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Vitamin C (More Than Just An Immune System Boost)

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Vitamin C (More Than Just An Immune System Boost)

If I say Vitamin C, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Fruit? Antioxidant? If you ask a nutritionist, dietitian, or biochemist the answer might be Ascorbic Acid, the science name of Vitamin C, or possibly Scurvy. OK what the heck is Scurvy? I will get to that in a bit. Regardless of your answer, there are many benefits from this wonderful vitamin. First, let’s go through the long list of sources where this vitamin can be obtained. Most fruits you will find at any grocery store contain at least a small amount, but the citrus fruits will contain large amounts such as pineapple, lime, lemon, orange and grapefruit. Many vegetables also contain significant amounts like watercress, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and peppers just to name a few. A few of the berries have a decent amount as well. Berries are my favorite! Some of the benefits from C are aiding in the absorption of iron. Once again, you cannot single out any one mineral or vitamin – they all work as a team. One weak link throws off the sensitive balance of the whole system. In reviewing that chain, if you don’t have enough vitamin C you won’t have enough iron. Without enough iron, oxygen won’t get utilized properly which ultimately means your oxidation of nutrients won’t work thoroughly and then you’ll end up sick. Vitamin C is considered an antioxidant however, so it does help protect the body from too much oxidation on the other hand. Kind of like a checks and balance system. A third major benefit and a crucial one at a minimum is Vitamin C’s role in the production of collagen, proteins that help keep bones from breaking, keep muscles looking tone, and keep strength in the ligaments and tendons. Clearly Vitamin C is important. A few hundred years ago the British Navy learned this lesson the hard way. Being on a ship for long periods of time limited what the sailors could eat. In turn, many developed a deficiency and ended up with Scurvy. One of the men had a few limes with him and after eating one, he realized Scurvy quickly vanished. From then on, the development of this disease has generally been a funny story to tell with an all too important lesson. In order to get the most Vitamin C it is best to consume foods in their whole state rather than slicing vegetables or fruits and storing them in the refrigerator uncovered. C itself will oxidize too, so your best bet is just to eat the grapefruit as soon as you cut into it. Plus it will taste fresher! Because it is a water soluble vitamin, you need to make sure you’re not dehydrated (another reason to drink lots of water) and to obtain enough of it every day. A quick mind altering statistic for you to wrap this one up – something close to 90% of all humans in today’s world live in a chronically dehydrated state ranging from mild to severe. That’s scary! That should partially explain why we need roughly 64 ounces of water (dependent on body size) on a daily basis. It comes in, you utilize it, and it goes out. Very simple process that is way too often neglected. Lesson learned? Drink water and get your Vitamin C.

 

 

Magnesium (Mg) (Keep It Movin’)

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Magnesium (Mg) (Keep It Movin’)

I really like this element partly because it’s fun to say, but primarily because it keeps the poops coming out rather than storing them and creating a state of constipation. OK, yes I said it, get out your laughs… now back to seriousness. On the other hand that word constipation, makes me cringe, literally. How many of you have ever labored over the toilet trying to squeeze one out? It’s not fun is it? In fact, it creates significant amounts of stress both physically and mentally and really throws you out of whack. So let’s get back to the fun part of this by first just saying the word. Magnesium. This element, known as Nature’s laxative, helps us to relax our nerves and digestive system so that we can think clearly and perform at our best. It makes sense that it’s Nature’s laxative too because it’s at the center of every chlorophyll molecule in every plant around the world. Plants take in the sun’s light and energy and produce a beautiful set of flower petals and green leaves due to the process of photosynthesis, which creates the green pigment you see. When humans consume green leaves or foliage, like in a salad, we are hence obtaining some magnesium and we all know that leaves, sometimes called “roughage”, contain lots of fiber therefore allowing for an easy bowel movement. Green leaves help with peristalsis, the contracting of the intestines to keep food particles moving through the system in a timely fashion. Without going too much on a tangent though, let’s return to the discussion of magnesium, yet another Earth metal. This element is involved with hundreds of chemical reactions within the human body. One of which is in the promotion of new cells. Without it or with a deficiency of magnesium, new cells at some point in your lifespan will more than likely turn out slightly mutated, which can cause cancerous cells to develop. Eating dark green leaves in salads or meals also yields the vitamin B9, Folate. A few lines up I mentioned leaves being considered foliage. You can now probably draw the connection and realize there is no coincidence of why vitamin B9 is called Folate. Aside from green leaves being a good source, magnesium is also found in most tree nuts and seeds such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, pistachios, sunflower seeds, and hemp seeds just to name a few. You can find magnesium in plenty of other sources too, but the ones just mentioned are generally pretty high in magnesium as well as many other much needed nutrients. After all, if there is one thing you get from this, please get lots of magnesium in your system so you can relax, sleep better, and live a happier life.

