ASTRONAUT DIET
Astronauts on the Moon, Mars, and Jupiter are slated to eat brown rice, lentils, seitan, whole wheat tortillas with tofu sour cream, kale, broccoli, garden peas, watercress, and desserts sweetened with amasake. In 1998 researchers at Cornell University announced that they have developed 50 basic dishes featuring all-plant quality foods that can be grown hydroponically in mineral-rich water in space.
Most of the proposed dishes passed a U.S. Army taste test, with a broccoli and mushroom dish scoring the highest. The research was sponsored with a half-million-dollar grant from NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Source: Jane E. Brody, “What to Serve for Dinner, When Dinner Is on Mars: Menu Is Vegetarian Only—If You Can Get a Table,” New York Times, May 19, 1998.
Posts Tagged ‘diet’
Astronaut diet
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009Asthma
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009ASTHMA
Asthma, a chronic narrowing of the airways to the lungs, affects about 15 million Americans. Between 1980 and 1993, the incidence of this disease increased by 66 percent and deaths went up118 percent. Asthma appears to be caused primarily by excessive dairy food and fat consumption. See Dairy, Vegetarian Diet.
• Asthma and High-Fat Diet - In a Swedish study of 478 men born in 1914, researchers reported that asthma was not related to smoking history but more common in men with a high fat intake. Intake of carbohydrates, vitamin C, and iron was also lower. “Men with asthma have a significantly higher intake of fat than men without asthma,” researchers concluded.
Source: K. Strom et al., “Asthma But not Smoking-Related Airflow Limitation Is Associated with a High Fat Diet in Men,” Monaldi Archives of Chest Diseases 51(1)16-21, 1996.
• Whole Grains, Vegetables, and Other Foods High in Vitamin E Protect Against Asthma - A diet high in foods containing vitamin E may protect adults from asthma, the American Lung Association reported. In a study of 77,866 women, Harvard researchers found that eating foods high in this nutrient such as whole grains and vegetables reduced the risk of asthma.
Source: R. J. Troisi et al., “A Prospective Study of Diet and Adult-Onset Asthma,” American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 151(5):1401-08, 1995.
• Use of Alternative Medicine for Asthma Increases - In a survey of 564 physicians and medical professionals using alternative medicine for asthma, researchers at the University of California at Davis reported that dietary and nutritional approaches were the most prevalent and useful treatment option.
Source: P. A. Davis et al., “The Use of Complementary/Alternative Medicine for the Treatment of Asthma in the United States,” Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology 8(2):73077, 1998.
Asian Diet Pyramid
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009ASIAN DIET PYRAMID
The Traditional Healthy Asian Diet Pyramid reflects Eastern dietary traditions historically associated with good health and was developed in 1995 through a series of conferences organized by nutritionists and epidemiologists at Cornell University, Harvard School of Public Health, and the Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust.
“The nutrient composition of the traditional rural Asian diet is very similar to the Mediterranean diet in that both are largely plant-based and both pyramids recommend that meat be consumed no more than once a more or more often in very small amounts,” explained T. Colin Campbell, Cornell professor of nutritional biochemistry and a developer of the Asian Diet Pyramid. In a press conference introducing the new model, Campbell noted that dairy products are largely absent in Asian diets and are associated with lower rates of osteoporosis than in the West.
Source: 1995 International Conference on the Diets of Asia, Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust, 1995.
Arthritis
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009ARTHRITIS
Arthritis, a painful bone and joint disease, affects millions of people. Major forms include osteoarthritis, the painful hardening of bones and joints in the hands or spine, which affects primarily older people, especially men. Rheumatoid arthritis, involving the inflammation and swelling of the joints, especially in the hands and feet, appears primarily in women aged 25 to 50. A balanced diet has benefited some people with arthritis. Excessive animal food and salt appear to be connected with osteoarthritis, while potatoes, tomatoes, and other nightshade plants have been associated with rheumatoid arthritis. See Fibromyalgia, Fish, Lupus, Nightshades, Sesame, Vegetarian Diet.
• Macrobiotic Approach - The macrobiotic approach to arthritis, including a classification of the different types of arthritis, dietary guidelines, home cares, and case histories, is included in several books devoted to this subject. Some arthritis is believed to be caused by strong animal food intake, especially chicken and eggs, while another type is associated with tropical fruits and vegetables, especially nightshades.
Source: Michio Kushi with Charles Millman, A Natural Approach to Arthritis (Tokyo and New York: Japan Publications, 1988) and Aveline Kushi, Cooking for Health—Arthritis (Japan Publications, 1988).
