Full Transcript Introduction to Food Vibrations and Phytonutrients 0:00 the molecular structure imparts a certain vibration and frequency. 0:04 So when we have things that are chemically synthesized or human synthesize, it doesn't quite have that same, I would say, 0:12 resonance that something from nature would have. 0:15 And so that really lends us into the whole topic of phytonutrients and why it's so important to get those colors because color, 0:22 as we know, is a wavelength of light. 0:24 It's a particular wavelength. 0:26 And by getting all of those colors, then we do get all those unique frequencies that we need at the cellular level. 0:33 This is Dr. 0:34 Talks. 0:41 Diana Minick, it is such an honor to have you on this segment of Cancer Breakthroughs, our Cancer breakthrough summit. 0:50 And it's going to be a fascinating topic. 0:52 So thank you so much. 0:54 Oh, my pleasure, Michael. 0:55 Thank you for the invite. 0:57 And this is a topic that I have so much passion for, personal and professional passion, especially when you see family members and friends over the years 1:06 that have had cancer. 1:07 I feel like this definitely something I felt strongly about. 1:11 So thank you. 1:12 Yeah. 1:13 And for everyone out there, Diana Minick, she's a certified functional medicine practitioner, is a nutrition scientist, international lecturer, 1:21 teacher and author with over 20 years of experience in academia and in the food and dietary supplement industries. 1:29 Throughout the years, She's been active as a functional, medicine clinician in clinical trials and then her own practice, 1:35 food, and spirit. 1:37 which has now become oriented towards groups, workshops and retreats. 1:42 She's the author of six consumer books on wellness topics, four book chapters and 50 scientific publications. 1:50 Her academic background is in nutrition science, including a master of science degree in human nutrition dietetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 2:01 and a doctorate in medical sciences from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. 2:07 For decades, she was part of the research team led by the father of functional medicine, Dr. 2:12 Jeffrey Bland, and has served on the nutritional advisory board for the Institute of Functional Medicine, as well as on board of directors for American 2:22 Nutrition Association. 2:23 And the list goes on, there's a lot of things you've done, but then we would just take up the whole segment of our discussion. 2:31 Yeah, let's not bore people too much. 2:35 But I think the takeaway is I've been in nutrition a long time, and that's really where I spend a lots of my time and effort. 2:42 And one of the fascinating subjects, because when people talk about food, then we talk on nutrition. 2:49 Should we do plant-based? 2:51 Should do a ketogenic type of diet? 2:54 But I want to go beyond that. 2:57 into kind of the vibrational energy, so to say, of food, because to me, any kind food any kinda herb, they actually carry a certain energy with them over 3:10 and beyond just the molecular structure. 3:12 And I feel that that is so important for our health. 3:17 Yes, well, and actually one begets the other, meaning that the molecular structure imparts a certain vibration and frequency. 3:25 So when we have things that are chemically synthesized or human synthesize, it doesn't quite have that same, I would say, 3:34 resonance that something from nature would have. 3:37 And so that really lends us into the whole topic of phytonutrients and why it's so important to get those colors, because color, 3:44 as we know, is a wavelength of light. 3:47 It's a particular wavelength. 3:49 And by getting all of those colours, then we do get all those unique frequencies that we need at the cellular level. 3:56 And of course, we get them at the physical level as well in the way of the actual nutritional aspect. 4:03 But I think that much like you're alluding to, We can see food on many different levels.
Biophotons, Mitochondria, and Cellular Energy 4:09 There's the Physical, Emotional, Mental, more of a spiritual connection aspect, and then I would also say the more energetic vibrational. 4:20 And all of them are relevant. 4:21 I don't think we can't ignore any of that because They're all a part of our being as well. 4:28 So I'm glad that you brought that up. 4:31 Yeah, and we have, I mean, more recent research, when you look at the mitochondria, in my practice, we do a lot of photodynamic therapy and photobiomodulation 4:41 where we use intravenous laser therapy, external laser, therapy in order to be able to kill cancer cells or kill pathogens and also then activate the Mitochondria. 4:53 What they're finding is that the miterchandria of the different complexes are very color sensitive, meaning that they get activated by certain frequencies, 5:05 certain colors. 5:06 So, you know, bringing them food in to activate the mitochondria becomes a very powerful tool in order to be able to enhance cellular health. 5:17 Wow, absolutely. 5:18 You're diving right into the physics of eating here, which I love. 5:24 I don't get to talk about that too often through summits, so this is a delight. 5:28 When I think of the mitochondria, I truly think the chi of this cell. 5:32 The chi, the ki, prana. 5:34 It's even been referred to as chi in a scientific paper. 5:38 So what does that mean? 5:39 That's like the energy harvester. 5:42 And if we look very closely into the mitochondria and the pathways, especially things like oxidative phosphorylation, which is a way that that mitochondrion 5:51 can extract energy, it's kind of like the finish line of the metabolic processes. 5:57 And through that process, there are these cytochrome enzymes. 6:02 If we just think of cydochromes, cytaecell, chrome color, you know, what the Mitochondria is doing at that very basic level, 6:11 is extracting energy from these bonds of color that have been formed within foods. 6:19 So I think it's really beautiful. 