Feeding Your Inner Ms. Pac-Man
to
Build Self Appeal from the Inside Out
As I wrote before Christmas, I adopted Tyra Bank’s, “So What,” attitude for the holidays. I agree with her reasoning; to love ourselves, our bodies, our entirety, exactly as we are. I applaud this enthusiastically. Unfortunately, adopting “So What” gave my all-or-nothing mind license to indulge in as many Christmas cookies, candy, and fudge that my taste buds wanted. And without restraint I consumed comfort foods like mashed potatoes and gravy, and macaroni and cheese, foods I usually eat in moderation. This over indulgence satisfied the perpetual five-year old within me who wants what she wants when she wants it, but the fatty foods and excessive sugar wreaked havoc on this forty-eight year old body which in turn affected my emotional stability.
I was out of balance.
Once I started on the consumptive cycle, it was hard to stop. I needed more to assuage my cravings, but more was never enough. I’d forgotten how indulging my misguided taste buds’ every whim left me momentarily elated, then perpetually tired. And when I’m tired my first instinct is to eat to gain more energy, but the nutrient-deficient food and too much of it, left my body full yet starving for nutrition. It became like a car with a clogged air filter. I felt lethargic and coughed and snorted with a terrible cold, my first in a couple years, that lingered for over a month.
What I realized in my discomfort is that we are big filtering systems. Besides every responsibility we consciously demand of ourselves; home, work, partners, kids, etc., our bodies, without our conscious awareness, has the responsibility to process food, drink, and air as well as sights, sounds, smells, ideas, thoughts, and actions. Our bodies, along with our mind and spirit, must filter everything, absolutely every thing, we come into contact with – continually. Nothing escapes our human filter. Unfortunately, we can’t change body filters like we do car filters but the good news is that our personal filtering system is designed to work well for a very long time, if we feed it well.
In this first part of a three-part Body, Mind, Spirit series, I explore how our body filters what we ingest. Like you, I’ve heard and read a plethora of information about nutrition but understanding how our special systems work reminds me of what an amazing body I inhabit. While it’s been difficult for me to write this because there is so much to consider and my training is not as a medical laywoman, it’s also been difficult because I find it all so interesting. The same inner child who wants to live on popcorn and ice cream has an innate curiosity about everything. Hopefully this piece will not only inspire you to keep feeding or start feeding yourself well, but also to learn more about the incredible being that is you.
Why We Eat
We eat and drink for many reasons other than to fuel our bodies optimally; habit, loneliness, boredom, anxiety (I get anxious at parties and gravitate towards the food tables) and celebration, to name just a few. Sometimes we even eat because we’re hungry. But though our minds may be satiated by certain foods, our bodies continue to need food for only one reason. Food energizes our living cells. Eating food that doesn’t nourish our bodies compromises our immune system and stresses us.
How We Process What We Ingest
The easiest way to understand how our bodies work is to break it down from the simple to the complex. Cells are the basic unit of life. Tissues are clusters of cells that perform a similar function. Organs are made of tissues that perform one specific function. And organ systems are groups of organs that perform a specific purpose. There are eleven main systems in our body but for this article I’ll focus on the digestive, excretory, respiratory, and lymphatic systems.
Our digestive system is designed to convert natural foods into molecules that can be absorbed into the bloodstream and used by the body. Our initial mechanical digestion, chewing, is often unconscious but if we do it well it aids the chemical digestion that occurs in the stomach and small intestine. Mindful eating takes a conscious effort. A simple way to practice slowing down is to simply lay your fork down after each bite.
In the stomach the food is broken down into a liquid mixture of smaller pieces and mixed with hydrochloric acid and other gastric juices. This partly digested food, chyme, enters the upper part of the small intestine where secretions from the pancreas, liver, and gallbladder help continue the digestion process. At this time the vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats become molecules tiny enough for the body cell to use. In the successive parts of the small intestine the chyme is propelled along by folded surfaces, villi, on the intestine wall and in these villi are the blood vessels that absorb the molecules. From here these molecules travel all over the body in the blood. The leftover remnants of food your body can't use passes to the large intestine and through the colon where the body gets its last chance to absorb water and remaining minerals before it’s eliminated.
