Nutrition can change you and your children's
life! Nutrition imbalances can effect your physical and
mental health.
As quoted in the publication Prescription for Nutritional Healing,
by Dr. James Balch, "good nutrition is the foundation of good health."
Everyone needs the four basic nutrients - water, carbohydrates, proteins
and fats - as well as vitamins, minerals and other micro nutrients.To be
able to choose the proper foods and to better understand why those foods
should be supported with supplements, you need to have a clear idea of
the components of a healthy diet.
Water
Water is an essential nutrient that is involved in every function of
the body. It helps transport nutrients and waste products, is necessary
for all digestive, absorption, circulatory and excretory functions as well
as for the utilization of water-soluble vitamins.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates supply the body with the energy it needs to function.
They are found almost exclusively in plant foods such as fruits, vegetables,
peas and beans. They are the main source of blood glucose, which is a major
fuel for all of the body's cells and the only source of energy for the
brain and red blood cells.
When choosing carbohydrate-rich foods for your diet, always select unrefined
foods such as fruits, vegetables, peas, beans and whole-grain products
as opposed to refined, processed foods such as soft drinks, desserts, candy
and sugar. Refined foods offer few, if any, of the vitamins and minerals
that are important to your health. In addition, if eaten in excess, especially
over a period of many years, refined foods can lead to a number of disorders.
Did you know every one teaspoon of sugar reduces your immunity for two
hours after it is ingested? A can of pop, for example, can contain up to
12 teaspoons of sugar. Poof goes your immunity for a day.
Fiber
Fiber is a very important form of carbohydrate. Only a relatively small
amount of fiber is digested so most of it moves through the gastrointestinal
tract and end up in the stool. A high-fiber diet helps prevent constipation
and colon cancer, perhaps by speeding the rate at which wastes pass through
the system and by keeping it clean. A high-fiber diet also helps lower
blood cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease. In this regard
if you eat three to five times a day you should have two to three bowel
movements per day to keep the bowel clean.
Protein
Protein is essential for growth and development. It provides the body
with energy and is needed for the manufacture of hormones, antibodies,
enzymes and tissues. It also helps maintain the proper acid-alkali balance
of the body. When protein is consumed, the body breaks it down into amino
acids, the building blocks of all proteins.
Because of the importance of consuming proteins that provide all of
the necessary amino acids, our diets must provide both complete proteins
- found in meat, fish, poultry and eggs - and incomplete proteins - found
in a variety of foods such as grains, legumes and leafy green vegetables.
Although it is important to consume the full range of amino acids, it is
not necessary to get them from meat, fish, poultry and other complete-protein
foods mainly because of their high fat content as well as the use of antibiotics
and other chemicals used in the raising of poultry and cattle. To make
sure that you are getting a great enough variety in your diet, add protein-rich
foods such as nut butters or add nuts and seeds to salads and vegetables.
A combination of any grains, any nuts and seeds, any legumes and a variety
of mixed vegetables will make a complete protein.
Fats
The body does need fat - the essential fats. In fact, cutting down on
fats gets some people into trouble because when we are short in essential
fats our body suffers. Fat is necessary for normal brain development in
children. It is essential to provide energy and support growth. It is used
in manufacturing antibodies to fight disease and acts as carriers for the
fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Excessive non-essential fat, however,
is a major causative factor in obesity, high blood pressure, coronary heart
disease and colon cancer, and has been linked to a number of other disorders
as well.
Fats are either saturated or unsaturated; in other words, either solid
or liquid. Saturated fats - from animal products and dairy items - are
best avoided. These fats raise blood cholesterol and should be consumed
as little as possible. Some oils are solidified by being hydrogenated to
make margarines and shortening and are found in cereals, snacks, candies,
cakes and breads. Hydrogenated oils do much of the damage attributed to
fats and must be avoided. Polyunsaturated fats are found in most foods
but mainly in fish, nuts, oils from plants, seeds and soybeans. These oils
are liquid at room temperature and help to reduce blood cholesterol. Mono-saturated
fats are found in most foods as well, but mainly in vegetable and nut oils
such as olive and canola oil. These also remain liquid at room temperature
and reduce blood cholesterol; however, to remain beneficial to the body
these oils should not be heated.
Vitamins, Minerals & Herbs
Vitamins are organic substances necessary for life, which the body uses
for essential body functions. Generally, the body cannot manufacture vitamins,
so it must get them from food or supplements. While the body can live without
a constant supply of all the vitamins, for optimal health all are necessary.
We do not need to take supplements if:
The food you eat is organically grown in mineral and nutrient rich soil.
The food you eat was mature and ripened on the vines, plants or trees.
The food is consumed within a few days of harvesting.
You eat a wide variety of foods, mostly fresh and raw.
You do not eat processed, deep fried junk food or candy.
You drink at least eight cups of pure water daily.
You are not being exposed to chemicals in food, air or water.
You have only occasional stress.
You get adequate rest in clean fresh air.
You re not exposed to electromagnetic emissions from appliances, TV,
etc.
Your body is not exposed to mercury, lead, aluminum or other heavy metals.
You fast or detoxify your body, liver and colon at least twice a year.
