All Healthy Persons Are Alike
The building blocks, fats, proteins, and sugar, are the primary “macronutrients” that cells require. In organisms, these cells are held in place by an outer matrix of sugars and proteins that become solidified in bones and teeth.
The reason why the composition of breast milk is relatively consistent across all mammalian species is because even cow’s milk is not vastly different from that of lions, or human milk.
Humans have more complex nutritional demands than other mammals because of their better developed brains which necessitate increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids and glucose for proper energy production.
But bigger brains only alter the required nutrients slightly: contrasted with other mammals, 10-15% of energy as glucose and 1% of energy as omega-3 fats give appropriate sustenance for humanity, which is much more than enough.
Why do the diets of animals vary if their nutrient requirements are all the same? Why don’t lions sup with lambs?
It appears that the distinction among animals lies in the makeup of the digestive system. Organisms have adapted their digestive tracts and livers to turn different types of food into the same essential nutrients that all species require.
Herbivores have organs in the front of their digestive tract, like a rumen, or chambers in the back that aid in fermenting sugars and carbohydrates, which then get converted into fats and volatile acids that can be used to create more fat. Carnivorous animals possess livers that can convert protein into both glucose and fat.
When we investigate what kinds of nutrients actually make it to the body after passing through the gastrointestinal system, we can see that all mammals obtain quite a comparable assortment of nutrients. Mammals usually consume 50-75% of their caloric intake in the form of saturated and monounsaturated fats, along with a mix of carbs and protein totaling about 25-40%, and a smaller percentage (less than 10%) in polyunsaturated fats.
We should anticipate that the same pattern of distinct diets due to differences in digestive systems will be seen among humans as well. All humans require the same essential nutrients, but the best food sources for anyone may differ if our digestive systems are different.
It appears that different human populations have dissimilar digestive tract structures. Colons that are extended enable a larger amount of fermentation of vegetable fiber, nevertheless, this does not make a remarkable difference in the ratios of macronutrients in the diet. In every culture, the ideal human diet is likely not to deviate more than 5% in any nutritional component in terms of energy content.
Everyone who is in good health should eat a similar type of diet that meets their body’s nutritional needs.
Each Unhealthy Person is Unhealthy in His Own Way
What are the causes of ill health? It is our opinion that malnutrition, toxic substances, and infectious microorganisms are the three primary origins of the problem.
It is possible for lack of multiple essential nutrients—such as vitamins, minerals, and biological compounds—to negatively affect one’s health.
Around several grams in total, roughly thousands of toxins are ingested by human beings in a day. As demonstrated by Bruce Ames and Lois Gold, plants contain an abundance of natural toxins, and food storing and cooking leads to the production of more.
We are constantly surrounded by bacteria; there are most likely hundreds of disease-causing organisms that are capable of infecting humans.
It’s obvious to anybody that there are numerous levels at which malnutrition, contamination, and disease can develop. There are an abundance of reasons why people might become ill, so it is not unexpected that the symptoms of these diseases can be very different.
There are more potential causes for disease than there are people on the planet. To a first approximation, every disease is unique.
The ideal diet will vary, depending on the specific combination of factors.
Individuals who are not adequately nourished will take advantage of consuming additional nourishment that is lacking, and potentially less of those that can offset the imbalance – for instance, lessening zinc consumption may be of assistance to someone who is deficient in copper, or lessening omega-6 fats can be beneficial for someone who has a lack of omega-3.
Those who come into contact with toxins may gain an advantage from taking additional amounts of nutrients that help with the metabolization of toxins. Individuals experiencing illnesses may take advantage of dietary plans that deprive germs of the nutrients it needs, or nourish the immune system.
Individuals with digestive imbalances may be assisted by taking out or cutting back on categories of food such as starches, fructose, FODMAPs, fiber, and even protein.
Infections can have a huge effect on choosing the most beneficial diet. Diets that deny the brain glucose but instead offer it fatty molecules have been determined to be exceptionally helpful with bacterial infections affecting the central nervous system, as bacteria need glucose for their metabolism.
Nonetheless, hepatitis B and C infections can manipulate gluconeogenesis – the production of glucose from proteins – to their advantage, so individuals suffering from this illness may benefit from consuming higher levels of carbohydrates.
Other pathologies disrupt the ability to handle certain nutrients. Diabetics tend to find benefit in low-carb diets since their condition includes an inability to produce insulin.
Migraines, similar to epilepsy, can be the result of genetic or other problems with the brain’s use of glucose, which can often be remedied with a ketogenic diet – something a few of our readers have found out for themselves.
With ill health, the optimal diet often changes. People who are unwell may need to alter their diet, and the extent of the modifications depends upon the illness.
Diet and Nutrition are Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tools
Due to this, diet and nutrition have a vital role to play in any doctor’s toolkit. The reaction of a person suffering from illness to dietary adjustments can provide significant insight into the cause of the sickness.
An example is that ketogenic diets are beneficial in treating bacterial and viral illnesses, yet they can sustain protozoa, fungi, and worms (which contain mitochondria and can process ketones). Reacting to a ketogenic diet can uncover the character of a contagious pathogen.
Any medical issue which stops the use of glucose as energy will deprive neurons, thus causing mental and neurological distress. The distress can be eased by supplying ketones instead.
A carefully constructed, nutrient-rich ketogenic diet can often improve mental health and neurological conditions.
