Eggs, The Myth Of Cholesterol And Exercise

During a lively debate on nutrition, a good friend the other day raised the link between eggs and cholesterol. This subject is one of curiosity because rather than being a culprit of disease, eggs are actually very good for us. First, we have to understand that cholesterol is not necessarily bad. Humans need it to maintain cell walls, insulate nerve fibres and produce vitamin D, among other things. Second, there are two types of important cholesterol: dietary cholesterol and blood cholesterol.

Dietary cholesterol is found in certain foods, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy products. The second type (blood cholesterol, also called serum cholesterol) is produced in the liver and floats around in our bloodstream. Blood cholesterol is divided into two sub-categories: High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL), and Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL).

LDL cholesterol is considered bad because it sticks to artery walls. Too much of it can cause heart problems, but scientists are now discovering that consuming food rich in dietary cholesterol does not increase blood cholesterol.

A 1999 study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggest that those who consumed seven to 14 eggs a week had the same rate of cardiovascular disease as those whose consumption included no eggs.

In another study (February 2009 Nutrition Bulletin paper: “Eggs and Dietary Cholesterol – Dispelling the Myth”), Prof. Bruce Griffin and Dr. Juliet Gray reviewed studies of egg consumption, dietary cholesterol and heart disease risk. Their conclusion was that though dietary cholesterol can increase LDL cholesterol a small amount, the effect is clinically insignificant, and does not increase the risk of heart disease. In fact, eating eggs may increase HDL cholesterol, counteracting the effect of LDL cholesterol on heart disease risk.

These studies fly in the face of conventional wisdom on eggs, which advises people to eat no more than three or four eggs a week. In fact, health organizations including the British Heart Foundation, the American Heart Association, and the Food Standards Agency no longer advise that the number of eggs eaten needs to be limited. With the exception of people who have been advised to limit eggs for health reasons (such as those with familial hypercholesterolemia, a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol), eggs are now regarded by medical professionals to be a valuable contribution to a healthy, balanced diet, and can be eaten daily.

So what does raise blood cholesterol? One of the main theories centers on saturated fats. Of the three types of fat (saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated), saturated fat raises blood cholesterol and LDL levels. It so happens that eggs contain mostly polyunsaturated fat, which can actually lower blood cholesterol if one replaces food containing saturated fat with eggs.

However, there are still some concerns with commercial egg production, due to scientifically formulated chicken feeds. Commercial production methods require hens to spend their entire life indoors, hopped up on antibiotics to prevent infections in  crowded quarters. Chicken feed is  altered to increase shelf life by removing spoilable nutrients from grains. Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) are also spoilable, so the linoleic and alpha-linoleic acids were replaced with a more stable and non-essential oleic acid. The result is an egg with the same amount of cholesterol, but less EFA’s to transport and metabolize it properly in the body. Plant sterols found in vegetables, which reduce the cholesterol content of eggs by up to 35 percent also were removed from the chickens’ diet. Commercial eggs therefore contain more cholesterol than home grown barnyard eggs.

Nutritional value of eggs

Chickens raised with lots of sunshine, fresh food, fresh air and  room to move produce eggs which are one of nature’s most nutritionally dense foods.

Eggs are packed with a number of nutrients. One egg has 13 essential vitamins and minerals for only 75 calories. Eggs are also a good source of high-quality protein including all nine essential amino acids, as well as healthy unsaturated fats. Lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants that contribute to eye health, are also found in eggs.

• Choline – 23% Daily Value: Essential for normal functioning of all cells, including those involved with metabolism, brain and nerve function, memory, and the transportation of nutrients throughout the body. Choline also helps prevent birth defects, as well as helps promote brain and memory development in infants.
• Selenium – 23% Daily Value: Acts as an antioxidant to prevent breakdown of body tissues. Selenium works hand-in-hand with vitamin E to protect against some chronic diseases.
• Riboflavin – 14% Daily Value: Helps to produce energy in all the cells of the body.
• Vitamin B12 – 11% Daily Value: Works to support normal digestion and nerve cell function.
• Phosphorus – 10% Daily Value: Essential for healthy bones, teeth and cell membranes. Phosphorus is also required for energy production in the body.
• Pantothenic Acid – 7% Daily Value: Helps breakdown food and assists body cells in producing energy.
• Folate – 6% Daily Value: Promotes proper fetal development and red blood cell formation.
• Iron – 5% Daily Value: Plays an important role in red blood cell production and oxygen transport.
• Vitamin A – 5% Daily Value: Supports growth and maintains healthy skin, vision and immune function.
• Vitamin D – 5% Daily Value: Works with calcium to strengthen bones and teeth.
• Zinc – 4% Daily Value: Assists in maintaining immune function, as well as body tissue growth and repair.
• Vitamin B6 – 3.5% Daily Value: Keeps nerve transmission running smoothly and aids protein in immune function.
• Calcium – 3% Daily Value: Helps build and maintain strong bones and teeth. This mineral also plays an important role in nerve function, muscle contraction and blood clotting.

