Chapter 6: Meat & Poultry

Steinman recommends no more than 1/3 of all food come from animal sources including meat, poultry, seafood, dairy foods, and eggs. Some experts say this number may be too high, but going for plant foods helps reduce exposure to dangerous pesticides as well as to cholesterol and saturated fat. Since farm animals are high on the food chain, they bioaccumulate toxins from the pesticide-treated grasses and grains fed to them. Residues from animal foods are more likely to bioaccumulate in the human body versus residues from plants.

The toxins from animals are stored in their fat tissues. This means that the fattier the food, the more dangerous it is to consume. In one animal study, “chemical carcinogens given to rats were more likely to produce tumors in a group that was fed fatty foods than in a group fed low-fat foods” (p. 74). Another study indicates “that some 20 percent of American meat eaters may have toxic mutagens in their digestive tract that can be absorbed into the bloodstream and can attack cells.” I’ll be attempting to eat less meat, choosing lean cuts, trimming the fat from red meat, and removing the skin from poultry.

I recently watched a movie called Forks Over Knives. The movie also supports what Steinman has found. It even goes as far to suggest that a whole foods plant-based diet can help reduce cancer effects. It’s pretty awesome that everything we need is already found in nature. Here’s a trailer

As I’ve said in my previous post, consumption demands and the farms push to meet those demands but at the expense of our health and environment. Steinman says raising cattle takes a great toll and is contributing to desertification of the West. Save our planet and rain forests by reducing the amount of meat in our diet! The following is a list of which meats to seek out and which to stay away from.

Green: These have the lowest pesticide saturation, present the smallest cancer risk, and are the richest source of nutrients while being lowest in cholesterol and saturated fat.

• chicken (oven-roasted)
• game (alligator meat, frogs’ legs, escargot, buffalo)
• lamb chops
• pork roast
• turkey

Yellow: These have twice the saturation of the green group and half the total saturation of the red group. Eat these in moderation.

• beef round steak
• chicken (fried)
• ham
• pork chops

Red: Eat these seldomly or not at all unless certified organic or hormone- or chemical-free. These meats are saturated with highly concentrated cancer-causing pesticides.

• bacon
• bologna
• fast-food hamburgers
• frankfurters
• ground beef
• liver
• pork sausage
• roast beef
• salami
• sirloin steak
• venison

Steinman, David. Diet for A Poisoned Planet How to Choose Safe Foods for You and Your Family. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990. Print.

 

Chapter 5: Grains

Formula: [lots of greens and grains] + [low meats & dairy] = low-toxin high-energy diet

Ok, fruits and veggies are going organic unless I need to be selective because my budget is diminishing quicker than I calculated (which I have a feeling may happen). Moving along to the bread food group. Don’t get me wrong, I love my fruits and veggies but my love for bread is no secret. This is great because there are plenty of benefits that comes with eating whole grains.

• They help cleanse your body of toxic elements thus helping to prevent cancer caused by these pollutants. The fiber from whole grains trap the toxins and leads it out of your body before it can ever be absorbed.
• It’s a source of vitamins and minerals.
• Whole grains make you feel fuller with less calories and the fiber helps you lose weight.
• When eating grains, we maximize the planet’s resources. According to Steinman, “if all the grain and soybeans fed to U.S. livestock were used to feed humans instead, they could feed at least 1.3 billion citizens of the planet-far, far more than could be fed by the livestock raised with that grain” (p. 56).
• Whole grains are also excellent for people who need to control their blood sugar.

The best thing is that even chemically grown grains have one of the lowest levels of pesticides and industrial chemicals. The reason you want to choose whole grains is because processed grains have no nutrients. The outer layers, which is high in protein and other essential nutrients, are stripped leaving only the inner portion. Eating white bread and other white-flour products have no real benefits for your body. If more people switch to organic whole grains, it helps lessen the suffering of workers who are exposed to toxic pesticides. I admire Steinman because he also takes into consideration the workers’ and environmental concerns. He states “that if we have any sense of decency we cannot turn our backs on the dangerous exposures faced by workers who grow and fumigate grains, especially since the key to lessening the burden of our fellow Americans is as simple as being an informed shopper” (p. 61).

Here is a list to use when shopping in markets that only sell chemically grown foods.

Green:

Photo from: healthytimesblog.com

• biscuits
• corn bread
• cornflakes
• crisped rice cereal (ex: Rice Krispies)
• egg noodles
• farina
• fruit-flavored sweetened cereal
• granola
• grits
• oatmeal
• oat rings
• pancakes
• pasta
• popcorn
• rice
• saltine crackers
• shredded wheat cereal
• tortillas (corn preferred)

Yellow: These are little less safe. Eat them less than the green light group, but prefer them to meats and high-fat dairy foods. The reason being that the grains with the heaviest pesticide saturation is only half that of the worst dairy, meat, fruit, and vegetable foods. If possible, look for organic substitutes.

