Making healthy dietary decisions while living in the modern, industrialized world is a colossal task thanks to an overwhelming amount of information, much of which is conflicting.
Once we make a decision to learn what it means to eat a healthy diet, we find ourselves amidst a battle of competing diet camps – each arguing that they have the diet that best supports the health of each individual.
Then, as the years pass by, we see different dietary theories “thrown out” for new ones, only to see those replaced by re-emergence of ideas from years ago.
The result is a frustrated individual, overwhelmed with information, yet incapable of making consistent healthy decisions about what to put on the plate.
Several years ago, I found myself in this position. My decision to dive into the nutrition literature and find out the best possible diet resulted in… utter confusion. How could I read one book making a strong argument for one specific diet, only to turn to the next book and have that argument ripped apart and replaced with a different diet? How could so many people look at the same body of literature and draw drastically different conclusions about the diets we should be following.
Frustrated with my own struggles, and understanding that so many others must feel the same way, I decided to look into the matter for myself. I started focusing in on the exact arguments that were being made for each diet, reading through the references used to support those arguments, and took a look through the research databases to find all I could on the topic.
And what I came to conclude changed everything for me: There is no “optimal” diet, nor is there a “correct” way for humans to be consuming food.
See, unlike cows, which have been designed by nature to spend their days consuming grass, and unlike lions that have been designed to hunt and consume other animals – us humans are blessed to be able to maintain healthy bodies by consuming diets that range the full spectrum. Given the evidence of healthy populations living entirely off of animals combined with evidence of populations living almost entirely off of plants, it is clear to see that there is no right way to eat food.*
As humans, we are blessed with an omnivorous body, capable of not only surviving on, but thriving on diets made of large range of foods.
This answer, though obvious once understood, is hidden not for lack of information, but because we have been asking the wrong question.
When we approach healthy eating, the questions we tend to ask are all various forms of “what diet should I be eating?” or “what diet is the healthiest?”
What I realized is that we get stumped on this question – jumping from diet to diet as we tune into the competing camps battling over who is right and who is wrong – not because we can’t figure out who is right and who is wrong, but because there is no right and wrong.
Once I realized this, I ditched the question of right vs. wrong or “optimal” diet, and instead focused on this one:
The more important question – the one that I now believe we should all be asking – is:
What does it mean to eat real food?
The problem is not that we don’t know what foods drive the progression of poor health and modern disease. The problem is, instead, that our society has lost the understanding of what it means to eat food. We have shifted away from a world that is supported by a large variety of real foods and made our way to a population that bases their diets on industrial not-so-foods – that is, industrially processed ingredients that are reformed into substances that we call food, and yet really aren’t deserving of the title.
Industrial Not-So-Foods: industrially processed ingredients that are reformed into substances that we call food, yet are lacking the complex structure and nutritient-dense composition of food, and additionally most often contain added unhealthy compounds
I define food as a substance that supports and nourishes the human body when ingested. It contains energy in a form that the body has been designed to utilize, and it contains nutrients that nature has designed to support the functioning of the human body over the span of decades.
The industrial not-so-foods that form the base of the modern individual’s diet – these do not fit this description. Instead, they contain energy in a form that the human body has not been designed to process nor utilize safely and efficiently, and the result is the build-up of fat in excess and in irregular locations, along with dangerous yet regular fluctuations in blood sugar. Moreover, these industrial not-so-foods do not provide the body with the nutrients it needs to function over a lifetime, and as a result, the systems supporting the body tend to break down in the first few decades, and for some, even sooner.
Once I had this answer, the solution to the poor health and modern disease epidemic became clear: We do not need to continue to fight over the “correct” or “optimal” human diet. Instead, we simply need to shift our understanding of what it means to eat real food. Once we understand this, we can begin to make some serious progress towards good health.
With the rest of this article, we will walk through exactly what it is about industrial not-so-foods that drives the progression of poor health and modern disease. I will help you understand exactly what (not-so-) foods that I am referring to, and to help you begin to make the shift away from the typical modern diet – a diet that gets more than half of its calories from these industrial not-so-foods – to a diet based on real, whole foods.
