Dynamic Bunch

Dynamic Bunch defines synergistic interaction, in which the combined effect is greater, than the simple sum of its parts. Hence synergy can make 1+1=3. The inspiration for today's blog was the latest trend about healthy food combinations, I came across recently, mainly chocolate and apple. I was quite surprised to learn, that this combination is healthy, because I am of an opinion, that no one should combine fruit with any other food product. Such combinations lead to the intestinal fermentation, which is never a good thing, so why this duo might be the reason for the increased health?

 

In addition, what is interesting, there is scientific evidence showing, that such combination actually works...Obviously I experienced cognitive dissonance and while trying to deal with it, I spent hours on the internet searching for the nonexistent publications, which supposedly support the synergistic effect of this new dynamic duo. 

 

Living in the information age means, that we need to navigate the noise, we are flooded with unprecedented amounts of written information, which does not necessarily means, that it is true. Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate and changed our world forever. Everyone can become a writer and contribute to the increased amount of data available on the internet. We can make references to non-existent publications, to appeal to our audiences, the same way the authors of the above mentioned dynamic bunch have done. By doing so we introduce new theories and concepts. We hope, that others are not inquisitive or curious enough to get to the bottom of the issue. The art of getting the most out of the multitude is to select, what is most relevant. We all should remember, that not all things, that are written are true, especially if we rely on internet to tell us what is important. For instance, dynamic bunch, such as oatmeal and peanut butter or hard-boiled egg and banana will never impact our health in a positive manner, although many sites on the internet claim that they possess almost magical power.

Does it mean that food synergy does not exist? Of course it does, but to be able to navigate the noise, we first need to learn what harmonizing combinations are. The below listed combinations are examples of dynamic bunch:

avocado and tomato

brown rice and onion/garlic

legumes and cooked carrot

turmeric and black pepper

vinegar and grains

nuts and beer

broccoli and radishes

mushrooms and cream plus onion

tomato and olive oil

chickpea and beets

The reason why the above mentioned combinations positively influence our health is because all vitamins and minerals interact with one another and also because their absorption is dependent on the presence of another micro-element.

For instance, inulin which is present in onions and garlic positively stimulates our intestinal flora and this in turn helps with digestion of legumes, rice and other grain products (for more information see phytic acid).

Beta-caretonoids present in the cooked carrots, on the other hand, help with absorption of iron and zync present in legumes.

Vitamin D present in mushroom will be better absorbed, if it is in the presence of food high in calcium. Hence the traditional preparation of mushrooms with cream makes perfect sense and is the example of our intuitive power of properly combining food.

When consuming food rich in calcium like for example cheese, we should keep in mind, that it is also a source of sodium and this means, that if we overindulge ourselves, we may run the risk of disturbing the electrolytic balance in our bodies. So keep in mind when eating cheeses or similar food products to always include some vegetables, since they are the source of potassium.

B Vitamins from the theoretical point of view are better absorbed when in the presence of food high in those vitamins. It is also a good idea to combine such food with food high in vitamin C, especially if we aiming to increase the levels of vitamin B2 and B12. While folic acid is important for metabolism of vitamin B1, B5, B6 and B12, magnesium is important for vitamin B6. We can produce our own vitamin B3 but for that we need tryptophan and vitamin B6, hence we also need folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin B12 and magnesium.

I believe that most of us already know, that iron is better absorbed when in the presence of vitamin C, and absorption of vitamin C depends on the presence of vitamin E and flavonoids (some of it is present in dark chocolate). Production of vitamin A is dependent on vitamin D and K and selenium levels depend on vitamin C and E.

Have you become confused already? Do not worry, it only seems complicated at first glance. Most of the dynamic duos is utilized in our kitchen already. We intuitively know how to combine food for best results. For example, I am not sure if you noticed, but to make hummus, which is also a good source of iron, we add lemon juice and parsley/coriander as sources of vitamin C. In addition, most if not all legume dishes also contain onion and garlic and to some we also add lemon/orange juice as well as parsley/coriander. Those dishes are also good sources of B vitamins, but also of iron, magnesium, folic acid and added vitamin C. So you see? It is easy.

