Nutrition and health.

These are some of the more extreme problems when illness has become advanced.

But this process starts somewhere. For most of us, we probably become accustomed to lower levels of energy, easy fatigue, poor sleep ... "get up and go" that seems to have ... got up and gone!

I believe it is important to see this as a potential vicious cycle: small threats to healthgradually becoming more severe with the passage of time.

Ensure excellent nutrition and health benefits will follow. This can help to ensure that the body has all the raw materials it requires to mount an efficient response to illness. Preferably before a particular disease process starts.

Nutrition and health: "Thirty to sixty percent of cancers are related to nutrition"

It summarises what's been known for some time:

If you look around the world, you find that cancers are very unevenly spread. It looks likea western diet makes bowel cancer more likely, for example.

Japanese women who were raised on a traditional diet had very low levels of breast cancer. But the levels began to rise dramatically once western diets were introduced.

If you look around the world and match variations in nutrition and health status, you find different diets are associated with the occurrence of different diseases.

This is great news! There is fantastic potential for prevention and - again according to research summarised by The Cancer Project - improved survival rates for those unfortunate enough to suffer from cancer.

Once all other potential effects have been accounted for, the western diet - and particularly fat content -was seen as a major factor. It increases likelihood of contracting cancer and reduces survival rates.Japanese women living in their own communities, eating traditional Japanese food have bettersurvival rates if they do contract breast cancer.

If this sounds depressing, think about how much benefit changes to your diet could bring!

Is it time to take a little more control of your diet?

Take home message: 'Get the basics of nutrition and health right!'

I'll just say, do the basics: cut down fat, eat whole foods (whole wheat pasta and bread, brown rice), eat more fruit and vegetables, drink fresh water. Get protein from nuts, seeds and pulses (peas and beans). That way you get protein without the saturated animal fats! That doesn't mean NO meat of fish - just replace some animal sources of protein with vegetable sources.

If you think 'vegetarian' - watch out for too much salt, and lots of animal fats in dairy products.

Please don't just supplement a poor diet. In the medium (not long) run, make changes to your diet. If you want to give your health a quick boost by using supplements, fine. But reduce the drags and drains on your system at the same time, and you will benefit all the more.

Eat local - in season, if possible

It now takes five oranges to provide the vitamin C that used to be available from eating one!

Even if you eat organic from the local supermarket, that food may have travelled a long way. Long transit times mean loss in the nutrient quality of food, especially 'fresh' foods, like fruit and salads.