JEDDAH, 6 June 2007 - IF you think you are wasting money over fresh, organic, whole foods, then you are mistaken. Let me explain to you why. Fresh, whole, locally grown, and nutrient-dense produce are definitely superior to commercialized, refined, mass-produced, preserved, and processed foods. Nutritional studies have substantiated these findings by the superior results found from traditional nutrition consumption.
Food is of higher quality when it is fresh, naturally, organically, and locally grown and raised, meaning real whole foods. While such foods empower our nutrition, body, brain, and health, low-grade foods, which are refined, processed, pre-stacked, genetically-engineered, sprayed, and additive laden, are not only nutrient empty but also harmful to health on the cellular level. Let us see what degrades food and why we should void such procedures.
Fats in their natural form are healthy and essential to organs, brain, central nervous and hormonal systems, cell structure, and metabolism. The body cannot function properly without them. Cold-pressed oil like virgin olive oil and walnut and flaxseed oils are excellent additions to salad dressings, vegetables, and dips. Unrefined organic sunflower, corn, sesame, coconut, peanut, and olive oils are good for cooking and stews. When the body is denied healthy fats through slimming diets, it resists weight loss. Omega-3 fatty acids (walnut, flaxseed) invigorate the metabolism and fuel it. Deficiency in omega-3-and-6 fats produces undesirable effects: irritability, fatigue, dry skin, brittle hair, redness around eyes, digestive problems, weight stagnation, and moodiness.
On the other hand, inferior-quality fat like hydrogenated oils, (palm, cotton seed), margarine, synthetic oils (olestra), and commercial oils, found in packaged, junk, and pre-prepared foods, baked goods, and snacks, are damaging on the cellular level. Fats employed in such foods are extracted at high temperatures, becoming harmful trans fats. Unless you are diabetic or a heart patient, trans-fats and saturated animal fats are innocuous in small amounts or once in a while. So watch out for them.
Pure sugar is an anti-nutrient that offers nothing but sweetness. When whole foods are refined they are stripped of their nutritional value; they lose quality. Sweeteners, whether they are fructose, maltose, sucrose, lactose, glucose, dextrose, or corn syrup, are still harmful to health due to their high glycemic index (GI), which elevates blood sugar and insulin. Sugar in soft, soda, and canned drinks, candies, biscuits, chocolates, snacks, smoothies, milk shakes, bakery items, and ice-cream wrecks havoc in the body, leading to diabetes, hypertension, sugar dependence and weight gain. Organic fruits, berry and vegetable juices, infusions of hot or iced herbal teas, and plain fresh water are healthy substitutes for sweet drinks.
White flour, used in commercial pastas, breads, pizzas, cakes, doughnuts, cookies, processed cereals, and pretzels, is void of nutrients. It is more health-damaging than you can imagine. Its high GI effect contributes to diabetes, heart disease, excess body fat, and health decline. Use whole wheat flour instead. Have organic whole grains like brown and wild rice, quinoa, barley, oats, corn, lentils, beans, and chick peas (soak legumes overnight) rather than white instant rice, processed cereals, and refined grains.
Buy deep-colored organic vegetables (cabbage family, squash, yam, root vegetables, leafy greens) and fruits (berries, citrus fruits, grapes, apples, papaya); they are high in vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and carbohydrates. Eat fruits whole, with skin (wash thoroughly) and vegetables raw or slightly cooked for more enzymatic benefits and flavor. Pesticide-sprayed produce contains toxins like xenoestrogens that mimic estrogens in the body, disrupting the hormonal system and causing hormone-related cancer.
Some health experts question the benefits of cow milk and dairy products, but they recommend goat, sheep, and camel milks for their digestibility, low sugar and fat and high proteins and calcium. Commercial dairy is of inferior quality due to growth hormone and antibiotics given to cattle who also feed on pesticide-sprayed feedstock. Non-organic, commercial dairy can cause allergies, upset hormones, and make antibiotic resistance. If you are a dairy lover, look for organic milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter or goat, sheep, or camel (in Watania stores) milk, cheese, and yogurt, which are not mass-produced. They are of superior quality. Some health conscious people replace cow's milk and cheese with organic soy milk, cheese, and yogurt or rice and almond milk, yogurt, and ice cream.
Quality meat is important. Processed, fast-food, or commercial meats, and meat in pre-prepared meals are of helth-damaging. Such meat is neither free-range nor hormone-and-antibiotic-free; cattle are fed animal-based and pesticide-sprayed feedstock, resulting in meat and chicken harmful to both body and brain (mad cow disease). Hormones and pesticides are xenoestrogens that disrupt hormonal functions, causing prostatitis, hormone-related cancer, allergies, and facial hair in women. So insist on high-grade, free-range meat.
Research indicates that artificial sweeteners (aspartame, saccharine) signal to the brain the presence of genuine sugar, making the pancreas secrete insulin to break it down. With no sugar around, the released insulin instructs the body to store fat. Recent studies indicate that aspartame is toxic to the nervous system, triggering autoimmune diseases and multiple sclerosis. Moreover, no study substantiates that artificial sweeteners control weight or insulin elevation; they may even increase appetite.
The importance here is improving health quality through quality food, which offers more nutrients to counteract free radicals and toxins. Through consumer awareness, you are able to eliminate foods containing harmful substances. Read labels and make investigations. Stick to a health conscious diet most of the time. You are allowed to cheat once in a while! Organically-grown-and-raised foods are of higher nutritional value. They cost more, but they save your health and expenses in the long run as well as suffering. Become a smart and savvy consumer to remain healthy and disease-free!!!
- Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected]. Log on to arabnews.com for previous articles.
