Software Vault: The Gold Collection/Software Vault - The Gold Collection (American Databankers) (1993).ISO/cdr13/ahg.zip/NUTRIT

Text File | 1993-06-20 | 125KB | 2,447 lines

                          NUTRITION
                          ^^^^^^^^^

    Because     of     their     mineral-rich    soil,    our
great-grandparents' diets probably contained most or  all  of
the  minerals,  proteins and other essential nutrients needed
for building and maintaining  a  healthy  life.   Today,  the
common household diet has deteriorated to such an extent that
many of our leading degenerative diseases have been connected
with the lack of a balanced, wholesome daily diet.

   Furthermore, the lettuce, cucumbers and  carrots  in  your
salad  are  not  like  those your ancestors ate.  Theirs were
grown   in very fertile,  mineral-rich  natural  soil.   Ours
are usually grown in depleted, over-farmed soil that contains
barely enough artificial fertility to do  the  job.   Modern,
chemically  grown  carrots  look pretty and are blemish-free,
but  they are somewhat hollow, containing very little mineral
and vitamin nutrition. You can often  taste  the  difference,
too.   Chemically   grown  carrots  can  be  woody  and  near
tasteless.  Organically-grown  carrots  have  a  much  better
texture and are much sweeter.

    On  the  same  subject,  here's  what Dr. Earl Mindell***
says, "We must teach our children  to  eat  nutritious  foods
because  once  children  get used to the taste of salt, sugar
and  fat*,  it  will  be even harder for them to learn to eat
properly."  Among  the  foods  he  recommends  for   children
includes:  fresh  fruits and vegetables and whole grains.  He
basically says to give them less fatty, more  nutritious  and
healthy,  foods.   Educate  your  children on which foods are
healthy and will give them lots of energy and which ones  may
be harmful to them.  Additionally, teach them about attitude,
exercise  and  how  to  embrace  an  overall  healthy,  fully
functional life style.

    *American and English health professionals advice parents
to  screen  their  children for cholesterol.  Studies suggest
that one-fifth  or  more  of  3-18  year  old  children  have
alarmingly high cholesterol levels.

    For  now, and in the future, the  most  intelligent  diet
for  people  of  all  ages  is  one that is based on the best
quality foods possible.  If you do not pay attention to  this
aspect  of  your  life  already, you are encouraged to follow
sound principles of sensible, natural eating.

These include:

*    Reducing   as  much  as possible your use of potentially
harmful  substances.   Which   are:   cigarettes,   alcohol**
caffeine,  soft  drinks, refined sugar (too much of ANY sugar
such as  barley  malt,  brown  rice  syrup,  honey  molasses,
turbinado - raw brown sugar, maple syrup, fructose), too much
sodium,  fats  and hydrogenated oils - such as cottonseed and
palm kernel oil.  Also, reduce foods that contain these  oils
-   including:   margarine,   processed  peanut  butter  some
pastries, cookies and candy bars.  Also, preservatives,  food
colorings,  additives,  hydrolyzed  protein  (MSG),  and your
favorite - junk foods!...  you know this list! Your body  can
take only so much abuse.

**  According to Oriental medicine, the kidneys govern sexual
    energy.  Therefore, overindulgence in  alcohol,  caffeine
    and fatty foods may irritate or weaken the kidneys.

*   Choosing  the highest quality foods possible.  This means
    less   highly    processed,   less   chemicalized.    Eat
    organically grown food products when  possible.   Because
    they are grown in more fertile, mineral rich  soil,  they
    taste so much better than  chemically  grown  foods.   If
    your  not  much on salads, try one made with a variety of
    fresh,  colorful  organic  vegetables.   You   may   find
    yourself wanting a salad everyday!  Even better are foods
    grown in  soils  that  have  had  their  mineral  content
    restored and boosted with gravel dust  or  other  natural
    trace mineral and fertilizer products.

*  Eating lower on the food chain.  Eating more whole grains,
   (experiment  with some of the new to the U.S. grains like:
   amaranth, quinoa, spelt, teff, kamut, chia  and  not  new,
   blue corn - ask a natural  food  store  manager  or  clerk
   about  them),  beans  -  which are rich in fiber, protein,
   vitamins   and  minerals,  also  eat  seeds,  nuts,  fresh
   vegetables, especially leafy greens such as spinach, Swiss
   chard, kale, collard, turnip and beet greens.  Eat as many
   raw  greens  in  salads as you can.

 *  Eat plenty of carbohydrates and fiber.  Pasta has lots of
    of these.  There's only 1 gram  of  fat  in  one  cup  of
    cooked  pasta  -  So  - eat all you want!  Try vegetables
    over pasta or nut and vegetable-based  cream  sauces  and
    gravies.  Studies suggest it's best to let  carbohydrates
    supply  most of our calories.

    According  to   the   "American   Journal   of   Clinical
    Nutrition",  people  who raised their carbohydrate intake
    and  raised  their lowered their fat intake to 30 percent
    of their total calories showed improved immune  function.
    The  simplest  basic  tenet  to  supporting  your  immune
    system  is to optimize nutrients while minimizing factors
    which suppress the immune system.

    Unprocessed foods, grown locally in rich, organic  soils,
provide the highest quality nutrients.  Organic matter is the
matrix  of  life  and  the  best  way  of insuring that foods
contain the needed vitamins and minerals. Sweet potatoes  are
also  high  in  fiber  and  low in fat. They are an excellent
source of Vitamins A, C, E and  B-6  as  well  as  potassium,
copper,  folic acid and fiber.  And don't forget fruits.  The
best  ones  to  eat  are:  cantaloupes,  honeydews,  casabas,
cranshaws  and  Persian  melons.  They are high in potassium,
Vitamins C and A and are practically fat free.  Dried  fruits
are  great  for  low-fat,  high  energy snacks.  They contain
potassium and a lot of iron and fiber.***

   As far as protein, get enough - but  not  too  much.  Many
people  eat about twice the amount of protein they need.  Too
much is linked to kidney disease and colon, breast,  prostate
and  pancreatic  cancer.  Read on for some really fascinating
facts that substantiate this statement.

    John  Robbins  has  graciously consented to  let us quote
from his latest book, "May All  Be  Fed".   We all thank you,
John!  Through  his  vast  research  and personal experience,
he has determined many advantages of a vegetarian diet.  Many
people considering a  vegetarian  diet  are  concerned  about
getting enough protein. John Robbins has discovered that:

    If  we  ate  nothing  but  wheat (16 percent protein), or
oatmeal (15 percent), or even pumpkin (12 percent), we  would
easily  be  getting more than enough protein.  In fact, if we
ate nothing but the common potato  (11  percent  protein)  we
would  still  be  getting  enough  protein.   There have been
circumstances when people have been forced to satisfy  entire
nutritional needs with potatoes and water alone.  Individuals
who  have  lived  for  lengthy  periods  of  time under those
conditions showed no signs whatsover of  protein  deficiency.
This  fact  does  not  mean  potatoes are a particularly high
source of protein.  They are not.  But what it does  show  is
the  contrast  between  how  our low our protein needs really
are, and how exaggerated are the beliefs most of us have come
to accept about them.

              The Protein Calcium Relationship

    Regardless of how much  calcium  we  take  in,  the  more
protein in the diet, the more calcium we lose.  The result is
that  high-protein  diets in general, and meat-based diets in
particular, lead to a gradual  but   inexorable  decrease  in
bone density and the development of osteoporosis.

    Summarizing the medical research osteoporosis, one of the
nation's  leading medical authorities on dietary associations
with disease, Dr. John McDougall says:

         I    would   like   to   emphasize   that   the
     calcium-losing effect of protein on the human  body
     is   not  an  area  of  controversy  in  scientific
     circles.  The many  studies  performed  during  the
     past  fifty-five  years  consistently show that the
     most important dietary change that we can  make  if
     we  want  to create a positive calcium balance that
     will keep our bones solid is to decrease the amount
     of proteins we eat each day.  The important  change
     is  not  to  increase the amount of calcium we take
     in.

    Here  are  some  statistics  relating to bone loss:

*  Male vegetarians  have an average measurable  bone loss of
   3 percent.

*  Male meat eaters have an average measurable bone loss of 7
   percent.

*  Female vegetarians have an average measurable bone loss of
   18 percent.

*  Female meat eaters have an average measurable bone loss of
   35 percent.

    Incidentally, a USDA survey found that among vegetarians,
the biggest protein overdose is in  children  aged  three  to
eight.   These  youngsters,  many  of whom are told to "drink
their three glasses of milk a day," consume  an  average  209
percent of their actual protein needs.

    I  suspect that many parents of these children are afraid
their children  won't  get  enough  protein.   Attempting  to
placate the protein tyrant in their own minds, they make sure
their  kids  eat  lots  of  milk,  cheese,  yogurt, and eggs,
thinking they are doing them a good turn.  The  kids  end  up
eating  far more protein than is good for them, even with all
their growth requirements taken into account.

    The  meat  and  dairy  industries  like  to  question the
credentials of anyone who suggest their  products  might  not
promote optimum health.  But it would be hard to dispute  the
standing of T. Colin Campbell, a professor in the Division of
Nutritional  Sciences at Cornell University and former senior
science  advisor  to  the  American  Institute   for   Cancer
Research.  He says there is:

     A strong correlation between dietary protein intake  and
cancer of the breast, prostate, pancreas, and colon.

    Dr.  Campbell is the director of the China-Oxford-Cornell
Study, the largest and most  comprehensive  investigation  of
the  connections  between  diet  and disease in world medical
history.  He was a meat eater for many years, but  gave  meat
up  because,  as  he  put it,  the mounting evidence could no
longer be ignored.

    The culprit in many of  the  most  prevalent  and  deadly
diseases  of  our time, according to the prodigious study, is
none other than the very thing many of us have been taught to
hold  virtually  sacred  -  animal  protein.  Data  from  the
China-Oxford-Cornell  Study reveals that people who derive 70
percent of their protein from animal products  (as  Americans
typically  do)  have  major health  difficulties  compared to
people who derive just 5 percent of their protein from animal
sources.  THEY HAVE SEVENTEEN TIMES THE DEATH RATE FROM HEART
DISEASE AND WOMEN ARE FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE OF BREAST
CANCER.   Summarizing  the implications of this extraordinary
data, Campbell leaves little doubt as to his opinion  of  the
protein consumption patterns of our society:

         Excessive  animal protein is at  the  core  of
      many chronic diseases.

    People everywhere can help restore animal agriculture to
sustainability  by  changing their diets to a vegetarian one.
Please join with other caring and committed people by  making
a  shift  in  your thinking and diet now. To find out how you
can become involved in  sharing  educational  materials  with
family,  friends,  associates,  local  newspapers  and radio
stations and  government  officials,  call  1-800-DNA-DO-IT.
This  is  the  number to call to become an EarthSave member.
Here's their address:

                    EarthSave Foundation
                    706 Frederick Street
              Santa Cruz, California 95062-2205

                         408-423-4069

    Sugar in any form - table sugar, glucose, fructose, honey
and  excessive  use  of fruit juices - dramatically depresses
our ability to fend off disease.  It does this by  inhibiting
the cellular process which consumes foreign  bodies for about
five  hours,  beginning  thirty  minutes  after  consumption.
Therefore, during times of stress, it's especially  important
to  avoid  or  at least limit sugar intake.  Sugar appears in
so many processed foods it's difficult to  avoid  unless  you
scan  labels  or  stick  to  a  fresh,  whole foods diet.  In
addition,  sugar's  many  pseudonyms  and  forms  -  glucose,
dextrose, sucrose, corn syrup, brown sugar - hide it from the
unwary  consumer.   Children  in particular are prime targets
for sugar-laden foods as evidenced  by  the  rows  of  showy,
sweet  cereals  on  display  at  grocery  stores.  Aside from
causing dental decay and debilitating immunity, sugar is  now
implicated  in  hyperactive  behavior,  according  to  a Yale
University study (Diabetes, 1991, 40:358-63).***

***(Reprinted with  permission  from  the  November/December,
1992 issue of Delicious!  Magazine, a publication of New Hope
Communications  in  Boulder,  Colo.) Leading health promoters
recommend consuming a daily diet that provides: less than  30
percent of calories from fat, 25-35 grams of fiber, less that
3,000  mg  of sodium and less than 300 mg of cholesterol.  If
it's low-fat, high-quality protein you want, try  tofu,  it's
made  from  soybeans  and  also has a lot of calcium, iron, B
vitamins and Vitamin E.  It also has a high amino acid ratio.

A four ounce serving of  tofu  has  only  .7  grams  of  fat,
whereas  four ounces of lean beef has 5.4 grams.  And, unlike
meat, tofu is cholesterol free.

*   Eating  a  variety of wholesome foods.  Experiment!  Eat,
    new foods.  Don't get stuck in "mono-diets' or repetitive
    diets  that  include only a few types of food.  Use a lot
    of   different,  and  even exotic  spices.  When choosing
    spices, keep in mind that studies  show  that  black  and
    cayenne  pepper and other peppery spices and foods may be
    irritating  to  the  stomach  lining.  Try  some  of  the
    ethnic foods.  Buy some new cookbooks!

*  Drink  at least five glasses of water* daily.  Doctors and
   exercise experts suggest drinking 6-8 8 oz.  glasses daily
   when  while  exercising   vigorously.    Water   is   very
   important.  It facilitates the release of heavy metals and
   toxins in your body.  The body is made up  of  2/3  water.
   It  is  a  necessary  conductor  for  ALL  of  the  body's
   electrical  and  chemical reactions.  Being that bones are
   50  percent  water, it makes sense that drinking plenty of
   water  helps  prevent  bone  brittleness  and   fragility.

Editor's note:  I highly recommend treating your water with a
charcoal-filtered   water   purifier   before   drinking  it.

*  If you have questions about drinking water - safety,  etc.
   call:  1-800-426-4791.

*  Have   questions    about    diet?    Call   the  Dietetic
   Association's 24-hour hotline:  [phone]

    Many  people  are  concerned  about  the  higher costs of
natural and organic  groceries.   Remember  that  quality  is
what's important.  Whole foods offer much more value. Because
they are grown in mineral packed, nutrient rich and  chemical
free  soil,  they  give  your body much more value per dollar
than commercially grown fruits, vegetables and grains.  Whole
foods are higher in fiber and  vitamins  and  much  lower  in
sugar and salt than processed foods.

