The End of Dieting: How to Live for Life (38 page)

Because of our indoor jobs, our climate, and the risk of skin damage and skin cancer from overexposure to sunlight, it’s very difficult to achieve optimal levels of vitamin D safely from the sun. Since the current Institute of Medicine recommendations on vitamin D intake fall below what many scientists believe to be an adequate daily dose for most people, most multivitamins do not contain enough vitamin D to constitute a healthy vitamin D level. In my experience, 2000 IU is an appropriate dose that most consistently brings most people into the favorable range for 25-hydroxy vitamin D on their blood test. My thorough review of all the science on this issue indicates a blood test range of 25 to 45 nanograms per milliliter is ideal. I have drawn thousands
of vitamin D blood tests on patients over the years, and found severe deficiencies of vitamin D to be very common. I do recommend having a blood test every few years to determine your vitamin D level to assure adequacy and to make sure you are not taking too much supplemental vitamin D, which could also be harmful.

Zinc

A cofactor in hundreds of chemical reactions, zinc is an important contributor to gene expression, immune function, cell growth, and reproduction. An adequate level of zinc is necessary for optimal resistance against infection, which is especially important for the elderly as immunity and disease resistance wane with aging. Although the zinc content of whole plant foods is adequate, zinc isn’t as readily absorbed from plant sources compared with animal sources. This is because zinc-rich plant foods also contain substances, such as phytates,
²⁷
that reduce zinc absorption. Suboptimal levels of zinc therefore are more likely to occur in people who eat low-calorie vegan and near-vegan diets. It is estimated that zinc requirements for people following a completely vegan diet are approximately 50 percent higher than for non-vegans.
²⁸

Zinc may be especially important for men, since blood zinc levels of men with prostate cancer tend to be lower than in healthy men, and long-term zinc supplementation has been associated with a decreased risk of advanced prostate cancer.
²⁹
Supplementation with a low dose of zinc, 10 to 15 milligrams, seems wise.

Iodine

Iodine is involved in the production of thyroid hormones. Most plant foods are low in iodine, largely because of soil depletion. Studies have shown that iodine deficiency is common in vegans and vegetarians.
³⁰
Kelp, a sea vegetable, is a good source of iodine, but only a pinch (one-tenth teaspoon) is an appropriate dose. It could provide excessive amounts of iodine if the amounts consumed aren’t carefully measured and limited. Since the primary source of iodine in the American diet is iodized salt, it may be important to supplement your iodine intake because a nutritarian diet minimizes added salt. Since both too little and too much iodine can have a negative effect on thyroid function, taking 150 micrograms a day is sufficient and protective.

Only the optimal choice of food can result in optimal health.

The right foods are still the only answer to excellent health because supplements can never supply the broad diversity and comprehensive array of immune system–supporting nutrients that we need for superior health and a long life. There is simply no substitute for eating nutrient-rich vegetation.

Supplements can add exposure to beneficial substances not found in optimal amounts in one’s diet, but we always have to keep in mind that both deficiencies and excesses of individual nutrients can be problematic and many supplements, because they may contain higher amounts of individual nutrients than can be utilized by the body, can push people up to a harmful level of intake. Remember, even too much clean water can be harmful.

So though we should maintain adequate intake of DHA, B
₁₂
, zinc, iodine, and Vitamin D, we should also be aware that taking too much can also be harmful. I want you to aim for comprehensive nutritional adequacy, not excess. Modern nutritional science directs us to combine the optimal diet with the judicious use of supplements to adequately meet our needs. When you do this, you achieve a zone of excellence, rarely achieved by humans in prior generations or even in our world today, and you have a unique opportunity in human history to live better, healthier and longer than ever before.

Notes

The End of Dieting Pledge

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Introduction

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Chapter One: Toxic Hunger

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Chapter Two: Diet Myths Exposed

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