Education

We all may be facing a critical vitamin and minerial shortage. Of particular concern are folks on weight loss diets – especially low carb diets, since the best sources for vitamins and minerals are the very fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that are extremely limited on low carb diets.
As a partial result, nutritionally driven chronic diseases have reached epidemic proportions. About 95% of people over 40 will suffer from one or more of these chronic diseases by the time they reach retirement. Some of these chronic diseases are cancer, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, vision loss – to name a few. That’s 95 people out of every 100. Chronic means there is generally NO CURE so once the disease manifests itself, you will live with it for the rest of your life to a greater or lesser degree. In the June 19, 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association they announced: “Suboptimal intake of vitamins should be seen as a risk factor for chronic disease, especially in the elderly.” PLANTS ARE THE SOLE SOURCE OF ALL VITAMINS AND MINERALS FOR EVERY LIVING CREATURE. Even in animals that eat nothing but meat, the vitamins come from somewhere down the food-chain – from an animal or fish that eats plants before it in turn is eaten.
PLANTS CREATE BODY-READY VITAMINS AND MINERALS FROM NUTRIENTS IN THE SOIL. The richer the soil, the more vitamins and minerals are packed into the plants. On the other hand, vegetables grown in poor soil will have far lower levels of vitamins and minerals.
SOILS ARE BECOMING DEPLETED There is evidence that our soils are becoming depleted of essential vitamins, minerals, and micro-nutrients. As a result the fruits and vegetables grown in these soils are also lower in vitamins and minerals.
Chemical companies have come to the aid of commercial growers by providing chemicals that will force the plants to grow in poorer soil, as well as chemicals to control weeds and insects. The vegetable look great but contain far less vitamins and minerals then they once did. The plants also absorb some of these chemicals. Now our body needs even more vitamins (anti-oxidants) to deactivate the toxins.
Genetic engineers have created vegetable that are more disease resistant, that grow faster, are more visually attractive and easier to harvest as well as more suitable for shipping. However, little is being done to increase the nutrient levels of the plants or to enrich the soil in which they are grown.
Some vegetables and most fruits are picked before they’re ripe and then chemically treated so they ripen on the way to the grocer’s shelf. This gives the produce a longer shelf life, but reduces even further the amount vitamins and minerals.
SIMPLE STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR LOVED ONES. 1. Make fresh whole fruits, vegetables, and grains a larger part of your daily diet. These are the absolute best quality vitamins and minerals you can buy. Eat them raw as much as possible or, cook slowly at low heat to keep the nutrients at the highest possible levels.
2. Look for organically grown produce at your grocery store or health food store and visit your local farmer’s market. They may cost a bit more but you get a LOT MORE nutrients and they taste so much better.
3. Grow some of your own produce in a garden, patio pot, or inside in window pots. Even if you have very little space, you can grow full size vegetables on compact plants. Look for them in your favorite garden catalog.
4. No matter how high quality your diet, you may want to invest in a good vitamin supplement. Click here if you need some guidelines in how to choose a good supplement. How to get the vitamins you need every day!