I've been wanting to join a CSA for a long time. If you haven't heard of a CSA, it's an organized effort to provide locally grown food to a small group of subscribers. Typically, you pay a flat fee to join, and every week, you get a portion of whatever is being harvested that week. At our last property, I had room for a sizable veggie and flower garden, so didn't bother - we were able to grow a lot of our own food through the summer. At our new location, there isn't a lot of gardening space. Also, a career transition has taken me away from teaching, which lent itself to being a much more attentive gardener, with lots of summer hours to keep things weeded and flowering. This year it finally felt like the right time to get set up with a subscription to our local CSA at Charmingfare Farm. This particular CSA offers 20 weeks of whatever is growing and available each week, starting at the end of May. After a long New Hampshire winter, I anticipated the first day like a little kid waiting for Christmas. Every week feels like that - though I imagine the fun will wear off after a few more weeks. May in New Hampshire doesn't typically present with bumper crops of anything, except rain, so my expectations were low. I was pleasantly surprised to leave with a plethora of green things, freshly harvested. Fiddleheads, asparagus, a variety of fresh herbs, and chives were all available this first week. I used every bit of it. Read below for recipes. Sauteed Fiddleheads with Chives
To prepare fiddleheads, soak briefly in a bowl of cold water to remove dirt. Drop into boiling water for 3 minutes. Strain. Now they are ready to cook. I heated up a few tablespoons of olive oil and butter in a skillet, along with fresh garlic and chives. I added the fiddleheads and sauteed for about 5 minutes. Ready to serve! Oven-Roasted Asparagus Preheat over to 450 degrees. Cut the ends (about 1/2 inch) off of the stalks. For thin spears, leave whole. For thicker spears, slice in half the long way. Lay on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and add a sprinkle of salt. Roast in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until fork tender. Balsamic and Fresh Herb Marinade Mix 1/2 cup olive oil, 1 cup balsamic vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, fresh ground pepper, and several tablespoons of fresh chopped herbs. I had oregano, marjoram, and basil on hand this week. This marinade works great with chicken or beef. Allow meat to sit in marinade for at least one hour, preferably overnight.
0 Comments
Dogma is never a good idea in science. In fact, dogma and good science are philosophically incompatible. Sure, there are things that we can know and understand at a certain level, but isn't the point of science that we are always maintaining an openness and seeing how new discoveries unfold? Dogma creates a shutting off of the imagination, very dangerous in an enterprise where discovery and innovation are the keys to advancement. The field of nutritional science, of course, is not exempt. I deeply wish that I could figure out the "perfect diet", but I don't believe it exists. I do believe that there are ways to optimize diet for individuals, but it takes patience, experimentation, and an open mind.
Between the mass media and my nutrition degree, I have definitely absorbed my fair share of dogma over the past 20 years. My own quest for better health led me to (finally) see the dogma for what it was, and as I had success in weight loss, blood pressure control, reversal of hormonal issues, and blood sugar control, I allowed myself to open my mind to other sources of information. As I have been reading and learning in the past few years about different perspectives in the field of nutrition, I have sought to find the sources and the voices that are NOT: a) selling something b) using only anecdotal evidence and/or crappy data points c) clearly operating blinded by an agenda d) trying to support only the current nutritional dogma It's been an interesting experience, with lots of reading, and then reading the take-downs of the reading. I like to research the contrary view points to one author's findings. I like to read books like The Atkins Diet (supportive of high protein, low carb diets) and The China Study (supportive of vegan diets)side by side. It's fun and entertaining to read the impassioned conclusions of one author that completely contradict the conclusions of another. I like to read the books and papers with an open mind. I like to talk to people who follow the various diets and hear about their experiences, such as a friend who followed a vegan diet for 18 months only to gain weight and to have her cholesterol and triglycerides sky rocket. Intriguing. As I've been taking it all in, I have come to believe that there