Can we get the nutrients we need through supplements?

By Millie Barnes

 You rush out the door in the morning after grabbing orange juice, two pieces of toast with margarine, and a handful of vitamins. Have you had a healthy breakfast? Gotten the vitamins you needed for the day? Lets take a look….

You consumed 303 calories, 9.5 grams of fat (one of them saturated). Unfortunately, no vitamin C, because your source of C was from concentrate. Vitamin C, being one of the water-soluble vitamins is extremely light and heat sensitive. Twenty minutes after you have squeezed fresh orange juice, half the vitamin C is gone. So how much is left in the concentrate? None. Plus there was very little nutrients in the toast, a highly refined food. Also the margarine contains hydrogenated fats, chemicals and additives. Hydrogenation is a process that chemically treats fats or oils to make them stay hard at room temperature. You took in 10% of the Vitamin A you needed, 8% of the calcium, 10% of the iron. 58% of what you took in were carbohydrates.

You should have taken in about 1/3 of the calories and nutrients you need for the day. Your breakfast is going to leave you very hungry. In a short time, you will probably crave something sweet to get your blood sugar back up and by lunch time you will be very hungry.

Breakfast could have been eggs cooked with coconut oil or organic butter, bacon, fresh fruit.

“But I took my vitamins!”, you say. Yes, that is true, but our absorption of vitamins and minerals when they are from chemical sources is very low. We need to get these precious nutrients in the food they occurred in to begin with. Let’s look at why. Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins and minerals, but they are also rich in enzymes. On a molecular level, you cannot absorb a vitamin or mineral molecule without a live enzyme attached to it! Enzymes are the catalyst that allow our body to assimilate the nutrients we need. Notice that I said a live enzyme. Live enzymes occur in foods that are ALIVE! Not processed or cooked. Because these processes kill the enzymes. Notice that every culture in the world begins or ends meals with a salad or some fruit. It was observed over time that this aided digestion and improved health.

You need real food, NOT products or refined foods. Meats, healthy fats, fruits veggies…nothing out of boxes, cans..

So the next time you go to the grocery store. Head to the produce aisle, stay away from boxed and canned food. Find and frequent a good seafood and meat market. A good rule of thumb is to remember you should be able to hold the food in your hands and tell how it grew! If you buy foods that needs labels, make sure you know what the items listed really are, and that you can pronounce them! Read labels! And when you eat out, eat ethnic…Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Greek, Indian. These diets are based more on vegetables with meat as a condiment. Each meal should be composed of organic grass fed meat, healthy fats (40% of your calories should come from fat!) Avoid dairy, grains, your intake of processed carbohydrates. Remember that 95% of the calories from fruits and vegetables are from carbohydrates, and they are loaded with nutrients and enzymes. A $5.00 box of cereal has no vitamins and minerals, only what they have enriched it with! I consider the term “enrichment” as they use it. It’s like I bonk you on the head, steal your dollar then give you back a nickel. I have enriched you! But $5.00 worth of sweet potatoes will last you a week and are packed with nutrients.

There are many benefits from following these recommendations. In a few weeks you will notice that your energy is higher. Getting up in the morning is easier, you’ll have slept better. Your allergies and sinus problems will improve dramatically. Your skin will look better. You will lose weight, if needed. Your stomach will get flatter as your digestion improves. You will attain more emotional poise. When you feel way better, life gets way funner!!! So what are you waiting on?