Importance of food
Our urge for food is felt by hunger pang when energy is needed every few hours or so. Given the choice, we tend to settle for convenient and tasty foods loaded with sugar and fat that contain the highest amounts of energy. The need for building blocks and catalysts on daily or semi-daily basis is so crucial but always neglected till a deficiency arises – leading to illness.
Food processing
All food substances can be divided into one or more nutrient categories once digestion starts in the stomach -
+ Water
+ Carbohydrates (eg. sugar, bread)
+ Lipids (eg. fats, oils) – need 55 gms of fat per day
+ Proteins (eg. animal meat, seafood, dairy products) – need 20 different amino acids; 46 gms and 58 gms of protein per day for man and woman respectively
+ Vitamins (eg. fruits, vegetables) – need 13 essential vitamins
+ Minerals (eg. fruits, vegetables) – need 14 essential minerals
The energy contained in a specific portion of food, and the energy needs of the body, are both measured in units called calories. The amount can be obtained when a food is being burned with the amount of heat generated. Measurement can be taken on a physical activity or non-activity like sleeping.
Only food with carbohydrates, lipids and proteins provide energy. Those involved in strenuous physical activities need higher level of calories. A heavier person tend to expend more calories in carrying out similiar activity relative to a light-weight person. Unknown to most of us, 65% of energy derived is used for basal metabolic functions like breathing and pumping blood.
Breakdown of calories
After a meal, our body begins to apportion the calories to nutrient-hungry organs, growing muscles and the gut. Quick run-down as follows:
- 10% each for breaking down food, kidneys (in the form of amino acids and fat), brain (in the form of glucose), and unaccounted 10%
- 5-10% to the heart (in the form of glucose, amino acids and fat) as it gets most of its energy from fat.
- 2-3% to fat cells (in the form of glucose and fat). With the same number of fat cells throughout our life, they can become bigger with more calories deposited.
- 23% to the liver (excess calories stored as glycogen), pancreas, kidneys, spleen and adrenal glands (in the form of glucose, amino acids and fats)
- 25% to muscles (in the form of glucose, amino acids and fat), so the more muscles you have, the more calories you burn.
No carbohydrates?
Far from it. Carbohydrates supply the body with the energy it needs to function. In fact, it is the only source of energy for the brain and red blood cells. Mostly found in plants and vegetables, milk is the only animal-derived source of carbohydrates. Ensure the total daily calories has 60% of carbohydrate content, of which most are from the healthy choice.
Two groups of carbohydrates are:
- Simple sugars (eg. fructose, sucrose, lactose) and
- Complex carbohydrates (fibres, starch) – sugar molecules clustered strung together to form complex chains.
Limiting fat intake…
When a person’s daily intake of calories exceeds the daily body requirements, the body converts excess calories into fat, which is stored throughout the body. Excess fat is accumulated in visible spots such as the belly of a man and the thighs of a woman. Upper body obesity is strongly related to heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Eating fat indirectly adds to being overweight because fat contains more than twice as many calories per gram as proteins and carbohydrates. Keep to a healthy range of 13-25% for men and 17-29% for women for percentage body fat.
Fats are essential for carrying out hundred of bodily functions like maintaining temperature, absorbing fat-soluble vitamins and cushioning vital organs, go for the good fats. In fact, fat is a precursor for hormone-like compounds that regulate blood pressure, heart rate, blood clotting, immune response, central nervous system etc. Hence, do not disregard fats and opt for the good ones.
In the event a person has too little fat to serve the different needs, the body automatically breaks down the muscles and internal organs to obtain the energy. Biologically, it does not draw down the excess fat in the hunger mode but craves for more food (typically for more carbohydrates) instead. Hence, there is the danger of overeating when food is readily available and appetite is not controlled. Where a person’s hunger used to be sated with 2500 calories per day, it can escalate to 3000 calories and more to satisfy rising appetite.
In recent times, fat intake of modern people has increased drastically. This can be attributed to the high fat content derived from commercially-produced and hormonally-treated domesticated animals. Tracing to the past, our ancestors ate mostly a low-fat and vegetarian diet with some game meats occasionally.
Dont miss the proteins……
When protein is consumed, the body breaks it down into amino acids (essential), the building blocks of our trillion of cells. Other than providing energy, it is essential for growth and development, needed for the manufacture of hormones, antibodies, enzymes and tissues. Hence, body deterioration occurs when dying cells in our internal and external organs are not replenished with aminos even though there is adequate energy available. Selecting the right foods is important. Reduce amino intake from animal proteins as they tend to contain high amounts of harmful fats whilst fish, nuts and vegetables contain the good fats.What food most people consume….
Despite the relatively small amounts of proteins, vitamins and minerals required on a daily basis, and their abundance in natural foods, people are not getting enough because they are not eating right. Symptoms that can manifest include mood swings, fatigue, nervousness, headaches, confusion and muscle weakness. Over time, chronic diseases can develop – including cancer, hypertension, Alzheimer’s and accelerating aging.
We have witnessed two big food revolution in recent times.
+ First, as the prices famers received for their produces dropped, they allowed their raw foodstuffs to be converted into ‘branded’ foods with long shelf lives. In particular, junk or snack foods became grossly popular though they were not in the consumers’ ‘wanted’ food list initially. To extend the shelf life, preservatives in the form of chemical compounds are commonly added. A typical taste enhancer, sodium is largely found in processed foods. As a result, most adults consume 10-14 times the required amount per day (ie. 500 mg).
+ In the 2nd phase, fast food evolved out of speed of service and convenience, and not on taste, price or availability like before. In most instances, fat is added to improve the taste of the products. A MacDonald burger contains 800 calories with 60% in fat, not including the fried fries that usually accompany a meal.
Note: As compared to saturated fats which increases both the good and bad cholesterol, unsaturated fats such as olive oil and canola oil are the healthy version known to increase the level of good cholesterol and reduce the level of bad cholesterol. The bad one is used by the body to make hormones but excessive level can cause arterial blockage. The good one can absorb and eliminate the bad one.
However, to prolong the lifespan of products, manufacturers like to add hydrogen to unsaturated fat and turns it into trans-fat. Trans-fat increases the level of bad cholesterol and decreases the level of good cholesterol. The resultant hydrogenated oil is harmful as it increases the overall cholesterol in the body.
It is only in the last few decades that research began on knowledge of nutrition in food. As such, most people are not aware that their health are at stake having consumed plenty of such unhealthy foods, devoid of nutrition but high in caloric energy.
What should be our diet?
+ Most fruits and vegetables in unprocessed form are rich in vitamins and minerals, high in carbohydrates (energy-giver), and low in protein and fat. Add on some animal meats and seafood which are loaded with protein, vitamins, minerals with varying amounts of fat makes a complete healthy diet. A high-fibre diet aids to slow digestion and reduce hunger pangs.
+ Are we able to prepare our own food and avoid highly processed foods without those toxic preservatives? As mentioned in the first para, most of us are not taking in enough protein, vitamins and minerals in our daily diet. If you belong to this category, seriously consider a good multivitamins before trouble starts to brew within.
Source: The Next Trillion by Paul Zane Pilzer
