DIET & SUPPLEMENTATION

Keys to Optimal Health

Dr. Emanuel Cheraskin, M.D., D.M.D.

International Academy of Science

 Dr. Emanual Cheraskin – Pioneer of Good Nutrition and Good Health
The work and research of Dr. Emanual Cheraskin, professor
emeritus at the University of Alabama Medical School, has laid a
foundation for the development of practical nutritional guidelines and
superior multi-vitamin/mineral supplements. His approach to discovering
the dietary needs of human beings is new and revolutionary – he studies
healthy people instead of sick animals! He looks at the diet and lifestyle of
people with “good health”and draws his conclusions from his findings.

Dr. Cheraskin has emerged as the world’s foremost authority on

the nutrition and the vitamin/mineral supplements required by a healthy
body. In this paper he provides a summary of his findings with specific
recommendations regarding positive steps that can be taken to improve
health. All would do well to heed these guidelines. Dr. Emanual Cheraskin

Dr. Cheraskin began his career in medicine, working his way through medical school and
practicing briefly in the military and in rural Alabama. However, because of his fascination with the
mouth, he went back to school to study dentistry, and in due time created the Department of Oral
Medicine at the University of Alabama School of Dentistry.

Over the years, Cheraskin discovered many connections between the health of the mouth
and the rest of the body. These discoveries sparked an enduring and consuming interest in
nutrition. Even though he was trained in dentistry and medicine, he came to consider nutrition his
field, and this is where he did the bulk of his research.1

Dr. Cheraskin has authored and co-authored over 700 publications in international scientific
journals and 22 books including Psychodietetics, Diet & Disease, Predictive Medicine, The Vitamin C
Connection, and most recently Vitamin C: Who Needs It? His techniques and findings have been
acknowledged by his peers, and his work has been noted in “Who’s Who in America”, “Who’s Who
in Health Care”, and “World Who’s Who in Science”. He is a world-renowned lecturer at universities,
medical, dental and chiropractic colleges, and has been a popular speaker at many conferences on
preventive medicine.

Of his many accolades, Dr. Cheraskin has been known to say that, “if his work can’t speak
for itself, then all the honors of men are meaningless”. From the life altering benefits many have
derived as they have changed their health habits as a result of his research, it is evident that Dr.
Cheraskin’s work most assuredly speaks for itself. Indeed, we owe Dr. Cheraskin a debt of gratitude
for his contribution to our good health.

1
Oral History Interview with Dr. Emanuel Cheraskin August 22, 1989 Birmingham, Alabama by Virginia Fisher.
From the collections of the UAB Archives the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
 DIET & SUPPLEMENTATION – KEYS TO OPTIMAL HEALTH
by
Dr. Emanuel Cheraskin

