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If I’m “AWARE” – I Need Not “BEWARE”

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I am concerned that my Caveat Emptor series may have scared people a bit. So this blog focuses on items of awareness that can keep you out of trouble. We have all heard the advice to shed our bad habits and replace them with good habits. This is important for success in virtually all aspects of life; but too few of us apply it when it comes to eating.  If you haven’t read parts 1 – 3 yet, here are the links so you can catch up and follow along better:  Part 1,  Part 2,   Part 3

Here is a five item self-test. The only scorer is you, so be honest with yourself.
1. The primary purpose of eating nutritious foods is to:
A. satisfy feelings of hunger ___True ___False
B. appeal to my taste buds ___True ___False
C. provide nutrients to each cell in my body ___True ___False

2. The contaminants (e.g. lead, pesticides) that we find in many foods today will:
A. be eliminated when I visit the restroom ____True ____False
B. stored in my body and build what is called a “toxic load” ___True ___False
C. stress my liver, whose job it is to neutralize and rid the body of toxins ___True ___False

3. TV dinners, refined flour, chemically fed chicken & beef:
A. still have food value ___True ___False
B. over time will do more harm than good ___True ___False

4. Regarding the food pyramid:
A. I don’t know what it is ___True ___False
B. I know the food groups and the recommended amounts ___True ___False
C. I not only know what the pyramid recommends, but on most days, I eat the
recommended values ___True ___False
D. I really don’t get the recommended amount of each food group, but I have a well
designed supplementation program that enables me to fill nutritional requirements ___True
___False

5. If I lead a stressful life (and who doesn’t), it is important that I:
A. Exercise regularly ___True ___False
B. Get sufficient Sleep True ___False _____
C. Maintain a positive attitude ___True ___False
D. Eat foods or supplement my diet with nutrients that protect against harmful effects of
stress ___True ___False

(ANSWERS – 1 – C is correct,
2 – B and C are both correct
3 – Both A and B are correct.
4 – Each of the answers may be correct, but C and D are best for your health
5 – All four answers are correct, and the omission of any can lead to trouble.

Let’s revisit the first question: What is important to you in your food selection?
Health requires that each of the trillions of cells in your body has access to its required nutrients. My early mentor taught that if we want to know why we experience many illnesses we should go a mirror, open our mouths wide and think about what we are putting into that gaping hole. By the way eating healthfully should be delicious and satisfying.

The news is also not all bad regarding contaminants in our food. If our bodies were really fragile and unable to withstand any level of toxins we would be dead. Our bodies are designed to handle some levels of toxic foods and other toxins. But, we are way overdoing it in the U.S. today. The toxic load doesn’t lead to immediate problems, but health effects, inevitably, will ultimately occur. Studies show that even mother’s milk now passes a toxic load to the infant, and many people are now having their toxic load assessed.

So how about TV dinners, refined flour, etc? We do get some nutritional value from these foods, but it is wiser to get you nutritional values from foods that are not working against you at the same time. Your body actually expends its resources in counteracting the negative effects of unhealthy foods.

One of my pet peeves is people tell me that they eat a balanced diet. With a little discussion I learn that they are both honest and unaware. They really don’t know what is required. This is compounded when they also tell me that their doctor told them that they get sufficient vitamins and minerals from their foods. At least 80% of the time, they acknowledge that their doctor did not even ask what they are eating. If your answer to question 4 is A, do yourself a favor, and invest a little time learning some basic nutrition.

I’ll bet that you read question 5 and said that this doesn’t apply to me, “I d not have stresses in my life.” If you: are a student, are a commuter, work for yourself or for someone else, are married, have children, are a caretaker, live or work around noise, are awaiting a birth, moving, ill, etc., you have stresses in your life.

Often we don’t even recognize that we are stressed because we seem to have adapted and don’t notice it. Our bodies do notice it and if tested will show elevated levels of sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure and other stress markers even when we are totally unaware.

Long term stress takes a lot out of us. Most people are aware that exercise, sleep & relaxation techniques and mental attitude are important in combating stress and its negative effects on the body. I find that very few people are aware that there are specific nutrients that help the body cope with stress. They usually tell me things like, “Oh, this is stress, not nutritional”. Stress requires super nutrition to protect the body from its ravages.

If you would like a brief or a comprehensive nutrition self evaluation, please ask for the one you want by calling: (530) 877-4800 between 10 and 7 Pacific time, Emailing: sandy@bestsupplementsforwomen.com, or clicking Ask Sandy and asking for it there.

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