Is Your Diet Making You Sick?

I have lost count of the times I hear the lament “I always eat healthy — so why am I sick”?

What is distressing is that these people really work at eating healthy, but to no avail.

They don’t drink soda. They do drink lots of water.  They don’t eat cold cuts that contain nitrates or other prepared meats or foods.  They eat lots of fruits and vegetables as they should and as is recommended.

You would think, as they think, that with such a healthy diet, they would be getting all the nutrients they need for a healthy life.

So why are they getting sick?

The answer is—because consuming conventional food, they are not getting the vitamins, minerals and other nutrients they think they are getting.

Their life is being sabotaged by the large conglomerate farms who are the major producers of our conventional fruits, vegetables, grains, milk and cheese.

The same is true for the factory farms that provide us with the major supply of our meat and fish.

The soil of conventional farms is depleted and has been for the last 80 years.

Conventional farming (i.e., intensive farming that uses chemicals) returns little or nothing to the soil and gradually depletes the soil of minerals.

Because only a small number of nutrients are replenished when using chemical fertilizers, (especially nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus), the soil gradually loses its trace elements that are essential for health, such as boron, chromium and selenium.

The mineral content in our food has become severely diminished.

Fruits, vegetables and other plants that we rely upon to supply minerals in our diet cannot take adequate amounts of minerals from the soil if there are no minerals there to take.

In 1940 and again in 1991, tests were performed on various fruits, vegetables (including carrots, broccoli, spinach and potatoes) and meats for mineral content.

It was found that the amounts of calcium, magnesium, iron and copper in our vegetables had declined during those 51 years by as much as 75 to 96 percent, while meats had lost 41 percent of their calcium and 54 percent of their iron.

Fruits had lost 27 percent of their zinc.  Apples and oranges had lost 67 percent of their iron.

The tests were repeated in 2002 with similar results.

It is not only mineral content that has declined over the past half century. Levels of vitamins A and C have also dropped dramatically.

Wheat has lost much of its protein since 1900.

Nitrogen fertilization in conventional farming was found to decrease vitamin C concentrations in many fruits and vegetables.

Using potatoes as one of the examples, in a study to find out what nutrients the potato has lost over the last 50 years. This is what was concluded:

• 100% of Vitamin A
• 57% of Vitamin C and Iron
• 28% of Calcium
• 50% of Riboflavin
• 18% of Thiamine

Here are further examples, taken from the USDA’s own studies of the loss of vitamins and minerals in fruits and vegetables.  Today as compared to 1975.

• Apples: vitamin A is down 41%
• Sweet peppers: vitamin C is down 31%
• Watercress: iron is down 88%
• Broccoli: calcium and vitamin A are down 50%
• Cauliflower: vitamin C is down 45%; vitamin B1 is down 48%; and vitamin B2 is down 47%
• Collards greens: vitamin A is down 45%; potassium is down 60%; and magnesium is down 85%

The USDA reported some 30 years ago that, “the highest death rate areas in the US generally corresponded to those where agriculturists had recognized that the soil was depleted.”

Degenerative diseases are prevalent in North America and Europe, in contrast with the absence of these diseases in places that have maintained natural farming methods.

Human milk has been found tainted with over 350 man-made contaminants including pesticides.

In the United States, dairy cows may be injected with a genetically modified growth hormone (rBGH also known as rBST, recombinant bovine somatotropin) to increase milk production.

Canadian and European governments have refused to permit the use of this hormone.

Not only does it increase the incidence of mastitis in cows, but it also increases the incidence of cancer in human beings.

The Pesticide Action Network reported that the overall incidence of cancer has risen by about 50 percent since 1971, and pesticide residues in food may be a contributing factor.

International authorities have listed 160 extensively used pesticides as possible human carcinogens.

Tests carried out in 2003 found chemical residues in one third of fruits and vegetables, with some containing as many as five different chemicals, some present in amounts exceeding government-set limit.

Chemicals applied to the surface of a fruit or vegetable can be partially removed by washing or peeling, but some chemicals enter and permeate the plant or are designed not to wash off in water (rain).

Safety tests do not consider the ‘cocktail effect’ of the many agro-chemicals and food additives that are simultaneously present in the human body.

Many pesticides are suspected of being endocrine disrupters, affecting sexual characteristics, hormone production or metabolism, thyroid function or brain function.

Children are especially susceptible, and later in life, may suffer disorders of behavior and reproduction and be more prone to disease.  These chemicals affect not only human beings but also other animals.

On the other hand, fertilization of crops with cow dung (as may occur on organic farms) can increase vitamin B12 to a level that may contribute significantly to the diet of vegans.  Secondary nutrients also tend to be more abundant in organically grown fruits and vegetables.

A well-enriched soil resulted in excellent plant health, which, in turn, produced healthy animals that fed upon well-nourished plants; and human beings whose diet consisted of these fresh and wholesome healthy plants and animal products also enjoyed abundant health.

Organically reared cows, which eat fresh grass, clover pasture and grass clover silage, produced milk on average 50 percent higher in Vitamin E (alpha tocopherol), 75 percent higher in beta carotene (precursor of Vitamin A) and two to three times higher in the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthine than non-organic milk.

Organic milk not only has more antioxidants but also higher levels of omega 3 essential fatty acids.

More recently, doctors and nutritionists administering “alternative” cancer therapies have found that a completely organic diet is essential for a successful outcome.

According to the Nutritional Cancer Therapy Trust (NCTT), nutritional cancer therapies that involve the avoidance of pollutants and toxins as much as possible, the exclusive consumption of organically grown foods and increases in nutrient intakes, have yielded good results.

The director of NCTT said that “the overwhelming number of patients following alternative cancer therapies are those who have been declared terminal, with minimal life expectancies following initial allopathic treatment. The ability of these patients to gain remission from all clinical evidence of cancer is therefore very significant.”

