buying your matcha, make sure you are confident in the farming practices of the supplier.

Healthy “fatty foods” are finally beginning to shake their bad reputation. Our new friends—avocados, nuts, and olive oil, have become increasingly popular due to their healthy fat content. As consumers, we are starting to see fats incorporated at almost every meal— avocado on toast, coconut oil used in cooking, a compliment of nut-butters offered as nutritious snacks.

In the past, saturated fat was thought to be linked to heart disease and strokes, but it turns out that this may have been a big, fat lie.

A 2010 meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition pooled together data from 21 studies and included almost 350,000 people tracked for an average of 14 years. This study concluded that there is no relationship between the intake of saturated fat and the incidence of heart disease or stroke.
(Siri-Tarino et al. 2010)

 Source: Bio-Kinetics

In January 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released: New Dietary Guidelines to Encourage Healthy Eating Patterns to Prevent Chronic Diseases which includes recommendations to eat oils from plants (canola, corn, olive, peanut, safflower, soybean, and sunflower) as well as nuts, seeds, seafood, olives, and avocados in order to prevent chronic disease.

The Big Picture

Fat is a macronutrient and our body actually requires fat to function properly. While healthy foods with a high-fat content may be dense in caloric value, they pack a very powerful punch. Healthy foods with good fat content can provide energy and help maintain overall body health.

So while it may go against your instincts to eat butter or olive oil, here is why you should:

A healthy fat diet supports your brain, maintains cell membranes, and helps to cushion your organs for protection.

 As far as your brain is concerned, certain fats (like omega-3 and omega-6) protect the nerve fibers and enable your brain to send messages faster. Fat also helps your body absorb vitamins, particularly the fat-soluble vitamins K, D, E, and A. Because of these benefits, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends we get roughly 20% – 35% of our daily calories from fat. So, if you consume 2,000 calories a day that should include between 400-700 calories from fat.

However, this is not to say you shouldn’t be careful with your fat intake. Less than 200 of these calories should be saturated fat, to ensure the majority of your calories from is unsaturated. Additionally, your body stores excess fat in its cells until it is needed for energy. So if you consume more fat than you use for energy, your fat cells expand and you will probably notice your waistline start to increase…

Fat is made up of fatty acids and the number of fatty acids that are present in food indicates how the food is classified—with either a high or low-fat content. In addition to the number of fatty acids present, you must also look at the most heavily prevailing type of fatty acid. The most heavily prevailing type of fatty acid indicates whether the food is high in either saturated or unsaturated fat.

Saturated vs. Unsaturated Fat

Saturated and unsaturated fats are distinguished by the chemical composition of their fatty acid chain.

Saturated fat is very stable while unsaturated fat (the healthy fat) is less dense at room temperature. Stored at room temperature, unsaturated fats are liquid (like olive oil) whereas saturated fats are typically solid (like butter). While unsaturated fat is healthier for your body than saturated fat, you need both to maintain a healthy diet— you just need more unsaturated fat than saturated fat!

Unsaturated Fat = A Good Friend

When unsaturated fats are broken down, they help raise your body’s good cholesterol levels. This is where it gets a little complex but stay with us…Cholesterol is actually a type of fat. There is both bad and good cholesterol: LDL and HDL.

LDL (low-density lipoprotein) is bad and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) is good. Cholesterol helps your body function properly, but too much of it will put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke.

By minimizing the LDL cholesterol that is present in your blood, unsaturated fats actually help protect your body against the harm that can be caused by excess saturated fats and high cholesterol.

When you eat unsaturated fat, your HDL levels increase. This increase enables your cells to grab onto the bad LDL compounds and carry them to the liver. This process is called reverse cholesterol transport. When the LDL compounds are in the liver, they are properly broken down and eliminated from your body. By minimizing the LDL cholesterol present in your blood, unsaturated fats actually help protect your body against the harm that can be caused by excess saturated fats and high cholesterol.

Saturated Fat = Friendly Acquaintance

Saturated fats do not contain any double bonds in their chemical composition, making them denser than unsaturated fat. Saturated fat can raise your body’s overall cholesterol levels (including LDL cholesterol). The most well-known foods that contain saturated fat are meat and dairy products. Beef and cheese, for example, contain more saturated fatty acids than an unsaturated fatty acid.

While it is important to be aware of the amount of saturated fat you consume, there are healthy foods that contain saturated fatty acids. The American Heart Association recommends that roughly 120 calories (5-6%) of our total daily calories come from saturated fat. New research indicates that a diet that incorporates saturated fats may not cause an increased risk for Cardiovascular Disease or Coronary Heart Disease. While this isn’t definitive, it is certainly something to watch!

