NUTRIENTS
Foods provide us with fats, carbohydrates, proteins, fiber, essential minerals and vitamins, enzymes, antioxidants and so many other nutrients that science is still discovering. Fruits and vegetables provide the greatest benefit to our bodies and the highest concentration of healthy nutrients. The fresher the food, the better.
Everyone doesn’t need to become a vegetarian. I have no plans to completely give up fish, chicken, turkey or beef. I have no plans to totally eliminate eggs or milk products from my diet. These foods are good sources of some nutrients that are hard to find in abundance in plant foods, especially calcium. I like them. I’ve grown up eating them. I think they are provided by God, though I think we place too much of an emphasis on them in our diets. I am advocating a diet rich in plant foods – fruits and vegetables in abundance. This entire book is about what I did to reverse the diseases in my life and the background information of why I did what I did. Nutrition is a part of that.
Four Essential Minerals
Calcium
•Recommended: 1200-1500 mg daily for ages 11-24 and 1000 mg daily for ages 25 and older
•Keeps bones strong and dense.
•Aids in fat loss and maintaining proper weight
•Helps regulate the heart beat
•Helps metabolize iron
•Alleviates insomnia
•Regulates cell permeability
•Critical to pH balance
•Blood clotting and fat digestion depend on calcium
•Nicotine, Cola, Alcohol, Caffeine, Refined Sugars, too much salt and eating excessive calories can deplete calcium levels.
•Sugar upsets calcium metabolism – so don’t buy calcium supplements sold as candy, such as caramel or chocolate flavors
•Excellent supplement forms are calcium citrate, calcium chelate and calcium gluconate.
•Homogenized and Pasteurized milk is NOT a good source of digestible, absorbable calcium.
•Food Sources: nuts (almonds), seaweeds, kelp, seeds (sesame seeds), tofu, broccoli, fruits, turnip greens, collard greens, dark green leafy vegetables and figs
Note: I did supplement calcium as I was not getting enough from my diet even though I had cut out all consumption of calcium depleting foods. I did not eat any animal or dairy products the first 30 days during my ‘cleansing cycle’. I took 600 mg calcium with 100 IU Vitamin D. I now supplement my diet with 1 teaspoon of liquid angstrom calcium daily.
Sodium
•Recommended: 2400 mg per day – about 1 teaspoon
•Permeates the space between cells and with potassium on the inside of cells regulates cell permeability, allowing for free passage of nutrients and waste
•Bathes cells in a ‘salty ocean’
•Is important to the healthy functioning and balance of the fluids in blood and lymph
•Critical to pH balance
•Necessary to the production of hydrochloric acid used in the stomach for digestion.
•Required for proper nerve functioning and muscle contraction
•If you have salt softened water at home you absorb calcium while bathing or showering, brushing your teeth, drinking tap water, and even washing clothes
•During the refining of table salt (NaCl), natural sea salt or rock salt is stripped of more than 60 trace minerals and essential macro-nutrients. It is also heated at high temperatures that the chemical structure of salt changes. It is chemically cleaned and bleached and treated with anti-caking agents that prevent salt from mixing with water in the salt container. The anti- caking agents perform the same function in the human body so that refined salt does not dissolve and combine with the water and fluids present in our system - it builds up in the body and leaves deposits in organs and tissue, causing severe health problems. To make matters worse, the anti-caking agents are made with aluminum, with the bad taste of the aluminum being covered by refined sugar.
•If you need to use salt (sodium) with your meal, use unrefined sea salt or rock salt that contain natural nutrients used by the body much more effectively than refined table salt.
•Processed foods are a major source of hidden refined sodium
•Food Sources: virtually everything we eat. So stay with natural foods like fruits and vegetables.
Note: I did not supplement sodium as I was getting enough from my diet and was closely watching all sodium consumption. The information above will help you limit over-abundance of sodium in your system.
Magnesium
•Recommended: 300 mg daily for women and 400 mg daily for men
•Fourth most abundant mineral found in the body – about 25 grams – with more than ½ stored in the bones.
•Involved in over 300 metabolic actions, including inside cells where energy is produced.
