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Musings Report 2019-3 1-19-19 Food Diversity, the Microbiome and Your Health
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For those who are new to the Musings reports: they are basically a glimpse into my notebook, the unfiltered swamp where I organize future themes, sort through the dozens of stories and links submitted by readers, refine my own research and start connecting dots which appear later in the blog or in my books. As always, I hope the Musings spark new appraisals and insights. Thank you for supporting the site and for inviting me into your circle of correspondents.
Thank You, Contributors!
January is when the most stalwart financial supporters of Of Two Minds send in their contributions--thank you, Melissa B., Frank M., Anthony W.-I.,Dennis G. and G.D.T.
Thank you and welcome new subscribers-patrons Robin M. and Peter S.
Food Diversity, the Microbiome and Your Health
As noted in last week's Musings Report, I'm going to apply the foundational processes of evolution and adaptation to a number of practical applications in the coming weeks, starting with our own health.
One of the most astonishing developments in health is the profound impact of the microbiome, the 100 trillion microbes that live within us, on our health. It's now clear that this immense colony directly impacts our immune system, our sense of well-being, our appetite, weight, and much else.
Scientific American summarized this new research thusly: "Leading scientists now think of humans not as self-sufficient organisms but as complex ecosystems colonized by numerous collaborating and competing microbial species. From this perspective, human health is a form of ecology in which care for the body also involves tending its teeming population of resident animalcules."
Poorly functioning microbiomes are now linked to Parkinson's disease and a host of auto-immune disorders as well as metabolic disorders such as diabetes. (It seems that the majority of people who develop Parkinson's suffer from chronic constipation.)
I've been following this research since 2012, when the new understanding started to attract funding and media coverage.
I recommend reading this article as a good introduction to the topic:
How the Western Diet Has Derailed Our Evolution -- Burgers and fries have nearly killed our ancestral microbiome.
"I came away from Sonnenburg’s office with a sense that I’d glimpsed a principle underlying our relationship with microbes. Wringing calories from wild, fibrous fare required a village--microbes specialized in distinct tasks, but each also dependent on its neighbors. The difficulty of the job encouraged cooperation between microbes. When you withheld fiber, though, you removed the need for that close-knit cooperation. The mutually beneficial arrangements began to fray.
In their recent book, The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-term Health, the Sonnenburgs argue forcefully that boosting fiber intake is the best way to cultivate a healthier community of microbes."
Here is an excerpt from their book, which I haven't read:
Gut Feelings–the "Second Brain" in Our Gastrointestinal Systems:
There are hundreds of articles on this rapidly expanding field; here are a few that illustrate the breadth of research:
How Gut Bacteria Tell Their Hosts What to Eat -- By suppressing or increasing cravings, microbes help the brain decide what foods the body “needs”
A New Connection between the Gut and Brain
Here is a documentary on the topic from 2013:
The Gut: Our Second Brain (documentary)
Amazon Prime members can watch it for free.
Here is the key take-away of this research in my view: diversity and variety are essential features of healthy ecosystems, including the one inside us and the social-economic ecosystems we inhabit.
Many of the most faddish diets (and by fad I mean a diet that is presented as "true" but that lacks the research to support its broad-based claims) are based on removing foods from our diets, i.e. restricting what we eat. Given what we know about the microbiome, it makes excellent sense to eliminate / restrict processed foods. But it also makes excellent sense to consume as wide a variety of fiber-rich fruits and plants as possible, and to consume a wide variety of types of foods in moderation, as a means of supporting a diverse and healthy microbiome.
Many people are focused on foods that supposedly increase "inflammation," but research now suggests what they're calling inflammation is the result of a poorly functioning microbiome / immune system. Properly feed the microbiome and the immune system benefits. (Chronic stress also weakens the immune response to inflammation, infections, etc.)
It's also wise to spend time outdoors, working in the garden and soil if possible and weather permitting, as there is evidence that suggests living in sterile interiors increases allergies and other disorders. This makes sense, as our genome (including our digestive/immune ecosystem) is adapted to living outdoors, not to living in sterile indoor environments.
