 Garden
of Life’s A-B-Cs of Foundational Nutrition
Healthy Living Article by Lorin Shields-Michel
The following nutritional article provides valuable
information on essential nutrients, whole-food nutritional
supplementation, the power of the Poten-Zyme probiotic fermentation
process, and foods and supplements to help maintain a healthy weight.
Was one of your resolutions this year to get
healthier? Reaching that goal can be made easier when you follow
something we all learned before we even started school: your A-B-Cs.
It’s a lesson we should all heed, and it starts with good nutrition.
Nutrition: A Primer - There are about 40
nutrients the human body needs to consume on a regular basis to
survive. These nutrients are divided into five classes: protein, fat,
carbohydrates (all macronutrients for energy); vitamins, and minerals
(micronutrients).
Protein: The body requires a precise amount
of protein daily to maintain and repair tissues and to provide growth
for infants, youth and pregnant women. The average needed is about 53
grams per day for a woman and about 63 grams for men. If you eat more,
it is burned as energy or stored as fat. As for sources, many have
thought that animal protein was superior to plant protein. The truth,
however, is that with a varied and balanced diet, complete protein can
be obtained from plant sources alone. Nutrition science verifies that
plant protein is actually healthier than animal protein since animal
protein may lead to increases in heart disease and even some cancers.
Plant protein tends to be protective and preventive of such diseases.
Fat: Fats are either saturated or
unsaturated, a chemical distinction referring to stability. Saturates
are stable; un-saturates are unstable. Fats that start out unsaturated
can be saturated through a process of hydrogenation that creates
unhealthy trans fatty acids. On a daily basis, we need less than one
teaspoon of polyunsaturated fat, found in omega-3 essential fatty
acids from fish oils, flaxseed and, in small amounts, canola oil, soy
oil and walnut oil. Omega-3s may help prevent heart arrhythmias and
sudden cardiac death, the cause of half of all heart disease deaths.
That’s why the American Heart Association recommends eating at least
two servings of seafood weekly or supplementing with a good omega-3
capsule.
Fats are very calorie-dense. As long as we manage
our caloric intake to maintain healthy weight, we can include good
fats necessary for taste and to ensure that we eat the necessary
vegetables, legumes and other nutrient-dense foods that often
accompany them.
Carbohydrates: All carbohydrates ultimately
convert to glucose in the body. They come in two varieties: complex
(starches), or simple (sugars). The nutritional difference is that
starchy foods provide other nutrients such as vitamins and minerals
and are rich sources of dietary fiber. Sugars, except for those in
fruits, are usually empty calories. Only plant foods supply
carbohydrates, with the exception of lactose, a sugar in milk.
Unrefined plant foods have fibers, and only plant foods bring
antioxidants into the diet.
Vitamins and Minerals: If one eats a balanced diet,
full of the appropriate amounts of protein; good fats, primarily
monounsaturated and omega-3s; and whole grains, legumes, and adequate
vegetables and fruits, it is almost impossible not to obtain adequate
micronutrients. However, if you’re not eating a balanced diet, you
might try a “whole-food” multivitamin.
A = A Good Multivitamin
According to a 2002 review conducted by the Council
for Responsible Nutrition, the use of multivitamin and mineral
supplements by the elderly could improve immune function, reduce the
risk of infectious disease and cut the number of days spent sick. If
women of child-bearing age took a multivitamin containing folic acid,
the incidence of neural tube birth defects could be reduced by as much
as 70 percent. And the amount of money spent yearly on health care
costs could be substantially reduced as well.
A good multivitamin will help your body in any
number of ways by providing a supplemental source for the vitamins we
can’t produce internally, and by giving us a potent blend of
antioxidant-rich ingredients from naturally grown and organic fruits,
vegetables, tonic mushrooms, sea vegetables and other botanicals. A
better multivitamin can also be made with living nutrients that help
the body to better absorb and use amino acids, probiotics and
prebiotics.
A good one to try:
Living Multi from Garden of Life. It contains just about
everything you could possibly need in a multivitamin. It’s a
broad-based, whole food vitamin and mineral supplement containing 7
fruits, 20 vegetables, 11 tonic mushrooms, 8 sea vegetables, 9
botanicals and ionic trace minerals. It’s also available in a
men’s formula with bee pollen and more for prostate health, and in
a
women’s formula with folic acid and iron.
B = Basic Digestion for Good Health
Nutritional supplements have come a long way since
vitamins and minerals were first identified at the beginning of the
twentieth century. Since then, industrial chemistry has stepped in to
create new, more powerful generations of vitamins that are hundreds of
times more potent than what the body can get from food. But these are
often artificially produced. Garden of Life has created a probiotic
fermentation process using living probiotic organisms and their
enzymes to transform nutrients into bioactive forms that your body can
easily assimilate. They call it Poten-Zyme™, and it’s a potent way to
give your body what it needs, in the most natural way possible:
through fermentation, which is also a natural part of the digestive
process. In fact, a healthy body contains more probiotic
microorganisms in the digestive tract than total cells in the body.
The Poten-Zyme process brings you the benefits of fermentation and it
does so in two phases.
In phase one, probiotic microorganisms are
introduced into a base vitamin and mineral blend where they break down
the cell walls of nutrients, making them easier to absorb and digest.
In phase two, probiotic cultures like Lactobacillus plantarum are
introduced, producing lactic acid and acting as chelating agents to
complete the assimilation of nutrients into food form. The result:
predigested living foods or nutrients that are much more body-friendly
and thus more body-healthy.
C = Complements Not Condiments
Your health plan should also include foods to help
you maintain a healthy weight.
Perfect Meal is a high-protein and high-fiber drink (available in
creamy vanilla and milk chocolate) designed to be used as a meal
supplement. It provides a multifaceted approach to healthy weight
management with the proprietary Fibertrol™ along with Native Whey to
help you consume fewer calories between meals. Each glass also
includes a Glycemic Balance Blend, slowing the digestion of
carbohydrates while helping to maintain already healthy blood sugar
metabolism and glycemic response for balanced energy. It even contains
a probiotic blend to support your digestive system.
“More and more consumers realize that a good diet is
essential to good health,” explains Dr. Joseph Brasco, a
board-certified physician in gastroenterology and internal medicine.
“However, most consumers are still new to the idea of probiotics. The
one thing they need to know is that as the health of the GI tract
goes, so goes the rest of the body.”
Also look to Garden of Life for their wonderful
Olde Icelandic cod liver oil (deliciously lemon flavored);
certified organic virgin coconut oil;
super green food Perfect Food;
probiotic Primal Defense; and their
certified organic green tea.
With these kinds of complements to your diet, you’ll
soon be hearing “wow, you look great!” kinds of compliments, too.
Now you know your A-B-Cs of better health!
Resources
Garden of Life has quickly become a leading supplier
of organic probiotic whole food nutritional products including:
coconut oil, honey, Icelandic cod liver oil—and Primal Defense and
Perfect Food continue to dominate their categories for probiotics and
green foods. This is a company that is completely wind powered and
printing all of its catalogs on completely recycled paper with soy
inks. Their CEO Greg Horn is a leading green advocate and author of
Living Green: A Guide to Simple Sustainability - (click here for book
review).
Garden of Life natural products and supplements
combine the best of nature and science and offer a proven path to
healthier living. Supported by education and constant innovations, the
more than 40 products offered assist each individual in taking control
of their own health with lifestyle changes and advanced nutrition.
For more product information, Click Here.
Note: Statements in this article have not been
evaluated by the FDA. This information is for informational and
educational purposes only. We make no medical or curative claims. If
you are dealing with any health condition, it is advised to see your
health care practitioner. |
