What "convenience" is doing to our food...

Okay, this is going to give you a little bit of a glance into the way my brain works (I know a few of you just got that shiver up your spine) - this blog really started a couple of weeks ago when I started doing an investigation into why brown rice is so much more expensive than white rice (the answer will be later in the blog), and then got altered when a good patient of mine decided to really change their diet and lifestyle...a lot of our conversations over the last month or so have brought a lot of this information to the surface, so I decided I'd try and share it...

...so it started with this:

"...umm, Caolan what were those things I had to look out for on the labels of my food again??"

...well, for starters - real food doesn't have labels - the tomatoes or bananas I pick up in the produce sections don't have a list of ingredients on the side...I'm pretty sure this is because a tomato is 100% tomato, and doesn't really need much explanation...

...but if, for convenience sake, you decide to buy something in a can - this site has a pretty comprehensive list of the additives that have been shown to be potentially harmful, and the side effects that may occur if they're consumed regularly...

...but let's get back to those canned goods:

...I hope you can all see the difference between these two...but what other differences exist?? What price do we pay for having the convenience of a can of "fresh" produce we can have sitting in our cupboards for months?? For me, the disturbing fact here is that a fresh tomato has a shelf life of about 5-7 days yet a can of tomatoes has a shelf life of 12-18 months...hmm, how is that possible?? We know that all food will naturally decay over time, so how have the tomatoes been altered so that they can last 52 to 78 times longer than normal??

...well, the most obvious answer is to first read the side of a can of tomatoes - you'll notice that it does not say 100% tomatoes, and that there are a few other ingredients in your can (one of which is sugar, and hopefully you've already read my blog on that one). Now, those ingredients will obviously be there to help preserve the quality, taste and colour of the tomatoes but I have to ask - what are they actually doing to the food?? To my mind, they're actually altering the food in a manner that normal bacteria will no longer break food down...if that sounds familiar to you, this might jog your memory:

...above exists the most well known example of how altering a food and removing many of the natural nutrients can extend the shelf life of a product...and extending a shelf life means that the company providing the "food" doesn't have to produce the food as often because the "food" now does not degrade as quickly as food normally should...

"...okay, I'm guessing Maccas is off my new diet list..."

...I'm guessing you'd be right, but I should probably explain why the fact that bacteria struggle to breakdown modified food is such a concern...actually, it's really easy: our digestion and absorption process in our body relies on favourable bacteria to breakdown and absorb nutrients in our gut...

...this also explains the white vs brown rice conundrum:

...brown rice requires less processing and less handling to be manufactured, so why is it often three to five times the price? Because brown rice spoils quickly, it is broken down by the bacteria in nature...therefore, it's shelf life is much shorter than white rice...so essentially, you (this includes me) are punished for selecting a food that is healthier and cheaper to produce (read smaller carbon footprint here too) because it's more expensive for the food manufacturers to store and ship it...hence, they make white rice so much cheaper because it's more convenient for them to store and ship...

...which brings me to the following point, if food is heavily modified the body's ability to absorb nutrients from it (those few that remain after the food has been modified) is severely reduced. Which means if you're consuming a diet high in processed (or modified) foods, you could actually be setting yourself up for vitamin and nutrient deficiencies in the future...

...my ideal situation would be that we would all cook from scratch again...that we would use foods from their natural states, and therefore, receive all the nutrients from them as nature has intended...I understand that people feel that cooking from scratch is time consuming, but short cutting our food is not the way to counteract that - try reducing your preparation time instead (this guy has some pretty good ideas on how to accomplish that)...

...and as always, if you want to know more - ask me: the.chiro@mail.com or now on Twitter: @caolanthechiro

What your cravings say about your diet...part two...

...and we're back again...and I want to start with a conversation I had with a patient the other day...they've walked into my treatment room and announce to me:

"...hey, so I had ice cream for dinner last night - is that okay??"

...now, my answer should have probably consisted of a sympathetic but firm diatribe about how that's not really suitable and what deficiencies this dinner choice shows up...instead I answered with "...you eat like a five year old..."

