Digesting Foods and Fads

It is time to tease sense out of the nonsense when it comes to eating smartly. This book offers advice on how to eat nutritiously every day without all the guilt, money, and discomfort wasted on the latest, greatest fad. Using the best scientific nutrition research available, this book will show how to navigate the complicated world of food with ease. Peppered with historical background and fascinating facts, this is an introduction to basic nutritional practices. The book covers what foods you need, how your body uses the nutrients found in those foods, disease, sustainability, weight control, and food as medicine. It exposes the lies about supplements, fad foods, fad diets, and quick fixes. Armed with the knowledge that you are making the best decisions for yourself, there will be no need to chase after the latest magic potion or remedy.

Judi Nath is an internationally acclaimed textbook author, biology professor, certified health education specialist and past president of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society. Her skill for making complex topics easily understood and relevant has earned her numerous teaching and faculty excellence awards, including Ohio’s Memorable Educator. She lives on the southern shore of Lake Erie.

Judi Nath

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 267
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2021
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8640-0
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4399-1
Imprint: Toplight

Acknowledgments vi
Preface 1

1. Animal, Vegetable or Mineral: Food and Health 5
Diet and Nutrition Confusion  5
Nutrition Science, Nutritional Experts and Reputable Sources  9
Nutrients  12
U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans  15
Food Labels  18
Food Justice  20
Best Ways to Prepare Food  23
Cooking Oils  25
Superfoods  26
Yogurt  27
Blueberries  27
Cranberries  28
Tomatoes  28
Dark Chocolate  29
Coffee, Caffeine, Tea and Theophylline  30
Red Wine  31
Cinnamon  32
Turmeric and Curcumin  33
Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Integrative Health and the Placebo Response  33

2. The GI Tract Is Not in the Army: Digestive System and Health 36
Anatomy and Physiology  36
Digestive Organs and Some Key Functions  39
Hormones  45
Nutrition and Upper Gastrointestinal Disorders  48
Nutrition and Lower Gastrointestinal Disorders  50
Inflammation  51
Food Allergy  53
Colon Cleansing  55
Microbiome, Prebiotics and Probiotics  55

3. It’s a Whale of a Time: Weight Control and Calories 58
Weight Control  58
Fat and Obesity  60
Weight Control and Calories  63
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), Body Mass Index (BMI) and Healthy Weight  64
Strategies for Weight Loss  67
Bariatric Surgery  68
Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and ­Binge-Eating Disorder  68
Cachexia  70

4. How Sweet It Is: Carbohydrates—Sugar, Glycogen and Fiber 73
Dietary Carbohydrates  73
How the Body Uses Carbohydrates  74
Diabetes and Metabolic Syndrome  83
­Carbohydrate-Related Diets  86
Ketogenic Diet  88
Paleo and Ancestral Diets  90
Sweeteners and Added Sugar  92
Sugar Substitutes  94

5. Those Are Love Handles: Lipids—Fats and Cholesterol 97
Dietary Fats  97
Diets Related to Fat and Cholesterol  104
Butter or Margarine?  106
Chickens and Eggs  108
Nuts, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Diet and the Mediterranean Diet  110
Almonds and LDL  112
Garlic and Blood Pressure  114
Fish Oil Supplements  114

6. Packing a Punch: Proteins 116
Dietary Proteins  116
Meatless Monday and Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO)  122
Cooking and Cancer  126
More Muscle, More Mass: Anabolic Steroids  127
Quinoa and Soy  129
Mediterranean Diet  130
Atkins Diet  132
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets  132
Blood Type Diet  134
Amino Acid Supplements  136

7. Alphabet Soup and Dietary Mining: Vitamins and Minerals 137
Micronutrients  137
­Water-Soluble Vitamins  138
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)  141
Vitamin B12 (Cobalamin)  143
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)  145
­Fat-Soluble Vitamins  147
Vitamin D, Calcium and Osteoporosis  148
Vitamin K  154
Major Body Minerals  154
Trace Body Minerals  156
Salt  157
Iron  159
Magnesium  160

8. The Sustenance of Life: Water, Fluid Balance and the Environment 162
Water  162
Planetary Water  166
Milk  169
Cow’s Milk Alternatives  172
Breast Milk  173
Agricultural Biotechnology and Genetically Modified (GMO, GM) Food  174
Poisons in Our Food  177
Sustainable Farming Practices  179

9. The Skinny: Other Popular Diets, Fads, Wonderments and Myths 182
Popular Diets  182
Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem  183
South Beach Diet  183
Raw Food Diet  183
Mediterranean Diet  184
­Gluten-Free Diet  184
Fasting  186
Blood Pressure Lowering Diets—High Dairy Diet and DASH Diet  188
Grapefruit Diet  188
Cabbage Soup Diet  189
Zone Diet  189
The Freshman Fifteen and Quarantine 15  190
Noom and Health Apps  191
Supplements and Herbal Remedies  192

10. Weight a Minute: Eating Well for Life 199
Aging and Diet  199
Beverage Alcohol  200
Milk Thistle  205
Aspirin  206
Exercise  207
Mustard for Cramps  210
Pomegranates  211
Eggplant  212
CBD  212
Sleep and Sleep Aids  213
Balanced Diet  219

Bibliography 221
Index 245