Your Health!

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Sometimes, it seems we've heard it all before when it comes to healthy eating and what's bad for our bodies: sugar, refined carbs, saturated fats and so on.
But every once in a while something reminds you of what food is supposed to be about, and that's what happened when I heard nutritionist/wellness coach Dina Boyer lecture at the Union Club not long ago.

Here's what she said: "If you want energy and vitality, then you need to eat foods with vitality and energy to them."

Boyer, who has since become a corporate nutritionist for Parker Hannifin, went on to say: "If you have something processed and packaged in your pantry, and you find it a year after you put it there, doesn't it still look the same?"

Exactly. Unless you've talking about that bag of flour that weevils got into. Prefab food isn't likely to turn green or biologically break down. All the chemicals and preservatives prevent that from happening. Think of it this way: There wasn't anything "live" in it.

As Boyer says, "If the bacteria and fungi don't want to consume it, why would you?"

I thought about Boyer's words when I came across a recent pair of videos from Harvard University that went viral via Huffington Post. Made by using a trademarked camera-scope called the M2A, they show how food or, perhaps more important, nonfood, breaks down inside the body (tinyurl.com/cameralook).

One video shows what happens when a person eats ramen noodles (made of 15 different ingredients) and drinks Gatorade; the other shows what happens when a person consumes homemade noodles and drinks hibiscus tea.

Here's what the pill-size camera captures once swallowed: the body mashing and digesting the homemade foods after a few hours, while in the same amount of time, many of the ramen noodles retain their shape; the Gatorade, unlike the tea, remains blue/green for much of the digestion process.

Showing this process from the inside was the idea of Stefani Bardin, a filmmaker working with Dr. Braden Kuo, a Harvard gastroenterologist. They used camera technology supplied by Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

In a subsequent interview, Bardin said the video -- originally made for just a small group at a conference -- wasn't designed to tell people what to eat. "We were hoping to share information about what's in food, where it comes from and how it's manufactured. What people eat is a personal choice."

But, she added, "A lot of this information is not obvious or available on the labels or even on the websites of a lot of these companies.

"We're not advocating for people to not eat Top Ramen ever, but maybe it's something that should not be eaten every day."

After the YouTube video went viral, some online posters commented that, for various reasons, it didn't make a valid scientific argument against processed food. And Kuo himself said, "The footage is thought provoking and the differences in the noodle sizes during digestion is interesting, but far from conclusive."

If that doesn't persuade you to think more about what you eat, how about the "Six Months of the Everlasting Happy Meal" video (tinyurl.com/everlastingmeal)?

A woman named Sally Davies left a McDonald's Happy Meal (fries and a burger in a bun) on her coffee table for 180 days, and trained a camera on it.

Her video is remarkable for what it doesn't show. There are no insects, mold or visible decomposition of any kind -- and, she reported, no odor.

McDonald's responded, saying that "bacteria and mold only grow under certain conditions" and that "without sufficient moisture" bacteria and mold and decomposition won't make food break down.

Well, OK. But how many of us have also found McDonald's french fries under car seats, months or even years old, with no discernible change in appearance?

Biological substances -- which is what food is supposed to be -- are meant to break down.

Let's remember that food isn't just calories. It's supposed to nurture our bodies.

"It's important to eat something that's alive," said Boyer in a later interview. That is why vegetables and fruit, in their whole form, are good for our bodies. "Typically people focus on nutrition labels and don't pay attention to the ingredients. But with whole foods, you obviously get vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants -- all the good stuff that helps you fight disease."

Instead of thinking of your body as a checking account, with calories deposited and spent, Boyer suggested thinking of your body as a well-lubricated machine, one that needs the right kind of fuel.

So the next time you are having trouble taking the time to choose fresh fruits and vegetables (sure, frozen in winter) while shopping or picking out a snack, don't think in terms of calories.

Consider the life-giving nutrients you are ingesting, and enjoy the freshness -- and look forward to summer when the choices multiply in stores and at farmers markets.

Check out anew-wellness.com for more information on Boyer and her nutritional program.


				*Your Health!*