Gillian McKeith's Food Bible (4 page)

Immunity

You may not have realized it, but every day there’s a battle going on. Your body is under constant attack from dangerous free radicals and foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. What keeps ill health at bay is a strong immune system. Your immune army consists of various antibodies, each with a special protective role, and is dependent on good nutrition and a supportive lifestyle. If your immune system becomes overworked or is not nourished properly, it gives up the fight and surrenders to the bad guys.

The best way to build up your defenses is with immune-enhancing antioxidants that disarm free radicals. The key antioxidants are vitamins A, C, and E, and the minerals selenium, iron, manganese, and zinc. Also ensure an arsenal of B vitamins, for antibody production, and omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids, to control inflammation. Finally, add allicin, an antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal substance in garlic and onions, plus polyphenols, quercetin, and rutin—all flavanoids found in plants. Sprouted broccoli seeds and shiitake mushrooms are fabulous immune defenders. Give them a go.

If you want to see how these health factors affect you personally, go to www.gillianmckeith.info to take your own unique, individualized, personalized nutritional profile.

Water

Newborn babies are approximately 77 percent water. This decreases as we age so that adults are between 45 and 65 percent water. The muscles and brain are both around 75 percent water. Even small reductions in body fluids can lead to diminished body function, resulting in digestive problems, lack of energy, poor brain function, slower reaction times, and of course dry skin and hair to name but a few.

Water is the major component of every body tissue and fluid. Without it we would be a shriveled mass unable to function. Digestion, assimilation, elimination, metabolism, respiration, and temperature control can only happen in the presence of water. Water dissolves and transports nutrients via body fluids (lymph and blood, etc.). Without this transport nothing would be able to happen in the body. The importance of water cannot be overestimated.

Tap water is the main source of water for most people. It may not, however, be ideal. Undesirable elements it may contain include chlorine, aluminium, fluoride, estrogens, lead (if the water pipes are lead), and copper (which is needed by the body in moderation but can build up and lead to imbalances if too much is ingested). I highly recommend installing a water filter in your home.

Pitcher filters—
these certainly filter out some impurities from the water. They are relatively inexpensive to buy and maintain, involve no fitting, and need little space. Care must be taken to change the filter regularly and to keep the pitcher clean, as they can become breeding grounds for bacteria, especially in warm weather.

Fitted water filters—
these vary considerably in price, size, and how they filter the water. Reverse osmosis water filters usually fit under the sink and attach to the incoming water pipe. There is usually a separate tap from which the filtered water is dispensed. How often the filter needs to be changed varies from three months to once a year.

There are now also water purifiers that split water into alkaline and acidic water. The alkaline water is for drinking and cooking, as this can help to alkalize body tissues and improve health. The acidic water is great for washing up and cleaning purposes, as it has an antibacterial action.

How much should I drink?

The usual recommendation is to drink half a gallon of water a day. This is a good aim for most people. There is increased water loss when we sweat or breathe heavily, so exercise obviously increases our need and this should be taken into account.

Other fluids that can count toward your daily intake include herbal teas and vegetable juices. Vegetable juices can be especially useful to those who find that water just seems to go straight through them. The mineral content of veggie juices means they seem to stay in the body for longer. Thus they can be better for hydrating the body cells.

Tea, coffee, alcohol, and soft drinks do not count toward daily fluid intake. These are dehydrating and can lead to nutrient losses.

If you eat foods with high fluid content, then you might get away with drinking slightly less water. Some foods contain a lot of water. But water is like oxygen, it is so very vital to your well-being. Fruit can be 90 to 95 percent water. Vegetables also have a high water content. Cooked whole grains can hold some water and this can aid hydration in the body, especially the colon.

Carbohydrates

Foods containing carbohydrates include grains such as wheat, brown rice, and oats, and nuts, seeds, pulses, fruit, and vegetables. All carbohydrates get broken down into glucose in the digestive tract. This glucose is the body’s main source of fuel; in other words, it’s what gives us energy. Glucose is also what powers the brain; without it we can lose concentration, forget things, and feel irritable.

Not all carbohydrates are the same. Although they all get broken down into glucose in the digestive tract, some get broken down more quickly than others. These are called simple carbohydrates and they include white rice, white flour, white bread, white pasta, sugar, pastries, pies, cakes, and cookies, to name a few. During the refining process, the majority of the minerals and vitamins are removed. These foods that also lack fiber behave like sugar in the body, causing blood glucose disturbances and cravings; they often contain added sugars too. You may feel angry, tired, and irritable. My point is that simple carbohydrates rob your energy levels.

Complex carbohydrates (which I call healthy carbs) break down more slowly. This is partly due to the fiber they contain. Fiber slows down the rate at which the food is broken down and therefore the rate at which glucose is released into the bloodstream. They are also not stripped of their nutrients. End result: sustained energy levels.

Blood sugar levels should remain within very narrow parameters if you are to function optimally. However, because simple carbohydrates break down rapidly into glucose, blood sugar levels rise rapidly. This explains why a person may eat a piece of sponge cake and think they are feeling an upper, but soon after, a rapid drop in energy or mood will surely come. Ultimately, simple carbs wear you down.

Complex carbohydrates release their glucose into the bloodstream bit by bit, so they tend not to raise blood sugar levels too quickly, and a degree of stability is maintained. Complex carbohydrates nourish and enhance energy levels.

Bottom line: simple carbs are bad; healthy carbs are good.

Good sources of complex carbohydrates include:

Whole grains:
brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, oats, rye, barley, whole wheat, spelt, and kamut.

Pulses and legumes:
chickpeas, brown lentils, green lentils, Puy lentils, red split lentils, adzuki beans, lima beans, borlotti beans, flageolet beans, and cannellini beans.