NUTRITIONAL MYTHS:
Just like many of you, I had numerous nicknames growing up. Some were positive ad cool…most were funny rips on my name and personality. With a last name like Jockers – you can just imagine what a group of kids could come up with. Among the many nicknames branded to me was one which dealt with my personal character…“Mr. Gullible.” Everybody and anybody could get a joke, a dollar, or a prank off on me. My friends would start telling the most ridiculous story and I’d be right with them believing every bit of it until they finally smacked me in the face at the end with a well-placed “not.”
What could I say; I grew up in a household that taught the importance of truth. I have always felt a deep pain when I’ve told a lie as if my heart was being pulled out of my chest. I figured it was the same for everyone...so I just naturally assumed people were telling me the truth. I always gave the benefit of the doubt and still do today. However, at 25 years young I have been around the block a few more times and I have a much better view of how to judge, research, and think for myself when I come across anything that has an affect on my life.
When it comes to healthy living…for a while I, like many of you, trusted the FDA and the large food companies to tell me what is healthy and what is not. Finally, I had an awakening that changed my life and showed me what is really taking place. Now, I have dedicated my life to providing you with the information and encouragement you need to have a similar transformation and truly step into the life of your dreams.
As many of you who are reading this probably know by now, we have all been lied to by the mass media for a good bit of time. Unfortunately, there are a lot of politics behind government mandates and food guide strategies. The food industry giants, such as the dairy farms, Kelloggs, General Mills, Nabisco, Nestle, etc. have a lot at stake when it comes to these national guidelines. Even in government matters (maybe I should say especially in government matters) money, power, and leverage talk a big game.
These large industry heads have the money, the power, and the comfy friends in the top spots. They fund much of the research that goes into forming new nutritional guidelines and amazingly the new nutritional mandates and propaganda always seem to be in their favor.
This is another reason why you can’t trust the government, a corporation, an insurance company or even a group of research scientists with your health and well-being. You must be informed and educated on all of these matters so that you can take the appropriate action in your personal life.
In this series, I am going to discuss the 7 biggest nutritional myths common to the mainstream model and how they are destroying our health and well-being and then finally what you can do to live outside of the mainstream model and into a new model of maximized living.
MYTH #1: CARBOHYDRATES SHOULD BE THE STAPLE OF OUR DIET
Most people are familiar with some of the negative affects of sugar on our body, but most still believe that starchy complex carbohydrates like grains, potatoes, etc. are very healthy and should make up the bulk of our meals. This is a common myth that makes up the cornerstone of the food guide pyramid, the low-fat, diabetic, heart disease, and many of the vegetarian diets.
On average, our blood stream needs about a teaspoon of sugar traveling through it at all times. This is a delicate balance that must be maintained at all times. Too much sugar will cause tissue destruction and toxification in our system. Our body has a very sensitive buffering system to monitor our blood sugar levels. When our blood sugar rises to high, the beta cells in our pancreas releases a hormone called insulin to put the sugar into the cells.
The cells of our body must also maintain a certain degree of osmolarity and thus can only handle so much sugar at a time. Once our immediate muscle and liver cells are filled…insulin begins to pack the fat cells in order to buffer the blood stream and store energy for the future.
An influx of sugar raises our blood sugar with a quick spike. This causes our pancreas to work hard in order to produce enough insulin to clear the blood stream. Our body was built to effectively perform this process on occasion. If we are faced with a continual onslaught of sugar levels on a daily basis…our cells, beginning with our muscles and organs begin to become less sensitive to insulin. Fat cells are the last to lose their sensitivity to insulin and thus they end up picking up the sugar traveling through our system. This causes an obvious unhealthy increase in body fat percentage. Overtime, this process forces the pancreas to produce excess insulin in order to do a simple task. If uncontrolled, this extreme stress on the pancreas will cause the beta cells to burn out…rendering them useless and disenabling our bodies from controlling blood sugar levels.
The reason our body begins to become insensitive to the insulin has to do with their own delicate osmolar balance. As glucose moves into the cell it is followed by water. With an abundance of glucose and water the cells begin to swell. In order to protect themselves from exploding…the cells begin to adapt to be less sensitive to the insulin. To better understand this…imagine I yelled in your face several times a day…before long you would start to adapt and become less sensitive to this…so I would have to yell louder and make my antics more dramatic to get your attention. Before long, I would run out of energy and burn out completely.
