Canning

Have you ever wondered what happens to food in the canning process?  Well, here it is courtesy of George once again.  In particular, take note of the last paragraph. 

Canning is a high heat process that can destroy nutrients. Yet, how this can affect food really depends upon the food in question. As such, I usually like to address this question from two perspectives: that of fruits and vegetables, and that of beans.

Fruits and vegetables are especially important sources of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients like carotenoids and flavonoids. In some cases, these particular nutrients can be very difficult to obtain from any other food group. Vitamins and phytonutrients are especially susceptible to degradation from heat. This combination of food group uniqueness and heat susceptibility makes the canning of fruits and vegetables a fairly high-risk process in terms of nourishment.

Because canning most often involves high heat, it can rob foods of vast amounts of nutrients. For example, in the process of canning mixed vegetables, the vitamin C loss can be as high as 67%. During the canning of tomato juice, up to 70% of the original folic acid can be lost.

Yet, for several reasons, I look at this issue a little differently for beans. First, even though beans contain important amounts of vitamins and phytonutrients, their protein, fiber, and mineral content is one of their most valuable contributions to a Healthiest Way of Eating. Heating does not damage protein, fiber, and minerals in the same way as it can damage vitamins and phytonutrients. You can expect to receive fairly full protein, fiber, and mineral benefits from canned beans-in much the same way as you would receive these same benefits from dry beans cooked at home. Second, unlike fruits and vegetables, beans cannot be eaten raw. Beans have to be cooked (or processed in some other way, like sprouted); not only do they have to be cooked, they have to be cooked for a fairly extensive period of time. In other words, when it comes to cooking, canning and from-scratch preparation are not altogether different.

So, if enjoying canned beans is more convenient for you, by all means go ahead and enjoy them although I would suggest looking for cans that do not feature Bisphenol A. I would suggest looking for those that do not contain additives and have minimal added salt (150-300 milligrams per cup), and if possible, select canned beans that have been organically grown.

Eating Meat

A very common topic amongst healthy eaters is whether or not meat is good for you.  There is also the discussion of cruel treatment of the animals that become our food that keep some vegetarians/vegans from eating meat products and the like.  However, we will just focus on the health of meat eating for this article.
 
After reading Omnivore's Dilemma and watching Food Inc., my curiosity into the quality and health concerns of the "standard" of meat (and other foods) we put in our bodies had grown.  This all lead me to trim down my meat intake and only consume lean organic meats when I do eat them.  I know this is not the ideal solution as I still have a problem with how some of these meats get to our stores, but I am trying to chew just one step at a time. 

Here are some interesting points from George Mateljan on eating meat.

I do not believe that research supports the perspective that eating meat necessarily has negative harmful consequences. The impact of meat-eating depends completely on (1) the type of meat eaten, (2) the frequency with which meat is eaten, (3) how much meat is eaten, and (4) how well the meat is matched to a person's biochemical individuality.

Eating non-organic, high-fat cuts of meat (like rib meat) in any significant amount does clearly pose health risks. These risks includes cardiovascular risks related to saturated fat intake, cancer risks related to growth hormone residues, and immune system risks related to antibiotic residues.
Certified organic lean meat (cut from the round bone, like top round, bottom round, or eye of round) eaten in moderate amounts (four to six ounces) twice a week might be highly beneficial to some people's lifelong health. If you look at the research behind a diet like the Paleolithic Diet, you'll find that non-domesticated animals, living in the wild, often have very different types of fat than most of the domesticated, ranch-raised, and grain-fed animals that are raised today. You'll also find that in general, animals living in the wild have a far lower percent body fat than the animals we raise for meat.

While WHFoods website and The World's Healthiest Foods book do emphasize organically grown plant-based foods, I think that lean meat (as well as other animal-based foods such as poultry and seafood) can play an important role in a Healthiest Way of Eating for many people. These foods are incredibly rich in many nutrients-including zinc, iron, vitamin B12, and others—that are more difficult to find in such concentrated amounts in plant-based foods. These foods do contain saturated fat and cholesterol. Yet, I think that by picking lean cuts and including them as a balanced part of a meal as opposed to making them the center stage of the meal (for example, having a dinner meal that includes three to four ounces of meat vs. a sixteen-ounce t-bone steak), people can enjoy meat's nutritional benefits while still ascribing to dietary guidelines important for maintaining optimal health.

Yet, this is not to say that I advocate meat-eating for everyone. The physiological needs of some people can make them better suited for a meat-containing diet while other people's physiological needs may make them better suited to a diet that avoids these foods.

I do think that the quality of the meat is important, which is why I emphasize organically raised meat in website and my book. The organic standards not only regulate the use of drugs and hormones in meat but also the treatment and environment in which the animals are raised. I am happy that this arena of information—the humane treatment of animals—is becoming more widely discussed. Should people choose to eat meat (or poultry or seafood) I think that an inherent respect needs to be in place as we honor our connection to the world around us.