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  • Understanding Our Bodies: Serotonin, The Connection Between Food and Mood

    Understanding Our Bodies: Serotonin, The Connection Between Food and Mood

    Continuing the series on The Physiology of Nutrition, I present to you the connection between food and mood – serotonin. While it’s easy to see how what we eat has a direct impact on our waistlines, it seems a little foggier how our nutritional choices affect our brains. Even still, we all know intuitively how important food is to our emotions and our moods. After all, who hasn’t gotten angry or upset and wanted nothing other than a super-sizes sundae drizzled with chocolate sauce to calm down? We use food to affect our moods all the time without even thinking about it. But more importantly, our daily nutritional intake can have huge impacts on how we feel, and most of it is due to a little chemical called serotonin.

    What is Serotonin?

    Serotonin is a neurotransmitter which is highly common throughout nature.  How it works is incredibly simple. Neurons (nerve cell) communicate by specialized areas of their cells called synapses where they are very close together.  The first nerve cell dumps neurotransmitters into the space between, and the second nerve cell on the other side has receptors which recognize the transmitter and respond accordingly.  Below is a basic picture of the scene where this exchange occurs:

     

    How neurotransmitters help synapses fire (this is how your brain works!)

    At the same time, as soon as the transmitter is dumped in between the cells, special proteins which are responsible for taking the transmitter back into the neurons start pumping, so the time that the transmitter is in between the cells is short. As the receptors recognize the neurotransmitter, they send signals inside the second cell which pass the signal onward and do whatever other physiological response that particular transmitter dictates. Soon enough, the first cell has all its signal back inside it, and the two neurons are back to their resting state, ready to signal again when the time is right.

     

    A close-up of whats going on (serotonin is one of the white dots)

    What is serotonin’s job as a neurotransmitter? It regulates signal intensity. Think of it like a volume control on a stereo: serotonin changes how efficiently neurons communicate with each other, making other signals louder or softer. Most often, it accompanies other transmitters, changing a neuron’s response to that particular signal. Because of this, its used by all kinds of nerve cells all over the body, and serotonin levels can dramatically alter our behavior. Levels too high can lead to sedation, whereas low levels are associated with debilitating psychiatric conditions and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

    Serotonin, The Necklace – by Molecule Muse

    OK, if you pay enough attention to those annoying medical ads you probably have heard of serotonin. It’s one of the major mood neurotransmitters in our brains. When serotonin levels are low, we’re more depressed, and when they’re high, we’re happier. Many depression drugs target the serotonin system by attempting to artificially boost serotonin levels or sensitivity.  MAOIs prevent the breakdown of serotonin in the body in general, thus artificially raising levels. Zoloft and other SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) target the serotonin system by blocking the those pumps which bring the serotonin back in after a signal, causing signals to seem stronger and last longer. For that matter, recreational drugs often target serotonin as well. Mescaline, LSD and other psychedelics mimic serotonin and activate serotonin receptors in the brain. Ecstasy’s main component, MDMA, causes your brain’s neurons to release stored serotonin, causing the happy, euphoric state the drug is named for.

    Serotonin in the Gut

    But what you probably don’t know is that about 80 to 90 percent of the human body’s total serotonin is found in specialized cells in our guts, not in our brains. In fact, serotonin was tied to food long before it became an important mood hormone.  In many species, its directly tied to appetite – deplete serotonin, and they act like they are starving. They hunt for food, put off mating and egg laying, and generally do whatever they can to find another bite to eat.

    In many species, including us, serotonin is key in the functioning of gut muscles, causing contraction of our intestines. As it turns out, our digestive system has its own neural network and largely controls itself without any input from our brains whatsoever. In fact, if you were to cut the main nerve that connects the two, the gut would continue to function independently. In part, that is where serotonin comes in. It is key in the control our digestive muscles during digestion. Serotonin acts on gut nerves which signals pain, nausea and other gut problems.

     

    Stomach, up close

    For example, if you eat something that upsets some of your stomach cells, they release copious amounts of serotonin. This flood of neurotransmitter causes the gut to empty, leading to diarrhea. But if the serotonin overflows the gut’s management system, it leaks into the blood, where it stimulates 5HT3 receptors in the brain which induces vomiting. So depending on how bad the insult to your stomach, serotonin levels control how your body reacts. Because of this, some of those anti-depressants, particularly the SSRIs, frequently trigger nausea and vomiting as a side effect.

    Our gut uses so much more serotonin than our brains its amazing. In fact, so much serotonin enters our stomachs every day that if it were injected into the body in general it would be lethal. Luckily for us, there are certain gut cells which contain a lot of serotonin transporters which keep the serotonin in our stomachs and out of the rest of our bodies. (Watch the following video if you REALLY want to know the science behind serotonin in the gut):

    There’s even rising evidence that serotonin is important in our hunger signaling, particularly in feelings of fullness. Injecting low serotonin doses into the body has caused rats to eat less even though they’re hungry, an effect enhanced by those same MAOIs that increase serotonin levels. Overall, more and more research suggests that serotonin is somehow modulating food intake – but we’re not sure exactly how… yet.

    Serotonin and Nutrition

    Since it has so many diverse and important roles in the body, serotonin levels are key to health mentally and physically. Because its so common in all kinds of animals, serotonin can be found in a variety of foods. The highest concentrations are found in:

    • walnuts
    • plantains
    • pineapples
    • bananas
    • kiwis
    • plums
    • tomatoes

    These foods can boost serotonin levels in the gut, ensuring rapid communication between gut cells. But because serotonin in its complete form cannot pass through the blood-brain barrier, we have to do more than include serotonin-rich foods in our diets: we have to include its building blocks.

     

    In fact, our bodies naturally understand this, and cause us to crave foods rich in tryptophan, an amino acid key to serotonin production in our brains when serotonin levels are low. What foods are high in tryptophan, you might ask? Carbohydrates. All of a sudden those calorie-rich, carbohydrate-packed comfort foods make a whole lot of sense. It’s logical, then, that sad people tend to eat more junk food even when a more nutritious option is available. When we’re depressed or upset, we want higher levels of serotonin to feel better, and packing in as much tryptophan as possible is our body’s way of trying to cope. Studies have shown that ingesting carbohydrates boosts serotonin synthesis and levels. Particularly tryptophan-rich foods include:

    • turkey
    • bananas
    • milk
    • yogurt
    • eggs
    • meat
    • nuts
    • beans
    • fish
    • a variety of cheeses including Swiss and Cheddar

    The irony is that not only does mood affect how we eat, but how we eat affects our mood. It’s a two way street. Research has shown that dieters tend to become depressed about two weeks into a diet, about the time their serotonin levels have dropped due to decreased carbohydrate intake. Cutting calories has been shown to reduce tryptophan levels in rats, leading to less serotonin , and even decreases the number of receptors in their brains, so they’re less responsive to the serotonin they have.

    Watch out ladies…

    Of course, just because that’s how the world seems to work, women have to be even more careful than men when it comes to dieting and serotonin. In women, calorie reduction has a dramatic impact on serotonin and tryptophan levels – an effect not nearly as strong in men. This strange double standard is suggested to be a part of why women are so much more prone to eating disorders. The obvious recourse when it comes to dieting, logically, is that by cutting calories we make ourselves more depressed, which in turn makes our bodies want more carbohydrates and calories to boost our moods. It’s yet another reason our weight tends to yo-yo when we try to diet, especially when carbs are cut, and helping keep serotonin levels in check might just be the solution. For example, cheat. Giving yourself a carb-rich treat every so often can help you maintain higher serotonin levels and keep you in a better mood where you can curb your cravings to eat calorie-craving comfort foods during the rest of the week.

    But its not just tryptophan that’s important. It turns out that vitamin levels in our diets can have a dramatic impact on serotonin systems. One of the most important vitamins key to serotonin function is thiamine, one of the components of Vitamin B Complex. Simply altering the levels of thiamine in our diets and ensuring enough intake can have amazing effects. One study, for example, found that supplemental vitamins for a year significantly boosted women’s moods and overall well-being, particularly due to levels of thiamine.

    Another Vitamin-B compound, folic acid, is also strongly linked with serotonin levels. Boosting folate levels in older people, who are generally deficient compared to younger adults, has been found to improve their mood and cognitive function. Even in healthy adults higher levels of serum folate have been linked to fewer mood swings and negative moods. And even more impressively, high folate levels can improve other depression treatments, particularly with how well anti-depressants work. Exactly how folate relates to serotonin is unclear, though it appears to act through an intermediate compound called S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). SAM increases serotonin levels, but it requires folic acid. Folic acid deficiency leads to low levels of SAM, and subsequently reduced serotonin.

    Serotonin and Behavior

    One way in which we can help our bodies have healthy serotonin levels is by good behavior. Things we do, behaviorally, have a major impact on serotonin levels. For example, stressing, feeding, and exercise have been shown to have marked affects on serotonin levels in rats. It turns out that sleep and exercise are particularly strongly tied to serotonin. After all, one of serotonin’s major actions in our bodies is as a sedative, so its not shocking that it has close ties with how we regulate our energy.

    Exercise to increase serotonin (credit, Frederic de Villamil, flickr)

    It’s well established that exercise can boost our moods and make us feel better. One way in which this occurs is by increasing serotonin. Exercise is a cheap and dirty way to boost blood and brain serotonin levels immediately, making it a good alternative to other ways of dealing with stress and depression. But exercise does even more: it helps regenerate neurons. Unlike we’re told when we’re young, our brain cells can and do regenerate, albeit slowly. Increased levels of exercise have been shown to increase neuron production, giving out brains better ability to utilize the serotonin boosts and improve our moods. Exercise also allows our brains cells to function better by making them more flexible, leading to better responses to all neurotransmitters, including serotonin.