Percent Daily Values based on USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20 (2007), NDB No: 01123.

Anatomy of Eggs

Shell - Although the shell acts as a protective barrier for the inside of the egg, it is still very porous with approximately 17,000 pores through which air flows. The shell is largely composed of calcium carbonate (about 94%) with small amounts of magnesium carbonate, calcium phosphate and other organic matter including protein. Shell strength is greatly influenced by the minerals and vitamins in the hen’s diet, particularly calcium, phosphorus, manganese and Vitamin D. If the diet is deficient in calcium, for instance, the hen will produce a thin or soft-shelled egg or possibly an egg with no shell at all. Occasionally an egg may be prematurely expelled from the uterus due to injury or excitement. In this case, the shell has not had time to be completely formed. Shell thickness is also related to egg size which, in turn, is related to the hen’s age. As the hen ages, egg size increases. The same amount of shell material which covers a smaller egg must be “stretched” to cover a larger one, hence the shell is thinner.

Shell Membranes - There are two membranes on the inside of the shell. One membrane sticks to the shell and one surrounds the white (albumen). The second line of defense against bacteria. They are composed of thin layers of protein.

Germinal Disk - The entrance of the latebra, the channel leading to the center of the yolk. A slight depression on the surface of the yolk, the entry for the fertilization of the egg. When the egg is fertilized, sperm enter by way of the germinal disc, travel into a tube-like thread called the “neck of latebra” to the center to the embryonic disc, a 2 to 3mm diameter structure in the nucleus of pander. Subsequently, a chick embryo starts to form.

White (Albumen) - There are two layers: thin and thick albumen. Mostly made of water, high quality protein and some minerals. Represents ⅔ of the egg’s weight (without the shell). When a fresh egg is broken, the thick albumen stands up firmly around the yolk.

Chalazae - Pronounced “kuh-LAY-zee”, it is a pair of spiral white strands attached to two sides of the yolk and anchor it to the shell. The fresher the egg, the more prominent the chalazee.

Yolk Membrane (Vitelline Membrane) - Surrounds and holds the yolk. The fresher the egg, the stronger the membrane.

Yolk - The egg’s major source of vitamins and minerals, including protein and essential fatty acids. Represents ⅓ of the egg’s weight (without the shell). Yolk colors range from light yello to deep orange, depending on the chicken’s diet.

Air Cell - Forms at the wide end of the egg as it cools after being laid. The fresher the egg, the smaller the air cell.

Source: www.panix.com

If you work out, you also have access to one of nature’s best protein sources, with a biological quality greater than any other natural food. In fact, it is so nearly perfect, that egg protein is often the standard by which all other proteins are judged . Based on the essential amino acids it provides, egg protein is second only to mother’s milk for human nutrition. On a scale with 100 representing top efficiency, these are the biological values of proteins in several foods.

	Protein
Whole egg	93.7
Milk	84.5
Fish	76.0
Beef	74.3
Soybeans	72.8
Rice, polished	64.0
Wheat, whole	64.0
Corn	60.0
Beans, dry	58.0
*Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The Amino Acid Content of Foods and Biological Data on Proteins. Nutritional Study #24. Rome (1970). UNIPUB, Inc., 4611-F Assembly Drive, Lanham, MD 20706

Eggs contain all the essential amino acids in the exact proportions required by the body for optimum growth and maintenance of lean, metabolically active tissue. So go ahead, egg up. We’ve been held back too long – enjoy them finally.

Food Addiction: Lack Of Education Leads To Compulsive Behavior

Source: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/99/285849339_db067ef8ac.jpg

As a Nutritional Practitioner, I see a lot of clients who complain about being addicted to food. This addiction, according to them, is likened to what an alcoholic or mild drug user suffers from: compulsive eating behaviour, binging, unnatural responses or actions, lying, etc. Most of this is said to be triggered by emotions, negative life events, boredom, or depression.

