The Whole Food Blog

After buying products at the health food store people are often frustrated when they don’t get healthy.  Many times the problem stems from consumers trying to tweak one aspect of their health while another element is tilted out of balance.  The body’s systems are meant to function in harmony with each other and when one nutrient overpowers another this balance is affected.

Really, the balance of healthy nutrients is the most important reason for buying health food and should always be a consideration.  But, to take it a step further, the body needs to be nourished and cleansed on a daily basis in order to achieve this ultimate healthy balance.

What products at the health food store nourish, cleanse and balance the body?

• Healthy drinks – These should be loaded with natural antioxidants, not isolated vitamins.  They should be all natural, not artificially flavored, sweetened or infused with various forms of sugar, like high fructose corn syrup.  Beware of candy-colored sport drinks and vitamin waters at the health food store as these only fill the body up with more useless junk that needs to be cleansed.  With the right combination of natural ingredients, some healthy drinks cleanse fats and waste from the body much more efficiently than even plain water.

• Health food for proper nourishment – This should include a wide variety of whole foods from nature, not pasteurized, artificially flavored or overly processed foods.  For starters, forget about getting healthy with fake meat products at the health food store.  These are typically loaded with isolated soy, preservatives, and other chemicals that create the need for more cleansing.  Don’t be afraid of prepackaged health food if it is properly processed under low heat to maintain the whole food complex of natural ingredients.

In general, when considering health food options, it is best to consume fewer calories, and no artificial ingredients or isolated nutrients.  Also, it’s a good idea to watch out for excess protein in those powder meal replacement formulas at the health food store.  Most of those products contain enough protein for serious athletes, but not for the average person.  Excess protein causes liver damage and creates more waste that needs to be cleansed in order for the body to reach its own natural balance.

Learning how to nourish, cleanse and balance with the right health food choices is an efficient way to achieve a naturally healthy body.

Advertisers work hard to persuade the public that some so-called, “natural foods” are healthy, regardless of the ingredients. Sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, trans fats and isolated chemicals are a few of those ingredients that have been linked to health challenges.  Repeatedly, “natural” foods are cleverly disguised as healthy, when in fact they are not.

Paying closer attention to how natural foods are manufactured means looking beyond nutrition fact labels.  Consumers can steer clear of advertising hype by learning more about the differences between natural foods, and overly processed foods that are labeled as “natural”.  With the right information, it is easier to live a healthier lifestyle without being led off course by clever ad campaigns.

Natural foods not only provide more usable fuel, they are easier on the digestive system. The significance of choosing truly natural foods is that the digestive system knows how to efficiently break down their components using the appropriate amount of energy.  On the flip side, foods that contain numerous additives and isolated chemicals take a longer amount of time to digest. They force the body to work harder to metabolize the additives.

Fiber is an important element that is frequently absent from the modern diet, but is abundant in many natural foods. High fiber foods help protect the body against certain preventable illnesses such as colon cancer, obesity, heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol.

In general, it is important to remember that natural foods do not include ingredients like preservatives, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, artificial sweeteners, added colors, flavors or isolated chemicals that do more harm than good.

Instead of relying on whole foods for vitamins, some health conscious consumers are acting as chemists for their bodies with isolated vitamins and supplements. Unfortunately, this often creates other health challenges as chemicals replace whole foods.  When too much of one nutrient is consumed it alters the delicate vitamin and mineral balance necessary for the five main systems of the body to function at peak efficiency.

The body’s 5 systems:

1. Respiratory (Breath)
2. Circulatory (Blood)
3. Digestive (Nutrition)
4. Endocrine (Hormones)
5. Immune System (Defense)

Dr. Tei-Fu Chen, world renowned herbalist and founder of Sunrider, the largest herbal whole food company in the world, talks about the importance of maintaining balance throughout these 5 systems,  “The body’s five systems are like 5 horses pulling a chariot. If one horse runs too fast or too slow, the chariot cannot run smoothly.  The systems must be in balance.”

Dr. Chen encourages people to obtain vitamins and minerals from whole foods, saying that whole foods naturally contain the perfect structure for our bodies to assimilate nutrients appropriately.

Isolated vitamins are chemicals that the body does not recognize. Whole foods contain the nutrients necessary for balance.  Studies have shown that 90% of the vitamins in the world today are flushed right into the sewer system.  Workers at water treatment plants report that their collection pools are constantly filled with undigested vitamins.  Because there are no live enzymes associated with isolated vitamins they are not easily absorbed.  All that money on vitamins is being flushed right down the toilet.  Have you ever known anyone who improved their health by taking isolated vitamins? Trying to create good health by consuming isolated vitamins is a mistake many people make.  Instead, it is better to absorb nutrients from whole foods.

