Fats, Proteins and Carbohydrates

Fats
No one can dispute that mother's milk is the ideal nutrition, as far as the biochemical composition is concerned. It contains 3 to 11 grams of fat per 1 gram of protein (0.4% unsaturated fat). The conclusion is obvious - if Nature included such a minute quantity of that constituent in such a wonderful food, then we should respect it. Meanwhile, people are being persuaded that plant-derived fats containing polyunsaturated fatty acids which do not exist in mother's milk, are healthy. Nothing is more misleading.

The best are the fats which contain the highest percentage of energy contributing constituents, or in other words, such in which COOH group is attached to the longest fatty acid chain. Short fatty acid chains contain around 30-40% of energy-contributing constituents, the longest ones over 90%. Long-chain fatty acids fully saturated with hydrogen, yields approx. 10 cal/g when metabolised, the same as petrol. Fat's value as a "fuel" for our body increases with the increase in the amount of hydrogen per gram of carbon in its molecule, with the increase in the energy-contributing constituents.

Chemically, the best are long-chain fully saturated fatty acids, that is to say, solid fats of animal origin. Only fats with the length of the chain above 10 carbon atoms are suitable to be utilised by our cells and tissues without conversion. These fats are directed straight to the blood stream via the lymphatic system, and they do not have to be converted and made suitable by the liver, as is the case with inferior fats (with shorter chains), or all other constituents of consumed and digested foods. Long chain fatty acids are the best medication for those suffering from liver diseases. Chemically and factually long chain fatty acids are the best "fuel" for our bodies.

The less saturated with hydrogen the chains, the more inferior the "fuel". One has to remember that when buying fats. Margarine is made from unsaturated fats by inserting hydrogen into them. Metal ions are used as a catalyst and some remain in the margarine. These are not neutral to our health.

Furthermore, hydrogen inserted into unsaturated fat in that process does not bind to the carbon atom in the same formation in which it is present in natural fats. Half of hydrogen binds in the so-called cis formation, and the other half in trans formation. In natural fats all of the hydrogen is bound in cis formation. Our bodies are set up for the metabolism of such fats. The best fats are of animal origin, solid fats, eaten within natural animal tissues. Pork rind will always be better than lard, and pork dewlap better than eel or salmon, provided one eats optimally. Lard may by less damaging than pork rind when eaten as a part of wrong nutrition. This won't be a direct damage, but an indirect one.

The most suitable for humans are fats contained in the yolk of a hen's egg. Those contained in quail's egg are similar, but these eggs are far more expensive. The real value of egg yolk fats, for our body, according to a reliable scientific investigation, is 4 times higher than the value of the fat from butter or cream, and dramatically higher than the biological (and factual) value of the remaining fats.

Under no circumstances should we mix different kinds of fuel or the two different sources of energy: fats and carbohydrates, more precisely we should maintain a correct proportion between the two. By eating animal fats we not only receive concentrated energy, but we also receive all the fat- accompanying elements needed to obtain this energy, in the necessary quantity and proportion. The human body metabolises animal fats easily and such metabolism is energetically economical.

The digestive system is designed to slowly deliver the building blocks and energy containing matter. When choosing fats for consumption, especially during the initial phase of the optimal diet, the tables included at the end of this book should be consulted. When setting daily menus and during preparation of dishes, the fat content of primary products should be taken in to account.

Proteins
In a healthy human adult, normal protein turnover amounts to 1 to 2% of total body protein per day. This protein turnover results predominantly from degradation of muscle protein to amino acids. However, approximately 75 to 80% of the released amino acids is reutilized for new protein synthesis. The remainder is metabolized to nitrogenous waste and glucose, ketones, and/or carbon dioxide. The net daily loss of protein amounts to 30 - 40 g. Since approximately 16% of the atomic mass of proteins is nitrogen, 5 - 7 g of nitrogen is lost per day.

To maintain a healthy steady state, the average adult requires 30 - 60 g of protein or the equivalent in amino acids per day, but the quality is important. Protein quality here refers to the concentration of essential amino acids in a food relative to their concentrations in protein molecules being synthesized. Regardless of their source, amino acids that are not immediately incorporated into new protein are rapidly degraded; ie, excess amino acids are not stored. Consumption of excess amino acids thus is wasteful, since this surplus is catabolised to form energy, a function that carbohydrates and lipids can serve at a lower cost.

Protein normally provides the body's requirement for amino acid nitrogen and amino acids themselves. All dietary protein is digested and enters the circulation as individual amino acids. The body requires 20 amino acids to synthesize specific proteins and other nitrogen - containing compounds such as purines, pyrimidines, and heme.

The daily requirements for total protein and essential amino acids in humans are calculated on the basis of body weight, the extra growth needs of infants and children are clearly evident. Pregnancy, lactation, tissue repair after injury, recovery from illness, and increased physical activity are other conditions requiring more dietary protein. For most situations, a diet in which 12% of the energy is supplied as protein is adequate. The efficiency with which dietary protein is used determines the total quantity of protein required. This quantity is affected by 3 major factors: protein quality, energy intake, and physical activity.

The quality of protein is measured by comparing the proportions of essential amino acids in a food with the proportions required for good nutrition. The closer the 2 numbers are, the higher the protein quality. Egg and milk proteins are high - quality proteins that are efficiently used by the body and are used as reference standards against which other proteins can be compared. Meat protein is of high protein quality, whereas several proteins from plants used as major food sources are relatively deficient in certain essential amino acids, cg, tryptophan and lysine in maize (corn), lysine in wheat, and rnethionine in some beans. In a mixed diet, a deficiency of an amino acid in one protein is made up by its abundance in another; such proteins are described as complementary; eg, the protein of wheat and beans combined provides a satisfactory amino acid intake. Under such circumstances, a greater total amount of protein must he consumed to satisfy requirements.

The Role of Carbohydrate Restriction in Reducing Cardiac Risk Factors
One in five adults has some form of cardiovascular disease (1). A recent flood of clinical research suggests that the time for re-evaluating nutritional recommendations for bringing heart disease under control may be well overdue. It is a known fact that carbohydrates increase triglyceride levels. Triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol are fats that your physician tests for when you get your blood tested.

Elevated Triglyceride Levels Are an Independent Risk Factor for Heart Disease.
Recently, 17 studies involving over 46,000 men followed over eight years and nearly 11,000 women followed over 11 years indicated that a small elevation of triglycerides led to a 32% increase in cardiovascular risk in men and 76% increased risk in women.(2) These results clearly challenge the emphasis that has been placed on total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. One study showed that among 12,500 men in Sweden, the lower the triglyceride level, the lower the incidence of myocardial infarctions (MI). Even in the group with the highest cholesterol level, which averaged 245 mg/dl, only 11 individuals with triglyceride levels less than 100 mg/dl had MIs, compared to 97 individuals who had triglycerides greater than 184 mg/dl.

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