Optimum nutrition for natural health and longevity
What is the optimum nutrition? Optimum nutrition is the nutrition that helps your body detoxification systems, strengthen your immune system, provide natural antioxidants, and digestive enzymes. Every day, you hear about a new diet, a new 'expert', a new book about nutrition. Let's just study food composition and solve the mystery: Composition of foods: 1-Water
 2-Vitamins and minerals
3-Protein
4-Carbohydrates
5-Fat
6-Fiber
7-Digestive enzymes
8-Phytochemicals
9-Addtives, preservatives and other chemical(toxins)
10-Bacteria
Water makes about 65% of your body.It is obviously an essential forgotten piece of the puzzle. It is recommended to drink 6-8 glasses/day for your optimum nutrition plan, you obviously need to increase this amount if you engage in sports activities and in warm weather. It is almost impossible to intoxicate healthy inividuals with water(even though it is possible). Water is the ultimate detoxifier. Water has zero calories. Water helps appetite control, it won't help weight loss by itself though without cutting down the calories.It is essential for kidney stones prevention. What type of water should you drink? Filtered water: You should never drink tap water because it is frequently contaminated with heavy metals and chemicals. Sodas, alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages are not equal to water and should not be used to substitute it! Regular sodas are very high in calories without any nutritional values, they are high in acids which predispose to bone loss and osteoporosis. Diet sodas(beause of aspartame) are incriminated in what we call 'excitotoxicity theory', which claims that aspartame may trigger brain cells death! Even though it is still a theory I would rather be cautious. Would you want to mess up with your brain?
Vitamins and minerals are crucial for any function and chemical reactions in your body. Because of the nature of processed food and depleted soils, most nutritional experts believe that the current diet provide enough vitamins and minerals for survival but not for optimal health. For your optimum nutrition, I recommend taking a comprehensive multivitamin with a chelated mineral supplement. A chelated mineral is simply a mineral that is bound to an amino acid. Some examples include products with malate, aspartate, ascorbate, citrate, fumarate, succinate, glycinate, lysinate and acetate. Choose a supplement that is easily absorbed: soft gels, liquids, powders or quick-dissolving tablets. Take your vitamin and mineral supplements with a meal and look for one that you can take two to three times a day. The ingredients are needed throughout the day not just one time.
Good quality proteins in your diet is crucial for optimum nutrition. Proteins have 4 calories/gram. Proteins are the building blocks of most of our organs. Your body needs protein to build the muscles. Enzymes, antibodies, and hormones are made primarily of protein. Unless you get enough protein, your body can not build new cells and tissue. Proteins are very different in composition and structure. The units of proteins are called amino acids. There are 26 different types of amino acids. Each protein is simply a complex tridimensional chain of amino acids that makes it unique in function and structure. Amino acids are the unit structure for our neurotransmitters: our brain chemicals. Animal sources are the best suppliers of protein. Beef, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products are called complete proteins because they supply all of the essential amino acids. Plant proteins come from grains and beans. Plant proteins usually lack essential amino acids, therefore combining different types of grains and beans is essential for vegetarian optimal health. The ideal protein source is from grass-fed beef, buffalo, lamb, and venison. This type of meat is usually lean and contains higher amount of omega-3 fats.
Solving the carbohydrates controversy... Carbohydrates are essential for your immediate energy supply. You need at least 500 calories of carbohydrates per day to maintain a healthy metabolism away from ketosis. Every time you deprive your body from this immediate energy source, your body is going to use proteins and fats for energy. Using fat storage may be your purpose to lose weight but attacking your muscle proteins is definitely not the answer. Excess unused calories from abusing carbohydrates get transformed and stocked in our fat cells and subsequently obesity develops. Reducing your consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates (the carbohydrates found in grains and starchy tubers) provide many benefits, including better control of blood sugar and and reduced body inflammation. Another benefit of reducing carbohydrates in the diet is an improvement in the intestinal flora. Harmful bacteria and yeasts in the intestine feed on unabsorbed carbohydrates. Restricting carbohydrates is essential for restoring your digestive health.
More about carbohydrate information
Essential fatty acids are critical for optimum nutrition. There are different types of fats. All fats are 9 cal/gram All fats are not created equal. Fats are composed of Cholesterol and fatty acids. Cholesterol despite its bad reputation is essential for life. Most of the cholesterol in our body is made in the liver. Cholesterol is the baseline of many hormones such as sexual and adrenal hormones. Very high cholesterol is definitely the cause of vascular disorders and that’s very obvious in certain population that has familial hypercholesterolemia where teenagers end up with heart attacks. Lowering cholesterol levels in the blood has definitely shown to slow down vascular diseases. Unfortunately, it has become ’the hysteria’ of the allopathic medicine as the cause of every disease! Fatty acids are composed of different types dependent on their chemical structure: - Omega-3 fatty acids
- Omega-6 fatty acids
- Omega-9 fatty acids
- Saturated fatty acids
- Trans-fatty acids
Some fatty acids are deemed essential because the human body can't make them on its own: Omega-3 fatty acids: You can get those fatty acid from flaxseed oil, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds. The elongated form of these fatty acids are known as EPA and DHA. These complex forms of omega-3 fats can be found in ocean fishes such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel, as well as in grass-fed meats, free-range poultry. Omega-3 fatty acids deficiency is one of the major causes of vascular disorders (Heart disease and strokes) ignored by the medical community.
