Ama
04-25-2007, 04:52 AM
I received the below article from a newsletter I subscribe to:
Article- Hard to Find Nutrients in the Raw Foods Diet
When I first started out eating a vegetarian diet 10 years ago, I didn't think it was important to learn about individual nutrients. I didn't read any books on the subject and was uninformed about nutrition.
I kept this viewpoint as I transitioned to raw foods over four years ago.
I didn't understand why I wasn't getting healthier. I had low energy levels, and my skin was dry. The raw food books I was reading told me not to worry about individual nutrients.
It wasn't until I attended the International Raw and Living Foods Festival that I became aware of essential nutrients.
There are over 50 nutrients our body cannot make and they must be eaten in foods. If these nutrients are missing, the body will eventually experience symptoms of disease.
The raw vegan diet is the most nutrient rich diet on the planet. You still need to ensure you're receiving every essential nutrient.
I feel it's important to eat the essential nutrients in whole foods. Supplements and superfoods are secondary sources. One of my favorite websites for locating food sources is
http://www.nutritiondata.com/nutrient-search.html
This website allows you to search for individual nutrients in each food category. The first step is to enter your daily diet into http://www.fitday.com
Fit Day will tell you which nutrients you're low in. Step two is to head over to Nutrition Data to find out which foods contain these nutrients.
- Iodine
Iodine is an essential nutrient hard to find in land plants. Iodine is used by the thyroid gland to create hormones. An iodine deficiency causes symptoms such as hyperthyroidism and goiter. We need between 150 and 1,100 micrograms in our daily diet.
The mid-western U.S. has iodine deficient soil. This area was known as the goiter belt before iodine was added into table salt.
The best sources of iodine are the sea vegetables. The sea vegetable kelp is the best choice because it supplies between 450 to 5,000 micrograms per gram. I purchase the kelp granules in bulk at a local health food store. It's also available in stores in a 'salt shaker' bottle, or on-line at
http://www.seaveg.com
The sea vegetables are very important because every known mineral is found in the ocean. Dulse and kelp are two of the most nutritious and may contain up to 80 minerals. Algae is another mineral rich sea food containing up to 20 amino acids and over 60 minerals and trace elements.
- Vitamin A
Vitamin A is not found in plant foods. Our body makes vitamin A from the carotenoids, such as beta-carotene. The richest source is the goji berry with over 600 carotenoids per serving.
The goji berry also contains selenium, zinc, and 500 times more vitamin C than oranges. Beta-carotene rich foods are abundant on the raw foods diet and are found in foods such as carrots, spirulina, yams, and leafy greens.
Goji Berry
- Selenium
A couple other key minerals to watch for are selenium and zinc. Brazil nuts are the best source of selenium and they have about 100 times more than the next closest raw food.
Selected food sources of selenium
(mcg/200 calories)
Brazil nuts 584.7 mcg
Cashew nuts 7.2 mcg
Walnuts 5.5 mcg
- Zinc
The essential mineral zinc is found in every part of the body. It's necessary for a strong immune system, healthy skin, and strong bones.
Green pumpkin seeds and napa cabbages are two of the best sources of zinc. Other foods containing zinc in smaller amounts are sesame seeds, cashews, zucchini, spinach, asparagus,
tangerines, berries, and avocados.
- Long Chain Omega-3 Fats
DHA and EPA are the long-chain omega-3 fats. They are found in high concentrations in the brain and eyes. They are difficult to find in the raw foods diet and are mostly found in fish and fish oil.
Most people can make the long-chain omega-3's when enough short and medium chain ALA omega-3's are present. The short chain fats are found in high concentrations in flax seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts.
The herb purslane is the best plant source of EPA. Start growing purslane in your garden because it's not available in most grocery stores.
Certain types of algae contain both DHA and EPA, such as the 'Omega-Zen DHA algae' and the
Klamath Lake AFA blue-green algae. The long-chain fats are especially important for pregnant and nursing mothers.
A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition (BJN) in October 2002 measured rates of conversion of ALA into the long-chain fats. The conclusion was that women converted an average of 36% and men converted an average of 16% of the ALA fats into the long-chain fats.
Dr. Gabriel Cousens recently wrote the following statement:
'E3Live and AFA Cyanophyta are the only source of vegetarian food that has the long chain omega 3's. Long chain omega 3's are extremely critical for the health of our bodies... and particularly for depression and anti-inflammatory.'
Brian Clement, director of Hippocrates Health Institute, said in a recent interview about E3 Live:
'I just am very happy that you're speaking about this product, because it's the most important supplement that's hit the 21st century.'
