Food

Food – Chew? Why?

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Man was created with an inquisitive mind. “Why?” is a favorite question from infanthood through adulthood. We like to know the ins and outs and what fors. With understanding comes an ease of mind. When the Adventists were first given the message of health reform, though, they had to go without the answer to their “whys?” But today science has confirmed many of the scientific reasons that were behind God’s instructions by way of our diet.

“Chew your food well; there are no teeth in your stomach!” We have all heard our parents tell us to chew well, but inevitably, as with any curious child (or adult), up pops the question “why?” There is a reason that has nothing to do with old wives tales or superstition, but science and how the body works. The stomach’s job is to mix food, liquids, and digestive juices with its peristaltic, squeezing motions. When large pieces of food enter the stomach, the surface area of the food is decreased, but the chemical breakdown of the food is not as effective. This causes a hindrance in the digestive process.

Most people love to eat. Food tastes so good and we tend to over-do what we like. Chewing food well increases the flavor in the food for our taste buds to pick up, and increases our sense of satiety as we eat. Part of feeling “full” is simply feeling satisfied. This is a factor in portion control and then, obviously, weight control.

Chewing our food well is also important as a preparation for swallowing. The esophagus, the tube that takes food to the stomach, can only be stretched so far. It is important that the food swallowed is small, moist, and well lubricated. This does not happen if the food is not chewed. People sometimes choke on their food simply because it is too large and dry to swallow with ease. The Heimlich maneuver is not as consistently effective or pleasant as simply slowing down enough to chew!

Pavlov so aptly demonstrated for us that even the thought or sight of food can make us salivate. Saliva contains chemicals that are important in the early stages of digestion, one of which is alpha amylase, which begins the chemical breakdown of starches found in carbohydrate, a primary component of the vegetarian diet. A second chemical in saliva is salivary lipase, which is responsible for the breakdown of fats. Fats are found in many vegetarian foods, such as nuts, olives, and oils.

So next time you are tempted to swallow your food before it is a well-lubricated, ground-up bolus, think of Mom and Dad and realize that they did know what they were talking about after all!

Recipe – Split Pea Dal

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1 cup dried yellow or green split peas

5 cups water

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon turmeric or saffron

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 tomato, finely chopped

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Rinse split peas. Bring water to boil in a large pot, and add peas. Return to boil, stir, then lower heat, and simmer 1 to 2 hours until tender. Add spices, salt, and tomato to peas, and cook 30 minutes. Serve with plain brown rice and vegetable curry.

FOOD – Fiber – Start Roughing It

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Aside from not smoking, the most important determinants of good health are what we eat and how active we are. Fiber is one of those nutrients that many of us know is important but that remains a bit of a mystery.

Basically, the term fiber refers to carbohydrates that cannot be digested. Fiber is present in all plants that are eaten for food, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. However, not all fiber is the same, and there are a number of ways to categorize it. One is by its source or origin. For example, fiber from grains is referred to as cereal fiber. Another way of categorizing fiber is by how easily it dissolves in water. Soluble fiber partially dissolves in water. Insoluble fiber does not dissolve in water. These differences are important when it comes to fiber’s effect on your risk of developing certain diseases. Soluble fiber includes oatmeal, oat bran, nuts and seeds, apples, pears, strawberries, and blueberries. Foods such as whole grains―whole wheat breads, barley, couscous, brown rice, and bulgur―carrots, celery, zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes are considered to be insoluble fiber sources.

Long heralded as part of a healthy diet, fiber appears to reduce the risk of developing various conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, diverticular disease, and constipation. Despite what many people may think, however, fiber probably has little, if any effect on colon cancer risk. But just because fiber plays little role in preventing colon cancer does not mean you should abandon a high-fiber diet.

High intake of dietary fiber has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease in a number of large studies that followed people for many years. Fiber intake has also been linked with the metabolic syndrome, a constellation of factors that increases the chances of developing heart disease and diabetes. These factors include high blood pressure, high insulin levels, excess weight (especially around the abdomen), high levels of triglycerides, the body’s main fat-carrying particle, and low levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. Several studies suggest that higher intake of fiber may somehow ward off this increasingly common syndrome.

Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet, and you should get a least the minimum recommended amount of 21-38 grams of dietary fiber per day for adults, depending on gender and age. For children over age one, the recommended intake is at least 19 grams per day.

