Health and Nutrition, Beyond the Basics

I'm not a doctor, and I was a mediocre science student in school! What prompted me to start learning about nutrition was not pure interest in the subject, but my own health problems. I've suffered from IBS since high school, and nutrition seemed like a good place to start if I wanted to learn how to feel better. I had experimented with my diet since my early twenties, trying to understand which foods caused my symptoms. But it had been a losing battle, so I knew I needed some help. The turning point came when I began a six-month-long nutritional program with a professional nutritionist. I learned about how food can dramatically affect our health, and after that program I began to dig deeper into my own nutritional research. I had glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, but I wanted to know what more lay hidden under the smooth, watery surface.

What I've learned over the past two years is that our bodies are heavily influenced not just by food, but also by all the products we use. So we need to look at more than just what's going in our mouth (although that's very important to!), but also the ingredients in everything from toothpaste to lotion to make-up. All this may seem overwhelming, but even taking small steps can make a big difference. Below I've listed information on some of these topics, and will continue adding to it as I discover more.

I am by no means a scientist, and my information may not be 100% accurate... I encourage you to do your own research. And if you find mistakes on this page, let me know! I'm still learning too.

Whole Foods Are Best

I believe that the very best food you can eat is something that was grown locally and organically. Eat it raw or cooked, but either way, there isn't much interference between when it was grown and when it entered into your body. Since food is energy, it makes sense to think that fresh food has the most energy. The longer it's been since a vegetable was picked, the less energy it probably has. The more it gets modified to fit into a packaged product, the more energy gets drained. I don't know if this is scientifically accurate, but in my mind, it makes sense. If you've ever read a Christina Pirello cookbook, she's also very focused on how to get the most energy from food.

Certainly nothing beats the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables. I say that from experience, because as a child I hated vegetables. As an adult, I learned to tolerate them for their health benefits. But when I started growing my own garden last year, it was like I discovered a completely new food group! The vegetables I picked and ate tasted very different from ones I bought in the store. And they needed less accompaniment—like butter, sauce, sugar and salt—to taste delicious.

If you don't know where to buy locally-grown food, here are some suggestions:

• Join a CSA. There are two in our area: Myerov Farm and Blooming Glen Farm, both in Perkasie (or find one in your area on Local Harvest)
• Pick apples at McConnell's Orchard
• Buy or pick fresh, organic produce at Willow Creek Orchards in Collegeville
• Buy organic beef, dairy or produce at Hendricks Farm in Telford
• Buy organic, grass-fed beef in bulk quantities at Tussock Sedge Farm in Blooming Glen
• Ray's Greenhouse in Telford sells produce and flowers
• To buy local, organic eggs and milk, as well as other products, visit The Old Dutch Cupboard on Rt. 113 in Franconia

These are just a few of the local places where you can find organic, fresh produce, meat and dairy products. If you do buy produce at your local supermarket, buy organic whenever possible. Smell the produce—really! In France this is the norm. If a fruit or vegetable doesn't smell fragrant, it's probably not fresh, no matter what it looks like. Sellers can make food look enticing by gassing it, spraying it with coloring, and waxing it, but they can't fake the smell! One other suggestion—look to see where it was grown. If it traveled across the country, or worse, from another country, avoid buying it! If the food isn't labeled, ask the produce manager to start adding the origins to their labels.

 

Food Additives Should Be Avoided

"Food additives" is a broad term to describe all the chemicals that are found in packaged food. We know that whole foods are the best to consume, but packages foods have been modified from their original condition in order to taste better, last longer, look more enticing or have a thicker consistency. The worst one in my opinion is MSG, but there are so many others that it's hard to single out one as being the worst. Others include acesulfame-K, artificial coloring, aspartame, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), olestra, partially hydrogenated oils, potassium bromate, propyl gallate, saccharine, and sodium nitrate/nitrite. The names are a mouthful, and trying to memorize that list can be daunting. I suggest using a cheat sheet whenever you're shopping, and read every label before you put something in your cart. At first it will take more time to finish your shopping, but you'll soon learn which products to avoid and which brands are consistently better. (Generally, organic brands are usually the best.)