   Not to mention how much healthier and energetic  you  will
feel  and  be from eating these nutritious foods.  Just think
how much you will save on medical expenses!  And, you will be
helping the environment by  not  supporting  pesticide  using
farms.   Just  think,  if  enough  people  did  this, organic
farming may become the norm rather than the exception.   Less
pesticide spraying and chemical fertilizing means cleaner air
and water for our children.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

                      Maximum Nutrition

               Breakfast - The Forgotten Meal:

    For maximum health and nutrition, breakfast is  the  most
important  meal  of  the  day.   When  we skip breakfast, our
bodies and minds are deprived of  important  nutrients.  When
the  body  is  deficient  of  nutrients,  it  cannot  respond
adequately to the biochemical demands of our system  and  may
overtax  the  inadequate supply of nutrients that we do have,
resulting  in  headaches,  fatigue,   allergic   sensitivity,
depression, infections, accidents and poor work performance.

    A  10-year  study  of  7.000  men  and women conducted at
UCLA's  Center   for   Health  Sciences,  showed  that  going
without   breakfast  is  among  the  seven  health risks that
increase  your  chances  of an early  death.  The study found
that death rates were 40% higher for men and 28%  higher  for
women  who  "rarely or sometimes" ate breakfast in comparison
to   those   who    ate   breakfast   "almost   every   day".
(Editor's  note:  A   Newfoundland  cardiologist  has   found
missing  breakfast  makes  the  blood  more apt to clot.  She
concluded  that  eating  breakfast  may  help  prevent  heart
attacks).   Another  10-year  study at the University of Iowa
Medical College, undertaken prior to the  UCLA  study,  found
that  consuming  a breakfast high in nutrition was associated
with better physical and mental  performance  among  children
and  adults.   Those  who  ate breakfast were more productive
during the late morning; they also had a faster reaction time
and less muscular fatigue that those who  skipped  breakfast.
(The Nutrition & Dietary Consultant, June 1985, p. 32).

Below are some myths and truths about breakfast:

Myth:  Skipping breakfast is a good way to lose weight.

Truth: Unfortunately, this is not the case.  More often  than
not,  going  without breakfast increases appetite because the
alterations in blood  sugar (see above)  Make  empty  calorie
fattening foods, such as doughnuts and danish, more appealing
as the morning progresses.  A study of college women revealed
that  those  who  go  without  breakfast  do  more   snacking
throughout  the  day  than  those  who  eat  breakfast.  (The
Nutrition & Dietary Consultant, June 1985, p.  32).   Another
interesting  point  worth  noting  is  that  for women with a
tendency toward fluid retention, eating  breakfast  not  only
increases   energy,   it   decreases  fluid  build-up,  often
eliminating the need for  diuretics.   (Prevention,  February
1984, p. 58)

Myth:  Big   breakfasts   make    you   feel   sluggish   and
non-productive.

Truth:  How big is big?  And what the breakfast  consists  of
is  very important.  If we're talking about a 12 ounce steak,
3 eggs, hash browns, six slices of toast, 2 glasses  of  milk
and a danish or two, and it is being consumed by a 5 ft. 2 in
female  with a sedentary job, and little exercise, there is a
very good chance that  she  will  feel  pretty  sluggish  and
non-productive,  if,  indeed,  she  can  manage to eat such a
breakfast!  A better choice for breakfast would be to  select
foods high in fiber, complex carbohydrates and protein.

    The  high  fiber  and  complex  carbohydrates  keep blood
sugar  levels  in  a  state  of   balance,   unlike   refined
carbohydrates  and  simple  sugars  found  in doughnuts, most
prepackaged  breakfast cereals, or pastries.  Choose  protein
foods  with  less  fat  and  salt  than  bacon  and sausages.
Vegeburgers  or   for   those   who  eat meat (choose natural
meat  free  of  hormones,   antibiotics,   preservitives   or
additives  - ask your butcher for range fed, lean beef.  Also
some  natural  foods stores carry natural beef, and poultry),
homemade turkey patties are a good  alternative  and  can  be
made in advance and either frozen or refrigerated until ready
to  use.  Along with an egg and a slice of whole grain toast,
you have a protein packed breakfast which is  nutrient  dense
rather than calorie dense.

Myth: Breakfast foods are boring.

Truth:   Breakfast foods can be boring if you  eat  the  same
thing day in day out.  Moreover, eating the  same  food  each
day, no matter which meal, sets the body up for sensitivities
toward  that  particular  food.  In order to avoid full blown
food allergies it is best to  avoid  eating  the  same  foods
constantly.   Learn  to  rotate  foods.  For instance, if you
have eggs for breakfast on Sunday  morning,  do  not  consume
eggs   again until the following Thursday at the earliest.  A
4-day lapse between eating the same foods - especially  foods
that  have  a high allergy potential - such as eggs - is less
likely to cause food sensitivities.  Corn,  eggs,   milk  and
wheat  are  foods  that most commonly cause allergies.  These
are foods that we very often use every day for breakfast.

    Many people just cannot "stomach" food first thing in the
morning.  If you are one of those people who can't  eat  much
when  you  first arise, or don't have time to eat, consider a
two-part breakfast.  Those who eat breakfast at home get more
vitamins  and minerals than those who  eat out.  Eat a little
something to keep your blood  sugar  level  stable  and  then
"brown-bag" something else to eat mid-morning.

Here are some suggestions:

Upon arising - eat:

Vegetable omelet, scrambled eggs and one  slice  whole  grain
toast.

Oatmeal with diced apples  or  bananas,  raisins  and  dates.
Editor's  note:  Try  some of the many other breakfast grains
such as brown rice cream, 7-grain cereal,  triticale,  barley
and  rye  (in  oatmeal-like  form),  mixed grains, millet and
couscous - great with milk (rice, almond, soy, etc.)  raisins
and  a couple dashes of cinnamon and a few drops of vegetable
oil mixed in for a buttery-like flavor.

Editor's note: If you drink  coffee,  try  one  of  the  many
tasty,  aromatic  coffee  substitutes  or  herbal teas on the
market now. If not familiar with these, ask a clerk  at  your
local  natural foods store about them.  If not, try switching
to decaffeinated coffee.

Leftovers from the day before such as  brown rice  or  other
whole grains and veggies, fish or chicken.

2 slices whole wheat raisin or sprouted barley or other grain
breads) toast with nut butter.

Fresh   fruit   smoothie  (Editor's  notes:   Consider adding
algae to your smoothie for maximum  nutrition  -  please  see
the algae information above.  You may want to experiment with
one  of the protein powder mixes.  They are a fast and simple
energizer.  To be certain you're getting all the amino acids,
vitamins and minerals you need, add algae to the "mix."  This
would  be  the  perfect  travel  food.  For you never know if
you're going to get green vegetables.  It's  very  convenient
too.  It can be prepared right in your hotel room.  So - pack
your  hand-held  blender,  your  smoothie mix with algae, and
away you go!)

Granola with or without fruit  and  almond,  cashew,  soy  or
brown rice milk.

Mid-Morning:

Fresh fruit and/or diluted fruit juice (1/2  fruit juice, 1/2
water - fruit juice has a high concentrate of sugar.

Plain lowfat yogurt and/or  sliced  banana  or  other  fruit.
Note:   Look in the freezer section of your health food store
to  find  organic  frozen   strawberries,   raspberries   and
blackberries.   These go great in smoothies, too.  If you put
them  in  while  still  frozen  with a half a banana - you'll
have a milkshake without all the fat and sugar!

Muffin, bagle or slice of date nut, banana or  pumpkin  bread

Fresh raw  veggies, leftover steamed  veggies  and/or  carrot
juice, V-8 juice, or tomato juice.

A hard boiled egg.

Scoop of low-fat cottage cheese or some low-fat yogurt.

    Be   creative   and   unconventional  when  it  comes  to
breakfasts.  If  you  are  committed to being healthy, then a
nourishing, low-fat, low-sugar breakfast is one of  the  most
important things that you can do for yourself in that regard.

                         About Sugar

    A  question  which  is  frequently asked is "Why is sugar
hazardous to one's health, isn't it a natural substance?"

   Refined  sugar,   or   more   correctly,   sucrose,  is  a
chemical  derived  from plants.  Sucrose is a combination of
two  simple  sugars,  glucose  and  fructose.   The  greatest
refining  that  has  taken  place  among foodstuffs occurs in
sugar, 90% of the sugar cane is removed.

    Very often overeating refined sugar occurs because of its
sweetness to the palate.  It  is  quite  conceivable  that  a
person can gulp down five or six cups of coffee or tea.  Each
sweetened  perhaps  with  one  heaping  teaspoonful of sugar,
without satiety, however, it would be  difficult  to  consume
five  or  six  apples - the equivalent amount of sugar in its
natural  form  -   without   feeling  stuffed (and a possible
stomach ache to boot!)

    Refined sugar is a source of empty calories,  it  has  no
nutritional  value.  Approximately one-fourth of the American
diet is consumed as refined sugar, resulting  in  an  average
yearly  consumption  of  approximately  160 lbs.  per person!
Americans eat some 14 quarts of ice cream per year - a  third
of  it  vanilla!   They  also  guzzle  75 six-packs of soda -
that's 450 cans each.  An average can of soda  contains  9-11
teaspoons of sugar.

    Obviously,  some  people  eat  much  less,  while  others
consume  more.   The  inclusion of refined sugar in the human
diet is relatively new, occuring only in the past 150  years,
with  the  result  that we have not yet developed a tolerance
for  it,  making  us  susceptible  to  certain   degenerative
diseases  in  relationship  to  the  amount  of refined sugar
consumed.

    Unrefined  carbohydrates (all carbohydrate is absorbed as
glucose  in  the  body)  such  as  starch  in   cereals   and
vegetables,  the  sugar in fruit, sugar cane, and sugar beet,
cause no harm in its natural state.  Problems arise only when
they are taken from their  natural  state  and  denatured  by
refining, (e.g.  fructose in fruit is natural.  When fructose
is removed from fruit by a refining process  and  used  as  a
sweetener  in  such  food  as yogurt and deserts, then it has
been denatured).  How did the human diet go from zero refined
sugar  to  160 lbs. per person in 150 years?  To answer this,
it's necessary to  review a brief history of sugar.

    Sugar cane cultivation  began  around  the  3rd  Century,
B.C.,  in  India,  in the Ganges Valley,  believed to be  the
area  known  today  as the State of Bihar.  Sugar cane spread
eastward  to  China  by  the  1st  Century,  B.C.  Slowly, it
reached  the  Mediterranean  area  by  600  A.D.   Here,  the
Crusaders  from Europe were introduced to sugar.  They called
it "honey from reeds." They then brought it to  the  European
countries.  Sugar was well known  throughout  Western  Europe
from the 11th - 15th centuries, but it was very expensive and
difficult to obtain.  (It is now known that Queen Elizabeth 1
of  England's  notoriously bad teeth were probably the result
of her sugar  addiction!)  It  wasn't  until  sugar cane  was
brought  to  the  Americas  that it was cultivated on a large
scale on "sugar plantations" making sugar more plentiful  and
less expensive, although it was still beyond the means of the
common  man  or  woman.   However,  that  changed by the 19th
Century, when sugar beets were discovered as a sugar  source.
They were able  to  be  grown  in  abundance  in  the  milder
climates  of  Western  Europe  and  the  United States, sugar
easily accessible and affordable to the general  populace  by
the  latter  half of the 19th Century.  In the Western World,
by the beginning of  the  20th  Century,  refined  sugar  was
common,  readily  available  and  relatively inexpensive.  In
1900, there were 8 million  tons  of  sugar  available  world
wide,  by  1980,  it  reached  93  million  tons!   No  other
foodstuff consumed by humans has increased at such a rate  in
so short a period of time.

    All of these millions of tons of sugar being eaten do not
end up in millions of sugar bowls throughout the  world.  The
majority  is  consumed  as 'hidden sugar' through other foods
such as ice cream, pies, doughnuts, danish,  cakes,  candies,
cookies,  soft  drinks,  and  a  large  variety  of snack and
packaged, canned and frozen convenience foods.  It  can  even
be   found  in  table salt - read the label, it will probably
list dextrose, which is a  form  of  sugar,  as  one  of  the
ingredients.   There's  also  a  lot of sugar in desserts and
cereals - read the labels!  And, it is found in  baby  foods.
Some  'health  foods'  also  contain  sugar, albeit under the
guise of brown, date or turbinado sugar.   To  make  it  seem
really healthy, honey or fructose is substituted for sugar.

    Is it possible that so much sugar in the  diet may  cause
certain  diseases?   Yes,  sugar consumptions has been linked
with heart disease,  obesity,  dental  caries,  diabetes  and
certain  cancers, especially colon.  The association  between
these  diseases  and sugar intake is mainly based on diseases
in population studies,  showing  sugar  consumption  and  the
incidence  of  a  particular  disease  in  that society.  The
evidence connecting sugar intake with the diseases  above  is
circumstantial  excepting  dental  caries.  Concrete evidence
supports the fact that  sugar  contributes  to  tooth  decay.
Technically, sugar itself doesn't cause tooth decay, however,
when  it combines with oral bacteria, it forms dental plaque,
and subsequently dental caries in those who are  susceptible.
In  unindustrialized  countries  where  people do not consume
refined carbohydrates, the  disease,  the  dental  caries  is
relatively  unknown.  Therefore, it seems like the less sugar
is eaten, the less dental caries and  vice-versa.   This  has
been  the  consensus as far back as Aristotle, who supposedly
inquired: "Why do figs, when they are soft and sweet, produce
damage to the teeth?" The most prevalent disease in the  U.S.
is dental caries.  An astounding 98 percent of the population
is  affected by this disease sometime in their lives.  Having
done damage in the mouth, is it not conceivable that  sucrose
may  damage  other  parts  of the alimentary tract on its way
through as well as other parts of the  body  once  it's  been
absorbed?

   When  does  a  "sweet  tooth" develop?  A desire for sugar
seems to be congenital.  A study of fifteen 2-day old infants
resulted inn the finding  that  they  had  a  preference  for
something  sweet.   At  different  times  they  were  given a
sweetened pacifier, a  dry  pacifier,  a  water  pacifier  or
simply  rocked  in their cradles.  The sweetened pacifier was
the preference of the babies tested  of  the  four  tasted  -
sweet,  sour,  bitter  and  salt.   Infants  can't taste sour
bitter or salt, they can only define sweet.

