Cooking Schools Guide: Nutrition Resources
Most people know without a doubt that fruits and vegetables are better for them than steak or fast food, but what many are confused about is which vegetables and fruits are really the best. They are not all equally healthy. Bananas have a lot of sugar and are lower in vitamins and nutrients than winter squash or carrots. Iceberg lettuce and green beans don’t hold a candle to spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. There is another factor in choosing your veggies: chemicals. Many fruits and vegetables have pesticide residue on them, but some are worse than others. Before you plan your next menu, read through this guide and think about making some substitutions.
Three Foods with Super-Powers
Tomatoes are the lycopene giant. This phytonutrient helps to prevent many forms of cancer, damage to cells and heart disease, and they promote cardiovascular, colon, prostate and pancreatic, dental, bone, skin and hair health. Tomatoes are also rich in Vitamins C, B6 and A, niacin, potassium and folate. The major thing to be aware of with tomatoes is the container they come in if you don’t buy them fresh, and how you store them. Because of their high acidity levels, tomatoes break down plastics, including the lining on the insides of metal cans, which has synthetic estrogen in it and which has been linked to reproductive problems, heart disease and diabetes. So, if you buy tomato paste or sauce, or other forms of processed tomato, try to get them in a glass jar. In their natural form, though, tomatoes are among the most beneficial fruits you can eat for your health and well-being.
Mangoes are also excellent sources of vitamins and nutrients, and they contain lots of dietary fiber. These tropical fruits promote a healthy immune system and collagen formation, vision and bone growth. An added benefit is they are among the lowest pesticide residue-containing fruits and vegetables (listed below). They are also versatile: you can cook them as vegetables if you buy them before they are fully ripened.
Garlic has anti-viral, antibiotic and anti-fungal properties from allicin and diallyl sulphides, which makes it great for fighting off a range of illnesses and ailments from the flu to athlete’s foot to herpes outbreaks. The stronger-tasting the clove, the more potential for health benefits. This is because it gets its flavor from sulfurous compounds. Think of the possibilities: toothache is caused by bacterial growth which garlic relieves, acne is also cause by bacteria and is also helped by garlic. Garlic is a powerful antioxidant, too, fighting off cell damage from free radicals. Always chop or crush your garlic before cooking it, as this is what releases the medicinal properties.
Pesticides
Extensive use of pesticides both with our domestic products and those imported from abroad warrants a special section. While you still need the nutrition from these fruits and veggies, you might want to consider buying organic for the foods with the most pesticide residue found on and in them, or wash them very, very well. The worst offenders are:
- apples
- celery
- strawberries
- peaches & nectarines
- spinach
- grapes
- bell peppers
- potatoes
- blueberries
- lettuce, collard greens & kale
These, on the other hand, are among the lowest in pesticide residue, even in non-organics.
- onions
- pineapple
- avocado
- asparagus
- mango
- aubergine (eggplant)
- kiwi
- cabbage
- watermelon
- sweet potatoes
- grapefruit
- mushrooms
Protein Misinformation and the China Study
This study is the most comprehensive ever on protein. The culmination of 20 years of research on diet, nutrition and disease, in a partnership between Cornell and Oxford Universities and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, this study produced over 8,000 statistically significant links between dietary factors and disease. Among the most noteworthy was an unexpected link between protein and heart disease, diabetes and cancer. You probably know a lot of people, and you yourself may be one of them, who eat significant amounts of protein on a daily basis. While protein is very important for our bodies as it is a building block of muscle, bone, cartilage, hair skin and blood, eating too much protein (and ‘too much’ may be less than you think) can have drastically negative results. Type II diabetes is on the rise in children and the China Study (among others) shows how too much protein can cause your body to build up ketones, which will push the kidneys into overdrive to flush them out, sometimes leading to dehydration. The RDA recommendation for protein is roughly 15% of your caloric intake, but studies show increased risks when intake increases to over 5%. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, the average daily intake is about 16%; more than double the amount required. Here are some of this risks associated with high-protein diet, especially when the majority of intake is from animal protein:
Osteoporosis – too much protein can result in loss of calcium making bones more brittle and fragile. Plant-based diets have been shown to fight osteoporosis and bone loss.
Cancer – Many studies have shown that a diet high in animal-based protein carries a greatly increased risk of just about every kind of cancer.
Kidney Problems – There is a correlation between the amount of animal-based foods a person eats and the risk of kidney problems including failure, kidney stones and impairment of normal functioning.
Diabetes – Vegetable protein appears to be guilt-free here, but animal protein has been linked to increased risk of Type II diabetes in a study of over 38,000 Dutch participants by the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition. They found that for every 5% increase in animal-based protein, the risk for developing diabetes went up 30%. The reason for this is that branched-chain amino acids, which are abundant in animal protein, reduce insulin resistance.
As stated earlier, you do need protein in your diet, but do resist the urge to eat meat at every meal.
Further Reading and Education Resources
Nutrition and You – nutrition facts for the foods you eat, or should be eating.
Nutrition Data – one of the most comprehensive guides to nutritional information for nearly any food. It also lets you analyze recipes.
A nutrition guide from the Mayo Clinic.
The Harvard School of Public Health’s food pyramid and information for nutrition and healthy eating.
Nutrition Action’s 10 Best and 10 Worst foods you could possibly eat, from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The China Study
Protein Controversies in Diabetes
U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s guide to understanding and using Nutritional Labels
Fast Food Facts
The Anti-Fast Food Diet
Healthy Eating Tips for Teens