Introduction: Two Keys aging process, literally hundreds of medicines,

and other factors too numerous to repeat. Food
The condition of our bodies helps to determine alone – even our optimal diet! – cannot assure
the level of joy we experience in this life. We are this hedge against nutritional depletion.
each issued a body when we are born, and it
serves us for our entire journey. None of us came •Facts about Vitamins/Minerals
with an “owner’s manual” on how to operate and Gerard J. Tortora and Sandra Reynolds
maintain this body, but over time, through study Grabowski2 illuminate the role vitamins and
and observation, researchers have discovered minerals play in our bodies. They point out that
some things that contribute to its smooth hormones are the primary regulators of
functioning. Piecing this information together metabolism, but that they are ineffective without
gives us some general guidelines for its care and the proper minerals and vitamins. Enzyme
maintenance. When we use these guidelines, systems that catalyze metabolic reactions use
coupled with our own observations of how we some minerals and many vitamins.
feel, we can create our own personal “owner’s Minerals are inorganic substances. They can
manual”to help build optimal health. be found in combination with each other, in
The choices we make about what we put into combination with organic compounds or as ions in
our body impact our ability to efficiently accom- solution. Minerals make up about 4% of the total
plish our day to day tasks. If we want a “high body weight and are most concentrated in the
performance vehicle”, we need to provide it with skeleton. A major role of minerals is to help
“high performance fuel”. Two key areas to look regulate enzymatic reactions.
at to accomplish this are vitamin/mineral supple- Vitamins are required in minute amounts to
mentation and daily diet choices. maintain growth and normal metabolism. Unlike
carbohydrates, lipids, or proteins, vitamins do not
KEY I: Vitamin/Mineral Supplementation provide energy or serve as building materials.
In my years as a scientist, my colleagues and Their most important function is the regulation of
I have studied the effects on the human body of physiological processes. Most vitamins serve as
diet choices and nutritional supplements. Our coenzymes.
conclusions are that both are important. We had Almost all vitamins must be ingested.
assumed that we would find diet important to However, some vitamins, such as vitamin K, are
good health, but we also found that even with an produced by bacteria in the GI tract and then
optimal diet, it is important to take supplements1. absorbed. Others, like vitamin A, can be produced
From our study, if the question were asked, when the provitamin beta-carotene is present.
“If I follow your optimal diet, will I get an adequate
supply of all the essential nutrients, including •Chelation
vitamin C?” The answer would have to be, “Well, Of course, merely ingesting minerals does not
‘adequate’probably, but ‘optimal’, not a chance!” always mean they will be readily metabolized. In
First of all, too much nutritional value is lost in an article appearing in Journal of Applied
the garden-to-gullet transit. Various processing Nutrition3, Drs. Oscar Pineda, H. DeWayne
techniques, plus transportation, storage, freezing, Ashmead, Joses M. Perez, and Carlos P. Lemus
thawing, canning, cooking, and an almost reported a study looking at how effective Ferrous
inevitable time lapse between cooking and eating iron chelated to amino acids was in treating iron
all combine to destroy nutrients in a way that’s deficiency anemia compared to FeSO4. They
hard for even the most health conscious individual reported that formal studies of iron absorption
to combat. have shown that the chemical form in which the
Other factors can deplete body stores of element is present in the intestine is as important
vitamin C, such as individual biochemistry, as the total amount in the diet. In general,
psychological stress, surgical operations, physical inorganic iron salts are poorly absorbed, and if
trauma from accidents, many kinds of illnesses, they are soluble, compounds present in the diet
lack of exercise, environmental pollution, the such as fibers, phytates, phenols and divalent

3
anions may bind the metallic nutrient and interfere there was a decrease in cobalt, cesium,
with its absorption. On the other hand, iron potassium, molybdenum, phosphorous, rubidium,
chelated to an amino acid is readily absorbed by and zinc and an increase in bromine, calcium,
the intestinal mucosa and released within the cerium, lanthanum, sodium, and samarium. A
mucosal cells by the action of an enzyme. Their comparison of the concentration of trace elements
studies showed that amino acid chelates have a in uninjured tissue from infarcted hearts with that
higher bioavailability than FeS04 and an absence in normal heart tissue revealed a decrease in
of unwanted side effects. copper and molybdenum and an increase in
arsenic and cerium in the uninjured tissue9.
•Trace minerals From this study we see cardiovascular
Scientists have known for some time about disease is significantly reduced by the ingestion of
the function and importance of vitamins and trace minerals.
minerals to good health. Our own findings have
also shown the importance of trace minerals to •“Ideal” Nutrient Requirements and the RDAs
the human body: Where does all this diet and supplement re-
Doctor Henry A. Schroeder4,5,6 from the search leave Americans? The U.S. government,
Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New after all, has an agency – the Food and Nutrition
Hampshire, and Brattleboro Memorial Hospital in Board to study and recommend levels of nutrients
Brattleboro, Vermont, has reported a very important in healthy diets. These levels are called
interesting relationship between municipal “Recommended Daily Allowances”(RDAs).
drinking water and cardiovascular death rates. In the course of my research, I studied and
According to his observations, softer water is analyzed the commonly accepted RDAs
associated with higher death rates. Thus, some established by the U.S. government10. Their
factor either present in hard water or lacking in dietary recommendations grant that there are
soft water appears to modify mortality rates from approximately 50 known nutrients. Generally
degenerative cardiovascular disease. On the speaking, they provide precise requirements for
other hand, he has noted no correlation between some, but in other instances, they suggest intakes
hardness of water and noncardiovascular deaths. that are more general, and several nutrients have
Doctor Schroeder’s original observations of a no pronouncements at all.
highly significant (statistically) negative correlation In our own research we learned that certain
between the degree of water hardness and death nutrients were essential to good health. In order to
rates from hypertensive and arteriosclerotic heart discover the “ideal” nutrient requirements for
diseases (1949-1951 statistics) have persisted in humans, we studied a group of people who
his analyses of figures for 1960. Statistical study already had achieved good health. From a group
of death rates from 88 cities of the United States consisting of more than a thousand dentists and
with the levels of bulk and trace elements in their wives, information was gathered by means of
municipal water supplies showed negative the Cornell Medical Index Health Questionnaire
correlation’s for 12 major and 4 trace constituents. (CMI), a self-administered health survey
The purer the water in terms of dissolved consisting of 195 questions. Each question is
elements, the higher was the cardiovascular answered by circling “yes” or “no”; the questions
death rate. According to Doctor Schroeder, the are phrased so that the affirmative answers
waters associated with the highest death rates indicate pathology. The clinical findings are then
were of a nature considered corrosive to metal based on the total number of affirmative CMI
pipes. The ability of the water to dissolve metal responses. The “ideal” daily consumption of
from pipes depends directly upon the degree of various nutrients was based on the hypothesis
softness and the concentrations of carbonic acid, that a relatively symptom-less and sign-free
alkaline bicarbonates, chlorides, and sulfates. person is healthier than one with clinical
Swedish investigators have also reported a highly symptoms and signs. The amount of nutrients
significant negative correlation between the necessary to be symptom-free was considered to
calcium ion concentration and deaths from be “ideal”. In some studies the “ideal” intake
arteriosclerotic heart disease7. appeared to be two to tenfold that of the FDA
Further evidence that dietary trace elements recommended or suggested dietary allow-
may play a role in coronary heart disease has ances.
come from a comparison of the concentration of Vitamin C: During the course of our research
trace minerals in normal and infarcted heart we came upon some interesting findings. For
tissue8. In injured tissue compared with uninjured example, we discovered that in its most recent