 

Sodium (Na) (Let’s Not Be Salty)

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Sodium (Na) (Let’s Not Be Salty)

The all too famous Sodium – not to be mistaken for salt, which is sodium and chloride mixed together to form the compound of NaCl or Sodium Chloride. Sodium is actually a metal, an alkali metal to be exact. The 11th element of our periodic table, devised by Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869, is denoted by the letters Na for the Latin word Natrium. Sodium, back in the days of Ancient Egypt, was used to dry out and preserve mummies, hence why in today’s world it is used to preserve foods as well as to melt ice on our highway systems during the Winter months. Regarding the biological uses within the human body, Sodium is known as a blood purifier. When we have enough sodium, not table salt, in the blood we move around as if we are still very young, flexible, and probably stupid thinking we are invincible. Gotta give that credit to sodium! It helps to keep our blood stream alkaline by ridding it of all the acids and toxins that we come across in our daily lives. One of the most common problems many Americans battle today is arthritis, or joint inflammation. You may even be able to relate to this as you’re reading. Sodium helps to keep calcium in the blood stream doing what it does best rather than building up, or calcifying, in the joints causing immense pain and depression because you can’t move how you want to and you most definitely can’t keep up with your kids anymore either. Sodium works with many elements, but it really works well with its life partner Potassium, as I previously mentioned. Sodium and Potassium ions travel through a pump system of channels which allows the muscles to contract and extend without building up too much acid. Basically, they help flush out acid from oxidized calcium and carbon stored in the muscles. The main hurdle is that with every move you make you use up a little or a lot, depending on what you’re doing, of sodium so it constantly gets excreted via sweat, feces, and urine. If you don’t replace it, you are digging yourself an early grave. I would suggest you immediately change your lifestyle habits, get more organic sodium in you, and regain your youth. “Well how do I do that you might ask?” My answer: eat plentiful amounts of celery, carrots, okra, cucumbers, asparagus, root vegetables and unpasteurized goat cheese/milk on a daily basis. These are some common foods, however there are quite a few more containing varying amounts of sodium. To end this with a bold statement that you should always remember – You cannot neglect this element unless of course you want to age quickly!

 

Phosphorus (P) (Food for Thought… Literally)

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Phosphorus (P) (Food For Thought… Literally)