    Is  sugar  necessary  in the diet, after all isn't it our
chief source of energy?  Refined sugar  is  expendable  since
the  body  manufactures  all  the sugar, or more technically,
glucose   that   it   needs   from   complex   carbohydrates.
Unfortunately,  however,  for  the  majority  of  people, the
starch in their diet would be unpalatable without adding  the
sweet   taste of sugar.  In countries where sugar consumption
rises above 70 lbs. per  capita,  per  year,  it  places  the
population at risk to degenerative diseases.

    In  their book, "Orthomolecular Nutrition", Abram Hoffer,
Ph.D., M.D., and Morton Walker, D.P.M., warn:

    "Refined  sugar  is  particularly  insidious   since   it
produces addiction as severe as any drug addiction.  The only
difference  between  heroin  addiction and sugar addiction is
that sugar doesn't  need  injection,  is  readily  consumable
because  of  its  availability, and isn't considered a social
evil.  However the strength of sugar  addiction  is  just  as
strong as heroin addiction."

    Although there are no known vitamins that will counteract
the damages of sugar, certain vitamins/mineral  are essential
to  its  metabolism.   If your diet is high in carbohydrates,
you need extra thiamine  (B-1).   Thiamine  is  necessary  to
convert   carbohydrates  into  glucose,  therefore  the  more
carbohydrates you eat, the more need  there  is  for  Vitamin
B-1.   A  B-complex  must be taken with individual B vitamins
otherwise and imbalance in the B-vitamins will occur. Vitamin
C is an important vitamin in the utilization of sugar,  also.
It  makes  insulin more effective and has been shown to lower
blood glucose levels in insulin dependent diabetics.  Zinc is
vital  to  the  efficacy  of  insulin  as  well  as   glucose
tolerance. Chromium is absolutely essential to normal glucose
tolerance and carbohydrate metabolism.  As little as 20 parts
per billion are found in human blood.

                   Diet and Weight Control

    One way to get your weight down and  maintain  it  is  to
exercise and eat a low-fat, mostly vegetarian diet.  It's near
impossible  to  get fat and stay fat on a diet consisting  of
whole-grains, beans, vegetables and fruits.  The ultimate way
is   to     eat    solely   vegetarian  foods.  Beans, grains
and soyfoods fill you up and keep  your  body  satisfied  and
fueled  for hours.  The other obvious benefit of this type of
diet is the built-in disease protection it offers you.

    Medical  research  has  proven that a low-fat, high fiber
diet lowers the risk of  many  diseases.   Another  not  very
often  known benefit is that going vegetarian is a lot easier
on your pocketbook and  body.  Especially  with  the  current
unavailability  of affordable, suitable,  health  care.  And,
this way of  eating  is  much  gentler  on  the  environment.
Livestock,  especially  cattle,  devour  huge  amounts of our
precious, non-renewable land and water resources.   For  more
information on this timely concern, please read John Robbin's
"Diet for a New America."

    There  are many reasons for dieting and a myriad of diets
to choose from.  Diets that don't work, over the  long  haul,
are  fad diets such as grapefruit diets, liquid diets, powder
diets, starch blockers,  diet  pills  and  innumerable  other
diets.   You  can  shed  pounds  on almost any diet, but they
won't stay off.  If you just want to lose a couple of  pounds
and  one of these diets may do the trick, however, statistics
prove that of those people who lose 30 pounds.  and  over  on
these diets, 96 percent will gain it back - and possibly more
- within a year.  Then it's back to the roller coaster ride -
losing weight, gaining weight, losing weight, gaining weight.
One study found that people whose weight goes up and down are
more  likely  to have heart and other diseases than those who
keep their weight stable.  So -  once  you  get  your  weight
where you want it, keep it there.

    The best "diet" is what  I  call  the  "lifestyle"  diet.
This  is  a  way  of  eating that you can encompass into your
daily lifestyle ad infinitum.  What is the "lifestyle" diet?
It's where you just go to the produce section in  the  health
food  store or natural foods center in your local supermarket
and fill your cart with fresh vegetables and fruits you like.
From  the  bins,  scoop  a  selection of whole grains, beans,
peas, legumes,  nuts  and  seeds  -  all  excellent  nutrient
sources.  Thirst?  You'll find a large selection of fruit and
vegetable  juices  such  as  orange, apple, berry, raspberry,
kiwi,  watermelon,  fruit  juice  lemonades,  papaya,  grape,
tomato, mixed vegetable juices, carrot, vegetable broth, herb
teas,  and  many  other flavors and combinations, all without
added  sugar.   (To  lower  the  natural  sugar  content  and
calories  in juices, dilute half and half with water). You'll
also find wholewheat, spinach, quinoa and  corn,  barley  and
other  colorful  and  healthful  pastas.   If  you eat animal
protein, ask the butcher for low-fat cuts of range-fed  beef,
low-fat,  preservative and additive-free chicken (remove skin
before cooking or buy skinless), turkey (if you use hamburger
- try cutting it with ground turkey meat - it's a lot " heart
healthier" that way), cornish game  hen,  and  a  variety  of
fresh  fish  and  seafood is often available.  From the dairy
case you can obtain skim milk, fertile eggs, yogurt, tofu and
cheeses.  (Raw goats cheese is lower in fat and less  apt  to
cause  allergies than cow's milk cheeses).  Even lower in fat
are the fairly new soy cheeses.  They come in cheddar,  jack,
jalapeno and garlic jack and mozzarella.  There's even cheese
made  out of almond milk!  Instead of salt and pepper, season
with herbs and spices to tantalize the  taste  buds.   You'll
find  lots  to  choose from.  For a healthy and delicious soy
sauce substitute, try liquid  aminos  -  made  from  soybeans
(contains  most  of  the essential Amino Acids).  Some people
use a lemon squirt in place of salt.  It's  a  great  vinegar
replacement, too.  We only need 300 mg. of salt per day. Most
people  eat  13 times more than they need!  Too much salt can
cause hypertension, which is the number one cause of strokes.
Excess salt can also lead to kidney function  impairment  and
disease.   It leads to water retention and may be a factor in
obesity.  The National Academy of Sciences recommends no more
than 1,100 mg salt per day for people with hypertension.

    How  do  we lower our salt intake?  Number one, eliminate
all processed foods from the diet.  Did you know  that  ounce
for ounce, Kellogg's cornflakes have twice as much sodium  as
Planter's  cocktail  peanuts,  or that a half-a-cup of Jell-o
instant chocolate pudding contains  more  sodium  than  three
slices of Oscar Meyer bacon?!

    There are ways  to  cut  down  on  salt,  here  are  some
guidelines:   Do  not  salt  food at the table; lower salt in
cooking and eventually cut it out  entirely; flavor with kelp
powder,  herbs  and  spices,  lemon;  use  fresh  or   frozen
vegetables  with  no  salt  added  - avoid canned vegetables,
they're high in sodium and low in nutrients; rinse off canned
tuna, it washes away most of the salt; lower and gradually do
without  processed foods including potato chips (very high in
fat, also -  usually  hydrogenated  oils),  pretzels,  cured,
salted,  pickled,  smoked  and  canned  goods, soy sauce (use
liquid aminos), celery, garlic and onion salt -  use  celery,
garlic  and  onion  powder instead, and avoid MSG - it's very
salty.

    Increasing  the  potassium  in  your   diet   will   help
counteract   the  effects  of  sodium,  such  as  high  blood
pressure.  All fruits  are  good  potassium  sources.   Green
vegetables,  grains, legumes (beans, peas, lentils), unsalted
nuts and seeds have high amounts of potassium.

     Those who salt their food before  even  tasting  it  are
often  deficient  in  calcium,  magnesium,  zinc or B-complex
vitamins.  Once they add these supplements to their diet, the
salt craving dies out.

    Here  are  some  tips  for making your food tasty without
lifting the salt shaker:

Editor's  note:  Use  organic, herbs from your natural  foods
store  when  possible  - better yet, use fresh herbs (find in
the produce section or even better, grow them yourself).

    Vegetable soups - Add a little lemon, liquid aminos,  one
of  the  vegetable and herb bouillon cubes or powders, basil,
savory and marjoram and/or other spices.

    Cream soups - Sprinkle in  cinnamon  and  nutmeg  (use  a
light touch).

    Cucumbers  -  Marinate  in lemon and tarragon or dill and
lemon or use vinegar.

    Asparagus - Sprinkle tips and stalks with  nutmeg  before
serving.

    Eggplant  -  Season  with  tomatoes,  bay  leaf,   basil,
oregano, rosemary and a touch of marjoram.

    Mashed potatoes - Perk up with garlic, parsley flakes and
fresh  parsley,  a  touch  of  cayenne  and a bit of paprika.
(Cook the potatoes with a clove  of  garlic  and  some  fresh
parsley.  Discard garlic and  parsley.   Mash  potatoes,  add
parsley  flakes, cayenne and paprika. Dill is very nice, too.
Experiment shake in some curry for a touch of India.  Instead
of butter, drizzle some organic  canola  oil  on  your  baked
potato,  along  with your spices and mix it all in with a few
drops of amino acids (soy sauce  replacer).   Try  grating  a
little  skim-milk  or soy cheese mozzarella on a baked potato
along with a spicy-cooked tomato sauce for  a  pizza  potato.
for this, replace canola with cold-pressed olive oil.

    Green beans - Add nutmeg or savory.   Look  through  your
natural  foods  cookbooks  for a creamy sauce made with nuts,
flour and spices.

    Create  your own "saltless" seasonings with  herbs.   Use
attractive, labeled shakers containing oregano, basil, thyme,
caraway,  sesame  and  poppy  seeds,  celery  seed, marjoram,
summer  savory   and   ground  sunflower  seeds.   Or, choose
one of the many the already prepared salt-free seasonings. If
you want, add dried mushroom powder (you can buy it  or  make
it yourself by drying a few mushrooms and pulverizing them).

       How Do We Know We're Getting Enough Nutrients?

    It is difficult to get adequate nutrition on  diets  that
provide  less  than  1800 calories, actually, most diets call
for   1200   calories   or   less.    Vitamin   and   mineral
supplementation is essential for anyone on a weight reduction
program.  (Editor's note: Consider some of the protein drinks
containing one of the new "green" foods like algae, spirulina
or  chlorella  to give you the extra nutrients and energy you
need while dieting).

    Eat no more than  5-6  oz.  of  meat  per  day  (includes
chicken, fish, etc.): choose one of the following and no more
than  8  oz.  of  non-fat  milk,  buttermilk, low-fat cottage
cheese,  non-fat  plain yogurt (or 4 oz.  low-fat  yogurt)' 1
1/2 oz. of low-sodium low-fat cheese such as raw goat cheese,
raw cheddar or low-cal swiss.   Eat  only  up  to  2  oz.  of
avocado  a  day  and  no  more  than 3 olives, because of fat
content  (if  reducing   don't   include   in   diet   unless
substituting  for  a  dairy  products).  Drink no more than 6
ozs. fruit juice daily, whole fruit is preferable - 3 pieces.
Lower intake of tofu and  peas  to  3  ozs.   per  day.   Soy
products  are  one  of  the  main  allergens,  so  watch  for
symptoms.  Use dried fruit  sparingly  because  of  its  high
sugar  content.  Water can be used to saute vegetables rather
than oils and can be also used in baking chicken and fish. If
cooking with oil, use sparingly.  Heat the pan before putting
oil in - you'll use less that way.  Olive is the  number  one
oil  choice.   It  has the ability to lower cholesterol.  The
second is canola.  It is one of the few vegetable sources  of
Omega-3,  an essential fatty acid which may play an important
part in preventing heart disease and lowering blood pressure.
(Editor's note: Nearly 40  million  people  have  high  blood
pressure.   Here are some natural ways to prevent and control
it without the side effects of many medicines:  Most  doctors
recommend  avoiding  cigarettes, alcohol and salt (more later
regarding sodium). According to  researchers,  potassium-rich
foods  (potatoes,  nuts, fish) can protect against the effect
that salt has on blood pressure.  When  diuretics  are  used,
potassium  is  lost.  For  excess  bodily  water, use natural
diuretics such as cranberry juice,  watercress,  parsley  and
kelp.

    High  sugar  intake  is  also  linked  to   hypertension,
according  to  John  Yudkin,  doctor and author of "Sweet and
Dangerous".

    If   you   have  a  water  softener,  be  sure  it's  for
non-drinking water since softeners rob water of  calcium  and
magnesium while adding sodium.

    Stress and tension including loud noises,  even  everyday
traffic  and  television,  can  raise  blood  pressure  while
soothing music causes it to lower and the body to relax.

    The  1974 JOURNAL OF  THE  AMERICAN  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION
reported that hypertension occurred six times  more  often in
women  taking  oral  contraceptives  than  in those not using
them.

    Vegetarians seem to have lower readings than meat  eaters
as  discussed  in an  Australian study  reported  in  the 1977
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY.

     Onions,  a  longtime  folk  remedy,  have  been found to
contain prostaglandin A1, a hormone-like substance  that  can
lower blood pressure.

     Vitamins  b,  c,  and  e,  plus  minerals  magnesium and
potassium  (bananas have lots of potassium) have  been  known
to reduce blood pressure, also.

     Blood pressure has also  been  lowered  by  biofeedback,
yoga,  stretching,  walking,  aerobic  and  other   exercise,
hypnosis (self and other), meditation, relaxation techniques,
acupressure,   chiropractics,   acupunture, massage, hand and
foot reflexology, herbs and  homeopathic  remedies  and  cell
salts.

NOTE:  For  more  natural  and  herbal  high  blood  pressure
remedies, read "The  Handbook  of  Alternatives  to  Chemical
Medicine  by  MIldred Jackson, N.D. and Terri Teague.

     A   simple  54  isometric exercise found in the May 1978
issue of PREVENTION MAGAZINE has been  used  successsfully to
lower  high  blood  pressure.

    Keep these things in mind while shopping: Is it a natural
food or is it man made?  Purchase a wide variety of food. The
wider, the better.  Each food  has  its  own  combination  of
nutrients.  Eating different foods will insure your receiving
a  variety  of  nutrients.   Fresh vegetables are loaded with
vitamins and minerals, they have no cholesterol and all but a
few (avocados and olives) have fat.   Nuts  and  cheeses  are
high  in  fat  -  use sparingly. Check the ingredients of all
packaged foods you buy.  The fewer ingredients the better. If
you don't know what some of the things are or if  you  cannot
say them without a degree in chemistry, don't buy!

