The Key to Health and Healthy Weight Loss: Why the World's Healthiest Foods Are So Rich in Nutrients

In this chapter, I'll go over the reasons why the nutrients in the World's Healthiest Foods are so important to your health. Nutrients are the body's ingredients for health. You will see that they are the key to healthy weight loss and optimal health because they offer so many great benefits.

Even though most people are familiar with the concept of nutrition and nutrients, many do not really understand what they do or how they function, including how they help people lose weight. I want to explain what nutrients do by using the straightforward example of calcium.

You've probably heard that calcium is important for your bones' health. You may also have been told that "calcium can prevent osteoporosis," a condition that affects 20 million adults in the United States.

I wish things were as straightforward! Sadly, however, they are not. Indeed

however calcium assumes a significant part in keeping up with our bone wellbeing,

it's simply not a fact that calcium, without anyone else, can forestall the event of osteoporosis.

First and foremost, there are numerous additional nutrients that bones require to construct their structure and density. For instance, a wide range of nutrients, including magnesium, manganese, zinc, vitamin D, vitamin C, vitamin K, boron, silicon, potassium, and others, are necessary for good bone health 44 Healthy Weight Loss — Without Dieting45. You won't be able to achieve good bone health by only consuming calcium. Nutrient-dense foods like the World's Healthiest Foods are the only ones that can provide you with the wide range of nutrients you require.

The majority of people are accustomed to thinking of nutrients in terms of "this cures that." The overly simplified marketing of dietary supplements can sometimes encourage this way of thinking. Health claims that present relatively straightforward cause-and-effect relationships between nutrients and health are frequently included on product labels by manufacturers. A manufacturer of a supplement might say, for instance, that vitamin E supports heart health, that fiber keeps the bowels regular, or that calcium builds strong bones.

Even though all of these connections between nutrients and health are supported by science, consumers might conclude that vitamin E is all they need for a healthy heart or that calcium is all they need to build strong bones. The fact of the matter is that no single nutrient can protect an entire body system, such as blood vessels or bones, or prevent a disease entirely.

It is not as though a nutrient can magically resolve a health issue. The role that nutrients play in all of the body's underlying structures and metabolic activities is connected to the fact that nutrients are linked to both the prevention of future health issues and the improvement of existing ones. They are the resources that are required by our body in order to produce and keep healthy cells. They are the substances that enable our body to carry out its moment-to-moment physiologic activities and aid in the operation of our metabolism. Our body can't do what it needs to do without them: For instance, oxygen cannot be carried in our blood, our muscles cannot contract, and our cells cannot communicate. In addition to those three, there are literally thousands of other activities that take place every second at a metabolic level that we cannot see but is absolutely necessary for our health.

As a result, nutrients are the components of the body's recipe for Nutrient-Rich World's Healthiest Foods Key to Healthy Weight Loss46. These nutrients support the body's fundamental structure and function, which are the foundation for our physical health.

If you take any one nutrient and look at everything it does in the body, you can see this huge underlying health foundation. Take, for instance, magnesium.

Over 300 enzymatic reactions involve magnesium as a cofactor.

Our DNA synthesis and numerous steps in the energy production cycle are examples of these. Additionally, magnesium plays a significant role in cell-to-cell communication, particularly that involving our nerve and muscle cells, and is an essential component of bone structure.

Our bodies wouldn't be able to function properly if they didn't have enough magnesium, which can start with less energy and eventually lead to a variety of signs, symptoms, and health conditions when things aren't working right. As you can also see, it's more complicated than merely claiming that magnesium has a positive effect on bone health or heart health, two claims that are frequently associated with this mineral. Like all other nutrients, magnesium is needed to support our underlying metabolic processes in hundreds of different ways. These underlying processes are the true foundation for our overall physical health.

You might think that a more holistic and comprehensive view of nutrition and health would make food preparation more difficult.

But in fact, the opposite is true! It's actually much simpler to understand how nutrients actually affect your health.

This is because the World's Healthiest Foods are also all-encompassing! When you look at the World's Healthiest Foods collectively, you'll see that their nutrients meet all of our metabolic and cellular requirements. They do so optimally by combining nutrients in their most natural patterns, not only maintaining this massive underlying biochemical structure that supports all of our health. This amazing synergy between nutrients cannot be replicated by any supplement! Healthy Weight Loss — Without Dieting requires you to concentrate on enjoying the World's Healthiest Foods because of their nutrient-richness and natural synergy of nutrients.

The Functions of Nutrients Despite this, I still believe that knowing about some of the functions and advantages of various nutrients—all of which are found in the World's Healthiest Foods—is essential if you want to lose weight and improve your health. You will find a few key examples from the wide range of known nutrients that our bodies require to be healthy and lose weight safely in the chart below.

POTENTIAL HEALTH

PROMOTING

FUNCTIONS

POSSIBLE

INDICATIONS THAT

MORE IS NEEDED

Biotin

Helps support healthy

skin; Helps maintain

nerves' energy supply

Depression;

Nervousness;

Memory problems

Calcium

Helps maintains healthy

strong bones; Helps

support proper functioning

of nerves

Tingling and numbness of

hands and feet; Muscular

pain and spasms

Carotenoids

Helps protect cells from

free radicals; Helps

promote eye and lung

health; Helps enhance

functioning of immune

system

Low intake of fruits and

vegetables; Smoking;

Regular alcohol

consumption

Choline

Helps promote cell

membrane function;

Assists nerve-muscle com

munication; Helps prevent

homocysteine build-up

Fatigue; Insomnia;

