Financially Stressful Times Increase the Need for Evaluating Nutritional Requirements

Feb. 10, 2010 - PRLog -- Everyone is aware that many of our foods, like bread, pasta, cereals, and crackers, have been processed, or refined, depleting them of necessary nutrients, including vitamins and minerals. Then, most of them are “fortified” with certain vitamins like folic acid, to make them sound more nutritious. Many labels use the word “enriched” to make the product sound like it is better than other brands. Most of these processed carbohydrates are cheaper than poultry, beef, fish, and many vegetables. They are frequently cheaper than their whole grain versions, although it is interesting that removing vitamins and minerals and then adding back a few costs less than just leaving the grains in their natural state. It is also easier, and saves on gas money, to do all of your grocery shopping in one store rather than comparison shopping in various “ health food” or specialty stores for the least expensive whole grain products (they tend to be pricier in the supermarkets, but not always).  

One of the dangers of “fortified” foods is that they are designed for everyone as a whole without regard to individual needs and nutritional requirements. People who regularly take dietary supplements and people who do not, as well as people with certain conditions, disorders or diseases, are all supposed to consume the same vitamin enriched foods. Folic acid is a member of the family of B vitamins. It was originally added back to refined grains (and now to orange juice and many other foods), because research showed that supplemental folic acid protects against neural tube defects in infants if taken during pregnancy. The theory is that even if a woman does not take a prenatal supplement or other supplements with enough folic acid, as long as she eats folic acid enriched foods, if she becomes pregnant, she will be preventing neural tube defects in her unborn child. Unfortunately, the risks of too much folic acid were never considered when it was first added to foods. While there is research that indicates that consistently high intakes of dietary folate are protective against colorectal cancer, folic acid is quite a different story. Folic acid found in enriched foods is actually a pharmaceutical form of folate which can be harmful at high dosages because it then cannot be metabolized, or broken down, into folate. Folates naturally found in foods are different from folic acid. The body has a limited capacity to metabolize folic acid. Unmetabolized folic acid has been shown to possess the potential to reduce certain elements of the body’s immune system in healthy postmenopausal women, to potentially mask a vitamin B12 deficiency, to potentially increase the risk of colorectal cancer in certain groups of people, and to potentially cause genetic defects in the children of pregnant women. In addition, dietary folate, which is easily metabolized in the body, is more difficult to absorb than folic acid, so too much folic acid can induce a folate deficiency as they compete for absorption.

Fortunately, there are dietary supplement companies whose formulas I frequently recommend to my patients due to their excellent quality, who have already replaced folic acid with folate. Since folic acid has been shown to prevent neural tube defects, it should not be avoided entirely. This is why having a dietary program designed to meet your specific individual needs is so important. Your medical history, current state of health, any symptoms you may be experiencing or have experienced in the past, age, and gender, all need to be taken into account when foods are recommended for you. Dietary supplements also need to be prescribed based on the above criteria. The truth is that foods are “super” when they benefit your individual needs and weight loss depends on your body’s ability to burn fat and to regulate your blood sugar levels. Usually, the difficulties people encounter when trying to lose or maintain weight, (especially women, but all groups of people), lies internally.  The endocrine system and the hormones it secretes play a critical role in the body’s ability to burn fat as well as to look and feel healthy. Food sensitivities, (not food allergies), must be identified if they are present, or weight loss, energy and optimal health will be extremely difficult if not impossible to achieve. In addition, digestive function, including absorption, acid and alkaline balance and detoxification, is also crucial to the body’s ability to burn fat, utilize food for energy, replenish itself through restful sleep, and prevent illness and disorders. The immune system is also affected by the foods we eat and the dietary supplements we take.

Before I became a nutritionist I thought it was strange to remove vitamin and minerals from bread and pasta and then add back a couple of them, like thiamin and niacin. What about all of the other vitamins?  As a nutritionist, I think it is preferable to take extra vitamins and minerals in the form of dietary supplements rather than to eat them artificially added to foods, where the form of the nutrients is the most absorbable and beneficial and the dosages can be monitored appropriately and correlated with other added nutrients so no deficiencies or toxicities occur. After all, as I frequently state in my column, people are individuals and thus have individual nutrient needs. Those needs should be matched with their medical histories, symptoms, current health, age, gender, and goals.

Under chronic stress, the body’s nutrient needs increase.  It is even more important to make certain that you are getting as much nutrition from your food and from your dietary supplements as possible. Hormones, including reproductive, thyroid, adrenal, pituitary, etc., are extremely susceptible to stress but respond well to dietary intervention. Since hormonal balance is critical for so many bodily functions, including weight loss and maintenance, energy production, immune system function, glucose and insulin regulation, mood, cognitive function, including memory and focus, etc., it is even more important that all nutrients be balanced properly. Some vitamins and minerals compete with others for absorption so if you take too much of them you could induce a deficiency in others. Amino acids must also be understood and prescribed accordingly, and if taken correctly can be extremely helpful for both weight loss and achieving optimal health and energy. It is also important to know which nutrients are utilized more under stress and which nutrients in what dosages are appropriate for you, personally, since stress can seriously impact your hormones, digestion, blood sugar, and immune system function. Dietary supplements can have a profoundly positive effect in preventing damage to your body from stress, but they should be taken appropriately for your needs not because they are the latest “miracle nutrient” in the media or because you are desperate to lose weight. If food and supplement recommendations are followed according to the above criteria I mentioned, losing weight and staying healthy can become much easier even under chronic, severe stress. If stress is not an issue for you then results can be even easier to achieve.        

In conclusion, the foods you put into your body should be chosen carefully according to your individual needs and issues. Certain foods should be avoided if necessary even if they are nutritious if they are not appropriate for you. Dietary supplements, when correctly recommended, are preferable over getting nutrients from “enriched” or ‘fortified” processed foods. Whenever possible, whole grains are preferable over refined ones. Food choices and dietary supplements should correspond, complementing each other to form a nutritional program that is ideal for your goal of achieving optimal health and weight.   Please remember that the next time someone tells you they don’t believe in taking vitamins or choosing brown rice over white rice.

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About Karen Laramie / Laramie Nutrition
Karen Laramie, M.S.,C.N. is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist with a private practice in Westport. Visit the Laramie Nutrition website at http://laramienutrition.com for more information. This article is not intended as medical advice.