Evolution of a Modern Diet Flashcards
Articulate the significance of a person’s connection to their body’s innate wisdom and the role of real food in health.
When we are connected to our body’s innate needs for real food we
Feel satiated but not overstuffed
Have balanced energy to last until next meal in 4-5 hours
Don’t leave the meal craving more, even though we feel physical full
Don’t experience sweet cravings at end of meal.
Feel mentally and emotionally balanced.
Don’t experience any digestive discomfort during or following the meal.
Identify key milestones of the modern diet and lifestyle practices and how they affect our health
The 6 key milestones are Agricultural Revolution Introduction of Refined Sugar Industrial Revolution Rise of Big Food Chemical Revolution Digital Revolution
Explain how the corporatisation of farming practices and food production has impacted the nutrient content in food.
Fruits and vegetables contain fewer nutrients (b/c soil depleted from overuse) and more harmful substances (e.g. pesticides and fertilizers).
Prioritizing growth rate and production over nutrition effects the nutrient content of animal-based foods.
Weston A Price
They contained no refined or denatured foods
They all used some type of animal products, with some consumed raw.
Dr. Price’s greatest disappointment was that he could not find a vegan culture that was truly healthy.
Diets were four times higher in calcium and other minerals and 10 times higher in fat-soluble vitamins compared with the modern Western diet.
Diets made use of bones, usually in bone broths.
Diets included foods with high enzyme content.
Seeds, grains, legumes, and nuts were soaked, sprouted, fermented, or naturally leavened.
Fat content varied from 30% to 80% of total calories, but only 4% came from polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Diets contained nearly equal amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Diets contained some unrefined salt.
Dr. Francis Pottenger, Jr.
Pottenger Cat study: experiments showing connection between species, inappropriate food and physical degeneration. Cats fed raw meat vs cats fed milk. Generations got weaker as they weren’t fed their natural diet.
Dr. Stephen Le
Move like your ancestors. Try to walk at least 2 hours every day.
Eat traditional cuisines. The older the better
Eat what YOUR ancestors ate to make best use of the genetic adaptations that have occurred in your lineage. Eat sustainably raised plants and animals that adapted to your local environment rather than food shipped from far away.
Avoid fad diets. “Our bodies are designed to thrive on a wide variety of foods, in the form of time-tested traditional diets.”
Epigenetics
I may have genes that are predisposed for a greater risk of cancer or diabetes, but diet and lifestyle choices can dictate if i get the disease or not
Bio Individuality
Pregnant or breast feeding women have different nutritional needs to someone who has an auto immune disease that makes them exclude a particular food although it is considered healthy for most.
ways to connect with food, planet and community
Grow your own food
Encourage a healthy microbiome by making cultured foods
Forage for wild foods
Hunt or fish
Support local farmers and foragers near you
Incorporate traditional foods
Explore and learn cultural food traditions
Research foods eaten by indigenous people near you
Make the family meal a ritual
Bring back seasonal feasting
Shares prepared meals with the community
Chemical reactions that combine simple substances into molecules
Anabolism
Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)
Transport cholesterol in the blood and deliver it to the cells throughout the body for use in repair of cell membranes and synthesis of steroid hormones and bile salts
Carbohydrates are stored as
Triglycerides in the adipose tissue, glycogen in the liver and the skeletal system
When nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, are not made in sufficient quantities by the body and therefore must be consumed in the diet, they are considered to be
Essential
What compounds are vital for life and give fruit and vegetables their unique color
Phytochemicals
The term “saturated” denotes that all the available hydrogen bonds are occupied. How many free hydrogen bonds does a polyunsaturated fatty acid have?
2 or more
