Fitness Link Blog

When crops are not grown organically, they most often are heavily sprayed with various pesticides.  The amount of chemical residue on the food when we eat it is of the greatest concern.  And some foods contain far more residue than others.

It’s important to note also that the analysis was conducted AFTER the fruit or vegetable was peeled and washed.  Topping the list as the worst is peaches!  Here is the list:

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Bell Peppers
4. Celery
   
5. Nectarines
   
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes (imported)
    
11. Carrots
12. Pears

If you and your family enjoy these fruits and vegetables, consider choosing organic for these particular ones or grow them yourself.

At the bottom of the EWG’s list are the fruits and vegetables with the least amount of pesticide residue.  These are called the “Clean 15″.

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Egg plant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomatoes
15. Sweet potatoes

The full list can be found at www.Foodnews.org

Pesticides have been shown to be highly toxic to the human body (after all, they are designed to kill).  Many of these chemicals are toxic to the nervous system, they disrupt hormonal pathways, as well as cause cancers and other chronic diseases.  We should all take steps to avoid pesticides whenever we can.

Choosing organically grown produce is the best way to do this.  Utilizing the list above, you can avoid the ones that are shown to be the worst.  One way is to buy organic any of the Dirty Dozen.  And if they are not available, then simply reduce consumption or avoid until you can find organic sources.

Washing your produce is still a good idea to help avoid not only chemical residue but also dirt or bacteria.  And always try to eat your produce as fresh as possible.  This way they will contain the maximum amount of nutrients.

The absolute BEST produce you can get is: Fresh,  seasonal, organic and locally grown.  Your farmer’s market is the the best place to find high quality produce.  Locate one near you today, and experience the benefits of eating clean fresh food.

Jonathan

Re-train Your Taste Buds

For so many people, taste and texture are huge  factors in choosing what to eat.  People choose to eat a certain food with an expectation of how it is going to taste and therefore, whether or not they will like it.  However, what many forget is the simple fact that your taste buds can be programmed and re-programmed at your will.  You have control.

I was asked a simple question,  “are organic eggs better for you than conventional eggs? My husband isn’t on board with making the switch.  He doesn’t see the difference.”   I thought, oh, this will be an easy question to answer.  I’ll gather facts about organic and conventional eggs and the answer will be obvious.

When sifting through the politics, economics and mass production processes of our food chain, validating claims proved to be nearly impossible.   I recognized the challenges of being a truly informed consumer.

Survival Point #1:  Question everything you read! Opinions written and spoken are made without consideration of proven facts.   

• What does “many” studies mean?
• How was the study funded?
• What was the sampling size?
• What were the assumptions, constants and variables?
• Is the point backed up by the paper or a small fact taken away from the whole picture?
• How do you determine trust with a source?
• Is this finding applicable to other foods?

My first approach was to question the nutrient density of each type of egg? Please set aside all other arguments (Feed, environment, sanitation, medication, chicken well-being, pesticides or other toxins etc…) at the moment. This report is strictly concerning nutrient density.  There are very few studies on eggs.  Data is inconclusive.

From a 2008 report called “Organic produce and production system conformity assessments” three studies covered housing methods of chickens as well as organic practices (in one particularly), the conclusion was that

“there is no data on eggs readily available and methods on egg authentication using isotope analysis have not been scientifically peer-reviewed, for future work on the analytical authentication of eggs originating from conventional and organic production systems, a survey is recommended on products from selected farms with different forms of cultivation for which the production conditions are known.” ¹

Survival Point #2:  Food labeling is deceptive, be a savvy shopper!

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has multiple programs in place to regulate agricultural practices.  How companies and farmers interpret and comply with the definitions is where the consumer must make informed decisions by researching and knowing what the programs are and how they are enforced.

What a term implies does not reflect how the practice materializes:

Conventional (i.e., no special label) –Strict standards are in place for those participating in the USDA voluntary regulator program.  Animals are in very close proximity in individual cages .  This article shows what is expected of the egg process,   Focus on Shell Eggs.

Free Range or Free Roaming– Producers must demonstrate to the Agency that the poultry has been allowed access to the outside.² Without any regulatory standards, the concept is open to the interpretation of the company or farmer.

Cage Free – There is no regulation on what this term means by the USDA.  Therefore, the assumption is that animals have more room.  In practice, the “humane” picture of healthy hens not encased in a cage is not quite what most people envision.

Pastured—Not defined by USDA and is a term typically used by smaller farmers.  Speaking with the farmer or visit the farm will validate the claim.

