Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Enzyme deficiencies
• Free radical reduction
Molybdenum
Deficiency primarily in those on parenteral feeding (those given IVs rather than food).
Daily requirement: 75 mg.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• DHEA production
• Some enzyme functions
Selenium
Deficiencies occur primarily because of soil deficiency.
Daily requirement: 100 to 200 mg.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Immune competence
• Cancer prevention, especially prostate cancer
Silicon
Deficiency leads to bone, hair, skin, nail, arterial wall, and collagen problems.
Daily requirement: 20 mg.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Arterial wall strength
• Bone, skin, nail health
• Collagen production
Strontium
Deficiency is associated with weak bones. Daily requirement: about 100 mg.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Osteoporosis
Vanadium
Vanadium deficiency is found in diabetics and hypertensive individuals. Its most common form is vanadyl sulphate. Daily requirement: about 1 mg.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Cancer prevention
• Diabetes
• Hypertension
• Low blood sugar
Zinc
Zinc deficiency leads to a weak immune system (frequent colds and flu, etc), diarrhea, hair loss, skin lesions, loss of appetite and anorexia, ADHD, hypertension, diabetes, decreased sense of taste, ulcerative colitis, and enlarged prostate. Daily requirement: 10 to 20 mg.
Health benefits (helps with or helps to prevent):
• Immune strength at all levels
• Overall metabolic balance
Toxic Minerals
All of the following minerals are toxic and should be avoided:
• Aluminium
• Arsenic
• Cadmium
• Fluoride
• Lead
• Mercury
• Uranium
Artificial and Processed Additives
All of the following are not real foods and should be avoided at all times:
• Artificial flavourings
• Aspartame
• High-fructose corn syrup
• Margarine
• Monosodium glutamate
• Monosodium laureate
• Olestra ®
• Processed cheese
• Saccharine
• Splenda®
• Textured vegetable protein
• Trans-fats
Acid/Basic Balance
The body in general, and the blood especially, needs to maintain a basic pH of 7.4. In general, 80 percent of food should be alkaline-producing and only 20 percent acid-producing.
Beverages
Water
Aside from air, water is the most critical requirement for life itself. Approximately 75 percent of our body is water and, of course, much of the food eaten is also water. The water content of blood is a critical factor in maintaining health. If you are dehydrated, serious illness can occur. Equally, if you have an excess of water, that is also dangerous. The specific gravity of urine is a simple indication of water balance; if the specific gravity is above 1.025 you are beginning to be dehydrated, and if it is below 1.010 you are nearing water oversaturation. The usual recommendation for daily water intake is to drink in ounces half of your body’s weight in pounds. So a 150-pound person should drink 75 ounces, though more may be needed.
Equally important is the quality of water. In the U.S. and in many Western countries, municipal water is chlorinated and usually fluoridated. While it is essential that chlorine be used to avoid many infections, I recommend finding a filter that removes chlorine. Fluoride is a toxin and should be avoided.
Bottled water is expensive, and some plastic containers may add polyvinyl chlorides (PVCs) to the water. Finally, to demonstrate the negative effect of microwaving, boil some water in the microwave and boil some in a kettle on the stove. Let them cool and taste the difference. If microwaving can seriously damage the taste of water, imagine what it does to food.
Alcohol
Although not harmful in small amounts—one drink per day for adults—there is no nutritional need for alcohol.
Other healthy beverages include many herbal teas, green tea, and one or two cups of coffee daily. Soda “pop” drinks and energy drinks are non-essential and in the case of energy drinks, may be dangerous.
Culinary Oils
Healthier oils:
• Almond
• Coconut—also excellent for cooking
• Flaxseed
• Grapeseed
• Hazelnut
• Olive—best overall
• Palm
• Sesame
• Walnut
• Wheat germ
Culinary oils to avoid:
• Canola
• Chicken fat
• Cod liver
• Corn
• Cottonseed
• Lard—most has been artificially hydrogenated
• Peanut
• Safflower
• Sunflower
Key to abbreviations used in this book:
| g | grams |