How many times are we told to read the labels on the food we buy? That’s all well and good but one can spend hours reading and it won’t really help unless you know what to look out for so here is a basic summary of what should make you sit up and take notice. Please note that most of the information for this post was taken from a leaflet for the World Cancer Research Fund, please visit their website for further information: www.wcrf-uk.org

Engergy:

Energy is measured in kilojoules (kJ) and kilocalories (kcal), although many people also speak of just plain Calories (Cals). Generally it is accepted that to maintain a healthy weight, women should consume no more than 2000 Calories a day and men 2500 Calories. One Calorie is equivalent to 4,186 kilojoules so to work out your kilojoule allowance you would multiply the number of Calories by 4,186, you can also use the converter at: http://www.jsward.com/cooking/appendices.shtml.

Naturally, these are only guidelines and people who do sport and/or lead a very active lifestyle would need more Calories, children would need less.

Try to balance the Calories you take in with the Calories you use up through exercise and conscious food choices.

Protein:

On food labels, protein is expressed in grams (g). We need protein for growth and repair, it also plays a role in metabolism. When choosing protein to include in your diet, try to opt for fish, poultry, game or vegetarian sources such as tofu as red meat can be high in saturated fat.

On the Eat-Salad Lifestyle, we recommend having at least one protein based meal a day, preferably from fish, poultry, game or vegetarian sources. Include nuts in your diet as these are also a good protein source.

Carbohydrate:

Just like protein, carbohydrate is expressed in grams (g). Remember though that often the amount of carbohydrate indicated on a food label includes both complex and simple carbohydrates(sugars). Ideally we should try to base our carbohydrate meals around complex carbohydrates such as brown rice, wholemeal breads and wholemeal pastas.

Some food labels make a distinction between sugars and complex carbohydrate content, making it easier to see how much sugar you are consuming in your daily meals.

On the Eat-Salad Lifestyle, we recommend that you include only complex carbohydrates in your meals when possible, these give a slow release of energy, helping you to stay active and alert for longer during your day.

Fat:

Fat contains twice as many calories as carbohydrates and protein. By now we are all aware that there are good fats and bad fats. Fats such as saturated and Trans fats are the bad guys and too much of these fats in our daily diet can lead to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and some cancers. Unsaturated fats are the good guys and are the best to include in a healthy diet, as some fat is necessary for optimal health.

Some sources:

Saturated fats: meat, dairy products, processed foods.

Trans fats or hydrogenated fats: margarines, some ready meals, some processed foods such as biscuits or cakes.

Unsaturated fats:

Monounsaturates: olive oil, nuts, avocadoes.

Polyunsaturates: oily fish, nuts and seeds, sunflower and soya oils (take note that all oils should be kept away from light and oxygen, otherwise their nutritional value deteriorates, thus oils sold in clear bottles are not a valuable addition to a healthy diet).

On the Eat-Salad Lifestyle we recommend that you take an Omega 3,6,9 supplement, eat oily fish at least twice a week, add nuts and seeds to your daily diet and use cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil for all cooking and salad dressings. Flax seed oil can also be a healthy addition to salad dressings but should not be used for cooking.

Generally it is recommended that women should aim for no more than 70 grams of total fat a day (of which 20 grams can be saturates) and men for no more than 95 grams a day (of which 30 grams can be saturates). Again these are only guidelines and individual needs will vary.

Fibre:

There are two types of fibre, soluble and unsoluble fibre, both which are good for us. Soluble fibre can assist in controlling blood glucose (sugar) levels and can also have a beneficial effect on blood cholesterol levels. Soluble fibre can be found in pulses, fruit and vegetables and oats.

Insoluble fibre is the kind that helps to keep our bowels regular and is mainly found in wholegrain breads, bran products and cereals.

Foods that contain more than 6 grams of fibre per 100 grams are thought to have good levels of fibre.

Sodium:

Sodium is part of salt and is listed in grams or milligrams (mg) on food labels. If a label does not list the sodium and salt content seperately you can work it out yourself by multiplying the sodium content by 2,5.

