Healing Foods

While America has given birth to the song “Young at Heart”, and the phrase “you’re as young as you feel!” can be heard from coast to coast by millions of people, demographic trend point firmly toward the other direction: aging.

Currently, the 65+ population comprises slightly more than 12% 35 million of the total US population. By 2030, this percentage is predicted to almost double to just below 20% 71 million[i]. In other words, within a generation, an unprecedented demographic reality will exist in the US: 1 in 5 Americans will be older than 65.

This is indeed news worth celebrating, because it means that more Americans are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. Yet this trend also presents some very real health-related problems that American society must solve.

Various sectors are frenetically trying to position themselves to deal with this aging demographic inevitability. The dental care field is loudly lobbying to increase awareness and resource-support for age-related ailments such as defective denture and reduced saliva-flow conditions[ii]. At the same time, the allied health care field is similarly trying – and admittedly struggling -- to develop the immense resources, such as many more doctors and nurses, who will somehow absorb the imminent and overwhelming old age-related demand for surgical procedures and other health care commodities[iii].

Yet while the dental and health sectors strive to adjust to this demographic trend, the nutritional sector has not kept pace. A quick look at any health food store shelf will see energy bars and powders that are according to their marketing images suitable only for high-performance e.g. young consumers. Similarly, the nutrition sector has not done a good job at destroying the myth that macronutrients such as protein are essential parts of all healthy diets – regardless of age.

The nutrition sector’s general neglect of the senior community is something that is just barely beginning to show as the population ages, and as the “baby boomer” generation of 76 million strong moves towards retirement[iv]. However, it is inevitable that this service gap will become larger as the future unfolds. Essentially, tens of millions of seniors are going to need to find new and innovative nutrition solutions possibly for the first time in their lives.

The prospects that face a 65-year-old searching for a nutrition solution are in some ways much the same as those facing a 25-year-old: there are an array of promised solutions on the market, including energy bars, drinks, and supplements.

However, this is where the similarities between the average 65-year-old and 25-year-old end because while the latter may be able to get away with experimenting, the former cannot. In other words, a 25-year-old consumer may add energy bars to their eating regimen and realize in a few months that they’re really eating glorified, calorie-rich candy bars. A 65-year-old consumer does not have that same luxury to try, and possibly err, when it comes to making nutritional choices. His or her choices must be wise and relevant from the start, particularly since older people tend to suffer from diminished appetite, and often have poorer access to balanced nutrition than their younger counterparts.

This is a serious problem that the nutritional sector must accept and take ownership of. This means that more than simple awareness is needed actual tangible solutions are required. The basic fact is that senior citizens – like all other age groups – require balanced nutrition, and for many of them, the best and most convenient way to access it is through nutritional supplements.

This much-delayed awareness does seem, however, to be abating. There are currently innovative companies that are creating nutritional supplements suitable for all ages, regardless of physical activity. This suitability is the result of a carefully balanced protein blend that captures all essential amino acids. Since many seniors continue to lose nitrogen and thus protein as they age, it is incredibly important that seniors access ways to compensate for this gradual loss.

These low-calorie, carbohydrate-free, fat-free nutritional supplements also help seniors avoid adding unwanted body fat that would weaken muscle mass and destabilize body strength and energy levels. Furthermore, the ideal product would be available in liquid form, allowing seniors with dentures or other tooth concerns to easily ingest a serving without anxiety.

The fact that America’s population is aging is just that: a fact. It is not an opinion, an educated guess, or a possible expectation. It will happen, and it is essential that America’s seniors be provided with the solutions that they need in order to continue living full, happy lives. The dental and health care fields are already hard at work positioning themselves, as best that they can right now, to absorb this unprecedented demographic change. Thanks to a very small – but hopefully growing number – of senior-friendly supplements, there is finally a reason to add the nutrition field to this list as well.

References

[i] Source: “Public Health an Aging: Trends in Aging – United States and Worldwide”. Center for Disease Control and Prevention CDC. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5206a2.htm

[ii] Source: “Caring for America’s Aging Smiles”. Healthfinder. http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.aspdocID=521247

[iii] Source: “Aging Population Creating Higher Demand for Surgery”. ANNews. http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/20http://prsc0825.htm

[iv] Source: “Baby Boomers Envision Their Retirement: an AARP Segmentation Analysis”. AARP. http://research.aarp.org/econ/boomer_seg_prn.html

About The Author

Copyright 2004 - Protica Research - www.protica.com

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at www.protica.com. You can also learn about Profect at www.profect.com.

The word is getting around that the modern dietary lifestyle is one of the reasons why Americans are overweight and burdened by chronic disease. The diet that’s right for us, according to many experts, is what our Stone Age ancestors ate. But is that realistic Didn’t they eat food raw, and have lots of meat

“There are loads of misconceptions about the Stone Age,” says physician-author Philip J. Goscienski, M.D. “Sure, they ate most foods raw, but keep in mind that man has controlled fire for more than a hundred thousand years, and not all their barbecues were accidental.”

We eat lots of our vegetables and most of our fruits raw, according to Dr. Goscienski, whose book, Health Secrets of the Stone Age, is due for a January 2005 release. Cooking, on the other hand, releases nutrients that would otherwise be less readily available, such as those in cereal grains and meats, and it gives us a head start on digestion.

