Whole Foods And The Perfect Diet?
Carl Simpson
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When it comes to the health and well-being of UK veterans, one of the most essential factors is maintaining a balanced and nutritious diet.?
Many so-called “Nutrition Gurus” promote eating whole or minimally processed foods to ensure proper nutrition.?
However we both know, it isn’t as easy as just eating whole foods.?
Nutrition is highly individual, nuanced, cultural and it serves more of a purpose than just to fuel our bodies!?
There is a huge battle on social media. Certain people are full on team “whole foods” and anything else will literally kill you!
The other team including myself are more, well, realistic!?
We understand that having a bowl of Frosties every now and again ISN’T going to kill you.?
But what does the research say??
Who is right??
Let’s dive in.?
Before we go in, I am not saying that ultra processed foods should be eating in mass amounts on a regular basis.?
But just eating whole foods has its downsides:?
A recent study by Hallinan et al. (2021) from the University of Washington has revealed two said downsides.?
The first issue is that it’s surprisingly hard to create a diet entirely based on whole foods.?
Secondly, some highly nutritious foods actually fall under the category of “ultra-processed.”
Understanding these findings can help veterans make informed dietary choices that support both their physical and mental well-being.
First, let’s define “ultra processed.”
The study uses a classification system that puts foods into four categories:
1- Unprocessed/minimally processed:
2- processed:?
3. Processed Culinary Ingredients:
4. Ultra processed foods:
Ultra Processed foods have two characteristics:
They have added fat, sugar, and/or salt.
They contain chemical additives for flavour, texture, and/or shelf life.
The category includes the usual suspects, like sodas, snack foods, and just about anything you can pick up at a drive-through window.
But according to the researchers’ definition, more than 90 percent of the grains in our diets—whole-wheat bread and instant oatmeal along with Lucky Charms and tiramisu—are considered ultra processed.
Same with 70 percent of the beans, nuts, and seeds.
Keep that in mind as we go a little deeper into the study, and what we can learn from it.
How the study worked
The study used a computer program to create “nutritionally adequate” diets that met three criteria:
They had to be exactly 2,000 Calories.
They had to meet 22 minimal standards for nutrients without exceeding any recommended maximums.
They couldn’t deviate too far from the real-life diets of the 857 participants in the Seattle Obesity Study.
The program’s database included 360 foods, all of which came from questionnaires completed by the participants.?
Each food was assigned to one of the four categories, from whole or minimally-processed to ultra processed.
Key question: was it possible to create a nutritionally adequate diet from 100 percent unprocessed or ultra processed foods?
What the study found
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The computer program was unable to create an entire “adequate” meal plan from whole or minimally-processed foods.
Nor was it able to do it with nothing but ultra processed foods.
Only three combinations of categories gave them a 2,000-Calorie diet that met all 22 of their nutrition standards:
Model 1 included foods from all four categories.
Models 2 and 3 included foods from the three processed categories, but not whole foods.
Keep in mind, this isn’t?surprising: After all, one of the problems with most calorie-restricted diets (2,000 calories a day would fall into that category for most people) is that it’s likely to be deficient in something.
Another important caveat: The major stumbling block was the standard for vitamin D. When they cut it in half—from 800 to 400 IU per day—they were able to create model diets with 100 percent whole or 100 percent ultra processed foods.
(Note: 400 IU is still almost twice the average from their participants.)
Keep in mind, the best source of vitamin D is the sun.
A good general guideline: Get about 10-20 minutes a day of midday sun, with face, arms, hands, and legs uncovered (and no sunscreen).
You can bump up your vitamin D intake by prioritizing certain foods in your diet. Here are some of the best sources:
Key takeaways!
1. Processing doesn’t make a food “bad.”
At its most basic level, processing does at least one of these things:
It makes nutrients easier to access.?
This is especially true for grains, which are mostly?impossible to eat raw.
It concentrates particularly valuable or desirable nutrients.?
Whey protein is a great example.
It makes the food easier or more convenient to consume.?
This category includes fruit juices, all-natural nut butters, and ready-to-eat guacamole packs.
Some of these foods are also fortified with important vitamins and minerals.
The classic examples:
Iodized salt, which successfully addressed iodine deficiencies in much of the world.
Folic acid in flour, which reduces neural tube defects in infants whose mothers were deficient in folate.
Other examples include milk fortified with vitamins A and D and orange juice with added calcium and vitamin D.
2. Whole foods aren’t always the best choice.
Because whole foods are typically less energy-dense, the same volume of food will have fewer calories, and a lower percentage of those calories will be absorbed by the body and either stored or used for energy.
That’s generally a really good thing. Which is why I advise many clients to emphasize minimally-processed foods.
Some clients, however, need more energy.?
That’s especially true for young athletes who train for hours a day.
They may find it hard to eat enough ‘real food’ to get the energy they need, having to digest 5,000 Calories from chicken, broccoli and rice is hard, trust me!
For them, processed foods like nut butters (instead of, or in addition to, nuts) or fruit juices (instead of, or in addition to, whole fruits) can be better choices. I like to have pop tarts and rice crispy squares!
3.There is no such thing as a perfect diet!.
The “nutritionally adequate” diets developed by the research team’s computer program included some absurd choices—chocolate bars, French fries, non-fat potato chips—in absurdly low quantities.
For instance, one meal plan included 19 calories of French fries. If our math is right, that’d be equivalent to about four McDonald’s fries.
If nothing else, it shows why computers won’t replace coaches anytime soon.
And regardless, it’s a good reminder that there is no perfection in nutrition. Instead, it’s about finding? a balance between what’s nourishing, pleasurable, practical, and optimal.
Conclusion
In any goal, be it fat-loss or education perfection is the biggest killer of goals.
Looking for the perfect diet, perfect life, perfect plan is the quickest way to losing motivation.
Remember no plan survives contact with the enemy!
If you found this useful, please share!
Have a banging week,
Carl
Safety Compliance and Assurance Coordinator
1 个月Very informative and balanced article
Unit Lead & Armed Forces Community Network Lead at BES Group
1 个月Great article.