Are you going Paleo?
Is your diet Low Carb or a variant of Atkins?
Maybe it’s the Protein Power Life plan you follow?
Are you a South Beach diet fan?
Have you gone the Hcg route?
———————————-
If you are on board on this one, I’ve got some good news.All of these diets will help you lose weight, but “keeping it off” is the universal dilemma.Why are we eating when we are not hungry?Is it boredom, or something more basic?
Did you know a lack minerals will cause cravings, aka Pica?
Pica is the craving for non-food items [farmers call it “cribbing”]
The most classic pica is “ice eating” [or Pagophagia] which is a known symptom of iron deficiency.
[Consumption of dust or sand has been reported among iron-deficient patients.]
———————————-
There many examples of Pica:
Amylophagia [consumption of starch]
Coprophagy [consumption of feces]
Geomelophagia [consumption of raw potatoes]
Geophagy [consumption of soil, clay, or chalk]
Hyalophagia [consumption of glass]
Lithophagia [consumption of pebbles or rocks]
Consumption of paint [pigments contain minerals]
Trichophagia [consumption of hair or wool]
Xylophagia [consumption of wood or paper]
Self-cannibalism or Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. [scary!!]
———————————-
We are prone to call “Cuckoo!!” on these acts but the underlying issue is the lack of minerals.
Most of us are familiar with pregnant women having cravings for “pickles and ice cream” – this is another example of Pica – of course, a symptom of mineral deficiency.
In the Barnyard – we give animals “salt licks” to restore mineral levels – without them animals will eat the side of the barn or fence.
All animal feeds contain supplemental minerals.
Many people seek out “crunchy” items to satisfy their cravings or hunger – the snack food industry has mushroomed.
———————————-
Let’s break here for a short illustration/joke
[A Benedictine monk, Father Francis, told me this joke while I was explaining to him the importance of taking minerals.]
God and a powerful man were talking.
The man boasts “I can do anything you can do!”
God replies “Well, make a man.”
With this the man reaches down for a hand full of dirt,
When God insists, “Wait a minute, use your own dirt!”
———————————-
So, remember plants cannot make minerals either.
If minerals are not in the soil, they cannot and will not be in the crops/plants we grow [or in the animals that eat them]
Taking dietary supplements can correct our farmlands’ mineral depletion problem, one person at a time.
Why can’t we just get our minerals from our food?
Simple answer – Minerals cannot be made by plants – our farming methods and flood control have depleted our farmland’s soil.
Back Story……..
Our Food Supply:
We share a lot of biology with animals.
Our nutritional needs are very similar to most animals, including lions, tigers and bears – cows, pigs and chickens, too!
Farmers and veterinary scientists add vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fats to animal feeds, and have been for over 50 years. Are you curious about why this is?
As simple as it sounds – this makes animals healthier.
As I have stated many times:
Our soil is depleted, that is, our farmland has been stripped of minerals. [We need around 60 minerals]
We have used a “fertilizer” for over 100 years, NPK or nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
We have also utilized levees for around 100 years as well.
With 5-7 years of using the same soil without flooding [no new minerals] the minerals are depleted.
[If your checking account is all withdrawals/no deposits = trouble.]
Evidence of this is seen in animals’ failure to thrive, birth defects and a long list of illnesses.
Plants and animals both need minerals to live and thrive. [Plants are more susceptible to disease, too]
Plants take metallic or rock-like minerals into their system and turn them into colloidal minerals [98% absorbable].
Plants CAN make Vitamins, Amino acids/protein and Oils/Fats but they CAN NOT make Minerals.
Minerals must be in the soil or they will not be in plants.
Animals, by design, acquire their minerals through eating plants or by eating other animals [who have eaten plants and other vegetation like algae or seaweed].
Animals are not designed or suited to eat rocks for their mineral needs [neither are we]. Metallic minerals are 3% absorbed.
Until we repair our soil and farmland we MUST supplement our diets to ensure complete mineral nutrition.
We have done this is animals for over 50 years. [We deserve a similar effort]
If the Mainstream authorities were to say “Take nutritional supplements to stay healthy” – people will ask, WHY?
The answer is simple, yet unsettling.
Due to our farming methods our food supply is inadequate to provide proper nutrition or put another way – You can’t get your 90 some odd ESSENTIAL nutrients from food alone.
