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| Early Man with a donut |
6/2016
If you think about the kind of food available to early man, we have wandered very far from the kind of food we should be eating. There were no potato crops, no rice paddies, no wheat fields.
Dr Jones tells me that the best diet is the Atkins Low Carbohydrate approach to lifestyle modification. Carbohydrates are not “essential”, in the sense that the body makes them easily from what you eat.
Your first thought is that the Low Carbohydrate approach will be difficult to follow. While Dr Jones and I find it easy and tasty, others think it is difficult. Here are a few really great recipes
Johnathan Wright, MD, lectures against eating “white” things. You should not eat:
- White flour - it is in manufactured food as a hidden ingredient - which is a big problem for those who are gluten sensitive. Avoid cakes, cookies, bread and all products with labels that say “wheat flour”. Strictly speaking, all grains are high in carbohydrates, but the white flour has the least nutrient value. Much to our benefit, there is a growing number of products you can buy that are certified Gluten Free.
- White sugar - it also has many names, and is in most of the products mentioned under flour. On cans and boxes, look for ingredients that end in “ose”. The same thing can be said about the lack of nutrient value as I said for white flour. Luckily, there are other sources for your sweet tooth. Stevia is good sugar alternative, and recently we found a Coconut sugar.
- White salt - well, you know, if you have high blood pressure, this is a no-no. On the other hand, it can be a good source of iodine, unless your multi is supplying it for you. Those of us with low blood pressure need the salt. A common medical problem is the woman who appears in the doctor’s office with very low energy. Upon questioning she confirms that “Yes, my husband has high blood pressure so we don’t eat salt. “Yes, I do have low blood pressure”. End of mystery! She needs the salt.
- White potatoes and White Rice - as I said above, early man did not have these, but if you must eat them, choose those that are not “white”. We make some really good “chips” by frying up tablespoon size spoonfuls of grated Parmesan cheese. Believe me, you will not feel deprived of your potato chips. (Link to jjConsulting.net Recipes)
Many fruits and vegetables are fairly high in carbohydrates - check the carb content per quantity! This is the part that most people ignore. And think about the fact that most foods are only grown during part of the year in our climate. Shipping them from all parts of the world makes them available all thru the year - and their nutritive value is suspect. Foods not grown locally should be eaten sparingly.
Learn to read labels. For weight loss, ideally, your carbohydrate intake should be between 20 and 30 grams per day, so if that candy bar has 90 grams of carbohydrate, it takes care of your intake for two or three days. Tomorrow you can’t eat...
For weight maintenance carbohydrate intake should be between 40 and 60 grams per day. As long as the carbohydrate intake is low enough you can ignore calories. And there is no need to restrict fats or protein intake. In fact, a number of problems are caused by the lack of essential fatty acids in the diet. The preformed essential ones are GLA, EPA and DHA. See this page for the EFA Flow Chart for clarity. Most of us don’t eat fish every day (the best source of omega 3 fatty acids), or even 3 times a week as early man probably did. Farm fed fish may not contain as much essential fatty acids as wild fish do. Ultra Omega-Linic contains Black Currant seed oil, which is an excellent source of the omega 6 fatty acids. I believe there is a growing trend away from the trans fats and products such as Crisco for baking and regular margerines.
At Atkins.com you can learn the carbohydrate content of food you want to eat. Some supermarkets have a listing of the carbohydrate (and other nutrients) value for the various FRESH fruits and vegetables which they sell. In counting carbohydrates (as opposed to counting calories) you subtract the amount of fiber and the amount of sugar alcohols from total carbs. The remainder is known as net carbs. That’s what you count. SELFNutritionData is another really good resource where you can learn about the food you are eating.
One of my early exposures to good eating habits came from a doctor who borrowed this motto from Jack LaLanne “If man made it, don’t eat it”. Food in cans or boxes is high in things you don’t want to eat, and low in nutritive value. As a consequence, Dr Jones and I shop the perimeter of the store. We buy "real” (unprocessed) food and cook it minimally. I know there is a lot of appeal in foods that are organic. For sure, this is a major consideration if you have problems with herbicides, pesticides and the like.
About the Nutrition Value of Fresh Food
(from Dr Jones’ Basic Nutritional Recommendations - A Basic Protocol)
A popular misconception held by both the lay public and the medical profession is that the American diet supplies sufficient levels of all the nutrients needed by the body. In reality, the Western diet is characterized by imbalances and excesses. Telling a patient “all you need to do is eat right” does not take into consideration the American lifestyle, problems associated with our food supply, or human nature. Two nationwide food consumption studies conducted by the USDA found that approximately 60% of the individuals surveyed were consuming only 70% of the daily minimum requirements of six essential nutrients. Those surveyed were people who made an effort to eat (and thought they were eating) a balanced diet. The nutrients are: vitamin B6, folacin, zinc, copper, magnesium and calcium. With these facts in mind, it is not likely that anyone is consuming an optimal supply of nutrients ... without supplementation. Consider Physician Formulated Ultra Vites. Studies have shown that in order to meet the minimum daily requirements, one must consume at least 1100 calories of nutrient dense food. This means that a patient on a 1000 calory diet could not meet the minimum daily requirements (MDR) without supplementation. When many of the calories are “naked calories” (i.e. white sugar and flour) it is easy to see that even the MDRs are a problem, no matter what the caloric intake. Compare our Physician Formulated Multis with the RDIs and with your Multi.
Sorry - this came to me in an email and I couldn't resist. It is a close relative of "Ewe's not FAT, Ewe's FLUFFY".
The MDRs were designed to prevent deficiency states and diseases. They do not address the issue of individual variability and optimal nutritional needs. Individual requirements of vitamins and minerals may vary considerably. This is especially true for certain groups such as young children, pregnant and lactating women, joggers, athletes, the elderly and persons with medical illnesses.
Unfortunately, as a result of these different needs, as well as problems such as poverty, ignorance in matters of food selection and preparation, dietary fads and confusion regarding the nutritive value of processed foods, total nutritional needs are often unmet.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
