Chris Chapman Nutrition
Wednesday 23 October 2013
Thursday 26 September 2013
My fastest, tastiest midweek supper.
Most evenings when I get back
from coaching gymnastics I’m starving, and the last thing I want to do is cook
something elaborate. Beans on toast is not a bad option when you’re in a real
rush, as its super-quick to prepare, and far better than almost any takeaway.
But it can get a bit dull, so here’s my souped-up version, which takes a couple
of minutes extra to prepare, but pays off in bags of flavour.
So here is my quickest and
tastiest dinner. It’s not claiming to be optimum nutrition, but it does have the benefit of
being incredibly tasty, as well as having certain health benefits:
· - The beans and bread combine to make complete
proteins – this means that you get the full spectrum of amino acids in the
meal, which many vegetarian options such as pulses are deficient;
· - It’s a great source of fibre, crucial for gut
health, and improves nutrient absorption;
· - It is high in folate, essential in DNA synthesis
and repair.
Ingredients
1 slice of wholemeal bread
50g chorizo, as spicy as you can
stand
½ a tin of baked beans, preferably
reduced sugar and salt
1 egg
50g spinach
Fry off the chorizo for 5 minutes
until it starts to lightly brown. Throw in the spinach to wilt it, then add the
beans and slowly bring to the boil. At the same time, toast the bread and poach
the egg until it’s done to your liking (Delia's
method is foolproof). Pile the chorizo, bean and spinach mixture onto the
toast, and top with the egg.
This will give you the following nutrients:
594 kCalories
34g protein
48g carbohydrate
30g fat
Wednesday 25 September 2013
Is public health the food industry's responsibility? (part 1 of 3)
This series of posts make up a piece I wrote while doing the excellent "Diet Quality and Health" module, run by the Food Advance Training Partnership last year. It discusses the role of the food industry and what it should or should not do regarding responsibility for public health and non-communicable diseases.
I've cut the piece into 3 parts, since the whole thing is pretty big. If you want a copy of the whole thing, email me at cmcnutrition@gmail.com I hope you find it interesting, and that it will perhaps spark some debate.
I've cut the piece into 3 parts, since the whole thing is pretty big. If you want a copy of the whole thing, email me at cmcnutrition@gmail.com I hope you find it interesting, and that it will perhaps spark some debate.
Introduction
The role of the food industry in
today’s society is multi-factoral. It provides variety, choice and information
to their consumers, while being (at least morally-) bound to provide fair
prices to their suppliers, sustainability and husbandry for the environment and
profit to their shareholders. The issue of whether the industry should also be
responsible for the wellbeing of the public, above and beyond basic provision
of nutrition, is contentious for two reasons. Firstly this is typically seen as
the remit of government rather than business, and secondly there is the issue
of whether consumer choice should be the ultimate decider of the individual’s
health. If this latter is the case, it suggests that the industry need only
provide this choice, and can leave responsibility for public health to the
government and the consumer.
Diet and Disease
There is a wealth of evidence as to
the connection between consumption of certain foods and/or nutrients, and
non-communicable chronic disease. The correlation between consumption of fat,
particularly saturated fat, and coronary heart disease (CHD) is well-supported.
The mechanism behind this is that an increase in blood cholesterol can be
brought about by increased fat consumption (particularly saturated fat). This in
turn can lead to the laying down of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries,
leading ultimately to blockage and therefore heart attack.
