Eating to Live
Not Living to Eat
TO sustain life and provide energy for activity
and thought, we need good nutrition. Proper nutrition is
absolutely essential to good health. Food that is devitalized, or
lacking in vital substances, cannot provide us with the vitamins
and minerals that are essential to good health. How important it
is then that we choose carefully the food that goes on our
The first requirement in good nutrition is to
have sufficient calories or energy from our food. We often hear
the term "calories," but few people know what the term
actually means. A calorie is actually a kilocalorie, or the
amount of heat required to raise a kilogram of water one degree
centigrade. A kilogram of water is 2.2 pounds, or approximately a
half gallon of water. When your body is at rest, it burns about
80 calories an hour. Put another way, a resting body produces
sufficient heat to raise the temperature of two quarts of
ice-cold water almost to the boiling point.
With a sufficient number of calories, we can
maintain life in a resting state. This is called basal
metabolism. Additional activities require more calories; and when
our intake of food provides sufficient calories to meet all of
these needs, optimal health and normal weight is maintained.
When, however, our intake of calories is greater than our output,
it is reflected in an increase in weight, or obesity.
There are a number of compounds that are known to
be essential to life. These include three basic types of food
elements-carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. In addition to the
food types, there are vitamins and minerals. These compounds, all
of which are non-living substances, our bodies require and
quickly changes into living protoplasm in just a few hours.
Carbohydrates include simple sugars and the more
compound starches. They also include fiber. Fats are identified
as being of two types-saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats
are usually of animal origin and are generally solid at room
temperature. If this were not so, people and animals would just
be bags of oil on warm days. Unsaturated fats are of vegetable
origin and are mostly liquid at room temperature. Except for
those vegetable fats that have been hydrogenated, these fats do
not raise the blood cholesterol.
Proteins are the building blocks for the body.
These building blocks are made up of 22 amino-acids, 8 of which
are considered essential because they must be supplied in the
diet; the other 14 can be produced by the body.
Fats-A Concentrated Energy Source
Fat is the most concentrated source of energy in
the diet. It releases more than twice the amount of heat, or
calories, to the gram as do carbohydrates and proteins. The fat
content of food can very rapidly run up the number of calories.
In reasonable amounts, fats are necessary in the
diet. They not only provide a source of concentrated energy, but
they also greatly enhance the taste of food. Because they digest
more slowly, they prevent the too-rapid emptying of the stomach.
In addition to their caloric value, fats carry the fat-soluble
vitamins A, D, E, and K. Some fats are rich in linoleic acid, an
essential fatty acid that must be provided in the diet as the
body is unable to manufacture it in sufficient amounts.
It is an interesting phenomena that in any
society, as food supplies become abundantly available, fat
consumption increases. In 1910, in the United States, fat
represented 32% of the total caloric intake. By 1994, it was
estimated to be 50%. Such a large proportion of fat in the diet
not only greatly increases the risk of obesity, but perhaps of
even greater concern, it displaces other foods essential for
bulk, minerals, and vitamins.
Fats are commonly referred to as visible and
invisible. Visible fat is separated from its original source,
such as butter or oil. Hidden, or invisible fats, are fats
naturally occurring in foods, such as meats, milk, eggs, nuts,
oily fruits, and seeds. It is very common to find that people do
not realize how much fat they are actually eating. Not only do
fats occur naturally in many foods, but other foods, such as
gravies or salad dressings, are often enriched by the addition of
fat to improve the taste, flavor, or texture. The addition of
butter or margarine to a baked potato, cooked vegetables, or
bread, will generally double the calorie count. A simple apple
contains only 70 calories, but a piece of apple pie, topped with
4 oz. of ice cream, will increase that calorie count to 500, of
which 200 calories are fat.
Cancer and Diet
Two out of every five Americans will be diagnosed
as having cancer sometime during his\her lifetime, and one in
five will die of cancer. While medical science has not yet
conquered this disease, they have found out some significant
things about it that help us to understand who is most at risk
and, therefore, what we can do to decrease our risk in this
'Compared to people who eat two or fewer fruits
and vegetables a day, those who eat at least five a day have
about a 40 percent decrease in risk for lung, colon, stomach,
esophagus, and oral cancers,' says Tim Byers of the Centers for
Disease Control in Atlanta. 'That's a fairly big effect for a
fairly achievable change in diet.' " Nutrition Action Health
Letter, January/February 1995
According to Edward Giovannucci, an
epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, "We now have
evidence that a high fruit and vegetable intake is beneficial for
preventing most cancers." Even smokers, who have 20 times
the risk of non-smokes of dying of lung cancer, can cut that risk
to only ten times the risk by eating fruits and vegetables. (See
Ibid., June, 1995.)
While there is not complete agreement as to the
optimal proportion of fat in a diet, most experts agree that for
a moderately active adult, 30%, with the emphasis on unsaturated
fats and saturated fats kept to a minimum, is an achievable goal
and one that would result in a significant improvement in health.
On a 2,000 calorie a day diet, this would amount to a maximum of
65 grams. Remember, however, that this is a maximum amount and it
would be better to aim for less.