4
publication, the Subcommittee has offered few own health (and willing to be studied as in this
changes from its suggestions in 1985. It pro- survey) is already above average in health.
poses that 60-mg daily continue to be the Hence, in the usual context, these values should
accepted recommendation for both adult male be viewed as closer to ideal even though, in fact,
and female. How possible is this to achieve? To they are only normal (average) on the test results.
satisfy the current 60 mg per day vitamin C With further analyses of the data gathered
requirement means eating approximately three from our study, we saw that the daily vitamin C
servings of fresh vegetables and two fresh fruits intake slowly and progressively rose as the
daily. According to the best available evidence number of clinical symptoms (CMI scores)
today from the National Institute of Health, only reduced. This approach indicates that the
9% of Americans take in that much vitamin C11. clinically healthier the sample, the greater the
The single official change in the recommendation daily vitamin C intake. Under the conditions of
is that, “regular smokers ingest at least 100mg of this experiment, approximately, 410 mg of
vitamin C daily.” vitamin C seems to be necessary for healthy
These amounts only described the amount of people who wish to maintain health. It is about
ascorbic acid that will protect us against the worst seven times the RDA!
and classical deficiency symptom, scurvy. There This brings us to a mind-boggling
is a big difference between being healthy and addendum13. We discovered that two prominent
merely preventing devastating disease. paleontologists, Eaton and Konner from Atlanta14,
Emil Ginter from the Research Institute of in their magnificent and monumental report,
Human Nutrition in the former Czechoslovakia12 outline the diet of our remote ancestors as a
raises an interesting point. “Ideal RDA should be reference standard for modern human nutrition
based on studies with increasing vitamin C doses and as a model for defense against certain so-
in which the efficiency of the ascorbate dependant called diseases of civilization. Apropos vitamin C,
systems would be correlated with the vitamin C it was estimated from the mean ascorbic acid
concentration in the target tissues… ” In other content of 27 vegetables consumed by hunter-
words, how much vitamin C is necessary to gathers that the average intake would have been
maintain benefits such as desirable serum 392.3 mg per day in Paleolithic diets. Eaton and
cholesterol concentration? In his own words, “It is Konner (from their sophisticated and elaborate
probable that in healthy adults (still-to-be-defined), study of primitive man) came up with 392 mg:
such a dose ranges from 100 to 200mg, and that from our investigation of the modern human, we
in stress conditions it exceeds 200 mg per day.” find 410mg – a matter of a 4% difference!
Using the CMI Health Questionnaire is an These observations have led us to what we
innovative way of ascertaining the amount of now come to call the Optimal Recommended
vitamin C necessary to maintain health in healthy Dietary Allowances (ORDAs). Interestingly,
subjects. A number of years ago our team at the others15 have also picked up on this buzzword,
University Medical Center in Birmingham, became proposing the term Optimal Dietary Allowances
involved in evaluating the health of health-care (ODAs).
providers. The daily vitamin C consumption for Vitamin A: The RDA for vitamin A, a fat-
1038 dentists and their spouses was calculated soluble essential nutrient, has been set at 1000
using a (admittedly crude) food frequency retinol equivalents (5000 IU) for the male and 800
questionnaire. This questionnaire assessed the retinol equivalents (4000 IU) for the female. The
amount of vitamin C consumed from both diet and Food and Nutrition Board states that the RDA has
ascorbic acid or multivitamin supplementation, been estimated from a combination of dark
and then the Health Questionnaire graded clinical adaptation (visual) studies and blood values, and
state. In this sample of 1038, the CMI ranged by extrapolation from lower animal studies. There
from 0 to 125 with a mean of 16. The daily is no claim that this dosage is intended as the
reported vitamin C intake spread from 15 to 1120 perfect daily intake for the maintenance of over all
mg. Think of it! There are allegedly healthy general health.
doctors consuming only 25% (15mg) of the RDA! Utilizing the symptom-less and sign-free
The average ascorbic acid was 327 mg per day, approach earlier described for vitamin C, the daily
which is five or sixfold more than the RDA. range for vitamin A was 1000 to 98209 IU with an
Parenthetic mention should be made that both average of 19096. It is approximately fourfold the
the American Medical Association (AMA) and the amount designated as the RDA and also four
American Dental Association (ADA) have in- times higher than the average daily vitamin A
dicated that the type of doctor interested in his intake for Americans (4731 IU). The reason is