    Sleep, however, is even more important when it comes to serotonin. People have been studying the connection between serotonin and sleeping behaviors for over 50 years. We know that changes in serotonin levels have marked impact on sleeping, with decreases in serotonin leading to apnea or other sleep problems. But only recently have we realized the opposite is true, too. Lack of sleeping negatively affects our brains neuronal signaling, including how it responds to serotonin. Sleep deprivation has been shown to desensitize serotonin pathways, meaning that consistent lack of sleep has a negative impact on our brain’s response to serotonin in general. This means that consistent healthy sleeping patterns are key to maintaining healthy serotonin signaling in our brains and likely our bodies in general.

     

    Go Outside and Be Happy! Light triggers serotonin…

    Another, simple way to increase serotonin production is to get outside. Scientists discovered the connection between light and serotonin almost accidentally. They looked at levels of serotonin in recently-dead people, and found higher concentrations of serotonin in those who died in the summer instead of the winter. That got doctors thinking. It was already known that many people have seasonal changes in mood, with more depression occurring during the cold, dark winter than the warm, sunny summer. It had even been found that increasing light levels helped treat non-seasonal depression. Could light be having an impact on serotonin levels? Research suggests yes. They’ve since found that serotonin levels in healthy men are directly correlated to the amount of sunlight in the day, with marked increases as the seasons changed and the sun’s intensity rose, and other research has found strong connections between light and serotonin function. Taken together, these suggest that a walk in the sun or getting away on vacation to somewhere tropical and sunny during the darker months might be able to naturally boost serotonin levels.

    There are other behavioral ways to change serotonin levels, too. Rising evidence suggests that our own emotions and moods affect serotonin levels. In other words, trying to boost our moods or rosy our outlooks can help raise serotonin levels. Things you can try:

    • Meditation
    • Relaxation Techniques
    • Talking to Friends
    • Counseling

    All these mood-boosting behaviors might just help raise overall serotonin levels, allowing us to keep out of those bad moods later on.

    In The End…

    Of course, like anything else, it’s balance that counts. Over-eating of carbohydrates and sugars can lead to decreased sensitivity to serotonin, leading to negative mood and physical side effects like obesity. Eating lots of protein can help balance serotonin levels. As it turns out, eating protein before carbs curbs the usual spike in serotonin. And, the truth is, we want to cut down our serotonin sometimes. It is a mild sedative, and eating serotonin-boosting foods in the middle of the day can make us drowsy and less focused. A protein-rich snack instead will help increase energy and keep you going when you need it most.

    Even worse, eating too serotonin-boosting foods, while it might feel good for a short time, can lead to a worse crash later on. That’s why a candy bar or a soda are so much worse for us – the sugary energy-upping effect is only temporary, and we’re left with sleep-inducing increases in serotonin instead, leading to a much harder crash. Proper nutritional balance is required for sustained energy throughout the day and a balanced mood. And if you do want a snack with a pick-me-up in terms of mood, try something with less sugar or caffeine but plenty of tryptophan, like nuts – plus nuts are packed with other brain-boosting goodies, too.

    In general, though, people don’t get enough of the healthy serotonin boosters in our diets – leading to a lot of grumpiness and overall blah-feelings. We are outside less than we should be, sleeping odd or too few hours, exercising less, and generally eating poorer. All of these are causing our bodies serotonin levels to get out of whack. Understanding the impacts of our actions and what we eat on this important system can help us improve our moods and gut health dramatically without resorting to anti-depressants or other drugs and their side effects, allowing a natural way for us to feel great more often.

    You may want to check out the first part of the series if you enjoyed this amazing article: Leptin, The Fullness Hormone

    References:

    1. Pollock JD, & Rowland N (1981). Peripherally administered serotonin decreases food intake in rats. Pharmacology, biochemistry, and behavior, 15 (2), 179-83 PMID: 7312891
    2. Garattini S, Bizzi A, Caccia S, Mennini T, & Samanin R (1988). Progress in assessing the role of serotonin in the control of food intake. Clinical neuropharmacology, 11 Suppl 1 PMID: 3052823
    3. Fernstrom, J., & Wurtman, R. (1971). Brain Serotonin Content: Increase Following Ingestion of Carbohydrate Diet Science, 174 (4013), 1023-1025 DOI: 10.1126/science.174.4013.1023
    4. Haleem, D., & Haider, S. (1996). Food restriction decreases serotonin and its synthesis rate in the hypothalamus NeuroReport, 7 (6) DOI: 10.1097/00001756-199604260-00011
    5. Anderson IM, Parry-Billings M, Newsholme EA, Fairburn CG, & Cowen PJ (1990). Dieting reduces plasma tryptophan and alters brain 5-HT function in women. Psychological medicine, 20 (4), 785-91 PMID: 2284387
    6. Goodwin GM, Fairburn CG, & Cowen PJ (1987). Dieting changes serotonergic function in women, not men: implications for the aetiology of anorexia nervosa? Psychological medicine, 17 (4), 839-42 PMID: 3432460
    7. Wurtman JJ (1993). Depression and weight gain: the serotonin connection. Journal of affective disorders, 29 (2-3), 183-92 PMID: 8300977
    8. Benton, D., Haller, J., & Fordy, J. (1995). Vitamin Supplementation for 1 Year Improves Mood Neuropsychobiology, 32 (2), 98-105 DOI: 10.1159/000119220
    9. Alpert M, Silva RR, & Pouget ER (2003). Prediction of treatment response in geriatric depression from baseline folate level: interaction with an SSRI or a tricyclic antidepressant. Journal of clinical psychopharmacology, 23 (3), 309-13 PMID: 12826993
    10. Williams, E., Stewart-Knox, B., McConville, C., Bradbury, I., Armstrong, N., & McNulty, H. (2007). Folate status and mood: is there a relationship? Public Health Nutrition, 11 (02) DOI: 10.1017/S1368980007000031
    11. Resler G, Lavie R, Campos J, Mata S, Urbina M, García A, Apitz R, & Lima L (2008). Effect of folic acid combined with fluoxetine in patients with major depression on plasma homocysteine and vitamin B12, and serotonin levels in lymphocytes. Neuroimmunomodulation, 15 (3), 145-52 PMID: 18716414
    12. Rueter LE, & Jacobs BL (1996). A microdialysis examination of serotonin release in the rat forebrain induced by behavioral/environmental manipulations. Brain research, 739 (1-2), 57-69 PMID: 8955925
    13. Salmon P (2001). Effects of physical exercise on anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to stress: a unifying theory. Clinical psychology review, 21 (1), 33-61 PMID: 11148895
    14. Chaouloff F, Elghozi JL, Guezennec Y, & Laude D (1985). Effects of conditioned running on plasma, liver and brain tryptophan and on brain 5-hydroxytryptamine metabolism of the rat. British journal of pharmacology, 86 (1), 33-41 PMID: 2413941
    15. Ernst C, Olson AK, Pinel JP, Lam RW, & Christie BR (2006). Antidepressant effects of exercise: evidence for an adult-neurogenesis hypothesis? Journal of psychiatry & neuroscience : JPN, 31 (2), 84-92 PMID: 16575423
    16. Christie, B., Eadie, B., Kannangara, T., Robillard, J., Shin, J., & Titterness, A. (2008). Exercising Our Brains: How Physical Activity Impacts Synaptic Plasticity in the Dentate Gyrus NeuroMolecular Medicine, 10 (2), 47-58 DOI: 10.1007/s12017-008-8033-2
    17. Weitzman, E., Rapport, M., McGregor, P., & Jacoby, J. (1968). Sleep Patterns of the Monkey and Brain Serotonin Concentration: Effect of p-Chlorophenylalanine Science, 160 (3834), 1361-1363 DOI: 10.1126/science.160.3834.1361
    18. Roman V, Walstra I, Luiten PG, & Meerlo P (2005). Too little sleep gradually desensitizes the serotonin 1A receptor system. Sleep, 28 (12), 1505-10 PMID: 16408408
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    20. Golden RN, Gaynes BN, Ekstrom RD, Hamer RM, Jacobsen FM, Suppes T, Wisner KL, & Nemeroff CB (2005). The efficacy of light therapy in the treatment of mood disorders: a review and meta-analysis of the evidence. The American journal of psychiatry, 162 (4), 656-62 PMID: 15800134
    21. Lambert GW, Reid C, Kaye DM, Jennings GL, & Esler MD (2002). Effect of sunlight and season on serotonin turnover in the brain. Lancet, 360 (9348), 1840-2 PMID: 12480364
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  • Food Safety Enhancement Act (HR 2749) Advances Out of Committee

    Food Safety Enhancement Act (HR 2749) Advances Out of Committee

    UPDATE at bottom (jump there now)

    Wednesday June 10th marked a historic day in food safety as the Food Safety Enhancement Act (HR 2749) moved out of subcommittee for a vote in the US House in the coming weeks. Here we review the bill and talk about what you can expect in the weeks to come.

    HR 2749 is patching up the archaic Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act from the 1930s, the last time food safety legislation was significantly updated (believe it or not). This legislation set up the fractured structure we have today – that has given us countless recalls of late. The genesis of for a new bill was the peanut butter recall earlier this year but, in reality, this legislation has been coming for a long, long time.

    Poised for a comeback?

    Interestingly, the usual detractors to food safety legislation have had a huge break in their ranks because of the peanut butter scare. While large meat producers like Tyson and Smithfield are dumping their usual lobbying efforts against HR 2749, the processed food industry is now endorsing this legislation – overwhelming the meat industry’s efforts. There is no sea change in ethics going on here; the estimated $1 billion lost by industry (and $200 million alone by the Peanut Corporation of America) is the real reason. It seems poisoning your customers is bad business.

    Are Small Farms Protected?

    The legislation is doing a bunch of things for food safety, most notably giving the FDA mandatory recall authority. This has been a major sticking point for previous iterations of this legislation in the House, because House reps more than senators represent small fiefdoms inside large rural states. These districts worry recalls will disproportionately harm smaller businesses and processors versus their larger partners. In a sense, FDA recalls and fees would represent a regressive tax.

