Nutrition is paramount. What you eat is what you are made of. The food that you choose to eat today will become the building blocks of your body tomorrow. Regardless of how it is stated, it is important to eat a variety of foods, as no single food can supply all the nutrients, in the correct amounts, that your body requires. Your body is your temple. But your body is not only yours - your body belongs to your ancestors, your parents, and future generations. It belongs to every living thing that brought about the presence of your body. You should eat with care, knowing that we are the caretakers of our bodies, rather than owners. It it the vessel that carries your experience of life through time and space. Better nutrition influences and improves the quality of life in which life is experienced. The food that the individual eats directly reflects the quality of functioning in any system; whether it be the cardiovascular, digestive, endocrine, nervous, integumentary, reproductive, respiratory, lymphatic or renal system, the food that you decide to eat is what allows these systems to maintain homeostasis and work in harmony. In other words, the nutrient composition of the food you eat determines how effectively one's body will function.
nutrients support all that we do
But what are nutrients, and why do we need them? Nutrients have traditionally been defined as substances in foods required or used by the body for at least one of the following: energy, structure, or regulation of chemical reactions. For example, carbohydrates supply energy to fuel your body’s activities, calcium and phosphorus are important building blocks of your teeth and bones, and many of the vitamins are essential for chemical reactions such as those needed to protect your cells from the damaging effects of excessive sunlight and pollution. There are also many other substances present in food that appear to have health benefits such as decreasing risks for cancer and heart disease. Scores of these compounds have only recently been discovered and are therefore less understood than the “traditional” nutrients. Clearly, the definition of what is a nutrient is evolving, and the list of established nutrients will likely expand as researchers learn more about how the thousands of substances found in foods can promote health and well-being.
You may be surprised to learn that not all compounds in food are nutrients. To convince yourself of this, you need only examine almost any food label. Many of these compounds found in foods, such as artificial colors, are not nutrients because they are not needed to support basic functions in your body. In general, scientists classify nutrients into six categories based on their chemical structure and composition: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, water, minerals, and vitamins.
Although our bodies can use all the nutrients in foods, we only need to consume some of them. Essential nutrients must be obtained from your diet, because your body needs them and either cannot make them at all or cannot make them in adequate amounts. Non-essential nutrients are those your body can make in amounts needed to satisfy its physiological requirements. Hence, you do not actually need to consume nonessential nutrients. Most foods contain a mixture of essential and nonessential nutrients. For example, milk contains a variety of essential vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin A and calcium) as well as nonessential nutrients (such as cholesterol). However, there are situations when a normally nonessential nutrient can become essential. During these times, the nutrient is called a conditionally essential nutrient. For example, older children and adults must obtain two essential lipids through the diet, whereas babies are thought to require at least four, which they are unable to make. The additional lipids are therefore “conditionally essential” during early life. Certain diseases also cause normally nonessential nutrients to become conditionally essential. You will learn about some of these in later chapters.
Nutrients can also be classified on the basis of how much of them we require from our diet. Water, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids are considered macronutrients because they are needed in large quantities (over a gram each day). Vitamins and minerals are called micronutrients because we need only very small amounts of them (often micrograms or milligrams each day). For example, a typical adult requires about 2,726 pounds (1,239 kilograms) of the macronutrient protein over the course of a lifetime but only about 0.3 pounds (0.14 kilograms) of the micronutrient iron.
You may be surprised to learn that not all compounds in food are nutrients. To convince yourself of this, you need only examine almost any food label. Many of these compounds found in foods, such as artificial colors, are not nutrients because they are not needed to support basic functions in your body. In general, scientists classify nutrients into six categories based on their chemical structure and composition: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, water, minerals, and vitamins.