5
that many of these subjects supplemented their Others have looked at calcium intake and
diet daily with vitamin A rich preparations. It is concluded that the current RDA should be
obvious that progressively fewer symptoms and increased by 50 to 100%. One such study dealt
signs are associated with an increasing vitamin with elderly women and the reduction of hip
intake. Under the conditions of this experiment, fractures19. Another double-blind study of
approximately 33000 IU of vitamin A may be identical twins showed that in prepubertal
designated as the ORDA, a matter of sevenfold children, calcium supplementation increased bone
the amount of the RDA. density20.
It is now recognized that beta carotene is a
precursor of vitamin A. While no specific The Bottom Line:
recommendation is made for these carotenoids, A Good Vitamin/Mineral Supplement!
the Tenth Revised Edition of the RDA suggests a Based on our studies of healthy people and
vitamin A/beta carotene ratio of 1:2. their daily nutrient intake, we reached some
Earlier mention was made of Ginter and his conclusions about vitamin/mineral supplements:
revised (higher) RDA for vitamin C based on When choosing a dietary supplement, it is
serum cholesterol. Our laboratory has considered wise to remember that it should provide all the
the connection between vitamin E and serum essential vitamins and minerals plus the
cholesterol16. Our study consisted of three mistakenly named nonessential elements. A
hundred and sixty doctors and their spouses supplement should be taken before or during
divided into three groups: 120 under the age of each of your three meals – but certainly no less
forty, 120 from forty to fifty, and 120 over fifty. than twice daily. This will ensure that all of the
The groups were further categorized into those more than forty nutrients are present at the same
consuming less than 100 IU of vitamin E daily time in the digestive tract – a situation that must
(average 22 IU) and those ingesting on a daily be maintained for optimal growth, maintenance,
basis 100+ IU (average 158 IU). Clearly, as is and any needed repair of the body’s cells, tissues,
well-known and confirmed, serum cholesterol organs, and systems.
ordinarily rises with advancing age. However, we In conclusion, we feel that a good vitamin-
learn here that the rate at which serum cholesterol mineral supplement will provide daily dosages of
advances is significantly different based upon the nutrients approximating the quantities listed be-
daily vitamin E consumption. In the group low21
consuming, on the average, 22 IU which is very
close to what is presently suggested as the RDA, Vitamin A 12,500 to 25,000 IU
the climb in serum cholesterol is much greater Vitamin D 500 to 1,000 IU
than in those ingesting approximately sixfold the Vitamin E 300 to 600 IU
RDA (average 158 IU). In fact, the 56-year old, (d alpha tocopherol)
taking vitamin E has a body more like a 34-year- Vitamin C 750 to 1,500 mg
old! Bioflavonoid complex 400 to 800 mg
Minerals: The Food and Nutrition Board has Rutin 50 to 100 mg
Hesperidin complex 50 to 100 mg
now assigned reasonably specific recommend- Folic acid 0.4 to 0.8 mg
ations for certain minerals. A case in point is Vitamin B1 (thiamine) 12.5 to 25 mg
iodine. The current adult RDA for both genders is Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 12.5 to 25 mg
150 mcg. We have examined this problem Niacin 50 to 100 mg
employing our already mentioned symptom-less Vitamin B6 12.5 to 25 mg
and sign-free analysis17. The daily intake of Vitamin B12 125 to 250 mcg
iodine ranged from 100 to 4500 mcg with a mean Biotin 75 to 150 mcg
of 500. This is approximately threefold the Choline 100 to 200 mg
amount designated as the RDA. As one looks at Inositol 100 to 200 mg
Pantothenic acid 100 to 200 mg
a progressively healthier group, we note that daily
PABA 50 to 100 mg
iodine slowly rises. This study suggests that the Calcium 350 to 700 mg
ORDA might well be approximately 1100 mcg per Phosphorus 100 to 200 mg
day, which is roughly seven times the RDA. Magnesium 175 to 350 mg
We have also analyzed the possibility of Zinc 25 to 50 mg
finding an ORDA for magnesium18. The pattern is Potassium 90 to 180 mg
very similar. The major difference is that the Iodine 125 to 250 mcg
ORDA appears to be only 15 to 34% higher than Iron 15 to 30 mg
the current recommendation. Copper 0.1 to 0.2 mg
Manganese 5 to 10 mg
6
Selenium 50 to 100 mcg find that the optimal diet helps readjust their
Chromium 50 to 100 mcg metabolic balance; this can eliminate a host of
Molybdenum 50 to 100 mcg food-related problems, disorders, or diseases.
Above all, the optimal diet offers a way to develop
KEY II: Optimal Diet rational eating habits that can be followed for the
Looking at these studies and observing the rest of your life.
choices of healthy people, we saw that taking a
balanced vitamin/mineral supplement can impact Foods to Eat Liberally
our health in a beneficial way. As we studied the It is especially important to eat foods that
effect diet made on the health of individuals, we contain nutrients to enhance the body’s defense
found that to promote well being, protein levels system. These resistance factors – including
might need to be tenfold that proposed by the protein, unrefined carbohydrates, essential fatty
National Research Council. We also concluded acids, and vitamins and minerals – are found in a
that there is a big difference between the variety of wholesome foods.
metabolic effects of refined and unrefined Because vitamin C is easily destroyed,
carbohydrates. Studies showed that the optimal processed foods should be avoided whenever
daily-refined carbohydrate consumption should possible. Let the first choice be fresh foods; the
approach zero. We discovered that the healthier second choice, frozen foods; and the third choice
the subject, the greater the complex carbohydrate canned. However, vacuum-packed freeze-dried
consumption22. foods and dehydrated foods do retain enough
The American dietary pattern of a decreased nutrients to make them adequate for use in
consumption of complex carbohydrates (starches) camping or hiking trips, or during seasons when
and an increase in simple ones (sugar) is rapidly fresh sources are scarce or when shortages exist
spreading around the world. These eating habits because of strikes or crop failures. Vacuum-
tend to reduce the intake of protein, vitamins, and packed freeze-dried foods can be stored for long
minerals since many of the simple carbohydrate periods of time, even for several years.
foods are relatively low in these nutrients. The
substitution of sugar-rich foods by the individual Here’s a list of foods to eat liberally:
for more nutritious ones further invites a nutrient- Beans (including dried beans)*
deficit. Berries
The dramatic progress in food handling has Brown rice*
assured a constant supply of food, notwith- Cheese
standing population explosion and distribution. Corn*
Actually, these advances have made larger urban Eggs
complexes possible. Such consumer demands Fruit
have led to the creation of many environmental Meat
hazards that reduce the biologic value of many Milk (preferably low fat or skimmed)
nutrient-rich foods. Such factors as transpor- Nuts
tation, storage, processing, preparation, cooking, Peas (including dried peas)*
and time lapse before eating can contribute to Potatoes (Irish and sweet)*
nutrient depletion. The evidence thus far sug- Poultry
gests serious flaws in the American diet23. Seafood
Seeds
The “Optimal” Diet Vegetables
Our studies inevitably led us to develop what Whole-corn meal*
we called the “Optimal Diet”24, which, in essence, Whole grains
is not a “diet” at all. It simply spells out optimal (corn, oats, rice, rye, wheat)*
eating for optimal living. There are no calories to Whole-grain breads*
count and no need to measure or weigh food Whole-grain cereals*
portions or servings. All foods are simply Whole-grain flours*
categorized into one of three groups: (1) foods to Whole-grain pastas*
eat liberally, (2) foods to eat sparingly, and (3)
foods to avoid. Portions can and should be *Unrefined carbohydrates.
adjusted to suit an individual’s appetite and goals.
People who are underweight or overweight, as
well as those with special nutritional requirements,

