With all the food available to us, do we really need to be taking nutritional supplements? Why?

I hope you and your family made it through the flu season unscathed. Kudos to those of you who took action to protect yourselves by following the guidelines laid out in the last newsletter. Today's issue relates to the last two tips which were to eat right and use good supplements. Today's topic? Nutritional Supplements!

North Americans have the unfortunate distinction of being the most overfed but undernourished society. The personal and public health impact is enormous. The malnourished and the overweight share high levels of sickness and disability, shortened life expectancies, and lower levels of productivity. We need only look at the explosion of chronic illnesses and diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease in our society to see the severity of the situation. Some experts estimate that over half of "years of healthy life lost" around the globe is attributable to nutrition-based problems.

Some causes are easy to identify. Due to our hectic lifestyles, we often don't eat properly and settle for fast foods. We snack on junk food instead of fruits and vegetables. We drink coffee, soda and sport drinks instead of living water.

But there's another cause that isn't so obvious nor controllable. U.S. Senate documents as far back as 1936 (No. 264) have reported that the soil in which our food is grown is depleted of minerals. Experts attribute this to commercial farming methods and pollution including pesticides and acid rain. The result is that our bodies are starving... no matter how many fruits and vegetables we eat! Minerals are essential for proper physical function. They're also needed to make use of vitamins, so the malnutrition problem is further compounded!

These are some of the reasons why the American Medical Association recommends that all adults should use nutritional supplementation as part of a health lifestyle.

The bottom line is, if you're not already using quality nutritional supplements, now is the time to start! Regardless of what you look like in the mirror - big or small - your body may be starving. At the very least, you're at higher risk of severe health problems and compromising your quality of life. If you're already hurting, improving your nutrition may help reduce or even reverse the damage. Take charge!

If you would like more information or specific product recommendations, don't hesitate to contact me. I'm in business to serve you and solve problems!

Keep Well,
Rob VH

P.S. The reasons many people don't supplement (or are unsure how to go about it) is because of some common questions and challenges. The next newsletter, coming very soon, will address these issues. You'll want to hold off taking a trip down the vitamin aisle until you read it!

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		Please feel free to contact me by e-mail or phone: robvh@wellness5.com Robert Vanden Heuvel • Tel: 403-870-9032