Posted on 19 July 2011 - 11:31am
Last updated on 19 July 2011 - 04:25pm
Last updated on 19 July 2011 - 04:25pm
THE World Health Organisation defines health in terms of both mental and physical well-being and not merely the absence of disease. This is the definition of health that practitioners of complementary medicine subscribe to.
While public perceptions and beliefs on health are varied, in this two-part series, we look at some of the common beliefs among Malaysians:
A little junk food is okay
We age through a process called oxidation initiated by free radicals. Most fried, deep-fried, baked, microwaved, rancid foods/sauces, and titbits are loaded with free radicals that accelerate our ageing process.
Once initiated, the process doesn’t stop until these free radicals are neutralised by antioxidants or by similar nutrients from food consumed.
Free radicals from, say, trans fatty acids, are known to initiate abnormal cell (tumour) growth that later leads to malignancy.
A food would be considered ‘junk’ if its major component(s) are in excess of our body’s requirements such as highly-refined carbohydrates and sugars.
Breakfast cereals for higher energy
Good dietary fats can offer 300% more energy than cereals or grains and protein delivers 25% more energy than carbohydrates.
Breakfasts should be reasonably high in quality protein, not necessarily from animal source.
Indeed, the popular body-building proteins BCAAs are derived from seeds and nuts.
However, some protein from egg white, soy isolate, skimmed milk, livestock, seafood, or animal improves utilisation of protein from plant sources.
Rice for fullness
Refined starches with high glycaemic indices trigger insulin spikes after their consumption, especially on an empty stomach. The higher our insulin levels, the more hunger spells we experience in the following hours because this hormone also stimulates hunger and promotes storage of fats.
The feeling of ‘fullness’ after eating rice or other cereals can come from carbohydrate/sugar ‘addiction’. In reality, fullness is a feeling triggered by the hormone leptin after adequate amount of protein rather than starch is consumed.
Heavy dinner for a hard day’s work
Our tissue-repairing growth hormone (hGH) levels are higher in the morning than in the evening. The situation may be different if you do exercises and/or resistance training that trigger hGH spikes before dinner time.
If your quality protein intake during breakfast and lunch is adequate, then dinner could include food rich in sleep-promoting nutrient tryptophan such as rice, fresh corn, soy isolate, soy products, peanuts, wheat germ, wheat bran, pumpkin seeds, and some seaweed.
Only sugar makes a diabetic
High glycaemic index foods such as those made from refined starches can accelerate diabetes much more than, say, table sugar. Foods that strongly trigger insulin spikes promote diabetes.
The addictive or ‘comforting’ effect of consuming refined carbohydrates explains why it’s so difficult to prevent or stop people drifting into diabetes, which is the mother of chronic health disorders including atherosclerosis.
Protein is harmful
Our enzymes, antibodies, muscles, red blood cells, and even bone structure require adequate protein intake for optimum repair and renewal. Some 40% of dry matter of our body tissues is protein.
Our need for protein is accelerated in times of physiological or mental stress, trauma, physical injuries, and even after surgery. Failure to replace adequate quality protein results in muscle wastage from nitrogen excretion.
Those with renal failure or weak renal functions should either avoid or take animal protein under supervision.
Incidentally, it isn’t widely appreciated that our body needs vitamin B6 for its protein or protein-related metabolism.
Vegetable fats are healthier
Small amount of omega-6 vegetable fat is essential. However, omega-6 fats are much more easily oxidised than say grape seed oil (omega-9), palm oil, or virgin coconut oil (medium-chain triglycerides).
Oxidation causes fat to turn rancid and when consumed, our antibodies could attack them.
Hydrogenated or partly hydrogenated fats are rancid fats too. The inflammatory process they can initiate is now considered a principal means by which arterial plaques are believed to be formed.
Coconut oil is harmful
Contrary to popular belief, virgin coconut oil is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Its medium-chain fatty acids seem to offer a triple approach to weight loss, namely they (i) have a lower calorie content than other long-chain fats, (ii) are minimally stored as fat, and (iii) contribute to thermogenesis (enhanced metabolism) to burn more calories.
This oil suppresses appetite, a characteristic of obvious benefit to those attempting to lower their intake of total calories (Stubbs et al, 1996)
Eggs harm the heart
Fresh farm eggs, soft or hard-boiled, may contain as much good HDL cholesterol as the so-called ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol.
In addition, egg yolk contains memory-enhancing choline, bone-building nutrients, and homocysteine-lowering vitamin B12.
Elevated homocysteine is known to be 300% more harmful to arteries of the heart compared to total cholesterol.
However, eggs aren’t healthy if you’re allergic to its protein or have elevated serum ferritin since egg yolk is rich in iron which is a highly-oxidising mineral if consumed in excess.
