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A Few Ideas In Nutrition

• Fruits and vegetables contain many nutrients, phytochemicals, trace minerals, and other substances that related supplements often do not. For example, synthetic vitamins are usually concentrated forms of only one or a few chemical constituents (which are sometimes extracted from things that would not normally be considered edible, such as coal tars). Some state that, because various necessary elements are missing from these supplements, they are not assimilated by the body (being passed mostly into the urine), or can sometimes even inhibit bodily function (e.g.: altering the natural equilibrium of the intestinal tract in a detrimental way). It should be noted however that there are actually some instances in which someone might use a highly concentrated vitamin on purpose, in an attempt to heal an illness (such as within Orthomolecular Therapy).

• Cooking alters the structure of the thing being cooked. In the worst case scenario, it denatures proteins and destroys enzymes. Therefore, many suggest eating most fruits, vegetables, and tree nuts completely raw to maximize the nutritional content that is received. "High-temperature cooking" (e.g.: frying) is said to be a particularly prevalent problem. There are stories of excessive intake of burnt foods being linked to an increased incidence of cancer, and hydrogenated oils (i.e.: those extracted from seeds by extreme heat) forming "plastic-like" compounds that destroy human cells by clogging up their membranes because they are assimilated like fats.

• Different types of sugars (e.g.: "fructose" - derived from fruits, "lactose" - derived from milk, etc.) are said to be digested by the body differently (mainly due to their different crystal structures and electric potentials). To give an example, this is the reason why "high fructose corn syrup" is said to be detrimental to one's health. It has nothing to do with the fact that it is derived from corn, but with the quantity that it is in. Because it is highly concentrated and added to nearly every processed food, the likelihood of receiving too much of it unintentionally is quite possible (especially without the necessary enzymes to help digest it). It overtaxes the liver and contributes to the formation of diabetes. The same can be said for many sweetners, both "artificial" and "natural" (e.g.: Aspartame has been considered an "excitotoxin", meaning that it overloads and damages nerve cells).

There is much that could be shared about all of this, but these are just a few things that I have come across while studying these subjects. Please take all of this with a grain of salt (no pun intended). I heartily encourage others to research and form their own conclusions, especially when it comes to topics which are important to everyone's safety, health, and well-being. The things that we choose to eat and drink help to build our bodies, and by extension, can partly influence our thoughts and feelings.

In regards to learning, an idea that has been very helpful to me is Temperance. Generalizations can be useful in that they can help us to organize large quantities of information into categories and notice patterns across many diverse phenomena. However, it is important that they do not degrade into prejudices that blind us to Truth or false assumptions that lead us away from the Constructive. Discernment (in the sense of considering all things Justly), often helps to draw Awareness to important factors that we can then reason about. In so doing, we become well-informed and thereby increase our capacity for Self-Responsible decisions. To give a couple of examples in relation to the subject of food:

1. Because something is considered "natural" does not necessarily mean that it is edible. There are poisonous plants for example.

2. Because something has been given a "chemical name" does not necessarily mean that it is toxic. The "dihydrogen monoxide" prank is another good example.

I know that this is such a simple thing, and I am sure everyone is familiar with this to some degree, but these are so important to understand that I sometimes feel that they cannot repeated enough.

Thank you for reading! ♥