| We hear a lot these days about the pollution of | | | | protein, and physochemicals. Most people don't |
| the environment and how this affects food crops, | | | | see flax as a source of dietary fat or protein, but |
| and ultimately, our nutrition. | | | | they for the phytochemical content. Now, one of |
| This argument about our polluted environment has | | | | the phytochemicals is destroyed in the process of |
| been getting louder in the nutritional supplement | | | | making flaxseed oil from the flax seeds. Ironically, |
| industry. We are told that even if we eat the | | | | it is the same ingredient that is said to have most |
| naturally grown foods in regular serving sizes, we | | | | of the cancer-inhibiting potential. But in the process |
| cannot adequately nourish our bodies anymore | | | | of extracting the oil, we lose most of it. |
| from the foods grown in our polluted soils. | | | | Is long term use of highly concentrated nutrients |
| As I listened to a nutrition expert on a radio | | | | safe? |
| program recently, he said it would take about 10 | | | | Your multi-vitamin supplements may show the |
| servings of vegetables nowadays to provide the | | | | B12 concentration per serving as 833% of RDA. |
| same amount of nutrients we could have | | | | If you take Vitamin C supplements, each serving |
| obtained from a single serving back in the days | | | | (or dosage) is several times your daily |
| before the industrial revolution. | | | | requirement. Why? |
| I don't know about that, I cannot say how true | | | | Removing any nutrient from nature's package |
| that may be, but I might ask... How do you prove | | | | makes it less effective than it would be in it's |
| that food nutrients are insufficient when 80% of | | | | natural state. For example, an orange is more |
| us are not eating adequate amounts of the | | | | effective at delivering vitamin C than a |
| required fruits and vegetables anyway? | | | | concentrated vitamin C pill which lacks the many |
| Nutritional supplements from food extracts | | | | phytochemicals found in the natural orange. |
| You may have also heard the claim that food | | | | Research is showing that "beta-carotene has been |
| extracts that have been formulated as dietary | | | | linked with increasing the risk of lung cancer in |
| supplements have many more benefits than the | | | | smokers; vitamin E has been associated with an |
| foods from which they were extracted. This | | | | increased risk of heart failure in people with |
| must simply be a matter of ingredient | | | | vascular disease or diabetes." |
| concentration. But I also have to ask this... | | | | What may be the long-term harm to people who, |
| How do we know that there isn't a negative | | | | instead of eating their fruits and vegetables, rely |
| effect of artificially inflating the concentrations of | | | | on daily intake of multivitamin supplementations? |
| certain nutrients above the normal levels that | | | | Only time will tell. But I don't want to be part of |
| nature has provided for us? | | | | the answer 10 years from now. I'll continue to |
| We also need to note that some of the nutrients | | | | enjoy the stuff that comes from the ground |
| in the supplements have been lost due to the | | | | from which I came, and to which I shall return. |
| processing. One notable example is with flax seed, | | | | Nutritional supplementation may be good, but it |
| from which flaxseed oil is made. | | | | cannot replace the intention of our Designer. Let's |
| Flaxseed oil is rich in fatty acids, dietary fiber, | | | | eat whole foods! |