   The  lifestyle  diet  is  composed  of  fresh  vegetables,
fruits,  legumes, whole grains and if you think you need it -
animal protein in small portions.  On this diet, it's best to
avoid refined sugars,  chemicals,  preservatives,  additives,
caffeine,  salt  or  alcohol.   If  you  want to lose weight,
emphasize the vegetables and go easy on grains products until
you reach your optimal weight.  This diet is easy to prepare.
Eat vegetables raw or  slightly  steamed  (too  much  cooking
destroys   nutrients   and  enzymes  and  you  lose  flavor).
Experiment, there are loads of simple, nutritious dishes  you
can  try.  With  imagination - who needs recipes?!  Try this:
Cook rice, millet and barley together, when done add some raw
broccoli  or  other  veggie,  cheese  or soy cheese, nuts and
parsley - or do a stir fry - heat the pan or wok with a small
amount of water in  it  or  wok  first,  then  lightly  saute
vegetables.   If  weight  loss  isn't  desired,  use olive or
canola oil and perhaps a touch of sesame oil  for  a  Chinese
food   flavor.   Then   serve  over steamed brown, basmati or
wild  rice  (or  a  mixture   of   all   three),   delicious!
A combination  of  brown  rice, wild rice and  lentils  works
well.  Experiment   mixing   different   grains   along  with
long-cooking brown rice - barley is a  forgotten  grain  that
is nutrient-loaded and tasty too.

    Most people converting to this  diet  from  the  Standard
American  Diet,  which  is high in fat and refined sugars and
flours and low in fiber, will experience a weight loss simply
because   they  will not be eating so many empty calories and
the  lifestyle  diet  is  more  filling  on  fewer  calories.
Find  ways  to  reduce  calories increase nutrients in foods.
Learn the  value  of  a  calorie.  You  know  there's  a  big
difference  between a 200-calorie candy bar and a 200-calorie
health food bar and a big nutritional difference between each
of those 200-calorie "sweets"  and  a   200-calories  protein
salad.   Even  so-called  diet  foods  aren't  created equal.
Choose nutrient-rich foods.  For instance,  eat  broccoli  as
opposed to lettuce.  Both are low in calories, but lettuce is
mainly  water.  You're not getting the large doses of vitamin
A you get in broccoli.

    Remember, no  lifestyle is complete without exercise.  No
matter  what  form of movement you choose, it is an essential
part of maintaining the weight you desire.  Without  exercise
it's   almost impossible to stay at your ideal weight without
constantly counting calories no matter  what  diet  your  on.
Exercise  increases  metabolism  as  much  as  20-30 percent,
prevents  muscle  loss,  controls  appetite,  and  a  greater
percentage  of caloric intake (energy) is used in muscle cell
maintenance than in fat cell maintenance.   Exercise  can  be
fun, challenging and exciting - if we make it so.  Beyond the
benefits of burning calories, exercise does more.  It can get
us  in  touch more with who we are, what we like and dislike,
and help us to become more aware and  to  feel  better  about
ourselves.

   Before embarking on any major weight loss and/or  exercise
program, check with your physician or health practitioner.

   Here   are   some   basic  tips that might help you attain
and maintain your "ideal" weight:

*   Put  things  in  their  proper  perspective.   One or two
indulgences is not the end of the world.  You are  not  going
to  gain  20  lbs. because you ate one piece of cheesecake or
ate more than your share of cookies or  didn't  exercise  for
two  days  in  a row.  Don't make these indulgences an excuse
for  going hog wild and not getting back on  your "program" -
or soon you'll be fighting off an extra 20 lbs!

*  Identify the behavior patterns you want to modify.  Keep a
record of where and when you binge.  For example, "Every time
I go into the kitchen I must  have  something  to  eat."   "I
overdo  my  exercise routine and exhaust myself when I've had
an argument with my spouse, mother kids, etc."  "I drink  too
much  when I'm in social situations where I feel inadequate."
Once you become aware of the circumstances in which you over-
indulge,   you   can   begin  to  change  them.   Create  new
guidelines:  "I will only  eat  while  sitting  down  at  the
table."   "I'll wait until I'm relaxed before I eat."  And so
on.

*  Keep a food diary.  I have all my clients write down every
morsel they eat or drink for at least 7 days (in  some  cases
it's  ongoing).   This way they can see how much food they're
eating and what kind of foods they often  gravitate  towards.
This  can  also be beneficial in tracking down food allergies
especially if you notice any reactions to foods eaten.

*  Find ways to cope with boredom,  anxiety  and  depression.
If  you  smoke,  drink,  take  drugs  or  eat  excessively in
reaction to stress find other alternatives that will calm you
(from meditation to taking up a new hobby).  However, if your
stress   is   work   related,   ongoing   hassels   in   your
relationships, or other continuing problems, you'd be wise to
solve the problems and not just ignore them  through  denying
and distraction.

*   Forget crash diets such as the liquid, grapefruit, boiled
egg or the 400 calories a day  diet.   Instead,  change  your
eating  habits to reduce fats and refined carbohydrates which
are high in calories and  low  in  nutrients.   Eat  nutrient
dense  rather  than  calories  dense  foods.   There's  a big
nutritional difference between a 200 calorie candy bar and  a
200  calories  salad.  The secret to permanent weight control
is not a diet at all.  It is a well-balanced eating  plan  to
encompass  a lifetime based on healthy, tasty foods that have
maximum nutritional value.   There  is  no  need  to  deprive
yourself  on  this type of "diet".  You can actually eat more
and weigh less.

*  The Standard American Diet consists  of  over  40  percent
fat, at 9 calories per gram, has more than twice the calories
of  carbohydrates or protein at 4 calories per gram each, and
adds pounds to the body.   Recent  research  reveal  that  97
percent  of  all  fat  calories  are  converted to body  fat.
(Prevention  Magazine,  January,  1988, page 34)  Use protein
foods such as  grains  and  beans,  flours  -  tortillas  and
beans,   flours   -   breads,   crackers,   and  seeds,  etc.
(complimentary protein)  in place of  fatty  high-cholesterol
foods  such   as  beef   and   pork.   Editor's  note:  These
meats  are  more  often than not loaded with toxic chemicals,
growth hormones and disease - for more information and for  a
convincing  argument  for  Vegetarianism - read John Robbins'
"Diet for a New America".

*   Again,  exercise  is an essential part of any weight loss
program.  For more information on this  subject,  go to "What
About   Exercise?"  Aerobic exercise, 30 minutes, three times
a week will stimulate your metabolism  so  that  you'll  burn
calories  at  a  faster  rate  than usual for about  24 hours
after exercise in addition to the calories burned during  the
aerobic    session.    Aerobics   activity   stimulates   the
metabolism  more than any other factor.  Other  benefits  are
that  it  increases  your muscle mass, strengthens your bones
and spine, and reduces body fat.  However,  aerobics  is  not
better  than any other exercise for weight loss.  Three times
a week for at least 20 minutes is plenty for  burning  off  a
significant  number  of  calories.   Walking  is an excellent
aerobic exercise and only requires a good pair of  shoes  and
comfortable  clothing.  After exercise, your appetite will be
much more manageable.  It will not  increase  your  hunger  -
contrary to the myth.

*  Drink  lots  of   water!   Water  helps  to  lessen  water
   retention  because it acts as a diuretic.  If you have the
   munchies,  drink  5-8 ozs. of water, wait 5-8 minutes then
   see  if you're still "hungry." This also works well before
   and between meals to suppress the appetite.  It's best  to
   not drink water with meals as it dilutes digestive enzymes
   necessary to breakdown and  assimilate  food.   And,  when
   food isn't digested thoroughly weight gain can occur.

*  Plan your  meals.   Give  careful  consideration  to  what
   you'll  be putting into your body.  If responsible for the
   cooking,  outline  a  meal plan for the week or at least a
   few days ahead.

*  Plan your exercise  period  the  same  time  each  day  if
possible.   That  way it becomes a habit - like brushing your
teeth or taking a shower.  I run early in the morning.  When,
for some reason I put it off until later in the day,  I  just
don't  run  that  day.   However,  any  time you can fit your
exercise in is better than not exercising!

*  Let it be o.k. to feel  hungry.   Practice  waiting  until
you're  hungry before you eat.  a lot of people are so out of
touch with their bodies, they can't really tell if  they  are
physically  or  just  "emotionally"*  hungry.   If you really
can't wait until your next meal...

*  Choose    high-fiber,    high    water  snack  foods  like
watermelon,  celery,  radishes,  carrot  sticks, jicama, etc.
Empty  your  cupboards  of  finger foods that are easy to eat
a  lot  of.  (Editors  note:  Avoid  greasy,  cheesey,  salty
snacks  like  the  plague!)  Substitute these with air-popped
popcorn and rice cakes.  These foods are high in fiber,  very
low in calories, and are filling.

*  It's best to sit down at the table - not the T.V. to  eat.
Use  small  plates so your servings look bigger.  Concentrate
on the presentation and  enjoy  texture,  colors  and  aroma.
Sometimes  using  a  cocktail fork or chopsticks can help you
take smaller bites.   This  way  you  can  eat  more  slowly,
savoring  and enjoying each and every bite.  Digestion begins
in the mouth.   If  food  is  wolfed  down  it  won't  digest
properly   and  can  lead  to  weight  gain  and  nutritional
deficiencies.  It's optimal to eat the bulk of your  calories
in the first part of the day.  Also, for best results as  far
as weight loss, eat dinner early, and skip dessert.

*  Avoid  eating late in the evening.  It takes several hours
to digest proteins and fats.  Also, metabolism slows down  at
night  making  it  more  difficult  to  burn  calories.  Late
evening and night snacking contributes to weight gain.

*  Give yourself enough food.  Be sure you don't  lower  your
caloric  intake  below 1.000 a day, you just won't get enough
nutrients that way.  In fact, it's essential  on  any  weight
loss  program  to  take  extra  vitamins  and  mineral.   Let
yourself have some of your favorite foods.  But do lower your
intake.   Just  have  a  little  - and not every day.  If you
deprive yourself you'll want to rush back to  your  habit  of
overeating.

*  Remember, imagination  wins out  over willpower 99 percent
of the  time.   Instead  of  imagining  your  favorite  food,
visualize  yourself  10  pounds heavier.  Then add a few more
pounds to the picture.  Do  you  still  want  that  fattening
food?   Now close your eyes and see and feel yourself at your
desired weight.  That  ought to nip the craving in  the  bud!
Better  yet:  Imagine  yourself 20 lbs.  lighter.  Close your
eyes  and see your new self into a mirror with a bathing suit
on.  See and feel the way you would like to  look  and  feel.
Tell  yourself  how  good  you  look.   Lavish  yourself with
praise.  See and feel yourself shopping for clothes for  your
new, trim body.

*   Give  up  being envious of your friends, sister, brother,
spouse, neighbor if he or she can eat like a rhino and  never
gain  an  ounce.  We're all biochemically different - just as
no two sets of fingerprints are the  same.  Envious  thoughts
get you nowhere and they may get you fat(ter)!

*  Avoid  sugar (honey, molasses, maple and brown rice syrup,
barley malt, sorghum, corn  sweeteners,  fructose,  etc.)  it
only makes you crave more.

*  If your sweet tooth must be pacified, eat a small piece of
fruit or  a  few  sips  of  fruit  juice  diluted  with  half
sparkling water.

*  Refrain  from weighing yourself every day.  Once a week is
enough - upon arising is best.  Weight fluctuates  throughout
the day .  You may weigh more at night than in the morning.

*  Effective weight loss is easier when you replace  negative
thoughts with positive ones.

*  Set  attainable  weight  goals.  Say, " I want  to lose 10
lbs. this month" - not "I want to lose 150 lbs."

*  Be realistic - work for improvement, not perfection.

*  Abandon strict rules, such as: "I'll never eat a chocolate
bar.  Or "I'll never eat a doughnut as long as  I  live."  Or
"I'll never stop at a fast food restaurant for pizza." If you
do  find yourself breaking one of your own strict rules, have
compassion, be gentle and let yourself off the hook.  If  you
go  into  guilt it possibly could cause you to eat more of it
or cause you to feel miserable and worthless.

*  Reward yourself for your  efforts and accomplishments, but
not  with  food.  Satisfy  one  of  your other senses.  Buy a
beautiful  new   book   (not  a  cookbook!)  take  a  special
mineral, aroma or oil bath, etc.

*  If you stick to your "program" for six days out of  seven,
give  yourself  a pat on the back for the days you stuck with
it - don't punish yourself for the one day's slip  up.   This
way it'll be easier to get back on track.

*  Overweight people tend to binge when they become  stressed
and  emotional.  When annoyed with your spouse or kids do you
grab potato chips, crackers, pretzels, ice cream,  a  handful
of  nuts,  or  whatever  food you treat yourself when feeling
deprived?  This  is  emotional  hunger  activated  by  anger,
insecurity,   boredom,  frustration,  lonliness,   avoidance,
etc.,  which adds even more weight.  When stressed, people go
to food because it's plentiful and readily  available  rather
than  a  hug  or  an encouraging word which is really what we
need but it's not always available.

   Here are some other reasons for and thoughts on  emotional
eating:

*  Low  self-esteem  and  unresolved  issues in relationships
with spouse, co-workers and others.

*  Uncomfortable  business  and  social  situations - loss of
love - separation/divorce - increased job responsibilities  -
all can help motivate us to seek comfort in food.  Alone at a
social  gathering we may find ourselves reaching out for food
rather than for people.  We may be so stressed at  work  that
we  think  we  have  to run out for coffee and doughnuts in a
futile attempt to alleviate the stress.

*  It's not just  unpleasant  situations  that  can  lead  to
overeating  -  pleasant  occasions can also do the job.  It's
gratifying to cook a meal or dessert  you  know  your  family
enjoys,  even  if  it's high in calories.  Does watching T.V.
cue you to gather up you favorite snacks to  munch  on?   Are
you  brainwashed  by  the commercials to seek out the beer or
wine in  the  fridge?   When  you  see  that  darling  little
doughboy do you want to grab those goodies out of the freezer
and  throw  them  in  the  microwave?   Weddings,  birthdays,
promotions, retirements, graduations, anniversaries, are  all
celebrated   with   food,   and   who   doesn't  occasionally
overindulge their taste buds?  What about vacations!?  Again,
allow  yourself  a  little  slip-up  a  time  or  two  - then
quickly get back on track.