For example: o,4 g of sodium x 2,5 = 1 gram of salt.

Some salt is necessary in a healthy, balanced diet but most of have a daily intake that is much too high. Try to eat less than 6 grams (about one level teaspoon) of salt a day (2,4 g of sodium). Watch out for ‘hidden’ salt in processed and canned foods and try not to add salt to your food at the table.

On the Eat-Salad Lifestyle we recommend that you experiment with using herbs, spices and vegetable based flavourings to enhance the taste of your food. Coarse sea salt, Maldon salt or Himalayan rock salt are good sources of minerals and are a tasty alternative to table salt as we know it.

Ingredients:

It is useful to know that ingredients on a food label are listed in descending weight. Thus the first ingredient is the main ingredient in the product. Take a look at the label to make sure that products contain good levels of what they claim to contain.

Use by date:

Foods are unsafe to eat after this date.

Best before date:

Foods can still be safe to eat after this date but may not be at their best anymore.

Food labels often also contain storage and cooking or defrosting instructions, try to follow these guidelines to ensure optimal taste once your food is prepared.

The United Kingdom Food Standards Agency gives the following guidelines for food labels:

Total Fat: A lot per 100 g of food= 20 g or more

A little per 100 g of food = 3 g or less

Saturates: A lot per 100 g of food = 5 g or more

A little per 100 g of food = 1 g or less

Sodium: A lot per 100 g of food = 0,5 g or more

A little per 100 g of food = 0,1 g or less

Sugars: A lot per 100 g of food = 10 g or more

A little per 100 g of food = 2 g or less

Remember that ultimately we are responsible for what we put into our bodies, equipping ourselves with the knowledge to make healthy choices is a responsibility which we should take seriously, our bodies will thank us!

“Foods can be used to reduce acidity levels in the body..”

Different foods are either acid-forming or alkali-forming in the body, eg. lemon contains citric acid in its juice which makes it very acidic but as citric acid is an organic acid the body can metabolize it to CO2 and H2O. In the whole lemon, negative charges on the citrate ions are balanced by positively charged metal ions (potassium and calcium). Once the citric acid has been metabolized, the potassium and calcium are balanced against negative ions (eg. chloride or bicarbonate) instead of the citrate. This discourages the formation of H+ and thus has an alkaline reaction. Thus although lemon itself may be acidic, in the body it is alkali-forming.

Ideal Acid/Alkaline levels in the Body.

For maintenance of ideal acid/alkali levels in the body, one needs to take in 80% alkali forming foods and 20% acid forming foods daily. Foods which are alkali forming in the body and can help to reduce acidity levels are eg. almonds, unsweetened yoghurt, raisins, most fruit and vegetables ( do not have high concentrations of protein) and sea vegetables. Some neutral foods are eg. cream cheese, oils, rice, avocado and pumpkin seeds. Some of these neutral, swollen foods eg. rice will absorb acidity from the body and help to remove it and so reduce body acidity and complete the cleansing picture (as well as helping to give the body a good hydration picture). Some foods which are acid-forming in the body and are thus better consumed in moderation are eg. salt, sugar, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, all grains and cereals except rice, high quality animal proteins (these are rich in sulphur and phosphoproteins which give rise to sulphuric acid and phosphoric acid forming in the body) and all pulses and legumes, including peanuts. Eating the fast-growing foods and foods that are in season would also promote cleansing which in turn, will lessen body acidity.

An alkaline environment in the body.

Having an alkaline environment in the body is preferable for many reasons eg:
In an acidic body:
1. Acidification of the medium surrounding the cells causes hydrogen ions to enter the cells and minerals being lost.
2. When there is too much acid in the body the cells take up acid to “help out” the rest of the body and this causes disturbance in the cells mineral balance (H+ increased so Na+ and K+ in cell is lost, first the Na+ and then the K+).
3. Sometimes lost potassium is replaced with sodium which worsens the situation as Na+ attracts acid. ( Also not good for the hydration picture.)
4. For every 3 Potassium ions leaving the cell, 2 Sodium + Hydrogen enter the cell.
5. Excess acidity leads to demineralization of the bones thus an acidic system can lead to the softening of bones.