Why do I say that MSG is the worst? Because it is so well hidden. You'll find few packages that say "MSG" or "monosodium glutamate" on their ingredient list. Most likely they've called it something else to hide its presence. Is this legal? Unfortunately, the FDA does not recognize MSG as a toxic substance, despite research that's shown it can cause nerve damage, which is especially dangerous for children. MSG is an excitotoxin, and it has many different names. Apparently enough people are leery of MSG that food companies feel the need to disguise it. Take a look at this list:

Food Additives that ALWAYS contain MSG—
Monosodium Glutamate, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Hydrolyzed Protein, Hydrolyzed Plant Protein, Plant Protein Extract, Sodium Caseinate, Calcium Caseinate, Yeast Extract, Textured Protein (Including TVP), Autolyzed Yeast, Hydrolyzed Oat Flour, and Corn Oil

Food Additives That FREQUENTLY Contain MSG—
Malt Extract, Malt Flavoring, Bouillon, Broth Stock, Flavoring, Natural Flavors/Flavoring, Natural Beef Or Chicken Flavoring, Seasoning, and Spices

Now try to look for all these ingredients on your labels! It's overwhelming. The best thing to do is to make your own sauces and flavorings. If you can't do that, then look for certified organic brands, which are not permitted to contain excitotoxins.

Resources

The Center for Science in the Public Interest
This page is great for reading about what food-additive terms mean and what their risks are

Dr. Northrop
A physician and nutritionist, Dr. Northrop is a great source for health information. This particular article is about MSG.

Truth in Labeling
Scroll down a bit to find a wealth of information about MSG

Holistic Medicine
This website links to dozens of articles about MSG, just in case you want to read more

 

The Meat and Dairy Controversies

One of the first things my nutritionist told me is that meat should be a condiment. The American diet is very heavy on the meat portion of our meals, but this is not the best thing for our bodies. There are many other ways to get the protein we need (which is actually only about 10% of our total calories) without eating lots of meat. There is also speculation that too much protein can cause calcium to leach out of our bones, causing osteoporosis later in life.

From a purely nutritional standpoint, there are many reasons to limit your meat intake. To name a few: the use of growth hormones, antibiotics, animals being fed poor diets, and the risk of diseases like Mad Cow. All these things end up in the meat you're consuming. I'm not going to get into specifics here, but I do caution you against turning a blind eye to these problems. My advice is to try out some vegetarian recipes, and incorporate just one or two into your weekly meal plan. When you do buy meat, try to buy organic, although I know it's hard to find and is much more expensive. Grass-fed beef is far superior to conventional beef—it contains more of the essential fatty acid Omega-3, and less saturated fat. So if you can afford it, that's the way to go.

Although milk is a staple in our country, my nutritionist cautioned against it. Milk can increase mucus production, which you may or may not notice. Much of the mucus will be in your digestive track, where it slows down food absorption and creates other health problems. Some people are allergic to dairy but don't know it; symptoms include poor digestion and lack of energy. The only way to know for sure is to avoid dairy products for six weeks (your body needs a long time to cleanse dairy from its system). If you're skeptical, ponder this: Cow's milk is made for calves. It is very different than human milk. And even so, humans don't drink their own milk all their lives; it's made especially for babies. So why exactly are we drinking cow's milk that was made for baby cows?

There's also the ethical component to both of these food groups. How were the animals treated? What food were they given to eat? How were they "processed?" There's more than just the well-being of the animal at stake; if the animal was sickly its whole life and processed in a filthy factory, you will be eating something that is really quite disgusting. Check out these websites to learn more:

What's Your Foodometer?
This is a short video about the toll on the environment of eating meat and dairy products

The Meatrix
This amusing video series shows the dark side of meat production

Vegan Peace
This article brings up different issues with eating meat and dairy

Not Milk
This website links to many articles about why drinking milk is harmful to our health

Baby Reference
An article arguing that milk is not necessary for children to grow strong bones and teeth

The best approach to take is limiting your consumption of both of these food groups, and continuing to learn more about their effects on the body. A great resource for information on both organic meats and dairy, plus produce, nuts and other foods, is The Organic Cooks Bible by Jeff Cox.

Parabens—The #1 Offender

Parabens are used as preservatives in many skin, hair, make-up and even food products. Basically, they mimic hormones and react with your body's natural hormones, causing adverse effects like breast cancer over the long term. The cosmetic and food industries use the defense that their products don't contain enough parabens to make a difference... However, if you consider the fact that you probably use these products daily, and multiple products at that, you are actually getting quite a bit of the stuff in your body every day. That definitely adds up over time! Parabens are especially dangerous for kids whose bodies are still developing.