6:21 I mean, it is not new work. 6:23 If we look at Dr. 6:24 Fritz Popp and other people in this whole arena of biophysics, So many people have done research on different aspects of food, 6:34 spoilage, how to increase the bio-photonic. 6:39 I would say to preserve that within the food rather than to have emissions because then that's a sign that we have what's called more of the oxidative 6:48 spray or we're decaying, we are going rancid. 6:52 So, you know, I think eating in its own way is an act of harnessing that energy in some ways connecting into those bio photons, 7:01 connecting it to the light. 7:02 And the lights in the way of sunlight, full spectrum light is connecting us to color. 7:07 You were talking about emissions when they do research in regards to emissions. 7:12 Obviously with that, it comes so people understand that when you're then ingesting these foods with these colors, you essentially are creating emissions 7:23 of biophotons within your own structure. 7:29 Yes. 7:30 And unfortunately, we don't have a lot of science to look at the effects of, okay, if I eat a banana, what kind of emissions, 7:38 biophotons are created? 7:40 So really we're just looking into other studies that have more or less, I would say, looked at it mechanically or even biochemically, 7:52 but I would say I'm still waiting for more clinical data. 7:56 So where we can actually measure bio photons, because I think that the medicine of the future will be taking our smartphone. 8:03 We put our finger up to that camera or the light. 8:07 We get a read on what kind of light that we are emitting. 8:12 And the goal is not to have light emit. 8:16 We actually want to keep it and have less emissions so that, we don't have that kind burst, that oxidative spray. 8:24 There was one study some time ago looking at meditation. 8:29 and finding how even the act of meditation could help to conserve one's energy or reduce, from my recollection, the ultra-weak biophotonic emission that 8:41 happens just naturally from the fingertips, right? 8:44 So I just thought that that was so interesting. 8:45 You know, how do we become more enlightened, have the light on the inside? 8:53 And I think that, Michael, there are so many things that interfere with that process. 8:57 We have electromagnetic fields. 9:00 we have artificial blue light at night. 9:04 So many fields around us that are just zapping our energy, creating more rancidity in our bodies. 9:13 And that really takes us into something like cancer, because if we think of cancer and the processes that occur, Many times it is from an overabundance 9:24 of a lot of free radicals where we have this oxidative damage. 9:29 And maybe that is happening to the membranes, maybe it's happening the DNA, but we're damaging the body in some way through some external or even internally 9:40 generated substances or compounds, fields, whatever it is, right? 9:45 And so I think that the way to overturn that or to buffer that is to bring in these colors and the colors in and of themselves will provide that reservoir 9:57 of colorful energy to override and provide antioxidant support for when we are bombarded with so many different stressors in our everyday lives. 10:10 And there are many. 10:12 There are, yeah, we got plenty of them. 10:15 And so you're talking a little bit about Professor Poffin and his research in regards to biophotons. 10:23 In his researching, he talks a lot about cellular communication and biophotons within cellular communications and how different reactions in the body is communicating, 10:34 orchestrated through then these light particles that are then kind of orchestrating all the events within the body rather than that you have things that 10:44 are chemically dependent because they've seen that if we are then waiting for a chemical reaction to conclude and then the next chemical reactions will
Tryptophan, Serotonin, Melatonin, and Light Transfer 10:54 start after that conclusion, things take a very short period of time within a body will take much longer. 11:01 So we're then leaning then more into then communication being then done through biophotons. 11:09 And so then to be able then, to enrich our bodies then with these photons and utilizing then these different tools, you know, 11:18 like colorful food, likes sunlight, becomes really important for these, these I mean, all tissue to able to function appropriately. 11:27 Yes. 11:28 Oh my goodness. 11:29 I just want to say that I'm no expert in this area, but the whole area is intriguing to me. 11:34 And I often get down the rabbit hole of looking at the literature. 11:38 One of the things that i have seen recently is if we look at aromatic amino acids like tryptophan. 11:45 Tryptophane is a really interesting amino acid. 11:49 So I have stumbled across some literature looking at the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin to melatonin. 11:57 Well, as it turns out, if you look at some of the cellular biology literature, it would seem that these compounds, the three of them, 12:06 which are interrelated, seem to be involved in exactly what you're speaking about, which is that transfer of bio photons. 12:13 So there's talk about how they can help with microtubules within the cell, kind of changing that communication within that cell. 12:23 And I just think it's interesting because in some way, I think that these are molecules of consciousness. 12:29 If we were to think, you know, how do we have the consciousness to make decisions? 12:34 How do drive our behavior? 12:39 Well, if you look at even again, just to go back to meditation, because there seem to be a number of studies on that kind of a practice and consciousness, 12:48 what you see is that serum levels, so blood levels of serotonin and melatonin are higher in people that are long-term meditators. 12:59 So people who meditate, they've been doing it for 10 or more years versus people, who don't meditate. 13:04 even when other factors are controlled for. 13:07 So it's interesting, are these truly the harvesters of light? 13:12 Because they have a certain structure chemically. 