is probably no one right way for everyone the world over to eat. Bodies are different, circumstances are different, and the idea of establishing dietary dogma is simply laughable. However, I have found a lot of what I've read to be converging on some common points. I think the jury is still out on most of them, but much of the evidence behind the following is strong. Here's my list (so far), drawn from a number of books, articles, and research papers: 1. Fat is not bad. Eat fat - lots of it - but from good sources. (My current diet is about 50% fat, and my cholesterol has never been better.) Good sources include butter (ideally from grass-fed cows), olive oil, lard, nuts, and coconut oil. Avoid any form of vegetable oil (sunflower, canola, safflower, margarine, shortening). These fats are high in omega 6 fatty acids, and appear to cause inflammation and damage inside of blood vessels. 2. Grains are not for everyone. Grains can be avoided, and you can still have a very healthy, complete diet. Gluten seems to be particularly troublesome for a number of people, even those who have tested negative for Celiac disease. 3. Lower carb (100 grams or less a day) is probably a good idea for people with excess fat around their middles. 4. Highly processed foods (including soy products) should be avoided. Any foodstuff that has been exposed to high heat, pressure, or otherwise in making the food is going to be molecularly mangled. Never mind all the things that are done to make it shelf-stable. Watch out especially for high fructose corn syrup; corn, wheat, and soy derivatives; and cured meats (lunch meat, sausage, bacon, hot dogs) that contain nitrites and nitrates. 5. Veggies, veggies, veggies. Lots of them...at least 5 servings (1/2 cup cooked or 1 cup raw) a day. Organic whenever available. 6. Traditional preparation is superior. Fermenting (yogurt, kefir, real sauerkraut, real tofu) and slow stewing of meats and bone broths yields more nutrients that your body can absorb. If the standard advice works for you, you aren't on medications, you are at a healthy weight, and you feel great, then keep doing what you're doing. (Remember that joint aches and pains, chronic stomach pain, acid reflux, constipation/loose bowels, and fatigue are not normal.) If you've been doing all of the "right things" and continue to struggle with weight or not feeling well, chances are, it's time to think outside of the box. There is no grand unified theory of nutrition (yet) but much of the emerging data is supportive of the above principles. Doing some self-experimentation on a number of levels will help you to sort out what is effective for you. It doesn't cost anything to eliminate something from your diet. Give it time - at least 30 days - to see if it makes a difference. Be patient. If you want a guide along the way, feel free to contact me and we can talk. In my ideal world, I wouldn't need to go to a supermarket. Ever. We would raise our own food. I would can and freeze like a maniac all summer and into early fall, and we would eat only what we could grow. We would have pastured chickens running around and a milk cow. I would churn butter and dry herbs and render lard. Well, that's not going to happen this year. Our modest garden provided a few cukes and peppers, lots of lettuce, and we are patiently waiting on a tomato crop, as well as some butternut squash. But that won't cut it for a year's worth of food. Thus, another year of weeding through the junk in the grocery store and figuring out to make wise, healthy, and affordable choices.
I choose to shop at my local chain grocery store rather than a specialty natural foods store for a number of reasons. One is that it is closer to home. Another is that this chain has started carrying a store brand of organic products which are very reasonably priced. And third, they keep their stock very consistent which makes shopping more predictable and convenient. I can't always find organic options, so I have found a few products that make the grade in some areas, if not all. I think of these are compromise purchases. I have decided that, to remain sane, I need to buy things even when they're not perfect. This has taken hours of label reading and research over the last year. It's a jungle out there. The ingredients I will not compromise on are as follows: -MSG -Nitrates/Nitrites -Gluten -High fructose corn syrup -Any form of industrial seed oil including: soybean, sunflower, canola, "vegetable oil" -Any form of processed soy Some "Compromise" Products: 1. Utz Kettle Cooked potato chips: Delicious. Fried in peanut oil, which is better than vegetable oils most chips are fried in. Not organic, not primal. Moderately priced. Hannaford often runs them at 2 bags for $5. 