• dinner rolls
• muffins
• raisin bran cereal
• rye bread
• white  bread
• whole wheat bread

Chapter 4: Fruit & Veggies

Formula: [organic fruits] + [organic veggies] = lower toxin count in the body

All this research is making me anxious to start trying new recipes, but a few more steps before I can dive into cooking. I know now what a balanced diet consists of and to take multivitamin supplements to reap the full benefits. It is time to figure out which foods to stay away from due to pesticides and other residues that can seep into the market produce.

According to my reading from Diet for a Poisoned Planet, Steinman has organized all the food into three categories. Green are foods that would cause up to five excess cancers in one million people and still have some pesticide residues. They are not absolutely and completely free from toxic residues so Steinman is not endorsing that these are safe to eat. He marks these as ones with the least amount of residue so it reduces the intake of toxins into the body. Yellow are foods that would cause five to ten cancers and red are foods with risk beyond ten cancers. He uses the Total Diet Study to compile all the information in his book. Hundreds of foods are tested each year for pesticides. It measures the number of residues found in sixteen samples (example: lettuce had 36 residues in 16 samples meaning each sample had an average of 2-3 pesticide residues), the different types, and the concentration.

So here is the list of what to watch out for.

Green: It’s a go! These are the safest nonorganic foods to eat.

Photo by: kitchentalks.com

• alfalfa sprouts
• applesauce
• asparagus
• avocados
• adzuki beans
• bananas
• bean sprouts
• beets
• black-eyed peas
• brussels sprouts
• cabbage
• carrots
• cauliflower
• chives
• corn
• cranberry juice
• dates
• figs
• fruit cocktail
• grape juice
• grapefruit
• guavas
• hazelnuts
• lemonade (frozen reconstituted)
• lemons
• lentils
• lima beans (mature)
• limes
• mixed vegetables (canned)
• mushrooms
• navy beans
• onions
• oranges
• papayas
• peaches (canned)
• pears (canned)
• peas
• pecans
• pineapple juice
• pineapples
• pinto beans
• radishes
• rapini
• red beans
• sesame seeds
• shallots
• snap green beans
• sunflower seeds
• tangerines
• tomatoes (canned)
• watercress
• watermelon & watermelon seeds

Yellow: These have a higher pesticide saturation and should be swapped for an organic substitute. According to Steinman, “all plant foods, even the most pesticide-saturated, are better for you than the worst animal foods” (p. 34).

Photo by: thechicecologist.com

• apple juice, apples
• apricots
• artichokes
• balckberries
• blueberries
• broccoli
• cantaloupe
• celery
• cherries
• cherry tomatoes
• chili peppers
• choysum
• collard greens
• cranberries
• crenshaw melons
• cucumbers
• eggplant
• escarole
• grapefruit juice
• grapes
• green bell peppers
• honeydew melon
• jalapeno peppers
• kale
• kiwi fruit
• leeks
• lettuce
• lima beans (immature)
• mung beans
• nectarines
• okra
• orange juice
• parsley
• parsnips
• peaches
• pears
• persimmons
• plums
• poblano peppers
• pomegranates
• potatoes
• prunes
• radishes
• raspberries
• rutabagas
• serrano chilies
• spinach
• strawberries
• string beans
• summer squash
• sweet potatoes
• swiss chard
• tomatillos
• tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato sauce
• turnip greens, turnips
• winter squash

Red: Avoid these and substitute organic varieties.

Photo by: 123rf.com

• peanuts
• raisins

This list is from the book, which used results from the Total Diet Study of 1986. I went to the Food and Drug Administration website and found updates, but quite frankly I’m not sure what to make of it. A list released by the Environmental Working Group reveals the produce most laced with pesticides from 2011. You can read through an article written by Dan Shapley of The Daily Green for the twelve foods you should buy organically and its substitutes.

Steinman, David. Diet for A Poisoned Planet How to Choose Safe Foods for You and Your Family. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990. Print.

Chapter 3: What We’re Getting from Our Foods

Formula: calcium + folic acid + iron + magnesium + vitamin(A + B6 + B12 + C + D + E + K) + zinc = daily critical nutrients

Photo by: carmenshawnfitness.com

To calculate which vitamin supplements I do need, I found information on which foods give you what. I tried to see if an app was available for my phone so that I would be able to log all the information but no luck. The ones that do exist are not free and received mediocre ratings. All I can do is rely on my diet and my consistency to eat according to that diet. I am giving the recommended consumption for a woman between the ages of 19-50. The numbers change once you get older because your body changes.

Here are a list of vitamins and minerals that should be absorbed by the body daily either through foods or supplements. Also listed are a few benefits and examples of where they can be found in our foods.

