Are you really getting the nutrition you need?
It is becoming clearer that consumers have been unwitting accomplices in a vast experiment. What experiment you ask? An experiment with your food. This is the experiment that began in the 1940’s when the chemical industry began marketing artificial fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides to farmers. They convinced the farmers, and the populace, that this was safe and cheaper than conventional farming. But, is this really the whole story?
As it turns out, pesticides and herbicides have the same effect on the unwanted plant and bug pests that antibiotic therapies have had on bacterial pests. It is well known that our use, and overuse, of antibiotics has generated stronger strains of bacteria. This has caused the need for further development of ever strong antibiotics. These stronger antibiotics have, of course, created even stronger bacteria. This cycle has now been repeating for going on 100 years.
Well, the use of the herbicides and pesticides on our farm fields (and our lawns and gardens, for that matter) has generated stronger and stronger weeds and bugs … the same cycle of stronger chemicals creating stronger pests. And it is causing the higher use of herbicides and pesticides, and is costing more and more to keep those pests at bay. We increased the use of pesticides by tenfold between 1945 and 1989.[1] And no one is keeping track of how much of those chemicals a person ingests and what the overall detrimental effect of all these toxic chemicals is to your body.
Further, although the fertilizers produce pretty-looking plants and plentiful crops there is information available now that shows that these plants are fairly empty. By this I mean they are a pretty shell that is empty of nutrition. Oh, sure they have a little bit, but not nearly the level of nutrition that was available in our food, say, 100 years ago. Remember the old days of farming (if you’re old enough!)? When you’d pass a farm field and you could smell the fresh manure and know that it was springtime. Now, it’s not that I enjoyed the smell of fresh manure, but I understand the reason for it. It is well known and well established that cow manure returns depleted nutrients back into the soil. And food can only be as good as the soil that it grows in. Soil that is full of chemicals and lacking nutrients produces nutrient empty plants. But, food that is grown in nutrient rich soil is nutrient rich!
So, the result has been ever increasing amounts of toxic chemicals and ever decreasing amounts of nutrients in our foods. Now that we see this experiment and how it is working, what do we do? Well, your body needs lots of nutrient rich foods to maintain its health, but the corporate farms are not producing that. The best option that we have is to buy certified organic foods. Farms that are certified organic must follow stringent rules that include no pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilizers. This means they have returned to the farming methods of old. The more that a field is farmed in this manner the more the nutrients are restored into the soil, and thus into the food grown there.
Consequently, buying certified organic foods is our first action. But, is it enough? Well, truthfully, probably not. Since most of our farm fields have had a period when the more “modern” (i.e. chemical) farming methods were used there is a level of depletion that has occurred. Also, unless you are extremely diligent you will still eat some foods that are not organic or that have been overly processed – think eating out and packaged foods. Further, our bodies have to deal with more negative “influences” than they did 100 years ago – like air pollution, toxins out-gassing from their carpets and cabinets, multi-tasking, and greater levels of stress in general. So, we need to supplement our foods in order to get the proper amount of nutrients on a daily basis. So, how do we go about deciding on a good nutritional supplement?
Most supplements on the market today are synthetic forms of their real food vitamin counterparts that naturally occur in the foods you eat. The problem is that the body cannot absorb and utilize a synthetic nutrient like it can absorb a natural nutrient. Research has shown that while in the short run the body will respond to a synthetic nutrient, over time it stops responding. It seems that the body realizes at some point that it can’t really use this ‘thing’ and stops even trying. So, it is important to make sure that our nutritional supplements are live, whole foods. This will ensure that the nutrients are bio-available to the body – in other words, that the body can absorb and use the nutrients.
These products are generally known as “superfoods.” It will further help if the nutrients in the supplement are from certified organic sources so we are confident that they have the highest nutrient values available, as described above. There are a number of products on the market today that fit the description of a superfood. There are fewer that are certified organic. But if you are going to spend your money on a nutritional supplement you might as well get one that gives you as much of what your body needs as you can.
Another thing you want to get from your supplement is a good probiotic. Since we are so exposed to antibiotics (in our meats and produce as well as those we take ourselves) we need to restore the proper balance by replenishing the good bacteria back into the body. The good bacteria, or probiotics, are essential to absorbing nutrients and critical to the healthy functioning of the immune system. Another benefit of having the probiotic mixed in with the live, whole foods is that it will begin the digestive process of the nutrients so that they are pre-digested when you take them (if it is done properly). This means that your body does not have to do any work to absorb all those luscious nutrients, they can be absorbed right into your cells.
When I finally found great quality probiotic and superfood supplements, as described above, I was simply amazed at the results. My lifelong, chronic digestive problems went away. Yes, they healed! The more that I looked into this and researched it I found out how critically important probiotic supplementation is to health. I learned how this one ingredient was underneath a vast array of health issues. I discovered that good bacteria are critical to nutrient absorption, that without enough good bacteria we cannot breakdown our foods to absorb the nutrition in them. I realized that I was exposed to elements on a daily basis that were destroying my good bacteria – things like chlorine in the water, antibiotics in my meats, fertilizers and pesticides in my produce, hormones, and everyday stress. So, I began to understand why I continued to have these digestive problems even though I had made major improvements in my diet and supplemented with digestive enzymes and probiotics.
It turns out that without a good quality, natural, bio-available probiotic to really heal the environment in the gut I was just throwing my money away. At first, I needed to take the probiotic on a treatment level dosage to heal the environment in my gut. And while I was doing that healing I took the predigested superfood so that I could get the great nutrients to further support my body to heal. I began to see big changes in my digestion and my energy level increased noticeably. So, I was experiencing the truth of my research and it became clear to me that the supplements that I had been taking before were not being absorbed into my body. I understood that the superfood nutrient supplement was giving me all the vitamins that I needed and replaced my multi-vitamin and other nutritional supplements.
Now I continue to take the superfood supplement on a daily basis to keep my nutrition level up and to continually replenish my good bacteria (since I’m exposed to elements that destroy good bacteria on a daily basis). Then I occasionally take a treatment level of the straight probiotic for a week or so to make sure that I’m not loosing ground and that my good bacteria level stays high. I have learned that probiotics and good nutrients are the critical elements, and the basic building blocks, to good health. Now I don’t have the digestive problems that haunted my life and I have lots more energy. It’s amazing how good I feel now that my body is finally truly well fed!
It is clear that we all need to supplement our diets, even the best diet, with a good quality nutritional. That nutritional supplement should consist of live, whole foods that are certified organic with a good probiotic include within it. When you have a quality superfood like that you will certainly feel the difference in terms of greater energy and more mental clarity. Then you know that you have a truly quality product that is giving your body what it needs. And you know you are getting the biggest bang for your buck! It can make a vast difference in your health and vitality. You deserve it! Don’t settle for less. I invite you to visit my website for more information about really fantastic products to support your greatest health.
[1] Environmental and Economic Costs of Pesticide Use, 1992, American Institute of Biological Sciences.