Tomorrow is Thanksgiving! By now you probably have a plan in place for how you will successfully get through the holidays. But if you don’t, no worries, you can read this blog and our previous Holiday Success Tips Blogs (see below), and you will still have time to make the holidays a success and come out on the other side feeling good and without increased inflammation.
Here are our previous Holiday Success Tips Links to help you:
Skip the Sip: The benefits of staying hydrated between meals.
When Nourishment Turns Into Toxification: Tap into the benefits of health digestion.
What the Japanese Have Right!: How to eat sufficiently without overeating.
What is the best way to beat inflammation throughout the holiday season?
The answer is quite simple: Ensure that your body has all the tools it needs for proper absorption and assimilation. Let us unpack what are the necessary tools:
The Absorption Powerhouse
After food is processed in the stomach, the solution passes into the intestines. Over 90% of nutrient absorption happens in the small intestines. Nutrients are passed through the intestinal walls into the circulation and are taken by the blood stream to the cells or to storage. The small intestine has an extensive length of 10-12 feet; however, this area is covered with fingerlike projections called microvilli, producing an enormous absorptive surface area of 750 feet, roughly the size of a tennis court, maximizing nutrient absorption.
The large intestine is responsible for absorption of extra water, sodium, vitamin K, B12, thiamin, and riboflavin.
Vitamin and Mineral Interaction
For proper absorption and assimilation, every nutrient is dependent upon another nutrient. By looking at the figure below we see how all our nutrients work together and are dependent upon each other for proper absorption and assimilation. This works well when we eat our food in its whole, original state. But what happens when parts of our food are removed? This is called refining. We will take grains as an example.
When grains are refined, the bran or fiber and the nutrient nucleus, called the germ (containing more than 20 vitamins and minerals) are removed. The endosperm containing the carbohydrate, protein, and fat of the grain remains. Then five (sometimes seven) synthetic vitamins and minerals are added: Thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and iron. The food is then labeled, “Enriched.”
If you asked me to change a twenty-dollar bill into smaller bills, and I gave you five dollars back, would you feel enriched or ripped off and depleted? When we eat “enriched” grains, we are not enriching our body but depleting them, denying them of the necessary nutrients for proper digestion.
Enriched grains lack the fiber necessary to control inflammation. When fiber is present in the food, it sends out a signal to the rest of the body that everything is under control and there is no need for inflammation. Therefore, fiber is a very important, even critical, tool for combating inflammation throughout the holiday season.
Our Creator has made our food with all the necessary nutrients to synergistically work together for proper digestion and absorption.
Refined foods, sugary treats, and greasy or fatty foods, tend to mat down the delicate microvilli in the small intestines, reducing the intestine’s capacity to absorb essential nutrients. By eating whole grains and other whole foods the way they come from the Creator’s hand, prepared in a simple way, free from fats and sugars, will allow our small intestine to function at its best, keeping us energized and healthy.
Supplements
When we are deficient in a particular nutrient, a nutrient supplement can possibly help. However, as the attached vitamin and mineral interaction figures show it is better to get the deficient nutrient from food whenever possible because there is a better chance it will be assimilated and absorbed into the body. However, when a supplement is taken it should be packaged with other necessary nutrients to facilitate proper assimilation and absorption.
If you are deficient in a particular nutrient a registered dietitian, such as me, can help you know the best foods to help you absorb the deficient nutrient. In most cases we can supplement by increasing the foods, in their whole form, that are high in the nutrient that is deficient.
One exception to this is Vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is actually bacteria, and like other helpful bacteria it is absorbed in the large intestine. Its absorption in the gut is dependent on intrinsic factor and on folate and other B vitamins (found in whole grains). Vitamin B12 is necessary for red blood cell production and DNA production, cognitive function, memory and mood, and nerve regulation. Because Americans eat mostly a highly processed diet, snack often, and get minimal contact with nature and dirt (7), Americans are often lacking sufficient vitamin B12. Vegetarians and vegans tend to be low in vitamin B12 as well. The best way to take vitamin B12 (is in the form of methyl cobalamin) sublingually (under your tongue), where it is absorbed directly into the blood stream. This method bypassing the digestive tract where intrinsic factor is needed to successfully absorb vitamin B12 and the intrinsic factor must stay connected with the vitamin B12 all the way to the end of the large intestine in order to be absorbed into the bloodstream. I use the vitamin B12 “dots” by Twin Labs or a liquid supplement. If you choose to use sublingual B12, you must allow the tablet to dissolve completely under the tongue or hold the liquid in your mouth for 30 seconds or more. It should always be taken with a meal.
Another vitamin that many Americans are often deficient in is vitamin D. Vitamin D is actually a hormone that we absorb from direct sunlight. Those living north of Atlanta, GA, cannot absorb enough vitamin D from the sun during winter months, thus making a vitamin D supplement necessary during the winter. Vitamin D helps regulate our calcium and phosphorus absorption and helps maintain the health of our bones and teeth. A low vitamin D level can negatively affect our mood, cholesterol, and immune system, decreasing our ability to fight off diseases such as cancer and auto-immune disease. Vitamin D should also be taken with meals for proper absorption.
A whole-food, plant-based, fiber-rich diet is the best diet for combating inflammation during the holiday season. Prepare these nutritious foods in a simple way, free from sugar, fats, and gravies. For example, it is better to have steamed seasoned green beans than green bean casserole, or corn on the cob is better than corn pudding. Fill your plate with simple plant foods and see how much better you feel and function throughout the holiday season.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Dana West, RDN, LD, DIPACLM
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