Читать книгу Pure Health - Henri Chenot - Страница 15

So, good engineering and a choke are enough to make the engine start – but you also need petrol, and not just any petrol. The body’s petrol is food.

Through the centuries, Chinese medicine has studied the workings of the human body and passed down an experimental knowledge and a precise analysis of the relation between food and health. Its conclusions are confirmed by modern scientific observations: a good working body relies on nutrition, which itself can be largely responsible for the ability to combat illness, ageing and, indirectly, life expectancy.

From the food we consume and the substances we produce, our bodies are constantly changing in structure, harnessing their own energy to carry out their functions and cause essential biochemical transformations: brain activity, the heartbeat, breathing, digestion, limb movement and the combination of ‘functional’ molecules, such as enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters.

During digestion, the intestine will only keep whatever is useful to it. This conversion of food into nutrients means waste is rejected through the stools, while the nutrients head towards the cells. This is a journey that must constantly be prepared for, so that the nutrients don’t end up going on a detour or the wrong way. This shows the pivotal role of digestion and the important role of the intestine.

So, what does the body really need? The three essential nutrients are proteins, lipids and carbohydrates. We have to assimilate these three nutrients in the right proportions in order to adequately feed our billions of cells, develop the reserves of what we consume for when our bodies find themselves in need, and release the necessary energy for metabolism. It’s vital to understand that these basic elements of nutrition must be consumed every day, even if the body shows foresight by setting aside certain substances.

Proteins make up the cornerstone of the body; they see to the vast majority of cellular functions. About 15 per cent of what we consume should be proteins, and it’s vitally important to respect this necessary ratio. It should be a balance of vegetable and animal proteins.

Lipids are fats that the body stores in reserves, and they represent around 30 per cent of our daily food intake. They make up a large part of the energetic realm of the body, allowing the transport of liposoluble vitamins A, D, E and K, and taking part in the development of many hormones.

For lipids, as for proteins, they should be vegetable-based and mainly unsaturated fats. However, animal-based fats are important in small doses, because they see to the maintenance of cells and the nervous system.

Good lipids – fatty unsaturated acids – can be divided into sub-groups: omega 3, omega 6 and omega 9. The daily requirement for omega 6 is around 1.5g, and 0.5g for omega 3. At present, the recommended amount of omega 9 is unknown. Omega 3 is often removed from food today when it is processed – a regrettable move because omega 3 carries out the synthesis of certain hormones, namely the sexual and tissular ones. Sixty per cent of the brain is made up of fatty matter; isn’t that a great reason to increase our intake of good lipids in food?

About 45 per cent of our intake should be devoted to carbohydrates – that’s about 100 to 150g a day, regardless of body weight. Carbohydrates are the essential source of energy production, they help to maintain the structure of the conjunctiva (the transparent mucous membrane that covers the white of the eye), and the cells of the nervous system feed exclusively on them. Those carbohydrates with a slow absorption rate – called complex carbohydrates – are distributed to the cells in a prolonged and progressive way, sustaining the body’s energy from one meal to another. They most notably have the advantage of being an excellent safeguard against hunger pangs.

Rapidly absorbed carbohydrates remain at the heart of a number of controversies. Some people avoid them at all costs because they make the glycemic load (the blood glucose levels) soar, yet there are some fast carbohydrates with a weak glycemic index that are the exception to the rule. Sugars and sweets are the subject of debate in our society among slimming aficionados; nevertheless, the glycemic index – which changed the way many think about nutrition – determines sugars and sweets as being of poor nutritional value.

As well as these nutrients, the body needs vitamins, trace elements and fibres. And let’s not forget water, which is a priority, since it is our essential component, making up around 65 per cent of our weight. Our bodies obtain most of their ‘new’ water from the fluids that we drink and get about 20 per cent from food.

Vitamins are substances that are as varied as they are indispensable for multiple chemical reactions. Their attributes are identified under different letters of the alphabet and are divided into two groups: liposoluble (soluble in fats) vitamins A, D, E and K; and hydrosoluble (soluble in water) vitamins B and C. Exceeding the recommended amount of certain vitamins, such as A and E, can be dangerous. Also note that certain vitamins are only retained by the body if they are absorbed in the presence of another.

Another link in the food chain is trace elements (minerals) which, even if they are consumed in small quantities, are indispensable to numerous metabolic, structural and functional tasks. Many are essential because the body cannot synthesise them, so we must therefore get them from food. They are unequally distributed among various types of food, in meat as well as vegetables. The daily requirements of minerals are so variable that they range from those stated in grams, such as sodium (Na), chlorine (Cl) and calcium (Ca), to those measured in microgrammes (a millionth of a gram), such as iodine (I), chromium (Cr) and selenium (Se).

Calcium and phosphorus (P) are used in the formation of bone and dental structure; sodium, chlorine, potassium (K), calcium, magnesium (Mg), sulphur (S) and phosphorous are involved in numerous processes, including the regulation of the acid base. Meanwhile, iron (Fe), important for haemoglobin, and iodine (I), important for the thyroid hormone, are involved in transporting oxygen and regulating energy. Other minerals help to revitalise enzymes that specifically work for the many metabolic and immune functions.

Alimentary fibres don’t have a nutritional value to speak of and, moreover, are not digested. When they pass through the intestines, they help to maintain a good transit of food. Thanks to their powers of water absorption, alimentary fibres improve the volume of the bolus and the consistency of stools, stimulating the intestine’s contractions and supporting the colon’s bacterial activity. Another asset is that they demand slow chewing, which is a good ‘cosmetic’ reason to eat less, as the feeling of fullness can regulate the appetite before greed starts to override our physiological needs.

Proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins, trace elements, fibres: in order to consume the correct amount, it’s worth familiarising yourself with these suppliers of health. We must help our bodies, as, if we don’t, sooner or later they will rebel, notching up illness on their journeys and thus reducing our shelf lives. But don’t get too scared: if, day by day, we consider our individual resources and respect the hazards of our age, we can get stronger and lead happier, longer, healthier lives.