Clear the Hidden Hurdles to Health
Would you start a new business without the right tools? Purchase a car without a steering wheel? Or go camping without a tent? Neither would we.
Yet so many people are striving to get everything done...work, house projects, self-care, family activities, personal time...without the tools to be successful. It's demoralizing to push hard all day and go to bed feeling like you failed or are close to burning out. If only you had more energy, focus, and stamina to get it all done and still have energy left to play!
Most people have no idea that their days are jammed up with hidden roadblocks, potholes and boulders that steal energy (you know that 3 PM slump!). Once you know the roadblocks, you have the power to vanquish them and soar into the life of your dreams. And if you have children who are struggling, they're likely battling hidden roadblocks, too.
Who are these sneaky opponents? They're called micronutrient deficiencies, also known as malnutrition, and 9 out of 10 Americans have them. They hinder your energy production and brain power and can hobble your emotions and immune system, too.
This is how life can feel when we're deficient in micronutrients. Malnutrition is present in 50% of US kids and 50% of elderly people, and in many obese people. Yes, most obese people are malnourished! Obesity, present in over 40% of the US population, is a "paradoxical state of malnutrition, which despite excessive energy consumption is associated with a shortage of individual microelements". 1
Micronutrient deficiencies can rob your children of their full intellectual and physical potential because they lack nutrients necessary to maximize key developmental windows. For some of these brain development windows, once closed they are shut for good, resulting in permanent mental deficiencies from nourishment missing during key times.
For adults, science shows that what we eat effects our memories, learning capacity, overall mental functioning, and mental stability or decline in later years. Good nutrition builds the foundation for balanced hormones and emotions as well as prevention of disease and quality of life.
"Without necessary micronutrient building blocks, we cannot reach our full potential."
So, what we eat is important, yet 90% of Americans do not eat the suggested minimum daily intake of fruits and vegetables (and thus fiber as well).
Without necessary micronutrient building blocks, we cannot reach our full potential. We survive, we struggle, but we do not thrive. Most of us don't know how good we can feel or how delicious healthy foods can taste.
When we fill nutrient deficiencies, we feel better. When we feel better, we tend to make smarter health choices which support us in excelling at work or school, sharing more time with people we love, and doing more of what we love.
Imagine a jet plane idling on the tarmac ready for take off. Like you, it wants to fly! But no matter how nice the jet looks or what super-fuels (foods) are in its tanks, it can't build speed necessary for lift off if the runway is riddled with potholes. These potholes (nutrient deficiencies) must be filled before the jet, or you, can soar!
There is a silent epidemic in America called Hidden Hunger that is drilling potholes in our runways hindering health and performance. Hidden hunger is caused by a diet that provides enough calories to live but fails to provide sufficient levels of vital vitamins and minerals at crucial times to physically and mentally thrive. It results from eating high-calorie/low-nutrient foods.
Current obesity rates reflect overindulgence of high-calorie foods, especially when we gain food-independence from our parents.
US Obesity Rates by Age
From https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/visualization/index.htm 2017-2018 Survey Data
We can't fix what we can't see, and most people don't realize that they're malnourished. One out of every two U.S. children between 2 and 19 years of age suffers from hidden hunger, even though most of them have enough to eat and often enough to be obese.
Why are these children malnourished? They suffer from hidden hunger because 67% of what they eat is ultra-processed, low-nutrient foods such as pizza, hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken tenders, mac 'n' cheese, packaged sweets, and sodas among others.
Based on data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, we can see in the graphic that an unfathomable number of Americans do not eat enough nutrients to thrive. In fact, such nutrient deficiencies create disease, compromise immune system and brain functions, disrupt hormone balance, weaken bone strength, and negatively affect every function in our bodies.
"We can't fix what we can't see, and most people don't realize that they're malnourished."
We know that it's not easy to change the foods we eat, especially our favorite processed foods. And even people who eat a healthy, whole foods diet can be deficient in some nutrients.
So, how do you get enough nutrients in your diet and maintain robust gut biome (good gut bacteria) necessary to extract these nutrients?
Here are basic guidelines that will help you get most of what you need:
- Eat across a broad range of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and legumes. A weekly diet of at least 30 different whole foods promotes a happy gut biome.
- Eat a rainbow diet; differently colored foods have different micronutrients.
- Include beans, peas or legumes in your diet every day. They've been dubbed a "longevity food" in cultures all around the world.
- Eat at least 2 servings of fruits and 3 servings of vegetables each day.
- For an anti-aging bonus, eat 2 tablespoons of nuts daily.
- Chew your food well. Digestion begins in the mouth where saliva breaks down carbohydrates and chewing breaks food into small pieces so you can extract nutrients more easily. It's no good to eat food but not get the nutrients out of it!
In our family, we regularly analyze the nutrition of meals we eat frequently. We use annual blood tests to evaluate whether what we're eating matches our blood nutrient levels. If there is a discrepancy, we know we need to adjust our digestion. Of course most people don't analyze their meals, so they don't know if their diets are meeting their needs.
As high-performance health coaches for individuals and families, our first step is to help fill your nutritional potholes and build robust digestion so that you have the foundation necessary to realize your full potential.
And studies show that, when kids get the nutrients they need, behavior improves and intelligence grows. In a study done in a prison, inmates given omega-3 supplements and a multi-vitamin showed a 35% drop in aggressive behavior and violence, and a 26% drop in anti-social behavior. What behavior challenges might be resolved if kids in school received all the nutrients they need?
If you're ready to take off, schedule a complimentary High-Performance Health Discovery Session today! We want to see you and your family soaring to the heights of your potential!
Book your free session here: BOOK MY CALL.
Written by Stacy and Markus Naugle
Stacy and Markus Naugle are High-Performance Health Coaches who use food to help you THRIVE, not merely survive.They work with excellence-driven people and families to help them realize their full potential and achieve greater success in business, school, and personal endeavors. When you work with them you will leverage the health habits and strategies of the world's most successful people through their Seven Pillars of Health framework, of which the main pillar is diet. They guide their students and clients to develop the skills to become laser-focused energy generators who consistently up-level their successes in work, school, and their personal lives.
Diet is at the center of one's health and the center of their focus. You'll learn how to save time and money preparing delicious meals that provide excellent nutrition for superior results. Explore old favorites with superfood upgrades to new plant-focused recipes and world cuisines. As parents, they also specialize in helping picky eaters enjoy more vegetable and whole foods.
They are different from other coaches:
- Thirty years of experience
- Molecular Biology degree from MIT
- Emergency Medicine Technician
- Masters degree in Acupuncture
- Licensed East Asian Medicine Provider
- Yoga teachers
- Scientists who delve into the latest medical studies and extract the information that can benefit you and your family
They travel the world researching diet and lifestyle secrets of cultures from the Inuit of northern Alaska to Indonesian healers, Chinese longevity masters, and the Maori of New Zealand. They are currently in Ecuador studying the health and longevity secrets of the Inca with their two adventurous sons, Nikko (12 yrs) and Orion (8 yrs).
Imagine what you can achieve by working with them! If you're ready to up-level your personal or family health, schedule your complementary High-Performance Health Discovery Session to explore your fastest path to extraordinary health and performance.
Sources:
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34749356/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6165209/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537775/
4. https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/micronutrient-inadequacies/overview
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5537775/
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7352522/
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