#029 - Deep Nutrition: Unlocking Your Genome, The Four Pillars of Health
there is one human diet that has the potential to provide optimal nutrition, no matter our race
The Human Diet is not defined using long lists of acceptable and forbidden foods, but rather by a set of strategies.
Four strategies, which I define as the Four Pillars of the Human Diet, unify all traditional diets.
The best chefs use all four strategies which is why I say chefs are the original nutritionists.
The modern America diet employs only one of these four strategies, the use of fresh foods
THE FOUR PILLARS OF THE HUMAN DIET
MEAT ON THE BONE
FERMENTED AND SPROUTED FOODS
ORGANS AND OTHER “NASTY BITS”
FRESH, UNADULTERATED PLANT AND ANIMAL PRODUCTS
PILLAR 1 | MEAT ON THE BONE
Rule #1 Don’t Overcook It
Tougher to chew more time to digest. The worst part is the nutrients are ruined
Ruined nutrients don’t just politely disappear. Once ingested, your body won’t be able to simply flush them down some metabolic drainpipe. When heat kills utrients, it does so by causing reactions between nutrients, forming new chemical compounds including known carcinogens (such as aromatic hydrocarbons and cyclic amines) as well as other molecular fusions that damage your kidneys and blood vessels. When meat is cooked properly, fewer harmful reactions occur. The nutrients and flavor compounds survive and can now be gently released into the meat’s juices where they are more bioavailable and more readily tasted and absorbed
So how much heat is too much heat? If when you slice it, there’s not even trickle of juice, it’s way overdone.
Rule #2 Use Moister, Time & Parts
At gentle heating temperatures water molecular act like miniature hacksaw, neatly chopping the long, tough strands of protein apart, gently tenderizing even the toughest tissue. And because water also prevents nearby strands from fusing together, keeping meat moist prevents the formation of the protein tangles that make overcooks meat so tough
Slow cooked meat and parts are more nutritious than their mistreated cousins for still another reason: minerals. Mineral salts are released from bone and cartilage during stewing, as well as from the meat itself. These tissues are mineral warehouses, rich in calcium, potassium, iron, sulfate, phosphate, and, of course, sodium and chloride.
Health food stores sell these tact-enhancers in the form of Bragg’s Aminos, which is no better for you than hydrolyzed soy sauces. The problem with these products is that certain amino acids have nueo-stimulatory effect that can lead to nerve damage (amino acids glutamate and aspartate are the most potent). When consumed in small amounts as part of meal containing a diversity of nutrients, amino acid are actually good for us. But when consumed in large quantity without their normal complement of nutrients (most notably without calcium and magnesium) neurostimulatroy amino acids can cause temporary memory loss, migraines, dizziness, and more. This is why the concept of whole foods must be applied to animal products as well as plants. (By the wya traditionally brewed brands of soy sauce derive flavor from peptides which do not overstimulate nerve cells).
Rule #3 Use the Fat
Unlike sugar, fats is a major building material for our cells, comprising 30-80% of our cell membranes. And unlike sugar, fat doesn’t trigger the release of insulin, which promotes weight gain. Furthermore, a high-sugar meal damages our tissues, but a high (natural) fat meal doesn’t. We need fat to be able to absorb most fat-soluble nutrients, including vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Rule #4 Make Bone Stock
People used to eat soup and stock made from bones all the time, and doing so supplied their. Bodies with the whole family of glycosaminoglycans, very special molecules that help keep our joints healthy. Instead of buying glucosamine over the counter, simply make a broth.
PILLAR 2 | ORGAN MEATS
Offal meats are rich in vitamins especially fat-soluble vitamins which can be stores in our own fat reserves for months.
PILLAR 3 | FERMENTATION & SPROUTING
During the sprouting process, enzymes convert energy-rich storage starch into the many nutrients a seedling requires. During the fermentation, multiplying microbes seek out simple sugars and convert them into a wide variety of nutrients they use for their own growth.
Fermenation and sprouting are also crucial for another reason: plants didn’t evolve with the idea that they should be good to eat. Plants protect their foliage, stems, seeds, roots and to a lesser degree even their fruits with natural insecticides and bitter toxins that make some plants unsafe for human consumption.
A study of a tribe suffering from dwarfism: they had low levels of zinc and other minerals. The cause of the mineral deficiency was from consumption of unleavened bread. Wheat, like all seeds, contains mineral binding compounds called phytates, which hold minerals in stasis until conditions are right for germinations. Yeast and other microbes (such as those in sourdough) contain enzymes that break down phytates in the seed, freeing the zinc, calcium, magnesium and other minerals from their chemical cages. The parents f dwarfed children were buying cheaper, unleavened bread, and were also unable to afford much meat, a good source of zinc and magnesium.
Why does germinating a seed first make it more nutritious? Seeds are designed to greedily hang on to their stored proteins, fats, and minerals over extended periods f time. The plant sheaths are hard, nearly impenetrable and locks down the nutrients with chemical binders that digestive enzymes can’t loosen. Moistening the seeds for a few days activates the plants own enzymes, softening the seed, freeing up the bound nutrients.
PILLAR 4 | FRESH: THE BENEFITS OF RAW
Why is freshness so important when it comes to antioxidants? Oxygen spoils antioxidants. Antioxidants are protect our tissues against oxygen damage by acting like selfless chemical heroes, throwing themselves in the line of fire to protect us from free radical damage. The heating or drying process can also destroy antioxidants.
Meat on the bone will bring enough of the glycosaminoglycan growth factors and bone-building minerals to make a child’s joint strong and their bones tough, enabling them to grow tall and excel in sports. In adulthood, these same factors will keep your joints well-lubricated and prevent aging bones from crumbling. No combination of supplements has the right balance of bioavailable minerals and collagen-derived growth factors to fortify your body as effectively as meat on the bone.
Organ meats bring the vitamins and brain-building fats that can ensure children will have mental stability and an aptitude for learning, and continued consumption of these foods is the best way to guarantee that your brain cells and nerves tay healthy for the rest of your life. Because these nutrients deteriorate so rapidly no pills can effectively encapsulate them.
Fermented foods, full of probiotics, protect the intestinal tract from invading pathogens. Since a healthier intestine more able to take in nutrients, probiotics may prevent infections and allergic disorders from developing elsewhere in the body, reducing the need for repeated doses of antibiotics. Probiotics living in our intestine also produce all sorts of vitamins which help round out a diet that might other be deficient. Sprouted foods enable you to enjoy your breads and breakfast porridges without consuming the empty calories that cause obesity and diabetes.
Finally, fresh foods are naturally loaded with more antioxidants than can possibly survive the process of drying, overcooking, or being stuff into a capsule and bottled.