We are at a very unique time in our existence with respect to food and nutrients, and unfortunately, this is not a good thing.
In our grandparents’ day, one of the most prevalent concerns was not having enough food and the resulting nutrient deficiencies…in other words, being underfed and undernourished.
Manifestations of this included people that were severely underweight, children with rickets, anemia, susceptibility to infections, poor bone or tooth development, etc.
Now?
Cheap, nutrient-poor, empty-calorie processed foods are EVERYWHERE and in many instances are FAR less expensive than nutrient-rich foods!
Plus due to changes in farming practices and decreased mineral content in our soil, our crops are less nutritious than they once were.
This has resulted in an entirely new phenomenon never seen before in the history of mankind—we are OVERfed (in terms of total calories) yet UNDERnourished.
And we are paying a very dear price with our health.
Because not only are we dealing with all of the health effects of nutrient deficiencies, but we are also getting fatter by the day—to the tune of nearly 7 out of 10 of us being overweight or obese!
Here are the 4 most significant (and deadly) deficiencies we face, what they can do to your health (or how they can shorten your life), and how you can help overcome them:
The 4 deadliest deficiencies
1- Vitamin D
With vitamin D, most people think “strong bones” but that’s just a drop in the bucket!
Vitamin D also helps prevent excessive immune responses such as those seen in autoimmune diseases like Crohn’s, colitis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.
It encourages healthy blood glucose and insulin levels, which prevents Type 2 diabetes.
It protects you against cancer. Studies show vitamin D helps decrease the growth of cancer cells and stimulate the death of those killer cells!
And its anti-inflammatory actions decrease your risk of heart disease by counteracting arterial inflammation.
Why deficiency is common: Because people shun the sun and slather themselves in sunscreen due to excessive fears of skin cancer, and exposure to sunlight is how your body makes vitamin D. Plus sunlight is not abundant in the northern hemisphere during the colder months.
How to help: Get reasonable exposure to the sun without sunscreen—20 minutes or so can be a big help. In addition, to ensure you have consistent healthy levels of this crucial nutrient all year round, supplementation is the way to go.
And for the VERY best D supplement money can buy, look no farther than our Optimum DK Formula with FruiteX-B®. Optimum DK Formula contains a therapeutic 5,000 IUs of vitamin D3, plus vitamins K1 and K2 and the mineral boron, which work together to support strong bone and cardiovascular health!
2- Magnesium
Magnesium supports healthy bone growth, so deficiency can cause osteoporosis just like calcium deficiency, although most people don’t know that. I hate to think of all the women who are suffering with osteoporosis today simply because all they worried about was calcium.
Magnesium also helps regulate your heartbeat and is a natural muscle relaxant. So being low in it can cause irregular heartbeat, muscle spasms, tremors, cramps, twitching, restless leg syndrome and even convulsions!
Magnesium deficiency can also lead to gallstones, joint degeneration and bone spurs, kidney stones and atherosclerosis.
Since magnesium is critical for proper cell energy production, lacking in it can cause chronic fatigue.
Plus it’s needed to produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin—that’s why magnesium deficiency is common in people with depression (and all the antidepressants on the planet won’t change that).
Why deficiency is common: Poor soil conditions have led to decreased magnesium content in our crops. Also our heavy reliance on processed and fast foods has created widespread deficiency.
How to help: Get more real food sources of magnesium like meats, seafood, nuts, seeds and oats. Consider supplementing with a full-spectrum multi-vitamin and mineral formula like Super Core if your diet is dicey.
Super Core contains a health-supporting blend of essential vitamins and minerals, plus natural anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. In addition to nutrient deficiencies, inflammation and free radicals are two of the biggest disease triggers we face, and Super Core helps counteract them all!
3- Omega-3 essential fatty acids
Omega-3 essential fatty acids support cardiovascular health by keeping artery walls flexible, reducing plaque growth, promoting healthier triglyceride and cholesterol levels, preventing blood clotting and encouraging a stable heart rhythm and lower blood pressure.
Whew!
They also support brain health, and are essential to learning and memory. Your brain is especially rich in the Omega-3 EFA Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA).
Plus Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce inflammation and lower your risk of chronic diseases including cancer and arthritis.
Deficiencies in Omega-3 EFAs have been linked to heart disease, Alzheimer's, joint problems, depression, inflammation, vision loss, and other chronic conditions.