To sum up, food produced according to organic principles is superior to that produced by conventional means, i.e., with chemical inputs.

Organic foods are likely to have higher nutritional content, such as vitamins and minerals.

They also rarely contain residues of harmful agricultural chemicals or additives, and for the time being, they exclude GM foods that could damage the immune systems and/or internal organs of experimental animals.

Out of all of the nutrients analyzed only niacin levels actually did increase.

The conclusion was very similar for 25 fruits and vegetables under the same test conditions.

Broccoli had a huge reduction in which all nutrients had significantly declined, surprisingly including niacin.

An article from (Natural News) states that soil scientists have known for many years about the decline in soil fertility.

To address the problem, farmers, agricultural companies and governments have advocated a number of solutions which, however, have not ensured that our food is more nutritious.

Farming is big business and the aim is to give people cheaper food and make profits.

This has meant that crops are genetically modified to ensure resistance against disease and to stimulate faster growth, that pesticides and herbicides are used to control pests, that ammonium-based fertilizers are applied to try to improve the soil.

This business has created an entirely unnatural ecosystem, where the soil has become barren and devoid of micro-organisms that are needed to create organic mineral complexes.

The trace minerals have been used up and there is no immediate way to restore the micro-organisms.

The minerals from the soil contribute to producing nutrient rich food (including minerals).

These nutrients are absorbed by us when we consume food.

Like it or not we are connected to the soil. If it’s depleted, then so are we.

Unhealthy, barren soil does not produce food that is abundant in nutrients.

For example, between 1951 and 1999 Vitamin A was completely lost in onions and potatoes.

Soil that is depleted is unable to help nutrient deficient plants overcome attacks from pests and fungus. This means more pesticides are used.

Synthetic (inorganic) fertilizers have little benefit since they create insoluble mineral complexes which are difficult for plants to absorb.

Dr Richard Drucker (of Drucker Labs) reports that healthy nutrient-rich crops need 70 trace minerals, but that farming is only replacing 3-5 of these.

Government authorities have been aware of the problem for 70 years.

In 1936 it admitted that almost all soils in the US were depleted of minerals, and this was reiterated again in 1992 at the Earth Summit.

What does that say about progress?

Another reason why soils are depleted is acid rain.

The University of Maine published a study in the December 2003 issue of the Soil Science Society of America Journal which confirms that acid rain depletes nutrients from the soil.

Authorities have long ignored scientists’ reports that acid rain depletes the soil of nutrients needed for growing trees.

Can we then get minerals from other sources? Drucker believes that the best inorganic trace minerals from coral, colloidal or ionic, have very large and insoluble molecules that are difficult to absorb at cellular level.

Further, once they are absorbed, they accumulate in the body and are stored in fatty tissues. Over time, these substances become toxic leading to possible disease.

Given this problem, we can assume that it will be difficult to get minerals from other sources.

He does suggest that we need high quality supplements until a solution is found.

Organic minerals have very small molecules which are easily absorbed through the cells. The minerals work as activators in the body as they are required to set off chemical reactions.

For example, magnesium is an activator for over 300 enzymes and is important for the energy system of the body.

Dr Linus Pauling is famous for saying that every disease, sickness and ailment is related to mineral deficiency.

The reason is that minerals are required for every cell in our body to function.

If minerals are lacking in our food, vitamins are of no use because vitamins (and enzymes) need minerals for them to work in our bodies.

This means that vitamin supplements would be of no use unless we also have adequate minerals.

Organic crops contained significantly more vitamin C, iron, magnesium, and phosphorus and significantly less nitrates than conventional crops.

There were non-significant trends showing less protein but of a better quality and a higher content of nutritionally significant minerals with lower amounts of some heavy metals in organic crops compared to conventional ones.

Conclusions: There appear to be genuine differences in the nutrient content of organic and conventional crops.

In commercial conventional farming, minerals like iron and magnesium have dropped by more than 80 percent. That’s from the powerful fertilizers they use that practically sterilize the soil – leaving it with little to no mineral content.

Because of the lack of vital vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and phytochemicals in conventionally grown and raised food, those who are on conventional diets cannot possibly live a healthy life, even if they are taking an abundance of nutritional supplements.

The amount of herbicides, pesticides and hormones found in conventional farmed and raised foods make the bodies of those consuming these foods toxic and acidic.

That is a recipe for developing every major disease you can think of and the reason we have so many sick people among those eating a conventional western diet.

So now you know.

If you don’t eat organic, there is no way you won’t eventually get diseased given the lack of nutrients and the heavy content of herbicides, pesticides, and hormones that are in all conventionally grown and raised food.

People tell me that organic food is expensive.  I tell them it is not.

When you consider that organic food has a 50% to 60% higher content of nutrients then conventional food, you will find that you will not have to eat as much.

Your body will get the nutrients it needs, with much less consumption, and no poisons.

Soil all over the US is so depleted of nutrients that even organic farms are feeling the pinch.

This is why it is so important to supplement your diet with all natural nutritional supplements even when you eat organic foods.

To balance the equation for a healthy life, if you drink, drink alcohol in moderation, drink at least 64 ounces of filtered tap water a day, no bottled water, no soda of any kind, no power drinks, and do exercise on a regular basis.

Your life is in your hands, not your doctors.

Be kind to your body and it will be kind to you.

To your good heath & longevity.

Ira Marxe
“The Good Health & Wellness Guy”

Copyrighted © 2009 – All Rights Reserved

Note: Good Health Supplements are dietary supplements and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Any statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Readers should consult appropriate health professionals as necessary on any matter relating to their health and well-being. Individual results will vary and statements mentioned are anecdotal and may not represent typical results.