Final NC 110 Blog ;c(

As the last week of my Nutrition 110 arrives I am sad and excited all at the same time. Sad that I will no longer have the same teacher who has brought many laughs into our house, speaks to the point, and rambles about the coolest things ever! Excited that I will be continuing my journey into nutrition even deeper in my next class. I didn’t think my diet or lifestyle would change coming in to this class. I have always read and studied and researched nutrition and food and affects, however we did make quite a change. I now eat 85% organic, the kids eat about 60% organic, we have switched to all organic meats and fats (cheese, yogurt, and such). There are also more colors in our fruits and veggies, the kids are eating around 90% whole grains, and I have found a substitute for brown rice! Yahoo!! If you would have asked me 12 weeks if this was something I was even willing to do, I would have told you no way! I would’ve had many reasons (excuses) too!! It is too expensive, it is such a hassle, there really isn’t a benefit to organic, a lot of it is made up, who has time, and I’ve lived this way for 30+ years and haven’t been affected yet; these are just a few of them! Now, however, I have learned that truly the food we eat and the way it is grown, raised, or harvested has a HUGE effect on the nutrients and minerals it contains. I also learned just how important these nutrients, vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, etc are to a healthy body! With loved ones dying of cancer, sick half their life, diabetes, heart problems, my “inherited” high cholesterol, and a myriad of other illnesses, why not choose to put healthier foods into our bodies? What is the harm? Truth is there is NO downside to feeding ourselves healthy food! Now my argument is: why not give yourself and your children the best head start they could have? We make sure they have the best of everything else! Why not the best food?? It just makes sense. I want my kids to have the best chance to live the longest healthiest life possible. I know I only have them for a very short time in comparison to the length of their life, so I only have a few years to teach them thru actions that what they put in their body makes a difference. Have there been grumblings? You bet! Have there been food strikes? Yes! Have they tasted new foods and loved them? Yes! Have they tasted new foods and hated them? Yes! Are they eating better now? Yes! Do I enjoy knowing that they are being nourished? Hell, yes! Do they want me to quit preaching about the benefits of food? Probably, but they indulge me none the less! LOL! This class has definitely been an eye opener for me and my family and I look forward to my next class in 2 weeks! Oh the new things they get to hear about!!! ;c)

Vitamin/Mineral Depletion

This week’s assignment to discuss reasons for a drop in available vitamins and minerals in our food and also the diseases associated with deficiencies is really quite eye-opening and scary!! I had no clue just how depleted our resources have become! First, I need to backtrack. Where do the vitamins and minerals found in our food come from? It seems like a no-brainer but really I don’t think that most of us have even pondered this question, I know I didn’t. I just assumed that a carrot was a carrot, an apple just an apple, however this is not the case at all! The vitamins and minerals present in our food comes from the soil it is grown in, if it is not present in the soil, guess what… correct, it is not present in our food! Ugh!! Soil today is not the same soil years ago and the USDA has known this for 70+ years. They were warned in 1936 that our soil erosion and over farming was creating mineral and vitamin deficiencies in our soil and yet they have not done anything to combat that! If in 1936 it was already depleting, can you even
imagine what it is like now?? So what has happened to our soil?? Soil is full of micro-organisms and bacteria that are necessary and vital in creating the minerals we need. From over farming and pesticide use these organisms and bacteria are becoming non-existent. Here is a fantastic website that delves even further into the causes of depletion: http://www.nutritionsecurity.org/Nutrition%20Security.htm
Other factors also include our water supply. We all know all the harmful chemicals and poisons that are in our water, which is why most of us drink either bottled or filtered water. However, they are not filtering the water that is growing our food!! UGH!! Another good link is a pdf on research that has been done into the mineral and vitamin deficiencies in our food: http://www.mineralresourcesint.co.uk/pdf/mineral_deplet.pdf
Now that we have that established, what does it really make a difference if we have less vitamin and minerals in our food anyway?? Well… many diseases we know all too well are actually associated with vitamin and mineral deficiencies. For example, a calcium deficiency causes arthritis, high blood pressure, and osteoporosis; a copper deficiency is associated with anemia, hair loss, arthritis, and aneurysms, and a selenium deficiency can cause cancer, cataracts, age spots, and multiple sclerosis. Also, studies have shown that the adrenal glands, blood, bones, capillary walls, cells, connective tissue (skin/ligaments/bones/gums), heart, mucous membranes, nervous system and teeth are effected with deficiencies in Vitamin C and our blood, lymphatic system, muscles, and nerves are affected with a sodium deficiency. On the following website you can find the nutritional content of most fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and protein sources and also a breakdown of vitamins and minerals and what they do for your body and what a deficiency in them can cause: http://www.healthalternatives2000.com/minerals-nutrition-chart.html
I know this seems quite depressing, however, we all need to be aware of what the USDA has been for our whole lives and has yet to change! We are the only ones who can force this change and make them accountable for what they are putting on the grocery shelves for us to consume. Also, it is under the above stated premises that organic farming was started. In organic farming it is necessary to rotate crops as to not completely deplete the soil and also to work symbiotically with nature. When this world was created the micro-organisms and bacteria were in place for a reason and we should honor that by continuing to farm and take care of this land that was given to us!