Why deficiency is common: The shift from pasture-fed to grain-fed animals has dramatically decreased the Omega-3 EFA content of their meat, milk and eggs. Also the farm-raised fish in our grocery stores have a lower Omega-3 content than wild-caught varieties (plus they’re loaded with toxins to boot!).
How to help: Choose organic, grass-fed meats, eggs and milk whenever possible, and look for wild-caught fish. Supplement with a pharmaceutical-grade fish oil formula like VitalMega-3 to ensure your body has adequate levels of this vital nutrient.
Each daily VitalMega-3 dose contains a generous 1,000 mg of the cream of the crop Omega-3 EFAs—EPA and DHA—in the highly recommended 3:2 ratio.
4- Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is crucial to your nervous system health. Deficiency can cause severe damage to the soft, fatty material called the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects your nerve fibers.
This damage (called demyelination) can lead to neurological problems including numbness and tingling in your limbs, loss of balance, memory loss, fuzzy thinking and depression.
Also, since B12 is needed for your immune system's production of disease-fighting white blood cells, being low in it means you are more susceptible to infections, viruses and diseases including cancer.
B12 is needed for red blood cell production too. When you don’t have enough enough healthy red blood cells to bring oxygen where it's needed in your body, you can develop exhaustion, weakness and anemia.
Lastly, vitamin B12 converts the toxic protein by-product homocysteine into the harmless amino acid methionine. If this conversion doesn’t take place, homocysteine can build up in your blood and increase your risk of heart disease.
Why deficiency is common: Your body's ability to produce the proteins needed for B12 absorption declines with age, so people age 50 or over are at increased risk. Digestive conditions such as gastritis, IBS, celiac disease, Crohn's disease and colitis also affect the absorption of B12.
Antacids and acid reducers can affect B12 levels too because they reduce the stomach acid that you need for proper B12 assimilation.
How to help: Food sources of B12 include beef, organ meats, eggs, milk, cheese, clams, sardines, herring, mackerel, salmon, crabmeat and oysters.
Also consider supplementing with an oral B12 spray like Hydroxaden 2.5. This is especially important if you have digestive issues, take acid reducers or are vegetarian.
With Hydroxaden 2.5, the much-needed vitamin B12 is quickly, easily and efficiently absorbed into your body through the mucus membranes in your mouth.
Now you are on your way to fighting back against the 4 deadliest deficiencies and paving the way for a healthier, longer life!
To your health,
Sherry Brescia
In 2012, I took your B-12 spray for a sore tongue and it worked great. My tongue is fine now. However, my B-12 measured high in a blood test—2000 was the number. I was supposed to have under 1100. Is that a problem. I reduced the amount and when it was 1919 but it still went up to 2000 this year. I hope it is OK anyhow. I wonder why it got so high even when I cut back since they started testing for it two years ago.
Hello J Weaver! We are thrilled that you’re feeling better with GTNP! If there’s any topics you’d like to see Sherry write about in the future, please let us know! support@holisticblends.com
Hello Mary! Thank you for your comment.
Sherry’s article at the link below talks about brain health: https://www.holisticblends.com/blogs/holistic-blends-blog/the-incredible-shrinking-brain-nutrient
In addition, here is her information on eye health:
Six surefire ways to prize your eyes
1) Gimme shelter
Protecting your eyes from UV radiation can decrease your risk of cataracts, which occur when proteins in the lens of your eye get damaged.
So on bright sunny days, be sure to protect your eyes by wearing sunglasses or a hat.
2) Stop being a potato
Yup—your eyes are yet another great reason to stop being a couch potato and get some regular exercise.
Recent research has suggested that physical activity can lower your chance of developing cataracts by more than one-third, cut your risk of developing macular degeneration by more than half, and lower the increased eye pressure associated with glaucoma!
So put on the sneakers, grab the weights or racquet, hop on the treadmill, jump in the pool, start pedaling the bike or whatever your activity of choice is and DO IT at least 3-4 days a week. Just be sure to get your doctor’s OK first, especially if you’ve been a potato for quite some time.
And if you need motivation, just think of it this way—you’ll want good vision so you can see how much nicer your more-toned body will look, especially with spring and summer approaching! :-)
3) Tame that sweet tooth
Refined carbohydrates (sugars, white flour, white rice, white bread, cookies, pastries, cakes, bagels, rolls, bakery goods, etc.) all aly turn to sugar (glucose) once they’re broken down by your body.
And having a regular diet of foods like these increases your risk of Type 2 diabetes.
