Nutrients and Foods

There are no natural foods that contain absolutely no nutrients. There are foods that are low in vitamins or sugars for example, but none that absolutely lack nutrients. The zero calorie, eat all you want, diet is a myth that comforts those who eat without thinking to carefully.

It is possible, to drink bottled water with chemical flavoring and chemical sweeteners. These do contain zero calories – however the chemicals do affect the body. Technically, these fall into the definition of nutrients because of this. There are food related supplements that can be added to prevent the uptake of, for example, cholesterol. Normally, around half of ingested cholesterols are absorbed through the gut wall into the body. Supplements are available that reduce this to about one third. These products are generally based on sterols or stanols. This is a bonus for people whose diet demands a rapid cholesterol reduction. However, some food standards agencies – particularly in Europe – recommend that these products are not used by pregnant or nursing mothers. For long term use, there are questions to be answered such as: why not change your diet to reduce cholesterol?

There are two main fat types: saturated and unsaturated. Foods high in saturated fat tend to raise blood cholesterol levels. Reducing the amount of saturated fats will, consequently, reduce the amount of cholesterols. Sausages, fatty cuts of meat, butter, cream and foods containing coconut or palm oil all tend to be high in saturated fat. Unsaturated fats tend to lower cholesterols. So, adding oily fish, avocados, nuts, sunflower, olive, and corn, oils and spreads to your diet can help to balance out the effects of saturated fats.

Getting the balance right means you can achieve a low cholesterol diet without adding sterols to your diet. Other foods, such as those high in soluble fiber also help to manage and reduce the uptake of nutrients such as cholesterols – chickpeas, beans, lentils, fruit and vegetables. This suggests the best way to reduce nutrients such as cholesterol is to balance your diet between animal and plant material. While it is not a zero nutrient diet this managed nutrient diet does ensure you can target which nutrients to minimize.