With some food we do not even have to think about best combination. For example fruit and vegetables, which are good sources of vitamin C are also good sources of vitamin E. I have already talked about healthy combination between mushrooms and cream, but another dynamic duo, which is also a good example of intuitive combining, is tumeric and black pepper. This duo is natural for regions, where curry is on every day menu. We adopted the spice, so maybe it is not as intuitive for us, but it makes sense at least. While we are talking about black pepper, I want to tell you, that black pepper goes well with anything. And the reason for this is, because it stimulates our stomach to release gastric juices. This also means, that those who like pepper are most likely those who do not have problems with digestion and others who stay away from it may be those, who may experience digestion problems from time to time.

The bottom line is, that there are some dynamic bunch, which harmonize with one another, but we should not stay extra vigilant and worry too much, that we do not know everything about food, because as I hope I showed you, a lot of those healthy duos we already use intuitively in the kitchen.

http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/10-powerful-healthy-food-pairings
http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/10-powerful-healthy-food-pairings http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=106
http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/meal-ideas/10-powerful-healthy-food-pairings
https://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/nutrition/9-healthy-food-pairings-for-more-nutrition
http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/healthy-food-pairings
http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/food-pairings-that-are-healthier-together/slide/6
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/9-healthiest-food-pairings.html
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3615/10-Common-Food-Combinations-That-Wreak-Havoc-on-Your-Health.html
https://www.beachbody.com/beachbodyblog/nutrition/9-healthy-food-pairings-for-more-nutrition

http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition/advice/a6333/7-super-powered-food-pairings-125087/

Reflection on Raw Food Diet

Enthusiasts of raw food diet claim, that food is not only about nutrition, but also about life's energy. Food, which is eaten in its natural unprepared state, with all the enzymes intact, is the source of vitality, and our nourishment. In our hands, it is also an ammunition of strength and self-reliance. Labored beginnings, however, characterize the raw diet. It is a slow process, not a single event in time. But with mindful approach to food, we can select from life, what is best for our well-being.

Both paleo diet and raw diet discard processed and artificial food, and replace it with a simple and natural ones. Enthusiasts of raw food diet claim, that it is their lifestyle and although it is not an easy transition, it can be adopted by many. Testimonials from ordinary people are endless, but there is always one underlying note: it is a challenging diet and it works most effectively, if you follow the rule of 80:20, meaning that you rely on raw food 80% of a time and eat cooked food for the other 20% of a time.

Raw veganism is a plant-based diet, that involves no cooking. No food is heated above 42 degrees Celsius. Foods are eaten fresh, sprouted, dehydrated with low heat or fermented. So taking these ideas into consideration, let's come up with a healthy regime, which is also nutritious. Let's create a 1800 calorie diet plan, which is quite restrictive, hence more challenging. It is a daily plan for 1 person. So let's take a look:

1/6 cookie sheet of dry seed crackers (see below), 50g almonds, 25g nuts (3 walnuts, 3 brazilian nuts), 100g quinoa or lentils (every other day), 50g pumpkin seeds, vegetables (200g romaine lettuce, 2 tomatoes, 1 red pepper, 200g cucumber, 7 radishes, 1 beetroot, 2 carrots, 2 celery stalks, 1 fermented cucumber, 2 onions), fruit (1 orange, 1 apple, 1 nectarine).

The above mentioned plan translates into the following:

vitA:821%, vitC:650%, vitE:113%, vitK:388%, vitD:?, vitB1:168%, vitB2:96%, vitB3:75%, vitB5:66%, vitB6:137%, vitB12:?, folate:290%, Ca:82%, Fe:120%, Mg:203%, K:175%, Zn:117%, Se:442%

COMMENTS

1. Healthy raw food diet means eating approx. 1.2kg of vegetables, 0.5kg of fruit. It is also based on eating nuts, almonds and seeds – we need approx. 180g of them every day as well as some grain and legumes, such as quinoa and lentils (I selected quinoa since it is the most nutritious type of grain and the same rationale was for selecting lentils).

2. Due to calorie restrictions, there is no room in this diet for any type of sweets, even those prepared raw. It is also hard to incorporate into this diet fruit, such as banana or avocado because of the calories (1 banana corresponds to 100 calories and ½ avocado means 160 calories). The same goes for oil. We should limit ourselves only to olive oil, due to high content of vitamin E.

3. The recommended amounts of vitamin D and B12 can only be derived from eating raw fish. If we consume raw fish twice a week, then we will take care of our daily requirements for those vitamins. The other options are to supplement the diet with vitamins or by adding nutritional yeast.

