sub-optimal way. Over time, what starts out as sub-optimal progresses
onward to fully problematic.
Being overweight as well as virtually all chronic diseases have
nutrient deficiency as a well-researched contributing factor. (In
addition, many commonly-eaten, processed foods that can place us
at greater risk of chronic disease can also place us at greater risk for
obesity.) With cardiovascular disease, these nutrient deficiencies
clearly involve vitamins B6, B12, and folate. With diabetes, the role
of nutrient deficiency is not yet as clear as it is in the case ofcardio-
vascular disease, but at least in animal studies, biotin, magnesium,
vitamin E, coenzyme Q, and lipoic acid have all been implicated
as nutrients that may contribute to disease risk when chronically
deficient in the body. A long list of anti-inflammatory nutrients—
including the flavonoids and carotenoids found in most fresh fruits
and vegetables—is becominga particular area of focus when it
comes to nutrient deficiency and chronic disease. Deficiency of these
anti-inflammatory nutrients may be especially important because
so many chronic diseases and obesity appear to have an inflamma-
tory component.
As you can see, the connection between nutrient deficiency and
chronic disease is not a fast, simple, or readily apparent one. But
the take-away message here is definitely simple and readily apparent:
we need to do everything we can to avoid nutrient deficiency in our
meal plans if we want to minimize our risk of chronic disease and
obesity.
That’s where the World’s Healthiest Foods come in. They provide
you with all of the nutrients you need for health. And with the
Healthy Weight Loss Eating Plan, you’ll see how easy it is to eat a
variety of these foods to make delicious meals while getting all of
the nutrients you need for health and keep you from becoming
nutrient-deficient or malnourished.
In the next chapter, we’ll take this topic of nutrients and health one
step further. We’ll look very specifically at why they are so important
to healthy weight loss and good health.
Nutrient-Rich World’s Healthiest Foods Key to Healthy Weight Loss