Views expressed are those of the author, who’s president of the Federation of Complementary & Natural Medical Associations, and not necessarily those of the professional bodies and government committees of which he’s a member. Dato’ Steve Yap can be contacted at: dsy dsywellness.com
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/83140
While public perceptions and beliefs on health are varied, in this two-part series, we look at some of the common beliefs among Malaysians:
A little junk food is okay
We age through a process called oxidation initiated by free radicals. Most fried, deep-fried, baked, microwaved, rancid foods/sauces, and titbits are loaded with free radicals that accelerate our ageing process.
Once initiated, the process doesn’t stop until these free radicals are neutralised by antioxidants or by similar nutrients from food consumed.
Free radicals from, say, trans fatty acids, are known to initiate abnormal cell (tumour) growth that later leads to malignancy.
A food would be considered ‘junk’ if its major component(s) are in excess of our body’s requirements such as highly-refined carbohydrates and sugars.
Breakfast cereals for higher energy
Good dietary fats can offer 300% more energy than cereals or grains and protein delivers 25% more energy than carbohydrates.
Breakfasts should be reasonably high in quality protein, not necessarily from animal source.
Indeed, the popular body-building proteins BCAAs are derived from seeds and nuts.
However, some protein from egg white, soy isolate, skimmed milk, livestock, seafood, or animal improves utilisation of protein from plant sources.
Rice for fullness
Refined starches with high glycaemic indices trigger insulin spikes after their consumption, especially on an empty stomach. The higher our insulin levels, the more hunger spells we experience in the following hours because this hormone also stimulates hunger and promotes storage of fats.
The feeling of ‘fullness’ after eating rice or other cereals can come from carbohydrate/sugar ‘addiction’. In reality, fullness is a feeling triggered by the hormone leptin after adequate amount of protein rather than starch is consumed.
Heavy dinner for a hard day’s work
Our tissue-repairing growth hormone (hGH) levels are higher in the morning than in the evening. The situation may be different if you do exercises and/or resistance training that trigger hGH spikes before dinner time.
If your quality protein intake during breakfast and lunch is adequate, then dinner could include food rich in sleep-promoting nutrient tryptophan such as rice, fresh corn, soy isolate, soy products, peanuts, wheat germ, wheat bran, pumpkin seeds, and some seaweed.
Only sugar makes a diabetic
High glycaemic index foods such as those made from refined starches can accelerate diabetes much more than, say, table sugar. Foods that strongly trigger insulin spikes promote diabetes.
The addictive or ‘comforting’ effect of consuming refined carbohydrates explains why it’s so difficult to prevent or stop people drifting into diabetes, which is the mother of chronic health disorders including atherosclerosis.
Protein is harmful
Our enzymes, antibodies, muscles, red blood cells, and even bone structure require adequate protein intake for optimum repair and renewal. Some 40% of dry matter of our body tissues is protein.
Our need for protein is accelerated in times of physiological or mental stress, trauma, physical injuries, and even after surgery. Failure to replace adequate quality protein results in muscle wastage from nitrogen excretion.
Those with renal failure or weak renal functions should either avoid or take animal protein under supervision.
Incidentally, it isn’t widely appreciated that our body needs vitamin B6 for its protein or protein-related metabolism.
Vegetable fats are healthier
Small amount of omega-6 vegetable fat is essential. However, omega-6 fats are much more easily oxidised than say grape seed oil (omega-9), palm oil, or virgin coconut oil (medium-chain triglycerides).
Oxidation causes fat to turn rancid and when consumed, our antibodies could attack them.
Hydrogenated or partly hydrogenated fats are rancid fats too. The inflammatory process they can initiate is now considered a principal means by which arterial plaques are believed to be formed.
Coconut oil is harmful
Contrary to popular belief, virgin coconut oil is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Its medium-chain fatty acids seem to offer a triple approach to weight loss, namely they (i) have a lower calorie content than other long-chain fats, (ii) are minimally stored as fat, and (iii) contribute to thermogenesis (enhanced metabolism) to burn more calories.
This oil suppresses appetite, a characteristic of obvious benefit to those attempting to lower their intake of total calories (Stubbs et al, 1996)
Eggs harm the heart
Fresh farm eggs, soft or hard-boiled, may contain as much good HDL cholesterol as the so-called ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol.
In addition, egg yolk contains memory-enhancing choline, bone-building nutrients, and homocysteine-lowering vitamin B12.
Elevated homocysteine is known to be 300% more harmful to arteries of the heart compared to total cholesterol.
However, eggs aren’t healthy if you’re allergic to its protein or have elevated serum ferritin since egg yolk is rich in iron which is a highly-oxidising mineral if consumed in excess.
Views expressed are those of the author, who’s president of the Federation of Complementary & Natural Medical Associations, and not necessarily those of the professional bodies and government committees of which he’s a member. Dato’ Steve Yap can be contacted at: dsy dsywellness.com
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/83140
