The Factors, Contemporary Nutrition Controversies, and Cultural Differences that Drive Our Food Choices - Part II of School Assignment Ashford University

Let’s face it, no matter how good our food choices are at home we are weak when it comes to social eating.  For example, Super Bowl Sunday is coming up in just a few short weeks and you have made a choices to change your life for the better and have started eating a Paleolithic type diet, but as soon as you walk through the doors of your friends house you smell the buffalo cheese dip, the little smokies in barbeque sauce, chili and so much more.  However, even with the smell wafting through you are able to hold your own or until your friend walks by with his plate and just says come on, enjoy yourself this one time, let loose.  Before you know it you are enjoying yourself and then hating yourself the next day.  We are all social creatures and have always socialized around food take for example birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, retirement parties, baby showers, etc. they are all surrounded by some type of food.  Food is not only considered social but it can be symbolic especially when it comes to ethnic foods and celebrating/sharing in someone else’s culture and heritage.  Some food choices are made based upon what one has newly learned or been exposed to in the past and/or present.  For example, if one moves to a new city, state, or country he/she is then exposed to new foods and may change his/her food choices and even food related beliefs based upon this new cultural experience.  There can be many different factors other than social that contribute to food choices such as “psychological, physical, and philosophical” (Sizer, & Whitney, 2017a, p. 13).  For example, “emotional comfort, advertisements, social norms, region of country, values, beliefs, weight, nutrition/health” benefits just to name a few (Sizer, & Whitney, 2017b, p. 13).  While everyone is different and everyone is motivated by different circumstances most individuals tend to base his/her food choices upon taste, price, and convenience rather than health (Sizer, & Whitney, 2017c, p. 13).

Whether we like it or not both social media and television has a way of influencing the nutritional choices of individuals.  There are so many controversies out there that sometimes it is hard for individuals to distingue fact from fiction, not only that but research is fairly new in the area of nutrition.  So lets talk about some of these controversies and confusions.  Take for example the fact that Americans have been falsely led to believe that sugar-free and fat-free products are better for us regardless of the evidence to the contrary.  Lets talk about sugar-free for a moment while one should not consume sugar, which we will discuss in a later post, artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame) are not good for ones health, but rather one should substitute sugar for raw organic honey, grade B maple syrup, or stevia.  The aspartame website states that it contains the same components (amino acids, aspartic acid, etc.) that regular foods do and that there are over 200 scientific studies that support its safety including approval by the FDA, WHO, and the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).  However, the FDA also tends to deem a lot of medication safe only to later recall it due to either the side effects being to great or the number of related deaths.  For example, Baycol was on the market from 1998 to 2001 when it was recalled due to kidney failure, 52 deaths, and 385 hospitalizations (35 FDA-approved prescription drugs later pulled from the market, 2014, para. 4). Further more the JECFA also deems additives and colorings as safe, which can be found in many foods and drugs despite evidence.  According to an article in PubMed “FD&C Blue No. 1 (Brilliant Blue FCF [BB FCF]) appears to be involved either directly or indirectly in several disorders such as Crohn’s disease, stroke, and injuries to the central nervous system (Wang, Jackson, & Dahl, 2013, abstract).  Some other controversies surround multivitamins, good fat verses bad fat, coconut oil, carbohydrates, food dyes, calorie intake, the food pyramid, essential oils, herbs, medication, vaccines, and the list goes gone.  When deciding fact from fiction one must be very attentive and do ones own research, as there is a lot of controversy even among the scientific community with regards to nutrition and preventative health.

