Newscasts, Talk Shows and the newest craze, “TV Doctors”, happily share their disdain for “those expensive, unnecessary concoctions” based on this idiom.

 Whether it is your doctor, your mother or your friend, who is advising you that “You’re wasting your money on those things, your food gives you everything you need. ” says so, because this paradigm is a commonly held belief.

 So, what exactly is this balanced diet that these people assume you’re eating?

Do you know?

The USDA (United State Department of Agriculture) reports it is: My Plate.  Harvard School of Public Health reports it is: The Nutrition Source.  The University of Michigan Integrative Medicine Department reports it is: The Healing Food Pyramid.

 Still confused?

I subscribe to a version of “the balanced diet”, too.  It is eating 5-7 servings of differently color, fresh vegetables, that grow above the ground, 2 – non tropical fruits, drinking 8 to10 – 8 ounce glasses of water each day, consuming a deck of cards sized serving of oily fish 3 times per week, of chicken 3 times per week and of red meat, once a week.

 Do you eat like that?

In fact, “consuming a balanced diet” is a mythical construct. – hardly anyone eats a balanced diet.  And, because this false paradigm is so prevalent, what you are eating is the last thing anyone, including doctors, ever considers when someone’s health begins to slip away.

 A recent study, reported in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, concludes that:  “ … use of supplements significantly improved the status of several vitamins in elderly people. Due to age-related problems concerning the intake and digestion of nutrients, a moderate, regular supplementation might be a useful option for older people who are otherwise unable to satisfy their micronutrient requirements.”

 In people-speak, the study shows that if you aren’t consuming the nutrients your body needs, taking supplements can fill the gap.  The study was well constructed, peer-review and duly reported in a professional journal.

 Did you get the memo?  … No?
Did you hear a peep from the talking heads?  … No?
And, I’ll bet your _________ (doctor, friend, mother) didn’t read it either!

 Here what the memo should say:

 “If you’re not eating enough vegetables, fruit, chicken, fish, meat and drinking enough water to satisfy the minimum nutritional needs of your body or taking supplements to fill the gaps in your diet – you will get fat; and sick; and grow old too fast.”  And, regardless of your age, if you’re neglecting to feed your body properly, ditto!

 There are epidemics of degenerative diseases that:

• Threaten to overwhelm the finances of the industrialized world
• Overwhelming people and families with expense, heartache and suffering

 There are:  Telethons, Drives, Walks, Runs; Gold-Ribbon Panels; academic and pharmaceutical research and … , orgainized to:

“Wipe Out  fill in the blank
(obesity, cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart disease, respiratory disease, kidney disease or …)
In Our Lifetime” 

And yet, the numbers keep growing.

 Composing or Decomposing

The body (and all living things for that matter) possesses an orderly process that replaces worn out cells, the ability to accelerate repairs to damaged tissue (due to accidents or otherwise), to ward off infection, infestation and to energize itself.

 The process is wholly dependent on the raw materials that are garnered from the environment.   Those raw materials are the nutrients in the food you are consuming.

 This Isn’t Brain Surgery

• The raw materials are there, or they’re not. 
• The process works or it doesn’t.
• The body composes or it decomposes.

What you eat controls the equation, and you know what you’re consuming.

 The revelation of the study, reported in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, says it all:

Do the best you can with your diet, then take fundamental supplements to fill in the gaps and, if need be, support them with supplements for any specific needs.

Conclusion

 So the next time you hear someone say, “You can get every thing you need from your food.” you know what that really means:  you should probably be taking supplements.

Quoting Red Green:  “We’re all in this together, I’m pulling for you.”

 P.S.  Please, read our BAM (Blatant Advertising Message):  NUPRO Nutraceutical Products – Advancing Beyond Vitamins™

 

 Anyone?

 Well, if you believe the statistics, about half of you will suffer and ultimately succumb to one of these.  And, if you add another leading cause of suffering and death – Allopathic errors – the number is higher.