Both these interviews are found on the E3 Live website:
http://www.therawdiet.com/e3live.html
One of the interesting things I learned is that it's possible to heal and repair the body's DNA strands, or at the least slow down the DNA deterioration and unraveling. This may be done with Klamath AFA algae and Tachyon energy products from 'Advanced Tachyon Technologies'.
(The DNA information is from Brian Clement and the book 'Tachyon Energy: A New Paradigm in
Holistic Healing' by David Wagner and Dr. Gabriel Cousens.)
- Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for good health and
isn't available in plant foods. All our
vitamin D can be obtained through sunlight
exposure.
The body needs sunlight for healthy eyes and to fully wake up in the morning. The sleep mechanism depends on sunlight. If you're experiencing low energy and have trouble sleeping at night, it could be caused by vitamin D deficiency.
Our bodies will store vitamin D through the winter if you receive enough during the summer. Even on cold and cloudy days you will receive sunlight through the clouds.
On average, a minimum of 20 minutes of sunlight is needed over the body. Practice sunbathing because the whole body should be exposed to sunlight, not just the hands and face.
If you aren't receiving enough sunlight, there are vegan vitamin D supplements available. One of the best ways to combat a lack of sunshine is to purchase a full-spectrum light.
- B-12
Friendly bacteria inside our digestive tract create vitamin B-12. The problem is that not everyone is absorbing adequate amounts from this bacteria. A B-12 deficiency affects people on every diet, not just the raw foods diet. It's estimated that 80% of the raw vegan population will become deficient over time without supplementation.
It's hard to tell if you are in the 20% who is making enough B-12. A B-12 deficiency test will cost over $80.00. I recommend purchasing a high quality B-12 supplement, one bottle should cost between $5 and $15 and will last about 6 months for general maintenance.
A good B-12 supplement is available at your local health food store, at www.treeoflife.nu,
or on www.therawworld.com. Nutritional yeast contains B-12 but I feel it's better to eat a high quality supplement.
There's more hard to find essential nutrients for you to discover in my e-book, 'The Health Evolution'.
Pick up your copy by clicking here==>
http://www.therawdiet.com/evolve.html
***Welcome to the Health Evolution!***
Volume 1, Issue 7-
04-25-2007
Written and Published by TheRawDiet.com
'A newsletter dedicated to helping you
Transform Your Life and Achieve Abundant
Health with Living Food Nutrition.'
Article- Hard to Find Nutrients in the Raw Foods Diet
When I first started out eating a vegetarian diet 10 years ago, I didn't think it was important to learn about individual nutrients. I didn't read any books on the subject and was uninformed about nutrition.
I kept this viewpoint as I transitioned to raw foods over four years ago.
I didn't understand why I wasn't getting healthier. I had low energy levels, and my skin was dry. The raw food books I was reading told me not to worry about individual nutrients.
It wasn't until I attended the International Raw and Living Foods Festival that I became aware of essential nutrients.
There are over 50 nutrients our body cannot make and they must be eaten in foods. If these nutrients are missing, the body will eventually experience symptoms of disease.
The raw vegan diet is the most nutrient rich diet on the planet. You still need to ensure you're receiving every essential nutrient.
I feel it's important to eat the essential nutrients in whole foods. Supplements and superfoods are secondary sources. One of my favorite websites for locating food sources is
http://www.nutritiondata.com/nutrient-search.html
This website allows you to search for individual nutrients in each food category. The first step is to enter your daily diet into http://www.fitday.com
Fit Day will tell you which nutrients you're low in. Step two is to head over to Nutrition Data to find out which foods contain these nutrients.
- Iodine
Iodine is an essential nutrient hard to find in land plants. Iodine is used by the thyroid gland to create hormones. An iodine deficiency causes symptoms such as hyperthyroidism and goiter. We need between 150 and 1,100 micrograms in our daily diet.
The mid-western U.S. has iodine deficient soil. This area was known as the goiter belt before iodine was added into table salt.
The best sources of iodine are the sea vegetables. The sea vegetable kelp is the best choice because it supplies between 450 to 5,000 micrograms per gram. I purchase the kelp granules in bulk at a local health food store. It's also available in stores in a 'salt shaker' bottle, or on-line at
http://www.seaveg.com
The sea vegetables are very important because every known mineral is found in the ocean. Dulse and kelp are two of the most nutritious and may contain up to 80 minerals. Algae is another mineral rich sea food containing up to 20 amino acids and over 60 minerals and trace elements.
- Vitamin A
Vitamin A is not found in plant foods. Our body makes vitamin A from the carotenoids, such as beta-carotene. The richest source is the goji berry with over 600 carotenoids per serving.