Although our bodies can use all the nutrients in foods, we only need to consume some of them. Essential nutrients must be obtained from your diet, because your body needs them and either cannot make them at all or cannot make them in adequate amounts. Non-essential nutrients are those your body can make in amounts needed to satisfy its physiological requirements. Hence, you do not actually need to consume nonessential nutrients. Most foods contain a mixture of essential and nonessential nutrients. For example, milk contains a variety of essential vitamins and minerals (such as vitamin A and calcium) as well as nonessential nutrients (such as cholesterol). However, there are situations when a normally nonessential nutrient can become essential. During these times, the nutrient is called a conditionally essential nutrient. For example, older children and adults must obtain two essential lipids through the diet, whereas babies are thought to require at least four, which they are unable to make. The additional lipids are therefore “conditionally essential” during early life. Certain diseases also cause normally nonessential nutrients to become conditionally essential. You will learn about some of these in later chapters.
Nutrients can also be classified on the basis of how much of them we require from our diet. Water, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids are considered macronutrients because they are needed in large quantities (over a gram each day). Vitamins and minerals are called micronutrients because we need only very small amounts of them (often micrograms or milligrams each day). For example, a typical adult requires about 2,726 pounds (1,239 kilograms) of the macronutrient protein over the course of a lifetime but only about 0.3 pounds (0.14 kilograms) of the micronutrient iron.
Although they are not technically nutrients, phytonutrients (also called phytochemicals) are substances found in plants that may help reduce the risk for developing certain diseases. In fact, many “health claims” on food packaging labels refer not to traditional nutrients but instead to phytochemicals. For example, consuming phytonutrients found in tomatoes and garlic may decrease your risk of cancer. Grapes and wine contain phytochemicals that may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Another category of "nutrients" that should be acknowledged are antinutrients, which are natural toxins. Antinutrients, such as lectins, are not always inherently bad, because it depends on the individual. For example, an overconsumption of lectins for lectin-sensitive individuals may result in inflammation and extensive gastric distress. On the other hand, lectins, a unique group of proteins and glycoproteins with potent biological activity, have also been observed to possess anticancer properties, and therefore they can be used as therapeutic agents, preferentially binding to cancer cell membranes or their receptors, causing cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and inhibition of tumor growth (De Mejía & Prisecaru, 2005).
Find Your Optimal Diet
There is wide-spread confusion and a lack of understanding regarding how to eat these days - much of it coming from the media. Whether you want to lose weight, reduce body fat or gain muscle mass, the safest and most effective way to achieve such goals is to eat right for your personal diet type.
You cannot fill your car with diesel when it was designed for gasoline and expect it to run at peak performance. If you wish to avoid living through the expression of your potential genetic flaws, you must do your best to determine which fuel sources meet your genetic requirements so that you can accentuate your genetic strengths instead. The notion of individuality in diet is key. There can never be any diet or product that works for everyone. We must all discover which formula works for our biochemical and cultural individuality, this is known as biochemical individuality.
The concept of biochemical individuality is the first concept and the last application on the nonlinear path to achieving the best diet that works for you - that is, the consumption of the best foods, in proper portions, that causes you to thrive. Are you searching for the optimal diet that will cause you to thrive? Not the be the bearer of bad news, but you will not find it here - at least not in the cut and dry, black and white version that many would hope to find. What you will find is the blueprint, the steps required, to help you find and determine what your optimal diet looks like. The steps are laid out in a linear progression and are designed to help anyone, regardless of their current diet, find the diet that is best for their biochemical individuality. Begin your journey now and take the first step.
You cannot fill your car with diesel when it was designed for gasoline and expect it to run at peak performance. If you wish to avoid living through the expression of your potential genetic flaws, you must do your best to determine which fuel sources meet your genetic requirements so that you can accentuate your genetic strengths instead. The notion of individuality in diet is key. There can never be any diet or product that works for everyone. We must all discover which formula works for our biochemical and cultural individuality, this is known as biochemical individuality.
The concept of biochemical individuality is the first concept and the last application on the nonlinear path to achieving the best diet that works for you - that is, the consumption of the best foods, in proper portions, that causes you to thrive. Are you searching for the optimal diet that will cause you to thrive? Not the be the bearer of bad news, but you will not find it here - at least not in the cut and dry, black and white version that many would hope to find. What you will find is the blueprint, the steps required, to help you find and determine what your optimal diet looks like. The steps are laid out in a linear progression and are designed to help anyone, regardless of their current diet, find the diet that is best for their biochemical individuality. Begin your journey now and take the first step.
"Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food."
Hippocrates
The Influence of Nutrition on Cognition
Many of the global problems that are apparent in society today, are the result of vicious downward cycles of mass behavioral and emotional hysteria. Each individual is the product of it's unique environment. If your environment (food) is filled with high-fat, refined sugary foods, then your diet reflects the quality of your functioning. Researchers have observed that high-fat, refined sugar diets reduce the capacity to learn, neuronal plasticity, and hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Molteni, Barnard, Ying, Roberts, & Gómez-Pinilla, 2002). The gut has the capacity to directly stimulate synaptic plasticity and learning. Several gut hormones and peptides, such as leptin, ghrelin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) and insulin have been found to influence emotions and cognitive processes (Gómez-Pinilla, 2008). Your diet directly impacts your cognitive functioning and emotions. If more than 75% of American's purchases go towards moderately (15.9%) and highly processed (61.0%) foods and beverages (Poti, Mendez, Ng, & Popkin, 2015), then the quality of cognitive functioning and emotion will be reflected in the population. In theory, if each individual took care of themselves by eating a balanced healthy diet, then the population as a whole will make better decisions.
The Influence of Nutrition on Health
It is well established that nutrition plays a powerful role in health and disease. Consuming too little or too much of a certain nutrient can lead to poor health. Balance is key. Chronic degenerative diseases are the leading cause of death. The causes of the these diseases are complex, albeit they may be prevented. It is known that the lifestyle, environment and genes of an individual are all related to the risk of developing diseases. A major risk factor for many chronic degenerative diseases is strongly related to nutrition. Consuming a healthy balance of nutrients, phytochemicals and zoonutrients can help decrease the risk of developing disease. Therefore it is crucial that you pay attention to what you eat throughout your entire life (McGuire, Beerman, & William, 2011).
The Influence of Nutrition on Bone and Muscle
A balanced diet is essential to maintain optimal bone and muscle health. Both macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) influence the quality and structure of bone and muscle. Bone is the core in which muscle builds on. Muscle builds onto bone, giving propulsion to the human body through time and space. To better understand how nutrition influences bone, it may be best to review what bone and muscle are made of. The food that one consumes directly reflects the quality of their health. For more information, explore how macro-, anti-, and micronutrients influence bone and muscle.
Determining the Validity of Nutrition Claims
Undoubtedly, you may have come across popular nutrition tips, fad diets and/or claims to benefit your health. Research of all fields is expected to use the scientific method to help ensure that conclusions are valid and reliable. Since all fields continue to reveal new and ground-breaking findings, our understanding about the relationship between the world is always changing. Regarding nutrition, dietary recommendations change over time, which is expected. Given this, it is your job to evaluate nutritional claims given all the information you are provided to make the right nutrition-related decisions. For information to valid (truthful) it must reliable (repeatable) and relevant. Here are a view helpful ways to aid you on your path:
DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF THE INFORMATION
Not all sources of information have the same credibility. Find the primary source of the information. Like the game of "Telephone", the message can get severely distorted as it is passed around. Primary sources that are considered more reliable come from peer-reviewed journals.
DETERMINE WHO THE RESEARCHERS ARE
Who conducted the research? Typically, if the research is conducted by scientists at universities or medical schools, it is more reliable.
DETERMINE WHO PAID FOR THE RESEARCH
There are many ways that scientists receive money to fund their research, but many involve grants from private companies or federal agencies. Take the step and ensure that funding sources do not influence the outcome of their studies, since the funding agencies may have something to gain from the results. For example, the sugar-sweetened beverage (soda) industry claims that sugar is harmless and does not cause weight gain; their funded research states obesity is caused by the thoroughly debunked calories-in, calories-out (energy balance) theory. If a company like Coca-Cola or Nestle, pays for research in the sugar industry, think of the possible conflict of interests.
