Long, healthy life's in the food pyramid

Supplements
The word supplement means in addition to something – to make up for a deficiency. Vitamin and mineral supplements should be taken in addition to a healthy diet. They make up for the deficiency we face due to the poor nutrient density in our foods. Supplements also help out when our diet is less than perfect.

1. Some supplements contain very high doses of certain nutrients. When you take nutrients in extremely high doses, you are no longer in the world of nutritional supplementation and have passed into the riskier world of megadose treatment.
   
   
2. Calcium and magnesium minerals are very bulky, and few multi-vitamin/mineral supplements provide the daily requirement. These minerals generally must be taken in the form of additional pills. Note: It isn't possible for your body to absorb a day's worth of calcium in a single dose. At least two doses are necessary.

Take Control of Your Health

• Eat the appropriate amount of fruits/vegetables daily:
  • Children: 5 servings
  • Women: 7 servings
  • Men: 9 servings
• Focus on organic whenever possible
• Eat high quality protein daily (34 to 71 grams)
• Eat Omega-3 fats every day (flax, walnuts & some fish)
• Take a balanced multiple vitamin/mineral supplement
• Take EFA supplement like Salmon Oil 
• Take Vitamin B-12 every morning
• Take Vitamin C every morning and at bedtime

Food Pyramid

Want to eat healthily? Following the food pyramid is good enough, says a biomedical science professor, Willem van Gelder, who is also the global research director for Numico, a Dutch specialised nutrition company.

• U.S. Food Pyramid
• Chinese Food Pyramid
• Thai Food Pyramid
• Japanese Food Pyramid
• Asian Diet Pyramid

Expert tips: Don't think too much about all kinds of ingredients in the food, but look more to the different types of food as in the food pyramid. The general advice is to have a base of starches, followed by vegetables and fruits, and not too much red meat

'There's really nothing much more to add to that. Different countries will have slightly different pyramids, but overall the general advice is to have a base of starches, followed by vegetables and fruits, and not too much red meat,' he says. Prof van Gelder was in town this week to deliver a talk at the Silver Industry Conference and Exhibition (Sicex) on 'Eating to a Long and Healthy Life'.

People need to up their intake of fish for Omega 3 fatty acids, because they generally tend to get more than enough Omega 6 from vegetable sources. 'That ratio should be shifted,' says Prof van Gelder.

And then general advice such as physical activity - 'Which everyone knows but doesn't do enough of,' he adds - and not taking harmful foods like saturated fats.

In the wake of the varieties of food and diet fads that come and go, Prof van Gelder advocates a balanced diet, and says that good nutrition starts the minute we're born. 'For a baby, healthy eating starts with mother's milk,' he points out. The alternative, if a mother's milk is unavailable, is infant formula from a credible company which backs its formula with clinical trials, he says.

Numico's major discovery in the past few years, for instance, was in the field of infant formula. It found out that breast milk contained a family of specific carbohydrates which are non-digestible in the baby's intestines, but which fed the 'good' bifido bacteria contained in the intestines.

'The bacteria was for the development of the baby's natural immune system. The baby inherits this from its mother when it's born,' he notes.

The company found similar ingredients in bananas, for example, and introduced Gos-Fos, or galacto and fructo oligosaccharides, in baby formula. 'And specifically, long-chain galacto oligosaccharides because these help feed the bifido bacteria which helps fight against allergy, infection and diarrhoea,' he says.

This type of research is part of the nutritional therapy work that Numico does, in which it enlists the participation of top scientists in the various fields.

Nutritional therapy isn't like supplementation, points out Prof van Gelder, in the sense that it's about developing specialised compositions that bring many ingredients together. 'We believe that nutritional components brought together in harmony can deal with complex diseases,' he says.

One such disease under research now is Alzheimer's, which can be delayed by five years if detected and treated early. 'The brain cells consist of water and lipids, and cells are regulated by nutrients,' he says.

Theories also being studied now include metabolic imprinting, which is the concept that nutrients (or what you eat) might impact the expression of genes in the very early phase of life. Based on that, Numico is now trying to find out which ingredients in baby food, specifically, influence the formation and distribution of fat cells in the body.

'Insights in obesity are changing now because not all people who are big have unhealthy fat. It's a question of unhealthy visceral fat (around the organs) and subcutaneous fat which was designed by nature as a storage source,' he notes.