I agree that there are similarities with food addiction to other addictions; such as obsession with a substance to alter mood or outlook, overt or harmful  behaviours, or lack of self-control. But rather than blame the substance, we have to look at what triggers the response to the condition.

Many people are on destructive (restrictive) dietary paths which result in nutrient deficiencies. Indulging in fractionated carbohydrates, junk foods, canned and boxed foods which contain either starches, sugars or simple carbohydrates, only sets up a further strong psychological drive for more of these foods.  Why? Because they boost our immediate outlook through higher glucose conversion and temporary energy. But like other destructive substances, the end result is very short lived.

Refined Foods Don’t Lead To Good Health

As a society, we live for instant gratification. Rather than eating foods which give us long term energy, we desire a quick pick-me-up, even though we know the cycle has to be repeated over and over during the day, leaving us exhausted. Part of the problem is what manufacturers tell shoppers. Words such as diet, whole, goodness and so on are meaningless in light of what the food endures during processing.

In Canada, whole wheat is not “whole.” As much as 70% of the nutrients may legally be destroyed through removal of much of the kernel, which reduces shelf life. Whole wheat is not a whole grain – period. It is a product which, through loss of many of the nutrients (wheat germ and wheat germ oil), as well as bran and middlings, is now a fast absorbing energy food which spikes blood sugar. But still, our government says the end product remains good for us. In effect,  manufacturers legally (yet immorally) lie to us, desiring profit more than our good health.

Educate Yourself

Much of this can be remedied by education. With the availability of the internet and more authors writing about whole food nutrition, we should be able to find proper information on the subject. However, the excuse I frequently hear is that, “I don’t have enough time.” My answer is always the same: “Do you have the time to get sick?” Because once a person is on their sickbed, they cannot earn money, nor can they enjoy the fruits of their labour. Balanced nutrition is not an option, but a necessity to “keep the ability to be busy.”

Another angle is our relationship to food. Do we understand that restricting nutrients sets us up for psychological cravings? Most diets are about weight loss, rather than good health. Authors care more for immediate results, because this brings in income. Yet most of the poor souls reading these books don’t equate their subsequent weight gain (once off the diet) with the diet itself. Diets are a sham, which is why your 20 pound weight loss ultimately results in a net 40 pound gain. This is a protective mechanism of the body to an unnatural restriction of needed substances – a sure plan for long term failure. It’s an addictive cycle: We desire the short term weight loss rather than thinking about the end result. This is somewhat like the steroid user, or the person taking diet pills. Yes, there may be immediate dramatic results, but in the end, we suffer even more.

Don’t Worry – Make Decisions!

Dietary rules also get us thinking too much about what should be an enjoyable experience. All this weighing and calculating is a drain on a pure pleasure – the enjoyment of wholesome food. We should be able to look at a food and immediately understand if it is good or bad. Has it been refined? Then there is a great chance it is not healthy. I don’t care at all about what we are told to the contrary. I have thousands of clients who have had success with this approach. It does not lead to worry about food, because it merely entails making in immediate decision. We do this daily with our jobs. If you do “fall off the wagon,” get up and try again.

Those who eat to manage compulsive behaviours or emotions need to realize that whole foods also satisfy. Sweet, salty or fatty foods may increase serotonin or stimulate dopamine receptors in the brain, giving a temporary feel good situation. But they always result in a subsequent crash. On the other hand,  whole foods do the same, though not as strong in the short run. Wouldn’t you like to feel good in the long term, without getting depressed, run down, sad, or suffer anxiety? Fractionated foods WILL increase these feelings and set the person up for a vicious cycle of weight gain, ill health and and increased emotional disorders.

We Are To Blame

As a society, we are too dependent on psychological help. Everything is the fault of someone else, something or some situation. We don’t look at ourselves, our actions and our outlook on situations. Though some will define this approach as simplistic, it is because they have been taught to feel this way; are in the business of treating people affected by these situations, or profit from them.

