Vita "For Life"

In the 1500’s the British Royal Navy was entering a time of sea exploration and the race to reach new lands was on.  Their provisions consisted of meat, fish, biscuits and cheese.  These men were out to sea for months and sometimes years.  In a 20-year span, 10,000 men died of a mysterious disease where they had frequent bruising, rotten gums, and painful bodies (1).  James Lind, a surgeon, found that giving the sailors limes cured them of this awful disease.  Of course, Vitamin C was the missing link here, and is needed to synthesize collagen as its most basic functions.  This story is one of the earliest, most well documented cases of vitamin deficiency.  From it was born the idea that these small substances can help our bodies accomplish hundreds of normal functions, most importantly, keep us alive.

Fast forward to the year 2009, and there are thousands of products lining health food store shelves and vitamin shops across the nation.  There is no reason we should be deficient in ANY vitamin right?  The problem in this country is certainly over-nutrition, whereas many third world countries struggle to get the basic nutrients essential to life.  The point is we have plenty of food available and even more supplement choices.  This can overwhelm in the most seasoned consumer.  I am not going to try and attempt to weed through all nonsense being sold out there.  There are a few products I do believe in and will mention.  However, first and foremost I will try to convince you that FOOD is the only vitamin supplement you need.

When scientists began studying food and vitamins at great lengths they became obsessed with isolating particular substances and matching those with diseases/ailments.  As each new vitamin was discovered, and its function slowly realized, scientists figured we could basically survive on vitamins alone, with food merely a delivery system for them.  As vitamin pills began to hit the shelves, people were excited to get these magic chemicals into their bodies and enjoy great health.  Today, you can’t go to the grocery store without seeing slogans like, “Omega 3’s added” or “No fat” or “Rich in vitamin C.”  The food industry has found brilliant ways to add and subtract nutrients from our food.   The problem is, those foods were fine just the way they were.  In fact, they have been promoting human health for thousands of years.

I think its great we can isolate individual nutrients and give them to people in concentrated doses like multi vitamins.  However, the value I see in it is mainly for therapeutic uses, not general health.  For example, if someone has high blood pressure they can improve with larger doses of magnesium, which would be nearly impossible to obtain from food alone.  For the normal, healthy person though, I am a huge advocate from obtaining all the vitamins and minerals you need from food sources and here’s why:

-Nutrition is a very young science.  In my opinion, there is no way we have discovered and isolated every single important vitamin.  So, that orange you are eating has vitamin C for sure, but what about hundreds of other chemicals that interact in our body and undergo important jobs that improve our health.  Skipping the orange for a vitamin C supplement limits your vitamin potential. 

-Our ancestors and even a few native cultures today eat a variety of whole foods and are perfectly healthy.  They are active, disease-free, and never take vitamins.  Everything their body needs is provided for them in nature.  Along these lines, religious or not, it is my belief that god didn’t make a mistake and forget to provide us with everything we need to thrive.  We didn’t evolve to take pills, we evolved to eat food.

 -Research is a bit inconsistent here, so we still don’t know exactly how well we absorb vitamins via supplementation.  We do know that our bodies recognize food and can absorb and assimilate (meaning cells take up) all the important substances needed for functioning.

-Synergy. “The sum of the parts is bigger than the whole.”  Let’s say we eat a dozen blueberries.  All the antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals within this food combine in the stomach and work together to promote health.  Many antioxidants like Vitamin C and E work side by side replenishing each other to continue to fight free radicals.  We just can’t be certain this is as effective when supplementing the two together. 

Having said all this let me now tell you vitamins are important:

-We are not perfect everyday.  We may miss out on certain vitamins on a daily or even a weekly basis, and a multi vitamin ensures we pick up all the pieces.  Vitamins are a great insurance policy even when we are eating well

-As I mentioned before the food industry has stripped many vitamins from products, especially bread.  They try to add them back in but it’s not the same.  White bread is wheat bread minus the B-vitamins.  In addition, some argue that our soils are being depleted of vitamins/minerals and an apple today is not as nutritious as an apple 50 years ago.  A supplement can help make up for this depletion

-Conventionally grown produce (that uses pesticides) has less nutritional value.  When you spray a crop to keep insects away, you are taking away the chance for the produce to use its own defense mechanisms to fend off its foes.  Organically grown produce is said to have thicker outer membranes, which exist because it had to naturally protect itself from the elements.  The result, more nutrition and antioxidants in these plants due to its heightened defense activity.

