A healthy diet includes the appropriate amounts of 6 things:
Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and water. A teenage athlete, a pregnant woman, and a sedentary senior all require exactly the same nutrients, but in different proportions based on their activity level and stage of life.
Macromolecules (fats, carbs, proteins) are called such because they are big polymeric (chains of repeating units) molecules, and we need a large quantity of them, usually daily. They supply energy for all activities and building material for tissue repair. We require constant bodily housekeeping to stay healthy. Micromolecules (vitamins and minerals) are small molecules and we don’t require a large quantity, but they are absolutely essential to our existence. For example, sailors who didn’t get enough vitamin C on ocean voyages suffered from scurvy. Vitamin D insufficiency causes bone fragility, Vitamin E deficiency is associated with neurologic issues, and so on.
Nutrition is a complex scientific field involving molecular biology, physiology, neurology, and chemistry, but still bumps up against the mundane everyday need of preparing and eating food. This interface of ever-evolving science vs shopping for groceries can cause consternation among regular folks who don’t have PhDs in the aforementioned subjects. And it opens the door for money-grabs by those taking advantage of the confusion with fad diets and false supplements. Add in factors like health problems caused by psychological issues, Big-Ag pesticides and pharmaceuticals, food inequity due to social injustice and climate change, dearth of scientific education… and the whole thing starts to get overwhelming. One just starts to flounder with the simple question of “What am I eating?!”
Let’s zoom out a little. The reason for much of the confusion is because nutrition is basically biology, so a lot of answers start with “It depends…”. New discoveries are being made all the time. It seems like the federal nutrition guidelines change every few years. They have to because they are based on ever-new research uncovering more facts. Can you imagine that doctors once told their patients to eat margarine??? Now, the dangers of trans-hydrogenated fats to the cardiac system are well-documented.
An aside: During a recent visit to a health professional, a dear friend with cholesterol issues was asked if they were willing to switch from butter to margarine. I almost fell off my snowshoes when he told me this story. After about 60 seconds of apoplectic sputtering and almost having a cardiac event myself, I regained coherence and wondered aloud about the nutrition education of health professionals. Alas, nutrition is quite neglected in most physician’s education.
I believe that food and movement are the underpinnings of health, and these are some of the few things we can control for our entire lives.
SO. For the next few blogs, I will focus on one nutrient at a time and give a basic overview of what, why and how much we need according to recent research. The hope is to improve your ability to winnow bunk from truth, make better choices, and empower you to ask questions about food/supplements claims, whether they come from advertising, your friend’s friend, or your doctor.
Next week: FATS. Why we need them, what they do in our bodies, best sources, amounts, the bigger picture from the inner workings of the cells, to outer effects of our choices on the environment.
