Summary of Nutrition Class from May 12th 2015
- How real are wheat and gluten intolerances?
There is a type of autoimmune disease (a disease in which the antibodies within us attack our own cells) called coeliac disease. The autoimmune response in this disease occurs when a protein called gluten (common in wheat and rye) is consumed.
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/about-coeliac-disease-and-dermatitis-herpetiformis/
Gluten sensitivity is not the same as coeliac disease - there is no autoimmune response. There is a lot of research being carried out on it as researchers are not sure if it is actually gluten that causes this symptom or something else in wheat.
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/about-coeliac-disease-and-dermatitis-herpetiformis/gluten-sensitivity/
- Is there a link between wheat and Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Some foods seem to trigger IBS in certain people already diagnosed with IBS. Wheat is one of them, Rye, barley, dairy products, caffeine and onions are others.
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/irritable-bowel-syndrome-leaflet
- Are low fat foods bad for you?
Possibly. A healthy diet does not avoid fats - it has the right type of fats in it.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats-full-story/
- 'As well as altering the oils used for producing low-fat foods, manufacturers also found they had to increase the amount of sugar in their products so we continued to enjoy their taste and texture. All of this meant that the typical low-fat product tended to be high in carbs, might contain trans-fats and at the end of the day had a very similar calorie count to the original product. In fact when we eat foods high in carbs especially white refined ones, our bodies digest them more quickly. This can lead to blood sugar swings and cravings making it more difficult to control our overall calorie intake - which means that second or third 'low fat' biscuit starts to look very tempting! A diet too high in these refined carbs and sugars can be as unhealthy as a high-fat diet because it increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and causes high cholesterol levels.'
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/truth-about-low-fat-foods
- Are there any foods which improve sleep quality?
Melatonin is excellent for helping with sleep: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23691095 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15649737
Bananas, cherries and walnuts have the highest levels of melatonin. The amino acid tryptophan is the precursor to forming melatonin in the body and so foods high in tryptophan should help you sleep.
Also serotonin helps you relax and feel more restful. Unsaturated fats in walnuts, almonds and so forth improve serotonin levels.
Herbal teas such as chamomile help relax you too.
http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/06/5-foods-that-help-you-sleep/
- What are the health benefits of beetroot?
Beetroot may help to reduce blood pressure: http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/superfoods/pages/is-beetroot-a-superfood.aspx
- The benefits of the rainbow diet - eating as much variety of fruit and vegetables as you can:
There is a type of autoimmune disease (a disease in which the antibodies within us attack our own cells) called coeliac disease. The autoimmune response in this disease occurs when a protein called gluten (common in wheat and rye) is consumed.
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/about-coeliac-disease-and-dermatitis-herpetiformis/
Gluten sensitivity is not the same as coeliac disease - there is no autoimmune response. There is a lot of research being carried out on it as researchers are not sure if it is actually gluten that causes this symptom or something else in wheat.
https://www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/about-coeliac-disease-and-dermatitis-herpetiformis/gluten-sensitivity/
- Is there a link between wheat and Irritable Bowel Syndrome?
Some foods seem to trigger IBS in certain people already diagnosed with IBS. Wheat is one of them, Rye, barley, dairy products, caffeine and onions are others.
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/irritable-bowel-syndrome-leaflet
- Are low fat foods bad for you?
Possibly. A healthy diet does not avoid fats - it has the right type of fats in it.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/fats-full-story/
- 'As well as altering the oils used for producing low-fat foods, manufacturers also found they had to increase the amount of sugar in their products so we continued to enjoy their taste and texture. All of this meant that the typical low-fat product tended to be high in carbs, might contain trans-fats and at the end of the day had a very similar calorie count to the original product. In fact when we eat foods high in carbs especially white refined ones, our bodies digest them more quickly. This can lead to blood sugar swings and cravings making it more difficult to control our overall calorie intake - which means that second or third 'low fat' biscuit starts to look very tempting! A diet too high in these refined carbs and sugars can be as unhealthy as a high-fat diet because it increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease and causes high cholesterol levels.'
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/truth-about-low-fat-foods
- Are there any foods which improve sleep quality?
Melatonin is excellent for helping with sleep: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23691095 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15649737
Bananas, cherries and walnuts have the highest levels of melatonin. The amino acid tryptophan is the precursor to forming melatonin in the body and so foods high in tryptophan should help you sleep.
Also serotonin helps you relax and feel more restful. Unsaturated fats in walnuts, almonds and so forth improve serotonin levels.
Herbal teas such as chamomile help relax you too.
http://health.clevelandclinic.org/2014/06/5-foods-that-help-you-sleep/
- What are the health benefits of beetroot?
Beetroot may help to reduce blood pressure: http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/superfoods/pages/is-beetroot-a-superfood.aspx
- The benefits of the rainbow diet - eating as much variety of fruit and vegetables as you can:
'There is one remarkable scientific fact that sets Okinawans apart from the rest of us, they actually age more slowly than almost anyone else on earth.
"The calendar may say they're 70 but their body says they're 50," says Bradley Willcox, a scientist researching the extraordinary phenomenon. "The most impressive part of it is that a good lot of them are healthy until the very end."
Finding the cause of their exceptional longevity is not simple but the spotlight has fallen on one hormone - DHEA. It's a precursor of both oestrogen and testosterone and produced in the adrenal glands.
While scientists don't know what it does, they do know the hormone decreases with age and levels decline at a much slower rate among the Okinawans.
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Explanations for this mostly centre around the dinner table. The Okinawans not only eat more tofu and soya products than any other population in the world, their diet also includes a vast range of different vegetables and fruit all rich in anti-oxidants. Scientists refer to it as a rainbow diet.
But it's what they don't eat that may be at the heart of their exceptionally long lives.
The Okinawan's most significant cultural tradition is known as hara hachi bu, which translated means eat until you're only 80% full.'
- Is nori a good vegan source of vitamin B12?
Yes it is: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4042564/ and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11430774
However try to make sure it is organic and has come from a clean source such as the Atlantic sea.
- Is spirulina good or bad?
There is some research that shows that it may have health benefits, however 'Spirulina -- like any blue-green algae -- can be contaminated with toxic substances called microcystins. It can also absorb heavy metals from the water where it is grown. For these reasons, it is important to buy spirulina from a trusted brand.'
Spirulina contains more pseudovitamin B12 than vitamin B12 itself and so may well deplete levels of vitamin B12 in the human body.
True vitamin B12 seems to be more present in chlorella: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12656203 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25306351
- What are the health benefits of Nigella seeds (also known as black seeds)?
'The seeds/oil have antiinflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antimicrobial and antineoplastic activity'
' a scientific confirmation of gastric antisecretory and antiulcer property of Black Seed.' http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2702918/
' Black seed oil therefore proved to be an effective adjuvant for the treatment of allergic diseases.' http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14669258
Further reading on Nigella seeds: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3642442/
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