Nutrition Basics, Part III

As you learn more about nutrition you also learn the importance of elimination. What goes in, must come out. Your body is a well oiled machine that takes what it needs from what you feed and eliminates the rest through urine and the bowels. This is not something to be taken lightly, many people do have a problem with elimination, and if you are one of them, you should seek counsel through a nutritionist or naturopathic physician. 1. Do you know how many bowel movements (BM) a normal healthy person should have each day? Most people guess that 1 BM per day is good for regulation. One BM is 'okay', but it is not optimal. There are a lot of people who only have 1 BM per week, or 2 per month. This is not normal, there is a problem. The correct answer is that a normal healthy person should experience 2-3 BM's per day, and more if they eat more often. 2. We live in a fast paced society, some would call us the 'microwave' generation. We don't have time to use the bathroom too often, and many of us would prefer to be 'home' when we have a BM, urine we don't mind using public bathrooms, but if we need to do the other, we'd prefer to go home! 3. To keep your colon and bowel healthy, you should eliminate several times per day, ideally not long after each meal. If you do, you will make your colon very happy. 4. Some tricks to doing this is eating plenty of raw fruits and vegetables, steamed beets are good, and also using digestive enzymes with each meal. Supplementation: 1. There is a ton of information on the web today about food supplements. In fact there is so much information out there, that a person could get very confused about what to take, and might be taking too many different supplements or not the right supplements that their bodies need. 2. The truth is, that we absolutely cannot get the nutrients we need from the foods we eat today. There are a myriad of reasons why we cannot, but suffice it to say, mostly it is because of poor farming practices and foods being picked before they are ripe. 3. When you look for vitamins and minerals, look for some that are food based and not produced by a pharmaceutical company. These vitamins are hard on your digestive system and make it difficult for your body to absorb and utilize. 4. Here are a list of basic supplements that our bodies need according to the scientists and researches who are trying their hardest to help us stay healthy: a. Vitamins & Minerals b. Fats & Lipids c. Proteins (amino acids) d. Essential Carbohydrates (supplemental, not in diet) This is just basic information that I've shared with you, it is very important that you truly look at your diet and lifestyle, and look at your future. What is ahead for you? Are you going to be chasing your grandkids and great-grand kids around the yard? Will you be around to even see your grandkids? I truly wish you all the best in life and may you have a Healthy One!