The liver’s filtering, converting, and storing capabilities are so essential and numerous it deserves an entire paragraph. Part of the digestive system as well as the circulatory system, it’s not only the largest organ at three to four pounds but does more work than any other organ and can regenerate itself. Basically it keeps equilibrium in the body. Some of its functions in filtering and converting what we eat are:
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produces several amino acids which are essential to protein production
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changes harmful chemicals such as alcohol and medication into harmless products that can be removed
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converts glucose, key energy supplying molecules, to glycogen for storage, then converts them back to glucose when we need energy
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produces bile that the gall bladder stores then secretes to break down all the fats in our body and remove waste
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determines how many nutrients will go to the rest of the body and how many will stay behind in storage
The kidneys are at the heart of the excretory system whose main function is to rid the body of waste including excess water and salts. They remove waste and manage the body’s water balance by filtering water and molecules from the blood. Each one looks like a single entity, a kidney-bean shape on either side of the body, but they’re actually made up of more than a million microorganisms called nephrons that produce their own tiny drop of urine to yield a combined output of 1 ½ quarts daily. In approximately thirty minutes they filter your entire blood plasma yet 99% of what they filter out is returned, except in the case of people with diabetes. The beneficial life sustaining materials are then reabsorbed back into the blood while harmful waste materials such as urea, a waste product of the breakdown of proteins, as well as some minerals and salts are rejected in urine and sent to the bladder to be eliminated. When there is excess heat produced through exercise or metabolism, sweat glands push out more excess water and salts through the skin to cool us down. The lungs, part of the excretory as well as respiratory system, expel the carbon dioxide that is a by-product of our cell processes.
The respiratory system’s main function is to provide a fresh supply of oxygen to the blood cells and organ systems. The first gateway, our nose, contains hair and mucus membranes that prevent dust particles and viruses from entering our bodies. The dust that does make it into our lungs is removed by specialized cells in the airway wall that have short hair like projections which move mucus like a watery conveyor belt from the lungs back to the top of the windpipe where it can be coughed up or swallowed. The airways that lead to the lungs resemble a tree with limbs that divide into finer and finer branches called bronchioles with the narrowest bronchiole ending in a tiny air sac called alveoli. Clustered like grapes, these alveoli total about 175 million per lung. Blood picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide in the capillaries that surround each alveoli. Mindful breathing, a practice I’ve begun doing in yoga this year, is very good for the lungs and body.
Before we talk about the lymphatic system’s duty of removing excess fluid from all body tissues, we need to know why there is so much fluid in our body. Water makes up almost 2/3 of our total weight and is our most important nutrient because it’s involved in every bodily function. Water helps maintain body temperature, metabolize body fat, digest food, lubricate and cushion organs, transport nutrients, and flush toxins. Your blood is approximately 90% water. If you are not getting enough water, your body will react by pulling it from other places, including your blood.
While the lymphatic system, also know as the immune system, isn’t directly involved with food digestion, it nonetheless is an important filtering mechanism and our first line of immune defense. The watery fluid that surrounds tissues and cells contain substances such as chemicals, molecules, and disease-causing microorganisms that have found their way into the body. Lymphatic capillaries absorb this fluid which then passes through lymph nodes and organs such as the tonsils and spleen where it comes into contact with white blood cells on the lookout for foreign matter to destroy. Once this process is complete, this lymph fluid is returned to the blood.
What We’re Consuming
Fiber found in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes is needed to move chyme through the digestive tract and absorb fluids that make waste soft enough for easy passage. Many foods contain both soluble, easily dissolved in water becoming a gel-like texture in the intestines, and insoluble, essentially unchanged through the intestines, fiber.
Foods such as fish, meat, nuts, eggs, and legumes consist of protein that must be digested by enzymes before they can be used to build and repair body tissues. These smaller broken down molecules, amino acids, are building blocks for all body tissues.
Vitamins are small organic molecules essential to life and are absorbed through the small intestine. Excess amounts are either flushed out in the urine, water soluble, or stored in the liver and fatty tissue of the body, fat soluble.
