fat, fibre, protein

This is a "mantra" I learned from Andrea Nakayama, a Functional Medicine Nutritionist and founder of Functional Nutrition Alliance.

Andrea teaches that every meal or snack should contain fat, fibre and protein to help balance blood sugar and balance hormones.

EVERY meal. EVERY snack.

Mind you, following this formula I rarely feel the need to snack.

So for example if I have a chicken salad, I drizzle it with some olive oil.

I cook breakfast eggs with butter and add some sautéed spinach or other vegetables.

I add some butter to my baked potato and steamed vegetables to go with a steak.

I don't just eat a piece of fruit on its own but spread pieces with, or dip in some nut butter or have with some full fat yoghurt and/or nuts and seeds.

I'm not a big one for vegetable juices, mainly because they are a bit messy to make at home - I prefer smoothies, but Andrea suggests even with vegetable juices to stir in a little coconut oil or coconut milk to add some fat and some chia seeds to add fibre and protein. With smoothies the fibre of blended fruits and vegetables is retained and you can easily add fat with things like avocado, coconut oil, coconut or other full fat milk and protein with things like nuts, chia seeds, yoghurt, maca powder, or spirulina.

Fat provides a concentrated source of energy, building blocks for cell membranes and hormones, slows down nutrient absorption so that we can go longer without feeling hungry, acts as a carrier of fat soluable vitamins A, D, E & K, and is needed for the conversion of carotene to vitamin A and absorption of minerals. Fat is also needed to aid digestion of protein and has a neutral effect on blood sugar. We should consume only natural fats and stay away from transfats and heat/chemically processed seed oils.

Fibre plays an important role in digestion and elimination. Fibre causes a moderate rise in blood sugar provided it comes from unrefined carbohydrates ie whole vegetables or fruit or wholegrains. Refined carbohydrates (sugar and refined flour products) produce a spike in blood sugar.

Protein builds organs, nerves, muscles and flesh, is essential for normal growth, formation of hormones, the process of blood clotting and the formation of milk during lactation. It also helps regulate the acid-alkaline balance of tissues and blood. Protein causes a moderate rise in blood sugar.

Sources and related posts:

Functional Nutrition Alliance

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon Morell
The Importance of Blood Sugar Balance

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional

Variety = Diversity

Health experts agree that diversity of gut microbes is essential for good health*.

Research Microbiologist Kiran Krishnan, tells us that:

"Diversity of bacteria in your gut is controlled by diversity of food in your diet."

Kiran says that early humans consumed upwards of 600 different foods in a year but the average healthy Westerner eats maybe 15-20!  He suggests that to get more variety in our diet, we not always shop at the supermarket but sometimes go to Chinese or Asian grocery stores to source different types and varieties of vegetables.

I find different types and varieties of vegetables by shopping at my local farmer's market because they grow the varieties of vegetables that do well in my local area. These are generally tropical or Asian varieties and very different from the regular vegetables sold in the big chain supermarkets.

One particular farmer at my local market specialises in sprouts. She tells me about the different weird and wonderful sprouts she has on offer. Sometimes they are sprouts from relatively common vegetables like snow peas or red cabbage, and sometimes they are foreign varieties of vegetables. Most of the time I don't remember exactly what they are but I try a different one each week.

Red cabbage sprouts - I think!

Dr Frank Lipman also tells us that to create a diverse bacterial gut you need to eat lots of different foods, especially vegetables:

"Eat lots of different types of vegetables, eat lots of different types of foods. The more diverse your diet, the more diverse that food is going to be for the bacteria. What you feed your bacteria and how you treat your bacteria is going to create a more diverse microbiome."

"I always tell my patients to eat the stalks and the stems, because that's the fibre that your body doesn't break down properly and bacteria love that."

I find a good way to do this is to pop chopped up stems of vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and kale into casseroles or bolognaise.

*Sources & Related Articles:
Healthy Gut Bacteria- Diversity is Key - Dr Perlmutter
The Gut Microbes of Modern Hunter-Gatherers Reveal One Big Problem with Your Diet - Australian Popular Science
How to Improve Your Gut Microbiome in a Day by Christiane Northrup M D
Your Bacteria are Running the Show - Kiran Krishnan - Hormone Balance After 40 Summit

Dr Frank Lipman - Broken Brain documentary series 

Related posts:
It's All About the Gut

~ take every opportunity to put the good stuff in ~

This blog is about me, what I'm doing, what's working for me, and what's not. It includes my experiences and opinions. It is for general information only and is in no way intended to replace the advice of a health care professional.