Few people realize how quickly fat calories can
add up. It is almost impossible to get a nutritionally sound meal
at a fast food restaurant. A Burger King Whopper contains about
630 calories, with 39 grams of fat, of which 11 are saturated
fat. A Taco Bell Taco Salad has 838 calories, with 55 grams of
fat, of which 16 are saturated fat.
The incidence of colon cancer is three times
greater in the United States as compared to Japan, where the
traditional diet consists of only 10% to 15% of calories obtained
from fat. A high-fiber, low-fat diet appears to be the best
defense against colon cancer. It has been estimated that a
high-fiber diet, including both insoluble and soluble fiber,
reduces the risk of colon cancer by as much as 50%.
Diet and Colon Cancer
"While it is estimated that one-third of all
cancers may be related to diet, the link for colon cancer is even
stronger. In fact, international studies suggest that fully 95%
of cases have a nutrition connection. . . . 'Part of the
problem,' says Oliver Alabaster, M.D., director of George
Washington University's Institute for Disease prevention, 'is
that humans were designed to be primarily vegetarians. Our early
ancestors' diet consisted principally of plant-based
foods-fruits, vegetables, and grains. It was a low-fat,
high-fiber diet, containing only about 10% animal protein. But
the typical American diet is closer to a 50/50 split between
calories from plant-based and animal-based foods."
'Over the years, our bodies have not adapted to
these changes and this has translated into increases in heart
disease and cancer. . . .'"
Overall, cancer experts agree that current
recommendations to reduce fat to less than 30% of calories is too
generous. To cut colon cancer risk, fat must be cut back to 20%
or less of the calories." Environmental Nutrition, July
1995. The research sited also indicated that saturated fats were
the primary risk factors and that monounsaturated fats, such as
are found in olive oil, appeared to have the least effect.
Because a lot of fat is bad, does this mean that
a diet with no fat is optimal? No; according to researchers,
there are other factors to consider. A low-fat diet, with protein
factored in, that consisting of 65% to 75% of the calories
derived from carbohydrates, can cause the blood triglycerides to
rise to unhealthy levels, another factor in heart attacks.
Some people try to escape the fat problem with a
minimal change in diet. By replacing pressurized whipped cream
topping with an imitation pressurized whipped topping that
advertises itself as being non-dairy, they hope to avoid the
unhealthful fat of dairy cream. It may come as a surprise to them
to find out that the pressurized whipped cream has less fat and
much less saturated fat than the imitation pressurized whipped
topping. Perhaps a change in lifestyle rather than substitution
is really the key to better health.
High Fat and Heart Attacks
New studies suggest that there is another risk
factor related to a high-fat diet. It has been shown that
high-fat meals put the blood into a hypercoagulation state within
six or seven hours, raising the risk that dangerous
artery-clogging blood clots may occur. Most heart attacks occur
in the early morning hours. There may be several reasons for
this, but one reason that has been suggested is that in Western
societies, we eat our main meal of the day in the evening. By the
early morning hours, the high-fat meal of the evening before
would have increased the clotting factor in the blood,
substantially increasing the heart attack risk.
While fat is only one of the three
energy-yielding types of foodstuffs, it brings with it the
largest number of calories per gram and is strongly implicated in
many health problems, including diseases of the heart, the
circulatory system, and cancer. If the overall consumption of fat
were reduced to half its present level, many lives would be
Because we cut out the harmful elements of a
diet, it does not follow, however, that we can eat just as we
please of the good foods. "It is possible to eat
immoderately, even of wholesome food. It does not follow that
because one has discarded the use of hurtful articles of diet, he
can eat just as much as he pleases. Overeating, no matter what
the quality of the food, clogs the living machine, and thus
hinders it in its work." Counsels on Diet and Foods, 131
Self-control in matters of diet has an effect not
only on our physical well-being, but also has spiritual
implications as well. The apostle Paul, writing to the church at
Corinth, compared the Christian experience to the great athletic
events of his day with which the people were so familiar. He
said, "And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate
in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but
we for an imperishable crown." 1 Corinthians 9:25
The Ideal Diet
New engines come with the manufacturer's
suggested maintenance program, including information regarding
the fuel that will give the best and most lasting performance.
The human body is undoubtedly the most sophisticated and
high-tech piece of equipment ever designed. Would it not be
strange if the Maker left us without any indication as to what
foods were the best fuel to be used?
The Bible is very clear as to what God's original
diet for man included. "And God said, 'See, I have given you
every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the
earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be
for food.' 'And you shall eat the herb of the field.' "
Genesis 1:29; 3:18. Included here are fruits, nuts, grains, and
vegetables. More and more, scientific evidence is showing that in
departing from this blueprint, we have reaped the results in
increased illness and disease and a decrease in longevity. If we
would rearrange our lives, bringing our diets into harmony with
the original plan, we would find that our concerns for getting
the proper nutrients in the proper balance would be unnecessary.
When a balanced diet is planned, using natural foods that are
tastefully prepared in a simple manner, not only are all of the
necessary food elements present, but they are present in the
proper proportions to promote optimal health.
Copyright 1995 by Jack Kendall
Brought to you by Champions of Truth