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From the desk of Richard
Penfounde, your Naturally Healthy Lifestyle specialist. THESE days scientists agree that the correct levels of vitamins and
minerals, fatty acids and amino acids are essential for the
prevention of disease. But those experts are often divided over what
the correct levels are. Governments have issued Recommended Daily
Allowances (RDAs) but these have not been based on individual
criteria, namely stress factors, the types of food we eat; lifestyle
factors such as alcohol, smoking, sleep quality and allergic
responses to chemicals, air and water; and medication.
Since these criteria change from year to year, often to the
detriment of our health, our commonsense tells us to start working
on our own individual supplement programmes.
Then there is the concept of a "balanced diet", which in the west is
made up of 30 percent fat; 20 percent protein; 35 percent complex
carbohydrates and 15 percent simple carbohydrates.
Does a busy executive have time to calculate these figures?
What about today's teenagers? A recent US survey of over 600
dieticians found that more than half of them used nutritional
supplements. So how realistic is the balanced diet?
The nutritional value of foods, particularly minerals, varies widely
depending on soil quality and other growing conditions.
In addition, before we buy food, it has already been in storage
where it had lost valuable nutrients.
So over a period of time we become a balance sheet of negative loss
and positive credits, with ever-increasing losses resulting in
health failure of one kind or another.
Eventually our body loses its ability. to function at 100 percent
and creeps down to sub-clinical nutritional levels which we cannot
afford to have measured scientifically.
Today, sensible people or those who've been ill and found that
medication did not give them back their long-term health are healing
themselves and winning. This means that each Individual needs to
move away from RDAs to his / her own Optimum Dally Allowances (ODAs)
for optimal "life" performance levels.
The simplest way to work towards your own ODA is by starting with' a
good multivitamin / mineral formula that has the largest list of
ingredients.
Vitamins and minerals do not work in isolation, but synergistically.
The body needs all elements, not one or two.
Add to this a GLA and EPA essential fatty acid capsule, an
amino
acid complex and a green product like alfalfa, wheat-' grass, kelp, splrulina or barley grass to obtain the micro-nutrients and
chlorophyll back-up that will complete the total nutrient package.
The next step is to learn as much about fibre and the nutrient
levels of food, particularly organically grown food and free-range
protein such as meat and eggs and start introducing these into your
life. Always try to eat the highest quality of fresh food, organic
where possible.
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