 The exact moment when “Not Me.” becomes “Why Me?” is when your body stops sending you suggestions that things aren’t right and issues a formal complaint.

• Like the moment when you didn’t lose the 5 pounds you gained over winter
• Like the moment when the antacids you were taking for your indigestion stopped working.
• Like the moment you stopped needing the bathroom everyday.
• Like the moment your blood pressure, cholesterol, or sugar jumped off the charts.

 You received your body’s formal complaint the exact moment when you clutched that little piece of paper that contained a prescription for “managing” your condition or a referral to a specialist.

 Avoidable And, In Many Cases, Reversible

The body requires 4 actions to occur, in a particular order, along a long tube called the digestive tract.  It is open on both ends, able to resist acids and digestive juices and it supports a significant population of microbes to support the efficiency of these 4 actions.

 The 4 actions are:

1. Ingestion (eating) food that contains the threshold of nutrients
2. Elimination of wastes and toxins, in the digestive tract and inside the body as well, to make room for the new batch of nutrients
3. Digestion (breaking down food into nutrients)
4. Assimilation; which is the transport of nutrients out of the digestive tract to your tissue and cells.

 Once the nutrients arrive, the body carries out 4 functions:

1. Mend any damage to cells and tissue
2. Defend itself from external organisms and internal toxins
3. Energize itself
4. Rebuild itself  (Some estimates suggest the body totally replaces every cell every 7 years.)

 When Does” Not Me!” become “Why Me?”

Answer:  It is the exact moment when your body can longer compensate for failing to have its minimum threshold of nutrition, water, moderate exercise and/or rest.

 How to Become a NOT ME!

1. Drink at least 8 – 8 ounces of clean water everyday.
2. Exercise everyday – walk 2 blocks away and back briskly – everyday.
3. Go to bed.  Your body needs to rest.
4. Eat nutritious food and STOP skipping meals.
5. Take dietary supplements.

 There are those who contend that people don’t need supplements and that food contains all the nutrients your body needs – Hah!

1.      Processed, packaged and convenience food is a joke!  They’re nutritionally deficient and produced to make you eat more of them.

2.      “Fresh” vegetables and fruit are, for the most part: commercially grown, harvested early and transported; all of which affects their nutritional value negatively.

 Pay Me Now or Pay Me Later

You can take this to the bank:  everyone one of you, sooner or later, will experience the affects of nutritional deficiencies unless you change your ways and start filling the gaps in your diet with supplements.

 You can choose to ignore the situation or do something about it.

I recommend the later.

 There are many options to help you supplement your diets. And, as you would expect, I recommend NUPRO supplements, but there are others.

 Your 1^st choice should be supplements to help build a foundation of nutrition that supports your body.  Choose dietary supplements that can help fill the gaps in your diet.

 Next, make another choice based, not on your most recent complaint, but on the 1^st complaint that you can remember.  Often times, that 1^st issue started a cascade that landed you where you are today.  Choose dietary supplements to support that declining function.

1.  If you want to learn more, we have both an extensive on-line library of articles, published by our Professional staff, as well as an on-line resource center to connect you with leading Universities and researchers.
2. If you need personalized help, we will help you with your decisions.
3. If you choose to ignore the situation, we wish you the best of luck, you’ll need it.

 Remember:  Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results

 

Those of you who have been following our blog understand our deep appreciation for how remarkably the human body is created.

Our position regarding health is straight forward – if you take care of your body, it will take care of you.

Caring for the body is more than keeping the outside clean – it is treating the body kindly, with respect and attending to the nutritional needs that support the efficient functioning of the body that manifests in health.

 Health is path one follows; it is not a quest for a procedure, potion, lotion or pill that you initiated once your health begins to decline or falter.

Living has an inevitable end – death.  One hopes life ends in a peaceful repose; however, that is, often, not the case.

