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Nutritional Therapy


This Topic Covers:  Therapy treatment with food sources...food as medicine. Clinical nutrition explained. Overview of organic food and why organic may be better. A-Z guide of vitamin and mineral content of food intake. Listings of power and functional foods, and more...

 


     Introduction

Dr. Linus Pauling, winner of two Nobel Prizes stated: “You can trace every sickness, every disease and every ailment to a mineral deficiency.

Retrieved from - www.bloodindex.org

Diet and Nutrition form the basic foundation for health and its development. Good nutrition means stronger immune systems, less illness and better health! Healthy people are stronger, are more productive in their day-to-day activities.

Diet and Nutrition plays a vital role in the maintenance of good health and in the prevention and cure of disease. The right kind of food is the most important single factor in the promotion of health; and the wrong does the opposite effect.

The human body builds and maintains healthy cells, tissues, glands and organs only with the help of nutrients. The food which provides these nutrients is thus one of the most essential factors in building and maintaining health. The primary cause of disease is a weakened organism or lowered resistance in the body because of nutritional deficiency.

It's assumed that 45 chemical components and elements are needed by human cells including oxygen and water. Others are classified into five main groups, namely carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins. All nutrients are vitally important and they work together and the absence of any of them will result in disease.  

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Alarming Health Statistics

Reference - www.who.int - World Health Organization

Call to action: There is now a large, convincing body of evidence that dietary patterns and the level of physical activity can not only influence existing health levels, but also determine whether an individual will develop chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

These chronic diseases remain the main causes of premature death and disability in industrialized countries and in most developing countries. Developing countries are demonstrably increasingly at risk, as are the poorer populations of industrialized countries.

In communities, districts and countries where widespread, integrated interventions have been implemented, dramatic decreases in risk factors have occurred. Successes have come about where the public has acknowledged that the unnecessary premature deaths that occur in their community are largely preventable and have empowered themselves and their civic representatives to create health-supporting environments. This has been achieved most successfully by establishing a working relationship between communities and governments; through enabling legislation and local initiatives affecting schools and the workplace; by involving consumers’ associations; and by involving food producers and the food-processing industry…

There is a need, on a continuing basis, to develop strategies to change people’s behavior towards adopting healthy diets and lifestyles, including research on the supply and demand side related to this changing consumer behavior…

Beyond the rhetoric, this epidemic can be halted - the demand for action must come from those affected. The solution is in our hands.

Making the best of health services and the professionals who provide them:  The training of all health professionals (including physicians, nurses, dentists and nutritionists) should include diet, nutrition and physical activity as key determinants of medical and dental health. The social, economic, cultural and psychological determinants of dietary and physical activity choice should be included as integral elements of public health action. There is an urgent need to develop and strengthen existing training programmes to implement these actions successfully.

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  What is Clinical Nutrition

Reference - www.umm.edu - The University of Maryland School of Medicine

What is clinical nutrition?  Clinical nutrition is the study of the relationship between food and the well-being of the body. More specifically, it is the science of nutrients and how they are digested, absorbed, transported, metabolized, stored, and discharged by the body. Besides studying how food works in the body, nutritionists are interested in how the environment affects the quality and safety of foods, and how these factors influence health and disease.

What is the history of clinical nutrition? The study of human nutrition dates back to the 18th century, when the French chemist Lavoisier discovered that there was a relationship between our metabolism of food and the process of breathing. By the early 20th century, scientists had found that diseases were associated with certain diets (beri-beri, rickets, scurvy and pellagra). Later it was found that these diets lacked specific nutrients (namely vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin D, vitamin C, and vitamin B3 (niacin) respectively). By 1912, the Polish chemist Casimir Funk had found a substance (vitamin B1) that actually prevented beri-beri, and he named it "vitamine."

In the early 1940s, Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) were established by the National Research Council. The RDAs define the minimal nutrient intakes necessary for the prevention of basic deficiency diseases like beri-beri and rickets. Until recently, these guidelines were used to set nutritional adequacy standards for the general population.

Researchers and scientists also continue to uncover the therapeutic role of individual nutrients in the prevention and treatment of disease. For example, antioxidants like beta-carotene, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C, particularly from foods, appear to protect against the development of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases.

Dietary Reference Intakes (DRI’s) have been developed to show how much of a nutrient we need every day to maximize health and lower the risk of chronic disease (in contrast to RDAs which state the minimal amount to avoid disease secondary to deficiencies). The field of clinical nutrition has evolved into a practice that is increasingly incorporated into mainstream medical treatment.