7
 The Raw and the Cooked: Several of these A Final Guideline: The real key is to choose a
food groups, such as fruits, berries, vegetables, wide variety from the “Foods to Eat Liberally” list.
nuts, and seeds, should be eaten raw each day If you do this and follow other suggestions
with meals or snacks. When possible, it is best to outlined in this section, there is no need to be
eat the peelings of fruits and vegetables and the concerned about the number or the size of
skins of nuts and seeds. These foods are ones servings.
that have largely been neglected in American
diets, although the emergence of the salad bar Foods to Eat Sparingly
has changed things for the better. Here’s a list of foods that should be eaten only
If fruits, berries, vegetables, nuts, and seeds on a limited basis.
must be cooked, more nutritional value can be Animal fat
preserved by adhering to the guidelines that Chocolate
follow. To enhance the vitamin C levels, Cocoa
powdered ascorbic acid can be added to food. Coffee
1. Don’t boil foods in water. Hydrogenated fats
2. Bathe them in steam (away from the (margarine, peanut butter [in excess],
water that’s generating the steam) by shortening, coffee whitener, and many
using a closed steamer or pressure convenience foods)
cooker. Salt
3. Cover or wrap these foods properly Soft drinks
and cook them in a microwave oven. (especially the caffeinated varieties)
4. Stir-fry any food for as short a time as Sugar
possible in safflower or similar oil. Tea

