3 Practical Recommendations for everyday Nutritional Supplementation Success
How to use Prevention as the Cure for improving your Health Naturally – Part 2 Today I will give you 3 simple recommendations you can apply to your life immediately for prevention towards improving your health naturally. I will try to keep it very practical so you aren’t wandering around health food stores and ending up with single bottles of every nutrient on the planet. Here are the three simple recommendations to follow to establish a strong nutritional foundation upon which to build:
• Take a high- quality multiple vitamin and mineral supplement.
• Take extra antioxidants.
• Take one tablespoon of flaxseed oil daily.Recommendation 1- Take a high-Quality Multiple Vitamin and Mineral Supplement
Taking a high-quality multiple vitamin and mineral supplement that provides all of the known vitamins and minerals serves as the foundation of a nutritional supplementation program. Dr. Roger Williams, one of the premier biochemist of our time, states that healthy people should use multiple vitamin and mineral supplements as an “insurance formula” against possible deficiency. This does not mean that a deficiency will occur in the absence of the vitamin and mineral supplement any more than not having fire insurance means that your house is not going to burn down. But given the enormous potential for individual differences and the varied mechanisms of vitamin and mineral actions, supplementation with multiple formula seems to make sense. For most of the ever busy population we just don’t seem to get the time we need for all of our nutritional intake through proper diet so supplementation is a great way to substitute.
Recommendation 2- Take extra Antioxidants
Most health-minded individuals are familiar with the terms antioxidants and free radicals. Loosely defined, a free radical is a highly reactive molecule that can bind to and destroy body components. Free radical or “oxidative” damage is what makes us age. Free radicals have also been shown to be responsible for the initiation of many diseases, including the two biggest killers of Americans-heart disease and cancer.
Antioxidants, in contrast, are compounds that help protect against free-radical damage. Antioxidant nutrients like beta-carotene, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C are very important in protecting against the development of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases. In addition, antioxidants are also thought to slow down the aging process.
Based on extensive data, it appears that a combination of antioxidants will provide greater antioxidant protection than any single nutritional antioxidant. Therefore, in addition to recommending that individuals consume a diet rich in plant foods, especially fruits and vegetables, I suggest using a combination of antioxidant nutrients rather than high dosages of ant single antioxidant .Mixtures of antioxidant nutrients appear to work together harmoniously to produce the phenomena of synergy. In other words 1+1= 3.
The two primary antioxidants in the human body are vitamin C and vitamin E. Vitamin C is an aqueous phase antioxidant. This means that it is found in body compartments composed of water. In contrast, vitamin E is a lipid phase antioxidant because it is found in lipid -(fat)- soluble body compartments such as cell membranes and fatty molecules. If you are taking a high-potency multiple vitamin and mineral formula, many supportive antioxidant nutrients such as selenium, zinc, and beta-carotene are provided for. Therefore, your primary concern may be simply to ensure beneficial levels of vitamin C and vitamin E. Here are the daily supplementation guidelines from my references and myself for the key nutritional antioxidants for supporting general health. Be sure to recognize how much your multiple vitamin and mineral formula is providing:
Recommended Antioxidant Supplementation in International Units (I.U.) or Milligrams (mg.)
Vitamin- Range for Adults
Vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol) 400-800 I.U.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
Recommendation 3- Take One Tablespoon of Flaxseed Oil Daily
In this day and age of concern over fat in our foods, my recommendation to supplement an individual’s daily diet with one tablespoon of flaxseed oil may be puzzling. However, this recommendation makes perfectly good sense. While, it is true Americans should not consume more than 30 percent of their daily calories as fats, a lack of the dietary essential fatty acids has been suggested to play a significant role in the development of many chronic degenerative diseases such as heart disease , cancer, and strokes.
Experts estimate that approximately 80 percent of our population consumes an insufficient quantity of essential fatty acids. The dietary insufficiency presents a serious health threat to Americans. In addition to providing the body with energy, the essential fatty acids-linoleic and linolenic acid- provided by plant foods function in our bodies as components of nerve cells, cellular membranes, and hormone like substances known as prostaglandins. In addition to playing a critical role in normal physiology, essential fatty acids can actually be protective and therapeutic against heart disease, cancer, autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis, many skin diseases, and others. Research indicates that over 60 health conditions benefit from essential fatty acid supplementation.
Many consider organic, unrefined flaxseed oil to be the answer to restoring the proper level of essential fatty acids. Flaxseed oil is unique because it contains both essential fatty acids-alpha linolenic (an omega-3 fatty acid) and linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) – in appreciable amounts . Flaxseed oil is the world’s richest source of omega-3 fatty acids. At a whopping 58 percent by weight, it contains over two times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids extensively with regard to their beneficial effects in cardiovascular disease, inflammation and allergies, and cancer. I hope these 3 simple recommendations will get you on your way to better overall health and a new happier and energized you.
Have a healthy and happy day!
References: Michael T. Murray, N.D., Natural Health Magazine
By, Natalie Pyles
Author, NSA Speaker, Holistic Whole Health, Fitness , and Nutrition Expert, Medical Exercise and Post Rehab Conditioning Specialist, Licensed Nutritionist, Holistic Nursing and Nutrition Educator
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