Here are 10 foods that Stone Agers would find familiar if they were to drop in for dinner.

1. Lean meat. Remember that animals in the wild enjoy a huge variety of foods, not like farm-raised cattle, hogs and poultry. T-bone steaks from grain-fed cattle that stand around all day contain about 38 percent fat; the meat from active, grass-fed animals contains about 7 percent fat. Lean cuts of range-fed beef are not perfect substitutes for wild game, but it’s a start.

2. Poultry. Back in the Stone Age they could choose from hundreds of different kinds of birds whose meat and eggs provided plenty of nourishment, especially protein. We could have lots of variety too, if we worked at it. Instead, we settle for only two kinds of fowl: chicken and turkey. If you would really like to enjoy something from the Stone Age, try some wild game. You’ll find plenty of sources on the Internet. Search for “wild game meat.” Most meat markets can order pheasant or quail. Duck, goose and Cornish game hen are available at most major supermarkets.

3. Fish and other seafood. This includes lake and stream varieties. Their high content of omega-3 fatty acids may have helped our species become the dominant animal on the planet. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential to the proper development of the brain and eyes, just what slow-moving humans with no claws or fangs needed eons ago in order to survive.

4. Leafy green vegetables. Until humans became skilled hunters, which took them a couple of million years, they were mostly vegetarians, as apes are today. It’s important to recognize that this food group is what our body chemistry was designed for, with its abundance of vitamins, folate, flavonoids and thousands of other nutrients that are essential for optimum health. Of course, they had no salad dressings, which are definitely not health foods, especially when eaten in the large quantities that most of us find so hard to resist.

5. Fruits. Hunter-gatherers, which we all were during the Stone Age, had an enormous, seasonal variety of fruits from which to choose. Of course, these plant products weren’t as large, plump and juicy as the ones in your local market, but without chemical fertilizers, pesticides and other pollutants they probably were a lot more nutritious. They certainly were not as sweet as our commercial hybrids, and they all contained much more fiber than domesticated fruit.

6. Berries. We tend to think of berries and fruits together, but there are some differences. Back in the Stone Age, berries, like fruits, were smaller and less sweet than our highly domesticated varieties. However, they are easy to gather, vary with the season, and are even more richly endowed with antioxidants than most fruits. Nutritionists advise that we eat some variety of berries every day.

7. Nuts. The health benefits of nuts become more apparent year after year. Walnuts, almonds, pecans, hazelnuts and pistachios contain healthy amounts of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, as well as substances that have heart-protective saponins and cancer-preventing squalene properties. So do peanuts, although strictly speaking they are not nuts, but legumes. The FDA recommends that we eat about 1.5 ounces of nuts a day, which is about 30 almonds, or the equivalent volume one-third cup of the other nuts. Depending on the type of nut, that’s about 240 to 300 calories, comprising one-tenth or more of the calories we take in every day, so don’t overdo it.

8. Roots. Folks back in the Stone Age probably got some of the minerals they needed iron, copper from the dirt left on the outside of edible roots. A modern Ms. or Mrs. Clean wouldn’t think of serving unscrubbed carrots! All root vegetables, with their abundance of fiber, vitamins and antioxidants, provide healthful substitutes for refined carbohydrates. Think of beets, yams, turnips, parsnips or carrots to replace rice or pasta, neither of which was available during the Stone Age.

9. Mushrooms. Mushrooms are such ancient forms of life that thousands of species populated the planet by the time humans arrived. More than likely, Stone Age people were aware of mushrooms that could kill as well as those that caused hallucinations. The several kinds of mushrooms that we find in the supermarket, fresh or canned, have moderate amounts of B vitamins and small amounts of healthy polyunsaturated fat. Mushrooms are likely to become more popular as their cholesterol-lowering and immune-boosting properties become better known.

10. Grains. I deliberately left this group for last because they are latecomers to the human diet. Before the Agricultural Revolution, which took place roughly 12,000 years ago, grains were not a major food source. Grain harvesting requires cutting tools, a method for removing the seed from the stalk, and storage containers, none of which were available tens of thousands of years ago. Without heating and grinding, humans cannot easily digest most grains. Our ingenuity and skill, however, eventually overcame these problems, and grains including rice and corn now constitute more than half the calorie intake of most people throughout the world. As long as these are whole-grain products, they bear at least a little resemblance to what our ancestors ate during the Stone Age.

None of these food items exist today exactly as they did in the Stone Age, but they form a healthy approximation, with good fats, phytonutrients, fiber, vitamins and minerals. A diet that contains only these ingredients is far from boring and is readily available. But be sure to wash those carrots!

About The Author

Philip J. Goscienski, M.D. is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist with a 45-year career in clinical and academic medicine. Dr. Goscienski has written for the Saturday Evening Post and Currents, the national newsletter of the American Heart Association and is a featured writer for North San Diego County Magazine. He has drawn on his interests in biology, anthropology, paleopathology and physical fitness to develop Better Life Seminars, a series of presentations in which he explains how our most distant ancestors lived, and how we can apply this knowledge to extend our healthspan and avoid the major chronic diseases of our age. His book, Health Secrets of the Stone Age is based on his seminars, and on the most recent findings in medical and anthropological research. It is scheduled for a January 2005 release date. You can visit his web site at www.stoneagedoc.com.