Eye-opening Nutrition Facts

• One cigarette destroys 25-100 mg. of vitamin C!
• Milk with synthetic vitamin D (which means almost all store-bought milk) can rob the body of magnesium!
• People who live in smoggy cities are not getting the vitamin D that their country cousins get because the smog absorbs the sun's ultraviolet rays!
• Daily "happy hours" of more than one cocktail can cause depletion of vitamins B1, B6, and folic acid!
• Eighty percent of American women are deficient in calcium!
• Ten million American women take oral contraceptives and most of them are unaware that the pills can interfere with the availability of vitamins B6, B12, folic acid, and vitamin C!
• American men rank thirteenth in world health, American women sixth.
• Children need one-and-a-half to two times more protein per pound of body weight than adults--and babies need three times more!
• Cancer researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found that vitamins C and E and certain chemicals called indoles, found in cabbage, brussels sprouts, and related vegetables in the crucifer family, are potent and apparently safe inhibitors of certain carcinogens!
• Vitamin B1 can help fight air and seasickness.
• If you're on a high-protein diet your need for B6 increases!
• Onions, garlic, radishes, and leeks all contain a natural antibiotic called allicin, which can destroy disease germs without sweeping away the friendly bacteria in the process!
• Aspirin can triple the rate of excretion of your vitamin C!
• Eighteen pecan halves can fumish an entire day's supply of vitamin F.
• Frequent consumption of foods containing artificial flavors, colors, MSG, and other additives can diminish the effectiveness of the immune system without the aid of minerals. And though the body can synthesize some vitamins, it cannot manufacture a single mineral.
• Raw peanuts contain enzyme inhibitors that make it difficult for your body to digest protein.
• Bran is not a balanced food.
• Pasta packed in clear cellophane, or with large cellophane windows, is subject to nutrient loss.
• Water softeners can unhealthily increase your daily salt intake.
• A main ingredient of margarine-hardened vegetable oil may be even worse for your health than saturated fat.
• Blueberries, blackberries, and red cabbage are actually better for you if cooked!
• Yellow and red onions, red grapes, and broccoli are rich in quercetin, a newly discovered anticancer agent that the University of California tab studies have shown can suppress malignant cells before they form tumors.
• Olive oil is one of the best heart disease fighting natural foods available.
• The easiest way to rid your body of excess sodium is to flush it out by drinking 6 to 8 glasses of salt-free water daily.
• There may be a connection between toothpaste (with its crystalline abrasives, foaming agents and other additives) and bowel diseases such as ulcerative colitis, Chrohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome. It's advisable to always rinse your mouth well after brushing and to try to avoid swallowing any toothpaste.
• There is more to smoking than the average seven-year drop in life expectancy reported by the American Cancer Society. ELEVEN YEARS MORE! New studies show that life expectancy between smokers and non-smokers differs by 18 years!
• The mineral "boron" (found in apples, grapes, grape juice and raisins) may retard bone loss in women after menopause. Also, boron helps women on ERT (estrogen replacement therapy) keep the estrogen in their blood longer.
• Avoiding black coffee may help you avoid cancer of the esophagus. Tannin, found in coffee and tea, is a suspected carcinogen. The protein in milk, though, neutralizes tannin, rendering it non-absorbable by the body.
• Bugs Bunny was right! Carrots may help keep plaque from forming on artery walls and help prevent heart attacks in people with artherosclerosis. Eating one large carrot daily will give you approximately 11,000 IU of vitamin A from beta-carotene!

Source: Earl Mindell, Hester Mundis. Earl Mindell's Vitamin Bible. (New York, NY: Warner Books) 1985.