• Low-Fat Diet Relieves Rheumatoid Arthritis - Fat-free diets have produced complete remissions in six patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Doc- tors at Wayne State University in Detroit reported that when a low-calorie, low-fat diet in which chicken, cheese, safflower oil, beef, and coconut oil were eliminated, stiffness and swelling of joints disappeared within days. Patients remained symptom free for up to fourteen months, only to experience short-term recurrences within usually 24 to 48 hours of eating foods which were high in fat. “We conclude that dietary fats in amounts normally eaten in the American diet cause the inflammatory joint changes seen in rheumatoid arthritis.”
Source: Charles P. Lucas and Lawrence Power, “Dietary Fat Aggravates Active Rheumatoid Arthritis,” Department of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, 1989.
• High-Fat, High- Sucrose Diet Contributes to Arthritis - In laboratory experiments, rats fed a diet high in fat and sucrose developed abnormal stiffness, reduced energy, and other adverse morphological and structural changes.
Source: R. F. Zernicke, “Long-Term, High-Fat-Sucrose Diet Alters Rat Femoral Neck and Vertebral Morphoolgy, Bone Mineral Content, and Mechanical Properties,” Bone 16(1)25-31, 1995.
• Vegan Diet Helps Arthritis Patients - In a study of 43 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, researchers reported that those assigned to a vegan diet rich in lactobacilli had changes in fecal microbial flora associated with improvement in rheumatoid arthritis activity.
Source: R. Peltonen et al., “Faecal Microbial Flora and Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis During a Vegan Diet,” British Journal of Rheumatology 36(1):64-68, 1997.
• Arthritic Patients Improve on a Vegetarian Diet - In a case control study, rheumatoid arthritis patients assigned to a vegetarian diet had a significant decrease in platelet count, leukocyte count, calprotectin, total IgG, IgM rheumatoid factor, and other biochemical and immunological variables compared to those assigned to an omnivore diet. The researchers concluded that “dietary treatment can reduce the disease activity in some patients with rheumatoid arthritis.”
Source: J. Kjeldsen-Kragh, et al., “Changes in Laboratory Variables in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients During a Trial of Fasting and One-Year Vegetarian Diet,” Scandinavian Journal of Rheumatology 24(2):85-93, 1995.
American Heart Association
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
Since the 1960s, the American Heart Association has cited faulty diet as the main cause of cardiovascular disease and continually revised its dietary guidelines in the direction of more whole, unprocessed foods.
The list of recommended daily foods includes a wide range of vegetables and fruits, including broccoli, cabbage, mustard greens, kale, collards, carrots, pumpkins, and winter squash; breads, cereals, pasta, and starchy vegetables including whole-grain bread and brown rice; low-fat meat and poultry, fish and seafood, nuts, dried beans, peas, and other meatless main entries including tofu; and vegetable-quality fats and oils.
The list of foods to avoid included whole milk, most cheeses, ice cream, and other high-fat dairy products; eggs (maximum 2 per week) and foods prepared with eggs; red-meat (except for lean cuts), cured meat, and organ meats; butter and other animal-quality fats and hydrogenated fats and oils; sugary desserts, store-bought desserts and mixes, and highly processed snacks.
Source: The American Heart Association Heartbook (New York: Dutton, 1980), pp. 65-66 and “The American Heart Association Diet” (Dallas: American Heart Association, 1985).
Alzheimer’s disease
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) affects affects about 5 percent of elderly people in modern society, including many of those in nursing homes. It is also increasingly found in people under 65.
Memory loss and senility, its principal features, are associated in Far Eastern medicine with more expansive, dispersing foods, especially sugar, sweets, alcohol, and drugs.
Physiologically, Alzheimer’s bears similarity to the human variant of mad cow disease (but is not contagious), so that animal food consumption, especially low quality beef or chicken (grown with antibiotics and other chemicals) may also be a factor in its spread.
Medical studies have recently reported that nutrients found in whole grains and vegetables may help control the symptoms of this degenerative neurological disorder. See Fluoridation, Soy Foods, Water, Women’s Health.
• Folic Acid May Prevent Alzheimer’s - Folic acid, found in many green vegetables, may protect millions of people from Alzheimer’s disease. Helga Refsum, a researcher at Norway’s Bergen University, said, “The idea of reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by diet is a promising hypothesis.” A study of 76 Alzheimer’s patients in the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Aging (OPTIMA) at Oxford University found elevated high levels of homocysteine, an amino acid associated with higher risk of heart disease and stroke, and lower levels of folic acid and vitamin B-12 compared to a control group of 108 people the same age who did not have Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s is the fourth leading cause of death in the Western world.
Source: “Scientists Probe Link Between Diet and Alzheimer’s,” Reuters News Service, April 26, 1998.
