Nature is Smarter than Science
I read this lovely phrase recently on the pack of some coconut water and it is so true. The more you look into the subject of nutrition, the more you find that nature has everything there, in pure form, to sustain optimum health in human beings. The phrase explains in a nutshell why billions of dollars have been spent over the past few years in developing the best isotonic sports drinks, only to find the most perfect sports drink has been sitting there, all along, in a green shell. And, this was known all along, by peoples of the tropical nations, who happen to have used it for millennia.
Here’s another crazy example of “Nature is Smarter than Science”:
Did you know that your favourite margarine very likely contains trans fats, even if it is one of those “heart-healthy” types? As you are no doubt aware, trans fatty acids are known to reduce good cholesterol and increase bad cholesterol. They’re now thought to be so harmful, countries are introducing laws to control them and cities are banning them from restaurants. The FDA says “trans fats are harmful and have no known nutritional benefits”.
Labelling laws are changing in the UK so trans fats will soon have to be listed, but until then, here’s a quick way of working out how much trans-fat is in your margarine or biscuits or crisps….: On the nutrition label look for the ‘per 100g’ section, find the ‘Total Fat’ content and deduct the ‘of which Saturates’ figure, then deduct the ‘of which un-saturates’. The figure you are left with is the percentage of trans-fats.
Watch out for clever marketing phrases like “low in trans fats”, which denote their presence, not absence. It’s the process of partial hydrogenation, used to firm-up the vegetable oil, which is responsible for creating trans fats. As so often happens when foods are subjected to processing, what at first seems like productive development turns out to be destructive tampering.
The good news is that there is a vegetable oil spread which tastes delicious and does not contain any trans fats: Virgin Coconut Oil! We recommend this one from the
Ok.. I admit to an unashamed plug for our products…. but it’s backed by sound facts. Dr Mary G Enig has studied fats for more than 30 years and reveals the scary side of trans fats: “They raise cholesterol levels, reduce the cream content in breast milk, lower immunity to disease and raise blood-insulin levels, thereby heightening the risk of diabetes”. Of coconut oil she states “Coconut oil has a unique role in the diet as an important physiologically functional food. The health and nutritional benefits that can be derived from consuming coconut oil have been recognized in many parts of the world for centuries.”
So what’s the next big “science about to be out-smarted by nature”? My bet goes on GM crops.