Nutrition basics and dispelling common myths that take the joy out food
In the past decades there’s been a lot of different diet trends. In the 80s it was fat was given a bad rap, so thousands upon thousands of low fat products saw the light of day. What had replaced the fat? Sugar. Of course. Something had to replace the deliciousness that the fat would otherwise give. Low fat spreads were invented, which, it turns out, is about as bad as fat can get because it’s the fat they contain is hydrogenated fat. Hydrogenated fats are liquid lipids that are turned solid by adding an extra hydrogen atom via a highly industrialised process.
Then about a decade or so later it was a new enemy on the horizon: carbs. Same thing happened — thousands of new products were created that were low carb. A group of consumers can only consume so many calories, so in order for the processed food industry to keep growing and increasing its profits, these are the sort of stories they will come up with. Don’t fall for it. You don’t need to make enemies of entire food groups!
The enemy is ultra-processed crap, ready meals, take-aways, etc.
Fat
Fat is your friend! Let me repeat that: FAT IS YOUR FRIEND! Good kinds of fat, that is, like what you find in olive oil, avocados, seeds and nuts. Dairy fat is fine as well, but should come from animals that have been fed grass - their natural diet - as they will otherwise (for instance when fed soy beans) produce disproportionate amount of saturated fatty acids and little to zero omega 3.
The fact that we are eating fat from animals that have eaten an unnatural diet and ‘designer fats’ like margarine has been a huge factor in increasing the rate of heart disease — one of the biggest killers in the western world, and increasingly in developing countries as they adopt a Western diet.
Your brain is made of fat and cannot function properly without essential fatty acids. Your joints need fat. Your cells need fat to function. Also, let’s not forget that fat carries flavour (food is joy, right?). When you go to a really good restaurant and you have a pomme purée (potato purée) and you think: “wow! this is freakin’ amazing” so you ask the waiter: “what’s the secret?” and the waiter goes: “50/50”. What he means, of course, if that the mash is 50 percent potatoes and 50 percent butter. I’m not saying that’s how you should make you mash potatoes, but fat, I’m saying, is not only essential for your health, it’s also essential for making food taste delicious. Therefore, if you were freaked out about fat, now breath a sigh of relief. Fat. Is your friend.
Carbs
There are two overall groups. Complex carbs (whole grains, potatoes, sweet potato, pulses, etc.) and refined carbs (sugar, white flour, white sliced bread, etc). Complex carbs are great. Refined carbs should be avoided or eaten in limited quantities. The amount of carbs you should eat depends on your level of activity because carbs are the gasoline that fuel your muscles. It’s important to bear in mind here that ‘activity’ also includes what you do with your mind. Your brain albeit only constituting 2% of your body weight, consumes about 20-30% of the calories you eat. And your brain loves carbs! Another crucial aspect when it comes to (complex) carbs in the form of whole grains is that they also are a great source of fibre.
Protein
There is an obsession about protein. People just can’t get enough. In fact, in the world’s wealthier regions including US, Canada and the UK average protein consumption greatly exceeds average estimated daily requirement. Eating too much protein will do more harm than good for healthy individuals, often compromising at the expense of fibre, complex carbohydrates and vegetables. Eating too much protein for a prolonged period of time can strains the kidneys, liver and bones, and is associated with increased risk for heart disease and cancer.
In the 2007 FAO/WHO/UNU report, WHO recommended “safe level of protein intake” is 0.83 gram/kg per day which would be expected to meet the requirements of most (97.5%) of the healthy adult population (calculated based on a person eating a 2,200 calorie diet). For example, in normal health status, a man who weighs 70 kg (154 pounds) should consume nearly 60 grams of protein per day, and a woman who weighs 60kg (132 pounds) needs approximately 50 grams of protein per day.
In sum, the likelihood that you are suffering from protein deficiency is negligible.
Pulses and cereals are complementary amino acid sources providing a complete protein when combined.
When it comes to sources of protein, we do as mentioned time and time again highly recommend adopting the principle (at least on an everyday basis) of LESS BUT BETTER QUALITY MEAT AND DIARY TO FLAVOUR PLANT PROTEINS. You do not need to eat meat in order to get complete proteins. Think about a cow. It eats grass. Where do you think it gets its proteins from? That’s right. Grass. All the essential amino acids are made by plants, which is a bit counter intuitive when one first hears it. Below are some of sources we recommend to include in your diet on a regular basis:
Seeds and nuts. Eat as many different kinds of possible. They can pretty much be included with any kind of meal — breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Cereals like rice, wheat, barley, spelt, rye, quinoa. Cereals contrary to popular belief are an excellent source of protein and will typically contain between 10-15% dry weight.
Pulses contain protein lots of protein. Typically between 20-25% dry weight. Together with cereal they are referred to as complementary amino acid sources since pulses contain isoleucine and lysine, but lack methionine and tryptophan, which is found in cereals.
Leafy greens are a significant source of protein. Just like the cow eating that protein rich green grass, tender stem broccoli for example contains about 4% protein.
Tofu and tempeh. Both are high in protein and made by curdling the dissolved proteins of soy beans or other pulses using calcium, or magnesium chloride with relatively little processing. This is at the minimal end of the processing whereas things like plant-based meats and Quorn belong to the Ultra Processed end of the scale and is something we recommend being wary of.
Fibre
Rather than the obsession about getting enough protein, really what we need is an obsession about getting enough fibre. Most people don’t. Highly processed foods like most ready meals and take-aways are largely devoid of fibre. Whole natural ingredients like pulses, whole grains, fruit and veg, seeds and nuts are full of them.
Fibre is essential for the functioning of the gut and to help keep insulin levels stable.
Insoluble fibre can’t be broken down by the digestive system, so it acts almost like a broom that sweeps the walls of the intestines helping to keep the everything nice and clean — and your gut feeling great which is turn is good for the mind. You know that gut-brain connection that science is only just beginning to discover the profundity of.
Getting plenty of fibre is essential for gut health and overall wellbeing.
Soluble fibre is the jelly like substance that form for example when you put chia seeds in water. Soluble fibre binds to waste materials and toxins thus helping to get rid of any ‘pollutants’ that may have entered the system.
In sum, getting plenty of both types of fibre benefits your health by:
Lowering cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Increasing healthy gut bacteria, reduce inflammation, and aid digestion and nutrient absorption.
Helping your body process waste better.
Preventing and treating constipation.
Reducing the risk of colorectal conditions.
Fibre is not just great. It’s absolutely essential if you want to live your best life. Make sure you get enough!