Understanding Nutrition: Part 5

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Like vitamins, minerals are micronutrients, which our bodies require, in small but steady supplies.

As micronutrients, the importance of minerals in our diet is far greater than the required amount indicates.

Our material bodies are made up of more than 100 elements, which have been identified.

Of these, four elements make up 96% of our bodies: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen,

The elements, which make up the remaining 4%, are referred to as the minerals. The bulk of these minerals are stored in the bones, mostly in the form of calcium and phosphorous, with the soft tissue and blood stream carrying a great variety of minerals in very microscopic proportions.

A body weighing 160 pounds, for example, contains about 5 pounds of minerals distributed in the following proportions: 2 pounds of calcium, 1 pounds of phosphorous, 4 ounces of potassium, 2 ounces of sodium and chlorine, 1/2 ounce of magnesium, 1/10 ounce of iron, and 14 other minerals which have been proven to be needed by the body but are present in such small amounts that they are called trace minerals.

There are also minerals in our bodies, which have not been shown to be needed by our body, such as gold, silver, etc.

There are also minerals, which are present in our bodies that can actually be dangerous in just a little larger quantity, such as lead and mercury. Unfortunately, these are extremely well known as pollution of the environment rapidly makes its way into the food chain.

Since minerals are obtained from the earth, water, and air, maintaining the natural balance of our environment and the environment our food is raised in, is important.

The mineral content of foods varies a great deal to pending upon the mineral content of the soil they were grown in, which is a strong reason for growing your own vegetables in soil that you are personally replenishing with organic materials.

In the following information about the good food sources of minerals, please bear in mind that the list is a general one, which will vary depending upon the mineral content of the soil and the water the plants feed on. When talking about milk products, we aren’t talking about those which have not had their nutrients depleted through high-heat cooking or being loaded with antibiotics, pesticides, bovine growth hormones, and pus.

CALCIUM

Necessary for: Formation of bones and teeth; also works with vitamin K in blood clotting; helps keep muscle tone healthy and nerves functioning properly; Greek wired in a delicate balance with several other minerals so muscles like the heart can contract and relax.

Good sources: Leafy green vegetables, water, almonds, legumes, dairy products, tofu, blackstrap molasses, alfalfa sprouts.

Deficiency symptoms: Stunted growth of bones and teeth if the deficiency is in early life. Therefore, it is especially important for pregnant women to get enough calcium in their diet since the fetus gets its supply from the mother’s blood and bone. It is also very important that infants and growing children get an adequate supply. Deficiency may cause stunted growth, deformed or poor quality bones and teeth, or irregular development of teeth and jaws. Soft bones in children (rickets) and brittle bones in the adults (osteomalacia) may result if there is either a calcium deficiency or a lack of vitamin D in the diet to enable the calcium to be absorbed by the body.

SODIUM and POTASSIUM

Necessary for: Maintaining a balance inside and outside the body cells so that nerves and muscles can function properly; maintaining a balance between acids and bases in body fluids. Sodium is also needed for the body to be able to absorb various nutrients; potassium is needed for releasing energy from proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Good sources of sodium: Soy sauce, water, dairy products, miso, olives.

Good sources of potassium: Leafy green vegetables, tomatoes, potatoes, dates, cantaloupe, and bananas, apricots, citrus fruits, peas, bamboo shoots, prunes, butternut squash, legumes, papaya, avocado, Brussels sprouts, beet greens, blackstrap molasses, alfalfa sprouts.

Deficiency symptoms: Sodium is another mineral which is found to be in excess rather than deficient in modern diets because of salt being added to commercially-prepared foods such as bread, butter, cheese and processed food products, as well as due to the popularity of salty snack foods and the habit most people have of adding salt to foods at the dinner table. Excessive salt intake may result in high blood pressure, hypertension, and strokes. However, in fever or excessive sweating, sodium and body fluids may be depleted which causes muscle cramping. Potassium deficiency is symptomized by muscular weakness, heart muscle irregularities, and respiratory and kidney failures. Use of medicinal diuretics may cause abnormal loss of potassium.

MAGNESIUM

Necessary for: Bones and teeth; release of energy from carbohydrates; synthesis of proteins; regulation of body temperature; proper contraction of nerves and muscles; neutralizing acid in the stomach; flushing out intestines.

