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Food smarts

Recommendations from Dr Valter Longo

  • Plenty of vegetables and legumes and a generous splash of olive oil
  • Key to longevity is to slow down the growth hormone receptor (GHR).
  • Proteins activate the GHR- which increases the level of insulin- which is linked to diabetes and cancer.
  • Proteins activate TOR-S6K- genes that accelerate aging.
  • Sugars activate PKA- another gene that accelerate aging.
  • Reducing calories, particularly from proteins and sugars- decrease the activites of the GHR- and indirectly- TOR-S6K and PKA.
  • Keep diet to 80% plant and 20% fish. Keep fish to wild salmon. Tuna has high levels of mercury- canned light tuna has less- but better stick to salmon, sardines and cod.
  • Eat just enough proteins- about 50 grams of protein a day. Get an estimate of protein levels here.
  • Eat good unsaturated fats

Recommendations from the pros

Dr Gott from Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet says

While many a low-carb diet guru would have you believe that all carbohyrates are created equal- and are equally to blame for making you fat- they are just plain wrong. Fresh fruits and vegetables- as well as whole grains- are full of the essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber that we need to have healthy bodies, protect ourselves against disease, and function properly. The problem arises when technology takes over the digestion process, removing all those valuable nutrients...

Simply put, the more refined a carb is, the fewer nutrients it contains because it has already been broken down, by the refining process, to its elemental form. Modern processing technology has manged to take once healthful whole grains and strip them of their very benefits. The whole grain, for instance, a veritable nutrition workhorse in its natural form, is steamed, pounded, and scraped to remove its outer fiber-full bran layer, its mineral-dense germ, and its vitamin- rich oil. Next it is pulverised by high speed steel rollers into a fine powder, then bleached to remove any possible likeness to its original form. This powdery white substance is then labeled 'all-purpose flour' and used to make almost all of the breads, cookies, crackers, cereals, and pastas you find on your supermarket shelves. Even those toasty brown 'wheat breads' are often made with white flour and then artifically colored to make them look 'healthy'.

After all that processing, flour retains its high calorie nature but little else. It is virtually devoid of fiber and the vitamins and minerals our bodies need to function properly and fend off disease. The calories in all-purpose flour are what nutritionists call 'empty calories'. They will fill you up and provide instance energy, but they won't nourish your body for the long haul.

The point of my No Flour, No Sugar Diet is to replace the empty calories of highly refined foots with the nutrient dense calories found in unprocessed foots. So when I say no flour- I mean no all-purpose flour, but also no whole wheat flour or any product with the word flour in its ingredient list.... All carbs are allowed on the diet except for those foods that contain flour. This means that you can still enjoy rice, potatoes, barley, oats, peas, corn, beans, vegetables and fruits.

Avoid food containing

  • flour of any kind- wheat, rice, and corn flours- examples- pizza, pasta, buttery cookies
  • refined or concentrated sugars- cane sugar, beet sugar, glocose, sucrose, high frutose corn syrup, maple syrup, honey- examples- cakes, ice-cream

Eat

  • whole grains and starchy vegetables- brown rice, potatoes, barley, oats, peas, corn, beans, vegetables and fruits.

Maintain a body-mass index of 18.5-24.

BMI = 703 * Weight in pounds / Height in inches squared .

Robert Davis, PhD in Coffee is good for You

Fish oil prevents heart disease...the key ingredients appear to be the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are found in most fish but especially oily ones such as salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines, and tuna.

Eggs are not bad for your heart...Eating up to six a week doesn't appear to be harmful for most healthy people. So how can this be if egg yolks are high in cholesterol and too much cholesterol is bad for us? Most of our cholesterol is made by the liver, which ramps up production when we eat saturated and trans fats. But cholesterol from food appears to have little impact on most people's cholesterol levels. Eggs are relatively low in saturated fat, and they contain unsaturated fats, which may be beneficial. Plus, they're a good source of protein and several vitamins and minerals. They can be a healthful and more filling alternative to high-calorie muffins, begals, and sugary cereals.

