Nutrients, the Building Blocks of Immunity

I am going to supply you with knowledge about the essential nutrients needed for optimum health and longevity, several of which are ignored by mainstream nutritionists. Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, 17th edition defines nutrition as, “All the processes involved in the taking in and utilization of food substances by which growth, repair, and maintenance of activities in the body as a whole or in any of its parts are accomplished. Includes ingestion, digestion, absorption, and metabolism (assimilation)…” as you may gather, consuming the needed nutrient does not guarantee that the nutrient will be assimilated by the body. many people on this planet are aware that proper nutrition is essential for good health and that inadequate nutrition is associated with poor health and disease. Yet the corporations that control the majority of the food sold in markets are getting away with supplying very low quality products. Corporations routinely package and market foods based on their shelf life and taste rather than their nutritional value. Seed variations are selected for ease of growing, harvesting, transporting, and processing rather than nutrition. Adding chemicals to achieve a longer shelf-life is commonplace and the overrefining of grains is ubiquitous. these practices contribute to inadequate nutrition which leads, intern, to ill health. Have you ever had someone tell you that they have a chemical imbalance? Consider the idea that they are suffering from an essential nutrient deficiency; do you believe that a pharmaceutical can supply the missing nutrients? Scientific research proves that many essential nutrients are destroyed in cooking; so are cooked foods still whole foods? this chapter explains why fresh, uncooked and unprocessed whole foods are the most important health guardians available to the human organism.

VitaminsVitamins are organic substances which the body requires in small amounts to carry out thousands of building-up and breaking-down functions. many scientific studies have shown that a high dietary intake of vitamins is associated with health and a low dietary intake of vitamins is associated with disease. Unfortunately, the vitamins in our foods are often rendered inactive before we get a chance to consume them. The Taber’s Cyclopedia Medical Dictionary, Edition 17 (page 1562) has this to say about vitamin loss: “… loss of vitamin content [occurs] in food products because of vitamin instability, especially in oxidation and during heating. Methods of preserving foods add to the loss of vitamins. Pickling, salting, curing or fermenting processes usually cause complete loss of Vitamin C. Commercial canning destroys from fifty to eighty-five percent of Vitamin C contained in peas, lima beans, spinach and asparagus. Pasteurization, unless special precautions are observed, causes a loss of from thirty to sixty percent of Vitamin C. Freshly prepared applesauce retains only from twenty to thirty percent of the Vitamin C value of the apple. Vitamin B1 is lost through milling because the wheat embryo, rich in Vitamin B1, is removed from wheat flour in milling. Some vitamins are unstable, being readily destroyed by oxidation, heat, especially in an alkaline medium or strong acids, light and aging.”

The Vitamin Chart in this prestigious medical dictionary states the following (edition 14, page 1725, except where otherwise indicated) (Boldface emphasis mine): Vitamin A, “destroyed by high temperatures when oxygen is present.” Vitamin B1, “destroyed by exposure to heat, alkali or sulphites.” Vitamin B2, “unstable in light, especially in the presence of alkali.” Vitamin B6, “rapidly inactivated in the presence of heat, sunlight, or air.” Vitamin B12, “unstable in hot alkaline or acid solutions” (edition 19, page 2399). Folic Acid, “destroyed by heat at low pH, loss in food stored at room temperature” (edition 19, page 2399). Vitamin C, “easily destroyed by oxidation; heat hastens the process. Lost in cooking, particularly if water in which food is cooked is discarded. Also loss is greater if cooked in iron or copper utensils.”