*  Mood swings can activate erratic eating patterns; skipping
meals when you're "up"  and  eating  to  excess  when  you're
"down".

*  Family habits also play a part in  your  eating  patterns.
Chances  are is your parents used food to cope with problems,
you've picked up their habit.  And who doesn't remember as  a
child  getting  a  cookie,  some  ice-cream  or  candy  after
scraping a knee, or being treated to  a  sticky  sweet  treat
while  sick (the total opposite of what your  body  needed!),
or  being  rewarded  with  fresh  baked brownies.  How  about
being  sent  to  your room without dinner for punishment.  Or
being told that if you don't eat  everything  on  your  plate
you  won't  get  dessert. Or, " Since you were bad today, you
don't get any dessert, Johnny".  Are you still  being  driven
by  those  old "tapes" from childhood even though you are now
an adult?

*  Evidence support the facts that what you eat affects  your
feelings  and  behavior  by  causing  changes in the chemical
balance.  High protein diets cause an imbalance and  cravings
for  carbohydrates.   Carbohydrates  increase  the   chemical
serotonin,  a  relaxant,  as  well  as the acid tryptophan, a
natural anti-depressant.  Conversely, too  much  caffeine  in
coffee,  soft  drinks,  some  diet  and cold and sinus relief
pills can cause nervous tension  and  irritability.   Refined
sugar   can  make  you  hyperactive,  "spacey"  and  nervous,
especially among children who are constantly craving sugar.

*  Instead of gorging yourself with food, set out to  get  in
touch with your feelings.  This is where a food diary is very
helpful.  You can note what you eat, how much, circumstances,
feelings, thoughts, emotions, and what you  experienced.   Is
there a clue to the emotions in the food you crave?  Perhaps,
chewy  foods  such as bagels are often the choice when angry.
Mashed potatoes, pudding, chocolate cake, brownies, milk  and
cookies  or  other  foods  associated with pleasant childhood
memories may be the  choice  when  you  want  to  be  babied.
Chocolate  is  the  choice  for  that feeling of fullness and
satisfaction.  On the other hand, foods  that  mean  security
for one person may have no such meaning for another.  Many of
the   "emotional"   foods  you  crave  today  may  stem  from
childhood.

*  Instead of going to the fridge or your favorite restaurant
when you  feet  stressed  or  emotional,  do  something  more
constructive  to  satisfy  your  emotions  and  dissipate the
anxiety.  Take some deep breaths, meditate, do  a  relaxation
technique,  call  a friend or write in you diary.  Get "lost"
in a book, video, go to a movie, do  a  jigsaw  or  crossword
puzzle, write a letter, take a walk, pick up that magazine or
newspaper  and  make yourself current, do anything that would
take your mind off eating.

*  If the need to feed or stuff down your anxiety or anger is
so strong that it seems nothing will replace it  -  at  least
choose  healthy, low-cal foods, such as carrots, celery, rice
cakes or make a salad - the time it takes to put it  together
will  help  dissipate  some  of your anxious emotions.  Avoid
calorie and fat laden sweets and desserts.

Editor's  note:  Most adults would probably not be overweight
if they had learned to follow body signals rather than mental
ones.  Your brain can talk you into wanting food, when it has
no actual physical need for nourishment, calories or  energy.
Generally,  children  are free of these tricks, responding to
physical hunger rather than the insecurities  that  sometimes
trigger adult eating disorders and problems.

*  Toss  out   all  of  the larger sized clothes and belts in
your closet - they're just inviting you to gain weight.

*  Reach out to others.  Say pleasant things to  friends  and
loved   ones.   Think  positively!  When you're happy, others
around  you  will  find  it  easier  to  find  happiness   in
themselves.  Your self-image will improve and you  will  feel
more motivated to attain your desired weight.

*  Fat is sometimes used not only as insulator for the body -
but also for the mind.  Food is a form of oral gratification,
an immature way of feeling secure.  When people  are  anxious
or  stressed-out,  eating  seems  to  make  them feel better.
Fat  may  be  an  insulation against hurt and a way to keep a
"safe" distance between the person and others.

*  Overweight people need to learn to love their bodies  just
as  they  are  now, not several months or years down the road
when  and  if they become thin.  Overeating is often a result
of low self-esteem.  Upgrade your self-esteem,  respect  your
body  and  allow  it to be healthy.  Then soon you will reach
your "ideal" weight.

        What are Vitamins and How are They Important?

   Vitamins are organic substances  produced  by  plants  and
animals,  which   our   bodies  need  to  grow  and  develop.
Whereas   food  provides  energy by way of calories. Vitamins
are co-enzymes, meaning they are catalysts for enzymes, which
cause our bodies to metabolize the food calories for  energy.
We  cannot  exist without vitamins, they are an integral part
of our  food  supply.   Although  they're  only  required  in
microscopic   amounts,  deficiencies  can  lead  to  disease.
Vitamins are not a replacement for food.

    Vitamins  are   broken  up  into  two  categories:  Water
soluble and fat soluble.  Fat soluble vitamins  in  food  are
more   stable   when  exposed  to  heat  during  cooking  and
processing than the  water  soluble  vitamins  which  can  be
easily  lost.   Fat soluble vitamins, which are not used, are
stored in the liver to be released when needed.  Unused water
soluble vitamins are excreted in the urine.  The body uses as
much  of  the  vitamins  as  it  needs  and only excretes the
remainder.   In  so doing, it may be promoting good health in
the kidneys, bladder and urinary tract; and doing good things
in other parts of the body on its way out.   So,  in  effect,
even "wasted" vitamins may protect tissues and organs against
disease.

   For  prolonged and best absorption, vitamins must be taken
with food.  It's best to take fat soluble vitamins  with  fat
(doesn't  have  to  be  animal  fat)  in your food for easier
transportation and absorption.  For  instance,  if  you  take
vitamin   A   on  an  empty  stomach  there  is  very  little
absorption.  The same applies to the fat soluble vitamins  in
your  multi-vitamin - take them with a meal which has fat  in
it.   The  B-complex's  and Vitamin C can be absorbed with or
without food, however, taking them with food slows  down  the
absorption rate so that they are not excreted as fast as they
would  be  if  taken on an empty stomach.  This increases the
vitamin level in the bloodstream  over  a  longer  period  of
time.   To  get  the  maximum  benefit  from  vitamins,  it's
suggested  that  they  be divided into doses to be taken with
meals throughout the day.  When taking large doses of Vitamin
C, it can be better absorbed by taking it  in  several  small
doses.   Taking  one  large dose causes it to be absorbed and
excreted too fast so that long-term effects are  invalidated.
Remember,  the body works on a 24-hour cycle.  When we sleep,
it's still working.  In order to carry out its  many  tasks,,
it needs nutrients, sufficient water and oxygen.

   RDA  means  the  Recommended Daily Allowance pertaining to
vitamins and mineral.  The RDA is controlled by the Food  and
Drug  Administration (FDA).  Information regarding the RDA is
found  on   supplement   and  prepackaged  food  labels.   In
general,  the  RDA  is  quite  low.   We  need more than they
recommend to protect us against  many  of  the  diseases  and
stresses  rampant  in society today.  Besides, the RDA cannot
guarantee  the  optimum  supplement  dosage  for  each person
because we are all "biochemically individual".

Below is a list of the fat soluble vitamins:

VITAMIN A:  It comes in two forms - retinol - found  only  in
the  animal  kingdom, and carotene - found in plants.  Humans
have the ability to convert carotene into Vitamin A in  their
bodies.   This  is  done mainly in the liver although it also
occurs  to  a  lesser  extent  in  the  intestines during the
absorption process of food.  Studies have revealed that  half
of  the  U.S.  adult population are Vitamin A deficient.  The
highest deficiency is found among blacks and hispanics.

What it does:  Helps to keep the retina of the  eye  healthy,
counteracts night blindness, and other eye problems; promotes
growth,  assists  bone  development;  maintains  skin,  mucus
membranes,  hair,  nails,  teeth,  gums and adrenal glands in
optimum  condition.   May  protect  against  certain  cancers
(especially skin); strengthens and protects the immune system
against  infections;  may  contribute  to  slowing  the aging
process; is an oxidant and prevents Vitamin C from oxidizing,
allowing Vitamin C to work more effectively.

Vegetarian  food  sources:  Eggs,  cheddar  cheese,   butter.
Carotene   -   carrots,   sweet   potatoes, kale, collard and
mustard  greens,  spinach,  broccoli,  pumpkin,   persimmons,
melons, apricots, parsley, and other orange, yellow and green
vegetables  and  fruit.  Editor's note: The number one source
is blue green algae.

VITAMIN D:  Known as the  "sunshine  vitamin"  since  it  can
synthesized  through  ultra  violet   rays   from   the   sun
interacting  with oils on the skin to produce a derivative of
cholesterol which is absorbed  through  the  pores  into  the
blood.  It's also found in smaller amounts in foods.

What it does:  Helps in the  absorption  and  utilization  of
calcium  and phosophorous to maintain healthy bones and teeth
as well as nerves and muscle.  Assists in the assimilation of
Vitamin A.  Research shows that colon cancer seems to be more
prevalent in people living in colder climates where there  is
very  little sunshine, whereas, skin cancer is more common in
people  living  in   sunny   climates.  Could   the    common
denominator  be  Vitamin  D - in the one instance too little,
and in the other, too much?

Vegetarian  food  sources: The main source of this vitamin is
sunlight.  Other  sources  are:  Low  concentrations  in  egg
yolk,cream  and  butter;  Vitamin  D enriched milk; sunflower
seeds, almonds,  coconut,  soybeans,  legumes  (some);  goats
milk,  dairy  products,  brown and other natural un-processed
rice; bran and brewer's yeast (some are  highly  allergic  to
this  yeast  form).

VITAMIN  E:  This  vitamin  is an active antioxidant and free
radical scavenger.   Free  radicals  are  unstable  chemicals
which   attack  our  cellular  structure.   Some  are  formed
naturally  by  the  body  itself  as  a  by-product  of  body
chemistry,  however,  they  can  be  created unnaturally from
pollutants,  toxins and chemicals.  These  free  radicals  or
oxidants  are powerful enough to change the DNA coding within
our  cells,  thereby  making the cells vulnerable to cancers.
When Vitamin E is in short  supply,  free  radicals  can  get
through   our   antioxidant  shields,  which  may  result  in
increased damage to the brain, nervous system, blood,  heart,
liver,  kidney,  and  pancreatic  tissues.  Excessive oxidant
production in the body's tissues  is  linked  to  accelerated
aging.   Studies show Vitamin E protects the muscles of heavy
exercisers against free radical damage.   According  to  some
specialists, alpha-tocopherol is the most potent and superior
form  of  Vitamin  E.  Editor's note: Q-10 enzymes are also a
very effective anti-oxidant and may prevent heart disease.

What it does:  Helps to retard the aging process by oxidizing
the  cells;  oxygenates  the  body,  thereby giving  you more
stamina; prevents Vitamins B & C from oxidizing;  works  with
Vitamin   A  to  protect the lungs from pollutants; maintains
a healthy heart; helps to prevent and dissolve  blood  clots;
aids  in  muscle  cramping;  boosts  the  circulatory system;
strengthens the immune system  -  helping  it  to  fight  off
infections;   beneficial  to  infertility  problems;  applied
topically it can aid in the healing process of burn  victims,
prevents   scarring (also can help with returning scar tissue
to "normal") and keeps skin supple.  (Editor's note:  Vitamin
E  in  adequate  doses - from 400- 1600 units daily, relieved
"restless leg syndrome" (legs tense up for no apparent reason
and feel compelled to get up and move around)  and  nocturnal
leg  cramping,  according  to  a study done by Doctors Samuel
Ayres, Jr.  and Richard Mihan.  Their research findings  were
reported in the 1975 MEDICAL WORLD NEWS.

Vegetarian  food  sources:  Omega 3 flax seed oil, wheat germ
oil,  raw  wheat germ, sunflower seeds and oil, safflower and
olive oil, various nuts, peanut  butter,  almond  butter  and
peanut  oil,  whole  grain  cereals,  green leafy vegetables,
soybeans and soybean  oil,  whole  grains,  and  whole  grain
flours.

VITAMIN K:  Known as the "blood clotting" vitamin since it is
essential for the liver to produce the  blood-clotting factor
prothrombin.  No  dietary  allowance  has  been set  for this
vitamin, however, deficiency is rare.

What it does:  Prevents internal  bleeding  and  hemorrhages;
aids in blood clotting.

Food  sources:  Leafy green vegetables, cabbage, cauliflower,
alfalfa,  sunflower   seeds,   yogurt;   also   produced   by
intestinal flora.

                   Water Soluble Vitamins

    Why  are   the   B-vitamins  referred  to  as  "complex"?
Because  they  aren't  found  individually  in fresh foods or
living tissue.  Where there is one, you'll  find  the  others
present.  They go together - they work synergistically - they
are  catalysts  for  each  other.   They   consist   of   B-1
(thiamine),  B-2  (riboflavin), B-3 (niacin/niacinamide), B-5
(pantothenic  acid),  B-6  (pyroxidine),  B-12  (cobalimine),
Folic Acid  and Biotin.  PABA, Inositol, and Choline are also
included in the B-complex family, however,  some  controversy
exists  as  to  whether  they are truly B vitamins.  The best
non-meat food sources of the B-complex  vitamins  are:  whole
grains,  brewer's  yeast, brown rice, wheat germ, bran, milk,
eggs,  nuts  and  seeds  of  all  kinds,  legumes  and  green
vegetables.   As  well  as  various food sources and nutrient
supplements, the B-complex's can be cultivated from bacteria,
yeasts,  fungi  and  molds.  (Editor's note:  In his "Insects
and Allergy and What to Do About Them",  Claude  A.  Frazier,
M.D.  says  that  increasing intake of the B-complex vitamins
and especially B1 will keep  mosquitoes  away.   Experimental
testing  has  not proven that this works, but many PREVENTION
magazine readers write in to say that  B  vitamins  keep  the
bugs  away.   One  woman  wrote  of  taking 100 milligrams of
thiamine (B1) with every  meal  during  mosquito  season  and
said,  "believe  it  or  not, not one mosquito will come near
me."  (See PREVENTION, July 1981, pg. 67).

