06 Jun SYNERGY…AHHHH….
Wow! It is so beautiful outside and the Farmers’ Markets are filled with incredible fruits and vegetables. There is such variety for the next 4 or 5 months or so, we should all really take advantage of it. Your body will thank you and so will your family and friends because you will be a healthier and more delightful person if you eat REAL food and have a large variety food in your diet. You will have…. Synergy …AHHHH….
So what is this Synergy I speak of? Well, actually I’m talking about Food Synergy.
Food synergy occurs when nutrients within the same whole food, or nutrients between different whole foods, work together in a way that is more powerful than their effects would be separately, meaning they can increase disease prevention such as heart disease, cancer, chronic diseases, and even weight loss.
Here are a few examples from Elaine Magee, MPH, and RD
- Tomatoes and broccoli: The combination was more effective at slowing prostate tumor growth than either was alone (from a study in which male rats were given prostate tumor cell implants).
- Apples with the peel on. It turns out that the bulk of an apple’s anticancer properties are hidden in the peel. The photochemical in the apple flesh seem to work best with the photochemical in the peel to reduce the risk of cancer.
- Cooked tomatoes with the peel on, along with olive oil. Ninety-eight percent of the flavonols (powerful photochemical) in tomatoes is found in the tomato skin, along with great amounts of two carotenoids. Absorption of these key nutrients is much greater when the tomatoes are cooked and when you eat some smart fat (like olive oil) along with the cooked tomatoes.
- Cruciferous vegetables. Two photochemical naturally found in cruciferous vegetables (cambene and indole 3-carbinol) were more active when combined, according to research that tested the compounds alone and together in rats. The researchers found that the two compounds were able to protect the rats against liver cancer much better together. Both cambene and indole 3-carbinol are known to activate important detoxification enzymes that help the body eliminate carcinogens before they harm our genes. Foods rich in cambene include Brussels sprouts and certain varieties of broccoli. And all cruciferous veggies are rich in indole 3-carbinol.
Watch this video by Dr. Michael Gregor M.D.:
This is why as a Nutritional Consultant I use Whole Food Supplements to correct deficiencies and imbalances rather than chemicals that are used in most of the supplements available on the market. I use supplements that are essentially, ground up food with the least amount of processing done to them grown on a thousand acre organic farm. I cringe when people say to me, “My vitamins are ‘Pharmaceutical Grade’”. Well, pharmaceutical companies make pharmaceuticals and that means they make things out of chemicals out. Remember – Hippocrates, widely considered to be the “Father of Medicine” said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Food in this quote means real food. I seriously doubt they had Kraft Macaroni and Cheese back then or were getting their vitamin B from coal tar (what most B vitamins are made from now a days).
So eat real food, as unprocessed as possible and a wide variety of it and when you need more than you can consume to support your body or correct a deficiency, only take whole food supplements, not chemicals.
These recommendations are for the reduction of stress only. They are not intended as treatment or prescription for any disease, or as a substitute for regular medical care.