Understanding Industrial Not-So-Foods: A Historical Perspective
The Reprogrammed Systems Approach recognizes the regular consumption of industrial not-so-foods as a clear driver of poor health and modern disease. These products have found their way into forming the base of the modern food pyramid, making up around 60% of the average individual’s daily caloric intake.
If you, as an individual, desire to recognize any part of your lifestyle that can be changed to make leaps and bounds towards better health, this is one item to pay attention to.
To get started, let us be clear on what exactly I mean by an industrial not-so-food. To achieve this clarity, let me begin with a bit of history.
The human body has been designed over millions of years by pressures presented by the natural environment – adapting with each new generation and growing into the incredible design that we have inherited in the modern world.
In the past tens of thousands of years, the design of the human body has shown its true remarkability, as our species has been able to not only conquer all of the natural, land-based environments that this planet has to offer, but to move out of these natural environments altogether – to create our own environments – our own industrialized societies.
Take a moment to consider how remarkable this is. While most species tend to inhabit distinct niches, the human species is different – we have spread across the entire globe, settling into every land-based niche. This involves everything from the abundant environments in the warmer regions, full of plants and animals, all the way to the arctic regions where plants hardly exist at all, requiring diets based entirely on animal species. This has all been possible because the human body is so good at using many varieties of diets (ranging all the way from almost entirely plant-based to entirely animal-based) using this wide variety of nutrition to support a body capable of maintaining a strong and healthy form for a lifetime.
As the body has continued to change over these millions of years, the food supply may have changed, but one thing about it always stayed the same: we, as a species, consumed real, whole foods.
That is, our species has always been supported by the nourishment received from complex structures harvested directly from the earth or other organisms. These complex structures are made up of energy-containing molecules combined with other, digestible and non-digestible components, that aid in the processing of the energy that is used to support the human body.
How do they do this:
When we consume real, whole foods, the energy-containing molecules enter the bloodstream alongside bioactive molecules that aid in the processing and metabolism of this energy. Meanwhile, the non-digestible parts of the food remain in the digestive tract, aiding in the controlled release of energy-containing molecules, and going on to serve the body with other functions, including the synthesis of other important biomolecules and the support of a healthy gut.
However, this is no longer the story, as around a century ago, our population was introduced to a novel formulation of edible substances. These novel formulations do not come directly from nature, but rather, come from processes developed by our own population with the aim of optimizing for mass production, stability, and efficiency.
These industrial not-so-foods are made by taking an energy-containing structure (one that may or may not be directly edible) and breaking these structures down, extracting and concentrating the energy-containing components. These energy-dense components are then shipped to another manufacturer, where they are to be combined with other industrially processed ingredients to take form as a flavorful, edible good.
Us individuals then take this industrial creation, consume it, and then go on with our lives.
Meanwhile, our bodies are left to deal with a concentrated form of readily available energy, lacking nutritional value, and containing harmful extras that have been added in to allow for that substance to have flavor, stability, and a cheaper price tag.
Next up, I will unpack exactly what I mean by the previous paragraph – that is, how the general structure of industrial not-so-foods drives the progression of poor health and modern disease.
But before we dive into the details, I want to draw your attention back to the bigger picture.
When it comes to nutritional advice, whether it is from health experts, government guidelines, or other individuals, the common topics tend to revolve around the idea of food components. For example, we love to talk about ideal macronutrient ratios (eat this food because it is low-fat) and about specific nutrients (e.g. eat this food because it is cholesterol-free). We love to include extra details about the foods (eat these because they are organic and non-gmo) and did it come from an animal (eat this because it is vegan)?
Then, when it comes to making the decision about what to eat, we focus in on these details, extending our conclusions to encompass an entire food. That is, we tend to break food down into its components, draw conclusions about them, and then try to piece this information into something that is meaningful.
Unfortunately, we then don’t bother to spend time on the big idea of what that final decision really is.
Sure, the data shows us that polyunsaturated fat makes for a healthy-looking lipid profile, but does this mean we toss out butter, a food that contains a large variety of fatty acids along with fat-soluble vitamins that are often difficult to find elsewhere, and replace it with vegetable/seed oil – a concoction that is extracted from a non-edible plant using high heat and chemicals?
Sure, the data may show that there are specific nutrients that are good for a developing baby’s brain, but does that mean we throw out the breast-milk and feed our child synthetic vitamins that have been added to a combination of powdered milk and sugar?
