Daily Nutritional Supplements

Our standard diet gets 45 percent of its calories from fat and another 35 percent from sugar. In other words, 80 percent of the calories we consume provide none of the nutrients that our bodies need. Incredibly, despite our dietary excesses and an epidemic of obesity, we are underfed.

One interesting study examined the incidence of vitamin deficiencies in a randomly selected group of hospital patients. Using the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) as the standards, 88 percent of the 120 patients came up short in at least one vitamin. Many showed multiple deficiencies. Only 12 percent tested at “normal” levels.

Diet is not the sole force behind the national plague of nutrient deficiencies. Other factors include the following:

• Alcohol consumption (depletes B vitamins, vitamin C, most minerals, and antioxidants)

• Allergies and infections (deplete vitamins A and C and zinc, among other nutrients)

• Exposure to air pollutants and other toxins (depletes antioxidants)

• Smoking (depletes antioxidants and Vitamin C)

• Stress (depletes all nutrients, especially B vitamins and vitamin C)

Some people simply require more of certain nutrients than the general population does. Children and older adults tend to need a bit extra, as do pregnant women. Others with increased nutritional demands include those who diet and those who exercise strenuously.

Then, too, some foods that we eat because we think they’re healthful have actually been stripped of their nutrients before they get to our plates. Whole wheat loses 75 percent of its B vitamins, minerals, and fiber when it is milled into flour. Likewise, rice loses most of its vitamins, minerals, and fiber when it’s polished to turn it from brown to white. Even the soil that these and other plant-derived foods grow in is often nutrient-depleted.

All of us can take a giant leap toward longevity just by taking supplements. Supplementation not only protects against deficiency but also bridges the gap between average nutrition, which culminates in premature death, and optimum nutrition, which extends life span by decades. The extra nutrients that supplements provide prevent marauding free radicals from harming healthy cells, speed the repair and regeneration of damaged cells, and facilitate Renewal. The upshot of all this is a longer, healthier, more vital life.

Supplements are intended to enhance the nutrient density of your diet. By nutrient density, I mean the ratio of micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients) to macronutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat). The higher this ratio, the healthier your diet.

The combination of a nutrient-dense diet and supplements creates an environment conducive to peak cellular performance. When your cells thrive, your body thrives — and that translates into extra decades of optimum health.