Naturally occurring fat in foods such as nuts and avocadoes and vegetable oils such as olive and canola are a rich source of energy for the body. While these oils contain saturated as well as unsaturated fats they’re more healthful for the body than the manufactured cottonseed and palm kernel oils. Saturated fat found in meat, dairy products, some oils and chocolate have been shown to contribute to heart disease. A few of the physiological benefits of fat are:
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helps food to stay in the stomach longer, giving a greater sense of satisfaction and preventing hunger soon after
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may help your body produce endorphins in the brain that produce pleasurable feelings
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provides back-up energy if blood sugar supplies run out (after 4-6 hours)
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provides insulation under the skin from the cold and heat
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protects organs and bones from shock and provides support for organs
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surrounds and insulates nerve fibers to help transmit nerve impulses
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helps transport nutrients and metabolites across cell membranes (fat is part of every cell membrane in the body)
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the body uses fat to make a variety of other building blocks needed for everything from hormones to immune function
Sodium has a similar bad rap as fat but some, and the right kinds, are essential. Besides being a component of extracellular fluid that bathes every living cell, sodium is important in our blood and our lymph fluid. Along with potassium, sodium is required for the proper functioning of our nerves and the contraction of our muscles and necessary to maintain fluid balance, electrolyte balance and pH (acid/alkaline) balance. Unfortunately, during the refining of sea salt or rock salt to make table salt, trace minerals and some nutrients are stripped. The body’s best sodium is unrefined sea salt. Manufactures infuse prepackaged foods with so much salt that if you eat many prepackaged foods or eat out often you’d be wise to eliminate salt from your table.
Our body’s primary source of energy for daily activities is glucose. We get most of our glucose from digesting the sugar and starch in carbohydrates. Foods like rice, pasta, grain, potatoes, fruits, a few vegetables, and processed sweets qualify as carbohydrates. Our digestive system breaks down the starch and sugar in these foods into glucose which then gets absorbed through the small intestine into the bloodstream where it enters cells or goes to the liver to be stored. But glucose cannot go into the cells by itself. The pancreas releases insulin into the blood which serves as the helper or, "key," that lets glucose into the cells for use as energy. When glucose leaves the bloodstream and enters the cells, the blood glucose level is lowered. When you consume refined sugars or refined carbohydrates (like white flour), the chyme created in your stomach is very easily absorbed through the intestinal wall, causing a rapid spike in blood sugar levels. So your blood sugar, which might have been around 80 or 90 before you drank the soft drink or ate that candy bar, now suddenly starts spiking up to 150 or 200, or perhaps even higher. Too much glucose in the blood upsets the body fluid balance, too little starves the brain of energy.
The glycemic index, GI, is a ranking of carbohydrates according to the effect on our blood glucose levels. The best sugars are listed with a low rating because they’re let into the blood stream at a slow absorption rate. An apple, for example, contains fiber, vitamins and minerals, and lots of carbohydrates. The carbohydrates are the fuel. But the carbohydrates are bound up in the fiber of the apple so that it takes your body a fair amount of time and effort to release those carbohydrates and convert them into fuel. The apple is a medium-burning carbohydrate, in other words it has a lower glycemic index than straight sugar. Eating mainly low GI carbs that slowly trickle glucose into your blood stream keeps your energy levels balanced and means you will feel fuller for longer between meals. Manufacturers process sucrose, known as table sugar, fructose or high-fructose, which is corn syrup, and dextrose which is sugar derived from corn, into all kinds of convenient and fast foods. These refined and non-naturally occurring sugars carry a high glycemic index rating which means they are absorbed into the bloodstream fast.
In my nutritional studies I’ve read that excess dairy causes mucous in the body as evidenced by some people’s interminable throat clearing (I’ve also read that throat clearing can be an indication of fear of getting one’s voice out). At the end of this article, I give websites that list both pro and con about dairy and its effect in the body but it is not in the scope of this piece to decide which is true for you. As people age, though, their bodies produce fewer lactase enzymes so many people have symptoms of being unable to digest the natural sugar found in milk and other dairy products. People who cannot digest lactose have a shortage of an enzyme called lactase that breaks down milk sugar into two simpler forms of sugar. I do know that when I eat an excessive amount of cheese, butter, or ice cream I do have to clear my throat often and usually get a few mild symptoms of gas and bloating. As an experiment you could try eliminating dairy and then reintroducing it to see if you notice any symptoms.
