Nutrition Concepts: What is there, what to keep from it

"Clean" food: The followers of "clean eating" focus on as natural as possible, unprocessed food, optimally in organic quality. Instead of using ready-made sauces or packer soup, a Clean Eater would rather cook for you, with as simple a preparation as possible. Sugar and white flour are taboo, as consuming industrially processed food and of course fast food. For example, there are fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, wholemeal cereals, legumes and nuts left over. When it comes to shopping, looking at the list of ingredients, you also see your eyes on aromas, flavor enhancers or clearly elaborately processed ingredients such as milk powder, sweetener or modified starch? A no-go for clean, "clean" food.

Nutritionist Marlies Gruber sees in a more nuanced way what sounds like a healthy nutritional concept: "It is very much forbidden, for which there is no need from a nutritional point of view," said the scientific director of "forum.ernährung heute", the association for the promotion of nutritional information. And it means about the general skepticism towards food manufacturers, industrially processed foods, sweets, white flour or additives. Read something on the labels that can not be classified. But often they are also natural ingredients, such as in a number of additives. "An apple would have twelve additives if one had to label it."

nutrition concepts

The first known dietary trend was the big eating. After the deprivations of the two world wars one feasted in the post-war period on "eating plates", which passed over just like meat. Finally, you could afford it - and of course wanted to put this publicly on display. Soon the pendulum swung in the opposite direction: Now health was announced. Whole foods should be in the 70er years, as healthy and natural as possible. It continued with exotic diets, body optimization for the slim line. And in the 90ern, the bad fat was taboo, with a boom of light products. Today, the trends are clean eating, stone age nutrition or freegan.

Another example of unloved glutamate: The salt of glutamic acid is contained, for example, in breast milk, mushrooms, parmesan or tomatoes. "Provocatively, you could say that Italian food tastes so good because it naturally contains a lot of glutamate," says the nutritionist.
Basically, the concept is not new: "It reminds a little of the nutritional value of 70er. At that time, however, it was more sustainable, more in terms of environmental, economic and social compatibility and less so only to the health of the individual, "said Gruber. What you are generally reluctant about is the black and white painting, the division of food into good and bad, allowed and not allowed. "That makes no sense. There is not a single food that is only good. "It depends on the whole eating pattern.

Back to nature

Under the name Paleo, a nutritional concept is becoming increasingly popular, according to the inventors, based on the diet of the Paleolithic. On the menu are the accepted foods of the hunters and gatherers: meat, fish and eggs of free-range animals, vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, nuts and seeds, honey and maple syrup as exceptions. Since agriculture and livestock were introduced much later in human history, they are classified in the Stone Age nutrition as "not appropriate to the species". Taboo are therefore dairy products, cereals, but also sugar, legumes, refined vegetable oils and fats and processed foods. Spiced up with health-related theory: since legumes and cereals contain plant-derived antibodies (lectins) and phytate (phytate), which prevents the absorption of certain minerals and blocks digestive enzymes, they are considered harmful. Cereals and potatoes also contain carbohydrates, which quickly raise the blood sugar level and drop it just as quickly. Paleo therefore promises to prevent lifestyle diseases such as diabetes or hypertension.

So what is it about the Paleo nutrition concept? Nutritionist Gruber is critical of the attitude towards grain products and legumes, among other things: “From a health point of view, cereals and legumes are particularly recommended. They provide carbohydrates, which should make up around half of the energy supply, as well as a combination of high-quality protein, fiber and a number of micronutrients. ”Phytic acid is neutralized by the enzyme phytase. It is contained in cereals and legumes, all you have to do is soak them in water before eating them. Most lectins in turn are neutralized by heat. “Nobody eats raw legumes. Yes, if there were no fire, we would have to do without it. Hiding the possibility of heating food and making it more digestible is like not accepting the development of civilization, ”says the scientific director. In other areas of life, people would very much appreciate the development. "Probably Paleo fans also use the plane, car or bicycle and have computers and smartphones." And very few will chase their meat themselves in the Stone Age manner or consume the same amount of calories as they did then.

She also takes a critical view of foregoing milk and milk products, which are a good source of calcium and B vitamins. The categorical waiver of sugar also makes no sense. "From an evolutionary point of view, sweets bring energy and are a signal that the fruit is ripe, tastes good and is not poisonous." At Paleo, on the one hand there are restrictions that would not be necessary, on the other hand meat is strongly emphasized. “But most people eat more than enough anyway. A low meat consumption would, however, be associated with health and ecological advantages, ”says Gruber about nutritional concepts.

Eating instead of throwing away

Freeganism is motivated less socially and socio-critically. Criticism of human behavior towards animals and the environment, but also of capitalism, the profit of ethics, the representatives of this diet have written on the flags. Freegan is composed of the English "free" and "vegan". What is eaten is what others throw away. Instead of spending money on food, they collect their food where it is freely available. Among other things, unsold merchandise from supermarkets or market stalls and biotunes are a good option. So Freegans want to set a mark against the throwaway society, the frenzy and the waste of resources.

