Nutrition Assessment

Amazing what 30 minutes with an education individual will do for you. I had a nutrition consultation. Just when I thought I knew it all. It was enlightening on many levels, but the core concepts validated what I know I need for health and wellness.

Turns out as I descend into "elderly" class, full of dings, flaws and faux pas...my body needs stuff that my earlier version did not. Clearly, in addition, the food sources that are big box stores have become deficient in vital nutrients to sustain an active lifestyle and promote wellness.

So in an effort to balance "needs" and "sales", any nutrition discussion is often based in science, peppered with theory and promoted on supplement evidence, no matter how slim. Yet, somewhere in the discussion comes to the surface elements of reality that are hard to ignore. And the conclusion that we may not be able to get all we need from food (although we should be able to come pretty close) in the category of vital vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients is hard to ignore.

So what does a relatively healthy 60 something need?

1. A good multivitamin with quality ingredients and absorption. The flavor of the week? Fermented.

2. Vitamin B (complex), methylated for maximal absorption. Most nutrients need to be methylated in order to be used by the body.

3. Vitamin C, in a form that is maximally absorbed and used.

4. Vitamin D, in addition to getting some healthy sun for a time each day, outdoors (go bathe in nature). So much value in being sure the D is "topped off" for multiple systems including immune functions.

5. A probiotic (and perhaps a prebiotic). The pre? A good variety, volume of organic fruits and vegetables daily. A simple, perhaps fermented, probiotic to provide depleted microbiome characters to the mix to assist with digestion and absorption of nutrients.

6. Collagen, supplement or healthy bone broths, for healthy bones, ligament, tendons, cartilage and joint fluids. Powders (collagen, protein, green drink products etc) appear to have less challenge being digested and absorbed.

7. EPA Fish Oil, omega 3 predominant, for heart and vascular health, to counteract the ill effects of the unhealthy Omega 6 in so, so many food sources.

8. Digestive enzymes for acute (chewable papaya for example) and long term (encapsulated) digestive assistance to breakdown food sources to absorbable forms and assist with stomach functions.

9. CoQ10 for production of cellular energy, mitochondria health and its antioxidant capacity. Your cells will thank you.

10. Need help with stabilizing mood? (apparently all elderly get depressed...and why not?) 5 HTP (small dose of 50 at first), and ashwaganda (to help lower high cortisol) might be helpful.

I know these things are healthy for me. But are they so as supplements and not part of the complex structure that is food. When using food as medicine, each elements (listed above) is part of a complex "dance" of constituents that may affect the value of that substance. Example, is a probiotic supplement as good as eating probiotic, fermented and similar foods?

I appreciate the excellent information and time spent with a highly qualified nutrition specialist. But... We are clearly entering an era, with global warming, population explosion, water/nutrient depleted soils and other forces that the foods we have access to in the mega food stores (where most of us get our Western stuff) is less than nutritious. Certainly suspect.

The growth of organic direct from farm to table markets and the explosion of personal sustainable backyard/deck/window sill farming is encouraging and clearly a trend to follow. In the end these solutions may be better pursued for our needs than walking down the aisles of the whole fresh food market big boxes for supplementation to what we aren't getting in our food.