    Referred to as the "nerve  vitamins",  they're  essential
for  the proper functioning of the nervous system and as such
are  the  most  important   vitamins   for   healthy  nerves.
However,  B-vitamins  are  necessary  for  many  other bodily
functions.   They  provide the body with energy by converting
carbohydrate into glucose, which is the  body's  main  energy
source,  and  metabolize  proteins  and fats.  Stress ups the
need for B-vitamins; skin and  hair  health;  cracks  at  the
corner of the mouth; changes in the eye; healthy reproductive
glands,  are  all  dependent  on  water  soluble  B-vitamins.

   Since B-vitamins are water soluble, what isn't  needed  is
excreted (with the exception of Vitamin B-12, which is stored
in  the  liver  in  small  amounts),  therefore  they must be
replenished daily.  B-vitamin supplements should be taken  as
a  complex.   This gives a foundation which can be built upon
for individual needs.  For instance,  when  a  disease  state
exists   caused   by   a  B-vitamin  deficiency,  a  singular
B-vitamin, known to be beneficial for that particular  health
problem,  may  be  supplemented  in a greater dosage than the
others; e.g., in the case of anemia, additional B-12  may  be
used along with other supplements. However, a basic B-vitamin
is best taken by itself without the accompanying B-complex in
order to avoid imbalances.

   Long cooking   methods,  high  temperatures,  storing  for
lengthy  periods  of  time,  and refining processes destroy B
vitamins.  Drugs, chemicals, alcohol,  birth  control  pills,
antibiotics,  antacids, coffee and refined sugar deplete most
of the B-vitamins.

The following are a listing of the water soluble vitamins:

VITAMIN  B-1  (thiamine):   Although  unknown in this country
today, a deficiency of this vitamin can cause beriberi.  This
disease was particularly acute among orientals where  refined
rice  was the major staple of the diet.  The husk and germ of
the rice is lost in the milling process and  this  where  the
thiamine  is  stored.   Nowadays,  refined cereals, flour and
rice have thiamine added back into them.  Still, deficiencies
of this diet exist because of  the  highly  refined  American
diet.   Editor's  note:  Whenever  possible,  buy and prepare
whole,  unmilled  rice  -   organic   brown   is   the   most
nutritionally superior of the rices.

What it does:  One of the main roles thiamine plays is in the
digestion  in metabolism of starches and sugars so that  they
can be used by the body for energy.  The more carbohydrate in
the  diet  the  greater  the need for thiamine.  It is mildly
diuretic and assists in keeping the body's water in  balance.
Extremely important for the nervous system and mental acuity.
Assists  Vitamin-A in preventing night blindness; keeps skin,
hair and liver healthy, stabilizes appetite.

VITAMIN  B-2  (riboflavin):   This  is  quite conceivably the
number one  vitamin  deficiency  in  this  country.   Perhaps
because  it's  not abundant in our general food supply as the
other  B-vitamins.  It  is   more   prevalent   in   natural,
unprocessed  foods.   It's  easily  destroyed by light, e.g.,
milk  in  glass bottles and transparent,  plastic  containers
is  more  susceptible  to  B-2  loss  than  milk in opaque or
cardboard cartons.

What  it  does:    Helps   metabolize   fats,   protein   and
carbohydrate.   Necessary  for  antibody  and  red blood cell
formation, promotes healthy skin  and  nails;  beneficial  to
eyesight,  may  help  retard  the  formation  of   cataracts;
necessary   for   growth   and  reproduction;  aids  in  iron
assimilation; counteracts stress.

VITAMIN  B-3  (niacin/niacinamide):   For  the  prevention of
deficiencies this vitamin can be taken  in  either  of  these
forms.   The  physiological  difference  is  that niacin is a
vasodilator (increases  circulation,  and  aids  in  lowering
cholesterol)  and  causes  flushing and itching when taken in
large  doses.   Niacinimide  is  not  a  vasodilator  and  no
flushing  or  itching occurs, even in large doses.  Niacin is
found chiefly in plants, whereas, niacinimide is  predominant
in  animals.   Tryptophan,  an  amino  acid,  is converted to
niacin in the body.  Pellagra, a disease  caused  by  chronic
niacin   deficiency,  manifests  as  dementia,  diarrhea  and
dermatitis.  If left untreated it can result in death.

What it does:  It is necessary to convert food  into  energy;
alleviates  stress  (along  with  B-1  and B-2); helps  lower
cholesterol and triglycerides;  maintenance  of  the  nervous
system  and cardiac health, regulates hormones; beneficial in
schizophrenia; has wound healing capabilities.

VITAMIN  B-5 (pantothenic acid):  Pantothenic Acid is derived
from the Greek word "pantos" meaning everywhere, since it  is
found  in almost all foods and all cells.  It appears to have
the ability to somewhat retard the aging process and  promote
longevity (according to animal testing results).  It has been
reported  to  restore  color  in  greying  hair.  The richest
natural source of pantothenic acid is found  in  royal  jelly
which  is  fed  to the queen bee, extending her life span far
beyond that of the worker bees.

What it does: Important vitamin in building and strengthening
the adrenals and dealing  with  stress.   Like  most  of  the
B-vitamins   it   is   essential   to   the   metabolism   of
carbohydrates, fats and protein.  Beneficial  in  hay  fever;
necessary  for  antibody  formation; healthy skin and nerves,
maintains blood sugar stability.

VITAMIN B-6 (pyroxidine):  This vitamin is depleted by  birth
control  pills  and  is  connected  to  PMS  problems such as
depression, bloating, breast pain  and  acne,  which  can  be
alleviated by taking extra B-6 7-10 days before menstruation.
Along  with  magnesium,  B-6  given  in  high  doses, may  be
beneficial in autism.  Used successfully in the treatment  of
carpal tunnel syndrome, a neurological disorder affecting the
wrists  and  hands  and often the arms and shoulders, so that
lifting even the lightest of objects  can  be  very  painful.
Often  times this disorder is "treated" by surgery which does
not have long term effects.

What it does:  Necessary for antibody formation;  metabolizes
fat;  regulates cholesterol levels; controls sodium/potassium
balance and magnesium level in blood; important  for  healthy
red blood cells, skin and nervous system; health of teeth and
gums;  regulates  enzymes;  alleviates  certain PMS problems;
maintains healthy sexual organs.

VITAMIN  B-12  (cobalamin):   This is the only B-vitamin that
the body can store.  However, since it is found primarily  in
foods   of  animal  origin, and only in very small amounts in
green  vegetables,  it  is  essential that strict vegetarians
supplement their diet with extra B-12.  (Editor's  note:  You
can  get this through soy foods and microalgae.) Best to take
with other B-vitamins and calcium for maximum absorption  and
utilization.

What it does:  Involved in red blood cell formation and  bone
marrow  function,  carbohydrate,  protein and fat metabolism;
utilization of iron and ascorbic acid; necessary  for  proper
nerve function; essential for genetic coding - DNA and RNA.

FOLIC  ACID (aka folacin/folate):  Studies have shown that as
many as half of the women in this country may  have  a  folic
acid  deficiency.  If your gums bleed a lot, you may not only
be short in Vitamin C, but folate too.   Vegetables  are  the
primary  source  of  folate,  however studies have found that
when vegetables are cooked in water most of the  folate  ends
up  in  the  water.   This  is good reason to use the cooking
water for  soups,  stews,  or  "broth"  drinks.   Microwaving
vegetables, causes even greater losses of folic acid.

What  it does:  Along with B-12, it's necessary for red blood
cell formation and DNA coding; and for the functioning of the
nervous  system  and  gastrointestinal   tract;   counteracts
depression;  aids in the liver's performance and hydrochloric
acid production; aids metabolism and appetite; essential  for
fetal development.

BIOTIN:    This  vitamin  is  defined  in  Dorland's  Medical
Dictionary as "required by or occurring in all forms of  life
tested".  Like pantothenic, deficiencies had to be induced to
discover  what they were.  Not only is it found in all foods,
but like Vitamin K, it's also manufactured by  they  body  in
the  large  intestine  from  bacteria.   A  substance  called
avidin,  found in raw egg white, binds with biotin and blocks
its absorption, however, you would have to eat a large amount
of raw eggs each  day  for  a  biotin  deficiency  to  occur.
Cooking eggs prevents this problem.

What  it  does:   Like  the other B-vitamins, biotin helps to
break  down  carbohydrates,  fats  and  protein into cellular
energy.  Since this is a fairly new member of the B-team, all
of  its  functions are not completely known yet.  It may help
with muscle pain and depression.  It is  essential  for  skin
health  and  claims  have  been  made that it can help retard
greying hair and hair loss.

PABA  (para-aminobenzoic  acid):  If you want to be protected
against the sun's ultraviolet rays during the  summer,  reach
for  the  suntan  lotion  high  in PABA.  Studies at Harvard
Medical   School  on  two  dozen   sunblocking   preparations
revealed that PABA gave the best protection.

What it does:  Apart from being the best sunscreen available,
it is also helpful  to  the  skin  in  cases  of  eczema  and
vitiligo  (loss  of  pigmentation).   It  helps to synthesize
folic  acid  from  intestinal  bacteria;  aids   in   protein
metabolism; assists in red blood cell formation.

CHOLINE:    Choline  is  a  member  of  the  lipotropic  (fat
emulsifier)   family,   consisting   of   choline,   betaine,
methionine  and  iositol.   It  is  found naturally in a wide
range of meat and vegetables, and can be  synthesized  within
the  body if conditions are right.  Together with inositol it
is the basic constituent of lecithin.

What it does:  If your memory is  not  what  is  used  to  be
perhaps consider adding choline to your supplements.  It is a
precursor  to  acetylcholine,  a  brain  compound,  which  is
necessary for the smooth flow of  nerve  impulses.   Research
reveals that adding choline to the diet raises the  level  of
acetylcholine in the brain and in turn enhance memory recall.
Along  with inositol it helps to emulsify cholesterol both in
the gallbladder and the  arterial  walls;  keeps  the  liver,
heart   and   kidneys   healthy  as  well  as  nerve  tissue:
metabolizes fat.

INOSITOL:  This  nutrient  is  a  member  of  the  lipotropic
family,  as  mentioned above.  Since it combines with choline
to make lecithin it also has some of the  same  functions  as
choline.  Note:  some  food  sources of inositol are brewer's
yeast, wheat germ and lima beans - not common foods found  in
the  typical  American  diet.  Like  choline,  the  body  can
manufacture inositol, but only under the  proper  conditions.
Antibiotics,  diarrhea and digestive disturbances impair that
function.

What  it  does:  Along with choline it helps to emulsify fats
and cholesterol,  and  nourish  the  brain  cells:  helps  to
prevent  eczema;  aids  in redistributing body fat; assist in
preventing nerve damage in diabetics.  A deficiency  of  this
nutrient  has  been  linked  to  muscular  dystrophy, but the
evidence is inconclusive.   Promotes  healthy  hair  and  may
assist  in  preventing hair loss; protects the liver, kidneys
and heart; involved in red blood cell formation.

VITAMIN C (ascorbic acid): There is much evidence  to support
Vitamin  C's role in protecting against cancer, and since the
immune  system  plays  a  significant  role  in  the   body's
resistance  to  cancer  and  other  diseases,  Vitamin  C  is
essential to the health of the immune system.  Free  radicals
are   caused by oxidation of the cells and  are  so  powerful
they can change the DNA coding.  This creates abnormal  cells
and may set-up the initial stages of cancer.  It is essential
to  have  a  good  supply  of  antioxidants  -  free  radical
protectors in your diet, such as Vitamins A (beta  carotene),
Vitamin  C,  E and the trace mineral selenium.  Beta carotene
and Vitamin C being the most important vitamins.

Vitamin  C  is  non-toxic.   It  is  the  most fragile of all
vitamins and can easily be lost in cooking  heat.   Just  the
act  of  slicing  an orange results  in Vitamin C loss.  Both
alcohol and tobacco rob the body of this valuable nutrient.

What it does:  In high doses, it  may protect against certain
cancers  and strengthen the immune system.  Vitamin C is well
known for its ability to prevent the common cold as  well  as
other  infectious  diseases.  It assists the body in handling
stress; helps to absorb iron;  regulates  the  metabolism  of
amino   acids;  aids  in  wound  healing  and  burns  and  is
especially  helpful  in  the  healing  process after surgery;
effective treatment for many allergies,  being  its a natural
anti  histamine;  daily  doses  can  protect  against bladder
infections; keep  your  teeth  and  gums  healthy;  can  help
alleviate  the discomfort of extreme temperatures, especially
heat; beneficial in  lowering  cholesterol  and  keeping  the
artery  and  heart  muscle healthy; chelates out toxic metals
from the body - lead, mercury and aluminum.  Without  Vitamin
C  our  bodies  could not produce collagen, and intercellular
glue-like  substance  needed  for  tissues,  blood   vessels,
muscle,  cartilage  and bones to keep them together.  Without
this valuable nutrient, we would literally fall apart!  It is
an important vitamin in the utilization of sugar.   It  makes
insulin  more effective and can lower blood glucose levels in
insulin  dependent  diabetics.   Works  against   the   aging
process.

Food sources:  Foods  with  the  most  Vitamin  C  are:   Raw
acerola  (cherry), sweet  and  hot  red  and  green  peppers,
guavas,   pimientos,   bok   choi,   broccoli,   cauliflower,
blackcurrants,  kale,  cabbage, strawberries, lemons, mustard
greens, kiwi fruit, brussel sprouts, papaya, vegetable  juice
(preferably   juiced  -  carrot  or  mixed),  turnip  greens,
grapefruit,  cantaloupe,   oranges,   fresh   orange   juice,
asparagus,  tomato  juice  and  tomatoes.  This  list  is  in
descending order giving the most Vitamin  C  for  the  fewest
calories.

    Minerals  are  essential  to  life  and  are every bit as
important to your health as vitamins - perhaps even  more  so
since  vitamins  cannot  function without minerals.  The body
can tolerate a vitamin deficiency longer than can  a  mineral
one.   Whereas,  the  body  can  synthesize some vitamins, it
cannot manufacture any minerals.  Minerals  are  usually  not
required in huge amounts in order to counteract deficiencies.
Megadoses  can  upset  the  balance  in  the body and produce
deficiencies in other minerals or cause toxicity.  To prevent
imbalances, it's better to take them  as  a  "multi-mineral".
Minerals,  like many vitamins, are synergistic, meaning, they
work better together than individually.  They  are  found  in
all tissues and body fluids, the greatest amount is in bones,
teeth  and  cartilage.  Without minerals, all other nutrients
such as vitamins, protein, amino acids, carbohydrates,  fats,
enzymes,  etc.,  cannot  be  properly activated and utilized.
Minerals  represent  approximately  4  percent  body  weight,
therefore,  a  150 lb. person has 6 lbs. of their body weight
tied up in minerals.  By comparison, vitamin content  in  the
body is less than one ounce.