I’ve kind of played devils advocate with myself so let me say a few bottom line statements about vitamins:  Never let vitamins become an excuse not to eat a vitamin-rich food diet.  Let food be your vitamins and supplemental vitamins be your insurance policy. 

What I do is buy a multi vitamin that recommends taking 3-a-day.  I only take one a day though.  If that day I ate particularly terrible, I’ll take 2 to cover my bases.  Shop around for quality multi’s.  Typically the cheaper they are, the less they resemble something in nature.  I also supplement things that are hard to obtain in the diet.  For example, I take Milk Thistle Seed (for the liver, lets face it some of us have been cruel to this organ), Turmeric (anti inflammatory and heart healthy), and cod liver oil (because I can’t eat liver).   Listen to your body.  If taking extra calcium makes you feel better, it’s probably helping.  If you have individual questions about herbs or any other supplements, message me and I’ll try to answer them.

 

Here are all the vitamins/minerals listed a few good sources of each:

Vitamin A:  retinol-fish, egg yolks, milk   beta carotene: yellow/orange vegetables

Vitamin D: sunlight, fish liver oil, mushrooms, dark green veggies

Vitamin E:  safflower oil, nuts, seeds, wheat germ

Vitamin K: dark greens, kelp, alfalfa (K is normally made in the gut by good bacteria)

B1 (Thiamin): wheat, pecans, pine nuts, oats

B2 (Riboflavin): fish, eggs, wild rice, sunflower seeds

B3 (Niacin): fish, peanuts, meats, avocados, whole grains

B5 (Pantothenic Acid): egg yolks, fish, chicken, sweet potatoes, green peas

B6 (Pyridoxine):meat, whole grains, walnuts, garlic, cabbage, bananas

B7 (Biotin): peanuts, almonds, egg yolks, carrots (intestinal bacteria make most of it for us)

Choline: soybeans, potatoes, lentils, oats, egg yolk, fish

B9 (Folic Acid): green leafy vegetables, oranges, pineapple, strawberries

Inositol: whole grains, citrus fruits, raisins, peanuts

B12 (Cobalamin): meat, fish, egg yolk, shrimp, yogurt

Vitamin C: citrus fruits, red and green peppers, cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus

 

Calcium:  milk, dairy products, broccoli, cauliflower, peas, almonds, pinto beans

Magnesium: dark green vegetables, almonds, cashews, brazil nuts

Potassium: spinach, tomatoes, peas, broccoli, oranges, bananas, whole grains

Sodium: we get enough, its everywhere

***The Image above is that of organic orange juice.  The picture was taken with a Kirlian image capturer that picks up electromagnetic energy.  It is said to show an objects "aura."  All I can say is no vitamin can emit that kind of energy!

1. Haas, Elson.  Staying Healthy With Nutrition.  Celestial Arts. Berkeley, Ca, 2006

 

 

 

What is Food

The definition of food in this country has become more ambiguous than ever.   When we walk into a grocery store we are expecting to purchase food, but let me say that this notion is now skewed.  Shelves are lined with countless processed “foods” with brilliant advertising schemes, colored wrapping, and promises that they are “natural” or “heart healthy” or “fat free.”  On a side note, any item that makes these promises is probably not the best thing for us.  An orange does not need a giant label saying, “Helps the immunes system function while cleansing our organs leading to greater energy levels.”

Ask yourself this the next time you walk into the market:  what in this place wants to be eaten?  The reason plant based foods evolved and thrived alongside us is our symbiotic relationship with them.  When our ancestors ate fruits they either dropped the seed remains on the forest floor or it came out the other end, and those seeds developed into a new plant furthering the circle of life.  The point is, we are designed to consume plants.  They have nourished us and us them for as long as people walked the earth.  Our bodies know exactly what do with them; they have for thousands of years.  

