Are YOU stressed out?
Are you a stress MONSTER?
Do you FEEL you’re stressed?
Do you do shift-work?
Have you pushed yourself so far that you’ve gotten sick?
DO you know what stress is?
Stress is part of life – can YOU handle it?
Have YOU heard that stress KILLS?
Why is it that some people handle stress better than others?
Have you noticed that some people age faster than others?
Have you developed gray hair ?
Do you feel like you are “falling apart?
Did you know that proper nutrition improves your stress?
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If you are “stressed out” – YOU are not alone.
Here is one definition of stress that I think is appropriate.
Stress – a physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.
Most of us experience the symptoms of stress.
We have meltdowns, blow-ups and crashes.
Sometimes we get an illness with an illness on top.
Stress can be emotional, physical or spiritual – we are pushed beyond our abilities on a regular basis.
Let’s face it, we are an entangled bundle of the three – emotional, physical and spiritual.
It is common sense that nourishing our bodies improves our ability to handle stress.
We must optimize our emotional and spiritual beings as well as our physical bodies.
Your emotional and spiritual enrichment is complex – I will leave these to you and yours.
However, it is true that the physical affects its two partners [emotional and spiritual] both positively and negatively, as the case may be.
The PHYSICAL responds to nutrition- good or bad.
From your brain to your heart- to your senses around to your mood and across the body from your skin, your sinuses and taste-buds to your fingertips down to your toes YOU are susceptible to stress.
Full spectrum nutrition can protect you from stress.
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Let me digress for a few minutes to make a couple of observations.
Think of stress as something that exceeds a given tool’s limits.
A Few Examples:
~Driving
You need your car to get around but if drive too fast or too carelessly or text while driving your auto will encounter “stress” in a special way – a collision.
A minor wreck may not even damage your bumper [little stress] but a “full speed rear-ender” can send you shopping for a new vehicle [BIG stress].
~Working
Another example is a shovel with a wooden handle. If you’ve had the privilege of digging a ditch you have heard the creak and groan of exceeding the shovel’s capacity [stress].
If your shovel is small enough and the dirt hard enough you may have broken its handle [big stress].
~ Boxing
My third example involves unintended stress. Imagine you are a boxer and you’ve lucked out – a title fight with Mike Tyson.
If you are well trained, in perfect condition, and skilled in the arena of boxing you may escape with a bad headache and the beginning of your Van Gogh Halloween costume.
However, if you are like me [not a big fan of getting punched] and not particularly well trained – you may find yourself in the hospital, or worse.
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These three examples are analogous to our efforts.
We are reckless at times and pay the cost. This can be from not taking care of ourselves – drinking too much, not eating enough [or too much] or playing too much.
Often, we are merely doing “work” and exceed our limits. This can be from working too much without proper rest and relaxation – not re-charging our batteries.
Finally, we can put ourselves in situations where we encounter outside stress beyond our control. Infections fit into this category.
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A quick observation:
The Flu doesn’t kill everybody, does it? Who does it kill?
That is correct – the old and frail as well as the young and susceptible die from the Flu.
So, it is not the flu that kills – but YOUR ability to survive it – much like taking a punch from Mike Tyson.
It is the difference between the people that kills them.
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As I have stated many times before –
To achieve optimal health we MUST have Full Spectrum Nutrition.
Around 90 nutrients that are considered ESSENTIAL health.
An “Essential” nutrient, if absent, will cause symptoms – on a sliding scale, depending on the degree of deficiency and primary nutritional state.
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Consider…
You can be balding but not totally hairless.
You can have trouble hearing but not be deaf.
Vision can be slightly blurry to blind.
You may have premature wrinkling, but not yet prune like.
The aching in your joints may be annoying but not yet disabling.
Your energy levels may wax and wane.
The dryness of your skin can vary from mild to severe.
Your carpal tunnel syndrome can be subtle or super-painful.
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There are hundreds of examples of symptoms that occur when we lack “Essential” nutrients.
Remember the sliding scale goes from severe deficiency to Optimal nutrition.
It is YOUR job to feed yourself and seek out proper nutrition, nobody will do it for you – not the government, not McDonalds and it certainly won’t happen by chance.
Gambling on nutrition usually gives you average nutrition/health, but sometimes worse – never better.
Interestingly enough, many of these symptoms can improve with proper dietary supplementation.
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Before we review our list of nutrients to consider:
A Quick Review of some Do’s and Don’t’s —–
Do drink plenty of water [but not distilled water = no minerals]
Use REAL Butter
Never use Margarine [AKA Hydrogenated oil or TRANS fat]
Be aware that TRANS fat is in a lot of foods
Look for products without Trans fats
Trans fat has a strong association / causes Heart Disease
Don’t drink dark colas [Phosphorus robs our Calcium]
Avoid Sugar [It increases cholesterol and depletes B vitamins]
Get 30 minutes of Sunlight per day [Vitamin D and others]
Get some exercise EVERY day [the stairs or the parking lot counts]
Focus on positive thinking [set nutritional and health goals]
Use your Brain daily [Reading and Thinking counts]
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Back to Nutrition……
To achieve Optimal Health we need “Full Spectrum Nutrition”.
