Healthy Lifestyle, Healthy Immune System—Choosing a Healthy Diet

During this time of pandemic, many of us are re-evaluating our life style and how best to stay healthy. This is a good outcome of the current difficult situation. This is a great time to begin new healthy habits and to determine to CONTINUE them into the future, even after this pandemic ends.

Many of us are searching for ways to boost our immune system. Although there are varied opinions about this topic, several things are generally agreed upon as important:
Healthy diet
Adequate sleep
Avoiding tobacco and alcohol
Reducing stress in our lives
Regular exercise
       
Let’s start at the top with a healthy diet. What you eat can definitely affect your health, including the robustness of your immune system.  If you Google “What is a healthy diet?” you will get wildly varying results. Some say to eat only raw foods, some say to eat a vegan diet, some say to eat paleo; some say to eat keto—and on and on. But we have no reason to be confused or to depend upon the wisdom of men to choose health-giving foods.  God had given us the directions for healthy eating. You will find them in Section 86 of the Doctrine and Covenants, known as the Word of Wisdom.

Just reading the opening verse of Section 86 should stir your heart and mind:  “Behold, verily thus saith the Lord unto you, In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation.”

Wow! Is there anyone who thinks this does not apply to our day? Please take a moment of time today to read or re-read this important direction from the Lord and pray about how you can implement it in your life.

Although there is some debate about interpretation of a few minor points of the Word of Wisdom, several key points are very clear: We are to avoid the use of tobacco and alcohol. (Notice this is also on the list of ways to have a strong immune system.) Hot drinks are not good for us. (Pray about what that means in your life!) We are to eat meat sparingly. (That eliminates the paleo and keto diets.) Grains are to be our staff of life and wheat is particularly for man.

Wheat is for man? Oh, my! What about gluten being evil?! I am not going to try to cover that topic again in this post.  Please read my November 2014 post, “In Defense of the Word of Wisdom: What About Gluten?” as well as my January 2016 post, “In Defense of the Word of Wisdom: Potential Problems with a Gluten-free Diet and Recent Research.”  These articles, although written a number of years ago, still address current questions about gluten and modern wheat.

The Word of Wisdom plainly says that grain is the staff of life. Maybe you are thinking that eating more whole grains is a good idea, but what does that have to do with a stronger immune system? Probably more than you realize. First of all, a diet rich in whole grains has been shown to improve gut health and there is a strong link between gut health and a robust immune system [1].

To fully enjoy the benefits of improved gut health from whole grains, one also needs to reduce the amount of refined grains and other refined foods in one’s diet. Consuming fermented foods also improves gut health. I make homemade kefir which we drink in smoothies, and my husband loves kimchi.

Here is a second way whole grains help immune functioning:  They contain important antioxidants which lower chronic (bad) inflammation in the body [2]. Chronic inflammation appears to be a factor in many diseases such as diabetes, cancer, asthma, and heart disease. These diseases, in turn, can compromise your immune system and make you more vulnerable to viral and bacterial infections.

One specific type of antioxidants in whole grain are called benzoxazinoids or BX. We have known about BX as a biochemical defense in plants since the 1950s, but their presence in whole grains and their potential benefits to human health was discovered by scientists from Aarhus University in 2010.   “Eating a diet rich in BX compounds made certain immune system cells react more strongly to some types of bacteria,” says Associate Professor Inge S. Fomsgaard from the Department of Agroecology at Aarhus University [3].

Whole grains also contain multiple other phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals that improve immune functioning.  One example is Vitamin E, which has been shown to be a powerful antioxidant that helps your body fight off infection. Guess what is one of the highest sources of Vitamin E? Wheat germ, part of the whole wheat kernel! Because Vitamin E is found in the oil of the wheat germ and can easily go rancid, to get the full benefits of this vitamin from the wheat you eat, choose freshly milled flour or eat cooked wheat kernels whole.
(See my article, “Keeping the Word of Wisdom: The Truth about Commercial Wheat Products,” published May 2015.)

