I wanted to distinguish for our patients what the different elements of food are, so that people can make better choices regarding what they eat. Foods always break down to certain categories; these categories are often on a nutrition label.
The first category is PROTEIN. Protein is primarily broken down in the stomach and requires proper levels of stomach acid to do so. Protein is found in meat, eggs, dairy products, soy, nuts and seeds, and beans.
Examples include:
- Beef
- Chicken/fowl
- Pork
- Bacon
- Sandwich meat
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Eggs
- Milk
- Cheese
- Soy
- Nuts and seeds
- Peanut and nut butters
The Role of Carbohydrates and Fats in Nutrition
The second category is CARBOHYDRATES. Included in this category are simple sugars (glucose, sucrose, fructose, etc. – anything ending with –ose), and more complex carbohydrates, both refined and unrefined (meaning, still having fiber). Sugars and refined simple carbohydrates, like white flour, white sugar, etc., cause the blood sugar to rise rapidly and increase insulin levels as a reaction.
More complex, unrefined carbs have fiber to slow down the absorption but will still cause blood sugar and insulin levels to rise, albeit slower, and they have more nutrients. Examples of carbohydrates are:
- Bread
- Crackers
- Cereal
- Bran
- Snack/ breakfast bars
- Oatmeal
- Baked goods
- Pastries
- Cookies/cakes
- Pasta
- Fruit
- Fruit juices
- Sodas
- Energy drinks
- High fructose corn syrup
- Agave nectar
- Beer
- Rice
- Potatoes
- Starchy vegetables
- Beans
- Corn/ Popcorn
Carbohydrates and sugar are quick forms of energy for the body to use, as it converts easily to glucose, the main fuel of the body. 40% of glucose is used for brain function, which explains the difficulty of concentrating with low blood sugar. Carbohydrates are not essential nutrients – the body can obtain all of its energy and nutrients with protein and fats.
FATS are found in meat, oils from plants and eggs. Fats, similar to carbohydrates, come in a variety of types. Saturated fats are solid at room temperature and are very resistant to going rancid. Unsaturated fats are liquid oil at room temperature and are vulnerable to becoming rancid. Polyunsaturated fats are found in very small quantities and are extremely vulnerable to becoming rancid. Most foods are a mix of different fats. For instance, beef fat is half saturated and half unsaturated with the same unsaturated oil predominant in olive oil. Beef fat even has as much Omega 3 polyunsaturated oils as salmon if the beef is grass-fed rather than grain fed.
Healthy fats:
- Fats in meat
- Lard
- Nuts/seeds
- Eggs
- Avocado
- Butterfat/dairy
- Seed oils (olive, flax, peanut, etc.)
Fats to be avoided:
- Trans-fatty acids/partially hydrogenated vegetable fats (artificially saturated)
- Unsaturated oils that are not cold pressed or expeller pressed
Commercially prepared seed oils (corn, canola, etc.) found in grocery stores are NOT safe to eat. Using high temperatures and chemical solvents to economically extract the oils, they become damaged and rancid. The offensive smells are removed prior to bottling, but the rancid oils with the free radicals are still present.
It is a myth that saturated fats are dangerous for your health. The error in the large dietary studies of the twentieth century was that saturated fats were grouped with trans-fatty acids (artificially saturated). All of the detrimental health effects associated with saturated fats belong to trans-fatty acids.
It’s also a myth that fat makes you fat. Fats have more calories than protein or carbohydrates and this has led people to believe that this makes one fat. Fat is fattening only when eaten with carbohydrates. Calories only count when eating a diet that includes carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are also what give us hunger. Fasting (eating nothing) Results in a total loss of appetite in a few days in exactly the same manner that no- or very low-Carbohydrate Diets do.
- When your body begins to burn fat and protein for energy instead of carbohydrates, appetite is very reduced or gone.
- Fats reduce hunger, improve moods, sleep and energy and supply fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, K, portions of B complex and essential fatty acids (EFA’s) such as Omegas -3 and -6.
Why Are You Deficient In Vital Nutrients?
BY: DR T.
- A white spot on the nail
- Get plenty of zinc
- Stop eating sugar
- Oily skin
- Get plenty of zinc
- Control your blood sugar levels
- Cracking on the corners of the mouth or heels
- Get plenty of B vitamins (nutritional yeast)
- Get plenty of vitamin D
- Flaking skin
- Get plenty of omega-3 fatty acids (cod liver oil)
- Reduce your omega-6 fatty acids
- Yellow eyes
- Get plenty of purified bile salts
- Chronic cough
- Get plenty of calcium lactate
- Bleeding/red gums
- Get plenty of vitamin C
- Avoid sugar
- Poor night vision
- Get plenty of vitamin A
- Chapped lips
- Get plenty of B vitamins (nutritional yeast)
- Avoid grains
- Avoid ChapStick
- Pitting edema
- Get plenty of potassium
- Craving ice
- Get plenty of iron
- Angina
- Get plenty of vitamin E
- Avoid refined grains
- Leg/calf cramps
- Get plenty of magnesium, potassium, sodium, and B1
- Irritability and excessive thinking
- Get plenty of B1 (nutritional yeast)
- Asthma
- Get plenty of vitamin D
- Loss of outer eyebrows
- Get plenty of iodine (sea kelp)
- Tightness in the right trap muscle
- Get plenty of purified bile salts
- Nightmares
- Get plenty of vitamin B1 (nutritional yeast)
- Avoid sugar and refined grains
- Craving salty chips at night
- Get plenty of sea salt
- Stiff/painful low back
- Get plenty of vitamin D
- Craving dirt
- Get plenty of iron
- Erectile dysfunction
- Get plenty of zinc
- Depression
- Get plenty of vitamin D