While standing in the supermarket holding a large, plump, red tomato in our hands, it is hard to imagine that this beautiful piece of fruit may be void of the essential nutrients for which it was designed to deliver.
In fact, the size and color of produce has no bearing on nutritional content. Commercial farmers need to yield high crop volumes to turn a profit and survive.
In order for the planted crop to yield high volumes of produce, today’s nutrient depleted soils must be fertilized. Most often if not always with commercial farming, artificial fertilizers are used which supply the plant with nutrients it needs to produce larger volumes.
While creating larger plants, higher yields, and “beautiful” produce, the grave dilemma is that these artificial fertilizers do not provide the soil, and subsequently the plant, with many minerals which are vital to the human.
Furthermore, artificial fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides suppress vital soil microorganisms, thus diminishing the “life” of the soil and hindering the many complex and often poorly understood biological processes needed for nutrient supply to the plants.
The combined result is large, pretty, and plentiful produce, void of specific and significant vital human phytonutrient content.
Fruits and Vegetables Certified Organic
“Certified Organic” soil standards are designed to protect and encourage soil microorganisms which are necessary to “unlock” nutrients from the soil.
The conversion period of three years is required before a farm is awarded “full organic status.” This requirement, in part, is to allow the soil’s microbiological life to recover and multiply.
Nevertheless, “Certified Organic” is not an assurance of significant quantities of phytonutrients. “Certified Organic” is a designation indicating that the certified food is free from synthetic chemicals such as artificial fertilizers and pesticides, and the farmland (soil) has been free of these for three years or more.
Although I recommend “Certified Organic” fruits and vegetables be consumed as much as possible, we need to make this distinction clear that the organic certification is not a guarantee of nutrient content as well.
Because there is no requirement that the soil be enriched with organic fertilizer, too often “organically certified” fruits and vegetables are being grown in nutrition- depleted soils, just as commercial produce is.
To enrich the soil naturally after decades of abuse, neglect, and depletion, it will take many years of diligent application of intensive organic farming techniques.
Unfortunately, this is generally not commercially viable. Additionally, whether commercially grown or organic, most fruits and vegetables delivered to market today are harvested green before they completely ripened on the plant. This is done to avoid loss due to spoilage in transit and on the shelf.
This “green-harvesting” robs the plant of the opportunity to deliver a significant portion of the phytonutrients to the produce in the critical last 3-5 days of ripening.
Cooking Foods Destroy Phytonutrients
As if all this were not enough, cooking foods also destroys many phytonutrients.
Molecular changes take place in nutrients as foods are cooked above 115 degrees Fahrenheit for just a few minutes. Damage progressively worsens at higher temperatures over longer periods of time.
The degree of nutrient destruction is simply a matter of temperature, cooking method, and time.
- Microwave ovens are said to destroy up to 90% of the nutrient content within foods.
- Vegetables should be steamed for one to three minutes depending on thickness or stir-fried in healthy oils such as olive, grapeseed, coconut, or clarified organic butter, and served immediately.
The industrial revolution, commencing in the early 19th century, has progressively contaminated our environment, and subsequently our bodies.
In this age of increasing toxic pollutants,the amount of antioxidants our cells require to eliminate free radicals and prevent cellular damage has quite conceivably risen dramatically from just a few generations ago.
While the need has risen, the supply has simultaneously fallen, for many of the same reasons listed. As a result, we are receiving a mere fraction of the phytonutrient/ antioxidant protection and regenerative bio-chemical fuel we require for optimum health.
This makes the consumption of higher volumes of raw fruits and properly cooked or raw vegetables in conjunction with phytonutrient-rich supplementation, critical.
Despite having a varied diet including a wide variety of organic foods, it is virtually impossible to obtain adequate amounts of phytonutrients from the modern food supply alone.
In addition, specific vital phytonutrients are missing from the food supply altogether.
Nevertheless, in regard to fruits and vegetables, “certified organic” is preferable.
Meats and Poultry:
Due to the fact that pesticides are concentrated in the fatty tissues of animals, and hormones and antibiotics are frequently used in commercially raised meats, I recommend the consumption of “natural,” “organic,” or “free range” meats and poultry. Organically raised eggs are preferable for the very same reasons.
