What is Optimum Nutrition?

There is a great deal ofconflicting information being thrown at us from many directions about whatconstitutes ‘healthy’ food.  Foodmanufacturers tell us one thing, government dieticians tell us another,celebrity experts yet another.  There arebooks, documentaries, magazine articles, TV advertising etc - you name it, it’sout there.  Particularly where there ismoney to be made, you will find someone with an opinion about it - it is aminefield.  

So! How do we determine what’sin and what’s out?  Let’s begin at thebeginning – by looking at what exactly Optimum Nutrition is.   DrLinus Pauling (1901 – 1994) said

“Optimum nutrition is the medicine of tomorrow”

Even before the advent of hydrogenated fats and refined carbohydrates, near on half a century ago, this man understood the important role of nutrition in enabling us to stay well and healthy. Yet today, despite an expected obesity statistic of 50% of the population by 2015, and a National Health Service crippled by demand for the service, it is still barely acknowledged or recognised.  Rather than looking to drugs, which themselves very often, create a plethora of side effects, we should look to preventing our bodies from getting sick in the first place, by the means God gave to us – good nutrition – simple and yet effective! 

Optimum means ‘the best that it can be’ – and when related to nutrition this means choosing the foods which will nourish our body, give it the nutrients it needs to keep us strong, fit and free from illness*.  We cannot put poor quality, highly refined and processed foods (the manufacturers of which make huge profits!) into our body and expect it to function optimally.  We wouldn’t put the wrong fuel in our cars but many people put the wrong fuel into their bodies every day of their lives, either knowingly or unknowingly, but with eventual consequences regardless; and people are suffering from a vast array of ailments from the more minor, such as mouth ulcers and eczema to the most serious and life threatening such as obesity, heart attacks and cancer.  I am constantly amazed at the health conditions that people live with which they accept as ‘normal’

If we continue to do the same things we are going to get the same results – if we want to be well and that is not our current experience then we have to do something differently.

I embarked upon training as a Nutritional Therapist because searching for solutions to my own health issues, when the medicines I was being prescribed by doctors just seemed to add to my list of symptoms, led my curious and analytical mind to discover incredibly simple ways that made me better – I therefore had a goal – good health. 

If you think logically about this you will see that the medical profession, due to their focus on illness rather than health, do not really have your health in mind but rather the care and management of your disease as their goal.  The pharmaceutical companies, to whom the medical profession are beholden, are only too delighted to make vast profits as they cash in on the sale of the drug the doctor prescribes for your originally presenting condition.  This drug then invariably causes a high level of side effects, but being fully aware of this (the side effects are listed in the medication’s instruction leaflet!), the pharmaceutical companies produce more drugs to combat the side effects - the bottom line is the pharmaceutical giants like you sick – it keeps them in business!!

There are two main factors that influence and affect the state of our health – our genetics and our environment.  It is as our genes, interact with our environment that we adapt to either health or disease.  With regard to our genes – we have what we have and cannot do much about them.  With regard to our environment however we can make choices such as where we live (pollution), what we eat and our lifestyle factors (exercise, hygiene, relaxation and stress) etc.  If our environment is poor on too many fronts, our body’s ability to adapt and protect us diminishes, especially as we age, and it is then that we get sick.  Consider this:

“If your diet is poor, medicine will do no good; if your diet is correct medicine is not needed “

Ancient Proverb

Over the coming months I will be exploring these environmental factors that we CAN do something about.  At the time of writing this there are 50 nutrients which have been identified as essential to health.  Even if you are not where you want to be with your health it is possible to change this positively because our bodies are amazing and they will actually heal, repair and restore themselves, if you give them the right nutrients.  Unfortunately, due to intensive farming methods the nutrients in food are not what they used to be or all that they should be and sometimes our bodies need supplementation (another minefield) as well as the right kind of food, but I will aim to shed light in that area too, as time goes on.

It is important to remember that we are all different and each person’s need of nutrients is extremely varied; however there are some basics for optimum nutrition that are common to all - we need enough nutrients to ensure that we can operate at our peak, physically, emotionally and mentally and that we have low incidence of ill health. Look forward to finding out all about it in the coming articles - right here!

By the time you read this spring will have officially sprung – make sure you take some time to get out in the fresh air and enjoy the sunshine!

* It should be noted that lifestyle factors also influence our health and well being

Coming next time in May’s edition of Nutrition Notes …..