To endure and even thrive in the face of STRESS we need “Full Spectrum Nutrition”.
We cannot get “Full Spectrum Nutrition” from foods alone.
We MUST to supplement our diets to get “Full Spectrum Nutrition”.
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Here is a list of Nutrients that make up Full Spectrum Nutrition.
Vitamins [B’s, C, E, A, D, K, Carotenes]
Minerals [Major, Trace, Ultra-trace]
Oils and Fats [EFAS, DHA, EPA, GLA]
Amino Acids [Protein as well as Targeted Amino acids]
Other Vita-Nutrients [CoQ10, Glandulars, Creatine, Glucosamine]
Digestion/Assimilation [Digestive Factors and Enzymes]
Beneficial Bacteria [Bifidobacterium and friends]
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My Best Supplement Advice:
1) Take a quality Multiple Vitamin/Mineral product – Chelated minerals are 40-60% absorbed,
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2) A separate B Complex [all the B’s] is a good idea. I also take extra B1 and B12 – my mental focus and performance stays top notch with this approach.
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3) Extra Vitamin C is a plus. With illness we need more. I think taking 2-4 grams per day is wise.
A good start is 1,000mg twice a day. Vitamin C is 100% Non-toxic.
Bowel tolerance or loose stools are seen if you take more than you need.
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4) 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.
——————– 5) Get a Calcium product that utilizes MCHA as its source [a naturally occurring “chelated” Calcium], Also get 30 minutes of sunlight per day [Vitamin D]
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6) Incorporate the EFA’s into your daily regimen – Flax oil +/- Borage oil plus Fish or Krill oil is a smart plan.
Use Olive oil while avoiding other omega 6 rich cooking oils – Improving your omega 6:3 ratio – ideally 1:1 is our goal.
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7) For your Trace and Ultra-trace minerals – get a quality Plant Derived Colloidal product – “Humic shale” versions are best [Ionic versions are less effective – not from plants].
Humic shale is the “fossilized” remains of the dinosaur’s vegetation.
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8) Work on getting 20-30 grams of protein per meal.
Animal sources are “complete” – having a full complement of the 20 amino acids in the correct amounts.
Plant sources lack one or more amino acids.
Vegetarians and Vegans must use intelligent/thoughtful “mixing” of vegetables to achieve a “balanced” and complete array of the amino acids.
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9) Consider specific amino acid supplements for special needs.
L-Arginine is good for Growth hormone production, Cardiac function, Erectile dysfunction [natural Viagra], Wound healing and Immune function.
L-Glutamine curbs Sugar and Alcohol cravings, rebuilds the Gut/intestines, helps with Liver function and Muscle repair/building.
L-Carnitine, a fat carrier, helps burn fat – it’s good for the Brain, Heart and other muscles; it also fights Fatigue.
L-Tryptophan or its “ready to go” super twin – 5 HTP helps with sleep and mood by boosting serotonin levels in the brain.
There are many amino acids that give specific as well as general benefits to our health.
[Side note: Nutrients are always preferable to Medication if they give similar or even superior results because they lack, the sometimes dangerous, side effects and adverse reactions seen in pharmaceuticals.]
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10) Other Vita-Nutrients to think about:
CoQ10 is certainly a must for people taking cholesterol medication [the “Statins”] because these drugs inhibit the body’s ability to make CoQ10.
CoQ10 deficiency causes fatigue, weight gain and has been associated with Congestive heart Failure as well as increased Cancer risk.
Creatine is not just for weight lifters – it has been shown to improve Brain function [in the elderly especially], it helps heart function as well and may help prevent Cancer.
Various Glandular products can help optimize our systems.
Adrenal extract is one that I use regularly.
I also take some DHEA.
[Side note: Historically, we have not always had an ample food supply – in tougher times we didn’t waste or view organ meats as undesirable – in fact we relished their consumption. Today, we avoid organ products and inadvertently miss out on valuable nutrition.]
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11) I take a Glucosamine/Chondoitin/MSM product to protect my joints – it’s good prevention against Arthritis.
People with Arthritis already can see improvement in 2-3 weeks [even RA or Rheumatoid Arthritis].
The best version is derived from cows –aka Bovine source.
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12) Taking a “Full Sprectrum” digestive aid can help optimize digestion/absorption/assimilation of nutrients – from food as well as dietary supplements.
Look for products that contain Betaine HCl and Oxbile as well as the Pancreatic enzymes.
Check with your doctor if you have digestion related symptoms – early detection and treatment of GI problems is very important.
Without good digestion you cannot have good nutrition.
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13) The Beneficial Bacteria assist in a number of ways.
By keeping our normal flora in our intestines healthy we can keep “pathogenic” [disease causing] bacteria at bay.
Conversely, when we take antibiotics – we kill off the good bacteria as well as the “bad” and this can lead to overgrowth of yeast and disease causing bugs.
Although not dinner conversation, these beneficial bacteria [Bifidobacterium strains in particular] comprise around one half of the normal stool’s composition – now you know.
There are various products available and even some yogurt preparations contain the “Pro-Biotics”.
Interestingly enough, one of the benefits of eating raw vegetables is getting many of these soil based bacteria.
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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.
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