The
human body is like a very complex engine. Like any engine, if
the body does not receive the proper fuel, it becomes sluggish.
One of the first signs is a lack of energy. Its like a car
running on cheap gas that needs a tune up. It will still get you
from point A to point B, but it cuts out all the time, the engine
runs rough, it doesnt have a lot of power, and its
hard to start in the morning. But if you treat that car to quality
gas and a professional tune up, theres a huge difference
a night and day difference!
Your
body needs whole food fuel that is dense in proteins, vitamins,
minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, phytonutrients, and living
enzymes. Your body needs all of those nutrients and it needs them
every single day in their natural whole food form to function
properly.
Nutritional
supplements in the form of pills, capsules, and liquid potions
have become the accepted norm for nutrition in our society. Weve
been conditioned to believe that a few pills a day offer the same
benefit of a healthy diet, but common sense and the latest
research tell us something different.
"The
thousands of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals in whole foods
act synergistically together to create a more powerful effect...
producing a result which cannot be recreated by supplements,"
Jeff Prince, Vice President For Education American Institute for
Cancer Research.
That
is not to say that supplements are of no use. They can be of great
benefit, when taken based on individualized needs. Most nutrition
experts recommend a daily multivitamin and mineral tablet for
everyone. But supplements simply can't compete with better food
choices.
Over
the past century nutrition experts have gained a fuller appreciation
of the need for a plant-based diet. Research began to show in
the 1970s that certain patterns of eating were influencing illnesses.
By the 1980's they found that populations eating more fruits,
vegetables and high-fiber foods experienced lower rates of cancer,
heart disease, and diabetes. Also by that time, discoveries had
been made that newly discovered phytochemicals and certain vitamins
and minerals acted as antioxidants to prevent chronic diseases
such as cancer and heart disease.
Needless
to say, these so called revelations sent shock waves through the
scientific community. "This study
was a turning point in the nutrition field, especially when multiple
studies kept confirming that supplements didn't work at preventing
cancers and heart disease," says David Klurfeld,
national program leader for human nutrition at the USDA's Agricultural
Research Service. "People think
that we can pull out the fiber, pull out the antioxidants, but
research does not back that up. Study after study says you gain
the most benefit from whole foods."