What is Clinical Nutrition?

Clinical nutrition is a field that developed in the 1940s to treat individuals with specific nutritional deficiency diseases, like scurvy and pellagra. By the 1960s, however, experts were beginning to recognize that certain doses of nutrients had the power to prevent illness. Today, researchers and scientists continue to uncover the therapeutic role of individual nutrients in the prevention and treatment of disease. For example, antioxidants like beta-carotene, selenium, vitamin E, and vitamin C have been shown to protect against the development of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic degenerative diseases. The field of clinical nutrition has evolved into a practice that is increasingly incorporated into mainstream medical treatment.

What is Holistic Nutrition?

There is overall consensus among natural health researchers and practitioners that the one lifestyle change that has taken place in the last century is our diet. Our country has been transformed from a country that once consumed toxin-free fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and good fats for a majority of our calories, to a country that consumes a majority of calories from processed foods and empty calories that are loaded with toxins. What has followed is a health crisis in this country. The American people have accepted as normal a whole host of degenerative diseases (cancer, heart disease, diabetes) and autoimmune disorders. Obesity and diabetes prevalence rates have skyrocketed in this country and for the first time in history the health of our children is seriously compromised due to dietary habits.

Our health care system has been a system of disease management. It is time for the tide to change. We, as Americans, have control over our health because we have control over what we feed our body. Many of the diseases/disorders of the 21st century are preventable. As people begin to become educated how food works on our immune system and our health, people will understand the necessity to eat the right kinds of foods.

Take control of your health and get educated regarding the thousands of whole foods, herbs, and spices that will keep you healthy. It is also important to learn about the important and essential dietary supplements that will also improve your health.

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What are Nutritional Supplements?

The term Nutritional Supplements refers to vitamins, minerals, and other food components that are used to support good health and treat illness. For example, plant compounds known as phytochemicals (for example, those found abundantly in tomatoes and soybeans) have powerful disease-battling properties. While it's possible to successfully incorporate nutrients into your diet alone, supplementation can help maintain sufficient levels and produce specific desired effects. For example, supplementation with vitamin E has been shown to provide protection against coronary atherosclerosis, and zinc supplementation has been shown to reduce the duration of the common cold and decrease the incidence of acute diarrhea in children.

How do Vitamins and Minerals work?

Vitamins and minerals play an essential role in the body's normal metabolism, growth, and development. They do this by helping the body to perform various tasks. For example, while a vitamin is not a source of energy in and of itself, it can provide the key the body needs to unlock energy stored in food. Some vitamins and minerals work together-such as the mineral zinc and vitamin A. Zinc enables the body to use vitamin A to promote good vision. Deficiencies in vitamin A may lead to night blindness, a condition in which the eyes have difficulty adjusting to darkness. Zinc supplementation, therefore, may prevent this condition by keeping vitamin A functioning normally. Supplementation alone, however, is not the answer to long-term good health. Combining a healthful diet with a regular exercise program and a positive mental attitude has been shown, time and again, to be the best bet for a healthy lifestyle.