The goji berry also contains selenium, zinc, and 500 times more vitamin C than oranges. Beta-carotene rich foods are abundant on the raw foods diet and are found in foods such as carrots, spirulina, yams, and leafy greens.
Goji Berry
- Selenium
A couple other key minerals to watch for are selenium and zinc. Brazil nuts are the best source of selenium and they have about 100 times more than the next closest raw food.
Selected food sources of selenium
(mcg/200 calories)
Brazil nuts 584.7 mcg
Cashew nuts 7.2 mcg
Walnuts 5.5 mcg
- Zinc
The essential mineral zinc is found in every part of the body. It's necessary for a strong immune system, healthy skin, and strong bones.
Green pumpkin seeds and napa cabbages are two of the best sources of zinc. Other foods containing zinc in smaller amounts are sesame seeds, cashews, zucchini, spinach, asparagus,
tangerines, berries, and avocados.
- Long Chain Omega-3 Fats
DHA and EPA are the long-chain omega-3 fats. They are found in high concentrations in the brain and eyes. They are difficult to find in the raw foods diet and are mostly found in fish and fish oil.
Most people can make the long-chain omega-3's when enough short and medium chain ALA omega-3's are present. The short chain fats are found in high concentrations in flax seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts.
The herb purslane is the best plant source of EPA. Start growing purslane in your garden because it's not available in most grocery stores.
Certain types of algae contain both DHA and EPA, such as the 'Omega-Zen DHA algae' and the
Klamath Lake AFA blue-green algae. The long-chain fats are especially important for pregnant and nursing mothers.
A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition (BJN) in October 2002 measured rates of conversion of ALA into the long-chain fats. The conclusion was that women converted an average of 36% and men converted an average of 16% of the ALA fats into the long-chain fats.
Dr. Gabriel Cousens recently wrote the following statement:
'E3Live and AFA Cyanophyta are the only source of vegetarian food that has the long chain omega 3's. Long chain omega 3's are extremely critical for the health of our bodies... and particularly for depression and anti-inflammatory.'
Brian Clement, director of Hippocrates Health Institute, said in a recent interview about E3 Live:
'I just am very happy that you're speaking about this product, because it's the most important supplement that's hit the 21st century.'
Both these interviews are found on the E3 Live website:
http://www.therawdiet.com/e3live.html
One of the interesting things I learned is that it's possible to heal and repair the body's DNA strands, or at the least slow down the DNA deterioration and unraveling. This may be done with Klamath AFA algae and Tachyon energy products from 'Advanced Tachyon Technologies'.
(The DNA information is from Brian Clement and the book 'Tachyon Energy: A New Paradigm in
Holistic Healing' by David Wagner and Dr. Gabriel Cousens.)
- Vitamin D
Vitamin D is essential for good health and
isn't available in plant foods. All our
vitamin D can be obtained through sunlight
exposure.
The body needs sunlight for healthy eyes and to fully wake up in the morning. The sleep mechanism depends on sunlight. If you're experiencing low energy and have trouble sleeping at night, it could be caused by vitamin D deficiency.
Our bodies will store vitamin D through the winter if you receive enough during the summer. Even on cold and cloudy days you will receive sunlight through the clouds.
On average, a minimum of 20 minutes of sunlight is needed over the body. Practice sunbathing because the whole body should be exposed to sunlight, not just the hands and face.
If you aren't receiving enough sunlight, there are vegan vitamin D supplements available. One of the best ways to combat a lack of sunshine is to purchase a full-spectrum light.
- B-12
Friendly bacteria inside our digestive tract create vitamin B-12. The problem is that not everyone is absorbing adequate amounts from this bacteria. A B-12 deficiency affects people on every diet, not just the raw foods diet. It's estimated that 80% of the raw vegan population will become deficient over time without supplementation.
It's hard to tell if you are in the 20% who is making enough B-12. A B-12 deficiency test will cost over $80.00. I recommend purchasing a high quality B-12 supplement, one bottle should cost between $5 and $15 and will last about 6 months for general maintenance.
A good B-12 supplement is available at your local health food store, at www.treeoflife.nu,
or on www.therawworld.com. Nutritional yeast contains B-12 but I feel it's better to eat a high quality supplement.
There's more hard to find essential nutrients for you to discover in my e-book, 'The Health Evolution'.
Pick up your copy by clicking here==>
http://www.therawdiet.com/evolve.html
***Welcome to the Health Evolution!***
Volume 1, Issue 7-
04-25-2007
Written and Published by TheRawDiet.com
'A newsletter dedicated to helping you
Transform Your Life and Achieve Abundant
Health with Living Food Nutrition.'