Looking through a vitamin and supplemental catalog can boggle one's mind. Walking through a health food store can cause your brain to bounce around in your head. How do you know what you need? Just being told that this is good for that, or that is good for this, doesn't mean you should be taking something for every single cell in your body.

It seems to me that something is terribly wrong with the picture, when a person has a multitude of bottles sitting on the kitchen counter. At some point in history, human beings had better nutrition than they do today. Current reports are saying that since 1980, obesity with related health problems has doubled, and diabetes in children has dramatically increased. What went wrong? I'll tell you.

Instead of using fast food and junk food as occasional treats, over 63% of people, that's around 184 million, have used them as their main source of nutrition. The misuse of man-made foods has ruined us. Since these foods contain only a speck of nutrition, we are malnourished and don't know it. Overweight, digestive problems and numerous complaints of feeling bad are cries from within our bodies. We see the results of malnutrition in ourselves and in people we see out in public every day. There are more and more overweight adults and children. It is estimated in 2003, that there are 9 million overweight children. 30% of 15 to 19 year olds are also overweight. There is drug abuse, alcohol and cigarette abuse because people are trying to feel better. No one realizes that it's the man-made foods that are the major causes of feeling bad. They taste good, but we pay for it later.

When the body is lacking necessary nutrition and is full of artificial foods, we don't feel right. We feel bad in many different ways. We feel fatigued, suffer headaches, have digestive problems, or feel irritable. There's no limit as to how many ways we can feel bad. Many additives and artificial ingredients are responsible for these bad feelings. Most bodies can't handle man-made foods. Over 63% of Americans are obese and living proof of this. 176 million people is an awful lot, isn't it? If obesity has doubled since 1980, what will it be in 2010? We have to stop this runaway train!!

Most people are low on magnesium. Read about this important mineral and see how a deficiency is effecting you. Taking a pill won't quite do the job. You have to first eat foods that contain magnesium. I made certain that my recipes are not only high in magnesium, but high in all of the nutrition we need daily. Getting nutrition in natural, unaltered food is the best way to get the nutrients our bodies can use. Supplements should be chosen only for serious symptoms and only after your nutritional state is improved. CalMax is a powdered form of magnesium and calcium that is easily absorbed by the stomach. It is the best form of these minerals that I have found. (A link to purchase CalMax online is on my "Links" page).

Don't believe everything you read or hear about nutrition and health. Even excellent health magazines contain a certain amount of misinformation. Get to know a knowledgeable owner or manager of a good health food store and never hesitate to learn everything you can by asking a lot of questions. Some are more knowledgeable in some areas than many doctors. Always remember that doctors are not nutritionists. They will tell you to eat well, but not how to accomplish this.

How do you start improving your nutrition? Stop eating manufactured foods and eat natural foods. Use man-made foods only as a treat. If a product has a label with a long list of ingredients, don't buy it. Eat foods basically in their original form. This does not include sugar. Sugar has been refined, but even in its natural form of sugar cane it is bad for everyone. Wheat also causes adverse reactions in many people, even as a natural whole grain. Do very little "isle shopping". Shop instead in the produce, meat, eggs, cheese, etc. sections and in the nutrition or health food sections. A few weeks of eating this way, and you will feel incredibly better. Most fatigue will leave, and health problems improve. If you're overweight, the pounds will begin to come off.

My cookbooks are a guide to ways in which to prepare natural, familiar foods in an uncomplicated way. My recipes have profoundly changed my life. They will do the same for you. Our bodies were meant to use natural food, not man-made food. We have misused these convenient foods. Eat natural 90% of the time. Use fast food and junk food only as occasional treats. The one supplement you should definitely take is a really good multivitamin. Vitamins are organic compounds needed in the diet for health and growth. I suggest that you use only iron-free vitamins. The iron can cause problems for some people and children. Iron can make arthritis symptoms worse. If children ingest too many vitamins containing iron, it can actually be fatal in some cases. Overdosing on iron is serious. If you eat a natural diet of a variety of foods, and take an iron-free multivitamin, your body will manufacture the iron it needs. If you are anemic, your doctor will prescribe for you.

The human body is fueled by the nutrition put into it. Your health and weight is totally dependant upon the foods you eat. We take such good care of our "stuff". We seem to think that somehow our bodies will take care of themselves. Who will take of your body if you don't? Buying the best perfumes, lotions, and hair products is not taking care of your body. If we put natural nutrition into our bodies, there wouldn't be so many skin and hair problems. The occasional person who has really great hair, skin, or teeth is doing at least one thing right with their nutrition.

You can't expect your body to perform well with the wrong fuel.

What kind of fuel are you putting in your body?