13:15 It's kind of like photosynthesis, right? 13:17 Why is chlorophyll so important in plants? 13:20 Well, it has a structure that enables it to carry forth the light into that plant for energy. 13:30 And chlorophyll in conjunction with carotenoids. 13:35 So carotenoids are a large family of compounds, like 700 different compounds. 13:40 They can be red, orange, yellow. 13:42 Some of them are little bit like yellow-green. 13:44 And so within the plant, there is this almost like a passing of the light baton. 13:50 where the carotenoids are protective and helpful against too much light. 13:56 Chlorophyll is harnessing and moving that light through to photosynthesis. 14:01 And I think much in the same way in our bodies, this is happening. 14:05 You know, how do we move cellular communication through through that vehicle of light, those photons. 14:11 Now we can't see them. 14:13 We also have difficulty measuring them, so it's hard to be tangible in this kind of a science. 14:19 This is where physics meets biology, and we have biophysics. 14:23 this is an emerging area. 14:25 Some people would call this quantum biology. 14:29 you know, it's like taking quantum physics and applying it to biological systems. 14:33 So food and eating and this whole experience of taking in these plant compounds, which all have very unique types of chemical conformations, 14:45 I believe are helping us in this process of extraction of light the communication in the cell through that conductance of light. 14:54 But I think for the average person, that's really hard to kind of put into practical reality, right? 15:01 So I that the best we can do is we talk about eating the rainbow. 15:05 Because through those colorful compounds, which we are seeing with our eyes, we are able to take in color. 15:14 I see color as a nutrient. 15:16 So many people just kind of disregard it. 15:19 You know, were eating so many brown, yellow and white, lackluster bland foods. 15:24 These foods are devoid of that high resonance of color and again, what we're speaking about, more of the photonic aspect.I call it sometimes photomic nutrition. 15:36 You know, if we want the most vital form of life to bring that into our own being, looking for those colors, I think that that's a good signal in nature. 15:46 Yeah, and talking, going back to cancer, here you have then a tissue that is then lacking that vibrancy and lacking the energy, 15:56 the vitality. 15:57 And so to be able then to ingest the vibrational energy or that, you know we're talking about biophotons, we were talking We talked about frequency, 16:07 and we are beings of frequency. 16:10 We are being of light. 16:12 Things communicate, things vibrate. 16:14 And when they stop vibrating, that's when we're moving towards death. 16:18 So then to be able to bring in vibration on a full spectrum level becomes really important because you can then become deficient in certain type of vibrations. 16:31 and then your body is not able to communicate and function at the level it needs to. 16:37 Yes, it's so true. 16:39 And so any kind of disease state would signify that we're not in that place of harmony at that cellular level. 16:48 So when it comes to food, I think that there are certain different aspects that we can key into. 16:53 One is the pure, i would call it the color red. 16:57 It is these aspect of survival, protein, the grounded aspect, of eating. 17:04 And many of us really need to get grounded. 17:06 There's so much talk about the microbiome. 17:22 Kind of a grounded element, and oftentimes this presents in the way of protein and people have very strong views about what source of proteins that they
Eating the Rainbow and Color-Based Nutrition 17:32 choose to eat. 17:32 In fact, many times the conversation with food and nutrition starts there. 17:38 Are you vegan? 17:39 Are your keto? 17:39 are you paleo? 17:40 And it's all really rallied around this aspect of how we feel that we most need to ground through protein. 17:49 Now for some people animal protein is not an option, for other people it is just about plant protein, So, I think that, you know, 17:56 probably I would say that you and I probably share a very similar way of how we could view that. 18:02 That there's a personalized approach, right? 18:05 Because when we're talking cancer, now we start thinking about personalized genetics. 18:10 You and I were talking before we jumped on about our Swedish ancestry. 18:15 So we have certain genes that just kind of travel along and we're turning certain things on and off. 18:21 Then we epigenetics. 18:23 That's very strong within the whole arena of cancer, and that's well acknowledged. 18:28 Similarly, certain foods can be doing that, turning things off and on. 18:32 But I think at a very basic, grounded level, so many people are focused on the protein. 18:43 Nutrition is so much more as we know. 18:45 It is fascinating how things become simplified, but obviously for people to understand because it's such a complex conversation and when you're dealing 19:00 with certain health issues and you want it then simplified. 19:04 But I think it is important to understanding that we are complex individuals and with that, We need a rainbow of foods. 19:14 We can't just limit ourselves to one component. 19:17 we need all these different nutrients because they, they work in conjunction with each other and they support each, other working as, 19:26 you know, what you call coenzymes and enzymes and yeah, and so you can just, maybe for a period of time, we can limit yourself, 19:35 but for long-term survival, You need the full spectrum. 19:39 You need the full spectrum. 19:40 That's true. 19:41 And back a few years ago, I published a paper in the Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, and I was talking about the color code. 19:48 So even, you know, this is what I typically show is my operating system, the rainbow. 19:55 Each color of the Rainbow would seem to be keyed into a functional signature. 