September 2006 newsletter

Dietary fat: A benevolent villain

Non-fat and fat-free and low-fat foods have become so aggressively marketed for so long to the American public that it's enough to make the average person stop in surprise at the reminder that a full 30% of our calories should come from fat, in a well-balanced diet, according to consensus within a certain margin, which is rare, among most food experts (nutritionists, dieticians, naturopathic physicians, etc). You may look with disgust at the gristle on meat, or at a well-buttered piece of toast, assuming as many do that dietary fat must be similar to, or causative of, body fat, because of use of the same word.

What most people don't know is that the pathways of metabolism, (meaning food breakdown and transformation) that are the same in everybody's body, take fat through a common breakdown cycle with sugars and starches, circulating through a process known as the citric acid cycle or Krebs cycle. If you haven't had organic chemistry, the Krebs cycle is a huge can of worms that you may not want to want to learn about right now. But one important take home point is this: If you have a high-fat diet, your body reduces its manufacture of fatty acids, meaning that it's reducing the building blocks of your body fat. On the other hand, high carbohydrate diets, including fat-free diets cause an increase in enzyme synthesis, which increases fatty acid synthesis, which means your body is then making more of those building blocks of bodily fat. In other words, a high fat diet gives rise to less body fat. A low-fat diet gives rise to more body fat. Our ancestors ate lard and way more butter than we do, and were thin. We got rid of lard entirely and go easy on the butter, and we are much heavier. Why does it work this way? Because your body wants a consistent level of fat entering the liver and will adjust its own manufacture accordingly to keep things at a consistent level. Stop eating fat, and you make more fat. Continue eating fat, and you don't need to make as much.

Furthermore, people who eat less fat often end up eating more sugar. More sugar means your body makes more insulin. Two of insulin's effects are fat production and slowing the breakdown of fats.

Another good thing about dietary fat has recently been discovered by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center. We always knew that fat soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E and K, as well as wax-based nutrients, such as Co-Q10 are absorbed best with some fat. What we did not know, which the research uncovered, was that the carotenoids, which are important cancer-fighting nutrients, are absorbed 2 to 18 times better with a high fat food than a non-fat food. Eating fat in the same meal was found to be sufficient for the optimal absorption of fat soluble nutrients. For example, if the meal includes a meat (saturated fat), then the carotenoids from generally warm-colored vegetables in the meal will be absorbed.

In a different study in Germany, it was found that trans-fats, such as hydrogenated oils, made the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins even worse than if no fat was eaten. So the quality of fats certainly matters. Omega-3 fats are the most generally useful and the hardest to get enough of in your diet. The best sources for these are wild salmon, sardines, herring, anchovies, flax seed and walnuts as well as fish oil and cod liver oil. Also important are the Omega-6 fatty acids found in many nuts and seeds as well as in borage and evening primrose oils. Udo's Oil, available in health food stores, has a nice combination of these oils.

Foggy brain syndrome

We admit we simply made up the name of this syndrome, but it seems to be common enough that it merits its own category. Many things including what you may not suspect contribute to a feeling of a constant mental block, sluggishness, forgetfulness and resulting frustration. Some of the causes are as follows:

• Candida - is a very common cause of foggy brain. As a systemic (body-wide) pathogenic invader, Candida symptoms can involve every organ system, including brain function.
• ADHD - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was described by one adolescent patient as follows: "You would not want to be inside my head. You'd be like a mouse on a highway at rush hour." ADHD is oversensitive and highly aware of distractions, and those distractions in turn interrupt every thought that could otherwise progress coherently.
• Aging - In Breaking the Age Barrier, authors Wassef and Torkos claim that by age 50 blood flow to the brain has dropped by about 20 percent. Arterial plaque in the vessels that supply the brain, the carotid arteries, narrow the diameter of these blood-giving vessels, which reduces the flow, and thus reduces the brain's best advantage for full-functioning. Thus we end up walking into a room only to find we've forgotten what we came in for, or can't think of something we recently learned.
• Medications - Over the counter and prescription medications have been notorious for decreasing optimum brain functioning. The same mechanisms that stop transmission of pain signals and other symptom awareness are also capable of interfering with thoughts that also transmit via neurons.
• Vitamin B12 deficit - This is a common deficiency because it is absorbed in the intestines, which are not at optimal functioning in most people. Your naturopathic physician can correct this very easily with a shot of B12 and folate (the most commonly deficient nutrient), along with a repair program for your intestines. The shot takes less than a minute and feels less ouchy than even a mosquito bite.
• Alcoholism - But then brain fog is often the point of drinking, isn't it, at least at first? With continued drinking to the point of addiction the option to drink in order to place one's worries aside is less urgent than getting a drink to quench the craving. Alcohol is toxic to neurons and causes lasting as well as temporary disablement of thought, speech, coordination and judgment.
• Metabolic diseases - including diabetes, thyroid disease or other pathologies involving the liver, kidneys or lungs. The brain is most sensitive of all organs to losses of nutrients, oxygen and blood flow, and the most vulnerable to permanent damage from interruptions in circulation or air flow to the lungs.
• Heavy metal exposure - Lead, mercury and aluminum are common toxic metals that many of us are storing in our fat cells. Since the brain is 60% fat, we keep these poisonous chemicals there as time bombs, impeding brain function and tightly bound to our fat cells. Your naturopathic physician can chelate out these metals, which can bring your brain function back to levels unknown for even years.
• Inflammation - from any cause that results in general nervous system inflammation can impede the flow of information processing in the brain.

What you can do to get your brain back

Herb of the Month: Sweet Basil (Ocimum basilicum)

Ocimum basilicum Luigi Rignanese ©2005 CalPhotos Google Ocimum basilicum

However, the real magic of basil, particularly at this time of year, is its many wonderful culinary uses. Include it in salad dressing, where it will contribute as much by its fragrance as its flavor.

The ultimate celebration of the late summer basil harvest is pesto. Here is how we make it, which is somewhat similar to the pesto recipe in the classic Moosewood Cookbook.

• 3 cups of freshest possible basil leaves, packed
• ½ cup of parsley (optional)
• ½ cup of spinach (optional)
• ½ cup of olive oil
• ¼ cup of pine nuts or walnuts
• ¼ cup of Parmesan
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Starting with olive oil, put all ingredients in your blender. To keep the motor from churning too hard, add a little water as you blend. You will end up with a thick bright green sauce that is exquisitely good over various foods or as a dip for vegetables. This rare treat is really something to savor this time of year. Buon appetito, as they say in Italian.