Health Club

By Dr. Joseph Mercola
with Rachael Droege

When you search for a car, a home or even a vacation, chances are you look for a product that will give you the most benefits for the best price. However, when it comes to food many people overlook the benefits aspect and focus on getting the best price. The result is greasy fast-food, nutrient-deprived processed foods and wilted or overcooked vegetables that have long since passed their prime.

And while you can certainly pull up to your local fast-food joint and purchase dinner for your family for a reasonable price, if you look at all into the future the money you save on dinner will likely be spent fighting the flus, colds and other illness that are sure to pop up after years of unhealthy eating. Food is an investment in the health of your family--an investment that will more than pay off not only in saved health care bills but in achieving a high quality of life.

The following foods are some of the best available if you really want your food to work for you. Some of these foods are not your typical American fare but rest assured that adding these foods to your diet is like fortifying your body against disease and ill health. What premium fuel will do for your car, or special plant food will do for your houseplants, these foods will do for your body. So when you find yourself searching for a bite to eat during the upcoming week, be sure to incorporate some of these nutrient-dense foods into your diet.

Fish oil

Unfortunately, I can’t recommend fish because it is overwhelmingly contaminated with mercury and dangerous PCBs. What I can recommend, however--and I can’t recommend it highly enough--is fish oil. Packed with beneficial omega-3 fats including DHA, fish oil:

* Helps fight and prevent heart disease, cancer, depression, Alzheimer's, arthritis, diabetes, ulcers, hyperactivity and many other diseases
* Increases your energy level and ability to concentrate
* Provides greater resistance to common illnesses such as flu and cold
* Helps pregnant women avoid premature births, low birth weight and other complications

When using fish oil or cod liver oil it is important to obtain a high-quality reputable brand. In my research--and in my clinical experience with my patients--I have found that:

* The liquid form is superior to capsules
* Certain brands definitely seem inferior to others
* The Carlson's brand of fish oil/cod liver oil is of an exceptional quality and purity

It is likely not the only brand in the world of such high quality, but up to this point it is the only one of such quality that I can recommend, so I now offer the Carlson's fish oil and cod liver oil on Mercola.com; you can also check your local health food store to see if they carry it.

Now is the time of year when people living in cooler climates will want to switch from fish oil to cod liver oil. The main difference between cod liver oil and fish oil is that cod liver oil is high in vitamin D. In warm weather months, the more intense sunshine allows your body to produce high and usually sufficient levels of vitamin D without any supplementation necessary.

However, in cool weather when intense sun exposure is limited, your body will need more vitamin D, and so I recommend cod liver oil versus fish oil in cool weather months or climates.

Those who live in more tropical environments with regular exposure to more intense sun will most likely be fine taking fish oil year round, as your vitamin D intake from the sun will be sufficient. If you aren't sure of what you should take, please have your vitamin D levels tested as it is possible to overdose on vitamin D.

Organic, Raw Vegetables (Metabolically Appropriate)

There is little that compares to the nutritional value of organic, raw vegetables according to your Metabolic Type. In addition to the B-vitamin folic acid, fresh vegetables have numerous other nutrients that will promote health and prevent diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, and the many antioxidants and phtyochemicals in vegetables will help to keep your mind sharp.

To determine how many vegetables you should be eating a day it is important to find out your metabolic type. This could be done by taking a simple test that is detailed in my new book, Total Health Program. Everyone has a unique metabolic type therefore what works for your best friend might not work for you.

For instance, if you are a strong protein type (like me), then you really don't need as many vegetables, perhaps as little as half a pound to a pound a day would be sufficient for the typical protein-type adult.

However, if you know your Metabolic Type then you will want to modify this recommendation based on the results. For instance, if you are a strong protein type (like me), then you really don’t need as many vegetables, perhaps as little as half a pound to a pound a day would be sufficient for the typical protein-type adult.

If you find you are more of a protein type then your vegetables would also be oriented more toward lower potassium varieties, like cauliflower, green beans, spinach, asparagus, mushrooms, celery and avocados. Regular lettuces and typically wonderful vegetables like collard greens, kale and Swiss chard are far too high in potassium for protein types and will tend to cause biochemical imbalances. This also means that if you are a protein type, vegetable juicing may not be necessary at all. On the other hand, a carb type may benefit from consuming far more vegetables, and the best varieties would include the collard greens, kale, Swiss chard, and so on, which were not ideal for protein types.