2. Kerry Gold butter: Also delicious. Made from milk from grass fed cows. In Ireland. Which is the drawback. But it is very difficult to find butter from grass-fed cows otherwise. Not certified organic. 3. Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk: At $3.59 for a half gallon, it's about 60 cents more than the store brand organic milk. However, Stonyfield cows are almost guaranteed to be raised on farms where they are being pastured. Drawbacks are that it is ultra heat pasteurized (as is all milk sold in stores unless it is raw) and it's not necessarily coming from a local source. 4. Thin and Trim Homestyle Roasted Turkey Breast: One of the only deli meats I could find, upon extensive research, that does not contain nitrates, nitrites, or MSG. Also gluten free. 5. Edward and Sons Brown Rice Snaps: If you can't live without crackers, these are a great alternative. They are made from rice flour (only 2 ingredients listed), and are therefore free of funky oils, gluten, and the ever ambiguous natural flavorings (read MSG). Very crispy, great vehicle for nut butters, cheese, etc. Usually about $2.99 for a pack. 6. Polar Classics Premium Root Beer and Cream Soda: The kids usually have, on average, exactly 1 soda a week. This brand does not use high fructose corn syrup. They love it. High in sugar, but a fun treat. 7. Breyer's Natural Ice Cream: Vanilla and chocolate are both limited to milk, cream, sugar, and tara gum for ingredients, as well as vanilla beans or cocoa. Many of their other flavors, however, contain a variety of nasty additives, sweeteners, and thickeners. Look for the "natural" specification on the label. Any flavor that says "homestyle" or "creamy" has lots of additives. 8. Organic Popcorn: To go with soda, usually on family movie night. I'm not a big fan of eating lots of corn, but when we do, I try to make it organic, as 90% of the corn grown in the US is currently genetically engineered and thus saturated with chemicals such as Round Up. Yum. 9. Our Daily Red: A lovely red table wine made from organic grapes, without added sulfites. If red wine typically gives you a headache, try this as an alternative. Price ranges from $8.99 to 11.99. 10. Buying in Bulk: When I want to save money over grocery store prices, I have found a few convenient methods for buying in bulk. Bob's Red Mill Products: I use organic brown rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour extensively in my GF recipes. I also use xantham gum. All of these can be purchased by the case from Amazon for about half the price in the grocery store. I have an Amazon prime subscription ($79/year) which, among other benefits, offers free 2-day shipping on many products. Olive oil: I purchase by the gallon from Jedward's International. (http://www.bulknaturaloils.com/Products/15825-bulk-organic-extra-virgin-olive-oil.aspx) At about $30 after shipping for a gallon, it's a great deal for organic olive oil. My husband likes to quote Michael Pollan and say that cheap food is an illusion, and I couldn't agree more. About a year ago, we decided to be intentional about buying better quality food to the extent that we could afford it. This has meant that our food bill is higher (it doesn't help that our boys out-eat us most days), but we have chosen good food over other "luxuries", such as handheld devices, data plans, and cable TV. So far, it's working out pretty well. I feel like we are making choices that are better for us, the people who grow the food, and the environment. My boys are both off off allergy and asthma medications for the first time in 4 years. I am healthier and fitter than I've been since I can't remember, so overall, it seems like a win-win.
In my ideal world, I would have a biodynamic minifarm in my backyard - pastured chickens and cows nibbling peacefully at grass, bugs, and worms; a steady crop of heirloom vegetables and flowers; a healthy compost pile; maybe some wildberries and a thriving herb garden. Butterflies and honey bees would flit around, happily pollinating. We would have rich and meaningful daily object lessons on the amazing world of plants and animals, where food comes from, and the importance of good nutrition. (There would be nothing smelly or difficult about it, of course, and it would never be hot and humid on my ideal farm.) Unfortunately, I am trapped in suburbia for now, and until I start a little homestead of my own, I have to find other ways to get the quality of food that I want. I have found local supplies of raw milk, pastured meats and eggs, and occasional organic produce, but have not found a dependable supply yet. This means, sadly, I am forced to do most of my hunting/gathering/foraging/harvesting at the good old grocery store. I find grocery stores to be nearly seizure-inducing. The lights, the colors, the signage, the displays... it always make me feel a bit surreal, like I'm on an experimental psychodynamic drug. I notice a similar glazed over appearance in the eyes of many of my fellow shoppers, so I don't think this is a problem unique to me. How to make good, informed, research-based, sound economic decisions given this feeling? It's taken me the last 6 months to figure that out. Here are some tricks I've learned. 