When you are running out of gas

Yet time and again, most people skip breakfast, load up on empty carbs or mistakenly believe they are getting sufficient nutrients from their foods.

by Vicki Bowmann, Ph.D. — 

I am often amazed when I query a client: “When your car is running out of gas, what do you do?” Even with today’s higher pump prices, I get the exact same answer: “I go to the filling station and buy some gas.” Then I ask how much gas they need. Doesn’t this amount differ, depending on the number of miles they travel and the speed at which they drive?

Have you ever stopped to consider the most important liquid you put in your car? Most people offer the obvious answer: gas. However, that answer is only partially correct. If your car lacks sufficient transmission fluid, oil for the engine or water/antifreeze for the radiator, then a full tank of gas still will not get you where you want to go.

This is exactly the same way we should consider treating our bodies if we want to have the zip to get around throughout our days and successfully reach our destinations. Yet time and again, most people skip breakfast, load up on empty carbs or mistakenly believe they are getting sufficient nutrients from their foods.

The maze of nutritional supplements on the shelves in our favorite health food store is often overwhelming. The most important thing to know is that while we each certainly need particular nutrients, every individual likely needs them in differing amounts or levels. For example, a woman’s requirements differ from a man’s. Age is another factor to consider, as is one’s genetic predisposition. Stress, exercise (or the lack of it), job and lifestyle demands all play a role in our bodies’ needs.

A consultation with a healthcare professional can be quite valuable to help you determine which supplement is needed, how often it should be taken and in what dose. Once you know you are taking the right nutrients for your body, the money you spend on supplements is well invested.

For example, if your urine turns bright yellow after taking certain supplements, you are “spilling your fuel” out through the kidneys. In most cases, we are lucky if we utilize five to 30 percent of the nutrients listed on the label. Today, the absorption is much greater for liquids than for capsules or pressed tablets. Certain processes accentuate a product’s ability to more completely feed our cells.

So when your energy is low, go to the filling station. Just be sure to “fill up” on the correct nutrients to provide you with that extra get-up and go.

Victoria Bowmann, Ph.D., is a licensed massage practitioner specializing in cleansing and detoxification. She has been in private practice in northeast Phoenix since 1978. 602-971-8392 or [email protected].

Reprinted from AzNetNews, Volume 24, Number 6, December 2005/January 2006.