As a citizen of America the author is immersed in a society that can be, and often is, considered one of extreme excess. So with all the resources to produce and hold on to so much, how is it that the average person in this country lives in constant fear of infections, cancers, heart disease, diabetes and many other life-altering and life-threatening conditions? Simply turn on the television or the computer and no matter where you turn there will undoubtedly be an advertisement for some pill, hospital or other medical functionality. With so very much, and we do have a great deal more than most other areas of the globe, how is it that we have such high rates of these crippling and often fatal conditions? The answer is simple: it is because of our excess and ego-driven behavior that we suffer. While we have more than enough “food”, enough even to pay farmers subsidies to not grow more and to feed countless animals for the sole purpose of slaughter, our desire to have quickly prepared products that “taste good” to a childish and unrefined palate floods our markets with products rather than food. The cost of our desires in the land of excess is a severe deficiency of vital nutrients that are integral to our survival as well as our ability to thrive and nourish the mind.
Food, as it sprouts from the ground, has a complex and elegant design with such attention to detail and functionality that it is incredibly foolish to alter it from its natural state as we so often do. The cost to our health can be seen in alterations such as what the amazing whole wheat berry undergoes during the milling process to become the white flour that so many consume in various forms such as bread, pasta and cereals to name a few. In the processing of wheat berries we all but strip this wonder food of minerals, microminerals, phytonutrients, vitamins and valuable oils that are present in the natural, whole form. Whole foods are called such because without the whole they are incomplete, and the further we transform them from the whole the less they are able to function. Think of an automobile. You can probably remove a few pieces here and there and the car will still run, but you will notice a difference in performance. Now if we start tearing parts out with reckless abandon, the vehicle becomes a useless hunk of scrap with no value whatsoever. This is identical to how foods work. Due to our desire-based madness we go about removing critical ingredients yet still expect the vehicle of food to deliver nourishment to our bodies. Of the pieces that we are deprived of, two of the most crucial are selenium and magnesium.
In the case of selenium we find that there are many sources from which we can obtain this excellent element. Chief among them is the aforementioned whole wheat, especially when it is grown in selenium rich soil. In fact, a 1996 study by the Journal of the American Medical Association found data to back up this claim stating that selenium can reduce the rates of some cancers by up to 50%! Another critical health concern in the United States that is often overshadowed by things like cancer and heart disease is hypothyroidism, a condition of low hormone output from the thyroid gland. This is a largely preventable dis-ease, which is much more prevalent in women, as it is most often a direct result of selenium deficiency. Now I know what most people are thinking when they read this, “Easy fix! I will fly as quickly as possible to the local vitamin store and purchase the largest available bottle of selenium supplements and therefore become immune to this degenerative dis-ease! Problem solved!” Unfortunately for our laziness real life does not work out in this way. You see, even potent elements like selenium only work properly when in balance with other trace minerals. Now you will have to go out and spend a ton of money on various supplements and try to balance them perfectly! Oh no! Or, a second option, we can simply consume whole food in its natural form and all the careful alchemy of balance is already taken care of for us by nature. Now that’s what I call an easy fix! Hypothyroidism prevention, which can help counter obesity as low thyroid and obesity are directly linked, is only one of the vast variety of benefits that we can glean from selenium. In addition we have found that it excels at removing toxic heavy metals such as lead and mercury and deactivating many viruses, even HIV when selenium is present in enough quantity. There is also evidence that premature aging, heart disease, arthritis and multiple sclerosis can be linked in many cases to a deficiency of selenium. With all these life-long boons it seems silly that people still choose a moment of perceived better taste at the sacrifice of good health and happiness.
Besides selenium, magnesium is another key nutrient that is severely lacking in the average person with approximately 70% of the United States population suffering unknowingly from this often terminal condition. Ironically in many “third-world” countries the populace receives an abundance of magnesium because of their diets rich in legumes, green vegetables, whole grains and seeds. The irony lies in the fact that they often eat this diet because it is much more economical to simply eat whole foods than it is to go through all the excessive trouble of processing them into products. Less work, less money spent yet better health benefits; the folly of modern man is truly laughable! Back on topic, magnesium is a great nutrient for those of us whom care to do well by our livers and gallbladders. Magnesium-rich foods also calm nerve function which can help with mental and emotional instabilities such as irritability, depression, bipolar disorder, sleep disorders and PMS. Also there is evidence that magnesium can curb sudden onset conditions such as migraines, sudden infant death syndrome, cramps and muscle spasms throughout the body as well as helping with digestion and blood sugar issues found in alcoholism and diabetes. Another attribute of interest, especially to Americans who are constantly told to get enough calcium, though this is one nutrient we consume in abundance, is that there is significant research proving that without enough magnesium in the diet absolutely zero calcium will be able to enter the bones. Again we find that there is a tapestry in nature that requires us to receive multiple sources of nutrition for optimum health and performance.
We all have been bombarded by the negative effects of not having enough calcium in our bones such as the obvious osteoporosis, but there is also a concern linked with excessive calcium. The way that magnesium gets calcium into the bones is by pushing it from our soft tissues into the skeletal structures. If magnesium is not present to perform this vital function then the calcium begins to build up in our soft tissues causing cataclysmic effects such as conditions of the kidneys, skeleton, heart and vascular system as well as often having a role in the propagation of the properly dreaded Alzheimer’s Disease. Magnesium is integral in regulating intracellular processes and balancing calcium levels and is therefore integral to the good health of not only our bodies but our minds as well. In the author’s opinion physical health is primarily to be maintained to preserve the health of our minds, therefore magnesium ranks very high on the list of important nutrients. Calcium excess also has myriad health and wellness pitfalls connected to diseases of the heart and arteries such as the hardening of plaques in our vascular system by reinforcing them with strong calcium molecules making it difficult to remove the plaque. The good news in all of this is that we can easily remedy this by diligently consuming magnesium rich foods such as legumes (beans, soy, peas and lentils), brans (rice, wheat and oat), dried coriander, seeds (squash, pumpkin, flax, sunflower and watermelon), brazil nuts, almonds, cashews, molasses and, everyone’s favorite sushi side dish, edamame (roasted soy beans). With so many delicious choices it is a wonder we do not partake of these healthful foods!
In conclusion, it is important for us to remember that it is up to us to care for our bodies and minds. Armed with knowledge we are faced with a choice: do we use what we know to improve our lives or do we stick with our old, rigid ways and keep consuming products that we now know are detrimental to our health? In my mind there is no choice because I love myself far, far too much to betray my body and mind, especially seeing as how I only get one of each to enjoy! What will your choice be?