The point is not that we need to ignore these details and forget the arguments over nutrient optimization. As a scientist and engineer, I am absolutely on the side of progress. If we can determine that there are nutrients that optimize the development of a child or support an adult body over the span of decades, then, by all means, we should discuss and pursue those options.
But when we do so, we must pursue them with caution, making sure that the actual outcome – the final decision about what food to consume – is one that leads to a healthy body, overall.
And this begins by understanding how our bodies have been designed to digest and process real, whole foods. This begins by understanding how the body is not equipped to safely process the novel form of energy-containing molecules that form the base of industrial not-so-foods.
The Anatomy of Industrial Not-So-Foods:
Industrial not-so-foods are based on three common ingredients: refined grain, vegetable/seed oils, and sugars.
Independently, these ingredients have a strong, negative impact on the health of the human body. However, what really drives the progression of poor health and modern disease is not the direct effect of each ingredient, but arises from the combination of the three in a food that is regularly consumed.
Today we will break this concept down, first briefly discussing some of the independent effects of each ingredient, then getting to what I believe is more interesting and significant – the impact of industrial not-so-foods that reach beyond the individual components, only to be understood when discussed as a whole.
Independently, refined grains, vegetable/seed oils, and sugars are harmful to the health of the human body:
Refined grains are a dense form of simple carbohydrate (glucose). Grains are broken down and the energy-containing component (glucose) is extracted, along with some other constituents (e.g. the protein gluten). Ignoring these other constituents (let’s not open the gluten can of worms in this discussion), and instead simply focusing on the energy-containing component glucose, we see the following occur when we choose to consume refined grains:
Glucose is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, due to the simple structure and lack of other constituents (all that aid in the controlled release of glucose have been stripped away). As glucose is absorbed into circulation, the pancreas releases insulin, a signal to cells throughout the body to act in a way that decreases blood sugar concentration. For example:
– adipose tissue takes in this glucose from the bloodstream and stores it as fat
– the liver takes in this glucose and stores it as glycogen or converts it to fat
– the muscle takes in glucose and uses it as a fuel source or stores it as glycogen
This is all a normal process; however, when glucose is released too quickly into the bloodstream, the pancreas responds by releasing too much insulin, overcompensating for the load. This strong insulin signal ultimately ends up causing low blood sugar, as the different bodily components take in glucose too quickly, rushing glucose out of circulation and driving blood sugar concentration too low.
This is just the beginning of the pathway of energy dysregulation – when insulin spikes, low blood sugar ultimately follows. Of course, when the body experiences low blood sugar, you can count on it taking action to fix the situation. It does this by sending a strong signal to go eat carbohydrate, and as the convenient option is usually an industrial not-so-food, the individual continues down a path of insulin spiking and sharp blood sugar fluctuations.
All the while, the body is put in a strong pro-energy storage state, as insulin is the primary signal for energy storage. This means that, as the individual goes about the day continuously consuming industrial not-so-foods, the individual’s body is kept in a fat-storage oriented state, allowing fat to accumulate, very little of it to be released, all day long.
Now that we have a bit of insight into the harmful effects of refined grain, let’s move on to vegetable/seed oils.
First of all, don’t be confused by the term “vegetable oil.” These oils do not come from vegetables, but rather, are the product of the extraction of small amounts of oil from large amounts of (often inedible) plants (e.g. cotton or canola). To get the oil out of the tiny seeds of these plants, manufacturers must use extreme methods which include the use of high heat and harsh chemicals.
The problem with these industrial oils is two-fold:
First, is the commonly recognized fact of the high-caloric nature of this industrial ingredient. As a component of most industrial not-so-foods, oils drive up the caloric content, delivering a large dose of an energy-dense substance. Recall from what I brought up above – this high density energy enters the body that is in a pro-energy storage state, sending an extra dose of fat into the body that is likely headed straight for storage.
This high dose of calories is a problem, but I think this second piece is what really makes a vegetable/seed oils something to be avoided at all costs. To understand the second problem, you have to know a little bit about the chemical structure of fats and oils (which are more appropriately called lipids).
The basic structure of a lipid is a fatty acid, which consists of a chain of carbons that are bonded together in one of two ways. Most carbons are bonded with a single bond, but a double bond can also arise.