Phosphorus, while in some forms is used to ignite matches, is also a much needed nutrient in the human body, but most of us don’t ever get enough. OK so that’s only partially true. We often get our daily dose, but too often it is in the wrong form. This nutrient comes from both egg yolks and animal meats as well as plant sources. And that is the major difference – which kingdom contains the source. Humans need both, however our storage of this quickly used up nutrient is mostly in our bones. When you eat vegetables, whether it be leafy sources, root sources, or tree stalk sources, your body stores phosphorus in its skeletal structure. Rarely do we get enough from animal sources and this type of phosphorus is what helps keep our brain and nerves from becoming overheated and inflamed from too much usage. Every thought we have uses up this type of phosphorus! And you wonder (or can you?) why too many people have nerve problems or nerve degeneration. When we have enough or even a surplus of both storage types, it makes the human body appear as if it has a slight glow to it. Lightning bugs or fireflies glow in the dark and this is why. Damn, wish I had known that in high school. Probably would have made that A. Oh well, let’s get back to the spotlight. Phosphorus is one of the building blocks to our very protective myelin sheaths that allow for nerve impulses to be properly transmitted from nerve cell to nerve cell via the synaptic gap. I previously mentioned we store the majority of this nutrient in our bones and when it binds to the calcium within the bones it forms calcium phosphate and gives us those strong bones we need to survive. And this is why Nature provides an ideal amount of both calcium and phosphorus together in the numerous species of plants around the world. One without the other doesn’t work, therefore all the dairy products you like won’t really give you the “strong bones” you think your getting due to the lack of phosphorus. Far too often we combine cow’s milk with cereal grains in the morning and we get hit doubly as hard. Many plants contain phosphorus in the form of phytates, which when consumed by humans causes malabsorption in the intestinal tract of many other nutrients including the way too important one, Zinc. This ultimately creates a vicious chain reaction so do yourself a favor and start eating your egg yolks in a runny state (poached) as well as eating grass fed meats – they contain some healthy fats that contain this much needed nutrient. In the end, your brain and nervous system will be very appreciative!

 

Iron (Fe) (Get Your Blood Pumpin’)

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Iron (Fe) (Get Your Blood Pumpin’)

Ever since humans have discovered the properties of this chemical element, iron has been incorporated into many different things on this Earth. I know you’ve heard of numerous buildings made from iron, but what about its use in building cells in the human body? How much do you know about it now? Once again we need to go to a microscopic scale to see its truth in your body. To be plain and simple, without iron you don’t exist. How’s that for making a bold statement? Iron has a strong attraction to Oxygen. When we reach optimal absorption of iron, we feel very energized because there is plenty of Oxygen to keep your cells operating at a high level and in turn YOU operate at a high level. Way too many humans are deficient in iron (anemia) and due to its use in the production of Hemoglobin, there is no wonder why most of us walk around in a chronic state of depression, fatigue, and lack of desire. Let’s fix that! Iron can be obtained through both plant and animal life, but animal meat, especially red meat, provides a more bioavailable form than does its counterpart from the plant kingdom. Pretty much anything considered to be a plant or part of a plant and is dark green or black in color will contain iron, such as kale, chard, spinach and blackberries just to name a few. There’s one major hurdle to absorbing iron though, humans can only absorb approximately 10-40%. If you truly eat cleanly then you’re going to be closer to that 40% number as opposed to most humans hovering around a rate of 10-20%. And I must add that without enough Vitamin C, you won’t ever absorb enough Iron and will constantly stay fatigued and stressed both physically and mentally because the body has to work too hard to absorb what little it can. At this point, you only have two options: clean up your eating habits tremendously or eat a lot of iron rich foods. If you choose option two, you will eat too much, your bowel movements will be very strenuous, and you will eventually develop iron toxicity. Ultimately your best bet is to go with option one and clean up your eating habits so you can live a better more fulfilling life.

Calcium (Ca) (Put That Cow’s Milk Down)

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Calcium (Ca) (Put That Cow’s Milk Down)