You are not addicted to foods, and neither are you powerless over them and have to practice abstinence. We have been given a brain to use, but we don’t do so in many instances. The biggest predictor of weight gain (or ill health), is a level of self restraint. Don’t succumb to eating amnesia (unknowingly putting hand to mouth from a bag, box or plate). This is nothing more than mindless eating. Sit, relax and enjoy, but don’t stop thinking about what you are doing. You wouldn’t do it crossing the street (for fear of getting injured). Why do it through long term self poisoning?

Choose well, don’t diet, and don’t indulge in foods which injure the body. I have hundreds of articles on this blog which go into more detail about what I have  written here. Read them and educate yourself about balanced nutrition.

Your 2009 Resolution: High Intensity Training For Optimal Results

www.everymantri.com/everyman_triathlon/fun/

As a personal trainer, I know that many people will make a New Year’s Resolutions to take on a fitness program. Good for you. However, if you are like most who train, you will fall into a rut fairly quickly with the same daily workout. What do I mean by that? Go to your local gym and watch how others cycle mile after mile on the stationary bike until they reach a certain calorie count or jog day after day to achieve a certain distance. After a few months, your body will adapt to this type of steady state training and refuse to cooperate further.

The truth is that many may be spending enough time working out each week, but they are not working out efficiently. For starters, the most efficient workout is NOT the typical steady state cardio training at 60 – 70% of your max heart rate. Neither is it the most healthy. Many scientists now believe long steady state cardio can degenerate joints, reduce immune function, cause muscle wasting, and induce a pro-inflammatory response in the body, potentially leading to potentially chronic diseases.

On top of that, long cardio sessions can be quite boring and time consuming, to the point where you enjoy leaving the gym more than coming. A love/hate relationship with your fitness program is not a long term success formula. It creates a situation where it is difficult to maintain and follow a regimented routine of low intensity workouts tied to the calorie counter on your machine. What matters most is not how many calories you actually burn doing your workout, but rather training to get your body to burn more calories while actually away from the gym.

So, what works best then? The ultimate method for burning off that unwanted body fat is short bouts of high intensity training. Studies indicate that high intensity aerobic training can be up to 50% more efficient than low intensity exercise. It speeds up the metabolism to the point that the fat burning effects can be maintained long after the workout has terminated.

Although effort wise these type of workouts are highly challenging, time wise they are not. If you can perform three to four 20 minute sessions per week’ gradually increasing the intensity of the effort over specified timed intervals, then you will have good success.

First, select the particular form of cardio you enjoy, but which you should vary periodically. Then you need to work out a personal intensity index for that exercise. Use a scale from 1 to 10 where 5 may be considered light for you and 10 is an all-out effort. This intensity is solely based on your perception. An experienced sprinter may take training to level 10 but if you haven’t run in years, this is not a good level for you as it will produce a symphony of muscle ache. Adjust it to your present fitness level and challenge yourself within your limits.

So, a beginner high intensity interval training session on the stationary bike, for example, would look like this:

Perform a 3-4 minutes warm-up at a low setting. Then use the following guidelines:

• Interval 1 – pedal at level 6, with a fairly high RPM for 1 minute
• Interval 2 – pedal at level 2 for 1.5 minutes
• Interval 3 – pedal at level 8 with a fairly high RPM for 1 minute
• Interval 4 – pedal at level 2 for 1.5 minutes

Repeat those 4 intervals 4 times for a 20-minute workout. Obviously you need to adjust the RPM based on your current level of fitness.

A much more intense training level would look like this:

• Begin with a 2 minute warm-up.

• Jump to level 6 for 1 minute.Increase intensity to level 7 for 1 minute.

• Increase intensity to level 8 for 1 minute.

• Increase intensity to level 9 for 1 minute

• Drop down to level 6 for 1 minute

• Repeat the process again twice

• After the third interval and at beginning of the last (19th) minute, kick it up a notch to level 10 for an all out 1 minute assault.

• Drop down to level 5 for a cool-down

That’s it – you’re finished. Make sure you bring a towel because you will need it at this time!

Of course, continued intensity must be monitored on paper by continually adjusting either the time levels or RPM levels. These make a huge difference.

So as I have shown, high intensity interval training is a quick and efficient method for losing body fat. It is more efficient than steady state cardio and takes less time to perform – an overall win-win situation. Remember to follow a healthy (not calorie or nutrient restricted) diet and always check with your physician before embarking on a new exercise regimen.

The World’s Worst Cereals

Source: www.flickr.com/photos/wafflewhiffer/924700200/

Some breakfast cereals currently being marketed to U.S. children are more than half sugar by weight, according to Consumer Reports.