Although our society piles sugar into the body like no other…most people are at least somewhat aware that refined sugar is unhealthy and leads to weight gain and diabetes. However, most people are unaware that all carbohydrate other than fiber ultimately breaks down into the same end product (glucose) that sugar does. So our body must go through the same insulin producing process to clear the blood stream and save the body. The difference between the simple sugars found in processed food, candy, fruit, etc. and the complex starchy carbohydrates are the speed in which the glucose molecule is produced in the body.
Simple sugars break down immediately into glucose causing a rampant spike in blood sugar and insulin, whereas complex carbohydrates break down slower causing a gradual but more lasting rise in blood sugar. Because of this slower more sustained increase in blood sugar, nutritionists for years have been recommending diets high in these complex carbohydrates. Although it is better to have a slower rise in blood sugar and insulin levels, nevertheless, insulin levels are still increased causing the same chronic adaptations from on the cellular level. In addition, the latest science is showing a myriad of issues involved with chronically high blood sugar and insulin levels. These problems include:
1) Extra sugar in our blood stream begins to attach onto traveling protein molecules causing a reshaping of their structure – resulting in altered function. These molecules, named Advanced Glycolytic Enzymes (AGE’s), have a strong affinity for damaging tissues leading to increased wear-and tear and hastened biological aging as the name applies.
2) Sugar is the primary food source for bacteria, parasites, and various other pathogens. In addition, Insulin has an immunosuppressive function, (this is because its purpose is to funnel energy towards cellular uptake, thus other functions such as immune regulation are compromised) leading to increased vulnerability for sickness and disease.
3) Insulin in the blood stream has a powerful inhibitory affect on our ability to burn fat. Thus, as long as we have insulin flowing through our blood stream…we are not burning our peak levels of fat.
4) Insulin is the regulator to the critical enzyme associated with arachadonic acid formation. Arachadonic acid is a cellular prostaglandin associated with inflammatory properties. In response to the inflammation, our body naturally produces more cholesterol, to which insulin is also responsible.
So it can be denoted that by controlling our blood sugar and insulin levels through good nutrition and exercise we will become more efficient fat burners, helping us to decrease the extra pounds, reduce inflammation, cholesterol, and tissue damage associated with biological aging. In addition, we will have a stronger more vibrant immune system making us less susceptible to infection, sickness, and disease. Sound good enough to skip the bread at your next meal?
MYTH #2: FAT MAKES YOU FAT
We live in a society that is scared to death of fat and fat based products. It amazes me how everybody no matter how little they know about health and nutrition…seems to be absolutely convinced they need to avoid fat. This fat phobia is partially to blame for the onslaught of degenerative disease.
Your body depends on fat for nearly every major function in the body. The 3 major systems of the body: the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems are all heavily dependent on a proper fatty acid ratio. There are several critical things that you must know about fats. First, they are essential to cellular integrity as it forms the phospholipids bilayer on the cell membrane. Without a strong, stable, but fluid lipid membrane you become less responsive to the chemical signaling that maintains the coordination of the body as a whole. In addition, your cells lack a strong military front making them vulnerable to bacterial, viral, or parasitic invasion and destruction. Finally, fat is the prime building block behind man of the hormones we produce.
Due to diet and lifestyle, most people in our society suffer from a poor fatty acid ratio. This has created a physiological mess in our bodies:
Less responsive to the hormone Insulin – over time = Diabetes
Less responsive to brain neurotransmitters like Serotonin & Dopamine = depression, mood swings, fibromyalgia, chronic pain & fatigue, movement disorders (Parkinson’s), etc.
Decreased or imbalanced sex hormone production = menstrual cramps, post-menapausal issues, osteoporosis, etc.
Decreased cellular immunity = infection, auto-immunity, cancer.
As you can see…everything in our body depends on a proper fatty-acid ratio.
FAT AS OUR PRIMARY ENERGY SOURCE:
One more commonly misunderstood aspect about nutrition is that fat, not carbohydrate, is our best source of energy. With fat we can create 9kcal’s of energy as opposed to 4kcals for protein or carbohydrate. This makes fat the most efficient fuel source while we are living, breathing, and working at a low intensity.