Gruber sees the freeganism, also known under the terms container or dumpster diving, as a movement that is practiced by individuals as a kind of "social tattoo": "There is a great deal of disorientation in our complex reality of life. Joining a trend is a distinguishing feature, and identifying with values ​​can make an area of ​​life - food, for example - easier. "Especially following dietary trends would make life easier for many in the abundance we live in. As automatisms that create a "decision-shortcut" and that often lead to a strong black-and-white painting in allowed and not allowed food and thus create such a polarizing decision tree.

The ideal diet?

"Hardly anyone follows a trend for a lifetime," says Gruber. About 80 percent of vegans and vegetarians would come back to the mixed food in the course of their lives. Incidentally, it is still the best form of nutrition from a nutritional point of view: "A balanced, colorful mixed diet with seasonal and regional factors - this results in variety anyway." The ideal diet is very calm, plant-based with lots of fruits and vegetables, cereals and potatoes , dairy products and eggs, some meat and fish. The effects of the Mediterranean diet are positive. The ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet (with dairy products and eggs) also offers everything you need well put together. She strongly advises vegans to deal intensively with food. "There are some nutrients where you have to look closely." For example Calcium (Vegetables or mineral water) or Vitamin B12 (enriched products or supplement). "Pregnant women, nursing mothers, toddlers and older people are not advised to eat vegan."

It is also important how we eat, says the nutritionist. So, in what context do we eat with whom? Are we taking our time? Do we enjoy it? How do we choose the food, where do we get it and under what eco-social standards? This seems increasingly important to me, as if we were only eating fruit or omitting additives. "

Small ABC of nutritional concepts

Blood type diet:
Assumes that the diet should be based on the blood type: At the beginning of humanity, there was only the blood group 0 (hunter - meat - emphasized, avoid wholegrain). In the Neolithic era developed agriculture and livestock and blood group A (farmer - vegetarian, can process animal products poorly). Later, blood group B (nomads - omnivores) was born. Only about a millennium ago, the blood group AB developed by the mixing of A and B (mysterious - tolerate wheat, avoid meat). Each blood group should respond differently to lectins (legumes, cereals) that are supposed to clump the blood.
Review: not scientifically proven.

Clean Eating:
Consuming as simple and freshly cooked food as possible (organic if possible), avoiding sugar, white flour, legumes and industrially produced foods.
Criticism: abandonment of legumes and industrial products unnecessary restriction.

Flexitarians:
Usually eats vegetarian when it's fun, but also from time to time meat. Flexible so.

freegan:
Eat from what others throw away. Sociocritical movement in protest at the profit-oriented treatment of humans, animals and the environment. Vegan diet for ethical reasons.

Frutarian:
This vegan diet does not only protect animals but also plants. Eat only vegetable food that does not destroy the plant: fruits, nuts, legumes, vegetables, some seeds and cereals. On the other hand, no tubers, root vegetables, stems or leafy vegetables.
Criticism: Malnutrition possible.

Ketogenic diet:
A lot of protein and fat instead of sugar and carbohydrates: The body normally gets its energy from glucose, which is broken down from carbohydrates. If insufficient carbohydrates are available, he attacks fat deposits, from which the liver produces ketone bodies. Use among others in epilepsy and certain metabolic disorders, also advertised as an anti-cancer diet (tumor cells need glucose for their growth).
Criticism: Not necessary for healthy, use as anti-cancer diet controversial.

Light food:
Spiritual method in which food (and sometimes liquid) is dispensed with, since all necessary energy can be obtained from light.
Criticism: Danger of death, risk of dehydration and kidney damage.

macrobiotics:
Nutritional philosophy in which wholegrain cereals (especially rice), vegetables, legumes, algae and salt are eaten, sometimes with some fish. Meat and dairy products are not required.
Criticism: deficiency symptoms possible.

Paleo - Stone Age nutrition:
Nutrition only with food from the Stone Age: meat, fish and eggs of free-range animals, vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts. Taboo: Dairy products, grains and legumes, sugar, industrially processed foods.
Criticism: too much animal protein, unnecessary abandonment of grain and legumes

Pescetarier:
Vegetarian who also eats fish in addition to dairy products and eggs.

raw food:
Nutrition with foods that are not heated above 42 ° C (Dörren). Possible as a vegan form (vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, herbs, oil, nuts and seeds) or vegetarian (with raw milk products and eggs) or omnivor (with fish and raw meats and sausages).
Criticism: deficiency symptoms possible, raw food is more difficult to digest, hygiene problems (eg Salmonella).

Vegan:
Complete renunciation of animal products of all kinds, from meat to fish and dairy to eggs. For example, honey or gelatin-clarified juices. In the strict form, other animal products such as leather, wool, feathers or silk are rejected.
Criticism: deficiency symptoms possible.

Veggan:
Vegan diet but includes eggs. No-go for strict vegans as male chicks are often killed in mass production.
Review: Thanks to protein kick, vitamins and iron nutritionally positive improvement of the vegan variant.

More to better nutrition and Health here.

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