...now I just hope this particular patient is reading this blog...

...anyway, back to the text - the next food craving I'd like to talk about is that craving for oily/fatty foods...which reveals a dietary deficiency of calcium(important for muscular contraction, blood clotting, regulating heart function and the production of strong bones and teeth)...

...foods rich in calcium include: dairy products, legumes, broccoli, green leafy vegetables (include cabbage, spinach & brussel sprouts in this), sesame seeds, almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and sardines...

...and what about that craving for salty foods?? How many people go scrambling for some hot chips when the cravings hit?? Well, you're actually pretty close to the mark here - this is the classic sign of a chloride (essential for your acid/alkali balance in the body) defiency...and fish is one of the higher sources of chloride, others include: goats milk, cocoa powder, tomatoes, olives, seaweed and celery...

...and what if you're just a general overeater?? I've had people suggest that this is purely a psychological problem, but I believe there is definitely a dietary related component of this problem...

...the following nutrients seem to play a role in suppressing that overly ambitious appetite: silicon, tryptophan and tyrosine...I have covered foods rich in tryptophan in the previous blog (click here if you happened to miss it), so I will run through the foods rich in the other elements...

...foods rich in silicon (for the formation of strong hair, skin and nails) include: nuts, seeds, brown rice, oats, alfalfa, capsicum, beetroots, pumpkin, carrots & cucumber...

...which leaves tyrosine (an essential amino acid involved in the production of neurotransmitters, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine) to cover - foods rich in tyrosine include: fresh fruit and vegetables, almonds and avocadoes...

...and that brings us to the end of my explanation of what the most common food cravings mean - if I haven't covered something you would like to know about, feel free to email me at the.chiro@mail.com

What your cravings say about your diet...part one...

This blog is a really simple one for me today - we all have them, but what do those food cravings really mean??

"Caolan, is this another one of those blogs where you take all my fun away??"

...yes, maybe...but if bad food choices are the only fun you have then that's your issue, not mine...

...okay, let's start with the usual biggest offender for those bad cravings: chocolate!!

...a craving for chocolate usually indicates a defiency in magnesium (responsible for contraction and relaxation of muscles, and energy production within the body) - easy sources of magnesium include: nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, leafy green vegetables, almonds, sunflower seeds and brown rice...

...the next most common craving is the grab for the sweet, sugary foods...this craving is a little more complex, as it involves a defiency in five elements...

...firstly, chromium (which is crucial in the metabolism of fats within the body) is usually deficient - foods rich in chromium include broccoli, grape, chicken, wheat germ, mushrooms, meat, liver and shellfish...

...secondly, a shortage of carbon (the essential building block of human life) is usually associated with a craving for sugary sweet foods - foods rich in carbon include fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts and avocado...

...thirdly, a defiency in phosphorous (essential for the formation of bones and teeth, but also plays a role in the metabolisation of fat within the body) can also contribute to these cravings - foods with high levels of phosphorus include chicken, beef, fish, eggs (especially the yolk), milk and milk products, nuts and legumes...

...the fourth contributor to sugar cravings is a deficiency in sulphur (a critical part of building amino acids) - foods to consume to increase your levels of sulphur include cranberries, cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, radishes, turnips, onions, celery, beans, fish and eggs...

...and the final co-contributor to sweet cravings is a deficiency in tryptophan (an essential amino acid that the body cannot produce by itself that plays a major role in the production of melatonin and serotonin - it can be used to treat insomnia and depression, and can play a role in weight reduction) - foods rich in tryptophan include: turkey, chicken, tuna, venison, salmon, lamb, deep sea fish, raisins, spinach and sweet potato...

...the next big craving that needs to be addressed is that craving for bread, pasta and other carbohydrates...this craving is usually linked to a deficiency in nitrogen (important for growth and immune function), and the foods that you should be consuming are high protein foods like meat, fish, nuts, beans, dairy products and eggs...

...and there's where I will leave it for today - the next blog will deal with the cravings for oily and fatty foods, salty foods and that general desire to continuously over eat...until then, if you need or want more information, feel free to email me: the.chiro@mail.com