Disease Prevention Made Simple!
As a Registered Practitioner it is essential that I maintain
consistent upgrading year after year.
Now in my 9th year in nutrition, I am sure you can assume I
have learned a lot! The best part about
the nutrition and natural health industry is the fact that I will never know it
all! I look forward to listening to
different speakers, reading clinical research and taking courses through reputable
teachers. This continual education
process allows me to stay current in research which will better serve my
clients in the long run.
On Friday
February 15th, I had the great pleasure to attend a lecture by Dr.
Hardy. Dr. Hardy has served as Associate
Professor in a Medical School in Saudi Arabia and was Chief of Chemical
Pathology and Acting Head of The Department of Laboratory Medicine in a large
Teaching Hospital. Dr. Hardy has also contributed
too many medical publications and research papers. The following is some bits
of information from his lecture that I wanted to share with you.
In 2011, it was estimated that
our health care spending was above 200 Billion dollars. Within the last century we now have a longer
life expectancy of about 30 years, however the quality of those later years is
greatly dependant upon on our dietary and lifestyle habits of our younger
years.
We are experiencing a continual
financial strain on our health care system for many chronic diseases that can
be prevented if the appropriate habits are in place earlier in our lives. Most of us are aware of this; the problem
lies in our poor implementation of the solution.
If you have read any of my
previous articles you will notice I am an advocate of fruit and vegetable
consumption. My recommendations in
practice are to aim for 13 servings a day.
The sad reality is most Canadian consumes less than 3 servings
daily. Fruit and vegetable consumption
has declined by 34% in the last 60 years in the UK, clearly showing this is a
serious problem in the developed world.
I want to share with you the
connection between chronic illness and the consumption of plant foods (focusing
on fruit and vegetables). It is my
belief that the solution to our health crisis (both financially and within the
home) lies in our individual dietary choices.
To help you understand my theory
we must take a brief look at oxidative stress.
There are few people in 2013 who do not know what oxidative stress is,
or whom have not heard about Free Radicals.
Oxidative stress is the manifestation of reactive oxygen molecules that
are produced in great amounts by our own metabolic functions. We are also exposed to large amounts of
oxidative stress through our environment and with the exposure of radiation and
toxins (manmade chemicals).
Even through there are some
lifestyle steps we can take to reduce some of our oxidative stress, we cannot
escape it. Our bodies will always
produce free radicals as a normal part of our metabolic functions. To be honest, the problem actually lies in
our body’s ability to neutralize free radicals and prevent the damage caused by
oxidative stress. Think for a moment of
an apple; if it is cut in half, within minutes it will start to oxidize (turn
brown). This is also happening to our body every second of the day. Our long term health depends on whether or
not we can keep up with oxidative stress and prevent its damaging effects.
Long term unmanaged oxidative
stress results in many physiological changes.
It can damage DNA (increasing our risk for cancer), it can cause
inflammation (arthritis, fibromyalgia), it can weaken our immune system
(suppressed immune function) and it can damage our cardiovascular system (heart
disease). Needless to say many of the
listed damaging effects of unmanaged oxidative stress cause chronic conditions
that are major contributors to the ever increasing financial strain on our
health care system.
Dr. Hardy shared with us that
when researching medical literature on disease and oxidative stress her found
over 45,000 published medical studies linking oxidative stress to many
chronic diseases.
For example he found:
-
7241 medical
studies linking oxidative stress to Cancer.
-
9248 medical
studies linking oxidative stress to Cardiovascular Disease
-
4591 medical
studies linking oxidative stress to Diabetes
This is serious stuff! Dr. Hardy also shared many clinical studies
that showed isolated vitamins, minerals and antioxidants DO NOT reduce our risk
for disease and in some cases can increase our risk (e.g. Beta carotene
supplementation in smokers).
The good news is the nutrition
from whole foods, especially fruits and vegetables significantly reduces the
impact of oxidative stress on our body, and can and does prevent the chronic
diseases caused by free radical production.
(This is why at Nutrinity Health Services we only recommend the
use of whole food supplements when the diet is not meeting our daily
nutritional requirements.)
This is a HUGE deal! By increasing your consumption of fruits and
veggies (which are naturally high in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals) you
are able to manage oxidative stress and prevent disease. If you are currently
unwell with any of the listed conditions, high fruit and vegetable consumption
can actually create an environment that allows your body to heal and reverse
disease.
Let me give you an example, in
Sweden there was a study on folic acid supplementation and pancreatic cancer.
One group was given a folic acid isoaled supplement and the other group was
given green leafy vegetables (naturally high in folic acid). The group that was given the folic acid
supplementation saw no improvement or reduced cancer rates. The
group that was consuming the leafy greens saw a 75% reduction in cancer rates!
Some studies are actually showing
you can reduce your risk for the development of many diseases by up to 70% just
by consuming more fruits and vegetables.
Dr. Hardy shared a study that
showed taking isolated lycopene (red pigment in tomatoes) did not reduce the
risks of cancer or stroke; however when lycopene rich foods were consumed the
risk of having a stork or developing cancer was significantly reduced.
I am sure you are seeing the
connection. We need more fresh (organic
is very important) fruits and vegetables daily.
This simple dietary focus has the ability to prevent the development of
many of the chronic conditions that are plaguing modern society due to its
ability to help our body manage oxidative stress. Many chronic conditions are entirely
preventable and those 30 plus years of extended life we now have can be spent
in good health, with little to no medication, with fewer doctors’ visits, and
with stronger defenses to colds and flus and cancer. The solution is so simple, yet so poorly
implemented we are paying for it both physically and financially. Eat more fruits and veggies. Focus every single day on consuming fresh or
frozen organic produce and aim for upwards of 13 servings a day. I promise you, you will feel better, your
health will improve and your risk for developing a disease will be
significantly reduced.
If you have a hard time reaching
that number contact me directly for solutions.
Alisa Herriman RNCP ROHP CPCC
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