If those 12 points describe your lifestyle, then there is no need for
you to take supplements. Let's be honest - who in this world today lives
such a lifestyle?
Vitamins contribute to good health by regulating the metabolism and
assisting the processes that release energy from digested food. They are
considered micro nutrients because the body needs them in relatively small
amounts compared with nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats and
water.
Enzymes are essential chemicals that are the foundation of human bodily
functions. As coenzymes, vitamins work with enzymes allowing all the activities
that occur within the body to be carried out as they should.
Minerals are needed for the proper composition of body fluids, the formation
of blood and bone, the maintenance of healthy nerve function and the regulation
of muscle tone, including that of the muscles of the cardiovascular system.
Like vitamins, minerals function as coenzymes, enabling the body to perform
its functions. Because all enzyme activities involve minerals, minerals
are essential for the proper utilization of vitamins and other nutrients.
Minerals are often found in multivitamin formulas but they can also
be found as single supplements. When mineral supplements are taken with
a meal, they are usually automatically chelated in the stomach during digestion.
This means the minerals are bonded to protein molecules and transported
to the bloodstream, thus enhancing their absorption.
Herbs are any plants that are conducive to maintaining or regaining
health. All plants were given to man for food or medicine and are amongst
nature's greatest treasures and their medicinal benefits have been known
for centuries.
Many herbs contain powerful ingredients that, if used correctly, can
help heal the body. They do perform many healing functions, but they must
be used appropriately, not indiscriminately. As a general rule, most of
the bitter-tasting herbs are medicinal herbs. The pleasant-tasting herbs
are potentially less toxic and can be used more often. All plant roots
and bark are
naturally fungicidal and bactericidal. Certain herbs should be used
only for healing purposes and not for extended periods of time.
The use of herbs is a rich part of the legacy of our ancestors and the
knowledge and awareness of them should be a part of our responsibility
to personal health maintenance.
Diet
Clearly a healthy diet must provide a proper balance of the four essential
nutrients as well as a rich supply of vitamins, minerals and other micro
nutrients. As a guideline:
Avoid foods that contain additives and artificial ingredients. Additives
and artificial ingredients add little or no nutritional value to your food.
However, they do pose a proven threat to your health.
Increase your consumption of RAW produce - fruits and vegetables. The
importance here is raw: all enzymes and most vitamins are extremely sensitive
to heat and are usually destroyed in the cooking process.
Avoid overcooking your foods. Browned or burned bread and barbecued
foods undergo changes in structure producing carcinogens. By eating produce
raw or only lightly cooked, and by greatly limiting your consumption of
meat, you will be doing much to decrease your risk of cancer and other
disorders.
Use the proper cooking utensils - only glass, stainless steel or iron
pots and pans. Aluminum cookware or utensils have been implicated in Alzheimer's
disease.
Limit your use of salt. Excessive salt intake can cause fluid to be
retained in the tissues which can lead to such things as high blood pressure,
congestive heart failure and some forms of kidney disease.
Quite simply, a healthy diet is one which provides optimum levels of
all known nutrients and low levels of food components which are detrimental
to health; such as, sugar, saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and additives.
It's one that is rich in whole, natural and unprocessed foods and high
in plant foods. It must contain adequate, but not excessive, quantities
of protein and good fats. And a healthy diet also includes at least eight
glasses of clean water per day.
The avoidance of caffeine, chocolate, and cheese alone can help you
ward off free radicals
Did you know that Cancer thrives in an acidic environment, and that
red meat is –32 on the pH scale?
Did you know that lemons, limes and tomatoes are actually positive pH.
Clearly a healthy diet must provide a proper balance of the four essential
nutrients as well as a rich supply of vitamins, minerals and other micro
nutrients. As a guideline:
Avoid foods that contain additives and artificial ingredients.
Additives and artificial ingredients
add little or no nutritional value to your food. However, they
do pose a proven threat to your health.
Increase your consumption of RAW produce - fruits and vegetables.
The importance here is raw: all enzymes and most vitamins are extremely
sensitive to heat and are usually destroyed in the cooking process.
Avoid overcooking your foods. Browned or burned bread and barbecued
foods undergo changes in structure producing carcinogens. By eating
produce raw or only lightly cooked, and by greatly limiting your consumption
of meat, you will be doing much to decrease your risk of cancer and other
disorders.
Use the proper cooking utensils - only glass, stainless steel or iron
pots and pans. Aluminum cookware or utensils have been implicated
in Alzheimer's disease.
Limit your use of salt. Excessive salt intake can cause fluid
to be retained in the tissues which can lead to such things as high blood
pressure, congestive heart failure and some forms of kidney disease.
Quite simply, a healthy diet is one which provides optimum levels of
all known nutrients and low levels of food components which are detrimental
to health; such as, sugar, saturated fats, cholesterol, salt and additives.
It's one that is rich in whole, natural and unprocessed foods and high
in plant foods. It must contain adequate, but not excessive, quantities
of protein and good fats. And a healthy diet also includes at least
eight glasses of clean water per day.
This information is compiled
from traditional and modern herb books, articles and research. This information
is summarized for its educational value and should not be used for the
diagnosis of disease.