If you follow the daily recommended intake for both saturated and unsaturated fat and you live an active lifestyle, you will find these fats are more your friend than your enemy.

Within the unsaturated fat “family”, there are different types of fatty acids. There are 2 main groups of unsaturated fats: polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have a handful of double bonds, whereas monounsaturated fatty acids only have one. Your body is able to make fatty acids with one or no double bonds. However, the human body is unable to create two types of polyunsaturated fat, which are essential fatty acids in human nutrition.

Trans Fat = Foe

Unlike unsaturated fat and saturated fat, which can be healthily incorporated into your daily regimen, you should be very mindful of trans fats. In fact, you want to avoid partially hydrogenated oils (PHO) as much as possible! PHO is most prevalent in heavily processed foods. Unlike saturated and unsaturated fat, hydrogenated fats are very unnatural substances.

PHOs were actually created by food processing companies after saturated fat was thought to be detrimental to overall body health. To replace saturated fat, food scientists created trans fat from unsaturated fat. Because unsaturated fat has a shorter shelf life, they needed to make the substance more solid in order to have the same functionality as saturated fats at a lower cost. In order to make the unsaturated fat solid, it is hydrogenated. Your body is not familiar with partially hydrogenated oils and thus is not able to properly digest them.

So, what does all this mean for your body?

While fatty acids are present in almost all food to some extent, the amount of each fatty acid indicates its health value. For example, the most heavily prevailing fatty acid in an avocado is oleic acid, which is unsaturated fat. However, while unsaturated fat is the most prominent fatty acid present, saturated fatty acids are present as well—but this doesn’t mean the food is bad! The weight of saturated fat is roughly 15% while the weight of unsaturated fat is roughly 79%.

In addition to avocados, foods like salmon, seeds, nuts, olive oil, coconut oil, flax, vegetables, and legumes will provide healthy, unsaturated fat that will help maintain your body’s good cholesterol, suppress LDL cholesterol, and keep your cells healthy!

There are many ways to get a variety of good fats. For example, you can consume 2 tablespoons of butter (102 calories per tablespoon), 1/2 a cup of sliced almonds (250 calories), 1 tablespoon of peanut butter (90 calories), and 1 tablespoon of olive oil (118 calories) for 560 calories of fat. This remains within the 400-700 calorie recommended consumption.

A well-balanced diet that includes the recommended amount of healthy fats, paired with exercise and the appropriate amount of sleep, will help keep you healthy.

The diet and weight loss industry is estimated at more than $50 billion dollars a year, and that’s just the U.S.! That means countless Americans have resorted to spending money on diet programs, pills, books, and food to lose weight – and yet 35.7% of Americans remain obese. Unfortunately, the majority of these plans burn out as quickly as they come into the limelight. 

The Atkins program, however, has not followed the traditional fad diet trajectory. This diet program was created by Dr. Robert Atkins in 1971 and gained notoriety in 2003 and 2004. Dr. Atkins based his program off of research performed by the Journal of American Medical Association in the ’70s, which explored the important role fat plays in our diet.

Unlike some of the other diets we have reviewed (think: Gluten Free, Paleo, or the 5:2 diet), the Atkins Program is a structured diet program.Popular dieting trends often expect you to flip a switch and change your eating habits overnight, without a gradual introduction to the program— which we think is a fairly unreasonable approach to healthy eating.

The Atkins Program utilizes four phases to get your weight goals on track. The diet aims to shock your system by almost completely eliminating all carbohydrates. Not surprisingly, your weight loss is effectively jumpstarted. Eliminating an entire food group that typically accounts for 45-65% of your diet will undoubtedly help you shed some excess weight. In fact, the first stage of the Atkins diet calls for only 10% carb consumption! However, it is a common misconception that the Atkins diet is a high protein diet. While there is a strong emphasis on the importance of protein, the Atkins diet is categorized as a high fat, low carb diet.

The four phases of the Atkins Diet:

Phase 1: Induction. This phase is the strictest of the four phases and lasts for two weeks. It requires you to cut your carbohydrate intake to 20 grams of net carbs per day— equal to about five red peppers. The net carbs are calculated by subtracting fiber from the total carbohydrates. For example, there are six grams of carbohydrates in a medium red pepper and two grams of fiber, so the net carb of the average red pepper is four. It is also recommended that 10-15 of these 20 net carbs come from what Atkins calls “foundation vegetables”. These include broccoli, asparagus, peppers, celery, and cucumber. This phase stresses the importance of vegetable and protein intake, and even eliminates fruit, nuts, and grains.

