Some Essential Dietary Considerations for Healthy Living

Essential Dietary Considerations for Healthy Living

Supplementation with fish oils in small quantities of only 1 to 2 percent of caloric intake not only enhances the functioning of the brain and nervous system as well as the cardiovascular and immune systems

However, it also tends to help eliminate unhealthy cravings for sweets once adequate levels of protein and essential fatty acids are replenished.

If EPA and DHA aren’t in your diet, then they’re not in your brain!

It is also critical to note that saturated fat is an essential factor in the protection, transportation, and use of these important and fragile oils and should not be overly restricted in the diet, particularly in children.

Cholesterol, too, is utterly vital to the neurological functioning of children and adults alike.

B-complex vitamins, in general, are especially important for cognitive functioning and are readily depleted with carbohydrate consumption.

Methyl donors such as B6, B12, and folic acid, as well as betaine, s-adenosyl methionine (SAMe), dimethylglycine (DMG), and trimethyl glycine (TMG), are especially important for healthy brain function and metabolism.

(The Role of Vegetables in Disease Prevention.)

Regular use of a sublingual methyl cobalamin vitamin B12 supplement can be especially helpful in this regard.

Vitamin B12 may be less well absorbed from food, or even in pill or capsule form, by many people with compromised digestion.

There is no toxicity associated with vitamin B12 at any dosage.

It is far better to err on the side of supplementing with more than less.

Vitamin B12 deficiency is becoming increasingly common, even among meat eaters.

Regular supplementation with a sublingual form is good and inexpensive insurance.

A more recently recognized and tragically overlooked factor in many cases involves iodine deficiency.

Iodine is needed and used by every cell in the body.

It can make for a night-and-day difference in many cases of ADHD and is a likely deficiency in many cases of the disorder.

It is also needed for the proper functioning of every single hormone, to say nothing of normal thyroid function.

The absence of iodine in most of our soils and foods today is only part of the problem.

According to Brownstein 2008, Iodized salt contains iodide and not elemental iodine only half the necessary form of total iodine for optimal functioning, which is useful mainly for minimizing the incidence of goiters. And is typically filled with undesirable additives, including aluminum, and is of little use in providing sufficient tissue levels of both forms of iodine needed in the body for optimal functioning.

The rampant and ubiquitous overuse of halogens such as bromine/bromide, chlorine/chloride, and fluorine/fluoride in processed foods, medications, processed vegetable oils, bread, pasta, cereals, pesticides, drinking water, and innumerable other daily household items adds dramatically to this problem by displacing iodine in our body and brain and preventing its absorption.

The result of our brain and metabolic functioning is insidiously devastating.

The process of restoring healthy iodine levels can take several months or even years for some people, and it should be well and carefully understood.

High doses of iodine, particularly when improperly administered, can induce uncomfortable detoxification reactions as the iodine displaces toxic halogens and heavy metals such as mercury, aluminum, and arsenic.

A cautious and gradual building up of the iodine dosage in a proper and readily usable form is very important.

It’s important to note that improperly applied iodine supplementation can worsen symptoms and accelerate glandular destruction in people with diagnosed (or undiagnosed) autoimmune thyroid disorders (e.g., Hashimoto’s disease).

Individuals must be carefully screened for thyroid peroxidase antibodies, antithyroglobulin antibodies, and autoimmune thyroid issues before any iodine supplementation.

If you happen to be positive for Hashimoto’s disease, then you must avoid iodine supplementation altogether.

Small amounts of naturally occurring iodine in foods are okay in these cases; just don’t supplement.

Note that 80 percent or more of cases of low-functioning thyroid are autoimmune-related in nature, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed.

And 100 percent of cases of hyperfunctioning thyroids are autoimmune.

If in doubt, then test, and avoid iodine supplementation until you know the results.

What to do if you can’t take a supplement

For people who can supplement with iodine, certain nutrients such as magnesium, selenium, vitamins E, A, and D, and B-complex and Complex vitamins, together with supplementation of full-spectrum (Celtic) sea salt and essential fatty acids, are essential to iodine absorbing well and it’s being used properly in the body.

Be sure to include seafood, seaweed, or kelp as part of your daily diet, as they are among the only reliable food sources of iodine.

Kelp and seafood sources tend to be safe and well-tolerated by most people.

Additional iodine supplementation (beyond simply food sources) can be essential for many people, and I encourage you to seek out a qualified and knowledgeable natural healthcare provider to guide you through the process of restoring healthy iodine levels.

The difference that appropriate iodine status can make is nothing short of miraculous for deficient people (according to Dr. David Brownstein, more than 96 percent of people in the United States), and it is well worth the pursuit.