20:00 What do I mean by that? 20:01 That means that colors in nature to a large degree, maybe not a complete degree because nature is very complex and diverse, 20:12 so it's hard to put nature into a box. 20:14 But through the eyes of patterns, looking at just patterns of how those colors connect to functions in the body, I see that there's a connection. 20:24 So the way that I see it is that the color red, if we just go back to that for a second, the colour red connects to things like red-colored carotenoids 20:34 like lycopene, astaxanthin. 20:36 It connects two polyphenols that we find in berries. 20:40 So there are specific kinds of these kinds, poly phenols, that would find red colored foods like pomegranate as an example. 20:51 So when I think of red and I look at the science of read, whether it's strawberries, watermelon, cherries, these types of foods, 20:58 what I see is that there's a connection between those red pigments and inflammation and immunity. 21:07 In other words, they would be helpful for creating a healthier immune inflammatory response. 21:14 Now, in some cases, red-colored foods can perturb the immune system. 21:19 We could have a histamine release through something like strawberries for especially children or people with more vulnerable immune systems might be a 21:28 little bit more susceptible to that. 21:31 because of their gut or otherwise. 21:33 So red in general, I think of the immune inflammatory response. 21:38 Should we go through each color? 21:40 I'd think that'd be fascinating for people to understand how colors are reflected in food and then also the impact it has on the human body. 21:51 Yeah, yeah, because this will justify why we need the rainbow. 21:55 If you miss a color, you could potentially be missing phytonutrients and functions. 22:00 So red is not one that I'm too concerned about. 22:03 When I see people's eating, I kind of feel like, okay, people get some red. 22:08 Then there's orange. 22:10 So orange would be things like orange fruits, so oranges, persimmons, mingos, tangerines, these kinds of foods, and also vegetables, 22:20 squashes and carrots and root vegetables. 22:23 So what's unique about orange is that we tend to see oranges connected to things, like beta-carotene, which is just one of the many carotenoids, 22:31 but there are other types of carotenides that would connect to the orange colored foods, like there's another one called beta cryptosanthin. 22:41 So orange in the rainbow diet system that I teach and write about is about reproductive health. 22:49 It's about the fat tissues of the body, the skin, and the ovaries. 22:55 Also the brain has a higher concentration of carotenoids. 22:59 These Often orange carotenoids have an association with things like ovulation in women and even sperm quality in men. 23:10 So the head of the sperm is actually concentrated in these carotenoids. 23:15 And, you know, as you go down the rabbit hole looking at the studies on orange, it's really interesting because even in the animal kingdom, 23:23 orange is often used as a symbol that connects to mating. 23:28 and confers some kind of viability or survival. 23:31 Like you see that with guppies, you say that was certain birds, which is just interesting. 23:37 Other animal studies like with goats and cows would suggest that there's an association between certain carotenoids and hormones. 23:46 So I don't know, I just think it's kind of interesting that connection between fertility, reproductive health, the adipose tissues of the body and these carotenoids. 23:58 And I usually see that people get orange. 24:02 So it'd be interesting though, then too, is there any kind correlation with the type of cancer and also with which kind color that you might be missing? 24:14 Well, goodness, that's an excellent research question. 24:16 I've never seen that specifically, but there has been a study looking specifically at the ovarian tissue of people with ovariant cancer versus non-ovarian 24:29 cancer tissue, and they find different levels of carotenoids. 24:32 So that is interesting. 24:35 In fact, it was, I believe, a study from Poland. 24:38 So that was just intriguing. 24:40 I think, again, all the colors. 24:43 Yellow is a color that we find in things like lemons, plantains, bananas, pineapple, ginger. 24:50 When I thinking of those kinds of foods, typically I'd think of digestive health. 24:53 They contain proteolytic enzymes. 24:56 which can be important, they contain prebiotic fibers, which could be an important for establishing a good healthy gut. 25:02 Some of those foods are also connected to higher levels of serotonin, now we don't know if eating more yellow foods makes you a happier person, 25:11 but I do think that the banana, the smile is interesting and it also has high seratonin levels. 25:17 But we do not know that food serotonin translates to more happiness in the body. 25:22 I think green, if I were to think about cancer, I would be thinking about green. 25:27 In the rainbow diet that I teach I talk about, green is the color of the heart because of nitrates that are naturally occurring, 25:34 folates, magnesium, some of B vitamins. 25:38 It helps to create that healthy vascular system, healthy blood flow. 25:44 I also think of it as connected to detoxification, keeping the blood pure. 25:50 And green, it's almost like we're supposed to have green because that is the color that's in greatest proportion in nature. 25:57 Green binds things like different toxic compounds in food and can carry it out. 26:03 So I think that that chlorophyll in green foods is important for that reason, for sure. 26:10 So I would be thinking about the binding, the nutritional supportive effects of green foods, like leaves and different legumes and beans of that nature 26:21 would I think be very important. 26:22 But the color that most people don't get enough of out of the whole rainbow is actually blue-purple. 26:28 It's like the color I'm wearing. 26:30 So that would be blueberries, blackberries, the colour of eggplant, figs, raisins, purple grapes, even concord grape juice.