A single serving of 11 popular cereals, including Kellogg’s Honey Smacks, can carry as much sugar as a glazed doughnut. And some brands have even more sugar and sodium when formulated for the U.S. market than the same brands have when sold in other countries.

Post’s Golden Crisp and Kellogg’s Honey Smacks are both more than 50 percent sugar by weight, while nine brands are at least 40 percent sugar.

• Consumer Reports October 1, 2008

Unfortunately breakfast is typically one of the worst meals to eat out. Most restaurant options are simply not consistent with a healthy meal. The most notorious offenders though are probably breakfast cereals, which were initially developed to increase convenience, and now have mostly morphed into highly processed packages filled with synthetic vitamins and are a mere fantasy of a healthy food.

Breakfast cereals, along with waffles, pancakes, bagels and other high-carb, high-sugar foods, are some of your absolute worst breakfast options. And cereals that are aggressively marketed to kids have the worst nutritional quality of all cereals, according to an analysis of 161 brands earlier this year.

The analysis, published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association, found that children’s cereals have more sugar, sodium, carbohydrates, and calories per gram than cereals not marketed to kids. They also have less protein and fiber.

On average, sugar accounts for more than one-third of the weight of children‘s cereals compared to less than one-quarter of adult cereals.

The food industry spends about $229 million annually advertising these nutritionally void cereals to children. Colorful cartoons and other cheery tricks are meant to stimulate your child into wanting these “fun” foods, but the damage they can do to your child’s health is no laughing matter.

Obesity has become a major concern for American children, with excess sugar and carbohydrates being two of the major culprits contributing to this growing problem.

In the last two decades, the prevalence of overweight adolescents has nearly tripled, and current statistics show 16 percent of children are overweight or obese.

Sugar is Not a Healthy Breakfast, Fiber is Ignored!

There are two major problems with breakfast cereals:

1. Their high sugar content
2. The refined grains (carbohydrates, which also break down into sugar)

On average, just one serving of a typical children’s breakfast cereal equates to more than 90 percent of the daily sugar intake for sedentary girls aged 9 to 13.

In fact, “feeding infants cereal may be associated with an increased risk of developing type-1 diabetes mellitus autoantibodies, according to a study.

Children at an increased risk of type 1 diabetes who were fed cereals between the ages of 0 and 3 months and at age 7 months or older had an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes later in life.

The results suggest that exposing susceptible children to cereal during certain ages increases their risk of type 1 diabetes.”

• Journal of the American Medical Association October 1, 2003;290(13):1713-20

Regardless of the “healthy fiber” content of the cereal, consuming that much sugar is not going to promote good health. Foods high in added sugar contain little in terms of essential vitamins and minerals, and the calories they contain are not made up of important micronutrients needed for health and growth.

Reducing sugar intake should be on the top of your list regardless of whether your child is currently overweight or not, because it’s been proven over and over that sugar increases insulin levels, which can lead to:

• • High blood pressure and high cholesterol
  • Heart disease
  • Diabetes
  • Weight gain
  • Premature aging, and more

Be Radical, but Not Unreasonable, About Sugar Elimination

Now, I understand that completely eliminating sugar from your child’s diet is probably not feasible, so don’t beat yourself up too much. While high sugar consumption will clearly have a negative impact on your child’s health, eating sugar in moderation is likely not going to cause any significant damage.

Moderate sugar consumption would be somewhere in the neighborhood of five pounds per year, or just over 6 grams per day, which is considerably less than the U.S. average, which is closer to a staggering 175 pounds per year (about 52 teaspoons a day)!

To accomplish this, taking a close look at the sugar content of your child’s cereal, which is consumed on a daily basis, is therefore necessary.

Just how much sugar are you feeding your child each day?

One 2005 study that analyzed the daily sugar intake of 5,000 toddlers ranging in age from 2 to 5, found that, on average, 2- to 3-year olds consumed around 14 teaspoons (~58 grams) of added sugar a day. This number jumped to 17 teaspoons (~71 grams) daily among 4- to 5-year olds (Journal of Pediatrics January 2005;146(1):105-11).

That’s clearly too much!

Striving to limit your child’s added sugar consumption to between 1.5 and 2 teaspoons (6-8 grams) per day will likely save them lots of health problems later on.

• Mercola News 10.01.08