Unrefined Carbohydrates: These foods – Most people would benefit from reducing their
asterisked in the list above – are comparatively intake of animal fat by trimming it from meat and
inexpensive energy-producing sources. Unre- by choosing leaner varieties of flesh, such as fish
fined carbohydrate-rich foods also provide fiber. and chicken – also by using low-fat or skimmed
Fiber is a regulator for both constipation and milk.
diarrhea, and it also aids in regulating appetite, Whenever fat is used for frying, seasoning,
blood sugar, blood lipids, and blood pressure. salad dressing, or as part of a particular recipe,
The correct amount of fiber in your diet will use a highly unsaturated vegetable oil such as
produce two (maybe three) bowel movements safflower, sunflower seed or corn oil. It is better to
daily. This is desirable – even though to many restrict your intake of the hydrogenated
constipated Americans it may seem like diarrhea. (chemically hardened) fats that are listed above.
An excellent source of fiber is unrefined wheat The hydrogenation and refining of vegetable fat
bran. changes the molecular structure of fatty acids and
produces a monster fat that human metabolism
Vegetarian Plans: For people who wish to can’t handle.
abstain from meat, poultry, and seafood, As for a spread for bread or potatoes, there’s
adequate protein can be obtained from eggs, milk, and excellent compromise between the saturated
and cheese when eaten with a proper and the unsaturated. Blend two softened sticks of
combination of vegetables. Dr. Don Novey, a unsalted creamery butter with 8 ounces of
family practitioner in Carbondale, Illinois, advises unrefined safflower oil, then place the mixture in a
those who choose to be vegetarians to combine covered container and refrigerate. This makes a
foods in a manner that will provide a complete tasty and healthy spread that has the consistency
protein. What one food may lack, another will of tub margarine.
supply in essential amino acids, the protein- Almost everyone would benefit from a
building blocks. Simply match the following food significant reduction in salt intake, but especially
pairs: people with high blood pressure or a tendency to
Beans and seeds or nuts retain fluid. The craving for salt is an acquired
Beans and grains taste and one that’s difficult to overcome, but if
Dairy foods and beans you gradually reduce the salt you use, your taste
Dairy foods and grains buds will detect smaller quantities. Furthermore,
Dairy foods and seeds all foods will come alive to your taste buds when
Grains and seeds or nuts they aren’t laden with excess salt.

