by Susan R. Johnson MD and Jeff Smith RN, Raphael House

There were not many courses dealing with nutrition in medical school or during my pediatric residency. I did learn that sailors on prolonged voyages at sea could get scurvy if they didn't have enought vitamin C, and I also was taught the importance of a low-fat diet. For literally decades, I did not eat butter and I drank only non-fat milk. Last year I spent two months at the Lukas Klinik in Arlesheim, Switzerland, learning about nutrition and the importance of providing high quality fats in our diet as well as in our children's diet. Infants and children especially need fats and their accompanying vitamins and minerals to myelinate their nervous systems.

Here are a few nutritional tips I recently have learned :

1) Reduce sugar consumption (especially sugar sweetened fruit drinks and sodas) and limit use of refined white flour and white flour products. These substances require minerals and enzymes to be processed. Because these substances contain little to no minerals, vitamins or enzymes, they continually deplete our own bodies' supplies. Our digestive organs do not function well without a good supply of vitamins, enzymes, and minerals, and therefore our digestion is weakened.

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Consuming sugary foods, especially in the absence of proteins and fats, stimulates the pancreas to over-secrete insulin which causes a rapid drop in our blood sugar (hypoglycemia) leading to irritability and temper tantrums in our children. Hypoglycemia also triggers the release of stress hormones which suppress the immune system (one of the reasons why a sick child should not have a lot of refined sugar in their diet). There has also been a rise in Type II diabetes among adolescents, and many health professionals are concerned about the role of too much sugar in our children's diet, and its relationship to an over-stimulation of the pancreas. (Caffeine also stimulates insulin release from the pancreas which is why one craves carbohydrates or sweets after drinking a can of diet coke or cup of coffee).

Many nutritionists also worry that too much sugar in the diet can cause an overgrowth of Candida (yeast) in the gastrointestinal tract and may lead to a "leaky" gut that absorbs foods into the bloodsteam too readily without breaking them down properly. Our immune system then overreacts to these poorly broken down food particles, causing allergies and food sensitivities. Nutrasweet/aspartame found in "diet" drinks are also toxic, since they mimic neurotransmitters in the brain and have been associated with neurological symptoms in children. In addition to good quality water, herbal and fruit teas can be helpful in meeting the body's daily fluid needs. Pure fruit juices also can be mixed with sparkling water to make delicious drinks and lessen the amount of "sugar" load presented to the body and thereby minimize the secretion of insulin by the pancreas (a glass of orange juice can have as much "sugar" as a candy bar).

2) Try to drink whole organic milk and eat whole organic milk products. I learned in Switzerland that the worst milk to drink is non-organic, homogenized, pasteurized whole milk while the best milk to drink is raw milk from a pasture fed cow. Pasteurization also inactivates most of the enzymes found in milk which acturally help pre-digest the lactose sugar and help in mineral absorption. Vitamins B-6 and B-12 are also destroyed by pasteurization. An early sign of B-12 deficiency is irrational rage. Valuable dairy products include butter, cheese, yoghurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, buttermilk and quark. A child that is allergic to milk can often still tolerate butter and cream.

3) We need more Omega 3 fatty acids in our diet, and we are all eating too many hydrogenated oils (high in Omega 6). We should all be eating organic butter from pasture fed (not soy or cottonseed-fed) cows. Organic butter contains a beneficial fatty acid content, fat soluable vitamins (especially A and D), Activator X (which helps the body absorb and utilize minerals) and many trace minerals. It is also beneficial to consume small amounts of expeller-expressed organic flax seed oil (high in Omega 3 fatty acids) by adding 1 teaspoonful/day of the oil to our salad or mixing it into other uncooked foods. Extra virgin olive oil has a high enzyme content and is rich in antioxidants. It is good in salads.

Butter and olive oil are best for cooking and baking. Try to avoid cooking with other oils (corn, sunflower, soybean, safflower and cottonseed). The high heat causes these unsaturated oils to change their form and become toxic to our bodies. Peanut oil and sesame oil are more stable for frying, but they both contain high percentages of Omega 6 fatty acids.

Margarine is one of the worst food substances for our body. This partially hydrogenated fat made from vegetable oils is thought to block utilization of essential fatty acids and thereby impair our immune system. Consumption of hydrogenated fats is associated with many serious diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes, obesity, bone and joint problems, and immune system dysfunction (to name only a few). Canola oil, developed from the rapeseed, easily becomes rancid, and its Omega 3 fatty acids are transformed into more harmful fatty acids (similar to margarine) during processing. There is a question whether consumption of canola oil can actually cause a deficiency of Vitamin E.

4) Organic Eggs from pasture fed chickens are one of the best sources of complete protein since they contain all the amino acids. It is best to consume all fats and proteins before 3 pm since that supports the cycle of the liver. The liver wants to slow down its metabolism in the late afternoon and start storing glucose (in the form of glycogen) for the next day's energy supply.

5) Biodynamic or organic vegetables and fruits are the best because they contain higher amounts of enzymes, vitamins, and minerals. According to Sally Fallon's book, Nourishing Traditions, there are some commercial oranges that actually have no vitamin C! Our soils have been overused and are depleted of minerals. Grapes, figs, avocados, dates, bananas, papayas, pineapples, kiwis and mangoes are fruits with a high enzyme content. Cooking vegetables with lemon juice helps to preserve their vitamin content. Fermented vegetables, like sauerkraut, pickled carrots, cucumbers, and beets, provide good sources of enzymes.

Certain less tangible elements also belong to nutrition. The atmosphere of mealtimes – creating a space where the hurry and tensions of the day can be placed temporarily at a distance – is very important. To light a candle at mealtimes and to sing or say a blessing to express thankfulness reminds us all to be grateful for the gift of food that we share with each other. Digestion occurs best and nutrition is optimized when our mealtimes are surrounded by a calm, warm and loving social atmosphere.