‘Deat food’: A guide to the perfect protein diet for vegetarians, vegans and omnivores.
‘The ideal protein’ is a concept introduced in the early 1970s by John Atkins and it has since been used by hundreds of scientists to describe a diet that’s balanced and optimal.
A diet that includes meat, fish and dairy products and includes adequate amounts of fibre and vitamins.
But how does it work?
‘Diatomaceous earth’ is the food most often used as an ingredient in protein powders and bars, but there’s a reason why this ingredient is sometimes not labelled on the label: it contains a mineral called silica, which is the same type of material used to make cement.
The mineral is formed during the digestion of food and is released when food is broken down into its constituent amino acids.
The minerals are used in a variety of products, including pharmaceuticals, detergents, lubricants and cosmetics.
The idea behind a mineral-free diet is that it helps prevent osteoporosis, a disease that affects bones and cartilage.
The research into how this diet affects the body and bone health is ongoing.
But it’s not the first time it’s been proposed that a mineral diet could be helpful in preventing osteopurosis.
In 2011, researchers at the University of Arizona, using a novel method called isotopic dating, found that the use of silica in food could be a biomarker for osteoporosophageal reflux disease (OPRD).
‘I think there is evidence that silica is a good indicator of bone mineral density, and so it’s something that could potentially help predict the risk of developing osteoporic reflux, osteoproteinosis,’ says John A. F. Bauman, PhD, the author of the paper published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
The new paper found that silicate-rich foods are particularly helpful in lowering the risk for osteoarthritis, a joint condition that causes inflammation and inflammation of the bones and joints.
‘You’re actually eating more silica than what’s naturally present in the food, which would lead to a decrease in the level of silicate,’ says Dr Bauman.
‘That’s a key thing that could have been overlooked.’
A diet containing silica-rich food could also reduce the risk associated with certain types of kidney stones, which are the most common form of kidney disease.
The researchers say the diet also helps prevent kidney stones from growing and growing further.
However, the study also found that individuals who consumed silica enriched foods were less likely to develop osteoproteins, which can cause inflammation and damage to the kidneys.
A mineral-based diet could also help prevent the development of osteoarthropathy, which causes the formation of calcified tissue around the bones.
Calcification of the bone is one of the major causes of osteoporsosis and is linked to increased risks of fractures.
Dr Baumans team used isotopic date to examine the mineral content of several types of food.
They analysed the minerals in processed foods like chips, ice cream, fruit juice, ice creams and dairy foods, and then compared the minerals to the levels found in foods that were high in silica.
Silica levels in these foods were higher than those in those high in calcium.
‘There’s some evidence that mineral-rich diets can reduce calcification in the bone, but it’s really the levels of silicic acid in foods and beverages that really matters,’ Dr Baums says.
‘If you’re eating more than your normal intake of calcium, you’re actually going to get less calcium, so the mineral balance in your diet could actually increase the risk.’
There’s no doubt that silicos are a good thing, but in a mineral enriched diet, we should be eating the foods that have the highest amounts of silicates.’
What’s more, silica levels of foods in a diet rich in silicate can be a predictor of disease risk.
In fact, the researchers say that silicates have been found in several studies that suggest they are linked to a number of diseases including osteoporation, osteomalacia and osteoprotection.
The authors say this is one reason why it’s important to limit the amount of silices that you consume, and to avoid adding silica to foods like fruit juices and dairy.
‘What is so interesting is that the silicics that we found in food, that were added to the food and not in the diet, actually correlated with disease risk,’ says Bauman