Much has been written about human populations that are healthy far into old age: people who live in the Greek islands, Okinawa, etc. It has been widely noted that these elderly people eat real food (i.e. not refined/processed), much of which they grow themselves. They also live in a healthy social ecosystem of work they control and enjoy, friends and sharing.
What is left unsaid by most articles on these healthy oldsters is the variety of fiber-rich foods in their diets: whole grains, vegetables, fruits, etc. Yes they eat meat and fish, and in the Mediterranean they drink wine, and these are integral to the variety in their diet. But the core of their diet is fiber-rich grains and plants. This aligns with what we know about healthy microbiomes and thus healthy immune systems.
Diversity and variety are key features of healthy ecosystems, and of successful evolution /adaptation.
Highlights of the Blog This Past Week
The West's Descent into 'Cultural Revolution' 1/18/19
A Manifesto for a 'Deplorable' Party 1/17/19
France's Ghosts of '68: General Strike vs. Macron and the Technocrat Elites 1/16/19
As Germany and France Come Apart, So Too Will the EU 1/15/19
The Decline and Fall of the European Union 1/14/19
Best Thing That Happened To Me This Week
The positive response of readers, correspondents and subscribers to start 2019.
Musings on the Economy: How Much Do You Spend on Food Consumed at Home?
Since we're discussing eating real food (non-refined, non-processed), it's interesting to compare what we spend on eating at home with other households.
Preparing your own food radically reduces the cost, as packaged food is not just unhealthy (too salty, too sugary, lowest-quality ingredients, etc.), it's expensive when measured by weight.
The mainstream media loves to repeat that "eating healthy is too expensive for poor people," but this is only true of those who insist on shopping at pricey stores like Whole Paycheck (a.k.a. Wholes Foods).
Shopping at ethnic markets, farmers' markets, and scouring the "sale" bins at conventional stores dramatically reduces the cost of real food.
Simply avoiding wasting food has a remarkably positive effect on cost. It's been estimated Americans throw away 40% of the food they buy. My observation supports the generalization that between 25% an 50% of all food brought home is thrown away.
For all these reasons, these estimates seem high to me.
Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, November 2018 (via Maoxian)
From Left Field
Super Human or Less Human? -- AI is little more than another exploitive marketing tool....
Happy De-Platforming: Truth Is The New 'Hate-Speech'
The EU Can’t Fulfill Its Purpose
Why France’s Yellow Vest Protests Have Been Ignored by 'the Resistance' in the U.S. -- a real working class revolt doesn't fit the approved narrative...
Have We Already Experienced The 'Big One' Of Our Lifetimes? (via Jonathon T.) -- this "wealth effect" from QE is only experienced by a fraction of the population. NYU economist Edward Wolff demonstrates that, as of 2016, the richest 10% of American households own 84% of stocks. While only 27% of the middle class own "significant stock holdings" ($10,000 or more), 94% of the rich do.
New Microscope Shows the Quantum World in Crazy Detail
A Photographer’s Quest to Reverse China’s Historical Amnesia-- the Cultural Revolution is taboo...
The China Story That Is Far Bigger Than Apple
Fake-porn videos are being weaponized to harass and humiliate women: ‘Everybody is a potential target’
'Deepfake' creators are making disturbingly realistic, computer-generated videos with photos taken from the Web, and ordinary women are suffering the damage
I Was A Cable Guy. I Saw The Worst Of America. -- this article received a lot of attention, the bourgeoisie love poverty-porn...
A Great Shift Unseen Over the Last Forty Years -- a Chinese academic's presentation was immediately censored; no wonder, look what he's saying: "Look at our profit structure. To put it plainly, China’s listed companies don’t really make money."
"Whoever criticizes others must have something to replace them. Criticism without suggestion is like trying to stop flood with flood and put out fire with fire. It will surely be without worth." Mozi (Mo Tzu)(circa 400 B.C.)
Thanks for reading--
charles |
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