Furthermore it has been shown that
reduction or replacement of such fats in the diet can help to reduce CHD risk 1. Increased alcohol consumption has
been also correlated with greater CHD risk2, while overconsumption has been
shown to cause chronic liver diseases3 and has been implicated in certain
types of cancer 4. Similarly, increased levels of
dietary salt have been shown to cause hypertension5, a leading cause of death by
myocardial infarction and stroke and a strong association has been made between
high consumption of red meat and the risk of colo-rectal cancer.6
Despite reduced consumption of
overall energy, and dietary fat, epidemiological evidence points to a continued
increase in overweight, partly due to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle
brought about by labour-saving devices, the overuse of motorised transport and
the reduced need for professions requiring manual labour7. Consequent to increased bodyweight
is Metabolic Syndrome, comprising increased risk of various conditions such as
Type II Diabetes Mellitus, elevated LDL cholesterol, coronary artery disease
and stroke. These conditions are in part due to genetic predisposition, but
also due to modifiable risk factors such as smoking, physical activity and,
crucially, diet. The key to weight control is to maintain energy balance – if
energy intake exceeds usage then energy is conserved in the form of body-fat
stores, while if demand exceeds intake then energy in the form of body fat is
used up. Since this is the case, it follows that despite our reduced energy
intake mentioned above, the trend is still towards overconsumption of energy
relative to the needs of our lifestyle, suggesting that this is at least
partially due to the easy availability of energy-dense foods. One example of
this is the prevalence of childhood obesity. Currently in the UK 30.3% of
children (aged 2-15) are overweight or obese8, which can be partially attributed
to a reduction in physical activity due to the increased popularity of
screen-based entertainment such as video games, but is also contributed to by
the availability of high-energy foods from vending machines in schools.
Given this situation, it is logical
that reduced consumption of overall energy might be an effective risk-reduction
strategy, as well as reduced consumption of fat, salt, and sugar. However,
these ingredients are often added to convenience foods by the manufacturers,
either as preservatives, flavour- or texture-enhancers, or in the case of sugar
to replace the mouthfeel of fat in “diet” products. Given this last fact, it is
logical to suggest that the food industry is partly responsible for the
increase in the conditions mentioned above. In this case, it follows that the
food industry could play a role in addressing it.
Beneficial effects of certain nutrients
In contrast, consumption of certain
foods or nutrients has been seen to have beneficial effects in humans, often
offering protection against various diseases. High consumption of fruit and
vegetables has been shown to reduce risk of coronary heart disease by 30% and
stroke by 20%9, while regular consumption of fish,
particularly oily fish, can have a cardio-protective effect via lowering of
plasma triglyceride levels10. Further benefits of fish oil appear
to include augmentation of immune function via modulation of metabolic pathways
which normally produce inflammatory cytokines11 and possible reduction of cancer risk
in men12.
Similarly, there is an emerging trend
of evidence regarding the health benefits of certain compounds derived from
plants. Stilbenes, found in wine and nut skins have been associated with
anti-cancer effects such as the initiation of apoptosis to control unregulated
cell replication and therefore tumour formation13, as do glucosinolates, derived from
cruciferous vegetables14. Carotenoids found in vegetables such
as peppers and tomatoes, appear to be protective against cardiovascular disease
and some forms of cancer15. Even some components of foods
typically regarded as “unhealthy” have been identified as beneficial. One such
compound is flavanols found in cocoa, high intake of which has been associated
with protection against hypertension, ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes
mellitus, and cancer in certain populations.16
References
1. Jakobsen
MU, O'Reilly EJ, Heitmann BL et al. Major types of dietary fat and risk of
coronary heart disease: a pooled analysis of 11 cohort studies. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 89: 1425-32.
2. Ronksley
PE, Brien SE, Turner BJ et al. Association of alcohol consumption with selected
cardiovascular disease outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ 2011; 342: d671.
3. Lee
M, Kowdley KV. Alcohol's Effect on Other Chronic Liver Diseases. Clin Liver Dis 2012; 16: 827-37.
4. Jung
EJ, Shin A, Park SK et al. Alcohol Consumption and Mortality in the Korean
Multi-center Cancer Cohort Study. J Prev
Med Public Health 2012; 45:
301-8.
5. Elliott
P, Marmot M, Dyer A et al. The INTERSALT study: main results, conclusions and
some implications. Clin Exp Hypertens A 1989;
11: 1025-34.
6. Vargas
AJ, Thompson PA. Diet and nutrient factors in colorectal cancer risk. Nutr Clin Pract 2012; 27: 613-23.