8
 Sugar should be reduced as well. Substituting Sherbet
honey may be a good idea, since it is twice as Sweet pickles
sweet as table sugar (so you use less) and is Sweet rolls
principally fructose – a form of sugar that is better Sweet syrups
tolerated (even by diabetics and hypoglycemics) Sweetened applesauce (and other
than sucrose is. sweetened sauces)
Finally, there is the question of caffeine found Sweetened breakfast cereals
in coffee, tea, and a wide variety of soft drinks. Sweetened breakfast drinks
Increasing evidence points to caffeine contributing Sweetened yogurt
to impaired stress tolerance, hypoglycemia (low
blood sugar), emotional disorders, birth defects, It is important to keep in mind that this is only
and cystic breast disease. a partial list. Many other foods on your super-
market shelf may be full of “hidden” sugar even
Foods to Avoid though it is not always easy to determine what is
It seems fairly obvious that people should in the product by reading the label. Ingredients
avoid eating or drinking things that increase the are listed in descending order of quantity, and
likelihood of poor health or disease, but it is not sugar can appear in more than one form. All of
always clear just what these items are. Here is a these substances – sucrose, invert sugar, tur-
partial list. binado sugar, brown sugar, dextrose, glucose,
Alcohol corn syrup, and corn sweeteners – are some form
Artificial coloring agents of sugar. When several of these terms appear on
Artificial flavorings the same label, the food can be predominately
Highly processed or refined grain foods sugar, despite the fact that the word “sugar” may
(corn, oats, rice, rye, wheat) appear far from the top of the list. With the
Sugar-high foods possible exception of alcohol, sugar has the most
“Athletic beverages” potential of causing harm to the body.
Bran muffins Another large category of foods to avoid
Cakes and icings eating is composed primarily of refined wheat
Candy flour or “white flour” as it is often called. Besides
Candied sweet potatoes obvious items such as white breads, pancakes,
(or in syrup) rolls, muffins, hamburger buns, English muffins,
Chocolate biscuits, crackers, pretzels, and the usual (non-
Chocolate milk whole-grain) pastas, this group contains all of the
Chocolate sauce sweetened baked products listed earlier.
Coffee cakes While you’re reading labels, don’t be fooled by
Cough drops the phrase “enriched flour.” Of the more than
Custards twenty vitamins, minerals, and essential amino
Dessert wines and cordials acids removed as wheat is transformed into white
Doughnuts flour, only four are added back. These are
Frozen desserts vitamin B1, vitamin B2, niacin and iron. Wheat is
Fruit drinks stripped of many essential nutrients in the refining
(canned or frozen) process.
Fruit in syrup Many preservatives create a problem as well.
(canned or frozen) There is a carcinogenic potential of the nitrites
Graham crackers and nitrates present in bacon, ham, all kinds of
Hot chocolate pre-sliced and packaged sandwich meats, corned
Ice cream beef, canned luncheon meats, salami, bologna,
Ice milk most frankfurters, liverwurst, smoked fish, and
Lozenges other processed meats and meat products.
Milkshakes Because labels can be difficult to understand, if
Mints you notice “sodium nitrate,” “sodium nitrite,”
Popsicles “artificial color,” “artificial flavorings,” or similar
Puddings wording, try to avoid the food product.
Punch drinks

9
CONCLUSION: Diet & Supplementation – ditions. In addition, our lives are filled with mental
Keys to Optimal Health! and emotional stresses not experienced by our
Many of us have bodies that are nutritionally ancestors even a hundred years ago. Today, if
depleted because of years of neglect or from the optimal health is one of our goals, even if we
lack of superior food. We can remedy this follow an optimal diet, a high quality vitamin-
condition by improving the quality and kinds of mineral supplement is no longer an option. It is
foods we eat, and by including in our diet a good an essential addition to our meals. By following
quality vitamin/mineral supplement. these two keys to good health – an optimal diet,
We live in an age where much of the and vitamin/mineral supplementation – we can
nutritional value of our food is lost, due to unlock the door to a more energetic and enjoyable
transporting, processing, and preparing con- life.

Credits

Special thanks to Valerie Potter at the International Academy of Science who worked with Dr. Cheraskin to compile the data
for this paper.
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