While research like this would probably take a long time, till then it's best to follow the recommendations given by the health authorities. 'I'd advise people not to think too much about all kinds of ingredients in the food, but look more to the different types of food as in the food pyramid,' he concludes.   - 2008 January 12   SINGAPORE BUSINESS TIMES

Food Pyramid bricks in wrong spots  

Canadian and U.S. food guidelines designed to encourage people to eat healthily are flawed, a new study from researchers at Harvard School of  Public Health suggests.

If the U.S. Food Pyramid, which closely resembles Health Canada's Food Guide  chart, was revised it would significantly reduce the number of people dying  from heart attacks, strokes and other chronic diseases, the scientists say.

"The Food Pyramid is tremendously flawed," said Walter Willett, chairman of  the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health.  

Prof. Willett observed of the old pyramid: "It says all fats are bad; all complex carbohydrates are good; all protein sources offer the same  nutrition; and dairy should be eaten in high amounts. None of this is  accurate," said Walter Willett, chairman of the Department of Nutrition at  the Harvard School of Public Health.

Prof. Willett has designed a new health pyramid after assessing the diets of more than 100,000 men and women in the United States.

Men and women whose diet most closely followed the new guidelines lowered  their risk of cardiovascular disease by 39% and 28% respectively, he said.

 The researchers found that men whose diet followed the guidelines lowered  their overall risk of major chronic disease by 20% and women lowered their overall risk by 11%.

 Using the old U.S. pyramid, the researchers found the overall risk reduction was 11% for men and 3% for women.

The researchers did not study Canada's Food Guide, which is undergoing a review.

"We are undertaking a review because of new scientific data. The Food Guide has existed since 1990 and represented the best science at the time," said Margot Geduld, a spokeswoman for Health Canada. "The Food Guide is still  very useful," she said.  

Prof. Willett's new guidelines differ from the old pyramid and the Canadian chart in the way they treat grains, meats and oils.

His pyramid also says alcohol in moderation can be healthy.

"The current [U.S.] guidelines as displayed in the government food guide  pyramid emphasizes large amounts of carbohydrates, doesn't make a distinction between types of fat or protein and lumps red meat, chicken,  nuts and legumes together," Prof. Willett said.

Like the U.S. pyramid, the Canadian Food Guide lists grain products such as  bread, pasta and rice in one category although the Canadian guide adds,  "Choose whole grain and enriched products more often."

Prof. Willett's pyramid differentiates between whole grain foods (which he  recommends eating at most meals) and white rice, white bread, potatoes,  pasta and sweets, which he says should be eaten sparingly.

The Willett pyramid also differentiates between fish and poultry and red  meat.

"In our study we gave people credits for consuming fish and poultry. People  who choose chicken over red meat got higher credits," Marjorie McCullough, a  nutritional epidemiologist who worked with Prof. Willett on the research,  said.

The U.S. pyramid and Canada's food chart put fish, poultry and meat in the  same category.

One of the most common mistakes people make when trying to eat healthily is  getting rid of fat in their diet, Prof. Willett said.

"Not all fats are bad and, in fact, some should be required in any diet.  Mono-unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats found in foods such as nuts,  avocados, fish, olives and most oils help lower 'bad' cholesterol levels  without affecting 'good' cholesterol levels," he said in an interview with a  Harvard magazine.

 The U.S. pyramid puts fats and oils at the top and says use sparingly. The  Canadian food chart says, "Some of these foods are higher in fat or calories so use these foods in moderation."

 "The Willett's pyramid considers sources of fat as good," said Ms. McCullough.

Thomas Wolever, a professor at the nutritional sciences department at the University of Toronto, said such guidelines are an attempt to give a basic  message about a complex subject.

"[Prof. Willett] is trying to give a simple message. People do want a black  and white answer," said Prof. Wolever, who added he agreed with some of  Prof. Willett's findings but not with others. - 2002 November 22   National Post

You are what you eat, so eat well.   The following contends that every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and that this pattern acts as a signal or sign as to the benefit the food provides the eater. 

• A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

• A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.

• Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

• A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

• Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

• Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

• Eggplant, Avocadoes and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats 1 avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? .... It takes exactly 9 months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

• Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow. Figs increase the motility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

• Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

• Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries.

• Grapefruits, Oranges, and O there Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

• Onions look like body cells. Today's research shows that onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes

Hmmm...not sure if we believe all of this but certainly something to consider if you like these foods anyways.

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