Organic – As defined and regulated by USDA for all animals and products.  Most organically fed packages are also vegetarian mixes. As a side note, chickens are not vegetarians, so by feeding them organic materials does not mean their natural diet is being replicated.

Natural: A product containing no artificial ingredient or added color and is only minimally processed (a process which does not fundamentally alter the raw product) may be labeled natural. The label must explain the use of the term natural (such as – no added colorings or artificial ingredients; minimally processed).²

No hormones (pork or poultry): Hormones are not allowed in raising hogs or poultry. Therefore, the claim “no hormones added” cannot be used on the labels of pork or poultry unless it is followed by a statement that says “Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones.”²

A term may sound “good or healthy,” but be prepared to dig a little deeper.   If animal treatment and conditions are important to you, then research the company you buy eggs from to validate the claim.  An excellent analysis of commonly used terms on egg cartons can be found in this article, Egg Labels and Certifications detailed anaylsis.

What egg is nutritionally superior?

I found strong evidence that pastured eggs are more nutritional than all “other” eggs.   Through Fitness Spotlight,  the following list of nutrient values was derived from one specific study, Tests Reveal Healthier Eggs.   The “Mounting Evidence” section contained  6 additional sources to validate the claims, a numerical chart was even included, Egg Chart.

• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
• 4 to 6 times as much vitamin D

Survival Tip #3:  Decide what is important in making your food choices.

People are motivated for multiple reasons in making their food choices beyond nutrition.

• Experiences: “I’m healthy and doing just fine.”
• Cost: A conventional dozen of egg averages about a $1.28.  An organic/cage free/free range dozen averages $4.00.  Local farms anywhere from 2.50 to 5.00 a dozen (in quick comparison of the local Nashville Market).
• Humanitarian treatment of chickens
• Guilt: What am I doing to my family? Are we eating right?  Is this healthy?  Re-frame your thoughts around your overall health goals:  Are you providing real foods with substance?  If the choice is a pop tart or processed, salty, sugary food, then what is the scale of difference in eating an egg from a conventional, organic, or pastured environment?
• Personal Health: Due to the synergistic affect of diet, activity level, stress, genetics and more, it is extremely difficult to try to make a connection between the egg’s current nutrient content being a direct result of bad health.
• Group Think: “Everyone else in my circle of friends is switching from conventional (or eating conventional) eggs, so it must be the thing to do.”

What do you do?

1. Evaluate your priorities and what is most important to you?
2. Educate yourself with a cynical and detached mindset.  It is easy to find answers that support your assumptions (take the coffee drinking and nondrinking crowds for example).  But are the answers upheld by a truth test – not emotion and what “sounds” right?
3. What are you not willing to sacrifice?
4. Own your decision—move on and enjoy eating.

What are your options in purchasing eggs?

• Local farmer’s market, farms, Co-Ops or CSAs
  • Start asking around and speak with the farmers.
  • Localharvest.org.  Plug in your zip code and start exploring!
  • Local Table magazine (for Nashville area).  Pick up around town for free.
• Research the companies in your local grocery market including Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods (do not assume ALL the items in these stores are “real” foods or good for you.)

Summary:

Based on nutritional value, organic eggs are not ‘better’ than conventional eggs, but pastured are nutritionally superior.  The rest of your decision depends on personal convictions, budget, toxicity levels, animal treatment and external pressures.  The reasons for your decision are yours to make.  I’ve presented the facts with nuggets of arguments from both sides.  The tools are a spring board to help you make a more informed decision and not accept claims at face value.

Education is Key!

Cindy

P.S.  Do you have a question about a current trend, food choice or advice that prevents you for making a lifestyle change?  I will be your detective and present the material in a non-judgmental, factual manner.  The answer will not come quickly.  It took me close to four months to compile the evidence for this article, but I promise to paint the most comprehensive picture to frame your decisions.

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1. Lambing (1992) reported a comparative study on genetically identical but differently kept hens. The eggs showed differences in the contents of protein, lecithin and total carotenoid contents.
2. Schlatterer and Breithaupt (2006) evaluated commercial eggs which were divided in groups according to the in the EU used classification to rearing method: ecological, free range, barn, cage…Concentrations of the compounds in ecological eggs were significantly different from those determined in the eggs of the other classes.
3. A third study reported in literature dealt with quality characteristics of eggs from different housing systems and included organic eggs (Hidalgo et al., 2008). The authors concluded that in their study, which included 41 physical and chemical parameters on 28 eggs, organic eggs had the highest whipping capacity and foam consistency but the lowest albumen quality. 2

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Every day people count the number of calories they are consuming. Their goal is usually to consume fewer and fewer calories, because they have been told that this equals weight loss. This approach, however, never has nor ever will be the key to true weight loss. In fact, lowering your calories can be one of the most dangerous things you do.

