sadeewhip

I was reading a blog post on ecademy today where the author suggested that your physician is the best person from which to learn which vitamin products have stood the test of time.

I completely disagree.

Medical school physicians have, on average, 25 hours of nutrition training. Nutrition falls into a preventative medicine category, which allopathic medicine is not.

I wish I could say who is best to learn from but between state-to-state regulation variances, lack of wide-spread legitimate training, the influence of big pharma, and the differing views in the nutritional fields themselves it is difficult to point to a “best person.”

I do agree, however, in whole complexes from nature as being best. Greens in particular are something everyone should emphasize.

But there is more to nutrition than quality of nutrients. Assimilation is a huge factor - especially at a cellular level. Many, if not most, westerners do not adequately assimilate the nutrition they do get due to deficiencies in enzymes, friendly intestinal bacteria, intestinal permeability and deficiencies in the lipids that make a healthy cellular membrane.

Life factors like stress, caffeine consumption, diet, sleep, water quality, and exercise levels all influence assimilation as well.

Looking at nutrition in isolation of other factors necessary to health is the equivalent of looking at isolated nutritional compounds versus whole complexes - it’s ridiculous, if not a waste.

Real nutritional health has many components. Making sure you have a healthy life-style and healthy digestive function are at least as important as your vitamins. Poor air and water quality are environmental factors that, if they keep declining, will negatively impact health regardless of your nutritional and lifestyle protocols.

It is all connected and, overwhelming though it may be, we need to cultivate more holistic and integrated ways of thinking and doing into our daily lives to be truly healthy.