How Our Diet Affects our Weight Gain / Loss

This Article is designed to address one of the greatest underlying problems with our society today, A problem that is not only making us Gain Weight, its shortening our lives, putting us a risk of a variety of diseases, increasing the risks of birth defects and decreasing our chances of reproducing.

When Most of us go shopping we look only at the basic macronutrient profile of our foods (Fats, Protein, Carbs) we figure that if we adhere to what the majority of nutritional literature out there tells us to do, we will be healthy an in shape.  That is cut out Saturated and Trans Fats, sugars, and high glycemic carbs.  This is a good start but it is only scratching the surface.  Now unfortunately due to the lack of regulation in the food and supplement industry, people have to nearly be chemists to be able to make healthy buying decisions at the supermarket.  We are bombarded by products that we think are helping us stay healthy and they are doing the opposite.  Diet (zero Calorie) products that contain Asulfame K, Aspartame and sucralose may actually make us put on weight and increase our risk of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, asthma. They are also thought to mimic estrogen in the body and irritate the liver, causing weight gain. Monosodium Glutamate, a flavor enhancer that is in a multitude of supermarket items from soups to fried chicken to beef jerky is injected  into lab rats to make them obese for certain studies, and we eat products containing this compound of our own free will. We are not even safe when we consume many fruits and vegetables that have been treated with pesticides that are endemic.

So how do we protect ourselves? Firstly education.  Unfortunately because governments and large corporations care more about the bottom line than the welfare of the public we must educate ourselves. We can not rely on regulations to protect us; we must do our own research to learn how to avoid harming ourselves with what we eat.  We must also learn what foods protect us against some of the unavoidable dangers in the environment.

Eat organic, whole foods as much as possible, the fact that there is zero processing, and minimal exposure to chemicals such as pesticides. It also means you are getting all the food enzymes that the body requires to function optimally, and ensures maximum nutritional benefit from the foods consumption (excess processing and cooking destroys many nutrients).

Eating a diet consisting of Mainly whole foods goes much deeper than simply calories in and calories out, or adhering to the Glycemic index. It is in our biology, it is the way our bodies are programmed to be fueled. If you can understand one fact, then you have taken a large step towards unraveling the “mystery“ behind the obesity epidemic in  western countries and behind the increasing rates of  terminal and degenerative diseases. The fact is this, we are still cavemen!  Well Biologically at least. The first Homo sapiens (Modern Humans) have been dated back about 195,000 years ago. Now we live a lot differently from the way early humans did, but we are biologically tuned exactly the same as they were, and our bodies are still tuned to be fed the way they were fed! Early Homo Sapiens lived of a diet consisting mainly of whole Fruits, Whole Vegetables,  nuts, meats and fish. These foods were eaten mostly raw by early humans, although eventually meats were cooked by our ancestors. This meant that all the enzymes in the foods were preserved, as well as micro-nutrients and phyto-nutrients. It also means that there were no toxic food additives, artificial flavors,  preservatives or colors in their food. So what does this mean?  well it means that today we are hit with a double whammy, well actually a triple whammy.

We eat a ton of processed foods, that are full of artificial Flavors, Colors,  sweeteners, preservatives and flavor enhancers. In some cases thinking we are making a choice that is better for our health (diet and sugar free drinks vs. Non Diet drinks) but we are actually doing serious damage, an there is mounting evidence that diet products may even facilitate weight gain by stimulating appetite (for example MSG ),interfering with the livers ability to function and therefore break down xenon estrogens, and causing the pancreas to release excess insulin.  To add to this these artificial products may increase the severity of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, psoriasis and acne. Lab rats are injected with MSG to facilitate obesity for obesity studies. MSG makes the pancreas produce more insulin than normal,  facilitating weight gain and causing pancreatic failure (diabetes). This can be found in thousands of items we consume everyday, from Soups, to Take away food, to restaurant food to beef jerky. The artificial ingredients are not the only problem. Refined sugars, Starches, and gluten are all ingredients that we eat everyday that our body has not biologically been programmed to process efficiently. We haven’t evolved passed the dietary programming of our  early ancestors. So these refined products over many years of consumption may contribute to a range of problems from Bloating and weight Gain, to more severe issues such as inflammatory conditions, celiac disease (chronic Gluten intolerance) and even cancer.

Even when we do eat whole foods, mass production and genetic tampering and the desecration of much of the worlds top soil have led us to a point where produce is so lacking in vitamin and mineral content compared to even 60 years ago that we cant get what we need from them anyway. In 1952 you had to eat 2 peaches to get your daily requirement of Vitamin A. Now you need to eat 52!!! Wow!!! That is frightening. That means that your average supermarket fruit or vegetable is only 4% as Nutritious as it was in 1952? As most readers are aware I am originally from New Zealand, and found out recently that the New Zealand Government have just launched an initiative where they are asking people to bring in the seeds from fruit trees on their properties that are from trees older than 50 years. The idea is to re-inhabit New Zealand Commercial orchards with “genetically older” plants, to try and restore some of the nutritional value to New Zealand Produce to the levels they were in the early 1900’s. New Zealand’s health and agricultural organizations are now beginning to realize the problems that nutritionally inept foods are posing to the well being of the public.
This is the kicker, We are also exposed to toxins In our environment. Pesticides, estrogens, Petrochemicals and the list goes on. We are now looking at a society that eats a ton of processed and artificial foods, that is exposed to a huge amount of toxicity in the environment, and this is compounded with a  decline in the nutritional content of the good foods that are being eaten. If it was important before to eat a diet rich in whole foods 50 years ago, its twice as important now.

