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The great debate, are we getting enough nutrients from our diet?

You may endeavor to follow a healthy diet, follow the guidelines about ” 5 a day”, eat oily fish, lean meat, incorporate whole grains and vegetarian proteins but is our food nourishing us, providing us with enough nutrients?

Symptoms are really the body’s way of trying to tell us something. It may be that we are deficient in a mineral, or due to toxicity the body is overwhelmed and can no longer function optimally.

Stress places increased demands on the body and the body as a result requires more Magnesium, Vitamin C and B vitamins. Headaches, poor sleep and lowered immunity are often side effects of stress and with little or no magnesium sleep or unbroken sleep becomes unattainable. The body cannot make anti-bodies and the viscous cycle of lowered immunity and fatigue ensue.

Hair mineral analysis offers a unique insight into the body’s mineral status, a non invasive test that reveals your mineral status at a cellular level. It is a clinically proven laboratory test, using a sample of hair. Testing young and old alike it is invaluable. Does your child have disruptive sleep patterns, hyperactive behavior, do you become overwhelmed easily or continuously pick up infections looking at your mineral status through hair testing is a great window into why this may be happening.

The reality is that our diets lack the vital vitamin and minerals the body requires. Due to the change in farming methods, increased use of pesticides and the air miles our food accumulates, the quality and presence of vital nutrients deteriorate. Digestion then has to be optimum to assimilate and absorb the nutrition from the diet; stress, antibiotics, sugar and alcohol alter the gut flora and our hence digestive function.

Measuring your hair mineral status differs to blood testing. Ratios, toxicity, hidden deficiencies and metabolic rate are measured. The mineral levels provide a wonderful reflection of symptoms presented and reveals a lot about your inner health.

Zinc is a mineral that is often low; it needs to be taken into the cell by B6. Deficiency, gives rise to lowered immunity, negative mood, lowered metabolic rate, eczema, poor skin healing to name but a few. By increasing zinc rich foods and supplementing for 3 months, balance may be restored and symptoms alleviated.

We are being bombarded with ever increasing amounts of toxins, hair analysis reveals whether the body is storing harmful substances such as mercury, aluminum and lead. These toxins play a part in mood, digestive health, skin and fatigue. In children toxicity maybe linked to behavioral and digestive issues. Given the right “ingredients” the body can remove or chelate these toxins and balance may be restored.

The body has an innate ability to heal itself given the right ingredients. Hair testing is a simple test that enables the practitioner to have a unique insight into your health, which would otherwise be hidden. Knowing the deficiencies the practitioner can then work with both foods and supplements to bring about change and restore balance.

Hair analysis is available at Body With Soul for S$180. A USA laboratory is used which is one of two labs that handles hair samples correctly.

Susie Rucker, Rucker Nutrition.