Resources

Organic Consumers Association
This article talks about what parabens are and links them to breast cancer

Breast Cancer Fund
Another article that focuses on the link between parabens and breast cancer

Think Before You Pink
This page looks specifically at cosmetics that contain parabens, and even mentions some brands by name. It gives tips for taking action against companies that use parabens. It also lists brands that don't use parabens.

Mothering Magazine
This is an archived article from Mothering Magazine that looks at baby care products and how to avoid ones that contain parabens.

Skin Deep
This website lists many different brands of skin, hair and make-up products and rates them by their toxicity level. You can look for the brands you use and see if they contain any risky ingredients.

 

Phthalates—Found in Perfumes

If you like to use fragrance, be on the lookout for this scary ingredient. (It's also present in some plastics—see below.) Like parabens, phthalates also mimic hormones, and can disrupt your natural hormone processes. Again, there's speculation that they can cause breast cancer. Unfortunately, companies are not required to list it on their labels. So visit the links below to see if it's in your brand of perfume.

Skin Deep
This website will tell you if your products contain phthalates

Think Before You Pink
This is a list of brands that don't contain phthalates

 

Plastics—So Common They Often Go Unnoticed

You've probably heard not to use plastic wrap in the microwave because chemicals in the plastic can leach onto your food at high heat levels. Unfortunately, this is the just the beginning of the ways that plastics can find their way into your body. Bottles, packaging, tubberware...all these things can pose a risk. If you have a hard time remembering which plastics are which, here's some basic info:

Bisphenol A (BPS), labeled as #7, is definitely one to avoid, particularly in children's products. It can be found in microwavable plastics, eating utensils, and baby bottles. This is another hormone disrupter, and it can mimic the effects of estrogen, increasing the risk of cancer.

Polystyrene, labeled as #6, is found in foam containers (styrofoam), disposable containers, plastic cutlery and cups. It leaks a carcinogen that damages the liver, kidneys, lungs and brain. It leaks even more when heated, and yet how often do you find coffee or hot chocolate served in styrofoam cups? Never drink hot beverages out of foam cups.

Adipates and Phthalates (PVC), labeled as #3, are found in plastic wrap. They leach onto hot, fatty foods, and can causes birth defects, as well as damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs and reproductive system. Use wax paper instead, or switch to Glad Cling Wrap or Saran Cling Plus (PVC free). Rewrap store-bought food that comes in plastic wrap.

TIPS:

• Store oil in glass containers
• Never use plastic wrap in the microwave, even if it is PVC free
• Never put a fast-food dinner in the microwave in its original plastic plate
• Only use safe plastics for food consumption or preparation: #5 and #2 (yogurt and syrup bottles, milk and water bottles), #1 and #4 (bags, soft drink and water bottles)
• Avoid reusing single-use plastic bottles
• Do not leave water bottles in your car. Solar heat can do as much damage as microwave heat.
• Check your reusable water bottle to see what type of plastic it is. It may be wise to switch to a stainless steel water bottle, like this brand.
• Use stainless steel for coffee and other hot beverages

Info from Dr. Weil's newsletter. See his website for more information.

 

Metals—They Don't Belong in Our Bodies!

Although the FDA would like us to think that a small amount of heavy metals in our system is okay, I believe this is absolutely false! Lead, mercury and aluminum do not belong in our blood stream, bones and organs, but that is where they end up. Our body can only clean out so much at once, and what doesn't get excreted can end up becoming a permanent resident. These metals build up over time and cause serious health problems. Metals are not biodegradable, and they do not break down over time in our bodies either.

What products should you be concerned about? There's aluminum in deodorant, lead in lipsticks, and mercury in dental fillings, fish and vaccines. They each pose different risks, and there's still a lot of conflicting information about metals. As always, a good rule of thumb is to try to limit your exposure to them. Look for products that don't contain them, watch your fish intake, and don't get mercury dental fillings.

Resources

The Green Guide
This article warns about the dangers of lead exposure, including the amount in make-up products

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
This page talks about the problem with lead in make-up

Dying to Look Good
An article about aluminum in deodorant

Nature Moms Blog
More about aluminum in deodorant

Agency for Toxic Substances
Mercury and what effect it can have on the body, as well as how to avoid it

The Monteray Bay Aquarium
They put out new seafood guides every year that show which fish have the most and least mercury contamination. They are available by region and in pocket-size—perfect to fit in your purse or pocket for shopping trips and restaurant visits.