Nutrition goes beyond the surface of food. Nutrition is about what elements are part of the food; what's beneath the surface. Also, foods are lumped into groups beyond just what's "good for you" and what's "bad for you". There are functional foods, dietary supplements, food additives, vitamins and minerals, and the role of nutrition in regards to complementary and alternative medicine.
The definition of functional foods is this: a food or food component that provides a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. This means that rather than looking at food as being just another type of food, we need to look at the all the areas of our bodies that benefit from a specific type of food based on what nutrients that food contains. An example given in this chapter is garlic. The book states that garlic contains sulfur compounds that can reduce the risk of heart disease. Functional foods contain phytochemicals. These differ from nutrients in that they are not essential to sustain life but they do promote health. These come from plants and can include pigments and antioxidants. Phytochemicals are associated with decreased risk of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. So, although you don't need them to stay alive, it wouldn't hurt to add phytochemicals to your diet. Before reading this chapter, I was clueless when it came to phytochemicals.
Then there are food additives. Food additives are broken up into two subcategories: direct and indirect. Direct additives are added to food for a specific purpose. For example, aspartame would be added to sweeten up a food substance in the place of sugar. Direct additives are added for many reasons. Some of those reasons are: to maintain consistency in the food, to control acidity, to improve nutritional value, or frankly, to keep the food appetizing. Indirect additives are things or substances that unintentionally come in contact with food and mix with that specific food. You can find additives in just about anything that is made or processed and most of us don't even think about it. Of course, the FDA regulates additives and they cannot be added if they cause cancer in humans or animals (duh).
Ah, vitamins. We all seem to be convinced that we need to be popping a vitamin supplement every day just to stay healthy and that because we do this, we don't need to worry about the rest of our diet. Wrong! We still need to pay attention to what we're eating and do our best to eat healthy foods because while those Flinstone vitamins are delicious and nutritious, nothin' beats the real thing. Taking vitamins is fine if you're, say, pregnant or under the age of 10 but us adults need to be incorporating health into our meals. However if there is something physically wrong with you a doctor could prescribe something called a megadose which is a high dose of a particular vitamin or mineral. As with anything a doctor prescribes, this can be harmful if not given/taken properly. I think though, as a whole, we rely too much on vitamins and dietary supplements in the form of a pill instead of just buying something healthy at the store.
It seems like I see the word "herbal" an awful lot today. Everything seems to have some type of herb added to it. There isn't a lot of scientific data about herbal products, as the book states. It also seems like if you choose an herbalist over a doctor, you should really do your research because it takes someone trained, and trained well, to really know their herbs and know what they are doing.
This chapter also talks about complementary and alternative medicines (CAM). This can include massages, breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, or prayer. I agree with all of these because I feel like if we begin the feel better in our minds, we start to (sometimes) feel better throughout the rest of our bodies. I'm a believer in the power of prayer
The wording on food labels is tricky sometimes. Companies find ways around FDA standards by tweaking the words they put on their packaging. It's pretty ridiculous how many faulty claims are out there on the shelves of your local supermarket. Pay attention, don't fall prey to advertising slogans or gimics. We really need to pay attention to those labels, people!
"The longer I live, the less confidence I have in drugs and the greater is my confidence in the regulation and administration of diet and regimen." ~John Redman Coxe
No comments:
Post a Comment