Nuts prevent heart attacks...Nuts lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. They also appear to decrease inflammation in arteries, which may contribute to heart attacks...So which nuts are best for you?... Walnuts, for example, are richest in ALA, an omega-3 fatty acid and peanuts contain resveratrol, a substance also found in red wine... All nuts are relatively high in unsaturated fats, which care thought to be good for the heart.

Trans fats (partially hydrogenated fats) are harmful...Like saturated fats, trans fats were found to raise LDL (bad) cholesterol, but they also lowered HDL (good) cholesterol. People who consume the most trans fats are more likely to develop heart disease. The increased risk appears to come from artificially created trans fats, not those that occur naturally in milk and meat. Scientists suspect that trans fats cause harm by not only affecting cholestrol levels but also raising blood fats called triglycerides, promoting inflammation in arteries, and adversely affecting the lining of blood vessels. Overall, the evidence suggests trans fats are more harmful than saturated fats, and it's more consistent. To avoid it, check ingredient labels and steer clear of anything containing partially hydrogenated oils.

Gene Stone in The Secrets of People Who Never Get Sick

According to Susan Roberts, professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University and author of The "I" Diet, her study of caloric reduction calls for a 25 percent cut in calories, but she believes it can be done in any way the dieter wishes as long as it feels comfortable- eating a full diet one day and then cutting calories the next, or eating a normal meal once a day with a reduced meal at other times...

Food groups- Macro nutrients

Proteins

  • Found in meat, nuts, and eggs- sources of amino acids.

Fats

  • Major source of stored energy in the body
  • Saturated fats
  • Unsaturated fats
    • Mono-unsaturated fats- oleic acid in olive oil
    • Poly-unsaturated fats- salmon and corn oil

Carbohydrates

  • Simple carbohydrates- simple sugars- monosaccharides (fructose, glucose) and dissachrides (lactose, sucrose) found in fruit juices, honey, candy or sodas.
  • This type of carbohydrate provides ready energy because your body has to do very little work to convert simple sugars to glucose. They are digested quickly and easily, sending a rush of glucose into your blood stream. When your body is flooded with glucose in this way, you experience a temporary sugar high caused by the spike in your blood sugar level. A short time later, as the glucose leaves your system, you experience a crash, which leaves you feeling fatigued and listless- and hungry again as your body craves more fuel.
  • Complex carbohydrates- whole grains- brown rice, wheat, oats, barley, quinoa and corn, legumes (beans), and vegetables are made up of much more complicated sugar molecules.
  • Your body needs to work much harder to break these complex sugars down and convert them to glucose. Because of the extra effort required to digest these foods, digestion takes place over an extended period of time- and the glucose your body gets from these foods is released into your blood stream at a slower, steadier pace.
  • Examples of good carbohydrates
  • Vegetables- all of them
  • Whole fruits- apples, bananas, strawberries
  • Whole grains- pure oats, quinoa, brown rice
  • Legumes- lentils, kidney beans, peas
  • Nuts- almondds, walnuts, hazel nuts, peanuts, macadamia nuts
  • Exceptions to simple carb rule are- milk products and fruits. Because milk products and fruits are relatively low in sugar and provide big doses of imortant vitamins and minerals- fruits also provide fiber- these foods can be enjoyed as a regular part of a healthful diet. Choose fresh fruits instead of fruit juices and low fat or non-fat milk products.

Difference between white rice and brown rice

White rice is what you get when you remove the husk, bran and germ from whole grain – or brown rice. When you lose the bran – you lose the fiber. When you lose the germ – you lose B vitamins and some fat. All that remains is the endosperm, making white rice essentially, nutritionally naked starch.

Consumers like white rice because it’s light and fluffy. Food manufacturers like it because without the fat it is less likely to go rancid and has a longer shelf life than whole grain rice does

What is wrong with starch?

Starches include grain products, such as bread, crackers, pasta, and rice. As with simple sugars, some complex carbohydrate foods are better choices than others. Refined grains, such as white flour and white rice, have been processed, which removes nutrients and fiber.

White rice is considered empty carbs since it loses its main sources of nutrients. ... A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of brown rice has fewer calories and carbs than white rice and twice as much fiber. In general, brown rice also has higher amounts of vitamins and minerals than white rice.

What are free radicals and antioxidants?

Free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and aging. Read here for more details on free radicals and antioxidants.