The 50 essential nutritional elements required for health

Yep, I'm at it again!!!

Here's a start of the latest (and part of
too much available information for just one thread). This site doesn't do tables well, so you'll have to use some discernment.

The 50 essential nutritional elements required for health

There are 50 essential elements each of us must get to be healthy. Take any one of them completely away, and we will eventually die for the lack of it.

There are five widely separated groups of people on planet Earth who traditionally live well past 100 years old. Studies have shown in each case these agrarian societies get all 50 essential elements in their diets because of the unique circumstances of where they live. They also possess a pollution free environment.

This includes clean air and water and a lack of pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Cancer and heart disease are virtually unknown among them as they live out their lives in seclusion.

That being the case, for argument sake, it is not a very big stretch of the imagination to propose that most of the people on the Earth are dying prematurely. Concerning taking care of ourselves, it is a sad commentary about our affluent North American society that with all our resources, we have only gone down hill within the last 100 years.

In 1900, Cancer killed 3.3% of the population. Today it kills 25%. Heart disease killed 14.2% in 1900. Today it kills 33%. Ninety-five years ago, the American diet was vastly restricted from what it is now.

On the surface, one would think these figures would drop as our food production methods and distribution have improved. But the opposite has happened. Much of the blame lies with the way we process our foods.

From the following list of the essential nutrients, I hope you will notice that the majority of us as North Americans must go a long way before we get the nutrients our bodies must have.

ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS (All in Bold)

2 fatty acids
Grams needed, followed by % who get less than #the RDA in N. America
Linoleic Acid 3g, 5%
Alpha-Linolenic Acid 2g, 95%

Protein
8 amino acids (10 for children)
The average intake of protein in North America is 2 or 3 times the RDA.

Isoleucine 1.1g
Leucine 1.0g
Lysine 0.84g
Methionine 0.65-1.3g
Phenylalanine 1.0g
Threonine 0.37-0.7g
Tryptophan 0.5g
Valine 0.85g
Histidine Essential for children
Arginine Essential for children

13 Vitamins
(listed as either milligram or IU RDA, followed by % who actually get less than the RDA)

Vitamin A 5000 IU, 50%
Thiamine(B1) 1.2mg, 45%
Riboflavin(B2) 1.7mg, 34%
Niacin(B3) 20mg, 33%
Pantothenic Acid(B5) 10mg, 25%
Pyridoxine(B6) 2mg, 80%
Biotin (B7) 0.3mg, 10%
Folic Acid (B9) 0.4mg, 10%
Cobalmin (B12) 0.006mg, 34%
Vitamin C 60mg, 41%
Vitamin D 400 IU, 10%
Vitamin E 30 IU, 20-40%
Vitamin K Unknown, 15%

21 Minerals (RDA followed by % who get less than #the RDA in N. America)
Calcium 800-1200mg, 68%
Phosphorus 800-1200mg, 27%
Potassium 2000mg, ?
Sulphur Adequate Protein, ?
Sodium 220mg, ?
Chlorine 220mg, ?
Magnesium 300-400mg, 75%
Silicon ?, 30%
Iron 18mg, 57%
Fluorine 1mg, ?
Zinc 15mg, 35-60%
Strontium 0.32* ?
Copper 2mg*, 85-90%
Vanadium 1-3.2mg*, ?
Selenium 0.05-.1mg*, 0-60%
Manganese 2.5-7mg*, 20-30%
Iodine 0.08-.15mg, ?
Nickel 0.01mg*, ?
Molybdenum 0.045-.5mg*, ?
Cobalt 0.008mg*, ?
Chromium 0.6mg*, 90%

A source of energy ... Complex carbohydrates are best

Water

Oxygen

Light

# RDA stands for Recommended Daily Allowance
* No RDA set. Suggested by researchers.