Thursday, March 29, 2012

Brain and bone cells are dying- send fat !

We live in an age of information. Within minutes of an event, we hear about it. If anyone , anywhere experiences something that someone might perceive as an injustice on some level, minutes later someone will raise a grassroots awareness campaign that allows people to know about the thing- but does absolutely noting to remedy the situation or help the victim. And then there is health information. Like much of the "scare stories" out there, they are based on someone's observation of something , and almost always that someone missed or failed to notice a large part of the facts and acted on the small part they observed only.

Back in the 1940's, there was a young scientist who collected data and observed that (mice running into a door and) eating high fat diets were dying early. Therefore, fat ( not the door) was evil and should be removed from the diet.( not literally, but his findings were based on such observational information). Thus began the low fat insanity. Doors however were completely innocent. This observational study then led to the concept that dietary cholesterol was also evil, sugar was good because it is fat free, Statins as a wonder drug and a lot of other nonsense. By 1980, with the full inclusion of Ansel Keys bad observations, heart disease took a sharp upswing, aerobics was in fashion( calories in , calories out /cardio is necessary myth), diabetes was on the upswing , ADD/ADHD rates exploded and suddenly a lot of Autistic children were entering the world. Coincidence ?

NOT in the least. The human body requires fat for the absorption of several fat soluble vitamins amongst other things. If you eat a low fat diet and eat foods high in these vitamins or take supplements, you are not nourishing your body. You are creating super urine and nothing else.What are the fat soluble vitamins you ask ? Vitamins A,D,E and K. Vitamin D has been talked about a lot these days. Years back it was known to be nesisary for bone development and health, but recent research has shown it to be important in the prevention of colon diseases including cancer,autoimmune diseases like Arthritis, Fybro and Diabetes ( yes, diabetes is an autoimmune disease) and hypertension. You need FAT to be able to absorb this nutrient. Vitamin K is produced in the intestines with proper bacteria ( eat Splenda and other artificial sweeteners including Stevia  and you will destroy this one) that is important in the function of blood clotting. It enters into the bloodstream with FAT.( notice a trend here ??) Vitamin A  aids in reproduction and the transmission of DNA ,helps your eyes and mouth to stay moist,allows  your eyes adjust to sunlight and more ( skip the fat boys and we can make a killing on Transitions lenses and Restasis drops !!!) Once again , your body needs FAT to absorb this nutrient.

Traditional cooking methods and those "grandma cooking" type recipes often included fat with those foodstuffs that were high in the fat solubles.Broccoli with cheese, Greens and Fatback, wilted spinach with bacon fat dressing and so forth. Not because Grandma had some secret key to the nutrition kingdom, but she understood and respected the most powerful key we have. Taste! Fat simply tastes good. We, as humans, were given taste buds and appetite for a reason- it naturally leads us to those things our body needs. Not a modern taste bud that has been so assaulted with  chemicals passed off for food for so long that it no longer knows what an actual carrot is, but one that eats actual food. When we kick the chemicals out of our diets , our tastebuds and appetites return to a normal state and we begin craving real food.

Here is one dish that features two foods high in vitamin A. Combined they make for 100% of your rda vitamin A and the fat used helps your body to actually absorb it.

Conchiglie con Spinach Pommedoro

1 lb medium Conchiglie ( shells)
salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter( no substitute)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion - minced
1 clove garlic - minced
2 cups fresh spinach
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes - halved

 Place a large pot of generously salted water on to boil. While boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente. Drain.  Into a medium saute pan add butter or oil. Cook over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened. Add spinach and tomatoes and cook just until spinach has wilted. Season with salt and pepper
Add drained pasta to saute pan. Toss to combine.

2 comments:

Jeremy Logsdon said...

Tastebuds... That is very interesting, and this simple observation makes me realize that I should really, really give up chemical-laden food. I've cut way back, but I'm afraid it's still in my diet in some quantities.

Di said...

The more I learn,m the more convinced I have become that the root cause of obesity is chemically altered foods. It is mainly done for brand recognition ( every box/can/package of any brand name tastes like every other of that brand name you have ever purchased or will purchase), but also to fit in with whatever the current health trend is. To learn just how far this pulls our bodies and appetites out of whack, buy some fresh strawberries for a couple of weeks , grown in different places. No two batches will taste the same because food flavor ( and nutrient quality somewhat) will vary from place, soil conditions, weather conditions and so forth . Now buy 3 packs or anything with strawberries in it and observe how each has the exact same strawberry taste. Does this come from nature or chemicals ? Not only does it alter the flavor, but in the process it alters our bodies capacity to absorb the nutrients ( and crave more). It's pretty shocking when you think about it.Real food nourishes and satisfies- lab creations do not.