    Many people are under the misapprehension that  the  soil
contains  all  the  mineral  that  we  need, otherwise plants
wouldn't grow.  However, plants only need about 14  minerals,
whereas  human  may  require  over  three times as much.  The
amount of minerals in a particular food is  directly  related
to how much of those mineral were in the soil where the plant
was  grown.   (Editor's  note: Later we'll discuss how modern
soil is  grossly  mineral  deficient).   Take,  for  example,
selenium,  if it is not in the soil where corn is growing, it
will not be in the corn.  When that corn is fed to  chickens,
they  won't  get  any  selenium  from  either  of  those food
sources.   Like  vitamins,  minerals  an  be  lost  in   food
processing, refining and cooking water.

    Mineral supplements are often referred to as  "chelated".
When  minerals are chelated they are more easily digested and
assimilated.  Amino acid chelates are  the  most  stable  and
have  a  much  higher  absorption rate (up to ten times more)
than non-chelates.

    The  major  minerals  are  those  which  are in  a   high
concentration  in  the body, they are:  Calcium, Phosphorous,
Sodium, Potassium and  Magnesium.   The  trace  minerals  are
those  present  in a much lower concentration but are vitally
important to  optimal  health,  they  are:   Chromium,  Iron,
Copper,  Selenium,  Iodine,  Manganese and Zinc.  There are a
number of lesser known minerals present in our bodies such as
fluorine, molybdenum, cobalt, vanadium, nickel, arsenic, tin,
etc., however, not enough is known yet about  their  complete
functions   and/or  dietary  requirements.   Vegetarian  food
sources of minerals can  be  found  in  all  plants  such  as
vegetables,  fruits,  nuts,  seeds,  grains  and legumes, for
non-vegetarians  -  beef   (natural,   range   fed)   poultry
(antibiotic,  hormone  and  additive-free),  fish  and  their
by-products such as dairy foods, liver and eggs.

CALCIUM:  This  is  the  most abundant of the minerals in the
body,   averaging  3-4  lbs.   of body weight.  Nevertheless,
calcium deficiency is more prevalent than any other  mineral,
particularly in females.

What it does:  Builds and maintains bones and  teeth;  buffer
for  acid/alkaline balance, thereby regulating PH; aids blood
clotting; regulates heart rhythm; contributes to vitality and
endurance;  aids  in  mental  alertness;  nerve  and   muscle
response; can lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

PHOSPHOROUS: Has more functions than any other mineral. After
calcium, is the second most abundant mineral in the body.

What   it  does:   Combines  with  calcium  to  form  calcium
phosphate  -   necessary   for   strong  bones   and   teeth.
Phosphourous  permeates  all  of the cells and is involved in
thousands of chemical reactions within the body, e.g. assists
in the metabolization of  protein,  fats  and  carbohydrates,
cell  repair  and  muscle  contractions, aids nerve function;
stimulates the glands to secrete hormones, necessary for  the
digestion of niacin and riboflavin; breaks up fatty acids  in
the blood; part of the DNA molecule.

SODIUM:  It  is  essential  in  our diet.  Salt is 40 percent
sodium and 60 percent  chlorine,  however,  it's  the  sodium
(discussed earlier in this chapter) that's detrimental to our
health,  not  the  chlorine.  Most Americans overdose on this
nutrient.  Sodium and potassium work as a pair.

What it  does:  Helps  to  regulate   acid/alkaline  balance;
maintains  normal fluid levels in cells; necessary for muscle
contraction  and  nerve  impulses;  formulation  of   saliva,
digestive juices and bile.

POTASSIUM:   After  calcium and phosphorous this is the third
most abundant mineral in the body, however, dietary intake is
low in this country, especially among women whose  diets  are
low  in  calories.   In  order to get the amount of potassium
that expert deem necessary -  2,500  mg.,  the  diet  has  to
contain a minimum of 2,100 calories a day.

What  it does:  Together with sodium, it maintains body fluid
balance; aids in the function of  the  nervous  and  muscular
system;   assists  kidney  function;  counterbalances  sodium
action;  aids  glucose  formation  and  absorption;  balances
acids; necessary for growth.

MAGNESIUM:   Approximately  half of all magnesium in the body
is found in the bones.  Magnesium teams up  with  calcium  to
perform  many  vital  bodily  functions.  Deficiencies of the
nutrient are widespread.  Soft water lacks magnesium with the
result that there is a higher incidence of heart  disease  in
soft water areas than hard water areas.

What it does:  Helps alleviate  stress  and  heart  problems;
normal  function  of the brain and spinal cord; necessary for
calcium,  Vitamin  C   and carbohydrate metabolism; necessary
for PH balance; takes  part  in  enzyme  energy  conversions;
essential  component  of bones and tooth enamel; need for DNA
and RNA coding.

CHROMIUM:   Newborns  have  the  highest  concentrations   of
chromium, however, as a person ages the chromium level in the
blood   diminishes.   Referred   to  as  "GTF"   chromium  in
nutritional  supplements  means  "glucose  tolerance factor".
GTF chromium  is  assimilated  more  readily  than  inorganic
chromium.

What  it does:  Keeping blood glucose stable, it is essential
for proper insulin function as it  converts  blood  sugar  to
energy.  This is  very important in  weight  loss.   For,  if
blood  sugar isn't converted to energy, it stores as fat.  It
increase the effect of insulin; helps  in  the  synthesis  of
fatty  acids;  may  aid  in  the  prevention  of diabetes and
hypoglycemia (high and low  blood  sugar);  protects  against
heart disease.

IRON:  Iron deficiency is prevalent in the American diet, and
females are especially prone with as many as 95 percent being
iron  deficient.  There are two types of iron - heme which is
the more potent of the two, found only in animal protein  and
non-heme found only in vegetables, beans and grains.

What  it  does:  Necessary  for  the synthesis of hemoglobin;
oxygenates the blood; needed for protein  metabolism;  energy
production;   growth  and  development;  disease  resistance;
prevents fatigue.

COPPER:  Only 2-3 mg. of copper is  necessary  in  the  daily
diet,  yet  the  average  American  gets  less  than  the RDA
requirement.  Copper is the partner of  iron,  while  calcium
helps in the absorption of copper.

What  it  does:   Converts  the  body's iron into hemoglobin;
helps  in  absorbing  iron  in  the  diet;  prevents  anemia;
involved  in collagen and elastin production - the "glue" and
elasticity of the body.

SELENIUM:  This  is  an  example  of  a  trace  mineral whose
capabilities we are  just  beginning  to  discover.   It's  a
strong   antioxidant,   working  with  the  vitamin  trio  of
antioxidants A,C and E.  It teams up with Vitamin  E,  making
it  more  potent.   In  areas  where  there are high Selenium
levels in the soil, cancer deathrates are  lower.   Toxic  in
high doses, do not take more than 200 micrograms a day.

What  it  does:  May  help  to keep the immune system strong,
thereby enabling the body to resist many diseases from cancer
to cataract; along with Vitamin E, it may  help  people  with
muscular  dystrophy  and  prevent  heart  problems;  relieves
arthritis; and increase energy;  protects  against  radiation
and mercury toxicity.

IODINE:  We   generally  don't have  to  be   concerned  with
iodine  deficiency,  since  the body only needs 25 mg.  a day
and it is found liberally in iodized salt, all seafood,  kelp
(can get kelp powder) and mushrooms.

What  it  does:  It  works  with  the thyroid gland assisting
proper functioning and helping  it  to  produce  the  hormone
thyroxine  which  governs  metabolism  and in turn determines
weight  control  and  energy  production;  aids  growth   and
development;  helps  to  convert  beta carotene to Vitamin A;
prevent  cholesterol  build-up  in  the   arteries,   thereby
protecting the heart.

MANGANESE: The body requires only  a  small  amount  of  this
nutrient  even though it's involved in many bodily functions.
It is stored in the kidneys, liver,pancreas, pituitary  gland
and bones.  A complete deficiency is rare, however, less than
optimum levels can contribute to health problems.

What   it  does:   This  nutrient  is   involved  in  various
functions in the body such as proper bone growth, lubrication
of   the  joints;  balance;  proper  utilization  of  sugars;
involved in digestion and metabolism and  enzyme  activation;
prevents  fatigue  and irritability; brain function, improves
memory; important to blood clotting; nerve balance; necessary
for the production of thyroxine.

ZINC:  It  is vital to good health.  Zinc  concentrations are
found predominantly in the skin, hair, nails, prostate  gland
and pancreas.

What it does:  Boosts the immune system; crucial for building
cells  and  DNA  coding;  tissue  regeneration  and  skeletal
growth;  muscle   contraction;   protein   and   carbohydrate
metabolism;   reproductive   organ  growth  and  development;
assists in  the  formation  of  insulin;  necessary  for  the
absorption   of   vitamins,  especially  the  B-complex,  and
facilitates  the  release  of stored Vitamin A; affects taste
and smell; speeds up wound healing and burns; decreases acne;
may prevent the common cold; and may protect against herpes.

Editor's  note:  Pumpkin and sunflower seeds are rich in zinc
- and zinc contributes to enhanced sexual vitality.

Editor's   note:  Blue green algae is a convenient source for
almost all of the above minerals.

To  determine  your   nutritional   deficiencies,   make   an
appointment   with   a   qualified   nutritionist  or  health
practitioner.  This segment is for educational purposes  only
and  not  for  self-diagnosis  or treatment.  It is not to be
used in place of medical treatment.

NOTE:  The  information you have just  read  was  contributed
by Georgia Carlson,  Ph.D  Nutritional  Consultant.   It  was
gleaned  and  partially  edited  from  her  "Food for Thought
Nutritional Newsletters".  We thank you Georgia!

           Herbal Nutrition for the Immune System

    Your  immune system has a huge responsbility - to protect
you from the  harmful  effects  of  pathogenic  bacteria  and
viruses.   An intricate interplay of biochemical processes is
constantly at work to keep you in good health.

    Herbs  both  nourish  and  activate  the  immune  system.
Alfalfa  contains  every  known vitamin and mineral including
the newly discovered Vitamin P.  Alfalfa provides a source of
easily absorbed nutrients which can help support  the  immune
system.

    Since  herbs  are  foods, other  nourishing herbal allies
such as oat straw and parsley can be  incorporated  into  the
diet.   When  properly used, dried herbs can provide a source
of readily assimilated minerals.   Many  botanical  medicines
will biochemically activate the immune system.  The following
are some safe, commonly used herbs for immunity:

*   Echinacea   angustifolia   increases   T-cell   activity.
    When taken in the early stages of an  illness,  it  wards
    off    viral    infections.     Echinacea    loses    its
    immune-enhancing effects after  as  few  as  three  days;
    therefore, it's best  used  during  times  of  stress  or
    during early signs of  infection.   Do  not  use  it  for
    extended periods of time.

*   Licorice  root supports immune function primarily through
    its  effect  on the adrenal system, protecting the thymus
    gland  from  corticosteroids  (when  under  stress,   the
    adrenal  glands  respond  by  producing  corticosteroids.
    These hasten the normal diminishment of the thymus  gland
    (the  gland  that  produces  T-cells).   Licorice  may be
    taken  as a sweet tea or in its more potent extract forms
    during infectious processes.  If you  use licorice over a
    long  period  of  time,  however, increase your intake of
    potassium-rich foods to avoid a deficiency.  People  with
    hypertension must use caution when  taking  licorice  and
    need to consult a practitioner before using the herb.

*  Goldenseal and  Oregon grape root both contain a  strongly
   antibiotic  substance  called  berberine  as  their active
   ingredient.   Goldenseal  stimulates  circulation  to  the
   spleen and in this way enhances immune function.

*  Astragalus is a nutrient herbal shown  by  researchers  in
   China to increase natural killer cell activity.  The dried
   root is pleasant when used to flavor soup when cooked with
   rice.

*  Propolis (bee resin) along with bee pollen was  recognized
   as  a  healing  agent  when  it  was  noticed  that   many
   beekeepers lived long.  It was discovered that the "dirty"
   honey  at  the  bottom of the barrel was rich in nutrients
   and  healing  properties,  and  beekeepers  thrived  after
   eating   the  honey.   Bee  Pollen  contains  every  known
   nutrient  and  furnishes  an  excellent  food  supplement.
   Propolis  enhances  immune  activity  and  is available in
   extract form as an adjunct to immune support.

*  Lecithin,  a   by-product   of   soybeans,  is  known  for
   reducing  high  cholesterol  levels  which  are factors in
   immune suppression, and lecithin has been shown to improve
   immune  status.   Lecithin granules may be added to foods.
   Lecithin  is  also  available  as  a supplements or can be
   absorbed by simply eating  foods  rich  in  this  nutrient
   such  as  corn,  vegetable  oils,  wholegrain  cereals and
   soybeans.


                Ten Tips For Lifelong Health

    Enhancing  your  immune system may help you decrease your
risk of cancer and heart disease.  Here, Charles  B.  Simone,
M.M.S., M.D., shares his plan to strengthen immunity.  Simone
is   a   medical   oncologist,   immunologist  and  radiation
oncologist in Lawrenceville, N.J.

1.  Maintain a healthy weight.
2.  Decrease the number of daily calories.
3.  Eat  a  low-fat,  low-cholesterol   diet.    Eat   fish,
    especially those rich  in  Omega-3  fatty  acids;  limit
    fats and oils.
4.  Eat  lots   of  fiber  (25  to 30  grams a day).  Include
    fruits,  vegetables, high-fiber cereals, grains, crackers
    and breads.
5.  Supplement your diet with vitamins and  minerals  in  the
    proper dosages and combinations for your lifestyle.
6.  Eliminate salt and food additives.
7.  Limit barbecued, smoked and pickled foods.
8.  Avoid caffeine.
9.  Avoid smoking, chewing tobacco and other people's smoke.*
10. Avoid  all  alcohol  or consume only minimal amounts (no
    more than one drink per week.***

***Editor's   note:   According  to  the  EPA ( Environmental
Protection  Agency)  second-hand  is   responsible   for   an
estimated   3,000  lung  cancer  deaths  yearly.   They  have
classified other people's smoke as a "Class A  Carcinogen"  -
such  as  arsenic  and  asbestos.   Each year, nearly 300,000
infants and toddlers suffer from pneumonia and bronchitis due
to    second-hand   smoke   -   15,000   of   which   require
hospitalization!