To that end, we have prepared a commentary, Keep Life Simple, for your examination, and, if you desire, links to further readings to help put you on a path that allows you to prosper in the bounty of health.

Enjoy

 

1. Pestilence
2. Famine
3. War (Since we limit our commentaries to issues of health, we won’t be commenting on the third factor – war.  This plague continues to take its unimaginable toll throughout the world.)

The advances during the 20^th Century were remarkable.

Regarding pestilence, the availability of clean water and vastly improved sanitation practices have dramatically decreased the toll of pestilence on humanity.  Plagues, like the Bubonic Plague, and water borne diseases like cholera have been relegated to history books.

Antibiotics and vaccines have significantly reduced the likelihood of dying from an infection or communicable disease.

The fear of famine has been erased from the memory of people living in the Industrialized World due to changes in transportation, farming practices, refrigeration, packaging and distribution.

We’ve Come a Long Way – Baby.

• Pestilence and famine has virtually disappeared in the lexicon of health for the Industrialized World.
• Clean water is on tap, 24 hours everyday.
• Abundant quantities of every imaginable kind of food are stocked on the shelves of the nearest Super Market, 24 hours everyday.

 Big Advertising Budgets and Pretty Labels

A study, Heart Health and Fiber Drive Consumers to Health Products, released by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and Prevention Magazine, published by Rodale Inc. is revealing.

… “About half of shoppers have bought cranberry juice, dark chocolate or almonds in the past year, probably because there have been marketing campaigns and news coverage touting the health benefits of these so-called “superfoods,” so dubbed because they contain large quantities of specific nutrients. Shoppers are also purchasing green tea (43%), pomegranate juice (25%) and Greek yogurt (21%).”

… “Certain health claims are also proving to be attractive to customers. When purchasing food, heart health (73%) is the top health claim on packaging that matters to consumers. More energy (71%), digestive health (66%) and improving mind health (65%) follow closely behind.”

But, Here’s the Rub

… “Despite this attention to healthy foods, lack of planning is trumping health in the decision-making process at the American dinner table, as 72% of shoppers decide what to have for dinner that day. When same-day decisions for dinner are made, health (52%) falls well behind taste (73%), quickness of preparation (60%) and craving (52%).”

… “Lack of meal planning is so pervasive that one-in-four shoppers (24%) decide what to have for dinner within one hour before eating.”

… “Half of shoppers say they don’t actively monitor their calorie intake on a daily basis but do make an effort not to consume too many calories at a time.”

 What’s in Your Pantry?

Are there cans, boxes and bags, with pretty labels, that taste creamy and sweet, quick and easy to prepare, that you’re hungry for when you’re shopping, or perhaps some Super Food that contains a magic bullet that you heard or have seen advertised, or are you planning to eat something you pick up on your way home?”

 Invest in Health or Pay to be Sick

You choose the food that’s in your kitchen.  And, there is a direct correlation between the food on your table and your state of health.  If you are confused about what your body needs to stay healthy, here are 4 resources to help clear up your confusion:

• We’ve published an article, How to Take Care of Your Body
• The Harvard School of Public Health published an article “What Should You Eat?”
• The University of Michigan published an easy to understand food pyramid
• The USDA published the My Plate program

You choose to endure the inconveniences of declining health or not:

• Digestive issues
• Achy joints
• Weight gain
• Hormone imbalance
• And a whole litany of other issues

You choose  to set the stage for, or endure, the symptoms of neglect or not:

• Stroke
• Heart attack
• Cardiovascular disease
• Diabetes
• Cancer

You choose to consume, or not to consume, food that respects your body.  It is a choice whether to live life to the fullest and die healthy or to suffer the indignities of failing health and dying sick.

But, before you flip the coin, you should read this report and take this health test.

In the end, staying, or becoming healthy if you’re not, boils down to 4 Simple Truths.

Is there an answer?  Yes!