    This is an extremely valid concern given the FDA’s proclivity for influence from industry. However, this bill was able to climb out of committee in the House because it properly addressed small growers and farmers markets. Specifically, Section 107 of the bill which stipulates ‘Traceability Requirements’ on most farms makes an exemption for farmer’s markets (more or less):

    ‘(4) EXEMPTIONS-

    ‘(A) DIRECT SALES BY FARMS- Food is exempt from the requirements of this subsection if such food is–

    ‘(i) produced on a farm; and

    ‘(ii) sold by the owner, operator, or agent in charge of such farm directly to a consumer or restaurant.

    Traceability is a huge issue and this bill seeks to establish a new electronic system for tracking that will be vetted over the course of a couple years.  The exemption for small farmers is good but poorly defined.  We hope this vague language about exemptions gets tightened up as the bill moves forward. It would be a pity to see this single exemption allow major agribusiness farmers off the hook.

    Watch some of the debate in congress over this very issue:

    Quarantine Authority, however, is maintained for all farms, restaurants, convenience stores and grocery stores – and this ability is really what gives this legislation its teeth. The FDA has been tied in knots over what it can do once it finds problems in the system; this legislation overcomes that problem and would be a major boon to the FDA’s policing powers, for better or worse. This part of the legislation will surely evolve when the bill comes up for a full vote in the weeks to come, so stay tuned if you are interested in the finer points.

    What does this cost?

    This new legislation is original in that it imposes it costs on the very people it is inspecting, a controversial move. This allows the legislation to scale up with the growth of industry, which has been a huge problem for the current FDA. In 1972, the FDA conducted 50,000 food safety inspections; in 2006, the FDA conducted 9,164. Obviously, more coverage is required but again, the worry is how this new provision will impact the booming small, sustainable agriculture field.

    The major concession made yesterday that helped get this legislation out of committee was by paying attention to smaller establishments. They reduced the yearly fee paid to the FDA by 50% from $1000 to $500, a fee they argue should be affordable for all and one that does not cover all of the FDA’s costs. Our worry is that if this fee does not cover the FDA’s new actions, it will gradually go up over time. It would seem smarter to price in what it costs to make this legislation happen rather than begging for funds later.

    We will cover this bill more as it progresses but as it stands now, it is a huge improvement over the system we currently have from the 1930s.

    Watch the opening remarks on the legislation here:

     

    UPDATE:

    As of June 17th, the HR2749 has officially been voted out of committee for a vote in the US House in the coming months.

    The Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) has some interesting things to say about the legislation. They were working directly with the congress to address the concerns of small farmers – and they appear to have done a great job. All 12 of their most immediate concerns were addressed. Some of the major ones were:

    • exemptions for traceback systems for direct market sellers
    • criteria for produce safety standards that include their impact on family farms and organic farms
    • ways to incorporate other standards (e.g. fair trade) into import standards through accreditation

    The full list can be read here:

    The Ethicurean also had some good words on the subject. Here is a list of what they gleaned from the legislation:

    • high-risk food processors HAVE to be inspected 1-2X per year
    • fees are expected to give the FDA about $200 million to conduct new inspections
    • the FDA get rulemaking authority for the ‘safe growing and harvesting of produce’

    In addition, there is a $175,000 cap on total fees for any one operation, which may be revised upwards, considering the size of some individual operations now in existence. The exact slide of the sliding-fee scale is yet to be determined.

    Both Ethicurean and MOFGA note that the legislation does not yet fully comprehend the role farmers have in processing small food stuffs and how that interacts with the larger food system. No line has been drawn as to what size a farm is before it becomes a potential widespread health hazard – so they ask for more guidance there.

    Overall, this legislation seems to be shaping up quite nicely for all parties involved. But much time remains and it still has to go to a vote in both the House and Senate. At least, both Republicans and Democrats were complimenting each other on how they worked together. Did hell just freeze over?

  • Food Inc. Review – Advance DC Screening

    Food Inc. Review – Advance DC Screening

    Food. We all eat it. But only a select few know how it is produced. Food Inc., the first full length movie from the PBS documentarist Robert Kenner, aims to teach everyone how their food got to their plate – and it succeeds in spades. Dark chicken coops with 300,000 birds, illegal workers being recruited for hog slaughterhouses, feed lots bigger than Rhode Island – its all here in depressing detail. But for those of you that have already been sinking your spades into various organic gardens, Food Inc. will leave you wanting more. A lot more.

    Down in It

    The movie takes you through a a loosely constructed narrative, trying to explain how we got such an industrialized agricultural system in the United States. Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, sets the tone as he describes how we have gotten to where we are today, in a similar way to his book. The answer, in short: Fast Food.

    Eric Scholosser of Fast Food Nation fame

    Companies like McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy’s require so much food as inputs for their operations that they have effectively shaped the system by being the biggest customer. These companies put low prices first, which has gotten us a highly efficient food machine– an accomplishment, which some in the movie are understandably proud. The basic message is that when you go to the supermarket, you are basically eating the leftovers from the fast food industry. Not light stuff.

    After some disturbing tours of the industrial food system and the e.coli food borne illnesses they breed, we get shown how the various companies use illegal workers in very dangerous working conditions. With the graphic imagery, this part of the movie seemed to really hit the audience; the people we were with who had very little idea what was going on in the slaughter houses of America were particularly moved by this sequence.

    A Little Light

    In a slightly more upbeat sequence, Michael Pollan makes his grand entrance. We get walked through Joel Salatin’s Polyface Farm from Omnivore Dilemma’s fame and, more generally, introduced to many of Pollan and Co.’s ideas on how proper agricultural practices should take place. Open air slaughter, pastured animals, and a very low tech approach appeals to our agrarian roots as a country. Salatin himself is worthy of a movie.

    Michael Pollan

    But you have to wonder, anyone interested in this subject has at least heard of and probably read Michael Pollan’s book Omnivore’s Dilemma. For better or worse, Pollan’s portion of Food Inc. is the theatrical adaptation of the now famous book. This part of the movie will open some eyes but we wonder how many given the almost four years that has lapsed since its publication.

    As much as we enjoyed this journey (which was rounded out by another corporate shellacking – this time Monsanto and its role in the seed market) we found the movie’s sections were only vaguely related to each other but it was not to the point that it made the movie unwatchable. Each section stood on its own in an internet-youtube-sort-of way. It worked but organizational structure was not this movie’s strong point. Devastating content was – and for that reason alone, you should see this movie. You would be hard pressed to get a better look inside the food system without some very important friends – and they probably wouldn’t even let you take pictures. But not all is perfect with this film.

    The Real Question at Hand

    If you peel back the thin (and we mean razor-thin) veil between the hate you can feel the producers have for these agribusiness corporations, you can see this movie more properly as a critique of the relationship between corporations and government. Even though agribusiness is included in this film (Monsanto even claims they wanted to be in the film – dubious claim), the real question raised in this movie has nothing to do with food and everything to do with politics:

    ‘What role should corporations have in determining how government regulates them?’

    It’s the 500 lbs gorilla in the room that Schlosser and Pollan do not address. Food Inc. never formally argued for extensive regulation of the system at every turn but its often implied. The movie does however advocate for an almost complete return to the Jeffersonian ideal of agrarian America – where each American (or a sizable legion of small farmers) tends a little farm in harmony with nature. And that’s where Food Inc. begins to fail.

    Not All Roses

    As a documentary illuminating a subject, Food Inc. has few equals – maybe An Inconvenient Truth or Enron, The Smartest Guys in the Room but little else can match just how artfully Robert Kenner has constructed the message here. As for the real rallying cry the sustainable agriculture movement has been longing for, Food Inc. silently passes. The film never formally makes its case for advocacy or policy and only throws a few casual suggestions to its audience as the film’s credits commence. Traditional farmers are made to look especially foolish in the film – almost vilified as poor and helpless, groveling at Monsanto’s feet for scraps.

    How could this have been left out of the movie?

    These critiques are outdated and the conversation should be moving along with the movement. Frenetic growth in farmer’s markets and organics over the past five years seems almost like an afterthought to this film. Outside of the Stoneyfield Farm aside in the film, this heavy tone of despair was unnecessary when there is some serious success to celebrate. Many farmers across America have taken up the challenge against industrial agriculture Food Inc. calls for, certified themselves organic and are pioneering a new way forward. Food Inc. is again silent on this now gigantic movement, only briefly profiling Polyface Farms.

    During a Q & A after the movie, many of these critiques were brought up and not answered very well by Pollan or anyone else in the panel. Maybe this criticism is too harsh, as this movie never claimed to be anything but a trip into the world of industrial agriculture. But with so many high powered people involved in the film from within the movement, we had hoped for more.

    Worth the Price of Admission?

    It all depends on who you are. If you are just getting into these issues, by all means, run over to the theater. But will you even be able to see this movie? Documentaries almost exclusively play to arthouse cinema crowds – theaters that are typically in larger, liberal cities all with audiences well versed in these issues, as was our DC audience on the whole.

    With that said, the real commercial audience for this movie is a bit unknown to us. The sustainable agriculture crowd will be there, of course, but who else? Middle America needs to be there but we aren’t sure it will even get air time in Wichita, Kansas or Amarillo, Texas, nor are we sure that the corn farmers and ranchers there would even want to see their livelihood disparaged on such a scale.

    Even with these critiques, this movie should be seen if it is playing near you – especially if you have little knowledge of industrial agriculture. The movement Food Inc., is trying to spark already exists in fragments across America. Sustainable agriculture is so young and fragile, trying to achieve so much as a movement, that it moves in many fits and starts. Food Inc. may be the brightest ray of sunshine we have seen yet but we are still staring into an abyss.

  • Brain Food: Berries and Greens! (Part 2)

    Brain Food: Berries and Greens! (Part 2)

    We all know that we should be eating our 5-7 servings a day of fruits and vegetables. But there’s good reason to make quite a few of those servings berries. Berries, like blueberries, strawberries and cranberries, have all kinds of nutritional benefits because of their color – no, really.