What constitutes a healthful diet?  The optimal diet for improving health has to be individualized to meet your unique needs. The USDA food pyramid suggests that we use fat "sparingly," and that our daily diet include two to three servings of dairy products; two to three servings of meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans, or nuts; three to five servings of vegetables; two to four servings of fruit; and six to eleven servings of bread, cereal, rice, or pasta. But the numbers alone don't tell the whole story. Our food needs are influenced by many factors, including age, gender, body size, pregnancy, and health. A clinical nutritionist can help you determine what type of diet is best for you.

What are nutritional supplements? The term "nutritional supplement" refers to vitamins, minerals, and other food components that are used to support good health and treat illness. For example, plant compounds known as phytochemicals (found abundantly in tomatoes and soybeans, for example) have powerful disease-battling properties. While it's possible almost all of the time to successfully incorporate nutrients into your diet alone, supplementation can help maintain sufficient levels and produce specific desired effects. For example, supplementation with zinc supplementation has been shown to reduce the duration of the common cold and decrease the incidence of acute diarrhea in children. 

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   What is Meant by "Whole Foods"?

Reference - www.whfoods.org

 

Whole foods contain nothing more than the naturally occurring nutrients and phytonutrients intrinsic to the original plant or animal from which the food was derived. Whole foods rely on the natural components for their delicious flavors, vibrant colors, and rich textures. Whole foods retain all their vital constituents in the original form in which Nature provided to them; no nutrients have been removed or remodeled, and no synthetic, artificial chemicals have been added.

What are Essential Nutrients and Why are They Important?

Essential nutrients are nutrients that your body can't make on its own, therefore, you must get these important molecules from the food you eat. Essential nutrients classically include vitamins and minerals, as well as some amino acids and specific fatty acids. Whole foods are a preferred choice for these important nutrients since whole foods contain a range of different molecules, and often have these nutrients at the highest levels. In addition, whole foods have these nutrients in their natural, unchanged state. Often during processing, these nutrients are either destroyed or can be changed to other non-nutritious compounds. For example, when oils are exposed to high heat during processing or cooking, not only is their natural complement of anti-oxidants used up, but free radicals and trans-fats may be formed. The result is a food that no longer promotes health.

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Nutrient Density of Foods

Reference - www.whfoods.com

Like anything involving "density," "nutrient density" means how much you get of one thing, given the presence of something else. In the case of nutrient density, the "things" you receive, the nutrients, are analyzed in relationship to how much they "cost" you, in terms of calories. Simply stated, nutrient density means how many nutrients you get from a food, given the number of calories it contains. Nutrient density is a simple way to connect nutrients with calories.

Nutrient dense foods give you the most nutrients for the fewest amount of calories. In other words, nutrient dense foods give you the "biggest bang for the buck." You get lots of nutrients, and it doesn't cost you much in terms of calories... No foods are more nutrient dense than whole, organically-grown foods. The reason is simple: nothing is contained in a fresh, whole organic food that doesn't need to be there.

Retrieved from - www.drfuhrman.com

Nutrient Density is a critical concept in devising and recommending dietary and nutritional advice to patients and to the public. Not merely vitamins and minerals, but adequate consumption of phytochemicals is essential for proper functioning of the immune system and to enable our body’s detoxification and cellular repair mechanisms that protect us from chronic diseases. 

Nutritional science in the last twenty years has demonstrated that colorful plant foods contain a huge assortment of protective compounds, most of which still remain unnamed. Only by eating an assortment of nutrient-rich natural foods can we access these protective compounds and prevent the common diseases that afflict Americans. Our modern, low-nutrient eating style has led to an overweight population, the majority of whom develop diseases of nutritional ignorance, causing our medical costs to spiral out of control. 

Nutrient Density Index Guide

www.wholefoodsmarket.com

ANDI stands for "Aggregate Nutrient Density Index." An ANDI score shows the nutrient density of a food on a scale from 1 to 1000 based on nutrient content. ANDI scores are calculated by evaluating an extensive range of micronutrients, including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities.

tv.greenmedinfo.com

Dr. Joel Fuhrman breaks down the highest nutrient per calorie foods. He provides a list of the most nutrient dense foods that we should all be aware of.

ndb.nal.usda.gov

National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference - Find nutrient information on over 8,000 foods using this new and improved search feature. You can now search by food item, group, or list to find the nutrient information for your food items. In addition, you can now access the USDA Ground Beef Calculator  from the same search page. Start your search here.

