Interview with Mickey Z for Post Woke Podcast; Pure Maple Syrup - bonus from nature.
Can you trust the science ... for nutrition? Not really. Ultra-processed foods are a health negative, potentially even when not gaining excess weight too. Even if "organic" or "natural".
(6) Post-Woke #80: Can we “trust the science” when it comes to nutrition? w/Jennifer Depew (substack.com)
My notes - I am a writer (Can We Trust Nutrition?/my Dropbox)
The news to know is that processed, and ultra processed foods can be addictive, designed to encourage over-eating, and be directly harmful to gut health and our microbiome.
Sweet or salty combined with fatty foods is particularly appealing and soothing possibly, and many have a morphine/opiate like effect. Endorphins are our endogenous opiate receptor ligands and food metabolites that also activate the receptors are called exorphins. Dairy products and gluten will lead to exorphin metabolites after digestion. Exorphins produced from our diet may add to cancer risk by the opiate receptor stimulation increasing cell proliferation. (Manai, 2023)
This meme sums it up - may be hard to stop eating salty, sweet, fatty, if you get started:
I hope it is a parody rather than a product photo.
Ultra-processed foods seem to have a negative effect on health, increasing risk of overweight or obesity, (+39 %); larger waist circumference (compared to gaining in the hips and bottom), (+39 %); lower HDL-cholesterol (the beneficial type), (+102 %); and increased risk of Metabolic Syndrome, (+79 %). Looking at those rates is telling me that the ultra-processed food risk might be harming health without the obvious tell of excess weight - even if not overeating and gaining belly weight (+39% risk for each) the person might have lower HDL (+102%) and more risk of Metabolic Syndrome (+79%).
The Pringle potato flour paste crisped under super high heat (UPF)
versus the slice of potato crisped in high heat of a deep fried oil (Processed food)
versus a baked or boiled potato with the skin left on (whole food).
Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF) quote: “As regards the cross-sectional studies, the highest UPF consumption was associated with a significant increase in the risk of overweight/obesity (+39 %), high waist circumference (+39 %), low HDL-cholesterol levels (+102 %) and the metabolic syndrome (+79 %), while no significant associations with hypertension, hyperglycaemia or hypertriacylglycerolaemia were observed.” (Pagliai, et al, 2021)
The emulsifiers used to make creamy dairy like products may be too strong and also emulsifying our intestinal lining - and it might be ‘organic’, ‘natural’, - but still too strong an emulsifier for our gut. Soy lecithin and carrageenan seaweed may be natural, but still be too strong of an emulsifier for a body made out of watery substances confined by delicate lipid bilayer membranes.
Pure Maple Syrup is a health bonus from nature, concentrated by humans - a processed food.
Maple water/pure sap from the tree is very mildly sweet and delicious fresh if you can get some.
Maple syrup as a Substitute for Commercial Sports Drinks: can it be a available Solution for Recreational and Elite Athletes, Jonathan Tremblay, Nicolas Leduc-Savard, Jan. 2019.
Rehydrating efficacy of maple water after exercise-induced dehydration
A maple syrup extract Inhibits the Beta Amyloid and Tau Oligomerization of Alzheimer’s disease, March 2015.
and lots more research on the health benefits of phytonutrients and other aspects found in Pure Maple Syrup - maplescience.org/research.
I have been giving my mother Pure Maple Syrup most days as a sweetener substitute. She likes it in porridge or on sweet potatoes and carrots.
Something I like about my Protocol Collation & Therapy Goals document is that if I want to look up Maple Syrup, Pure, in the encyclopedia section, I can just do that. It follows Manganese.
Maple syrup, Pure
Maple syrup, pure, real from the tree sap - is a super food source of Manganese. It is also rich in polyphenols with anti-inflammatory & other immune supporting benefits, and is rich in trace minerals: manganese, copper and the electrolytes potassium and magnesium.
“Maple syrup has been found to have antioxidant, antimutagenic, and human cancer cell antiproliferative properties (Ref: 8, 10).” maple/pdf,
A quarter ¼ cup is considered a serving size of pure maple syrup in Canada and this presentation maple/pdf, page 6, has nutrient info for that size serving. It is almost a full day's goal for manganese - which is essential for mitochondrial health. Too much manganese though, is not good, so one serving a day would be plenty, rather than thinking more is always better - no, moderation is usually better. Manganese has a narrow safety/ideal range.
Page six, “Nutritional Value for Various Sweeteners”. The carbohydrates are the same as other sugars - maple syrup is a sucrose source, glucose & fructose, a disaccharide like table sugar which is well tolerated in the gut, pure fructose can support microbiome overgrowth and lead to gassiness instead of brain fuel. However, look at the nutrient content in the trace minerals - maple syrup is the clear winner. (Blackstrap molasses would stand out as an iron source if it were included too, but it is not on that chart.) Nutrition and Health Benefits of Pure Maple Syrup, International Maple Syrup Institute, http://www.internationalmaplesyrupinstitute.com/uploads/7/0/9/2/7092109/__nutrition_and_health_benefits_of_pure_maple_syrup.pdf
InternationalMapleSyrupInstitute.com (history/about)
Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.
Reference List
(Manai, et al., 2023) Manai, F., Zanoletti, L., Morra, G., Mansoor, S., Carriero, F., Bozzola, E., Muscianisi, S., Comincini, S., (2023). Gluten Exorphins Promote Cell Proliferation through the Activation of Mitogenic and Pro-Survival Pathways. Int J of Molecular Sciences. 2023; 24(4):3912. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24043912 https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/4/3912
(Pagliai, et al, 2021) Pagliai G, Dinu M, Madarena MP, Bonaccio M, Iacoviello L, Sofi F. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health status: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Nutr. 2021 Feb 14;125(3):308-318. doi: 10.1017/S0007114520002688. Epub 2020 Aug 14. PMID: 32792031; PMCID: PMC7844609. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7844609/
Thank you, Jennifer, for doing the interview and for sharing it! 🙂