The single vs. double bond gives different fatty acids different properties, but what we need to focus on now is the stability of these bonds. When two carbons are joined by a double bond, this bond is unstable. Nature prefers the single bond (refer to the second law of thermodynamics for what I mean by “prefers”) and so if a double bond is present, then that fatty acid is prone to react.
This is a problem when these oils are being stored (often in clear bottles) for long periods, and then used to cook food, as the exposure to light and heat can lead these unstable bonds to react, changing the nature of the fatty acid. And of course, these oils are often used in restaurants where the same batch is used over and over again, often for days, cycling through high heat again and again.
Also, don’t forget that the method to extract these oils had already used high temperature and harsh chemicals.
The point is, by the time you consume a vegetable/seed oil (canola, for example), this polyunsaturated lipid has gone through harsh conditions, and those unstable double bonds are ready to go cause harm inside your body.
The result is a pro-inflammatory, pro-oxidative substances that enters your bloodstream to be shipped to systems throughout the body. As this pro-oxidative substance makes its way around, it is primed to negatively interact with tissues and molecules throughout the body, especially in the bloodstream where it is carried in lipoprotein particles (what is commonly known as LDL).
Finally, to wrap up this short intro to the three primary ingredients in industrial not-so-foods, let’s talk about the one component that we all understand as a villainous substance: sugar. As I’m sure you’re already familiar with the harmful nature of sugar, instead of walking you through the negative impact of sugar, I will simply state this:
We all know that sugar is a harmful ingredient. And yet, we allow it in almost all of our packaged meals, sauces, beverages, etc. – and this is before we consume it in dessert. Sugar has found its way into every nook and cranny of the modern world, despite the dangers being well-established. Therefore, I know that nothing I can tell you about sugar is going to result in any behavior change.
Nevertheless, I do want to let you in on one piece of information that you may not know about sugar – one that plays a key part in The Reprogrammed Systems Model.
Sugar, as the commonly understood use of the term, is a combination of two monosaccharides: glucose and fructose. We discussed what happens when the body receives a load of easily digestibly (i.e simple) glucose. Glucose enters the bloodstream quickly, resulting in a spike in insulin and the energy dysregulation pathway that follows.
What we haven’t discussed is the second half: fructose. Fructose is similar to glucose in that it can be used as a fuel source or converted to fat. What makes it dissimilar is that, unless it is immediately used as a fuel source, it must be dealt with exclusively by the liver. When we consume large quantities of sugar (which, let’s be honest, happens for most individuals multiple times throughout the day), then the liver is put up to the task of dealing with the load of fructose.
Some of this fructose may be converted to and stored as glycogen. However, given that sugar often enters the body alongside a load of glucose and other energy-containing molecules, the liver is put under quite the burden. This means that much of this fructose is going to be converted to fat and sent out into circulation. Again, as it is often the case that the liver is dealing with high quantities of energy, the result is an overload of fat being synthesized in the liver and sent into circulation, initiating multiple pathways to poor health and modern disease.
For more on this particular pathway, refer back to fatty liver discussed in Week 2.
At this point, we see a brief, yet fairly clear story, about the dangers of industrial not-so-foods. These industrial ingredients send a load of easily digestible energy into the body, and the body is not equipped to safely and effectively manage it. Moreover, these industrial ingredients often have other dangerous properties, such as sugar’s ability to overload the liver (sugar) and vegetable oil’s pro-inflammatory, pro-oxidative nature.
However, we still haven’t even gotten to what I believe is the more significant story: the one that arises when we begin talking about food as a whole, and not just something that is the sum of its parts.
Food as A Complex System
An inherent property of biological systems is that they are complex – that is, they are comprised of a large number of components that form a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. For example, you cannot discuss conscious thought by talking about individual neurons, and yet we know that the conscious mind arises from the complex interplay between individual brain cells. We do not currently have the capacity to determine precisely how this consciousness arises, we just know that there is a whole other level of functionality that cannot be derived by our own piecing together individual brain cells.
Similarly, you cannot discuss food and its full interaction with the human body in terms of the macro and micro nutrients contained within. You can try, and you can certainly make some progress; but, in doing so, you lose much of what is at play, and this difference is everything when it comes to the value of our decision-making.
