Nutritional Health

Nutritional healing via the whole foods diet is an excellent method of disease prevention and treatment, with or without the use of herbs (depending on the severity of one's symptoms). The following list shows what nutrients the body needs, how much of each is needed (based on a 2000 calorie diet), what the body uses them for and how a lack or excess of one nutrient or another can lead to nutritional imbalance and chronic diseases of malnutrition and/or over consumption. Nutrients are needed for staying healthy and preventing disease, whereas herbs (and other alternative healing methods) are used mostly to treat the symptoms of disease.

Nutrients needed for optimum health include Calories, Fat-Soluble Vitamins, Water-Soluble Vitamins and Minerals. In addition, it is important to drink at least 8 Cups of water every day, to maintain PH Balance with acid (30%) and alkaline (60%) foods, and to include foods with Phytochemicals (such as Antioxidants and Bioflavanoids), which help in maintaining capillary strength, preventing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer and other diseases. Phytochemicals include such nutrients as Vitamins A, B1, E and C, plus Zinc, Methionine (an amino acid), Selenium and SOD (SuperOxide Dismutase), all of which can be found in the Nutrino Foods. The following nutrient RDAs are based on a 2000 calorie per day diet.

CALORIES: From Carbohydrates, Fats and Proteins

CARBOHYDRATES: Carbohydrates include water-soluble simple sugars (such as glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose and maltose), and indigestible complex sugars (i.e., fiber and starches); they provide energy for all bodily functions and are used for fat and protein metabolism, waste elimination, blood sugar regulation and detoxification

RDA: 300g (60%)
Energy Per Gram: 4 Calories
Body System Support: Cardiovascular, Circulatory, Digestive, Musculatory and Nervous Systems
(heart, liver, colon, muscles, brain)
Lack of simple sugars: lack of energy, ketosis, depression
Lack of complex sugars: colitis, colon cancer, constipation, diabetes, diverticulosis, gall stones, heart disease, hemorrhoids, high cholesterol, hypoglycemia, obesity, phlebitis, varicose veins
Excess simple sugars: heartburn, indigestion, malnutrition, nausea, tooth decay, weight gain

* Carbohydrates cannot be destroyed, but are excreted via bodily fluids and defecation; 70% of one's daily intake of carbohydrates should consist of fiber, starches and cellulose (complex carbohydrates), with about 30% being simple sugars (fructose, glucose, sucrose and maltose -- no lactose or galactose necessary after the age of about seven, as by this time most are lactose intolerant anyway).

FATS: Fats consist of essential fatty acids and glycerol, and include saturated (stearic and palmatic acids in plant foods, for example) and unsaturated (monounsaturated and polyunsaturated) fats and oils; they are the most concentrated source of energy and are used for fat-soluble nutrient absorption, converting carotenes to vitamin A, body temperature regulation, growth and reproduction, the formation of bile and Vitamin D; fats (and fat soluble vitamins) are sensitive to heat, light and oxidation

RDA: 67g (30%)
Energy Per Gram: 9 Calories
Body System Support: Cardiovascular, Circulatory, Digestive, Endocrine, Nervous, Reproductive and Urinary Systems (heart, blood, arteries, liver, adrenal glands, brain, kidneys, skin)
Deficiency Symptoms: deficiency in fat-soluble nutrients, retarded growth, skin disorders
Excess Conditions: indigestion, weight gain

* Essential Fatty Acids include the omega-3 (linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic) fatty acids; Soybean oil consists of about 15% saturated to 85% unsaturated fats; 1 tbsp contains 0.95g (7%) omega-3, 6.75g (50%) omega-6 and 3.11g (23%) omega-9 fatty acids. Sunflower seed oil consists of about 10% saturated to 90% unsaturated fats; 1 tbsp contains 6.75g (50%) omega-6 fatty acids. Primrose oil consists of about 8% saturated to 92% unsaturated fats; 1 tbsp contains 11.07g (82%) omega-6 fatty acids (including gammalinoleic acid) and 1.35g (10%) omega-9 fatty acids. Flax seed oil consists of about 3% saturated to 97% unsaturated fats; 1 tbsp contains 6.75g (50%) omega-3 and 2.03g (15%) omega-6 fatty acids. Nearly all oils contain about 13.5g total fats and are a rich source of Vitamin E (unless heated). The RDA for saturated fats is about 30%, while that for unsaturated fats is at 70%; for a 2000 calorie/day diet, that would be 67g total fat, with 20g saturated fats to 47g unsaturated fats. Essential fatty acids also need to be balanced, with about 15% omega-3 to 60% omega-6 fatty acids and the remaining 25% being a combination of omega-3, omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids.