• Stop doing that!  The task may seem daunting, but it is just an exercise in changing habits … in creating new ones, one habit at a time.
• Before you buy something, ask yourself:  “Will my body thank me for this later?”  If not, don’t buy it and don’t eat it!  And, for goodness sake, stop feeding your kids junk food.
• Get help.  Read and Ask Questions … Just be sure of your sources.
• Do the best you can, then, fill the gaps in your diet with supplements.  But, avoid short cuts and magic bullets.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• If you’re comfortable with choosing supplements, to fill the gaps in your diet, please consider NUPRO supplements.
• If you want or need help, we will help you.

As Red Green says:  “Remember, we’re all in this together, I’m pulling for you.”

 

Here are two questions for you to consider:

• If eating is so simple, why are there so many people who are overweight?
• Why are so many people experiencing declining health over time?

We know, for example, the biology of science, Senescence, is showing that your body is fully capable of rebuilding a perfect replica of itself, cell by cell, every 7 years.  By producing 300 billion cells every night that are programmed to die, it replaces all of the 750 trillion cells that make
up your body.

Every minute of everyday your body assembles and disassembling all sorts of:

Enzymes to:

• digest your food
• operate your body
• fire nerves
• fire metabolism
• repair and replace damaged tissue

Amino acids to produce:

• hormones to start and stop different functions
• neurotransmitters to operate your brain
• immune cells to protect your body
• blood and lymph cells to carry substances around the body
• repair and replace damaged cells and tissue
• and, there’s even more – suffice it to say – the scope is enormous!

Here’s the rub:
the only way your body can do any of this is if the food you are eating contains the “stuff” the body needs to accomplish the tasks.

This business of eating the food you “like” virtually guarantees that your body won’t get what it needs to rebuild a perfect replica of itself – let alone carry on all of its minute by minute activities that keep you focused, active and healthy.

There are two thresholds, energy and nutrition, that must be met or your body ceases to operate efficiently – the perfect replica starts to become less perfect.

Carbohydrates

Your body burns carbohydrates, fat and water to create energy. The main dietary source to energize your body is carbohydrates.

• If you eat too few, or the wrong kind, you will run out of energy before you run out of day.
• If you eat too many or you are eating the wrong kind – you will get fat.
• If you hit the threshold, you will breeze through the day.

The “wrong” ones are easy:  white flour products, vegetables that grow underground, sweet fruits, sugar and sugars that added to packaged food.

• If you cannotburn these simple carbohydrates within two hours your body will turnthem into fat.
• And, you willget hungry because you need energy again.

The best carbohydrates come from whole grains, vegetables that grow above ground and fleshy fruit.  The Harvard School of Public Health provides guidance to help you select the “right” carbohydrates.

Fat

Fat has been painted with too broad of a brush so, people avoid it at all costs – this is a big mistake!  Granted, there is a “wrong” kind that can turn into plaque and body fat if you eat too much of it.

But, the “right” kind is essential to your body – that’s why they are called essential fatty acids.  Essential fatty acids keep your heart and arteries flexible, fight inflammation and support metabolism.   Harvard, once
again, explains the details if you want more information.

Water

Research has shown that within 10 minutes of drinking a pint of water, the metabolism increases by as much as 30 percent.  Other drinks did not show the same effect.

If you drink too little water and you may be at risk for headaches, muscle cramps, dizziness, constipation and other nasty symptoms.

If you drink an adequate amount of water you gain some great benefits such as a clearer mind, more energy and even help your body metabolize body fat.  

The second threshold is nutrition.  The tissue of all plants and animals are made up from building blocks, called Amino Acids.  Your body disassembles the plant and animal tissue then reassembles their Amino Acids, along with minerals to produce your tissue.

Protein
Protein provides the building blocks your body uses to create all of its cells, tissue and fluids are amino acids – they come from protein.  The source for protein is plant and animal tissue.  If you eat too many of the wrong kinds you will plug up digestion, the heart, arteries and your brain.  If you eat too few, your body will start to gradually deteriorate.  If you hit the threshold, you will be blessed with perfect replacement cells that maintain an efficient, perfect body.