Are you spending more time at home these days? That makes this a great time to begin to try your hand at baking at home and other ways to include more whole grains in your family’s diet! Starting with quick breads is an easy step—whole grain muffins, corn bread, scones, pumpkin bread! The internet is full of recipes.  Just be sure to weed out the ones that are not 100% whole grain.  I recommend choosing recipes that use honey and maple syrup as sweeteners and butter, extra virgin olive oil, or unrefined coconut oil as the fat.  I am also glad to share some of my favorite recipes with you.  Some of my favorites are already on my blog, and I will be posting more in the future. For detailed information about choosing whole grain flours for your home baking, please read my article, “A Trip to the Store: Choosing Whole Grain Foods and Whole Grain Flour,” also published on this month blog.

When baking yeast bread at home for the first time, please realize it is a learned skill and you may have some failures along the way. When I first started baking bread at home, my loaves looked like door stops! I have learned a lot since then and I would be glad to share baking tips with you. I will be posting tips plus my personal bread recipe on my blog soon.

The Word of Wisdom also tells us that fruits and vegetables are part of a healthy diet:
“And again, verily I say unto you, All wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man, every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof. All these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving” (verse 2a). (The botanical definition of herb is any seed-producing annual, biennial, or perennial plant that does not develop persistent woody tissue but dies down at the end of a growing season, so would include pretty much every fruit and vegetable that does not grow on a bush or tree.)

During this pandemic, I have been choosing to consciously increase my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables which are high in nutrients know to boost our immune systems. Foods high in Vitamin C include berries, cherries, peppers, kiwis, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and of course citrus fruits like limes, lemons, and oranges. During this specific season, I am also choosing to take a daily Vitamin C supplement. (My choice is one that includes bioflavinoids.)

Foods high in carotenoids (which the body converts to Vitamin A) include carrots, apricots, sweet potatoes, papaya, mangoes, kale, spinach, and collards. There is some indications that carotenoids in vegetables such as carrots and greens and best absorbed when lightly cooked and eaten with some fat such as butter or olive oil. I choose not to take a Vitamin A supplement because it is fat-soluble and the body stores excess amounts, making over-supplementing a bigger risk than with water soluble vitamins such as C.

Another food I have chosen to increase in my diet is garlic. Garlic is an inexpensive powerhouse when it comes to boosting immunity and has many other health benefits to boot. You’ll get the most benefit from raw garlic. I know, I know. Eating raw garlic can cause bad breath, but since you are going to be six feet away from people, the smell doesn’t matter, right?

I highly recommend investing in an easy to clean garlic press. I love adding pressed garlic on top of salads (and the raw greens minimize the garlic smell on your breath). I also love to add some extra virgin olive oil to the pressed garlic and drizzle it over popcorn. (Popcorn is whole grain, but microwave popcorn is not a good choice.)

Perhaps the best of all, is making your own garlic and herb bread dip. Crush the garlic on a saucer and add extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle in pinches of herbs such as basil, rosemary, oregano, or others of your choice. Tear a piece of whole wheat bread and dip away. Yum! You will be getting not only the immune boost of the garlic, but also of herbs and whole grains.

If you choose to cook your garlic, don’t heat it above 140°F. Higher temperatures kill the allicin (the main compound in garlic that makes it so healthy), so add garlic to your recipes when you’re almost done cooking.

Elderberry syrup has rightly established a place in the list of potent immune boosters. I choose to take elderberry almost every day as a preventive measure. Because of the way elderberry stimulates the immune system, there is debate about whether it might increase the risk of a cytokine storm reaction during a Covid-19 infection. To play it extra safe during this particular pandemic, it is recommended to take elderberry as a preventive, but to stop supplementing it if you show signs of an infection.

Zinc is another nutrient important to immune health. Whole grains contain zinc in the bran (outer coating).  Raw seeds and nuts are also a good source of zinc, as are mushrooms, kale, legumes, beef and chicken (eaten sparingly!), and sea food such as oysters, crabs, and lobsters.

Even though the Word of Wisdom does not directly address sugar and refined foods, I choose to strictly limit my intake of these on a daily basis (including refined oils). I feel this step is even more important in a time like today when our immune functioning is paramount. There is still debate about our sugar intake’s effect on our immune systems, but I feel it is pretty clear to everyone that sugar and other refined foods are not healthy food choices.

Have you read the promise the Lord gives us if we keep the commandments and the Word of Wisdom?  “And all Saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel, and marrow to their bones, and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint; and I, the Lord, give unto them a promise that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen” (D&C 86:3c-d, emphasis added).