The discovery of the calorie did not occur until the late 1800s. And restricting them did not become a practice until around the 1930s. This discovery has been both a blessing and a curse. Calories make it easy to track food intake – making it a simple math equation. But to the body, not all calories are created equally.

The body counts Nutrients not calories

One of the biggest problems with calorie counting is that it takes the focus away from food and puts it on a number. This method leaves people more concerned about the numbers rather than what foods they eat. For example, an apple and a container of Jell-O might both be worth 85 calories. Or 3 eggs and a bag of potato chips are both worth 160 calories.

These foods are not created equally. Their nutrient values are completely different. Just because 2 foods have the same weight or volume does not mean they are interchangeable. They are so far apart, in fact, that your body will actually lose fat eating apples and eggs but gain fat with the others. It’s like trying to run your car on a gallon of Pepsi. Even though a gallon of gas and a gallon of Pepsi might weigh the same, the car obviously can’t run on soda. Don’t expect your body to!

Your body needs nutrient-dense foods. If you eat food that is deficient in nutrients, your body is forced to strip from its own inventory to allow digestion and utilization of that food. This leaves your body further depleted of nutrients and pushes it into starvation mode. Thinking that there’s a famine, your body quickly stores fat as a safety precaution and prays for you to eat more nutrient dense foods soon.

Thermodynamics

Poor quality food also does not produce the same amount of energy as high quality food. And with less energy being produced, the body’s natural reaction is to slow down its energy expenditure. Your body doesn’t have a slow metabolism because of your “bad” genes, or because it hates you. It’s simply trying to survive by working with the little resources it was given. No other machinery on earth is as adaptable and equipped with such self-preservation abilities as the human body.

The assumption that all calories (regardless of their origin) break down into energy the same way in all people, all over the world, and in all circumstances is simply ignorant and lazy. Metabolic reactions in each person can be as widely diverse as the languages we speak or the color of our skin. No two people look alike, and likewise, no two cells produce energy exactly the same way. This is yet another reason why our food choices should be based on our body’s need and not merely on the number of calories.

Other considerations

There are many other conditions that have a much greater effect on weight loss than counting calories. These can include:

• The digestive and excretory systems – their effect on immune function, energy levels, mood, toxicity and weight loss.
• Blood sugar levels
• Hormonal balance
• Thyroid function
• Stress and sleep

Conclusion

Focusing on calorie count for weight loss is as enlightening as reading book titles but not the pages. A book title tells you one thing, the content inside tells you another. And still your individual interpretation of the book leaves you with your personal result.

Counting calories may be an “easy” way for some people who are trying to eat healthy. But not only can it be dangerous, it’s insufficient at best. If you want true results, you must learn to feed your body plenty of what it needs.

Please note: Those consuming excessive calories (8000-10000 a day for example) would still benefit from lowering their caloric intake to a more reasonable level. In this case, tracking calories would be helpful until proper nutrition is reached. Any calorie restriction diet should be done under the care of a health professional.

3 Action steps YOU Can Take

1. Eat high quality, nutrient-dense foods.
2. Avoid processed and refined foods that are nutrient deficient.
3. Eat for your Metabolic Type

Do you eat less than 2000 calories a day?  Do you struggle with weight loss?

If you would like help determining how much food and specifically what food you should be eating – contact me!

First time consultations are free. Call or e-mail today:

Jmartin@TnFitnessLink.com

(615) 477-6502

Jonathan Martin

Want to stay out of the doctor’s office this year? Build a stronger, healthier body! You need all 5 essential building blocks in order to do so:

1. Water
2. Macro nutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fat)
3. Vitamins
4. Minerals
5. Enzymes

Take control of your nutrition this year!   Start eating better today.

GET HEALTHY!

What are YOU suppose to eat?  2 meats prepared in 5 minutes for dinner and leftovers.

1. Roast in the Crock Pot
2. Marinated Chicken in Pesto

Quit all the cookie cutter diets that don’t work! No more guess work – eat for your Metabolic Type. And then be able to:

Lose weight naturally…

• Increase your energy levels
• Eliminate hunger, cravings and mood swings
• HEAL THE BODY!

Get started today:  Metabolic Typing