1. You already know the tricks for grocery shopping like making lists, unit pricing, taking advantage of sales, etc. Keep doing that. It all makes sense. 2. Stick to the perimeter of the store as much as possible, meaning: produce, meats, and dairy. Don't buy things with labels that have more than 5 ingredients or words you can't pronounce. I venture down aisles for canned tomatoes, coconut milk, gluten-free flours, and an occasional tea or coffee run. Other than that, everything is from the outside of the store. 3. Organic produce tastes better and is better for the environment. Buy it whenever you can afford it, or find a way to afford it. The EWG Dirty Dozen list is an intelligent and helpful strategy for buying only the foods most likely to be highly contaminated, but we try to buy everything organic in an effort to voice the opinion that it's important to us. I have a sort of hierarchy for buying organic produce that goes like this: Best: Locally grown, fresh, organic (very hard to find in the town I live in, even at the farmer's market in the summer time) Next best: Industrial grown, fresh or frozen organic (Olivia's salad mixes, for instance). Next: Locally grown fresh (talk to the farmer about chemical use) If all else fails: Industrial fresh or frozen 4. Meat that is raised well is expensive. We buy better quality meat, and eat less of it, supplementing a few nights a week with vegetable or bone-broth based meals. If you can't get locally pastured meats through a farm share or someone you know, you can get "naturally raised" meats at most supermarkets. Look for those raised without antibiotics or hormones, fed organically, ideally pastured. Bison and Australian lamb are both available at our local grocery store. You can also order meats online from a number of companies. Check out eatwild.org to find farms near you. Or ask your friends who are hunters if you can share some venison or other wild game that they might have caught. 5. I usually go for the free-range eggs, rather than the "cage free". Companies can put cage free on the carton if they leave a door open to the chicken coop, but they raise the chickens in such a way that they would never think to venture out into the sun. Raw milk is fantastic if you can find it, but when not available, I buy whole organic milk. There are a few companies that use pastured cows, but you'll need to do some research to find the best one. 6. Ignore marketing as much as possible. Many organic products are still highly processed and contains loads of industrialized oils and highly processed soy, wheat, and corn. Avoid the bread aisle, if you can find time to make your own. Or quit eating bread altogether - replace with nuts, veggies, and full-fat dairy. 7. Find bulk solutions, either through a food coop or a website. For instance, I recently got a 1-gallon jug of organic extra virgin olive oil at a cost of 18 cents/ounce, much cheaper than it would have been at the grocery store. I ordered it from a company that I found through an online search (Jedward's International). Even with paying shipping, it was much cheaper than anything else I found online. It's dark green and delicious! I have found that as I vote with my dollars at the local supermarket, more organic items have become available, and the prices have come down on some things. I also ask from time to time for particular products, and they usually come through on my requests. I find that the selection of organics at my local supermarket is adequate for our weekly menu, and the prices are much better than certain chains that market themselves as health food stores. Happy Hunting! My husband likes to quote Michael Pollan and say that cheap food is an illusion, and I couldn't agree more. About a year ago, we decided to be intentional about buying better quality food to the extent that we could afford it. This has meant that our food bill is higher (it doesn't help that our boys out-eat us most days), but we have chosen good food over other "luxuries", such as handheld devices, data plans, and cable TV. So far, it's working out pretty well. I feel like we are making choices that are better for us, the people who grow the food, and the environment. My boys are both off off allergy and asthma medications for the first time in 4 years. I am healthier and fitter than I've ever been, so overall, it seems like a win-win.