An easy way to get this required balance would be to simply combine 1 part flax seed oil with 8 parts soybean oil, and use this oil blend for all your food preparation needs; or, you could use 1 part flax seed oil to 4 parts sunflower seed oil. (It would take about 4oz flax/soybean oil blend or 8oz flax/sunflower seed oil blend to get the required saturated fats needed for a 2000 calorie/day diet; either way, the essential fatty acids would be balanced). Excess fats can easily be shed with excersise, via the lymph and sweat glands, through the skin and pores.

* Saturated fats and cholesterol are necessary for optimum health. The liver makes all the cholesterol it needs from carbohydrates and fats (including saturated fats); the cholesterol is then used for making bile (to digest food), vitamin D and most of the body's hormones, including estrogen and testosterone.

PROTEINS: Made up of amino acids and forms hormones, enzymes and antibodies; complete proteins contain all essential amino acids, which are all necessary for protein metabolism; unused proteins are converted by the liver and stored as fat (as with carbohydrates); used for proper blood clotting, providing energy, growth and development (of all body tissues) and maintaining fluid and ph balance; proteins (including amino acids and especially enzymes) are destroyed by heat and cooking

RDA: 50g (10%)
Energy Per Gram: 4 Calories
Body System Support: Cardiovascular, Circulatory, Digestive, Endocrine, Immune, Musculatory and Nervous Systems (all organs including heart and brain, blood, skin, hair, nails, muscles)
Deficiency Symptoms: depression, diarrhea, edema, fatigue, impaired immunity and tissue development, loss of appetite, slow healing, stunted growth, vomiting, weakness,
Excess Conditions: diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney and liver damage, osteoporosis

* Essential amino acids include Histidine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Lysine, Methionine, Cystine, Phenylalanine, Tryptophan, Threonine, Tyrosine and Valine

** Enzymes are used by the body not only to help make digestion possible, but also for normal growth, cell reproduction, general metabolism, detoxification, elimination, producing antibodies for a healthy immune system, repairing cells, tissues and organs, and for healthy kidneys, lungs, liver, colon, skin, muscles, nerves, bones and glands; they are also needed for digestive, respiratory, skeletal, immune, urinary, musculatory, nervous and endocrine system support.

NEXT » FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMINS
Calories | Fat-Soluble Vitamins | Water-Soluble Vitamins | Minerals

* Though Nutrino Foods can supply all the nutrients a body needs (except vitamin B12), it is still important to eat a variety of different whole foods, such as whole grains, beans, fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds.

** Although chronic malnutrition and/or over consumption of unhealthy foods can (and very often will) lead to chronic conditions and disease, other possible causes of disease not related to nutritional health have not been taken into account [see Disclaimer]

*** To find out how many calories your body needs, multiply your weight (or ideal weight) by 10-20, depending on how active you are during the day. To figure out how much of each nutrient your body needs, divide RDA for nutrient (as listed) by 2000 calories, then multiply by the number of calories you need. For example, if you weigh 120 lbs, you need at least 1200 calories per day; 300g Carbohydrates divided by 2000 calories = 0.15 x 1200 calories = at least 180 Carbohydrates per day @ 120 lbs.

ARTICLES & RESOURCES

» Nutritional Health
» PH Balance
» Detoxification
» Whole Foods Diet
» Whole Food Recipes
» More on Sprouts
» Build a Solar Cooker
» Home Composting
» Container Farming

HOME | FAQ | LINKS | CONTACT