Do we really need nutritional supplements?
Or can we get all the nutrients we need from the food we eat?
Let’s say we choose the best food available in our supermarket…no processed food… nothing from cans, nothing frozen, no ready made snacks, no fast foods or junk foods….
just fresh foods and natural ingredients…
Even if we tried our best to maintain a healthy diet, the truth is, we would not be getting all the nutrients we need for good health.
Where have all the nutrients gone?
Fresh fruit and vegetables may look great, but when analyzed show amazing deficiencies in vitamins and minerals.
Around 1945, agricultural “experts” decided that the earth needed help in producing better crops, and the use of chemical fertilizers began. Unfortunately, the very chemicals applied cause the millions of micro-organisms to flee, and so the ground became quite sterile.
Plant life grown on sterile land becomes very sickly. Insects will attack unhealthy plants, leaving healthy plants alone. The farmer now has the problem of insects destroying crops, so he must spray with poisons to kill the insects. These poisons, of course, find their way through our bodies, causing destruction at the molecular level, and damaged cells contribute to various degenerative diseases, the biggest one being cancer.
What are the effects of insufficient nutrient intake?
Much of the food we buy lacks the essential vitamins and minerals. Our body is a marvelous machine, and when given the right nutrition, has the ability to maintain good health and even heal itself. However without the basic tools, the body gradually breaks down. Today more and more people are dying of degenerative diseases like heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis.
Unfortunately people do not start to think about health until they have health problems. Young people who feel healthy, often don’t realize that nutrient intake is important in the present as insurance for the future. The ‘invincibility of youth’ is like a healthy bank account from which it is possible to make too many withdrawals. Bone strength, in later life for example, depends on the amount of bone building that was done during youth. The immune system is another area under attack. As we age, the efficiency of our immune system decreases. The stresses and toxicity of the modern environment weaken the immune system, increasing the risk of diseases like cancer.
The cancer rate is now 1 in 3 in the Western world. This means that 1 in every 3 people will get cancer sometime during their life-time. Do we just accept it as a fact of life?
The good news is that degenerative diseases are not inevitable. All of the above mentioned diseases can be avoided, and in some cases reversed, by sufficient nutrient intake and healthy life style.
Can nutrients help me avoid viral and bacterial diseases?
New viral/bacterial diseases are on the rise. Many of those emerging do not respond to anti-biotics. The best way to avoid these diseases is to have a healthy immune system. Those with weakened immune systems are the most susceptible.
Which nutritional supplements should I take?
Most of us think of vitamins before minerals. However, if minerals are not present, then vitamins will not do their job. Minerals are the catalysts that vitamins and enzymes need to do their work. Minerals come in several forms, but to get the 60 minerals we need daily, a supplement needs to be plant based colloidal liquid. This makes the minerals biologically available.
To the foundation of minerals, one can then add vitamins. Vitamins and minerals must be in a balanced formula. Too many people run to the shop and buy Vitamin C, or Vitamin B because they think they need it. The truth is, our nutrient level will correct itself, whatever the deficiency, when we take a balanced formula.
There are basically two kinds of vitamin and mineral supplements: cheap supplements that can be purchased from shops, or those based on latest scientific research. (You will probably not find the best ones in shops.) The best supplements, based on latest scientific research can be around 95% absorbable as opposed to 25% absorbable for the cheaper brands. The cheaper brands have the MINIMUM amount of the nutrient required by the government, which is not actually enough to make a difference. The quality vitamin and mineral supplements contain the proper amounts, in addition to being perfectly balanced.
What are free radicals and anti-oxidants?
We are constantly bombarded with cellular-damaging substances, (called free radicals), generated by our environment from air, water, pollutants and other substances.
Free radicals are “the bad guys”. They are also produced as the natural byproduct of breathing. They are damaging to the body and need to be neutralized by enzymes, which are normally present in out diet. Anti-oxidants, “the good guys”, destroy free radicals. Because our food does not contain the anti-oxidants that it once did, and because of environmental pollution, we need anti-oxidant supplements to help deal with toxic overload.
How can we be sure of quality?
It is important that the health supplements you use are based on the latest scientific research, and have been produced under strict quality control. Supplements should also be 95 – 98% bioavailable. This means that they are available to the cells, and do not pass through the body unabsorbed. Not all vitamin and minerals supplements are the same. The basic rule of thumb is, you get what you pay for. Naturopaths can supply you with quality ‘practitioner-only’ supplements. If you prefer to bi-pass the naturopath and buy supplements for yourself, then don’t go to the shops looking for them. There are several companies companies that provide superior products through direct marketing. This kind of marketing means that there are fewer financial overheads, making it possible to put more money into the quality of the product.
For more information on excellent nutritional supplements, please contact us.