Nutrition has everything to do with health. This isn't news, exactly, but looking around at the crazy information on the market, one wonders if anyone actually makes the connection: what you eat affects how you feel. It's that simple. Your health depends on the food choices you make in both the short and long term.
Take a pill, and all you've done is treat a symptom. Change your eating habits, and create a lasting change in your well-being. There are so many approaches to eating, however, and so much conflicting information that it's come down to this simple question: does whatever you're eating right now make sense?
Well, sense isn't common, and it does depend on some good information. So here is something to consider: what kind of foods are humans evolved to eat? Cheetos? Don't think so. That's a no-brainer, but what about some others that we counted as healthy staples until recently, like bread and pasta. Go way back in your imagination, to hunter gatherer days ? before agriculture and the obesity which followed for the first time among humans ? and consider what would be part of our ancestors' normal diet. If you're about to pop something into your mouth that wasn't around before agriculture, (a relatively recent development in human history), then eat it knowing it's not considered a 'normal' food by your body. Foods your body considers 'normal' contribute to your health, other foods are either neutral or harmful. How simple is that?
A well-known exploration of this concept that certain foods help our bodies thrive is Dr. Peter D'Adamo's book, "Eat Right 4 Your Type," in which he bases his lists of what to eat and avoid on blood type. D'Adamo asserts that type O is the oldest type, and the newer A type didn't show up on the scene until agriculture. So, Os should eat lots of meat and veg because that blood type doesn't know how to handle too much grain. Type As can eat grain, but not dairy. Dairy is a category reserved as a 'normal' food only for the yet more recent human blood type, AB. (Maybe we'll evolve a new type that can handle Cheetos and red licorice, my personal favorite abnormal foods).
D'Adamo supports his blood-type theory with all kinds of careful research, and so what? Does it make sense that humans should rely primarily on foods that occur naturally? Absolutely. If you're going to eat a grain like wheat then, eat it whole, or don't eat it at all, and don't eat much of it anyway because humans pretty much made wheat up! I'm not going to take the, "Does it occur naturally?" debate too far, because it's time to look at another researcher's take on the food and evolution connection.
Dr. Phillip Lipetz wrote "The Good Calorie Diet," a book for the weight loss market, but he also has supported his theories with all kinds of careful research. His describes how the human response to starvation that was developed during the ice age carries on today. Ironic, isn't it, that the food available to us today - rich and sweet and abundant - causes our bodies to behave as though starvation is at hand.
The short story for how this works is that up until the ice age, humans ate whatever was readily available, like roots, plants, fruit, and a little tasty carrion now and then. Along came the ice ages, and those foods became scarce. Now humans were forced to hunt, but it was dicey and the weapons were primitive, so spans of time occured between kills. The result: our ancestors evolved ways to make the most of the conversion of excess blood sugar into stored nutrition in the form of body fat. When they starved, they lived off stored fat.
Today's diet mimics the ice age diet: high fat and high protein, and our genetic programming says, "Uh oh, we're facing starvation again. Better store up some fat." Lipetz goes into convincing detail about food combinations in his book. He describes some that cause the creation of excess fat, such as butter on bread. More useful are his combinations that actually inhibit fat formation, like lean meat with most vegetables. In a society where obesity and its attendant health issues are rampant, these food combinations are helpful places to focus our attention. Yet the single most useful bit to remember from his research is that foods which cause our bodies to create excess fat all have one thing in common: they weren't part of our ancestors' normal diet.
Armed with this overview, next time you're about to pop something in your mouth - whether your focus is health or weight ? you don't need to have a bunch of rules and whacky information in mind. Just use common sense. Ask whether it's a food that was around before the advent of agriculture. If it was, go for it. If it wasn't, then consider that your body won't consider the food 'normal,' and in both the long and short run, that's got health consequences.
Judith Schwader earned a Master's degree in Education, and has written extensively on health and nutrition. She has a background in social science and addressing chronic health conditions through nutrition. Judith invites you to visit http://qandahealth.com , an excellent resource for health.
eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..The best weight training and cardio workouts will do very... Read More
Eating orange mean absorbing vitamin C to our body, is... Read More
When we think about the benefits of being ensuring a... Read More
Eating grain products - breads, cakes, cereals - have long... Read More
If you're suffering from constipation, you are no doubt looking... Read More
With so much 'diet advice' around today it is little... Read More
Creating Your Target is easy.What I use to help create... Read More
East Meets WestAsian cultures have realized the medical benefits of... Read More
For any kid who grew up eating doughy, thick Wonder... Read More
Mineral nutritionSearching for mineral nutrition information is much easier today... Read More
Did you know that the food you eat when you... Read More
Remember the old adage, you are what you eat? The... Read More
You can trust me that I make sure to take... Read More
Salt is vital for our health. Right now, you have... Read More
Have you ever thought about where your drinking water comes... Read More
Quick Overview- I think the most important thing for people... Read More
Post nasal drip is a sensation of mucous build up... Read More
We've heard it not only once or twice or even... Read More
Come on, guys and gals. Those Trix are for kids.And... Read More
For decades science has been looking for the answers to... Read More
Nails are a protective horn at the end of our... Read More
Almost every woman suffers with premenstrual syndrome at one time... Read More
Magnesium is an important mineral that serves numerous essential functions... Read More
Eating healthy and taking care of yourself is essential to... Read More
The research in support of dietary omega-3 fatty acids (such... Read More
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..The importance of protein in diet has been clearly established... Read More
The research in support of dietary omega-3 fatty acids (such... Read More
Unfortunately, it has been proved beyond doubt that a large... Read More
Vitamins, minerals and other nutrients are essential to the development... Read More
Sprouts not only taste good, but they are also a... Read More
The Human Body is in a constant flux with the... Read More
What if you could actually slow your rate of aging,... Read More
The topic of nutrition is one that is always present... Read More
The key to better health is learning the difference between... Read More
Eating healthy is fast becoming a way of life. American's... Read More
Better sleep = better metabolism. I have been saying it... Read More
ABC News has recently focused on the possible anti-aging benefits... Read More
With so much 'diet advice' around today it is little... Read More
Essential Fatty Acids are oils, omega-3 and omega-6, that you... Read More
Salt is vital for our health. Right now, you have... Read More
Olive oil is a healthy choice over other fats such... Read More
You would probably think that I was writing a lot... Read More
Salt does Not Cause High Blood Pressure. Some things you... Read More
When you take your food next time, take care of... Read More
The importance of protein in a healthy diet is well... Read More
Meal replacements have been part of the diet landscape for... Read More
What if I told you tap water and homogenized milk... Read More
Our diet is an essential factor for the formation of... Read More
Americans are literally running out of time. Achieving a work-life... Read More
There are a lot of very good reasons to eat... Read More
Nutrition |