    This article is the 2nd part of a 2 part series about Brain Food.  You might also find our first installment on Nuts helpful in understanding the Brain > Food connection.

    The berry

    The main pigments which color berries the bright blues and reds are anthocyanins, which just happen to be more than just colorful. They’re powerful antioxidants which have benefits similar to the Vitamin E in nuts. In the plants, these pigment molecules serve to protect the fruit from sun damage, bacteria, viruses, fungi and the harmful free radicals that are produced during photosynthesis.

    When eaten, they pass these effects on to us. Anthocyanins turn on and off important genes in our brains, allow cells to respond quickly and efficiently to signals, and even promote the growth of new nerve cells. Though present in all kinds of vegetables, fruits, and flowers, anthocyanins are found at their highest levels in:

    • blueberries
    • blackberries
    • black and red raspberries
    • black and red currants
    • red grapes
    • red wines

    Blueberries and Beyond

    Blueberries are often touted as a ‘superfood‘, having so much good stuff packed into each delicious bite – and for good reason. Blueberries have been shown to contain more antioxidants than 50 other fresh fruits and vegetables, which protect our brains from aging-related degeneration and improve cognitive function. They also have been shown to improve short term memory, coordination, and navigation skills due to how the compounds support neurotransmission, improve blood vessel elasticity and ramp up protective kinases like ERK and PKC.

     

    Superfood!

    A 2007 symposium on berry health benefits showed that blueberries (and other berries, like cranberries) may alleviate the cognitive decline occurring in Alzheimer’s disease and other conditions of aging. Studies in rats have found that dietary blueberries improve mental abilities, and those genetically prone to Alzheimer’s-like brain problems can prevent the neurological symptoms by consuming blueberry extract.

    Blueberries even wear capes!

    But that’s not to dis other berries. Strawberries contain fisetin, which has been found to improve long-term memory. They’re also rich in iodine, which is key for the brain and nervous system to properly function, and Vitamin C, which also acts as an antioxidant. One study

    , published in Neurobiology of Aging, found that different berries had different positive effects, and that the best thing for us, then, is a mix.

    Strawberry with fisetin

    Strawberries helped rats memorize and run a maze faster while blueberries boosted their memories and ability to run it backwards, processes which use two different parts of the brain. And other berries are great for us, too. Black raspberries and cranberries are even under investigation as treatments for cancer! So the best thing is a combination of berries to get all of their nutritious brain-boosting goodies.

    The best part is that gorging on berries has few, if any, drawbacks. They’ve been shown to help reduce bad cholesterol and enhance weight loss, so you don’t have to worry about packing on a couple extra pound or two by overdoing it. They’ve been linked to good heart health, particularly when you start young. And, just to make them seem too good to be true: research has indicated that a combination of berries and the fatty, Vitamin E filled nuts is even better, with the two acting synergistically to provide more brain-boosting benefits than the sum of their individual effects.

    Don’t Weed Out Greens

    While berries are fantastic, other veggies, particularly leafy greens, are also super brain foods. Vegetables have all kinds of good nutrients in them, including the Vitamin E found in nuts, and they’ve been shown to help keep brains sharp as we age. In one study, eating 2.8 servings of vegetables a day led to 40% slower rates of cognitive decline than eating less than one serving per day.

    Spinach for Vitamin A

    Spinach and other greenery are rich sources of B vitamins, which are essential for the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. These chemicals not only boost your thinking and memory, they balance your mood to help keep you balanced and focused on the task at hand. They also help fight the degenerative affects of aging on our brains.

    Low levels of B vitamins have been linked to cognitive decline in aging men. Another study found that people the lowest levels of dietary B vitamins were 80% more likely to have Alzheimer’s. These veggies also contain folate, which can help prevent the strokes which lead to brain degeneration.

    Green, leafy veggies are also high in iron. Iron is a key nutrient for our brains, and its deficiency, called ‘anemia’, can have devastating impacts. Numerous studies have found that a lack of iron, particularly when we’re young, has strong consequences on our minds. Iron deficiency in youth can lead to irreversible changes in brain chemistry, organization and structure. But it’s not just kids who need iron.

    One study found that adult women lacking in iron performed worse and more slowly on mental tasks than those who had enough in their systems – a difference that was erased when the anemic women were given iron supplements for two months. Anemia, which causes a lack of heme, the body’s way of transporting oxygen to cells, can lead to brain cell death.

    Tomtoms!

    Other vegetables, like tomatoes, are full of great nutrients like Vitamin C and Vitamin A. And legumes, leafy greens, and other vegetables are even high in protein, which the brain uses as neurotransmitter building blocks. And you don’t just have to eat all these vegetables raw. As we told you before, some vegetables actually have more antioxidants and other nutrients when steamed, boiled or fried than they do uncooked.

    And, like berries, the best part is it’s pretty tough to overeat greens. My grandpa always tells a story about a conversation he had with his nutritionist. “I don’t lose weight no matter what I do,” he said. “I could get fat on just broccoli!” Her response was simple: she just smiled and said “Go ahead. Try it.”

    Eat more salads and vegetables and you’ll be maintaining a slim figure while keeping your brain sharp!

    In Short: Feed Your Mind

    Keep this in mind: our brains, which are about 2% of our body by weight, use up 20% of our daily calorie intake. So to keep it sharp you have to keep it fed. Particular parts are extremely sensitive to dropping blood sugar levels, especially those related to thinking and clarity. After all, if you’re a little hungry, you don’t want to stop breathing, so the portions that control basic functions are fairly resilient. But you’ll find that if you starve yourself for a little while, you start to lose the ability to do easy math or memorization – tasks not required, specifically, to live.

    It’s important that you keep your blood glucose even for the best brain power, and having a snack (particularly of brain-boosting foods!) in and of itself will help you think sharper in between meals.  That doesn’t mean eat all the time or too much. High glucose levels and the immune system’s response to them are damaging to all types of cells. It’s even been suggested that high glucose levels for extended time periods can lead to Alzheimer’s – so don’t overdo it! But keeping your brain fed, especially with the foods above, will keep you at your sharpest all day long, even above and beyond their other brain-boosting effects.

    References:

    1. Joseph JA, Shukitt-Hale B, Denisova NA, Bielinski D, Martin A, McEwen JJ, & Bickford PC (1999). Reversals of age-related declines in neuronal signal transduction, cognitive, and motor behavioral deficits with blueberry, spinach, or strawberry dietary supplementation. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 19 (18), 8114-21 PMID: 10479711
    2. Gordon, M., Diamond, D., Shukitt-Hale, B., Morgan, D., Joseph, J., Denisova, N., & Arendash, G. (2003). Blueberry Supplementation Enhances Signaling and Prevents Behavioral Deficits in an Alzheimer Disease Model Nutritional Neuroscience, 6 (3), 153-162 DOI: 10.1080/1028415031000111282
    3. Maher, P., Akaishi, T., & Abe, K. (2006). Flavonoid fisetin promotes ERK-dependent long-term potentiation and enhances memory Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 103 (44), 16568-16573 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0607822103
    4. Shukitt-Hale, B., Carey, A., Jenkins, D., Rabin, B., & Joseph, J. (2007). Beneficial effects of fruit extracts on neuronal function and behavior in a rodent model of accelerated aging Neurobiology of Aging, 28 (8), 1187-1194 DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2006.05.031
    5. Morris MC, Evans DA, Tangney CC, Bienias JL, & Wilson RS (2006). Associations of vegetable and fruit consumption with age-related cognitive change. Neurology, 67 (8), 1370-6 PMID: 17060562
    6. Tucker KL, Qiao N, Scott T, Rosenberg I, & Spiro A 3rd (2005). High homocysteine and low B vitamins predict cognitive decline in aging men: the Veterans Affairs Normative Aging Study. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 82 (3), 627-35 PMID: 16155277
    7. Beard J (2003). Iron deficiency alters brain development and functioning. The Journal of nutrition, 133 (5 Suppl 1) PMID: 12730445
    8. Murray-Kolb LE, & Beard JL (2007). Iron treatment normalizes cognitive functioning in young women. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 85 (3), 778-87 PMID: 17344500
    9. Atamna, H. (2002). Heme deficiency may be a factor in the mitochondrial and neuronal decay of aging Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99 (23), 14807-14812 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.192585799
  • Understanding Our Bodies: Leptin (The Fullness Hormone)

    Understanding Our Bodies: Leptin (The Fullness Hormone)

    Time and time again, I tell you guys that the best way to stay healthy is to stay informed. Read labels, I say. Know what you’re eating. Know what you’re not eating. Know this, know that, etc and make informed decisions. Well, part of making informed decisions is understanding how your body works. And for that reason, I’ve decided to dive into a bit of physiology.

    Even informed consumers tend to know very little about how their appetites actually work. What makes you hungry or full? Why do some foods fill us up more than others? What exactly is going on in our bodies, anyway?

    I figured you just might want to know. So here is part one of a new series I call “Understanding Our Bodies” – nutrition based on how our bodies work. And to kick it off is a little explanation of the fullness hormone: Leptin.

    What is Leptin?

    Leptin is a hormone that is tied closely to regulating energy intake and expenditure, including appetite, metabolism and hunger. It is the single most important hormone when it comes to understanding why we feel hungry or full. When present in high levels, it signals to our brain that we’re full and can stop eating. When low, we feel hungry and crave food. It does this by stimulating receptors in our hypothalamus, the part of our brains which regulates the hormone system in our bodies. When leptin binds to receptors in this part of our brains, it stimulates the release of appetite-suppressing chemicals. People with leptin disorders eat uncontrollably.

     

    Your leptin LEVEL is high when you are full, low when you are hungry

    Now here’s the strange part.  Leptin is produced mostly by our adipose tissue – aka our fat.  The level of circulating leptin is directly proportional to the total amount of fat in the body.  That means the more fat you have, the greater the amount of leptin you have. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it makes sense in the end when we consider how yo-yo dieting tends to be. It takes some time for your body to adjust to large changes in body fat levels when it comes to leptin.