7. NICE.
Walking and Cycling Should Become the Norm for Short Journeys. http://www.nice.org.uk/newsroom/news/WalkingAndCyclingShouldBecomeTheNormForShortJourneys.jsp (28th November 2012.
9. Hu
FB. Plant-based foods and prevention of cardiovascular disease: an overview. Am J Clin Nutr 2003; 78: 544S-51S.
10. Mozaffarian
D, Appel LJ, Van Horn L. Components of a cardioprotective diet: new insights. Circulation 2011; 123: 2870-91.
11. Gray
P, Gabriel B, Thies F et al. Fish oil supplementation augments post-exercise
immune function in young males. Brain
Behav Immun 2012; 26: 1265-72.
12. Augustsson
K, Michaud DS, Rimm EB et al. A prospective study of intake of fish and marine
fatty acids and prostate cancer. Cancer
Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2003; 12:
64-7.
13. Rimando
AM, Suh N. Biological/chemopreventive activity of stilbenes and their effect on
colon cancer. Planta Med 2008; 74: 1635-43.
14. Shapiro
TA, Fahey JW, Wade KL et al. Human metabolism and excretion of cancer
chemoprotective glucosinolates and isothiocyanates of cruciferous vegetables. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1998; 7: 1091-100.
15. Nishino
H, Murakosh M, Ii T et al. Carotenoids in cancer chemoprevention. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2002; 21: 257-64.
16. Hollenberg
NK, Fisher ND, McCullough ML. Flavanols, the Kuna, cocoa consumption, and
nitric oxide. J Am Soc Hypertens 2009;
3: 105-12.
That's part 1.Part 2 should be with you towards the end of this week.
That's part 1.Part 2 should be with you towards the end of this week.
Friday 13 September 2013
Carbohydrate 101
With nutrition being a hot topic in the
news almost every day, sometimes it’s useful to get back to basics. So with a series
of posts, I thought I would give a brief overview of the main nutrients, and
why you need all of them in your diet.
I’ll address the whole carbohydrate
controversy (and low-carb diets) in another post, so for now will just stick to
their functions in the body. Carbohydrates are the body’s main energy source.
They are consumed in a variety of ways:
·
Simple
carbohydrates – the main source of these is refined sugars, such sugars that
are added to foods such as chocolate bars. If you’re trying to avoid it’s worth
checking labels of any pre-prepared foods, since sugar is often added as a
preservative and/or flavour enhancer. These are simple sugars such as glucose,
but the most common naturally-occurring simple carbohydrate is fructose in most
fruit. These are known as monosaccharides, since they are comprised of a single
molecule.
·
Complex
carbohydrates – these tend to come in the form of starch, in both natural foods
such as bananas, potatoes and rice, as well as more refined foods such as pasta
and breads. These are called polysaccharides, as they consist of chains of
single molecules bound together. The body needs to break these chains down in
order to absorb and use them for fuel.
·
Indigestible
carbohydrates – these tend to be labelled as “dietary fibre.” The body cannot
use these directly, but they can be used by your gut bacteria to provide such
benefits as increased absorption of nutrients, and reduction of blood
cholesterol. Some of these fibres, such as inulin found in chicory, go under
the name prebiotics (see my earlier post on gut bacteria). Many of these indigestible fibres
occur naturally in plant cell walls (cellulose). When eaten, they absorb water,
forming a paste which bulks up the bolus of food travelling down the gut. It is
thought that eating foods high in dietary fibre can lead to greater feelings of
fullness, which suggests that they are very useful if you’re trying to lose
weight.1
So how does the body use carbohydrates? The
most obvious function is that of an energy source. While not the most
energy-dense of nutrients (carbohydrates yield 4kCalories per gram, while fat
yields 9), the body preferentially generally burns carbohydrate over fat. The
energy source of skeletal muscles is called Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP), and
this is created by several complex metabolic pathways within the cells. An illustration of how the body processes glucose is seen below. To explain would take several blog posts or a book chapter, and might well send you to sleep! Other
functions include the synthesis of non-essential amino acids such as from the
skeletons of carbohydrate, while pentose and ribose are used in the formation of
DNA. This last point suggests that dietary carbohydrate might be pretty
important! Another important function of carbohydrate is the formation of
glycoproteins, which are vital in the formation of cell membranes and nerve
cell sheaths.2 It is also worth mentioning that while many human
cells can use several fuels, glucose is the only fuel which the brain can use.