Dietary Diversity, Gut Health, and Food Ruts 26:40 These foods are precious. 26:42 They're rare in nature. 26:44 We were talking about in the north of Sweden, how you get all of these. 26:47 highly intense berries that are small, they're wild, and they tend to be very high in certain compounds. 26:55 Now those compounds would tend be favorable for the brain. 26:59 So when I think of blue-purple, I'm thinking of the brains. 27:03 That would be mood, learning, memory. 27:07 We see that there is a strong connection in the literature between a number of these studies looking at eating those foods and improving those different markers. 27:17 So I think all of the colors are relevant for cancer and reducing the risk of cancer, as well as just overall health. 27:25 And with most, most people not getting the blue purple color, I do have concerns that they're missing out on certain compounds that are uniquely connected 27:34 to brain health Is there a way for an individual to, it's like a test or something a person can do to maybe analyze and see what, 27:44 am I deficient in this color versus that color? 27:46 And should I focus more on these, this group of food? 27:50 Obviously you want to do the whole rainbow again, but can you then analyze to see I'm more deficien this area versus another? 27:59 There are some laboratory tests which would involve taking a blood sample and looking at things like levels of beta carotene or certain tocopherols. 28:08 But as you probably know, it's quite scant and it is not very commonly done and certainly wouldn't be covered by health insurance. 28:17 So I think that the way that I've seen most people do it and how I coach people is to very simply use what I call an eat the rainbow tracker, 28:27 where every day you focus on, and I actually have seven colors on my tracker. 28:32 So, I have red, orange, yellow, green. 28:36 blue, purple, white, and brown. 28:39 So I bring in the white for cauliflower, coconut, garlic, things of that nature. 28:45 I'm bringing the brown for things like cocoa, cacao, tea, different kinds of grains for people that eat them. 28:53 That's at a very simple level. 28:55 Am I getting five to seven of those colors per day? 28:59 And I've had families like to do this together, children like do it. 29:04 Now that's one thing, and most people, eight out of 10 Americans have some phytonutrient gap, meaning that they're missing one of those colors. 29:15 So that, that is a problem. 29:17 That's just one level. 29:18 The other level, for people that eat a pretty good diet, they say, oh, I'm doing good. 29:23 I eat the rainbow. 29:23 that such a simple message. 29:25 And I say what about, what kinds of red foods are you eating? 29:30 And typically what happens is that people lack diversity. 29:34 So they get into what I call a phytonutrient rut, meaning that they eat the same foods every day. 29:42 For the red, they have tomatoes, but it's always tomatoes. 29:45 for their orange, They might always have carrots. 29:48 Where their yellow, might have a banana. 29:51 But that's not enough. 29:53 You actually have to create diversity within each of the spectra. 29:58 Of the rainbow in order to get those full, the full breadth of phytonutrients, because each food, even let's just take the green family. 30:07 They're all so different. 30:08 So if I were to eat a green apple versus a red apple. 30:16 Even though they're both apples. 30:18 They're going to give me different phytonutrients. 30:20 And even if I had two red apples, but different varieties, like a red delicious apple and a pink lady apple, I'm getting two different kinds of sets of phytonutreants. 30:32 So I think that there's the eat the rainbow message. 30:38 have diversity within the rainbow. 30:40 And that's where many, many people are falling short. 30:43 They think that I eat a healthy diet, I'm eating all of those colors, but they're actually in a food rut. 30:49 Having diversity has been shown to be helpful for so many things. 30:53 With cancer, one of the things I think about is toxic exposures. 30:58 I teach on that topic a lot, and I know that you know a lots about that as well. 31:03 One of things to help to reduce our toxic load is to rotate our food so we don't concentrate any one particular, I would say, 31:12 nutrient or even a toxin, right? 31:16 And so that's why many times I'm not loyal to brands. 31:19 I like diversity of brands, of different kinds of even grocery stores. 31:26 different spices, different herbs, and different brands of tea. 31:30 I mean, as long as they're to the higher quality of what we can choose, but then create diversity. 31:37 So instead of buying a big bag of apples at the grocery store, what I would recommend is, well, just spend an additional minute and pick seven apples that 31:47 are all different because you're going to get A lot of variety there in variety helps to ensure better nutritional status, 31:54 reduce toxic load. 31:56 It also helps the fortify the gut microbiome and make it more diverse, which will help the immune system, Being much more preventative in the way of looking 32:08 at that path into something like cancer. 32:11 So getting out of ruts is really important from a food perspective, but then also from life perspective. 32:18 I think that often time one begets the other. 