Some tips for increasing fiber intake:

  • Eat whole fruits instead of drinking fruit juices.
  • Replace white rice, bread, and pasta with brown rice and whole-grain products.
  • Choose whole-grain cereals for breakfast.
  • Eat raw vegetables instead of chips, crackers, or chocolate bars.
  • Eat legumes two to three times per week in chili and soups.
  • Experiment with international dishes (such as Indian or Middle Eastern) that use whole grains and legumes as part of the main meal (as in Indian dals) or in salads (for example, tabbouleh).

Recipe – Crockpot Grains

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¼ cup millet, uncooked

¼ cup barley, uncooked

1/3 cup brown rice, uncooked

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped green pepper

½ cup finely chopped carrots

1 16-ounce can kidney beans

1 8-ounce can tomato sauce

1 16-ounce can tomatoes, chopped, drained (reserve liquid)

1 ½ cup canned or frozen corn, drained

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a crockpot. Add water to reserved tomato liquid to equal 2 1/2 cups. Stir into grain mixture. Cover and cook on low setting 8 hours. Stir before serving. Serves 8.

Food – Health Gains From Whole Grains

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For centuries, the grains humans ate came straight from the stalk. That means they had a carbohydrate package rich in fiber, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, plant enzymes, hormones, and hundreds of other phytochemicals. Even after we learned how to grind grain, we still received all of the goodness that grains pack in their three layers. Whole grains have a tough, fibrous outer layer called bran that protects the inside of the kernel. The interior contains mostly the starchy endosperm. Its job is to provide stored energy for the germ, the seed’s reproductive kernel, which nestles inside the endosperm. The germ is rich in vitamins, minerals, and unsaturated oils.

The invention of industrialized roller mills in the late 19th century changed what we obtained from grains. Milling strips away the bran and germ, making the grain easier to chew, easier to digest, and easier to keep without refrigeration (the healthy oils in the germ can turn rancid, giving the grain an off taste). Processing also pulverizes the endosperm, turning it from a small, solid nugget into millions of minuscule particles.

Refining wheat creates fluffy flour that makes light, airy breads and pastries. But there is a nutritional price to be paid. The process strips away more than half of wheat’s B vitamins, 90 percent of the vitamin E, and virtually the entire fiber. It also makes the starch easily accessible to the body’s starch-digesting enzymes.

Returning to whole grains and other less-processed sources of carbohydrates improves health in a myriad of ways. As researchers have begun to look more closely at carbohydrates and health, they are learning that the quality of the carbohydrates you eat is at least as important as the quantity. Most studies show a connection between eating whole grains and better health.

The bran and fiber in whole grains make it more difficult for digestive enzymes to break down the starches into glucose. Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol. Insoluble fiber helps move waste through the digestive tract. Fiber may also kindle the body’s natural anticoagulants and so help prevent the formation of small blood clots that can trigger heart attacks or strokes. The collection of antioxidants prevents low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol from reacting with oxygen. Phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) found in whole grains may protect against some cancers.

Recipe – Parsley Potatoes

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1 Tablespoon oil

1 ½ lb small new red potatoes, scrubbed well

1 chopped onion

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add oil. Saute onion and minced garlic for 5 minutes or until tender. Add broth and ¾ cup of parsley. Remove a strip of skin from around the middle of each potato. Slice the potatoes and put them in a single layer in the skillet. Return to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Pour potatoes and sauce in a serving dish. Sprinkle remaining parsley over the potatoes and serve.

Food – NEW START

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NEW START™ is an acronym for eight laws of health.

These laws are:

Nutrition—one of the single most important factors in our overall health.

Exercise—a very important addition to our diet and benefits every body system.

Water—one of our greatest blessings and necessary for every cellular function.

Sunshine—required by all for the maintenance of life.

Temperance—moderation in things good and avoidance of all things hurtful.

Air—one of our vital necessities of life; we can live only minutes without it.

Rest—essential to the mental, physical, and social well-being of man.

Trust—trust in God brings health-imparting peace to every part of our body.

True health reformers need to know the eight laws of health and have an understanding of anatomy and physiology. Note the following groups of people that Ellen White says should know anatomy and physiology:

“It is well that physiology is introduced into the common schools as a branch of education. All children should study it.” Health Reformer, November 1, 1871.