It is possible to use dietary strategies to stave off and combat illness. An example of this would be that fasting increases autophagy, the process by which cells recycle damaged or unnecessary components.
Autophagy is a central piece of the natural immune system; it is the way cells obliterate foreign microbes. Regularly engaging in intermittent fasting can aid in warding off illnesses, and can be a valuable tool if dealing with an intracellular infection as abstaining from food can be a beneficial approach.
The Perfect Diet: Quality Counts
- Dietary guidelines have changed over the years as research becomes more accurate in determining what we should eat to attain optimal health and weight. The strongest evidence to date shows that calories matter, but focusing on food quality is an equally important part of preventing weight gain and promoting weight loss.
- Focus on eating high-quality foods in appropriately sized portions.
Consider Quality, Not Just Calories
The phrase “A calorie is a calorie” has been used frequently in the context of diet and nutrition, and it is certainly essential to practice restraint when it comes to food consumption.
Rather than concentrating solely on calories, recent studies suggest that quality is essential for deciding what food we should eat and not eat in order to maintain a healthy weight.
Rather than focusing on quantity, it is better to pick nutritious, high-quality foods and reduce low-quality selections.
- High-quality foods include unrefined, minimally processed foods such as vegetables and fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and healthy sources of protein – the foods recommended in the Healthy Eating Plate.
- Lower-quality foods include highly processed snack foods, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined (white) grains, refined sugar, fried foods, foods high in saturated and trans fats, and high-glycemic foods such as potatoes.
No single dietary plan suits every single person due to varying genetic makeup and lifestyle choices.
Quality Counts
Research was conducted to determine if there were specific foods that were more or less capable of causing weight gain.
This inquiry into certain eats and drinks allows us to figure out if “every calorie counts the same,” or if decreasing lower-grade foods and increasing better-quality foods may help with dropping and maintaining weight.
Experts in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health have discovered that the quality of food is highly crucial in helping us keep up a healthy weight and the concept of “a calorie is a calorie” does not give the complete explanation.
- In a study of over 120,000 healthy women and men spanning 20 years, researchers determined that weight change was most strongly associated with the intake of potato chips, potatoes, sugar-sweetened beverages, and both processed and unprocessed red meats. The researchers concluded that consumption of processed foods higher in starches, refined grains, fats, and sugars can increase weight gain.
- Foods shown to be associated with weight loss were vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, and yogurt.
- Researchers did not discount the importance of calories, instead suggesting that choosing high-quality foods (and decreasing consumption of lower-quality foods) is an important factor in helping individuals consume fewer calories.
Take a look at the Harvard School of Public Health statement regarding how alterations in particular dietary components may have a considerable effect on long-term weight gain: Just focusing on the advice of “consuming less and exercising more” may not be enough.
Managing Macronutrients
There has been an increase in macronutrient-based diets in recent times, such as low-fat and low-carbohydrate. As such, it is now common to discuss the major macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, and fats – when talking about the best type of diet.
Scientists are studying different “macronutrient management”-style diets against each other to determine which one works better; however, there is not much evidence to support any of those conclusions yet.
The purpose of this twelve month study was to review the impact of different diet plans on pre-menopausal overweight of obese women. There were over 300 participants randomly given one of four possible dietary plans; Atkins (very low-carb), Zone (low-carb), LEARN (high-carb), or Ornish (very high-carb).
- After one year, weight loss was greater for women in the Atkins diet group compared with the other diet groups.
- This study also examined secondary outcomes focused on metabolic effects (such as cholesterol, body fat percentage, glucose levels and blood pressure), and found that those for the Atkins group were comparable with or more favorable than the other diet groups.
- There was no significant difference in weight loss among the other three diets (Zone, LEARN, and Ornish).
- This study does raise questions about about long-term effects and mechanisms, but the researchers concluded that a low-carbohydrate, high-protein, high-fat diet may be considered a feasible recommendation for weight loss.
A different research project, which appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, found results that presented nearly equivalent average weight loss in people given all four dietary plans, in contradiction to the previously mentioned research.
- The study followed 800 people over 2 years, assigning subjects to one of four diets: Low-fat and average-protein, low-fat and high-protein, high-fat and average-protein, and high-fat and high protein.
- Researchers concluded that all of the diets resulted in meaningful weight loss, despite the differences in macronutrient composition.
- The study also found that the more group counseling sessions participants attended, the more weight they lost, and the less weight they regained. This supports the idea that not only is what you eat important, but behavioral, psychological, and social factors are important for weight loss as well.
Scientists began by initiating a calorie-restricted diet to cause weight loss, then explored whether protein and glycemic index affected maintenance of the lost weight.
- The study population was made up of nearly 800 overweight adults from European countries who had lost at least 8% of their initial body weight with a low-calorie diet. Participants were then assigned one of five diets to prevent weight regain over a 26-week period: A low-protein and low-glycemic-index diet, a low-protein and high-glycemic-index diet, a high-protein and low-glycemic-index diet, a high-protein and high-glycemic-index diet, or a control diet.
- The low-protein-high-glycemic-index diet was associated with subsequent significant weight regain, and weight regain was less in the groups assigned to a high-protein diet than in those assigned to a low-protein diet, as well as less in the groups assigned to a low-glycemic-index diet than in those assigned to a high-glycemic-index diet.
- These results show that a modest increase in protein content and a modest reduction in the glycemic index led to an improvement in maintenance of weight loss.