As we switch our normal eating habits from a mixed or low fat diet to a high healthy fat, moderate protein, low carbohydrate lifestyle our body takes on some natural adaptations. First, as our body becomes more accustomed to use fat as its primary energy source we naturally adapt and become a more efficient fat burner. In addition, since our carbohydrate levels are low, insulin is low. Remember, insulin inhibits our ability to burn fat…so if your insulin levels are low, that switch is no longer on and we are free to burn fat. So the body adapts and at rest, we are now burning a greater percentage of fat than someone who is on a mixed diet. Second, because our body naturally stores toxins in the fat cells…we are able to free those and work them through our system and out of our bodies. This advantage allows us to produce energy and utilize nutrients in a much more efficient manner.
GOOD FAT VS. BAD FAT
Our society has convinced us that saturated fat is the devil and that polyunsaturated fats are much better for us. There is a partial truth to this…but for the most part you can throw it out as another big, fat, ugly lie.
First off, both saturated and unsaturated fats are naturally produced and found in abundance in our local environments. Our bodies depend on both saturated and polyunsaturated fats to create the necessary combination of stability and fluidity in the cell membrane layer. In addition, hormone and energy production are dependent on our consumption of both. So these naturally produced fats are meant to be consumed on a regular basis.
I’m sure by now most everybody in this culture has heard of trans-fats and their harmful affects on our body. These fats are produced when we put unsaturated fats under extreme heat in order to give products a longer shelf life. Thus, they are a food manufacturers dream as they increase profits by keeping products longer and reducing the necessary expense of food spoilage. Unfortunately, they are loaded with toxic byproducts that contaminate our bodies. The basic principle here is that trans-fats are not found anywhere in nature, they are entirely man-made. Therefore, as all man-made food, they are poison. On a cellular level, the trans-fats accumulate on the cell membrane layer creating rigidity and inhibiting the necessary flexibility needed for the cellular communication process. In addition, the free radical byproducts they carry and produce cause serious tissue damage and inflammation in the body.
Nutritional Rule: If you want to live in pain, develop sickness, disease, and die an early death…by all means eat Trans-fats! Isn’t this what everybody else seems to be doing – with the same disastrous results? If you want to live a powerful and productive life – avoid trans-fat like the plague!
Today, many foods are being marketed as having 0 GRAMS OF TRANS-FAT…however they still contain small amounts of trans-fat. This is a legal loophole to trick you the consumer. You have to read the labels…if something has hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils it has trans-fat making it a highly potent poison to the body.
ESSENTIAL FATS:
An essential fat is a certain fatty acid structure that our body depends upon for survival and cannot produce on its own. There are two types of essential fats…omega 3 fatty acids and omega 6 fatty acids. Both must be consumed in a proportional ratio to each other. Our early ancestors who survived mostly on wild game, fish, vegetables, and occasional fruits, had somewhere around a 1:1 – 1:4 ratio of omega 3 to 6. This ratio has much to do with mankind’s continual development from cave man to business man.
Today’s society is completely different. Technology has allowed us to produce vegetable oils in abundance. Switching over from the saturated animal fats to these new, now inexpensive vegetable oils was once heralded as a triumph over heart disease. However, we know today that this has been anything but the truth. Many of these vegetable oils are coming from plants that we were not meant to eat in abundance. In order to make 1 ounce of corn oil we need to amounts of corn. This is much different than the natural born olives, avocados, coconuts, as well as other nuts and seeds that have a natural proportion of fatty acids and were meant to be consumed for our primary fat sources.
The commonly used vegetable oils such as corn, soy, safflower, cottonseed, canola, sesame, grape seed, and peanut are some of the most toxic things you can put in your body. First off, they are the most heavily processed, pesticide ridden and genetically modified crops in the world. This automatically puts them into the food by man list – a surprise, huh. Second, they are very disproportionate in their essential fat ratio’s. For example, corn oil has a 58:1 ratio of omega 6:3. Some of the others are even worse. So even if you were to buy these oils organically they are still toxic due to their disproportionate fatty acid ratios.