Good sources: Whole grains, legumes, nuts, leafy vegetables; also found in fresh fruits and vegetables, alfalfa sprouts, dates, figs, dairy products and nutritional yeast.

Deficiency symptoms: Muscle weakness, irregular heartbeat, irritability of nerves and muscles, spasms and convulsions. Most deficiencies are due to highly refined and processed food diets or use of diuretics for long periods.

PHOSPHORUS

Necessary for: Metabolism and release of energy from carbohydrates; formation of protein and transfer hereditary characteristics from one generation of cells to another. Works in connection with calcium and bone formation and teeth structure.

Good sources: Legumes, whole grains, dairy products, nuts, tofu, nutritional yeast, wheat germ, bran, lima beans, peas, pumpkin seeds, blackstrap molasses, sesame seed and almond meal.

Deficiency symptoms: Possible softness or brittleness of the bones, since too much or too little phosphorus in relationship to the amount of calcium in the body results in an inability to use calcium efficiently. Because phosphorus is plentiful in a variety of foods, it is more likely that phosphorus intake may be too high rather than too low, especially in the flesh-eaters’ diets and in the diets of people who eat processed foods in which phosphates are used.

IODINE

Necessary for: Formation of a thyroid hormone, which regulates various body, functions, especially the “basal metabolic rate” (the minimum amount of energy the body needs just to exist without moving).

Good sources: Seaweed, water, and vegetables grown close to the seashore.

Deficiency symptoms: Enlargement of the thyroid gland, called goiter; weight gain, extremely dry skin and development of a husky voice, feeling cold even in warm weather. Iodine deficiency in pregnancy will cause the baby to become a dwarf and the mentally retarded. Due to iodine being used in many store-bought, commercially prepared foods and overuse of iodized table salt, excessive consumption of iodine is more likely to take place in the deficiency. The results of too much iodine in the diet are the same as if there is a deficiency, since it interferes with the action of the thyroid gland in producing enough hormone to burn a normal amount of energy.

IRON

Necessary for: Carrying oxygen to the muscles to release the energy that they need to work.

Good sources: Leafy green vegetables, dried apricots, prunes, peaches, raisins, dates, legumes, nuts, whole grains, blackstrap molasses, tofu, sesame meal, alfalfa sprouts, peas, pumpkin seeds; also wheat germ, bran, soy milk and nutritional yeast.

Deficiency symptoms: Weakened, tired, “washed-out” feeling; lowered resistance to infection. Teenagers and women are especially prone to iron-deficiency anemia, which results in reduced size of the red blood cells and less oxygen being able to reach the body and muscle cells.

ZINC

Necessary for: Formation of many hormones, including insulin, which regulates carbohydrate metabolism; formation of many enzymes, such as those involved in transporting carbon dioxide in the blood; growth and repair of tissues; the synthesis of proteins and nucleic acids.

Good sources: Wheat germ, legumes, whole grains, nutritional yeast, dairy products.

Deficiency symptoms: Case reports have included dwarfism, anemia, slow healing of wounds.

TRACE MINERALS

There is so much investigation going on in laboratories but there isn’t anything conclusive except that there are many trace minerals which are thought to be essential in human nutrition and which can be supplied by eating a variety of whole, natural foods. It hasn’t really been established how much of the trace minerals are present in different foods, or even how much the body needs, although it is been observed that animals who are deprived of one or more of these trace minerals do not grow normally and how deformed offspring.

Some trace minerals include chromium, copper, chlorine, fluorine, manganese, and sulfur, which are contained in water, whole grains, legumes, nuts, dairy products, and leafy green vegetables. Fresh and dried fruits and both raw and cooked vegetables also supplies some trace minerals needed by the body.

Deficiencies or imbalances may occur from such modern practices as refining grain, which removes some iron, manganese, chromium, zinc, and other essential minerals from the food supply.

Since plants absorb minerals from the soil, modern agricultural methods, which do not take into account possible under balancing of soil minerals, may also affect the supply of such trace minerals as iodine, copper, zinc, chromium and selenium in produce.

