Good Nutrition Includes Supplements. Why Take Supplements?
You may have thought that food contains all the nutrients needed for good health and that by following such a diet you would have no need for supplements. The assumption that your food is of good nutritional value simply isn't true any longer. Advice compiled by the United States Senate as far back as 1936, tells us that: "Food (fruits, vegetables and grains) is now being raised on millions of acres of land that no longer contain enough of certain minerals. These foods are starving us - no matter how much of them we eat. No man today can eat enough fruit and vegetables to supply his system with the minerals he requires for perfect health, because his stomach isn't big enough to hold them." Your food lacks nutrition due to:
- Over-processing and refining of foods: For example, refining wheat flour removes folic acid - important both pre-conceptually and for many other vital bodily functions.
- Modern day farming: Traditional methods of farming left the land to rest, allowing the soil to build up nutrients naturally. Unfortunately commercial pressures on many farmers mean that they cannot afford to wait for nature, instead they use chemical fertilisers to feed the crops, consequently affecting the nutritional quality and possibly leaving harmful toxic residues.
- Pesticides: The average lettuce purchased in the UK has been sprayed with pesticides eleven times. Do you wash your food thoroughly enough to remove all this? Do your children wash all the fruit they eat?
- Cold storage: Most fruit and vegetables we buy in the supermarkets have been stored for six to nine months, during which time the nutrient content can fall dramatically. Tests show that the nutritional value of food varies dramatically. One randomly picked orange contained 70mg of vitamin C, another just a trace. How can you be sure you are eating the required amount? Even if you know what that is for YOU!
The Changing Nutritional Value of Food
Nutritionist David Thomas compared the nutritional values of foods over a 50 year period dating back to 1940 using data from the McCance and Widdowson British Food Journals: "The Chemical Composition of Foods" published periodically by the Medical Research Council. His research showed that, compared to 50 years ago, on average:
- 27 varieties of vegetables contain 46% less calcium
- 17 varieties of fruit contain 16% less calcium
- 10 cuts of meat contain 41% less calcium
- Milk contains 4% less calcium
- Cheddar cheese contains 11% less calcium
These are just a few examples. There are equally worrying figures for other important minerals such as potassium, phosphorous, magnesium and iron.
In 1992 the Earth Summit reported that the minerals in the soil in Europe had decreased by 72 percent over the last 100 years. In addition to this, food processing removes large percentages of nutrients - as much as 98 percent.
Many experts firmly believe the only way to overcome these losses is by regular supplementation. For this reason most nutritionists recommend the use of dietary supplements on a regular basis.
Why is food processed?
Food processing began around the time of the industrial revolution. Before that, people worked on farms and ate what they grew. However when people began to work in factories instead, it was necessary to provide food for them. Flour was refined so that it could be stored well. In fact it has the nourishment taken out so that it won't even support a weavil. Sugar was added to give workers extra energy. Fat was added to make it more filling, more cheaply. Food is also processed for convenience, to help us live a faster pace of life. But most of all, food manufacturers process foods to make more profits. They encourage higher consumption by adding sugar, which is addictive, they add preservatives or salt to give it a longer shelf life, and they use colourings and waxes to make food more appealing to the eye.
Other substances that may be added in processing are phosphorus to make fizzy drinks, this upsets the calcium/phosphorus balance, nitrites (possibly carcinogenic) to preserve food, or colourings, which have been linked to hyperactivity and migraine. Pesticides are also used; did you realise that the average person consumes four and a half litres of pesticide per year? Growth hormones are added to animal feed so that cattle mature earlier to be ready for slaughter sooner and antibiotics are added to keep them disease free. The latter has led to the increasing resistance of bacteria to antibiotics such that many are no longer effective in humans as even people who have not been taking antibiotics themselves, may have been getting a regular dose from eating non-organically produced meat.
Substances removed in processing are fibre, (increasing constipation), B vitamins and minerals such as zinc, chromium, magnesium and manganese. As high as 97% in some cases.
But surely - you might say - these days people don't get ill or die from nutrient deficiencies? Dr Linus Pauling, winner of two Nobel prizes said: "You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency".
What supplements should you take?
If you are convinced of the need for supplements, but not sure what products to use, I can offer you three helpful suggestions:
- A Hair Mineral Analysis will supply you with a programme, tailored to your specific needs. Visit my Hair Mineral Analysis site for a free sample download of the comprehensive analysis you will receive.
- Quote my code PCPJH010 for a 10% discount when placing TELEPHONE orders (020 7436 5122) with The NutriCentre.
- Take an on-line questionnaire. This will tell you which nutrients are important for you, and armed with that you can place an order with the NutriCentre, using my code above.