Phase 2: Balancing. During this phase you are able to introduce nuts and berries back into your diet. You are told to continue to eat a variety of the foundation vegetables, getting at least 12-15 grams of net carbohydrates from this source. However, you are unable to eat foods with added sugars—that means no cookies, no cakes, no candy. Unlike the induction phase, there is no time limit to the balancing phase. The Atkins Program advises you to remain in the balancing phase until you are ten pounds from your designated goal weight.

Phase 3: Pre-maintenance: Once you are ten pounds from your goal weight, your pre-maintenance begins. In this phase, you are allowed to add ten grams of carbohydrates per week; however, stay alert, if you start gaining weight you must cut back the carbohydrates once again.

Phase 4: Maintenance: After you have reached your goal weight, the maintenance phase begins. This signifies the start of the “rest of your life”. After the Atkins program, you have shocked your system by eliminating the majority of carbohydrates from your diet and are to continue eating a diet with a decrease in carbohydrate intake.

So, why has this diet program prospered for so long?

Well, although it might not be the healthiest approach to weight loss, it does work. In fact, it is often ranked among the best diets in the U.S. The premise of the program is a quick way to shock your body and increase fat burn. However, it is important to note that our understanding of food has changed significantly since this diet was first introduced. We now understand a lot more about the digestibility of different foods and the need for portion control. Unfortunately, this was not considered when the diet was first created.

To the positive, the Atkins program aims to stabilize your body’s blood sugar levels, which is one of the key components to weight loss and healthy weight management. Dr. Atkins actually designed his program to combat the “traditional” American diet, which he believes consists of high-carbohydrates and low-fat intake. Unlike the more traditional (and very popular) diet approaches in the U.S., the Atkins program embraces the intake of fat—and this is certainly something we like to see. As you may recall, we recently explained why “Fat is Our Friend”.

The growing appreciation for fat intake over the typical “low fat diet” has also been investigated in many science research initiatives. Overall, the majority of research is finding that low-carb diets are more effective than low-fat diets. On average, low carb diets are known to increase HDL Cholesterol (the good cholesterol that puts you at a lower risk for cardiovascular disease and helps keep your metabolism strong) AND decrease your triglycerides. When your triglyceride levels are too high, they can increase your risk of a stroke, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome.

Remember: Every Body is Different!

While it is good diet advice to increase your protein and healthy fats while decreasing your carbohydrate intake, the Atkins diet expects everyone to fit its mold. It is important to remember: every body is different. You should not adjust your lifestyle to fit a diet program, you should create a diet program that fits your lifestyle.

To better understand how to tailor the Atkins Diet to your own lifestyle, we spoke to Dr. Keith Berkowitz, author of The Stubborn Fat Fix and advisor to Dr. Atkins. Dr. Berkowitz explained that while a low-carb, high-fat diet can help obtain weight loss goals, there is no “hard and fast rule” that applies to everyone for weight loss. In fact, although he utilizes certain aspects of the Atkins diet, Dr. Berkowitz does not recommend the induction phase of the program. Instead he recommends roughly 50-75 grams of carbs per day, although this can change depending on the patient and his/her weight loss goals. He believes you should eat foods that are nutrient dense to help control blood sugar levels. Dr. Berkowitz explained that balanced blood sugar levels and digestibility is the key to weight loss and healthy weight management.

One issue we have with the Atkins diet is the lack of healthy serving size recommendations. The Atkins program only regulates the amount of net carbohydrates you can intake, thus allowing its devoted followers to eat hot dogs, red meat, and cheese without any portion control. With these rules, you could literally eat hot dogs for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

While we agree that healthy fat is good in moderation, endlessly eating processed meats every day will not support long-term heart health. This is something Dr. Berkowitz also addressed. He does not think the science behind “net carbohydrates” is exact and believes it is difficult to monitor your consumption that way. Additionally, not all protein options are easy to digest. Bacon and some dairy products, for example, are hard for your body to break down.

Additionally, in the first phase of the Atkins Diet you are told to eliminate fruit and nuts. However, there certainly are healthy ways to include both these food groups into a diet and still lose weight! Mixed berries, for example, are high in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants. This high fiber content keeps berries from significantly spiking your body’s blood sugar levels (unlike tropical fruits). Nuts are also a well-rounded food not worth eliminating. They are packed with Omega-3, fiber, and vitamins, as well. Like berries, nuts can help to improve heart health and can help lower your cholesterol.