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  Functional Power Foods

“Functional Foods” are foods or dietary components that may provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. You can take greater control of your health through the food choices you make, knowing that some foods can provide specific health benefits. Examples can include fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fortified or enhanced foods and beverages, and some dietary supplements.

Reference - www.foodinsight.org

Many academic, scientific and regulatory bodies have developed, or are developing, guidelines to establish the scientific evidence base needed to support and further validate claims for functional components or the foods containing them. FDA regulates food products according to their intended use and the nature of claims made on the package. Five types of health-related statements or claims are allowed on food and dietary supplement labels:

  1. Nutrient content claims indicate the presence of a specific nutrient at a certain level.

  2. Structure and function claims describe the effect of dietary components on the normal structure or function of the body.

  3. Dietary guidance claims describe the health benefits of broad categories of foods or diets and do not refer to a disease or a health related condition.

  4. Qualified health claims convey a developing relationship between components in the diet and reduced risk of disease, as reviewed by the FDA and supported by the weight of credible scientific evidence available.

  5. Health claims confirm a relationship between components in the diet and reduced risk of disease or health condition, as approved by FDA and supported by significant scientific agreement.

The scientific community continues to increase its understanding of the potential for functional foods and their role in maintaining and optimizing health.  For benefits to be validated and claims to be made, a strong and reliable body of credible scientific research is needed to confirm the benefits of any particular food or component.  For functional foods to deliver their potential public health benefits, consumers must be able to rely on the scientific criteria that are used to document such health statements and claims.

 Link to Power Food Section for More Detail

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  Finding Help - Nutritionists vs. Dietitians

holisticprimarycare.net - Copyright @  Holistic Primary Care. All Rights Reserved

Surrounded by a food environment that is arguably more bountiful and less nutritious than ever before, many Americans have a pressing need for access to high-quality nutrition information and nutrition-focused health care practitioners. But like so many other aspects of health care in this country, meeting this seemingly simple need is fraught with complications.

Almost as extensive as the assortment of foodstuffs available to American consumers is the variety of nutrition service providers. Diverse professionals with varying titles and credentials now vie with each other to offer some form of nutrition counseling or food-based therapy to the health-conscious public.

As the nutrition service professions continue to grow and diversify, it is imperative that those in search of diet-related guidance understand how to navigate the broad and varied network of nutrition providers.

This can be a challenge not only for patients but for physicians as well: How do you find well-qualified, credible nutrition professionals to whom you can confidently refer patients when their specific needs exceed your own nutritional knowledge?

On one end of the nutrition services spectrum is the profession of dietetics.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly known as the American Dietetic Association, defines the profession as the "integration, application and communication of principles derived from food, nutrition, social, business and basic sciences, to achieve and maintain optimal nutrition status of individuals through the development, provision and management of effective food and nutrition services in a variety of settings."

Another branch of nutritional medicine that has emerged in recent years is the field of Clinical Nutrition. Similar to RDs, Certified Clinical Nutritionists (CCNs) also, at a minimum, hold a BS degree, have completed a supervised internship, and passed a national board certification examination...Based on the concepts of biochemical individuality and person-centered care, Clinical Nutrition is part of a larger nutrition specialty that may be broadly defined as Holistic Nutrition.

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   Benefits of Consulting a Registered Dietitian

www.eatright.org - Copyright ©  | Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, All Rights Reserved

Top Ten Reasons Why Consulting with a Registered Dietitian Can Benefit You

The Find a Registered Dietitian online referral service allows you to search a national database of qualified food and nutrition  practitioners - Find a registered dietitian near you »

Reference - www.iaacn.org

 

To Find a Clinical Nutritionist in your area - email: dc@clinicalnutrition.com

 

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What Is a Holistic Nutrition Consultant

www.holisticprimarycare.net - Copyright @  Holistic Primary Care. All Rights Reserved

Contemporary applications of the ancient concept of food-as-medicine are evident in the growing fields of holistic nutrition counseling and nutrition coaching. Regardless of their specific titles, holistic nutrition providers across all disciplines share the common goal of offering individualized, whole-person care that addresses the complete and unique nutritional needs of their patients. They tend to encourage diets based on whole foods and emphasize elements of food quality, seasonality, and sustainability--aspects that are often missing from the more institutional practice of dietetics.

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   Raw Food Therapy

Reference Source - www.rawfoodlife.com - © Copyright  

The Science of Raw Food: A raw food diet is not just good for you - it’s also good science!…Basically, raw food (sometimes called live or living food) is food that has not been cooked or exposed to temperatures over 118°F. At that temperature, the natural enzymes in food are completely destroyed. Enzymes are essential for all the chemical processes in your body, especially digestion. In addition, nutrients are chemicals, and when these chemicals are heated it causes chemical reactions – just like in your high school chemistry class - the higher the heat, the more volatile, or destructive, the chemical reactions.