• Vitamin E, “destroyed by heat” (edition 19, page 2399). I am of the belief that we should meet our daily vitamin needs by the consumption of living and whole foods. however, there is one vitamin that I must recommend that everyone supplement, B12. Although B12 deficiencies occur more often in vegetarians and vegans, they also occur in non-vegetarians. Vitamin B12 deficiencies are associated with elevated homocysteine (along with B6 and folic acid). Research has shown that elevated homocysteine increases the potential for deterioration of the arteries and nerves and several other unfavorable conditions. The nerve system degeneration that can occur from B12 deficiency can sometimes be irreversible. Symptoms include numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, poor memory, behavioral changes such as paranoia and nervousness, and impotence. Gabriel Cousens M.D. explains that the minimal need for B12 is about 6 micrograms (mcg) per day and that we lose about 3 mcg per day. furthermore, he adds that 80 percent of children, adult vegans and live-food practitioners become B12 deficient after six to ten years without B12 supplementation (Cousens pg. 285). I use a form of B12 called methylcobalamin in a sublingual lozenge. My typical dose is 1000 mcg once per week. What about food sources for B12? Sea vegetables do contain some human active B12. Unfortunately they also contain an analog form of B12 that can block receptor sites for human active B12. For this reason I do not suggest that anyone rely on sea vegetables for B12. Gabriel Cousens M.D., states in Conscious Eating that Vitamin B12 is heat-sensitive but not entirely destroyed by cooking. Research has shown that between 23.7% and 96.4% of B12 is destroyed by boiling or baking, depending on the type of food and cooking duration. Nutritional yeast (Red Star brand) seems to be a source for B12 but supplements are undoubtedly the best way to ensure adequate consumption. Vitamin C is a very interesting vitamin. Practically all animals make it in their bodies so they don’t have to eat it. The exceptions are fruit -eating bats, guinea pigs, the red-vented bulbous bird and primates including humans. Linus Pauling, a famous Vitamin C researcher, postulated that humans once made it. however, from eating a fruit -rich diet , we lost the ability to produce it. Diets high in food-derived Vitamin C have been proven to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer which are currently the top causes of death in the United States. Today it is widely known that if we don’t get Vitamin C through our diets, we develop scurvy. In 1747, James Lind, a British physician discovered that fresh fruit was the cure for scurvy. Yet it wasn’t until the early 1800′s that the government recognized this and started putting citrus fruits on their ships. The death of sailors by scurvy continued for nearly 100 years while health experts failed to convince the ruling powers to include citrus in sailor’s diets. (In 1907 Vitamin C was officially recognized as the cure and prevention of scurvy.) If our society could learn from the mistakes of our predecessors and recognize the vast body of scientific evidence that points to a whole foods diet as the prevention of most modern diseases, it would save countless people from suffering and premature death. Vitamin D is known as the “sunshine” vitamin. In other words, when our bodies are exposed to sunlight (usually twenty minutes is sufficient), we are supplied with our daily need for Vitamin D. A baby can get all the Vitamin D it needs with only its cheeks exposed to the sun for abouttwenty minutes. The Vitamin E Fact Book by the Vitamin E Research and Information Service (1989) states that almonds are a rich source of Vitamin E in their raw state but they lose eighty percent of the vitamin in roasting. Large numbers of illnesses can be caused by vitamin deficiencies. just to name a few, lack of Vitamin A can cause the eyes to weaken, lack of Vitamin B3 can cause pellagra, lack of Vitamin C can cause scurvy, and lack of Vitamin D can cause rickets. The government has set dietary recommendations (RDA’s) for these vitamins to prevent deficiency diseases, but most researchers believe that RDA recommendations are less than optimal. Every individual has a different need for vitamins that changes constantly according to lifestyle factors. Water-soluble vitamins, if over-ingested, will usually leave the body through the urine and not cause any problems. Fat soluble Vitamins such as A, D, E and K, are stored in the liver and fatty tissues until the body needs them. For this reason the body can survive weeks of consuming foods that lack them without any deficiency signs. however, the capacity for storage sets the stage for toxic build-up should an excess be ingested. Storage of vitamins A, D and K can easily reach toxic levels if over consumed. For example, a man driving an Alaskan dog sled got lost, and in an attempt to save himself from death, the stranded man ate the liver of one of the dogs and then died of Vitamin A toxicity. If, however, a human ate an excess of plant foods, toxic levels of vitamin A would never be reached because plants contain carotinoids that are changed into vitamin A only as the body needs them. Synergistic and opposing relationships exist between some vit amins. For example, Vitamins A, D and E are mutually antagonistic to each other, and it is well known that hyper-vitaminosis A can be treated by Vitamin D supplementation. In addition, an excess of Vitamin D in the body can be successfully treated with Vitamin A supplementation. An excess of the mineral calcium in the body can cause a Vitamin A deficiency, and a deficiency of the mineral zinc can prevent the body from accessing Vitamin A stored in the liver. Vitamin D can become deficient if excess magnesium is present. Thus indiscriminate supplementation or eating an excess of fortified foods can cause imbalance. Foods in their natural state as the creator has designed them (i.e. excluding excessively hybridized and genetically modified foods), have the vitamins and minerals in highly usable ratios. Normal consumption of a good variety of foods does not cause imbalance. however, if we eat refined and processed foods that have been enriched with synthetic vitamins and laboratory-manipulated minerals and then consume synthetic supplemental vitamins in high doses, body chemistry can become imbalanced. If you use supplemental vitamins, be sure to use quality products from a health food store and never from discount stores, pharmacies or supermarkets. Sometimes these supplements contain artificial chemicals that can cause ill health. according to research done by Dr. David L. Watts, some vitamins have been classified as having either a stimulating or sedating effect at the cellular level. For most people, the vitamins A, C, E, B1, B3, B6 and B10 are stimulators while vitamins D and B2 are sedatives. I have often wondered if the high dose of vitamin D absorbed from the sun is the reason why most people feel so sedated after a day at the beach.