The natural healthy state of the body is to have an alkaline “inner” environment and an acidic “outer” environment. Outer environment refers to the inner digestive tract and to the outer skin. Healthy and “friendly” bowel flora thrive in a slightly acidic environment whereas in a more alkaline environment the “unfriendly” bowel flora dominate.
As the body constantly works towards a state of balance one will find that when the body is acidic the colon will be alkaline and vice versa.

“The reduction of body acidity influences bowel flora..”

Reducing body acidity will cause the body to become more alkaline and promote more acidic conditons in the colon, a more welcoming environment for the lactose fermenting, “friendly” bacteria. The relationship between the body (the host) and the bacteria is one of symbiosis where both benefit from keeping the other “happy”. Thus reducing body acidity by various means eg. eating a more alkali-forming diet, reducing stress, being conscious of “toxic” emotions and being aware of the environment we create for ourselves will have a beneficial effect on the bowel flora as they will be provided with a slightly acidic environment in the colon, which will allow them to thrive. This will allow them to synthesize B vitamins and Vitamin K (important in blood clotting) as well as encourage complete digestion and also generate volatile fatty acids by breaking down dietary residues (especially fibre).

Our bowel flora are there to help us create and maintain a balanced state of health, creating the right environment for them to flourish in is up to us.

Flax Oil

Also known as flaxseed or linseed oil, flax oil is an important source of Omega-3 fatty acid or alpha-linolenic acid(LNA) which is essential to the body and is the precursor to other important Omega-3 oils, EPA and DHA.
Flax oil is the best oil for people with an omega-3 deficiency as it contains the largest amount of LNA, which is the strongest dispersing essential fatty acid. It is also suitable for vegetarians who may not wish to take fish oils. LNA helps to break up saturated fat deposits and cholesterol but must be taken with caution as if it is taken for too long it can actually start to cause Omega-6 deficiency.

Uses of Flax Oil:

Flax oil may contain a substance which resemble the prostaglandins which regulate blood pressure, kidney, arterial, platelet and immune function. In fresh or unrefined flax oil one can find lecithin and other phospholipids which help to emulsify fats and oils to make them easier to digest. It plays a role in calcium and energy metabolism and is useful for treating fatty degenaration in diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Flax seeds contain easily digestible protein which contains all the amino acids essential to human health. Flax seeds are also an excellent source of fiber which amongst other things, helps keep our digestive tract clean and moving, free from mucus and toxic materials. Fiber also prevents bile acids and cholesterol from being reabsorbed into our body from our intestine, it softens stools, maintains regularity and prevents constipation.

Flax Oil can be helpful in treating dry skin, eczema and dandruff, it has been known to help in relieving some allergies and cases of asthma and may be useful in the treatment of depression.

It has been found to be helpful in relieving some symptoms of premenstrual syndrome and also in the relief of conditions which involve edema.

Flax Oil helps to make the skin soft, hair shiny and nails strong and can shorten the healing time for bruizes as well as increase energy and a feeling of vitality.

Storage of Flax Oil:

Flax oil is best stored in a cool environment (preferable a fridge) in a dark glass bottle to prevent exposure to light and oxygen which destroy the health giving properties of flax oil.

How to take Flax Oil:

Flax Oil is best taken with protein, Johanna Budwig, a researcher in the field of oils, recommends taking flax oil with cottage cheese for best absorption. It can be used in salad dressings and over steamed vegetables.

Flax seeds make a good addition to mueslis and baking or stir-fries. The nutty flavour can enhance many dishes.

According to Udo Erasmus, author of Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, Flax oil should be a part of the intake of most of the population.

Bibliography: Flax oil as a true aid against arthritis, heart infarction, cancer and other diseases – Dr. Johanna Budwig.

Fats that heal, Fats that kill – Udo Erasmus

Staying Healthy with Nutrition – Elson Haas, MD.