Optimal Health for All Ages

Let’s focus on food - The cornerstone to a foundation of health!

1. In a desire to make our population healthier, the US government conducted the HANES study (Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) to understand how people perceive the importance of proper nutrition. It was discovered that:The dietary choices that resulted were not just below average, but very poor and, consequently
2. The diet of the average person was woefully lacking in nutritional value.

Consider the following -

When we think of “malnutrition,” we recall television and magazine images of underfed, emaciated children, from third-world countries. However, in the United States alone, over 90% of our population is ALSO malnourished. How is this possible, when we boast more food options in America than anywhere else in the world?

Simple! The vast majority of the foods we eat are processed foods, with plenty of sugar, fat and sodium added in for “good” measure. In other words, processed foods tend to be: bleached, de-mineralized and depleted of most of their natural nutrients. So while we eat all of these mostly empty calories, to our heart’s content, or rather our heart’s discontent, our bodies are growing fatter and sending out signals that we are STARVING!

In a country that boasts the very best healthcare in the world, why do we maintain the HIGHEST rates of: obesity, arthritis, cancer, heart disease and strokes anywhere in the world? Because of the type of foods we consume.

In 1989 the US Surgeon General, C. Everett Koop, released a report entitled “Nutrition and Health” that linked 2/3rd’s of all causes of deaths in the US to diet or lifestyle.

In addition to poor dietary habits, we deal with environmental pollutants. What doesn’t manage to get into our already nutrient-depleted foods, will eventually find its way into our body through our skin, and lungs. Therefore, our first line of defense has got to be out diet! This is something we have some control over.

Now that we hopefully have your attention, let’s take the next step.

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The BASICS for Foundational Health

• EAT Plenty OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES: What does “plenty” mean? According to Havard’s School of Health, the average American gets less than three (3) servings a day; however, dietary guidelines call for five to thirteen servings of fruits and vegetables a day (2½ to 6½ cups per day), depending on one's caloric intake. For a person who needs 2,000 calories a day to maintain weight and health, this translates into nine servings, or 4½ cups per day (2 cups of fruit and 2½ cups of vegetables).
  
  Consume fruits and vegetables in as unprocessed a state as possible. The less a food is boiled, fried, sauteed, or baked, the more enzymatic activity the food will retain. To understand the critical importance of enzymatic activity, and foods in as unprocessed state as possible, please read the below articles:
  
  The Link Between DigestiveEnzyme Deficiency and Poor Health
  Regaining Your Health & the pH Connection

• ADD FISH TO YOUR WEEKLY MENU: Eat at least 1-2 servings of fish each week. Each serving constitutes 3.5 ounces cooked, or ¾ cup flaked fish. And we don’t recommend just any fish, but the type that contains high amounts of omega-3s, such as: salmon, mackerel, herring, lake trout, sardines and albacore tuna. Unlike most red-meat choices, the fish recommendations listed above are NOT high in saturated fats. They do however contain the omega-3s,which research has shown decreases the risk of arrhythmias, triglyceride levels, slows the growth of arterial plaque and can help to slightly lower blood pressure.

• GET RID OF THE TABLE SALT!: Salt is an ESSENTIAL nutrient. However, we are NOT referring to table salt! Today’s table salt has nothing in common with natural, unrefined sea salt, which contain many essential nutrients. Believe it or not, this is the salt that once sold for its weight in gold. Unrefined sea salt is LOADED with trace minerals, and is perhaps the most nutritious food on the planet. Table salt, on the other hand, leads the list of the most dangerous foods we consume, and the Western diet includes A LOT OF IT!
  
  Table salt is bleached, de-mineralized sodium chloride. With the exception of added iodine, table salt has no nutritional value, but we sure are eager to add plenty of it to our food.
  
  Some of the benefits of unrefined sea salt include: stimulation of saliva (an important enzymatic activity), the balancing and replenishing of the body’s electrolytes, providing high resistance to infections and bacterial diseases, helps to balance alkaline/ acid levels, helps to restore good digestion, greatly helps to reduce toxins in the body, and UNrefined sea salt can supply– Up to 82 TRACE MINERALS VITAL TO CELLULAR MAINTANENCE!
  
  If you do decide to switch to unrefined sea salt, ensure you consume proper levels of iodine, as per your healthcare provider’s instructions. This is because unrefined sea salt may not contain the necessary amounts of iodine needed to prevent iodine deficiency diseases. Table salt (sodium chloride) is artificially enhanced with this mineral.

• DRINK WATER: It might be everywhere, but one should never take water for granted. Water makes up more than two thirds of human body weight, and without water, we would die in a few days. The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82% water and lungs 90% water. A mere 2% drop in our body's water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as a computer screen. (Are you having trouble reading this? Drink up!) In fact, the main cause of fatigue throughout the day is dehydration. Though everyone’s needs differ, the rule of thumb is to drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. Eight ounces = one measuring cup.
  
  
• MODERATE EXERCISE YIELDS BIG BENEFITS: According to Science Daily, “moderately strenuous exercise, about 30 minutes a day, can lead to enormous benefits in terms of your mood, health, weight and the ability to live an independent and fulfilling life. The exercise doesn’t need to be athletic or difficult. Studies have shown that simply walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes or more on most days can lead to significant health improvements. Add simple strengthening exercises two or three times a week and the benefits are even greater.” The benefits include:



• Lower blood pressure
• Improved cholesterol levels
• Prevention and management of Type II Diabetes
• Weight management
• Increased bone density
• Strengthened immune system
• Stress reduction
• Increased energy and stamina

• MULTIVITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS: Support your diet and improve your health potential by taking a comprehensive multivitamin & mineral supplement. Remember, when choosing a supplement, quality is very important. Be very cautious! You definitely don’t want to, but oftentimes you will receive: extra fillers, lead, artificial flavorings and preservatives. These additives are part of many, easily obtained, over-the-counter vitamins.
  
  Click here for our #1 Selling Multi-Vitamin! Also, rated #1 by Consumer Labs!
  
  Additionally, no matter how high a quality a vitamin is, your digestive system needs to have adequate amounts of stomach acid and digestive enzymes available to extract all of the nutrients possible from your supplements. For more on these topics, please read the following articles:
  
  The Link Between Digestive Enzyme Deficiency and Poor Health
  
  The Importance of Stomach Acid



• REDUCE SUGAR INTAKE: The removal of all processed sugar from your diet would be ideal. But, let’s face it - Most of us are going to slip now and then. The goal is to begin incorporating ALL OF THE ABOVE into your daily regimen. The more you do, the more you will notice that your desire for processed sugar begins to decrease. So, go ahead and EAT CAKE! But do so sparingly, so long as you adhere to our recommendations above.

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SUMMARY:

• Fruits and Vegetables: Nine servings of a combination of fruits and servings daily. One (1) serving equals approximately ½ cup.
• Fish: Eat at least 1-2 servings of fish each week.
• Substitute table salt for unrefined sea salt. Speak with your healthcare practitioner beforehand to insure the proper amount of iodine is consumed daily
• Drink water: Drink at least 8 eight-ounce (i.e., 1 measured cup equals eight ounces) per day.
• Moderate exercise: 30 minutes daily
• Reduce sugar
• Multivitamin: Take a high-quality daily multivitamin

 

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