Scores of unnatural chemical by-products with damaging effects on health are produced by cooking. For example, cooked carbohydrates can do much more than create weight problems. They can turn into a carcinogen called acrylamide, a chemical used to make plastics and dyes that have caused cancer in animals - the higher the cooking temperature, the greater the levels of acrylamide. Frying, one of the worst kinds of cooking makes oils oxidize creating harmful ‘free radicals’ and increasing the risk of cancer, heart disease and premature aging. Ironically, frying also destroys the Vitamins A and E which we need to protect us from free radicals.

therawfoodinstitute.com - © The Raw Food Institute

When you cook food, you lose at least 30% of the nutrients and 100% of the enzymes in that food. Nutrients are the building blocks of cells in our bodies and enzymes aid digestion and other bodily functions. Further, cooking food chemically changes the molecular structure of raw plants which may convert to toxins, carcinogens, mutagens and free-radicals associated with diseases like diabetes, arthritis, heart disease and cancer. You could almost call them ‘healing food’.

Having a good balance of raw foods in your diet helps reduce these toxic risks by flooding your body with the most nutritious food possible, giving your body the ability to heal and rejuvenate at a deep cellular level.

One of the most important aspects of raw food is enzymes. Enzymes are the building blocks of life! Our bodies’ enzymes are responsible for every single action in our body: from chewing and digesting our food, to waking up in the morning and brushing our teeth. Your body produces some of its own enzymes, but you also need help from your food.

If you don’t have enough enzymes, your body won’t have the energy to develop new cells, fight off infections, or digest your food. By feeding your body raw foods, your body is literally being fed energy! When your body has help from foods’ enzymes, you’ll have more energy than ever imagined! This extra energy can be used to heal your body and help create the vibrant life you’ve always wanted.

Raw foods also help your body reach an alkalized state—where healing, weight loss, and detoxification occur.

There are two types of foods: acidic and alkaline. Acidity encourages decomposition, decay, disease and energy loss. Alkaline foods support detoxification and balance in the body. Our natural body creates both acidity and alkalinity, but the typical American diet overloads our system with too much acidity. Foods like sugar, meat, alcohol, cheese, and chocolate are very acidic and damaging during the cleansing and healing process.

With the powerful benefits from enzymes and the detoxification of alkalizing foods, raw food allows for:

  •  Increased energy

  •  Better digestion

  •  Weight loss

  •  Reduced risk of heart disease

  •  Reduced risk of diabetes and cancer

  •  A great sense of wellbeing

  •  Improved skin appearance

  •  Connection to your food and surroundings

  •  A highly ethical and sustainable diet

…Detoxifying improves health, energy, immune system, memory and digestion. Detoxifying with special cleansing diets, like raw food, is the best way to assist your body in the elimination process. The Raw Food Institute's cleansing process is most important for those suffering from immune-related diseases like cancer, arthritis, diabetes, chronic fatigue, heart disease, and much more. Many illnesses are caused by the constant presence of unwanted buildup toxic substances. By cleansing, you’re ridding your body of dead, harmful waste and rejuvenating it with pure energy.

But cleansing and eliminating doesn’t just mean not consuming toxins. You need to actively flush out your system by consuming nutritious, medicinal food that helps eliminate waste.

www.prevention.com - Reports,

Pros And Cons Of The Raw Food Diet

...Raw Food’s Technical Difficulty: While the theory behind raw foods is plausible in many respects, it runs contrary to traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic teachings. These ancient health systems assert that nutrients from cooked food are more digestible because the cooking process breaks them down into smaller components, thereby supporting our “digestive fire.” This term is not referring to the type of "digestive fire" we typically associate with heart burn, for example, but to a warmth and movement that brings vitality to the digestive tract and maintains our overall health…

Cooked Food Is Nutritious: Some nutrients become more bioavailable once they are heated. Lycopene, for example, an antioxidant found in tomatoes and other foods, is shown to be more nutritionally available when cooked. Vegetables such as kale, spinach, onions, and garlic are also shown to be more nutritious when cooked because light cooking releases compounds that might otherwise go undigested. Of course, overcooking foods, particularly meats, produces acrylamide and other chemicals that contribute to inflammation and cancer. So, as always, balance is in order. For optimal results, I recommend light steaming or sautéing at moderate temperatures. This will help make nutrients more available and easier to absorb, without producing harmful by-products of overcooking.

