There's a pandemic alright: mass nutritional deficiencies for most Americans
I wanted to do this somewhat brief post to really get into people's heads just how bad the health of Americans is, and how easily these deficiencies could be remedied.
These are numbers that I learned in school, mainly from the CDC website, outlining widespread deficiencies. Since that was ten years ago sadly the CDC site has been basically impossible to navigate for simple information these days.
80% of people are dehydrated at any given time. I would actually put this number closer to 90-95% based off working with training and nutrition clients for the past decade. This is obviously one of the easiest deficiencies to remedy. People just need to drink more water. I would say that I drink more water than anybody I've ever met...at least 8 liters per day, usually more. For one reason, I live in a very arid and hot environment, at altitude (Denver Colorado aka mile high city). All three of these factors mandate more water. Drinking water seems so simple. I like to use the analogy of owning a dog as a pet. Every once in awhile, these dogs will typically come over and just start lapping up water relentlessly...they are pretty smart animals. They have no shame, they don't "ask for permission" they just drink tons of water. Water is akin to the sewage system in the human body. If you have ever smelled a sewer in a city that was low on water (and high in waste) then you see what I'm saying. It becomes putrified and disgusting. The waste just builds up. This is what happens when humans are dehydrated...the body is unable to eliminate waste properly and in sufficient quantities. The kidneys can be damaged and energy levels will fall drastically...from an athletic standpoint even a 1-3% dehydration level can dramatically affect performance. There are also other issues with dehydration, namely that it causes disrupted electrolyte balance which damages cells themselves. Our bodies need adequate sodium, potassium, chloride and magnesium for optimal nutrition. Given that magnesium is another major deficiency we can run into all sorts of problems with hydration.
Most women are deficient in selenium which has been linked to increased risk of breast cancers. This is a vital antioxidant that is found in quality seafood, poultry products and of course eggs. This is one reason why the Mediterranean diet may be so beneficial for health. Quality seafood and fatty fish (wild, not farmed) is something that is absent in most people's diets. The use of "corn pellets" for farmed aka "sustainable" seafood has changed the nutrient profile of the fish. If buying seafood such as salmon then it is imperative to get wild-caught...even if it is a little pricier. Paying a little more for quality food is something that many people could benefit from.
Speaking of seafood, iodine is another nutrient that is seen to be deficient in many people and is associated with thyroid problems which is why many doctors prescribe iodine supplementation for people with enlarged thyroids or hypothyroidism. One thing to note is that our table salt used to be "sodium iodide" and now is "sodium bromide" and even on many sea-salt bottles it will explicitly state that "this product does not contain iodine, an essential nutrient". Once again, to help supplement this nutrient supplementation can be used as well as eating again high quality wild caught fish that absorbs iodine in its natural environment.
Vitamin D is a common nutrient that we are deficient in as most Americans are drastically deficient in this highly useful immune system booster. Add on top that these days in the era of the Covid-19 plandemic people are being told to stay indoors more and more, and people also tend to use lots of unhealthy sunscreens which can block vitamin D synthesis from the sun. Its almost as if we are being set up to have our immune systems destroyed and weakened on purpose.
There are many other examples of malnourishment including vitamin C (which can cause scurvy and osteoporosis) and essential amino acids. The main point of this article is to point out that what we eat makes a huge difference in our health as a society. People take it for granted often times that certain nutrients are labeled "essential" meaning that we must get them in the diet or malnourishment will ensue. Getting an array of healthy fats from quality fish, nuts, organic dairy and other varieties of foods is a must for health! Add on top of that that people tend to consume massive amounts of empty carbohydrates in the form of processed sugar-rich foods and we are headed for a medical disaster as a nation. Sure, getting "fruits and veggies" is great but we must do this on a daily basis and make it a priority. Nothing keeps the immune system stronger than varieties of good natural foods, proper supplementation and plenty of clean drinking water. Just the basics here folks.
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