32:23 I couldn't agree more. 32:24 And in regards to the microbiome, it is proven that the more diverse it, the better your immune system is. 32:33 Also, you're talking about serotonin, and the different neurotransmitters that are produced, how that impacts our health and our our mood and how we relate 32:44 to other people. 32:45 All of that is also produced in the gut. 32:47 And so the more diverse your type of, you know, food selection is, the different types of food or because all the bacteria, 32:55 they use different, eat different kinds of fiber. 32:59 So one type fiber will promote one area of bacteria and another type will provide another. 33:07 doing the diversity, you will then have a much more well-rounded group of bacterium in your gut. 33:16 100%. I think that dietary diversity is overlooked. 33:20 And for some people, they won't change how they eat, but they can change what they're eating within that. 33:26 So I, oftentimes what I'll say to people is just try one new food every week. 33:33 And one of the benchmarks, so if people are thinking, well, what does she mean? 33:36 How many diverse foods per week? 33:38 Well, if you look at the American Gut Project and you at some of other types of scientific publications, they would encourage 30 to 50 unique plant foods 33:48 in seven days. 33:52 That sounds like a lot, but it's actually not. 33:55 For example, you can bring in spices, like spice blends. 34:00 I have a curry powder that I use at home, and that curry power has 11 unique plants in it. 34:08 It's not just turmeric, it's got 11 plants. 34:12 So just right there, you're getting diversity. 34:14 If you have an herbal tea with maybe five different plants, now you'll have five. 34:19 But now that means that the next day you can't be having that same herbal. 34:25 You have to be thinking, how can I have something different? 34:30 So I really do think it's one of those things that's incredibly important for health. 34:35 And there's quite, I did a 90 minute lecture just on dietary diversity, going through all of the benefits based on the research, 34:43 how to measure it. 34:44 I can tell you that from mood state to the immune system, to nutritional status, as I spoke of, and even to things like fractures and falls in later life, 34:55 it really does translate. 34:56 So I think it's really essential to have color, creativity, and variety. 35:03 It's important. 35:04 And Michael, one other thing I would like to address too, as it relates to thinking about cancer, is how we cook our foods. 35:12 We could be having diversity in how cook based on seasons, based our bodies. 35:19 But I thing one of the issues with people is that they are overcooking even healthy foods, making them unhealthy. 35:27 So the science is replete, telling us that grilling, broiling, and frying are all producing what would be called advanced glycation end products. 35:40 These are nasty inflammatory compounds. 35:43 And in the body, they create inflammation. 35:46 They lodge in our skin. 35:48 they can make discolorations of the skin, that can change and lodge the brain. 35:52 and cause inflammation. 35:54 So one of the familiar advanced glycation end products that most people know about is hemoglobin A1C, which is something that we make in our own bodies. 36:04 That's not even from food, right? 36:06 So that is a glycated protein. 36:08 We can do a very similar thing in food through the presence of high heat. 36:14 When we have that brown, crisp crust, Or, you know, we take a piece of bread, and we put it in the toaster, now we have a nice-tasting piece-of-toast, 36:24 but we actually also increase advanced glycation end products. 36:28 Another thing would be even nuts. 36:30 When nuts are roasted in oil, this actually leads to more of these advanced-glycation-end products Now, nuts and seeds and toast,
Cooking Methods, Heat Damage, and Microwaving 36:40 those would not be the heavy hitters. 36:42 The heavy-hitters here would bacon. 36:44 would be taking meats and cooking them, grilling and charring and frying. 36:50 This actually becomes very inflammatory. 36:53 And there have been studies where they show the same meal. 36:58 One of it is steamed. 37:00 The other of is broiled or fried. 37:03 Very different responses in the body, even though it's exactly the food, just prepared differently. 37:08 and the one that is fried causes all of the problems. 37:12 That's probably easy for people to know, but I just want to tell you, it's a big thing, especially when we're thinking of reducing the risk for cancer. 37:19 Yeah. 37:20 And people have such a hard time to step away from their barbecuing, their smoking, and then by recognizing the impact they have on their health. 37:30 I mean, we were talking about cancer, But any kind of inflammatory situation moving towards things like dementia, Alzheimer's, 37:38 which is becoming such as big deal as well. 37:41 So all of that will be impacted by improper preparation of food. 37:47 So it's vital to recognize what is the best way to do it. 37:51 Yes. 37:52 And I would say for your listeners, if they're thinking, well, what am I supposed to do? 37:56 I'd say, you know, steaming, slow, low moist methods, water is good. 38:03 Water is a great conductor of heat. 38:05 In fact, I've been on a cardiovascular summit before with Dr. 38:09 Joel Kahn, and there's always a question about cooking with oils. 38:13 I just don't think we need oils to cook. 38:16 Even the high smoke point oils, There are different kinds of fats in there that can degrade or break down. 38:24 So my preference is always heat with water, you know, just steam, poach. 