Because these toxic fats are cheap to make…in fact, our trusty government actually subsidizes farmers to produce corn and soy, they are used everywhere. So in our society today, we have an omega 6 epidemic. Omega 6 is the precursor to arachadonic acid which is a cellular prostaglandin associated with inflammation. This is a prime factor behind the heavy inflammation that is associated with nearly every degenerative disease known to man. As well, the poor fatty acid ratio affects our hormone production, our cellular integrity, and immune function.
The counter to these omega 6 fatty acids are the omega 3 fatty acids, which are the precursors to ALA, EPA, & DHA which function to counter the affects of omega 6 and reduce inflammation, as well as a variety of other essential functions. Due to these opposing functions of omega 6 and 3, it is necessary that we consume them in the proper proportion.
MYTH #3 CHOLESTEROL IN OUR DIET CAUSES HEART DISEASE
Most people in our society are absolutely convinced that cholesterol and saturated fat are the mother of all evil when it comes to nutrition and good health. The drug companies have utilized and propogated this mis-information to their benefit. Statin drugs, such as Lipitor, Zocor, and Crestor among others are used to control cholesterol levels. These are among the biggest on the market in terms of sales and profits. Over 13 million Americans are currently taking them for heart disease related conditions. Meanwhile, the drug companies are working hard to make these statin drugs “healthy lifestyle” supplements by lowering the standard cholesterol levels to open the access for another 23 million prescriptions to be written. Some of the drug reps and scientists are actually making claims that virtually everyone should be on a cholesterol lowering drug throughout their life.
Can excess cholesterol cause problems in our body? Absolutely, but the over-generalization that ingested cholesterol is responsible for heart disease couldn’t be further from the truth!!
By now, most people who have ever picked up an article about health, regardless of the publication, or just tuned into the evening news have heard the term “good cholesterol,” and “bad cholesterol.” But nobody is asking the essential questions, namely;
Why would our body produce bad cholesterol?
Our liver is constantly making cholesterol to carry out a wide array of essential functions in our body. Cholesterol is a precursor to the steroid sex hormones like testosterone and progesterone. Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL’s), commonly referred to as “bad cholesterol,” and High Density Lipoproteins (HDL’s), the “good cholesterol” are composed of the same protein core with fatty acids surrounding them. The difference in structure between the two is that HDL’s have a greater % of weight coming from the protein core, while LDL’s contain more fat.
There is a specific reason for this structural makeup. LDL’s are produced by the liver in an effort to bring fat soluable vitamins and phospholipids to the individual cell membranes. In addition, the cholesterol molecule forms an essential aspect of the cell membrane formation. Cholesterol acts a sort of stabilizing glue in your cell membrane making it less deformable and permeable to water and invading organisms. Cell membranes are optimally made up of fluid polyunsaturated fats connected to a stabilizing pillar of saturated fat and/or cholesterol. This structure gives the membrane a flexible layer for protein receptors to imbed into and express their unique shapes while providing the strength and stability to maintain organization.
A strong membrane is vital to health at the cellular level. If the membrane is weakened and not effectively replaced it becomes susceptible to invading organisms like viruses and bacteria. In addition, a membrane with poor integrity becomes loses its ability to effectively host protein receptors making the cell less sensitive to hormone and neurotransmitter messages sent down from the chief executive officer (the brain and spinal cord).
Whenever we are subject to tissue damage our liver creates more cholesterol to repair the injured cells with a new and stronger cell membrane layer. The more inflammation we are subject too, the more tissue damage results, and thus the more cholesterol will circulate. This is the law of adaptation at work. The more unstable a certain structure becomes – our body adapts to increase tensile strength and security. Thus, we naturally are going to increase our LDL counts in order to combat the toxic inflammatory stresses with more fat soluble vitamins and increased stability at the membrane layer.
HDL is the cholesterol structure that brings the remaining cholesterol and fat byproducts back to the liver. In circumstances where there are an increase in inflammatory reactions throughout our body, we naturally use up more of the cholesterol products in the reparation process. Thus, if our body is subject to high levels of inflammation, our liver should appropriately respond to produce more LDL’s. Since all the cholesterol is needed at the membrane, there is less HDL in circulation.