    The total AMOUNT of leptin you have is related to your weight

    So when you lose a lot of weight quick, via liposuction or serious calorie restriction, your leptin levels plummet. Subsequently, you get hungrier, your thyroid decreases output and your metabolic rate drops. Your body then increases catabolic hormone activity and appetite, making you tend to slip off your regime and gain all that weight right back. That’s why crash diets are often ineffective – your leptin won’t let you eat less, and even if you do, you’re lethargic and your metabolic rate slows way down.

    Of course, just because it makes things difficult for dieting, leptin levels are far more sensitive to starvation than overeating. So when you cut caloires and start ot burn fat, the leptin levels in your body plummet, but when you eat too much they don’t skyrocket – although they do increase. Leptin levels increase with increased insulin levels, like right after eat, and when our body is storing energy. Keeping this in mind, in general, can help you eat healthier and loser weight in the long run.

    The Science of Leptin

    Obviously, since leptin is so key to hunger and feeling full, scientists have been looking into it as a possible target for anti-obesity or weight loss. As it turns out, leptin controls a lot more than just our feelings of fullness.

    Turning on leptin in the brains of mice causes them to exercise more, according to research from Harvard Medical School. It’s interwoven into how our bodies control our metabolism, activity levels, and energy budgeting – like immediately increasing appetite when fasting. While levels drop quickly, eating can bring them back up, too. It has been shown to reduce lipids in muscle and other tissues which lead to insulin resistance (the first step towards type 2 diabetes). It even controls what foods we find appealing when we’re just looking at them. Basically, it seems like the perfect way to lose weight – just give people more leptin,  right?  Well, there is another factor at work.

    Leptin Resistance

    But when researchers gave people leptin in human clinical trials, people didn’t lose weight. The trouble is, your body constantly tries to adjust basal leptin levels. If there’s a lot of it all the time, like in obese and overweight people, the brain loses sensitivity. Mice can become leptin resistant after as few as 3 days of overfeeding – so it happens quickly in response to consistent high blood glucose levels.

    When obese, your leptin LEVELS spike radically because you have higher leptin AMOUNTS in your body (causing leptin resistance in the brain)

    When it does this, it takes more and more leptin before our bodies feel full. When we get fatter, our bodies produce more leptin, and we become resistant to it. So obese people actually have unusually high leptin levels, but are not responsive to it. Even when healthy people eat a much lower calorie diet for a little while,  levels decrease, and they feel hungrier and less energetic, even if they haven’t lost weight yet. To lose weight and keep it off, you have to give your body time to adjust to the new, lowered leptin level, so it sets that as “normal” and you feel full when you’re supposed to.

    Yes, he is.

    The bad news is that not just excess weight can lead to leptin resistance. A new study published in the American Journal of Physiology found that high fructose diets can induce leptin resistance. These sugars actually impair the leptin’s ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the hypothalamus. So even when the leptin levels are high, not enough is reaching the brain to tell the body to stop eating.

    How do you use this information to lose weight or keep healthy?

    First things first: quit the crash diets. You aren’t going to do your body any favors by losing weight too quickly. If you are trying to lose weight, though, there’s one thing you can do to help your body out: cheat. Seriously.

    When you cut calories dramatically, your body acts like its starving and your leptin levels plummet. You’ll be hungry and generally have lower energy levels and want to eat more. So, once a week or so, cheat. Really cheat. Have a nice, high-calorie meal.

    Your body then senses the rush of fuel and boosts leptin levels, increasing your metablism and priming your body for fat loss. Cheating helps ease your body down to lower daily leptin levels without making it feel too starved. That way, as you lose the weight, your body adjusts and realizes that the reduced leptin levels are normal not starving. And you get to enjoy something delicious – come on, it’s a win-win!

    A beautiful sockeye salmon

    Secondly, avoid too much sugar intake. High calorie loads aside, the sugars make your brain less sensitive to leptin, which causes you to eat more and pack on the pounds. Conversely, some foods have been shown to increase leptin activity and sensitivity. The biggest connection scientists have found is between Omega-3 Fatty Acids and leptin. That’s right – the ever remarkable fish just keep getting better and better.  Researchers found that a group of people who ate a high proportion of fish every day had lower leptin levels despite eating the same calorie loads and having the same body fat as their fish free cousins – suggesting that a fish-rich diet increased their bodies’ sensitivity to leptin.

    There’s good news, too, for those that are already overweight and leptin resistant: it’s only temporary. Research has shown that reducing fat content in leptin-resistant, obese mice allowed them to regain leptin sensitivity. So even if you’re overweight and likely leptin resistant, you can improve on that state. Unlike type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance, which is very hard to reverse, leptin resistance is fairly correctable with a normal, healthy diet and exercise.

    And lastly, there’s something really simple that everyone can do to keep their leptin levels high and keep cravings under control: sleep well. When you go to sleep, your leptin levels naturally rise – after all, you want to be sleeping, not snacking, so your body knows to cut down on your hunger while you’re resting. But if you cut your sleeping short, your body tries to adjust by making you hungry again. Research has found that shorter sleep periods (6 hours or less instead of 8) lower overall daily leptin levels, cause an increase in appetite, and even make people crave carbs and other fattening foods. So its important for your body to rest well to maintain its natural hormonal balance, allowing you to look and feel your best.

    In summary:

    • Stop crash diets
    • Eat ONE large meal per week to spark leptin-based weight loss
    • Avoid processed sugar
    • Eat Omega-3 (in fish/flaxseed/walnuts)
    • Sleep well

    Like any other system in our bodies, the our hormonal appetite controls are sensitive to our daily habits and routines. The better a routine you have – sleeping well, eating right, and exercising, the more balanced your system will be and the better you will feel.

    Stay tuned for more deep dives into the physiology of nutrition with the next installment of Understanding Our Bodies!

    References:

    1. Williams, K., Scott, M., & Elmquist, J. (2009). From observation to experimentation: leptin action in the mediobasal hypothalamus American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 89 (3), 985-990 DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.2008.26788D
    2. Havel, P. (2007). Role of adipose tissue in body-weight regulation: mechanisms regulating leptin production and energy balance Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 59 (03) DOI: 10.1017/S0029665100000410
    3. Huo, L., Gamber, K., Greeley, S., Silva, J., Huntoon, N., Leng, X., & Bjørbæk, C. (2009). Leptin-Dependent Control of Glucose Balance and Locomotor Activity by POMC Neurons Cell Metabolism, 9 (6), 537-547 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2009.05.003
    4. Pratley RE, Nicolson M, Bogardus C, & Ravussin E (1997). Plasma leptin responses to fasting in Pima Indians. The American journal of physiology, 273 (3 Pt 1) PMID: 9316457
    5. Chin-Chance C, Polonsky KS, & Schoeller DA (2000). Twenty-four-hour leptin levels respond to cumulative short-term energy imbalance and predict subsequent intake. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 85 (8), 2685-91 PMID: 10946866
    6. Enriori, P., Evans, A., Sinnayah, P., Jobst, E., Tonelli-Lemos, L., Billes, S., Glavas, M., Grayson, B., Perello, M., & Nillni, E. (2007). Diet-Induced Obesity Causes Severe but Reversible Leptin Resistance in Arcuate Melanocortin Neurons Cell Metabolism, 5 (3), 181-194 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2007.02.004
    7. Zelissen, P., Stenlof, K., Lean, M., Fogteloo, J., Keulen, E., Wilding, J., Finer, N., Rossner, S., Lawrence, E., Fletcher, C., McCamish, M., & , . (2005). Effect of three treatment schedules of recombinant methionyl human leptin on body weight in obese adults: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 7 (6), 755-761 DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2005.00468.x
    8. Wang, J., Obici, S., Morgan, K., Barzilai, N., Feng, Z., & Rossetti, L. (2001). Overfeeding Rapidly Induces Leptin and Insulin Resistance Diabetes, 50 (12), 2786-2791 DOI: 10.2337/diabetes.50.12.2786
    9. Keim NL, Stern JS, & Havel PJ (1998). Relation between circulating leptin concentrations and appetite during a prolonged, moderate energy deficit in women. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 68 (4), 794-801 PMID: 9771856
    10. Shapiro A, Mu W, Roncal C, Cheng KY, Johnson RJ, & Scarpace PJ (2008). Fructose-induced leptin resistance exacerbates weight gain in response to subsequent high-fat feeding. American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiology, 295 (5) PMID: 18703413
    11. Peyron-Caso E, Taverna M, Guerre-Millo M, Véronèse A, Pacher N, Slama G, & Rizkalla SW (2002). Dietary (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids up-regulate plasma leptin in insulin-resistant rats. The Journal of nutrition, 132 (8), 2235-40 PMID: 12163668
    12. Winnicki M, Somers VK, Accurso V, Phillips BG, Puato M, Palatini P, & Pauletto P (2002). Fish-rich diet, leptin, and body mass. Circulation, 106 (3), 289-91 PMID: 12119240
    13. Enriori, P., Evans, A., Sinnayah, P., Jobst, E., Tonelli-Lemos, L., Billes, S., Glavas, M., Grayson, B., Perello, M., & Nillni, E. (2007). Diet-Induced Obesity Causes Severe but Reversible Leptin Resistance in Arcuate Melanocortin Neurons Cell Metabolism, 5 (3), 181-194 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2007.02.004
    14. Nedeltcheva AV, Kilkus JM, Imperial J, Kasza K, Schoeller DA, & Penev PD (2009). Sleep curtailment is accompanied by increased intake of calories from snacks. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 89 (1), 126-33 PMID: 19056602
    15. Taheri, S., Lin, L., Austin, D., Young, T., & Mignot, E. (2004). Short Sleep Duration Is Associated with Reduced Leptin, Elevated Ghrelin, and Increased Body Mass Index PLoS Medicine, 1 (3) DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0010062

  • Glycemic Index Table v1.0

    With insulin resistance and diabetes reaching epidemic levels in the United States, it is imperative to know the glycemic index of the foods we are commonly eating. Unfortunately, this data is usually locked away in research journals and when it is made available, you get a million listings with a ton of garbage results for foods you’ve never heard of. Well, we got tired of that and fixed up a nice GI table.