Balance Is the Only Real Answer: There are numerous well-documented benefits to eating large amounts of fresh produce. But my advice is to strive for a well-rounded diet that incorporates raw and lightly cooked foods, raw healthy fats, lean protein, complex carbohydrates, and organic fruits and vegetables. This balanced approach will go a long way toward providing you the nutrients you need to maintain overall health, clarity, and vitality naturally.

The Bottom Line: No single diet offers a magical formula for vibrant health. In fact, no single diet works for everyone. While raw foods may not be ideal for people with weak digestion, such a diet can offer significant results for others. As a holistic practitioner, I believe that a 100 percent raw food diet is not the best choice for everyone. Over time, a 100 percent raw food approach can place undue stress on the digestive system and cause weakness in certain people. While the abundance of fresh produce is no doubt beneficial, most of us need some balance between cooked and raw foods for optimal vitality over the long term.

Copyright ©2014 Rodale Inc. "Prevention" and "Prevention.com"

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Understanding Organic Food Labels, Benefits and Claims

 

www.helpguide.org - ‘©Helpguide.org. All rights reserved. Helpguide.org is an ad-free non-profit resource for supporting better mental health and lifestyle choices for adults and children.’

Organic food has become very popular. But navigating the maze of organic food labels, benefits, and claims can be confusing. Is organic food really healthier? Is it more nutritious? What do all the labels mean? Why is it so expensive? This guide can help you make better choices about which organic foods are healthier for you and better for the environment, and how you can afford to incorporate more organic food into your diet. Read more...


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Organic Better Nutrition

Reference Source - www.organicconsumers.org

BOULDER, Colo. - March 19, 2008 /Natural Newswire/ - A comprehensive review of 97 published studies comparing the nutritional quality of organic and conventional foods shows that organic plant-based foods (fruits, vegetables, grains) contain higher levels of eight of 11 nutrients studied, including significantly greater concentrations of the health-promoting polyphenols and antioxidants.

In this first comprehensive review of the scientific literature comparing nutrient levels in organic and conventional food completed since 2003, a team of scientists conclude that organically grown plant-based foods are 25% more nutrient dense, on average, and hence deliver more essential nutrients per serving or calorie consumed...Read more...

Reference - www.ota.com - ©  Organic Trade Association

Organic foods are rich in nutrients: Growing crops in healthy soils results in food products that offer healthy nutrients. There is mounting evidence that organically grown fruits, vegetables and grains may offer more of some nutrients, including vitamin C, iron, magnesium and phosphorus, and less exposure to nitrates and pesticide residues than their counterparts grown using synthetic pesticides and fertilizers….  

Soil Health: Organic producers also must follow a National List of Acceptable and Prohibited Materials concerning pest control treatments, fertilizers and seed treatments that they use. All agricultural materials must be evaluated for their long-term effects on the environment and not simply whether they are synthetic or natural…

Alternative to Genetic Engineering: Because U.S. national organic standards and industry practices do not allow the use of genetic engineering in the production and processing of organic products, organic agriculture gives consumers who wish to avoid genetically modified foods a choice in the marketplace…

Although genetic engineering (GE) proponents claim GE crops will cut pesticide use, this is not necessarily true. On the other hand, organic agriculture does reduce such exposure because it avoids the use of toxic and persistent pesticides…

The Global Environment: There is growing evidence of the beneficial effects of organic practices on the global environment: Research at the Rodale Institute has shown that organic practices can remove about 7,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from the air each year and sequester it in an acre of farmland…

Research shows a difference in children who eat organic:  The findings from this study demonstrate that dietary intake of OP pesticides represents the major source of exposure in young children.”…

Fertilizers and the Health of Aquatic Systems: Because organic agriculture respects the balance of microorganisms in the soil, organic producers use composted manure and other natural materials, as well as crop rotation, to help improve soil fertility, rather than petroleum-based synthetic fertilizers that can result in an overabundance of nitrogen and phosphorous in the ground. As a result, organic practices help protect ground water supplies and avoid runoff of chemicals that can cause "dead zones" in larger bodies of water…

Antibiotics in Agriculture: Organic practices prohibit the use of hormones, antibiotics or other animal drugs in animal feed for the purpose of stimulating the growth or production of livestock… Thus, organic practices avoid the abuse of antibiotics that could have profound consequences for treatment of disease in humans, including the serious dangers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria…

Protecting the Next Generation: Organic agriculture minimizes children’s exposure to toxic and persistent pesticides in the soil in which they play, the air they breathe, the water they drink, and the foods they eat. A recent study of 600 people found that those exposed to pesticides had a 1.6 times greater risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than those who were not….