Calcium: Divide these into doses because your body can only digest 500-600 mg at a time. Tips from Dr. Oz if you are taking a calcium supplement: take it with vitamin D to help with absorption, take it two hours before or after taking a multivitamin, and the supplement can be up to 600 milligrams with 400 milligrams of magnesium because taking calcium alone can cause constipation.

• Daily dose: 1,000 milligrams (mg)/day
• Benefits: Helps the heart, muscles, and nerves to function properly. Prevents bone disease
• Found in: plain low-fat yogurt, fortified soymilk, milk (2% fat), cheese, soybeans/edamame

Vitamin A: According to Diane Feskanich, Sc.D., of Harvard Medical School, avoid too much retinol which is a form vitamin A comes in. They are listed as vitamin A acetate or vitamin A palmitate on food labels.

• 3,500 IU/day
• Maintains healthy eyes, skin, teeth, and bones. Essential for cell division.
• Pumpkin and butternut squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, cantaloupe, apricots, mangoes, nectarine

Vitamin B: 8 different types are thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), B6, biotin (B7), folic acid/folate (B9), and B12

• the amounts for vitamin B is complicated, but the best is to check the label of your multivitamin for 100% RDA (recommended dietary allowance) because what vitamin B your body does not use will be flushed out through urine
• Aids in making and releasing energy, produces red blood cells. Keeps levels of bad cholesterol low
• Whole grain, seafood, green vegetables

Vitamin C:

• 75 mg/day, RealAge recommends 1,200 mg/day
• Boosts immune system. Builds collagen in the skin. Aids joint repair.
• Peaches, red and green bell peppers, strawberries, oranges, brussel sprouts

Vitamin D: Even spending 20 minutes a day in the sun without the use of sunblock then apply afterwards if staying out longer (based on lighter skin, African Americans need an hour in the sun).

• 400 IU-1,000 IU/day
• Helps prevent osteoarthritis. Fights inflammation. Regulates blood pressure.
• Mackerel, liver, tall glass of fortified milk, salmon, tuna, orange juice, eggs, shot of cod liver oil

Vitamin E: Pair with taking vitamin C because this because they work together to prevent oxidation that causes clogs in the blood vessel walls.

• 30 IU/ day
• Prevents heart disease, Alzherimer’s, macular degeneration, and cataracts.
• Almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, avocados, tomatoes

Vitamin K: Speak to your physician if taking blood-thinning medication because it may interfere.

• 90 micrograms/day for women, 120 micrograms/day for men
• Helps stop bleeding after cut or injury occurs
• Kale, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, blueberries, peaches, abalone

Iron: This should be only for women of childbearing age.

• 18 milligrams/day
• Aids in delivering oxygen to the body. Helps DNA synthesis which promotes growth, healing, and a strong immune system.
• Cereal, spinach, raw oysters, tomatoes, lentils, lima beans

Magnesium:

• 320 mg/day for women, 420 mg/day for men
• Helps metabolize food into energy. Aids in the absorption of calcium. Keeps the heart, muscles, and nerves functioning properly.
• Halibut, cashews, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, walnuts, bananas

Potassium:

• 4,700 mg/day
• Regulates blood pressure. Maintains normal heart and artery functions. Reduces risk of stroke.
• Beets, raisins, blackberries

Selenium:

• 55 mcg/day, 200 micrograms (mcg)/ day but no more than 400 mcg recommended by RealAge
• Keeps immune system strong
• Tuna, couscous, pork, turkey

Omega 3 Fatty Acids:

• 1,000 mg/day for women, 600 mg/day for men
• Reduce chances of cardiovascular disease. Help fight off diseases through anti-inflammatory properties. Boost your mind and mood.
• Salmon, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds

Zinc:

• 8 mg/day but no more than 40 mg
• Heals wounds and keeps immune system strong
• Lamp chops, shiitake mushrooms, ground beef, almonds

Most of the food groups meet these dosages. Again, if what you eat does not then vitamin supplements can offer you optimal health benefits and disease prevention.

All information is summarized from articles found on the Internet.

Hammock, Delia. “What to know about vitamins.” Good Housekeeping. Hearst Communications, Inc., n.d. Web. <http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/nutrition/how-many-vitamins-mar06&gt;.

“Vitamins and Minerals: Best Bet.” RealAge. RealAge, Inc., n.d. Web. 13 Jan 2012. <http://www.realage.com/food/vitamins-minerals&gt;.

Walding, Aureau. “How to know what vitamins to take.”livestrong.com the limitless potential of you. Demand Media, Inc., 09 10 2010. Web. 12 Jan 2012. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/239752-how-to-know-what-vitamins-to-take/&gt;.

Chapter 2: Yes or No to Vitamin Supplements?

