Book Alert: Deep Nutrition By Dr. Catherine Shanahan

I just finished reading Deep Nutrition by Dr. Catherine Shanahan.  Fascinating stuff.  And if Kobe Bryant endorses it, as one of the few who was able to play NBA elite level hoops for 20 years, it has to be worthy of a few weeks of my reading time, right?

A few snippets that I found fascinating from this book:

1) Nutrition can affect genetics in later on generations but these may not be permanent changes.  The idea that DNA and genes are a series of light switches turned on or off by what is available is novel to me.  One example in the book describes a 1930 study conducted using pigs that were deprived of vitamin A before they reproduced.  The litter of these deprived pigs were born without eyeballs because the mother had no supply available and vitamin A is essential to formation of the eye.  The blind piglets, however, were fed normal diets that contained vitamin A and they were able to give birth to pigs with eyeballs. Unreal!

2) The science of food is considered with respect to the biochemistry of oils and how certain ones (particularly vegetable oils) are dangerous for consumption. Dr Cate shows how vegetable oils have multiple double bonds in their chains which break apart when heated leaving reactive compounds in our bodies that can wreak havoc on the system. My inner chemistry nerd loved trying to comprehend the complexity that she simplified here.  Additionally, there is a lengthy discussion of the science of all the ways vegetable oils can affect the body- and none of them sounds good!  This book is a challenging read- even with boat loads of science learning behind me, I had to really work to gain full understanding of some of the biochemistry going on- but it is definitely making me think about my food in a new way.

3) Following oil, the book went on to discuss the negative effects of sugar consumption. After completing five rounds of the whole 30, I'm positive that my body hates sugar... though my mind continues to crave it and give in to the temptation of its deliciousness. Discussions of how sugar influences cholesterol levels, diabetes, migraines, erectile dysfunction, and cardiac issues were outlined. I doubt I’ll ever be able to completely exclude my favorite treats from my diet, but the anecdotes and research outlined in this book will certainly make me think more about the treats I’m consuming and whether or not they’re worth it. 

4) Consider food as medicine. If you focus on what we eat as the problem, it might be hard to realize that food is also the solution.  The book looks at a few conditions - particularly concussion, Alzheimer’s, and autism- and discusses how oxidative stress contributes to these diagnoses. Did you know that what you eat after a concussion can impact your potential recovery because certain foods increase oxidative stress on the brain which it is already overloaded with from the injury? I had never thought about it from that perspective, and I treat people who have experienced concussions!  The book outlines "The Human Diet" with the four key components of what you should be eating. 

Overall, I definitely recommend the book but think it’s only fare to mention it felt like hard work to get through some of the heavy science portions. Ultimately I’m so glad I did and will definitely be applying some of the principles I learned to how I eat and cook.

Check it out!  Next up to read: "The Origin of Species."