Nutrition Information Worth Knowing

Good Nutrition Now, Less Pain in the Future

This section presents some more-general nutritional information that, over the long run, can play a large role in reducing the amount of pain you will experience. Change your lifestyle now to reduce your pain later - you will be glad you did. (Any relevant information on any nutritional supplement or nutrition info related to specific types or sources of pain will be included in the appropriate sections.)

If we could go back a few generations, we would find that people, in general, were much more active than we are today. They ate twice the calories we do (because they were much more active) and ate food with twice the nutrition in it. Many of us are getting by on ¼ of the nutrition our ancestors did even if we are eating what could be considered a healthy diet.

On top of that, many people are consuming an ever-increasing proportion of junk food which contains lots of calories but little of the micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, antioxidants etc.) needed to fill our daily requirements. Nutrients are also depleted from the healthiest items we could eat because of soil depletion, farming practices, and because produce may be picked before it is ripe to increase $helf life. (Many of the most important nutrients go in only as the item ripens.) Hybridization can also be a factor - the same gene that is responsible for seed production also is involved in storing nutrients in the fruit - thus seedless varieties in many cases, while they may look and even taste fine, may be lacking in some nutrients.

We also have increased nutritional needs because of the additional stresses we face in our daily lives. One USDA study of 7,000 children ages 2-19 found that only 1% of them consumed the recommended daily allowance of nutrients. That has to be affecting health. Below is listed some summary nutritional info. Follow the links for more specific nutrition information.

A vegetarian diet can provide all of the nutrition we need and avoid many of the problems with a meat-based diet. A vegetarian diet may still include eggs and dairy products. However, the increased rate of disease in animals and the high use of hormones and antibiotics in raising animals suggest that we should go a step further.

A vegan diet eliminates meat as well as eggs and dairy. It is quite capable of providing all the nutrition we need (with the caution that one should watch their vitamin B12 level. Note that this essential nutrient can be supplied in a vegan diet by eating products such as raw sauerkraut made by lactic acid bacteria in the lactic acid fermentation process.) Here are some good vegan recipes. It seems to be working fine for Bill using the Bill Clinton Diet.

Many vegetarians or vegans begin to use larger amounts of soy products as they look for something to replace the protein they would otherwise obtain from non-vegetarian sources. It is good to be aware of the dangers of soy and other unfermented soy products. Actually, most varied, vegan diets with adequate calories will supply enough protein.

Organic foods can have significantly more nutrition due to being raised in nutrient-rich soil which also contains the microbial life needed to make inorganic matter available to plants.

A diet with a higher proportion of raw foods takes best advantage of the naturally-occurring enzymes built into foods that are so important for our health. Many people follow a diet of approximately 80-90% raw food with the emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables along with the use of vegetable juices. There have been thousands of people who have given their testimonies of improved health on this diet including many who have reported relief from cancer. Also, important to remember is the fact that fresh organic produce protects health naturally because of the high levels of antioxidants and phytonutrients that it contains. Choose a variety of colors to get a variety of different nutrients.

Cooking does many things to food that, in most cases, lessens its food value. Proteins are denatured and other changes occur but perhaps, most importantly, the enzymes are destroyed. Enzymes are very important to our health. They are the workers that get things done in our body and not much happens if they are not there. This might be nutrition information you have not heard before. Imagine that you are building a house. You get a truck load of lumber, a box of nails, and all the other materials needed. They will just sit there in a pile in your yard until the carpenters arrive with their hammers and other tools. You need workers in your body too. While including a large proportion of raw food is important to supply enzymes, there are supplements that can give the body extra workers.

Sprouting (more on this later) increases the nutrition and availability of nutrients in many cases. There are substances called phytates present especially in grains that can be removed merely by soaking the grains. You want to remove these as much as possible because they bind important minerals making them less available to the body. This applies to minerals such as copper, magnesium, zinc etc. To give you an understanding of the serious effects of phytates (and the potential benefits of sprouting), take a look at the great importance of zinc in nutrition.

While you still want to enjoy your food, be aware that tastes can adapt. Your taste buds are renewed very quickly. Make it a habit to read good nutritional information ( as you will find on this site) and keep making little improvements.

Watch this page for coming links to articles with good nutrition information. If you have questions about specific nutrition information or a nutritional supplement, feel free to contact me

Learn about the effects of sugar on your immune system

Is dairy milk actually good for you? Get the facts here.

If too much nutrition has been your problem in the past and you are in need of losing weight, I would recommend a visit to the Weight Loss Guru where you can lose weight and feel great! No rules, just clever tools. Four simple steps to a slimmer, fitter, healthier you. Change your relationship with food and exercise - learn to change the habits you learned in the past.

If you would like to listen to an excellent audio recording with some good nutrition information by Dr. Patrick Quillen, Director of Nutrition for over seven years for The Cancer Treatment Centers of America and author of several best-selling books click on the play buttons below:

Part 1 (22 minutes)    

Part 2 (23 minutes)    

Part 3 (32 minutes)    

For more information about anything Dr. Quillen says please contact me.

So there is some nutrition information from Dr. Nutrition. You can visit all of the Lifestyle Experts for free doctor advice but here are couple of suggestions. Dr. Exercise will tell you the fuel you are taking in must be correctly balanced with your activity level and that exercise is important for good digestion. The two go together. Also, there is an optimum water content to our foods and an optimum way to ingest our liquids in relation to our foods. Get advice on water matters from Dr. Water.