Nutrition

By Ben Fuchs | Pharmacist Ben

Ok, so there really isn’t a “book” called The 8 Chapters of Good Nutrition; it’s simply a handy way to think about diet and supplementation. Nutrition as we’ve said is a vast subject matter and to make it palatable we’ve divided it into 8 (somewhat) manageable sections.

I say “somewhat” because even with chunking we’re still going to have to absorb a large amount of information. While that may seem daunting, it’s actually good news, because it means that there’s lots of places where we can begin to improve the state of our nutritional status and thus ultimately our overall sense of physical well-being.

So, without further ado: The 8 Chapters of Good Nutrition, Chapter 1, Protein.

Proteins are complex molecules made up of individual building blocks called amino acids. While these individual sub-components have powerful health effects as individual molecules, there is no nutritional substance more important than those that emerge from stringing those amino acids together and forming proteins.

The word protein is derived from Latin where it refers to primary importance. There are anywhere from 50-200,000 different proteins in the body, which vary basedon their amino acid sequence, and this enormous number gives the protein structure it’s mind-boggling versatility. 75-80% of the dry weight of the body is protein and this includes enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, muscle, bone, teeth and tissue. All of the proteins of the body are custom designed for individual needs and built up from smaller building-block components called amino acids. Continue reading →

Update

Now you can sit back, relax and watch the “The 8 Chapters of Good Nutrition” on video.