Please note that while I recommend organic vegetables for the most nutritional benefits, if you can’t find or afford them, don’t use this as an excuse not to eat any vegetables. Eating any vegetables, whether they are organic or not, is much better than not eating any vegetables at all.

Raw Eggs

Raw, whole, organic eggs are a phenomenally inexpensive and incredible source of high-quality nutrients that many of us are deficient in, especially high-quality protein and fat. While it may take some getting used to, this is a simple way to improve your mind and your overall health. Eating cooked eggs will not have the same effect, although the less you cook the egg (such as soft-boiled), the better it will be nutritionally.

There are several ways to consume raw eggs: "rocky style," a whole egg with the yolk intact swallowed whole, blended in a shake using some raw milk, or stirred gently into your vegetable juice or Living Fuel Rx.

If you’re concerned about salmonella, please review my article on raw eggs for information that will relieve your concerns.

Raw Milk

Raw milk is an outstanding source of nutrients including beneficial bacteria such as lactobacillus acidolphilus, vitamins and enzmes, and it is, in my estimation, the finest source of calcium available.

Pasteurized milk is a completely different food and will not provide the same benefits as raw milk.

It can be challenging to locate a source for raw milk, as it is illegal to sell in some states. Ideally, you can find a local farmer who will be willing to sell it to you, but if you are unable to find one Sally Fallon has compiled a Web site that provides further information about this important food source, including where you can purchase raw milk.

In addition to the benefits mentioned above, I am convinced that if most kids were fed real milk from grass-fed cows and avoided sugars and grains after they finished breast feeding, tooth decay would virtually disappear.

Healthy Meat

The key here is "healthy" meat, as not just any meat will do. Commercial livestock is laden with disease and pumped full of antibiotics and hormones. On the contrary, healthy meat will give you an ideal proportion of protein and minerals in relation to its caloric value without any of the artificial and chemical additives that will harm your health.

Obtaining healthy meat means avoiding most grain-fed meats. Grain-free meats not only provide a better balance of omega fats, but the animals are healthier, and the risk of acquiring an infection from a healthy animal is very remote.

But watch out: many stores will advertise beef as grass-fed, because virtually ALL cattle are grass-fed initially. But what matters is what they are fed in the months prior to their slaughter, not what they are fed initially, and most cattle are fed grains during this time.

The least expensive way to obtain grass-fed beef is by locating a farmer and purchasing the products directly. If you are unable to do this we have grass-fed beef suppliers on our site who can overnight the grain-free beef to you.

There are also other healthy meat options beyond beef. Two of the best meats on the planet--in terms of nutritional value and their incredible taste--are bison and ostrich. You can get bison meat and exclusive omega-3-rich ostrich meat in our store. Both of these meats are free-ranged, fed primarily grass/alfalfa diets, and contain no antibiotics or steroids.

You can also look in your local health food store for other healthy meat like organically raised poultry and wild game animals, which are more likely to be fed a grass-type diet.

Chlorella

As foods go, chlorella is among the elite few that reside in the "Near Perfect" category. For a simple single-cell algae plant coming from fresh water, chlorella’s range of benefits is astounding. Chlorella will help you:

* Build your immune system
* Detoxify the heavy metals and pesticides in your body
* Improve your digestive system, including decreasing constipation
* Focus more clearly and for greater duration
* Greatly improve your energy level and feel rejuvinated
* Balance your body’s pH
* Normalize your blood sugar and blood pressure
* Fight cancer
* And even eliminate bad breath

One of the most important aspects of chlorella is its ability to help your body get rid of heavy metals. Many people--far more than are currently aware--are being severely harmed by the heavy metals lingering in their body. If you’ve ever received vaccines, had silver fillings in your teeth, or occasionally eaten fish from any water source (unless you know the fish is mercury-free via lab-testing, there’s a good chance you have some level of metal poisoning harming your health and are highly advised to add chlorella to your diet. Spirulina and blue algae, two other popular health algae, do not detoxify your heavy metals as chlorella does.

Of course, different brands of chlorella will vary widely on their overall quality, potency and purity. We will be offering the most superior brand available in the near future.