Remember “Essential Nutrients” are those that when absent will lead to symptoms – deficiency symptoms.
The good news is this – Science has provided us with a list of essential nutrients and we can achieve optimal health if we pursue and obtain them.
———————————-
Some Key points:
If you have cravings for salt and sweets – you need to address possible mineral shortages/ deficiencies.
There are around 60 minerals present in healthy infants and adults.
If minerals are lacking, there are deficiency symptoms.
Whether it’s Calcium, Magnesium, Chromium or any of the other 50 + minerals that are short – there are symptoms or “signals” that we are lacking.
Calcium deficiency – insomnia, irritability, road rage, PMS, popping/crunchy joints, twitchy muscles and the list goes on.
Magnesium deficiency – asthma, migraines, kidney stones, muscle spasm, allergies plus many more.
Chromium shortage – insulin resistance, sugar and starch craving, after-meal sweet tooth, hypoglycemia, syndrome X, PCOS, metabolic syndrome to name a few symptoms.
Zinc deficiency – poor wound healing, frequent colds, loss of the sense of smell, “smelly tennis shoe syndrome” [it’s true] , hair loss and many others.
Copper deficiency – loss of elasticity [aneurysm, hemorrhoids, varicose veins, stretch marks, crow’s feet and sagging skin] and loss of hair pigment [graying of hair] and may be a factor in Parkinson’s disease.
[Caution: always take Zinc and copper together – an excess of one can cause a deficiency of the other]
———————————-
Finally – it is important to remember – we are NOT designed to eat dirt! We are supposed to get our minerals from plants and animals that have eaten plants.
Farmer’s and veterinarians recognized the importance of minerals in the 1950’s.
Farmers could not rely on the soil and subsequently plants to deliver these “Essential Minerals”.
Various attempts were made to add minerals to animal feeds – However – metallic minerals [“dirt like” aka elemental minerals] did NOT correct nutritional deficiencies in those animals.
Metallic minerals are not very well absorbed by animals or man.
Limestone or calcium carbonate – the most popular calcium supplement’s key ingredient – is an excellent example of one of these metallic/rock minerals – 3% absorption on average.
The concept of “a Chelated” mineral was born out of necessity.
From the Greek word for claw [chele] – chelated minerals are “created” by adding an animo acid or an enzyme to metallic minerals – this puts them into a 40-60% absorption rate for animals and humans alike.
[MCHA or microcrystalline hydroxyapatite is a natural example of a chelated mineral -derived from bone – and is the best calcium supplement.]
———————————-
Our soil depletion problem necessitates the need for supplemental minerals to get our trace and ultra-trace minerals. [Without trace minerals we stay hungry- Pica]
Plant derived colloidal minerals from Humic shale is the best choice – there are in liquid form and have a 98% absorption rate.
And as I always say….
To achieve optimal health we need Full Spectrum Nutrition. Around 90 nutrients are considered ESSENTIAL.
These nutrients can be divided into 4 groups:
Vitamins, Minerals, Amino Acids [Protein] and Fats/Oils.
If Optimal Health is the goal, it is virtually impossible to get “everything you need” from foods alone.
To get full spectrum nutrition we ALL need to supplement our diets.
———————————-
Supplements to consider:
1) Get a good multiple vitamin/mineral product. Versions with “Chelated” minerals are best. I also like those with some plant based vitamins.
2) Take a quality Calcium product. Look for MCHA as the calcium source and one that includes Magnesium, vitamin D and some assorted trace minerals.
3) Take Omega 3 oils. Flax oil is the best to start. Adding Krill or fish oil later [BTW – Krill oil in the container has a distinctive odor – if you place 3-4 desiccant packs in the bottle and refrigerate it, the odor is gone in 12 hours]
4) Find a good Colloidal mineral product for trace minerals. Make sure it’s from Humic shale and NOT ionic minerals. Humic shale is the “fossilized” remains of the dinosaur days. Plant based colloidal minerals are 98% absorbed.
5) Vitamin E is difficult to get in sufficient amounts from foods. I advise people to supplement with at least 400 IU per day. Natural versions are best, look for “d-tocopherol” but avoid “d-l-tocopherol”- it’s the man-made version and is only 25% usable. Look for a vitamin E with mixed tocopherols that also contains selenium.
———————————-
Your feedback is important – please comment , ask questions and suggest topics that interest you!!