• Fat Linked to Alzheimer’s - In a review of Alzheimer prevalence in 11 countries, a researcher reported that incidence of this form of dementia was associated with consumption of foods high in fat (including meat, eggs, poultry, etc.) and in total caloric intake. Fish consumption, on the other hand reduced the risk of developing AD. The researcher found that the diet just prior to the development of the disease is the most critical in determining the risk for developing AD. “Diets high in total calories including acidic drinks, alcohol, fat, salt and sugars promote trace mineral imbalances and elevated free radical production in the body. Several dietary components and supplements have been found effective in delaying the onset of AD, including antioxidants, estrogen (for post-menopausal women), fish or fish oil, and anti-inflammatory substances,” the researcher concluded.
Source: Willaim B. Grant, Ph.D., “Dietary Links to Alzheimer’s Disease,” Alzheimer’s Disease Review 2:42-55, 1997.
African diet
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009AFRICAN DIET
Traditional staples in Africa consisted of whole grain millet, rice, sorghum, teff, and other grains, as well as tubers, roots, seeds, nuts, and fresh fruits and vegetables, and small, modest amount of animal food. The value of traditional African foods and the harmful effects of modern foods are coming under increased review. See AIDS, Genetically Engineered Food, Infectious Diseases, Schweitzer, Seaweed, Seeds, Sugar, Whole Grains.
• Traditional Legumes High in Protein Digestibility - In a study of the protein quality of traditional diets, scientists at the University of Nigeria reported that the protein in African yambeans and pigeon peas was nutritious and highly digestible. “The need for its [yambean] reintroduction into the fare of the populace through increased production and appropriate processing technology is stressed,” the researchers concluded. “The results of this study can form a base for the standardization of Nigerian diets based on these legumes.”
Source: H. N. Ene-Obong and I. C. Obizoba, “Protein Quality of Some Nigerian Traditional Diets Based on the African Yambeann and Pigeon Pea,” Plant Foods and Human Nutrition 48(4):297-309, 1995.
• Dietary Status of Lese Women Healthy - People living in the Ituri Forest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo eat primarily manioc, groundnuts, rice, and other traditional foods. Carbohydrates make up 64 percent of their daily diet, protein 14 percent, and fat 22 percent. In a study of the relationship of diet to energetic status and ovarian function, British scientists reported that in a study of 64 Lese women of reproductive age, the low-fat, high-fiber diet was essentially healthy despite seasonal deficiencies.
Source: G. R. Bentley et al., “Dietary Composition and Ovarian Function Among Lese Horticulturist Women of the Ituri Forest, Democratic Republic of Congo,” European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 52(4):261-70, 1998.
• Traditional Remedy - Medical researchers in Senegal produced a cough syrup from gueira, a native plant that is as effective as codeine-based medicines imported from Europe. They also made a laxative from the lam plant. At the World Health Organization’s Collaborating Center of Traditional Medicine at the University of Illinois, these and other medicinal plants from Africa and around the world are available in a computer database.
Source: Thomas Land, “Folk Cures Gain Respect and Save Money,” Toward Freedom, April/May, 1991, pp. 17-18.
• Modern Diet and Spread of HIV - One of the most intriguing observations in Africa is the significant correlation between AIDS and upper-class status. This strongly suggests a possible association with environmental factors. Urban centers throughout Africa have been increasingly influenced by Western technology, including the typical American diet of refined sugars and flours, meats, eggs, dairy products, food additives, and other foods. In the highly Westernized city of Kinshasa, capital of the Republic of the Congo, this dietary pattern is far more typical of urban people in the upper income bracket.
“It seems plausible that the rapid modernization of Africa’s urban population, particularly for the upper class, may have set the stage for compromised immunity and thereby predisposed them to the pathogenic effects of the AIDS virus,” concluded Martha Cottrell, M.D. who gave seminars on diet and AIDS in West Africa.
The typical upper-class diet, based on the haute-cuisine of French and Belgian, includes imported red meats, eggs, white sugar, baked white-flour products, dairy, hydrogenated oils, and imported fruits and vegetables. “Heavy reliance on imported products has introduced high levels of artificial preservatives and agricultural chemicals to the urban elite’s food supply. Clearly this is not the kind of diet one would expect to support resistance to infectious diseases.”
By contrast, the native lower class diet includes locally grown fruit, cassava meal (a starchy root vegetable), avocados, red onions, and small amounts of fish, game, and insects. “In sum, the typical diet of low-income Kinshasans is basically low in protein, low in fat, and high in complex carbohydrates and fiber. By nutritional standards, this type of dietary pattern would clearly favor strong immunity.”
Source: Michio Kushi and Martha Cottrell, M.D., with Mark Mead, AIDS, Macrobiotics, and Natural Immunity (Tokyo & New York: Japan Publications, 1990), pp. 216-17.