The body is doing all it can to combat the inflammatory conditions and produce stronger, more stable tissues. In this effort, cholesterol is really the hero. High LDL’s and low HDL’s is a healthy response to an unhealthy underlying condition – heavy inflammation- in our body. Unfortunately, another bad side effect of inflammatory conditions is the oxidation of cholesterol molecules, deforming their structure and creating plaque buildup in the arterial endothelial walls. If this process goes on long enough, we will eventually develop atherosclerosis and heart disease.
The real question that must be addressed is: “What is causing the inflammation?”
As I explained earlier, the inflammatory conditions are being caused by numerous conditions. The most predominant nutritional factors include high sugar, trans-fat, and omega 6 fatty acid consumption. Eating in this manner leads to a toxic, acidic environment within our blood stream, elevated insulin levels, a disproportionate omega 3-6 ratio, a weakened cell membrane layer, and excessive tissue damaging free radical formation. Other factors that lead to excess inflammation include forward-head posture and chronic subluxations, smoking, a sedentary lifestyle, and excessive emotional stress.
Statin drugs come along and interfere with the liver enzymes involved in producing cholesterol causing a decrease in cholesterol while doing nothing to address the inflammation. These drugs treat a symptom, high cholesterol, and leave our bodies vulnerable to even worse tissue melt-down. That is why, although these drugs do lower cholesterol levels, they do not decrease your risk of heart disease. On top of this, they damage your liver and can severely increase your risk of liver failure.
When we address the cellular inflammation in our bodies, we will naturally reduce our cholesterol levels. Our body no longer needs high circulating cholesterol because there is less cellular damage taking place. Here, we address the cause of the problem- inflammation- and the body naturally rids itself of the symptom.
How should I regulate my consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol?
Cholesterol only comes into our body through animal products. Coconut, palm, and other tropical oils will not raise your cholesterol levels. Although these plants are loaded with saturated fats, they are highly beneficial medium chain saturated fats that our body immediately consumes for fuel. These fats, particularly mystic, lauric, and capric acids are highly beneficial to the body. They are known to strengthen the immune system against virus and fungus, lubricate the joints, protect the skin, and increase thyroid function and metabolic rate. Coconut products are absolute super-foods and should be a staple in everybody’s nutritional plan.
Cholesterol and long chain saturated fats (animal products) should be monitored but not restricted. Most people feel as if they must limit their red-meat intake, but animals in a similar manner as ourselves, have fat and cholesterol levels that are in relation to their health. Animals raised in natural, peaceful environments where they can graise on grass are much healthier than grain-fed animals who are stuck in a feed lot. Grass-fed meat and dairy products are more alkaline due to the alkaline diet the animal is eating and high in essential fats as well as healthy monounsaturated fats. This is the kind of food your body does well on. Meanwhile, grain-fed meat, particularly red-meat, is highly acidic and loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol, and a disproportionate omega 3-6 ratio (many more 6 than 3). Regular consumption of grain-fed meats will create an acidic environment in your body and cause inflammation, leading to a myriad of symptoms such as arthritic pain, weight gain, high cholesterol, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc.
MYTH #4: HIGH PROTEIN DIETS BURN FAT AND BUILD MUSCLE
There are many people out in society that believe that a high protein diet is the best way to build muscle and burn fat. Although you will burn some fat and build muscle by eating a high protein diet along with a good exercise program…it is not a healthy, sustainable method of living. In fact, it can be quite dangerous.
First, protein can be broken down into sugar just like carbohydrate can. Our body only utilizes the amount of protein it needs for cellular repair…no matter how much protein you eat. So if your body is dependent on 75 grams of protein for its normal repair today and you happen to take in 100 grams, your body will not use the extra 25 for repair, but instead it will convert the protein into glucose and either burn it for energy or store it as fat.
So the extra protein will be turned into glucose at some point which will raise blood sugar and increase insulin levels. In addition, if our body is deprived of carbohydrate and fat we will need to attain more glucose from our protein stores for energy. So our body adapts and upregulates the transaminase enzymes that turn protein into glucose. This is not such a problem during the day as long as we are eating enough protein. However, while we are sleeping our body must dig into its energy stores for fuel. If our body is used to a particular method of fuel delivery, which in this case is transaminating protein into glucose, than it will turn to that mode. On a high healthy fat diet, out body goes right to the fat stores. But if our body is a sugar burner (high carb or high protein diet) than we need to produce glucose, which cannot be done through fat. This means that while we sleep our body, instead of dipping into its fat stores, is actually pulling stored protein from our muscle and bone in order to provide the energy to stay alive.