Seafood:
I recommend the consumption of “wild caught” fish and shellfish. Avoid “farm raised” varieties. These are fed an antibiotic laden, unnatural diet of corn meal.
They are also fed coloring agents to visually substitute for the natural color of the wild variety that is not present in farm raised due to the absence of the natural nutrient-rich diet of wild fish.
Breads and Grains:
Consume whole grain sprouted natura breads. The process of sprouting generates many important phytonutrients. Avoid breads made from bleached or brominated flours (white breads). These also often contain partially hydrogenated oils, sugar, and preservatives with a few synthetic vitamins added.
They have little fiber and virtually no nutritional benefit.
Whole grains such as brown rice, wild rice, millet, buckwheat, whole steel cut oats, and quinoa are examples of nutrient rich grains.
There are many whole grains available today.
They are far superior nutritionally, compared to refined and processed grains.
Dairy products:
I only recommend dairy products which are certified organic.
Commercial dairy production in the U.S. is rampant with antibiotics, synthetic bovine hormones, and grain feeding rather than grass. Grain feeding lowers the omega III content.
Certified organic dairy products, especially “high vitamin butter” derived from cows that are grazed on rapidly growing grass is an excellent source of vitamins A and D and omega III essential fatty acids.
Dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt are high in calcium.
Cultured organic dairy products such as yogurt and kefir are superior as they are already partially pre-digested, have lower lactose content, and contain “friendly bacteria.”
Organic cheese contains “high density nutrition.” In contrast, “American cheese” is of poor quality and has additives such as vegetable oil.
Nutritional Supplements:
If the nutritional supplement is synthetic or inorganic, avoid it. Although it is difficult to obtain the majority of nutritional supplements in a natural organic form, choose these vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients from natural organic sources as much as possible.
Beverages:
Water is best. Herbal teas such as chamomile and green tea are very good in general. Organic rice milk is very easy to digest and is great for mixing supplements. Unsweetened 100% natural fruit and vegetable juices are excellent.
An occasional beer or glass of red wine is not harmful. Beer, including the non-alcoholic variety, is made with purified water and contains B vitamins. Red wine contains Resveratrol and proanthocyanidins; powerful antioxidants.
Organic wine will not contain sulfites or pesticide residues and is preferable. With alcoholic beverages, moderation is the obvious key.
Note: Adequate water consumption is at least partially determined by activity level and how much one perspires. I recommend six – eight ounce glasses of water for a sedentary person, and eight to ten – eight ounce glasses of water or more for the more active.
Thirst alone is not the best indicator of the need for water.
Generally, the bulk of needed water intake is best consumed between meals so as to not dilute your digestive juices, slowing digestion and reducing absorption of nutrients.
Water is partially responsible for literally every metabolic process in the human body. Water is the largest single constituent of the body and is essential for cellular homeostasis.
Phytonutrient Supplementation with DigestaCure® AUTOIMMUNE-X®
With all factors considered, the vital phytonutrients contained in one serving of fruits or vegetables 100 years ago may be for the sake of argument, the equivalent of approximately 10 servings of fruits or vegetables today.
With most Americans finding the ingestion of the recommended 9-30 daily servings impossible, phytonutrient supplementation is more than “a good idea,” it is no less than critical. We are all suffering cellular starvation from the continual lack of specific and sufficient phytonutrient intake.
Furthermore, combined with the cost and impracticality of consuming 9-30 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, in an attempt to acquire adequate phytonutrient intake, the practice would be undesirable from a caloric standpoint.
A strong scientific argument for phytonutrient supplementation in today’s nutrient poor food environment is the science of caloric restriction.
Caloric restriction is a well documented anti-aging strategy. Numerous studies have shown that the practice of restricting calorie intake while maintaining diverse nutritional status improves multiple aspects of age related decline.
In my experience, and the experiences of my colleagues, DigestaCure® AUTOIMMUNE-X® is a revolution in healing and prevention. I use this formula to heal the root-cause (autoimmunity) of any autoimmune condition which are all classified as “incurable” by the pharma/medical industry.
The recoveries have been miracles. This formula also possesses good antiviral properties.