4. If we follow the rule of 80:20, then it is OK to cook hard-to-digest food like quinoa or lentils. It is also advisable to cook carrots and add them to food containing phytic acid, such as nuts or seeds (see here).

5. We should consume 1 fermented cucumber every day, to take care of our intestinal flora. Fermented vegetables contain probiotics, which are important in maintaining a healthy gut.

6. Raw food can be source of infection and it is due to the fact, that most food is in a fermented state and is of plant-origin. Hence it is very important to sterilize the equipment and wash thoroughly vegetables and fruit. We should wash them in acidic water to remove microorganisms and in alkaline water to remove pesticides. It is also advisable to rinse the mouth with water and baking soda. 

 

REFLECTION

Raw plants and vegetables tend to be hard on our digestion. So if we are constantly eating foods, that our bodies cannot digest, our ability to digest food in general is weakened. A weakened digestive system can cause bloating, indigestion, constipation or loose stools, malnutrition, food allergies and a lowered immune system, even if we consume food filled with nutrients supporting our health. In Traditional Chinese Medicine it is believed, that raw foods are too “cold” - or yin – in nature and require too much energy from our part to digest. The cold, hard-to-digest food puts a damper on the body's digestive fires. The prolonged practice of eating raw depletes body's energy from having to support the weakened digestive system, which results in less energy for other bodily functions. Hence, enthusiasts of this diet steer towards uniform meals, to ease the digestion. They prepare simple meals and follow the rule of proper combining. In addition, a helpful tip is to keep fruit at room temperature and take vegetables from fridge at least 1 hour before eating. Eating food at room temperature aids the digestion and may alleviate some of the problems associated with eating raw.

Raw food can be the source of infection and every enthusiast of this diet knows, that raw food diet requires a lot of attention on our part. We should stay away from ready-to-eat food found in grocery stores as well as be wary about eating-out. The main reason why this type of food can be unhealthy is, because it is processed to encourage the growth of microorganisms. Every time when we ferment or sprout food, we also encourage the growth of bacteria and if not careful we can make ourselves ill, because of what we eat. This is probably one of the reasons, why raw food lovers tend to cook at home and devote a lot of their time to washing food and preparing meal for themselves.

Arguments against this diet rely on not sufficient scientific evidence showing, that it can be healthy. And this is true simply, because we lack evidence based on practice and real-life stories. However, we often hear, that raw diet is the source of malnutrition. Raw food lovers are deficient in vitamin D, B12, calcium, iron, zinc, omega-3 and selenium. If you look again at my plan above you will see, that raw food diet is only sensitive to deficiencies in vitamin D and B12. Vegans try to circumvent the problem and eat nutritional yeast. And yes, they can be a good source of vitamin B12 but at the same time they are the source of vitamin B complex overload (for example 100% of vitamin B12 translates into 640% of vitamin B1, 570% of vitamin B2, 280% of vitamin B3 and 480% of vitamin B6). If you are on raw food diet and eat flax seeds and walnuts, then you are OK with omega-3 and brazilian nuts take care of selenium requirements. Good sources of calcium are almonds, sesame seeds, and oranges, so you may want to pay close attention to this food, not to become deficient in calcium.

For sure it is a quite restrictive diet, hence not for everyone. Personally, I love eating warm food and I do not think, that I will ever try switching to eating raw. However, as I have shown you above there are certain tricks to make this diet healthy. But is eating raw really hard on our digestion and drains us of energy in the long run? I leave it to others to decide. Definitely we need more evidence backed up by practice. The best thing about Raw Food diet, in my mind, is that it shows us, that with careful planning, we can also be healthy, if we rely on raw food, such as vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds. Sounds impossible, almost like paradox and that's the beauty of it all.

Seed crackers (1 cookie sheet): 1 cup flax seeds, ½ cup sesame seeds, ½ cup sunflower seeds. Ferment all in acidic water overnight. The next day rinse it thoroughly and mix all with ¾ cup of water to create thick dough – add your favorite spices. Leave to rest for approx. 5 minutes. Spread the dough onto a cookie sheet covered with a baking paper. Dehydrate in a dehydrator or bake in the oven set to 42 degrees until dry.

