The Effects of Practicing Good Nutrition

The role of nutrition and the functioning of all living organisms is complex. All living organisms must produce energy to carry out the many functions of the body (biochemical reactions). From breathing, to thinking, all of these biochemical reactions require energy. This energy is derived from the food we eat, and the process that brings this about is a complicated series of biochemical reactions called metabolism.
 
During this process some of the electrons escape and act as very reactive particles we call free radicals. When free radicals interact with cell membranes, they set up a chain reaction of destruction that spreads through the wall of the membrane in all directions like a wild fire. A cell has many membranes that enclose not only the cell itself, but also all of the little components inside. These cell membranes are composed of rows of fatty molecules. When the free-radical reaction begins, it is these fatty acids that are damaged.

The process of oxidation of the fatty membranes is called lipid peroxidation. Lipid peroxidation occurs in almost every disease we know of, especially chronic inflammatory diseases such as cancer, degenerative brain diseases, arthritis, lupus, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

Because the brain is 60 percent fat, it is especially vulnerable to the ill effects of the lipid peroxidation process and to toxic insults from lipid-soluble substances, such as mercury and pesticides.

Chronic infections and inflammations are also known to result in very intense generation of free radicals, a condition that has been demonstrated in such diseases as Lyme, viral hepatitis, encephalitis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease.

When bacteria invade your skin or your mucous membranes, your immune system sends a swarm of white blood cells and other immune cells to the site of the invasion. White blood cells dramatically increase their metabolism, producing a blast of free radicals, which they release around the bacteria. It’s the free radicals that kill the bacteria. So, why aren’t the white blood cells killed? Because they have a high concentration of antioxidants.

If the immune system cannot kill the infection, the free radical attack continues for years, leading to autoimmune diseases. When the body is severely deficient in antioxidants, white blood cells can no longer protect themselves from their own free radicals and as a result die in large numbers. This results in an impaired immune system.

Free radicals appear to play a central role in virtually every disease you can name, either directly or secondarily. Which disease will develop depends on the site of the free-radical attack. In rheumatoid arthritis, free-radical injury occurs within the joints; in lupus, it’s in the connective tissue; and so on. The reason the symptoms associated with lupus are so widespread is that connective tissue exists throughout the body and organs.

Fresh, whole foods providing perfect nutrition … for arthritis

Everyone has certainly heard that Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulphate are fantastic supplements for relief and support of arthritis for dogs. Fresh food diets that incorporate bone matter in the diet are supplying a large amount of natural glucosamine, chondroitin, collage, and of course, calcium.

Bone is for calcium, cartilage is lubricating joints and interestingly, glucosamine is found in connective tissue, it is actually a structural component of connective tissue. So feeding bones is feeding a perfect nutritional package for structural health.

Glucosamine, which occurs naturally in the body, plays a key role in the construction of cartilage -- the tough connective tissue that cushions the joints. Glucosamine stimulates the production of glycosaminoglycans (the key structural components of cartilage) as well as the incorporation of sulfur into cartilage. Sulphur is necessary for making and repairing cartilage.

Chicken Cartilage is a source of Type II Collagen. Gelatin, glucosamine sulphate, and chondroitin sulphate provide only Type I Collagen which does not work as effectively with immune-system-related and joint injury forms of arthritis. When a specific joint has been traumatized through sports, accident, surgery, etc., a specific localized chronic joint problem may result which includes flaring up of rheumatism in the joint. This rheumatism is a body immune system complexity that blocks the bioabsorption of glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin sulphate and the joint repair benefits of Type I Collagen.

For reasons not yet defined, Type II Collagen found in Chicken Cartilage is able to bypass this immune system barrier and provide positive improvements in joint pain and functionality.

Both Type I and Type II Collagen are compounds known as mucopolysaccharides, which are necessary for the formation of healthy cartilage, collagen and synovial fluid. These mucopolysaccharides also increase joint lubrication through their water-holding capacity. Type II Collagen was thoroughly tested and proven effective in a major double-blind controlled study at Harvard Medical School.

You are witness to a host of wonderful sounding dog food products in today’s market. Certainly there are some huge benefits from not using corn as your main source of protein. And the list of ingredients on these bags is wonderful: chicken, blueberries, yucca, Omega 3 fatty acids, this list is impressive. But then after the first third of the list of ingredients is two-thirds of the list of supplements they had to add back to replace the nutrients that were cooked out of the food.

Synthetic supplements do not contain their food factors, which provide nutrient intelligence. Sufficient whole foods to meet the body’s vital energy is the first nutritional priority. The amount of available vital energy to the body physiology is crucial for maintaining the quality of life.

The regular free-state supplements, similar to refined foods, are missing the food factors needed for transportation and utilization within the body. Without these naturally occurring food factors the body must use vital energy reserves to convert regular vitamins into usable form.

As the food energy made available to the body decreases, the body’s own substance is broken down and utilized to perform basic functions. The benefits of providing nutrients in its natural state is that doesn’t require any changes, therefore saving vital energy.

When nutrients are whole, with naturally occurring, complete proteins and other phyto-nutrients, they are in a form that is readily used by the body.