Our body is the most efficient manufacturing plant in
the world. From some forty odd essential nutrients (a handful of
vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, water and air) our
body produces over 10,000 compounds. Not a bad return - 10,000 from
40! Each of these 40 odd essential nutrients is really essential.
Low levels of any one can raise havoc with our entire system.
For example, over 300 enzymes require magnesium for proper functioning.
Numerous problems including muscle spasms, heart irregularities,
osteoporosis and nerve malfunctioning can be caused by low magnesium
levels. Daily medical journal headlines highlight the need for
adequate nutrient intake. "Folic Acid Reduces Risk of Colon
Cancer"; "Low Vitamin Levels Linked to Higher Risk Of
Angina in Men"; "Cancer Deaths Linked to Low Antioxidant
Vitamin Levels"; and "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Linked
to Magnesium Deficiency" are some of the titles of medical
articles sitting on my desk right now!
How likely is it that you suffer from inadequate levels of one
or more nutrients? If your diet is at all like the Standard American
Diet (SAD) you are at risk. Government studies reveal widespread
nutritional inadequacies:
|
Percentage of
people not meeting 1980 RDA for selected nutrients
|
Total Below the
RDA
|
|
Vitamin A
|
50.1%
|
|
Thiamin (B1)
|
45.0%
|
|
Riboflavin (B2)
|
34.0%
|
|
Preformed Niacin (B3)
|
32.9%
|
|
Pyridoxine (B6)
|
80.2%
|
|
B12
|
33.5%
|
|
Vitamin C
|
40.8%
|
|
Calcium
|
67.9%
|
|
Iron
|
57.3%
|
|
Magnesium
|
74.4%
|
|
Phosphorus
|
26.7%
|
CRN's Recipe for Risk and U.S. Department of Agriculture's
Report #86-3 (1986)