Nutrition charts

You can find nutrition facts for some of the most nutritious food products below. Data is for selected food items, 100g each, expressed as percentage of daily allowance. Using below listed data, you can determine the health status of your diet and determine, if you need re-adjustments:

	beans (kidney)	chickpeas	lentils	sunflower seeds	pumpkin seeds
vitA	-	3	1	1	1
vitC	65	3	7	2	-
vitE	-	-	-	166	-
vitK	-	18	6	-	-
vitB1	25	48	58	99	2
vitB2	15	13	12	21	3
vitB3	15	14	13	42	1
vitB5	4	18	21	11	1
vitB6	4	9	27	67	2
vitB12	-	-	-	-	-
folic acid	15	69	120	57	2
Ca	2	6	6	8	6
Fe	5	25	42	28	18
Mg	5	29	31	81	65
P	4	37	45	66	9
K	5	28	27	18	26
Zn	3	20	32	33	69
Co	8	43	26	90	34
Se	1	2	12	76	77

	walnuts	almonds	peanuts	hazelnuts	macadamia
vitA	-	-	-	1	-
vitC	2	-	1	6	1
vitE	4	131	35	76	3
vitK	3	-	-	-	-
vitB1	23	14	6	23	47
vitB2	9	60	5	7	5
vitB3	6	17	69	10	11
vitB5	6	5	12	9	6
vitB6	27	7	23	31	18
vitB12	-	-	-	-	-
folate	25	12	30	22	2
Ca	10	26	6	12	7
Fe	16	21	8	24	15
Mg	40	67	44	43	29
P	35	48	40	31	20
K	13	20	21	22	10
Zn	21	21	22	17	9
Co	79	50	27	88	28
Se	7	4	5	6	17

	yogurt	Gouda cheese	Ricotta cheese	eggs	Chocolate (dark)
vitA	-	11	8	24	1
vitC	2	-	-	-	-
vitE	-	-	-	-	-
vitK	1	3	1	-	9
vitB1	4	2	1	8	2
vitB2	16	18	11	60	3
vitB3	1	1	-	-	4
vitB5	8	4	2	28	4
vitB6	3	4	1	12	2
vitB12	12	26	5	38	3
folate	3	5	3	22	-
Ca	25	65	27	10	6
Fe	1	2	2	14	35
Mg	6	7	4	4	43
P	18	54	18	34	26
K	9	4	4	8	16
Zn	9	26	9	14	16
Co	8	2	2	2	62
Se	1	21	24	88	12

	tuna	sardines	mackerel	salmon	chicken breast
vitA	1	3	3	1	-
vitC	-	2	1	6	-
vitE	2	7	8	-	1
vitK	-	-	6	-	-
vitB1	2	3	12	23	5
vitB2	4	14	18	8	7
vitB3	66	21	45	40	69
vitB5	2	7	9	15	10
vitB6	18	6	20	32	30
vitB12	50	150	145	47	6
folate	1	6	-	8	1
Ca	1	24	1	1	1
Fe	9	13	9	2	6
Mg	7	8	19	8	7
P	16	37	22	25	23
K	7	10	9	11	7
Zn	5	9	4	3	7
Co	3	14	4	2	2
Se	115	58	63	59	39

	bread wholewheat	potatoes with skin	buckwheat	millet	quinoa
vitA	-	-	-	-	-
vitC	-	16	-	-	-
vitE	3	-	-	-	21
vitK	10	2	-	-	-
vitB1	24	4	15	28	41
vitB2	13	3	16	17	32
vitB3	24	7	26	24	13
vitB5	7	4	12	8	13
vitB6	10	16	18	19	41
vitB12	-	-	-	-	-
folate	12	7	10	21	78
Ca	11	1	2	1	8
Fe	13	6	14	17	43
Mg	21	7	55	29	84
P	20	7	32	28	78
K	7	15	9	6	27
Zn	12	2	16	11	35
Co	19	6	31	37	50
Se	58	1	12	4	21

	avocado	broccoli	tomato paste	banana	romaine lettuce
vitA	3	12	30	1	174
vitC	17	149	36	15	40
vitE	14	10	21	1	1
vitK	26	127	14	1	128
vitB1	4	5	4	2	5
vitB2	8	10	9	4	4
vitB3	9	3	15	3	2
vitB5	30	11	1	3	1
vitB6	13	12	11	18	4
vitB12	-	-	-	-	-
folic acid	20	34	3	5	34
Ca	1	5	4	1	3
Fe	3	4	17	1	5
Mg	7	5	10	7	3
P	5	7	8	2	3
K	14	9	29	10	7
Zn	4	3	4	1	2
Co	9	2	18	4	2
Se	1	4	8	1	1