38:30 I think that those are better methods. 38:32 You don't have to eat raw. 38:33 That's not for everybody. 38:35 And sometimes you need just a little bit of heat to liberate the fiber away from the nutrients so that they can be absorbed. 38:44 Especially like the carotenoids, so I do think that that cooking is important now. 38:48 Let's just say that you still want to have that hamburger on the barbecue. 38:52 Well, before you cook the burger. 38:55 Put spices in it actually even put blueberries in. 38:59 Then cook it and then put half of an avocado on top. 39:04 Now you are buffering yourself against the inflammatory effects of whatever carcinogens or, you know, and I can't say that for in all cases to the same degree, 39:17 but you'll at least be reducing a lot of the main offenders that would be causing inflammation. 39:22 Talk to me about microwaving. 39:23 Microwaving is a different kind of cooking. 39:25 So it doesn't produce the same burning and charring and that grilling and frying does. 39:30 The thing with, you know, it's interesting because you don't really find a lot of data to suggest that microwaving as bad, 39:37 but what microwaves does, so it vibrates the particle rather than have heat go from the outside in, which is why you get more of the crusty outside versus 39:46 the inside. 39:47 Micrewaving, is just vibrating those molecules of food all at the So, the thing that I don't like about microwaving is that, 39:58 you know, it generates a field. 40:01 So I have a gaussmeter, and a Gauss meter measures an electromagnetic field, so you can take the gausmeter and then just move it through your home and 40:10 you see, where do I fields that can't see? 40:13 They're electric or, I've got things plugged in. 40:16 You know the microwave emits a fields when it is doing its cooking. 40:22 But I'll just be straight. 40:23 I don't think that there's a lot of science to show that it is an inferior method. 40:28 And in fact, it might actually preserve certain nutrients because then they're not being lost in water or not subjected to high heat. 40:37 But for me personally, I do not choose to use it. 40:42 So the house that we live in, actually it did have a microwave that came with the House, but we don't use it. 40:48 I don' know, just philosophically or just, it just doesn't feel right as part of the cooking process. 40:55 So I try to, but so for some people, I don't think it's terrible. 41:00 I just don' think if you're going to use a microwave, don´t stand in front of it when you´re using it. 41:05 And, you know, just look at the containers that you are using within the microwave because again, subjecting heat to plastics could be detrimental. 41:14 You start to release certain compounds. 41:16 So just be thinking about those things. 41:19 Yeah. 41:19 Yeah, I agree. 41:20 And I just wanted to kind of bring back a point that you made in regards to when you pick food and diversity, you know, and pick from different stores, 41:29 buy apples from stores because you have then apples that are grown in different soils, different climate, so they will Based upon that, 41:39 they will create different phytonutrients. 41:41 So then that will then enhance the diversity as well and mineral content, nutritional content and so forth. 41:51 And buy in season when you can. 41:53 I do think that the science on that as the traditional literature and kind of the ancient ways of eating have always encouraged that. 42:01 What we would see is that It's really fascinating actually, like fruits grown at certain times of the year have certain phytochemical compositions that 42:12 can metabolically affect us differently. 42:14 Now there haven't been a lot of human studies doing this, but there have been animal studies and it's fascinating to see how certain polyphenols like in 42:25 cherries eaten at certain times of the year can have different effects, hormonally. 42:30 So be very, very in tune with whatever is in your local environment. 42:35 You know, I have a good friend, you might appreciate this one, Michael, because it really connects to the land and to did a lot of gardening with me on 42:46 our property. 42:46 So we live on five acres and we have these nice gardens. 42:49 Well, they're not so nice. 42:51 I haven't worked on them so well this year, but he would also say that whatever is growing on your property is probably what you need. 43:01 You know, so I often think of, okay, I have a lots of dandelion, a have lot nettles, is there a liver immune At certain times of year, 43:11 why does nature present us with those things? 43:16 How can we be more savvy about keying into that? 43:21 Why do we get apples in September? 43:23 We have about three apple trees and in september they're exploding with apples. 43:28 Well, apples are rich in polyphenols or rich and quercetin, they're anti allergy. 43:33 And that's perfect for the time that we start to feel more immune compromised when we move into a different season. 43:41 We might have seasonal allergies crop up. 43:44 So I just think that if the more that, we harmonize to nature. 43:48 the more in alignment we can be. 43:50 And I guess the only other thing I'd like to say too, this has been on my mind with respect to temperature, just to go back to that topic for a second. 