The “right ones are easy:  vegetables, fleshy fruit, fish, poultry and limited
meat from vertebrates (beef and pork).  The Harvard School of Public Health provides guidance concerning meat and plant protein.

Minerals

Particular minerals like calcium have received lots of attention, so, there isn’t much to say about it and the other minerals for which a recommended daily intake has been established.

BUT (and there is always a but), most authorities fall silent when it comes to an entire category of minerals called trace minerals.  Also known as electrolytes, this obscure collection of water-soluble minerals are, in fact, essential for your well being.  They are co-factors in virtually every activity of your body.

The assumption is: you will receive sufficient amounts of these important nutrients when you consume fruits and vegetables.

This assumption is wrong in two ways:

• most people do not consume enough vegetables and even if you do consume the recommended 9 servings of vegetables and fruit
• the soils, on which the plants are grown, have long-since been depleted of these elements due to commercial farming practices.

In fact, this is one area were you must rely on a dietary supplement to support your body’s requirements.  They are marketed as Colloidal Minerals and/or trace minerals, typically liquid and a must if you plan on staying healthy.

Water

Did you notice that water is in both thresholds?  Water is your body’s principal chemical component, making up, on average, 60 percent of your body weight.

Every system in your body depends on water.  Water flushes toxins out of vital organs, carries nutrients to your cells, plumbs your body to protect vital tissue and provides a moist environment for ear, nose and throat tissues.

Possibly the most important thing you can do for your body is to keep it hydrated.  The biggest mistake most people make is to believe beverages count toward hydrating the body.

Water is . . . water!  Beverages:  coffee, tea, soda and juice are liquid food.  So, don’t get caught in that trap.

Drink at least 8 – 8oz. glasses of water everyday – more if it is hot, cold or your are sick.   There is no substitute for water and it is free from your tap and, if you let the water sit overnight in an open container, all of the chlorine will dissipate.  Fresh, clean, free water.  What could be better? 

You make the choice then you will experience the consequences.

• Too many simple carbohydrates – you will get fat.
• Too much exercise – you will tear up your joints.
• Too few minerals – your body can’t work right.
• Too little protein – your body will deteriorate.
• Too little water – metabolism slows down, you will become a husk, plus your body can’t clean itself.

Let me make it simple:  today’s choices are tomorrow’s consequences.  Too many people, me included, have been sugar coating the facts for too long.

• If you are not healthy, you have bought your own trouble.
• If you are neglecting your body but not experiencing the signs of neglect now, you have agreed to a layaway plan to experience
  those same sign of neglect – later.

You are paying, every day, with the choices you are making about convenient, fast food and adhering to a false paradigm that there is some special person or some magic bullet that can fix what you are breaking.

• The special person who can change the consequences is YOU.
• The magic bullet is the “stuff” you are consuming – everyday.   

You can change the way things are by changing the things you are doing.  The arguments that it is too expensive or you don’t have the time won’t hold water.

You either make time for health or spend time being sick.  The latter is very expensive in both money and the quality of your life.

• Start with an action plan to meet the thresholds your body needs to stay healthy or get healthy.
• Assess what you are eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner – everyday -  to care for the needs of your body.
• Fill the gap in your diet with the best nutraceutical supplements you can buy.  Know this: the better you do with the foods you are eating – the fewer supplements it takes to fill the gap in your diet.
• Do your best.  It is not practical to expect to “eat right” everyday.  There is a principal in health that you can take to the bank:  It is not
  what you do occasionally that hurts, it is what you do everyday.
• Splurge once in a while.   After all, life is worth living.  But, get back on the wagon as quickly as possible. 
• Health is a journey.  You can choose to accept the fact that you are in charge of your own health or cling to the false hope that someone orsomething can fix what you have broken.

It’s Your Life – It’s Your Choice.