***"Reprinted with  permission  from  the  November/December,
1992  issue  of  Delicious!   Magazine, a publication of  New
Hope Communications in Boulder, Colo."

                   The Optimal Food Source

    In  some of the previous chapters we talked about maximum
nutrition.  We now go  a  step  further  to  discuss  optimal
nutrition.  First, a little background.

  It  took  about 10,000 years to fertilize our topsoil  with
its heritage of minerals.  After the last ice age, the United
States  was  covered  with  mineral  rich  topsoil.  Over the
millennia, the natural process of weathering and erosion, has
washed the minerals out of our farmlands.  Over the centuries
and particularly in the past fifty years, some modern farming
methods,    along    with    intensive     irrigation     and
over-cultivation, have accelerated that erosion process. This
has  left some of our farmland in barren ruins.  Pollution of
the air,  water  and  groundwater  has  also  aggravated  the
problem.   The  next  ice  age will repair the damage, but we
might not want to wait that long. This  mineral  legacy  will
take some time - most likely many generations to rebuild.

    In the meantime, we can greatly benefit from a  wild  and
natural  food that grows in a mineral-rich  lake.   Algae  in
it's  natural  state  has more benefits than their cultivated
counterparts,  spirulina  and  chlorella.  These are grown in
man made ponds with added nutrients, making them less  potent
than the algae.  For the the past 10,000 years, since the ice
age,  this  isolated  and  protected lake has been a nutrient
trap for an abundant supply of mineral,  volcanic  silt,  and
other nutrients.  What is this food?

    It    is    blue   green  freshwater  algae.  It's freeze
dried and packaged and inspected  thoroughly  and  carefully.
This complete and digestible food source is power-packed with
vitamins  and  minerals.  Some of the substances in algae can
help you assimilate and digest other foods more efficiently.

                  Food For The 21st Century
                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

    Blue  green  algae may become the food of the future.  It
is  unique  in all the world!  It is the most fundamental and
oldest food on earth - there simply is nothing else like  it.
The  dynamic  balance  of  essential  nutrients  it  contains
enables people to experience the following commonly  reported
benefits:

*  Feelings of increased energy and vitality

*  Reduction  and   alleviation  of   stress,   anxiety   and
   depression

*  Relief  from  the  discomforting   symptoms   of  fatigue,
   mood  and  energy swings of hypoglycemia, some allergies,
   deficient digestion, sluggishness and more

*  Improved  memory and mental clarity

   Here  are  some of the reasons why people are experiencing
   these results:

*  100% organically grown

*  Due to its careful and meticulous processing, 97%  of  the
   algae's  original  nutritional  properties  remain   fully
   intact.

*  Contains  all of the essential amino acids

*  More protein and chlorophyll than any other food!

*  An abundance of vitamins, minerals and trace minerals, in-
   cluding beta carotene and vitamin  B12. Full of the  amino
   acids  that  build  needed  neuropeptides  which  feed the
   delicate neurotransmitters of the brain.

       "What will I get when I eat blue green algae?"

    One gram of freeze-dried algae contains  1400  micrograms
of  beta  carotene.  It  supplies as much as 14 cups of whole
eggs or 23 cups of yogurt or 14 grams of liver or  140  grams
of beet greens or 70 grams of carrots.  Charles Simone, M.D.,
author of "Cancer and Nutrition" states that beta carotene is
the  most important nutrient for  reducing  cancer  risk.  In
addition, Japanese  scientists  see  a  relationship  between
carotenoid  and  cancer suppression as stated in the "Journal
of the National Cancer  Institute."  Research  also  suggests
that beta carotene enhances the body's immune  functions  and
can  help  prevent  free  radicals  (created  by  exposure to
toxins, smog, pollutants, chemicals, lead, smoking,  alcohol,
and  even  by  some  of  the  body's  natural processes) from
damaging brain  tissues,  heart,  kidneys,  liver,  pancreas,
blood  and our nervous system.  O.K.  - what would you rather
do?  Eat 3 gallons of yogurt or 4 capsules of algae everyday?

    The  best  known  blue  green  algae  species  have  been
spirulina  and  chlorella.  Both  spirulina and chlorella are
artificially grown in manmade ponds - while blue green  algae
is   completely  wild.  All  the minerals our bodies need are
contained in this phenomenal food source!  It is rich in  the
B  vitamins.  In  fact, it is  one of the very few vegetarian
sources of the all-important Vitamin B12.  It has the highest
known  source  of  chlorophyll,  300%  higher  than  alfalfa.
Chlorophyll's  chemical  structure  is  similar to hemoglobin
(otherwise known as human blood) which carries our life force
through our bodies.

   Spirulina and chlorella have  an  indigestible  cell  wall
that  must be heat treated to render it digestible.  Whereas,
algae also has a digestible, nutritive cell wall, composed of
protein-based starch we use as food. This inner cell wall  is
immediately  absorbed and readily assimilated.  80 percent of
our  oxygen supply comes from this remarkable plant.  Without
algae, there would be no life in the seas and very little  on
land.   Algae  may  very  well  be  the  last  complete basic
nutrition source left on the earth.

NOTE:  Some of the above information  was  gleaned  from  the
article  entitled  "A Powerhouse of Nutrition" in the summer,
1990 issue of Issues Magazine.

   Blue green  algae  tends  to  interact  with  your  entire
system   to  create  physical,  mental and emotional balance.
Generally, the more stressed, more out of  balance  and  less
healthy your system is, the more noticeable and immediate the
results.

For   more   information   about   blue  green  algae,  call:
1-800-927-2527 #1053.  Say:  "ALGAE,"  then  leave  name  and
address  ONLY  and  our  friend Trish Silay, who sells algae,
will be HAPPY to mail you more information.   Editor's  Note:
Ask  about  algae  for  animals  -  the perfect fuel for race
horses.

                    Surprising Statistics

*  Amount  of  total  U.S.  grain   production   consumed  by
   livestock: 70%

*  Amount of U.S. cropland producing livestock feed: 64%

*  Amount of U.S. cropland producing fruits  and  vegetables:
   2%

*  Activity  that  accounts  for more than half of all  water
   consumed in the U.S.:  Livestock production

*  Average   cholesterol   level    of   people    eating   a
   meat-centered diet: 210 mg./dl.

*  Chance of  dying from heart  disease  if  you are male and
   your blood cholesterol is 210 mg./dl.: Greater than 50%

*  Dietary   cholesterol  intake   needed  to  support  human
   health: None, the body makes its own

*  Leading   sources  of  saturated fat  and  cholesterol  in
   American diets:  Meat, dairy products and eggs

*  Cholesterol found in grains, beans, fruits, vegetables and
   nuts: None***

                   Food and Other Tidbits

*  Choose your produce carefully.  Examine  for  soft  spots,
   mold,  etc.  Generally, the darker the fruit or vegetable,
   the higher the nutrients will be.   For  example,  romaine
   lettuce has twice the calcium and iron of iceburg lettuce.
   and   10  times  the  Vitamin A.  And, pink grapefruit has
   30 times the vitamin A of white grapefruit.

*  Choose  natural  over  processed.  Natural foods have more
   nutrients  and  less  calories than processed foods.  Read
   labels   carefully   -   look   for   hidden  sugar,  fat,
   preservatives   and  additives.   I  recently  found  out,
   thanks to 60 minutes that the hydrolyzed protein that's in
   tuna   and   many   other  food  products,  is  monosodium
   glutamate.

*  Be   aware  that  so-called  "lite" foods may only have 60
   percent  less  fat  -  not  much of an improvement over 75
   percent.

*  Eat your food fresh.  Just a couple of days can lower  the
   nutrient  contents of fruits and vegetables. They can lose
   half their Vitamin C in only two or three days.   Be  sure
   to  put your produce in bags or air-tight containers right
   when you get  home.   This  way  you'll  be  getting  your
   money's worth.

*  As humans we are part of  the  natural  cycles.   So,  our
   colder weather diet would be different than  what  we  eat
   in  the  warmer  months.   It's  wise  to  eat  more  root
   vegetables during the chillier months, such  as  potatoes,
   onions, carrots, beets,  turnips,  sweet  potatoes,  yams,
   etc.  Other  warming winter foods include winter squashes,
   nuts seeds, beans and whole  grains.   Being  that  cooked
   foods  are more  warming  than raw foods, eat less salads,
   fruits and cold drinks, and eat more  sauteed and  steamed
   vegetables, whole cooked  grains,  beans,  soups,  legumes
   pasta with sauces, etc.

*   To  get  the most of potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, etc. -
    eat the skin which has most of the nutrients.

*  To  preserve precious vitamins and  minerals,  chop,  open
   cans, and thaw right before you them.  And  when  you  do,
   cook it fast with as little oil or water as possible. It's
   said  that  stir-frying is the best method and steaming is
   second best.  Poaching also works well  and  is  fat-free.
   Cook in iron pots to put extra iron into your meals.

*   Be sure you're eating your "daily fiber." The easy way to
    do  this  is  to eat at least two servings of vegetables,
    one with edible  skins,  stems  or  stalks,  one  or  two
    pieces  of  fruit,  some   whole-grain   bread,   bagels,
    crackers,  dried peas, beans,  brown rice, millet, or one
    of  the  many  other  grains  new to the market, oatmeal,
    polenta,  or  one  of  the  other  whole-grain  breakfast
    cereals, pasta and corn tortillas.

*   Eating  more   grains  and  vegetables  will  lower  your
    cholesterol and blood pressure.  Researchers  and doctors
    around   the   globe   have   proven   this.   And  lower
    cholesterol means fewer heart problems,  according  to  a
    group   of  English   scientists.  They   monitored   and
    documented       nearly      11,000    vegetarians    and
    non-vegertarians   for  seven  years   and   found   that
    vegetarians had fewer cases of heart disease.

*   The   German   Association   of   General   Practitioners
    discovered  that  cholesterol  levels  in patients taking
    garlic powder tablets lowered an average of  12  percent.
    Triglyceride values dropped  17  percent.   In  addition,
    research   done  by  the  doctors  at  the  Royal  United
    Hospital  in  Bath,  England suggests that garlic reduces
    heart  problems  risk.

    According to research at Brigham  Young  University,  the
    most  active  ingredient  in  garlic,  allicin,   is   an
    antiviral agent against viruses including colds and  flu.
    Also,   there's  no  side  effects,  and  it's  safe  for
    children.  Being a natural antibiotic,  garlic  may  also
    help the  body  to  resist  infection.  Research has also
    found that it has anti-inflammatory properties.  To avoid
    garlic  breath,  deodorized  garlic  capsules  or  liquid
    extracts can be found at your natural foods store.

 *  Jay  Kordich, known  as the juiceman, advocates fresh raw
    fruit  and  vegetable  juices.  He says they give you the
    live enzymes  needed  for  digestion  and  extra  energy.
    According   to  him,  they  help  prevent  obesity,  skin
    conditions, heart disease and high blood pressure.

*   Researchers  are  now  discovering the  potential healing
    powers  of  certain  foods.  Garlic,  of course,  is  one
    such  food.  Another,  is the green apple.  Its juice may
    help alleviate tinnitus.  Watermelon juice has been found
    effective  in  lessening  PMS  symptoms.  Cantaloupes are
    known to help with headaches.  Perhaps  in  the   future,
    doctors will prescribe  foods  instead  of  pills.   They
    might  say,  "Take  two  cantaloupes  and  call me in the
    morning!"

*   If  you're  exhausted and nutritionally deficient, sexual
    energy will be one  of  the  first  drives  to  diminish.
    According to Oriental medicine, the kidneys govern sexual
    vitality, yet it's possible to  irritate  or  weaken  the
    kidneys  by overindulging in coffee, alcohol, fatty foods
    or stress. the kidneys like to be warm,  so  you  may  be
    "cooling your  passion"  by  drinking  icy  beverages  or
    eating cold foods such as salads and  fruits,  especially
    when the weather is cold.  Conversely, beans  (black  and
    kidney are the best), green leafy vegetables like kale or
    collard  and  whole  grains  like  barley  and  wild rice
    nourish the kidneys and thus sexual energy.

 *  Many other foods can increase sexual vitality and add  to
    a healthy sex life.  Seeds such as pumpkin and  sunflower
    contain the germ of life  since  they're  plant  embryos;
    they're also rich in zinc.  Oysters, also zinc-rich, were
    said to be Casanova's love tonic.  Sea  vegetables,  with
    their high mineral content, can  nourish  an  underactive
    thyroid,  which  can  cause  decreased  libido. (Editor's
    note:  Freshwater vegetables such as  algae also  have  a
    very high mineral content).

 *  Chocolate, long considered the food of  lovers,  contains
    phenylethalamine, the same  brain  chemical  produced  in
    people  who are in love.  However, chocolate has negative
    effects:    It's  high  in  fat  and  contains  caffeine.

    (Editor's note: If you think  you  MUST  have  chocolate,
    check out your  local  health  food  store  for  organic,
    additive-free   chocolate   goodies.    Garlic   is  also
    considered  a  "love  food",  however,  it  could  be   a
    "turn-off" if only one partner  eats  it,  so  obviously,
    it's better to partake together!***

*   Memory failing  you?   Pop  some  extra  iron  and  zinc.
    University  of  Texas  researchers  state that women with
    minor deficiencies given these supplements improved their
    memory scores.

*   People  who  get  larger  amounts of Vitamins A, C, B are
    less  likely  to  develop cataracts, according to several
    studies.

***  Dr.  Mindell's quote came from an article entitled "Wake
Up America!" by Gloria  Bucco.  "Reprinted  with  permisssion
from  the  September,  1992 issue of "Delicious! Magazine", a
publication of New Hope  Communications  in  Boulder,  Colo."
Learn more on this extremely important subject from his book,
PARENTS'  NUTRITION  BIBLE.   "Surprising   Statistics"   the
section  on the immune and the effects of sugar and herbs and
the  immune   system   came   from   Delicious!    Magazine's
November/December,  1992  issue.   Also,  the  edited segment
regarding sexual vitality  came  from  Delicious!,  May/June,
1992.  The  excerpt  on vegetable protein and vitamin sources
(sweet potatoes, melons, etc.) came from  the  October,  1992
issue  of  the  same.  Everyone thanks YOU - Delicious! - for
your highly educational and informative contributions!!

                                                End of file.