The Whole Food Philosophy: The Nutrients, And The Mojo

Last time we left off with the Story of the Giant Sugar Beet and I used an apple as an example of all the compounds that can be found in whole foods. It was an impressive list, wasn't it?

If you look up the nutritional contents of our average apple, here is what you'll find:

Minerals

	with skin	peeled
Calcium	7.5 mg	5.5 mg
Iron	0.1 mg	0.1 mg
Magnesium	6.3 mg	4.4 mg
Phosphorus	13.8 mg	12.1 mg
Potassium	134 mg	99.0 mg
Sodium	1.3 mg	0.0 mg
Zinc	0.0 mg	0.1 mg
Copper	0.0 mg	0.0 mg
Manganese	0.0 mg	0.0 mg
Selenium	0.0 mcg	0.0 mgc
Fluoride	4.1 mcg	-

Vitamins

	with skin	peeled
Vitamin A	67.5 IU	41.8 IU
Vitamin C	5.7 mg	4.4 mg
Vitamin D	-	-
Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol)	0.2 mg	0.1 mg
Vitamin K	2.8 mcg	0.7 mcg
Thiamin	0.0 mg	0.0 mg
Riboflavin	0.0 mg	0.0 mg
Niacin	0.1 mg	0.1 mg
Vitamin B6	0.1 mg	0.0 mg
Folate	3.6 mcg	0.0 mcg
Vitamin B12	0.0 mcg	0.0 mcg
Pantothenic Acid	0.1 mg	0.1 mg
Choline	4.2 mg	3.7 mg
Betaine	0.1 mg	-

Sterols

	with skin	peeled
Cholesterol	0.0 mg	0.0 mg
Phytosterols	15.0 mg	-

Fatty acids

	with skin	peeled
Saturated	0.0 g	0.0 g
Monounsaturated	0.0 g	0.0 g
Polyunsaturated	0.1g	0.0 g
Omega-3 fatty acids	11.2 mg	7.7 mg
Omega 6 fatty acids	53.8 mg	34.1 mg

Amino Acids

	with skin	peeled
Tryptophan	1.3 mg	1.1 mg
Threonine	7.5 mg	6.6 mg
Isoleucine	7.5 mg	6.6 mg
Leucine	16.3 mg	15.4 mg
Lysine	15.0 mg	14.3 mg
Methionine	1.3 mg	1.1 mg
Cystine	1.3 mg	1.1 mg
Phenylalanine	7.5 mg	7.7 mg
Tyrosine	1.3 mg	1.1 mg
Valine	15.0 mg	13.2 mg
Arginine	7.5 mg	6.6 mg
Histidine	6.3 mg	5.5 mg
Alanine	13.8 mg	13.2 mg
Aspartic acid	87.5 mg	81.4 mg
Glutamic acid	31.2 mg	28.6 mg
Glycine	11.2 mg	9.9 mg
Proline	7.5 mg	6.6 mg
Serine	12.5 mg	12.1 mg
Hydroxyproline

Source: Self Nutrition Data

Amounts Per 125g

Not that this isn't an impressive list. But why is it so much shorter?

Is it because not all the compounds present are worthy of measuring? They don't do anything so why worry about them? What if that is a wrong assumption? What if the apple's mojo is hiding between the lines of the nutrient list?

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Would you agree?

We all know that fruits and vegetables are good for us; that's because of all the vitamins they contain, right? Is, then, taking a vitamin pill the same as eating an apple? (And let's, for the moment, pretend that the pill would contain the vitamins exactly as they are found in the fruit)

Perhaps it isn't the same thing. Perhaps the vitamin supplements are missing some important stuff.

Besides the nutrients listed above, an apple is full of phytochemicals.

What the heck is that? Phytochemicals are non-nutritive chemicals found in plants. Aha! Non-nutritive, that's why they're not listed in the nutrient profiles then. If they are non-nutritive, why would we care about them?

Is there more to nutrition than nutrients?

While phytochemicals are not nutrients in the traditional sense, they can do some pretty cool stuff. Many of them are powerful antioxidants; they protect cells against oxidative damage. Some of them protect cells from pathogens, and other cool things.

What can a whole apple do that a vitamin pill might not?

Apple phytochemicals can

• decrease risk of chronic diseases
• reduce the risk of cancer
• inhibit cancer cell proliferation
• regulate inflammatory and immune response
• reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
• increase lung function
• reduce the risk of type II diabetes
• assist with weight management

Some research seems to show that they can fight the effects of aging on the brain, might prevent cataracts, regulate intestinal bacteria and even help protect against asthma. French researchers found that a compound found only in apples may protect from osteoporosis and may increase bone density.

The non-nutrient compounds seem to have some pretty strong mojo, don't you think?

Interesting note: nearly all of the antioxidant activity from apples comes from a variety of compounds other than vitamin C, which contributed less than 0.4% of total antioxidant activity.

Another interesting note and my grandma knew this: there is more antioxidant and cancer-inhibiting mojo in the apple peels than in apple flesh.

By no means I mean to say that nutrients are not important, they certainly are.

But perhaps by simply counting nutrients, we are missing an important point.

I believe that regardless of how we choose to look at it, both, animals and ourselves, evolved in synergy with our food source, whatever that might be.

The question then is, how far can counting selected nutrients and omitting the rest take us?

Related articles:
The Whole Food Philosophy And The Tale Of A Giant Sugar Beet
"Natural" With Regard To Dog Nutrition (Part I): What Does It Mean And Does It Matter?