Nutrition

Too Many of Us Are Malnourished

With half of the calories in our modern diet coming from sugar, white flour and fats that have been stripped of nutrients, many people — even those who are obese — are going through their lives malnourished. But a few simple tips can make a world of difference.

Begin by cutting back on sugar. Save your sugar cravings for an occasional great-tasting dessert. Especially good? Dark chocolate, which in moderation is known to help promote heart health. I even consider it a "health food." If you need motivation, keep this factoid in mind: An ounce of soda has 3/4 teaspoon of sugar in it — that means a 48-ounce ‘Big Burp’ soda contains a whopping 36 teaspoons of sugar!

Cut back on white flour by ordering whole grain varieties when available. Whole grain foods are an acquired taste, like beer, so slowly switch to whole grain products over time. You’ll be very glad you did, as they taste much better.

Eat fish (fast food fried fish does not count) at least 3 times a week. Don’t like fish? Taking 1 tablet a day of Vectomega can supply the Omega 3’s found in 8 capsules of regular fish oils — at lower cost and without the "fish oil burps!"

Understand the difference between good and bad fats and manage your diet accordingly. Go with liquid oils, called monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, such as those found in nuts, avocados and olive oil.

Nutrition Myths

Ready to bust some nutrition myths? Here are some simple facts that will make life more fun — and delicious!

1. Butter is much healthier than margarine.
2. Eating eggs, contrary to the often repeated myth, does not increase cholesterol levels! This has been shown in over 6 studies where eating 6 eggs a day for 6 weeks had no effect on cholesterol levels.
3. Limiting salt to the “recommended amount” has been shown to be associated with dying younger. So most people can enjoy their salt shaker, using a good iodized or sea salt, while simply cutting back on processed foods that are loaded with salt.
4. Eating berries promotes a healthy heart.
5. Eating dry roasted nuts (peanuts don’t count — they’re not actually a nut) lowers cholesterol along with having many other health benefits. And eating a few ounces a day won’t result in weight gain.
6. Drinking coffee and tea in moderation each day (1-2 cups) will improve your health.
7. People who drink 1 to 2 alcoholic beverages a day actually live longer than those who don’t drink at all (and often find life to be more fun!)

I think it is an excellent idea for people to take a good multivitamin to both prevent nutritional deficiencies and promote healthy body function. I recommend taking the Energy Revitalization System vitamin powder each morning and one Vectomega. These will supply optimal levels of almost all of the micronutrients you should be getting from your — easily (no more handfuls of pills!) and at low cost. If you want to turbo charge your energy further, add a 5-gram scoop of Corvalen (ribose) to the vitamin powder each morning plus a coenzyme Q10 200 mg tablet. This is what I take each morning. Give this combination 3 weeks and prepare to be amazed at how your energy skyrockets!