

Lifestyle Choices, Nutrition & Quality Supplements
Think back to the time of your great-grandparents. What types of food did people eat back then? For the most part they ate what they could grow on their land or what they got locally from a Farmer's market or some other community-based food supply. So what happened to our food? Why are so many of us sick, overweight and tired?
What Happened To Real Food?
Food use to be real- the fresh, natural, whole food that God created that spoils and goes bad in a few days if you don't eat it. That's actually how real food was meant to be. Remember how God fed the children of Israel manna each day while they were in the wilderness? Couldn't put that in a box on a shelf and eat it later. So what happened? Where did the cereals, pastries, cookies, sandwiches, chips, burgers, fries, soft drinks, and all of this other fake food come from?
The S.A.D. American Diet (Standard American Diet)



Convenience and catering to the fast-paced, consumption-oriented society we have become, particularly over the last 50 years. Fake food did not exist in earlier times other than an occasional candy treat at the local mercantile store. As manufacturing and distribution capabilities increased, profit-oriented individuals and organizations began designing and producing foods that lasted longer than three days and could be transported from where they were made to locations far away where they would be purchased and consumed. Turned into big business. In time fake foods were designed to be addictive appealing to pleasure centers in our brain, much like cigarettes become addictive to the smoker.
As our culture became more consumption-oriented we found ourselves working more and more to pay for the things we consumed like fancier cars, bigger homes and other "upgrades" we deemed essential to our modern lifestyle. With less time, we turned to convenience for what was formerly family meal-time with meals prepared and consumed at home. No longer time for shopping and cooking. Less family homes- more people living alone so why bother with cooking for so few? Microwaves and drive-through windows became our savior. Grab something to go and quench the appetite cravings quickly while you focus on more important things.
How S.A.D.
Poor Nutrition and the Explosion of Chronic Disease
Today in the United States almost 2/3 of the adult population is overweight. 1/2 of the population has one or more chronic diseases. Obesity alone costs Americans $147 billion each year.1 Most of us are stressed out and tired trying to keep all of the balls we are juggling from falling to the ground. We are not meant to live like this. The foods we are consuming are literally killing us. They have little or none of the micronutrients our cells require. They are loaded with chemicals designed to make the food last longer and to appeal to our brain's pleasure center as tasting great. This temporary "satisfaction" leaves us starving for real nutrients and inflames our immune system which has to fight off all of the foreign, fake substances we routinely digest. We need real nutrition that only comes from real food.
The reason we are overweight, tired and sick so often is primarily because of the processed food we are eating which is creating disease in our bodies.
So What Do We Do About It? Simple!
1. Eat More Natural Whole Food and Less Fake Processed Food
You don't have to go on some fad diet of raw carrots and tree bark that will make you miserable. Just start slowly substituting one unhealthy food or beverage for something healthier and then observe how you feel after a few days or a week.2 For example, instead of a soda or fancy sugary coffee drink, have a glass of water or black coffee, hot tea, or some other healthier alternative. Maybe skip the bread or dessert during a meal. Or substitute a fresh vegetable for a starch such as potatoes or pasta. So good so far? Then try that a few more times each week. You will likely find that you begin feeling better, sleeping better, having more energy, and loosing some fat.
Our body is designed to heal naturally when we feed it correctly. Gradual lifestyle changes over time produces amazing results- both good and bad. Depends upon whether the change is a healthy or unhealthy choice.
It is our choice!
Here's a great, affordable grocery shopping list of real, whole foods you can get at any grocery store. Forget about the myth that eating healthy costs too much. Here's proof that it doesn't. Need some ideas on how to prepare great-tasting meals using healthier foods? Try our Healthy Living Whole Foods Cookbook.
Our website is full of quality, practical, Wellness content and resources that are free and easy-to-understand. Checkout the Related Content on this page as well as the Blog and Recipes.
2. Add Quality, Nutritional Supplements to Your Daily Diet
Supplements are meant to help us get the nutrition we are not getting from our S.A.D. A great place to start is with a quality Multivitamin. For immediate benefit with the gradual diet changes recommended above you might consider a daily meal replacement by adding a great-tasting, low-carb, low-calorie protein shake. You can also easily add more vegetable greens to your diet with a Power Greens drink or greens vegetable capsule that provides a healthy dose of nutrients in a single serving.
Please give us a call at (888) 424-0032 or email if we can help you with FirstFitness Nutrition or NuMedica supplements.
1 Obesity Facts: Kimberly Holland, https://www.healthline.com/health/obesity-facts#2
2 The Whole Foods Diet, Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-whole-foods-diet#1
What Happened To Real Food?
Food use to be real- the fresh, natural, whole food that God created that spoils and goes bad in a few days if you don't eat it. That's actually how real food was meant to be. Remember how God fed the children of Israel manna each day while they were in the wilderness? Couldn't put that in a box on a shelf and eat it later. So what happened? Where did the cereals, pastries, cookies, sandwiches, chips, burgers, fries, soft drinks, and all of this other fake food come from?