And let’s not forget about the power of whole grains and their importance to overall body health. We mentioned this in our “Debunking the Gluten Myth“ post. Eliminating carbohydrates like over-processed white bread is obviously going to help your weight loss, but there are healthy, whole grain carbohydrates that can nourish your body. Barley, quinoa, and sprouted breads will provide you with fiber, iron, and enriched nutrients (like Vitamin B).

Losing weight is one thing, but staying healthy is another. The short-term effects of the Atkins diet will allow you to lose weight, but there is no science that determines whether this approach to eating will keep you healthy in the long run. According to the National Center of Biotechnology, “skeptics are concerned in part because of the absence of long term studies needed to answer questions raised about the safety of the Atkins diet including whether it will promote osteoporosis, colon cancer, heart disease, kidney damage, and gout, as critics charge.” Overall, the Atkins program may be an acceptable way to lose weight quickly, however it has not proven its ability to maintain overall body health in the long term.

Probiotic supplements are becoming increasingly popular. Walk down the dairy aisle and you will be flooded with probiotic enhanced yogurts, drinks, and even cheeses. Doctors are saying that we need the “right” gut bacteria to balance our digestive system. We are even being told that our gut is our second brain! Is this true?  And if it is, are probiotics the intelligence behind the brain?

Source: http://www.stickycomics.com/

Every day we have trillions of intestinal bacteria working hard to convert food into nutrients, make vitamins, digest our food, reduce gut inflammation, and keep our immune system strong.

What is the difference between Prebiotics and Probiotics?  Prebiotics and probiotics set the stage for good bacteria.

Prebiotics enter your stomach, survive the acidic environment of a pH from 1.5 to 3.5 (a neutral pH is 7.0), and move into the small and large intestine to feed the good microbiota in your gut. This means the prebiotics actually feed the probiotics. Probiotics would not be able to do their job properly without prebiotics. But, you don’t need to look for a supplement to get some good prebiotics. They are very easy to incorporate into your diet! Foods like asparagus, leeks, artichokes, onions, chicory, endives, and yams will give your body good prebiotics to help aid the probiotics in your small and large intestine.

Probiotics, (pro and biota, “for life”) are live bacteria that live in your small and large intestine and help maintain overall body health. Besides digesting your food and assisting with vitamin creation, new research indicates that probiotics keep your immune system strong, prevent infections, and help control inflammation. The good bacteria creates a slightly hostile environment where bad bacteria (such as salmonella, E. coli, fungus’ and yeast) find it difficult to survive. Incorporating probiotics in your diet is easy with yogurt, kefir, soft cheeses, or fermented foods such as sauerkraut, sour pickles, miso soup, or cabbage.

Now, what is this so called “second brain” ?

Of course, the human brain makes all of our logical and intellectual decisions. However, it is the “brain in our gut” that contributes to our health and emotions. The gut has its own nervous system, which is a network of millions of neurons. They signal to each other and use the same chemical factors and proteins as the ones in our head. The brain and gut then talk to each other using the Vagus nerve, which connects the two and is part of the enteric nervous system (ENS).

The more we understand about the tens of trillions of microorganisms in our gut (which represent over three million genes) the more we can learn about what is the optimal combination to keep our immune system strong and our emotions happy. But this is not as easy as just throwing a bunch of bacteria into a petri dish and analyzing through a big data computer program or a ‘human simulator’.

Every human being is estimated to share about 1/3rd of all the gut microbiota. The remaining 2/3rds (approximately) is believed to be unique to each individual. Each person hosts a unique set of microbiota and every human reacts differently to various microbes. Examine someone’s microbiota in their large intestine and you can even tell where they grew up! If you were born and raised in Iowa, you have a much different gut microbiota than someone living in India. If you were born via caesarian section your bacteria is different than someone who was born naturally. Were you breastfed? That makes a difference as well. If you were allowed to eat dirt in the garden and roll on the floor with a puppy your immune system developed much differently than if you were raised in a busy city. Your microbiota is also evolving every day based on what you eat, where you travel, and how you live.

source: Huffington Post

Today’s exciting research of microbiota goes beyond the just the basics. In 2015 alone, more than 1,700 papers were published regarding the relationship between your gut bacteria, diseases, and your mental health.