•Works to keep bone density by preventing loss of calcium
•Helps maintain normal muscle and nerve function, keeps heart rhythm steady, supports a healthy immune system, and keeps bones strong. Magnesium also helps regulate blood sugar levels and promotes normal blood pressure
•Having adequate reserves helps fight against cardiovascular disease and immune disease
•Food Sources: green foods, such as spinach, nuts and seeds, beans and peas, unrefined grains, peanut butter and raw vegetables
Note: I did supplement magnesium with a 100 mg capsule daily, as the medications I was on lowered my magnesium levels. My doctor considered it necessary based on my blood test results. By the way, magnesium is not normally tested in a blood panel. You have to specifically request. Most Americans are deficient in magnesium levels. I now supplement my diet with 1 teaspoon of liquid angstrom magnesium daily.
Potassium
•Recommended: 3500 mg daily
•Critical for pH balance
•Helps regulate heart rate, smooth muscle contractions and high-speed nerve function
•Regulates cell permeability from inside the cells, working with sodium on the outside of the cell, allowing for free passage of nutrients and waste
•Regulates sodium and water levels in the body.
•Attracts oxygen to cells
•Helps maintain good cardiovascular health
•Low blood sugar depletes potassium. Potassium is used to treat diabetes
•Tobacco and caffeine reduce the body's ability to absorb potassium
•Food Sources: bananas, potatoes, yams, raisins, soybeans, apricots, figs, nuts and seeds
Note: I did supplement potassium as the medications I was on lowered my potassium levels. The dosage was two 99 mg tablets twice daily. My doctor considered it necessary based on my blood test results. I now use 1 teaspoon of liquid angstrom potassium daily.
Greens
Greens are grasses, grains and plant-based foods that are highly alkaline pH that have been put into a powder form that are easily absorbed by the body. Most are made to mix with water or juice. Each one has a varied mixture and claims their formula is the best blend. I used Kim’s Greens at first and then switched to pH Balance Greens because I heard it tasted better. It is OK, but I feel I get a better boost from Kim’s Greens. Kim’s is organic and, no offense to the product, tastes like grass. It worked well for me, especially when I added it to my morning smoothie. I switch between various brands now trying to test their effectiveness. So far I have found the products containing more grasses work best for me. The greens are packed with highly absorbable nutrients as found in the original plants. They are a great help in alkalizing the body, which is an important part of this program. Some athletes use them in their shakes to add energy and increase performance. Greens are definitely a good, safe additive to your diet to increase your nutrient supply and give you a boost of energy.
Chromium
•Recommended: 200 mcg daily
•Controls insulin and blood sugar, acting as an agent to combine them together so that the blood sugar is absorbed by cells. Blood sugar that roams the blood stream unattached to insulin is what leads to blindness, poor circulation, poor healing abilities and amputations in diabetics.
•Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL), raises good cholesterol (HDL)
•Increases immune system functioning
•Decreases hypertension (high blood pressure)
•Increases DHEA production in the body
•Essential trace mineral for carbohydrate and fat metabolism
•Is depleted by intense activity such as weightlifting or intense exercise
•Research shows that there is no side affect for taking larger quantities by dieters and athletes
•Food Sources: Brewer’s yeast, grains, nut (especially brazil nuts), leafy lettuce (romaine), onions, tomatoes and potatoes.
Note: I did supplement chromium picolinate at 200 mcg daily as chromium reduces bad cholesterol and works to increase good cholesterol. It has many great benefits for diabetes too. I continue to take the same dosage.
Niacin – also known as vitamin B3
•Recommended: 20 mg daily
•Essential for the release of energy from food
•Help in maintaining healthy skin, blood cells, normal growth and development, hormone production, a healthy brain and nervous system and the repair of genetic material
•Stabilizes blood sugar
•Helps the body process fats
•Reduce harmful cholesterol and increases good cholesterol levels
•Taking more than needed can lead to itching and red skin
•Food Sources: Asparagus, mushrooms, sea vegetables, salmon, tuna, chicken, turkey and vegetables such as leaf lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, broccoli and spinach
Note: I did supplement niacin at 100 mg daily as niacin reduces bad cholesterol, and more importantly, in my case, works to increase good cholesterol. I still take the same dosage.