The S.A.D. American Diet (Standard American Diet)
Convenience and catering to the fast-paced, consumption-oriented society we have become, particularly over the last 50 years. Fake food did not exist in earlier times other than an occasional candy treat at the local mercantile store. As manufacturing and distribution capabilities increased, profit-oriented individuals and organizations began designing and producing foods that lasted longer than three days and could be transported from where they were made to locations far away where they would be purchased and consumed. Turned into big business. In time fake foods were designed to be addictive appealing to pleasure centers in our brain, much like cigarettes become addictive to the smoker.
As our culture became more consumption-oriented we found ourselves working more and more to pay for the things we consumed like fancier cars, bigger homes and other "upgrades" we deemed essential to our modern lifestyle. With less time, we turned to convenience for what was formerly family meal-time with meals prepared and consumed at home. No longer time for shopping and cooking. Less family homes- more people living alone so why bother with cooking for so few? Microwaves and drive-through windows became our savior. Grab something to go and quench the appetite cravings quickly while you focus on more important things. How S.A.D.
Poor Nutrition and the Explosion of Chronic Disease
Today in the United States almost 2/3 of the adult population is overweight. 1/2 of the population has one or more chronic diseases. Obesity alone costs Americans $147 billion each year.1 Most of us are stressed out and tired trying to keep all of the balls we are juggling from falling to the ground. We are not meant to live like this. The foods we are consuming are literally killing us. They have little or none of the micronutrients our cells require. They are loaded with chemicals designed to make the food last longer and to appeal to our brain's pleasure center as tasting great. This temporary "satisfaction" leaves us starving for real nutrients and inflames our immune system which has to fight off all of the foreign, fake substances we routinely digest. We need real nutrition that only comes from real food.
The reason we are overweight, tired and sick so often is primarily because of the processed food we are eating which is creating disease in our bodies.
So What Do We Do About It? Simple!
1. Eat More Natural Whole Food and Less Fake Processed Food
You don't have to go on some fad diet of raw carrots and tree bark that will make you miserable. Just start slowly substituting one unhealthy food or beverage for something healthier and then observe how you feel after a few days or a week.2 For example, instead of a soda or fancy sugary coffee drink, have a glass of water or black coffee, hot tea, or some other healthier alternative. Maybe skip the bread or dessert during a meal. Or substitute a fresh vegetable for a starch such as potatoes or pasta. So good so far? Then try that a few more times each week. You will likely find that you begin feeling better, sleeping better, having more energy, and loosing some fat.
Our body is designed to heal naturally when we feed it correctly. Gradual lifestyle changes over time produces amazing results- both good and bad. Depends upon whether the change is a healthy or unhealthy choice.
It is our choice!
Here's a great, affordable grocery shopping list of real, whole foods you can get at any grocery store. Forget about the myth that eating healthy costs too much. Here's proof that it doesn't. Need some ideas on how to prepare great-tasting meals using healthier foods? Try our Healthy Living Whole Foods Cookbook.
Our website is full of quality, practical, Wellness content and resources that are free and easy-to-understand. Checkout the Wellness Resources and Supplements tabs on this page as well as the Blog, Recipes and Wellness menu items.
2. Add Quality, Nutritional Supplements to Your Daily Diet
Supplements are meant to help us get the nutrition we are not getting from our S.A.D. A great place to start is with a quality Multivitamin. For immediate benefit with the gradual diet changes recommended above you might consider a daily meal replacement by adding a great-tasting, low-carb, low-calorie protein shake. You can also easily add more vegetable greens to your diet with a Power Greens drink or vegetable capsule that provides a healthy dose of nutrients in a single serving.
Please give us a call at (888) 424-0032 or email if we can help you with FirstFitness Nutrition or NuMedica supplements.
1 Obesity Facts: Kimberly Holland, https://www.healthline.com/health/obesity-facts#2
2 The Whole Foods Diet, Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/the-whole-foods-diet#1