Caffeine is a fat soluble substance that enters the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine. Its effects are felt as soon as 15 minutes after consumption and will continue to influence your state for 6-8 hours afterwards. Only about ½ is eliminated in the urine within 6 hours. It increases the release of substances like adrenaline, producing an effect similar to the stress response; your heart beats faster, more blood is sent to your muscles and your liver releases glucose into the bloodstream for energy. In women, high caffeine consumption is linked to greater bone loss.
Research exploring the effects of caffeine appears every few months and these reports frequently contradict one another. Besides relaxing air passages which prompts improved breathing and allowing some muscles to contract more easily, caffeine consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Type 2 diabetes and Parkinson’s. Caffeine is also known to boost the effects of neurotransmitters that help you feel good and concentrate, but exercise will also boost brain chemicals.
I haven’t slept well this entire year so I’ve eliminated caffeine. Initially I had headaches because when caffeine intake is reduced, the body becomes oversensitive to a chemical in the brain relevant to the sleep process. I also felt fatigue and muscle pain and was irritable as my body withdrew from this popularly accepted drug. Before the withdrawal symptoms went away though, some amazing things happened. My body, no longer fooled into thinking it was full on liquids, was hungry more often but my sugar cravings were reduced. I felt healthier. And my bladder quit being overactive. I no longer had the urges and frequency I’d been experiencing for years. This is a win win for me. My brain likes the idea of finding a natural energy balance in my body, because it sounds good for me, and my body feels good!
Honoring the Inner Ms. Pac-Man to Build Self Appeal
In a twist to L'Oreal’s campaign in which they’ve used actress spokes models for many years to tell us we’re worth a certain brand of hair color, I’ve decided, once again (it seems I have to decide this anew on occasion) that I’m worth keeping up my healthy eating habits not to look good but to feel good, because I’m worth it. Today I drink more water, take my fiber pills and eat fruit and carrots with leftover veggies and rice for lunch. My day starts with a slice of whole grain toast, usually without butter, and a homemade cereal mixture that includes:
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Frozen blueberries and raspberries for antioxidants, fiber and sugar
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Tofu for the phytoestrogens (I’m at the perimenopausal age where hormone considerations need to be made)
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Plain soy yogurt for the phytoestrogens as well as probiotics
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Prunes for fiber as well as natural sugar
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Ground flax seed for fiber, antioxidants, and omega 3 fatty acids
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Oat bran for fiber and cholesterol lowering effects
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4-grain cereal for heart health and fiber
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Shredded wheat for fiber and carbohydrates
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Prune juice for fiber and sugar
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Vanilla rice milk for flavor, vitamins, and calcium
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Whole almonds for protein
When I start my day eating healthy, it usually progresses in a confident, happy manner.
I do splurge on occasions. Just the other night I had some of my husband’s ice cream as well as buttered popcorn but the next day my hung over taste buds were remorseful when my body was sluggish. Fortunately, if I keep up a healthy eating regime, it usually takes only one day to feel at my physical best again.
After researching and writing this article I now envision my body cells as hungry little Pac-man’s or Ms. Pac-man's if you will, with little mouths devouring all the nutrients they find yummy. They’re fed and understood, validated. I understand them, am willing to acknowledge their needs and I hear them clamoring for nutrition they can enjoy and thrive on. They’re smiling, therefore, I’m smiling -- and building Self Appeal from the inside out.
References and More Information
©2009, Susan Bremer-O'Neill
All Rights Reserved
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Copyright (c) 2009, Susan Bremer, All Rights Reserved.
Self Appeal® Coach & DVD Producer of The Art of Sensual Dance
Susan Bremer is currently writing From Sex Appeal to Self Appeal
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at http://www.selfappeal.com.
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Susan Bremer-O'Neill
Self Appeal®
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