44:00 You know, I don't know what it is, but I have. 44:03 family, friends, colleagues who have experienced more in the way of laryngeal and throat issues, cancers related to this area. 44:12 And one of the things to be very cognizant of is the temperature of foods that we take in. 44:19 You know, so many people are drinking coffee, tea on the run, you know? 44:24 They go to cafes, they go those drive-through cafes. 44:27 They're drinking those coffees in those plastic containers and the temperature is hot, hot. 44:34 I'm always the sensitive one. 44:36 Letting that cup sit there and waiting until it cools to room temperature. 44:40 But just be careful of that very tender mucous membrane, the mouth. 44:47 because it just requires a lot for your mouth to have to repair that over and over again if you're damaging it through hot liquids. 44:54 And that could be soups, broths. 44:58 Anything that you are heating actually. 44:59 It could even be like a meal of solid food. 45:01 it doesn't have be a liquid. 45:03 I'm just thinking in terms of liquid beverages, how much that's commonly done and people drinking potentially very high temperatures of those things. 45:14 So sometimes it's not the food or the beverage, it is how we prepare it, how consume it. 45:19 What is our mindset? 45:21 Are we really in that place of awareness? 45:25 I think all of those things, circadian rhythm and that kind of timing is also key. 45:30 And looking at your food, gazing at you food prepares your system to be able to utilize those phytonutrients even better. 45:38 So it kind starts a whole digestive process by observing the food for a little bit and taking a moment to appreciate it. 45:45 Yeah, there's so many aspects of food that I, think the culture, the American culture and how we consume our food.
Seasonal Eating, Food Temperature, and Mindful Meals 45:53 has really moved us away from healthy eating. 45:57 And so it's not always that the kind of food is also how we consume it. 46:02 We can consume a green apple in the wrong way, and then it just doesn't become as beneficial for us as it should be. 46:11 Yes, and to that point, which is excellent, I think even smelling the food. 46:16 You know, in the process, sometimes I wonder if people do better at home with cooking because they can actually smell and there is like a building up process 46:25 of the olfactory system. 46:27 And we're learning so much about the aspect of taste, taste receptors, tastes receptors found through the body. 46:33 and also the old factory, the smell, The odors are so strongly connected to the brain. 46:40 to memory centers, to our digestive tract. 46:43 That actually initiates the salivary juices, right? 46:48 We start to get hungry just even smelling certain foods. 46:52 So I really do think that rather than having to take copious amounts of digestive enzymes, doing exactly what you're suggesting, 47:00 which is spending a couple more minutes on being in that food, that meal time experience, smelling the food. 47:08 Just being there eating. 47:10 with community or if you're eating by yourself, just really being attentive, chewing, not scrolling on social media or watching the television or reading 47:18 on Kindle. 47:20 You know, but really some of those silent meals can be very profound in many ways. 47:26 And there are some studies on setting an intention and then having mood state change after a meal. 47:34 There was a beautiful study with tea. 47:37 where people didn't know that there were certain kinds of teas that were either blessed by a Buddhist monk, I think it was, 47:45 or there was no blessing. 47:48 And what the researchers found was that, there is an amplification of mood when they drank the tea that had been blessed, 47:57 and they didn' t know it as blessed. 47:59 But when had to drink the te again, they knew it's blessed? 48:04 It was like it took it to a whole other level. 48:07 So I think that our, we eat our intention. 48:10 This is why I grew up Catholic. 48:12 And I, think one of the best practices that I had growing up was that of saying grace, you know, giving thanks for the food, 48:19 given thanks to the farmer, or giving things to that animal, give thanks the plant, whatever it was. 48:24 It just sets your, the tone for your psychology, which then informs your physiology and your energetics. 48:32 Yeah, I love it. 48:33 Well. 48:34 Deanna, this has been so fascinating. 48:37 You're so amazing in the research that you're bringing forth and what you are educating people about in this arena. 48:45 Where can people go to learn more and to experience this type of eating more intentionally? 48:54 That's a good question. 48:55 There are some resources out there. 48:56 If people go to my website, it's my name, which is Deanna. 49:04 So on my web site under resources, I have so many downloads that people could just take for free. 49:11 I have a food and mood tracker. 49:13 I recently put this together, like a way to cook food, and what are best practices with that. 49:20 So we talked about that, so that's available on the website. 49:24 And then I would just say, you know, social media, I do like to make a lot of infographics that connect into the energetics as well as the physical aspects. 49:34 People would be able to find that on Instagram. 49:37 I love it. 49:37 Well, thank you so much, Deanna. 49:40 I really appreciate this conversation. 49:42 Thank you. 49:42 It was lovely. 50:05 Stay connected, stay healthy, and join us next time on Doctor Talks, real talks from real doctors on the issues that matter to you most.
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