On 22 March 2016, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre published the new Wheel of Five. The wheel was supposed to reflect the latest nutritional insights. But that is not the case. A new development in the world of nutrition is the importance of the bacteria present in our gut. They too need food. There are no indications that the advice includes avoiding chemical additives, flavourings and colourings, and buying organically produced food.
Too much starch
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre tells us that you need six to eight slices of bread a day. “Bread is a source of carbohydrates and iodine,” they write. Wholemeal and brown bread are said to reduce the risk of certain diseases. This is remarkable advice and ignores the fact that more and more people around the world are limiting their starch intake and avoiding bread. Gluten is a problem, but for now we will leave that subject aside.
New insights
Under the heading ‘Power food’, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre proposes a meal plan: a bowl of oatmeal porridge and raisins (70 grams of glucose), a toasted sandwich made with two slices of wholemeal bread spread with low-fat margarine plus a banana (62 grams of glucose). In between, an apple and one slice of wholemeal bread spread with margarine (28 grams of glucose). For dinner, 150 grams of green beans and brown rice (50 grams). In total, that comes to 225 grams of glucose. Dried brown beans, kidney beans, lentils, etc. have a starch content of 40%.
- Bread contains 50 grams of starch per 100 grams. Our blood contains on average only 1 gram of glucose per litre. Eating starch-rich products causes insulin levels in the blood to rise.
- Eating bread and the resulting increase in insulin increases fat storage around the abdomen and the size of the abdomen; 60% of the Dutch population is overweight. In fact, the percentage is higher, because BMI measurements are not accurate. With a BMI of 24.9 – which is still just considered normal – you can easily be 10 kg overweight. Being overweight is associated with cardiovascular disease.
- Bread naturally contains no iodine. The iodine is added, so that is not a reason to eat bread. Iodine is found in JOZO salt and seaweed. Seaweed has anti-inflammatory and cancer-inhibiting properties.
Vegetables
The recommendation for vegetables has been increased: from 200 grams per day to 250 grams, but that is still extremely little. In Germany, the recommendation has been 375 grams for years. Not that the recommendations help, because 95% of the Dutch population eats less than 200 grams of vegetables per day. Vegetable fibre belongs to the good carbohydrates. Fibre stimulates the growth and numbers of healthy gut bacteria. They produce vitamins and brain hormones and help develop the immune system. It is important to understand the term carbohydrates properly. There are two types:
- Starch and glucose: these are not power food, but are converted into triglycerides.
- Insoluble carbohydrates: plant fibres. Vegetable fibres are very valuable because they are converted in the body into beneficial short-chain fatty acids. We have our own internal calorie producers, in the form of bacteria, in our gut and we are not dependent on starch and fats.
Fats and meat
The new advice is:
- Avoid: hard margarine, dairy butter and coconut fat, butter, whole milk, yoghurt and quark. Eat somewhat less meat and replace it with legumes, nuts or tofu.
- Do: liquid margarine, liquid cooking and frying fat, sunflower oil. Dairy products are recommended five times a day. Two and a half dl of semi-skimmed milk + coffee with semi-skimmed coffee creamer at breakfast, later in the day a glass of buttermilk (1½ dl), and in the evening semi-skimmed yoghurt and two cubes of 30+ cheese.
Vegetable oils and nuts contain very many calories and omega-6 fatty acids. These fatty acids contribute to cardiovascular disease, while butter has not been shown to cause disease. Better advice is to replace meat in particular with oily fish.
Alternatives
As an alternative to the advice of the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, in the morning you could have a vegetable omelette, a smoothie with spinach, fruit and yoghurt or coconut milk. In between, have broth with vegetables. For lunch, eat a meal salad with salmon, and in the evening replace rice and pasta with sweet potato or swede, or make a pizza base from cauliflower. Microbiome studies show that the number of beneficial bacteria increases by eating at least 1 kg of vegetables a day.
