The food hourglass can be a good alternative to the outdated food triangle. To properly understand the structure of the food hourglass, there are 3 important basic principles: carbohydrates and sugars are unhealthy, be careful with proteins and healthy fats are essential. Nutrition has a huge influence on a person’s health, aging and longevity. The human body itself can prevent many diseases with the support of proper nutrition. For example, diet determines fifty percent of the risk of cancer. The following basic principles clarify the structure of the food hourglass.

Carbohydrates and sugars are very unhealthy

Carbohydrates or starch consist of a very long chain of monosaccharides. In the outdated nutritional triangle we recognize these carbohydrates in rice, potatoes, pasta and bread. Monosaccharides (e.g. glucose or fructose) are sugars that consist of one molecule. These are fast sugars because they can be immediately absorbed by the intestinal cells. Table sugar is an example of a disaccharide as it consists of a molecule of glucose and a molecule of fructose. The intestinal cells can only absorb monosaccharides. Carbohydrates must first be divided into smaller molecules by enzymes, which is why they are slow sugars. The glucose molecules in the blood release insulin so that the glucose can be absorbed by the body cells. This releases a growth hormone. The growth hormones stimulate growth and thus accelerate aging. This hormone stimulates not only healthy cells but also cancer cells to proliferate. The sugars provide the cancer cells with extra nutrients and lower the immune system, which increases the risk of cancer. Sugars can stick together in the blood with proteins, among other things, causing tissue to become stiffer or stiffer or more wrinkled. Sugars not only cause accelerated aging but can also cause rheumatism, cataracts or a stroke.

You have to be careful with proteins

An egg white or protein is a chain of amino acids, which in turn is an organic compound with an amine group (-NH2). There are a total of twenty types of amino acids that occur in proteins, such as glutamic acid, glutamine or thryptophan. The best known proteins are insulin and collagen. Proteins are at the same time the building blocks and workhorses of our body. First they are broken down by enzymes into amino acids and then pass through the intestines into the blood to the cells where they form proteins again. Eating too much protein means too much growth, which in turn causes faster aging. The old proteins cannot be broken down by the body and settle in and around the cells. This causes the cells to function less effectively, which can cause diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. Proteins mainly burden the liver and kidneys.Proteins (and also meat) are needed to a limited extent! A vegetarian has a deficiency of zinc, carnosine, iron, carnitine, creatine and vitamin B12. This can be prevented by occasionally eating a minimum portion of poultry or by using healthy nutritional supplements.

Fats are healthier than thought

We can best visualize fat visually as a cup with two to three arms of fatty acids. There are saturated fatty acids (all carbon atoms (C) are saturated with hydrogen atoms (H)) or unsaturated fatty acids (one hydrogen atom less, causing a double bond that gives a kink in the structure). The saturated fatty acids (e.g. butter) accumulate more easily due to their straighter molecular structure, causing them to stick together and, for example, with the help of sugars, they can constrict the blood vessels. Oil is an example of an unsaturated, healthier fatty acid. Trans fatty acids do not occur in nature. They are created when fatty acids are prepared industrially, such as cookies, cakes, pastries, fries, croquettes and all commercial sweets. Trans fats contain a double bond without a kink. They also tangle easily due to their straight structure, making them very unhealthy. Sugars, which are responsible for whether or not fats stick together in the blood vessels, for example, promote cardiovascular disease much more than fats!The healthier fats are the unsaturated fatty acids such as those with one double bond (oil) or with multiple double bonds such as the omega-3 fatty acids. There are three types of omega 3: Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), Docosahecaenoic acid (DHA) and Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). The first two are mainly found in oily fish. ALA is found in nuts and linseed. Omega 3 is good for limiting cardiovascular disease because it implants itself in the walls of the heart and blood vessels (just like cholesterol). This keeps the blood vessels healthier. The essential fatty acids have a major influence on the functioning of the brain. The brain is mainly a fatty organ because sixty percent of its dry mass consists of fat. For example, it is noticed that in countries where a lot of fish is eaten, there is less depression. There is also less chance of relapse into depression or a psychotic episode. In the prenatal phase, omega 3 can be a good stimulant for brain development. It halves the risk of dementia! Omega-3 fatty acids settle in the walls of the brain cells and ensure that they remain more fluid and mobile. The signal transmission in the synapses then continues to work better. Finally, omega 3 is good for autoimmune diseases or diseases caused by inflammation (rheumatism, asthma, Crohn’s disease, diabetes…). This healthy fatty acid inhibits inflammation because the Cox protein produces anti-inflammatory substances in the body. Five hundred milligrams should be consumed daily via a nutritional supplement, with a ratio of two hundred milligrams of EPA and three hundred milligrams of DHA. For curative use, the daily dose may be increased to one or two grams. A good omega 3 supplement is based on algae, but simply eating oily fish remains best!