	prunes	dried apricots	raisins	dried figs	olive oil
vitA	16	72	-		-
vitC	1	2	4	2	-
vitE	2	22	1	2	96
vitK	74	4	4	19	-
vitB1	3	1	7	6	-
vitB2	11	4	7	5	-
vitB3	9	13	4	3	-
vitB5	4	5	1	4	-
vitB6	10	7	9	5	-
vitB12	-	-	-		-
folic acid	1	2	1	2	-
Ca	4	6	5	16	-
Fe	5	15	10	11	-
Mg	10	8	8	17	-
P	7	7	10	7	-
K	21	33	21	19	-
Zn	3	3	1	4	-
Co	14	17	16	14	-
Se	-	3	1	1	-

Reflection on “living with phytic acid”

"Living with phytic acid" is one of those cases, where importance of culinary tradition comes to the forefront. As society, we act boldly, and we are not afraid to try new things, almost like children. In order to do so, we discard years of experience accumulated by older generation, so we can experiment with new things. This has been seen through history and the recent revolution is a very good example. With the advent of new technology we have created a “better world” for ourselves. And in many aspects, it is a better world, but we became also more alienated and started to rely on processed food to be able to work harder, harder and harder...

As the case of “living with phytic acid” shows us, a closer inspection of our traditions is needed, before decisions to abandon some of them can be made. As it turns out, we cannot always rely on the assumption, that when it comes to food “faster is better”. Food teaches us to slow down from time to time, in order to put our interest ahead of any other. We failed to do so with phytic acid and more precisely with food that contains it, grain, seeds, nuts and legumes. As a result, the society we live in, has become profoundly sick, because it is nutrition deficient.

It comes as a surprise to us..., because we strongly believe in our abilities and potential. And it is nothing wrong with that. Thankfully, we slowly acknowledge, that the root cause of our chronic health problems come from our diet and our attitude to life in general. What “living with phytic acid” teaches us also is, that adding few healthy food to our diet does not necessary mean, that we will automatically be healthy. Instead, we should re-examine our culinary tradition and re-visit the culinary process of our ancestors again.

Phytic acid, by some is called the mineral thief and by others a potent anti-nutrient. Its reputation comes from the fact, that it is present in most nutritious food known to man. As I mentioned above, it is present in grain, seeds, nuts and legumes, the food that man grew up to rely on for nutrients. However, when processed incorrectly the food, that is nutritious, becomes its worst enemy. Phytic acid, as any other acid, has the tendency to bind minerals to form salts. What this means for us is, that all minerals found in food containing phytic acid will be eliminated from our system..., as waste. Precisely, it binds to magnesium, iron, calcium zinc and copper, so by consuming such food, we become deficient in those minerals. Nature, however, comes in different colors and shapes, so it also provided us with an antidote, an enzyme called phytase. When activated, this enzyme breaks down, or in other words neutralizes the acid, hence frees the minerals for absorption. The trick is to know, what to do, to activate the enzyme to do the dirty work for us. 

 

Things to keep in mind when “living with phytic acid”

1. THE MOST IMPORTANT TRICK TO HAVE UP YOUR SLEEVES: Phytase is activated in acidic environment. Food containing phytic acid should be “fermented” in acidic water for at least 20 hours. Ideally it is recommended to add yogurt to water, because it contains whey plus bacteria, which can produce additional phytase needed to neutralize phytic acid found in our food. Our ancestors somehow knew about that and they fermented legumes, or even sprouted them, before they processed them for consumption. This trick has been lost and hopefully will come back again.

2. Adding onion, garlic or carrots to food containing phytic acid can have neutralizing effects and can enhance absorption of minerals.

3. It has been shown that people with healthy gut bacteria can tolerate phytic acid better than those who have gut problems. Part of the reason is attributed to healthy bacteria, which produce phytase to neutralize phytic acid. Thus, including yogurt into diet consisting of legumes will help you with digesting phytic acid containing food and absorption of minerals.

4. There is also evidence showing, that phytic acid can act as powerful anti-oxidant in our gut, so staying away from food containing it should not be our prerogative. Instead, we should ferment it, to enhance our chances of absorption of minerals, and what is not neutralized can be then used to keep our gut healthy.

If you want to read more about phytic acid I strongly recommend the following link. It is a comprehensive description on the topic and provides some basic information about our mineral thief (but I have to warn you, it is actually quite scientific):

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/living-with-phytic-acid/