Dr. Wallach, author of the famous speech “Dead Doctors Don’t Lie,” claims the body needs precisely 90 essential nutrients to thrive. This includes [1]
- 60 essential minerals
- 16 essential vitamins
- 12 essential amino acids
- and 3 essential fatty acids
And the story goes that the soil has been depleted of her nutrients and is no longer able to create healthy food that contains the essential elements for life.
The theory states that when the body does not have all the nutrients it needs, it gets sick, often chronically, even leading to death. So a person could eat three round meals a day, be filled up and not feel hungry, but still starve for lack of nutrition. On the other hand, when the body has all the nutrients it needs, it will heal itself of all kinds of diseases and conditions. And one will simply die when their telomeres run their natural course. But with the depleted soil, claim the alternate health care practitioners, one cannot get these nutrients from food alone.
The Proposed Solution.
So the proposed solution is to take supplements to get all the necessary nutrition to live. In fact, according to sources, the supplement market is a 12 to 37 billion dollar industry. If there is an alternate health practitioner, they no doubt have their own supplement brand. Dr. Wallach, Dr. Mercola, Dr. Jordan Rubin, and Dr. Axe are stellar examples. And they all have good intentions. And they all have a part of that multi-billion dollar market.
From time to time I have promoted supplements by these very people — and others as well. In some ways, it is the only way to make money in the health industry. Yet, the doctors mentioned above, in my honest belief, are not in the business for money alone. They genuinely wish to help people heal themselves.
Are Supplements Absolutely Necessary?
But are supplements absolutely necessary to get the nutrition to live? Is the soil beyond repair? Is it impossible to get the necessary nutrition from food alone?
Case Study Number One.
My husband has been supplement free for the last 20 years. In fact, in the 90’s he came under the control of the Epstein Barr virus and tried supplements to heal his body. When he began noticing that he was actually flushing most of them down the toilet, he sought other answers.
This led him on a quest to find answers to health from God’s Word. Reformed Health is a result of his study. And he was able to reverse the symptoms of his Epstein Barr without taking supplements. He is still supplement free today. In fact, from time to time, I have tried to get him to take a supplement when his health was not full par. And on those occasions, inevitably, his body has rejected the supplements as foreign. Rather, to recover, he must to go back to the principles that he learned from his Biblical Health Study.
One of those principles is eating the food that God has created to be enjoyed with thanksgiving. This food is the nutrition that God has given to heal the body. There is nothing foreign, nothing the body doesn’t recognize, just pure unadulterated food. This food is not the typical food sold in the supermarkets. It is organic, natural, pure, whole food.
Case Study Number Two (WIP).
I have been taking supplements for the last 20 years. They have helped me overcome arthritis, heart palpitations, dysmenorrhea, and hormone fluctuations. But despite my supplements, I have recently developed a lump in my breast, a persistent infection in my pinky finger, and insomnia. These conditions were exacerbated by high EMFs in our last residence. But since moving to a safer EMF environment, the conditions have not improved. So I have been seeking more answers.
The situation has caused me to re-evaluate my supplements. In fact, I have stopped taking them completely. And now I am forced to take a closer look at my diet to make sure I am getting all the essential nutrients I need.
My husband and I do not eat the same diet. So I don’t get the same nutrition as him. For example
- He drinks lots of organic raw milk. I drink almost none.
- He eats a lot of grass fed beef. I eat very little.
- He eats fresh ground spelt cereal several times I week. I never eat it.
And my lack of eating these foods makes me susceptible to
- low calcium (lack of milk)
- low B vitamins (lack of grass fed beef)
- low iron (lack of beef)
- and low vitamin E (lack of spelt).
To aggravate the issue, I have been loosing weight for the past year, restricting my diet. On a positive note, I have lost over 30 pounds. On a negative note, I have been restricting my food intake to about 1500 calories, leaving 300 calories a day for “vice” foods. This means for a sustained period I was consuming 1200 calories of nutrition.
I didn’t realize the toll this was taking on my already deficient diet until I started trying to get my nutrition solely from food — without supplementation. Indeed, I had not been getting enough calcium, iron, and more — even with my supplements.
So now I am on a quest to get the nutrition I need with the foods I love. No longer is my focus just on calories — it is now on nutrition. With all the talk of the RDA and the DV’s for vitamins and minerals, I don’t know why it is not emphasized more in an actual diet.
We hear about low carbs, paleo, low fat, low sugar — but what about the necessary nutrients for life?
I am working out a plan for my own personal healthy diet. It is indeed a challenge to find foods high enough in calcium, iron, and vitamin E to keep me healthy. And I haven’t only begun to look at all 90 essential nutrients.
I believe it is possible to find a diet that provides all the necessary nutrition; but I know it won’t be easy.
Food is the primary means that God has given to nourish the body. The body knows exactly what to do with it. Even whole food supplements give the body something that it cannot recognize 100%. I look forward to my journey to learn how to get all my nourishment out of food — as God has designed. Food is no longer just a substance to curb my hunger — it is the means to heal. I don’t want to starve with a full belly.
Thanks for tracking with me.
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[1] http://nomdforme.com/faq/what-are-the-90-essential-nutrients/
[2] http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Markets/NBJ-The-US-supplement-industry-is-37-billion-not-12-billion
Disclaimer:
Reformed Health exists so you can take control of your own health and be all that God has designed you to be. The information shared on Reformed Health is the sole opinion of the author and is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness. None or our claims have been evaluated by the FDA or any other government organization. We are not medical doctors, nor do we have any medical doctors on staff. If you are having a health emergency, please call 911, contact your doctor, or visit a local emergency room. Always consult your doctor before engaging in any new exercise regime.
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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.
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© 2017 Mischelle Sandowich
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Healthy nutrition helped my husband get type 2 diabetes under control. We do only eat good carbs, because the white ones- and too many of them – can cause inflammation which is the cause of many diseases. It took 6 months to get him off of medication. It has been under control for over six years.
Keep eating well! It will be of benefit to you both!
Great testimony! Yep, I have had to completely cut out sugar. Though a little honey is good! Thanks for sharing.