Cinnamon
•Recommended: no RDA - One 500 mg capsule = ¼ teaspoon - Take 2000 mg daily
•Helps prevent unwanted clumping of blood platelets
•Lessons inflammation
•Helps stop the growth of bacteria and fungi
•Slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals & lowers food’s glycemic index
•Improves the ability to respond to insulin and use glucose in the blood
•1 gram per day (approx ¼ to ½ teaspoon) of cinnamon produced an average 20% drop in blood sugar, with additional drops in cholesterol and triglycerides in recent studies
•A 40 day study showed results as follows: cinnamon reduced blood sugar levels by 18-29%,
triglycerides 23-30%, LDL cholesterol 7-27%, and total cholesterol 12-26%.
•Cinnamon scent boosts brain function – smell it before a test - seriously
•May provide relief from constipation and diarrhea
•Excellent source of the trace mineral manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, iron and calcium
•1 teaspoon cinnamon (approx 2000 mg) provides 0.38 mg manganese, 1.24 g dietary fiber, 0.85 mg iron and 27.84 mg calcium
Note: I did supplement cinnamon at least 2000 mg daily; two 500 mg capsules in the morning and two 500 mg capsules in the evening – and sometimes mid-day. Cinnamon just has too many benefits not to include it in your diet, especially if you are dealing with diabetes. I still take at least 2000 mg daily.
Turmeric
•Recommended: No RDA - Take 400 mg up to 3 times daily
•Reduces fat deposits near the liver
•Reduces LDL (bad) cholesterol and promotes production of HDL (good) cholesterol
•Thins the blood
•Reduces inflammation
•When applied topically (on the skin) helps heal psoriasis, fungal infections and athlete’s foot
•Acts as an antibiotic when applied to skin and exposed to sunlight
Note: I did supplement turmeric-curcumin 400 mg daily. It is good for cholesterol levels and fat deposits near the liver. I still take 400 mg daily of turmeric.
Omega 3-6-9 Oils –
•Recommended: Not established
•Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help keep cholesterol levels low, stabilize irregular heart beat, and reduce blood pressure
•Omega-3 fatty acids are also natural blood thinners, reducing the "stickiness" of blood cells
•The brain is 60% fat and needs omega-3 fats to function properly
•Omega-3 fatty acids may help maintain healthy breast tissue and prevent breast cancer
•Without a sufficient supply of polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, the body will use saturated fat to construct cell membranes, resulting in cell membranes that are less elastic, a situation that makes the heart muscle stiffer and less able to return to a resting state
•Omega-3 is important in helping cells resist infection with influenza and the herpes family of viruses by supporting healthy cell wall development that act as anti-inflammatory agents
•Omega-3 and -6 fatty acids cannot be produced by the body.
•Omega 6 fatty acids are a chain of polyunsaturated fatty acids, also called linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid
•Omega 9 fatty acids can be produced by the body and are therefore not considered essential oils as the body can produce them as needed.
•Food Sources: cold water fish (omega-3), flaxseed oil (omega 3-6-9) and borage seed oil (omega 6-9)
Note: I did supplement one 1200 mg soft gel of Omega 3-6-9 three times daily at my doctor’s recommendation because of its health benefits for the heart and cholesterol. I do not use any cooking oil other than virgin coconut oil for cooking (see below), so I do not get omega-6 fatty acids in my diet naturally. If you do use cooking oils, chances are you get more omega-6 than your body needs. If so, don’t use the omega 3-6-9 supplement. Use an omega-3 supplement containing fish oil. Today I continue to take the omega 3-6-9 twice daily.
Virgin Coconut Oil
•Is a medium chain saturated fat that is good for you and easily metabolized
•It does not denature like other oils when heated and cannot turn into trans fats
•Does not contribute to bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol in some people
•Contains lauric acid, which supports the immune system
•Research has shown that the shorter medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil boost the body’s metabolism, balance blood sugar and control diabetes, dissolve kidney stones, protect against cancer, raise body temperatures, and help provide greater energy. Results are a healthier, leaner body, more energy and healthier skin.
•A small amount is all that is needed for cooking and frying, unlike vegetable oils.
Multi Vitamins
There are so many multi vitamins available from so many companies, with so many different mixtures and dosages. I choose one from the same company I get most of my other supplements, taking one each day.
Alkaline Drops
The drops are used to alkalize water, which in turn alkalizes the blood and the fluids in and around your cells. It is important to this program. I stopped using drops after I no longer needed medicine.