"Now" Photos of Food in Our House

Above are “now” pictures of my refrigerator and cabinets. At the beginning of my Nutrition class I had to post pics of the food we have in our house. The differences between “then” and “now” is that we have gone 60% organic, we no longer eat any beef , chicken, or dairy products unless they are organic. We have had resistance from the younger ones in the family about switching their favorite crackers and cereals, however we do have some varieties in the house that are eaten and are organic. Overall what this assignment has not only taught me, but also my children, is to be accountable for your choices, whether good or not so good!

Vitamin/ Mineral Content of daily Foods then and now

From Week 1 of my nutrition class until now, my diet has not changed very much, but there have been a few distinct differences. First of all, I switched out a couple items that were a staple in my diet and replaced them with more nutritious sources. I used to eat brown rice everyday and switched to either Millet or Amaranth, also my salads were always iceberg lettuce and are now spinach salads. Another thing I started doing is adding chia seeds to literally everything I can! I really love them! They add crunch and are so small that you can add them and they’re pretty undetectable ;c) Chia seeds add fiber, calcium, and both Omega 3 & 6 fatty acids. I used to use flax seed, but I wouldn’t put them on many items because of the grainy texture they have. Below is a list of the items I used to use and their major vitamin/mineral content and then a list of what I switched to.

Then: Brown Rice- Phosphorus 81mg; Potassium 42mg
Iceberg Lettuce- Beta Carotene 170mcg, Vitamin A 286IU, Potassium 80mg; Vitamin K 13.7mcg

Now: Spinach-Vitamin A 2813mg; Vitamin K 144.9mcg, Potassium 167mg
Amaranth- Potassium 135 mg; Phosphorus 148 mg; Folate 22mcg
Millet- Folate 19mcg; Potassium 62mg; Phosphorus 100mg
Chia Seeds- Calcium 45mg; Fatty Acids- Omega 3 1400mg- Omega 6 420mg; Dietary Fiber 3g

As you can see, with just a few minor changes they have added more nutrients into my everyday diet! Yahoo! Also, I have switched to mostly organic as to ensure a higher mineral/vitamin content. See a blog post in the future to understand why :c)

pH- Oh my!!!

pH is a whole new world for me. The first pH test I ever had was a few months ago when I threw my back out. I started going to a holistic chiropractor that a friend of mine referred. At the first appointment he does a battery of tests to see how your body is reacting or not-reacting to stressors. My saliva pH test was very gloomy; my pH should have shown that my body was starting to digest when a stressor was introduced, but it showed the opposite. My emotions had taken such a toll on my health that my digestion was slowed down because as he stated, who needs to eat when they are running for their life. Being in the constant state of fight or flight was making me sick! Ugh! Great things were done after that initial visit and now my pH is actually on track! WooHoo!! For the pH experiment we had to do for my nutrition class my urine pH levels were in the optimal range throughout the day! The minor fixes in my diet and the MAJOR fixes in my emotional states have definitely made me a healthier person! I am sleeping better, my moods are stable, and my bowel movements are working well! Next step for me is to do the 2 day pH challenge. For that you need to eat a lot of protein and acidic foods for 2 days and on the 3rd morning test your pH to see how your alkaline reserves are doing! That will be a definite test to see if I’m truly on the right nutritional path!