Reference - whfoods.org - ©  The George Mateljan Foundation, All Rights Reserved

Can organic foods really improve my health?  Yes. Organically grown food is your best way of reducing exposure to toxins used in conventional agricultural practices. These toxins include not only pesticides, many of which have been federally classified as potential cancer-causing agents, but also heavy metals such as lead and mercury, and solvents like benzene and toluene. Minimizing exposure to these toxins is of major benefit to your health. Heavy metals damage nerve function, contributing to diseases such as multiple sclerosis and lowering IQ, and also block hemoglobin production, causing anemia. Solvents damage white cells, lowering the immune system's ability to resist infections. In addition to significantly lessening your exposure to these health-robbing substances, organically grown foods have been shown to contain substantially higher levels of nutrients such as protein, vitamin C and many minerals.

Are organic foods nutritionally superior to conventionally grown foods?  Yes, and significantly more. Proof of their superiority has been demonstrated in numerous studies. In 1998, a review of 34 studies comparing the nutritional content of organic versus non-organic food was published in the peer-reviewed, MEDLINE-indexed journal Alternative Therapies (Volume 4, No. 1, pgs. 58-69). In this review, organic food was found to have higher protein quality in all comparisons, higher levels of vitamin C in 58% of all studies, 5-20% higher mineral levels for all but two minerals. In some cases, the mineral levels were dramatically higher in organically-grown foods-as much as three times higher in one study involving iron content.

A review of 41 studies comparing the nutritional value of organically to conventionally grown fruits, vegetables and grains, also indicates organic crops provide substantially more of several nutrients, including:

  • 27% more vitamin C

  • 21.1% more iron

  • 29.3% more magnesium

  • 13.6% more phosphorus

The review also found that while 5 servings of organically grown vegetables (lettuce, spinach, carrots, potatoes and cabbage) provided the daily recommended intake of vitamin C for men and women, their conventionally grown counterparts did not. Plus, organically grown foods contained 15.1% less nitrates than conventionally grown foods. Nitrates, a major constituent of chemical fertilizers, bind to hemoglobin and, particularly in infants, can significantly reduce the body's ability to carry oxygen…

What substances do we avoid by eating organic food? Over 3,000 high-risk toxins routinely present in the U.S. food supply are, by law, excluded from organic food, including:

Pesticides: By far the largest group of toxins to be largely prohibited from organically grown foods are synthetic pesticides, which are found virtually everywhere else in the food supply. Several hundred different chemicals and several thousand brand-name pesticide products are legally used in commercial food production in the U.S. Act of 1992; the Environmental Protection Agency had classified 73 pesticides authorized for agricultural use as potential carcinogens (cancer-causing agents). And pesticides don't just remain where they are applied. A 1996 study by the Environmental Working Group found 96% of all water samples taken from 748 towns across the U.S. contained the pesticide atrazine, and at least 20 different chemical pesticides are routinely present in municipal tap water across the U.S.

Heavy metals: The toxic metals cadmium, lead, and mercury enter the food supply through industrial pollution of soil and groundwater and through machinery used in food processing and packaging. Cadmium, which can be concentrated in plant tissues at levels higher than those in soil, has been linked to lung, prostate and testicular cancers. Despite lead's long-recognized serious adverse impact on health, especially that of young children, lead solder is still used to seal tin cans, imparting the lead residues found in many canned foods. Even low levels of lead are harmful and are associated with decreased intelligence, impaired neurobehavioral development, decreased stature and growth, and impaired hearing. Mercury is toxic to brain cells and has been linked to autism and Alzheimer's disease.

Solvents: Used to dissolve food components and produce food additives, solvents are also virtually omnipresent in commercially processed food. Solvents, such as benzene and toluene have been linked to numerous cancers. Benzene, specifically, has been repeatedly associated with rheumatoid arthritis-an auto-immune condition involving pain and degeneration in the joints that affects over 2 million adults in the U.S.

Not only are these toxic substances harmful singly, but when combined, as they are in commercially grown and processed food, and in the human body where they accumulate, their effects have been found to be magnified as much as a 1,000-fold.