In my ideal world, I would have a biodynamic minifarm in my backyard - pastured chickens and cows nibbling peacefully at grass, bugs, and worms; a steady crop of heirloom vegetables and flowers; a healthy compost pile; maybe some wildberries and a thriving herb garden. Butterflies and honey bees would flit around, happily pollinating. We would have rich and meaningful daily object lessons on the amazing world of plants and animals, where food comes from, and the importance of good nutrition. (There would be nothing smelly or difficult about it, of course, and it would never be hot and humid on my ideal farm.) Unfortunately, I am trapped in suburbia for now, and until I start a little homestead of my own, I have to find other ways to get the quality of food that I want. I have found local supplies of raw milk, pastured meats and eggs, and occasional organic produce, but have not found a dependable supply yet. This means, sadly, I am forced to do most of my hunting/gathering/foraging/harvesting at the good old grocery store. I find grocery stores to be nearly seizure-inducing. The lights, the colors, the signage, the displays... it always make me feel a bit surreal, like I'm on an experimental psychodynamic drug. I notice a similar glazed over appearance in the eyes of many of my fellow shoppers, so I don't think this is a problem unique to me. How to make good, informed, research-based, sound economic decisions given this feeling? It's taken me the last 6 months to figure that out. Here are some tricks I've learned. 1. You already know the tricks for grocery shopping like making lists, unit pricing, taking advantage of sales, etc. Keep doing that. It all makes sense. 2. Stick to the perimeter of the store as much as possible, meaning: produce, meats, and dairy. Don't buy things with labels that have more than 5 ingredients or words you can't pronounce. I venture down aisles for canned tomatoes, coconut milk, gluten-free flours, and an occasional tea or coffee run. Other than that, everything is from the outside of the store. 3. Organic produce tastes better and is better for the environment. Buy it whenever you can afford it, or find a way to afford it. The EWG Dirty Dozen list is an intelligent and helpful strategy for buying only the foods most likely to be highly contaminated, but we try to buy everything organic in an effort to voice the opinion that it's important to us. I have a sort of hierarchy for buying organic produce that goes like this: Best: Locally grown, fresh, organic (very hard to find in the town I live in, even at the farmer's market in the summer time) Next best: Industrial grown, fresh or frozen organic (Olivia's salad mixes, for instance). Next: Locally grown fresh (talk to the farmer about chemical use) If all else fails: Industrial fresh or frozen 4. Meat that is raised well is expensive. I buy better quality meat, and eat less of it, supplementing a few nights a week with vegetable or bone-broth based meals. If you can't get locally pastured meats through a farm share or someone you know, you can get "naturally raised" meats at most supermarkets. Look for those raised without antibiotics or hormones, fed organically, ideally pastured. Bison and Australian lamb are both available at our local grocery store. You can also order meats online from a number of companies. Check out eatwild.org to find farms near you. Or ask your friends who are hunters if you can share some venison or other wild game that they might have caught. 5. I usually go for the free-range eggs, rather than the "cage free". Companies can put cage free on the carton if they leave a door open to the chicken coop, but they raise the chickens in such a way that they would never think to venture out into the sun. Raw milk is fantastic if you can find it, but when not available, I buy whole organic milk. There are a few companies that use pastured cows, but you'll need to do some research to find the best one. 6. Ignore marketing as much as possible. Many organic products are still highly processed and contains loads of industrialized oils and highly processed soy, wheat, and corn. Avoid the bread aisle, if you can find time to make your own. Or quit eating bread altogether - replace with nuts, veggies, and full-fat dairy. 7. Find bulk solutions, either through a food coop or a website. For instance, I recently got a 1-gallon jug of organic extra virgin olive oil at a cost of 18 cents/ounce, much cheaper than it would have been at the grocery store. I ordered it from a company that I found through an online search (Jedward's International). Even with paying shipping, it was much cheaper than anything else I found online. It's dark green and delicious! I have found that as I vote with my dollars at the local supermarket, more organic items have become available, and the prices have come down on some things. I also ask from time to time for particular products, and they usually come through on my requests. I find that the selection of organics at my local supermarket is adequate for our weekly menu, and the prices are much better than certain chains that market themselves as health food stores. Happy Hunting! Deciding whether or not to supplement, and with what, is a complicated decision. When I analyze my own diet, I can see that, despite being a very intentionally healthy eater, I am at or below 60% of the RDA for some essential nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, manganese, and vitamin D. Am I still getting enough for me? Or is there something missing? Outside of the known vitamins and minerals, are there other things I should be taking? Fish oil? Flax seed oil? Ginko biloba?
