Reply To This Post         Return to Posts Index           VegSource Home

From:	Claudia (conpx05.cms.hhs.gov)
Subject:	Question #2
Date:	September 6, 2007 at 9:03 am PST

In Reply to: Re: Need to keep fat low and calories high posted by Andy on September 6, 2007 at 2:21 am:

Andy,

There is really nothing wrong with wholemeal grains, except that they do not tend to be as nutrient dense as other foods. The example of oats that you give has actually been mentioned often by Dr. Fuhrman as being one of the most nutrient dense grains, and one of the most favorable to eat. This is due not only to the general nutrient density, but I think also because of the presence of specific important nutrients such as the omega-3's, which are significant for heart-health and brain function. As for the corn, I guess its just one of those nebulous foods that I was counting as a starchy vegetable, and not thinking of as a grain.

An important point to make here is that although nutrient density is extremely important when assessing the nutritional value of a food, it does not give the total picture. As you have noted, oats and corn are more nutrient dense than avocados and nuts, yet, we can optimize our nutritional intake and our health by including some nuts and avocados in our diet. This is because of specific important nutrients found in these foods, and the role they play in protecting our heart health, and actually aiding in the weight loss process when eaten in small amounts. When eaten in larger amounts, these foods are very useful to people who are super active and athletic and require a very large intake of calories, because they are so calorie dense. Dr. Fuhrman is a former world class athlete (pairs skating), and counsels top athletes on their diet. Diet is very important to these people because at high levels of a sport, a person can't take any chances on getting sick when it is time to be competing. They want to stay healthy and well all the time, so they are careful to eat as nutritiously as possible, and to stick to foods which will keep them at the top of their game, and this includes the calories, protein, and fat that they get from eating nuts, seeds, and avocado. For those of us that are not so athletic, one of the things that we get from these fatty foods, are the omega-3 fatty acids. Walnuts and flax seeds are particularly high in this important nutrient, which tends to be lacking in many people. One of the problems with eating an excess of grains, and excluding the nuts, seeds, and avocado, is that is upsets your balance of Omega-3's and Omega-6's. In general, grains have a predominance of omega-6's, which compete with the omega-3's for the body's resources, in terms of the mechanisms of absorption. In other words, if you have an imbalance of too much omega-6, it interferes with your body's ability to get and absorb enough of the omega-3 that it requires. More specifically, what is interfered with is the capacity of the body to efficiently convert the short chain omega-3's (ALA) into the longer chain EPA and DHA.

Anyway, if one seeks weight gain, clearly the grains could help with that, but if you are aiming for an optimal nutritional profile, you would not want to over-do these foods or get too high a percentage of your calories from them. The starchy vegetables are preferred because they tend to be more nutrient dense. Usually when foods are colorful they tend to have more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients than foods which are sort of whitish, or colorless, as are most grains. Prior to ETL, I had been following the McDougall diet, and had gotten to a point where my meals tended to be rather lacking in color, and the diet was very low in fat, because I wasn't eating any nuts, seeds, or avocado. What I observed, is that I was rather pale, and my skin was dry, especially in winter. Since I switched over to all the colorful ETL foods, and added the healthy fats back in, my skin is full of color and is never dry any more. The anti-oxidant levels in my tissues are so high that I have a yellow-orange tinge to my skin, and never look pale. Its sort of like having a permanent tan regardless of whether or not I've been in the sun! I don't know if you are familiar with the Skin Carotenoid Scores, but I got scanned at 111,000, which is indicative of the very high level of anti-oxidants in my system. These anti-oxidants come from eating all those colorful fruits and veggies.

Reply To This Post         Return to Posts Index           VegSource Home