Each type of bacteria has a specific set of genes, which makes the bacteria unique to the host. Some are better pathogen fighters, some adhere to the intestinal wall, and some act as anti-inflammatory agents.

Doctors and researchers are looking at the effects of specific microbiota and autism, intestinal cancer, weight loss, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, and brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s. The list is endlessly exciting. The relationship between gut microbiota and overall immune function is strong and understanding this will have a huge impact on our health. Albeit this is very new research with very preliminary results.

Currently, two leading European organizations are collaborating on a significant portion of research concerning probiotics. MetaCardis is a research project investigating the role of gut microbes in cardio-metabolic diseases (CMD). These discoveries will enable the development of future CMD treatments. My New Gut is a project that will “research how the human gut microbiota and its microbiome influence obesity, behavioral and lifestyle-related disorders, and vice versa. It also helps to identify specific dietary strategies to improve the long term health of the population.” MetaCardis and My New Gut findings and collaborations with other organizations will set a new frontier for human health. A great resource for this progress is Gut Microbiota for Health.

What probiotics to take?

Before you run to the grocery store, understand that gut microbiota is a very new field. Researchers and scientists are experimenting but are still unsure as to the exact perfect combination of microbiota in your gut. While we now know that the bacteria can influence your health and mental well-being, the scientific community is still a ways away from recommending a specific combination. Even if they could, because of everyone’s unique combination, what can help one person may not help another.

If you consume too much bad OR good bacteria, you might have unintended consequences. It is widely recognized that you must replace the good bacteria in your gut after a course of antibiotics— you’re probably familiar with acidophilus. We also know that if you have C-difficile (a disorder caused by the use of antibiotics) your last – and in many cases – the most effective treatment is to replace your gut bacteria with a loved one’s poo (eek!).

While certain strains show promise in the lab, it is hard to tell what their exact effect on the human body will be and how these strains will react with other bacterial strains in the gut.

A well-balanced diet rich in microbes is the best solution.

Today’s research shows that if you have a healthy gut and are not experiencing any disorders, you don’t typically need to take probiotic supplements. However, they can be helpful for travel, if you are sick, or have a specific intestinal disorder. To help you out, we found a very handy US Probiotic Guide, which helps determine what probiotic is right for you. The European Society for Primary Care Gastroenterology also has a list of 32 specific probiotics that might give you some clarity.

Of course, you should always consult your doctor—but this will help guide you in the right direction if you are fighting a cold, struggling with irritable bowel syndrome, or preventing diarrhea issues from antibiotics or travel.

The inner workings of our skin:

The epidermis is the exterior layer of the skin. It acts as a protective shield. The outer most barrier of the epidermis is called the stratum corneum. The dermis contains the underlying tissue and includes your sweat glands and hair follicles. And the hypodermis is the deepest layer of connective tissue.

Your skin absorbs tiny particles all day long and protects you from bacteria that can enter your body through your pores. While your skin is able to protect against larger microbes, certain nanoparticles are able to penetrate the different layers of the skin— and (depending on their size) enter your circulatory system.

Today, there are differences in opinion concerning your skin. It is easy to get caught up in the headlines that say big cosmetic companies are using toxic ingredients that are carcinogenic. But in reality, the research doesn’t exist. There is much speculation over what types of products you should be using to protect your skin properly but while your skin is susceptible to nanoparticle absorption that can affect your skin’s health, the long term effects of particle absorption are unknown.

What is a nanoparticle?

Nanoparticles are emitted from a variety of different sources and can also be created in different ways. Once formed, they are released into the atmosphere and are able to be absorbed by the human body. If this sounds vague, it’s because it is! These particles range from 1-100 nanometers in size and change depending on the source it was emitted from (such as pollution, smoke, technology), if they are absorbed (through your pores or through inhalation), nanoparticles are believed to cause damage to your cells. A 2011 study indicated that free radical formation can also be triggered by nanoparticles.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely prevent the absorption of nanoparticles— not to mention scientists are not entirely sure what the long-term effects are once these particles enter the circulatory system. Thus, the difficulty of protecting your skin comes from a shortage of research.

It is nearly impossible to create a “rule of thumb” when it comes to giving advice on how to protect your skin from absorbing different nanoparticles.

Size Matters

Nanoparticles are able to penetrate the skin layers depending on their size. According to a study performed by Dr. H Schaefer et al., “skin penetration depends on particle size is often taken as a rule: particles below 3 μm (micrometre) diameter can penetrate the stratum corneum through the intercellular pathway; particles between 3 and 10 μm accumulate preferentially in the sebaceous follicles; and particles above 10 μm do not penetrate the skin (they possibly remain adhered to the skin surface in the case of film-forming ability).”