Obviously, most of us aren't walking around with the blatant symptoms of nutrient deficiency. When's the last time you met someone with scurvy or rickets? We are blessed beyond belief to live in a place and in a time where and when food is widely available. Unfortunately, due to poor stewardship of the earth in the form of irresponsible and unsustainable farming practices, as well as a highly processed diet, many people may be taking in enough calories but not getting the nutrients they need. Could this have anything to do with our high levels of obesity, type II diabetes, and other chronic illnesses? I think it's a distinct possibility. It is possible to be deficient without having outright signs of deficiency. But I don't feel that slapping everyone on a multivitamin is the answer, either. I think that smart, targeted supplementation of nutrients that are specific to the needs of each individual is important. Multivitamin and mineral supplements, while appealing, can lead to a number of problems. One is that certain vitamins and minerals block the uptake of others, meaning that if you take them at the same time, you won't be able to absorb one or both of them. Also, I have found that many formulations include nutrients that are untested but include outrageous health claims. I have spent a lot of time in the past few weeks perusing vitamin and mineral supplements in major stores and health food stores, and the packaging, ingredient lists, health claims, and options are enough to make your head spin. How to make a good choice? I would say it's important to answer the following questions: 1. What nutrients do I need? 2. What is the best way to obtain these nutrients? a. Diet alone? If so, which foods are richest in said nutrients? b. Supplements? If so, which supplements are the "best"? The best way to determine what you need is to do a diet analysis. You can have this done by a professional, or you can do it yourself using a tool such as Fit Day (at fitday.com). It is free to set up an account. You enter everything you eat for a day or more, than look at an overview of your diet. Along with caloric breakdown, you also get to see a nice summary of where you are at with vitamins and minerals. I recommend looking at any nutrients for which you fall below 80% of the RDA. (Remember that vitamin D will be low because your body can synthesize this from sunlight. In reality, though, for those of us in Northern climes, you aren't synthesizing enough unless it's summer.) You also need to bear in mind that the Fit Day database does NOT take into account the vitamin/mineral loss due to storage, processing, and/or cooking. It also does not necessarily account for the relatively mineral-deficient crops that are being raised if you buy produce from large agribusiness-style companies. Now decide if you want to supplement with diet or with pills. If you want to stick to whole foods, you can do an online search for foods rich in the particular nutrient you are low in. Figure out how much of that food you need to add to your diet to meet your basic requirements. It might require adding a few extra servings of vegetables or nuts and seeds to your diet, or an occasional slab of liver (from a grass-fed animal raised without antibiotics or hormones). Or you might decide you want to go the supplement route. This gets a little more complicated. Many supplement brands make claims about the superiority of their products. The truth is that supplement makers are not required to prove the efficacy of their products, due to an act (NSHEA)passed in 1994. It is also up to the FDA to prove that a given supplement has adverse effects (this happened with the popular weight loss drug ephedra) in order to pull it off the market. There is very little regulation on the manufacturing or sales of supplements in America, so it's hard to know what you're getting, how much of it will actually get into your blood stream, and whether or not it will even make a difference. Contamination with lead, among other things, has also been reported. I have no answers here, but it does seem that the USP (stands for United States Pharmacopeia) mark on a supplement is probably your best insurance that you are, more or less, getting what you pay for. Without lead. Which is a good thing. I will report back as I find supplements that seem to be safe, and available to the body once they've been consumed. I'll start with magnesium in the near future, as that's one I just happened to do a lot of research into. Until then... This past spring while reading current science headlines in preparation for my biology class, I stumbled across an article about gorillas in the Cleveland Zoo. In 2005, a 21-year-old gorilla died of heart disease. Then in 2008, it was discovered that two other resident gorillas were developing heart disease. At the time, they were being fed specially formulated biscuits developed by experts as feed. Because the biscuits had been fortified with everything gorillas theoretically need, it was expected that they would develop and grow and be healthy. Turns out that's not the case. This past year, they tried an experiment: Take the gorillas off the processed chow and give them ample raw vegetables in an effort to mimic what they would eat in the wild. (Now I'm no zoologist, but really??? This didn't occur to anyone sooner?)