So what’s the answer. Simple, eat whole, eat Clean! I personally shop organic from Establishments like Whole Foods Market. I try to eat a diet consisting mostly of whole, organic foods. The more I am diligent about this the better my health and energy is. I also take health supplements such as digestive enzymes.

Digestive enzymes are contained in all raw foods, especially raw fruits, Nuts and vegetables. Cooking and processing destroys or deactivates the majority of digestive enzymes. The biology of Our body,  is 200,000 years old, the exact same biological blueprint of our ancestors that lived in caves and ate a diet consisting  mostly of raw foods. Hence we rely on our diets being rich in raw foods to provide us with the necessary enzymes for our bodies to function at optimum efficiency. Our bodies are biologically programmed to function this way.

So why are digestive enzymes important, and what are the implications of the under consumption of enzymes in the majority of the modern population’s diets?

Digestive enzymes are responsible for the breakdown of foods that enter the digestive system, and therefore the successful breakdown of  macronutrients, Fats, Proteins, Carbohydrates. Digestive enzymes include proteases, amylases, lipases, pancreatin, cellulase, and lipase. They also play a role in the absorption of vitamins and minerals Cooking and processing of foods causes these enzymes top be destroyed or deactivated. So if we do not eat adequate raw foods, and hence do not get an adequate intake of digestive enzymes then we do not break down our foods properly. There are two major consequences of this.

1: We do not absorb adequate nutrients from our food, and therefore suffer the consequences of malnutrition. I doesn’t matter how good your diet is (In an orthodox view of  ‘a good diet’, eating raw foods is often overlooked, the focus is on macronutrient profiling-fats, carbs, proteins) If you ado not have an adequate intake of digestive enzymes then it doesn’t matter what nutrients you ingest, or if you only consume a limited amount of calories, or if you follow the glycemic index. If nutrients cant be processed properly they cant be utilizes, and if the cant be utilized they are rendered useless. If we don’t digest the foods we eat efficiently we will in the long term suffer from malnutrition, and the consequences of Malnutrition- Disease. For example Proteins and fats are key for many metabolic and hormonal processes, if these nutrients are not absorbed well then these processes are less efficient. This can lead to weight gain, lethargy, fatigue, Hypothyroidism, hormone deficiency or imbalance,  and any one of Numerous Inflammatory conditions that are now common occurrence.

2: If food in inadequately processed it causes a backlog in the digestive system and therefore a build up of decaying food matter and therefore toxins. Over time this problem compounds itself and can contribute to many disorders, from IBS to weight gain to Chronic fatigue.
A double-blind, crossover study confirms the efficacy of digestive enzyme supplements in optimizing digestion. Healthy volunteers consumed a high-calorie, high-fat meal, either with pancreatic enzyme capsules or with placebo. Gastrointestinal symptoms were recorded for the next 17 hours. Pancreatic enzyme supplements significantly reduced bloating, gas, and the feeling of fullness. These findings demonstrate that even healthy individuals can experience greater digestive comfort through the aid of digestive enzyme supplements, and suggest a role for digestive enzymes in those challenged with irritable bowel syndrome.

As we age our ability to produce digestive enzymes decreases. Because of this we are especially at risk of developing vitamin, mineral, and trace element deficits; all of which may seriously impact immunity and overall health. A recent study conducted in France, for instance, found a high prevalence of vitamin, mineral, and omega-3 fatty acid deficiencies among men and women aged 70 and above., and vitamin B12 deficiency, which may lead to a serious condition known as pernicious anemia, among other pathological conditions, is all too common among the elderly.
Given the potentially devastating consequences of inadequate nutrition, it is imperative to optimize digestive health in older adults.

In addition to enhancing digestive health, digestive enzymes may play further beneficial roles in the body, such as in reducing autoimmunity and inflammation and speeding healing after surgery.
In autoimmune diseases, immune complexes, which are large aggregations of antigens (molecules that trigger immune responses) and antibodies (immune proteins that neutralize foreign invaders), lock together in a tangled embrace. Their deposition in tissue results in tissue damage. They are believed to play a role in immune system diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, and glomerulonephritis, a form of kidney disease. Some scientists believe that supplemental enzymes may have immunomodulatory activity and could play a role in reducing the incidence of these immune complexes.

Oral enzymes have also proven popular in Europe as substitutes for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs. They are used to treat conditions ranging from osteoarthritis to rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammation-related conditions. The results of various studies (placebo-controlled and comparisons with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) in patients with rheumatic diseases suggest that oral therapy with proteolytic enzymes produces certain analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. Generally, these commercial enzyme preparations have been found to be equally as effective as standard anti-inflammatory drugs, but with better tolerability

So the answer is two do one or both of the following. Eat a diet rich in whole (if possible organic) foods, especially raw fruits, vegetables and nuts. You can also take a comprehensive digestive enzyme supplement, I personally use one made by Nutrilite that I get from www.blwstore.com. If you can do both then you will hedge all bets and help ensure optimal digestive health.