I am confident we would all like to receive these blessings, and the Lord has told us how to obtain them!

References:

1) Vanegas, Sally M. et al.  “Substituting whole grains for refined grains in a 6-wk randomized trial has a modest effect on gut microbiota and immune and inflammatory markers of healthy adults.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,  vol. 105, no. 3, 2017, pp. 635–650
https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/105/3/635/4637852

2)  Xu, Yujie et al. “Whole grain diet reduces systemic inflammation: A meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials.” Medicine, vol. 97, no. 43, 2018
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6221555/

3) Aarhus University. "Wholesome wholegrain." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 8 February 2016. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160208124251.htm

A Trip to the Store: Choosing Whole Grain Foods and Whole Grain Flour

“All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beast, to be the staff of life... All grain is good for the food of man...nevertheless, wheat for man...” (Doctrine and Covenants, 86:2c, 3a-b Emphasis added).  

I have been inspired to revive my blog! Defending the Word of Wisdom is very relevant today.

On March 27, 2014, I published an article entitled, “The Staff of Life.” I suggest going back and reading that article before continuing with this one. It lays a foundation for what I will talk about today.   The 2014 article was intended to convinced you to start eating more whole grain foods and contains two of my favorite quick bread recipes. In this article, I would like to provide more information to ease your transition from refined flour products to whole grains, and to help you be a wise shopper.

As consumers have become more aware of the health benefits of whole grains—and scientific studies have substantiated these benefits—a much wider variety of whole grain foods have become available in grocery stores. Unfortunately, many companies to try to make their foods appear whole grain when they are not. Because of this, when you shop for whole grain foods in the grocery store, be sure to read the labels and ingredients lists carefully.

What should you look for? Here are some examples of labels that do NOT mean whole grain: “100% wheat” or “wheat bread” does NOT mean whole grain. “Multi-grain “does NOT mean whole grain. “Stone ground “does NOT mean whole grain. “Pumpernickel” or “rye “ does NOT mean whole grain. “Semolina” does NOT mean whole grain.

Don’t go by color when looking for whole grain products. Many breads have caramel food coloring or molasses added to make them look like whole wheat, and it is also very common to wrap bread in colored bags to make it look “browner.”

What if the label says “whole grain”? Surely that means it is a whole grain food. Yes ... and no. Products that are labeled “whole grain” must have some whole grain in them... but many contain very little. They may be 95% white flour and only 5% whole wheat or whole grain flour. Read the ingredients! They are listed in order by weight, from most to least. For example, when you buy whole wheat bread at the store,  The first ingredient should be 100% whole wheat flour. If enriched flour is listed anywhere as an ingredient, the product is NOT whole grain.

You should also look in the ingredients’ list for fillers and chemical dough conditioners. These lessen the nutritional value of the food. Here is an actual example from a loaf of bread labeled 100% whole wheat: “Water, stone ground whole wheat flour, wheat gluten, cottonseed fiber, yeast, brown sugar. Contains 2% or less of the following: salt, vegetable oil, yeast nutrients, dough conditioners (may contain one or more of the following: mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides, sodium stearoyl lactylate, calcium peroxide), honey, wheat bran, wheat protein isolate, sulfiting agents, vinegar, natural flavor, soy lecithin, guar gum, sucralose, cornstarch, 1-cysteine, sorbic acid and calcium propionate (preservatives).”

Some list, huh? First of all, because the first ingredient is water, you know that more water is in this loaf of bread than whole wheat flour. This is possible only because of fillers, primarily cottonseed fiber. It doesn’t take much to realize that cottonseed fiber is not a healthy part of your diet, but it’s cheaper than whole grain flour! Also note all the chemicals and dough conditioners found in this ingredient list. They are not part of a healthy diet either! Watch out for high fructose corn syrup,too, another undesirable ingredient which is added to some whole wheat commercial bread. Look for a short, simple list of ingredients more like this: 100% whole wheat flour, water, vegetable oil, honey, vital wheat gluten, yeast, salt.

I have noticed a new trend in the stores recently. I picked up two different products labeled 100% whole wheat, but when I read the ingredient list, the first thing listed was enriched flour (which means white, refined flour). These products did contain whole wheat flour, but they were not a 100% whole wheat product. I don’t know HOW they can legally label these products 100% whole wheat, but they are doing it. So be a careful shopper!