So I have to ask, how many times do we hear about the element Calcium these days? Pretty much on a daily basis. Currently, I hear it being tossed around like a ball almost every day in the health industry. What’s the big talk all about. You hear about it in all of the Got Milk? commercials. Where do you get Calcium?… Why is your first thought dairy? Instinctively, because it’s a white colored element. Socially, it is in cow’s milk. Now if I kept going on about it, you’d continue to assume cow’s milk. Stop! Let’s go with goat’s milk instead. A baby calf consumes cow’s milk so it can grow big bones quickly. Ever wondered why a baby calf struggles to stand on all 4 limbs in early stages of life? Riddle solved. Humans do not assimilate cow’s milk very well due to its high lactose sugar content as well as its high calcium content. We need foods that contain much more friendly levels of the necessary nutrients and goat’s milk and cheese (raw or unpasteurized) is much more user friendly to humans. But back to Calcium, we also associate this element with bone too. Rightfully so. Calcium, along with Phosphorous, is what our bones are mostly made from with the exception of a tiny percentage of Copper. It also aids in a muscle tissue’s ability to contract. Microscopically, without enough Calcium ions the nerve cannot release acetylcholine, therefore the muscle will not contract how it should. Acetylcholine is needed in the energy producing and fat burning process. Let’s zoom back out to a bigger scale, you have to naturally want to know what else contains Calcium. Many dark green leaves like kale, chard and spinach, tiny bony fish like sardines and herring, oysters, clams and many seeds as well as a few fruits. We can only absorb Calcium if we have enough Vitamin D and most humans are to some degree deficient in Vitamin D so no wonder we are Calcium deficient as well. Weak bones is what comes to my mind, what the medical world calls osteoporosis. Weak infrastructure is probably a better way to word that cause we would have weak muscles too. I think you’re starting to get the picture – it requires a lifestyle change to make the body’s complex system work optimally. Supplements don’t work as effectively, if at all, so don’t be lazy. Reach instead for the healthy, natural, whole food source to utilize the high bioavailability of it’s organic Calcium nutrient.

Cholesterol (I’ve Been Framed!)

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Cholesterol (I’ve Been Framed!)

Ah, cholesterol. Poor guy has taken a ruthless beating over the past couple of decades on his role in human health. If I ask “Why is cholesterol so bad for you?” I know I’ll get a wide variety of answers and that’s exactly the problem. Too many conflicting answers and information out there. OK so do me a favor and forget every one of those answers. There’s a reason why it’s involved in our lives so let’s read on to find out. This guy is really one of your best friends so quit hatin’. Without cholesterol you’d be dead, literally. It is the synthesizing agent of the famous Vitamin D and if you read the section on the benefits of Vitamin D you’d realize the utter importance of cholesterol. The human body makes cholesterol from many types of fat especially saturated fat. Wait a minute… Yes you read that right. I’m giving some credit to saturated fat. Cholesterol, in addition to synthesizing Vitamin D, has a main role in the body and that is to help clean up other fats floating around the blood stream. So many people, including nutritionists, get cholesterol confused with LDL and HDL so let’s get it right. HDL and LDL are not cholesterol; rather, they are proteins–lipoproteins to be exact. Why do you think protein is part of its name? They’re not trying to fool you. They are the carrier proteins of cholesterol so that cholesterol can do its job. It helps clean up toxins and with the help of its carriers it delivers it to the liver for further processing elimination. All in all, cholesterol truly is a necessity of life unless you want to walk around in an inflamed state. Oh wait, you probably already are in that state cause the media makes it out to be a bad guy. Your next question is probably along the lines of “So where can I obtain this wonderful nutrient?” Many things have it, but they also contain many other bad things. When it comes to eating whole foods from the Earth, cholesterol can be found or created in the body from animal fats from pasture raised and free to roam animals. Of course one of the best sources is the yolk from eggs that came from pasture raised chickens. When cooking eggs, try to poach them or fry them in a healthy oil such as avocado or hemp seed oil so that the yolk is still runny and not fully hardened. Runny yolks yield so many nutritious nutrients it’s unreal, such as choline, and other phospholipids that create a much needed protective sheath surrounding every nerve you have. Without them you will never operate how you want to in life and in fact will be in misery because of over heated nerve endings. Another result will be a misfiring of an electrical signal from nerve to nerve and that will ultimately lead to a myriad of nervous system problems and an untimely death. If I were you, I’d stop listening to what the government and media say about health. It’s all about politics and money to them, not your health.

