With Optimum Nutrition, What You Eat Can Make You Younger!
Every health book on the market claims to offer the ‘perfect’ diet that guarantees weight loss, increased energy levels, a healthier body and a optimum nutrition diet etc. Yet many people complain that they cannot keep weight off after dieting; actually put on weight on the diet; or, despite a ‘healthy’ diet, just feel tired and ill. The more we study food and the way individuals react to it, the more we realize the truth of the saying: ‘one’s man food is another man’s poison’. And here’s another fact – diets don’t work. Achieving ideal weight and maintaining and optimum nutrition, as well as optimal health, involves a lifestyle change that goes way beyond simply dieting.
Our bodies are composed entirely of molecules derived from food. Macronutrients (fat, protein, carbohydrate) and micronutrients (vitamins, minerals) are absorbed through the digestive tract, the health of which depends on what we eat. Our ability to maintain good health is determined to a large degree by our optimum nutrition. This even expresses itself through generations, as health problems caused by below-standard nutrition in our parents and grandparents, are often expressed genetically as strengths and weaknesses within our own individual bodies.
The state of our future health is being mapped out from the moment of conception. For example, a baby with a low birth weight is more likely to develop cardiovascular disease in later life. High levels of lead and cadmium in the placental tissue may cause this low birth weight, perhaps because the baby’s mother was exposed to exhaust fumes or cigarette smoke, or was herself deficient in zinc.
Personal optimum nutrition is simply giving yourself the best possible intake of nutrients to allow your body to be as healthy as possible and to work as well as it can. It is not a set rule. For example, you do not have to be vegetarian or avoid eating a particular food, although for some people this would be appropriate. Your needs are unique and depend on many factors, from your genetic footprint to your environment. Although no one diet is perfect for everyone, there are general guidelines that apply to us all.
Optimum nutrition is the intake of nutrients that:
promotes optimal mental and physical performance
promotes emotional balance
provides the lowest possible incidence of illness for you
provides the longest disease- and symptom-free lifespan
To date, 46 nutrients have been identified as essential for
health. Your health can be maintained and improved if you are able
to achieve the optimal intake of each nutrient every day. However
good health is not simply about ingesting these optimum nutrients in capsule
form, as suggested in old science fiction movies! Despite all our
extensive research, we have covered just the tip of the iceberg in
terms of our understanding of the synergistic effect nutrients in
food have on each other. However, eating foods that are rich in
these nutrients gradually rebuilds and rejuvenates your body,
including your skeleton.
Optimum nutrition will:
improve mental clarity, mood and concentration
increase IQ!
increase physical performance
improve sleep quality
improve resistance to infections and disease
extend a healthy lifespan
Extensive scientific research has proven these bold claims over and over again.
Each person’s organs are different in shape and size; each person has different levels of enzymes and different needs for protein, vitamins and minerals. Some people are able to digest protein and fat more easily than others, while some people need far greater quantities of vitamins than others, sometimes a ten- or even hundred-fold more! People also have different tolerances and reactions to food. It is therefore impossible to set dietary averages for a nation, which is exactly what the Recommended Daily Allowances standard attempts to do. Because you are unique, the set average is unlikely to be the right amount for you. The Basics of a Healthy Diet