Column #153

I read a lot of peer-reviewed reports involving nutrition and its impact on a wide variety of chronic diseases. The reports are written by accredited scientists in biology, nutrition, medicine, pharmacology, and more. Over the many years I’ve noticed two significant points in the vast majority of reports regarding the diet’s impact on health.

The first point is that nutritional science has not changed very much in the past 50 years. Scientists keep testing theories and the studies performed by others and they tend to come to the same conclusions over and over again. Naturally there have been many refinements and sometimes new breakthroughs. But the bottom line hasn’t shifted very much.

On the other hand the public moves like schools of fish darting in unison from one diet to the next. To date, there are literally hundreds of so-called diets addressing about every conceivable malady. Most have come and gone in popularity with very few persisting like the preponderance of peer-reviewed nutritional research has these past 50 years. Decades ago scientists concluded that the best diet should consist of foods that are: low glycemic, nutritionally dense and diverse, with 1:1 balances of Omega-6 to Omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs). Those attributes are still the bedrock for professional nutritional guidance.

The other observation that scientists are very consistent about is that they do not differentiate between organic foods and those that are not organic. In their studies they talk about specific foods or food groups and assume the chemistry of each food item is uniform over time and volume. I believe that’s because most of the research and reviews regarding the importance of food being organic state that “organic” has no bearing on the overall chemistry of the food (nutrition) nor food safety. Also, each food item has slight differences that average out over time regardless of circumstances.

Why do the same food items differ in chemistry throughout the year? There is a whole host of reasons. Soil conditions can vary from field to field and drastically from state to state. Rainfall, wind, and sunlight also vary. The day of harvest and the ripeness of the crop varies depending on its particular day of harvest. How food is stored varies. In spite of those variances, over time the nutrients average out and will be rather consistent when consumed throughout the year.

Every diet has its high priests (promoters). Most of the many diets are rather ridiculous proving the validity of the old saying that a fool is born every minute. The simplest method for “separating the wheat from the chaff” is to determine if the diet in question has the chemistry of the green leaf at the bottom of the food chain. The green leaf is the foundation food for animal life which is a good place for every diet to start. If a diet seems to focus on a central theme such as blood type, acidity, fruit, low fat, and such then it probably doesn’t hold water.

When it comes to toxins and hormones, plants are loaded with them. It doesn’t matter if they are organic or not, they will have natural toxins and hormones. Organic or not plants will produce their own pesticides that are often stronger than residues from organic and conventional agricultural applications. Additionally, all crops, organic or not, can be contaminated by bacteria. Poisonous plants can even be classified as organic.

These many reasons are why going “beyond organic” is what’s required when addressing the best diet for optimizing health. Going beyond organic recognizes that the combined chemistries of the individual food choices in the diet have far and away the greatest impact on body function. This is the purpose behind food analysis.

Do the foods you eat meet the requirements for being low glycemic, nutritionally dense and diverse, with 1:1 balances of Omega-6 to Omega-3 EFAs?

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don’t miss these links for additional reading:

Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D. Research Reports

Food Analysis: GI, GL, Fat Ratio, Nutrient Load

Compositions of Foods

List of Diets from Wikipedia

What is Organic?

Organic Food: Nutritious Food or Food for Thought? A Review of the Evidence by Faidon Magkos, et al.

Dietary Pesticides (99.99% All Natural)

Nature’s Chemicals and Synthetic Chemicals Comparative Toxicology

Another Crazy Myth: Eat for Your Blood Type by Ted Slanker

Man Is an Extension of the Leafy, Green Plant by Ted Slanker