Studying complex systems poses a significant challenge, as the traditional scientific method relies on breaking things apart to understand how each component affects another component. However, as soon as you break apart a complex system, you lose the bigger picture that is the functionality of the whole.
Therefore, whenever we draw conclusions about information picked out of a complex system, we must use great caution. Moreover, when these conclusions lead to decisions that directly impact the lives of individuals, we would be wise to tread very carefully.
Unfortunately, this caution has not been used when studying nutrition, and any thought of the complex nature of food has been thrown out the window when it comes to common dietary advice. For example, several decades ago, scientists found a link between LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular disease. They also noticed that saturated fat tends to increase LDL. They put it together as 1+1=2 and now, decades later, the population still makes decisions to avoid nutritious foods for industrial not-so-foods that advertise the low-fat concept, and in turn, flood the body with sugars and vegetable oils upon consumption.
As discussed earlier this week, this is not the path to good health. When we make the decision to avoid a real, whole food in the name of avoiding one potentially harmful component (e.g. saturated fat), we should think deeply about whether the potential harm outweighs the benefit. When we make the decision to avoid a real, whole food in the name of avoiding one potentially harmful component, and then consume an industrial not-food marketed as low in that one particular component (low-fat and heart-healthy), we are missing the bigger picture – one that is grounded in biological complexity.
Food is more than the sum of its parts. Yes, food contains macronutrients (the energy-containing molecules), micronutrients (molecules that assist the physiological functioning of the systems supporting the body), and structural components (fiber, proteins, etc.). And yes, we can study these parts individually, drawing conclusions about what the different components do, going so far as to make dietary recommendations about what foods may be healthier than others.
However, when we take this information and use it to build food of our own design, we go down a different path, one that tends to lead away from good health.
Let’s see why.
We can think about food in terms of its “physical stuff” – that is, the actual physical structures that make up the food:
– Energy-containing molecules (macronutrients) – carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
– Molecules that assist in the processing of this energy – enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins, etc.
– Molecules that assist in other functions of the body – proteins, lipids, vitamins, etc.
– Structural material – fiber (in plants), connective tissue (in animals) control the uptake of energy into circulation, and play other roles in overall healthy functioning (e.g. gut health)
Then, we must consider the interaction of this physical stuff, as it works as a whole. Now, this is the part that gets difficult to discuss because I can’t speak directly to individual components. Instead, to get the point across, let’s think about particular functions and pathways.
As food enters the digestive system, it is broken down and much of it is absorbed into circulation. The rest continues down the digestive tract, where it may go on to become a substrate for further processes (e.g. the synthesis of fatty acids or vitamins by bacteria in the large intestine).
Now, real, whole foods tend to be packaged in a complex form. For example, sugars tend to come in long chains that must be broken down before absorption. Fibers (or connective tissues) are present to slow the breakdown. The result is a controlled release of energy into the bloodstream.
Moreover, as this process occurs, the digestive tract sends signals to the brain to tell it what is happening. The brain comprehends how much energy is coming in, what type of energy-containing molecules are being released into circulation, and the body understands what it needs to do in response to this load.
Meanwhile, as this energy is entering into circulation, micronutrients ride along and help different systems process this energy (e.g. antioxidants aid in the safe processing of energy-containing molecules in the mitochondria).
All in all, as the body digests the complex structure of a real, whole food, it receives a controlled inflow of energy into circulation, it receives the resources it needs to process this energy (and perform other necessary functions), and it receives the information it needs to effectively manage this load of energy.
In this way, an overall state of homeostasis is achieved – a state that is difficult to maintain once industrial not-so-Foods are introduced into the system.
Why is that?
In today’s earlier post we saw how individual components of industrial not-so-foods lead to energy dysregulation:
– The consumption of refined grains leads to a spike in blood sugar, a spike in insulin, and ultimately a crash in blood sugar.
– The consumption of industrial vegetable/seed oils send a large dose of a high caloric, pro-oxidative, pro-inflammatory substance into the body
– The consumption of sugars (especially fructose) follows the same pathway as refined grains (insulin spiking and blood sugar fluctuations), with the added detriment of overloading the liver with a high demand for processing the fructose component.