Fiber Fiber is essential for human health and a shortage of it in the diet can promote many disorders of the digestive tract. The fiber in food helps slow down digestion, keeping blood sugar stable and hunger at bay. Colon and rectal cancer are the second leading cause of death in the United States. Fiber helps to prevent colorectal cancer, constipation, diverticulosis and most other illnesses of the lower bowel. Fiber also slows the absorption of sugar and is, therefore, beneficial to diabetics and hypoglycemics. even people who are eating diets high in fiber-rich cooked vegetables might not be getting the fiber they need to prevent these diseases because the fiber is partially destroyed by cooking. All animal products (i.e. beef, chicken, lamb, pig, fish and shellfish, turkey, goat, etc) completely lack fiber. All dairy products (i.e. milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, etc.) are also fiberless. nor do eggs contain fiber. On the other hand all fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds and grains contain ample amounts of fiber in their whole and unprocessed state. Egg whites and dairy products, as well as wheat protein (gluten) cause constipation. when wheat grain is processed into flour, the fiber is taken out, along with most of the nutrition. many people become addicted to this fast source of carbohydrates which is lacking in nutrients. Modern statistics show that , in Africa, the average diet has approximately seven times more fiber than the American diet; colon/rectal problems are rare there, while they are commonplace in the United States. even the Quaker Oats Company is aware of the medical benefits of fiber and is using them to market their product to a population plagued by the effects of a diet high in fiberless animal food and low in unprocessed sources of fiber. I found the following written on a box of Quaker Oats: “three grams of soluble fiber from oatmeal daily in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. this cereal has two grams per serving.” The soluble fiber in oats binds with cholesterol-based acids and prevents these acids from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary (edition 14) gives a good definition of dietary fiber and outlines many of its functions.“Components of food that are resistant to chemical digestion include portions of food that are made up of cellulose, hemi-cellulose, lignin and pectin. these substances add bulk to the diet by absorbing large amounts of water and are used in diets to produce large bulky bowel movements. Foods rich in fiber include whole grains, bran flakes, fruits, leafy vegetables, root vegetables and their skins, and prunes, which also contain a laxative substance, diphenylisatin.

Diets high in fiber may help to prevent diverticula of the intestinal tract, may help to lower blood cholesterol and possibly prevent cancer of the intestinal tract. Some diabetic individuals on low insulin doses have been able to further lower their insulin requirements by following a diet high in fiber and carbohydrates and low in sucrose.” While diverticula are common in people on the standard American diet, they are rare in peoples of the world who eat high fiber diets. My parents were told by their allopathic doctor that everyone gets diverticula of the intestinal tract when they get old and that there is no way to prevent it. Yet the medical dictionary states that a high fiber diet “may help to prevent diverticula of the intestinal tract ” and studies have shown that diverticula are rare in places where humans consume a high fiber diet. Dr. Neil Painter, a London surgeon, was the researcher who finally proved that diverticula are caused by a fiber -deficient diet, but for 50 years before his 1972 landmark study, diverticula was treated with a low fiber diet. If you choose to use a fiber supplement rather then getting your fiber from raw fruits and vegetables as I recommend, you should know that psyllium fiber supplements absorb about forty times their weight in water. If there is not a sufficient amount of water in the intestines to hydrate the fiber, it will dry out the intestines and cause constipation. Some supermarket brands of fiber contain artificial colors that are known to cause cancer. I recommend using ground flax seeds for a fiber supplement. In addition to being highly nutritious, they are about 50 percent nonsoluble fiber and 50 percent soluble so they absorb less water than psyllium fiber. these seeds also contain flax oil which lubricates the intestines. Use a coffee bean grinder to pulverize them because the human digestive tract cannot break them down unless they are chewed very thoroughly. after the flax seeds are ground they must be kept either refrigerated or frozen or they will become rancid. Gandhi once commented that the people in the villages he visited (in India) that consumed flax seeds were noticeably healthier than the people ikpn the villages that did not consume flax seeds.

I began writing years ago as a child. I went to UCF in Florida and graudated in 1999. Since then I’ve worked for many different companies in many different roles. My goal is to bring the very best quality information to anyone who needs it.