Essential Nutrition Program

Stress and diet are the two biggest influences on our health. Until we do something to lower the stress and improve our diet, there is always going to be a need for dietary supplements.  There are thousands of supplements that can be found on the store shelves, but which do you need? And which do you maybe NOT need?  Here are 7 supplements that I feel everyone should be taking on a regular basis.  There is no order of importance, they are listed in alphabetic order.

1) Adrenal Support – Stress is everywhere and the number one cause of most health complaints including fatigue, weight gain, cravings, digestive problems, PMS, hot flashes, sleep difficulties and the list goes on.  Stress overworks your adrenal glands, which produces cortisol, your primary stress hormone.  The problem is the constant production of cortisol can deplete your adrenal glands, which can completely throw your metabolism out of balance.  Stress can interfere with thyroid, liver, digestive and immune function.  Nourishing your adrenal glands (Adrenal Fuel) can be one of the most important things you can do to improve your health if you feel stress is taking it’s toll.

2)  Antioxidants – “Think anti-aging – think anti-oxidants.”  Free radicals are associated with multiple health concerns like arteriosclerosis, cancer, premature aging, lung, Lupus, MS  and many other problems.  Free radicals cause degeneration and aging of your cells.  Anitoxidants slow down that process.  Stress, poor dietary habits, exposure to radiation, smoking, automobile exhaust and other carcinogenic compounds increase the rate of free radical production which is destructive and degenerating to the body.  The more free radicals we produce the quicker our body ages. This is not good! Antioxidants slow down the production of free radicals. 

3) Digestive Enzymes – It’s NOT what you eat, but what your body absorbs!  Bloating, gas, indigestion, heartburn, acid reflux and irritable bowel is a huge problem. In fact it is one of the top 3 selling over-the-counter medications sold.  The problem is that it only helps with the symptoms, while it does nothing to improve your digestion or absorption.  If  you suffer from any of these problems you need a good digestive enzyme (Digest Plus), to help breakdown your foods so you can better absorb important nutrients.  It is the lack of enzymes in our diet that contributes to these compliants, and as we age, we produce less digestive enzymes.

4) Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) Fish oils – Arthritis, heart health, PMS, menopausal symptoms, diabetes and headaches have been helped with EFA’s (fish oils; the omega-3’s).  Most people think of fats as a bad thing, however fats are not the problem.  The real problem is the imbalance of saturated to monounsaturated (fish oils) fats.  Fish oils (EPA/DHA) reduce inflammation.  These essential oils make your red blood cells and tissues more pliable, which helps prevent heart disease. They are also the raw materials your body needs to make your reproductive hormones.  A good fish oil like SEA Energy can help balance the fats in your body and help improve your health.

5)  Fiber - The most forgotten nutrient in our society today is fiber.  Fiber helps keep our elimination (sewage) system working properly.  It will keep the bowels clean and push out the waste and toxins in the digestive tract.  It is speculated that 90% of all diseases begin in the bowels.  Constipation is a tremendous problem in this society and we can only wonder how much of that is correlated with colon cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, arthritis and other disease processes.  A good fiber supplement taken one or two times a day will ensure that your are getting an adequate supply of fiber. 

6)  Multi-vitamin/mineral -  Today, most people are concerned only with the caloric count of the food, rather than the nutritional value.  Each day we ask our body to make a certain quality and quantity of hormones, antibodies, enzymes, neurotransmitters (brain messengers) etc.  How can we expect our bodies to function properly when we are not giving them the most basic nutrients (vitmains and minerals) to make the above mentioned products.  When most people complain of diabetes, allergies, fatigue… there is a good chance their body doesn't have the necessary raw materials (vitamins & minerals) to maintain good health.

7) Probiotics -  Lactobacillus acidophilus, bulgaricus and bifidobacterium are the predominant bacteria in our intestines.  We call them ‘good’ bacteria because they eat our food and excrete things that are beneficial to our digestive system.  The ‘bad’bacteria, does the same thing -- except they excrete toxins that are harmful to our digestive system.  The ‘good’ bacteria provides more than 50% of our immune system! They also manufacture our ‘B’ vitamins, and help with digestion.  Stress, poor diet, medication and age reduce the good bacteria, allowing us to become more vulnerable to disease.  Remember, antibiotics, birth control pills and steroid hormones destroy the good bacteria in the intestines, so the need for probiotics is even greater. 

These are the 7 supplements I think shoud be at the core of everyone’s health program.  Yes, there are certain cleanses and other procedures that may need to be followed, but these 7 core products are exactly that – foundational.  Let us not forget the importace of exercsie, sleep and drinking lots of water to keep our mind and body healthy.

Dr. Len Lopez