“The plan upon which our brethren propose to work is to select some of the best and most substantial young men and women from Berrien Springs. … Thorough instruction will be given in Bible study, physiology, the history of our message; and special instruction will be given regarding the cultivation of the land. Letter 215, 1904.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 14, 43, 44.

“The managers and teachers of schools should have been those who understood physiology, and who had an interest, not only to educate the youth in the sciences, but teach them how to preserve health, so that they might use their knowledge to the best account after they had obtained it.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 83.

“Our ministers should become intelligent on health reform. They need to become acquainted with physiology and hygiene; they should understand the laws that govern physical life, and their bearing upon the health of mind and soul.” Counsels on Diet and Foods, 452.

“The science of education includes as full a knowledge of physiology as can be obtained. No one can properly understand his obligations to God unless he understands clearly his obligations to himself as God’s property. He who remains in sinful ignorance of the laws of life and health, or who willfully violates these laws, sins against God.” Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 295.

It is clear from the above statements that children, college age people, pastors, and everyone needs to learn anatomy and physiology. Next month we will look at the anatomy and physiology of digestion.

Acronym, NEW START, COPYRIGHTED BY Weimar Institute of Health & Education

www.newstart.com. Used by permission

Recipe – Sprouted Lentils

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2 cups lentils, sprouted

½ cup onion, chopped fine

1 tsp. salt

1 ¼ cups water

Sprout lentils for about five days until they are ½” long. Combine all ingredients in kettle and cook slowly over low heat for approximately 15-20 minutes. Add more water as needed to make a broth. Serve over rice or pasta. For variations you may consider adding some of your favorite vegetables or replacing salt with Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. Enjoy!

Food – Digestion

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The human body is an amazing miracle that only an omniscient being could create. We each are responsible for the maintenance of our bodies such that we may operate to our fullest potential. Diet is one of the most important ways we revitalize ourselves physically. In order to understand our nutritional needs it is important to understand the intricate workings of the digestive system.

God designed our bodies to partake of a vegetarian diet. The differences between ourselves and carnivores, such as, lions, are pertinent differences that uphold the idea that we are still intended for a diet of plant life. The way by which we obtain food in itself is evidence of this. Humans have hands and fingers, including an opposable thumb, which are excellent for picking foods and, if you have a green opposable thumb, planting! Lions, on the other hand, would find this difficult as they have paws with sharp, retractable claws which are designed to fell prey and tear flesh.

The difference in diet is supported by the digestive differences between the herbivore and carnivore. Most people know that digestion begins in the mouth with saliva. But another structural variation between humans and lions that differentiates how we digest our food is the teeth. Carnivores have sharp, pointed teeth necessary for tearing flesh, where humans have flat teeth for grinding fruits, vegetables, and grains. There is also a difference in the saliva produced. A human’s saliva contains salivary amylase which begins the break down of complex carbohydrates found in plants. So chew well! The lion has no salivary amylase in his saliva, but he certainly has the intestinal juices to make up for it!

Lions have a chemical substance in their stomachs called hydrochloric acid. Humans have this also, but our carnivore friends certainly have the lion’s share. They have ten times the amount of this acid in their stomachs! This is very necessary, however, as meat is more difficult to digest. Carbohydrates and plant proteins are much easier on our stomachs as they do not require such high levels of hydrochloric acid to digest.

Humans have intestines that extend 24 to 26 feet in length! Imagine the convolution that is required to make room just for our intestines! The length is pertinent though. It allows for the time needed to digest our food and allow our bodies to absorb the nutrients we require to function properly. A lion does not need such a long intestinal corridor. In fact it would be quite harmful since the flesh ingested would putrefy in the body’s warm environment. A lion’s intestines, in contrast, average around 8 feet in length to allow for quick removal of the food ingested.

As we consider these few differences between our bodies and the lion’s, it is easy to see that we were built for different diets. In studying Genesis 1:29 and Genesis 3:17 our Creator has spelled out for us the diet He recommends for His most beloved creation. How wonderful that our Heavenly Father is so concerned for our health!

Recipe – Veggie Gravy

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Ingredients

2 cups tomatoes, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

¼ cup flour

½-1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

¼ cup water

Process

Simmer tomatoes with onion and celery 5-10 minutes. Mix flour and water and add slowly to tomato mixture, stirring constantly over low heat until thickened and add seasonings—remember to season it to your taste buds! This is great over hot baked potatoes, toast, or anything else requiring gravy.