Using Botanical Sources for Vitamins and Minerals - Part 2

Modern lifestyles need more nutrients to help modern humans cope with the demands on their energy. What we consume is the key to gaining long term good health, overcoming short term illness and coping with everyday stresses we encounter. Most people will have at one time or another reached for a 'multi-vitamin' to do these things for them, or to assist in overall good health, or because a blood test revealed they were 'low' in a certain vitamin or mineral. Taking in vitamins and minerals as tablets may be beneficial, but there are other parameters to consider.

For example:
Why is your blood testing 'low' in any particular vitamin or mineral? What kind of health issues show up as depleted Iron, Magnesium, Zinc etc...?
What has your recent health 'history' got to tell you about the strength of your immune system?
Are you conscious about what you eat? or do you consume mindlessly?
Are you eating raw food often enough to gain the best possible quality of vitamins or minerals?
What is in your multi-vitamin broad spectrum supplement? Do they contain a colour, or flavour, or preservative?
Where have these minerals and vitamins come from? Are they sourced from animal byproducts?

When you consume nutrients as food you gain so much more because the 'whole food' contains a broad spectrum of constituents, like oils, acids and fibre, that assist you in absorbing those very nutrients. This is how the human body is 'set up' to receive nutrients,...its why our digestive systems are so complex and marvelous.

Getting the best quality food means getting the most nutrient dense food, which is organically grown without pesticides and herbicides, but also with soils that have been cultivated using organic nourishment. I often raise my eyebrows at that constant mainstream 'whine' that certified organic produce costs more,... because it will actually end up saving you money due to the nutrient density of the foods. Vitamin and mineral supplements can be an expensive alternative to just buying good quality food in the first place....and botanical sources are by far the cheapest way to get your nutrients in a way that your body finds easy to absorb and use.

There is one particular mineral that you can consume to help your overall health and have noticeable improvement in just a week or so, and that is Zinc. Zinc is like a 'building block' for cells, and imperative for good cell health, meaning that without it the whole building (our body) falls down. Its found in a variety of foods already covered in Part 1, but here's a list of Zinc rich foods you can eat in your everyday diet.
Pumpkin seed and flesh
Spinach and silverbeet
Asparagus
Peas
Brussel Sprouts
Seeds - Chia, Sunflower and Poppy
Seed and Nut paste - Tahini, ABC spread (almond, brazil and cashew)
Dried fruits - Figs, Currants and Bananas
Fresh fruits - Avocado, Apricots, Dates
Winter fruits - Blackberries and Blueberries
Oats (raw)

The absorption of Zinc can open up a pathway to good health because it assists absorption of other minerals and vitamins. Because it is a key to good cell health it enables the cell to firstly obtain good nutrients, expel waste, and know what to do with the other nutrients in your digestive system. Smart little blighters your cells aren't they? :)

Part 3 will conclude with beneficial oils, acids and probiotics from botanical sources. :)
Blessings
Jannette