So, over time a high protein diet can have the same catabolic affect as a high carbohydrate diet, resulting in heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, and the a list of the numerous other degenerative diseases.
In addition, proteins are large groups of nitrogen containing amino acids. When protein is broken down, these nitrogen atoms get sent off to the kidney to filter and produce urea which is then excreted in urine. In excess proportion, the abundance of nitrogen can add considerable stress to the kidney’s as they work to filter out the urea. If the kidneys are stressed it can lead to filtration issues, toxicity, high blood pressure, decreased pH regulation, and various other problems.
MYTH #5 ORGANIC IS NO BETTER THAN CONVENTIONAL
For years, many of the “nutritional experts” have said that the nutrient and health value of conventionally grown and raised fruit, vegetables, and meat is just as good as organic. Most of these nutritional experts, however, were only evaluating the macronutrient value for these foods. Their evaluations concluded correctly that conventional and organic products have roughly the same level of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
However, as our science has progressed, we have begun to realize just how essential it is to buy organic. Research shown that organic produce has around 20% more nutrient value in the form of vitamins and trace minerals essential to health and well-being, In addition, a new nutritional vocabulary has been introduced over the last 20 years with words such as phytonutrients, and classifications like bioflavinoids, polyphenols, etc. These tiny particles are structured differently than typical vitamins and minerals, and thus have their own classification, have a symbiotic relationship with the rest of the vegetable that exponentially magnifies its nutritional properties. Organic products have been shown to have a significantly greater proportion of these powerful molecules.
Even more important than what you are gaining from going organic is what you are avoiding. The abundance of pesticide, herbicide, fungicides, anti-biotic, and artificial hormone usage on mainstream farms is out of control. Recent reports have suggested that 15 or more chemicals are now sprayed on a typical crop during its harvest seasons. The Environmental Protection agency reported that 60% of all herbicides, 90% of all fungicides, and 30% of all insecticides are carcinogenic. This toxic residue implants itself in the crop and is very challenging to wash off. Once inside your body, it has devastating effects…leaving you vulnerable to a host of different disease processes.
Farm animals are being raised in inhumane conditions, jammed into tight quarters with barely any room to move. They are stuck in a pile of death, decay, and defamation with no way to get out. They are pumped full of hormones and cheap grain (they were never designed to eat)to increase their size for slaughter. Naturally, what happens to us when we are subject to chaotically stressful circumstances, we’re eating poorly, and unable to exercise and breath fresh air? Our immune system shuts down and we get sick.
So what is man’s solution? More artificial answers. Anti-biotics are delivered to these animals in record number to reduce infections that are primarily caused by the hazardous environment they are subject too. This overuse of anti-biotics is partially responsible for the morphology of new strains of anti-biotic resistant bacteria and pathogens. We are literally destroying our habitat with chemicals, mercilessly torturing our fellow creation, and altering the DNA pool of the earth. This is the result when we think more about today and our appetite for money, power, and control with little regard to the consequences of tomorrow.
“Some people think they are doing what is right, but in the end it leads to death.” Proverbs 14:12
You see, here is the dilemma, God made everything in perfect accordance, but than man comes in and tries to increase their production and profits by manipulating the earth with excessive planting, pesticides, herbicides, and in the case of animal products, antibiotics, and hormones in abundance. This has left us with food that should be healthy – however it is depleted of nutrients, and loaded with chemicals and other biotoxins.
By choosing natural, organic products, you not only reduce toxic consumption and provide a megadose of essential nutrients but you make the most important stand of your life. You are standing for what is right! You are standing for a system that works in harmony with nature and God’s intention…as opposed to a system that is bent on manipulating and destroying God’s creation for profit with no regard for the earth, it’s legacy, and it’s inhabitants. Choose organic, yeah it’s more expensive and harder to come by, but it’s the sacrifice that makes it worthwhile. Who ever said it was easy to stand for what is right? It certainly was not Christ or the disciples, not MLK, not Mother Teresa. In fact, every great movement that elevated man kind began with some extreme sacrifices by the originating pioneers. The least you can do is carry on their calling by taking notice and caring for nature with your voice and choice.
