Whole Foods Diet: Beyond Vitamins

[Guest guest]

Whole Foods Diet: Beyond Vitamins

A general health recommendation espoused by doctors and other

healthcare practitioners is to take a daily multivitamin. The idea is

that a daily supplement is insurance for the nutrients that we aren't

getting from our diet. The vitamin makers make the point that food

today isn't nutrient-rich because of soil depletion. What fills our

grocery bags today are oversized fruits and vegetables that lack real

nutrition. The industrial smokestacks spewing free radical producing

contaminants, the argument continues, make it even more essential to

add antioxidants into our bodies. These are all good points. A bigger

question, however, is whether taking vitamins give us a false

assurance that we are covering our bases. Do vitamins foster poor

food choices and sway us from eating a whole foods diet?

It seems plausible that we can create something whole by assembling

all of the parts. When human beings are fed a diet comprised of all

of the known nutrients necessary for health – not as food, but as

isolated nutrients – they fare poorly. While it's not commonly

discussed, the truth is that we lack many of the answers. Food is

extremely complex and researchers readily acknowledge that there are

countless antioxidants and other phytochemicals that have not yet

been identified. What role these chemicals play by themselves or with

other nutrients is just now being uncovered.

A USDA laboratory experiment found that ½ cup of cooked kale

neutralized the same number of free radicals as a supplement

containing 800 IU of vitamin E and 500 milligrams of vitamin C

despite having only 10 IU of vitamin E and 60 milligrams of vitamin

C. While the experiment was conducted in a test tube, the findings

revealed that there are more pieces to the puzzle. Are there other

antioxidants in kale that neutralize free radicals? Is there a

synergistic effect of vitamin E, vitamin C with other nutrients found

in the kale? Is there a difference in the potency of vitamin E and

vitamin C when consumed intact in foods?

A typical loaf of bread at a supermarket contains white flour instead

of 100% whole-wheat flour. In 1942, Congress past the Enrichment Act

requiring processors to replace some of the nutrients lost in the

milling process. Twenty-three different nutrients are lost with the

removal of the wheat germ and wheat bran. White flour today is

typically enriched with only five nutrients: thiamin, riboflavin,

niacin, folic acid, and iron. While the enrichment process is

beneficial, there remains a huge disparity between what is lost and

what is replaced. Imagine being robbed at gunpoint and told to remove

all of your clothes. If the robber returned your shoes, would you

feel enriched?

Both the Nurses Health Study and Seventh Day Adventist Study found

that the regular consumption of nuts (and nut butters like almond

butter) significantly reduced the risk of developing cardiovascular

disease. Nutritionally this relationship makes sense because nuts

contain an array of heart-healthy nutrients, including folate,

magnesium, manganese, copper, and zinc. Interestingly most of these

nutrients are also found in dark green leafy vegetables, legumes, and

whole grains, but most Americans shy away from these staple whole

foods.

Can a daily vitamin make amends for the nutrients lost from our

breads, cereals, and pastas? Can it replace the nutrients from other

whole foods, like beans and greens, which we're not eating? There

is a growing body of evidence supporting the relationship between

nutrients in foods and reduced disease risk. Don't be lulled by the

vitamin makers into complacency. Strive to eat a whole foods diet

that includes dark green leafy vegetables on a daily basis.

– Greg Hottinger, MPH, RD

http://www.bestnaturalfoods.com/beyond_vitamins.html

[Guest guest]

http://www.foodproductdesign.com/articles/0799cs.html

About phytonutrients.

Pugh wrote:

Whole Foods Diet: Beyond Vitamins

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