Wholy Food!

Back in the 50s and 60s the western world envisioned a future where taking food pills, powders, energy bars and shakes would replace eating whole foods. Consuming our nutrients this way was thought of as efficient, modern and time-saving. Yet, in 2011 there exists a movement, and it's gaining momentum, to eat local, sustainable, whole foods. Why is that?

Why eat whole foods instead of juice or other processed forms? One might think, that if a fruit, for example apple has beneficial phytonutrients, it would be even more beneficial, if we could have more by juicing or processing, therefore making it possible to consume a lot more at once. The more, the better, right? Wrong!

Just think of how many apples are needed to produce a glass of apple juice: it takes 3-4 apples. Even taking the best case scenario into consideration, where one would freshly squeeze one's own juice, the difference between eating the whole fruit versus the juice is remarkable.

What do you get in a glass of juice made from the whole fresh fruit?

• All the sugar - 42 - 50 g, the amount from 3-4 apples, equaling the sugar content of a can of pop, which can be drunk in a matter of seconds - this will cause a spike in blood glucose.
• No or minimal fibre, depending on the method of juicing used versus 10 - 15 g of fibre in 3-4 apples - nothing to slow down glucose absorption, also losing out on other benefits of fibre
• Damaged cells release polyphenol oxidase enzymes, which leads to oxidized polyphenols, causing browning of the apple; oxidized polyphenols are not affective
• Ethylane, due to cell damage
• No chewing, no affect on satiety

Advantages of eating a whole apple:

• Chewing - improved digestion and satiety - a recent study showed that people who ate one whole apple 15 minutes before eating a meal consumed 15% less calories during their meal; this is not the case when consuming apple sauce or apple juice before a meal
• Intact cells with beneficial polyphenols
• Skin, where the majority of bioflavonoids (polyphenols) are found
• Takes longer to consume, and we normally eat one whole apple in one sitting = less sugar taken in over a longer period of time with glucose regulating benefits
• Synergy - certain compounds work together, in "synergy", like pectin and polyphenols found in whole apples. They have found in studies that isolated pectin alone does not have the same affect on blood  fats as the same amount of pectin in a whole apple. 

Synergy - different compounds found in whole foods working together, making the whole greater than the sum of it’s parts - is on our side; let’s use this advantage and enjoy foods in their "wholiness" as much as possible!