Fat accumulation in

blood; Nerve muscle

problems

Cysteine

Helps protect cells from

free radical damage; Helps

detoxify chemicals and

heavy metals; Helps

breaks down excess lung

mucous

Frequent colds; COPD

Copper

Helps maintain the health

of bones and connective

tissue; Helps keep the

thyroid gland functioning

normally

Blood vessels that rupture

easily; Frequent

infections; Loss of hair or

skin color

Dietary Fiber

Helps support bowel

regularity; Helps maintain

normal cholesterol and

blood sugar levels; Helps

provide satiety (quenching

of appetite) to help pro

mote weight loss

Constipation;

Hemorrhoids; High Blood

sugar levels; High

cholesterol levels

Flavonoids

Help prevent excessive in

flammation; Help promote

blood vessel integrity;

Helps protect cells from

free radicals; Enhance ac

tivity of vitamin C

Easy bruising; Excessive

swelling after injury;

Frequent colds or

infections; Frequent nose

bleeds; Low intake of

fruits and vegetables

Folic Acid

Helps support red blood

cell production; Helps sup

port heart health; Helps

nerves to function properly

Depression; Irritability;

Mental Fatigue; Confu

sion; Forgetfulness; In

somnia

Glutamine

Helps maintain health of

intestinal tract; Helps

produce glutathione, a key

antioxidant; Helps ensure

proper acid-base balance;

Helps maintain muscle mass

Regular high-intensity

exercise; Intestinal

dysbiosis; Frequent colds

or flu

Iodine

Helps ensure proper

thyroid function

Goiter; Depression;

Fatigue

Magnesium

Helps prevent free-radical

damage; Helps keep bones

strong and healthy

Insulin resistance and ele

vated blood sugar levels;

Decreased bone mineral

density

Manganese

Helps prevent free-radical

damage; Helps keep bones

strong and healthy

Insulin resistance and ele

vated blood sugar levels;

Decreased bone mineral

density

B3 (Niacin)

Helps stabilize blood sugar

levels; Helps lower

cholesterol levels; Helps

body process fat

Fatigue, listlessness;

Sensations of weakness;

Numbness, tingling, and

shooting pains in feet

Omega-3

Fatty Acids

Help prevent excessive in

flammation throughout

body; Help keep blood

from clotting excessively

Dry, itchy skin; Brittle

hair and nails; Fatigue;

Depression; Inability to

concentrate; Joint pain

Pantothenic

acid

Helps transform carbohy

drates and fats into energy;

Can improve ability to re

spond to stress; Helps as

sure adequate production

of healthy fats in cells;

Helps body process fat

Fatigue, listlessness;

Sensations of weakness;

Numbness, tingling, and

shooting pains in feet

Phosphorus

Helps form bones and

teeth; Vital for energy

production

Weakness; Weight loss;

Irritability; Anxiety;

Increased incidence of

hypertension

Potassium

Lowers risk of high blood

pressure; Helps maintain

pH balance

Muscular weakness;

Confusion; Irritability;

Fatigue; Heart problems;

Chronic diarrhea

Protein

Helps maintain healthy

skin, hair, and nails; Helps

keep immune system

functioning properly

Weight loss; Muscle

wasting; Fatigue and

weakness; Frequent

infections

Selenium

Helps protect cells from

free-radical damage;

Required for thyroid

hormone production

Whitening of fingernail

beds; Weakness and pain

in muscles; Discoloration

of hair and skin

Tryptophan

Required for proper sleep

regulation; Helps regulate

appetite

Overeating or carbohy

drate cravings; Depres

sion; Anxiety; Inability to

concentrate

Vitamin A

Helps preserve and

improve eyesight; Helps

fight viral infections,

colds, and flu

Dry, scaly, rough skin;

Frequent infections; Night

blindness.

B1 (Thiamin)

Helps maintain energy

supplies; Helps support

proper heart function

Pins and needles sensa

tions; Feeling of numb

ness, especially in legs;

Muscular tenderness

B2

(Riboflavin)

Helps protect cells from

oxygen damage; Helps

support cellular energy

production

Sensitivity to light; Tear

ing, burning, and itching

of eyes; Soreness around

lips, mouth, and tongue;

Cracking of the skin in

corners of the mouth

B6

(Pyrodoxine)

Helps support nervous

system health; Help

promote proper breakdown

of sugar and starches

Fatigue; Anemia; Skin

disorders including

eczema and dermatitis

Vitamin B12

Helps prevent anemia;

Required for nerve cells to

develop properly; Helps

cells metabolize protein,

carbohydrates, and fats

Tingling or numbness in

feet; Red or sore tongue;

Depression; Nervousness;

Memory problems

Vitamin C

Helps protect cells from

free-radical damage;

Improves iron absorption

from plant foods

Frequent colds and

infections; Lung-related

problems; Poor wound

healing

Vitamin D

Helps keep bones and

teeth strong and healthy;

Helps prevent excessive

inflammation

Thinning bones; Frequent

bone fractures/soft bones;

Lack of exposure to sun

light; Bone deformities in

children

Vitamin E

Helps prevent cell damage

from free radicals; Helps

protect skin from

excessive exposure to

ultraviolet light

Tingling or loss of

sensation in arms, hands,

legs and feet; Digestive

system problems

(malabsorption)

Vitamin K

Allows blood to clot

normally; Helps

absorption of calcium and

helps prevent osteoporosis

Excessive bruising and

bleeding; Digestion, liver,

and gallbladder problems

Zinc

Helps balance blood sugar;

Helps support optimal

sense of smell and taste

Frequent colds and

infections; Depression;

Impaired sense of taste

and smell