The result of consuming these industrial not-so-foods regularly is the following:
– A body that is put in a chronic pro-energy storage state thanks to high levels of insulin.
– A body that goes through blood sugar fluctuations, suffering from low energy during the lows and the acute toxicity of elevated glucose during the highs.
– A body in a pro-inflammatory, pro-oxidative state
And this is before we have even introduced any of the other harmful substances that tend to ride along in these foods: the flavor enhancers, colorings, stabilizers, and other chemical additives.
Now, I do have to speak to the fact that there are many companies today that are hard at work producing products that minimize these harmful effects. It is true that we can make an effort to engineer industrial not-so-foods such that this energy dysregulation is minimized, to include nutrients that support the healthy functioning of the body, and to minimize the harmful components that are regularly found in products that line the shelves. Fiber and other structural components can be added in, nutrients can be made available, and harmful chemical additives can be minimized.
However, even when companies go to great lengths to include the good and avoid the bad, we are still left with a product that is much simpler than that of most real, whole foods, will likely contain some form of stabilizer to preserve freshness, and will be lacking the complex features that are unknown to us, yet give real, whole foods their healthy edge.
And then, let’s not forget that most companies are not going to these lengths. Rather, the common approach is to make a product as cheap as possible, making an effort to go the extra mile only such that the marketable value of the product is increased.
So, given all of this, what are we to do when it comes to making healthy dietary decisions? I see two possible options:
The first is to continue to navigate the food industry, doing our best to select products based on ingredients lists: aiming for packaged foods with minimal ingredients and reaching only for those with ingredients that we can understand and trust to be healthy. With this approach, we can do our best to keep out the substances with known harmful effects (refined grains, sugars, vegetable/seed oils, chemical additives, etc.), and then do our best to make educated decisions on ingredients with minimal data to support good vs. harm.
The second option is to ditch the packaged foods entirely and focus on real, whole foods – foods that are recognized as food in their whole form, and are processed only by ourselves (or other individuals) in a kitchen.
What option will you lean towards?
I can’t answer that for you, but I can outline The Reprogrammed Systems Approach and urge you to give it a shot:
1. Begin by shifting your diet to one based (almost) entirely on real, whole foods.
2. Once this real, whole foods diet has been established, loosen the reigns and explore other dietary options.
The Reprogrammed Systems Approach is founded on the idea that navigating industrially produced foods is a serious challenge. On the other hand, the data to support the health of real, whole foods is substantial. Sure, there are foods that fall under the real, whole food category that may not be ideal for a particular individual, but in the name of simplifying the overall process, choosing a real, whole food will tend to be a healthy choice.
The Reprogrammed Systems Approach also recognizes that there is room to let industrially processed foods into the diet. There are sure to be products out there that don’t seriously negatively impact your overall health. For example, it may be that you can consume simple carbohydrates from time to time without seeing any real issues. Moreover, there are sure to be industrially processed products that actually enhance your health – for example, products that have been strategically created to enhance fat-burning capability or provide higher amounts of beneficial nutrients.
But how are you going to figure this out? How are you going to figure out which industrially processed foods are benefitting the health of your body vs. taking away from it?
You can start where you are, playing around with foods individually. You can be mindful of how you feel after consuming certain industrially processed foods, and you can take care to tease out what really needs to go. However, this process leaves room for confounding variables, making it difficult to tease out what is actually causing what.
Instead, if you can devote a short period of your life (several weeks) to making a serious effort to build a diet based on real, whole foods, you can effectively Reprogram your body, brain, and mind for good health. Then, from this starting place, you can tinker with the addition of selective industrially processed foods.
From here, you will be better equipped in making better decisions about what engineered foods may be able to safely play a role in your life.
If you’re interested in this second approach, check out The Reprogrammed Systems Approach Page for more.
Notes:
*These cases are well documented elsewhere, in published literature on indigenous populations consuming extreme varieties of dietary compositions, along with modern diet books with numerous case studies on individuals who have cured their poor health based on advice to consume the same extreme varieties of dietary compositions. For the short version, check out The Correct Human Diet. Or, to see it in action, just head to social media and see the stories of healthy individuals supported by diets ranging all the way from vegan to carnivore, with every possible variation in between.