G.E.T the facts

There is one topic I really love is nutrition. Not only do I enjoy food but I am also amazed at the complexity of this stuff we call food. Over the years we have demonized fat, protein and now carbohydrates, blaming each food group for its role in the worsening human condition. The world started getting fat, so the obvious thing to do is to get rid of fat, right? Well, we tried that since the ’80s and how have we made out? I believe the world has gotten fatter for our efforts, so it seems fat is not the culprit entirely. The reality is that fat, healthy fats are a necessary part of our diet, as we need fat to construct hormones, cell walls, and brain tissue. However, when we heat treat certain types of fat our body does not react this fat the same and our satiety mechanism is not stimulated, so for example, roasted nuts and seeds are not the same as raw, and the body will generally not react the same way to the presence of these fats. Have you ever noticed when you ate about a dozen raw almonds or cashews and you felt like you ate a meal, but when you sat down with a bucket of roasted nuts or seeds you could consume more? You got twice the calories due to the fact the fat was altered in the heating process, changing the fat and thereby changing our body’s reaction to it.  So raw or low heat-treated nuts and seeds are best.

 One of the most important things we are trying to do with clients, whether they are athletes or weight loss clients, is to control the rate at which food leaves the belly. The faster the food leaves the belly, the quicker we get hungry. The quicker the food leaves the belly, the more chance we have to overstimulate the production of insulin, which controls the sugar levels in our bloodstream but also is a powerful mechanism in fat production. So the G.E.T time, which by the way stands for “gastric emptying time” or the time it takes for food to leave our belly, is either lengthened or shorted by what we eat, the combinations of foods we eat, and the degree to which they are heated. If we look at the diabetic recommendations for meal planning you will generally find each meal has a combination of fats, proteins and healthy carbohydrates, and the combination of these foods together in the balanced ratio (I use 40% carbs, 30%fat and 30% protein mostly) ensure that food leaves the stomach slowly and has a minor effect on insulin production.

 All of us, diabetic or not, could stand to focus more on food combining to control the G.E.T, thereby reducing fat production and ensuring sustainable energy for hours. There are some exceptions to this that surround athlete training and carb replenishing, but for the most of us, the balance will work quite well.  What prompted me to write about this was this next piece that I came across and it was a very exciting bit of information. In the world of meal replacements, one of the issues is that people rarely get full or satiated by them, which kind of ruins the whole idea of the “meal replacement” if your starving 10 minutes later. One of the main factors that control G.E.T of meal replacements was the nutritional load. If a meal replacement is rich in healthy fats, amino acids, and other nutrients, then the rate of gastric emptying will be slower due to its nutrient density, which will promote healthy weight maintenance and sustained the amount of energy throughout the day. So when you’re picking a meal replacement, it is not the cheapest one but the one with the highest nutrient profile that will make the difference. I think I know of just the right one. 

 Nutrition is a highly controversial topic with many experts having many conflicting ideas of what it the best way or the right way. If you have a medical condition or health issue then you need to follow the advice of your health care professional to keep yourself safe. My recommendation would be to find a health care professional who is healthy, who engages in physical activity and sound dietary practices as you may find that their approach may be a bit more in line with your goals of getting healthier.

 C.David Gilks