 

Vitamin D (You Are My Sunshine)

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Vitamin D (You Are My Sunshine)

Vitamin D is a very often disrespected and under appreciated nutrient to human health. In fact, if I had to guess based on my own readings, research, and experiences I would say nearly 80-90% of Americans are deficient to some extent. Basically, most people are walking around in a chronically inflamed state of being, which is in the direction of stasis, often known as death. OK, so let’s try to prevent that, because life on the other hand is more exciting. What is Vitamin D you ask? It is quite often referred to as the “Sunshine” vitamin due to the rays of the sun providing light and energy to the body. However, it must be clarified that only the UVB rays are what allows the body to properly absorb the vitamin D. It works in 2 ways in the body. First, which is how most people know it, the skin absorbs the sun’s UVB rays via a cholesterol enzyme and then converts the energy once in the liver and once in the kidneys to a bioactive form known as Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, so the body can utilize it. Once in the bloodstream it helps with many reactions in the body. One of which is the absorption of calcium and phosphorous and we all know how important both calcium and phosphorous are. In fact, one Doctor that I like to research and read about, Dr. Weston Price, a dentist, would just about swear on it. A Naturopathic Doctor, whom I’m very intrigued by, Dr. Bernard Jensen, would 100% agree with Price but probably wouldn’t put quite as much emphasis on the importance of Calcium as a dentist would. The second way is through the eyes. A very poorly known issue is that Vitamin D only works when it is in correct proportion to Vitamin A. Deficiency of one creates toxicity of the other. Hence why the eyes are so extremely important to the strongest of bodies. It activates the pineal gland, which in turn sends a signal to the pituitary gland, known as “The Master Gland”, which controls the majority of the endocrine system and most of the hormones. Uh oh, I said “hormone” but stay calm. If correct measures are taken, hormones won’t get wacky. Now that makes me want to get more sun! Don’t get me wrong though, you can get too much sun and get burnt. Depending on skin type, it usually will take between 20-45 min of good sunlight 2-3 days a week to obtain more than enough Vitamin D due to it fat solubility. Keep in mind, something often overlooked is your geographic location. It is nearly impossible to obtain enough Vitamin D for those residing in the northern latitudes of the Earth. Supplementation may suffice, but I don’t recommend supplements unless speaking with your Natural health care provider or a local Naturopathic clinic. Humans fortunately have the ability to store extra Vitamin D in fat cells. The sun is really the best way to get this vital nutrient, but some foods such as shallow water fish and oysters and clams can be high in the nutrient. Also, unpasteurized or raw goat’s milk and goat’s cheese is a good source of the Vitamin. My best advice to you: Get some sun and get to know your local organic farmer!

 

Potassium (K) (Go Bananas)

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Potassium (K) (Go Bananas)

Among the 16 major chemical elements that are contained in the make up of man, Potassium is so vital to the overall health that without it a human heart would not survive but for a very short period of time! Potassium is the element that increases the alkalinity of the entire muscular system. Anything that is considered alkaline in nature will help fight off the detrimental toxins, germs, and acids produced in the world as well as the human body. Potassium, like many other organic elements, has its life partner, Sodium. These two work very closely together, almost to the point where they are inseparable. Hand-in-hand so to speak. Both, Potassium and Sodium, are considered electrolytes and must stay in balance with each other in order to keep proper, effective, and efficient communication between our cells. When they get out of balance, disease processes begin. When in proper ratio they put the perfect osmotic pressure on cells to permit the exchange of many other vitamins, minerals, and amino acids in and out of the cells, especially muscle tissues – potassium inside, sodium outside. In conjunction with Calcium, these three elements are why our muscles contract and without Potassium or a lack of it will produce muscle cramps. Potassium can help in the protection of the heart as well, so it is a must in our diets! Eat a serving of Morgan’s banana ice cream and you’re well on your way to a stronger heart. Other good sources are kiwis, citrus fruits, potato and sweet potato skins, and most dark green leafy vegetables. Potassium is the leading element in the elimination of carbonic acid and lactic acid from our muscles – and a day after a good workout you’re sure to feel the effects of these acids in the form of sore, tight muscles! Always remember the 1st rule in health – to achieve great health, you must get your foods in their natural, whole state directly from the Earth.