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Reasons to Go Organic

Reference Source - www.organicconsumers.org

Organic Food is Pure Food, Free of Chemical Additives - Organic Food is Safer

  1. Organic food doesn't contain pesticides. More than 400 chemical pesticides are routinely used in conventional farming and residues remain on non-organic food even after washing. Children are especially vulnerable to pesticide exposure. One class of pesticides, endocrine disruptors, may be responsible for early puberty and breast cancer. Pesticides are linked to asthma and cancer.

  2. Organic food isn't genetically modified. Under organic standards, genetically modified (GM) crops and ingredients are prohibited.

  3. Organic animals aren't given drugs. Organic farming standards prohibit the use of antibioticsgrowth hormones and genetically modified vaccines in farm animals. Hormone-laced beef and dairy consumption is correlated with increased rates of breast, testis and prostate cancers.

  4. Organic animals aren't fed slaughterhouse waste, blood, or manure. Eating organic reduces the risks of CJD, the human version of mad cow disease, as well as Alzheimer's.

  5. Organic animals aren't fed arsenic.

  6. Organic animals aren't fed byproducts of corn ethanol production (which increases the rate of E. coli contamination).

  7. Organic crops aren't fertilized with toxic sewage sludge or coal waste, or irrigated with E. coli contaminated sewage water.

  8. Organic food isn't irradiated. Cats fed a diet of irradiated food got multiple sclerosis within 3-4 months.

  9. Organic food contains less illness-inducing bacteria. Organic chicken is free of salmonella and has a reduced incidence of campylobacter.

  10. Organic dairy has environmental benefits: Shades of Green: Quantifying the Benefits of Organic Dairy Production

  11. Organic food doesn't contain food additives, flavor enhancers (like MSG), artificial sweeteners (like aspartame and high-fructose corn syrup), contaminants (like mercury) or preservatives (like sodium nitrate), that can cause health problems.

  12. Eating organic has the potential to lower the incidence of autism, learning  disorders, diabetescancer, coronary heart diseaseallergies, osteoporosis,  dementia, and hyperactivity.

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Organic Standards

What do the food labels such as “organic,” "natural," "free-range," and "non-GMO" really mean? Understanding this terminology is essential when you’re shopping for organic foods.

The most important point to remember is that "natural" does not equal organic. "Natural" is an unregulated term that can be applied by anyone, whereas organic certification means that set production standards have been met. These production standards vary from country to country—in the U.S., for example, only the "USDA Organic" label indicates that a food is certified organic. Similar certification labels are also offered on organic products in other parts of the world, including the European Union, Canada, and Australia.

USDA Certified Organic Food Labels in the U.S.- When you’re shopping for organic foods in the U.S., look for the “USDA Organic” seal. Only foods that are 95 to 100 percent organic can use the USDA Organic label.

Reference - www.ams.usda.gov 

The organic standards describe the specific requirements that must be verified by a USDA-accredited certifying agent before products can be labeled USDA organic. Overall, organic operations must demonstrate that they are protecting natural resources, conserving biodiversity, and using only approved substances. A brief summary is provided below: 

Organic crops. The USDA organic seal verifies that irradiation, sewage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and genetically modified organisms were not used.

Organic livestock. The USDA organic seal verifies that producers met animal health and welfare standards, did not use antibiotics or growth hormones, used 100% organic feed, and provided animals with access to the outdoors.

Organic multi-ingredient foods. The USDA organic seal verifies that the product has 95% or more certified organic content. If the label claims that it was made with specified organic ingredients, you can be sure that those specific ingredients are certified organic.

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Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce

Reference – www.ewg.org (Environmental Working Group)

The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic. You can lower your pesticide intake by avoiding the 12 most contaminated fruits and vegetables and choosing the least contaminated produce.

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   Personalized Nutrition

Reference Source - www.foodinsight.org © Institute of Food Technologists

According to experts at the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo®, personalized nutrition that optimizes health based on an individual's phenotype (genetics, diet, lifestyle and environment) is the future of diet and food.

The science of nutrigenomics – which looks at the effects of an individual's phenotype on their overall health – is gaining momentum, and within 10 years, should revolutionize the way food is made, marketed and consumed.

As scientific and technological advances develop in the field of health and nutrition, more and more focus has been directed toward the emerging field of nutrigenomics or “personalized nutrition.” The science of nutrigenomics involves the application of the human genome to nutrition and personal health to provide individual dietary recommendations. By using an individual’s unique genetic makeup and nutritional requirements to tailor recommendations, consumers may one day have a greater ability to reduce their risk of disease.