Where do harmful nanoparticles come from?

Three of the most harmful free radicals come from pollution, cigarette smoke, and UVA rays. In the study, “Cosmeceuticals and Active Ingredients” Dr. Lintner et. al., describes how millennials (in particular) are not accustomed to protecting themselves against these toxins because the “free-radical generated damage is not immediately visible.”

Although you may not realize it, our skin is subject to aggressors that deteriorate its overall health every single day. And although the long term health effects of your skin may be unknown, we do know that these aggressors slowly weaken your skin tissue and inevitably cause the skin to age prematurely.

While pollution, cigarette smoke, and UVA sun exposure may be three of the most significant causes of free radicals entering the skin, they may not be the only ones affecting the health of your skin. For example, a recent study found that there are nanoparticles released from a photocopy machine when you are making a copy. Based on your proximity to the machine, you are most likely inhaling these toxic nanoparticles, which then sit in your lungs! Additionally, there are also new concerns over the nanoparticles emitted from new 3-D printers. In a world where technology continues to have a strong presence in our day-to-day lives, it is important to be cautious of over-use.

The simple fact is: our skin has not modernized along with society.

As technology changes, our climate becomes more severe, and pollution becomes a larger problem, our skin has a more difficult time protecting itself against free radicals. Our skin is equipped to protect itself to a certain degree, however as you age the ability for your skin to continue creating metabolic enzymes that fight aging begins to slow. That, paired with the pace of our progressive lifestyle has caused the overall health of human skin to deteriorate.

It is also important to understand that “the aging of the skin manifests itself in many ways: drying out, loss of elasticity and texture, thinning, damaged barrier function, the appearance of spots, modification of surface line isotropy, and finally wrinkles.” (Lintner et al.). Thus, not every person’s skin damage manifests the same way. Having a dermatologist assess your skin health and recommend products that are tailored to your skin needs is important.

So, how do we keep our skin healthy?

Using the right creams to combat premature aging and always use SUNSCREEN!

One of the most interesting studies we read tested the accelerated aging of human skin in a tropical climate. The study was performed over a six month period and used 50 Caucasian volunteers, who were split into two groups, receiving either a placebo or a moisturizer containing Thermus thermophilus ferment (TTF), with the hope of proving that skin that was not sufficiently protected would experience measurable deterioration. “The results indicate that under these special conditions of accelerated aging, the skin aged by approximately 4 years in the placebo group, whereas no deterioration occurred in the TTF-treated group”

Yes, you read that correctly! By properly protecting and moisturizing their skin, volunteers in the treated group were able to maintain their skin’s health, whereas those who were subjected to accelerated conditions, aged 4 YEARS in a 6-month period!

While sunscreen protects your skin by its ability to combat UVA and UVB rays from damaging your collagen, moisturizers and cosmetic creams can help to replenish your skin’s collagen. Collagen is a type of protein that helps keep your skin firm and looking young. Products containing peptides are believed to help your skin as peptides are the amino acids found in collagen. By actively replenishing your body’s natural supply, you can help your body fight the effects of premature aging. You can also replenish your body’s collagen through the foods and vitamins you eat! Vitamins C and E, for example, have antioxidant properties that help replenish collagen and repair cell damage.

Micronutrients are vital for your body’s overall health. They consist of thirteen vitamins, four major minerals, and nine minor minerals. In order to replenish your body’s natural supply, you need to eat the right foods or take the proper supplements.

Did you know that 80% of children who lived in Boston had rickets back in the early 1900s? The pollution from coal and wood limited their sun exposure, and they were getting no Vitamin D. Many long voyage sailors and explorers have indirectly thanked surgeon James Lind, who discovered that citrus fruits could assuage scurvy. If only they had vitamin C on board…

Vitamins Help Protect Against Disease

Vitamins play a significant role in preventing different diseases and each individual vitamin serves a different purpose. Vitamin E, for example, helps keep your eyes and skin healthy. Some scientists also argue that the antioxidant properties of vitamin E can potentially help prevent diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer.

Vitamin C assists your body’s collagen production, the most prevalent protein in mammals. As you get older, your collagen starts to break down. When your skin collagen breaks down, it can cause wrinkles! Vitamin C allows your body to create new collagen, potentially slowing the effects of aging. It can also boost your immune system.

