Vitamins and Minerals

A Brief History

The following chapter on vitamins and minerals will look at the uses and actions of each individual item. The charts on page 69 list the positive functions and best sources of each vitamin and mineral. The recommended daily amount (RDA) is not listed for the reason that RDA's are calculated by science and science is, well science. Not yet a true representation of how things really are. It is possible to receive vitamins and minerals through consuming the right amount of recommended foods. Supplementation is only useful in cases of severe deficiency. With an ideal living food and juice diet, it is possible to never be short of these nutrients. As we learn, it is often not a lack of vitamins and minerals in the diet but the lack of absorption that counts. The role of vitamins and minerals in the human body was only discovered this century, and 90% of these discoveries have been made since the 1940's. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, so when a problem appears the solution will always follow.

In the past, there were fewer cases of vitamin or mineral deficiency. Food was locally produced and harvested on mineral rich soil, providing quality fruit for all local needs. At one time basic grains, milk and milk products, and plenty of fruit and vegetables were all we ate, supplying us with our basic needs.

Recently quantity has become more important than quality as technology has introduced methods of storing basic foods in obscene quantities. Through the use of chemical fertilisers and preservatives, it is possible to harvest more from one piece of land and store such produce for a year or more. This has led to international commodities that do not depend on what season or how many vitamins or minerals they contain, but on economic principles that are based on greed. Such systems are proving to be failing all over the world.

Most cereals have had 3/5ths of the vitamin and mineral content lost due to refining. 90% of the western world eat nothing but these refined, white flours from which all of the bran has been removed. This has led to a disastrous condition in which a large proportion of the population is deficient in some of the most important vitamins and minerals.

People continue to eat polished rice instead of brown rice. The same large companies that feed chemicals to the earth, also encourage us to consume their synthetically produced tablets and potions. It seems that we have entered a viscous circle. It is not for me to say this is right or wrong, however I feel strongly in the right to an educated choice; a choice to live the way we want to without ideals forced upon us by psychologically driven advertising through TV, shops and other forms of media. The following will explain more about some of the vitamins and minerals and how they affect our body. Alternatively, step back and acquire all the knowledge available in the 21st century - simply choose to eat organic foodstuffs and safely know you want to know more.

'Most vitamin and mineral supplements for sale today are synthetic products or crystallised extracts that use powerful chemical solvents and high temperature distillation that kills any enzymes.' Etc. ...