    We dug around a bit and have come up with the latest information on GI values for the most common foods, pulled from many sources by esteemed researchers at the Diabetes Care Journal.

    This is by no means the whole list. There must be 3,000-4,000 foods and products profiled for this survey. We cherry picked what we felt would be the most important for you to see. Sometimes less is more and we feel this is one of those times.

    If we missed any major ones, let us know. The full lists are at the bottom if you want to download/view them.

    Enjoy the list.

    Glycemic Index (GI) of Common Foods

    Note: Both charts can be re-categorized by clicking on the column headings

    Grains, Breads, Cereals
    Food GI Value Accuracy
    Whole Wheat Bread 74 ± 2
    White Bread 75 ± 2
    Multi-Grain Bread 53 ± 2
    Whole Wheat Indian Bread (Roti/Chapatti) 62 ± 3
    White Indian Bread (Roti/Chapatti) 52 ± 4
    Tortilla, Corn 46 ± 4
    Brown Rice 68 ± 4
    White Rice 73 ± 4
    Basmati Rice, White 57 ± 4
    Barley 28 ± 2
    Whole Wheat Pasta 48 ± 5
    White Pasta 49 ± 2
    White Rice Noodles 53 ± 7
    Udon Noodles 55 ± 7
    Couscous (Wheat) 65 ± 4
    Cornflakes (Kellogg’s) 81 ± 52
    Instant Oats 79 ± 3
    Rolled Whole Oats 55 ± 2
    Millet 67 ± 5
    Museli 57 ± 2
    Clif Bar 101 ± 6
    Powerbar 83 ± 11
    Mac and Cheese 64 n/a
    Amaranth 97 ± 19
    Rice Krispies (Kellogg’s) 82 n/a
    Rice Chex 89 n/a
    Total (General Mills) 76 n/a
    Life (Pepsico) 66 n/a
    Grapenuts (Altria) 67 n/a
    Cream of Wheat 66 n/a
    Cheerios (General Mills) 74 ± 0
    Sourdough Rye 56 ± 0
    Gluten-Free Bread 74 ± 6
    Bagel 72 ± 0
    Waffles 76 ± 0
    Muffins (average) 67 ± 35
    Doughnut 76 ± 0
    Flan 65 ± 0
    Cake (Average) 52 ± 13
    Croissant 67 ± 0
    Pancakes (Wheat) 64 ± 18
    Pancakes (Buckwheat) 102 ± 11
    Gluten-Free Bread (Average) 64 ± 24
    Spelt Bread, Whole 63 ± 0
    Coco Pops (Kelloggs) 77 ± 8
    Corn Pops (Kelloggs) 80 ± 4
    Froot Loops (Kelloggs) 69 ± 9
    Kashi Seven Whole Grains (Kelloggs) 65 ± 10
    Special K, US Variety (Kelloggs) 69 ± 5
    Buckwheat (Soba) Noodles 59 ± 1
    Brown Rice Noodles 92 ± 8
    Gluten-Free Pasta 76 ± 6

    Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts & Legumes (raw unless noted)
    Food GI Value Accuracy
    Sweet Corn 52 ± 5
    Apples 36 ± 2
    Oranges 43 ± 3
    Banana 51 ± 3
    Pineapple 59 ± 8
    Mango 51 ± 5
    Watermelon 76 ± 4
    Dates 42 ± 4
    Peaches, Canned 43 ± 5
    Strawberry Jam 49 ± 3
    Apple Juice 41 ± 2
    Orange Juice 50 ± 2
    Potato, boiled 78 ± 4
    Potato, instant 87 ± 3
    Carrots, boiled 39 ± 4
    Carrots 16 n/a
    Pumpkin, Boiled 64 ± 7
    Plantain 55 ± 6
    Taro, boiled 53 ± 2
    Chickpeas 28 ± 9
    Kidney Beans 24 ± 4
    Lentils 32 ± 5
    Edimame (Raw Soybeans) 16 ± 1
    Black Beans 30 n/a
    Brown Beans 38 n/a
    Yam 25 ± 4
    Sweet Potato 48 ± 6
    Beets 64 ± 16
    Peas, Cooked 35 ± 4
    Peanuts 18 ± 3
    Pinto Beans 42 n/a
    Lentils – Red 26 ± 4
    Lentils – Green 26 ± 8
    Kidney Beans 23 n/a
    Grapefruit Juice 48 n/a
    Raisins 66 ± 6
    Pear 38 ± 10
    Peach 42 ± 14
    Papaya 60 ± 8
    Grapes 46 ± 6
    Kiwi 47 ± 4
    Grapefruit 25 n/a
    Apricots 34 ± 3
    Ginger 10 ± 4
    Strawberries 40 ± 7
    Cranberry Juice 59 ± 0
    Tomato Juice (V8 – Campbell’s) 33 ± 3
    Cashews 25 ± 1

    Dairy Products
    Food GI Value Accuracy
    Milk, Cow – Full Fat 39 ± 3
    Milk, Cow – Skim 37 ± 4
    Yogurt 41 ± 2
    Soy Milk 34 ± 4
    Rice Milk 86 ± 7
    Ensure 75 ± 10
    Slimfast 35 ± 2

    Junk Food / Sugars
    Food GI Value Accuracy
    French Fries 63 ± 5
    Chocolate 40 ± 3
    Potato Chips 56 ± 3
    Soft Drink 59 ± 3
    Rice Crackers/Chips 87 ± 2
    Popcorn 65 ± 5
    Fructose 15 ± 4
    Sucrose 65 ± 4
    Glucose 103 ± 3
    Honey 61 ± 3
    Corn Chips 74 n/a
    Pizza, Cheese 70 n/a
    Gatorade (Pepsico) 89 ± 12
    Coca-Cola 63 ± 0
    Lean Cuisine (average- Nestle) 46 ± 8
    Hamburger (McDonalds) 66 ± 8
    Chicken McNuggets (McDonalds) 55 ± 6
    Ice Cream 51 ± 3
    Gelato 38 ± 5
    Lifesavers – Nestle, Peppermint 70 ± 6
    Milky Way (Mars) 62 ± 8
    Snickers (Mars) 51 ± 0
    Agave Syrup (high fructose) 13 ± 0
    Hummus 6 ± 4

    The rest of the table, Parts I + II:


    Notes:

    GI Index values do not tell you the whole story! Blood sugar can be effected by factors like which foods you eat together, how long ago your last meal was, etc.

    Additionally, food high in fructose register very low in their glycemic index. This occurs because fructose takes a special metabolic detour in your body, straight to the liver – and only the liver deals with fructose. This general idea is one of the major theories behind the rise in insulin resistance and diabetes across America. Beware of all sugary foods (minus produce – apples arent going to kill you).

    Sources:

    • Atkinson FS, et al. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values: 2008. Diabetes Care. 2008 Dec;31(12):2281-3.
    • Chart from the study

    Version 1.0 – (2009.06.07)

  • Brain Food: Nuts! (Part 1)

    Brain Food: Nuts! (Part 1)

    Many supplement pills or health foods claim to boost brain power – all you have to do is pay an arm and a leg for their product. The advertising divisions are counting on the fact that consumers don’t really know what’s in their foods or what compounds are the ones that boost their brains. And, since everyone wants a mental edge, whether it be for work or school, many people fall victim to clever marketing and outrageous ad claims. But, luckily, you read Nutrition Wonderland – so you know that you don’t have to pay some corporation for good nutrition. If you want some healthy brain-boosters, all you have to do is take a trip to the grocery store.

     

    Squirrel nuts away like this guy, thanks to flickr user Noël Zia Lee

    Many foods are packed with compounds that help boost memory, concentration, motor skills, and mental clarity. Some even have shown to help prevent brain degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Most importantly, all these brain super-foods can be found at a supermarket – you just have to know what to look for! Here are some easy items from the nut family you can add to your diet to get the most out of your mental muscle without breaking the bank.

    Go Nuts

    All kinds of nuts have been shown to be great brain boosters. The main reason nuts and seeds are so good for our minds is that they’re chock full of Vitamin E, particularly almonds and hazelnuts. “Vitamin E” is not actually one specific compound – it’s the collective name for a group of fat-soluble compounds with distinctive antioxidant activities. Antioxidants are the compounds which protect our bodies from damaging themselves, allowing cells to function better and stay healthier longer. It’s said that Vitamin E, compared with other antioxidants, are the ones which most readily enter cells, and thus are effective at low doses.

    The Hazelnut – your source for Vitamin E

    Vitamin E has been linked to all kinds of great protective effects in the brain, from preventing disease to improving brain power. One study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that supplemental dietary vitamin E delayed the progression of the Alzheimer’s. Another study found that Vitamin E and C together protected older Japanese men from dementia and improved their overall cognitive function. Of course, nuts aren’t the only foods with Vitamin E. You’ll find quite a bit of it in:

    • broccoli
    • kiwi
    • avocados
    • spinach
    • vegetable oils
    • whole grain foods

    Nuts also have more to offer than just Vitamin E. Walnuts, for example, have been found to be a great brain food, but they don’t have a whole lot of Vitamin E. Instead, they’re packed with Omega 3 fatty acids – the same compounds found in high concentrations in intelligence-boosting fish. Over 2,000 scientific studies  demonstrate the incredible range of problems associated with a lack of Omega 3s – of which walnuts and fish are pretty much our only common dietary sources – and even still scientists estimate that 60% of Americans have diets that are deficient in Omega 3 fatty acids, and about 20% of Americans so low on these key lipids that blood tests won’t even detect Omega 3s in their blood.

