Good Nutrition – Could This Be One Of Your Best Defenses Against Disease?

You would have to be isolated from the rest of the world not to realize the importance of good nutrition. However, while most people are aware of it in principle, there is a wealth of information about nutrition that goes largely unnoticed and unheeded.

Nutritional or food choices affect not only the way you look and feel (such as energy levels), but just about all your internal organs, even both women’s and men’s reproductive systems. We are seduced by the amount, cheapness and accessibility of food available, and bombarded by advertising campaigns convincing us we don’t have time to cook real food. As a result, over time, our bodies suffer.

One of the best ways you can address the issues of aging and disease is to look at your diet with a view to improving your nutrition. It is one thing that is totally within your control and it may help to save you from, or at least, reduce your likelihood of serious disease.

Most people associate organic with food that is free from pesticides and herbicides, grown in healthy, nutrient rich soils. Another strong argument for buying organic food lies in a relatively new connection between pesticide use and the antioxidant content of food.

In agriculture, crops are naturally stressed by insects and, as a result, produce polyphenolic compounds, or naturally potent antioxidants. Crops that are treated with pesticides and herbicides however, don't require these polyphenolics, so produce far less of them. These potent antioxidants provide better nutrition, especially when the ubiquitous chemicals routinely used in agriculture are absent.

A UK report noted that pesticides and herbicides have been associated with a variety of diseases including cancer, chronic fatigue, Parkinson’s disease and fetal abnormalities. Similarly, another study revealed that breast cancer sufferers are 5 to 9 times more likely to have traces of pesticides in their blood than those who don't have the disease.

Organic foods are generally free of artificial food additives including MSG, hydrolyzed proteins, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated fats, as well as artificial sweeteners and colorings. All of these have been associated with an increased risk of asthma, edema, headaches, growth retardation, hyperactivity in children, and a number of allergies.”

“Genetically modified (GM) ingredients are also not allowed in the production of organic food. In Europe, currently 10 research studies into the effects of GM foods have been conducted. Those studies that remained free of funding from companies with a vested interest in GM foods, discovered evidence of harmful effects on the intestinal linings of people.

There are some obvious benefits of not ingesting pesticides, herbicides, and additives, but it is worth remembering that organic foods are more nutritious, and richer in vitamin and mineral content. Vitamin C and magnesium levels are 20-30% higher, while organic spinach, potatoes, cabbage, and lettuce are significantly higher. Similarly, organic livestock that range on grass show higher levels of important omega 3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA.

Taking in appropriate amounts of protein, carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, remains a highly controversial issue for those in the medical profession. What makes it more confusing for the average consumer is that those with no medical qualifications, or experience in the field of nutrition, peddle new fangled diets and weight loss regimes at an alarming rate. There is however, some seminal research suggesting that the hunter-gatherer diet and the nourishing diets of traditional societies have the most to offer nutritionally. These diets show virtually no heart disease, diabetes, osteo-arthritis, obesity and cancer.

The mainstay of most traditional diets are natural grass fed meats, eggs and dairy, vegetables, fruits, and seeds and nuts. Factory produced, highly processed foods did not exist, and do not, in societies that still eat this way. As mentioned earlier, more and more research is linking disease and behavioral problems with a number of food additives and processing methods, including, aspartame, MSG, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Even regular vegetable oils are compromised by chemical extraction methods, losing much of their vitamin E content; and oxidize as soon as they come in to contact with air, light and heat.

When a western diet is adopted by people with traditional, healthy diets, degenerative diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart problems and cancer become more prevalent. Although traditional diets differ from place to place, the one thing they have in common is that they do not consume processed carbohydrates, or fat derived from vegetable oils.

Grass fed meat has been shown to provide up to 25 times more ??? than grain fed beef. It also contains high levels of vitamin E, which lowers the risk of heart disease and improves skin. The brain also benefits from omega 3 fatty acids, with research linking it to reduced levels of depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder and Alzheimer’s disease. Grass-fed meat also significantly lowers your risk of cancer, due to its content of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).

Eggs are considered one of nature’s most perfect foods. They are rich in lutein, (which protects arterial walls against thickening), as well as the fat soluble vitamins A and D. They contain sulphur rich proteins which are essential for the strength of cell membranes. They are also a very concentrated source of choline, a B vitamin that helps to keep cholesterol moving about in the blood stream. Subjects who participated in The Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study were found to have better looking arteries with the more eggs they consumed.

There is a wealth of research now about the positive effects of blueberries. They contain a natural dye called anthocyanin, which not only provides their color, but protects brain cells. They are also full of antioxidants which are known to calm inflammation. A Californian eye specialist discovered that patients who ate blueberries demonstrated a significant improvement in their vision. As a result, researchers have been investigating a means of reducing the incidence of macular degeneration. Blueberries contain a good proportion of dietary fiber, which is known to help prevent heart disease; and they are also being researched and used in the prevention and treatment of cancer. A team of University of Illinois researchers noted that the anthocyanins present in blueberries inhibit the initiation and promotion of cancer. Ellagic acid, a powerful antioxidant is also thought to make a person 3 times less likely to develop cancer than those who don’t eat them.

Nuts are also a highly nutritious and healthy food that has been much maligned in the past by the fat phobic. One such nut is the Australian Macadamia nut which is one of the most nutritious. It is rich in copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc, as well as vitamin B1. Roughly 80% of its fat is monounsaturated with over 20% being palmitolytic acid. This has strong antimicrobial properties that protect you from pathogenic bacteria and viruses.

Almonds, macadamias, pecans and cashews in particular, contain the highly stable oleic acid, so will not go rancid easily. Nuts also contain the nonessential amino acid arginine, which protects the inner lining of arteries. Nuts are known to raise HDL, or good cholesterol, and provide fiber.