Monday, December 10, 2012

Basic Nutrition is LOST Today!

The nutrition industry is starting to lean toward the same marketing strategies as big pharma companies. At the gym I work out at, they have an TV advertisement about Vitamin C. It has an ex-Olympian talking about how she would never leave her house without Vitamin C. Vitamin C alone has single-handedly changed her life and allowed her to be a professional athlete. This is just one example of a single nutrition supplement changing the life of the user. Sounds like a miracle. Why doesn't everyone taking Vitamin C become an elite athlete? Don't get me wrong, I do love some Vitamin C, but I don't think I could say it changed my life. No one nutrient can change someone's life.

No wonder people don't feel the effects of vitamins and minerals. Taking one supplement will not change the body like the claims maintain. Although one MAJOR difference between nutrients and pharmaceuticals is the side-effects and death rates. No one has ever died directly from taking vitamins. Nutrients and vitamins simply do not kill people. It is acceptable for over 100,000 people a year to die from pharmaceuticals being used correctly. Discrepancy? I think yes.

Single nutrients or supplements can have powerful effects when the body is near perfect balance. That means baseline nutrition has been established. Now, what is baseline nutrition?

-Adequate minerals. No single mineral should be given without some form of comprehensive multi-mineral supplement. I love extra magnesium and zinc, but I also give them in conjunction with a comprehensive multi-mineral supplements. A Zn Tally taste test is not only a subjective Zn test, but a total mineral balance test.

-Proper intake of omega 3s. This might take a while to establish, like months of high dose fish oil, more than 10 g per day. As the fat intake becomes more balanced some might decrease the intake, but most people feel so good they continue to take a higher dose of fish oil.

-Plant nutrients including anti-inflammatory nutrients. A plant nutrient powder is a great way to alkalize the body and promote an anti-inflammatory environment. The body works best at a pH of around 7.35. Living creates acid and we need to buffer that acid. Eating lots of plants does this. In today's toxic world we need an even more powerful boost than simply eating plants. This is where a solid and comprehensive plant nutrient supplement comes in. If someone is horrendously inflamed the addition of curcumin and ginger inflavonoids will also help.

-Vitamin D. Vitamin D, yes is one vitamin, but one thing that is unique about Vitamin D is the receptor. Every  cell in the body has Vitamin D receptors, making it very important. I don't need to preach the importance of D, just do a google search and see.

-Digestion. Proper stomach acid, gallbladder function, and enzymes are important. Making stomach acid is one of the most energy dependent processes in the body. People don't make too much stomach acid, they make to little. The LES (lower esophogeal sphictor) is pH dependent meaning the more HCl one has, the tighter the esophagus closes. No acid reflux. Acid reflux is not too much stomach acid, it is too little. Stomach acid is needed to digest food and protect the body from outside infections. The HCl challenge is a simple way to assess if one needs to supplement it. Now HCl by itself might be a supplement that can change someones life.

Once someone's baseline nutrition has been established and continually maintained for a while, this includes lifestyle, organic eating, working out and being active, and most of all a continual source of love, then and only then will single supplement really have great effect on the body.

Next time you are sick and want to reach for the Vitamin C, don't get mad when it doesn't live up to label claims. Take the next week to do an Intense Detox, and start living baseline nutrition. That way the next time sickness happens, the Vitamin C might have a great effect. It might live up to label claims.

-Dr. Kurt