On the other hand, processed/packaged foods are dominating market shelves. Our bodies are currently having a lot of trouble dealing with these other “foods”.  Chemicals, additives, colorings, preservatives, etc create a unique problem for us, mainly because our cells have never had to deal with such substances.  Some of the more potent chemicals, which will be discussed later, cannot be used up by our cells, so we store them as fat, they accumulate in our arteries and even end up in our brains.  You may ask, why then are these chemicals added to our foods if they cause so many problems?  Like many other answers in this world, the answer here is money. The sad truth is, most of these food corporations could care less about our well- being as long as their bottom line looks good.  Food companies have found ways to extend shelf life through chemicals additives.  Cheap crop commodities like corn and soybean oils are added to processed foods to make them taste better and get you addicted to them.  They have taken out many nutrients and vitamins, which prevent foods from going rancid. Any food that won’t spoil is suspect. 

Now back to nature’s food.  Plants harness the suns rays into their own form of energy, making them grow.  When we eat these plants we are indirectly getting the sun’s energy into our bodies.  When you think about it, this is truly the way in which the sun sustains life on this earth.  What better way to increase our energy levels than to eat from the sun?  If you are trying to make this connection, think about the last time you spent time indoors and then went outside into the sun.  I know I instantly feel more energy.   Plants are the perfect food to thrive.  They provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals, heal the body, cleanse our organs, and many studies point to cancer prevention.

It is important to keep in mind which foods got us here.  We did not develop our complex brains by eating frozen dinners and cheese its.  America’s 3 most consumed vegetables are potatoes (fries), tomatoes (ketchup), and iceberg lettuce.  These "vegetables" certainly are not going to help our bodies fight off cancer and heart disease.  

Back to the market, a good general rule is to stick to the perimeter, where more produce is located.  Ask the dude/gal in the produce section what is grown organically or locally.  Don’t be afraid to experiment with different vegetables/fruits. 

Let’s start rejecting the industries idea of food and going back to what the earth has given us. 

 

Thanks for reading,

Doyle

Battle Cry

This note is my attempt to convince you that making some changes I will eventually outline is really worth it.  Many of us lead busy, consuming lives and eating well takes a backseat.  I can go on and on about how America’s health is in serious jeopardy or that obesity is at epidemic levels.  I think most of us already know this.  Its time to make eating and exercise a priority in our lives, otherwise all the hard work we put into our careers will be for naught. If we cannot enjoy our vacation time or retirement because our health is failing us what’s the point?

The human body is the single most amazing thing on this earth.  I have come to appreciate what it can do with every new day.  Take a look at this scenario: you have a 22 year old who just graduated college and is now working 60 hours a week.  He eats fast food, rarely consumes fruits/vegetables, smokes, gets little sleep and does not exercise.  He does all of this, yet his body continues running, seldom failing him with the exception of the occasional illness.  Our body can take a serious pounding yet it keeps functioning.  Now, just imagine what a well fed, well rested, and active body can do for you: the possibilities are endless.  Overtime though our 22 year old’s body will begin to show its wear and maybe even disease will manifest.  The point is, if our human body can run on fumes, why not top off the tank and see what it can really do. 

It has become commonplace for us to expect to get old, get cancer and heart disease and live out our later years in pain or senility.  “It’s just part of getting old,” right?  In my opinion, it doesn’t have to be that way.  There is no reason we cannot be active throughout our WHOLE lives and die at the age of 110 on the golf course.  But this kind of planning starts right now.   If you haven’t been that diligent about your eating or exercise recently, or ever, so what?  You can make changes now that will pay huge dividends both in the short term and long term.  I think its fair to assume that no one wouldn’t want to say they are still kicking ass in their 90’s. 

The final thing I will say is that in no way is my intent to tell people what to eat or what not to eat.  My goal is to provide information that may help bring about a positive change.  If it works, great.

 Just know that despite all the poor health surrounding us and the faulty information out there, there are answers. 

 

 

Thanks for reading,

Doyle