Prevention Basics
Hello and I hope you are having a good week!

Nutrient rich foods are the gateway to good health. In this newsletter I am going to give you one example of a super- food, and the nutrients it contains. If you use it on a regular basis, you will fortify your body against disease, and stay strong for when life throws you its curve balls!

Soy milk * Soy milk is chock-full of nutrients. It is lactose free and has 270mg of Omega 3 fatty acids. Below is a list of truly important vitamins and minerals, what they protect you from, followed by other foods that contain them.

Vitamin A – builds an effective immune system. Without it your body is vulnerable to a whole host of infections ranging from measles to AIDS, and helps to prevent cancer and blindness. If you have low amounts of it in your system, you could develop dry eyes, loss of appetite, and poor taste and smell. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble substance, so you should eat a certain amount of fat when you take it. It is found in carrot juice, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, butternut squash, tuna, dandelion greens, cantaloupe, mangoes, turnip greens, and beet greens. (Look for anything orange!)

Vitamin D – This is one good thing we do get from the sun! Our bodies naturally absorb it and it is synthesized through our skin. We do need some sun, just not too much. Vitamin D helps all important calcium and phosphorous get to the proper places to make strong bones and teeth. It is found in herring, sardines, salmon, fortified milk, eggs, and fortified cereals.

Vitamin B-12 – This vitamin is vital to the production of myelin, the fatty sheath that insulates nerve fibers keeping electrical impulses moving through the body. People who have a deficiency will show signs of memory loss, confusion, delusion, fatigue, loss of balance, decreased reflexes, impaired touch or pain perception (Editor’s note: this reminds me of dementia and Alzheimer’s symptoms), numbness and tingling in arms and legs, tinnitus and noise-induced hearing loss. It is found in clams, ham, cooked oysters, kind crab, herring, salmon and tuna.

Folic Acid – or (Folate), is a nutritional powerhouse with approximately 20 different enzymes to build DNA, the material that contains the genetic code for your body, and is essential for normal nerve function. It helps prevent heart attack and stroke by blocking artery-attacking chemicals that accumulate in the blood of those who eat meats. It is found in fortified cereals, pinto beans, navy beans, asparagus, spinach, broccoli, okra, and brussels sprouts.
Iron - Iron helps you to form hemoglobin, or red blood cells. It helps build and maintain your immune system so it is ready for attack when needed! Around 20% of Americans are deficient in iron. Along with soybeans, you can get it from beef, cream of wheat, baked potatoes, pumpkins seeds and clams.

Electrolytes (Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium Sodium) – When you are dehydrated, these four elements are what you’ve lost. Intense fatigue and muscle cramps are only two symptoms. If you’re not bad enough to go to the Emergency Room, buy some Pedialite or a generic brand, and it will get you back in shape in no time. You can find it in any superstore or pharmacy in the children’s aisle.

Riboflavin– It is a known antioxidant that helps prevent cancer. While it can’t do much alone, it assists folic acid and vitamin B-6 to do their job. It also transports amino acids into neurotransmitters, chemicals crucial for thinking and memory. It is an essential B vitamin necessary for all kinds of chemical processes in the body. It is found in poultry, fish, grains, broccoli, turnip greens, asparagus, spinach, yogurt, milk and cheeses.

Selenium - It is a powerful antioxidant, and it works well together with Vitamin E against free radicals. You don’t need much of it, but it is a “team player” when it comes to assisting other cancer fighting substances in the body.

*I drink vanilla Silk®Soymilk alone, in cereal, or I even use in in recipes – like Banana Pudding! It makes it extra-creamy and delicious! I’m getting my dessert and my health, too!

Tip: Keep this in a “health” folder, and in your kitchen “recipe” folder.

Just remember one word – prevention. While it is important to fight cancer, it is most important to work to prevent ever getting it.

Stay tuned for the next newsletter! I will be continuing nutrition. Have a blessed and healthy week!

Sources: Healing with Vitamins by the Editors of Prevention Health Books, 1996.


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