References

35 FDA-approved prescription drugs later pulled from the market. (2014, Jan 30). ProCon.org: The Leading Source For Pros & Cons of Controversial Issues. Retrieved from http://prescriptiondrugs.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=005528

Sizer, F., & Whitney, E. (2017). Nutrition: Concepts and controversies (14^th ed). Cengage Learning: OH. Retrieved from VitalSource Bookshelf

Wang, J., Jackson, D. G., & Dahl, G. (2013, May 14). The food dye FD&C blue No. 1 is a selective inhibitor of the ATP release channel Panx1, 141(5), 649-656. doi:10.1085/jgp.201310966

The Connection Between Nutrition and Chronic Illness/Disease (School Assignment-Ashford University)

Okay, so most of us already know that food can lead to obesity but did you know that food could also lead to malnutrition?  Yep, you heard me right, food can lead to malnutrition and that is because food can either provide the body with the proper nutrition it needs or it can starve the body of nutrients.  For example, 3 ounces of lean ground grass-fed beef can provide the body with vitamins, minerals, and the fat that it needs however, a white floured store bought hamburger bun offers no real whole nutritional value.  One can either nourish ones body or suffer the consequences of poor nutrition, which includes chronic illnesses, diseases, and possibly obesity and/or malnutrition.

So what is nutrition?  Nutrition is not just what one eats but rather the nutrients ones body receives from the foods he/she eats.  For example, when one eats wild-caught salmon one will receive omega-3 fatty acid, protein, Vitamin B12, B3, B6, and B5, vitamin D, selenium, iron, choline, biotin, potassium, and phosphorus  (Coleman, 2013).  All of these vitamins and minerals help to protect and fight against dieses and illnesses.  Salmon is also considered an anti-inflammatory food to which chronic illnesses and diseases can be linked to.  Inflammation is known to lead to a number of age related illnesses such as “metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer, and cardiovascular disease” just to name a few (Campbell, 2015, p. 8).  Inflammation is often caused by the types of foods one eats, especially if those foods are considered food sensitivities (not allergies) for that said individual.  Some of these high inflammatory foods include dairy, processed and fried foods as well as sugar, and wheat products.

 Once a chronic illnesses and/or disease has set in it is often times difficult to heal the body where it is much easier to prevent the illness/disease itself before it manifest.  Take for example breast cancer; once breast cancer has manifested studies show that the best way to fight the disease is through a combination of modern and complementary medicine.  In this circumstance one not only has to fight the cancer through chemotherapy but he/she needs to heal ones body through intravenous vitamin C therapy and nutrition, which allows one to strengthen his/her immune system and later prevent a reoccurrence (see my paper on Breast Cancer and The Naturopathic System of Approach).  Breast, endometrial, and uterine cancer is a type of cancer produced by an over production/storage of estrogen or estrogen dominance in ones body (Conova, 2003).  Some of the best ways to reduce high estrogen levels is through liver detoxification, reduced stress, exercise and nutrition such as locally grown organic vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts kale, and curcumin (Landa, 2015, para. 12).  Eating a Paleolithic diet has been shown to reduce HbA1c (hemoglobin blood levels), glucose, and obesity better than following a Mediterranean diet as well as reducing the risk of heart disease (Pizzorno, 2014, p. 4).  Eating a Paleolithic diet is also an anti-inflammatory diet, which helps to prevent breast cancer and heal the body.  Another example of proper nutrition preventing and healing one of chronic illness is given in the example of nutrition and diabetes.  Since research has already shown that those who are overweight are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, it would stand to reason that by controlling ones weight through diet/nutrition one could then reduce his/her risk of developing type 2 diabetes.  According to one study “90 percent of type 2 diabetes in women is due to excess weight, lack of exercise, diet, smoking, and abstinence from alcohol” (Hu, Manson, et al., 2001, results).  That being said, anyone can develop type 1 or type 2 diabetes and what’s more type 2 is not only reversible but both type 1 and type 2 are preventable as well.  Some of the best way to prevent diabetes is through exercise, gut healing, and eating an anti-inflammatory diet like the Paleolithic diet, which is not only an anti-inflammatory but also low in carbohydrates and what’s more the carbohydrates that one does eat in the Paleolithic diet comes from organic fruits and vegetables rather than grains.  According to a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2015), those with type 2 diabetes who ate a Paleolithic diet showed better results on glucose control, lipids, insulin sensitivity, cholesterol both HDLs and LDLs in just 14 days verses the American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet (Masharani, Sherchan, et al., 2015, p. 948). 