    The brain is complicated – so check out how it works to understand why you need to feed it correctly:

    You have to understand – the brain is 60% fat. You need fats to keep the brain functioning and working well, and not all fats are created equal. Fill yourself with junk food and your brain will consist of more junk fat. For the mind, the best are those Omega 3 fatty acids found in walnuts and fish. These fats end up in the nerve cell membranes and work to make them more fluid, which allows them to be more responsive to cellular signals and make them more efficient at sharing and receiving information. One study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, found that a diet which includes 1 ounce of walnuts a day (7-9 of them) can improve balance, coordination and spatial memory – at least in rats.

    Nuts and Neurotransmitters

    Walnuts also contain phosphatidylcholines, a group of lipids which are major components of membranes and can be cut to give choline, a key part of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which helps speed up the signal transmission between brain cells, allowing your brain to process and store information much faster.

    Peanuts and pecans are also packed with choline. Other nuts and seeds, like pumpkin and sunflower seeds, contain high levels of tryptophan, an amino acid key to making seratonin. Sunflower seeds are also particularly great because they have high levels of thiamine, a B vitamin important for memory and overall brain power.

    Here is a great little video to help show you whats going on in your brain (you want to help this electrical storm out!):

    Almonds, part of the solution

    Almonds contain phenylalanine, which unlike other compounds crosses the blood-brain barrier easily, and has been shown to alleviate Parkinson’s Disease and boost the neurotransmitters dopamine and adrenaline. Dopamine levels are important for good memory, attention, and problem solving skills, and adrenaline is linked to focus and attention as well as energy. Cashews have magnesium, which helps dilate the blood vessels in our bodies allowing more oxygenated blood to nourish our neurons. In general, just about every nut has a brain-boosting effect outside the generally high Vitamin E levels.

    Keep in mind, though, that nuts, while chock full of goodies, are also high in calories – so don’t overdo them. Also, you can have too much of a good thing: some of the studies which looked at nut doses found that really high doses actually impaired the brain, whereas moderate doses improved it. So sticking with a couple ounces of nuts and seeds a day as a snack is probably better than replacing an entire meal with them.

    This article is the first part of a two part series on Brain Food – you may find the next article on berries and greens helpful.

    References:

    1. Sano M, Ernesto C, Thomas RG, Klauber MR, Schafer K, Grundman M, Woodbury P, Growdon J, Cotman CW, Pfeiffer E, Schneider LS, & Thal LJ (1997). A controlled trial of selegiline, alpha-tocopherol, or both as treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. The Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study. The New England journal of medicine, 336 (17), 1216-22 PMID: 9110909
    2. Masaki KH, Losonczy KG, Izmirlian G, Foley DJ, Ross GW, Petrovitch H, Havlik R, & White LR (2000). Association of vitamin E and C supplement use with cognitive function and dementia in elderly men. Neurology, 54 (6), 1265-72 PMID: 10746596
    3. Willis, L., Shukitt-Hale, B., Cheng, V., & Joseph, J. (2008). Dose-dependent effects of walnuts on motor and cognitive function in aged rats British Journal of Nutrition, 101 (08) DOI: 10.1017/S0007114508059369
  • Mailbag: Is milk good for me? Sheep Milk?

    Mailbag: Is milk good for me? Sheep Milk?

    How good is milk for me?  In particular, how good is sheep milk of the Spanish Manchego variety?

    Jessica, Washington DC

    Dairy Up Close

    Pretty healthy, in moderation – thanks to flickr user: redfishid

    These are excellent questions.  Most dairy products have great nutritional profiles.  They are loaded with good fats, minerals like the antioxidant selenium and vitamins like vitamin D, crucial to good bone health.  The USDA inspects the behind most food stuffs, including sheep’s milk (which you can see here), search for sheep milk), but not the Manchego variety in particular.  More than a particular species like Manchego Sheep, proper animal husbandry translates into better nutrition in the animals’ finished products, as we have seen in previously – especially in the fat profile.  Look for pasture raised milk as these animals generally eat the best food.  You may have to get very creative to find it.  Local food co-ops are your best bet.

    Watch this video to better understand what proper animal care really means for your health:

    Nutritionally though, things get more complex.  Most people eat dairy because they think its high in calcium.  What they dont know is that calcium can only be absorbed into the body when its eaten with vitamin D and phosphorus.  You could eat 100 pounds of cheese and, if you didn’t have any phosphorus or vitamin D, none of the calcium would be absorbed into your bones.

    The Calcium Phosphorus Connection

    Fortunately, these nutrients usually occur together, although in variable amounts.  The calcium in dairy products if any kind can best be tolerated by the body when the balance of calcium and phosphorus are closest to that of human mother’s breast milk, which is 2:1 calcium to phosphorus.  This ratio is far higher than the calcium and phosphorus ratio present in the milk from most other mammals, like cow’s milk (~1.3:1), goat’s milk (~1.2:1) and sheep’s milk (~1.2:1).  [1,2].  (Remember, these numbers are just averages and could range wildly depending on what the cow is eating or what kind of soil your crops are in, something the USDA never considers.)

    A German study postulates that the evolutionary advantage of the lower phosphoric content in humans allowed their excrement to remain exceptionally acidic, thereby killing additional pathogens that could harm humans many thousands of years ago.  This also made humans exceptionally good at extracting phosphorus from food sources, which can be both good and bad.

     

    Yes, he is.

    Westernized diets are extremely tilted towards phosphoric foods like corn (.08:1 ratio) and chicken (.09:1 ratio), which have over 10X more phosphorus than calcium!   You can quickly see why our evolutionary advantage turns into a disadvantage: calcium deficiencies and osteoporosis are such a big issue now largely because we are getting excessive amounts of phosphorus and too little calcium from sources we cannot properly use.  This is one large reason to limit the amount of dairy, including sheep’s milk, that you are eating in general, and replace it with leafy greens like spinach – which tend towards the magic 2:1 calcium phosphorus ratio.  (Leafy greens are probably where most cultures got their dairy, as hard as the ‘Got Milk’ campaign has made that may be for you to believe.)

    Lactose

    Another problem with dairy, including sheep’s milk, is that most humans rarely ate large quantities of dairy until the 20th century.  This leaves much of the world’s population unable to process the milk protein lactose, with some Asian and African ethnic groups over 90% lactose intolerant to some degree.  Below is a chart of the average lactose intolerance across some racial groups put out by UC Davis:

    Lactose Intolerance by ethnicity
    Race, Ethnicity, Country of Origin Percentage
    Southeast Asians 98%
    Asian Americans 90%
    Alaskan Eskimo 80%
    African-American Adults 79%
    Mexicans (rural communities) 74%
    North American Jews 69%
    Greek Cypriots 66%
    Cretans 56%
    Mexican American Males 55%
    Indian Adults 50%
    African American Children 45%
    Indian Children 20%
    Descendents of Northern Europe 5%

    Unless you are from Northern Europe, you are likely to have problem with dairy in general.  You may not think you are lactose intolerant because your body has built an immunity towards it but take a break from dairy for a couple of weeks and then revisit the subject.  You may be surprised by what you find.

    Lactose Intolerance by Country (via Wikipedia) – click on picture for full-size version

    Many people enjoy dairy despite lactose intolerance, you just have to be smart about it.  Although accurate lactose analysis methodology is not uniformly performed by the USDA, it is widely held that milk has the highest lactose content of any dairy product.  Try raw milk cheeses like swiss and cheddar, as cheese has less lactose than milk and raw varieties will have digestive enzymes which may aid digestion.

    Making Sense of Dairy

    Taking all this information together, it makes sense to eat dairy only in small amounts.  You should aim to get most of your calcium from leafy greens as it is far easier to digest and helps restore the delicate balance between calcium and phosphorus in your body.  It also makes sense to consider your ethnic background when eating sheep’s milk or any kind of dairy.  If you are asian, african, latino or jewish you should probably avoid all dairy with high amounts of lactose like pasteurized milk.  Raw milk, with its extra digestive enzymes might help but your mileage may vary.  Limited amounts of cheese, like feta, goat, swiss and cheddar are probably the best bet for most people who still want to enjoy dairy products from time to time.

    Sources:

    USDA Chart with Phosphorus and Calcium Ratios:
    http://www.answers.com/topic/phosphorus-and-calcium

    USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory:
    http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

    Ethnic Lactose Intolerance:
    NCMHC Center for Nutritional Genomics (UC Davis)

  • Food Safety – The US Policy Dimensions of HR 875 and HR 759

    Food Safety – The US Policy Dimensions of HR 875 and HR 759

    ith the recent spat of recalls surrounding pistachios and peanut butter in the US, there has been a large response from the public to better safeguard the food supply. Industry is also starting to warm up to the idea because the cost of recalls are enormous. Food lawyer Bill Marler puts the cost of just the peanut recall alone at $1 billion dollars.

    The cries for change come amid another small scale outbreak observed in April 2009 regarding alfalfa sprouts in the NE US (follow the link for more information from the FDA).

    With all this tainted food floating around the food supply, the US congress says it wants change. The first step towards change has been the now familiar hearing between corporate officers and a Congressional subcommittee. You can see some of the testimony about the salmonella outbreak in peanuts here:

    Out of these meetings has come different ways to address the public’s concerns. Here we review some of the options currently being discussed against the wisdom of some leading food safety professionals.

    HR 875

    The most hyped up pronouncement from Congress has been HR 875. Introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn), the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009 is a response to all the food safety crises that have happened in the first part of this year. The bill has gotten a lot of press in the last couple weeks and most of it has been negative.

    Red State – Blue State, together on HR 875

    All political ideologies seem to be enraged by this bill. The far left sustainable agriculture crowd is noticeably upset that the bill lumps together factory farming operations with local agriculture, making everyone submit to the same rule set. The far right group Reason asks about HR875′s impact on the ability to farm for yourself. This bill was also prominently featured in many of the politically right ‘Tea Parties‘ that happened on tax day.

    Both sides seem to focus on just one provision in the legislation – Section 3, Article 14, where a food production facility is defined so broadly as to encompass everything from a dairy farm to your mother’s backyard. From the bill:

    “(14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term ‘food production facility’ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation.”

