6 secrets boosting your nutrient intake

"There’s a way to do it better—find it." Thomas Edison

The calorie and nutrient information for food products is often inaccurate. The fat in chicken depends on what the chicken eats, and the carbs in tomatoes depend on how much sun they get and the soil quality. The region, season, feed, storage, and specific variety of food all affect its calorie and nutrient content. Plus, most calorie data is based on old studies from decades ago. 

The biological value of food means how many vitamins,  fatty acids, minerals, etc. it contains. These are the nutrients our bodies need. The problem is that many high-calorie foods today don't have high biological value - they lack those essential nutrients.

Determining the exact biological value is even harder than calculating calories. That's because of all the factors like growing conditions, storage, variety, and cooking methods that affect nutrient levels.

The tables show how levels of nutrients have dropped dramatically in foods over the past few decades, mg per 100g of product:

Many things influence the nutrients in foods:

• Soil quality, mineral content and pH, fertilizers, pesticides, hydroponic growing

• Climate factors like temperature, sunlight, rainfall

• Plant variety or animal breed

• Ripeness when harvested  

• Storage conditions (temperature, humidity, duration) 

• Cooking and processing methods, food preservation techniques, drying, etc.

• Presence of enhancers or inhibitors that affect absorption

• Your gut microbiome also affects how your body absorbs nutrients

Some specific examples:

• Mineral content is affected by soil composition

• Vitamin C is lost with long storage and cooking

• Antinutrients like phytates in grains bind minerals reducing absorption

• Milling grains removes B vitamins

• Cooking in iron pots increases iron content

• Fat helps our bodies absorb vitamin A

So the final nutritional value depends on many steps from farm to plate.

So the final nutritional value depends on many steps from farm to plate. Environmental conditions, farming practices, and processing methods all play a role.

How can we make up for losses of this kind?

There is a category of supplements that are essentially components of nutrition and compensate for the low biological value of the modern diet. In other words, this is an excellent opportunity to gently and physiologically support the body.

I use them regularly and do not see them as treatment. For me, it's just a quality addition to food.

Again: a huge plus is that they are all either liquid or tasty treats. You can, should, and conveniently give them to children.

1. Let's start with the tasty ones - bee pollen. Honey with bee pollen: a good option for dessert or to eat with an unappetizing medicine.

2. Fulvic/humic minerals, zeolite, mumie. These are natural complexes of minerals, amino acids and some vitamins, obtained from soils and rocks. It is impossible to produce these substances synthetically, so they are always natural solutions. They act very gently, supplying the body with nutrients in a bioavailable form. Plus, they are soft chelators: they bind and remove heavy metals from the body. 

3. Colostrum - for children who did not have a sufficient period of breastfeeding or face immunity problems. This is not stimulation, but modulation of the immune system. For adults too - it's a very good option.

4. Electrolytes. These are solutions with alkaline minerals: potassium, magnesium, sodium, + chlorine. The conductivity of nutrients into cells depends on the balance of electrolytes. Therefore, it's always a good idea to drink enriched water periodically.

5. Quality fish oil. I mean the liquid one. This is a source of natural vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids and a small amount of vitamin D. Good fish oil is TASTY! Dipping a piece of bread in good fish oil and eating it is a pleasure as if you took a bite of fresh salmon.

6. Amino acids. It's probably not worth drinking them constantly. But if you have a weakened immune system, a post-illness state, stress, or any additional load, then 2-4 weeks of amino acid intake is a great idea at any age) Immune cells, hormones, enzymes, neural connections - it's all amino acids! This is about why to drink them. A natural alternative is bone broth. It's a divine thing, whether we are healthy or have a cold. It's simply a bowl of natural amino acids with an ideal amino acid profile. Very tasty and extremely beneficial.

I don't use all of this at once. I alternate between one thing and another. It's already a part of life) But if necessary (after serious illnesses, surgery, immunocompromised individuals), you can use all of this together.

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Each mindful small step today will become a giant leap for your well-being tomorrow.

Warm regards,
Kos