Thursday, January 21, 2010

What I Thought I Knew About Food


I thought I ate moderately healthy.  I try to follow the food pyramid guidelines when preparing food for my family.  I try to buy minimally processed foods and try to stick with fresh fruits and veggies.

I recently heard a guest speaker who spoke on nutrition.  It turns out she had a lot to say. The guest speaker who I heard speak had an "ND" and a "MSN" on her business card.  It turns out that she was a Naturopathic Doctor, she had a Master of Science in Nursing, and was board certified in Integrative Medicine. Integrative medicine combines traditional medicine with more holistic approaches to medicine.  Practicitioners believe in treating the whole person and not just the disease.  The speaker had a lot to say and she had an audience of moms who were listening in rapt attention.


What I did know:
  •  Eat a variety of colorful veggies (red, green, yellow, and orange)
  • Avoid processed foods or buy minimally processed foods
  • Steer clear of GMO foods
  • Take a multivitamin
What I didn't know:
  • You crave foods you may be allergic to (Does this explain my constant craving for potato chips?)
  • To help determine if you have a food allergy, take your pulse before you eat and then after you eat (if it is 12 beats more per minute than before you ate then it is possible you have a food allergy)
  • Don't cook with olive oil due to free radicals when cooking above a certain temperature
  • The human body doesn't need milk after weaning
  • Don't eat pork because there are parasites that are still present even after it is cooked (Ick!)
  • Don't use microwaves because it changes the food at a molecular level
  • Eat fruit by itself
  • Don't eat after 4 o'clock
  • The "whites" such as flour, sugar, etc. can prevent nutrients from being absorbed by your body when eating
  • Only use real butter and coconut oil to cook food (I love butter so this sounds good to me!)
  • 50% of each meal should be veggies (including breakfast)
  • Do yoga-helps lymphatic circulation 
The woman who spoke had perfectly good reasons to back up these do's and don'ts.  I couldn't remember all of them.  Many of the moms in the room, including myself, had guilty and incredulous looks. 

In reality most of us could not follow these suggestions simply due to time restrictions, finding other more natural products, and the cost involved.  I know there are a lot of things my daughter does not eat (sometimes the list seems longer than the foods she will actually eat).  A lot of the things the speaker mentioned were also completely opposite of what we are told by the NSDA and traditional medicine.  It is hard to know what to believe when you are given such contradictory information.  Yet, it is food for thought.

In our family, moderation is still the name of the game.  

As one of the moms pointed out, she didn't mention chocolate or wine...they're okay...RIGHT?

What do you think?

15 comments:

Dalia (Generation X Mom) said...

Wow, you learn something new every day! I will have to test that food allergy thing.

Just started following your blog!

Unknown said...

How interesting! I found that I new a few of the things on the second list but some of them really surprised me. And there is NO WAY i could make it through the night without eating after 4 pm!!! Is she crazy?

Following you from the MBC! Come by my blog and follow along if you like what you read!

Unknown said...

I learned so much by reading through your list. I knew there was a reason I shouldn't give my son a snack at 4.

heather@actingbalanced.com said...

Visiting from SITS... our MOMS Club had a visit from a dietician too... and she told us to never feed our kids refined sugar, juice or milk... well - all well and good I suppose, but then reality sets in and we do what we need to do... I'm still a big fan of everything in moderation... but definitely food for thought..

Laura said...

It has taken us a year, but we have nearly eliminated all refined food (still have whole grain pasta...likely to stay), meat and some other unhealthy items from our diet. It was a steep learning curve, but once we got the hang of it we have found it easier AND cheaper than the way we used to eat. Not to mention, we are both in way better shape now (not that we were in bad shape before, but this certainly helped).

I had not heard the allergy thing before. I will definitely need to try that out.

Stopping by from SITS. Thanks for the great post!

Joy@TPMG said...

I know when she was done speaking, we were nodding our heads and thinking what have we been doing to ourselves. I know I could never not eat in the evening though. I would be awake all night with my stomach grumbling. It was definitely a reminder about moderation! Thanks for all the great comments.

Amanda said...

I completely agree with the information that you found out. A book that I would recommend is In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Good information. My family switched to a vegan lifestyle recently and I have found that it was easier and cheaper than I thought. Not only that but my health issues have disappeared. You can't always trust what the government tells you is healthy because of who is paying for their research. I suggest that we all do research and educate ourselves before we take the word of someone else. Good luck on transitioning!

Hello from SITS!

Anonymous said...

I read a lot of articles by people who have PhDs in nutrition . . . I have not heard of some of those items, and so I'm a bit doubtful. I agree with the previous poster - always keep reading, researching, and listen to your body.

Joy@TPMG said...

Your right Amanda and Local Cook. It is very important to read what is out there from all sides. Do what you feel is right. Remember what works for some may not work for all.

karen@fitnessjourney said...

Hi, visiting from SITS. This is so interesting. I've never heard many of these facts. I'm going to have to do a little research about the allergy thing. I'd like to know more. Thanks for sharing.

Susan said...

great blog! I love this post. I'm constantly craving milk and every time i get pregnant (and some time asfter) I become lactose intolerant! I have tons of food allergies too, so that was a cool fact!

I am now a follower! thanks for commenting :)

Joy@TPMG said...

When checking your pulse rate after eating, wait until about 30 minutes after you eat.

Sandie lee said...

Great list and I learned a lot. Thanks :)

Angie Christensen, RDN said...

I'm a registered dietitian and found your list interesting with some good points, but some are highly unrealistic for most of us. As a dietitian, my job is to look at where someone is currently with their eating habits, and then together set attainable, reasonable goals that work with their lifestyle. I NEVER use the word "never" because it simply sets people up to fail. If you feel guilty after listening to someone who's supposed to be motivating you to make positive changes, then they're not doing a very good job, regardless of how much they know.

Joy@TPMG said...

You made a good point Angie about setting goals that are reasonable for your lifestyle.

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