The result: even though these two gorillas are eating twice as many calories in a day, they are losing weight and there are promising signs that their heart disease is reversing. There are some confounding factors, of course. Back in 2008, they were started on blood pressure medications. And there is the factor of chronic stress from living in captivity - that must play a role in their overall health and is most likely contributing to their heart disease at some level. But they are getting healthier. And losing weight. Did I mention they are eating twice as many calories a day? Go figure. To investigate further, I looked up the ingredients of an example of prepared gorilla food. Here's the list: Soybean meal, corn gluten meal, soybean hulls, sugar beet pulp, corn hominy feed, yellow corn, sucrose, dehydrated alfalfa meal, zinc sulfate, soybean oil (stabilized), dicalcium phosphate, flaxseed oil, niacin supplement, apple fiber, manganese sulfate, ferrous sulfate, calcium carbonate, d-calcium pantothenate, sodium chloride, copper sulfate, L-lysine, riboflavin supplement, thiamin mononitrate, cobalt oxide, folic acid, menadione nicotinamide bisulfite (vitamin K), pyridoxine HCL (vitamin B-6), l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), propionic acid, choline chloride, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, FDC # 40, biotin, sodium selenite, vitamin B-12 supplement, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D-3 supplement, vitamin E supplement. These feeds are high in fiber, vitamins, and minerals (sounds like a breakfast cereal ad, right?), specially formulated for the daily needs (sounds like a vitamin ad, right?) of gorillas. And yet they aren't truly healthy foods - as evidenced by declining health and premature death. Note the presence of highly processed soy and corn? Now check out the ingredients of a popular snack bar sold to humans: WHOLE GRAIN OATS, ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE [VITAMIN B1], RIBOFLAVIN [VITAMIN B2], FOLIC ACID), WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, SOYBEAN OIL (WITH TBHQ AND CITRIC ACID FOR FRESHNESS), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SOLUBLE CORN FIBER, SUGAR, CALCIUM CARBONATE, WHEY, WHEAT BRAN, SALT, CELLULOSE, POTASSIUM BICARBONATE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, MONO- AND DIGLYCERIDES, SOY LECITHIN, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, WHEAT GLUTEN, CORNSTARCH, NIACINAMIDE, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, CARRAGEENAN, ZINC OXIDE, REDUCED IRON, GUAR GUM, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMIN HYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B1), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), FOLIC ACID. (Sorry for the all caps - I copied and pasted this list and am too lazy to re-type it.) Anyway, see any parallels? Or a cracker that is marketed as a healthy snack for kids: Unbleached Enriched Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Folic Acid), Cornstarch, Cheddar Cheese [(Pasteurized Cultures Milk, Salt, Enzymes), Annatto], Dehydrated Vegetable Blend (Split Pea, Carrot, Tomato, Sweet Potato, Cornstarch, Maltodextrin, Soy Lecithin), Vegetable Oils (Canola, Sunflower and/or Soybean), Wheat Gluten, Dehydrated Potatoes, Contains 2 Percent or Less of: Salt, Yeast, Maltodextrin, Autolyzed Yeast, Leavening (Ammonium Bicarbonate, Baking Soda, Monocalcium Phosphate), Yellow Corn Flour, Lactic Acid, Onion Powder, Paprika, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Natural Butter Flavor, Garlic Powder, Spices, Buttermilk, Sodium Phosphate, Calcium Lactate, Citric Acid, and Spice Extract. Common ingredients include vegetable oils (but aren't those heart healthy?) and a number of soy, wheat, and corn derivatives. Now, all of that being said, obviously none of us live in captivity, and most of us don't rely on processed foods for most of our calories. (The gorillas were receiving about 50% of their food in the form of lots of fruit and a few vegetables previous to the overhaul.) BUT most of us do deal with some form of chronic stress in our lives - commutes, financial worries, job stress, family issues - and, thanks to marketing, we do tend to take in a steady stream of foods labelled as heart healthy or whole grain or trans fat free. And many of those foods have ingredient lists not too different from those above. A bowl of cereal for breakfast, a few slices of commercially prepared bread on a sandwich at lunch, some whole grain crackers for a snack, a "nutrition bar" to stave off the afternoon hunger...it all adds up. Add to that a lack of fresh vegetables, and it would be pretty easy to have the diet of a captive gorilla. My experience is this: As I choose foods that are healthy for me and avoid processed foods containing vegetable oils, soy, wheat, and corn derivatives, I too can eat many more calories in a day and keep my weight, cholesterol, and triglycerides lower than ever. It's about the choices we make, the composition of what we eat, and figuring out what our bodies respond best to. As I said in my earlier post, I do not believe that there is one perfect diet that the whole world should be on. But I do believe that the human diet, like the primate diet, has very little, if any, room for highly processed foods. I do believe it is worth the experimenting and troubleshooting to figure out what works best for you, just like the zookeepers did for the gorillas. It's about finding that "sweet spot" where you can enjoy food, optimize your health, and eat worry free. |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
All
Archives
June 2019
|