Inside Beauty

There was a time when food was wholesome and nutritious, and health and beauty were uniquely dependent on access to food. Today, the foods that are most accessible and the least expensive, in affluent countries, are those that cause increased cardiovascular diseases, obesity, cancer, diabetes and aging of the skin. In Canada, one person in three will have cancer before the age of 75 and one in four will die of it. We now know that 70 percent of all cancers are due to lifestyle. Morgan Spurlock’s film Supersize Me (2004) illustrated the serious health risks that resulted from eating only fast food for an entire month. Food is not what it once was. Instead of being our medicine, as Hippocrates wanted it to be, it has become our burial ground. We seem to be digging our own graves with our teeth. We’re now living in a predominantly toxic world. The majority of our foods are too acid and our cells are rusting quicker than our cars.

In the midst of the enormous health issues observed in North America, we’re now rediscovering various diets that have been preserved for centuries by various peoples: the Meditarraneans (especially from Crete and Sardinia), the Japanese of Okinawa Island, the Armenians, the Hunzas of Pakistan, the Andean Indians. And, as it turns out, their nations produce the most centenarians…

In order to withstand mold and to extend shelf life, food products have become deficient in nutrients. Say goodbye to quality vitamins, mineral elements, trace elements and Omega-3 fatty acids (found in “good” fats such as certain fish oils). Abundance of food and nutritionally deficient foods are now leading the modern diet. Foods that are too sweet, too salty, filled with saturated fats, irradiated and genetically modified, are conceived to satisfy the taste buds but don’t nourish our cells.

On top of that, let’s throw in alcohol, tobacco, the hole in the ozone layer, heavy metals and toxic products that fill the air and our waters, the stresses of modern life, lack of time and space to grow and prepare our foods… I’m sure you will agree that it’s time to take action. It’s time to propose a comprehensive solution to a comprehensive problem.

The word “diet” is derived from the Greek d’aita, which means “way of life”.

A new way of life is what we need. Dietary supplements are only the tip of the iceberg, although it’s hard to open a fashion or health magazine and not come across an article or an advertisement that boost their merits. Let’s avoid thinking of them as a panacea, though, because they’re only one of the required elements of this new way of life. We should, however, recognize that dietary supplements provide a basis for reconstructing cellular health.

Among dietary supplements, we need to pay attention to anti-oxidants, essential fatty acids, multi-vitamins and the complexes that combine minerals and trace minerals, all the while being aware that all nutrition is cellular. Food goes into the mouth, through the stomach, the intestines, the colon, the liver, the kidneys, the spleen and more, but at the end of the day nutrients are actually used by the 60,000 trillion cells that comprise the human body. More precisely, everything in a cell occurs in 5 to 20 mitochondria –specialized structures or “cellular power plants” that burn the nutrients, synthesize ATP (molecules that transport energy) and expel free radicals, heat and water.

So the first task at hand is to hunt down the free radicals, these toxic products generated by combustion. They are dangerous thieves that rob us of electrons and rust all cells within their path. Pure alpha lipoic acid is the best anti-oxidant known at present. One 100 mg capsule of this supplement a day is sufficient.

We must also supply the catalysts that allow combustion, such as vitamins, minerals and trace minerals. Some are synthesized by the body, but others are found only in food. And if these foods don’t contain them, or no longer contain them (because they were eliminated by industrial over-processing), the mitochondria can’t properly do their job as “power plants.” It’s important to realize that most of today’s foods lack vitamins, so we have to get them through dietary supplements in order to keep our bodies functioning well and our skin healthy.

Unfortunately, it isn’t enough to ensure proper combustion at the cellular level; we must also think about repairing the damage caused to cells by free radicals. We have to supply the body with essential fatty acids (Omega 3, 6 and 9), which are vital for cellular function and which can’t be synthesized by the body. Some of them (salmon oil extract, for example) are especially beneficial to the skin.

Finally, in order to combat the effects of the sun and pollution, it’s essential to stimulate the fibroblasts that process collagen and elastin fibres, restoring the skin’s tonus and radiance.

Comprehensive problem, comprehensive solution
The secret to body renewal is to undergo a complete cure combining the following:

The era in which western medicine separated your body and your spirit into two very distinct categories is over. In the last 15 years we’ve discovered the scientific reality behind the common saying “a healthy mind [or spirit] in a healthy body.” Resentment, frustration, stress, depression or interpersonal tension are not only toxic to the nervous system but to the endocrinal and immune system as well.

Obviously, we live in a very paradoxical era: the most accessible foods are dangerous to our health, and dietary supplements, when used correctly, are safer than medication. In order to flourish, let’s make room for dietary supplements, and cultivate a new way of life that will make us active and happy centenarians!