Minerals are just as important.

Minerals are just as important. We all know how important calcium is for our bones and teeth, but did you know it also helps in clotting your blood? Unlike calcium, chromium is a mineral that is probably not on your radar. One of the benefits of chromium is that it helps our bodies use insulin thus keeps our blood sugar normal. Luckily (for chocolate lovers) it can be found in dark chocolate. Minerals and vitamins are also known to complement each other. For example, you are familiar with Calcium-Magnesium vitamins. Not only does magnesium help you sleep and regulate your blood pressure, but it also helps your body’s absorption of calcium! The combination of Calcium and Magnesium together provides bone support.

Micronutrients Can Benefit Your Long Term Health.

Micronutrients also play an important role in our body’s long term health. Dr. Bruce Ames, from University California at Berkeley, has studied the long term effects of vitamins on our mitochondria and our aging cells. As we age, our mitochondria is not as prevalent, but Dr. Ames has found that micronutrients can enhance mitochondria – thus amending DNA damage leading to aging issues. Dr. Ames associated vitamin bioavailability with a “triage theory”. Similar to triage in an emergency room where the doctors take care of the most severe cases first, our bodies use vitamins and minerals the same way. First, they take care of short term vitamin and mineral shortages. Then they address fixing long term problems such as inflammation or DNA mutation. Hence why you need a steady supply of vitamins to maintain your health! If you are deficient in any vitamins and minerals, your long term repair system could be in trouble and unable to help protect your body against cancer, neurological diseases, and/or other aging diseases.

So, we know why we need vitamins and minerals—but exactly how does your body use these specific vitamins to protect your body?

Vitamins help to maintain the healthy condition of your cells, organs, and tissues and can keep your body from wearing down. Of the 13 vitamins, four are fat-soluble vitamins and nine are water-soluble vitamins. Fat-soluble vitamins, vitamins D, E, A, and K, are stored in the liver or fat tissues. Rather than passing quickly through your body, fat-soluble vitamins remain in the body for longer. Once they are stored, these “reserves” can be used days after ingestion.

Water-soluble vitamins, on the other hand, dissolve in water—and your body does not store them for very long. They are expelled from your body through your urine and need to be replenished more quickly than fat-soluble vitamins. All fat and water-soluble vitamins play different, but equally important roles in your body’s overall health.

These days, our lives are pretty hectic and we often don’t get enough sleep, we are exposed to environmental and food toxins, and most likely we are not getting the full requirement of vitamins and minerals through our diet. And since our bodies rarely produce enough of these on their own, typically we need supplements to stay healthy.

Now, this might not be true for all our readers, but globally there are more than two billion people that suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. In fact, nine out of ten Americans suffer from dietary gaps with the most common micronutrients of vitamin A, C, D, E, Magnesium, and Calcium. Amending these deficiencies with a diet change is pretty unrealistic. Not to mention when you look at a nutrition label, you often go straight to the calories, sugar, and protein listing. And while that is good practice, the bottom of the “Nutrition Facts” label often gets overlooked.

You can rely on different foods to help replenish various vitamin deficiencies. Refer to this chart for a little help!

The Dietary Supplement Label Database

With all the various vitamins and different requirements for each one—it is difficult to keep up! The FDA publishes the Dietary Supplement Label Database to help you understand the minimum daily requirements for vitamins and minerals.

If you would like even more detail, the National Academies Food and Nutrition Board has categorized daily requirements by children, males, females, pregnancy, and lactation. For more detail on what each vitamin and mineral does for your body, check out The Ultimate Guide to Vitamins and Minerals or the Harvard Medical School Health Publication.

Now that we know how much we should take, how do you know which supplements are safe to take?

Because the FDA does not regulate supplements, many are tested independently by third-party certification. The most common to look for are The USP Seal of Approval, NSF International, Informed Choice, ConsumerLab, and Banned Substances Control Group (BSCGF). They test to confirm that the ingredients listed on the label are:

• actually in the product in the stated amounts.
• made in sanitary FDA Good Manufacturing Conditions.
• will break down in the body in an appropriate amount of time.
• do not contain harmful levels of toxins or contaminants.

Third party organizations provide independent testing, but it is at a point in time and does not guarantee future batches. So you want to look for those companies who manufacture their vitamins under ‘Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). These standards are written by the FDA.