    DeLauro came on the Huffington Post to defend her motives and dissuade some of this bad press, claiming the far right was responsible for a disinformation campaign. She essentially argues all these fears are bogus because the commerce clause of the US constitution – the one that allows the US congress to regulate trade in the first place – only applies to interstate trade, not hyper-local farms and neighborhood gardens. (Unfortunately, that strict constructionalist view of the constitution has not been upheld by the Supreme Court, so DeLauro, et al. would need to formally make a provision for them in the legislation to get passed this political impasse.)

    The senator also posted a rebuttal to all this criticism on her own website. You can view it here:

    A Way Forward?

    Once you get beyond the political dimension, the big takeaway from HR 875 is that it would split the FDA into two new government agencies. A ‘Food Safety Administration‘ would be formed inside of the existing Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and be in charge of all things food while the FDA would largely turn into a ‘Drug Administration‘ with each new agency holding exclusive sway over their own fiefdoms. This is radical departure from the current system which uses a patchwork of provisions in many agencies across the government.

    This dual agency approach is largely applauded by the farming activist circuit, despite all the bad press this bill has gotten. Food and Water Watch tentatively agree with the position and so do the Trust for America’s Health + Robert Wood Johnson Foundation but problems still remain with this approach.

    Many food safety functions are carried out by the USDA and since HR 875 only addresses the FDA, most meat products (beef, fish, chicken, etc) would languish inside of our old system. Not to mention, the local dimension to food safety remains noticeably absent in HR 875, as no specific provisions for that group are included.

    H.R. 759

    The other major bill before Congress is H.R. 759, The Food and Drug Administration Globalization Act of 2009. This is a different approach at fixing food safety by modifying the FDA extensively, giving the agency far more authority to conduct inspections and take action based on what it finds while keeping it intact. But, in an even deeper blow to local farming, the rules of HR 759 apply generally to all size farms and restaurants, which obviously tips in favor of large-scale farming. Even worse, the FDA’s increased surveillance costs are shouldered by the very farmers they are evaluating. Parts of the bill get extremely complicated in how these fees are determined but here is a sample from the top section:

    SEC. 741. FACILITY REGISTRATION FEE.

    ‘(a) In General- The Secretary shall assess and collect a fee for a facility registration under section 415 to defray increases (as described in subsection (f)(2)(A)(ii)) in the costs of inspecting establishments registered under section 415 and for related activities to ensure compliance by such establishments with the requirements of this Act relating to food (including increases in such costs for management of information, and the acquisition, maintenance, and repair of information technology resources).

    Some of the language is so vague that local farmers might have reason to be concerned. These fees very wildly depending on what kind of an operation each farm and restaurant turn out to be; later in the bill it explains how these fees scale – a process that will likely see great change in the sausage maker of Capitol Hill. Additional costs from this bill are also substantial inside each farm and restaurant, as it extends electronic bookkeeping to these establishments for the first time.

    Money, money, money

    In this bill’s implementation, all of these fees are heavily tilted toward industrialized, large scale agriculture. These fees will likely be a far lower percentage of their gross income; think of these fee provisions as regressive farm taxes. With closer inspection, HR 759 looks far more dangerous to local farming than HR 875 – and because it takes a more pragmatic approach to revising the FDA, Food and Water Watch thinks it has a much better chance of passing.

    Other Dimensions

    Leading researchers from The George Washington University take a different path than any of these bills. They advocate for a similar system to HR 875 (link is a long read) but even more extensive, pulling departments from other agencies like the CDC and the USDA into the fold. They still concentrate food safety into the HHS department in their excellent position paper. Here are some of the major ideas from the paper:

    “Congress should direct the Secretary of HHS to create, in collaboration with the states, a National Foodborne Illness Data Program.”
    “Congress should establish and fund an intergovernmental Food Safety Leadership Council
    (FSLC) through which the federal government would collaborate with state and local
    governments to design and implement an integrated national food safety system”
    “Congress should establish traceability requirements that permit federal, state, and local officials to rapidly obtain from food companies reliable information on the source of commodities, ingredients, and finished products.”

    The way they advocate for local involvement is far different from any federal approach, and it appears to be based on good research evaluating how the system currently works in the real world.

    What’s Next?

    Connecting a new food safety system to existing local agencies appears to be a crucial step most of the currently pending approaches before the Congress fail to address. Most recalls start on a local level so those stations need to be able to coordinate a response with federal officials, especially considering just how global the food supply is now. Other best practices safety implementations like the HACCP system Marion Nestle passionately supports need to be incorporated into whatever final legislation is adopted.

    Who is in charge of me?

    There is also the question of how phytochemical plant-based supplements/drugs would fall in this dichotomy. Right now, the FDA regulates food supplements very loosely, while putting many screws to any drug that claims to treat or prevent a disease. A semantic tip-toe has existed within these fields for years; the main difference between drugs and supplements is that supplements are directly sourced from food and herbs while drugs are proprietary creations from pharmaceutical companies. While there is already a supplement regulation act (however flawed it is), an expanded FDA or revised dual-headed Food Agency/Drug Agency setup could seriously change how we view this category of products – and it is a huge industry now. This issue could get very contentious.

    One thing is clear though – our current food safety system is not working. We need something better and if you read our last piece on food safety, you know many interested parties have been advocating for just such an overhaul for more than 20 years. Now is clearly the time as the public is finally focused on the issue. Many good ideas are floating around but just as many bad ones are as well. Let’s hope Congress is listening to the roar on the internet from HR 875 and they include protections for small scale agriculture.

  • Are Raw Veggies Better Than Cooked Ones?

    Are Raw Veggies Better Than Cooked Ones?

    You’ve probably heard that it’s better to eat vegetables raw, nutritionally, than it is to cook them. The argument is that cooking vegetables destroys the vitamins and nutrients that are packed into raw foods. But is that really true? Are you destroying all the good stuff whenever you make a stir fry? Research says no. Cooked vegetables can be just as nutritious as raw ones are – and some are even more nutritious than their uncooked rivals.

    How Science Weighs in

    Be careful with me!

    There are definitely some vitamins and nutrients that are vulnerable to heating. Vitamin C is a great example. Heating tomatoes for 2 minutes can reduce the Vitamin C levels by 10%, loss which triples after half an hour 1. Of course, that means at least 70% of the Vitamin C is still in there. And when we’re talking about vegetables, we’re not just talking one nutrient. We have to look at the overall impact cooking has on a variety of nutrients. Evidence has found that cooking vegetables, particularly boiling them, can actually make them better for you.

    Why is cooking good?

    For one, it helps break down the tough compounds in plants that our body has trouble digesting like cellulose. By doing so, it actually makes nutrients more available to our digestive system. The same study which found a decrease in Vitamin C in tomatoes found an increase in the antioxidant lycopene, a much rarer nutrient which is linked to anti-cancerous activity and reduced risk of heart attacks. And in another study, researchers found that people an all-raw diet had low levels of lycopene 2. It’s likely that breaking down the plant cell walls made the lycopene more bioavailable.

    I’m more nutritious when cooked!

    Studies have also suggested that cooking actually boosts the antioxidant content of vegetables. One found that the total antioxidant capacities actually increased when a variety of vegetables were cooked by boiling, frying and steaming3. It’s well established that cooking can increase beta-carotene levels, a nutrient which we use to make Vitamin A4. Studies have also found that we only absorb 1-2% of the beta-carotene in vegetables like carrots, but cooking can raise the level we can absorb to over 75% 5. And while cooking Broccoli might damage the sulforophane, a nutrient linked to anti-cancerous activity, it increases the folate availability 6

    Other studies are less clear. One found that what you cooked and how mattered a lot. Deep frying increased the antioxidants in potatoes, artichokes and aubergine but reduced it for mushrooms and onions 7. In that same study, boiling increased antioxidants across the board but pan-frying reduced them. So different cooking methods can have different effects on different vegetables, some negative and some positive.

    So is it better to cook vegetables?

    Yes and no. It’s better to have a good mix of raw and cooked veggies in your diet. That way you get the best of both worlds. The key thing is not to presume that cooked vegetables are nutritionally poor, because they’re not. They’re also packed with vitamins and minerals, and some of them you can’t get as easily by eating the uncooked versions. Most important, though, is that you’re eating lots of fruits and vegetables to begin with. So if you don’t like to eat certain vegetables raw, cook them – it’s better you eat them cooked than not eat them at all, no matter how many of the nutrients cooking might destroy. And it doesn’t really matter whether you cook them or not if you’re eating your full servings greens, reds, and yellows every day. You’ll get the nutrients you need either way!

    Sources:

    1. Dewanto, V. et al. (2002). “Thermal Processing Enhances the Nutritional Value of Tomatoes by Increasing Total Antioxidant Activity.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50(10), 3010-3014.

    2. Garcia, A.L., et al. (2008). “Long-term strict raw food diet is associated with favourable plasma β-carotene and low plasma lycopene concentrations in Germans.” British Journal of Nutrition 99, 1293-1300.

    3. Miglio, C., et al. (2008). “Effects of Different Cooking Methods on Nutritional and Physicochemical Characteristics of Selected Vegetables” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56(1), 139-147.

    4. Talcott, S. T., L. R. Howard, and C. H. Brenes (2000). “Antioxidant Changes and Sensory Properties of Carrot Puree Processed with and without Periderm Tissue.” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 48(4), 1315-1321.

    5. Erdman, et al. (1993). “Absorption and transport of carotenoids.” Annual NY Academy of Sciences 691, 76-85.

    6. Clifford A.J., et al. (1990). “Bioavailability of folates in selected foods incorporated into amino acid-based diets fed to rats.” Journal of Nutrition 120(12), 1640-1647.

    7. Pellegrini, N. et al. (2009). “Effect of domestic cooking methods on the total antioxidant capacity of vegetables.” International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Retrieved March 31, 2009, from http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/09637480802175212.