Jay Todtenbier is an original founder of SupplementRelief.com in 2010 and has operated the business ever since. He is also a tennis instructor and gospel musician. Formerly he spent 25 years in business development, technology and marketing with startups and major corporations having gone through the tech boom in Silicon Valley in the 90s. He became passionate about, and began studying and practicing Wellness as a Lifestyle after experiencing chronic, personal health challenges including depression, auto-immune disorders, and being overweight that impacted his ability to live a healthy, vibrant life. Since then, he has been an advocate for healthier living encouraging others to live better through making small, gradual changes to lifestyle behaviors relating to whole-foods nutrition, stress management, reasonable exercise, proper sleep, and the use of targeted, high-quality supplements.
Learn more about Jay Todtenbier.
Related Content
We encourage you to take advantage of these FREE Wellness Resources on our website.

Affordable Healthy Grocery Shopping in 30 Minutes
Ever wonder what a healthy grocery list would look like? One of the things many people tell us is that it seems too hard to change shopping habits. They feel eating healthy is harder or costlier. I can tell you shopping for whole, natural foods is less expensive, easier and much faster in the grocery store than dealing with a bunch of processed foods.

Common Sense for Living a Healthier Life
An estimated 95 percent of the world's population suffers from some type of medical condition according to recent reports from the healthcare sector. More than a third live with as many as five simultaneous health issues.1 At the same time, one in four people currently suffer from a mental illness, and this number is expected to increase during the years to come.

Healthy Living Whole Foods Cookbook
The foods we choose to put into our body should be helping us live more vibrant and productive lives but for many are they are the leading contributor to chronic disease.
Many people know "what" to do to be healthy, but HOW do you do it? One of the best ways we have found is to show people how we eat as a family. This customizable, whole foods cookbook features healthy, affordable, great-tasting recipes that are easy-to-make.
We hope you enjoy these recipes and encourage you to share them with your family and friends!
We also encourage you to browse through the Related Content section on this page to find great articles about nutrition and healthy living.

Help for Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Living
Eliminating or minimizing Gluten and Dairy from your diet isn't necessary for everyone but some certainly benefit from making these lifestyle changes. Regardless, we all benefit from eating more natural, whole foods and less processed foods. Learn more about gluten-free and dairy-free nutrition options and take advantage of the educational resources, shopping list, and recipes.

How Antioxidants Slow the Aging Process and Help Prevent Disease
Oxidation is involved in aging and many other disease processes. Our bodies use antioxidants to oppose the cell oxidation process. Learn about some healthy food options and NuMedica antioxidant supplements that can help.

How to Grocery Shop and What to Eat
We are what we eat. Studies from reputable health organizations suggest that 40-60% of Americans are living with one or more chronic diseases, which negatively impacts their quality of life, reduces employment productivity, and drives up health care costs.1 Lifestyle choices, in particular, the foods we choose to put into our bodies, are making us sick. However, we do have choices regarding our nutrition.
Learn practical tips for healthy and affordable grocery shopping and consider using a list similar to the recommended natural, whole foods grocery shopping list provided to get you off to a good start!

The Importance of Investing in Professional-Grade Supplements
Many consumers believe that supplements and vitamins fall into a single category of efficiency. After all, if you go to the local store and look at two bottles of the same supplement they probably have the same ingredients listed on them. What more could be involved?

Understanding Inflammation's Link to Obesity, Diabetes, & Disease
This article provides introductory knowledge on the role of blood sugar and body fat on inflammation. Inflammation is the center-point of disease and the main contributor to obesity.

Webinar: Four Letter Word for F.O.O.D.
Facilitator Libby Wright discusses the unhealthy types of food typically consumed in the S.A.D (Standard American Diet) with participants of the Your Best Weight online education program. She provides alternative food choices and recipes that are nutritious and taste great along with supplement recommendations including meal replacement protein shakes. The webinar last for 17 minutes and addresses questions submitted by the program participants.

When Did Food Become Our Enemy?
It could be that the primary key to health and wellbeing lay within our gastrointestinal tract. With obesity and childhood behavioral disorders at seemingly epidemic levels and our "healthcare" system lacking answers, where do we turn?

You Can Eat Healthy Without Spending More!
One of the big myths we like to dispel is to talk about the real cost of foods. Most people believe that eating healthy is a lot more expensive than eating processed. The truth is, they cost about the same. Try this experiment and see for yourself!
The information, knowledge, and experience shared on this website is the opinion of SupplementRelief.com. This site and its content is intended to enhance your knowledge base as YOU MAKE YOUR OWN HEALTHCARE DECISIONS in partnership with your qualified health professional. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any products referred to are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

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