The environment also plays an important part, with heavy concentrations of lead coming from car fumes in industrial waste, as well as water supplies, which often show major trace mineral and balances.

In 1940, when the petro-chemical fertilizers replaced manure, all the sulfur as well as a majority of trace minerals vanished. This is why organic sulfur crystals are so relevant in the healing of bodily diseases.

Oh yeah, the dairy products referred to in this and the previous article are raw, organic milk products and not the overcooked, liquid fat garbage in the markets today.

Stay tuned!

To learn more about Hesh, listen to and read hundreds of health related radio shows and articles, and learn about how to stay healthy and reverse degenerative diseases through the use of organic sulfur crystals and other amazing superfoods, please visit www.healthtalkhawaii.com, or email me at [email protected] or call me at (808) 258-1177. Since going on the radio in 1981 these are the only products I began to sell because they work.

Hesh Goldstein
When I was a kid, if I were told that I'd be writing a book about diet and nutrition when I was older, let alone having been doing a health related radio show for over 36 years, I would've thought that whoever told me that was out of their mind. Living in Newark, New Jersey, my parents and I consumed anything and everything that had a face or a mother except for dead, rotting, pig bodies, although we did eat bacon (as if all the other decomposing flesh bodies were somehow miraculously clean). Going through high school and college it was no different. In fact, my dietary change did not come until I was in my 30's.

Just to put things in perspective, after I graduated from Weequahic High School and before going to Seton Hall University, I had a part-time job working for a butcher. I was the delivery guy and occasionally had to go to the slaughterhouse to pick up products for the store. Needless to say, I had no consciousness nor awareness, as change never came then despite the horrors I witnessed on an almost daily basis.

After graduating with a degree in accounting from Seton Hall, I eventually got married and moved to a town called Livingston. Livingston was basically a yuppie community where everyone was judged by the neighborhood they lived in and their income. To say it was a "plastic" community would be an understatement.

Livingston and the shallowness finally got to me. I told my wife I was fed up and wanted to move. She made it clear she had to be near her friends and New York City. I finally got my act together and split for Colorado.

I was living with a lady in Aspen at the end of 1974, when one day she said, " let's become vegetarians". I have no idea what possessed me to say it, but I said, "okay"! At that point I went to the freezer and took out about $100 worth of frozen, dead body parts and gave them to a welfare mother who lived behind us. Well, everything was great for about a week or so, and then the chick split with another guy.

So here I was, a vegetarian for a couple weeks, not really knowing what to do, how to cook, or basically how to prepare anything. For about a month, I was getting by on carrot sticks, celery sticks, and yogurt. Fortunately, when I went vegan in 1990, it was a simple and natural progression. Anyway, as I walked around Aspen town, I noticed a little vegetarian restaurant called, "The Little Kitchen".

Let me back up just a little bit. It was April of 1975, the snow was melting and the runoff of Ajax Mountain filled the streets full of knee-deep mud. Now, Aspen was great to ski in, but was a bummer to walk in when the snow was melting.

I was ready to call it quits and I needed a warmer place. I'll elaborate on that in a minute.

But right now, back to "The Little Kitchen". Knowing that I was going to leave Aspen and basically a new vegetarian, I needed help. So, I cruised into the restaurant and told them my plight and asked them if they would teach me how to cook. I told them in return I would wash dishes and empty their trash. They then asked me what I did for a living and I told them I was an accountant.

The owner said to me, "Let's make a deal. You do our tax return and we'll feed you as well". So for the next couple of weeks I was doing their tax return, washing their dishes, emptying the trash, and learning as much as I could.

But, like I said, the mud was getting to me. So I picked up a travel book written by a guy named Foder. The name of the book was, "Hawaii". Looking through the book I noticed that in Lahaina, on Maui, there was a little vegetarian restaurant called," Mr. Natural's". I decided right then and there that I would go to Lahaina and work at "Mr. Natural's." To make a long story short, that's exactly what happened.

So, I'm working at "Mr. Natural's" and learning everything I can about my new dietary lifestyle - it was great. Every afternoon we would close for lunch at about 1 PM and go to the Sheraton Hotel in Ka'anapali and play volleyball, while somebody stayed behind to prepare dinner.