Whenever carbohydrates are discussed,
the idea of Glycaemic Index (GI) is mentioned. This is basically the ability of
the carbohydrate in question to raise blood sugar. Since more insulin is
required to deal with higher GI foods, it is thought that these foods can cause
increased body fat, since insulin can lead to fat storage. The upper-end
standard of GI is white sugar which has a GI of 100. Generally simple
carbohydrates have a higher GI, while more complex carbs are lower. However,
several factors can affect the GI of a meal (since carbohydrates are generally
not eaten alone): protein and fibre can slow down carbohydrate absorption
blunting the insulin response, the ripeness of a food can affect how available
the carbohydrate is. Cooking can break down cell walls and make carbohydrates
more available meaning a higher GI, while some foods contain
naturally-occurring enzyme inhibitors which can reduce absorption and reduce
GI. As you can see, the GI of a food on its own is not necessarily the deciding
factor as to how it will affect blood sugar levels.
So
that is the basics on the incredibly complex subject of carbohydrates. If you
would like me to discuss any aspect of carbs, or any other subject, do leave me
a note in the comments.
References
1 Wanders, A. J. et al. The effects of bulking, viscous and gel-forming dietary
fibres on satiation. Br J Nutr, 1-8,
doi:S0007114512003145 [pii] 10.1017/S0007114512003145 (2012).
2. Geissler C,
Powers H, Human Nutrition, Elsevier Publishers, Edinburgh (2006 edition).
Thursday 11 July 2013
Those little added extras make all the difference...
First off, a humble apology for the lack of updates. I've been tied up with thesis corrections and then graduation (embarrassing pictures of me dressed as a cross between Henry VIII and Superman via Hogwarts are floating around somewhere. Hopefully I'll be back to posting regularly again now. So here is my guide to nutritional supplements which may actually do you some good!
You can't move nowadays for adverts for nutritional supplements, telling you to buy this product so that you can enhance your life/training/fat loss/libido/pattern baldness. While many of these claims are spurious at best, and not supported by much, if anything, resembling proper scientific research, some of these supplements are worth adding to your diet. While of course the bulk of your nutritional intake should come from real food which has been processed as little as possible (meat & fish, vegetables, fruit, nuts), there is much to gain from adding a few extras to help boost your intake of quality nutrients. Here are a few which I consider to be advantageous, and supported by real scientific evidence. I should add that I take all of these and have found them to be beneficial, but have no commercial interest in any of the products suggested here.
Of course it can, Dr. Oz.
Multivitamins/minerals: As I said
above, the bulk of your nutrient intake should come from real food, since the
nutrients are found in their most bioavailable form. But here are 2 reasons for
topping up on micronutrients. Firstly, it seems that the nutritional quality of
our food has declined 1,2, so you might not be getting quite what you think from your fruit
and veg. Secondly, the RDAs (Government Recommended Daily Amounts) for vitamins
and minerals are the amounts suggested are the amounts which will prevent deficiency
disease. Yes, the 60mg of vitamin C the government says you should have every
day is enough to prevent you getting scurvy. Hardly optimal nutrition is it? So
bumping up your levels of vital minerals and vitamins through supplements
suddenly seems like a good dies for anyone who wants more out of life than
simply avoiding disease. Another highly-publicised reason for eating a diet
high in plant-derived vitamins and minerals is the Five-A-Day campaign, which
suggests that you can reduce your risk of disease, in particular some cancers,
by consuming your five portions each day. What they don't tell you is that when
formulating this campaign the evidence pointed to the fact that you needed TEN
portions a day to reduce these risks, but it was thought that this would put
the public off, so it was halved (in Western Australia it's a more honest - and
incidentally successful - 7-a-day 3). In this case your laudable commitment to a diet high in fruit
and veg might not be enough to give you the results you think you're getting.