Retrieved from Google Images

So how does malnutrition fit in with chronic illnesses and diseases?  Studies show that chronic illnesses/diseases are linked to inflammation and that inflammation can be controlled by ones diet (please understand that diet is only one factor of controlling inflammation).  Therefore, it stands to reason that malnutrition could also be controlled through ones diet as it is the quality of food that one eats which provides the nutrition (vitamins and minerals) in order for ones body to function properly.  An individual who is malnourished is not eating a nutritious diet therefore he/she is unable to receive the vitamins and minerals necessary in order to nourish his/her body.  Even if he/she receives a nutritious meal every so often, one needs a stable amount of vitamins and minerals in order to sustain ones life.  According to Sizer, & Whitney (2017),  “nutrient deficiency diseases emerge as body systems begin to fail often times due to the lack of iron, iodine, vitamin A, and zinc” (p. 606).  Nutrient deficiency during childhood may not only lead to “stunted growth, weight loss, increased susceptibility to disease and infection, but it can have long-term effects such as impaired physical and mental health including a weakened immunity and even death” (Fenn, 2009, p. 8). 

There is so much more to nutrition than one may realize and so much more to discuss.  However, this blog post is just to open the door a peak and introduce the relationship between nutrition and chronic illnesses and diseases.  Although, further detail is needed one has learned today that chronic illnesses and disease is linked to poor nutrition as is obesity and malnutrition.

Image Retrieved from Google Images

References

Campbell, A. W. (2015). Inflammation: The root of our chronic diseases. Alternative Therapies In Health & Medicince, 21(6), 8-9. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=17&sid=d364dddd-c627-4dd3-b655-4dba374fb78e%40sessionmgr4008&hid=4203

Coleman, E. (2013, Dec 18). Grilled salmon nutrition information. Livestrong.com. Retrieved from http://www.livestrong.com/article/41497-grilled-salmon-nutrition-information/

Conova, S. (2003, May 26). Estrogen’s Role in cancer. Estrogen-Induced cancer. Invivo: Columbia University Health Sciences. 2(10). Retrieved from http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/publications/in-vivo/Vol2_Iss10_may26_03/

Fenn, B. (2009). Malnutrition in humanitarian emergencies [PDF file]. London School Of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/diseasecontrol_emergencies/publications/idhe_2009_london_malnutrition_fenn.pdf

Hu, F., Manson, J., Stampfer, M., Colditz, G., Liu, S., Solomon, C., & Willet, W. (2001, Sep 13). Diet, lifestyle, an the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. New England Journal of Medicine. 345(11), 790-797. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa010492  

Landa, J. (2015, Aug 17). Estrogen’s role in breast cancer – and how to reduce your disease risk. Health home. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/08/17/estrogen-role-in-breast-cancer-and-how-to-reduce-your-disease-risk.html  

Masharani, U., Sherchan, P., Schloetter, M., Stratford, S., Xiao, A., Sebastrian, A., & Frassetto, L. (2015). Metabolic and physiologic effects from consuming a hunter-gatherer (Paleolithic)-type diet in type 2 diabetes. European Journal of Clinical Nutriton, (8), 944. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=d364dddd-c627-4dd3-b655-4dba374fb78e%40sessionmgr4008&vid=3&hid=4203

Pizzorno, L. (2014). Highlights from the institute for functional medicine’s 2014 annual conference: Functional perspectives on food and nutrition: The ultimate upstream medicine. Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal, 13(5), 38-50. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=b349e406-9251-4332-9aa3-a7c5ae995080%40sessionmgr4006&vid=47&hid=4211

Sizer, F., & Whitney, E. (2017). Nutrition: Concepts, and controversies (14^th ed). Cengage Learning: OH. Retrieved from VitalSource Bookshelf