EVALUATE THE EXPERIMENT
Was the research conducted in a way that appropriately test the hypothesis? Do the conclusions fit the design of the study? Do the results suggest an association or causal relationship? Was an appropriate control group used? Was the study double-blinded? Was a placebo used in the control group? All of these variables should be accounted for during your research.
Dr. Richard Horton, the current Editor-in-chief of The Lancet, considered to be one of the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals today, has commented, "The case against science is straightforward: much of the scientific literature, perhaps half, may simply be untrue. Afflicted by studies with small sample sizes, tiny effects, invalid exploratory analyses, and flagrant conflicts of interest, together with an obsession for pursuing fashionable trends of dubious importance, science has taken a turn towards darkness...In their quest for telling a compelling story, scientists too often sculpt data to fit their preferred theory of the world. Or they retrofit hypotheses to fit their data" (Horton, 2015).
It is our responsibility to become of aware of this fraud and corruption that is taking place. Awareness is the first step towards productive change. Then we can come together and become interdependent upon one another, because we, individually and collectively, have the potential and power to create the world we want to live in.
It is our responsibility to become of aware of this fraud and corruption that is taking place. Awareness is the first step towards productive change. Then we can come together and become interdependent upon one another, because we, individually and collectively, have the potential and power to create the world we want to live in.
Science is a powerful tool that has assisted humanity accomplish many feats, however, it can be used as a weapon - just as Galileo proposed the heliocentric, or sun-centered, theory, his beliefs while widely ridiculed, which challenged the existing consensus. That is, science can be steered in a certain direction, based on who funds the research.
References
Chek, P. (2004). How to eat, move and be healthy. San Diego, CA: C.H.E.K. Institute.
De Mejía, E. & Prisecaru, V. (2005). Lectins as bioactive plant proteins: a potential in cancer treatment. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 45(6), 425-45. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408390591034445
Gómez-Pinilla, F. (2008). Brain foods: The effects of nutrients on brain function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(7), 568–578. doi:10.1038/nrn2421
Horton, R. (2015, April 11). Offl ine: What is medicine’s 5 sigma? Retrieved March 2, 2017, from The Lancet, http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736%2815%2960696-1.pdf
McGuire, M., Beerman, K. A., & William, M. (2011). Nutritional sciences: From fundamentals to food (with table of food composition booklet) (3rd ed.). Boston, MA, United States: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Molteni, R., Barnard, R. J., Ying, Z., Roberts, C. K., & Gómez-Pinilla, F. (2002). A high-fat, refined sugar diet reduces hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neuronal plasticity, and learning. Neuroscience, 112(4), 803–814. doi:10.1016/S0306-4522(02)00123-9
Poti, J. M., Mendez, M. A., Ng, S. W., & Popkin, B. M. (2015). Is the degree of food processing and convenience linked with the nutritional quality of foods purchased by US households? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.100925
De Mejía, E. & Prisecaru, V. (2005). Lectins as bioactive plant proteins: a potential in cancer treatment. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 45(6), 425-45. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408390591034445
Gómez-Pinilla, F. (2008). Brain foods: The effects of nutrients on brain function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(7), 568–578. doi:10.1038/nrn2421
Horton, R. (2015, April 11). Offl ine: What is medicine’s 5 sigma? Retrieved March 2, 2017, from The Lancet, http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736%2815%2960696-1.pdf
McGuire, M., Beerman, K. A., & William, M. (2011). Nutritional sciences: From fundamentals to food (with table of food composition booklet) (3rd ed.). Boston, MA, United States: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Molteni, R., Barnard, R. J., Ying, Z., Roberts, C. K., & Gómez-Pinilla, F. (2002). A high-fat, refined sugar diet reduces hippocampal brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neuronal plasticity, and learning. Neuroscience, 112(4), 803–814. doi:10.1016/S0306-4522(02)00123-9
Poti, J. M., Mendez, M. A., Ng, S. W., & Popkin, B. M. (2015). Is the degree of food processing and convenience linked with the nutritional quality of foods purchased by US households? The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. doi:10.3945/ajcn.114.100925