So why not give yourself that boost by topping up with a quality vitamin and
mineral supplement?
Fish oil: this is a supplement which receives plenty of publicity, being praised
for its ability to seemingly improve almost everything. It is also quite a
tricky one to explain the benefits without getting quite technical, but I'll
give it a go. Normal chemical and immunological reactions in the body can
produce compounds which are inflammatory, i.e. they can cause damage to cells.
Usually the body can cope with this inflammation up to a point via the immune
system, but in certain conditions such as arthritis, this inflammation goes
unchecked and causes damage to tissues, causing pain. Fish oil appears to have
an effect on the production of inflammatory compounds by altering the metabolic
pathways so that fewer inflammatory compounds are produced. What this means in
practice is that fish oil can enhance your recovery from exercise (training
increases the number of reactions in the body, potentially increasing the
amount of inflammatory compounds produced), as well as enhancing immune
function and reducing the risk or severity of inflammatory conditions, such as
arthritis, atherosclerosis, and some forms of cancer. Since most people
struggle to eat oily
fish on a regular basis, a quality supplement such as PurePharma seems like
a good idea.
Magnesium: modern life is full of stress, and poor quality sleep is both a
cause and an effect of this. Magnesium deficiency has been associated with poor
quality sleep4, possibly due to its functions in regulating muscle contraction
and nerve function5. Studies have demonstrated that Magnesium supplementation can
improve both quality and duration of sleep. I suggest that you go for Magnesium
Citrate (available at Holland and Barrett), since it is better absorbed than
the more commonly-available Oxide form 6. Take 500mg before bed, but start with a lower dose and ramp it
up gradually. A sudden increase in your intake could cause nasty
gastrointestinal side effects, and you don't want those.
Probiotics: I
have already written at length on these, what with
their being the subject of my
PhD, so I won't bore you with the minutiae again. A brief list of their
advantages includes better digestion of
nutrients, reduced cholesterol,
prevention of gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections, reduced risk of
inflammatory bowel conditions and reduced duration of colds. There is plenty of
evidence to support this (trust me, I've just spent 4 yes looking at it!), so
these are well worth adding to your nutritional plan.
So there you have my recommendations for supplementation. This is
by no means an exhaustive list, and is not targeted at any specific population.
This is a list of supplements which are safe, have a good amount of scientific
evidence attached to their efficacy, and whose intake would benefit just about
anyone. If you want me to discuss any specific supplements, or supplementing
for a specific group, please leave a comment here, or email me at cmcnutrition@gmail.com
References
1 Mayer, A.-M. Historical changes in the
mineral content of fruits and vegetables. British
Food Journal 99, 207-211 (1997).
2 Davis, D. R., Epp, M. D. &
Riordan, H. D. Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950
to 1999. J Am Coll Nutr 23, 669-682, doi:23/6/669 [pii] (2004).
3 Pollard, C. M. et al. Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption: success of the
Western Australian Go for 2&5 campaign. Public
Health Nutr 11, 314-320,
doi:S1368980007000523 [pii] 10.1017/S1368980007000523 (2008).
4 Nielsen, F. H., Johnson, L. K. &
Zeng, H. Magnesium supplementation improves indicators of low magnesium status
and inflammatory stress in adults older than 51 years with poor quality sleep. Magnes Res 23, 158-168, doi:mrh.2010.0220 [pii] 10.1684/mrh.2010.0220 (2010).
5 Eby, G. A. & Eby, K. L. Rapid
recovery from major depression using magnesium treatment. Med Hypotheses 67,
362-370, doi:S0306-9877(06)00103-4 [pii] 10.1016/j.mehy.2006.01.047 (2006).
6 Walker, A. F., Marakis, G., Christie,
S. & Byng, M. Mg citrate found more bioavailable than other Mg preparations
in a randomised, double-blind study. Magnes
Res 16, 183-191 (2003).
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