I just saw the last episode of a 6 episode documentary about nutrition. I'm so mad for missing out on the first 5 episodes. However, nothing to worry about. These days you can find just about anything on the internet that's been on TV... and oh, look, here it is! I could also find some of the documentary's clips at YouTube.

The episode I saw was called "How to be the best". The purpose of this episode was to test the effects of nutrition on our daily performances, both mental and physical. There were 5 experiments with all kinds of test subjects and environments.

The 5 Experiments

• Experiment 1: Can the omega 3 fatty acids in fatty fish decrease stress?
• Experiment 2: Do vegetarians have less energy / stength than meat eaters?
• Experiment 3: Does a carbohydrate rich diet in the morning result in better physical performance during the day than a fat and protein rich diet?
• Experiment 4: Is one big meal better than several small meals, spread over a whole day?
• Experiment 5: Does coffee make you perform better?

Results and Clips

#1. Omega 3 and stress

The first experiment was to test the effects of an omega 3 rich diet on stress levels. Three London cab drivers were used for this. They were followed for several weeks, registering their stress levels. BBC even sent in some actors acting as brutal customers. It was funny how they started ranting back, turning red in the face and all that stuff. Next, they ate 140 grams of fatty fish, 4 times a week for several weeks. Then they were tested again.

Results

The results were amazing. The cab drivers were now actually laughing when an angry customer started shouting. They did not seem to care as much as they did before. The health benefits of unsaturated fats are often underestimated. (For reference: earlier I made a post where I talked about the different kinds of dietary fats).

#2. Meat or Veggie?

The second experiment tried to find out if meat eaters are stronger than vegetarians. For this experiment 4 vegetarian martial arts experts, turned completely meat for several weeks.

Results

The health conscious girls were hoping the results would favor the veggie food, but they were not. Meat did in fact make them slightly stronger and they were feeling slightly more energetic. The reason for this is the absence of essential nutrients such as B12 and Iron in the average vegetarian diet. Iron plays an important role in our blood and our energy metabolism and can only be found in meat and fish.

I've followed a vegetarian diet myself for about a year and can definitely say I've also felt this tired feeling at times. Mixing up my diet with some chicken and fish definitely boosted my energy a bit.

#3. Carbohydrates vs. Fat

The third experiment tested the difference between a fat and carbohydrate rich diet on physical performance. Two teams of 4 identical twins (each team had one twin) were subjected to a survival race. One team ate a high carb breakfast, while the other team mainly had fatty and protein rich foods. The results? The carbohydrates consuming team had a lot more endurance and strength during the test. Fat and protein seemed to be burned at a much slower pace, giving the low-carb team a lot less explosive power.

#4. One big meal or several snacks?

The fourth experiment wanted to test if it's better to eat one big meal or several small meals. Two firefighting teams were tested during a 12 hour session. One team had a big meal at 12 o' clock, while the other spread their food intake over a whole day.

Results

Quite understandably the spreading of meals gave a much better result. By spreading your food intake over a whole day you don't overload your stomach. Overloading your stomach would require a lot of energy, sending a lot of your blood to that area and leaving less blood for other areas. This makes you feel puffy and tired. Spreading your meals over a whole day will ensure a constant energy supply, while not overloading your stomach at all. This makes a considerable higher work pace possible.

#5. Coffee and performance

The fifth experiment tested the effects of coffee on performance levels. Two caffeine addicted radio hosts were used for this test. One would be given a normal coffee for several weeks (as the hosts usually drinks) and the other was given a decaffeinated coffee. They both would not know who was the one that got the decaffeinated coffee.

Results

During the first few days of the experiment you could definitely see a difference in performance. But after this initial period, when the addict's withdrawal symptoms had disappeared, he could perform just as good as ever. Whenever you're addicted to coffee, you will only perform your best when you had your daily cup of coffee. But an addicted coffee user will not necessarily perform better than someone who doesn't drink coffee on a daily basis.

So there you have it. This documentary was very informative and entertaining. I'm definitely going to check out the other 5 episodes at another time. You can see all the 6 episodes at BBC's official site: Science and Nature: The Truth About Food.

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Comments (2)

Do You Believe Soy Is Healthy?
written by Dianne Gregg , February 18, 2008

With obesity, thyroid problems, osteoporosis, and a host of other problems on the rise, you may want to reconsider. I bet you never thought that soy products could be the bame.

Did you know that the soy industry is a $70 billion a year business? I started researching soy when I developed a severe allergy to soy in 2003 (the anaphylactic shock type). What I learned is very disturbing.

We are eating soy products today at levels never before seen in history. Advances in food technology have made it possible to isolate soy proteins, isoflavones, and other substances found in the bean and add them to all kinds of foods where they have never been before. The number of processed and manufactured foods that contain soy ingredients today is astounding. These days it can be hard to find foods that don't contain soy flour, soy oil, lecithin (extracted from soy oil and used as an emulsifier in high-fat products), soy protein isolates and concentrates, textured vegetable protein (TVP), hydrolyzed vegetable protein (usually made from soy) or unidentified vegetable oils. Most of what is labeled "vegetable oil" in the U.S. is actually soy oil, as are most margarines. Soy oil is the most widely used oil in the U.S., accounting for more than 75 percent of our total vegetable fats and oil intake. And most of our soy products are now genetically engineered.

There was considerable research done in 1966 about the harmful substance within the soybean.
Soy contains several naturally occurring compounds that are toxic to humans and animals. The soy industry frequently refers to these toxins as anti-nutrients, which implies that they somehow act to prevent the body from getting the complete nutrition it needs from a food. The soy toxins (such as phytic acid) can certainly act in this manner, but they also have the ability to target specific organs, cells and enzyme pathways, and their effects can be devastating. As with any toxin, there will be a dose at which negative effects are not observed.

Health experts are particularly concerned that breast-cancer sufferers who take soy or phytoestrogen supplements could feed the disease and reduce the effectiveness of their treatment.
Those soy food or isoflavone supplement manufacturers that proclaim the anti-cancer properties of their products are guilty of giving false hope to millions; but worse they may be placing consumers at greater risk of contracting the same horrendous diseases they are trying to avoid

Another area of concern is infant soy formula. New research suggests high concentrations of manganese found in soybean-based baby formula can lead to brain damage in infants and altered behaviors in adolescents.

They say soy can reverse child obesity because soy foods provide critical vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. They claim soy foods contain less calories and fat grams making weight loss easier. Kid friendly foods like soymilk, frozen pizza, taco-style meat, and chicken-style nuggets. This does not sound like a healthy diet to me. When you hear that all the fast food chains are switching to zero trans fats, it just boils down to using soybean oil! It’s just cheap filler.
http://www.hiddensoy.com

...
written by Nico , February 18, 2008

Thanks for the comment Dianne.

Soy is indeed big business. Thousands of acres of rainforest are being cut down daily for this product, yet the health benefits are extremely doubted.

And concerning the trans fats: often when a product says it contains soy, it most likely also contains some amount of trans fats. Soy has many polyunsaturated fats and when they processes it, it turns into trans fat. Especially margarine.

You would think, well, soy, that'll be healthy. Very often, it's really not.

Unprocessed soy: eat in moderation. Processed soy: stay away from this. Probably a good idea to write something about this in the near future.