Formula: balanced diet + needed vitamin supplements (different for each person according to his/her diet) = healthy and functioning body

Vitamins are micronutrients needed to sustain life. Humans get vitamins from the foods they eat because the body does not produce them naturally, not at all, or not enough of them. First you’re told you should take vitamin supplements then you’re told you may be taking too many vitamins that it becomes bad for your body. The question ultimately comes down to: do you really need it? I began looking into why vitamin supplements would be bad for you because I heard about it through National Public Radio. I did additional research and here is what I found.

Photo by: vitaminsupplementer.com

The Harvard School of Public Health explains that following a diet such as the suggested servings of the food pyramid is better than taking vitamins alone. If one does not adhere to a balanced diet, then a multivitamin is recommended. The supplement is taken to complete a balanced diet and give the body the nutrients it needs. The problem comes from taking vitamin supplements without knowing the correct amount to intake.

My mistake was thinking that all vitamin supplements were made the same and giving me the quantities I needed. Dr. Oz explains that vitamin pills provide “pharmaceutical” doses. The doses are higher than what you could get from eating food, meaning one would have to eat a bushel of produce to get the equivalent amount in a vitamin supplement.

I read “Dr. Oz Shares Multi-Vitamin Safety Recommendations” by Timothy Boyer and summarized Dr. Oz’s concern about multivitamins. Problems are found with overdoses of vitamins A and E, calcium, and iron.

• Too much vitamin A has adverse effects such as damaging blood cells, headaches, skin and bone disorders, renal failures, and birth defects in their offspring (Steinman, p. 19). It is recommended to look for labels on multivitamin bottles that say 3,500 IU (injection units) of vitamin A.
• Intaking higher doses of vitamin E is mainly a problem for men because it can increase the development of prostate cancer. Dr. Oz keeps the dose at 30 IU.
• He also says that iron should only be taken by women of childbearing age at 18 milligrams. Excess iron can harden the arteries.
• Calcium has the tendency to bind to other vitamins and prevent their absorption in the body. The recommended dosage in your multivitamin should be no more than 200 milligrams.

One step closer to being on the right track. To check out Dr. Oz’s Ultimate Supplement Checklist, click here. Additional questions and answers on vitamin supplements can be found here.

Steinman, David. Diet for A Poisoned Planet How to Choose Safe Foods for You and Your Family. New York: Ballantine Books, 1990. Print.

Chapter 1: Back to the Basics

Formula: adequate servings of [bread, cereal, rice, pasta] + [veggies] + [fruit] + [milk, yogurt, cheese] + [meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, nuts] = a strong healthy foundation

Photo by: britannica.com

I’m going to start with the food pyramid. It’s the chart every little kid was taught in grade school. I remember coloring in my pyramid and making it as pretty as can be. Now that I think about it, that might have been more important to me than actually learning about eating right. Hey, what can I say? I was seven years old.

The original USDA food guide pyramid gives the general servings that is recommended, but it does not take into consideration age and gender. According to the break down provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I fall under the category of active women with a 2,200 calorie diet. This means I would need:

• 9 servings of grains
• 4 servings of vegetables
• 3 servings of fruits
• 2 servings of milk/dairy
• 2 servings of meats/beans (total of 6 oz.)

To meet this requirement, I found information on what counts as a serving.

Grains Group (Bread, cereal, rice, and pasta)

• 1 slice of bread
• About 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal (this means no preparation needed, for example Special K)
• 1/2 cup of cooked cereal, rice, or pasta

Vegetable Group

• 1 cup of raw leafy vegetables (examples: bok choy, romaine lettuce, arugula, spinach, and watercress)
• 1/2 cup of other vegetables cooked or raw
• 3/4 cup of vegetable juice

Fruit Group

• 1 medium sized apple, orange, banana, or pear
• 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit
• 3/4 cup of fruit juice

Milk Group (Milk, yogurt, and cheese)

This category includes lactose-free and lactose-reduced products. Fat-free, low-fat, or reduced-fat dairy products preferred.

• 1 cup of milk or yogurt
• 1 1/2 oz. of natural cheese (Cheddar)
• 2 oz. of processed cheese (American)

Meat and Beans Group (Meat, poultry, dry beans, eggs, and nuts)

*Dry beans can be counted in the vegetable group. 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans counts as 1 serving.

• 2-3 oz. of cooked lean meat, poultry, or fish
• 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans or 1/2 cup of tofu counts as 1 ounce of lean meat
• 2 1/2-ounce soyburger or 1 egg counts as 1 ounce of lean meat
• 2 tablespoons of peanut butter or 1/3 cup of nuts counts as 1 ounce of lean meat

Not too difficult. These are the recommendations for a balanced diet. I realize that going overboard on one type of food group tips the scale and may make me miss out on the valuable properties of other foods. Maintaining these servings will also help me maintain my weight. So it’s true when people say eat everything in moderation, but make sure you get your daily servings in.

All information was provided by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through their coordinated website. Additional information about dietary guidelines for children and men can be found here.