According to the FDA, here’s how to be a savvy supplement user:

• When searching for supplements on the internet, use noncommercial sites (e.g. NIH, FDA, USDA) rather than doing blind searches.
• Watch out for false statements like “works better than [a prescription drug],” “totally safe,” or has “no side effects.”
• Ask your healthcare provider for help in distinguishing between reliable and questionable information.
• If you want to know more about the product that you are taking, check with the manufacturer or distributor about information to support the claims, ingredients, and effectiveness.

If you are integrating vitamin supplements into your routine, there are two different types of supplements you can purchase: natural or synthetic. Read our post to help you make an informed decision about what supplements you should be purchasing.

Resources to learn more about essential vitamins and minerals:

NIH: The National Institutes of Health (NIH), from the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), has a range of materials, across topics, and offers an easy-to-understand fact sheet on supplements.
FDA: The U.S. FDA: Dietary Supplements page has a roster of helpful information.
CRN: The Council of Responsible Nutrition (CRN), here you will find helpful tips from a leading trade association, including how to read a supplement label.
A Guide to Vitamin and Mineral Safety.
IOM: To learn more about recommended intake levels based on RDAs (Recommended Dietary Allowances) from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences.

Some of our D2D readers were toasting each other with glasses of red wine over the weekend cheering, “healthier than going to the gym!” Publications like Shape, Bustle, and Elite Daily, are writing about the positive health effects of red wine, telling readers that it is equivalent to an hour of cardio. How?

The secret lies in resveratrol. This common compound in wine has been found to “enhance exercise training and performance.” In May 2012, the Journal of Physiology published an article by seven researchers from the University of Alberta entitled “Improvements in skeletal muscle strength and cardiac function induced by resveratrol during exercise training contribute to enhanced exercise performance in rats.” In laymen’s terms: these researchers discovered that a substance found in wine gave rats an extra boost during exercise. The energy boost comes from “an increase in skeletal muscle force, cardiac function, and oxidative metabolism.”

What is Resveratrol?

Resveratrol is of the “polyphenols” family and “polyphenol” is essentially all plant-based micro-nutrients. You may have first come across the benefits of polyphenol in wine in the book, The Red Wine Diet, published in September 2007. Author Dr. Roger Corder examined the role of “procyanidins”, another nutrient of the polyphenol family that is found in red wine. This book asserts that procyanidin, a micronutrient with strong anti-oxidant properties, is a “key health component” for humans. According to Dr. Corder, procyanidins may keep your blood vessels healthy and “healthy blood vessels are the key to keeping your heart, brain, and every other organ in good shape. Healthy blood vessel function may also help prevent cancer.” (Corder, 2007) For these reasons, Dr. Corder believes one glass of red wine a day is a good way to live a longer, healthier life. However, some researchers believe that many of these effects can now be attributed to the alcohol content of the wine. In fact, it is the fermentation process that extracts procyanidin from the seeds and skin of the grapes used to make wine. While procyanidins are believed to protect against free radicals, it is almost impossible to say with certainty that these nutrients help you to live a longer life without conducting human trials.

According to the study, Resveratrol has been shown to increase the mitochondrial energy in cells; break down fatty acids into energy, and improve oxygen delivery to the big muscles attached to the bones. However, the giant leap from “resveratrol is an exercise enhancer” to “drinking red wine as equivalent to a trip to the gym” is entirely inaccurate. Resveratrol enhances exercise performance, it does not replace it.

We spoke to lead researcher, Dr. Jason Dyck. He clarified that many of the stories that are being published citing this research are not correct. Nowhere does this study advocate avoiding exercise. Not to mention, the amount of red wine you would need to drink in order to get a high dosage of resveratrol is anywhere from 100 to 1,000 bottles per day! Clearly, a resveratrol supplement is in order here.

Resveratrol is believed to decrease the risk of heart disease and cancer. However, the research conducted by the University of Alberta focused on the unique relationship between resveratrol and exercise. This fueled the increasingly popular (and inaccurate) headline that drinking red wine = a workout.

Their study used male Wistar rats, separated into 4 groups over a period of 12 weeks and focused on their exercise program. The individual groups were fed either a standard diet or a diet that included resveratrol. By controlling the rat’s exercise regimen and their dietary requirements, the scientists successfully tested the effectiveness of resveratrol. The study concluded that resveratrol increased the endurance capacity of their Wistar rats.

While it is very catchy to say a glass of wine is equivalent to an hour in the gym – that is not the case. Yes, both resveratrol and an hour in the gym can benefit your overall health, but they are not mutually exclusive. The incorporation of resveratrol into your diet supports the effectiveness of your time in the gym.