How To Eat A High Fat Meal And Get Away With It

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10/29/2003

How To Eat A High Fat Meal And Get Away With It

If you are not ready to restrict your calories as the Japanese do (they consume

about 700 less calories per day than Americans), and you are not ready to reduce

your intake of fatty foods and meats (the Japanese consumption of meat is only

about 93 pounds a year compared to 268 pounds for Americans), then listen up

America, you'll have to find a way to minimize the adverse effects of a typical

western diet upon your health.

 

On a time line, in developed countries, humankind has only recently been able to

produce enough food to eliminate the famines that have plagued nations

throughout history. Now, in developed countries, people stand a much better

chance of succumbing to overabundance than from famine. The availability of

food, in particular processed and fast foods, is literally a killer.

 

The Centers for Disease control just issued a bulletin stating that

over-consumption of food has reached the point where 65 percent of Americans are

overweight and 38 million are frankly obese. In three states, Louisiana,

Mississippi and West Virginia, one-in-four is obese. Heartburn remedies abound

from the fact Americans overeat. Notice all those Nexium, Prilosec, Zantac,

Pepcid commercials. Americans can add about 5 to 10 years of life by controlling

the three S factors........... Smoking, Sedentary lifestyle and eating till one

is Satiated.

 

Americans aren't quite ready to abandon their automobiles, escalators and fast

foods for walking and consumption of more fruits and vegetables. But one society

actually eats lots of fat and calories and gets away with it...........the

French. This is known as the French Paradox. They consume a Mediterranean diet,

known for its virgin olive oil and red wine. It's what's in the red wine and

olive oil that counts......they are foods that are loaded with

polyphenols........... probably the most potent antioxidants available. When the

French eat, they also flood their body with antioxidants to counter the

oxidation produced during a meal.

 

When a person eats they generate the most oxidation or " rusting " in their body.

The opposite of this is fasting. When food is avoided for a time, the rate of

oxidation actually declines considerable. [Microsc Res Tech. 2002;59:282-92]

That's why mealtime is the time to take supplemental antioxidants. Studies show

that the consumption of supplemental vitamin C (400-1000 mg) and vitamin E

(400-800 IU) reduces the rise in blood pressure, cholesterol and blood clotting

associated with consumption of a high-fat meal. [Am J Clin Nutr. 2003; 77:

139-43]

 

It is a fact that tea-totalers are less healthy on average than wine drinkers

because of the canceling effect of the antioxidant polyphenols in red wine. The

French experience about a third less heart attacks than Americans. So there is

something magic in the red wine. [Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 May;957:200-09] Red

wine with fatty meals reduces the typical rise in cholesterol.

 

The most potent antioxidant in red wine is resveratrol, widely being heralded

for its health-promoting properties even when consumed in low doses.

Unfortunately, for those who prefer dietary supplements over red wine, the

resveratrol in pills is oxidized and biologically useless, whereas in a sealed

bottle of red wine it is preserved (unexposed to oxygen) and ready for

consumption (though a stabilized resveratrol pill is under development). Red

wines produced from dark grapes (Concord, Pinot noir) which are grown in more

moist northern climates (Oregan, Washington, New York, Canada) yield more

resveratrol. Only moderate consumption of red wine is advised (1 glass or so)

since the alcohol content still poses a risk for liver problems. [Alcohol

Alcoholism 2002;37:618-21]

 

Imagine the impact of a Mediterranean diet upon America. A multi-nation studied

showed that the risk of an adverse cardiovascular event (stroke or heart attack)

is far less among Europeans who adhere to a Mediterranean diet than a typical

American diet. For every 4 Americans who would experience a heart attack or

stroke, only 1 European eating Mediterranean foods would experience the same

undesirable health event. [J Am Coll Cardiology 1996; 28: 1103-08] America, if

you are going to eat, eat like they do in Italy and France!

 

-- Bill Sardi

Copyright 2003 All rights reserved

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