You see, eating foods that create a regular onslaught of glucose in your blood day in and day out stresses your pancreas to produce enough insulin so your cells will absorb the excess glucose. Eventually it either can’t keep up, or your cells start ignoring the insulin (known as insulin resistance).
At that point the glucose builds up in your bloodstream and you can develop Type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes can damage your eyes and lead to blindness. Plus people with Type 2 diabetes have a 72% increased risk of certain types of cataracts and are twice as likely to develop glaucoma as nondiabetics.
4) Get sources of eye-healthy nutrients
Vitamins A, C, B6, B12 and folic acid are all crucial to eye health, as are zinc and the amino acid glutathione.
Here are some great food sources of each:
Vitamin A: Leafy greens (especially spinach), bell peppers, sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, asparagus, winter squash and carrots.
Vitamin C: Citrus fruits, tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, parsley, green beans, leafy greens.
Vitamin B6: Spinach, bell peppers, garlic, tuna, bananas, broccoli, watermelon, celery.
Vitamin B12: Shrimp, scallops, salmon, beef, lamb, cod, eggs, milk, yogurt.
Folic acid: Leafy greens (especially romaine lettuce), broccoli, beets, lentils, legumes, asparagus.
Zinc: Calf’s liver, herring, spinach, beef, lamb, summer squash, leafy greens, sesame seeds.
Glutathione: Green leafy vegetables (especially broccoli, parsley and spinach).
Note that not only is it crucial to take in sources of these eye-loving nutrients, but it’s also important to ensure your digestion is efficient so you’re actually absorbing and using those nutrients!
And the Great Taste No Pain system can help with those important eye health-enhancing goals.
Great Taste No Pain shows you how to construct meals that not only taste spectacular, but can be much easier for your body to break down.
Not only can that help maximize your nutrient absorption, but you’ll also be helping your body say goodbye to gas, bloating, constipation and acid reflux too!
And the GTNP recipe book is loaded with delicious dishes featuring many of the eye-healthy foods listed above.
5) Get Omega-3 essential fatty acids
The Omega-3 essential fatty acids EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) are absolutely vital for proper brain and eye functioning.
Unfortunately, because our food supply has merely a fraction of the Omega-3 EFA it used to have (because of our large dependence on vegetables oils, processed foods and meat from grain-fed animals), most people are severely lacking this critical nutrient.
But that can be easily remedied by eating more fatty fish, as well supplementation with a high-quality fish oil formula like VitalMega-3.
2 capsules a day gives you 2,000 mg of the purest top-quality Omega-3 fish oil available which includes 600 mg. of EPA and 400 mg. of DHA, which is the ratio suggested by many health experts.
According to scientists at the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL), the minimum daily intake is 650 mg/day of EPA and DHA combined for health maintenance and to prevent deficiency.
So with a generous 1,000 mg. of EPA and DHA combined, VitalMega-3 helps ensure you’re getting what you need for your precious eyes and more!
6) Consider supplementing with Vitamin B12
Although there are many foods sources of Vitamin B12 like I mentioned above, eating those foods is only half the equation with this nutrient.
Absorbing it is the other half, and that can be tricky for these reasons:
· First of all, your body’s ability to produce the proteins needed for B12 absorption declines with age. So many people age 50 or over are inherently at a greater risk.
· Plus digestive conditions such as gastritis, IBS, Crohn’s and colitis also affect the absorption and can leave you running low. And heaven knows, digestive problems are rampant in our society today—it’s hard to find someone who DOESN’T have gut issues!
· And antacids are a culprit too. Because they neutralize or reduce the acids in your stomach, when you use them you don’t have enough acid to “break free” vitamin B12 from the proteins it’s attached to. So it sails on through your digestive tract, unabsorbed.
· Also, medications for Type 2 diabetes can also hamper B12 absorption, as well as alcohol use.
That’s why supplementation (with your doctor’s approval) is helpful so many people.
And for a high quality, absorbable B12 supplement, look no further than Hydroxaden 2.5.
Five sprays daily provides a full 2.5 mg. (2500 mcg.) of B12 to help energize your body and mind, encourage efficient metabolism and…Support eye health!
Hello Barbara! Thank you for your kind feedback! If there are any topics that you’d like to see Sherry write about, please let us know! support@holisticblends.com
Hi Mike! We aren’t familiar with Saladmaster’s products, but are happy to let you know that Sherry uses and believes stainless steel and cast iron are best. We stay far away from aluminum or non-stick cookware, as they can be harmful to health.