If you don't eat fish at least once per week, you need to take fish oil supplements. Nuts are rich in omega-3 fats but they are not well absorbed and therefore can’t be relied on as solo source of omega-3. Omega-6 fats: are also essential. These fatty acids are found in vegetable oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, and other grain, nut and seed oils. Most of western diets are very rich in omega-6 fats which increases body inflammation. Body inflammation has been associated with heart disease, strokes, Alzheimer’s dementia, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis. It is not so much that omega-3 fats are good and the omega-6 fats are bad. What is important is balance. Consuming omega-3 and omega-6 fats in the proper ratio is what really matters. Omega-9 fatty acids are also essential. That's one of the major component in Mediterranean diet that has shown to protect against heart disease. Omega-9 fatty acids are found in olive oil, avocado fruits, almonds, and apricot seeds.Saturated fats are considered non-essential. Saturated fats found primarily in animal products, including dairy items, such as whole milk, cream, and cheese, and fatty meats like beef, veal, lamb, pork and ham. Some vegetable products-including coconut oil, and palm kernel oil-are also high in saturates.
There are multiple types of saturated fats: very-short-chain fatty acids, short-chain fatty acids, medium-chain fatty acids, and long-chain fatty acids. All of these fatty acids have research-proven functions in the body.
The classic wisdom that saturated fatty acids cause heart disease seems falling apart. Some of those saturated fats are actually beneficial to your health. Beware though, saturated fats in meats in particular are high in calories,and moderation is always recommended. Trans-fatty acids:If omega-6 fat, when taken in excessive amounts, can be called "the bad", then trans fat has to be called "the ugly".
Trans-fatty acids do not exist naturally. Trans fats are produced by a process known as partial hydrogenation. This process has no health benefit and has been promoted by the food industry as a harmless means of increasing the stability of oils, allowing for convenience and availability of products. Partially hydrogenated oil is now the most common food preservative. The next time you are shopping for packaged food, look for "partially hydrogenated oil" on the label. Margarine is to be avoided because of its high content of trans-fatty acids. Some of the deleterious effects of the trans fat in hydrogenated oil: It decreases insulin sensitivity and predispose to diabetes.It may promote cancer.It raises the level of lowe-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in the blood and lowers the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. In other words, increase the risk of heart disease. Let's wrap up: - Eat oily fishes, or take omega-3 supplements.
- Snack on nuts, and almonds.
- Add olive oils to your salads.
- Avoid excess use of omega-6 oils.
- Pick lean meats.
- Avoid foods containing trans-fatty acids. Avoid using margarine.
- Watch your calories, moderation is the key. Excess calories will lead to obesity
Taking enough fibers in your diet is essential for optimum nutrition Fiber forms ‘the skeleton’ of plants. Fiber is the non digested part of our food. It is very essential to our health even though it is not technically a nutrient. Fiber is found in vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes. Fiber fills the stomach and cut the appetite, as well as slow down the absorption of carbohydrates. That’s why it is recommended to eat whole fresh fruits than fruit juices. It is major role to form the bulk of stool, speeds the removal of waste products through the bowels. Our fiber deficient diet is one of the major causes of chronic constipation, bowel diseases such as diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome. It is also incriminated in colon cancers. Recent studies has shown that appropriate amount of fiber will decrease CRP levels, which is the indicator of silent inflammation in our body. The recommended dose is 25-40 grams of fiber.
Fresh vegetables and fruits usually have plenty of digestive enzymes, which helps in digestion. Most of us do not eat fresh vegetables and fruits, and we tax our pancreas due to this issues. Learn more about digetive enzymes
For many years, researchers have recognized that diets high in fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes appear to reduce the risk of a number of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.More recently, it was discovered that the disease-preventing effects of these foods are only partly due to vitamins, minerals, enzymes and fiber. Most of the benefits is due to another group of health-promoting nutrients called phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are the biologically active substances in plants that are responsible for giving them color, flavor, and natural disease resistance. There are hundreds of these nutrients discovered so far, and more to be discovered and studied. Those phytochemicals seem to work in synergy together, as well as with vitamins and minerals. The benefits and medicinal properties of different herbs and other plant derived plants are due to specific phytochemicals in them. In order to get the best benefits, it is recommended to eat a variety of foods and colors to get optimum nutrition.
Optimum nutrition should be "organic". Our food is full of insecticides, pesticides, preservatives, and foreign hormones. Meats, fish, poultry, milk, and eggs are good source of proteins but frequently including many foreign hormones that may affect our hormonal balance if our detoxification systems are deficient. Vegetables, fruits and legumes are obviously produced by using plenty of insecticides and pesticides. They offer vitamins, minerals, fibers and phytonutrients but we need to wash them thoroughly or better eat organic grown veggies and fruits. Processed and canned foods are full of additives, preservatives, coloring agents, and artificial sweateners and should be avoided as much as possible. Click this picture, you will get the idea. 
Fermented foods contain beneficial bacteria that are actually beneficial to your digestive and immune system. Fermented foods should be a regular part for your optimum nutrition. Fermented foods, which should be eaten in small quantities daily, include yogurt, kefir, sauekraut, soy sauce, miso, tempeh, natto, kimchi and cheese.
Simple optimum nutrition plan for natural health and longevity
-Eat the "Hunter-gatherer" diet. Imagine yourself as a caveman or a farmer in small town 50 years ago, what would you eat?-Eat clean, fresh, organic vegetables and fruits, in order to get the benefits of fibers and the phytonutrients. Watch for the sugar in fruits if you have weight problems or you are diabetic. -Use olive oils for your heart health. -Eat oily fishes to get the healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids. -Eat lean meats, avoid frying. -Eat moderately poultry, eggs: good source of proteins but also high in chemicals. -Avoid processed foods, sweets, candies, starches : lots of calories and low in nutrients. -Avoid canned foods with preservatives and additives. -Avoid abusing alcohol, it is not food!lol. -If you are not sure about any type of food, just find out the composition and the way it is prepared and you can make the decision. -Cheat from time to time!
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