The smartest way to avoid all the labeling confusion is to do more baking at home! This is an outstanding way to improve your family’s diet, add more whole grains, and save money! Your breads will be fresher and free of preservatives and other chemical additives. I recommend using recipes that are designed especially for whole grain flours. Adapting white flour recipes can be tricky.

I highly recommend you do NOT run to the closest grocery store to buy a bag of whole wheat flour. The whole wheat flour available in grocery stores is usually low quality and stale, and makes heavy breads with poor flavor. No wonder most people give up baking with whole wheat! (Please read my May 2015 article to find out facts you need to know about commercial whole wheat flour.) It is worth the effort to get flour from a health food store or food co-op—or maybe you have a friend with a counter top mill who will grind fresh flour for you.

Here is another tip to make the transition to whole wheat easier for you and your family:  Try baking with whole white wheat flour. No, that is not an oxymoron. Whole white wheat flour is a 100% whole grain flour made from new strain of wheat called “white wheat.”

The whole wheat flour available in grocery stores is usually low quality and stale, and makes heavy breads with poor flavor. No wonder most people give up baking with whole wheat! (Please read my May 2015 article to find out facts you need to know about commercial whole wheat flour.)  It is worth the effort to get flour from a health food store or food co-op—or maybe you have a friend with a counter top mill who will grind fresh flour for you.

Standard wheat is red. Whole wheat flour made from red wheat tends to have a bit of a bitter flavor and be heavy. However, you can bake with 100% whole wheat flour made from this new white wheat variety and get a sweeter and lighter colored product, while retaining all the same nutrients and benefits of red whole wheat flour. Look for white whole wheat flour at health food stores.  Just read the label carefully and be sure you aren’t buying white (refined) flour by mistake.

Both red wheat and white wheat come in hard and soft varieties. Hard wheat is higher in protein. This means it contains more gluten, which is necessary for yeast breads to rise properly. Soft wheat is great for muffins and cookies, and any other quick breads leavened with baking powder or baking soda. Flour ground from soft wheat is labeled “pastry flour.” Don’t try to use it to make a loaf of yeast bread! You will be disappointed in the results.

If you are a new baker, I recommend starting out with quick breads, such as nut breads, muffins, waffles, pancakes, scones, and cookies. The internet is full of recipes!  Just be sure to weed out the ones that are not 100% whole grain. I recommend choosing ones that use honey and maple syrup as sweeteners and butter, extra virgin olive oil, or unrefined coconut oil as the fat. I will also be publishing more of my own favorite recipes on this blog.

What about other grains besides wheat? Old-fashioned oatmeal is whole grain. Have a steamy bowl of hot oatmeal. (Try adding a spoonful of unrefined coconut oil and a sprinkle of cinnamon to each bowlful after it is cooked.) You can make whole oat flour by grinding one cup of old-fashioned oatmeal at a time in your blender. Try half wheat flour, half oat flour in cookies and muffins. You may add oat flour to yeast breads, but only in small amounts, as it is low in gluten.

Popcorn is whole grain. Yum! But sorry, you should try to avoid the microwave popcorn, which is full of chemicals. (Another reason to avoid microwave popcorn—or any other microwaved food—is the new wave of information indicating that microwaves may change the molecular structure of foods, making them less nutritious or even harmful. This is a topic you may wish to research.)

Would you like to bake some cornbread to go with that pot of bean soup? When buying cornmeal, look for meal that is NOT de-germinated. If it says de-germinated, the germ and the bran have been removed and it is a refined grain product like white flour. You may have to go to a natural foods store to find cornmeal that is not de-germinated.

One of the easiest whole grain transitions to make is using brown rice (whole grain) instead of white rice (refined). The difference is barely noticeable. Use long-grain brown rice for fluffier rice; short grain brown rice tends to be sticky.

After you practice on quick breads, sooner or later you are going to get the urge to bake a “real” loaf of bread. There are few things as satisfying as a hot loaf of bread fresh out of the oven. Making bread takes practice. Don’t be discouraged if your first efforts are less than perfect. When I first started trying to bake bread, I made “bricks”— heavy, brick-shaped lumps of bread. My husband had to set them on end and cut them lengthwise to get a slice big enough to make a sandwich!

Look for important tips for making homemade whole wheat bread along with my personal recipe in my next blog post!