Personalizing nutrition to an individual’s unique genetic makeup has the potential for positive health outcomes overall. Choosing an individualized approach, over a more traditional or general approach, to health and nutrition recommendations can provide consumers with the most appropriate and beneficial information for their specific nutritional needs. While personalized nutrition seems promising, research is still in the preliminary stages, and years may pass before accurate and effective recommendations can be made for individuals.

Reference - www.futuremedicine.com

Diet and genomes interact. Nutrition has the most important life-long environmental impact on human health. While nutrigenetics addresses how an individual’s genetic makeup predisposes for dietary susceptibility, nutrigenomics asks how nutrition influences the expression of the genome. Nutrigenomics builds on the three omics disciplines transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. They are a prerequisite for nutritional systems biology, the understanding of the interaction between food components and diet with cells, organs and the whole body.

Personalized nutrition is a conceptual analog to personalized medicine. While there are food products available that address requirements or preferences of specific consumer groups, these products are based on empirical consumer science rather than on nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics. The latter two build the science foundation for understanding human variability in preferences, requirements and responses to diet, and may become the future tools for consumer assessment motivated by personalized nutritional counseling for health maintenance and disease prevention.

www.signaturesupplements.com

 

Science and the Wisdom of Nature Can Match Your Nutrition To Your Unique Biochemistry:  Over the last 20 years Signature Supplements'™ team of doctors, scientists and nutritionists have been expanding the original discoveries of Dr. Carl Pfeiffer, Dr. William Walsh, and Dr. Roger Williams who pioneered the innovative field of individualized nutrition. Now we are able to identify your individualized nutritional BioType™ and match it with a specific nutritional program of supplements and foods that are determined by assessing the needs of your uniquely inherent biochemistry.

Completing our clinically developed questionnaire, allows our doctors to determine whether your expressed symptoms correlate to specific biochemical imbalances.

We compare your cluster of symptoms to over 20,000 clients who have listed the same group of symptoms and have also undergone over 100-blood, urine and tissue analysis. Locating the match of your BioType™ with a subgroup in our database enables us to extrapolate your unique biochemical profile with 99% surety. In order to rebalance these underlying biochemical functions, our doctors create an individualized nutritional program for you. 

 

whfoods.org

 

Food Advisor Helps You Find the Foods That Are Right For You:  Questionnaire will help analyze your nutritional status and provide you with information regarding the nutrients, which may be found deficient in your diet as well as recommendations for which foods and recipes will help, fulfill your nutritional needs. The Food Advisor can give you a personalized set of food recommendations from a short questionnaire and move you along your way to a healthier meal plan!

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   Vitamin Supplementation

Reference - www.bloodindex.org

 

Vitamins, used therapeutically, can be of immense help in fighting disease and speeding recovery. They can be used in two ways, namely, correcting deficiencies and treating disease in place of drugs. Latest researches indicate that many vitamins taken in large doses far above the actual nutritional needs, can have a miraculous healing effect in a wide range of common complaints and illnesses. Vitamin therapy has a distinct advantage over drug therapy. While drugs are always toxic and have many undesirable side effects, vitamins, as a rule are non-toxic and safe.

 

 

Reference -   www.ion.ac.uk - The Institute of Optimum Nutrition

 

Nutritional supplements can be enormously beneficial in helping our bodies cope with the stresses of 21st century life. Sadly not all supplements are the same and in addition, how you take your supplements can influence their efficacy.

Picking the right supplement takes time and we recommend you seek the advice of a qualified Nutritional Therapist and visit an independent health food store where you are likely to get more impartial advice. When you are advised to take nutritional supplements make sure you fully understand why you are taking them, how you should take them and what benefit they should offer. Remember that your supplements are just that - supplements to what should be a healthful, nutrient dense diet. Taking supplements does not give you license to binge on fast foods and snacks. They are there to provide that extra intake of nutrients to achieve optimum levels.


But what are the optimum intakes of nutrients? What can you achieve from your diet? And what should you consider supplementing? See our Reference Nutrient Intake values of nutrients and suggestions for supplementation.

 

Link to Vitamin Therapy (in-depth information)

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Professional & Physician Grade Supplements

Recommend Sources to Purchase Physician Grade Supplements

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Where to Buy Verified Gold Standard Supplements

Link to Listings of USP Verified Gold Standard Supplements

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Nutritional Treatment Applications

Link to Vitamin Therapy

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Nutrient Resources

Link to Vitamin & Mineral Contents of Foods

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Power Foods

Link to Listing of Functional (Power) Foods

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Spiritual Nutrition

He [Jesus] replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. - Matthew 4:4

Link to Sharing the Word of God, the Christian Faith


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