Eating and Nutrition
By H. Dodge Engleman, MD
Nutrition is becoming more of a concern to many Americans of late. General interest newspapers and magazines are frequently running stories about it, and now specialty periodicals have arrived that are purely devoted to it. Shoppers are getting more familiar with reading labels.
Many supermarkets have sections devoted to nutritional supplements and 'Natural Food,' and 'Health Food' stores are springing up. There have always been vitamin/mineral and anti-oxidant preparations available, and recently, we've seen a plethora of single-fruit preparations with remarkable claims. All of this is a reflection of Americans' interest in nutrition, and their willingness to spend good money--even serious money--on these items and on information about them.
But in spite of all this, many people don't have a good understanding of nutrition. In the minds of many, nutrition equals supplements (vitamin/minerals & antioxidants), and the corollary - supplements equal nutrition. In reality, this is like the old high school logic class syllogism of 'dogs have hair, all mammals have hair, therefore all mammals are dogs.' False!!! And we know that, but what is nutrition?
Our nutrition is what we eat. Macronutrition is that aspect of our intake that supplies the energy to fuel our bodies. Micronutrition is all those chemicals that keep it running well. Both are important. As the Bible says, 'Man cannot live by bread alone'.
When we think 'nutrition' we are thinking 'micronutrition'. Lorna discovered an analogy that may make nutrition easier to understand. Liken nutrition to a language: letters, words, sentences, etc. To communicate, we need all the letters to make the words--some are used more than others, but all are necessary. The vitamins, which have RDA's (Recommended Daily Allowances*) and are listed on food labels, are like very important letters (such as A, B, C, D, & E) but the other 21 letters are just as necessary for communication. The tens of thousands of phytonutrients in the plant world make up these other letters. For the various parts of your body to communicate well (health), the full alphabet is needed. These other 21 letters can't be obtained from vitamin/antioxidant pills; they can only be obtained through whole foods.
What's the best way to get them? By eating a diet as varied in fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains as is tolerable. Look for options of different colors. Not all 'whites' are bad; bananas, apples, radishes, etc. are packed with phytonutrients. But go for the greens (vegetables), the yellows (mangoes and other produce), the oranges (sweet potatoes, carrots), the reds (tomatoes, beets), the browns (nuts and whole grains), and the blues and purples (berries and fruits) as well. And don't forget to eat the skins! (well, re: bananas and pomegranates etc., you should forget to eat the skins!).
When you choose what to eat, remember nutrition is like a language; you need all the parts. And the fresher and more vine-ripened the produce is, the richer its phytonutrient content.
* The Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is the value established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in nutrition labeling. It was based initially on the highest 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for each nutrient, to assure that needs were met for all age groups.
Nutrition is becoming more of a concern to many Americans of late. General interest newspapers and magazines are frequently running stories about it, and now specialty periodicals have arrived that are purely devoted to it. Shoppers are getting more familiar with reading labels.
Many supermarkets have sections devoted to nutritional supplements and 'Natural Food,' and 'Health Food' stores are springing up. There have always been vitamin/mineral and anti-oxidant preparations available, and recently, we've seen a plethora of single-fruit preparations with remarkable claims. All of this is a reflection of Americans' interest in nutrition, and their willingness to spend good money--even serious money--on these items and on information about them.
But in spite of all this, many people don't have a good understanding of nutrition. In the minds of many, nutrition equals supplements (vitamin/minerals & antioxidants), and the corollary - supplements equal nutrition. In reality, this is like the old high school logic class syllogism of 'dogs have hair, all mammals have hair, therefore all mammals are dogs.' False!!! And we know that, but what is nutrition?
Our nutrition is what we eat. Macronutrition is that aspect of our intake that supplies the energy to fuel our bodies. Micronutrition is all those chemicals that keep it running well. Both are important. As the Bible says, 'Man cannot live by bread alone'.
When we think 'nutrition' we are thinking 'micronutrition'. Lorna discovered an analogy that may make nutrition easier to understand. Liken nutrition to a language: letters, words, sentences, etc. To communicate, we need all the letters to make the words--some are used more than others, but all are necessary. The vitamins, which have RDA's (Recommended Daily Allowances*) and are listed on food labels, are like very important letters (such as A, B, C, D, & E) but the other 21 letters are just as necessary for communication. The tens of thousands of phytonutrients in the plant world make up these other letters. For the various parts of your body to communicate well (health), the full alphabet is needed. These other 21 letters can't be obtained from vitamin/antioxidant pills; they can only be obtained through whole foods.
What's the best way to get them? By eating a diet as varied in fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables, and whole grains as is tolerable. Look for options of different colors. Not all 'whites' are bad; bananas, apples, radishes, etc. are packed with phytonutrients. But go for the greens (vegetables), the yellows (mangoes and other produce), the oranges (sweet potatoes, carrots), the reds (tomatoes, beets), the browns (nuts and whole grains), and the blues and purples (berries and fruits) as well. And don't forget to eat the skins! (well, re: bananas and pomegranates etc., you should forget to eat the skins!).
When you choose what to eat, remember nutrition is like a language; you need all the parts. And the fresher and more vine-ripened the produce is, the richer its phytonutrient content.
* The Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is the value established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in nutrition labeling. It was based initially on the highest 1968 Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for each nutrient, to assure that needs were met for all age groups.
posted by Dr. Lorna's Coaching Blog at Thursday, January 11, 2007
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