Since I was the new guy, and didn't really know how to cook, I never thought that I would be asked to stay behind to cook dinner. Well, one afternoon, that's exactly what happened; it was my turn. That posed a problem for me because I was at the point where I finally knew how to boil water.

I was desperate, clueless and basically up the creek without a paddle. Fortunately, there was a friend of mine sitting in the gazebo at the restaurant and I asked him if he knew how to cook. He said the only thing he knew how to cook was enchiladas. He said that his enchiladas were bean-less and dairy-less. I told him that I had no idea what an enchilada was or what he was talking about, but I needed him to show me because it was my turn to do the evening meal.

Well, the guys came back from playing volleyball and I'm asked what was for dinner. I told them enchiladas; the owner wasn't thrilled. I told him that mine were bean-less and dairy-less. When he tried the enchilada he said it was incredible. Being the humble guy that I was, I smiled and said, "You expected anything less"? It apparently was so good that it was the only item on the menu that we served twice a week. In fact, after about a week, we were selling five dozen every night we had them on the menu and people would walk around Lahaina broadcasting, 'enchilada's at "Natural's" tonight'. I never had to cook anything else.

A year later the restaurant closed, and somehow I gravitated to a little health food store in Wailuku. I never told anyone I was an accountant and basically relegated myself to being the truck driver. The guys who were running the health food store had friends in similar businesses and farms on many of the islands. I told them that if they could organize and form one company they could probably lock in the State. That's when they found out I was an accountant and "Down to Earth" was born. "Down to Earth" became the largest natural food store chain in the islands, and I was their Chief Financial Officer and co-manager of their biggest store for 13 years.

In 1981, I started to do a weekly radio show to try and expose people to a vegetarian diet and get them away from killing innocent creatures. I still do that show today. I pay for my own airtime and have no sponsors to not compromise my honesty. One bit of a hassle was the fact that I was forced to get a Masters Degree in Nutrition to shut up all the MD's that would call in asking for my credentials.

My doing this radio show enabled me, through endless research, to see the corruption that existed within the big food industries, the big pharmaceutical companies, the biotech industries and the government agencies. This information, unconscionable as it is, enabled me to realize how broken our health system is. This will be covered more in depth in the Introduction and throughout the book and when you finish the book you will see this clearly and it will hopefully inspire you to make changes.

I left Down to Earth in 1989, got nationally certified as a sports injury massage therapist and started traveling the world with a bunch of guys that were making a martial arts movie. After doing that for about four years I finally made it back to Honolulu and got a job as a massage therapist at the Honolulu Club, one of Hawaii's premier fitness clubs. It was there I met the love of my life who I have been with since 1998. She made me an offer I couldn't refuse. She said," If you want to be with me you've got to stop working on naked women". So, I went back into accounting and was the Chief Financial Officer of a large construction company for many years.

Going back to my Newark days when I was an infant, I had no idea what a "chicken" or "egg" or "fish" or "pig" or "cow" was. My dietary blueprint was thrust upon me by my parents as theirs was thrust upon them by their parents. It was by the grace of God that I was able to put things in their proper perspective and improve my health and elevate my consciousness.

The road that I started walking down in 1975 has finally led me to the point of writing my book, “A Sane Diet For An Insane World”. Hopefully, the information contained herein will be enlightening, motivating, and inspiring to encourage you to make different choices. Doing what we do out of conditioning is not always the best course to follow. I am hoping that by the grace of the many friends and personalities I have encountered along my path, you will have a better perspective of what road is the best road for you to travel on, not only for your health but your consciousness as well.

Last but not least: after being vaccinated as a kid I developed asthma, which plagued me all of my life. In 2007 I got exposed to the organic sulfur crystals, which got rid of my asthma in 3 days and has not come back in over 10 years. That, being the tip of the iceberg, has helped people reverse stage 4 cancers, autism, joint pain, blood pressure problems, migraine headaches, erectile dysfunction, gingivitis, and more. Also, because of the detoxification effects by the release of oxygen that permeates and heals all the cells in the body, it removes parasites, radiation, fluoride, free radicals, and all the other crap that is thrust upon us in the environment by Big Business.

For more, please view www.healthtalkhawaii.com and www.asanediet.com.

Namaste!