Unlike isolated vitamins, concentrated whole foods and drinks are designed to nourish, cleanse, and balance internal organs, so that the cells of the 5 systems regenerate at a higher level.  Then, new cells are created with more sophisticated nutrients and the body performs with greater  efficiency.

Active senior citizens today know that anti aging is not just about eating more natural foods.  While many baby boomers search for products that provide real anti aging benefits, some mature consumers are now smart enough to know that it’s not sufficient to just buy natural foods from the store.  They realize that there are nutrient dense, natural foods superior to organic foods or even juicing that produce anti aging results they can really see and feel.

At 87, Olga is enjoying the anti aging benefits of nutrient dense natural foods

Let’s look at an older person suffering from arthritis for years.  They decide to change their diet to include more natural foods, but don’t see or feel results.  Then, they try nutrient dense concentrated natural foods that provide the most nutritious parts of the plants without the bulk or expense of organic produce.  Instead of the body degenerating from typical store-bought foods, they begin to feel relief right away through the power of “regeneration”.  What’s happening is that damaged, old, dying cells are being replaced more rapidly by healthy, new cells that now are stronger because they are built with more powerful nutrients.

For anti aging benefits, nutrient dense natural foods provide far more nutrition in fewer calories.  This is key because scientific studies have shown that those who consume fewer calories enjoy a longer, healthier life.  Instead of constantly loading the body up with unhealthy foods, sugary drinks, or empty calories, consumers of concentrated, nutrient dense, natural foods are loading up on real nutrition that provides amazing results.  They are taking their health to a new level and winning the anti aging battle.

Many anti aging enthusiasts in their 50’s 60’s and 70’s are now feeling ten to twenty years younger, and believe they can actually live a healthy, energetic, disease free life until the day they pass away peacefully in their sleep.  This is far different from how most people wind down their golden years.  Far too many senior citizens end up in hospitals or nursing homes, unable to care for themselves.  The sad part is that it doesn’t have to be this way.  The philosophy of regeneration is real.  It’s simply a matter of shopping differently for nutrient dense, natural foods that aren’t usually sold in typical stores.  Look for concentrated natural foods and health drinks that are made with whole food ingredients, as close to nature as possible.

Alkaline foods are a vital part of the most powerful nutrition for athletes.  The consumption of too many acid forming foods can cause numerous health challenges.  When searching for the right nutrition for athletes, the balance of alkaline foods and acid forming foods should be considered in order to achieve peak performance.

Alkaline foods may sound like something from a science fiction movie, but when choosing the most powerful nutrition for athletes they are something to think about seriously.  The alkaline forming or acid forming properties of food is important when the body uses the nutrients for fuel.  As alkaline foods or acid foods pass through the digestive system, they leave behind either an alkaline or acid ash in the bloodstream.  Anything that goes into the bloodstream affects the alkaline/acid ratio, commonly referred to as pH balance.

Most of the nutrition for athletes that is sold in stores today loads the body up with far too many acid-forming ingredients.  In order to maintain proper pH, nutritionists suggest a balance of 80% alkaline foods and 20% acid foods. This alkaline/acid balance can be a huge factor in fitness and should be thoroughly considered when seeking proper nutrition for athletes.

The human body is so efficient that it will not allow blood pH to stray far from 7.4.  It will do whatever is necessary to alkalize the acid in the bloodstream, even if that means pulling calcium from bones.  The last thing needed in sound nutrition for athletes is something that causes a loss of calcium.  Instead, the exact opposite is required, and is obtainable with the consumption of more alkaline foods.

When there aren’t enough alkaline foods being consumed, the body becomes susceptible to numerous challenges, including, but not limited to:
·    Stiff joints
·    Brittle bones
·    Plaque buildup in arteries
·    Plaque buildup on teeth
·    Unhealthy gums
·    Bad breath
·    Lack of energy
·    Poor digestion
·    More, colds, allergies, and illnesses

Again, lack of energy, brittle bones and stiff joints are not something anyone wants when seeking proper nutrition for athletes.  When there is a lack of alkaline foods in the diet to help manage that delicate blood pH balance, then the body has to pull calcium from bones in order to neutralize excess acid in the bloodstream.  That could cause bone weakness, and that’s certainly not a goal of high quality nutrition for athletes.