Healthy Weight Loss — Without Dietingunhealthy weight gain. Developing a serious illness as a resultof
nutrient deficiency is not a quick or immediately visible process.
In the past, we have tended to think about nutrient deficiency
conditionsas involving the total absence of a single nutrient and
fairly rapid appearance of unusual symptoms. The disease called
scurvy that gets triggered by vitamin C deficiency is a good example.
This condition, which is readily visible in the form of damage to
gums of the mouth, was originally seen in sailors in the middle of
long voyages without the benefit of fruits and vegetables on board.
In this situation, there is a fairly fast-developing and direct relationship
between a single nutrient deficiency (vitamin C) and a very unique
set of symptoms (damage to the gums).
Today’s nutrient deficiency diseases do not fit into this scurvy type
of pattern. Today, it is not one single nutrient that has fallen below
the recommended intake level. It is more like a dozen nutrients as we
consume all of them in amounts that fall far below the amounts we
need. Over a period of time involving several years, we may still not
see any visible signs of disease related to these nutrient deficiencies.
Instead, we may only feel like we’re tired more often than we should
be. Or that we don’t sleep as soundly as we should, or don’t feel well
rested upon waking. Or that we are fatigued and can’t concentrate well.
Our chronic nutrient deficiency is definitely leading us in the direction
of more serious health problems, even though we may have yet to see
any visible evidence of these problems.
Underneath the surface, at a cellular level, long-term nutrient deficiency
changes the way our body functions. Virtually all body functions
require unique combinations of nutrients. We cannot keep our cell
membranes intact without the help of vitamin E. We cannot protect
the structures inside the cell from oxygen-related damage without
the help of copper, zinc, and selenium. Inside the energy-producing
mitochondria in our cells, manganese is essential. Our muscles cannot
use carbohydrates for fuel without a specific mixture of B-complex
vitamins. Chronic nutrient deficiency disrupts all of these processes.
They don’t altogether cease, but rather continue to operate in a