Today, more than ever people have no idea what food is … Thanks to the capitalistic society and the advertisements and LIES that they have peddled for so many years …Food has to give you energy and has to take care of your body mind and soul. Today’s science will only talk about food for the body. Ayurveda talks about food for the mind, body and soul. However, I want to make you all understand that unless you have natural food which has nutrition and bioavailability you are killing your self. Now, you might want to know what are all these Jargons?
Nutrient bioavailability: Getting the most out of food
When we consume a food or drink, the nutrients contained are released from the matrix, absorbed into the bloodstream and transported to their respective target tissues. However, not all nutrients can be utilized to the same extent. In other words, they differ in their bioavailability. Understanding nutrient bioavailability helps optimize diets and set appropriate nutrient recommendations for each individual.
Defining nutrient bioavailability
Several definitions exist for nutrient bioavailability, but broadly it refers to the proportion of a nutrient that is absorbed from the diet and used for normal body functions. The following components describe the different steps of the metabolic pathway where changes in nutrient bioavailability may occur.
- release of the nutrient from the physicochemical dietary matrix
- effects of digestive enzymes in the intestine
- binding and uptake by the intestinal mucosa
- transfer across the gut wall (passing through the cells, in-between them or both) to the blood or lymphatic circulation
- systemic distribution
- systemic deposition (stores)
- metabolic and functional use
- excretion (via urine or faeces)
As is evident from this list, the bioavailability of a nutrient is governed by external and internal factors. External factors include the food matrix and the chemical form of the nutrient in question, whereas gender, age, nutrient status and life stage (e.g. pregnancy) are among the internal factors. Because aspects such as nutrient status also determine whether and how much of a nutrient is actually used, stored or excreted, some definitions of bioavailability restrict themselves to the fraction of a nutrient that is absorbed.
The bioavailability of macronutrients – carbohydrates, proteins, fats – is usually very high at more than 90% of the amount ingested. On the other hand, micronutrients, i.e. vitamins and minerals, and bioactive phytochemicals (e.g. flavonoids, carotenoids) can vary widely in the extent they are absorbed and utilized. Therefore, the following sections will use micronutrients and phytochemicals as examples to illustrate the different stages at which nutrient bioavailability can be influenced. Please understand more complex the carbohydrates, proteins and fats, the easier it is for the body to absorb it !! So clearly when you eat a mix of complex carbohydrates, complex proteins and fats the body can absorb them better.
Rice and Wheat have more nutrients than any other carbohydrates. This will provide nutrition. However, you have to also exercise . Simple carbohydrates are all products with white flour which can harm your system dramatically. In just 2 generations in Asia the entire population which never had lifestyle diseases until the 80s have moved to being obese and unhealthy due to a western diet. Check this link for what I mean by a western diet. This is an article by the CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/07/health/western-diet-health/index.html
Now let us talk a little about About Proteins, Vegetable proteins are far superior when it comes to your mental health. While we know that animal meat is high on protein and what is called complete protein as there are all amino acids in them, what one needs to know is that these amino acids are present only in raw meat not in cooked meat !! Furthermost meats are very heavy to digest and create toxins . What modern science also doesn’t take into consideration is the type of energy in the food you eat . Ayurveda calls it Saatvik , Raajasik and Taamasic.
1. Sattva – intelligence, imparts balance (Sattva provides happiness and contentment of a lasting nature) .
2. Rajas – energy, causes imbalance (Rajas is stimulating and provides pleasure, owing to its unbalanced nature it quickly results in pain and suffering
3. Tamas – substance, creates inertia ( lethargy, laziness , negativity . Tamas brings about ignorance and delusion in the mind and promotes insensitivity, sleep and loss of awareness. It is the principle of materiality or unconsciousness that causes consciousness to become veiled.
We can vouch for taking Lentils as a regular part of your diet. Although Lentils do not have 2 amino acids compared to meats, the amino acid is taken care of by adding spices along with GHEE! All Indians used to add GHEE ( clarified butter ) to their lentil soup or Dal. GHEE has 18 amino acids! According to Harvard School of Public Health, a cup of cooked lentils has 18 g of protein and less than 1 g of fat. Lentils have a high dose of fibre and provide you with nearly twice as much iron as other legumes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that the black lentils contain antioxidants that can help protect against heart disease, cancer and ageing in general. This nutrient-rich food is high in most types of vitamin B and folate. Animal proteins may have a higher amount of amino acid and more proteins, but we humans don’t require so much. You can eat animal protein , maybe once or twice a week meaning only one or two meals. The rest can be vegetarian. All vegetarian food is Saatvik or has Satva ( apart from potato, food kept for a long time, refined flour, pickles . GM food, All kinds of packed foods . These foods are Tamasic). All Non-veg food is definitely Taamasic or has Tamas! One does require 70% Satvik, 25 % rajasic and 5% Tamasik food . Also what happens is that all animal meat cannot be digested easily or broken down by the body. As our intestines aren’t designed for animal meat. All animals which are carnivorous have a very small large intestine. In the ayurvedic texts through animal meats like Goats, antelope, partridge and freshwater fishes are what are said to be easily digested and which do not cause toxins or interfere with your consciousness. Any other meat will cause more harm in the long run. It is your choice of course . Eat to your hearts content , but eat what gives nutrition not just to your body but your mind and soul as well. There is a list of foods and their qualities in ayurveda .
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